This weekend, the Swatch TTR Tour will descend on Modena, Italy. October 30th-31st are the dates for the 4Star Nissan Stomp-It. Part of the Nissan Skipass, one of Italy's biggest winter trade shows, this is the fourth year for the event. It started as a 2Star rated event, but has gradually grown bigger and more prestigious, and now holds a 4Star ranking. This means the competition will host some of the world's elite snowboarders. 35 snowboarders in total will compete. Ten have been invited directly to the semi-finals, skipping the qualification round on Saturday. Among those already qualified are Gjermund Braaten (currently ranked number one on the TTR Tour), Christian Haller (ranked third), last year’s winner Matti Kinnunen, and Kevin Backström.

While Italy has been receiving quite a bit of snow recently, they'll still be making it for the event. Riders will be laying down their best tricks off a huge corner jump. In the semi-finals, they'll have two runs, and the final five riders in the finals will have three runs. They'll all be competing for a piece of the US$25,000 prize purse. Next up for the TTR Tour is the Dachstein Glacier, Austria for the 4Star Horsefeathers Pleasure Jam November 11th-14th.

We here at Mica aren't fans of artificial snow (why would we with all the awesome powder that falls here every year), but we understand why the Stomp-It folks need to use it. The snow level here has finally dropped far enough that we're starting to get some decent coverage. It won't be long before the powder completely covers our tenure, and the powder heli skiing gets started.

We've been in operation since 2003, and in that short span we've gained a reputation for some of the best terrain out there. In 2007 and 2008, Powder Magazine’s Best Line award went to lines skied here. Because our heliboarding and heliskiing vacations have such a great reputation, they tend to fill up fast. There are still some spots left for this season, however, so if you're ready for the best in backcountry heliskiing, book soon.