This season has been a whirlwind, but winters in Utah are never a disappointment. In an area that averages over 500 inches each season, we always manage to get powder when it seems that there is none to be had. After a season on the road it is nice to be home and ride the mountains that I love.

This competition season started out with a bang right here at Snowbird, with The North Face Masters of Snowboarding. Some heavy hitters showed up and brought their big guns to the table. Travis Rice, Chris Coulter, Rob Kingwill, Pat Moore, Shannon Yates and Susan Mol were among a few and they were all truly inspirational to watch and ride with.

[Sarah Baca, Ratty Sheidow and Meg Pugh at Snowbird
Photo Courtesy of MSI and Snowboard Magazine]

The next stop of the tour went on to Crested Butte Colorado, where the mountain looks like a shark's fin and it's teeth were lurking under fresh snow. The venue was gnarly, but the riders were up for a challenge. We all strapped in on Friday the 13th of February at the top of the Headwall and hoped for the best run. However my luck ran out before that unlucky day. As I set myself up for the first of four drops, my board was bitten by one of the sharks teeth and I went flipping off the first cliff and cascading off the second. I was not the first to fall, nor was I the last but we were all lucky to have escaped the shark unscathed.