Milestone year for Banked Slalom

Published Jan. 29, 2010

by Anne Baker
MT. BAKER – The Mt. Baker Ski Area’s Legendary Banked Slalom will celebrate its 25th anniversary Feb. 5-7. Hailed as the longest running snowboard competition in the world, the event attracts hundreds of competitors, including children, amateurs, and the sport’s top professionals,
According to Mt. Baker’s Marketing Director Amy Trowbridge, the top snowboarders “come to be competitive, but also to enjoy the barbecue, camaraderie, and the history of the event.”
The first Banked Slalom, held in 1985, had just 15 racers. Humble beginnings, though its origins itself are now legendary. Northwest snowboarding pioneer Bob Barci and early snowboard maker Tom Sims are credited with creating the event.
The late Barci owned the Bike Factory, a shop in Bellevue which encouraged the growth of the then fringe sports of BMX, skateboarding, and snowboarding. A snowboarder himself, riding slopes without lift access and on the earliest gear, Barci’s shop was among the first in the Northwest to sell snowboards. Barci encouraged and supported the first generation of hot riders in the world, a group of friends which called themselves the Mt. Baker Hard Core (MBHC) and included Craig Kelly, Jeff Fulton, Dan Donnelly, Eric Swanson, Carter Turk, Eric Jenko, and later on Mike Ranquet, Mike (Tex) Davenport, and Jaime Lynn.
Wanting to hold a contest for these up and comings, Barci approached Duncan Howat, general manager of the Mt. Baker Ski Area. At the time, Mt. Baker was one of the few areas that allowed snowboarding in-bounds; in fact, it always welcomed snowboarders.
Receiving the green light from Howat, Barci organized the race for Superbowl Sunday, as most skiers would be at home, and set up the 500-foot long course in the upper part of “the Chute” under Chair 1. Barci served as timer and judge. Few spectators showed up.
The competitors included a lineup of some of the most famous names of early snowboarding history. Tom Sims took first place in the contest with a time of 23.86 seconds. Terry Kidwell, a several time world half-pipe champion between the years of 1984-87, came with Sims from California to participate. Mike Olson, founder of the snowboard making company Mervin Manufacturing (better known for its Lib Tech and Gnu brands), was on hand from Seattle. A small group of Canadians showed up, and of course, the MBHC represented the local scene.
Trowbridge, just 13 years old at the time, recalls riding up Chair 1 and watching the event. Thinking it was “the coolest thing I ever saw,” she set down her skis in favor of a Sims snowboard given to her father, Duncan Howat. The two snowboarded together, marking the beginning of a successful snowboarding career for Trowbridge. In between winning world championships in Europe, she placed first in the Women’s category of the Banked Slalom in 1987, the first year that category existed, and again in 1990.
For the remainder of the 1980s, the event grew phenomenally into one of the biggest snowboarding races in the world, with 40-60 racers including top riders like Shaun Palmer and Craig Kelly. In the 90’s, the event tapered off, perhaps due to big events taking place in Europe, though snowboarding superstars like world champion Terje Haakonsen and Olympic gold medalist Ross Rebagliati were still attracted to the event.
Towards the latter part of the 90’s, Trowbridge and her sister Gwyn Howat began running the event, and it grew once again. Trowbridge credits this growth to the support of Mervin Manufacturing, its team riders spreading the word in the European contests, and the event being old enough to generate nostalgia for its origins.
By the early 2000’s, the event started filling up quick, with 275-300 snowboarders participating. Since many folks who wanted to race were not getting in, a lottery was instituted, as well as a local’s qualifier held each Martin Luther King Jr. Day to give area residents a shot at racing in the actual event. Perhaps as a result, for three out of the last four years, the coveted “duct tape trophy” for the Pro Men category went to Mt. Baker local Temple Cummins and Glacier’s own Lucas DeBari.
What seems to make the event legendary is that it is a celebration of the soul and spirit of the sport, which can be traced back to the pioneers of the event and the sport itself. Those pioneers began experimenting with snowboarding not for cash prizes, fame, or tricked out gear, but for a love of flowing downhill, through powder, accompanied by friends. This purity is what seems to attract so many to the event today.

The 25th annual Legendary Banked Slalom will take place at the Mt. Baker Ski Area on Friday, Feb. 5 through Sunday, Feb. 7. Several hundred snowboarders are expected to compete. In addition to division competition, there will be a barbecue, music and awards ceremony.  For more information, visit www.mtbaker.us or watch for updates here at www.foothillsgazette.com.