2nd – 15th Annual Verbier X-Treme

It has been a crazy couple of days. My flight from the US was unexpectedly turned around and I arrived late to Verbier. Luckily, I had an hour to look at the face of the Bec De Rose the day before the competition.

The afternoon was filled with autographs signing.

The bib draw followed the autograph session.

It felt like had been awake for days when I finally crawled in bed at 11:00 p.m. My alarm went off at 5:30 the next morning. The day was not exactly what I was hoping for. The sky was cloudy and it was raining at the bottom of the mountain. It didn’t look like we would compete. Dutifully, all of the competitors loaded the lifts and headed to the top of the Mont Fort. As we approached the top, it looked less likely that we would compete because we could barely see the face of the Bec De Rosas.

Almost convinced that the competition would be postponed, all of the competitors headed inside the lodge for a coffee.

One hour later it was announced that there would be a window of blue sky from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. It was hard to believe considering the wind was blowing hard and it was snowing out. Yet, the man predicting the weather from Chamonix (who also predicts weather for Everest expeditions) assured us that it would magically turn blue. With little hope, all of the girls started the hour hike to the top. I couldn’t believe it. As I crested over the ridge at the top, the sky almost instantly turned blue and the sun was bright. We would be skiing.

I was disappointed with my run. The line I had chosen was a winning line, but I skied with a lot of hesitation. I don’t know if it was the lack of sleep or the jet-lag, regardless I wasn’t charging down the mountain as I had hoped.

The final results for the women: 1st – Ane Enderud, 2nd – Jess McMillan, 3rd – Julia Mancuso. It is the fourth year in a row that I have finished 2nd in Verbier. Not a bad record, but I would really like to win this event one year!

Verbier Extreme 2009

It is always an honor to compete in the Verbier Extreme. It is the biggest freeride competition in the world with some of the best skiers in the world. The streets of Verbier are filled with thousands of skiing enthusiasts who have gathered to celebrate extreme skiing. The competition takes place on the Bec De Rosses, one of the more intimidating faces I have ever skied.

The organizers call the Extreme a “show,” highlighting the best skiers in the world on the most difficult competition face in the world. As a competitor, I see the Extreme as a competition and more. I wanted to choose a winning line, but I also wanted to make it to the bottom of the Bec de Rosses unscathed. It was difficult to make a choice between a winning line and possibly getting hurt or skiing for the rest of the season. A winning line includes: exposure, big airs, fast skiing, and pushing yourself to the edge. I spent two days and two sleepless nights trying to decide if it was worth skiing the winning line or skiing a less exposed line and giving up the win. The other thought I couldn’t get out of my mind was; if I don’t ski the winning line, will someone else ski it? The winning line was obvious. It was over heavy exposure (if you fall you will most definitely get hurt), included two 20 foot airs, and had the worst snow conditions on the face. The more appealing line began over heavy exposure into a chute that had a manditory 20 foot air in the middle. This line was more appealing because once you made it into the chute you were relatively safe. If you were to fall, you would be okay.

My goal this season was to win the Freeride World Tour. My season started off great winning Russia and then I was off to Japan. After Japan, my body was beat up and my mind needed a break, but there was no time. I pushed on to Squaw and Tignes moving from 1st on the FWT to 6th. The Verbier Extreme would be my last opportunity to insure myself a spot on the FWT for the 2010 season. I needed to finish in the top four. It was hard to decide what to ski. Should I ski for the win, risking injury and not making the tour next year. Or ski a second place line which was safer and would probably put me in the top four for next year. In the end, my decision was made with my heart. I have always told myself to ski the line that looks like the most fun. The winning line didn’t look like fun at all and the other line looked like a lot of fun.

Standing in the starting gate for my final competition run in 2010, I knew I was not going to ski a winning line. It is one of the stangest feelings I have ever had. I have never not skied to win, but I didn’t know if someone else would attempt the winning line and if it would work out well for her. As I left the starting gate, I decided to rip my chosen line as fast and flawlessly as possible. And I did. I ripped my line with no hesititation off the manditory 20 foot air and into two more airs. I was at the bottom in under 30 seconds. It was a beautiful line. I skied into second and finished third overall on the Freeride World Tour.

It feels really good to be Back in Jackson. My goal is still to win the Freeride World Tour and I will have the opportunity in 2010.

Contemplating the Bec De Rosses

The final competition of the Freeride World Tour, the Verbier Extreme. The season has gone by so fast and now it is the last chance to prove that you have what it takes to be on the Freeride World Tour and it will take place on the biggest venue in competition history.

All of the competitors spent the day contemplating the venue. The Bec de Rosses is an intimidating face. The top 2/3’s of the venue are a no fall zone. (a no fall zone: if you were to fall, you would seriously hurt) It is riddle with dead end chutes, sharky rocks, and rolls over to 50+ degrees. In good conditions, it is intimidating and difficult to ski. The winds have come from the north and have scoured much of the face. For the first time in the history of the Bec De Rosses, the competitors were allowed to hike to the top of the venue and take a look at the snow. We were not allowed to ski the venue, but it was an opportunity to see what the lines looked like from the top.

The snow conditions are inconsistent at best. As I hiked to the top, I found bullet proof ice, breakable crust, 3cm of powder, and sugar. It is hard to know where to ski. The women are starting on the shoulder of the Bec. The men will start from the top. I do not envy the men. The question of the day is, “Is it worth it?” There are lines that have won year after year, but can they be done in these conditions and are they worth attempting?

The competition has been postponed to Sunday due to high winds. So we have one more day to choose our destiny.

Nissan Verbier Extreme

The Verbier Nissan Extreme is the last stop on Freeride World Tour. The competition will take place on the Bec De Rosses. The Bec De Rosses is one of the largest and most challenging faces of the Freeride World Tour.

I have been in Verbier for the last two days. The face of the Bec looks pretty good. It has been incredibly warm in verbier for the last week. The Bec is north facing and still holding snow. The snow looks pretty good, but there are pockets of wind hammered snow through out the face. It will be important to try to choose a line that has good snow.

The competition is scheduled for Saturday and the weather forecast looks good for the comp. The competition schedule is as follows:
Friday, March 20th
1pm – 10pm STREET FAIR Rue de Médran
4pm – 8pm SWATCH GET HOT DANCERS Street fair – main stage
5pm – 6pm RIDERS AUTOGRAPH SESSION Da Kine stand
6:15pm OPENING & BIB DRAW Street fair – main stage
Nissan Riders Award – 2 best lines of whole season Street fair – main stage

Saturday, March 21st
09.45am FORERUNNERS
10.00am WOMEN’S COMPETITION – snowboard/ski Bec des Rosses
10:45am MEN’S COMPETITION – snowboard/ski Bec des Rosses
1:30pm AIR SHOW : RED BULL AIR RACE SHOW Col des Gentianes
2:00pm AWARDS CEREMONY Col des Gentianes
2:30pm AWARDS CEREMONY 4 WORLD CHAMPIONS Col des Gentianes
2:45pm Press Conference Nissan dome at Gentianes
4:00pm – 6:00pm SWATCH GET HOT DANCERS Main stage
5:30pm AIR SHOW Street Fair
5:00pm RIDERS AUTOGRAPH SESSION Da Kine stand
5:30pm – 6:00pm DRINK 7th SKY-RED BULL Nissan stand
7:00pm AWARDS CEREMONY NISSAN RIDERS AWARD Nissan stand
8:00pm – 10:00pm Xtreme Dinner – Buffet Pub Mt Fort
10:00pm – 11:00pm Party Pub Mt Fort

Pow Day in Tignes

With the competition postponed and a foot of new snow, there wasn’t much else to do, but ski some powder. The upper mountain was closed due to high winds and low visibility, so we headed down valley to Tignes Les Boisses, the lowest village in Tignes and the only tree skiing.

The skiing was great and we had fun exploring the new terrain.

The forecast is calling for snow through tonight and clearing tomorrow afternoon. If the forecast is correct, the competition will be held Wednesday. Hopefully it will clear and we will have an opportunity to see what the venue looks like with a fresh coat of snow.

Day 2 Tignes – Face Inspection and Bib Draw

It was a beautiful day in Tignes today. The sky was blue and the sun was shining. It was the first time all of the competitors were able to look at the competition face, Pramecou. The face looked pretty good, with a variety of lines and descent snow. There will be two starts available, each above the most obvious chutes. Even better news, there is snow in the forecast and the competition has been put on hold in hopes of fresh snow. The competition will not be held on Tuesday. The exact date will be announced monday night at the riders meeting.

After spending a couple of hours inspecting, we spent the rest of the day exploring Tignes and skiing powder. The skiing was great and there were smiles all around.

The day ended with the bib draw ceremony. I was so nervous to draw “luckily” bib #55, DFL. I chose my bib and could barely look, but I was happy to draw bib #46 which will be the third skier woman. So all is good in Tignes and I am looking forward to skiing tomorrow.

I can’t forget the american men. Drew Tabke will be skiing 11th, Craig Garbeil will be skiing 15th, and Griffen Post will skiing 25th.

Seven Days to Squaw Valley

The second stop of the Freeride World Tour will begin in less than a week.  Squaw has received over 5 feet in the last week, so the conditions should be great.  The competition will be held on the Tram Face, a permanently closed area.

 

 EVENT SCHEDULE

Thursday, Feb 26th 2009 
midday-9pm    Riders accreditation @ The Village at Squaw (Alpenglow room)
5pm                Riders meeting @ The Village at Squaw (Alpenglow room)

Friday, Feb 27th 2009 
10am-11am    Inspection (binoculars) + Bib Draw @ judges tents
4:30pm           Opening Ceremony @ The Village at Squaw

Saturday, Feb 28th 2009 
9:30-11:30am    Contest on Tram Face
Prize-Giving Ceremony @ The Village at Squaw
Official Dinner + Party
 
Reserve days: Sunday, Mar 1st – Thursday, March 5th 2009. Contest can also be brought forward to the Friday 27th !

Best Lines of the Season Win a Car. Please Vote!

Nissan and the Freeride World Tour will be giving away two cars at the end of the tour to best male and female lines of the season. The best lines will be chosen on-line. Please visit www.freerideworldtour.com and vote today!

Vote for the 2 best runs of the season, men and women, and win FWT limited edition goggles especially designed by SCOTT.
At the end of each FWT event, the 4 best line of the contest will be online. Give them scores like a real FWT judge.

The best male and female riders elected goes home with a Nissan vehicle at the end of the season.

Freeride World Tour – Sochi, Russia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The snow has continued to fall in Russia. The skiing has been amazing, but as it piles up on the peaks, the avalanche danger continues to rise. The competition was scheduled for Wednesday. Sochi has received almost 2 meters of snow in the last three days. The FWT guides believe that the avalanche danger is too high for a competition and it has been post-poned until thursday.

Today all of the riders drew their bibs. I was lucky enough to draw number 1 for the women skiers. The men will ski first alternating between snowboard and ski and the women will follow. For now, it looks like tomorrow will be a blue bird powder day.

Day 1 – Krasnaya Poliana

After three days of traveling and a few expensive cab rides, I am finally in Krasnaya Poliana, Russia.  Leaving the airport in Jackson, my stomach was in knots.  I was nervous for the first competition of the Freeride World Tour 2009.  I was also nervous with anticipation of what would happen in Russia.  I love Krasnaya Poliana.  The mountains and snow pack are a skiers dream come true.  Although, like any good place, it is always an adventure to get there.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It took three days to arrive in beautiful Sochi.  It is always a little weird to fly into an airport surrounded by palms trees with skiing on your mind.  My new friend, Jesse (whom I met on the TGR Forum) helped me out immensely.  He was kind enough to arrange a great bed and breakfeast and a shuttle from the airport.  Huge thanks to Jesse!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Veronika is our host at the Rai SKI Domik.  She is wonderful and the place is great!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tomorrow will be my first day skiing.  I can’t wait.  The first possible competition day is scheduled for wednesday, January 21st, but could be as early as tuesday.  For more information, please visit www.freerideworldtour.com.