Category Archives: Trip Reports

Hammer Down

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Well, Day 1 of the World Freeskiing Championships just wrapped up at my home mountain of Snowbird, UT. Sunshine and temperatures of 52°F caused conditions on West Baldy (Qualifier Venue) to range from coral reef to slush. A big cut was laid down on the men competiting (19 of 55 made it to Silver Fox on Friday), but the most disappointing fact of the day was JCDC (jakecast.com …DUH) Athlete Nik Aksamit threw down the GNARLIEST line of the day and for some reason didn’t qualify.

After being nominated as one of Frankie’s favorites in the athlete meeting after today’s event (the announcer’s views on what the best lines were), Nik found himself sitting in 22nd position. This is after sending the biggest air in the gnarliest section of the venue and then straightlining the last half of the zone through huge icy moguls right into the finish. Don’t believe me yet? Just check out the World Freeskiing Tour Homepage picture from today, featuring the Aksamit sending it HUDGE into the pocket.

World Freeskiing Tour Homepage featuring Nik Aksamit

Close-up of Nik going huge!

Tough break buddy, we all thought you were top ten for sure. At least we can take solace in knowing that we are so gnarly that even if we don’t make the cut, we still get featured in the headline photo.

Video of Frankie’s Favorites from the athlete meeting this evening (I’m in the purple shirt and Nik has a haircut like a child molester).
Scroll to 1m 20s for the JCDC spotlight moment.

The good news is tomorrow temperatures are supposed to drop and the clouds are going to movie in, which means it won’t be variable conditions throughout the day. It’ll just be coral reef and ice all day long. I am so fucking stoked.

See you tomorrow, #16.
Jake

World Championships at the ‘Bird

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Registration today. I’m running Thursday, #16th or as I like to call it ‘Prime Coral Reef Time.’ I don’t ask for a whole lot, but if it could start raining during my run (the high at Snowbird tomorrow is 52F), I’d be so pumped.

Psh. It doesn’t matter. I’ll be like Eminem in 8 Mile and just start rapping at the top of the venue. Uhh…I’m gonna get grips of style points.
…Now if only I can convince Mekhi Phifer to fly to Utah

The tree roots and bushes will just act like pillows on my landing.

I got a sickbird nomination for filling out paperwork today. Jim Jack said he’d never seen pen strokes quite like mine.

Cool videos from Friday when it actually looked like winter in Utah.

Jake

09/10 Ski Update 7

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Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – 40 Day Dream
[audio:http://www.jakecast.com/wp-music/40daydream.mp3]

Ski Days This Season: 19

Collin’s Valley, Little Cottonwood Canyon, UT: 8
Wilbere Ridge, Little Cottonwood Canyon, UT: 1
Snowbird, Little Cottonwood Canyon, UT: 10

No more shameless self promotion! The voting portion of the Office Winter Games Contest is over and I can go back to being narcissistic without any justification instead of being narcissistic so I can get a free trip to the Olympics.

A big thanks to Gizmodo, Gadgetsteria, Deseret News and everyone else out there who helped me get votes! Hopefully it’s enough to score me some free stuff.

Here are some photos I took with the Deseret News last week for an article they wrote on my greatness.
(Big Thanks to Ravell Call for the photos and Wendy Leonard for the article!)

November 25, 2009
I make 4″ of groomed ice look like 40″ of blower pow

I got heckled from the chair while nailing this lifestyle shot

It’s never too early to send it

Canada, Washington, Italy, and Switzerland. C’mon Ullr, you’re delivering all this snow to the wrong address.
EIGHT-OH-ONE. Bring the goods, overnight, early morning delivery, I’ll pay for shipping.
Jake

09/10 Ski Update 6

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Sorry to keep bugging everyone with this, but I have to re-post it
**(KEEP) VOTING FOR ME**

Send me to the Olympics in February on Microsoft’s dime by voting for me on this site: https://www.officewintergames.com/contestants.aspx
It falls between two competitions I want to do this season, will probably screw up my Computer Science classes and make me reconsider my hopes and dreams, but who cares. I can run up a $1,500 pay-per-view movie tab on Microsoft’s bill. That should make us even for Vista…

(I’m Jake from the University of Utah if you haven’t figured that out yet…)
So Vote (you can vote once a day) for me and help me take a rad trip.
Thanks!

…Back to the ski porn

Ski Days This Season: 13

Collin’s Valley, Little Cottonwood Canyon, UT: 8
Wilbere Ridge, Little Cottonwood Canyon, UT: 1
Snowbird, Little Cottonwood Canyon, UT: 4

10″ of fresh last night made today the first powder day of the season and if I have to keep skiing Big Emma I’m going to go crazy.

While I’m still looking over footage from today I thought I’d take this moment to post some summer ski stoke from the last couple years so we can all appreciate the snow we have right now (even if it isn’t enough)…

July 21, 2008

Aug 9, 2009

Okay Ullr, we all love the PNW, but it’s time to bring some snow to the Wasatch…
Jake