Kirkwood Big Mountain Finals
www.kirkwood.com
It was one of the those things that you just couldn't plan any better--Mother Nature dumps more than four feet of snow and then the morning of the season's grand finale big mountain event, voila it's bluebird. There is a reason competitors return every year to Kirkwood, CA for the Salomon North American Freeskiing Championships. It is the only time Kirkwood ever opens its infamous, off-piste playground, the "Cirque", and the weather is usually killer (if it isn't snowing, it's usually sunny).
After postponing Friday's semi-finals because of an obscene amount of snow, women's and men's snowboarders kicked off the event on Saturday, laying fresh tracks all over the Cirque and quickly setting the standards for men's and women's skiers. Local Kirkwood rider, Tiffany Noel bested the women's field with a score of 24.8, while Bozeman, MT's Korey Kazmareck blew away the men's field with a score of 36.4. "The snowboarders really excelled today," said event director Adam Comey. "They really pushed the riding to a new level."
For skiers, experience and confidence were the two key ingredients for success. Tied for first place in the women's division were Crested Butte's, Susan Medville and Sun Valley's, Lynsey Dyer both with a score of 24.8. While Medville went for a more technical line and navigated her way through a series of cliff bands, Dyer used the flash technique and skied one of the fastest, smoothest runs of the day. Medville's win at the Salomon North American Freeskiing Championships also signified her first victory on the freeskiing circuit and secured her the overall North American Freeskiing tour title. "I'm glad that the judges appreciated both mine and Lynsey's skiing style," said Medville. "The Cirque has a really high level of exposure, which makes it more exciting than other venues."
On the men's side, the battle for the podium began right from the get go, but it was Mammoth Mtn's, Ehren Olson who took top honors with a score of 37.00. Sharing the podium with Olson was Aaron Hunt (36.6) in second and Dana Flahr (33.8) in third.
While the podium may have been where the money was at, the most coveted award of the competition was by far the "sick bird" award--an award that, like its namesake, signifies the "sickest" run of the day. While competition for the award was stiff, especially with nominees like Brett Deuter and his kamikaze cliff huck, Eric Schmitz and his spread eagle extravaganza, and Jamey Parks' one-ski straighline, it was the young Dana Flahr from Whistler who earned the title. "Getting the "sick bird" was definitely better than getting third (at Kirkwood) or winning the overall North American Freeskiing tour," admits Flahr, who now joins a very distinguished fraternity of "sicko's."