Crossman Dylan pulls off a daffy off the pinky cliffs catching some big air.
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Crossman Dylan pulls off a daffy off the pinky cliffs catching some big air. |
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| Photo courtesy of Dave Magoffin Telepalooza Winners. They are, left to right, Jake Sakson, Nick DeVore and Dylan Crossman. In the background is Brooke Edwards, event coordinator and head Alyeska telemark coach. |
By Rachel Drinkard
Turnagain Times Correspondent
With one of the best bases in North America under its belt, and a world class run of ski and snowboard events booked, Alyeska Resort is poised to claim the title of world class destination it’s been yearning for.
March 29-30, the resort held its fifth Annual Jeff Nissman Memorial Telemark Festival, or Telepalooza, and the first ever World Telemark Free-Skiing Championship.
“This competition is definitely poised to go bigger and better next year as the news trickles out and more skiers hear about the conditions up here,” said head judge Ross Matlock. “There wasn’t a lot of international flavor this year, but it was such a great comp, everything really fell into place perfectly, and I’m sure the ‘world’ aspect will continue to build in coming years. The possibilities for this event are truly unlimited.”
While international participation may have been lacking, locals made a strong showing in each of the respective divisions including Spencer Jonas of Girdwood who took first in the Junior Men’s Division with scores challenging those of the Men’s Open.
“I’m super proud of our Alaskan locals,” said head Alyeska telemark coach and event organizer Brooke Edwards, pointing out, for one, that four of the top eight finishers in the Women’s Division were locals.
“They proved they were some of the best of the best in world class competition, “ said Edwards, “and I can’t say enough about how happy I am for them.”
Limiting the potential for a home court advantage and effectively placing all competitors on equal footing, the challenging Shadows Headwall was opened up Saturday for the first time since the 1999 Alaska Extremes served as a qualifying event for the World Extremes.
“The Shadows was the most amazing venue in freeskiing competition history,” said competitor Dave Magoffin of Girdwood. “It was worth the entry fee alone to get the opportunity to ski a line I’ve been wanting to as long as I can remember. It truly is the best venue in the world.”
Day two of the competition brought more thrills as the remaining 46 competitors, including nine Alaskans, plowed through fresh powder on the ridgeline of the North Face Prow and Nick DeVore of Aspen, Colorado managed to dethrone five-time Championship title-holder Dylan Crossman for this year’s title in the Men’s Division.
“This competition was extremely interesting in that two of the top competitors out there right now went head to head for the first time,” said Matlock. “It was great to see the difference in style between Crossman and DeVore.” Matlock added that it was perhaps DeVore’s more “Alaskan” style that managed to snag the crown from Crossman.
In the Women’s Division, Megan Michelson of Boulder, Colorado held onto a narrow six-tenth of a point lead over second place finisher Martha Burley of British Columbia, Canada, primarily on the merit of a strong first day score.
Francesca Pavillard-Cain of Crested Butte, Colorado led the Junior Women’s division followed by Amelia Hamilton Olds, of Alberta, Canada. Anchorage’s own Rebecca Mamrol rounded out the top three. Peter Mamrol came in second to Jonas in the Junior Men’s division.
By opening terrain that hasn’t been skied in nearly a decade, Telepalooza set the bar high for a veritable triple crown of world class skiing and snowboarding events.
The North Face Masters Big Mountain Snowboarding Competition promises to showcase more local talent as it gets under way April 2-6, featuring nearly 100 riders competing for the $45,000 tour prize purse.
“Alaska is the epitome of big mountain snowboarding and a perfect venue for the championship of The North Face Masters,” said Steve Rendle, President of The North Face, echoing similar sentiments from a number of judges and competitors at Telepalooza.
The culmination of the two-stop tour, the first specifically tailored to fill a competition gap in the sport of Big Mountain snowboarding can be caught Saturday, April 5. More information, schedule, and real-time updates are available online at www.thenorthface.com/masters.
The unprecedented six-stop U.S. Freeskiing Series, one of the largest cohesive competitive Big Mountain Freeskiing tours in the history of the sport, will end with a bang at the Subaru Freeskiing World Championships April 9-13, once again allowing the resort to showcase some of its most challenging terrain while pushing competitors to their limits. More info can be found on this final event in the series as it develops at www.usfreeskiing.com.
RESULTS:
JUNIOR WOMEN
1. Francesca Pavillard-Cain Crested Butte, CO
2. Amelia Hamilton Olds, Alberta, Canada
3. Rebecca Mamrol Anchorage, AK
JUNIOR MEN
1. Spencer Jonas Girdwood, AK
2. Peter Mamrol Anchorage, AK
WOMEN
1. Megan Michelson Boulder, CO
2. Martha Burley Fernie,
British Columbia, Canada
3. Kate Cardamone Basalt, CO
4. Kelsey Vrem Girdwood, AK
5. Gwen Stosovloski Girdwood, AK
MEN
1. Nick DeVore Aspen, CO
2. Dylan Crossman Bethel, VT
3. Jake Sakson Cabondale, CO
4. Bayden Hamilton Olds, Alberta, Canada
5. JT Robinson Fruit Heights, UT