The gnarliest air at Alta??

[Xover]

I am not saying that it IS the gnarliest air or even the biggest, but Rus 4 is one sickly gnarly air!!!

Imagine an air that:
- Str8 (according to him, has never aired it - only ridden over its rocks in the backseat back in the day)
- DTM said at the end of last year that he didn't need to hit it again
- makes your legs shake worse than when climbing
- causes a loss of sleep the night before hitting it
- causes loss of appetite the morning before hitting it
- makes your heart beat so fast that your chest feels like its gonna explode just thinking about it.
- a line so gnarly that it gets its own hand charge every storm

The love affair with the line began last year. Just when you think your gettin' good along comes Harpo with his dog-eared hat to send you back home with your tail between your legs. This old fart is one sick mofo that if had been blessed with the opportunities to ski alot at a young age would be pro right now - no doubt in my mind.

The line starts out as your classic Alta tree-lined chute up high that narrows down to a 40-50' long gulley (only straightlineable)that ends in a 15' rollover rock band (the word cliff just doesn't do it justice) that quickly turns into 20-25' depending upon speed taken that dumps into Rustler 4. Your only chance to bail is after the top treed section.

It has been on my "Monkey" list since chickening out on it a couple of times last year. Heading to the hill last Thursday, I knew Friday morning would be the day. I did a little prep to it twice on Thursday sloughing the upper part of it out into the LZ; 6" had piled up in it twice during the afternoon alone.

I show up Friday morning and am standing in the Wildcat line and tell PoHo Rustler 4 baby. He's just like first thing?? I say, if we don't get it first, the runout will be all tracked out. So, after riding Germ up we head to it. We bang turns at the top and stop at the beginning of the gulley. I want to hit it first, but just about crap my pants looking at it. PoHo says its only like 15 right? I say ya. He says I'll hit it. I say ok. He sidesteps done about 5' and just points it. I forgot how fast someone gets going when they hit it. All I see is a big pow explosion with PoHo stomping it and skiing away. I've never seen anybody stomp the landing and ride away from it - not Harpo, not DTM, not Phunk (even though hitting it twice in one day - only the Phunkstar could do that), not nobody. PoHo was the mutha-fuggin man Friday morning. I begin to think, maybe I should go for the stick - then I think no don't abandon the plan of full body landing it and standing up and riding away.

I sidestep down to where PoHo started. He yells up to start up higher. Too late. I am standing there and my leg starts shaking like friggin' Elvis. All I can think it just go otherwise your legs are gonna shake off. So I point and go. Immediately I am like holy chit I'm flying and I'm not even to the takeoff yet. I come off the takeoff and look down at all the crap I'm flying over. My next thought is again holy chit I'm going really fast. I then look for my landing and just see the earth falling away from me due to my trajectory. My thought then was like oh God I'm up here now. I feel panic mode kick in and my legs come outta the tuck. Next thing is BOOM I'm on my butt. I roll once stand up and am just thankful all limbs are still attached and in working order. I begin skiing down to PoHo and am just screaming at the top of my lungs. Unbelievable adrenaline rush!!

Some final thoughts on the line:

- Can't wait to see Z hit it
- We need to get pics of it - and find an angle that does it justice
- With PoHo stompin' it in such cool fashion, I can't wait to get him on lead more this coming summer climbing; I might have to get him an Elvis doll to sleep with.
- Need to heckle Str8 into hitting it the "right" way

P.S. Random thought on the weekend; it was cool to meet Smitty (the kid rips), Snorkeldeep (even though he needs to learn Wildcat first chair protocol) and Shirk(sp? - the Hardcore award this morning).

[phUnk]

Xover stepping it up and airing it out. Very

[Dantheman]

Hellllllllll Yeeeeeeeaaaaaaahhhhhh dude! It's feakin' awesome to see you taking down lines that you backed off of all last season. Sorry, I missed you this weekend, but the virus had me way off my game anyways.

[flanker769]

Gets me nervous and fired up just reading about this sick straight line to meat hucking mother of a hit.
Fackin A Utards!
Stoke on with only 3 more sleeps till Tahoe

[FreakofSnow]

Bummer I missed you dudes down there this weekend. It was hard trying to pick out PM stickers on helmets with all the fucking snow coming down. Man, for a first timer at Alta and the Bird, it did not suck.

side note - made it over the Keyhole (i think thats what it was), over off the traverse off the top of Supreme. Nice little pointer. MT aired that 40 footer skiers left of the choke. We'll have some frame grabs shortly.

[DJSapp]

This thread would be ten times sweeter with a picture of the line. Nice job mang.

[Samwich]

Pep Fujas would hit it switch, you pussy.

I HAVE to get out to Alta. I'll see you sickbirds sometime within the next two or three years. That's not a promise, that's a threat.

[ak_powder_monkey]

I'm inspired eagle rock here I come baby, and those hucks on the headwall that sounds like an awesome feeling

thanks xover,
AKPM

[smiTTy]

Nice write up. I was exploring over in that area yesterday and I think I might have found it, but I'm not sure. Next time we ride together you need to point it out so I can visualize powho's radness, and so I can put it on my eventual to-do list.

[bigAK]

sickness.

[snorkeldeep]

good meeting you as well - sorry about the first row deal, i didnt recognize your skis either - just the maggot stickers. this is the hit that powho did first thing off of the backside traverse, kind of in between the gaper bowl and glory hole right?

[vinzclortho]

NICE description....being sorta vaguely familiar with Alta I'd kinda be stoked to know where that is...can somebody photoshop a trail map or something? I definitely tried to push myself while out there but there was way too much burly terrain to even see let alone try out. I thought the diving board under...ummm....supreme lift, looked pretty damn sketchy but I know there's way sketchier stuff out there. Just interested in where this chute ya'll are talkin aboot is. Oh and bat cave too, I didn't get to check that out...saw the pic of spatters but don't know where it is on the mountain.

thanks

[baseWeldr]

what I miss and what I look forward to, being there everyday and steppin up when the time is right, I stuck to mostly known quantities for the 34 days I got to ski this year... sounds like the time was right, way to step it up X

[Xover]

I am a photoshop JONG so hopefully Phunk, DTM or PoHo can shop in the start, take off and landing for me. Thanks in advance.

[Crinkle]

try this maybe

[Xover]

Thanks Crink; guess I am a TGR User Gallery JONG too.

[raddam]

nice action mang
where in the pic is the air?

[Barnballs]

my palms are sweating in the office.

Nice report.

[snorkeldeep]

so not this one then?



whats that called?

[laseranimal]

Originally posted by Samwich
Pep Fujas would hit it switch, you pussy.

fuck hitting it switch Jamie would have hit that shit fakie landed it switch and rode into the road

[meatdrink9]

Originally posted by snorkeldeep


whats that called?

I don't know, but I've bagged that thing my last two trips to Alta. It's smaller now than the first of the season though.

I really want to see this line xover is talking about. Sounds all kinds of sketch.

[Xover]

Snorkel, no ^ is not it.

MD, the way you hit that thing I am sure it is one of the gnarlier airs also. I don't know for sure what Patrol calls it, but it is between Left Ventricle and Right Ventricle so lets just call it "Ventricle Cliff". Also, note - I didn't say Rus 4 was THE gnarliest - just ONE of the gnarlier airs at Alta. I also REALLY want to be there when you fly it Better yet, I wanna be there to hear what GT is gonna say when you hit it

Radman, it is the obvious chute straight up from the left most gaper in the pic. It doesn't look that bad - but trust me anyone that has stared down it's gut and hit it will attest to its "pucker factor". Still waiting for Phunkymonkey or PoHo or DTM to photoshop it cause I can't (don't know how).

[Clack]

Way to step it up Xover. I know what you mean about not sleeping the night before. Thursday was a no sleep night for me too when I told myself I was hitting heart. I waited until second run though.

[gonzo]

caw?

the pic must not do it justice - doesn't look like there is really an air at the base of the chute. unless i am looking at the wrong thing.

your write up got me all jittery...

[UTdave]

It looks small because you're too far away to see where the takeoff really is. When Xover did it he dropped about 15-18 ft or so.