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Item: Dirksen Derby 2014
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Main Image: Josh Dirksen. Photos: Colin Wiseman.

Powder slashing, tree bashing and plenty of good ole fashioned berm crashing. Welcome to the 8th annual Dirksen Derby at Mt. Bachelor, OR.

The Dirksen Derby is a wowing spectacle in and around it’s infamous banked slalom style racecourse. From the minute we arrived in the Mt. Bachelor parking lot, heavy metal blasting, I knew I was in for an epic experience. For many PNW-based snowboarders it was the first day of the 2014/15 season, and the looks on our fellow riders faces read, “Let’s f_ckin’ do this.” With nightly gatherings over a few beverages and excitement galore, the Derby was just as much a winter kickoff party as it was an organized event.

“This year we had a good amount of snow which allowed us to build a really incredible course,” Josh Dirksen said. It took eight days of digging to put in the two 30-second-ish sets of berms through the trees, and a dozen or more high walls provided ample flow if you stayed low. A highlight this year was an uphill cradle on the more technically challenging red course, and a three-turn bit of chicanery out of a high speed sweeper near the top of the green lane.

With 541 racers competing, it was a good thing that Mother Nature provided. Two inches of new snow fell upon the mountain the night before the first of a three-day event, providing a solid base for the race as well as stashes for pow slashes around the mountain. Bluebird skies graced Bend on Saturday and Sunday, allowing the resort to open its Summit Chair for the first time this season. I myself spent a majority of the weekend getting lost in the mountain’s vast woods, hunting madly for freshies and face shots, chasing friends and chasing fun.

Along with raising riders stoke levels, the primary purpose of the Derby is to raise money for Tyler Eklund, a Bend, OR-native who was paralyzed in an unfortunate snowboarding accident in 2006.

“I [hold the event] to make [Tyler] stoked,” Dirksen said. “It’s a nice simple goal to have, everything revolves around what’s going to make him happy, and as a result everyone gets a lot of stoke out of it.”

All proceeds of the event go towards Tyler’s medical bills and getting him on snow. Since its inaugural year in 2006 the Derby has raised over $115,000.

The humility of the situation is portrayed in the execution of the event. Sponsored riders line up with the weekend warriors, and there is no sense of VIP status amongst anyone. Everyone is just there to ride and have fun, sharing in what they love with like-minded individuals.

But that isn’t to say there isn’t a bit of intensity surrounding the race, and it’s surely not to say the riding wasn’t fast. Desiree Melancon took home the gold for Women’s Elites while Maria Debari placed first in Women’s Splitboard. A speedy grom by the name of Wyatt Foley won his division with a time that outdid the top three in the Men’s 13-24 and the Women’s Elites. Persing Reid beat out Ryland Bell (a.k.a. Mr. AK) by one second to win Men’s Splitboard, and the fastest time of the day held by (no surprise here) Telluride, CO’s Harry Kearney. Kearney finished the green and red courses with a combined time 54.21 seconds, outpacing the runner up, Austin Smith, by an astonishing 2.69 seconds. Kearney is one fast dude, to say the least.

Considering the lack of snowfall currently plaguing the American west, it was extra refreshing to get out and ride this weekend, and the Derby served as a primo way to start the season. Although the snow that covered Bachelor was only boot-deep, the excitement in the air was sky high.

Shout outs to Josh Dirksen, Mt. Bachelor, Patagonia and all of the volunteers that make the Derby possible. We would also like to personally thank Andy Goggins and the Pine Ridge Inn for hosting us stinky snowboarders in one of their beautiful river view suites located a quick, 30-minute drive to the mountain. This year’s Dirksen Derby was all-time, from the course to the vibes and everything in between—an unforgettable gathering that continues to plant the seeds of stoke from the groms to those older and wiser.

Results:

Men’s Elites:

1. Harry Kearney, 54.21
2. Austin Smith, 56.90
3. Alex Deibold, 57.00

Women’s Elites:

1. Desiree Melancon, 63.07
2. Colleen Quigley, 63.93
3. Stephanie Haines, 63.97

Sit-Ski:

1. Ravi Drugan, 77.95
2. Hiromi Tatumi, 80.34
3. Gabe Rousseau, 90.82
4. Tyler Eklund, N/A

Men’s Splitboard:

1. Persin Reid, 14:00
2. Ryland Bell, 14:01
3. Adam Haynes, 14:22

Women’s Splitboard:

1. Maria Debari, 17:35
2. Allison Lightcap, 19:36
3. Khai Bhagwandin, 20:40

Men’s Snowboard (13-34)

1. Spencer Cordovano, 59.06
2. JD Dennis, 59.63
3. Shane Chappell, 59.82

Women’s Snowboard (14-49)

1. Brynn Hayes, 67.65
2. Caley Vanular, 68.59
3. Devyn Schnake, 70.34

Gentlemen’s Snowboard (35-49)

1. Kris Melton, 61.27
2. Greg Goulet, 61.40
3. Ami Voutilainen, 61.48

Older & Wiser (Ages 50 & up)

1. Matt Gadow, 73.44
2. Gerry Lopez, 77.30
3. Michael Schubert, 81.14

Groms

1. Wyatt Foley, 58.18
2. Parker Giblin, 67.70
3. Max Jones, 69.36

For full results, click here.