News for Snowboard.com by Snowboard.com
Friday, November 30, 2007
By Wang Don & Photos by Lorenz Holder
When most people think about China, they imagine Kung Fu, The
Great Wall, poverty and communism.
Where these things still make an appearance in our daily lives every so
often over here, the new face of China has changed. In an economy that is flourishing, not only are most
snowboards now produced here, but also the sport itself is finding is feet in
what turns out to be the new snowboard market that has the most potential in
the world.
Just a few short years ago, the population of in China had never
even heard of snowboarding (or skiing for that matter), but thanks to Steve
Zdarsky and his event The Nanshan Open things are changing. Nowadays just outside of Beijing you
can find 14 ski areas, one of which is Nanshan, the host of the only
international snowboard event and the resort which boasts The Nokia Nanshan
Mellow Park, the best freestyle area in the country. With the first and largest event in China, The Nanshan Open
with only 6 years behind it is now a 4 star TTR event and has a prize purse of
$25,000 US Dollars. But, things
were not always so glamorous…
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Austin Smith, frontside 5.
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“The Chinese people remind me of the
early 90’s when snowboarding just
started. There is a buzz around it, like the good old days. Nothing but
positive passion for this great shredding activity. I’m looking forward to
experiencing this wild country once again." -Marc Andre Tarte”
Tadej Valentan with another front 5.
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The
Open was born when a handful of riders, mostly foreigners living in
China, got together in the small but first park on Chinese soil. The
day was reminiscent of those homegrown events that took place twenty
years ago in the west, but no one could imagine the potential. For an
event to find such success in such a short time in a country that didn’t event
have distributors of snowboard goods until a short time ago has never been done
before. And with International
media attention, top-level riders in attendance and sponsors such as Red Bull,
Quiksilver and Gibson Guitars, the Nanshan Open is putting Chinese snowboarding
on the map.
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The Nanshan Open has single-handedly driven the progression of
snowboarding from a newborn infant to a teenager in the Peoples Republic. The snowboard scene has by no means
reached its potential, but when you witness the Nanshan Open you would never
believe that this is Chinese snowboarding. With Chinese riders competing head to head with
international pros, musical acts on stage that are famous nationwide, and video
productions like Mack Dawg and The Pirates on hand to catch all the action, its
like you were magically taken back to the west for these tow days.
 Atsushi Ishikawa pleasing the crowd.
The park, which was expanded in 2006 by relocating 30,000 cubic
meters of earth, is now the only international standard area of its kind in the
country. Hosting top riders such as Hampus Mossesson, Marc Andre Tarte, Kier
Dillon and Danny Davis, The Nokia Nanshan Mellow Park is an integral part of
The Open. Without the hard work of
Steve and his crew of local top riders, the Chinese snowboard scene would sill
be unheard of….
The Nanshan Open takes place this January 5th and 6th
at The Nokia Nanshan Mellow Park, 20 mins outside Beijing, China.
For more information, please visit www.mellowparks.cn
or stay tuned to www.snowboard.com for
future updates!
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Published by snowboard.com: 5:39 PM
Updated On: 11/30/2007 at 8:10 PM
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Thursday, November 29, 2007
CHINA’S ONLY INTERNATIONAL SNOWBOARD CONTEST ANNOUNCES THE RETURN OF RED BULL, $25,000 IN PRIZE MONEY AND A 4-STAR TTR STATUS! Beijing CHINA – November 26, 2007 – The Nanshan Open, the first snowboard contest in China, has announced the return of Red Bull as the official sponsor for the second year in a row. The annual professional snowboard competition is to be held at Nanshan Ski Resort January 5th and 6th, 2008 for the sixth consecutive year. As the title sponsor of the Nanshan Open, Red Bull will once again receive title ownership as well as will be fully integrated in the marketing efforts of one of the most media generating sporting events in the country. The contest has gained mass recognition after its 5 years of success, not to mention induction into the TTR World Snowboard Tour. “We are more than excited to have Red Bull back as the main sponsor of the Nanshan Open,” said Steve Zdarsky, Mellow China CEO. “We are now on our 6th year and have experienced continuous growth and this year will be no different. Red Bull is the perfect partner to support our initiatives to continue to be the best event in China and we will cooperate and aim to push snowboarding in China even further”. New for this season is a 4-star TTR status, which means riders will not only be battling for a whopping 25,000 American dollars in prize money, but also accumulative points which will ultimately name one snowboarder the best in the world. Ticket to Ride (TTR) is the governing body of the top events worldwide and pays out $250,000 to the rider in the top spot. Live music will also be an attraction on the Gibson stage with well-known national acts headlining the event making the Nashan Open the snow party event of the season. As the worlds most sought after energy drink, Red Bull has taken the initiative to support athletes and sports that are relevant to the passion, activation and self-expression of the brands image. With the local growth of snowboarding in China, the sport fits perfectly into the “breakthrough the extreme and express the potential” company slogan which has led Red Bull to support many action packed sports around the globe. With Formula 1, The Red Bull Air Race Series and Skateboard Contests among them, The Nanshan Open gives Red Bull yet another place to showcase their passion for pushing individual limits and their sports to the Chinese public. The 6th Red Bull Nanshan Open will take place in The Nokia Nanshan Mellow Park, well known for having the best freestyle obstacles in the country. It was the first freestyle specific area in China and was possibly the best park in the world at contest time last season. The park boasts an international standard kicker line, over 10 rails and boxes, a giant hip and some special features only to be revealed at on the first day of the contest. “Its cool to see how Chinese people can [really ride] and this park was super nice”, said the impressed team Quiksilver team rider Hampus Mosseson after taking the top spot at the event last season. “I’ve been snowboarding for 14years and its crazy that snowboarding has only been here for [such a short time] but they are catching on so fast”. Nanshan is the best and most visited resort in the country and is the only place with the infrastructure to hold such an event in the region. Local riders can qualify for their spot in the 6th Red Bull Nanshan Open this December 29th at the Nokia Nanshan Mellow Park. The Nanshan Open is brought to you in part by Quiksilver and Gibson Guitars.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
New owner and chairman Tony Marshall ACA will oversee the worldwide expansion of the
Westbeach brand. Fred Royle has been appointed CEO after 10 years with Westbeach, most
recently as Brand Manager for Europe. Jon Cartwright, senior international team rider and
former marketing manager, will assume the role of General Manager Canada directing
Canadian operations, sales and marketing. Derek Henderson ACA becomes CFO after 4
years with Westbeach. Their immediate task will be to finalise the Fall 08/09 line and the
accompanying sales campaign.
“As ‘The Canadian Snowboard Original’, Westbeach has an unparalled heritage and is one of the few true remaining independent snowboarding brands. I look forward to the challenge of further developing the brand and implementing new strategies. It’s an exciting time, the industry is changing and Westbeach will change to meet the demands of its customers. “ said Fred Royle, CEO.
“During my six-year tenure with Westbeach I have witnessed the company build on its heritage as the premiere Canadian snowboarding outerwear brand. I look forward to realizing our potential in overseeing improvements in design, sales, and marketing. With growing cross- generational appeal and strong name recognition, Westbeach is poised to increase existing market share under an enthusiastic and skilled new management team. I am excited for the challenge.” Jon Cartwright, General Manager Canada.
“I am very excited about joining such a talented and creative team. The Westbeach brand is unique and has tremendous unutilised potential. We will be conducting a strategic review of all aspects of the business in order to streamline the new infrastructure and maximise the brand’s strengths” said Derek Henderson, CFO.
Founded in 1979, Westbeach designs world class snowboard apparel from its headquarters in Vancouver. One of the first Canadian companies to produce snowboard-specific outerwear, Westbeach manufactures products built to meet the demands of BC winter conditions.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Billabong announces ‘Ante Up’, presented by Monster Energy, a snowboard slope style event that will work as a qualifier for the Billabong Innsbruck Air and Style event. Ante Up will take place January 12 th, 2008 at C.O.P. resort in Calgary, AB Canada. The winner of Ante Up will get airfare and an invite to the Billabong Innsbruck Air and Style event that will take place Feb. 2 nd, 2008. Only 24 competitors from across the globe are invited to attend the Innsbruck event, so if you’re not invited, Ante Up is your chance at getting a piece of the Air and Style prize money.
Registration for Ante Up will take place online. Registration closes Dec. 15th, with the 40 qualified riders being posted on the site Dec. 20th. For registration and all info on the event, please go to www.billabong.com/anteup. 
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Published by snowboard.com: 11:43 AM
Updated On: 11/21/2007 at 6:34 PM
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Wednesday, November 14, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE2007 Burton Canadian Open Snowboarding Championships Cancelled
BURLINGTON, VT (November 14, 2007) – Burton Snowboards and CODA’s Canada Olympic Park today announced that they have decided to cancel the upcoming Canadian Open Snowboarding Championships due to recent above-freezing temperatures. After careful consideration, all parties agreed that current snow conditions prevent the construction of world-class halfpipe and slopestyle venues, which are required for a Burton Open Snowboarding Championship event.
“Our first goal with any Global Open Series event is to provide riders with the best halfpipe and slopestyle competitions possible,” said Burton Events Director Liam Griffin. “Of course, we’re disappointed that we can’t hold the Canadian Open this year. But we’re also very happy about the excitement this new edition to the Burton Global Open Series generated – both from riders and sponsors. Support from the resort, the industry, the athletes and everybody involved has been huge since we started working on the event.”
The inaugural Burton Canadian Open was scheduled to take place from December 3-9, 2007 at CODA’s Canada Olympic Park in Calgary. Staff there were also disappointed that this world-class event is unable to go forward this year. "Unfortunately Mother Nature has not been cooperating with us the last few weeks, to allow us the necessary seven to 10 days of freezing temperatures to ensure the best possible conditions for the athletes," said Jim Younker, acting president, CODA. "The future of this event here in Calgary is very exciting, and a great addition to our international sports calendar that we host here at Canada Olympic Park."
Top riders from over ten different countries were confirmed to compete, including current Burton Global Open Series point leaders Mason Aguirre (USA) and Elizabeth Beerman (USA) as well as four of the top five current Swatch Ticket To Ride Tour male and female current point leaders.
Seasoned pros like Louie Vito (USA), Jussi Oksanen (FIN), Andy Finch (USA), Scotty Lago (USA), Kelly Clark (USA) and Jamie Anderson (USA) all had committed to compete at the event. Canadians Leanne Pelosi, Dustin Craven, Crispin Lipscomb, TJ Schneider, Brad Martin, Sarah Conrad were also very much looking forward to the first Burton Global Open competition on their home turf.
With the cancellation of the Canadian Open, the Burton European Open (BEO) is now the next event in the Burton Global Open Series. Taking place in LAAX, Switzerland from January 11-18, the European Open offers riders a generous prize purse of US $125,000, important points towards the male and female 2008 Burton Global Open Series Championship titles and points towards the Swatch TTR (Ticket to Ride) World Tour Ranking.
For more information on the Burton Global Open Series, head to opensnowboarding.com.
Media Contact:
Janice Callado
Burton Snowboards
janicec@burton.com
(949) 789-1841
About the Burton Global Open Series
The Burton Global Open Series events are the pinnacle snowboarding events of the season. Founded by Jake Burton, the Opens have grown from grassroots events to global spectacles attracting tens of thousands of spectators and riders from around the world. Since the beginning, the Opens have been driven by riders, for riders evolving with snowboarding and riders’ needs over the years. With events held in Europe, Japan, the United States, New Zealand and Australia, the Opens set the standard for snowboarding events around the globe. For more information, visit opensnowboarding.com
About the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour
The Burton Global Open Series is part of the Swatch Ticket To Ride World Snowboard Tour (TTR), 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. For more information on the Swatch TTR World Tour, visit www.ttrworldtour http://www.ttrworldtour/
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Published by snowboard.com: 7:55 PM
Updated On: 11/14/2007 at 9:57 PM
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Saturday, November 10, 2007
NEWS SUCKS!
Welcome to the new and improved StepChild Snowboards newsletter, our way of keeping you up to date with everything at the Chi! And we've been busy, shipping boards like mofo's trying to be sure that we get them in your hands as early as possible! We've also been busy with the Child Support movie, premiering that sucka all over the US and across the globe, downloads and dvd sales are still doing well so if you haven't seen Child Support yet, what you waiting for man? Now, bear witness to some of the magazines that have allowed us to adorn their pages! Thanks for your support!
(To view the newsletter in your browser click > here<)
StepChild BLOG now live - bookmark for all your latest news!
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Published by snowboard.com: 6:14 PM
Updated On: 2/12/2008 at 7:51 PM
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