Revelstoked at Tailgate BC

Rollin' into Banff

On March 4th Orange Extreme Team rolled Northwest to the land of Big Snow, with trucks and sleds, to join the crew at the first annual Tailgate British Columbia in Revelstoke.  Twenty-two hours on the road took us on a scenic tour through Jackson Hole, greater Montana, Calgary and Banff National Park... and the legendary Powder Highway.

Downtown Banff

After all that driving, we took a day off to shred Lake Louise, which just had a good snowstorm.

How a base lodge should be

The spectacular scenery of Lake Louise was eye candy as we explored this huge mountain of 4200 acres on a powder day.

There we met a new friend, and sick rider, Ian Crawford. He happens to be Andrew Crawford's brother, who retired from professional snowboarding to pursue a career in aerospace engineering with NASA. Needless to say, Ian and I found the goods and shralped the gnar. Ian is an entrepreneur who started a visionary business designing custom furniture from recycled wine barrels, you can check out his unique work at Vinoture. He has a fabulous smile and is pretty much a rockstar, to boot.

Ian Crawford and Onna Konicek stokin' on Lake Louise tree runs

The stellar day at Lake Louise was followed by a stop at Snowpulse in Golden, BC, where we picked up our new avalanche airbag packs. We are thrilled by the awesomeness and high quality of our new avalanche airbags. Equiping our team with Snowpulse packs was made possible by Chuck Gorton at Snowpulse who supports the Orange Extreme Big Mountain Snowboard Team.

Snowpulse office in Golden

On March 8th we all started trickling in to the scene of action at the Great White North, where things were in full swing with snow safety education, snowmobile tours, and heli bookings.

Mark and Liz Sullivan and the Tailgate Crew had tons of fun in store for us Revelers, with parties, lift ticket deals, and exclusive heliboarding access to 270,000 acres in the Monashees provided by Eagle Pass Heliskiing (they fly in snowstorms...hardcore!) Aron arrived on March 9th to join the fun.

Our guide, Chevy, coined the term "Unbelievabiliality" to describe the epic off-the-charts stoke we experienced riding bottomless powder, an infinite supply of giant pillows and playful gullies in the famous Monashee trees. Aron and I were fortunate to have him all to ourselves for several runs and some of the best powder riding ever.

Heli Day: Aron Ralston and Onna Konicek with their guide Chevy.
Revelin' in Unbelievabiliality

Aron and I were blown away by the exceptional skill of the pilots, who flew in the buffeting winds of a snowstorm, skirting peaks and skimming just above the pine tree tops for reference. We had a blast, and will definitely be back next year for Tailgate BC 2013. We hope you will join us in the Revelrie!

Orange Extreme and LOKI unite

Jess Rigg of LOKI Gear came to Aspen last weekend to visit and check out what Orange Extreme has going on, taking time out of his maxed-out schedule for some mountain fun. We had a classic hot waxing session and tried on Loki jackets, then hit the town. Jess introduced me to my new favorite: anejo Tequila with a cinnamon-dusted orange :)

Jess waxing up a storm

On Sunday we took Jess out for a tour of Snowmass, shredding The Wall and Burnt Mountain.

Maroon Bells in the distance

It was definitely a stash tour, as we were a few days out from new snowfall, and blustery winds had ripped the snow off the high peaks.

Pete Hunter crosses the pond

This marks the beginning of an exciting new relationship between Loki and Orange Extreme. We will be product testing Loki outerwear this spring, and look forward to future collaboration. Be sure to check out Loki's website, where Orange Extreme Team rider Kaelin Bamford is featured. 

Onna and Jess stokin'

Many thanks to Jess and Loki for spicing up the weekend!

Quote of the Day

"I'm totally ready to fly by the seat of my pants, as long as I'm prepared for it."  
                                                                                              - Jordan Curet 2/27/12

ROAD TRIP

 

Kaelin and AJ heading northwest

As you know, Kaelin Bamford and AJ Smollen are off on a major road trip with a mission: get to Alaska and ride as much powder as possible on the way. They left Aspen on February 11th and have made it through Washington state, where Kaelin competed in the North Face Masters at Crystal Mountain. They are hittin' it hard in Squamish, BC right now, ultimately bound for Valdez and Tailgate AK. Check out their pics photographed by AJ Smollen. Kaelin is sponsored by LOKI, the Colorado-based maker of extremely cool, and highly functional, outerwear and accessories. Two of this year's Loki jackets are pictured below.

Kaelin chutin' the gap in a LOKI Meta Snowsport Jacket. Horseshoe Chutes, Crystal Mountain

Hikin' the ridge. Kaelin out in front in the LOKI Tak Light Shell Jacket.

TAILGATE BC and TAILGATE ALASKA: a lot to look forward to.

TAILGATE ALASKA AND TAILGATE BRITISH COLOMBIA are happenin! It's a very exciting 2012 with these high-poppin' big mountain events coming up soon.

Tailgate BC March 8-12 in Revelstoke

Tailgate AK April 1-12 at Thompson Pass

Be there!

KAELIN HITS THE ROAD

Kaelin Bamford is heading to Alaska! He set off on February 11th with photographer AJ Smollen in a fort on wheels - a super sweet camper rigged up on his truck, towing two sick sleds. This is the long haul, destination Valdez via the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia. Their first big stop is Crystal Mountain, Washington, where Kaelin is planning to compete in the North Face Masters. Stay tuned for updates on Kaelin's adventures.

A Very Orange Team

ORANGE EXTREME Riders:
Casey Vandenbroek, Onna Konicek, Dave Watson, Kaelin Bamford, John Hunter, Pete Hunter