Paved with history and a strong community, the 2022 Maryhill RVOD Fall Freeride was yet another great annual event, put on every year by the Maryhill Ratz community of volunteers. Snaking down towards the Columbia River in the rolling hills of southeastern Washington you’ll find a hill unlike any other, a hill loved by so many within the downhill/gravity sports community.
Constructed in the early 1910s, Maryhill Loops Road was the first road in the state to be laid on asphalt. Maintained nowadays by the Maryhill Museum of Art, it’s become a popularized place for downhill skaters who travel from across the world to experience. Luckily for me, I only live about 4 hours away, so when the time came, I headed out in the early afternoon, driving across central Washington.
Camping at the bottom of the hill the first night is always spent in anticipation, and this time around was no exception. More people showed up later into the night and you could start to feel the energy building, everyone wanted to go fast. The box trucks were running by 9:30 am the first morning, and after a quick message from the organizers, everyone loaded themselves in, and up went the shuttles. While sitting in the back of the truck as it winds up the 5% grade, you can get some beautiful views of the vast landscape of Maryhill. Once you pass under the big tree and around the “fountain of youth” as it’s known, it’s time to skate. After the call is made by the top volunteer that the course is open, that’s when it really hits. Depending on the run you want to take, it eventually turns into a free for all, people dropping at their own pace. A full run goes for about two and a half miles, descending through sharp hairpins, seemingly never-ending turns, and even some sections of cambered road. You can always expect a few cow patties as well.
At this recent Labor Day freeride, for most of Saturday and even into Sunday, the wind was roaring on the hill. First runs at any event are always the testiest, but a massive tailwind made for some early washouts and crashes. Some of the volunteers told me that it was one of the windiest weekends they’d seen at Maryhill in a long time; I think it was much faster than most people were expecting.
In most cases, if you’re going upwards of forty, forty-five miles an hour on a board and you break your tuck, you’ll start to slow down because of resistance. That’s fairly routine for any seasoned downhill skater, I’d say, but after pushing into the first couple of turns at this most recent freeride event, the tailwind would start to kick up behind you and it kept on you the whole ride down. It’s always a fun challenge to skate with such strong winds; sometimes you can lean into your lines through turns more than usual, and other times you have to be more precise with your movements as one poorly timed weight shift can get you blown off your board.
This weekend at Maryhill had a little bit of everything, especially since the road twists and turns in all directions. Some corners like to pull you in and spit you out whereas others might smack you with a headwind that can help gobble up some of your speed if you’re going for a chill(er) run. If not and you’re feeling sendy, then that just means you just gotta’ tuck even harder.
The road almost makes you want to go faster every run, it makes you want to take a better line into each corner, to skate closer in the pack, allowing for an experience that is truly unlike anything else. Those who have skated Maryhill and who are a part of the community will hopefully be able to resonate with my sentiment.
Snaking down towards the Columbia River in the rolling hills of southeastern Washington you’ll find a hill unlike any other, Maryhill Loops Road. (P.C. Sam Watters)
Once the sun went down Saturday night, the party started down in the meadow with multiple DJs playing their sets and a healthy amount of volunteering karaoke singers. The stars were just as mesmerizing as always up amongst the clear wind-blown night sky. It’s one of my favorite parts of being at Maryhill, the scenery really does hold so much beauty in it. In the meadow during the day, you’re surrounded by waving golden hills and massive windmills. When you arrive at the start of the hill, like something out of a geology textbook, you can see the Columbia gorge in the distance.
Not only was the wind howling, but the pavement was about as hot as can be from baking in the dry sun all summer long. Fresh skins on wheels certainly made the difference since they hold traction in and out of corners much better than worn-down wheels do. I was reminded of this the hard way on Sunday when I washed out coming into the final right hairpin known as Cowzers. The wind would not let me back to the inside of the turn no matter how hard I grabbed rail and leaned. Eventually, I had to accept my fate along the edge of the road as I clipped a hay bail and got tossed about.
By Sunday midday and into the final day, our gnarly tailwind had died down enough so that people began skating more comfortably. The Skate School could be seen getting their learn on and taking runs down different sections of the hill over the course of the entire weekend.
Waking up Monday morning, I was all sorts of tired and sore. My legs felt like jelly, but spirits remained high all around. Everyone made sure to get in their pack runs in with homies and hit the hay tunnel as well. I worked corners that morning which meant I had to clear my portion of the road during the course check before riders got sent down. I saw a few wipeouts but nothing red-flag-worthy. Luckily some other volunteers were nice enough to relieve my corner position by the afternoon, so I got to sneak a few runs in before I packed up and started the drive home. Good people and great rides all around, thank you Maryhill and all the volunteers who made it happen. I look forward to the multiple events scheduled for 2023!
