The inaugural Rockstar Throwback Throwdown was one for the history books as a strong field of riders arrived to perfect 60-degree weather, blue bird skies and a competition like no other. From Frends Crew riders Danny Davis and Luke Mitrani to Chad Otterstrom, local legend Nate Dogggg and X Games medalist Steven Fisher, there was some heavy competition as riders took to the 22-foot halfpipe early Saturday morning.

The Throwback Throwdown isn’t your typical contest. Riders had to put down three runs in the superpipe and weren’t allowed to spin more than a 540. After, they would test their old school skills in the hand-dug 6-foot pipe similar to the pipe Breckenridge first built back in 1986.

The sun was out and riders took to the superpipe with some of the freshest style we’ve seen in a pipe competition this year. From Danny Davis’ huge methods to England’s very own Dom Harrington’s huge cross-rocket airs, the judges had a tough time scoring the runs as all the riders were going huge.

Legend Chris Pappas kept it old school as he took the double hand plant to the superpripe – something no one has seen in years. Eric Dummer and Dom Harrington would keep it real with some kick-ass outerwear, if that’s what you can even call it. Dom sported tight jorts with white kneepads while Dummer followed up with a beautiful sequined sweater vest giving the crowed one more thing to cheer about.

But it would be Zack Black who would take the top spot in the superpipe as he went bigger than any other competitor with a style no one could match. His huge frontside airs, methods and inverts were something to watch, and because you couldn’t spin more than a 540, each trick had a style you don’t see in today’s competitions. Rebecca Sinclair would take the top spot in the superpipe for the ladies as her style and skill would impress the judges as well as the crowd. 

After the men and women put down their three runs in the 22-footer, we headed for the 6-foot throwback pipe at the base of peek 8. You could feel the energy in the air as the crowed packed in to get a glimpse of history. The riders were excited to show off their old-school skills in the hand-dug pipe, and put on quite a show.

The hand-dug 6-foot pipe at the base of Peak 8 | Photo: Chris Owen
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If you’ve never seen a hand-dug pipe before you’re missing out. This is the foundation for what we see today in competition like the X Games and the US Open. “We came up with the idea back in December as we wanted to slow down riders from chucking so much and really focus on style,” Notes Jake Black, co-creator of the Throwback Throwdown. “We’ve got four generations of snowboarding here today. From the original pipe in 1986 to the 22-footer in 2012, it’s really a cool thing to see.”

The diggers were out all night and day creating the six-foot pipe, which sported two huge hits at the beginning, a rail and pipe for jibbing and walls that varied in height making for some interesting tricks. Chad Otterstrom would pull off a styled-out McTwist in one of the smallest sections of the pipe and the crowd went crazy. Dom Harrington put down an insane crippler off the high rise section and Danny Davis would follow up with the biggest backside method of the day. Gnarly back lips went down on the lower rail section, as well as 50-50s and aggressive frontside slashes on tops of the walls. It truly was one of the coolest things to see as the riders took their superpipe skills to a 6-foot mini pipe.

“This contest is f-ing awesome. One of the best contests of the year!” Said Luke Mitrani. “It makes me sad that there aren’t more contests like this. Look around, everyone is having fun and has a huge smile across their face. Skate style, you know? Snowboarding has become like skiing and gymnastics.”

Danny Davis, sporting a colorful gaper hat adds, “It’s sick man. It’s just all about style and having fun. The pipe is so awesome. We tried to build one last year for the Frendly Gathering and it was tough. It wasn’t nearly as awesome as this one.”

As the jam session came to an end it would be none other than Rebecca Sinclair and Zack Black who would take the overall titles for the inaugural Rockstar Throwback Throwdown.

“This was definitely the most fun contest I’ve done all year. It’s really cool to see a mix of the old and new in terms of the halfpipe and the riders who attended.” Said winner Zack Black. “The pipe was definitely fun but also really interesting. I’ve never ridden anything like this in my entire life. It was cool to see the OG riders throwing down as they were definitely more talented then today’s riders in the 6-footer.”

Rebecca Sinclair, who squeeked out the win over Silvia Mittermüller in a one run final, was super stoked to take first. “Today was so fun and it was a nice that it was a blue bird day.” Adds Sinclair. “It was really cool to see riders go huge in the 22-foot pipe and than throwdown in the 6-foot pipe. The mini was very tricky at first but after a few runs I got it down and figured out how to ride this thing.”

After the competition wrapped up, riders and spectators headed to Liquid Lounge to get their party on and celebrate a successful day of crushing it in the pipes. People sported ‘80s attire, their best throwback gear and partied until the end of the night.

You could say that the Rockstar Throwback Throwdown was a huge success or one of the best competitions of the year, but that would be an understatement. From the great outfits to the perfect pipes, blue bird day and awesome field of riders, we are already thinking about what next year will hold at Breck.