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Show Pnrk ritv Stalking the wild Winter stick; snow boarding gains momentum Newspaper DGDEF Page Bl Thursday, February 3, 1983 by Nan Chalat There are some strange tracks in the backcountry these days. They look as if they could have been made hy a wild adominable snowman on a surfboard. The tracks are on terrain too steep for any sane snowmobiler and there are no telltale pole marks to suggest they might have been made by a deranged skier. Nope. This is something different ... Snowboards are infiltrating the backcountry, and the sport has all the earmarks of a cult movement which is about to hit the mass market. Anonymous phone callers desperately ask "Where can I get one? Is it legal? Where can I do it?" The answers aren't easy. Boards have been hard to find and the ski resorts won't allow them on the runs. Nevertheless, snowboarding is gaining momentum. In Utah it is better known as Wintersticking after a prototype designed locally by Dimitrije Milovich. Milovich's Winterstick has undergone eight years of refinement and is now considered one of the top boards on the market. His loyal followers have shortened the term to "sticking," which they do at every possible moment. Milovich took the Winterstick to Europe last year where it was well received. While he was gone, local interest in-terest in Wintersticking began to build. The Europeans placed orders and so did a lot of Utahns. But when the season began this year there were only a handful of boards available. Milovich had become involved in-volved in designing a radically new sailboard and the Winterstick company didn't have enough money to go into production on the snowboard. "But we are still alive and well," said Milovich last week. He has weathered a storm of financial problems which he hopes are behind him now. On March 1 Milovich is opening at a new location in Salt Lake City with Class VI Kayaks. (Milovich has also been working with Class VI on a new kayak paddle design). If all goes well this summer, he will start producing Wintersticks in August. "I could have sold a thousand of them this year and I only had 30," he lamented. In the meantime several other companies are moving into the field. Sims Designs of Santa Barbara and Burtcn Snowboards of Manchester, Vermont are moving into Winterstick territory. The Sims board was designed by former surfing champ Tom Sims who won the 1982 Snowboard Nationals. Former surfer Jake Burton Carpenter has also one into the snowboard business, offering models for a wide range of abilities. He has covered the gamut from the Backyard Board to the Powdergun and the Performer, which he says can be worn on conventional ski lifts. Burton may say that his boards are 'lift approved' but that decision is ultimately made by the individual resorts. None of Utah's major ski resorts allow snowboards on its maintained runs. Only two, Park-West Park-West and Alta, allow people to carry their boards on the lifts into the backcountry. Both require the users to wear skis while boarding and riding the lifts. In general the resorts are concerned that if they allow snowbards on the runs people will also demand to use skibobs and other devices. According to Phil Jones of Park City Ski Area, "We don't consider the device to be compatible with existing modes of uphill transportation. transpor-tation. It is just not compatible with the sport of skiing." Neither Deer Valley not Park City Ski Area allow snowboards on the lifts. Area Manager Chick Morton at Alta says the boards are being allowed on lifts on a probationary basis. Users must have skis for boarding the lifts and the boards must have safety leashes. All of which leaves snowboarders with the age-old question, "How do I get up there so I can come down?" There are a few select spots (in Summit Park and off Royal Street in Deer Valley) where people can drive up and snowboard down. And there are a few who snowmobile into the territory. But one of the main advantages of a snowboard is the simplicity of the gear. A snowmobile doesn't really fit. Most stick fiends prefer snowshoes, carrying their boards under one arm or attached to their backpacks. When they reach suitable terrain they shed the shoes and kick-step a climb track to the top. From the top down its smooth sailing. According to Mike Carnahan, part owner of the Irish Camel and Park City's local Winterstick sales representative, turning a stick is easier than turning a ski and far easier on the knees. The movements are more akin to surfing and skateboarding than skiing. "And it is versatile in different kinds of snow," he added. ad-ded. While the Winterstick is not designed for hardpack, it is manageable in everything else from powder to crud. "March and April are the best for Wintersticking," he said. Snowboarding is scoring points on a few other counts too. Most cost between $120 and $150, including bindings. bin-dings. The boards weigh about six pounds, which compares com-pares favorably with a pair of downhill skis, bindings and boots. And, of course, its a new toy. Like windsurfing, wintersticking is moving into the mainstream. if' St . . . , ' s , i h ' -.... ' - " -V " - . V - "v "tm, .- J rVH f.fei photos by Nan Chaiat A hew toy for the backcountry ... Mike Carnahan moves out on a Winterstick. v. f-fj I 3. ' fe mW "II m fiiitli ;W;'. ::- -''::. .' M SKI TEAM THE UNITED STATES SKI TEAM CELEBRITY CLASSIC INVITES YOU! SKI TEAM CELEBRITY CLASSIC February9-12,1983 SPECIAL EVENTS FRIDAY, FEB. 1 1 - Deer Valley Evening $25.00 per person - Snow Park Lodge Open bar, buffet dinner, "Street Angel" top-40's band, Peter Yarrow, Jesse Collin Young, Poco, John McKuenDirt Band, Steve Mizerak pool demonstration. SATURDAY, FEB. 12 - Black Tie & Blue jean The Yarrow - $150 per person. Champagne, open bar, gourmet dinner, awards. Entertainment: Donny Osmond, Jazz in Dancers, Dancing to Osmond Band, Drew Barrymore, Jimmy Webber. For reservations call 649-2464 PUBLIC EVENTS - No admission charge THURSDAY, Feb. lO Opening ceremonies and parade, 10 a.m. - Park City ice rink. Fireworks, lasers and twilight parade 7 p.m. - Park City Ski Plaza. FRIDAY, FEB. 1 1 AND SATURDAY, FEB. 12 Celebrity Ski Races, 9 am. - 3 p.m. Claimjumper, P.C. Ski Area. Park City - Home of the U.S. Ski Team Support OUR Team Advertising courtesy of the MacQuoid Company |