Feb 24, 2020
HEAR ALL ABOUT TAILGATE ALASKA - FROM THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IT.
This episode is about Tailgate Alaska (TGAK), the World Freeride Festival, that takes place every spring in Thompson Pass, Alaska.
Mark Sullivan, host of the Snowboard Project started Tailgate Alaska in 2008 to make riding Alaska safe, practical, and affordable for backcountry snowboarders of all levels.
13 years later the festival is still going strong. Mark handed the operation down to Real Talk Co-Host Dustin H James in 2018. TGAK has now invited over 5,000 people to ride the mountains of Alaska.
HEAR FROM:
MARTIN HARDY, EAST COAST SNOWBOARD INSTRUCTOR, FOUR-TIME TAILGATER
Martin has been to Tailgate Alaska the past four years straight and attends annually with his 25 year-old son. Martin tells us about his first time riding in a helicopter and what it likes to get sled bumps (rides on a snowmobile to the top of a mountain). We discuss the terrain around basecamp and what it takes to progress in those mountains.
PIRMIN ‘PETERMAN” WEY, SWISS CARPENTER, TAILGATE BASECAMP MANAGER
Peterman hitchhiked to Thompson Pass with only a sleeping bag 6 years ago. Now he is the number two at Tailgate working his butt off every year to make this festival happen. We talk about what he has learned about riding and living in Thompson Pass in the spring over the years and what drives him to share the experience of snowboarding in Alaska with people from around the world.
ZACK KNAEBEL, BUSH PLANE PILOT, FLIES PLANE OUT OF TAILGATE ALASKA LOT
Zack talks about how he got involved flying snowboarders around the glaciers of Alaska. We discuss what Zack has learned over the years and the history of ski planes in Thompson Pass. He outlines how it works to do plane access in Thompson Pass.
STEVE DECKER, SNOWMOBILE LEGEND, RENTS SLEDS TO TAILGATERS
Steve Decker works for OTG Rentals. They bring snowmobiles to Tailgate for the participants to rent every year. Steve discusses the rental process and why he fell in love with Tailgate. He also talks about the time he held the record for fastest speed in the world on a snowmobile.
MAXWELL MORRILL, SERIOUS SPLITBOARDER, TAILGATE ALASKA PARTICIPANT
Max is a dedicated and sponsored splitboarder out of Utah who found his way to Tailgate Alaska. He tells us about interacting with the different user groups in Thompson Pass and how to go about splitboarding out of the TGAK basecamp.
PAT CRAY, TIMBER FRAMER, LORD OF THE GYPSIES
Pat Cray builds cabins and heli pads in the bush of Alaska so it just made sense for him to start building a cabin at the festival. Over the years his crew has become quite established as a mainstay of Alaskan locals at the festival and Cray talks about what keeps bringing him back and how he interacts with newcomers to Tailgate.
Pat conceived his first son with another important TGAK family member - Loan. Lil P now is a Tailgater as well. We talk about bringing two month old babies to Tailgate Alaska.
LYDIA AMES, CAPTAINS GIANT SHIPS ACROSS THE OCEAN, LEARNED TO SNOWBOARD AT TAILGATE ALASKA
You don’t have to be a pro to ride Alaska, in fact, you don’t even have to be that awesome at snowboarding. Lydia learned to link her first turns at Tailgate Alaska last year. Give her a few more years and she will be teaching the newcomers to Alaska how to handle the mountains of Alaska. We are super proud of Lydia and everyone who shows up to Tailgate with the desire to progress their snowboarding in the backcountry. That’s what this festival is all about.
MUSIC BY THE SHOOT DANGS, THE TAILGATE ALASKA HOUSE BAND