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| High flyin' heli action in Valdez, Alaska |
Winter in Colorado was short, about two months worth of half-decent ski area conditions from January 10th or so till mid-March. The backcountry left a lot to be desired, as it was sparsely covered, wind affected and dangerous. Lots of people wrecked their sleds or themselves. After Meesch was caught in an avalanche she triggered during the Snowboard Freeride Co-op's Backyard BBQ Shredfest, the boys suspended part of their freeride project for this season. A second event to be held in Mammoth was cancelled. This accompanied various other cancellations and rescheduling which affected North Face Masters competitions and the Colorado Freeride Championships.
Most Orange Extreme Team riders set out for deeper snow. Kaelin, AJ, Onna, and Tyler all hit the road. Tyler and Onna attended the first annual
Tailgate BC in Revelstoke, with amazing snow conditions and fun across the board: awesome riding at Revelstoke Mountain Resort, insane sled access right from town, and dreamy heli boarding with
Eagle Pass Heliskiing.
Onna and Ty then joined Kaelin and AJ at
Tailgate Alaska in Valdez, where that dynamic duo worked for Big Mountain Taxi and did a stellar job getting people up high for big lines. Tyler and Kaelin both competed in the
Flow World Freeride Championships during Tailgate AK, the pinnacle invitational big mountain snowboarding event founded by Mark Sullivan.
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Kaelin Bamford and AJ Smollen, decked out in LOKI Gear, gettin' it done.
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| Brandon and Onna stokin' on the heli |
Brandon Reid had an amazing season, also heading up to Alaska to learn to be a big mountain heli guide. He did well in his rookie season with a start-up heli operation out of Valdez. He was the first and original sponsored athlete on Team Orange. We're talking early Colorado Freeride Series and NFM Kirkwood 2009 days. Brandon has become an accomplished big mountain snowboarder, winning the Flow World Freeride Championships, also known as the King of the Hill. He was all smiles on heli finals day, even more so when he hoisted the samurai sword as champion and took home $10,000 prize money.
Dave Watson realized a big mountain dream when he was invited to shoot a snowboard video with Johann in British Columbia for a film project that is sponsored in part by Venture Snowboards. They rode and filmed in the backcountry of Nelson, BC, using splitboards to access the terrain.
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Watson having an orange day
This spring Dave continues his backcountry hits tour in Oregon, and has recently ridden North Sister, Paulina Peak and Mt. Washington. Check out his freeride projects and photos on the Snowboard Freeride Co-op website.
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| North Face of Broken Top, Oregon |
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| Onna and Pete chillin' at Alaska Rendezvous |
Peter Hunter underwent a second knee surgery to remove hardware one year after shattering his patella while heliboarding in Valdez last spring. He spent most of this season snowmobiling prior to going back under the knife, exploring the backcountry near and around Steamboat. He plans to be up and running, and Alaska-ready next winter.
Our other Pete (John Peyton) Hunter, Orange Extreme's top model, experienced Silverton Mountain for the first time this season, which included a day of heliboarding. He loved it and gave it major good reviews. He has already launched what is going to be a sick dirt biking season in Aspen. Spring in Aspen is feeling like summer, and the dirt bike trails are more than ready, they are perfect. Pete is filming his adventure rides on Go-Pro, stay tuned for his footage.
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| Pete Hunter in the Orange Extreme ball cap |
Due to injuries sustained snowboarding the day before the King of the Hill, Onna was unable to compete in the Flow World Freeride Championships. She had really been looking forwrad to the event, as well as the opportunity for another top-10 finish. She placed 8th in the event last year. The good news is that she lived to ride another day, and is currently doing intensive physical therapy to rehab her shoulder. The story of the
avalanche that ripped her off the mountain has been featured in the Aspen Times, and will soon also be included in this blog. Onna has been invited to compete in the
World Heli Challenge in New Zealand this August, and hopes to be ready to ride in time for this renowned event.
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| Onna ecstatic after an epic day of heliboarding with Alaska Rendezvous Guides |
