Government Camp, OR (July 12, 2010)

Hello summer.

With the recent heat wave in the Northwest it seems that summer is finally upon us. An unseasonably late winter that saw the Palmer snowfield smothered in hot pow in June has given way to hot dogs and hot laps in July. And as temperatures neared triple digits from Seattle to Portland over the weekend, it was an easy decision to make for the highlands and take in the Bonfire Pipe 2 Pipe at Windell’s.

The longest running summer snow (and skate) contest in the world—13 years and counting—the Pipe 2 Pipe returned to its nominal roots this year and took place not on a series of down rails as in the past few years, but an actual halfpipe straight from the mid-90s. Twelve foot walls lined with jib features and a hitching post-adorned quarter at the bottom crumbled under the sun’s rays while the floodgates were opened to the public and the Windell’s mini-pipe transformed into a sea of riders hurling themselves into kinky transitions.

I’d love to say that next level trickery was the order of the day, but it felt more like a fun times jam session. This is not to say that technical moves weren’t on display—I’m pretty sure no one was dropping back 3 onto a mailbox and back 3 out to transition in the early 90s, although I could be wrong. And a pole-jam entry feature on the right wall was backflipped, planted, and tweaked all day. Accompanied by all-you-can-eat tube steaks and all-you-can-drink Gatorade, competitors and spectators alike enjoyed a typical barbeque atmosphere fueled by midsummer shred stoke and the promise in an après-contest dip in Trillium Lake. Indeed, it was easy to forget there was $600 cash on the line.

But the transition moves later that evening at the outdoor skatepark on Windell’s campus was a whole different ball game. Competitors showed up ready to charge, and from the ladies comp to the under 15s, the level of trickery ramped up as the temperatures cooled down—ever seen an eight-year-old transfer out of the deep end of a bowl into a steep bank? Now we have.

By the time the sun disappeared, the pro men were on course, blasting airs out of an eight-foot quarter that were as high as half the airs in the snow session. Windell’s skate coach Rion Linderman pleased the crowd with multiple mctwists out of the quarter and all 28,500 square feet of new concrete raged for a half-hour straight. As one spectator commented midway through the session, it was more like a demo than a contest.

In the end, though, cash was up for grabs and a few lucky shreds walked away with enough cash-in-hand to keep things going well into the next morning.

Hello summer.

The long list of results:

Women’s Snowboard

1. Mackenzie Matters
2. Laura Rogoski
3. Madison Blackley

Mens Snowboard Am

1. Frank Krab
2. Chris Cloud
3. Oliver Dixon

Mens Snowboard Pro

1. Brandon Hobush
2. Everest Arnold
3. Sawyer Dean

Women’s Skate

1. Kristin Ebeling
2. Charlotte Rhodes
3. Jessie Haungs

Under 15 Skate

1. Jake Selover
2. Kent Callister
3. Travis Darling

Over 15 Skate

1. Chris Anderson
2. Billy Rodriguez
3. Sam Mercer

Pro Skate

1. Willis Kimbel
2. Mason Merlino
3. Rion Lindermon

Skate Best Trick

Rion Lindermon, McTwist