Lunch At The US Grand Prix At Boreal

Elijah Teter and the wall of cameras at Boreal.

US Snowboarding Grand Prix Tour Director Eric Webster serves himself a bit of vegetarian lasagna and salad off the buffet line in the VIP lounge in the Boreal Lodge and walks over to the cafeteria style picnic table. His radio crackles as he sits down.

For the past 11 years the former professional snowboarder has been spending his winters making sure the US Snowboarding Grand Prix events happen. His arrival at Boreal Resort is a bit of a homecoming. “During the 1988-89 season, Burton had a team house at Tahoe Donner and we used to ride and train here all the time,” Webster says. “It’s good to be back. The resort has been great to work with.”

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It may take up half the mountain, but Boreal’s Grand Prix set-up is perfect for spectators.

Webster arrived in Northern California a week earlier to drive cats, move snow, and put some finishing touches on both the SBX course and the halfpipe. Driving cats probably isn’t in most tour directors skill set, but there isn’t much that goes on at snowboarding contests that Webster hasn’t done. “I’m the Leatherman of snowboard events,” he says, laughing. “We’d love to hire Gunny (at Snow Park Technologies) to do all this, but we don’t have the budget for that.”

When the U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix rolled into Northern California’s Boreal Resort Jan 29 – Feb 1, 2009 it was event number two in what has become an interesting season for the official US Snowboarding tour.

First, the Grand Prix lost their season opener dates and venue when Breckenridge Ski Resort decided they’re rather go with the live television and glamor presented by NBC’s Dew Tour. That forced the Grand Prix to relocate to Copper Mountain and move their dates up a week.

Then, in the midst of the US automotive industry melt-down, Chevrolet yanked their title sponsorship from the tour after 12 years of support. Sorry, no more Chevy trucks for the overall winners. And today, a look down the list of halfpipe competitors at this even reveals only a handful of A-list talent.

“There have been a lot on rider’s schedules in the last month,” Webster says. “X Games, Air and Style, SIA. . . and I think a lot of them decided to take a weekend off.”

But 2009 isn’t an Olympic year so the US Snowboarding Grand Prix Tour isn’t as high a priority for many snowboarders as it will be next year. There is still a $14,000 cash prize for first place and FIS points to be earned.

Hannah Teter and her $14,000 winning smile.

Eric finishes up his lunch and gets up to leave. “I’ve got to get back out there,” he says as he tosses his empty plate into a nearby trash can.

And he’s right. It’s almost noon and practice for the 24 halfpipe finalists is scheduled to begin.

While there were the usual complaints from riders about the superpipe and the field isn’t as deep as it could have been, there is something honest and true about the US Snowboarding Grand Prix Tour. After the Hollywood hoopla and made-for-TV madness of the X Games and the Dew Tour it is refreshing to hang out at the bottom of a halfpipe and watch an event that puts snowboarding first and gives everyone an equal chance to make it to the big leagues.

Click here for the final results and story from US Snowboarding.

Steve Fisher spins one more time to edge out Louie Vito for the win.

The Tahoe shred scene out for a warm day in the sun at Boreal.

Andy Coghlan, his daughter Kelsey and the Western Sports Academy snowboard team getting ready for the Junior Jam.

We heard Louie Vito wanted to win another Chevy Truck, but sadly there are no more Chevy Trucks to win.

“This is what happens when you travel with the Vail snowboard team,” JJ Thomas said in the lodge. “Tear drops and neck tats for everyone.”

After tearing down the MTNOPS SIA tradeshow booth in Las Vegas on Friday night, then driving all night to Boreal, US Snowboarding Grand Prix announcer Mark Sullivan arrives ready to spit.

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