Crested Butte, Colorado. So much about this little western town with its intimidating ski hill have shaped what I know about skiing and the limits people are willing to push. The terrain here is unmatched in the Western U.S. in both its size and scope of double-diamond steeps and cliffed out bowls. I have stood at the top of a chute here, my eyes skipping back and forth between the possible run-outs, with little a clue as to what was actually approachable considering the usually appalling conditions. I have backed away from some airs that just don’t line up or quite make sense, and I have also faced the pure elation of a bluebird day above a cliff with a soft pocket of untouched powder in the narrow landing, only to drop in, cares and worries dragging behind like a balloon in a windstorm. The Butte is longtime home of the U.S. Freeskiing Championships, and now in 2011, the Junior Freeskiing Tour has returned in its second year of the juvenile reincarnation of the famed adult shred fests.

The first freeskiing competition I ever chanced to attend was here at Crested Butte Mountain Resort in 2004, where, after meeting some of the other full-faced helmeted and body armored freeski freaks, I realized there was a new way to share the mountains. I had heard stories about famous skiers like Seth Morrison and Kent Kreitler climbing the podium as unknowns on the way to successful careers in the industry. This place was the sweet bosom of legends and continues to breed skiers of legendary proportions. That fateful week, I witnessed leaps of faith conducted on a regular basis throughout the rest of the 2004 Extremes, even after my own brutal beating in a fall exiting the infamous Headwall’s Angle Gully during the qualifier run. I watched skiers, nay truly mountain people, executing moves based on decisions which at the time seemed certifiably insane to me, yet was completely enthralled with the spectacle.

Only years later, with a junior competitor from Aspen in tow, have I truly been able to comprehend the impact which that first weekend in Crested Butte really delivered to this young, impressionable ski bum. Life choices have been swayed throughout the following years, with countless bill payments and a smatter of girlfriends sacrificed along the way. Yet redemption sometimes is met through the following generations, and the story of skiing is no different. Parker Olsen, another second-generation ski bum, has taken it upon himself to enter this storied competition, and as a junior, the pressures are no different. I joined him on this skier’s journey of discovery to share in the experience and help to lessen the competitive and intimidating pressures a mountain and competition like these can deliver. Tomorrow is Parker’s chance to enter the rocky, treacherous depths of Angle Gully, and it will be an exercise in reaching for that special energy deep inside himself and facing down airs and lines he’s never even considered possible. With a sunny, warm day in the forecast, the usually intimidating weather in Crested Butte is holding back to allow for one skier’s meeting with skiing destiny.

More to follow tomorrow.

Chopo Diaz, Chilean Invader

Over the past few seasons, Chopo Diaz has been making a name for himself on the Freeskiing World Tour.  If you’ve tuned into the live web-broadcasts of the FWT competitions from Snowbird to Kirkwood to Aleyeska, then you’ve probably seen Chopo dropping huge cliffs with his signature Chilean style.  A lot of power and some smooth shredding are packed into his small frame, making for quite a show whenever he straps on those familiar K2 skis.  Below is a video of Chopo at Snowbird, in an effort to introduce our South American friends to some classic ‘Estados Unidos’ skiing.  Hailing originally from La Parva, Chile, Chopo brings a unique perspective to the steeps and deeps at Utah’s best known powder palace.

Up here in Revelstoke, BC, the Freeskiing World Tour (FWT) competition has ended and athletes are making their way down to the US for the next stop. The 2010 inaugural event here in Revy saw everything from blue skies and sun to blistering wind and snow. But, the organizers saw to it that it went off in style, and the finals were spectacular.

The much anticipated helicopter ride for the athletes to the top of the final day venue took off just as planned, and with a bit of a weather delay the athletes had a big task ahead of them. When the skies cleared enough and the fog lifted, everything went into full comp mode and the ladies started charging down the steep hill. Rocks, cliffs, chutes and big moves in hang time kept the crowd charged up as athletes delivered line upon mindfreakin’ line.

Notables of the day went to Jacqui Edgerly with her fast fluid style arcing turns down highly exposed terrain and finding the sweet air at the bottom. Julien Lopez hit his bottom air at 110km an hour and flew a million feet straight out into the stratosphere, landing close to 18m back on the snow below.

Winning runs were turned in like clockwork by Jess McMillan over the course of the weekend, with the Jackson local claiming her trophy like the true professional she is. What a great presence to have on the FWT! The ladies are definitely amping up the game, and spectators were left wondering who was who on those burly lines up in Revelstoke’s MacKenzie face.

The real treat for me this week was in watching fellow POC athlete Arne Backstrom put down some solid, consistently impressive skiing on the way to the top of the podium. He came out of the gate strong and sent it hard down terrifying terrain, all while carving turns through rocky cliffs and landing in greasy turns on each air. The game is on, and Arne has set the bar for the 2010 FWT.

Justin brought out the camera in the rare bits of sunshine during this last week, and we’ll be dropping an edit soon. It’s been storming up a bit around here in Revy, and we met up with the Trew Crew in their bright blue and purple bus to get some pow turns and check out their rippin’ athletes tearing it up. Chuck Mumford, Mike McCabe, Will Dujardin, Colter Hinchliffe, Sonja Lercher, and Craig Garbiel definitely turned some heads while flipping, spinning, slashing and laughing all around Revy’s lengthy terrain. The trewth has been spread.

With a few more days in Revy ahead, and a sweet drive up and over Roger’s Pass to Kicking Horse, a ski bum can only wonder what lay on the road to Golden…??

What a trip!

Today, an entire community of skiers and hard-chargers collectively crashed the servers in an attempt to register for the 2009 Freeskiing World Tour. As the minutes ticked by, and the registration scheduled time passed, mouses were clicked in anticipation of some huge spending on registration fees. Refresh buttons were pushed frantically as men, women, girls and boys all found themselves confused and worried about their skiing futures.

The following is a Facebook status ‘party’ tracking the frustrations and wit of a group of such freeskiers. Enjoy!