As it has happened so often before, a major ski superpipe competition came down to a duel in the bright lights between Simon Dumont and Tanner Hall.
On Saturday night at Northstar-at-Tahoe resort, it was Hall’s turn to out-soar his rival, using the contest’s final run to pull in front and claim a Winter Dew Tour victory and the Dew Cup series ski superpipe championship.
It was an electrifying display, at times 20 feet above the superpipe walls. Hall opened with a 1260-degree spin and added three variations of 900s, plus an alley-oop flat-spin 360, en route to the momentous triumph.
“When I went down on my last run I knew it was…Â More info
Shaun White confirmed he is competing.
So did Steve Fisher, Andreas Wiig, Kelly Clark, Tanner Hall, Simon Dumont and more. Many, many more.
Network cameras will be rolling, competitive juices flowing, uncanny ability on display.
These all-stars of skiing and snowboarding have much to gain, given a $1.5 million total prize purse dangling for the taking, and professional pride on the line.
The third and final stop of the Winter Dew Tour — the Toyota Championship — began Thursday and continues to take flight in Northstar-at-Tahoe’s superpipe and terrain park through Sunday.
If the above tidbits don’t provide enough of a clue, it’s kind of a big deal… More info
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FREESKIING has been credited with making skiing cool again — particularly among the junior set, which had been lured by the snowboard’s renegade appeal. Thanks to twin-tip skis, which are rounded and upturned on both ends, freeskiers can land on the snow facing forward or backward, making it possible to do the flashy jumps and daring tricks of the snowboard on ungroomed backcountry snow, as well as on the pipes and jumps of terrain parks.
Overall sales of skis are in decline but freeskis are “a very hot category right now,†said Kelly Davis, research director for the trade group SnowSports Industries America … More info
It’s mid-February, and Western ski resorts are set to celebrate warmer weather, longer days and festive nights by staging everything from Mardi Gras carnivals and spring festivals to other upbeat events.
New Orleans and Rio de Janeiro are more famous for their carnivals, but Angel Fire, Breckenridge, Crested Butte, Keystone, Red River, Snowmass and Vail are ready to launch their own brand of Mardi Gras frivolity.
Angel Fire‘s five-day fete Feb. 20-24 combines the “world’s second-smallest” Mardi Gras street parade, grand ball, costume contest, mask-making party and live music with on-mountain bead tossing by skiers and snowboarders. 1-800-633-7463; www.angelfireresort.com
Keystone says it has one of the Rockies’ biggest Fat Tuesday parties…Â More info
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