Downtown Showdown: A staircase livens the Square

During the summer, Monument Square sees a good deal of action. Lunchers linger at the outdoor tables in front of David's and high schoolers shirk the "Stay Off The Grass" signs to hang out at the feet of Our Lady of Victories.

But during these dormant winter months - from just after the Christmas tree is carted away without much fanfare to just before the farmer's market brings fresh evidence of the impending spring in April - not much happens in the Square.

The only noticeable activity seems to be the incrementally growing or shrinking heaps of plowed snow that have built up there over the last few months.

And while it's maybe occurred to you that those mounds of snow could enable one crazy intricate fort-building competition, someone had a better idea.

Someone saw that growing mound of snow and thought, "A snowy mountain in the middle of the city. Now there's an idea." Or at least that's how I imagine the Downtown Showdown came to fruition.

The Downtown Showdown brought skiers and snowboarders to Monument Square on Saturday evening. It was the finale in a stream of events that made up the WinteRush Festival. Sixteen boarders and 16 skiers competed for cash and prizes - and we all got to watch.

Of course no one took a dive off the crusty piles of dirty snow already stationed there. Instead a city-sanctioned 30-foot staircase was built and good snow was brought in, courtesy of Sugarloaf and Sunday River. And there, in the middle of the square, a miniature mountain rose up.

The competitors came from all over - including some locals - and showed off their mastery of the rails. Uninformed onlookers got to learn phrases like front slide, back slide and hot garbage.

The skiers had the added pressure of a possible "groin incident." A few found themselves straddling the rail - and every competitor found him/herself toppling over in some fashion.

Despite the cold, there was a hearty crowd in attendance appreciating the stunts and the DJ'd music. Some folks discovered the parking garage offered decent views too.

Richie Paradise [pictured] won the freeskier portion and left Monument Square $500 richer and wearing a $900 Oakley watch. Local guy Tristan Corriveau placed first for the boarders because hey, Portland's got talent.

I admittedly hoped event organizers would leave the staircase in place for a few days - you know, to give us staircase novices a chance to try it out. But I suppose nothing kills an event faster than an amateur cracking his/her head open in the middle of the Square.

Guess I'll leave it to the guys who know what they're doing - and watch again next year from the safety of the firm ground.