Parker Duke Top 5 | Summer Edition

As you may or may not know, Parker Duke works as a digger at High Cascade Snowboard Camp in the summer. This means that he and his fellow diggers are in charge of keeping the park features up to snuff, he lives in a warehouse looking thing (the Digger house) in Government Camp with 10 or so other dudes and it means that he also gets to snowboard almost all year long, which is nice. Here are his top 5 answers to a list of questions about the whole deal that we rifled at him. 

Top 5 things about being a digger at Mt. Hood in the summer?

1. Digger Crew (some of the most rad people around).

2. Driving the new snowmobile.

3. Snowboarding.

4. Vacationing

5. On-hill digger zone. Hanging out there/making snow sculpture houses is just as much fun as snowboarding, if not better. 

Top 5 worst things about being a digger at Mt. Hood in the summer?

1. The pay isn't the best. 

2. Dealing with poachers and kicking people out. 

3. Placing and setting banners in the snow. So stoked I don't have to deal with that anymore. (Veteran digger status)

4. Dealing with the god damned air bag!!!

5. That's all I can think of. 

Top 5 things to do in Government Camp when it rains?

1. Leave Government Camp.

2. Read a book.

3. Watch MacGruber multiple times.

4. Go to High Mountain Cafe for Bloody Marys.

5. Go back to sleep. 

Top 5 things to do on the hill?

1. The Palmer Point.

2. Mini Pipe.

3. Medium Jump.

4. Take a nap/play solitaire on bad weather days.

5. Snowskate or play a game of Tag while snowboarding down the hill at the end of the day.

Top 5 things to do off the hill?

1. Skateboard.

2. Go to Charlie's, preferably bring Ian Hart with you.

3. Throw knives.

4. Play random instruments at Desiree's house.

5. Leave Government Camp. 

Top 5 places to eat in Government Camp?

1. Cobra Dogs.

2. Volcano Cones.

3. Pizza Party.

4. Cobra Dogs.

5. Cobra Dogs.

Top 5 things to do on your days off?

1. Vacation.

2. Continue vacation.

3. Further continue vacation.

4. Surprisingly, still be on vacation. 

5. Holy shit, I can't believe I'm still on vacation!

Top 5 pranks to play on other diggers/staff?

1. Digger holes.

2. Burying specifically Dave Reynolds' (head coach) snowboard. 

3. Burying other staff members' snowboards.

4. Burying backpacks.

5. Burying A-Lo's chair on a daily basis. 

Top 5 things about the digger house?

1. The skate bowl in the backyard. 

2. "Best Days Ever". Boss man Rio T knows how to throw a party and cook amazing food. 

3. Indoor skateboarding. 

4. Skate 3 on a reasonably large TV. 

5. It's away from the rest of the camp (possibly my favorite feature).

Top 5 reasons to kick people out of the snowboard park?

1. They're poaching.

2. They suck (bad vibes and shouldn't be around campers).

3. They are on the "Dig to Ride" program and they're blowing it a.k.a. they miss noon rake/very poor work ethic.

4. That really about sums it up.

5.

Top 5 things to spend your summer earnings on?

1. Gambling - a baby scoop from Volcano Cones as the only currency allowed. 

2. Beer.

3. Cobra Dogs.

4. Dinner at El Burro Loco to start the vacation off right.

5. Save it for the real world once camp is over.

Mt. Hood Day 5 / AMNTP Day 2

Well, it rained again yesterday and the lifts were closed. Imagine that. This morning when we woke up was a different story however. Partially cloudy. And, that meant that it was time day 2 for Snowboarder Magazine's "America's Next Top Pro Model contest. 

In the parking lot we were met by a mountain of clouds instead of a snowy glacier.But that all changed on the chair lift to the top. Beat it, clouds. First on the day's agenda was the longest box slide on this beast. Let us tell you, people were cookin' when/if they made it to the end of it. Boards were broken, scorpions were done, and riders shot of the end like from a catapult. Very entertaining. Eddie was one of the few who made it to the end (twice). Next up: the highest air in the mini pipe event. Eddie examining the sweet spot for maximum loftitude.

We had some technical difficulties with the camera during the event, so imagine Eddie here, like this, but a good 12 feet in the air. Luckily we were able to snap our camera out of it in time to capture the high speed carnage of the chinese downhill. No casualties this time.Afterwards, down in Govy, the fellas auctioned off their pro model boards to the highest bidder, with all the proceeds going to charity.Eddie was there to auction off his board (and have some mac & cheese). Parker was there too. After a heated bidding war lasting in to the final seconds, it was Roman who was the most charitable and took home Eddie's 2011/2012 Weekend Hypershred board (you'll see more if it this fall). Well done Roman. We hope you like it.We'd like to give a big thank you the the good guys at Snowboarder Mag for putting on a great event. See you next year. 

Partially Sunny Day

The sun came out today (if only for a little while), so we headed up to the glacier for some snowboarding, and for day 1 of Snowboarder Magazine's annual America's Next Top Pro Model contest. Eddie has one coming out in the fall (we'll tell you more about that in the future), so he was invited to be in it. High ollies were popped, spins were spun, and a blast was had. Unfortunately the clouds and the rain came along and put an end to all of that. Luckily Cobra Dogs was open. 

We met up with the gang in the parking lot.

Eddie Wall. A potential next top pro model of America. (He dates one too).The sun was finally out, with a few strategically lingering clouds.Parker Duke was holding down the fort at the Digger Zone. Him and his cohorts make sure the park features at High Cascade are perfect to get bananas on.Clouds rolled in just in time to provide sunburn protection for ANTPM event #1, the "High Ollie". Eddie pops one over the bar. No hot tub legs here."Spin to Win" was the name of the game at ANTPM event #2. Eddie doing his best impression of a tornado/washing machine/bicycle wheel at full speed/frisbee.By that time the clouds were staring to release rain, so we were forced to leave the glacier and seek shelter at Cobra Dogs, which, as it turns out, is one of the best places to seek shelter after a day of snowboarding on Mt. Hood.