Video By Leland McNamara

SPRING BACK TO VAIL HOSTS FIRST BREITLING ALL MOUNTAIN FILM COMPETITION

Breitling All Mountain Film Competition Will be Held Tuesday, April 14 – Friday, April 17 With

Awards Ceremony on Saturday, April 19 and Will Include Invitational and Open Divisions

Two Breitling Backcountry Emergency Watches Will be Awarded to the Winning Video Production Team


VAIL, Colo.—February 26, 2009—Highline Sports & Entertainment announced today Spring Back to Vail, the #1 Spring Mountain Party in North America, will add an on-mountain film competition entitled the Breitling All Mountain Competition as part of the weeklong end of the ski season festival. The Breitling All Mountain Film Competition will feature teams of two people, one rider and one filmmaker, utilizing any terrain on Vail Mountain over the course of four days, Tuesday, April 14 to Friday, April 17, in order to create the most unique and original three-minute video. Filmmakers’ videos will be uploaded to a website for pro-judges and public viewers to access and judge. The winning duo will be awarded two Breitling backcountry emergency watches valued at more than $12,000 at the festival’s Saturday night headliner concert.

“Adding an on-mountain film competition to Spring Back’s already wildly popular festival is something we’ve talked about doing for years and is a natural fit for the event,” said James Deighan of Highline Sports & Entertainment. “We’re thrilled to have Breitling on-board for Spring Back to Vail and can’t wait to see what some of the world’s very best riders and filmmakers create during the four day competition.”

The Breitling All Mountain Competition Professional Division will include an invitational contest between teams of riders and filmmakers selected by JF DuRocher, IF3 International Freeski Film Festival co-founder and Breitling All Mountain Film Competition originator, as well as by Whitney Swenson from AE Betteridge, Colorado’s finest jewelry store. The Amateur Division will feature aspiring riders and on-mountain filmmakers, will be open to the public starting Tuesday, April 14 and will include an entry fee of $50. Filmmakers will upload their videos to a website throughout the four day competition, as the select panel of judges and public viewers will be able to access Breitling’s website and vote on their film preference. There will be a film premier party on Friday, April 17 at Garfinkel’s in Lionshead, Colorado. Various awards will be announced and the video clips broadcast at Saturday’s headliner concert.

“X-Games gold medalist snowboarder Steve Fisher and legendary skier JP Auclair are going to be part of the event,” said DuRocher. “I’m excited about the level of competitors that the Breitling All Mountain Film Comp will have and a complete list of riders will be announced closer to the event.”

In its seventh year of revelry, Spring Back to Vail is recognized as the nation’s largest spring festival in the mountains. Other highlights throughout the week include daily on-mountain events and in-town parties, free concerts in Vail Village on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings and the ever-popular World Pond Skimming Championships Saturday afternoon.

Vail Resort’s lift ticket package includes the purchase of a seven-day lift ticket for $199 per day. The package is valid April 13-19, 2009 and offered on an advance purchase only. For additional package information visit www.vail.com and for lodging package information call Vail and Beaver Creek Central Reservations at 800-825-9689 or visit http://vail.snow.com.

Spring Back to Vail 2009 is presented by Vail Resorts, Bud Light, Town of Vail, Amp Energy, Volvo, Breitling and SKI Magazine. Brought to you in part my Smith Optics, Liberty Skis, Nature Valley Granola Bars, Vail Daily, KVBA TV8 and KZYR The Zephyr.

Media Contact: Natalie Fandrey
Highline Sports & Entertainment
970.476.6797 x108; Natalie@gohighline.com



BREITLING ALL MOUNTAIN FILM COMPETITION JUDGING CRITERIA

Each entry will be judged upon:
Originality
The overall riding, features/use of the terrain, directing and editing will be judged on the originality, coherence and creativity they exhibit.

Aesthetics
Entries will be judged on their use of the visual creative and cinematography to communicate their story, atmosphere/ambiance and feeling/emotions.

Production Values
While the proper use of lighting, music, visual and sound effects can always enhance an audience’s viewing experience, greater weight will be given to creativity and originality. Overall impression and enjoyment factor are also considered.

Format
Cameras can range from traditional VHS camcorders, to mini-DV format, to professional formats. Web format quality is (TBD); DVD format quality is (TBD)

Editing
Filmmakers may use any method they wish to edit.

Total Running Time (TRT)
Production may not run longer than 3:00 (three minutes) including titles and closing credits.

Clearances
A list of 100 music titles will be available to every filmmaker and will encourage filmmakers to provide their own cleared music.

*This contest is a video contest based on skiing and/or snowboarding. We are not looking for an “action trick cut movie.”

SnowProfessor.com teaches snowboarding with free videos

2/26/2009, Minneapolis, MN.  A new website offers free how-to-snowboard videos that draw inspiration from familiar everyday examples. Founded by a Minnesota brother and sister, the website’s clean-cut, unpretentious methodology covers step-by-step beginner lessons, intermediate tips, snowboard tricks and equipment advice.
The siblings started the website after they couldn’t find accurate snowboard information online. “Most how-to internet videos are home-movies of someone doing a face-plant or professional clips of pros spinning 720s to guitar music. Few actually teach anything,” said Rick. The duo is keeping their videos free to help fellow riders progress and share a sport they love. “We have a lot of fun making the videos and it’s a needed creative outlet from our full-time corporate jobs,” says Jill, a former professional snowboarder.

The lessons come from their 15 years of combined teaching experience and feature tips and drills you won’t find anywhere else. The two stress that snowboard movements come from everyday activities and work these familiar examples into each lesson. According to the Snow Professors, the motion of boardsliding a funbox is the same as riding on a shopping cart and toe-turns use foot movements similar to driving a car.

Each episode begins in real-life before jumping into the on-snow lesson, which is surprisingly different from most snowboard content. They teach with a nerdy, approachable tone that’s unlike typical snowboard stereotypes. The Snow Professors represent a growing population in the sport: kid-friendly, professional adults. The Gen-Xers who popularized snowboarding have grown up and want to share it with their families.

“We’ve never really been cool,” said Rick who has a degree in engineering, “so it wouldn’t be believable if we tried for our videos.”

SnowProfessor.com launched in January 2009 and has money-saving coupons to online snowboard shops and over 20 video lessons and product reviews that can be watched on computer or iPhone.

Click HERE to go there

08-09 offering from stat films, a small group of friends from upstate new york, nothing too serious. Enjoy!

magichairproductions.com

Registration is now open for the ‘09 TransAm stop at Northstar-at-Tahoe, California!

We know you’ve been practicing all those new moves and it’s time to put ‘em to the test. The TransWorld art crew picked up some classy trophies and there’s heaps of gear to dish out at the TransAm events. Go to transam.transworld.net and click on register here on the bottom right to sign up!

Upcoming TransAm Contests:

March 14, Nothstar-at-Tahoe, California
March 21, Bear Mountain, California

Montreal had record snowfall in 2008 so the team headed up there for some urban snowboarding. Check it out as the girls rode everything from the local hotspots to some new secret spots!www.roxy.com

Pee Wee Sherman Rail Jam at Mountain High - March 7, 2009

Omatic pro-rider Josh Sherman is hosting the second stop of the Pee Wee Sherman Rail Jam at Mountain High on March 7, 2009. After three years of only hosting this grassroots amateur rail jam at his home resort in Wisconsin, Josh and his shop sponsor Active have added a second stop at Mountain High. The Pee Wee Sherman Rail Jam is for boys and girls 18 and under and prizes include product from Josh’s sponsors Omatic, Drop, Smith, Elm, and Active. There will also be a huge product toss and a poster signing with Josh at the end of the day. Come and compete at the first-ever second stop of the Pee Wee Sherman Rail Jam at Mountain High, enjoy the day, and cheer on your friends. Please see attached flyer for details.

FREE Concert at Boreal Mountain Resort presented by the 3rd Rail Jam on March 7, 2009. Featuring live music by Pigeon John plus LIVE Graf Painting on the snow featuring the legendary FX Crew member POSE 2 and DJ Aspect on the 1’s and 2’s. Winner take all Rail Jam on the hill with HUGE cash and prize packages.

Photo: Russ Shea

The resort of Cairngorm in Scotland is probably the biggest of the 5 resorts. By that I mean it has the most runs and lifts. It’s situated on the west side of Scotland and normally runs its seasons from Dec through till late April.
It also has loads of off piest terrain with tons of secret spots that the locals know about. Over the years I have heard about a great spot for building hips and quarter pipes but never before had I been there. I got together with the locals and some of the old guard to go and check it out.

www.dopeshots.com

Get the Flash Player to see this player. magichairproductions.com

Introducing Smith TV

Untangle your swim trunks from your interweb and head over to Smith TV! Check out what Smith’s action sports heroes are up to with exclusive interviews and action reels, learn about the latest in Smith Product Technology, and while away the hours watching HD video from Smith Optics. Smith TV is now live!

THE NORTH FACE MASTERS OF SNOWBOARDING WRAPS UP AT KIRKWOOD MOUNTAIN RESORT, CALIFORNIA, MARCH 5 - 8, 2009

Epic snow conditions and $45,000 tour prize purse attract snowboarders from around the globe for the final stop of The North Face Masters

Registration is now open on www.thenorthfacemasters.com

Kirkwood, California, February 25, 2009—The much-anticipated final stop on The North Face Masters of Snowboarding (TNF Masters) big mountain snowboarding tour arrives at Kirkwood Mountain Resort, California, March 5 - 8, 2009. Big-name pros, along with up-and-comers from around the globe, will battle it out on Kirkwood’s most challenging terrain, The Cirque. With one of the deepest snow packs in the country, Kirkwood Mountain Resort is more than ready to host the world’s best big mountain snowboarders.

“As the final stop on tour for The North Face Masters, we’re excited to host this event,” said Kirkwood Mountain Resort Marketing Manager, Chris Eckert. “It will be a great compliment to the Subaru North American Freeskiing Championships to come later in the month, providing a nice balance to the big mountain competitions hosted here at Kirkwood.”

Last year’s TNF Masters tour champions Clif Dimon and Susan Mol, who are straight off a win at TNF Masters second stop in Crested Butte, Colorado, will have their work cut out for them as they try to repeat their titles. Current tour leader, Matt Annetts of Stowe, Vermont, who leads Dimon by a mere 34 points, has one more chance at a top podium finish. Other top-name competitors include 2008 TNF Masters tour co-winner Laura Dewey, TNF Masters Snowbird, Utah, champion Shannan Yates, Rachel Sheidow, Chris Coulter, Jonathan Penfield, Korey Kaczmarek, Ralph Backstrom, Ryland Bell and 2008 TNF Masters Alyeska, Alaska champion Rob Kingwill.

TNF Masters gathers big mountain snowboarding tribes from all around the world. All male and female snowboarding competitors above age 18 are welcomed to participate. Registration is now open at www.thenorthfacemasters.com. Kirkwood Mountain Resort is offering lodging accommodations on-mountain starting at $99 for hotel style units and $299 for two bedroom units. Additional unit types at a variety of price points are available. For additional information and to make reservations, contact Kirkwood Vacations at 800.967.7500.

North Face Masters Kirkwood, California, Schedule

Thursday March 5

8:00am-3:00pm Registration

8:30am Venues announced

3:30pm-4:00pm Athlete meeting

Friday, March 6

8:00am-8:15am Athlete load 8:15am-9:00am Inspection open

9:00am-9:10am Forerunners begin

9:15am-2:00pm Day 1 run 1 begins

1:30pm-3:00pm Day 2 run 2 inspection open

3:30pm-4:00pm Athlete meeting

Saturday, March 7

8:00am-8:15am Athlete load 8:15am-9:00am Inspection open

9:00am-9:10am Forerunners begins

9:15am-1:30pm Day 2 run 2 begins

2:30pm-3:00pm Awards

3:00pm-4:00pm Athlete poster signing

Sunday, March 8

*Weather Day

**Schedule is subject to change

Fans of big mountain snowboarding can catch LIVE coverage of TNF Masters finals from Kirkwood, California, on Saturday, March 7, on www.thenorthfacemasters.com where there are complete videos, photos, athlete profiles, detailed event schedules, registration information, media credentials application and more.

CLICK HERE FOR MEDIA REGISTRATION

K2 Snowboards and VholdR have partnered to give away a FREE SNOWBOARD to the 1^st Place winner of the VholdR Top5 contest, titled Snowboarding.  For those of you that haven’t participated in a VholdR Top5 contest before it’s simple.  Make an awesome video, post it to VholdR.com, tag it ‘snowboarding’, and let the editorial process take its course.  The judges love remote locations, creativity, and self expression.  Sign up and see what you’ve got!

Contest Ends: March 23

To Learn More Visit: VholdR Top5 (http://www.vholdr.com/node/9877)

Video by Justin Gunson

CHECK THE FULL STORY & PHOTO GALLERY HERE

Women
1st Emily Blewitt
2nd Courtney Cox
3rd Jessie Sutton

Men
1st Eli Weiner
2nd Spencer Clark
3rd Erik Ludwig

Best Trick/Most Inverted
Jake Larue

Best Fall
Julie Stromwall

Andrea Binning, the Roxy freeskier, got caught in an avalanche which in turn got caught on camera. She explains what happened that day…

Some riding from January. Filmed around the East Coast.

Photo:Christy Chaloux

Caught Up with Alexis Waite

-Jess Roy

If you’ve hung out with Alexis Waite A.K.A. Lexi, (‘Sexy Lexi’ to some)… for even 5 minutes you know you’re in for a whirlwind of a time. The girl’s always up to something: fashion and interior design, holistic experiments (‘hippie health elixirs’), culinary trials and tribulations, jet setting, general mischief—never mind killing it on her snowboard daily. Get ready for a hell of a ride.

You seem to continually reinvent yourself every season like Madonna. What’s your secret to staying motivated and keepin’ it fresh?

This season, my secret is to listen to myself and do what I want to do– for me. I try to keep outside influences to a minimum because people seem to have their own opinions as to what you should or shouldn’t do, especially in snowboarding. I’m all about having good times this year, while being productive getting stuff done at the same time.

You’ve had some pretty interesting injuries. What’s been the most brutal?

The most dramatic was breaking my eye socket, and losing all feeling in half of my face for a bit, but the most prolonged was the 6 months I spent in a cast for a broken wrist that I had for about 3 consecutive years. Right now, I have bruised heels which has been a pretty annoying injury

How’s the broken eye socket?

At the moment, I have a black eye on it..

How’d you do that?

I think I hit my face on a tree [Laughs], but other than that it’s good. It’s healing.

What’s the key to your post-injury ‘come back’?

Patience. I try to stay healthy and positive, and try to heal up completely before getting out there again. I take lots of vitamins and try to eat organically as much as I can.

Photo:Christy Chaloux

You’ve got a packed contest schedule. What’s your favorite event to compete in?

Well, I did have a packed contest schedule, it seemed like I had one every week. Now, it’s a little more mellow. I’m really looking forward Roxy Chicken Jam in Mammoth. It’s always a really fun event to be a part of. I’m so psyched for Santogold to be there!

So, what’s been your focus this season?

My main focus has completely changed the beginning of the season to now. I went into the season focused on competing, traveling on the contest circuit and giving that my all. On the first Dew Tour stop, I bruised both heels pretty badly. I took 2 weeks off, then got back into it by riding powder because it was soft. That was it, I was hooked. I’m actually stoked my heels are bruised because I’d way rather be riding powder than anything else. Everything happens for a reason!

Where is your favorite shred spot? I know you love those Euros…

Yeah, I do love the Euro-land. Probably my favorite spots are in the Austrian Swiss Alps. However, I’ve been discovering more of the Utah terrain. It’s pretty awesome to wake up in my own bed, spend the day at Brighton jumping Mary’s cliffs, then go home and cook dinner in my kitchen.

If you had to put together your ‘dream’ crew to go ride with tomorrow morning, who would show up at your house?

DCP, Nicolas Muller, and Gigi Ruf. Just to watch and get inspired on how to get as creative as possible with the natural snow features in front of me. I love when riders see things that no one else does and then they murder them– in a peaceful way of course. Honestly though, a dream crew is really about all being on the same stoke level and wavelength of thinking. When you’re all on that same high frequency, its ON!

Given your penchant for fashion and the design world, do you have anything in the works coming up?

I have a ton of ideas right now. I just need to get off my ass, and go for it. There could be a lot of potential projects happening soon. I’m involved with helping Roxy, Northwave, and Drake with new ideas and progression of their women’s lines. I also have a bit of a hand in Cilla, and foresee working more closely with them in the future on lots of the new designs.

Photo: Christy Chaloux

What trends to you love to hate right now?

The ‘Skittles’ bouncing around the jib park.

Oh, you mean mis-matched florescents?

Yes, florescent on florescent for cruising around with your friends and hiking boxes is harsh on the eyes.

Got a favorite?

I love flattering slim cut pants (NOT skin tight). Outside of snowboarding, you can never go wrong with black, or Gucci boots… with leather tassels…

Oh yeah, those are amazing.

What’s on deck for next season? Filming? Contests? Fashion design in Milan?

This year is my first year really truly doing what I want to do with my career. I started snowboarding wanting to be more of a free-ride film girl. This year I got sucked into the contest scene which I’ve been OK in, but never excelled. I’m really excited to put more of my career into backcountry and powder riding.

What are you going to do this summer?

I’m gunna play soccer in France. I’m going to be at my High Cascade Signature Session in July, and I might head up to Camp of Champions in Whistler, BC. I want to spend lots of time at the beach. I’m going to join the Bianchi bike gang– Salt Lake sector, and my goal by the end of the summer is to have the Adobe Creative Suite programs mastered.

Good luck with that!

Some riding from the month of January. From lapping Love Park at Big Boulder to hiking rails at Bolton Valley, January was a good month in the East. Featuring the riding of Chris Fredette, Eric Weatherhold, Alex Kononchuk, Dom Luza, Kyle Luza, Jayell White, Adolfo Massari, Christian Manhard, Charles Souchuns, Luke Haddock and Ralph Kucharek.

Filmed & Edited By Matt Colton

Coltrain Visuals

Spencer Clark making his presence known while the competition looks on. Photo: Jeff Potto

Words by Adam Kisiel
Some might confuse Colorado with huge mountains, sweet vacation destinations, thin clean air, perfectly sculpted parks, cold fluffy snow, and so many mountains connected that buying a pass gets you into more than just one of them. Little is said about what lies behind all that awesomeness, it is the friendships that hold Colorado up. Stay a short time in the Rockies and I guarantee that you won’t be able to go shredding without running into someone you know or just met. Sooner or later you find yourself yelling from the lifts, throwing high fives, and sharing several laughs with friends while ripping around the mountain.

Jason and the Keystone Park Crew set the stage for friendships to be fused for a lifetime and so many memorable moments to be had at the TransWorld SNOWboarding TransAm. The event had more kids with perma grin than a Phish concert. The difference was that they weren’t stoked on what they just got handed by some longhaired hippie named Sunshine, but were pumped on what was laid out in front of them. The creative Keystone mini park started off with the Oakley Shark Pit that had rippers gapping the bloodthirsty sharks propelling themselves into the air thanks to the diving board rail over the tank. After Bouncing over the shark infested waters, riders set up for the log jib out over the High Cascade Snowboard Camp Marshmallow. The Marshmallow was hugged, jibbed, bonked, rodeo’d, and spun enough to make spectators puke with joy while craving more from the white gooey little guy. Those two features alone were enough to make all the kids smile and get excited, paired with a sunny warm bluebird day, it was a recipe for instant friends. Just add the super fun, hour long, Traffic Jam format that gave riders tons of time to have fun not just a lame two runs, and you will get the best of everyone involved. Two of the best, Emily Blewitt and Eli Weiner, were both walking on Colorado Sunshine. Emily was bonking over the Zumiez couch and rail combo to endless options into the Keystone mini jib mountain of an up box, drainage pipes, and transition on each side. Eli was setting the Dakine Paper Shreds on Fire with the 270’s he was throwing down the Dakine down rail stair set. Of the 130 riders in the Traffic Jam, Courtney Cox, Jessie Sutton, Spencer Clark, and Erik Ludwig were focusing on top honors. They were not only slaying the pole jam to Ride Snowboards Slime Wall, but also holding their own on the Keystone stop sign. Forty riders were picked by the esteemed Colorado judging panel to be in the Ultimate Final. Ten minute jam in each line of the park had new friends and old friends talking trick combinations and sharing stories of the crazy Traffic Jam on their way to the Final.

Those that didn’t make it to the final stayed to cheer on their besties and watch as the final forty gave their all. Was it Jake Larue that never seemed to stay upright, winning himself Best Trick/Most Inverted or Julie Stromwall, who took a banger of a crash for Best Fall and still came back to ride the park again that day? It was the day from start to finish that made so many kids happy friends so far up in the sky. Every ingredient of the day, topped off with a pizza party and huge giveaway at the end made the TransAm an everlasting memory.

Winners got awesome Dakine TransAm custom backpacks stuffed with prizes from High Cascade, Oakley, TransWorld SNOWboarding, Ride Snowboards, and Zumiez. The 1st place winners received TransAm Trophies, Ride snowboards, Dakine board bags, and Custom Dakine backpacks, along with Nerf guns and My Little Ponies from High Cascade Snowboard Camp.

Sure you can go to Summit County and talk about getting vibed and how everyone thinks they are better than everyone else or you can go to the Rockies and make friends and get better yourself. The TransWorld SNOWboarding TransAm is all about bringing the fun and friendship back into snowboarding. With a park like Keystone’s and over three hundred days of sunshine, making friends just seems easier.

***Check out the Photo Gallery below***

Women
1st Emily Blewitt
2nd Courtney Cox
3rd Jessie Sutton

Men
1st Eli Weiner
2nd Spencer Clark
3rd Erik Ludwig

Best Trick/Most Inverted
Jake Larue

Best Fall
Julie Stromwall

Check out this live link highcascade.com

Read more

Throwing down northeast style at Sugarloaf. Photo: Steve Jacob

The Main Event Series ventured far north for the fifth stop and the final qualifier for the 2009 season. The maniacs at Sugarloaf Mountain got a chance to hit Snowgrind’s next course creation. Many of the riders showed off their talents in Monument Square at the Downtown Showdown the night of Valentines day, before making the journey to a site never seen before. Josh Lempert and the Sugarloaf park crew brought this spot back to life, and the last qualifier came to fruition.
On February 15th the Redbull archway stood high on the drop in ramp leading to a 20′ wide perfect length transition of a 55′ gap from the tip to the knuckle of a10′ high cheese wedge with the longest steepest landing you could ever imagine. Showcasing the most progressive snowboard contest series in the East Coast to bring new school hang time to a traditional venue.
Each division impressed the judges with tricks like Taylor Owen’s smooth frontside 540’s for the ladies, and young Jack Herald bangin’ cab 7’s in the Mini Main Event. In the Lightweight division we watched Tyler Liheyreux throw frontside 7’s with 180’s on and off the street rails, Ryan Griffin stomping out huge 7’s, and Nick Julius winning the division with his impressive backside Rodeo 7 that was flawless

The competition was fierce with the possibility of a spot in the U.S. Open on the line. Photo: Steve Jacob

Heavyweight division riders Ben Farrow stomping backside 9’s, Brandon Honeycutt sailing Christ air back flips, and backside 9’s smooth as butter with nollie 270 combos on the rail, and the winner Eric Beachemin styling out the biggest cleanest cab 9 with a 270 on and off the street bar.
Carrabassett Valley brought good weather and great times for all riders and spectators to be prepared for the upcoming night event on February 28th at Loon Mtn. Each rider will represent their state to take the belt, and win a wildcard into the U.S. OPEN at Stratton.

Flipping on the big jump competing for that number one spot. Photo: Steve Jacob

Pro Men
1st Place Eric Beachemin
2nd Place Brandon Honeycutt
3rd Place Ben Farrow

Pro Women
1st Place Taylor Owen
2nd Place Eileen Koontz
3rd Place Nicole Fitzgerald

Am Men
1st Place Nick Julius
2nd Place Ryan Griffin
3rd Place Tyler Liheyreux

Am Women
1st Place Gabby Barrego
2nd Place Brianna Daly

Mini Main Event (13 & Under)
1st Place Jack Herald
2nd Place Jake Warn

Girl’s Mini Main Event (13 & Under)
1st Place Lindsay Stewart
2nd Place Mariah Chapman
3rd Place Milly Detels

A huge thanks to our sponsors for the great prizes and all thier support, Burton Snowboards, Flow snowboarding, Redbull, Fuel TV, Direct TV, Decal.com, RED helmets, Anon Optics, Snowgrind, Scion, and Rye airfield. We have a lot of talent making it to the finals. Come out and join us for the main event finals: Loon Mountain, NH-The finals-Saturday, February 28th, 2009

Also check out this live link maineventsseries.com

Keep tabs on the Nike 6.0 Snow team and all their freshest videos with the IllVill widget. You can even embed this bad boy in your blog, Web site, or MySpace page.

Hang on for the ride of your life—this is real snowboarding. Get Real, the forthcoming release from TransWorld Snowboarding, is 100% pure shredding. Featuring nine of the most dynamic riders in the world—from seasoned pros to young whizkids—this movie carries on where 2008’s smash hit, These Days left off. Get Real brings viewers inside the life and high times of pro riders on a nonstop mission to keep it real—to ride anything and everything they can. With dramatic HD visuals, a bangin’ soundtrack, and progressive filming and editing, Get Real is guaranteed to slam you with a heavy dose of snowboard reality. This new flick features heavy action on the streets from Jed Anderson, Scott Stevens, and Chris Grenier and wild, tech trickery from the likes of XGames medalist Scotty Lago. Plus, there’s loads of fresh backcountry mayhem from Kyle Clancy, Mikey Rencz, and Pat McCarthy. Finnish powder slayer Eero Niemela and young Sammy Luebke round out the cast of next-level riders. From shred hotspots to secret spots all over North America, to Europe to the Southern Hemisphere, Get Real takes you to the goods. When riding your snowboard is priority one, it’s time for you to Get Real.

The Viking Destroyer Launches His Own Site

From the US to Europe and all around the world, get an all-access view into the life of international snowboard superstar Andreas Wiig. Known for always being on the move, you can watch Andreas and his crew as they juggle their contest travel schedule while finding time to escape into the backcountry to film some of the best riding footage ever recorded.

AndreasWiig.com

This is the contest data

[instructions]These are the contest instructions[/instructions]

Check the Full Story, Results and Photos HERE

Mason Aguirre And Torah Bright Take Pipe Finals

Shaun White And Kelly Clark Take Overall Dew Cup

Everyone woke up to a soggy Sunday with rain pouring down the superpipe all day long. Not the ideal conditions for a big ballin’ contest, yet riders still managed to hold enough speed and sling fifteen plus feet out of the pipe. For a quick minute the drops turned into quarter-sized snowflakes teasing onlookers as they dissolved and rain returned.

Photos Nick Hamilton

Even though she hails from the driest continent in the world, Torah Bright had no problem swimming through the swampy pipe with an air to fakie tail grab on the first hit into a cab seven, corked three and switch backside seven. With such a squeaky clean run, none of the ladies could smear her score. Kelly Clark was sending it with the biggest hits of the day and racked up a second place finish with a few tech spins and amplitude to boot. South Lake Tahoe’s own Elena Hight was also cranking the amps with huge methods and frontside nines but scrapped the landing on a McTwist seven that otherwise would have capped off a podium quality run. For the final stop though the Dew Tour rankings stacked up in Kelly Clark’s favor granting her the first Dew Tour Cup in women’s superpipe.

When the guys were ready to drop for their final runs the deck and lip of the pipe had become pretty saturated and gave way to some vile slams. With a mushy lip, many riders weren’t quite getting the kick and vert they needed to land back in the tube. Iouri Podlachakov, Jack Mitrani, Greg Bretz, Steve Fisher, and Scotty Lago all took pretty nasty falls on the deck and flopped to the flat bottom. Jack’s spill hammered the soft-serve lip and even sent a handful of blue-dyed slushballs exploding down the pipe.

Mason Aguirre was one of the few who avoided a slam and linked an locked down a run consisting of a huge front ten, cab ten, front nine, flat-spin five, air to fakie and a alley-oop switch backside rodeo seven. Mase stomped that last rare spin and greased the whole run with arguably some of the best pipe style to carry him into the top spot. Steve Fisher’s run heated up towards the bottom as he laced a lien air, backside five, front ten, cab seven, front nine to back nine to snag a second place spot. Slopestlye Cup champ Shaun White dropped a pretty solid run capable of taking the top spot but splatted on his last McTwist and had to settle with his first run score of 81.75. Even though he only snatched third place, it was enough to grace him with the overall Dew Cup in superpipe.

Inaugural Dew Tour Champions
Women’s Slopestyle – Spencer O’Brien
Men’s Slopestyle – Shaun White
Women’s Superpipe – Kelly Clark
Men’s Superpipe – Shaun White

Women’s Superpipe Results
1. Torah Bright 95.50
2. Kelly Clark 90.00
3. Hannah Teter 83.50
4. Ellery Hollingsworth 80.50
5. Elena Hight  78.50
6. Lizzy Beerman 70.75

Men’s Superpipe Results
1. Mason Aguirre 94.5
2. Steve Fisher 87.00
3. Shaun White 81.75
4. Luke Mitrani 77.00
5. JJ Thomas 73.75
6. Ross Baker 72.25
7. Louie Vito 71.25
8. Elijah Teter 70.25
9. Michael Goldschmidt 58.25
10. Scotty Lago 56.00

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saggy sundays crew at snoqualmie

low fun handrails big steps 9 set both sides


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Inaugural Dew Tour Champions

Women’s Slopestyle – Spencer O’Brien

Men’s Slopestyle – Shaun White

Women’s Superpipe – Kelly Clark

Men’s Superpipe – Shaun White

Women’s Superpipe Results
1. Torah Bright 95.50
2. Kelly Clark 90.00
3. Hannah Teter 83.50
4. Ellery Hollingsworth 80.50
5. Elena Hight  78.50
6. Lizzy Beerman 70.75

Men’s Superpipe Results
1. Mason Aguirre 94.5
2. Steve Fisher 87.00
3. Shaun White 81.75
4. Luke Mitrani 77.00
5. JJ Thomas 73.75
6. Ross Baker 72.25
7. Louie Vito 71.25
8. Elijah Teter 70.25
9. Michael Goldschmidt 58.25
10. Scotty Lago 56.00

Arthur Longo going for first place in The Arctic Challenge finals. Photo: Frode Sandbech

Final Results:

1. Arthur Longo 
2. Matt Ladley 
3. Antti Autti 
4. Risto Mattila 
5. Terje Håkonsen 
6. Henning Martinsen 
7. Pål Sørensen 
8. Yasuyuki Momose 

Best trick: Matt Ladley

Highest air: Terje Håkonsen

Oslo, Norway – February 21st, 2009: In the middle of the beautiful and magical forest of Oslo, Norway trolls were holding on to their hats as they were joined by snowboarding’s elite riders and cheering spectators for the epic Quarterpipe contest, the 6Star Oakley Arctic Challenge. This week’s long shred extravaganza is renowned for spectacular action and providing a platform for the progression of snowboarding. Today’s electrifying final saw Arthur Longo (FRA) claim the title and walk away with the biggest piece of the $ 100 000 USD total prize purse and 1000 Swatch TTR ranking points, launching him into TTR World No. 7. Newcomer, Matt Ladley (USA) took second place while Antti Autti (FIN) came in third shooting him into TTR World No.5.

Winning the Arctic Challenge is not easy and commands respect. One more reason for Longo’s big smile after the competition was the fact that he recently took out the TTR 5Star Crans-Montana Champs Open as well. “It is so good - I just got two big victories in three weeks or even less. But I cannot really realize that I won yet - I am so stoked”, he said.

Despite some clouds and heavy snowfall, the Linderudkollen ski jump arena provided the ideal setup with its perfectly built 10.6 meter Quarterpipe. Judges were looking for height, style and technical difficulty. Out of five runs, the best three were counted into the final score with extra points rewarded for variation of tricks. Arthur won the contest with styled out spins which demonstrated a full repertoire of tricks. His winning runs were a BS alley-oop 360, BS 5 mute and a super smooth FS alley-oop stalefish.

No one expected Matt Ladley to finish second but he earned his spot with a Chuck Flip Melon Grab, BS 7 mute and BS 5 mute (which was also awarded as ‘Best Trick’ of the day). Antti Autti’s third place finish was a result of his ability to consistently land super technical spins. Despite some heavy slams, he pulled off a FS 7 melon, BS 5 nose grab and an inverted FS 9 tail grab. Haakonsen (NOR), apart from fighting against unfavorable conditions all day, still managed to post the ‘Highest Air’ with a 6.5m BS 5 nose grab.

The Swatch TTR Ranking were truly shaken after the event, setting up heavy showdowns for the upcoming 5Star Asian Open in Japan and the 6Star Burton U.S. Open. Risto Mattila finished 4^th but still managed to defend his World No.3 Ranking. “It feels good to be World No. 3 of course, but I am bummed because I bailed on my last trick. I got some good points so that’s ok”. Last year’s Swatch TTR Tour Champion Kevin Pearce has moved into World No. 4 with a 12^th place finish, as Antti Autti follows behind in World No.5. Both these riders are still in contention to take out the Swatch TTR Title in the coming weeks. Olivier Gittler (FRA), who had only missed the finale by inches, jumped up into World No.14, with Thursday’s joint ‘Highest Air’ winner, Shayne Pospisil (USA) snapping at his heels in World No.15. Veteran rider Gian Simmen (SUI) has also continued his ascent up the TTR Ranking and now sits at World No.19.

Check out www.ttrworldtour.com for the fully updated Swatch TTR Ranking along with blogs, news, and videos from The Oakley Arctic Challenge. Stay tuned when the Tour moves to Japan, February 24th – March 1st, 2009, for the 5Star Nissan X-Trail Asian Open, where riders will stepping it up as the season end looms. There is still chances for the ranking to change and with a total prize purse of $200 000 USD, you can be sure the action is not over yet.


2008/2009 - Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour Rankings as of: 21/ 2 / 09

click on the vid to go to youtube and watch in HD

Get the Flash Player to see this player. me at 7springs

Some 70 girls descended on Mammoth’s South Park on Saturday for the 5 th annual Nikita Chikita pro-am jam. It was a good showing. Always good to see more and more girls getting out on the hill.

The youngest competitor was only 9 years old and the oldest was in her mid-fifties.
Competitors dropped in either the Pro or Am competitions and the field was split pretty much evenly between the two categories. Each girl got two runs, top five from each group advanced and then met for one final run.

The course consisted of two jump lines. The micro-groms took to the 5-to-10 foot mini-table line, while the rest of the girls had their way with the 25-to-40 foot tables, down rails, donkey-out boxes, and the finale wallride.

Nikita riders Magalie DuBois, Vera Janssen, Gabby Maiden, Femke Henriques and Madison Blackley were there representing the brand and otherwise setting the standard for the rest of the shredettes. And a lot of them showed that they were up for upping the ante.

Not gonna lie. There were a lot of windows rolled down, flailed straight airs and nasty knuckles. They were going for it. And any disappointments in execution were out shined by every girls give ‘er attitude.

In the end it was South Lake Tahoe’s Joanna Dzierzawski who took top honors in the pro division. Nikita riders Vera Janssen and Madison Blakely finished second and third respectively.

And New Hampshire’s own le femme Nikita Colleen Quigley won the best trick award for her fully-laid out back flip.

And while the Pro girls walked away with cash the ams were battling for the chance to get sponsed. Marley Colt, a 17-year old from Utah, took the am contest and earned herself a one-year sponsorship from Nikita.

Awards were doled out at Lakanuki later that night and the The Black Tails shut the place down with some estrogen-fueled rock.

And so it proved to be another successful Nikita Chickita. Girls gathered, shredded, met for the first time, caught up since the last, shared stoke and in the end danced the night away. And that’s all there is to it.

“To me the best part was to see all the girls I haven’t seen in a year. I definitely didn’t come to win, I just came to hang out and bust some moves on the dance floor!” said Nikita rider Magalie Dubois.

Results
Pro
1.Joanna Dzierawski
2. Vera Janssen
3. Madison Blackley

Am
Marley Colt
Elle Kaylor
Priscilla Lee

Check out the Video HERE

SNOWBOARD SLOPESTYLE MEN’S FINAL RESULTS

1st – Torstein Horgmo – 93.50
2nd – Shaun White – 89.67
3rd – ChasGuldemond – 88.00
4th – Dan Brisse – 78.33
5th – Brandon Cocard – 77.67
6th – Brandon Reis – 74.50
7th – Tyler Flanagan – 73.67
8th – Scotty Lago – 70.33
9th – Mikkel Bang – 65.50
10th – Nick Poohachoff – 63.17
11th – Daniel Ek – 51.00
12th – Andreas Wiig – 43.83

SNOWBOARD SLOPESTYLE WOMEN’S FINAL RESULTS

1st – Jamie Anderson – 87.50
2nd – Spencer O’Brien – 87.17
3rd – Janna Meyen-Weatherby – 81.50
4th – Chanelle Sladics – 76.17
5th – Torah Bright – 69.00
6th – Christina Curry – 56.50

Winter Dew Tour

The Winter Dew Tour consists of three major, multi-sport events spanning across the country, with a cumulative points system, and a $1.5 million competitive purse. Each event features men and women’s snowboard (superpipe and slopestyle), and men’s freeskiing (superpipe and slopestyle). At season’s end, the overall point’s leaders in the six disciplines are crowned year-end champions and awarded the prestigious Dew Cup. As part of an Alli property, key lifestyle elements compliment the competitions at each Tour event including the Festival village, specialty competitions, and live cutting edge music. The Dew Tour is broadcast live on NBC Sports with additional competition and lifestyle broadcasts on MTV, MTV2 and USA.

WEEKEND SNOWBOARDS ANNOUNCES THEIR EXISTENCE, PUTS MARK CARTER ON THE TEAM, CROWDS REJOICE AND EMBRACE IN THE STREETS WORLDWIDE.

After many rounds of board meetings and discussions with focus groups, we made a decision. That decision was that we better look at some pie charts and graphs, and then analyze that data and crunch some numbers to see what the best feature benefit combination was to maximize sales.

Then, we made some prototypes and put them on snow and of course in the wind tunnel. We heard all the big guys have wind tunnels now. Then we analyzed costs some more, and then we did some more focus groups with key retailers and sales reps and then we made a couple of rounds of changes to the second round of prototypes to identify key demographic penetration.

Then we talked to key market influencers to determine their first impression retention of the key selling points that the sales team would be coordinating during their presentations. It was finally time to get things out to market,so..

Then we just scrapped that whole process and started a board company that reflects what snowboarding is all about.

At Weekend, we believe your snowboard should be coveted, and not a commodity. All of our boards are individually hand numbered and extremely limited edition. Once they are gone they are gone, and that is just the way we like it.

For 2010, we have teamed up with legendary illustrator Steve Nazar, creator of the iconic 1980’s Town and Country Surf Designs characters to illustrate the Lodge Series. Each board is hand numbered, and only 150 of each size will be made.

All of our boards are handmade in the mountains of Austria by craftsmen (not factory workers) who care about what you are riding, not by someone that has never even seen snow in their life. What a concept that is, right?

Like any company worth their salt, we want to have a team that represents the true meaning of the brand. So our first addition was Jackson Hole ripper Mark Carter. For those in the know, Mark is a backcountry workhorse who lays it down whatever the situation and we are damn proud to have him. Mark is filming for Absinthe and can be found trolling the Jackson Backcountry on the Weekend Warrior™ snow machine daily this winter putting together his part.

“I’m stoked to be involved with a brand that is run by snowboarders and has a positive direction” adds Carter, “plus the Lodge is a freestyle machine, so that helps.” Carter is riding board numbers 165,151,4,9,10,11,12, and 13 for those that feel the need to know. We know who you are.

The remaining 442 Weekend Snowboards will be available this Fall at finer retailers of snowboards worldwide. Sign up for updates, various spam and useless e-mail forwards at Weekend Snowboards.com as soon as you get a chance.

PRIOR UNVEILS NEW HYBRID ROCKER ALL MOUNTAIN FREESTYLE SNOWBOARD

WHISTLER, Canada – February 20, 2009 – Whistler based Prior Snowboard Manufactory Ltd, known throughout the world as manufacturers of premium, handcrafted snowboards and skis, has designed the most versatile all-in-one snowboard on the market – the All Mountain Freestyle (AMF) Rocker.

The AMF Rocker has a twin shape for switch riding, yet is slightly directional with a 1.3cm setback on the inserts so that riders can bump their bindings back on pow days if they choose.  A relatively deep sidecut provides added agility in the trees, chutes and riding the halfpipe.  And the key element to this board’s versatility, the rockered tip and tail combined with subtle camber under the waist of the board, is what Prior likes to call the hybrid rocker.

Our hybrid rocker allows the board to turn on a dime and transition effortlessly from edge to edge.  Incredibly, effective edge length is the same as regular cambered boards allowing the rider to carve on icy and hard pack conditions without washing out. Having rocker at the tip and tail provides powder float when riding regular or switch, while also giving the rider the ability to do smooth and easy presses and butters.  The rockered zone has been kept relatively stiff for stability on big take offs and landings and to provide strength and pop for presses and ollies.

The AMF Rocker is handcrafted with the same premium quality materials and high standards as all Prior models with a full aspen/maple wood core, triaxial/carbon glass, UHMW sidewalls, full wrap Rockwell 48 edges, and ultra fast and durable sintered graphite base.

Prior has been making handcrafted snowboards since 1990, splitboards since 2000 and skis since 2001. Prior offers an extensive line of premium, high-performance custom snow products to suit a variety of riding styles and preferences.  All Prior boards and skis are handcrafted at the custom Prior factory in Whistler, Canada (home of the 2010 Olympics), where the company has immediate access to North America’s largest winter resort.

For more information or to order Prior snowboards visit www.priorsnowboards.com or call toll free 1-877-93-PRIOR.

Yesterday’s first place qualifier Jamie Anderson and Torstein Horgmo both took first in today’s Winter Dew Tour Slopestyle finals at Northstar-at-Tahoe, California. Check out the stiff competition below.

Check back soon for a full wrap up and photo gallery!

SNOWBOARD SLOPESTYLE MEN’S FINAL RESULTS

1st – Torstein Horgmo – 93.50
2nd – Shaun White – 89.67
3rd – ChasGuldemond – 88.00
4th – Dan Brisse – 78.33
5th – Brandon Cocard – 77.67
6th – Brandon Reis – 74.50
7th – Tyler Flanagan – 73.67
8th – Scotty Lago – 70.33
9th – Mikkel Bang – 65.50
10th – Nick Poohachoff – 63.17
11th – Daniel Ek – 51.00
12th – Andreas Wiig – 43.83

SNOWBOARD SLOPESTYLE WOMEN’S FINAL RESULTS

1st – Jamie Anderson – 87.50
2nd – Spencer O’Brien – 87.17
3rd – Janna Meyen-Weatherby – 81.50
4th – Chanelle Sladics – 76.17
5th – Torah Bright – 69.00
6th – Christina Curry – 56.50

Jake Olsen-Elm tail press back 180 to flat at the Shred Ranch. Photo: Russell Kaczmar

Early Febuary the Signal team invaded Jeff King’s shred ranch in Encinitas and proceeded to have one of the most unique sessions I have ever seen.�The crew was filming for Jeff King’s “Built to Shred” on Fuel TV.�In true built to shred style instead of filming on location in the mountains they proceeded to blow 30 tons of snow to Jeff’s home in southern California.�Jeff’s “Shred Ranch” as he call it, is covered in mini ramps, kickers, rails in every shape and form, cement park in the back, and a euro gap onto his roof.�Not to mention a pool that may have a living creature lurking in it.�The first day was dedicated to setting everything up.�A drop in ramp was built on the roof leading into a handrail or phone booth bonk off.�This lead into a tricky little double, made of skate ramps raised up on 2×4’s and into a quarter pipe/tree stall.�Not bad for less than a mile from the beach and 75 degree weather.�Day two started with a semi truck hauling 30 tons of snow to the shred ranch.�The crew got everything covered and the Signal team shredded all day until rain came in the afternoon.�Tune into the first episode of Built to Shred airing this summer on Fuel TV to see video of the madness.

 ***Check out the photo gallery below***

Check out www.signalsnowboards.com

Get the Flash Player to see this player. 450s are the new 270s

Roxy riders Erin Comstock, Kjersti Buaas, Torah Bright and Alexis Waite charge through the park. Jumping rhythm lines, gapping over a mine-shaft, and getting tricky on unusual features is all just another day in the park for these girls! www.roxy.com

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Brandon Reis waiting on the bubble for the finals.

Dew Tour Slopestyle Prelim Results

The Dew Tour is on and the slopestyle prelims heated up a bit with Jamie Anderson pulling out a switch back five to jump into first, while Janna Meyen held down second with Chanelle Sladics in third.  Last stop’s winner Spencer O’Brien got to relax and enjoy her pre-qualified position while Christina Curry squeaked into the last spot behind Torah Bright, bumping out Kjersti Buaas.

Young bucks Daniel Ek and Tyler Flanagan came out absolutely crushing the jumps in the wake of first place Norwegian destroyer Andreas Wiig to rack up the first three spots. The New Hampshire pack of Scotty Lago, Chas Guldemond an Brandon Reis chipped into the upper spots leaving little room for others. Just a little scuff and you’re out since every rider was bringing the A game. Stay tuned for the finals tomorrow at Northstar-at-Tahoe.

Women (Pre-qualified rider: Spencer O’Brien)

1. Jamie Anderson
2. Janna Meyen
3. Chanelle Sladics
4. Torah Bright
5. Christina Curry

Men (Pre-qualified riders: Mikkel Bang, Shaun White, Torstein Horgmo)

1. Andreas Wiig
2. Daniel Ek
3. Tyler Flanagan
4. Dan Brisse
5. Scotty Lago
6. Brandon Cocard
7. Chas Guldemond
8. Brandon Reis
9. Nick Puchkoff

Interning at TransWorld Snowboarding is a pretty thankless job.

As it should be, the interns are damn lucky to be working for free for us. Do you know what a foot in the door is worth in this industry?

Anyway…we’d like to recognize our most recent indentured servant, Ms. Tanya Schmid. She came all the way from Vermont to intern and did an entirely decent job while here. Tanya brought a special brand of youthful zeal to the TransWorld offices and didn’t at all affected by the overtly “over-it” editorial staff. If anything she proved her skin is as thick as her dreadlocks. She also showed that she could shred that board!.

Here’s proof:

That’s a backside 50-50 on a rail some girls who get paid to ride wouldn’t step to.

Thanks for all your “hard” work Tanya. You can come back and work for free anytime.

If you’re good for nothing and willing to work for less than that, you could be our next intern. Email applications to angry.interns2@gmail.com.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Get the Flash Player to see this player. Some of the worlds best snowboarders transcended ordinary human fears of height, speed and cold, to please thousands of youngsters gathered at New Yorks East River Park

JOINT WINNERS AT OAKLEY ARCTIC CHALLENGE HIGHEST AIR

Oslo, Norway February 19th, 2009:  Today, the 6Star Oakley Arctic Challenge kicked off with the ‘Highest Air’ format, a separate contest allocated only to straight Airs and does not account for Swatch TTR points. Daniel Josefsen (NOR) and Shayne Pospisil (USA) became the riders of the day in Linderudkollen, Oslo, both jumping 6.8m in front of over 1000 enthusiastic spectators and taking home $6000 USD each. Before the event, speculation was flying that Terje Haakonsen’s (NOR) 9.8m record could be broken by the heavy hitting field consisting of Pearce (USA), Sorsa (FIN), and Mattila (FIN), however, unfavorable weather conditions were conspiring against the new world record being set.

“It is difficult to adjust the speed in this weather, so the level of riding is not as good as the two previous days. When you ride that fast into a transition all the details count, so the weather was definitely an important factor this time”, said competitor and event organiser, Terje Haakonsen.

While riders at Quarterpipe events on the Swatch TTR Tour are usually judged on their trick variation and amplitude, today, judges were mainly looking for height. Riders dropped down a 130m in-run at speeds of over 80km/h, launching themselves off the scientifically shaped 10.6m Quarterpipe.  Josefsen and Pospisil came like freight trains at the giant wall of ice, consistently hovering over 6m. Pospisil was pumped after becoming the joint winner with Josefsen and looking forward to the main event.  “I hope it will just turn out as good as last year but today was a good start to the Arctic Challenge and I am really looking forward to Saturday”, he said

The day began with 22 aspiring riders seeking to make it through to the 12 man finals.  Pospisil and Josefsen, along with Terje Haakonsen and Arthur Longo (FRA) were dominating over the rest of the competition. These four riders kept upping the ante, pushing each other to go higher but in the end Pospisil and Josefsen prevailed with Terje Haakonsen and Arthur Longo sharing third place. Although the main focus was the Highest Air, also a prize of $2000 USD for Best Style was awarded to Josefsen for a sweet BS 360 Indy.

Since its creation in 1999, The Oakley Arctic Challenge has become one of the most respected contests on the Swatch TTR calendar and still holds values such as independence, creativity, progression and environmental responsibility in high regard.  A true contest for riders by riders, which has seen two world records broken and increased snowboarding’s profile positively also among a broader audience. In the spirit of progression this unique Highest Air format was introduced to keep pushing the limits and development of the snowboard sport.

Saturday’s traditional Quarterpipe format will see riders go head to head in pursuit of a $100,000 USD prize purse and some of the last remaining 1000 Swatch TTR ranking points of the season.  Stay tuned to www.ttrworldtour.com as Swatch TTR brings you fresh news, blogs and video updates from the Oakley Arctic Challenge.  Information about the event can also be found on www.t-a-c.no and you can watch the live webcast on freecaster.tv.

Results from the Oakley Arctic Challenge Highest Air

1    POSPISIL    Shayne    USA    6.8m
1    JOSEFSEN    Daniel    NOR    6.8m
3    HAAKONSEN    Terje    NOR    6.0m
3    LONGO    Arthur    FRA    6.0m
5    PEARCE    Kevin    USA    5.9m
6    SÖRENSEN    Pål    NOR    5.5m
7    MATTILA    Risto    FIN    5.3m
8    AUTTI    Antti    FIN    5.2m
9    KVAERNBERG    Christopher    NOR    5.0m
10    GITTLER    Olivier    FRA    4.9m
10    JOERGENSEN    Len Roald    NOR    4.9m

The 2009 Oakley Arctic Challenge from Oslo, Norway

Live Streaming Schedule in European Times (7-10 hours ahead of States) so get up early to watch.

Highest Air: Thursday 19 February: 12:45 – 14:00 CET / 11:45 – 13:00 GMT

Quarterpipe Final: Saturday 21 February: 12:45 – 14:00 CET / 11:45 – 13:00 GMT

Bunch of box tricks from Iowa

peep show teaser from peep show on Vimeo.

Take it in—it’s a new teaser out from the girls of Peep Show—June Bhongjan, Esthera Preda, Laurie Gauvin, and Magalie Dubois.

According to the official press release, the goal with Peep Show is to take women’s snowboarding in a new direction by bringing new faces to the scene, and emphasizing the real and unrefined aspects of a group of women who are in it just for the love.

We were intrigued, so we got June on the phone to answer some questions. She says the crew didn’t set out to make a movie for the mainstream, just, “ a small friend movie for ourselves.” But the girls got a good response at SIA and decided to release the teaser. June says, ”We’re all good friends who like the same kind of riding and have similar style.” She adds, “Our goal for the film is for it to be short and straight to the point with really good riding.”

With a Big Bear local (June Bhongjan) and three Québécoise (Esthera, Laurie, and Magalie) at the helm, expect to see plenty of riding from the slopes of Bear to the rails of SLC (where they’re based) on to the streets of Quebec. June sums it up as a film that will be, “a little more unrefined.” Sounds good to us.

Peep Show will be available as a free download online. Watch for it.

Riders include: June Bhongjan, Desiree Melancon, Esthera Preda, Laurie Gauvin, Magalie Dubois, Sara Phillips, Jess Kimura, Marie Hucal, Sandra Hillen, Izzy Lalive, Gabby Maiden, Bev Vuilleumier, Claudia Biron, Madison Blackley, Ariane Moisan, Iris Lazz, Maribeth Swetkoff, and MORE friends … 

NIKITA SNOWBOARD CLIP CONTEST

Girls, girls, girls…..The Nikita Snowboard Clip Contest is well under way so get in on the action.  There’s still time to make the most of the winter and the snowy future forecasts by getting some new footage together and sending it to Nikita. We want to see you rock your most stylin’ moves which will be posted on Nikita’s YouTube contest site and Vimeo channel.

Send in clips of your snowboard action before March 30, 2009 and the most popular rated clips will be put into a final entry to be judged by the Nikita crew.  The winner will win a trip to Iceland in the spring and be kitted out in a full Nikita Outerwear setup!

Last year the super talented Kasia Kwiecien from Poland was selected from hundreds of girls who entered all over the world and had an amazing time hanging out in Iceland, snorkelling in some icy waters, caving and of course snowboarding. You can watch a video of the trip at http://www.youtube.com/nikitaclothing and http://www.vimeo.com/1322040 - Just click on the Nikita Iceland Roadtrip 2008.

This time around there’s some more opportunities to grab Nikita prizes….We’ll be checking out all the clips and giving away a Nikita Outerwear outfit to two deserving runners up and Streetwear gear to the lady that has the most fun, creative and stylish clip.

To enter all you have to do is:

·        Be a chick!
·        Be 18 years of age or over
·        Enter snowboard clips ONLY please – as long as there is some sort of snowboard action, the Nikita panel of judges will accept it
·        Maximum of 3 clips per person
·        Clips can be as long or short as you want as long as they don’t exceed the size limit
·        Maximum size limit of clips is 5 MB
·        Accept that all entries sent in will be put on Nikita’s YouTube contest site and Vimeo channel
·        Send in your entries to internis@nikitaclothing.com before March 30, 2009

Please include your full name, date of birth, postal address, e-mail and contact telephone number along with any other info you feel is relevant.

www.youtube.com/nikitacontest

www.nikitaclothing.com

Contests, events, parties, wooo!

http://www.snowjamboree.com/home?set_language=en

WINTER DEW TOUR TOYOTA CHAMPIONSHIP ARRIVES IN TAHOE FEB. 19-22 AT NORTHSTAR-AT-TAHOE RESORT, DEW CUP CHAMPIONS TO BE AWARDED IN EACH DISCIPLINE

Common at Verizon Wireless Music Stage on Friday

NEW YORK – February 18, 2009 – The third and final stop of the ‘08/09 Winter Dew Tour begins on Thursday, February 19 with the Toyota Championship at Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort in Truckee, Calif.

Leading the series in the snowboard disciplines are top athletes Shaun White, (first in slopestyle and superpipe), Kelly Clark (superpipe) and Spencer O’Brien (slopestyle). White recently took home X Games gold in both disciplines and is looking to be the first Dew Tour athlete to be crowned Dew Cup champion on the Summer Dew Tour and Winter Dew Tour. Key contenders to compete in women’s snowboard slopestyle in Tahoe include recent X Games gold medalist Jenny Jones, and silver medalist O’Brien. In superpipe, X Games silver medalist Scotty Lago will join bronze medalist Mikkel Bang in their attempts to unseat White. Australian Torah Bright will be looking for her first Dew Tour win of the season in the superpipe.

On the freeski side, Tanner Hall and Justin Dorey are tied for first in the superpipe discipline, but recent X Games gold medalist Xavier Bertoni is bound to provide some stiff competition. In slopestyle, PK Hunder leads the field with overall points, but in Tahoe, freeskier TJ Schiller could pull anything out of his deep bag of tricks.

In addition to the competitions, the Winter Dew Tour will feature live musical performances and a daily Festival Village with interactive events, athlete autograph signings and games. Just one of many interactive booths, the Toyota Out of Bounds Mountain rises 30 feet above the crowds, and it will be buzzing with exciting contests and games, including a larger-than-life Plinko game, an FJ Key Challenge, Custom Bandana Shop and an opportunity for fans to take a souvenir Ski Patrol photo. Serving as a backdrop will be an oversized video wall featuring cool action sports footage and live feed from the competitions.

The schedule of events is as follows:

Thursday, February 19
11:00AM - 2:30PM        Mens/Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle Prelims
Noon - 1:30PM             Men’s Freeski Superpipe Prelims

Friday, February 20
10:00AM - 12:30PM      Men’s Freeski Slopestyle Prelims
2:00PM - 3:30PM          Men’s/Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle Final
5:00PM - 7:00PM           Concert in Festival Village – Common and Tweak Bird

Saturday, February 21
10:00AM - 1:00PM        Men’s/Women’s Snowboard Superpipe prelims
11:30AM - 1:00PM         Men’s Freeski Slopestyle Final
3:00PM - 3:30PM          Women’s Freeski Slopestyle Exhibition
6:00PM - 7:30PM           Men’s Freeski Superpipe Final

Sunday, February 22
11:00AM - 11:30AM       Women’s Freeski Superpipe Exhibition
Noon - 3:00PM             Men’s/Women’s Snowboard Superpipe Final

Hip hop star and two-time Grammy winner Common will headline the Verizon Wireless music stage on Friday, Feb. 20, and progressive/psych-rock band Tweak Bird will kick off the show. The bands will perform from 5-7 p.m. and all music from the Verizon Wireless music stage is free to the general public.

Common burst onto the hip-hop scene in 1992 with his debut album “Can I Borrow a Dollar” and hasn’t looked back. In 2006 his hit record “Be”, produced mostly by superstar rapper Kanye West, was nominated for four Grammy Awards and won the coveted honor for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for the hit single “Southside” featuring West. Cannon, who is set to release his highly anticipated album “’09”, also boasts a burgeoning acting career. The Chicago native held significant roles in blockbuster films “Smokin’ Aces”, “Street Kings”, “American Gangster”, “Wanted”, and the upcoming “Terminator Salvation”.

Similar to the Dew Tour’s summer competition structure, the Winter Dew Tour is based on a cumulative points system as the top snow athletes battle it out for a piece of the $1.5 million prize purse and the chance to take home the Dew Cup at the conclusion of the season in February.

TV Schedule
NBC                Saturday, Feb. 21         2:30pm-4:00pm EST                 SKI Slope Men Finals
NBC                Sunday, Feb. 22           3:00pm-6:00pm EST                 SNB Pipe Women/ Men Finals

USA Network     Friday, Feb. 20             Midnight-1:00am EST                SNB Slope Women/ Men Finals
USA Network     Saturday, Feb. 21          Midnight-1:00am EST                SKI Pipe Men Finals

The complete 2008/09 Winter Dew Tour schedule is as follows:

Event                          Date                            Location
Stop 1                          Dec. 18-21, 2008          Breckenridge, Colo.—Breckenridge Ski Resort
Stop 2                          Jan. 8-11, 2009             West Dover, Vt.—Mount Snow Resort
Toyota Championship   Feb. 19-22, 2009            Truckee, Calif.—Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort

Winter Dew Tour

The Winter Dew Tour consists of three major, multi-sport events spanning across the country, with a cumulative points system, and a $1.5 million competitive purse.  Each event features men and women’s snowboard (superpipe and slopestyle), and men’s freeskiing (superpipe and slopestyle).  At season’s end, the overall point’s leaders in the six disciplines are crowned year-end champions and awarded the prestigious Dew Cup. As part of an Alli property, key lifestyle elements compliment the competitions at each Tour event including the Festival village, specialty competitions, and live cutting edge music. The Winter Dew Tour is broadcast live on NBC Sports with additional competition and lifestyle broadcasts on MTV, MTV2 and USA.  The Winter Dew Tour is also distributed on Fuel TV, Universal HD, Rush HD, and internationally on Eurosport, Fox Australia, Extreme Channel and Allarco superchannel.  Winter Dew Tour partners include Mountain Dew (tour title sponsor); Toyota (event title sponsor).  Associate partners include Ball Park, Nike 6.0, PlayStation®, Wendy’s, and Verizon Wireless. More information can be found at www.allisports.com <http://67.100.97.98/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.allisports.com/> .

NBC Universal

NBC Universal is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates the No. 1 television network, the fastest-growing Spanish-language network, a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% controlled by Vivendi Universal.

MTV Networks

MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. MTV Networks, with more than 150 channels worldwide, owns and operates the following television programming services - MTV: MUSIC TELEVISION, MTV2, VH1, mtvU, NICKELODEON, NICK at NITE, LOGO, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV LAND, SPIKE TV, CMT, NOGGIN, THE N, VH1 CLASSIC, MTVN INTERNATIONAL and THE DIGITAL SUITE FROM MTV NETWORKS, a package of 13 digital services, all of these networks trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks connects with its audiences through its robust consumer products businesses and its more than 300 interactive properties worldwide, including online, broadband, wireless and interactive television services and also has licensing agreements, joint ventures, and syndication deals whereby all of its programming services can be seen worldwide.

Coors Light YOU LOOK GOOD Rider’s Cup – Seymour Open, February 21st, 2009

YLGRC09 visits Mt Seymour for the First Time

Toronto, ON – The Coors Light YOU LOOK GOOD Rider’s Cup (YLGRC09) Canada’s premier slope style series, jumps into its second stop at Mt Seymour in North Vancouver on February 21st, 2009. Mt Seymour represents a new territory this year for the series — bringing new talent and terrain to YLGRC09.

YLGRC09 kicked off the 2009 season on February 7th at Mont Tremblant with the Salomon Backyard Bang. Kevin Konings and Diane Rudge took first place in the Coors Light Pro categories going home $2000 and $500, respectively, richer.

“It was great to be back this year competing in the YOU LOOK GOOD Rider’s Cup,” said Kevin after taking first place last weekend in Mont Tremblant.  “I’m following the series this year to Vancouver and hope to do just as well there.  It’ll be fun to ride on a new hill, with new talent”

Mt Seymour has been working day and night to prep the park for the YLGRC09 on February 21st. “We are currently busting our butts rebuilding the park. We tore everything out and are starting from the ground up, We will have our staircase feature at the top into a step down jump with two takeoffs into a large stepover jump with 2-3 takeoffs then into two rail features.  There will also be a line down skier’s right that will be littered with rails.” says Mark Williams, Terrain Park Supervisor of Mt Seymour Resorts Ltd. “ We have been putting in some serious hours to make sure we give you the best course we can”. Check out Mt Seymour at�www.mountseymour.com.

Pre-registration and registration are to take place at the Whiskey Jack Room on Friday February 20th from   4 – 5pm and Saturday February 21st 7:00 – 9:30am.  Any athletes looking to register online; please visit�www.youlookgood.ca to save time and paperwork at registration on event day. (Online registration will close at midnight (12:00am E.S.T.) the eve before competition day.

The Official Coors Light Rider’s Cup After Party – A PLAIN WHITE TEE PARTY is to take place on February 21st in Vancouver at STONE TEMPLE.

For more info on YLGRC09 scheduling please visit www.youlookgood.ca and check out Mt Seymour at www.mountseymour.com

Following Mt Seymour, YLGRC09 will travel to Banff Norquay on February 28th and and then for the final stop at Blue Mountain on March 7th for the Ripzone Open.  YLGRC09 will distribute $22,000 CASH and $50,000 in PRIZING in total and over $5,500 CASH and $10,000 in PRIZING per event.

ABOUT YLGRC09: In its fifth year as Canada’s premier slopestyle series and at the forefront of Canada’s competition scene, YLGRC09 has four signature events this year with a cash purse of more then $22,000 and $50,000 in prizing. YLGRC09 is an OPEN event that welcomes and encourages snowboarders of all ages and talent levels. YLGRC09 prides itself on being the launching ground for Canadian Talent and assisting in the rider’s progression from Amateur to Professional.

Rider: Tyrel Thorton. Photo: Jeff Hawe.

“Last winter was one of change and growth for me. It ran a very different course than seasons past, and was very exciting. I did not start my winter until the beginning of February. I basically jumped from spending my days in the ocean, surfing, and warm tropical weather in the Southern Hemisphere. To spending my days wrestling my sled around in waist deep in powder. In the midst of one of the best winters in my recent memory, it was a mad scramble for me to get as much done as I could with what time I had left of the winter. I did a lot of branching out last winter, making new friends and working with crews that I had never worked with before. Hitting new locations, and learning a lot about the art of shooting snowboarding. While still keeping time to ride with all my good friends around MT, stoked! All said and done it was one of the best seasons of my life. This is a collection of moments I was able to capture last winter, hopefully it will give you a feeling of what my winter was. Here’s to another season of that caliber, bring on the snow.”

Thanks for looking,
Jeff

Namco Bandai Games’ We Ski & Snowboard, Official Sponsor of the 10th Annual Transworld SNOWboarding Riders Poll Awards, recently announced the launch of its We Ski & Snowboard website, wesnowsports.com, in consultation with the U.S. Ski Team, the U.S.A. Snowboard Association, and Transworld Snowboarding. The new site includes videos and pictures of the game, trick tips, USASA rider profiles, desktop wallpapers, game mountain maps, news articles, and coverage of industry events such as the TWS Riders Poll Awards.

We Ski & Snowboard is slated for release on March 3, 2009 and can be pre-ordered from http://www.wesnowsports.com.

About NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.
NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. is a leading interactive entertainment software publisher and developer based in Santa Clara, CA.  The company is a part of the NAMCO BANDAI group of companies known for creating and publishing many of the industry’s top video game franchises including the PAC-MAN®, SOULCALIBUR®, NARUTO™ and Tekken® brands.  For more information about NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc., and our products log onto http://www.namcobandaigames.com/.

Cardrona Alpine Resort has announced its 2009 season pass prices maintaining its position as excellent value in the Southern Lakes with both adult and student passes at just $540, children at $120 and the over 60s at $240.

A loyalty discount - adult and student $20, 60-74 year olds $10, child $5, will be offered to all 2008 pass holders purchasing a 2009 early bird Season Pass.

Duncan Veall, General Manager said keeping the season and ticket rates as low as possible demonstrates Cardrona’s commitment to supporting the local community and winter sports in general while continuing to develop the resort facilities.

“We aim to make skiing and snowboarding as affordable as possible for Wanaka and Queenstown locals across all sectors of the community as well as visitors to the resort, and hope they take advantage of the special Early Bird season prices.”

The Early Bird prices are available from 18 February until 18 March when they rise to $690 for adults and students, $170 for children and $265 for 60+. On 30 April they go to full season prices of $1,299 for adults, $1,180 for students, $290 for children and $395 for 60+.

As with previous years, children under six and adults over 75 can receive free day passes or have their own season pass for a small $5 processing fee.

Other lift pass prices announced include the multi-day pass and single day pass prices. The flexible Five Day Anytime Pass will cost $380 for adults, $315 for students and $195 for children. An adult day pass at Cardrona in 2009 will cost $85. A club card is also available giving discounts off lift passes as well as other winter activities in Wanaka and Queenstown.

For 2009 Cardrona is expanding its terrain with a new trail down the Arcadia Basin for more advanced skiers and boarders and will be certified by FIS for slalom and GS. The new trail will also have a $1m snowmaking upgrade. With snow making extended into the Captain’s Basin last year the entire resort will now be covered. New developments also include improvements to the 22ft half pipe and freestyle areas in preparation for the inaugural Winter Games NZ as well as the FIS World Cup.

Season passes are available online at www.cardrona.com or from the Wanaka town office. Cardrona is scheduled to open from 26 June to 4 October 2009.

Stop #8 of the Volcom PBRJ. Moonlight Basin, MT. Video by Jonny Durst

The project begins now and it begins here! The book will celebrate and portray the lifestyle of the Nikita girl; in photos, words, poems, graphics and art, or in any which way possible. The layout of the book will be in a scrapbook style, quite raw and graphic based, edited by an Icelandic girl.  She has been a lifetime Nikita customer, snowboarder, skater, graphic designer and has already produced her own book, Icepick, about the Icelandic street art scene, that Nikita helped publish nearly two years ago. Her name is Thordis Claessen.

Along with stories, people and pictures from the depths of Nikita’s archives, Nikita would like to dedicate the rest of the content to all girls who ride.Grab the opportunity to tell your own story, what you love, what you do and what Nikita means to you. Any form of entry is acceptable – this will be a coffee table book to truly represent the Nikita girl, a book about her life and something hopefully all will want to be a part of.

The story of how Nikita came about and the brains behind it, Heida Birgisdottir, the founder and head designer of the company will also be included. “Nikita has a huge fan base and really values the comments, support and input we have received from girls spanning the globe who love what we do. This will be a chance for us to say thanks and celebrate the last 10 amazing years with them too.” - Heida

All Nikita related photos, stories, art, designs, poems, drawings, recipes or anything you have and think might be good for the book, please either e-mail to sidewaysistas@nikitaclothing.com or send material to:

Sideway Sistas Project
Nikita HQ
Skipholt 25
105 Reykjavik
Iceland

N.B. Please make sure to include full name, address, telephone, e-mail and any other info you feel relevant. We accept all types of files and sizes but for maximum print quality, it’s best if the pictures sent in are at least 2000 x 3000 pixels (maximum 5MB). If in doubt, give us a shout! If there’s anything you need returning please include a SAE and details of what you want back.

The opportunity to get your own stories and experiences in will last for a limited time, so the sooner you get on it, the better! The closing date for all entries is the April 30, 2009.

RUSKfilm’s new project “RUSKfilm presents…”

featuring
Andrew Rusk, Jon Rusk, Andrew Skelhorn, Brad Gauley, Jake Fine, Steve Powling and friends.

DVD out Now!

www.RUSKent.com

From the Newfoundland Story in the Feb 2009 Issue of TransWorld Snowboarding Magazine.

Don’t miss another issue, Subscribe here

Video by Java Fernandez

BATTLE STATIONS! RED BULL SNOW WARZ TO DESCEND ON MAMMOTH MOUNTAIN
BRAGGING RIGHTS FOR BEST COLLEGE TEAM ON THE SNOW TO BE DETERMINED ON MARCH 14

MAMMOTH, CA – February 10, 2009 – The tension has been building all winter, and on March 14 the line will finally be drawn in the sand…or snow, rather.  College teams from throughout the country will once again battle it out at Red Bull Snow Warz to determine the most skilled school on snow.  Teams consisting of 4-6 college student skiers and snowboarders will face off at Mammoth Mountain on a progressive slope style course in a unique jam-session format.  Both team and individual awards will be given and riders will be judged on style, magnitude and overall difficulty of tricks.  Top pro riders and industry leaders will judge the event, so teams had better bring their A game, as bragging rights and a soon-to-be announced grand prize are on the line.

This is the fourth year of Red Bull Snow Warz, and the first time the event has been held at scenic Mammoth Mountain.  In 2008, 48 teams from more than 30 schools went to war at Northstar-at-Tahoe™ Resort, with a total of 233 students competing.  The University of Nevada-Reno completely dominated the event, taking home top honors as two teams from the school battled it out for first and second place.  The winning team took home a prize package of snow gear from Capita Snowboards and received an all-expense paid trip to a Red Bull event of their choice.  This year the school is looking to repeat their victory and once again own the snow.

For more info go to www.snowwarz.com

REGISTRATION DEADLINE
Please register with your Red Bull Student Brand Manager on your campus or register your team at info@snowwarz.com by February 23rd.
Please include: Your school name, team member names (snowboard or ski) and contact info for the team captain (phone number and email).
There is no entry fee

SCHEDULE
Friday, March 13th
3 - 8pm - Registration in the Village at Mammoth

Saturday, March 14th
9am - 10am - Open Ride
10am - 1:30pm - Jam format competition
1:45pm - 3pm - Jam format final
6pm - Awards ceremony and after party

WHERE
1 Minaret Rd. Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546
1-800-MAMMOTH

WHO
College students, whether in a campus ski/snowboard club or not, who want to show their skills and represent their school. (Schools can enter more than one team).

For all media inquiries including team interviews, event history and past photos, please contact Scott Houston at 310-740-7099 or scott.houston@us.redbull.com or visit www.redbull-photofiles.com.

NO CORRECT WAY— For Sale on iTunes

There is No Correct Way to have fun.  There is No Correct Way to progress.  There is No Correct Way to express style.  There is No Correct Way to travel.

There is No Correct Way to shred snowboards.

The Rome SDS and Kids on Shred Productions are pleased to announce the release of their second full-length team video—No Correct Way—directly to your computer exclusively through iTunes on February 16th, 2009 for $5.99.

The Rome SDS once again provides a visual assault to the brain of snowboarding—any type, anytime, anywhere—and they bring it to you with their unique outlook of fun and friends. The film takes you into the travels, lives and good times of the Rome team from Romania to Western BC to their Magic Bus as it rolls down the West Coast of the USA.

With shred action from Bjorn Leines, Marie-France Roy, Marius Otterstad, LNP, Jesse Fox, Eiki Helgason, Max Legend, Yan Dofin, Will Lavigne, John Foy, Casey Neefus, Greg Bokenkamp, and the rest of the AmArmy, the movie is centered around what each rider personally defines as fun.

Thanks to Transworld Snowboarding, Onboard Magazine and Snowboard Canada for their support of the movie.

Stay tuned to www.romesnowboards.com for more Rome SDS updates and grab your copy of the movie on February 16th, 2009 directly from iTunes.

From the TransWorld story in the Jan 2009 Issue of TransWorld Snowboarding.

Check Kevin Zachers Photography from the trip HERE

Luck favors the prepared. When the perfect conditions finally materialize will you be ready to elevate your riding to the next level? Absinthe Films spent the winter exploring various states of preparedness. Keeping it fresh with diversity and an infusion of new blood: Kevin Pearce, Jeremy Jones, Scotty Lago, Cale Zima and Keegan Valaika joined Gigi Rüf, Wolfgang Nyvelt, Romain de Marchi, Mikey LeBlanc and Nicolas Müller to concoct another Absinthe Films original. In a world where the digital format has taken over the industry, Absinthe remains committed to documenting these amazing riders with the most timeless and stylish medium: Film. Following up to last year’s question ‘Optimistic?’, Absinthe answers with a crew of riders who overcome obstacles with spontaneity and skill in another full spectrum snowboard film that is down to have some more fun with snowboarding. Ready.

riders:

Gigi Rüf
Jeremy Jones
Kevin Pearce
JP Solberg
Romain deMarchi
Matt Beardmore
Bjorn Leines
Scotty Lago
Jules Reymond
Chris Coulter
Markus Keller
Blair Habenicht
Marco Feichtner
Mikey LeBlanc
Matty Ryan
Keegan Valaika
Wolfgang Nyvelt
Cale Zima
Annie Boulanger
Nate Bozung
Nicolas Müller

length:
50 mins

GO TO THE iTUNES STORE HERE TO DOWNLOAD

The 22-footer.

Check back soon for more photos.

I know everyone has been on the edge of their seats waiting for the results of the FIS Snowboard World Cup this weekend … or not. In what I hope isn’t an ominous foreshadowing of 2010, the Saturday pipe contest was about half of what the X Games and Dew Tour series have been this winter, with no fault going to the riders themselves. There was alot of mumbling from the riders about it being under vert, too short, and chewed up, which might not have totally been the fault of the pipe crew from Arena Snowparks—the same crew that builds the Whistler Pipe and the epic Camp Of Champions summer park. The crew got all of three days to fashion the pipe in the shorter-than-it-should-be dirt shell. The under-vertness made for some harsh deck outs especially on day one practice. The pipe crew also hopefully wasn’t responsible for the location. No Vancouver skyline, no ocean backdrops, just some dark trees. Blah.

Cypress Mountain has been taking some major PR hits recently starting with last weekends Freestyle Ski World Cup where the resort threatened to tow competitors cars and put signs up at the main lodge saying “No Access For Athletes.” Believe it or not. In what is becoming an Olympic locations trend, local riders considered the two other local mountains, Seymour and Grouse, better options for boarders and were pretty surprised when Cypress was selected to host all of the snowboard events.

The women’s podium.

To give you the short of it, in the women’s pipe, Torah Bright made it through her first air-to-fakie before crashing on her cab 700 on her first run—an easy combo for her that won her X Games gold a few weeks ago. Gretchen never really got the hang of this pipe, either, not finding the speed she needed. The always positive and upbeat Torah summed up the scene: “This should have been the best pipe of the season and it was probably the worst.” Ouch. Kelly Clark won the whole things on her first run and 18-year-old Chinese dynamo Jiayu Liu came in second on the podium with Hannah in third. Jiayu looks to be a potential threat for another women’s Olympic sweep.

The men’s podium. (Shaun had his hand and wrist wrapped up in the finals.)

In the men’s pipe, the Canadians had two riders in finals including Brad Martin, who stuck the only 12 of the day on his last hit, and newcomer Jeff Batchelor—a crowd favorite and definitely one to watch. Scotty Lago also had some great effortless runs, getting the height and finesse as far as I could tell—he just didn’t stick his run in the finals. On their second practice runs Shaun White peeled back his thumb and Iouri Podladtchikov painfully scorpioned, but both came back for victory. Shaun took the lead with a mandatory straight air (FIS rules—more on that later), a back 9, back-to-back 10s and an alley-oop rodeo on his first run and held onto it despite a solid surge from Japan’s Ryoh Aono. Iouri charged from sixth into third on his second run. All three riders stuck back to back 1080s, which is interesting insight into next year’s Olympic judging. In some more Olympic foreshadowing, the mainstream media is trying out some new nicknames for Shaun including “The Robot,” “The Animal” (You heard it here first!) and believe it or not, they seem to still be hanging onto the flying tomato. Brace yourself for it.

While the pipe was hurting, the GS racers (yes, snowboard racing) had it the worst of all. The plan of mowing down the boardercross course and setting up a racecourse in a day didn’t work. The sugary snow didn’t set up, so the hardbooters went home without a race and I’m pretty sure the riders were the ones who made the call to cancel the race, not the officials—an embarrassing situation for the race organizers.

Not to go into details on a situation that has been going on since snowboarding first slammed into the FIS, I’ll just note that the first stop in the long road to the Olympics are everything you could hope they wouldn’t be.  I could go on, but I won’t …

Women’s Halfpipe Results
1. Kelly Clark (USA)
2. Jiayu Liu (CHN)
3. Hannah Teter (USA)

Men’s Halfpipe Results
1. Shaun White (USA)
2. Ryoh Aono (JPN)
3. Iouri Podladtchikov (SUI)

Women’s Snowboardcross Results
1. Lindsey Jacobellis (USA)
2. Olivia Nobs (SUI)
3. Helene Olafsen (NOR)
4.  Maelle Ricker (CAN)

Men’s Snowboardcross Results
1. Markus Schairer (AUT)
2. Mike Robertson (CAN)
3. Seth Wescott (USA)
4. Francois Boivin (CAN)

Matix celebrated it’s tenth anniversary with a book relase party of “This Is Progress,” a 280 page book
Q & A, pictorial on Matix as a brand through the eyes of our contributors; Daewon Song, Marc Johnson, Rick McCrank, Rudy Johnson, Mikey LeBlanc, Giovanni Reda, Anthony Acosta, Richie Knapp, Paul Park & Colin Kennedy.  Leblanc was there holding it down for the snow side of things, woo. Find out more at matixclothing.com

Heavenly OPENS ONLINE REGISTRATION FOR JACKPOT RAIL JAM EVENT

WHO: Heavenly Mountain Resort

WHAT: Jackpot Rail Jam Series; Event 1

WHERE: Base of World Cup, Heavenly Mountain Resort, Calif.

WHEN: Saturday, February 28, 2009; 3:30pm – 7:00pm

SUMMARY: Heavenly Mountain Resort has opened online registration for the popular Jackpot Rail Jam Series at www.skiheavenly.com/parks select News & Events in the bottom bar and click on Jackpot Registration. Registration is open to the first 50 competitors for the kick-off event to be held February 28, 2009 at the base of World Cup at Heavenly’s California base. Open registration will be held in the Heavenly Race Department the day of the event from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm if spots are available. Registration is $10 and competitors will receive a Jackpot Rail Jam T-shirt while supplies last.

Participants are competing for a place in the March 28^th Jackpot Rail Jam Finals which boasts a $4,000 cash purse prize in addition to sponsor gear. The three qualifying events will be held February 28, March 14 and March 21; the top five competitors in each category will qualify for the final event. Awards will be given to top finishers in men’s skiing and snowboarding, women’s skiing and snowboarding and overall best trick. This judged event is designed for skiers and snowboarders who are comfortable on advanced rail features who want to battle the best for a spot in the finals and some sweet prizes.

Prizes for the qualifying events include: Automaton snowboards, Moment skis, Solstice clothing, Neff gear, VonZipper goggles, Skullcandy headphones, DaKine bags, Freeskier gear, Bern helmets and items from Ride, Flatline, Eesa, Smith, Landing, Girl Powder and BettyRides.com.

Jackpot Rail Jam Dates:

· Saturday, March 14, 2009; Base of World Cup; online registration begins March 1.

· Saturday, March 21, 2009; Base of World Cup; online registration begins March 15.

· Saturday, March 28, 2009; Base of World Cup; invited athletes only.

All dates are subject to weather and conditions.

For more information, please call (775) 586-4461 or visit www.skiheavenly.com/parks.

FREERIDE DE CHAMONIX-MONT-BLANC
4th Freeride World Qualifier of the season

RESULTS: Freeride World Qualifier - Freeride de Chamonix Ranking 15/02/09
Men Snowboard: Aurelien Routens (FRA), Emilien Badoux (SUI), Julien Falco (SUI)
Women Snowboard: Nathalie Zenklusen (SUI), Fanny Gras (FRA), Aline Bock (GER)
See the full results here: cham09_results

The Freeride World Qualifier in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, an amazing success
The results are logical… among the numerous riders at the ‘Pentes de l’Hôtel’ – the Brevent ski area – who came to compete in the Freeride de Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, Freeride World Qualifier, skiers and snowboarders from the Freeride World Tour took key spots on the various podiums. In the end Aurelien Routens (FRA) and Nathalie Zenklusen (SUI) win in snowboard.

Where better than Chamonix, the Mecca for outdoor sports, to bring together those passionate about freeride?

Everything was in place for the amazing show: sunshine, low temperatures, cold snow, a spot loved by the locals, the ‘Hôtel du Brévent’ – 400 vertical meters on a steep slope facing east – and 92 riders anxious to reveal their talent taking on the face! A village set up at the bottom of the slope for the pleasure of the spectators (mostly French and foreign tourists) as well as fans of the discipline who came to admire the courage and creativity of the riders.

Among the favorites anxiously awaited at the start Aline Bock (GER) in snowboard and Ane Enderud (NOR) (1st and 2nd of the Freeride World Ranking 2009 before this competition).

The requests for participation flooded in for this certified Freeride World Qualifier (FWQ), more than 200. A unique occasion to bring together local riders (among which there are the world’s best including Aurelien Ducroz) yet all the top skiers and snowboarders who spend their winters in the valley to take advantage of all the Mont Blanc area has to offer, as well as all those who decided to come to this world renowned resort. This was their opportunity to compete and earn points towards the Freeride World Ranking 2009.
Freeride is an integral part of the culture in Chamonix. To ski steep slopes like mountaineering have been the pillars of this valley for many years. The best skiers have faces and couloirs named after them. First called steep slope skiing, then extreme skiing is now called freeride. This discipline is historically linked to Chamonix-Mont-Blanc.

Our strategy is to bring people from all over the world to our valley to discover the beauty and quality of life here. Today, this is accomplished through events such as the Freeride de Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, which is a new means of expression through off-piste skiing.” Mr. Eric Fournier, Mayor of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc.

“For the organization of such an event, we are very attentive to the security issues and emergency management, which is a part of daily life in the valley. We also put forth our efforts to prevention; this is why we reiterate to the public the fact that the athletes participating in this event have extensive knowledge and experience. We would like to show their exemplary preparation. We are doing everything possible so that this first ever Freeride de Chamonix-Mont-Blanc is a success; we of course are happy with the exceptional snowfall this season!” Mr. Jean-Louis Verdier, Head of the Security Commission of the Chamonix-Mont-Blanc Mayor’s Office

Freeride de Chamonix-Mont-Blanc Results
Aurelien Routens wins
Aurelien Routens wins the competition ahead of 2 men from Switzerland: Emilien Badoux and Julien Falco. Between the winner and those following, the line choice made the difference. Jonas Emery (SUI, 7th) just missed the victory with the most interesting line choice yet with an unfortunate fall at the end of the run, the podium took a different turn.

Deception for Aline Bock
In the women’s snowboard competition, the level was quite similar for most participants. Nathalie Zenklusen (SUI) won ahead of Fanny Gras (FRA) and ALine Bock (GER), winner of the Nissan Russian Adventure in Sochi.

www.freeridechamonix.com

Variety Pack presents “not bad!,” a dvd/web video project featuring riders from all over the globe. 3 teaser edits will be released throughout the season in addition to crew updates & resort edits as well. DVD drops summer 2009 & is being distributed exclusively through Celtek gloves.

Riders:
Alex Andrews
Mark Sollors
Ben Hanisch
JP Tomich
Matt Belzile
Sean Black
Cam Pierce
Trevor Rhoda
Max Honegger
Ted Borland
Clint Allan
Brandon Hammid
Gulli Gudmondsson
Andrew Burns
Steve Cartwright
Max Baillargeon
Chris Grenier
Jed Anderson
Drew Fuller
Jody Wachniak
Knut Eliassen
Jesmond Dubeau
Derek Dennison
Mac Spedale
Matt Piasecki
Ben Farrell
Bode Merrill
Chris Brewster

Tahoe Legends of Snowboarding
“Vintage Snowboard Freeride”
Donner Ski Ranch, Norden, CA - Saturday, March 14, 2009

Event Schedule:
Registration:                    8:30 AM – 10:30 AM
(In the lodge, back room main floor)
Legends/Early Pros Freeride            11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
(Palisades -2 runs – best score)
Vintage Clothing Costume Contest        1:00 PM
Riverbottom Nightmare    (Band #1)        1:15 PM – 2:00 PM
Chunks of Metal  (Band #2)            2:15 PM – 3:00 PM
Awards (contest and legends)            3:00 PM
Chunks of Metal                    3:30 PM

Mogul Classes:
Legends/Early Pro: must have competed in one of the following:
a.    1983 – 89 World Championships
b.    1983 – 89 US Open
c.    1985 – Sierra Snowboarding Championships, Soda Springs, CA
d.    1986 – Subaru Snowboarding Championships, Donner Ski Ranch
e.    1987 – 89 California State Snowboarding Series or Ragen’ at the Ranch Snowboard Series.
f.    Any OP PRO snowboarding events or the US Open, 1989 or earlier.
g.     You were invited because you’re a legend. Approved by race committee: Don Bostick, Mike Chantry and Tom Collins.
Entry Fee: $20.00 towards the purse
Public: you started snowboarding in 1990 or later, you’re not a legend but you’re important and you’re rad! Prize will be awarded to top riders, all ages invited!

Snowboards: pre 1993 or earlier! Must be approved by Mike Chantry.
We are not so concerned about bindings.

Breck locals hit the park

Travis tells us the story behind the Feb 2009 TransWorld Snowboarding Cover. All Photos Tim Zimmerman

Video by Greg Wheeler

Did you miss it? Subscribe now and don’t miss another.  It’s easy, click here now.

The FEB 2009 Newstand “Sheer Terror” Travis Rice Cover seen in Magazine shops worldwide

The Subscriber Version with Full Page Cover Photo

C2 POWER BANANA
Wins Innovation of the Year Award!

The Gnu B Pro BTX featuring C2 Power Banana Technology and Magne-Traction was awarded SIA’s Snowpress Innovation Award at the 2009 Las Vegas Trade show!  The innovation award honors the best innovations in the snowsports industry for the 2009/2010 Season.   C2 Power Banana is designed for aggressive all terrain freestyle riders and features Banana Tech rocker between your feet combined with cambers at each end of the board.  This Banana Camber combination offers the best features of Banana Tech…float in powder in both directions, carving on harpack and ice and a catchfree freestyle performance with the best features of camber…end to end stability, and extra pop for strong aggressive riders.  Power Banana is also available in the Lib Tech Travis Rice and Dark Series, as well as Gnu Danny Kass and Temple Cummins series. Travis Rice won the X Games big air on a Power Banana T Rice model!  Torah Bright won the X Games half pipe and US open on a BTX Power Banana. Keep your Banana between your legs!

www.mervin.com

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NIKITA CHICKITA USA 2009

Nikita Chickita USA 2009 is nearly here!  In it’s fifth year, it is still one of the only all-girls armature inclusive events in the world, a popular contest and a super fun day.  Chickita is open to all female snowboarders of all ages and abilities. The slopestyle competition will be taking place in Mammoth’s Unbound South Park on Saturday, February 21^st.  The forecast is looking good and we hope to have Mother Nature on our side again this year with great snow and sunshine for the contest.

Online registration is still open so sign up before the kick-off date, February 21st, is upon us - https://www.signmeup.com/site/reg/register.aspx?fid=FQ2V8K7.  Last year’s winners Isabelle Lalive (Pro) and Alice Gong (Am) had an amazing time taking part, both on and off the slopes.  It’s a great time and all the girls really encourage each other. Nikita team riders Magalie DuBois, Vera Janssen, Gabby Maiden, Femke Henriques, Madison Blackley and more will be in attendance at this coming Chickita event.

Mammoth’s Unbound South Park staff will be doing a great job again this year making sure the park is in top shape.  The course will consist of 3 jumps with a larger and smaller takeoff option followed by 2-3 jibs in the lower portion.  Each rider will get two qualifying runs with the best score counted.  The top five Ams and top five Pros will advance, where all riders will compete together in the finals.  Riders will then be ranked and awarded according to their divisions.

Skilled judges will be watching out for rider’s use of features, ability and style.  There will be plenty of opportunity to show your flair and creativity at this comp.!

Event sponsors Nikita, plus DaKine, Osiris, Coal, Fender, Seychelles and BC Footwear, Luna Bar, Pom Pom, Lomography, Celsius, Flux, and Omatic are throwing down product for gift bags as well as the top 3 Am winners. Am riders will also be riding head to head competing for the year sponsorship with Nikita. Pro riders will be riding for the cash prize doled out that night at the awards ceremony. First prize will receive $1,000, second will get $700 while the gal with the best trick of the day will leave $300 happier. USA Media partners Venus Zine and Transworld Snowboarding will be in the thick of it so be sure to tune in.

The day will go as follows:

8:00 – 9:30 am Registration in Roma’s Room (level 3 Main Lodge)

10:30 am Rider’s Meeting top of South Park

11:00 am Game on ladies!

Cash and prizes will be handed out at Lakanuki Bar in Mammoth Village around 9:00 pm. The Black Tales (http://www.myspace.com/theblacktales) from LA will be in town the night of the event to finish things off so pack those dancing shoes ladies. DJ Episode will wrap up the evening and keep all of Mammoth dancing the night away.

only 40 runs


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[Squaw Valley USA] February 12, 2009 - This ski season Helly Hansen is bringing the excitement of all-mountain skiing to select North American resorts with its newest series - The Big Mountain Battle. The unique competition challenges teams of skiers and riders to explore their favorite resort from top to bottom, for a chance to win an all-expense-paid trip to the finals in Aspen/Snowmass. The Big Mountain Battle comes to Squaw Valley USA on February 21, 2009.

The Squaw Valley USA Big Mountain Battle is one of five tour stops. At each stop teams of two take on courses designed by Helly Hansen and Backcountry.com athlete Chris Davenport. Each team (ski, snowboard, or mixed) must complete the hikes. Participants will be using a Flaik GPS device to track their performance. Teams can ski anywhere once they have completed the designated bowls for extra points. The top three teams to complete the hikes, course and checkpoints in the fastest times are awarded prizes. Other categories any team can win after completing the designated bowls include Fastest Hike, Most Vertical, Most Runs and Most Lift Rides. The overall top finishing team wins a trip to Aspen/Snowmass to compete in the Big Mountain Battle Finals on March 24, 2009.

The Squaw Valley USA Big Mountain Battle begins at 10 am on Saturday, February 21. The event entry fee is $75 per team. Lunch and Rogue Beer (for those old enough to indulge), will be provided for all competitors at the awards ceremony, following the competition. Flaik GPS’s will be providing real time stats on each team, and each participant receives Helly Hansen Lifa long underwear pants or shirt. Entry is limited to the first 100 teams to register.

To register for the Helly Hansen Big Mountain Battle at Squaw Valley USA, log on to www.hellyhansen.com/bigmountainbattle/.

The most up-to-date resort conditions, operation schedules, events and live mountain cams are available on www.squaw.com.

NXTZ Gear officially launched its 2010 line of products during X Games last week, and also had exclusive offerings at SIA and ISPO this past week

“NXTZ…THE PERFECT BLEND OF FASHION AND FUNCTION USING HIGH-TECH, BREATHABLE FABRICS AND CHIC, EYE-CATCHING PATTERNS AND COLORS.”

NXTZ is an action sports based accessory brand catering to winter sports. Focused around the ski and snowboard genre, NXTZ has always positioned itself as being the next big thing, with the next cool fabric print and as the next cool accessory.

NXTZ is a fashionable neck warmer made of the best fabrics on earth. The four letters, N,X,T,Z, do not form an acronym, but rather a noun and adverb phrase consisting of a double meaning. “Neck Steeze”, and also “NEXT Steeze”. NXTZ believes in both fashion and function with the use of high-tech materials, and capitalizing on the exclusive limited edition designer fabrics. NXTZ provides a way for riders to accessorize the neck area in a flashy and matching array of colors and patterns.

NXTZ was started in the basement of a New Hampshire home tucked in the heart of the White Mountains. In a region that knows cold weather, there is no better testing ground than right outside your door. Whether you wear it on your face or tucked around your neck, this ultra-soft technical garment is sure to keep you warm and looking good. NXTZ has changed the drab throw away neck warmer into a high end fashion piece that stands out and performs beyond all conventional fleeces and cotton t-shirt sleeves. What makes NXTZ stand out from the many other neck and face warmers on the market is the dual-layer design: a stylish stretch spandex on the outside, and an ultrasoft moisture-free micro-fiber fleece on the inside. The combination of these fabrics allows for a soft, stylish and highly breathable garment that can be comfortably worn on and off the snow. “Function was our most important obstacle when designing the line,” says Marketing and Sales Director Andrew Mutty. “I grew up using cheap neck warmers made of cotton bandanas and generic fleece furs. Our goal was to make something not only super comfortable, but also something with stylish and unique fabrics.”

NXTZ jumped into the market this past X Games and made a huge splash on some of the Games’ top athletes. The one and only Antti Autti wore his NXTZ on the podium as he finished 3rd in Superpipe this past X Games and two members of the FRENDS crew stood tall with silver medals wearing NXTZ, Scotty Lago (Slopestyle), and Kevin Pearce (Superpipe). NXTZ team rider Tim Humphreys showed the world NXTZ when he flashed the logo to 6 million household televisions as he dropped into his runs in the Slopestyle finals.
NXTZ business extends beyond individual athlete sponsorship, and branches out to make custom embroidery for some of the industry’s biggest crews and manufacturers. Scotty Lago and Kevin Pearce did not wear a plain NXTZ, but they rocked official FRENDS crew NXTZ custom embroidered. NXTZ also partnered with OAKLEY, and supplied the brand’s athletes and employees of X Games with official NXTZ product, to help keep everyone warm and stylish.

NXTZ will officially be launched in September of 2009, in specialty retail stores. NXTZ is also offering pre-release sales of the product online through www.nxtz.com. Don’t be left out in the cold. Grab the hottest accessory on the neck market…. NXTZ. Available online now!

www.nxtz.com

February 7th, 2009

Billabong Flaunt It made it out to the Rockies for the tours second Flaunt It event at Mount Norquay, in Banff, AB. A Chinook brought in some really warm weather for the weekend, which made it quite different from last years -30 degree Celsius temperature. The warm and sunny conditions were perfect for the all girls slopestyle and rail jam. The event was filled with cheers & smiles as the girls enjoyed the park all to themselves. Flaunt It Norquay once again displayed a high level of talent and style of riding from all the competitors.

RESULTS FLAUNT IT NORQUAY

SLOPESTYLE

1st Breanna Stangeland
2nd Taylor Godber
3rd Brooke Voigt
4th Kallie Murray
5th Taryn Cowling

BEST TRICK RAIL JAM

1st Breanna Stangeland
2nd Gillian Andrewshenko
3rd Brooke Voigt

BILLIE GIRLS PRIZE (under 16)

Adriane Cairns

Billabong will be back on the east coast February 21st at Blue Mountain resort in Ontario for the third Flaunt It event of the 2009 tour. In addition to the regular stop, there will be a Flaunt It After Party at Rusty’s in the Blue Mountain village!
Don’t forget to check out website for results, pictures & more info at http://www.billabong.com/flauntit/.

Get the Flash Player to see this player. The Chile Freeride Camp crew throwing it down in NH

The Winter Dew Tour today announced the schedule of events for its final stop of the inaugural season, the Toyota Championship, held Feb. 19-22 at Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort in Truckee, Calif.  The world’s top snowboard and freeski athletes, including Shaun White, Torah Bright and Simon Dumont, will compete for the coveted Dew Cup and a share of the $1.5 million prize purse offered in Northstar at the end of the three-stop series.

Leading the series in the snowboard disciplines are top athletes Shaun White, (first in slopestyle and superpipe), Kelly Clark (superpipe) and Spencer O’Brien (slopestyle). White recently took home X Games gold in both disciplines and is looking to be the first Dew Tour athlete to be crowned Dew Cup champion on the Summer Dew Tour and Winter Dew Tour. Key contenders to compete in women’s snowboard slopestyle in Tahoe include recent X Games gold medalist Jenny Jones, and silver medalist O’Brien. In superpipe, X Games silver medalist Scotty Lago will join bronze medalist Mikkel Bang in their attempts to unseat White. X Games gold medalist Torah Bright will be looking for her first Dew Tour win of the season in the superpipe.

A few notable athletes to compete in Tahoe are as follows:

SNB Pipe Men: Shaun White, Louie Vito, JJ Thomas, Torstein Horgmo, Trevor Jacob, Andy Finch
SNB Pipe Women:  Hannah Teter, Ellery Hollingsworth, Torah Bright, Kjersti Buaas, Elena Hight
SNB Slope Men:  Shaun White, Mikkel Bang, Andreas Wiig, Torstein Horgmo,
SNB Slope Women: Jenny Jones, Torah Bright, Kjersti Buaas, Spencer O’Brien
SKI Pipe Men: Tanner Hall, Simon Dumont, Jossi Wells, Byron Wells, Dan Marion
SKI Slope Men: TJ Schiller, Simon Dumont, Bobby Brown, Jossi Wells, Charles Gagnier, PK Hunder, Jacob Wester, Peter Olenick
The schedule of events is as follows:

Thursday, February 19
11:00AM - 2:30PM     Mens/Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle Prelims
Noon - 1:30PM        Men’s Freeski Superpipe Prelims

Friday, February 20
10:00AM - 12:30PM    Men’s Freeski Slopestyle Prelims
2:00PM - 3:30PM    Men’s/Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle Final
5:00PM - 7:00PM    Concert in Festival Village – Common and Tweak Bird

Saturday, February 21
10:00AM - 1:00PM    Men’s/Women’s Snowboard Superpipe Prelims
11:30AM - 1:00PM    Men’s Freeski Slopestyle Final
3:00PM - 3:30PM    Women’s Freeski Slopestyle Exhibition
6:00PM - 7:30PM    Men’s Freeski Superpipe Final

Sunday, February 22
11:00AM - 11:30AM    Women’s Freeski Superpipe Exhibition
Noon - 3:00PM        Men’s/Women’s Snowboard Superpipe Final

*****SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE*****

TV Schedule
NBC        Saturday, Feb. 21th    2:30pm-4:00pm EST        SKI Slope Men Finals
NBC        Sunday, Feb. 22st    4:00pm-6:00pm EST         SNB Pipe Women/ Men Finals

USA Network    Friday, Feb. 20th     Midnight-1:00am EST        SNB Slope Women/ Men Finals
USA Network    Saturday, Feb. 21th     Midnight-1:00am EST        SKI Pipe Men Finals

Similar to the Dew Tour’s summer competition structure, the Winter Dew Tour is based on a cumulative points system as the top snow athletes battle it out for a piece of the $1.5 million prize purse and the chance to take home the Dew Cup at the conclusion of the season in February.

The complete 2008/09 Winter Dew Tour schedule is as follows:

Event            Date            Location
Stop 1            Dec. 18-21, 2008    Breckenridge, Colo.—Breckenridge Ski Resort
Stop 2            Jan. 8-11, 2009        West Dover, Vt.—Mount Snow Resort
Toyota Championship    Feb. 19-22, 2009    Truckee, Calif.—Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort

16years old

Empire Vaudreuil


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Feb. 10, 2009 - Portland, OR – The local non-profit dedicated to bringing students to the snowy hills had a successful first trip last Saturday. The Snowdays volunteers arrived at Self Enhancement Inc. (SEI), a charter school in North Portland, excited and anxious for the first trip of the season.

The usual morning routine took place on Saturday. All the middle and high school students going on the snowboarding trip were given snow gear to change into and offered healthy snacks to get their bodies ready for the day. This process usually takes the better part of the morning but this time the students were on it and made it out of the big glass double doors in record time at 8:20 a.m.

Ten students piled into the vans and quickly took over ipod control. As the vocals of Mary J. Blige crooned from the speakers, the vans made their way to Timberline lodge. At the lodge the students crammed their feet into rental boots, grabbed their snowboards and filed out the doors into the unseasonably sunny weather. Though it was bright there was a chill of 40 degrees in the air. This was no upset for any of the ten students who made the trip as they got right to business and strapped in.

Seven of the ten SEI students were returning Snowdays participants and three were new to the whole snowboarding gig. The morning was spent going over the basics on the bunny hill as one 6th grader was overheard saying, “snowboarding is way harder than it looks. I need to practice stopping. I’m way out of control.” By lunchtime all were in good spirits and chowed down on the feast of bag lunch goodies: PB&J, fruit snacks, juice boxes…

After grubbing down a mini jump session commenced with half the students giving it their all. Some caught air and some caught their edges but all had a blast. By 2:30 the fun wrapped up, the rentals were returned and everyone loaded back into the vans to make the meandering drive back to the city.

Jolene Wilson, a Snowdays vet, commented, “I am so excited about Snowdays this year. We have 7 scheduled trips, our volunteer base is solid and all of our past partners are sticking with us this season. I’m stoked to be part of such a great group of people!”

February 10, 2009 – Xavier de le Rue has won the 2009 Swatch O’Neill Big Mountain Pro after being voted best snowboarder as well as the overall winner of the competition with his signature dynamic and fluid riding.

“I thought coming into this competition that Cody Townsend was going to win the overall competition,” said Xavier. “But when we were watching the videos it was so cool that everyone was cheering after my runs. Then I started to think that maybe I could win it.”

For taking both prizes, French snowboarder Xavier walks away with $20,000 which he says he will “spend on a nice holiday with my family.”

Last year’s winner Jeremy Jones who was voted in second place, was happy to see his friend take victory: “It’s been an amazing week,” said Jeremy. “Xavier’s riding is always incredible to watch.”

After an intense judging session, the riders are now off to celebrate the end of a successful week of near-perfect riding conditions and incredible snow at “Gosstall” in Saalbach Hinterglem with DJ Gitta Saxx and the Urban Knights from London.

Earlier this morning, the final day of competition was cancelled as the clouds came in earlier than predicted.

“This morning was off because the early morning window closed and the risk of having flat light was too big to hold the contest on that face,” said event director Nicolas Hale Woods.

However with four very different competition faces completed in good weather and on amazing snow, this year’s Big Mountain Pro has been the best yet for Nicolas and the riders.

“For me it’s been the best edition of the Big Mountain Pro for the main reason that we’ve had very good snow conditions,” said Nicolas. “We’ve been able to make it work with the weather, and we haven’t had to drive too much,” he said. “We were so welcomed in Austria. And very simply riders are smiling and that is the key.”

For Fredrik Evensen it was his first Big Mountain Pro and his first venture into a freeriding competition.

“It’s been fun,” he said. “I’ve learnt a lot. It’s been a great experience for me.”

“The funniest thing has been having to pick a line before I drop in. It’s the first time I’ve ever planned where I’m going. What surprised me the first time dropping in is instead of being four turns as I had thought, it was one. I had to improvise a bit,” he said.

“When I do freeestyle riding I don’t worry about safety precautions. It’s been good to get a reality check,” Fredrik said. “My understanding of the mountain has really improved.”

“I want to continue freeriding. Freestyle riding is what I do, but I hope it will change. I’m tired of doing the same jump for the last ten years. I want to try something new. I’m not sure I want to do anything too crazy. The tree runs were what I loved. That’s my thing.”

Watch all the highlights from the 2009 Swatch O’Neill Big Mountain Pro on www.oneilltv.com.

RIDERS

Jeremy Jones
Fredrik Evensen
Mitch Toelderer
Xavier de le Rue
Eric Themel
Thomas Eberharter

QUICK FACTS

What: The most original and innovative freeride contest on the planet
When: February 3 – February 10, 2009
Where: The Alps
Start location: St. Anton, Arlberg range, Austria
Finish location: Saalbach-Hinterglemm in Austria
Who: 12 of the best freeriders in the world – 6 skiers and 6 snowboarders
Prizemoney: $ 60.000

Get the Flash Player to see this player. Evolve Chile is the sickest freeride camp in South America. Our crew have put together a series of episodes for the season leading up to summer ‘09

In 1999 Oakley asked Terje Haakonsen if he would be interested in doing a special / interactive event with several top riders, to which Haakonsen shared his idea for a new event format. Snowboarding contests had gone stale in format and the industry was hungry for someone to step in and make a change. Upon hearing the news of Terje’s idea for a new approach to an event format, Oakley and TAC crew began the progression of what The Oakley Arctic Challenge is today.

The Oakley Arctic Challenge (TAC) has been the smart fox on the competitive snowboarding scene now for many years. Free from corporate constraints, Terje and his crew have been able to implement new ideas faster and more unexpectedly then any other contest. By 2001 TAC had built the first 10-meter Quarterpipe and 6-meter Pipe; redefining snow architecture for snowboard contests. Even today, with live TV and huge arena productions, TAC is able to keep the essence of the pure jam format that was originally developed back in 1999.

Every snowboard air that has gone above the 9-meter mark in a Quarterpipe, has taken place at TAC: Heikki Sorsa was the first with his legendary world record 9.3-meter air in 2001 – which stood until 2007, when Terje set the new world record air at 9.8-meters, that same year Jake Blauvelt went 9.4 meters in a very special final round.

TAC was also Shaun White’s first International contest win in the six-meter Pipe contest in 2001. Additionally this year could be where Kevin Pearce scores the first TAC hat trick with three consecutive title wins (Kevin has one the last two Quarterpipe contests – 2007 and 2008).

This event is not only special for experimenting with formats, but also with the food. Serving good healthy food since 1999, TAC was the first sports event in Norway serving all organic food in 2003. For the 10-year anniversary they are taking this a step further by making the event even greener.

As a privately funded project (by the Norwegian Bergesen Stiftelse) renewable energy is replacing fossil power, all garbage and materials are recycled, the riders can borrow electric cars, the hotel is environmental certified, the food is organic, the spectators get free bus rides to the arena and the crew is being educated. We are not only talking about a next generation green event, TAC will be living breathing proof of one.

The rider field is once again stacked with heavy hitters, taking center stage as always. Only 24 will earn the golden ticket, but what a ride they will earn: The perfect arena, full house of screaming Norwegians, the legendary parties, the service, the exposure and the fun that has always been what TAC is all about. So far the following riders are confirmed: Kevin Pearce, Travis Rice, Danny Davis, Terje Haakonsen, Peetu Pieroinen, Risto Mattila, Shayne Pospisil, Anti Autti, Colin Frei, Henning Marthinsen, Gian Simmen, Iouri Podlatchikov and Dustin Craven.

Make sure to check out the new and improved website at: TAC.no and additional coverage at Oakley.com/tac.

COME CELEBRATE WITH US! 

It’s finally here, THIS IS PROGRESS; a Q & A, pictorial on Matix as a brand through the eyes of our contributors.

BOOK SIGNING (with all contributors); Hennessey + Ingalls Bookstore, LA 6-8pm
AFTER PARTY; Ford Brady/ Kim Sing Theater 9pm

(please RSVP for the after party)
PROGRESSBOOK@MATIXCLOTHING.COM

Danny Larsen, Austria. Photo: Joel Fraser.

Here’s a collection of photographs from Capita staff photographer, Joel Fraser, taken last season on the road with his board and his friends. “I count myself lucky to be able to make a living traveling the world and sharing good times with good folks. Although, sometimes it’s a struggle, and I often miss my wife and dog, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world! I grew up on a steady diet of skating, shredding and the imagery in the magazines – which all helped make me who I am today! My experience has taught me to remember to not to take life too seriously, you only have one, so why waste it being bitter?”

- Joel Fraser

To see more of Joel’s photography check out… joelfraser.com andjoelfraserphotography.blogspot.com

VOLCOM STONE PRESENTS LOVE BYETZ!

VOLCOM STONE’S FIRST ALL FEMALE ART COLLECTION ‘LOVE BYETZ!’ IS NOW SHOWING THE MONTH OF FEBURARY THRU MID-MARCH AT THE VOLCOM STORE 126 LA BREA, LA.

VOLCOM GIRL’S SPRING 09’ FEATURED ART COLLECTION FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER IS COMPOSED OF ALL FEMALE ARTISTS. TO SUPPORT THIS COLLABORATION THESE ARTISTS CREATED SPECIAL PIECES TO SHOWCASE IN OUR LA GALLERY.

ALONG WITH AN INCREDIBLE DISPLAY OF ARTWORK ARE ALSO 10 HAND DESIGNED AND CREATED PURSES ON SALE BY VOLCOM ARTISTS. EACH PURSE IS UNIQUE AND CRAFTED FROM A DIFFERENT ARTISTS PERSPECTIVE. THESE PURSES ARE ON SALE FOR $50 EACH AND ALL PROCEEDS GO TO A VOLCOM SUPPORTED CHARITY.

GET DOWN TO 126 LA BREA AVENUE, LOS ANGELES TO THE VOLCOM LA STORE TO SEE THIS COLLECTION, THE FEATURED ARTIST TEES AND MORE…

FOR FURTHER PRODUCT INFO AND GIRLS NEWS GO TO: WWW.VOLCOM/GIRLS

Alex Sherman on the backie train and missed his stop

Wow, we are two full months into filming Transworld’s second full length film and boy has it been wild. We have ran into everything from cops to blown engines on snowmobiles, broken bones, 20 hour driving days, pretty much everything that you kids would never think happens behind the scenes. Here is a post with some photos and videos of life behind the, “landed tricks”. Enjoy the laughs and the scenics that we get to see everyday while we are, “at work”. -TWS/Get Real Crew

^Here is a video shot Sunday, February 8th of the real life in the backcountry.

^This video is shot and edited by Chris Grenier. “Jack of all trades” they called him in high school.

^Here is Eero and Mikey doubling to the jump spots. Eero could not bring his sled across the border from Canada to the US so he rode like this for 5 days, 30miles a day. it was funny to me so i shot it on my elf camera.

^Here is a bonus post of Scott Stevens cousin who is a famous blogger and is as funny as all hell, WATCH THIS!

Jed won.

Get the Flash Player to see this player. The team spent most of last March cruising in sunny California, hitting up parks at Bear, Mammoth and June and charging everything the mountains had to offer! www.roxy.com

Get the Flash Player to see this player. Late spring is a best time to ride soft spring snow, so the team ventured into the Utah backcountry and got down on jumps of all shapes and sizes! www.roxy.com

Staring out the window of the Wake and Bakery on the way to Mount Baker. All photos Chris Wellhausen.

Holland And Ricker Pull Banked Slalom Titles

The 24th annual Mount Baker Legendary Banked Slalom came to a close with a chattering finish as riders just tried to stay on their feet for their final run. No new snow plus hundreds of boards barreling down the course made for a thundering trek through the gates. A motocross course melding with an icy luge was a good way to describe the passage through the gates on Sunday. But the better of two runs on finals day provided a little room for redemption.

Even though the LBS is a laid back, grassroots event, come Sunday everyone’s grille was barely masking a hunger for a top finish. Damn, a golden roll of duct tape never looked so good. The allure of duct tape trophies seemed to catch the attention of even more seasoned boardercross racers this year too. The men’s pro division leader of the weekend Graham Wantanabe remarked on his first appearance at the event noting, “The vibe is awesome, it’s such a great change and break from the boardercross circuit.”

Carnage through the gates with snow flying everywhere during the final runs kept riders weary of their time and more focused on just making it to the finish line without any big scrubs. Maria DeBari even caught up with Robyn Borneman after her mid run spill causing some chaos down the run. They both got another go and landed fourth and ninth place.

Local Lucas DeBari took a nasty spill first run but made up for it and snagged fourteenth place. Blair Habenicht who was seriously ill from some poor seafood was exiting fluids like a floodgate before and after his run and landed sixth place. Kid is solid. Of the top ten men’s finishers coming through the finals gate, eight of them had all taken a spill.

The chase for the Anderdewski trophy was also heated this year. The long-standing battle between Transworld alumni Dave Sypnieskwi and Volcom head Billy Anderson race was also heated. Wagers were stacked and the trophy went to Billy with a 1:33.25 under Sypniewski’s 1:36.307.

For the pro women, the last heat came down to eight riders. Tara Dakides had her first trip here and caught eighth place. Victoria Jealouse led some of the smoothest runs at the top and ended with seventh place. The afternoon ceremony went to Maelle Ricker with first place and her third consecutive win. With second and third going to Helene Olafsen and Marni Yamada.

In the end, Nate Holland of Truckee shook the local scene not only by taking home the coveted first place in the men’s pro division, but by disrepsecting many a local later that evening. His time of 1:26.86 just snuck under second place finisher Graham Wantanabe. Third place went to repeat podium slayer and northwest icon Temple Cummins with a time of 1:27.71.

The Craig Kelly Award to the Dobis family for their support of snowboarding and community over many years. Community is fervent here in the Northwest and the place holds a unique piece in snowboarding and it’s collective following. This contest is proof, make it a point to get here.

2009 Mount Baker Legendary Banked Slalom Finals

Women

Pro (for complete results click here)
1. Maelle Ricker 1:34.12 (Squamish, British Columbia)
2. Helene Olafsen 1:34.78 (Oppegard Norway)
3. Marni Yamada 1:36.08 (Seattle, Washington)

Masters (for complete results click here)
1. Weeg Simmons 1:47.24 (Glacier, Washington)
2. Christine Zander 1:54.62 (Glacier, Washington)
3. Cece Briggs 2:06.98 (Bellingham, Washington)

Amateurs (for complete results click here)
1. Danielle Davis 1:45.63 (Glacier, Washington)
2. Hilary Vanderlind 1:46.56 (Glacier, Washington)
3. Julia Hamre 1:49.44 (Ringebu, Norway)

Men

Pro (for complete results click here)
1. Nate Holland 1:26.86 (Truckee, California)
2. Graham Wantanabe 1:26.99 (Hailey, Idaho)
3. Temple Cummins 1:27.71 (Gig Harbor, Washington)

Pro Masters (for complete results click here)
1. Ludovic Strohl 1:29.28 (Meribel, France)
2. Tim Carlson 1:34.141 (Monroe, Washington)
3. Alex Warburton 1:34.143 (Squamish, British Columbia)

Super Masters (for complete results click here)
1. Bob Satushek 2:20.47 (Deming, Washington)

Grand Masters (for complete results click here)
1. Jim “JT” Taylor 1:58.18 (Burlington, Washington)
2. Eddie Layne 1:59.16 (Winthrop, Washington)
3. Kevin Boyce 2:03.60 (Bellingham, Washington)

Masters (for complete results click here)
1. Marcel Dolak 1:35.99 (Redmond, Washington)
2. Adam Haynes 1:37.34 (Bend, Oregon)
3. Kevin Eichner 1:37.85 (Portland, Oregon)

Mid Masters (for complete results click here)
1. Dave Wray 1:39.71 (Portland, Oregon)
2. Gorio Bustamante 1:41.97 (Seattle, Washington)
3. Johan Malkoski 1:44.98 (Seattle, Washington)

Older Amateurs (for complete results click here)
1. Craig Newbury 1:31.67 (Mount Vernon, Washington)
2. Forrest Burki 1:31.95 (Gig Harbor, Washington)
3. Mathew Berglund 1:32.00 (Crested Butte, Colorado)

Young Amateurs (for complete results click here)
1. Logan Beaulleu 1:33.42 (Bend, Oregon)
2. Tucker Andrews 1:33.84 (Crested Butte, Colorado)
3. Austin Sweetin 1:34.96 (Seattle, Washington)

Juniors (for complete results click here)
1. Gus Warbington 1:38.53 (Bend, Oregon)
2. Max Warbington 141.01 (Bend, Oregon)
3. Odin Barnett 1:42.60 (Bellingham, Washington)

Next Generation
1. Hank Kennedy 1:55.08 (Glacier, Washington)
2. Dylan Adams 2:27.85 (Auburn Washington)

Check out the event leading up to the finals here

And qualifying results here and here

In a few days, another first of the 2009 LG Snowboard FIS World Cup takes place as
Cypress is not only hosting three World Cup events for the first time but also organising the
competitions on the 2010 Olympic snowboard venue. The world’s best riders will meet at the
resort close to Vancouver, BC, Canada. More than 300 athletes from 31 countries will
compete in a Snowboard Cross (Feb, 12th + 13th), a Halfpipe contest (Feb, 14th) and a
Parallel Giant Slalom (Feb, 15th) in order to battle for World Cup points and a total price
money of 150.000 Canadian Dollars.
Outstanding line-up
As impressive as the possible pay check for the top ranked athletes of each competition is
the line-up for all three events. In the Snowboard Cross Canada’s squad including 2006
Olympic Bronze medallist Dominique Maltais, Maelle Ricker as well as Drew Neilson, Tom
Velisek and Robert Fagan are looking forward to match with international SBX cracks from
the US like Olympic Champion Seth Wescott, Lindsey Jacobellis, Shaun Palmer, Nate
Holland and Graham Watanabe or Norway’s 2009 World Champion Helene Olafsen and her
fellow team mate Stian Sivertzen as well as Xavier Delerue (FRA), new World Champion
Markus Schairer (AUT),David Speiser (GER), Sandra Frei (SUI) or Zoe Gillings (GBR).
Shaun White ready to rumble
In the halfpipe, the competition for the hosting country and its riders like Brad Martin, Crispin
Lipscomb, 2009 World Championships Silver medallist Jeff Batchelor, Justin Lamoureux or
Dominique Vallée is also more than strong. Led by snowboard super star Shaun White
(USA) and his team mates Danny Kass, Kelly Clark and Hannah Teter, some pros from
Europe, Oceania and Asia are also flying to Canada to meet for an outstanding Halfpipe
festival. Besides Antti Autti and Peetu Piiroinen from Finland or French Mathieu Crepel and
Polish Paulina Ligocka everyone of distinction doesn’t want to miss the action and the
chance to compete with the world’s best at the venue for the 2010 highlight. No wonder, that
Ryoh Aono (JPN), Jiayu Liu (CHN) and Australia’s Torah Bright and Holly Crawford accept a
long travel in order drop in the halfpipe at Cypress.
In the Parallel Giant Slalom, Alexa Loo, Kimiko Zakreski as well as Matthew Morison and
2009 World Champion Jasey-Jay Anderson (all CAN) will face the strong Austrian team
including 2009 PSL World Champion Benjamin Karl, PGS Gold medallist Marion Kreiner
and Doris Guenther who not only claimed WCS Silver twice but also leads the Parallel
World Cup with a comfortable lead. In addition, Amelie Kober and Patrick Bussler from
Germany, Nicolien Sauerbreij (NED) and double WCS Silver medallist Sylvain Dufour (FRA)
will be ready to find out who will be the faster one in enthralling head-to-head duels.

Time schedule for Cypress, Canada – All local times:
Thursday, February 12th, 2009: Snowboard Cross Qualifications at 10:00 AM
Friday, February 13th, 2009: Snowboard Cross Finals at 1:30 PM
Saturday, February 14th, 2009: Halfpipe Qualifications at 8:25 AM
Halfpipe Finals at 3 PM
Sunday, February 15th, 2009 Parallel Giant Slalom Qualifications at 9 AM
Parallel Giant Slalom Finals at 1 PM

Toumarkine and Anderson Showered in Cash at
$25,000 Cholula Triple Air Show at Mountain High

Wrightwood, CA (February 8, 2009) – The 11th Annual $25,000 Cholula Triple Air Show went off Saturday, February 07, 2009, at Mountain High in Wrightwood, CA. 75 riders from across the country threw down for their share of a huge $25,000 cash purse. The weather held off just enough for Danny Toumarkine to stake his claim on a hot $10,000 in cash with Stacie Anderson pulling in $4,000 for the girls.

Riders were stoked on one of the most unique setups the contest has ever seen; a sick hip to double jump line built by Mountain High’s Faultline Terrain Park Crew. Standout riders included Spencer Link, Nick Sibayan, Tyler Flanagan, Ian Thorley, and Laurie Currier with the top 16 men and top six women advancing to a best of two run finals.

Toumarkine threw down a back rodeo seven melon over the hip, to back seven indy, to front nine lien for his ten grand. Anderson got her four g’s with a huge nose grab over the hip, to indy nose poke, to front three mute. West coast shreds came from spots like Mammoth and Tahoe, while others came from Park City and as far away as Europe, to enjoy the packed powder conditions from the recent three foot storm.

Thanks to Monster Energy, Powder & Sun Boardshop, Jarritos Soda, and title sponsor Cholula Hot Sauce for turning Mountain High’s biggest event of the season into the hottest big air event north of the border.

Catch the webcast of the Cholula Triple Air from REELcomp.com at http://reelcomp.com/events/cholula-triple-air at 4:00pm on Tuesday, February 10, 2009. REELcomp’s webcast includes audio commentary from the announcers, four camera angles on the course, a live chat room for at-home observers, interviews with athletes, and award ceremony coverage.

First held in snowboarding’s method-grabbing heyday of 1998, the Cholula Triple Air Show was created as a corner-stone event for Mountain High. The legacy of big-name competitors who have stepped up to the hottest big air event north of the border include Shaun White, Kevin Pearce, Matt Hammer, Keegan Valaika, Hana Beaman, and Laurie Currier.

1st place winner Danny Toumarkine throwing down at the $25,000 Cholula Triple Air at Mountain High on February 07, 2009. Photo: John McColly, Mountain High.

1st place Women’s winner Stacie Anderson throwing down at the $25,000 Cholula Triple Air at Mountain High on February 07, 2009. Photo: John McColly, Mountain High.

11th Annual $25,000 Cholula Triple Air Results

Men
1st $10,000 - Danny Toumarkine
2nd $ 3,000 - Brode Merrill
3rd $ 1,500 - Brandon Cocard
4th $ 1,000 - Jye Kearney
5th $ 525 - Spencer Link
6th $ 500 - Nicolas Sibayan
7th $ 300 - Cody Rosenthal
8th $ 275 - Zack Hale
9th $ 250 - Alex Dawooud
10th $ 225 - Ian Thorley
11th $ 175 - Greg Bokenkamp
12th $ 160 - Brandon Reise
13th $ 150 - Danny Thomas
14th $ 150 - Matt Guntent
15th $ 150 - Tyler Flanagan
16th $ 150 - Steven Brown

Women
1st $4,000 - Stacie Anderson
2nd $2,000 - Elise Borelli
3rd $1,000 - Laurie Currier
4th $ 500 - Nicki Slechta
5th $ 350 - Dana Treland
6th $ 150 - Isabelle Lalive

Best Trick
$ 1,500 - Danny Toumarkine

On a trip this week with some riders from the forthcoming TransWorld movie Get Real, I poached a few clips with my handy G9 and stuck them together in iMovie. Ghetto, yes indeed. But fresh!

Tyrol Basin, Wi

Nick Brewer
319crew Productions
music by: Giants (www.myspace.com/giantsmusic)
www.youtube.com/benhagarty1032

From the Swatch TTR 5 Star event in NYC.

Video by TTR

Click here for the Red Bull Snowscapers TransWorld Video

Click here for the Photo Gallery

SLOPESTYLE RESULTS

1 Mikkel Bang               NOR     Burton 91.50
2 Sebastien Toutant       CAN     O`Neill 87.83
3 Charles Reid              CAN     Burton 83.83

1 Silvia Mittermueller      GER     Oakley 78.50
2 Megan Ginter              USA     Ride     77.83
3 Mary Sallah               USA     Flow     73.17

Toumarkine and Anderson Showered in Cash at $25,000 Cholula Triple Air Show at Mountain High

Wrightwood, CA (February 8, 2009) – The 11^th Annual $25,000 Cholula Triple Air Show went off Saturday, February 07, 2009, at Mountain High in Wrightwood, CA. 75 riders from across the country threw down for their share of a huge $25,000 cash purse. The weather held off just enough for Danny Toumarkine to stake his claim on a hot $10,000 in cash with Stacie Anderson pulling in $4,000 for the girls.

Stacie Anderson. Photo: John McColly

Riders were stoked on one of the most unique setups the contest has ever seen; a sick hip to double jump line built by Mountain High’s Faultline Terrain Park Crew. Standout riders included Spencer Link, Nick Sibayan, Tyler Flanagan, Ian Thorley, and Laurie Currier with the top 16 men and top six women advancing to a best of two run finals.

Toumarkine threw down a back rodeo seven melon over the hip, to back seven indy, to front nine lien for his ten grand. Anderson got her four g’s with a huge nose grab over the hip, to indy nose poke, to front three mute. West coast shreds came from spots like Mammoth and Tahoe, while others came from Park City and as far away as Europe, to enjoy the packed powder conditions from the recent three foot storm.

Danny Toumarkine. Photo: John McColly

Thanks to Monster Energy, Powder & Sun Boardshop, Jarritos Soda, and title sponsor Cholula Hot Sauce for turning Mountain High’s biggest event of the season into the hottest big air event north of the border.

Catch the webcast of the Cholula Triple Air from REELcomp.com at http://reelcomp.com/events/cholula-triple-air at 4:00pm on Tuesday, February 10, 2009. REELcomp’s webcast includes audio commentary from the announcers, four camera angles on the course, a live chat room for at-home observers, interviews with athletes, and award ceremony coverage.

First held in snowboarding’s method-grabbing heyday of 1998, the Cholula Triple Air Show was created as a corner-stone event for Mountain High. The legacy of big-name competitors who have stepped up to the hottest big air event north of the border include Shaun White, Kevin Pearce, Matt Hammer, Keegan Valaika, Hana Beaman, and Laurie Currier.

11^th Annual $25,000 Cholula Triple Air Results

Men
1. $10,000 - Danny Toumarkine
2. $3,000 - Bode Merrill
3. $1,500 - Brandon Cocard4. $1,000 - Jye Kearney
5. $525 - Spencer Link
6. $500 - Nicolas Sibayan
7. $300 - Cody Rosenthal8. $275 - Zack Hale
9. $250 - Alex Dawooud
10. $225 - Ian Thorley
11. $175 - Greg Bokenkamp
12. $160 - Brandon Reise
13. $150 - Danny Thomas
14. $150 - Matt Guntent
15. $150 - Tyler Flanagan
16. $150 - Steven Brown

Women
1. $4,000 - Stacie Anderson
2. $2,000 - Elise Borelli
3. $1,000 - Laurie Currier
4. $500 - Nicki Slechta
5. $350 - Dana Treland
6. $150 - Isabelle Lalive

Best Trick
$1,500 - Danny Toumarkine

Photos: 1^st place winners Danny Toumarkine and Stacie Anderson throw down at the $25,000 Cholula Triple Air at Mountain High on February 07, 2009.

Credit: John McColly, Mountain High

Curtis Ciszek slicing through the arc. All photos: Chris Wellhausen

True to tradition, the Mount Baker Legendary Banked Slalom started churning through foggy, soggy, snowy conditions early Friday morning. Parking lot chatter from distant friends and locals broke the silence of the thick-misted plot—signaling a start to the gathering’s 24th year. And even though the newly fallen snow was sparse, it greased the burms of the course and kicked the lingering dry spell to the curb.

Early runners on the course were lucky to glide through the few inches of snow lining the banks while the recent fluff also made for slower times. But for most riders, the toughest part of the race was being able to see the next gate through the thick clouds. Graham Wantanabe, Nate Holland and Temple Cummins did a damn fine job of navigating and posted some of the fastest times of the day for the pro men’s division. But Josh Dirksen can turn a board better than most and was on their heels and a half second behind.

While making it through the top half of the gully posed the biggest challenge, it all changed around noontime. The sun started to breach the clouds and your running order became a gamble for visibility. By the time the ladies and masters were swooping down the course, it was leaning towards a full-fledged bluebird day and riders began stacking up faster times. Helene Olafson, Marni Yamada and Karleen Jeffery-Barlia snagged the top three qualifying spots for the ladies pro division.

Left, right, blue, red, repeat, repeat, repeat so the day went. “I just don’t want to fall,” said Volcom am Skylar Thornton about his first trip to the LBS. This statement was true for just about everyone else too, even if they didn’t admit it. By the close of the first day, less than two minutes was all it took to weave through the array of gates and if you made it, then all the better to relax on Saturday.

For those who didn’t qualify on Friday, Saturday provided a more formal racing scene and loosened the belt for a few more riders to sneak in. Good visibility, icy gates, and a more defined course. Sure vision was great, but the snow shavings packed up to create high walls and icy trenches. The chundery arcs started claiming riders left and right halfway through the course. Times were faster though and there were some shake-ups in the second day of qualifiers.

Marni Yamada held on to her second place standing for the pro ladies and Maelle Ricker snuck into first with Maria DeBari in third. For the men, Graham Wantanabe and Nate Holland held onto their first and second spots while Seth Wescott slipped into third. Stay tuned for the final results…

Day One Qualifiers (click here for full results)

Women

Amateurs (ages 16-29)
1. Danielle Davis 1:48.15 (Glacier, Washington)
2. Hilary Vanderlind 1:48.90 (Glacier, Washington)
3. Zoe Vernon 1:51.62 (Bellingham, Washington)

Pro
1. Helene Olafsen 1:37.31 (Oppegard, Norway)
2. Marni Yamada 1:39.53 (Seattle, Washington)
3. Karleen Jeffery-Barlia 1:39.87 (Mammoth Lakes, California)

Masters (ages 30-49)
1. Weeg Simmons 1:44.02 (Glacier, Washington)
2. Corey Saxon 1:49.87 (Portland, Oregon)

Men

Next Generation (ages 11 & under)
1. Hank Kennedy 2:00.99 (Glacier, Washington)

Juniors (ages 12-15)
1. Max Warbington 1:37.34 (Bend, Oregon)
2. Gus Warbington 1:41.22 (Bend, Oregon)
3. Odin Barnett 1:45.55 (Bellingham, Washington)

Young Amateurs (Ages 16-19)
1. Logan Beaulieu 1:38.19 (Bend, Oregon)
2. Austin Sweetin 1:40.17 (Seattle, Washington)
3. Tucker Andrews 1:40.23 (Crested Butte, Colorado)

Older Amateurs (ages 20-29)
1. Craig Newbury 1:34.72 (Mount Vernon, Washington)
2. Nate Kewin 1:36.23 (Burnaby, British Columbia)
3. Christopher Coralline 1:36.34 (Kirkland, Washington)
4. Robin Foster 1:36.65 (Glacier, Washington)
5. Forrest Burki 1:37.06 (Gig Harbor, Washington)
6. Colin Tobin 1:37.41 (Bellingham, Washington)
7. Matt Bowen 1:37.95 (Glacier, Washington)
8. Michael Anderson 1:38.74 (Bellingham, Washington)
9. Christopher Powers 1:39.03 (Bellingham, Washington)
10. Mathew Berglund 1:39.06 (Crested Butte, Colorado)

Masters (ages 30-39)
1. Marcel Dolak 1:33.05 (Redmond, Washington)
2. Darby Heaney 1:33.18 (Ketchum, Idaho)
3. Scott Nelson 1:35.51 (San Luis Obispo, California)
4. Chris Tretwold 1:35.78 (Bellingham, Washington)
5. Ian Kaplan 1:35.94 (Wickersham, Washington)
6. Jeff Caldwell 1:36.01 (Walla Walla, Washington)
7. Mike Cummins 1:36.35 (Olympia, Washington)
8. John Kaiser 1:36.71 (Seattle, Washington)
9. Willie Freeman 1:36.94 (Portland, Oregon)
10. Matt Clemson 1:36.94 (Kirkland, Washington)

Mid Masters (ages 40-49)
1. Randy Haugen 1:38.93 (Bellingham, Washington)
2. Dave Wray 1:39.29 (Portland, Oregon)
3. Goro Bustamante 1:41.54 (Seattle, Washington)
4. Rob Hanson 1:43.26 (Bellingham, Washington)
5. Marco Rubeo 1:43.52 (Pemberton, British Columbia)

Grand Masters (ages 50-59)
1. Jim Taylor 1:51.96 (Burlington, Washington)
2. Kevin Boyce 1:54.62 (Bellingham, Washington)
3. Ian Galt 1:57.80 (Kelowna, British Columbia)

Pro Men
1. Graham Watanabe 1:28.12 (Hailey, Idaho)
2. Nate Holland 1:28.58 (Truckee, California)
3. Temple Cummins 1:29.97 (Gig Harbor, Washington)
4. Josh Dirksen 1:30.34 (Bend, Oregon)
5. Seth Wescott 1:30.44 (Farmington, Maine)
6. Darin Bryant 1:30.45 (Bothell, Washington)
7. Pat Holland 1:32.17 (Tahoe City, California)
8. Lucas DeBari 1:32.56 (Glacier, Washington)
9. Matt Edgars 1:32.63 (Kirkland, Washington)
10. Rob Kingwell 1:32.99 (Jackson Hole, Wyoming)

Pro Masters (ages 30 & up)
1. Carl Cowtan 1:33.55 (Kelowna, British Columbia)
2. Ludovic Strohl 1:33.94 (France)
3. Jason Troth 1:34.04 (Telluride, Colorado)
4. Tom Burt 1:35.41 (Kings Beach, California)
5. Tim Carlson 1:35.86 (Monroe, Washington)
6. Alex Warburton 1:36.56 (Squamish, British Columbia)

Day Two Qualifiers (click here for full results)

Women

Amateurs (ages 16-29)
1. Kalyn Marab 1:45.79 (Bothell, Washington)
2. Julia Hamre 1:52.00 (Ringebu, Norway)
3. Jeanine Deeb 1:52.39 (Boulder, Colorado)

Pro
1. Maelle Ricker 1:34.84 (Squamish, British Columbia)
2. Marni Yamada 1:35.61 (Seattle, Washington)
3. Maria DeBari 1:36.25 (Glacier, Washington)
4. Karleen Jeffery-Barlia 1:36.88 (Mammoth Lakes, California)
5. Helene Olafsen 1:37.58 (Oppegard, Norway)
6. Victoria Jealouse 1:37.68 (Pemberton, British Columbia)
7. Stacy Thomas 1:40.51 (Seattle, Washington)
8. Tara Dakides 1:42.57 (Oceanside, California)

Masters (ages 30-49)
1. Weeg Simmons 1:44.67 (Glacier, Washington)
2. Cece Briggs 1:53.94 (Bellingham, Washington)
3. Chritine Zander 1:54.62 (Glacier, Washington)

Men

Next Generation (ages 11 & under)
1. Hank Kennedy 1:58.12 (Glacier, Washington)
2. Dylan Adams 2:12.80 (Auburn, Washington)

Juniors (ages 12-15)
1. Max Warbington 1:42.02 (Bend, Oregon)
2. Odin Barnett 1:45.39 (Bellingham, Washington)
3. Mitchell McAllister 1:51.68 (Bellingham, Washington)
4. Cam Martin 1:54.94 (Bellingham, Washington)

Young Amateurs (Ages 16-19)
1. Logan Beaulieu 1:32.79 (Bend, Oregon)
2. Tucker Andrews 1:33.36 (Crested Butte, Colorado)
3. Zeppelin Zeerip 1:37.93 (Sparta, Michigan)
4. Austin Sweetin 1:39.65 (Seattle, Washington)
5. Elliot Newman 1:40.29 (Bellingham, Washington)
6. Trevoy Schy 1:40.65 (Lynnwood, Washington)
7. Scotty Broberg 1:41.73 (Wenatchee, Washington)

Older Amatuers (ages 20-29)
1. Nate Kewin 1:29.91 (Burnaby, British Columbia)
2. Christopher Coralline 1:31.59 (Kirkland, Washington)
3. Matthew Berglund 1:32.46 (Crested Butte, Colorado)
4. Nathan Bingham 1:32.56 (Bellingham, Washington)
5. Forrest Burki 1:33.41 (Gig Harbor, Washington)
6. Kael Martin 1:33.88 (Everson, Washington)
7. Bradley Andrew 1:34.57 (Westchestertonfieldville, Iowa)
8. Nick Catmur 1:34.84 (Crested Butte, Colorado)
9. Jack Freysinger 1:35.22 (Glacier, Washington)
10. Drew Cyr 1:35.29 (Bellingham, Washington)

Masters (ages 30-39)
1. Joe Trotter 1:34.86 (Glacier, Washington)
2. Scott Nelson 1:36.15 (San Luis Obispo, California)
3. Chris Tretwold 1:36.33 (Bellingham, Washington)
4. Kevin Eichner 1:38.12 (Portland, Oregon)
5. Ian Kaplan 1:38.15 (Wickersham, Washington)
6. Adam Haynes 1:38.56 (Bend, Oregon)
7. Marcel Dolak 1:38.75 (Redmond, Washington)
8. John Kaiser 1:39.58 (Seattle, Washington)
9. Darby Heaney 1:39.80 (Ketchum, Idaho)
10. Andrew Marriner 1:40.04 (Laguna Beach, California)

Mid Masters (ages 40-49)
1. Dave Wray 1:37.38 (Portland, Oregon)
2. Randy Haugen 1:40.36 (Bellingham, Washington)
3. Chris Saari 1:42.19 (Port Angeles, Washington)
4. Marco Rubeo 1:42.34 (Pemberton, British Columbia)
5. Goro Bustamante 1:42.56 (Seattle, Washington)
6. Bob Klein 1:45.04 (Tahoe City, California)
7. Johan Malkoski 1:47.14 (Seattle, Washington)
8. Kai Janson 1:48.82 (Glacier, Washington)

Pro Masters (ages 30 & up)
1. Jason Troth 1:31.41 (Telluride, Colorado)
2. Ludovic Strohl 1:31.72 (France)
3. Tim Carlson 1:32.42 (Monroe, Washington)
4. Carl Cowtan 1:32.46 (Kelowna, British Columbia)
5. Ian Beer 1:33.36 (Vancouver, British Columbia)
6. Apostolos Karabotsos 1:33.41 (Port Angeles, Washington)
7. Garry Pendygrasse 1:33.88 (Squampton, British Columbia)
8. Alex Warburton 1:33.93 (Squamish, British Columbia)
9. Dave Sypniewski 1:33.978. (On The Road, USA)
10. Jason Buckles 1:34.22 (Pemberton, British Columbia)

Pro
1. Graham Watanabe 1:24.19 (Hailey, Idaho)
2. Nate Holland 1:25.05 (Truckee, California)
3. Seth Wescott 1:27.31 (Maine)
4. Temple Cummins 1:27.36 (Gig Harbor, Washington)
5. Rob Kingwell 1:29.13 (Jackson Hole, Wyoming)
6. Pat Holland 1:29.42 (Tahoe City, California)
7. Robert Fagan 1:29.63 (Squamish, British Columbia)
8. Blair Habenicht 1:29.68 (Bellevue, Washington)
9. Lucas DeBari 1:3.24 (Glacier, Washington)
10. Sylvain Duclos 1:30.24 (Carlsbad, California)

Read more

Canadian Open Halfpipe Results

The U.S. Cellular Rail Jam is now the biggest city snow riding feature
in the Pacific Northwest.

The U.S. Cellular Rail Jam taking place on February 13th and 14th 2009 as a part of the LibertyBank Bend WinterFest will contain more features than ever before and has now earned the reputation as the “Biggest City Snow Riding Feature in the Pacific Northwest”.

The growth of the event is attributed to a joint effort in construction between Pete Alport of Alport Innovations and the Mt. Bachelor Terrain Park team lead by Hames Ellerbe.  This year the ski and snowboard rail jam will have a variety of features such as a 17foot bomb drop leading into a hip jump, a channel gap jump, and a brand new, hand built, custom three rail staircase feature allowing each competitor to display their overall park skills. With a nod to the festival’s new location, these three features will lead into custom smoke-stack-like quarter-pipes in honor of the historic Old Mill District’s signature smoke stacks. The variety of features ensures audiences will see something they’ve never seen before.

“Features like these,” says rail jam coordinator Pete Alport, “generate more speed allowing for larger airs and more technical tricks. All of this adds up to lots of eye catching obstacles for spectators to enjoy.”

“Last year, Bend WinterFest set the standard for city based rail jams in the northwest,” Alport said. Given this up-and-coming reputation snowboarders and skiers – pros and aspiring amateurs, alike – will be headed to Central Oregon from all over the country for Bend’s challenging rail competition. Years of snow-play and serious training among these athletes will culminate in a spectacular show of gravity defying, air born tricks, thrilling WinterFest audiences and judges.

Snowboarders will compete in rounds to determine the top 5 boarders who will proceed to the final competition and coveted position as the #1 rider. The prizes: first place skier and snowboarder recieve $1500; second place skier and snowboarder receive $500 and, third to fifth place competitors receive product prizes.

LibertyBank Bend WinterFest is a winter celebration taking place in Bend Oregon on February 13, 14 and 15.  The festival contains more than 16 separate events spanning 3 days.

For a complete event schedule please visit us on-line at www.bendwinterfest.com.

THE NORTH FACE MASTERS OF SNOWBOARDING ARRIVES AT CRESTED BUTTE, COLORADO, FEBRUARY 12-15, 2009 Tour leaders Shannan Yates and Matt Annetts head to Crested Butte, Colorado, in an attempt win the overall title Registration now open on www.thenorthfacemasters.com.

Salt Lake City, Utah, February 3, 2009—The second stop of The North Face Masters (TNF Masters) competitive big mountain snowboarding tour arrives at the famed Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) February 12-15, 2009. The three-stop tour is the first competitive snowboarding series specifically tailored to fill a competition gap in the sport of big mountain snowboarding. After a sold-out first stop at Snowbird, Utah, where more than 100 competitors proved big mountain snowboarding is thriving, tour organizers, athletes, sponsors, and media look forward to the next progression of big mountain riding in the series. Spots are still available, to register log onto www.thenorthfacemasters.com “Crested Butte is excited to host TNF Masters and such a high caliber of rider,” said CBMR Communications Director Todd Walton. “Our mountain speaks for itself in regard to challenging terrain, steep runs, and some stellar viewing spots. This group should have some big fun here in Crested Butte, experience a unique place, and of course, enjoy some adventures on and off the mountain.” World-class big mountain snowboarders from around the globe are heading to Crested Butte for the second stop of TNF Masters, including TNF Masters Snowbird winners Shannan Yates and Matt Annetts, runner up Michelle Locke, as well as Rachel Sheidow, Laura Dewey, Ralph Backstrom, Korey Kaczmarek, Jonathan Penfield and TNF Masters 2008 champion Clif Dimon. A big mountain snowboarder’s dream, Crested Butte offers some of the greatest competition venues on the continent. The first resort in the United States to initiate an extreme freeskiing contest, CBMR has the longest running event of this kind, the Subaru US Extreme Freeskiing Championships. This will be the first year TNF Masters has stopped at CBMR. “For MSI, having a Crested Butte stop on the calendar is just perfect,” said MSI president and former Crested Butte resident Adam Comey. “The mountain itself is a great venue for showcasing what big mountain snowboarding is all about, and to work with our friends at CBMR is always great. I’m really looking forward to seeing what these athletes will be throwing down.” The North Face Masters of Snowboarding Crested Butte, Colorado,

Schedule February 12-15, 2009 Thursday, Feb 12 Registration 9:00am-3:00pm Athlete registration open Elevation Hotel 9:00am-3:00pm Media check-in Elevation Hotel 9:00am Venues announced Capital room 3:30pm-4:00pm Athlete meeting Elevation Hotel Friday, Feb 13 Masters Day 1 9:00am-3:00pm Media check-in Elevation Hotel 9:00am-2:00pm Day 1 start 4:00pm-4:30pm Athlete meeting Elevation Hotel Saturday, Feb 14 Masters Day 2 9:00am-1:00pm Day 2 run 1 start 1:00pm-3:00pm Day 2 run 2 start 4:00pm-4:30pm Awards Mountaineer Square 4:30pm-5:30pm Athlete poster signing Mountaineer Square 9:00pm Wrap-up Party LoBar Sunday, Feb 15 *Weather Day Fans of big mountain snowboarding can catch same-day coverage of the Semi-Final and Final rounds of each TNF Masters event on www.thenorthfacemasters.com where there are complete videos, photos, athlete profiles, detailed event schedules, registration information, media credentials application and more.

CLICK HERE FOR MEDIA REGISTRATION

Special Thanks To: The North Face, Primaloft, Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort, Crested Butte Mountain Resort, Kirkwood Mountain Resort, Mountain Sports International.

Video by Greg Wheeler

Check the PHOTO GALLERY & RESULTS HERE

JJ Thomas

JJ Thomas brings the winter heat with his flowing style and backcountry tech. The guy basically tears the Wasatch a new one in this exclusive Transworld Aesthetica Remix. Props to filmer Jake Rayner for keeping JJ in frame all season and Ride snowboards for putting quality boards on JJ’s feet. Enjoy!

Alex Sherman on the backie train and missed his stop

Video Justin Gunson

Words: Adam Kisiel.

Located in the middle of Minnesota farmlands, there is a special kind of farm. Not necessarily your idea of a typical farm, but a place where they have some of the strongest stallions and mares that run free and are giving riding a whole new definition. You may have never heard of this place before, but they are not concerned with the east coast, west coast rivalry. They are focused on making a place to call home and being proud of what they have built to share with whoever comes there. This past weekend was harvest time and the industrious farmers sat back with big smiles as one hundred thirty one wild animals ran free on the farm. The farmers were Park Manager, Tanner Bakke, and the hardest working park crew around. The farm was Powder Ridge Minnesota, a little mountain with a big heart no doubt due to the untiring crew there and the parks they are growing.

As the warm sun hit the lands of Powder Ridge, Tanner and the Powder Ridge Park Crew had already been up for hours like any other farmers sculpting a perfect TransAm park not knowing that they were staking their claim in TransWorld SNOWboarding TransAm history. The aforementioned is not an exaggeration, the sun was warm making the days temperatures well past the forty-degree mark and blue skies made for it ideal to reap the shred. One hundred thirty one riders, the most of any stop on the tour thus far, stood at the top of the park hungry for the harvest. One even said he had never seen anything like what was laid out in front of him and he rides Powder Ridge everyday. The Traffic Jam, all animals running free on the course at the same time, was a site to behold. The Dakine Paper Shreds watched as riders 270’d on and off the Dakine down rail as well as threw a plethora of 180 to nose and tail press combos, just to name a few. The High Cascade Marshmallow, not expecting a good roasting, was getting burnt by the sun and the hot action of back flips, 720’s, rodeo’s, and more one foot action than a peg legged pirate dance club.

Josh Tranby and Megan Julik could be seen from the adjacent silos as they took off the reins and slaughtered the middle line. Josh was gapping the Powder Ridge up flat down rail like it was not even grown to full size. He most notably gapped the middle section with a 360. Megan seemed like she rode the whole course refusing to get bucked by even the wildest broncos, which included the Oakley up box to shark pit gap. Believe me, the sharks were fed and fattened up from this stop with plenty of animals coming up short off the box.

Unlike Megan, Tommy Leach did get bucked. Gasps could be heard as he caught his nose on the Ride Snowboards Slime Wall and in superman fashion threw a forced front flip ending up deep in the landing. Tommy walked away unscathed with Worst Fall Honors. The Zumiez couch was at the end of the flat up flat box feature and had riders gapping over it much like farm animals often jump their fenced in barriers to freedom. The Ultimate Final gave these wild animals ten minutes on each line of the park to earn them top honors for being best overall out in the pasture of pain. The thirty-minute final showcased the top forty riders who were awarded TransAm t-shirts in the Traffic Jam. Jesse Paul, Brent Mohs, Elizabeth Mann, and Ally Groebel led the pack and pulled away with the TransAm Top honors. The fruits of the harvest came in the form of Custom TransAm backpacks from Dakine filled with custom TransAm goggles from Oakley and awesomeness from High Cascade, Zumiez, and Ride Snowboards. Top three guy winners received Nerf guns and top three girls won themselves tickets to ponyville, by receiving My Little Pony setups all provided by High Cascade Snowboard Camp. Top honors raked in new Ride Snowboards, Dakine board bags and backpacks, and the coveted TransWorld SNOWboarding TransAm First Place trophy. Bakke and the boys of the Powder Ridge Park Crew are growing a name and a park that is putting Minnesota on the map as a powerhouse. Watch them as they ride into the sunset.

CHECK OUT THE PHOTO GALLERY HERE

Congratulations to the top riders:

Guys
1st Josh Tranby
2nd Jesse Paul
3rd Brent Mohs

Gals
1st Megan Julik
2nd Elizabeth Mann
3rd Ally Goebel

Worst Fall: Tommy Leach

Registration is now open for the ‘09 TransAm stop in Keystone, Colorado!

We know you’ve been practicing all those new moves and it’s time to put ‘em to the test. The TransWorld art crew picked up some classy trophies and there’s heaps of gear to dish out at the TransAm events. Go to transam.transworld.net and click on register here on the bottom right to sign up!

Upcoming TransAm Contests:
February 21, Keystone, Colorado
March 14, Nothstar-at-Tahoe, California
March 21, Bear Mountain, California

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Shayne with a PHAT 50k Winnings

Backside 7 for a huge crowd in lower East side NYC

Full Story coming tomorrow

Jonas Carlson. Photo: Chris Wellhausen.

Good vibes might be hard to come by in this day and age, but Jonas Carlson is good-vibes ground zero. This ultra-chill, ultra-positive Swedish ripper has all the technical mastery of his Scandinavian forefathers mixed with a healthy dose of backcountry prowess and a little something wacky sprinkled on top—just for good measure. Here’s a look into three days of Jonas systematically destroying every feature at DC’s Park City Mountain Lab while filming for his part in Transworld’s These Days and still finding plenty of time to enjoy the finer things in life.—Jennifer Sherowski

I heard you quit snus. Is that true? If so, I’m totally shocked. I remember you with a snus in every waking moment—even some sleeping moments.
Yes, a year and a half ago. It’s for sure been hard—I’m still kinda missing it. Stoked to be off it, though!

What’s making you happy these days?
Maybe a latte in the morning that just tastes extra good. I’m excited about life in general—looking at it from a sweet angle, having friends around me, and makin’ it happen.

What’s stressing you out?
Life can be stressful sometimes. The situation on earth is bothering me—just so fucked up!

So what’s the Mountain Lab all about?
The Lab is all about having fun in super mellow conditions and using your imagination. There’re always a shitload of things you wanna do!

Well is it just somewhere for you guys to go have fun when you’re in town or more of an official “team training grounds?”
For sure an official team training grounds [laughter]. It’s just a perfect place to try stuff out and hang with bros—shooting or whatever!

Do you have a favorite Mountain Lab feature?
The staircase up-flat-down—way many opportunities to do stuff.

What’s it like riding for DC? Did you get the diamond DC ring yet?
Wow, what to say? I don’t wanna ride for anyone else—they’re taking real good care of me. Sometimes Zack [DC Team Manager Zack Dalton] even makes us breakfast! It’s just awesome—super rad people. But nope, no ring so far.

What song was listened to most often on your iPod during these three days?
“Steady Rollin’” by Two Gallants.

What are the top five things you spend your money on during the wintertime?
One: Starbucks. Two: Starbucks. Three: Starbucks. Four: Food. Five: A shitload of gas.

Who are your absolute favorite shreds to ride with?
The Transworld These Days crew, DC shredders, and CAPiTA dudes, for sure! I can’t just pick a few.

Who is your biggest snowboarding influence?
Hmm, if I see something interesting, then I take it in—doesn’t matter who it is. It really could be anyone. But some radical dudes are Travis Parker, Chad Otterstrom, and Devun Walsh.

What’s the most scared you’ve ever been on your snowboard?
Any time I start thinking, is this even possible?! I like being scared sometimes, though—it reminds me about the danger. And the feeling afterwards is better.

What’s the gnarliest thing you’ve ever seen someone do on a board with your own eyes?
When Robbie Walker got real f—ked up in the B.C. backcountry and I had to carry him down from the mountain. B.C. can be gnarly—it’s so far to everything.

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned in life so far?
Always look at stuff from the bright side.

When was the last time you thought you were going to break under the pressure?
I never think that—I just go. I do need summer once in a while, though.

2 days of filming

vag tease, with immature high school kids!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Carlsbad, California – February 4th, 2009 – Spy Optic introduces the all new Trevor snow goggle at the SnowSports Industries America (SIA) tradeshow in Las Vegas, NV January 27-30th.
 
Max out your style — not your bank account.
 
The new snow goggle features Spy’s signature high quality features with vintage styling and eye-popping techno colors on the frames and straps.
 
Trevor’s styling brings you back to a time of modernism. A time of taller, more rectangular frames with an emphasis on peripheral vision. A combination of bold angles and smooth curves make this a standout piece in the Spy goggle collection.
 
It features Triple Layer Isotron™ face foam, anti-fog cylindrical dual-lens system and a dual-adjustment silicone-ribbed strap for a secure fit with or without a helmet. Swap out the lens for any condition with 12 different lenses.
 

Available in ten vibrant colors with unique strap graphics, the Diagram colorway has a sonic welded strap inspired by vintage rock and roll graphics and the Acid Wash with a bleached denim fabric print brings you back to the frosted tips and glow gear heyday of the late ‘80s.
 
The Trevor is available to dealers for pre-booking immediately, and will ship in fall for the 2009-2010 winter season. The Trevor starts at MSRP $55.
  

Toronto, ON – The Coors Light YOU LOOK GOOD Rider’s Cup (YLGRC09) Canada’s premier slope style series, begins is national tour at Mont Tremblant, Quebec this weekend - the Salomon Backyard Bang on Saturday February 7^th, 2009. YLGRC09 is excited to return to Mont Tremblant for the fourth year in a row with over 50 athletes already registered!

Mont Tremblant is always a crucial resort to visit with a lively village, talented athlete roster and an incredible event team. Athletes come from all over Canada with the majority from Ontario and Quebec to take part in the full day of events. Registration is scheduled both Friday (8-11am and 4-5pm) and Saturday (7- 8:30am) at Centre des Congres, where all athletes are to check in or register.

Thanks to the Salomon Snowboards, the weekend starts Friday night 6 – 8pm at the Salomon Store where free pop and pizza is available to all YLGRC09 athletes and friends! And the fun continues after the contest with The Official Coors Light Rider’s Cup After Party – A PLAIN WHITE TEE PARTY to take place at Café D’ Epoque. (Legal Drinking Age, Doors Open at 10 pm ,$10 cover). Bring your white tee and come celebrate the day of fun. 

Come check out the action where the first $5k in Cash and over $10k in prizing will be given away as well as tons of give-a-ways.

For more info on YLGRC09 scheduling please visit www.youlookgood.ca

ABOUT YLGRC09: In its fifth year as Canada’s premier slopestyle series and at the forefront of Canada’s competition scene, YLGRC09 has four signature events this year with a cash purse of more then $22,000 and $50,000 in prizing. YLGRC09 is an OPEN event that welcomes and encourages snowboarders of all ages and talent levels. YLGRC09 prides itself on being the launching ground for Canadian Talent and assisting in the rider’s progression from Amateur to Professional

eventSing promotions: eventSing promotions is Canada’s largest virtual action sports events company which packages and produces, from concept to completion, more than 25 events annually across Canada.�eventSing promotions has successfully executed more than 200 board sport focused events by involving the individual and their surrounding community.�For more information, please visit HYPERLINK “http://www.eventsing.com”www.eventsing.com.

Get the Flash Player to see this player. Tom Buchtman did all the filming on february 1st 09 and then I edited it up.

Sneak Peak

Travis Rice warming up

Anyone in the NY area, or the greater East Coast if your willing to travel, should check this event out! Information on the event can be found below. But, if you can’t make it, don’t worry, TransWorld will be live in NYC, bringing you full coverage! Check back for more.

On Thursday, February 5th, 16 of the world’s best snowboarders will compete for their piece of the massive $100,000 prize purse at Red Bull Snowscrapers. Athletes will compete against the majestic backdrop of the New York City skyline in the East River Park from 6-9 pm. The local thrash heavy metal band Anthrax is set to perform.

Double Hip Jump

Event Schedule

3:00 PM: Gates open to the public

3:30 PM: Riders open practice – All 16 riders

5:05 PM: Valient Thorr Performance

5:45 PM: Red Bull Snowscrapers contest starts – 60 minute jam session

7:10 PM: Black Gold Performance

7:45 PM: Red Bull Snowscrapers Finals - Jam session – Top 8 riders

8:50 PM: Awards

8:55 PM: Anthrax Performance

*Schedule subject to change

Rider List

Shaun White
Travis Rice
Pat Moore
Eero Ettala
Heikki Sorsa
Dustin Craven
Jack Mitrani
Mikkel Bang
Terje Haakonsen
Scotty Lago
Andreas Wiig
Torstein Horgmo
Bjorn Leines
JJ Thomas
Daniel Elk
Shayne Pospisil

RED BULL SNOWSCRAPERS: FUEL.TV LIVE HD WEBCAST

RIDERS
Athletes include iconic Olympic Gold Medalist Shaun White, freestyle / backcountry legend Travis Rice and ultra-progressive phenomenon Pat Moore. World renowned Burton riders for the ground-breaking event include Kevin Pearce, Mikkel Bang, Danny Davis, Kohei Kubo, Kazuhiro Kakubo, and snowboard legend Terje Haakonsen. Other confirmed riders include Nitro’s Andreas Wiig, DC’s Torstein Horgmo, Forum’s Jake Blauvelt and Greg Bretz, along with Rome rider Bjorn Leines and Ride’s JJ Thomas.

SNOWSCRAPERS EVENT SCHEDULE
Tuesday January 5th at 6-9 PM, All times posted in (EST)
3:00 PM- Gates open to the public
3:30 PM- Riders open practice – All 16 riders
5:05 PM- Valiant Thorr Performance
5:45 PM- Red Bull Snowscrapers contest starts – 60 minute jam session
7:10 PM- Black Gold Performance
7:45 PM- Red Bull Snowscrapers Finals - Jam session – Top 8 riders
8:50 PM- Awards
8:55 PM- Anthrax Performance*
*Anthrax performance NOT included in FUEL.TV webcast

EVENT FORMAT
Red Bull Snowscrapers will utilize a jam session format for both the preliminaries and finals. In this format, a rider is neither dismissed nor defined by a single run or fall—rather, the athlete who consistently lands difficult and creative tricks with skill and style throughout the entire jam session is deemed the overall winner.

THE FEATURE
Frank Wells and Mike Bettera from Snow Park Technologies have constructed a specially designed step-up hip feature that caters towards the riders’ creativity and the spectators desire to get as close as possible to the action. A 90-foot tall in run will launch riders off a carefully designed ramp towards a massive 80-foot long, 45-degree spine and landings on both the right and left side allowing for a multitude of trick variation.

THE SWATCH O’NEILL BIG MOUNTAIN PRO 2009
St. Anton welcomes the best freeriders in the
world to start the 2009 Big Mountain Pro

February 03, 2009 – With the riders now gathered in the Austrian town of
St Anton, a day of sunshine, and as Jeremy Jones puts it “some really
promising snow” conditions, all that is left is for the Swatch O’Neill Big
Mountain Pro to get on the mountain.

And there’s no holding back. As the good weather threatens to leave
Austria, event director Nicolas Hale Woods is grabbing the opportunity of
the near-perfect conditions.

“The good news is that we will be using day one,” he said. The good
weather is going to stick for a few days before the low pressure moves in
from the south towards the end of the week.”

Wirth is the face the riders will tackle come Wednesday morning. Sitting
above the village of St. Christophe in the area of St. Anton, Nicolas says:
“We have chosen this face because it offers a lot of choice for the riders.
Also, over the past three days we have had the Foehn in this region (the
warm southerly wind) and this is one of the faces that’s been protected
from that.”

With the final line-up of riders now settled in, this year’s Big Mountain Pro
promises to be an intimate and challenging affair, with the level of riding
higher than ever.

Confirmed as the twelfth rider, Austrian Thomas Eberharter is looking
forward to his first Swatch O’Neill Big Mountain Pro.

“This is my first ever freeriding competition,” he said. “I’m more known as a
freestyler but I do freeriding just locally. I am just going to go up and enjoy
it. It’s something new for me.”
It’s nothing new for local rider Mitch Toelderer who lives in Innsbruck. “I
come here about five times a year,” he said. “I haven’t been on the face we
are riding tomorrow though.”
“It’s an interesting face,” he said. “It’s not too big, but it’s rolling so it’s going
to be hard to find the features. It’s going to be challenge for sure.”
Follow the Big Mountain Pro with the daily highlight shows on
www.oneilltv.com

CONFIRMED LIST OF RIDERS

SNOWBOARD
Jeremy Jones
Fredrik Evensen
Mitch Toelderer
Xavier de le Rue
Eric Themel
Thomas Eberharter

SCHEDULE

3 Feb 2009 – Arrive in St. Anton, Arlberg range, Austria
- 15:00 : Riders’ arrival
- 18:00 : Welcome drink and riders’ presentation at the Funky Chicken
- 20:00 : Welcome party at the Bobo’s Mexican restaurant

4 Feb – 10 Feb 2009 – Travel around the Alps seeking out the best faces
and snow conditions

10 Feb 2009 – Judging and prizegiving in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria
- 17 :00 : Viewing and judging of the lines at “Gosstall” in Saalbach
Hinterglem by the riders. Riders see all lines and vote for:
a/ the overall winner and
b/ the top 3 skiers/snowboarders

- 19::00 : Prize giving & Riders’ dinner followed by a party featuring DJ
Gitta Saxx and the Urban Knights from London at the “Gosstal”

Daily highlights of The Swatch O’Neill Big Mountain Pro can be seen on
www.bigmountainpro.com

QUICK FACTS

THE O’NEILL SWATCH BIG MOUNTAIN PRO 2009

What: The most original and innovative freeride contest on the planet
When: February 3 – February 10, 2009
Where: The Alps
Start location: St. Anton, Arlberg range, Austria
Finish location: Saalbach-Hinterglemm in Austria
Who: 12 of the best freeriders in the world – 6 skiers and 6 snowboarders
Prizemoney: $ 60.000

The 2009 Oakley Arctic Challenge
“Celebrating Ten Years of Independent Snowboarding”

In 1999 Oakley asked Terje Haakonsen if he would be interested in doing a special / interactive event with several top riders, to which Haakonsen shared his idea for a new event format. Snowboarding contests had gone stale in format and the industry was hungry for someone to step in and make a change. Upon hearing the news of Terje’s idea for a new approach to an event format, Oakley and TAC crew began the progression of what The Oakley Arctic Challenge is today.

The Oakley Arctic Challenge (TAC) has been the smart fox on the competitive snowboarding scene now for many years. Free from corporate constraints, Terje and his crew have been able to implement new ideas faster and more unexpectedly then any other contest. By 2001 TAC had built the first 10-meter Quarterpipe and 6-meter Pipe; redefining snow architecture for snowboard contests. Even today, with live TV and huge arena productions, TAC is able to keep the essence of the pure jam format that was originally developed back in 1999.

Every snowboard air that has gone above the 9-meter mark in a Quarterpipe, has taken place at TAC: Heikki Sorsa was the first with his legendary world record 9.3-meter air in 2001 - which stood until 2007, when Terje set the new world record air at 9.8-meters, that same year Jake Blauvelt went 9.4 meters in a very special final round.

TAC was also Shaun White’s first International contest win in the six-meter Pipe contest in 2001. Additionally this year could be where Kevin Pearce scores the first TAC hat trick with three consecutive title wins (Kevin has one the last two Quarterpipe contests - 2007 and 2008).

This event is not only special for experimenting with formats, but also with the food. Serving good healthy food since 1999, TAC was the first sports event in Norway serving all organic food in 2003. For the 10-year anniversary they are taking this a step further by making the event even greener.

As a privately funded project (by the Norwegian Bergesen Stiftelse) renewable energy is replacing fossil power, all garbage and materials are recycled, the riders can borrow electric cars, the hotel is environmental certified, the food is organic, the spectators get free bus rides to the arena and the crew is being educated. We are not only talking about a next generation green event, TAC will be living breathing proof of one.

The rider field is once again stacked with heavy hitters, taking center stage as always. Only 24 will earn the golden ticket, but what a ride they will earn: The perfect arena, full house of screaming Norwegians, the legendary parties, the service, the exposure and the fun that has always been what TAC is all about. So far the following riders are confirmed: Kevin Pearce, Travis Rice, Danny Davis, Terje Haakonsen, Peetu Pieroinen, Risto Mattila, Shayne Pospisil, Anti Autti, Colin Frei, Henning Marthinsen, Gian Simmen, Lori Podlatchikov and Dustin Craven.

Make sure to check out the new and improved website at: thearcticchallenge.com and additional coverage at Oakley.com/tac

Here’s a final gallery of images from the SIA Tradeshow 2009 in Las Vegas. Some wild booths, new gear and familiar faces. Enjoy. See you next year!

Photos: Ryan Taylor. Words: Adam Kisiel.

Located in the middle of Minnesota farmlands, there is a special kind of farm. Not necessarily your idea of a typical farm, but a place where they have some of the strongest stallions and mares that run free and are giving riding a whole new definition. You may have never heard of this place before, but they are not concerned with the east coast, west coast rivalry. They are focused on making a place to call home and being proud of what they have built to share with whoever comes there. This past weekend was harvest time and the industrious farmers sat back with big smiles as one hundred thirty one wild animals ran free on the farm. The farmers were Park Manager, Tanner Bakke, and the hardest working park crew around. The farm was Powder Ridge Minnesota, a little mountain with a big heart no doubt due to the untiring crew there and the parks they are growing.

As the warm sun hit the lands of Powder Ridge, Tanner and the Powder Ridge Park Crew had already been up for hours like any other farmers sculpting a perfect TransAm park not knowing that they were staking their claim in TransWorld SNOWboarding TransAm history. The aforementioned is not an exaggeration, the sun was warm making the days temperatures well past the forty-degree mark and blue skies made for it ideal to reap the shred. One hundred thirty one riders, the most of any stop on the tour thus far, stood at the top of the park hungry for the harvest. One even said he had never seen anything like what was laid out in front of him and he rides Powder Ridge everyday. The Traffic Jam, all animals running free on the course at the same time, was a site to behold. The Dakine Paper Shreds watched as riders 270’d on and off the Dakine down rail as well as threw a plethora of 180 to nose and tail press combos, just to name a few. The High Cascade Marshmallow, not expecting a good roasting, was getting burnt by the sun and the hot action of back flips, 720’s, rodeo’s, and more one foot action than a peg legged pirate dance club.

Josh Tranby and Megan Julik could be seen from the adjacent silos as they took off the reins and slaughtered the middle line. Josh was gapping the Powder Ridge up flat down rail like it was not even grown to full size. He most notably gapped the middle section with a 360. Megan seemed like she rode the whole course refusing to get bucked by even the wildest broncos, which included the Oakley up box to shark pit gap. Believe me, the sharks were fed and fattened up from this stop with plenty of animals coming up short off the box.

Unlike Megan, Tommy Leach did get bucked. Gasps could be heard as he caught his nose on the Ride Snowboards Slime Wall and in superman fashion threw a forced front flip ending up deep in the landing. Tommy walked away unscathed with Worst Fall Honors. The Zumiez couch was at the end of the flat up flat box feature and had riders gapping over it much like farm animals often jump their fenced in barriers to freedom. The Ultimate Final gave these wild animals ten minutes on each line of the park to earn them top honors for being best overall out in the pasture of pain. The thirty-minute final showcased the top forty riders who were awarded TransAm t-shirts in the Traffic Jam. Jesse Pahl, Brent Mohs, Elizabeth Mann, and Ally Groebel led the pack and pulled away with the TransAm Top honors. The fruits of the harvest came in the form of Custom TransAm backpacks from Dakine filled with custom TransAm goggles from Oakley and awesomeness from High Cascade, Zumiez, and Ride Snowboards. Top three guy winners received Nerf guns and top three girls won themselves tickets to ponyville, by receiving My Little Pony setups all provided by High Cascade Snowboard Camp. Top honors raked in new Ride Snowboards, Dakine board bags and backpacks, and the coveted TransWorld SNOWboarding TransAm First Place trophy. Bakke and the boys of the Powder Ridge Park Crew are growing a name and a park that is putting Minnesota on the map as a powerhouse. Watch them as they ride into the sunset.

Congratulations to the top riders:

Guys
1st Josh Tranby
2nd Jesse Pahl
3rd Brent Mohs

Gals
1st Megan Julik
2nd Elizabeth Mann
3rd Ally Goebel

Worst Fall: Tommy Leach

Read more

Photo: Alex Paradis

20 year old Quebec City local and brother of well known rider Louif Paradis, photographer Alex Paradis shows us what he’s got, here, in his collection of photographs taken over the last year in the province of Quebec, Canada. Alex says that when he first started snowboarding with his brother and friends, he was pretty sure it was what he would do for the rest of his life, until three seasons ago, after becoming injured, he picked up a camera for the first time and found a new passion to pursue alongside snowboarding. Since then he has been photographing friends and Quebec locals such as Greg Desjardins, LNP, Jason Dubois, Ben Bilocq, Phil Jacques and his brother, Louif Paradis. He says that his friends are always pushing and inspiring him to improve his photography, through which, together, they can inspire others to push the limits as well. Living and growing up in Quebec City has been a blessing to the pursuit of his passions, as the city is now one of the major urban settings that pro snowboarders are flocking to. Alex says that his hope for the future is to continue working with passionate people, to travel and see “what’s good” all over the world, and for sure, to “keep pushing the button.”

Check out more of Alex Paradis’ photography HERE.

Where is this Get Real crew? Who cares? Well, they’re all over the map. Like us, in a sketchy motel trying to get the gear to dry out. stinking.

We’re here. Riders Mikey Rencz, Pat McCarthy, and Eero NIemela are on board. TransWorld’s  Get Real-est Joe Carlino and Scott Serfas wield the cameras. Yeah, we are all out playing in the snow. Is this news?

Rolling through Donner Pass. Photo: Chris Wellhausen

The Blizzardia continues as the Volcom crew continues to pillage eardrums, award ceremonies and snow. The Blizzard Bizarre caravan of shred rock’n’roll embarked from the shores of Southern California with eyes set on Mount Baker as the final looming destination. “It’s ride and rock’n’roll—everyday,” says Volcom head Billy Anderson and so far the tour has been nothing less. It has even accelerated as crews amassed over the last two days of riding Mount Bachelor.

Martin Ciszek mid-rock with filmer Jake Price in tow. Photo: Chris Wellhausen

Snow has been bleak, but the growing camaraderie of people and riding has kept everything alive. New faces, new terrain and new shows fuel the snowboard hunger at every stop. The tour has been a rolodex of snowboard history watching riders Jamie Lynn and Josh Dirksen rally with young bucks Skylar Thornton, the Ciszek brothers (Curtis and Martin) and all friends in between.

Bear young buck Daniel Brown lofting a back five tail at Northstar. Photo: Chris Wellhausen

We’re hold up at the Price family compound in Bend right now awaiting the RV mothership to take us through the last leg of the journey. Kandi Coded and Tweak Bird are gearing up to play at the Summit tonight, Portland tomorrow, Seattle the next, and lastly Mount Baker for the Banked Slalom. Get off the couch, stoneyour.tv, then come out and rock—the music is bound to hit you. Maybe the chords will even reach the snow gods for a blurry white finale. See you there.

Kandi Coded lighting up the 10th annual TransWorld Riders Poll. Photo: Chris Wellhausen

Tues, Feb 3
Summit Saloon
852 NW Brooks St.
Bend OR 97701
Show @ 9pm

Wed, Feb 4
Slabtown
1033 NW 16th Ave.
Portland, OR 97209
www.slabtownbar.net
Show @ 9pm

Thurs, Feb 5
Funhouse
206 5th Ave N
Seattle, WA 98109
www.thefunhouseseattle.com
Show @ 10pm

Fri, Feb 6
Joowanna’s Café
7471 Mt. Baker Hwy
Maple Falls, WA 98266
Show @ 8pm

Back on the bus. Photo Chris Wellhausen

volcom.com
stoneyour.tv

Photo: Brian Nevins.

It was a chilly day at Stowe Mountain, Saturday, January 31st for the fourth
Main Event Stop of the season. With the sun shining and the wind howling,
riders poured in to take their turn on SnowGrind’s newest creation. The
course began with a Flat-down box, a down-flat- down rail and a mini rainbow
box, which lead into a Flat box and a 30′ down rail. Those jibs were just the
beginning of the fun before approaching the triple booter…A 60 ft table with two booters on either side
of a 40 ft cruiser jump option. It was cold outside but the jumps were hot for sure.

Adjacent to the course, The Mini Main Event sported its own mini 20 ft jump.
The groms showed up and threw down in their own 13 and under domain. The
winner of the Women’s Pro division was a grom herself, that blew away all of
the competition to the point of winning the top prize. Ty Walker from Stowe
VT, a young Roxy rider, killed it again for the second year in a row. Ty
won the Vermont Main Event stop last season, and showed the judges that she
hasn’t lost her edge this year. This 11 year old knows backside 360s like
the back of her hand. Keep your eyes on this one, she is sure to be one of
snowboarding’s future golden girls.

*Pro Men*
1st Place Ryan Hryckiewicz
2nd Place William Mayo
3rd Place Brandon Honeycutt

*Pro Women*
1st Place Ty Walker
2nd Place Taylor Owen
3rd Place Laura Rogoski

*Am Men*
1st Place Rex Calabrese
2nd Place Justin Simpkins
3rd Place Zach Skedzuhn

*Am Women*
1st Place Lilly Calabrese

*Darkside Snowboard’s Best Trick*
Justin Kosko, an amateur rider who stomped a cab 900 during the qualifiers.

*Mini Main Event (13 & Under)*
1st Place Nevin DiParlo
2nd Place Nick Meevburg
3rd Place Griffin DiParlo

Thanks to all of our sponsors for the great prizes and all their
support: Burton Snowboards, Flow Snowboarding, Redbull, Fuel TV, Direct TV, Dekal.com, RED
Helmets, Anon Optics, Snowgrind, Scion, Rye Airfield, and Darkside Snowboard
Shop. Check out all event details and photos at www.maineventseries.com.
Come out and join us for the rest of the Main Event Series:

Sugarloaf Mtn, ME – Sunday, February 15th, 2009
Loon Mtn, NH – The Finals – Saturday, February 28th, 2009

The Summit at Snoqualmie, Lib Technologies and Snowboy Productions present The Holy Oly Revival 2009…The Contest God Couldn’t Stop!

Historic rainfall in January caused a big ‘ol landslide that took out a couple lift towers, a few homes, buried three rabbits and left a big mess at the Summit East / Hyak base area were the Holy Oly Revival is held, leaving many concerned shreds wondering about the fate of the nation’s premier anti-contest. “Will it be canceled?”, “Can they get a government bail-out?”, “Did anybody just see me picking my nose?”, “Do these pants make my butt look big?”

So many questions…someone needs to set the record straight…and that someone is me…my name is Krush.

Since there are no real rules at the Holy Oly, we just need a couple key things to make it work.

1. A giant quarterpipe
2. A 20’ tall inflatable Summit watertower to fill in for the original
3. A pallet of Olympia beer
4. Cobra Dogs

Check, check, check and check.

We are moving the event to Summit West Base area…the date is February 21st…the shredders will be shredding…the music will be by Scott Sullivan, The Senate Arcade and Kandi Coded…photogs will be shooting…Burtner will be blabbing…the beer will be cold and everyone will be going bananas as we continue with our Celebration of NW Snowboard Pride.

I’ll see you there.

To get on the invited rider list, get media credentials or ask stupid questions please contact Krush Kulesza at krush@summiti90.com

The Holy Oly Revival is made possible this year by The Summit’s Park Crew, Lib Tech, Cobra Dogs, Red Bull, Think Thank, Peter Line, Jamie Lynn, Todd Schlosser, Scott Sullivan, Quincy Quigg and riders who know.

DC TEAMS WITH FAMED FRENCH DESIGNER AGNÈS B. FOR A LIMITED EDITION DOUBLE LABEL™ PROJECT AND ART SHOW
FORWARD 3 TO BE HELD IN PARIS AND NEW YORK

January 30, 2009 – Vista, CA – DC is pleased to announce its partnership with legendary French designer agnès b. Together the two brands have created the latest footwear project for DC’s Double Label™ series and will collaborate on the FORWARD 3 art exhibit. Launching in Paris at the agnès b. shop March 5-18, 2009, the exhibit will then travel to New York for its U.S. premiere at the agnès b. Soho shop, March 31 –April 14, 2009.

The DC x agnès b. Double Label™ shoe was designed by the brands as a fusion of their two unique styles. Offered in three colorways of blue, sesame and black, the shoes feature agnès b.’s distinctive signature across the tongue. The premium leather shoe was developed from DC’s Dress Sneaker, a sophisticated sneaker silhouette that maintains distinct touches of DC’s skate heritage with details such as DC’s Pill Pattern™ outsole. Less than 1500 pairs of the shoes will be produced and will be available exclusively at agnès b. retail stores and select sneaker boutiques worldwide.

To celebrate the DC x agnès b. Double Label™ project, the two brands will present FORWARD 3, a graphic design exhibit. The original FORWARD show was developed two years ago from a partnership between DC and leading French art magazine REDUX as a showcase of select graphic artists’ personal works. DC had supported several REDUX art shows since 2005, including a special French artists’ sneaker customization exhibition held in Paris. The show and shoes will launch March 5, 2009, during Paris Fashion Week at the agnès b. Rue Du Jour historical shop before traveling to New York for the U.S. opening March 31st, 2009.

For FORWARD 3, French artists will showcase their personal works, along with custom works that showcase their interpretation of “I Love New York.” Artists for FORWARD 3 include, 123 Klan, Guillaume Abdi, Aurèle, Dada, Delarocca, Dirtlab, Dyane de Sérigny, Erwan & Sophie, Jerk4, Jérôme Molar, Stéphane Kiehl, Koa, Koralie, Luis, Mega, Jean Nipon, Osmoze, Pierre La Police, Prunelle, Spoe, Tabas, Nicolas Thomas, Rachel Cazadamont@H5, Sophie Toporkoff, Supakitch, Amandine Urruty, and Greg Vezon.

The 2009 FORWARD 3 show is proud to welcome agnès b. as a collaborator on the exhibit. As one of the world’s leading influencers of contemporary art for more than 30 years, agnès b. has supported hundreds of young graffiti artists (such as Futura, JonOne, Aurèle), illustrators (Erwan & Sophie, Pierre La Police, Abdelkader Benchamma), books (Talking with Almodovar), artists, musicians (Interpol) and moviemakers (Harmony Korine).

The Double Label™ Project series began in 2001 as part of DC’s Special Project category. Developed as a means for DC to team with many of the notable creative influences that surrounded the skateboarding culture, the projects have resulted in unique opportunities for brand expression and development.

The shoe will be available worldwide beginning March 5, 2009. The FORWARD 3 exhibit will be held at the agnès b. shop at 3-6 Rue du Jour in Paris March 5-18, 2009 and in New York at 103 Greene Street, beginning March 31- April 14, 2009.

Aspen/Snowmass, Colo., February 2, 2009 – The fourth annual Aspen/Snowmass Open presented by Audi will once again take place at Buttermilk, February 5 – 8, 2009.

The event offers the opportunity for up-and-coming athletes to compete on the renowned ESPN Winter X Games slopestyle and superpipe courses on Buttermilk before they are opened back up to the general public.

Big name athletes attending include Bobby Brown, Sean Decker, Alex Schlopy, Henrik Lempert, Joe Eddy, Jamie Culp and Aspen/Snowmass Team Athletes Meg Olenick and Matt Walker.

Nearly $50,000 of prize money is on the line again this year. This unique event will have open categories to skiers and snowboarders, men and women, in both slopestyle and superpipe.

Men’s snowboard slopestyle and superpipe fields are still open to athletes. Men’s skiing superpipe is also open. All of the women’s events are still open as well.

Interested athletes should visit http://www.aspensnowmass.com/eventregistration/eventreg1.cfm?eventid=1

Members of the media are invited to obtain credentials at Buttermilk at the following times:
Wednesday, February 4 10 a.m. – noon
Thursday, February 5 10 a.m. – noon
Friday, February 6 10 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, February 7 8 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Sunday, February 8 8 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

The Aspen/Snowmass Open is presented by Audi and proudly sponsored by American Express, Bud Light, Crocs, Salomon, Rip Curl, Nature Valley, the Aspen Times, Freeskier Magazine, Aspen Recreation Center, Skullcandy and D&E Ski and Snowboard Shop.

FULL SCHEDULE (Subject to Change)
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Athlete & Team Manager Registration 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Slopestyle practice 9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Superpipe practice 9:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Athlete & Team Manager Registration 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Media Registration 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Ski Slopestyle practice 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Snowboard Superpipe practice 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Ski Superpipe practice 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Snowboard Slopestyle practice 12:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Mandatory Athlete Meeting at Bumps 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Thursday, February 5, 2009
Athlete & Team Manager Registration 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Media Registration 10:00 a.m.– 12: 00 p.m.
Training (Snowboard Slopestyle & Ski Superpipe competitors only) 8:30 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.
Ski Superpipe - men’s qualifying 9:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Snowboard Slopestyle - men’s qualifying 9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Welcome Reception/ Mandatory Athlete Meeting at Bumps 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Friday, February 6, 2009
Media Registration 10:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Training (Snowboard Slopestyle & Ski Superpipe competitors only) 8:30 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.
Ski Superpipe - men’s semi-finals 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Ski Superpipe – women’s semi finals 11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Ski Superpipe - women’s and men’s finals 12:30 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Snowboard Slopestyle - men’s semi-finals 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 p.m.
Snowboard Slopestyle – women’s semi-finals 11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Snwoboard Slopestyle - women’s and men’s finals 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Awards Ceremony – immediately following competition 3:30 p.m.

Saturday, February 7, 2009
Media Registration 8:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Athlete & Team Manager Registration 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Training (Ski Slopestyle and Snowboard Superpipe competitors only) 8:30 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.
Snowboard Superpipe - men’s qualifying 9:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Ski Slopestyle - men’s qualifying 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Mandatory Athlete Meeting at Bumps 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Sunday, February 8, 2008
Media Registration 8:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Training (Ski Slopestlye and Snowboard Superpipe competitors only) 8:30 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.
Snowboard Superpipe - men’s semi-finals 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Snowboard Superpipe – women’s semi finals 11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Snowboard Superpipe - women’s and men’s finals 12:30 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Ski Slopestyle - men’s semi-finals 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Ski Slopestyle – women’s semi-finals 11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Ski Slopestyle - women’s and men’s finals 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Awards Ceremony – immediately following competition 3:30 p.m.

Schweitzer hosts Successful Ski-a-thon

24 Hours of Schweitzer raises over $63,000 for Cystinosis Research

Sandpoint, ID – Schweitzer Mountain didn’t sleep the night of Friday, January 30^th. The Selkirk stars laid witness to an order of skiers and snowboarders, braving the bitter-cold, raging winds, weakening knees, and breathless lungs as they trusted in the strength of their hamstrings and their hearts to carry them on a 24-hour odyssey for a cure.

The 24 Hours of Schweitzer ski-a-thon came to a close at 10AM on Saturday, January 31^st in the Schweitzer village. After a total of 42 teams consisting of 112 skiers and snowboarders completed 7,183 runs, accumulating nearly 7 million vertical feet, the participants still managed to gather in the village to greet Hank Sturgis, the inspiration behind the ski-a-thon that raised money for Cystinosis research.

The youngest participant was 7-year-old Reed Sandstrom, who contributed an amazing 72 runs. The winner of the event was Sandpoint local, and member of the MickDuff’s team, Matt Gillis, who skied a total of 175 laps with a 157,102 ft vertical.

“I think that everyone involved would agree that this was one of the greatest events they have participated either as a volunteer and racer,” Gillis said. “It was a lot of fun to win, but the real fun came in just being part of the event and getting the chance to contribute to the cause.”

Brian Sturgis, Hanks father who also participated in the event was also thrilled with the outcome.

“The event was a great success,” Sturgis said. “The support that this community shows for children in need is overwhelming.”

Both Gillis and Sturgis felt that Schweitzer did an “amazing job” in coordinating and carrying out the event.

“Everyone involved was great…the lifties were in great spirits all night; the helpers during the dinner were awesome and extremely friendly.  I hope this is just the first of many 24 Hours of Schweitzer races!” Gillis said.

Sturgis added, “ We would like to thank Schweitzer Mountain Resort and its event staff, ski patrol, lifties, and mountain operations for doing an outstanding job keeping the mountain open and providing a great dinner on Saturday night!  We would also like to thank Coldwater Creek and the rest of our sponsors for making the event possible.”

For more information on Hank, Cystinosis, and how to make a difference, visit www.24hoursforhank.org.