Westbound Boarder

There’s only a few more weeks (or maybe even months, depending on which hill you call home base) left in this year’s snow season, so we thought we’d squeeze in a few more shredictionary terms while we still can!  Which brings me to dropping.  No, not dropping snow balls, or dropping… droppings?  Dropping in shred language means one thing, and one thing only - “It’s my turn, I’m dropping!”  Translation, its the word you yell when you’re waiting in line to hit a feature and you want to stake your dibs on next hit.  It’s shred-iquitte!  In a perfect world, this would be common sense.  But for now… just call it, will ya?!

OK, I’ll come right out and say it; I’m a wimp when it comes to cold weather.  A pretty big wimp (no judgments, please?) which is why I love base layers!  Having a good, warm jacket of course helps keep you warm on the chilly hill, but having the right base layers is essential.  I’ve always been a slave to fleece base layers.  Every couple of years, I buy a new Northface top layer and Patagonia fleece pants (sometimes I even wear two pairs!)  Until recently.  A couple of weeks ago, Kombi Sports sent me a new base layer to try, the Proline 180 Midweight 1/4 zip pullover. I wore it to the mountain, and much to my surprise, I liked it nearly as much, if not better, than my fleece base layers!  It kept me warm the entire day, and it was very comfy and soft.  The proline 180 midweight pullover is made using accu dri technology, which means it is “moisture-wicking, odor-fighting, and quick-drying.”  Translation - it keeps you warm, dry and clean smelling (very important!) all day long.  Kombi Sports also makes gloves, mittens and headwear, in addition to base layers (and they do carry microfleece, btw).

Win It! Kombi has been awesome enough to give us an extra base layer to give away to one of our readers!  To win, leave a comment below telling us how YOU like to stay warm and dry on the mountain, and you could win a Kombi pullover of your very own.  We’ll pick one random commenter via random.org to win.  The giveaway will close Monday night, March 22 at midnight.

Since the beginning of Snowboarding there has been groups, cliques, filming crews, etc. One of the most well known crews has been Mack Dawg Productions, aka MDP. Led by founder and originator Brad Kramer, MDP has been documenting snowboarding and skateboarding progression and it’s ambassadors for twenty years. With the pioneer likes of JP Walker, Devun Walsh, Jaime Lynn, Chris Roach, MDP has been paving the way for what many of the “young guns” are doing in webisodes today. While these legends are still killing it all over the place, things do change, evolve, and progress.

Three years ago, MDP embarked on a new endeavor by creating a subdivision of it’s style with the “PEOPLE” Crew. With the first release, “We’re people too,” the film consisted of some legends, speckled with some snowboarding new comers. A lot of the industry’s “King Pins” gave the people crew a hard time at first, for their tight clothes and so-called emo music, but at the end of the day (or season) they all ride together and share the passion that is the shred.

When MDP released it’s final flick” Double Decade”, it marked it’s 20th year dedicated to the monumental contribution of the sport. The People Crew, being established three years prior, has had several different athletes and rookies with a slight twist on the original MDP style. This, in my opinion, was all a game plan for what it has evolved into now. After “Double Decade” and “Down with People” were released for the 08/09 season, Brad Kramer hung up his MDP lens and went on to film for Burton, leaving his protege to carry on the legacy. Some might think of it as a sell out move, but I think of it as an individual furthering his accomplishments as an originator.

Now MDP showcases many Burton riders year after year. Jeremy Jones, Jussi Oksanen, Heikki Sorsa, etc. Ironically, when Kramer made his power move, Jeremy Jones was one of the last to join the official People Crew. Of course, he didn’t really need to be in both People and MDP movies when they were both putting out films each year, but now he is one of the headliners, with JP, Joe Sexton etc.

I like the People Crew because they have brought a new and an established style to the scene. Even though half of the riders that were in the first and second release are not officially members now, they made a name for themselves. And “TPC” still promises to please. 09/10’s “Nice Try” was the most anticipated movies of the year to me. Riders like Seth Huot and Jon Kooley had sick parts, and some new to the crew riders had impressive parts as well. Austrailian ripper Robbie Walker had the sickest run by a rookie I have ever seen, throwing huge 10’s and a gigantic seven while holding the camera! Its a must see.

With my love elvoling for this “Crew” I am excited to see Joe Sexton, Simon Chambelen, and Zack Marben bring it for years to come. Also excited to see the new and stylish talent, and creative I must add! I think all the best and different styles of riders will dominate in next year’s production! Between the urban rails and wall rides to the back country powder booters, there is a part for every shred head to admire with the variety of talent People harbor!

Gotta love Jimmy Kimmel… Gotta love Kimmel even more when Scotty Lago is on!  This past Friday, US Olympic half pipe bronze medalist Scotty Lago appeared on the Jimmy Kimmel show to talk about what it was like to win an Olympic bronze medal … and how it felt to be sent home a couple days later.

In case you didn’t catch it, Olympic snowboarder Scotty Lago was asked to leave the Olympic games (or face a disciplinary hearing) 2 weeks early after some “mildly suggestive” photos appeared on TMZ, depicting Lago “using his bronze medal for snowboarding to score chicks.”

Personally, I think the Olympic committee overreacted in their decision to ask Scotty to leave the games.  When I first heard about the incident (without seeing the photos, firsthand), I expected him to be stark naked or something!  Really, the photos weren’t that bad, and the only reason the Olympic committee got upset is likely because Scotty was wearing a T-shirt with the Olympic logo plainly visible in one of the photos.  I understand the perspective that the medal is sacred (or whatever) and should not be treated in an incriminaing light, however, I’m sure every athlete parties a little bit and wants to show off their new, shiny piece of medal.  Especially around attractive females! :)  After all, Olympic athletes are human, too.  Scotty just happened to use his medal to lure in the female fish … while also reeling in the paparazzi.

This incident brings up two good points.  First, this is the first Olympic games where new media played a huge role.  New media tends to accelerate the news cycle, and I don’t think athletes this year were adequately prepared to address.  Second, Scotty became a celebrity basically overnight.  In chatting about the incident with some of my coworkers a couple of days after, one of them said quite brashly, “what do you expect from a snowboarder?”  Ok, no.  What do you expect from any normal teenager?!  Case in point, and if anything, the Olympic committee should have taken stronger measures (and a long, boring seminar isn’t quite what I consider a measure) to enforce appropriate conduct at parties that athletes consider safe from the limelight.

All said and done now, Lago’s voluntary exit doesn’t change the fact that last week he became an American hero.  But it was his home town that supported him the most.  The Olympic games and the athletes that bring them to life are important, because they give small town kids big dreams, dreams they will work hard to achieve.  And the day Scotty won the bronze, thousands of kids around the world thought, “Wow.  That will be me someday.”

Despite being sent home from the Olympics prior to the closing ceremonies, Jimmy Kimmel came through and threw Scotty a closing ceremony of his very own!  The incident is something that will be left in the dust, and at least Scotty has a good attitude about it.  In the words of Lago, “It is what it is.”

Can you believe this pow at Keystone?!

Today is March 1, which means that spring is finally here (well, technically the official “first day of spring” is March 20, but with 70 degree temps yesterday, it may as well already be spring here in LA!)  Yet, if you head to any mountain in the Western region it seems like just the opposite.

Everywhere from Vail, Colorado to Mt. Hood, Oregon is seeing new snow continue to pile up.  Even the SoCal mountains are seeing more snow than usual.  Mt. High, for example, received nearly 10 inches of fresh pow over the weekend.  Though a bit later than most of us would have liked, it looks like El Nino has finally arrived.

So in case the March sunshine is making the ocean waves call your name, you might want to think twice before you officially trade in your snowboard for a spring suit.  This season’s here to stay!  For now, anyway.

Hi ya’all.  Just a quick reminder that tonight at midnight PT is your LAST chance to enter our Cushe boots giveaway!  So enter now, or forever have cold feet.

On a similar note, we are also giving away an Oakley prize pack, featuring limited edition Olympics Oakley gear.  Enter here by next Monday night.

Tons of fresh snow on Hood and Im going to play in it today! Its looking like another late season… better late then never! Powder Patty anyone??!!

This coming weekend marks the last few events of the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, as Sunday’s closing ceremonies will officially end the games.  The last two events in snowboarding will happen tonight and tomorrow at Cypress, the men’s and women’s snowboarding Giant Slalom (women’s on Friday, men’s on Saturday).  The Giant Slalom is one of the most grueling events in the Olympic games, where riders race head-to-head around gates against another opponent (and to be completely candid, I’m not too familiar with this type of event, as it is not typically held in American mainstream competitive circuits.  So I’m particularly excited to watch!)

One thing I have noticed about this year’s games in comparison to years past is that snowboarding has taken a much larger role in the overall event, and I really think it’s safe to say that it was one of the most hyped sports in the Olympics this year.  In the past, snowboarding has always taken a sideline seat to skiing, however, I think this year we really saw a shift in perceptions, especially among mainstream audiences.  I, for one, heard many more people talking about the snowboarding events compared to the skiing events.  In fact, I really didn’t hear much about skiing outside of American athletes Lindsey Vonn and Bode Miller, but everyone from the hardcore riders at my local mountain to the could-care-less-about-sports folks (like my sister) knew the names of the American roster and gathered around their TV sets to cheer them on as they rode though the pipe.  The progression the sport of snowboarding has seen in recent years has absolutely played a contributing role in raising the profile of snowboarding in this year’s Olympics, but the athletes themselves have helped lift the image as well.  In the past couple of years, snowboarders (often seen as “tyrants” on the slopes… sometimes for good reason ) such as Shaun White, Gretchen Bleiler, and Hannah Teter have emerged as role models, and instead of parents resenting the lifestyle that comes along with the sport, they are now encouraging their kids to take part.  It’s really cool to see your sport in the limelight, and to see and hear the nation collectively cheering on the athletes you’ve been supporting since day 1 and giving them the props they rightly deserve.  I’m really interested to see how the sport will evolve over the next 10 years, as the kids who are now growing up idolizing athletes like Shaun White, begging their parents to buy them a new ride, start competing.  Maybe in the next Olympics we’ll start to see quadruple corks?

So, as much all of us involved in the snowboard industry roll our eyes at the Olympic games (it even sounds like Vancouver is feeling a bit of buyer’s remorse this year) they have helped to tremendously raise the profile of snowboarding among mainstream audiences.  And right now, and for the future of snowboarding, that’s a really good thing.

WIN IT! To celebrate the final weekend of the 2010 Olympic games, we have a limited edition Oakley prize pack to give away!  Snowboarding would not be in the position it is today if it weren’t for the major brands behind it, so I’m really excited to announce this fun giveaway.  One reader will have the opportunity to win an Oakley prize pack, pictured to the right.  The pack is part of the Oakley Global Collection of products, which has been designed to honor Oakley’s global team of athletes participating in this year’s Olympics. It includes a set of limited edition Global Crowbar Snow Goggles, Global Fuel Cell sunglasses, Global backpack, women’s Oakley Global t-shirt, an Oakley Global beanie and collector’s pin. The graphics on the collection recognize the heritage of British Columbia and Vancouver, host city to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

How to win…Leave us a comment below and tell us how YOU think that snowboarding fared in this year’s Olympic Games, and how you think the games helped raise the profile of snowboarding nationwide (and if you don’t agree?  Bring it on!)  The contest will close on Monday, March 8 at midnight PT, and we’ll draw one winner the next day to receive the pack.

If you just so happen to be in Vancouver right now (lucky you!) make sure you stop by Oakley’s Rolling O-Lab and Pop-Up Store before they roll away Sunday night.  Details:

• The Rolling O-Lab is a mobile demonstration unit that educates visitors about the science behind quality eye protection. Technology presentations include the use of optical laser scope equipment that demonstrates clarity and prism shift, ultraviolet emitters and measuring devices to illustrate UV protection, and testing rigs that show the effects of high-velocity and high-mass impact situations.  Fans can visit the Rolling O-Lab at Grouse Mountain 9am - 8pm, and the best part?  It’s free! (We love free)
• Meanwhile, the Pop-Up Store features a fully enriched Oakley retail experience complete with an array of the company’s products. One of the store’s highlights is an Oakley Custom Bar, where visitors can customize select Oakley eyewear and goggle products.  It is located at 488 Robson Street.

And speaking of giveaways, in case you haven’t already entered, be sure to also check out our Cushe Boots giveaway.  Ends Monday, March 1!

Update: Dear Readers, thanks for all your fabulous comments - we got some great feedback, and it’s nice to hear that most of you enjoyed watching this year’s team take Olympic snowboarding to new heights.  Congrats to Maria, the winning commenter! (Selected via random.org).  Check back for more giveaways soon!

Now, we don’t often get the opportunity to write about events other than snowboarding, but for last night’s Olympic ice skating performance, we’ll make an exception!

Rachel Flatt was the first performer from the USA for women’s figure skating to take on the rink. She had a beautiful and graceful performance with a smile the whole time. Full, clean spins and jumps. She scored 182.49, her personal best. Japan performed next with a score of 188.86.

Then, the highly-anticipated dancer Kim Yu-Na from South Korea. With tons of passion and pressure from her country, she gracefully went into her jumps and axles with more speed than the other dancers, throwing a huge double axle triple toe loop. She made her routine look so easy. Magical and focused, Kim felt the music as she skated… earning her a score of 228.56! Which put Kim in Gold medal position.

She was the first S. Korean to win a figure skating Gold & she also took home an Olympic world record score. Yet another record attempted by Mao Asada scored 205.50 from Japan, she was the first women ever in the Olympics to land three triple axles in the same competition. Watching her perform made me see how she was Kim Yu-Na’s greatest competition.

Canada’s graceful Joannie Rochette was up next performing days after her mother passing. You could see the courage and determination in her performance. Very inspiring, to say the least. She scored a 202.64, putting her in Silver medal position with one skater left. Sixteen year old skater from USA Marai Nagasu scored a 190.15. We will be seeing her in Olympic years to come.

Final Results
Kim Yu Na: Gold
Mao Asada: Silver
Joannie Rochette: Bronze

Last Saturday, it went down at the Cholula Triple Air comp. at Mt. High.  My snowboard friend Peter Parra, the best photographer in Cali, sent me some photos from the event, so naturally I wanted to share! (Click photos to enlarge)

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