SUPERPARK 9: The Lake Louise Effect

“Whatever happens in Lake Louise stay’s in Lake Louise!” Yeah right! While this oft-used phrase may aptly describe indiscretions in hotspots like Vegas and Cancun, such is not the case at Superpark. The event’s host venue, Lake Louise, is a secluded, grandiose resort in the far eastern reaches of the Canadian Rockies. The park itself is rife with all manner of media including still shooters, videographers, online bloggers and Hollywood-style 35 mm filmers. Being discreet is not in Superpark’s nature; the bigger the jumps, the better. And what’s the use of risking life and limb if it isn’t captured for the ages? When one buckles in next to Peter Line or Kale Stephens, it’s time to straight line the runway or turn tail and run away. There is plenty of real estate for the lurkers, hangers-on and never-will-be’s outside the fence, in the public park!

F*$KIN SUPERPARK 9, EH? Long before the participants arrived, the park builders were logging long hours on the hill, shaping the clay we call snow. Superpark 9 would not exist without these guys. They peeled themselves out of bed at the crack of dawn each morning, worked their stick hands to the bone all day in the Alberta sun and stayed until dark each night making sure the terrain was perfect. After all, it was their reputations as well as SNOWBOARDER’s on the line.

Alpine Meadow’s Eric Rosenwald was the foreman of the building crews, which included three-man teams from Breckenridge, Bear Mountain and Lake Louise. Several-hundred tons of snow was piled, pushed, shoveled and sculpted into what were easily the most impressive creations ever erected on the slopes of central Canada. At the top of the trail, Bear Mountain constructed a unique multi-use feature that was part jump, part jib, part cat track gap and part poker den. Ever the ones to stick to the basics, Breckenridge built a simple jump—that is if one considers a high-to-low, 80-foot-long road-gap-style tabletop with a dished-out deck simple. Not willing to let outsiders reap all the glory, the Lake Louise boys conjured up an enormous quarterpipe complete with two-story scaffolding rising from the deck. Affixed to the metal framework was a 30-foot-long jib box lined up flush to the quarter’s lip. As if the quarter/scaffolding combo didn’t yield enough possibilities, the three other sides of the obstacle were trannied out making bomb drops and hip transfers possible from virtually any angle. Adding to the flow of the park were an immense two-sided hip, an up-flat-down jib and a moderately sized double line.

Superpark 8’s Minor Threat standout, Dustin Craven, became a major threat at this year’s event. Craven threw front sevens on the quarterpipe, came damn close to tabling the hips and charged each jump with a barrage of spins. Pat Moore, quickly reaching Superpark veteran status after three years in the mix, displayed poise and creativity with tricks such as crailtaps on the quarterbox, backside threes on the hip and Cab five melons over Bear’s cat gap. Another rookie standout at the Lake was Charles Gagnon. Charles’ stocky build and deceptively smooth style immediately prompts a comparison to a young Kale Stephens. Gagnon’s ability to adapt to any park feature and stomp under the most adverse landing conditions made everyone in attendance take notice.

On a map, Alberta isn’t too far from Michigan, but in terms of snowboarding terrain, they are worlds apart. As a first-year Superpark attendee, Michigan’s Danny Davis was truly impressive. He held his own on the double line, but it wasn’t until the last day on the quarter-hip that his skills really shined. Danny stepped up with alley-oop seven rodeos and then started gunning for a mid-spin barrel tap. While he may have washed out on a few landings, a majority of his attempts were flat-based stompers.

Proving that park isn’t just a young kid’s game, a bearded Peter Line took some time off from chain smoking, losing his hair and flipping properties long enough to silence all the haters out there. Whether it was shifty nose-bonking the hip barrel, alley-oop sliding the quarter-box or righting himself from a board-high mid-air fiasco by monkey swinging from the scaffolding, Pete showed why he is a legend.

With so many heavy hitters from across the globe making the journey to The Lake, the locals could easily get overshadowed—but not at Superpark 9. Calgary’s Scott Shaw was hands down the best hand-planter on the quarterpipe. TJ Schneider sessioned the whole park, yet it was his board-twisting prowess on the quarter-hip that kept photographers clicking away. And Jed Anderson, after spending three years watching the event from ground level, decided to man up and start earning his keep. With an auspicious, high-pitched “Dropping!” Jed announced his presence on the scene, surprising many with his solid skills and seasoned confidence. Jed’s 50-50 to alley-oop 540 tail grabs out, on an up-rail set across the quarterpipe tranny, were perhaps the highlight of day five. Then again, Dwayne Wiebe’s 50-50 to Miller flip hip transfer on the same rail was pretty obnoxious as well.

Although Alberta has its share of pro contenders, a rider doesn’t get much more local than donning a park staff jacket. Each of the shovel jockeys who threw salt, slipped runways and hand-cut the quarter vert more than held their own in the Superpark arena. Dom Pelosi, Chuck Busque and Nick Brunette-Savard traded licks with the best of ‘em. When the traveling pros unlaced their boots and called it a day, the Lake Louise park crew, led by Michael Corner, was still hours from punching out and they didn’t complain once.

Without the lethal features that Superpark has been notorious for in years past, the carnage in ‘05 was minimal. Due to everyone’s unfamiliarity with the whole setup, injuries were most prolific on day one. After coming up short on Bear’s cat gap, Calgary’s own Charles White limped away with a chipped femur. Two days later, Charles was seen crutching his way through both the park and The Hoodoo Lounge; they breed ‘em tough in these parts. Hana Beaman did her best WWE Chyna impression to date when she body-slammed the deck of the quarterpipe from ten feet up and left Superpark a B-cup. And Banff-ite Andrew Hardingham hit his head pretty hard on the first day, causing him to babble incoherently. No one seemed to notice the change and Hardingham was back in the park by day three.

Perhaps the most intriguing fall of Superpark occurred on day two when Kale Stephens found himself pumping for mercy ten feet beyond the landing of the last table. At the drop-in, Kale had queried a 90-pound grom as to what the speed requirements for said 60-foot table would be. In response, Kale’s rookie sage adamantly replied, “Go straight from here because no one is clearing it.” Kale pointed it as told and quickly found himself in a dire situation. He spent the next two days unable to turn his neck to the right and told SNOWBOARDER that any riders who complained about not having enough speed needed to learn how to wax.

The majority of the action took place inside the confines of the park, but notable happenings occurred outside the fence as well. In an effort to bring a more festive atmosphere to Superpark, the Lake Louise management scheduled one of their infamous Kokanee Freeride booze cruises to coincide with the event. Five busloads of Calgary’s finest livers were dumped at the venue’s base where they were treated to a well-stocked beer garden, a live band and an unobstructed view of park riding at its best. Unfortunately, when these revelers weren’t throwing back Kokanees, they took to throwing snowballs at the gondolas passing overhead. Several broken windows later, the Mounties were called in to regulate.

By the time Superpark ended, many other attendees had brush-ins with the Canadian law. Nineteen-year-old Mikey Rencz slept one off in the Banff drunk tank after an incident involving anteaters, circumcision and Aardvark’s Pizza. That same evening, Bear Mountain’s Chris Bradshaw made a “super” pass at a Banff hotel’s “dirty” cleaning lady while trespassing and earned himself a citation for breaking and almost entering. Then there was Travis Robison who didn’t even make it to Superpark because he had an altercation with the airline crew while flying into Canada. Travis was held without bail for three weeks in a Calgary jail because the authorities felt that he was, pardon the pun, a flight risk.

No other snowboarding event in the world brings this many pro riders, industry and media together in one place. Literally, hundreds of people make the pilgrimage to Superpark each year. While everyone arrives with their own agenda, be it getting the shot, filming a few bangers or scouting a new rider, they all quickly adapt to the Superpark program, which is go off on your own terms. So whether you went to Lake Louise and got the cover of SNOWBOARDER, a broken femur, rap sheet or crabs, remember that, “Whatever happens in Lake Louise doesn’t stay in Lake Louise!”

SUPERPASS The reason why Superpark is able to get resorts to allow such exaggerated and somewhat dangerous features is that the event is invite only. This means that random hucksters aren’t able to buy a lift ticket, say two Hail Marys and go after a 100-foot tabletop.

So how does SNOWBOARDER decide who gets the nod to ride the hallowed Superpark venue? While not an exact science, there is a loose form of criteria. Personal testimonials from either builders, filmers, team managers or resort personnel is a start but, then again, it won’t always ensure admittance. The best way in is to gain the confidence of SNOWBOARDER staff photographers and editors firsthand.

Last winter, SNOWBOARDER joined forces with Red Bull and Big Bear to launch the Superpass Qualifier. This small two-day contest was conceived to create a grassroots avenue for riders to gain access to Superpark. The 50 competitors who took part in the inaugural showdown were given several jam sessions where the assembled Big Bear and SNOWBOARDER staff took notes and decided which riders had the poise and skills to make the Superpark cut. Not only was entry to the main event on the line but free travel as well. Winning the Superpass and nabbing the free trips to Calgary were Greg Hahn, Jason Hindman and Chris Bradshaw.

After the resounding success that was the first Superpass Qualifier, SNOWBOARDER again brought in Red Bull to add a comp trip to Superpark to the prize purse at the Eastern Boarder Last Call at Loon Mountain, New Hampshire. Scott Stevens edged out Shalon Miller to win the Last Call Superpass.

Superpass Standout: Greg Hahn

How similar to the actual Superpark was the Bear Superpass?
Aside from the size of the jumps the first day, I think the only difference was the designated session for the morning and afternoon. There was still a ton of good riding going on; I met a lot of really good people down at Bear and had a really good sesh, just like Superpark.

Do you feel the judges invited the most capable riders from it?
From what I saw the second day, I think the people throwing the best lines were picked. There were a couple people who had some bangers, but everyone who won a spot was consistent and threw a lot of different sh-t.

How is Superpark different in person from what is portrayed in print? I think a lot more happens at Superpark than what makes it to print. Obviously, it can’t all go in, but I do think there are quite a few riders who don’t make the cut in the mag.

INTERVIEWS

Peter Line
What went through your head when you started getting board high on the quarter-hip?
Board high as in 5 feet out? The length of my snowboard, or board high to the coping thing? I’m guessing it’s the latter. I didn’t expect to actually be able to get out that far on the quarter. Usually, a quarter that doesn’t quite come to vert is a quarter I hate hitting because I don’t quite make it in and end up on the deck. I guess hitting it alley-oop popped me out more, so I was able to make it into the tranny. I had to stretch in order to bonk the thing.

How has your approach to riding at events like this changed over the years?
A lot of times events like these end up being a daredevil match-off; who’s got the balls to hit the mega-kicker. They ended up being an event where no-name kids came and chucked themselves off everything in hopes of being recognized. From there, most of the obstacles turned from the side of fun to the side of “gnar.” So, through the years, I just floated through, ignoring the hype sh-t and hit the stuff I was having fun hitting. This year had a bunch of fun things to ride.

Having seen many kids come up and fade away, who do you see in today’s crop who are here for the long haul?
Pat Moore has continued to amaze me. He’s a funny dorky kid who, when I hang with him off the hill, I can’t imagine him chucking the sh-t he does. Jed Andreson stepped it up big time this year. And I saw a ton of the local Canadian kids killing it at Superpark, but I’m not so sure about their matching jacket and pant combo. What’s up with that?

What do you like most/least about Banff?
I like the drinking age, but I hate that every store either sells Canadian souvenirs, chocolate, Roots clothing or bath soap.

Sean Genovese

Where does a kid from Surrey, British Columbia, pick up the hip chops to stand out at Superpark?
I don’t think it really matters where you’re from ... you just either go for it or you don’t. I don’t even think I was really “going for it” either, I just found some stuff I was into.

As a rider not known for chasing the spotlight, what draws you to this event?
I try and have all my filming done by the end of April, so for the last two years that Superpark has been at Lake Louise, I’ve just made it a vacation. Drive up, ride, no pressure to film anything if I don’t want to. I’m just hanging out riding park (which, besides in the summer, I never do) and if there’s something I’m feelin’, there’s a photographer to shoot it. So far so good.

What is Dinosaurs Will Die?
Dinosaurs Will Die is a snowboard company that Jeff Keenan and I started because we felt it was something that snowboarding lacked right now. You know, a company with the word “Dinosaurs” in the name, because everybody knows how rad dinosaurs are and that they’re dead. I mean, will die.

Do you pay yourself photo incentives when you get shots in the mags?
I have a very in-depth contract with Dinosaurs that was written on the back of a napkin and I lost it, so we’ll see what happens.

Who or what impressed you most at Superpark 9?
The thing that impressed me the most at Superpark this year was that the younger kids were the ones who were standing out. You could tell that they were out to prove something, but they weren’t vibing each other. It is nice to see that the future of the sport is still respectful and are able to do what they do.

Marc-André Tarte

How do you keep riding on a high level for five days in a row, eight hours a day?
Punk rock really helps a lot, but I also enjoy learning and new challenges—it’s what I aim for. Sometimes, sh-t just happens, even while you’re just walking down the street. So it’s better to go for it—you never know what’ll happen next. You only live once.

Can you compare jumping at Superpark to stadium events like the Toyota Big Air and the Air & Style?
Superpark should have a much more relaxed atmosphere, as you ride what you want when you want. But for some reason, over the last years, I’ve always managed to get hurt at every Superpark I’ve taken part in. So, I must be putting some pressure on myself. Maybe the big events and their big crowds raise my adrenaline level, forcing me to focus on every run, whereas Superpark puts on less pressure. For many, that’s better. But when everything is big and well shaped, it’s difficult for me to resist pushing my limits. I have to learn to take it easy sometimes.

How is your approach to park riding and jumping different than other pros?
I like different things than most. In general, I would rather not be like everyone else. I guess that could be part of it. Sometimes, it just helps to not be a pussy!

Charles Gagnon

Was this your first Superpark?
No, it was actually my second. I did the one last year, but I blew my knee by going too fast on the up rail. This year was more fun, at least for me since everything went well.

Has anyone told you that you are built like a young Kale Stephens?
No, I don’t think I could ever be as strong as Kale; he’s a beast! He could crunch me like a toothpick! But I remember that someone called me a “f--king animal.”

Is there anything you didn’t hit in the park?
The up, flat and down rails with gaps—they were too sketchy. I just hit the down rail like a handrail. I thought that kind of rail was reserved for skiers only!

Is it true that you apologized to the other riders for putting a hole in the landing of the hip?
Yeah, the first time I hit the hip, I went too far right and made a big hole in the bottom of the landing. Pretty much everybody was falling in my trap, even me, but I don’t think it was a big deal.

Are you and your photographer brother Oli the Jeff and Joe Curtes combo of the new millennium?
I don’t know much about the Curtes brothers, but I guess we are making a good team. We both are truly involved in what we are doing and we don’t stop until the job is done, so I guess it’s a good way to get what you want. But yeah, maybe, except for Joe’s ponytail!

Scott Shaw

From hand plants to hips, you spread it around this year. What was your favorite feature at Superpark 9?
Well, I believe the quarterpipe was my favorite. It was built tall, which is a very rare thing to see. It was also hand-shaped and perfect for hand plants.

What was the toughest trick you pulled at this year’s event?
I landed a frontside hand plant to fakie. I don’t know if anybody has a name for it but I would call it the “tea bag.”

Does your girlfriend always take photos of Beach with his shirt off?
Beach has chafed nipples but his male model complexion makes him a shoe-in with photographers.

Do all Albertan riders shave their chests?
Well, I heard Nair works better; it doesn’t leave a rash or razor burn. Don’t take this one below the belt—Nair sucks when it’s on your balls. To answer your question, there are a few.

What videos were you shooting for at Superpark?
I was shooting for the new Skids movie called Sandbox and a little bit with Whitey for his 35 mm motion picture.

Paul Henderson

As a relatively unknown rider, can you give us a few words about your snowboarding history?
I grew up surfing in a small town on Vancouver Island. I was 15 when my family moved away from the coast and closer to the mountains. That’s when I started snowboarding. I have been living in Whistler for six years now and have been riding for Forum, Foursquare, Circa, and C1 for the last three years. I don’t know what the future holds for me, but I hope to keep snowboarding.

How many days did you have on-hill this season before Superpark?
I decided to take a bit of a break from snowboarding this season. I only had about four days of riding before Superpark; I was a little nervous about hitting the big jumps.

What part of Superpark 9 was your favorite?
The atmosphere. Superpark is a super fun place to ride.

If you could change anything about Superpark, what would it be?
Bigger. I have never found a hip jump that I couldn’t clear to the end.

Has your performance at this event opened any doors for you?
Besides meeting you, Pat, I don’t know that riding at Superpark has really opened any other doors.

Pat Moore

Who do you think were the standouts at Superpark 9?
Standouts, huh? Well, I think there were a few, for sure: Peter Line; little gangsta Jed Anderson; the park staff; Curtis Ciszek; Dustin Craven—he killed it; and Sean Genovese. You couldn’t really watch to see who was killing it, which is a good thing, because everyone there was constantly riding.

What other mountains do you think could host an event of this caliber?
Waterville Valley, for sure.

An East Coast resort could pull off a Superpark?
Yeah, definitely. Now would the riders survive it? Not too sure about that. You’d really only get a couple chances to land your trick on a 100-foot block of ice.

How many cans of Red Bull did you drink over the five days of Superpark?
Red Bull, Red Bull, Red Bull, Red Bull, Red Bull. Do you think that’s enough plugs? Well, we drank at least one Red Bull after every 2-3 times of hitting the quarterpipe, and we hit the quarterpipe like 30 times each day, so you do the math.

Do you think it was different this year without Travis Rice there?
Who’s that?

Dom Pelosi

Is it true that your sister, Leanne, gives you gear from her sponsors and then you sell it or trade it for stuff that fits?
Yes, it is true. I get most of my gear from Leanne but I keep the majority of it ‘cause it usually fits. I warranty about four or five boards and one pair of boots a year.

Does a rivalry exist to be the best park builder/rider amongst the staff at the Lake?
There’s definitely not a rivalry. We just all like to ride and push each other to learn new tricks. All the cat drivers who worked on the park over the year did their best to keep it looking good.

Is driving a cat something you see yourself doing for a long time?
I see myself driving cats for a while; I’m having fun with it. I get to build all my own jumps and there’s nothing like sliding all the way down Sunset Gully in a cat.

Did your mom ask you to shave your beard as a birthday gift to her?
Yes.