Vegetate Superpipe and Rail Jam 2008: April (Snow) Showers for Summer Flowers

The sun might be peeking out for spring riding elsewhere, but here at Mt. Hood it looked more like January than April. The welcome sign on the access road to Meadows said "Aloha," but that's probably just because the staff didn't know any of those Eskimo words for 'snow.' The park crew woke up Saturday morning facing a foot of fresh to dig out of the pipe, with more falling as they worked. When it came time for game time the wind and snow didn't let up, but the pipe was ready. Hood River's Full Sail Brewing Company and DJs from Portland's Spun Academy kept the riders stoked (with help from Monster Energy and Clifbar). The 13th annual Vegetate Superpipe was on.

With sponsor flags bending in half from the wind, the prelims were heavy on deck checks. Most of the early runs ended with riders on their backs rather than their boards. As is always the case with thousands of dollars in cash and prizes on the line, the better riders separated themselves from the field and moved on to the finals. In the final round everything changed. Whether it was the sun sneaking through the grey curtain of clouds for a few brief moments, the wind quieting to a hush or the riders bringing out the bangers they had been saving, the finals were on point. For the ladies, Ally Carroll boosted big airs and laid down stylish spins that shut down the show. She went on to win by a 15-point margin. For the fellas, it wasn't as disparate on the score sheet, but the winner was just as clear. Matt Ladley went well overhead on straight airs and spins and stomped everything without a sketch. Dude ruled the u-tube and went home a thousand bucks richer for it. Second place finisher Parker Duke looked to the next day's rail jam for redemption...

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While the masses watched the halfpipe competition, Mt. Hood Meadows' park crew was busy digging out and setting up the rail jam course. Unlike off-hill rail jams built on scaffolding, this setup was laid out on the side of the slope right in view of the lodge. The upper section featured a 60-foot down-flat-down flat-topped rail flanked by flat-topped c-rails on either side. The lower section was just as heavy with wall rides on either side. One had a straight rail behind it, the other with 5 trash cans in a bonk line. Props to the crew for a full on jibster's playground.

Much like the pipe contest, much of the early portion of the rail jam was spent with riders feeling out their speed and adjusting to the ever present wind and dumping snow. The wall rides were often overshot with disastrous consequences, but even with these twisted wrecks patrol was silent all day. In both the pipe and rail course, no injuries were recorded. That's not to say the shredders weren't trying. A wall ride to backside rodeo attempt by Jarad Hadi nearly broke the perfect safety streak. And that was just the qualifying round. The finals went down in an hour-long jam format that had our jibbing contenders dropping the gloves (metaphorically speaking, of course, it was too cold to bust out the Jamie Lynn steez). For the women, it was Randa Shahin and Brianna Henry battling for the cash and new Salomon board that went to first. The judges gave it to Brianna in a close call. She slayed the kink and ripped some nice wall rides. The bros had a dogfight for the podium, too. In addition to his rodeo escapades, Jarad Hadi owned the double kink which bucked off many others. He brought home third. Seth Kitzke was no vegetable, either. One of the best tricks of the day was his 180 on switch 50/50 to 360 off across the top of the wall ride. But at the end of the day, the man with the grand in his hand was Parker Duke. He threw down combos on the double kink, combos on the c-rail, spins onto and over the wall, he did it all. Parker was the man of the weekend with second place in the pipe and now first in the rail jam earning him a grip of cash and now a sweet Salomon stick and custom metal wildflower trophy for his win.

The real winner of the weekend was the Mt. Hood Meadows native wildflower re-vegetation program that Vegetate draws its name from. Whenever they do any development, Meadows first uproots the the vegetation in the area and then replants it upon completion. This is a painstaking process that is also quite expensive, but it highlights Meadows' commitment to environmental stewardship. Instead of the traditional ticket price increases that might be easier to implement, Meadows decided to throw a party rotating between slopestyle, pipe and rails to offset the expense. Vegetate is still going strong after 13 years, even through unseasonal blizzards.

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-Results-

Women's Superpipe:
1st - Ally Carroll
2nd - Ashley Horton
3rd - Katie Williams

Men's Superpipe:
1st - Matt Ladley
2nd - Parker Duke
3rd - Zach Owen

Women's Rail Jam:
1st - Brianna Henry
2nd - Randa Shahin
3rd - Raelynd Tarnove

Men's Rail Jam:
1st - Parker Duke
2nd - Seth Kitzke
3rd - Jarad Hadi

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