Keeping Tabs With the Icer Air Blog
Nov 07 2006 / San Francisco, CA
BLOG UPDATE_11/4/06
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8:00 pm...
The snowboard standings are as follows…Travis Rice wins, not really a surprise, he gets the car. Andreas Wig in second and Kass in third.
Here is how the ski standings ended up....Last year's third place winner, TJ Schiller, edged out X-Games gold medalist Jon Olsson for the win when he landed a crowd pleasing 1080. Olsson performed a switch 900 to claim second and Steele Spence came in third with a 900. The remainder of the men's ski division finished in the following order: Cory Vanular, Josh Bibby, John Spriggs, Peter Olenick, Chris Benchetler, Pep Fujas, Sammy Carlson, Simon Dumont, Sean Field and Tim Durtschi.-KD
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7:57 pm…
Kass threw a giant backside 9…the neon nine hundred judging from his gloves and board. His quote…"I just really want to see Johnny jump again." Bjorn Leines is ready up top…the line-up is unbelievable, but his backside 180 wasn't. I think it's between Kass and Travis Rice at this point. Andy Finch's backside 7 will put him in the top five as will Andreas Wig's backside 9 that took him over the neon coke bottle, a good 10 feet higher than all the other riders. That wraps it up, only the judges get to decide now. -KD--------------------------------------------------
7:50 pm…
Wyatt Caldwell's frontside 7 with a melon grab set the stage for Travis rice's last jump, I'm not sure if he'll go for the double rodeo ten eighty given the conditions of the ramp but I certainly hope so. The fans are having a great time, paper airplanes fill the air, lunched from every level, people are dancing in the stands as "Ring my Bell runs throughout the
loudspeaker. Here comes Travis…a backside 7 with a sweet tail grab, I think everybody expected the big one and the disapointment ricocheted through the stands. I don't blame him; the jump is a bit suspect at the moment, it's the first competition of the season, and he's already in the lead. The 7 was a perfect one, big and smooth and full of style, just like the one's he throws in the backcountry. Danny Kass is next and the Dingo is yelling into the microphone about his Olympic medals. -KD
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7:32 pm...
Johnny Mosley's back flip filled the gap between the skiers and the snowboarders, TJ Schiller's performance was one of the strongest, Simon Dumont's 1080 looked great as well and Jon Olson's misty flip was the most stylish...no telling what the judges thought yet. The snowboarders are ready for their second run. Travis rice is leading off, Travis is totally capable of a double back flip...if he does it, the contest would be over in my opinion...a little more ramp repair and we'll see. -KD
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7:09 pm…
Both the snowboarders and skiers have finished their first run and the skiers are back up top to take their second. TJ Schiller is in the lead and the 900 is still the trick of choice tonight. A few 1080's thrown in the mix as well, and I think that's what it will take to walk away with that new Toyota tonight. -KD
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I'm on the upper deck, the bay bridge is in front of me and the skiers are just completing the first round of jumps. The most popular trick seems to be a corked 900, with some type of grab. Simon Dumont just busted a switch 900 wich had the crowd on it's feet, journey is playing on the loudspeakers and sitting in the upperdeck you get an impression of just what these guys are looking at from the top of the jump. It's steep and it's big. T.J Schiller's under flip variation is the most unique trick I've seen so far but all the skiers are clearing the gap easily now as the temperature cools…the hard part now is stopping. -KD
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6:13 pm…
Pep Fujas is making it look easy, while Andy Finch just stomped smooth backside 3, the biggest so far. All the athletes are just warming up, sessioning the jump for the next half and hour. The bottom of the run out is taking a beating as the guys are coming in hot slamming on the brakes. -KD
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6:05 pm…
Jurassic five blew it up. They kept the entire place bobbing for over an hour. This whole event is unreal. I feel like I've been to two concerts, saw Tony Hawk skate a vert ramp live in my backyard, and I'm not even to the best part, watching the big-air competition, which starts any minute. It's like the San Francisco Giants just opened up the entire stadium to snowriders of all kinds. I was just hanging out in the club level of the stadium, sitting in the dugouts and even kicking it with the athletes in the Giant's private locker room! Kids are playing tag along the warning track, and the adults are starting to show up as well, beers in hand. So the athletes are headed to the top of the jump and I'm headed to the upper deck to watch it all go down above the bay. -KD
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4:50 pm…
The sun is setting across the bay, the lights are on and the vert-ramp is the center of the action where a ten-year-old kid is stealing the show, busting kick flips and varials well above the coping. On the snow side, female rider, Kaya Turski was the first casualty of the day as she bounced on the knuckle and cart-wheeled entirely off the snow covered part of the ramp and into the fence. Seriously hurt, she was taken away on a backboard in a stretcher…awaiting further developments on that. Another girl didn't clear the gap and free fell 30 feet into the safety netting…the women's competition has since been cancelled. The condition of the ramp is also starting to deteriorate as snow melts, pulling the mounted 2X4's out and allowing the snow to slide away on the smooth plywood. New snow is continually brought in, however, and the ramp is looking starting to look good again. Jurassic five just took the stage so I'm back out there…what a crazy party. -KD
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3:45 pm…
Johnny Mosley and Tony Hawk have taken the stage, the jump's landing needed some repairs as the snow got scraped off around the spot where all the riders were landing. No problem, a crane brought up a train car sized crate of snow and dumped it on the landing, after a little smoothing out they were ready to roll again. Shrieks of recognition follow Johnny and Tony around as they cruise through the crowd shaking hands every now and again and accepting innumerable pats on the back. The talk between riders is all about the lack of transition between the in-run and the take off, causing a few guys to fly off the jump with little or no control as they got compressed by the abruptness of the jump. The qualifying is about to begin as ten riders fight it out for the remaining three spots in each category. -KD
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3:00 pm…
You can see the scaffolding above the scoreboard from ten blocks away snaking through the innards of Giant stadium I arrived on the field just as Ladytron bounced through the speakers. Just being down on the baseball field is cool enough. There's a vert ramp set up in left field, a bar tent and stage in right field, and a huge jump over second base. The riders start above the scoreboard building speed down the 200 foot incline. It looks as if they could use more speed as they're just barely clearing the knuckle, finally sliding to a stop just shy of the pitchers mound. Little kids are splashing in the mud along the base paths and the mood is one of building excitement, as star stoked kids get their skateboard decks, posters, and skin signed by the pros. Jon Olson busted the best trick I've seen so far, a corked 1080 with a cool looking tail grab throughout. So the Icer air is on, the sun has now fully popped out of the marine layer, Zig Zag Bail Bond's tent is attracting the most visitors and everybody is smiling. - KD
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2:00 pm…
A steady migration of people are on the Embarcadero, headed toward AT&T park…it looks like a baseball game, hard to believe all these people are going to watch a big air contest. I'm on my way into the stadium. Ladytron is about to take the stage and a festival like atmosphere is all around me. -KD
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1:00 pm…
My head still hurts from last night, but the sun is starting to shine and the streets of San Francisco are coming to life. I'm at a pier side bar-b-q right now, a mechanical "ski slope" is running next to me and the whole place has the feel of an après ski party, people cruising around with ski boots and sunglasses on, bloody mary's abound, and the burgers are on the grill. Apparently the event has been postponed briefly due to some sort of fire marshall inspection but the party is on again.
