Kyle McCann and Edge of the World owner Jake Barrow discuss their ideas for a permanent snow park at Snowbowl and the problems they have had getting it started. (Eric Oravsky/Montana Kaimin)

Out in the cold: Battle of the Bowl takes on a whole new meaning

by Neil LaRubbio | March 17, 2010 | Montana Kaimin

When the ski slopes turn to sludge and snowboarders are shredding through ice with their shirts off, it means the ski season is coming to a close.

At Montana Snowbowl, two end-of-season events ensure that skiers and snowboarders have plenty to debate and consider until next season.

The final installment of Greg Janecky’s experimental Backwoods Terrain Park Project will coincide with this year’s annual Best of the Bowl, a slalom race “with style” coordinated by Karl Pare.

Major televised events like the X-Games and the Winter Olympics increased the popularity of freestyle skiing, but some local skiers and snowboarders view Snowbowl as behind the times.

Janecky, 21, may be the one to change that opinion.

This year, Janecky and the Backwoods Project built custom snow parks over two weekends at Snowbowl. The entire experience has been positive, he said. People that don’t regularly “ride park” were trying it out. Janecky also said he’s had an open dialogue with Brad Morris, president of Snowbowl, about the possibilities of a permanent snow park. 

Morris said a few factors have inhibited Snowbowl from authorizing a permanent snow park in the past. Previous proposals were unorganized and, since the work depends on volunteer efforts, the parks become dangerous without proper maintenance. The Backwoods Project hopes to prove otherwise.

“Terrain parks take a lot of work to be safe, and this is a group that has stepped up to do that,” Morris said.

Morris said Snowbowl was the first ski area to allow snowboarders on the slopes in the state of Montana. However, Morris isn’t convinced that a snow park will enhance his ski area. There are enough natural features on the mountain to make the experience at Snowbowl unique, and when it snows, people aren’t interested in a snow park, he said. 

“There’s definitely people that use it,” Morris said. “Whether they’d be there otherwise, I don’t know.”

Karl Pare, coordinator for Best of the Bowl, is neutral on the matter. He said if the Backwoods Project is successful, he will be impressed, but he isn’t concerned either way.
Alpine, telemark and snowboard racers will shoot Snowbowl’s signature black diamond run, the Grizzly Face, during this year’s Best of the Bowl.

Morris said Snowbowl isn’t focused on attracting clientele from around the country with a snow park. He cited other ski areas, such as Bridger Bowl and Discovery, that are similar to Snowbowl and don’t maintain a permanent snow park.

Janecky coaches a trampoline program for freestyle skiers and snowboarders at Bitterroot Gymnastics in Missoula. He also coaches a summer program at Mount Hood in Oregon. He said his work on ski and skate parks in New Mexico and Colorado prepared him to face the challenges of organizing a snow park at Snowbowl. 

“Backwoods isn’t nationally focused either,” Janecky said.  “We’re focused on local kids.  I’ve coached some really, really talented kids in Missoula who have not gotten anywhere.” 
A snow park at Snowbowl would help Missoula compete better in regional contests, he said. 

Jake Barrow, owner of local ski and skate shop Edge of the World, is collecting a stack of questionnaires to prove that Snowbowl would benefit from a permanent snow park. 

“We have moms coming in every weekend ... and they’re like, ‘It’d be really cool if all we had to do was go up to Snowbowl and have a park there because that’s all my kids want to do,’” Barrow said. 

Barrow and his crew have built snow parks at Snowbowl in the past. Edge of the World sponsors the annual Snowboard Jam, which includes different park terrain features like rails and jumps. But Barrow said he never has any commitment from Snowbowl, so their park always ends up plowed over by Snowcat snowmobiles. Without Morris’ support, a snow park at Snowbowl doesn’t stand a chance, Barrow said.

Lost Trail Powder Mountain in the Bitterroot valley has maintained a snow park for six years. Andrew Schulz manages the park. With support from general manager Scott Grasser, Schulz is a paid employee who, along with two other permanent crewmembers and two volunteers, works on the park’s design and keeps it safe. The first two years of the park’s existence were rough, Schulz said. They had to prove to the owners that the park would be attractive to business.

“We had one run with a rope tow, and we had a bunch of rails and jumps, and that was a huge success; put out the ski school kids’ learning and it’s expanded from there,” Schulz said.

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