Though the Banked Slalom evolves from year to year, one thing remains a constant; the infamous duct tape trophies for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in each category. These coveted trophies date back to the late '80s, when Race Honcho Gwyn Howat introduced them as an ode to the historical importance of duct tape in the evolution of the sport of snowboarding and the days when racers used to literally duct-tape themselves into their Sorel boots and low-back bindings. O.K., maybe she just had a lot of extra rolls laying around and thought they looked really cool painted in metallic colors. But now that duct tape doesn't play as significant a role in the day-to-day lives of snowboarders (damn those technological advances!) the trophies help us keep in touch with our roots. Over the years, there have been a few mutations of the duct tape trophies - they were hung as medals during the Olympic year of 1992, they've been mounted on marble, and last year were mounted on custom-made, reclaimed fir bases.

The 17th Banked Slalom winner Temple Cummins, throwin' up the duct!

This year, the trophies will have an extra special touch; our cousin Lloyd Tommila is creating bases out of Shuksan stone - a beautiful green stone found in and around the ski area. (don't worry, USFS-types, the rock is from a local quarry) Lloyd has been helping us with the Banked Slalom for a few years nowand the combination of an artists touch with Shuksan stone and duct tape is tough to beat!

   Send to a friend  | Submit your photo or video
   Top Rated Photos |  Top Rated Videos |  Most Sent