Snowboarder Mark McMorris hosts Red Bull Uncorked

Mark McMorris has joined together with older brother Craig and Sebastien Toutant (aka Seb Toots) to host Red Bull Uncorked, a week-long snowboard innovation session at Vancouver’s Grouse Mountain Resort.

The multiple Winter X Games big air/slopestyle gold medallist and his fellow snowboarders wanted to create a course that could produce ultimate innovation and creativity with a stunning backdrop of Vancouver.

They also invited Mickey Ciccarelli, Tyler Nicholson, Scotty James and Yuki Kadono to try out the custom playground resulting in a three-minute action clip and 30-minute behind-the-scenes feature for CBC Sports.

The idea for Uncorked arose during a late night brainstorm session with the end result taking over 260 hours to complete on the mountain’s signature run The Cut that overlooks Vancouver.

Snowmaking machines helped craft the course that features a 10-foot shipping container, two custom-built rails, a rolling knuckle and two unique jump features before concluding with a long transfer rail.

Mark explained, “Progression in snowboarding really requires unique terrain that challenges your abilities and technical skills.

“Athletes are not seeking the biggest air, but the most dynamic terrain that will force them to step up their game.”

Seb added, “The course is meant to focus on technicality over size, which is why we added things like a gap in the takeoff of a jump.”

A scaled-down version of the Uncorked course is available for the public to experience this season as long as conditions allow.