Michelle is bringing home the money, she just got second in a AM Series slopestyle event at Northstar, Good Job Zeller! “It was a big field of 19 ladies and I qualified 6th for finals. It started snowing before finals which slowed down the course but I managed to put down a solid second run to take home 2nd place and $500! Here is an article on snowboardermag.com. I am also confirmed for U.S. open and am stoked to compete in it again this season!”~MZ
Story by Tom Naab, Photos by Tim Zimmerman, Video by HomeSchool Rips
With the Olympics wrapping up we can look forward to another four years of peace and quiet. We can get back to minding our own business and doing what we love. Snowboarding. We won’t have to listen to the mainstream media fire cliché after cliché telling us who we are and what the Olympics mean to snowboarding. It may mean a lot to certain people who snowboard, but it doesn’t mean much to snowboarding. What would change if snowboarding wasn’t in the Olympics? Not much. Why? At the end of the day people who snowboard love to snowboard, pure and simple. It doesn’t matter if its lapping a park all day, riding backcountry, rolling groomers with friends, or chasing powder. Everyone who rides, rides for the love of doing so.
PHOTOS:
If the Olympics don’t mean much to snowboarding what does? Anti-contests. They aren’t interested in corporate sponsorships or huge paychecks, but rather celebrating snowboarding’s soul. The winner’s name will go down in snowboarding lore. Years from now people will speak their name as they look back and tell younger generations of snowboarders what it means to be a snowboarder. In no particular order, a short list of these events would be the US Open, The Legendary Banked Slalom, Log Masters, and the one and only Holy Oly.
Northwest Method Award: Danny Garrity
Under abnormally warm and sunny skies the 7th Annual Holy Oly Revival went down this past Saturday at Hyak. Also known as Summit at Snoqualmie East, Hyak has been closed since a massive landslide took out the main chairlift last winter. With the lifts still closed several hundred people hiked up the mountain to celebrate snowboarding alongside a 40-foot Olympia beer can and a 24-foot quarterpipe.
VIDEO:
Krush Kulesza and his team from Summit at Snoqualmie built an outstanding setup featuring a hand dug sod topped 24-foot quarterpipe alongside an 8-foot quarterpipe filled with giant tubes, aptly named Tube City. Decorating the top of setup were pink flamingos, lifeguard chairs, a 20-foot tall inflatable Summit beer can, MC/Think Thank frontman Jesse Burtner, and tons of bananas.
Beserker Award: Nate Farrell
The day of 1,000 methods started around noon on the quarterpipe. From the start riders were going off. Everyone from legends like Peter Line to unknown locals destroyed it. There were more bananas flying than tomatoes, and the crowd was not disappointed in the least. Two hours later the action moved to Tube City allowing the crew to do maintenance on the quarterpipe. After an hour or so at Tube City the riders went back to the quarterpipe for the rest of the afternoon.
Tube City/ Jib Central: Forest Bailey
There were too many people killing it to mention everyone, but some of the highlights were: Austin Hironaka sending double overhead airs while his little brother charged right behind him. Dustin Craven and Pat Bridges’ synchronized handplants while cranking heaters. Danny Garrity showed us that he loves metal and going huge. Nate Farrel channeled his inner Ian Spiro and threw huge tricks and then did them again, switch. Forest Bailey did what someone named Forest would do and that was everything really well. Tucker Andrews laid out a backflip that looked more fun than just about everything else. Patrick McCarthy, Justin Heath, and Manuel Dias displayed that the Michalchuk can only be done well by those with the brass to go big. Austen Sweetin and a kid with a red jacket explained that you don’t need to be old to boost. Blair Habenicht and Matt Edgers proved there is always a creative line that nobody else sees. Jess Kimura displayed that not only is she willing to charge, she isn’t going to take no for an answer. Jason Robinson rode over everything and did a ridiculous handplant 50-50 disaster revert. Dustin Anderson and Bryce Neibuhr had no problem doing really big methods with really big smiles. Peter Line did what a legend does, everything with impeccable style and making it look all too easy. A 4-foot grom dropped in unaware or unafraid that the quarterpipe was six times his size. The crowd fueled by free bananas, Cobra Dogs, and Red Bull stayed for over four hours as the riders laid it down.
The 7th Annual Holy Oly was a celebration of snowboarding, bananas, and Northwest pride. Everyone there understood why someone would frequently ride in the rain, without sunlight, and truly enjoy it. When Krush read the awards off an empty 12 pack of Olympia nobody questioned it. They understood this is a celebration. Here are the awards starting with the “points of interest:”
Points of Interest/Honorable Mention:
Longest Rock to Fakie- Jake Kelly.
Biggest Alley Oop- Johnny Malanga
Where Have You Been?-Josh Charles
Nate, Forest, Danny
Awards:
1st Annual Billy Goat’s Gruff Award for Creative Line- Blair Habenicht
We Don’t Need No Stinking Binders Award for Best Snow Skater AKA Jake Tomlinson Award-Jake Tomlinson
Mayor of Tube City Award for Best at Tube City-Forest Bailey
Y Chromosome Award/Best Crash Award- Jess Kimura
Random Snowboarder From The Past That Nobody Knew Was Coming Award AKA Jeff Brushie Award- Russel Winfield
Hardest Charging Industry Guy/Girl Award- Sean Teodore
Highest Air/Best Face Award- Bryce Neibuhr
Best Trick Award-Devin Elliot for his Switch McTwist 720
Berzerker Award for All Around Excellence/2nd Place- Nate Farrel
Making It Happen/ Keeping The Spirit Alive Award-Cory Grove from Cobra Dogs
Northwest Method Award- Danny Garrity
Holiest of the Holy Award for Overall Winner-Austin Hironaka
At 7pm an after party was held at the Summit West Base Lodge. People gathered, drank beer, and listened to three great bands featuring two snowboarding legends. Wes Makepeace (solo) and Todd Schlosser’s The Senate Arcade both performed acoustic sets and got the room ready for Krush Kulesza’s grunge heroes Sweet Water. All in all it was an amazing day among friends and fellow shredders.
As snowboarding gains popularity and ventures further down Mainstream Avenue, grassroots events like the Holy Oly will preserve our sport’s soul. These anti-contests remind us no matter where snowboarding may go; it’s really about having fun. No one would snowboard or even get to the Olympics on one if they didn’t have fun doing it. Every four years when people discuss snowboarding’s place in the Olympics, remember you can’t spell Olympics without spelling OLY.
The best contest in the Northwest just went down last Saturday at the Summit at Snoqualmie, The Holy Oly Revival! The GNU Team showed up, drank some Red Bull, ate a Banana, rode their GNU Bananas all while going bananas…. then ate a Cobra Dawg. Forest Bailey received Tube City/ Jib Central award for dominating the Jib Section, Northwest Method Award went to Danny Garrity for massive methods over the Hight O Meter, and Nate Farrell brought home the Beserker Award for destroying the quarter pipe, although we are not sure how he brought back his pallet of Olympia Beer on the plane? Danny Garrity, Photo: Huggy
Mathiue mettent un bon spectacle la nuit dernière, il a fini le 10ème endroit dans l’Événement de Superpipe.
Bon Emploi Math!
Mathieu Crepel, Photo: Jeff Baker Snowboard Mag Story
Sequim, WA – February 17, 2010 – Gnu Snowboards proudly welcomes Mathieu Crepel back to the team after a four-year absence. Mathieu will be double corking his new GNU Park Pickle in the Winter Olympics as he represents France in today’s halfpipe competition. Mathieu just advanced to the Semi Finals! 8:15pm EST./5:15pm PST. Mathieu Crepel Back on GNU! Photo: Brian Craighill Live Streaming Link Here
Mathieu has an impressive competitive resume; a two-time Olympian, 2007 FIS Halfpipe and Big Air World Champion, the 2006 Ticket To Ride (TTR) World Champion, and he is the first person to land a switch backside 1260 in competition.
Mathieu is not only a great competitor, but is widely regarded as a better all mountain freestyle rider. Having spent the last several years filming with the legendary Hatchett Brothers’ Standard Films, Mathieu has produced impressive parts in Catch The Vapors and Aesthetica. His part in their latest release, Black Winter, is his best yet.
Mervin Manufacturing’s co-founder Pete Saari echoes these sentiments. “Math has been riding for us since he was a kid and is tres French so we love him. He is one of the world’s best riders in any terrain and if he could drink a little tougher, rope a steer, or shoot a bottle off a stump he would be a lock for a big part in Travis’ next movie. Crepel is smooth, goes big and can dork around with the best of them. He is the real deal. Sacre Bleu!”
Video of Mathieu’s cab double cork
Snowboarding-Men’s Halfpipe Schedule-February 17, 2010
Group 1 Run 1 Qualification 1:05pm PST.
Group 1 Run 2 Qualification 1:40pm PST.
Group 2 Run 1 Qualification 2:40pm PST.
Group 2 Run 2 Qualification 3:15pm PST.
Semifinals Run 1 5:15pm PST.
Semifinals Run 2 5:50pm PST.
After a weather day the clouds cleared enough for the top North Face Masters of Snowboarding qualifiers to rip down Crystal Mountain’s Silver King. Choosing from a plethora of 60-degree chutes, large cliffs and steep faces Crystal Mt local Forrest Burki put together a fluid, technical run to take the first place prize – a samurai sword and $3500. Maria deBari had a great technical line landing her in 2nd place just behind Shannon Yates.
The North Face Masters of Snowboarding will head to Kirkwood February 25-27 for the finals.
For more info on the freeride tour please visit www.thenorthfacemasters.com
Temple Cummins rides his C2 Power Banana into victory at the Legendary Mt Baker Banked Slalom! Antique camber racers walked away with serious Power Banana envy as Temple smoked passed them into first place. Temple had the fastest time on the course with a 1:43.08, and now has 4 wins total, just one behind Terje who has 5.
Photo: Annette Veihelmann
Other podium duct tape winners include, Cody Warble who placed first in Next Generation, Maria DeBari got 3rd in Pro Womens, and Max Warbington took 3rd in Younger Ams. Congratulations to all of the racers! Thanks to Mt Baker and the Crew there for 25 years of rad!
VIDEO RIPS:
PHOTOS:
By Annette Veihelmann
FINAL RESULTS: PRO MEN Temple Cummins-1st Place-1:43.08-GNU BILLY GOAT C2 POWER BANANA
Sky Risvold-6th Place-1:44.93-GNU BILLY GOAT MAGNE-TRACTION
Forest Bailey-28th Place-1:51.37-GNU RIDERS CHOICE C2 POWER BANANA
Nate Farrell-32th Place-1:51.72-GNU RIDERS CHOICE C2 POWER BANANA
Forrest Burki-33th Place-1:51.82-GNU BILLY GOAT C2 POWER BANANA
PRO WOMEN Maria DeBari-3rd Place-1:54.66-GNU B-PRO C2 POWER BANANA
Megan Pischke-5TH Place-1:58.63-GNU B-PRO C2 POWER BANANA
Barrett Christy Cummins-7th Place-1:59.93-GNU B-PRO C2 POWER BANANA
YOUNGER AMATEUR MEN Max Warbington-3rd Place-1:52.19-LIB TECH SKATE BANANA
NEXT GENERATION Cody Warble-1st Place-2:00.43-GNU DK MINI BANANA
Tube City/ Jib Central: Forest Bailey
