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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When asked, if you had a job title, what would it be? he  had to stop and think it through for a moment. If I were to put a title on  myself as a job, I'd say pro snowboarder, life-time traveler.

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of interviewing legendary  shredder Romain de Marchi from his new home in far-off western Canada near  Vancouver. With kids in tow, tumbling around in and out of the Skype video frame,  Romain talked candidly about life as a father, how that's affected his  snowboarding and risk taking, as well as other controversial subject matter like  the Natasha Richardson tragic death and his bitter divorce with his old sponsor, Burton.

We also spoke about his new dedication to smaller  up-and-coming brands like his new sponsors Shred and Slytech Action Sports Protection with whom he recently signed (yes, having 2 little  tykes running around now, he straps on back protection wherever he goes to ride). And then of course, we covered that hot new  startup brand YES Snowboards you will want to hear about what he has to say about his new partners and why bigger is not always necessarily better.

His answers are not quite what you would expect from the rather  notorious party animal we have read about in the past. His contemplative nature  and deep insights paint a picture that is more Obi Wan Kenobi than a young reckless Anakin Skywalker.

I'm looking forward to share the insider look into  Romain, the pro snowboarder and life-time traveller's life and will let you know when and where it can be found in its entirety!

Later,
Stephan

Stephan  is a  writer for Slytech Action Sports Protection(http://SlytechProtection.com) and Shred Optics (http://ShredOptics.com). Besides an interest in winter sports, he spends most of his time in Maui, Hawaii where many athletes, including Romain, regularly come through to scratch their tropical itch. Follow his tweets on all things Shred and Slytech at http://twitter.com/ShredOptics and http://twitter.com/SlytechProtect respectively.

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So it's been 6 weeks since my injury.. and 4 since surgery... i'm starting to go a little crazy!  I am finally getting to wabble around on crutches and moving my leg a bit, going to physio lots and trying to get my leg to bend.  I am progressing well, gaining about 8-10degrees of motion for every couple days.  But it,s still not good enough for me. I'm going insane sitting around the house and not being able to enjoy being outside and having fun.  

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The countdown is on and the party begins this Friday. The TELUS World Ski and Snowboard Festival kicks into high gear April 17-26, 2009. The only thing to do is get yourself to the centre of the action. Here are some highlights of what's on the adjenda, including some new events you'll want to check out.

The best things in life are still free. Zune Concert Series line-up promises 10 days of pilgrim-worthy free outdoor concerts, featuring Ozomatli, Ten Second Epic, The Stills, Metric, and DJ Ztrip.

Grenade Games lobs into town. Snowboarding’s infamous end of season party is by the riders, for the riders. Giving Canadians the chance to become Grenadians for the first time in its history, the Grenade Games’ line-up includes a Poker Run, dual slalom moguls course, pipe and slopestyle comp, and entices legends of snowboarding out of retirement to ride alongside current pros and up-and-comers.

Discover tomorrow’s artistic superstars. Debuting at this year’s Festival is the mutant sibling of the Pro Photographer Showdown, the ThreePointOh Multimedia Challenge. Plus, State of the Art, the Canada-wide Designer Search and Expose, and the new Chef Challenge.

Skate comes to the party. The new Festival opener, Skate & Deploy, followed by the Skate of the Art Opening party offers the perfect segue from winter to spring for fans of flow.

Graphic mastery gains momentum. Enter year four of the open crowd-sourcing collaboration that introduces graphic design talent to snowboards as canvass. Masterpiece in Motion entries are due March 1.

Ticketed events are known to sell out in advance so avoid disappointment and get your tickets early. Get yours online now at the Festival E-Store.

Faces of the Fest prepare to face-off to be the Festival’s 2009 on-air video host. Our very own Alex Hearn, voice of the Whistler Blackcomb snowphone, is one of the five finalists! "VOTE HARD, VOTE HEARN" VOTE NOW! Last day to vote is today, Monday, April 13th.

Looking to come up and enjoy all of the action? There are some awesome deals on now, including 2 day lift & lodging from just $82 pp/pn. MORE INFO

Another sweet deal...Buy your 5 or 10-Day 2009.10 EDGE Card now to ski at Whistler Blackcomb from $57 per day next season plus get unlimited spring skiing NOW for just $79! BUY NOW

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Just four weeks until the TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival rolls in to take over Whistler for 10 days and 10 nights of adenaline packed sports, arts, and music events.

The Zune Concert Series line up is set and ready to rock the valley of Whistler with live music from Thornley, The Stills, Ozomatli, The Arkells, 54 40, DJ ZTrip, and Metric to name just a few. For more info on the Zune Concert Series visit: wssf.com

This year marks the return of the Orage Masters, World Skiing Invitational's Big Air and Superpipe, and the addition of the Park'n'Fly Skate Jam and Monster's Grenade Games.

Also returning this year and bigger than ever are the infamous arts events including the Olympus Pro Photographer Showdown, 72 Hour Filmmaker Showdown, Schick Fashion Exposed, State of the Art, Whistler Chef Challenge, and the new ThreePointOh Multimedia Challenge.

The festival doesn't stop there. When the sun sets the party is just getting started! The Kokanee Freeride Club Series, along with an onslaught of legendary parties, offers party-goers endless opportunities to rub elbows with the who's who of the industry. This year the TELUS World Ski and Snowboard Festival really lives up to its modo: Party in April. Sleep in May.

TWSSF is also offering one lucky person the ultimate VIP status for this year's festival with the Face of the Festival Contest. To find out how to apply visit: wssf.com/faceofthefestival





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Shaun White wins Nissan X-Trail Jam

Thousands of stoked out Japanese snowboard fans packed the Tokyo Dome for the legendary Big Air & Quarter pipe competition of the phenomenal 6Star Swatch TTR Nissan X-Trail Jam. Shaun White with the highest combined score from both the Big Air and the Quarterpipe, claimed the first 6Star TTR Title and 1000 ranking points of [...]

read on...

http://www.roninsnowboards.com/en/shaun-white-wins-nissan-x-trail-jam/


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Forty of the world’s best skiers and snowboarders will descend on Squaw Valley USA this winter, where for the first time ever they’ll compete on a legendary section of the mountain during the Freeride World Tour Event wtfhttp://www.freerideworldtour.com> : Nissan Tram Face, anticipated to take place February 28th, 2009.

The Freeride World Tour event at Squaw Valley USA, the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics, will help set a new standard for freeride competition, attracting some of the best in the sport.  The Tour promises to be demanding for participants and exciting for spectators when for the first time the legendary Tram Face, closed since Squaw Valley opened in 1949, will be open for the pro event.

”The Tram Face at Squaw Valley is legendary terrain that many have dreamed to ride but few have dared to,” said longtime Squaw Valley USA skier Cody Townsend, ranked 5th in the 2008 World Freeride Tour.  ”Having the first ever competition on Tram Face is like the first time Monaco was raced in Formula 1, Teahupoo was surfed and the Masters was played at Augusta. Opening up the off-limits terrain for the competition is a dream come true for anyone that’s driven into Squaw Valley and seen the amazing Face that dominates the mountain.”

Participants arrive at Squaw on February 26, opening ceremonies take place on Friday, February 27 and competition is scheduled for Saturday, February 28 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. In the case of inclement weather, the event will be postponed to an alternate date between February 29 and March 5. Spectators can enjoy the festive atmosphere with live music and ongoing events at The Village at Squaw Valley plus another village at Squaw Valley’s High Camp.

Riders participating in the Squaw event, which is the second leg of the Freeride World Tour, will arrive in California after showing their stuff in Sochi, Russia. After Squaw, the riders will travel to Tignes, France and Verbier, Switzerland. After this final event, the four Freeride World Champions (ski/snowboard/men/women) will be crowned.

For Freeride World Tour PR and free of rights photos, visit: www.freerideworldtour.com wtfhttp://www.freerideworldtour.com> . For Squaw Valley Central Reservations call 888-685-9245 visit www.squawvacations.com wtfhttp://www.squawvacations.com>  or email vacations@squaw.com

The four events of the Freeride World Tour 2009 are:

 
  1. NISSAN RUSSIAN ADVENTURE - SOCHI, RUSSIA
  Dates: 20-25 JAN 2009, Preliminary contest day: Wednesday 21 January




           2. NISSAN TRAM FACE - SQUAW VALLEY USA
           Dates: 27 FEB-05 MAR 2009, Preliminary contest day: Saturday 28 February





 
    3. NISSAN FREERIDE DE TIGNES, FRANCE
 Dates: 8-14 March 2009, Preliminary contest day: Monday 9 March





 4. NISSAN XTREME - VERBIER 09, SWITZERLAND
 Dates: 20-29 March 2009, Preliminary contest day: Saturday 21 March




Confirmed Freeride World Tour Qualifying Events Include:



THE NORTH FACE MASTERS OF SNOWBOARDING - SNOWBIRD (USA), 30 January -1 February SPYDER BIG MOUNTAIN FIEBERBRUNN (AUT), 5-15 February 2009

THE NORTH FACE MASTERS OF SNOWBOARDING - CRESTED BUTTE (USA), 13-15 February 

WINTER MYSTICXPERIENCE (ITA), 19-22 February 2009

SALOMON EXTREME FREERIDE CHAMPIONSHIPS AT TAOS (USA), 4-7 March 2009
THE NORTH FACE MASTERS OF SNOWBOARDING - KIRKWOOD (USA), 6-8 March

NENDAZ FREERIDE (SUI), 13-18 March 2009 -

JASNA ADRENALIN (SK), 31 March-5 April 2009

RÖLDAL FREERIDE CHALLENGE (NOR), 22-26 April 2009 (2010 qualifier)

The partners of the Freeride World Tour 2009 events are:

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A couple years ago, I fell in love in Jay Peak. An otherwise cold, windy and miserable day would also prove to be one of my best. There is something to be said about visiting places that were the setting for important moments of your life. Since November 22nd was set to be opening day at Jay, and due to the personal significance of the resort, I decided to get a car load of bros to go down there and ride.

The road trip started out early, I picked up Yeti and Brad, and with Yahoo! directions in hand, we proceeded east for what we hoped would be a good day of riding (first for Brad and Yeti, second for me). The drive was mostly uneventful up until the Canada-USA border where we got pulled aside by the customs agent. He asked us if we were carrying more than $10,000 in cash (I wish we had that much scratch). I guess he wanted to search our stuff to make sure we weren't secretly part of the wealthy elite.

Normally a customs search would be no big deal, however, in this instance Brad really needed to use the restroom. So he asked the customs agent "do you guys have a public washroom in here?" To which the agent replied "It makes no sense for us to have public restrooms here because if you were smuggling drugs you could go flush them, or if we say something you don't like you can smear the whole place in poo." (no joke, he said that). Of course that's when we realized that Brad had probably set off a red flag with his request. Fortunately it didn't take long for them to search the car and they didn't make a huge mess of it. Once we were out of visible range of the border, we had to pull over to the side of the road so Brad could take care of business.

With our urinal emergency behind us, we continued on toward Jay. However, we ended up taking a wrong turn (we turned up VT-105 instead of VT-242). Once that feeling of being in the wrong place set in, we decided we should pull over and ask someone for directions. Fortunately there was a pedestrian up the way. Yeti started joking how it was probably hillbilly with a shotgun. As we approached, we realized that this guy did in fact have a rifle slung over his shoulder. Not to be deterred, however, we stopped and asked him for quick directions. He confirmed that we had in fact taken a wrong turn and kindly directed us on how to get back. We thanked him and made our way. When we finally arrived at Jay, we were stoked to realize that it was snowing pretty heavily.

No sooner had we started unpacking did the gaper hunt begin. The first victim: Yeti. He decided to rock a purple one piece but because he does it in typical Yeti style, it had a certain panache that couldn't be ignored. However, Brad had been instructed before he left to make sure to spray a gaper wearing skier, so he looked at Yeti and said "expect to be sprayed."

Although Yeti's was the first, it certainly wasn't the last gaper we saw. In fact no sooner had we gotten our lift passes did we notice another skier wearing the exact same gaper. An instant friendship was forged.

For our first run of the day, we decided to go with the more difficult of the runs that were available to us. The snow was good but the moguls were large and the visibility basically nil. Which is probably why we hadn't noticed that we had ventured onto one of the closed sections of the run. This is when I fell in the creek (I seem to do this at least once a year). None the worse for wear, I tried to make my way back to the lift except I found the going to be tough (Yeti and Brad were already way ahead of me). That's when I realize that I have about 2 inches of sluch caked onto my base. I finally cleaned it off so we could resume our riding.

We spent the rest of the morning shredding up any run that was open until our legs were sore and our finger tips frozen. We decided to head inside for a while to warm up our fingers and take a bio-break. This is when things almost went south. While going to the restroom, Yeti's iPhone fell out of his pocket. He realized it was missing and we spent the next 15 minutes or so re-tracing his steps trying to find it. After asking pretty much everyone in the lodge if they had seen it, and only seconds before Yeti lost it and started throwing tables around, he realized that it had fallen into the hood of his gaper. Crisis averted.

The rest of the afternoon was a lot more of what we experienced in the morning: snow, lots of riding, some freshies, some gapers, more snow, and lots of laughs (did I mention it was snowing). At one point, while marveling at the heavy snowfall, we came upon a guy sitting in the snow, seemingly trying to fasten up his bindings. What was significant was that he was complaining that he wanted to go back to Delaware. I said "But there's no snow in Delaware!" "Exactly" he said which made me wonder what he was doing in Jay in the first place.

Finally when it was time to call it a day, we packed up all of our gear and made our way back toward the border. Four hours or so and 63 litres of fuel later, we made it back to Canada's capital craving massages and sleep. We were thankful to have benefited from the mystical Jay clouds for a truly epic opening day in Jay and to have averted any potential buzz-kill worthy crisis. I was happy to have gone back to a really important junction place of my life. The day was truly epic but at the same time made me realize how much I missed those who could not be there.

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my soal isn't whole. i'm confused by my demons. does love even exist or is it some fairy tale that we fource ourselves two believe.  How is it that a person can pour thier heart ot to someone they are blinded by this "love".  I almost hate to hear the word.  i am just as much a victum of it as and other.  I think it is so sad that my soal longs for it's mate, but i  know it doesn't exist.  Love is a hormone that we produce.  Just like anger, saddness, and confuion. Just like heroine love over whelms our bodies and minds. if i know this then why do I feel I need it to survive.  so torn between so many things. i feel like i'm drunk sitting on the edge deciding whether or not to fall.  who do believe? i can't trust the ex but how trustful is the man? a person who can forget every thing you ever done for them and turn and hurt you so much.  how can i even figure it out on my own if i have no friends.  risking more then just me now.  flashbacks of my teenage days make me feel twisted again.  tainted by the eil around me i feel so mean. like and angery teen about to burst.  i want to scream and run. where? i don't care i just want peace.  my soal is not alone anymore.  i can feel her growing almost with every word.  the demon that i have surpressed for so long. now she wakes feeding off of every evil emotion that is in this house.  my mind laughs at me.  all i can see is an angel trying to fly.  with ropes tiedto her legs and wrists tears falling from her face.  is this my soal? i'm so tired of trying that i almost want it to come.  to open the door willingly to the demon.  to twist our parts and halves together to make one vengeful being.  all i want is to love someone and feel it back. to bad so sad the demon tells me. just let go it says. i wont let anyone urt us again she tells me.  do i listen to my demon?  i just don't know i am torn in two.

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Last spring Backcountry Snowcats had the pleasure of hosting the O'Neill Pro team for a week of film and photo work, and of course epic shredding. Guests included none other than the big mountain snowboarding legend Jeremy Jones himself.

Here's a quick clip of a few of the guys, rough-cut so bear with us and listen closely.

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Effective April 1 - 30, 2003 the Forest Service will be implementing and enforcing a Supervisor's Closure on Vail Mountain, which will prohibit unauthorized access to the Minnie's Deck area where the end-of-season BB&B event has occurred. The Forest Service issued a directive to Vail Resorts under the terms of their special use permit to shut down the BB&B event on Vail Mountain. Historically the BB&B event has taken place at Minnie's Deck and the event had evolved into a gathering of as many as 2,000 people. The behavior of participants posed serious risks to public health and safety as well as caused resource damage. The Supervisor's Closure will be in effect to ensure protection of public health and safety.

So, with a stroke of the pen, the US Forest Service ended the infamous end-of-season party on Vail Mountain, ending a 22 year tradition.  Know by many variations, Boobs, Boomers and Beers; Buns, Boobs, and Beers; Boobs, Booze and Brews, etc, (BB&B) was held on the second Tuesday in April as a way for Vail valley residents and employees to blow off some steam at the end of the season.  The event started in 1980 as a small end-of-season birthday party on Minnie's deck. BB&B devolved into an orgy of drinking, snowball fights and raucous behavior. During the last several years, partiers spent days before BB&B building large snow forts, stashing large quantities of alcoholic beverages, and, too often, hauling up more illicit substances.

Historically, the end of season party probably started much earlier with the Great Race.  This season-ender was usually held in Lionshead and People would dress up in all kinds of wild costumes. A photo of Vail local hooligan Packy Walker standing on the winner’s podium wearing nothing but a fig leaf and his gold medal made the front page of the Vail Trail newspaper. After Vail executives and lawyers killed that event people continued to get costumed up and party at Minnie's Deck.  In those days it was called the mountain formal.  Costumes included top hats and suits as well as high school prom dresses, horrible powder-blue tuxedoes and ballerina tutus.  The event grew and was combined with Warren Miller’s Mad Mountain Marathon and the Rubber Legs Slalom.  The race involved 150 or more slalom gates at the bottom of Vail Mountain and the event raised money for local charities.

When I was there in the spring of 2002, my brother Travis, his wife Michelle, Mayela and I went to the BB&B.  We all carried backpacks loaded with beers, booze and buds.  When we arrived at Minnie's deck the atmosphere was relaxed and people were lounging on the deck in the sun enjoying the event.  We set up camp on the deck and in one of the nearby snow forts crafted by a group of Beaver Creek's happyshack community.  We took some runs and explored the other various snow forts in the woods.  It was amazing the elaborate complex of forts and the adornments within.  Some had full Ice sculpture bars complete with barstools carved from compacted snow.  Others were complete igloos with only a small portal in the roof for ventilation.  Another was an elaborate maze to thwart cops and security spies.

As the day continued, there were jam sessions on the numerous rails that had been created in the woods.  One was a 50 foot long triple wave that dumped out into the main area opening.  Eventually the traditional snowball fight erupted with the main focus from the snow forts surrounding the opening at Minnie's deck.  Some forts were equipped with water balloon launchers.  A couple of times I snuck out through the woods with my snowboard to take runs down born free.  After riding the gondola back up to the top, I'd come rolling into the woods with my pants down and flipping the crowd off in my black afro.  The trick was to ride fast and get to the fort as quickly as possible.  Poor unfortunate souls that tried to follow in the wake turbulence of my entry would get blasted into oblivion.  I would stand on the wall and yell out obscenities to the enemy forts.  The response was a furious barage of snowballs.  People were getting pissed because we were getting bombed with snow.  One time, standing on the wall, I took a water balloon launcher shot to the chest that blasted me flat on my back.  Heffe came right up like a  medic with the Jaegermeister bottle to nurse me back to insanity.

In the evening when security starts to herd everybody out of there is a Chinese downhill of sorts.  This race to the pub progresses down the mountain. There is one particularly steep pitch where people who are so f*cked up that they just take their skis off and hurl themselves bodily down the face, laughing their drunken asses off.  I came up to the edge and launched the hand bag I was carrying as high in the air as I could--only to find out Mayela had her camera in it.  We all ended up at the bars in Vail village till the weee hours of the morning.  It was amazing.  I'm glad I got to experience the greatest party on earth before it was over.  Good times

As kind of a sick footnote to all of this, the event has been commercialized in a couple of different forms. Never shy about making a buck off the sweat and toil of the locals Vail Resorts promptly christened Siebert's Mad Mountain Marathon and Beaver creek Blues, Brews, and Bar-B-Que. There is no limit to the depth of slime with Vail Management.

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Thousands of stoked out Japanese snowboard fans packed the Tokyo Dome for the legendary Big Air & Quarter pipe competition of the phenomenal 6Star Swatch TTR Nissan X-Trail Jam. Shaun White with the highest combined score from both the Big Air and the Quarterpipe, claimed the first 6Star TTR Title and 1000 ranking points of the 08/09 Season.

Horgmo, Piiroinen (FIN), White and Mueller duked it out in a heated battle that certainly stepped up the level of riding. Although favoured to do well, Mueller placed only 4th in the finals with a Cab 9, behind 3rd place finisher Shaun White who found himself on the podium once again after his sick Switch BS 9. Peetu Piiroinen gave White some much needed competition in the race for the 1000 TTR ranking points by also placing in the podium in both formats. It was super close, as Piiroinen took second in the Big Air with an impressive BS 9 Cork that had the Tokyo Dome on its feet in amazement. Torstein Horgmo walked away as the Big Air champ in Tokyo thanks to his consistent riding throughout the sessions. His Switch BS 10 in the finals finally carried him right to the top of the Big Air podium and to TTR World No. 3 . The best trick was awarded to Mueller who amazed everyone in the semis with his first ever Double Backflip in a comp.

http://www.roninsnowboards.com/en/shaun-white-wins-nissan-x-trail-jam/

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THE MESSAGE  - OCTOBER 2008

Welcome back to another exciting edition of THE MESSAGE.. da da da DUNNNNN.
Good new snow fiends, We got are first dusting on the Sierra's last week, so lets hope that this will be an early season for all us!  THE BLOCK, THE BLOCK is gearing up for Snowboard Season by sponsoring a bunch of snowboard premieres and parties. I just saw the new First Tracks Video,  Knock on Wood at Mont Bleu, and what a great turnout we had, THE BLOCK was soldout and Flick was dope as all hell! 

Hot Dawgs and Hand Rails

If you missed Hot Dawgs and Handrails last month, you done F@cked-up. ! Hot Dawgz & Hand Rails 5th annual snowboarding specatcular tested the skills of some of the best jumpers and jibbers in the world and paid out $15,000 in prize money!  Rio and the entire Bear Mountain Park Staff pulled off the 1st contest of the year with Grand Style!  The Dropin, The Gap, and the rails were epic and riders were stoked to be throwing down for the first time of the Season! Big props to reelcomp.com for broadcasting a live feed of the event besure to check it out on their website.

The winners in the Men's Finals were...
1st Place- Jed Anderson
2nd Place- Chas Guldemond
3rd Place- Scott Vine

and the winners in the Women's Finals are...
1st Place- Desiree Melancon
2nd Place- Marie Hucal
3rd Place- Raewyn Reid

Scott Vine brought home Best Trick. Congratulations riders! Additional Heavy Hitters were Ben Bogart, Scott Stevens, Louif Paradis, Bode Merill, Keegan Valaika, Leanne Pelosi, Elise Borelli, Nick Dirks, Zak Hale and Tim Eddy. J.P Walker, Seth Huot and Hana Beaman were chillin' at Bear and Josh Sherman and Dave Duncan were announcing! If you missed Hot Dawgz this year, we'll see you next September! Big ups to Nam for organizing the afterparty, DJ Slip Matt and Matty Mo held it done hard. If you aint heard Matty Mo got a new mixtape out so be sure to Grab Government Cheese Vol 1. 

THE BLOCK BOOTCAMP 2008

Has been rescheduled to December 1st -13th in South Lake Tahoe. We are selecting 50 lucky recruits from an applicant pool of over 500+ that I received. It has been no easy task going through the applications, so if you were selected congratulations you will be receiving your deployment orders at the end of the week!  Remember that during bootcamp you will be tested to your physical and mental limits. So do yourself a favor and start working out and jogging now. This is not going to be a walk in the park. 

Knock on Wood

Who wants to see some sick snowboarding action for cheap?! Well, South Lake Tahoe based First Tracks Productions is offering a special deal to friends of The Block. If you click on the following link, you'll get to a hidden page on First Tracks' site where you can purchase their new movie, "Knock on Wood" for $10 off retail! http://firsttracksproductions.com/knockonwood091317257375.html If you haven't seen the trailer for Knock on Wood, check it out for free here:

Upcoming Events

Big Bear

October 18th is the last Bear Mountain Job Fair at Snow Summit from 8am-2pm. If you got to ride Bear and cant pass the bootcamp, this is a good option for any shredder.

October 18th and 19th is the 38th Annual Big Bear Lake Oktoberfest! So if you missed the job fair you can atleast Drink it off.

October 19th @ Active Ride Shop in Le Brea - F.O.D.T. Presents "Familia"  and TWS These Days from 7-9pm with DJ Episode! Be there!

Lake Tahoe

Wednesday Oct 15th  Technine's own Eric "MessyHair" Messier aka The Snow Man, will be playing with his group "The Fiz" at Whiskey Dicks with The Mathematicians in South Lake Tahoe.


This Thursday and Every Thursday BAR24 is holding Battle of The Bands until a winner is announced on November 6th, so get down their and show your support!


Saturday, Oct 18th – Late Nite productions brings the Original Wailers back to Tahoe at Moe's Place.


Wednesday Oct 22nd – Collie Buddz  is playing at Whiskey Dicks with Rise of the Revolution and DJ Pee Wee.  Rise kills it so sure to get there early and check em out!


Wednesday Nov 12th – Pato Banton with the Mystic Roots Band and Planting Seeds! Mystic Roots is dope and Pato got love for THE BLOCK so don't miss this show!


Friday November 14th – Finger on Da Trigger presents "Familia" Premiere at Bar24, signing with the Technine Team, Snowbunny Contest, Live Performances by the worlds top VJ; DJ Crime,  Hip Hop by Concise Kilgore from the Cali Agents and more TBA Lots of other bar24 contests for lots of SWAG and giveaways! Be sure you are there!


Saturday November 15th – The Premiere and the team travel to the Sandbar in Sacramento. We got a Snowbunny contest with the Déjà vu Girls and Zsu Swimwear, a Rail Jam in the back, T9 Team Signing and so much more so be there!!!


Tuesday Nov 18th – One Block Radius come to town, Marty James, MDA and Z-Man throw a tough show, pickup there new hit "you got me" and come to the show.


Friday November 28th – Del The Funky Homosapien has been add to host the "Blizzard" Pray for Snow Party with A-Plus and Bukue-one! So mark this one down cuz its going to GO OFF in Tahoe that weekend!


Saturday December 28th– "How The Grouch Stole Christmas" with Grouch and Eli from the Living Legends! I am looking forward to this show the most! So get up on game and go buy his new album that came this past spring and be sure to celebrate X-mas with the GROUCH!!!


Ok that's all I got for ya for now, I am working a bringing a "Familia" premiere to Vegas as well as planning THE BLOCK PARTY 2009 at the SIA Tradeshow. More info when I got it all confirmed but until then, Pray for Snow and see you on THE BLOCK!


-Dirty D from THE BLOCK


PS Check out these Videos:
Live From the PALMS Pools and Bungalows - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru3vhbtu7tI
Live From Hot Dawgs and Handrails - http://reelcomp.com/videos/view/6990

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"Enjoy The Ride...More" is DC’s marketing slogan for their highly anticipated release of snowboards this winter. Last night at 50-50 Brewery in Truckee, CA, PortersTahoe.com and the DC crew – including riders Devun Walsh, Iikka Backstrom, Aaron Biittner, and Lauri Heiskari – all came out with more than just their A-game to kick off this 20th anniversary edition of Mack Dawg’s "Double Decade."

Somewhere between 400 to 500 people joined Porters and DC at the biggest movie premier ever at 50-50 Brewery. There were two screens – inside and outside – showing the next progression in riding with several very well-received segments from not only the DC crew, but riders like Wille Yli-Luoma, Eero Ettala, and the closing part of Jussi Oksanen. The movie also sprinkled in 20 years worth of snowboarding pioneers and ground breaking MDP parts over the years from names like Chris Roach, Nate Cole, Noah Salasnek, JP Walker, and Jeremy Jones (past and present). "Double Decade" truly does give you more by throwing in a great, eclectic mix of music from the likes of the Pet Shop Boys, Devo, David Bowie, Doobie Brothers, and – believe it or not – the Grass Root’s "Let’s Live For Today" for a very soulful and artistic Jussi part.














Longtime Nor Cal industry veteran and DC sales rep Ron Depp put the evening in perspective this way, "It’s amazing that we could draw such a large crowd with only 5 days advance notice and have so many ex-pros and industry people come out of the woodwork...or the Truckee woods!" Bill Markham, DC Snow Sales Manager, added, "Double Decade is a walk down memory lane that showcases many legends of the 90’s rail brigade. The film also captures how shredding has progressed from backyard rails to big mountain kickers. Couple this with almost 500 kids, beer from 50-50, great support from Porters and DC pro shreds Iikka, Devun, Biittner and Lauri and you got a night you won’t forget....or remember in some cases!"









Judging by how big of a smile Lauri Heiskari had at the end of the night, everyone truly had a great time...and MORE!

http://www.porterstahoe.com

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Westbeach is proud to introduce the industry’s first UV-responsive jacket. The YVR’s discreet white design features a default suitcase print; as UV exposure ncreases, so does the visible contraband in the suitcase. Just like the variety of planes that pass through Vancouver’s International Airport, the YVR is available in a wide array of sizes, from S -XXL. Westbeach does not condone the use of contraband substances… unless it’s maple syrup.

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The doors at Olympic Village Lodge at Squaw Valley opened at 7:30 last night and Standard’s movie AESTHETICA was set to start at 8:30. Fuel TV, a sponsor, was on hand filming and reporting from the event. The Fuel TV reporters for the night were Tina Dixon and Jim Rippey. Other sponsors for the night were Porters Lake Tahoe, VAS Entertainment and Squaw Valley USA. As the clock edged towards show time the line to get in was spreading into the parking lot. Soon a roar of applause erupted from inside Olympic Village Lodge. Show time!

Once inside it was shoulder to shoulder and there was standing room only to watch AESTHETICA. The way that the lodge is laid out gave everyone in every corner a view of Standard’snew movie release. Some highlights of AETHETICA was Johan Olofsson’s part on Burton’s Nofish… he was killing the steep and deeps on this bindingless wonder. Torstein Horgmo part where he had an amazing shot at Homewood Ski resort on the west shore of Lake Tahoe As well as the monster spring jump at Alpine Meadows. Another favorite was Mads Johnsson’s part with plenty of fresh powder and steeps. For the rail junkies there was enough urban shredding to feed that need.

When the AESTHETICA drew to a close people started to migrate outside to a cooler and fresher atmosphere then inside where it was smelly and hot. Many folks left because the 21 and under crowd was not allowed at the after party.

To kick off the second half of the night Fortress came out to melt some faces with some good old metal, Fortress was formed in the early 1990’s in Lake Tahoe melting guitar solos by legendary Dave Hatchett, head banging guitarist Brian Harrison, bass by Mike Hatchett and insane drums by Rob Jaeger… Lights, Camera, Action. A little Priest, Maiden, UfO, Metallica and some Slayer had everyone head banging, crowd surfing and beer drinking. The crowd was hungry and thirsty for more metal and Fortress gave it to them rocking out the standard crowd for a solid hour and a half.

For More info about past and future film premiers please visit www.porterstahoe.com.

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