Mammoth Mini-P4/Paranoid 4, Philippe's, Kiwi Flats/Star Chute/Frenchies photos wanted
Mammoth Mini 2006 - P4/Paranoid 4, Philippe's, Kiwi Flats/Star Chute/Frenchies photos wanted. Please post all steep Mammoth run photos on this thread.
I am also interested seeing photos posted on this thread of other steep runs at Mammoth (entrance photos looking down, exit photos looking up, photos of the entire skier/boarder standing on the entrance that show the steepness of the run - similar to the Dragon's Tail photo by Descender, and action photos of the skier/boarder in the middle of the descent). I like the stoke from seeing photos of steep lines.
After seeing the Star Chute helmet cam video in Dwanis' outstanding post "A Nervous Star Chute Run" http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=29847 I am inspired to learn more about these Mammoth runs.
If anyone has a camera this upcoming weekend at the Mammoth Mini 2006, I would be interested in seeing current photos of the following:
Also, if you have these photos or know of links for photos from current or any previous years, please post them on this thread and identify the date to the best of your recollection. I would like to see how these Mammoth runs change during the course of a season and over the years.
P4/Paranoid 4/Noid 4
A) close up of ridge out to P4 showing how narrow it is from the top of Paranoid Flats/P3 area
B) entrance of P4 looking down
C) view of P4 from top of Philippe's
D) looking up P4 from exit area
Philippe's
A) entrance of Philippe's looking down
B) looking up Philippe's from exit area
Kiwi Flats/Star Chute
A) path from top of Paranoid Flats to entrance of Kiwi Flats/Star Chute
B) entrance of Kiwi Flats/Star Chute looking down
C) views of Kiwi Flats/Star Chute looking up & looking down from choke stone
D) looking up Kiwi Flats/Star Chute from exit area
Frenchies
A) path from top of Paranoid Flats to entrance of Frenchies line
B) entrance of Frenchies looking down
C) looking up at Frenchies line in Kiwi Flats/Star Chute from exit area
MAPS/NAMES OF MAJOR MAMMOTH LINES
Bullet has a great post "PSA - A Guide to the Lines at Mammoth" (see quote immediately below) with a lot of excellent close up photos showing the lines and their names http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=48646
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bullet
MAMMOTH MAP OF MAJOR LINES WITH INCLINATION (STEEPENESS IN DEGREES)
Also Mammoth Ski Patrol has an excellent interactive map http://patrol.mammothmountain.com/Atlas/Atlas.html.
By moving the mouse pointer over different areas of the map, you can click on a highlighted area to bring up a new page with more information. By moving the mouse pointer over the Shot Placements text on the new page you can see where the avy bombs are placed for each run. By moving the mouse pointer over the Path Information text on the new page, you can see elevation, vertical, length, inclin. start (initial steepness in degrees), inclin. path (steepness in degrees of the run), and aspect (direction in which the run faces in degrees).
KIWI FLATS/STAR CHUTE & FRENCHIES LEGEND
I believe that the correct name is Kiwi Flats or Kiwi Flat but many people refer to it as Star Chute. According to the Mammoth Ski Patrol map and Bullet's post, Starr Chutes actually are above Whitebark Bowl to the right of Kiwi Flats.
The legend as to how the run got the Kiwi Flats name was that John Armstrong (PSIA President & VP HR at Mammoth) who is a Kiwi first skied this line and said "Oh, it's flat" even though he entered the line on a rappel.
Supposedly after Mike McGrale dropped into this run, people started referring to this as Star Chute. The International Free Skiers Association (IFSA) posted results from the 2002 IFSA Footloose Sports Freeride North American Tour #2 Mammoth stop http://freeskiers.org/article.php?sid=92 also used the Star Chute name.
...Footloose Sports Freeride NA Tour #2---
Brilliant day-warm sunny and spectacular-- Mammoth Lakes, CA
Top of the World for one run and then over to Philippe's and Star chute with the top 10 men. Brett Deuter, Aaron Estrada, Elija Lee and Josh Sadaj all skied variations of Guelain's Gravity Games line.
Also in a Skiing Magazine article "Huck to Live" http://www.skiingmag.com/skiing/feat...329177,00.html writer Stephan Drake refers to this line as Star Chute when talking about the Gravity Games Big Mountain event held at Mammoth. I believe that the line that Guerlain Chicherit took in the Gravity Games 2000 at Mammoth (1/20-23/00) has become known as Frenchies.
....The snow doesn't faze Guerlain Chicherit, a steely-eyed young Frenchman and the 1999 winner of the World Extremes. This kid is incredible. After seeing Chicherit ski in New Zealand, a pro skier friend of mine said, "Okay, I quit." And did.
I watch Chicherit descend a line on Star Chute that looks not only unskiable, but lethal. He drops a 20-foot ledge down to a pocket of snow about the size of a Persian rug, then launches another cliff onto a similarly exposed piece of white. Unflinching, he moves out onto the biggest drop on the face. He sails off the 50-footer and lands perfectly on the course's lower slope. Carrying serious speed, he hits another rock, goes airborne, and rotates a huge, laid-out front flip. His run turns out to be one of the highest scoring in big-mountain history, a 48.2 out of 50. Stellar runs usually score in the low 40's.
At the finish line, people are laughing, hooting, and clapping uncontrollably. Chicherit skis into the finish with a bloody, swollen lip, the result of his knee slamming into his face on one of the landings.
There is a good photo sequence of part of Chicherit's line from the Gravity Games Big Mountain event at Mammoth http://web.archive.org/web/200011211...t-Sequence.htm
Thanks in advance for your help.
Frenchies Line Questions?
Bullet - Great photos. Thanks for sharing. I seem to remember the P4 entrance being more like your photo than 45hill's photo.
When were your photos taken? Can you add approximate photo dates (month/year) to your post?
Also can you draw a line on one of your photos to show the complete Frenchies line?
I like this Frenchies entrance photo showing Bullet doing a mute
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...%20in%20P4.jpg
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...%20in%20P4.jpg
Does anyone have a sense as to the slope (max & min degrees) of Kiwi Flats, Frenchies, Philippe's & P4? Do you own or have access to a LifeLink Slope Meter www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000C8F0NC? Do you agree with SkiStats Slope Ratings www.skistats.com/slopes_detail.asp?lowest=30 that Philippe's has a maximum of 50 degrees and minimum of 40 degrees? I believe that these are user submitted ratings (Just click on Add a slope). For some reason, Philippe's didn't feel quite that steep perhaps due to the fact that I skied it on 4/28/06.
Is this Guerlain Chicherit Gravity Games sequence http://web.archive.org/web/200010252...nChicherit.htm the beginning of Frenchies line or the regular Kiwi Flats' line?
http://web.archive.org/web/200501260...eritDropIn.jpg http://www.epicski.com/Assets/Photos...ritDropIn2.jpg http://web.archive.org/web/200107010...ritDropIn3.jpg
Am I correct in thinking that this Will Burks Gravity Games photo http://web.archive.org/web/200010260.../WillBurks.htm shows the drop into the regular Kiwi Flat's line?
http://web.archive.org/web/200106241...lBurksDrop.jpg
This Chris Davenport Gravity Games sequence http://web.archive.org/web/200104280...n-Sequence.htm looks like Philippe's.
http://web.archive.org/web/200206212...venport-D1.jpg http://web.archive.org/web/200106251...port-Drop2.jpg http://web.archive.org/web/200206212...venport-D3.jpg
Is there a name for this line from Gordy Peifer Gravity Games photo as it does not look like the standard Kiwi Flats entrance?
http://web.archive.org/web/200301272...ickOnLedge.jpg
Does this Chris Davenport Gravity Games photo show the standard Kiwi Flats entrance as it should show Pssy Traverse from this angle if it was? If not, what is the name for this line?
http://web.archive.org/web/200106251...avenport-C.jpg
Are there any photos that show how big the patches of snow are that one has to land on as one billygoat's down Frenchies line?
Thanks for your help.
