Red Bull Buttercup Churns Out a Big Winner

The wintry precipitation that fell across the High Country last weekend was a nuisance for most area residents, but for the participants in the Red Bull Buttercup at Appalachian Ski Mountain on Saturday, February 6, the snowy weather provided an extra incentive to come out and compete for a chance to win a round-trip, all-expenses-paid vacation to Lake Tahoe, Calif. More than 80 skiers and snowboarders competed in the event. Saturday’s event at the Appalachian Terrain Park was the sixth stop of the series and one of only a dozen stops along the East Coast.

The event kicked off under cloudy skies with intermittent snow showers. The Red Bull tent was humming with energy as the DJ spun beats that only added excitement to the energy drink-fueled crowd of spectators and participants.

The Buttercup competition is centered on style and the riders’ ability to implement various spins, manuals, grabs and other style-intensive tricks while successfully incorporating all of the aspects of the park. The event was founded in 2009 as a way to showcase East Coast riders’ creativity in technical trickery, and was designed to bring snowboarding back to its roots—having fun and shredding with friends. This year the event has increased in size with the organizers adding events all across the United States. At each event, prizes are handed out for various categories with the winner of each event earning a chance to compete in the National Red Bull Buttercup Competition in Lake Tahoe on April 10.

The winner of this year’s Red Bull Buttercup at the App Terrain Park (ATP) was Andrew Sanchez.

“I’m really excited to go to Tahoe,” Sanchez said after the event. “I’ve never been [to Tahoe] before, so it will be good to go check out something new.”

“It couldn’t have gone to a better guy,” Drew Stanley, App Terrain Park manager, said of Sanchez. “He rides well, he’s got a great style and he captured what this event was all about.”

Canyon Mueller took the honors of Standout Skier, Peri Runion won the Ladies’ Best Snowboarder, while Evan Williams took the under 15 Grom Category.

As soon as the event was over, Stanley and the ATP crew were gearing up for the Ladies’ Park Night.

“We worked between sessions to change the Buttercup setup to cater to our Ladies’ Park Night,” Stanley said. “We had a lot of girls come out and learn how to slide their first box, hit their first wall ride and hit a jump to help them develop their air fundamentals.”

The Ladies’ Park Night, along with the Burton Progression Park, are two ways that through which Stanley and the ATP hope to make the terrain parks accessible to beginning snowboarders and skiers. For the next Ladies’ Park Night, scheduled for February 27, the ATP will have a special guest coach on site to help teach women skiers and snowboarders some of the fundamentals of the sport.

“Meg Pugh, a nationally ranked snowboarder based out of Lake Tahoe, will be coming in for that weekend to help us out with the Ladies’ Park Night and the Shred for the Cup Rail Jam,” Stanley said. “We’re looking forward to having her around to help us out.”

In addition to the Ladies’ Park Night and the Progression Park, the ATP is also offering lessons on board park trickery through the French Swiss Ski School.

“If you’re wanting to build your fundamentals, taking lessons is a good option,” Stanley said. “But I would also say to people who want to learn: just come out to the park and check it out. Most of the riders out here are super friendly and willing to help beginners out with anything they need to learn.”

One way to get a better understanding of the sport and to see firsthand what transpires at the ATP is to go out and watch one of the upcoming events. Spectators are encouraged to come out to the events and see for themselves what these events are all about.

“We have designated spots on the hill for spectators where they have a great view of the action and can check it out for themselves,” said Stanley.

The first event of the Shred for the Cup series is the Big Air Event on February 20.

“We’ll have a pretty substantial jump,” Stanley said about the event. “It will be under the lights, so we’re looking forward to that. It will be a nice change of pace for us and will be a great way for us to send our last Midnight Blast Weekend off in good style. As far as Shred for the Cup goes, we’ll have a traditional tabletop, step-over-style jump with a low-impact landing for the Big Air Event.”

Spectators can be certain that participants will be launching some huge airs and busting some big tricks at the event.

People who would like to participate in the Shred for the Cup Series can find more information by clicking to www.appterrainpark.com. Spectators who would like to check out the action at some of the upcoming events are encouraged to come out and watch the action as it unfolds. Stanley recommends that spectators check in at the registration desk in the Appalachian Ski Mountain Lodge to get directions for the best way to access the event.

For more information, click to www.appskimtn.com, www.appterrainpark.com or call 828-295-7828. To view a video of the competition, click to www.youtube.com/watch?v=47lIqWW8G-0.