By Yeti \ January 26 2010
Snowbird, UT, January 25, 2010 - After two days of being grounded due
to weather and unsafe snow conditions, The North Face Masters was
finally given the green light today on Snowbird's famed Silver Fox
venue. With nearly seven feet of snow in seven days, competitors have
had to put themselves on hold, although they were treated to several
epic days of riding the greatest snow on earth. As the athletes boarded
the tram this morning, the nervous anticipation permeated through the
crowd of eager riders. The women were slated to start things off, but
low visibility threatened to shut things down yet again. Fortunately,
the fog began to lift and the middle and bottom portion of the venue
revealed its powdery goodness. By eleven o'clock the riders were on the
course laying down smooth lines through untracked fields of fresh. With
an abundance of soft landings to be bombed, the women showed their
fearlessness as they hucked themselves off every terrain feature in
sight. Squaw Valley's Iris Lazzareschi slayed a technical line down the
east side of the venue just as the clouds parted, if only for a brief
moment. The windlips up high were great and the course was fun, said
Iris after her run. Other standouts included Snowbird locals Kaitlin
Locke and Laura Dewey. However, it was former Master's champ, Shannan
Yates flawless performance that earned her the coveted Katana Sword.
With the conclusion of the women's competition, the men prepared for
their assault on the course. Due to the delays brought on by weather,
this event would be one run and done style, so every turn meant the
difference between in and out of the rankings. Heavy hitters, Rob
Kingwill and Travis Rice, promised to bring the best to the table, and
the crowds weren't disappointed. Some world-class billy-goating high up
on the venue marked Rob's run, and his solid stomp of a 30+ footer at
the bottom of the course drew applause from all in attendance. Always
the showman, Rice started out his run with a big slash for the cameras
up top and several big airs over peppery take-offs throughout the
venue. After his run, Travis simply said, Damn fine course, damn fine
snow. As the comp continued, the international riders from New Zealand,
France, Japan, Russia and Canada made their countries proud as they
carved and hucked their way through the course. Another fine
performance came from the event's oldest rider Dave Watson, 41 years
young, as he tore up the Fox and went huge at the bottom. When asked
what was going through his mind as he sent it over the last cliff, Dave
laughed and said, I hope I don't hit those rocks. By the time the dust
settled and the judges conversed, Mark Carter of Jackson Hole was
crowned the winner of the men's division. Fluidity and aggressiveness
were the hallmarks of his run, and he noted, I just wanted to do
something that nobody else had done.
Yates and Carter will defend their titles at the next Masters event in two weeks at Crystal Mountain in Washington.
(This information will not be shared)
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