4th BAKED SALMON | GALLERY + RECAP

Words & Photos* Rob Lemay

“The Baked Salmon Banked Slalom is an annual celebration of West Coast snowboarding at its finest set high above the city of Vancouver atop Mt. Seymour. It’s a day where young and old, pro or Joe, can get together in one place to enjoy what we all love to the fullest. Huge shout out to everyone that works tirelessly to make this day the best of our season!” -Nic Heringa

On March 16, 2019, Mt. Seymour hosted the 4th Baked Salmon Banked Slalom. It was sunny, the course was better than ever, and the crowd of participants & spectators made it another ultra special weekend. It’s hard to find the right words to describe it if you weren’t there, but here she goes!

This event began four years ago with local shredders Nic Heringa, Jeff Keenan, Tony Lefroy, Scott Fierbach, and David Birnie. They’re ongoing effort is the reason it’s improved year after year. It takes countless emails and has logistics that are hard to wrap your head around. With help from Mt. Seymour and so many others, online registration opened in February and sold out in 10 minutes. It actually sold out so fast that 20 extra riders got in before the computer software was able to cut it off.

All the preparation came down to three days of hand digging the course under the Brockton chairlift. Nic Heringa, the man behind Salmon Arms, picked the line this year, and a handful group of volunteers got to work. It’s no doubt a labor of love. The course was meticulously shaped and has been progressively getting better every year.

Race day really starts after registration when everyone makes their way up to Brockton chair. With a new digital timing system for this year they were able to send through almost 300 riders. Same format as previous years with no warm ups. Everyone gets one lap and a choice to scratch their first time for a second lap.

Although everyone is there because of the race, the event has grown to be so much more. It’s rare to get almost 500+ friends and boarders alike altogether in one spot, so it’s a huge reunion for many. Add in a double hip line built/designed by Ben Bilocq, a jib park setup designed by Matt Heneghan, and you’ve got some guaranteed heated sessions. There’s even a beer gardens, DJ, and barbeque. What more do you need?

Open Women's Podium | 1 Sara Niblock 2 Alexa Welgan 3 Frédérique Joncas

Open Men's Podium | 1 Pierce Smith 2 Madison Ellsworth 3 Joel Loverin

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