T.J. Landgren steps off the helicopter skid into the cold mountain air.

The second Red Bull Blade Raid invitational got underway at Park City Mountain Resort in Utah the morning of April 11 with not a cloud for miles and crisp, calm 30-degree air. The first helicopter load left the base area just after 7 a.m., taking the skydivers to 14,000 feet MSL, 5,000 feet above the mountain.

In the Blade Raid event, competitors fly a course between 14-foot-tall wind blades placed down a ski slope. If a jumper or his canopy touches one, his score gets docked. If he swings wide or flies above a gate, he receives no score for the round. The competitor with the fastest total time for all the runs wins.

On Friday, one practice load flew, but event organizer and competitor Jon DeVore determined that the conditions were too hazardous. The weather hold remained until competitors awoke to a perfect jumping day on Sunday. Even with the near-perfect conditions, there were moments when the mountains offered up a few bumps of turbulence despite the appearance of completely calm air.

Jeff Provenzano maneuvers through the wind blades.

After the first round completed, the fastest competitor clocked in at 24 seconds, while the slowest stood around 33 seconds. The competitors learned they could shave about half a second off their times by making the approaches using 360-degree turns. As the third and final run neared, none of the competitors could guess who would earn the first-place trophy and $5,000.

When the jumping had ended, the competitors gathered around the winner's podium to watch J.C. Colclasure of Perris, California, become the Red Bull Blade Raid champion.

Winners
J.C. Colclasure $5,000
Shannon Pilcher $3,000
Jay Moledzki $2,000
Jeff Provenzano $1,000
Luke Aikins $1,000

Back to top
Back to Parachutist Index