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48Straight / Jeep King of the Mountain tour coming to Squaw Valley Feb. 8-11 |
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Written by Tahoe World staff
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Wednesday, 06 February 2008 |
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Squaw Valley USA has enjoyed an illustrious history that includes serving as host site for the 1960 Winter Olympics. The renowned resort will soon achieve a new milestone when 48Straight, the largest sports, music and entertainment event to hit Squaw Valley in nearly a half century, comes to town on Feb. 8-11.
Billed as the “Loudest Show on Snow,” 48Straight is a jam-packed weekend of on-snow and off-snow activities designed to celebrate the mountain culture, including ski and snowboard cross racing and halfpipe competitions, more than a dozen live concerts, street parties, fashion shows, film festivals and environmental expos.
Click here for the Tahoe World's all-access coverage of the concerts, competitions and the scene at the 48Straight/Jeep King of the Mountain tour.
 The sports action will kick off on Friday, Feb. 8 and Saturday, Feb. 9, when the world’s most thrilling snow sport events — snowboard cross and ski cross racing, get underway during the Jeep King of the Mountain competition.
Headlining the line-ups will be many professional riders and skiers as well as local extreme sport athletes, Olympians, World Champions, National Champions and World Cup titlists, including Nate Holland, Seth Wescott, Daron Rahlves, Errol Kerr, Casey Puckett, Anik Demers-Wild and Ophelie David.
With a share of $250,000 and the keys to a new Jeep on the line, shoulder-to-shoulder, high-speed dramatics are all but assured. On Sunday, Feb. 10 and Monday, Feb. 11 ski and snowboard halfpipe athletes will take center stage at Squaw Valley’s Mainline Park.
The heart and soul of the weekend is the 48Straight Music Festival, an abundance of diverse live performances featuring some of the top acts in the industry, spread across town at popular hot spots and the enormous Basecamp Pavilion. A sampling of the entertainers signed on for Squaw Valley include:
Plan who you want to see (both on the hill and off) with these interviews, Q&As and stories on athletes and bands playing the 48Straight/Jeep King of the Mountain tour:
• Band profile: Rock Kills Kid
• Band profile: The Devil Makes Three
• Band profile: The Crystal Method
•  Athlete profile: Daron Rahlves
• Athlete profile: Nate Holland
• Athlete profile: Pat Holland
• Athlete profile: Errol Kerr
• Athlete profile: Anik Demers Wild
More information
Full event information, including dates, times, locations and ticket information for 48Straight concerts, street parties, fashion shows, film festivals and environmental expos can be found online at www.48straight.com. Tickets may be purchased for concert events at www.ticketweb.com.
TV coverage
Coverage of the action from Squaw Valley will be televised to a national broadcast audience on February 23 and 24 on CBS Sports and on nationally syndicated television beginning February 23. Check local listings for specific air dates and times.
 What is the impact of Shaun Palmer’s stunning win in Telluride?
Given the lengthy, incomparable resume of the South Lake Tahoe, Calif., extreme sport legend, it seems almost unthinkable that Palmer could go nine years between stops on top step of the podium. A five-time snowboarding world champion, X Games skiing champion, mountain biking world champion and super-cross motorcycle racer, Palmer led the pack from wall-to-wall at the first race in Telluride, Colo., and left countless elite athletes in his wake on the racecourse he helped design. Afterward, he was named to the U.S. Snowboard Team roster and odds are good that his next win will not take nearly as long. However he’ll have the full attention of the loaded roster of racers scheduled to descend on Squaw Valley.
 Do the men’s snowboard cross rankings bode well for Vancouver 2010?
Given the accomplishments of the field at the first Jeep King of the Mountain competition, including No. 1 ranked and defending champion Drew Neilson of Canada, Olympic bronze medalist Paul Henri Delerue and 46 other Olympians, World Champions and National Champions, the efforts of the Stars and Stripes did not go unnoticed. In addition to Palmer’s heroics, Olympic gold medalist Seth Wescott of Farmington, Maine, finished second, Olympian Graham Watanabe of Park City, Utah, finished third, and Nate Holland of Squaw Valley, Calif., the No. 2 ranked racer in the world and three-time X Games gold medalist, finished fourth. To say the least, the American men’s squad is loaded and ready to maintain their dominance in Squaw Valley.
 Speaking of boarder cross, is anyone on the same level as Lindsey Jacobellis?
The standout from Stratton Mountain, Vt., has had an exceptional run, including a silver medal at the Olympics, a silver medal at the 2007 X Games and the Jeep King of the Mountain championship. She’s now tied for first in the world rankings with the Canadian duo of Dominique Maltais, the 2006 Olympic bronze medalist and Maelle Ricker, a bronze medalist at the 2007 X Games. She finished ahead of the pair in Telluride and looks to maintain her impressive four-race win streak since joining the Jeep King of the Mountain competition.
In terms of domination, who can dethrone skiercross phenom Ophelie David?
Simply put, the diminutive Frenchwoman is the queen of skiercross at the moment. She’s ranked No. 1 in the world, won gold at the 2007 X Games and arrives in Squaw Valley having never lost a Jeep King of the Mountain event dating back to 2005. That’s three seasons, seven races, and back-to-back series crowns. The list of challengers will be deep in Squaw Valley, beginning with No. 2 ranked Magdalena Jonsson of Sweden, No. 3 ranked Meryll Boulangeat of France, a 2007 X Games bronze medalist, and Valentine Scuotto of France, a 2007 X Games silver medalist.
 Is it possible to overstate the win by ski cross veteran Lars Lewin in Telluride?
The Stockholm product’s racecar driving experience served him well in Telluride, where he found himself up against the cream of the crop in terms of pure speed and world standings — No. 1 ranked Audun Groenvold of Norway, No. 2 ranked Tomas Kraus of the Czech Republic and No. 3 ranked Hiroomi Takizawa of Japan. Ironically, it was Daron Rahlves of Truckee, Calif., the most accomplished speed-event racer in U.S. history, who posed the biggest threat right up to the end. The Americans fared well, with four-time Olympian Casey Puckett of Aspen, Colo., and Squaw Valley’s Errol Kerr also finishing in the top eight.
 What will be happening on the halfpipe in Squaw Valley?
The halfpipe competition at 48Straight may be led by none other than Shaun White, known as “The Flying Tomato.” The Olympic gold medalist with seven X Games gold medals under his belt is expected to battle a deep group of challengers including Ross Powers, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and J.J. Thomas, an Olympic bronze medalist and X Games gold medal winner. The women’s side is equally potent, featuring Gretchen Bleiler, an Olympic silver medalist and two-time X Games gold medalist, Kelly Clark, an Olympic gold medalist, and Hannah Teter, an Olympic gold medalist and X Games gold medalist. A strong ski halfpipe field will be introduced once the field is fully registered.
Photos: Daron Rahlves photo (AP Photo/Nathan Bilow)
All other photos courtesy of 48Straight tour
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 07 February 2008 )
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