Salomon Extreme Freeride Championships at Taos

Bill and Eric made the trek to Taos for some skiing fun and to try their hand at competing. Here is Eric's report on the whole experience!

So you think you can ski?

I thought I knew the answer to that question..... Now I know the answer in a little better detail.

I finally convinced myself to try some competetive skiing to test myself and to be a part of a great skiing event at one of my favorite mountains. Competition is a way of quantifying our ability at something we enjoy, and a way of trying to improve. The Extreme Freeride Championships at Taos is an event that attracts some amazing athletes to challenge themselves and the mountain. Skiers are given an area to ski and they are judged on the following criteria: Fluidity, Aggressiveness, Technique, Control, and Degree of Difficulty of their line. The field is cut each day and the top scores move on to ski the following day.

Did I really belong here with some of the same skiers I read about and watch on TV?

We arrived at Taos a few days early to ski the venue and pick out our lines. Bill entered the event to help me out and to see what Taos is like. Bill has some competition experience and would be a big help and keep me from being too nervous. We got off to a great start when we arrived and met Sara New and Alejadro Blake, the coordinators of the event. Alejandro's grandfather Ernie was the founder of Taos Ski Valley, and the dedication of the Blake family has made Taos a truly special place.

The snow conditions were decent, but could have been better. Bill picked a long run with a few good sized rocks to drop off of, while I picked a shorter but more technical run through a steep, tight chute with little margin for error. We also met some of our competitors on the hill and took a few runs and discussed strategy and the judging. Everyone was super helpful and friendly. After some inspection and practice runs, we were ready for the show.

We woke up to 10 inches of new snow the morning of the competition. This was a good sign. The fresh snow might just make me look like I can ski! We took a few warm-up runs and watched the first runs of the comp. We saw some great skiing and I was excited to take my run. While waiting at the start gate I was a little nervous but still confident. All of the skiers were very supportive of each other and I was impressed by the friendly and mellow atmosphere.

Alright, my number is up. I tell the starter where I'm going so the judges know where to watch.

3,2,1, Go!

I skied along the ridge to the trees and dropped into my line. A few turns through the trees and I was at the top of the chute and could hear the spectators below. A short pause to clear my head, a few precise turns through the steepest part of the chute, let my skis run and catch some air, and I'm down. I got a few cheers from the crowd for my efforts. I hope the judges liked my run.

Bill was up next, but his run didn't turn out so good. He skied well at the top and hit one of his drops, then though some trees.... then spinning around backwards behind the trees (oh no!), then out of sight, then just his skis fly out of the trees without him. Ouch. It takes a few minutes for Bill to reappear. He was OK but he had to walk down without his skis. Bummer.

After the last skier took his run we were allowed to go inspect the area we would get to ski the next day if we qualified. It was going to be tougher the second day. Now for the reality check. While we waited for the scores we watched the videos of the comp. My run looked good, but not as good as I remembered! Then the scores came. I missed qualifying by 1.5 points. Damn. I was only two poitions away from making the semifinals. But I did beat quite a few other skiers, so I was somewhat satisfied. And no one else skied the same line as I did.

The next few days were spent skiing and watching the comp. We were witness to some crazy skiing and huge cliff drops. These guys are spectacular! The whole event was a great experience and I will definitely be back next year to try to improve my skiing some more.

I should be half way home by now!

But......It's windy, and I'm having so much fun!

I hope a new Midwinters tradition was started this year at the Saturday night party, because who doesn't like a mechanical bull! Maui Sails sponsored the bull riding contest, with a new 11 meter TR4 going to the person who could hang on the longest. The big name racers declined to participate, citing concerns of injuring themselves, but the rest of us had quite a time! And no, I did not win.

Of course, the weekend of Mid-Winters was the least windy three days of the whole two weeks.

The Kona class and the other longboard classes got lots of racing in on all three days, but the Formula class only raced one race on Friday and three on Sunday (someone tell me why I wanted to race Formula again?). The one race on Friday was relatively light wind and only about half the fleet was powered up the whole way around the course - so those of us in the back half slogged around and didn't make the time limit. The races on Sunday were in a bit more wind (10-14) and I was amazed at how powered up I felt on an 11 meter. It's a bit surreal when you are just standing there on the board, with very little power in the sail and almost no ripples on the water....and then you pump three times and are blasting around all lit up.

Clearly, I needed more than the three races we had to pull myself together and get around the course respectably. I hit crab-pots down wind that launched me over the handlebars, missed the layline upwind and double tacked the mark more times than I can count and then actually got myself tangled up on the upwind mark (only slightly embarassing). Natalie (from Poland, via Miami) and Farrah Hall both sailed great and finished first and second.

So, another regatta come and gone and I am so grateful that I got to make the trip down to Florida, sail with folks who inspire me and push me to improve and I can't wait 'til next time!