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Finals: Palmer Pushed Out by Dr. Drew
Audio: Putz, Nielsen and Koeck

Copper has been suffering a bit of a drought like the rest of Colorado this year so I promised friends I'd try to bring some of the Northwest stuff Mt. Baker has been "suffering" from, like a 300 in. base.

Copper Trees

At first it was kind of sad driving into these majestic Rockies and not seeing any snow, but I thought too soon. I entered Silverthorn in a whiteout outta nowhere. I was stoked my snow dance around my open luggage in Seattle had worked! I just had to get it to the elevation. I slammed my rental into four wheel and it blinked "check engine", but I didn't have time for such distractions.

By the time I got to Frisco, I-70 was one lane going about 30mph. By nightfall the winds had reached 80mph and I-70 was closed for most of what I had just driven. Shelters were set up to help stranded travelers and snow was falling 2-3" an hour. I felt like I had put a few too many "Good Gods!" into my snow dance and maybe I couldn't take credit for it after all. It let up by midnight leaving Copper in a quiet, white blanket.

Union Peak

Copper got 7" fresh on top. The boardercross course doesn't look any worse for the wear and the riding offered plenty of uncut funk in the back bowls all morning. Everything's spread out on the base and, conditions permitting, hiking for freshies on the summit is highly accessible. Copper's self-inclusive community doesn't really have a single village to speak of. The base of the east side at 9,712' (2960m) is quickly becoming something big and there's construction going on everywhere, even in February. The Copper Commons side to the west has the center and the shops surrounded by hotels looking up at the trails and trees. The boardercross course jets straight up from The Center.

This is another big time event for Copper and the riders who dropped in for the World Cup Boardercross are in for a very similar ride. The course follows the familiar route down along the American Eagle lift, right in front of The Center's main lodge. This course doesn't disappoint with big berms and booters for everyone, ending just in front of the lodge making it a real spectator event.

Hallelujah

Riders are piling in and composing poetry on their registration forms with visions of passing Palmer in their head. I spoke to Dr. Drew Nielsen from Whistler who actually has a chance at passing Palmer. "Everyones' looking to beat Palmer, but I think Copper is my mountain," he said.

Drew placed well here last year and won the World Cup Boardercross here in January. Looking at the posse of banditos that are registering today makes me happy I'm just shooting it again. As much as this boardercross discipline is the closest thing to freeriding, these guys don't look like they're here for fun.

The qualifiers start tomorrow and we'll be bring you the goods from underneath the kickers. Will Palmer Team spit in the wind? Will the Canadians prove prowess? Do the hard booters have a chance? We don't know either, but are here to find out just for you. Stay tuned and remember...These are trained lunatics. Don't try this at home.

— Hans Prosl, boarding trees for The Mountain Zone

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