ここ３年間で最も世界に知られようになったバンクドレースの『Drink Water Rat Race』。
Drink Waterは、Ｔシャツやパーカー、水筒などのブランドであるが、それ以上に重要なことは「水を飲もう！」というメッセージを伝えること。売上金の10％もその活動費用に充てているのだ。
昨今、スノーボード、もしくはそれに似たスポーツ業界でもエナジー・ドリンクの宣伝が激しく、実際スノーボーダーの多くはエナジー・ドリンクを飲んでいる。しかし、Drink Waterでは特にキッズがエナジー・ドリンクを飲むことに警鐘を鳴らしている。誰も「No!」と言わないので、伝えないといけないと考えているのだ。
そんなDrink Waterのプロモート活動に一環にあるのが、『Drink Water Rat Race』なのだ。
出場しているライダーたちが豪華で凄い！
ギギ・ラフ、ニコラス・ミューラー、デバン・ウォルッシュ、イカ・バックストローム、フォレスト・ベイリー、テンプル・カミンズなど。
以下、その時の様子をまとめた動画だ。
Summer Games: Third Annual Drink Water Rat Race from Snowboarder Magazine on Vimeo.
In the past three years, the Drink Water Rat Race has become one of the most renowned banked slalom events of the season. Set in the High Cascade park on Mount Hood, Oregon, the course is complex and at times treacherous and draws an incredibly illustrious group of riders to the start gate. At the third annual Drink Water Rat Race, riders the likes of Gigi Ruf, Nicolas Muller, Lucas Debari, Devun Walsh, Iikka Backstrom, Blake Paul, Forest Bailey, Temple Cummins, Scott Blum, Zak Hale, Spencer O’Brien, Leanne Pelosi, and many more dropped into the berms and banks in attempt to garner either the fastest time or gain recognition through one of the many additional awards that were handed out that day. While the list of riders is one of the most varied and fairly legendary of the entire year, this competition has cemented itself into the yearly calendar by donating its proceeds to water.org, a non-profit that helps people around the world receive clean water, as well as providing a proving ground for established pros as well as up and comers. Additionally, in the midst of the competition, there is plenty of time for a summer reunion and despite the challenging course, the event is founded on good vibes and good fun. If you weren’t able to make it to Oregon for this year’s event, the next best thing is watching this video.
The Drink Water Rat Race is part of SNOWBOARDER Summer Games. Stay tuned for more photo and video coverage from each of the rest Summer Games events. Nexen Tires is the official tire sponsor of the SNOWBOARDER Summer Games.
