Chas Guldemond is back at it again in the latest episode of his web series, "Droppin' in with Chas". Want to take a gander on what you think this episode is about? Weird, late season shredding. Again. Not that we have anything again slushball snowboarding and warm weather - it's just getting kind of repetitive. What can you do though? Work with what you got.

Chas gets in some snowboarding up in Tahoe at Boreal Resort and at Mammoth. He also squeezes in some skating at the Volcom Brothers skatepark which pretty much goes hand in hand with late season riding in Mammy. Head on over to SNOWBOARDER to check this episode out...

We Are Snowboarding is a new group driven by professional snowboarders that aims to give riders a voice in the evolving sport. The group has held three official meetings that were attended by top international pros. The purpose of this group is to aline riders with sponsors and event organizers so that the sport can mature in a positive and healthy way.

The group recently released an overview of their goals and aspirations.

Founding Members: Chas Guldemond, Mark McMorris, Peetu Piiroinen, Sebastien Toutant, Seppe Smits, Gjermund Braten, Sage Kotsenburg

WAS alliance: Jamie Anderson, Louie Vito, Mason Aguirre, Greg Bretz, Elena Hight, Charles Reid, Matt Ladley, Jack Mitrani, Luke Mitrani, Kaitlyn Farrington, Nick Julius, Scotty James, Jeremy Thompson, Spencer Link, Jordie Karlinski, Roger Kleivdal, Jamie Nicholls, Aleksander Ostreng, Soko Yamaoka, Stale Sandbech, Marko Grilc, Enni Rukajari, Possum Torr, Ulrik Badertscher, Sam Hulbert, Cheryl Maas, Cody Boan.

Why does W.A.S. exist?

W.A.S. exists to give riders a voice within the competitive snowboarding arena in order to help facilitate a positive, mature progression of the sport.

W.A.S. seeks to align the interests of event organizers with those of competitive snowboarders in order to help establish a healthy competitive schedule that benefits the competition circuit, the sport, the athletes, the sponsors, the media, and also the end viewer.

Big Picture: Between the TTR, FIS, Dew Tour and Winter X Games, there have been 27 major snowboard contests scheduled between December 2010 and March 2011 at venues all across the world. Each organization schedules its event series without taking into account the event schedule set by other organizations, which results in a contest calendar that is not only crowded, but where major competitions conflict with each other. Scheduling conflicts force riders to choose between events, which not only divides the competitive field, it devalues the viewing experience for fans who watch competitions where not all the top riders are participating.

Thirty million homes tuned into watch snowboarding during the 2010 Winter Games, making it the most watched event in the Olympics. As slopestyle is on track to become a part of the 2014 Games in Sochi Russia, snowboarding is on the way to becoming a "super sport." As more organizations try to get any piece of this small chunk of the youth demographic, more competitions are sure to be added to an already clogged contest schedule.

A secondary issue is that in most "super sports" there is a clear and definitive answer at the end of a competitive season as to who is "the best" competitive athlete in the world in that field. Right now, outside of the TTR World Tour, snowboarding does not have this. The fan, or end viewer, is left confused at the end of an event series asking the question, which snowboarder is "the best" -- the one who won X Games, Dew Cup, Burton Global Open Series, or the FIS World Championships? Without a defined tour, the end viewer has to accept what they hear on the television broadcast, and that's up to whatever tour you choice to watch.

Television also dictates the times that competitions take place and schedules that align with broadcast needs, but not necessarily the needs of the athletes. For example: competitions that take place at twilight when riders can't see landings, or during severe storms when riding conditions are obviously unsafe. Baseball stops in the rain, golf delays during thunderstorms, and ski jumping is postponed when the winds hit specific speeds. Snowboarding events should follow the same rules.

W.A.S. aims to become a collective voice for competitive snowboarders, who seek to work together with the organizers of the events in which we participate to create better events that benefit the whole community.

How W.A.S. formed?

W.A.S. is an idea that has been talked about within the snowboarding community for years. Last month, Chas Guldemond gathered seven of the world's most elite slopestyle snowboarders in a small meeting room just outside downtown Sapporo, Japan. This was known as the first W.A.S. meeting.

The meeting was driven by open discussion about the issues athletes face within our sport. WAS acknowledged that the key to change lies in the rider hands, by standing for what we believe in and taking action to tackle the most important issues for the best outcome of competitive snowboarding world.

The second W.A.S. meeting took place at the U.S. Open of Snowboarding in Stratton, Vermont, organized with the help of Stratton Mountain School. As this is one of the biggest competitions, attended by many of the world's best snowboarders it was the groups opportunity to continue the dialogue with more snowboarders about the issues and ideas W.A.S. had begun to discuss in Japan.

What was at first seven individuals grew to be fifty minds all collaborating on topics and issues that affect our future of snowboarding. That meeting set the standard for future meetings, embracing the spirit of the group to work together toward a few common goals.

The W.A.S. group again convened at Winter X Europe on this past Wednesday evening. The group has already made progress since the U.S. Open, forming alliances with several national snowboard organizations. These alliances are not only critical in gaining national and international support for the group, but also for raising awareness on the issues where W.A.S. seeks to find positive solutions. Solutions not just focusing on riders' issues, but the issues felt by people involved with competitive snowboarding at all levels.

This meeting in Tignes, France was the group's third and most prominent meeting yet, with some of the biggest names in attendance. Jamie Anderson, Louie Vito, Marco Grilc, Kaitlyn Farrington and many more voiced their opinions and helped to focus attention on discussing issues that matter most significantly to the group as a whole.
We Are Snowboarding is a young movement, but it is inspired by the youngest and most hungry generation of snowboarders in history.

As W.A.S. forms its core values it will move forward to come up with initiatives that align the interests of events, sponsors, and riders in order to help create a healthy and prosperous system that in the end will benefit the sport as a whole.

Moving forward, the group plans to meet again in the late spring to discuss plans for having a strong presence at the TTR General Assembly. The TTR is constructed as a Suisse Verein, where all the board members are required to meet to discuss all issues concerning the organization and the funding that supports its structure. Here W.A.S. aims to gain knowledge to move forward in a positive and influential manner. The TTR GA will meet in Stockholm on May 27th, and W.A.S. has vowed to have the original 7 members present at the meeting, plus more whom wish to join.

Stay tuned to the We Are Snowboarding Facebook page, along with Twitter announcements, and also on our home page at www.wearesnowboarding.com, for all your latest and greatest W.A.S. information.

W.A.S. -> Tell a friend, tell your schoolmates, and go snowboard.

In the best weather experienced all week, Men's and Women's Slopestyle Finals went down today in the picturesque mountain village of Tignes Val Claret in the French Alps.

Today marked the last day of competition for the second annual Winter X Games Europe. The riders were more than stoked to be competing under sunny skies in one of the last major contests of the season.

Kicking things off early this morning were the ladies who suited up and set out to take on the course.

The setup was much smaller than what the riders are accustomed to in the States, with three mini jib features and three mellow jumps.

While the course didn't have gargantuan jumps like the X Games in the states, the girls were still sending it, making today's comp one of the most thrilling events of the season.

720s were the trick of the day with over five thrown amongst the field of ten women. Third place finisher Enni Rukajärvi was charging the course and stomped a cab 720 with helped her earn a 93.66 and a shiny bronze medal.

Seventeen year old Norwegian shred, Silje Norendal put down a clean and stylish rodeo 7 which was warmly received by the swelling French crowd that had amassed on the side of the course. This trick, along with a solid rail section, earned Silje a 94.0 and second place.

This score was just 1.33 points behind today's winner, Jamie Anderson, who topped off at 95.33. Anderson displayed stylie rail combos and a solid switch backside 540 in her first run which earned her the highest score of the day. Anderson didn't land a seven, but her smooth, confident style proved to be what the judges were looking for.

After a short break for baguettes and shot-sized cups of tar-tasting coffee, the action continued with the Men's Slopestyle Finals.

Slope eliminations were cancelled a day prior due to low visibility and major speed issues, so the main event went down today among a massive field of 22 riders. Yesterday all shreds agreed on the best of two-run format making today's event tough for the panal of five judges.

The highest score in all of X Games history was awarded today to first place finisher Chas Guldemond.

Chuck G annihilated the course with one of the smoothest runs ever witnessed in a contest setting. Chas came out swingings and landed a cab double rodeo 9, a cab 1260, and a backside 10 which earned him the whopping 99.33.

After the event, Chuck G was pumped and all he could say was "Wow, just wow."

Hot on his heels was Sebastian Toutant whose winning run was smooth and included three double corks. In the press room, Seb said he was impressed he was able to get his dub corks around on all the small jumps and was pumped to place second at this event.

Rounding out the podium was Breckenridge's Eric Willett who also double-corked his way to a pay check.

Rather than ramble about how extreme these runs were, have a look for yourself.

Chuck G



Seb Touts



Eric Willett





Tonight the action continues with Men's Pipe Finals. Stay tuned for details.

Wet, soggy, and utterly terrible weather set the scene for the men's and women's slopestyle finals at the 6 star TTR Burton US Open at Stratton Mountain in Vermont.

The rain Gods took pleasure in relieving themselves all over the course today, making conditions slushy, mushy and sopping wet. Visibility was the biggest factor of the day with some riders opting to charge the course without goggles.

Speed was surprisingly not an issue, but the rain riddled course made simple transitions between features hard to navigate, which claimed several top riders early in the game.

This event marked the last TTR slopestyle event of the season, and buku bucks were on the line, so everyone soldiered on and tried to slay the course despite the slop.

Kicking things off were the women who suited up in Gor-Tex gear and took to the course. Kjersti Buaas, from Norway, was the first drop and set the bar for the ladies by proving she wasn't going down without a fight.

Buaas was a little squirrelly through the jumps, but managed to get her tricks around and scored a 74.5 which earned her fourth place.

Seventeen year old Silje Nordendal, also out of Norway, came out swinging and nabbed the third place spot for her technical rail tricks and boosty backside 180s.

This was the first big podium for the young ripper and she's definitely one to keep your eye on in the future.

Jamie Anderson, earned the overall TTR title based on her first place finish in slope semis yesterday, but had to settle for second place in finals today.

Anderson was keeping it cool and landed all of her runs, safely scooping up an extra $10,000 dollars for her finish today. Jamie walks away from Vermont a mellow $60,000 richer for her efforts today and throughout the season. Can you say baller?

Enni Rukajärvi of Finland snapped up the first place finish with a run that was smooth, solid, and technically advanced. She threw a massive cab 5 on the 'Bring It Home Daddy 'O Jump' at the bottom of the course that was super impressive and helped her earn a solid 86.5 making her the proud winner of $20,000.

Switching over to the men's side of things, the dudes were charging through the sloppy course, seemingly undeterred by the pissing rain.

Eric Willett of Breckenridge, Colorado was in it to win it and stomped a massive run that included a double underflip, a double cork, and backside 10. This run earned him a score of 90.4 which was a full three points higher than second place finisher, Mark McMorris.

The seventeen year Canadian sensation recently landed the first ever 1440 triple cork, forever etching himself into the ever evolving history of snowboarding. McMorris was smart not to try that behemoth of a trick today, but did bust out a cab double cork 10, which helped him earn a 87.80 and $10,000.

Rounding out the top three was Chas Guldemond who laid down a fiery third run despite the dismal conditions.

Guldemond came out of the gate in a fury and landed a run that consisted of a huge backside dub cork 10, and a menacing cab dub 10 on the bottom jump. The judges were far from generous with his score and only awarded Chas a 87.20.

There was lots of grumbling that this was super low for the caliber of the run, but Chas didn't seem to mind and was stoked to earn an extra $5,000 for his third place finish.

Today's contest marked the end of the slopestyle portion of this season's TTR series. Congrats to all the riders for coming out and sending it in the slush.

There's still lots of excitement to be had in both the Rail Jam and halfpipe sectors at the 29th Burton US Open in soggy Stratton, VT, so stay tuned- we'll bring you all the action.