Featured Picture: Kyle Lieberman | Skier: Svea Irving
Crimson Bull Cascade is growing older like superb wine, and that’s the double fact! This previous weekend, we had been fortunate sufficient to bear witness to the third iteration of what is likely to be essentially the most artistic, entertaining competitors in freeskiing. The sprawling course included terrain to check all forms of riders. From large pure options to rainbow rails, facet hits to park jumps; this was the final word freeski paradise. Earlier than we dive into the specifics, let’s get the run down on what this beast really was and the way it happened.
For the primary time ever, Crimson Bull Cascade posted up at Solitude Mountain Resort in Utah’s well-known Large Cottonwood Canyon. The thought got here from Bobby Brown, the long-lasting freestyle skier who has a number of X Video games gold medals below his belt, in addition to being the primary skier ever to land a triple cork 1440. However lately, he has been pursuing objectives within the backcountry. It appeared as if his contest days had been behind him, however that was removed from the reality. In actuality, Brown, like many, had been noticing the rising hole between the competitors scene and the tradition of freeskiing. With extra riders heading into the backcountry and trying to find artistic methods to proceed pushing their using, it was time for a brand new type of competitors. Uniting with legendary park shaper Charles Beckinsale, the 2 set out a number of years in the past to try to deliver a few new competitors that might really push skiers from all throughout the freeride and freestyle spectrum, giving these riders an opportunity to showcase distinctive kinds that aren’t at all times rewarded in conventional occasions.
This yr, Crimson Bull Cascade took on a unique look. The riders had been divided into groups of 4, with every group having to stack factors as a unit and showcase their mixed imaginative and prescient. Dealing with off in a bracket-style throw-down, the elite women and men needed to mix their strengths.
The occasion took weeks to construct however finally led as much as three days on the hill: one follow day and two competitors days. Every run was judged on a factors system primarily based on Creativity, Pace, Alternative of Line, Problem and Vitality (Type/Aptitude). The aim was to rack up essentially the most factors on the “CSCDE” system, with a complete of fifty factors potential per run.
In basic Utah vogue, storms rolled in and introduced a contemporary blanket to the hill. With over 500″ to this point this season, Solitude was already outfitted to construct out such a large course. Nonetheless, the blended climate gave riders a good shot in several situations, one thing that’s very important for a cross-discipline competitors like this. For instance, a halfpipe skier like Birk Irving may need a greater line mapped out on agency situations, however a freeride skier like Blake Wilson may discover extra methods to spice up their rating in contemporary snow. With every rider being the cream of the crop, this wasn’t going to make a large distinction, nevertheless it’s nonetheless at all times enjoyable to see how situations change a skier’s strategy. However after two full days of battle, it was Staff Mando who took the highest spot, consisting of Bobby Brown, Colby Stevenson, Svea Irving and Jedson, AKA Jed Blue Waters.
Remaining Staff Outcomes
🥇 Staff Mando
Bobby Brown
Colby Stevenson
Svea Irving
Jed Blue Waters
🥈Staff Heart Punch
Jay Riccomini
Cody LaPlante
Ben Smith
Birk Irving
🥉 Staff Overshoot
Marin Hamill
Aaron Blunck
Konnor Ralph
Tanner Blakely
“These previous few days of the competition have seen among the most artistic snowboarding of the season. We had been thrilled to be again with our second version of the occasion this yr, and Birk and Svea really put down runs that complemented their kinds and took benefit of the course design.” – Bobby Brown
We are able to solely hope that extra competitions like Cascade proceed sooner or later, with monetary incentives trickling right down to riders. The extra eyeballs that come to occasions like these, the extra sponsors have a propensity to take part, and the extra snowboarding will be capable of progress exterior of the present bins. Creativity and innovation are arduous to foster, nevertheless it’s the one means our beloved sport and tradition will keep on. Cheers to Bobby Brown, Charles Beckinsale and each hand at Solitude, Crimson Bull and past who introduced the occasion to life!
Keep tuned to the FREESKIER social media channels for extra recaps, together with full top-to-bottom runs.
Pictures: Kyle Lieberman, Courtesy of Crimson Bull
