FREESKIER

Out now: “The most important app ever made. Ever.”

It’s called Pizza Compass. Need I say more? Now, next time you’re in that remote ski town for the first time, you’ll have no trouble locating the nearest pizza joint. Unless, of course, you’re out of cell service range and don’t have access to wifi—in which case, hopefully you packed enough DiGiorno to last a while.

As quoted from pizza-compass.com, “Some people might say: ‘This is the most important app ever made. Ever.’”

Austria is now Epic!

Vail Resorts blasted a press release this morning, sharing the news that “Austria is now Epic.” Specifically, the announcement declares the addition of “The Arlberg” to the Epic Pass; as part of the deal, passholders will receive five days of skiing in Arlberg, Austria—home to St. Anton, Lech-Zürs, St. Christoph and Stuben. This marks the Epic’s second foray into Euro territory, as Verbier, Switzerland was added to the Epic roster in 2012. In total, the Epic Pass now boasts 15 world-class mountains across three countries—all for $689.

“We are pleased and proud to announce our partnership with Arlberg as Epic Pass holders can now ski the best resorts in the world in three countries on one pass,” said Kirsten Lynch, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Vail Resorts. “Vail Resorts continues to look for opportunities to enhance the incredible value of the Epic Pass that our guests already receive and enjoy. In March, we announced that we increased the number of free days of access to Verbier, Switzerland, from three to five for the 2013-2014 season and we added, Eldora, a local Colorado ski area to the Epic Pass.”

Lynch continued, “Epic Pass holders already enjoy an incredible experience with unlimited, unrestricted access to Vail Resorts’ seven world-class resorts in the United States, including Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone,  Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood, as well as Arapahoe Basin and now Eldora, but the addition of world-class skiing in both Austria and Switzerland makes the Epic Pass even more compelling for our guests looking to take a ski vacation to Europe.”

Two edits from Ruka, Finland: Antti Ollila and 9-year-old Eelis Heimonen

I spent a large part of last week with some skiers at Keystone, Colorado. One of them was Maude Raymond who, although snakebit by the injury bug, has shown to be among the most stylish women skiing today. Her full interview—or at least more precisely transcribed thoughts—will be in Freeskier magazine this fall, but here’s the broad explanation of her view point: technique trumps size. I know, I know… it sounds dirty. Get over it and think about this argument: if a diver can do a four and a half on a ten meter platform, the organizers don’t make a 15 meter platform so more people can do that many spins. Instead, they wait for the divers to get better so more of them can do the trick on that size platform.

More explanation to come, but follow the line of argument for a second. It would be easy to dismiss this edit from Antti Ollila because it’s all park rails or boxes and (relatively) small jumps. But, wow, the dude has his tricks on lock. Technique? He has it. Who knows (I don’t) if he can do those tricks on a street handrail or on a big ol’ Level 1 size kicker. But there is no denying the range of tricks in his edit or their execution.

Watch it. Enjoy it. Question the Finnish park features at Rukatunturi (1,500 vertical feet, 500 miles north of Helsinki). Question my opinion. Just don’t question the skiing, ’cause it is damn fine ski shreddin’.

Antti Ollila:

Oh, and if you wonder how you get to be this good at skiing, it doesn’t have anything to do with the Olympics or hiring some washed up skier or mysterious old man to be your coach. Just start practicing, skiing, jumping and sliding rails as soon as you can walk. Do it every day and when you turn nine, maybe, just maybe you can put out a season edit like this one from Eelis Heimonen. Or maybe you have to be from Ruka, Finland to ski like these two.

Eelis Heimonen:

Win a custom Sole bike from RESQWATER

Our friends at RESQWATER are hosting a contest via the brand’s Facebook page, where users have an opportunity to upload a photo for a chance to win a custom Sole bicycle.

Here’s how it works:

1) Head over to the RESQWATER Facebook page.
2) Like the page.
3) Upload a photo through Facebook or Instagram, apply the #RESQWATER hashtag.
4) Boom! You’re eligible to win. Contest ends 4/29, so don’t delay—submit a photo today.

Here’s your first look at one of Level 1′s private features at Sun Valley

Level 1 is in Sun Valley this week, shooting on a handful of private park features for its upcoming film. Among the crew is winner of this year’s Superunknown X contest, Magnus Granér. Today, Torin Yater-Wallace gave us our first look at one of the features via Instagram:

Caution: Wearing a tall-t may change your anatomy

As shared by @beaujameswells on Instagram:

McConkey film premiere goes down in NYC

MSP Films’ McConkey documentary premiered this weekend in NYC, as part of the Tribeca Film Festival. MSP posted a few photos from the show here. Tess Weaver attended the premiere on assignment for Freeskier—stay tuned for her recap, coming soon.

Pro skiers’ butts all over Instagram these days

If you’re looking to get a nice glimpse of some male pro skiers’ asses, Instagram is here to help. This week, both TJ Schiller and Banks Gilberti mooned the cameras, showing off those tight glutes.

See TJ’s butt now.
See Banks’ butt now.

Ian McIntosh inks deal with the Backcountry.com pro team

From Backcountry.com:

PARK CITY, Utah (April 3, 2013) — Canadian pro freeskier Ian McIntosh is a hard-charging specimen of brute strength, raw talent, and pure style. Today, Backcountry.com, online specialty retailer of premium outdoor gear, welcomes McIntosh to their 34-member Pro Team. No slouch to slashing turns on steep powder faces, electrifying crowds at comps, or bringing his A-game for the camera, McIntosh joins an elite athlete roster that includes some of the most talented professionals in skiing, snowboarding, mountaineering, rock climbing, and mountain biking.

“We are super excited about having Ian join our program,” said Jonny Atencio, Sports Marketing Manager at Backcountry.com. “I’ve known Ian since he was competing on the Freeride Tour – the guy is a beast. His ability to seek out and ski unique lines is uncanny. We look forward to Ian’s contributions to our community, as he will be providing product reviews, answering questions, and uploading photos and video to the Backcountry.com site.”

Growing up in the Kootenays in interior British Columbia, Canada, McIntosh has had skis strapped to his feet since he was two-years-old. As part of a family that was crazy about skiing – his grandfather is still an instructor at age 85 – McIntosh honed his love for speed and technique as a ski racer during his early years. But, as he got older, the big mountains were calling McIntosh’s name – which prompted a move to Whistler in 2004.

“Having an avid skiing family, it was natural for me to gain a huge love for the mountains,” said McIntosh. “I was ski touring with my family from age 10. But, my love for powder quickly overtook my love for racing and I found myself completely addicted to skiing and over the years became a successful ski bum. Many things helped me hone my skills over the years from racing to the Freeski Tour, but I attribute everything to those early years as a kid where my passion for the mountains was born.”

After a few years on the freeride comp circuit, where he took second-place overall on the Freeski World Tour in 2004 and won the North American crown the same year, McIntosh was invited to shoot with leading ski-film company Teton Gravity Research (TGR) – a dream of his. This opportunity opened the door to McIntosh’s ski career as he has become a leading athlete in not only TGR’s annual ski films, but many others including Warren Miller and Red Bull productions.

“My skiing today is evolving as I become more and more focused on going places where not many have ever been and skiing mountains and lines that have never been ridden,” said McIntosh. “Bigger challenges and bigger rewards are waiting. Joining Backcountry.com is super exciting for me because I think that I embody the backcountry spirit as strong as most.”

Consisting of some of the most experienced and respected athletes in the world, Backcountry.com’s Pro Team members are ambassadors – and affiliates – for the site. Through adding product reviews, updating their personal profile pages, and sharing news across their social media channels, Backcountry.com athletes are an extension of the brand helping connect and engage customers and the Backcountry.com community.

For more about Backcountry.com, visit: http://www.backcountry.com/

USA Today Sports mentions “Ken Gusworthy” in Dumont Cup article

Line 15… classic mix-up!

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2013/03/28/simon-dumont-cup-maine-slopestyle/2029257/