In this episode, I talk with my uncle, Jay Liska, and Richie Fowler about King of the Hill. Jay and Richie are both former pro snowboarders, and King of the Hill was a legendary snowboard competition held in Thompson Pass back in the 1990s. Three days and three disciplines. There was Extreme Day, where riders competed for the most challenging, but stylish line down a mountain; There was Downhill Day, where a race course was set-up and riders competed for the fastest time; And then there was Freestyle Day, where competitors battled for who could land the best tricks. There were helicopters and airplanes constantly landing and taking off, flying competitors to their mark, and other riders to revisit old lines and to pioneer new ones. There was a pervasive feeling of wonder and madness—everyday people pushed the limits of snowboarding and the durability of the human body.

The entire event—on hill and off-hill—was characterized by an anything-goes, outlaw attitude. Every day was a party and every night that party intensified. Drugs and alcohol were everywhere and it wasn’t unusual for guns to be added to the mix.

Although my dad, Scott Liska, and my uncle Jay were key figures at the event, I wasn’t old enough to experience it firsthand. Instead, the stories and the infamy that surround it have followed me around since I was a kid. And what I’ve found is that the story of King of the Hill is not just the story of the Alaska snowboard scene, but the story of a brave and reckless group of pioneers. Valdez in the 90s represented an era of unmitigated freedom, and that group of pioneers took full advantage of it.