SIA in Vegas The Canadian Experience Ode to Joey

Steez Magazine - April 09 Shaun Murphy free

Here we are, at the end of our beloved season, snow melting rapidly from the sides of our favorite mountain resorts, and bikes and skateboards replacing our shred sticks one at a time. As sad as it might seem, this is actually quite a happy time. For us a Steez, it means a small window of breathing time, and then we’re right back at it again. The end marks a new beginning though, and it’s probably pretty obvious what changes we’ve made and plan on making from here on out.

You’re holding a landmark issue, full of new and awesome features. Not only is this one of the biggest is- sues we’ve ever produced, it also marks the first full color issue of Steez Magazine. Going forward, Steez will continue to produce high-quality color issues with better photography, illustration, writing and design. This issue is just a small taste of what you’ll be seeing from us throughout the entire 09-10 winter season, and of course, it’s all free. So yes, there’s definitely plenty of good things to look forward to next season, even before the snow starts flying again.

Enclosed you’ll find a recap of events from the second half of the East Coast season, including competitions from the grass roots level, all the way up to the Red Bull Snowscrapers and the U.S. Open. Skiers, enjoy a trick tip from another native Ice Coaster, as well as coverage of the third annual Weekend with 382. You may notice an article on the finale of the SIA show in Las Vegas too. Next year the show will move to Denver after several decades of being in Vegas. We are aware that Las Vegas isn’t on the East Coast (it took some research), but we found it important for our readers to understand what this move means for our industry and it’s future. We’ve expanded our ever-popular “Junk Food” section and put some facts in there as well. The culmination of more than a half dozen different writers ensures that every article has it’s own sense of individuality.

For the visual-loving readers we’ve made big changes. More pages mean more breathing room for our layouts. The typography is friend- lier for the eyes and the option of using colors has pumped up our illustrators as well. Photography plays a major role in this issue. For the past few seasons we’ve had to reject countless amazing color photographs, simply because they wouldn’t work in black and white. That’s not the case anymore, and we’re confident we have some of the best and freshest photographs from the East Coast’s 08-09 season. You be the judge!

So there’s plenty to be excited about as the season comes to a close. By the time you’re done p-texing all those neglected core shots from last season, the flakes will be falling again. Of course, we’re online with updates, news and events all summer long as usual. www. steezmagazine.com. Stay in touch, get pumped about next sea- son, and we’ll see you heading north on the highway in no time.

Keep it Steezy! Mike Ravelson switch 50-50 Photo: Cole Martin

Snowscrapers magazine

CHIEF Andrew Bablo [email protected]

ART DIRECTOR Joe LoVasco [email protected]

6 MARKETING Brandon Lohnstein, Joe Martelly, Josh LaPointe

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Stuart Lander [email protected] Kurt Oian [email protected] AJ Koulovatos [email protected] US Open Ian Pouliot [email protected] Pippin Lee [email protected] Josh Franklin [email protected]

WRITINGSTAFF Larry Brown, Colby DeGrechie, Patrick Gaffney, Katie Davis, Bobby Martin, Tom Ryan, Jennifer Pizzi

WEB Jake Sproul table8 ILLUSTRATOR Dan Skowyra REPS Danny Behnk, Troy Boucher, Dougie Brassil, Eric Caravan, Alex DeGrechie, Chris Gadomski, Brandon Griffin, Stefan Kunze, Peter Prudhomme, Ben Werth

CONTRIBUTORS Ian Post, Cole Martin, Phil Ashworth, Kevin Jyringi, SIA Vegas Chris DeGrace, Matt Stauble

THANKS Aardvark Design, Calico Graphics, Charlie Rand (UVM), Chris Georgia, Dylan Goodspeed,Ted Mitchell, Craig Messa, Peter Kukesh, I Heart Snow Productions, Josh Harrington, Jennie Walker, Sweet Time Clothing, Vitamin Water, Doug Setzler, SkiHide, Brandon Halberstadt, Will Riseley, Nick Lambert, Thomas Prindle, Brendon Rego, Jess Richitelli, Kevin Corcoran, Luke Stafford, 12 The Packing House, Bob Skinners, Alex Knuttenen, Duke Logan, Kelli Redes

WRITE US Steez Magazine 17 Knowlton St. #3 Learning French Beverly, MA 01915 or call 607.329.5767 or 603.968.3839 CHECK US OUT ON THE WEB steezmagazine.com myspace.com/steezminimag facebook: steez

Steez Magazine is a collaboration of East Coast riders 16 who devote their time, money, and resources to riding 30 Throwing Down 40 Junk Food East Coast terrain, regardless of the conditions or cir- cumstances. Steez and it’s constituents are simply the Season wrap-up The Joey gap vehicle for which you, the reader, may learn about new places, concepts and ideas to consider. Keep it Steezy! 36 Trick Tip 42 Shop Spotting No reproduction of any content in whole or in part is allowed without Peter Kukesh Indigenous the expressed written consent of the publisher and artists. Steez is also not responsible for any injuries occurring from stunts performed in past, present or future issues. Always be safe. 38 Battle My Crew 3 43 Nuts & Bolts © Steez Magazine 2009 382 back at Loon Tall tales and actual facts

insides Issue 3.4 - April 09

Photo:Ian Pouliot ShaunMurphy backyard sesh Red Bull East River NYC

Words: Katie Davis Photo : Ian Pouliot

Photo Top to Bottom: The Layout, Pat Moore, Taking Off On Thursday, February 5th,

Red Bull hosted a massive snowboard contest in the contest and even on my train ride in I was able The first of the final two face-offs were held between New York City titled “Red Bull Snowscrapers.” Some to point out a bunch of different kids all kitted out Travis Rice and Scotty Lago. Then Torstein Horgmo of the biggest names in showed up on in this year’s latest street wear. It was awesome to faced off against local Jersey boy, Shane Pospisil. the banks of the East River to throw down for the 1st have the snowboarders and their culture invade New In Torstein’s last attempt at the hip he ended up place $50,000 prize. Riders included the ever-pop- York City even for a night. falling off the side of the jump, so the judges let him ular and huge phenom , back-country try it one more time. Even with an extra attempt, extraordinaire Travis Rice, native Terje Haa- Around 3:45pm the riders began to practice and Pospisil ended up taking down the former X-Games konsen, Pat Moore, Eero Ettala, the always stylish discovered that the ramp was too slow. The lords best trick gold medalist to claim the victory with a Heikki Sorsa, Dustin Craven, Jack Mitrani, Mikkel of the contest then erected a sling-shot line to give solid backside 900! The crowds went nuts for the Bang, Scotty Lago, Andreas Wiig, Torstein Horgmo, the riders more speed. During practice, the crowds local Jersey boy winning and bum rushed the bar- Bjorn Leines, JJ Thomas, Daniel Elk and local to the were perusing the tents set up and watching Valient ricade once he was announced the winner. Torstein NYC shores Shayne Pospisil. Thorr perform. I noticed lots of little groms amped landed in second while Lago’s backside 900 put him up on Red Bull, enjoying the loud music while their in third. Torstein walked away with ‘best trick’ of the Red Bull erected a monster nine-story drop-in ramp mothers covered their ears and kept repeating that evening with his impressive one-footed drop in and and an eighty-foot hip. This contest would go down they were leaving in an hour. The contest was pretty kicking a one-footed method. in history as the first ever hip jump contest. This simple. The riders had one hour to throw down and monster of a setup was lit up with the backdrop impress the judges and hit the jump as many times The lords of the contest announced that they would of the East River; it truly was a sight to be seen. as they could or wanted to. When the hour was up, return next year, bigger and badder than this year’s Alongside of the contest was the VIP Red Bull Yacht, eight finalists were selected to continue into the sec- contest. Since it was the first run of the “Snow- where everyone with a media pass tried to gain ond half. The eight finalists were paired up to com- scrapers” it was bound to have some kinks. Next access to try to warm up but it was guarded with pete head-to-head with one another and whoever time around they’ll know how to perfect the set- security that required special passes. Thousands won that duel would continue on. The conditions for up, the crowds will know not to wear slip ons and came down to see what was going on! From the the contest were not ideal. The ramp was too slow a sweatshirt in sub-zero temps, the NYC girls will inner-city kid who didn’t know what snowboarding and the snow was packed down and was reflective, hopefully realize that when going to a snowboarding was, to the heady Vermont riders that drove down like it had melted and then froze over again. The big- event, you need to wear more then a dress and bal- to see this contest of epic proportions. You could gest trick that was thrown was a 900 and since rid- let flats, and those ‘of age’ will know to bring more feel the excitement in the crowd, smell the whiskey ers couldn’t gain the ideal speed, they couldn’t throw Jager to keep warm. Cause once you ran out, things that was helping to keep the crowds warm, see the down the gnarly tricks that they were known for. got really cold. Looking forward to next year! groups of kids walking down East Houston to get to

6 US

OPENwords: Kattie Davis

Every spring, Burton throws the biggest and one of the most antici- pated snowboarding events in the industry. The “who’s who” come out, bros come from east and west, little groms with their weary par- ents trailing behind, locals, the partygoers, the scenesters… Anyone and everyone who loves snowboarding come.

8 The finals started off with the quarter- Saturday gave us the most beautiful day with the pipe finals on Friday night. It was an best weather in my US Open experiences. As usual, invite only competition and as soon as the pipe did not disappoint, in fact it was perfect. the sun started to set the riders had The big-names were ready to throw down except for at it. Not only were the big name pros the biggest; Shaun White. He dropped out of the there, but also a lot of up and coming half-pipe competition due to a sprained ankle. Ev- riders who were giving the veterans of eryone brought out their A-game but it was Danny the Open a run for their money. Luke Kass that took home first, which made it his fifth US Mitrani threw down the biggest backside Open halfpipe title. That’s history right there folks. air of the night at 25 feet; a few nasty Second place was Peetu Piiroinen and after a switch spills were involved and towards the end double back flip, Luke Mitrani landed in third. of the competition. One corner of the quarterpipe was quite icy, which led to a As for the women, Gretchen Bleiler, Kelly Clark, few riders eating it no matter what they Elena Hight, Ellery Hollingsworth, Lizzy Beerman, tried. The riders were just jamming and get- Kjersti Buass, Cheryl Maas, and Torah Bright battled ting as many runs in as they could, but in it out in the final, and fought to the very end. Torah the end it was Scotty Lago who took home Bright ended up impressing everyone the most and first place for the men and also walked away taking home first place which put Kelly Clark into with a cool $10,000. Second was Daniel second and newbie (and someone to watch out for) Elk and third was . Amp Ellery Hollingsworth into third. Energy also awarded Mitrani with the big- gest air award! For the ladies, Kjersti Buass After the pipe finals, the energy was high, the beer took home 10k followed by Lisa Wilk in second garden ran out of beer at the pipe and the masses and Elena Hight in third. It was good to have started sliding down the hill on foot and board to other party and an awesome DJ who got everyone uprail. Followed by this combo on the 4-set of jumps: the quarterpipe back after a few year hiatus to get to the stage. We watched as the riders took the pumped. The entire building was swaying from all of switch backside 900, backside 1260, Cab 900, to change things up a bit. podium and we secured a spot in the stage area to the dancing (and drinking) and if you weren’t here backside Rodeo, with almost perfect landings. Se- watch Trevor Andrew’s girl, Santigold, throw down! then you were out in a barn celebrating Louie Vito’s bastien Toutant took second with New Hampshire If you hadn’t had enough of hanging out with While waiting, kids were trying to find waldo, running 21st birthday. All in all, both were crazy parties that native Scotty Lago taking third! the bros and watching the scenesters scene in the snow barefoot racing one another and basi- led to wild after parties and broken bones, lost cell the hardest, RJD2 performed right after the fi- cally being the most annoying creatures on earth phones, new friends and hot tubs. Junior jam a.k.a thirteen year olds who can throw nals. We headed straight for the beer garden until you would give them some free swag. Analog down better than most of my friends, ruled the af- and grabbed a picnic table that gave us enough was the most generous with jackets and beanies. Sunday dragged everyone out of bed for the slope- ternoon and showed the pros what it means to be height to see over the crowds. Everyone had their The grommits came with empty back packs and left style finals and the US Open wrap up. Lots of prizes up and coming. dancing pants on and was in a good mood even with full ones. and awards were given out for slopestyle, junior jam, after paying $5 for a Corona. We hightailed it out the US Open overall winner, the Open Tour Title, All in all, the Open is like a holiday which puts ev- early enough to put some food in us before head- If you hadn’t had enough of Grizzly’s from the night and for the Men’s TTR World Tour champion. Men’s eryone in the best mood. What more can you ask ing to the Amp after-party at Grizzly’s. And if any before or didn’t use up all of your free drink tickets slope was packed with a lineup of east coasters. for? We had bluebird skies, flowing coronas, good of you have been to the US Open, you know how for the ‘amped drizzle’ drinks that defienetly seem Chas Guldemond took first and kept it through all friends, the best snowboarders in the industry, ev- the nights get crazy and how they end; I’ll leave it like a good idea at the time and not the next day, three rounds of finals. He went frontboard 270 out eryone was there for one major reason and one love; up to your imagination! then you headed back to Grizzly’s that night for an- on the downrail to 50-50 backside 180 out on the snowboarding. See you all next year!

10 11 13

t he journey was simple, a trip to the heart of the global snow sports industry. The motley swap meet was being held for its last time in the land of sin, the oasis in the desert. The land they called Vegas.

There is a certain flutter in the heart when the bright lights of Vegas first come into view. It is a virtual city of lights, beaming into outer space, in the middle of the desert. Whether out of the window of a plane, or on the approaching horizon, it makes you smile like the child wandering into the room full of Santa’s bounty on Christmas morn. There is something for everyone in Las Vegas, and as this writer would find, that something was a direct parallel to the world, which brought me to its flashing lights, and big money dreams. The event has grown to ten times its original size, as Vegas had been home to the SIA Snow Sports I found out, after discussing past events with mem- Tradeshow for the last 37 years. SIA, for those of bers of the SIA marketing collective. Comments like, you who have never heard the name, is the premier “A lot has changed over the years, although I see a event in snowsports in the country, if not North lot of the old colors cycle through!” and “I can re- America. It is a place where both exhibitors and re- member a time when Elvis was playing across town!” tailers congregate to see the new lines, to talk shop, were among topics for dispute. Things have deviated to network or to hash out the ideas of tomorrow. a bit since the days of The King, considering the sur- Published the week after the event“From January prise guest this year was none other then the D. O. 27-30 the snow sports industry got together to cel- Double G., Snoop Dogg. ebrate snow, our industry and our last show in Vegas before moving the show to Denver. Throughout the It had been over a decade since my first trip to Ve- week’s four-day trade show, SIA.09 drew an esti- gas. The town had changed 100%, full of mega mated 18,000 attendees including manufacturers, casinos and times-square like marquis’s. My entou- retailers, reps, resorts and also some of the world’s rage started our first night watching a fashion show, top snow sports athletes, celebrities and some of modeling the newest in snowsport fashion. With a the most well respected people in the industry. With brain-full of attractive models backdropped by im- “Bright light city going to set my soul 348,000 net square feet and 800+ brands exhibit- ported palm trees, we attempted to see Wu Tang ing in 3,479 booth’s –(SIA Newsletter 3.2) across town, but were thwarted by a gorilla at the gate, who was unimpressed by our mediocre entou- rage and improper attire. So in true Vegas fashion, going to set my soul on fire” we bought six bottles of cheap champagne and took in the sights via Leo J. and his stretch hummer. words&photo: Josh LaPointe illustration: Phil Ashworth So in true Vegas fashion, we bought six bottles of cheap champagne and took in the sights via Leo J. and his stretch hummer.

Photo left to right: Las Vegas Strip, Inside SIA

The next morning, we were jet-lagged and met our make their way into the mix, almost parallel to the head phones without plugging them into anything, They were all in attendance. You couldn’t take two first appointment, also from the east coast and true evolution of fashion, from the punk of the 80’s merely tucking the cord inside their jacket. True steps without bumping into a pro-rider or their le- sharing in jet lag, two hours early. This gave us a into the grungy 90’s rocker. As children of the Se- fashion over function, I guess. gions. fantastic view of last minute chaos involved in set- attle sound era, we were pleased to find more and ting up a premiere display. Bodies were strewn like more flannel has found its footing in this years cloth- That night, a pure return to 90’s era rock took place On day three, it was refreshing to see a familiar face, jack-straws on every available surface, exhausted ing lines. Analog has a great new jacket on the line as Perry Farrell played the Palms in a farewell to as Burlington’s own DJ A-Dog was spinning for MC after a long night of prep work. We spent our morn- for next year, reminding us of the old-school black SIA in Vegas event. The show was wall to wall with Supernatural and an amazing breakdancer whose ing at the hotel bar with our Rome rep, Tony Deleo, motorcycle jacket. people, easily 500 to 1,000 strong, from the 50 name I once knew, but too much Rome Tang had outfitted with yellow shooting glasses, white bucket something skier, to the knuckle dragging snowboard pushed out of my memory. Snoop followed with hat, and white Chuck Taylor’s with athletic socks. Wings on bindings are making a comeback, as goon. The ticket allowed us access to the Playboy a preview of his exclusive performance that would His hawaiian shirt hung off of his gaunt frame, giving the park and jib scene grows, more and more spe- Club, replete with the 1960 bunny uniforms. You take place that night at the Palms. the distinct impression that we were spending our cialized product is coming their way. The camber couldn’t help but feel like Hugh would walk around morning with a 70’s era Hunter Thompson. movement of last year has grown, and there doesn’t the corner with a glass of scotch in one hand and a The scene and the climate of the event have almost seem to be a snowboard company in existence that bunny on the other. True old Vegas style. foreshadowed the move out of Vegas, even before We finished our showing with Tony, and out of the doesn’t have a reverse camber board in their line. Denver was suggested as the next venue. You see depths of the hotel, another Hunter Thompson ap- To my dismay, I found that nearly everyone seems to The week progressed with appointments with vari- the corporate giant that has become the snowboard peared, followed by another, and another, and an- be trying to move away from laces on their boots and ous reps, and an overload of new product SKUs. In- industry has outgrown itself. Appealing to the wid- other. The entire Rome crew paid their homage to toward the speed lacing systems such as the boa. novations in snowboards are happening fast, with est variety, it alienated the core group that built this the late great reporter by dressing as his character Like the toothbrush, some things are best left alone. more strikes than gutters. The industry is evolving sport to begin with. in “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.” It doesn’t follow with the KISS (Keep it Simple Stu- in leaps and bounds, something we couldn’t help pid) model of equipment. Sometimes less is more. but notice around every corner. More and more rid- The show itself is a gear heads dream. Over a square As the morning progressed the show began. We cir- Skull candy not only sponsored Snoop, but had a ers are taking part in starting their own company or mile of exhibitors, foundations and causes dedi- culated among various companies, many still sport- huge booth jam packed with people, their head- becoming a part of the business itself. Travis Parker cated to the snow industry, and with displays and ing the wild colors of the 80’s, but were grateful to phones now ubiquitous at every mountain. We even and Airblaster, Danny Kass and Grenade, and Mark booths that delight the imagination and challenge find that the more refined colors were beginning to hear outlandish stories of riders simply wearing the Frank Montoya in anything he can get his hands on. the mind.

14 15 Words & Photo: Ian Post

After a first very successful trip to the cold, French-speaking land to our north, I decid- ed that another filming odyssey to my new favorite country was a must (sorry America). The amount of urban riding Quebec City offers is amazing considering the four-hour drive through field after field after field. Riley Nickerson, homie Brandon Griffin and my- self, set camp in the heart of Quebec City and spent our four-day adventure exploring the urban offerings Quebec had for us.

After checking out various spots, we decided on three that kept Riley and Brandon busy throughout the trip. They ended up being the infamous Battlefield Rail, a down flat ledge, unand what voyagemust be the biggest downdans rail on the Eastle Coast. Nord Pictures were taken, bangers were filmed, arms were punctured, bindings were broken and all in all it was another great trip despite the fact that collectively we must have blown through at least $800;learning $650 me, $148 Brandon, $2.00 Riley. french

Front board to 50-50

Riley

“One thing that’s safe to say about the majority of snowboarders is that they’re slow.”

The rail might have won the battle, but Riley won the war.

Battle Wound

One thing that’s safe to say about the majority of snowboarders is that they’re slow. After a very slow start After another slow start we attacked the famous Battlefield Rail in the park right near our hotel. As we got to (including myself getting searched at the border…yet again), we made it to our hotel right before dark. We the rail we encountered another group of riders who were sessioning it. After making friends, we filmed the made a group decision to put off snowboarding till the early hours of the next morning due to lame excuses rail as they continued their session. I snapped a few pictures of them to pass the time in between filming I can’t seem to remember. After enjoying the French-Canadian culture for the night, I parted ways with Riley and slowly they stopped riding and began watching our group. After landing his banger, Griffin moved on to andy 1 Griffin to wake up some 20 minutes away from our home base. It’s amazing how easily it is to get past napping and photo-taking as Riley continued to slay the rail. Several bangers later, Riley spent at least an the French/English barrier. hour trying and almost landing what must be classified as one f—ing dope trick. After scraping his already busted hand and several angry outbursts later, he managed to break shovel #1. We decided to call it a day.

18 19 50-50 front 180 out

Unknown Rider

50-50 on Canadian Hubba

Nick

After surprisingly meeting up with our new found Ca- right off and making it a good ways down. The other nadian bro, Enrico “Nick” Girard, 2 nights in a row, French-Canadian guys definitely got a kick out of it. we arranged to meet“The up and visitbest some spots.part Nick ofThen the came situationGriffin. Although he wasonly hit the that rail once, and his friend Bill Boch brought us to a park on the Brandon definitely pulled a textbook maneuver. It’s a outskirts of the city that the holds prettiertwo famous down-flat a girlshame was,that it had tothe be a gnarlyless taco English ending up with ledges—a smaller red/green ledge and the infamous a deep hole in his arm that continued to spit blood giant red ledge. The she first ledge seemed sat on the sideto ofknow.” for the rest of the day and night. He chose to sit this an amazing waterfall that appeared to drop into the one out and snap some more photos as Riley battled St. Lawrence River which lay close by. A big group away against the rail. After breaking his binding and of Nick’s friends showed up and joined our session. almost giving up entirely, Riley pulled through and The guys were over it after getting a few tricks down got the closing shot. With 4 minutes of battery life and decided to skip the red ledge and go straight to remaining on a 3 hour battery, Riley finally killed it a beast of a rail. and marked an end to our trip—I still owe it to the Sprite he demanded I go out and buy him five hits Big rail before landing the trick. NOTES:

I had seen this rail in a few movies featuring French- After spending several hours in Quebec City, we all agreed that we should have spent more time on those Canadian riders over the past years, but somehow I French quizzes in high school. I remember wondering what I’d ever need to speak French for and I had finally had come to the conclusion that it was in Montreal. I must say, the U.S. and Canadian boarder secu- found my answer. Quebec is a predominantly French speaking area which sometimes makes it tough for us I was way off. This giant 55 or so foot long rail lay at rity definitely have created some issues with myself. Americans. The best part of the situation was that the prettier a girl was, the less English she seemed to the bottom of a giant field on the way to Stoneham Apparently a long haired college student is their know. They lined the streets left, right and center. It was nearly impossible to drive through the city without and sent anyone daring to hit it shooting straight description of an ideal candidate for hour long car getting completely distracted by these fine women, although they probably wouldn’t understand a word we said. into the woods. Several other riders were there try- searches—four in a row may I add. You’d think that ing to land 50-50’s on the rail. Riley showed what they’d get the hint after the first or second search he was capable of and started with a frontboard that they’re not going to find anything.

20 21 Tyler Ducan, Rodeo. Who needs lifts anyways? Photo:Stuart Lander Whaleback Mt., NH Jesse Curran, Bomb drop Brandon Rego, Tail grab Photo:Matt Stauble Photo:Cole Martin Stowe, VT Canada Rob Hawollwell, Backside rodeo Photo:DynamicMM Gunstock, NH Jay Maitland Photo:Pippin Lee Canada

Last Call Photo:Ian Pouliot Loon Mt., NH

the Northeast. totally random events from allacross ams, we you bring theDLonseveral Big andsmall, nearandfar, pros and ThrowingDown Dynamics MM Knuuttenen said. this sideoftheAppalachian!” Event Coordinator Alex have beenthebestbigaircompetitionofyear spectators surrounding thebigairjump, thismay bands, skiandsnowboard vendors hundred and afew “With ahugekicker 75foot tothesweet spot, two live landed aback900. 900. Third placewent toanotherNickDoucettewho place went toAlex DeGrechie alsowithaswitchback Doucette who landedaswitchback900. Second intheboarderPlacing first category was Nick to Mark Pomykato withaswitchhigh720mute. wrists, landingasecondplacefinish. Third placewent the audiencewithadouble front andtwo flip broken jumphehitallseason.the first Kelsey Hron wowed throwing ofthenight, oneofthegnarliest tricks on to hisACL’s inthepast. didn’tThis stophimfrom through hisUncleseven years ago, suffered injuries Telemark skis. Colburn, who got intotelemark skiing Pat Colburn, who pulledaMisty720highmuteon England area. intheskiingcategory was Placingfirst fromsome ofthetopskiersandriders theNew Live Free andRideatGunstockMountainfeatured by Bobby Martin Live Free andRide

the setup, being judged andsmoothness. ondifficulty encouraged togrind, slaporbutter theirway across you ofaflat-ground skatecompetition. Riderswere River withabox thatwould setupinaformat remind stoppedintoSunday RedBullButterCupseries The by Bobby Martin Red BullButterCup contest, andIamstoked tohosttheseevents.” great ideasandmakingthemrealities. Itshows inthis Nelson Wormstead. “Red bull isknown taking for up isinnovative andcool,” saidEvent Representative the snowboard contestscene, andtheskatestyleset- somethingdifferent to brings ButterCupSeries “The each resort throughout theseries. Red Bullbuilt acustom “butter pad” thattravels to East Coast, which spansfrom MainetoNew Jersey. year initsfourth onthe Red BullButterCupisaseries park andpipe, but managed totake thisevent away. of competitions. Mindnichsaidthathespecializes in USASA andsaidthathehasbeeninvolved inalltypes to New Hampshire. Hehasbeencompetingwith originally hailedfrom New Jersey, but recently moved on thefollowing day, won thecompetition. rider The Hans Mindnich, a 15-year old whose 16th birthday was On Snow Demo Day by Josh LaPointe

This year’s on snow demo at Stratton Mountain in Vermont was fantastic. The on snow demo is the greatest predicator of next year’s wares. You see, you can read catalogs all you want, or listen to a trained salesman’s cantor, but nothing beats getting out there and enjoying the ride yourself. This year did not disappoint and in difference to years past, the weather was amazing and the products coming down the pipeline equally amazed.

The two biggest tech updates for this year approach- ing are the addition to variations on the camber story we have seen most notably from the Mervin crew. This year, look for camber options to excel in powder and backcountry as well as in the park. As the techs found camber needs to be there for some performance features. Pushing those camber features out to or past the bindings allows for changes to the symmetry of Cold Wars 3 Downtown Showdown the board, allowing for float and for increased carving. by Tom Ryan The technology will have many names differing from Part Three of Stratton’s Cold Wars park series was company to company, but look for it as the big change under the lights with the occasional rain shower and It’s been said if you want a successful snowboard/ to board technology in ‘09. rogue gust of wind. Riders and spectators didn’t care ski competition, you need to bring the event to the though. Jibbers tore up the rollercoaster box all night, crowd rather than try to bring the crowd to the event. In bindings, the big change was the addition of a spinning more times than you could count, and they With an estimated 1000+ spectators, the Downtown wing to the high backs of some freestyle bindings. were oh-so butter smooth. Some of the usual suspects Showdown proved once again the legitimacy of this There are a couple of companies trying this out next showed up for a chance at the loot. Shaun Murphy, claim. 32 invite only skiers and riders competed for year, most notably Tech Nine. The feature is park Zach Wilmot, Ian Keay, and Sam Blaze battled hard all over 5K in cash and prizes on a custom 30-foot stair specific in that it helps significantly with presses by night. Under the lights of Grizzly’s Pub, Zach Wilmot set supplied by Sunday River and Sugarloaf. Although transferring more energy to the board through the would be named the victor. Just before he snagged I’ve never been a big fan of building urban setups in bindings. Traditionally, the boot would flex and the some discounted pizza he said he “Had fun and had urban areas during the winter, these events are always inertia would be lost or not transferred as directly. been hopin for rails. It worked out good.” As for the fun to watch and usually draw massive crowds. The By adding the wing the flex is captured and focused boys from the park crew, remember—it’s all about Downtown Showdown didn’t disappoint. through the bindings to the board. This will be a huge the back pinky! step forward for the freestyle crew by adding the From the get-go it was clear the setup heavily favored right tools to help a burgeoning niche in our sport’s the skiers due to a short run in lacking some pitch. progress and challenge it once again. That combo made it difficult for snowboarders to ollie onto the rails without a whip in from The nightlife was as always a cavalcade of excitement. other riders. The skiers killed it through the I attended the Bern, Spy Orage, Armada, Eesa and whole comp. Richie Paradise destroyed it in Red Bull party at the Red Fox on Wednesday night. qualifiers but fell a little in the finals. However, he The guys at Bern, besides being some of the still managed first over Clayton Villa. Shaun Murphy friendliest guys on earth, are also known to bring the was consistent from beginning to end placing second thunder when it comes to getting down. This night behind Tristan Corriveau. The competition was fierce was no exception. Tunes by Burlington favorite DJ and so were the diggers. The finalists put on a really Transplante and over 5k in free product toss. I look good show. forward to next year. DJ Transplante The Downtown Showdown was well-organized, fun to watch, no one got hurt, and the whole event had a real good vibe. The Sunday River and Sugarloaf park crews did a great job getting this event together and should be rewarded with an endless supply of beer and nipple deep freshies. Pink Ribbon Jibbin

What a perfect night for jibbing on a giant set of snow boobs. Alright, that didn’t sound too good but don’t worry, this is a charity event in its fifth year with all the proceeds going to Breast Cancer Research. And yes, props go out to the Darkside Park Crew at Cranmore Mountain for effectively building a giant set of snow boobs! Skiers and riders got creative with the barrel bonks, log stalls, c-box and down rails. Finals came down to the hubba under the lights and I can honestly say that this stairset got demolished. Some of the gnarliest rail hitting I’ve seen all season, a few nice dingers on the riders to prove it as well. Winners for the evening included Tyler Duncan, Ben Elliot, Justin Melanson, Heather Thomas, Sarah Nicole McKalli and Abbie Guroski. Of course, everyone’s a winner with a charity event. Can’t wait to see next year’s features…

Big Air 6000 All Fools Railjam

Crotched Mountain’s annual “Big Air 6000” marks the The last day of the season for Mount mountains last big park competition of the season. Sunapee meant going out with a bang, Main Event Finals Bright sunny skies and awesome temps made this and that they did. Perfect spring conditions and a bracket style elimination contest all the better. Perfect ridiculous park setup complete with several rails I can’t say that the Main Event Series has ever been Progression is the name of the game for this series conditions meant skiers and riders had to stick it with including a super kink as well as a gapped butter for the weak, but this years finals at Loon proved to and it’s always fun to watch the evolution of each rider no excuses, and without a doubt, everyone brought box to mega down box, meant skiers and riders had be the ultimate challenge in the 6-year tenure of the through the course of the entire circuit. The Main their A-game. One-by-one they dropped like flies all the resources to throw some sick tricks. With well event. This year the series stepped it up to a whole Event Crew did a phenomenal job as always making until finally NH local Brandon Honeycutt was crowned over 50 competitors and a two-hour jam session new level, making six stops to five different states with sure that everything went smoothly for the 6th and the champion for the season taking home a huge during the late afternoon, the pace grew intensely each stop being even better than the one before. The biggest year yet. Hats and helmets off to Brandon wad of cash. Colin Rooney took home first for the as each rider upped the ante with every run. Steve final stop of the event has proved to be challenging and Wendy for all their hard work and all the judges men skiers as well, and Gabby Barrego and Devon Laustsen proved to be no fool after successfully in the past and this year was no exception. Switching who had a tough and precarious task all season, but Therrien locked it down for the Ams. landing several backflips and earning himself the first up the usual daytime format to a late-night bout in nevertheless did a spectacular job all around. To you, place title for men’s snowboarders. Dan Jones on the the Little Sister terrain park made it all the more we salute. See you for Round 7! skier’s side sealed the deal earning himself plenty of challenging. Good ‘ol mother nature upped the stakes dough and even a new snowboard (can’t hurt to try it even more. With several days of heavy rain and a out). Not too shabby for the last day of the season. full day of blistering cold temps and high winds, the mountain became bulletproof.

Some riders walked away shaking their heads before the comp even started, others climbed in the ring to battle it out till the end. The show must go on and it did. A 55-foot booter and a 35 foot down-flat-down rail stood between the competitors and a wild card into the U.S. Open. Round after round, riders pounded away at the course until Ryan Burns claimed the belt with an arsenal of tricks including some nasty cab 7’s. Props to Eric Beauchemin and Ian Hart for following up in second and third. Jake Harris’ beauty of a 900 landed him the Best Trick award for the night for men, and Lauren Tamposi’s backside 3’s scored her the women’s belt. Elin Tourtarice nailed down a nice backside 540 for second place and best trick for the women’s, and the always strong but humble, Taylor Owens, took third. Home Mountain: Loon Mt, NH

Living: Alpine Meadows, CA

Sponsors: Line Skis, Orage, Smith Optics, Full Tilt Boots

Trick Tip

270 to with Peter Kukesh

switch on Photos: Patrick Melvin a down rail

1. Come into the rail a little bit hotter than you would to just slide the thing.

2. Pop kind of hard off the lip and look down at the rail as you’re go- ing over it to make sure your nasals are getting over.

3. Land on that cold steel looking at the rail uphill, don’t be one of those joey’s forcing it hard looking uphill to the sky, stay calm and land on it just like every other time.

4. Once you’re on it you’re pretty much all set, keep your feet spaced nice and evenly just like you normally would. I look through my feet for the end of the rail, some people atop themselves from spin- ning then look over their shoulder, whatever is easiest for you, stick to that.

5. Come off the end of the rail calm, cool and collected, I usually push Come off the rail my uphill foot back a little and it squares me back to the landing. 6. Stomp your feet down and land, ski over to your buddy filmin or shootin, in this case the infamous Patrick Melvin and give ‘em pg. daps for helping you out. 36 calm, cool, and collected. Springtime in New England can mean just about 382 anything when it comes to the weather. The Week- “THESE GUYS PULLED MORE end with 382 though was consistent as usual, deliv- ering a high-caliber event in its third season at Loon TRICKS than a monkey with Mountain. One of the biggest freestyle skiing comps on the ice coast, March Mayhem and Battle My a hundred feet of rope!” Crew 3, make up the 2-day event that takes place every season during the last weekend of March. No two days in a weekend could be any more oppo- Saturdays bracket style March Madness event site. Sunday’s BMC3 hosted by far some of the most paired up 28 competitors head to head for $1,000 challenging conditions in the history of the event. BATTLE cash prize. With temps in the 60’s, bright blue High winds, cold temps and plenty of rain came bar- sky and plenty of sun, Saturday made for perfect reling down all day. That didn’t stop the seven crews goggle tan conditions. Skiers threw it down hard all of four from hitting it hard for several hours straight. day, making full use out of Loon’s diverse rails and Last years winners, Stept Productions, were on hand jumps. It was hard to get this field narrowed down, and strong as usual, looking to reclaim their title. but finally, New England local skier, Nick Martini, However, the denim-clad crew, Montage, would give faced off against Mammoth’s, Parker White, for the them a run for their money right down to the end. If title. Both had ridiculously good runs and the judg- you’ve never seen Battle My Crew, then you’re miss- Photo : Chris DeGrace es had their hands full for the decision, but Parker ing out. Everybody threw down this year despite the MY White went home a grand richer and with plenty of conditions. Rodeo’s, 720’s, 1080’s, tandem back bragging rights until next season. flips, you name it. These guys pulled more tricks than a monkey with a hundred feet of rope! Seri- ously though, when the fog cleared and finalists Photo Left to Right: finished destroying the hubba, only one team could Sean Jordan & Parker White holding it down, walk away with $1,500 cash. Congrats to Stept Pro- Stept Crew attack the hubba set, ductions for yet another phenomenal performance! CREW GO BIG or go home. Peter Engen. 3 39 40 JunkFood

The Joey Gap By Jennifer Pizzi Illustration by Phil Ashworth

There exists a universal cast and crew that mix together to make up what we know as our Local opted for your sweet shades and free flowing hair, Ski Resort. We’ve got the Weekend Warriors who swarm together like a pack of rats in heat; that raid instead of those bulky goggles and sweaty hats. the lift line, infest the bars and thrash our mountain till early Sunday afternoon, where like tiny ants they will begin to descend in a line of tedious traffic to their home in the city. There are the Die-Hard The Joey is nothing to be ashamed of. Their care- Locals who without fail, will be ripping it up on the gnarliest days of the season. In whipping winds and lessness in both appearance and etiquette is not frigid temps, you can find these rugged and peculiar creatures picking their way down the sketchiest due to arrogance and self centeredness (a quality line known to man. There is the Shit Talker from the local shop running his mouth from open to close, rather distinct to a similar known sister specie, “the but he chooses not to mention the last day he suited up for the hill was back in March of ’92. And don’t gaper”), but rather a result of a lost youthful inno- forget about dodging those troublesome Grommets from the nearby school that will be sure to show cence and a driving curiosity to become immersed in you up in both style and skill as you quietly struggle to impress upon them your big fancy tweaked out our oh-so “cool” ski culture. In a sense, the Joseph’s method that once was the party favorite. of the world pay their dues like the rest of us. Their awkward but prevailing energy fuels our struggling resorts just as much as they are counted on to pro- But there is one stereotype that is unique in taste landing. Joseph, it’s a goddamn blizzard aren’t you vide hours of endless entertainment. It is important and class, and distinct to each of us, as their role cold in those jeans? You had to begin somewhere for us to rekindle our relationship with the Joey, and knows no boundaries and transcends from genera- to learn what not to do. For some it takes longer appreciate what they have done not just for us but tion to generation. Before we make it to our said than others, some never get it at all. You’ve paid for our ski industry as we know it. So next time be position in the ever evolving and trend-setting ski outrageous fees for the best skis in rentals; acci- sure to give your fellow Joey a friendly nod as you industry, it must be acknowledged that we all began dently put your lift ticket on your jacket zipper, mys- blow past him on the trail, or a genuine conversation once as our very own Joey. Joey Joey, Joey Jose- teriously wound up flying upside down off a booter on that lengthy lift ride and gradually, I promise you, phine. Joseph watch the poles, Joseph get off the in the “big park”. And on that early spring day you that silly gap will disappear. 42 43 ShopSpotting Illustration: Dajosk Nuts&Bolts

Indigenous by: Larry Brown by: Larry Brown In May 2008 Josh LaPointe, joined old friends and drinking buddies, Scottie Raymond and Lew Apgar More than 60 percent of the human body Did you know that a growing number of peo- to help them expand what had been a basement consists of water. Water is the absolute best ple think that the world may end in the year afterthought to their business, Kingdom Outdoors. thing you can ever put in your mouth. Take 2012? Sony Pictures is even coming out with The result of a couple of good latenight brainstorm your skiing or riding to the next level by tak- a movie about it in November. Let’s hope that sessions was Indigenous, run by Raymond and ing a healthy supply of water along with you. our planetary demise isn’t so easily portrayed Lapointe. Indigenous, named after the importance Leave the energy drinks at home, and save by a mere major motion picture. Anyway, the of identity and local connection that the NEK skate them for finals week when you can’t buy good theory goes that because the Mayan “Long and snowboard community has long held dear, is coffee past midnight. The more water you Count” calendar ends on December 21, right in downtown St. Johnsbury, just off Routes 91 drink the better you’ll feel, both physically 2012—for no apparent reason—then we all and 93. and mentally. Also, give yourself plenty of en- either die or ascend to greatness. Oh yeah, “coffee house” mystique, it’s still a core board shop ergy to keep up quality riding all day by eat- some French guy named Nostradamus pre- Since opening in it’s expanded location, Indigenous at the heart of it, where there’s always a crew of ing something with a lot of carbohydrates in it dicted it almost 500 years ago too. Consider- has added dozens of new brands both skate and locals chillin’ on the couch watchin’ the latest videos (basically anything the Atkins diet told you not ing our luck as a species... well, let’s just play snow. It’s a hub for board sports, with a brand new in between stories of last night’s shenanigans or the to eat). A well-stashed granola bar will also it safe and brush up on our zombie survival concrete plaza behind the shop that the boys raised epic powder day last week. readily cure those late-day munchies, and is knowledge. *Don’t forget to cut off the head the money to build; with expansion plans on the way, way better than spending an arm and a leg on and burn the body! another concrete park slated for construction this info gas station-grade lodge food. summer in the next town north, a misty “members- only” indoor park nearby, a sick urban scene and the Monday - Thursday 9am-7pm hidden gem of Burke’s terrain park all winter long. Friday 9am-8pm by: Pat Gaffney Months that begin on Sunday will always have a Friday the 13th. Sat 9am-7pm In the summer the shop has around a hundred Sun 10am-6pm 1/5 first time riders break a bone during their first day on the trail. decks in stock at all times and looks like an art gal- There are more than 1,000 varieties of gum sold in the United States. lery, in fact it is an art gallery too, with revolving 446 Railroad Street Suite One shows and at one time in ‘08 it was also home to St.Johnsbury VT 05819 23% of snowboarders are women. the areas only open mic night. Even with the artsy A piece of gold the size of a matchbox can technically be flattened to be the same size as a tennis court.