'Lord of the Ropes' competition kicks off at Trollhaugen in Wisconsin

It's an intense head-to-head, snowboarder-against-snowboarder competition: it's winner-take-all at Trollhaugen in western Wisconsin. Snowboarders come from all over the Midwest, in hoping to be crowned "Lord of the Ropes."

"It is somewhat dangerous, so even today we had some people drop out because they got hurt," said Marsha Hovey, Trollhaugen's marketing director.

Sixty-four snowboarders compete in the invite-only competition on Friday. Most are from Minnesota, although Wisconsin, Michigan, South Dakota, and North Dakota are also represented. 

"I just wing it, because if you think too much about it then it's going to throw you off. You just kind of hope for the best," said Hannah Peterson, a snowboarder from Osceola, Wisconsin.

"If you slip out, that's it," said Jesse Paul, from Maple Grove. "Some of these people I've been riding with for a decade, so it's almost like friendly competition. Everybody is excited and kind of battling. It's all kind of in good fun."

The timing couldn't be more perfect. The warmer weekend, after sub-zero temperatures, is welcomed here with open arms. 

Sunny, warmer weather ahead this weekend

"It's not freezing so you're not all stiff. The thing is it's a lot easier to snowboard and do these tricks when it's a little bit warmer," said Paul. 

There can only be one "Lord of the Ropes," but it turns out, there's more to it than winning.

"This is really what represents the snowboarding community here in the Midwest," said Hovey. "This is a true example of the friendship, even though it is a single-person sport, it's all of these people supporting you and pushing you to do more and pushing you to get better and better."

The organizers of the event were Interior Plain Project and Indeed Brewing Company.

The competition went until 9:30 p.m. Friday, when a winner was chosen. The winner of the competition was Danny Sokol, of Wisconsin.