K2 BACK NINE AWARDS: Douglas takes home 20G

If anyone suspected that Mike Douglas, the godfather of freestyle skiing, was past his prime, think again. The 36-year-old Whistler native donned the winner’s gold jacket and took home the $20,000 first place check at the inaugural K2 Back 9 Mini-golf Invitational Awards Gala.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS.

Once Jurassic 5 wrapped up their crowd-pleasing show outside in Whistler Plaza for the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Invitational, the much-anticipated Back 9 party was set to kick off at the Gariboldi Lift Company (GLC).

Douglas on top. CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS

The super festive party began in comical fashion with Mike “Accident” Atkinson acting as the MC of the evening dressed in golfing attire resembling Ty Webb from the film CaddyShack. Following Atkinson’s introduction, the Back 9 film, edited by Theory 3’s Jeff Thomas, started with an appreciation for the four photographers who shot during the Back 9 held in early March. After listening to soundbytes from Bryn Hughes, Nate Abbott, Blake Jorgenson, and Damien Cromwell, excitement quickly heightened from the audience as the footage from the two days of skiing in Whistler’s renowned backcountry appeared on the giant projector screen.

All nine holes were introduced with a heli shot of the terrain and about 30 seconds of skiing, and then 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places winners were announced for each hole. Winners for each hole walked up to the stage and accepted their $4,000 checks from Atkinson and an extremely good-looking check girl.

Before the announcement of the event’s overall winner, the film included a truly emotional clip from Marc-Andre Belliveau filmed earlier in the week from the hospital by good friend and filmer Steve Rozandall. Sitting in his hospital bed, Marc warmed the audience with his classic smile and a song he wrote for the Back 9. Watching him jam on his guitar with such passion and emotion was super touching for everyone involved. Despite his condition, the moment provided an enjoyable release for Marc and the entire ski community.

The night proceeded to get better with the tallying up of the scorecards for the podium announcement. No poles Andy Mahre finished in 3rd place complete with a bronze blazer and a $10,000 check. Finishing in 2nd and pleasing the crowd even more was the solid skiing by none other than Marc-Andre Belliveau. Rozandall accepted Marc’s $15,000 check and thanked the crowd for all the support Marc has received the last two weeks.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS

But the night belonged to Douglas and his first place finish. Once again, the godfather skied with exceptional consistency and seasoned experience by throwing calculated tricks and skiing with speed and precision.

“I guess you never know,” said an elated Douglas after receiving his enormous check. “It just really motivated me reading all these online polls saying how I was too old and stuff to be competing in this event. It’s just an awesome feeling right now.” Douglas paid tribute to the unexpected passing of filmer Teddy Knappe during the event and the great, innovative work by K2’s Mike Gutt and Shane Szocs, the two visionaries of the one-of-a-kind event.

Following the conclusion of the film, everyone celebrated into the late hours sharing stories of the event and thoughts from the ski action-packed film. The inaugural event and gala proved to be a pioneering success with all the tremendous efforts from the K2 staff, filmers, photographers, athletes, and everyone else involved.

CLICK HERE TO READ A STORY ABOUT THE EVENT!

Be sure to check out the footage from the Back 9 with the release of a DVD from Poor Boyz Productions.