"I feel nostalgic," said Gnarcore's David Rouleau, while standing on the deck of the Showdown Over The City's monster table-top; the first of three features facing competitors at the top of the slopestyle course. "This is an old-school jump."

If "old-school" means big and burly, then it was an apt description. But it didn't stop the mix of young riders, all of whom were seeking to pre-qualify for one of eight spots for tomorrow's semi-finals, from spinning a variety of 9's and 10's in their quest for the podium.

The first day of the contest had a mix of weather that was downright schizophrenic. The biggest variable was the ever-changing visibility, thanks to a layer of fog that rolled in and out through the afternoon. Fortunately the fog faded away long enough for most of the riders to get two runs through the course, which included a gap to manny pad, then two rails (a flat angled rail and a down-flat-down) as the finisher. When the fog returned, a brief hold was placed on the course, and then it cleared up long enough for the remaining riders to take their final runs.

The rail section of the course.

With none other than Daryl "Trini" Trinidad and the recently retired Jesse Fox providing live commentary, there were plenty of references to burgers and no lack of jokes. The judging panel even included Chris Dufficy, still recovering from an elbow injury, who showed off an x-ray on his phone that revealed the screws and plate now surgically attached to his elbow ("He's bionic now," quipped Trini.)

Daryl "Trini" Trinidad and Jesse Fox.

Willey Tessio was the first rider to hit the jump and wound up taking first place, thanks to a cleanly stomped Cab 10 in his final run. Other standouts included Gordon Emery, who did the first 9 of the day (frontside) and Warren Williams, who landed a switch backside 9.

Willey Tessio.

Speed was an issue for some riders; it was common to see people knuckle the edge of the deck, and one rider straight-dropped from the edge of the lip onto the table. But others, perhaps those with the foresight to wax, had no problem touching down right in the landing's sweet spot.

The following eight riders, in order, advance both to tomorrow's semi-finals (where they'll compete with an impressive list of invited riders), plus tonight's hour-long rail jam:
6. Nathan Ramler
5. Gordon Emery
4. Jesse Millen
3. Jason Wexler
2. Warren Williams
1. Willet Tessio
Wildcard spots: Max Ritchie and Tim Barker

Warren Williams.

Jesse Millen.

Gordon Emery.

After a few hours of down time, during which you could rides some park laps or lurk in the lodge (or if you're like us, a bit of both), the hour-long rail jam kicked off.  The top eight riders from the qualifiers stepped up to compete with the invited riders, which included the likes of Seb Toots, Andrew Geeves, E-man Anderson, Craig Bealieu, Matt Belzille, and more.

"It kind of looks like the back-drop from the movie Twilight," remarked Trini on the mic. Now I haven't seen Twilight, but I can only assume it was in reference the murky (and slightly spooky) fog that enveloped the course. It certainly didn't intimidate the riders, however, as an intense mix of tricks got thrown down.

Young Matt Munn, who earlier in the day got an edge-gash on his forehead when a rider essentially landed on him, was going for it. He attempted one-footed boardslides through the kinked rail, earning big cheers from the crowd. When he finally landed one, everyone freaked out.

Matt Munn, one-footed boardslide.

Andrew Geeves pulled multiple Lord Of The Dance moves, including a 50-50 to 270 to tail slide and a front board to nose press on the kinked rail. Belzille did a slick backside nose press through the kink, as did E-man. Ryan Hall did a series of gnarly gaps to 50-50 and front board, and then a gap to 50-50 to revert on the kinked rail, proving himself to be a serious stand-out in the jam.

Andrew Geeves.

Matt Belzile.

Ryan Hall.

The riders voted for the winner, just one rider, who stood out the most. And after re-grouping in the lodge, it was Matt Munn who took the accolades and earned a tidy $3,000 for his efforts. A few Coors Lights in the lodge later, it was time to cram into the tram and download to the Grouse base, where the removal of snowboard boots (after a solid 10+ hours on the mountain) never felt better.

Quiksilver's Shawna Olsten and Grouse Mountain's Jeff Silcock award Matt Munn his giant cheque amid a media frenzy.

Check back tomorrow for full coverage of day two of the Showdown Over The City, with semi-finals and finals still to come.

(update: day two's coverage here)

Photos: Matt Forsythe