The goal of the Dirksen Derby is to bring the Snowboard and Sit-Ski communities together for an incredibly fun and memorable weekend full of fast race times, strong friendships and fond memories while donating money to good causes.
The first Dirksen Derby Snowboard Rally Race was held at Mt. Bachelor in Oregon on December 1st, 2007. The event had 3 divisions, 58 total racers, and raised $1,160 for the local snowboarder Tyler Eklund, who was seriously injured while competing 8 months earlier at the USASA Snowboard Nationals in California.
With only 12” of snow on the ground that first year, the Dirksen Derby 1 course consisted of a single 30-second run down the dirt halfpipe with metal fencing poking out of the turns and hay bales to ollie over before hitting a jump at the finish line. The manual stopwatch timing system started between two large trees at the top and finished when the rider landed the final jump on the course.
The event has come a long way since then. Our 100% hand-dug Parallel Banked Slalom courses challenge the racers with a slow but technical race that rewards consistency and penalizes even the smallest mistakes. Our world-class timing system (run by CJ Timing) combines riders times down the Red Course (more difficult) and the Green Course (more friendly) for a final combined time at the end of the weekend. Fastest combined time wins.
As of 2025 The Dirksen Derby has, hosted over 18 individual events (Snowboard, Sit-Ski, and Splitboard), "dropped-in" over 5000 competitors, and donated over $320,000 to Non-Profits and Individuals in our community.
The Dirksen Derby is not a Non-Profit 501(c)(3) organization. We are a small LLC business that enjoys organizing an annual race that can pay our bills, pay our taxes, and donate a bunch of the money to charity. We strive to financially support and encourage the individuals, non-profits and businesses who enrich our snow community.
Thank you to everyone who has raced, participated, worked, volunteered, helped-out or hung-out at the event over the years. We are always looking forward to bringing everyone together for another fun event.
Dirksen Derby Credits
Josh Dirksen: Founder of the Dirksen Derby
Brad Steward: Sparked the original idea for our snowboard event in spring 2006
Mt. Bachelor: The Oregon ski resort that supported our idea from the beginning
Tyler Eklund: A beautiful human being. Our original inspiration and motivation at the Derby.
Shroder Baker: Skier buddy who came up with the name "Dirksen Derby"
Pat Malendoski: The man responsible for our unique Course Designs & Building Techniques (friendly Layouts, sharp Edges and smooth Transitions).
Adam Haynes: The original Artist of the Derby and creator of our overall style and designs
Salomon Snowboards: Our longest running sponsor. They have been a part of the Derby since conception in 2006
