8th Annual Boardroom Banked Slalom Returns to Holiday Valley This Weekend
8th Annual Boardroom Banked Slalom Returns to Holiday Valley This Weekend
Spencer Timkey and The Boardroom crew bring competition, camaraderie, and snowboard culture back to Champagne slope.
Photos by Ashley Baron
There are snowboard events - and then there’s The Boardroom Banked Slalom.
Now in its 8th year, the annual community-driven race hosted by Spencer Timkey and his crew at The Boardroom Snowboard Shop has become a can’t-miss highlight of winter in Ellicottville. Held at Holiday Valley, the event blends competition, camaraderie, and pure snowboard culture into what Timkey calls “unequivocally our favorite day of the year.”
If you’ve never witnessed it, picture this: A hand-built, berm-lined course snaking down Champagne slope. Riders ranging from tiny groms to seasoned OGs dropping in one by one. Friends lining the sides and gathering at the finish, music pumping, and cheers echoing from top to bottom. Everyone gets three timed runs, with the best run counting. Fastest time wins. Five divisions, all ages welcome: Boys Grom, Girls Grom, Men’s Open, Women’s Open, and the O.G.
It’s a format that keeps things competitive but welcoming. In fact, the age range alone says everything about the vibe. “I think this year our youngest rider is 5 and our oldest is 75,” Timkey shared. A testament to what the event has grown into.
“When we first started this thing, we had no idea how it would go… Are we doing it right? Will people vibe with this?” Timkey said. “By year three, we knew we were onto something. Now, it’s a staple.”
If you’ve been around since its launch, you might remember those early days - including the legendary (and slightly terrifying) first-year course on Independence. “If you’ve been with us since the beginning, you’ll remember how chaotic the event was the first few years,” Timkey laughed. “The course on Independence year one was the gnarliest thing we’ve ever built.”
Fast forward to today, and the event has been fine-tuned without losing its edge. The course - handbuilt with cat assistance - will once again take over Champagne for the day, transforming the slope into a flowing banked playground designed for speed and style.
“We’ve had such great luck with how we’ve run the event the past few seasons, we don’t want to change anything drastically,” Timkey said. “We’ve fine-tuned it so everyone can have a good time.”
Behind the scenes, that means a lot of digging, shaping, and organizing. Timkey made sure to give credit where it’s due: “A very special shoutout goes to Brad Boyer and Evan DeGlopper, two Boardroom lifers who have been with me since the beginning and are out there hand-digging to make sure this thing runs smoothly.”
Winners this year will take home custom trophies courtesy of the Basher Boys - a detail that adds even more personality to the podium.
While past years have included raffles, this season the focus shifts to straight-up giveaways. “Strictly giveaways this year!” Timkey said. “The prizes are really good for each division, and the product toss box is chock-full of goodies.”
On the vendor side, Dan Broadwell from C3 - representing Union, CAPiTA, and Coal - will be set up with a tent, and Ellicottville Brewing Company will be on-site with beer tastings. Riders will also be well-fed thanks to local support. “A huge thanks to Brad Rowell and the rest of the crew at West Rose for the generous donation to help feed all of our riders,” Timkey added.
And of course, no Boardroom Banked would be complete without DJ Tyler Swift on the mic. “He who needs no introduction,” Timkey said. “The sign of any great event is who’s on the microphone, and when it comes to snowboard events, Tyler is the best there is. He’s got this hilarious energy that people feed off of… Plus, the playlist is going to get your heart pumping.”
While the focus stays on fun, the event has always carried a deeper meaning. A portion of the proceeds will quietly benefit the Daniel Kruszynski Scholarship Fund - continuing the tradition of giving back to the community without fanfare.
“There’s this innate obligation we feel as the area’s snowboard shop to provide the community with something that riders of all ages cannot only participate in, but have fun doing,” Timkey said. “To see the WNY (and beyond) snowboarding community come together is so cool, and it reinforces the fact that our tribe can go toe-to-toe with anybody in the country.”
He paused, then summed it up in classic fashion: “It’s like the quote from Field of Dreams - ‘If you build it, they will come.’”
And come they do.
Timkey also expressed deep appreciation for Holiday Valley for once again allowing Champagne to become the event’s personal playground for the day.
As riders wax boards and prep for their runs, one thing is certain: the 8th Annual Boardroom Banked Slalom isn’t just another competition on the calendar; it’s a celebration of everything snowboarding is supposed to be.
“We believe in snowboarding,” Timkey said. “See you Sunday.”
