{"id":3364,"date":"2009-02-08T22:26:05","date_gmt":"2009-02-09T03:26:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.yobeat.com\/?p=3364"},"modified":"2020-11-18T15:52:13","modified_gmt":"2020-11-18T20:52:13","slug":"good-eatin-at-the-24th-banked-slalom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brookegeery.com\/?p=3364","title":{"rendered":"Good Eatin’ at the 24th Banked Slalom"},"content":{"rendered":"\t

Archives<\/h1>\t\t
\"JAKE
JAKE BLAUVELT, DON'T TOUCH THAT HAND! PHOTO GEERY<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For the 24th Mt Baker Banked Slalom, YoBeat set out to determine once and for all, what makes this event so great. Is it the fact that Mt. Baker is one of the best mountains in North America? Nah, that helps, but there are plenty of good mountains. Is it that the Howatt\u2019s are such amazing supporters of snowboarding, and even get down on the course maintenance themselves? That\u2019s cool, but not the real reason. Maybe it\u2019s that the people who come from everywhere for the event just happen to be the coolest, most down to earth people in the snowboard industry? Again, that helps but, no. It could be that the contest has stayed true to its roots, is about actually being able to ride your snowboard, and hasn\u2019t jumped the shark by adding a ski division, even though everyone else seems to be. But again, not it. No, after a weekend of fun snowboarding and great friends, YoBeat finally fingered it. It\u2019s the food.<\/p>\n

A huge part of every Banked Slalom is the parking lot salmon BBQ so this shouldn\u2019t come as too much of a surprise, but that\u2019s not all. Every meal consumed Banked Slalom weekend seems to supercede the next. And after so many event weekends eating fast food or overpriced mediocre buffets, it sure is nice to show up and get some good grub.<\/p>\n

\"YEAH
YEAH THAT'S CHOCOLATE FONDU<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you love to eat, the Banked Slalom has you covered. Even the hospitality tent stands out. They don\u2019t phone it in like some events, with store-bought lasagna that somehow manages to be dry and greasy at the same time. No, this year\u2019s spread included fondue, soup that changed daily, and fresh giant pretzels. To drink it wasn\u2019t just energy drinks, but juice, water and coffee.<\/p>\n

\"ROAD
ROAD FOOD<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And every great Baker day starts with a trip to Graham\u2019s (Glacier\u2019s bar\/restaurant\/grocery store) for bagels and coffee. There\u2019s no real words explain it, so we\u2019ll just say, as bagel sandwiches go, these are some of the best.<\/p>\n

Speaking of best, Mt. Baker also has the best lodge food ever. Not only is it cheap, but also it\u2019s actually good. We\u2019re talking in-and-out quality sauce on the burgers, fresh bread bowls, loaded baked potatoes and more, all under 10 bucks. If you like beer, they got that too, in several delicious flavors.<\/p>\n

\"MMM
MMM SALMON<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On Saturday there\u2019s that BBQ we mentioned. A line of friendly old ladies dish out coleslaw, mashed potatoes, pre-buttered bread and of course, grilled salmon. After a day of shredding, there\u2019s nothing better than plopping down on a hay bale and chowing down on the stuff.<\/p>\n

\"MAY
MAY I RECOMMEND THE CHICKEN SARDO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

No trip to Baker would be complete though, without a dinner at Milano\u2019s. Much like Mt. Baker itself, the place lives up to the hype. And when Jeannie Debari (as in Rookie of the Year Lucas Debari\u2019s mom) comes up to your table to jokingly move things along because she has to race the next day, well, that\u2019s pretty cool.<\/p>\n

Full and happy stomachs definitely set this event apart. Yeah the good riding, good friends and awesome mountain help as well. There might not have been much snow this year, and Terje didn\u2019t show up due to a contractual obligation to take one run at the Snow Scrapers (note: totally made up statement), but people went fast, shredding was done, and the 2009 Banked Slalom was a damn good time. Our sources tell us Nate Holland went the fastest for the dudes and \u2013 went faster than the rest of the women. If you want to read more about the actual snowboarding, check out my story on Snowboarder.com.<\/a><\/p>\n

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If not, just look at lots of pretty pictures in the gallery (click a thumbnail to enlarge.)<\/p>\n\n\n \t\t\n\t\t\t\t