Shawn Orecchio

Shawn Orecchio (b. 1972) is a retired professional snowboarder [ [http://www.nj.com/sports/ledger/index.ssf?/base/sports-2/1211603725253960.xml&coll=1 "Zoom with a view", NJ Star-Ledger] ] and mountain biker. He is also the founder of the US Open of Mountain Biking, the Diablo Freeride Park and several notable snowboarding parks.

Orecchio is generally credited with introducing snowboarding to North America’s largest metro-region ski resort in 1985, along with Denis Connor and early professionals Jason Grossi and "Skinhead" Joe Srholzfact|date=May 2008. The resort was known for its massive area and proximity to New York City, as well as for its famous "Playboy Club", "VV/GG", an early snowboard education center, enjoyed renown as North America's largest snowboard school and training center [http://www.snowboard-mag.com/node/29935 "Mountain Creek Celebrates Snowboarding's 20th Anniversary", Snowboard magazine] ] for the entirety of the 1980s.

In 1987 Orecchio competed and placed well in both the Mid-Atlantic Snowboard Series and New England’s Green Mountain snowboard seriesfact|date=May 2008. In 1989, Orecchio, Connor & Westervelt relocated to Truckee, California, to train with the Cross-M snowboard team, one of the "Big Three" North American world-cup snowboard foundations of the 1980s and 1990sfact|date=May 2008.

Summers found Orecchio mountain biking in North Lake Tahoe, as part of an off-season fitness regimen. His interest in mountain biking developed quickly, and by 2000, Orecchio founded the Diablo Freeride Park for mountain biking, bringing West-coast style to the East, and soon after founded the US Open of Mountain Biking [ [http://www.bnqt.com/article.php?id=6992 Shawn Orecchio Interview, BNQT.com] ] .

In 2001, Orecchio designed and founded the Santa Cruz Jib Park [ [http://business.transworld.net/2001/11/27/mountain-creek-announces-santa-cruz-jib-park/ "Mountain Creek Announces Santa Cruz Jib Park", Transworld Business] ] at Mountain Creek ski resort in Vernon, New Jersey, Eastern North America’s largest snowboard terrain park. The terrain park was later renamed "Uncommon Ground" [ [http://www.boardtheworld.com/templates/btw/page/page_html_standard.php?secID=350&id=129 Mountain Creek entry, Boardtheworld.com] ] . Orecchio later also founded JibLab at Mountain Creek. In 2004, Transworld Snowboarding ranked Mountain Creek as North America’s #3 Terrain Park in North America for Best Jib Variety. By 2006, The US Olympic finalists for halfpipe discipline were named at Orecchio’s JibLab.

In 2006, Orecchio was named Director of Freestyle Terrain and Product Development at Jack Frost/Big Boulder resorts in The Poconos of northeastern Pennsylvania [ [http://www.transworldsnowboarding.com/snow/news/article/0,26719,1534441,00.html "New Park Builders at Jack Frost/Big Boulder", Transworld Snowboarding] ] ; by the 2007-08 Winter season, Orecchio took a sabbatical from his long Snow Board Parks industry tenure and returned to his snowboarding roots, training and riding each day at the resort of his youth.Orecchio's 2009 plans include a return to professional competition in the Boardercross discipline. Orecchio is also credited with developing the IndyCross [TM] [http://diablofreeridepark.com/indycross.html] competition discipline first unveiled at Diablo Freeride Park in August 2008.

References

External links

* [http://www.diablofreeridepark.com/ Diablo Freeride Park]
* [http://www.diablofreeridepark.com/usopen.html US Open of Mountain Biking]