Skippress - Index

Skippress - SkiPress US Vol.7 No.3 - Index

TEXT AND PHOTOS BY DANA TURVEY
Want to see how tough you really are? Come to Heavenly the
fi rst Saturday every April, when Glen Plake hosts his annual
Gunbarrel 25.
It’s an all-day homage to ligament stability and lactic-acid
buildup on The Face of Heavenly. The $25 entry fee buys six
hours to make as many bump runs as your limbs allow — and
at 1,700 vertical per, a full set of 25 chalks up 42,500 feet.
Did we mention moguls?
Last year, South Shore local Janez Demsar won for the third
year straight as Fastest Man, in three hours and nine minutes.
The winner gave a shout-out to Plake, saying, “Power to Glen
for creating a fantastic local event!”
Plake himself later said, “It seems that, in this day and age,
most ski events are this giant party with the loudest band and
the biggest halfpipe. Well, GB25 isn’t any of that. But each
year we get 120 people who still want to line up and ski
40 thousand feet of bumps. The sport formerly known as skiing
is rearing its ugly head.”
8 WESTERN EDITION
Glen Plake
The Plake-designed trophy
Ski pals
Maia Bickert and
Danica Bunnett
Skip McKinlay,
from Wisconsin,
keeping it festive