The Brain Bowl building crew woke up in the Mt. Baker Ski Area parking lot on May 11 to a grim scene. With flooded tents, soggy garments and pouring rain, hopes of completing the sixth annual Mt. Baker Brain Bowl course were dwindling.
“It rained for two days straight, and we were stressing at that point because it was just melting before our eyes,” said Gus Warbington, one of the organizers. “We probed one part of the course to see how deep it was and it was four inches to the ground.”
For six years, Gus Warbington and his brother Max, along with their crew, Tre Squad, have hosted one of Mount Baker's most prominent postseason events. Brain Bowl consists of a hand built skatepark-style course, with a rope tow to easily bring riders back to the top.
Brain Bowl courses provide a wide array of small jumps, transfers and quarter pipes designed to flow from one feature to the next. Riders have a variety of options for line choice, leaving endless possibilities and promoting rider creativity, according to Cali Loeb, a professional snowboarder from Bellingham.
In 2020, Tre Squad collaborated with another postseason event known as Sesh Up, hosted by Matt Wainhouse, a snowboarder from Stevens Pass, Wash. Sesh Up consists of one large jump and draws a very similar crowd to Brain Bowl. Since then, the two events have been hosted side by side on the same dates.
Before making the drive from Oregon to Mount Baker, the Warbington brothers had heard about the waning condition of their usual course site. Gus Warbington said they were skeptical, but were assured by locals that there would be just enough snow to host the event. Upon arriving, they saw the reality of the situation.
“I don't think we realized how low the snow was until the day we got there. We looked at the landing (of Sesh Up) and there were trees and rocks and stuff in the landing, and on the in-run,” Gus Warbington said. “We FaceTimed with (Wainhouse) and showed him the landing of Sesh Up, and he said, ‘Yeah, let's just focus on the bowl.’”
When news spread among the community that there would be no Sesh Up jump, many riders were not pleased, according to Gus Warbington.
“Some people were pretty pissed about it. We were just like, ‘Go for it, if you want to come up here and try, go for it,’” Gus Warbington said. “Some of those kids did come up during the build and took one look over there and were like, ‘Oh yeah, that's not possible.’”
After two rainy days during their 12-day build, Tre Squad woke up to nearly a foot of fresh snow coating the course, restoring hope for the quality of the features and the whole event.
“It snowed more than forecasted, which enabled us to actually make everything a little bit bigger,” Gus Warbington said. “We just pushed all the new snow from the bottom and put it on top of all the features that we already had, so it just made everything better and smoother.”
By Saturday, May 16, the course was ready. Skiers and snowboarders arrived for the first day of proper riding. Gloomy weather continued to hover over Mount Baker on Saturday, but on Sunday the sun came out and morale was high, according to Loeb.
Despite the setbacks Tre Squad faced throughout the building process, Gus Warbington said the event ended up having its best turnout yet. Riders had positive reviews for the course that the crew once questioned whether they would be able to complete.
“It was a massive turnout. It was definitely the biggest one we've done up there,” Gus Warbington said. “We heard from a lot of people that it was the best year yet, and I would agree with that. I had the most fun for sure.”
Gus Warbington said riders from across the globe had come to participate. Crews came from Canada, Oregon, California and Alaska, as well as riders from Japan and Norway.
Washington Wind Sports boardshop is a rider-owned boardshop rooted in Mount Baker snowboarding culture. According to WWS boardshop Manager Julia Belcaster, Brain Bowl fosters an atmosphere that is unique to Mount Baker skiing and snowboarding culture. She said the community around the event provides support and inclusion in a way that serves all riders’ best interests.
“It's kind of like when skaters build skateparks instead of city-hired contractors from major companies. I think as a result, the atmosphere is usually one you can and should feel comfortable and supported riding and pushing yourself in. Knowing that it's really all for (riders) as a collective,” Belcaster wrote in an email.
In past years, on the final day through a loose decision process, a rider who displayed the most skill or determination would be crowned as the winner for the event. Gus Warbington said this year it was an intentional decision to avoid choosing winners, and to focus more on community.
“I think the lack of rigidity and emphasis on inclusion are pretty large catalysts in attracting riders from different areas,” Belcaster wrote in an email. “The ‘no pressure’ community backbone of Brain Bowl and Sesh-up is probably what will keep it alive the longest.”
Zander Ulmer (he/him) is a sports and recreation senior reporter for The Front this quarter. He is in his third year at Western, majoring in visual journalism. When he is not reporting, you can find him skiing up at Mount Baker or kayaking down the Nooksack River. You can reach him at zanderulmer.thefront@gmail.com.
