Quiksilver Winter Classic:
Eckert Takes Forth Title
January 13-14, 1999
by John Stouffer

Troy Eckert can call himself king of the surf-snowboard crossover world. The Volcom executive and occasional pro competitor has taken the Winter Classic title four of the last six years and once again he was stoked to take home the first place trophy and $10,000 dollars in prize money. After combined scores for the surf and snowboard divisions were totaled, Eckert edged out snowboard division winner Dave Downing, surf division winner Ben Bourgeois, and surf finalist Matt Keenan for the overall title.

The Quiksilver Winter Classic concluded its two-day reign on Southern California with a slopestyle snowboard competition held at Snow Summit Resort in Big Bear, California. After a tough day on the beach for many of the snowboarders, they were hoping for redemption on the slopes. They got a bit more than they asked for with a slopestyle course made to challenge all the contestants.

Under bright blues skies, the chilly morning started on a frightful note when pro snowboarder Dave Lee injured himself during his first warm-up run. He overshot the last jump on the course and crumpled to the ground, staying there until the ski patrol could take him away on a sled. Reports on his condition were encouraging, but the damage was done to the collective psyche of the contestants–the jumps were big and the snow was hard. Many opted to freeride instead of compete while others took their chances with mixed results. Some crashed and burned, while others rose to the occasion.

As expected, the pro snowboarders put on a dazzling show flipping and hucking themselves down the course that began with a halfpipe and fifteen-foot rail at the top, followed by a large quarterpipe and three big jumps to finish things off.

Standouts included Jamie Lynn, Joey Maguire, and Billy Anderson, however they didn’t make the final four money positions. Those were taken Downing, followed by Blaise Rosenthal, Kurt Wastell, and Aaron Bishop. In the men’s amateur division, Matt Hammer edged out a tough field, while Kaipo Guerrero took the overall amateur title.

Tara Dakidas took the women’s snowboarding, but Kendall Barnes edged out the tough competition that included surfing winner Daize Shayne to take the overall Roxy title.

And for the desk jockey’s, Charlie Manos impressed on the snow, while Brian Harris took the overall title. Scott Madison looked strong, especially with the win the day before surfing, but Manos ended up with the bragging rights for the next year on both the snow and in the surf.

He, like Eckert and the rest of the contestants, understand that there is a strong synergy between the two sports that share more than just demographics. These two are part of an athletic lifestyle that stretches from the beach to the mountains. Both are places where the competitors like to live and play, and in some instances even work.