The 2023 Snake-Run Rally took place on April 1-2 at Hoodoo Ski Area in the mountains of Central Oregon. The weekend consisted of banked slalom snowboard racing and pow riding with free refills into the night and under lights. Now in its fourth year, The Snake Run Rally has become a local’s favorite event. Jonny Sischo, Iain Smith, and Brian Zager started this grassroots banked slalom with founding principles of community building and inclusivity. While the 2022 event consisted of warm, sun-filled days and riding in t-shirts while avoiding the dirt patches and rock spots brought on by the rapidly receding snowpack, the 2023 event was an entirely different animal with a full-on powder weekend, snorkel-required. The snow started falling on Wednesday leading up to the event and didn’t subside until the sun peaked through the clouds late Sunday afternoon following the award ceremony as a caravan of comically snow-covered campers attempted to excuse themselves from their frozen hold.The blizzardous conditions made for some challenging course maintenance, yet the builders delivered, and the course was fast and fun. It required next-level board control as some sections of the course were claiming riders all weekend. People raced by day, took pow hacks by night, and cozied up by fires and in campers for a genuine winter parking lot campout that won’t soon be forgotten.
Editor’s Note: JP Schlick is a writer, videographer, and editor who helped create the video piece you see above.
