The 2006 Peanut Butter and Rail Jam Championships went down Saturday May 20th at Mammoth Mtn, CA. Boasting a $20,000 cash purse, a mountain of prizes, insane riding and a live webcast on volcom.com, the second annual PB&RJ championships were bigger and better then the first!
The invite-only contest featured the top riders from each of the 13 qualifying stops around North America. The result saw the relatively small town of Mammoth Lakes, California become ground zero for close to 200 of the continent’s best amateur snowboarders!
Familiar faces were everywhere as rider check-in began in Mammoth’s Main lodge at 8am. Less then an hour later everyone was outside practicing on the first-rate PBRJ contest site that Oren Tanzer and his Unbound park crew had created.
Luckily for us, an impressive array of talent was in the area filming for Volcom’s new snowboard movie, “Escramble” set to be released this August. Brandishing pens and clipboards, our own Erik “the Mule” Leines, Chris Demolski and Curtis Ciszek would be judging the 15 -, 16 + and Open divisions. Scoring the ladies were the admirable Volcom girls pros Janna Meyen, Cheryl Maas and Elena Hight!
With $20Gs up for grabs, focus was clearly visible in the eyes of all the competitors during the rider meeting. As the formalities wrapped up, Bjorn Leines and the Dingo hopped on the mics and prepared to call the action as Jamie Lynn fired up the turntables! People around the world were logged on to
volcom.com to watch the 15-and-Under Division kick things off. The caliber of riding was insane as kids began throwing down right off the bat. What were considered standout tricks in the regional qualifiers became standard in the championships. Super smooth front boards and back lips highlighted the 15 and under prelims.
Bjorn and the Dingo continued to entertain all in attendance with their flair on the mics as the 16-and-Over division got underway. It was exciting to watch the last year’s 1-and-under division champion return for a shot at the 16+ title. The riding was unbelievable and made life difficult on the judges!
Janna Meyen, Cheryl Maas and Elena Hight put on their judging hats as the Girl’s Division attacked. A girl’s only group was a new addition to the 05/06 PB&RJ tour and has been a highlight throughout. Once again, the girl’s riding blew everyone away! British Columbia’s Jess Kimura quickly set the tone boosting to the down on the flat-down rail!
The Open Division rounded out the day’s competition putting on a show that was nothing short of insane! Amongst others, Lucas Magoon and Zac Marben were throwing down and making good use of the bonus hit at the bottom of the contest site. The kids clearly recognized the stakes as they elevated their riding and battled hard to the end! I think it’s safe to say that the level of riding by all the competitors at this year’s championships was even better then 2005’s!
The 2006 Peanut Butter and Rail Jam Championships were a success because of two main ingredients. We can’t say thanks enough to all the kids and parents who made the trip to Mammoth for the event. It was a long haul for many and we appreciate all the effort that went into attending. A huge thanks to Mammoth’s Oren, Julien and the rest of the crew at the mountain for all they did before, during and after the event. We’re always treated like kings when in the area and are already looking forward to our next visit.
Thanks also to Red Bull(Matt Barbour) for providing lunch for all the competitors, Lib Tech(Jeannine James), Ride(Tara Miller-Yant?) and Nitro snowboards(Tonino Copene), Santa Cruz(Brett Sigur), Electric(Creeps) and Vans(Bryan Knox) for helping us stoke kids with prizes! The Dingo and Bjown Leines for handeling the mic with humors comentary! Thanks again to everyone! Check back soon for the 2006/07 Peanut Butter and Rail Jam tour schedule!
Results:
15 and Under:
1st:Zak Stone - $3000
2nd: Kael Hill - $1500
3rd: Dylan Stelck - $750
4th: Taylor Nelson
5th: Tyler Lynch
“Holla back board” Dylan Alito
Quaterpipe Best Trick: Dylan Alito
16 and Over:
1st: Jesse Delgrosse - $3000
2nd: Mac Spedale - $1500
3rd: James Shoshone - $750
4th: Nick Poohachoff
5th: Jake Larue
“Holla back board”: Stuart Gingrass
Quarterpipe Best Trick:
Girls Division:
1st: Jess Kimura - $1500
2nd: Kalyn Lepre - $750
3rd: Joanna Dzierzawski - $300
4th: Emilly Blewitt
5th: Bryn Valika
“Holla back board”: Laura Iverson
Quarterpipe Best Trick: Jess Kimura
Open Division:
1st: Lucas Magoon - $4000
2nd: Zac Marben - $2000
3rd: Jeremy Cloutier - $1000
4th: Dan Brisse
5th:Jed Anderson
“Holla back board”: Adam Dowell
Quarterpipe Best Trick: Lucas Magoon
Check out the video HERE and click
HERE to see our Report and Pics
Lucas Magoon Born to Win