October 1, 1995

There�s a phenomenon cycling through the industry these days that just may be the start of a trend: motocross-over. In less than a week last June, in two separate states, two industry-sponsored snowboard-motocross crossover events were held.

On June 6 and 7, Mammoth Mountain coordinated the world�s first bordercross/motocross competition. Offering over 4,000 dollars in cash and prizes, the event was sponsored by Lamar, Inflight, Airwalk, Nine One Six, and several other snowboarding and motocross companies.

The brainchild of Nine One Six/Fish Paw�s Randy Schaffner, it all began at this year�s SIA show. Displaying Fish Paw and Nine One Six products with definite motocross-industry design influences, a union was formed. Sponsorships were secured, and top snowboarders like Don Szabo, Andy Hetzel, Temple Cummins, Mark Gabriel, Billy Anderson, and Chris Brown competed in boarder- and motocross races to determine the overall top rider. The winner? Szabo.

Later that same week, Morrow Snowboards coordinated a similar event in Salem, Oregon, that featured motocross races with top-named snowboarders like Shannon Hymes, Billy Anderson, Chris Brown, Matt Cummins, Matt Goodwill, Rick Antillon, and Joe Curtes competing for cash and prizes. More than 400 enthusiasts turned out to watch the races and a vert skate demo, despite the typical Northwest rain.

The idea originated from Morrow�s Team Manager Matt Schlingman who says the event gave Morrow a chance to give something back to both snowboarders and the community. �For pro snowboarders, snowboarding is a job, so we decided to do a race with no snowboarding,� Schlingman explained. �When pro snowboarders list other interests besides snowboarding, they usually say skateboarding, motocross, and music, so we decided to give them those things.� What�s the mud and action attraction for snowsliders? Morrow�s VP of Marketing Miki Keller says, �[Motocross] provides the same kind of thrills. The riders can get a lot more air, a lot more often. It�s a new challenge, as well as being a pretty addictive sport.�

From the response that both events got, look for them to become annual occurrences. Perhaps a U.S. moto/boardercross tour is in the future?