The Wake

Hundreds of people bundled up to bare the cold and cheer on riders in an urban ski and snowboard competition which was held before most ski resorts had even opened for the season.

A three-story scaffolding launch, grinding rails and trucks of snow drew a crowd of ski and snowboard enthusiasts to the parking lot behind Stub and Herb’s on the East Bank of the University of Minnesota campus Thursday, Nov. 17.

The event, sponsored by Red Bull and Oakley, included two free showings of the snowboarding movie “The Community Project” at Oak Street Cinema. Following the film, skiers and snowboarders, a mix of professionals and amateurs, participated in a friendly rail grinding competition.

The “best of the best” skiers and snowboarders were there, says Doug Herman, whose company Fresh Tip Design helped organize the event and build the hill and rails. Before the competition, Herman went to snowboarding shops around the Midwest to recruit riders. One pro skier, 13-year-old Cody Lang, was there,. Two of the snowboarders will be pro within two years, Herman says.

Herman and his crew of seven people spent three weeks planning the event. Between answering questions, Herman would run off to drive the caterpillar and shovel snow.

This event was the first time Herman had contracted out with other companies. He also founded the Midwest Massacre Competition, which recurred for the third year this year.

Herman emphasized that it was not a high pressure competition. “It’s about having fun, getting back to what it’s about,” he says.

Three of the riders were members of the ski and snowboard club at the U of M, says Kevin Christie, president of the club. Standing behind a trailer of snow pulled by a Hummer, Christie explained the snow was actually shaved ice from Roseville Ice Arena in Bloomington, Minn.

Riders prepared their boards as they waited their turn for the lift to bring them to the top of the hill. “I’ve done rail jams, but not with scaffolding,” says Jason Kaas, a snowboarder from St. John’s University who participated in the competition. Kaas has been snowboarding for 10 years and competes a couple times a year. It’s fun, he says. He did some meditation before the event, and was feeling good, he says.

Another snowboarder, Isaias LeBaron, came out mainly to watch the premiere of the film. “I’m just here to have fun,” he says.

The film featured several professional snowboarders including Travis Rice, JJ Thomas, Shaun White and Sammy Luebke.

The snowboarders were shown taking private jets and getting dropped off by helicopter on remote mountain sides. The movie showed them grinding on handrails in New York City and gliding across tree tops in places such as New Zealand, Japan, Aspen, Alaska and Canada.

Most of the audience then walked from the theatre to the launch to experience the real thing.