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Athlete profile: Chance Lenay
Published
10 years agoon
By Scottie Williams Explore Big Sky Contributor
You see him four days a week. He loads you into the tram car and greets you at the peak, letting you know what terrain you can ski for the day. He harnesses himself off the top tram house and hangs on the face of Lone Mountain, shoveling heavy snow out of the tram dock on powder days so you can enjoy Big Sky’s best face shots.
And when Chance Lenay isn’t at work, he’s shredding the snow off of Lone Mountain harder than almost anyone. Coming from Gig Harbor, Wash., he was no stranger to riding steep and deep terrain when he arrived in Big Sky seven years ago.
Lenay began snowboarding competitively in 2010, riding in the Headwaters Spring Runoff here in Big Sky and then on the North Face Masters tour. Now, Lenay is fighting his way through the qualifier tour on the Subaru Freeride Series, trying to earn a spot among the best snowboarders of the world on the Swatch Freeride World Tour.
Lenay remembers his first competition in the 2010 Headwaters Spring Runoff vividly. Standing atop terrain he had been riding for years, he was nervous and even a bit scared. But from the moment he dropped into his first competition line, Lenay caught the competitive freeriding bug. After finishing in second place behind Tim Cowie, he was hooked, and went on to win the Runoff two years later in 2012.
Lenay is competing in all four Subaru stops this season. After a 17th place finish in Crested Butte at the first stop this year, he had time to prepare for a three-week run from Telluride, Colo., to Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows, Calif., and then back home to the North American finals in Big Sky, April 3 – 5.
Lenay says he’s been training hard since returning from Crested Butte. “[I] get up early and ride hard every day,” he explains.
As a tram operator, he’s able to ride the first lap of the day after ski patrol is done with their morning work.
That first run in Chrons or the Big Couloir is the best training he could have, he says, knowing that hundreds of eyes are on him on a busy morning. Talk about pressure.
“Riding everything fluid and being comfortable,” is how Lenay describes his current preparation and focus for the upcoming competition stops. He knows that riding a unique line and making it look good is exactly what the judges want.
We wish him luck in the coming weeks. Come on out to the Big Sky Subaru Freeride Series stop in April to cheer on Lenay and the other Big Sky locals who will be competing.
Scottie Williams is a Montana native and Big Sky local also competing on the Subaru Freeride Series tour.
Megan Paulson is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Outlaw Partners.
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april, 2024
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We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a
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We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a limited palette to create different color combinations? Are you tired of carrying around 15-20 different tubes when you paint plein air? Have you ever wanted to create a certain “mood” in a painting but failed? Do you create a lot of mud? Do you struggle to achieve color harmony? All these problems are addressed in John’s workbook in clear and concise language!
Based on the bestselling “Limited Palatte, Unlimited Color” workbook written by John Pototschnik, the workshop is run by Maggie Shane and Annie McCoy, accomplished landscape (acrylic) and plein air (oil) artists,exhibitors at the Big Sky Artists’ Studio & Gallery and members of the Big Sky Artists Collective.
Each student will receive a copy of “Limited Palette, Unlimited Color” to keep and take home to continue your limited palette journey. We will show you how to use the color wheel and mix your own clean mixtures to successfully create a mood for your paintings.
Each day, we will create a different limited palette color chart and paint a version of a simple landscape using John’s directives. You will then be able to go home and paint more schemes using the book for guidance.
Workshop is open to painters (oil or acrylic) of any level although students must have some basic knowledge of the medium he or she uses. Students will be provided the book ($92 value), color wheel, value scale and canvas papers to complete the daily exercises.
Sundays, April 14, 21 and 28, 2024
Noon until 6PM.
$170.
Time
14 (Sunday) 12:00 pm - 28 (Sunday) 6:00 pm
Event Details
Please join the Arts Council of Big Sky for free music from Jacob Rountree at the Wilson Hotel Lobby Bar from 5-7 p.m.
Event Details
Please join the Arts Council of Big Sky for free music from Jacob Rountree at the Wilson Hotel Lobby Bar from 5-7 p.m. on April 24.
Jacob Rountree is an alternative/indie songwriter living in the stunning alpine of Montana. Contemplative yet playful, his lyric forward style is reflective of his love for philosophy, poetry and quantum physics.
Time
(Wednesday) 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Location
The Wilson Hotel
145 Town Center Ave
Event Details
Trivia from 7 to 9 p.m. at The Waypoint in Town Center. Participation is free, food and beverages available.
Event Details
Trivia from 7 to 9 p.m. at The Waypoint in Town Center. Participation is free, food and beverages available.
Time
(Wednesday) 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Location
The Waypoint
50 Ousel Falls Rd