Milos Reaches the Peaks with SWATCH Freeride World Tour

Milos QuickTruss M290V aluminum truss was recently used in the SWATCH Freeride World Tour by The North Face, a competition that showcases free skiing and snowboarding's top athletes on the biggest mountain resort venues. Managed by Mountain Sports International (MSI), the popular event features difficult lines through natural terrain that starts at the mountain's peak and descends through cornices and cliff faces to the finish line at the bottom. The custom QuickTruss structure served as the start gate at the mountain-top and is being used in the North American leg of the world tour including British Columbia, Canada and Kirkwood, California.

Transporting and building a start gate in the windy, snowy environment of high elevations was impractical, so truss was chosen to be built in advance and placed by helicopter. At just 916 lb, the 20' (6.1m) tall structure was prebuilt and flown to mountain peaks before being carefully positioned in the snow. Quicktruss aluminum truss was chosen not only for its light weight, but for its strength and durability. The natural silver finish stands up to the harshest outdoor conditions, even buried in snow and ice. When not in use, the components break down to store and transport easily by truck, train or air allowing many stops on a global tour.

The design of the structure was completely to customer specification to allow placement and ballasting on site, to showcase the event logo and sponsors, and to accommodate the orderly send-off of athletes at the gate. Featuring a 16.49' main circle in M290V Quatro truss on a rectangular Quatro frame, legs and feet provide stability and ballasting surface on the snowy terrain. A custom-welded tube door frame rounds out the start gate, through which the athletes must pass to begin their times. The resulting structure is light, balanced, aesthetic, and utilitarian.

MSI's project manager Jason Eder worked closely with Milos during the design and production of the start gate. With just a four-week turnaround, communication was essential to obtain the finished structure in time for the first tour stop in Canada. "The starting gate is a powerful focus point of each competition. It is an important feature of the event and an integral part of providing compelling branding opportunities to our event partners."