Thursday, March 28, 2024

Last Weekend, Whenever: The Dirksen Derby 2017

Before you scroll down – please enjoy this EXCLUSIVE interview with Al Maslowski, the official last place finisher in the splitboard race.

The 2017 Dirksen Derby is nothing but good vibes. Whether you spent December 15-17th complaining about back pain in the lodge, ripping around Mt. Bachelor, teaching your kids to stand on a snowboard, or actually trying to get a faster time than your friends, the 10th edition of the mostly-annual competition may just have been the best yet.

Josh specifically designed the event to be fun for all. The course isn’t about survival, but rather pushing your own limits. If you make it down unscathed, you’re likely to think, “that was fun!” as opposed to other banked slaloms, where you’re just glad to be done. And due to the mellow pitch of Sunrise, the trail which played host to the 2017 event, literally anyone can make it down, but it takes real skill to win.

And at the elite level, there was potential for pain. The green course rode mellow and smooth all weekend, but the red course saw its share of spills and near misses, and had the respect of even the most skilled of boarders. Friday saw a solid dusting of snow on top of what was otherwise thin cover. Then Saturday was crisp and cold and things held up for all the riders who managed to pre-register for the lottery, and then actually show up on race day. And Sunday, a thin layer of clouds warmed things up and it was spring riding for all. The ruts were real, but the Backelor Parks crew and squad of volunteers were on it. No worries.

And most importantly – cash money was raised for long-ago-paralyzed but still smiling Tyler Ecklund via entry fees, the broken board auction and lots of other goodwill gestures from sponsors and friends.

If you really wanna know who went the fastest, well, you’ve probably already figured it out – but just in case, you can see full results on our Insta or Facebook. If you want to feel like you were there, keep scrolling for MOAR MEDIA.
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The action gallery! If you know who anyone is, please comment below..

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And the lifestyle gallery… Because steeze is all that matters.
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