On March 30th, 2013, Mt Hood Meadows rose to the challenge and hosted the 4th stop of Nike Snowboarding’s Snake and Hammers. Half slopestyle, half banked slalom, the event is the ultimate test of snowboarding skill, requiring riders to not just go fast, but also do so with style, and drop their best hammers along the way.

The Meadow’s course was not for the casual enthusiast, as right out of the gate, competitors dropped an 8-foot cliff into the first set of turns. After gaining some speed in the slush, riders got the choice of three rail features, then went straight into a 30-foot jump. One more turn and it was onto the box feature before a step down into the final three turns. On each of the features riders were given a score from 0-6 — a higher score meant more seconds were deducted from your overall time.

The Oregon sun was out in force, and the unseasonably warm temperatures were a treat for the 80+ competitors, ranging from local ams and pros to the heavy hitters from the previous event at Mountain High. Each got two runs vying for the fastest time and a slot in the 15 man and 4 woman finals.

Once the field was whittled down to the best of the best, each rider got one more run to impress the judges. When the complicated math was said and done, it was local youngster Jeremy Nylund beating out the old guys to take the win for men and Ronda Shanin on top for the ladies. Johnnie Paxson was also on hand to judge the best hammer, which went to Randall Wheaton for his smooth backside 7 Japan.

MEN:
1st – Jeremy Nylund
2nd – Jeremy Page
3rd – Max Warbington

WOMEN:
Ronda Shahin

BEST HAMMER:
Randy Seaton – Back 7 Japan