Extreme Championships Final Story

Taos Ski Valley, NM - The New Mexico Extreme Freeskiing Championships finished strong on Sunday, February 13, as top competitors jockeyed for the top prize. Craig Gabiel from Markleeville, California, was crowned the New Mexico Extreme Skiing Champion and Lynsey Dyer from Sun Valley, Idaho, took the top spot for the women.

Taos Ski Valley's Andrea Krejci took third place for the women, separated only by a thin margin from the first position. Krejci, coach of the Taos Ski Valley Race Team, put together three impressive runs for the judges, and topped off her final run with a 30-foot cliff drop in the lower Zdarsky chute. Her podium finish included an automatic bid to the National Extreme Championships at Crested Butte February 25 through 27. Other notable Taos women were Marcia Ready (fourth), Caroline Colonna (fifth), Chris Merrill (seventh) and Beth Bubernak (ninth).

Michael Holmquist, Taos' top male finisher, placed 18th. Holmquist muscled himself toward the top of the pack after the first qualifying run with a radical line down the Zdarsky Spine and finished with multiple cliff drops off Mickey's Nose. On the final day of competition, he skied a very technical line down the boulder-filled Bamboo Nose, but just a few bobbles cost him valuable points in the judges’eyes. Taos was represented by over 25 competitors along with over 75 competitors from all over the Rocky Mountain region, West Coast, Alaska and Japan. Other notable Taos male competitors were Daniel Greenwald (33rd), Joe Augusten (37th), Tim Naylor (40th) and Dan Irion (43rd).

As the venue was moved to the full West Basin on the championship day, the "Huck Fest" commenced in earnest. Competitors started dropping 40-50 foot cliffs in the Game Birds area. Then the ante was upped and the skiers started dropping 80-foot cliffs in the Heavy Timber area. A 100-foot cliff, which has never before been negotiated, was launched by Kifor Berg of Aspen, Colorado. The cliff has now been dubbed Kifor's Dive. Many of the cliff drops were amazing and rallied the crowd gathered at the base of West Basin, but none brought the crowd to its feet more than the winner of the "Parillo Loco" (Sick Bird), Yuzuru Handa of Japan. Handa launched off an 80- foot cliff in the Heavy Timber area and pulled a full front flip. He stuck the landing and skied to a crazy crowd where he was mobbed by his brother and friend who also competed in the championship.

"There are lines that are being skied that have never been skied before on this mountain," said Alejandro Blake, Taos Ski Valley Events Director. The weather also brought a challenge to the event with snow and fog delaying the event, only allowing the women to get their run on the first day. Heavy snowfall continued on Saturday as a foot of the white stuff fell for the competitors to eat up. "It's just like my grandfather Ernie [Taos Founder] to make me sweat out the first two days and deliver a foot of powder for the final day,” said Blake. When asked if there would be another event next year, Blake said, "You better believe it!"