Ever dream of filming for Warren Miller? And do it with free schtuff? Warren Miller Entertainment (WME), HEAD and Squaw Valley|Alpine Meadows have joined forces for the ultimate POV video comp. “HEAD to Squaw Video Contest” wants your user-generated videos and the winner will rake in the ultimate prize package.
The grand prize includes a ski and boot package from HEAD and an invitation to film with WME at Squaw Valley|Alpine Meadows during the 2016-2017 season. The winning video will also be presented on-screen before every Warren Miller Film Tour screening in 2016.
“The HEAD to Squaw Video Contest’ is the ideal platform for Warren Miller fans to demonstrate their talents in an organic setting where their peers influence the decisions,” says WME Managing Director, Andy Hawk. “We hope to see footage from mountains and ski towns far and wide and we are eager to work with a skilled individual on production of our 68th feature film in Squaw.”
Ok, so they’re using a format I absolutely hate- begging everyone you know to vote for your work. It’s as bad as asking all of your friends to sponsor every 10k you enter but so be it. Contestants will upload their video to the WME website and can share their entry on social media to gain votes. Voting will be tiered and open to the public until the third and final round. At the end of the third round on Aug. 26, the 4 videos with the most votes will be put before a panel of judges including Jeremy Jones, JT Holmes, Jonny Moseley and representatives from Warren Miller Entertainment, HEAD and Squaw Valley|Alpine Meadows.
The panel of judges will select the GRAND PRIZE winner based on the entrants’ talent either as a cinematographer/editor OR as a winter sport athlete. Of the remaining three finalists, the video with the most fan votes will be awarded the Fan’s Choice prize.
The winning footage should showcase either your skills as a rider or as a cinematographer/editor will demonstrate and amplify the mountain lifestyle.
The submission period is from 9am MST on Monday, Mar 14 until 5pm MST on Friday, May 20.
The rounds are as follows:
VOTING ROUND 1: June 1- July 1
* Period of fan voting, where a unique visitor can only vote one time during this period
* The top 16 videos will advance to the next tier
* At the end of this period, all vote counts reset to 0
VOTING ROUND 2: July 11- August 5
* Second period of fan voting
* The top 8 videos will advance to the next tier
* At the end of this period, all vote counts reset to 0
VOTING ROUND 3: August 9 – August 26
* Third period of fan voting
* At the end of this period, the top 4 videos will be brought before the panel of judges and a winner will be chosen.
I texted my roommate last week asking if he needed to me to let his dog out because she was whining. He texted back, “Yeah. I’ve been in the hospital all day. I broke my back.” He had been trying to stick a sick trick in the terrain park at Park City Mountain and, well, didn’t. Luckily, he is able to walk. The docs want to wait six weeks to see how it heals before they operate because the injury is close to his spinal cord.
On Feb. 27, 2016, Casey Fehlberg, 30, basically tried the same thing. His friends say the Orem man landed on his face while boarding at PCM and suffered serious brain damage. He was wearing a helmet but that does nothing if you crash face first. Fehlberg was flown to the University of Utah Medical Center in an induced coma. According to his brothers, Felhberg was always flipping and jumping. And yet he has no insurance!
Fehlberg has a GoFundMe account to help cover medical expenses if you know this former BYU Cosmo the Cougar mascot (late 90s) and a social media campaign, #GoBigForCasey to help bring awareness to his accident. The biggest take away here unfortunately is that terrain parks are dangerous and you shouldn’t jump in without insurance.
I was heading down to the Thunder Chair at Jackson Hole, Wyo., when I saw the bodies tangle. A skier going way too fast, cutting across skier’s left had turned his head for a split second to look back at his buddy who was yelling, “Look out!” Just then the biggest wreck I can ever remember seeing happened. The skier smashed into a heelside snowboarder. Thankfully, though she was seeing birdies circle her head, she was fine. The skier had dislocated his shoulder, bent his pole and delaminated his ski. Ironically, they were the only two people in the bowl NOT wearing helmets.
Utah Ski Deaths
In Utah this week, a New Jersey man without a helmet struck a tree and died while skiing with friends at Snowbasin. He wasn’t as lucky as those Jackson peeps. Frank Maddaloni is the fifth person killed among Utah’s mountains so far this season. While past seasons saw spikes in avalanche deaths, this season runs the gamut among heart attacks, tree trauma and slides.
Last month (January), in Utah’s first avi death of the season, experienced backcountry guide and author Tyson Bradley triggered a slide on Gobblers Knob that carried away his client who apparently ignored directions and followed too closely. The 600-foot-wide rip across Whitesnake sent Salt Lake resident Douglas Green over 2,500 feet of terrain and 1,400 feet of vertical at speeds near 60 to 70 mph. Green, 49, died at the scene.
A week later Summit County Search and Rescue uncovered the body of 50-year-old Stephen Jones. A 60-foot wide, 500-foot long avalanche in Lamb’s Canyon buried the Wanship, Utah, skier.
Accidents have happened inbounds as well with a 67-year-old Utah man collapsing from a medical condition at the base of Tombstone lift at Canyons earlier this month and a 60-year-old Utah man dying in a snowboarding accident on an intermediate slope at Park City Mountain.
This latest cycle of warm temps, rain, snow, warms temps again will lead to some seriously sketchy backcountry conditions in the Wasatch over the next few weeks so if you are heading out the gates make sure you know before you go, have the right gear, an experienced backcountry partner and wear a helmet (in bounds and out). Think safe, be safe this spring.
I gotta get up to Whistler. Winter, spring, summer. The behemoth resort just doesn’t quit impressing folks with their sense of progress, growth and out-the-charts party scene. In the spirit of everreaching resort endowments, Whistler Blackcomb will drop a cool $8 mill on winter and summer projects around the mountains.
“These projects demonstrate our commitment to ensuring our guests have the best possible experiences when they come to our mountains,” says Dave Brownlie, President and CEO of Whistler Blackcomb. “Reinvesting in our operations and continuing to provide new offerings to guests year after year is something we are very proud of.”
This year’s mess of projects are aimed directly at newcomers to the British Columbia area. Summertime guests should be on the lookout for work on the Harmony Lake, Peak Express Traverse, and Whistler Summit Interpretive Walk hiking trails on Whistler Mountain, and the Alpine Walk hiking trail on Blackcomb Mountain. Operators will resurface and widen each of the trails to improve their usability and access. The Samsung Alpine Theatre in the Roundhouse Lodge which shows historical films about Whistler’s past gets moved to the lower level of the Rendezvous Lodge on Blackcomb and will expand.
For next winter, the ski and snowboard learning terrain in the Olympic Station area on Whistler Mountain will get even more beginner-friendly terrain, and the Olympic and Fantastic runs will be regraded to make them more accessible to novice skiers and riders. Whistler Blackcomb will be installing two new, covered, magic carpet lifts at Olympic Station and 25 new, energy efficient snow guns. Plans also include re-grading the Upper Whiskey Jack run above the Chic Pea Hut to make it less steep; something beginners should be psyched about.
The Roundhouse Lodge gets an added 6,000 square feet in the form of a new upper and lower deck and a new “umbrella bar” with a collapsible roof that can open and close like an umbrella depending on the weather. These upgrades give guests an extra 160 new outdoor seats. Oh, and the umbrella bar is heated so it can be open year round.
The GLC (Garibaldi Lift Company) will renovate the section of the patio overlooking Skier’s Plaza- a new roof, heaters and fire pits, 90 outdoor covered seats- making Whistler’s signature slope-side après spot even more hopping.
What can I say? Whistler is just one of those places that keeps upping their game. You have to put it on your travel bucket list whether you relish a summer mountain visit or crushing it on winter slopes.
It’s not official yet but the National Ski Areas Association may have a new Guinness Book of World Records record. On Friday, January 8, the entire U.S. ski industry came together to go for the “World’s Largest” coordinated ski lesson as part of National Learn to Ski and Ride month. Organizers are estimating at least 6,000 lessons were taught across the country from the East coast to Alaska.
Mary Jo Tarallo, spokesperson for the National Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month said, “January is National Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month and we thought a fun event like this would serve as an ideal kick off and a way for us to get everyone talking about ways to stay active during the winter months.”
Utah transplants like Nancy Lynn actually waited through the holidays to take advantage of the event and Learn to Ski Month as a whole. “Anyone who loves being outdoors needs a winter hobby but I’m intimidated by skiing. The lesson was a great introduction,” she said. “I was scared in the morning getting dressed; I was lost at the resort but finally found the ski school and rentals. We had six in our group and the instructor taught us super basic stuff. It builds your confidence. Pretty soon you’re going up and down, learning to walk with these things on your feet and feeling ok if you fall. By the end, I didn’t want to stop or leave. The mountains are beautiful. It was worth it just to go there and be out in this beautiful scenery, doing something.”
While crappy snow in the east and midwest affected lesson numbers at ski areas there, nearly 150 of the original 164 locations were able to offer lessons in their local time zones. Ski Utah, in particular, partnered with the U.S. Forest Service to bring nearly 500 school kids out for a free, first-time lesson.
Learning to Ski at Snowbird. Photo by Nancy Lynn
“So far we’ve seen individual resort participation numbers ranging from just a few people to over 250 people,” said Hugh Reynolds of SNOW Operating and one of the organizers of the event. “This is the first year of the initiative, and to walk away with a new world record makes this all the more successful.”
The official Guinness World Record participation numbers are expected to be announced at the National Ski Area’s Association National Tradeshow and Convention taking place May 18-21 in Nashville, Tenn.
Those who missed out on Friday’s event, however, can still get massive breaks on lessons through the end of the month. Just check out these deals in Utah:
First-time local skiers only. A local is defined as anyone with a current Utah driver’s license. Without a Utah driver’s license, a photo ID accompanied by a current Utah property tax form, Utah utility bill or Utah business paycheck stub will be accepted
Clinic Time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Cost: $45 for the package, per participant ($15 for a lift ticket, $15 for ski rental equipment and $15 for the clinic).
Helmets are optional and available at no additional charge. Limited to the first 55 registrants, 13 years or older. Anyone under 18 years, a parent or guardian must sign a ski Rental Agreement and Acknowledgement of Risks Agreement the day of the program, prior to the start of clinic.
Reservations must be made prior to January 28, 2016, by calling Deer Valley Resort at 888-754-8477 or 435-645-6648, referring to “Ski Utah Learn to Ski Program.” One lesson (clinic) per participant.
Check-in Time: 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at Snow Park Lodge. Anyone checking in after 8:30 a.m. is not guaranteed a lesson and will not be able to receive the discounted lift ticket or ski rentals.
Sorry. Newbies. You had only one chance at a deal. If you missed the big January 8 group record day but still want to ski PC there’s a Full Day Never Ever lesson starting at $225 inc rentals and ticket.
Reservations are required. 801-745-3772 ext.127 or 128. The good news is that Powder offers a full day lift ticket so you can stick around and practice after your lesson is over. You must mention Learn to Ski Month promo at time of reservation to receive $45 price.
Must pre-register a minimum of 24 hours in advance. Offer is subject to availability. Must request this program when registering. Learner will receive a Learner’s Permit Pass” entitling the learner to five additional discounted adult group lessons ($75 instead of $110) subject to availability AND five additional days of skiing for half price! The Learner Permit is good for the rest of the current season only and is not transferrable. One per guest.
Ages 7-15 will get a $25 discount on follow-up Mountain Adventure lessons at the regular rate of $168.
Reservations Required: (801) 947-8222 or mountainschool@snowbird.com
2 1/2 hour morning lesson (lesson time will be from 10 am – 12:30 pm
Offer will be valid on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. January 19, 20, 26, 27
Must be purchased in the Ski and snowboard school office.
Guest will be asked to provide valid Utah Identification.
Guest will be placed in a 1st time (beginner) lesson.
