Salt Lurk City, SLUT: 2011 Squaw Peak Outlaw

Mount. Timpanogos , Provo, Utah Photo: Nicolas Murphy

This year was definitely for the dedicated racers, and those who really wanted skate. To even be out participating in these conditions meant that you really wanted something. Whether it was to be a winner, the most steezy or to simply lurk the scene, nobody there was letting the bitter cold slow them down.

Portland local and downhill skateboarding world rednowned photographer Jon Huey shaking hands and meeting new faces.
Photo: Chris Campbell

Downhill skateboarding is such a wonderful thing, with so many locations with even more familiar faces. With all the guests that came to town, the meet and greet sesh didn’t seem, even though it did we all were made friends, to return another day.

Huddling around the blasting heater. Photo: Chris Campbell

The conditions were terrible, it was so cold and freezing. People were wearing jackets over and under the leathers, and filling any open space around the fire pits. There was even a ‘blasting heating thing’ that came in handy for de-thawing people’s sleds back into skateboards.

Zac Baca Photo: Nicholas Murphy

Flying through the freezing cold, SL,UT local Zac Baca rocks an unzipped overcoat for some extra steeze.

SL,UT Eric Albee Photo: Chris Campbell

The road conditions, if you could imagine, weren’t much better at all. The road was patchy to the depth of three. In some sections it was dry, you’d think that’s rad, but the road was still sub-zero, and skating on such extreme conditions your wheels do not respond the same. Though, it’s all the same when you’re mindset it to go fast. Then there was the wet patches of the course that could have been anywhere from a color change to a puddle. Skating turned to splashing in sections where the water was unavoidable. Finally, there was literal ice and snow on the road. The course alone is technical enough, but threading the needle in and out of turns on water through ice was scary to say the least.

Alex Silva and Zac Baca Photo: Chris Campbell

At Squaw this year the skaters turned shredders and became frozen-solid standing on their skateboards going fast for so long. Especially in the faster sweeping section of the course where you can really feel the wind fully surround your body. Speeds fast enough to make you feel held in place by the cold airflow while diving down and around turns.

Micah Green Chip Wood Photo: Nicholas Murphy

Tight and wet… this came out wrong.

UT Locals Trevor, Andrew, Jake and Brock Photo: JJ Slack

Brock Warren cleaning leading the pack toeside through lookout corner on a practice run. The first day of the event was all freeride fun runs. With no competition and no worries, the day was just friends going fast and sliding sideways together.

Chip and ’50-Cal’ Photo: Chris Campbell

Chip Wood and previous two-time Squaw Peak champ Calvin Staub gripping lines and going fast. These two were undoubtedly the fastest on the hill. Racing, literally on ice with their skate components frozen together by quarter-inch layer of ice, Chip and Cal were still able to maneuver their way down the course with grace in order to both secure a spot on podium.

Trevor Ovenden Photo: Cameron Kramer

Salt Lake City skater Trevor Ovenden killed it with consistency. Dedicated to downhill skating, it shows that he has experience on this hill that not many other riders have. Executing slides, breaks and turns with absolute control, Trevor as well had a spot of his own on the podium awaiting him.

The kick-off at the start of the final heat. Photo: Chris Campbell

The final heat was very surprising with a rather incredible performance by Chip Wood. Starting off the line in first, he wrecked in the upper-mid section of the course. Nearly halfway down, coming into the lookout corner was Calvin Staub with a heavy lead in first place, he was untouchable. In second place leading what was the rest of the pack was SLC local Trevor Ovenden. Gripping the turn, he then led the rest of the very tightly packed Sterling McGregor, Elliot Newey, Zac Baca, and Chip Wood down the faster sweeping section of the course. Chip, now in last place, pre-drifted, hooked back up and gripped out of the lookout hairpin with rocketing exit speed. Now being set up in the back of the pack for the faster, less technical portion of the course, Chip took the opportunity to draft and pass every single rider down the course back into a leading position of the pack.

4^th: Sterling McGregor, 3^rd: Trevor Ovenden, 2^nd: Charles ‘Chip’ Wood, 1^st: Calvin ‘Fifty-Cal’ Staub
Photo: Nicholas Murphy

Though he never made it back to first, he held a well-deserved second place instead, with Trevor Ovenden in third and Sterling McGregor in forgotten fourth, Calvin Staub had now won the Squaw Peak Outlaw for his third consecutive year!

Jake Wilkinson FBGM Photo: Nicolas Murphy