About Charley: He is 16 and lives in Pittsburgh, PA. His home slope is Seven Springs and he has been riding for four years. Board: Gnu Rider's Choice. Pre-comp video footage, shown above.
[Q] backyard snowboarding [dot] com:
Tell us when you first arrived at the event and what was going on.
[A] Charley:
Hahah, well, I got there early. Besides Jake and the two Chris's (the main guys running the event), I was the first one there. We worked on cleaning everything up and setting things up for the comp. We got everything cleaned up, then started making SnowGel and getting the runs and boxes ready. We rode for a little while, just practicing, then a few more younger kids started showing up for the mini comp. The mini comp went on then we all rode again and practiced up for the big comp. It was a great time. Everyone was really cool and chilled and no one had a problem giving anyone tips. There were all skill levels of riders and both girls and guys. It was really all and all just a good day of riding.
[Q] backyard snowboarding [dot] com:
Cool... about how many main comp riders were there. Oh, and who were all the people you brought along.
[A] Charley:
There were only 4-5 boarders and prob 5-6 skiers in the main comp. They where expecting about 10 times that amount but due to the weather and their site going down with their address and directions to the park that morning, a lot less riders showed up. There were probably about 20 kids riding in all, ages from 7 year olds to people in their 20's. There were def a lot more skiers than there were snowboarders, but it didn't matter it was still a great time. Since most of my family lives out there, my cousins came and my two uncles and my aunt (and of course my parents) there were probably 50 people there, about half riding and about half watching.
[Q] backyard snowboarding [dot] com:
Tell us a bit about the box and/or rail features, the overall setup and what was your favorite to ride...
[A] Charley:
Well, early in the day it was the box, which was a mellow a-frame box and a double barrel flat rail. Then later on in the day, the double barrel was switched with a huge a-frame rail. They had a movable booster (rollin) and you could move it to the desired lane. I would have to probably say the box was my favorite because you could be more technical on it. Although, the long a-frame rail was fun due to its size and difficultly.
[Q] backyard snowboarding [dot] com:
How did the custom-made Halloween orange "pumpkin guts" SnowGel look? And, was the 12-pak of gel sufficient to keep everyone riding all day?
[A] Charley:
The orange looked cool on the white carpet... made it cool for the event and it was definitely enough. I believe they had more left over even.
[Q] backyard snowboarding [dot] com:
Once again, congratulations on taking first in the snowboarding main comp. Did you feel that having your own BTP (backyard terrain park) setup made you better prepared for the competition?
[A] Charley:
Thanks, thanks. Oh, and it def did. When people came and said they have never ridden on anything like this, they had trouble getting used to it the first couple times. Meanwhile, I jumped down the first time and hit the rail with no problem. It was a definite advantage.
backyard snowboarding [dot] com:
Thank you very much... that answers all of our questions. Is there anything else you what to add about the event before we sign off.
Charley:
Uh, just that everyone there running it was awesome and I would def recommend it even if you just want a day of fun. Long story short, It's a good time.
backyard snowboarding [dot] com:
Thanks Charley for taking the time to do this interview.
Charley:
Not a problem. Take it easy you guys.
