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A pure, untainted event built on simplicity,

tradition, friendships, and family.

A timed slalom race around gates through

banked turns—fastest rider down wins.

A pure, untainted event built on simplicity,

tradition, friendships, and family.

A timed slalom race around gates through

banked turns—fastest rider down wins.

Of Turning Through Mt. Baker’s

Legendary Banked Slalom

B Y A N N I E F A S T

Get low, keep your eyes focused on the course, and

go faster than Terje Haaksonsen if you want a shot at

gold Duct Tape. 2012. PHOTO: TIM ZIMMERMAN

A Freeriding Mecca

T en years ago, I wrote about the 20th anni-versary of the Legendary Banked Slalom and the enduring nature of the event—how

it’s on a level above the ephemeral whims and trends of mainstream snowboarding. So much has changed within snowboarding in the past 10, 20, and now 30 years, but that sentiment remains true and it’s more relevant and more revered than ever. The LBS continues to be a pure, untainted event built on simplicity, tradition, friendships, and family, which stands out in an era where traditions have a tendency to morph

into consumer events. But that’s not how they do it at the LBS. At its core, we’re looking at a timed slalom race around gates through banked turns—fastest rider down wins. That scenario alone is not what brings Terje Haakonsen all the way from Norway year after year. It is, however, the exact event that the late, great Tom Sims and snowboard advocate Bob Barci dreamt up and then petitioned Mt. Baker GM Duncan Howat for heading into the winter of ’84/’85. The first LBS was held on held on January 20, 1985. Bud

“No chute too steep,

no powder too deep.”

“No chute too steep,

no powder too deep.”

Fawcett shared his account of it in the March issue of Absolutely Radical Snowboard Maga-zine. He wrote, “The banked slalom course ran about 500 feet, with 12 gates through some excellent terrain. The course’s action was fast, aggressive, hard-packed snow. 19 out of 28 competitors completed the event.” Tom Sims won that first year, followed by Sims team rider and World Freestyle Champion Terry Kidwell, Camp of Champions founder Ken Achenbach, Craig Kelly, and a whole slew of legendary riders and early industry leaders.

T hat first contest set the wheels in motion for Mt. Baker to become the beating heart of snowboarding culture on the west coast.

The Mt. Baker Hardcore (MBHC) was formed that day among hard charging locals including Jeff Ful-ton, Carter Turk, Dan Donnelly, and Craig Kelly—an influential crew of local riders who lived and rode by the now legendary motto “No chute too steep, no powder too deep.” New riders, many there for the first time, were exposed to Mt. Baker’s terrain. Mike Ranquet, a stoked skate and snow grom at the time, remembers when he found out about the upcoming race on a flier posted at Bob Barci’s Bikefactory skate/snowboard/BMX shop in Bellevue, Washington, announcing both the race and that Tom Sims would be competing. Ranquet says, “I was so stoked to meet Tom Sims. I wanted his autograph. He was in the beer garden, had this mustache—looked like Tom Selleck, you know. It was a big deal!” In addition to the race itself, Ranquet vividly remembers seeing Carter Turk and Eric Jenko riding lines under the lift by the racecourse and being blown away by how badass and steep it was. “That blew my mind more than anything, seeing Carter fly down this f—king 45-degree chute on his roundtail Kidwell, I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is the baddest thing!’ It totally inspired me.” And that’s the exact style of riding and terrain that still inspires legions of riders to make the annual pilgrimage to Baker.

The mountain’s terrain also makes for the best banked slalom training. The course runs through the natural halfpipe, which is centrally located for lapping through the Hemispheres and Shuksan Arm zones and rushing back in time for your run, hopefully with enough leg strength to make it to the bottom. But if the powder is that good, priorities might shift. That’s Ranquet’s excuse for lapsing from a competitor into a cheer-and-chug powder lapper. But beyond pure stoke for the race and Mt. Baker’s terrain, what else explains the unwavering enthusiasm for the LBS through

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Nate Lind goes off course. 2012.

PHOTO: SCOTT SULLIVAN

Josh Dirksen, picking

up speed.

PHOTO: BEN GAVELDA

PHOTO: NICK HAMILTON

Bob Barci.

PHOTO: KEVIN WARD

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Friends & Family

T he people and the traditions around the event make it even more legendary. Mt. Baker GM Duncan Howat has been here since the beginning with his two daughters working

alongside him. Amy Howat Trowbridge is the marketing director and Gwyn Howat is the operations manager. Warmth and welcome emanates from the entire Howat family—they’re personally invested, not just from 30 years of hosting the Banked Slalom, but their own deep history within snowboarding. Amy started riding the winter of 1985 trailing behind the MBHC crew, went pro at 15 years old and competed on the World Cup circuit, also claiming a couple gold Duct Tapes for herself. Gwyn worked for Gnu as their pro team manager and photographer. Together, they traveled the world, eventually ending up back home at Mt. Baker. Their relationships with the competitors are personal and during the event, Amy and Gwyn are everywhere from check-in to drop-in, setting the course and emceeing the awards ceremony. Their enthusiasm and positivity even in the face of the most tremendous weather conditions is infectious. Gwyn attributes a lot of the enthusiasm for the LBS to just how fun the racecourse is and the uniqueness of the natural halfpipe. She says, “If the course was boring, people wouldn’t come back year after year,” adding, “It’s organized—we try not to have people wait, and the times are accurate.” And this is something in which Gwyn, as the course setter, takes a lot of pride. She says, “I really look forward to setting a fun course. I get a huge amount of satisfaction out of setting a beautiful turn and watching someone ride it and see it working.” Gwyn adds, “I like watching everybody test themselves, from the amateurs who are about ready to puke in the start shack because they’re so nervous to the

famous pro riders and Olympians who get totally perplexed by the course because it’s so different than other courses.”

And then there are the traditions—traditions that revolve around food. Northwest food, to be exact; salmon, to be really

specific. The biggest group dinner in snowboarding is the baked salmon bonfire under the moon shadow of the mountain, where huge quantities of salmon are cooked on open grills and gobbled up by hungry competitors, mountain staff and race volunteers. Originally, as Gwyn tells it, the bonfire started as a “goggle melting” weenie roast and smores session. In ’98, the next generation of hardcore riders after the MBHC, including Teal Copeland, Scott Stamnes, and Andy Johnson, came up with the tongue twister of an idea for ‘Baked Salmon at the Banked Slalom.’ They worked on Alaskan fishing boats in the summer to fund their winters and offered to source the fish. Sadly, Teal died in a car wreck that winter. Scott and Andy saw the idea through in 1999 to honor Teal’s memory. Scott tragically passed just as suddenly the following year, the victim of a hit and run. This history imparts the gathering with even more significance to those who knew these radical shredders. Today, local fisherman Reidar Solberg carries on the tradition sourcing the fish and serving as the master chef, feeding some 800 people.

There are unofficial traditions as well—impromptu jam sessions and skate sessions around the small town of Glacier. Legendary board waxing get-togeth-ers and talks out back of the Mt. Baker Snowboard Shop once hosted by the late George Dobis, big group dinners at Milano’s, Scott Sullivan acoustic sets. Ranquet characterizes the weekend as a high school reunion, which isn’t far off.

“If the course was boring,

people wouldn’t come back

year after year,”

“If the course was boring,

people wouldn’t come back

year after year,”

Pete Saari (left) and Jason Robinson. 2012. PHOTO: JEFF HAWE

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Baked Salmon bonfire. Photo: Dano Pendygrasse

L to R: Gwyn, Duncan, Amy, and Gail Howat. PHOTO: CHRIS WELLHAUSEN

Bryan Fox in the start

shack. 2014.

PHOTO: ANDREW MILLER

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Down To Business

The Thunderbird Award given during the LBS acknowledges Northwest riders who’ve made a significant contribution to snowboarding.

2004: Jeff Galbraith2005: Pete Saari and Mike Olson2006: Bob Barci2007: The Cummins Family2008: The Howat Family2009: Dan Donnelly2010: Marcella Dobis2011: Carter Turk2012: Jeff Fulton2013: Jamie Lynn2014: The Debari Family: Lucas and Maria with parents Tom and Jeannie, who won their fair share of Duct Tape themselves with Jeannie competing in 17 races to date.

It all comes down to Sunday—finals day for those riders who made it through qualifiers. The atmosphere is friendly at the top of the course, but make no mistake, riders are here to win.

Josh Dirksen first came to Mt. Baker with the Morrow team in 1998 and, like others, he was hooked. He helped Morrow sweep the podium the following year with a third place finish alongside Matt Goodwill and Mario Paolo Dabbeni. Since then, he’s been the reoccurring subject of “he looks fast” commentary from sideline spectators, earning two second place finishes, four thirds, two fourths (“those are the worst!”), and a handful of top 10’s—he’s also been second-to-last twice. Asked what it takes to get on the podium, Josh verbally shrugs and points out one of the biggest draws of the race—“Any normal person who rides a lot has a chance of doing well.” In a race where 40-year-olds can compete against

17-year-olds in the pro division, he finds that age doesn’t matter. He says, “The old guys try to think that we have a benefit being old and wise or the young kids come in fresh. I think it’s really just the person as a snowboarder.” You’ll see this sentiment reflected in the diverse range of men’s and women’s winners over the years from Olympic racers to hard-charging locals, first-timers, and longtime competitors. As for the longevity of the event, Josh says, “It’s much more appealing of a sport when you know you can do it forever. Snowboarding is losing that in certain aspects, and the Banked Slalom gives us hope because it’s something riders can always strive for—winning the Baker Banked.”

It’s the kind of race where a kid from Colorado can show up, compete against, and beat his heroes. 2014 Men’s Pro winner Harry Kearney started traveling from Colorado to the LBS in 2006 at age

12. Now 20 years old, he has two gold Duct Tapes to his name. This winter, he’s looking forward to his third season living in Glacier and going for his third gold...or at least “beating the boardercross guys.” (Shots fired!) As for his winning strategy, Harry says it’s to think about the race as little as he can. He explains, “I’ll hang out and check the course out, make little mental notes on anywhere that’s going to be crazier than elsewhere, but honestly, it’s just getting confident in it and then not being around it and going out riding with the bros and doing laps elsewhere.”

Finals day culminates in the grandest tradition—gathering in the White Salmon Lodge with legends,

locals, pros, ams, parents, and kids packed in. The windows fog over and the air is heavy with the smells of bonfire, heady microbrews, wet layers. The final race times aren’t revealed until the awards ceremony. It’s anybody’s guess who won—who “looked the fastest” continues to be a topic of conversation (and surprisingly accurate) as the bounty of locally-sourced treasure of Pendleton blankets, embroidered Carhardt jackets, and the legendary Duct Tape trophies are stacked up. Gwyn takes over the emcee duties and reveals all results to a roomful of cheers.

Traveling down from the mountain, the spell of the Legendary Banked Slalom slowly breaks

as you pass the towering snowdrifts, down the winding road, through the mossy old growth for-est, under low hanging clouds, and into the tiny burg of Glacier. Cell service trickles in along with pangs of reality.

The 30th Legendary Banked Slalom will be held February 19–22, 2015. In celebration of the anniversary, a special legends race will be held on Saturday for past Duct Tape winners. We’re excited to see who wins, but one thing’s for sure, there are no losers at the LBS.

Craig Kelly Thunderbird Award

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“The Banked Slalom gives us

hope because it’s something

riders can always strive for—

winning the Baker Banked.”

The Debari family accept the Craig Kelly

Thunderbird Award. 2014. PHOTO: ANDREW MILLER

Harry Kearney’s winning style. 2014. PHOTO: ANDREW MILLER

Four-time champion Temple Cummins on

course between pow runs. 2013.

PHOTO: BEN GAVELDA

Legendary Moments

1985: Tom Sims1986: Shaun Palmer1987: Shaun Palmer, Amy Howat1988: Craig Kelly, Marcella Dobis1989: Rob Morrow, Jennifer Delocki1990: Don Schwartz, Amy Howat

1991: Craig Kelly, Jean Higgins1992: Ross Rebagliati, Karleen Jeffrey1993: Craig Kelly, Karleen Jeffrey1994: Paul Ferrel, Weegee McAuliffe1995: Terje Haakonsen, Rachel Deryckx1996: Terje Haakonsen, Karleen Jeffrey

1997: Rob Morrow, Karleen Jeffrey1998: Terje Haakonsen, Karleen Jeffrey1999: Matt Goodwill, Karleen Jeffrey2000: Terje Haakonsen, Victoria Jealouse2001: Temple Cummins, Barrett Christy2002: Xavier De Le Rue, Manuela Pesko

2003: Terje Haakonsen, Tanja Frieden2004: Terje Haakonsen, Stacy Thomas2005: Cancelled - send snow! 2006: Temple Cummins, Victoria Jealouse2007: Lucas Debari, Maelle Ricker2008: Temple Cummins, Maelle Ricker

2009: Nate Holland, Maelle Ricker2010: Temple Cummins, Maelle Ricker2011: Harry Kearney, Maelle Ricker2012: Terje Haakonsen, Maelle Ricker2013: Seth Wescott, Maelle Ricker2014: Harry Kearney, Marie-France Roy

2014In 2014, the course was moved uphill and additional turns were added to help riders manage speed due to icy conditions. This resulted in one of the most diffi-cult courses in the race’s history.

2013In 2013, Maelle Ricker won the Pro Women’s category for the seventh year in a row, complet-ing the winning-est winning streak ever and tying Terje for the most LBS wins.

2012Terje Haakonsen won his sev-enth Baker Banked Slalom Men’s Pro event 17 years af-ter winning his first pro title in 1995. The top three included Josh Dirksen and Temple Cum-mins—all over age 30.

2010Two years after Kevin Pearce suffered a traumatic brain in-jury in the halfpipe training for the 2010 Winter Olympics, he competed again for the first time in the 2012 LBS. Kevin missed a gate in the qualifiers, but earned lifetime entry into the event and a standing ovation at the awards ceremony.

200718-year-old Glacier local Lucas Debari fulfilled a lifetime dream of winning the men’s pro division, fol-lowing in the footsteps of legendary locals before him including Temple Cummins and Craig Kelly.

2006The Father Of Northwest Snowboarding, Bob Barci, was awarded the Craig Kelly Award. The co-founder of the LBS, hum-ble and as dedicated as ever to the North-west snowboard scene, passed away the following year from stomach cancer.

2005The winter of 2005, in direct con-trast to the record setting winter of 1999, was an El Nino winter, which resulted in low snowfall—so low that the banked slalom was cancelled for the first time in its history.

2003The Mt. Baker staff arranged a 21-method salute to commem-orate Craig Kelly’s passing. The salute turned into 50-plus meth-ods being thrown off a kicker by Craig’s longtime friends and ad-mirers, ending with his younger brother Josh.

1996Terje prequalified switch. Here’s how it went down: he quali-fied in his first run, and then took his second qualifying run switch, which was fast enough to qualify, too. The de-tails of this event got passed around, and when it came out the other end, the urban legend was that he had won the whole event riding backwards.

1993The LBS began award-ing Duct Tape trophies to commemorate the days when duct tape held feet into Sorels and Sorels into bindings.

1986 The race was held on Upper Pan Chute, which funnels steeply toward the finish line. It was snowing so hard riders couldn’t even see the course. According to Jeff Fulton, during fi-nals, 16-year-old Shaun Palmer left the start gate and experienced a moment of divine in-tervention. The clouds parted and it got totally sunny and clear just for Shaun’s run. He won.

1985Tom Sims wins the inaugural event doing surf-style turns on a Sims 1500 FE Pro Swallowtail. Tom’s board had metal edges and he had disengaged the base fins with spacers. He said he wanted to take them off, but it was considered kooky not to have them.

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Duct Tape Gold Honor Roll

2001Mt. Baker locals shed a tear and let out a collective sigh when power couple Barrett Christy and Temple Cum-mins both won their pro divisions.

1999The year of the world record snowfall, the resort was closed for the first time ever due to weather, extremely high-avalanche conditions, and 80-mile-per-hour winds. For the qualifiers, the pros and masters hiked to the bottom of Chair 5 while the avalanche-control team blasted the area around the racecourse. Chair 5 opened for the racers to take one qualifying run down. Those were the only people on the mountain that day.

Tom Sims. PHOTO: BUD FAWCETT

Lucas Debari.

PHOTO: FRODE SANDBECH

Bob Barci, Pete Saari, Jeff Galbraith.

PHOTO: JOSH THOMPSON

Kevin Pearce.

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Terje Haakonsen. PHOTO: ADAM MORAN

PHOTO: ANDREW MILLER