Black Diamond for everything climbing and skiing.    Dynafit -- Speed Up!    Tracker beacons, Stash packs, shovels, more more more.    Terrific deals on randonnee AT rando backcountry skiing gear.    K2 has the skis that stay true to earning your turns.    Garmont boots -- excellent choice for backcountry skiing.

Le Pow Ski — Take a Clinic from Chris Davenport

Bookmark and Share            By Lou

This sounds like an interesting event, so here is a PSA for y’all.

Black Diamond Equipment will host North America’s first ever “Big LePowSki” ski extravaganza from February 26-28 in Salt Lake City. A ski festival, the Big LePowSki begins Thursday night with a backcountry film festival and culminates Saturday with ski clinics and a party supporting the Billy Poole Fund.

The event kicks off 7pm Thursday night, February 26, with the Backcountry Film Festival at Brewvies in Salt Lake City, sponsored by the Winter Wildlands Alliance. Mandatory pre-registration and athlete social is set for 6pm Friday night at the Black Diamond retail store.

Athletes in attendance include: Sage Cattabriga-Alosa, John Griber, Chris Davenport, Andrew Mc Lean, Jen Berg, Brett Crabtree, Neil Provo, Hilaree Nelson O’Neill, Callum Pettit, Julian Carr, Andy Jacobsen and more. Athlete ski clinics will take place on Saturday from 9am-4pm at Brighton Resort. The weekend wraps up with the Big LePowSki party in support of the Billy Poole Fund from 9pm-1am Saturday night at the Woodshed Bar & Grill.

Posted by Lou on February 18, 2009 | Filed Under News Backcountry 

previous post: Who Plows Your Trailhead?
next post: Dawn of the Living Aspen Trees

Comments

3 Responses to “Le Pow Ski — Take a Clinic from Chris Davenport”

  1. Russ February 19th, 2009 9:54 pm

    Lou, I know you are fond of snowmobiles. I think they have there place too. Great rescue vehicles. The other day had climbed up one of the best ski mountains in Southern Oregon. It has easy access from the highway and is a 2300 foot climb to the top. The lava flows on the north side provide perfect ski runs. While standing there comtemplating my ski down in perfect powder four snowmobiles came roaring up riding four abreast and completley trashing my favorite run. I have been skiing this mountain for 33 years never saw a snowmobile up there untill 1985. To say I was pissed would be an understatement. The number of snowmobiles on this mountain is increasing and unpleasant confrontations are on the rise. They do not seem to have a clue as to how they affect the skiing. These machines are getting so powerful they can go up almost anyplace a skier can go. Last winter a snowmobile was abandoned on the mountain and it is still there now ,buried under the snow. The Pacific Crest trail runs on the west side of this mountain and in the summertime they do not allow motorized vehicles of any kind on the trail that encircles the mountain. Any thoughts on how to talk with these people or proceed with trying to diminish or limit snowmobile access. Skiers are willing to share this area. Your thoughts?

  2. Lou February 20th, 2009 6:35 am

    Russ, “fond” might be the wrong word. In your situation that day I would not have been exactly fond of snowmobiles!

    As for how to deal with sharing ground, Winter WildLands Alliance is the place to start. See the following link:

    http://www.wildsnow.com/1479/winter-wildlands-conference/

  3. John Gloor February 22nd, 2009 9:54 am

    Russ, I could not tell from your comments whether or not sleds are allowed there. It is very common for over the snow motorized travel to be allowed when summertime usage is banned due to the impermanence of the tracks. If they were legal, then you have two choices. Accept them or play the politics game and try to get them banned. Often different users clash and tempers can flare. As an example, in the summer I kayak a lot. I have had fly fishermen snap their lines at me for disturbing the fish they are trying to catch. I try to be courteous and avoid them but sometimes it is unavoidable. No doubt they have fished these rivers for years in solitude and resent the rapid increase in the numbers of kayakers. Plus todays creek boats can go about anywhere! If the sledders were legal, I hope you kept your rage contained, as no one likes being berated or judged harshly when they did nothing wrong. If they were poaching, take a photo of the registration number posted on each side of the sled and turn them in to the authorities.

    I own a sled and use it for access. I ride it over the snow covered roads and leave it at the bottom when I start skinning. It gets me 10-15 miles into remote areas and is a great access tool, not unlike a car or truck. Most of the area off the roads here is wilderness, so sleds where we ski are not a problem. I have to differ with the statement that they can go almost anywhere a skier can go. They are very hard to maneuver through trees and traverse side hills with. Slow riding due to trees or drifts can lead to getting a large machine very stuck. If someone finds themselves sharing challenging terrain with sledders, then the sledders are probably more talented riders than they are skiers

Got something to say?





Anti-Spam Quiz:

:alien: :angel: :angry: :blink: :blush: :cheerful: :cool: :cwy: :devil: :dizzy: :ermm: :face: :getlost: :biggrin: :happy: :heart: :kissing: :lol: :ninja: :pinch: :pouty: :sad: :shocked: :sick: :sideways: :silly: :sleeping: :smile: :tongue: :unsure: :w00t: :wassat: :whistle: :wink: :wub:

Due to comment spam we moderate most comments. Please do not submit your comment twice -- it will appear shortly after we approve it. Once you've had one comment published, your comments will be pre-approved and appear immediately if you're using the same computer and not blocking browser cookies. NOTE however that ALL comments with one or more links in the text will be held for moderation no matter what, again for spam prevention.
Welcome to Louis (Lou) Dawson's backcountry skiing information and opinion website. Lou's passion for the past forty years has been alpinism, climbing, mountaineering and skiing -- along with all manner of outdoor recreation. He has authored numerous books and articles about backcountry skiing and is well known as the first person to ski down all 54 of Colorado's 14,000-foot peaks, otherwise known as the Fourteeners! Books and free back country information here, and tons of Randonnee rando telemark info.

All material on this website is copyrighted. Permission required for reproduction, electronic or otherwise. That includes publication and display on other websites by whatever means. PLEASE SEE OUR COPYRIGHT INFORMATION.

Backcountry skiing is a dangerous sport. You may be killed or severely injured if you do any form of randone, randonnee and randonnée skiing. The information on this website is intended only as general information. While the authors and editors of the information on this website make every effort to present useful information, due to human error the information, text and images contained within this website may be inaccurate, false, or out-of-date. By using, reading or viewing the information provided on this website, you agree to absolve the owners of Wild Snow as well as content contributors of any liability for injuries or losses incurred while using such information. Furthermore, you agree to use any of this website's information, maps, photos, or binding mounting instructions or templates at your own risk, and waive Wild Snow its owners and contributors of any liability for use of said items for backcountry skiing or any other use.