Ski Dazzle opens Thursday at L.A. Convention Center

Ski Dazzle makes its return to Southern California, opening Thursday and running through Sunday at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

The annual ski and snowboard consumer event, touted as the world's largest, will feature more than 375 exhibit booths showcasing equipment and resort information.

There will also be activities each day, including ski and snowboard lessons, contests and seminars, a climbing wall, and skateboard and BMX Vert ramp shows.

Event hours are 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday; and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Adult admission is $17; children ages 6 to 12, $5 ; and those 5 and younger, free.

Once inside, paid adult tickets can be exchanged for a one-day lift ticket coupon to either Snow Summit or Bear Mountain resorts (certain restrictions apply).

-- Kelly Burgess

Photo: A snowboarder takes a turn at Snow Summit in Big Bear. Credit: Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times

Freeskiing icon Shane McConkey: Memorial service to be held Sunday

Shane McConkey's presence in Squaw Valley was such that there remains a profound void at the Lake Tahoe-area resort. Fittingly, that's where an attempt at closure will take place this weekend.

A memorial service for the legendary freeskier will be held Sunday at 4:30 p.m. on the Olympic Plaza Sundeck at Squaw Valley USA. A Gathering of Shane’s Friends will follow at 6:30 p.m. at the Olympic Village Lodge.

McConkey died March 26 while performing a stunt in Italy for a movie. It reportedly involved launching from a cliff, releasing his skis and parachuting to safety. But a ski remained attached and McConkey spun out of control and could not deploy his parachute.

His death cast a pall that remains darker than storm clouds over Squaw Valley, McConkey's home  mountain, which lured idolizing fans who became residents just to be near the fun-loving, extremely talented skier and renowned daredevil.

"Even though he traveled the world, Shane’s presence in Squaw Valley was ubiquitous," states a news release issued today from Squaw. "From the many pairs of rockered skis that dangle from the chairs lifts, to the scores of 18 to 30 year-old Shane-idolizing dream chasers – in Squaw Valley, Shane is everywhere."

McConkey was 39 and he's survived by his wife, Sherry, and their 3-year-old daughter, Ayla. Click here for more information or to send wishes or share memories.

-- Pete Thomas

 
 

Shane McConkey, legendary extreme skier, dies in base-jumping accident

Legendary extreme skier and base jumper Shane McConkey died yesterday in an accident while filming a movie in Italy.

McConkey, 39, was performing a stunt in which he was to launch himself off of a cliff, then detach his skis and deploy a parachute.

Witnesses said McConkey was not able to get one of his skis off, which sent him spinning out of control and prevented him from deploying the chute.  McConkey died on impact.

"He did a double backflip off the jump and he has these releasable bindings. But one ski did not come off. When that happens the drag on the skis causes you to flip over so the skis go over your head. He got into a bad spin and may have never even pulled his pilot chute," filmmaker and McConkey family friend Scott Gaffney told ESPN Action Sports during a telephone interview.

The Lake Tahoe-area resident is survived by his wife, Sherry, and their 3-year-old daughter. 

--Kelly Burgess

Photos courtesy of Red Bull

A Christmas wish list, checked twice

A Christmas wish, brief version, minus materialistic desires:

-- May this latest storm further blanket our mountains, for the benefit of skiers, snowboarders and resort operators. More important, may it saturate a landscape that remains so parched that creeks remain dry and waterfalls without cascades. We need lots  of precipitation in 2008-09.

-- May the economy improve sooner rather than later. This would be our Christmas miracle. Being forced from a home onto the street is the worst possible kind of outdoors experience, and it should not be happening.

-- May children receive more gifts that introduce them to our spectacular natural resources--surfboards, skis, snowboards, hiking boots, binoculars, tents, fishing poles, etc.--and fewer computerized gadgets that contribute to obesity and create a disconnect between kids and their parents.

-- May more parents get out of the house with their children, to a lake shore, a state park, aboard a whale-watch boat or wherever there is sky and a vast surrounding. Most outdoor activities are inexpensive. Generate fond memories. Instill an appreciation for open spaces and critters that inhabit them. You won't regret it.

-- May Japan and other whaling nations stop the slaughter. Most if not all species of whales were on the brink of extinction at one point in our recent history. Haven't they been through enough?

-- May people lose the taste for shark fin soup. Unlike whales, sharks are being driven methodically to extinction because of the demand for this so-called delicacy and the brutal practice of "finning" live sharks. This is perilous for sharks and the environment. Is a bowl of soup worth all this?

-- May more people go green. May we see fewer Hummers and Suburbans and more hybrids. May the warming trend reverse (another miracle, please) and may the polar bears somehow survive the shrinking of their icy realm. People are trying, and that's a positive first step.

-- May at least some of your Chritmas wishes come true. Happy holidays, everyone. May better times prevail in 2009!

-- Pete Thomas

Photo credit: Greg Zook, Big Bear Lake Resort Assn.

Blizzard conditions leave snowboarders, skiers up to knees in powder

The photo above just arrived from Mountain High in Wrightwood, where more than two feet of fresh powder now blankets the slopes.

Spokesman John McColly reports the West Resort is 100% open with 31 trails for skiers and snowboarders of all levels. The East Resort will open later this week and the North Resort may open this weekend. The North Pole Tubing Park will open Friday.

Of conditions McColly said, "It’s fantastic out there. I just got off the mountain and it's as good as I’ve ever seen it."

--Pete Thomas

Photos: Snowboarder catches air amid a flurry of snowflakes, which have piled high on the slopes--and atop the buildings--of Mountain High and other Southland resorts. Credit: Mountain High

Steve Fisher, Shaun White showdown to kick off inaugural Winter Dew Tour series

Steve Fisher was declared the world's top-ranked snowboarder by the United States Ski & Snowboard Assn. heading into the 2008-09 season, which ought to provide Shaun White some extra incentive whenever the two are in the same competition.

"I’m pumped about leading the U.S. rankings going into this season because the Olympics are just one year away," Fisher said. "So hopefully I can hang on to this momentum through next season and bring home a medal in Vancouver for the 2010 Olympics."

White, who has been more selective in terms of competition, was ranked No. 6 by the USSA. But to get a gauge of who is the world's best halfpipe rider, just pay attention to the more visible competitions this season, notably the inaugural Winter Dew Tour event Dec. 18-21 at Breckenridge in Colorado, and the Winter X Games Jan. 22-25 at Aspen/Snowmass.

White, who won the Olympic gold medal in 2006 and struck X Games gold last January, reportedly is taking the three-event Dew series seriously. He has committed to all three competitions and could become the first to win a Dew Cup in both the summer (skateboarding) and winter versions of the Dew Tour.

Fisher, who won X Games gold in 2007, regards Breckenridge as his home mountain and will enjoy raucous local support. So the Dew kickoff event -- the series also includes free-skiing disciplines -- ought to feature at least one compelling showdown.

--Pete Thomas

Photo: Steve Fisher stands atop the podium after winning the gold medal at the 2007 Winter X Games. Next to him at left is silver medalist Shaun White and, at right, bronze medalist Mason Aguirre. Credit: ESPN Images

Shaun White, other Olympic snowboarders and top freeskiers commit to Winter Dew Tour

The Winter Dew Tour will launch next month at Breckenridge Ski Resort with a star-studded lineup that includes 2006 Olympic gold medal-winning snowboarders Shaun White and Hannah Teter.

To be sure, one glimpse at the list of confirmed athletes, which will be released today, has organizers relieved because there'd been concern that  top snowboarders, who have so many events from which to choose, may not fully embrace a new circuit.

But the three-stop snowboarding and freeskiing series has drawn like the X Games draws.

Other top snowboarders include Gretchen Bleiler, winner of the silver medal at the 2006 Olympics; Kelly Clark, who struck Olympic gold in 2002; and Danny Kass, who has two Olympic silver medals.

Mason Aguirre, Kevin Pearce, Travis Rice, Finland's Antti Autti, Norway's Andreas Wiig and Australia's Torah Bright, winner of X Games superpipe gold last January, also are on the list.