City of Goldendale
About Chris McBride
Posts by Chris McBride:
#NoRam2017
North America is home to some of the most majestic landscapes, creatures, and fried foods in all of the world. It is also home to your opportunity to test your grit as a gaucho of gravity. Join your friends on the most epic skate tour of your life and descend into the North American wild.
The end of 2016 promised little for North American gravity racers as four premier events announced that like many celebrities: 2016 would be their last. Killington was rumored to have a new organizer while many of independent races had not yet been confirmed for 2017. The North American 2017 gravity sports racing calendar looked bleak and questionable in its ability to follow up and epic 2016 season. Luckily for North American and especially touring internationals things have changed!
The back-to-back North American racing will start in Colorado’s majestic piece of the Rockies. Colorado houses some of the tallest mountain peaks in North America and will present racers with a new racetrack to conquer at the Devil’s Peak Downhill (Aug 19-20).
The North American Rockies will host the second stop, only this time in beautiful British Columbia: home of some of the greatest downhill skateboarders in the world. Penticton, British Columbia will host this new event on the tour’s second never before raced track during the APEX MOUNTAIN CHALLENGE (Aug 26-27).
Maryhill Windwalk 2017 is the latest reincarnation of a famed and classic event on a historic and hallowed racetrack dating back to 2001. It will be the third race in the North American tour. Windwalk will be held over Labor Day weekend on Maryhill Loops Road while incorporating a music festival nightly in the city of Goldendale, Washington. Test yourself on the track and the dance floor at the Maryhill Windwalk (Sept 1-3).
Racers will now need to travel to the east coast, en route to Killington, Vermont for the Killington World Cup (Sept 8-10). The Killington course is the fastest head-to-head race course currently in existence. Street luge pilots will race above 80 mph while skaters will still find themselves drafting and drifting at illegal highway speeds.
The last competitive stop is perhaps the most exciting as graviteers will fight for a place in the history books: L’Ultime Descente is quite literally the ultimate descent for anyone testing their mastery of physics. The final event presents the fastest speeds and the toughest competition: yourself. Speed boarders will seek to reach 100 mph for the first time in history while luge pilots struggle to be the third, fourth and fifth people in their own discipline to break 100 mph! Journey into Quebéc and take your shot at the history books during L’Ultime Descente (Sept 16-17).
The spree of speed ends with a cherry on top at the Fall Freeride at Maryhill. The freerides are not a competitive event, but are still fun filled weekends with over 250 riders enjoying a euphoric experience on the beautiful track, managed by the Maryhill Ratz. Additionally there are many great events throughout 2017: Soldiers of Downhill, takes place during the changing of the leaves in October. The event is run on Jester Hill in Bainbridge, Ohio and dates back to the turn of this century. British Columbia still has its mainstay of events: Danger Bay, Jake’s Rash and Britannia keep calm and carry on as other events are rumored to occur, but have not yet been confirmed. Mt. Jefferson (North Carolina) and Laguna Downhill (Mexico) may also be recurring this year. Finally, a bundle of freerides will occur. Sun Peaks is happening again as well as three freerides at Maryhill: Spring, Summer and Fall.
So rally your friends, fix your vans, haggle your sponsors, sell wheels to groms, and mooch yo momma’s air miles so you can be part of the untamed North American race tour: #NoRam2017
Inline Rules
Windwalk is an IIDA National event. IIDA rules will be followed. These rules are paraphrased below. If there is a discrepancy between these rules and IIDA, IIDA rules take precedence.
Equipment
- Inline or quad skates
- Maximum of 6 wheels per skate
- Maximum diameter of a wheel is 110mm
- Skate frame can not exceed 50 cm in length
- Skates must be firmly attached to the shoe
- Axles cannot protrude past the wheel edge
- Heel brakes are allowed, custom brakes must be approved by IIDA
- Starting numbers are not required as transponders will be used
Safety Gear
- Hard shell, full face helmet
- Face shield, goggles, or other form of eye protection
- Back Protector
- Knee Pads
- Elbow Pads
- Palm and/or wrist protection. Gloves are encouraged but not mandatory.
- Hip and buttock protection (for example crash shorts)
Racing
- All parts of the body and equipment must be behind the start line
- The furthest most portion of the body or equipment that crosses the finish line first is declared the winner
Drift Trikes Rules
Equipment
- Equipment rules will be forth coming
- Trike must have three wheels
- Rear wheels must by made of a hard surface, or covered in a hard surface.
Safety Gear
- Hard shell, full face helmet
- Face shield, goggles, or other form of eye protection
- Gloves are required
- Shoes are required
- Leathers, or kevlar suit is recommended but not required. Pads are required if leathers or kevlar suit is not worn.
- Speedsuit can be worn over the leathers, but not recommended
Racing
- All parts of the body and equipment must be behind the start line
- Racers must start with one foot on the trike.
- The furthest most portion of the body or equipment that crosses the finish line first is declared the winner
Classic Luge Rules
Equipment
- Deck must be made of one piece of laminated wood.
- Luge can be no larger than 50 inches by 12 inches.
- The board has a max weight of 15 lbs.
- Trucks must be lean steer activated. The board must have only two trucks.
- Wheels cannot exceed 75 mm in diameter.
- No mechanical brakes are allowed
Safety Gear
- Hard shell, full face helmet
- Face shield, goggles, or other form of eye protection
- Gloves are required
- Shoes with sufficient sole to allow for braking.
- Leathers, or kevlar suit that covers most of the body must be worn
- Speedsuit can be worn over the leathers, but not recommended
Racing
- All parts of the body and equipment must be behind the start line
- Racers must sit on the board facing forward.
- The furthest most portion of the body or equipment that crosses the finish line first is declared the winner
- Racing must be done in a supine position, with the feet forward.
Street Luge Rules
Equipment
- Luge can be no larger than 9 feet by 2 feet.
- The board has a max weight of 50 lbs.
- Trucks must be lean steer activated. The board must have at least two trucks.
- Wheels cannot exceed 5 inches in diameter
- No mechanical brakes are allowed
- The front and rear ends must be padded to absorb energy in a low end collision.
- There can be no exposed sharp edges or bolts.
- No part of the luge may cover the rider, except for toe loops.
Safety Gear
- Hard shell, full face helmet
- Face shield, goggles, or other form of eye protection
- Gloves are required
- Shoes with sufficient sole to allow for braking.
- Leathers, or kevlar suit that covers most of the body must be worn
- Speedsuit can be worn over the leathers, but not recommended
Racing
- All parts of the body and equipment must be behind the start line
- Racers must sit on the board facing forward.
- The furthest most portion of the body or equipment that crosses the finish line first is declared the winner
- Racing must be done in a supine position, with the feet forward.
Standup Rules
Equipment
- Deck can be no larger than 12 inches by 55 inches.
- Trucks must be lean steer activated.
- Wheels cannot exceed 5 inches in diameter
- No mechanical brakes are allowed
- The board has a max weight of 15 lbs.
Safety Gear
- Hard shell, full face helmet
- Face shield, goggles, or other form of eye protection
- Gloves are required, slide gloves are recommended
- Pads are recommended but not required
- Shoes
- Leathers, or kevlar suit that covers most of the body must be worn
- Speedsuit can be worn over the leathers, but not recommended
Racing
- All parts of the body and equipment must be behind the start line
- Racers must start with at least one foot on the board
- The front wheel that crosses the finish line first is declared the winner. Photo finish will be used to determine the winner
- Pumping is allowed on the course
General Rules
Unless specified, all racing will be done in six man heats.
Unlimited pushes will be allowed.
Gravity Sports are generally a no contact sport, but sometimes contact happens. Contact that interferes with the natural progression of another rider will not be allowed.
The lead rider has right of way, the overtaking rider is responsible for cleanly passing, or establishing position before the next turn.
Riders must cross the finish line, in possession of all their equipment, to have successfully finished the race.
Race officials reserve the right to remove any racer for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Maryhill Loops Road
Early in the twentieth century, Sam Hill was trying to bring the Pacific Northwest into the future. He designed Maryhill Loops Road, the first paved road in the state of Washington. The road has almost a consistent five degree grade, with banked turns to make the hairpins navigable. The race course starts where the current pavement begins, and traverses the first 1.8 miles and almost 20 turns! There are so many turns, they needed names, to avoid getting lost on the road.
The best viewing spots are at Cowzers, the highest speed and tightest corner. Or the final turn just before the finish line. Not only is the final turn almost a 180 degree hairpin, it is also the last chance to make a move before the finish.
Thanks to Polyboards for the map. Polyboards has a great article on the Maryhill Freerides.
Standup
Standing on a skateboard, no brakes, and four wheels, skaters can careen down hills at speeds up to 90 MPH! To slow down for a sharp hairpin turn the skaters will throw the board into a controlled slide, and then lean far enough off the board they have to place their hand on the ground. Racing just millimeters from fellow racers, where the slightest wheel touch is certain doom.
Maryhill is not about pure speed, it is about taking the best race line. Some races only ten feet separate first from last and after two miles of riding the winner is sometimes decided by size of a wheel!