7 Search Results for ""ice skating""

• SnowGlobe Music Festival Bring SnowGlobe Music Festival Brings Business, Bass, But No Snow To Tahoe

  • From: sethlightcap
  • Description:

    
    Did you hear about the SnowGlobe Music Festival that rocked South Lake Tahoe over New Year’s weekend? The three-day festival brought in heavy hitting bands and DJs like Pretty Lights, Bassnectar and Thievery Corporation to entertain thousands of skiers and snowboarders after killer days of shredding pow. ... Or at least, that was the hope.
    
    As it turned out, only half that SnowGlobe dream came true. Ten thousand fans did indeed rock out to the musical madness every night, but there was not a single snowflake in the air. The SnowGlobe festival went off despite the second driest December on record in Tahoe. Only 4 cm of snow fell the entire month.
    
    When I had made SnowGlobe plans a couple months back, I had envisioned this very dream of riding pow all day then partying to rad music all night. It was supposed to be like stepping straight into your favorite shred video with the banging soundtrack for three days. Only in this case, your vivid memories of the day’s blower faceshots would have been the visuals for the sick beats every night. Yes, please.
    
    My SnowGlobe fantasy took a beating, but I’m happy to say it survived the drought. I ain’t allergic to ripping man-made and the music still drew me, so I went about business as usual and pinned it between shredding and partying to bring back a glimpse of what went down both at the festival and on the slopes. To round out the report, I caught up with Kirkwood marketing director Micheal Dalzell and SnowGlobe founder Chad Donnelly to help fill in the photo captions with thoughts about the festival and its effect on South Lake Tahoe. Check it out.

    
    
    Over 10,000 fans attended the festival each night. These fans dropped serious dollars at the local businesses of South Lake Tahoe throughout the weekend. “The turnout was beyond impressive and we heard reports that many businesses had their best New Year’s in a decade,” said SnowGlobe’s Chad Donnelly. “We take great pride in what we brought to South Lake Tahoe, even with the bad snow.”

    
    Pretty Lights threw down a wicked set night one. His booming signature sound drew the first of many noise complaints from residents of the adjacent neighborhoods, however. The in-town festival grounds at the Lake Tahoe Community College treated the fans well, though. The main stage was set up on a dance-friendly AstroTurf soccer field and the festival was a short shuttle, taxi, or bike ride from hotels and casinos.

    
    
    Heavenly brought in a rail jam set up that was positioned off to the side of the main stage. Local rippers sessioned all night — no headphones necessary.
    
    
    This dude needed no drugs to get off on the SnowGlobe scene — only a banked box and boomin’ bass. No doubt many others indulged, but the party people behaved themselves. “The police reported there wasn’t a single DUI leaving the festival,” said Donnelly. “Safety was a huge concern for us so we’re thrilled we had no issues.” The police did make a handful of arrests on site, however.
    
    
    Kirkwood definitely reaped the benefits of SnowGlobe. Despite only one run off the top and firm conditions, the slopes saw steady traffic and the village was bustling. “SnowGlobe was really good for Kirkwood,” said Kirkwood’s Micheal Dalzell. “The event pulled in a market that would otherwise not come to Tahoe and many of the Tahoe newbies took part in other activities like skiing and riding.”
    
    
    I don’t think many SnowGlobe fans packed ice skates but they should of. Several of the alpine lakes on Carson Pass were frozen shore-to-shore. We got out for a skate on Red Lake before heading back to the festival on day two.
    
    
    The festival grounds held three stages throughout, which about ten artists performed on each day. The Igloo tent shown here was the smallest of the stages, but it had a cool atmosphere. DJ Star Slinger dropped a hot set in the Igloo and was the best “unknown” artist I saw.
    
    
    Most of the SnowGlobe artists were DJs, but there were a few hip-hop acts and a couple bands. Dilated Peoples, shown here, tore up the stage with fat beats and dope rhymes on Friday while Thievery Corporation brought a band of dozens to electrify the crowd on Saturday.
    
    
    Bassnectar played a ho-hum set by many ears, though he did turn up the speakers to eleven. His whoomp whoomp could be heard for miles and drew dozens more noise complaints from neighboring locals. In the aftermath of the show, multiple South Lake Tahoe city council members went on record to say that the noise complaints were a small price to pay for a festival that contributed so much to the ailing South Lake economy.
    
    
    SnowGlobe was an all-ages event so many wondered how obnoxious the crowd would be. As far as I could tell the teenage bass-heads kept it together just fine in their furry animal hats. Though I did see one wide-eyed couple put 3D glasses on their barely ten year old son. Suspect parenting but better than giving him the acid I guess.
    
    
    On the last day of 2011 we lapped the Sky Express chair at Heavenly. Conditions were actually pretty damn fun as the runs were sugary and the views were tremendous as usual. It wasn’t the blower day I had dreamt about but the wind in our faces was really all we needed to celebrate another year on-snow and get stoked to ring in the New Year that night. Here’s hoping SnowGlobe is back next year for another shot at the true pow party plan.  “We’ll definitely be back if invited,” said Donnelly. “We had an amazing time in Tahoe.” SnowGlobe’s fate rests in the hands of the South Lake Tahoe city council. Look out for news of their decision in the coming months.

  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 372
  • Not yet rated

• Skating in Tahoe Skating in Tahoe

  • From: sethlightcap
  • Description:
    Skating in Tahoe
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 183
  • Not yet rated

• Windells Snowboard Camp Sessio Windells Snowboard Camp Session 1 recap

  • From: windellscamp
  • Description:

    

    Chris Hagerty came all the way to Hood, via Colorado, to start of his summer shred with this back five stale.

    Summer has officially begun at Mount Hood. The jumps are salted, the towropes are turning, and campers are strapping in and learning new tricks. Session 1 just wrapped at Windells and it was a seriously sick start to the season. The mountain is completely white, with over 100 inches of snow more than usual, and the Windells Diggers have crafted one of their best parks ever: two separate jib areas and all of the jumps, hips, and quarters that your summer-shredding heart could desire.

    

    There are new additions to the Concrete Jungle are all over campus, thanks to Jamie Weller, Billy Coulon, Peter Gunn, Nick Early, and crew.

    The first Windells session was all about good weather, good riding, and good friends with session hosts, Johnny Lazz, Forest Bailey, Nial Romanek, and Will Bateman. The crew lapped all week under sunny skies, hitting more metal than a member of the United Steelworkers Union on an overtime shift. What you would expect to be true about a week at snowboard camp, definitely is: it’s the most fun you can have during the summer months. Beyond the awesomeness of shredding everyday, skating every night, and getting to play tons of on-campus games, here are the top five highlights from Session 1:

    -       The new street section of the Concrete Jungle was unveiled: curbs, ledges, and a stairset, all thanks to Jamie Weller, Billy Coulon, and crew.

    -       Forest held a pickle-eating contest for the second year in a row, this time with giant gherkins on strings and blindfolded campers. Winning campers walked away with prizes from Gnu, but the spectators might have had the most fun watching everyone

    -       What’s better than drinking a smoothie of dinner leftovers made by Johnny Lazz? Watching Johnny drink it, too. Lazz, Forest, Will, and Nial plugged their noses and drank liquefied lasagna with the campers.

    -       Lazz, Forest, Will, and Nial did a top to bottom run, lapping all of Timberline, through the lengthy Windells park, Public Park, and down to the base of the Magic Mile Lift.

    -       The Neff RV came to camp and gave out free ice cream to all of the campers. Summer camp is the best.

    

    Justin Norman shows his Oregon colors with tail bonk on the wallride.

    
    

    

    If Forest stalls above the clouds on Timberline and no one is around to see it, do we remember if he back oned on or off?

    
    

    

    There’s more snow on Mount Hood than there has been in years—they had to dig out the Palmer lift in order to have it run.

    
    

    

    Nial Romanek back 180 off the pole jam.

    
    

    

    A little yoga is a good way to start the afternoon. Sammy Spiteri and crew striking the warrior pose.

    
    

    

    Assistant Head Digger Everest Arnold may not be showing the proper tow rope safety, but he sure is having a good time.

    
    

    

    This shot of Derrek Lever’s frontlip is fire. If Derrek could grow a mustache, it’d fiery too. Because he’s a redhead.

     

    For more visit www.windells.com
    

  • Blog post
  • 2 years ago
  • Views: 340
  • Not yet rated

• Isn't It Iconic? Isn't It Iconic?

  • From: sbcskier
  • Description:

    You’ve seen them in the movies, read about them in magazines and visited their websites. You’ve dreamed of visiting knowing that nothing is a bigger rite of passage than being able to start every chairlift conversation with, “When I was in…”
    

    The following North American resorts are iconic in the world of skiing and have helped shape and mold modern skiing into what it is today. And whether you’ve been to them all, spent a season at each or a day at just one of them, there’s no better way to earn your stripes than to get out there and ski one of these legendary areas.

    Whistler/Blackcomb

    

    Marshal Talbot resides in the white room above the madness of Peak Chair. Carr photo

    For the white man, Whistler began as a fishing lodge and logging camp early in the 1900s. By the mid-’60s it was a dirty-hippie ski town, and by the early ’80s buildings started popping up like mushrooms after a shitstorm. 
    

    These days Whistler is a skiing icon—everybody knows it, and all kinds of places are buying into the Whistler model, hoping to copy, and cash in, on what makes us so key. Sure there are places with better snow (Smithers) and a mellower vibe (the Kootenays), but the truth is, nowhere in North America comes close to delivering the all-around package of Whistler.

    The numbers are impressive—an average snowfall of 10 metres (33 feet for you Yanks out there), 3,307 hectares of in-bounds terrain, 200-plus trails, 38 lifts, sick terrain parks, night pipe and, tucked at the bottom of the mountains, the best party town in Canada, hands down.

    But numbers and statistics aren’t what make Whistler so epic. It’s the people who live here—whether it’s that comedian–ski instructor that taught you how to ride pow and laugh when you bail, or the gorgeous bartender with the big hair who was smashing glasses for fun and made that one lucky dude do a shot of Jack out of her bosom, or the time you rode the chair with a couple of pros on a day off from filming and just up to rip the trees. These are the stories you tell your buds back home along with how you stomped that 540 in the black park or got the third chair up Peak when there was a foot of fresh.

    In Whistler it’s also the 90-plus restaurants and bars, the sick nightclubs, the cute girls or the scruffy dudes that all look the same, the improv snowball fights when it dumps, the free concerts at the Ski and Snowboard Festival, the massive underground film and art communities—you can’t find stuff like this anywhere else. Not within spitting distance of two huge ski hills covered in pow and the sickest, comparatively safest, backcountry terrain in North America. There are enough backcountry lines within an hour of Whistler to last a lifetime for even the most hardcore ski-touring dirtbag. I hear there’s lots of cross-country skiing here, too, but you can do that crap anywhere, so whatever.

    If you like to ski, Whistler is the best. It’s as simple as that. And if you disagree—awesome. You’re absolutely right. Don’t come here. It sucks. (More snow for me.)

    —Feet Banks

    Alta Snowbird

    

    Another shitty day at Alta. Cliff Bennett. Markewitz photo

    When it comes to claiming the title for best skiing in North America, few regions can measure up against the powerhouse of British Columbia. One of the few contenders worthy of consideration, however, is the Mormon stronghold of Utah and its epicentre of powder-twins of Alta-Snowbird. Tucked away in the avalanche alley known as Little Cottonwood Canyon, these two ski areas are so close to Salt Lake City that the metropolis can legitimately claim the status of biggest ski town in North America. While the legendary resorts aren’t officially affiliated and were only recently connected across a shared ridge, one name is rarely mentioned without the other—a double dose of the continent’s lightest, fluffiest, re-goddamn-diculous snow. The local governments are so proud of it, they even went as far as to trademark Mother Nature’s gift with the notoriously goofy slogan “Greatest Snow on Earth.” With annual average snowfall of 1,270 centimetres and a combined total of 4,700 acres of terrain, the situation makes for friendly neighbours. Unless, that is, you’re a snowboarder, then your lame, chute-shedding, side-slipping and poorly laid traverse tracks still aren’t welcome at Alta. This cold-hearted exclusion is a welcome proviso for bitter skiers hanging on to any notion of the old days—which is pretty much what and who you’ll find at Alta. Snowbird offers more than enough to make up for it; the same snow on the same aspects creates a big-mountain terrain park worthy of an IFSA World Tour venue and makes it a breeding ground for some of the highest profile pros in the business: Sage Cattabriga-Alosa and Jamie Pierre are only two examples of Little Cottonwood’s influence. A trip to Alta-Snowbird means nothing less than guaranteed world-class powder skiing, even if part of it is a blast from the past.

    —Max Geraldo

    Stowe

    

    Not all Eastern areas are icy. Hardy Avery delves deep. Waskusch photo

    “How special is a town where the girls think the best way to spend Valentine’s Day is slashing three feet of fresh pow?” asks local Justine Wysong, after the epic spring storm of 2007. It’s pretty damn special.

    More than a simple tourist town, Stowe is steeped in history. It’s this deep-rooted skiing tradition that keeps Stowe grounded, despite all the growth and changes that have taken place over the years.

    Stowe symbolizes the quintessential Eastern destination. It’s best known for great terrain—from grip-tight steeps to casual cruisers—but also superior snowmaking and grooming.

    And Stowe is a status symbol, the Eastern resort frequented by movie stars, international tourists and iconic athletes. The home mountain of Burton snowboards, Stowe has a progressive freestyle scene and a wealth of diehard freeriders. And it’s got international appeal—close proximity to Quebec makes it easy for French-Canadians to shoot over the border and revel in the Stowe stoke.

    The first Winter Carnival, flush with ski jumping and ice skating, took place in 1921. It was over a decade before the downhill experience was had. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) constructed Bruce Trail, Stowe’s first, in 1933. People hiked for their turns until a single chair was built in 1940.

     “A big part of what defines this place is that, for locals, Stowe’s past is present,” says Stowe skier John Dostal. “The mountain’s original trail, the Bruce, is still in play. Even though the Starr, cut in the ’60s, was laid over it, people still ski bits of the original line and refer to its 1930s predecessor, S 53.”

    Improvements, including a new intermountain lift connecting Spruce Peak and Mansfield, keep Stowe moving forward. Many Eastern resorts feature more cat-track than fall-line terrain. Not Stowe. With Mount Mansfield’s summit elevation of 4,395 feet (highest in Vermont), 485 skiable acres, and average snowfall of 330-plus inches, Stowe has everything from alpine exposure to low-angle glades. The legendary Front Four—Goat, National, Liftline and Starr—are classic black-diamond lines. OB lines like Hellbrook tumble down into Smugglers’ Notch, and after skating down the Mountain Road, cold ones await at the Matterhorn.

    —Mike Horn

    Lake Louise

    

    Kris Cormier gets his tips frosted. Mossop photo

    It’s a standard-issue powder day at Lake Louise. Ten centimetres has blown around the back bowls, creating carveable, racy conditions. As the saying goes, “No place wears 10 centimetres like The Lake”—and it’s a good thing, ’cause that’s usually all it gets. We ski all afternoon with a rotating cast of friends and strangers. The hill isn’t overrun with experts competing for tracks, and therefore has a laid-back feel. The Crack o’ Noon Club can still get fresh tracks, and other skiers are more comrades than competition.

    We ski hard, but at the top of Paradise chair we pause to chat and enjoy the view of Lake Louise itself across the valley and the surrounding glaciated peaks. The view is awe-inspiring, and thanks to the protection of Canada’s original national park, it’s the same view that greeted skiers 100 years ago.

    Drawn by the dramatic landscape and lakeside chateau, those first skiers loaded their wooden skis onto locomotives and chugged their way to Lake Louise. The area was already a hotbed for mountaineering when a group of adventurous Banff skiers built the West’s first ski lodge in the Skoki Valley, in 1930. A daylodge on what is now Lake Louise Ski Resort was constructed six years later, and the first mechanized lift erected in 1954. Of course, I didn’t know any of this when I first skied here.

    For me and most of the freeskiing world, Louise was born when RAP Films started pointing cameras at Kirk Jensen and Andrew Sheppard. With glacial peaks shining under blue skies as a backdrop, the Louise locals displayed an approach that was both aggressive and playful, with an inherent fluidity and unflappable style. Years later, their way of skiing is still the way to ski The Lake. The vertical cornices are spots for airplane turns. Tight chutes are hammered with precision short-radius turns, while tighter ones still are straight run. Fat skis have changed the way most people devour the open bowls, but when it comes to playing with the mountain’s features, those guys were so ahead of their time, most are still trying to catch up.

    They also left a tradition of humility. The place seems to breed it. Perhaps it’s because no matter how great a skier you are, the mountains around Louise offer lines that are beyond you. It’s a landscape that is completely indomitable. These peaks make you feel alive, but they can also make you feel weak, incapable and mortal.

    For our final run, we slide under the boundary rope. Because of national park restrictions, Louise is not likely to expand, but with the growing popularity of backcountry skiing and an open boundary policy, the area people ski is expanding. In mountains like these, there is always a new zone to check out just one ridge farther. So, after almost 100 years, the exploring continues.

    —Kevin Hjertaas

    Aspen

    

    Henrik Windstedt finds his own riches in Aspen. Fredrikkson photo

    Aspen. Even the name strikes fear into your heart—fear that you’re missing some kind of party. Which you probably are. Beginning in January, Aspen is home to Gay Ski Week, the Winter X Games, U.S. Comedy Arts Festival, Food & Wine Classic, The Meeting (fall film premieres), and the Aspen Cocktail Classic, among others. But the biggest party you’re probably missing is on the mountains, in the form of great skiing. Whether it’s a double dose of classic Colorado champagne powder, mogul-bashing on one of Aspen’s gorgeous blue-sky Rocky Mountain days, or spinning laps on North America’s premier high-speed cruiser, Ruthie’s Run (Euros can’t say enough about this piste), the skiing here says everything about how and why resortdom took hold of this old silver mining town in the Roaring Fork Valley in the first place. And why it has turned into a kind of celebrity ski camp both for Hollywood stars and generation X Games athletes.

    Each of the resort’s four unconnected mountains has its own unique character. Snowmass is huge, diverse and unpopulated. Despite its name, flattish Buttermilk has shed its beginner’s rep and found raison d’être in the massive terrain park and cross-runs sculpted on it annually for the X Games. Highlands is just that, with super-steeps and rad backcountry bowls hovering between 3,000 and 4,000 metres, leaving you out of breath on two counts—altitude and the spectacular views to the twin peaks of Maroon Bells, famous from many a Sierra Club calendar. The main mountain of Ajax, footing the town, is surprisingly gnar—almost 70 per cent is expert terrain, and ferocious bump runs like Ridge of Bell are one of the places the ’70s freestyle revolution fomented before breaking continent-wide. Sucking up corduroy rollers at subsonic speed in any of Ajax’s several gulches (once home to the infamous 24 Hours of Aspen team race) on a crisp, blue-sky day is like pulling Gs in the space shuttle and enough to have you hallucinating. Don’t worry, though: all those bizarre-but-intricate shrines to the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Elvis, Bob Marley, Jerry Garcia and Marilyn Monroe you see in the forest lining the runs on Ajax are real.

    It proves one thing. Sure there’s a cheesy film extolling the area’s historic ski-bum virtues, and yes, there are Aspen trees beyond counting, with plenty of snow in between. But what really defines Aspen is that you can’t get away from the party—even when you’re skiing.

    —Leslie Anthony

    Squaw Valley

    

    Aaron “Ragdoll” McGovern, in a rare moment on his feet. Markewitz photo

    Squaw Valley, U.S.A.’s moniker is certainly no secret. There’s even an expert freeskier’s guidebook bearing the name. But while many associate “Squallywood” with an attitude, the term is more apropos on account of the mountain’s physical layout and its place steeped in steep-skiing history.

    In 1960 the late Alex Cushing lured the Winter Olympics to the fledgling ski area and put Squaw on the map. But it was the ’80s and the burgeoning film industry that gave the area its rep. First, the Hollywood romp Hot Dog... The Movie, followed by a barrage of Squaw-heavy ski movies. Ski filmmaking was by no means born at Squaw, but it found a solid home there. And through the past three decades Squaw’s in-bounds terrain has consumed more airtime—literally and figuratively—in movies than any ski area in the world. Consequently, the list of skiers who have called Squaw home reads like a who’s who of freeskiing. Pick an era, and iconic names leap forward: Steve and Tamara McKinney, Scot Schmidt, Tom Day, Kevin Andrews, the DesLauriers brothers, John Tremann, Brad Holmes, Shane McConkey, Kent Kreitler, Jonny Moseley, Ingrid Backstrom, C.R. Johnson, Michelle Parker.... One generation fades, and a new batch of Squaw superstars emerges to fill the void.

    The film stars are only part of the equation, however, because for every renowned pro at Squaw, there are another 20 lesser-known rippers who can slay the same dynamic lines. Catch a powder day at Squaw, and it seems everyone and his or her mother can stomp a 40-footer and point a sketchy rocky sliver at 90 km/h. It’s enough to leave seemingly expert visitors bewildered and humbled.

    But what is it that makes a mountain plagued by Sierra Cement and extremely short pitches churn out such talent and stellar images? Well, one man’s curse is another man’s treasure. From top to bottom, Squaw is littered with cliffs, and that dense snow pastes to the rock, opening up ridiculously steep lines and faces that wouldn’t be possible in lighter, fluffier snowpacks. And with many of the premier lines ranging from only 50 to 150 metres, skiers can get themselves in and out of trouble quickly, making the mountain a veritable playground for straightlining, billygoating, dropping in above exposure, and hitting cliffs at speed. It’s ideal for bursts of fear and adrenaline, with a safe zone almost always seconds away.

    Of course, it wouldn’t be Squallywood without the show, and no ski area is so chock full of in-your-face terrain. Nearly everything is visible from chairlifts, which makes picking lines easy, and tearing up the real marquee features pure entertainment for all in view. And with more than 11 metres of snow a year, delivered in quick, powerful storms that can dump two or three metres in a matter of days, when that brilliant California sunshine returns (expect bluebird 300 days a year), the show is on. And it is one worth catching.

    —Scott Gaffney

    Mont Tremblant

    

    JD Zicat spins his way to Le P’tit Caribou. Rioux photo

    In the 1930s thousands boarded snow trains out of Montreal to mingle with the rich and famous in the Laurentian mountain town of Ste-Agathe and try out the latest sporting rage: skiing.

    Here the Montreal Ski Club’s crazed members practised their spectacular invention, the “Briancon Stop” (ski as fast as possible, then throw yourself to the ground). A typical weekend would include a ride behind the “Aeroski” plane that dragged peopsicles strapped to barrel staves at 120 km/h across a frozen lake.

    American millionaire adventurer Joe Ryan was among the crowd drawn to the rugged forests and lakes of the Laurentians in 1938. After trudging on skins 875 metres through heavy snow to the tallest peak in the massif, Ryan was smitten. A year and $250,000 later, he opened Eastern North America’s first ski resort on Mount Tremblant.

    Algonquin Indian legend says disturbing the trembling mountain would cause its angered spirits to shake and roar. After 65 years of having their frozen tranquility shattered by snow moving, tree bashing, and all-night revelry, those ghosts are pissed off and bent on getting even.

    Why else would Tremblant visitors out for a quiet weekend of fine French provincial food and fresh air find themselves skiing and partying like a 15-year-old on a Ritalin vacation? The Quebecois bon vivant spirit infuses the Tremblant lifestyle: laugh often, eat well, drink lots, and ski so fast that the winter winds can’t catch you.

    Those ancient ghosts still lull skiers into the woods with the promise of modern “glade skiing” and then pummel them with the Tremblant experience of skiing souis bois or “under the wood.” Most modern resorts forbid scraping through brush and stumps while dodging trees—the same risk-management guys that have banned dancing on bars. Happily, at Tremblant, both traditions are alive and well.

    Sadly, by the 1980s, the Grand Dame of the East had become derelict and bankrupt, until Intrawest intervened in 1991 to write Mount Tremblant’s modern history.

    Fifteen years of massive rebuilding have produced an abundance of comfortable condos and fabulous hotels in the new Tremblant village. A few of the original white clapboard shacks were saved to form at the base of the new development, and somehow the French provincial charm of the region has survived despite the overwhelming Disney-on-steroids architecture.

    Tremblant’s greatest renaissance has been on-piste. The original lovingly hand-cut runs are now groomed to velvet perfection. A new southern exposure aptly named Versant Soleil has welcome early sunlight that softens up the 80-per-cent-diamond terrain. Along with Tremblant’s original two faces, the resort now boasts 631 acres of skiable terrain.

    Forty acres of terrain parks, an Olympic Superpipe, and a total of 94 runs offer a wide range of modern options. Astutely the new management has held onto many great Tremblant traditions, like allowing the steep Expo trail to turn into treacherous moguls. The chairlift overhead still offers the ultimate yard-sale viewing seat on the continent.

    When skiers funnel down to the new open-air plaza at the end of the day, they unwittingly step into Tremblant’s “extreme” territory. Here any tourist would be a fool to try to keep up with the locals, who have trained for almost a century to master a Tremblant tradition of legendary danger: the après ski.

    —Meredith Gardner

  • Blog post
  • 2 years ago
  • Views: 268
  • Not yet rated

• Tom Burt gets some Glass and g Tom Burt gets some Glass and getting ready for the Northwest

  • From: TomBurt
  • Description:

    I am on the rebound from the Denver SIA show where I received the Legends award during the Transworld Rider Poll Awards.  I got my second piece of glass in my live the first being for Rider of the Year in 1989 given out by ISM (International Snowboard Magazine, the first snowboard mag).  I was stoked to have been given the award by Jeremy Jones.  Here is the Glass this morning on my deck.  I was on my way to go riding out my back yard and so I put a couple of runs in a quick vid.   Also I will include the bulk of my speech below the pic and video.

    

     

    Here is the Back Yard

     

     

    Editors note: Tom Burt recieved a Legends Award at the Transworld Rider Poll Awards. They had not given the award for four years. Big Mountain Ripper Jeremy Jones presented Burt with the Award. The below was part of his acceptance speech. He was asked to jott down some key historical moments in snowboarding in his perspective so the verbal history of snowboarding does not get lost. Below is a comprehensive list as read at the Awards.

    This is from a phone interview of me by Ari Marcopoulos

    I know you’re a great historian I would like you to mention a few people throughout the history of snowboarding and say some word about them? 

    O.K. I’ll try.

    Bob Klein, thanks for my first board.

    Terry Kidwell thanks for being so far ahead

    Alan Armbruster for being the cat and always landing on his feet

    Jim Zellers for being a great rider, partner, climber, motivator.

    Damian Sanders for more air with more style.

    Bonnie Zellers for always charging.

    Andy Coughlin(SPELLING?), the Hayes Brothers, Mark Hindgardner, and the rest of the East Coast crew who rode ice in the early years. 

    Regis Roland for Apocolypse.

    Jose Fernandez for being the first European to kick our asses.

    Craig Kelly for style and love of riding.

    Dan Donnely for being Hollywood.

    Shawn Palmer for being a natural athlete.

    Shawn Farmer for calling bullshit where it was DO and riding bumps.

    Andy Hetzel for being an exterminator.

    Steve Link for making boards.

    Noah Salasnek for the eye candy style.

    Terje Haakonsen for natural talent and the vision to use it.

    Temple Cummings for liking to ride.

    Dave Hatchett for the heelside Hatchetress.

    Mike Hatchett for believing my style worked. 

    Tom Hsieh for starting the first snowboard magazine.

    Ken Achenbach for always showing up in odd places

    Evan Feen for never changing.

    Keith Kimmel for the slash

    Victoria Jealouse for never growing up.

    Tex for taking cold showers in Vars, France and still charging.

    The Howett family for the Baker Banked Slalom.

    Thane for riding with one leg.

    Kelly Jo for the pool game.

    Jeff Gerell for the external highback and ruining my advantage. 

    Dave Seoane for all the shits.

    Shaun White for skating also.

    Danny Kass for spinning with style but wanting to snowboard also.

    Jeremy Jones for taking the reins.

    Travis Rice for putting it all together.

    Dimitrije Milovich, Tom sims, Jake Carpenter, Chuck Barfoot, Chris Sanders, Mike Olson, Pete Saari for persuing this stupid useless sport.

    I’m sure I forgot a lot of people including all photographers and filmers who made me look so good and all the riders around the world that I have had the pleasure to meet and learn from. You all know who you are. I would like to thank everyone who made this happen FOR ME.

     

    Check out a live video of Burt Accepting his award form TGR's Live From the Field.

     

  • Blog post
  • 3 years ago
  • Views: 775

• Santa spotted shredding POW in Santa spotted shredding POW in Aspen, CO...

  • From: media-75233
  • Description:
    
    

    Hello and Happy Holidays from Aspen, CO!

    We are rollin’ into the holidays with mostly cloudy skies and waiting for the next snow storm which is coming any minute now! 

    All four mountains are open- Snowmass, Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk- and flocks of folks are enjoying the pre-holiday snow. 

    

    Over the holidays, Aspen is transformed into a Winter Wonderland.  During the 12 Days of Aspen, December 20-31, downtown Aspen comes alive with everything from free ice skating and carriage rides to concerts and carolers. http://www.aspenchamber.org/calendar-of-events/annual-special-events/12days 

    Snowmass has Story Telling at The Silvertree Hotel, Santa visits and more! http://snowmassvillage.com .

    Lodging still available at great prices, check out last-minute lodging deals: http://stayaspensnowmass.com/p-last-minute-specials.php

    Photos: Jeremy Swanson

    
    

     

  • Blog post
  • 4 years ago
  • Views: 443
  • Not yet rated

• Halloween + Rail Jam + Re:Sess Halloween + Rail Jam + Re:Session = Awesomeness in Billings, MT

  • From: filmtour
  • Description:

    We’ve been hearing tons of stories about the epic Halloween rail jam/Re:Session premiere in Billings, MT - here’s the real scoop from the man in charge himself, Aaron Swain! Enjoy.

     

    We knew we wanted to stand out, really impress the local community, and of course draw attention to local businesses and riders, so we decided to do more than just show a movie – we talked and talked and chose to put on some sort of exhibition. We decided on a single feature rail jam after having to jump through seemingly infinite hoops (liability insurance and stuff like that can be huge if you’re planning one of these events).

     

    Red Lodge Mountain was monumental in getting the event to actually happen, and they custom built and delivered a beautiful rail for us!  Everyone was stoked on that. We used a front loader tractor and a huge dump trailer to gather and move snow.  It turned out to be 70 degrees up here on Halloween so we were a little worried about how well the snow would hold up - we were actually thinking about running up to Beartooth Pass to get more but at the end of the day we ended up with the perfect amount.

     

    DJ Web was killing it on music patrol and we started sessioning!  There was a good crowd cheering the riders on and just creating a great vibe, and everyone was getting super pumped to go watch Re:Session.  The Ski Station brought us some great swag to give out as did Red Lodge Mountain and TGR.  We hit the rail until we were totally beat and couldn't wait any longer to watch the movie.  Everyone crammed inside The Red Door, had a word from Wiley Miller and 4FRNT Skis owner Matt Sterbenz, and cheered on as pro riders mystified us on the two huge screens.  It was a great Halloween: jibs, pro riders, swag, sick movie and good people.  See you next year!

    
    
    
    ** Halloween, Billings, MT - Setting up the initial drop-in for the rail jam. The ramp was 16' long at about 60 degrees. First part of the set-up, done! Photo courtesy of Aaron Swain.**

     

    
    
    **We used snow from the local ice skating rink in Billings. Sylvan Nursery was nice enough to let us use a big dump trailer! Even though it got up to 70 degrees on Halloween, we ended up with just the right amount of snow for our Halloween session. Photo courtesy of Aaron Swain.**
    
    
    
    ** Getting everything ready for the rail jam. Thanks Red Lodge Mountain for the custom-built never-been-hit-before rail! Photo courtesy of Aaron Swain.**

     

    

    **The end result after a day of set-up - Pretty sweet! We were stoked the hot weather didn't melt all the snow. People started gathering around, wondering what was going on - time to shred! Photo courtesy of Aaron Swain.**

    
    
    
    **Dropping in! Halloween rail sesh, here we come. This is what camera phones are for. Photo courtesy of Aaron Swain.**
    
    
    
    **Everyone was pumped, and we all piled into the Red Door in Billings after an awesome rail sesh - nothing like watching the premiere of Re:Session after an October session! On Halloween no less. Photo courtesy of Aaron Swain.**

  • Blog post
  • 4 years ago
  • Views: 889
  • Not yet rated