It started with a plastic bottle. Or, more accurately, a plastic bottle flying through the air, spinning wildly, before smashing to the pavement. The security detail shifted, suddenly more attentive. The police, who had been stationed at the edges of the course, eyed the mass of bodies with that particular kind of tension that only exists when an event teeters between celebration and riot. Reports had the audience at 20,000 people. And for once, it didn’t feel like an overstatement. One cop was overheard saying this was a bigger crowd than they saw at a Celtics Game 7. And the bottle? By most accounts, it wasn’t meant for any one person—it was a message, aimed at any number of photographers and camera operators blocking the view of the competitors. This was Boston, and this was what I came for.

There’s something about this city. Something about the dented Uber I took from Logan, the one with the stick figure decals desperately tugging at the gas gauge pointing to Empty. Something about my driver keeping the window rolled all the way down in a futile attempt to mask the deep-seated scent of cigarettes. Something about the three dirty martinis I drank during my layover that made every detail burst with Massachusetts pride.

The morning of the contest hit like a typical Boston winter day—biting cold, the kind that gets in your bones and stays there. It was almost poetic that this was all happening at the Massachusetts State House, a place with a long history of kicking skaters off its granite ledges. But today, the snowboarding world had claimed it.

Grenier walked by in a Bruins jersey and a matching earflap cap emblazoned with a yellow “B,” and I wondered how many identical outfits I’d see in the crowd. I counted six. Lucas Magoon—Gooner—was casually tossing CBD oil to Nate Haust. There’s nothing Lucas could do that would surprise me anymore. I’d just found out he was sharing a bed with Max Warbington, and that somehow felt exactly right.

One thing I’m still getting used to with events like this, is the singing of the national anthem before a snowboard contest—kind of that straw that breaks the camel’s back in the argument that snowboarding is a counter-culture anymore. Here in Boston, the audio for the anthem never played and after a long enough silence, the crowd just started singing it a cappella.

There was no backing track, just raw voices, off-key and too loud, swelling together in an almost drunken patriotism that was so quintessentially Boston I nearly laughed. The mayor, standing stiffly to the side, got booed upon being introduced minutes earlier. The crowd snapped back to enthusiasm as soon as Zeb Powell’s voice echoed over the mic with a characteristic “Let’s Go!”

The setup itself was the common three-act play we’ve come to know at Heavy Metal events. A mellow down rail, the warm-up before the chaos. The winch section, designed for the crowd. And the kink rail—the final stage, the proving ground for the real ones—under the glow of the erected stadium lights.

Zone 1:

At first glance, it was the tamest section of the course—a 15- to 20-foot down rail sitting at an approachable angle, followed by a three-block granite ledge stair. But in the right hands, even a simple setup becomes a stage for something special.

Pat Fava made quick work of both features, riding with the kind of casual confidence that has led him to the top spot in many events such as this. Benny Milam and Zeb Powell followed suit, always a safe bet to put something down when it mattered. Jess Perlmutter, who would go on to prove just how deep her bag of tricks was throughout the night, made her presence known early, as did Jaylen Hansen.

But the highlight, for me at least, was Lucas Magoon. Instead of taking the standard route, he diverted left, opting for an unassuming wooden barrier with a metal fence pole sticking out of the end—a makeshift down rail that most wouldn’t even glance at. He tapped the end of the pole, spun a 180 out, then later ollied the whole thing clean.

Zone 1: Men’s

1. Zeb Powell

2. Pat Fava

Women’s

1. Jess Perlmutter

2. Jaylen Hanson

Zone 2: 

The winch zone. This is where things get a little more survival-based. A mandatory tow-in meant that riders either launched off a step-down or committed to a wall ride with a sharp, steep transition landing. A proper huck-fest, the kind of spectacle that Boston eats up. Flips translate to a crowd better than any intricate rail trick ever could, and this section delivered plenty.

There were a few winch malfunctions, as expected. At one point, Callen Hwang got tangled up and was violently thrown to the ground, a reminder that winches are unforgiving. Sam Klein, unfazed by any level of consequence, sent multiple double backflip attempts that sent the crowd into a frenzy. Kaden Rusinko locked in a 50-50 across the wall, and on his first attempt, wiped out the commentators who had posted up on top of it.

Benny Milam took top spot in this round, his control over a series of well-calculated, slightly off-axis 720s and crisp wall ride tricks solidifying his place. Sam Anderson slotted in behind him, while Jaylen Hansen—now sporting a small but respectable gash on her chin—continued her podium streak, finishing second to Jess Perlmutter once again.

As for Magoon? Nowhere to be found in Zone 2. A notable absence, sure, but given that he had just lost a quarter of his finger in a winch accident not long before, you’d be hard-pressed to fault him for sitting this one out.

Zone 2: Men’s

1. Benny Milam

2. Pat Fava

Women’s

1. Jess Perlmutter

2. Jaylen Hanson

Zone 3: 

And then there was the kink rail. The true test.

The crowd was packed, people climbing onto barriers, the police barely holding them back. And when Lucas Magoon walked from section two, and stood upon the now massive crowd, the place absolutely detonated. It was hard to say whether they recognized him specifically or if they were just reacting to the first snowboarder in their line of sight. But in many ways, Lucas Magoon is the walking archetype of a snowboarder—how Hollywood would write one, if they were smart enough to actually understand snowboarding. In some ways, the caricature of a snowboarder that exists in the media might actually be based on him.

The kink rail is not as immediately gratifying as the high-flying chaos of Zone 2, but it requires a level of control and patience that separates the real ones from the rest. A quad kink with a donkey at the end—a rail that demands total commitment.

The judges—Scott Stevens, Mary Walsh, and Luke Winkelmann—made their stance clear: if you wanted the points, you had to make it through the donkey. No bailing early, no shortcuts.

The early heats saw a few successful attempts—Irie Jefferson making the whole rail look routine—but it wasn’t until finals that things really came alive. And, as if on cue, Magoon delivered. He was the first to lace the entire quad kink during the finals round, a moment that seemed to trigger something in the rest of the field. Mees Oostdijk followed up with a smooth switch boardslide, Joey Leon spun a board slide 270, and then Benny Milam delivered the final blow—a switch 50-50 that sealed the deal.

Zone 3: Men’s

1. Benny Milam

2. Joey Fava

Women’s

1. Jayva Jordan

2. Maggie Leon

OVERALL WINNER Benny Milam & Jess Perlmutter