The First Annual Big LePowSki USA was held in the legendary Wasatch Mountains of Utah on February 26-28, 2009. A weekend-long ski bonanza, the Big LePowSki USA was blessed with perfect early-spring snow, tons of prizes, booked-out clinics and blowout parties. The weekend began on Thursday night with the Winter Wildlands Alliance's Backcountry Film Festival at Brewvies—an evening of backcountry skiing films and beer that got everyone ramped up for skiing on Saturday. Friday night participants flocked to the Black Diamond Store to register for their on-snow clinics and mingle with pro skiers such as Chris Davenport, Andrew McLean, Jenn Berg, Brett Crabtree and others who would be hosting the clinics. Saturday brought clear skies and spring-skiing conditions at Brighton Resort up Big Cottonwood Canyon for the on-snow clinics. Both skiers and athletes had a fantastic day of dropping cliffs, throwing 360's, riding rails, skiing steep terrain and learning about smart and safe backcountry travel. Others participated in avalanche beacon drills hosted by Liberty Mountain. Saturday concluded with a party at The Woodshed Bar in Salt Lake City that ran until the wee hours, and the raffle and silent auction raised money for The Billy Poole Fund. Thanks to everyone who rallied to make the First Annual Big LePowSki USA an epic success and a special thanks to all the sponsors for making this great event happen: Black Diamond Equipment, Backcountry.com, Brighton Resort, Winter Wildlands Alliance, Discrete, Liberty Mountain, Smith Optics and The North Face. We look forward to seeing you all next year at the Second Annual Big LePowSki USA, February 25-27, 2010. Be there.