For the first time, the Oakley Progression Sessions will cross the Canadian/US border and hold the first session of the 2012 year in Quebec,Canada at Le Massif Resort. This resort, the highest vertical East of the Canadian Rockies, is the perfect get away for girls looking to have the trip of a lifetime and step up their snowboard/ski game in a fun and supporting atmosphere as well.

Pro riders Marie-France Roy, Kaya Turski, Kim Lamarre, and Dom Vallee will be the first batch of coaches leading the charge at Le Massif. Due to Mother Nature's lack of winter love for the U.S. - any shredder attending the Progression Session at Le Massif will be scoring amazing conditions as Canada has definitely received some healthy storms.

Regardless of snowfall, this mountain is fully stocked with insane views as a result of being directly next to the St. Lawrence River and will provide an awesome backdrop for the ladies learning and progressing on the hill.

Equipped with 52 all-caliber trails, 401 acres of skiable terrain, and 672 cm average snowfall - this place is any rider's paradise. For the girls geared up and ready for the park, Le Massif has the "Snowpark" that is groomed to its prime daily.

The first stop of the Oakley Progression Sessions is no joke. All attendees will have 2 epic days on hill, yoga sessions, a chance to build their own custom Oakley goggle,and will receive full advice from top pros. No real reason to pass this up ladies. Head HERE to register for the 2012 Oakley Progression Sessions now!

Photo: Massif de Charlevoix

With the new year upon us, it's time to clean out that closet and revamp your snow style. Out with the old, and in with the new.

There's no better way to start off 2012 than with spankin' new snow gear. With more than half of the winter season still in front of us, we've put together our top picks of Oakley gear that will help you stay styled throughout the season. We've put together our favorites from the Pro Signature Series and Rider's Collection and each piece exudes the utmost function and fashion.

Men's Snow Collection

Eero Ettala Signature Series: Lava Jacket- $280.00


Eero Ettala Signature Series: Lava Pants- $210

Eero Ettala Signature Series: Splice Snow- $160


Simon Dumont Signature Series: Preferred Jacket- $320


Simon Dumont Signature Series: Preferred Pants- $290


Tanner Hall Signature Series: Flare Jacket- $280


Tanner Hall Signature Series: Flare Pant- $240.00


Tanner Hall Signature Series: Crowbar Snow-$150


Women's Snow Collection

Pro Rider Series: Diagonal Jacket- $240.00

Pro Rider Series Lines Pant- $200.00


Open Weave Slouch Beanie- $20.00


Gretchen Bleiler: Signature Series

GB Cinch Jacket- $220


GB Favorite Shell Pants- $200.00


GB Lines Long Sleeve Knit- $68

Women's Elevate Goggle- $150

Women's A Frame- $150.00


Head to Oakley.com for these styles and more.

The Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium in downtown Beijing was the place to be on Saturday for the first 6 star TTR big air contest of the season. The second annual Oakley Shaun White Air + Style went down in front of a frenzied crowd of over 15,000 spectators.

Bright lights illuminated the massive man made jump as the world's best riders attempted to spin to win. With an overall prize purse of $100,000, a 1000 TTR points and the coveted Air and Style Ring all on the line, riders were throwing down heavy tricks in hopes of taking home the glory.

Throughout three intense rounds, Norweigans came out swinging and took all three of the of top spots.

Ulrik Badertscher made sure his name is one that won't soon be forgotten as he landed a super smooth backside 1260 rodeo indy grab that earned him first place. Hot on his heels was fellow Norwegian, Torstein Horgmo, who stomped a stylish cab 1080 double cork for second. Stale Sandbech is rapidly becoming a mighty force on the slopestyle scene and landed a backside 1260 mute grab that earned him 3rd place.

With this first big TTR contest under these riders belt, their focus will now turn to the Grand Prix at Copper Mountain which is going down this weekend and will be filled with heavy action both in the pipe and on the slope course.

Ulrik Badertscher's Winning Run



Beijing, China - December 2011: Ulrik Badertscher (NOR) won the Oakley Shaun White Air & Style Beijing competition in the Olympic Bird's Nest stadium tonight, followed by 2 Norwegian wingmen Torstein Horgmo and Ståle Sandbech. Ulrik received the coveted Air & Style Ring of Glory and 1,000 TTR World Ranking points.

Ulrik's winning run was a very clean backside rodeo 1260, which was also awarded Red Bull's Best Trick. Torstein Horgmo commented: 'Norway did OK today. There is no secret to it, we just all got juiced and we just follow some bad ass dudes, we just try to keep up.'

Favorites Sebastien Toutant (CAN) and Seppe Smits (BEL) both failed to reach the podium like last year. Seppe had the best results in the first round, but didn't manage to land his three attempts in the second round. Seb's cab 1260 double cork wasn't good enough to beat Ulrik's smooth double backside rodeo 12 Indy Grab, which gave him the highest score of the second round.

Stale Sandbech is the new leader of the TTR World Snowboard Tour Overall rankings and Roope Tonteri's 12th place was enough to keep him ranked no 1 on the Big Air Rankings. Ulrik Badertscher moved to the 5th position on both the TTR Big Air Tour Ranking and TTR Overall Ranking, a steady result.

The battle for the TTR Big Air Tour Title will have 3 more chapters, with the Relentless Big Air by Quiksilver in Stuttgart following on December 16-17. In 2012 it's on to Davos for the O'Neill Evolution from the 2nd to the 8th of January, and finally the TTR Big Air Tour crowning will take place at the Air& Style in Innsbruck, the final Big Air event of the year.

Torstein Horgmo's 2nd place run:



Stale Sandbech 3rd place run:

It's time for another winter of ladies getting together and enjoying some quality shred time together. The Oakley Progression Sessions have returned for 2012 and that means that girls all over who live for snowboarding and skiing can get coached by the pros, spend a weekend at a top-notch resort, and progress with an awesome group of female peers.

It's no secret that many girls get intimidated on the mountain -- especially when they have guys charging ahead of them and can think of nothing worse than bailing in front of a crowd, causing another rider to fall on top of them, or simply looking like they don't know what they're doing in general.

The Oakley Progression Sessions are a perfect place for girls to get comfortable hitting features, charge at their own pace, and receive feedback from top riders to help them improve. It seems like an easy decision. It's time to register ladies. Read the full press release below and watch preview video or go ahead and sign up HERE.

FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif., Dec. 1, 2011 - Oakley is pleased to announce the return of the Oakley Progression Session series - two-day ski and snowboard camps for women looking to hone their skills on the mountain. With four camps located throughout North America slotted for 2012, including a new stop in Canada, each will be led by professional coaches and Oakley athletes who are ready to share the lowdown on how to ride like they do. The four camps will take place at top resorts during the months of February and March 2012, and range in price from $189 to $300 depending on the location.



"We had an overwhelming response to the 2011 Oakley Progression Session series," said Oakley Women's Brand Manager Jenny Earnshaw. "The positive energy and progression of skill that emerged at each event not only affected the campers, but also Oakley athletes and staff. From watching girls ride in trash bags in the freezing rain at Loon until the lifts closed, to not one no-show during blizzard conditions at Northstar, to having girls road trip from New Hampshire to Colorado to attend a second session, we knew we had something special. Each and every girl that attended the camps absolutely killed it, taking their skills to the next level, and having a blast at the same time. Oakley, along with its partners, is very excited to bring this experience back with the 2012 Oakley Progression Session series."

The Oakley Progression Sessions will kick off at Le Massif de Charlevoix, Quebec, Canada, Feb. 18-19 with Marie-France Roy, Kaya Turski, Kim Lamarre and Dom Vallee coaching the event. The second stop will hit Copper Mountain, Colorado, March 3-4 with coaches Jenny Jones and Kristi Leskinen. Near Oakley's home base in California, the third stop will take place at Mammoth Mountain, Calif., March 17-18 with Marie-France Roy, Grete Eliassen and Maddy Schaffrick. Finally, the mountain on the east coast that started it all with their "Droppin In" camp will get a piece of the action March 24-25 at Loon Mountain, NH with Gretchen Bleiler, Ellery Hollingsworth, Silvia Mittemuller, and Kristi Leskinen.

The one-on-one instruction and all-female environment ensure a relaxed and unintimidating way to try new skills, tricks, jumps and rails specifically suited to each "camper." In addition to on-snow professional instruction, each Progression Session package will also include two day lift tickets, lunch on both days, morning yoga and stretching, an array of Oakley goggles and products to try, event tee, gift bag, discounted lodging (at participating resorts), Saturday aprÃès party and Sunday awards ceremony. In addition, at the Copper Mountain stop, Oakley has teamed up with Woodward Training Facilities to include 3 Woodward sessions with the camp.
To learn more or sign up, visit oakleyprogressionsessions.com. Visit oakley.com to learn more about the company's pro female athletes, sport performance innovations and lifestyle products for women.

Special thanks to Oakley's partners Le Massif, Copper Mountain, Mammoth Mountain and Loon Mountain and sponsors Muscle Milk, Zico, K2 and Unite.

The first 6 star TTR event of the season, the Oakley & Shaun White Air and Style Beijing is gearing up to take over the Olympic 'Bird's Nest' stadium in downtown Beijing for the second time . This year's event is stacked with a field of heavy hitting international pros who are all looking for their first win of the season, and hope to rack up a load of highly coveted TTR points.

Sixteen of the world's best riders have been invited to compete in the massive stadium event that hopes to attract over 20,000 spectators. Sebastian Toutant will attempt to maintain his title, but determined riders like Torstien Horgmo, Halldor Helgason, Mark McMorris and others will be gunning for the top spot and will undoubtedly be spinning to win in the Big Air contest.

As an ambassador of the sport, Shaun White will not be competing in the event, but will be onsite to encourage and support the riders.

The event is sure to be a wild one and is not to be missed. If you can't make it over to Beijing in time for it, don't worry- you can catch all the action on the live webcast at www.air-style.com.

Words: TTR

Just days before the first highlight of this snowboard season the riders list for the "Oakley and Shaun White present Air & Style Beijing 2011" is set. National Stadium, the Olympic stadium in Beijing, China (aka the Birdôs Nest) for the first time will house Asia's second edition of this 6Star Contest of the TTR World Snowboard Tour. On course toward Beijing's famous architectural icon are 24 of the world's best snowboarding athletes, with lots of enthusiasm and loads of Triple Corks in their luggage.

Obviously, their opportunity to compete in the world's most famous stadium and the hopes of winning the Air & Style title and its accompanying 1,000 TTR points is attracting freestyle snowboardingôs high-flying elite. Nowhere are the levels of competition and performance higher than among the 12 seeded riders on the "Top 16 Riders List" of the Air & Style.

Titleholder Seb Toutant (CAN), last yearÃôs runner-up Seppe Smits (BEL) and the Billabong Air & Style Innsbruck 2011 winner, Mark McMorris (CAN) will be challenged by none other than Norwegian super star and Winter X Games Big Air Gold Medallist, Torstein Horgmo, who after two years of Air & Style abstinence is making his return. Halldor Helgason (ISL), Nils Arvidsson (SWE) and Mikkel Bang (NOR) are always good for surprise performances.

Also, Billabong Air & Style 2009/II winner Marko Grilc (SLO), the US boys Eric Willett and Sage Kotsenburg, German hopeful Ethan Morgan and Ulrik Badertscher (NOR) are always threats for top results.

Riders and spectators alike will certainly enjoy the extended Air & Style contest format, as it brings even more tension from round one on. In the qualification round 12 riders compete for four spots in the Top 16 main contest, where they meet the 12 seeded riders. The qualifierôs riders list contains some big names with Gjermund Braaten (NOR), Jamie Nicholls (GBR), Roope Tonteri (FIN) and Staale Sandbech (NOR), but it also introduces some exciting and promising newcomers like 15-year old Yuuki Kadono (JAP).

In true Air & Style fashion, DJs and the live musical acts of "Chang Chen-yue" and "MC HotDog" featuring "FREE 9" will bring the expected 20,000 spectators to full raging party mode, and keep them there for hours on end!

Schedule:
Friday December 2 14.00 Riders Draw / Press Conference
Saturday December 3 15.00 Doors open 16.30 Contest starts /Qualification + Main Contest

Round 1
19.00 Oakley Rookie Challenge Round 1
19.30 Main Contest Round 2
20.15 Oakley Rookie Challenge Final
20.25 Main Contest Super Final Top 4 riders
21.00 On stage: Chang Chen-yue, MC Hotdog, Free 9
21.15 Winners Press Conference
22.00 End

Top 16 Main Contest
1. Sebastien Toutant CAN
2. Mark Mc Morris CAN
3. Seppe Smits BEL
4. Halldor Helgason ISL
5. Torstein Horgmo NOR
6. Nils Arvidsson SWE
7. Mikkel Bang NOR
8. Eric Willett USA
9. Ulrik Badertscher NOR
10. Marko Grilc SLO
11. Sage Kotsenburg USA
12. Ethan Morgan GER
Qualification Spot
Qualification Spot
Qualification Spot
Qualification Spot

Qualification
13. Gjermund Braaten NOR
14. Jamie Nicholls GBR
15. Staale Sandbech NOR
16. Torgeir Bergrem NOR
17. Roope Tonteri FIN
18. Kevin Backstram SWE
19. Petja Piiroinen FIN
20. Yuki Kadono JAP
21. Markku Koski FIN
22. An Taehwan KOR
23. Clemens Schattschneider AUT
24. Charles Reid CAN