A Word with Paul Krahulec

Copper Mt. Series 2008

For those of you who are planning on racing in USSA and USASA Nationals again this year, you should already know about the notorious Copper Mt. Series, one of the longest running and stacked regional series in the country. With their events organized around a Revolution Tour stop and two North American Cups, it is without-a-doubt scheduled in such a way as to provide local athletes with a constant influx of national and international competitors, while providing them with a solid course that they can hit all season long. By scheduling their events this way, local athletes have a strategic schedule that allows them to step it up every time, while providing them with ample leeway to get ready for bigger events such as the Grand Prix and US National Championships which are also being held at Copper again this year.

A word with the organizer of one of the hottest series in the country:

SBX Magazine: First, how long has the Copper Series been around and why has it become such a well known, prestigious series?

Paul: Copper Series hosted its first snowboarding contest in 1986. Check out 20 years of snowboarding at www.CopperSeries.com/20years.htm. I took over the series in 2000 and since then have built relationships with coaches and program directors both nationally and internationally. Coaches wanted a regional contest series that offered a balanced schedule of contests that pitted their athletes against the best competitors around. I listened to what they wanted and built the series accordingly. They’ve all stepped up and support what we’ve built.

SBX Magazine: What’s the strategy with the way you built the regional series schedule around a Revolution Tour stop and two NorAms, it seems to me this was no convenient mistake.

Paul: I sit on the boards of both USASA and USSA so I’m pretty in tune and involved with the sport of snowboarding. The schedule is purposely built to provide our local athletes with every opportunity to test their skills against the best riders in the country.

SBX Magazine: We know that your daughter Kim is one of the top female racers in the country, with stats that consistently remain in the top ten. Were you her first coach?

Paul: Kim actually skied for one season with me a long time ago and we both switched to riding snowboards together. She learned to ride at Mtn. High and Big Bear in California before taking lessons at A-Basin. We pretty much learned to ride together, but she’s obviously gone far past my abilities! Christy Olin, Steve Stevenson, Jim Smith, Ben Boyd and Nathan Park have been her coaches throughout the season. I tuned her board for her and did on hill prep the first year she won a medal at USASA Nationals in Boardercross. It was pretty funny though, Kim had just turned 15 and had moved up to Open Class, she had just won the semi and was headed to the finals. She lapped around, dropped off her board and went up to the start. I was frantically prepping her board when I heard Kim yell from the start gate, “Dad come on, I’ve got to start!” The starter and a couple of other girls who were racing told me after the race that was the first time they realized how young she was! Kim took 2nd and her first paycheck from snowboarding. Kim is the ultimate competitor, she thrives on the camaraderie of the athletes and she really loves to race!

SBX Magazine: Any juicy facts about the history of the Copper Mt. Series?

Paul: in 1991 a pro rider was arrested for waving a gun around during a Copper Series half-pipe event, thereby ending the event… Many of us thought that Copper would never have a half-pipe again.

If you want to know more about this series, check it out at www.CopperSeries.com/20years.htm.

Of if you would like to register for an event go to www.CopperSeries.com