Stop Two of The North Face Masters kicks off at Crested Butte
February 13, 2009, 9:53 PM
By: Jesse Huffman
James Lozeau/MSI
Day one went down on the Headwall area of Crested Butte, and riders didn't hesitate taking the rocky and scrappy slope apart.
The second stop on the North Face Masters series is popping off at Crested Butte, Colorado, and the tour couldn't have picked a better freeride mecca. Returning champs from the Snowbird comp, Shannan Yates and Matt Annetts are up against a national field of free-shredders that includes a huge portion of local talent.
The 'Butte has a revered place among big mountain types, capturing the interest of now pro-shred legends Chris Englesman, Dave Basterachea and Barrett Christy, among others.
So, what's the deal?
"It's steep and it's rocky," answers 18-year local and fifth-place finisher in today's preliminary round Gareth Van Dk. "Crested Butte is a big volcano of shale. It's straight up daggers waiting to bite you." But besides the geological punishers, says Van Dyk, CB has the pitch to match.
James Lozeau/MSI
Go down and the rocks will eat you alive.
"It's one of the sheerest precipice rock formations around. On paper it looks small, but the way it lays out, there's hundreds of different lines. It would take years to do them all."
The first round took place on the Headwall area of the mountain, and riders did not hesitate to take the rocky and scrappy slope apart. A-Basin loc Mary Boddington sent it straight down the thin cover of the middle chute without wasting a second to scrub speed. Susan Mol and Bird champ Shannen Yates filled out the second and third spots with solid and consistent riding, top to bottom.
Dropping in first in the men's field, CB local Brandon Reid hung it all out, linking up a series of airs to a huge blast-off near the bottom, setting a standard that no other riders could match, earning him first in the standings. Snowbird winner Matt Annetts continued his high-speed domination, laying down precise and technical turns in terrain that had other riders gripped and slow. Third place in points was Dave Watson, whose stomp into the keyhole area and precision-guided exit wowed the judges. Not to be forgotten was a 40-foot backflip and a high-speed ski patrol snow spray.
Riders are taking it easy tonight in anticipation of tomorrow's shredding, on a nasty piece of terrain called the Staircase. Use you imagination that one.
"To place, you'll need to keep it fluid and make it look fun," says Van Dyk. "If you billygoat it too much it takes the fun out of it."
Alpine farmers beware; tomorrow the axe is going to fall hard.
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