NEWS: Board Stiff Rocks Seattle by Shanti Sosienski Some of the enthusiastic showgoers who attended Board Stiff. Through the rain, sleet, hail, snow, and sun they came, 9,500 or more people, to partake in the Bud Light Board Stiff event at Snoqualmie Pass just outside of Seattle. Rocking good bands, booths filled with free swag, a whole mountain to snowboard, and of course the big air entertained the masses in a nearly perfect day. The only thing that anyone could really complain about in the course of the day was the fickle weather which had commentator Sal Masakela, a southern Californian brought in to commentate the big air, shaking in his snowboard boots on the judges podium one minute and stripping down to a sweat shirt the next minute. The morning weather started off with a tease from the sun, then by mid-day small hail pellets pelted everyone. By the finals the sun made a weak appearance again. The all-day affair gave spectators their fill of thrills as some of the top snowboarders from North America like Kevin Jones, Jason Borgstede and Peter Line hucked for cash and a spot on the podium. The only complaint riders may have had were about the slowness of the snow, but fine jump building folks at Stimilon kept the jump salted down all day long. Etree rockin the house with his floaty big grabs. Peter Line started the big air portion of the event off launching a lofty rodeo cold turkey in the practice, winning some applause from the scattered audience that was making their way up the hill toward the jump. The best way to get up the hill seemed to be walking, as the liftlines looked similar to five o�clock traffic leaving downtown Seattle. No one seemed bummed to wait though because the people watching was so good and the snow was pretty crusty since there had been no freshies in a few days. The base of the mountain was packed with booths like K2, Sims, Ride, Vans, Switch, and more where kids were grabbing for goodies. Free stickers, t-shirts, and the occasional pair of goggles went to those who hung around long enough. The rest were rewarded with live music. �I missed Rancid, I�m bummed,� said the big air winner Jason Borgstede. �I finished my last jump just as they came on.� The smooth talking Salema Masakela (right) and pro Russel Winfield were on the mic calling out the air all day. Borgstede couldn�t have been too bummed because he walked away with 3,000 dollars from his three jumps in the finals. In the women�s division Canadian Janet Matthews took home 1,500 dollars for her freestyle aerial moves. In the men�s division Kevin Jones and Jason Borgstede got in a 900 war, but Jason was stomping yesterday. Peter Line was throwing down pretty good tricks, but didn�t seem to be stomping them. His teammate Jaime MacLeod was stomping them pretty good in the women�s division. Seems the lessons she has been taking from Peter Line are working out pretty well for her because she took home third place. K2 had a strong showing with Travis Parker, Lance Pitman, Chris Engelsman, and Josh Rosen all showing off their big air style. After the big air the headlining bands The Specials and then Blink 182 played before a huge audience. The Specials seemed a little out of place with their stylish suits and English accents, but the audience loved them. Blink 182 finished off the day and amped the audience with their saucy lyrics and So Cal, bro-Cal style. After all was said and done, nearly 10,000 people went back to Seattle with smiles on their faces and stoke for next year�s event. If you couldn�t make this event, try to check out one of the other On Board Entertainment Big Air festivals this season. For more information email: [email protected]. OTHER NEWS OBE Announces Band Line-Up for Board Stiff Sat. (Mar. 28 @ 4:54:PM est) BOARD STIFF NAVIGATION: HIGHLIGHTS | RESULTS | PHOTOS | AUDIOS OBE '98: BOARD STIFF | EL NINO | TOTALLY BOARD | SNOW JOB SOL NAVIGATION: SOL | SCOOP | HARDWARE | INDUSTRY | CIRCLEPLUS | PUSH | TRAVEL | INTERACT | SCHOOL | WEATHER | TERRAIN | COMPETE | MEDIATOR