During the throws of a powerful winter storm in March, the top riders from around the globe gathered in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah to test their might against the formidable steeps of Little Cottonwood Canyon. After an abysmal snow year in the Sierras, the fourth stop of the Swatch Freeride World Tour by The North Face was moved from Kirkwood to Snowbird. This last minute move delighted many of the U.S. riders that call Snowbird home and put some of the Euro contingent on edge.
The competition was slated for the preeminent freeride venue of Northwest Baldy. However, nature had other plans. On the morning of March 1st the Snowbird Ski Patrol set out to perform avalanche mitigation work and open up the venue for competition that morning. The Wasatch had just received upwards of two feet of high-density snow accompanied by very strong Southwest winds, and the fragile snowpack was nearing its breaking point. At around 8am, a ski patroller placed a single explosive charge on a heavily loaded wind pocket located in the upper reaches of the venue. The ensuing explosion tipped the balance and ripped out an avalanche of historic proportions. The massive crown was over eight feet deep and nearly 100 feet wide. The avalanche ran full track for over 1000 vertical feet and the dust cloud overtook the vacant grandstands and finish line infrastructure at the bottom of the course. It appeared that the fates were conspiring to squash the fourth stop of the Tour altogether.
For the next two days, the tireless team of organizers, patrollers, and athletes scrambled to find another slope to hold the event. Ideas of the south face of Little Superior were tossed around, but the off-aspect, lack of line selections, and exorbitant cost of heli-shuttling all the competitors and course workers made it seem impossible. Eventually, the choice was made to relocate the event to Silver Fox. This venue has played a critical role for the semi-finals in previous competitions and its continuous fall line, steep chutes, and towering cliffs provide the ideal proving ground for the caliber of athletes that the Tour attracts.
March 5th bloomed bright and the stage was set for the performers to show the world what is possible on skis and snowboards. Five inches of fresh pow had just blanketed the course and a clean canvas awaited each competitor. The snowboarding ladies had first crack at the slope and laid down impressive lines. It should be noted that of the seven females selected to participate on the Tour, four are from Snowbird. Tour leader Shannon Yates had a solid line picked out, but was unable to put it together cleanly. Her score was unimpressive but she still came through the finish smiling. “I’m pretty sure I got last place,” said Yates afterward. However, Snowbird local and all-around friendly gal Kaitlin Elliott, put together a clean and aggressive run that landed her on the podium in 3rd.
Next on course were the skiing women. A fearless group of ladies picked apart the venue and made light work of some of the cliff sections. Their performances stunned the crowd and showed that they were here to play for keeps. A worthy group of Euro women took the podium, out-Foxing the Americans on their home turf.
Men’s Snowboarding challenged the venue and played cat and mouse with the 1000 vertical foot fall line. The surf-like turns laid down mid-course were fun to watch and you could see they were having fun. Canadian Jamie Rizzuto bested the competition and placed first with his silky smooth line choice and big airs.
At around 1pm it was time for the main event. The skiing men were finally let loose and free to release their pent-up excitement nearly one week after arriving at Snowbird. A tantalizing display of airtime, sketchy take-offs, and stomped landings wowed the crowd situated in the flats far below. Wildcard rider and former Peruvian Lodge dishwasher turned big mountain pro, Sage Cattabriga-Alosa came out of the gate spinning and laid down back to back 360’s. His second sent him 75 feet across the fall line and landed him in some moguls. A quick tumble and he was back on his feet to finish strong in front of the hometown crowd. Announcer Ben Wheeler commented, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him fall.”
Running mid-pack were the Chickering-Ayers brothers from Mad River Glen. Lars threw a quick three out of the gate and proceeded to take one of the more exposed lines on the course. Weaving his way through shark teeth and tight scrubby pines he made it into the North Chute, he then proceeded to make one of the most technical doubles in the entire resort. Rocketing out of the chute he stomped the 30-foot air and raced to the finish. A fearless and confident performer, Lars ended up with the top spot on the podium. When asked afterward how it went, Chickering-Ayers simply replied, “Pretty well.”
A multitude of flips, spins, and hucks were laid down by the other competitors for the world to witness. This was skiing on the grandest of stages. As the last skier crossed the finish line, the clouds rolled back in and the winds began to howl. Mother Nature had given way just long enough to get the comp off and give the riders a shot at glory. For highlights, result lists, and other Tour info, check out
http://freerideworldtour.com/Snowbird.html.
FWT14 SNOWBIRD SKI SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS by FreerideWorldTourTV