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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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This is a free contest being held by Sessions. Sign-up is Free and they give you $3.00 in redeemable 'Sessions Bucks' when you do. All you do is search Sessions search engine and periodically you win 'Sessions Bucks' which you then can redeem for all kinds of Free Sessions prizes like; t-shirts, jackets, beanies, stickers, cd's, Nintendo Wii, FlipVideo Camera, gift cards and more. Good luck.

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http://www.thedamoutlet.com/
VOLCOM STONE DIARY SHORT SLEEVE CLASSIC TEE
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http://www.thedamoutlet.com/ -
Giving you one great Dam Deal at a Time


Today's Deal till Noon:
VON ZIPPER LEXICON SUNGLASSES



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Betty of the Month: Libby Redpenning:
http://www.shredbetties.com/riders/story/libby_redepenning/

Ellery Hollingsworth:
http://www.shredbetties.com/riders/story/ellery_hollingsworth_interview/

Behind the scenes at the US Open:http://www.shredbetties.com/articles/story/behind_the_scenes_at_the_us_open/

Megan Ginter:
http://www.shredbetties.com/riders/story/megan_ginter_for_real/

Road Trip To Canada/ Billabong Flaunt it
http://www.shredbetties.com/team/entry/road_trip_to_canada/

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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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Hi all
  I busted my right distal radius into multiple pieces(comminuted)about two wks ago which led to other issues: stiff and unusable primary hand. I wasnt able to find any blogs out there that went thru the day to day recovery so i hope i can be there for anyone in the future who might want more info. Its hard to type so thats probably why there are few blogs chronicling this.
 
How it happened: Some might feel indestructible blasting down or jumping up as fast without a worry in the world and have a glory accident story. But my story is very pedestrian. I basically modified the way i fell due to a series of crashes(high speed near bottom of the mountain on the rear right deltoid). So the day of the injury my shoulder was so sprained i couldnt raise it above my head.. But I still went boarding the next day (mlk wknd at squaw valley) and it was my toe edge on ice near kt22 lift traversing to red dog in the afternoon that did me in.

    After the incident I knew right away something was wrong since the wrist was deformed,swelling,  and my fingers I couldnt move them. After the doctor onsite 'reduced' it(pulled it back into place) I felt better although far from normal.
    Fast forward to vicodin/naprosyn and a surgery to correct everything. By wednesday after I was in surgery in which the surgeon put a titanium plate and screws. Post surgery, I did not feel like myself at all(low energy sleeping too much eating simple and not desiring meat/wine, X games were inspiring tho). It has now been 10 days since surgery. It is a real bitch to sleep at night since the pain is throbbing and unending. I went off the meds though since it was making me wake up super late and groggy although I was beginning to get addicted to the vicodin.
      I guess my right hand still works a little bit as I can grip some items but it feels robotic slow and stiff. Pressing buttons is even a strange experience. I started typing but it is still very foreign. Doc says I will start pt after the splint comes off 6wks post surgery.. And advises me to move as much as possible.. I dont know but Im more focused on writing/using my hands than getting back on the slopes. I do still have a season pass tho that I need to utilize.   
      I am really hoping that the pain will go away so I can sleep at night, and that I can type more proficiently. After I would like to write. No idea how many days that will take though.. I wonder if I will be able to brush my teeth before beingable to write normally again. Cheers.



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"Tricks R4 Chicks"presented by Rugged Riders and JumpCamp

On March 14th & 15th Rugged Riders and JumpCamp are joining forces to bring you the best All girls snowboard camp on Vancouver Island.

This camp is for female snowboarders who want to have fun and progress their skills, especially in the park and backcountry. For 2 days you’ll have the opportunity to enjoy your very own private snowboard park specifically designed by females to meet your needs. Come ride with Rugged Riders team members, pro riders and people you like!! Some of the pro coaches in the past were Amber Stackhouse, Alexis Waite and Erin Comstock. Whether you're a beginner or just want to learn some new tricks, "Tricks R4 Chicks" is the place to take your skills to the next level.


Rugged Riders Rule! photo by Heather Macleod

Tricks R4 Chicks includes 2 days of professional instruction from 9:30am - 3:30pm, a daily yoga practice lead by Moksha Yoga Victoria and awesome female-specific product giveaways! Campers will have the choice to enjoy their lodging at "The Riding Fool Hostel" with the Rugged Riders crew, in downtown historic Cumberland. This camp has limited space so sign up to secure your spot!
Check out more action at www.RuggedRiders.com.

Get Rad at "Tricks R4 Chicks" camp! photo by Heather Macleod

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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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Welcome to the first global online Game of S.N.O.W – the Quiksilver King of S.N.O.W. Hampus Mosesson is submitting the first trick and you are pleased to copy it! Switch BS 180° Indy is the trick of the hour which you should copy on every similar kicker on mother earth and with as much style and power as possible. Don´t forget to show your face right into the cam after you did your Switch BS 180° Indy!

This round’s winner will get a nice Quiksilver Package including: Quiksilver Travis Rice Signature Goggle and the Quiksilver Premium SnowPack (thechnical snowboard features, suspensions system, LED lighting system und premium audio components – make the backcountry a whole new experience)

This winter is going to be one giant worldwide session!

From now on every 14 days one of your favorite Pros will present a trick you have to imitate within two weeks and on a similar obstacle. Once you have sticked and – hopefully – filmed the trick you must upload it as video file to the Quiksilver King of S.N.O.W platform. Needless to say that you should try to redo the trick with as much style as possible in order to get as many judging points as possible in the worldwide ranking. Because in every single round – that means every 14 days – the most gnarly and styled trick will be rewarded with a massive stuff package.

We will make you rich and famous!

The top four snowboarders that have earned the most judging points after Round 7 will be invited by Travis Rice and Mathieu Crepel to their invitational-only event in La Plagne, France – called Chromatophobia. Quiksilver will assume just everything – flight, accommodation and catering – no matter from where on this planet you have to travel.

T-Rice will present the final trick in the Quiksilver King of S.N.O.W snowpark the four finalists have to copy. A camera team will capture every single trick and finally upload it to www.king-of-snow.com. Afterwards the tricks will be judged one more week for the very last time. The one with the highest score may be pleased about 5.000,- USD cash and short interviews with all our media partners worldwide.

As a special goodie the four lucky finalists will get a wildcard to compete with Mathieu, Travis and many other topguns at the Chromatophobia.

Sign up now for free!

Get your free account at king-of-snow.com now! Further information you will find there. So just check back regularly to ensure that you will be well-informed and on top of the world from the very beginning!

http://www.roninsnowboards.com/en/quiksilver-king-of-snow/

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Whistler Blackcomb's PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola will officially open to the public December 12, 2008. Join us for the LIVE webcast this Friday, December 12 at 10:30am PST on whistlerblackcomb.com. And get ready for the ultimate thrill, as Red Bull drops in and gives wings to the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola Launch event.



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Whistler Mountain is opening tomorrow (Wednesday, November 26) to give you the snow session you've been jonesing for.

Whistler Mountain is opening Wednesday with the following lifts running:
- Whistler Village Gondola
- Emerald Chair
- Big Red Express
- Franz's Chair

Blackcomb follows on Thursday, November 27 for US Thanksgiving long weekend:

WHISTLER
- Creekside Gondola (open Nov 27 - Nov 30)
- Whistler Village Gondola
- Emerald Chair
- Big Red Express
- Franz's Chair

BLACKCOMB
- Excalibur Gondola
- Wizard Express
- Solar Coaster
- Jersey Cream Express
- Excelerator
- Catskinner

Check out What's Open for full operation details.

We've got a base of 55cm, the snow guns are blasting in full force and groomers are working hard to get the runs ready. Check out the Snow Report or call the Snowphone at 1.800.766.0449.

Hope to see many of you out there this opening weekend!

Check out some photos of Mike Douglas rippin' on Whistler Mountain yesterday.





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