Road Trip to Tahoe in Burton Presents Ep. 3: Just Passing Through
Burton Presents comes full circle with Mikey Rencz, Mikkel Bang, Mark Sollors, and the rest of the crew from ep 1 and 2.
San Francisco was the heart of our adventures for Burton Presents. This episode is the product of one trip. Three friends, road tripping from San Fran to Tahoe to end the long winter season on a high note.
“We were just out there being tourists on our way to Tahoe,” explains Mikkel Bang. “It’s always fun lurking around in places you don’t know. San Francisco has a lot of culture, and a great music scene. I got to hang at the beach before meeting up with Mikey and Mark at the Trouble Coffee and Coconut Club. I read about it on my flight in because they helped start the whole toast trend in San Francisco. So I got some fancy toast. Mikey got a crazy coconut drink... And then I got another tattoo.”
“We were only there for 10 hours,” says Mikey. According to him they spent about as much time in traffic as they did
hanging out, but he’s used to the pace of life in and around the Whistler backcountry,
where “traffic” is a line of snowmobiles crossing paths in the mountains.
They at least got to enjoy themselves for a night and check out the Burton Flagship Store on Haight Street before heading towards Tahoe.
It was by design that Ethan Deiss, Zak Hale, Danny Davis and Ben Ferguson were waiting in Tahoe. It’s rare to get this whole crew riding in the same place at the same time, which boosted the excitement for this end-of-season sendoff.
Tahoe has long been a go-to spot for snowboarders, renowned for easily accessible terrain and favorable spring conditions. For that, the plan was to head to a historic zone called Donner Pass and set up some features to play around on. Unfortunately, Tahoe’s typical spring weather had given way to snow, cold, and intense winds. Blustery conditions forced the crew to look for a more peaceful area, which they found a short drive away at Mt. Rose.
A corrugated tube and a hand-cut quarterpipe quickly took shape, along with a campfire and barbecue setup. It may have looked like an Eskimo party, with everyone bundled up and huddled by the fire, but it was a party sure enough. It’s always good to end the season with your friends, and even better if you can have a session with no pressure and no expectations but to have fun. These guys are used to massive jumps, street rails and superpipes. Seeing them ride mini-shred features is a rare treat.
When the day was done the crew went their separate ways. The Burton Presents mission was complete, and everyone turned to the next adventure.
To experience the whole journey, check out Episode 1: Heavy Rotation and Episode 2: Street Meat. Play, rewind, repeat. Enjoy the ride. ∆