This last weekend I competed in the first stop of the, Tough Guy Productions: Big Mountain Telemark Series, at Grand Targhee resort. It has been a long time since multiple big mountain telemark events were linked together in a point-series, and I was stoked to compete and earn some points towards the series! Great snow conditions, nearly untouched venues, and the energized attitude of the other athletes added to my excitement. In the qualifier I sent a double-stager off the cornus and skied down and aired off two more features. The run left me in 5th place headed into day two.

The second day’s venue was a lot gnarlier. Having a visual inspection only, and after we were told that there were pockets of variable and facetted snow, I decided to ski a more conservative line. My smart skiing allowed me to stomp all my landings and stay on my feet, and kept me in 5th place going into the Super Finals! For my super final run I refined my first line choice and skied it harder and faster. My plan to ski more conservative in the super finals dropped me down a spot and I ended up tied for 6/7th place.

I feel that the past few days served to showcase the best telemark skiing that I have ever seen in a competition!!! Congratulations to my good friends: Paul Kimbrough-1st, Will Cardamone-2nd, and Jake Sakson-3rd for taking the top three spots! You guys killed it out there!!!

I also want to thank all my sponsors and especially Beyond Costal Sun Care and Chums for being some of the TGP Series Sponsors!

The woman’s first run has just concluded here in Revelstoke BC. Leah Evans, Jacqui Edgerly, and Tatum Monod, skis some really solid runs, claiming the top three spots. I want to also give Martha Burley big props for killing is on her tele-gear, and skiing into ninth place. Unfortunately the Sun Valley girls McKenna Peterson and Tracy Chubb fell victim to flat light, and Lexi DuPont dropped out of competition due to illness… The Men are live right now be sure to click here to tune into the Webcast!!!

a:McKenna Peterson p:Meg Haywood Sullivan

Yesterday, another weather day was called for the Freeskiing World Tour. Seeing as I didn’t make the cut and that the conditions here are phenomenal, I skied my legs into the ground. With 5,620 vertical feet, my one non-stoper at Revelstoke, kicked my butt yesterday morning, but I felt strong and ended up skiing till it was getting dark(4:15pm). Hopefully my legs are ready to give-er again, because the weather is supposed to move out and leave us with a blue bird day!

Be sure to check out the live webcast on the Freeskiing World Tour Website at 10am PST

My mother took a few pics today with our little point-and-shoot, and with a little editing some of them turned out pretty good:

It’s been snowing here in Revelstoke almost non-stop since the Freeskiing World Tour arrived here a couple days ago. Revelstoke Mountain Resort has reported 55cm (21.7in) in the last 48hours! This new snow left the venue in pristine condition for both the men’s and woman’s qualifying runs, held yesterday and today. I felt good on my qualifying run, and i skied a fun line, but the cut was deep and the judges only took the top 20 athletes to compete in the semi-finals tomorrow. Although I would have liked to see at least one of us make it all three mens Telemark athletes were cut, but Big props to Jake Sakson and Rory Camm for sending it today!!! I would also like to congratulate fellow Sun Valley skier Collin Collins for killing is in his first run! Snow is still on the radar so im “revel-stoked” to go get some pow in the morning!!!

I also got the cover shot for the Freeskiing World Tour’s Website for today!!!

check out the video from today!!!

REVELSTOKE 2011: Mens Highlights from Qualifying from Subaru Freeskiing World Tour on Vimeo.

Yesterday was the last day of the Telepalooza World Comp. After hiking the Headwall four times in order to compete in both Alpine and Telemark I made it into both Super Finals!!! In the Telemark Super Final I pioneered a gnarly line, billy goating down a narrow 65° rocky face named the “Headstone.” From the Headstone i dropped into a chute, and then skied back into exposure as i hit a few features on the spine on the left side of the chute. I continued to down into the skirt making fast tele-turns through the sluff/avalanche debris fields. I stomped the telemark super final run, but a bobble/hipcheck from the day before kept me from reaching the top spot, I ended up in 6th place.

The Alpine super final didn’t go as smoothly, I skied the same line down the Headstone (it had considerably less snow the second time) all was well as I made my way to hit the other, higher scoring, spine on the right hand side. However, after I aired a small feature near the top, my skies loaded up, threw me, and I got high-sided. I rag-dolled over rocks and down the steep face, and I was finally able to use my pole to self-arrest after having it break three times on previous attempts. I saw blood pouring from my face and I immediately waved for help. Thanks to my helmet, spine-guard and mouth-guard  I only ended up with a broken pair of goggles, a broken pole, a broken nose, a few cuts on my face, and a black eye… I did however, win the “Tough Guy Award” for both hiking up the head-wall a total of six times, and getting my self together and skiing down after my crash. I’m going to take a day off, but I might be up for night skiing later…

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I’m exhausted from today so I’m quoting Brooke…

“Everyone killed it today on the headwall at Alyeska Resort! Huge kudos go out to star telemark athletes: Paul Kimbrough, Jake Sakson and Conor Davis who hiked the Headwall (A HUGE STEEP FACE) FOUR times to compete in two runs tele and two runs alpine (on tele gear) and all three are advancing to the super-finals tomorrow in both disciplines! Way to represent for our sport!” -Brooke Edwards

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I’ve been in Alaska for three days now, the skiing has been good, but this morning we woke up to a foot of new snow up top. After a great breakfast, Jake Sakson, Paul Kimbrough (Who drove their modified ski-bum ambulance form Colorado) and I went to go shred Alyeska resort. We met up with the rest of the Tele Crew: Paige Brady, Corky Still, Candy Froerer, Dave Magoffin, etc… The snow got to be a little heavy down low but we still had a sick day! Comp Run tomorrow morning and we’re all super stoked to ski some AK mountain niceness.

Jake Sakson's ski-bum ambulance, it runs on grease!!!

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It has been a crazy season, it seem as though I’ve been everywhere but home lately. I did have five days in Sun Valley in between Kirkwood and Crested Butte, but it seems that all my time goes into working hard to pay for the next adventure. Speaking of which, I’m currently sitting in the Salt Lake City Airport waiting to get on a plane headed for Alaska! I’m going to be competing in the World Extreme Freeskiing Telemark Championships in Alyeska, and I’ve been invited to go on a yurt trip to film with Telemark Skier Magazine after the comp. I’ll try to update as the adventure continues depending on my internet situation…

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I just got done with the 14th annual Extreme Freeskiing Telemark Championships in Crested Butte, CO. The comp went really well I qualified in 3^rd place on Headwall, and after three runs on Sock-it-to-me/Little-Hourglass I jumped from 3^rd to 2^nd to 5^th.  Although I would have liked to stay in the top three, I’m perfectly content with a 5^th place finish at nationals (still in the $$$ too)! Tomorrow morning I’m driving over to Salt Lake to catch the awards for my fix-heeled friends at the FWT world champ awards, stash my car, and then catch a plane up to Alaska!

Check Out Telemark Skier’s Video for the CB comp:

Day 1 Highlights US Telemark Extremes 2010 from Telemark Skier Magazine on Vimeo.

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I’ve been having so much fun traveling and skiing, that I haven’t found the time or motivation to sit down and write. However, after driving through countless snow caused accidents on the California highway, and then having to entertaining myself in the Nevada hell-hole that is I-80, I’m taking a day off.

I can’t believe that this season is but a few months from coming to an end, and that the first comp in Revelstoke, BC was almost two months ago. Now over halfway through the comp season, the 2010 Telemark Big Mountain/Freeride Comp in Alpine Meadows, California is also already over. This last comp went smoothly even though the weather and snow conditions didn’t feel like cooperating. I did however, have a major break threw, in that I was finally able to stay on my feet, and not get lost for at least one comp run! Even though a hip-check/slide would put me into the 8th spot, I feel that my falling/getting lost streak is finally over! Hopefully I can finally “have one” at the next stop in Kirkwood and show those alpine skiers that a guy on tele-boards can SKI. With three comps down and three more to go, there is still a lot of skiing to be had.

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Josh Madsen from Telemark Skier Magazine also did a fantastic job covering the comp:
(if the video doesn’t open in a player click the transparent “facebook” I cant figure out why some videos load and some don’t)

I found out that I’m on the poster for the Alpine Meadows Telemark and Freeride Festival! I’m so stoked, and I can’t wait to shred up Alpine Meadows this February!

Hey guys, it sounds like AK isn’t going to Happen for me flights are backed up form 3 days of cancellations and i cant get up there in time for Telepalooza, if your in my same boat i have a proposal for you…

there is a Tele-race this weekend in Sun Valley (april 4th), its a fun DRESS-UP day, dual GS “race,” tandem Challenge(two people on one pair of teleskis), telemark Parade, BBQ… the works!!!

my mom has offered her house for a place to crash to anyone who wants to drive on over to SV and make the best out of a crappy situation… its not Telepalooza but its still a great time! give me a shout 208-721-8084

Two weeks, two comps, and 3000 miles later, I’m finically back home in Sun Valley, Idaho. It all started with the Subaru U.S. Extreme Freeskiing Championships in Crested Butte, Colorado. In typical ski bum style, North Parker, Bryce Newcomb, and I all mobbed over to the Comp in my mothers Big Blue Van. We were greeted with a much need blanked of fresh snow, followed by an amazing blue bird sunny weekend. With these ideal conditions I had the most fun I’ve ever had at Crested Butte. North kept his Jr. title for the second year in a row, and Bryce and I both fell which caused us to place further back than what we wanted(I ended up in 36th). I also skied the most burly line I think I have ever skies and aired a 50-footer at the bottom of the Dead End Chute. I got to meet lots of the alpine athletes and make friends outside of the SV-Possy. Then we were on the road again headed back to Sun Valley. After I dropped Bryce and North off, I only had time to Unpack, do laundry, Repack and get some food, before I was on the road again headed to California for the first extreme Telemark comp at Alpine Meadows.

The Alpine Comp was another great competition, and it felt good to be back in the company of so many rippin’ Telemark Skiers. The First day I skied well but I had an unfortunate bobble upon landing the bottom cliff out of the “Key Hole,” but I redeemed my self second run, with the highest total run score for the whole comp, which put me into 3rd place, right behind Jake Sakson, and JT Robinson. The next day in the Finals I was hoping to bypass JT and Jake by skiing the “money-line” faster and better than I had done the day before. I ended up being too aggressive and I lost my balance as I dropped into the keyhole and I fell in the “NO-FALL Zone.” Obviously my scores suffered, but I with the great run the day before, I was able to pull off a 8th place finish.

Now it feel like have time to breath, but im back to training, Crested Butte is coming up in a few weeks…
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The Canadian Open Freeskiing Championships at Red Mountain Resort was my first big mountain competition of this season. In training I fell and when I self arrested I injured my wrist. I decided to take a more conservative line than I initially planned because I didn’t want to hurt my wrist any further and because the crash rattled me and shook me up a little. The event went well although I missed the cut to the finals by 0.8points! Even though I was cut, I feel good about the line I decided to ski and I stomped it. Also I feel that it is worth mentioning that this was an alpine skiing event and I beat over half the field on telemark equipment, and I’m happy about that… Hopefully I can heal up my wrist and come back strong and do well in my next comp at Crested Butte.

After competing in the 12th Annual Extreme Freeskiing Telemark Championsips in Crested Butte a weekend earlier, I knew that I was good enough to step up, and ski with the “big dogs,” the guys I had been idolizing in telemark movies just a few years ago. Guys like: Nick DeVore, Dylan Crossman, Will Cardemone, JT Robinson, etc… With the financial support of the Sun Valley Ski Patrol I was able to get a last second ticket to Alaska.

Alaska was amazing! I had only ever seen it in ski films. I had never imagined the vastness and the overwhelming scale of its beautiful and pristine mountains. I had never skied anything as steep and rewarding, and I cannot wait to do it again.