This past Saturday Utility Board Shop and Mountain High worked hard to put on the amateur snowboard contest by Grenade called Pull the Pin. Watching the ams is always fun; little kids up to your waist running up the hill, dropping in, pulling some tricks and doing it over and over, with their parents carrying their boards for them  good times. The ams always have a tone of enthusiasm. The setup consisted of a down flat bar, flat box/gap/down box, and a 40 foot down rail all side by side. At the bottom was a quarter pipe thing with a giant rail on top, called the Trojan horse. It was a fun set up. The hardest obstacle seemed to be the Trojan horse, well after getting through the huge traffic jam to get up to the mountain. It seemed like half of Los Angeles was trying to get up to the hill to see the snow. Walking through the parking lot English was a second language but it was all good as it was all smiles as many of the people were checking out snow for the first time. Back on the hill things were broken down by age range and it was on. Straight up twenty minute jams determined the winners and only the 16 and over had a final. Some of these kids will likely go on to fame and fortune and photos in the mags and others will go on to live a life of obscurity in the high desert of California, such is life. The Haymaker’s were ripping, winning both the womens division and the best trick. JD Floen was ripping; lots of kids were ripping! Sunny skies and $5,000 worth of prizes; they even had a raffle were EVERY ticket was called and they still had prizes left. Free food too; a bunch of stoked kids on this day for sure.

Spencer Graves with a tailslide transfer

Justin Michaels foot plants up and over the Trojan Horse

Dominic Edwards with a very solid and skateboard-ish lip slide

Dont know who this is rocking the 270 off

Sam Lopez front 50/50s the Trojan horse to 360 off“ sick

The judges determining who goes to the finals and perhaps some kids futures - no pressure

Julie Madrid gaps to board to second place in the girls 13 and under group

Julie Madrid again, two photos, that girl must rip!

Little Levi Caserov airs the whole flat section on the flat to down rail

JD Floen gaps to down rail and to first in the boy’s 13-15 division

JD Floen with 270 the hard way on the box-gap thing

Bryn Valaika was a board caddy for Nirvana, talk about an unfair advantage

Jackie Vega got worst crash but really she was shredding; if you don’t fall, you are not trying

Nirvana Ortanez front boards into second place in the women’s division

Whitney Haymaker front boards the down rail into first place in the women’s division

Jonathon Strader with on of the sicker tricks of the day – 360 gap to 50/50

Spencer Graves – gap to back lip

Front three on, sorry could not id this rider

James Sanders with what I thought was the trick of the day, a front 50/50 to back 360 to flat

16 and over open winner Mike Radziwon Results 16 and over Open 1 Mike Radziwon 2 Ray A 3 James Sanders Boys 13 to15 1 JD Floen 2 Nick Walters 3 Christian Koppen Girls 13 and Under 1 Maddie Mastro 2 Julie Madrid 3 Anya Giernet Worst Bail Jake Vega Best Trick Nick Haymaker – back 450 on flat down Boys 12 and under 1 Tommy Bacon 2 Cameron Mastro 3 Dillon McDaniels Women’s 14 and over 1 Whitney Haymaker 2 Nirvana Ortanez 3 Jamie Madrid