Full Results

Plenty of great highlights and Swedish going on in here. Try to excuse the 30 second commercials that run before some of these…

Finals | Runs 1 & 2. The crash that starts at about 1:30 in is pretty epic…

Men’s Final Run 1

Men’s Final Run 2

Women’s Finals Highlights

Qualifier Day

“I graduated and started researching resorts, and I was definitely not much of a skier by any means, but we thought we were awesome skiers for being from Pennsylvania. We found Jackson and were like, ‘Sweet, this place looks sick. It has more black runs than anything else, so we should probably go there. And they also have this tram thing, and we’d never been on a tram and didn’t know what it was. At all. Had no idea what this place was. No idea about backcountry…  Really no idea about anything at all.”

Instagram shot of Zach skiing in Jensen Canyon, JHMR sidecountry.   Keep up with Zach on Instagram at @simonskis

“I bought an old Volvo 850.  Drove it across the country with a buddy…and moved in to the Hostel and kind of just figured everything out from there. I mean, I literally didn’t know anything about this place. At all. And that place…I feel like the Hostel is kind of like the center of the universe for ski bums that come here that don’t know anything about Jackson. It’s a great place to go and have your cherry popped, if you will.”

“Being there when the Wilson’s owned it was pretty cool just because of the whole history of the Air Force and everything, and essentially being inside a museum, and slowly learning about what this place was about, what the ski culture was about here…it was super rad, because like I said, I didn’t know anything at all.”

“I was cleaning rooms, plunging toilets, scrubbing porcelain, cleaning shower stalls. The grossest thing? Tampons in bedsheets or in the trash cans, just like super gnarly… (Laughs) Grab with your bare hands, you know?”

“When I was younger here I was always like blown away by the old guys. Because my Dad sits at home at a desk, and to come out here and see 50-year old men shredding, that always was like, something was up with these guys, they know what’s up, they’re still skiing you know? I should learn the mountain from them.”

Mike MacDonald aka “One-armed Mike” dropping into Corbet’s. Note that Mike is rocking only one pole. Zach Simon photo.

“First winter was 06/07.  300”. Which was you know, it was good. It was good for me. I didn’t care. And even this past winter, we had 360” it’s still good. It’s always good, it’s just a matter of getting out there and making the best of every day. If you want to sit around and complain go somewhere else.”

Zach getting deep on this “below average winter”

“I usually like to meet up with my boy Mike MacDonald, ‘one-armed Mike’ as of this year. And we kind of just play it by ear typically. Usually a tram. This year because of the hustle and bustle of there not being that many powder days and everybody wanting to get on the tram I definitely was doing different things and showing up later.  I like a good top to bottom.  It’s all about the days when the suns out.  Then you can get up high and scare the shit out of yourself. I’d rather do that then ski powder, I guess. I don’t like it when there’s a rush. I don’t like it when there’s a lot of people out there.”

Mike MacDonald aka “One-armed Mike” about to punch the exit of Central Couloir (Zach’s photo and track)

“Powder’s great but you know, skiing’s skiing. It’s always good. I’d rather be out there on a wind buff day when there’s no one around and like, 3” of snow has blown around. That’s more of a powder day to me.  I like to go somewhere by myself and do that.  Wherever the people aren’t going, that’s where you go.”

Hanging in Zach’s kitchen.

“Breakfast setup is at the crib. Steel cut oats with raisins, whole milk, honey or raw sugar, and almonds or walnuts and banana.”

“For apres, just a beer. Maybe a marg down at the moose. Spicy Marg…I never like to get too drunk at the Village because you don’t want to have your ski boots on ‘til like 8 o clock, you know?  What if you get too drunk and it snows?  I try to count on the high pressure coral reef before I decide to go out for the night.”

Pretty solid VHS collection, eh?

“Favorite ski movie…Blizzard of Ahhs, and License to Thrill. Without question. Glen Plake, Scot Schmidt, Mike Hattrup, those are the guys for sure, opening the doors for the American ski bums to discover Chamonix and Europe. And anything with Shane McConkey. Shane McConkey’s the man, that’s the guy. That’s the hero for sure…he changed everything for us, you know?”

“At the restaurant I get an employee meal, so a lot of the time I’m eating at work. Here, we make a lot of pasta, do a lot of homemade sauce. Use the crockpot a lot, do shortribs. Lots of rice. Lots of beans. Quesadillas…”

“We’re definitely not eating ramen every night. We try to keep it inexpensive, but we try to keep it heady. You want to feed the skier, the athlete, good stuff.”

“I work nights year round expediting food at Snake River Grill, and in the summer am a window cleaner May-December. The Grill is the bread and butter, the rent check, the benefits, health insurance, etc. We are taken care of, and as a ski bum, you need that. I typically work 6 days a week in the summer, four of those days this summer will be doubles. Occasionally finding time to go camping, or maybe log a few more Phish shows. I try to keep it simple, stay in good shape, and save my pennies. For me life is all about the next turn on my skis, the never ending search for peace in the high mountains.

“The Village has me at 120 days right now, and I think I got like 20 on the pass pre season…120-150 per year pretty easily. You gotta try. Last year was super easy, this year has been a little bit harder.

Malachi Artice airing it out in Rock Springs. Zach Simon photo.

Editor’s Note:  After this interview, Zach took off for Chamonix.  Below are Zach’s words and photos from the trip

—————-   Chamonix   —————–

A few days after this interview with Jeff and Patrick, I skipped over the pond to the Old World. Land of stinky cheese, cured meats, great bottom shelf  wine, and of course the birth place of ski alpinism and ski bumming. The dream for all of us (ski bums) started in Chamonix, and when you get off the bus or van or train there, take that first breath of Chamonix air,  or see the top of the 13,000 ft Aiguille du Midi, you know right away that you are at the center of the universe of ski culture.

For being “that guy” that gets slapped on the wrist by ski patrol in the states, Chamonix was a real eye opener. There are no rules, no ropes, no one telling you where and what to do. The land is lawless. Ride the lift up, click in to your skis, point at a line, and go. Simple, sure.  But at the same time the most humbling experience a ski bum could think of having.  One mistake, one false move, and your life could be over.

Ski bumming, skiing, mountaineering in France is unlike anywhere else. Instead of a macho bro brah attitude that you find here in Jackson or other resorts in the lower 48; I was surprised to find a bunch of laid back humble shredders. People who can have a smile ear to ear, and need not say a thing. You just know they were someplace special that day, skiing something you may not ever see, or think of skiing.

Chamonix opened my eyes to a world of freeskiing I didn’t realize existed. A world where being the best is not possible, where pushing it too hard can kill you in an instant. But when you nail it over there, when you have that perfect moment, it can be a real sense of euphoria in the mountains. Something that as a ski bum, I feel we all search for. I always thought Jackson was the place, the mecca, and sure maybe for the states it is. But I now know there is something else out there, something even more special. Something every ski bum should see. I encourage all to check Europe out because it is truly like nothing else. A place that will change your skiing, your attitude, and perspective on the sport. The only question I have for myself now is… How can I give up what I have established here in Jackson and move there for five months every winter?

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You can keep up with Zach’s latest adventures on Instagram, at @simonskis

Idea | classic full ski movie from Pollard and Iberg, making its rounds around the interwebz, once again. Watch!

Brothers On the Run | Yes, it’s snowboarding footage but it’s sick. Ian Walsh joins the epic crew of Travis Rice, John Jackson, and Eric Johnson in Alaska where the weather gods were on their side. Blue bird skies and fresh pillows of powder produced some banger lines from each one of the crew, even John Jackson against the doctor’s order.

Late Season Whistler Pow | Looks pretty darn tasty right now with this ‘hole summer thing staying around’.

Nike Chosen | recap. Top-notch park footage…

Red Bull Supernatural | The TV Show in it’s entirety.

Mountain Elements | Some ‘artsy’ scenic shots!

January