Powder Photo Archives
BIRDOS FACTORY
Photos by Derek Taylor
Photos by Derek Taylor
Photos by Tess Weaver
Who needs blower pow and bluebird skys? Not the competitors at the Lake Louise Big Mountain Challenge in Alberta, Canada, who turned the rocky face of ER-6, into a proving ground. The visibility was good enough for the judges, but the flat light unfortunately meant some serious carnage though some of the rockier sections. Skiers that made it through the first round stayed up through the technical sections, while those who got rowdy in the dangerous conditions were penalized. Top female qualifiers Karolina Ekman and Tessa Parry stepped up against the adverse conditions and charged as hard as the rest of the pack. Everyone who made it through the second ground really took it upon themselves to make something out of nothing. Today’s finals should be even more impressive.
They say there are some amazing views surrounding the Gemstock Mountain and the town of Andermatt. And for about 20 minutes of a six day trip there, I actually got to see some. The rest of the time was pounding snow and complete whiteout. With no tree skiing on Gemstock, our skiing was limited to the Sonnepiste side of the mountain and a couple of steep couloirs where there was at least a little visibilty. It was a tough early seaosn in Central Switzerland, so entering the chutes meant side-stepping down a rocky entrance for about 40 feet. Once in, though, conditions were blower, and Utah-style refills prevailed for the entire trip. As soon as it clears, conditions will be the best they have been all year. Check out www.meteoschweiz.ch for weather, and to see some amazing skis local powder whores are skiing on, go to www.birdos.com. The tight crew here swore me to secrecy, so I'm off to Chamonix before anyone sees this. --Derek Taylor