Recap of day one from West Coast Session 5 at Timberline resort, Mt. Hood, OR. By Evan Heath.

That’s right, we started WCS off with the public day this year. Until now the event has ended on a Saturday, making that day the logical choice to invite the public. This year we moved to an early-week schedule, Sunday thru Wednesday, and opted to kick things off with the public jam for once. The weather couldn’t have been better. Clear blue skies were a welcome sight for Oregonians who have barely seen the sun in month. Locals and invited riders alike wasted no time getting busy in Timberline’s terrain parks. FOR THE ENTIRE STORY OF DAY I CLICK ON THE PHOTO BELOW …

Our European representative, Amplid and Buff rider Pako Benguerel from Spain, rodeos past the hot dog gallery. Photo: Maloney

Spring on the West Coast and the feeling is good, it’s time to pack your bags and get out to Mt. Hood! It’s high time for another West Coast Session, now back for a triumphant fifth year.

Each spring the West Coast Session brings together North America’s top young skiers, videographers and photographers for an unconventional four-day film and photo shoot that has achieved cult status in the ski community. This year’s event takes place May 1-4. The world-class terrain parks of Timberline and the unparalleled training facilities of Windell’s Camp provide the perfect setting for invitees to progress their skills, while media partners Freeskier.com and Downdays.eu present all the action online.

But WCS is more than just a shoot; it’s also a community gathering. On Sunday, May 1 skiers of all ages and abilities are invited to join the crew for an unforgettable day of shred in the parks at Timberline.

The West Coast Session presents a unique opportunity for skiers and filmers, known and unknown, to do their thing for an attentive worldwide audience. In previous years WCS has welcomed well-known skiers such as Sammy Carlson, Anthony Boronowski, Blake Nyman, Kyler Cooley and Mike Wilson, while helping advance the careers of up-and-comers like Tom Wallisch, McRae Williams, Tim McChesney, Sean Jordan and Nick Goepper. Attending filmers have included Duncan Lake of Junction 133/Poor Boyz Productions, 4bi9 Media, LINE Traveling Circus and Stept Productions.

A huge thanks goes out to the hosts and sponsors who make the West Coast Session possible: Amplid, Timberline, Windell’s Camp, Auviq, and Hillcrest Ski & Sports.

2011 invited riders:
McRae Williams
Alex Martini
Steve Stepp
Spencer Millbocker
Collin Collins
Nick Goepper
Ben Moxham
Andrew Hathaway
Jeff Kiesel
Sean Jordan
Witt Foster
Tosh Peters
Max Peters
Tyler Barnes
Kyler Cooley
Tim McChesney
Nick Miles
Dylan Ferguson
John Kutcher
JP Solberg
Will Berman
Alex Schlopy
Karl Fostvedt
Joss Christenson
Dale Talkington

For more information on the West Coast Session, send an email to ethan(at)stone-snow.com.

More info for all japanese rippers and all movies from day 1 to day 4 at BRAVOSKI.com !

Thanks to Hennie vJ.

After four years it’s starting to feel natural: when spring rolls around, the days grow longer and the snow starts to melt, a group of skiers from diverse locales make something like a pilgrimage to the slopes of Mt. Hood, Oregon for the West Coast Session.

Timberline builds an amazing terrain park to ride, Windell’s Camp provides breakfast, accommodations and access to their awesome campus, and Amplid makes all the necessary arrangements. A place to stay, a place to ride, and good friends to enjoy it all with: that’s WCS in a nutshell. And eventually we all wake up to alarms buzzing and realize that it’s May 5, it’s dumping snow, and for the fourth time around, the West Coast Session is in the works. It seems hard to believe that it’s May. Four feet of snow have fallen in the last week and the park crew at Timberline has had a hard time digging out the park.

This is supposed to be a sunny spring park shoot – but when it’s snowing in May, who’s complaining? Besides, it just wouldn’t be the West Coast Session without a bit of fresh snow around to “ruin” all the fun. READ MORE @ NEWSCHOOLERS.com …

Photo: Courtesy of Ethan Stone

Another edit from our famous West Coast Session featuring Steve Stepp and friends …