Props to Derek for having the cahones to drop into Central Couloir while it is still a pretty large, mandatory, double-drop air at the bottom. Unfortunately, it appears his alpine setup couldn’t stay on his feet and his ski popped off just as he went for it. Glad he didn’t get hurt.
I’ve only skied Central Couloir once and I waited for it to be very filled in, and when I was guaranteed to have first tracks (March 22, 2006). BUT…I also skied it using old-school (2004-ish?) foam-cored Black Diamond Havocs, 3-buckle Scarpa Matrix AT boots and lightweight Dynafit TLT Speed bindings. I’d say it was the complete opposite from Derek’s experience…besides getting first tracks.
He who gapes, is.
Fantastic pict
maybe mr gringo…but i’m not sure i would call stopping to scope out the air/landing at the bottom of central couloir…”gaping”.
what i do want to know is how that ski retrieval attempt turned out.
Ya, does he get the ski back? That looked like a pretty dicey climb back up there.
Dont encourage this guy, hes on a death mission. Have you seen the videos of him basically falling off 100 ft airs with no speed or skill? Anybody can do that (ride up to huge cliffs with no speed and fall off of them), most of us just choose not to as we value our lives and personal health. You cant just move to Jackson and start skiing, five years of skiing later film yourself falling off a bunch of cliffs with no talent, and then get famous…..or can you?????(Guess you’ve made it this far). Seriously Derek, your a nice dude, but I watched both you and that snowboarder completely gape down central the day this video was shot, hanging out for at almost an hour inside central and dropping way to low for the exit instead of staying high left and hitting it with some SPEED. You got very very lucky. And yes Derek, you are crazier than most people, you’ve proven that. Learn to ski first, then hit huge cliffs. Not that I care what you do, just know that death affects everyone around you. Good luck dude.
Postholio has a point. Haven’t we all seen this time and time again. Person’s ability is somewhat questionable but we notice them taking huge risks. With risk comes consequences. I hope people aren’t judging their ability by how high the cliff is or far the jump is, I would rather judge them by how well they ski under control in a steep line, maybe I am old school but just my opinion…… Good luck
Huh…guess i didn’t know derek was so legendary.
“notorious” might be more of an appropriate word rather than “legendary.”
“loose cannon” i thinks sums it up….
Steve, what he did in central ( and in countless other shots no doubt) is the opposite of flashing a line. He Gaped.
its for sure possible to stop a check a line and still flash it.
that guy needs a Starter jacket and some rear entry boots so normal folks can steer clear when seeing his Gape uniform.
Should have just sent it from the top, then you wouldn’t have had to worry about crashing.
While I hate to be the one to envoke “the old days,” it seems like there used to be more of a progression in skiing, as in mountaineering, where one would prove themselves willing to learn and then be taken under someone’s wing and taught the etiquette before going out and trying to make a name. In my book anyone who self promotes as much as they ski doesn’t respect the laws of irony/nature.
he stomped the air on christmas day. grow some balls people. it was me on the board so if ya want to talk trash go ski some groomers mr portholio. double drop out central is core. i probably wouldnt go in there in those conditions again, but atleast i’ve tested the limits, same goes for dereck. ski was gone when the next group skied it last week. (buried?) the exit is good to go now. who wants it?
ha, the hate is almost laughable. derek can ski better than most of you will admit. And he’s having tons of fun all the time. I’ve seen him make turns and nail mid size technical drops. he sends different lines often, and sometimes goes huge. at least that no name massive line was done after a landing probe and having a buddy right there for assistance. gringo, mongo, postholio, and fox are entitled to their opinion, but it’s severely tainted. then you bash the snowboarder. Oh, he’s from Alabama. I guess he is unworthy too!
and Rando, I like the approach of your story on this. It got me to laugh
right on guys. i bet his ski got soughed out and is buried in the apron somewhere.
I’m not going to weigh in on where the individual in the video actually stands in the “skills versus balls” debate, but I will say that I’ve seen enough stories that end tragically because Jackson has plenty of skiers and riders whose courage exceeds their judgement. Something to keep in mind.
Hey Travo, wasnt trying to offend anyone by what I posted earlier, sorry. It is kind of shitty that central is on “center stage” out there at the resort, and all eyes are on you as you ride that line. Yes, central is “core”, I have been down it four times in ten years, once in Feb, other times at the end of March. Everytime I have tried to get in and out as quickly as possible, as not to create a spectacle for everyone who looks up there. I was surprised by how long you guys were in there, at least 45 minutes, with 100+ people watching. When Derek fell out of it, after watching him for so long, I figured he was a dead man, as did the people around me…..it was very sketchy. We all came to the conclusion as we trekked on to No Name that you guys had no idea what you were doing. Im sure you guys knew what you were doing but on that day it wasn’t obvious. Never seen central pillaged that bad in ten years. Too bad that central isnt on the opposite side of Cody or in another location period, cause whenever people do that line, it creates a scene. Honestly, I think Derek is a good skier and I hope the best for him. If his form of FUN is falling off huge cliffs, getting dug out of bombholes, and bashing against rocks then I have no room to judge….it is all about fun, right?? Now, enough rambling, gotta get out there and have FUN on some groomers!!!!
But isn^t that why you put your shit up on the internets…so it gets hated on?
come on, that video of some dude sketching around above cliffs is a joke and calling out someone I have never skied with is also a joke.
ha ha.
I am so glad I don’t live or ski in Jackson. East Side fools!
lee: “i’m so glad i don’t ski and live in jackson?”
wow…you don’t hear that very often. did you ever think that some of these harsh comments might be from people that live in the west-side? i know a few are.
its mississippi not alabama. alabama actually has a ski resort. heard the big tit was firm yesterday.
Steve I was kind of drunk when I wrote that, witch is usually the case any time I write anything on the internet. However I am glad I don’t live in Jackson. Lander is a far better place for me.I was refering to the east side of the deivide wich is kind of lame but it was the wild turkey talking. As for the skiing part its just jealousy. I get my turns but a few days out of the week the best I can do is some Nordic Bush-Waking in Sinks Canyon and this week nothing at all. The Tetons are marvelous and I dream about them night after night. I do think many people that respond on this web site could just settle down a little but the kid did kind of gape it up even if was a burly line.
understood lee. and i would agree about the settling down part. maybe i should do more moderation?
I have to back up Travo here…”Alabama” Snowboarder is one of the most legit snowboard mountaineers I know. He gets out there and rides/climbs harder than 99% of you. I know that the conditions in Central that day were challenging,(some of us thrive on these kind of conditions), and anyone that wasn’t taking their time in there would be asking for a huge mash up.
It’s simple, dont ski hi-vis lines unless you can stomp the entire run. If you put yourself on display and botch it expect to get hammered on……..
I know way better/bigger lines in the Tetons that you could tomahawk down and no one would see or know.
“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.” -Theodore Roosevelt
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24FvxhC3TwA
derek…thanks for that. looks soooo different from my only time in central. gnarly.
In the last decade i have skied central more times than I can count, it is one of my favorite runs at the Vill. But the only time I have ever been in a debacle was when I aired over some one rappelling the exit, I had no clue they were even there! This goes to show that being “center stage” all likes of people are going to test them selves in there. Though I can say that I have never tried to ski it with “the tallest ski’s in the tram” I’m pretty sure what happened is that you caught your tip, not the fault of a broken ski. And I know that you two have skied central many time’s (sorry Derek it is not “your line”) so i doubt that you feel you were testing your selves. I have watched Travis go from a Mississippi snowboarder to a talented climber (to call him one of the best mountaineers here is a bold statement) he does get in over his head sometimes… but how else are we to know our limits. In the end this is all about just what Fox mentioned, the self promoting AKA spraying. What Derek and many others in this town/sport need to realize is that it has been done before and on any given day a handful of people are doing something more “extreme” than you and when they get home there’s a good chance they won’t even mention what they did. So Derek how’s bout you let your skiing do the talking out there, and isn’t that the same travo that lost his ice tool rapping S&S a few years ago? Come on guys shut up and ski!
Adhere to the code of the days of old “Swift, Silent, Deep”!
Cliff,
Code of the days of old? Come on guy.
That “Swift, Silent, Deep” patch, which is often sported quite prominently, isn’t really “silent.” Its a statement that the sporter is in a club of people who ski well and, apparantly based on the prominent presence of the patch, want other people to know they are in the club.
Shutting up and skiing would require abolition of the patch.
Derek is entertaining and a pretty good skier. The hating from the peanut gallery is shameful (but also entertaining!).
Keep it up Randosteve – I like the site.
Wyatt