Conditions Report
The winter season kicked into high gear this December 11th through 13th at the 9th annual Dirksen Derby on Oregon’s Mt Bachelor.
Snowboarding’s cast of characters came from far and wide to ride the hand carved banked walls through a snow caked forest that Sasquatch would be proud to call home.
Days were filled with deep powder, banked turns, high fives, and big smiles.
Nightlife took place in Bend centered around an inspiring film festival, gathering many talented photographers and filmers, as well as the ‘Broken Board’ Auction, where the artwork this year was nothing short of mind expanding and raised thousands of dollars to help support Tyler Eklund who was paralyzed in a snowboarding accident years ago.
Snow fell hard through the nights as trees toppled over and power lines went down. Backup generators turned the lifts as snowboarding deep reservoir of soul filled-and-spilled over into the start of the winter season.
When the powder-cloud finally settled after the 3-day event, over 30 K was raised, 64 inches fell, and snowboarding’s humble roots rose once again to center stage.
Format
The Dirksen Derby Rally Race is a snowboard, splitboard and sit-ski race that consists of two 30 second banked slalom courses and designed for riders of all ages and abilities. A Red Course offered tight corners and a technical feel while the Green course set riders up for a let-it-run flow that would have stoked out Mr. Toad himself. Fastest rider to the bottom wins.
Many thanks to all the riders, volunteers, community members, and Mt Bachelor for hosting this special event.
Photo Tour
