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It all looked so good this morning - Some high cloud, but still a bright sky ... new snow ... an untracked face ... and a selection of top international riders all set to wreak havoc on it. So what happened - on the 26th of Feb?
So what happened?
Well, all credit to the guys trying to make it work: gondolas and cable Cars were opened early; banners, flags and an enormous sound system were taken up the mountain and set in place at first light; and the competition security team headed up Mont Gélé to check snow condition and stability and to release any excess snow before the competitors were let loose on it.
BUT (and there always seems to be a "BUT" this winter) things were not quite as ideal as we had all hoped. The snow-pack proved deep [Good!], but had not bedded down well [Bad!]. Nick Parks, freelance slope-security consultant and mountain-guide, explained the problem: "normally, we see regular snowfalls during the season and this in combination with safety-blasting and skier activity on the slope packs the snow down creating a firm base. This winter there has been so little snow early on, that this hasn't happened. So although we have a lot of new snow on Mont Gélé, the base is not as stable as we would hope."
As a result of this, the competition boundaries had to restrict access to the least stable areas of the slope. Still, this was a small sacrifice to make for the chance to get the Verbier Ride Big Mountain competition underway. The riders took it in their stride, re-focused their binoculars onto the in-bound area of the mountain and set about selecting their new lines.
Sadly, just as the women riders were boot-packing their way up to the start, the wind began to pick up and, before our disbelieving eyes, the forecast storm rushed over the peak about 3-4 hours ahead of schedule. Frustration and disappointment for all: but, before one of the lasses was blown off the ridge into a neigbouring valley, there was no choice but to cancel today's event.
Still you can't keep a freerider down for long and, while the competition slope may have been impossible, there were plenty of other chutes and routes bedecked in new snow just waiting for a team of dedicated adrenaline freaks to use and abuse ... which they did ... with style! Matt Reardon turned up and ripped some impressive turns with his headcam set to record. You will catch a rider's eye view of exactly what was being laid down on Channel 4, ITV or the Extreme Channel.
So all in all it turned into a true freeride session. Everybody was very disappointed not to have held the event today, but we all made the most of it. You have to - it's a mountain sport and the environment dictates the rules. Today it didn't let us stage the event, but it still gave us some great powder-riding and just getting on and enjoying that is what freeriding is all about.
Tomorrow sees the Big Air competition in La Chaux. There will be a warm up session in the morning followed by the judged competion in the afternoon. Philippe Meier will be amongst the judges - the freestyle legend and originator of the Phil-spin is injured, but has agreed to join us on the hill to check out the moves being laid down by the likes of Nick Draxl, Glenn Parsons, Pat Sharples, Jason Schutt and Chris Southwell. Should be awesome. Check back here for results tomorrow.
Meanwhile we're all heading to the pub to commiserate the competition lost, but celebrate a freeride day gained. Have fun!!
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