Going downhill fast and hard
Skateboarders gather for 7th festival on Cathlamet's hills
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August 27, 2015
Rick Nelson
Downhill open final Byron Essert led the pack into Catastrophe Corner of the 2015 Downhill open division race of the Cathlamet Downhill Corral. L-r are Jake Wilkinson, Brandon Tissen, Jordan Koehler and Essert. Essert won; Wilkinson placed second, Tissen third and Koehler, who smacked into hay bales after entering the corner, finished fourth.
The crowds were lean, the weather was comfortable, and the competition was hot at the 2015 Downhill Corral this weekend.
An easterly wind blew in a smoky haze from Washington fires to fill the skies and darken the sun from orange to red. And still young men and women from near and far traveled to compete in an event that is becoming known throughout the world.
"How is it in Cathlamet?" skateboarders are asked when they travel to Australia, Europe and New Zealand.
"There are several skateboarding events popping up in small towns," Jon Huey, a writer, photographer and designer for Skate[Slate] magazine said, "but Cathlamet remains a premier event."
The skateboarders love it so much that they keep coming back. There is frequent talk about the beauty of the area, the event, the welcoming community. After the first couple of years, when a few bad apples gave the whole group a bad reputation, organizers and competitors alike have been working to improve their image by policing themselves and being on their best behavior.
They are a friendly, joyful, open, and polite group, quick to make things right if they hear something is wrong.
Medford resident and world class skateboarder Brandon Tissen earned the title King of Cathlamet for the fourth year in a row. And for the first time, he was joined by a Queen of Cathlamet, Alicia Fillback, also of Medford.
Rick Nelson
Colby Cummings, left, and Brandon DesJarlais showed speed and style in the Puget Island Push Race.
This year, hoping to take competition up a notch and wanting to encourage women skateboarders, local individuals and businesses got together to raise $1,500 for a women's purse and have begun to plan for next year. Four girls showed up this weekend. One even quit her job when she heard about the purse. The four were excited and hopeful for next year, certain that there would be more women coming.
A couple crashes tested local EMTs, who were so relaxed on Saturday it took a couple moments for them to realize they were being called when a young man had a bad landing during the Boardercross.
On Tuesday, trash was picked up and hay bales and ramps were gone, and so too were the skateboarders and organizers, with very little physical evidence they had ever been there.
Still there remains a whisper of their vitality and cheerfulness, their many kindnesses. Alas, like summer, it's already slipping away.
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