Show Of Hands presented by Dakine—Day 1

  |   SLUSH STAFF

r: Iikka Backstrom // p: Mary Walsh
Let’s face it everyone, spring has sprung. And in our complete inability to avoid a good metaphor, we here at Slush thought it no better time than to pay homage to plants. More specifically I suppose, the planters who do them best. With a forecast providing temps in the '60s, Big Bear Mountain Resort plays home to the 2021 Show Of Hands presented by Dakine, a one of a kind poker-style handplant contest which is bringing together an elite squad of some of the best strong arm tacticians in the scene today.

r: Maxwell Scott // p: Mike Yoshida

Featuring plantable terrain from wall-rides, volcanoes, tombstones, and all the natural coping you could ask for,  one male and one female are competing for the first place cash prize. 52 separate handplants have been ideated and printed on custom playing cards. As each rider completes a handplant, they will hand an official that card and work to build the best possible hand.

r: Katie Kennedy // p: Mike Yoshida
Today’s practice showed promise, as the 18 foot quarterpipe complete 4-foot Liquid Death Tombstone broke-in the various stylings of the invited riders. Scott Blum, Desiree Melancon, Erik Leon, Reid Smith, Stefi Luxton, Iikka Bäckström, Jill Perkins, Justin Phipps, Jack Wiley, Brandon Davis and more warmed up their tricks, but tomorrow will be the ultimate test.

r: Brandon Davis // p: Mike Yoshida
Stay tuned to the Slush channels for full coverage and live updates. The Show Of Hands presented by Dakine and Big Bear Mountain Resort is made possible with support from the Ikon Pass, 10 Barrel Brewing Company, GoPro, Liquid Death and Ikanik Farms. Anyone in SoCal who wants to experience the insane Show Of Hands transition zone can access it when it goes public after the event!