How much do you know about Bitter Cold Showdown? With BCSD XIII right around the corner, we asked Daniel Kinney if there were any overlooked or forgotten factoids about the event. Turns out, during its 13 years and four skateparks, there’s been more than a few details lost to time, booze and the onward march of, well, the next year’s contest.

Though he’s insanely busy with last minute preparations for the event this weekend, DK took some time and made this list of eight little-known facts about BCSD. So take a look back at the event’s history through these memories of comps past, and get ready to get down in Detroit!

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1) The final trick of the first Bitter Cold Showdown involved Ben Weis doing a fakie 3 kind grind down a 2×4 support rail along a staircase from the top of an 8 ft. mini ramp. The owner’s wife thought he should be disqualified for using it and screamed at him the entire time until he landed the trick.

2) In 2002 there was no official final heat of the contest. All finalists were tired and a bit frustrated. So they all decided to basically “drunk blade” for the finals. The only definitive recollection of a trick was a cigarette being lit while grinding down the start rail. Judges made a decision based on the previous rounds.

3) The owner of Vertigo skate park, Mark Yoo, thought of the hammer trophy. He had one custom painted in 2006.

4) In 2008, literally the same day I was thinking about what to do about the hammer trophy, I stumbled upon a woodworkers club at the local library in South Bend, Indiana. I asked if anyone could brand a sledge hammer. Rod Beamish volunteered and he created the trophy from 2008-2012.

5) Sixwonsix owner Mark Vanderboegh has sponsored the Bitter Cold Showdown for every single year.

6) Dan Fabiano has sponsored the Bitter Cold Showdown through various brands (Format, Scribe, Con.Artist) for every single year.

7) The first official pro to visit the event was Rachard Johnson in 2002.

8) For the first three years the contest took place on Sunday. Because of this we held a winter street contest on Saturday. There was a lot of snow, people got lost, and Ben Weis competed in a wife beater once. Winter street contests are not a good idea and once the contest was moved to a Saturday and Vertigo skate park in Ohio, it was cancelled.

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Thanks, Daniel. We’ll see you and everyone else in a few days. Best of luck with this year’s event.