This band is good, get here early, that's about all I got.  Here are some links to more information about the band:

http://www.soundonthesound.com/tag/smokey-brights/

http://www.facebook.com/smokeybrights

http://soundcloud.com/smokey-brights

http://smokeybrights.bandcamp.com/

Sixty Two competitors made up of both skiers and snowboarders took 

to the jam snow stage on Saturday Night, February 4th to throw down their best tricks hoping to win one or more of the prizes that were handed out by sponsors of the event such as: Coca Cola, Revolution Snow & Skate, Head, NW Riders, UnderArmour, Giro, Vitalire, Arlberg Sports, Burton, Defcon, Native,  Smith,  & Anon.  Wenatchee Worlds Dan Seabrook caught the action on film  , the full story can  be accessed by clicking here.  

Highlights include this shot of Keith Matsumura, winner of the snowboard was Connelly Brooks, Josh West was a standout on skis as well as Justin O'Hara.  More photos can be found on the Mission Ridge Facebook page or photostream.  B-Rad of Revolution, the best announcer in the NW -thanks! 

WENATCHEE — About 150 top youth skiers from around the Pacific Northwest will descend upon Mission Ridge Ski & Board Resort this weekend for the resort's annual Diamond Star Growers Hampton Cup races.

Giant slalom races will be held Saturday and Sunday on the Skookum run located just above Midway on the mountain. The first run each day is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m., while the second run is set for 12:30 p.m.

Competing will be racers aged 13 to 20 years. They will be representing most of the ski areas in Washington state as well as ones from Oregon and Idaho.

"We're really excited about using Skookum because that's where our wiring (for timing needs) is and it's where we typically race," said Sue Johnson, race administrator. "Because of the low snow earlier this season we were using Tumwater instead."

Mission Ridge expects an extra 400 to 450 people on the mountain both Saturday and Sunday as a result of the Hampton Cup. Many of the racers will be accompanied by their parents and coaches and staying in local hotels for two nights, giving the Wenatchee area a nice economic boost.


Check the Mission Ridge Ski Team's website on Sunday night for a race story.

If you've never experienced "Powder Thursdays" at Mission Ridge, then I would say you've never experienced Mission Ridge.

Powder Thursdays set Mission Ridge apart from any other mountain. They are so amazing, in fact, that people arrange their work schedules around them. And those who aren't lucky enough to make their own schedules are seen dodging their bosses after calling in sick, because their bosses are at the mountain too.

Closing the mountain Tuesday and Wednesday allows storms to dump amazing amounts of snow and keep it untouched for two full days. When the time comes to open on Thursday, the entire mountain is ready to give out plentiful face shots and soft landings.

There is such a unique feeling from being there on these days that can't be explained or described. It's a mix of fulfillment and excitement that fills your soul while waiting for the chairs to move. And it's a mix of anxiety and impatience while planning strategic attacks to gain as many powder turns as possible before anyone else.

At the end of the day, all I know is I feel happy when thinking about waiting for lifts to start in the early morning while bombs are blowing left and right... and also that my legs have turned to Jello.

Emission 2.2 "Powdergeddon – A Tale of Powder Thursdays" (link to video) is a video that gives you a taste of what it's like to be there on these incredible Thursdays. Enjoy.

Video Made By: Mission Ridge Media

Skier/Filmer/Editor: Jared Eygabroad

Music: Collective Influence

THE VID 

SNAPS

Make no mistake, Cody Beebe & The Crooks is no country pop band.

More like some gritty rock-tinged Americana. Or, as the band describes itself, "Steve Earle meets Pink Floyd."

"We call ourselves roots rock but we're a mix of country, blues, and rock," said namesake Cody Beebe, whose band will take the stage Saturday night as part of the KOHO 101.1 Mission Ridge Mountain Music Festival at Hampton Lodge. "For a lot of us, we would get really bored playing in a tight boundaries ..."

Formed in February 2009, the five-piece band calls Seattle home now. But most of the band members attended Washington State University and Beebe himself originally hails from Selah.

Last year, they embarked on a four-month tour that saw them play in 24 states. One of the highlights was hearing their single, "Waiting on You," playing on a Knoxville, Tenn., radio station as they were passing through.

"He (Cody Beebe) and The Crooks are not your typical Seattle band," Yakima's On Magazine commented last year. "They don't get cute. They aren't trying to prove how hip they are. They just want to jump on stage and rock a little bit."

The band will play at the Ridge's Hampton Lodge from 6:45 to 9 p.m. Saturday.

Here's more on the Mountain Music Festival.