Gerry Lopez Big Wave Challenge is Saturday at Mt. Bachelor

Published 11:30 am Thursday, March 21, 2024

Oregon’s Spring Break will start with some excitement for snowboarders at Mt. Bachelor, as the Gerry Lopez Big Wave Challenge is set for the resort on Saturday.

This year marks the 12th year of the snowboarding event hosted by legendary big wave surfer and Bend local Gerry Lopez.

According to a news release, Lopez will be at the event encouraging competitors, hosting the Hawaiian Luau, and emceeing the awards ceremony. Lopez has called Mt. Bachelor his home mountain since first moving to Bend from Maui in the 1990s.

“We surf and snowboard because they’re fun to do and make us feel good,” Lopez said. “Oftentimes we get distracted, letting things get in the way of doing the things we love, and lose sight of what’s true. When we clear away all ‘that other stuff,’ what remains is this basic truth. This is what the Mt. Bachelor Big Wave Challenge is about … come join us in having fun and feeling good.”

According to the release, this year’s Big Wave Challenge course is located under the Pine Mountain lift and features an all-new set of transition-style big wave features, mirroring notable surf breaks from around the world and utilizing sweeping banked corners, quarter-pipes and spines. The course is built by the Woodward Mountain Park team, led by Alex Storjahann and guided by inspiration from Lopez. The wave-like features link together through a flowing course with the intention of bringing the surf to the mountains.

The Big Wave Challenge is open to the first 300 riders to register, and registration is available at mtbachelor.com. Competitors choose from four divisions: Kane (men’s open 17–39), Wahine (women’s open 17–39), Makule (adult co-ed 40 and older) and Keiki (groms 16 and younger). There will also be a Pro Surfer exhibition division with athletes invited by Lopez.

The event will run in jam-style format, meaning riders can take runs through the course as many times as they like during their division’s allotted time. Judges will score competitors based on overall performance and impression. The top three riders from each division will be awarded prizes. Spectators are invited and encouraged to attend.

According to the release, proceeds from this year’s Big Wave Challenge will benefit Pat Malendoski, who played an instrumental role in the early Big Wave Challenge days.

Malendoski applied his special terrain-park creation skills to build waves out of snow, producing a unique type of course.

Seven years ago, Malendoski was diagnosed with a Glioblastoma and has since been battling the cancerous brain tumor.

Riders can pick up their packets in Mt. Bachelor’s West Village Lodge on Friday from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and the course will be open for practice.

The competition runs Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the awards ceremony is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at West Village Lodge.

Sunday will serve as a backup weather day, and the course will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

For more information, visit mtbachelor.com.