BIG MOUNTAIN FREESKIING Unlike ski racing, where a gated course is set up for the competitor, freeskiing allows a competitor to utilize all natural terrain features between the start house and a finish area. Competitor’s runs may include skiing off of cliffs, down steep, expert terrain at speeds of up to 45 miles per hour. Freeskiing is a judged competition that requires 5 judges to evaluate the competitor on 5 categories: Line Choice, Control, Fluidity, Technique, and Aggression. For more information on freeskiing visit www.freeskiers.org


Kirkwood pre qualifier Thursday April 1st-

The final chapter in this year’s Freesking tour has finally, come to a close. Kirkwood Mountain played host not only to the final stop on the US Freesking Tour but to the World Tour as well, due to a lack of snow in Les Arcs. What many had predicted would be a soft, wet spring-like pre-qualifier turned out to be a rock-hard ice rink where small, tight airs and solid, aggressive skiing turned out the best results.

On Wednesday, when competitors showed up for some early scouting on Vista Lookout, the warm weather and soft, slushy snow made everyone think more aggressively about their lines and eventually jumps, in-ramps, aggressive airs, even a step-up to gap were being built to compensate.
The following day, however, cold temps, overcast skies, light snowfall and a strong breeze caused most of the field to second guess their line choices of the previous day. One competitor was overheard at the top of the venue saying, “I’ve got a slush line and an ice line.” Unfortunately, the sun appeared at only fleeting intervals, and the course remained rock hard the whole day.
The contest went forward despite the sketchy conditions, and skiers and snowboarders killed it everywhere. The runs varied throughout the day with some skiers making some original line choices. Although most of the falls did not end badly, the occasional carnage did occur--one contestant caught an edge and slid over a ten-foot drop onto hardpack snow.
As they have so many times before, the Canadians showed up ready to compete, even after the 19-hour drive that many had had to endure. All seven Canadian skiers qualified for the Freesking World Tour. The majority placed in the top ten, with the top three spots going to Whistler locals.
Shane Carmichael earned the only SickBird nomination with by far the most creative line of the day. When he entered what many thought was a wrong turn into a no exit zone, Carmichael didn’t miss a beat and skied--or rather scraped over--30 feet of exposed rock and grass, cleanly placing third. His skis were no worse for wear aside from needing a few feet of p-tex.
∙
In related news of the day
-The step-up was sent cleanly.


Day One Qualifiers-
Men Skiing
1. James Helm
2. Brett Crabtree
3. Shane Carmichael
4. Craig Garbiel
5. Drew Shocklein
5. Tyler Bunnelle
6. Tyler Boutelle
7. Jake Shack
8. Gunnar Newquist
9. Jason Barr
10. Bob Kitchen
11. Tobias Lee
12. Daisuke Sasaki
13. Joe Marcus
14. Chuck Loeffler
15. Cory Zila
16. Jason Dobbs
17. Matt Neiderhauser
18. Ian Kent
19. Andy Racich
20. Kyle Sul
21. Brad Smedsrud
22. Billy Poole
23. Mike Leake
24. Brian Anzini
25. Ted McNamara
26. Justin Roth
27. Russ Costa
28. Kyle Paddleford

Women Skiers
1. Victoria Cole
2. Nadia Kaliszewski
3. Amy Holland
4. Sarah John
5. Holly Walker
6. Dana Carmichael
7. Jannike Swing

Snowboard Girls

1. Janean Soltis
2. Jill Stoffells

Snowboard Guys

1. Pete Bennett
2. Ben Crocker
3. Mikey Weir
4. Steve Klassen
5. Shawn Grieser




Kirkwood –
IFSA Freeskiing World Tour Friday April 2nd
Day 1

Hard, sketchy conditions seem to be the norm for the competition thus far. Similar to the day before when many thought the sun would make for warm and manageable conditions, high winds and cooler temps left boilerplate snowpack for the skiers and snowboarders.
The comp was put on a high wind hold until noon, which made it even more difficult to run the event. Regardless, the hard-working Kirkwood and IFSA tour staff managed to get it underway, and after a forerun by IFSA’s own Jeremy Swanwick, the comp got off without a hitch.
As with the qualifier, everyone sent lines and cliffs that would have been difficult even under stable conditions. The first SickBird squawk went out to Kirkwood local Ian Kent, who seemed to find a line that only a local could work his way into. After skiing a quarter of the way down the course, he worked himself onto a spine with a small no-fall landing that he had to walk across nearly 5 feet of barren rock to reach. After sticking that landing and a small double drop, he headed over to the far looker’s left only to find himself on another small patch of snow with a mandatory 20-foot air onto flat hard pack, which he cleaned smoothly. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, his run didn’t qualify.
“It’s a family affair!” The IFSA has become a great venue for brothers who want to compete against one another; even a brother sister combo vyedvied for a spot on the podium. Eli and Tobias Lee both skied hard aggressive runs with the youngest brother earning a shot in the finals after a smooth aggressive line with a solid 15-foot air at the bottom. The Greener family also showed up in form with veteran Rick Greener making it into the finals with a solid score of 26 and his younger brother missing the cut-off by 2 points. Brother-sister combo Shane and Dana Carmichael both skied well, Shane again showing his love of creative lines by following onto the same spine that Ian Kent had sent earlier. Unfortunately, Shane was the only Carmichael to make it to the finals; Dana would have needed an additional three points to move on.
As the sun began to set and the top of the venue fell into the shade the majority of the pre-qualified skiers and top qualifiers who had chosen a later start date were lining up at the top. James Heim, the top qualifier from yesterday’s event, had the fastest run of the day until Frenchman Aurelian Ducroz flashed the hill with an impressive 360 at the top, some fast, solid turns through a narrow chute, some large airplane turns near the bottom, and a smooth front flip off what the announcers had deemed the “money booter.”
Top tour competitors Ian McIntosh and Manu Gadet both skied fast, fluid, aggressive lines that qualified them for the final event, but the line of the day finally went to virtual unknown Brady Smedsrund skiing out of Red Lodge, MT. Brady was without a doubt the smoothest and most aggressive from top to bottom, following a solid double drop onto a difficult 15 foot air to partial uphill landing.


DAY 1 RESULTS THE CIRQUE-Skiers Left 4/2/04
NA TOUR FINALS /IFSA FREESKIING WORLD TOUR FINALS

Skiing Men BIB # TOTAL
1 Brady Smedsrud Red Lodge USA 67 37
2 Aurelien Ducroz Chamonix FRA 4 36
3 James Heim Whistler CAN 33 34.8
4 Jamey Parks Alta USA 45 33.8
5 Abe Gioffre Girdwood USA 77 32.8
6 Elijah Lee Eagle Crest USA 10 31.8
7 Ian McIntosh Panorama CAN 2 31.6
8 Drew Stoecklein Snowbird USA 73 31.2
9 Manu Gaidet Courchevel FRA 1 30.6
10 Justin Modroo Red Lodge USA 13 29.8
11 Aaron Hunt Logan USA 6 29.6
12 Kyle Sul Crested Butte USA 88 28.6
13 Jason Barr Mt. Shasta USA 62 28.4
13 Tyler Boutelle Tahoe City USA 80 28.4
15 Mike Stevenson Whistler CAN 15 27.2
16 John Witherspoon Berthoud Pass USA 83 27
16 Cory Zila Mammoth Lakes USA 64 27
16 Kiffor Berg Aspen USA 75 27
19 Tyler Knoles Snowbird USA 87 26.8
19 Jake Schack Big Sky USA 57 26.8
19 Ben Wheeler Snowbird/Alta USA 7 26.8
22 Cliff Bennett Eldora USA 70 26.6
23 Brett Crabtree Whistler CAN 58 26.4
23 Shane Carmichael Whistler CAN 54 26.4
25 Craig Garbiel Kirkwood USA 71 26.2
26 Rick Greener Snowbird USA 9 26
27 Dana Flahr Whistler CAN 11 25.8
CUTOFF------------------
28 Andy Racich Tahoe City USA 40 25
29 Matt Niederhauser Mt Baker USA 60 24.8
29 Tobias Lee Eagle Crest USA 79 24.8
29 Jamie Blair Olympic Valley USA 76 24.8
29 Ted Davenport Copper Mountain USA 78 24.8
33 Nick Greener Snowbird USA 14 24.4
33 Daisuke Sasaki Sapporo JPN 95 24.4
35 Billy Poole Aspen USA 59 24.2
35 Ted McNamara Red Lodge USA 61 24.2
37 Bob Kitchen Whistler CAN 65 24
37 Gunnar Newquist Truckee USA 89 24
37 Chuck Loeffler Snowbird USA 68 24
40 Bill Whalley Hawaii USA 12 23.4
41 Joe Marcus Kirkwood USA 51 19
42 Kyle Paddleford Snowbird USA 53 18.4
43 Justin Roth Mt Baker USA 42 17.6
43 Jason Dobbs Truckee USA 55 17.6
45 Russ Costa Salt Lake City USA 84 14.6
46 Ian Kent Kirkwood USA 63 TDQ
46 Tyler Bunnelle Incline Village USA 72 TDQ
46 Mike Leake Grand Targhee USA 52 TDQ
Shane Treat Crystal Mountain USA 74 DNS
Brian Anzini Aspen USA 66 DNS

Skiing Gals
1 Libby Bittner Snowbird USA 23 28.6
2 Kelly Holland Snowbird USA 22 25.8
3 Lynn Kennen Tahoe City USA 24 24.8
4 Jessica Baker Jackson Hole USA 26 24.4
5 Kit DesLauriers Jackson Hole USA 17 24
6 Nadia Kaliszewski Copper Mountain USA 31 22.2
6 Susan Medville Crested Butte USA 20 22.2
8 Melanee Raney Girdwood USA 25 20.8
9 Amy Holland Kirkwood USA 30 20.4
9 Anik Demers Squaw Valley USA 19 20.4
11 Victoria Cole Whistler CAN 29 20.2
12 Rachael Burks Salt Lake City USA 21 19
CUTOFF-----------------
13 Sarah John Kirkwood USA 18 18
14 Holly Walker Whistler CAN 28 17.4
15 Dana Carmichael Summerland CAN 27 16.4
16 Jannike Swing Park City USA 37 14.6

Snowboard Gals
1 Tiffany Noel Kirkwood USA 100 16.6
2 Janean Soltis Big Sky USA 97 16.4
3 Jill Stoffells Fraser USA 98 14.2
4 Shawna Henderson Fraser USA 99 10.6

Snowboard Guys
1 Pete Bennett Kirkwood USA 92 23.2
2 Korey Kaczmarek Big Sky USA 86 22.4
3 Ben Crocker Kirkwood USA 90 19.4
4 Shawn Grieser Kirkwood USA 93 19
5 Mikey Weir Kirkwood USA 91 16.2
5 Steve Klassen Mammoth Mountain USA 96 16.2