Ride Utah Blog

Here’s some video I shot last week.  More great snow in the Wasatch.

You might know that I’m a big fan of Powder Mountain and I love it when people figure out just how rad Pow Mow really is.  Looks like it didn’t take the Rossignol crew long to find Pow Mow’s gems.  Check out their great video.

Think you can out post hole other snowboarders?  Always wanted to win some cool green for this unique form of suffering?  Well, now’s your chance with this unique race presented by XTERRA.  From their site:

For the more radically inclined there’s the XTERRA Snowboard Dash for Cash. At the top, officials will guide competitors to a start line. Contestants will take off their snowboards. At a signal there will be a boot pack section to the top of the hill. From that point contestants will follow race markers and flags over an up and down course requiring them to boot pack up climbs prior to descents. The finish will be at the XTERRA Winter compound.

You will also receive an all-day lift ticket with your registration. Race for cash in the morning and cruise Snowbasin for the rest of the day for $30.

Saturday, March 7 – 10:30AM Start

Entry Fee: $30 (includes all-day lift ticket)
Distance: N/A
Prize Purse: $1,000 – Male and Female Winners Each take $500 Cash.

http://www.xterraplanet.com/winter/events.html

When was the last time you practiced with your avalanche beacon?  Ever?  Knowing how to use your beacon with efficiency can mean the difference between life and death.  It never hurts to brush up on your skills when it could be your best friend’s life on the line. Wasatch Backcountry Rescue has setup beacon training facilities at Snowbird (near the heliport on the Alta Access Road), Solitude (in the lower parking lot), Snowbasin, and The Canyons (at the top of the gondola).

A group of Ski Utah staffers took some time out to do some searches at The Canyons and the results were somewhat humbling.  But, we all came out of there with a better handle on how to use our beacons.

For more information on how to actually use your avalanche beacon and conduct searches, please check out the Utah Avalanche Center: http://utahavalanchecenter.org/resources/beacontech. Next time your up on the hill, take a few minutes and stop at the beacon training course at your favorite resort. You’ll be glad you did.

Yesterday was another fabulous powder day in the Wasatch.  The snow was light and deep with 20 inches in 24 hours at our resort of choice.  Almost made me not go back into work.

Snowbird continues to bring unparalleled avalanche training to Utah’s Wasatch Front during the sixth annual Backcountry Awareness Week, scheduled through Feb. 15. The event features snow safety clinics, on-snow demonstrations, avalanche transceiver drills and an evening fundraiser featuring 12-time Paralympic skier Chris Waddell.

“Backcountry Awareness Week is a great opportunity for the public to learn about snow safety and backcountry recreation,” said Bruce Tremper, Director of the Utah Avalanche Center. “Events like this demonstrate why Utah is a leader in backcountry awareness, education and rescue.”

Waddell will be the keynote speaker for the Backcountry Awareness Week fundraising dinner on Feb. 13. Waddell will recount how he overcame a paralyzing college ski accident to become one of the most decorated male skiers in history. In addition to his accomplished skiing career, Waddell will attempt to be the first paraplegic to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro this coming March.

The fundraising event also includes a silent auction, dinner, drinks and live music from the Stormy Mountain Boys. The benefit dinner will take place in the Cliff Lodge Ballroom from 5:30-9 p.m. Tickets cost $75 and are available by calling (801) 933-2442 or online at www.snowbirdrc.org.

Three backcountry skills clinics open to the public will be held on Saturday, Feb. 14th. The clinics will be run by members of Wasatch Backcountry Rescue from 9-11 a.m. and again from 1-3 p.m. Participants can choose from a basic avalanche skills course, an intermediate avalanche skills course or a beacon contest. The clinics cost $69 per person for each clinic and include lunch, an all-day Tram ski pass and professional instruction. To register for Backcountry Awareness Week clinics, contact Snowbird’s Activity Center at (801) 933-2147.

Following the clinics, famed ski mountaineer Andrew McLean will present the widely acclaimed feature documentary, Steep at the Tram Club from 4:30-6:30 p.m. McLean will speak on his adventures as a ski mountaineer who specializes in steep skiing in remote locations. The film focuses on the evolution of big mountain skiing and the inherent risks presented when trying to find the best runs in mountainous terrain.

Check out this great video from Justin Olsen at the Canyons featuring the “Respect” Terrain Park.

Upper and Lower Respect Terrain Parks at The Canyons Ski Resort are open! Local riders and Canyons team athletes talk about this years set up in the park, and what has been going on. Steve Duke and the park staff are building features designed to help you step it up. The challenge has been issued.. bring it.

Rising from the ashes of the World Superpipe Championships, Park City Mountain Resort is taking the contest to the next level this season. On March 7, 2009 witness the birth of Intelligent Design, a hybrid slopestyle / Superpipe contest. My sources tell me that the contest will consist of rails, jibs, and jumps in the upper section and leading into the superpipe for the lower section. Sounds like my usual night riding runs at Brighton. With this new format and layout the organizers are seeing a variety of pros showing interest in the contest, including Mark Frank Montoya, Travis Rice, and Shawn White. Of course a $50k prize purse helps too!

Here’s what the PCMR website says about the new contest:

PCMR: The Intelligent Design (n.)

1. a competition with a progressive approach to terrain park design
2. changes of the molecular elements in terrain park structure
3. a smart snowboarding course

The Intelligent Design at Park City Mountain Resort will combine all elements of competitive snowboarding including big air, half-pipe and jibbing in one course. The event will be located at the Pick ‘N Shovel Terrain Park and Eagle Superpipe, which will be transformed to host the new competition creation.

For more details on this contest go here: http://www.parkcitymountain.com/idpc/

Vice TV’s great snowboarding series Powder and Rails profiles Jake Burton. It goes to show that if you do what you love and don’t give up you can’t help but be successful.

The good folks at Whole Foods understand that for peak performance in the mountains you need healthy food to fuel your adventures. Here’s a little video they made showing the healthy and wholesome options available at Whole Foods next time your headed for the hills.