Sunday, January 31, 1999 -- Snowshoe
Edge of the World Freestyle and Boardercross

[Series Details/Guidelines] [Coverage/Recap] [Slopestyle Results]
Pictures: [Beg. Run 1] [Beg. Run 2] [Intermediate]
[Women] [Exp. Run 1] [Exp. Run 2] [Boardercross]

Moves like this got Andy Yaros 1st, and that's just the beginner class!

Sunday, January 31, was just a gorgeous day for just about any activity. Snowboarders headed to Snowshoe Mountain's Silver Creek area to take advantage of the great conditions at the Ruckus Ridge Terrain Park. Ruckus Ridge was the location for the Edge of the World's 4th competition of 1999 in their USASA Snowboard Series.

The day started at 11:00am with the Slopestyle competition. The winner, in each of the beginner, intermediate and expert men's and women's classes, is selected based on scores given by 4 judges. The scores are tallied based on 2 runs down the slope with each run including three opportunities to launch yourself off of monster size table tops. These are large snow mounds sloped on the front and back, for the take off and landing, with a long, flat top. The judges base their scores on four criteria: difficulty, how big, style, and landings.

The landing can be very important, as Justin Ryan can attest

So, for several hours, one after the other, snowboarders young and old sent themselves skyward in attempts to impress the judges, the fans, and their friends. Now this is true entertainment! The riders pulled of moves, which to the unknowing spectators may look almost unplanned, with names like a, "720", "corkscrew", "backside indy 540", or "stale fish". The fans and fellow racers know the moves as they went insane with every big move, like Mugsy Na's giant "rodeo"!

When the air and powder cleared, and the judge's scores were all added up, the Men's Beginner class declared Andy Yaros the winner with a score of 41. He needed every trick as Jim Hoag finished second with a 39. If you thought that was close, the Men's Intermediate class ended with a first place tie between Jeff Johnson and William Kearns, each finishing with 49 points. Christopher Woods was also impressive as he finished just a point back, in third, with 48 points.

Corrine Berry raced uncontested in the women's beginner class

In the Women's field, Corrine Berry took first in Beginners with 20 points, and Kristin Heffner took fist in the Intermediate class with a score of 27. The Women's Expert class got the crowd really cheering as Eli Mills and Heather Hoyle pulled off huge air to take first (47) and second (41), respectively.

Last to head into the skies over Snowshoe Mountain were the Men's Experts, and they didn't disappoint. The scoring was difficult with so many great moves and the result was a three way tie for fourth, 67 points, and another tie for second between Mugsy Na and Blair Craig, each scoring 70. But topping the charts, racing in only his second competition, was Justin Moore with 71. Moore was more surprised than anyone when they announced he had won. "At first I thought they were joking," said Moore as he tried to take in the moment.

Boardercross madness with a great beginner class finish

Well, we didn't forget about the boardercross racers. After the antics of the slopestyle competition was over, the course was set for the boardercross event. With groups of four hitting the course in each heat, and the first two finishers advancing, it was just a matter of time before an overall winner was determined. The competition was fierce and the racing fast. However, even though we stayed to take a lot of pictures, we seem to have missed getting the results. But like most boarding events, the true spirit is the opportunity to enjoy time with friends, new and old. As the late afternoon shadows came over the mountain, and the last racers crossed the finish line, one participant was overhead commenting on his experience. At first he seemed a little bothered as he said, "I got pushed down from behind at the beginning of the run," an obvious violation. Then, as a wide, contagious grin came over his face, he finished his piece stating, "but I had a lot of fun!"

A special thanks go out to the staff of Snowshoe Mountain Resort as they did everything possible to assist WVOutside and our reporting staff. If you ever have the misfortune of losing your wallet and car keys, as this reporter did, you can count on Snowshoe to come to the rescue. Thanks everyone, you're the best!