3/17/07 - SIERRA-AT-TAHOE, CALIFORNIA Back 1st - Raleigh Butler 2nd - Dylan Stelk 3rd - Johnny Brady Best Girl - Becky Bruce Best Mini Shred - Shelby McIntyre DOWNLOAD THE SIERRA-AT-TAHOE VIDEO PODCAST GO TO THE SNAKE SESSIONS PODCAST PAGE At what was undoubtably the hottest Youngblood event of the season, there was no shortage of excitement for what must have been the first perfect weekend of spring riding at Sierra at Tahoe. The park crew set up a nice gap between two boxes and also set up a smooth quarterpipe with a box to grind on top of that. Forum rider Travis Kennedy and Youngblood Niko Cioffi not only judged the event, but kept snaking in and out of the competition giving the competitors a run for their money. Cobra Dogs was once again on-hand serving up the best cook-out fare possible for all competitors. Where there are free dogs, there are always pro-riders. Travis Parker and Robbie Sell also dropped by to see what the fuss was about, and Travis being Travis even put on a handstand clinic for the kids. The final round brought an added bonus of radness. Travis and Niko grabbed shovels and joined the park crew to hook up a skate style hit to bring the contest home. With temperatures creeping past the 80 degree mark, the competitors were literally sweating it out while waiting for the judges to grab more sunblock and tally the scores. With a “spin to win” attitude, sweet skills, and a supreme goggle tan rivaled only by Judge Keller's jersey tan, Raleigh Butler ended up walking, or should we say riding, away with the top spot. INTERVIEW WITH THE WINNER - Raleigh Butler FORUM: Hey Raleigh! First of all, congrats on the win. How long have you been snowboarding? RALEIGH: Oh, I’d say four years? Maybe 5 years? FORUM: That’s not that long… if you compare that to how long other kids have been riding at your age. Wait, how old are you? RALEIGH: I’m 18. FORUM: Yeah, you’re pretty new. I guess you took to the sport quickly. That’s awesome. RALEIGH: Well, I like skateboarding. The whole board thing is pretty fun. FORUM: So you skated first then? RALEIGH: Yeah. FORUM: Oh, that makes sense. There’s definitely a skate quality to your riding. Cool. How long have you been skating? RALEIGH: A number of years before I started snowboarding. Another four, pretty fun. FORUM: Are you a local here? RALEIGH: I live in North Lake. (North Star represent, what, what?) FORUM: Who do you ride with around here? RALEIGH: Friends, roommates, whoever! FORUM: What do you do when you’re not riding? Do you work? RALEIGH: I ride. FORUM: You ride when you’re not riding? RALEIGH: haha I guess I work a few days a week… FORUM: But snowboarding is your real life. RALEIGH: Yeah. FORUM: Are you from this area originally? RALEIGH: Nah, I’m from Sabastopol, California. It’s north of San Francisco. 707, holla. FORUM: How long have you been here? RALEIGH: Two years. This is my second season. FORUM: Ok, what else? RALEIGH: Hi, Mom! Hi, Dad! FORUM: Shout outs to the parents! Holla. Oh, what are you listening to right now? RALEIGH: Oh music?! Always gotta go with the Iron Maiden.