After being absent for a few years the Grand Prix of Snowboarding is coming back to Park City Mountain Resort and the Eagle Superpipe. Glad to see the Olympic halfpipe hosting an Olympic qualifier event. Date is set as Jan 22-23, 2010. I can’t wait to watch America’s best duel it out for slots on the Olympic team. Here’s an excerpt from the press release.
The historic pipe where U.S. athletes swept the men’s podium and won gold in the women’s event during the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002 will entertain the masses with Olympians again. The Grand Prix makes its final stop at Park City Mountain Resort for back to back night competitions, after which the winners will be crowned and the 2010 Olympic halfpipe team will be named.
Among the athletes stoked to hit the Park City pipe is White who, after having dinner with PCMR owner John Cummings, took to his Twitter page to spread the good news.
“Had dinner with John Cummings,” White wrote. “Super nice guy, he told me Park City is having Olympic qualis mid Jan! booyeah!”
A reduced field comprised of the highest scoring athletes from previous tour stops will throw down the best tricks in their bag in an attempt to be one of the few named to the Olympic halfpipe team when the event is over.
“It’s the perfect place to close the story of the Olympic team selection,” Clark said. “The pipe has the tradition of being one of the best in North America. They put a tremendous amount of pride and energy into their venue. They are very excited to have this here.”
In addition to hosting the Olympic halfpipe competition in 2002, Park City also held a Grand Prix the following December in which the Olympic medalists all returned for competition in their glory stomping ground.
With well over 100 national athletes expected to compete for a shot at the Olympic team, the 2010 Grand Prix series will be the hottest series of halfpipe competitions across the U.S.
On Saturday, I decided to kick off the season with a quality line. Kristian and I headed up to Brighton with our objective being “The Seagull” on Tuscarora. Tuscarora basically sits between Brighton and Alta in the backcountry kind of bridging Big and Little Cotttonwood Canyons. The Seagull is a chute that runs from the peak down toward Brighton. In the week prior to this adventure we’d had plenty of good snow in the mountains. With warm temperatures in the forecast we knew that good conditions would not last.
Because of the Salt Lake City Marathon we got a later than hoped start on the hill. Wet slides were a definite consideration with the rising temperatures. But, with good cloud cover, things were kind of being held in check. We rode up Millicent at Brighton and hiked up to the peak then rode to the saddle between Mt. Millicent and Mt. Wolverine. Then we switched our splitboards to ski mode, traversing around the Mt. Wolverine bowl and up to the top of Tuscarora. With no signs of natural wet avalanches and temperatures still hovering in what we felt to be the exceptable range, we converted back to board mode and dropped in. We were not disappointed. The snow proved creamy and carvable. I would describe conditions as being “Highly Rippable”. Afterwards we crusied down to the Bikini Bash at Brighton for ice cold Natty Lights and babes in bikinis. Here are some photos from a great day.
Kristian switching to ski mode with Tuscarora in the background
Kristian kicks out his first turn
Pausing about halfway down while we let some sluffage pour down the hill.
It’s not easy getting up at 4:30 in the morning, but when there is powder to be shredded it’s a little easier. And when you’ve been huffing and puffing up the mountain for an hour in the dark and you start to get your first glimpse of the powder coated mountains in the early light, you’re glad that you dragged your butt out of bed.
On this early morning tour we went up Flagstaff mountain in Little Cottonwood Canyon and traversed out Emma Ridge. We just rode a little subridge back down to the road and then it was off to work. I was on my Burton split and I was touring with my co-worker Chris Pearson and our friend Dave.
Is it really spring already? Somebody forgot to tell Utah. I’ve been riding powder for weeks straight. I rode the last 4 out of 5 days and I don’t think I touched a groomer for longer than 10 seconds. Check these newest videos for proof.
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This is the best time of the year for night skiing. It’s not even dark out until almost 8 o’clock now so that means plenty of time to get wicked before the lights even come on.
Last night we went to Brighton to get our shred on after work style. It was awesome. It was dumping out and it was still light so we went and hit up a little cliff in the Mary’s area. We rode this thing until we tracked up the landing and then did a run through the Mary’s chutes before it got dark. Then it was pow turns under the lifts with no crowds until they shut the lift down. What a night.
If any event this season is a must attend it’s got to be the Natural Light Natturday Bikini Bash. Wear your beach attire and get a $29 lift ticket. The best beach outfits win cash prizes to be judged by Eric Leines, Kurt Wastell, and Mike Brown. I know at least one of those guys is married, so, he should be having a real good time at this event. See you there.
Powder Mountain’s 11th Annual Spring Session presents the Trifecta of Shred on April 2 – 4, 2009. Surfers, skateboarders and snowboarders will compete in three separate competitions with the overall winner reigning as the 2009 Chairman of the Boards.
The ever popular Spring Session is the highlight of the freestyle season with a freestyle terrain and half pipe jam session at the Hidden Lake Terrain Park. The competitors and spectators will be treated to a barbeque and the tunes of Codi Jordan and Funk Shui. Registration is free for anyone with a valid Powder Mountain lift pass. The competition will run from 10am – 3pm with live music starting at 11am. Decade, Vitamin Water, Skull Candy and AMP Alarm are sponsors of the competition.
“The Spring Session is the original slopestyle comp at Powder Mountain and has set the stage for all other events at the resort,” said Dave Jessup, Terrain Parks Manager. “The Hidden Lake Park has continually evolved this year with new rails, jumps and walls. If you haven’t made it to the park lately, you will be surprised.”
It is a natural progression to include surfing and skateboarding into the competitive mix since interest in these sports resulted in the creation of the winter version of freestyle. The Trifecta of Shred gives snowboarders an opportunity to show their respect to their ancestral roots.
The event kicks off on Thursday with an indoor skateboarding competition at Crossroads Skate Park. On Friday, the competitors move to Flowrider for the surfing contest. The event will culminate on Saturday with the Spring Session at Powder Mountain. Athletes may compete in only one or two events, but must enter all three to be crowned Chairman of the Boards.
Thursday, April 2 Crossroads Skate Park
$15 Registration
3pm – 5pm Registration and Practice Session
5pm – 9pm Jam style Competition
95 North Harrisville Rd. Ogden, UT
801-605-3986
Friday, April 3 FlowRider
$15 Registration
5pm – 6pm Registration
6 pm – 7pm Practice Session
8 pm – 10pm Competition
10pm – 11pm Jam session $5 per person
2261 Kiesel Ave. Ogden, UT
801-528-5374
Saturday, April 4 Powder Mountain
10 am – 3pm Spring Session Jam
11 am – 2pm Live music by Codi Jordan & Funk Shui
Barbeque and Brat fest
