U.S. halfpipe riders are all wearing the same sticker on their helmets these days. Squeezed between (and sometimes over) their sponsors' logos you'll spot one that reads: "I Ride for Kevin." Kevin is Kevin Pearce, whose Olympic dreams were tragically cut short on Dec. 31 when he fell badly during a training run and suffered a life-threatening traumatic brain injury.

The budding U.S. star was in a coma for several weeks, and while he's out now, he's got a very long recovery ahead of him. His brain has lots of healing to do, and his next trick will be learning to walk again. Pearce is currently recovering at Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colorado.

Pearce is a huge star within the snowboarding community. He was considered by many snowboarding insiders to be Shaun White's biggest competition heading into the Vancouver Games. White rarely loses. Pearce had beat him twice in the past year. Yet what makes Pearce so attractive to his fans is that he transcends all the media hype and halfpipe skills with a wonderful soul. It's one that's been firmly planted and nurtured by family.

Pearce considers his older brother David his hero. David has Down syndrome and a fist full of Special Olympic medals. He's done a remarkable job (with some help from his parents) of keeping his little brother focused on what's real and what isn't while he's risen to the top of his field. That bedrock and perspective is what makes Pearce so loved by his friends and fans.
His injury, therefore, was a huge emotional blow to the snowboarding community. Even would-be rivals crossed lines that aren't really there to offer their love and support. Fans flocked to the U.S. Grand Prix events carrying signs and banners honoring Kevin. Riders like Louie Vito and Scotty Lago put "Pearce Would Have Won" stickers on their boards. And White started sporting "I Ride for Kevin" stickers on his gear.

Today, there's a Facebook fan page, "Well Wishes to our Frend Kevin Pearce," with 38,267 fans. People post there by the minute, wishing Kevin and his family the best, and sharing their own stories of hardships overcome.

A recent post reads: "My 6-year-old cousin suffered a TBI [traumatic brain injury] in August that left her on the brink of death. She is walking, talking, laughing and is set to come home from the hospital mid-March. This will be your story too."

There's been plenty written of late about which Winter Olympians make the most money. Shaun White is at the top the list, earning $7.5 millions from his sponsors last year. But two of White's female U.S. halfpipe team counterparts, Hannah Teter and Kelly Clark, are doing more than most with their millions and medals. Clark won gold in the 2002 halfpipe event, and Teter took home the same during the 2006 Winter Games. Both are competing for gold in Vancouver.

Teter started Hannah's Gold following her Torino Olympic victory, and she donates all her contest winning to the cause. The non-profit sells maple syrup, and organic cotton/hemp sweatbands for people living in Kirindon, Kenya. "We have drilled many wells there for drinking water and hygiene, built schools and shelters, and brought other needed supplies," said Teter. "The goal of our work there is to provide a higher quality of life to 70,000 people."

And Teter hasn't stopped there. "We have also recently contributed aid and supplies to Haiti after the earthquake, and are getting involved in several environmental protection initiatives. My goal is to do all the good I can, wherever I can, as long as I have breath in me. I want to help improve the quality of life for all: humans, animals, and environment. Whether we recognize it or not, we live on a tiny interconnected planet and we're all in it together. It's time we acknowledged that and start really working for the good of all. It's the best way to ensure our own good."

Kelly Cark feels lucky for all the opportunities she's had, and said she launched the Kelly Clark Foundation to give the next generation of snowboarders the opportunity to attend mountain schools. "I grew up being told that I could be or do anything I wanted to in this world, and I believed it," said Clark. "I also had the support of people around me to help me pursue my dreams. I know that is not always the case for everyone. Some kids don't ever have the chance to be great. I wanted to give them an opportunity to do just that. I know financially snowboarding is not a cheap sport, and I thought that could be a need and a great place to start helping. So I started the Kelly Clark Foundation to do just that. I hope to give my first scholarships next school season."

It would be easy for both of these highly successful women to rest on their laurels, and build their personal empires. But both Clark and Teter said they have a higher level of responsibility as professional athletes.

"As a professional athlete, I am in a place of influence, so there is no better time to raise awareness to things I am passionate about," said Clark. "Pursuing your dreams is something I am passionate about and I want to see people have the same opportunities that I had growing up."

Teter said just sitting back and basking in the glory of her success "Might be fun for like 5 minutes."

"Then what?" Teter asked. "Human beings are creative creatures, we need to evolve and contribute. Meaning is as critical to our existence as food is. And we all need to serve something bigger than ourselves--that's a key to happiness. There is so much need in the world and we all have so much capacity when we really care. My suggestion for everyone is to find something you really care about--something that pulls on your heart.--and turn your care into action. Don't look away and go back to sleep. Let your deepest values be what guides your life. You'll have a much more beautiful trip that way."

Hannah Teter (top) and Kelly Clark bring a lot more than talent to the table. Photos: Pensinger via Getty Images.

Jones Boards Solution

Jeremy Jones--big mountain Jones--launched his new snowboard line at the SIA show in Denver. He calls his Solution splitboard a "human-powered snowmobile", which he will need to complete the filming of his latest movie, Deeper. The two-year Teton Gravity Research project emphasizes using human power to score deep powder, instead of sleds and heli's. The board features Magne-Traction edges and directional rocker with camber underfoot.


Quicksilver Batfox Flag Jacket

Patriotic? No doubt about it. This jacket features 10k waterproofing and a rip-stop nylon shell; it's flashed with stars, stripes, and the good ole red, white and blue. You might see Todd Richards, NBC Olympic commentator and ripping snowboarder, sporting this coat up in Vancouver. It only runs $195, a small price for patriotism.




Lib-Tech ecoMotional goggles

Care to see the world through Lib-Tech's lens? This is Lib's first foray into goggles, and they integrated "technormous broknowledgy" into the design. "Even though we haven't seen the sun up here by the Canadian border for over 3 months, the Lib goggle features 100% UV protection," says Pete Saari of Mervin Manufacturing. The frames feature art by Lib Tech skateboarder artist Quincey Quigg.





Burton Prophecy

Burton introduced RE:Flex technology in their new Prophecy binding, which more or less provides riders with the versatility of a disc binding in addition to the benefits of Burton's EST system. According to Burton's Chris Cunningham, rider benefits include 70% more underfoot flex than traditional disc bindings, more cushion, and compatibility with all mounting systems. In short, you'll be able to rock this binding on a Burton deck, and it's compatible with other brands' boards as well.

Flow NXT-ATSE

Flow's lightest binding yet gets the full endorsement from Flow rider and U.S. Olympic Team member Scotty Lago. The NXT-ATSE has an aluminum alloy baseplate that's solid yet lightweight, and Flow's signature reclining hiback. It's capped off with the micro-adjustable Powerstrap that distributes pressure evenly over your boot instead of pinching pressure points. Great paint job, too.



Gnu Danny Kass C2BTX

Mervyn Manufacturing's Pete Saari said, "Danny Kass has gone bananas, but wanted to hold hands in the dark with his friend camber." So the crew at Gnu designed Kass a new all terrain freestyle board with a blend of banana and camber, plus Magne-Traction edges for maximum traction in the pipe and on icy park features. The former Olympic medal winner uses this board for everything from park to powder to giant kickers.




DC Judge

You either love the Boa boot lacing system or you hate it. For Boa fans, the DC Judge is a highly-adjustable boot that allows you to make micro-tweaks of both the upper and lower regions of the boot for optimal fit and comfort. It's got a flex rating of seven for all-mountain versatility and a synthetic leather shell splashed with some retro-fluorescent colors for added edge. Available in sizes 7-13.



Arbor Snowboard Highlights

Arbor debuted its "System" technology last year, which is essentially the brand's rocker/grip-tech technology that was developed with a systematic, board-wide approach. It was introduced on the Draft snowboard which ended up winning multiple rider's choice and innovation awards. For 2011, Arbor has taken the System and broken it up into three segments--the Mountain System, the Park System and the Jib System. System tech is now available in five boards, including the four pictured. From the left, the Formula, Westmark, Draft, and women's-specific Cadence.

The 2010 Vancouver Games aren't even underway yet, and people are already debating whether another snowboarding discipline -- slopestyle -- will debut at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. This past weekend in Calgary, slopestyle was included at a World Cup event for the first time.

The spectator-friendly event contains all the hallmarks of freestyle snowboarding. Each rider tackles several terrain-park features on the way down including jumps, rails and boxes, and they're judged on the difficulty level of their run and how many tricks they employ. Competitors don't race against the clock, and fluidity and precision are key to high scores.

U.S. Snowboarding Head Coach Peter Foley said that adding slopestyle to the Olympic program makes sense. "If you go to any modern mountain, you can see that slopestyle is how snowboarding is practiced by kids in America," Foley said. "Kids love to ride the park. For me, it is the logical next step for Olympic snowboarding, and you can see from the X Games and other big contests that the level it's being practiced at is incredibly high.

"I think the U.S. would be very competitive in slopestyle, although there would be big competition from the Scandinavians, and that's cool," added Foley. American athletes like Shaun White have had strong showings in slopestyle competitions for years, including White's record four consecutive top finishes at the X Games. That streak was snapped in 2007 when White took bronze.

Chris Rudge, chief executive officer for the Canadian Olympic Committee, believes the event's proponents are doing all the right things. "They're on track and personally I enjoy it very much, it adds the same kind of excitement that (halfpipe) does," Rudge said. "These are the kind of things they're looking for in the Olympic movement, to engage people."

To be eligible for the 2014 Winter Games, slopestyle will have to be included at two International Ski Federation Snowboard World Championships. Proponents are hoping to add it to the roster at the FIS World Championships in Spain next year, so it will be eligible for consideration by the International Olympic Committee.