Eastern Boarder's 8th Annual Last Call at Loon Mt.
Wednesday, March 26th normally a mild, green flag, mid-week day for Loon Mountains Terrain Park, but this leap-year saw New Hampshire’s hillside turn shades of grey, green, blue and beer as riders and lurkers filled the Gondola for Eastern Boarder’s Eigth Annual Last Call. Loon’s park crew worked well into dark earlier that week, making sure to fine tune the hip, quarter pipe, and double hubba of trouble line.
A quick lap to the park filled with hidden hips, pipe jams, and face melters brought riders to the bottom of the park around 11 a.m. for a short meeting at the Shaping Shack before setting things off on the 20 foot hip. Fresh, wet snow had hit early in the morning leaving those without fresh wax feeling shameless, making sure to keep their tips down incase of any embarrassing dryness. Speaking of dryness, Eastern Boarder, Nashua’s Tommy Johnson held riders together at the drop-in while Nelson commenced his verbal assaults and riders began to drop.
Timid riders were sent to the side-lines, clearing the air for those looking to bag some serious hang time and one of three $500+ Oakley watches. With crowd heckling set on weak, the riders charged the Hip, style hand out aiming for the top of the 18ft tall “Last Call” branded height marker. Waterville Valley’s own Luke Mathison stepped up some of the highest, backside methods of the day while Chris Carr launched front-stale on your mamma’s sandwich with a pickle on the side. Colleen Quigley stopped in for the session to drop a few hammers before a heel injury claimed her day. Luke might have caught some sky with that Meth but Tom “the tom cat” Peplinski grabbed a double feature, landing him a nice little boarding’ kamp trip, provided by K2. While the locals held their own, West Coast import Bode Merrill offered a fine line with a refreshing Backside 3 in exchange for Best Trick.
Lunchtime broke just before the clouds did as Redbull pitched an energetic tent for some burger and dog grilling and rider refilling just before the Quarter Pipe session. With the sun bouncing in and out, a 20 foot Quarter Pipe lined with 8 foot tall coping lined letters spelling out LOON, one shopping cart, and an Elbow that turned riders to the Redbull Podium Box in its upright position, riders had no problem taking hits at the various lines. Speed wasn’t an issue here as the Quarter Pipe and the infamous letters decked riders left and right. Most riders took their shot with the letters throwing out backlips, blunt reverts, and various extremity plants. The shopping cart saw Tanner Pendleton pushing others to shame with textbook frontside plants while Mike Azevedo teased the lip with layback slashes and his newly acquired hand plants. New to the crowd was Eugene Stancato, throwing a 50-50 backside 270 in, on the Redbull Podium. Wachusett found its way out of the suburbs and to the Quarter Pipe with a tasty Fast Plant on the O by Benji Pond. Still hungry from the last time was Shaun Murphy, who held it down on the letters in company to Big Mike as he claimed the second Oakley watch with an extreme-o Frontside Invert on the top of the L.
The double hubba rail line came last in the day leaving only those with clean or green lungs one more chance at best trick or an overall win. The top half of the set up gave riders three options, pole jam, flat-down box with creepers on the flat, and an oversized box to square stock down bar, donkey dick included. Most riders avoided the box to rail feature but went straight for the pole jam where Cole St. Martin laid down several skate inspired nose bonks and frontside 180 melons. Stock tricks remained the norm for the top of the session, saving riders concentration for the 30 stair hubba featuring a down-flat-down rail, down-flat-down box, and a down rail and box. The female riders made a good show on both sections of the rails but it was the men who stopped the show this time with combo tricks, gap out’s and classic smooth frontboards like Kevin Bicknell’s on the down-flat-down box. Shaun Thomas whipped up a delicious pole jam to method on the upper half with a frontside 180, switch 5-0 on the hubbas down rail. Who knows what Henry Padden, Ian Keay and Shaun Murphy’s Theories are for perfect boarding but it was in full effect with Shaun’s hot garbage to regulars, Henry’s Five-O’s and Ian’s 50-50, frontside 180, switch 50-50, among other tricks. While head dives and saved lives were strong themes in the rail section, Chris Carr blended board control with creativity in a one-footed 50-50 through the down-flat-down. Each rider represented themselves pretty well until Brendan Reis came to claim best trick with a Backside 360 to 50-50.
The rail session came to a close with several bangers that took many riders back to the top of the park for some practice laps before awards were announced at the hubba. Nelson continued to man the mic as he gave out the Best Trick awards to Big Mike, Bode and Brendan followed by the K2 Kamp award to Tom Peplinski. Best male riders overall were awarded to Brendan Reis in first ($1,600), Chris Carr in second ($800), and Bode Merrill in third ($500). Best female riders overall were Colleen Quigley in first ($1,200), and Laura Rogalski in second ($800), and Jordan Parks in third ($500).
Best Female Riders:
Best Trick Awards:
K2 Kamp Award:
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