Features

Fourth Annual Abominable Snow Jam

By Kimmy Fasani

Summer was put on hold as riders from all over the map migrated to Mt. Hood for the fourth annual Abominable Snow Jam. Kimmy Fasani was on the glacier and at the parties to bring us this story from event.

Summertime is never complete without a trip to Mt. Hood, Oregon. It’s fun spot for any rider looking to get in a taste of glacier shredding before the next season begins. However, coming to Hood for the festivities of the Abominable Snow Jam is a mandatory social event. Just finishing it’s fourth year, the ASJ is always a no-pressure, relaxed contest that gives everyone a chance to catch up for the fist time since the US Open in March.

The event is about a month and a half after Ms. Superpark, which gives all the ladies a little break to take some vacations and get revamped for summer riding. Riders began gathering for the first day of slopestyle and halfpipe practice on July 9. The weather was incredibly hot and this made the course pretty slow, but once we all took a couple runs through it, a group of us ladies headed to High Cascade to get our shred on. The crew included Hanna Beaman, Leanne Pelosi, Priscilla Levac, Erin Comstock, and myself. These ladies are always motivated to throw down, and the energy they have is always positive and supportive of one another. This day ended around 3 p.m. and wasn’t complete without a stop by Volcano Cone in good ol’ government camp.

The next day was the quarterpipe contest. Around 11 a.m. all the athletes gathered for a quick practice session, which led into an hour-and-a-half jam with men and women combined. Gretchen Blieler started things off with a couple huge Backside 540s. This was followed by Kelly Clark’s massive double overhead airs, which earned her third place and a new snowmobile for the highest air of the ladies. However, Hanna Beaman’s drifty McTwists and consistent airs granted her a nice $5,000 paycheque as the overall female winner.

After another steamy hot day on the glacier a rather large group of people drove down to Trillium Lake to cool off. That night ended with a Snowboarder party at the infamous Charlie’s. Ashley Barker’s cover shot from the July issue was posted up all around the restaurant. Congrats to her!

The halfpipe contest was the only day with a couple scattered clouds and cooler temperatures, but things heated up quickly as the ladies stepped up to the challenge of conquering the 22-foot walls. Mercedes Nichol rode consistently with clean runs, as well as Kelly Clark, who threw down some more huge airs and took home second place. Gretchen Blieler stepped up her riding level and gained redemption from quarterpipe by taking first place and $5,000. Clair Bidez also made her presence known after placing third.

Slopestyle rounded out the ASJ on the event’s final day. The course was firm during the morning but after a couple laps through it everyone seemed to be getting dialed. This course was fun but challenging to plan out a flawless run, so winning was anyone’s chance. The weather could not have been more perfect for the slopestyle—limited wind and the course held its shape for most of the afternoon. With a new Volvo on the line, the race was on to see who’d have the best run. Erin Comstock’s consistency awarded her top spot. Hana Beaman’s smooth style grabbed her second on the podium and a Harley Davidson Motorcyle for the most inspired ride. The third spot finisher was Megan Ginter, a newcomer to the contest scene. Marie-France Roy took home a new camera for Best Trick with her Front 720 Truck Driver.

Some people packed up to leave the Mt. Hood area, but those that stuck around headed out for the ASJ closing party at the RatSkeller. Another wonderful week at sunny Mt. Hood. Now I’m looking forward to some time on the beach.