Woods Valley SFM Skatepark Rail Jam

Over the last few years I have been lucky to cover some amazing events and tap into the culture, the community and the park vibe in upstate NY. A few stand out as true zeitgeists like the first Berms, Bruises and Beers at Hunt Hollow. In Rome NY one movement is traveling with such velocity that it cannot be ignored.

Woods Valley

The SFM Skatepark Project was born from the tragic passing of Stone Mercurio last April and since then has grown into one of the “most prolific grassroots movements in Rome.” Family and friends quickly organized to honor Stone, a native Roman who loved to shred and loved his city.

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Standing Sideways Plattekill Takeover

The chance of precipitation was almost as high as the stoke on Saturday at the Standing Sideways Plattekill Takeover. For the fifth year in a row riders all across the North East came together to share their passion for snowboarding and support an awesome cause in the Live Like Brent Foundation (LLBF). LLBF was started by Brent Evans during his fight with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.

Never Summer demo

Cancer is one of the leading causes of bankruptcy. LLBF works to raise awareness and funds for those going through blood cancer treatment. Brent was an avid rider and what started as Carve4Cancer has blossomed into a larger organization.

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Royal Mountain: Roll Out the Red Carpet

Royal Mountain may look like a ski slope, but for those who know, it’s more of an establishment. Like so many locally owned ski resorts it’s an integral part of the community. Its walls are adorned with plaques, posters and trinkets of its people and past. It’s all part of the rich history the resort is steeped in going back to its inception in 1955.

Royal Mountain memory wall

Three owners laters, and following the footsteps of the famous Jim Blaise, the Tennis’s are blazing a new trail forward, literally and figuratively. I found Brooke and Jake Tennis behind the ticket desk shortly after opening on Saturday. She was slinging tickets and he was giving an operations update.

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