Friday, March 28, 2008

World Quarter Pipe Championship 2008 held at Timber Ridge, Vermont






Monday March 24, 2008 saw the return of the famous infamous World Quarter Pipe Championship, held at the internationally renowned year-round party hot spot, otherwise known as Timber Ridge in Windham, VT “on the backside of Magic Mountain.” We went to the Rome “By Any Means” film premier party here last summer and had such a great time that we didn’t think twice the minute we heard a winter comp was being held here.

This was the 8th “Annual” Competition and they tell me it’s ok to call it “annual” even though the event was on hiatus for the last 3 or 4 years. This season Tim Waker, owner of Timber Ridge, and his helpers decided to pull out the backhoe again, and transport 50 truckloads of snow onto the exact spot where the summer skateboard halfpipe was set up, to re-create their winter “World Quarterpipe Championship” once again.

This is a contest in the old school style. Anyone can enter. In fact there is no “entering.” Just show up, get up the hill with your deck, and ride down. That’s the only requirement for entry. Steve Hayes of Hayes Brothers snowboards, who rode for the Burton Team from back in the 80’s and 90’s said “The World Quarters reminded me of the early contests in that every one was relaxed, no pressure, they had to hike, and there were no rules. Just ride and have fun. Oh yea, watch out for the Gauntlet.”


Stevie Hayes and Laurie Asperas Valayer, both Burton Team Riders from 1984 into the '90s were there.




The QP billed as “A NIGHTMARE OF TRANSITION AND VERT” on the flyers and signs, was actually a friendly sized 14 foot high hip and spine facing the sun, with a blue barrel to bonk and a wooden “Funerail” to play around on. The riders hit the features continuously from the practice sesh that ended around 12 noon, until the contest ended after 4:30. They rode it as jousting knights into battle, more so than even the snowboard warriors at another recent medieval-themed snowboard event held down the road this weekend.

The contestants at the World QP were made to ride a gauntlet where the local townsfolk threw snowballs and sometimes beer cans, using the snowboard warriors as flying targets. Occasionally a snowboarding warrior threw back a snowball at the gauntlet-keepers from the air during the jump, making for jolly entertainment. The purpose of a gauntlet is to make sure that no evil spirits will dare follow the warriors, and I think they must be pretty free and clear after what they went through!

After threading the gauntlet the warriors were forced to jump over fire in their rides downhill. Not electronically created controlled fire like the kind next to the Wizard of Oz’s face, but real gnarly wood “flare-up when it-feels like it fire.” There were a few singed butts to be sure.

This rider is smokin'! No really!!

Riders were still goin’ at the jump and making victory laps during the award ceremony, where Shayne Pospisil took first place. His cool mom Janet and his bros were there to cheer him on. Shayne is just back from a second place at Terje’s Arctic Challenge. Winning the Arctic Challenge was a highlight of his career to date, and he gets to go surfing with Terje in Indonesia for a prize. We think his moms should get to go on that trip too since she’s a surfer.

Shayne Pospisil, winner, and his surfin' Mom Janet

Shout out to our new friends Tarik Blowers age 14, of Jamaica, VT, and his mom Suzanne Sylvester. This kid spun on the QP like no one else and we hear he was just tapped to ride for Hayes Brothers. Tarik was a winner of the Red Bull One Hit Wonder comps at Mountain Creek and Stratton this season and is a Ross Powers personal friend, and Foundation sponsoree.

Tarik Blowers and his Mom Suzanne Sylvester


Forest Bailey had that determined look on his face and pulled off the first of the roof drop bonks, jumping off the right side of the spine onto the roof of the little house below. He did some nice stalls on the wood rail.

Nugget announced, and someone sometimes played music of a wide and oddly assorted variety from his Ipod. Scotty Lago was going big as the most famous of the riders here and we hope his heel heals fast. Scotty and Shayne P. are off to Alaska to film this week.

Teddy Rauh actually did perform his legendary signature double back flip a couple of times toward the end of the day. A few times his landing that we couldn’t see produced big puffs of flyng snow and thuds, but he came walking back every time, thank goodness.

Chris Waker rode wearing the signature yellow and black colors of Timber Ridge. Btw, Who are all those security guards wearing the yellow jackets and roaring the sleds uphill with up to 3 snowboarders snow wakeboarding behind? We don’t know but they seem to be having the time of their life at this party and the other Timber Ridge ones too! Dad Tim got into the act when he rode the mini-bike prize down the quarter pipe to present it, much to the delight of the almost jaded and by now pretty drunk audience.


Tim Waker tests out the prize mini-bike




This was a small awesome party with free vittles on the grill and some free brewskis and Red Bulls. Thanks to Rome SDS, Red Bull, Pat Bridges, Mark Sullivan, the Wakers, the shuttle bus driver, the security guards, Magic Mountain, Mother Nature for the pretty day, all the riders, spectators, dogs, and whoever else and everyone else who helped make this party special. We’ll be back for the next party here, no doubt!

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Monday, March 3, 2008

Bluebird Skies at Hunter TELEMET Latitude 42 2008

Hunter Mountain Hosts TELEMET Latitude 42
for 3rd Year

Bluebird skies could not have been brighter Sunday afternoon as we watched the Big Air Finals, and Rail Jam warm-up and match of this annual snowboard and ski contest. Hunter Mountain had the rails set up for easy viewing from their sun deck, so you could enjoy a cold brew along with the warm rays and exciting action all from your comfy seated position in an Adirondack chair or at a picnic table after finishing a great day of sniing. The music by DJ Soul Atomic caused uncontrollable grooving in the crowd.

On the mic at the rail jam was Chris Karas of Hunter, adding color and style. A good announcer really jazzes up a jam, and he did! Rail Jam Props go out to Juan Morri for his stylish tweak on the rail and red shirt, Mike DiStasio who brought his trademark one-footer to Hunter and always looks smart, Tom Weiss, (one of our faves) who has won this rail jam for the last 3 years straight, and Brian Pendergast for style and enthusiasm. And our friends from USASA events in the Catskill Mountain Series that we compete in personally. These CMS-ers were all on the podium this weekend: Tyler Yager, Becky Popiel, and Katie Teague. Bob Basil our CMS fearless leader, and his trusty assistant (and sister) Marie Ianelli kept the Lat 42 event on course all weekend

Also props to Tess Hobbs, skier, and captain/coach of the UVM ski rail team who won and brought her team down to compete. She won the rail jam and QP here this year and last, as she has been winning all season, including at Rails to Riches at Killington. She is unstoppable!

A top notch team of snowboard judges officiated, including Jeremiah Dixon of Hunter. (He gave me my first lesson in the halfpipe many years ago, and enough encouragement that I stayed with it, and now finally find it relaxing to ride the pipe instead of the equivalent of jumping out of a plane, as it used to feel to me!). Also judges judge Rick Bauer, and the rest of the team.

Hey, why does the warm-up before rail jams have to be so long? The competitors have practiced plenty to get here and are sometimes wilted by the time the event finally begins.

We were very pleased to see our friends Justin Maury and Luke Love (yes, that's his REAL name!) of Mountain Creek and every party this season set up with a great gig, running the Signal/Scion booth where they get to drive the Scion from mountain to mountain, then give out raffle tickets and do an award ceremony. Justin and Luke love the megaphone and have a gift for amplified gab. Just hope you don't have to hear the pirate joke.
In the afternoon we took a run with our new friends Dave Schupp, Dave Callahan, who threw down later in the jam finals, and 14-year old Matt Kozuch from the dirty and Hunter, who likes to practice his pick-up lines on girls, yelling down from the chair lift. Cute!

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The
Latitude 42 North freestyle competition featured Big Air, Rail Jam and Quarterpipe competitions, live entertainment and a grand prize giveaway of a trip for two to Catedral Alta Patagonia, Argentina. Winners of each competition and discipline are as follows:

QUARTERPIPE
SNOWBOARDERS
Male
Female
(1st) Tyler Yager
(1st) Marisa McKellar
(2nd) Jordan Saccoccie
(2nd) Katie Teague
(3rd) Pablo Dawybida
(3rd) Meghan Hughes
SKIERS
Male
Female
(1st) Corey Roberts
(1st) Krista Hughes
(2nd) Erik Olson
(2nd) Jessa Suhner
(3rd) Anthony Cigna
(3rd) Jenna Gotthelf
BIG AIR
SNOWBOARDERS
Male
Female
(1st) Mark Bondi
(1st) Meghan Hughes
( 2nd) Colin Shoemaker
(2nd) Marisa McKellar
(3rd) Matt Briggs
(3rd) Becky Popiel
SKIERS
Male
Female
(1st) Graham Derby
(1st) Tess Hobbs
(2nd) Corey Roberts
(2nd) Julia Luebs
(3rd) Anthony Cigna
(3rd) Jessa Suhner
RAIL JAM
SNOWBOARDERS
Male
Female
(1st ) Thomas Weiss
(1st) Chelsea Camarata
(2nd) Mike Callaghan
(2nd) Katie Teague
(3rd) Colin Shoemaker
(3rd) Becky Popiel
SKIERS
Male
Female
(1st) Will Wesson
(1st) Tess Hobbs
(2nd) Andy Parry
(2nd) Jenna Gotthelf
(3rd) Matt Marks
(3rd) Jessa Suhner


More than $25,000 in cash and prizes were distributed to the winners. Please
continue to the website for further information, photos, and more!