Myself, a skier named Ian and boarder friend Jess made the seven-hour haul on Feb. 18^th from Alta, Utah, to see what the B Gully Freeride at Bridger Bowl was all about. Jess and myself were newcomers to the comp and Ian had wrangled a second-place finish some years back and was itching to hit it again.

Up early to get to Bridger and scope the venue, I stood in awe at the base. The mountain rises gently, providing loads of intermediate runs until the curvature of the terrain ramps up sharply for a thousand vertical feet or so of extremeness. “The Ridge” stretches wide across the resort and a few lifts dump people off just below the steeps. From the top of the Bridger Lift it’s a rather grueling, 20-minute staircase hike to the top. From there, traversing out on either side is allowed (beacons required) and dropping back into the bowls puts you on top of amazing and scary exposure, huge cliffs and more.

Bridger Gully (B Gully for short, the venue for the comp) is located on the far skier’s left of the mountain and was a beauty of a course. The top section was short, tree-riddled and steep, with features galore worked into the foliage and lots of big drops at the end to shoot you into the open powder field that comprised the middle section. Next is another technical area with a main gut, devoid of danger, surrounded on both sides by several layers of airs to hit before winding things out in the finishing zone with mellow, low-angle turns.

We got a few laps in, trying to commit things to memory before heading inside for nourishment. We scored some leftover $1 pizza and burgers at the mid-mountain lodge, which may be the single greatest deal ever offered in the history of expensive ski resort food. Thank you.

On the day of the event, the 20^th, the vibe was small, friendly and local. The entry fee was low and the overall mood was a feeling of pure skiing and snowboarding enthusiasm. People wanted to win, but I got the impression that they wanted to see their friends shred hard and do well just as much.

Given that climate, the fact that it was skiers and snowboarders competing against each other, and that it was a one-run event, I decided for a go-for-the-gold mentality. ‘Might as well give ‘er hell’ was the basic sentiment in my mind, as my turn to drop loomed closer.

Right away I hit a cross-fall line ten-footer that was literally no more than five feet from the traverse/starting line. I landed and regained control before my big air of the run, a solid 20-footer into the open pow-field. Lining it up, I sent it and in the air noticed a whole lot of tracks in the landing. Upon setting down, I promptly blew up and tumbled at least two and a half cartwheels. Oops, there went the flawless run. Sticking with the plan, I traversed to another 15-20 footer that I had never hit. I aimed for what I thought was the take-off and landed cleanly this time, cutting a few turns to slow down before the next section. Next was three drops of about 8-10 feet in rapid succession. Number one was another failure and I almost slid straight off number two. Recovering and hitting the second and third without any more crashes, I was happy to be done and made some fun turns to the bottom.

I knew it was not a good run (something of a disaster really) through the judge’s eyes but I was proud to attempt an aggressive line in a contest nonetheless.

Afterwards I sat back and watched some amazing ripping. Most entrants were from Montana and you got the impression from watching that the skiers and riders had a thorough understanding of the terrain and the snow, which was ample powder becoming a bit choppy by the end.

Watching the mixture of skiing and boarding, it seemed tough for us boarders to match the power and speed of four long edges versus two shorter ones through some of the steeper, choppier snow. But boarders definitely held there own and though none finished in the top three, they could definitely hang in the same crowd as the skiers.

More importantly, there was no bickering on which discipline was superior and the so-called “rivalry” seemed non-existent anyway, it was just personal choice of a different weapon to get down the same mountain.

On the long, late and exhausting drive through the pitch-black dark night through the woods, it seemed the B Gully comp just made sense. Ride hard on good snow, have fun and don’t complain. It really can be that simple, in Montana at least.

Click here for full results.

All Photos: Jen Milton

Jesse’s WEAKly Report 11 from Jesse Burtner on Vimeo.

For more, including Shannan's winning run, visit The North Face Masters online.

Photo: Keith Carlsen/MSI

I love the Coast Range. The Coast Range is such a vast place. It has it all: rain forests and fjords in the west, ice fields blanket its core, and deserts are the norm on its eastern flanks. For the most part, access is tough and expensive, but worth every effort. The Coast Range is a mecca. Every snowboarder out there should aspire to have an adventure there. Snowboard mountaineering trips are endless. I can't wait.

Zones like this are a dime a dozen in the southern Coast Range and are totally off the hook. If you plan it right, they are easily sled accessible. You can also fly in and set up base camps. Then put the skins on and send.

Hello from Whitefish, MT—where spring has sprung a little early, much like on the west coast. I arrived here at 10 a.m. this morning, fresh off the Amtrak line to beautiful blue skies and above freezing temperatures. But it felt strangely uncrowded at Whitefish Mountain Resort—lineups hardly existed and the groomers were groomed to perfection. Perhaps it was the raucous crowd bused in from Calgary and drinking heavily at The Bierstube watching the gold medal hockey game that kept the lineups at bay. It was there that, later in the afternoon, I bore witness to a transition from “Oh Canada” to Biz Markie’s “Just a Friend” to celebrate Olympic gold.

Out on the hill, I was greeted by the park staff who were ‘jump testing’ a fresh line of kickers in the 50-60 foot range, and rallied laps in the afternoon sun as 11 year old ski racers chased us down the big line. Double corks, apparently, are commonplace these days in the parks of central MT—word in the lift line was that one kid was trying to up the ante with triple backs and coming up just a little short, but I failed to get a glimpse of that spectacle.

With news just in that Whitefish local and K2 ripper Aaron Robinson won the third stop of The North Face Masters at Kirkwood, it’s time to squeeze in a few more spring-esque laps in the morning before rallying to Missoula to meet up with Aaron, his brother Jason, Shane Stalling and photog Jeff Hawe and head for the backcountry—it’s a bit colder down south. But we'll be back in time for next saturday’s brewfest...

Thanks to Lisa Jones, Amtrak (sleeper cars are my new favorite way to travel), Whitefish Mountain Resort, the Garden Wall Inn and the Canadian hockey team. This is just the beginning…

Images:

01 - Alex Wesolovski backside 5, shortly after a 30-feet-too-far scorpion.

02 - Terrain Park Manager Ian Mull, back lip with radio harness.

03 - Follow cammers.

04 - Alex Wesolovski, back 1 rocket.

Beginning with proper nourishment and hydration on our arrival night Laing, Jessie Carlson, JG and I were fully prepared to be world-class spectators the following day. Surrounded by other people of the world, who had obviously worked as hard as us the previous night as exemplified by the fifths of vodka being shared amongst the Ruskies at 11am, we watched cross-country skiers rapidly dispense firearms in public with amazing accuracy. After a few house soaking up the energy of the crowd, it was time to leave the wet snow (aka dumping at the top of the mountain) and head in.

While the rest of Canada was finding the best seat to watch the upcoming hockey game, Laing and I decided our Olympic spirit would be best stoked by a trip to the Scandinave Spa for some rigorous preparation for the evening events to come. Following a strict routine of hot, cold, Zen; we immersed ourselves in eucalypts steam rooms, glacier cold pools, cedar fired saunas, and relaxing atriums where we simply stared at the beautiful surroundings.

Fully prepared, we managed to catch a medal ceremony, K’Naan concert, the end of the hockey game, and an amazing meal before calling it a night.

Avi bombs woke us up the following morning, just in time to really enjoy Whistler/Blackcomb (see afore mentioned dumping reference).

Many thanks to Michelle, Ryan, and Steph for an amazing Olympic experience. Now we can set our training sights on Telus.

The Alta Lakes part from SixEleven's movie "This Is Serious." This is from a DVLP Clothing team trip to the Alta Lakes Observatory last winter. Dang, fool, watch out for that tree!

www.sixelevenproductions.com

www.altalakes.com

Saturday

March lucky 13^th, 2010

What to expect for the 3^rd Annual Mikey P Jam?  It will be a similar format to the last two years, Fun! 

The course is a combination of rails, box slides and big jumps.  Riders are judged on: variety of tricks, amplitude, style, and execution/landing.  It is all done in a jam format that keeps the fun factor high.  The Area 76 Terrain Park employees keep the course smoothed out and sculpted for your jibbing pleasure.  Along with the perfectly groomed park we have DJ Nevada & DJ Kelly spinning the music.  There is plenty of room for spectators to ride through the area and check out the high flying action.  Non-riding family and friends are able to walk over from the lodge to the terrain park. 

Registration will be at the Stewart Lodge from 8-10am.  Riders Meeting at Area 76 Terrain Park at 10:30.  Competition to follow.

$20 dollar entrance fee, if needed $10.00 lift ticket for non pass holders.  Entrance includes long sleeve t-shirt with Mikey P Jam artwork, unique park features for the jam, loads of fun, awards ceremony with general raffle for all participants!  Oh yeah, an after party with live band Noise Tractor and DJ’s.  Push up contest and handstand contest into the night.. 

The 2^nd Annual Mikey P Jam took place this last season at Terry Peak Ski Area, under another big blue magical sky.  It was truly perfect weather for this snow sport competition/celebration. 

Registration was bright and early at the Stewart Lodge from 8-10am.  We had most of the prizes laid out for the early morning stoke at registration.  It really looked impressive with more than enough schwag to cover two tables.  Custom Mikey P Jam Mugs and Hats, Boards, Skis, Wii Nintendo, goggles, Hats, Gloves, Bindings, etc…  We had some of the finest Mikey P Jam volunteers holding down the registration, which was a busy job with a mad rush at registration closing time, go figure…  We registered participants up until 10:30 and had to cut some off, sorry!  There still were a record number of participants with 104 riders. 

Riders’ meeting was close to 10:30, with most of the riders there anxious to get riding, it was kept short.  Riders were told they would be judged on style, amplitude/aggressiveness, difficulty, variety of tricks, and of course the landing.  All riders were told be courteous, and encouraging to all the other riders, “who will be the next Mikey P”…  With that the 15 & Under Boys skiers and boarders were released to hike to the staging area at the top of Area 76 Terrain Park for an 11am start.  On Schedule! The action was aggressive and progressive.  For a real living of what happens join us again this year, March lucky 13^th  2010, for the 3^rd Mikey P Jam. For more information call 605 641-4963 or e-mail

The Mt Baker Splitboard Festival will be taking place March 27 and 28. frequency TSJ is a proud sponsor of this event--reserve your spot now for a chance to stay at the Mountaineer's Lodge, a five minute walk from the lifts, and take part in a weekend of splitboarding clinics, tours and more.

From event organizer Terry Schmidbauer:

"For a weekend in March we will gather together in the Pacific Northwest to tour the backcountry, share our stories and maybe even learn a few things about the passion we call Splitboarding.

The history of Snowboarding can trace it roots back to the Mt Baker backcountry, an area noted for its early snowfalls, deep winter snowpack, and late season riding. So what would be a better place to hold this inaugural event than the Mt Baker area?

We will be staying at the Mountaineers Lodge which is close to destinations such as Artist Point, Table Mountain, and Herman Saddle. The Lodge has a breathtaking view of Mount Shuksan and is only a five-minute walk from the lifts of Mt Baker Ski area.

So, if you have been Splitboarding for a year or a decade, this will be an event to remember.

Date: March 27th and 28th.

Lodging and meals: Mt Bake Mountaineers Lodge, $70 for full weekend.

Events include a Splitboarding Techniques Class, a Basic Avalanche Awareness Class and a raffle to benefit the Friends of the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center.

For more information and to register go to: www.splitboardfestival.com."

See you there!