Westbound Boarder

I’ve always supported non-endemic sponsors entering the sport of snowboarding.  So while many people core to the snowboard industry used phrases like “Sell Out” and “Lame” in response to Shaun White’s decision to drop Volcom as a sponsor and sign with Target, I greatly supported his decision.  Though there are downsides to non-endemic sponsors increasing their monetary support of young action sports athletes, such as injury due to increased progression pressures, I believe the financial support to fund new endeavors, and thus, more opportunities for young riders, far outweighs the costs.

But there’s a line.

In a 2009 Fast Company article, authors joked that Shaun wouldn’t accept an attractive offer from even Heinz ketchup (come on, flying tomato – totally made sense, right?) because he sticks to his values and won’t put his name on just anything.  I respected Shaun for knowing what he valued, and for sticking to that, despite the number of dollar signs involved.  But the radio ads I’ve been hearing here in LA with Sean White repping Goodrich Tires makes me wonder… what changed?  And what the heck does Goodrich Tires have to do with action sports, other than racing, anyway??  (Ok, so I know Toyota announced earlier this year their sponsorship of Louie Vito, but everyone needs SUVs to get to the mountain, right?  And I thought they executed their sponsorship of the Dew Tour and Louie Vito in a way that was really transparent and humble.  For example, I learned about the contract with Louie a few days before it was officially announced, while being driven from the town of Breckenridge to the mountain in a private Toyota car, where a number of Toyota employees were working all weekend to provide free transportation to and from Dew Tour events for the snowboard community).  But I don’t quite understand how tires fit into the equation.  Shaun even recently became the spokesperson for Stride Gum.  Sorry, Shaun, but I’m kind of starting to lose respect.

The sports business side of my brain thinks it’s not the best sponsorship opportunity for Goodrich Tires either, especially considering the dismal way they leveraged and executed their sponsorship.  According to an article in Grind TV, Shaun announced the speculated partnership right before the start of the X Games 15 in Aspen (so, right before one of the largest, worldwide snowboard events?), and the company actually released some pretty funny videos of Shaun “trying” to drive a race car.  However, through the follow-up advertising campaign, it seems that the company is targeting your average joe, everyday car driver, so in my opinion there’s somewhat of a disconnect because the series does nothing to actually showcase the features of the tires.  I’m sure they forked over a multi-million dollar contract (after all, an athlete like Shaun White doesn’t come cheap), but unless they’ve seen an exuberant amount of increased sales through this campaign, I think it somewhat missed the mark.  Worst of all, they’re doing nothing to actually support the action sports community as a whole, other than filling SW’s pockets with more dough.  The action sports sponsorships that are the most effective are ones that are mutually-beneficial, not completely one-sided like this one. Meanwhile, for Shaun, his fans will go on calling him a “sell out.”

Anyway, what do you guys think?  Wicked cool, or major bust?

Many of you have probably heard by now that earlier week, the Internal Olympic Committee (IOC) cast a vote to finally make slopestyle an Olympic snowboarding and skiing event (Read the news in ESPN or Transworld Business).  Though the news was quickly overshadowed by the IOC’s final vote to award the 2018 Winter Olympic bid to South Korea (which is huge news, in and of itself, as this is the first time South Korea will host an Olympic games), slopestyle will first appear in the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.  This was actually discussed a while back, but the vote was tabled, as the IOC needed to first make sure that Sochi has the capability to build an Olympic slopestyle course.    

Its no secret that the snowboard community somewhat butts heads with the IOC and FIS Olympic governing bodies, primarily because in the past, they have seen the sport of snowboarding as a mere extension to skiing, and in recent years, an up-in-coming money maker, especially among young viewers.  But despite the past differences between the two groups, from what I’ve read and heard from others, the snowboard community welcomes the IOC’s decision to add slopestyle to the roster of Olympic snowboard and ski events.  Many people (myself included) see slopestyle as one of the best ways for riders to really showcase their talent in the sport.  First of all, slopestyle is much more accessable to young riders than, say, halfpipe or bordercross, because most resorts at least have some sort of triple air terrain park available for the duration of the season.  Halfpipes and boardercross courses, on the otherhand, require much more work to build and a particular type of weather, so many resorts abandon the idea completely.  Second, slopestyle is one of the oldest competition types around, and definitely the most-well known and versatile. 

Anyway, I for one, am thrilled to see slopestyle finally become part of the Olympics.  This decision was long overdue.  Slopestyle is the primary event I focused on as a young competitor, so I may be a bit partial, but I truly think it is the best way for snowboarders to show their true talent. 

Riding backcountry is one of the most rewarding experiences a rider can ever partake in, however, it is also one of the most dangerous.  In order to prepare to effectively (and safely) face backcountry terrain, I’d highly recommend starting out by taking a backcountry safety course.  In fact, we just got word that Brighton Resort in Utah will be offering a backcountry 101 avalanche awareness course in 2 weeks!  Details below.  In the meantime, we’ll keep our eye out for more backcountry awareness course options and share them on Westbound Boarder, because safety should always be first priority.

What? Brighton 101 Avalanche Awareness Course
Presented by: Brighton Patrol and the Utah Avalanche Center
Additional Details: This 10-hour course is designed for resort “sidecountry users.”  Topics include using UAC forecasts, hazard assessment, safe travel and terrain recognition, “side country” use, snowpack observation and partner rescue.
Dates: Jan. 13 at 5pm, and Jan. 14 at 10am
Cost: $40.00
Must Have: Advanced-Intermediate riding skills, beacon, shovel, probe, and lift ticket
For More Info: Contact Brandon Dodge at dodgerrow@hotmail.com

Today was the last day of the first Winter Dew Tour stop here in Breckenridge, Colorado, and with nearly 2 feet of fresh pow blanketing the slopes, it was a nice way to end the four-day-long tour.  Norway’s Torstein Horgmo took first on the men’s side with a score of 96.50.  His winning run included a frontside noseblunt slide to fakie, a switch frontside double cork 10 and a switch backside 9.

Taking first place in the women’s heat and defending her Dew Tour Championship title was Tahoe’s own Jamie Anderson.  This was her fifth first place Dew Tour finish, which she snabbed with a score of 93.00 and a run that included a back 180, switch back 180, fifty-fifty, back 3 and a corked front 3.

The full snowboard slopestyle results are below.  Overall, it’s been a great four days, but man am I ready to shred the slopes!  So tomorrow, it’s Keystone for me!

Women’s Slopestyle Final Results

Also, this just in – video highlights from yesterday’s halfpipe event below!

I’m out here in Breckenridge, Colorado again for the third day of the first Winter Dew Tour Stop, the Nike 6.0 Open.  With prelim rounds behind us, today riders prepped for the men’s and women’s ski and snowboard halfpipe finals.  Unlike yesterday’s sunshine, though, today’s weather blanketed the pipe with snow, which threw competitors for a loop and slowed them down considerably.

Louie Vito ended up winning the men’s pipe finals with a score of 90.25, and considering the second place male, Matt Ladley, finished with a 75, I’d say Louie stomped it.  His winning set included a front double ten, cab double ten and a crippler (no double corks, Louie?)  You can tell just by looking at the scores that the conditions threw several riders off.  Olympic bronze medalist Scotty Lago, for example, finished with a best score of only 14.

On the women’s side, Spain’s Queralt Castellet took first place, with Elena Hight following right behind.  I’m surprised Kelly Clark, who took sixth in the finals, didn’t end up finishing with a higher score, especially since she took first in the prelims, followed by Elena Hight.

Despite the heavy snow that slowed down the pipe, today’s event was a success, and riders continued to push the boundaries with stylish tricks and good momentum.

Check out the full halfpipe finals results below, and tune in tomorrow for slopestyle.

Women’s Superpipe Final Results

Men’s Superpipe Final Results

Men’s Ski Superpipe Final Results

*Results courtesy of Alli

I’m out here in Breckenridge helping out with the first winter Dew Tour stop of the season – its been one heck of a tour so far!  More than 380 riders from 18 different countries are competing in this year’s tour, including Kelly Clark, Elena Hight, JJ Thomas, Scotty Lago, Sage Kostenburg, Mason Aguirre, Jamie Anderson, Chanelle Sladics, and Louie Vito.  This year, the tour opted to follow the new industry standard and debut a 22 foot halfpipe instead of the 18 foot pipe it has used in the past, so we should see some pretty sick tricks over the next couple of days.

Today, Kevin Pearce made a quick appearance in the village (apparently it is one of his first public appearances since his big injury), and he should be all set for an interview with Fuel TV tomorrow afternoon.

Yesterday and today, the tour held qualifying rounds, and the men’s superpipe finals are on deck for tomorrow.  Keep checking back for the latest updates!

To give you a little sneak peak of the slopestyle course, check out the video from Alli below.

This week, some of the best from around the web!

• Fireriding? Check out this pretty sweet vid posted in Transworld.  (Caution: Don’t try this at home, ladies!)
• “Halfpipe? Hasta la vista!” says Gretchen Bleiler: In her new blog on espnW.com (its ESPN’s new blog network for professional female athletes) Gretchen Bleiler takes a moment to reflect upon her past 10 years as a professional rider, ultimately sharing that she will elimate most halfpipe competitions out of her schedule this season and focus on more creative riding.  Snowboarding is one of those amazing sports where the competition circuit definitely isn’t the only way for riders to showcase their talents; in fact, as pro riders try for seasons and seasons to perfect their “perfect run,” creativity can often get lost in the shuffle.  Kudos to Gretchen for wanting to put the fun back in her routine!  Ultimately, that’s what snowboarding’s all about.
• Sheckler’s New Flips: Check out Ryan Sheckler’s new flip campaign for sponsor Flip video camera.  What do you think?  Flippin’ cool, or total flop? (Note: Proceeds from his customized flip video cam sales go to support The Sheckler Foundation, and his videos will run on air until Dec. 12).

Now is your opportunity to vote for the Transworld Snowboarding 12th Rider of the Year. You can enter in any shredder and and the male and female winners will be announced January 12th, 2011. This is a readers Poll so take this chance to support your fav rider of 2010!

I know, I know, with several resorts across the US now open, snow is a topic on everyone’s mind right now.  Hopefully some of these articles from around the web will help get you extra hyped to catch some freshies this weekend.

• Gretchen Bleiler talks bucket list with comedian Paul Scheer: Pro snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler takes a moment to catch up with ESPN Page 2 columnist Scoop Jackson and divulge the activities that still remain on her bucket list.  “The only thing I haven’t done is gotten that gold medal at the Olympics.”  But hey, with 4 X-games gold medals behind her, Gretchen isn’t doing too bad.  Will she go for five?  Catch the interview here.
• Columbia Sportswear chairman outwits armed robber: Being “One Tough Mother” has served Gert Boyle, the 86-year-old chairman of Columbia Sportswear, well all these years, but this week she took her toughness to a whole new level by outwitting an armed robber.  A must read story on OregonLive.com this week!  Lesson learned?  You may be able to get away with attempting to rob Gertt Boyle, but wear a North Face jacket around her and you’re toast!  Side note: The cop mentioned in the story, Officer Bunch, just happens to be my former next door neighbor!
• ESPN Catches up with Danny Davis: Coming out of a pretty severe back injury, Danny Davis talks about taking a step back this season to focus on doing more of what he wants to do, such as splitboarding and spending time at resorts he’s never ridden at before such as Jackson Hole.

Action sports athletes from around the nation killed it in yesterday’s Dew Tour Championships Skate Vert Finals in Vegas, but of course none other than Shaun White took first place.

Check out the video highlights below!

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