JANUARY 29, 2009 ISSUE
Lift Ticket
A Column About Skiing and Snowboarding in the High Country
Mark your calendars right now for Saturday, February 7.
On that day, Boss Hawg is playing live at Sugar Mountain Resort from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., and Ski Beech is hosting the Winners Take All Rail Jam and 3rd Rail After Party from 11:00 a.m. to midnight. Both events, in my opinion, represent what we need to see more of in the local ski industry—auxiliary parties that encourage locals to utilize, embrace and champion the local ski mountains and their surrounding lifestyle.
With mounting snow depths thanks to our talented regional snowmakers, all four local snowsport resorts will most definitely provide peak-season terrain conditions over the next few weeks, creating even more of a reason to spend the first weekend of February on the slopes and at the ensuing after parties.
In the meantime, of course, there is plenty to do if you want to play in the snow.
Around the Slopes…
After five days of continuous snowmaking on the slopes, Appalachian Ski Mountain opened Hard Core and Thin Slice last week. Photo courtesy of Appalachian Ski Mountain
-Carve out some time this week and head over to Appalachian Ski Mountain to catch some runs on Hard Core and Thin Slice, two of the mountain’s best black diamond runs that benefited from five days of round-the-clock snowmaking last week. If you need more of a thrill, register to compete in Appalachian’s Fresh Fridays 5 on Friday, February 6. Sponsored by Appalachian Ski Mountain and Appalachian Terrain Park, Fresh Fridays 5 takes place from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. on Appal Jam. As always, the event is free with the purchase of a lift ticket, and will sport a low-key, relaxed jam session format where riders can hit the new setup—with new features designed by App’s in-house welder—as many times as they want, in any order they want, just like a normal day of riding with friends. The event is open to all ages of skiers and snowboarders in the divisions of beginner, intermediate and advanced. Registration is from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. at Cashier Booth #1 in the lower level of the lodge. The competition starts at 7:00 p.m., with the award ceremony taking place immediately after the jam.
Ski Beech is hosting the Winners Take All Rail Jam on Saturday, February 7, from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
-Ski Beech and pro snowboarder and famous clothing designer John “J.J.” Collier are hosting the Winners Take All Rail Jam on Saturday, February 7, from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Sponsored by Skull Candy, Under Armour, 4FRNT Skis, Kangol, POW, Launch, Smith Optics and Guerilla Fist, the jam starts with signup at 11:00 a.m. in The Beech Tree Bar & Grill, and the first rider takes off at 5:00 p.m. Collier, who is design director for Polo Ralph Lauren’s RLX outerwear line, is originally from Banner Elk and is returning home next weekend to host and add some excitement to the inaugural event. This event is great for the area, in my opinion, because it not only includes a rail jam, but also graffiti art on the snow, live music from DJs at night, a famous guest host and an emcee battle during the daytime with cash prizes. The cost of the entire event is $20—in addition to the purchase of a lift ticket—and participants will compete for cash and prize packages. The event features three divisions—girls, 15 and under, and best of breed—and will be filmed in its entirety for Havoc Television. The event will include terrain park setups “never before seen in this area,” said Ski Beech Terrain Park Manager Mitch Bryant. Ski Beech Snowcat Operator and award-winning snowgroomer Riley Lecka, Bryant and P.J. Post from New Jersey’s Mountain Creek are designing the course. Riders will have between 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to practice on the course. During the afternoon, Under Armour is sponsoring the Bunker Battle, a competition among eight emcees. After the rail jam, the 3rd Rail After Party takes place in The Beech Tree Bar & Grill and will include live performances from Brother Reade, Pro & Reg, DJ DR, DJ Sicknis and DJ Real. For more info, click to www.3rdrailjam.com.
Go play in the snow.
Questions? Comments? Concerns? Email sam@highcountrypress.com.
Cyber Slope Info…
Appalachian Ski Mountain:
828-295-7828, www.appskimtn.com, www.appterrainpark.com
Ski Beech:
828-387-2011, www.skibeech.com
Hawksnest Resort:
828-963-6561, www.hawksnest-resort.com
Sugar Mountain Resort:
828-898-4521, www.skisugar.com
North Carolina Ski Areas Association:
www.goskinc.com
Sugar Mountain Adult Race League—Team Results, Week 3
1. Team Sugar Mountain Resort—60 points
2T. Team Banner Elk Café #1—55 points
2T. Team Ski Country #1—55 points
4. Team Alpine #1—51 points
5. Team Banner Elk Café #2—46 points
6. Team ASU Ski Team—43 points
7. Team Sugar Ski Patrol—42 points
8. Team Beech Mountain—39 points
9. Team Insurance Plus—38 points
10. Team Sugar Ski School—36 points
11. Team Alpine #2—29 points
12T. Team Lodge Coffee House—28 points
12T. Team 1st Tracks—28 points
14. Team Ski Country #2—27 points
15. Team Zuzda—26 points
16. Team High Country Press—18 points
Snowboard Teams:
1. Team Edge of the World—30 points
2. Team ASU Snowboard Team—19 points
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