Tailgate Alaska and King of the Hill 2011
The stories that I had been hearing about what a bad season it was in AK did not dampen my desire to get my butt up there for Tailgate and King of the Hill 2011.....and I was rewarded for that, it was awesome!
When we arrived to Thompsons Pass in AK we were greeted with stories of wind packed crusty snow and riders using ice axes whist riding....that did not sound fun to me. That night the snow came, we must have bought it with us from Tahoe!! We had a week of grey days and snow falling which limited out riding, but we didnt mind as we knew it would be epic once the storm passed and the skies cleared, and it was. The first clear day we had the King of the Hill Freeride contest was on, the weather held out and everyone was stoked. We were only allowed lines to lookers right of Bro Bowl due to rocks and avalanche risk, but what we had to play with was awesome...pow turns all the way. You had to be careful of hidden rocks which were everywhere but I managed to find 2 really fun runs and avoided getting hooked too badly by the rocks. I was stoked on my runs, stayed on my feet, and was happy to learn it had placed me 3rd only just behind Iris in 2cnd and Holly in 1st after she rode some impressive big fast lines.
This is the video from Tailgate Alaska's World Freeriding Championships. I come in at about the 2 minute mark!
http://vimeo.com/22968481
All in all I had an incredible time up on Thompsons Pass for Tailgate Alaska, the weather and snow improved dramatically for the month I was up there. I had some awesome days heli boarding with ABA, and I had a mindblowing week with Chugach Powder Guides in Girdwood Alaska, I had the opportunity to ride faces there that I had only dreamed of... it was all time.
If anyone has never been to Ak and has the chance to make it up for Tailgate Alaska, do it. It is an unforgettable experience.
On top of the world, Berlin Wall, Thompson Pass AK
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Ladies Podium King/Queen of the Hill AK 2011. Photo by Jeff Hawe
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My first run down Bro Bowl in King of the Hill 2011. Photo by Jeff Hawe
My trophy for 3rd Place King of the Hill, a sweet knife!!
A huge glacier that we rode past on the way down form Bro Bowl
We got to ride a line to the left with Chugach Powder guides...epic. The Heli landing was pure insanity.
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Pow turns in Thompsns Pass, a short sled ride from camp
Casey Lucas and I in our home for a month...Big Bertha
The biggest rock star I know Callan and I on a sick heli day!
Valdez, Alaska – April 10, 2011 – A new tradition has been born on Thompson Pass in the legendary Chugach Mountains of Alaska. The Recco World Freerding Championships went off – combining the ski field from the scheduled but weather cancelled WESC tribute with the tribute to the original big mountain snowboarding event, The King of the Hill.
“Due to challenging weather conditions during the competition, we decided to combine the fields from the ski and snowboarding events – what we came away with was an event the seamlessly combined both alpine traditions.” Competitors agreed. “I loved watching the skiers. Dan Vandermeulen’s runs were my favorite of the day,” said competitor Mike Basich.
On Wednesday, the skies over Alaska finally cleared with morning skies electric blue. The local National Guard as well as hardcore local snowmobilers rallied riders to the contest venue – Bro Bowl where the skiers went first – and mountain man legend Dan Vandermeulen dropped in flashing a high speed run over large exposed cliffs – setting the standard for the entire field. Dan ended up taking the victory with two hairball runs in no fall zones. Of note, Dan had the highest combined score of the event as the only competitor to top 500 (out of 600) points.
Next the snowboard competitors took to the stage –TNF Masters Champion Aaron Robinson straight lined both runs – even charging one switch. Former national halfpipe competitor Ross Baker turned heads as well. “Ross really surprised me with how hard he rips for a young guy.” said Snowboarder Magazine photographer Jeff Hawe. Ross grabbed second place. Mammoth local Scott Sheer took the third spot, stomping large cliffs in each run. The winner was Kirkwood local Will Brommelsiek taking top to bottom runs fluidly through some of the venues most challenging and dangerous terrain.
On the women’s side, Juneau’s Holly Enderle took the victory with clean airs and a fluid line through Bro Bowl. North Face Masters champion Iris Lazzareschitook second place and Australian Rachel Sheidow rounded out the podium.
Tailgate Alaska finishes up today with a couple of days of electric blue weather, concluding another banner year for the World Freeride Festival. According to organizer Mark Sullivan, “This year we learned a lot about putting on a major event. We worked with the State and local governments, local population and wintersports community to create something unique for mountain enthusiasts. Perhaps men’s competitor Dave Watson summed it up best, “This has been an amazing learning experience. It is awesome and I am definitely coming back”
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Tailgate Alaska is the world’s largest backcountry wintersports festival bringing together skiers, snowboards and all other means of snow recreation to their ultimate venue in Alaska’s Chugach mountain range. Tailgate Alaska hosts the World Freeriding Championships which crowns the best rider in the most challenging mountains in the World. Tailgate Alaska is brought to you by Alaskan Brewing, Recco and Flow and is also supported by the Mountain Sky Hotel, Best Western Valdez, Backcountry Access, Smith Optics, Nargear, Carhartt, Mountain Hardwear, Airblaster, Salmon Falls, The Valdez Harbor Inn, Remind Insoles, K2 Snowboarding, The North Face, Go Pro, Spark R & D, Coreupt, Swany, Polar Max, Copper Valley Telecom and Pilot Brands
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