Shaun Murphy buttering the wave box. p: Nu Goteh

New England hasn't been privy to the snow that has been blanketing the Northwest and Rockies this season; it's been pretty dry up in Vermont. So, when the weatherfolks began forecasting for something of a storm to hit the North Country Saturday, January 8^th, the locals were abuzz with excitement. A fresh blanket of snow was titillating to say the least, but add to the forecast the very first stop of Red Bull Butter Cup in the Northeast at Mount Snow, and the weekend was looking to be a great one.

The snow did arrive. Just shy of half a foot overnight (a number that may not be enticing to SLC locals, but was plenty exciting for right coasters), Saturday s conditions were groomer soft as competitors lined up to hit the signature Red Bull butter pad features. The Mount Snow park crew, well known for their ability to make perfect parks, had dialed in a set up that was kicky and fun. As competition practice began, the last of the storm s flurries halted and the sky got brighter. It was perfect.

For the first jam session, the ams came out hungry, hustling up the stairs to the top of the drop in and pinning it through the fresh, groomed snow to the butter pads. Nic Hudson was competing alongside fellow members of the Nashoba Valley Snowboard Team the whole team bringing some upstart and smooth style to the day. But, it was Levi Gunzburg who was the standout, buttering on and off the pads and landing clean consistently throughout both the jam session and finals.

ImPRESSing the judges is the key to doing well in Butter Cup.

On the women's side, the whole crew of girly-shreds rode well alongside their male counterparts, showing off buttery-smooth skills that were anything but lady-like. Mount Snow Park Ranger, Emma Graham, off duty for the day to compete, topped the competition with her confident riding style and walked away with first place and a nice new pair of Oakley Splices, which she wore proudly the next day, park spork in hand.

The pro heats were definitely the most anticipated part of the content. The competition brought together a crew of experienced jibbers who have been topping podiums all over the East Coast this season. Shaun Murphy, Dylan Dragotta, Shane Fortier, Dylan Lynch, and more were making life difficult for the judges, who were tasked at figuring out which one was riding the best during the competition. In the end, it was Dylan s easy skate-style that earned him the win and a fistful of cash, with Murphy and Eric Verillo following him on the podium

Pro winner, Dylan Dragotta brought his skate-influenced style to the butter pads and walked away 500 dollars richer.

Thank you to the Greg, Vinnie, Tim and the Mount Snow Events Crew, Justin and the Mount Snow Park Rangers, Forum, Oakley, Neff, Nike 6.0, Magical Go-Go and everyone who came out to spread it on at Mount Snow!

Next stop is Saturday, January 15^th at Mtn Creek. For more info go to: www.redbullusa.com/buttercup

Results:

AM

1^st Levi Gunzburg

2^nd Johnny Saling

3^rd Nic Hudson

PRO

1^st Dylan Dragotta

2^nd Shaun Murphy

3^rd Eric Verillo

WOMEN

1^st Emma Graham

2^nd Sophie Meade

3^rd Amanda Burham

About Red Bull Butter Cup:

Red Bull Butter Cup is a contest series that showcases creativity in technical flatland trickery. Born in the northeast in 2009 and bred for the country in 2011, it's all about going back to the basics of what made us all fall in love with shredding in the first place: FUN! Butter up and cut loose on the custom Red Bull butter pads and bring your bag of tricks.

Style and creativity is the name of the game and the competition is hot so the cream will rise to the top. The jam session format keeps the action flowing while riders battle in Pro and Am divisions for cash and fresh gear. Only trick sequences that include buttering will count so hit the snow and start polishing your skills.