SQUAW VALLEY, CA – Imagine finding a way to get 13,000 pounds of PA system up the side of a mountain. That’s exactly what Alex Moran of Spider Ranch Productions of Calif., had to accomplish when he was asked to provide the sound for the Jeep King of the Mountain World Pro Ski and Snowboard Championships. Alex provided a full complement of McCauley loudspeakers including MONARC MLA3’s, MS3’s, SM72’s and McCauley Sound’s new M88 subwoofer for what’s been referred to as “the loudest show on snow.”
The King of the Mountain Ski and Snowboard Competition takes places in several stages in different locations with varying terrain. The second stop on the tour took place over four days at two different elevations of 8,100 feet and 9,200 feet at the Squaw Valley ski resort. Alex found that the only way to transport all 16 MLA3’s, four MS3’s, four M88’s and eight SM72’s was by cable tram up the mountain. “After the transport” says Alex, “we had to take 10 car loads in a snow cat trailer to get to the final destination.”
The first day at the lower elevation, the entire inventory of McCauley gear was used. The MLA3’s were stacked on the outer sides of the MS3’s and the M88’s. The SM72’s were mounted on speaker stands down the course to distribute the sound for the down hill ski and snow cross competitions.
For the men’s and women’s ski half-pipe competition, Alex stacked eight MLA3’s on top of two MS3, with two M88’s standing next to that stack, on either side of the half-pipe to get the best sound out to the audience and competitors.
“The location of Squaw Valley is just breathtaking” said Alex, “it would be hard to imagine being able to produce an event at that altitude and having it come off well to the audience, but MONARC has a way of overcoming the seemingly impossible… the HF section has enough headroom to overcome the altitude. I got some great complements on the system from the Jeep crew, snowboarders, skiers and bystanders alike. The sound was almost as impressive as the landscape, almost.”
Squaw Valley is famously known for it being the site of the second Winter Olympics held in the United States in 1960. The resort is referred to as “Squallywood.” The nickname comes from a The Squaw Valley Writers Festival, which has been known to attract and produce some of the United States’ top authors and screenwriters, and also had the pleasure of Walt Disney freeing a flock of doves during the opening ceremonies of the 1960 Winter Olympics.
For information, please visit www.mccauley.com
