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The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast still has a podcast. Get new episodes the moment they're live by subscribing to the email newsletter:WhoJohn Kelly, CEO of Taos Ski Valley, New MexicoRecorded onNovember 13, 2025About Taos Ski ValleyClick here for a mountain stats overviewOwned by: Louis Bacon (since December 2013)Located in: Taos Ski Valley, New MexicoYear founded: 1955Pass affiliations:* Ikon Pass – 7 days, no blackouts* Ikon Base Pass – 5 days, holiday blackouts* Ikon Session Pass – 1-4 days, holiday blackouts* Mountain Collective – 2 days, no blackouts* Ski New Mexico True Pass – 2 days, holiday blackoutsBase elevation: 9,350 feetSummit elevation: 12,450 feet lift-served, 12,481 hike-toVertical drop: 3,100 feet lift-served, 3,131 hike-to.Skiable acres: 1,294 (some hike-to)Average annual snowfall: 300 inches claimed on website; calculated 36-year average using data sourced from Taos' 2010 master development plan, Ski New Mexico tallies, and media reports is 233 inches. The 10-year average falls to 166 inches. Here's the year-by-year breakdown:Trail count: 110 (24% beginner, 25% intermediate, 51% expert)Lift count: 13 (1 pulse gondola, 2 high-speed quads, 2 fixed-grip quads, 4 triples, 1 double, 3 carpets)Why I interviewed himLet's start with a superficially troubling number: Taos' long, steady decline in average annual skier visits:That doesn't look so good, especially when laid alongside the long-term increase in national skier visits:Taos not only declined in the context of national skier visits, but also among its peers. In winter 1983-84, Taos drew more skiers (241,000) than Telluride (132,460), Big Sky (136,000), Jackson Hole (177,000), Whitefish (I'm lacking an estimate for that winter, but the ski area then known as “Big Mountain” logged 209,000 skiers in 1980-81 and 170,581 in 1985-86). Taos (dark blue line below), continued to out-duel this group through about the mid-90s before falling off a cliff:So what happened? 1995 Taos, a freeride mecca before freeride was cool, should have been perfectly suited to flourish in a cultural moment when skiers began demanding more interesting terrain than the groomed superhighways that had become the industry's default setting. Sure, Taos was remote and a bit harder to access than, say, Keystone or Park City, but so were Jackson and Whitefish and Big Sky and Telluride. A partial explanation: Taos stopped modernizing. After replacing the Lift 2 double with a fixed-grip quad in 1994, Taos didn't install another new chairlift for 19 years. The first detachable didn't arrive until 2018. The resort banned snowboards until 2008. Meanwhile, Big Sky laced a tram to the summit of Lone Peak in 1995 and started pushing detachable quads up the mountain; the first high-speed quads arrived at Telluride in 1986 and Whitefish in 1989.It's not a perfect narrative – while Jackson Hole rolled out its short Sublette detach in the mid-90s, the mountain didn't install an upper-mountain high-speed chairlift until Casper in 2012. Skier visits went up and up and up all that time, probably due in large part to aggressive improvements at the Jackson Hole airport.Maybe, though, it's as simple as this: banger snow years descended upon Taos – and New Mexico in general – from the late ‘80s through mid-‘90s. It's little surprise that attendance ups-and-downs largely mirror snowfall patterns:But, as the corresponding trendlines show, Taos' skier visits have not declined at the same rate as the mountain's average annual snowfall. And while Jackson's long-term average snowfall has remained relatively constant, attendance has crept steadily upward. Attendance spiked at both mountains when the 2018-19 season brought both plentiful snow and the introduction of the Ikon Pass:Unfortunately, Taos stopped reporting skier visits after the Covid-shortened 2019-20 season, so we have less concrete insight into whether the mountain's recent investments in a reconfigured beginner area and a second detachable on the backside have insulated it from two historically poor snow years. This is why it's nice to have basic visitation data, and why I'm pushing the ski industry to again publicize annual attendance for ski areas occupying public lands (since going live with a chart of 2,406 years of skier visit data for 97 ski areas with 10 or more years of attendance available, I'm up to 2,822 years across 108 ski areas, and I have a total of 3,802 years of data across 184 active U.S. ski areas for which I could find at least one year of attendance).We do know this: Taos doesn't want to return to the world of 300,000-plus skier visits. Somewhere between 250,000 and 275,000 is the “right number for the experience we want Taos to have,” Kelly tells us on the pod. Meaning: fewer skiers spread via a modern lift network is a better business than 364,000 skiers funneling onto double chairs. This flips the busiest-equals-best narrative that made skier-visit counts a 20th-century bragging point. I've heard the same logic articulated by the leaders of Killington, Waterville Valley, and other ski areas that have created a better business even with fewer skiers on their mountains. Jackson Hole, too, halted its relentless upward surge – that 2020-21 dip was deliberate, as the mountain exited Ikon Base and implemented a reservation system.This approach makes sense to me. With U.S. skier visits surging (until this year) and an Ikon or Epic pass in every pocket, no one wants to brag about being busy anymore. Space is the new volume. Social media can still transform one bad liftline into an eternal meme, but at least most skiers on the ground will have a better day most of the time than they probably would have 30 years ago.What doesn't make sense to me is why, in a less-is-more era, ski area operators have suddenly decided that skier visits should be guarded like Fort Knox. If fewer skiers is a good thing and a stated goal, why hide the numbers? The resorts ought to just say “Hey we've deliberately reduced our annual skier count from 300,000 to 250,000 [or whatever] to create a better mountain for you.” Instead, this secrecy around volume just looks cagey - if national skier visit numbers are up, then why should skiers just believe ski areas when they say “trust us, it's better now,” and offer no data to support it? Perception is reality, and today's skiing zeitgeist, as channeled by social media, tells us that American skiers perceive busier mountains today than they did a decade ago.But I'm getting off track. Since Louis Bacon bought Taos in 2013, he's funded an almost-complete renovation of what had become America's most decrepit destination ski resort. I don't think any mountain operating on U.S. Forest Service lands has more completely remade itself in the past decade (rapidly changing Big Sky, Deer Valley, and Powder Mountain operate on private property). Glimmering new but reset to 1970s volume, Taos is beautifully positioned to tap a skiing public that's burned-out on Colorado and Utah crowds but accustomed to modern lifts and snowmaking.What we talked aboutTaos as a family ski mountain; last winter's Chair 7 upgrade and custom terminals; owner Louis Bacon's mission to “improve everything without changing a thing”; why Taos changed from Skytrac to parent company Leitner-Poma for its newer lifts; Taos' great base-area reorganization; the story behind the Free Tacos run; a green run from the top of every lift other than the fierce Kachina triple; Taos' massive evolution since 2015; whether the mountain is committed to long-term independence; the founding Blake family's legacy and presence at Taos today; executing rapid development on Forest Service land; [VIDEO BONUS: Cat photobombing]; running Taos with the context of having worked at also-independent Telluride; becoming a skier growing up in Nashville, Tennessee; Telluride's evolution from semi-affordable to gigantic housing puzzle; employee housing at Taos; the logic behind the proposed base-to-base gondola and navigating local opposition; thoughts on the evolution of lifts 2 and 8; preserving parts of the hike-to ski experience; Taos' evolution after the Kachina Peak lift; lift 7A; the Minnesotas glades from the masterplan; avalanche mitigation; old-school boot-packing; parking lot evolutions; an ideal annual skier visit number and why that number is below historic highs; and getting to Taos.What I got wrong* When we discuss the wood-paneled terminals on Taos' new Lift 7, I ask if they're thematically related to the “wood RFID gates.” This is a reference to an earlier conversation that I cut, about Taos finally installing RFID for the 2025-26 ski season (the gates carry a wood theme). * I said that the trees skier's left of the Pioneer chair were not a named run, but they in fact are, and “Free Tacos” has a pretty awesome story behind it.* I accidentally asked Kelly to, “lay out the housing landscape for Telluride” but meant to say “Taos.” I didn't catch this in real time, but Kelly – who spent several years at Telluride before moving to Taos in 2015 – caught it and course-corrected.Questions I wished I'd askedTaos' 2010 USFS masterplan proposed a 7,045-foot-long, 2,363-vertical-foot detach quad that would have run parallel to Lift 1 to the top of Lift 2:We did, however, discuss the proposed 545-vertical-foot, 991-foot-long Ridge Lift off of Lift 8, and why Taos nixed that machine from its latest MDP:Why you should (or shouldn't) ski TaosTaos, like Jackson Hole or Snowbird or Palisades Tahoe, has a toughguy reputation. The place ripples with hike-to chutes and glades. To calm visitors shocked by the vertical bump run rocketing skyward beneath Chair 1, Taos to erected this base-area sign decades ago:The sign refers to the infamous Al's Run, which typically ripples with moguls, but was closed on my last visit, in March 2025 (Lift 1 was open):Taos certainly has plenty of nasty. The terrain ripping off the Kachina Peak triple is among the steepest inbounds terrain I'm aware of in America. But what shocked me about the place was how approachable it was for my then-8-year-old son, a solid but very intermediate skier. Every chair other than Kachina offers a top-to-bottom green – and some mostly mellow blues – making Taos one of the better family mountains in America.A lot of the solid-black terrain sits above the lifts, and requires a short, easy hike. If you've ever humped up Catherine's at Alta or Spanky's Ladder on Blackcomb, the ascent off of Lift 2 over to Highline Ridge or West Basin Ridge isn't much longer, and it flattens out considerably after the short incline. Unlike East Wall at A-Basin or Highlands Bowl at Aspen Highlands, this is hike-up terrain that's approachable for people who (like me), live at sea level and only like going up the mountain on machines. The runs are steep, and solo missions are discouraged, but the easy-in and proximity to lifts means a strong skier could reasonably expect to tuck a half-dozen hike-up laps into an afternoon. Here I am huffing and puffing right off Chair 2:Dang those trees are steep even right off the jump. Crunch crunch crunch:Go up a bit higher, and things get Lord of The Rings pretty fast:Taos' only real buyer-beware statistic is its insane base elevation of 9,350 feet, which makes everything, especially sleep, a bit more challenging. That altitude is actually a bit lower than the bases at Copper (9,712) or Breck (9,600). I start to have trouble functioning around 8,000 feet, which is the Vail (8,120), Snowmass (8,110), Snowbird (7,760), and Mammoth (7,953) range. So maybe see how you do at one of those burners before leveling up above 9,000 feet. Or at least arrive knowing that Taos will try punching you in the face. Hydrate and lay off the beer bongs for a day or two. You'll be fine.Podcast NotesOn Stadeli liftsWe've got 16 of these guys left across 10 U.S. ski areas, including Lift 7A at Taos:On the character of old chairliftsI wrote last year that U.S. ski lifts' overall design aesthetic has deteriorated with the decline in number of manufacturers and a tacit emphasis on technology over beauty.And I love old Riblets and Halls and Yans, but sentimentalism that locks skiing in a time capsule ultimately stalls long-term growth and invites disaster-by-disintegration. Rather than fight to live in a museum, I've adopted a quest mentality to ride as many of these dinosaurs as I can before they go extinct:On Taos' base-area fliparoundOn Taos' current masterplanHere's the conceptual overview of Taos' 2021 U.S. Forest Service master development plan:The major unrealized part of this is the base-to-base gondola - here's the most recent plan for that lift:On “class A avalanche mountains” with more than 200 slidepathsKelly mentioned that Taos' more than 200 slidepaths earn it the designation of a Class A avalanche mountain. I of course went looking for a list of U.S. ski areas so classified, and of course did not find one. In a rare exercise in self-restraint, however, I also did not create one. A quick Google search suggests that that such a list would include Alta, Kirkwood, and Stevens Pass alongside Taos. I would also assume that Alpine Meadows, Palisades, Mammoth, Snowbird, Big Sky, Silverton, and Crested Butte are among the most avy prone. That is not a complete list or an attempt at one so please don't write that I “forgot about” some particularly avalanche-prone mountain that I'm not trying very hard to remember.On The Storm's first Taos podcastThe Storm explores the world of lift-served skiing year-round. Join us. Get full access to The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast at www.stormskiing.com/subscribe
En esta cápsula 'Drop', te hablo de la Altra Experience Wild 3+. Del mismo modo que Altra decidió incorporar suela Vibram Megagrip a la Lone Peak 9+ (plus), en esta Wild 3+ (plus), volvemos a ver la misma maniobra de la marca americana.Esta EXP (Experience) Wild 3+ ofrece un peso similar al de sus predecesoras (298 g en mi número 44'5), un drop de 4 mm., caja de dedos Standard Footshape y un precio que sigue manteniéndose en los 150€ a pesar de la incorporación de la suela Vibram Megagrip con Traction Lug de 3'5mm.Otra gran novedad es la mediasuela EGO P35, que ya conocemos de modelos de asfalto como la FWD Via 2 y EXP Flow 2, mucho más suave y acertada para acometer largas distancias.Habrá que ver qué tal funciona esta Wild 3+ con la nueva amortiguación y una plantilla extraíble más gruesa (y algo más pesada), sumada a la suela Vibram.Posiblemente Altra haya lanzado uno de los modelos mas interesantes para UTMB por peso, confort y precio.Contacto:juan@ellaboratoriodejuan.com
Send us a textPat Davies enjoyed participating in a variety of sports in his youth, including Little League and swimming. As an adult, he found new outlets for his competitive spirit, spending a decade in karate, moving into marathons and ultrarunning, hiking, and even competing in the unique “ride and tie” races that combine running with endurance horseback riding. He has completed over 100 hikes to the top of Lone Peak, over 11,000 feet up in the Wasatch front in Northern Utah. Now 68, Pat embraced gravel biking a year ago, and this summer, he completed a 4,000-mile solo ride across the United States from Anacortes, Washington to Maine. While members of his family would sometimes meet him at stops along the way, he braved storms, equipment breakdowns, headwinds, and long lonely roads, averaging 76 miles a day and chronicling the journey through daily YouTube videos. Pat lives in Sandy, Utah with his wife and four children and continues to prove that adventure doesn't have an age limit.
Send us a textThere is only one overland company that was born on an elk hunt, and I sat down with the owner and inventor of the Lone Peak to hear the story while mine was being installed on my truck. Since then I've spent a few nights in it and used the other features on a daily basis and I have to say, I'm impressed. After another 40 nights sleeping in it, this thing will have paid for itself. Anyhow, enjoy the episode and dig in to see if this is a piece of gear that would benefit you.
Ben Criddle talks BYU sports every weekday from 2 to 6 pm.Today's Co-Hosts: Ben Criddle (@criddlebenjamin)Subscribe to the Cougar Sports with Ben Criddle podcast:Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/cougar-sports-with-ben-criddle/id99676
Altra's Zero Drop Legacy - When Your Running Shoes Can Talk Guest: Alex Leuchanka, Biomechanics and Physiology Expert, Research Manager of Applied Innovation at Altra RunningIn this episode of AI Powered by People, we explore:The revolutionary story behind Altra Running's zero-drop technology and how it's transforming running biomechanicsWhy shoe design impacts your ankle, knee, and hip movement during runningThe science behind Altra's innovative Vanish Carbon shoe with its unique flexible-yet-rigid plate designHow AI could transform running shoe design and user experience through real-time feedbackThe evolution of Altra's popular Lone Peak and Escalante models, and what they reveal about natural running mechanicsKey Timestamps: 00:00 - Consumer perspectives on talking shoes 03:00 - The birth of Altra and zero-drop revolution 07:30 - Innovation in biomechanics and shoe design 13:30 - The future of AI-powered running companions 18:30 - Closing thoughts and community engagementFeatured Products:Altra Vanish CarbonAltra Lone Peak (Trail)Altra Escalante (Road)Follow Your Host and Guest:Sarah Nagle, LinkedInAlex Leuchanka, LinkedInFollow On Social:Instagram | @ vurveylabsLinkedIn | www.linkedin.com/company/vurveylabsDownload the Vurbs app to chat with your own Altra running companion!Vurvey.comVurvey.com
Today on the show, outdoor retailer Wes Allen returns to talk about the article he wrote for Rock Fight about the fallout of Altra giving REI exclusivity on the newest version of the popular Lone Peak trail running shoe.The Altra Lone Peak Plus is the first version of the iconic trail runner to feature a Vibram outsole, and will be available exclusively at REI for five months. This move has sparked significant discussion among outdoor specialty retailers, as it raises concerns about the impact of exclusivity on independent shops and the overall dynamics in the outdoor retail market. Wes joins Colin, outdoor industry insider Eoin Comerford, and Producer Dave to share his perspective on this move by Altra. The conversation then turns towards the recent CEO shakeup at REI as well as thoughts on gray marketed Cotopaxi products turning up at Costco.The show of course wraps up with The Parting Shot!Read Wes's piece on the Lone Peak exclusive by clicking here.Check out hundreds of wildly cool products by visiting and shopping at Garage Grown Gear!Help those who have been impacted by the Los Angeles wildfires by clicking here.Thanks for listening! The Rock Fight is a production of Rock Fight, LLC. Sign up for NEWS FROM THE FRONT, Rock Fight's weekly newsletter by heading to www.rockfight.co and clicking Join The Mailing List.Please follow and subscribe to The Rock Fight and give us a 5 star rating and a written review wherever you get your podcasts.Want to pick a fight with The Rock Fight? Send your feedback, questions, and comments to myrockfight@gmail.com.
En este programa, y con la colaboración de Arán y Marcel de TRReview, repasamos las novedades para 2025 de las siguientes marcas:Saucony:-Xodus Ultra 4 (con Vibram)-Peregrine 15La Sportiva:-Prodigio Pro (competición sin placa)-Prodigio Max, con perfiles 37/31Merrell:-Nova 4 (hombre) y Antora 4 (mujer)-Promorph, con suela Vibram y perfil 37/31-MTL Adapt Matryx con perfil 42/36Altra:-Timp 5 BOA -Superior 7-Lone Peak 9+, que por fin, implementa Vibram-EXP Wild 2 con drop 4-Mont Blanc Speed (competición sin placa)-Olympus 275, más ligera que Olympus 6 y con upper MatryxAtom:-Terra MaxVJ Shoes:-Flow-IRock Plus, con tacos de 6'5mm.-Ultra 3, con perfil 39'5/33'5ON:-Cloud Ultra Pro, con perfil 38/32-Cloud Ultra 3, con perfil 32'5/26'5Contacto:juan@ellaboratoriodejuan.com
376: Brian Beckstead | Cadbury Marathon | Leanne Pompeani This episode is sponsored Altra Running check out their latest shoe the LONE PEAK 9+ and listen in later in to Moose's interview with Brian Beckstead Altra Footwear Co-Founder. Visit altrarunning.com.au or visit your local specialty running store to shop now. Leanne Pompeani returns to catch us up on her last few races and makes a huge announcement for her debut marathon, training into that Julian finds some positives in the rebuild even when he gets lost. Brad plays the long game as works around the heat. This week's running news is presented by Axil Coffee https://axilcoffee.com.au/ Valencia 10k Andreas Almgren of Sweden takes out the in a new European record of 26:53, just ahead of Dominic Lobalu of Switzerland and Vincent Langat of Kenya. Hellen Ekale Lobun set a massive personal best of 29:31 ahead of Girmawit Gebrzihair and Fotyen Hailyu of Ethiopia. Official Results Fraser Darcy won the 2025 Cadbury Marathon in Hobart Tasmania, in 2:26 while Camille O'Donaghue won in 2:54:46. Sarah Klein won the half marathon in 1:17:25 while Richie Egan also won in 1:09:52. Official Results Adelaide University Athletic Club hosted the inaugural Run the Loop, with Caitlin Adams and Jonothan Harris posting the fastest times on the 2.2km loop. Official Results Julian reviews the recently released Altra Lone Peak 9+, a trail shoe available through all running specialty shops. Julian goes a little into the history of Altra and then delves into how he's been finding the Lone Peak 9+. Listener Question whether its beneficial to do a little more intensity with less days of running. Moose on the Loose muses on convicted dopers re-entering professional racing, then the whispers speak about potential moves between training groups and lining up races This week's guest is CEO and co-founder of Altra Running Brian Beckstead. Brian chats with Julian about his origins in Orem, Utah, meeting his future team and using their observations in barefoot running to inform the philosophy that went into developing the first Altra models, as well as building up their distribution on the cusp of the barefoot trend. Brian reflects on some of the significant moments and mistakes that have characterised Altra's growth as a running brand, committing to trail running and getting adopted by the hiking community then talks about making innovation and running shoe foam, and how Altra position themselves in the mainstream running culture. He breaks down some truths and beliefs of running brands, talks about his current involvement, then gives further detail into the Altra Lone Peak 9+ before rounding out with the future direction of Altra.
In this episode of the, Ray Caruso, CEO of Lone Peak Dental Group, shares his journey in the dental industry, discusses the complexities of growing a dental practice, and highlights the importance of staying focused on core strengths while navigating technological advancements and market challenges.
Former Aggie Steven Ashworth joined David James to talk about playing for Creighton, and the youth basketball camp he is hosting in Utah this month.
Police departments across Utah have seen an uptick in reported incidents involving e-bikes. What are the actual laws regarding e-bikes and what are recommendations? Detective with the Lone Peak Police Department, Melissa Fahrni, talks with Dave and Debbie about what her department is seeing in Lone Peak and how people can stay safe and specifically what the rules are for children operating E-bikes. D2 also takes listener calls on this issue.
Crews have recovered the bodies of two skiers who were killed in an avalanche in the mountains above Sandy yesterday. KSL Newsradio Reporter Adam Small joins the show with the latest details. Dave and Debbie speak with KSL Meteorologist Matt Johnson about the avalanche danger today and through the weekend.
Is the solution for teachers a 4-day work week? The danger of processed foods and how to ditch them without breaking the bank SLC considering a way to get more starter homes built in a city that is built out Toxic work environment cited in resignation letter of Miss USA Noelia Voigt
KSL's Top Story: Two skiers are confirmed dead after an avalanche in the Lone Peak area. Search and rescue crews worked through the afternoon to find them… but have just been called off because of treacherous conditions.
En este programa, comparo la nueva Altra Lone Peak 8, con la anterior versión 7.La 8º iteración de la icónica Lone Peak, es más ligera (8 gramos menos en mi número 44'5), pierde algo de acolchado en el collar, y modifica levemente el aspecto del upper con nuevo tejido, algo más fino (y a priori más transpirable, habrá que ver qué tal).En lo que es el chasis, permanece igual; el paquete suela-mediasuela queda intacto, con el ya conocido compuesto MaxTrac en suela y EGO como elemento amortiguante.Un cambio significativo es la ausencia de la plantila interior Ortholite.El PVPR de este modelo, es de 150€.Puedes contactarme en:juan@ellaboratoriodejuan.com
This podcast hit paid subscribers' inboxes on Feb. 9. It dropped for free subscribers on Feb. 16. To receive future pods as soon as they're live, and to support independent ski journalism, please consider an upgrade to a paid subscription. You can also subscribe to the free tier below:WhoCharles Hlavac, Owner of Teton Pass, MontanaRecorded onJanuary 29, 2024About Teton PassClick here for a mountain stats overviewOwned by: Charles HlavacLocated in: Choteau, MontanaYear founded: 1967Pass affiliations: NoneClosest neighboring ski areas: Great Divide (2:44), Showdown (3:03)Base elevation: 6,200 feetSummit elevation: 7,200 feet (at the top of the double chair)Vertical drop: 1,000 feetSkiable Acres: 400 acresAverage annual snowfall: 300 inchesLift count: 3 (1 double, 1 platter, 1 carpet – view Lift Blog's inventory of Teton Pass' lift fleet)View historic Teton Pass trailmaps on skimap.org.Why I interviewed himThere was a time, before the Bubble-Wrap Era, when American bureaucracy believed that the nation's most beautiful places ought to be made available to citizens. Not just to gawk at from a distance, but to interact with in a way that strikes awe in the soul and roots the place in their psyche.That's why so many of our great western ski areas sit on public land. Taos and Heavenly and Mt. Baldy and Alta and Crystal Mountain and Lookout Pass. These places, many of them inaccessible before the advent of the modern highway system, were selected not only because they were snow magnets optimally pitched for skiing, but because they were beautiful.And that's how we got Teton Pass, Montana, up a Forest Service road at the end of nowhere, hovering over the Rocky Mountain front. Because just look at the place:Who knew it was there then? Who knows it now? A bald peak screaming “ski me” to a howling wilderness for 50 million years until the Forest Service printed some words on a piece of paper that said someone was allowed to put a chairlift there.As bold and prescient as the Forest Service was in gifting us ski areas, they didn't nail them all. Yes, Aspen and Vail and Snowbird and Palisades Tahoe and Stevens Pass, fortuitously positioned along modern highways or growing cities, evolved into icons. But some of these spectacular natural ski sites languished. Mt. Waterman has faltered without snowmaking or competent ownership. Antelope Butte and Sleeping Giant were built in the middle of nowhere and stayed there. Spout Springs is too small to draw skiers across the PNW vastness. Of the four, only Antelope Butte has spun lifts this winter.Remoteness has been the curse of Teton Pass, a fact compounded by a nasty 11-mile gravel access road. The closest town is Choteau, population 1,719, an hour down the mountain. Great Falls, population 60,000, is only around two hours away, but that city is closer to Showdown, a larger ski area with more vertical drop, three chairlifts, and a parking lot seated directly off a paved federal highway. Teton Pass, gorgeously positioned as a natural wonder, got a crummy draw as a sustainable business.Which doesn't mean it can't work. Unlike the Forest Service ski areas at Cedar Pass or Kratka Ridge in California, Teton Pass hasn't gone fallow. The lifts still spin. Skiers still ski there. Not many – approximately 7,000 last season, which would be a light day for any Summit County ski facility. This year, it will surely be even fewer, as Hlavic announced 10 days after we recorded this podcast that a lack of snow, among other factors, would force him to call it a season after just four operating days. But Hlavic is young and optimistic and stubborn and aware that he is trying to walk straight up a wall. In our conversation, you can hear his belief in this wild and improbable place, his conviction that there is a business model for Teton Pass that can succeed in spite of the rough access road and the lack of an electrical grid connection and the small and scattered local population.The notion of intensive recreational land use is out of favor. When we lose a Teton Pass, the Forest Service doesn't replace it with another ski area in a better location. We just get more wilderness. I am not against wild places and sanctuaries from human scything. But if Teton Pass were not a ski area, almost no one would ever see it, would ever experience this singular peak pasted against the sky. It's a place worth preserving, and I'm glad there's someone crazy enough to try. What we talked aboutWhen your ski area can't open until Jan. 19; the tight-knit Montana Ski Areas Association; staffing up in the middle of nowhere; a brief history of a troubled remote ski area; the sneaky math of purchasing a ski area; the “incredibly painful” process of obtaining a new Forest Service operating permit after the ownership transfer; restarting the machine after several years idle; how Montana regulates chairlifts without a state tramway board; challenges of operating off the grid; getting by on 7,000 skier visits; potential for Teton Pass' dramatic upper-mountain terrain; re-imagining the lift fleet; the beautiful logic of surface lifts; collecting lifts in the parking lot and dreaming about where they could go; why Teton Pass' last expansion doesn't quite work; where Teton Pass' next chairlifts could sit; the trouble with mid-stations; the potential to install snowmaking; the most confusing ski area name in America, and why it's unlikely to change anytime soon; a problematic monster access road; why Teton Pass hasn't joined the Indy Pass; and mid-week mountain rentals.Why I thought that now was a good time for this interviewThis may have actually been the worst possible time in the past several years to conduct this interview, as the ski area is already closed for the winter, leaving inspired listeners with no realistic method of converting their interest into immediate support. And that's too bad. Unfortunately, I tend to schedule these interviews months in advance (we locked this date in on July 24). Yes, I could've rescheduled, but I try to avoid doing that. So we went ahead.I'm still glad we did, though I wish I'd been able to turn this around faster (it wouldn't have mattered, Teton Pass' four operating days all occurred pre-recording). But there's a gritty honesty to this conversation, taking place, as it does, in the embers of a dying season. Running a ski area is hard. People write to me all the time, fired up with dreams of running their own mountain, maybe even re-assembling one from the scrap heap. I would advise them to listen to this episode for a reality-check.I would also ask anyone convinced of the idea that Vail and Alterra are killing skiing to reconsider that narrative in the context of Teton Pass. Skiing needs massive, sustained investment to prepare for and to weather climate change. It also needs capable marketing entities to convince people living in Texas and Florida that, yes, skiing is still happening in spite of a non-ski media obsessed with twisting every rain shower into a winter-is-disappearing doomsday epic.That doesn't mean that I think Vail should (or would), buy Teton Pass, or that there's no room for independent ski area operators in our 505-resort ecosystem. What I am saying is that unless you bring a messianic sense of purpose, a handyman's grab-bag of odd and eclectic skills, the patience of a rock, and, hopefully, one or more independent income streams, the notion of running an independent ski area is a lot more romantic than the reality.What I got wrongI said that “Teton Pass' previous owner” had commissioned SE Group for a feasibility study. A local community volunteer group actually commissioned that project, as Hlavac clarifies.Also, in discussing Hlavic's purchase of the ski area, I cited some sales figures that I'd sourced from contemporary news reports. From a Sept. 11, 2019 report in the Choteau Acantha:Wood listed the ski area for sale, originally asking $3 million for the resort, operated on a 402-acre forest special-use permit. The resort includes three lifts, a lodge with a restaurant and liquor license, a ski gear rental shop and several outbuildings. Wood later dropped his asking price to $375,000.Then, from SAM on Sept. 17, 2019:Former Teton Pass Ski Resort general manager Charles Hlavac has purchased the resort from Nick Wood for $375,000 after it had been on the market for two years. Wood, a New Zealand native, bought the ski area back in 2010. He and his partners invested in substantial upgrades, including three new lifts, a lodge renovation, and improvements to maintenance facilities. The resort's electrical generator failed in 2016-17, though, and Wood closed the hill in December 2017, citing financial setbacks.While the original asking price for Teton Pass was $3 million, Wood dropped the price down to $375,000. Hlavac, who served as the GM for the resort under Wood's ownership, confirmed on Sept. 6 that he had purchased the 402-acre ski area, located on Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest land, through a contract-for-deed with Wood's company.Hlavic disputes the accuracy of these figures in our conversation.Why you should ski Teton PassThere's liberty in distance, freedom in imagining a different version of a thing. For so many of us, skiing is Saturdays, skiing is holidays, skiing is Breckenridge, skiing is a powder day in Little Cottonwood Canyon. Traffic is just part of it. Liftlines are just part of it. Eating on the cafeteria floor is just part of it. Groomers scraped off by 9:45 is just part of it. It's all just part of it, but skiing is skiing because skiing is dynamic and fun and thrilling and there's a cost to everything, Man, and the cost to skiing is dealing with all that other b******t.But none of this is true. Skiing does not have to include compromises of the soul. You can trade these for compromises of convenience. And by this I mean that you can find a way to ski and a place to ski when and where others can't and won't ski. If you drive to the ass-end of Montana to ski, you are going to find a singular ski experience, because most people are not willing to do this. Not to ski a thousand-footer served by a double chair that's older than Crocodile Rock. Not to spend $55 rather than drive down the per-visit cost of their precious Ikon Pass by racking up that 16th day at Schweitzer.Among my best ski days in the past five winters have been a midweek powder day at 600-vertical-foot McCauley, New York; an empty bluebird weekday at Mt. Baldy, hanging out above Los Angeles; and a day spent ambling the unassumingly labyrinthian terrain of Whitecap Mountains, Wisconsin. Teton Pass is a place of this same roguish nature, out there past everything, but like absolutely nothing else in skiing.Podcast NotesOn closing early for the seasonHere is Hlavac's Feb. 8 letter, addressed to “friends and patrons,” announcing his decision to close for the season (click through to read):On Sleeping GiantAnd here's a similar letter that Sleeping Giant, Wyoming owner Nick Piazza sent to his passholders on Jan. 12:We are disappointed to announce that this latest winter storm mostly missed us. Unfortunately, we are no closer to being able to open the mountain than we were 2-3 weeks ago. We have reached a point where the loss of seasonal staff would make it difficult to open the mountain, even if we got snow tomorrow. For these reasons, we feel that the responsible thing to do is to pull the plug on this season.With a heavy heart we are announcing that Sleeping Giant will not be opening for the 23/24 winter season.We would like to thank everyone for their support and patience as we battled this terrible weather year. We will be refunding all season pass holders their money at the end of January. This will happen automatically, and the funds will be returned to the payment method used when purchasing your season pass.***For those that would like to roll over their season pass to the 24/25 Winter Season, we will announce instructions early next week.***We have heard from some of our Season Pass Partner Mountains who have shared that they will be honoring our season pass perks, for those of you choosing to rollover your pass to 24/25. Snow King, 3 Free Day Lift Tickets with either a season pass or their receipt; Ski Cooper, 3 Free Day lift tickets; Bogus Basin, 3 Free Day lift tickets; and Soldier Mountain, 3 Free Day lift tickets.Additionally, please note that if you received any complimentary passes for the 23/24 season, they automatically carry over to next season. The same applies for passes that were part of any promotion, charity give away, or raffle.Should you have any questions about season passes please email GM@skisg.com.While we are extremely disappointed to have to make this announcement, we will go lick our wounds, and - I am confident - come back stronger.Our team will still be working at Sleeping Giant and I think everyone is ready to use this down time to get to work on several long-standing projects that we could not get to when operating. Moreover, we are in discussions with our friends at the USFS and Techno Alpine to get paperwork done so we can jump on improvements to our snow making system in the spring.I would like to thank the whole Sleeping Giant team for the hard work they have put in over the last three months. You had some really unlucky breaks, but you stuck together and found ways to hold things together to the very end. To our outdoor team, you did more in the last 9 months than has been done at SG in a generation. Powered mainly with red bull and grit. Thank you!It's never pleasant to have to admit a big public defeat, but as we say in Ukrainian only people that do nothing enjoy infallibility. We did a lot of great things this year and fought like hell to get open.After we get season pass refunds processed, we plan to sit down and explore options to keep some of the mountain's basic services open and groomed, so snowshoers and those that wish can still enjoy Sleeping Giant's beauty and resources.We hope this will include a spring ski day for season pass holders that rollover into next year, but there are several legal hurdles that we need to overcome to make that a possibility. Stay tuned. Sincerely,NickOn Montana ski areasWe discuss Montana's scattered collection of ski areas. Here's a complete list:On “some of the recent things that have happened in the state” with chairlifts in MontanaWhile most chairlift mishaps go unreported, everyone noticed when a moving Riblet double chair loaded with a father and son disintegrated at Montana Snowbowl in March. From the Missoulian:Nathan McLeod keeps having flashbacks of watching helplessly as his 4-year-old son, Sawyer, slipped through his hands and fell off a mangled, malfunctioning chairlift after it smashed into a tower and broke last Sunday at Montana Snowbowl, the ski hill just north of Missoula.“This is a parent's worst nightmare,” McLeod recalled. “I'm just watching him fall and he's looking at me. There's nothing I can do and he's screaming. I just have this mental image of his whole body slipping out of my arms and it's terrible.”McLeod, a Missoula resident, was riding the Snow Park chairlift, which was purchased used from a Colorado ski resort and installed in 2019. The chairlift accesses beginner and intermediate terrain, and McLeod was riding on the outside seat of the lift so that his young son could be helped up on the inside by the lift attendant, who was the only person working at the bottom of the lift. McLeod's other 6-year-old son, Cassidy, was riding a chair ahead with a snowboarder. McLeod recalled the lift operator had a little trouble loading his older son, so the chair was swinging. Then he and his younger son got loaded.“We're going and I'm watching Cassidy's chair in front of me and it's just, like, huge, violent swings and in my mind, I don't know what to do about that, because I'm a chair behind him,” McLeod recalled. “I'm worried he's gonna hit that next tower. And it's like 40 feet off the ground at that point. As that's going through my head, all of a sudden, our chair smashes into the tower, the first one, as it starts going up.”He described the impact as “super strong.”“And just like that, I reach for my son and he just slips from my arms,” McLeod said.He estimates the boy fell 12-15 feet to the snow below, which at least one other witness agreed with.“I'm yelling like ‘someone help us' and the lift stops a few seconds later,” he said. “But at the same time, as Sawyer is falling, the lift chair just breaks apart and it just flips backwards. Like the backrest just falls off the back and so I'm like clinging on to the center bar while the chair is swinging. My son is screaming and I don't know what to do. I'm like, ‘Do I jump right now?''”The full article is worth a read. It's absurd. McLeod describes the Snowbowl staff as callous and dismissive. The Forest Service later ordered the ski area to repair that lift and others before opening for the season. The ski area complied.On Marx and Lenin at Big SkyHlavic compares Teton Pass' upper-mountain avalanche chutes to Marx and Lenin at Big Sky. These are two well-known runs off Lone Peak (pictured below). Lenin is where a 1996 Christmas Day avalanche that I recently discussed with Big Sky GM Troy Nedved took place.On the evolution of Bridger BowlHlavic compares Teton Pass to vintage Bridger Bowl, before that ski area had the know-how and resources to tame the upper-mountain steeps. Here's Bridger in 1973:And here it is today. It's still pretty wild – skiers have to wear an avy beacon just to ski the Schlasman's chair, but the upper mountain is accessible and well-managed:On Holiday Mountain and TitusI compared Hlavic's situation to that of Mike Taylor at Holiday Mountain and Bruce Monette Jr. at Titus Mountain, both in New York. Like Hlavic, both have numerous other businesses that allowed them to run the ski area at a loss until they could modernize operations. I wrote about Taylor's efforts last year, and hosted Monette on the podcast in 2021.On Hyland HillsHlavic talks about growing up skiing at Hyland Hills, Minnesota. What a crazy little place this is, eight lifts, including some of the fastest ropetows in the world, lined up along a 175-vertical-foot ridge in a city park.Man those ropetows:On Teton Pass, WyomingThe Teton Pass with which most people are familiar is a high-altitude twister of a highway that runs between Wyoming and Idaho. It's a popular and congested backcountry skiing spot. When I drove over the pass en route from Jackson Hole to Big Sky in December, the hills were tracked out and bumped up like a ski resort.On Rocky Mountain HighHlavic notes that former Teton Pass owners had changed the ski area's name to “Rocky Mountain High” for several years. Here's a circa 1997 trailmap with that branding:It's unclear when the name reverted to “Teton Pass.”The Storm explores the world of lift-served skiing year-round. Join us.The Storm publishes year-round, and guarantees 100 articles per year. This is article 10/100 in 2024, and number 510 since launching on Oct. 13, 2019. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.stormskiing.com/subscribe
This podcast hit paid subscribers' inboxes on Jan. 16. It dropped for free subscribers on Jan. 23. To receive future pods as soon as they're live, and to support independent ski journalism, please consider an upgrade to a paid subscription. You can also subscribe to the free tier below:WhoTroy Nedved, General Manager of Big Sky, MontanaRecorded onJanuary 11, 2024About Big SkyClick here for a mountain stats overviewOwned by: Boyne ResortsLocated in: Big Sky, MontanaYear founded: 1973Pass affiliations:* 7 days, no blackouts on Ikon Pass (reservations required)* 5 days, holiday blackouts on Ikon Base and Ikon Base Plus Pass (reservations required)* 2 days, no blackouts on Mountain Collective (reservations required)Reciprocal partners: Top-tier Big Sky season passes include three days each at Boyne's other nine ski areas: Brighton, Summit at Snoqualmie, Cypress, Boyne Mountain, The Highlands, Loon Mountain, Sunday River, Pleasant Mountain, and Sugarloaf.Closest neighboring ski areas: Yellowstone Club (ski-to connection); Bear Canyon (private ski area for Mount Ellis Academy – 1:20); Bridger Bowl (1:30)Base elevation: 6,800 feet at Madison BaseSummit elevation: 11,166 feetVertical drop: 4,350 feetSkiable Acres: 5,850Average annual snowfall: 400-plus inchesTrail count: 300 (18% expert, 35% advanced, 25% intermediate, 22% beginner)Terrain parks: 6Lift count: 38 (1 75-passenger tram, 1 high-speed eight-pack, 3 high-speed six-packs, 4 high-speed quads, 3 fixed-grip quads, 9 triples, 5 doubles, 3 platters, 1 ropetow, 8 carpet lifts – Big Sky also recently announced a second eight-pack, to replace the Six Shooter six-pack, next year; and a new, two-stage gondola, which will replace the Explorer double chair for the 2025-26 ski season – View Lift Blog's inventory of Big Sky's lift fleet.)View vintage Big Sky trailmaps on skimap.org.Why I interviewed himBig Sky is the closest thing American skiing has to the ever-stacking ski circuses of British Columbia. While most of our western giants labor through Forest Service approvals for every new snowgun and trail sign, BC transforms Revelstoke and Kicking Horse and Sun Peaks into three of the largest ski resorts on the continent in under two decades. These are policy decisions, differences in government and public philosophies of how to use our shared land. And that's fine. U.S. America does everything in the most difficult way possible, and there's no reason to believe that ski resort development would be any different.Except in a few places in the West, it is different. Deer Valley and Park City and Schweitzer sit entirely (or mostly), on private land. New project approvals lie with local entities. Sometimes, locals frustrate ski areas' ambitions, as is the case in Park City, which cannot, at the moment, even execute simple lift replacements. But the absence of a federal overlord is working just fine at Big Sky, where the mountain has evolved from Really Good to Damn Is This Real in less time than it took Aspen to secure approvals for its 153-acre Hero's expansion.Boyne has pulled similar stunts at its similarly situated resorts across the country: Boyne Mountain and The Highlands in Michigan and Sunday River in Maine, each of them transforming in Hollywood montage-scene fashion. Progress has lagged more at Brighton and Alpental, both of which sit at least partly on Forest Service land (though change has been rapid at Loon Mountain in New Hampshire, whose land is a public-private hybrid). But the evolution at Big Sky has been particularly comprehensive. And, because of the ski area's inherent drama and prominence, compelling. It's America's look-what-we-can-do-if-we-can-just-do mountain. The on-mountain product is better for skiers and better for skiing, a modern mountain that eases chokepoints and upgrades facilities and spreads everyone around.Winter Park, seated on Forest Service land, owned by the City of Denver, and operated by Alterra Mountain Company, outlined an ambitious master development plan in 2005 (when Intrawest ran the ski area). Proposed projects included a three-stage gondola connecting the town of Winter Park with the ski area's base village, a massive intermediate-focused expansion onto Vasquez Ridge, and a new mid-mountain beginner area. Nearly 20 years later, none of it exists. Winter Park did execute some upgrades in the meantime, building a bunch of six-packs and adding lift redundancy and access to the high alpine. But the mountain's seven lift upgrades in 19 years are underwhelming compared to the 17 such projects that have remade Big Sky over that same time period. Winter Park has no lack of resources, skier attention, or administrative will, but its plans stall anyway, and it's no mystery why.I write more about Big Sky than I do about other large North American ski resorts because there is more happening at Big Sky than at any other large North American ski resort. That is partly luck and partly institutional momentum and partly a unique historical collision of macroeconomic, cultural, and technological factors that favor construction and evolution of what a ski resort is and can be. And, certainly, U.S. ski resorts build big projects on Forest Service land every single year. But Boyne and Big Sky, operating outside of the rulebooks hemming in their competitors, are getting to the future a hell of a lot faster than anyone else.What we talked aboutYes a second eight-pack is coming to Big Sky; why the resort is replacing the 20-year-old Six Shooter lift; potential future Headwaters lift upgrades; why the resort will replace Six Shooter before adding a second lift out of the Madison base; what will happen to Six Shooter and why it likely won't land elsewhere in Boyne's portfolio; the logic of selling, rather than scrapping, lifts to competitors; adjusting eight-packs for U.S. Americans; automated chairlift safety bars; what happened when the old Ramcharger quad moved to Shedhorn; what's up with the patrol sled marooned in a tree off Shedhorn?; the philosophy of naming lifts; why we won't see the Taco Bell tram anytime soon (or ever); the One & Only gondola; Big Sky's huge fleet of real estate lifts; how the new tram changed Big Sky; metering traffic up the Lone Peak tram; the tram's shift from pay-per-day to pay-per-ride; a double carpet; that new double-blue-square rating on the trailmap; Black Hills skiing at Terry Peak and Deer Mountain; working in Yellowstone; river kayaking culture; revisiting the coming out-of-base gondola; should Swifty have been an eight-pack?; on-mountain employee housing; Big Sky 2025; what does the resort that's already upgraded everything upgrade next?; potential future lift upgrades; and the Ikon Pass.Why I thought that now was a good time for this interviewI didn't plan to record two Big Sky podcasts in two months. I prefer to spread my attention across mountains and across regions and across companies, as most of you know. This podcast was scheduled for early December, after an anticipated Thanksgiving-week tram opening. But then the tram was delayed, and as it happened I was able to attend the grand opening on Dec. 19. I recorded a podcast there, with Nedved and past Storm Skiing Podcast guests Taylor Middleton (Big Sky president) and Stephen Kircher (Boyne Resorts CEO).But Nedved and I kept this conversation on the calendar, pushing it into January. It's a good thing. Because no sooner had Big Sky opened its spectacular new tram than it announced yet another spectacular new lift: a second eight-pack chair, to replace a six-pack that is exactly 21 years old.There's a sort of willful showiness to such projects. Who, in America, can even afford a six-person chairlift, let alone have the resources to tag such a machine for the rubbish bin? And then replace it with a lift so spectacular that its ornamentation exceeds that of your six-year-old Ramcharger eight-seater, still dazzling on the other side of the mountain?When Vail built 18 new lifts in 2022, the projects ended up as all function, no form. They were effective, and well-placed, but the lifts are just lifts. Boyne Resorts, which, while a quarter the size of Vail, has built dozens of new lifts over the past decade, is building more than just people-movers. Its lifts are experiences, housed in ski shrines, buildings festooned in speakers and screens, the carriers descending like coaster trains at Six Flags, bubbles and heaters and sportscar seats and conveyors, a spectacle you might ride even if skiing were not attached at the end.American skiing will always have room for throwbacks and minimalism, just as American cuisine will always have room for Taco Bell and small-town diners. Most Montana ski areas are fixed-grip and funky – Snowbowl and Bridger and Great Divide and Discovery and Lost Trail and Maverick and Turner. Big Sky's opportunity was, at one time, to be a bigger, funkier version of these big, funky ski areas. But its opportunity today is to be the not-Colorado, not-Utah alt destination for skiers seeking comfort sans megacrowds. The mountain is fulfilling that mission, at a speed that is almost impossible to believe. Which is why we keep going back there, over and over again.What I got wrongI said several times that the Six Shooter lift was “only 20 years old.” In fact, Moonlight installed the lift in 2003, making the machine legal drinking age.Why you should ski Big SkyThe approach is part of the experience, always. Some ski areas smash the viewshed with bandoliers of steepshots slicing across the ridge. From miles down the highway you say whoa. Killington or Hunter or Red Lodge. Others hide. Even from the parking lot you see only suggestions of skiing. Caberfae in Michigan is like this, enormous trees mask its runs and its peaks. Mad River Glen erupts skyward but its ragged clandestine trail network resembles nothing else in the East and you wonder where it is. Unfolding, then, as you explore. Even vast Heavenly, from the gondola base, is invisible.Big Sky, alone among American ski areas, inspires awe on the approach. Turn west up 64 from 191 and Lone Peak commands the horizon. This place is not like other places you realize. On the long road up you pass the spiderwebbing trails off the Lone Moose and Thunder Wolf lifts and still that summit towers in the distance. There is a way to get up there and a way to ski down but from below it's all invisible. All you can see is snow and rocks and avy chutes flushed out over millennia.That's the marquee and that's the post: I'm here. But Lone Peak, with its triple black diamonds and sign-in sheets and muscled exposure, is not for mortal hot laps. Go up, yes. Ski down, yes. But then explore. Because staple Keystone to Breck and you have roughly one Big Sky.Humans cluster. Even in vast spaces. Or perhaps especially so. The cut trails below Ramcharger and Swifty swarm like train stations. But break away from the salmon run, into the trees or the bowl or the gnarled runs below the liftlines, and emerge into a different world. Everywhere, empty lifts, empty glades, endless crags and crannies. Greens and blues that roll for miles. Beyond every chairlift, another chairlift. Stacked like bonus levels are what feel like mini ski areas existing for you alone. An empty endless. A skiing fantasyland.Podcast NotesOn Uncle Dan's CookiesFear not: this little shack seated beside the Six Shooter lift is not going anywhere:On Moonlight Basin and Spanish PeaksLike the largest (Park City) and second-largest (Palisades Tahoe) ski areas in America, Big Sky is the stapled-together remains of several former operations. Unlike those two giants, which connected two distinct ski areas with gondolas (Park City and Canyons; Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows), seamless ski connections existed between the former Spanish Peaks terrain, on the ski area's far southern end, and the former Moonlight Basin, on the northern end. The circa 2010 trailmaps called out access points between each of the bookend resorts and Big Sky, which you could ski with upgraded lift tickets:Big Sky purchased the properties in 2013, a few years after this happened (per the Bozeman Daily Chronicle):Moonlight Basin, meanwhile, got into trouble after borrowing $100 million from Lehman Brothers in September 2007, with the 7,800-acre resort, its ski lifts, condos, spa and a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course put up as collateral, according to foreclosure records filed in Madison County.That loan came due in September 2008, according to the papers filed by Lehman, and Moonlight defaulted. Lehman itself went bankrupt in September 2008 and blamed its troubles on a collapse in the real estate market that left it upside down.An outfit called Crossharbor Capital Partners, which purchased and still owns the neighboring Yellowstone Club, eventually joined forces with Big Sky to buy Moonlight and Spanish Peaks (Crossharbor is no longer a partner). Now, just imagine tacking the 2,900-acre Yellowstone Club onto Big Sky's current footprint (which you can in fact do if you're a Yellowstone Club member):On the sled chilling in the tree off ShedhornYes, there's a patrol sled lodged in a tree off the Shedhorn high-speed quad. Here's a pic I snagged from the lift last spring:Explore Big Sky last year recounted the avalanche that deposited the sled there:“In Big Sky and around Montana, ['96 and '97] has never been topped in terms of snowfall,” [veteran Big Sky ski patroller Mike] Buotte said. Unfortunately, a “killer ice layer on the bottom of the snowpack” caused problems in the tram's second season. On Christmas Day, 1996, a patroller died in an explosive accident near the summit of Lone Mountain. Buotte says it was traumatic for the entire team.The next morning, patrol triggered a “wall-to-wall” avalanche across Lenin and the Dictator Chutes. The slide infamously took out the Shedhorn chairlift, leaving scars still visible today. Buotte and another patroller were caught in that avalanche. Miraculously, they both stopped. Had they “taken the ride,” Buotte is confident they would not have survived.“That second year, the reality of what's going on really hit us,” Buotte said. “And it was not fun and games. It was pretty dark, frankly. That's when it got very real for the organization and for me. The industry changed; avalanche training changed. We had to up our game. It was a new paradigm.”Buotte said patrol changed the Lenin route's design—adding more separation in time and space—and applied the same learning to other routes. Mitigation work is inherently dangerous, but Buotte believes the close call helped emphasize the importance of route structure to reduce risk.Here's Boutte recalling the incident:On the Ski the Sky loopBig Sky gamified a version of their trailmap to help skiers understand that there's more to the mountain than Ramcharger and Swifty:On the bigness of Big SkyNedved points out that several major U.S. destination ski areas total less than half Big Sky's 5,850 acres. That would be 2,950 acres, which is, indeed, more than Breckenridge (2,908 acres), Schweitzer (2,900), Alta (2,614), Crystal (2,600), Snowbird (2,500), Jackson Hole (2,500), Copper Mountain (2,465), Beaver Creek (2,082), Sun Valley (2,054), Deer Valley (2,026), or Telluride (2,000).On the One & Only resort and brandWe discuss the One & Only resort company, which is building a super-luxe facility that they will connect to the Madison base with a D-line gondola. Which is an insane investment for a transportation lift. As far as I can tell, this will be the company's first facility in the United States. Here's a list of their existing properties.On the Big Sky TramI won't break down the new Lone Peak tram here, because I just did that a month ago.On the Black HillsSouth Dakota's Black Hills, where Nedved grew up, are likely not what most Americans envision when they think of South Dakota. It's a gorgeous, mountainous region that is home to Mount Rushmore, the Crazy Horse monument, and 7,244-foot Black Elk Peak (formerly Harney Peak), the highest point in the United States east of the Rockies. This is a tourist bureau video, but it will make you say wait Brah where are all the cornfields?The Black Hills are home to two ski areas. The first it Terry Peak, an 1,100-footer with three high-speed quads that is an Indy Pass OG:The second is Deer Mountain, which disappeared for around six years before an outfit called Keating Resources bought the joint last year and announced they would bring it back as a private ski area for on-mountain homeowners. They planned a large terrain reduction to accommodate more housing. I put this revised trailmap together last year based upon a conversation with the organization's president, Alec Keating:The intention, Keating told me in July, was to re-open the East Side (top of the map above), for this ski season, and the West side (bottom portion) in 2025. I've yet to see evidence of the ski area having opened, however.On Troy the athleteWe talk a bit about Nedved's kayaking adventures, but that barely touches on his action-sports resume. From a 2019 Explore Big Sky profile:Nedved lived in a teepee in Gardiner for two years down on the banks of the Yellowstone River across from the Yellowstone Raft Company, where he developed world-class abilities as a kayaker.“The culture around rafting and kayaking is pretty heavy and I connected with some of the folks around there that were pretty into it. That was the start of that,” Nedved said of his early days in the park. “My Yellowstone days, I spent all my time when I was not working on the water.” And even when he was working, and someone needed to brave a stretch of Class V rapids for a rescue mission or body recovery, he was the one for the job.When Teton Gravity Research started making kayak movies, Nedved and his friends got the call as well. “We were pioneering lines that had never been done before: in Costa Rica and Nepal, but also stretches of river in Montana in the Crazy Mountains of Big Timber Creek and lots of runs in Beartooths that had never been floated,” Nedved recounted.“We spent a lot of time looking at maps, hiking around the mountains, finding stuff that was runnable versus not. It was a stage of kayaking community in Montana that we got started. Now the next generation of these kids is blowing my mind—doing things that we didn't even think was possible.”Nedved is an athlete's athlete. “I love competing in just about anything. When I was first in Montana, I found out about Powder 8s at Bridger Bowl. It was a cool event and we got into it,” he said in a typically modest way. “It was just another thing to hone your skills as a ski instructor and a skiing professional.”Nedved has since won the national Powder 8 competition five times and competed on ESPN at the highest level of the niche sport in the Powder 8 World Championships held at Mike Wiegele's heliskiing operation in Canada. Even some twenty years later, he is still finding podiums in the aesthetically appealing alpine events with longtime partner Nick Herrin, currently the CEO of the Professional Ski Instructors of America. Nedved credits his year-round athletic pursuits for what keeps him in the condition to still make perfect turns.Sadly, I was unable to locate any videos of Nedved kayaking or Powder 8ing.On employee housing at Big Sky and Winter ParkBig Sky has built an incredible volume of employee housing (more than 1,000 beds in the Mountain Village alone). The most impressive may be the Levinski complex: fully furnished, energy-efficient buildings situated within walking distance of the lifts.Big mountain skiing, wracked and wrecked by traffic and mountain-town housing shortages, desperately needs more of this sort of investment, as I wrote last week after Winter Park opened a similarly situated project.On Big Sky 2025Big Sky 2025 will, in substance, wrap when the new two-stage, out-of-base gondola opens next year. Here's the current iteration of the plan. You can see how much it differs from the version outlined in 2016 in this contemporary Lift Blog post.The Storm explores the world of lift-served skiing year-round. Join us.The Storm publishes year-round, and guarantees 100 articles per year. This is article 2/100 in 2024, and number 502 since launching on Oct. 13, 2019. Get full access to The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast at www.stormskiing.com/subscribe
This podcast hit paid subscribers' inboxes on Dec. 30. It dropped for free subscribers on Jan. 6. To receive future pods as soon as they're live, and to support independent ski journalism, please consider an upgrade to a paid subscription. You can also subscribe to the free tier below:WhoAaron Kellett, General Manager of Whiteface, New YorkRecorded onDecember 4, 2023About WhitefaceView the mountain stats overviewOwned by: The State of New YorkLocated in: Wilmington, New YorkYear founded: 1958Pass affiliations: NY Ski3 Pass: Unlimited, along with Gore and BelleayreClosest neighboring ski areas: Mt. Pisgah (:34), Beartown (:55), Dynamite Hill (1:05), Rydin-Hy Ranch (1:12), Titus (1:15), Gore (1:21)Base elevation: 1,220 feetSummit elevation:* 4,386 feet (top of Summit Quad)* 4,650 feet (top of The Slides)* 4,867 feet (mountain summit)Vertical drop: 3,166 feet lift-served; 3,430 feet hike-toSkiable Acres: 299 + 35 acres in The SlidesAverage annual snowfall: 183 inchesTrail count: 94 (30% expert, 46% intermediate, 24% beginner)Lift count: 12 (1 eight-passenger gondola, 2 high-speed quads, 3 fixed-grip quads, 1 triple, 3 doubles, 2 carpets – view Lift Blog's inventory of Whiteface's lift fleet)View historic Whiteface trailmaps on skimap.org.Why I interviewed himWhiteface, colloquially “Iceface,” rises, from base to summit, a greater height than any ski area in the Northeast. That may not impress the Western chauvinists, who refuse to acknowledge any merit to east-of-the-Mississippi skiing, but were we to airlift this monster to the West Coast, it would tower over all but two ski areas in the three-state region:The International Olympic Committee does not select Winter Games host mountains by tossing darts at a world map. Consider the other U.S. ski areas that have played host: Palisades Tahoe, Park City, Snowbasin, Deer Valley. All naturally blessed with more and more consistent snow than this gnarly Adirondacks skyscraper, but Whiteface, from a pure fall-line skiing point of view, is the equal of any mountain in the country.Still not convinced? Fine. Whiteface will do just fine without you. This state-owned, heavily subsidized-by-public-funds monster seated in the heart of the frozen Adirondacks has just about the most assured future of any ski area anywhere. With an ever-improving monster of a snowmaking system and no great imperative to raise the cannons against Epkon invaders, the place is as close to climate-proof and competition-proof as a modern ski area can possibly be.There's nothing else quite like Whiteface. Most publicly owned ski areas are ropetow bumps that sell lift tickets out of a woodshed on the edge of town. They lean on public funds because they couldn't exist without them. The big ski areas can make their own way. But New York State, enamored of its Olympic legacy and eager to keep that flame burning, can't quite let this one go. The result is this glimmering, grinning monster of a mountain, a boon for the skier, bane for the tax-paying family-owned ski areas in its orbit who are left to fight this colossus on their own. It's not exactly fair and it's not exactly right, but it exists, in all its glory and confusion, and it was way past time to highlight Whiteface on this podcast.What we talked aboutWhiteface's strong early December (we recorded this before the washout); recent snowmaking enhancements; why Empire still doesn't have snowmaking; May closings at Whiteface; why Whiteface built The Notch, an all-new high-speed quad, to serve existing terrain; other lines the ski area considered for the lift; Whiteface's extensive transformation of the beginner experience over the past few years; remembering “snowboard parks” and the evolution of Whiteface's terrain parks; Whiteface's immense legacy and importance to Northeast skiing; could New York host another Winter Olympics?; potential upper-mountain lift upgrades; the etymology of recent Whiteface lift installations; Lookout Mountain; potential future trails; how New York State's constitution impacts development at Whiteface; why Whiteface doesn't offer more glades; The Slides; why Whiteface doesn't have ski-in, ski-out lodging; and whether Alterra invited Whiteface and its sister mountains onto the Ikon Pass in 2018, and whether they would join today.Why I thought that now was a good time for this interviewOver the past three years, Whiteface has quietly remade its beginner experience with a series of lower-mountain lift upgrades: the old triple chair on the Bear Den side (which Kellett notes was Whiteface's original summit chair) made way for a new Skytrac fixed-grip quad in 2020. The next year, the Mixing Bowl and Bear doubles out of the main base came out for another new Skytrac quad. Then, earlier this month, Whiteface opened The Notch, a brand-new, $11.2 million Doppelmayr high-speed quad with an angle station to seamlessly transport skiers from Bear Den up to mid-mountain, from which point they can easily lap the kingdom of interlaced greens tangled below. Check out the before and after:It's a brilliant evolution for a mountain that has long embraced its identity as a proving ground for champions, a steep and icy former Olympic host comfortable scaring the hell out of you. Skiing has a place for radsters and Park Brahs and groomer gods arcing GS turns off the summit. But the core of skiing is families. They spend the most on the bump and off, and they have options. In Whiteface's case, that's Vermont, the epicenter of Northeast skiing and home to no fewer than a dozen fully built-out and buffed-up ski resorts, many of which belong to a national multimountain pass that committed ski families are likely to own. To compete, Whiteface had to ramp up its green-circle appeal.I don't think the world has processed that fact yet, just as I don't think they've quite understood the utter transformations at Whiteface sister resorts Belleayre and Gore. The state has plowed more than half a billion dollars into ORDA's facilities since 2017. While some of that cash went to improve the authority's non-ski facilities in and around Lake Placid (ice rinks and the like), a huge percent went directly into new lifts, snowmaking, lodges, and other infrastructure upgrades at the ski mountains.For context, Alterra, owner of 18 ski areas in the U.S. and Canada, reported in March that they had invested $1 billion into their mountains since the company's formation in 2017. To underscore the magnitude of ORDA's investment: any one of Alterra's flagship western properties – Mammoth (3,500 acres), Palisades Tahoe (6,000), Winter Park (3,081), Steamboat (3,500), Crystal (2,600) – is many times larger than Whiteface (288), Gore (439), and Belleayre (171) combined (898 total acres, or just a bit smaller than Aspen Mountain). No ski areas in America have seen more investment in proportion to their size in recent years than these three state-owned mountains.I also wanted to touch on a topic that gnaws at me: why Alterra, when it cleaned out the M.A.X. Pass, overlooked so many strong regional mountains that could have turbocharged local sales. I got into this with Lutsen Mountains GM Jim Vick in October, and Kellett humors me on this question: would Whiteface have joined the Ikon Pass had it been invited in 2018? And would they join now, given the success and growth of the Ski 3 Pass over the past six years? The answers are not what you might think.Questions I wish I'd askedI probably should have asked about the World University Games, which Whiteface and Lake Placid spent years and millions of dollars to prepare for. I don't cover competition, but I do admire spectacles, and more than an allusion to the event would have been appropriate for the format. We do, however, go deep on the possibility of the Olympics returning to New York.Also, I don't get into the whole ORDA-public-funding-handicapping-New-York's-small-ski-areas thing, even though it is a thing, and one that independent operators rightly see as an existential threat. I do cover this dynamic often in the newsletter, but I don't address it with Kellett. Why? I'll reset here what I said when I hosted Gore GM Bone Bayse on the podcast last year:Many of you may be left wondering why my extensive past complaints about ORDA largess did not penetrate my line of questioning for this interview. Gore is about to spend nearly $9 million to replace a 12-year-old triple chair with a high-speed quad. There is no other ski area on the continent that is able to do anything remotely similar. How could I spend an hour talking to the person directing this whole operation without broaching this very obvious subject?Because this is not really a Gore problem. It's not even an ORDA problem. This is a New York State problem. The state legislature is the one directing hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to three ski areas while the majority of New York's family-owned mountains pray for snow. I am not opposed to government support of winter sports. I am opposed to using tax dollars from independent ski areas that have to operate at a profit in order to subsidize the operations of government-owned ski areas that do not. There are ways to distribute the wealth more evenly, as I've outlined before.But this is not Bayse's fight. He's the general manager of a public ski area. What is he supposed to do? Send the $9 million back to the legislature and tell them to give it to Holiday Mountain? His job is to help prioritize projects and then make sure they get done. And he's really good at that job. So that – and not bureaucratic decisions that he has no control over – was where I took this conversation.No need to rewrite it for Whiteface because the sentiment is exactly the same.What I got wrongI called the Empire trail “Vampire” because that's what I'd thought Kellett had called it and I'm not generally great about memorizing trail names. But no such trail exists. Sorry Whiteface Nation.I said the mid-mountain lodge burned down in “2018 or 2019.” The exact date was Nov. 30, 2019.I said that there had been “on the order of a billion dollars in improvements to ORDA facilities over the past decade… or at least several hundred million.” The actual number, according to a recent report in Adirondack Life, is $552 million over just six years.Why you should ski WhitefaceTwo hundred and ninety-nine acres doesn't sound like much, like something that fell off the truck while Vail was putting the Back Bowls in storage for the summer, like a mountain you could exhaust in a morning on a set of burners over fresh cord.But this is a state-owned mountain, and they measure everything in that meticulous bureaucratic way of The Official. Each mile of trail is measured and catalogued and considered. Because it has to be: New York State's constitution sets limits on how many miles of trails each of its owned mountains can develop. So constrained, the western wand-wavers, who typically count skiable acreage as anything within their development boundary, would be much more frugal in their accounting.So step past that off-putting stat – it's clear from the trailmap that options at Whiteface abound - to focus on this one: 3,166 feet of lift-served vert. That's not some wibbly-wobbly claim: this is real, straight-down, relentless fall line skiing. It's glorious. Yes, the pitch moderates below the mid-mountain lodge, but this is, top to bottom, one of the best pure ski mountains in America.And if you hit it just right and they crack open The Slides, you will feel, for a couple thousand vertical feet, like you're skiing off the scary side of Lone Peak at Big Sky or the Cirque at Snowbird. Wild terrain, steep and furious, featured and forlorn. It is the only terrain pod in the Northeast that sometimes requires an avalanche transceiver and shovel. It's that serious.There's also the history side, the pride, the pomp. Most mountains in New York feel comfortably local, colloquial almost, as though you'd stumbled onto some small town's Founder's Day Parade. But Whiteface carries the aura of the self-aware Olympian that it is, a cosmopolitan outpost in the middle of nowhere, a place where skiers from all over converge to see what's going on. As the only eastern U.S. mountain to ever host the games, Whiteface has a big legacy to carry, and it holds it with a bold pride that you must see to understand.Podcast NotesOn the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA)If you're wondering what ORDA is, here's the boilerplate:The New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) was originally created by the State of New York to manage the facilities used during the 1980 Olympic Winter Games at Lake Placid. Today, ORDA operates multiple venues including the Olympic Center, Olympic Jumping Complex, Mt. Van Hoevenberg, Whiteface Mountain, Gore Mountain & Belleayre Mountain. In January 2023, many of ORDA's venues were showcased to the world as they played host the Lake Placid 2023 Winter World University Games, spanning 11 days, 12 sports, and over 600 competing universities from around the world.To understand why “ORDA” is a four-letter word among New York's independent ski area operators, read this piece in Adirondack Life, or this op-ed by Plattekill owner Laszlo Vajtay on efforts to expand neighboring Belleayre.On the Whiteface UMPEach of ORDA's three ski areas maintains a Unit Management Plan, outlining proposed near- and long-term improvements. Here's Whiteface's most recent amendment, from 2022, which shows a potential new, longer Freeway lift, among other improvements:The version that I refer to in my conversation with Kellett, however, is from the 2018 UMP amendment:On the Lifts that used to serve Whiteface's midmountainKellett discusses the kooky old lift configuration that served the midmountain from Whiteface's main base before the Face Lift high-speed quad arrived in 2002. Here's a circa 2000 trailmap, which shows a triple chair with a midstation running alongside a double chair that ends at the midstation. It's similar to the current setup of the side-by-side Little Whiteface and Mountain Run doubles (unchanged today from the map below), which Kellett tells us on the podcast “doesn't really work for us”:On the renaissance at BelleayreI referenced the incredible renaissance at Whiteface's sister mountain, Belleayre, which I covered after a recent visit last month:Seven years ago, Belleayre was a relic, a Catskills left-behind, an awkward mountain bisected by its own access road. None of the lifts connected in a logical way. Snowmaking was… OK.Then, in 2016, the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA), the state agency that manages New York State's other two ski areas (Whiteface and Gore), took over management at Belle. Spectacular sums of money poured in: an eight-passenger gondola and trail connecting the upper and lower mountains in 2017; a new quad (Lightning) to replace a set of antique double-doubles in 2019; a dramatic base lodge expansion and renovation in 2020; and, everywhere, snowmaking, hundreds and hundreds of guns to blanket this hulking Catskills ridge.This year's headline improvement is the Overlook Quad, a 900-ish-vertical-foot fixed-grip machine that replaces the Lift 7 triple. Unlike its predecessor lift, which terminated above its namesake lodge, Overlook crosses the parking lot on a skier bridge crafted from remnants of the old Hudson-spanning Tappan Zee Bridge, then meets Lightning just below its unload.With these two lifts now connected, Belleayre offers three bottom-to-top paths. A new winder called Goat Path gives intermediates a clear ski to the bottom, a more thrilling option than meandering (but pleasant) Deer Run (off the gondy), or Roaring Brook (off the Belleayre high-speed quad).Belle will never be a perfect ski mountain. It's wicked steep for 20 or 30 turns, then intermediate-ish down to mid-mountain, then straight green to the bottom (I personally enjoy this idiosyncratic layout). But right now, it feels and skis like a brand-new ski area. Along with West Mountain and the soon-to-be-online Holiday Mountain, Belleayre is a candidate for most-improved ski area in New York State, a showpiece for renaissance through aggressive investment. Here's the mountain today - note how all the lifts now knot together into a logical network:On Beartown ski areaKellett mentions Beartown, a 150-vertical-foot surface-lift bump an hour north of Whiteface. Like many little town hills across America, Beartown uses its Facebook page as a de facto website. Here's a recent trailmap (the downhill operation is a footnote to the sprawling cross-country network):On the Miracle on IceIf you're not a sportsball fan, you may not be familiar with the Miracle on Ice, which is widely considered one of the greatest upsets in sports history. The United States hockey team, improbably, defeated the four-time-defending Olympic champion Soviet Union at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics. The U.S. went on to defeat Finland in their final game to win the gold medal. This is a pretty good retrospective from a local Upstate New York news station:And this is what it looked like live:On Andrew WeibrechtKellett tells us that the Warhorse chairlift, built to replace the Bear and Mixing Bowl doubles in 2021, is named after Andrew Weibrecht, a ski racer who grew up at Whiteface. You can follow him on Instapost here.On Marble MountainThe main reason the U.S. has so many lost ski areas is that we didn't always know how or where to build ski areas. Which means we cut trails where there were hills but not necessarily consistent ski conditions. Such is the case with Whiteface, which is the historical plan B after the state's first attempt at a ski area on the mountain failed. This was Marble Mountain, which operated from 1935 to 1960 on a footprint that slightly overlaps present-day Whiteface:Whiteface opened in 1958, on the north side of the same mountain. This contemporary trailmap shows the Cloudsplitter trail, which Kellett tells us was part of Marble Mountain, connecting down to Whiteface:That trail quickly disappeared from the map:For decades, the forest moved in. Until, in 2008, Whiteface installed the Lookout Mountain Triple and revived the trail, now known as “Hoyt's High”:So, why did Marble Mountain go away? This excellent 2015 article from Skiing History lays it out:To get the full benefit of the sweeping northern vista from the newly widened Wilmington Trail at Whiteface Mountain near Lake Placid, pick a calm day. Otherwise, get ready for a blast of what ski historian and meteorologist Jeremy Davis characterizes as “howling, persistent winds” that 60 years ago brought down Marble Mountain. Intended to be New York State's signature ski resort in the 1950s, Marble lasted just 10 years before it closed. It remains the largest ski area east of the Mississippi to be abandoned.It turns out you can't move the mountain, so the state moved the ski area: The “new” Whiteface resort, dedicated in 1958, is just around the corner. With 87 trails and 3,430 vertical feet, Whiteface played host to the 1980 Winter Olympic alpine events and continues to host international and national competitions regularly. How close was Marble Mountain to Whiteface? Its Porcupine Lodge, just off the new Lookout Mountain chairlift, is still used by the Whiteface ski patrol.Full read recommended.On Gore's glade network versus Whiteface'sIn case you haven't noticed, Whiteface's sister resort, Gore, has a lights-out glade network:I've long wondered why Whiteface hasn't undertaken a similarly ambitious trailblazing project. Kellett clarifies in the podcast.On The SlidesThe Slides are a rarely open extreme-skiing zone hanging off Whiteface's summit. In case you overlooked them on the trailmap above, here's a zoom-in view:New York Ski Blog has put together a lights-out guide to this singular domain, with a turn-by-turn breakdown of Slides 1 through 4.On there being noplace to stay on the mountainWhile Whiteface and sister mountains Gore and Belleayre currently offer no slopeside lodging, I believe that they ought to, for a number of reasons. One, the revenue from such an enterprise would at least partially offset the gigantic tax subsidies that currently feed these mountains' capital budgets. Two, people want to stay at the mountain. Three, if they can't, they go where they can, which in the case of New York means Vermont or Jiminy Peak. Four, every person who is not staying at the mountain is driving there each morning in a polluting or congestion-causing vehicle. Five, yes I agree that endless slopeside condos are an eyesore, but the raw wilderness surrounding these three mountains grants ORDA a generational opportunity to construct dense, walkable, car-free villages that could accommodate thousands of skiers at varying price points within minimal acreage. In fact, the Bear Den parking lot at Whiteface, the main parking lot at Gore, and the lower parking lot at Belleayre would offer sufficient space to house humans instead of machines (or both – the cars could go underground). Long-term, U.S. skiing is going to need more of this and less everyone-drives-everyday clusterfucks. On the M.A.X. PassI will remain forever miffed that Alterra did not invite Whiteface, Gore, and Belleayre to join the Ikon Pass when it cleaned out and shut down the M.A.X. Pass in 2018. Here was that pass' roster – skiers could clock five days at each ski area:On multi-mountain pass owners on Indy PassEvery once in a while, some knucklehead will crack on social media that Whiteface could never join the Indy Pass because it's part of a larger ownership group, and therefore doesn't qualify. But they are reading the brand too literally. Indy doesn't give a s**t – they want the mountains that are going to sell passes, which is why their roster includes 22 ski areas that are owned by multi-mountain operators, including Jay Peak, its top redeemer for three seasons running:The Storm explores the world of lift-served skiing year-round. Join us.The Storm publishes year-round, and guarantees 100 articles per year. This is article 114/100 in 2023, and number 499 since launching on Oct. 13, 2019. Get full access to The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast at www.stormskiing.com/subscribe
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To receive new posts and to support my work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.WhoBoyne Resorts CEO Stephen Kircher, Big Sky President Taylor Middleton, Big Sky GM Troy Nedved, and Garaventa Chief Rigger Cédric AelligWhereBig Sky invited media to attend the opening of their new Lone Peak tram, the first all-new tram at a U.S. ski resort since Jackson Hole opened theirs in 2008.Recorded onDecember 19, 2023About Big SkyClick here for a mountain stats overviewOwned by: Boyne ResortsBase elevation: 6,800 feet at Madison BaseSummit elevation: 11,166 feetVertical drop: 4,350 feetSkiable Acres: 5,850Average annual snowfall: 400-plus inchesTrail count: 300 (18% expert, 35% advanced, 25% intermediate, 22% beginner)Terrain parks: 6Lift count: 40 (1 75-passenger tram, 1 high-speed eight-pack, 3 high-speed six-packs, 4 high-speed quads, 3 fixed-grip quads, 9 triples, 5 doubles, 3 platters, 2 ropetows, 9 carpet lifts) – View Lift Blog's inventory of Big Sky's lift fleet.About the new Lone Peak TramIt may seem like the most U.S. American thing ever to spend tens of millions of dollars to replace a lift that was only 28 years old (remember when the Detroit Lions dropped half a billion to replace the 26-year-old Pontiac Silverdome?), but the original tram cost just $1 million to build, and it served a very different ski resort and a very different ski world. It was, besides, a bit of a proof of concept, built against the wishes of the company's own CEO, Boyne Resorts founder Everett Kircher. If they could just string a lift to the top, it would, the younger Kirchers knew, transform Big Sky forever.It did. Then all sorts of other things happened. The Ikon Pass. Montana's transformation into a hipster's Vermont West. Social media and the quest for something different. The fun slowly draining from Utah and Colorado as both suffocated under their own convenience. Big Sky needed a new tram.The first thing to understand about the new tram is that it does not simply replace the old tram. It runs on a different line, loading between the top of Swift Current and the bottom of Powder Seeker; the old tram loaded off the top of the latter lift. Here's the old versus the new line:The new line boosts the vertical drop from 1,450 feet to 2,135. Larger cabins can accommodate 75 passengers, a 500 percent increase from 15 in the old tram (Big Sky officials insist that the cars will rarely, if ever, carry that many skiers, with capacity metered to conditions and seats set aside for sightseers).One dramatic difference between the old and the new lines is a tower (the old tram had none), perched dramatically below the summit:It's a trip to ride through:But the most astonishing thing about riding the new Lone Peak tram is the sheer speed. It moves at up to 10 meters per second, which, when I first heard that, meant about as much to me as when my high school chemistry teacher tried to explain the concept of moles with a cigar-box analogy. But then I was riding up and the down-bound cabin passed me like someone just tossed a piano off the roof of a skyscraper:Here's the down-bound view:The top sits at 11,166 feet, which is by no means the highest lift in America, but it is the most prominent point for an amazing distance around, granting you stunning views of three states and two national parks, plus the Yellowstone Club ski area and Big Sky itself:The peak is fickle as hell though – an hour after I took those photos, I walked into a cloud bank on a second trip to the summit.Right now, the only way to access the tram is by riding the Swift Current 6 (itself an extraordinary lift, like borrowing someone's Porsche for a ride around the block), and skiing or walking a few hundred vertical feet down. But a two-stage, 10-passenger gondola is already under construction. This will load where the Explorer double currently does, and will terminate adjacent to the tram, creating an easy pedestrian journey from base to summit. That lift is scheduled to open for the 2025-26 ski season, and will, along with the Ramcharger 8 and Swifty, create an amazing 24 high-speed seats out of the main Big Sky base.The Lone Peak tram is, in my opinion, the most spectacular new ski lift coming online in America this winter. In a year of big lift projects, with Steamboat's 3.1-mile-long gondola and 14 new six-packs coming online, that's saying a lot.Right now, everyone has to download - it's been a low-snow year, and there's no skiing yet off the summit. Big Sky will, however, stay open until late April this season, so we have plenty of tram-ski days ahead.What we talked aboutWith Troy and TaylorSki town culture; the evolution of Big Sky from Montana backwater to leading North American ski area; why the new tram won't overload Lone Peak even though its capacity is five times that of the old tram; how much – and how fast – Big Sky changed after the 1995 installation of Tram 1; why Big Sky evolved in a way that other small Montana ski areas never did; wind mitigation for a lift going somewhere as insane as Lone Peak; the new tram's incredible speed; plans for the old tram's top and bottom stations; and the switch from pay-per-day to pay-per-ride for the tram. With Stephen KircherThe significance of this lift when Boyne is putting in so many lifts; what the tram means for the future of Big Sky; the Kircher family legacy, past and future, at Big Sky; the near-death of Tram 1 before it was even built; who we can thank for Big Sky's insane lift fleet; what justifies the huge expense of D-Line technology; why Boyne only builds Doppelmayr lifts; European influence; and how America fell behind Europe in lift technology.What I got wrongI said that, when Middleton arrived in 1980, Big Sky had just a “handful of lifts off Andesite, nothing on Lone Peak.” While there wasn't a lift to the top of Lone Peak, Lone Mountain itself had several lifts by 1980:When I said that “Vail tends to split its lift fleet 50/50,” I meant between Doppelmayr and Leitner-Poma, the two major North American lift manufacturers.Podcast NotesOn the shift to pay-per-tram rideThis year, Big Sky switched from charging per day for tram access to charging per ride. The price ranges from $20 to $40 for skiers. That seems hefty, but frankly the place is so huge that you can have a great ski week with just a handful of tram laps. Here's a primer on how to set up your tram access:On cannister film rollsBefore we lived in the future, photos were scarce and expensive. A two-week family trip may involve two to five rolls of film, with 24 or 36 photos per roll, which you could not see until you deposited the spent cannisters at a photo development emporium and returned, some hours or days later, to retrieve them. Each roll cost between $5 and $7 to purchase, and an equal price to develop. Reprints were expensive and complicated. The rolls themselves were impossibly easy to destroy, and could, like vampires, disintegrate with direct exposure to sunlight. Witnessing the destruction of this system and its displacement by digital photos as limitless as videogame ammunition has been one of the great joys of my life.Anyway, that's what Middleton was referring to when he tells the story about the lost film cannister that almost ruined his day.On D-Line liftsKircher talks extensively about “D-Line lifts.” I constantly reference these as well, as though I have the faintest idea what I'm talking about, but all I know is that these are really kick-ass chairlifts, and are better than other sorts of chairlift. While several non-Boyne ski areas (Camelback, Sun Valley, Mammoth), have installed this most advanced lift class, Boyne owns perhaps as many as the rest of North American resorts combined, with two each at Big Sky (Ramcharger 8 and Swift Current 6) and Sunday River (Jordan 8 and Barker 6), and one each at Brighton (Crest 6), Loon (Kanc 8), Boyne Mountain (Disciples 8), and The Highlands (Camelot 6).On Everett Kircher the elderEverett Kircher, Stephen Kircher's father, was a bit of a cowboy entrepreneur, the swaggering sort from America's black-and-white past. He purchased the land for Boyne Mountain for $1, built an audacious contraption called the Gatlinburg Sky Park that ended up fueling the growth of the whole ski empire, and flew himself between Michigan and Montana after buying the resort in the mid-70s. He built the world's first triple, quad, and detachable six-person chairlifts and invented all sorts of snowmaking equipment. Boyne has more on their history page.On John KircherStephen's brother, John Kircher, was an important figure in the U.S. ski industry in general, and at Big Sky in particular. He passed away on Jan. 28 of this year. From Explore Big Sky:The oldest son of late Boyne Resorts co-founder Everett Kircher, John will be remembered for his impact in the modern ski industry. After stepping into Big Sky Resort's GM role in 1980, he became widely known for spearheading the Lone Peak Tram project in the early 1990s. He then spent roughly two decades of his career as president, CEO and, briefly, owner of Crystal Mountain Resort in Washington.Read the rest of the obit here.On Kircher ConceptsStephen Kircher's son is also named Everett. We discuss his contributions to the tram project, and also allude to a digital design agency he founded, Kircher Concepts. This work, which I find incredibly valuable, essentially visualizes lift projects at their announcement. The gondola rendering above comes from Kircher Concepts, but the agency does not work exclusively with Boyne – Telluride, Sun Valley, and Mount St. Louis Moonstone are also clients. Check out the full portfolio here.On Big Sky 2025Kircher refers to Big Sky 2025, which is essentially a masterplan outlining the resort's rapid evolution since 2015. While the plan has changed quite a bit since its announcement, it has completely transformed the resort with all sorts of lift, employee housing, parking, snowmaking, and other infrastructure upgrades. You can read the latest iteration here.The Storm explores the world of lift-served skiing year-round. Join us.The Storm publishes year-round, and guarantees 100 articles per year. This is article 110/100 in 2023, and number 495 since launching on Oct. 13, 2019. Get full access to The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast at www.stormskiing.com/subscribe
The podcast makes its first visit to Emery County. UIAAA Connection #149 – Jake Atwood, Director of Athletics at Emery High School is now available. Jake is one of the few guests to appear on the podcast that works at the same high school he graduated from. Before becoming the AD, he coached basketball at Lone Peak high school as well as Snow College and BYU Hawaii. A newer Athletic Director, his best quote is “It's not a nine to five job and make sure you are organized.” Please Listen, Learn and Share! You can subscribe to UIAAA TV on YouTube! This podcast is also available on Amazon Music, Apple Podcast, Breaker, Castbox, Google Podcast, iHeartradio, Overcast, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, Spotify, Sticher and YouTube.
Visito la oficina y Showroom de Altra para ver las novedades de 2024.Eduard González, Director de ventas Altra Iberia, nos cuenta en este podcast todo lo que está por llegar de la marca para la próxima temporada.Puedes contactarme en:juan@ellaboratoriodejuan.com
Ray Caruso, CEO of Lone Peak Dental Group, joins the podcast to discuss his background, biggest issues he's following in dental, current nerves and excitements, and what the most effective healthcare leaders need to be successful in the next 2-3 years.
Utah's Lone Peak Girls Basketball Team Wins Second Straight State Championship Utah's Lone Peak High School Girls Basketball team proves its one of the most talented programs in the state, and the country after winning its second straight state championship. Kenzie Valenteen has more.
Ep. 67 In this episode I share a story of a PR attempt and how exit speed relates to our spiritual growth in our lives. Photo from the summit of Lone Peak. Not related.
Nailed it with perfect conditions, good company, pace, and just overall a great day!
This podcast hit paid subscribers' inboxes on Feb. 22. It dropped for free subscribers on Feb. 25. To receive future pods as soon as they're live, and to support independent ski journalism, please consider an upgrade to a paid subscription.WhoDave Scanlan, General Manager of Eaglecrest, AlaskaRecorded onFebruary 13, 2023About EaglecrestClick here for a mountain stats overviewOwned by: The City of JuneauLocated in: Juneau, AlaskaYear founded: 1975Pass affiliations: Indy Pass, Powder Alliance, Freedom PassReciprocal partners:* 3 days each at: Anthony Lakes, Diamond Peak, Hilltop, Hogadon Basin, Lookout Pass, Monarch Mountain, Mount Bohemia, Mount Sima, Mount Ashland, Skeetawk, Skiland* 1 unguided day at Silverton* Eaglecrest has one of the most extensive reciprocal networks in America. Here's an overview of everything that's included in a season pass, which debuted for this season at $576. While there's a ton of overlap, adding an Indy Pass onto this would give you another 50-plus ski areas:Closest neighboring ski areas: Eaglecrest's website reminds us that “There are no roads into Juneau, Alaska— you have to live here, fly, or ferry to experience this powder paradise.” There are no other ski areas nearby. So stay for a few days and enjoy it.Base elevation: 1,130 feetSummit elevation: 2,750 feetVertical drop: 1,620 feetSkiable Acres: 640Average annual snowfall: 350 inchesTrail count: 36 (40% advanced/expert, 40% intermediate, 20% beginner)Lift count: 4 doubles – Eaglecrest also plans to add a pulse gondola, which will likely be ready for the 2025 summer season and 2025-26 ski season.Why I interviewed himThis podcast started, as so many of them do, with me asking one question: what is going on here?Every ski area is different, but some are more different than others. Mount Bohemia, with its complete absence of grooming and snowmaking and $109 season pass. Perfect North, which sits on southern Indiana farmland but processes more than 10,000 skiers on a busy day and employs 1,200 workers in the winter – bigger numbers than some Western alphas. Black Mountain of Maine, which, over the past decade, has undergone the largest expansion of any New England ski area – with zero promotion, masterplanning, or fanfare.And here's Eaglecrest. This ski area up in Alaska. But not just regular Alaska. Isolated coastal Alaska. Where roads don't go. You have to fly or take a ferry. There, for some reason, is where the 49th state chose to locate its capital, Juneau. The state's residents have voted many times to move the capital. But it remains. It is a gorgeous place, mountains launching dramatically from the water. There are 31,000 people there. And one ski area. Eaglecrest is big enough to stir curiosity, but not big enough to draw skiers in volume from the mainland, who have dozens of larger ski areas to bounce between. It is an Indy Pass member, a Freedom Pass member, a Powder Alliance member. It has a dozen reciprocal partnerships besides. Almost anyone can ski there – almost no one does. So what is this place? This city-owned ski area at the end of civilization? And what does it want to be? And how does it plan to get there?I had questions. Scanlan had answers. This is a good one.What we talked aboutFifteen straight days of snow is just how they roll in Southern Alaska; the Pineapple Express; if you think Alaska is all dark and subzero weather, think again; skiing in fishing gear; “we don't have the big testosterone bro-brah attitude”; is Juneau ski bum paradise?; where a crowd on a Saturday pow day is a dozen early-risers ahead of you in the maze; Midwest pride; bump skiing at Wilmot; when “you fall in love with it not for the hype of a powder day, but for the feeling you get when you're on your skis or snowboard”; a young vagabond in the ‘90s; Hope Alaska; founding the Mountain Rider's Alliance to help small ski areas; the potential for resurrecting the long-lost Manitoba Mountain, Alaska; Skeetawk (Hatcher Pass); moving to and running Mt. Abram, Maine; what it's like to compete with Sunday River; hardcore New England; Maine nice; landing a dream job at Eaglecrest; reworking the primitive snowmaking system; the pros and cons of running a city-owned ski area; whether Eaglecrest could ever survive without city subsidies; massive summer potential; easier to get to than you think: “If you live in Seattle, you can be sitting on the chair at Eaglecrest before most days you could be sitting on the chair at Crystal”; fly and ski free with your boarding pass; pushing back against locals who want to keep the place secret; why Eaglecrest has so many reciprocal partners and how effectively that's drawing skiers to Alaska; why you saw an Eaglecrest booth at the Snowbound Festival in Boston; Indy Pass; comparing the coming Eaglecrest gondola installation with how the Lone Peak Tram transformed Big Sky in the 1990s; 20,000 daily summer visitors to a town that has 30,000 residents; “how do I take advantage of this amazing opportunity to put the cash in the pocket that I need to turn Eaglecrest into the best ski area in the world?”; why low-capacity lifts will continue to be Eaglecrest's default; the drive to begin relocating quality used ski lifts from Europe to North America; breaking down Eaglecrest's soon-to-be-installed fixed-grip pulse gondola; where the gondola's top, bottom, and midstations will sit; how much larger Eaglecrest's trail footprint will get; “I do carry some guilt of polarizing our ski community” by putting a lift into what's now hike-in terrain; why the ski area needs investment to survive; thoughts on the future of the four double chairs; visiting and riding the future Eaglecrest gondola in Europe; massive upgrades for the lift; how the gondola will work with the Mt. Roberts Tram; a gondy timeline; potential for a beginner carpet; and how much the official count of 36 trails undersells the resort's terrain. Why I thought that now was a good time for this interviewEaglecrest is, as noted above, one of the continent's most aggressive Megapass-Reciprocity players. That makes it an important mountain in an important Storm sub-narrative: how can you ski as much as possible, at as many ski areas as possible, for as little money as possible? While Eaglecrest's network (50-ish partners), and pass price-point ($576 early-bird for 2022-23) don't quite drop it into the Ski Cooper realm ($329 early-bird for this season and 61 partner ski areas), it nonetheless acts as a powerful enabling device for skiers with an adventurous bent and a small degree of logistical savvy.The question, of course, is why Eaglecrest bothers. The place is marooned along the North American coast, one of the few non-island cities unreachable by road from the rest of the landmass. I'm sure some Eaglecrest locals journey south by plane and orchestrate a ski loop through the continental West. But I'm not sure if that's the point here. Rather, Eaglecrest is trying to get skiers to come to them, to realize that if they hop a plane two-and-a-half hours north, they can land in the Great Unspoiled and have a powder-draped ski area to themselves.The goal is to create long-term skiers. Tourists, you know. And once they've seen what the place is now, they'll be revved up to return once Eaglecrest runs a new-used pulse gondola from its base to the top of Pittman's Ridge. That will bring lift service to the ski area's full 1,620-foot vertical drop for the first time and, more importantly, open hundreds of new acres of terrain skier's left of the current boundary.If you're not familiar with a pulse gondola, you may have seen them at Snowmass or Steamboat – they run with little groups of cabins together, and are typically used in America more as transit lifts than ski lifts (the Snowmass lift mostly takes passengers up the village, and Steamboat's lift moves skiers up from a cluster of condos down the mountain). These are fixed-grip lifts, but travel at tram speeds – Scanlan estimates the base-to-summit ride at around seven minutes. The lift will travel in three pods of 15-passenger cabins and will have a mid-station, off of which Eaglecrest could eventually build a learning area with carpets, Scanlan tells me. The yellow line here shows where the gondola will run on the mountain - the red lines represent the current lifts:The lift has been controversial. It's 34 years old, and operated at Austria's Galsterberg Ski Area until last April. It cost approximately $2.5 million to purchase and transport, and will cost an additional $5.5 million to install. It will operate at a far lower capacity than a modern detachable gondola, which is what most U.S. ski areas use. Critics say the gondola competes with the private sector – in particular, the Mount Roberts Tramway.Scanlan addresses each of these points in our conversation, with a nuanced analysis of Juneau's thumping summer tourism season and how Eaglecrest can both act as a relief valve and boost its own long-term goal of financial independence.Questions I wish I'd askedTwo points I wanted to discuss that I didn't get to: how much the gondola will cost, and Eaglecrest's very low lift ticket prices, which top out at $68. The ski area breaks down the cost in an FAQ on its website:Q: I've heard about a $2 million cost and a $7.5 million cost. Which amount is correct?$2 million [it ended up being $2.5 million] covers the initial purchase, transportation, and preliminary engineering of the Austrian pulse gondola. The funding ordinance currently under review is for this sum.$5.5 million covers the cost of installation and additional infrastructure. Eaglecrest may eventually seek this sum as a loan to be paid back by summer operations. This number will be refined in the months ahead as we continue work with the Eaglecrest Board and Eaglecrest Summer Task Force to examine the business case and evaluate future costs.Why you should ski EaglecrestBecause this might be it. Survey the West: it's full. Colorado High Country, the Wasatch, Tahoe, the Seattle and Portland day-drivers, Jackson, Mammoth, Big Sky – it's traffic or it's ticket limits or it's sticker-shock pricing or it's rivers of people or it's the raw cost of living and everything else. Or it's several or all of these factors, blended, to frustrate the romance of mountain-town living.Not that rustic snowy backwaters don't remain. But they are backwaters. Places like Turner, Montana, 2,110 vertical feet and 1,000 acres but lodged in the wilderness between Schweitzer and Whitefish. Sunrise Park, Arizona, 1,800 feet of vert and 1,200 acres, but marooned 90 miles from the nearest interstate highway and so dysfunctional that a huge chunk of the mountain sat inaccessible for five years after their monster triple chair broke down (it now takes three lift rides to reach that same terrain).But look north. Look at this:If you haven't watched yet, let me pull one stat: Scanlan says on this video that a busy day at Eaglecrest – a weekend powder day, for instance – might draw 900 skiers. For the day. There's more people waiting in the average McDonald's drive-through line than that.“Yeah Brah but it's small.”Watch the video, Brah.“Yeah but it gets like half the snow of Mt. Tahoe, where my boys ride Brah.”Watch the video.“Yeah but it's in Alaska and I don't see the point of skiing in Europe when I can ski right here in U.S. America.”Brah, watch the video.As mainland Western U.S. skiing boils over, Eaglecrest remains on a low simmer. And while you'll need an airplane to get there, you land in a state capital, with all the infrastructure and life conveniences that attend such a place. Juneau is a small city – 31,000 people – but an important one, with abundant stable government and industrial fishing jobs. It's big enough to host a woo-hoo walkable downtown and all the standard American big-box claptrap on the outskirts, small enough that unloading every skier in the valley onto Eaglecrest's access road won't be enough to clog the drain. And when you arrive, you just ski. No parking drama. No lines. No Powder Day Death Matches. Just. Ski.Yes, the lifts are old and slow: four fixed-grip doubles. Yes, accessing the full vert requires some hiking. Yes, coastal snow is not Wasatch snow. And yes, the total skiable acreage does not match your big-mountain Western destinations. But: recalibrate. Reset your expectations. Stripped of the hoards and the Hunger Games mentality they inspire, skiing is something different. A 10-minute lift ride is not so intolerable when you ski right onto the chair. Six hundred forty acres is plenty when it's mostly ungroomed faces sparsely cut by the local bombers. Three hundred fifty inches is sufficient when it tumbles over the mountain in lake-effect patterns, a few inches every day for weeks at a time, refreshing and resetting the incline day after day.Eaglecrest is going to get bigger, better, and, probably, busier. That gondola will change how Eaglecrest skis and, eventually, who skis there. It's not a destination yet, not really. But it could be. And it probably should be – we're rapidly moving past the era in which it makes sense for city tax dollars to subsidize a ski area. There are plenty of examples of publicly owned ski areas operating at a profit, and Eaglecrest should too. Go there now, before the transformation, to see it, to say you were there, to try that different thing that gets at what you're probably looking for in the mountains already.Podcast NotesOn the gondolaWe referenced a note Scanlan penned shortly after taking delivery of the gondola. Read it in full here.On Manitoba MountainScanlan tells the story of trying to resurrect a small ski area called Manitoba Mountain near Hope Alaska. It had operated with up to three ropetows from World War II until the lodge burned down in 1960. Skimap.org has archived a handful of concept maps circa 2011, but Scanlan moved to Maine to take over Mt. Abram before he could re-open the ski area:On Skeetawk/Hatcher PassScanlan and I discuss a recently opened Alaska ski area that he refers to as “Hatcher Pass.” This is Skeetawk, a 300-vertical-foot bump that finally opened in 2020 after decades of failed plans. Here's the ski area today:And here's a circa 2018 concept map, which shows where a future high-speed quad could run, connecting, in turn, to a high-alpine lift that would transport skiers to 4,068 feet. That would give the ski area a 2,618-foot vertical drop.On the impact of the Big Sky tramIt's hard to imagine, but Big Sky was sort of Small Sky before the ski area broke out the Lone Peak Tram in 1995. That project, which acted as a gateway to all-American pants-shitting terrain, transformed the way skiers perceived the mountain. But the tram was bigger than that: the lift accelerated the rapid late-90s/early-2000s evolution of U.S. skiing as a whole. An excerpt from this excellent history by Marc Peruzzi:As unpolished, friendly, and authentic as Big Sky was in the early 1980s, it was a timid place known within Montana for stunning views, but exceedingly gentle pitches. Big Sky was the yin to rowdy, chute-striped Bridger Bowl's yang. And it was struggling. Annual skier visits hovered around 80,000. The mountain wasn't on the destination circuit. The business was losing money. Bound up skiing wasn't working. …it's easy to overlook the fact that the Lone Peak Tram was and is the most audacious lift in North American skiing history. It was such a bold idea in fact, that John Kircher had to agree to the purchase without the approval of his father, and Boyne Resorts founder, Everett who disapproved vehemently with the project. The audacious claim is not hyperbole. The Peak 2 Peak Gondola in Whistler (it came 20 years later) might sport a longer span, but it was a far more straightforward installation and it's more of a people mover than a ski lift. The Jackson and Snowbird trams serve serious terrain, but they run over a series of towers like traditional lifts. The Lone Peak Tram is an anomaly. Because it ascends a sheer face, the lift features a continuous span that's unique in North America. No other design would work. Beyond the challenges of the cliff, the routine 120mph hour winds in the alpine would rip chairs off cables and smash tram cars into towers. …By 1996, the year the tram opened, the skiing nanny state was crumbling. … At the forefront of this change was the Lone Peak Tram. It changed the mindset of the ski industry. But that change was bigger than the sheer audacity of the lift and the terrain it served—or even the fact that Big Sky's patrol had figured out how to manage it. The Lone Peak Tram didn't just make for good skiing, it made good business sense. Whereas Kircher is quick to credit Montana's frontier culture for the actual construction of the tram, Middleton discounts the cowboy element and insists it was a strategic long-term business play to elevate the ski experience. But two things can be true at the same time, and that's the case with the Lone Peak Tram. …In the years after the Lone Peak Tram opened, expansion into steep terrain became commonplace again. Sunshine Village's Delirium Dive opened in 1998. Then came the hike-to terrain of Aspen Highlands' Highland Bowl; Crystal Mountain's “inbounds sidecountry” in the Southback zone, and its 2007 Northway expansion; and more recently Taos Ski Valley in New Mexico finally strung a lift to Kachina Peak, which as with Lone Peak had been hiked for years. Any skier worth their weight would add the Headwaters at Moonlight to that list.This video tells the story just as well:The context in the podcast was the incoming Eaglecrest gondola, and whether that lift could have the same transformative impact on Eaglecrest. While the terrain that the new-used Alaskan lift will serve is not quite as dramatic as that strafing Big Sky, it will reframe the ski area in the popular conversation.On ski pornI don't write a lot about athletes, obviously, but Scanlan mentions several that he skied with at summer camps on the Blackcomb Glacier back in the ‘90s. One is Candide Thovex, who is like from another galaxy or a CG bot or something:On old-school Park CityScanlan talks about the summer he helped yank out the “old-school” Park City gondola and install the “Payday six-packs.” He was referring to the Payday and Bonanza sixers, which replaced the mountain's two-stage, four-passenger gondola in the summer of 1997. Here's the 1996 trailmap, showing the gondy, which had run since 1963:And here's the 1997-98 trailmap, calling out the new six-packs as only a 1990s trailmap can:On old-school AltaModern Alta – the one that most of you know, with its blazing fast lifts and Ikon Pass partnership – is a version of Alta that would have been sacrilege to the powder monks who haunted the place for decades. “The ski area for traditionalists, ascetics, and cheapskates,” read one Skiing Magazine review in 1994. “The lifts are slow and creaky, the accommodations are spartan, but the lift tickets are the best deal in skiing, especially when Alta's fabled powder comes with them.” Here's what Alta looked like in 2000, the year before Sugarloaf gave way to the resort's first high-speed chairlift:This is the Alta of Scanlan's ski-bum days, “before the high-speeders came in,” as he puts it. Before the two-stage Collins lift took out Germania (which lives on at Beaver Mountain, Utah), a longer Supreme killed Cecret, and a new Sunnyside sixer deleted Albion, which served Alta's boring side. Before a peak-day walk-up lift ticket ran $179 (throw in another $40 if you want to connect to Snowbird). They do, however, still have the stupid snowboard ban, so there's that.On previous GM Matt LillardScanlan and I discuss his immediate predecessor, Matt Lillard, who is now running Vermont's Mad River Glen. Lillard joined me on the podcast three years ago, and we briefly discussed Eaglecrest:On GunstockScanlan compares Eaglecrest's operating and ownership models to Gunstock, noting, “we've all seen how that can go.” We sure have:On Eaglecrest's fly-and-ski-free programHere are details on how to cash in your boarding pass for an Eaglecrest lift ticket on the day you land in Juneau. Alaska Airlines offers similar deals at Alyeska, Bogus Basin, Red Lodge, Red Mountain, Schweitzer, Marmot Basin, and, shockingly, Steamboat, where a one-day lift ticket can cost as much as a 747.The Storm publishes year-round, and guarantees 100 articles per year. This is article 14/100 in 2023, and number 400 since launching on Oct. 13, 2019. Want to send feedback? Reply to this email and I will answer (unless you sound insane, or, more likely, I just get busy). You can also email skiing@substack.com.The Storm explores the world of lift-served skiing all year long. Join us. Get full access to The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast at www.stormskiing.com/subscribe
En la píldora de hoy, te explico mis sensaciones tras mi primera salida con la Altra Lone Peak 7.El modelo superventas de la marca americana, en esta versión 7, se renueva por completo, a fondo, y en todos los aspectos de la zapatilla.Contacto:juan@ellaboratoriodejuan.com
Here's the link to the YouTube Version of this Episode - https://youtu.be/6WWDXV2eIWo Donation links: Donate to The Vermont Adaptive for my Vermont 100 Campaign - https://www.pledgereg.com/357957?fbclid=IwAR0-dUaRLRnQvcTU9wXywYE5JlBTJHjTaqswcPMO3IDz5h9nkCXe7n3t06o Donate to The Challenged Athlete Foundation for my Leadville 100 Campaign - http://support.challengedathletes.org/site/TR/Events/General?px=1355904&pg=personal&fr_id=1940 Gear Mentioned in This Episode: Salomon Adv Skin 5 & 12 5 – $140 - https://www.salomon.com/en-us/shop/product/adv-skin-5-lc11659.html#color=66904 12 - $160 - https://www.salomon.com/en-us/shop/product/adv-skin-12-lc11657.html#color=66310 UltrAspire Bronco Vest - $130 - https://ultraspire.com/products/bronco_race_vest/ Naked Running SL Band - $48 – https://nakedsportsinnovations.com/collections/shopall/products/sl-band?variant=41015180001460 Leki Running Poles – https://leki.mwrc.net/en/category.php?product_category_id=11043 Leki Nordic Breeze Short Glove - $50 - https://www.altrarunning.com/shop/mens-shoes-trail/mens-olympus-5-al0a7r6p?variationId=880 Nitecore NU25 - $37 – https://www.nitecorestore.com/Nitecore-NU25-Headlamp-p/fl-nite-nu25.htm?gclid=Cj0KCQiA-oqdBhDfARIsAO0TrGGbMMRiqXZkyeTMPvI78S7OvruPwTWcwjrrSV4hMhbUlSWk-9b6KgMaAvdiEALw_wcB Link to newsletter article about NU25 - https://shoutout.wix.com/so/e5OH2oigD?languageTag=en Wahoo TICKRx - $80 - https://www.pledgereg.com/357957?fbclid=IwAR0-dUaRLRnQvcTU9wXywYE5JlBTJHjTaqswcPMO3IDz5h9nkCXe7n3t06o Goal Zero Flip 24 - $30 - https://www.goalzero.com/collections/power-banks/products/flip-24-power-bank Goal Zero Flip Charging Dock - $20 (on sale now for $5) - https://www.goalzero.com/collections/power-banks/products/flip-charging-dock Book – Mental Training for Ultrarunning by Addie Bracy Versatile Road Shoe (non-plated) – Hoka Mach 5 - $140 – https://www.hoka.com/en/us/mens-race-shoes/mach-5/1127893.html Hybrid Shoe – Altra Outroad - $140 – https://www.altrarunning.com/shop/mens-shoes-trail/mens-outroad-al0a7r6n?variationId=108 Versatile Trail Shoe – For me it has been the Altra Lone Peak, but with new edition (LP 7 - $150) out (and I haven't purchased it yet), I can't provide much feedback here. Lone Peak 7 can be found here - $150 - https://www.altrarunning.com/shop/neutral-shoes/mens-lone-peak-7-al0a7r6h?variationId=680 Best Long Ultra Shoe – Altra Olympus 5 - $180 – https://www.altrarunning.com/shop/mens-shoes-trail/mens-olympus-5-al0a7r6p?variationId=880 MR Runningpains (Aaron's) information: If you'd like to learn more about Patreon or to donate, please visit https://www.patreon.com/MRRunningpains My Socials, Channels, & Newsletter: https://www.facebook.com/MRRUNNINGPAINSEVENTS/ https://www.instagram.com/mrrunningpains/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ6J512qA34z_N0KJSU4jfw https://www.strava.com/athletes/18431982 To sign up for my Newsletter -https://www.mrrunningpains.com Email - runningpains@gmail.com Thanks to all of you for listening! Please share the Podcast and please leave a review, rate, & subscribe if you haven't done so already! THANK YOU! Aaron Saft MR Runningpains Thanks to my Patrons: Randall Woods Cullen Hicks Leah Lanier Teresa Bowser Carolyn Morrisroe Mike Sears Julia Jordan Nicole Burnham Peter Keyo Will Weidman Philip Taylor Martin Thorne Nancy Lewis Victor Dostrow Kendall Weaver Nate Heaslip Austin Elder Tory Grieves
Anchored by Lance Smith, 5A Olympus takes out 6A state champs Lone Peak and 4A state champs Crimson Cliffs to win the revamped Arctic Circle Above the Rest high school invitational tournament. Smith, Derek Fox and Jeff Petersen join the pod.
A 20 mile hike nearly killed me... But it didn't! Let me tell you how I was able to overcome this challenge and as well, allow me to share some insights that I learned that will help you during your trials and challenges of life! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/monson-flake/support
An in-depth review of the Altra Lone Peak 6.
An in-depth review of the Altra Lone Peak 6.
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Organizations can email skiing@substack.com to add multiple users on one account at a per-subscriber enterprise rate.WhoTaylor Middleton, President and Chief Operating Officer of Big Sky Resort, MontanaRecorded onApril 4, 2022About Big SkyClick here for a mountain stats overviewOwned by: Boyne ResortsBase elevation: 6,800 feet at Madison BaseSummit elevation: 11,166 feetVertical drop: 4,350 feetSkiable Acres: 5,850Average annual snowfall: 400-plus inchesTrail count: 300 (18% expert, 35% advanced, 25% intermediate, 22% beginner)Terrain parks: 6Lift count: 39 (1 15-passenger tram, 1 high-speed eight-pack, 3 high-speed six-packs, 4 high-speed quads, 3 fixed-grip quads, 9 triples, 5 doubles, 3 platters, 2 ropetows, 8 carpet lifts) – View Lift Blog’s inventory of Big Sky’s lift fleet.Uphill capacity: 41,000 skiers per hourWhy I interviewed himBig Sky opened in 1973, as the American ski industry’s big-mountain land grab was fizzling. Seven years later, Taylor Middleton wandered into town, an Alabama boy wired for adventure. What he found an hour and five minutes south of Bozeman, population 21,645 at the time, was a backwater bump of the sort that still populate the Montana wilds: four or five lifts, 20 or so runs, Lone Peak hovering godlike over it all. A hell of a view and dumptrucks worth of snow and not a whole lot else.Over the next 42 years, Big Sky would evolve into one of North America’s great ski areas. The Storm, as regular readers know, can be prone to hyperbole. My worldview is tilted toward ennoblement. Even the scraggliest lift-served snowsliding outposts have virtue in their histories, their idiosyncrasies, their improbable continued existence in a world that frustrates such ventures in 10 dozen ways.That won’t be necessary here. Big Sky is titanic, sprawling, impossible. Alps-like in its scale and above-treeline drama. Mixed into the 300 named trails are two dozen-ish triple black diamonds. They mean it: to ski Big Couloir or North Summit Snowfield off the top of the tram requires an avalanche beacon, a partner, and a sign-out with Patrol.But this radness is a small part of the experience. At almost 6,000 acres, Big Sky is nearly the same size as Boyne’s other nine resorts combined*. It is the third-largest ski area in the United States, and it took the combination of Park City with neighboring Park West (7,300 acres), and the connection of the Alpine Meadows and Olympic sides of Palisades Tahoe (6,000 acres) to out-big Big Sky (Big Sky is itself the combination of two ski areas, as it absorbed the old Moonlight Basin in 2013). Even when the base-to-base gondola finally cracks open over Tahoe next year, Palisades Tahoe’s terrain will remain fragmented. Endless, nearly boundless skiing of the sort that defines Big Sky is rare in America.Which takes us back to Middleton. Big Sky could have been a lot of things in underdeveloped Montana. A rugged single-chair backwater like Turner. A teaser that stopped short of the looming snowfields, like Teton Pass. A fun but lost-in-time burner like Lost Trail. A regional hotshot like Bridger Bowl, with slow lifts, rad terrain, and lots of hiking. Instead it’s one of the most complete and up-to-date ski resorts in North America. How did that happen? Most American ski resorts are just old enough that the pioneering generation, the one that actualized a dream out of the wilderness, are long gone. Big Sky will be 50 years old next year, but for a lot of reasons – not the least among them a stable ownership group (Boyne has owned the ski area since 1976) – a lot of the people who helped mold the place into a monster are still around.Middleton did not just watch all of this happen – he’s a big part of the reason it happened at all. I wanted to hear his story, and the story of the mountain, firsthand.*Boyne’s nine other ski areas total 7,200 acres: Summit at Snoqualmie (1,981 acres), Sugarloaf (1,230), Brighton (1,050), Sunday River (870), Cypress (600), The Highlands at Harbor Springs (435), Boyne Mountain (415), Loon (370), and Shawnee Peak (249).What we talked aboutThe 2021-22 ski season so far at Big Sky; how an Alabama boy ended up running one of the biggest ski resorts in America; yes there is a ski area in Alabama; dusty, cow-town Bozeman and Big Sky circa 1981; how the mountain grew from a backwater bump with five lifts and 20 runs to a sprawling behemoth that sits alongside the best resorts on the continent; the audacity of the Lone Peak Tram; installing a secret summit lift without the knowledge of the company’s CEO; like a glacier the tram base crawls across the valley; how and why the tram has no towers; how Big Sky’s reputation changed when the tram popped open in 1995; the wild terrain hanging off the summit of Lone Peak; “there’s not an easy way down”; how Patrol tamed the mountain to make it skiable; the power of skier self-selection; the inbounds runs that require Patrol check-in and avy equipment; why Big Sky limits Big Couloir to eight skiers an hour; why skiing got so lame in the ‘80s and how the Lone Peak tram helped nudge the industry out of its stupor; John Kircher and putting skiing first; the good old days of walking right onto the tram; the tram reservation system, how it’s worked out, and whether it’s here to stay; going deep on Big Sky’s forthcoming mega-gondola-tram network; the location of the new tram, its terminals, and its single tower; the fate of the current tram’s terminals; characteristics of the new tram cabins; why Big Sky removed its original two gondolas and why it’s bringing that sort of lift back; the fastest lift on the mountain; an overview of the new gondola; the advantages of operating on private land; Big Sky hates liftlines; when we’ll be able to ride these monster new lifts; where we may see new or upgraded lifts; how close we may be to a second out-of-base lift at Moonlight Basin, where it would run, what it might be called, and what sort of lift we could see; “there are little pods of terrain all over our mountain that we haven’t cleared yet”; how Big Sky came to absorb the formerly independent Moonlight Basin and how it changed the ski area as a whole; Big Sky’s 360-degree ski experience; an encomium to James Neuhaus; how the initial Ikon Pass backlash from 2018-19 has aged; why the resort will require Ikon reservations next season; why Big Sky remained on the Ikon Base Pass as Aspen, Jackson Hole, and others fled, and whether leaving that tier for the Base Plus is still a possibility; the power of Boyne’s network and how it’s helped prop the company up from within over the decades; “I’m getting really tired of pulling Sugarloaf stickers off my lifts”; Boyne’s tiered pass products and how they manage crowds while creating options for everyone; and Big Sky’s commitment to building employee housing. Why I thought that now was a good time for this interviewFor most of its existence, Boyne Resorts has made a brand out of statement lifts, inventing, with its partners, the triple chair and the quad in the 1960s. Boyne brought America’s first six-pack in 1992 (at Boyne Mountain), and the country’s first eight-pack in 2018 (at Big Sky), trailing Europe on the latter but soundly stomping its American competitors. Still, compared to its peers, Big Sky doddered along with a rattletrap lift fleet for decades. By the time Big Sky installed its fourth high-speed lift in 2004*, Vail Mountain already had 15 of them (and had since at least 2001).But over the past half-dozen years, Boyne has gotten aggressive. By next season, four of its 10 ski areas will have the monster eight-packs already in place at Big Sky and Loon – 80 percent of all such lifts on the continent. A major promised component of the company’s 2030 plans is beefed-up lift infrastructure at Sunday River, Sugarloaf, Loon, Boyne Mountain, and The Highlands at Harbor Springs. But the most dramatic changes are coming to Big Sky, Boyne’s flagship.After rolling out four high-speed lifts in five years (the Powder Seeker six in 2016, Ramcharger 8 and the Shedhorn high-speed quad in 2018, and the Swift Current 6 in 2021), Big Sky recently unveiled a gargantuan base-to-summit lift network that will transform the mountain, (probably) eliminating Mountain Village liftlines and delivering skiers to the high alpine without the zigzagging adventure across the now-scattered lift network. Skiers will board a two-stage out-of-base gondola cresting near the base of Six Shooter before transferring to a higher-capacity tram within the same building. This second machine will likely be a hauler in the spirit of the school-bus-shaped big-boys at Jackson and Snowbird (though it will, as Boyne Resorts CEO Stephen Kircher told me, have outward-facing seats), and will certainly haul more skiers than the current 15-passenger version, which is a triumph of engineering but one built for a different time. The whole complex will sit like this in relation to the current lift network:Once this titanic project is finished, Big Sky may be closer to complete than its enormous lift count (39) suggests. Eight of the remaining lifts are carpets. Ten more are designated “real-estate lifts” and are of no consequence to the on-the-mountain ski experience. As the sparkling new out-of-base fleet materialized, once-promised upgrades to Southern Comfort, Iron Horse, and Lone Moose disappeared from the 2025 plan. But none of these feel particularly consequential. Southern Comfort is a detachable quad, not even 20 years old. Iron Horse is a fixed-grip quad, but it was installed in 1994 and probably has plenty of useful life remaining. Lone Moose, a Yan triple that arrived used from Keystone in 1999, suggests the most pressing need for an upgrade, but it’s tucked at the far end of the resort and serves just a handful of runs – there are better places to spend money.The most obvious place is the Madison Base, above which 2,000 acres of former Moonlight Basin terrain rises toward Lone Peak. Aside from a beginner quad, the Six Shooter six-pack serves this entire area. The possibility of another lift here is tantalizing, and we discuss this in depth on the podcast. Also, terrain expansion could be coming, here and elsewhere around the ski area. “There are little pods of terrain all over the mountain that we haven’t developed yet,” Middleton told me. There is a logic to this improvisational, discuss-one-thing-and-do-another swagger that Big Sky has: the place sits entirely on private property. This is a rare situation for a large Western U.S. resort, most of which sit on Forest Service land and operate under long-term leases. That means that the master plans, the public comment periods, the endless back-and-forth with the Forest Service, the perpetual scaling back of grand plans – none of that is Big Sky’s problem. As Boyne tips over its Money Bin and empties it into its Montana crown jewel, we are witnessing an interesting real-time experiment in private willfulness versus the public-private model upon which so much of our big-resort infrastructure rests. Don’t tell Free Market Bro, but the more Boyne proves it can act as a responsible mountain steward without turning the place into a set piece from the latter half of The Lorax, the more I like Big Sky’s model. *When the Six Shooter high-speed six-pack came online in 2003, Moonlight Basin was still a separate resort.Questions I wish I’d askedHowever. I don’t really understand if Boyne is truly in a yeah-let’s-just-build-like-nine-hot tubs-in-a-bear-den free-for-all situation or not. Just because the resort is not subject to Forest Service approvals (which, frankly, have allowed far more ski resort development than they have shut down over the past six decades), does not mean it can just do whatever the hell it wants all the time. Probably. I don’t know because I didn’t ask, and I probably should have. I will say that Boyne has emphasized its role as an environmental steward more and more over the past decade, joining Powdr, Vail, and Alterra last year in a “shared commitment around sustainability and advocacy.”I also would have liked to have gotten more into these “terrain pods all over the mountain.” Which is funny because Big Sky is already like the size of Delaware and I’m all worried about it expanding. But really I started this podcast because I can’t stop thinking about this kind of thing. It’s a form of experiential avarice that I have no other outlet for.What I got wrongWhen I interviewed Jackson Hole President Mary Kate Buckley in November, I accidentally referred to her as the resort’s “CEO.” I then made a correction in the article that accompanied that podcast. And then during this interview I again referred to Buckley as Jackson Hole’s “CEO.” So I’m again printing a correction because apparently I’m a nitwit. I’m sorry Mary Kate you’re doing a great job and you don’t deserve this.Also, at one point in the interview when we were discussing trailmaps, I referred to “Lone Peak” as “Big Sky.”Why you should ski Big SkyBecause there are a couple dozen you just have to hit at some point, right? If you’re in North America, it’s these ones. Just about everybody reading this has probably skied some of them, and most of us (outside of Peter Landsman from Lift Blog), have probably not skied all of them. It’s a big list, it’s a big continent, and time and money are not eternal things.So we all have our calculus on where we go and when. Like a lot of Midwestern- or Eastern-based skiers, my Western travels have been heavily skewed toward whatever is in the orbit of Denver and Salt Lake airports. And why not? The I-70 and Wasatch resorts are enormous, interesting, snowy, and convenient. And, until the advent of the triple-digit walk-up day ticket, affordable (they still are, so long as you plan your ski season like a cicada, securing you earthly access 17 years in advance).For a long time, Big Sky was the opposite of convenient. Bozeman airport was small, expensive, and hard to reach. The mountain itself was cold and far, with a mostly slow lift fleet. As the mainline Colorado and Utah destinations rapidly modernized in the 80s and 90s, Big Sky took its time. That time has come. Bozeman airport now welcomes direct flights from 30 markets. Flights are quite affordable. Tens of millions of dollars’ worth of sparkling new lifts strafe Big Sky’s 300 runs. The resort is a headliner on the Ikon Pass. Getting to and skiing Big Sky has never been easier.And oh yeah the skiing. See trailmap, above. If I need to convince you that Big Sky is worth your time, then what are we even doing here?More Big SkyMiddleton and I discuss an excellent history of the Lone Peak Tram written by respected ski journalist Marc Peruzzi. This video tells the story very well, and includes footage of a young Taylor Middleton:The news section of Big Sky’s website is, in general, excellent, with stories written by freelance journalists who appear to have quite a bit of editorial leeway. This is rarer than you would imagine.We also discussed this letter that Middleton drafted to the Big Sky community in response to Ikon Pass backlash during the 2018-19 season. A response to that.Oh, and yes, there is a ski area in Alabama, as Middleton and I discussed on the podcast. No, it’s not indoors. It hasn’t opened in a couple years, mostly becaue of Covid-related things, but you can follow their operations on their Facebook page. Frankly it kind of looks like any little bump outside of Milwaukee or Grand Rapids:A pictorial history of Big Sky’s development1975This is the earliest Big Sky map I could find – four lifts and 18 runs, with parking right at the base.1978A few years later, the far side of Andesite was online:1995Nearly two decades later, the resort is still relatively contained, but Challenger, Iron Horse, and Southern Comfort add distinct expert, intermediate, and beginner pods on opposite sides of the ski area. Two gondolas now run out of the Mountain Village base in this 1994-95 trailmap:1997The tram, installed in summer 1995, changed everything, blowing the resort up to its summit. That same year, Big Sky also ran the Shedhorn double up the backside of the peak:In 2013, the mountain acquired adjacent Moonlight Basin, giving us the foundation of today’s Big Sky. Boyne CEO Stephen Kircher has told me on numerous occasions that the ski area is committed to keeping its paper trailmaps in perpetuity. Snag one as a memento when you’re there – this place is changing fast, and they won’t be up-to-date for long.The Storm publishes year-round, and guarantees 100 articles per year. This is article 36/100 in 2022. Want to send feedback? Reply to this email and I will answer (unless you sound insane). You can also email skiing@substack.com. Get full access to The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast at www.stormskiing.com/subscribe
Good morning lacrosse fans! It's championship week and I couldn't be more excited. If you want to relive the Quarterfinal action please review my last email. I have one request. Please show up to the girls championships on Friday and the boys championships on Saturday. Both days will be at Layton High School. Showing support is one way that others will take notice of our strong community and help it to grow. Nothing is given to us, we have to earn it. Show up! Interview with Brighton Head Coach Chris O'DonnellBrighton Head Coach Chris O'DonnellBrighton Head Coach Chris O'Donnell hails from Virginia where he starred in Soccer, Basketball and Lacrosse. O'Donnell went on to play lacrosse at Radford University in Virginia. After graduation he found himself in Utah on a Friday and coaching lacrosse on a Monday. We also talked about the 2021 Bengals who are in the semis as the No. 14 seed. Hope you enjoy the show!You can listen to the latest podcast above or on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a rating!As always, this newsletter is brought to you by Vessel Kitchen.Championship HistoryLet's take a little jaunt down memory lane! 2019 @ Corner Canyon High SchoolOn May 18, 2019, the Park City boys team won its second straight title and third overall. The Herriman girls captured its first top tier title with a 11-7 win over Park City which was a rematch of the 2018 and 2017 title games. The Herriman girls finally broke through and beat Park City. It was such a great game filled with tons of emotion. The Herriman boys team won the Class B title with a 12-10 win over Pleasant Grove. Judge beat Waterford, 9-7, for the Class C title. The Juan Diego girls beat Corner Canyon, 12-10 to claim the girls Division II title. 2018 @ Skyline High SchoolMay 19, 2018 saw both the boys and girls Park City teams take home the state championship trophy. The Park City boys beat Brighton, 7-6, while the girls beat Herriman, 10-7. Jordan beat Davis, 15-8, in the girls Division II title game. East beat Spanish Fork, 8-3, in the boys Class B game and Mountain Crest beat Ridgeline, 8-7 in overtime, to win the Class C title. It was fun to see Park City win both the girls and boys titles. 2017 @ Alta High SchoolOn May 20, 2017, Juan Diego beat Brighton, 10-9, in the Class A title game. The Park City girls beat Herriman, 16-8, to claim the Division I title. Olympus beat Weber, 12-8, in the girls Division II title game while Herriman beat Northridge, 11-8, in the boys Class B game and Box Elder beat Timpview, 6-5, in the Class C title game. 2016 @ Brighton High SchoolOn May 21, 2016, Brighton defended its home turf by taking home the boys Class A title with a 8-6 win over Juan Diego. Park City beat American Fork, 16-7, in the girls Division I championship game. The Juan Diego girls team beat Roy, 10-8, in the girls Division II title game while Waterford took home the boys Class B title, 6-2, over Bonneville. Westlake beat rival Lehi, 5-4 in overtime, to claim the Class C title. A Bubba Fairman led Brighton wasn't going to be stopped although Juan Diego did its best to try and stop him and the rest of the Bengal offense. The Brighton defense was no slouch either. I remember the Class C title game being packed with emotion since Westlake had just broken off from Lehi. 2015 @ Corner Canyon High SchoolEditor's Note: The rest of these were taken from a past post I wrote for Utah Lacrosse NewsThe crown jewel of lacrosse stadiums took center stage on May 16, 2015 in what would be an excellent day of lacrosse with 3 of the games being decided by one goal and one going to overtime. The day began with Roy taking down Copper Hills, 8-7, in the girls D-II title game. The Girls D-I title was settled in an epic battle between rivals Park City and Brighton. The Miners got the best of the Bengals that day, winning 13-12 in overtime. The newly formed Class C saw Bountiful take down Box Elder, 10-6. Class B saw the No. 6 seed win the Championship when Logan took down Copper Hills, 10-7. The Class A title went to the hosts when the Chargers beat Park City, 9-8. I loved having it at Corner Canyon, mainly because of the big press box. The Girls D-I game was one for the ages. Such a battle. I remember it being rainy and cold. It was a great day. The Chargers were stacked that year with Zack Franckowiak, Matt Graney, Cole Parkinson, Garrett Bullet, Quinton Mathie and Garrett Michaeli. This was obviously the foundation for what the 2021 version of the Chargers looks like today. 2014 @ Corner Canyon & Park City High SchoolsFive champions were be crowed over a Friday and Saturday in what was a great weekend of lacrosse. On Friday, May 16, 2014, Corner Canyon hosted the Utah High School Lacrosse League Championship between Corner Canyon and Brighton. The Bengals would come out on top, 12-10. On Saturday, May 17, 2014, Park City played host. The first game saw Lehi finally break through and get the Girls D-II title, beating Pleasant Grove 7-6. In the Girls D-I, host Park City took down Riverton, 11-8. In the Boys D-II, Sky View beat Syracuse, 9-3. In the nightcap, Park City took home the D-I crown with a 16-4 win over Herriman.I remember the UHSLL game on Friday night being absolutely packed. It was a sight to see. I was talking with Brae Burbidge and Renee Tribe about how cool of sight it was. On Saturday I remember Coach Freeman walking off the field in tears again, but this time as a champion. Park City girls finally got the monkey off their back and beat Riverton. Syracuse was missing Connor Meyer which made a big difference in that game. My favorite part from the boys D-I was the post-game interview with Coach Langendorf. So genuine, so much emotion.2013 @ Copper Hills High SchoolCopper Hills hosted the 2013 championships which saw some phenomenal games.In the first game, American Fork beat Lehi, 11-7, for the D-II girls crown. In Girls D-I, Skyline continued its dominance that season, beating Park City, 10-9. Waterford took home the boys D-II title with a 6-4 win over Syracuse. In Boys D-I, Juan Diego went back-to-back, beating Lone Peak, 8-4.I was honored to be named the ‘Person of the Year' this year which was truly humbling. It was also my 6th wedding anniversary. We spent it in the North end-zone eating Marley's Sliders. We laugh about it now but I'm not sure she thought it was funny at the time. I also liked the games at Copper Hills since I lived down the street. American Fork was solid that year. I felt so bad for Coach Freeman as he walked off the field in tears. Skyline was so good that year. The one memory I have from the JD v. LP game was Eric Mika towering over everyone and a Freshman in yellow gloves named Josh Stout for Lone Peak. Wonder what happened to him ;)2012 @ Brighton High SchoolBrighton High School During the Boys D-I Championship - Haslam PhotographyBrighton High School was the backdrop for one of the best championship days in recent history. Each game was settle by one goal! In Girls D-II, Timpanogos beat Viewmont, 9-8. In Girls D-I, Bingham beat Park City, 12-11 in 3 overtimes. In Boys D-II, Mountain Crest beat Waterford, 11-10. In Boys D-I, Juan Diego beat Alta, 9-8.It doesn't get much better than Brighton when it comes to hosting games. This was the year we tried to sell ‘Grow the Game' t-shirts. That was a mistake, but to those who bought one, thank you. The play on the field couldn't have been better. It was intense from start to finish. I remember the big ULA logo at midfield that I thought was pretty cool. I remember learning how girls overtime worked… I remember the Mountain Crest v. Waterford game being a brute v. brains type of game. Mountain Crest has some huge athletes that could score at will. Waterford of course, had a strict game plan and played with tempo and finesse as always. Juan Diego had a stellar team that year. Alta had its fair share of studs as well. Amazing game.2011 @ Park City High SchoolAfter a freak rain storm left Westlake High School soaked, Park City stepped up and hosted the championships. In Girls D-II, Waterford beat Viewmont, 7-5. In Girls D-I, Alta beat Bingham, 12-6. In Boys D-II, Spanish Fork beat Timpanogos, 8-7. In Boys D-I, Brighton beat Judge, 8-7.Honestly, I had never been to a state championship game. I played lacrosse in high school but never quite made it that far. Dave Allen ruined those chances in the 2002 semifinals with strong game plan. Needless to say, I didn't know what I was in for. I remember feeling bad for the league who had put a ton of time into getting the games at Westlake just to have it cancelled due to rain. My fondest memory from that day was when Spanish Fork Head Coach Phil Dunn held the trophy as tight as he could for as long as he could. It was also the tail end of a back-to-back for Brighton. They were good that year.Here's the rest of the boys state championships. If anyone has the girls list, send it to me please! 2010: D-I - Brighton 10 Park City 7, D-II - Timpanogos 7 Spanish Fork 62009: D-I - Bountiful 12 Judge Memorial Catholic 6, D-II - Orem 15 Sky View 92008: D-I - Bountiful 12 Jordan 6, D-II - Lone Peak 13 Woods Cross 92007: D-I - Alta 9 Judge Memorial Catholic 6, D-II - Timpview 10 Logan 92006: D-I - Waterford 13 Jordan 12 (OT), D-II - Logan 17 Timpanogos 92005 - Skyline 16 Riverton 132004 - Waterford 12 Juan Diego Catholic 52003 - Waterford 13 Jordan 112002 - Alta 9 Judge Memorial Catholic 8 (2OT)2001 - Judge Memorial Catholic 12 Waterford 112000 - Judge Memorial Catholic 13 Waterford 121999 - Bingham 9 Highland 61998 - Murray over Highland1997 - Highland over Waterford1996 - Highland over Orem1995 - Judge Memorial Catholic over Alta1994 - Sunnyside over WaterfordInstagram QuestionsI asked ULR Instagram followers to send in questions and thought I'd answer them here. I've selected a few of the better questions.What teams should have been in the Boys Division A bracket? I think it was actually pretty accurate in terms of the teams that were in the A bracket. You could argue Weber could have replaced Skyline but the teams that were there were the Top 16 teams. Was Lone Peak an underrated team? It's tricky because they had 6 losses. Now, those 6 losses were all to teams higher than them (Park City, Mountain Ridge, American Fork, Corner Canyon) so they could have been as high as a No. 9 seed. Let's say they were No. 9, then they are going up against No. 8 American Fork who beat them twice in the regular season. Say that they win that game, then they are playing No. 1 Corner Canyon for the third time. No. 10 seed would have been playing No. 7 Mountain Ridge who they lost to. Maybe they are No. 11 and beat Davis? Okay, then you have to play Farmington/Brighton (in this case Brighton). You win that game, then you're matched up with… Park City in the semis. TL;DR - You have to play CC or PC at some point if you want to win the title. Do you think the RPI does teams justice? The RPI itself is doing what it's supposed to be doing which is using a computer to calculate the best teams. Where teams felt/feel ‘injustice' is the fact they couldn't play a difficult schedule because of their regions. Let's say Farmington plays Bingham, Park City, Green Canyon instead of a second game against Woods Cross, Bonneville, Viewmont and maybe things are seeded different. They would still be a Top 16 team though so all we're really talking about is a different seed. I understand that seeds matter to teams/players/coaches but the way that I look at it is that you remember when you lost in the playoffs, but no one else does. It's the title games that most people remember which is why seeds don't matter because if you're a top 2 TEAM, no matter the SEED, you'll be playing in the Championship game. What's it going to take to beat Corner Canyon? It's going to take a perfect game from the opponent and a mistake filled game from the Chargers. Even in that case it's not a forgone conclusion. Strategy wise it's to somehow stop an offense with 4-5 guys that are lethal shooters and a defense that doesn't allow goals. Favorite game this year? If I've kept my records straight, I've been to 43 games this year between high school and college. Throw in my daughters 3rd/4th games and it's close to 50. A couple games standout in no particular order: Brighton v. Olympus girls regular season game on 5/7. Whoever won claimed the Region 6 title. I got there a little after halftime because I was at the boys Oly/Brighton game. It was a battle. Brighton scored with a little over a minute left then their goalie stopped a free position shot as time expired to win. The Weber v. Northridge boys game on 4/27 went to overtime which was fun. I was also at the Timpview v. Mountain Ridge boys game on 4/20 that went to overtime with Mountain Ridge winning 11-10. Farmington v. Wasatch that was a 2 goal win for the Phoenix was another classic game. Next school to go NCAA D-I in Utah? The age old question. It's probably going to be UVU. The question is then: when? I think COVID probably derailed any momentum there was as I haven't heard any talk of it lately. Seeing as how D-I has lost more teams (Furman, Hartford to D-III) then gained, I think it may be awhile before we see any new programs anywhere, let alone Utah. That's just my uneducated guess. I do think if UVU were to add, it would hopefully open up a better blueprint for other non-FBS football (or in this case, non-football) West Coast schools to add. That would be exciting as there are a ton of those: Chapman, any of the UC or Cal State schools, LMU, Weber State, SUU, Dixie State, Grand Canyon (although I don't see them adding since they used to be an NCAA school). If you look at non-football schools that have NCAA D-I Men's lacrosse, you have: Denver, Fairfield, Quinnipiac, Jacksonville, Bellarmine, Loyola, Mount Saint Mary's, UMBC, Boston, UMass Lowell, Detroit Mercy, Hofstra, Canisius, Manhattan, St. Bonaventure, St. John's, Siena, High Point, Cleveland State, Drexel, Saint Joseph's, Vermont and Marquette. That's a lot of teams in a similar athletic situation as UVU. What isn't similar is enrollment. UVU has almost 10,000 students more than the next closest school (Boston). Now, you could also argue that because UVU doesn't have football, the revenue isn't there to support a team but I think there is ways around that as the above schools have proven. 2017 IMLAX Youth Registrations If you're confused by the headline, let me explain. I took the number of 7th/8th grade youth players in 2017 and compared them to this years high school teams because those players then are Juniors and Seniors now. The theory is that a strong youth program leads to success on the field at the high school level. You can view the data above and make your own conclusions. Obviously another key to a successful high school program, besides youth program size, is quality coaching. There's a couple teams that didn't have complete data (Herriman, Park City) and it's certainly possible that this list isn't 100% accurate. NCAA QuarterfinalsBubba Fairman (Brighton) scored 1 goal in the 14-13 overtime win for Maryland over Notre Dame. Garrett Bullet (Corner Canyon) and Zack Franckowiak (Corner Canyon) both played for Rutgers in the 12-11 overtime loss to UNC. Men's Semifinals: UNC will take on Virginia at 10:00 am MT while Duke faces Maryland at 2:30 pm MT on Saturday, May 29. Women's: UNC takes on Boston College at 10:00 am MT while Northwestern takes on Syracuse at Noon MT on Friday, May 28. Remember kids, it wasn't long ago that the NCAA Semis/Finals were the only games on TV. Don't take it for granted. Also, congrats to the Lindenwood Women's team who won the NCAA D-II Championship. Ellie Faulk (Park City) had a goal in the title game. Aleksa Allen (Herriman) is also on the team. High School Semis Tale of the TapeI was going to try to get through this newsletter without focusing on the games, but I couldn't resist. Don't forget to check out your brackets!Bracket LinksBoys Division ABoys Division BBoys Division CGirls Division AGirls Division BGirls Division CThat's it for today. I'll check back in midweek after the semis. — Tim Haslam This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.utahlaxreport.com
Good morning lacrosse fans. Well, here we are, it's playoff time! Before we dig into all the brackets, I get asked all the time how people can support the Utah Lax Report. There are a couple of ways: Go to Vessel Kitchen for your next meal. It's great food by lacrosse-loving people and you won't be disappointed. Support a local lacrosse store. They are the lifeblood of the community and it's important to keep them going! Donate to One Love. One Love educates young people about healthy and unhealthy relationships, empowering them to identify and avoid abuse and learn how to love better. If you've never heard of One Love, I'd highly recommend learning more about it. Donate to the Give & Go Foundation. The Give & Go Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization on a mission to #GrowTheGame by creating, educating, and inspiring athletes and coaches worldwide.Donte to the Welles Remy Crowther Charitable Trust. The Welles Remy Crowther Charitable Trust was established in September 2001 by the Crowther Family to honor and keep their beloved son's memory alive through good works benefitting young people. If you've done all the above and have a few bucks left, I do accept Venmo @TimHaslam. The verification code is 0775.I keep everything free so that all can enjoy it. Thank you for being great fans throughout the season. Let's get to it! Interview with Kenzie Christiansen Kenzie ChristiansenMy podcast guest today is Kenzie Christiansen who is currently the director of Tornadic Lacrosse. She has been a coach, played high school lacrosse at Woods Cross, college lacrosse at the University of Utah and is also an official. We talked about her lacrosse experiences and then dove into the girls brackets. Game Night Live RewindThe second half of the podcast features the audio from the boys bracket recap show that I was a guest on with the fine folks at Game Night Live Rewind. You can also watch the show here:There is a ton of content in this podcast, so please give it a listen. You can listen to the latest podcast above or on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a rating!Leave a comment below with your picks to win it all! Bracket LinksBoys Division ABoys Division BBoys Division C Girls Division A Girls Division B Girls Division C Boys Division A BracketBefore we begin, I'd invite you to join the Tribal West Lacrosse Bracket Challenge. The winner of the boys Division A bracket challenge will get their choice of a camp entry to the Tribe Camp this summer, a $50 gift card to Tribal West or a $25 gift card to Tribal West. The second-place winner will get to choose between whatever the winner doesn't choose and the third place winner will get whatever is left.First Round - May 18No. 1 Corner Canyon (18-0) v. No. 16 Skyline (10-5)Corner Canyon - Jon King 95G 45A, Mason Quick 84G 30ASkyline - Max Parker 29G 24A, Joe Goodman 28G 24ACorner Canyon Head Coach Aaron Ika said, “Coach Sanchez will have his team ready to battle and we know we will get their best game. We have a team made of of guys that step up game by game and week by week. King, Neilsen, Quick, DeGracie all lead statistically on offense but Franckowiak and Serrell are no slouches either. Santi, Hanks, Egan and White anchor a stingy aggressive defense. I am just excited for the playoffs and we know as a team that an undefeated season means nothing now that we are in the playoffs. The boys will not rest on what they did. They are ready to fight and compete for every play.”Skyline Head Coach Joe Sanchez replied to my email with, “Have you ever seen the movie Miracle?” Of course I have coach! No. 2 Park City (14-2) v. No. 15 Lone Peak (9-6)Previous Matchup: March 9, Park City won 21-18Park City - Connor Monson 49G 29A, Chase Beyer 44G 28ALone Peak - Garrett Haas 88G 38A, Luke Tucker 27G 31APark City Head Coach Michael Persky said, “Lone Peak has had one of the toughest schedules this year. They've been in every game and lost a couple by just a few goals including to us. They have probably the best player in the state in Garrett Haas. We expect this to be a battle. A bit of trivia: last year Lone Peak was boarding the bus to Park City when we all got the call that the season was canceled.”Lone Peak Head Coach Bruce Tucker said, “They are a great team. Many weapons and just solid players. We will need a big offensive game from Garrett Haas and great team defense anchored by Luke Tucker. We are excited for the match up and to get another shot at one of the best teams.”No. 3 Farmington (16-0) v. No. 14 Brighton (10-5)Previous Matchup: March 15, Farmington won 10-8Farmington - Cole Beynon 42G 20A, Brayden Buckley 41G 15ABrighton - Carter Budge 47G 14A, Marcus Gundersen 146 saves, 56% save percentageFarmington beat Brighton this season, 10-8, but that was almost two months ago. A lot has changed for both teams so I think this one should be a great game. If you look at the programs as a whole, Farmington has only played in one full-length playoff game, a 9-8 loss to Timpview in 2019. They did make it to the final game of the IMLAX summer tournament last year but lost to Fremont. Brighton on the other hand has won 4 state championships. No. 4 Olympus (14-2) v. No. 13 Timpview (12-4)Previous Matchup: April 14, Olympus won 13-8Olympus - Hutton Murphy 46G 40A, Carson Bennion 63% faceoffsTimpview - Devin Halversen 37G 39A, Joseph Ivins 34G 11ATimpview Head Coach Taylor Redd said, “Olympus is an extremely well-coached team. They play one of the best zones I've seen at the high school level. On top of that, they fly around the field with a ton of energy. Our guys are going to need to fly around the field and match their energy. We're going to need to play 100% energy for the entire night. Last time we played Olympus, we were missing Charlie Freedman, our leading goal scorer. It will be a team effort to win but having Charlie back will help us be much more explosive. We're excited to play Olympus again. They were the best team we played and we're excited to see how we've improved.”No. 5 Green Canyon (15-1) v. No. 12 Waterford (14-2)Previous Matchup: March 23, Green Canyon won 15-10Green Canyon - Mason Anderson 57G 50A, Jake Lundin 34G 36A 70% faceoffsWaterford - Mike Osborn 56G 33A, Jake Osborn 50G 25AGreen Canyon Head Coach Troy Oldham said, “They have a really talented faceoff specialist and their poles are very physical. We have been watching them closely since the last game, and we know they are a much-improved team from when we played them earlier this year. They are well-coached and have a ton of tradition with lacrosse so we know it's going to be a battle! Our two work-horses are Jake Lundin and Mason Anderson. While they are not our only great players, when they are both hot and playing well the rest of our team really clicks. We love having these two leaders in key positions on their field and they are both very generous in assists and able to score from multiple locations on the field. I'm so pleased with our defense this year, they have really stepped up and accepted the many challenges we have thrown at them. Jacob Regen and Luke Lee are our two senior poles who have played near-flawless games this past month and they are such fierce competitors. They are both pretty hyped to be in the playoffs and ready to play at an even higher level.” Waterford Head Coach Jack Matthews said, “We played Green Canyon earlier this year, so we know a little bit about them. Our boys are excited to get some revenge for our loss earlier in the season. It's a team game for us. We've had a balanced offense all year, and if we can get everyone involved and on the scoresheet we are tough to beat. The three 4A teams still alive would have made a great 4A state tournament, but we're excited to fight for this trophy.”No. 6 Davis (15-1) v. No. 11 Bingham (14-2)Davis - Rhett Rice 66G 32A, Blake Williams 37G 18ABingham - Logan Tew 51G 10A, Christian Jones 97 saves, 69% save percentage I don't see any reason why Davis wouldn't win this game. The only common opponent is Park City which both teams lost to, however, the Park City team that Davis played is a much different one than Bingham played. No. 7 Mountain Ridge (14-2) v. No. 10 Juan Diego Catholic (14-2)Mountain Ridge - David Wright 58G 31A, Dylan Ballard 65% faceoffsJuan Diego - Kyle Ebner 43G 16A, Andrew Bathurst 101 saves, 60% save percentage Both teams are 14-2 but the two losses for each team tell a different story. For Mountain Ridge, they lost to No. 1 Corner Canyon and No. 2 Park City. Juan Diego lost to No. 3 Farmington and No. 12 Waterford. The Mountain Ridge offense is too potent for the Juan Diego defense who has only played one Division A team in the last 9 games while beating 8 Division C teams. No. 8 American Fork (12-3) v. No. 9 Fremont (14-2)American Fork - Garrison Grimes 31G 9A, Zachary Bezzant 67% faceoffs Fremont - Carson Isaacson 51G 28A, Davis Searle 34G 38AI think American Fork feels they are better than the No. 8 seed so they'll have something to prove. The last two games have felt like playoffs games for the Silverwolves who are coming off a 15-14 loss to Davis and a 9-8 win over Weber. Boys Division B BracketFirst Round - May 18No. 1 Weber (12-4) v. No. 16 Roy (8-10)Previous Matchup: March 18, Weber won 12-9. April 20, Weber won 11-6.Weber - Ace Nichols 73G 49A, Squish Easley 49G 7ARoy - Colby Dickson 39G 16A, Samuel Kennedy 41G 2AWeber Head Coach Alex Gorton said, “I know they are a tough physical team. Sam Kennedy can score and has shown it in multiple games. This will be our third time seeing them this season. Roy is physical so if we can possess and win the groundball battle we'll be in good shape. Ace Nichols is the go-to impact player. Outside of him I'll look to Ammon Briggs to help possess the ball and run the offense. For Roy, Sam Kennedy knows how to score goals. Excited for Weber to host a home playoff game, that hasn't happened in a while. (Editor's Note: Best I can tell the last time Weber hosted a playoff game was 2011.)No. 2 Riverton (11-3) v. No. 15 Salem Hills (8-8)Previous Matchup: March 19, Riverton won 19-2Riverton - Jack Mortensen 41G 9A, Zane Johanson 54% faceoffs Salem Hills - Landon Buttars 46G 12A, Bryson Leary 69% faceoffsNo. 3 Sky View (10-5) v. No. 14 Maple Mountain (9-7)Sky View - Parker Robbins 35G 21A, Porter Jackson 167 saves, 58% save percentageMaple Mountain - Jacob Nelson 48G 5A, Casey Watkins 173 saves, 53% save percentageNo. 4 Alta (10-6) v. No. 13 Ridgeline (8-8)Alta Berkley - Horoba 34G 57A, Tyler Parry 114 saves, 59% save percentageRidgeline - Tyson Mckee 34G 29A, Dante Villa 37G 19AAlta Head Coach Brandon Horoba said, “On paper, they are a solid team and they have won some close games which shows they know what it takes to compete and win when the game is on the line. We are going to have to play a good game, take care of the ball and be aggressive on defense. It will take our team to put in a good effort for sure this will not be a game that is handed to us no doubt. I know they are going to come ready to play and we will have to bring that same intensity. Can't wait for the playoffs to start going to be a long week waiting for that first game.”No. 5 Wasatch (10-6) v. No. 12 East (6-7)Previous Matchup: March 16, Wasatch won 10-9 (OT)Wasatch - Gabe King 79G 32A, Josh Nokes 41G 46AEast - Petelo Tafisi 28G 6A, Gunner Longnecker 71 saves, 51% save percentageNo. 6 Bountiful (9-7) v. No. 11 Copper Hills (9-7)Bountiful - Hayden Hanson 54G 7A 59% faceoffs, Sam Lefevre 42G 23ACopper Hills - Derek Stewart 32G 9A, Logan Kofford 213 saves 65% save percentageNo. 7 Westlake (8-7) v. No. 10 Lehi (9-7)Previous Matchup: March 9, Westlake won 22-6Westlake - Hunter Hernandez 40G 34A, Hunter Larsen 111 gbs, 56 CTO, 4GLehi - Holden Hughes 52G 14A, Jasysten Larsen 60% faceoffs, 20GNo. 8 Northridge (8-8) v. No. 9 Box Elder (7-8)Northridge - Andrew Tate 38G 19A, Callum Dibble 126 saves 53% save percentageBox Elder - Austin McCormick 50G 7A, Radley Bruderer 140 saves 55% save percentageBoys Division C Bracket Here's a look at the games that will take place this Saturday, May 15. The second round will be at the home field of the lower seed on May 19. No. 8 Judge v. No. 25 Utah Military AcademyJudge won both regular-season matchups, 12-0 and 14-1. The winner plays the winner of the Skyridge v. Payson game. No. 9 Skyridge v. No. 24 Payson Skyridge won the regular-season game, 18-1. The winner plays the winner of the Judge v. UMA game. No. 10 Timpanogos v. No. 23 Mountain CrestThe winner will take on No. 7 Highland. No. 11 Viewmont v. No. 22 Mountain ViewThe winner will play No. 6 Logan. No. 12 Orem v. No. 21 JordanBoth teams lost to the only common opponent, Waterford. The winner will face No. 5 Herriman. No. 13 Spanish Fork v. No. 20 LaytonThe winner will take on No. 4 Syracuse. No. 14 West Jordan v. No. 19 Woods CrossThe winner will face No. 3 Bonneville. No. 15 Springville v. No. 18 ProvoSpringville won the first meeting, 14-6. The winner will take on No. 2 Bear River.Springville Head Coach Jared Ottley said, “While we won the first game, we know they will be coming hungry. We can't come in thinking this will be an easy win. They want to win just as much as anyone. Jace Welsch is their man. He is the leader of their team. You can work to contain him but his high game IQ keeps him a threat and plays unselfishly...to a fault. He shoots well-placed rockets from anywhere on the field. If our full, first and second, midfield lines can show up healthy we can distribute the ball better in transition. We are pretty much where we wanted to be in the middle of Division C. More importantly, we raised interest in lacrosse here in Springville. More than anything we wanted to expose our community to the game and get them excited and wanting to be part of something special. It is awesome to see new faces at every home game.”No. 16 Cedar Valley v. No. 17 ClearfieldThe winner takes on No. 1 Pleasant Grove.Cedar Valley Head Coach Drew Rykert said, “Our opponent every week this year has been ourselves. The wins and losses haven't been determined by how good or bad our opponents were but by how good or bad we played as a team. But all the respect to Clearfield. Senior Captain Sam Woodruffs help on offense and Freshman goalkeeper Freeman Miyasaki will be the bookends of the game. To host a playoff game in the first year of our program is a good sign of great things to come!”Girls Division A BracketYou are invited to join the Tribal West Lacrosse Bracket Challenge. The winner of the girls Division A bracket challenge will get their choice of a camp entry to the Tribe Camp this summer, a $50 gift card to Tribal West or a $25 gift card to Tribal West. The second-place winner will get to choose between whatever the winner doesn't choose and the third-place winner will get whatever is left. First Round - May 18No. 1 Park City v. No. 16 West JordanThe Miners are the clear favorites to win the Girls Division A bracket and are led by Kendall Keblish (69 goals) and Samantha Riley (31 assists). The only common opponent is Herriman who Park City beat 17-4 where the Jaguars fell twice, 19-7 and 20-7. No. 2 Mountain Ridge v. No. 15 RidgelineThe lone loss for the Sentinels was to Herriman midway through the season. Mountain Ridge is averaging 18.1 goals per game while giving up just 4.6 per game. No. 3 Skyridge v. No. 14 Corner CanyonThis will be the third meeting between the squads with Skyridge winning both times by just one goal each. I suspect this one will come down to the wire despite the distance in seeds.Corner Canyon Head Coach Matt Kenning said, “I know a lot about them. Not only did we play them twice this season, but I coached this Junior class when they were Freshmen under the WSL team before sanctioning happened. I also coach their top field players on my club team, Force Elite. If we stick to our game plan, play relaxed and play clean then we may be able to win. As a 14 seed no one expects us to win. I think this is the best match-up of the opening round.”No. 4 Brighton v. No. 13 SyracuseThe Bengals were No. 10 at one point in the RPI but played themselves into the No. 4 slot. The stats favor Brighton who is led by Oregon commit Haley Taylor (66G, 14A). No. 5 Herriman v. No. 12 AltaThe Alta defense is allowing 6.6 goals per game compared to 7.8 for Herriman. I suspect this game could be closer than the seeds suggest. No. 6 Bear River v. No. 11 WaterfordThis could be the most intriguing matchup in any bracket. Waterford is scoring more points per game but the Bear River defense is allowing just 2.8 goals per game. One of the best players in the state, Navy-bound Jaimeson Meyer, enters the game with 102 goals on the season but lining up on the other side is Marley Kierstead who has 109 goals on the season. Waterford Head Coach Betsy Weidner said, “We know Bear River has had a great season, and that we haven't played a single common opponent. We know they have some excellent abilities to put the ball in the next, as they've scored many goals in each game they've played. For our team to win, we are going to have to stay disciplined. We have been working on some fundamental transition concepts, and those will be key to a victory on Tuesday. Chuck Iacobelli and Jaime Meyer will be huge for us on the draw and on the attacking end. We also know that we have to look out for Marley Kierstead! She's had an incredible season for Bear River. We've got a lot of hungry seniors on this team looking to prove that a small school can accomplish something big. We're stoked for the opportunity to compete in the Division A bracket for a second season.” No. 7 Davis v. No. 10 OlympusThis is a great first-round matchup for both teams. Both teams beat East by double-digits but fell to Brighton by 1 goal (Oly) and 2 goals (Davis). No. 8 Farmington v. No. 9 FremontThese two teams will be in the same region next year so this is a great preview of what lies ahead. The Phoenix lost its first game of the year, 16-2, to West Jordan and have won every game since but remain untested. Fremont lost to Syracuse and Davis with both losses coming in late March. Girls Division B BracketFirst Round - May 18No. 1 Riverton v. No. 16 WeberBoth teams are giving up about 10 goals per game on average but the Silverwolves are scoring 17.3 while Weber is at just 7.3 goals per game. No. 2 Wasatch v. No. 15 Green CanyonThe Wasps are the clear favorite on paper. Sophia Nielsen leads the way with 45 goals and 19 assists for Wasatch.No. 3 Box Elder v. No. 14 RoyBoth teams beat East but lost to Ridgeline by a close margin. This game could be closer than the seeds suggest. No. 4 Timpview v. No. 13 Pleasant GroveBoth teams beat Timpanogos in the regular season and both lost by a large margin to Olympus. Timpview lost to American Fork by 4 while the Vikings lost to American Fork twice, once by 10 and once by 6. Timpview scores more goals per game and gives up less so my vote would be with the T-Birds. No. 5 American Fork v. No. 12 Maple MountainBoth teams beat Springville but that's where the similarities end. The Cavemen won 16-0 while Maple Mountain won 13-6. No. 6 Mountain Crest v. No. 11 Lone PeakAs Kenzie said in the podcast, Lone Peak could be a dark horse in Division B.Lone Peak Head Coach Weslie Lundell said, “It's going to have to take very solid transitional passing and aggressive ground ball pickups, dominating the draw, and attacking the goal for us to walk away with the win. Which I know is possible. If my girls are on their game, there's no stopping them. I know they have a key shooter, Kamrie Wilkinson, and Taryn Durham knows how to fight for the ground balls but we can compete. With Freshman Kacee Kelley taking the draw and Camryn McCunes incredible midfield defense, we'll definitely see a good game come Tuesday.”No. 7 Provo v. No. 10 TimpanogosThis is a really nice matchup and I suspect this game will be close. The common opponents line up as you would expect with both teams losing to Mountain Ridge while beating fellow Utah County foes.Provo Head Coach Megan Jensen said, “They have great players, great coaches, and a history of being strong competitors. Our team will need to work well together, move the ball smoothly, and get more draw controls & ground balls then the other team. Our talent is spread across our team, but I think Sally Otterstrom, Fielding Adams, and Libby Jaynes will have a big influence on the outcome of the game. We feel like we've already done more than was expected of us, as a new team with only one experienced player, so we are thrilled with our postseason position. We are so excited to have a home game against a great team.” No. 8 Jordan v. No. 9 Juan DiegoThe 8/9 game is typically one of the best and I don't see why this one would be any different. Girls Division C BracketThese games will take place this Saturday, May 15. The Second Round will be on May 19 at the home field of the lower seed. No. 8 Judge v. No. 25 Salem HillsWinner plays the winner of No. 9 Payson/No. 24 West. No. 9 Payson v. No. 24 WestWinner plays the winner of No. 8 Judge/No. 25 Salem Hills. No. 10 Springville v. No. 23 Cedar ValleyWinner plays No. 7 Bingham.No. 11 Copper Hills v. No. 22 BonnevilleWinner plays No. 6 Highland.No. 12 Viewmont v. No. 21 LoganWinner plays No. 5 Sky View.No. 13 Northridge v. No. 20 Mountain ViewWinner plays No. 4 Lehi. No. 14 Westlake v. No. 19 OremWinner plays No. 3 Bountiful. No. 15 East v. No. 18 ClearfieldWinner plays No. 2 Layton.No. 16 Skyline v. No. 17 Spanish ForkWinner plays No. 1 Woods Cross.College UpdateAt the MCLA Invitational, BYU beat Liberty, 10-7. UVU lost to Georgia Tech, 17-6. The Cougars will take on Georgia Tech today at 11:30 a.m. CT. Georgia Tech's win over Utah Valley mirrored Chapman's win as the Yellow Jackets led just 5-3 after the first quarter, but slammed the door on the Wolverine offense, allowing just three more markers the rest of the way.Sam Eck paced the Jackets' offense with four goals while Devin Raun chipped in with a hat trick and three dimes. Gino Pagliaro and Robert Kruszeski combined for eight saves in the win.Chad Ranslow had three goals for Utah Valley while a pair of Wolverine goalies teamed up for six saves.Brigham Young capped off the day by rallying from a second-quarter deficit and held off the powerful Liberty offense. The Cougars led, 7-5 at halftime and allowed just two goals over the final two frames, backboned by Mason Moon's nine saves.Gavin Crist was the offensive catalyst for BYU, scoring four goals and setting up a fifth.Keaton Mohs had two goals for the Flames while Ryan Reynolds made 13 saves in net.Read the full recap here. That's it for today! Be kind out there and be sure to follow ULR on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.— Tim Haslam This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.utahlaxreport.com
Good morning lacrosse fans. I really hate to start a newsletter off this way, but there was an incident at a game last week that left me sleepless. Please know that racism has no part in our society, let alone the lacrosse community. I've been to almost 30 games this year from Weber to Timpanogos and everywhere in between. Usually driving home I think about the game, the fans, the officials, the coaches, the players, and after most games, I think to myself, ‘we have to be better.' I say ‘we' because despite being on different teams and having different jerseys, we are all part of the lacrosse community, which, despite being the largest it's ever been, is still small. When our sport is shown favorably, it's favorable for all of us. When it's shown negatively, it's a notch against all of us. So let me take a moment to address some things I've seen:Everyone - It's not okay to use racist terms on the lacrosse field - ever. I'm not going to tell you how to live your personal life, but it has no place in the lacrosse community. Do better.Coaches - It's not okay to taunt or mock a player on the opposing team - ever. It's also not okay to degrade the people working the table or talking to opposing fans while coaching. Also, please fill out the officials' feedback form so we can help improve that aspect of the game too. Do better.Assistant Coaches - Stop yelling at the refs. You ask your players to abide by the rules so you should too. Do better.Officials - Let's be honest, some refs are there to collect a check and go home who have no interest in helping the game. This is bad for our sport. If this is you, please stop. Also, please take control of games that are getting out of hand. It's not hard to see it. Do better.Fans - If you're an adult yelling at an opposing player (14-18 year old) then you need to stop. Do better.With all that said, I've been to games this year where the fans have been great, the coaches have coached well and the officials have been excellent but unfortunately, it's rare. We need to be better at trying to make this scenario more common and it takes all of us, not just one team or one ref or one coach.I feel the season as a whole has been a success. It hasn't been without hiccups or controversy, but overall, Year 1 of sanctioning has been what I thought it would. It's a bittersweet time of year. The regular season is ending but playoffs are on the horizon.As a heads up, the playoff brackets will be revealed on Wednesday morning. I think they will be released on the UHSAA Twitter account but also on MaxPreps. Also, I try to be respectful to your inbox but I'm likely going to send 2-3 newsletters per week as I do my best to cover the playoffs. Interview w/ Alta Head Coach Brandon HorobaAlta Head Coach Brandon HorobaMy podcast guest this week is Alta Head Coach Brandon Horoba. Horoba starting coaching at Alta in 2002 then went to Brighton from 2009-2016. While with Brighton, he won 3 state championships as a head coach and one as an assistant coach. After Brighton, Horoba coached at UVU for one season then went back to Alta in 2018. Horoba has also been part of a handful of club programs as well. In this episode, we talk about each one of his coaching stops, breaking away with the UHSLL, club lacrosse and more. You can listen to the latest podcast above or on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a rating!Look, if you haven't been to Vessel Kitchen yet, that's okay. However, you should make a goal to do it soon, it's great food by great people. It has locations in Midvale, Sandy, 9th + 9th and Kimball Junction.Week 9 Coaches PollsNo. 1 Corner Canyon - The Chargers beat Skyridge, 21-2, on Tuesday then sent No. 6 American Fork home with a 20-4 loss on Friday. Corner Canyon hosts No. 10 Lone Peak on Tuesday in the finale for both teams. No. 2 Olympus - The Titans beat Pleasant Grove, 13-7, on Wednesday and won Region 6 on Friday with a 16-2 win over Brighton. Olympus hosts No. 4 Park City on Tuesday in the finale for both teams. The game will be broadcast on the Game Night Live Rewind YouTube channel or KSL Sports.No. 3 Farmington - The Phoenix beat Bonneville, 15-6, on Wednesday and Woods Cross, 16-4, on Friday. Farmington will head to Bountiful on Monday. If Farmington wins, they will win Region 5 outright. If Bountiful wins, the two teams will be co-champs. Mountain Ridge @ Park City - Full gallery hereNo. 4 Park City - Park City beat Payson, 27-0, on Monday then came from behind to beat No. 5 Mountain Ridge, 11-8, on Saturday. The Sentinels led 6-2 at the half but Park City came out of the second half and won the quarter, 5-2, making it 8-7 for Mountain Ridge heading into the final frame. Park City scored 4 goals and allowed 0 to win, 11-8. Freshman goalie AJ Silianoff, who came in at halftime, had 4 saves for the Miners to secure the victory for Park City. The Miners will take on No. 2 Olympus on Tuesday. No. 5 Mountain Ridge - Mountain Ridge beat Timpanogos, 25-3, on Tuesday and Mountain View, 20-0, on Thursday, then fell to No. 4 Park City, 11-8, on Saturday. (See above for details from this game.) No. 6 American Fork - The Cavemen survived a scare from Westlake on Tuesday, winning 7-6, then lost to No. 1 Corner Canyon, 20-4, on Friday to finish the regular season. No. 7 Green Canyon - Two big wins for the Wolves by a combined score of 38-4 set up a season finale against Box Elder on Monday. No. 8 Davis - The Darts beat Layton, 20-0, on Tuesday then narrowly defeated Fremont on Thursday, 15-14. The game was tied 8-8 at halftime and Fremont scored to tie the game at 14 with less than 20 seconds left. Rhett Rice won the ensuing faceoff for Davis, found Mason Kilgore wide open who started a fast-break then found Blake Williams who buried it for the go-ahead goal. The Darts rushed the field and got a penalty so Fremont started with the ball at the midline with 5 seconds left and a man up and took shot but Davis goalie Kache Allen made a great save to preserve the win. You can watch the game-winning goal here. No. 9 Timpview - The T-Birds beat Mountain View, 19-1, on Tuesday and will take on Orem this Tuesday. Lone Peak @ Pleasant Grove - Full gallery here.No. 10 Lone Peak - The Knights beat Pleasant Grove, 21-11, on Tuesday and Westlake, 8-6, on Thursday. Lone Peak will finish its season on Tuesday at No. 1 Corner Canyon. Region StandingsRegion 1: Davis - Will likely go 14-0 in Region 1. They play Syracuse on Tuesday.Region 3: Bingham leads at the moment but if Riverton beats the Miners on Tuesday, Bingham and Riverton would be co-champs. Region 4: Corner Canyon - Will likely go 10-0 in Region 3. They play Lone Peak on Tuesday.Region 5: Farmington has the advantage but plays Bountiful on Monday. Should the Braves win, they would be co-champs with Farmington. Region 6: Olympus - Champ, 4-0 in Region 6.Region 7: Mountain Ridge - Champ, 12-0 in Region 7.Region 8: Park City - Champ, 7-0 in Region 8.Region 10: Juan Diego & Waterford are co-champs. Region 11: Green Canyon - Champ, 10-0 in Region 11.RPI Update / BracketsI, like you, was also shocked that the UHSAA RPI was taken down on Wednesday. I was told it was to create a little excitement around the bracket release and also take time to make sure all the scores are entered and the RPI is correct. With that said, Taylor Redd and Jordan Harris took the time to recreate the RPI and they published it here. It will be updated the remaining two days of the season for the 15 games left. Here is what the brackets would look like if the season ended today. Region 9 ChampsThe Southern Utah teams that comprise Region 9 held a championship on Saturday with Snow Canyon beating Canyon View, 9-1. Let's hope we can get these teams included in the UHSAA next season! No. 1 Park City - The Miners continue to roll with a 23-0 win over Payson, 26-1 win over Provo and 16-3 win over Lone Peak last week. The Miners host No. 5 Olympus on Tuesday to conclude the season. No. 2 Skyridge - Skyridge narrowly beat No. 10 Corner Canyon on Tuesday, 9-8, then beat Pleasant Grove, 15-5, on Thursday. The Falcons will travel to Highland on Tuesday. No. 3 Brighton - The Bengals beat No. 5 Olympus on Friday, 13-12, to claim the Region 6 title. Brighton pulled ahead on a goal by Hunter Doyle with a little over a minute left. Olympus won the ensuing draw and possessed, earning a free-position shot with 10 seconds left. On the whistle, the Olympus player dodged then shot high but was saved by Hailey Bangerter who held on to the ball to secure the win. See my attempt to film it here. Brighton travels to No. 9 Davis on Monday then hosts No. 4 Mountain Ridge on Tuesday. The latest public RPI had Brighton at No. 10. No. 4 Mountain Ridge - The Sentinels dominated Timpanogos on Tuesday, 14-2, then beat Mountain View, 20-1, on Thursday. Mountain Ridge travels to No. 3 Brighton on Tuesday. No. 5 Olympus - The Titans beat rival Skyline on Wednesday, 20-0, then fell to No. 3 Brighton, 13-12, on Friday. The Titans will take on No. 1 Park City on Tuesday. No. 6 Waterford - The Ravens bested Cedar Valley on Tuesday, 23-2, and will take on Woods Cross on Tuesday. No. 7 Herriman - The Mustangs weren't tested in its two games this week as they beat Bingham, 22-3, on Tuesday and West Jordan, 20-7, on Thursday. Two region games remain for the Mustangs: Monday at home against Riverton and Tuesday at West. No. 8 Alta - The Hawks beat Lehi, 18-0, on Tuesday and beat Orem, 28-3, on Thursday. The Hawks host Timpanogos on Tuesday. No. 9 Davis - The Darts lost for the first time this season on Thursday in overtime to Fremont. You can see the game-winning goal here. Davis hosts No. 3 Brighton on Monday and travels to Syracuse on Tuesday. No. 10 Corner Canyon - The Chargers re-enter the polls after taking No. 2 Skyridge to the end, but lost, 9-8. Both times these two teams have played, Skyridge has won by 1. Corner Canyon then beat American Fork, 10-8, to finish the season. Region StandingsRegion 1: Davis - In theory, they haven't clinched the region since they still play Syracuse. If Syracuse wins (they lost in the first meeting, 17-6) and Fremont beats Weber, there would be a three-way tie for first. Of course, if Davis wins on Tuesday, they are the lone region champ at 13-1. Region 3: Herriman - Even if the Mustangs lose to Riverton on Monday, they likely won't lose to West on Tuesday, thus, pending bizarre results, the Mustangs are the lone region champ at 12-0.Region 4: Skyridge - Champ, 10-0 in Region 4Region 5: Farmington - Champ, 10-0 in Region 5Region 6: Brighton - Champ, 4-0 in Region 6Region 7: Mountain Ridge - Champ, 12-0 in Region 7 Region 8: Park City - Technically haven't clinched since they play one more region game but let's be honest, they'll win and be 8-0 in Region 8. Region 10: Waterford - Champ, 4-0 in Region 10Region 11: Bear River - Champ, 10-0 in Region 11Interesting that all but one region had its champion go undefeated in region play. Q&A with Brighton Senior Haley TaylorBrighton Senior Haley Taylor | c/o Scott OsbornMy Q&A today is with Brighton Senior and team captain, Haley Taylor, who leads the 13-0 Bengals offense with 71 goals and 14 assists. Tylor has had multiple 7 point or more games including 7 goals and 5 assists against Jordan. Taylor is committed to playing NCAA D-I lacrosse at the University of Oregon and study Architecture. “HayTay Taylor is incredible on and off the field,” said Brighton Head Coach Melissa Nash. “She is the first girl that will grab your eye in any lacrosse game. She plays with such energy and grace that you are naturally drawn to her, whether she has the ball or not. She makes everything she does look easy - from her draw controls, big ground balls to her powerful shots - left and right-handed. She is fun to watch and fun to coach. Haley puts in more work on her game than anyone, while also taking 3 AP classes (just this year), being a National Merit Scholar and Sterling Scholar. Aside from her stick skills, pure speed and big brain academics (and her incredible art), HayTay is a good person. She cares about her teammates, respects her coaches and is a good example to everyone around her. I feel lucky to have watched her grow up the last 4 years and can't wait to see what comes next for her.”5 Questions w/ Haley TaylorTH: When/why did you start playing lacrosse? HT: I started playing in 5th grade, but I started club in 7th.TH: What is your favorite part about lacrosse?HT: My favorite part about lacrosse is the creativity that comes with it. Because the sport is still so new and growing, anything goes. TH: What is your stick of choice?HT: My favorite stick is the Epoch Purpose 15 degree with ladder stringing. TH: Favorite field to play lacrosse on?HT: Papé field at Oregon!TH: How/why did you pick your jersey number?HT: #22 was pretty random for me when I chose it. However, Gary Gait (one of the best players of all time) wore #22 while at Syracuse which is pretty cool.College UpdateWestminster beat No. 18 Colorado Mesa in the RMAC tournament final on Saturday, 17-13 (Recap), and Spencer Whinery was named All-Tournament MVP. Unfortunately, the Griffins were not invited to the NCAA D-II National Tournament. BYU and UVU are on their way to Texas for the MCLA Invitational. 2021 MCLA Invitational TournamentRound Rock, TexasQuarterfinals – May 12GAME 1: East No. 4 LSU vs. West No. 1 Chapman, 10 a.m.GAME 2: West No. 4 Utah Valley vs. East No. 1 Georgia Tech, 10:30 a.m.GAME 3: West No. 3 Concordia-Irvine vs. East No. 2 Clemson, 1:30 p.m.GAME 4: East No. 3 Liberty vs. West No. 2 Brigham Young, 2 p.m.Semifinals – May 13GAME 1 winner vs. GAME 3 winner, 11 a.m.GAME 2 winner vs. GAME 4 winner, 11:30 a.mFinals – May 14Semifinal winners, 10 a.m.That's it for this week. Be kind out there and be sure to follow ULR on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.— Tim Haslam This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.utahlaxreport.com
Good morning lacrosse fans. Thank you for taking time out of your day for the Utah Lax Report. If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to shoot me a note: tim@timhaslam.com.Interview w/ Alta Head Coach Moriah GreensteinThis week I spoke with Moriah Greenstein who has been the head coach of the Alta girls team for the past three years. Greenstein hails from Glenmont, New York where she anchored the Bethlehem High School offense and played college lacrosse at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. While at Bates, Greenstein set the school record for assists in a season and career. In this podcast, we talk about all things girls lacrosse. You can listen to the latest podcast above or on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a rating!Look, if you haven't been to Vessel Kitchen yet, that's okay. However, you should make a goal to do it soon, it's great food by great people. It has locations in Midvale, Sandy, 9th + 9th and Kimball Junction.Week 7 Coaches PollsNo. 1 Corner Canyon - The Chargers bested No. 4 American Fork on Tuesday, 15-9 (Highlights). The difference in this game was the second quarter when the Chargers scored 6 and allowed 0. The third quarter is the only quarter the Chargers have lost this season when American Fork scored 3 and Corner Canyon just 2. These two will play again on May 7. Corner Canyon followed up the win with a 21-4 victory over Pleasant Grove on Friday. A second matchup against Westlake on Tuesday and the first meeting against Lone Peak on Thursday will take the Chargers into May. Fox13 did a video special about the Chargers. Watch it here. No. 2 Olympus - The Titans continued to win with a 11-1 victory over East on Tuesday and a 15-3 drubbing of rival Skyline on Friday. Olympus plays one game this week when they head to Highland on Wednesday. No. 3 Farmington - The Phoenix beat region foes Woods Cross, 18-0, and Box Elder, 18-4. Three games this week begins on Monday at Bountiful, then home games against Viewmont on Wednesday and Bountiful again on Friday for Senior Night. No. 4 American Fork - After a ‘good loss' to No. 1 Corner Canyon, the Cavemen squeaked out a victory over Lone Peak on Thursday, 11-10, in double overtime. Harry Lisonbee scored the game-winning goal, which was one of 5 total goals on the night for the Senior. The Cavemen will face Pleasant Grove on Tuesday and Skyridge on Thursday. No. 5 Mountain Ridge - What a week for the Sentinels. It all started on Tuesday with an 11-10 overtime win against region rival Timpview (Deseret News recap). I was on the call with Dane Stewart for Game Night Live Rewind and it was a blast. You can watch the game here. Jack Crawford scored the game-winning goal for Mountain Ridge. On Thursday, the Sentinels beat Orem, 14-2, then on Friday, beat Brighton in overtime, 13-12. This time it was Gavin Gann with the game-winner. Winning two games in overtime in one week is quite the heart check for fans. No. 6 Park City - After six straight blowouts, the Miners will be chomping at the bit as it hosts No. 9 Brighton on Tuesday and Wasatch on Friday. No. 7 Green Canyon - The Wolves continue to dominate Cache Valley with wins over Mountain Crest, 19-1, and Ridgeline, 22-6 (Herald Journal recap). Three games this week begins on Monday at Bear River, Wednesday at Logan and home against Sky View on Friday. No. 8 Davis - The Darts edged Northridge on Tuesday, 17-11, and beat Weber, 19-15, on Thursday. This week features games against Clearfield and Roy. Assuming Fremont wins its remaining games, the May 6 showdown should decide Region 1. No. 9 Brighton - After beating Maple Mountain on Monday, 23-3, and Skyline on Wednesday, 18-5, the Bengals fell to Mountain Ridge in overtime, 13-12. Brighton faces Park City on Tuesday and East on Wednesday. No. 10 Fremont - The Silverwolves beat region Syracuse and Roy and will take on Layton and Clearfield this week. Fremont is 10-1 with a lone loss to Davis, 12-8, on March 23.Other articles from this week include a Daily Herald piece on Cedar Valley, a West Jordan Journal article highlighting West Jordan and Copper Hills boys and girls programs, The Herald Journal covering the Sky View v. Mountain Crest game, and a couple photo galleries from the Cache Valley Daily: Green Canyon v. Ridgeline, Logan v. Bear River, Sky View v. Ridgeline, Mountain Crest v. Sky View girls and Bear River v. Sky View. If the season ended today, here's what the playoff brackets would look like:Boys Division ABoys Division BBoys Division CIf we look at the first round matchups from Division A, here's some observations. I'm generally in favor of a RPI (not necessarily this RPI) but I get frustrated looking at some of these games. Corner Canyon v. Lone Peak - these two teams will have played twice already by this point. A third matchup is unnecessary. Farmington v. Skyline - these two teams already played. Farmington won 17-7 in a game that was never close. Mountain Ridge v. Timpview - again, another region game in the first round. Now, I think it would actually be a great game seeing as their other two matchups have been great, but I don't love a region game in the first round. Green Canyon v. Brighton - Green Canyon already won this matchup, 10-8. American Fork v. Park City - AF won this game 14-12. Of the eight games, five have already been played and two would be a third matchup. Not great. What if we seeded these by taking the nine region winners (assuming region standings finish where they are today), using the RPI to seed them, then taking the next best seven teams by RPI. Here's what that would look like: No. 1 Corner Canyon v. No. 16 Weber No. 2 Olympus v. No. 15 SkylineNo. 3 Farmington v. No. 14 WaterfordNo. 4 Davis v. No. 13 TimpviewNo. 5 Mountain Ridge v. No. 12 BrightonNo. 6 Green Canyon v. No. 11 American ForkNo. 7 Park City v. No. 10 FremontNo. 8 Juan Diego v. No. 9 BinghamOnly two duplicate games (Oly/Skyline, Mtn. Ridge/Brighton). I also like the geographic implications more with this method. No. 1 Park City - The Miners played three straight games (Wed/Thur/Fri), winning all three by the combined score of 61-3 including a 15-2 win over No. 8 Alta. The Miners play Wasatch this Friday. No. 2 Skyridge - The Falcons also played three games this week that began with a 16-4 win over Pleasant Grove and a 19-1 win over Westlake. On Friday, the Falcons bested No. 5 Olympus, 12-6, which is a big win for the Skyridge program. The Falcons travel to Lone Peak on Tuesday and host American Fork on Thursday. No. 3 Brighton - The Bengals remained undefeated after wins against Skyline (19-0) and Bingham (27-2). Brighton will travel to East on Wednesday and Lone Peak on Friday. No. 4 Mountain Ridge - The only game this week for the Sentinels was a 25-1 win over Orem. On Tuesday, Mountain Ridge will host Lehi then travel to No. 8 Alta on Thursday. On Friday, they'll head to Timpview. No. 5 Olympus - After beating East on Wednesday, 21-2, the Titans fell to No. 2 Skyridge, 12-6. The Titans will take on Highland on Tuesday for Senior Night. No. 6 Waterford - The Ravens bested Judge, 23-3, on Tuesday and will take on Jordan this Friday. Ravens Senior Jaimeson Meyer sits at second in the state for goals (78), first for assists (27) and first in points (105). No. 7 Davis - A 24-2 win over Northridge and a 17-2 thrashing over Weber highlighted the Darts week. This week, Davis will take on Clearfield and Roy. No. 8 Alta - On Tuesday, Alta beat Mountain View, 22-2, then lost to No. 1 Park City, 15-2. The Hawks will take on Timpview on Tuesday and No. 4 Mountain Ridge on Thursday. No. 9 Herriman - The Mustangs beat West Jordan, 19-5, and Highland, 15-7. Up this week will be Jordan on Tuesday and Copper Hills on Thursday. Herriman is 8-2 with the losses coming to No. 1 Park City and No. 2 Skyridge. No. 10 Corner Canyon - The Chargers had two, one-goal wins this week: American Fork, 15-14, on Tuesday and Pleasant Grove, 16-15, on Thursday. Corner Canyon will travel to Westlake on Tuesday and Lone Peak on Thursday. In the paper this week, The Herald Journal covered the Mountain Crest v. Ridgeline girls game. If the season ended today, here's what the playoff brackets would look like.Girls Division AGirls Division BGirls Division CIn Division A, if the seeds held true, we'd have Park City v. Davis and Olympus v. Skyridge in the semifinals. I feel those would be some excellent games. Should be fun to see this bracket play out. If we seeded the Division A bracket by taking the nine region winners (assuming region standings finish where they are today), using the RPI to seed them, then taking the next best seven teams by RPI. Here's what that would look like: No. 1 Park City v. No. 16 RidgelineNo. 2 Skyridge v. No. 15 West JordanNo. 3 Olympus v. No. 14 Corner CanyonNo. 4 Davis v. No. 13 SyracuseNo. 5 Mountain Ridge v. No. 12 AltaNo. 6 Farmington v. No. 11 FremontNo. 7 Herriman v. No. 10 BrightonNo. 8 Bear River v. No. 9 WaterfordCollege UpdateMensUtah beat Cleveland State, 11-9 (Recap | Box Score), on Saturday. Four Utes had 2 points while eight had 1 point. The Utes host Robert Morris on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. Tickets are available here. Westminster beat Adams State, 21-2 (Recap | Box Score), on Friday. Odencrantz had 1 goal and 5 assists for the Griffins. Easton Albert (Brighton) had 5 goals. The Griffins will take on Colorado Mesa on Friday in Grand Junction, CO.BYU takes on UVU on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. in Provo. Utah State hosted UVU in the Battle for the Brother's Cup which saw the Wolverines win, 15-8. WomensWestminster lost to Fort Lewis on Friday, 13-12 (Recap | Box Score) but beat Adams State, 22-1 (Recap | Box Score), on Sunday. Eden Freiberg (Hurricane) had 12 goals and 2 assists overall in both games to lead the Griffins. Westminster will host Colorado Mesa on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.Q&A with Green Canyon Senior Mason AndersonGreen Canyon Senior Mason AndersonMy Q&A today is with Green Canyon Senior Mason Anderson who leads the Wolves with 36 goals and 36 assists including 6 goals and 6 assists against Mountain Crest. Anderson is committed to play at Adams State. “Mason is our cool-headed leader on a team of some really even-tempered seniors,” said Green Canyon Head Coach Troy Oldham. “He loves the game of lacrosse and has played it with a passion for most of his life. He's also very elusive, he doesn't move or approach a dodge like he is fast, and then he accelerates and is past you. He's a natural lefty, but you'd never know it because he works equally as hard on his non-dominant hand. He's the kind of player that if I pulled him and told him to go get two more buckets, he'd just go do it. I honestly think he's one of the best attackmen in the state, and his stats are a good foundation for that claim. Lastly, he's just a really good human being, he's a leader, and with all his aggressive play he's very rarely in the penalty box.” 5 Questions w/ Mason AndersonTH: When/why did you start playing lacrosse? MA: I decided to try lacrosse after I went to my cousins wedding down in Arizona. They love lacrosse and would go outside and shoot with me to help me get more interested. This was around 3-4 grade.TH: What is your favorite part about lacrosse?MA: My favorite is scoring G's and celebrating with the team. TH: What is your stick of choice?MA: Head: Maverick Tactik. Shaft: StringKing Composite 175TH: Favorite field to play lacrosse on?MA: Judge Memorial TH: How/why did you pick your jersey number? MA: When I was little my dad chose it and I've just stuck with it.That's it for this week. Be kind out there and be sure to follow ULR on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.— Tim Haslam This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.utahlaxreport.com
Good morning lacrosse fans. Thank you for taking time out of your day for the Utah Lax Report. If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to shoot me a note: tim@timhaslam.com. Interview w/ Goose It Lacrosse Founders Jackson & Boston EarlI'm very excited about this podcast because it's about local small business and giving back, both of which are things I love. Jackson and Boston Earl started Goose It Lacrosse after noticing the lack of lifestyle focused lacrosse apparel. I also love that they donate 10% of proceeds to JDRF which is a Type 1 diabetes research fund. You can find out why by listening to the podcast. Check out their website: gooseitlax.comYou can listen to the latest podcast above or on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a rating!While you're out and about at games, stop by Vessel Kitchen. Vessel Kitchen has locations in Midvale, Sandy, 9th + 9th and Kimball Junction.Before we dive in, I'd like to thank Patrick Carr from the Standard-Examiner for his article this week about lacrosse. We had a long chat about the history of the game and more. Go check it out here. Also, Dusty Litster and Dane Stewart from Game Night Live on KSL did a great 18 minute recap of the lacrosse action so far. You can watch it here. If all goes well, I should be joining the GNL team in the booth this week and I'm really looking forward to it. Week 6 Coaches PollsNo. 1 Corner Canyon - The Chargers beat Skyridge, 26-0, on Thursday and will face No. 5 American Fork on Tuesday. Corner Canyon has scored 20 or more goals in its last five games. I'm not certain that will change here but American Fork only gives up 5.7 goals per game on average. No matter the score, I suspect Corner Canyon will win by at least 8 as a conservative estimate. No. 2 Olympus - The Titans beat Timpview, 13-8 (Highlights), on Wednesday and Alta, 10-5, on Friday, which is likely why they jumped to the No. 2 spot over Farmington. The Titans are still No. 3 in the RPI but have a much tougher schedule than Farmington, so I suspect if they continue to win, they'll jump Farmington there too. Olympus takes on region foes East on Tuesday and Skyline on Friday, which could be a great chapter for the rivalry. When will we see a lacrosse traveling trophy for this rivalry like ‘The Rock' for their football rivalry? I believe Waterford/Judge has an old bucket helmet that has been used as a traveling trophy in the past. I'd love to see more traveling trophies to be honest. No. 3 Farmington - After a midweek contest with Bountiful was rescheduled due to weather, the Phoenix beat Bonneville, 18-4, on Friday. Only region games remain on the schedule, with games against Woods Cross and Box Elder this week. No. 4 Mountain Ridge - One of the better games on the schedule for the week will take place on Tuesday when the Sentinels host Timpview on Tuesday. Mountain Ridge won the first game in the series, 13-11, on March 15. No. 5 American Fork - The Cavemen beat Skyridge, 17-4, on Tuesday, then edged Westlake, 12-7, on Thursday. A tough week lies ahead with No. 1 Corner Canyon on Tuesday, then Lone Peak on Thursday. No. 6 Park City - A 19-4 win over Spanish Fork and two region games this week (Maple Mountain & Salem Hills) set the stage for potentially the toughest remaining schedule of any team. After this week, the Miners host No. 9 Brighton (4/27), Wasatch (4/30) and No. 4 Mountain Ridge (5/8) then have a regular-season finale at No. 2 Olympus on May 11. No. 7 Green Canyon - The Wolves bested Sky View, 17-3, on Wednesday and will take on Mountain Crest on Wednesday and Ridgeline on Friday. No. 8 Davis - The Darts beat Layton, 18-0, on Tuesday then beat Highland, 16-1, on Thursday. The Darts have two great road games this week beginning with Northridge on Tuesday and Weber on Thursday. No. 9 Brighton - The Bengals re-enter the poll after a 13-4 win over Bountiful on Tuesday and an 18-4 win over Copper Hills on Thursday. Brighton will play three home games this week: Monday against Maple Mountain, Wednesday versus Skyline and No. 4 Mountain Ridge on Friday. The Bengals finish the season with No. 6 Park City (4/27), East (4/28), Highland (5/5) and No. 2 Olympus on May 7 in a game that will likely determine the Region 6 champion. No. 10 Juan Diego - It will be interesting how the RPI treats the Soaring Eagle moving forward. After a 12-4 win over Judge on Tuesday they stayed at No. 4 in the RPI but after a 20-0 win over UMA on Friday, they dropped to No. 6. If we look at the five remaining games for Juan Diego, the opponent's RPI is as follows: Cedar Valley (48), Waterford (12), Judge (43), UMA (58), Cedar Valley (48). Obviously, these numbers change daily, but let's just say that the Waterford game on 4/27 is a must-win for both Juan Diego and Waterford. My uneducated guess is that the winner will stay in the bottom of the Division A bracket while the loser will go to the Division B bracket. Waterford remaining schedule: Judge (43), Juan Diego (6), Jordan (56), Cedar Valley (48), Judge (43), UMA (58). It will be interesting to see what these games will do the the Ravens RPI as well. If the season ended today, here's what the playoff brackets would look like: Boys Division ABoys Division BBoys Division CWe're getting into the heart of region play so let's see how those are shaking out. Region 1 (In region record): Davis (7-0), Fremont (6-1), Weber (4-2), Northridge (4-3), Syracuse (3-4), Roy (2-5), Clearfield (1-5), Layton (0-7)Region 3: Bingham (6-0), Riverton (4-1), Copper Hills (2-2), Herriman (2-3), West Jordan (2-3), Jordan (1-4), West (0-4)Region 4: Corner Canyon (3-0), American Fork (4-0), Lone Peak (2-1), Westlake (2-2), Pleasant Grove (0-4), Skyridge (0-4)Region 5: Farmington (3-0), Bountiful (2-0), Bonneville (3-1), Box Elder (1-3), Viewmont (1-3), Woods Cross (0-3)Region 6: Skyline (1-0), East (0-1), Brighton (0-0), Highland (0-0), Olympus (0-0)Region 7: Mountain Ridge (6-0), Timpview (5-1), Alta (4-2), Lehi (3-3), Timpanogos (2-4), Orem (1-5), Mountain View (0-6)Region 8: Park City (3-0), Wasatch (4-0), Maple Mountain (3-2), Salem Hills (2-2), Springville (1-2), Spanish Fork (1-2), Payson (0-2), Provo (0-4)Region 10: Juan Diego (3-0), Waterford (1-1), Judge (1-1), Cedar Valley (1-1), UMA (0-3)Region 11: Green Canyon (3-0), Sky View (3-1), Bear River (2-1), Ridgeline (2-2), Logan (1-3), Mountain Crest (0-4)No. 1 Park City - The Miners beat Spanish Fork, 24-0, on Friday. The Miners will take on Maple Mountain on Wednesday, No. 6 Alta on Thursday and Salem Hills on Friday. No. 2 Mountain Ridge - The Sentinels moved up a spot in the poll after a 24-2 win over Mountain View on Tuesday. Mountain Ridge will take on Timpview this Tuesday and Orem on Thursday. No. 3 Brighton - The Bengals will have to wait until May 11 to see who really is the No. 2 team in the state as they take on Mountain Ridge that day. In the meantime, the Bengals will build off its 16-2 win over Highland on Wednesday and a 23-4 win over Copper Hills on Friday. Like the Brighton boys, the girls team may have the toughest remaining schedule with Skyline (4/21), Bingham (4/23), East (4/28), Lone Peak (4/30), Olympus (5/7 - potential Region 6 championship), Davis (5/10), Mountain Ridge (5/11). No. 4 Olympus - The Titans are riding high after beating Pleasant Grove, 27-5, on Wednesday and Timpview, 23-4, on Friday. They also sit at No. 1 in the RPI. May should be an interesting month for the Titans who take on Skyline (5/5), Brighton (5/7) and Park City on May 11. No. 5 Skyridge - Three games this week for the Falcons will be a challenge beginning on Tuesday against Pleasant Grove. On Thursday, Skyridge hosts Westlake then hosts No. 4 Olympus on Friday. No. 6 Alta - Last week was a dominant one for the Hawks who beat Orem, 25-1, and Timpanogos, 14-1. A Tuesday showdown against Mountain View on Tuesday should prepare the Hawks for a Thursday home game against No. 1 Park City. No. 7 Waterford - The Ravens should cruise to victory this week with games against Judge on Tuesday and Juan Diego on Friday. No. 8 Davis - The Darts won't be tested again until May 10th when it faces No. 3 Brighton. No. 9 Wasatch - As votes were coming in I thought this was a typo, but the Wasps are 6-1 and are doing it in style. Only region games remain but that means a showdown with No. 1 Park City on April 30. No. 10 Herriman - This Tuesday will be telling for the Mustangs who take on 7-1 West Jordan who they'll also face on May 6. In the RPI, Herriman is No. 12 and West Jordan is No. 13. If the season ended today, here's what the playoff brackets would look like. Girls Division AGirls Division BGirls Division CGirls region rankings: Region 1: Davis (7-0), Syracuse (6-1), Fremont (5-2), Weber (3-4), Roy (3-4), Layton (3-4), Northridge (1-6), Clearfield (0-7)Region 3: Herriman (5-0), Riverton (4-1), West Jordan (4-10), Jordan (2-3), Bingham (2-4), Copper Hills (1-4), West (0-5)Region 4: Skyridge (4-0), Corner Canyon (3-1), American Fork (3-1), Lone Peak (1-3), Pleasant Grove (1-3), Westlake (0-4)Region 5: Farmington (4-0), Box Elder (3-1), Woods Cross (2-1), Viewmont (1-2), Bountiful (1-3), Bonneville (0-4)Region 6: Brighton (1-0), East (1-0), Skyline (0-1), Highland (0-1), Olympus (0-0)Region 7: Mountain Ridge (6-0), Alta (5-1), Timpview (4-2), Timpanogos (3-3), Lehi (2-4), Orem (1-5), Mountain View (0-6)Region 8: Park City (2-0), Wasatch (2-0), Springville (2-1), Maple Mountain (1-1), Payson (1-1), Provo (1-1), Salem Hills (0-2), Spanish Fork (0-3)Region 10: Waterford (2-0), Juan Diego (1-1), Judge (0-1), Cedar Valley (0-1)Region 11: Bear River (4-0), Ridgeline (4-0), Mountain Crest (2-2), Green Canyon (1-3), Sky View (0-3), Logan (0-3)College UpdateUtah lost to No. 3 Virginia, 18-11 (Recap | Box Score), on Saturday. The game was tied after the first quarter, 4-4, then Utah took a 6-5 lead in the second before Virginia scored 8 unanswered goals. Utah scored the last three goals of the game, making the score 18-11. If you ever get the chance to see a game at Klöckner Stadium, I'd highly recommend it, it's a great venue. The Utes face Cleveland State on Saturday at 10 a.m.Goalie Assist of the Game My second favorite goal of the game goes to MJ:Westminster beat UVU on Thursday, 13-7, and had its game with Colorado College canceled. The Griffins will take on Adams State on Friday and CSU-Pueblo on Sunday. Both games will be at Dumke Field. BYU beat Arizona on Saturday, 12-3, and will take on the Air Force Academy on Saturday at 1:00 p.m in Provo. UVU lost to Westminster, 13-7, on Thursday and will host Air Force Academy on Friday then travel to Utah State on Saturday. WomensWestminster fell to Regis on Tuesday, 19-2, and CSU-Pueblo on Sunday, 15-11. The Griffins will host Adams State on Sunday at 11:00 a.m at Dumke Field. Utah State beat UVU on Saturday, 11-9. Q&A With Syracuse Attack/Mid Brooklyn SuttlemyreCourtesy of Kevin D Hansen PhotographyMy Q&A today is with Brooklyn Suttlemyre who is a Junior at Syracuse High School. Suttlemyre is currently second in the state in goals (58) and points (71) and is winning 0.578 of draw controls. She has two, 12 point games this season where she scored 10 goals and had 2 assists. Suttlemyre hopes to play lacrosse at the next level and wants to be an elementary school teacher and lacrosse coach. “Brooklyn just loves everything about lacrosse, practice, games, teammates, and shooting in the backyard,” said Syracuse head coach Adam Suttlemyre, who is also Brooklyn's dad. “As her coach I love that she likes working on the little things, staying after practice to shoot, and trying to help the newer girls on the team no matter their skill level. She is a very positive player and is an extension of myself on the field. She is very coachable and wants to learn and improve no matter the coach. She has the ability to separate coach and dad which is amazing. Before practice and after I'm like any other dad trying to coach my daughter, and the relationship is just that. But during practice its coach and I can't say enough about that because it can be hard for parents to coach their kid. As a dad I'm Just grateful for the time we get to spend together. Not too many coaches get the opportunity to spend time with their daughter for hours a day, playing a game I have grown to love because of her.”5 Questions w/ Brooklyn SuttlemyreTH: When/why did you start playing lacrosse? BS: I started playing lacrosse in the 5th grade. My elementary teacher coached for a local high school team and it really got me interested in the game. She encouraged me to start playing and I haven't stopped since!TH: What is your favorite part about lacrosse?BS: I love how fast paced the game is! And of course, I love the friendships and my amazing teammates who I wouldn't know without lacrosse.TH: What is your stick of choice?BS: I currently have an STX Exult 600 with a mesh pocket and I love it! TH: What is your favorite field on?BS: Kaysville Jr High field, this was where I played Davis Club lacrosse and Jr. lacrosse. This was the field where I really grew to love the game. I have so many memories there and made friendships that I will never forget. That field became a second home and I will always love playing there. TH: How/why did you pick your jersey number?BS: My dad was number 13 in high school. He is one of my biggest role models, so I thought it would be fitting if I could carry on the tradition and wear his number as well.Utah Lacrosse HistoryIn 1940, Donald C. McMillan, a Salt Lake City native, joined the Army lacrosse team while enrolled at West Point. McMillan is listed as a member of the team in the 1941 and 1942 Howitzer, the West Point yearbook. The yearbooks back then were what seemed like a year behind as the 1940 team was published in the 1941 Howitzer. Although the yearbooks' recaps don't mention McMillan, his bio states he had 'devoted himself to lacrosse, bridge, barbershop harmony, and tall stories.' McMillan was praised at home in an April 18, 1941 clipping called "Utahn Makes Team" from the Salt Lake Telegram in which the author states that McMillan 'qualified' for the Army lacrosse team. The news came from the public relations officer, Lieutenant Colonel Meade Wildrick. It's unclear whether Wildrick reached out to local papers or if the Salt Lake Telegram was actively searching for stories at West Point and happened upon McMillan. The 1940 Black Knights went 7-3 with a season finale win against Navy, 13-2. The 1941 team finished with an 8-2 record and once again bested Navy, 7-5. Army went on to win a National Championship just two years later but McMillan had graduated in 1941.1940 & 1941 Army Lacrosse Teams in the Howitzer yearbookGoalie Goals & The PLLIf you know me, I love a good long pole goal and a goalie goal even more. Here's a gem from Maryland goalie Logan McNaney on Sunday. Also this week, the PLL announced it would be making a stop in Utah at Rio Tinto Stadium on August 20-21. I personally think this is a fantastic time for the PLL to come here. It will be a little toasty, but it's been awhile since I've been warm at a lacrosse game. I also like that it's only two days. Sure, we get less games, but I'll be honest, three days of games is a lot. We'll also get the Quarterfinals of the playoffs which means the games should be great. Tickets aren't on sale yet for SLC, but you can sign up to be notified on their site when they do become available. I'm also really excited about this: The caption says, “We're honored to share this Land Acknowledgment, and together we recognize that our games will be played on lands that have been inhabited, cared for and respected by Indigenous people for centuries. They are the originators of lacrosse.” Pretty cool if you ask me. That's it for this week. Be kind out there and be sure to follow ULR on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.— Tim Haslam This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.utahlaxreport.com
Good morning lacrosse fans. Thank you for taking time out of your day for the Utah Lax Report. Don't forget to forward to a friend, it's the best way for the newsletter to grow.Interview with Vessel Kitchen Founder Nick GradingerIf you've been reading the newsletter, you'll recognize the name Vessel Kitchen. It's because they sponsor this newsletter, podcast, coaches poll, etc. Vessel Kitchen is owned an operated by lacrosse-loving people and families and on the podcast today, I spoke with Nick Gradinger who started it all. Nick played at Torrey Pines, Deerfield, Cornell and Denver before eventually ending up in Park City. (Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Co-founder Nick Gradinger and executive chef Roe'e Levy on top of the newest Vessel Kitchen location in Salt Lake City's popular 9th and 9th neighborhood on Wednesday, May 20, 2020. You can listen to the latest podcast above or on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a rating!While you're out and about at games, stop by Vessel Kitchen. Vessel Kitchen has locations in Midvale, Sandy, 9th + 9th and Kimball Junction.Week 5 Coaches PollsNo. 1 Corner Canyon - The Chargers are coming off Spring Break and will host Skyridge on Thursday. No. 2 Farmington - The Phoenix handled Northridge on Wednesday, 16-4, and edge Wasatch, 12-10, on Friday in one of the better games I've been to this year. I have to hand it to the Wasps, they came to play and their crowd gets loud. No. 3 Olympus - The Titans cruised to a 17-3 victory over Box Elder on Friday. One of the marquee matchups this week has the Titans heading to Provo to take on No. 10 Timpview on Wednesday. Olympus also faces Alta on Friday. No. 4 Mountain Ridge - Mountain Ridge heads to Mountain View on Tuesday. No. 5 Park City - The Miners beat No. 8 Davis, 21-8, on Tuesday and will host Payson on Wednesday. Spanish Fork will host the Miners on Friday. No. 6 American Fork - On Tuesday, American Fork will travel to Skyridge followed by a home game against Westlake on Thursday. The following week, AF has Corner Canyon at home and Lone Peak on the road. No. 7 Green Canyon - I suspect the Wolves will win out starting with a game against Sky View on Wednesday and Bear River on Friday. No. 8 Davis - The loss to Park City on Tuesday led to a 19-7 win over Syracuse on Thursday. Layton on Tuesday and Highland on Thursday will setup region play for the rest of the way for Darts. No. 9 Juan Diego - The Soaring Eagle took down Wasatch on Wednesday, 11-9, and Herriman on Friday, 17-3. Juan Diego will finish the rest of its schedule with region play beginning on Tuesday as it hosts Judge.No. 10 Timpview - No. 3 Olympus comes to town on Wednesday then a home game against Orem on Thursday will round out the week for the T-Birds. Other games I'll be watching with interest: Brighton @ Bountiful, Weber @ Syracuse, Copper Hills @ Bingham, Bingham @ Riverton, Bonneville @ Farmington and Skyline @ Bingham. If you can't tell, I'm anxious to see what Bingham is really about. Three wins this week would be impressive. No. 1 Park City - The Miners will face Payson on Wednesday and Spanish Fork on Friday. No. 2 Brighton - The Bengals host Copper Hills on Friday. No. 3 Mountain Ridge - Despite losing to Herriman on Tuesday, 15-13, the Sentinels stayed put in the polls. A home game against Mountain View is the lone game for the Sentinels this week. No. 4 Skyridge - The Falcons will be tested this week with a game at American Fork on Tuesday and a home game against No. 10 Corner Canyon on Thursday. No. 5 Olympus - The Titans are newcomers to the poll and made quite the entrance. A 17-14 win over Riverton and a 13-12 win over Waterford put Olympus on the map. Olympus will host Pleasant Grove on Wednesday and Timpview on Friday. Sophomore Eva Thorn (12g, 4a) leads the team. No. 6 Waterford - The Ravens beat Highland on Tuesday and lost to Olympus on Friday. Back-to-back games this week begin on Wednesday against Juan Diego and Thursday against Cedar Valley. No. 7 Alta - The Hawks will take on Orem on Tuesday and Timpanogos on Thursday. No. 8 Davis - The Darts beat Syracuse, 17-6 (Highlights), on Thursday and will take on Layton on Tuesday and East on Friday. No. 9 Herriman - The Mustangs entered the picture with a 15-13 win over Mountain Ridge on Tuesday. An away game at Riverton on Tuesday and a home game against West on Thursday lies ahead. No. 10 Corner Canyon - A key region game on Tuesday against Lone Peak and an away game Thursday against Skyridge welcome the Chargers back from Spring Break. Several region games take place this week as team vie for a better position. Including the games mentioned above, Farmington @ Bountiful, Bear River @ Sky View and Green Canyon @ Ridgeline are games to keep an eye on. UHSAA RPI ReleasedView the UHSAA RPIs here: Boys RPI | Girls RPI - The RPIs are updated as scores are entered into MaxPreps so it's constantly changing. One thing (maybe the only thing) that I love about an RPI system like is used in lacrosse is the fact that each year before the first whistle blows, every team, no matter how many players, talent, coaches, etc. has the same statistical probability or chance to win the championship. Now, as the games begin, that quickly diminishes, but in theory, everyone is equal at the beginning of the season. This is why I feel the winner of the Division A bracket is the 2021 State Champion. Division B and C winners are champions of those brackets, not the state. When/if we divide into classifications, that's another story. At that point we'd have a 6A State Champion, a 5A State Champion and a 4A State Champion. Another ‘pro' to the RPI is that no matter the school size, you can compete for the top title. Some see that as a disadvantage (‘We are a small school, we shouldn't have to compete with the big boys!'), but I'd argue as a competitor, you want to beat the best regardless of school size. That feels like an excuse to me and quite frankly, in lacrosse, it doesn't hold true. In fact, of the 27 top tier titles that have been awarded in boys lacrosse history, only two current 6A schools have won one: Bingham in 1999 and Corner Canyon in 2015. Now, is an RPI system perfect? No, I don't think it ever will be. As the RPI was released on Friday, the messages started pouring in and like anything, those who don't favor the RPI were the loudest. To be clear, I don't have a say in how the playoffs are determined, but I am a firm believer that the cream rises to the top, no matter what seed they are in the playoffs. I had a whole theory written out about why some teams are where they are but I'm not confident in it yet. I'm going to save it until we get a little further down the line before releasing it. If we look at the ratings from LaxNumbers (Boys | Girls) it certainly feels more in line with traditional thinking. However, the fact is that we're governed by the UHSAA RPI so here's what the brackets would like if the season ended today based on the UHSAA RPI. I decided to create them on another site to save space in the newsletter. Boys Division ABoys Division BBoys Division CGirls Division AGirls Division BGirls Division CBoys Division AThere's a couple region matchups (CC/LP, Fremont/Davis) and some great on paper matchups. Timpview knocked Farmington out of the 2019 Division B playoffs so that would be a fun rematch. For the history buffs, Park City/Waterford (two original teams) would be a fun one to see. I think the 8/9 seed, Green Canyon v. American Fork game would be excellent.Girls Division A I'm going to be honest and say I don't know as much about these teams but Brighton at the No. 5 seed is interesting. They have been the No. 2 team in the coaches poll every week. Mountain Ridge beat Riverton, 17-8 on Thursday. Waterford is the No. 10 seed and only lost to the No. 2 seed Olympus, 13-12, on Friday. Region RankingsI took the average ratings of each region and here's how it shakes out for the boys: Region 4 - 0.616 - This should be no surprise since four out of six teams are in the top 16 with the lowest team only being at 30. Region 6 - 0.596 - Five teams span from 3 to 33. Region 1 - 0.517 - Having three teams in the Top 16 help, however, Layton at 53 and Clearfield at 44 aren't helping. Region 5 - 0.498 - Despite having the No. 2 team, the rest of the conference is in the 21-47 range. Region 11 - 0.487 - Green Canyon leads at 8 but the other five teams are 23-52.Region 7 - 0.472 - Mountain Ridge at 6 and Timpview at 15 are great, but the other five teams are 35, 37, 43, 43 and 56. Region 10 - 0.437 - Juan Diego at 5 and Waterford at 10 are keeping this region out of the bottom with Judge at 46, Cedar Valley at 50 and UMA at 58. Region 8 - 0.422 - This region runs the gamut with Park City at 7 and Payson at 55. Region 3 - 0.419 - The top team is Riverton at 17 but four teams are in the 40-57 range. For the girls, these numbers are a little off because some teams have only played (or reported) one or two games and some are only playing region games. Region 11 - 0.549 - The top team is Ridgeline at 6 with the lowest being Mountain Crest at 38. Region 4 - 0.541 - Teams range from 8 (Skyridge) and 42 (Westlake).Region 10 - 0.526 - With only four teams, Waterford leads at 10 while Cedar Valley comes in at 34. Region 1 - 0.502 - Davis is at 3 but Northridge (44) and Clearfield (52) are keeping this region in the middle of the pack. Region 6 - 0.478 - Olympus at 2 and Brighton at 5 are helping to offset Highland at 46 and East at 54. Region 7 - 0.475 - Mountain Ridge (4) and Alta (9) are the leaders of the region with Orem (50) and Mountain View (53) at the back. Region 3 - 0.465 - West Jordan leads at 12. Region 5 - 0.461 - Farmington comes in at 7 but the next closest team is 24 (Woods Cross) with Viewmont at 51. Region 8 - 0.379 - Park City leads the charge at 1, Wasatch comes in at 19 but the rest are 31, 43, 45, 48, 56, 57. It's certainly going to be interesting to see how this plays out.Next, I took the RPI and organized it by classification to see what those could look like if we ever go to that method. This assumes 3A, 2A, 1A schools would be in the 4A class and this only includes the top 16 teams in 6A and 5A and top 8 in 4A. Boys 6A Boys 5ABoys 4AGirls 6AGirls 5AGirls 4AI won't go this in depth every week, that was a lot of data! College UpdateUtah faces No. 6 Virginia on Saturday at 10:00 am. The game will be on ESPNU. Westminster beat CSU-Pueblo on Friday, 17-11 (Recap) and Adams State on Sunday, 16-7 (Recap). The Griffins will host UVU on Thursday at 7 pm and head to Colorado College on Sunday. BYU beat Concordia-Irvine, 11-10, on Saturday and will take on Chapman today. The Cougars will also head to Las Vegas this weekend for a showdown against UNLV on Friday. UVU lost to Concordia-Irvine, 15-12, on Friday and 11-6 to Chapman on Saturday. The Wolverines will head to Salt Lake City on Thursday to take on Westminster. Utah State lost to Boise State on Friday, 13-8. The Aggies lone game left on the schedule is on April 24 against UVU. WomensWestminster had both its games this weekend postponed. The Griffins will take to the road on Sunday to face CSU-Pueblo. BYU beat Weber State, 21-3, on Saturday. Utah State will host Utah on Friday and UVU on Saturday. UVU will take on Utah on Tuesday. News & NotesMen's Summer League TEAM registration is now open. Click here to register a team. Teams can register from today until May 28th and it costs $25. Individual Player Registration: April 19th - June 16thEarly Bird Registration - $90 (April 19th - May 12th)Regular Registration - $105 (May 13th - June 2nd)Late Registration - $120 (June 3rd - June 16th)Games will begin on June 10th and will be played on Tuesday & Thursday evenings between 6-10pm. All games will be at Albion Middle School in Sandy through June & July. Depending on league size, Albion and the Salt Lake Regional Athletic Complex may be used in July and August. Playoffs will be at the Salt Lake Regional Athletic Complex (RAC).A Girls U17 National Team will be heading to the National Tournament in Baltimore on May 29 & 30. Tryouts will be April 24th from 8-10 am. Tryouts are open to any current 9th-11th grade girls and will cost $30. Click here for more information. If you don't follow on Instagram, I shared these gems this week. All pictures courtesy of Peter Stevenson. 2000 Girls Team Utah in Vail2003 Orem Girls - State Champions1999 Orem BoysPeter and Mark Stevenson after the 1995 All-Star gameThat's it for this week. Be kind out there and be sure to follow ULR on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.— Tim Haslam This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.utahlaxreport.com
Good morning lacrosse fans. Thank you for taking time out of your day for the Utah Lax Report. Don't forget to forward to a friend, it's the best way for the newsletter to grow.Interview with Olympus Head Coach Nick MerrellMy podcast interview this week is with Olympus Head Coach Nick Merrell. Merrell played at West and the University of Utah. After graduation, he coached at West with his brother, Corey, and then moved to Olympus in 2017. In the podcast we talk about when Utah went to Colorado in 2008 and beat CU and CSU in the same weekend. Here's my recap from that weekend. Olympus Head Coach Nick MerrellMerrell (2) at the Pac-12 Shootout at UCLA in 2011You can listen to the latest podcast above or on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a rating!While you're out and about at games, stop by Vessel Kitchen. Vessel Kitchen has locations in Midvale, Sandy, 9th + 9th and Kimball Junction. Week 4 Coaches PollsBefore we dive into the polls, I want to set the stage for the postseason. To be 100% clear, the UHSAA RPI is the sole source for playoff position. The first update will be released this Friday, April 9, at 9 a.m. on the UHSAA website. The coaches poll is a fun poll that I conduct to get the coaches' opinion of where teams stack up. After all, they are the ones on the field, not the computer. No. 1 Corner Canyon - The Chargers went 2-0 last week against Region 4 foes Pleasant Grove (20-5) and Westlake (20-0). Corner Canyon is off this week and will take on Skyridge on 4/15. No. 2 Farmington - The Park City losses meant Farmington moved up one spot in the polls despite not playing last week. The Phoenix will head on the road this week for a 4/7 showdown against Northridge and a sneaky good game on Friday at Wasatch. Two Wasps (Josh Nokes and Cam Horner) played for Farmington in 2019. No. 3 Olympus - After a week off (in Hawaii), the Titans will host Box Elder on Friday. No. 4 American Fork - The Cavemen beat Region 4 opponent Lone Peak on Tuesday, 9-5 (Deseret News Recap), then followed that win with a 10-6 win over Pleasant Grove. American Fork will take the week off and then travel to Skyridge on 4/13 and host Westlake on 4/15. No. 5 Mountain Ridge - A 15-0 trouncing of Timpanogos on Tuesday is a great way to head into Spring Break. The Sentinels are in action again on 4/13 against Mountain View. No. 6 Park City - The Miners fell four spots in this week's poll which is the pollsters correcting the results from two weeks ago when Corner Canyon and American Fork beat the Miners. Last week, the Miners beat Region 8 opponents and newer programs Springville and Provo, 30-1, respectively. A follower on Twitter asked if the 30 goal limit was the new 20 goal limit and I'm here to say that no, it's not. If we look at the box score from that game, 11 Miners tallied at least a point. The leader had 10 points which isn't unheard of in a lacrosse game. The Provo box score shows the Miners were leading 20-0 at the half then went 5-0, 5-1 to finish the game. Park City will take on No. 8 Davis on Tuesday in Kaysville. Say or think what you will, but I think it's a good time to bring up the fact that we've seen a ton of blowouts this year and it feels like it's been more than normal. One coach thinks it's a goalie problem with the hypothesis being there are only a handful of great goalies and no one is stopping shots. I'm okay with that theory. Goalie is a tricky position and we certainly don't have a ton of goalie coaches out there coaching up the goalies. In my experience, it's the position most coaches know the least about. I personally think this is one of many manifestations of sanctioning growing pains. Springville is an offshoot of the old Spanish Fork Warriors so only a handful of players at most have played before. Provo was a first-year program last year and has a new coach this year. I think we'll continue to see these types of scores for the next 2-3 years as teams/programs become more established. I think if we ran a poll, most would say that 30 goals is too many. No. 7 Timpview - A 19-0 win over Mountain View on Monday and an 8-7 loss to Brighton (Highlights) on Friday is a tricky way to head into Spring Break with a 4/14 matchup with No. 3 Olympus on the horizon. No. 8 Davis - I've watched Davis play in-person twice and I'm convinced they have the pieces to be a top team in the state. The Darts host No. 6 Park City on Tuesday in a game that will surely boost the winners' RPI. Davis also hosts Syracuse on Thursday. Green Canyon @ Brighton - Full GalleryNo. 9 Green Canyon - The Wolves enter the polls for the first time this year after beating Brighton, 10-8, on Tuesday and Mountain Crest, 21-2, on Friday. I've talked to two coaches who have played the Wolves and one felt they were better than the score reflected and the other said they were the best team they've faced so far. The Wolves should coast through the remainder of its schedule and enter the playoffs with a lone loss to Corner Canyon. I'm just glad we have representation from Cache County. With the Wolves in the polls, we have three teams from Salt Lake County, three from Utah County, two from Davis County, one from Summit County, and one from Cache County. No. 10 Lone Peak - The Knights lost to American Fork on Tuesday, 9-5, then beat Skyridge, 19-6 on Thursday. A week off will give the Knights time to prepare for a 4/15 showdown against Pleasant Grove. Wasatch v. Bonneville HighlightsNo. 1 Park City - The Miners opened Region 8 play with a 22-0 win over Springville and a 20-8 win over No. 5 Waterford (Deseret News Recap). A week off will lead to more region games against Payson and Spanish Fork. The Miners have 12 players who have tallied at least one goal this season. Senior Kendell Keblish is averaging 6.4 points per game. No. 2 Brighton - The Bengals beat Jordan, 22-5, and will take on Copper Hills on 4/16. No. 3 Mountain Ridge - The Sentinels face Herriman on Tuesday and No. 8 Riverton on Thursday. No. 4 Alta - The Hawks beat Region 8 foe Lehi, 22-2, on Tuesday and will take a week off before taking on Orem on 4/13. Eliza Johnson continues to dominate for the Hawks while averaging 5 goals per game. No. 5 Waterford - The Ravens had a chance to move up the rankings but Park City had other plans, sending Waterford home with a 20-8 loss. Waterford faces Highland on Tuesday and Olympus on Friday. No. 6 Skyridge - Skyridge beat Westlake, 19-7, on Tuesday then beat Lone Peak, 13-7, on Thursday in a key Region 4 battle. The Falcons have the week off before taking in No. 8 American Fork on 4/13 and No. 7 Corner Canyon on 4/15. Sky View @ Bonneville - Full GalleryNo. 7 Corner Canyon - The Chargers beat Pleasant Grove on Tuesday, 15-6, then trounced Westlake, 19-2, on Friday. Corner Canyon enters Spring Break this week then takes on Lone Peak on 4/13 and Skyridge on 4/15. No. 8 Riverton - The Silverwolves will take on Olympus on Tuesday in a battle of unbeaten teams. Riverton will then travel to No. 3 Mountain Ridge on Thursday. No. 9 American Fork - The Lady Cavemen picked up a key win on Tuesday against Lone Peak, 14-10, and a 19-9 win over Pleasant Grove on Thursday. A home game against No. 6 Skyridge on 4/13 will welcome the team back from Spring Break. No. 10 Davis - The Darts have scored 85 goals and allowed just 16 in 5 games. I suspect the trend will continue until a May 10th affair with No. 2 Brighton. Q&A with Waterford Freshman Spencer ReaganSpencer Reagan (35, Waterford) wins a faceoff against Highland - Full GalleryI'm always trying to find a hidden gem when it comes to telling stories about lacrosse in Utah. When going over the stats on MaxPreps I had to find out more about a Freshman at Waterford named Spencer Reagan who is leading the state at the faceoff X. I saw him live against Highland and he's impressive. Here's his stat line through six games: v. Orem: 17/19, 1G, 1Av. Payson: 9/11, 2G, 2Av. Green Canyon: 22/27, 2G, 1Av. Wasatch: 24/26v. Juan Diego: 17/18, 1Gv. Highland: 24/25, 1GThe two faceoffs lost in the Juan Diego and Highland games were from violations. Reagan is currently winning 89.7% of faceoffs. I went back to the utahlax.org site to see how this compares to past years. In 2019, Christian Dimond finished 258/328 which is 78.66%. In 2018, the league leader was winning 78.72% of faceoffs. Jace Thomas (Bountiful/2014), who is regarded as one of the best faceoff specialists to come out of Utah, won 82.43% of faceoffs his Junior year. Reagan should keep pace through the remainder of the Waterford schedule. “I can't say enough good things about Spencer,” said Waterford Head Coach Jack Matthews. “One thing that makes him so dangerous as a faceoff guy is his plethora of moves that he can use. He can win it to himself forward or backward and he can win it to either wing guy. This makes him really hard to defend against and it all comes from his hard work outside of practice. He goes home and does reps, he studies film, he plays in as many tournaments as he can, and so much more. He's also no slouch once he wins it either. He's making plays in transition and he even stays and plays offense for us.”After high school, Reagan hopes to play college lacrosse while studying business. 5 Questions w/ Spencer ReaganTH: When/why did you start playing lacrosse?SR: I became intrigued with lacrosse in the summer of my 5th-grade year and attended a camp put on by the University of Utah. Then, the coach of the Waterford IMLAX 5/6 team, Kelly Caroll, generously provided me the opportunity to play for Waterford in the Fall of that year. I am very appreciative of Coach Carroll for giving me my first chance to play this amazing game. TH: What is your favorite part about lacrosse?SR: My favorite aspects of lacrosse are the friendships I make with my teammates/coaches and the ‘life lessons' lacrosse provides me. TH: What is your stick of choice?SR: My stick of choice is a StringKing Mark 2F stiff on a Maverik shaft, strung with Hero 3.0 strung by Lorenzo Velluto. Lorenzo is a stringing wizard.TH: What is your favorite field to play lacrosse on?SR: There are two fields that I love to play at: Waterford because the field and school are such beautiful places and Troy Park in Maryland because the fields there are very well maintained. TH: How/why did you pick your jersey number? SR: I chose my jersey number because there were only two extra-large jerseys left and of those two, I liked #35 the best!College UpdateMensIf you weren't watching the Utah v. Boston game on Saturday, you missed out. The Utes fell behind early, 2-0. It looked like it was going to be a long day, but the Utes held strong and traded blows with the Terriers in a game that needed two overtimes to find a winner with the Utes taking home an 11-10 win (Recap | Box Score). Wilson is the smallest player on the field yet scored the biggest goal of his career. How? A great, hard, roll dodge, overhand shot, bounced in the right spot to hit the top shelf or in other words: fundamentals. Fundamentals win ball games. The Utes head to Virginia on April 17. Westminster fell to No. 18 Colorado Mesa, 16-6 (Recap | Box Score), on Friday. Herriman alum Dylan Checketts went 19 of 26 at the faceoff X for CMU. The Griffins go on a two-game road swing this weekend with a game against CSU-Pueblo on Friday and Adams State on Sunday. BYU beat Concordia-Irvine, 14-6, on Thursday and Boise State, 12-3, on Friday. The Cougars will return the favor to the Eagles as they head to Concordia-Irvine on Saturday then take on Chapman on Monday. UVU beat Dominican, 11-10, on Monday then lost to Concordia-Irvine, 11-10. UVU will also travel to Southern California to take on Concordia-Irvine on Friday and Chapman on Saturday. Utah State will head to Boise State on Saturday for a showdown against the Broncos. WomensWestminster beat Fort Lewis on Thursday, 21-17 (Recap | Box Score), then took to the road beat Adams State on Saturday, 20-0 (Recap | Box Score). The Griffins will host UC-Colorado Springs on Friday. BYU beat Utah State, 8-6, on Saturday. The Cougars will play UVU on 4/7 and Utah on 4/10. Be sure to follow ULR on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. — Tim Haslam This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.utahlaxreport.com
Good morning lacrosse fans. Thank you for taking time out of your day for the Utah Lax Report. Don't forget to forward to a friend, it's the best way for the newsletter to grow. I originally had written this entire newsletter and was going to include this tweet at the bottom, but it belongs at the top. It belongs at the top because of the message Paul Carcaterra portrays about his friend, Rob Kavovit. It belongs at the top because as you listen to what Carc says, I'm sure someone will come to mind that has changed your life. It belongs at the top because I've been fortunate enough to have people change my life and most of them are in the lacrosse community. Kavovit was a Syracuse lacrosse legend and so much more. If you take away one thing from this newsletter, please let it be this: Interview with Walker BatemanOne of those people in my life who changed my life for the better is Walker Bateman. I don't want to spoil the podcast, but in essence, Walker came to my group of friends in Jan/Feb of 2000 in the halls of Highland High School and asked one of them, Paul Jones, if he was playing lacrosse this Spring. Paul said yes, and Walker asked Mark Hepworth if he was playing. Mark said he was and then Mark turned to me and told me I should play and that I would be good at defense. Well, that moment led to today. It led to you reading this newsletter and listening to this podcast. I'll never forget watching Walker win five consecutive face-offs and score five consecutive goals within about 50 seconds. Walker coaching at Highland in 2011Walker (left) in Japan with the USA West team with Justin Bokmeyer who played at Army. You can listen to the latest podcast above or on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a rating!While you're out and about at games, stop by Vessel Kitchen. You won't be disappointed. It's owned and operated by lacrosse players/coaches/fans and fuels the Utah Lax Report.Week 2 Coaches PollsNo.1 Corner Canyon continues to dominate on the field with a 20-6 win over Green Canyon on Wednesday followed by a 13-2 win over No. 5 (then No. 3) Mountain Ridge on Friday. This week will be the last non-region games for the Chargers as they take on No. 2 Park City on Tuesday and No. 8 Brighton on Friday. Their closest margin of victory is currently 11 goals which is an incredible feat. Highlights from the Corner Canyon v. Mountain Ridge game below: No. 2 Park City hosts No. 1 Corner Canyon on Tuesday then heads to American Fork for a showdown against No. 10 American Fork. No. 3 Farmington moved up in the polls after beating No. 8 (then No. 3) Brighton on Monday, 10-8. Farmington then bested Skyline, 17-7 on Friday. Adding Davis Roche to the mix after an injury last year will help the Farmington offense. The Phoenix open region play against Box Elder and Viewmont this week. No. 4 Olympus bested Herriman, 22-4, on Tuesday then beat Westlake, 15-2, on Thursday. The Titan defense has allowed just 13 goals in 3 games. Olympus will travel to Skyridge on Tuesday then Sky View on Thursday. Mountain Ridge Defenseman Jacob WalshNo. 5 Mountain Ridge bested Timpview on Monday, 13-11, shutout Orem on Thursday, 21-0, then lost to Corner Canyon, 13-2, on Friday. I was really impressed with the Sentinels from the sidelines on Friday and suspect they could run the table until the last game of the season against No. 2 Park City on May 8th. No. 6 Lone Peak beat Brighton on Tuesday, 16-15, in overtime. Midfielder Garrett Haas had 13 goals including the game-winner in OT. Let that sink in for a minute. Ready for the next crazy stat? He only took 18 shots. 13 goals on 18 shots. Wow. I dug through the utahlax.org archives back to 2011 and found the closest effort was in 2018 when Box Elder attackman Jack Earley had 11 goals (and 4 assists) against Syracuse. There were plenty of games where point totals eclipsed 10 but Earley is the only one I could find with double digit goals. It's not like Lone Peak ran the score up, they literally needed overtime to win. If anyone has records from before 2011 let me know. I suspect it's a state record, and if not, certainly in the top 5. The Knights then beat Sky View on Friday, 17-0. Lone Peak will host Salem Hills on Tuesday.No. 7 Davis beat Roy, 16-5, on Tuesday then beat Northridge, 12-7, on Thursday. The Darts sit at 3-0 and travel to Fremont (also 3-0) on Tuesday for a key Region 1 showdown with the winner taking the top spot in-region. The Darts will host Clearfield on Thursday. No. 8 Brighton - It was a wild opening to the season for the Bengals when they played its first game on Friday, 3/12, a 8-7 win over Alta, then traveled to Farmington on Monday, losing 10-8, then on Tuesday went to Lone Peak and lost in OT, 16-15. The Bengals host Cedar Valley on Tuesday then gear up to host No. 1 Corner Canyon on Friday. The Bengals have one of the toughest (if not the toughest) schedules. As it sits today, the Bengals play No. 1 Corner Canyon (3/26), No. 2 Park City (4/27), No. 3 Farmington (L, 10-8), No. 4 Olympus (5/7, region game), No. 5 Mountain Ridge (4/23), No. 6 Lone Peak (L, 16-15 OT) and No. 9 Timpview (4/2). For the record, Region 6 only playing in-region teams once in a season allows them to do this, for better or worse. No. 9 Timpview had a great week which propelled it into the polls. On Monday, a 13-11 loss to No. 5 (then No. 3) Mountain Ridge was followed by a 21-6 win over Lehi on Thursday then a 12-10 win over American Fork on Friday. The T-Birds will host Alta on Tuesday and Timpanogos on Thursday. No. 10 American Fork beat Cedar Valley, 16-2, on Monday, then lost to Timpview, 12-10, on Friday. The Cavemen will head to East today in what should be a great matchup. American Fork then hosts No. 2 Park City on Friday. Boys ScheduleMondaySky View hosts Mountain Crest in a great Cache Valley/Region 11 matchup. Jonathan Higginbotham leads the charge for the Bobcats with 6 goals so far this season. TuesdayI'll be keeping my eye on No. 1 Corner Canyon at No. 2 Park City. The game will be streamed here. The other game to watch will be No. 7 Davis at Fremont in a battle of unbeaten teams for the top spot in Region 1. WednesdayBountiful hosts Viewmont at 5 p.m. Looks for the Braves to finally get in the win column after losses to No. 4 Olympus (15-7), Skyline (15-9) and No. 2 Park City (18-12). ThursdayCopper Hills travels to West Jordan for a rivalry game while the ‘Timps' take on each other at 7 p.m. (No. 9 Timpview @ Timpanogos)FridayI'm really intrigued by the Waterford @ Wasatch matchup at 7 p.m.No. 1 Park City beat then No. 4 Corner Canyon, 14-1, on Wednesday then beat Highland, 20-1, on Thursday. The Miners host No. 3 Herriman today then take on Springville on Wednesday. No. 2 Brighton beat then No. 4 Corner Canyon Friday, 16-6. (Deseret News recap) The Bengals will host Cedar Valley on Tuesday then travel to Juan Diego on Thursday. No. 3 Herriman lost to Skyridge on Wednesday, 14-10, then beat Jordan on Friday, 16-5. The Mustangs travel to No. 1 Park City today then host Copper Hills on Tuesday then face Bingham on Thursday. No. 4 Alta reeled off two great wins this week with a 22-1 win over Mountain View on Tuesday then a 13-9 win over American Fork on Thursday. The Hawks will host Timpview on Tuesday then face Mountain Ridge on Thursday in a great Region 7 matchup. Senior Eliza Johnson is second in total goals in the state with 21. No. 5 Lone Peak didn't play this week and moved up one spot in the polls. The Knights will face Wasatch on Wednesday and Highland on Thursday. No. 6 Waterford beat Provo, 20-2, on Friday and will take on No. 7 American Fork on Tuesday. The Ravens will travel to No. 9 Corner Canyon on Friday. No. 7 American Fork lost to then No. 3 Alta, 13-9, on Thursday. The Lady Cavemen will host No. 6 Waterford on Tuesday.No. 8 Skyridge beat then No. 6 Herriman, 14-10, on Wednesday. The Falcons will head to Westlake on Tuesday. Sophomore Haven Buechner leads the team with 14 goals and 3 assists. No. 9 Corner Canyon had a rough go last week with a 14-1 loss to No. 1 Park City and a 16-6 loss to No. 2 Brighton. The Chargers will look to rebound with two home games against Provo on Tuesday and No. 6 Waterford on Friday. No. 10 West Jordan took down fellow 6A schools West and Bingham, 28-1 and 19-7 respectively. The Jaguars will travel to Riverton on Tuesday and Copper Hills on Thursday. Skyline v. ViewmontGirls ScheduleMondayMountain Ridge @ Timpanogos should be a great region matchup. The Sentinels are averaging 19.7 goals per game and are 3-0. TuesdayLayton @ Syracuse will feature two 3-0 teams who are very similar on paper. Syracuse has a slight edge in goals per game at 14.3 but Layton has only allowed 12 goals in three games. WednesdayRidgeline @ Roy has the makings of an upset as Ridgeline enters 2-0 while Roy is 0-2. Both of the Riverhawks wins were by one goal: 11-10 over Box Elder and 12-11 over Judge. Roy lost to powerhouse Davis, 19-5, and Weber, 8-7. ThursdayLike the boys, the ‘Timps' (Timpview/Timpanogos) will face each other at 5 p.m. FridayNo. 6 Waterford @ No. 9 Corner Canyon is a great way to finish the week. Waterford Senior Jaimeson Meyer enters the week with 17 goals in two games and is certainly a candidate for the Player of the Year.CollegeMensWestminster hosted BYU on Saturday in a scrimmage and won 10-7. The Griffins will travel to Ohio on Friday for a showdown against Lake Erie College and No. 3 Mercyhurst on Saturday. BYU will host Dominican on Saturday in Provo. The game begins at 1 p.m. Dominican will stick around over the weekend and take on UVU on Monday at Noon. Utah State hosted Montana in a double-header and lost both games, 11-9 on Friday and 20-8 on Saturday. Utah will take on Mercer at 9 a.m on Saturday in Macon, Georgia. WomensWestminster will travel to Grand Junction, Colorado for an RMAC showdown with Colorado Mesa on Saturday. BYU will host Utah State on Saturday with an opening draw at 4 p.m.Utah State beat UVU, 14-4, on Saturday. The Wolverines will host Weber State on Saturday at Noon. Utah Lacrosse HistoryI posted these pics on Instagram and Twitter and they were well liked! These were sent to me by Matt Moffit, who played at Utah on the 1972-1974 teams. If you have old photos, send them my way! Utah v. BYU in Rice StadiumBe sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. I try to posts scores on Instagram every night and Twitter is automated through a connection with MaxPreps so please enter your scores there as quickly as possible! Also, please enter your stats so I can write about your players.That's it for this week. — Tim Haslam This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.utahlaxreport.com
Good morning lacrosse fans. Thank you for taking time out of your day for the Utah Lax Report. Don't forget to forward to a friend, it's the best way for the newsletter to grow. Interview w/ Bob ImhoffImhoff at the LXM Pro game in 2013 with Kyle HarrisonMy guest on the podcast is Bob Imhoff, who is the wizard behind the curtain that is boy's youth officiating. Imhoff is the boys youth officials assigner for IMLax which means he is in charge of making sure youth games have officials at them. We spoke about his role, what it takes to be an official and more. You can listen to the latest podcast above or on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a rating!Want to be an official? Head to imlaxutah.org and click on the ‘Officials' tab. If you're 16 and older, you can ref youth games starting at the end of the month. Youth officials start at $36 per hour. Also, never forget: ‘a game without refs is just a scrimmage.' While you're out and about at games this week, stop by Vessel Kitchen. You won't be disappointed. High School PreviewsFellow lacrosse fans, I have an announcement: there are live games today! This day has been a long time coming for all of you out there who had a season cut short last year. I'll be at the Farmington/Juan Diego game and can't wait! MondayBoys: Cedar Vally hosts its first lacrosse game ever against Maple Mountain who is also in its first year. Coach Rykert at Cedar Valley said, “I'm looking forward to the way our athletes gel together in an actual game situation and to see their lacrosse IQ improve. I'm also excited to see how their hard work in the weight room pays off.”Farmington hosts No. 10 Juan Diego. Girls: Weber @ East will kick off the girl's season. TuesdayBoys: Layton will play its first lacrosse game as they take on Logan. Lehi and Westlake waste no time in its rivalry series while all eyes will be on No. 2 Park City v. No. 4 Lone Peak. Girls: Layton hosts its first home game ever when it takes on Bonneville. Pleasant Grove hosts neighbor Timpanogos while No. 6 Alta hosts No. 4 Corner Canyon. WednesdayBoys: Payson, who dons my favorite logo, will begin its lacrosse career against West Jordan. ThursdayBoys: No. 9 Fremont takes on Logan while No. 6 Mountain Ridge hosts No. 4 Lone Peak. Girls: Payson travels two hours to take on Bear River, one of the longer road trips for any team. No. 4 Corner Canyon hosts Jordan, while the Rams of Highland take the field as a standalone program for the first time since 2003 when it hosts Pleasant Grove. FridayBoys: No. 5 Olympus heads to Bountiful while No. 2 Park City travels to No. 8 Bingham in my favorite mascot match-up: Silver Miner v. Copper Miner. Another rivalry takes place this day when No. 3 Brighton hosts Alta. Two preseason tournaments kick-off as well: Battle at the Beet (Corner Canyon, Viewmont, Clearfield, Ridgeline) and the Bulldog Brawl (Green Canyon, Timpanogos, Provo, Herriman, UMA, West Jordan, Maple Mountain). Both events continue on Saturday.Girls: No. 6 Alta hosts No. 2 Brighton. Should be a great game! College UpdateUtah Midfielder Jack Barron, c/o Utah Athletics/Ben HaslamThe Utah Utes fell to Jacksonville, 8-3, on Saturday. "I thought we had a great week of practice, so I didn't sense it there, but we definitely didn't handle pressure really well," said Utah head coach Brian Holman. "I thought we got manhandled there a little bit. I was really proud of our defense, though. I thought defensively our athleticism shows up. That's something I knew before the year started that most of our older, more veteran, guys are on the defensive side of the ball." (Recap | Box Score) The Utes will host Westminster next Saturday at 1:00 p.m. Fans are not allowed at this time. Westminster took to the road and beat Montevallo, 15-8 (Recap | Box Score), on Friday then edged Alabama-Huntsville, 11-10 (Recap | Box Score), on Saturday. The Griffins scored three goals at the end to win the game. The BYU Cougars beat Grand Canyon on Thursday, 12-7, then bested Minnesota on Saturday, 21-3. BYU will take on Westminster on March 19. Utah Valley beat Minnesota, 18-14, on Friday then lost to Grand Canyon in overtime, 12-11. It's the third consecutive game between UVU/Grand Canyon that has been settled in overtime. UVU beat the Lopes in 2016 and 2019. UVU will take on Arizona on March 20.The Utah State Aggies will host Montana in a double-header on March 19/20.The Westminster Women's team started the season with a loss to UC-Colorado Springs, 11-20 (Recap | Box Score), and Regis, 3-17 (Box Score). The Griffins will take to the road and face Colorado Mesa on March 27.The BYU Women's team will take on the Utes on March 20. Survey ResultsThank you to those who filled out the fandom survey. Here's a few interesting points to think about: 17 of 132 people who responded won't watch a professional game this year. That's interesting to me. I'd love to know why (leave a comment or send me an email). Not a surprise, but fun to look at. Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Always an interesting statistic. Probably not a big surprise to most. I asked who would win the Boys and Girls High School championships and Corner Canyon (41 votes) and Park City (38 votes) were the top vote-getters. I asked people to send in their questions so here they are with my responses. I certainly don't know everything so feel free to leave a comment if you have a constructive answer. I also asked for input from a few others: Q: How in the world did Northridge get ranked below Davis/Fremont. People are wild.A: Great question! I heard Northridge beat Davis in the fall but we all know to put little stock into that. Let's see how the results pan out! Q: Best way to raise the overall competitive level of high school lacrosse in the state?A: This is a great question. There is the physical aspect of it: either getting current lacrosse athletes to train in the offseason/lift weights or to recruit other athletes at the school to join the ranks. Obviously improved stick skills from top to bottom and the mental side of the game need to be improved. 37% of people who responded to the survey are going to watch 0-5 professional games this year. There are college games on TV/ESPN+/YouTube, etc every weekend. You don't have to watch them this weekend but watch them in the summer/fall/winter if that works better for you. This goes for coaches too. Ask your coaches how many games they watched this weekend. The answer may surprise you. It's also crucial to build the local youth programs. Q: Don't sleep on Timpview.A: Believe me, I've heard from the T-Bird fans out there. 17 returning starters is a great foundation for a run to a title. Q: The reclassifying/current RPI model for playoff seedings at the end of the season is really bad. Please let Taylor Redd be a guest writer to explain how bad it is.A: Taylor, you have my email… Look, the grass is always greener on the other side. Let's be grateful we are playing games at all, regardless of how they are ranked. Only one team can win the title no matter how the teams get there. Q: How can we help get each participating high school a spotlight on your social media?A: Tag us when you post! I have no method to my madness but I'll do the best I can.Q: What were the high school rankings based off of?A: I believe this question is in regard to the region rankings which were based off the coaches votes in that region. Q: Will fans be able to attend high school lacrosse games?A: Consult the home team. They will surely have some sort of restriction so be sure to know before you go. Q: What are the best ways to continue to build momentum in the youth programs?A: Make it fun. The players have to have fun playing and the coaches have to have fun coaching. Having fun is contagious so if those things happen it will grow. One of my favorite years coaching was a 7/8th grade team combined with players from Highland, East and West. It was so fun to coach that team because the kids were having fun and it was a great time all around. Getting kids tons of touches in practices goes a long way. Q: Being in Nebo School District, sanctioning has been very disheartening. Nebo just hasn't been receptive to lacrosse where most all other high schools have been. A: We always knew there would be growing pains when sanctioning happened. It's manifested itself in many ways for a variety of teams. Nebo is used to having one team and have five now. That's pretty good in one year. We'll look back in 10 years and laugh at the things that plague us today. I should mention that we have a responsibility as a lacrosse community to represent the sport in the best light. Our actions are judged more than others. Q: What's happening with the coaches within Utah lacrosse. Many coaches took a pay cut going over into the schools. From whats been seen from this year and last year there are many coaches that have stepped down and many first time coaches as head coaches. A: If your primary reason for coaching lacrosse is money then coaching probably isn't for you. However, that doesn't mean coaches should coach for free. There's plenty of ways to get creative when it comes to pay, especially in the offseason while the team is ‘club'. A possible reason many coaches are stepping down is because being a head coach at a sanctioned high school takes a ton of off-the-field work. There's a reason the school encourages head coaches to be part of the faculty. A friend who is a head coach spent 10+ hours at the school last week doing admin work on top of 10+ hours coaching. Q: What's the future for girls lacrosse?A: It looks bright to me. We'll have the most high school teams we've ever had which in theory means more girls playing this year than any other year. My daughter just began playing at a newly formed 3/4 program this season. Q: What is the biggest need in Utah youth and high school lax right now?A: Hopefully you listened to the podcast! I'd say officials is the biggest one right now. Imagine a scenario where you get a call that your game is cancelled because there aren't enough refs. Wouldn't it be nice to have three refs at JV games this year? Coaches are always in need at every level. No one should coach alone. It's miserable. I've done it and it sucks. Once someone decides to coach, it's then crucial that they work to improve their coaching. There are many ways to do that. I think that's it for this week. If you've made it this far, thank you! Please forward this to a friend who also loves lacrosse.— Tim Haslam This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.utahlaxreport.com
Good morning lacrosse fans. Thank you for taking time out of your day for the Utah Lax Report. Don't forget to forward to a friend, it's the best way for the newsletter to grow. Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Let's get to it.Interview w/ Mark Stoutc/o BYU LacrosseThis week's podcast is an interview with Mark Stout. Stout has been around the game in Utah since 1981, when he arrived at BYU. He was instrumental in the founding of the high school league in 1994. He has coached at every level and is frequently found on the BYU sidelines, where I first met him. I love this picture of him because there are few times you'll find him without a hood on.You can listen to the latest podcast above or on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a rating! While we were talking about the podcast, Stout sent me this picture:This is from the very first Utah high school lacrosse championship in the fall of 1994 featuring teams from Alta, Park City, Provo (Orem/Timpview), Sunnyside (Brighton/East/Judge/Rowland Hall) and Waterford. Sunnyside beat Waterford to become the first champion. It was taken in Provo and Stout is in the very top right of the picture. Some of the people included in this picture: Brian Blogette, Chris Radar, Dave Allen, Mason Goodhand, Bob Capner, Brad Hawes, Scott Clarke, Clint Fjeldsted, Andy Stockman, Pete Stevenson. This picture represented the entire high school league at the time. It's a testament to the many, many people who have helped grow the game in Utah over the years. If you're stepping on a field this week, it's because of the people in this picture. Sunnyside is the name of the street that Sunnyside Park is located on in Salt Lake City. Many lacrosse games and practices have taken place there since 1994. While looking for pictures of Stout at BYU I found these gems from The Banyan which is the BYU yearbook. While Stout isn't in them, I still feel they are worth sharing. c/o The Banyan, 1982, 19832021 High School Coaches PollThe 2021 High School Coaches Poll is presented by Vessel Kitchen. Stop by one of four locations for some yummy food made by lacrosse-loving friends. Boys - Preseason PollIt's no surprise that Corner Canyon nabbed the top spot. They are certainly the favorite but the games still have to be played and anything could happen. Rank, Team, Points, First Place VotesCorner Canyon, 250, 18Park City, 239, 6Brighton, 181, 2Lone Peak, 152Olympus, 99Mountain Ridge, 93American Fork, 64Bingham, 56Fremont, 51Juan Diego, 39Teams receiving votes (alpha order): Alta, Bountiful, Box Elder, Copper Hills, Davis, East, Farmington, Green Canyon, Herriman, Jordan, Judge, Northridge, Pleasant Grove, Riverton, Sky View, Skyline, Skyridge, Timpview, Waterford, Weber, West, Westlake.Girls - Preseason PollPark City led the way in the girls poll with Brighton, Herriman, Corner Canyon and Lone Peak in a close group right behind them. Rank, Team, Points, First Place VotesPark City, 75, 5Brighton, 59Herriman, 54, 2Corner Canyon, 53Lone Peak, 51Alta, 31, 1Olympus, 21Waterford, 18Bingham, 12Skyridge, 11Teams receiving votes (alpha order): American Fork, Davis, Farmington, Jordan, Juan Diego, Layton, Mountain Ridge, Ridgeline, Riverton, Skyline, Skyridge, Viewmont, West Jordan, WestlakeThere are no high school games scheduled for this week. Good luck to those who are trying out today! The next poll will be released on March 15 then will continue each week until the season ends. College UpdatesThe Utah Utes lost 20-8 to No. 12 Loyola on Saturday (Recap | Box Score). Park City native Connor Hollison saw his first action as a Ute after entering the game late in the fourth quarter. The Utes will host Jacksonville on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. Fans are not allowed but there will be a live stream with a familiar voice on the call.BYU took on Colorado Mesa on Saturday. After a bus accident, the Cougars led most of the game but fell to the Mavericks, 13-12. The Cougars will travel to Grand Canyon to face the Lopes on Thursday, then meet Minnesota on a neutral field on Saturday.UVU faced Adams State and CSU-Pueblo this weekend, where they won both games. The Wolverines will also head to Arizona this weekend and will take on Minnesota on Friday, then Grand Canyon on Saturday.On the Women's side, Westminster beat BYU, 20-13, on Saturday. The Griffins will head to Colorado to take on the Colorado Springs on Friday and Regis on Saturday. The Cougars aren't in action again until March 27, when they host Utah State.Utahns AbroadBubba Fairman (Brighton) took over the internet on Friday with this: News & NotesStolen Trailer at Tribal West NorthFrom the original post:We've got a bad teammate in the area. The man shown in the picture here is stealing our trailer with 200+ sets of rental gear that was ready to be placed in the hands of some excited players in Northern Utah. We're doing our best to get more gear. We will NOT be brought down by a loser who can't keep his hands to his own stuff. Please keep an eye out for us. If you see something suspicious, please report it.The vehicle in question is a black truck with a shell. It looks lifted with some premium wheels/tires. If you have any information, please call Tribal West North -> 385.552.8364Field Painting RobotSometimes when I get bored I'll search ‘lacrosse' on Twitter to see what comes up. Well, to my pleasant surprise, this gem was one of the top results. It's a field painting robot! I think I may need one for my backyard. I think that's it for this week. If you've made it this far, thank you! Please forward this to a friend who also loves lacrosse.— Tim Haslam This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.utahlaxreport.com
The Locked On Cougars Podcast for August 17, 2020: Jake Hatch began the podcast with what to make of BYU's offense winning in fall camp against the defense so far and if it should be of concern to fans Hatch then caught listeners up on the 2020 Player Countdown series with Jamaal Williams, Reno Mahe & Jennifer Hamson taking the honors at numbers #21, #20 & #19, respectively The podcast wrapped up with Jake's thoughts on the prospects he saw firsthand Friday as Lone Peak beat Timpview on the opening weekend of high school football in Utah Support Us By Supporting Our Locked On Podcast Network Sponsors! Rock Auto - Amazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On Cougars sent you. All Guard Pest Control - All Guard is your local pest control company that is ready and willing to serve you. Check them out at AllGuardPestControls.com or call them at 801-852-1812. Biomat USA - Biomat USA is a plasma donation center that needs your donations now. Visit them at 349 E. University Parkway in Orem or call them at 801-235-9800. Follow the Locked On Cougars podcast on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to stay up-to-date with the latest BYU sports news. Please remember to rate and review the show as well. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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