{"id":798648,"date":"2019-08-18T21:54:54","date_gmt":"2019-08-19T03:54:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/?p=370147"},"modified":"2019-08-18T21:54:54","modified_gmt":"2019-08-19T03:54:54","slug":"the-devil-went-down-to-guanella-soaking-in-the-devils-peak-downhill-skateboarding-event-in-georgetown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/local-news\/the-devil-went-down-to-guanella-soaking-in-the-devils-peak-downhill-skateboarding-event-in-georgetown\/","title":{"rendered":"The devil went down to Guanella: Soaking in the Devil\u2019s Peak Downhill skateboarding event in Georgetown"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.6185286103542\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-370147-342\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/08\/DevilsPeak-SDN-081919-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/08\/DevilsPeak-SDN-081919-1024x768.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Antonio Olivero \/ aolivero@summitdaily.com | Downhill skateboarders hop in the back of a U-Haul to ride back up to the top of the Devil's Peak Downhill skateboard race course on Sunday on Guanella Pass in Georgetown.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-0.95982142857143\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8.6383928571429\">\n<p><strong>Downhill skateboarders hop in the back of a U-Haul to ride back up to the top of the Devil&#8217;s Peak Downhill skateboard race course on Sunday on Guanella Pass in Georgetown.<\/strong><br \/>Antonio Olivero \/ aolivero@summitdaily.com<br \/><a class=\"buy-link\" href=\"http:\/\/SummitDaily.mycapture.com\/mycapture\/remoteimage.asp?backtext=Return+to+SummitDaily.com&amp;backurl=https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/the-devil-went-down-to-guanella-soaking-in-the-devils-peak-downhill-skateboarding-event-in-georgetown\/&amp;image=https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/08\/DevilsPeak-SDN-081919-1024x768.jpg&amp;notes=https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/08\/DevilsPeak-SDN-081919-1024x768.jpg\"> Buy Photo<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/08\/DevilsPeak-SDN-081919-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Downhill skateboarders hop in the back of a U-Haul to ride back up to the top of the Devil's Peak Downhill skateboard race course on Sunday on Guanella Pass in Georgetown.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/08\/DevilsPeak-SDN-081919-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/08\/DevilsPeak-SDN-081919-1-1024x767.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Antonio Olivero \/ aolivero@summitdaily.com | Boulder resident Daina Banks, raised in Dillon Valley, hoists his skateboard in the air while friends carry him up to the hay bale podium after his runner-up finish at Sunday's Devil's Peak Downhill skateboard race at Guanella Pass in Georgetown.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"0\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10.66889632107\">\n<p><strong>Boulder resident Daina Banks, raised in Dillon Valley, hoists his skateboard in the air while friends carry him up to the hay bale podium after his runner-up finish at Sunday&#8217;s Devil&#8217;s Peak Downhill skateboard race at Guanella Pass in Georgetown.<\/strong><br \/>Antonio Olivero \/ aolivero@summitdaily.com<br \/><a class=\"buy-link\" href=\"http:\/\/SummitDaily.mycapture.com\/mycapture\/remoteimage.asp?backtext=Return+to+SummitDaily.com&amp;backurl=https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/the-devil-went-down-to-guanella-soaking-in-the-devils-peak-downhill-skateboarding-event-in-georgetown\/&amp;image=https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/08\/DevilsPeak-SDN-081919-1-1024x767.jpg&amp;notes=https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/08\/DevilsPeak-SDN-081919-1-1024x767.jpg\"> Buy Photo<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/08\/DevilsPeak-SDN-081919-1-1024x767.jpg\" alt=\"Boulder resident Daina Banks, raised in Dillon Valley, hoists his skateboard in the air while friends carry him up to the hay bale podium after his runner-up finish at Sunday's Devil's Peak Downhill skateboard race at Guanella Pass in Georgetown.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/08\/DevilsPeak-SDN-081919-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/08\/DevilsPeak-SDN-081919-2-1024x768.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Antonio Olivero \/ aolivero@summitdaily.com | Friends and fans carry Chase Hiller of Branson, Missouri up to the hay bale podium and race director Justin Rolo emcees after Hiller's win at Sunday's Devil's Peak Downhill skateboard race at Guanella Pass in Georgetown.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-0.48351648351648\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9.6703296703297\">\n<p><strong>Friends and fans carry Chase Hiller of Branson, Missouri up to the hay bale podium and race director Justin Rolo emcees after Hiller&#8217;s win at Sunday&#8217;s Devil&#8217;s Peak Downhill skateboard race at Guanella Pass in Georgetown.<\/strong><br \/>Antonio Olivero \/ aolivero@summitdaily.com<br \/><a class=\"buy-link\" href=\"http:\/\/SummitDaily.mycapture.com\/mycapture\/remoteimage.asp?backtext=Return+to+SummitDaily.com&amp;backurl=https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/the-devil-went-down-to-guanella-soaking-in-the-devils-peak-downhill-skateboarding-event-in-georgetown\/&amp;image=https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/08\/DevilsPeak-SDN-081919-2-1024x768.jpg&amp;notes=https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/08\/DevilsPeak-SDN-081919-2-1024x768.jpg\"> Buy Photo<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/08\/DevilsPeak-SDN-081919-2-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Friends and fans carry Chase Hiller of Branson, Missouri up to the hay bale podium and race director Justin Rolo emcees after Hiller's win at Sunday's Devil's Peak Downhill skateboard race at Guanella Pass in Georgetown.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/08\/DevilsPeak-SDN-081919-3-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/08\/DevilsPeak-SDN-081919-3-1024x767.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Antonio Olivero \/ aolivero@summitdaily.com | Downhill skateboarders take the\" party turn the peak downhill skateboarding course on sunday at guanella pass in class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1.4311224489796\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"7.6326530612245\">\n<p><strong>Downhill skateboarders take the &#8220;Party Corner&#8221; turn at the Devil&#8217;s Peak Downhill skateboarding course on Sunday at Guanella Pass in Georgetown.<\/strong><br \/>Antonio Olivero \/ aolivero@summitdaily.com<br \/><a class=\"buy-link\" href=\"http:\/\/SummitDaily.mycapture.com\/mycapture\/remoteimage.asp?backtext=Return+to+SummitDaily.com&amp;backurl=https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/the-devil-went-down-to-guanella-soaking-in-the-devils-peak-downhill-skateboarding-event-in-georgetown\/&amp;image=https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/08\/DevilsPeak-SDN-081919-3-1024x767.jpg&amp;notes=https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/08\/DevilsPeak-SDN-081919-3-1024x767.jpg\"> Buy Photo<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/08\/DevilsPeak-SDN-081919-3-1024x767.jpg\" alt=\"Downhill skateboarders take the \" party turn the peak downhill skateboarding course on sunday at guanella pass in><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/08\/DevilsPeak-SDN-081919-4-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/08\/DevilsPeak-SDN-081919-4-1024x768.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Antonio Olivero \/ aolivero@summitdaily.com | The podium rejoices after Sunday's Devil's Peak Downhill skateboarding event at Guanella Pass in Georgetown.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1.416149068323\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"7.5527950310559\">\n<p><strong>The podium rejoices after Sunday&#8217;s Devil&#8217;s Peak Downhill skateboarding event at Guanella Pass in Georgetown.<\/strong><br \/>Antonio Olivero \/ aolivero@summitdaily.com<br \/><a class=\"buy-link\" href=\"http:\/\/SummitDaily.mycapture.com\/mycapture\/remoteimage.asp?backtext=Return+to+SummitDaily.com&amp;backurl=https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/the-devil-went-down-to-guanella-soaking-in-the-devils-peak-downhill-skateboarding-event-in-georgetown\/&amp;image=https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/08\/DevilsPeak-SDN-081919-4-1024x768.jpg&amp;notes=https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/08\/DevilsPeak-SDN-081919-4-1024x768.jpg\"> Buy Photo<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/08\/DevilsPeak-SDN-081919-4-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"The podium rejoices after Sunday's Devil's Peak Downhill skateboarding event at Guanella Pass in Georgetown.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/08\/DevilsPeak-SDN-081919-5-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/08\/DevilsPeak-SDN-081919-5-1024x768.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Antonio Olivero \/ aolivero@summitdaily.com | Chase Hiller of Branson, Missouri smiles as he hikes up the short trail from the finish line up to the hay-bale-surrounded\" party after winning peak downhill skateboard race at guanella pass in class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-0.48409893992933\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9.6819787985866\">\n<p><strong>Chase Hiller of Branson, Missouri smiles as he hikes up the short trail from the finish line up to the hay-bale-surrounded &#8220;Party Corner&#8221; after winning Sunday&#8217;s Devil&#8217;s Peak Downhill skateboard race at Guanella Pass in Georgetown.<\/strong><br \/>Antonio Olivero \/ aolivero@summitdaily.com<br \/><a class=\"buy-link\" href=\"http:\/\/SummitDaily.mycapture.com\/mycapture\/remoteimage.asp?backtext=Return+to+SummitDaily.com&amp;backurl=https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/the-devil-went-down-to-guanella-soaking-in-the-devils-peak-downhill-skateboarding-event-in-georgetown\/&amp;image=https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/08\/DevilsPeak-SDN-081919-5-1024x768.jpg&amp;notes=https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/08\/DevilsPeak-SDN-081919-5-1024x768.jpg\"> Buy Photo<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/08\/DevilsPeak-SDN-081919-5-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Chase Hiller of Branson, Missouri smiles as he hikes up the short trail from the finish line up to the hay-bale-surrounded \" party after winning peak downhill skateboard race at guanella pass in><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/the-devil-went-down-to-guanella-soaking-in-the-devils-peak-downhill-skateboarding-event-in-georgetown\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/the-devil-went-down-to-guanella-soaking-in-the-devils-peak-downhill-skateboarding-event-in-georgetown\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>GEORGETOWN \u2014 As our shuttle van from Georgetown Lake switch-backed up Guanella Pass, Koby Simonton of Eagle relayed the one word synonymous with downhill skateboarding.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBravery,\u201d Simonton, 21, said as the shuttle pulled up to the race course surrounded by 1,200 hay bales at 10,000 feet. \u201cA lot of bravery.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Simonton was a perfect person to enlighten me more about this sport during my first time at the Devil\u2019s Peak Downhill skateboarding event. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/keeping-the-shred-around-all-season-downhill-skateboarders-wrestle-with-an-extreme-sports-quandary-here-in-summit-county\/?cs_abcdefgh\">I\u2019d written a feature article about downhill skateboarding a couple months back<\/a>, one focused on local Summit County downhillers who practice on rec path between Vail Pass and Copper Mountain. They\u2019d told me about the curious predicament of their chosen sport, how it\u2019s still almost an outlaw hobby where they aren\u2019t exactly welcome on just any road. Still, they love downhilling so much that they purchase special leather suits, helmets, palm pads, wheels and foot-stops to sharpen their craft.<\/p>\n<p>Simonton, a ski instructor at Beaver Creek who hobbled onto the shuttle despite a torn ACL, put it in perspective.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a lot like ski racing for me,\u201d he said of downhilling as we walked up the short, rocky hike from the shuttle drop off at the finish line to the final hay-bale-blanketed turn of the course, known as \u201cParty Corner.\u201d \u201cBecause, when we go to a football game, everybody is rooting for their side. It\u2019s kind of hostile. But you go to a ski race or a longboard race, everyone\u2019s rooting for everyone. It\u2019s a different way to connect with people, to connect with gravity, per se.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Once at Party Corner, I understood what Simonton spoke of. Family, friends and fans of the racers hiked down from adjacent Jeep roads to set up spots to watch from behind the hay, their coolers in tow. There was even a hammock-ville of sorts where spectators watched the heats play out. They dwindled down from dozens upon dozens of riders to a final heat of four. The groups of riders were initially set by a \u201cwheel of death\u201d where the random element of spinning a wheel dictated skaters\u2019 spots.<br \/>The spectators even included a pair of 10-year-old downhillers from Aurora, Oliver Harris and Ben Votta. The two\u2019s eyes were wide at Party Corner, stoked to watch a Colorado local they knew, Tanner Morelock, advance deep into the day.<\/p>\n<p>What did they enjoy most about the day?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCrashes,\u201d Harris said. \u201cAnd seeing how people get so close racing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sunday had its share of crashes, though it seemed the most serious injury was to one skater\u2019s shoulder. It was clear race director Justin Rolo and his crew worked hard over the weekend to host the event without a hitch. Rolo drove up and down the roughly 2-mile race course on the pass in his blue Ford Mustang before each round, making sure the road was clear. Rolo also had Summit local downhillers such as Mike DeGrado and Troy Westbrook working for him&nbsp;\u2014 DeGrado shuttling racers in the event\u2019s rented U-Hauls while Westbrook manned a corner.<\/p>\n<p>In the end, it was a skater raised in Dillon Valley, Boulder resident Daina Banks, who nearly won the Devil\u2019s Peak. The 32-year-old took second during a thrilling final heat where race winner Chase Hiller of Branson, Missouri, tangled with him on the inside of the turn at Party Corner. Hiller eeked out the win with a wide line, keeping speed better than Banks, who was forced to ride an inside line he was more unfamiliar with.<\/p>\n<p>In the grand scheme, though, for Banks, Devil\u2019s Peak is about much more than merely winning. Guanella Pass, after all, is a spot he sharpened his downhill skills on more than a decade ago when a downhill elder named Dave Morton told him one side of the pass had recently been paved. Racing it like this? It could have only been a dream then.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of memories here, a lot of friendships,\u201d Banks said. \u201cIt\u2019s like a dream come true.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Banks\u2019 downhill origin story began back when he and his friends found a skateboard in a river near his Dillon Valley home. Now he\u2019s arguably the best downhiller in the world, with a chance to win the international season title with two races to go.<\/p>\n<p>When stepping back and putting into perspective what the Colorado and Summit County downhill communities have become, he\u2019s just grateful.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s nice to see a local scene going about it the right way,\u201d Banks said of the Summit County crew.<\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/the-devil-went-down-to-guanella-soaking-in-the-devils-peak-downhill-skateboarding-event-in-georgetown\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: Summit Daily<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Downhill skateboarders hop in the back of a U-Haul to ride back up to the top of the Devil&#8217;s Peak Downhill skateboard race course on Sunday on Guanella Pass in Georgetown.Antonio Olivero \/ aolivero@summitdaily.com Buy Photo Boulder resident Daina Banks, raised in Dillon Valley, hoists his skateboard in the air while friends carry him up [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-798648","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-19 07:31:19","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSMT The Mountain","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/798648","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=798648"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/798648\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=798648"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=798648"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=798648"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}