By E Wright

December 1, 1998

In The Mix

Marcus Egge

Age: 25

Home: Bend, Oregon

Sponsors: Burton, Smith, Exit

Favorite place in Oregon to snowboard: I don't make it up to Mt. Hood that much, but I used to ride Meadows a lot. I would have to say that is the best area in Oregon for shredding.

We might as well start out with the big con-it's flat! Oregon isn't really known for its steeps, but it does have some if you look. The pros of Oregon life are good ones, though. No sales tax and people pump your gas for you. I like Bend because it's a small town with cool people. There's a vert ramp, excellent fly fishing, and very consistent snowfall of dry high-desert snow. Bend's pace is very slow and mellow, which makes it a good place to come home to when you've been on the road for a while.-Marcus

Josh Dirksen

Age: 21

Home: Bend, Oregon

Sponsors: Morrow, Westbeach, Spy, Volcom, Exit Real World

Favorite place in Oregon to snowboard: Mt. Hood Meadows

One of the main benefits of living in Oregon year after year is that we always seem to have consistently good winters. We don't get the four-foot dumps like they do in Utah or Lake Tahoe, but the conditions never really get that icy, either. When I come home from a trip, I can always count on a fun day of riding. The one thing Oregon lacks, though, is the steeps. The terrain is flat with very few cliffs. If there weren't a million jumps to make up for the lack of steep terrain, I would have definitely moved years ago.-Josh

Matt Donahue

Age: 26

Home: Brightwood, Oregon

Sponsors: Too many to list.

Favorite place in Oregon to snowboard: Timberline road gap

I was born and raised here, so the first thing I can tell you is that we do get a lot of snow here, and Oregon is a hidden secret when it comes to snowboarding. People don't really know how good it gets. Another thing-the attitudes of all the people who live here make it very special, and there aren't all that many people. The weather can be pretty bad for long periods of time, but it's dealing with the elements that makes you have a good attitude toward life.-Matt