Featured Image: Miranda Galbraith

Skiing is a beacon of good times. The communities created thanks to this bewildering sport that we love are as vibrant as they are eclectic. We flock together in pursuit of the days that make us smile; bottomless snow, park laps with friends, a day of touring that brings euphoria. While we all find our own ways of deriving satisfaction from skiing, it’s the same hustle in the end. As Kobe Bryant once said, “Different animal and the same beast.”

This passion brings skiers together, and over time, it has created some truly spectacular gatherings. You would be hard pressed to find a gathering that holds a candle to the beloved day known as The Frank World Classic, or Frank for short, at Alta, Utah. Every April since 2011, Alta’s last scheduled day of the season hosts eight hours (or more, depending when you end the party) of pure skiing happiness. A jump is built near the Wildcat chairlift and spectators gather, all leading up to a giant lap down the notoriously steep, legendary front-side pitch called High Boy. No sponsored posts or expensive new gear, just glorious retro planks, mono skis, backflips, neon onesies, daffy’s, and hot dogs. Our research on the history of Frank revealed a few answers that touch on what Frank really is. We’ll turn it over to one of the founders of Frank, Mike Trioli, to speak on this one:

“Frank is a place where every skier should long to be. It is a place of pure bliss, with none of the glitz and glamor and social media that seems to come in this modern age we live in. It is that feeling you get when you are on skis, and the world, and all of its problems, seem to fade away with every turn. Frank is a quiet slayer of the mountain. Frank is that hoot and holler you hear on the wind on an epic day at the mountain. Frank is a lock-kneed top-to-bottom bump line. Frank doesn’t need the hype, the gear, or to be the best skier on the mountain. Frank is humble. Frank just wants to be. And so Frank is that place that is born within all of us. That place we neglect to visit enough that lives deep down in our souls. That spirit and sense of freedom that comes with skiing. Frank is the innocence that we tend to push into the background as we get older and let other things distract us from the real reason we are skiing: joy.”

Pure poetry from Trioli. While we can’t all make it to Frank, we can understand and relate to that feeling of bliss that occurs in the mountains with two planks strapped to our feet. Sure, Frank might not be as peaceful as a zen moment on a backcountry mission, but it allows all the same freedom one could hope for nonetheless. We’re sure that you, dear reader, got a taste of this feeling throughout the winter and into the spring at the many closing day parties from resorts around North America. But if you’re like us, you’re probably still curious about what Frank 2024 was like. Thanks to the talents of Miranda Galbraith, we can get a sense. She was on scene with her camera, capturing the beauty that occurs when hundreds of skiers clad in neon and ready to party assemble in the hills. Enjoy the photo gallery below, and may the Frank be with you.