Spectating: Jackson Hole Freeskiing Open
Posted on Tuesday, March 18th, 2008
The on-again-off-again competition on cloudy Saturday wasn’t much of a spectator sport. But, on sunny Sunday I found myself perched in the bleacher-esque, snow-shovel built pit with a pair of overturned skis under my bottom. I arrived at the base of Un-skiable at the Jackson Hole Freesking Open Finals Competition around 10 a.m. expecting to only stay for a few competitors, but ended up staying for the entire competition. … It was the best free entertainment I’ve enjoyed in a while.
The women’s comp was a perfect example of female obvious aversion to the Darwin Award. Stellar skiing skills combined with well thought out lines, left me with a secure feeling that women are definitely more in tune with self preservation than men. Still, the women’s comp winner, Emily Teague, heeded the call of gravity and kept her skis pointing flashing the course from top to bottom without hesitation.
Granted, it was definitely entertaining watching the men – with seemingly less regard for remaining physically intact. The star of the men’s comp in my eyes was Cloudveil’s telemarking fool, Nick DeVore.
After securing a third place position in his first run of the day – yeah, he was dropping his knee going 50 mph! – DeVore’s shining moment came after a thrilling, mouth-wide-open, waiting-for-the-yard-sale-explosion-any-second, second run. After landing three consecutive jumps, his tele binding broke. … actually, it completely ripped off his ski! He miraculously managed to keep the ski underfoot, but with no resistance on the ski, he was unable to make any turns. So, in classic badass DeVore style, he pointed it straight down to the finish line on the super steep bumpy terrain. Mere milliseconds after crossing the finish, DeVore’s ski flew off his foot.
The crowd roared.
“I’d jump off his foot too if I were his ski,” the announcer shouted over the loud speaker. “I wouldn’t want any part of that guy!”
And if the skiing wasn’t entertaining enough, the cast of crazy characters watching the event kept it fun:
Competitor Nate Kushlan, A.K.A. “Firework Extraordinaire,” incessantly ignited bottle rockets, with the occasional paranoid “UH-OH!!!” when one looked like it might fail to launch after being lit mere inches from his face. Then, there was the “really drunk girl” who paraded around, rode the snow shovel and left us all wondering if her ski back down the mountain after the competition would actually be the most entertaining “hucking” of the day.
The icing on the cake of a spectacular day at Teton Village:
No outdoor event in Jackson is ever complete without the quintessential streeker. Our male specimen at this event took to the course protecting one of his “brains” with a helmet, and the other flailing around during spectacular leaps into the air.
Emma Adkisson works as an architect at Stephen Dynia Architects in Jackson Hole. She, like DeVore, has freed her heel.
Photos by filmmaker Trask McFarland of Arris Productions.
“Survival doesn’t necessarily go to the strongest, but to those of the species most willing to change.”
-Charles Darwin
Nice piece of writing!
We Got to give props to the whole crew but i think the Nudebird – Jeremy “Bone Crusher” Walker and the Sickbird – Lars Chickering-Ayers rocked the comp.
Shrederbumpdog I agree, Nudebird definitely deserves a trophy. and some clothes. JONG!