Arriving at the end of Highway 542 on the second Friday evening in May, Mt Baker’s upper parking lot was lined with custom rigs and old wagons, snowboards and skis leaning on the sides of vehicles. Before I even setup my car to camp for the night, the guys I parked next to handed me a hot dog fresh from the grill. Welcome to Brain Bowl x Seshup 2025.
Max Loeb, above the crowd, below the clouds.
Well-seasoned rigs.
Matteo Soltane (left) and Parker White (right), QP session.
Is it even a Seshup without a sketchy fly by?
Tucked around a hillside ten minutes from the lot, the venue overlooked Bagley Creek to the west, with Mt. Larrabee barely showing through thick clouds to the north. Tre Squad, Matt Wainhouse and friends dug for more than a week, starting with nothing, and creating a snow-based skatepark consisting of a volcano, gap jump and a 70-foot-long tunnel, among other features. Riders left was a perfect 12-14-foot quarterpipe/hip, shaped by Ben Bilocq and his apprentice Austen Sweetin, while a long and steep in-run led to the Seshup staple, a huge step-up jump. With a rope tow serving the bowl and no energy drinks or sponsor banners in sight, it was a true DIY, community event.
Austen Sweetin kicks things off on Saturday.
Smiling in the PNW sunshine. Clockwise, from upper left: Morgan Rose, Colin D. Watt, Emma Clevenger and Shawna Paoli.
Everyone's favorite digger, Ben Bilocq, with a little help from Austen Sweetin and a robust media following.
But there was still work to be done every morning. Shoveling the features took priority until early afternoon, with folks coming from all over the Pacific Northwest and even as far as Norway to dig and ride. Finally, around 1pm, Austen opened the jump, and a train of airtime followed (special shouts to the one dedicated snow-skater and Morgan “Coonhead” Rose). Amid the stomps, quite a few face-first encounters with the landing didn’t seem to discourage anyone.
Kurt Jenson's been here every spring for decades. Aging like a fine Columbia Valley Cabernet.
Recent Bellingham transplant Marissa Krawczak integrating well with the local community.
Like a flock of crows, the crowd moved over to the QP/hip. Despite greybird skies and intermittent showers, they left no crumbs behind. On Sunday, I put the camera down and hiked the QP until my clothes were soaked. I was tired from digging, going after photos, staying up late for the traditional parking lot jam session, but with a rad crew of women hyping each other up, it was hard to stop riding. It was the good, satisfied kind of tired though that inspired you to keep pushing up that hill, again and again, until the wheels fall off.
A true community gathering with Dagan Schwartz over the top. Huge thanks to Tre Squad, Waino, and everyone who showed up to dig and ride.