DESTINATIONS:

Evans, Chickering-Ayers roar at Revy for FWT wins

Jan. 10, 2011 ― FWT, Chris Jennings      ♦ Photos: Finals action, from top: men's champ Lars Chickering-Ayers in action and sporting his Mad River Glen pride; women's champ Leah Evans; men's runner-up Drew Tabke hucks a cliff  (Paul Morrison)

REVELSTOKE, B.C. ― The finals of the Subaru Canadian Freeskiing Championships went off in grand fashion Monday at Revelstoke Mountain Resort. Twenty men and seven women were flown to the top of Mac Face in a Bell 105 copter provided by Selikirk Tangiers Heli Skiing. Mac Face, at the edge of the resort boundary, is a steep technical face that proved challenging for the finals competitors as well as Revelstoke’s ski patrol.

While the day one competition was happening in North Bowl on Sunday, the patrollers were busy heli-bombing Mac Face, with little results. Monday the patrollers were the first ones dropped at the top of the run, and while doing ski cuts to test the snowpack, they triggered several significant slides. Due to this, the helicopter was sent to pick up explosives so the patrol could throw hand charges into the venue to ensure its safety for the competition. This pushed the competition back an hour, but safety is always the first thing in the minds of event organizers and the ski patrol. “A short delay is a small price to pay to ensure our competitors safety,” said event director Bryan Barlow.

Once the venue was cleared by the ski patrol, the women were the first to get their shot at Mac Face. The women’s champion was Leah Evans with a run score of 32.83 and combined score of 66.16. Tatum Monod fought her way from the qualifier to finish in second with a combined score of 46.90. Rounding out the podium finishers for the women was Nicole Derksen with a combined run score of 42.10.

On the men’s side, the competition was intense as the champion was not decided until the last run. Mad River Glen, Vermont's Lars Chickering-Ayers came out on top with a run score of 42.07, giving him a combined score of 79.37. Chickering-Ayers earned his score by skiing a line that included lots of exposure and ended with high-speed turns through the sluff debris at the bottom of the venue.

Skiing directly after Chickering-Ayers was Drew Tabke, who came into the day in first place by a small margin of 1.23 points. Needing a score of 40.84 to retain his lead, Tabke fell short with a run score of 33.8, putting him in second place with a combined score of 72.33. The final podium finisher for the men was Spencer Brinson with a combined score of 71.67.

The top three men and women were presented with the Lars Chickering-Ayers in downtown Revelstoke. The Howitzer Trophy, fashioned from Howitzer shells used for avalanche control work, will be presented to the top three men and women at all of the remaining stops on the Subaru Freeskiing World Tour. The tour next heads to Jackson Hole, Wyo., for the tour qualifier, as athletes who have yet to prequalify for the tour vie for the coveted remaining prequalified spots for the remainder of the season.

S-Magazine

Subaru Canadian Freeskiing Championships final day results, Monday, Jan. 10

Women    Result    Number    Name     Home Mountain    Country    Run 1    Run 2    Total
    1    34    Leah Evans    Red Mountain    CAN    33.33    32.83    66.16
    2    37    Tatum Monod    Banff    CAN    31.87    15.03    46.90
    3    46    Nicole Derksen    Revelstoke    CAN    27.50    14.6    42.10
    4    29    Crystal Wright    Jackson Hole    USA    28.03    13.67    41.70
    5    39    Louise Lintilhac    Crested Butte    USA    25.53    11.5    37.03
    6    6    Jacqui Edgerly    Aspen    USA    33.27    DNF   
    7    12    Sara Rose Mancuso    Squaw Valley    USA    25.67    DNF   
                                                           
Men    Result    Number    Name     Home Mountain    Country    Run 1    Run 2    Total
    1    42    Lars Chickering Ayers    Mad River Glen    USA    37.30    42.07    79.37
    2    2    Drew Tabke    El Colorado, Chile    USA    38.53    33.8    72.33
    3    49    Spencer Brinson     Kirkwood    USA    36.17    35.5    71.67
    4    11    Connery Lundin    Squaw Valley    USA    31.50    38.07    69.57
    5    7    Aaron Schmidt    Fernie Alpine Resort    CAN    35.53    31.97    67.50
    6    24    Caleb Brown    Fernie Alpine Resort    CAN    34.00    32.2    66.20
    7    13    Mat Jackson    Squaw Valley    USA    36.43    29.2    65.63
    8    57    Sam Cohen    Alta    USA    34.00    29.3    63.30
    9    3    Griffin Post    Jackson Hole    USA    35.63    26.6    62.23
    10    14    North Parker    Sun Valley    USA    34.67    25.47    60.14
    11    30    Dominick Malaussena    Jay Peak    USA    28.17    31.67    59.84
    12    28    Matt Potter    Breckenridge    USA    30.67    26.5    57.17
    13    45    Ryan Hawks    Mad River Glen    USA    28.50    28.33    56.83
    14    65    Sean Cochrane    Revelstoke    CAN    31.33    20.17    51.50
    15    10    Carter McMillan    Lake Louise    CAN    34.83    16.27    51.10
    16    33    Dylan Crossman    Mad River Glen/Alta    USA    32.23    16    48.23
    17    60    Collin Collins    Sun Valley    USA    31.27    15.67    46.94
    18    36    Gord Spurgeon    Revelstoke    CAN    30.00    16    46.00
    19    52    Matt Luczkow    Vail    USA    33.90    11    44.90
    20    9    Drew Stoecklein    Alta / Snowbird    USA    30.70    DNS    30.70