West Coast Invitational

For the seventh year in a row, West Coast Invitational (WCI) returned to Mammoth Mountain on May 2^nd and May 3^rd. WCI is an award winning group consisting of all the former Olympians and promising up-coming snowboarders.

The riders of WCI competed in the Vans Fiesta de la Pipa and the Village Rail Jam for a prize purse of $20,000 USD. There were also special performances by My-G and Talib Kweli, ensuring non-stop entertainment for the crowds. They wanted to make sure the weekend would be similar to a spring party with Mammoth Mountain only ready for the best!

WCI generally has a line-up of high-profile riders. The one’s that took part in the event last week were Danny Kass, Mason Aguirre, JJ Thomas and Chaz Guldemond. 30 other riders tore up the slopes on Mammoth Mountain as well. Last year’s Rail Jam champ, Jonas Michilot, was among them.

Prior to the events on May 2^nd and May 3^rd, Oren Tanzer, Director of Youth Action Sports and originator of pipe-rail-music hybrid WCI, said, “I’m super excited about the all-star lineup both on the hill and off the hill. With well-known riders competing against some of the most talented up-and-comers, this year’s event is going to be amazing.”

During the May 2^nd session, Chaz Guldemond etched out a win over Mason Aguirre in the rider judged pipe session. He walked away with a $5,000 share of the WCI prize purse. The other winners during the May 2^nd events were Luke Wynen for a pipe-side piñata, Luke Matrani who performed the best trick with a switch double Micalchuk and Jamie Anderson for her outstanding performances. They walked away with $500, $1,500 and $2000 respectively.

Mammoth Mountain has been rated one of the four-season mountain resorts in California. With such adulation and frequent visitors, we can expect to see this mountain hosting many more such mammoth events in the future.