Words & Photos: Terren Gomez

Despite Tahoe having the second driest winter to date, Heavenly's TPC (Terrain Park Crew) and SPT's Aaron Dettling designed a setup not to be forgotten. Thankful to the largest snowmaking operation on the west coast, Heavenly was able to blow enough snow for what was the biggest jump in the basin. 70ft to the knuckle, and a 21ft tall wedge with nearly no natural snow was a feat within itself. Endless hours of preparation in not only the snowcat, but all the handwork necessary to chisel out the killer jump was something to admire. The rest of the course consisted of a 30' tube closeout rail into the 14' Chosen wallride, an 18ft quarterpipe, a 20' stairset handrail, and two 20' step boxes.

As the sun set in the classic Tahoe landscape, the temps dropped into the teens. While I chose to wear my headphones, the DJ kept the crowd warm blasting a variety of dubstep. Riders from around the lake and beyond came to rip the setup. Both heats were full of action, from solid 3's and 5's, to huge double backflips and the ever so popular double cork. While some were claimed by the closeout rail, others busted a variety of tricks onto the rail and off into the wall. In the finals, Mens winner Nick Poohachoff not only pulled a frontside double cork, but also a solid 1260. Jordan Nield wooed the crowd, sending some of the slowest rotating double backs I've seen. The only two women to session the jump both pulled some solid 360s, one backing the other up.

Mike Thomas, cat operator Garrett Froelich and their Heavenly TPC, Aaron Dettling from SPT, and all the guys at Nike pulled it off in a great collaborative effort. We'll see if the next stop will live up to its predecessor.

Results:

Mens
1st: Nick Poohachoff
2nd: Jordan Nield
3rd: Nick Geisen

Womens
1st: Joanna Dzierzawski
2nd: Michelle Zeller

Best trick (Acid drop from the wedge into the tranny) - Sawyer Dean