The Burke Mountain Freeride  was conceived by Emgee Events (Mike Girard) as a way to grow the northeast and overall downhill skateboarding community, by offering skaters an affordable, safe, sanctioned opportunity to take unlimited runs down one of the best roads in the world. Burke Mountain's Toll Road has proven itself as a an exceptionally challenging, technical and exciting track, dropping 1,000' vertical feet in the span of a mile, with 10 sliding corners and fantastic views. It hosted the Push Culture Family Picnic IDF World Cup race in 2015, and is coveted by downhill enthusiasts.




The road's many corners, high speeds, narrow width, tree density, cliffs and other hazards make for an exciting ride, but also pose danger. To mitigate this risk and keep riders safe, we need a LOT of haybales for impact protection, and haybales are not cheap. Check out a slice of the action (and carnage) here - take note of all the hay lining the roads:


In an effort to provide a truly grassroots, community-driven and independent event experience, Mike decided not to pursue any sponsorships - the event would be funded strictly by registration fees. Although there are definite benefits to this approach, it is also problematic if there are not enough registrations. The event budget is substantial, including (but not limited to) a daily road closure fee, paid ambulance squad, insurance, 3 rental trucks + gas, t-shirt & poster printing, art commission, transportation, radios, 250 meals pre-purchased from the mountain, a big potential cleanup fee, and most substantially, 1,500-2,000 haybales.

To help make ends meet on this shoestring Burke Mountain Freeride budget, Mike was relying on using most or all of the nearly 2,000 haybales left over from June's World Cup race, saving several thousand dollars. (For reference, the World Cup bales cost roughly $5 each.) Unfortunately during their 2 month outdoor storage between the race and the freeride, the haybale strings rotted, the bales became moldy, and the whole pile of hay turned out to be utterly unsalvageable. The event budget is already running well in the red due to low registrations and high cost, but this hay situation is the dagger in the heart. 


Worst of all, this harsh reality was just discovered only 4 days before the Freeride, after the financial commitments and firm decision had been made to run the event. There is no backing out now... but the question is of safety, the future of the Burke Mountain Freeride, and the future of Emgee Events. Without sufficient funding, Mike cannot afford to buy enough hay to make the road safe, cannot afford to pay any of the Event Staff who work thanklessly and sweatfully to set up and clean up all the hay (plus marshal corners, run registration, etc.) and will not be able to afford to run the event next year... not to mention the pre-existing budget deficit, and several thousand dollars in outstanding hospital bills due to a recent severe leg infection (coincidentally from stacking hay during his Central Mass Skate Festival preparation). 


Mike is confident that this event is a valuable addition to the Northeast and broader skate community. It's a crucial stepping stone between "outlaw" events and sanctioned races, providing a safe learning zone, proving ground and training facility for downhillers of various skill levels. A freeride is like buying a lift ticket, versus registering for a ski race - There is all of the fun, but none of the drudgery, added expense, waiting time or early elimination associated with a race - purely riding, with the goal of maximum runs down the mountain.

Emgee Events has been working tirelessly for the past 6 years to provide premium skate events that grow our community. Mike has never asked for anything aside from rider registrations - even in years that Central Mass Skate Festival lost money. However this is a particularly severe situation, with a crippling late setback that could jeopardize riders' safety as well as Mike's longterm finances. Any contribution you can make is greatly appreciated, and will go directly to providing a safer, better, bigger event, and one that may last well into the future. The $4,500 goal is strictly for hay purchasing (and only covers about 1/2 the replacement cost at original pricing); if that goal is exceeded, any additional money raised would go to paying our Event Staff and filling the substantial gaps in the budget.

Thank you very much for your time and consideration.

#PrayForHay #BurkeFreeride
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P.S. Registration will be open until 5pm on Friday via http://bit.ly/burkefreeridereg, and after that point, in person at the mountain for $20 more. Leather suit, full face helmet and slide gloves are required.