It’s been a couple of weeks since I touched back down from @Level1 ’s 20th Superunknown; physically at least, mentally I’m still getting there. The week is going to be hard to put into words and that goes someway to describing the delay in writing this, although real life hit like a freight train when I got back. I digress, to anyone who’s asked me how the week was I’ve simply responded with, “It was the best week of my life!” and that seems to have covered all bases. However, I think Twig would be disappointed if I turned that in as a recap article, so here goes.
Level 1 pulled out all the stops for their 20th edition of the Superunknown finals. Turning the finalist throwdown format on its head, inviting past winners, finalists, legends, pros, and homies. This formed a crew of around 70 strong for an epic week of shredding, filming, and soaking up the relentless, yet gorgeous California sunshine.
_
It was in Mammoth, checks out.
_
The park provided by the shapers crew at Mammoth Unbound had a different feel to previous years, so I’m told. With an emphasis on flow and options prevailing over gnarliness. Plenty of buck lines and options remained but the set-up was built with fun at the forefront.
_
The top section consisted of a gap-to-down tube, with a 3 sided take off creating transition options and a butter pad, a flat-to-DFD transfer sat directly below with a pill to the left of the gap to down with more hips and a 3-piece tube flat-down tube, with an up rail and a down rail capping this section off. A quarter-pipe acted as a segue to the middle section, a shootout rail to jump, with a full volcano as the landing led into the most transition-filled aspect of the park, three varying bonks/taps were laid out on nipples, with two wallride features and a smattering of extra rails was the offering before the final section. Three jumps, the first a step up, two take-offs stood beside the roller, a feature itself, before two standard booters, another gap to rail, and a flat bar before a hip that doubled (and was doubled) as a tabletop jump. If I’ve done a poor job depicting the set-up with words I’m sorry, the options were plentiful and that’s about as concise and descriptive as I can be before I start to go overboard.
The previous format ran on a feature-by-feature basis with the finalist crew throwing down in front of the many cameras of the Level 1 crew, stacking shots, and moving on. SU20 was an open jam with filmers being assigned to finalists each day to work on shots and stack the clips for the tricks they had felt out. While the finalists grafted to put their names in the Superunknown record books the invited athletes cruised, spun laps, and showed their pedigree.
Though the forecast was touch and go right up until the event, the gods delivered and we had wall-to-wall sunshine for a week. Okay, there was an hour or so of cloud on one day. Although I must admit it felt good to complain about the weather for a bit as a Brit.
Gavin Rudy Snipin'
_
Day one started off pretty mellow, riders assembled for a meeting and made their way, leisurely, to South Park for around midday, a theme that continued throughout the week and the leisurely mornings turned to somewhat leisurely afternoons before skiing commenced. Aside from the filmers who snuck their laps in at the start of the day. With Chair 4 running until 6pm rushing was on nobody's agenda, it was just getting good by 4:20pm every day anyway. Naturally, the week ramped up from here and every day seemed to be everyone’s best day ever.
The crew of skiers may have been one of the most diverse and unique groups brought to a single park session – Kimbosessions may be the only contender for such a title. It was hard to know where to look at all times as the chaos reigned non-stop, only abating – mildly – during the shapers' rake. Luckily, alongside the bumper crop of skiers was a film crew with resumes as impressive, if not more so, than the riders themselves; Josh Berman, Brady Perron, Gavin Rudy, Andrew Mildenberger, Owen Dahlberg, and Arttu Heikkinen manned cameras for the official edit dropping in the fall. Other heroes kept things flowing smoothly, the whole Level 1 crew, Chef Donny – perhaps the biggest name of the week – Laura Obermeyer and Josh Bishop pulled their cameras out to snap stills and HotLaps chased skiers around for signature follow-cam clips.
_
Given the whole week was a highlight it is truly hard to distill it down to a few bangers. Laura Obermeyer played a DJ set halfway through the week on the deck of the Mammoth Mountain Inn, this was described by Conor of Level 1 as the best party of skiers he’s ever seen, the sunset shoot which had the lifts running in Mammoth Main park from 5 pm until 8 pm, with the main focus being the jumps yet with riders stacking clips from all over, the pre & post shred games of Duff (I would refer to this as headers and volleys, but kickabout football, sorry, soccer) to warm up and cool down the legs and the conditions because as I’ve mentioned already they were perfect. I still won’t ever get over spinning park laps in the Cali sun at 5:30 pm.
_
DJ SuperMostKnown
_
Truly, nothing quite compares to watching pro skiing (or anything done at the professional level for that matter) but the melting pot of styles and generations of skiers made this one truly special. I find it funny in a way that is sort of obvious that the best skiers are always the ones who ski the most even at events where there is little expectation of them, Keegan Kilbride, a previous winner, was one of the first on the hill and the last to stop spinning laps, lacing a dub 10 on the tabletop after many falls and much encouragement from the only somewhat inebriated 6 pm crowd…
A final safety meeting...
_
A few extra awards went out this year too: the Retirement Home award (best over 30s skier) and the pro-rider of the week were also up for grabs the final efforts of the week were even more enjoyable. Parker White picked up the old man award and Kuura Kovisto took home pro of the week (MVP) for skiing harder than anyone and dropping mind-melters everywhere. This one is especially fitting as Kuura was a finalist in 2020. RIP.
_
Your winners are...
_
Caoimhe Heavy (Quavo) and Mikkel BK took home the titles at the end of this special week. Quavo, fearlessly hit every feature in the park and her landings were a clinic in Afterbang at every opportunity. Mikkel, recently MVP at SLVSH Cup Grandvalira, skied with a style and technicality (not to mention a f***ed shoulder) all week and was a cut above the rest, no easy feat, and was a clear winner in everybody's eyes. Check the winners’ recap below to see just why these two deservedly took home the W.
_
Superunknown has been a staple in skiing for 20 almost consecutive years (thanks ‘rona) and pre-dates Youtube let alone Instagram. Providing an opportunity for unsponsored athletes to get their names out there and get a chance to film with this legendary crew. While Superunknown has changed with the times, there are no longer annual films one can earn an appearance, the core remains the same. This year Level 1 upped the ante bringing in an extra glut of some 40 riders just for fun and it delivered beyond anyone's measure. The official recap edit has been pushed to the fall as the crew is quite literally drowning in hammers.
The wait harks back to Level 1’s days of annual films so the true essence of this incredible week will have to wait, no instant Instagram gratification here. Yet I will say, Level 1 changed the face of what Superunknown finals look like and I for one hope the format is here to stay.
_
Thank you to everyone involved for giving me (and many others I’m sure) one of the best weeks of my life. So I guess the TL: DR here is, “it was the best week of my life,” sorry Twig.
Oh, and here’s a 3.5-minute cut of what I saw and managed to piece together. I’m no Level 1 but it’s something to satiate your appetites until their masterpiece drops.
_
Cheers Level 1 yet again, you guys are the best!
_
Comments