Almost Tram Face

There was a lot of discussion on Saturday night at the Freeride World Tour Athlete Meeting. A decision was made not ski the Tram Face for the competition due to hazardous conditions. The riders were very disappointed with the decision and were not happy about the alternative venues; Silverado and Granite Chief. Jeremy Jones spoke for the riders and encouraged the organizers to reconsider the decision. After much discussion, the decision was made to re-evaluate the Tram face at 6:00 the following morning.

All of the riders met at the judges station at 6:00 this morning to watch the head of security and ski patrol ski the Tram Face. The snow at the top of venue looked good, but the bed surface left from the previous slides was still very firm. The Pro Freeriders Board met and decided it was go. The Tram Face would be the venue and there would be a competition today.

I was so excited. I have been waiting two years to ski the sacred Tram Face and today was finally my chance. I was concerned with the conditions. I chose a line that was straight forward and intended to flash it. I headed down to the parking lot to watch the first male skiers compete.

The parking lot was packed with people. The Tram Face is one of the best spectating venues I have ever seen. There were at least a thousand people tail gating in the parking lot, ready to watch the show.

Some People Even Slept In The Parking Lot For Prime Viewing. Good Morning Jim Jack!

Jerome, the head of security for the Freeride World Tour, wanted to check the Tram Face one more time before the competition started. As Jerome was skiing down the left side of the venue, a large avalanche triggered at the top right side of the Tram Face (not an area were the competitors were planning on skiing). It was a big one.

No one was injured or close to the avalanche. For the crowd in the parking lot, it was a big show. The head of ski patrol immediately called the competition off. The competition has been rescheduled for monday on Silverado.