She’s coming home. This morning, Thredbo Resort officially announced that they’ll be putting up a 22ft Halfpipe for the season as part of their collaboration with The Stomping Grounds. An Australian first. And whilst we had an inkling that this maybe happening this season (we announced it a few weeks back) – today, it comes wrapped up in an official presser, signed, sealed and endorsed by Thredbo’s newest ambassador – Scotty James.
Along with a donation of a 13-foot mini pipe cutter, Scotty spilt the beans on his halfpipe homecoming. A man who’s been mostly absent from our winter seasons has only returned briefly for the Transfer Banked Slalom. It’s huge news on all fronts, as this addition ties in with Charles Beckinsale’s Stomping Grounds Project, making Thredbo the place for progression this season.
Thredbo has announced that the superpipe will be built above the cruiser chair, in the footprint of the former Sprite pipe. This zone has become ground-zero for the Stomping Grounds Southern Hemisphere operations, where last year we saw one of the most manicured/celberated jumps sessioned by the world’s best.
It’s an ideal location for the construction, which is to be made entirely from snow (No earthworks) – where the natural bowl above the cruiser chair is susceptible to huge snow depths, even in the worst of seasons. The Stomping Grounds mastermind Charles Beckinsale says the build team will be using Snowsat depth measurement to get the absolute most out of this area – which, due to the nature of the terrain, isn’t feasibly transferable to being pushed down into the resort.
As of this morning, we’ve received confirmation that the man who cuts what’s known as the best pipe in the world – Laax, Jeremy Carpenter will be responsible for the initial pass and upkeep of the pipe during its operations from August to mid-September. Again, all under The Stomping Grounds banner.
Will the pipe be open to the public? Well, a 22ft pipe isn’t exactly child play, so don’t expect the superpipe to be a free-for-all all. This radical resource will only be available for usage by those either part of the Stomping Grounds program, or reserved for names in medal contention. It’s an understandable clause, given both the cost of construction and the actual skill needed to ride something of this size.
But, this project is for the people – because out of this exclusivity comes a brand new 13ft pipe cutter courtesy of both Scotty and the Stomping Grounds. Trickle-down technology, that will reward us with an epic ‘Mini’ / regular-sized (pre-superpipe era) halfpipe. Much more accommodating to those who don’t spend months a year riding the icy walls of a 22ft giant.
In the end, for us snowboarders, this news is served best as a ‘dinner and a show’. Not only do we get to marvel at the scale of the Superpipe, glimpsing the world’s best riding it– we become beneficiaries of this 3-way partnership, receiving an improved mini pipe in the process. See you on the hike.
