JLA Banked Slalom March 22nd-24th at Mammoth Mountain

Mammoth is hosting the annual JLA Banked Slalom this weekend to celebrate the life of professional snowboarder and Mammoth local Jeff Anderson.

Boarders will bob and weave their way down a slalom course with big banked berms for maximum carving in honor of Anderson.

“Mammoth Mountain and the JLA Project are thrilled to continue to keep his legacy alive with a fun day of shredding with Jeff’s friends and family on the mountain he grew up on,” says Mammoth .

The JLA Project is passionate to put this on every year, and they are keeping the spirit of snowboarding alive and well in Mammoth. They were the driving force behind the famous Volcom Brothers Skatepark, and they continue to maintain and improve it.

The project also aims to, “take an emphasis on a renewed nurturing support of the sport of snowboarding from a grassroots level.”

“The JLA Project is a movement to remind the community that snowboarding is an entire lifestyle. It’s been growing into the mainstream for so long, and we feel that Jeff’s influence is needed now more than ever. We must care for snowboarding again, in ways that only snowboarders can,” says the project.

Anderson tragically passed away in 2003 at only 23 years old. He was beloved by the Mammoth community and was a true trailblazer in snowboarding. An old interview with Transworld Snowboarding describes him as:

“True Mammoth local. First-generation grom. Child of the 80s. Skateboarder. Student of life. Malcontent. Devoted friend. Rock n roller. Handrail destroyer. Regular-footer. Younger brother. Late sleeper. Artist.”

And that’s not even half of the list.

Anderson was and still continues to be a driving force behind the culture of snowboarding. He was the first to perform a 450 on 270 off a rail on a snowboard, and was a sponsored rider for more than 10 years.

“I’ve always been on the snow–always been a snowboarder. It's who I am. The fact that I've been riding and living this life since I was so young has really shaped me,” said Anderson in a 2003 interview with Transworld Snowboarding .