How an Article About an Avalanche Triggered a Journalistic Avalanche
"During the night from Saturday to Sunday, more than 80 centimeters of snow had fallen. The finest powder had drifted down onto the slopes of Cowboy Mountain. Irresistible conditions for the skiers spending the weekend at Stevens Pass, a small ski resort about 120 kilometers east of Seattle." Nestled somewhat away from the tourist crowds, the idyllic resort, with its ten lifts on 1,781-meter-high Cowboy Mountain, is especially popular with locals. On this particular weekend in February 2012, the resort's marketing director, Chris Rudolph, was delighted to welcome some of America's best-known and most accomplished skiers and freeriders, along with several sports journalists. Stevens Pass was showing itself at its very best, and there would be magnificent footage for documentaries, feature stories, and photo blogs. Rudolph hoped that the resulting coverage would generate considerable publicity for the region. And now, to top it all off, the perfect snow had arrived. ...
