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All Prospect Snowboards offer bamboo sidewalls and longer effective edges for better overall control. The Bamboo sidewalls offer multiple benefits. Specifically it is lighter, stronger, and adds stability to the overall ride. Without getting too technical, bamboo is 25% lighter and its tensile "burst" strength is 2 times as strong as regular core material meaning more pop. Being set at the sidewall, the stiffer bamboo offers torsional stiffness and natural vibration dampening, leading to a faster, more stable platform. Bamboo is being used more in snowboarding not only because it of its high strength to weight ratio but it also lasts because it is continuously strong even when temperature drops. Neil Henderson, the owner of Prospect snowboards says "My goal was to make the fastest, hardest carving true twin snowboard available".

To accompany the benefits of bamboo sidewalls, Prospect's geometry stretches out the effective edge, aka contact points as far as it can go. This adds to the ride stability andactually provides the performance of a longer board. According to Neil, "It's like adding 2 to 4 cm of length without having to ride a heavier, longer board." The longer effective edge puts the contact points closer to the tip of the board giving your edges more surface contact to grip in turns. This means less washing out of hard carves and smooth, stable turns for maximum control. Together, bamboo sidewalls and the longer effective edge Prospect's boards offer harder carves and a ride smoother than other freestyle decks. Neil believes this sidewall and effective edge combination are the most underrated manufacturing techniques that contribute to his goal of making the fastest and hardest carving true twin available.

 

Also underrated in the design of snowboards is rubber dampening, carbon fiber beams, and even more so their placement inside the construction of the board.

Prospect uses rubber in sandwich/sidewall snowboard design to reduce shock and vibration in turns and while landing big hits. According to Neil, rubber stripping is placed around the outside of the board and in the middle sections to act like a shock absorber. He says “Rubber placement is key to a boards ride because it turns the overbearing rigidity into smooth fluid movements.” His smooth ride philosophy on rubber dampening also contributes their boards lasting ride and overall durability. The way snowboards are ridden they are continuously flexed over and over again. Without sufficient rubber dampening the epoxy bonds break down leading to a lifeless board with no pop and it will eventually break. The rubber Prospect places inside the board allows small amounts of flex between the layers reducing wear on the epoxy bonds.

The Carbon laminates Neil puts in Prospect’s boards are common among most snowboards, but he believes his carbon “X-beams” also add to the boards ride. “Our X-beams are placed from the feet to the contact point at the edge. This allows Prospect to have lighter cores with added spring back. The carbon placement also contributes to their tensional stiffness, adding to the overall stability at high speed. Neil’s take on carbon fiber is: “We tried different carbon patterns, stringers, an “A” pattern on each end, Inverted “A’s”; the X pattern is the only thing that directly transfers power from your feet to the edge. There is a small sacrifice in low speed carving, but who rides slow?”

Also on the top of Prospect’s priority list is making bombproof boards. While no one should condone using a snowboard as a bomb shield, the fact is Prospect has developed 2 more ways to ensure Prospect is known as a brand that makes premium snowboards that perform and last. Neil’s philosophy is “I’m a product guy. I believe that the best products are better than the best marketing. Prospect isn’t a statement in style as much as it is a statement in quality.”

There is a few steps Prospect has taken to assure they achieve that quality. First, the Premier Special Edition Models have “Seamless edges”. Their edges are high carbon, hardened steel with no cut seam; a real 360 degree edge. This was developed to reduce edge failures from hard hits against rocks, trees, and rails. Second, the Two-part flexible epoxy serves as a dampening system, increases flexibility, and prevents delaminating. Neil’s take on Prospect’s epoxy system: “Our epoxy mixture adds a rubber like characteristic to the compound. It makes the boards tough as nails. “When we do Prospect Demos we always tell riders Hey, go break this board. We’re still waiting.”

Prospect Snowboards is on a mission to bring some killer decks to the table. They aren’t well known and they don’t dump their cash into marketing. Instead they stick to their mission. To drive home their point they gave all Prospect Snowboards a 2 year warranty and Neil Assures they stand by their warranty; if you break your board riding we’ll fix it free or you get a replacement if we can’t fix it. Good points, and Neil concludes by saying “Hey, ya know, we’re putting up a true effort here to bring out boards that pushes the accountability of a snowboard company. We listen to what each individual rider wants and we work to build that into our boards.”

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For video of the Romain Interview, visit http://SlytechProtection.com/blog Romain de Marchi says: Stop letting the economic crisis paralyze you; don’t listen to the talking heads on TV news; don’t slow down. Your life and the lives of those around you depend on your passion and stoke. YOU’VE NEVER HEARD ROMAIN DE MARCHI SAY ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE MAUI, HAWAII – For a moment there I thought I was pondering the intricacies of the Universe, God, and life with Deepak Chopra – the esoteric Indian doctor, author, philosopher – not Romain de Marchi – ball-to-the-walls, huck-myself-down-any-freakin’-thing – snowboard legend. Prejudiced with images of his suicidal rippings in epic Absinthe films, tabloid sensationalism knocking him as a party freak, and his tattoo covered body, I went into this, our first longer meeting, thinking it would turn out to be another “shoot the shi*t interview” with another fortunate, yet undeserving rider. I got adjusted, hard. Romain on Travelling RDM: When I travel I like discovering different philosophies and new cultures. I try to learn more and more the world. TV I don’t think is a good example to learn the world. To me it’s better to be on the terrain and figure out by yourself. That’s what I’m looking for when I go travel: meet new cultures and new people basically. SWB: How does riding factor into your travels? Can you describe that stoke that you feel? RDM: Well, I always… when I’m travelling, it’s not really the places you go to, but the experience you share with people. I like the fact that when I go to different resorts, I meet different people and they give me their stoke-ness of wanting to share with me their culture, their mountain and their way of seeing their mountain. That’s what I appreciate a lot when I get to see different places. So, that’s what really stokes me out. Romain on Fatherhood SWB: I saw your daughter Annella there. Tell me about her! RDM: Well, she’s almost 2 years old and she’s growing up by the minute. She’s a fan of Dora as you can see on the T-Shirt and she loves her mama a lot. No, it’s fascinating, I mean, it’s ahhhh, it makes you more mature, makes you go forward in life, to be able to see your kids, the way they interpret life, to see their innocence and their soul. I think it gives you a lot of inspiration! They really inspire me. SWB: so how did you start to feel in riding after you became a parent? Were there differences in your behavior after you became a parent? RDM: Yeah, a lot of people said: now that you have a kid your ride should be different, you should be more cautious. Actually for me it went the other way around. I’m more crazy now than before. It really pushed me to go out there and do what I love. Now more than ever, I do it for more and more reason. First it was just for me when I was younger, but now it’s also for my daughter and my kids because I want them to feel my passion and translate that to them, so now I go out there and try to get as stoked as I can, so when I get home they can see how happy I am to do what I love to do and they can feel that. So for me it went the other way around. SWB: interesting! So she made you live life even more to its fullest? RDM: Even more. Romain on the World Economic Recession RDM: I’m not gonna say it doesn’t affect me. It affects everybody, but, I think that many people live in fear and they’re like “ohhh no, I can’t do this, I can’t do that.” People have been brainwashed with that and they’ve stopped living. I bet if each individual in the world like they did before the crisis, everything would be good, because money would still be spent, people would still be happy and do happy things and the world would still go around. Now everybody is watching TV saying “ohhh no, I can’t do this, because the TV said it’s fear, it’s economic, and it’s the world war, the terrorism and what not…” I think that’s pretty sad that people have been brainwashed like that and have stopped living just because some dude said it on TV. Of course, the economy isn’t as good now, but I think we are as much responsible for it as the people who are leading our country. I think we should keep living and everything is going to be fine. SWB: ohh man, that’s a great insight. People paralyze themselves by listening to these so-called experts on TV and… RDM: yeah, it’s been like that for centuries, you know like, create fear so that we can control people. I try to have my own opinion. I know times are hard, but it’s hard for everybody, but you keep living and if you can’t pay the mortgage one day and what not, then well, sell the house and do something else. The world is not going to end just like that. We have many options in life, so it’s not worth worrying about a mortgage or things like that. Romain on Back Protection and Why Everyone Should Wear One RDM: For sure it gives you extra confidence. If I hit a rock at least I have the Slytech 2nd Skin to protect my spine. But I also try not to rely on it too much, because then you forget how your muscles work in your body; they are the first armor, right? The Slytech 2nd Skin is more prevention. It’s not because I have a back protector that I’m going to launch a bigger thing. Whether I ride the resort or I jump, I always wear it in case something happens. It’s a precaution. It’s not like, “ohhh yeah, I’m just going riding the resorts, so I’m not going to put it on.” No, I put it on anyway. Whether big jump or not, you know, now that I’m getting older, I got a family, so I kinda need to have that extra protection for me. But I’m not forgetting as well that my body is my first armor. For my state of mind it’s more uhhh… like in a car, you can have one airbag or you can have 5 airbags. Same thing with second skin: I’d rather have more airbags than just 1. SWB: There are all kind of back protectors out there. What was it about Slytech 2nd Skin to make you choose to use it? RDM: It’s easy to put on. It’s really comfortable to wear it. The good thing is, the foam they use, it’s really molding your back, so you really don’t feel it. I’ve tried other ones and they’re really uncomfortable. They’ve been using that for dirt biking at first. I feel pretty confident: dirt bikers get more beat up than snowboarders. When they fall, they hit the hard ground! Snow is soft. It makes you feel even better that it’s tested by dirt bike people. SWB: How were you introduced to the Slytech people? RDM: What went down is… basically, I got hooked up with Shred and they said, “hey, you want to try the Slytech 2ndSkin?” and I’m like “YEAH SURE!” They sent me some and I went riding and I didn’t feel it. I went riding all day and I didn’t feel it at all, “OK, wow! This is a freakin great product!” You have it on and it’s extra precaution for you and it doesn’t even bother you; it doesn’t even make you uncomfortable when you ride so I was like “yeah right on! This is a great product, so let’s do something with it!” SWB: Would you recommend a back protector for non-professional athletes? RDM: Yeah, I would recommend all the protection they can get. Most of the time, beginners just sit on a hump on the slope and if a skier or snowboarder just comes up from behind and BOOM, it could paralyze them. But if you have a back protector, it might save you from that. Helmet, back protectors are key. As I left that interview, I never thought that I – as a philosophy guy living in Hawaii with all the inspiration I need around me – would have walked away with so much newfound inspiration to go for whatever I could possibly conceive of. I want to publicly thank Romain de Marchi for sharing the inspiring stoke he collects through his experiences as a shredder, a father, a world traveler and as a free spirit (the snowboarding world’s own mini Deepak). Thanks also for believing in and endorsing the Slytech Back Protector. It took many years to develop and test, and now that it’s available to the general public we hope it will be as universally loved. About Slytech Protection The team and riders at Slytech Protection feel that life is best lived with maximum passion, confidence, comfort and protection (comfortable protection). We’re based around a rider's love for shredding and being free, to keep pushing the limits and to give yourself the chance to get up and ride again. Being sidelined with a bad spinal injury is the last thing we want, and so comfortable back protection is the first thing we grab. Go to http://slytechprotection.com and signup for more inspiring rider tales from Romain and the rest of the shredders.   Slytech Protection distributors at www.slytechproteciton.com/contacts Headquarters: CERSAL srl Viale Ancona, 26 30172 Venezia Mestre Tel.+390412517211 Fax +390412517200 www.slytechprotection.com ###

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Daves Updates 7!



Click here to enter your team or get involved.

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   Day 15/30: As I’m trying to decide which adventure to write about, I’m getting far too distracted by the thought of fresh snow in the alpine. Could yesterday really have been the first day of spring?! Not on the mountains, not in the trees and not in my mind.

   The other day I uploaded with two good buddies; Stu and Derek. Stu had his Vholdr cam so we were on a tree mission! It’s no secret the coverage hasn’t been good enough to venture too deeply into the woods this season. That was until last weekend when a huge storm hit Whistler Blackcomb dumping 158cms in total. So that was our cue to head out and rip some pow!

   Stu’s been around these parts for ages, so I was expecting him to teach us a thing or two, but it just so happens we showed him some sweet spots he had never hit before. We started in Crystal by dropping off our bags at the snow fort, from there we headed to a super fun & short section of trees referred to as “the picnic table.” It’s literally a picnic table sitting on top of a knoll in the trees. It has an awesome view of the valley but that’s not why you go there. Below the table is a sweet pillow line, but watch your speed as it ends in tight trees and comes out onto a cat track.

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Hello friends,

Please mark off THURSDAY APRIL 9TH on your calendars, as you are all requested to get out of the office and join Malakye, KNOW?SHOW, Coors Light, SBC and IS Eyewear for a fun day of shredding at Grouse Mountain.

This is the day for you to band together with your co workers and come enjoy endless cups of coffee and bottomless boxes of Donuts, and shred some office boy (and girl, of course) sized obstacles. How does Quasi-Big Air sound? Those who came out last year remember the joy of the hippy jump. There will be "Brass Balls" awarded, "Blue Balls" called out, a "Scorpion King" Crowned, and success in your work will be measured pound by pound in the weigh off. Many other prize categories are up for grabs, and this year, we welcome you to help us out by giving us your ideas for categories and/or supply us with some used office furniture to build into the course.

Malakye just finished Office Booyz USA, click this link to get stoked.

You all know this event started right here in Vancouver, and though it looked like a good time at Bear, will definately be one not to miss in Vancouver.

To have an entry form for the Office Booyz contest sent to your office or to sponsor a prize category click here!



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Day 2/30: Big Timber mission & more!

I must admit, there have been a few hurdles this season, but I am having SO much fun! I’ve started the 30 day snowboard challenge for myself and this was Day Two. It is about more than just physically and mentally pushing myself - it’s about looking at this playground in a new and different way, finding new places and doing things I haven’t done before.

I headed out early on Monday morning with my aggressive skier friend Derek - he wanted to show me a cabin in Big Timber on Whistler Mountain. It was SO cold! -21C to be exact, so I was all layered up, ready for a long day!

After coffees and chats on the Whistler Village Gondola we headed up Peak Chair and down the Peak to Creek. We cut through some perfectly spaced trees off Upper Peak to Creek and guess what?! Fresh lines! I was floating through huge old growth trees and at that moment I felt like I was somewhere completely new! After a short hike we came to the cabin in the woods. It was built in honor of a fellow rider who lost his life doing what he loved. We took a moment to enjoy - it’s so awesome finding little spots like that.

We cruised back down through the trees to the long cat track to Creekside. Again I was floating along with only a couple of tracks in front of me! The sun was shining and the views of Sprout and Rainbow mountains were amazing. I passed by Kadenwood and continued onto Lower Peak to Creek, which was a bit icy. It took at least 2 hours in total, the snow was dry and fluffy and there was not another person in sight.

After lunch we uploaded the Creekside Gondola, to Big Red Express and across PEAK 2 PEAK to end the day with a few laps in the Crystal zone. Getting fresh groomers after lunch is practically unheard of and I loved every minute of it. Nothing beats a 4pm ride out to the valley!

Keep on shredding!

-Alex
Snowboarder









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The Whole PartySnake Video is now on the site!

A blog first: This is the first sequence ever posted in this blog..



Thanks for sending that Hoglin. Now for the goods. Click away good buddies!

PartySnake Part 1
PartySnake Part 2
PartySnake Part 3
PartySnake Part 4
PartySnake Part 5

Oh be a good bud and pass it along to your buddies. Thanks buds..

Pnut sent a photo update of his Eastcoast tour with SBC. Peep it.







Bye.

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SPECIAL EVENTS ALL WEEK. FREE DEMOS FROM THE SALOMON STORE. ALL GEAR 30% OFF.
(Whistler Mountainside)

The SALOMON Photo Contest.
February 14th - 20th.
Calling all budding photographers! Enter to win an $800 shopping spree at the Salomon Store and 10 tickets to the exclusive Salomon VIP Party! Submit your best photo in a ski, snowboard or lifestyle setting taken during the week representing the Salomon brand.

Visit whistlerblackcomb.com/salomonphotocontest for full contest & submission details.

Saint SALOMON Valentines Day BBQ.
Saturday 14th. 1-3pm @ Glacier Creek On Blackcomb Mountain.
Free BBQ for the first 200 people who show up wearing Salomon gear!

Salomon Fashion Show featuring next year’s gear.
Thursday 19th. 6pm @ Salomon store.
DJ, FREE cheese & beverages and preview of next year’s collection.

Visit the following locations in Whistler for discounts and more event information: Showcase Snow.Skate.Surf., Glacier Shop, CAN-SKI and Salomon Store.

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Please comment.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

The North Face Masters of Snowboarding 2009 Tour Dates Announced by The North Face and Mountain Sports International

The North Face Masters of Snowboarding is the largest big mountain snowboarding tour in the country, with a prize purse of $45,000 and two new world-class venues

 

Registration is now open on www.thenorthfacemasters.com

 

Salt Lake City, Utah, December 17, 2008 – Now in its sophomore year, The North Face Masters of Snowboarding (TNF Masters) has become the largest cohesive competitive big mountain snowboarding tour in the country. A three-stop tour, TNF Masters is designed to cater to the motivation, talent and skill of world-class big mountain snowboarders. The 2009 tour visits Snowbird, Utah, Crested Butte, Colorado, and culminates at the ultimate big mountain competition venue of Kirkwood, California.

 

“The North Face Masters tour is going to be off the chain this year,” said TNF Masters Alyeska, Alaska, 2008 champion Rob Kingwill. “I am excited to be a part of the movement toward giving big mountain snowboarding competition the recognition it deserves. All three 2009 venues are world-class, and I can't wait to see what happens.”

 

TNF Masters features a $45,000 cash prize purse and serves as a qualifier event to the Freeride World Tour. Winners from the Snowbird and Crested Butte TNF Masters events will have the opportunity to compete in the Nissan Tram Face at Squaw Valley, California.

 

"Freeriding, the use of natural terrain, fall line, and innovation from riding style is the essence of big mountain snowboarding,” said TNF Masters Head Judge Tom Burt. “The TNF Masters series is designed around this and that is the reason why I agreed to become the head judge. The terrain will be delivered by Snowbird, Crested Butte, and Kirkwood. All have different flavors of terrain so each will bring its own challenges for the riders, and every rider will bring their own style and innovation to each venue. When the two mesh the best freerider will emerge.“

 

TNF Masters gathers big mountain snowboarding tribes from all around the world. All male and female snowboarding competitors above age 18 are welcomed to participate. Registration is now open on www.thenorthfacemasters.com.

 

The North Face Masters of Snowboarding 2009 Series Schedule

Stop #1 – Snowbird, Utah.                  January 29-February 1, 2009

Stop #2 –Crested Butte, Colorado. February 12-15, 2009

Stop #3 –Kirkwood, California         March 5-8, 2009

 

Fans of big mountain snowboarding can catch same-day coverage of the Semi-Final and Final rounds of each TNF Masters event on www.thenorthfacemasters.com where there are complete videos, photos, athlete profiles, detailed event schedules, registration information and more.

 

For more information please visit www.thenorthfacemasters.com.

 

Special Thanks To:

The North Face

Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort

Crested Butte Mountain Resort

Kirkwood Mountain Resort

Primaloft

Snowboard Magazine

Mountain Sports International

 

REGISTRATION INFORMATION AND ATHLETE INQUIRIES CONTACT

Sara Pinsoneault

Athlete Communications

Mountain Sports International

801.349.4650

sarap@mtsports.com

 

MEDIA INQUIRES AND FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT

Cara Williams

PR, Communications & Media Manager

Mountain Sports International

801.349.4608

cara@mtsports.com

 

Pamela Bennett

Communications Manager

The North Face

510.618.3654

pamela_bennett@vfc.com

 

About MSI

Mountain Sports International (MSI) is a private company, founded in 1997, to develop and produce action/adventure sports events and programming in North America. MSI owns and produces the U.S. Freeskiing Series, the U.S. Skiercross Series, and the Freeskiing World Tour, in addition to several other properties and concepts.

 

MSI provides event management services for Burton, Salomon, and Red Bull and has provided infrastructure and expertise for the NBC Gravity Games and ESPN Action Sports Projects, including the Tony Hawk Gigantic Skatepark Tour. MSI specializes in matching clients with events for brand penetration into target demographics, developing product identification and loyalty. MSI matches brand and culture, company and credibility to create sought-after events that help to define the action sports culture.

 

About The North Face

The North Face, a division of VF Outdoor, Inc., was founded in 1968. Headquartered in San Leandro, California, the company offers the most technically advanced products in the market to accomplished climbers, mountaineers, snowsport athletes, endurance athletes, and explorers. The company’s products are sold in specialty mountaineering, backpacking, running, and snowsport retailers, premium-sporting goods retailers and major outdoor specialty retail chains.

 

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Shred Betties - Under the Radar - Part 4 from Shred Betties on Vimeo.

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Peanut Butter and Rail Jam 2009

Seria imprez jibbingowych spod znaku Volcoma ponownie atakuje Europę. Wyłonieni podczas kolejnych przystanków szczęśliwcy zmierzą się podczas europejskich finałów w Gstaad - Les Diablerets gdzie do wywalczenia będą cztery zaproszenia do Mammoth Mountain na amerykańskie finały.

Tam też wszyscy zmierzą się o niebagatelną sumę 25,000 zielonych ale to dopierow kwietniu. W między czasie czeka nas spora liczba przystanków podczas których z pewnością nie zabraknie dobrego jibbingu. Idea Volcoma jest całkowicie skierowana do amatorów, wpisowe jest darmowe a format zawodów pozwala zaprezentować to co mają najlepszego do pokazania. Sędziowie oceniają tylko udane triki, a całość rozgrywana jest w formie jam session na rozsypanych jak w skateparku przeszkodach.

Całość ogólnie inspirowana jest deskorolką stąd też nie kładzie się nacisku na zaciekłą rywalizację tylko na dobrą zabawę i ogólnie rozumiany progres. Są trzy kategorie - 15 i poniżej, 16 i powyżej oraz dziewczęca. Do rozdania przewidizano mnóstwo nagród i gadżetów a poza tym każdy z uczestników może liczyć na sporą ilość kanapek z masłem orzechowym.

Poniżej kalendarz na nadchodzący sezon, szkoda, że brakuje w nim Polski.

1. 10.01.09 Hintersee, AUT
2. 17.01.09 Luz Ardiden, F
3. 02.07.09 Stockholm, SWE
4.  08.02.09 Foppolp, IT
5.  21.02.09 Alpspitzpark Nesselwang, D
6.  21.02.09 Horni Misecky, CZ
7.  07.03.09 Laax, CH
8.  07.03.09 Berghalde Penzberg, D
9.  07.03.09 Port Ainé, ESP
10.  07.03.09 Serena, FIN
11.  14.03.09 Vorarlberg Diedamskopf, AUT
12.  21.03.09 Trysil, NO
13.  22.03.09 Madonna di Campiglio, IT
14. 28.04.09 Glacier 3000, Les Diablerets-Gstaad (European PBRJ Championchips)

http://www.roninsnowboards.com/peanut-butter-and-rail-jam-2009/


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Whistler PartySnake Premiere Tonight!!!!!!!!!! / Order instructions 2/ Win a Burger T

If you missed the Vancouver PartySnake premiere do yourself a favor and don't miss the one Tonight in Whistler. We're warming up at Tapleys and heading over to Buffalo Bills for the premiere. Get there early and you might even get a PartySnake T.



Oh and if you want a "woke up starving" T-shirt email Dave. The order cut off is the morning of December 15th so we can have them done in time for Christmas. Who wouldn't want to find one under the tree? Tell all your burger loving friends about it. I'm sure they would. If you don't have the money just send in a photo of yourself pigging out on burgers for your chance to win one. We'll post the top 3 shots in the blog and let the public choose who's most worthy of winning a "woke up starving" T-shirt. Send photos here.

Labels: burger T-shirt, IS eyewear, ISeyewear, PartySnake, Win

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