What the heck are ski & snowboard cross?

What the heck are Ski & Snowboard Cross? 

By Jenn March 

The ski and snowboard cross course for the Holeshot X Tour at Gore Mountain two weeks ago can be described in two words: fun and terrifying. After having only a vague idea of what to expect from the sport—I imagined four fellows or ladies bombing down a jump-laden course at ridiculously high speeds—the experience of watching it exceeded expectations regarding both the levels of peril and entertainment. The course ran beneath Gore’s gondola and was very similar to that used for freestyle competitions during the FISU World University Games, which happened earlier in the season. There were seven turns, all of which preceded jumps where skiers and boarders flew off in pods of three or four, one after another with poles and hands whirling wildly in the air.  

Both ski and snowboard cross are fairly new sports originating in the 1970s at Alyeska Ski Resort in Alaska when a group of racers and an employee, Scott Hunter, wanted to create something new and interesting that took advantage of the resort’s sinewy terrain. As if flying through gully-like terrain off jumps four racers at a time wasn’t dangerous enough, the initial skiers who participated could legally check each other like hockey players to throw fellow competitors off balance. Racers sustained frequent injuries, as you can imagine. But participation at Alyeska’s original “silvertip” track luckily dropped off as the athletes who participated either graduated high school or moved on to compete in events made official by the FIS (International Ski Federation).  There were several injuries while I was at Gore, one of which caused a half hour delay and required a rider to be back-boarded and taken off the mountain by ski patrol. And that was just a solo qualifying run where the rider fell off a jump.

In the 1980s, cross had a resurgence when Jim “Too Tall” Essick, who worked in sports marketing, was inspired to bring the excitement of motocross to the ski/ride world. While his idea was pitched to several corporate sponsors, it never really took off until 1991 when a TV show called “Greg Stump’s World of Extremes” aired a segment on “boardercross.” It was snowboarders this time who were trying the niche sport on a snow-covered motocross track in Blackcomb, British Columbia, Canada. The riders in the video dawned things like motorcycle helmets and leather jackets, or just commando with pants, sports bra, and brightly colored googles. Outfits that screamed 1990s spring ski bum, not unlike those worn in the dorky 1990 comedy Ski Patrol. The turns of the course were described by Stump as “bobsled-like” followed by one of the seven motocross-like turns.

The sport of Boardercross, or SBX, made its official debut at the World X Games in 1997 along with its skier counterpart, ski cross (SX). Intentional contact with other racers was banned as both SBX and SX went mainstream. By 2004, FIS added ski and snowboard cross to freestyle events such as moguls, aerials, and halfpipe. In 2010, the sports were added to the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, BC. Snowboarders especially benefitted from this new outlet for their sport; whereas just a couple of decades before in the Olympics, all riders had to compete in were slalom or halfpipe.

Today, ski cross is wildly popular in Canada, with the nation having had 137 medals in the FIS World Cup, 15 in the X Games, and three in the Olympics. But athletes come from all over; in addition to North America, the World Cup circuit includes nations in Europe that commonly hold alpine racing such as Germany, France, and Switzerland. Interestingly, however, countries that are not on the regular alpine circuit like Bulgaria and Georgia commonly hold both SX and SBX competitions. SX and SBX are popular in Japan as well, with athletes coming from the island nation to compete in the World Cup circuit—not something you usually see in the World Cup for alpine racing, which is heavily dominated by Europeans and North Americans.  

Overall, attending Gore’s junior SX/SBX event really turned me on to the sports. Standard alpine racing is exciting, especially when you’re watching history unfold with Mikaela Shiffrin, who will likely be remembered for years to come as the greatest ski racer of all time. But SX/SBX is wild and creatively chaotic. Watching athletes barrel down three to four at a time also adds on a whole other layer of complication and risk that leaves the viewer incapable of ripping their eyes away from the competition. Since seeing the local competition, I have put on some of the FIS race replays on Peacock and I love seeing how many nations are represented. If SX and SBX can foster interest for a diverse selection of athletes, maybe it can do the same for its viewership, too.  

Composite image of a snowboard X semifinal run at Holeshot X Tour, Gore Mountain, North Creek, New York, on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023.

Come rain or slush, fat-tire bikers enjoy getting out

By Jenn March 

 See version published for the Glens Falls Post-Star here.

My snowshoes plunged through an icy crust into slushy granular as I struggled across the terrain of Gurney Lane Bike Park in Queensbury, New York. The sky was a gloomy grey and there was a damp cold that snuck up on you. It was hard enough to navigate on the snowshoes, and yet the racers of the 4th annual Gurney Lane Fat-Tire Bike Day zoomed by me with child-like grins plastered to their faces. 

Bob Underwood, who has organized both the fat-tire bike (known commonly as fat bike) race and the summer race for mountain bikers over the last four years estimated that some racers for this year’s fat bike event were deterred by forecasted rain. By the start of the race, there were 52 registrants, several of whom registered the day of the event. Underwood says, however, that of the 52 registered, only 40-45 showed up to ride. It has been more of the same in previous years with registered riders being in the 50-60 range, approximately half of whom are local to the Queensbury or greater Capital Region areas. The Fat-Tire Bike Day provides two races for bikers: a five mile (short) and ten mile (long), both at midday. Rick’s Bike Shop of Queensbury and local franchise Grey Ghost Bicycles provided bike support and rentals throughout the event. Snowshoers were also invited to participate in a 5K event prior to the bike races.  

 Peter Gobel of Clifton Park, who attended the winter race for the first time this year, finished second place in the long for his group of men ages 30-39 and third overall. His father, Mark, of Oneonta, also raced. “It’s a family affair,” said Peter, whose wife and child also came to cheer them on. “I come here to do some riding on the weekends, so it helps knowing the trails.” Gobel reported having concern for the trail conditions after seeing the predicted rain and above-freezing temperatures. “I thought it would be slushy and sloppy, but the trails held up pretty well.”  

 But Gurney Lane’s fat bike race attracts riders from all over. Brian Galletta and his “teammate” Thomas Pellegrino traveled all the way from Long Island for his third and Pellegrino’s fourth time riding in the race. German-born Andreas Wilke came with his wife and two children from their North Country home in Potsdam, about three hours away from Lake George. “We came up yesterday and stayed the night,” Wilke said as his young daughter bounced playfully around him. “I just need to go outside in winter. Summer is road cycling season and gravel and cross-country and the fat bikes bring me outside a little bit. It’s my little life insurance; physically and mentally.”  

Luckily for the riders, the rain held off until the final riders were crossing the finish line. Many who finished the race packed up their gear and bounced. But those who stuck around reaped the benefits of complimentary Pabst Blue Ribbon and IPAs. Prizes were also provided by Northeast Promo of South Glens Falls for first, second, and third place finishers. Bob Underwood announced prizes to them in the pavilion as their supporters either huddled around a small yet mighty firepit or cascaded down the sledding hill on their sleds. There is nothing quite like the camaraderie of participating in a winter sport, especially one as niche as fat-tire biking.  

Make Winter Wintery Again

The COVID-19 pandemic has halted plans, activities, and businesses at all levels. Professional and amateur sports leagues are all over the map with their scheduling. Hundreds of thousands have lost jobs and small businesses. Vacations have been postponed or cancelled altogether. But at least we have been able to get outside. 

Data show a dramatic increase in outdoor recreation during 2020. Americans picked up cycling, running, and hiking in troves. A survey by the Civic Science Center in March showed that 15% of those interviewed planned to hike more due to COVID-19 restrictions. Thus, summer outdoor recreation boomed in the Adirondack Park. There was such an increase that highway signs were needed along route 73, the highway that goes through the High Peaks Region, warning hikers of high-volume traffic and to plan for alternative hikes. An estimated 12.4 million hikers visit the Adirondacks in a normal year and, while the data doesn’t exist currently for volume in 2020, a modest personal estimate is that there was at least a 30% increase. 

Now it’s winter, a popular time of year for Adirondack tourism and the climate couldn’t be less agreeable. To say that snowfall has been light would be an understatement. Whiteface Mountain has a sorry 20” base and warmer temperatures have kept heavier snowfall at bay. Without heavier snow, the mountain won’t have a fruitful season. The park is also favored for its abundance of frozen lakes, making winter a true wonderland for ice fishing and skating, cross country skiing, snowmobiling, and other recreation. Snowmobiling alone is responsible for a big chunk of income from winter tourism in the park.  

When our lakes don’t freeze, however, a gap forms in not just the region’s tourism but in its soul as well. I am so sick of driving out to an Adirondack lake or pond and finding that the ice isn’t ice but rather slush and wet snow on top of ice. I'm a good ice skater, but no one can skate through more than a foot of slush. And forget pond hockey. Even if there wasn’t a pandemic killing recreational activities, the weather would. Lake George typically has a pond hockey tournament. But this year, there isn’t a square foot of ice on that lake. Even last year was a dreadful year for the tournament. Although the lake had frozen enough in February, the 40-degree heatwave had players sweating and skating through slush. Frequent breaks were needed to shovel the ice into playable conditions. Screw global warming, I’m over it. Can we please finally work together to reduce carbon emissions and make winter great again? 

A Long Anticipated Trip

In May of 1776, Sir John Johnson, a Loyalist to the British Monarchy during the Revolutionary War, camped with his family and warriors of the Mohawk Nation who supported him on the shores of Raquette Lake while fleeing arrest. The lake was later named for the snowshoes Johnson and his supporters left behind in the harsh wilderness on their flight from the Mohawk Valley to Montreal, Canada. With remote woodlands at its core, the isolated lands of Raquette Lake and neighboring Fulton Chain Lakes were occupied only in part by nomadic Oneida and Mohawk indigenous peoples for centuries leading up to the 1800s. The first white settler, by name of Josiah Wood, bravely chose the area as his residence in 1846. It seems that white Europeans were not so fond of the unforgiving environment. Yet this region of the Adirondack Park has its rewards.

Flash forward to the 1970s, my grandparents sent my father to Camp Gorham in Eagle Bay (about 22 miles northwest of Raquette Lake), where he spent three summers during his junior high years hiking and paddling the once infamous wilderness. The camp has long been an affiliate of the Rochester Regional YMCA, which was where he and his family lived. A few of his classmates had attended the camp and their parents told my grandparents about it. My father cites memories of Raquette Lake’s isolated beauty, but also recalls miles upon miles of backwoods canoe hauling to the lake while under constant besiege from the black flies.

CampGorham.JPG

Camp Gorham is the sole reason why I insisted my father and I visit the west-central Adirondacks the autumn of 2020. The Fulton Chain Lakes are considered part of a river system called the Black River watershed, which eventually empties into Lake Ontario’s Black River Bay. We met a number of Western New Yorkers during our civilized stay at an Inlet, New York, motel. Old Forge, which is just 12 miles west of Inlet, is a popular Adirondack vacation town for Western New Yorkers as well. But it was the wilderness I had personally set out to explore. People are my father’s fascination. I made it a goal on this special weekend to revisit Camp Gorham as well as rise with the sun and picture hunt for foggy morning photos on the Fulton Chain Lakes and Raquette Lake. Below are my choice images from the trip.

Moxham Mountain

For the longest time, this mountain was a mystery to me. I’d driven by it on numerous occasions while cruising along 28N through Minerva, always captivated by its accessible beauty. I have also stopped to regularly document its phases throughout the year. The first time I observed this mountain was on my way back from playing in Tupper Lake’s Phil Edwards Memorial Hockey Tournament this year. The landscape had been blanketed in heavy snow; my vehicle framed by pines drooping with the weight of it as I drove. I was enchanted. The Adirondacks had a real winter! Not a sloppy frozen mud season like the type that plagued the southern part of the state.

Then I came upon Moxham. Its dazzling visage compelled me to immediately pull over. Although I’d brought no camera with me, I simply could not leave without snapping at least one phone picture. The mountain’s surface is carpeted by conifers with the exception of its rocky southern-facing slope, which was dusted in white from the aftermath of yesterday’s snowfall. Moxham Pond spanned the foreground, its shiny ice obscured by snow. Blue sky peeked through layers of cumulus clouds allowing sunbeams to illuminate the white. I made a mental note to return to the location again.

I’ve returned to the site not once but three more times since. I made a second visit within a few weeks of returning from the hockey tournament. Snowfall was still pervasive over the landscape, only this time it was lighter. The heavy cloud cover left an ominous impression that it might begin to storm, but I didn’t mind. A cloudy day is a photographer’s field day. High-contrast of stark sunlight has its place but ultimately proves to be very limiting in terms of aesthetics. The cloud cover over Moxham Mountain that day at the end of January made me notice the subtleties of the landscape, like the browns of the dormant cat tails and the texture of the clouds. I returned in spring to capture the cat tails in bloom, although I wasn’t as happy with the result.

My fourth trip to this location was one of pure chance. My friend and I were returning from Henderson Lake mid-August when I missed a turn. Thunderstorms had been intermittently disrupting our day. As we reached Minerva, rising fog from the pond staggered the inner artists of my friend and I. We could still hear thunder rumbling in the distance. The setting sun produced a yellowish haze over the mountain’s northern side.

We spent 20 minutes savoring our image-making opportunity. It certainly won’t be the last trip I take to view the mystical mountain that hides in plain sight. I imagine Moxham is largely overlooked by Adirondack tourists given its obscure location. I can only hope that locals of Minerva appreciate its openness. After some research on the mountain, I found that there is a trail along its crest forged in 2012. As usual, my Adirondack discovery is only new to me. But it doesn’t matter how many times I pass it by. The view will never cease to impress me.