Marc Page didn’t ride much himself this past winter at Shames Mountain.
But he did get up on April 5 to help host the Loaded Sports Throwdown, a free event for skiers and snowboarders of any age to show their stuff.
“I tweaked my knees and I thought they were pretty bad,” said Page last week.
“But they ended up being okay. I was a little weary at first, but it turns out my knees were a little stronger than I thought they were.”
He got 15 days of riding in this season, but usually likes to get between 25 and 35 days every year.
Page’s Prince Rupert business, Loaded Sports, along with its many sponsors, provided prizes to the winners of each category on the table top jump, a basic lift perfect for grabs or back flips and just as easy for beginners to learn on.
“We got Nixon watches, Dragon goggles, Grenade gloves and t-shirts,” explained Page.
“One thing that we enjoy doing after the event is whatever prizes we have left over, we’ll throw off the patio at
Shames.”
It’s like Boxing Day madness for some of the kids, trying to swipe their most coveted wants.
“They were just a big flock of seagulls in front of our prizing table. It was just funny to watch them go at it,” said the store owner.
The event attracts snow-seekers from all over the Northwest, including Terrace and Kitimat.
A few Rupertites found themselves at the top of the podium.
Joel McSorley won the Ski Open, Mason Di Leta took the Snowboard Under-12 and Paul Garry claimed first in the Ski 40+ division.
The powder was a little wet for Page’s liking, but the group caught the sun before it disappeared during the following week.
“It was decent, you know,” he said.
“It wasn’t raining but it was borderline snow. If it was any warmer, it probably would have been too wet … the snow was kind of moist and soft.”
