BIG SKY – The Freeskiing World Tour and Masters of Snowboarding competitions returned to Big Sky Resort from March 24-27, and the Headwaters terrain played host as 155 competitors entered Thursday’s qualifier round.
Harrison Holley throws a monster backflip during the March 26 final of the Freeskiing World Tour at Big Sky Resort
Only 24 skiers and snowboarders made the cut to compete in main event held Friday and Saturday, and qualifiers had one run each day, which were scored cumulatively.
On Saturday afternoon, crowds surrounding the finish gate in Stillwater Bowl watched and cheered as athletes chose impressive lines and found big air in the Three Forks venue. After the powder had settled, Forrest Jillson and Hazel Birnbaum were named the 2016 Freeskiing World Tour Champions, and Harrison Fitch and Camila Brown stood atop the podium as victors of the Masters of Snowboarding competition.
“The Masters [of Snowboarding] is unique because of the camaraderie amongst the athletes despite the high level of competition,” said local snowboarder Joshua Katz, who took 10th place. Fellow Big Sky Resort rider Chance Lenay scored a podium spot with a second-place showing.
Event Director Bryan Barlow told the official FWT website that he was pleased with the conditions for the event. The first two days brought 9-10 inches of fresh powder, and the finals were held under bluebird skies allowing athletes to show off their skills in optimal conditions.
The highly sought-after Sickbird Awards were given to Andrew Pollard from Alta, Utah, and Mica Brownlie, a snowboarder based at Utah’s Snowbird Resort.
Although there is no official criteria or point system for judges to award the Sickbird belt buckles, riders whose runs most exemplify the spirit of freeskiing/big mountain boarding take the prize home. Competitors riding the rowdiest runs that bring the fans to their feet have the best chance of joining the elite Sickbird community.
Abe Greenspan goes huge on his way to a fifth place finish in the Masters of Snowboarding competition;
Sidney Simard, a 17-year-old from nearby Bridger Bowl, had consistent performances all three days and caught the eye of the judges. He was the only junior competitor to make it into the finals, and landed on the podium in third place. Simard also snagged the North Face Young Gun Award for his solid and aggressive performance.
Founded and run by Mountain Sports International, the Freeskiing World Tour is the oldest of competitive big mountain freeskiing events, holding competitions at the most rugged mountains in North and South America since 1998. The Masters of Snowboarding competitions have been showcasing the sport of big mountain snowboarding since 2008.
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.