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Freeride World Tour Stops Announced

J Dogg — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:58:48 -0400

Rating

Four locations around the world have been selected for the second edition of the Freeride World Tour. On top of it, qualification events have joined as Freeride World Qualifier events making the Tour even more attractive, with more events and more riders. The planet's top freeride skiers and snowboarders will start in Sochi with the Nissan Russian Adventure 2009 and then travel to the USA, France and Switzerland to prove their skills on some of the world's most challenging faces. The Freeride World Tour has a prize purse of $250,000, the highest sum ever to be paid in ski or snowboard freeride contests. On March 15, 2008, the first ever edition of the Freeride World Tour (FWT) was completed after five successful events around the globe, finishing with the prestigious Nissan O'Neill Xtreme in Verbier, Switzerland. Elyse Saugstad (USA) and Henrik Windstedt (SWE) in skiing, Ruth Leisibach (SUI) and Xavier de le Rue (FRA) in snowboarding became the first Freeride World Champions in history.

The Freeride World Tour is on for the second edition. The world best professional freeriders are back on the Tour and have all confirmed their participation. A number of 40 male and female riders plus wild cards are invited to the first three contests: Nissan Russian Adventure in Sochi (Russia), Nissan Tram Face in Squaw Valley (USA), and Nissan Freeride in Tignes (France). The final contest will take place in Switzerland with the Nissan Xtreme - Verbier 09, on the gruelling north face of the Bec des Rosses, one of the most challenging descents in the world of freeriding.

"It is great to see that the Tour will continue to its second year with all the top riders of last year’s edition present,” said Swedish skier Henrik Windstedt, the sensational Freeride World Tour Champion 2008. “With the high level of the athletes, the standard of the riding will if possible be even greater than last year. The Tour will also develop and grow to an even higher quality event, which is just great for the future of this sport", Windstedt further commented.

Founder and organiser Nicolas Hale-Woods (SUI) is very pleased with the progression of the Freeride World Tour to its second edition. “The fact that 100% of the top ranked riders from last year have confirmed their participation for this year is really a measurement of success for the Freeride World Tour. We feel that the progression of the sport is strong. With the extensive support of our main partner Nissan, new partners joining in and top resorts like Sochi, Squaw Valley USA, Tignes and Verbier hosting our contests, we are attracting more and more attention of the public, the media and the industry. ”

Jean-Pierre Diernaz, General Manager of Nissan’s Marketing Communications in Europe said, “As we prepare for the second year of Nissan’s commitment to the Freeride World Tour across Europe and North America, we are very excited by the addition of new Freeride World Qualifier events in countries including Italy, Slovakia and Norway. This will allow more athletes than ever before the opportunity to qualify for the four Nissan sponsored Tour events. Through these, we hope that the Freeride World Tour will uncover the next generation of male and female international skiers and snowboarders.”

In order to allow freeriders who are not qualified for the Freeride World Tour to participate and score points, the Pro Freeriders Board elected existing international events to be part of the Freeride World Qualifier (FWQ). The FWQ is a series of independently organised events around the world. Riders participating in those events collect points in the Freeride World Ranking (FWR), a unique ranking list for both FWT and FWQ events. Riders from the Freeride World Tour and the Qualifier will therefore climb up and down the ranking list throughout the season. Finally the three best results will count to score the 2009 Freeride World Champions who will be crowned in Verbier after the Xtreme.

Visit www.freerideworldtour.com

FOUR FREERIDE WORLD TOUR 2009 EVENTS:

1. NISSAN RUSSIAN ADVENTURE - SOCHI, RUSSIA
Dates: 20-25 JAN 2009, Preliminary contest day: Wednesday 21 January
40 riders qualified + wild cards:
- 15 males: 10 best of FWT08 + 4 best of FWQ08 + 1 FWQ09 sister event* winner + wild cards
- 5 females: 2 best of FWT08 + 2 best of FWQ08 + 1 FWQ09 sister event* winner + wild cards

2. NISSAN TRAM FACE - SQUAW VALLEY USA
Dates: 27 FEB-05 MAR 2009, Preliminary contest day: Saturday 28 February
40 riders qualified + wild cards:
- 15 males: 10 best of FWT08 + 4 best of FWQ08 + 1 FWQ09 sister event* winner + wild cards
- 5 females: 2 best of FWT08 + 2 best of FWQ08 + 1 FWQ09 sister event* winner + wild cards

3. NISSAN FREERIDE DE TIGNES, FRANCE
Dates: 8-14 March 2009, Preliminary contest day: Monday 9 March
40 riders qualified + wild cards:
- 15 males: 10 best of FWT08 + 4 best of FWQ08 + 1 FWQ09 sister event* winner + wild cards
- 5 females: 2 best of FWT08 + 2 best of FWQ08 + 1 FWQ09 sister event* winner + wild cards

4. NISSAN XTREME - VERBIER 09, SWITZERLAND
Dates: 20-29 March 2009, Preliminary contest day: Saturday 21 March
22 riders qualified + wild cards:
- 8 best males on the FWR09 + wild cards
- 3 best females on the FWR09 + wild cards
The final entry list for the Nissan Xtreme - Verbier 09 will be announced at 4pm CET the day of the Nissan Freeride de Tignes

* Four of the FWQ events are called “sister events” and are directly linked to a FWT contest. The winner of each category of a sister event is automatically qualified for the FWT contest to which it is linked.

CONFIRMED FREERIDE WORLD QUALIFIER (FWO) EVENTS:
(additionnal events to be confirmed by October 15)

THE NORTH FACE MASTERS OF SNOWBOARDING - SNOWBIRD (USA), 30 January-1 February - Freeride World Qualifier, sister events of the Nissan Tram Face – Squaw Valley (USA)

SPYDER BIG MOUNTAIN FIEBERBRUNN (AUT), 5-15 February 2009 - Freeride World Qualifier, sister event the Nissan Freeride de Tignes (FRA)

THE NORTH FACE MASTERS OF SNOWBOARDING - CRESTED BUTTE (USA), 13-15 February - Freeride World Qualifier, sister events of the Nissan Tram Face – Squaw Valley (USA)

WINTER MYSTICXPERIENCE (ITA), 19-22 February 2009 - Freeride World Qualifier

THE NORTH FACE MASTERS OF SNOWBOARDING - KIRKWOOD (USA), 6-8 March - Freeride World Qualifier

NENDAZ FREERIDE (SUI), 13-18 March 2009 - Freeride World Qualifier, sister event of the Nissan Xtreme – Verbier 09 (SUI)

JASNA ADRENALIN (SK), 31 March-5 April 2009 - Freeride World Qualifier

RÖLDAL FREERIDE CHALLENGE (NOR), 22-26 April 2009 - Freeride World Qualifier, sister event of the Nissan Russian Adventure - Sochi 2010

Crabtree on Podium at Snowbird Freeskiing Competition

J Dogg — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 22:55:53 -0400

Rating

Whistler shredder and Doglotion favourite Brett Crabtree has earned another podium for the season. Not on top like Crested Butte, but hey, he had to give someone else a chance. Here's what went down at Snowbird...

After an extraordinarily exciting day of skiing, Jaclyn Passo of Squaw Valley, CA, wins the women’s title and Dylan Crossman takes first in the stacked international men’s division, as the 11th Annual Subaru U.S. Freeskiing Nationals concluded today on North Baldy at Snowbird Ski Resort, Utah.

The women’s field represented one of the deepest talent pools in Subaru U.S. Freeskiing National’s 11-year history. Sitting in seventh place going into the super final rounds this afternoon, Jaclyn Passo of Squaw Valley, California, had nearly four points to make up in order to reach the podium. Judges rewarded Passo for sending it off the same big double-stager that many of the men looked to as an exit out of the amphitheatre, catapulting her into first place with a total score of 104.44. Crystal Wright of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, moved from fifth to finish second overall with 103.13 points, and last year’s winner Jess McMillan of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, rounded out the podium with 115.13 points.

“I got so close to a win at Squaw after leading the first day, but I went for too big off a jump on day two,” said women’s winner Jaclyn Passo. “At Crested Butte, the same scenario unfolded, so it’s pretty sweet to finally see this come together. I wasn’t planning on going to Alyeska, Alaska, for the tour finals, but now I may have to.” said Passo.

The men’s super final rounds were simply incredible today as less than 12 points separated all 18 competitors who advanced. Current Freeskiing World Tour points leader Brett Crabtree of Whistler, B.C., tightened the grip on his points lead, pioneering a new line and dropping a cliff which no other competitor attempted, placing third overall with 115.13 points. With less than a point separating Kevin O’Meara of Squaw Valley, California, from first position, the title seemed like it could be his for the taking. O’Meara’s smooth spread eagle off Blonde Rock and technical double drop near the finish appeared to be enough to take the lead, but there was still one man left at the start line. Although he was on alpine gear, the five-time telemark champion of the Crested Butte Extremes, Dylan Crossman, had an incredible and hesitation-free super final run, which earned him the second highest scoring run of the competition. Combined with the highest scoring run of the day, which also went to Crossman earlier today, Crossman solidified his victory with123.28 total points. Kevin O’Meara finished second with119.50 points.

“I knew I had to pull out all the stops, there was nothing to lose in the super finals, so I just went for it,” said the 2008 Subaru US Freeskiing Nationals men’s champion Dylan Crossman.

As always, spectators enjoyed watching freeskiing’s elite battle it out for the Tobias Lee Memorial Sickbird buckle award. The Sickbird award is presented to the competitor with the most spirited competition run, often involving super-human talent and agility. This week’s Sickbird buckle was awarded to Jaclyn Passo, whose aggressive super final run earned this huge honor, which has rarely been won by a female competitor.

The North Face Young Gun Award returns in 2008, honoring outstanding new talent in competitive freeskiing. Points accumulated throughout the season will crown one deserving under-21-year-old a full sponsorship from The North Face and the honor of becoming the next Young Gun winner. This stop’s winner was 18-year-old Brayden Brassey of Park City, Utah, who finished 5th overall.

The Subaru U.S. Freeskiing Series and Freeskiing World Tour wraps up at The Subaru Freeskiing World Championships at Alyeska, AK, April 9-13, 2008. Past tour stops include the Subaru Telluride Freeskiing Open, the Subaru Squaw Valley U.S.A Freeskiing Open, the Jackson Hole Freeskiing Open, the Subaru US Extreme Freeskiing Championships at Crested Butte, CO.

MSI presented a live webcast of the Subaru U.S. Freeskiing Nationals from Snowbird, both Friday and Saturday. Be sure to visit the newly redesigned and recently launched www.usfreeskiing.com, which features state of the art video and photo player technology. The daily uploads of video, photos, news and results of each day’s competition action will be available after each day concludes.

View FINAL RESULTS>>>

For more information log onto www.usfreeskiing.com

Ledcor Canadian Open Freeskiing Championship - Red Resort

J Dogg — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 23:24:58 -0500

Rating

Ledcor Group of Companies has partnered with Red Mountain Resort for the second year in a row to present the Canadian Open Freeskiing Championship, Canada's biggest and longest running Big Mountain
Championship.

From January 10th to 20th over 200 freeskiers will visit Red for two separate competitions - a Junior event and an Open event. A handsome cash purse of $12,500 will be awarded to the top Open Mens and Ladies skiers who dominate the steeps, deeps, chutes and cliffs of Mount Roberts, which boasts some of the best freeskiing terrain in North America and one of the longest, most challenging venues on the Big Mountain Freeskiing Circuit.

A global construction company, Ledcor is leading the construction of Red's condominium project Slalom Creek. As a general principle, Ledcor supports community by providing local opportunities through employment and supplier contracts. Peter Hrdlitschka, President of Ledcor, states "As the premier builder working at the exciting development of Red Mountain Resort, Ledcor Construction Limited is pleased to sponsor the Canadian Open Freeskiing Championship for a second consecutive year".

Erik Kalacis, Red Mountain Resort's General Manager and Vice-President of Sales and Marketing states "We sincerely thank Ledcor for participating again this year. Ledcor's support is much appreciated since it has increased the prize money and elevated the production values of this world-class event. The athletes, media and spectators are in for a great time with some spectacular skiing!"

The format of the competition will follow the International Free Skiers
Association's (IFSA) Big Mountain Freeskiing guidelines. Athletes will be judged on line choice, fluidity, technique, aggression and control. The IFSA heralds the Canadian Open Freeskiing Championship as "a pinnacle in North American competitive freeskiing". Jeff Holden returns to lead the team of judges as Head Judge for another year. Captain Jack Carey returns as Chief of Competition.

Event Schedule:

Friday Jan. 11, 2008

8:00AM-4:00PM Junior Athlete Registration (Guest Services/Ticket Office)
9:00AM-3:00PM Course inspection (Link's Line)
7:00PM Mandatory Junior Athlete's meeting (Sourdough Alley cafeteria)

Saturday Jan. 12, 2008

7:00AM-8:30AM Mandatory inspection run (Link'sLine)
9:00AM Junior Competition - Qualifying Round
Sunday Jan. 13, 2008 7:00AM-8:30AM Inspection run (Link's Line)
9:00AM Junior Competition - Final Round (Link's Line)
2:00PM-3:00PM Awards (Day Lodge)

Wednesday Jan. 16, 2008

8:00AM-4:00PM Open Athlete Registration (Guest Services/Ticket Office)
7:00PM Mandatory Open Athlete's meeting (Sourdough Alley cafeteria)

Thursday Jan. 17, 2008

7:00AM-8:30AM Mandatory inspection run ( Link's Line)
9:00AM Open Competition - Qualifying Round ( Link's Line)
4:30PM Athlete meeting for results / start order (Sourdough Alley
cafeteria)

Friday Jan. 18, 2008

7:00AM-8:30AM Inspection run (Mount Roberts)
9:00AM Open Competition - Semi-Final Round (Mount Roberts)
4:00PM Athlete meeting for results / start order (Sourdough Alley cafeteria)

Saturday Jan. 19, 2008

7:00AM-8:30AM Inspection run (Mount Roberts)
9:00AM Open Competition -Final Round (Mount Roberts)
6:00PM Athlete Dinner and Awards (Day Lodge)
9:00PM After Party presented by Skier Magazine (Rafters)

Sunday Jan 20, 2008 Weather Day

The Junior event returns to Red for a second year with a new age category 7-11 and an additional day of competition. Held on Link's Line underneath the Motherlode Chair, skiers aged 7-18 will compete in a two-day event on January 12th and 13th.

The Open competition is limited to skiers 19 years and older. On January
17th the Open qualifications on Red's most difficult in-bounds run, Link's
Line, will determine the top 50 semifinalists. The competition will then
move to Mount Roberts for two days, visible to spectators from Granite
Mountain's Ledges area.

For registration forms and more event information, please visit
www.canadianfreeskiing.com or phone Red Mountain Resort at (800) 663-0105.

New Mexico Extreme Freeride Championships Went Off

J Dogg — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 12:34:56 -0400

Rating

OK we almost forgot about Taos because it's so darn far away from Whistler, but their first Freeride Championships just went off last week with or without us, here's the official lowdown from the final day's action...

Day three of the 2007 Salomon New Mexico Extreme Freeride Championships unfolded under sunny skies on Taos’ famed Kachina Peak. The venue, coated with fresh snow, did not fail to live up to expectations. At just over 12,000 feet, Kachina Peak is the highest venue in North America. The elevation adds another dimension to the event as does the 30-40 minute hike to the top: athletes who are not in top shape suffer, and overall fitness comes into play.

But while the competitors have to suffer through the hike, for spectators the location is ideal. With all the rowdiest terrain at the bottom of the Kachina sector, some of the most intense action unfolds directly in front of the crowds. And there are crowds. This year over 300 people watched the entire event, with more than 600 viewing part of the festivities. It is, without a doubt, the biggest skiing event in New Mexico.

With round two dominated by Colorado athletes, the final day saw some local skiers step up and make a statement. Fluid, aggressive lines by Michael Holmquist and Marcia Ready saw both Taos skiers advance, with Holmquist moving from the 17th spot up to 6th and Ready just missing the podium with a 4th place finish. Arapahoe Basin’s George Casaletta, who was leading going into the finals by a mere point, had a few problems on his final run and slipped to 3rd. The top three spots for the men were rounded out by Boulder, Colorado’s Chuck Mumford, who finished in 2nd and nineteen-year old phenom Bryce Newcomb who skis out of Sun Valley. Newcomb steadily advanced through the ranks with solid, aggressive skiing, taking advantage of mistakes by the leaders to score the victory.

For the ladies, Squaw Valley’s Elyse Saugstad beat out Aspen’s Emily Teague with a narrow win. Illustrating the depth of talent in the women’s field was the fact that third place finisher, Crested Butte’s Carrie Jo Chernoff, was only 1.6 points behind Teague. Local telemark skier Marcia Ready rounded out the top 4.

The junior event was lead by Colorado athlete Colby Adams. The talented female athlete from Breckenridge walked away with the junior women’s title, beating out Sugar Bowl, California, athlete Rebecca Lefanowicz and Jozy Gessner who also skis out of Breckenridge.

For the junior men, all eyes were on Aspen’s Brandon Clabaugh, who, despite falling on day two, held onto 3rd place due to an extremely aggressive run on day one. Clabaugh skied rather conservatively, given his natural talents, and moved up to 2nd place. The rest of the podium was filled by Squaw Valley’s Jessie Tibbetts who advanced from third into first and Taos athlete Richard Pyatt who used a smooth fast line down Kachina to advance from 5th to 3rd on the final day. A special mention must also be made of Andre Bertoncin. One year ago, Bertoncin suffered severe injuries, requiring months of rehab. Today, he’s back on skis and finished in 7th place in the junior mens’ division.

And, while kudos are being throw out there, we have to applaud Tyson Bolduc, who took a freak fall during inspection. Bolduc was severely bruised in the incident, but fought through the pain to finish in 7th place and win the first annual Tobias Lee Spirit Award, given to the athlete that exemplifies the spirit of this amazing event. Also walking away with a trophy was Crested Butte’s Justin Bunting, who took Parjilo Loco (Sick Bird) honors with a huge front flip on day two of the event. Bunting underlined the fact that he was the only choice for that honor with yet another huge flip – this time a backflip – while forerunning on the final day.

"Taos is one of the best events in North America," said veteran competitor Elijah Lee, who presented the spirit award in honor of his brother, Tobia, who perished in an avalanche at Mt. Baker last year. "It's a honor to award the Tobias Lee trophy, and I'm looking forward to coming back."
"It is one of my favorite stops on the North American tour," added Head Judge Jim Jack. "The vibe here is truly something special, and the Kachina Peak venue is world class."

FINAL RESULTS (overall points in parenthesis):

Men

1. Bryce Newcomb (62.4)
2. Chuck Mumford (62.0)
3. George Casaletta (60,8)
4. Elijah Lee (59.4, tie for 4th)
4. Bill Buchbauer (59.4, tie for 4th)
5. Ryan Banker (59.2)
6. Michael Holmquist (59.0)
7. Tyson Bolduc (58.6)
8. Teague Holmes (58.4)
9. Doug Evans (57.8)
10. Josh Carlson (57.4

Women
1. Elyse Saugstad (61.6)
2. Emily Teague (60.4)
3. Carrie Jo Chernoff (58.8)
4. Marcia Ready (57)
5. Caroline Colonna (54)

Jr. Men

1. Jesse Tibbetts (78.2)
2. Brandon Clabaugh (78.0)
3. Richard Pyatt (77.4)
4. Amon Barker (73.2)
5. Robert Forbes (73.0)

Jr. Women

Colby Adams (80.8)
Rebecca Lefanowicz (75.6)
Jozy Gessner (62.2)

Redbull COLD RUSH at Red Mountain

J Dogg — Sat, 03 Feb 2007 20:32:05 -0500

Rating

COLD RUSH: A PROGRESSION OF SKIING TO FIND THE BEST IN SKIING
Multi-discipline event includes a summit approach, abandoned mine ski through, freeskiing component and backcountry slopestyle.

Red Bull presents Cold Rush, a progression of skiing that brings together 20 of the sport's top athlete skiers with one objective: to find the most versatile and best all-around skier. The event will take place on Red Mountain Resort in Rossland, BC, where the entire venue sits on top of countless miles of abandoned mining tunnels. To commemorate the gold rush dreamers of yesteryear, Cold Rush will launch from an above-ground mine site, with the duration of the event spanning Feb. 9 - 10.

On Day One, skiers will drop in and ski through the old gold mine and onto a service road that will lead to a trail head. At the trail head, athletes will prepare for and commence a summit approach on Mt. Roberts. Once athletes reach the top of Mt. Roberts, they will prep for the next day by identifying and inspecting their preferred line of choice.

With Day Two brings the big mountain portion, where skiers will hit their favourite line down the face of Mt. Roberts. The afternoon on Mt. Roberts brings a backcounty slopestyle where 3-4 big features will be built and shaped to allow for a rider-judged jam session.

Rider feedback will be crucial in determining our winner, with points awarded for each component: Summit - maximum 20 points; Freeskiing - max 40 points; Slopestyle - max 40 points. The athlete who records the highest score out of 100, also takes home the top and only prize: $10,000.

The athlete roster for Cold Rush represents some of the top talent in the world, including: Mark Abma who skis out of Whistler, BC; Rory Bushfield, Whistler; Eric Hjorleifson, Whistler; Andy Mahre, Yakima, Washington; and Chris Rubens, Revelstoke, BC.

The high-level roster mirrors what Cold Rush aims to bring to North America's freeski scene. Although Canadians are renown as innovators in the sport, and our mountains premiere playgrounds, the freeski scene flourishes in the backcountry away from the eyes and minds of the general public. Cold Rush aims to bring the incredible skills of the participating athletes to a resort that accommodates their talents and to an audience that appreciates their performance.

Additional supporters of this event include K2, Diamir, Colltex, and of course, Red Mountain Resort.

For a full athlete roster, additional information on Cold Rush, and post-event images and video, please visit www.redbull.ca/coldrush.

Jamie Pierre Jumps Record Cliff

J Dogg — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 00:00:00 -0500

Rating

Posted January 30, 2006

Yep, he finally did it. Big Air Jamie Pierre finally quit fooling around with his little 150ft Lincoln Loops, and went for the big one. With perfect snow conditions, he and a barrage of filmers and photographers headed up to a mother of a cliff on Grand Targhee Resort, where he clocked 245 feet of 4 seconds of air time... and didn't land on rocks this time. This is more of a blog post, but it deserved homepage action. Here's some details that have been floating around the media from a press release that was sent out, and we've tracked down an epic newspaper photo we understand was originally scanned by a powdermag user (thanks) for all to enjoy....

The lowdown:
Jamie Pierre has set a world-record cliff jump at the Grand Targhee Resort in Wyoming, dropping 245 vertical feet off the back of Fred's Mountain, and said he made his record-breaking jump on Wednesday as a way to spread the Christian word. "It wasn't some yahoo stunt,'' Pierre said. "I chose to do it so it would open up doors so I could witness my faith in Christianity.''

Pierre had been scoping the cliff for seven years, and finally found the right conditions to hit it. TGR was on site filming it, and measured the distance from the cornice to the landing hole with a range-finder to confirm the world record.

The previous world record was set by Paul Ahern of New Zealand, who jumped 225 feet in 1995. If we recall correctly, Paul landed on less-than-perfect snow, with styrofoam in his backpack to dampen the fall, ending up with a couple broken ribs.

Five photographers and three cinema shooters recorded the event, said Josh Nielsen of Teton Gravity Research. "It was a really, really heavy and intense experience for all of us,'' Nielsen said. He said Pierre managed the event and that the others were "kind of along for the ride.'' Observers were solemn before the jump, Nielsen said, adding that Pierre said a prayer before taking off and clocked four full seconds of air time.

About 100 feet into the jump, Nielsen said Pierre couldn't keep his skis under him and went upside down. He landed headfirst and blew a hole 6 feet deep into the snow.

Nielsen said a photographer rushed in and dug Pierre out of the snow. "Jamie pretty much walked away with a cut lip,'' he said. Pierre said he was lucky to be alive. "I'm lucky I didn't get hurt,'' he said. Pierre said he landed in the perfect spot. "I hit the nail on the head,'' he said, no pun intended. "The fact that I came out unscathed and landed where I planned, faith played a role in it.''

Pierre said he took grief from his wife and parents for his jump. He was born in Minnesota and moved first to Crested Butte, Colo., and then to Salt Lake City to ski.

Susie Barnett-Bushong, spokeswoman for Grand Targhee, warned anyone against trying to duplicate Pierre's jump.

"This nothing that an average recreational skier or snowboarder should consider doing,'' she said Friday. Even for elite skiers, she said, ``we would never recommend anybody try this.''

In January 2005, skier Brent "Newt'' Newton died after jumping off a 50-foot cliff at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Paul Ruff, a former world-record holder with a cliff jump of 110 vertical feet, died in the 1993 on a 160-foot attempt.