March 24, 2010
Dumont Cup lets freeskiers take center stage
by Heather Burke/
Simon Dumont will play host to the second annual Dumont Cup at Sunday River March 26-27. (photo: Greg Burke)
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I want to be a cool mom. So, I ski with my kids. It’s the one cool thing we do together without bickering.
Honestly, most family activities, like a simple game of Scrabble or Monopoly, end in a family feud. But skiing we all can agree on. Sure there is the occasional disagreement of what trails to ski. And the kids sometimes blow me off to ski with friends. But for the most part, I am a hip ski parent, because my husband and I take the kids to cool places – literally.
My daughter thinks freeskier events and rail jams are cool. I prefer crushing corduroy over waiting around to watch some whippersnapper huck himself off a jump. But last year, when she begged to go to the Dumont Cup at SundayRiver, I acquiesced in the name of coolness. I must confess it was one of the best days we had together.
It was a gorgeous sunny spring ski day at Sunday River, April 11, 2009. Our first five runs were on perfectly groomed cord (so I got my fix) before the event kicked off on Rocking Chair, the venue on Barker Mountain.
As we skied toward the first annual Dumont Cup at 10 a.m., the music was pumping out of huge outdoor speakers, the crowd was gathering and the competitors were practicing – launching off monster kickers built specifically by hometown hero Simon Dumont for his first-ever pro/am ski event.
We scored a prime spot next to the biggest jump, after the shooter cannon and before the finish rail. She educated me on all the new school slang and jibber jabber as we watched. The sun was beaming and so was my daughter when she spotted him; seven time X-Games medalist Simon Dumont skied down the course in his flashy red and white Salomon outfit.
Simon grew up in Bethel, Maine, before he hit the big stage as a record-setter and superpipe skier, so I expected a local contingent to come out. But there were fans and parents of future pro skiers from Canada, Colorado and California filling the spectator beach.
For the next hour we saw the country’s top amateurs perform on the Dumont Cup course, vying for a spot to compete against the great Simon and his group of invited pros – Tom Wallisch, Jossi Wells and Colby James West. I admit I was a bit awestruck by the talent and the tricks they showcased for Simon’s first-ever freeskier event.
One of the highlights: Simon and his pro skier buddies launched off the big jump in a fast sequence, one after the other, gaining huge air, spinning and twisting all the while.
“This is so cool,” my daughter said. “They’re training!” She then explained training is an expression – to describe their sequential jumping style, not that they are “practicing.” But at least she said it in a nice way, not a “duh Mom!” way.
“That was so cool, the best day ever. Thanks for taking me to the Dumont Cup Mom!” was all she had to say as we made a few sweet corn snow runs later that day.
Sure, I gave up a few hours of skiing on that perfect spring day to watch some young hucksters. But to share the experience with my daughter, well it was worth it. You should take your kids to the second annual Dumont Cup at Sunday River March 26-27.
I’ll be there, look for the cool mom.
For more family ski articles by Heather Burke, go to www.familyskitrips.com.
