Skiing Stoke from Lake Tahoe

Category: News (Page 25 of 30)

Saddle Peak Goes Big

On February 16 a massive avalanche occured on Saddle Peak, just outside the southern boundary of Bridger Bowl, Montana. This peak gets skied frequently as Bridger provides legal backcountry access via the new Schlasman’s chairlift.  The fracture line was approximately 1,000 feet long and the slide ran for about 2,000 vertical feet.  Miraculously no one was caught despite several people on and around the peak  at the time of the incident.  The avalanche wiped out dozens of tracks from the day before. This avalanche is the quintissential example that skier traffic does NOT equal a safe snowpack. A snowpit video from December 17 displays extremely hard windslab on top of 3 inches of hoar that was ultimately going to release under the right trigger…in this case a large cornice set off by a skier. The slab shell was strong enough to protect the junk layer from volumes of skier traffic without any stabilization from skier compaction. This slide should win an award as the biggest wakeup call in the lower 48 this year. This truly could have had a devastating outcome. Here is a video of the slide:

Below is a short film of a road trip to Bridger Bowl in January. The movie includes footage of terrain below Saddle Peak. Many lines below Saddle are subject to substantial secondary exposure with limited exit chutes. Although snow conditions were fairly lean during our visit, we skied many classic lines off the ridge and even found quality pow in places thanks to our guide Sam Cox. We will definitely return for more as Bridger offers some of the most dynamic and challenging terrain in the US.

World Heli Challenge Returns to New Zealand This Summer

The World Heli Challenge freeride and freeski event debuts August 21st to September 5th 2009 in Wanaka, New Zealand.

The World Heli Challenge consists of 3 days of helicopter-accessed competition, staged over a two-week period to allow for perfect weather conditions. Athletes vie for top honors in Extreme, Free Ride and Downhill events and the coveted overall World Heli Challenge Champion. The event is returning to the scene after many years off.

“The World Heli Challenge offers the athletes the best conditions of which to ultimately test their all round ability as a snow athlete. The unrivaled camaraderie among athletes, the two weeks of continuous adrenaline activities that the Wanaka region is renowned for and the incredible helicopter skills of Harvey Hutton and the Back Country Helicopter pilots make this event quite simply one of a kind,” explains event organizer Tony Harrington.

The are 50 spots available for athletes, divided into 18 male snowboarders, 18 male skiers, 7 female boarders and 7 female skiers.

Some of the named athletes to take part in the World Heli Challenge include:
Matthew Annetts, Jackson Hole: Overall title winner of the 2009 North Face Masters
Janina Kuzma: Ski winner of the Engadine Snow in St Moritz
Maria Kuzma: 3rd in the Engadine and 5th in the World Tour Finals in Verbier, Switzerland
Ralph Backstrom: 4th place overall North Face Masters World Tour
Rachel Sheidow: 2x Dicks Ditch J.H. winner and former 3rd Alyeska Extremes, Alaska
Chris Davenport: 2xWorld Champion and inaugural World Heli Challenge Champion

“The World Heli Challenge is my favorite competition on earth. No other ski or snowboard event combines freestyle, extreme and psycho downhill skills like the Heli Challenge,” says Davenport.

Kiwi sensation Jossie Wells had his first taste of international acclaim when he was a forerunner of this event at just 9 years old. This time he’s back as an athlete along with his protégé brother Byron – two of the hottest ski kids in the world making big waves. Confirmed athletes also include Australia’s Chris Booth, Andrea Berchtold, Charlie Timmins and Boen Ferguson and the list is growing daily.

For more info and photos contact Tony Harrington, info@worldhelichallenge.com.

Lua’s Lane Skied March 7, 2009

Here’s video of the Lua’s Lane line, skied last Saturday morning. This is the first time that anyone has dropped in from the very top of the line rather than entering from Mole Chute. Skier two drops in from the top of Lua’s Lane at approximately eight seconds. Skier one was already on the face below, having entered Lua’s Lane from the top of Mole Chute (the chute to skier’s left).

Here are some photos. Click one one to see the high-res versions.

Tram Face Comp Possible for Wed or Thurs

The rain finally turned over to snow and NOAA is calling for more than two feet by Wednesday. The Tram Face comp promoters are saying that the most likely window to unleash the comptetiors on Tram Face is Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning. If conditions aren’t good enough by Thursday morning, the contest results will be based on the scores from the Silverado runs last Friday.

Tram Face is the ultimate Squaw venue; it epitomizes Squaw’s steep, rowdy terrain and its position just above the parking lot is the perfect arena for competitors to give 1000%  for the crowds and the cameras.  It’s fitting that this long-awaited contest is hinging on Squaw’s fickle weather patterns, where two-days of rain have scoured the area and two days of snow is poised to dump feet and create ideal conditions.

Earn Cash by Kicking Friends Off Your Couch

South Lake Tahoe’s 986 Park Hotel is offering a “Lake Tahoe Stimulus Package.”

Lake Tahoe residents can receive $10.00 every time they have someone stay at the environmentally-conscious 968 Park Hotel. Additionally, the guest who stays at the hotel receives 9.68% off their entire stay. There is no limit to how many rooms a Tahoe local can send and how much they can make. “If someone sends us 100 rooms, they will get a check for $1,000,” says Christopher Minnes, General Manager of 968 Park Hotel. To be eligible to receive the $10.00 commission, the referring individual must receive their mail inside the Tahoe Basin or Truckee.

Tahoe locals can pick up a form at 968 Park Hotel or download it from the hotel by visiting the “Lake Tahoe” Page of the website www.968ParkHotel.com. The form looks exactly like an IRS W-2 but upon closer inspection it has fields for the Tahoe residents name and the name of the guest that they have referred.

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