ALPINE MEADOWS TELEMARK FREESKING
CHAMPIONSHIPS
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Crossman, Pike-Sprenger
Win Alpine Meadows Big Mountain Telemark Competition
Report and Photos by Ben Young
February 25-27, 2005, Lake Tahoe,
California-- In
the two years since telemark big mountain competitions last visited
Lake Tahoe’s Alpine Meadows, men’s competitions results
have been predictable.
That Utah transplant Dylan Crossman won
the weekend’s event came as no surprise. The Rossignol-sponsored
athlete is the reigning king of telemark big mountain competitions.
This simple statement of Crossman’s
win obscures the evolving standards of telemark across the country
and during this weekend of thrilling tele freeskiing.
Quite simply, the 2005 Alpine Meadows Championship
was witness to one of the best big mountain telemark competitions
in history. |
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Progression continues.
It used to be that a Comp day would wind up with the top 4 or
5 athletes just killing it at a level far above the rest. At
Alpine it was more like the top 15 to 20.
Beyond the raw athleticism,
there was a spirit of goodwill and friendship the likes of which
is rarely seen in the world of competitive action sports. Everybody
was a star.
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Held over two sunny days following an awesome
display of Slopestyle talent on Friday, the three-run Big Mountain
event on the breath-takingly steep and cliff-littered “Keyhole”
face. Unique to this venue is the fact that the course is readily
accessible to the average skier, and gave the hundreds of public
spectators who came and went throughout the day a special appreciation
for the skills of these telemark skiing athletes. |
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A small but highly talented field of 45
competitors from across the US were tested by Keyhole. Skiers
were judged by International Free Skiing Association standards,
on the basis of line selection, technique, fluidity, control
and aggressiveness. Route selection and finding one’s way
into the correct cliff band was critical to winning, if not avoiding
a trip to the emergency room.
In the early days of these tele comps the
Junior men’s and women’s categories were a chance to
nurture future stars. By convention, junior skiers are supposed
to follow their elders. |
Tele Comp Factoid
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Two comp veterans, Scott Murray
and Flyin' Ryan Boyer, both in their mid-30s, finished 4th and
5th! Stay tuned to Telemarktips for video from the Big Mountain
and Slopestyle Competitions. |
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All that changed with the emergence of
the Colorado Rocky Mountain School (CRMS) telemark program. With
alumni like Jack Tolan, Andrew Still-Baxter and Cody Smith, CRMS
has been a breeder reactor of stars. This year, coach Molly Olgilvy
brought the CRMS crew from Aspen-- Morgan McInvaille set the
bar high for everyone by straight pointing 150 vertical feet
in a no-turn, 170 cm-wide, 50 degree couloir, winning the junior
men’s division. Claire Noone won the junior women’s
event with three smooth, clean runs down Keyhole’s main
face. Notable was the presence of several athlete families, including
that of Idaho’s up and comer, Chris Olerain-- showing the
cross-generation staying power of the sport.
Left: Juniors checking out the course from
on top............. Right: Taiga Young returns to completion
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With the absence of last year’s big
mountain telemark champion, Sarah Light, the women’s competition
started with a question mark. Such questions were quickly erased.
The overall quality and skill of the women’s field was one
of the best ever. Throughout the weekend, highly technical line
selection was the order of the day. Newcomer Brie Pike-Sprenger
won the weekend with three consistently aggressive and fluid
runs—indeed, skiing routes that might have bested previous
competitions. Taiga Young, from San Luis Obispo, California and
Anna Higgins from Stowe, Vermont, finished second and third,
narrowly beating perennial competitor (and convert figure skater)
Julie Conrad.
The event marked the return to competition
of 2003 Alpine Meadows champion and 2003 USTSA Women’s Freeski
Champion, Taiga Young following recovery from her nearly career-ending
knee injury. Conservative on the first day’s runs, the Garmont-Rottelfella
athlete capped the women’s event by skiing a “boy’s
line” above the “Christmas tree” slot—a route
previously chosen only by male competitors.
Left: JT Robinson during run 1 of Saturday's
qualifier.... Right: Chris Erickson in the Pinnacles
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Day one of the men’s competition provided
proof of the continuing progression of telemark freeski—huge
jumps, back flips and front flips were the standard among the
top athletes.
Though defending Alpine Meadows champion
Lorenzo Worster was sidelined with an injury, many skied to outrageous
technical abilities: JT Robinson’s backflip started the
action, Scott Murray’s gap jump from rock pinnacles high
up on the Keyhole face drew cheers.
Dylan Crossman and Sam Fox dueled all weekend
long. Fox, from Durango, Colorado led after the Saturday’s
two runs, including a 50-foot, cardiac-air front flip. In only
his second North American competition, Fox left onlookers wondering
just who this mild-mannered guy is— he’s Crossman’s
training partner.
If the word for the first day was air,
the competition’s second day was highlighted by precise
skiing on the diminishing snow pack on the cliff bands-- |
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Tele comp veteran Scott Murray's
big mountain gap jump during Sunday's final. |
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Alaskan Evan Corral about to jump the falls...
Photo: Tim Connolly
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The Powderwhores' Rob Nachtwey made an
impossible plunge into a no-turn, maybe, 100 cm-wide, never-before-skied
slot crack; Dayton Young hit a ridiculously steep rock line and
celebrated with a high-speed ride-em-cowboy flair on the tails
of his skis that had the crowd delirious.
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After 26 earlier competitors, the final
two runs would determine the champion.
Crossman skied first, choosing a rocky,
air-filled line above the “triangle” on his Rossignol
Sickbirds. He never stopped to check his route and performing
grabs and spinning 360’s in places were most expert skiers
only slide slip. With this run, Crossman would set the highest
single run score for the weekend.
Was it enough to overcome Sam Fox’s
first day lead? Fox and his Atomic Teledaddy’s would have
the last run of the weekend.
The young tele skier from Durago, Colorado
who had been wowing the crowds all weekend stormed into venue
with a telemark heli off the cornice into the skier’s right
side of the venue. Then dropping into the really serious terrain,
Fox skidded past his intended gully on Sunday, leaving him no
choice than to drop into the now-vaporized snow remaining in
the Natchwey crack, straight lining with his poles dragging on
bare rocks on both sides of the slot.
That route finding pause and a stumble
on the landing would cost him the needed points. |
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Crack rider Sam Fox |
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The final results: Crossman first, Fox
second, Dave Stratton third.
Nat Ross and Tough Guy Productions put
together a nearly flawless event with an energetic crew of judges
and volunteers. Without Ross’ endless devotion to promoting
the sport and Atomic skis’ title sponsorship to offset costs,
big mountain telemark competitions would likely fall like a tree
in the forest with no one to hear
The Alpine Meadows’ professional ski
patrol and promotional staff all deserve the highest complements
for their ongoing support of the telemark community. The competitors
showed enthusiasm and accessibility that would have made Sondre
Norheim proud.
If you missed this event, or want to see
more, next month’s 9th Annual US Extreme Telemark Freeskiing
Championships and Tough Guy Production event at Mount Crested
Butte, Colorado on March 25-27 should be an event for the ages.
ALPINE MEADOWS TELEMARK FREESKIING CHAMPIONSHIPS-
Results
Men
1 Dylan Crossman 242 395 637
2 Sam Fox 189 402 591
3 Dave Stratton 186 392 578
4 Ryan Boyer 212 338 550
5 Scott Murry 186 360 546
6 Dayton Young 190 336 526
7 Rob Nachtwey 198 321 519
8 Noel Lazenby 163 342 505
9 Evan Corral 203 298 501
10 Doug Severn 175 311 486
11 JT Robinson 168 317 485
12 Hillary Larkin 161 321 482
13 Chris Erickson 164 294 458
14 Rusty Stormer 139 305 444
15 David Richards 130 280 410
16 Ebon Mond 79 310 389
17 Jason Layh 100 269 369
18 Paul Story 43 291 334
Women
1 Brie Pike-Sprenger 166 305 471
2 Taiga Young 163 216 379
3 Anna Higgins 139 208 347
4 Julie Conrad 138 203 341
Jr. Men
1 Morgan McInvaille 106 221 327
2 Matt Cahn 119 192 311
3 Zach Levders 107 195 302
4 Steffan Benier 105 192 297
5 Chris Olerain 118 149 267
Jr. Women
1 Claire Noone 76 117 193
Alpine Meadows Slopestyle:
Open Men
1) Seth Steffen
2) Dylan Crossman
3) Eben Mond
Junior Men
1) Morgan McInvaille
2) Matt Cahn
3) Chris Olerain
Karhu Mad Style Award:
Chris Olerain
G3/Predator Big Sack Award:
Dave Sutton |