Get Retro! Way back in the olden days like before there was enough money in snowboarding that a good percentage of pros can head to the Southern Hemisphere to chase the endless winter, like now, the Patch was a little more well known. Some big names showed up in the early 90’s, heard that even Volcom threw a contest there. Well some people decided to throw a little contest and/or party their this past Sat, June 8. That’s right June 8th in So Cal. You would never think of snow in June in a place known for sun but if you look you will find. SoCal has a ton of big mountains near or above 10,000 foot in elevation. On the north side of those mountains snow patches will linger until the early summer. Some years more than others, I have gotten sick ass long runs on Fathers Day in the mountains near here. This particular little patch is at the bottom of an avalanche chute so it gets a lot of snow and holds it despite it’s close proximity to a road and lower elevation. The road was closed due to a washout so it was a 2.5 mile or so hike in.
Shaun White was not there, nor too many household snowboard names but who cares, it was snow in June. Its so sick to see that someone took the effort to organize this thing and people like snowboarding enough to show up. Hopefully you will excuse my casual reporting, I just cruised up there with the girlfriend and our dog to snap a few photos to show you what can be done with the right do it yourself attitude. No lifts, no piston bully’s building giant kickers - just a few people that love snowboarding, some obstacles of questionable integrity and some drunk people yelling “let’s go Lakers” It was fun for sure.
Even Liam from Transworld put up a gallery so you know it was big time
http://www.transworldsnowboarding.com/gallery.jsp?ID=1000022063
-Here is the view from far away, you can see how snow kinda slid into the “patch” from all over creating a deep snowpack to last into the early summer
-Looking closer we see some activity
-This little pole jam was one of the more popular obstacles
-damn I wish I knew who this was. If you know, leave a comment and we will fix it
-Leroy with a tailtap on the edge
-Mark G I think
-Don’t know who but 360 over the barrier
-Slopeside accomodations – inland empire style, sick. With one of the errr shuttles in the background
-jam on it
-Surely this barrier was obtained legaly and not stolen from the construction zone on the way up – nose bonk
-Front Flip
-tech set up – love it
-360 – this guy was killing it
-jenky but rad
- another 360
-Kyle Lopiccolo – hey that guy is pro!
-Free Your Tindy
-Our dog (in the middle) crazy, she loves the snow, probably annoying the shit out of everyone, even dogs found friends at the patch match
-The dog in the back kept humping our dog. Our dog ended up getting some sort of infection from one of the dogs. In sense she got laid and an infection, not bad for a weekend in the Inland Empire! I wonder if Snowboard Revolution will accept the vet bill as an “expense”
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