ski news

On Wednesday, I checked my Twitter feed from my phone and found disastrous news: pro skier CR Johnson had passed away skiing at his home resort of Squaw Valley.  I had just pulled in to our hotel here in Nelson, BC, and the various tweets paying respect to CR hit me hard.

CR was a skier that many of my peers, including myself, watched with disbelief at the style, speed, and airtime he could manage off of natural terrain features and in the halfpipe.  His signature bio 900 trick in the superpipe at the X-Games a few years back helped push skiing to new levels and new heights, sending airs upwards of 22 feet in the halfpipe. (more…)

Exclusive preview to the Backcountry.com Semi-Annual sale up to 60% off.  I’m up here in BC trying to raise gas and food money to go and film with Warren Miller.  Thanks for visiting my site, and click below to help a ski bum out.

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Thanks for the virtual high-five!  - Tats

I recently competed in Kicking Horse Mountain Resort’s Wrangle the Chute freeski competition and ended up in fifth place overall.  It was a really fun comp and I hope to be invited back next year.  I’ll have to put some more tricks in my bag, 540s probably won’t cut it next year!

February 10^th 2010, Golden, BC… On February 6^th and 7^th, 2010, top skiers and snowboarders travelled from far corners of Canada and the U.S.A., to Kicking Horse Mountain Resort for the ultimate showdown of big mountain riding in the second annual Wrangle the Chute. The famously treacherous terrain was conquered by both male and female athletes, and proved little challenge for the pros who hucked massive cliffs, maneuvered through tight terrain, and stomped down some big tricks at the finish line jump; although E.J. Hector (pro. Ejector), Kicking Horse’s newly named bronc, gave them a run for their money.

“Wrangle the Chute was even bigger and better this year,” says Steve Paccagnan, President and General Manager of Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. “We saw cliff drops, amazing aerials, and a competitor straight-line the entire chute; we even saw one athlete ski top to bottom and hit the jump, all the time riding switch! It was a great feeling to be part of such a big crowd, listening to the reactions and excitement this competition brings to our resort. The Heaven’s Door Yurt Café proved to be the grandstand for this event; giving the crowd the best views, great food and exceptional entertainment!”

Athletes competed under bluebird skies on Saturday; though Mother Nature changed it up with poor visibility on Sunday. In true professional style, the competitors adapted to the conditions and threw down some impressive runs on both days.

Alex Wall, 21, a Kootenay local from Nelson, BC, sponsored by Faction Skis and Tribute Boardshop, took home the $1,000 cash prize and the glory of being 2010’s Wrangle the Chute Men’s  Champ! Second place went to Stu Bilodeau, 24, of Invermere, sponsored by K2, Smith, Syndicate and Fresh, while Austin Ross, 21, of Pemberton, and member of the Rossi Ski Team, took home the third.

In the women’s division, competition was tight! Izzy Lynch came out the leader after Saturday’s run, though was swept by Leah Evans on Sunday afternoon. Evans, 22, a Revelstoke local and member of the Rossi Ski Team, is the founder of a women’s ski program known as “Girls Day Out”. She is the 2010 Wrangle the Chute Women’s Champ, followed closely in second by Izzy Lynch, 24, Zoya Lynch, 18, in third, and Golden local Brenna Donaldson, 20, in fourth.

New to the Wrangler weekend, Kicking Horse Mountain Resort hosted the first annual Wrangle the ‘Shoot’. The photo competition presented a unique twist for the event, and echoed the creativity and originality of Wrangle the Chute; being the first and only competition to incorporate on-course photographers, same-day turn around, and a nighttime photography show. Sixty-five amazing photos were on display and more than 100 people came out to place their votes based on Best Action, Best Landscape, Best Lifestyle, People’s Choice and Best Overall Photographer.

Golden area local, Wally Randall, swept up wins in four of the five categories, including Best Overall Photographer . Alex Giesbrecht, member of the Kicking Horse Mountain Safety Team, took the only other win for Best Landscape. Runners-up included Andrew Maribito, Scott Thumlert, Dom Koric and 15-year-old Luke Charbonneau, of Golden.

Wrangle the Chute is a freeride competition with three components; technical big mountain riding, terrain park/big air, and cowboy thrills on a bucking bronco. Spectators watched athletes from Heaven’s Door Yurt Café where the grill was fired up and the Big Rock beer and Red Bull was chilled.

The event also marked the third anniversary of Kicking Horse Mountain Resort’s Big Mountain Centre. A celebration on Saturday afternoon was held at the Day Lodge with Big Rock Untapped band ‘Broken Down Suitcase’ rocking the house, followed by the annual BMC Texas Hold’em Poker Challenge.

Kicking Horse Mountain Resort would like to extend a special thank you to Wrangler; this year’s official event sponsor. All competitors were provided with Wrangler bags, jeans, shirts and other small souvenirs; making this event a true western weekend!  Additional thanks to Red Bull, Rossignol, Big Rock Brewery, SBC Media, Biglines.com, and Nordica.

Kicking Horse Mountain Resort is a world class four season destination resort located 2.5 hours west from Calgary, nestled between the Purcell and Rocky Mountains in the heart of British Columbia. Winter offers an integrated mountain resort experience and the most progressive in-bounds skiing in North America. In Summer, guests can access the alpine for hiking and mountain biking along with a visit to our Grizzly Bear Refuge. For more information phone 1.866.SKI.KICK or visit our website at www.kickinghorseresort.com .