A 10-day wait for clear skies paid off for organizers of the Freeride World Tour, who held their international, big-mountain skiing and snowboard competition on a peak near the Canada border Monday.
Tom Winter, the event’s North American manager, on Monday night expressed optimism about the event’s return despite three weather delays that forced a permit extension and sent some visitors leaving town early.
“I hope we do come back. It’s challenging, but it’s doable. When it happens, it’s world class,” Winter said.
Residents crowded around televisions and computer screens to watch the event that was streamed live on the Internet.
“It’s so steep up there, it’s unbelievable,” said Bev Schupp, who watched the men’s snowboarding competition at the public library. Schupp said she’s not a ski devotee but stopped by to see what all the fuss was about. “I was impressed by their jumps, that they could remain standing after those big drops. It was quite spectacular.”
Erik Stevens, a local avalanche forecaster who works as the library’s technology director, said despite delays in the computer broadcast, the event looked awesome. “It’s really good for the town and fun to watch. It looks like they’re having a great time.”
Stevens said it was apparent from watching the event that the competitors were more accustomed to resort skiing. In the backcountry, skiers lean back instead of forward to make sure they don’t bury their ski tips in deep snow.
“These guys are definitely used to skiing hard snow at resorts, not the Alaska powder. It makes a big difference,” Stevens said.
Competitors said a mix of conditions on the slope made the competition here more challenging than at other venues.
Skier Reine Barkered, a former Freeride champion from Sweden, placed eighth Monday. He said snow on the slope covered even the rocks and other outcropping skiers use for choosing a “line” down a slope, making the event more of a gamble than strategy. “I got a little conservative. With those full-white rollovers, it gets pretty tough.”
Also, snow on the slope varied from deep powder to sections with a hard subsurface. “It was extremely variable, which made it very hard to adjust.”
Barkered said he was looking forward to skiing the final round of competition in Verbier, Switzerland starting Saturday. “I’m feeling pretty confident. (Conditions there) are either all bad or all good, but it’s consistent.”
Garrett Altmann, 37, was one of the event’s oldest competitors, and one with strong ties to Haines. Altmann, of Taos, N.M., lived in Haines 28 years ago and graduated from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. His mother lives in Haines.
Although he was eliminated from further competition Monday, Altmann said he thought the town did a good job hosting the event. “The tour organizers and competitors have felt way welcomed and impressed with the enthusiasm of the Haines community,” he said.
Event manager Winter said the organizers preferred a location overlooking town at a place nicknamed Telemark Ridge, where spectators could have been ferried from the Haines airport. “That would have been awesome.”
Dangerous snow conditions there, evidenced by an avalanche that trapped heli-tour operator Scott Sundberg on a test run, scratched it from consideration, he said. Although several competitors crashed during the main event Monday and one skier injured a knee, Winter said the conditions were about what they expected.
“Overall, the snow was awesome. In big-mountain events, variability is part of it. These guys are pros. They can handle it. It was some of the biggest powder we’ve seen all year,” Winter said.
Sundberg, who helped bring the event here, told the Chamber of Commerce Friday that the need for continuing, clear weather was behind multiple postponements of the event. To make for a fair competition, all skiers have to compete in comparable conditions, he said. “They need that bluebird day.”
The delays amounted to what Sundberg called an added bonus for local businesses.
It also gave skiers time to try activities like sportfishing and attending local yoga classes. Wayne Price’s North Tide Canoe Kwaan took skiers from New Zealand out for a paddle in warm sunshine Sunday afternoon.
“They had just walked into town from Lutak, over the mountain and they were heading out after for a hike. I don’t think we slowed them down much,” Price said this week.
Chilkat Bakery owner Miki Atkins stayed open until 10 or 11 p.m. on weekdays serving late dinners to skiers and crew here for the event. Atkins said she appreciated the business. “They’re awesome. I’ll tell you.”
The Freeride World Tour has been held annually since 2008. Haines was the fourth venue during the series competition, which culminates next week in Switzerland.
Nicolas Hale Woods, the tour’s founder and organizer, could not be reached for comment about the cost of staging the event here or the likelihood that it might return in subsequent years. Event manager Tom Winter said local hospitality was “phenomenal. We felt privileged to be a guest here in Haines.”
Tourism director Leslie Ross said transportation was a hitch, as the event brought four cabs to town from Whitehorse. “They had their challenges, but overall they were very happy with Haines.”
Haines was lucky to get the event, as other host locations provide large sponsorship funding. The borough declined a request by the event to be a “huge sponsor,” she said.
Instead, the borough helped find other sponsors and donated Ross’ time and about $2,000.
Borough Mayor Jan Hill said she and other borough officials met with Hale Woods after the event. “He said we need to look for sponsors (to host the event again). If we want them to come back, we need to be in the game.”
Winter said he didn’t know how much Freeride spent on the Haines shoot. Ross, skiers and others traveling with the event said Hale Woods spent about $1 million to hold the competition here.