Packed, Stacked and Jacked 2010-2011

The Packed, Stacked and Jacked 2010-2011 season kicked off last night in the Goggle Bowl at Seven Springs. The Seven Springs Terrain Park Crew created an amazing set up for the event – and with the Goggle rockin’ the competitors put on quite a show.

Sponsored by Ride Snowboards and Line Skis this first event in the PSJ Freestyle Ski and Snowboard Series was set in a rail jam format with Amateur Ski, Amateur Snowboard, Amateur Women’s Ski and Amateur Women’s Snowboard as well as Open divisions for both ski and snowboard. This division format came as a direct result of the successful inaugural 2009-2010 season and will continue throughout the series.

Packed, Jacked and Stacked, brainchild of Willi’s Ski Shop owner Greg Klein, kicked off in January of 2010 with a 5 event series that gained national recognition and sponsorships to some of the areas great talent. “Our goal”, says Klein, “is to spotlight Seven Springs and the athletes that are coming out of this area. We want it to be a fun series that celebrates the fun and camaraderie of competing.” With that goal in mind Events Manager, Katy Rullo, has designed a competitive series with events that focus on the key ski and snowboard freestyle skills allowing everyone to show off their particular talent.

For the 2010-2011 season the PSJ series has been cut to 4 events and the prize structure has been altered. The competitive field has been split into an Amateur division for both men and women, ski and snowboard and an Open division in which the sponsored athletes must compete. This allows for more of the up-coming athletes to gain more than just competitive experience and throws and added level of excitement into the event.

Using the power of social media the PSJ event series, has developed a life of its own. The Packed, Stacked and Jacked Facebook page is a place where event coordinators, athletes, spectators and sponsors talk, share pictures, pass critical event information or just chat about life, the mountain and the series itself.

The 2010-2011 PSJ season-opening, Ride Snowboards and Line Skis rail jam was an incredible show. It brought some old favorites and some new faces together on an artisitically designed set up by the award winning Seven Springs Terrain Park Crew. Rail jams are fun, spectator-friendly events because there is so much going on all the time…very little waiting around. Goggle Bowl is the prefect place for such an event because people can watch from the lift, from the trail-side, from the Foggy Goggle bar and from the bottom of the venue. With the lights on and the music jamin’ the tricks look impressive and this crew gave the crowd plenty to cheer about. Results were tough to determine but in the end the Open Division winners for snowboard were 1st Tristan Sadler 2nd Cooper Thomas and 3rd Zack Yourd. For Ski 1st Tyler Pence 2nd Justin Petricko and 3rd Eric Taylor. The first place ski and snowboard winners walked away with $300 in cash from the Jib Shop thanks to vitaminwater, and the 2nd and 3rd place finishers walked away with goggles, t-shirts, hats etc. from Smith and some of the other PSJ sponsors. All of the Open division competitors are fighting for points collected through all four events that to determine the grand prize winner that includes a trip to Camp of Champions and $1,000 in spending money. These points are collected during each event based on the FIS point system and will be posted on the Packed, Stacked and Jacked Facebook page after each event.

The Amateur division was a new addition for the 2010-2011 PSJ to help bring more of a grassroots approach to the competition. Everyone likes to compete just for the sake of experience. Younger competitors understand that it is as much for the experience as it is for the fun of being a competitor rather than a spectator…but it is nice to know you have a chance at winning something – and thanks to our sponsors there are some fantastic things to win. At the end of the night the some great talent found the podium. For the men's Ameture Snowboard division it was 1st Chris Poe, 2nd Spencer Strayer and 3rd Trevor Eichelberger. In the men's Amateur Ski division, 1st Jimmy Leslie, 2nd Max Goldstein and 3rd Kyle Scheth. Places for the women’s Amateur Snowboard division were… 1st Ashley Vander Meer, 2nd Brooke Finney and 3rd Haley Milac; and for the women’s Amateur Ski division it was 1st Elle Pappas 2nd Alessa Conner 3rd Andrea Dinderman. Amateur division athletes are competing for sponsorship opportunities and other prizes…so they too can be Packed, Stacked and Jacked!

All in all it was an amazing event. While fewer snowboarders showed up to throw down more women came to this event – many of them new to the competitive scene. The youngest athlete of the night was only 8 years old but already an experienced competitor as she participated in PSJ last year and is a member of the local WPRC ski team registered with USSA as both a Freestyle and an Alpine competitor.

Packed, Jacked and Stacked brings out all levels of competitors so it is an easy way for anyone interested in freestyle skiing and snowboarding to get in the game. There are three more great events the Salomon Ski and Forum Snowboard Big Air Challenge on January 29th, the Burton and Armada Halfpipe Competition on February 20th and the vitaminwater, Camp of Champions Finals on March 4th – whether it is as a spectator or a competitor….you really should be there!

See ya on the slopes!

Kjerstin

Warren Miller Brings His Wintervention to Pittsburgh

With snow in the forecast for Saturday there is no better way for the snow-obsesed to kick off the winter then with a little Wintervention!

Wintervention is the 61^st film for industry icon Warren Miller. His films have a cult-like following because his films celebrate seasons past and set the stage for the season to come. This edition tackles the tough issues of snow-diction. Narrated by Olympic celebrity Jonny Moseley it features 26 athletes as they travel from Argentina to Antarctica chasing epic moments in terrain parks, on lift-access slopes and exotic descents in the far corners of the globe.

Catch Wintervention in Pittsburgh at the Carnegie Library Music Hall November 6th, 2010 at 7:00 pm.

Get to Know Your Reps: Terri Apple

Terri Apple, a veteran rep for Nils Skiwear has been with the company for 28 years covering New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Terri took to the slopes early as an enthusiastic toddler and her growing passion lead her to race in college as well as a year well-spent ski bumming in Alta. Her life’s travels have taken her to the mountains from coast to coast and she has remained passionate about the outdoors in both her work and private life.

Her life in the ski industry started at age 16 when she began working in a ski shop. Her expertise and great work ethic took her to a buying position by age 21 which lead to her first sales rep position with Karhu-Titan shortly thereafter. Two years later, she partnered with Nils Skiwear where she is still an integral part of the sales team.

While Terri counts any day spent on the mountain in her amazing Nils togs she counts among her most memorable those blue bird days with fresh, dry powder in Sun Valley. She loves to be able to let the skis fly with big GS turns as a treat from the more confining east coast skiing.

Terri is one of those people you immediately like – and because of that she has made many friends throughout the industry. In fact her favorite thing about the ski industry is the people. From all of the buyers to the sales staff in the stores to most importantly, she says, the wonderful consumers that support their local ski shops and love the winter sports world like she does. She is full of funny stories about skiing over the years and the Willi’s crew but one of her favorite stories is a perfect example of the close friends she has made in the industry…as a young rep she claims she was “little intimidated” to travel to downtown Pittsburgh to a hockey specialty store, Willi’s owner and caretaker-to-all, Linda Klein, jumped in Terri’s van, went downtown with her and even took her dog for a walk while she called on the store!

Her home life is deeply affected by the ski industry not only because of her passion for the outdoors and her job with Nils but also because her charming husband of 31 years is also a veteran personality in the ski industry and together they are handing that passion down to their three children, one of which works in the industry as well.

While Terri can be found on both Facebook and Twitter she uses these primarily to communicate with her family. To follow what Terri is passionate about in her work life try following Nils Skiwear on Facebook.

Get to Know Your Reps: Pete Seminara

Reps have near-celebrity status here in Pittsburgh and no one embodies that more than Peter Seminara, better known as Pizza Peter. His personality is as big as the brands he carries and he brings that vitality to skiers and snowboarders where ever they can be found.

This season he helped us kick off the season at the Willi’s Pre Season Ski and Snowboard Sale in the South Hills at Greentree Sportsplex by bringing his amazing, pizza-oven-on-wheels and making pizza for all of the sale customers.

Peter is the Spyder company representative for the Mid Atlantic region and has been in the business, helping Willi’s Ski Shop customers for years. He got his start in the industry by working on the sales floor at Ski Market in Buffalo in 1984 and has been passionate about the business ever since; He truly enjoys working in sales for an industry and lifestyle that he believes in.

Pizza Peter has enjoyed the industry from all angles. Whether it is Heli Skiing with the Last Frontier Guides in the Skeena Mountain Range in Northern BC or trying to talk the Willi’s Buyers into carrying snowboards at a time when only Boyce Park allowed snowboards on the hill, Peter has jumped in with enthusiasm and passion. As a rep he is one of the most committed individuals and the industry is lucky to have him.

When he’s not reliving his childhood through the eyes of his kids you can catch this fun-loving family man behind his newly-acquired Mobil Brick Pizza Oven spreading Pizza Love at Spyder promotional events or find him on Facebook (Peter Seminara) and Twitter (@TweeeterPeeeter).

Get to Know Your Reps

As amazing as the ski and snowboard industry is it wouldn't work with out the hard work of the company representatives - the Reps.

Reps are more than just the sales people that shuffle orders for merchandise - they are an integral part of the industry, the key link between the shops and their customers and the vendors who manufacture the merchandise. Reps are critical because they are directly involved with the product as it is being sold and used so they hear from the consumer what works, what doesn't work as well as what consumers are truly looking for on the slopes. They work with the manufactures to help bring the best products to the market place while communicating with the shop owners and buyers to ensure that the right products and the right amount of product is available when it is needed. They are involved with the product from inception to fruition and work hard to balance the needs of all parties involved through the entire process.

It is hard for some people to believe how small the ski and snowboard industry really is and at times it seems cold (no pun intended :) and impersonal. It is my intention to help you get to know the industry reps that cover the Pittsburgh area to give you a bit of an insiders-look into the industry. I think it makes it more fun to have a personal connection to the products you use on the slopes and to put a name and face to the larger image of the companies that service the industry. Our Reps are some of the most interesting, hardest working people I know and great friends. I hope you enjoy Getting to Know Your Reps!

See ya on the slopes!

Kjerstin

Snow Deva

Jungle Creek Trail: Dryland Training at its Best

Winter is not the only time you will find us in the mountains. Summer months are an equally great time...we call it Dry land Training instead of skiing.

This past weekend found us in the Teanaway outside of Cle Elum in Washington. We were lucky enough to catch a break in the unseasonably cold weather and had a beautiful day on the Jungle Creek Trail.

As it was intended to be a short day we simply trekked up to the ridge line just past the Way Creek Trail junction and were rewarded with a through-the-pines view of the Stuarts, which are still snow-covered.

While the trail itself was not long it was varied in terrain. It was steep in places and made its way over the Jungle Creek several times, skirted past a bank side washout and scrabbled over scree patches so it provided plenty of opportunity for aerobic and proprioception training.

Not all training is physical - the wildflowers were in the early stages of their summer blooming cycle and provided an added dimension to the hike. Beautiful weather, wonderful views, dynamic trail and amazing wildflowers...this is dry land training at it's best!

Whether there is snow or not...See Ya on the Slopes!

Packed, Stacked and Jacked: Nordica, Monster, Gnu Wrap Up Event

Well it appears Mother Nature still has a few tricks up her sleeve. The Mid Atlantic region is expected to have a "major, slow moving storm front" coming through this weekend which may affect our final PSJ event. This wrap-up event of the 5 event series is sponsored by Nordica, Monster Energy Drink and Gnu Snowboards and promises to be a nail biter to the end. Point totals that the competitors have collected throughout the series remain close and the weather only throws more excitement into the mix.

"At this point it's hard to say what's going to happen", says event host, Greg Klein, owner of Willi's Ski Shop and their on-line freestyle shop The Jib Shop. "We can only hope that Mother Nature will cooperate and help us pull off tomorrow's event", but contingency plans for how to reschedule are already being batted around.

"It's important to have a back up plan", says event coordinator Katy Rullo, "but if we have to reschedule there isn't one solution that will make everyone happy."

In the end it is up to the expert Seven Springs Terrain Park staff to make the call. They are the best judges of whether the event can be run safely and fairly - we should know by the time registration starts at 9:00 AM in the lobby outside of Willi's Ski Shop up at Seven Springs.

Until then See ya on the slopes!

Kjerstin
Snow Deva