Bearclaw Invitational 3

Source: Mount Washington

The Bearclaw Invitational is one of the world's most popular slopestyle competitions. This summer, Bearclaw's event runs from August 20-23rd with training taking place on August 20th and the 21st. The first free slalom to hit the racing world takes place Friday, August 22nd and the acclaimed Bearclaw Invitational slopestyle hits the slopes the day after on Saturday, August 23rd. All of the action shakes down at Mount Washington Alpine Resort on Vancouver Island. Want to know what's going on at the event this summer? Here's the lowdown from Darren Berrecloth himself, who just sent this in from his current tour of duty in the French Alps.So here is all the info you need to know about the 3rd annual Bearclaw Invitational at Mount Washington. First of all, I want to say thanks to all of my sponsors. They helped me bring this idea in my head to life, and without them none of this would have been possible. Adidas Eyewear, Specialized, Fox Suspension, Red Bull, Kokanee, Hayes Brakes, Dakine, Shimano, and last but not least, Mount Washington, for providing a location, staff, and all the rest of the pieces of the puzzle to make it awesome.

For riders that are invited: there is a mandatory rider meeting at Fat Teddy's on Mount Washington. The meeting is on August 20th at 8:00pm, be there. Remember that full faces are mandatory and there will be a score reduction for wearing tight pants. What is too tight one might ask? Well, if your girlfriend looks good in them, then they're too tight.


So here's the deal: on August 22nd there will be a free slalom event which is invitation only. If you think you can win it and are not invited, email me. The format of the free slalom is simple; it’s a dual slalom course with 3 or 4 dirt jumps in it. It's basically racing with the jumps also being judged, in a similar format to mogul skiing. We're bringing in a mogul skiing judge for continuity and yes, this is the first time a competition of this sort is being held. And just so you know, Kirt Vories is the guy who came up with the idea. Werd Kurt!

On August 23rd the real fun starts with the Bearclaw Invitational slopestyle. The format is two runs for each rider, that's it. The show starts at 12:30 pm sharp, so don’t be late. Get up to Mount Washington to watch the best riders in the entire world compete for respect and some serious cash. The purse is currently at $18,000, but I'm sure it will be bigger than that...shhhh don’t tell anybody though.


Promptly after the final slopestyle run, riders will be warming up on the high air jump to compete for a rad watch from Oakley. If you don't know what the high air jump is, well, I'll tell ya. It's a dirt jump where you put an elevated pole across the jump, similar to a regular high jump. The pole keeps being raised until nobody can clear it - the end. The rider with the highest jump wins. Last year the record was 16.5 feet, and it was very exciting to watch I must say.

Straight after the high air event, the results will be given for the slopestyle. FYI- watch out for Cam McCaul; he's on the chase to triple this event. Cam won the comp in year one and last year he stomped every trick he attempted for another first place finish last summer. This is his first chance at hat-tricking a slopestyle event.


Meanwhile, a Red Bull dj will be taking care of the music to keep the crowd pumpin'. Oops, I almost forgot to mention all the other important stuff, like the fact that the beer gardens will be serving fresh Kokanee during the entire event. There will also be food vendors at the slopestyle site along with Fat Teddy's Bar and Grill servin' up cold drinks and hot meals in the Alpine Lodge.

See you at the event.

Darren Berrecloth

Title shot by Sterling Lorence.
Props to Johno for the photos from the first Bearclaw Invitational.