Day one (Feb 25) of The Swatch O'Neill Big Mountain Pro kicked off with a scenic run down the Vallée Blanche, as the best freeride skiers and snowboarders gathered in the mountaineering resort of Chamonix.
The snow might not have fallen here in over three weeks, but flawless blue skies revealing all the spectacle of the Vallée Blanche meant, as American skier, Cody Townsend put it: "this was the best sightseeing run I've ever been on. My neck hurt from looking around so much."
The American from Santa Cruz, the historic surf town and birthplace of O'Neill, is ecstatic to be back for his second year on The Swatch O'Neill Big Mountain Pro. "I came second last year. Hopefully I can do better this year," he said. Cody was in some illustrious company up on the Aiguille du Midi.
Last year's snowboarding winner and overall winner of The Big Mountain Pro, Xavier de le Rue was back to have some fun in the mountains. And Jeremy Jones, just recently voted Big Mountain Rider of the year once again, was also back for this second year, simply happy to be amongst friends snowboarding in Europe. "It's cool once a year to meet up with all the guys and spend a week riding in the best conditions in the Alps in this dynamic contest," he said. "The competition is almost secondary here. It's about getting everyone together and riding the best mountains in the best conditions."
The day ended in perfect style with the guys flying off a kicker through the tress just above the Hotel Montenvers at the bottom of the Vallée Blanche as everyone involved in the event congregated for dinner after the breathtaking run. An unexpected bonus, considering the lack of recent snowfall and almost tropical temperatures in the Alps was the announcement that the contest would start on Monday just down the road, on the face of Le Buet.
With that, it was a train ride down the mountain and back to the Gite la Montagne as the guys looked forward to a 6am start 3,000 meters high in the French Alps, just on the border of Switzerland.
