MOUNTAIN LIFE - Blue Mountains | Winter 2019

WINTER 2019 ML BLUE 25 On a sunny warm day at the end of March 2018, the true park rats gathered at the Blue Mountain Badlands Terrain Park for one final hurrah: the Spring Pickle. It was the second annual and as the Manager of Mountain Events Erika Langman says, “the event isn’t really a contest; it’s more of a fun end-of-season park jam with a free barbecue.” And watching the event for five minutes revealed that no one was taking it too seriously. But that didn’t stop the terrain park staff from putting together one heck of a course for this one-day event. “We try to put together the most unique set-up we can think of,” says Langman. “This year we made three giant pickles out of snow littered with rails, hips, channels and the highlight: the tree bonk.” Those jumps had slogans like, “Kinda a big dill,” and “Get Pickled” spray-painted on the take-offs. While the event is judged, there isn’t much on the line; winners get bragging rights and a jar of pickles. As kids (and adults) of all ages hucked themselves off the features, the announcers cracked inside jokes while the riders and judges struggled to know what was going on. There was little doubt this was a send-off to the season. With balmy weather, perfect sunshine and a positive atmosphere, this was more of a tribal gathering than a contest. The kids and grown-ups that had spent the majority of the season lapping the terrain park, finally had a chance to show off to their peers. It was an inspiring event that truly showcased that the terrain park is more than an added attraction to Blue Mountain; it’s a community. Soon the tree-bonk feature descended into a tree-smash obstacle with kids launching themselves off the final kicker and landing in the tree itself. Roars of laughter and support came from the small, but boisterous crowd. There’s little debate over whether the Spring Pickle event of 2018 was a success. It absolutely was. And it will be happening again on March 24. UP FRONT A BIG DILL: THE SPRING PICKLE JAM It was an inspiring event that truly showcased that the terrain park is more than an added attraction to Blue Mountain; it’s a community. Anthony Wolf with a Cab Underflip. COLIN FIELD