Westbound Boarder

It was a couple of weeks ago, but nonetheless an amazing event. The 2010 Campus Rail Jam Tour Finals went off Memorial Day Weekend and all contestants were absolutely killin it. If you are not familiar with the Jam here is the gist - it includes the best skiers, snowboarders, ladies and gents from the the 2010 Campus Rail Jam Tour contests. The stops along the way have included, Corvallis, Salt Lake City, Reno, San Diego, the list goes on…Riders compete at a jam session competition and the best of the best are invited to the finals in good ole Portland, OR.

We joined in the fun at Pioneer Square in Portland, OR and witnessed the best shredders of the tour throw down in the pouring rain for over three hours straight. The rain didn’t stop the intensity and the guys and gals really raised the bar against one another with the sickest tricks. The winners of the contest took home some cold hard cash and more steeze then they could carry. Check out our favorite shots from the contest and the results for the mens and womens ski and snowboard finals.

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Ski

Womens

1- Kristie Giles

2- Katie Powers

Ski Mens

1- Garrett Rowley

2- McRae Williams

3- Joey Vandermeer

Snowboard Womens

1- Krysta Pelchar

2- Ashley Thornton

3- Randa Shahin

Snowboard Mens

1- Lou Macias

2- Christian Hobush

3- Jordan Welter

Okay, so I’m not actually a mentor, but I recently became a volunteer for a program called Stoked Mentoring and attended my very first volunteer event last night.  Stoked is a non-profit organization that teaches at-risk youth life skills through action sports.

Last night, I attended (and snapped beacoup de photos) the Third Annual Stoked Sessions VIP silent auction, Stoked’s annual fundraiser.  Hosted by Stoked supporter and professional actor Andrew Keegan (ever seen 10 Things I hate About You?), the evening featured urban art, networking, and, of course, an open bar, always a crowd pleaser.  All art pieces were donated, allowing all event proceeds to go directly to the Stoked organization, and many artists even showed up at the event to show their support.  Photos from the evening’s festivities below!

Stoked is an organization centered around a mentorship program where they pair a number of mentors with at-risk youth in the Los Angeles and New York areas.  In addition to spending time together each week, mentors and mentees learn to skate, surf and snowboard together, giving mentees the opportunity to unleash their passion and connect with their mentors through action sports.  Founded by Steve Larosiliere and co-founded by Sal Masekela, Stoked has helped many youth reach their full potential.  An inspiring fact - this year, 100 percent of mentees involved in the program graduated from high school, and many plan to go on to college as well.  Stoked is changing lives, and not only for the mentees involved, but for many of the mentors and volunteers as well.

Check out Stoked Sessions all day today in “The Brick Building” at the Culver City Art Walk.  If you’re interested in becoming a volunteer or a mentor or donating to the organization, visit the Stoked website to sign up.

If you missed it last year, sucks to be you, but don’t let that discourage you. Don’t know what the Campus Rail Jam is, where have you been hiding? Anyways…the Campus Rail Jam Tour is a grassroots snow sports movement, dedicated to promoting the amateur ski and snowboard scene. They support the “up-and-comers” and those who are “about to blow up,” and are down with anyone who knows how to throw down on a snowstick (or sticks!).

What we have this weekend is the finals of this seasons Campus Rail Jam Tour. The best of the tour will be vying for some cold hard cash Downtown Portland, Ore. at Pioneer Square this Friday May 28th from 4pm to 8pm. In addition to witnessing some sick shredders (ladies, gentlemen and skiers too), all sorts of sponsors will be giving away the farm, so don’t miss out it is a guaranteed gay ol time. We had a blast at the jam last year, so see you there!

Volunteering to help clean up the California beaches is always a good thing… but its an even better thing when free tickets to a Jack Johnson concert are on the line.  This Saturday (May 22), volunteers who participate in a 2 hour beach clean up in Santa Monica, CA through Jack Johnson’s All at Once Community and Heal the Bay will receive free tickets to a Jack Johnson concert on the Santa Monica pier the following Monday (May 24) at 7pm.  Heal the Bay is a great organization to get involved in (especially for us surfers who want nice, clean beaches!) and Jack Johnson’s new organization sounds great, too!  More information about the event and clean-up here.

You can also win tickets by following @jackjohnson and @brushfire on Twitter.  So, get cleanin’ and tweetin’!

A couple weeks ago (March 25 - 28) top female snowboarders from around the world all came together for the sixth annual Roxy Chicken Jam at Mammoth Mountain, CA.  The Roxy Chicken Jam is one of the premiere industry events for females, and it plays a huge role in raising the profile for women in the snowboard industry.  And in case you missed the event live, no worries, because you can catch the recap on FUEL TV (schedule below).

The Roxy Chicken Jam women only snowboard contest gathers the world’s best pro riders to compete in both a slopestyle and superpipe competition at Mammoth Mountain. With more than 100 girls from around the world, Olympic gold medalist Kelly Clark, Rana Okada, Olympian Elena Hight, X Games gold medalist Jamie Anderson and Cheryl Mass all compete for a chance at $15,000.

“ROXY CHICKEN JAM 2010″ Air Dates:
Monday, 5/10/2010 8:00 PM ET / 5:00PM PT
Monday, 5/10/2010 11:00 PM ET /8:00PM PT
Wednesday, 5/12/2010 12:30 PM ET / 9:30 AM PT
Friday, 5/14/2010 12:00 PM ET / 9:00 AM PT
Saturday, 5/15/2010 3:00 PM ET / 12:00 PM PT
Sunday, 5/16/2010 11:30 AM ET / 8:30 AM PT
Monday, 5/17/2010 3:30 AM ET / 12:30 PM PT
Wednesday, 5/19/2010 6:30 PM ET / 3:30 PM PT
Saturday, 5/22/2010 12:00 PM ET / 9:00 AM PT
Sunday, 5/23/2010 9:00 AM ET / 6:00 AM PT
Tuesday, 5/25/2010 8:00 PM ET / 5:00 PM PT
Tuesday, 5/25/2010 11:00 PM ET / 8:00 PM PT
Friday, 5/28/2010 2:30 AM ET / 11:30 PM PT
Saturday, 5/29/2010 9:00 AM ET / 6:00 AM PT
Tuesday, 6/1/2010 3:00 PM ET / 12:00 PM PT
Wednesday, 6/2/2010 12:30 AM ET / 9:30 PM PT
Monday, 6/7/2010 3:30 AM ET / 12:30 AM PT
Tuesday, 6/8/2010 9:30 PM ET / 6:30 PM PT
Wednesday, 6/16/2010 6:30 PM ET / 3:30 PM PT
Monday, 6/28/2010 12:30 PM ET / 9:30 AM PT

Unfortunately, it has come and gone already. No, not the winter season, the Mt. Hood Meadows Sno Kona Pond Skim, and my absolute favorite event of the year. The Skim took place for the fourth year in a row last Saturday and this event is only getting betting with age; with more beer (courtesy of Kona Brewing Co.), more creativity and more skin? That is right, skin. With the winner of the contest bearing it all this year, each and every spectator saw more than one may have bargained for….

Let me rewind for those of you who are out of the loop. Each year Mt. Hood Meadows hosts a Pond Skim. What is a pond skim you ask…? (Come on, really???) Put a 94 foot ice cold pond in the snow, dare everyone to garb up, dangle a trip to Hawaii under their nose and you can only imagine what people will come up with. So, each skimmer gets one chance to cross this years’  94 foot pond. If you successfully cross it your first attempt you advance to the ‘skim-off’ for a chance to win a trip to Hawaii, but only if your steez is up to par…if not second and third place comes down to best showmanship and best crowd reaction.

This years’ skim started with a typical PacNW weathered day; wind, rain and poor visibility on the hill. But yours truly, Matt Zaffino, promised it would turn around and the pond skimming would prevail. Thankfully, Zaffino was right and in spite of the occasional wind burst and snow flurry the weather worked out perfectly for the contest. The snow was fast and that only means one thing, awesome falls. Put your hands together (high speed meets a 94 foot pond) and what do you get? Superman’s, water burns, torn corns, lost tops, soggy people with ice cold bodies…try getting that mental picture out of your head.

We saw skimming brides, Richard Simmons, corporate stooges, Elvis, Speedos, Ms. Piggy, the list goes on.  But back to the skin I was telling you all about… Third place went to “King Kamehameha” (who took third place last year, for the same costume, which was a little strange). But first and second place were the two best of the show, between the man who can walk on water, “Jesus” and the man who has no shame, “Borat.” See for yourself!

The weather was good, the Hawaiian brews were great, and the entertainment was out of control. Thank you Mt. Hood Meadows, Kona Brewing, Co. and All About Hawaii Travel for another successful Pond Skim, it was one to remember.

Insider Tips:

• Craving a Kona Brew? Check them out locally at Bamboo Grove (my personal FAV), Salvador Molly’s and Henry’s 12^th Street Tavern. Know of any more Local Kona stashes? Let us know!
• It is done running for this season, but keep it in mind for the next. We took up the Grease Bus with the Kona Brewing, Co. Crew for the skim and had one hell of a time. The bus is super comfortable, shows snowboard videos your whole ride up to the hill, it runs off of vegatable oil and is only $10 round trip. Want more FAQ’s? cHeCK eM oUt.

My favorite time of year has finally arrived…you know spring riding, corn snow and the 4th Annual Mt. Hood Meadows SnoKona. This is the event of the season and the event I have been waiting all year for.  Don’t believe me? Check out my recap from this event last spring. The Pond Skim is the absolute funniest, entertaining event; with great costumes, 100 shred heads skimming for their lives (and a free trip to Hawaii) across a 90 foot rigid pond, you are guaranteed a great time.

The deets: The 4th Annual Spring Splash Pond Skimming Competition will be here this Saturday, April 24th (or the 25th depending on Saturday’s weather!). This event is brought to you by Kona Brewing Co. and All About Hawaii Travel, which means, Hawaiian music, drinks, food and costumes

The Rules: All participants will receive one attempt to cross the 90 foot pond successfully, those who do so will advance to the ’skim-off,’ where if more than one contestant makes it to the other side during the ’skim-off’ the winner will be based upon the following: best skim style, best Hawaiian costume, best showmanship and best Best crowd reaction. First place is a trip for two to Hawaii. Second place winners will take home their very own Kona Prize Pack which includes two beach chairs, a skimboard, a backpack cooler, a Kona beach towel and a set of 12 Kona glasses. Third place will be treated to a $50 gift certificate from bamboo grove.

Haven’t convinced you yet? Well leave it to the grand prize. The top three skimmers, the best splash, best impression made by a women contestant, and best Hawaiian costume will walk home with a prize, one of which is a round trip vacation for two to Hawai’i!

Registration is $25 and includes your comp fee and a Sno-Kona towel, so hurry up as space is limited to 100 participants! I will be there, Kona brew in hand covering the event (not competing this year, wonder why? check out our event recap from last year!)  So let me know if you plan on attending the event by leaving a comment or shooting me an email, (westboundboarder@gmail.com) because we would love to see you there!

I’m always stoked to see women-only snowboard comps. which is why the Covergirl Snow Angels Invitational (as well as last weekend’s Roxy Chicken Jam) is hot on our radar.  This year’s event will once again be held at Snowmass this coming weekend, April 2 - 4, and it will feature some of the industry’s best talent.  Competing athletes include Olympic athletes Gretchen Bleiler, Kelly Clark, and Elena Hight, as well as Sarah Conrad, Ellery Hollingsworth, Mercedes Nicoll, Linn Haug, Maddy Schaffrick, Haruna Matsumoto, Soko Yamaoka, Sophie Rodriguez, Kelly Marren, Palmer Taylor, Paulina Ligocka and Ursina Holler.  The event will feature a Superpipe contest on Saturday, April 3 in Snowmass. In addition, there will be several lifestyle activities for the riders including a spa day, yoga classes and a girl’s night out on the town.  The girls will all vie for $20,000 in prize money at the superpipe competition in Snowmass on April 3.

This year’s event will feature several new twists on past year’s activities, including the Barbie Little Air (open to the public) where participants 13-years-old and younger will compete on a small jump at the base of Snowmass for prizes from Barbie (totally cute! I wish I could go watch!), an autograph session with the athletes at Spider Sabich below the Snowmass Superpipe, free snowboard demo from K2 Snowboard’s 2011 product and poolside après party at the Viceroy Resorts and Residences.

This event is awesome and so perfect for the female audience because it shows that its okay for women to be hardcore snowboarders while still embracing their inner feminine beauty, despite the fact that action sports is a male-dominated industry.  It’s also a neat way to integrate a non-endemic brand into the snowboard industry.  Kudos!

Catch the full event schedule below, and stay tuned for the highlights!

Thursday, April 1st
9 am - 4 pm: K2 Snowboard Demo - Snowmass Village Mall

Friday, April 2nd
9 am - 4 pm: K2 Snowboard Demo, Oakley and ContourHD demo - Snowmass Village Mall
10 am - 1 pm: Film, photo shoot & freeride day - Snowmass Superpipe
3 pm - 4 pm: Barbie Little Air - Snowmass Fanny Hill

Saturday, April 3rd
9 am - 4 pm: K2 Snowboard Demo, Oakley and ContourHD demo - Snowmass Village Mall
9:30 am - 2 pm: Free superpipe viewing access for foot-passengers - Burlingame lift
10 am: Superpipe practice - Snowmass Superpipe
11:30 am - 12:45 pm: Superpipe Jam Session Competition - Snowmass Superpipe
12 - 2 pm: Lunch specials - Spider Sabich Cabin
1 - 1:30pm: COVERGIRL Snow Angel athlete autograph session - Spider Sabich Cabin
4 - 6 pm: Poolside après party - Viceroy Pool

Sunday April 4th
9 am - 4 pm: Oakley and ContourHD demo - Snowmass Village Mall
10 am - 1 pm: Film, photo shoot & freeride - Snowmass Superpipe
9 pm - 12 am: COVERGIRL Snow Angel night out featuring Danger Kitty - Belly Up Aspen

Some Friday news tid bits for you today; enjoy!

Links to Surf

• Surf + Travel + Documentary + Timmy Curran = Awesome! Timmy Curran’s newest venture “The Union Express,” a documentary that follows him along the California coast as he checks out the major surf spots, is set to be released on iTunes April 14.  Check out the trailer over at HUCK; I’m buying this one for sure!
• Win a 14-Day Trip To Greece: Wait a minute… say what?  This just in - Contiki Vacations, Diane’s Beachwear and FOAM Magazine are offering a chance to win a fourteen-day trip to Greece. The vacation package includes visits to Athens, Mykonos, Santorini and Ios, and a shopping spree at Diane’s to find that perfect bikini for sunbathing and island-hopping in style.  Sweepstakes candidates can submit their entries here.  The contest runs through April 2010 and the winner will be announced on Foam’s website May 5, 2010. The winner will receive one Contiki Greek Island Hopping trip which includes hotel accommodations, meals, a dedicated crew to show the sights and a $200 gift certificate to Diane’s Beachwear.

News Bits

• Check out Spring-A-Ma-Jig at Mt. High this Saturday: Not only is it Louie Vite ride day at High, its also the first annual 9of three) Spring-A-Ma-Jig rail jam and pond skim! (Apparently Vito’s a guest judge for the bikini contest).  Deets over at Mt. High’s Web site.
• The Dew Tour selects Las Vegas to host the final stop of the 2010 season: Action sports… Vegas… Best of both worlds! (Where can I sign up?)  Last week, the Alliance of Action Sports announced that it selected las Vegas to host the Dew Tour Championships (the fifth and final stop of the Tour), as well as the final awards ceremony.  The tour will commence October 14 - 17, 2010 at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.  Tickets for the 2010 Dew Tour will be on sale soon and will be available via Ticketmaster.com and Ticketmaster box offices.  Visit allisports.com for more information.  Full tour schedule:
  • Skate Open, ISF Skateboarding World Championships: June 25-26 Boston, Mass. - TD Garden
  • Nike 6.0 BMX Open: July 23-24 Chicago, Ill. - Museum Campus
  • Wendy’s Invitational: Aug. 12-15 Portland, Ore. - Rose Quarter
  • Toyota Challenge: Sept. 16-19 Salt Lake City, Utah - EnergySolutions Arena
  • Dew Tour Championships: Oct. 14-17 Las Vegas, Nev. - Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

It’s always fun to watch unsponsored amateur riders throw down, and this season some of them threw down hard during the Gatorade Free Flow Tour for a chance at the big leagues.

I was lucky enough to catch 2 Gatorade Free Flow stops this season - one at Vail and one at Mt. High.  The lovely folks at FUEL TV put together a recap vid so you can watch highlights from the 10 stop tour event.  Below are air dates and times.  Check it out and let us know your favorite riders in the comments below!

“Gatorade Free Flow Tour Winter 2009″ Air Dates:

Tuesday, 3/23/2010 8:00 PM ET / 5:00 PM PT in Snow Pack
Tuesday, 3/23/2010 11:00 PM ET / 8:00 PM PT
Saturday, 3/27/2010 9:00 AM ET / 6:00 AM PT
Tuesday, 3/30/2010 1:00 PM ET / 10:00 AM PT
Wednesday, 3/31/2010 4:00 PM ET / 1:00 PM PT
Tuesday, 4/6/2010 3:00 PM ET / 12:00 PM PT
Saturday, 4/10/2010 1:30 PM ET / 10:30 AM PT
Wednesday, 4/14/2010 6:30 PM ET / 3:30 PM PT
Tuesday, 4/20/2010 9:30 PM ET / 6:30 PM PT
Saturday 4/24/2010 1:30 PM ET / 10:30 AM PT

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