2/24/07 - APPALACHIAN SKI MOUNTAIN, NORTH CAROLINA Back 1st - David Schoepfle 2nd - Andrew Sanchez 3rd - Chris Jones Best Trick - Ben Capron (Switch Nollie Frong Board) Totally Worth Mention - Christi Nasser and Gus Gordon DOWNLOAD THE APPALACHIAN SKI MOUNTAIN VIDEO PODCAST GO TO THE SNAKE SESSIONS PODCAST PAGE Yes, everyone there IS snowboarding in the south. And pretty sick riding, at that. The Forum Youngblood Snake Sessions had it’s eighth stop at Appalachian Ski Mountain in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. We have to say, we weren’t expecting what was in store for us in their park. We told the terrain park crew there to bring it, and they definitely replied with an "Oh it's already been brought son, uhhhhnn!" What they lack in vertical feet, they made up for in creativity. The set up was a box, nice tree jib, and a barrel bonk at the bottom of the course. The contestants were riding like there was no tomorrow and pulling out all the stops right from the get go, which made it difficult for the judges to decide who would make it to the final round. There were even straight cartwheels over the barrel. In the end, there were 10 competitors getting all tech on a 20 ft down rail. It started to get nasty. They went at it with everything they had, and we’re not kidding. Ben Capron took a brutal fall during finals, got up to hit it again, nailing best trick of the day. We later found out that Ben landed the trick with a dis-located shoulder. Not to be outdone (since he was raising the bar on the crazy tricks all day), 3rd Place winner, Chris Jones, didn’t quite make it to the awards ceremony. He got the report of his win in the first aid room. If there was any doubt before, NC riders just ain’t kiddin’! Also, big ups to AltaSky for filming the contest and to Foster Ramsey for hooking up some extra pix. Travis Kennedy also called in sick for the event and sends his deepest apologies to everyone who showed up. Travis also told us to let everyone know to feel free to hit him up on his Myspace for a personal apology. INTERVIEW WITH THE WINNER - David Schoepfle Forum: When did you get started riding? Davy: Oh, probably like, nine years ago. Yeah, I started young. My dad got me started a while ago back on Kemper snowboards. I lived up in Pennsylvania. Forum: Where did you ride in PA? Davy: Um, Roundtop and then we moved down here. Forum: We just did a Youngblood event at Roundtop two weeks ago. Davy: Ah, Nice! Forum: What was your first board? Davy: It was a Kemper, something. I’m not sure. It was a long time ago. And I also rode a Hooger Booger. Forum: Oh, did you? Ha! That’s awesome. So, where are you in school? Davy: I am in school at Avery High School in Newland, NC. Forum: How far away is that from here? Davy: Probably, 45 minutes. Forum: Is this your home mountain? Davy: Usually, I ride Beech [Mountain], but this year I came over to App. Forum: Is there anything different about this park, between the two? Davy: They [Appalachian] just have so much more to offer than any of the other mountains around here. It’s just a lot better. Forum: What kind of features are best to ride around here? Davy: Well, I like all the boxes, I dunno, any jibs…I like it all. Forum: You think North Carolina is more jib friendly? Davy: Yeah, definitely. Appalachian is jib friendly, for sure. Forum: What do you think your best trick was today? Davy: Hmm…half cab nose slide 270 on the down rail. Or maybe the tree stall. Forum: That stuff you pulled on the barrel was pretty creative. Davy: Yeah, sometimes you get lucky. Forum: What was on your playlist when you were riding today? Davy: Oh, man. Uh, Petey Pablo “Raise Up,” some Postal Service, and uh, “Make it Rain” by…um, I forget. [Fat Joe.]