Category: Events

Our man on the sidewalk surfer is at it again.  James Cook of Seaside, Oregon to represent Alta Snowboard Team and Seaside Surf Shop at Mt. Tabor park in Portland, Oregon this Saturday, July 26th.  It’s the Mt. Tabor Downhill challenge.  It will be “Old School Style” with limited space between feet making for an interesting stance on the board.  Entry fee is $75 and open to all.  Space is limited and professionals will be in attendance so bring your A-game or just come and watch from the sidelines in beautiful Mt. Tabor park on Portland’s S.E. side..  Full-face helmets and gloves are required to compete.  Shoes and pants?  Who knows?  See you there!

Local shredder and AST rider Shannan Yates takes 1st place at Chamonix with fellow AST riders Laura Dewey and Kaitlin Elliot finishing in 6th and 7th, respectively.  This was the first stop on this year’s Swatch/North Face Freeride World Tour.  All the American female snowboard competitors hail from our own Little Cottonwood Canyon.  That includes Laura Dewey, Shannan Yates, Kaitlin Elliot and Laura Hadar.  The first three of them are reppin’ Alta Snowboard Team and we’re proud to have them.  Shred on ladies!

 

Thursday, March 21.  Travel Day:

“Never leave good surf,” a wise man once told me.  As Justin and I loaded the 84′ AMC Wagon at 6 AM to leave our beloved Little Cottonwood Canyon, the snow had just started to come down hard.  We hadn’t seen snow fall in a week or more.  Never leave good surf.  We had our plans though.  Arrangements made, expectations and excitement high.  We’re off to Colorado.  Really?!  We’re leaving Alta and the Bird during a storm to go to…..Colorado?  Too late now.  We’ve an eight our drive according to map quest which with stops and the pace at which this Eagle flies will probably turn into eleven.  Better get moving.

A gas top-off, coffee top-off and a Talking Heads album later we’d made it to Daniel’s summit.  We’d been through sunny Heber Valley and were back in snow again.  Over the mountains and through through the hills we go.  A beautiful day for a drive.  Besides snow in the mountain passes, it was smooth sailing and sunshine.  Our only complaints were getting pulled over in Dersham, Utah for 46 in a 40 zone and that there are “no dinosaur fossils” in the dinosaur national monument.  True.  You’re better off cruising the strip in the town of Dinosaur and reading the street signs out loud.  Main street is in fact called Brontosaurus.

Friday, March 22.  Inspection day:

Winter Park, Colorado.  “Mary Jane Chutes.”  Inspection day.  Confusing signs there at WinterPark.  Passed the venue twice with the help of signs and off-handed directions.  Upon arriving, we are greeted with a very steep, spiny, pillowy trail.

I love it.  Never been here before.  One chance to gather as much possible information as we can.  Justin goes skiers’ left on a tip from the head judge.  I opted for right and an exposed, visible-to-the-judges, and more fall-line route.  The run is getting pretty skied out even with it being closed to the public.  Temperatures are reaching mid-to-high 30’s and the snow is baking.  We roll the dice with our inspection routes hoping we would find features that fit our liking and would score well.  You hope what you’ve chosen will score well, be fully rideable to your ability, and showcase your particular skill-set.  After making our way down the venue, we congregate in the spectator area to stare as a group up at what we’d just skied.  “Is that the run I want to do?  Are there others more appealing?  Can the judges see me?  Is the snow better somewhere else?  If I grease this line as I plan, will it be enough to get me into day 2/finals?”  These are all questions asked by every competitor as they stare back up at the venue and potential line choice.  No more inspection runs.  Take your pictures, stare, talk amongst yourselves.  That’s all you can do.  Study your pics tonight and try to decide.  Now go explore the mountain and have some fun.

Saturday, March 23rd.  Competition day 1:

Day one of competition.  Calm the nerves.  Get up early because you’re scheduled to be on the chairlift at 8 AM.  Don’t miss it or you’ll miss your one chance this morning to check the conditions and cement your run into your head.  And it’s a good thing we made it.  If steeps are hell to some, then hell has frozen over.  Since Friday’s mid-30’s temps, it has dropped to 15 degrees and an inch or two of snow has fallen. We’re greeted with re-frozen slush.  Some of the worst conditions I’ve ridden.

If I had any choice, I would not be on this steep, exposed face.  That’s what we paid for though.  Justin and I agree on a plan of nothing to lose, except our health.  “Just make it down alive and on your feet, and we’ll head back to Snowbird and powder, ” we told each other.  We did just that and were in the top ten at the end of the day.  Conservative seems to get me through the prelims.  Stay on your feet, ride fast, don’t crash, make it to day 2, repeat.  With the conditions so poor, the riding was lackluster.  No airs, no spins, just making it down the venue.  Nobody feels great after that.  We felt great when we saw the first day results though.  With the exception of our man Tim Ackerman (14th), all AST Team members made it through to day two.  Tim decided to try to cut down a tree with his body and the tree wasn’t having that.  On a side note, (and it is worth noting), Dave “Sudsy” Watson drove out from Snowmass Colorado, didn’t inspect the morning of day one, and shredded his way to a day one first place score.  Way to go Dave.  That is skill and experience at work.

Sunday, March 24th.  Competition day 2:

Excitement and confidence are high.  We’re back early to inspect for day 2/finals.  The organizers decided on “visual inspection” only which means you can look at the venue for as long as you like but to preserve the snow, competitors are not allowed to actually ride the slope before their run.  Given that “better not” chute would be open for us to ride (a permanently closed area), the visual-inspection-only meant that technically everyone was on the same page as far as knowing this run (as no one is every legally allowed on in this area.)

We could look from the top, we could look from the bottom, but that was it.  One interesting part of “better not” was that there was a tree-“choke” in the top third of the run (a place where the trees funnel down to a very tight chute.)  From the top one could see down to the choke but nothing further.  From the bottom, one could see the lower two thirds of the run but not the first third.  This truly was a “visual only” inspection.  Standing at the top of a very steep chute with only the tree choke and who-knows-what beyond made me hope my vision and memory were accurate for whatever was on the other side of those trees.  From the bottom I spotted what I thought to be a high scoring line.  I would come through the aforementioned tree choke but where others were coming down skier’s right drainage and getting stuck in a tight, bony chute, I would traverse above and onto a thin, steep spine.  From the bottom it looked steep and exposed, but rideable.  Perfect right?  Find the nastiest line you think you can ride, then go do it.  I talked with friends and couldn’t believe no one spotted the same line.  Was I crazy?  Is that not rideable?  Why doesn’t anyone else see that? Looks perfect to me.  Steep, exposed, gnarly, scary.  This could be a winner.  “Get out on that spine, make turns, ride the pillows down, send an air, call it a day,” went my mantra.  Gathering at the top, I met fellow AST riders Matt Carter and Justin Latimer.  The hype machine was in full-effect and the hoots and hollers were loud.  I almost lost my voice when Justin dropped in.  Matt dropped two places later.  I could hear the crowd cheering as they came into the bottom so knew they both had good runs.  Now it’s my turn: calm the nerves, do what you do, and make the team proud.  Put in some tunes, give a high-five to Morris who drops after me, and SHRED!  A few turns on a central spine separating two chutes leading down to the tree choke and I actually thought, “wish I wasn’t having to rush through this, the snow is awesome.”  Here comes the tree choke: hope it looks the same as I expect it to!  I traversed high and l, as planned, and found a clear route to where I intended to go. (From the bottom I had worried that I would encounter an obstacle such as a rock or tree stump impeding my intended route to the “spine.”)  I’ve made it through the tree choke and the rest of the run opens up below me.

WOW!  It is steep!  And, the spine is thinner than I expected.  Too late now.  There’s certainly no turning back, figuratively nor literally.  “Make turns, keep moving,” I tell myself.  I weaseled out onto the spine and tried to focus on where I needed to go, not where I did not want to go.  If I can make some turns and get off this spine in one piece, the rest of the run will be no problem.  A quick heel-slide, a jump-turn right, and one more left and I’ve made it down to the end of the spine.  I drop left onto a pillow and breathe a quick internal sigh of relief knowing the tough part was behind me.  Now to try to make the rest of this steep run I’ve never ridden before look good.  Pillow, pillow, pillow, quick drop through the trees, and it’s runout time to the bottom.  It happened faster than I expected.  I’M ALIVE!  Now the great relief of coming into the finish gates in one piece, having ridden a solid line, and doing what was intended.  High fives all around and wait for the results.  With the tension and anxiety of competition behind me I can now relax.  I’ve done all I can do, now it is up to the judges.

When it came time, Justin and I were called to the podium as part of the top 5.  Justin 5th, me 4th.

We did well this time.  It was a great trip to WinterPark, Colorado for the Weekend Warriors Series.  We’ll be back next year.  A special thanks to WinterPark Ski Patrol for all their hard work and keeping us safe.  Also, thanks for getting Better Not chute opened for us.  It was worth getting to ride some “forbidden fruit.”

 

Taos Ski Valley is a family owned resort nestled deep within the Sangre de Cristo mountain range in Northern New Mexico.  The resort boasts steep terrain, wide-open bowls, and uncrowded slopes.  Taos has always been family owned and operated by the Blake family.  They are dedicated to continuing the success and legacy of the ski resort built by Ernie and Rhoda Blake starting in 1954.  Alejandro Blake and his family were key in organizing and hosting  the 2013  Salomon Extreme Freeride Championships.   Also key in making this 4 star world qualifying event  such a success was the amazing staff, the exceptional terrain, and the athletes’ performance.

The Taos experience is not to be missed.  The quaint southwestern city is a rich, culturally diverse area with many locals being of  Native American and Spanish decent.  Taos Ski Valley, just outside of town offers terrain for all types of skiers and riders.  One can cruise the nice groomers or hike just a short distance to some extreme and exposed terrain that happens to also make great venues for big-mountain competitions.

The Salomon Extreme Freeride Championships started February 28 with both the first and second day of qualifying being in the West Basin venue. The third and final day of competition, March 2nd, was held on Kachina peak.  The three day event featured men and women snowboarders and skiers.  Each athlete earned a cumulative score which determined the winner.  Each day of competition a number of athletes were eliminated.  The field was cut from 24 female snowboarders to 5, 26 female skiers to 13 , 43 male snowboarders to 16, and 57 male skiers to 20 for the finals day on Kachina Peak.

The West Basin offered several different route options.  The face was the longest route. It was hidden in the shadows most of the day, but offered some great cliff jumps.  Another option used by the skiers but not many of the riders was the heavy timber area.  Lastly, there was a steep set of sunny cliff bands with some nice exit chutes that many snowboarders chose as their competition line.

The climax of the event was a beautiful, sunny, finals day.  Venue inspection began at 8 am as athletes made the 30 minute walk up 12,481 foot Kachina Peak in an effort to scope their line, smooth their runways, and warm up their legs for the one-run final.  Originally, the idea was to leave the venues fresh, allowing only for a visual inspection.  Because of the variable snow conditions and previous wind event, organizers decided an actual on-snow inspection would be the safest idea for athletes.

Around 10 a.m. with the sun high in the sky the venue gleamed and sparkled as the female snowboarders kicked the competition off.  Five women snowboarders competed on Kachina the final day.  Alta Snowboard Team rider Kaitlin Elliott received the highest score of the ladies riders, 8.17.  She rode consistently well throughout the competition and her cumulative score was the highest which earned her a first place finish.  Kaitlin has several second place finishes, but this is her first win. We are super pumped for Kaitlin.

Kaitlin’s Winning Run

Following the female riders were the lady skiers. Those gals really put on a great show rippin’ through the powder.  Two ladies often seen skiing Snowbird made it to the finals.  Hannah Follender and Desiree Touchette. Congrats Desiree on a 5th place finish.

Jesse Maddox

AST rider Jesse Maddox probably had one of the craziest runs of the whole competition.  First, he hucked a front-flip off the top cornice of his line into the steep, wooded entry of a “no-fall-zone.”  He then made quick work of some steep terrain above nasty exposure.  After a nasty approach, jumping off one of the biggest cliffs in the venue and nearly taking out a cameraman, he spun a backside rodeo 7 off the Red Bull money booter.  The action was non-stop and the crowd went wild.  Jesse earned his personal best finish of 11th place.  Way to represent.  A 40-photo-secuence of Jesse’s run taken by Dave Watson is viewable on www.snowboardfreeridetour.com.

Another Alta Snowboard Team rider, Matt Carter, scored in with his 13th place final finish.  Matt had the pressure on from the get-go blowing the edge out of his board just minutes before his first qualifying run.  After a quick board change and a race to the starting line he qualified 12th. The second day he qualified 11th and his final run down Kachina Peak earned him the lucky number 13.  Matt managed to stay on his feet throughout the competition and his consistent scores kept him in the top 15.

Local knowledge of the mountain proved to be a true asset this competition.  Local patroller Justin Bobb won the men’s snowboarding division.  Bobb earned it with some pretty sick lines.  Justin is a nice person and an awesome representation of how snowboarders at a resort can be respectable super shredder employees.

Drew Peterson won for the men skiers and as always the skiers hucked it huge.  It was mine blowing watching the skiers go so big.

The AST had a whole list of athletes competing at Taos and we had an awesome time hanging out in the warm New Mexico sun.  The AST women snowboarders were Kaitlin Elliott, Camila Brown, and Rose Struble.  The AST men snowboarders were Jesse Maddox, Matt Carter, Mica Brownlie, Zaine Salerno, Jordan Nelson, Wade Williams, and Nick Diachun.  Way to go Team.

The hospitality given to us while we were in the “Land of Enchantment” was unending.  El Pueblo Lodge in Taos is a sister lodge to Alta’s Peruvian Lodge.  We stayed at the El Pueblo after the long days of riding.  The accommodations were lovely.  The lodge staff were amazing hosts and really made us feel welcome.  Check them out at www.elpueblolodge.com.

In conclusion, Taos was spectacular.  You might have missed the 2013 Saloman Extreme Freeride Championship, but it is not too late to ski or ride Taos Ski Valley.  They just received new snow, so it is prime time.        www.skitaos.org                       www.taosskivalley.com

Dave Zook is a sponsored Alta Snowboard Team Rider.  Dave was kind enough to share his experiences at the first Masters of Snowboarding event held at Alpine Meadows, California on February 14th, 2013.  Dave finished 26th in a field of 54 competitors.

Author:Dave Zook

Photos: Dee

To me the Masters is about having fun and pushing my abilities amidst a group of talented riders. I have done a few competitions in years past with limited success, but have an underlying confidence that on the right day I can hang with the big kids. I was hoping Tahoe would be that day.

 

On the first day at Alpine I had my inner amp-up reserves stored up for a 20-foot rock with a firm but acceptably steep landing. The goal was to stay conservative through the top section and cap the run off with a sizeable air, staying fluid throughout.

I dropped into the upper ice apron and squiggled and squirmed over the wind-scoured month-old snow. I found air 1, a four-foot drop to slick runout.

A four-foot air is admittedly small, but I have no trouble conceding that for me it was difficult to land any air on that steep of a venue and control the speed afterward. The difficulty lay in not simply landing the air but regaining composure without throwing the board on the heel edge and sliding for awhile, as doing so is not smooth, and runs the risk of washing out. Though the announcers kept saying “railing out” when this happened, which channeled my inner eighth-grader and made me giggle.

 

 

I dropped the first air and rode out, sliding but a little on my heel. I weaved over to air 2 which was about a foot bigger than air 1st. The same tactic here yielded the same result. While I could feel I wasn’t rocketing through the course like some (Matt Carter!), control was a nice thing to be able to fall back on to justify lack of berserk speed.

 

But one big rock still lay between myself and a cold beer. The in-run had a smoothed out and perfectly horizontal takeoff zone from everyone scraping it the day before. That’s nice, I thought, as I closed in on the lip. I remember wanting to drift from rider’s left to right in the air, so I could find the optimal transition, and not go too far and land in Nick Perata’s lap in the announcing booth.

 

The plan almost worked. My speed felt good, I found the grab and looked at the impending landing coming straight to the bottom of my feet. Only a few centimeters of board, a sturdy pair of boots and a pair of thin socks insulated my feet from the ruggedly firm snow. If memory serves me, which it probably doesn’t when trying to recollect thoughts from a free-fall, I was positioned to land on the mental X I had mapped out.

But, I came down with a tad too much weight centered over my front foot and tumbled. I’d anticipated the landing to be proper hardpack, but I think the snow gave way just a touch and tripped me up and over the handlebars. I tweaked my ankle and it hurt. I broke my board and that sucked. I didn’t land and wouldn’t get a great score and that pissed me off.

 

But like anything, perspective is key. It was a beautiful day in Cali, my home state and I was outside, and snowboarding. Friends were watching and supporting me, which counts for everything, more than I can express. In no time I was smiling and cheering on the rest of the riders. I had fun.