The 5th Invocation of the Holy Oly Revival

Ryan Stephens Photo: Ryan Gertken

The Contest God Couldn't Stop
Words: Pat Bridges

So far this season I have been to about half a dozen contests, so once an open weekend pops up you’d think the last thing I would want to do is watch another competition. Well fate would have it that my lone weekend off this winter falls the same days as the Holy Oly Revival. Rather than skip this one of a kind spectacle of suds and shred, I decided to make the trip to Washington and enjoy my days off doing one of the things I enjoy most, riding a perfect quarterpipe with friends. I had every intention of just showing up, paying my entry fee and riding the day away, void of any desire to take notes and do any reporting. After all, this weekend was on my dime not SNOWBOARDER’s. Then the holiest of the Holy Oly hierarchy, Krush Kulesza called me out during the awards and made a plea to keep spreading the word. “Fuck it,” I thought, “The Holy Oly deserves to be celebrated!”

When compared to the other events being held on February 21st, high profile pro showcases like The Arctic Challenge and the Winter Dew Tour, The Holy Oly is much more low key. You just hike and drop, no starters or autograph signings, no hot topic jail baiters screaming for Shaun White in the finish coral, and most importantly no FIS (Fascists Imitating Snowboarders) doping agents or agents of any sort lurking. Seriously, The Holy Oly is the first contest I went to this year where there wasn’t a hive of agents skimming the talent pool.

Speaking of talent pool The Holy Oly hosted the usual mix of NW rulers and fun loving journeymen alike. Dudes like Austin Hironaka, Sean Genovese, Justin Heath, Kurt Jenson, Donkey, Andre Spinelli, Peter Line, Monty Hayes, Kaiser, Devin Elliot, Jake Kelly, Matt Guess, Jason Robinson, Tim Eddy, Nick Russell, Scott Blum, and Timmy Carlson all charged the quarterpipe. The best part is that these guys didn’t ride seeking, fame, fortune or a big payday. They buckled in just for the hell of it and to show Krush that they appreciate not just what he does, but how he does it, which is with a smile on his face and a metal soundtrack in his ears. Oh and the pallet of Olympia for first place probably made that long flat runway easier to navigate.

So in conclusion I’d like to thank all those who not only made the fifth invocation of the Holy Oly happen but also made my day off worthwhile. They are in a loose order Krush and the whole Snowboy Productions/Summit-At-Snoqualmie staff, Pete, Annete, Mike, Trevor, Poss, Norm and everyone at Mervin, Corey and Cobra Dogs, Red Bull and of course the brewmasters at Olympia.

Related Links:
2009 Holy Oly Revival Snowboard Photos

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