Duct tape dreams: Cummins, Ricker take top spots in Banked Slalom

Left: Hank Kennedy, of Glacier, took third place in the Next Generation Division. Nicole Evans, of the Mt. Baker Ski Area, congratulates him. Right: Maelle Ricker (above) and Temple Cummins won in pro divisions. Photos by Ryan Duclos

by Stephanie Kosonen
MT. BAKER – From Red Bull-pounding “next generation” riders to 60-plus-year-old guys still keeping it real, the racers in the 25th annual Legendary Banked Slalom joined a standing room only crowd of spectators Sunday to receive their coveted duct tape trophies.
Hundreds of people shed their winter layers and packed into the Mount Baker Ski Area’s White Salmon Lodge for the culmination of this year’s three-day event, hanging over the third floor railings and filling the staircases to see the action.

Lucas DeBari, of Glacier, rides the course during the 25th annual Legendary Banked Slalom. Photo by Ryan Duclos

Gwyn Howat, ski area manager and master of ceremonies, began the festivities announcing the arrival of her new niece, Lucy, born to sister Amy Howat, at 6 a.m. Thursday. Gwyn said it was the first time in 20 years Amy wasn’t present to help dole out the duct tape.
Professional riders Temple Cummins and Maelle Ricker were once again among this year’s recipients of 1st place trophies, which are also made with olivine, a rare rock found only in the Twin Sisters hills in Whatcom County and in Russia, Howat said. “A rock from the mantle of the earth — truly original,” she added.
Prizes remained true to form, showcasing local artistry and paying homage to Mount Baker snowboard culture.
The trophies and Pendleton blankets (wrapped adoringly around the winners’ shoulders by Howat like a mom swaddling her children) were joined this year by guitars and belt buckles handcrafted especially for the annual race.
Some of the younger winners were visibly pleased to receive fresh new decks from Yes and Northwest Snowboards, of course. Local sponsors threw in gifts as well, including Yeager’s, Frequency, Innate, Milano’s and Erin Baker’s.
But in a race where money doesn’t matter, “the duct tape and the jacket, that’s everything,” said Gorio Bustamante, 42, of Seattle, who won 1st place in the Mid Masters division. Winners also receive a Carhartt jacket embroidered with the LBS logo.
Glacier local Hank Kennedy, 11, took home a bronze roll of duct tape for his performance in the Next Generation category. Along with Milo Malkoski, 9, of Seattle (2nd place) and Cody Warble, 10, of Edwards, Colo. (1st place), Kennedy needed a little assistance hauling away his winnings.
Bellinghamster Odin Barnett, 15, took 2nd in the Juniors category.
The Younger Amateur Men’s top finisher was Austen Sweetin, 18, from Lake Forest Park.
Next up was Women’s Amateurs, which was one of the largest divisions this year, Howat said. The top spot in that race went to Martina Nemcova, 19, of Boulder, Colo., but local ladies secured some wins as well. Lesley Hunter, 25, earned a 4th place finish, while Kari Hoss, 23, came in 3rd and Brynn Hays, 19, took the silver. Hunter and Hays both hail from Bellingham, while Hoss claims Montgomery, Vermont despite current residency at Baker.
Almost a local sweep, but not quite. Therein lay the beauty of the next category, Older Amateur Men (ages 20 to 29). The Mount Baker sweep came compliments of Mt. Baker Ski Area employees Craig Newbury, Josh Charles and Jack Freysinger who won first, second and third, respectively.
“E lodge, liftie, rental shop,” Howat exclaimed. “There it is — it pays to hang out here for a while.”
In 5th place was Drew Cyr, who Howat dubbed “a longtime Bakerite.” He said placing in the top ten was an honor because he’s entered the race six times and always landed in 20th place or worse.
“It’s always fun, but it definitely feels good to do well,” he said.
In the Pro Men category, Temple Cummins took his fourth gold trophy. The audience’s screams drowned out his name, but everyone knew who it was when Howat announced Cummins’ hometown and his race time.
Glacier’s Lucas DeBari took home a 7th place trophy, behind another local, Sky Risvold, who took 6th.
Maelle Ricker continued her streak at the top of the Pro Women’s category to her her fourth gold trophy in a row, while Glacier’s Maria DeBari beat out some big names to take 3rd.
The slalom wouldn’t be the same without a tribute to Craig Kelly as well. Local rider Dan Donnelly took home a wooden totem pole trophy for winning the Craig Kelly Award this year, which is given to a long-time Baker rider each year for keeping the pioneering spirit of snowboarding legend Kelly alive.
“Yeah Hollywood!” cheered onlooking friends as Donnelly approached Howat for the award with a kid on his shoulders, and one in tow. The nickname was earned throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s for Donnelly’s sense of style on the hill, said friend Dan Buecking of Maple Falls. “Whatever was right on at the moment he had it,” Buecking said. “He was all style.”
The quality extends to his riding, said Jeff Galbraith, publisher of Frequency, the Snowboarder’s Journal, and always has since the days of the Mount Baker Hard Core (MBHC), a local group of people who pioneered snowboarding at Mount Baker, including Kelly and Donnelly.
The Banked Slalom is a yearly tribute to the past and future of snowboarding, and Sunday’s ceremony showed the Mount Baker family holds on strong to the memory of those who have passed.
“I’m blindsided,” Donnelly said when he received his award. “I will never forget Craig and I will never forget (George) Dobis,” he said. “They are what we are all made of — we are here because they were central in our lives.”

2010 Winners:

Pro Men: Temple Cummins, 1:43.08, Gig Harbor, WA
Pro Women: Maelle Ricker, 1:49.88, Squamish, B.C.
Pro Masters: Tim Carlson, 1:50.73, Monroe, WA
Masters: Jonathan Martens, 1:48.37, Bellingham
Super Masters: Bob Satushek, 2:35.52, Deming
Grand Masters: Jim Taylor, 2:06.89, Mount Vernon
Mid Masters: Gorio Bustamante, 1:54.40, Seattle
Women Masters: Tanya Simonson, 2:02.30, Bozeman, MT
Women Amateurs: Martina Nemcova, 2:04.93 Boulder, CO
Older Amateurs: Craig Newbury, 1:46.57
Younger Amateurs: Austen Sweetin, 1:47.76 Lake Forest Park, WA
Juniors: Gus Warbington, 1:55.14 Bend, OR
Next Generation: Cody Warble, 2:00.43 Edwards, CO

Complete listings can be accessed at www.mtbaker.us