Mike “Tex” Devenport hammering the old Chair 2 off-ramp at Mt. Baker Ski Area, WA, preseason 1992. It was mid-November, and the storm cycles were spinning in cold and wet. All 15 of the boarders that lived in nearby Glacier were high on Fall Line Films’ Critical Condition and jonesing for things to bonk. The lifts weren’t spinning yet, so hiking was the call. Jeff Fulton was jibbing stumps under Chair 6 and picnic tables by Grandma’s House on a 180 cm Lib Tech Grocer. Tony Welch and Jillian Sizemore were charging on their [Craig] Kelly Airs. Tex was up to his usual burly “Bison” shit: riding with his tongue stuck out, hitting rocks and breaking boards.

I was new to the sport and gaped alongside these guys with a camera and a borrowed Sims Halfpipe, wondering what I was going to see these rippers do next. As we worked our way back to the parking lot, Tex [pictured] and D.C. Laraby eyeballed the top of Chair 2. I saw the burly, steep old growth off-ramp that had taught me and countless other beginners the value of strapping in on the chair.  Tex and D.C. saw something to hit.  I just shook my head, laughed and set up for the picture, ready to see more crazy stuff from people wired differently than me.