Palisades - TJFS Stop #2
January 11-12, 2025 - This past weekend Tahoe Freeride hosted stop #2 of the TJFS at Palisades Tahoe. We were greeted with sunny skies, cold temps, and a challenging venue on Enchanted Forest.
Luciana Baranchuk 5th, Izzy McDonald 3rd
We kicked off the weekend with the U15 ladies, absolutely attacking the steep Venue. Luciana Baranchuk, buried her nerves and came out charging, earning herself a 5th place finish. Izzy McDonald had a strong result last weekend at Sugarbowl but was hungry for a better finish. She applied her flawless technique and sent it “Fall Line” earning herself her first podium finish in 3rd.
Xavi Sandler 5th (not pictured), Tucker Althof 3rd, Tanner Knauf 2nd
The U15 boys took the stage next and showed some serious grit in their skiing. Xavi Sandler is no stranger to steep skiing and showed his fluid, technical skiing to the judges earning himself a 5th place finish. Mr. Consistent, Tucker Althof came out of the gate firing and put on display, his smooth style with aggressive airs. Earning his second podium of the year, Tucker took home 3rd. Tanner Knauf showed his confidence and vigor while biting off one of the bigger lines of the day. Airing out Tombstone cliff into a heater of a run, Tanner kep his composure and absolutely slayed it, taking home 2nd place!
Snowboard team athlete, Owen Squires 3rd place
Our lone wolf snowboard athlete for the weekend, Owen Squires did not shy away from the icy conditions! Navigating this terrain on one edge proved to be a difficult task but Owen had a flawless run top to bottom and secured one of his best finishes yet - 3rd place!!
Ewan Jedlic 2nd place, U19. Panel A
Sunday delivered similar conditions but our U19’s were hungry. Due to the size of the field, we ran a dual competition for our U19 male skiers. On Panel A, Ewan Jedlic wasn’t going to settle for anything but a podium. As the only athlete to STOMP “Ice Goddess” air successfully, paired with an insane line up top, Ewan respectfully earned himself the 2nd place position.
Quentin Bair 3rd, Gordon Crawford-Currie 1st place - U19 Panel B
On to Panel B, these boys certainly did not hold back! Quentin Bair came out of the gate with an aggressive approach the coaches have not seen from him. He absolutely attacked the venue with a high pace of speed and fall line airs. Rocking the mullet, Quentin was stoked on 3rd place. Taking home the top spot, Gordon Crawford-Currie finally took home his well-deserved win. He literally made this off-piste venue look like a GS course while stomping an insane gap and fall line airs throughout. It’s about time GCC and congratulations on 1st place!!