I rolled into town Tuesday night after prying myself away from epic conditions at Kicking Horse. My plan was to register for the comp on Wednesday morning but I learned quickly that I had been foolish to wait because there was already a waiting list for competitors.

On Wednesday morning I was pleasantly surprised at the conditions down in Fernie but it didn't look good as far as registration went; the comp was full. I wasn't sure if I was going to be out of luck but I decided to that I would inspect the 1st day venue called 'concussion' and hope for a spot.

Concussion is a treed run with a few minor features on it and the athletes were busy Wednesday building kickers throughout the venue to add to the possibilities for cool lines. About half way down the slope I spotted an athlete building a hit in front of two large trees that sprouted from the same place but then grew apart. When I skied up to this air I met its maker, Fernie local Daryl Treadway, the middle brother of the Treadway clan. Daryl was standing in the V of the two trees with his ski at full extension attempting to knock dead branches out of the path of where a hurtling skier would be passing. The jump had at least a 10 ft gap before the trees and the landing was icy. My immediate reaction to the idea of jumping this air was 'no way I'll be doing that;' This would not be the last time Daryl would force me to say this in the upcoming days.

At the mandatory meeting on Wednesday night we were introduced to the organizers and important people of the event. Jack Carey, a well-known comp organizer from Telluride CO, was competition director and he hosted the meeting. Former IFSA world tour champion and head judge Jeff Holden had been working closely with Jack for endless hours to bring this comp to fruition and there was an excitement on the eve of the first day. Both Jack and Jeff stressed the importance of safety for the athletes and this was a strong theme throughout the event.

One of the things that got me stoked about this event was the judging panel. It was a talented and diverse panel, and everyone on it has earned their stripes both as skiers and industry professionals. Doug Ward, Kevin Hjertaas, Colin Puskas, and Marlene Bradish, each brought unique perspectives and abilities to the panel and I was positive that if they couldn't figure out who the best skier on the mountain was, nobody could.

At 5:00pm after the meeting I finally got a bib and was officially in the comp; I was stoked and nervous about the next day.

Day 1: Mike Phillips and Yvonne May day

"A great day of skiing went down today at the Fernie freeskiing comp. There were 96 entrants and 46 have advanced to tomorrow, where the event is on Polar Peak. There were no major injuries. The patrol has been putting in a ton of work to secure rad venues and the overall vibe of the comp is really positive." (Taken from my post on Biglines that night)

Day 1 brought out a large crowd and awesome skiing. The competition was full on as 96 competitors were vying for 46 spots. The coolest part about day 1 was when it was announced that polar peak would be the semifinals venue. Finally we could get into the alpine where there were much more possibilities for unique lines.

Day 2: Brenden McLean and Holly Walker day

Day 2 started with a fog delay but soon the blue sky rolled in and audiences were treated to a stellar display of freeskiing.

"Another sick day of competition went on today on Polar Peak. There were no major injuries. Daryl Treadway and Brenden Mclean stole the show as they tied with runs of 33.6. 5 women and 20 males have advanced to the final round. There is a lot of speculation about tomorrow's final venue. The official word has not been given, but the bombing occurring on the Lizard Headwall after closing today may be an indication. If Lizard Headwall is used, it would be somewhat of a historic event. Never has Lizard been opened to any official descents during operation hours. The world tour veterans are as impressed with this potential venue as anyone, and if it happens, and happens smoothly, it will be considered a major victory for most parties involved in this comp; it will definitely be worth coming down to watch." (My post on Biglines that night)

Day 3: Daryl Treadway and Sara Oakden day

Day 3 was by far the most exciting day. We got confirmation that Lizard Headwall was indeed going to be used and the excitement was tangible. The competitors moved to the top of the Bear chair where we watched patrol control the area. Lizard Headwall is an incredible venue and I was captivated by the severity of the possibilities. While I was day dreaming, one of the patrol's charges ripped a class two avalanche out of the venue and that put a damper on the expectations. The venue was considerably downsized as far as the width of the ridge went, but it didn't take long for the athletes to get stoked again with what was left.

The skiing on day 3 was both scary and sick (what it should be). There were some significant crashes, but there were no significant injuries. In the end Daryl Treadway and Sara Oakden proved what most who know them already knew; they rule! Treadway's line was sick from start to finish. After standing on the ridge for almost 2 hours, Daryl turned in a performance that nobody could touch.

Off the top Daryl took the boldest entrance of the day off the top nose air. A feature that started with a 60 degree slope to a ten footer that landed on a 40 degree slope above all the gnar. Tumbling off this cliff would be serious. There was one section on the feature that was infact a double air (the landing was super sketch) and Daryl took it straight on. The result of the air as a ton of speed that he dumped in good form until getting to the bottom (far right) feature. Here with little to no hesitation Daryl linked a triple (3 airs, 2 transitions) and stomped the landing.

So dominant was this final performance that Daryl won the day by 7 points. So dominant was his overall performance that he won the comp by 15 points.

The girls were not divided by such a large margin, but it was obvious to all that Sara ruled the day and the week. Sara's scores are consistently above many of the gentlemen.


A lot of recognition must be given to the pro-patrol; without their effort this comp wouldn't have been possible. They worked hard, not because they had to, but because they wanted to. Take pride in showing off your hill amigos, truly you have a world class venue.

There's so many rad things that happened, I wish I could show everyone more; the after parties, the general vibe, and all the people who did amazing things that I didn't mention, props to you.

It was an awesome comp, and I can't wait till next year, where once again it'll be anyone's game.

P


watch Daryl Treadway's winning run courtesy of virtualfernie.com

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