We showed up in Reno, to lost bags from the airline. We figured the TGR guys took up all the space on the plane with their 7 bags per person.
After tough conversations with the airline officials Will Mercer and I took off for Carson City, eventually making our way to a little town called Markleeville, on the California border.
It snowed a little, and the forecast said a bunch was on the way. We weren't sure if that was a good thing or not, hoping it didn't snow too much. It was a huge year in Tahoe.
Steven Bailey was already there, in Tahoe. He had come from a spring break in Mexico where what was supposed to be a driving trip back to the USA ended up as a beach vacation when his brother and he were robbed at gunpoint trying to call for a tow. Funny the getting robbed in Mexico could lead to leisurely beach relaxation time in place of driving through a hot desert. Sounds like the only time a person might say they are glad they got robbed in Mexico at gunpoint.
Day one of the event was a no-go. We decided to head home early to try and avoid getting stuck on the other side of the pass from where we stayed. No such luck, and two hours later Will and Steven and I are still sitting in traffic waiting for Avalanche control to be finished on the highway.
Steve and Will got bored and jumped out of the truck, to go build a jump. We could see a spot from the car. Once they were up there, several other skiers and snowboarders joined in and sure enough, soon there was a small posse, up there in the storm at the top of the closed pass, milking a tiny jump for everything it was worth.
That night Steven's mom bought groceries and we dined on grilled Filet Mignon and macaroni and cheese from Trader Joes. Yum.
Two more days of waiting around felt like forever. Each morning we got up, ate, and made our way through the canyon and over the pass to attend the riders meeting, where they told us it's too windy and too much snow to hold an event. They even asked if we might be able to stay till Monday in case the weather didn't clear.
Sunday we woke up to blue skies and fresh snow, and we charged out of the house excited to see if they could finally get the event off. Riders meeting finished at 8:45 and we were sent up the hill to begin inspection.
The snow was perfect. Feet of fresh, wind packed and dense. Blue skies and cool temps (for California) helped keep the snow from warming up and getting sticky. We couldn't ask for more.
With a short hike up the back side, we found our selves on top of the famous Cirque at Kirkwood. A tall peak with a due north face, perfect for spring powtime freeride competition.
After a long inspection, Steven and Will had their lines picked out and started making their way to the top. After an hour of waiting they finally got their chance to compete.
They charged it hard and came out in good standing. Will finished 5th and Steven came in 8th. Congratulations to our Top Ten finishers at the Kirkwood North American Championships! (Yes that includes Canadians.) This puts both fellas ranked in the top 10 for the entire 2017 season with Steven in 10th and Will in 8th. We are incredibly proud of their hard work, dedication and perseverance throughout the season.
