Monday, April 22

Who Needs Testicles When We Got Festicals?

By Dave Finger
EXPN.com

Related Photos:
2nd Annual K2 Festical Photos

"Take it to the next level." -- Luke Edgar, Brand and Sales Manager for K2 Snowboarding.

And that's just what happened every night April 8-12 during the 2nd annual K2 Festical. The Festical, K2's give back party for 300 of their favorite shop owners and employees, is probably one of the coolest ways to hook up the people that make it happen for a company. Some may be wondering what is this "cool" I speak of… Well what other company do you know that would rent out Mt. Baker for a week to have a big, exclusive, lots of chicks party just for you and your crew?

Get the party people moving with some straight ahead P-Rock.

I mean if you were one of the lucky few to attend you would have had the entire mountain to yourself, three free meaty-ass meals a day, all the free Red Hook beer you could drink at night, tons of free swag (the best being a brand new Sympatex jacket) and a big tent for partying in the middle of the upper parking lot. The tent was the focus of the night's activities. This is where you parlayed with the other attendees, enjoyed entertainment ranging from straight ahead P-Rock bands, to DJs, to a live traveling circus, to a late night slice of pizza and of course to the real fun - watching everybody get drunker and drunker and acting looser and looser until the last heavily costumed body falls into their, or their new hook up for the night's, bed.

Bed? Where are there beds in the upper parking lot of Mt. Baker? Well let me tell you not only were there beds but there was something even better, a entire city of beds. An RV City.

There were tons of 'em! That's right, RVs - Some big, some small, some with full showers, some with bathrooms full of drying gear and some with simply tons of Red Bull and Vodka. Whether you had a motorized telescopic bedroom or 12 dudes all crammed into a glorified mini-van there was a common thread to all these "parties on wheels." Every single one of them was warm, dry and full of fun loving people all here for the same reason - ride hard, play hard.

Tafari, Zach and Takashi from Seattle's Snowboard Connection get their wet-ass shred on.

Just steps away from the big city free gear was flying everywhere. Official Festical point man Dave Billinghurst, the one behind this whole debauched week of frenzied consumption, threw out more swag than you could shake a stick at. The lodge that was equipped to serve food to 300+ people per day was the epicenter of this free for all. Besides the need to dodge flying gear while eating the vibe at each meal was like a campfire reunion; stories of the days' antics passed through the mouths of starving snowboarders as they shoveled grub in anticipation for the night's activity. And just to set the record straight, since it was pissing pretty much everyday (and everybody rode with big smiles on their faces) it seemed like partying was the top priority for the week.

"I guess that I would say that despite the crappy riding conditions, everyone had an amazing time, mostly because they all partied their asses off." -- Gin Yang, Marketing and PR WonderKid, K2 Snowboards.

A standout from this year was the crazy sexual undercurrent in the party tent, the likes of which Mt Baker probably hasn't seen for a while. And for providing (of all places) a tent in the middle of a parking lot with this crazy sexed out vibe, I gotta say good job K2. Last year was way more like a bros hangin by the big bonfire, drinking beers and talking story type of vibe, but this year was different. There were way more chicks this year. And really this year was way more like a dress up in a different costume every night and get all funky and sexy and try to take your top off on the air hockey table while your girlfriend puts whip cream on you and steals little kisses off your boobies while all the bros stand around and froth at the mouth type of vibe.

Hey Babe... You need a light?

In fact the Festical kind of had these bragging rights attached to it for who partied the hardest. It was almost like everyone was keeping tabs on one another to see who stayed up late, who drank a lot and who snuck off to the comfort of their RV's generator heated bed with laptop computer and grossly overdue copy of Tomb Raider. The Festical brought you here to party, and by golly you'll be stayin up till the cops shut us down to swill beer and Jager and rock out and dance till everybody sees some tits.

"I came and Mt. Baker swallowed." Said one of the Festical stickers I saw on my way home. Nothing could be more appropriate because Baker pretty much swallowed all I had this week. All the snowboarding, all the partying, all the drinking and especially all the fun I had with new people. I, along with everybody else, gave it all I had this week and when I drove away I drove away with a sense of satisfaction, mostly because of the memories of a great time. Props out to K2, I can't wait for Festical Round 3!

Related Photos:
2nd Annual K2 Festical Photos