Find out why Close. Which brings us to The Cirque, a notoriously challenging slope at the top of California’s Thimble Peak, opening to the public at Kirkwood this season for the first time in 25 years. There was over 25″ of new untouched snow on the venue which made for a … Kirkwood Mountain Resort’s big mountain venue, The Cirque, is the ideal location for the fourth stop of the 2013 FWT. At first sight, its scale is difficult to comprehend. It’s a death-defying trek through unprepared snow, beginning at the top of a 10,000-foot peak. After a few days of weather delays it got all kicked off on Sunday on the lookers left side on the permanently closed Cirque. The Cirque flanks the top easterly-facing portion of Thimble Peak. Crossroads Restaurant, a popular diner at Kirkwood Highway and Limestone Road in Milltown, was temporarily closed by the health department on Tuesday. The only U.S. stop of the 2013 Freeride World Tour took place Wednesday at Kirkwood, Calif. Low snow conditions in the Tahoe area made for tough riding for the big-mountain skiers and snowboarders, but the competitors made the most of it. Historically, The Cirque at Kirkwood has held some mystique for many competitive big mountain skiers: a permanently closed area, only open to a select few, one day a year. As the wind whistled over the razor-sharp rock spires of Kirkwood’s Cirque, skiers readied their gear and nerves for the fifth stop of the Subaru Freeskiing World Tour. The Cirque flanks the top easterly-facing portion of Thimble Peak. Click here to enter to win Note: Deadline to enter is 2/5/14 at 11:59 p.m. MT. A 1,500 vertical foot wall of rock which resembles some of Alaska’s most aesthetic peaks, the Cirque has ski lines that get upwards of 60 degrees, which means that if you could stand still on it, your extended elbow would touch the mountain, It is permanently closed to the public. The snow’s deeeeep out there today” attitude make it feel worlds away from the hustle and bustle of tourist-heavy ski destinations just forty-five minutes north on … THE FWQ VENUE: Kirkwood Mountain Resort. With more than eight This past weekend the Freeskiing World Tour held their final event, The Freeskiing World Championships down in Kirkwood, CA. Kirkwood is no cookie cutter resort. To ski where no one else has skied in 25 years: a pretty close second. From the Sunrise lift head skier's left on the cat track and drop over the ridge below the sign that states, THE CIRQUE PERMANENTLY CLOSED. But expert skiers and snowboarders this year can dive into its web of steep chutes with new guided tours. Kirkwood is situated about 80 km (50 mi) from the Indian Ocean and about 100 meters (330 ft) above sea level. Buy tickets, or add days to an existing card, 7+ days in advance for the guaranteed lowest rates. The Cirque is a permanently closed area at Kirkwood and this is where the event went down. This is one of the most-respected steep skiing contests in the world and the venue at Kirkwood Mountain Resort has become notorious due to its steep, technical slopes and because it is permanently closed to the public. The rest of us get to drool. Cancel Unsubscribe. Expedition: Kirkwood is a … The South African Weather Service recorded a temperature of 50.3 °C (122.5 °F) in Kirkwood in 1928 - the highest temperature ever recorded in South Africa. After a few days of weather delays it got all kicked off on Sunday on the lookers left side on the permanently closed Cirque. Kirkwood is one of the region's larger resorts, and is well known for having one of the highest average snowfalls and a broad selection of advanced skiing terrain. Enter now Every year, the Freeride World The Cirque. Just the opportunity to ride this terrain makes the cost of admission into the contest seem like […] Kirkwood is no cookie cutter resort. Kirkwood Mountain Resort is a year-round resort in Kirkwood, California south of Lake Tahoe that focuses on skiing and snowboarding in winter and hiking and mountain-biking in summer. Recent storms delivering massive amounts of snow meant that Lookout Vista remained closed until the day leading into the competition. Lars decided to feature an aggressive line rather than a risky trick style to earn his first ever FWT gold. Kirkwood’s big mountain venue – the Cirque – is the ideal location for the fourth stop of the 2013 FWT. Kirkwood has arguably the gnarliest venue on the FWT tour. There was over 25" of new untouched snow on the venue which made for a great show with some awful bits mixed in. The championships were held on a section of Kirkwood known as The Cirque, a permanently closed face. Day 1 was lookers right, Day 2 was lookers left. In other words, no matter what the weather patterns in the weeks leading up to the contest, competitors were guaranteed an untracked face. The Cirque is permanently closed, so there were no warm up runs for any of the athletes.