Those who can’t get enough winter powder can have one last go at shredding slopes when Shames Mountain and Prince Rupert’s Loaded Sports host Loaded’s Annual Throwdown contest on Saturday, April 4. The event will be part of My Mountain Co-op’s last weekend of operation during the 2014-15 season.
The yearly quarter-pipe competition features competitors in various age categories who will board, ski and snowskate (hybrid of a skateboard and snowboard, with not boot-latches) and the event is free for all who attend.
“The course sits underneath the lift, so it’s just a pretty mellow slope and we stuck a couple rails and a couple jumps in at the top and as you go down, we set up a big kicker with a gap and a landing, so you could do one big jump,” said Loaded’s Steve Newman.
“And as you go down, there’s one more handrail and a little quarter-pipe we groomed at the very bottom, so people can go up and do some tricks down.”
Last year, almost everyone was able to grab a prize.
“Depending on how many people sign up for the contest, we break it into age categories ... the reactions are always great. There’s always spectators standing by and the contestants always love it. Basically, everybody’s got prizes,” said Newman, adding the organizers typically throw additional prizes over the balcony of the lodge when all is said and done.
The rewards usually include a substantial amount of gear donated by Loaded’s sponsors. Last year that included a winter jacket, snowboard boots, watches, goggles, T-shirts, tuques and accessories.
First-timers also make it to the contests and do pretty well for themselves, despite their green experience with slopes, said Newman.
“[Last year] we had a couple 3, 4, 5-year-old kids just trying – just hitting those handrails,” he said.
Registration for the free Throwdown is at the My Mountain Co-op lodge at noon on Saturday.