Brace yourselves for even more cracked-out and committed film from Teton Gravity Research and the mad-man himself, Jeremy Jones. After releasing the monumental film, "Deeper" last year that changed how so many in the snow industry, hell, in any industry viewed big mountain riding. The boundaries that were broken, the determination, and amount of work put into it seemed insurmountable. Guess it only makes sense that the same fearless group of people would be the ones to turn this insane project into a trilogy.

"Further" is the second installment of this ambitious project and presents even more first descents, matchless terrain, and unparalleled experiences that ultimately have impacted not only Jones but the entire group involved for good. Terje Haakonsen, Xavier De Le Rue, DCP, Nicolas Müller, Lucas Debari, Josh Dirksen, Forrest Shearer, and Ryland Bell are the passionate and talented riders in this film so in simply knowing that, one can only imagine what will make up this film.

Trailer below, hold on to your butts.

We had a feeling that Burton had more up their sleeve. Not that the first teaser for "Standing Sideways" wasn't sweet in it's own right but what can we say? We wanted a little bit more of a preview. To put it lightly, they delivered.

Under the title "Winter Storm Warning -- It's Happened Before", Burton has just released five and a half minutes of pure snow porn. The classy kind, not the kind that makes you feel uncomfortable. Danny Davis and Jack Mitrani pull their usual antics in the beginning and we'll never complain about that.

Hammers, bails, pow days, park booters, massive hits, street rails...it's all there, and then some. Everyone has shown up in this trailer and got us running laps around our living room in anticipation for winter. I wouldn't be completely lying if I said I am wearing my outerwear right now.

Share the stoke with this trailer 'cause this team isn't holding anything back.

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.

Change is a comin'. It's decision-making time for the International Olympic Committee on whether or not slopestyle will be included in the next Olympic Games. We all know where snowboarders stand on this issue, however, they aren't shy about wanting it to be by their rules.

Snowboarders making the rules at the Olympics? Rolls of the tongue nicely, right? But one can only imagine the nervous breakdown the IOC would have considering that concept. Although, with the massive following of the halfpipe finals, this should honestly be a no-brainer if one was looking at it from the popularity/spectator angle. Whatever, we just want more snowboarding and less figure-skating.

The movement behind slopestyle being part of the Winter Olympics; led by legendary snowboarder Terje Haakonsen, just got even more official with the signing of an Olympic Charter. This aims to eliminate contest scheduling conflicts and to shape the future of slopestyle in a way that continually improves snowboarding. Official press release regarding this little nudge at the committee below:

GrindTV Newswire, Via TAC: (February 17, 2011) This coming April 2011, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will decide whether they will introduce the slopestyle discipline into the Olympic Games program or not. Snowboarders from around the world support the inclusion of slopestyle, but only if the sport is run by snowboarders. With all the best slopestyle riders competing in Oslo, Norway this week at the highly regarded the 6Star TTR Oakley Arctic Challenge, the "Snowboarding 180 Olympic Charter" was announced which aims to influence the IOC decision.

Snowboarding is no longer the kid brother in the Olympic Winter Games. With over 30 million Americans watching the Vancouver halfpipe finals, snowboarding has a strong presence in the Olympic landscape. In the 180 Charter, the best snowboarders in the world recognize the Olympics as the potential pinnacle event of the sport, but only on certain conditions. They want their voices to be heard in an open and democratic decision making system, and they want a new order for qualifying to the Olympics.

Currently, the International Ski Federation (FIS) is running the Olympic qualifications. The ski federation does not currently do a world slopestyle tour but has announced that they will establish this if the discipline is accepted into the Olympic program. According to the 180 Olympic Charter, this will lead to conflicting event dates for the riders since there are existing slopestyle tours with established and progressive events. The snowboarders ask the IOC to make a 180 turn: Conflicting dates will hurt the progression of the sport. They want a common Olympic ranking for all world-class events, not only for FIS-events.

The Snowboarding 180 Olympic Charter is outlined below:

Snowboarding should be run by snowboarders.

- We recognize the Olympics as a potential pinnacle event of snowboarding, but only if our voices are heard.
- All snowboard events and organizations throughout the world must listen to the driving force of our sport: the athletes.
- Snowboarders want a transparent and democratic process in all decision-making systems that have an effect on our daily lives and occupation.
- Snowboarding will never reach its full potential with conflicting dates of major snowboarding events.
- We do not want a new world tour for slopestyle qualifications.
- We want an Olympic ranking to reduce the date conflicts of major events.
- We believe the International Olympic Committee has a responsibility to listen to our voices and make way for the unleashing of snowboarding's true potential.
- We want all powers to start a dialogue to find a solution for the better good of the sport.
- Preserving the status quo in snowboarding is not an option.

GrindTV Newswire: (November 3, 2010) The IOC executive board did not approve slopestyle for the Sochi 2014 Olympics at their meeting in Acapulco this week. They say the level of slopestyle riding as of October 2010 is not up to the required standards. IOC will await the development of the sport until the Ski Federation's (FIS) Snowboard World Championships in 2011. The executive board has handed all powers to President Jacques Rogge to make the decision. Terje Haakonsen invites Jacques Rogge to his slopestyle event this winter to learn more about snowboarding and slopestyle.

- It must not have been easy for IOC to evaluate slopestyle when the Ski Federation (FIS) has only done one contest. All the best slopestyle riders have been following another tour. Slopestyle has been progressing rapidly over many years in TTR's World Snowboard Tour and is on a world-class level. On a global scale it's a much bigger format than halfpipe. If you look at the top 10 from the Vancouver halfpipe finals, they are all great slopestyle riders. Slopestyle is the basics of snowboarding, says Haakonsen.

In a recent news story on the Norwegian main TV station NRK, IOC executive board member Gerhard Heiberg opened up for a wider interpretation of the term World Championships. As there is no slopestyle planned at the Ski Federation's Snowboard World Championships in Molina (Spain), he includes X Games as World Championship level events.

- This is a good move and gives the IOC a much better perspective on snowboarding, rather than looking solely at Ski Federation events. I support slopestyle at the Olympics as long as it is done by and for snowboarders. The TTR World Tour is undertaking 150 slopestyle contests every year in a fair ranking system that delivered over 5000 number of slopestyle ranking results last season. In snowboarding, we have developed a progressive judging system and have the best TV productions. Together with the World Snowboard Federation and TTR, we have created the World Snowboarding Championships in Oslo in 2012. Since the Olympics need snowboarding in their games, why not include the most popular discipline? says Haakonsen.

Terje Haakonsen's event, The Oakley Arctic Challenge, is also the trial world championships.

- I believe the trial World Snowboarding Championships is a good opportunity for the IOC to check out the slopestyle level. I will personally offer Jacques Rogge a guided tour if he accepts our invitation, says Haakonsen.