The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
“I feel good about myself”
There’s a new Snowblade sheriff in town. On Sunday, April 1, a young man by the name of Grant Spear held off 16 other competitors, including three-time winner and defending champion Ben Blackwood as well as two-time über-Blader Adam Westlake, to be crowned the 2012 Snowblade Extreme champion. Annie Dyar grabbed the women’s title.
The Snowblades Extremes (SBX) started in 2006 and was first won by an Australian by the name of Henry.
Wait a minute—let’s step back for a second.
Snowblades gained international fame when the Skiboard (aka Snowblades) Big Air debuted at the X Games way back when they were held here in 1998. Snowblades are those tiny “skis” you sometimes see on the feet of tourists. They’re basically inline skates for the snow, sort of.
The Snowblade Extremes are basically just like the regular ski extremes, or big mountain competitions, sort of.
There are rules, just different rules than you might find at a big mountain comp on the World Freeskiing Tour. One of the rules requires athletes to either have a real or fake mustache. Another rule absolutely prohibits practicing.
In fact, it reads, “NO PRACTICING!!!!!! If you are caught practicing for the event you will be disqualified. And ridiculed by everyone.”
Fair enough.
And there are judges with a certain set of criteria by which to judge competitors. Line choice is a major part of the criteria. As is mustache intensity, air (Go big or go home), Overall “Bladeness” and crashing.
“You don’t have to crash, but it helps.”
That said, the Snowblades Extremes are by no means a joke. The athletes test their limits, as well as the limits of their gear and the limits of common sense on Snowblades. Past venues of the event have included the Headwall and Big Chute.
This year’s choice of venue was somewhat limited.
“It was tough,” says SBX Master of Ceremonies Eric Schumacher. “I skied the Headwall the week before and I was downright scared on my skis, let alone snowblades.”
Organizers’ back-up venue was Hawk’s Nest where “There are rocks and features for them to work,” according to Schumacher. Unfortunately, on the day of the event, that venue proved off limits as well so the event organizers settled on the stand of trees and rocks on the skier’s right side of Ruby Chief. Ironically, the same location that locals tested themselves, their gear and common sense in the Gelande competitions off of Paradise Rock in the 1970s and ’80s.
Nevertheless, the palette was there for each Snowblader to paint their particular masterpiece.
Spear, who decided last minute to enter, painted his version of Guernica on the venue to take the 2012 title.
With a pair of Armada JJ skis cut in half, dubbed the Custom Armada J, Spear prepared for the competition both mentally and psychologically since actual practicing is prohibited.
“I lubricated a little bit at the Paradise Warming House,” explains Spear. “I knew there was some pretty sweet lines in those rocks and went out with the mentality to shred some rocks.”
Grant’s line consisted of a “pretty good turn on some rocks, a nice long traverse across a scree field and a nice screamin’ seamen at the end.”
He believes the “pretty good turn on the rocks” really caught the attention of the judges, eventually resulting in the win.
“I think the rock turn really exemplified my run,” says Spear.
Still delirious from the win two days later, Spear took a moment to collect his thoughts on what it all means to him.
“I feel wonderful, just glowing with excitement,” says Spear. “I feel good about myself.”
Schumacher would like to send a huge thanks out to all of the competitors and the event’s major sponsors, Todd Barnes of the Avalanche and Gabe Martin of the Colorado FreeSkier.
