New snow.
Kirkwood, CA
Three days of high-energy Big Mountain skiing concluded Saturday with the Subaru North American Freeskiing Championships, taking place on Kirkwood´s coveted Cirque. Tucked into an isolated weather pocket in California´s Sierra, the north-facing and permanently-closed Cirque had been blessed with 50 feet of snowfall this season, including 2 feet of cold, dry snow that came in fiercely the night before Saturday´s finals, where athletes descended from high atop the steep escarped walls of the venue. On Saturday, ideal conditions allowed for big lines through the terrain, riddled with massive cliffs, technical chutes, and beautiful open faces.
With both men´s and women´s skiers and snowboarders riding strong all week, beginning with qualifiers on Thursday and a semi-final run on Friday, the field was cut significantly for the showcase weekend event. The congregation of hundreds of spectators collected in the Devil´s Basin viewing area was treated to fast, fearless, and adrenaline-charged skiing. A bountiful snowpack this season allowed for new and creative lines, and a greater diversity of line choice.
Whistler skier Matty Richard climbed his way to the top of the podium with clean skiing all the way down, edging out Frenchmen Adrien Coirier and Guerlain Chicherit by the narrowest possible margin. Head Judge Jim Jack raved about the all-around "incredible skiing from the qualifier all the way to the end-it was one of the best competitions we´ve ever had," he said. Knee-deep snow allowed athletes to push the progression of their sports, with inverts off some huge cliffs, and turbo-style high-speed arcs over variable terrain, and some of the most impressive riding came from the female skiers and male snowboarders in the Finals.
The talent gap between men and women skiers has continued to narrow the past few seasons, with elite women stepping it up to fierce, high-scoring lines. In fact, skier Laura Ogden earned Whistler a second victory with her throttle-down skiing, which earned her the highest scoring run of all, men and women included. Jackson´s Jess McMillan placed second, and third place finisher Carrie Jo Chernoff, of Crested Butte, deserved top spots following lines that would have been top-scoring among men too. Carrie Jo consecrated her run, saying "It was Alaska-style skiing. Everywhere I went there was snow sluffing all around me. To have that in a contest is so rare. This is my favorite contest anywhere."
The snowboarders also showed they can hang with the two-plankers, crushing giant drops, and entering some seemingly unfriendly technical sections on their boards. 16-year old Sam Luebke, of Squaw Valley exhibited a polished riding style en route to his victory in the men´s division. The youngster, with a diverse range of skills and strengths, will be a force to be reckoned with in the future of snowboarding. Local Kirkwood female rider Rose Marie Dittfach dominated the competition, showing mastery of steep pow riding on her way to commandeering the top spot.
Big Mountain skiing´s coveted Sickbird award went to Tobias Lee, an Alaskan transplant to Squaw Valley. The Sickbird is a sort of "viewer´s choice award" given to the skiers who simply excited the crowd the most. Although Tobias fell on his final run, finishing 12th, his aggressive charge deserved the accolade. After stomping a 50-foot air at the top, he skied right into a highly technical section that had other previous skiers more contemplative and choked up. Tobias did his contemplating at the top, showing confidence as he kept his speed around 40-miles an hour, and aired the whole section, to loud cheers from the impressed crowd.
The North American Championships conclude another exciting season on The Freeskiing World Tour, which has stops on this continent, and in Europe. A fierce and hungry pool of talented and risk-taking skiers and snowboarders will again vie for titles on next year´s tour in the ever-growing circuit. The men´s 2006 World Champion Guerlain Chicherit earned his title with a 2nd place finish at Kirkwood, continuing his impressive streak of always podiuming, even after his two year competition hiatus. Laura Ogden was crowned hand-down women´s champion, after she won the Grand Slam of events contributing to tour points.
With the 05/06 competition season now over, athletes will stay sharp in their cross-training, many making Southerly trips in search of endless winter, and others transitioning over into summertime sports. With interest and talent increasing by the year, next season, with various stops in British Columbia, Colorado, Snowbird, France, Jackson Hole and again in Kirkwood, is already highly anticipated. Until then, we´ll all have to resort to our own daydreams, assisted by video documentation of these spectacular events.
