(Photo courtesy of Freeride World Tour)
Holding an elite ski and snowboard competition in the Haines mountains is once again proving challenging for the Freeride World Tour.
The Freeride planned to hold its competition at a site called ‘The Venue,’ near Little Jarvis Glacier, Tuesday morning. After about two hours of waiting, the Freeride announced on its Facebook page that it would postpone the competition for safety reasons. The Facebook post said organizers decided to wait for the snowpack caused by recent precipitation to stabilize.
The Haines Avalanche Information Center reports ‘considerable’ dangerous avalanche conditions above 1,500 feet.
This is the Freeride’s third time in Haines. Both of its previous competitions in the Chilkat Valley faced unexpected challenges. In 2015, the event was postponed three times due to weather. It finally happened after the organization received a permit extension from the Haines Borough. In 2016, the competition took place more quickly, but satellite problems cut its popular online livestream.
The Freeride has until Saturday, March 25 to hold its Haines event. Updates can be found on the organization’s website or Facebook page.
