First, I apologize for the delay of this blog post about the LA Burton premiere but hey, I had to go to the Irvine premiere too…and then it was Saturday….then Sunday came along and I had to watch football…then Monday is just lame so I couldn’t write it then. So Happy Tuesday! Here’s the rundown of “The B” LA Burton Premiere at the Burton Flagship store on Melrose Avenue.

This store knows how to throw a party. Burton always goes big with their events so Thursday night (October 1) they set up a gigantic projection screen on the rooftop of the store with the Hollywood Hills as the backdrop. There was the autograph signing session in their board hall as well as a couple open bars set up for all to enjoy. The party was packed with people and that store is pretty damn huge so when it actually feels crowded you know it was a good turnout. I think the free Pink's hot dogs and popcorn maybe had something to do with that. The autograph table had seats saved for Terje Haakonsen, Jeremy Jones, Jussi Oksanen, Kevin Pearce, Mikkel Bang, Hannah Teter, Ellery Hollingsworth, and Jack Mitrani but there were tons of other riders that showed up to give their support. (I saw most of them at the after party...c’mon, priorities.)

The premiere was a success. The video was awesome – I was pleasantly surprised at what they put out this year. “The B” had so much talent to work with and the result was impressive. It showcased tons of variety and mind blowing riding. I think deep down, some people tend to criticize the big guys (ahem…Burton in particular) and hope they fail at certain things and “The B” did the exact opposite. Throwing in the only footage of Shaun White killing his own private half pipe was pretty much ridiculous (in a good way) and then Keegan Valaika in the back country? Bonkers. Maybe what was even more nuts was the actual feature they made that was shaped as the "B" with pretty much the entire team hitting something on it at the same time. Way to go, guys.

Last, I’ll summarize the after party. Everyone rushed over to The Spanish Kitchen to hopefully get let in before the mass crowds started lining up. Of course, we get there and we’re asked to wait outside in line but with a little persuasion…and maybe some sneakiness, we got inside to enjoy another open bar and delicious free food. Louie Vito was even on the dance floor busting a move…wait, maybe that wasn’t him. Anyway, it was a good time with good vibes and good people.

Thanks Burton for yet, another awesome time.

Oh good ole snowboard video premieres. Finally, there’s one up in Los Angeles instead of Orange County, my laziness conflicts with any drive south of Long Beach or north of Sunset Boulevard. The fact that most of the snowboard companies based in Cali are down in Irvine or San Diego doesn’t help my case. Well, and the fact that no one wants to come to Los Angeles. Just kidding...kind of.

Thanks to the amazing Burton Flagship store on Melrose Avenue, us lazy Los Angeles residents have an awesome Burton movie premiere to attend. This Thursday, October 1st, Burton’s new film, “The B” will be showing on the roof of this fabulous establishment equipped with free food and beverages (speaking from past experience, there will be lots and lots of booze). Also in store for the night, the Burton snowboard team will be lurking around including the likes of Terje Haakonsen, Jeremy Jones, Hannah Teter, Nicolas Muller and many more. Plus, they will be ready and equipped to autograph whatever you see fit.

The actual video is for sale now so you don't have to wait for the premiere to check it out and judge for yourself but I'm pretty sure the premiere will be much more awesome than watching it solo on your couch. Personally, I haven't seen it yet (too busy doing much more important things...hah...right) but I have seen however many different versions of the trailer they made and that in itself got me amped/impatient for it's release. (For those in the dark, there is a Backwards Teaser, Beautiful Teaser, Banger Teaser, Basic Teaser, Bail Teaser, and Butchered Teaser.)

So, if you are in the greater LA area, be sure to get to the Burton Store for the premiere from 6-10pm.

Live Music by Really Addictive Sound.

8175 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA

Oh yeah…space is limited so they ask that you RSVP at RSVP@burton.com.

For more info you can call the store at 323-370-1777

See you there; I’ll be the one in the front row with a huge grin on my face and possibly a couple drinks in hand.

Okay, so I'm a few days late on this, but 1) it took me a while to regain movement in my extremities after freezing my ass off at the event; 2) I'm a cheap bastard and booked a hotel room without wireless access; 3) I spent all my money on proper slices that I can't get in L.A., a trip up to the Empire State Building's observation deck, and maybe a Guinness or two, so I had to skip the internet cafe, and 4) I was in New York City, bitch! I'm not going to kill time plinking away on a keyboard when I can be immersing myself in that incredible city, even if it is in the winter. Anyway, here are some more pics from the event - check out the rest here.

The 6Star Billabong Air & Style saw the Bergisel Stadium in Innsbruck, Austria, jam-packed with screaming fans as Colin Frei (SUI) flew sky high and launched himself to victory. Peetu Piiroinen' (TM)s (FIN) consistent amplitude placed him in second place which shot him into Swatch TTR World No.1, overtaking Chas Guldemond (USA). Throughout the night riders attacked the 12.2m Quarterpipe and put their bodies on the line for the chance to earn 1000 ranking points and '' 75 000 EUR. The Air & Style 09 saw the Swatch TTR Title race heat up and the aftershocks are still reverberating through Innsbruck.

Colin Frei was beyond stoked after his unexpected win: ' Before the last run I just thought ' " just shoot it all the way! And I did it. I still cannot believe that I won this contest. Crazy!'

The fierce competition, electric atmosphere and vocal crowd combined together to psych the riders to the limit.� Frei stomped a massive Mctwist Indy, rising to just over 6.5m, earning him the prestigious ' ~Ring Of Glory' . Peetu grabbed second with consistent� BS 5s and also took out the ' ~Nokia Highest Air' (TM), rising to 8.8m.� After his efforts he is now amped to be in Swatch TTR World No.1 ' I have never been World No 1 so it feels really good. It was my goal. But with more 6Star events coming up it may change.' � Olivier Gittler (FRA) rounded out the top 3 with a massive Mctwist that saw him step into Swatch TTR World No 15.

Other key movers and shakers in the Swatch TTR ranking included Chas Guldemond (USA) dropping down to World No. 2 as crowd favourite Antti Autti (FIN) moved into World No.6.� Kim Rune Hansen (NOR) climbed in the TTR Top 20 at World No.17 with Arthur Longo sitting on the cusp in World No. 21.� Norwegian Rookie, Staale Sandbech also continued his good form and cruised into World No.29, nipping at the heels of Jack Mitrani (USA) in World No. 27 and Seppe Smits (BEL) in World No.24.

With the 6Star Billabong Air & Style now over, the Tour seriously goes into hyper drive. It is 5Star action galore in the coming days with the 5Star Burton Canadian Open taking place February 2nd-8th, 2009, the 5Star Crans-Montana Champs Open presented by Rip Curl going down February 4th ' " 8th, 2009 and the 5Star Red Bull Snowscrapers rocking New York on February 5th, 2009.

Keep checking out www.ttrworldtour.com for more updated news, ranking and videos over the coming days.� As the tour blitzes along and it is sure to be nonstop action over the upcoming weeks.� With so many events on the horizon and so much at stake, it is guaranteed to come down to the wire.� In case you missed any of the 6Star Billabong Air & Style you can catch the live replay on Mpora.com.