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Notes big and small from around the region
Banked slalom returns to Mt. Baker Ski Area in 2023
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Mt. Baker Ski Area’s Legendary Banked Slalom returned for its 35th year on the first weekend in February.
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Pro Men: Harry Kearney, 29, from Telluride, Colorado at 1:13.49
Pro Women: Tess Critchlow, 27, from Kelowna, B.C. at 1:19.37
Pro Legends Men: Mark Fawcett, 51, from Nelson, B.C. at 1:20.02
Junior Girls: Jade Knox, 14, from Hyak at 1:21.85
Next Gen Boys: Kanon Ling, 11, from North Vancouver, B.C. at 1:27.76
Next Gen Girls: Barrett Zwiebel, 12, from Glacier at 1:42.26 s Bellingham local Jason Loeb receives the Craig Kelly Award at the 35th Legendary Banked Slalom award ceremony. The Craig Kelly Award is a lifetime award given each year at LBS, recognizing an individual from the Northwest with deep ties to Mt. Baker whose contribution has advanced snowboarding culture, locally and beyond. Named for the late four-time world champion and Mt. Baker local Craig Kelly, the award represents the highest level of respect the Mt. Baker community can bestow. It was the 20th anniversary of Kelly’s death. Courtesy photo
T Chase Josey of Sun Valley, Idaho, begins a qualifying run on Saturday, February 4. Josey took 2nd place in pro men on Sunday. Ian Haupt photo
Over 400 snowboarders raced down the course — built in the ski area’s natural halfpipe off Chair 5 — Friday and Saturday in attempt to qualify for the finals on Sunday. Crowds at the start gate and along the course cheered racers on. Fog on Saturday made for poor visibility. Constant course maintenance was needed as racers often overshot turns, destroying banks and prompting “oohs” and “ahhs” from spectators. Plenty of racers found their groove, which made for nail-biting racing in multiple categories on Sunday.
Find the winners below. For full results, visit
Pro Legends Women: Marguerite Cossettini, 54, from South Lake Tahoe at 1:29.40
Pro Masters Men: Pontus Staahlkloo, 49, from Solleroen, Sweden at 1:17.52
Pro Masters Women: Marni Yamada, 44, from Lake Forest Park at 1:23.70
Super Masters Men: Luke Edgar, 60, from Park City, Utah at 1:27.31
Grand Masters Men: Peter Vinter, 50, from Gesunda, Sweden at 1:21.05
Grand Masters Women: Corey Saxon, 53, from Maple Falls at 1:32.86
Mid Masters Men: Chauncey Sorenson, 43, from Juneau, Alaska at 1:18.43
Mid Masters Women: Anna Bengtson, 43, from Syringa, Idaho at 1:29.63
Masters Men: Che Contreras, 37, from Bellingham at 1:17.13
Masters Women: Janessa Bork, 43, from Bend, Oregon at 1:25.32
Amateur Men: Milo Malkoski, 22, from Seattle at 1:17.42
Amateur Women: Juliette Pelchat, 18, from Whistler, B.C. at 1:21.72
Junior Boys: Anthony Shelly, 15, from Whistler, B.C. at 1:13.47
South Lake Tahoe pro skier killed in avalanche in Japan on trip with Baker locals
U.S. freestyle skiing gold medalist Kyle Smaine died in an avalanche while backcountry skiing in Japan January 29. He was 31.
Smaine was skiing on a marketing trip for Ikon Pass and Nagano Tourism along with Bellingham-based photographer Grant Gunderson and Glacier-based pro skier Adam Ü. According to ski magazine Mountain Gazette, Gunderson, Smaine and Ü were out skiing for fun on their last day of the trip. After a lap, Gunderson went back to the resort while Smaine and Ü went out for one last run. "It was the last run of the last day of our trip. We had no camera gear with us. We were going out for fun," Ü told Mountain Gazette. Smaine and Ü ran into a group of Austrian skiers on the summit. Smaine and Ü skied the same run as the previous lap. The Austrian group decided to ski a slightly different aspect with different exposure, Ü told Mountain Gazette in a call January 29. Smaine and Ü were preparing to skin up at the bottom when the first of the Austrian group joined them. The second Austrian skier triggered the slide.
"We saw it coming," Ü told Mountain Gazette. "We heard the crack. We realized it is a big one. We started running and then we got hit."
Ü was buried 1.5 meters deep for approximately 25 minutes. He told Mountain Gazette he believed it was 4 or 5 minutes, but the rescuer who assisted in digging him out said approximately 25 minutes.
Two doctors who were part of a guided group nearby responded to the scene. The group was performing CPR on the Austrian skier when they pronounced him dead. Shortly after, they said Smaine was unresponsive.
Gunderson said in an Instagram post Smaine was thrown 50 meters by the air blast and buried.
Smaine won a gold medal in the halfpipe at the 2015 FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding World Championships in Austria. He resided in South Lake Tahoe, California.
Washington trail map app provides real-time recreation updates
The TREAD Map app provides alerts and real-time updates for outdoor enthusiasts to avoid crowds and trail impediments.
The app incorporates Washington’s trail systems, waterways, mountain bike trails and other outdoor recreation areas to introduce users to new trail systems and inform them of area conditions. Users can also post on TREAD Talk to notify local land managers of current trail conditions.
Washington Tourism Alliance and Dharma Maps originally launched TREAD Map
