After weeks of waiting, watching, and postponements, the infamous Mavericks big-wave surfing contest was held Saturday, Feb 12th in Half Moon Bay, Ca. Meanwhile, in Palisades Tahoe at Lake Tahoe, all eyes are on the Tram Face, site of the upcoming Freeride World Tour big mountain skiing event.

NISSAN TRAM FACE - SQUAW VALLEY USA 2010
While the attention to Mavericks and the Winter Olympics in Vancouver take center stage for the coming days, lurking in the not-so-far-out future is the Mavericks of the ski world, the Freeride World Tour Tram Face event, slated for February 27th at Palisades Tahoe USA.

Host to the 1960 Winter Olympic Games, and one of the world's most recognized ski resorts, Palisades Tahoe is no stranger to big events.  Recognized as a mecca for big mountain skiing in the USA, Palisades Tahoe will host this event as the third stop of the 2010 Freeride World Tour.

The infamous Tram Face is located on a sheer rock face that rises nearly vertically 2000' above Squaw Valleys base area and parking lot below Tower 1 of the Palisades Tahoe Cable Car. Strictly illegal to ski for fifty years, this spectacular face is being opened specifically for this event.

This will be the only North American tour stop and the only chance for these athletes to access the mythical Tram Face, which has never before successfully opened for competition. Akin to the Mavericks surf competition, the conditions must be just right in order for the Tram Face event to take place. Weather deterred the first attempt at this event (and the first legal descent) from taking place on the face in 2009, and it was forced to relocate at the last moment to Palisades Tahoe's Silverado Bowl. As a result, the athletes are even hungrier and the spectators more eager than ever for history to be made.

“The level among the riders has increased constantly since the first edition of the Tour. It is no longer enough to be a great skier to take part of the Tour. Physical and mental preparation, thorough inspection of the competition face, and top gear, are all important elements that has helped develop freeriding to a professional sport, becoming more and more known by the broad public,” says Freeride World Champion 2009 Aurélien Ducroz of France.

A testament to Palisades Tahoe’s paramount terrain and Freeride training ground, 4 of the 9 US athletes invited to compete on the World Tour hail from Palisades Tahoe USA. The Squaw brood includes 2008 Women’s Ski Freeride World Tour Champion Elyse Sagstad, 2009 Men’s Snowboard Freeride World Tour Tram Face Champion Jeremy Jones, former Palisades Tahoe Ski Team alpine racer and ski film star, Cody Townsend, freeskiing and BASE jumping legend JT Holmes, and 23 year-old Tim Dutton who was raised in the shadow of the elusive Tram Face at the base of Palisades Tahoe.

“The reason I strived so much to get on the Freeride World Tour is because there is no Olympics in extreme skiing," says Dutton. "It's [The Freeride World Tour] the end of the line right there . . . so for me, being able to compete on the tour is amazing, it’s definitely where the top athletes are today and where it’s going on."

As would be expected of such a headlining event, Palisades Tahoe will erupt with street parties, live music, and other festivities all week long surrounding the competition. For updates and more information, visit squaw.com or tramface.com.