Every March, skiers in the Salt Lake Area get to witness the world’s best compete at the Snowbird stop on the Subaru Freeskier World Tour. Backcountry.com pro athletes like Sage Cattabriga-Alosa and Drew Tabke show us what it takes to huck their meat off sketchy cliffs in variable snow conditions. Check the videos below to see the risks these pros take for the reward of a Sickbird medal, a tour stop podium placement, or in Drew Tabke’s case, an overall tour win. Congratulations Drew.
Gear Articles tagged ‘freeski’
Loss of a True Mountainman – Jack Hannan
By: Tanya Christensen | April 7th, 2010
While driving up Little Cottonwood Canyon, I received the news that an extraordinary person and dear friend, Jack Hannan, had passed away. My heart sank deep into my insides. On March 31st, Jack and three others were dropped off by helicopter on Mt. Currie (near Jack’s home in Pemberton, BC) for a fun day of backcountry skiing. The crew had safely skied down their line and had been getting ready to boot-pack up to another area of the peak when the highest member of the group suddenly noticed a slide heading straight towards them. Jack was positioned a bit lower than the rest of the group and was the only one swept away by the avalanche. It’s believed that the Class 3 slide occurred naturally due to a cornice failure. The rest of his party wasn’t harmed by the slide, and they were able to find and uncover him quickly, but unfortunately the trauma was too much for Jack, and it’s believed he was killed instantly. Read More …
The Big LePowSki
By: Rob de Luca | March 5th, 2010
Saturday, February 27 marked the second annual Big LePowSki, and you missed it. You idiot.
$75 got you a Brighton lift ticket, lunch, free demos and free instruction from pros like Andy Jacobsen, Kim Havell, Jamey Parks, Andrew McLean, and Jenn Berg.
Showing up late as usual, we dropped into Jamey and Andy’s advanced freeride clinic to pick up some cliff-dropping and steep skiing pointers. Read More …
Moment: The Biggest Little Skimaker in the World
By: Rob de Luca | November 24th, 2009
We felt the need for a sequel to The Birth of a Ski, which told the story of Hardwood Skis, a one-man operation based in a Salt Lake City garage. Reno-based Moment Skis fit the bill: bigger-just barely-than a garage, within driving distance, and willing to show us around the Moment factory. So Nick Franchi (Backcountry Art Director), Porter Haney (Affiliate Marketing whiz), and I drove west to check them out. We brought bikes, clean underwear, and a single stick of deodorant (thanks, Nick).