Hucking Carcass at Woodward at Copper

Posted on 28 December 2009

Edge

Have you ever come back from a TGR movie thinking how much you’d love to huck off one of those huge Alaskan pillows like Sage Cattabriga-Alosa, pulling off a huge 360 grab or cork 540? Here’s a good way to get that fix with no consequences: Woodward at Copper Mountain…

Stuey Edgerly, 12, hangs loose at Woodward at Copper after landing his first 540.

With the backcountry (and resort) conditions the worst I’ve seen in Colorado in nearly 20 years, at least in the Summit County zone, I took my son Stu to Woodward last week two days in a row. First you have to take their “One Hit Wonder ” orientation. After that, you can hit the tramps and jumps as hard as you like. Instead of landing on rock hard manmade snow in the terrain park, you end up in a cushy foam pit that’s even softer than a landing on a huge Little Cottonwood powder day. I was a little tentative on the first day, having brought my Dynafit setup, which I still don’t trust to release at all the right times. The second day I brought my Marker Dukes and set the DIN a little lower than normal. When these released after the first big jump, I started going for it. Stu, of course, went for it from the start. While I was patting myself on the back after my first 360 tail grab, he was already knocking out repeated front flips and 540′s.

Despite these successes, I still don’t plan on doing tricks on hard snow at the ski area: too rough on equipment and knees. But next time I’m shredding some bottomless slackcountry powder, look out! Stuey, on the other hand, was hammering the little terrain park at A-Basin on Christmas (I was on tele gear and tomahawked my first and only jump) and he will most likely nail a back flip next time we’re out. Do yourself a favor and get over to Woodward before everybody else finds out about it. If you’re from Colorado and went to the TGR film, “Re: Session,” you might have a 2-for-1 coupon in your possession. Don’t think twice. Use it!