ESPN Freeskiing

David Tepper

While most of the snow appears to be iced in place, some did actually fly around at the '09 Chutes & Glades.

These are the picked up pieces from one of the genuine pieces of evidence in the case of the Passion of the East:

DAVE TEPPER, photographer and Jay Peak patroller:

• "We call it Chutes and Glades on the East here because we don't have what you might consider to be 'extreme terrain.' But the Face [Jay's tram face chutes] is pretty steep and pretty hairy as you can sorta see in some of the pictures. ... It's definitely one of the hairiest lines in Vermont, for sure."

• "The first run was on the River Quai; like the book and movie. Actually it's Upper River Quai on the trail map. And it does look like a river; a frozen one. After that, they cut the field to 10. They originally wanted it to be over two days but we all pressured 'em into one day because they were forecasting rain for the second day. And it turned out to be a good call because it was sunny and 60s and we got it in in one day."

David Tepper

When water ice abounds, revert to OPK maxim No. 7: When in doubt, straight 'em out.

• "Check out the video too from OPK; stands for One Piece Kevin. He's a pretty intense guy, and you get the picture because that video is right from his head."

KEVIN JOUDREY, aka "OPK"/"One Piece Kev", competitor (5th place this year) and CEO of JayPeakVideo.com:

• "It was a little firm but it wasn't too bad. They put it off for a week too because it was wicked firm, bullet-proof. ... You know, you only get a small window of opportunity up there [on the Face], because the sun only shines on it for so long."

• "The year before, '08, it was my goal in life to hit the double cliff and stick it. And I did. But nobody hit it this year. It wasn't in. Pretty much everyone took it pretty safe, and I took it my usual not-so-safe. I did the double but I took it in two instead of one. The guy who won [Colin Boyd], his skis never left the snow. I oftentimes disagree with how they judge this event, but the net is every run counts. And I lost my ski on the third run, and that's the way it goes. Of course, I went a little too aggressive."

• "The 10 year old kid [Andreya Zvonar, 3rd place, men/boys division] did great for a 10 year old, but he also got scored like a 10 year old. The 10 year old kid is a little ripper. It's funny because we ended up checking out the course together, like, come along 10 year old kid, and the next thing you know he did great in the comp. He shredded the course. Great little guy."

Name of the event? "Good question. Depends on who you ask I guess. But it's the IFSA Chutes and Glades Comp at Jay. But people also refer to it as the IFSA Extreme Comp at Jay, so there are a few names."

Other events like it in the East? "There's the Mad River Glen Unconventional Terrain Comp. We shot that as well, and that's a really cool event too. And then there's John Egan's annual Castle Rock Extreme Challenge at Sugarbush."

Which is gnarliest then? "They're different comps for sure, but Jay's is gnarliest—when you get on the Face. Nowhere else has that kind of gnarly terrain, that type of exposure, those types of big lines, and that's why Jay has achieved the IFSA sanctioning. Also, I'm just not sure any of the other mountains have even gone for it. But right now there's talk of an Eastern series, because you always see the same riders going to these events and it turns into quite a little crew. So why not make it a series and have a shared points system? Bern Helmets, our main sponsor, has approached us [Jay Peak Video] to do just that sort of thing: Go to the events, put it up online and then just have the public vote. Eastern skiing's version of American Idol, right? Why not. Hell, let's get ESPN involved. People would love it. ..."

What about New Hampshire and Maine? "I think Magic Mountain has an extreme comp."

Where's that? "I don't know. I honestly don't. Probably out in the Berkshires or something. ... You know, Sugarloaf really should do something, get up into the Snowfields. And, of course, we'd have to have a Tuckerman's day, a Tuckerman's comp. ... I don't think Cannon has one, but they should too."

• "Now everybody's starting to open up more of their extreme areas—actually following Jay Peak's lead in saying, you know, you can't wrongly cross any of our borders because we don't have any. The big Eastern thing is really the moguls comps though. The one at Sunday River, Killington's Mogul Challenge, hell everybody does a mogul comp. But I think it all naturally feeds into this other idea."

David Tepper

Either this is a fine Vermont rendition of a mullet, or one of the girls is getting it done on the blue ice of Jay Peak's Tram Face.

How long has Chutes and Glades been going on? "I don't know exactly, but I'd venture to say seven or ten years or more. But it's gotten a lot more serious in the last four, since the sanctioning."

• "The Eastern skier, the Eastern skier always has his bag packed, always watching the weather, just trying to time up that one powder day of the year. That's how I've lived my whole life. And that's how I landed at Jay, and why I'll never leave."

OPK? "Stands for One Piece Kev; always in a one piece. ... In '99, I got first place in speed and third overall at the first annual John Egan's Castle Rock comp. And I won a one piece; a nice FILA one piece. It was extremely functional, and I was a ski bum, so I wore it all the time; for like three years. And then when I got involved with Bern Helmets my team manager just started calling me OPK..."

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