Despite the dedicated “earn your turns” philosophy employed in his successful bid to hike and ski all 54 of Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks within a calendar year, Aspen freeskier Chris Davenport’s “Ski the 14ers” project failed to meet the White River National Forest’s criteria for “primitive recreation.” As a result, the accompanying film of the 2006 project by Ben Galland likely will never be seen.
More than three months after Davenport completed his year-long endeavor with a Jan. 19 descent of 14,255-foot Longs Peak, White River National Forest supervisor Maribeth Gustafson last week denied Galland the required permit to commercially film on National Forest lands. According to a release from Gustafson’s office, the filming had already occurred when USDA Forest Service officials received the application for a special use authorization allowing the filming.
“Because this proposed activity had already taken place, it put me in the difficult position of evaluating whether I would have permitted the activity as it occurred,” Gustafson said. “Normally, we would work with proponents to modify their plans to match our goals as land managers. It’s unfortunate the same could not happen in this situation.”
Officials also argued that the film is likely to increase use in certain wilderness areas above 14,000 feet where the current Forest Plan advises minimal use.
“By approving a film that promotes additional use of these areas, we will only be contributing to loving these wild places to death,” said WRNF acting recreation staff officer Rich Doak, adding that summer use is already a tremendous concern for many heavily used wilderness areas.
MOUNTAIN BIKING: Keystone on “Money” with trails
Banking on the downhill and freeride mountain biking boom to continue carrying momentum in Summit County this summer, Keystone Resort announced it will add six downhill trails to its mountainside network this summer, beginning with the June 15 debut of the “Money” trail.
Featuring 22 tabletop jumps and massive berms, Money will build on Keystone’s reputation as the region’s top freeriding site. The new trail, completed at the close of the 2006 riding season, is designed to complement last summer’s hit terrain park known as the Drop Zone, where riders can fly off a graduated series of wooden stunts and jumps as high as 15 feet.
“Keystone’s made a huge commitment to providing the best experience on the hill – with the best jumps, best features, best guest service, best of everything,” said Greg Rood, Keystone Bike Park supervisor. “And Keystone’s committed to getting even better.”
Keystone will host the Mountain States Cup series finals from Sept. 1-3, featuring cross country, gravity and Super D races, exhibitions and other festivities.
Summer season passes for mountain bikers are $229 for weekday access and $269 for unlimited access. Daily bike haul tickets are $30 ($18 for children) for all-day access or $18 for single rides ($9 for kids).
KAYAKING: Canada hosts freestyle worlds
The march toward Olympic sanctioning for freestyle kayaking takes a major step this week as the inaugural freestyle world championships under the governance of the International Canoe Federation (ICF) start on the Ottawa River in Canada. The ICF is the official governing body for paddling sports in the Olympics.
As a requirement for Olympic approval, the sport must hold a world championship every two years along with another major event – preferably a World Cup – in the other years. Freestyle kayaking’s first World Cup circuit got underway with three events in 2006.
“This isn’t like going to Salida where you paddle out into a little wave and do a few ‘loops,”‘ said Gypsum resident Ken Hoeve of Dagger Kayaks, who is emceeing the event. “There’s no ladies’ tee. You have to swing out on a rope and drop into a wave the size of a two-story building. Most of the people here have never seen anything like it, and when they do, they’re going to freak.”
Competitors from as far away as Japan, Brazil, New Zealand and Norway will have their first good opportunity to train on the wave today before attempting to unseat men’s world champion Eric Jackson of Tennessee and women’s champion Jutta Keiser of Germany in the three-day competition.
SKIING: Say goodbye to K2
The “little ski company from Vashon Island, Wash.,” K2 Inc., is all grown up and is getting married to Mr. Coffee. K2 Inc. announced last week it has signed a definitive merger agreement with the Jarden Corporation, which includes Mr. Coffee, Coleman and Sunbeam in its corporate stable.
Based in Rye, N.Y., and employing more than 20,000 worldwide, Jarden Corp. is ranked No. 585 on the list of Fortune 1,000 largest corporations in the U.S. With the acquisition of K2 Inc. for $1.2 billion, the company takes a major step into the sporting goods business. K2’s portfolio includes Adio, Ex Officio, JT, K2, Marker, Marmot, Penn, Rawlings, Ride, Sevylor, Shakespeare, Stearns, Volkl and Worth. The transaction is expected to close early in the third quarter of this year.
MOUNTAIN SPORTS: Ski Channel to launch in 2008
Steve Bellamy, founder and former president of the Tennis Channel, announced plans to launch the Ski Channel, which will focus on mountain activities such as skiing, snowboarding, hiking and biking. It is set to launch in 2008 with an unspecified long-term affiliation agreement with Time Warner Cable.
