Photo and Video Feature

More Good Times: Dirksen Derby 11 at Mt Bachelor, OR

Colin Wiseman

Video: Jann Eberharter

In the spring of 2014, I went snow camping with Josh Dirksen up on South Sister, right near his home in Bend, OR. There, I learned that Dirksen was driven. He hiked all day on his splitboard, shoveled, hiked, rode, ate, and hiked some more. I learned that Dirksen is precise. Edge control? Yeah, he usually puts his board right where it should be. Detailed? Just try to leave a discarded freeze dry packet on the ground without him noticing. I also learned that Dirksen had shifted his priorities to family, to spending more time at home, to riding the central Oregon volcanoes almost exclusively, and riding them as much as possible. (It was all outlined in a feature profile in Issue 12.3.)

Practice day with Bryan Fox, Austin Smith and Jared Elston.

Alex Lopez, only dude in the nonexistent snowskate division.

2014 was the eighth year of the Dirksen Derby at Mt Bachelor. Dirksen started it back in 2007, when local snowboarder Tyler Eklund sustained a spinal cord injury and needed help. It was a fun way to get the community together and raise funds for Tyler. Less than 100 people showed for that first event, but it has since grown to an inclusive gathering that attracted upwards of 500 racers and plenty of other folks in attendance to simply soak up the fun. Art shows, video contests, parties, the whole shebang accompanied the event and Dirksen had a hand in all of it. Which, when you think about it, must take a hell of a lot of time. Especially for some as detail-oriented as Dirksen.

Felix Dallaire hiked the course because he couldn’t afford a ticket… and he won.

Jason McAllister raked for a week. The course was perfect from start to finish.

So, it was no surprise that Dirksen took last year off. He never told me as much, but I’m guessing the energy required to produce a gathering of that magnitude was wearing on him—on his pursuit of more time at home with his family. Indeed, it raised a lot of money. But man, it must have been hard to keep pace with the rigors of gathering the tribe every December, just before the holidays.

Photog extraordinaire and 10th place finisher in Gentlemen’s, Andrew Miller.

Marie-France Roy through the ollie bump on the green course and en-route to 5th place for Elite Women.

First place in Elite Women, Mary Rand. This final left turn on the red course took a lot of people down.

This year, Dirksen came back from the hiatus with a streamlined version of the Derby. The build still employed professional rakers and the usual cadre of Bachelor locals who have pitched in since day one. Over 400 racers raced, a smaller number than years prior, but still a largely inclusive and representative sub-section of the snowboard community (although Dirksen said he is still hoping more young folks and females will throw their name in the hat in coming years).

Logan Beaulieu, sans-outerwear for speed?

Cone laps with Harry Kearney and Kael Martin.

The course took a week to build and ran exceptionally smooth. A few feet of fresh leading up to the three-day weekend meant Bachelor was blessed with knee-deep powder on the margins and rippable groomers, which were enjoyed by all. At times, in fact, the start gate sat nearly empty as racers cruised in from Cone laps, legs warm and ready to rip, thanks in no small part to world cup race timer John Jett, whose setup kept things rolling efficiently through the side-by-side 30-ish-second lanes. That allowed more good times beyond the course, as early season squad laps occupied the bulk of the riding experience, with a bit of friendly competition thrown in. A perfect balance, if you ask me.

Jeremy Jones knows how to turn. He brought his son Cass out for the race, a true family affair.

Vision impaired racer Devon Raney followed his daughter Madrona down the green course and they looked smooth.

The philanthropic agenda widened from the usual donation to Eklund, to raising funds for Oregon Adaptive Sports, who always bring a sit-ski presence to the berm-based racecourse, and Protect Our Winters, whose environmental lobbying couldn’t be more important given our current political situation, and the Central Oregon Avalanche Association. While Dirksen didn’t organize any parties this year, the community filled in with multiple gatherings each night, including video premieres and beers with Patagonia and Drink Water alongside a couple affairs at Boneyard Beer and Loge Entrada, featuring a raffle to help legendary park and pipe builder Pat Malendoski, who continues to fight brain cancer.

Brandon Richards from Patagonia’s Worn Wear program helping people repair their gear at Loge Entrada.

Laura Hadar en-route to second place for the Elite Women.

Dirksen Derby 11 required a monumental effort from dozens of folks—none more than Dirksen himself. But the smooth operation of this year’s event bodes well for the future of this staple of early-season snowboarding in the Pacific Northwest.