Salomon New Mexico Extreme Freeride Championships...

It's coming soon! The Salomon New Mexico Freeride Championships are slated to hit Taos Ski Valley March 4-7, 2009. This blog isn't really to tell you what it is as much as it is meant to give you a recount of some of my memories of years past. If you want to know more about the competition, click here.

My most vivid memory of the competition was in the first year back in 2005. I was volunteering to help with the event and pretty much did whatever was needed from set up, to break down to clearing the shoots after a competitor took a digger. It was a great start to the event. Day one had to be pushed back a day because Ernie (TSV founder) sent us a storm from the heavens that dumped two feet of fresh snow for the competitors. That only meant one thing; skiers were going to go huge!! The next day, I saw competitors dropping some sick rocks that I have never seen launched at TSV. The biggest was one a skier from Carbondale, CO hit that was about an 80 foot drop (and he landed it).

The biggest was done, but not the sickest! There were three competitors from Japan that came in and they were dubbed "The Japanese Air force". These guys must have had a screw loose because they were all about the big air. So I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when one of them (who later won the "Sick Bird" award) did a front flip off of a 40 foot cliff and landed it with ease. The crowd grew louder as he approached the sheer face and realized what he was going to do. An eruption of epic proportions let out when he tumbled through the air. When he came into the coral at the finish, he was mobbed like the final out of the World Series.

This event never seems to disappoint, so make sure you have plans to get to Taos for the Extreme Freeride!

Photos by Seth Bullington





Bret

Snowboarding Opens Taos to New Events....

Since Taos allowed snowboarding on March 19, 2008, the events staff have been busy filling the calendar with new events and promotion that were always restricted from the slopes of one of the last few resorts that remained snowboard-free. This weekend saw the USASA Skier and Snowboarder Cross hit the slopes just below Kachina Peak on the back side of the mountain. This was the first skier/boarder cross event held at Taos Ski Valley and was not short of thrilling spills and great competition.

The skier/boarder cross course is a hybrid of downhill racing and slopestyle type terrain. Banked turns, table top jumps and rollers lined the course as six athletes compete on each run in a modern day "Chinese Downhill". It may be more like moto-cross on skis or boards!

Taos has always been known as a "no frills" mountain and this type of event definitely goes in a different direction that the traditional roots of Ernie Blake's early beginnings. The question reagarding these types of events is are these events a good thing for Taos or does it shy away from what Taos does best (hardcore skiing and now riding). There will always be doubters and cynic's, but one thing is for certain and that is that this type of event is a lot of fun to watch. (photos by Seth Bullington)

Bret