[by Brian Hockenstein]
It's a funny thing the way the mind works. I
can't remember the names of 90% of the people I meet or where I left my socks
half the time, but for whatever reason, my memory has this peculiar ability to
remember the exact place I had certain conversations, often years later. And so
it was, on one fine January afternoon, travelling in my roommate's truck over
the top of Highway 99 just past Lilloet BC, with a new friend in the back seat,
that I heard the words "Tailgate Alaska" for the first time. Now I'm
not saying Vera, a professional rider from Germany now living in Whistler, was
trying to "place/name-drop" to impress a handsome young photographer
but whatever the case, as soon as I heard the A-word, it was pretty much a done
deal.
Tailgate Alaska is a loosely
organized event designed to encourage people to come from far and wide and
experience the grandeur of shredding in the Chugach Range. Started a few years
ago by Mark Sullivan, founder and former editor of Snowboard Magazine, Tailgate
has grown from a few guys camping by the side of the road to a full-blown,
albeit mellow as all hell, mountain festival with people coming in from all
over the world to camp on the Thompson Pass, 30 miles outside of Valdez. Most
people roll up with some sort of RV/snowmobile-trailer combo, which we elected
for as well, but there were definitely no rules in effect here. Spread out over
two parking lots on either side of the highway (watch out for those trucks!),
was a hilarious assortment of tents, pop-ups, campers, yurts, army tents with stoves in
them, cabins and even your occasional hippy sleeping under the stars.
As Vera started to describe Tailgate
Alaska to me over the next week, I quickly realized this was the chance to head
up there I had been waiting for my whole life. As any true snowboarder will
attest to, Alaska is the holy grail of the shred and like countless other
riders who grew up on a steady stream of 90's magazines and shred flicks, I had
been force-fed a diet of Alaskan lines during the entirety of my formative
shred years. I'm not saying I ever thought I was gonna be ripping lines like
Jeremy Jones, but Alaska was definitely on the menu and as I spent the 2000's
learning to be a photographer and filmmaker, I could feel it inching closer all
the time. I tried to explain to my father just what was so important about this
trip that would make it okay for me to miss Passover (approaching the age
of 30, it's less about permission and more about "permission"). I
always knew I would go to Alaska one day, but I also felt like I had to wait
for the right opportunity to make it right.
So planning began. The crew: German
transplant Vera Janssen, Canadian big-mountain shred in the making Dave Short
and myself, with the details being hammered out in between photo and video
sessions in the Whistler Backcountry over the next two months. At some point
back in March it was do-or-die time. We clenched our teeth with nervousness as
we handed over the close to two grand for the RV, but the stars were aligned
and everything else fell into place.
Courtesy of one German-resident and her out-of-country ID, we were able
to score the deal of the century on an RV out of Vancouver. We even had a last
minute addition to the group: a great friend of mine that I moved out West with
ten years ago and someone I have dreamed about travelling to Alaska with for
close to a decade and a half now, Josh Lapkovsky [ed.: you may remember Josh from part of the Showcase team at
DC's 48 Hrs on Grouse].
Vera with the tools of Tailgate: sled, shred and RV.
The specific details of this particular trip
are irrelevant, I know you don't want to hear about what we had for breakfast
on day seven (steak!). What is important is that we did it. A group of slightly
scared shreds, we took the chance and came back changed forever. Dreaming about
something your whole life and then finally doing it can be a scary thing. Will
it live up to the expectations? Am I ready? But with Alaska, as I think we all
kinda knew in the back of our heads, what you realize pretty quickly is that
the only real important thing is getting up there, and everything else just
falls into place. And of course, the Tailgate Alaska event just made things
infinitely easier. From the moment we rolled in to the moment we pulled out of
there, the only concern any of us had was what to ride that day and if we were
ever gonna get a down-day to get some rest (for the dozen or so days we were up
on the pass, we ran our snowmobiles every single day).
May all your days in Alaska look like this.
Which brings us to the whole point:
the shredding. Not sure exactly what to expect, I headed up there with an open
mind on what we were going to be riding. What we ended up finding up on the
Thompson Pass was an incredible mix of wide open powder fields down low, topped
with an endless selection of chutes and couloirs ready to be hiked and
shredded. And the best part was that we were parked at the bottom of it all.
We'd jump out of the RV and hop on our sleds and less than a three-minute
tandem ride later, we were standing on top of 3000' runs of pure perfection. We'd
usually warm up with a few of those each and then it was on to the gnarlier
shit up top. Pick a line and hike it was the name of the game. Dave, Vera and
Josh all rode an assortment of lines that would make most cringe. The further
we'd sled, the more terrain we'd see, and what we got to see and shred this
year was clearly just a taste.
Vera Janssen, full slash.
As if everything else wasn't sweet
enough, Sullivan and [Nick] Perata worked to bring back the King of the Hill (KOTH)
competition, once considered the ultimate freeriding contest. On hiatus for a
decade, the King of the Hill was a huge part of the original wave of Alaskan
freeriding during the 90's. The mere mention of the contest brings back
memories of Matt Goodwell and Julie Zell holding swords high above their heads
at the legendary KOTH parties. And this year's contest did not disappoint. Held
as a one-day event (past KOTHs have traditionally been 3-day events), the
competitors all got three runs on the legendary Bro Bowl directly above camp.
Although the third, lower run gave the competitors some challenging conditions
to work with (re: crust city), the first two runs on the upper wall left
everyone in attendance with a new respect of what was possible over a short
800-foot vertical drop. Highlights of the day included legend Mike Basich
launching an insane double drop line, getting to see Farmer send it as hard as
anyone on his 45th birthday, and of course, the overall vibe of the contest.
There wasn't a face around without a giant smile the whole day, and that
included the insane awards and after parties the next day down in Valdez. True
to her form, Vera grabbed top spot with an impressive combination of freestyle
elements thrown into some really solid, fast lines. And to no ones surprise on
the men's side, Travis Rice swept all three runs with a game-changing 720 in
the middle of his first run, a perfectly executed do-or-die line on his second
run and possibly the first hand-plant in a big-mountain contest to start off
his third run.
King Of The Hill.
For anyone thinking of going up to
AK, Tailgate Alaska is the perfect opportunity to make it happen. Mark Sullivan
and his crew have taken a lot of the planning out of it and at the same time,
created a real mellow "event" that welcomes riders of all abilities.
Rent a cabin, park an RV, stay down in town at the hotel as many people
did...it's all good. The only important things up there are that you make it and
bring a good attitude. The sledding is just phenomenal but there were also a
lot of people who did not have their own machines. Split-boarding, hiking,
heli-drops ($140 a pop) and even sled shuttles to the top of the gullies ($40)
are all great ways to get your turns in up there and there are always a few
people hanging out around camp ready to group up and get shit done.
Your
view from the "lift", if you're lucky.
So where does that leave you, dear
reader? Hopefully a little bit closer to just saying "fuck it" and
booking that trip you've always been dreaming about. Trust me, the details are
the least important part; so don't fret the small stuff. The only real
important things are the crew you bring and decision you make to go.
See you up there next year; I'll be
the one in the RV with a pile of garbage out front.
Photos: Brian Hockenstein
If you're tired of all these words, how about Brian's exclusive video from Tailgate Alaska?
And Brian's King Of The Hill video:
Additional info:
http://www.TaligateAlaska.com
Facebook Group: Tailgate
Alaska
http://www.cruisecanada.com
http://www.cheapmotorhomerental-vancouver.com
Mountain Sky Hotel in Valdez: (907)
835-4445
Alaska Backcountry Adventures: http://www.alaskabackcountry.com
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Related:
Brian's Tailgate Alaska Blog
Tailgate Alaska Episodes 1-10 (2009)
King Of The Hill: Ttravis Rice's Winning Run (video)