Main Image: Kyle C. mid-air and flipping birds. Photo by Aaron Hyatt.

“This has to be the biggest community service project going on in the Gallatin Valley right now,” Willy Carter says as he shovels another heap of slushy snow onto a dirty landing ramp.

It’s Earth Day, and the final day of preparations for the Shitbox Banked Slalom: Part Deuce. Carter first started the informal DIY event in Spring 2015 with the help of his friends, Chad and Kyle Cremers, twins. The three made a Facebook event, invited all the snowboarders they knew, hiked to the Hully Gully at Bridger Bowl, MT and dug a banked slalom course.

Balloons serve as gate markers in this laid back event. Photo: Aaron Hyatt.

The community responded and the inaugural event was a success. Now here we are again in the Hully Gully, digging a bigger and better course for the second annual Shitbox Slalom. It feels good in the way community service does: we’re working for the good of the snowboarding community. The digging had started on Monday and it’s now Friday; different crews had been working throughout the week, but the biggest crew of all just showed up for the final push. The result is a fun course with at least twice as many turns as the previous year, along with three jump hits. We leave Friday evening feeling exulted from riding the course, appreciating the fruits of the week’s labor, excited for the morning to come.

The forecast called for a 90% chance of rain, and it’s drizzling in Bozeman as I drive towards the Bridgers. The Saturday morning light dawns dimly on the course, it’s rather cloudy and wet. But that doesn’t stop more than 50 snowboarders showing up with beer and boards in hand, all ready to ride.

The event’s originators come out early and put the finishing touches on the course, marking gates with balloons tied to sticks. They set up a semi-legit timing system using walkie-talkies and iPhones, with two people timing at the bottom to calibrate. Carter kicks off the event with a heartfelt mega-phone speech. Local snowboard enthusiast Jay Kost leads the group in the pledge of allegiance, and now it’s time to race.

Competition is tough in both the men and women’s categories, but this being a grassroots event, podiums aren’t of much concern. After the course has been scraped and re-scraped by all who wished to take their two timed runs, the group migrates partway down the course to a fun hip feature. An awards ceremony is in order, but for a moment we instead opt for a good old-fashioned jump sesh. As the riders toss backflips, launch spins and tweak methods, I can feel the energy that comes with a group of snowboarders enjoying a good time on the mountain, taking advantage of the conditions in our backyard.

Eventually we gather in the gully for the awards ceremony. The prizes of gold, silver and bronze spray-painted toilet seats and plungers are endowed upon the victors. My name is called.

I know it doesn’t mean much, but I feel proud to take this silver plunger home. I place it on my mantle as a memento of the good times, another symbol to remind me of that feeling of pure stoke for snowboarding. You can bet your ass I’ll be in the gully digging that Shitbox next year.

Eric Thomas & Olivia Kesterson with their first place prizes. Photos by Aaron Hyatt.

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Shitbox Banked Slalom Results:

Men

1st: Eric Thomas, 47.06 seconds

2nd: Nate Falconer, 48.36 seconds

3rd: Stuart Moore, 48.61 seconds

Women

1st: Olivia Kesterson, 51.50 seconds

2nd: Karen Wilson, 53.20 seconds

3rd: Amy Balbier, 53.45 seonds