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JumpCamp is still alive. Can you believe it?!

Well it's been getting cold
and to keep warm we've been doubling up on sweatpants. Besides that we've been working with our amazing sponsors and crew designing the new park and getting the mountain groomed and ready. Brochures and posters are at the printers and the website has been redone. All the new 2010 dates are up and a schwack of new photos, downloads and all kinds of other jazz. Check it out and secure your spot in one of this year's camps.

Photograbros
We have lots of photographer friends at JumpCamp. These hombres sit in the cold and freeze their fingers in the off chance that we'll do something rad. Here's three of our favourites: Billy Pipe  http://pipephoto.com/ Dave Prothero http://www.daveprotherophotography.com/index.html & Gordon Ross http://www.gordonross.ca/


Beautyass scenery. photo by Billy Pipe

Onethirtythree's website is brand new with a shred page being managed by the infamous barbeque organization; the Steak Knives. Check out the crew
fine dining and healthy living http://www.onethirtythree.com/steakknives_gallery.php .
Keep checking the Steak Knives page for all the latest shred news.

Twitty twitty!

He rocks in the tree-top all a day long
Hoppin' and a-boppin' and a-singin' the song
All the little birds on J-Bird St.
Love to hear the robin goin' tweet tweet tweet
JumpCamp's now on twitter http://twitter.com/JumpCamp Follow us around why don'tcha?!

Factory Magazine, a new design and arts magazine based in Vancouver is the brain-child of 22 year old Niall Hamill and that man-child is a senior member of the JumpCamp board of trustees. Go grab a Factory magazine at Onethirtythree and support art and magazines in these cyberworld, internet, face-twitter times. Check out Niall's webpage that says his website will be up and running soon. http://niallhamill.com/

Grand Puba behind the new Factory magazine and JumpCamp coach Niall Hamill chillin out with a camper and a dog.

Premiers and Parties!
Nov. 20
JumpCamp Season Celebration.
A big night of prints, movies, cocktails and music.
Gordon Ross Studio & Bar
2314 Rosewall Crescent
Tin Town, Courtenay
Doors 9pm

November 28
JumpCamp Swap Meet

Swap Meet Louie's clockin' lots of dollars!

Tons of new and used shred gear for sale or barter. Boards, gloves, goggles, stinky boots, jackets, glasses...!!! Bring some meat for the barbeque.
12 noon - 6pm
1120 5th st
Courtenay
(around back)

Dec.3
Day Before Opening Day Shred Movie Premier Party!
Absinthe Film's "Neverland" & Sandbox's "SHINE ON"
The Avalanche Bar
 275 8th Street
Courtenay, BC
Doors 9pm
Tons of Prizes

Have a happy and safe Halloween from your friends at JumpCamp!



Published On: 10/30/2009
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I am going to talk to you about affiliate marketing or what is most commonly know as MLM – Multi Level Marketing.

For those of you who have not heard of MLM it is considered the best way to make money online although I have to say this method has received a lot of stigma over the years namely from those people who never made money from them and quit.

 

The fact is that 70% of people that TRY MLM programs usually quit within 2 months of joining and are usually for the same reasons, that they never made any money.

Truthfully those people were probably told they would make a small fortune in a very short period of time but sadly the person that introduced them was only interested in signing them up and failed to explain how to build a successful business.

 

To build any business successfully will require hard work and should be treated as a full-time job although this is not permanent it is necessary to build a solid foundation in the early days.

Sadly most are not presented with these facts so I guess you cannot blame them for quitting or even giving the MLM opportunities a bad name.

 

There are 3 main reasons to be able to succeed in any MLM program which I am about to share with you and in my opinion are key to success.

 

  • The Right Program - You need to find the right MLM program that is low cost and offers the best compensation plan.
  • The Dream – This has to be one of the most important ingredients because if your dream is big enough you will do whatever it takes to achieve it.
  • Support – You need support with anything that is new especially from those who are already successful and are willing to help you succeed.

 

 

Ok now let’s look at these 3 key reasons in more depth to help put things in perspective.

 

The Right Program

 

Now although there are a lot of MLM programs on the internet it is important that they are an established company, offer an excellent compensation plan, provide tools to help you build your business and have a product that most people want and need.

GDI or Global Domains International are in my opinion the only MLM company that offers all of this and for only $10 a month.

Now one thing you have to realise is that if you want to work online from home and be successful in any business there will be some cost attached to it. Although GDI offers you your own business, product and unlimited income opportunity for only $10 a month plus you can try it for 7 days free.

So lets break it down and see what you get for your hard earned $10 a month.

 

  • Web Hosting
  • Your own domain name
  • 10 email addresses
  • Web site building tool
  • Access to the GDI Forum
  • Tools to promote your business
  • Unlimited income opportunity

 

 

As you can see you get your own website, the tools to build it and can be active online within a few short hours but what’s more incredible is you can earn money too.

 

So who are GDI and how do I make money?

 

Global Domains International, or GDI, was founded in 1999 by Michael Reed, CEO and Alan Ezeir, President who both recognized another opportunity that was largely ignored. The dot com boom that was so popular back in 1995 reached its peak around march of 2000. What Michael Reed and Alan Ezeir wondered was if there were other available extensions that businesses could use as a domain name. They ultimately focused on the domain extension .WS, which belonged to the tiny island nation of Samoa, deep in the South Pacific. They were able to execute a deal with Samoa stating they had to produce 15,000 registered domain .ws extensions in 3 years. Well they accomplished that goal in GDI’s 1st month of business and the rest as they say is history. In the 2002 Special issue of Inc. magazine, Global Domains International placed #37 on the Inc 500 magazine’s “List” of the USA’s 500 fastest growing private companies and #5 in the state of California. If you have come across any .ws adresses on the internet you can rest assured that they have been registered through Global Domains International, as GDI has single handedly captured the market share for the .ws extension. But what really puts the icing on the cake is the amazing business opportunity they have incorporated in to the equation.

 

So now let’s talk about how you earn money.

For every person that you refer to GDI you will earn $1 every month for as long as that person remains a member.

That person that you refer – for every person that they refer to GDI, you will earn $1 every month for as long as that person remains a member. This continues down for 5 levels.

So even if you only refer one person, but that one person referred 50 people, you would earn $1 for each of those 50 people. If those 50 people referred just 1 person each, that’s another $50 per month you’d earn.

Remember though, as I said earlier you only get out of a program what you put into it. You could very easily get someone in your downline that could refer 50 people and that would be great, but you might not, so don’t just rely completely on your downline, especially in the beginning, try to refer a few people.

Let’s look at an example of the sort of income you can earn with GDI.

If you referred 10 people and those 10 people referred just 5 people each, and those 5 people referred 5 people each, and so on for 5 levels. Your monthly income would be $7810.

Sound Good???

Well that’s not all, GDI also offer a weekly bonus scheme of $100 for every 5 people you personally introduce. So for example if 20 people joined your business you would be paid $400 for that week and best of all there is no limit to the amount of people you refer. If you were to do the same every week that would an average of $1600 a month which for a lot of people would replace their job salary.

You may be thinking it sounds too good to be true or how can I refer 10 people, I don’t know 10 people that would be interested in this.

Well its not too good to be true, there are people earning even more than that with GDI.

As far as referring people GDI offer the tools to help with this however as I mentioned previously support in this business is key to your success from those who are already successful.

 

The Dream

 

To be successful you need to have a reason or a dream this could be a few hundred dollars a month to begin with or a new car.

What I have found is that people fear to dream because they don’t believe it will happen. It has amazed me being around this business how quickly people underestimate themselves and what started out as being a dream of making a few hundred dollars a month turned into buying their dream home cash.

This business offers so much its about people helping people and the feeling of knowing you have helped others take back their lives is priceless.

 

 

Support

 

Most people that join MLM programs have little or no experience on how to build a successful business and sadly quit before they even get started.

Having support from those who are already successful in this type business is by far priceless and it amazes me that so many people do not grasp this when inviting people to join.

After all the core of all MLM businesses is helping others to succeed which in turn helps you succeed.

Failing to grasp this simple concept and not put in any effort will surely lead to failure and again these types of people will only end up hopping from one opportunity to another but never finding success.

 

 

So there you have it an honest opinion on Multi Level Marketing which I hope this article has helped you in your pursuit for financial freedom

 

Donna Fielding is a successful network marketer with GDI. Click the link below to watch a video presentation on the GDI opportunity and the 7 day FREE trial and see if Global Domains International is the right choice for you.

 

www.themoneyprospect.com

(copy and paste into your browser)



Published On: 1/25/2009
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WE WILL ANNOUNCE THE WINNER 01/19/2009

click here to enter the contest
  • K2 JIBPAN AUTOGRAPHED SNOWBOARD
  • K2 BINDINGS
  • K2 BOOTS
  • AIRBLASTER JACKET
  • AIRBLASTER PANTS
  • AIRBLASTER GOGGLES
  • AIRBLASTER BEANIE
  • DAKINE GLOVES
  • NIXON WATCH
K2 Snowboard Contest

Published On: 12/9/2008
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DC Snowboard Contest

  • AUTOGRAPHED DC PBJ
  • DC JACKET
  • DC PANTS
  • DC BOOTS
  • GRENADE GLOVES
  • ELECTRIC GOGGLES
  • ROCKSTAR BEANIE
  • CASE OF ROCKSTAR
WE WILL ANNOUNCE THE WINNER 12/29/2008

http://www.porterstahoe.com/DC-snowboard-contest.asp


Published On: 12/2/2008
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The Burton Global Open Series announced dates for its 2008/2009 international snowboard competition series, which will kick off in New Zealand this summer. Below are final dates and locations for all 2008/2009 Burton Global Open Series competitions. 

Burton New Zealand Open July 29 – August 2, 2008 Snow Park, New Zealand 
Burton Australian Open Sept 2 – 6, 2008 Perisher Blue, Australia 
Burton Canadian Open December 1 – 7, 2008 CODA’s Canada Olympic Park 
Burton European Open January 9 – 16, 2009 Laax, Switzerland 
Nissan X-Trail Nippon Open February 24 – March 1, 2009 ALTS Bandai, Japan 
Burton US Open March 16 – 22, 2009 Stratton Mountain, USA 

The all new BGOS website is launching this week and will include new features such as rider profile pages featuring rider snapshots, bios, current BGOS standings and event results per rider. Riders can now register for both the New Zealand Open and Australian Open, visit opensnowboarding.com to check out the new site and for more information about both of these events. 

“Heading into our third year of the Series, we’ve got some great momentum,” said Liam Griffin, Director of Events and Entertainment for Burton. “It has been amazing to watch the level of riding at the Opens around the world increase over the past few seasons. All the riders are really pushing the sport to new heights and we’re really looking forward to seeing what this next year of competition brings.” 

With events scheduled year-round and in six countries, the Burton Global Open Series boasts the most lucrative cumulative prize purse in snowboarding. All six Burton Global Open Series events offer riders the chance to earn points towards a male and female championship title, each worth $100,000, currently the largest single payout in snowboarding. 

Last season’s BGOS series championship title was a nail-biter with four women and six men all in the running for the $100,000 payout and series championship title at the US Open, the final BGOS competition of the season. Only a handful of points separated the top runners for the title, proving that competing and earning points at all six BGOS events can make the difference between winning the $100,000 or giving it up. 

Finland’s Peetu Piiroinen and top Australian snowboarder Torah Bright had to work hard to take home the 2008 Burton Global Open Championship titles last March at the US Open Snowboarding Championships held at Stratton Mountain in Vermont. 

Peetu, who has never won a major title in his snowboard career prior to this win, said, “I never thought I had a chance to win the BGOS title.” Riders are encouraged to attend all of the BGOS events in order to maximize their points towards the overall title. 

Last season’s Burton Global Open Series champion Torah Bright had this to say about her second BGOS title and $100,000 title win, “I had tears coming down under my goggles. I just couldn’t believe that I could win the title twice. I’m really very happy.” 

The Burton Global Open Series is also part of the Ticket To Ride (TTR) World Snowboard Tour, the largest group of independent freestyle snowboard events in the world. TTR ranks riders based on their results at participating competitions and crowns a TTR World Champion at the US Open. 

Go211.com is the official webcaster of the BGOS and home to live scoring, standings, rider bios and more for each Burton Global Open Series stop. Check out Go211.com for more information. 


Published On: 10/14/2008
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Tuesday, September 23, 2008

 

Help a blogger out / Swords will... / Kale's not ready for Fall

This blog brought to you buy ISeyewear.

08/09 Signature Forma goggles now available!



If you're interested in sponsoring a furiousblog post hit me here.



Help a blogger out. Kenta just brought to my attention that our buddy Matt has a Vancouver based food blog called vancouverslop. The blog focuses on Matt's food experiences around the city and his dislike for scenesters. He's currently working on finding the best burger in the city. According to Kenta, Matt recently received a check for $10 for advertisements on his blog. His average blog gets about a hundred views. So I'm conducting a little experiment here for Matt. Everyone reading this please go to vancouverslop and click on the advertisement to the right of the blog. I'll let you know how much his next check is and hopefully fill you in on how to get paid for blogging.

If swords, the F word or asians bug you don't watch this video.



I talked to Kale Today and he couldn't believe it was already Fall.



He was like "where did the summer go?" and I was like "tell me about it."

Published On: 9/24/2008
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The twin ninja babies are here! We love Mexico. Kale..



Congrats Tadashi and Yuko on the cutest twin ninja babies I've ever seen. Can't wait to meet them.

Its a fact, we love mexico. I remember. not too clearly but I do remember celebrating Halloween dressed as what we "drunk Canadian teens" thought mexicans looked like for something like 3 years in a row. 



The photo above of Dev and Kale was taken somewhere around 98. I think we dressed up as mexicans for like 3 halloweens in a row... It only took us roughly a decade to finally come out with a goggle dedicated to the special little place in the world that blessed us with fish taco's, salsa, guacamole and terrible hangovers. Better late than never. Mexico, this ones for you!



Kale news: Kale has devised a new method of remembering all the super important things he has to do on a daily basis.


Friday, August 22, 2008

 

Ladies and Gentlemen, can I please have your attention...





Our office is located in East Vancouver. For those who don't know East Van has a bit of a bad rep. Everyday I show up for work there's something weird going on. Here's just a taste of what I witnessed Today.



Actually this isn't that weird, its my collection of old skate shoes. If I actually still skated there'd be way more up there.



This was in the way of the first place I was gonna park, no biggie but then I



Roll up to the next spot and See Mic Mac invited a buddy to live next to him on our street.



Steve scored the only decent parking spot left on our street snuggled in tightly to some old mattresses.



When we told Dave about the old mattresses he rushed right out and tried to 3 flip them.



As I capture the moment our good buddy Birdie strolls by. Just a warning if you run into Birdie in our hood or at the Bourbon on any given Thursday night... He's more of an outdoor, keep a good distance, don't actually talk to him, just take a photo while you're driving by and hope he doesn't throw anything at you type bud. We tight though..

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

 

Dev "the boss man" gets another TWS cover!

Here's the cover of the September issue of Transworld Snowboarding.



Dev was the only one out of the crew to hit this death gap. When "the crew" includes Jussi Oksanen and Andrea's Wiig it really puts into perspective how insane the gap is. Dev truly is the King of modern day back country riding. It's gotta be the goggles.. Look out for his part in Double Decade. He'll blow your mind... Again!

Zeddy called me to say: Hey did you know Todays international sex day!

Update from J man's Portuguese vacation:

Only J Man would meet sand ninjas on his first day in Portugal. I was skeptical too till he sent me this photo to back up the story.



The sand Ninjas were kind enough to take J Man in as one of their own and share their Choco Crack with him.



While enjoying the new exciting Portuguese treat J Man saw what seemed to be a familiar character dancing in the distance.



Thinking it was Zeddy stuck in a dance trance, he ran up to greet his good buddy.



As he got closer he realized it wasn't Zeddy at all. It was actually a young gentlemen by the name of Alvaro. The two conversed on the beach the rest of the day and have now become inseparable. Alvaro, pictured above in the stripes has since invited J man to join his Portuguese folk dance crew. 



They'll be touring Portugal for the rest of the month.

Friday, August 15, 2008

 

One down, a bunch to go...



! made! Through my first week back to work from vacation that is and wow, what a doozy it was. Not sure if its just me but I never feel rested or relaxed after time off. I actually usually feel like I need another vacation. I must be doing something wrong. 



See the shades Tman's sporting in the photo above. They're the Mont Royal white stripes, we're all sold out of em. Leave a comment below if you think we should do another run. If you need them right away I did see one pair in the display case at Boardroom on west forth yesterday after lunch. Good luck.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

 

Dave loves animals, butter and Jager.



Above, Dave Bestwick enjoying some quality time with friends after a long day of slanging goggles and shades.

e-mail to blog:

FW: Is China ready for English Speaking Tourists





Published On: 8/27/2008
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Complete the PortersTahoe.com Crossword Puzzle and win.


1ST PLACE $1000 PORTERSTAHOE.COM SHOPPING SPREE (US DOLLARS)

1ST 100 CORRECT ENTRIES RECEIVE A PAIR OF ANON HELIX GOGGLES

ALL ENTRIES RECEIVE A PORTERSTAHOE.COM TRUCKER HAT

YOU MUST FILL OUT THE CROSSWORD PUZZLE TO HAVE ANY CHANCE OF WINNING ANYTHING!!

The Rules
All entries must be received by December 1, 2008. The Winner will be announced December 3, 2008. The Winner will be notified by phone. Multiple entries will be accepted, but only one correct entry will be put in the drawing for the  $1000 shopping spree. Porters employees and family are not eligible for drawing.


Download the puzzle and try your luck before you post your answers.

Image



Published On: 8/22/2008
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Late in the season, a common pastime among snowboarders is the infamous gaper hunt. After witnessing this activity in various places, I've been struggling with a very important question: what is the proper pronunciation of the word “gaper”. Everyone seems to have their own take on it and I'd like to take a little time to investigate the etymology of the word.

Conventional wisdom would have you look to a word's spelling to get an idea of how to pronounce it. Using this logic, the most obvious answer for the proper pronunciation is gey-per. If we look to the definition of a gaper, however, we're led to believe that the pronunciation doesn't follow standard english syntatical expectations.

Gaper parade.
It's like the ghosts of christmas past, present and future.

The Urban Dictionary defines a gaper as:

... a skier or snowboarder who is completely clueless. Usually distinguished by bright colored clothes and a gaper gap -- the gap between the goggles and a helmet/hat. Gaper's are known to do the "Gaper Tuck" which is an attempt at being a ski racer by tucking, however, it is done incorrectly with the poles sticking straight up like thunderbolts and lightning, very very frightening! Gapers also sit at the bottom of jumps and try and go big off table tops in the park.

From this definition, we're led to believe that the term gaper has its roots in the description of the gap for which they are known. From this, one would assume that the correct pronunciation of the word is in fact gap-per. So the confusion is understandable when trying to figure out how to properly pronounce the term.

The Urban Dictionary, however, also provides another definition for the word GAPER as “an acronym that stand[s] for Guaranteed Accident Prone on Every Run.” This definition has no reference to the distinctive gaper gap which seems to be one of the roots of the word. If we rely on this definition, there is no need to break the rules of syntax and the word can be pronounced gey-per.

Gaper in Other Contexts

The word gaper also has meanings in other contexts. Wikipedia describes gapers as stone heads, often depicting a black man, located on the fronts of buildings in the Netherlands to indicate that these building are pharmacies. The gaper represents the assistant of the travelling apothecary who was the forefather of the modern pharmacist. This assistant would pretend to be a sick man only to miraculously feel better (and perform a dance) after taking the pill given to him by the apothecary. So in the Netherlands, the word Gaper is somewhat representative of a charlatan. This relates to the modern definition of the word since gaper's in ski resorts will often profess to a higher degree of skill than they actually have. This doesn't help in the search for the correct pronunciation of the word, however, since I don't speak the Dutch language.

The simplest definition of a gaper that I have found so far, is “a person or thing that gapes”1. This definition actually provides a phonetic spelling for the word, which is in fact gey-per, as one would expect. This description also agrees with the more colloquial definition of the word as gapers are often seen in the middle of Whistler Village, in their rear-entry boot and neon one-piece glory, gaping at the scenery through the lense of a camera (that is when they aren't seen as a streak of neon laying down wide carves on the cat track).

The Verdict

Following this long and arduous Google search, I think the question of the pronunciation of the word gaper can finally be laid to rest. I motion that the correct pronunciation heretofore be gey-per; don't let anyone tell you otherwise. If they insist on pronouncing it gap-per, refer them to this study which should convince them that they are wrong-headed. Although this study cannot be considered complete by any stretch of the imagination, I'm pretty confident that it is the most in-depth investigation into the etymology of the word gaper that you'll be able to find (I'm not sure if that makes me sad or proud).



Published On: 8/1/2008
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The Prize:
Neversummer Pandora
Drake DL Bindings
Northwave Legend Lady Boots
Monix Outerwear - Pants & Jacket
Eesa Lux Layering & Socks
Von Zipper Goggles
SkullCandy Ti's
Bula Beanies
& More!

The Contest:

Is your board a bit beat up after this season? Outerwear held together by duct tape? No cash for a new setup for next season? Well, worry no more: Shred Betties is sponsoring our first annual all-girl snowboarding scavenger hunt.

Details:
http://www.shredbetties.com/contests/scavengerhunt.shtml


Published On: 5/1/2008
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A happy day is coming...: The best things in life are free...
By: Libteknoguy


Though I’m a man of few words, I do actually have a lot to say.  I’ve covered a few things here, probably enough to think about for a while. 

It’s been said, probably many times over many years, that "the best things in life are free."  If that’s the case, then why do so many people seem to think they NEED that new Lexus, $900 purse or the 7000 square foot home?  Why do so many people feel the need to live in excess?  When did ’the little things’ stop meaning so much and become overrun with desire to posess?  Is it greed?  Is it because they lead boring lives completely void of humbling experiences?  I guess I just see so many people focused too much on material things that enhance their net worth, and not things that enhance their LIFE, their character, their entire existence.  It’s rather sad that it seems only in times of disaster are most people brought to their knees, only then do they realize how fragile we humans are.  Only then do they truly begin to value their life, just being alive, having their friends and family alive, etc.  Of course no one is perfect, and I will be the first to admit I have taken things for granted from time to time, but I try to place value on the things that I’d miss most if they were gone.  And just to clarify this, when I say ’things’ I am not referring to anything material, the things I’m referring to cannot be held in your hand, hung on your wall or parked in your garage. 

A few months ago, I was snowboarding with some friends at Whistler and I had a rather memorable experience.  While waiting in a lift line I noticed Natasza Zurek standing nearby, just minding her own business eating a granola bar.  We ended up being on the chair behind her and when we got to the top I went over to say hello.  Though I’d never met her before, I’ve read many interviews over the years and always held her in very high regard.  She seemed to think very much like I do and I’ve always admired her skills and possibly most of all, her ability to remain humble.  I introduced myself and we talked briefly about living in Canada, how much snow had fallen so far, etc.  We talked about how much fun snowboarding is and then she asked me, "Do YOU love snowboarding?" almost as if it were rare to encounter another person who felt the same way.  I said I do, and that it’s the only thing that really makes me feel alive anymore.  We went our separate ways but that question has stuck with me, and as rare as it may be to encounter someone who truly loves snowboarding, I think it’s even more uncommon to encounter someone who is so down-to-earth, realistic and humble as she is.  It seems like any day you go snowboarding there’s always some fool who think it’s okay to cut you off or snake your line because they just spun their first 540 and they’re going to be the next Shaun White.  Sorry kids, but attitude only takes you so far in life.  We need more people like Natasza.  We need more people with a true love and passion for things that no amount of money could ever buy.  It doesn’t matter if you love snowboarding, painting pictures, or watching grass grow...pour your heart into it and feel the LIFE it breathes back into you.  Feel the satisfaction of doing something yourself, or better yet, doing something for someone else.  I know this blog is going all over the place, but hang in there, I’ll get to the point eventually. 

I wore a helmet while snowboarding a few times early in the season but got out of the habit at some point, probably because I was riding so much powder and not really thinking I’d need it.   On the morning of Friday March 21st, I put my helmet on for the first time since mid December, and set out to enjoy the new snow.  It was softer and deeper than I had expected, so I made my way to the backside of the mountain to ride some steeper terrain.  To make a long story a little shorter, I was riding down a narrow (single cat width) trail, going approximately 35 mph.  There were 3-4 people about 100 feet ahead of me when I came around the last corner before the trail drops to a flatter area with a wide, slow corner.  I was moving faster than the people in front of me but they were doing their own thing and I watched the first person I’d come up upon first as they did mild carves, staying entirely on the right side of the trail.  The people in front of this person had accelerated and were much farther ahead by this time, so I saw my opportunity to make it to the flat corner without slowing down.  Right about as I got up to the person riding on the right of the trail, they made a sudden sharp left turn, right into me.  I had nowhere to go but off the trail.  The next thing I knew, I was laying in the snow, leaning downhill slightly with blood running out of my nose like a faucet and my right eye wouldn’t open all the way.  I looked back up hill to see that I apparently hit a tree, which pretty much brought me to an immediate stop.  My goggles were in my hand, though I don’t remember taking them off.  Luckily the guy who ran into me was very concerned and talked with me and we determined he was okay but I defnitely needed to get some help.  After about 10 minutes of laying there (all I wanted to do was lay there, things didn’t look right), I still couldn’t get the bleeding to stop.  At the time I didn’t know, but my goggle lenses had broken and apparently sliced me pretty good above and below the eyebrow, which also bled a lot.  We finally rode the rest of the way to the bottom of the chair, where I decided I was well enough to ride up to the top.  The second I got on the chair I realized I probably should have waited at the bottom, but it was too late to change my mind and I made it to the top alright.  When I got to the top of the chair, Ski Patrol was waiting for me.  They gave me gauze for my eyebrow and oxygen, which didn’t really seem to help.  Then they took me down in a tobaggan, and some ambulances took me to the hospital.  The end result?  My nose is broken and has been pushed to the right, my right eye is partially full of blood, ten or so stitches above the eyebrow, a few below, cheekbone broken in at least 3 places and pushed back into my face which apparently pinched off some nerves, I have no feeling whatsoever in the right side of my nose, right upper cheek/under eye and both right and left (why the LEFT side??) temples.  My jaw seems to be in the same place, but because the bones above it are broken my teeth don’t line up the way they used to.  The next day my knees hurt and it appears that I must have almost straddled the tree (good thing my board prevented this!) as both knees had huge bruises on the inside and the left knee was scraped pretty good.  Nothing permanent though, thankfully!  Other than being in a little pain, occasional dizziness, and a fair amount of discomfort I’m doing alright. 

Various people have since said to me, "That’s why you gotta wear a helmet!" and I have had to correct them, "No, you don’t understand...I WAS wearing a helmet."  I’m not exactly sure what would have happened had I not been wearing it, but I do know that you never hear much from people who hit their head on a tree while moving at 35mph and NOT wearing a helmet.  Probably because they’re in a coma, brain dead, or just plain...dead.  Without knowing how close I came to any of those results, it’s hard to say how ’lucky’ I am, but I feel pretty damn lucky!  Having several days to reflect on what happened and what could have happened, it really made me think of many things.  It makes me realize how important family and friends are, as well as allllll of the little things we do every day that we take for granted.  Everything from breathing through our nose to chewing food, being able to fall asleep comfortably or even just yawning.  I thought about all of the things I love to do, and how much I’d miss them if I were never able to do them again.  I thought how much I wish I could just go up to the mountain, ride down a ways and just sit down and look around, breathing in all the fresh air and listening to the sounds, watching my good friends having fun, etc.  It reallly made me saddd to think about losing that, among other things. 

I read an interview with Jonaven Moore in Snowboard Canada magazine recently, and I’d like to quote a few things he said because...well, because I don’t think I could have said them any better myself.  SC magazine basicly asked how he would justify or explain the risks he takes (as we all do) to someone who doesn’t know or understand why we do it.  "It really comes down to the love [you have] for something. I’ve had quite a few friends die snowboarding, and I can honestly say they were so truly in love with the mountains and the connection they found there.  We do some crazy things when we’re in love."   I couldn’t agree more.  Just look at the things people do when they are in love with anyone or anything, not just snowboarding.  We do some crazy things when we’re in love.  They also ask him about an accident he had where he broke his jaw in 4 places, and what he learned from it.  "...I went into it your average, reasonably attractive, white kid--things really don’t come much easier to you on this planet.  I woke up in the hospital and looked in the mirror at a face I didn’t even recognize.  I looked like my head should be attached to someone who weighed more than 300 pounds.  It’s come a long way since, but the aesthetics of my facial structure were downgraded on some level, and they’ll never be the same again.   We have a lot attached to the face we see in the mirror.  It is very much who we perceive ourselves to be, and I don’t think I’m being shallow by saying that s much as I’m being honest.  That one accident has taught me so much about how I look at people, what I see in people and what really matters."  What really matters.   WHAT REALLY MATTERS.

So what really matters?  A new Lexus?  That $900 purse?  The 7000 square foot home?  I may never get the feeling back in my face, and it may never look like it used to, but I’m okay with that because I do realize that I AM lucky.  I’m the lucky one!  Countless people are hurt every day, far worse than I am right now.  Some will never see again, some will never walk or talk again, some will never wake up from their sleep and some will never think clearly again.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, tomorrow is not promised to anyone.  Be thankful for what you DO have today, and again, I’m not talking about material things.  Be thankful that you woke up this morning, and that you are able to push your own shopping cart around the store, and that you see someone extraordinarily handsome or beautiful when you look in the mirror.  Go outside and take a deep breath of fresh air and just be happy you can breathe!  And every time you do something that seems rediculously mundane, just remember that there are millions of people worldwide who can no longer do those things and would probably trade anything for one more walk through a park, one more breath of fresh air, one more look at something beautiful, one more minute with a loved one.  Someone once said that the moment we are born, we begin to die, and it’s true.  We only have so many hours, so many days to spend doing whatever it is we choose to do with our time.  Once we’re gone, we’re gone for good, and the same goes for those we love.  Money can be wasted, time can be wasted.  You can earn new money, but you can never regain wasted time.  I’m not concerned whether you agree or disagree with me, I just ask that if you happen to have read all of this that you take some time and determine what is truly important to you, what things you truly love and are passionate about.  And remember, I’m not talking about material things!!!  Watch the news someday.  Though it’s unfortunate, you’re bound to see coverage of some disaster somewhere and inevitably you’ll see people involved in it and possibly catch a glimpse of what is really important to them...and you.



Published On: 4/21/2008
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Ok. So I'm going to explain about my saturday riding session with a FTW (for the win) vs FTL (for the loss); lets begin....


FTW:
 - 6 inches of fresh snow in the tree's with nice 'not to choppy' main groomed runs.
 - Keeping speed in the park despite new snow
 - Riding solid in the park
 - Yelling at people in the park to get out of your way and then having them clapping for your trick once you've landed it.
 - No wind
 - No precipitation
 - Vegetate '08
 - Beer for lunch breaks
 - Good crew to ride with

FTL:

 - Crowded parks
 - Douche bag skiiers in the park
 - Smashing your face into the snow with no landing gear
 - Get a resulting headache from said face smash
 - Getting snow inside your goggles
 - Having boots to small
 - Needing to use chains on a RWD car
 - Having idiots run into your female riding buddy
 - Having to get ready to fight said idiots and have them back down after them yelling.
 - Did I say smashing face into snow?
 - Getting cut off at the wall ride 3 times in a row.


It really was a fun day and all 3 of us rode super good. Just a bummer that idiots ride too.



Published On: 4/7/2008
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April Mega Sale!



What: The April Mega Sale! Don't miss out on outrageous deals from:

IS Eyewear
Holden
Neff
Wildcats
Omatic

Prices as low as:
T's $5
Hats $5
Hoods $10
Holden jackets $150
Holden pants $100
Goggles $30
Boards $200
Massive rolling travel bags $50 (Retail $200+)

Where: Trustus 1131 Williams Street, Vancouver BC.

When: Friday April 4th 12 to 7pm & Saturday April 5th 12 to 5pm

Why: Because everyone loves deals and we may have free beer !!!!

Pro Tip: Show up early for first dibs and a chance to win a free IS Eyewear Mega package which includes goggles, sunglasses, hat, T-shirt, hoodie and a rolling travel bag to bring it all home in. Super generous.. Yes we know.

Be sure to tell all your pals as this is going to be the sale of the century.

Published On: 4/2/2008
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I find posting once every two years is best. One it takes me that long to be creative enough to entertain you monkies (I mean that lovingly) and two... I'm lazy.
 
Anyway, so the day starts off balls ass cold. What is balls ass cold you ask? Well, balls ass cold is somewhere below "Holy Jewish Christ it's cold!" and just slightly above "Dude, I can't feel my nuts!". Tim and Dan can fill you in more on how cold it was, since they decided to sleep in their car... on the mountain... at 5am... with the heat off. Yeah, them Maryland boys ain't all there.

So as I was saying, it was balls ass cold, and we decide to warm up with a nice easy run. Now this run, had this stuff called packed powder on it. I'm not sure what it really was because it was light and fluffy and responsive and easy to ride. Where I'm from, packed powder is the frozen painfull shi*t you get the day after all the man made snow froze. I have to say, I like Vermont's version a lot better. Anyway, we're on this run, and there's this little roller of a jump at the start. Now, everyone is hitting this thing and landing with ease. I says to myself "SELF! that looks fun and easy so I'm gonna try it!". Sadly, what my mind failed to take into account was that the ones who went over it where Dan, Tim, and a few others who have been riding a hell of a lot longer than me and therefore, can actually ride really well. So just because they make something look easy, it may not actually be so... easy. Apparently, I left this part of my brain back in VA. So I tuck and make a straight line for this thing hit the top and leap. It's at this point that I realize I have no earthly clue what in the blue flying catholic %$&* to do whilst airborne. This becomes even more obvious when I land with all the grace of a drowned bubonic rat. But this isn't Liberty, so the landing area wasn't made of rock. Unfazed, I get up and ride down.

From there we wait and get on the tram. The tram by the way is the slowest means known to man to get people up a mountain. Seriously. Anyway, we get to the top of this beast and I'm looking around at the kind of terrain I've never ever ridden before. I can't wait to ride down this bitch! So I strap and and get ready to roll. It's at this point that I realize one of the straps on my binding has snapped in half making my foot wobble around in my binding like a drunken irishman on st patty's day. Getting down is going to be a bit of a challenge. The only thing I can do at this point is ride down and pray for a repair at the base. So Carmen and I take off for the base.

I will point out that the ride down was pretty awesome. Especially for a mid atlantic rider. Lots of terrain, snow, and no ice. Again, NO ICE. Hah! Anyway, I'm almost all the way down I start to get cocky again. Yes I know, not exactly a bright move when im working with half a binding on my back foot. Like I said, I left that part of my brain at home. There are these nice rollers/hills/whatever the hell you call them, that were just screaming for me to get some speed and jump at the top. Soo, I jump em. And amazingly, I land the first one. Excited, I tuck and get ready for the next one. Up I go and again I land without bailing. At this point I'm flying down the hill and there's one more coming. I figure go for 3!! Haha, yeah bad idea. I tuck and throw everything I have into my legs to jump the last one sending me into a low orbit. I try to land but my balance is off and I come crashing down right on my head. That's when the lights go out. But only for a second or two. Thank god for brain buckets. But this has certainly put my ego in check for the rest of the trip... Kinda

Finally at the bottom, a little woozy, I go into the shop in the hopes that they sell flows. In the middle of burton country (yeah). They don't in fact, no one does... anywhere. I'm stuck buying the only large size bindings they have. a $70 pair of Burton Freestyles aka $70 of pure unholy suck. But whatever, I meet up with everyone and again head up the tram. We're headed for something called the ugly tree. I don't know which of the 80 billion trees was the ugly one but I'll get to that shortly. So we're riding to this thing and I'm trying to get used to the new bindings. I'm kind of getting the hang of it and let myself get some decent speed on the way to this glade run. That's when I catch an edge and come down on what is becoming my prefered landing cushion... my head. Honestly, I'm pretty sure there's some important SQL knowledge that i've forever lost up that hill somewhere. I can still tie my own shoes though so I'm good. However, I've managed to shatter my goggle lenses in this fall. Yeah I don't know how I managed that either. See below for pics

Now for the trees. Keep in mind that I've never even really been on a black before. Sure I rode a handfull of them at 7 springs for one day ut those are about as challenging as picking my nose. This is a run through trees n shi*t... TREES! But I'm with a bunch of people who know what they're doing so I'll be all right... Kinda. They head on through these trees and in a matter of 3.4 seconds, I've lost all of them. I can't see them, I can't hear them, they're just gone lol. Now these new bindings aren't responding very well to my "oh shi*t turn now!" commands. So I'm spending most of my time on my ass, and my back, etc etc. It takes a retarded amount of time to finally work my way out of the trees. Once I do, I find that I'm all kinds of alone. So I spend the rest of the day exploring this huge mountain. Next time, I'll bring a radio that works!

Friday was a different day. After some inventive binding "repair", I'm back on my flows. And I brought some spare lenses for my goggles so I'm back to working condition again. Time to make another run through some trees!

I've learned a few lessons about riding through trees with this group. 1) Never follow rob because he loves his superman impression. But unlike superman, he doesn't stay airborne. 2) Follow Zach (cifex), because he takes lines through trees that people can actually survive. 3) Never ever ever follow Tim through the trees, unless you brought your golf clubs, and a shovel, oh and a tent. More on that below At this point I'm doing a decent job keeping up with these folks. Again they've been doing this a hell of a lot longer than me and I sure as hell would never attempt these runs on my own. This is one of the things I liked best about this trip. Hitting terrain that i never thought I could do and pushing myself damn hard to keep up.

Anyway, I follow Zach as best I can through these trees. I gotta admit, riding through trees is a huge rush. I've never done anything like it before. It's better than snorting blow off a hooker's ass! After a few hundred falls, and crashes into trees, I pop out onto the trail where everyone is waiting. Somehow, I've managed to beat Tim out of the woods. Which is odd because it took me just under a decade to get out. Then I found out why.

Apparently, Tim decided he wanted to go golfing. f*ck this riding shiz, boy wanted to break out his clubs and hit the back nine! Soo, he headed for the golf course. Which is obviously well out of boundes. For some reason Tim thinks this is a really good idea anyway. Even though he didn't bring his gold clubs... and there's snow on the ground. It's the little details that count. By the time he figures this out, he's waist deep in powder in the middle of a ravine on the opposite side of Vermont. So while we wait for the gallant golfer to carry his lanky ass back to the rest of us, we decide to keep ourselves entertained.

Dan works on his backflip (not quite as funny as Andrea's backflip but with much less ankle twistage).

Waiting for Tim

Several others play jump the tree stump.. thingy.

All the while shouting for Tim so he could get a bead on where vermont was again. (I think he cried). Dan was a bit upset that he was the only one shouting but that was because we were all laughing too god damn hard and the filth flowing from his pie hole like a raunchy poet. If Danimal was a religion, I'd f*cking worship it. Apologies to all the random folk riding by that heard what was said. But it was epic funny!

I'd write more but I think this post if long enough already. Needless to say I had the time of my life. I broke bindings, a helmet, goggle lenses, my ass, bought 2 pairs of bindings, got a horrid chest cold (btw, you can get a great buzz off of 5 advil, 3 strong swigs of robotussin, a cup of thera flu, and 4 sudafed caplets.), bit out a chunk of my mouth, spit blood in front of some random skier (that was pretty funny) and was molested by more than one tree (It wasn't gay because I didn't push back) But at least I didn't slip getting out of the hottub and bust my ass like a certain porch flying canadian


Published On: 3/25/2008
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Torah Bright & Peetu Piiroinen Win $100,000 Burton Global Open Series
Shaun White & Cheryl Maas Drive Home New Volvo C30 R-Designs
STRATTON, Vt. (March 22, 2008) – Glory, fame and fortune were on the line today at the US Open Snowboarding Championships, where the world's top riders battled for five different prestigious titles, two Volvo C30 R-Designs and cash awards worth a total of $471,500. Today's big winners were 2008 BGOS champions Torah Bright (AUS) and Peetu Piiroinen (FIN); 2008 US Open halfpipe champions Torah Bright (AUS) and Shaun White (USA); 2008 Men's Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour Champion Kevin Pearce (USA); Volvo Most Valuable Riders Cheryl Maas and Shaun White; and 2008 US Open big air champions Cheryl Maas and Tim Humphreys.
Last season's Burton Global Open Series champion Torah Bright had this to say about her second BGOS title and $100,000 title win, "I had tears coming down under my goggles. I just couldn't believe that I could win the title twice. I'm really very happy."
Finnish rider Peetu Piiroinen, who has never won a major title in his snowboard career, said, "I never thought I had a chance to win the BGOS title. I just cannot wait to call my family in Finland – they won't believe it!"
The action-packed day kicked off with the men and women's halfpipe finals, where history repeated itself when 2007 US Open halfpipe champions Shaun White and Torah Bright once again took first place and $20,000 each. Just like at last year's US Open, Shaun also won the Volvo for his overall riding at the event.
At the start of the halfpipe finals, four men and two women were still in contention for the $100,000 Burton Global Open Series title, and every rider in the running had calculated what ranking he or she needed to take home competitive snowboarding's biggest single payout. In the best-of-three run finals Torah Bright took the lead early with a run that featured a backside 3 Indy, switch backside 720 mute (Winner of Zune Best Trick and $5,000), backside 540, melon-to-fakie with a Cab 720 at the end. Coming off a win at yesterday's slopestyle, Shaun White won his third US Open halfpipe title, ending his day with a victory lap. Shaun's winning run consisted of a first-hit frontside 1080 stalefish to Cab 1080 into his signature frontside 540 stalefish, McTwist, frontside 900 with a backside 900 ender—all huge and flawless. Scotty Lago clocked the Zune Best Trick and $5,000 with a double cork frontside 1080.
Later that night, the big air went down and the Volvo Most Valuable Rider awards were given out. Tim Humphreys did every trick in the book from frontside and backside 1080s, backside and switch backside 720s and a backside rodeo 540 to win the title. Cheryl Maas also impressed the judges with her trick arsenal that included a frontside 360, backside 540 and a backside 720 tailgrab (SoBe $2,500 Sick Trick award), earning her the top spot. Chas Guldemond earned the SoBe Sick Trick for his backside 1260 melon.
Cheryl's overall performance at the event earned her the Volvo. "I'm super stoked, I was just about to sell my old car and I never thought I'd have a car this nice,” said Cheryl about her Volvo win.
Kevin Pearce also had a big day as he took third in the US Open halfpipe competition and was crowned the new 07/08 Men's Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour Champion, earning $50,000.
After the big air competition, Grammy-nominated heavy metal band Mastodon heated things up with a free show on the concert stage at Stratton's main base area from 8:00-9:00 p.m. Be sure to catch the 2008 US Open halfpipe, slopestyle and big air action on NBC, Sunday, March 23 from 1:30-3:00 p.m. EDT.
Be sure to catch the 2008 US Open halfpipe, slopestyle and big air action on NBC, Sunday, March 23 from 1:30-3:00 p.m. EDT. Webcasts and highlights of the competitions will also be available for on-demand viewing once the event is over on Go211.com and opensnowboarding.com.





BGOS STANDINGS
MENS STANDINGS
RANKCOMPETITORNATIONSCORE
1Peetu PiiroinenFIN37988
2Kazuhiro KokuboJPN36815
3Mason AguirreUSA36010
4Shaun WhiteUSA35538
5Chas GuldemondUSA34877
MENS STANDINGS
RANKCOMPETITORNATIONSCORE
1Torah BrightAUS40482
2Jenny JonesGBR40076
3Kelly ClarkUSA39700
4Jamie AndersonUSA39521
5Sina CandrianSUI

34737


US OPEN 2008 WINNERS
HALFPIPE
RANKCOMPETITORNATIONSCORE
1Shaun WhiteUSA91.00
1Torah BrightAUS84.17
SLOPESTYLE
RANKCOMPETITORNATIONSCORE
1Shaun WhiteUSA88.33
1Kjersti Oestgaard BuaasNOR73.17
BIG AIR
RANKCOMPETITORNATIONSCORE
1Tim HumphreysUSA--
1Cheryl MaasNED


Published On: 3/23/2008
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Premier w/ CO2s
Took it easier today since we were all a bit tired from previous two days.
Forecast said 5-11 inches.  AND it was coming down the whole time we were there.
Man, powder, trakced or untracked, is it for me.
Worked blues and one side of the mtn that we did not hit on Sunday.
Did catch tail edge at bottom of lift that slammed by head so hard my helmet and goggles flew off.
One of us quit earlier so me and the other went up one for time for a good run to end our trip.
Slow going back home b/c of the snow, but no complaints at all.
We'll be back someday.


Published On: 3/5/2008
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http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=21967412928


YOU ARE INVITED TO ATTEND COASTAL RIDERS WINTER BLOW OUT SALE @ THE STORE & WAREHOUSE!

MARCH 7 - 9TH

STORE HOURS WILL BE : FRIDAY MARCH.7TH 10AM - 9PM
SATURDAY MARCH.8TH 10AM - 6PM
SUNDAY MARCH.9TH 10AM - 6PM

WAREHOUSE HOURS WILL BE : FRIDAY MARCH.7TH 12PM - 8PM
SATURDAY MARCH.8TH 10AM - 6PM
SUNDAY MARCH.9TH 10AM - 6PM

THIS WILL BE OUR BIGGEST BLOW OUT SALE EVER, WE HAVE TONS OF GREAT PRODUCTS
WE MUST SELL TO MAKE ROOM FOR ALL THE NEW SPRING PRODUCTS. WE WILL BE GIVING
STUFF AWAY, SO YOU WILL NOT WANT TO MISS OUT!

AT THE STORE: SNOWBOARD BLOW OUT

ALL 2008 OUTERWEAR IS 50% OFF (A HUGE SELECTION LEFT)
ALL 2008 BOOTS, BOARDS, BINDINGS 40% OFF
ALL 2008 SNOW ACCESSORIES 40% OFF (GOGGLES, GLOVES, BEANIES, TOOLS ETC..)
HUGE SELECTION OF NEW SPRING 2008 SHORTS, TEES, SANDLS, JEANS, HOODIES ETC...

AT THE WAREHOUSE: CLOTHING AND SHOE BLOWOUT

ALL CLOTHING LEFT FROM THE WINTER SEASON 50 - 60% OFF (HOODIES, JEANS, TEES, SHIRTS ETC..)
ALL SHOES FROM THE WINTER SEASON 50% - 70% OFF
ALL CLOTHING LEFT FROM PREVIOUS WAREHOUSE SALE 50 - 80% (THAT IS ALMOST FREE)
ALL SHOES LEFT FROM PREVIOUS WAREHOUSE SALE $19, $29 & $39 (LOTS TO CHOOSE FROM)

ANYTHING LEFT FROM OUR LAST 2 SALES HAVE BEEN MARKED DOWN EVEN MORE, THIS STUFF HAS TO GO,
WE NEED TO MAKE ROOM. THIS WILL BE SOME OF THE CHEAPEST PRICES WE HAVE EVER HAD 50 -80% OFF!

THERE WILL BE A HUGE SELECTION OF SPRING CLOTHING AND SHOES AND AS ALWAYS A HUGE SELECTION
OF WOMENS CLOTHING.



Published On: 3/3/2008
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My Blog: boarding
By: jordan.nolan


went boarding on friday had a pretty gnarley bail landed on my head and imbeded the snow in the air holes of my helmet and nocked off my goggles over all a pretty good night hit the 30 and 35 ft booters and did some wall rides great night for boarding

Published On: 2/17/2008
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New Shades/Wille/OB's sk8 session 2


We just got our new spring summer 08 sunglass catalogs in. Get ready to be blown away by our new collection available April.



Wille came by the office the other day to pick up some new goggles. I wish i got a photo of him. He was sporting an epic new hair cut and a fuzzy puncho with a wolf on it. Wille and Dev will be getting rad up in Whistler for the new Mack Dawg film for the next couple days.


OB's skate session 2 from Furious on Vimeo.

Just a little clip from a December OB's skate session that went down at the Trustus warehouse. The OB's just secured a filmer so expect more treats like this one real soon.

Published On: 1/17/2008
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Last Xmas a group of friends and I went to a strange and unknown country called Kyrgystan. I really didnt want to go but my very good mate sounded so excited that I couldnt say no plus I cant say no normally anyway :-) ... so I said yes, lets do it ... I will leave out all the moans and crazy shi*t we ve been through such as lack of heat indoors, hot water, toilets, sane people, good service (well, service full stop), streetlights, medical personnel on the slopes, decent lifts and so on - and stick to a good side of the story :- ) ...
 
It was my first time on the board (scrapping on Nagoranya`s ice once before doesnt really count) and it took a few days to brace myself to actually ride the hill. By that time there wasnt much snow left on the track and I wasnt skilled enough to join freeriders conquering untouched fields of snow on the picks, openings and between the gorgeous monumental giant green trees!!! A guy from our group in a pink crash-helmet with the better crash-pants (as I discovered later) than mine and whose cheeky eyes I d never managed to look into (for he was wearing goggles with a very strong sun-reflecting filters at all times)  offered me a lesson. To tell the truth I was very keen to take on the offer. It was so unwise of me for I was enjoying a relationship back home that was sort of "settled down" type. I was happy to be settled down and was looking forward to having a family very soon..... Fortunately or unfortunately the pink helmet guy was giving me butterflies in the stomach from the first day on the slopes...... And I agreed... That was a down fall  - literally.... :-)
 
...He took me to the track that wasnt a track in fact but a strip of a slope right under the lift to the top of the mountain. It was hardly ridden, therefore covered in snow and soft and welcoming...Although very narrow and packed with metal stuff sticking out every now and again...I was scrapping and scrapping and falling over... It was funny when people were looking down on me - I mean down like in down from the lift and laughing at me with comments like " what the f*ck are u doing? U can hardly stay on the board :-)". That was cuz it was god`s honest truth - I was literally rolling down the hill when I wasnt scrapping trying not to crash into metal objects on the way. Pink helmet was stopping every now and again and waited for me... I was a bit pissed off as he criticized me a lot. I felt it wasnt fair and, although his criticism was quite constructive, I wanted him to tell me I was doing well for a beginner, roll me over and kiss me on the lips so the heat of our breath will be seen above our heads! But he never did...
 
.... Well, up we went again and I was so angry at him and so determined to not to be a chicken that I started turning! Forgive me for the lack of appropriate terminology here but I pray that its possible for an experienced rider to follow my story...  O, alas, what a joy it was!!! Loads of stars were caught when I was banging my head and my poor finest ass against a hard-hard ground despite wearing full protection. Only my knees were safe - knees protection is the best! But I got "cool Mashka, u see u can do it" from the pink helmet - that made my day. Frankly, it didnt realy matter anymore  - I felt with my body how to control the board and how to make it fly!!!! - that was the only thing that mattered then. Dont get me wrong  - I m a beginner and can hardly ride cuz I m a chicken and am taking a step at a time, but I discovered the joy of snowboard...... Its a pure freedom and so so so sexy....
 
...Sitting somewhere near the top of the mysterious T`yan` Shan` (near cuz to get to the top I had to use a T-bar lift and I kept falling off it :-), sipping a spirit-ual :-) liquid of some sort or another from someones flask, breathing in the clearest sweetest air that fills you up with joy, adoring the gorgeous mountains and the turquoise surface of the infamous salted lake of Kyrgystan - Issik Kul` - somewhere at the foot of the mountain - that was happiness!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pure, crystal clear and genuine happiness!
 
Thats how I fell in love!............


Published On: 1/10/2008
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