Serious comp, recreational fun, or apres only, you can get your fill this winter. Photo: Patrick Kindt//Unsplash
Last winter was a win for the U.S. West Coast, for skiers and riders alike. Non-skiers may not have enjoyed shoveling their drives more than normal and dealing with, quite literally, buried houses, but people on the mountain weren’t needing to pray for pow. They were deep in it all season long.
Unfortunately, winter storms generally cannot be predicted more than two weeks in advance. No matter what happens with the weather this year, there are some exciting new events scheduled for this winter season at mountains and resorts across California. With the ski and snowboard season ramping up at the end of this month, these are a few I’m looking forward to. (We’ll be praying for pow either way.)
Starting at the top of the state with Sugar Bowl, the resort that boasts California’s first chairlift, the Bowl is bringing back the historic Silver Belt Race. First held in 1940, just one year after Sugar Bowl opened, the mountain hypes the Silver Belt Race as a “three event series,” with the Poker Run, Banked Slalom, and a mini pipe contest. The contest used to promise a three-foot-long belt with a silver buckle as the grand prize. The Poker Run is scheduled for January 22 and the Banked Slalom goes off February 26. No word on the mini-pipe contest date.
Nearby mountain Palisades Tahoe joins Killington, Beaver Creek, and Aspen as one of the four U.S. stops for the Audi FIS Ski World Cup races. February 24-25, the largest annual alpine ski racing competition will be up for watching, from the bottom of the trail or, in classic “Squallywood” style, from the lift. Men’s Giant Slalom will run on the 24th, and Men’s Slalom will run on the 25th. Fans will get a chance to see some of the best ski racers in the world, like Marco Schwarz, Henrik Kristoffersen, and Atle Lie McGrath bang gates in real time. As a former racer myself, I’m excited to see this one.
Just a bit further south, at Heavenly, the Toyota Air and Apres party is set for March 1-3 (conditions permitting). Designed to be a big air event with a 45-foot-tall, rave-like jump with its own lightshow at the base of a World Cup trail, professional athletes, and beer tasting, this event may get pretty rowdy.
Mammoth will be hosting the Unbound Running Start Rail Jam on December 28, and it sells the event as an “all ages, all ability-level jam session.” There is a $65 entry fee for competitors, but the series is USASA sanctioned and there will be prizes for winners. Plus, rail jams always equal a good time, for the park rats and the crowd. The age range goes up to 65 and getting to see any 65-year-old throw it down, even on just a box or a small jump, would be worth it.
No matter which mountain you end up at, there’s sure to be something fun going down. Plus, some of these events actually make skiing groomers look pretty desirable (looking at you, GS racers). What would be most impressive, though, would be making it to all of these events in one season. I might just take a stab at it.
