This year's Legendary Banked Slalom couldn't have been more Baker. The race always draws some heated conversation, but the real talk of the event were the conditions. I mean here you are on this mountain that couldn't have been formed any better for snow sliding and the line up for the three days was all one could ask for - 24" on Friday, 10" on Saturday and another 4" of fresh on Sunday to end the long weekend. Damn.
The race itself is more like a reunion of old friends than a neck-to-neck competition with first place driving home a new Audi. And as always racers go out to take pow lines all day, before and after their runs. When I found out that it was Men's Pro winner Xavier Delerue's first time at Baker he keyed me into his feelings for the hill.
"I wanted to come here for a long time and I'm stoked to be here. I love it. I've never seen so much snow. I was riding from the beginning of the day until the end."
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| Oooooh the course was deep... |
After the race Xavier decided to stay on another day and ride.
These stellar conditions made it hard for a spectator to stay put and watch all the action, but if you were there for the long haul you might have noticed that the race captured a slice of international interest, because the Euros stole the show. Men's Boardercross fanatic Xavier Delerue, of St. Lary France, beat out last year's winner Temple Cummins, of Gig Harbor Washington, by 64 hundredths of a second with a 1.22.07. His finesse grabbed him the Golden Duct Tape for this 18th annual race. Fellow Frenchman Sylvain Duclos, of Samoens, France, took third with a time of 1.22.80.
"I'm a fast guy and I know it and I wanted to prove it and that's it."
Straight and to the point, those damn French.
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| Xavier holding the Golden Duct Tape high above in celebration. |
Duncan Howat's pre-race snowmobile grooming helped run the course fast, and the race conditions were just about perfect for the lovely ladies. The Women's Pro field saw Swiss first timer Manuela Pesko take the Golden Duct Tape with a time of 1.28.79, more than a second in front of 17-year-old Stacy Thomas of Seattle who ran a 1.29.86. Third went to another Frenchie, 16-year-old Margot Rozies whose time of 1.30.320 was just seven thousandths of a second in front of the most winning woman of the banked slalom, Karleen Jeffery of Kelowna, B.C. Karleen in turn was just one thousandth of a second faster than 2000's champ Victoria Jealouse of Kamloops, B.C.
Pesko, who had been out for three runs before and six after her fastest time, laid it down for Mt Baker.
"This surface is so much fun. The fact that you can take powder lines (between runs) and the conditions are epic here. I almost couldn't believe overnight there was so much snow coming in. We don't have that in Europe."
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| Winner Manuela Pesko with buddy and Baker guide Michelle Taggart (on left). |
After the race all competitors gathered in White Salmon Lodge for the awards ceremony, a venue which holds the official results secret until all are present. The Duct Tape Trophies were given along side gifts as congratulations to the competitors. The feeling of the ceremony was that of a family reunion where everybody watches old movies and cheers at their favorite parts. As people like Terje and Tom Burt were announced along side local favorites and Washington rippers one realizes the love in the room really does support a very real idea. The idea that to many, this is the last real bastion of snowboarding.
Top Finishers: |
Winner's Stats
Women Amateurs:
1. Mechille Kiss, 1.34.724
2. Myrna Moren, 1.34.726
3. Maria DeBari, 1.34.93
Older Amateur Men:
1. Bobby Hickman, 1.26.43
2. Mikki Tutsch, 1.26.7
3. Donavon Jardee, 1.27.56
Women Masters:
1. Jen Tofte, 1.37.24
2. Jenny Tofe, 1.40.05
3. Jeannie DeBari, 1.48.02
Masters:
1. Shannon Melhuse, 1.26.69
2. Matt Remine, 1.29.06
3. Tom Burt, 1.29.33
Masters Amateur:
1. Mike Cotes, 1.30.51
2. Randy Haugen, 1.30.68
3. Christopher Saari, 1.32.69
Grand Masters:
1. Rob Skala, 1.32.61
2. Bernard Crepel, 1.32.69
3. Jim Taylor, 1.34.13
Next Generation:
1. Blake Eddington, 1.40.7
2. Logan Beaulieu, 1.42.4.
Juniors:
1. Lucas DeBari, 1.27.93
2. Jason Eddington, 1.31.56
3. Nick Cornford, 1.32.72
Younger Amateur Men:
1. Dillon Candelaria, 1.26.46
2. Chris Coralline, 1.26.92
3. Jason Robinson, 1.28.29
Related Photos:
2002 Mt. Baker Legendary Banked Slalom
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