HAAKONSEN AND RICKER WIN THE MT. BAKER BANKED SLALOM

The 2012 Legendary Mount Baker Banked Slalom was indeed, legendary. Celebrating its 27th year, the Banked Slalom tests the most basic and true skills of snowboarding; riding fast and powerful. Having corked tricks, filed down edges and an extruded unwaxed base on a 152 may be helpful in developing your next video part, but here, none of that matters. Style and trends are thrown out the window for the Banked Slalom, where the only thing that matters is the time on the clock. Only at Mt. Baker will you find a collection of snowboarding legends spanning generations and decades.

The much coveted duct tape tropies and denim jackets were pursued by many, from Jeff Fulton to Travis Rice. Both legends from their respective eras. In the end, two of the most well-rounded riders on the planet took the top spot. Terje Haakonsen and Maielle Ricker won the Banked Slalom for the mens and ladies category. Despite their obvious accomplishments in snowboarding, this was Haakonsen’s 7th title, and Ricker’s 6th. Competing among such a stacked field of the best in the world each year, these are huge accomplishments.

Kevin Pearce dropped in and hit the course, and was awarded the Andernewski Award, a lifetime entry spot, and one huge standing ovation.

Baker is a tough mountain, and this was the toughest field of competitors out there. One of my best days snowboarding was at Baker with my Action Recon editor and a few good friends. Burly and fast, Baker has some of the most hard core locals of any mountain. Congrats to all of the competitors.

Check out all of the video highlights here:

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3. Creating a true World Champion Snowboarder with Terje Haakonsen and the TTR
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5. Jeremy Jones’ Deeper Trailer – best snowboard film of the season