First Tracks!! Online Ski Magazine

Sprint U.S. Grand Prix Coming to Canyons in Utah This Week

First Tracks!! Online Media — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:46:33 +0000

Park City, UT - The 2012 Sprint U.S. Grand Prix is coming to Utah's Canyons Resort for a second year in a row tomorrow through the remainder of the week, featuring six-time X Games snowboardcross gold medalist Nate Holland, 2011 SBX podium finisher Jonathan Cheever and 2011 X Games skicross champion John Teller. Finals for the Visa U.S. Freeskiing Grand Prix skicross are set for Saturday, with the Sprint U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix SBX main event on Sunday. U.S. Snowboarding is rolling off...

Skier from Missouri Dies at Vail

First Tracks!! Online Media — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:36:41 +0000

Vail, CO - Reports of skier deaths seem to just keep coming this winter. This time it's an unidentified 37-year-old Missouri man at Vail Mountain in Colorado. According to the Eagle County Sheriff's Office, the victim was skiing on the black diamond Berries trail on the front-side of Vail on Tuesday when the incident occurred. "Vail Ski Patrol provided advanced life support and transported the patient to an awaiting ambulance. He was then transported to the Vail Valley Medical Center...

America’s Most Expensive Ski Hotel is in Utah

First Tracks!! Online Media — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:21:49 +0000

Park City, UT - The St. Regis Deer Valley in Park City has earned the distinction of being the most expensive luxury ski hotel in the United States. This finding is the result of a survey conducted by Luxury-Hotels.com, which based its rankings on the average rates for a standard double room during the 2012 main ski season. Only luxury hotels located within ski resorts were included in the compilation. To spend a single night at St. Regis, travelers will have to pay an average rate of...

Snowbird Introduces Speed Dating with Valentine’s Day Singles Line

First Tracks!! Online Media — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:15:18 +0000

Snowbird, UT - Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort is adding a twist to its singles-only line this Valentine’s Day, with a new lift line intended for singles who are not in a relationship to meet each other while high-speed dating on the Utah ski resort's Peruvian Express chairlift. “The Valentine’s singles line is a unique way of speed dating, and Snowbird is the perfect place to meet fun friends,” said Snowbird's VP of Resort Operations, Dave Fields, who proposed to his now-wife on a...

Spencer Link Wins the $20,000 Cholula Triple Air At Mountain High

First Tracks!! Online Media — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:00:07 +0000

Wrightwood, CA -The 14th annual edition of the $20,000 Cholula Triple Air Show returned to Mountain High ski resort on Saturday, offering the largest prize purse of any snow sports competition held in Southern California. Sunny skies and warm temperatures allowed riders to let it all hang out. In the men’s snowboard division, riders including Yale Cousino, Scotty Vine, Trevor Jacob, Ian Thorley and Garrett Warnick came out to compete but in the end, it was local hero and Mountain High...

NYC Man Killed in Skiing Accident at Windham

First Tracks!! Online Media — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:52:19 +0000

Windham, NY - A 53-year-old Staten Island man died following a skiing accident at Windham Mountain in New York's Catskills on Monday. NYPD criminologist Matthew Falco lost control and struck an embankment alongside the ski resort's intermediate Upper Warpath run just above the intersection with the Wall Street trail on Saturday morning, according to New York State Police. According to his wife, Falco was an experienced skier. In January 2011, an 18-year-old woman struck a tree and...

Surprising Findings from Ski Resort Social Media Study

First Tracks!! Online Media — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:37:54 +0000

Edwards, CO -A recent guest survey conducted at 32 U.S. ski resorts suggests that as few as 1.5% of resorts guests are reached by social media messaging. The research, conducted by database marketing firm, Ryan Solutions in partnership with Guest Research, Inc., is a first-of-its-kind, ongoing research study that seeks to answer questions about ski resort guests’ use of social media. “There is no hotter topic in resort marketing, if not all of marketing, than social media. The...

Skier from Georgia Found Dead in Trees at Keystone

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:46:13 +0000

Keystone, CO - A 58-year-old Georgia man died of blunt force trauma following an incident while skiing on Sunday morning at Keystone Resort in Colorado. Odo Lessacher, of Griffin, Ga., was found in the trees near the intersection of the intermediate Alamo and Prospector runs on North Peak at Keystone, according to Summit County Coroner Joanne Richardson. Other skiers notified ski patrol, and patrollers administered CPR before Lessacher was declared deceased by a Care Flight nurse....

Diggins Paces Trio of Americans Into World Cup Points

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:34:28 +0000

Rybinsk, Russia - World Cup rookie Jessie Diggins continued to set the pace with strong U.S. Cross Country Ski Team performances in Russia for the third day on Sunday, finishing 12th in a 15k skiathlon in Rybinsk leading three Americans into the points. Kikkan Randall, of Anchorage, Alaska, was 25th and Vermont's Liz Stephen 26th as Norway's Therese Johaug won over Poland's Justyna Kowalczyk in the mixed classic and freestyle event, while Russia dominated the men's 30k led by Maxim...

Demong Back on World Cup Podium

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:25:19 +0000

Val di Fiemme, Italy - Olympic gold medalist Billy Demong was back on the nordic combined skiing World Cup podium Sunday after making up a minute and 22 second deficit to finish less than four seconds behind Japan's Akito Watabe. Demong, of Vermontville, N.Y., was 17th after the jump but posted the fastest cross country time to land on the podium. It was his first World Cup podium since a win in Val di Fiemme, the site of the 2013 World Championships, in January 2010. "It feels good to be...

Hendrickson, Van Finish Top Three

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:14:51 +0000

Hinzenbach, Austria - American ski jumpers Sarah Hendrickson and Lindsey Van, both of Park City, Utah, battled challenging winds for a second straight day on Sunday to take second and third place in front of large crowds in Hinzenbach as Austrian Daniela Iraschko completed a weekend sweep with the win, coming from fourth after the first jump. Van soared 90.5 meters on her first jump to move into second with Hendrickson’s 86.5 good for third. Hendrickson went 90.5 on her second jump to move...

Fisher Snags Super Combined Points

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:03:49 +0000

Chamonix, France - Middleton, Idaho's Erik Fisher landed the first Audi FIS Alpine World Cup super combined points of his career on Sunday as Austrian Romed Baumann captured the final win at the World Cup's weekend stop in Chamonix for the second victory of his career. Fisher, who was 12th in both previous downhill races held this weekend in Chamonix, finished 18th in the opening run and held onto 23rd after the slalom. Bode Miller, of Franconia, N.H., was among 13 racers who went out in the...

Mancuso Completes U.S. Sweep of Garmisch World Cup With Super G Win

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:55:54 +0000

Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany - Three-time Olympic medalist Julia Mancuso attacked a gnarly Garmisch super G that forced 14 racers off course, including Lindsey Vonn and all other Americans, to win her first Audi FIS Alpine World Cup of the season on Sunday. The victory, Mancuso's career sixth, completed a U.S. Ski Team weekend sweep following Vonn's historic victory in the opening downhill. "At this point in my career, I really want to win. I go into every race with that attitude and I...

Kearney Breaks Deer Valley Duals Jinx for Win Number 14

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:40:01 +0000

Park City, UT - Olympic gold medalist Hannah Kearney dueled her way through four rounds to take the top spot for the 14th consecutive time in Saturday night’s Visa Freestyle International held at Deer Valley Resort in Park City. Russia’s Sergey Volkov was the men’s winner, stopping a would-be record breaking seventh win for Mikael Kingsbury of Canada, who finished second. "For Hannah to take 14 wins in a row is just outstanding.," said U.S. Freestyle Program Director, Todd Schirman....

Skier Seriously Injured in Kootenay Avalanche

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:15:36 +0000

Kimberley (BC), Canada - A day after a snowcat skier died in an avalanche in British Columbia, a skier was swept up in a second avalanche in the Kootenays on Saturday, and remains hospitalized with serious injuries. The unidentified 35-year-old man, from Quick, British Columbia, was skiing with a companion on Saturday afternoon in the Hell Roaring area near Kimberley when the avalanche struck. The victim's skiing companion, an unidentified 36-year-old Cranbrook, British Columbia woman, was...

Snowboarder Dies at Castle Mountain in Attempt to Avoid Collision

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:04:38 +0000

Pincher Creek (AB), Canada - A snowboarder in his 30s died following an incident at Castle Mountain on Saturday afternoon after sustaining a high-speed collision with a tree stump. The unidentified man, from Calgary, Alberta, was said to be riding with his fiancée at a high rate of speed on Buffalo Flats, a run rated "easiest" with a green circle, when he swerved to avoid others on the run. He tumbled into a ravine and collided with a tree stump. According to a press release issued by...

Seppe Smits Claims 2012 TTR Big Air World Tour Title

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:46:25 +0000

Innsbruck, Austria - Pro snowboarder Seppe Smits of Belgium took home the TTR Big Air Tour Trophy 2012 on Saturday night by coming in second in the 6Star Billabong Air& Style held at the Bergisel Stadium in Innsbruck behind Finland's Peetu Piiroinen. Smits was closely followed by Niklas Mattsson of Sweden, who claimed the third podium spot. "Winning the Big Air Tour Trophy was unexpected, I was very happily surprised," Smits said following the contest. Piiroinen, a three-time TTR Tour...

Skier Dead After Hitting Tree at Sugarbush

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:34:01 +0000

Warren, VT - An unidentified man died on Saturday after colliding with a tree at Sugarbush Resort in Warren. The 30-year-old victim, whose hometown was not immediately available, was reportedly skiing with family on the resort's intermediate Sleeper Run on North Lynx Peak above Lincoln Peak Village when the incident occurred. He was breathing and had a pulse when he was taken by ambulance to Central Vermont Medical Center in Berlin, Vt., where he was later pronounced dead of his...

Hendrickson Second as Win Streak Snapped

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:23:33 +0000

Hinzenbach, Austria -Park City, Utah's Sarah Hendrickson saw her opportunity to extend a three-comp win streak snapped as wind forced a cancellation of the second round of a FIS Ski Jumping World Cup in Hinzenbach on Saturday. Hendrickson finished second based on first-round results by a mere seven-tenths despite a hill record jump of 96.0 meters by winner Daniela Iraschko of Austria. Hendrickson, whose result was earned largely on style points, retained her overall World Cup lead by 509...

Another Career Best For World Cup Rookie Diggins

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:15:41 +0000

Rybinsk, Russia - World Cup rookie Jessie Diggins continued her strong Eastern European tour on Saturday, scoring another career best finishing fifth in a frigid 10k mass start skate race in Rybinsk. Diggins, who had been sixth in the Moscow sprint two days earlier, bided her time in the massive pack in temperatures below zero before picking her way to the front, finishing 26.3 seconds behind Norway’s Marit Bjoergen to earn the best U.S. women's distance result in modern World Cup skiing...

Season-to-Date Snowfall Total Breaks 500-inch Mark at Alyeska

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:06:58 +0000

Girdwood, AK - Earlier this season we told you that Alyeska was the place to go for deep snowfall this lean winter. That message has now been reinforced as the ski and snowboard resort south of Anchorage in Alaska has already racked up more than 500 inches so far this season, and it's only early February. Over 40 inches of new snow that fell last week pushed Alyeska Resort’s snowfall total for the 2011-12 season to 524 inches. Following 88 inches of snowfall for the month of October,...

Canada Goes 1-3-5 in Chamonix Downhill #2

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:58:29 +0000

Chamonix, France -Canada made history in Chamonix on Saturday as Jan Hudec, Erik Guay and Ben Thomsen finished first, third and fifth, respectively, in the Audi FIS World Cup downhill. Bode Miller was the top American, finishing 8th as Swiss ski racer Didier Cuche was seventh and retained the World Cup lead for downhill. Hudec, from Calgary, Alberta, claimed his first World Cup podium since 2007 with a blistering run that pushed his teammate Guay, of Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, into third –...

Vonn Wins Historic 50th World Cup Ski Race

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:42:45 +0000

Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany - Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn produced a stunning, on-edge downhill run in Garmisch on Saturday to win the historic 50th Audi FIS Alpine World Cup of her career. "It's crazy, I am at a loss for words," said Vonn. "I already cried with one of the TV crews and that is enough crying for the day. Fifty World Cup wins is a huge mark for me in my career and more than I even thought possible." "This is pretty special, I'd actually call it emotional,"...

Ferguson Scores Career First World Cup Aerials Podium at Deer Valley

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:20:13 +0000

Park City, UT -Dylan Ferguson, of Amesbury, Mass., jumped his way through three finals rounds to come in second at the Visa Freestyle International Saturday night at Deer Valley Resort, his first career FIS Freestyle World Cup podium. Zongyang Jia of China was the men’s winner, while Mengtao Xu led a Chinese sweep of the women’s podium. It was Ferguson's first podium in 30 career World Cup aerials starts. In a trial of the new Olympic format, the field was qualified to 12, then down to...

Skier Killed as Avalanche Strikes B.C. Snowcat Tour

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:56:42 +0000

Meadow Creek (BC), Canada - A skier was killed on Friday morning while on an organized cat skiing outing when an avalanche swept down on him on Meadow Mountain, in the Kootenays north of Nelson, British Columbia. "We are deeply saddened to announce that there has been an avalanche fatality on Meadow Mountain," officials with Selkirk Wilderness Skiing acknowledged. "This is the first avalanche related death in our 37 years of operation. Our thoughts and love are with the victim’s friends...

Canada Owns the Podium at Blue Mountain Ski Cross World Cup

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:35:39 +0000

Collingwood (ON), Canada - Canada put on a show on home snow Friday, winning two gold medals and a silver at the Audi FIS Ski Cross World Cup races held at Blue Mountain ski resort in Ontario. Marielle Thompson, of Whistler, British Columbia, dominated the women's race from start to finish to claim her first career World Cup victory at the age of 19. Brady Leman, of Calgary, Alberta, and teammate Chris Del Bosco, of Montreal, Quebec, then finished first and second, respectively, in the...

Crotched Mountain to Get Southern New Hampshire’s First Detachable Quad

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:23:43 +0000

Bennington, NH - Workers will be busy this summer at New Hampshire's Crotched Mountain, constructing the first high-speed detachable quad chairlift to be built in the southern part of the state. The installation of the lift, a used chair recovered from the former Ascutney Mountain ski area in Vermont, along with a terrain expansion is planned to be completed in time for the 2012-13 ski and snowboard season. This $3 million capital investment will happen on the 10 year anniversary of the...

Fletcher Leads USA in 14th in Val di Fiemme Nordic Combined

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:09:43 +0000

Val di Fiemme, Italy - Steamboat Springs, Colo.'s Bryan Fletcher led the Americans Friday, finishing 14th after jumping to 10th and incurring one penalty lap in the new-this-season World Cup nordic combined skiing format as France's Jason Lamy-Chappuis redeemed himself with a victory after the tour's last stop in Chaux-Neuve in mid-January left him disappointed in front of a hometown crowd. Fletcher's teammates Billy Demong, of Vermontville, N.Y., and Johnny Spillane of Steamboat Springs...

Documentary Feature Film About Women Ski Jumpers Premieres Friday in Salt Lake City

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:54:14 +0000

Salt Lake City, UT -Ski jumping hits the big screen this Friday with the world premiere of the new documentary feature film “Ready To Fly,” which tells the powerful true story of women ski jumpers and their allies who fight to be included in the Olympic Winter Games. The film kicks off the Cultural Olympiad celebrations of the 10th anniversary of the Salt Lake Games and will enjoy a two-week run in the six Larry H. Miller Megaplex Theatres in Utah. Additional special screenings are...

Diggins Leads Historic USA Finish in Moscow

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:47:48 +0000

Moscow, Russia - On a day that saw three American women square off in the semifinals, young Jessie Diggins led the USA with a career best sixth in zero temperatures Thursday in the Moscow FIS World Cup women's cross country skiing sprints won by Justyna Kowalczyk of Poland, as Sweden's Teodor Peterson took the men’s title. FIS World Cup sprint leader Kikkan Randall, of Anchorage, Alaska was seventh, failing to make finals in a close semifinal finish. Orelans, Vt.'s Ida Sargent had a...

Deer Valley Dedicates Ski Tow to Memory of Jeret Peterson

First Tracks!! Online Media — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:17:12 +0000

Park City, UT - On the eve of the Visa Freestyle International World Cup, Utah's Deer Valley Resort on Wednesday renamed its unique freestyle aerials tow lift “The Hurricane” in memory of the late Jeret “Speedy” Peterson. The tow is used to shuttle aerials athletes to the top of the jump for the annual International Ski Federation World Cup. The 2010 Olympic silver medalist in freestyle aerials, Peterson won two of his seven World Cups at Deer Valley including setting a world record...

Statue of Jesus Allowed to Remain at Montana Ski Resort

First Tracks!! Online Media — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:29:04 +0000

Whitefish, MT - A Wisconsin-based atheist group has vowed a court fight after the U.S. Forest Service this week reversed an earlier decision to deny a permit for a plot of land upon which a statue of Jesus has sat for decades at Whitefish Mountain Resort. "The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) will be suing the U.S. Forest Service over the unconstitutional presence of a Knights of Columbus shrine to Jesus in Flathead National Forest in Montana," the group said in a statement released...

Utah May Get a 15th Ski Resort

First Tracks!! Online Media — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:06:18 +0000

Richmond, UT - Plans for a small new ski resort in northern Utah's Cache Valley received a green light Thursday night from the Cache Valley Planning Commission. Proposed for development on private in Cherry Creek Canyon east of Richmond, near the Idaho border, the approval followed several months of contentious debate involving neighbors and the conservation group Bear River Watershed Council, both of which voiced concern regarding the effects that the proposed ski area is expected to...

Missing Skier’s Body Found in Montana Avalanche

First Tracks!! Online Media — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:43:06 +0000

Kalispell, MT - Following the resumption of search efforts on Thursday, the body of a missing Montana skier was found in the backcountry near Kalispell on Thursday, the Flathead County Sheriff's Office has confirmed. Mark Albee, 42, of Bigfork was skiing with his brother in the Jewel Basin area near Camp Misery east of Bigfork when the avalanche struck on Wednesday. Wet, sloppy conditions hampered rescue efforts and a low ceiling prevented air support to searchers. The victim's body was...

Lucky 13 for Hannah Kearney

First Tracks!! Online Media — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:19:58 +0000

Park City, UT - Olympic moguls skiing champion Hannah Kearney stretched her record World Cup win streak to 13 with a victory Thursday night in the Putnam Investments Moguls at the Visa Freestyle International at Deer Valley Resort in Utah. Kearney's teammate Heather McPhie finished second with an impressive jumps package, while Canadian Mikael Kingsbury took the top spot for the men for his sixth consecutive win on the FIS Freestyle World Cup. "The pressure was on. I enjoyed it. It was...

Bode Miller Misses Kandahar Downhill Win by Just .01

First Tracks!! Online Media — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:59:49 +0000

Chamonix, France - U.S. ski racer Bode Miller came within a mere .01 seconds of victory in the first of two Audi FIS Alpine World Cup downhills in Chamonix on Friday as Klaus Kroell snagged the first Austrian speed win of the season. Swiss skier Didier Cuche finished third to snap a two-race win streak, but retained the World Cup downhill points lead. Erik Guay finished just off the podium in fourth as the Canadians put two men in the top 10. "'It's tough," said a clearly disappointed...

Lack of Snow in Maine Cancels Portland’s Downtown Showdown Rail Jam

First Tracks!! Online Media — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:50:50 +0000

Portland, ME - The Downtown Showdown rail jam, scheduled for tomorrow in Portland, Maine's Monument Square, has been called off due to a lack of snow. Organizers including the City of Portland, and Maine's Sunday River and Sugarloaf ski resorts, say that the mixed precipitation and warm weather have stymied efforts to make enough snow to build the 35-foot hill necessary for the fourth annual staging of the...

Skier Lost on Mt. Bachelor Found Safe in Backcountry Shelter

First Tracks!! Online Media — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:42:12 +0000

Bend, OR - The Deschutes County Sheriff's Office in Bend has confirmed that a skier reported missing on Tuesday afternoon from Mt. Bachelor ski area was found later that night safely holed up in a nordic ski shelter. Daniel Gorman, 41, of Lynnwood, Wash., skied the southeast face of Mt. Bachelor with friends on Tuesday when he skied more than a mile and a half past Mt. Bachelor's boundary line. He was directed to the AC/DC Shelter in the Edison Butte Nordic area via two-way radio...

Skier Missing in Backcountry Avalanche in Montana

First Tracks!! Online Media — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:00:05 +0000

Kalispell, MT - Searchers this morning resumed their efforts to locate a backcountry skier swept away by an avalanche in northwestern Montana. The Flathead County Sheriff's Department, the Nordic Ski Patrol and Flathead County Search and Rescue members all headed to the Jewel Basin area in the Swan Range east of Bigfork near Kalispell on Thursday morning to search for the missing skier, one of two brothers who were skiing in the area on Wednesday when the slide struck. Search efforts...

Subaru Freeskiing World Tour Postpones Stop at Kirkwood

First Tracks!! Online Media — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 21:32:26 +0000

Kirkwood, CA - The upcoming Subaru Freeskiing World Tour (FWT) event scheduled at California's Kikwood Mountain Resort for Feb. 22-27 will be postponed until Apr. 4-9 due to inadequate snow cover on The Cirque at Kirkwood, tour officials announced this afternoon. "The late arrival of winter in the Tahoe area forces us to wait for more snow accumulation on Kirkwood's steep, rocky terrain," said Event Director Bryan Barlow. "Unfortunately the late start has delayed our early season events, yet...

Shovel Race Championships Return to the Slopes at Angel Fire

First Tracks!! Online Media — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:26:13 +0000

Angel Fire, NM -Competitors of all ages are once again waxing their snow shovels for the legendary Angel Fire Shovel Race Championship happening Feb. 11-12. The challenge is fairly simple. Competitors sit on the scoop of a standard aluminum snow shovel, handle pointed downhill, and then lift their hands and feet to allow gravity to take them for a ride down Angel Fire's slopes. Each rider gets two shots to clock the fastest time down the front of the Angel Fire ski mountain. Top speeds...

Snowbasin to Hold 2002 Winter Games Volunteer Appreciation Day

First Tracks!! Online Media — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:19:08 +0000

Huntsville, UT - In honor of the 10 year anniversary of the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Winter Games, Snowbasin Resort in Huntsville will be hosting a volunteer appreciation day on February 16th. Snowbasin will offer a special $20.02 day lift ticket to ski or snowboard for those who wear their 2002 Winter Games Volunteer Coat or show their volunteer credentials. People will also be meeting on Earl’s Plaza at 1 p.m. for a group photo. “Snowbasin has been looking forward to...

Low Snow Forces Postponement of Lake Placid Loppet, Relocation of Empire State Games

First Tracks!! Online Media — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:12:46 +0000

Lake Placid, NY - Current snow conditions, or more accurately a lack thereof, have forced the postponement of the 30th annual Lake Placid Loppet cross country ski race from this week to March 9-10. The Lake Placid Loppet has established itself as one of the best events of its kind in the country. Since 1981, thousands of skiers have enjoyed skiing and racing on the challenging Mt. Van Hoevenberg trails at the Olympic Sports Complex. In addition, the 32nd Empire State Winter Games...

American Emily Cook Lands In Aerials Top 10 as Canadian Olivier Rochon Wins Men’s

First Tracks!! Online Media — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:05:57 +0000

Calgary (AB), Canada - Olympian Emily Cook, of Belmont, Mass., geared up for this week's VISA Freestyle International in Park City, Utah, with her fourth FIS Freestyle World Cup top-ten aerials finish in a row, taking seventh place on Sunday at the Canada Olympic Park in Calgary. Mengtao Xu of China was the women's winner, with Canada's Olivier Rochon taking the men's top spot for his second World Cup medal and his first gold. Extremely windy conditions and warm temperatures melting the...

Fog Scrubs Garmisch Super G

First Tracks!! Online Media — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:45:25 +0000

Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany - Thick fog blanketed the Kandahar speed track in Garmisch-Partenkirchen forcing the jury to cancel the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup super G scheduled for Sunday. It was the second super G canceled in a week after the Kitzbuehel, Austria race was also scrapped due to weather. The men's World Cup tour moves to Chamonix, France for two downhills and a super combined. The Kitzbuehel race has been rescheduled by the International Ski Federation (FIS) for...

Lindsey Vonn Just .03 Shy of St. Moritz Sweep

First Tracks!! Online Media — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:37:04 +0000

St. Moritz, Switzerland - American ski racer Lindsey Vonn came within just .03 seconds of a three-race sweep in St. Moritz to finish second in Sunday's super combined behind defending Audi FIS Alpine World Cup overall champion, and Vonn's former friend, Maria Hoefl-Riesch of Germany. Sunday's race race was a reschedule from a canceled December super combined in Val d'Isere, France. It was the first victory of the season for Hoefl-Riesch, the defending World Cup champion. Vonn, of...

Canada’s Del Bosco Wins X Games Skier X Gold

First Tracks!! Online Media — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:13:14 +0000

Aspen, CO - Canadian skier Chris Del Bosco won his second Skier X title in three years at the Winter X Games in Aspen on Sunday and teammate Dave Duncan took bronze as Canada’s all-conquering ski cross team put on another show of strength. Filip Flisar, of Slovenia, was second. Del Bosco, who won gold at the X Games in 2010 and silver last year, was a dominant force from the quarter-finals on, as he used his full arsenal of slick passing moves and great technique to pick off his rivals on...

Shaun White Scores a Perfect 100

First Tracks!! Online Media — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:53:46 +0000

Aspen, CO - The 108,000 people who witnessed Winter X Games Aspen 2012 saw some amazing feats over the four days. However those who stuck around for the final event Sunday night saw history in Snowboard SuperPipe. Shaun White - one of the most decorated X Games athletes in history - scored a perfect score of 100.00 on his final run to capture his fifth consecutive Snowboard SuperPipe gold. He is the first athlete to win five consecutive SuperPipe gold medals and is just the third athlete...

McMorris Golden Again in X Games Snowboard Slopestyle

First Tracks!! Online Media — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:46:12 +0000

Aspen, CO - Coming into his second Winter X Games, Canadian rider Mark McMorris had zero gold medals. When he left Winter X Games Aspen 2012, he did so as a double gold medal winner after winning Snowboard Slopestyle on Saturday night to go along with his Big Air victory. "I didn't have any expectations coming in this year," the 18-year old from Regina, Saskatchewan said. "I just wanted to ride like I can and land my tricks. That is all I come out to contests to do is to have fun and try and...

Bobby Brown is Back On Top in X Games Ski Big Air

First Tracks!! Online Media — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:37:23 +0000

Aspen, CO - Thanks to a bevy of tricks including a switch double cork 1440 and a switch double misty 1260, Bobby Brown took the top spot in Ski Big Air at Winter X Games Aspen 2012 on Saturday night. "It's all about consistency," Brown, of Breckenridge, Colo., said of his runs. "It's not about someone coming out with the gnarliest trick ever, it's just about laying it down when you need to. I am just really stoked. Everyone is at such a high level now no one person is that much further...

McMorris Takes the Top Spot in Snowboard Big Air

First Tracks!! Online Media — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:30:00 +0000

Aspen, CO - Canadian rider Mark McMorris overcame a perfect run by Torstein Horgmo of Norway to capture his first Winter X Games gold medal in Snowboard Big Air to close out Friday night at Winter X Games Aspen 2012. "X Games is something that I have watched since I was super young and all of my idols have been here," said an energetic and excited McMorris, of Regina, Saskatchewan. "To end up on top of the podium in the biggest event in snowboarding is such a good feeling. All the support...

Anderson is Back on Top and Setting Records

First Tracks!! Online Media — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:22:05 +0000

Aspen, CO - Jamie Anderson, the lone American to enter Women's Snowboard Slopestyle at Winter X Games in Aspen, set an X Games scoring record in the event on Friday with a 95.33 on her final run to capture gold. The gold medal was Anderson's third in Snowboard Slopestyle and her sixth total medal in the event. Last year the South Lake Tahoe, Calif. resident captured the bronze and said it was nice to see her hard work in training this year paying off. "I guess I was on point today,"...

U.S. Sweeps Snowboardcross At X Games

First Tracks!! Online Media — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:12:13 +0000

Aspen, CO - Nate Holland, Nick Baumgartner and Jayson Hale led U.S. Snowboarding to a clean sweep of the men's snowboardcross podium at Winter X Games, held Saturday in Aspen. Alex Deibold (Manchester Center, VT) was next in fourth, demonstrating the depth of the U.S. team. Holland's time of 1:27.57 was a commanding half second ahead of Baumgartner's 1:28.01 to take his fifth X Games snowboardcross gold. "It always feels great to be on top. I knew I just had to ride my heart out and...

Alta Scraps ‘Free After 3′ Program

First Tracks!! Online Media — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:07:15 +0000

Alta, UT - For many years, Utah's Alta Ski Area has allowed patrons to ride its Sunnyside chairlift free of charge from 3 to 4:30 p.m., providing a way for lapsed skiers and large families to get out on the slopes. The success of the program has on occasion led to lengthy lift lines at Sunnyside after 3 p.m., providing bottlenecks for paying guests and "Free After 3" participants alike, so resort officials are pulling the plug on the program following Valentine's Day this...

Pennsylvania State Police Investigating Skier Death at Seven Springs

First Tracks!! Online Media — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:54:35 +0000

Champion, PA - State Police in Somerset County are investigating the death of a skier at Seven Springs Resort in Champion on Monday. Witnesses indicate that David McClelland, 36, of Coraopolis, Penn., was skiing at a high rate of speed on Monday evening when he veered off a trail and into a rocky, wooded area around 6 p.m. He was unconscious when found by members of Seven Springs ski patrol and was pronounced dead at the scene shortly before 7 p.m. Police indicated that they have no...

Snowboarder Survives Night on Mt. Baker

First Tracks!! Online Media — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:29:05 +0000

Bellingham, WA - A man from the Czech Republic survived a night in a snow cave in the backcountry surrounding Washington's Mt. Baker ski area over the weekend. Jakub Cink, 23, was reported missing from the ski area at the end of the day on Saturday. A search party of about 20 rescuers headed south based on witness accounts, and after his tracks were located the search was discontinued around 2 a.m. due to high avalanche danger. Cink spent the night in a snow cave on Mount Shuksan...

Skier Critically Injured on New Hampshire’s Ragged Mountain

First Tracks!! Online Media — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:21:21 +0000

Danbury, NH - A 60-year-old man was critically injured in a skiing accident Sunday morning at Ragged Mountain in New Hampshire. The victim, whose name has not been released, was skiing on an intermediate run at Ragged Mountain when the incident occurred at around 9:40 a.m. He was transported by helicopter to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., where he was admitted. Neither the nature of his injuries nor his condition were immediately available. He was wearing a helmet...

Kingsbury Wins 5th Straight Mogul World Cup, Kearney Gets 12th

First Tracks!! Online Media — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:12:08 +0000

Calgary (AB), Canada - Canada's Mikael Kingsbury and America's Hannah Kearney earned goldmedals in World Cup mogul skiing in Calgary on Saturday. The pair seem unstoppable in making their mark on the FIS World Cup mogul scene this year. With his performance at the Canada Post Grand Prix at Canada Olympic Park, Quebec's 19-year-old Kingsbury is one gold medal away from tying the FIS World Cup record of six consecutive wins. Scoring 24.30, Kingsbury took the win in a somewhat anti-climactic...

Groenewoud, Wise Golden at X Games

First Tracks!! Online Media — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:49:48 +0000

Aspen, CO - Saturday's podium was a North American skier sweep under beautiful sunny skies at the X Games superpipe in Aspen as Canada's Rosalind Groenewoud took gold and Noah Bowman earned the silver medal for Canada, and David Wise earned gold, Maddy Bowman landed silver and Brita Sigourney and Torin Yater-Wallace each finished with a bronze for the U.S. Groenewoud said it was the love and support she felt from the ski community in the wake of Sarah Burke’s death that boosted her to her...

Boy Airlifted Following Skiing Accident at Nashoba Valley

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:31:28 +0000

Westford, MA - A 9-year-old boy was airlifted to a Boston area hospital following a skiing accident on Sunday at Nashboa Valley ski area in Westford. The victim, whose name has not been released, was found unconscious in the woods off a ski trail on Sunday night following a run with his father. He was flown to Children's Hospital in Boston, where he remains this morning. His condition remains unknown. Reports indicate that the victim was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident,...

Woman Dies After Falling from Chairlift at Canyons in Utah

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:13:15 +0000

Park City, UT - A 19-year-old woman died on Sunday after falling from a chairlift at Canyons Resort in Utah. The unidentified University of Utah student was riding the High Meadow chairlift near the resort's Red Pine Lodge shortly before noon on Sunday when she is believed to have suffered a medical condition before falling from the lift, which services beginner terrain. She was seated with other companions in the chair when the incident occurred but it is yet unknown whether or not the...

Snowboarder Killed in Backcountry Avalanche in Utah

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:49:43 +0000

Salt Lake City, UT - A 24-year-old University of Utah student died Saturday afternoon when an avalanche swept him 2,400 vertical feet down a slope in the Wasatch backcountry. Alecsander Barton, originally from Concord, Mich., was reportedly an experienced backcountry skier and snowboarder. He had just begun his descent of a run called Little Giant on the west side of Kessler Peak in Big Cottonwood Canyon when the massive hard slab avalanche broke three feet deep and an estimated 1,000...

Oregon Teen Dies in Snowboarding Accident on Mount Hood

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:13:06 +0000

Government Camp, OR - An Oregon teenager died after slamming into a tree while snowboarding at Mount Hood Skibowl on Saturday night. Taylur Dewolf, 17, of Sandy was found 10 feet off a groomed trail with severe head and chest trauma, according to the Clackamas County Sheriff's Department. She was discovered after the Sheriff's department received a phone call at 10:30 p.m. from the girl's father, who indicated that Dewolf had been snowboarding with family and friends at Skibowl, but had...

Cuche Overtakes Downhill Lead

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:55:56 +0000

Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany - Swiss juggernaut Didier Cuche climbed into the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup downhill lead with victory in a a fog shortened Garmisch downhill on Saturday. The oldest man to ever win a World Cup race at 37 years of age, Cuche has been on a winning streak lately and comes off a victory at the previous weekend's downhill in Kitzbuehel. Canadian Erik Guay claimed his first podium of the 2011-12 World Cup season with a second-place finish at the site of his...

Lindsey Vonn Tops Podium at St. Moritz Downhill

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:34:45 +0000

St. Moritz, Switzerland - Olympic downhill champion Lindsey Vonn torched the St. Moritz speed track on Saturday for a whopping 1.42 second margin of victory and her career 49th Audi FIS Alpine World Cup win. It was Vonn's eighth win of the season, second in two days, and extended her World Cup overall lead to 352 points over Slovenia's Tina Maze. Saturday's downhill victory was the first in St. Moritz for Vonn, of Vail, Colo. "I've struggled in St. Moritz in the past and for some reason...

Clark Wins Slopestyle Gold at Winter X Games

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:13:35 +0000

Aspen, CO - U.S. snowboarder Kelly Clark, of West Dover, Vt., scored gold at the Winter X Games on Friday to secure her 13th consecutive competition with a 93.66 as part of a U.S. Snowboarding sweep of the halfpipe snowboarding. The win was Clark's third major victory of the year after opening wins at the Sprint U.S. Grand Prix at Copper and Breckenridge Dew Tour. She became the first woman to win back-to-back X Games gold medals in Women's Snowboard SuperPipe with her ninth Winter X...

Another Skier Death, This Time at Keystone

First Tracks!! Online Media — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 15:00:16 +0000

Keystone, CO - Skier deaths seem to be reported this winter with increasing frequency around the U.S., and no doubt the leaner than normal snow pack thus far this season has contributed to some of them. Three have died just this week in Colorado alone with the latest at Keystone Resort, where a 54-year-old man died on Wednesday of a broken neck. The body Vesslin Vlassev, of Westminster, Colo., was found by a passing skier alongside the intermediate Jacques St. James trail on Dercum...

Snowboarder Shaun White Backs Out of Winter X Games Slopestyle

First Tracks!! Online Media — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:47:49 +0000

Aspen, CO - Snowboarding sensation Shaun White opted Friday to drop out of the Snowboard Slopestyle at Winter X Games in Aspen following an injury received during training on Thursday. White, 25, of Carlsbad, Calif., took some practice runs on Friday morning, but determined that his sprained ankle was too tender for competition in today's elimination rounds. White indicated that he will use the down time to rest up for Sunday's Snowboard SuperPipe competition. White won the...

Low Snow Slows Ski and Snowboard Sales

First Tracks!! Online Media — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:42:33 +0000

McLean, VA - SnowSports Industries America (SIA) and The Leisure Trends Group on Thursday released the most recent numbers for December 2011, collected from the point of sale systems of more than 1,200 snow sports retailers across the U.S. According to the report, December's lack of snow had significant impacts on the snow sports market as snow failed to fall in key regions across the country. Snow cover across the contiguous 48 states fell from 48% in December 2010 to 23% in December...

Park City Celebrates the 10th Anniversary of the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games

First Tracks!! Online Media — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:24:28 +0000

Park City, UT - The Park City community has joined together in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. A variety of Olympic-related activities are scheduled in February beginning with a February 1 event on Main Street in Park City. During these events, community members will have a chance to meet Olympic athletes, view special memorabilia exhibits, share Olympic experiences and immerse in the Olympic spirit once again. Park City, Utah will spend February...

Wins for Amacker and Backstrom in Courmayeur

First Tracks!! Online Media — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:13:38 +0000

Courmayeur, Italy - Richard Amacker won the men's ski contest and Ralph Backstrom won the men's snowboard contest on the Mont-Fortin Thursday as the 2012 Swatch Freeride World Tour (FWT) stopped in Courmayeur-Mont-Blanc, Italy. In an incredibly competitive men's ski competition Amacker, from Le Valais in Switzerland, was the last rider down and chose an original line in the rider's left hand side of the face. The 23-year-old then quickly put on a demonstration of world-class ...

Lindsey Vonn Cracks 1,000 Points to Pad World Cup Lead

First Tracks!! Online Media — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:01:15 +0000

St. Moritz, Switzerland - American ski racer Lindsey Vonn pushed her Audi FIS Alpine World Cup points total to 1,070 with a super combined victory on Friday in bluebird St. Moritz. Friday's race was the first super combined of the season after a December race in Val d'Isere, France, was canceled. "St. Moritz is a great hill for super combined. I felt like I had a really good downhill run, but I was a little bit nervous," Vonn admitted. "I didn't think I had enough time ahead of the slalom...

Authorities Identify Skier Killed at Taos

First Tracks!! Online Media — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:46:19 +0000

Taos Ski Valley, NM - New Mexico authorities have identified a man killed Tuesday in a ski accident at Taos. Dan Bauhs, 60, was well known to the Taos ski community. Details surrounding his death, however, remain sketchy at press time although the nature of the incident has been confirmed as accidental and involving no one else. Bauhs was transported by ski patrol to a medical clinic, where he was pronounced dead. "It is with great sadness that we confirm the death yesterday at Taos...

Turski Three-peats in X Games Slopestyle as Wallisch Sets Record Score

First Tracks!! Online Media — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:31:29 +0000

Aspen, CO -Montreal, Canada's Kaya Turski came from behind to win her third-straight gold medal at the X Games on Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen on Thursday, and she did it by landing a trick that no woman has ever landed in this competition. Coming into the third run of the best-of-three final in the bronze position, Turski, was sitting in the bronze medal position. “The pressure was high, third run, last to drop, I was ready to go all in,” she said. And she did, pulling out a perfect...

Canada’s Dixon Sustains Concussion in Training

First Tracks!! Online Media — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:11:13 +0000

Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany - Canada’s Robbie Dixon won’t compete in this weekend’s alpine World Cup ski races in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, after suffering an injury during training. The 27-year-old from Whistler, British Columbia, struck a gate during a giant slalom training run in Paganella, Italy, on Tuesday. He did not fall but later reported experiencing concussion-like symptoms. “Robbie Dixon will be returning to Canada for further evaluation with Alpine...

Top U.S. Snowboarders Recovering from Season-ending Injuries

First Tracks!! Online Media — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:01:21 +0000

Vail, CO -Maine snowboardcross rider Seth Wescott is at the X Games in Aspen, Colo. again. But this time, instead of watching the event from the snowboardcross course he's viewing it from the ESPN broadcast booth. Wescott, 28, of Carrabassett Valley, Maine, tore his pectoral muscle at last week's World Cup snowboardcross in Veysonnaz, Switzerland. Following successful surgery in Vail, Colo., Wescott is on the mend but will sit out the rest of this winter season. Wescott has won two...

Freestyle Skiing World Cup Heads for Calgary

First Tracks!! Online Media — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:20:22 +0000

Calgary (AB), Canada - The Canada Post Grand Prix Freestyle ski World Cup lands at Winsport Canada’s Canada Olympic Park in Calgary this week, and with it comes the world’s greatest mogul and aerial skiers. Canadian fans will be looking for success from their home team. Men's mogul skier Mikael Kingsbury of Quebec is on a winning streak, having won all four World Cup events this season. Americans heading north to watch the show will see if Vermont's Hannah Kearney can extend her women's...

Snowboarder Dies of Injuries Sustained at Steamboat

First Tracks!! Online Media — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:10:46 +0000

Steamboat Springs, CO - A snowboarder died in a Denver hospital on Tuesday of injuries sustained on the slopes of Steamboat on Monday. Aaron Easter, 32, a Colorado resident, was found unconscious on an intermediate trail shortly before noon in a depression where snow had been undermined by ground water. The hazard had been marked by the resort's ski patrol at the time, and Easter had reportedly been snowboarding alone. Passers-by initiated CPR that was continued by patrollers and...

Kandahar in Chamonix Gets Green Light from Ski Federation

First Tracks!! Online Media — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:53:17 +0000

Chamonix, France - On Saturday Markus Murmann, appointed by the International Ski Federation (FIS), visited the Verte des Houches course in Chamonix to verify that snow and course conditions were up to snuff for the 18th annual running of the Kandahar men's World Cup ski races, scheduled this year for Feb. 3-5. In a process known as "snow control," Murmann gave a thumbs up to preparations for the downhill and super combined races. The 20km of B netting are in place and the teams are...

Mountain Dew Vertical Challenge Arrives Sunday at Ski Butternut

First Tracks!! Online Media — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:40:08 +0000

Great Barrington, MA - Ski Butternut in the Berkshire Mountains of western Massachusetts will host the Mountain Dew Vertical Challenge this Sunday, where speed is king for skiers and snowboarders who compete. Sunday will be a day of racing, music, fun and giveaways at Butternut as the longest running and farthest-reaching ski and snowboard race competition in the United States is now in its 22nd season. The event is open to skiers and snowboarders of all ages and abilities. Entry is...

Baumgartner Looks for the Repeat in Snowboardcross at Winter X Games

First Tracks!! Online Media — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:26:17 +0000

Aspen, CO - Winter X Games Gold Medal Snowboardcross (SBX) champion Nick Baumgartner arrives in Aspen this week looking for a repeat in the six-man riding action on Buttermilk Mountain at the 2012 Winter X Games. Qualifying takes place on Friday with the finals to follow on Saturday. Baumgartner, a member of the 2010 U.S. Olympic Team, won last year's Winter X SBX competition in dramatic style. Less than two weeks prior to the event that was televised on the ESPN networks, the Iron River,...

Ligety Surges to Sixth in Schladming Night Slalom

First Tracks!! Online Media — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:13:33 +0000

Schladming, Austria - Ted Ligety, of Park City, Utah, battled huge ruts and continuous snowfall to finish sixth Tuesday in the Schladming night slalom in front of 45,000 raucous fans as hometown hero Marcel Hirscher, who has been at the center of a huge gate straddling controversy over the past few days, won the event for his sixth World Cup victory this season. Italy’s Stefano Gross was second in and Austria’s Mario Matt rounded out the podium in third. It was Ligety's best slalom...

Ducks Learn to Ski at Camelback

First Tracks!! Online Media — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:47:25 +0000

Tannersville, PA -Camelback Mountain Resort in the Pocono Mountains of eastern Pennsylvania has partnered with the SkiDUCKS (Skiing and Snowboarding for Disabled and Underprivileged Children and older Kids) for this winter season. SkiDUCKs is a new, grassroots non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of disabled and underprivileged children by sharing the joys of skiing and snowboarding. The group will come to Camelback Mountain Resort for three sessions this winter; the...

Stowe Offers Free Skiing to Members of the Military

First Tracks!! Online Media — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 02:35:03 +0000

Stowe, VT - All active, full-time Vermont military personnel, Guard and Reserve members along with their spouses and dependent children will receive complimentary single-day lift tickets at Vermont's Stowe Mountain Resort on three select Sundays this winter. “Stowe’s Vermont Military Days are a wonderful opportunity for many families to discover the East’s most exciting winter resort and share memorable lifelong experiences together,” says Stowe Mountain Resort International Sales...

Better Late Than Never: Winter Arrives at Ski Resorts in the Western U.S.

First Tracks!! Online Media — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:58:06 +0000

Salt Lake City, UT - With few exceptions, winter made a late debut to most of the western U.S. this ski season. It took until the third week of January, but thanks to substantial snowfall many regions in the West are now back on track and eager to welcome guests. Ski resorts in Utah picked up over four feet of snow over the past week. The state's venerable Alta Ski Area in the Wasatch Mountains above Salt Lake City racked up 49 inches in the last seven days, bringing base depths to a...

Top Athletes Battle It Out in Dew Tour Superpipe and Slopestyle at Killington

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:06:00 +0000

Killington, VT - Vermont’s Killington Resort this past weekend hosted the 2011-12 Winter Dew Tour, the largest on-snow event in the East, with superpipe and slopestyle competitions at Bear Mountain in front of 32,000 fans, a 10% increase from last year’s event. On Saturday afternoon, snowboarders threw down their best in the slopestyle finals and the competition continued into the night with the freeskier superpipe finals in an under-the-lights aerial battle. The action concluded on...

Junior Freeskiing Tour at Crested Butte Postponed

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:44:41 +0000

Mt. Crested Butte, CO -The first stop of the Junior Freeskiing Tour (JFT), originally scheduled for Feb. 2-5 in Crested Butte, Colo., has been postponed by organizers until Mar. 29-Apr. 1 to allow more snow to accumulate. "Much of the West has experienced low snow conditions this year and in order to give our athletes the highest quality event, we are forced to wait for additional significant storms," says JFT Director Jeff Berman. Famous for its rocky and steep terrain, Crested Butte...

Vermont’s Nolan Kasper Leads Americans in Kitzbuehel Slalom

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:40:11 +0000

Kitzbuehel, Austria - Nolan Kasper, of Warren, Vt., tied for 14th in slalom Sunday tied with Brad Spence of Canada to lead three Americans into the Kitzbuehel top 30 as Italian Christian Deville captured his first Audi FIS Alpine World Cup win. "It was a fight with the snow and the weather, but this hill is always difficult. It was fun to watch and it was fun to be a part of," said Kasper, who added, "The first run didn't feel all that good, but I stayed in a decent position and was able to...

Season Best Slalom Result for Vonn

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:18:22 +0000

Kranjska Gora, Slovenia - Audi FIS Alpine World Cup leader Lindsey Vonn, of Vail, Colo., continued to put consistency in her technical skiing, recording her best slalom finish of the season in seventh on Sunday at Kranjska Gora. The finish left Vonn's overall World Cup lead to a slightly reduced margin of 282 over Slovenia's Tina Maze, who finished fourth, as Austrian Michaela Kirchgasser snapped the five-slalom win string of her teammate Marlies Schild in taking the win. Sunday's finish...

Vonn Just Off Podium in Kranjska Gora Giant Slalom

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:05:56 +0000

Kranjska Gora, Slovenia - Vail, Colo.'s Lindsey Vonn missed the Kranjska Gora giant slalom podium by three hundredths of a second to finish fourth on Saturday, yet boosted her Audi FIS Alpine World Cup overall lead to 296 over local ski racer Tina Maze, who finished behind Vonn in fifth. Vonn, the Olympic downhill champion, slipped a few gates before the finish and dropped both hands in the snow, but made a quick recovery to stay on an icy course conquered by Tessa Worley of France after...

Cuche Wins Record Fifth Hahnenkamm Downhill

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:54:11 +0000

Kitzbuehel, Austria - Swiss ski racer Didier Cuche, who at 37 is already the oldest man to ever win a World Cup race, padded his record by winning a historic fifth Hahnenkamm downhill Saturday to surpass Austrian legend Franz Klammer for the most downhill wins at Kitzbuehel. A foot of heavy snow fell overnight and throughout the race, forcing the jury to shorten the notorious Streif by starting on the Alte Schneise below the treacherous Mausefalle and Steilhang sections. Klammer, covered in...

Rain, Wet Snow Cancels Kitzbuehel Super G

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:36:09 +0000

Kitzbuehel, Austria -Overnight rain transitioned to pancake sized flakes of saturated snow Friday morning, forcing a unanimous jury cancellation of the Hahnenkamm super G in Kitzbuehel. Over 500 volunteers and course workers were staged for hill preparation on Friday to keep Saturday's 72nd Hahnenkamm downhill on schedule as snow continued to fall throughout the day. "It's a very simple update, all you have to do is go up the window and it will explain everything. The snow is untouchable...

Holland, Jacobellis Sweep Snowboard Cross Wins

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:27:44 +0000

Veysonnaz, Switzerland - It was a sweep for U.S. Snowboarding Sunday with Lindsey Jacobellis, of Stratton Mountain, Vt., and teammate Nate Holland, of Squaw Valley, Calif., each winning at the Veysonnaz World Cup that coincident with FIS World Snow Day. Jacobellis continued on a roll with her third straight win of the season to remain undefeated starting with her victory in the USANA Snowboardcross Cup at Telluride last month. She now has 26 World Cup wins to her credit, 25 in...

Separate Power Outages Close Two Ski Resorts in the West

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:13:42 +0000

Bozeman, MT - Separate power outages on Sunday caused two ski resorts to suspend operations in the western U.S. A 10:40 a.m. outage near Bozeman, Mont., darkened the entire canyon leading to Bridger Bowl ski area on Sunday, ski area officials indicate. Back-up power was used to evacuate chairlifts, but with no power available for the resort's lodges and other amenities resort officials elected to close the mountain for the day before power was restored to the area around 1:30 p.m. Sunday...

Colorado Avalanches Claim Two Lives

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 18:52:03 +0000

Vail, CO - A sketchy snow pack killed two skiers in Colorado over the weekend in separate in-bounds avalanches. At Vail Mountain, a 13-year-old boy was killed when he was buried in a slide on closed in-bounds terrain. Taft Conlin of Eagle, Colo., died on Sunday when he was swept away by the avalanche on Prima Cornice, a partially forested double-black run that was reportedly closed and roped off at the time. Conlin's companion, who was not buried by the slide, summoned rescue officials who...

Colorado Skier Visits Drop on Poor Early Season Snow

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 18:22:06 +0000

Denver, CO - Colorado Ski Country USA’s (CSCUSA) 22 member ski resorts on Friday reported a decrease in skier visitation for the beginning of the 2011-12 ski and snowboard season. Skier visits at CSCUSA resorts were off by 10.65 percent during the first period of the ski season, defined as opening day of the season through December 31, 2011, compared to the same period last year. CSCUSA President and CEO Melanie Mills cites variable snow conditions as a contributing factor. “We had a...

Texas Skier Collides with Stump, Dies at Copper Mountain

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 18:15:14 +0000

Copper Mountain, CO - A 51-year-old skier died on Friday night after falling head first on a snow-covered tree stump while skiing the previous weekend at Copper Mountain in Colorado. Donald Hinckley was pronounced dead just before midnight at St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood, Colo., of a traumatic brain injury and fractured neck, according to Summit County coroner Joanne Richardson. Hinckley was skiing Copper's Far East run on Jan. 14 when the incident occurred. Hickey was wearing a...

Skier Dies at Whiteface

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 18:06:05 +0000

Wilmington, NY - A 25-year-old Long Island man died on Friday after losing control and striking trees while skiing with family at Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington. According to police, Daniel M. McGovern of Carle Place, N.Y., was pronounced dead at the scene after being located at 10:30 a.m. some 30 feet from the edge of the Excelsior trail. He was wearing a helmet at the time of the incident. An autopsy was scheduled to be conducted at the Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake,...

Adirondack Park Agency Approves Ski Resort Development at Big Tupper

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:52:24 +0000

Tupper Lake, NY - The Adirondack Park Agency (APA) on Friday voted nearly unanimously to approve a 6,200 ski resort development at Big Tupper, near Tupper Lake. By a vote of 10 to 1 the agency approved the proposal by Preserve Associates to rebuild the ski resort with replacements for the ski area's existing lifts as well as new lifts and trails. It also calls for construction a new marina on Tupper Lake and housing at the resort that would consist of up to 206 single-family and 125...

Kearney Remains Unstoppable in Moguls

First Tracks!! Online Media — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:32:37 +0000

Lake Placid, NY - Olympic Champion Hannah Kearney, of Norwich, Vt., won a record 11th consecutive FIS Freestyle World Cup moguls event with victory at the USANA Freestyle Cup at Whiteface Mountain on Thursday. The title elevates Kearney past Switzerland’s Conny Kissling for the longest Freestyle World Cup win streak. World Champion Patrick Deneen, of Cle Elum, Wash., earned his first podium of the season, finishing second behind Mikael Kingsbury of Canada in the men's event, who continued a...