The Rad Scientist

BRECKENRIDGE  When superstar snowboarder Shaun White soars over the halfpipe here in a dizzying string of spins and flips this weekend during the Winter Dew Tour, his run and those of all the other pro riders competing for $1.5 million in prizes will depend in part on one inconspicuous man in the crowd wearing a gray jacket.
Nick Symon, 31, is the mountain's halfpipe scientist - the guy who has spent years devising how to get every angle, curve and grain of snow just right, so the best riders in the world are free to huck 1,080-degree spins without fear. He's been shaping Breck's pipes for six years and spends summers building pipes in New Zealand.
Last week he stood on Peak 8 at the top of the pipe in a gray Breckenridge "Park Crew" jacket, gazing down into the porcelain-smooth bowl.
"When they totally stick the landing and have great runs," he said, "you know you have done a good job."
Halfpipes have become big business for ski resorts. They get bigger and better all the time, drawing crowds and cameras while at the same time costing resorts piles of cash in maintenance and equipment. The machine that cuts the pipe alone costs $109,000. Breckenridge has two.
The ski business must see a return on its investment because every major ski area now has at least one halfpipe. Breckenridge has four.
All of them rely on an informally trained band of craftsman such as Symon who are continually learning how to build a better pipe.
Breckenridge has one of the best halfpipes in the country. Since building the first permanent halfpipe in 1987 it has won top honors from snowboard magazines numerous times. It was the first resort in North America to supersize its pipe in the late 1990s by buying bigger equipment.
The wall is now 18 feet high. And while it was recently eclipsed by Buttermilk's 22-foot, Olympic-size pipe for the title of biggest pipe in Colorado, it still has a top reputation based on its immaculate walls and a snappy shape that lets airborne skiers and boarders do their best.
Symon started work on the pipe this year Nov. 15, when grass still covered the surrounding slopes. A crew of snowmakers sprayed a fine mist into the icy mountain air, letting it fall as man-made snow. Breckenridge won't say how many gallons of water it uses. Officials consider it a trade secret, but an estimate based on the volume of snow is about 400,000 gallons, or about as much water as is in an Olympic-size pool.
Symon spread the piles of wet snow back and forth across the ground with a snowcat, then left them to "set" over several days. The plowing and resting lets excess moisture evaporate. He came back with the cat again and again, working out moisture.
"By the end, you get a nice, dry powder - as fine as flour," he said. "It's critical because if the snow is wet, your pipe will be icy the whole year, and in ice these guys often can't land their tricks."
Once the snow is powdery fine, a crew of snowcats bulldoze it down a grassy slope, piling up two berms 20 feet high and 400 feet long.
Then Symon fires up the Pipe Monster.
Halfpipes were hand-shaped with shovels until a Colorado farmer tweaked a piece of harvesting equipment in 1990 to make smooth, U-shape cuts. He called it the pipe dragon. It hooks on the front of a snowcat like a big, man-eating banana rising to one side.
Breckenridge uses a larger version made by a Swiss company called Zaugg. "It's an amazing machine," Symon said. "It can shave off just a quarter of an inch if you know what you're doing."
Those precise measurements matter. The top of the pipe must be 8 degrees  shy of vertical.
"Too steep and it throws you back into the pipe," said pro skier Colby James West. "Not steep enough and it throws you out onto the deck. Too narrow and you don't have enough time to set up for your next trick. Everything has to be just right."
West showed up with a pack of other pro riders at Symon's invitation last week. Breckenridge had just finished the pipe, and Symon wanted the pros' take.
"It could be a little stiff," he warned. "It's like a new pair of jeans. I want you to ride it in, get comfortable. Let us know what needs tweaking."
West shot down the start ramp and up the smooth wall of the pipe, crossing his skis as he flew into the air. He pendulumed down and up the other wall, lunging into a backside 540-degree flip.
When he finally trudged up to the start, Symon asked, "How was it?"
"Good," said West, a little breathless. "The snow on the walls is awesome, you can really carve it ... The bottom is a little flat though."
"Yeah," Simon said. "I don't want to really dish it out until right before the competition. Then it will be perfect."
The tweaking never ends. Symon has to bring out the Pipe Monster daily to blow out loose snow and grind off ice.
As West stepped into his skis for another run, he said, "These guys are always almost perfect. They put a lot of care into it and have a great reputation. I mean, people come to train here from all over the world."
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Contact the writer:
636-0223
dave.philipps@gazette.com

The Winter Dew Tour

When: Today-Sunday
Details: This weekend's halfpipe and slopestyle competition at Breckenridge will bring together some of the best skiers and riders in the world. Here are some tips for catching the free show.
Events you don't want to miss
 Snowboard Slopestyle Final, 2 p.m. Friday
 Men's Freeski Slopestyle Final, 11:30 a.m. Saturday
 Men's Freeski Superpipe Final, 6 p.m. Saturday
 Snowboard Superpipe Final, 11 a.m. Sunday
Ski, then watch
The best events are later in the day or at night, under the lights. Ski during the day, then bundle up to watch the finals.
Get a good spot
The best viewing for the halfpipe is either from the upper end of the pipe, where riders drop in, or the bottom, where judges sit. Avoid watching from along the top deck where the view is obscured by cameras and lights.
Information: brecken ridge.snow.com and click on "Winter Dew Tour"