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Historic Ski Descent on the East Face of the Matterhorn

The imposing east face of the Matterhorn looms over the Swiss village of Zermatt, its sheer wall of rock and ice seemingly impossible to ski. However, in May of 1975, Toni Valeruz defied the odds and made the first ski descent. This year, a team of athletes, predominantly women, saw a rare alignment of snow and weather conditions and decided to attempt the descent.

Nadine Wallner, a 35-year-old fully-certified mountain guide and two-time Freeride World Tour champion from Klösterle, Austria, eyed the Matterhorn while hosting a ski camp for Red Bull athletes in Zermatt. On May 26, she seized a brief window between storms to climb and ski the east face. “It’s really unlikely to find decent conditions to ski the Matterhorn safely,” said Wallner, “the east face is usually full of rock bands and it’s rare that it filled in so well.”

Wallner was joined by Swiss mountain guide Ramona Volken, her friend Valentin Zufferey, and fellow Freeride World Tour champion, Arianna Tricomi from Italy. They began their ascent to the Hörnli Hut on May 25, preparing for the descent. As they climbed, thick clouds enveloped the peak, creating concerns about snow stability. Fortunately, the clouds cleared enough to allow a superficial refreeze, and the team decided to continue.

“We booted up the face with crampons and two axes,” Wallner explained. “We were just in the bubble of the dark. When the sun rose, we reached the Solvay Hut.” This emergency shelter on the Matterhorn’s northeast ridge, at 13,133 feet, is a common starting point for skiing the east face. Above the hut, the peak’s vertical rock walls make skiing from the summit nearly impossible.

The Matterhorn’s east face is rarely skied, and conditions were less than ideal for Wallner’s team. A recent storm had deposited patches of new snow atop the stable spring snow, which warmed quickly in the sunlight, creating dangerous sluff. Wallner had to navigate carefully to link patches of spring corn and avoid the unstable new snow. “It was quite sketchy at some points,” she said. “You had to really watch out where you skied because those powder patches got really hot and would slide. They can definitely catch your skis.”

Reflecting on the descent, Wallner mentioned she wished they had started half-an-hour earlier to avoid increasing avalanche risk. “There were spin drifts from above turning into little stuff slides. When we got back to the [Hörnli] hut, some larger avalanches came down from above.”

Tragically, tricky conditions on the Matterhorn claimed the life of Italian skier Luca Berini a week later on June 4. “I didn’t know him, but it’s so tragic,” Wallner commented on Berini’s fatal fall.

Despite the challenges and risks, Wallner remains undeterred. Even in mid-June, she continues to seek out small windows of clear weather for skiing in the Swiss Alps. “Even if the window is 50/50, if you don’t go you’ll never know,” she said.

This remarkable attempt on the Matterhorn’s east face is a testament to the courage, skill, and determination of Wallner and her team, showcasing the relentless spirit of adventure that drives skiers to tackle some of the most challenging descents in the world.

Source: https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/snow-sports/matterhorn-east-face-ski-descent/

Number of Skiers in Colorado Mountains Declines This Season This season, the number of skiers in the Colorado mountains declined.

According to Colorado Ski Country USA, visitation to Colorado’s ski resorts decreased this past winter. The state’s ski areas recorded approximately 14 million skier visits for the season, representing a 5 percent drop from the previous year. Despite the decline, this is still a significant number of skiers, as last year set a record, the trade group, which represents 21 Colorado resorts, noted in a statement.

A ‘skier visit’ is defined as one person participating in skiing or snowboarding for any part of one day at a mountain resort.

The winter sports season had a slow start this year due to poor snow conditions across the U.S., including Colorado. However, the state’s mountain towns regained some lost ground with a series of big storms in the spring.

“This season was a rollercoaster ride, starting off on the warm and dry side and ending with a notably snowy extended season that stretched deep into spring,” said Melanie Mills, president and CEO of Colorado Ski Country USA. “Our hats are off to the resorts who managed everything the season held.”

Despite the late-season surge, hotels and vacation rentals experienced a decline in revenue this winter. According to data provider DestiMetrics, lodging revenues in Colorado were down from last year due to a combination of lower occupancy and lower room rates.

Source

https://www.cpr.org/2024/06/07/number-of-skiers-in-colorado-down-this-seeason/

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Australian Winter Olympics Flagbearer Banned from US Competition

Brendan Kerry, a prominent Australian figure skater and triple Olympian, has been banned from competing in the United States following an allegation of sexual misconduct involving a minor. The ban, issued by the US Center for SafeSport, marks a significant development in Kerry’s career and has sparked conversations about athlete safety and welfare in the sports community.

Kerry, who represented Australia as a flagbearer at the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022, received a permanent ban from SafeSport, with ESPN reporting the possibility of an appeal. Notably, the ban applies exclusively within the jurisdiction of the United States, where SafeSport holds authority over Olympic and Paralympic activities.

The allegation against Kerry dates back to the 2016-17 season when he was registered as a coach with US Figure Skating. The Australian Olympic Committee and Ice Skating Australia (ISA) were reportedly unaware of the SafeSport investigation until the sanction was publicly disclosed.

In response to the development, ISA released a statement emphasizing its commitment to athlete safety and well-being. The organization expressed seriousness regarding the matter and pledged to gather and assess all available information related to SafeSport’s determination.

Kerry’s career in figure skating boasts notable achievements, including eight Australian national titles and three appearances at the Winter Olympics in 2014, 2018, and 2022. His retirement from competitive skating followed the Beijing Games, where he achieved his best Olympic performance, finishing 17th.

The revelation of Kerry’s ban underscores the ongoing efforts to address issues of misconduct and safeguard athletes within sports organizations. It serves as a reminder of the importance of prioritizing athlete welfare and implementing robust measures to prevent and address instances of misconduct.

For those affected by similar issues, support is available through organizations such as Lifeline (13 11 14) and 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732), which offer assistance for individuals experiencing sexual assault, harassment, or domestic violence.

In case of emergency, dial 000 for immediate assistance.

Source: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/australian-olympic-figure-skater-brendan-kerry-banned-by-us-for-sexual-misconduct/w02x46mdo

Pakistanis Take to the Slopes in ‘A Journey About Sharing’

Two hundred and thirty million people live in Pakistan, in the shadow of some of the world’s tallest, most celebrated peaks. But only around 3,000 Pakistanis participate in winter sports.

This astonishing fact opens A Journey About Sharing, a film by European-based non-profit Zom Connection. The organization is committed to equipping the inhabitants of northern Pakistan with the skills and gear they need to get out and enjoy winter.

“When I go snowboarding, I feel independent. It’s like giving yourself a chance to test yourself. How good are you? And everywhere you go, you get respect from it. And while riding a snowboard, you feel free,” says one young man early in the film, over shots of Pakistani children riding and skiing on crude boards and homemade bindings.

a young girl rides a snowboard

Shred the gnar. Photo: Screenshot

The film is a whirlwind tour, delivering vignettes from all over the country as it seeks to describe Pakistan’s burgeoning winter sports culture. In one isolated valley, school lets out for two months every winter, and snowsports are an excellent way to keep children occupied in positive ways.

In another, a man named Hasham created The Hindukush Winter Sports Club. Hasham is the descendent of the area’s former rulers, from before the region became a part of Pakistan in the 1970s. With deep ties to his native soil, Hasham is committed to tapping into Pakistan’s incredible natural resources to bring economic wealth to the area.

a wide, birds eye view shot of children skiing and snowboarding

Children in one of Pakistan’s isolated valleys enjoy downhill snowsports over their long winter break. Photo: Screenshot

Skinning up is hard without skins

“So when we talk about the potential of skiing and winter sports in the Hindu Kush, we’re only talking about beautiful mountains to ski on,” Hasham says in an interview midway through the film. “There’s no lifts. In the next 10 years, if we can develop winter tourism and winter sports activities, then I’d say our goal should be to develop all this without disturbing and destroying nature. We will need lifts. But all of this needs to happen at a gradual and natural pace, without destroying the environment. It’s going to take a very long time.”

a helmet cam POV shot of a snowboarder with mountains in the background

Riding in Pakistan. Not bad! Photo: Screenshot

In the meantime, if you want to take some turns, you’ve got to do it the hard way: by skinning up first. But skinning is pretty hard without, you know, skins.

When British military officers first brought downhill winter sports to the region in the 1920s, the equipment of the day was long slabs of heavy wood. While the downhill tech has changed considerably since then, many rural Pakistanis are still using skis that would be recognizable to those long-ago officers.

a young boy walks out of his house holding a snowboard

Having the right gear makes everything more fun. Photo: Screenshot

A meandering journey

That’s why Hasham started looking for a way to modernize some of the equipment used by his fellow downhill enthusiasts. He reached out to a group of winter athletes in France’s Chamonix Valley, and Zom Connection was born.

There’s no doubt that “A Journey About Sharing” functions first and foremost as a 50-minute commercial for Zom Connection. Lacking a through-line or characters to follow for more than a few minutes, it’s best viewed as a meandering journey through a country many Europeans and North Americans know precious little about, especially when it comes to its winter sports.

But that doesn’t mean it’s short on adrenaline. Between interview scenes and shots of French athletes hand-delivering recycled outdoor equipment, there’s plenty of stunning footage of adventurous Pakistanis ripping up and down some of the most beautiful scenery on the planet.

a wide shot of someone skiing down a mountain

Hard to beat these turns. Photo: Screenshot

Source: https://explorersweb.com/weekend-warmup-a-journey-about-sharing/

 

Learn more: https://www.adventurefilm.academy/