Ben Gavelda
The silver anniversary course. Photo: Scott Serfas
The 25th Annual Mount Baker Banked Slalom
Twenty-five years of turns and tradition
A fresh coating of soggy snow set the stage for the 25th Annual Legendary Banked Slalom this past weekend. Some banks were carved smooth with the new layer, others became rutted and chunky. Local rider JT set the course “just how I normally ride the gully.” And it changed with each riders pass, always does. This is a land far from precision sculpted super tubes and 80-foot death wedges. Enter the Banked Slalom, a gamble of time and slope. Oh, and don’t forget FUN.
Baker locals have always finished with the quickness, and if some chance they didn’t, at least they usually have some sweet northwest style and plenty of cheers going for them. Speaking of locs, siblings Maria and Lucas DeBari sped into the top tiers. Maria, who led the qualifiers, ended up taking home third for the Pro Women. The 2007 champ, Lucas finished seventh.
Seattle’s Marni Yamada took the second spot, a bump up from her third place finish in ‘09. Canadian Olympic hopeful Maelle Ricker took first in the Pro Women’s field and no doubt boosted her confidence as she heads into the Games.
Josh Dirksen, who has been plagued with third places year after year, finally crept into second place after the first run. It looked like he might have had it, but Josh fell on his second and settled for fifth place. 2011 Dirksen, you got it! We’re rooting for you!
The second run was really a sleeper. A handful of riders tumbled and a few more slipped by with fast times. One surprise was Pat Holland of Truckee, California who landed in third place. Rob Fagan, another Canadian Olympic team member, locked the second spot. Things looked grim, as if the podium would be turned upside down….until Temple Cummins’ name was uttered over cheers at the awards ceremony. Temple, a rad dad and now four-time Banked Slalom champ, took home first with a time of 1:43.08. With four first place finishes, Temple is only second to Terje, who holds five trophies of golden duct tape.
While many legends were absent, there were future legends filling their spot. As the LBS came to a close this weekend, the simple act of left and right and gravity continues to endure a quarter century later. It continues past the banks and finish line, too. The tradition lingers at the rider’s tent in the soup-rich, savory and warm. The trading of wax tips, the smiles, and the exhaustion at finish line encompass it. It’s in the vagabonds in the parking lot-sleeping with the mountain. It comes from Colter’s Cave, in hoots. And it’s in the familiar faces that return to further it. So….cheers! Here’s to twenty-five more.
Pro Men
1. Temple Cummins
2. Rob Fagan
3. Pat Holland
Pro Women
1. Maelle Ricker
2. Marni Yamada
3. Maria Debari
Winners In Each Category
Next Generation - Cody Warble
Juniors - Gus Warbington
Younger Amatuers - Austen Sweetin
Women Amateurs - Martina Nemacova
Older Amateurs - Craig Newbury
Womens Masters - Tanya Simpson
Masters - Jonathan Martens
Mid Masters - Gorio Bustamante
Grand Masters - Jim Taylor
Super Masters - Bob Satushek
Pro Masters - Timmy Carlson
View the complete results at the LBS site here.
Such a sick event! Maybe one day I'll make it through the lottery…
Where the F U C K is the new Sunday in the Park??? To hell with all this other garbage…I want the new Bear footy!
this is snowboarding. that shit isn't. retard.
You're a f u c k i n g joke, ben! You think a banked slalom is snowboarding and destroying the park @ Bear isn't? Goddamn, I'd love to run into you one day and show you how a real snowboarder does it.
Johnnie walker your a big dummy and let go of your ego! I'm Johnnie Walker i'm the best ive got every combo on a fun box and handrail i'm f**kin Roots.Johnnie i Bet you don't even know who Temple Cummins is! and i know for a fact you have no idea the amount of History the Banked slalom has in snowboarding! But you don't care about the History of snowboarding. All you want is your 15mins of fame.
dude ur soo gay, u prolly ski in jeans and think ur cool aha,
"DESTROY the park!!! XTREME tricks!!!! SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY (a la monster truck rally), watch them flip, spin, slide!!!" stoopid.
when some dude named Terje hops on a plane for this event/wins it 5 times, and does it just for the fun of it….well, I'm not sure how you can't call it "garbage"
snowboarding is very simple… Take "snow", but a "board" on, ride. Like parks? Go to yellowstone. Like pipes and rails? Go get high. It amazing that the most coverage snowboarders get is when THEY ARE IN THE FREAKING AIR and not on the snow….as if the board is just a launch tool, nothing else. souless baby
J-Dub, you are a kook.
Love the LBS but where the fUC K was the sunday vid pretty weak Bear. Oh well at least in the NW we ride pow on the way to the park.
i would love to ride that course
so can just anybody enter in the contest? how does it work? looks and sounds so awesome though.
anyone can enter. there is a lottery where they pick 150 or so people, then there is space for people who placed the year before and space for invited pros. There is also a locals qualifier for a few more spots. They usually have 300 people race every year, this year there was 313.
haha park rats always gotta spit on some one, if only you knew the joy of crankin out massive turns in the back country, and going so fast you want to piss yourself. i bet that kid doesnt even know what a tranciever is. haha im a baker local and all i have to say is POWDER RIDERS UNITE! LBS IS THE SHITTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!
looks boring, park all the way id like to see u backtrailing pussys do back 10s over huge ass kickers. douches…..big bam, blaa, cragkell, and of coarse old fashion prolly the biggest douchebag of em all, ur prolly a skier that wears jeans and think ur cool
Sky Risvold hella-shred, represent WA!!!!
So sick that Temple won again !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Aaron Robinson is a Samurai Magician - Watch for him and Forrest Burki in all the secret pow lines!