Westbound Boarder

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!

Well, its Wednesday, and you know what that means… another Wicked Snow Camp Review!  In case you haven’t been following along, we’re profiling one of the top snowboard camps for females each Wednesday, every Wednesday, and this week we’re profiling High Cascade Snowboard Camp (HCSC).

Thought you couldn’t snowboard in the summer?  Think again.  Thanks to the glacier Timberline at Mt. Hood, Oregon sits on,  riders from around the world can enjoy the resort all year round.  And one of the most well-known camps in Oregon is back again this summer with the 20th Anniversary of their Signature Sessions.

High Cascade is “an all-inclusive 9-day summer snowboard camp determined to show you the best time of your life.”  What does that mean, exactly?  Well, at HCSC you’ll spend 9 consecutive days riding with some of the best pros in the industry, including Darrell Mathes, Tara Dakides (!!!), Jamie Anderson and JP Walker. (I’m pretty stoked about Tara Dakides coaching this summer.  Being the woman to basically up the anti for lady riders nationwide, if there’s one thing that would push me over the edge to attend HCSC it’d be her.)

You’ll spend the morning riding with your coaches and then have optional sessions in the afternoon, and later in the day (this is my absolute favorite thing about HCSC) – you’ll meet up with your coach for video training where they’ll analyze your riding from the day and give you tips on how to improve.  Back in the day when I used to compete, I found that video training was one of the best ways to see how you think you ride versus how you actually ride, and then tweak your style based on that.

Another really cool thing about HCSC is that the camp has optional sessions just for girls, coached by girls, so if you find it intimidating to ride with guys, you absolutely don’t have to.  Sometimes it can be helpful to have a female coach because they understand how women learn and how they need to be taught.  They also have adult camps (this year June June 15 – 23 and August 8 – 15) if you’re 21 and up and don’t want to hang with the kiddos all week.  ALSO (yes, there’s more) they have awesome photo and video workshops if you want to learn the creative art of photo storytelling or filmmaking straight from the pros.

HCSC has a ton of fun activities in store, including dodgeball, trampoline sessions, paintball and white water rafting (check out what a typical day might look like here), but of course the focus is on the riding.  I must admit, the camp is a little spendy, but its pretty much all inclusive so you get a lot of bang for your buck. (Heck, just a summer pass at Timberline can run you nearly a grand!)  And from what I hear, HCSC is one of the best snowboard camps to stretch your ability and really get you to the next level.

Fore more information about HCSC, visit the Web site, and check out the dates and pricing here!