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World Backcountry Freeride Jam Wrap Up

J Dogg — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 23:48:59 -0400

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On Saturday April 19th, The North Face Canadian Ski Mountaineering Championships turned out to be the toughest race yet. But the difficult course and conditions did not deter a record number of competitors participating in all three races at this years’ 2008 National Championships.

The North Face Spearhead Passage

Weather dawned clear and cold with starting temperatures around –18C with a steady wind. The new course this year offered up some serious surprises including a boot pack climb up Exhilaration couloir which tops out at over 45 degrees.

The colder temperatures played havoc with freezing hydration systems and some competitors had limited or no water for the entire 26km, 4 + hour race! A total of 41 racers competed with a sprint finish for the top two competitors, Aaron Chance (CAN) and Andy Traslin (CAN). Both men are members of Canada’s national squad and have been battling it out all season. Andy came across the line first but suffered a time penalty which meant he lost the race by an incredibly close 21/100ths of a second! After 3.5 hours of racing! A young Riener Thoni (CAN) came in third with a very strong performance. Clearly one of the up and coming new stars for the Canadian team. Riener’s father, Rudi, and mother, Patricia also competed on the weekend. A remarkable family effort!

The top women were Melanier Bernier (CAN) (1st), Julie Matteau (CAN) (2nd) and Erica Janakova (CZ/CAN) (3rd). Both Melanie and Julie are members of Canada’s national Ski Mountaineering team. The competitors loved the course additions with its more difficult technical climbs.

The North Face Whistler Dash racers competed on a shortened version of the same course. So conditions were not much easier for them. Their 11k course saw a number of new comers and some very fast times lead by Steven Ziff in 1st, Dave Crew 2nd and Andre Munck in 3rd. There were 12 competitors in the Dash race. Top women were Carolyn Swertka (USA) up from the Jackson Hole in her first ever race. 2nd was Emelie Steinberg (CAN) and Birgitta Nieport (DAN) in 3rd. An international field in the citizen’s race!

Sunday saw an early start for competitors in The North Face Whistler WindUP as they shook off the tired legs and lungs from Saturday and hammered up the steep 1200m climb from Whistler Village to the Roundhouse. The young legs of Riener Thoni was the class of the day with a time of 1:08:57! 2nd was Matt Thompson (CAN) and 3rd was Javier Garcia (ESP). Matt chose to use snowshoes for this race and showed the snowshoers on a steep and hard course could keep pace with the skiers only 6 minutes behind Riener.

The women’s field was lead by Melanie Bernier and followed by Lina Augattis (CAN) and in third, Birgitta Nieport. Melanie posted a fast pace at 1:30:34. Amazing performance after a hard day of racing the day before.

Total racers competing was 76, an new high. A very successful weekend of racing which is continuing to establish the Spearhead Passage as one of the most difficult and most favoured stops on the North American schedule.

More at http://www.wbfj.ca/

Ed Viesturs & Stetson Canadian Arctic Trek for Earth Health

J Dogg — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

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On April 25th, Talus-sponsored athletes Ed Viesturs and John Stetson will embark on a 150-mile expedition into the Canadian Arctic. The world-renown adventurers will cross-country ski the entire Canadian Arctic Trek for Earth Health pulling sledges throughout North Baffin Island. The challenging expedition is scheduled to last nearly 20 days with daily progress reports being made via satellite phone and posted on the web.

Viesturs and Stetson believe that people cannot be healthy if the earth is unhealthy. “We live in a fish bowl,” says Viesturs, “and we need to keep our little home clean.”

The Canadian Arctic Trek for Earth Health will allow Viesturs and Stetson to see first-hand how global climate change is affecting the pristine artic environment. This will be highlighted by speaking directly with the native Inuit communities found in Pond Inlet and how climate change is affecting their lifestyle and sustainable hunting tactics.

Additionally, this expedition will prepare Viestus and Stetson for a future 600-mile, unsupported expedition to the South Pole. Due to the length and conditions of the pending expedition, meticulous planning and preparation are needed.

Viesturs and Stetson are both decorated adventurers with widespread experience in extreme conditions. In May of 2005, Viesturs completed his 18-year dream of becoming the first American and only the fifth person in the world to ascend the 14 tallest mountains (all over 8,000ft) without supplemental oxygen. Included in this feat, Viesturs has ascended Mount Everest six times.

Stetson is a renowned sled dog musher with more than 20 years of experience and has logged nearly 80,000 miles by dog sled. No stranger to inclement weather, Stetson is the two-time champion of the John Beargrease sled dog race and has competed in temperatures 40-degrees-below-zero.

During the Canadian Arctic Trek for Earth Health, Viesturs and Stetson will be equipped with the ColdAvenger™, a high-performance cold weather face mask made by Talus Outdoor Technologies. Talus is a proud sponsor of the expedition.

Talus is honored to provide athletes with the tools to “Stay Out Longer” while continuing their efforts to promote sustainable business practices and corporate responsibility. Talus supports CoolEarth, an international sustainability effort to protect rainforests for carbon sequestration (www.coolearth.org), and educational programs such as Globalwarming101 (www.globalwarming101.com). Join us in making a difference in our planet.

Whistler Shredder Crystal Rose-Lee Wins World Freeskiing Championships

J Dogg — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 02:55:16 -0400

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The final stop of the Subaru U.S. Freeskiing Series and the Freeskiing World Tour wrapped up today at Alyeska Resort, Alaska. The emotional day of competition began this morning as nearly 200 competitors hiked to the top of Alyeska peak to pay tribute to fallen competitor John Nicoletta of Aspen, Colorado.

A memorial took place on the peak where competitors shared their favorite stories and memories of Nicoletta. Before the first competitor left the start gate a large group of Aspen athletes foreran the venue in unison and dedicated it to their lost friend.

With half the field of competitors unable to complete their runs yesterday, the decision was made to run the remainder of the field this morning. Incidentally, four out of the top five overall male competitors ran yesterday including Jake Cohn of Telluride, CO, whose run included a high speed straight-line with a sizeable cliff-drop. Cohn finished fifth with 34.69 points. Luke Nelson of Fernie, B.C., finished fourth with 35.75 points just ahead of Aaron Schmidt also of Fernie, BC. Schmidt, who ran today, pioneered a new line which he skied with authority, earning him 36 points overall. Craig Garbiel of Kirkwood, California, skied an incredibly fast run, gaining precious line score points by skiing through exposure, to finish second with 36.25. Kent Hyden of Alta, Utah, executed four perfect cliff drops with no hesitation. His speed and aggressive line choice earned him a total of 36.63 points, which put him on the top of the podium.

“I was looking up the venue this morning and had an idea of what I wanted to ski,” overall winner Kent Hyden said yesterday. “Right before my start, I looked down at my line and was able to see my take-off and where I would land I figured and I knew that as long as I had enough speed I would be alright. It worked out pretty well.”

The international women’s field represented five nations and was one of the deepest in history. Ex U.S. National Ski Team member Crystal Wright of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, skied a technical line with a few impressive cliff-drops, skiing into the bowl with controlled speed, which earned her 29.88 points and fifth place overall. One of the youngest competitors in the event, 19 year-old Jacqui Edgerly of Aspen, Colorado, impressed the judges with her extremely fast run, earning her 30.88 points and fourth place on the day. Former Freeskiing World Tour champion Jess McMillan finished third overall with 31 points just ahead of Janina Kuzma of Fernie, BC, who skied her exposed line with confidence, landing her in second position overall with 31.75 points. Tour veteran Crystal-Rose Lee of Whistler, BC, made quick work of the venue, skiing a fast, technical line littered with cliff-drops, which earned her the first position overall with 32.25 points.

“This was the most nervous and weird I have ever felt in a competition,” said third place finisher Jess McMillan. “I always ski to ski another day, and after yesterday, the weight of that was heavy. Today I wanted to ski for myself, for John… and for the sake of skiing. I didn’t really care how I did, I just wanted to make it down to the bottom and it feels really good to be down here.”

Although the awards ceremony will take place tomorrow, overall tour winners were released this evening solidifying a Whistler, B.C., sweep of the Freeskiing World Tour as Brett Crabtree won his first title and Jen Ashton claimed her fourth. The Subaru U.S. Freeskiing Series titles went to Josh Daiek of Kirkwood, CA, and Crystal-Rose Lee of Whistler, B.C. Log onto www.usfreeskiing.com for a complete list of tour results. For Sickbird buckle winner and The North Face Young Gun winner, please log onto www.usfreeskiing.com tomorrow.

Mountain Sports International presented a live webcast of the Subaru Freeskiing World Championships. Check out highlights at www.usfreeskiing.com, which features state of the art video and photo player technology. The daily uploads of video, photos, news and results are available after each day concludes.

VIEW FULL RESULTS>>>

Simon Dumont World Record Quarterpipe Highest Air

J Dogg — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

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Skiing prodigy and X Games star Simon Dumont accomplished the unthinkable today, establishing a new world record for highest air on a quarterpipe as he launched 35 feet into thin air at his home resort of Sunday River in Maine.

On the world's tallest quarterpipe (38-feet tall and 78-feet wide) custom-built by Snow Park Technologies, and with a representative from FIS (Fédération Internationale de Ski ) appointed by Guinness Book of World Records on location to document the record-breaking moment, Dumont beat previous record holder Terje Haakonsen's 32 feet 6 inches during his last day of attempts.

Soaring a breathtaking 73 feet above the ground -- more than a seven-story building -- this hometown hero sent the intimate crowd of family and friends into a frenzy as they witnessed the record-breaking moment.

"I wasn't sure how this would all go down today with the wind and some healing injuries I've been nursing," says Dumont. "As I was dropping down the hill into the run-in it just hit me that this would be it -- the rest is history."

Making the attempt had been on Simon's mind for several years, but once snowboard legend Terje Haakonsen set the record in 2007 going 32 feet 6 inches high with a backside 360 at The Arctic Challenge in Oslo, Norway, Dumont knew he wanted to be the first to break it. So in 2008, Dumont turned to Red Bull and Sunday River to bring the project to life.

Although Snow Park Technologies has built countless quarterpipes over the years, this was the first developed specifically for both a single athlete and the Guinness Book. "Building a quarterpipe for just one athlete exactly the way he wants it is unique for us," says SPT's Corley Howard. "I'm super excited to be a part of this project ... after seeing Simon get huge airs in the halfpipe at the X Games, we were hoping he'd go for the record." After two days of framing the quarterpipe with a snowcat, and three days of precisely hand shaping the 38-foot wall from the top down, Howard along with fellow SPT builder Jeremy Carpenter had done all they could do. It was time for Simon to get to work.

The project began Tuesday morning when Dumont arrived on site directly off a flight from Sweden. Dumont began hitting the quarterpipe in the early afternoon when he reached heights as high as 28 feet, before drifting in the air and falling nearly 66 feet onto the snow below. Dumont's hard hitting landing caused him to bruise his heel and aggravate an existing knee injury. After seeing the doctor, Simon returned to the hill on Wednesday, but was plagued by his injuries and was forced to recuperate for the rest of the day. Thursday was disrupted by high winds forcing the entire staff to delay their flights in order to provide Simon with one more opportunity to attempt the World Record.

At 9 a.m. Friday morning Simon showed up with his game face on and was ready for his final attempts. After an hour of repeatedly hitting the quarterpipe, at 10:12 a.m. EDT Dumont hiked an additional 15 feet up the hill to gain more speed. Simon crouched into a tucked position going 55 mph down the in-run and not only launched 35 feet into the air, but spun a 900 in the process (a trick where the athlete spins 2.5 complete rotations in the air).

And what better place to carry out this history-making moment than Sunday River, New England's premier ski destination located in the Mahoosuc Mountains of western Maine, where it all began for Dumont. "Simon grew up here in the town of Bethel shredding the slopes at Sunday River so we were thrilled to help him bust the record," says Alex Kaufman, Communications Manager for Sunday River. Marketing Manager Nick Lambert continues, "Sunday River is best known for our snowmaking and for the large amount of ski terrain we have to offer, both of which helped make the resort the right location for this event." As far as this quarterpipe being the tallest freestyle feature ever built in the world, here at Sunday River, Kaufman comments, "We're all about putting the snow we make all year to good use in the spring. Simon going for a world record at Sunday River was pretty darn good use!"

So, with the mission accomplished for 21-year-old Simon Dumont, what's next on the horizon? "I plan to go film for the rest of the season, then take a good vacation this summer before refocusing on next year," says Dumont.

Snowbird US Freeskiing Nationals - Day 1

J Dogg — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 11:33:10 -0400

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If things keep up the way they are, some of our favourite Whistlerites will be on the podium. Here's what's going on at Snowbird so far...

After two days of intense qualifying rounds on Snowbird's West Baldy, the roster was whittled down and the slate wiped clean for athletes who qualified for today’s official start to the Subaru U.S. Freeskiing Nationals. This event is the fifth stop on the Subaru U.S. Freeskiing Series and second stop on the Freeskiing World Tour. In total, 84 male and 31 female competitors advanced to today’s Silver Fox competition venue.

Leading the women’s field, which is one of the deepest in freeskiing history, is Emily Teague of Telluride, CO, with 35.50 points. Second place on the day is 18-year-old competitor Colby Adams from Breckenridge, CO, with 35.25 points. In third place with 34.88 points is Snowbird local Alaina Heustis. In total 16 women advance to tomorrow’s finals on North Baldy.

"I'm stoked on the group of girls here," said today’s second place finisher Colby Adams. "It's always fun when the intensity is raised. Whether you qualify or not, it's just fun."

Men’s tour veteran Kevin O’Meara of Squaw Valley, CA, cleanly executed several huge cliff drops to lead the men’s field with 41.63 points. Whistler, BC’s Mathieu Gagnon-Theriault sits in second with 39.13 points, and in third is Brett Crabtree of Blackcomb, BC with 38.38 points.

Tomorrow’s finals will take competitors back across the valley to the North Baldy section of Snowbird. This legendary venue is the perfect proving ground for the best freeskiers in the world to push their limits as they chase the World Tour and Subaru U.S. Freeskiing Tour titles as well as the $12,500 event prize purse.

Don’t miss the webcast of today’s action at 6 pm MST on www.usfreeskiing.com. MSI will present live a LIVE webcast of the Subaru U.S. Freeskiing Nationals final and super final rounds beginning at 10am MST tomorrow, with a re-broadcast airing at 6pm MST. The webcast will also be aired on partner sites www.powdermag.com, www.backcountry.com, www.newschoolers.com and www.biglines.com

Log on to www.usfreeskiing.com for event photos, news and results after each day concludes.