Nissan Russian Adventure

The Flight from Moscow to Sochi was interesting after we picked up Jamie Berge who was on our flight to Moscow and 6 of the Scandinavian Freeride crew. The farther back on the plane one sat the smaller the space between rows. I got 21A my knees touching the seat in front of me and an Amazon of a lady who was really excited to be going to Sochi on holiday and talking with an American. As the plane approached Sochi the turbulence was out of hand and only clouds were visible through the windows. We got off at 10 pm to a downpour of rain and flooded parking lots where Vitely the Russian Heli Guide met us for the 1 hour trip from the sea into the mountains and Krasnaya Polyana. As we snaked our way up into the mountains the rain got harder until we went through a tunnel over a KM long and came out into dumping snow with flakes the size of silver dollars. Our residence for the week was The Villa Uyutnaya a little hotel about 5 Kilometers from the Ski Area.

The next morning we woke to a foggy rain snow mix and no idea what the valley or mountains looked like. The ski Area had received three feet of snow the day before and only the bottom lifts were open. We were told that the ski area had not opened til after New Years due to lack of snow, but two days before we arrived they had received 6 feet in a 2 day time span, leaving us with waist deep powder on top of no base layer.

The mountain itself starts at 1500 ft and 4 slow double chairs later drops you off on a ridge line at 6800 ft. There are only 2 groomed runs running down on either side of the lifts from the 3^rd chair down. The top of the 4^th lift puts you on a ridge that goes for miles in both directions and allows access to some crazy lines where the Freeeride World Tour would begin its 2009 campaign.

Day 1 we got to ride the steep trees off the 2^nd and 3^rd lifts. Snorkels were definitely in order as we choked on the snow billowing off our chests through widely spaced trees and rock drops. All the athletes raged the terrain for 6 hours that day and returned to the hotel exhausted and soaking wet from the wet maritime snowpack that seemed to stick to everything. The snow stopped that day but the sun never broke out and the clouds sat low to the valley floor.

Day 2 they opened the top lift but only to the ¾ station where the sickest spine split the ski Area in two, complete with cliffs and even steeper tree skiing. Being a Monday it seemed that the freeriders were the only ones up there and we did are best to tear up the untouched steeps. Another six hour ski day and early night.

Day 3 blew up bluebird and we could finally see the extent of the Caucasus Mountains surrounding us. The peaks went well over 10,000 feet from the valley floor and was very much like the Alps in its grandeur. We also got our 1^st look at the venue for Run 1 of the comp. Two features with pitch greater than 60 degrees connected by cornices and steep chutes. Then into the rolling terrain filled with pungy sticks and bushes to grab you like snow snakes if you were not careful. The snow up high was almost Colorado blower and would sluff with you as you went making it hard to see where you were going. It was announced that the next day would be our first run.

The next morning we arrived at the ski area before the sunrise and the butterflies were already working themselves up. Also in my head were thoughts of Wallace and Nicoletta and the previous season. Having drawn bib 11 the day before I would be getting a pretty clean line. As the first few athletes took there turns, some of the biggest names in freeride were blowing up due to the difficulty of the snow, which led me to second guess my line and opt for my 2^nd choice. Being the 1^st comp of the year and my initial run as a world tour athlete I wanted to keep it simple and stay on my feet so I chose an easy line down a chute with walls on both sides that I tried to hit up the left side and into a wide open field of fresh pow. But when I went up the side it threw me back into the chute and all the debris in the exit which bounced me, spun me around, and made me lose my head just pointing it straight down the hill to the finish. I placed 18 out of 19 on the 1^st run with a score of 7 while The leader Eric Themel sat 18 points ahead of me. We were given the next day off after the Mountain Guides decided the cornices were becoming unstable due to the warming trend we were experiencing.

Saturday was a little cooler and the final run was on. An hour walk out the ridge brought us to the 1^st start gate where I had found a decent line and got my head back into a good mindset. As we were waiting for the comp to start 4 of us were peering off the edge when two more people approached overweighting the cornice at which point it fell taking me and Willy Lindberg with it. I ended up ten feet down stuck in a crevice as chunks the size of cars broke to my left and started an avalanche into the basin below us. Willy lost his skis and poles and had to borrow equipment from the Camera men. My run started off by dropping the cornice and then slashing side turns down to a rock feature bigger then I had expected with an uphill ramp that sent me 30 feet straight up to a hip check which spun me around but allowed me to keep my momentum going enough to way overshoot the transition of my next hit and have me peering down from over 3 stories in the air. From which I promptly did two cartwheels before regaining my composure and finishing my line with several small features and some nice turns.

As it turned out I was the only male snowboarder to blow up both days thus insuring my spot at the bottom of the results. Swiss Veteran Cyril Neri took home the top spot followed by Alex Coudray and Xavier de La Rue. My travel partner Will Brommelsiek brought 4^th and a bunch of tour points back to the US and is in good shape as we get ready for Squaw Valley.

From here the show goes to Squaw Valley USA February 27- March 5 where the riders are to tackle the legendary Tram Face which has been closed to riders since the resort was created and then on to the French Alps as the Freeeride World Tour stops in Tignes, France March 8 -15 for the third stop and last chance to get points and move on to Verbier, Switzerland for the Finals.