Me, Léo Caza, from canada, showing is 2008 season on video…Nothing make me feel better then being on a snowboard

The first snow has fell in Norway, once we had 5cm of snow, we got our first session. We hit this wooden rail, and I got a pretty cool shot of a fs nosepress

i dono

backboard

Get the Flash Player to see this player.
IF IT DOES NOT START PLAYING RIGHT AWAY, PLEASE LET IT LOAD UP.

In conjunction with the release of Forum or Against’em, this exclusive clip is part of the Forum Fridays project – select clips, not part of the final cut, but worthy of your viewing pleasure.

This installment is a Forum team collective of second angles – but definitely not second quality. It’s also set to other movie’s music – well, at least their teaser music. You might recognize a few lyrics.

Forum or Against’em is Forum’s fifth team-video release, upholding the progression of an acknowledged movie-making process that has produced prior noteworthy films. The video can be downloaded for $5.99 in the United States iTunes store.
CLICK HERE TO BUY!

shred

It snowed in OCTOBER! no legit tricks… just fun.

On October 17th, a wine and cheese gala launched the latest exhibit at the
world renowned Whyte Museum in Banff, Alberta Canada.

Out There Adventure Photography is an exhibition of contemporary photography documenting people¹s travels and adventures in the Canadian Rockies.

Mark Gallup is one of the featured photographers in this exhibit. Framed
side by side with other adventure photographers such as Pat and Baiba
Morrow, Will Gadd, Chic Scott, Sharon Wood (first Canadian women to climb
Everest), Barry Blanchard and Bob Sandford. All Banff and Rocky Mountain
legends.

You may not have heard of all of them, but you know their photography and
amazing adventures documented in mountain journals the world over.

Attached is your personal invite to the exhibit next time your in the Banff
area. As well as a few samples of Mark’s images on display.

… In a packed room, Curator and Director Craig Richards read this
statement to a crowd of Banff’s social elite and the who’s who of Canadian
Mountain Culture. Quoted from an e-mail sent to him from Mark Gallup.

… “I’ve partied in Las Lenas like it was 1999 (and, come to think of it,
it was 1999); taken a piss on countless peaks that have never seen a human
foot print; bellied up to a Bell 407 in Belle Coola; shit my pants in
France; jigged when I should have jagged in Japan; felt pain in Spain; gone
the wrong way in Norway, well, you get the idea. But like the fable of
Dorothy and her fuzzy sidekick Toto, Once and awhile, I like to click my
heels 3 times and repeat over and over again, “There’s no place like home.”

PORTLAND, OREGON – October 23, 2008 Grenade Gloves, one of the fastest-growing names in action sports, is celebrating its successful global film tour, The Boned Age, by bringing the film home to the Pacific Northwest for the final two stops on the tour.

When:
On Saturday, November 1st, the Grenade crew rolls into Seattle for an autograph session at Zumiez at the Southcenter Mall from 3pm-5pm, followed by the showing of The Boned Age at The Skate Barn at 9pm.  Address: 2900 Lind Ave SW Renton, WA 98057; free and open to the public.

On Sunday, November 2nd, the Portland homecoming features an autograph session at Clackamas Town Center’s Zumiez store from 3-5pm, followed by the film showing and costume contest at 7:00pm at the Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton St.

The film showcases the top names in snowboarding performing stunts on the most dangerous mountain runs and customized snow parks.  The cinematography is awe-inspiring; shot with super-16mm high definition and matched only by the tricks pulled off by the infamous Grenerds.

“The Boned Age includes plenty of wipeouts, skits, and the freshest tricks in all aspects of the sport from Magoon creating new rail combinations to EJT–Experimental Jump Technologies,” says two-time Olympic silver medalist and Grenade President Danny Kass.

Joining Kass in the all-star cast are Scotty Lago, Benji Ritchie, Gabe Taylor, Kyle Clancy, Lucas Magoon, Travis Rice, The Dingo and Dave England of MTV’s Jack Ass.  The film’s title pays tribute to the 1994 cult classic film The Stoned Age, and features its own version of the infamous “Blue Torpedo” wagon and “gnarly eyeball” seen in the original.  See the new HD trailer for The Boned Age here and see even more here.

The international tour is hosted by Danny Kass and The Dingo and various stops have included athlete appearances, contests, giveaways, free Grenade Army enlistment and after-parties featuring DJs and musicians Feli Fel, Lil Jon, Shawty Put, Mr. Choc, DJ Revolution and Tina T.

www.hotshotsrailjam.com

FM Productions rider PJ Post tailpresses a handrail in the first NJ snow before November

Do Tricks .. Get Chicks

When the lifts are not running, this boys are having fun in town.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

edit description

Call 608-437-4135 or go to www.tyrolbasin.com for more info

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Riders: Mads Jonsson, Torstein Horgmo, Juuso Laivisto, Johan Olofsson, Eric Jackson, Mathieu Crepel, Mark Landvik, Kazuhiro Kokubo, Mitch Reed, Xavier Delerue, Dan Migno, Sylvain Beauch, Sammy Luebke, Chas Guldemond, Lonnie Kauk, Keegan Valaika, Priscilla Levac, JJ Thomas.

It’s October—a time when it starts getting cold, the leaves change color, and that winter feeling begins. Nope! Not here in SoCal, it’s still 80 and sunny every day, and the damn palm trees are always green. Yeah, that’s right, we’re bitching about the perfect weather. Watching movies like Aesthetica really makes us yearn for some cold weather and snow. Everyone knows that Standard Films is all about top of the line progression in the backcountry. Aesthetica does not stray away from this reputation with the combination of a few new shreds to its cast as well as the same ol’ familiar veterans we love to watch. Whoever says, “backcountry hits get old” is a friggin’ idiot. 

Some details—Eric Jackson takes the honors of getting the opening section, which shows him partaking in his other favorite hobby of fishing. That lucky SOB shreds powder down to a river and then gets to go fishing. Oh yeah, there’s also snowboarding in his section which includes so many backcountry hits and lines that he also took the longest section of the video. Xavier Delerue tells his story of being caught in an avalanche (what’s a shred video without a scene of a gnarly avy in it?), Chas Guldemond scores a few guest shots as he kills it in the park as usual—we have to wonder how much RockStar pays him to wear that stupid beanie. There’s a scene that’s questionably staged where Priscilla Levac jibs a cop car while the sorry pathetic cop tries to yell at them. Priscilla puts together a pretty solid segment that is unfortunately accompanied by some crappy song.

Kazuhiro Kokubo definitely scores a standout part with good backcountry hits including some shots in Idaho’s quiet backcountry—a favorite place for Standard to film every year. Some unnecessary contest footage is added into the movie. The new revolution of NoBoarding is captured with Johan Olofsson killing it on the freedom version of snow shredding—pay attention here. Last years rookie sensation Torstein Horgmo bags the closing section demonstrating his progressive mind-blowing freestyle skills. As said before it was his first season shredding in the backcountry.

This movie has great riding and unique hits and drops. Many of the shots were in black & white and were kind-of blurry, not too sure what Standard was going for with these. The soundtrack gets a thumbs up except that damn song in Priscilla’s section. This crew does put together a solid movie with great shredding and this is one of the top movies of the year. And remember Mads wise words, “If you drink more than five beers the night before, it’s going to be blue the morning after.”

We give this shred flick a good score of 3 ass-kickers out of a possible 4.  �  

Mervin Manufacturing changed the game when they revealed rocker. And now, with so many companies latching onto this new shape—from Burton to Rossignol to K2—it’s proving to be a design that’s here to stay. Pete Saari is co-founder of Mervin Manufacturing, the maker of Lib Tech and Gnu Snowboards, and has been building boards since the early 80s. Here’s his take on all things Banana.

Photo:Annette Veihelmann

Explain banana technology:
Banana technology is Lib Tech’s snowboard technology designed around the needs of a snowboarder. Traditional snowboard design borrowed camber from skiing in order to make snowboards work better on hardpack. Camber is designed to work well with one central pressure input area (i.e. boot) on each ski, but was not really designed around how a snowboarder uses a board. Camber leaves an unweightable “dead zone” between your feet. Banana technology focuses edge pressure between your feet, bringing the dead zone to life. It adds catch free tips and tails for jibs, rails, and forgiving landings. It adds pre-bent rocker between your feet for edge hold and carving, and it adds tip and tail float in powder.

How did you guys think this up?
Lib Tech is an R&D company. Mike Olson and our ExperiMental crew designed our entire shop and all our tooling around change and evolution. We’ve been experimenting for over 25 years and still we’re not completely satisfied with snowboard design. They still kind of sucked compared to surfboards, skateboards, and skis. It finally came to us; camber is for skiers. Snowboarders need a board designed around snowboarding. I can’t believe it took us so damn long to figure it out.

Photo:Annette Veihelmann

What kind of testing did you have to do before you were confident it worked?
We were confident Banana Technology would be the future even before we rode it, we have been thinking about snowboard geometry every day for years and so once we had Banana Tech in our heads we pretty much knew it was a go. The actual testing was almost a formality, but it sure was fun to see all our theories actually working. Banana Tech is letting riders push snowboarding to new levels everywhere from backyard jibs and everyday park shredding, to Torah Bright winning the icy pipe at the U.S. Open and people doing gnarly big mountain Alaskan lines. Basically we work on snowboards every day and it sure is nice to build and ride boards that make you work less, ride better, and put a big smile on your face.

Jesse Burtner swinging his banana around at Bear Mountain. Photos:Liam Gallagher

Waterville Valley kicks off 08-09 Events with Rome’s Premature Jibulation, “No Correct Way” and Eastern Boarder Video Shows

A packed season of events at Waterville Valley starts Saturday November 15 with the first stop of the Rome Premature Jibulation Tour. Boxes, rails, bonks, hot dogs, girls, guys, and tons of product from Rome will all be present and accounted for. Bring a skateboard, as the Waterville Valley mini-ramp will be set-up to keep you loose between Bring a skateboard, as the Waterville Valley mini-ramp will be set-up to keep you loose betweenheats. Passes will be $10 for the day and will include food, drink and of course fun. The event will be free. Riders will be broken up into three heats of all ages, girls, guys and will compete in a 20-minute jam session. 5 of those competitors will be picked from each heat to represent in a 15 rider final. Prizes include Rome boards, bindings, boots and outerwear, along with a ton of other loot for the legendary product toss.

Check last year’s video (here).

After the Rome Premature Jibulation head to Biederman’s Deli in Plymouth, NH from 6-9pm for the showing of Rome’s “No Correct Way” and the Eastern Boarder Video (here), sponsored in part by Waterville Valley.

Waterville Valley Packed Event Schedule
2008
11/22 Opening Day
12/7   Grand Opening Jam Little Slammer (16 & under)
12/29  Little Slammer Snowboard

2009
1/3    Transworld Trans Am
1/17   Volcom PB & Rail Jam
1/25    Little Slammer Snowboard Finals
1/31   USASA Slopestyle
2/1     B4BC Rail Jam & Ultimate Pink Raffle
2/7    USASA Boardercross
2/27  Airing for Autism
2/28  USASA Slopestyle
3/1    Billabong Flaunt It Womens Series
3/7     Nitro Snowboard Event
3/8    USASA Superpipe
3/13- 3/15 Burton Demo Tour Super Stop
3/14  Burton Am Series Superpipe
3/15  Burton Am Series Slopestyle
3/17  St. Patty Day $17 lift tickets!
4/1    Dollar Day!
4/4    Pond Skimming/ Slopeside Spring Concert

All events are subject to change. For the lowdown on all of our events check out www.snowboardwaterville.com (here)

I used to live near here. I would hike it after work al most every day before the lifts opened. We had a lot of snow last year,like 350″, There was a time I hiked I met up with this chick who said she wanted to take photos, lucky me. I made the sequence out of the digital prints and added my music to it. It was so steep. One side is DEATH! the other is skinny, steep, and being a first decent avalanche possible! Th sun came around the cloud right before dropping and stayed out for me the whole way down. The back drop Perfect. Amazing! I also ride pipe well, rails good, kickers well, powder good, woodrails and jibbs good, love going fast, don’t care about my age (26). I have snowboard riding for 10 years + and have been down for anything. I have our backs homies. I now live close to Steamboat Springs, CO. Got a pass this year and plan on the same exact type of $hit, If you like my video I hope you vote for me.

Ladies, grab your gear, head to the hills and dial those moves you want to show off this coming season. Nikita is bringing the Chickita to the USA and Europe once more and we’re ready for a good show.

Dates have already been confirmed so there’s no excuse to miss out:

Nikita Chickita USA 21st February 2009, Mammoth Mountain

Nikita Chickita EUROPE 18th April 2009, Serfaus, Austria

Nikita Chickita is an open-invite slopestyle contest, notorious for the relaxed and fun atmosphere. Up for grabs will be cash and prizes galore for both the top Pro and Am riders. As in previous years the top Am rider will receive a one-year sponsorship with Nikita. Ana Rumiha and Alice Gong, European and USA winners respectively from 2008, have had great times being a part of the Nikita family!

Nikita is stoked to let you know that Lomography is on board to sponsor both the USA and European Nikita Chickita contests with their awesome cameras. We’re already jealous of the lucky winners!!  Osiris and DaKine will also be flowing sweet product to all the ladies at the USA event.

Cooler and Onboard are part of the action as media partners for Europe. Transworld Snowboarding and Venus Zine will be reporting from the USA.
To sign up for the USA event go to: http://signmeup.com/site/reg/register.aspx?fid=FQ2V8K7

Check out http://www.nikitaclothing.com/nikitachickita for footage from last year’s event in Austria, and go to www.nikitaclothing.com to see what’s new at Nikita.

Cool pic of me snowboarding here in NC, in October. 4 days before halloween

edit descriptionvar WIKI_PATH='http://snowboarding.transworld.net/wp-content/plugins/wp-wikiposts/'; var postID=1000081798

Read more

Powdr Corp Receives EPA Green Power Leadership Award
National Awards Honor Leading Green Power Purchasers

Park City, Utah (October 28, 2008) – Powdr Corp announced today that it has received a 2008 Green Power Leadership Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The annual awards recognize the country’s leading green power purchasers for their commitment and contribution to advancing the development of the nation’s voluntary green power market.  EPA presented Powdr Corp with the award at an event held in conjunction with the 2008 National Renewable Energy Marketing Conference in Denver, Colorado.

Powdr Corp was one of only nine organizations nationwide to receive a Leadership Award in the Green Power Purchasing category. This award recognizes EPA Green Power Partners who distinguish themselves through purchases of green power from a utility green-pricing program, a competitive green marketer, or a renewable energy credit (REC) supplier. Powdr Corp currently purchases nearly 50 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power annually, which is enough green power to meet 100 percent of the organization’s purchased electricity. Powdr Corp buys renewable energy credits (RECs) from Renewable Choice Energy, located in Boulder, Colo.

“We are proud to receive this prestigious award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,” said Brent Giles, director of environmental affairs for Powdr Corp. “Purchasing green power helps our organization become more sustainable, while also sending a message to other companies and individuals across the U.S. that supporting clean sources of electricity is a sound business decision and an important choice in reducing climate risk.”

Green power is electricity that is generated from environmentally preferable renewable resources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, biogas, biomass and low-impact hydro. These resources generate electricity with a net zero increase in carbon dioxide emissions, while offering a superior environmental profile compared to traditional power generation sources. Green power purchases also support the development of new renewable energy generation sources nationwide.

“Our nation is shifting to a ‘green culture,’ with more and more Americans understanding that environmental responsibility is everyone’s responsibility,” said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. “EPA commends Powdr Corp for making a long-term commitment to protecting the environment by purchasing green power.”

According to the U.S. EPA, Powdr Corp’s current green power purchase of nearly 50 million kWh is equivalent to avoiding the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of nearly 7,000 passenger vehicles per year, or is the equivalent amount of electricity needed to power just about 5,000 average American homes annually.

Powdr Corp is committed to being an industry leader in environmental stewardship. In addition to the purchase of 100 percent renewable energy, Powdr Corp resorts are actively involved in environmental initiatives including energy reduction, the use of alternative fuels and recycling. These initiatives have offset Powdr Corp’s carbon footprint by 92 percent.

About Powdr Corp
Powdr Corp is one of the leading mountain resort owners and operators in the United States. Headquartered in Park City, Utah, Powdr Corp currently owns and operates seven ski and snowboard resorts including Park City Mountain Resort in Park City, Utah, Killington Resort and Pico Resort in Killington, Vermont, Mt. Bachelor in Bend, Oregon, Boreal Resort and Soda Springs Resort, both in Donner Summit, California, and Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. Powdr Corp also operates Gorgoza Park, a lift-served tubing park, in Park City, Utah. For additional information, please visit www.powdr.com (here).

About EPA’s Green Power Partnership
The Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that encourages organizations to buy green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with purchased electricity use. The Partnership currently has more than 1,000 Partner organizations voluntarily purchasing billions of kilowatt-hours of green power annually. Partners include a wide variety of leading organizations such as Fortune 500 companies, small and medium sized businesses, local, state, and federal governments, and colleges and universities. For additional information, please visit http://www.epa.gov/greenpower (here)

About the Green Power Leadership Awards
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) co-sponsors the annual Green Power Leadership Awards in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy and the Center for Resource Solutions. EPA recognizes winners in the following awards categories; Green Power Partner of the Year; On-site Generation; and Green Power Purchase. EPA’s Purchaser awards recognize the exceptional achievement among EPA Green Power Partners who distinguish themselves through green power procurement, market leadership, overall green power strategy, and overall impact on the green power market. The Awards are held in conjunction with the National Renewable Energy Marketing Conference. For additional information, please visit http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/awards/ (here)

ECHO MOUNTAIN FEATURE UPDATE – BURTON STAIR SET

The Burton Stair Set is the newest and by far the biggest addition to the park at Echo Mountain this season, bringing the street to 10,500 feet. With 25 stairs worth of ledge, straight rail and hubba, this unique feature promises to provide the platform for plenty of bangers this coming season. Not to mention all you jib heads out there can now get the same gnarliness and consequence without having to deal with the police on the street.

Standing on the deck looking down at the lexan and steal covered logs, it’s easy to get caught up in the moment as visions of trick after trick quickly cloud the eager pre-season mind. To the right is a straight log that has been halved and covered with lexan creating a 10” wide ledge complete with steal coping. To the left is a 4’’ square, steal rail set into a log bringing the metal from the street to the trees of the mountains. Splitting the Stair Set in half, the hubba ledge screams combos with 8” ledges on both sides of a super wide, polyurethane coated log.

With the temps dropping and the snow guns blasting, it’s only a matter of time now. Soon the hammers will be dropping and Echo Mountain along with Burton will present Colorado with its first true street style stair set! Oh, and we can’t forget to say a huge thanks to Echo’s crew of highly skilled and dedicated carpenters including King, Collin and Jeremy for making this amazing feature possible.

Check back right here every two weeks for more Echo Mountain feature updates and don’t forget to keep your eyes open for further section updates from the Echodemic    Vol. 1.

Lastly, be sure to pick up your 2008-2009 Unlimited Echo Mountain Season Pass for the low price of only $149 available for a limited time only!

Can’t wait to see you up hear,

-Echo Mountain Staff

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

edit description

ESPN is proud to announce that the X Games and Winter X Games will feature equal prize money for both men and women in 2009. ESPN has been a leader in promoting and programming women’s athletics, and this recent action sports prize purse increase is the latest example. This past summer saw the X Games feature women’s motocross for the first time, and the upcoming Winter X Games will feature a host of female Olympic medalists from several different countries. Starting with Winter X Games 13 in January, 2009, men and women athletes at all X Games events will compete for equal cash awards.

Nick Visconti and Josh Parker get some shredding blues out of there system in October! Dangerzone Webisode Series #3

After many years of hard work and jumping through government hoops, Volcom
has officially received the patent for Zip-Tech. Zip-Tech is a Volcom
exclusive feature that allows you to zip the powder skirt of your jacket to
your pants - a simple idea that makes a world of difference. This feature
will keep you dry and warm on a deep powder day and will keep away that mean
ice burn during a slushy spring session.

The team has been rocking it since 2004 so we thought we would ask them what
they think about Zip-Tech?

“Just zip it, nothing else compares. If you like snow down your pants
zip-tech is not for you. Zip it and enjoy snowboarding. I have used zip-tech
for years and would not want to use anything else. If comfort is important,
zip it.” -Wille Yli-Luoma

“Riding in the NW zip tech is a must, or anywhere for that matter. I feel
for people not rockin Volcom gear.” -Mark Landvik

“My day hasn’t ended with a cold wet behind in years! I rode the chair once
with Wooly and out of the blue he said, ‘Seth, are you zipped in?’ I turned
to him promptly and said, ‘Wooly, I always zip in.’ he replied with, ‘good,
me too’ then we both laughed.” -Seth Huot

“Zip tech is the biggest break through in outerwear function since
waterproofing. It creates a seamless barrier against the harsh elements and
retains heat keeping you warmer and drier. I can’t imagine riding without
it.” -Bryan Iguchi

“Ziptech is the sickest feature… connect your jacket and pants sealing out
the weather and keeping in the warmth! Amazing!” -Bjorn Leines

Volcom prides it self in being an innovator in technical and forward
thinking design, and now our US patent number 7,404,214 makes it official.
To see the entire 2008/2009 Volcom Outerwear line featuring Zip-tech check
out Volcom.com (here).

Donner Summit, CA-  Boreal’s 4th annual JPI just happened.  An amazing turnout of 3000 spectators came to see the pros battle it out in a jam session for cash and fame.  Little did I know, if I would have came earlier I could have gone jibbing too.  There’s a patch of snow they’ve set with jibs and even a kicker for the public to hike.  But when the sun set, the hotshots really put on the show.  Local am Andrew Brewer impressed the judges the most, getting the loot and all the glory.
Reno, NV-  Later that night after the contest was finished, local shop Porters & Burton snowboards premiered the new film “It’s always snowing somewhere.”  Following the film, snowboarding legends Bob Klein, Shawn Farmer, Terry Kidwell, and fellow bandmates of “Hunks of Metal” rocked till my ears bled.  They opened for the self-proclaimed “greatest rock n’ roll band in the world”, the Supersuckers… and I kind of agree; amazing show!
Now check the photo gallery.

by Robbie Sell

Teaser for the new AV7 shred flick…short and sweet.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

If you want to be featured on TWsnow.com, just upload your Monday Mallet to the user section below and simply TAG the video MONDAY MALLET. Each week we will feature one of you on the marquee! E-mail angry.intern2@gmail.com for more info.

edit description

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Video By Hayden Rensch

blam!! sept. 08′ ridin already

edit description

Sledding along the Books on Thompson Pass, AK. PHOTO: Mike Basich

By Mike Basich

Everyone is addicted to something. I figured out what mine was the year I skipped spending spring in Alaska. I felt like I needed therapy after missing a season there, even though I live and breath snow everyday in Tahoe, I still need my Alaskan dose of fresh powder lines. So I made it through the year with the shakes and tried to plan out a trip for the spring to AK. Having inheriting some debts and low on cash, I booked a mileage ticket to Anchorage. I didn’t care about the rest, I just needed to make sure I made it to the state, and I figured the rest comes as it lays—I was willing to do what ever it took to make it to Thompson Pass outside of Valdez.
I’ve spend a lot of time there, so I had the phones cracked, electric sockets dialed, and knew the in and outs of how to make it to half the LZs (landing zones) with a sled. My sled was still up there—no car, but that was the least of worries. I talked to Rob Kingwell about getting him up there as well. I really didn’t have much of a plan or project goal besides to feed my addiction to the fullest. Rob ended up entering some contest in Alyeska so he was going to make it, I told him I’d be at Thompson pass. Find me. I was lucky enough to start off my trip hitching a ride with Dave Basterrechea and his crew of four. I squeezed my bags in and we headed to Thompson Pass.

After a six-hour drive we arrived at 3:00 a.m. I still had no plan, but I had my sleeping bag. So I crashed in a vacant tent, which ended up belonging to photographer Mark Sullivan. It even had a fireplace. Waking up to blue skies in Alaska is the highest-grade conditions you’re going to get. The snow was good and Dave’s crew was cool enough to let me hitch a ride on their sled. I have to say even before I strapped on my snowboard my veins were being pumped with fulfillment. We rode all day and getting back around dusk I found a ride into town. I got my sled and ended up picking up the ultimate motor home—a U-haul might not have heat, but it has square footage and you can put your sled in the back. So I got a sweet fourteen-foot U-Haul for $19.95 a day with a loft. Picked up some food and a siphon for getting gas out of the U-Haul for my sled. Yeah, it was a low budget trip. I knew it was going to be cold but again—I didn’t care. I bumped into Rob later that night. He ended up hitching a ride with a girl Whitney who became part of our crew for the U-Haul adventure. We planned ten days in AK, with the weather being pretty bad, we added a few more days after shuffling flights around. We had some days in, but a high pressure was coming soon.

The crew: Rob Kingwell, Whitney Bell, and Mike Basich.

Once the weather broke clear we headed straight to the lines I had planned. It was Rob’s first real AK-style riding, nice lines and a lot of rocks … with a rock ending my day in pain. I was out for three days at least I figured. Rob and Whitney kept things going riding stuff close to the road as I sat in the U-Haul and shot photos. We still hadn’t made it out to the Books, an area I was dying to hit. I asked the two if they’d be into helping me with my sled if we went out there. I couldn’t start my sled or dig it out if I got stuck. But I could stand on one leg and give it gas. Our last day we made it to the Books, which made me feel like I was in a small cage in heaven. I could only stand there and point my camera and tell the two they should go ride everything they could. The sunset on our ride back to motel U-Haul was enough for me to feel satisfied. Just being in Alaska is a big enough high. There really aren’t words to explain this Alaskan high. Trust me, sleeping on a metal floor in the back of a U-Haul in zero-degree weather is nothing compared to what you get out of it. Will I go back again next year? Well, I’m sure not going to therapy.

edit description

Peep it and prop it, cheers.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Bas Magermans snowboarding

goin to get another one…

edit description

07-08 Bonfire Blur in Stone

1-12-06

Early fun in Mammoth

check this out

Get the Flash Player to see this player.
In conjunction with the release of Forum or Against’em, this exclusive clip is part of the Forum Fridays project – select clips, not part of the final cut, but worthy of your viewing pleasure.

This installment captures the backcountry and booter attack of Stevie Bell. Although many of these shots did not make the final cut, Stevie is exceedingly committed to making it happen in the Whistler backcountry and beyond.

Forum or Against’em is Forum’s fifth team-video release, upholding the progression of an acknowledged movie-making process that has produced prior noteworthy films. The video can be downloaded for $5.99 in the United States iTunes store.

BUY IT HERE

Sun Peaks B.C. 07/08

Northwave presents its 2009 Team DVD at no charge to you. It’s FREE. The video includes Pro Team Riders: Matt Beardmore, Patrick McCarthy, Hans Ahlund, Alexis Waite, Matty Ryan, Seth Huot, and more!
To reserve your free copy, email: intern02@northwave.com and write “Team DVD” in the subject area. Please include your full name, shipping address, and where you saw this ad (eg Northwave.com or twsnow.com).
Sorry, USA only.

Bonfire Snowboarding and Monster Energy are getting ready for a Halloween themed movie premiere extravaganza on October 29 at the Beta Lounge in Denver, Colorado. Doors open at 7pm.

A $5 suggested donation for Boarding For Breast Cancer is all it takes to get in the door and check out Runway films See What I See and Pirates Productions Overseas followed by DJ Parris on the turntables. Drink specials will be available thanks to Monster Energy and Budweiser.

Dress to impress because the best costumes for men and women will win the biggest prizes including snowboards, outerwear and more from tour sponsors including; Bonfire, Salomon Snowboards, K2, Dakine, Skullcandy and Ally Distribution.

The morning after, come ride with all your friends at Loveland! Salomon Snowboards will have $25 lift ticket vouchers available at the premiere. Just ask for your ticket at the door.

The Beta Lounge is located at 1909 Blake St. in Denver. The premiere is an 18+ event. For more info go to www.bonfiresnow.com

Bonfire makes quality snowboarding outerwear for people who think it sucks to get cold or wet.

edit description

Oakley’s REVTour Highlighted by Unprecedented On-Location Shoot for FUEL TV’s Signature Daily Show - “For those about to shred, we salute you!”

Last year Oakley debuted the REVTour, a pre-season, on-snow demo designed to communicate the message of Oakley’s High Definition Optics® (HDO) to the masses. Oakley reps invited top accounts as well as local consumers to interact one-on-one with the brand through on-hill shred days with Oakley athletes, custom goggle bars, educational Oakley HDO technology tours through the Rolling O Lab, parties, music acts, movie premiers and more.

This year the tour aims to kick-off the snow season by reaching more locations, utilize even more top athletes and will be featured in a weeklong series on FUEL TV. Oakley is excited to partner with FUEL TV to showcase the tour on the network’s daily interview and variety show “The Daily Habit.”

The REVTour is centered around communicating the message of Oakley’s HDO to the masses, and it does so by utilizing the Rolling O Lab fleet of trucks. The Rolling O Lab is Oakley’s research and development laboratory on wheels that focuses on educating consumers and accounts alike about the innovation and protection from the winter elements offered in Oakley’s goggles, including but not limited to, impact protection, UV protection and clear vision provided through the best optics available. Oakley developed HDO technology to meet the demands of the world’s greatest athletes – these same technologies are built into each piece offered to the consumer.

“This is a great opportunity to bring image and technology together and take our two brands on the road with some of the best snow athletes in the world,” said Pat McIlvain, Oakley VP of Global Sports Marketing. “Oakley’s week with the ‘The Daily Habit’ will make for some great television, highlighting our world class snowboard and ski teams personality, style and progression.”

For the first time ever, “The Daily Habit” will be filmed outside of Los Angeles, on location for one special week in downtown Breckenridge, Colorado in front of an authentic mountain community. Look for Oakley’s world class athletes including Olympic silver medalist Gretchen Bleiler, two-time Olympic silver medalist Danny Kass, seven time X Games gold medalist Tanner Hall and many more to be featured in one-on-one interviews on Breckenridge’s Riverwalk Plaza, as well as on-hill shred sessions at Breckenridge Resort and Copper Mountain. These shows will be shot the week of the U.S. Snowboard Grand Prix, December 8 - 13, 2008 with an on-set audience.

“FUEL TV is really excited about our upcoming partnership with Oakley,” says Scott Paridon, FUEL TV VP of Production and Development. “We look forward to featuring its world class athletes on ‘The Daily Habit’ in a completely new location. These shows will take FUEL TV to a whole new level and provide viewers with a fun and unique experience.”

In addition, “The Daily Habit” shows will follow the Oakley REVTour to six other ski towns, and feature the highlights of these visits on the show. Filming for these segments will take place from October 30th to the December 13th.

The air dates of Oakley week on “The Daily Habit” will be January 12 - 16, 2009, the week before Winter X Games 13.

Fuel TV / Oakley REVTour Dates:

Burlington, VT: October 30th (VIP, Media & Industry Only)
Portland, OR: November 11th (VIP, Media & Industry Only)
Seattle, WA: November 16th (VIP, Media & Industry Only)
Salt Lake City, UT: December 1st (VIP, Media & Industry Only)
Denver, CO: December 6th (VIP, Media & Industry Only)
Copper Mountain, CO: December 8th & 9th (Open To The Public & VIP)
Breckenridge, CO: December 8th – 13th (Open To The Public & VIP)

P. Scott A

We got some snow on a hot summer day. Front Board Adam Cochrane.

edit description

edit description

edit description

Get the Flash Player to see this player.
Video By Mike Benson

Check Out Video #1 Here

photo: Chris Wellhausen

Austrian Super-pro Christian “Gigi” Rüf just signed on with Volcom—he has been in the Volcom family since he was youngster, running their streetwear, and livin’ la vida Volcom, but now he has left the Burton/UnInc board program and joined on to front the new VOLCOM SNOWBOARDS team. Gigi came thru the office and we asked him a few questions about his new adventure. Gigi is an amazingly productive and influential rider. Not to mention he’s one of the most versatile in the game. We’re stoked for him. Here’s to new beginnings!

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Here’s another little nug from back in the day—an unexpected 100-foot flight…

Gabe Taylor swung by the ‘ol TWS offices the on a mellow Friday afternoon with a copy of The Boned Age in tow. We all gathered ‘round a little computer monitor and snagged another glimpse at the Grenade flick with some added comments from Gabe. Future movie plans are simmering now and it seems that Mr. Taylor shouldn’t have a problem locking down a spot after viewing his part. Heck, if that fails he can always keep hustling photo editor Nick Hamilton at the golf course.

So you grew up down here in Encinitas and have been a Mammoth loc for days, but I heard you used to live in Durango, CO, how were your times there?
I graduated high school in ’98 and moved straight there, went to Fort Lewis College and started snowboarding and was like this is awesome. My first day snowboarding was at Red Mountain Pass, like hiking and riding over rocks and just flopping around. I got a pass to Purg and rode that mountain all year. There were a couple of cool guys who helped me out.

Did you ride with [Ryan] Lougee at all?
Hah, he was kind of the man and I was not the man. He would rip around with this duck stance. We met each other at a party but I wasn’t a part of his crew… [sighs] Durango, I haven’t been back since that season. Silverton is the closest I’ve been in days, I would like to go back sometime.

PHOTO: Andy Wright

I saw you had some pretty big stuff in the new Grande movie, how did your filming season go?
It was my first time in Whistler and I was just stoked. The terrain up there is so good. We had Benji [Ritchie] filming for the movie and we ended up hooking up with Gaetan [Chanut] and Shin [Campos] who kinda showed us around when we were up there. We got to see all the good stuff and didn’t waste any time. When we got there day one was sunny and it stayed for two more days so we got after it and took advantage of the opportunity.

So you filmed pretty much your whole part in Whistler right?
Yeah but we did a trip to Tahoe, I think they might have used one or two shots from there. Everything got kinda chopped up after the shots in Canada because everything was so much cleaner and bigger up there. No trees and the terrain is so cool up there.

You guys had pretty good luck with the weather too, how’d that work out?
We got so lucky. Out of seven days, five of them were sunny and then after that Danny was like, “yeah we killed it let’s get outta here, it’s supposed to rain.” Two days of bluebird is Whistler is pretty nice.

How do you think you part compares to previous ones?
I’m pretty stoked on it, it’s always hard to watch it and think “ahh I should have done this or that.”  I’m pretty stoked though.

PHOTO: Andy Wright

I think you snagged some people’s attention at least that’s what it seemed like.
That’s definitely one thing that stokes me out as a rider, and I think most riders want to gain the respect of their peers. You don’t want people to be like “ahh that was kinda cool, good job this year.” When you get something that really stokes people out that’s cool because we’re all out there trying to do the same thing and push it. We’re having fun, but at the same time it’s your job and the kids want to see gnarly stuff.

Yeah it’s getting harder and harder.
I know. I haven’t seen Travis’ movie yet, but I’ve seen some of the footage. Yeah it’s pushing it for sure.

Yeah it reminded me of the Discovery Channel’s Planet Earth series meets Snowboarding.
We just saw a couple of the jumps they hit. For one, just the whole way their crew did things was different. There were three or four filmers, Travis and a couple buddies, and a couple guys that were just shoveling, building, and working so the jump would get built so fast—it was just a real production. You know, it was efficient and the way they went about it was like, damn, they’re taking care of business. We were screwing around on snowmobiles and doing shit hooks while they were building and constructing and basically hiring workers.

So what’s up in Mammoth right now? How have you spent your summer?
Ahh the golf course is closed, so very little.

Have you been golfing a whole bunch this summer?
Yeah I golfed a ton this summer.

PHOTO: Andy Wright

Take any trips?
Naw, I just spent some time healing up and took a little breather. I wrecked kinda hard last year.  I took a day off, but it wasn’t enough to stop filming and the season so I just rode through it but at the end of the year I was just done. The minute I switched off the filming mode I woke up the next day and just hurt. I was done, just sore for a whole month.

What did you do?
That opening shot of my part, that drop, shook things up. It was supposed to be a little warm up cab five and end our first day in Whistler. I felt like I was going so slow, but as soon as I looked over it was vert. I figured it couldn’t be that steep and coming from California snow doesn’t stick to vert. I remember going slow so I popped super hard and was like “you’re kidding me.”  I just crumpled at the very bottom. The day after that I got my ender though, I just took four Advil and a Red bull and was like let’s see what happens. I hit the jump twice and that was it.

What do you think of the acting in the Grenade movies?
I think it’s okay, it looks pretty corny and I think that’s how it should, but it’s fun when we do it. I love skits in movies. What’s your favorite Grenade parody?

Hah, probably The Boned Age because I just watched the Stoned Age for the first time right before the premiere. The shit was on point. [Dave] England, [Scotty] Lago, Danny [Kass] and all the bros were hilarious. You?
I liked the Spinal Tap parody Smell the Glove a lot. Danny loves the skits and I think they are a cool theme for the movies.

Any movie plans this winter?
I’m for sure working on the Mammoth movie, not sure other than that. I’ve been speaking to a few companies. We’ll see…

The interview trailed off into confidential talks of crystal crescent barrels in Mexico, backcountry secrets, and gnar boardin’ with Joe Carlino…maybe you’ll see evidence of the talk later this season.

Harp in Backcountry, 06 Denver

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Check out all the past Diaries Down Under.
#5
#4
#3
#2
#1

Since our launch in 2007, with support from thousands of individuals and corporations, Protect Our Winters has re-invested every dollar we receive to various organizations that help contribute to the reversal of global climate change.

•We’ve partnered with Rossignol’s Evergreen Alliance on the Solar 4R Schools program, installing solar panels on school rooftops and teachers with curriculums in Burlington, VT, Jackson, WY and Park City UT. The program provide students and teachers with a hands-on educational curriculum raising awareness of the importance of renewable energy.

•We recently made a contribution to the Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center, to help fund the development of a climate change teaching curriculum to be distributed globally – helping give teachers a solid foundation upon which to educate their students.

•We’re supporting the release of “My Own Two Feet”, the first action sports film shot entirely using sustainable production methods. It’s an incredible film and we’re giving our supporters the opportunity to use it to raise awareness and funding for their local climate change initiatives. As of today, we have 21 events planned around the globe.
The POW community is growing every day, made up of pro athletes, everyday riders and industry partners who realize how important it is that winter stays white. The effects of climate change effects are being felt mostly by us, whose lifestyle depends on the winter season. So it’s up to us to do something.

We certainly appreciate your support this past year and ask that you consider making a contribution to POW this year. With the winter season coming up fast, we’ll be busy making contributions and we need your support to make this happen.

Please visit www.protectourwinters.org (here) to learn more about what we’ve been up to and to become part of the POW community.

Together We Can Protect Our Winters

KEYSTONE, Colo. – October 21, 2008 – Keystone Resort celebrates the return of winter with Friday Night Lights Concert Series in November and early December 2008. Historically one of the first resorts to open for the season, Keystone continues the tradition of early season revelry and expands the celebration to include three weekends of night skiing, free entertainment, and great lodging deals.

The Friday Night Lights Concert Series features artists from a variety of genres including:
·         Clap Your Hands Say Yeah- November 21
·         DeVotchKa- November 28
·         Girl Talk- December 5

The free concerts will be located adjacent to Keystone’s new River Run Gondola in the Hunki Dori Parking Lot located in the heart of the River Run Village. After riding up the new state-of-the-art eight-passenger gondola guests can ski into the night under the lights.

Keystone is giving guests one more thing to celebrate: Great deals on lodging during Friday Night Lights. Specials include rooms at the Keystone Inn starting at $89. More lodging deals are found online at www.KeystoneFNL.com.

There will be additional entertainment leading up to the concert at the base of the gondola. Also, pre-event parties will be in various locations around River Run. The presenting sponsor is Amp.

Concert-goers will be able to purchase food at River Run restaurants. Beverage sales will be sponsored by Bud Light benefiting SOS Outreach, a not-for-profit organization aimed at building character and self-esteem in youth through snowsports.

Additional sponsors include King Soopers, City Market, Volvo, and Bud Light.

For more information, please visit www.KeystoneFNL.com.

Plans for $75-Million Mountain Resort Development Unveiled for Hudson Bay Mountain

SMITHERS – October 2008 — An aggressive plan to transform what has been generally regarded as a ‘community’ ski hill in Smithers into one of B.C.’s most unique mountain resorts has been unveiled by 20|20 Group. A ceremony to announce the plan took place at the base of the mountain’s Skyline Chairlift, attended by representatives from the Province of British Columbia, approximately 60 Bulkley Valley VIPs and members of the Wet’suwet’en First Nations community.

The three year plan will see adding another chair lift to Hudson Bay Mountain, the addition of 10 runs including the completion of the eight-kilometre-long “Trail to Town.”  It is one of the few opportunities in North America where  a skier or boarder of any age and ability to ski from a mountain top down one continuous run, to the town at the base of the mountain. This gives Hudson Bay Mountain more than a 3,700 foot vertical drop, elevating it’s stature as one of the top five ‘longest run’ mountains in British Columbia.  It is the perfect “ski out” experience.

“Hudson Bay Mountain is the exact opposite experience to what Whistler is. It provides a rare opportunity to build a safe, secure cabin surrounded by nature in a four-season mountain resort,” says Lorne Borgal, president of 20/20 Developments.  “With world-class fishing and hunting along with an uncrowded and expanding ski operation, this is an amazing and unique opportunity.”

With Borgal, B.C.’s Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, Bill Bennett cut a ribbon to officially open the eight-kilometre-long “Trail to Town.” “Smithers is one of British Columbia’s best kept secrets in tourism,” says Bennett. “The local economy can only benefit from development of the mountain ski area right in town. Together with the planned expanded tarmac at the Smithers airport, and the natural beauty and recreation opportunities, the future of the Bulkley Valley is bright.” “This expansion will attract serious skiers and snowboarders from around the province, country and world to experience all of the magnificent opportunities this region has to offer for sport and recreation,” says Bulkley Valley-Stikine MLA Dennis MacKay.

The first phase of mountain development includes 148 building lots with the first release available for sale in November 2008. This is the beginning of a master-planned ‘ski-in/ski-out’ community on the mountain. Fully serviced home sites will range in size from 8,500 to 20,000-plus square feet with prices starting at $137,900. Registered Design Guidelines will direct the architectural style and theme of residential development on the mountain.

Smithers’ two Rotary Clubs were represented by Jos Konst, who spoke at the lunchtime event. Konst indicated that he and many of his fellow Rotarians dreamed of one long run that would connect the mountain to town. The Rotary Clubs raised the money and cleared the bottom 2.9 kilometres of the mountain road which is now called the Rotary Community Trail. They also cut in a parking area for 25 or 30 vehicles at the bottom of the trail. This work has made the eight-kilometre-long “Trail to Town” a reality.

Quick Facts:

•    Located in B.C.’s northwest region, adjacent to the Town of Smithers (population 5,700)
•    Mountain rises to 2,589 metres (8,494 ft)
•    Average snowfall of 500 to 600 cm; average annual snowpack of 250 to 300 cm
•    Skiing was first introduced to this area in the early 1960s
•    In 1997, Hudson Bay Mountain Adventures (HBMA) purchased the ski hill operation on Hudson Bay Mountain
•    In late 2005, Hudson Bay Mountain Adventures was acquired by 20|20 Resorts from the previous owners Wayne Huxtable, Lloyd Webber and Bob Gemmell
•    Past names of the ski resort include Hudson Bay Mountain, Ski Smithers and Ski & Ride Smithers
•    In 2008, 20|20 announced that the name of the ski resort will once again be Hudson Bay Mountain
•    Open an average of 150 days/year, the ski resort attracts 41,000 visitors annually
•    Resort includes four chairlifts on its south and east sides, with approximately 117 hectares of skiable terrain, including 30 ski trails
•    Area has the potential to develop over 3,700 square feet of snow covered trails, which would be among the largest in North America
•    Existing operation to be transformed into an all-season regional resort to complement the surrounding world class outdoor recreation
•    Other nearby activities include golf, world class fly fishing, hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing,          whitewater rafting, boating and heli-skiiing

For more information contact:
Ross Sullivan, PR for 20|20 Group
Peak Communicators Ltd.
Office: (604) 689-5559
Cell: (604) 802-7139

David Greer, Communications Manager
Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts
Office: 250-387-2799

Get the Flash Player to see this player. åker, Aaseth, Skjellfjord, Robstad, Kvernberg, Kvernes and more

San Francisco played host to the 4th annual Icer Air event this past weekend. This event has gone from the streets, to the confines of the San Francisco Giant’s baseball stadium, and now back to the streets. Well, not quite the streets, but the parking lot of said stadium. The event promoters not only changed up the venue, but this year all of the action went down on a hip style jump. To get speed for the jump a catapult type system was brought in, which essentially had the riders holding onto a rope that accelerated to 60MPH in a matter of seconds. This system had been previously been used in a similar contest in Finland, but was the first time it saw any action in the US. I definitely wasn’t the only one who was skeptical of the setup at first, but the it seemed to work surprisingly well. I think you’ll be seeing a lot more of this thing in the future, especially in a city-type contest.

There definitely seemed to be an over abundance of snow in the landing, and 80 degree temperatures weren’t making it easy to produce more. That, combined with the uncertainty with how the catapult would work out encouraged the riders to vote in favor of a jam-style session, with a prize only going out the best trick of the day. Chris Sörman of Sweden laid claim to that, and everyone else who participated walked away with a cut of the rest of the prize money.

While the event definitely felt like a very scaled back version of the efforts of years past in Giants stadium, it still accomplished it goal of bringing snowboarding to some city folk. It also got a few fired up for the season that is a few short weeks away.

photos & words by Andy Wright

 That is right, on November 13Th via Antarctica the scumdogs of the universe GWAR will be descending in on Bend, Oregon with a live performance at the premiere of Mack Dawg Productions new snowboard film Down With People Presented by K2 Snowboards and Catapult Productions.

It’s election year again, and GWAR has captured our favorite politicians in between the senseless debates to take them on a bloody ride, and a craptacular mashup of a tour. Sleazy P Martini (GWAR Manager) has even come out of semi - retirement of managing the entire porn industry to make sure that this will be the squarest test of American presidential metal he can rig. Clinton and Obama are sure to be to be tortured at the hands of Oderus and Bone Snapper, and McCain mcskinned. All three candidates will be forced to prove their Presidential chops in the wrestling arena. Yes, all three candidates are on a fight card that also includes Bozo Destructo and Sawborg Destructo in an all out tag team match vs. GWAR.�It’s rumored that GWAR may put hometown snowboarders and Down With People shredders Austin Smith and Curtis Ciszek on the fight card as well.

                                 �

Danger Ehren of MTV’s Jackass will join in and host the show. Here Danger Ehren will be getting bonkers, hitting unsuspecting audience members upside the cranium with loads of product from our sponsors. Also performing is Kingdom Of Sorrow, featuring Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed/Host of MTV’s Head Bangers Ball, along with members of Crowbar and Portland Oregon’s Toxic Holocaust is set to rip open the show and get the party started.

Do not miss the bloodbath! Steal your parent’s credit card, pawn your brothers Kirby Pucket rookie card and make it to Bend, Oregon for one of the best snowboard premieres in the nation.  

                                                   �                                                    

Sponsored By: Capita – Volcom – Salomon – Dakine – Skull Candy – 686 – Side Effect Boardshop –  Quiksilver – K2 – Skjersaa’s – Nomis – Burton – Phoenix Inn –TransWorld SNOWboarding

When: November 13^Th 2008 7:00PM

Where: Bend Oregon At The Midtown Music Hall

Tickets: www.ticketswest.com – Side Effect Boardshop – By phone 1800-992-TIXX

Cooper at springs

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Video By Eddie Grams

rier: Frank van der Putten

NFA SNOWBOARDS IS ALIVE!

OCTOBER 17th, 2008 — North Vancouver, B.C. Yes, the rumours are true… NFA is back!
Aaron Macdonald, Brand Director for NFA Snowboards is pleased to announce the official launch. “I’m really excited about the all new NFA brand”, states Aaron, “This is an exciting re-start for NFA.  After many years in the outerwear business, we are stoked to launch this new snowboard hardgoods brand”.

NFA’s array of products include: entry to mid-level snowboards, boots and bindings. We are working with the best overseas factories around.  These factories are dedicated to the progression and performance of both their product and the sport of snowboarding.  NFA’s number one objective is to make the best possible product at the best possible price.  With years of snow industry experience, leading cosmetic finishes, shapes, and materials you will know that you have not only the best performing products under your feet, but that they look good too.

To support the NFA program, we’ve developed a strategic and global marketing campaign created by our design team.  Our preview website will be officially launched on December 1st, with our final website launched July 2009.  You’ll also see a few NFA team and test riders out on the hill in early January 2009.
Furthermore, Aaron says “This is a very exciting time in the snowboarding industry. It’s time for the next generation of snowboard suppliers to make a difference to the sport. Our inspiration has been, and will always be, about how much fun snowboarding is.  Our focus is to keep you riding as much and as long as possible, while having the best time that can be had.”

The NFA Snowboards headquarters is located in North Vancouver, BC and our testing grounds (Cypress, Seymour and Grouse Mountain) are 10 minutes away from our office.

Lastly, we are looking for qualified and experienced North American Sales reps, as well as, European and Asian distributors, to help us in our mission to make NFA Snowboards the brand of choice for riders who want to have fun on the hill.

NFA Snowboards officially launches at the 2009 SIA show in Las Vegas. To find out more about NFA Snowboards, e-mail us at info@nfasnowboards.com or visit us at www.nfasnowboards.com. (here)

See you on the hill very soon!
NFA SNOWBOARDS

over crook a 20 stair wood rail in pg canada

Jeremy Jones is now protecting his melon with Bern brain buckets.

3rd annual fun in the sun rail jam
wachusett mountain
filmed and edited by josh zucker
additional filming by joe kennal
www.icebotfilms.blogspot.com

Riders: Gigi Ruf, Jeremy Jones, Kevin Pearce, JP Solberg, Romain de Marchi, Matt Beardmore, Bjorn Leines, Scotty Lago, Jules Reymond, Sylvain Bourbousson, Chris Coulter, Markus Keller, Blair Habenicht, Marco Feichtner, Mikey LeBlanc, Keegan Valaika, MFM, Wolfgang Nyvelt, Cale Zima, Nicolas Muller, Matt Ryan

If backcountry is your thing, then this is your movie. Absinthe is definitely known for hairy pow lines, cliff drops, and sketchy high-consequential big mountain riding. Ready comes through again for Absinthe with over 80-percent of the movie shot in the backcountry. The crew experienced epic conditions in AK this year, and riders like big mountain legend Jeremy Jones were ready to conquer Alaska’s most notorious beasts of mountains. Other shreds for Absinthe round out this film with their own style, the likes of Kevin Pearce, Wolfgang Nyvelt, Gigi Ruf, and Nicolas Muller to name a few. (Ever heard of these guys?)

Some details—Once again, Gigi Ruf bags another opening section. Gigi’s backcountry skills are just fun to watch as he seems to make the backcountry into his own little playground by making the most out of all the natural features. Jeremy Jones section will make you piss yourself, with the level of consequential lines he does. Helmet cam shots give an insane perspective of how steep some of these AK lines are. Nicolas Muller also tamed the beasts of AK while throwing some huge frontside pow slashes. Annie Boulanger has a good section with some big cliff drops and sick pillow lines. The crew got some rare sunshine and not so rare deep snow conditions at Mt. Baker. Matt Beardmore scores a stand-out section with creative riding making use of trees, rocks, cliffs and everything else. In one shot he does a huge backside 180 onto an exposed rock face. JP Solberg stomps a steezed out double corked 720. Although it seems like this crew stomps everything in sight, a welcome bail section (whatever happened to those?) shows some gnarly gut wrenching diggers complete with tumbles, tomahawks, tree smackers, and edge catchers—we watched that part a few times. As Jules Reymond puts it, “We can get the sickest bail section—they don’t even know.” The song for this section is perfect.

This movie shows some of the best backcountry riders in the most challenging backcountry scenarios. The riding level speaks for itself, along with good camera angles and a catchy soundtrack. The riders show how big mountain and backcountry riding should be done. On a down note there is a wack rail section in the middle that we could have done without. Absinthe should stick to what they do best and it’s not rails.

We give this video a noble score of 3 ass-kickers (out of a possible 4)