Chris Davenport MountainSports


	Here is a sample of various magazine articles from around the world. Verbier: The Alps’ Freeride Paradise by Chris Davenport Published in Freeskier Magazine December 2003 Skiing Colroado's Classic North Faces -Skiing Colorado's most extreme terrain by Chris Davenport Published in Powder Magazine, October 2001 The Ultimate Trip: Deep in Canada with Matchstick Productions -A ski Bums Dream come true by Chris Davenport Competion Runs -Finding the perfect judged run by Chris Davenport Published in The UK's Daily Mail Explore the Thrills of Aspen / Snowmass -Extreme terrain to satisfy the hardcore adrenaline junkie! by Chris Davenport Published in Aspen Magazine, 1999 Buying Skis, Aspen Style! -Some helpful information on buying skis by Chris Davenport Published in Aspen Magazine, 1999 I’m Better Than You Harkin -A likley response to a letter by TJ Burke Aspen, Colorado Published in Powder Magazine, 1999 Winds Over Makalu Published in Japan's Generation X magazine - December 1999 by Chris Davenport* Baruntse 1998 Chris climbed and skied the first descent from 7000 meters on Baruntse with the late Dave Bridges in November of 1998. By: Chris Davenport Skiing In The Shadow of Denali Published in Daily Mail Ski (U.K.) November 1999. By: Chris Davenport The Longest Day Published in Daily Mail-ski magazine, UK-Racing For Glory in the 24 Hours of Aspen By Chris Davenport Red Bull Wings Over Aspen Rules The Skies! 85 Pilots From 14 Countries Compete for $25,000 Cash By Othar Lawrence and Chris Davenport		Verbier: The Alps’ Freeride Paradise by Chris Davenport Freeskier Magazine My first trip to Verbier began a long love affair with one of the planets greatest Freeride arenas. In March of 1998, our Matchstick Productions film crew raced up the winding access road wild-eyed at the massive peaks, and intent on scoring some epic ski footage for the upcoming release of Sick Sense. None of us, Dean, Wendy, Murray, Scott, or myself had ever been to Verbier before, but rumors of vast terrain, great snow, and unspoiled lines had been spilling over to Chamonix for years, and we were keen on being the first American ski film crew to score the goods. We had no guides, and no idea where we were going, yet in four days we came back with what is one of my all time favorite Euro film segments. Finding incredible terrain in Verbier is easy, and there is more of it than you could ski in a season, which is exactly why my wife, Jesse, and I left Aspen and headed to Verbier for the winter of 2000. Stepping out of the tram at the top of Mont Fort, Verbier’s highest summit, you feel as though you stand at the geographical center of skiing in the Alps. To the West is Mont Blanc, looming dauntingly over Chamonix and Courmayer. To the East, the Matterhorn, and the massive Monte Rosa, standing tall over Zermatt, Saas-Fee, Alagna, and Greysonney. To the North lies Les Diablerets, and Crans- Montana, and to the South, the spectacular Grand Combin, and the sick off-piste resort of Super St-Bernard. Verbier is not intimidated by it’s all-star cast of neighbors, simply because it has the snow, the steeps, and the village to back up it’s position as the Freeride jewel in the crown of the Alps. If you are lucky enough to have a car in your possession, all of these resorts and more are reachable in only one to two hours’ drive. Verbier is so vast, in fact, that in seven trips there, I still have yet to ski many of the sectors connected by this huge lift system. During the winter of 2000, however, we were fortunate enough to become intimately familiar with the sick terrain off of Mt. Gele, a zone striped by huge couloirs and bowls, and often closed by avalanche hazard. We fell in love with Vallon D’Arbi, a long, off-piste descent that leads into an enchanted forest of pillow drops and steep trees. We gained the respect of a few locals who went out of there way to show us the "Secret Valley", a zone to the North East of Vallon D’Arbi that requires a short ski tour to reach, but is larger and steeper than the front side of Jackson Hole. No description would be near complete without discussing the famous Bec des Rosses, site of the yearly Red Bull Xtreme snowboard contest, and one of the most bad ass freeskiing descents near any ski area I’ve ever visited. This face will humble and scare you, so take a local, and take your time. In March, during a particularly ferocious storm, we drove across the valley to Champex-Lac, a small resort on the same lift pass that without a doubt has the steepest, longest, and most intense tree skiing I have ever experience. That same week, while much of Verbier’s upper mountains were buried, we drove up to Super St. Bernard (again, same lift pass), and spent a glorious day ski touring this resorts endless, high alpine terrain. For me, those early days in Verbier always came to an end at the Pub Mont Fort. If I was ever to open a bar myself, I would model it on this après ski legend, and more specifically, the hard core patrons who stack their fat skis outside, and tell priceless narratives of their exploits on the mountain over endless pints and shots. And speaking of nostalgia, go dig up that old VHS of Sick Sense, get yourself a plane ticket, and fire up some Verbier stoke this winter! By Chris Davenport

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