— words by James North, pics by Mike Brindley & James North —
Day Four – Whitelines Wipeout!
Day 4 didn’t get off to the best start for most… as it was the morning after the night before from sending it at the annual Monster & Vans rock night.
Monster x Vans certainly now how to put on a party and last night’s soiree was up there with the best. Held at the ‘other local’ pub Zappa Dello, the doors quickly filled and by 11pm the place was rammed.
DJ Spacebar aka Chris Chatt & DJ Fade aka Thrashmore were getting the crowd rowdy ahead of the Air Guitar championship! This year a limited edition Monster x Lobster snowboard was up for grabs along with a Geoff Rowley signed skate deck. Eight air guitar hungry people signed up where they were allowed to choose one song to rock out to, crowd vote wins. In the end it was Dave Jackson who walked away with the board but most importantly, the title of Air Guitar champion.
Monster dollars and Jager from here on in saw that everyone went through to the early hours.Despite the hangover, this was the sunniest day so far so there was no excuse for a lie in or to not make it up the hill all together. Today’s main event was the Whitelines Wipeout, a pond skim event that was bound to leave some people with wet everything and evoke an incredible crowd reaction while doing so.
Mark McClement was the first man to loose half his clothes and attempt it in base layers. Sparrow Knox was up to his usual ‘send it’ attitude and in the process earned himself stack of the day. However in the end, it was Scotty Walsh who took best trick and Joe Simpson who took first place glory.
Day 5 – over and out!
It pains me to say this but waking up today meant it was the last day of Spring Break 2016….. but what a banger it was. There was not a cloud in the sky during the morning drive, making everyone hungry for the shred. Approaching the top, it was clear that there was some slight wind but this quickly dispersed as brands set up stands and riders set up boards itching to get out there.
Today was a day for riding fast, the piste conditions where perfect, freshly groomed and just soft enough to put a solid edge in. Needless to say there were a lot of smiling faces throughout the morning. By lunchtime, it was time for one of the most anticipated events of the week, Dragon’s Methodical Madness. This was meant to run earlier in the week but had to be postponed due to weather conditions…. but it didn’t get more perfect than today.
A good method is the holy grail of grabs and allows for so many variations and individual style. When done well, there is nothing better to watch… and the great thing about this comp is you get to watch hundreds. With Henry Jackson on the mic, radlers flowing and music putting out the vibes, it was the usual great atmosphere this jam is known for. There were multiple prizes but a few stand out people were George Scott who killed it all day with amazing methods and mixed bag of other tricks, JJ who sent the best method of the day clearing the hip and Sparrow Know who won best switch method.
Thanks Dragon, Monster and Kaunertal for putting on such a great comp.
And…. Just like that, that’s a wrap. 2016 done. Thank you to everyone involved with this years event, all the brands, magazines, riders, attendees, without you all, this would be nothing. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did, as sad as it is knowing that the season is over, at least we all finished together with a bang.
Don’t forget to keep you social media game up using the hashtag #snowboardspringbreak. Have the best summer and looking forward to seeing all your faces next year.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Big love, the Snowboard Spring Break Team.