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Everyone's a star in The Show

Grenade Games's successor cranks up the fun
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Goodbye Grenade Games and hello to The Show.

After two years at the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival, Danny Kass has taken his Grenade Games back to the U.S. However, the space has already been filled by an event that builds on the best of that event, produced by Monster Energy. It's being called The Show: a Snowboarding Event, and it will run over five days of the festival, April 15 to 19.

Dano Pendygrasse said the goal is to build on the Grenade Games, and keep the unique spirit of that event going.

"We're not a six star TTR contest, our focus is on making it a good fun way to finish the season," he said. "It's not a stressful competition situation, which is antithetical to what we want to accomplish over the week. We do want the best guys in the world here, but not at the expense of a good time."

The Show is capped at 300 riders and about 100 of those spots are reserved for top invited riders and participants from past years. The other 200 spots are open to anybody, with registration getting underway on Monday, Mar. 14.

It's probably going to sell out; so early registration is probably a good idea - although if you don't make it in, there's always the waitlist.

The fun gets underway on the Friday (April 15) with registration, followed by the first party of the week - the Monster Welcome Party, a.k.a. The Sh*t Show. This event will feature live music and a special guest band.

The Mogul Mash Qualifier is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, following the same format as the Grenade Games mogul contest. Basically it's a timed slalom through a set of big, slushy moguls where air and style also count.

The Grand Opening party is on Saturday, April 16 at 8 p.m. with a night jam in the village, followed by The Late Show after party at 11 p.m. at the Whistler Conference Centre.

The Mogul Mash finals take place on Sunday from 11 a.m. onwards, with music, hotdogs and lots of snowboard-on-mogul action. Sunday night is Pub Night, with darts, pool, pub food and beer.

On Monday it's the debut of the Boarderstyle/Stylecross event, a new concept in snowboarding. It's similar to snowboardcross with four racers at the top of the course, but there are tricks along the course and style and air matter as much as speed.

"It's something that's been in the head of a bunch of different guys like YP and Paul Rak, and we decided that if we were going to try something new then it's the right time," said Pendygrasse.

On Tuesday the main event is Dustin Craven's Fun Pipe Jam, starting at 11 a.m. with a "last man standing" elimination format. Unlike the Grenade Games this will be a traditional halfpipe jam with no boxes, rails, logs or other tricks inserted into the pipe. (The Olympic-sized superpipe is being reused the following weekend by the World Skiing Invitational, explained Pendygrasse, and this time around they needed to leave it intact).

The final event is The Sideshow, a dress-up event where participants get to dress up as sideshow performers.

Pendygrasse said there will be more announced as the event draws closer.

"There are things that will be rolled out in the run-up to the event, like other events, bands that are playing and venues," he said.

Pendygrasse is hoping for good weather, but said the events will take place no matter what happens.

"We want it to be a fun spring contest, but we would never let the clouds get in the way of our event," he said.