Baker Banked Slalom: One First-Timer's Take on One Legendary Race

Mt. Baker's Legendary Banked Slalom is the sort of contest that everyone who snowboards has heard of, but not many know about. Those who do know about it tend to know everything and those who don't, only think they do. They start passing rumors for fact and suddenly words like 'Legendary' scarcely do it justice. I knew I had a lot to learn, so I decided to venture up for my first Legendary Banked Slalom this year and figure out what the big deal was.

On the surface, the race goes like this: take a natural halfpipe and merge it with a slalom course. The gates are at the tops of the walls and the natural terrain gives an organic feel and adds variability. To the victors: a trophy of duct tape, some gifts and bragging rights for a year. If that was all there was to it, this race would be the Ordinary Banked Slalom, but what lies beneath is what gives this event its lore. You see, the Legendary Banked Slalom started in 1985 when snowboarding was struggling for acceptance. Snowboards themselves were far from standardized; with skate deck tops, bungee cord bindings and no-back bindings to name a few. Riders needed regular competitions as meetings of minds as much as anything. After all, progress at this point was toward a workable product before riding could evolve. Mt. Baker was among the first resorts to allow snowboarders on its lifts and it was from these lifts that they saw the natural halfpipe. The feature was a hit, the competition and snowboarding's evolution began and neither has slowed since.

In its 23 years to date, the event has drawn the best of the best to snake through its serpentine gauntlet. What began with Tom Sims, Shaun Palmer and Craig Kelly continues with Terje, Temple Cummins and Lucas DeBari. But if the Legendary Banked Slalom had an all-time king, Terje would wear that crown. King Haakonsen has won six titles dating back to 1995 and continues to be a fixture in the top ten. His most outstanding accomplishment is one of the most famous Legendary Banked Slalom legends. Ask most people and they'll tell you that one year he won the event... riding switch. Well it makes for a good tale, but the truth is he qualified for the finals that year, in the top five, riding switch. He went on to win riding forward. Now not everyone who rips this race is repping a board sponsor. Sharing the starting shed are elementary schoolers in the Next Generation division (11 and younger) and AARP members in the Super Masters (60 and up). The LBS has something for everyone with 13 divisions for men and women of all ages and abilities. Clearly the organizers are doing something right to keep everybody interested, but there must be more than just the race to keep bringing them back. I'd have to venture east on WA highway 542 to find out.

Rule number one with the Baker Banked is that weather is always an issue. Case in point, in 1999 Mt. Baker set a world record with 1140 inches of snowfall. Six years later, the event was canceled due to a lack of the white flakes. This year, for the 23rd LBS, Ma Nature dumped the white stuff throughout Washington on Friday (the first of two scheduled days of qualification) and followed it up with the wet stuff. By midday all of the state's mountain passes were closed and the decision was made later to close Mt. Baker entirely on Saturday. The avalanche prospects were worse than anyone had seen in recent memory. In fact, the snow was so unstable that an in-bounds slide at Baker on Friday resulted in several burials. Thanks to beacons and fast action, no lives were lost, but the fear of repeating that scenario limited racers to one day of qualifying. It also limited me to one day of spectating and zero nights of off-hill partying.

When I did show up for Sunday's finals, I found a sprawling area of sponsor tents to greet me. Luckily, some of them offered free food samples to appease my breakfast-skipping stomach. Most of the sponsors were board manufacturers eager to let the public demo their shred sleds for the day. I brought my own, so I picked up my lift ticket, checked the schedule and headed for the lift. Along the way, I ran into a friend and took a few runs through the Baker snow, which was coming down wet and heavy at this point. It was around 11:00 when we made our way to the top of the race course. I immediately recognized Terje. Leanne Pelosi and Spencer O'Brien were chatting, Curtis Ciszek was trying not to psych himself out and Wolle Nyvelt and Austin Smith were looking relaxed. Meanwhile, riders of all ages were launching themselves at the course like clockwork. They started slowly, but by turn three things got hectic. A few more high-speed hairpins and they were out of sight down the pipe. This course is no joke! If you're not ready for full-on, board-above-head, surf-style whips, you can forget about the duct tape trophy. High speeds plus sketchy conditions led to more than a few upended riders. I heard Temple Cummins' winning run wasn't even clean. All the excitement had me seeking the hospitality tent for some lunch. They put out quite the spread: hot tomato and veggie bisque, smoked salmon and chocolate fondue headlined the smorgasbord. Satisfied, I sought out some more powder (unfortunately mostly chowder) and other vantage points for race viewing. When the race was winding down, I headed to the lodge for an early salmon BBQ dinner. Again a royal feast. Riders ate free, I paid $7 for more fish and potatoes than I could finish and washed it down with a Baker commemorative Jones soda. Stuffed, I headed back out for a few more runs before the awards ceremony.

The snow hadn't let up all day, so when I made it to the lodge for awards, my legs were beat from riding the thick stuff and my clothes were soaked. I'd like nothing more than to sit down and check out the show from afar. No dice, there wasn't an empty seat in the house and the mic check was half an hour away. I soon found out why. It wasn't the bags of goodies from sponsors or the custom Carhartt jackets for the winners. It wasn't the belt buckles, surf boards or blankets (all custom pieces of art). It wasn't even the coveted duct tape trophies. Gwyn Howat, of the resort's managing family (also a chief organizer of the race), emceed the awards. She's had a front seat for the competition from day one and it showed. She had hugs for long-time friends who won. She told stories about the Next Generation kids, like the one who Karleen Jeffery taught how to tune his board. The older guys told her stories; like the one who finally won it, 15 years and his first duct tape was gold. Every local got a rousing ovation. More than one grown man cried. When it came time to give the Craig Kelly award for outstanding contribution to snowboarding in the Northwest, the recipients were none other than the Howat family. It was plain to see why. It was my first LBS and they made me feel like part of the family. I am a Northwest snowboarder and I felt like I belonged. The room boomed with whoops and applause as the award was handed out. The soul of snowboarding was on display right there for everyone to see. The camaraderie of riders can't be measured in a cash purse or a TTR ranking and the Howat family knows why. They take all the money from sponsors and put it right back into the race. They reward the winners with art and give the rest to charity. Roots snowboarding to the core.

After the awards ceremony, the snowy day gave way to a clear night. I enjoyed some starlit mountain views by the deck-side bonfire and refilled my belly with a drink while the parking lot emptied. Spectators and competitors alike made their way to various off-hill activities while I made my way back to my host family to share dinner before the long trek home. During the drive, I resolved to start applying for the lottery for entry into the race next year. I figured that even if I don't get picked for the big show (like hundreds every year), nothing is lost. This year I only made one of three days and no nighttime events. Maybe next year I'll catch a show like the Valient Thorr one I missed this year. I heard they went off. You see, it's impossible not to have a legendary experience at the Baker Banked Slalom.