Westbound Boarder

As many of you know, professional snowboarder Kevin Pearce was seriously injured during a half pipe training session on 12/31/2009. However the Pearce family shared good news with us today, nearly four full months later.

As reported on the families preferred outlet (The Well Wishes to our Friend Kevin Pearce Facebook Page) for Kevin, his family and his friends to post inspiration as well as Kevin’s progress, brought the world some great news today. As of April 14, 2010 Pearce was released from the inpatient Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Program at Craig Hospital. Kevin will continue daily outpatient therapy with Craig Hospital while residing in the Denver area (in a home that has been generously loaned to the Pearce family for the last several months.) Kevin’s outpatient treatment is expected to be the final step in Colorado before returning to his Norwich, VT home in the upcoming weeks, where he will continue to make strides towards a FULL RECOVERY!!!

It really shows that the prayers and inspiration everyone has been putting out there are really working for Kevin. With that, the Pearce family was sure to express their most sincere gratitude to Kevin’s rehabilitation team and for all of the continued support from all of you which they know is speeding up his progress.

Keep riding for Kevin as he continues to make drastic strides to a full recover. Keep it up Kevin!

It is the infamous trick that has been all the rage this Olympic season - the double cork 1080.  And with a successful two days of snowboardcross behind us, it is the trick everyone will be watching out for over the next two days.  Today, the men’s Olympic halfpipe competition is scheduled to go down … hopefully, if Canada can get its pipe in order!  Vancouver and Cypress Mountain, the resort playing host to this year’s halfpipe comp., have been seeing dismal weather the past couple of days, as it rained all day yesterday and continued through the night.  Obviously, not ideal conditions for a halfpipe competition.  As of now, the men’s halfpipe prelim round, which was originally set to commence at 1:05p.m. PT, is being rescheduled in hopes that better pipe conditions are on the near horizon.  The women’s pip comp. is still scheduled for tomorrow.  But enough about event timing; we’re talking double corks!

A double cork, first performed and perfected by snowboard icon Shaun White, is somewhat similar to a backflip in theory, however, to the viewer, the similarities are slim.  A trick is deemed a double cork 1080 when a rider completes two off-axis backflip rotations, throwing the shoulder down and tucking, while also doing three and a half rotations.  The double cork is a true testiment to how far the sport of snowboarding has come since the Olympic Games just four years ago.

The double cork is also one of the most dangerous tricks on the roster today.  Unlike spins or grabs, or even backflips and mistys, the double cork is unforgiving, and if you make one small error in your landing or over/under-rotate the slightest bit, the landing is not fun.  And the double cork has already developed somewhat of a dangerous reputation, as Burton rider and Olympic hopeful Kevin Pearce was hospitalized back in December attempting to perfect the trick in practice.

US Olympians like Shaun White (seriously, what can’t he do?) and Louie Vito (perhaps his summer perfecting pirouettes paid off?) have the double cork down pretty solid, and have even been throwing back-to-back double corks into their routines.  Though the double cork is rumored to be the “must have” trick today, I don’t think it will completely break anyone’s run, as long as they’re going really big and have a solid, near perfect run otherwise.

On the women’s side of things, though, no woman has yet to throw down a double cork in competition, but rumors are circulating the web that Australian snowboard superstar Torah Bright just might be the first female to attempt it.  If, in fact, she does, and successfully lands, it would be safe to say that she could almost guarentee herself a shiny Gold to take home to fans.  Though she has yet to throw the trick in competition, personally, I think if anyone can do it, Torah can.

The double cork is really one of those “seeing is believing” tricks, though.  Watch the double cork in action below, as Shaun White performs the holy grail of tricks seamlessly and effortlessly, to really get a sense of its full effect.  Maybe this video will demonstrate why there’s so much hype around the double cork this season.  Or you can watch them live today during the men’s Olympic halfpipe event!

My Open Letter to Burton:

While embarking on my journey to Vail and Breckenrigde, I stopped by the local Burton store to check out the goods. I picked up a copy of the latest film, “The B“. The cover indicates that it is a movie of epic proportions, and after spending the 30 dollars on the purple retro style VHS tape box, I returned home to watch it. However, after watching it I have decided that this a movie of epic disappointments. The filming style and the footage of riders and their parts was exceptional, yes, although it was what I consider, extremely short.

The film did not come without its perks, however. Jeremy Jones laid down the best part of his Career, and the outro of the team ripping all of the Giant B that was configured into a park was impressive as well. Well filmed, with great angles and tricks, just short. Plain ol’ short.

I’m not narrow minded. I have spent my fair share of money on videos, I own most of Mack dawgs films, the people movies, Absinthe’s handy work, the list goes on. All of these films have a lower price tag and more raw footage. With all of the money and resources the Burton family harbors I expect a movie of supposedly “epic proportions” should be longer than a half hour (32 min.). Not to mention the largest team hands down, with absurd amounts of talent - Jeremy, Nico Muller, Jussi, Kevin Pearce, Tadashi Fuse, to name a few - the movie should have been 50 minutes at a minimum. They are the corporation of The Industry and the fact that the end result is the over priced, over packaged (green mtn project..Eh?) under-lengthy production is just disappointing. I still love their products, I still ride a Burton Troop with Escapde bindings, I just expected a longer more team oriented movie. Also, with all of the phenomenal female ripper talent they have, there isn’t a single part for one of their many girl riders.

I think I saw a couple of the ladies do a trick a piece in the outro. Just that alone could have added more bang for my buck. I just think that the biggest and richest company could provide me with more than a dollar a minute for their 30 dollar commercial, I mean film. Maybe next year Brad Cramer will school the production and make a worthy flick. Or they B family should just spend less dough on catalogs and more on their should be, could be Banger.

Sincerely,
Disappointed Burton Consumer, Supporter & Indulger

As many already know on December 31, Kevin Pearce sustained a severe brain injury while training in the half pipe in Park City, Utah.  Kevin has a long recovery ahead of him, and we continue to show our support for Kevin, his friends and his family.

Check out all the various ways to show your support for Kevin at the Burton News and Events page.

In the meantime, Westbound Boarder is riding 4 Kevin…

The other day we reported on a terrible fall that a valued member of the snowboard community, Kevin Pearce, encountered.  Today, we are happy to report that Kevin is off breathing tubes and is slowly regaining consciousness, according to Boardistan and Kevin’s Facebook page.  Though Kevin is still far from total and complete recovery and he is still in critical condition, this is a huge step in the right direction.

Kevin, we’re cheering for you!

Kevin Pearce, a 2010 Olympic hopeful and snowboarding phenom (and a real contender for Shawn White, check out their last X-Games excitement), has sustained a serious head injury during a training session in Salt Lake City, Utah. Pearce was injured while over-rotating a double cork where he was knocked unconscious after hitting the edge of the pipe and flown to the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City where he remains in critical yet stable condition.

Friends and Fans of Kevin Pearce can follow updates and share their notes of support through a fan site started by family and friends on his Facebook Fan Page.  Well-wishers are also encouraged to send cards to Kevin. The hospital will not accept flowers, gifts or other packages, however.

Please send all cards to:
Mosaic Sports Management c/o Kevin Pearce
829 Second Street Ste B
Encinitas, CA 92024

Kevin Pearce is a fighter and one  hell of a snowboarder. Keep him and his family in your prayers for a full recovery. We will continue to keep you updated of his progress.

UPDATE: According to a press release issued by Mosaic Sports Management, Kevin was wearing a helmet when the accident occured.  Read more at Boardistan.

As if snowboarding at 13,487 feet in the back country of Colorado’s San Juan range is not enough, imagine having your own, personal, private, secret halfpipe built there, exclusively for you. Well our dreams just so happen to be Shaun White’s reality as Red Bull is bringing the world Project X.

Project X and Red Bull have given White his very own, private, personal secret halfpipe. White has been hiding out and inventing a plethora of new pipe tricks for the whole world to see on Nov. 3rd at the secret halfpipe home page. Whats not a secret? The pipe is a 550-ft long Superpipe complete with perfect transitions and the first ever on hill foam pit at the bottom - giving White a glorious opportunity to broaden his already extensive resume of pipe tricks - in order to give his very real contender, Kevin Pearce a double cork for his money at the 2010 olympics.