For the 4th year in a row, Snowboard on the Block has brought the people of Denver a stellar lineup with a great mixture of music and sports. This festival always goes off with a bang and this year was no different from any other. In its new location at Sculpture Park, the crowd was lined up down Champa St. for the gates to open for the two days of fun!
The first day provided ample time to walk around and browse the different venders and to check out the action on the mini ramp. The Jones Theater provided a more private area for people to check out all the films being premiered at this year’s festival. Some of my personal favs would be Shredbots-The Manboys Movie, Transworld Snowboarder-Resolution and Never Summer-25 of which featured local talent Reno Divorce as part of their motion picture soundtrack. Way to show your support and keep the brand local!!
Some of the brands at Snowboard on the Block are local to Colorado. The festival prides itself on offering that to the festival goers, allowing them to build up and get to know their local businesses. One organization stood out amongst them all at this year’s festival. Known as ‘Strap in for Life’, this organization takes people who are affected by cancer and gives them the chance to have that one last experience up on the mountain. This is an important mission for two of the founding fathers Todd Franzen and Mike Daniel, both having survived cancer themselves. Teaming up with Kevin Mulryan and Chris Roach of D-Day Snowboards, ‘Strap in for Life’ uses boards donated by D-Day to raffle off to raise money for their cause, with 100% of the proceeds from the raffles going towards funding. They are sometimes even able to help out underprivileged kids and families have the opportunity to live out their dream of snowboarding. A portion of the proceeds from Snowboard on the Block will also be going to’ Strap in for Life’, allowing these amazing people to continue to reach out and help others live happier lives. I personally have never found a closer knit community of people so willing to help others with whatever they have. It brings a smile to my face knowing this world is still a great place with people like this in it.
Wrapping up the night was the anticipated premiere of the Transworld Snowboarding film, Resolution meshed between performances by Mimosa and Chief Keef.
Onward to day two and Snowboard on the Block hit with full force, opening up with a three story rail jam. Pro riders from all over the united states turned out for the Van Doren Pro Rail Jam. Hosting the Rail Jam was no other than Chris Grenier, winner of last year’s X games and all around stunner. Most recently featured in the Transworld Snowboarding Film Resolution, he was the perfect host for the event. Eight years’ pro, Chris rides for Monster, Salomon and thirty-two, to name a few. He prefers the fresh beats grimy rap provides while he shreds and loves snowboarding because it gives him that peaceful, yet fun time with his friends. Dylan Alito was the only rider from Colorado and was a crowd favorite after winning last year’s rail jam but landed hard after coming off a rail and slightly injured his elbow. Jaegar Bailey seemed to be another favorite of the crowd pulling off some killer stunts and big air off the rails, but the overall winner was Jesse Paul of Minnesota. Given that Minnesota is known more for rail rides than mountainsides, he already had that experience under his belt to help dominate the competition. When presented the trophy and asked if there was anything he would like to say, the youngster replied “Thanks for having a contest!” and the crowd erupted with cheer!!
MartyParty, Afroman and WolfMother were set for the music stage, MartyParty played an earlier set prior to the Van Doren Rail Jam and soon after came Afroman. Coming onto stage drinking a colt 45 and telling jokes, he got the crowd started with his hit “Colt 45”. Everyone sang along and he picked up his double neck guitar to play along with “Because I got High” and the crowd went wild. Finishing his set chugging his colt 45 and telling more jokes, he left the stage and was followed by WolfMother, a band that flew in from Australia for the event. Giving off a very psychedelic vibe channeled from years prior, WolfMother rocked the stage and got everyone grooving along with their amazing sound. Opening up with their hit “Victorious” they proved to be a great choice to close out the event and just like that, another year is in the books and this year’s block festival is over. Overall, the event went off without a hitch, given being in the new spot. Although some of the events ran a little late or off schedule, the crowd didn’t seem to mind one bit, and like me, are probably excited to see what next year has in store!
If you missed this year’s festivities, be sure to mark your calendar for next year and check out all our pictures below. Please make sure to show your support and give us a ‘like’ on Facebook and follow the links listed to find out more about how you can donate to ‘Strap in for Life’ as well!
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