The 12th stop on the 2007/08 Peanut Butter & Rail Jam tour hit Stratton Mtn, VT and some questionable (horrible) weather Sat March 8, 2008!
Where do I start on this one? Never having been to Stratton for a PBRJ, anticipation in the Volcom camp was running rampant! In case you just moved to earth or are getting your jihad on in the Middle East, Stratton Mountain lays claim to being one of the hot spots that has gotten snowboarding to where it is today. Would I lie to you? The answer is no. In addition to being the home of the prestigious US Open and several other traditions, the resort can now say it has tasted some Peanut Butter & Rail Jam!
The situation looked grim, but we rallied in the face of a forecast that contained such snowboarding hits as “ice pellets” and “heavy freezing rain” and my personal PBRJ contest favorite, “wind gusts up to 40mph”. Indeed, as the big day neared, chances of the event being cancelled looked more and more likely. “Nay!” we all defiantly responded as the tents and umbrellas were opened in jubilant celebration!
“But what of the event?” you ask, perched precariously on the edge of your seat. My response to your query is as follows…
We arrived to registration early Saturday to see an army of eager would-be PB&RJ’ers preparing for battle. 1 hour and more then 100 competitors later, the fight of our PBRJ lives began with the 15 & Under Division! Rippers such as Hunter Wood, Mike Perle and Rory Bruder shrugged off the rain as if it ain’t no thang and began throwing down some serious tricks. Nollie back tailsides on the down box, switch 50-50s on the up-down rail and a boardlide f/s 270 out on the roller coaster are just a few of the tricks we were treated to. All in all, the entire division put the hurt on all three zones and laughed in the face of the conniving wench we call Mother Nature.
The 16 & Over Division slid on the scene next and showed an equally impressive amount of intensity and grit. The operating room was ready and Eric Beauchemin, Thomas Tikos-Kadgi and Chris Mazzarisi were just a few of the surgeons making incisions! Justin Mullen’s boardslide to front board to 270 was just what the doctor ordered to stave off pneumonia! We were also lucky enough to get a close up look at a switch nollie back lip to 270 out, a few nollie front flips off the second hump on the roller coaster and an f/s 270 to front board on the up-down rail. Well played sirs!
After stuffing ourselves with free PB&J, cookies, chips and drink, it was the ladies turn to throw down! The rain really started to get serious now as the Volcom tents became a dry, but crowded retreat. While not the largest girls Division we’ve seen on the tour, this one was a quality over quantity scenario. Among others, Lucyann Murray, Tanya Schmid and the Tierney sisters (Meghan & Makayla) were on a mission of rail annihilation! Smooth front boards, nollie noseslides and switch 50-50s were just a few of the conversation pieces that went down!
Up last but definitely not least was the Open Division. Despite standing in the rain all day, these guys battled like true warrior-poets and had the judges shaking their heads! Any worries of rusty riding were dispelled at the hands of heavies like Rob Hallowell, Shaun Murphy and Ian Keay! A lot of the riders made a habit of gapping to the down on the up-down rail! Every conceivable trick combination was thrown down as the Open riders put on a heck a show and capped a super fun day (yes, even with the rain)!
Thanks of course to Kelly Odiorne, Christopher Nole and the rest of our new friends at Stratton Mountain! Good times were had by all! Thanks also to Zach Cole, Mike Lee, Kris Anderson for judging and the terrain park crew for staying on top of site maintenance all day. As you can imagine, the rain was a lame pain with no gain until the park crew of Stratton fame stepped in to tame-that like a rabid mar-ma-sat (yes, there’s a record deal pending on my hip rhymes so don’t cramp my style).
Results:
15 & Under
1st: Hunter Wood
2nd: Mike Perle
3rd: Rory Brudor
4th: Connor Hudson
5th: Rex Calabrese
16 & Over
1st: Eric Beauchemin
2nd: Justin Mullen
3rd: Thomas Tikos-Kadgi
4th: Chris Mazzarisi
5th: Graham Banks
Girls Division
1st: LucyAnn Murray
2nd: Meghan Tierney
3rd: Jennifer Cohen
4th: Makayla Tierney
5th: Tanya Schmid
Open Division
1st: Shaun Murphy
2nd: Ian Keay
3rd: Jeff Sponzo
4th: Rob Hallowell
5th: Curtis Hill
Click HERE to see all the pics! 
