Holy Oly: The Ocho

The stuff Northwest legends are made of. Allister Schultz.

Snow skates flying in every direction. Banana peels littering the ground. Cold cans of Olympia conveniently falling at my feet. It can all only mean one thing: it’s Holy Oly time! But wait, it’s April! Isn’t the annual celebration of Northwest Pride in February? Well, it turns out that bitch La Nina decided the Northwest didn’t need any snow in January, or February for that matter, and rather than truck in snow from afar as in years past, Krush at the crew at Snoqualmie decided to bump the event back a couple months in hopes of snow. It worked.

When winter finally decided to start back up in March, it meant business and it’s still snowing almost daily, with no signs of stopping. So while an April date would seemingly provide a sunny spring day for the event, it was more a combo of sun mixed with various precipitation through out the day. Aside from the date, the 8th Annual Holy Oly was much like all those that came before, with one other noticeable difference. The quarterpipe was extra enormous. It checked in at around 27 feet, giving even some of the most seasoned Holy Oly vets trouble.

Austin Hironaka knows how to donkey kick.

So it took a little bit longer than normal, but within an hour, it was business as usual. Legends including Joey Macguire, Russell Winfield, Peter Line and Allister Shultz proved they still snowboard on the massive wall. A few key players such as Jay Kelly and Austin Hironaka boosted massive airs. The jib kids such as Ben Bilocq, Forrest Bailey, Johnny Lazz and Jason Robinson played in tube city. Jesse Burtner made colorful jokes on the mike (and some off-color ones under his breath.) Krush’s playlist served as the timing system, and Cobra Dogs kept everyone full.

The two-term mayor of Tube City: Forest Bailey

This year, a few awards were added, including the “where you been award,” probably because Allister showed up. (The answer is “Oregon” but that’s beside the point.) There was also the Jean Claude Land-Am award, chosen by Mark Landvik for the most deserving am, Stephan Krumm (who scored an invite to Superpark.) Then there were the usuals: best method, best fall, highest air (they have more clever titles than that), but the one that really matters, immortalized forever in Sharpie on the Oly Cup, is the Holiest of the Holy. For the past several years Manuel Diaz has pleased spectators with his Michaelchucks, but this year, they seemed extra pleasing. For his efforts, the Chilean a half-pallet of beer and the recognition he deserved.

If you’ve ever been to the Holy Oly, you can pretty much imagine the rest, and if you haven’t, well, get your ass to Washington next February, or April for the best damn time you’ll ever have throwing yourself at a massive wall of snow (or watching other people do it).

The spoils of victory!

Results

NW Method Award- Scotty Whitzle
Mayor of Tube City: Forest Bailey
Future of NW Shred Award: Bart Patitucci
Highest Air: Jay Kelly
Land-Am: Stephan Krumm
Holy Diver: Dan Manning
Best Trick: Matt Wainhouse (front 900 tail grab)
Where you been: Allister Schultz

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