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More Shaun: On Conan O'Brien

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:54:32 PST

While we're on the Shaun White tip: Here's his appearance on Conan O'Brien. Man, he's been busy.

Sunny Opening Weekend For Mt. High And Big Bear

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:23:20 PST

This past weekend, I joined the masses in heading up to Mt. High and Big Bear to finally get some snow shredding out of my system. Both resorts opened up their lifts to the public on Friday October 30th, the earliest in the season that I’ve ever been able to ride. So, two resorts in three days…I’m ridiculously sore. I need to start doing some squats or something.

First, let’s talk Mt. High. Mt. High was impressively open from top to bottom. It was kind of weird that the whole chair ride up to the top we were mostly looking at dirt but what’s that matter as long you have some snow to get to the bottom, right? They had jibs and features the whole way down, from flat boxes to roller coaster boxes, double barrel down rails, C-boxes, and even switched it up with some boxes placed as the take off for a jump. It was a good, long, fun run. It was so good that the recently eliminated Tiny Dancer aka Louie Vito himself decided to show up with his Dancing with The Stars partner, Chelsie Hightower. Guess it was time for him to show her the ropes for a change. Pretty much everyone had a goofy grin on their face, obviously stoked to finally be riding some snow in Southern California.

However…let me say that it was about 75 degrees out, seriously making me wonder how the hell I thought that it was a good idea to run thermals underneath my pants. I contemplated joining the group of little snow bunnies that were running around in their tank tops and push up bras it was so damn hot. Let me set the record straight, I’m not complaining. I know the majority of people would kill to have such weather in November but, c’mon now, snowboarding in that heat was just weird to me.

So on Sunday I was prepared for the scorching sun. I cruised up to Big Bear with a few friends sans jacket, goggles, and thermals. Bear only had Chair Five running this weekend. Still, the shortness of the run did not take away from the amount of fun that was taking place. I took a few laps with some of the guys from Knife Show Inc. including Mike Benson (who will be editing and filming for Bear's video this season) and the main face of their films, Casey Wrightsman. They were already shredding and filming, trying to get all the footage they could. And why wouldn't they? They had about half a dozen features set up including some flat boxes, a down barrel, a wall ride, a C box, and a flat-down box. It was easy to get a ton of laps in this park with the lift line moving pretty quickly and chair five not being too long of a lift. It was definitely still insanely warm but every one had their sunglasses on, their zinc rubbed in, and their flannels flapping in the wind.

Even though every muscle in my body is aching and it takes me a minute to sit down and get from point A to point B, it’s just a reminder that I was actually riding this weekend. Hopefully the snow will start dumping and the temperatures will start dropping so that So Cal’s favorite resorts can open up the rest of their slopes! Keep praying for snow!

For proof that this all actually went down, check out the photo album!

The Many Outfit's of Louie Vito on Dancing With the Stars

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:07:48 PST

For sh*ts and giggles we thought we'd do a little photo review of Louie's costume changes on "Dancing With the Stars". To check out video of the dances and even more photo's head on over to Louie's profile here on GrindTV.com.

Fact: Louie didn't get to pick out his outfit's.

Fact: Louie is a really good sport.

Fact: Louie has good style on and off the hill. He usually dresses quite well.

Fact: Louie really is 5 feet, 5 inches tall.

Louie busted out the classiest of all his outfit's for the two-hour live season premier. This was outfit number one, worn for the "Foxtrot" dance.

Outfit number two for the night. There's nothing manlier then red sleeveless satin.

Aww, look... someone bedazzled Louie's shirt! This leather jacket outfit was for Louie and Chelsie's "Jive".

The "Rumba" is where he got a little creepy looking. Greased back hair and all.

Cowboy up. Everything but the Ass-less chaps for the "Two-step" outfit.

Louie really got his sleeze on for the "Argentine Tango". In real life Louie is not sleezy at all.

This was the fated "Jitterbug" outfit (nerd glasses and all)... the dance that the public voters decided put Louie and Chelsie in the bottom two. (Darn you America for not voting!)

And finally, the "Dance Off" outfit. Before he stripped down to the wife-beater and suspenders Louie had on a crooked black fedora and suit jacket that made him look like a 1920's gangsta.

Show Me Your Twit: Introducing Ms. Wendy White

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 18:04:42 PST

Tony Hawk tweeted a picture of the one and only Shaun White in his Halloween costume. It's epic, to say the least.

Here's what the Twit read:
"Introducing... Ms. Wendy White (assuming she's not married.)

To follow Tony Hawk on Twitter click here.
To follow Shaun White on Twitter click here.
To follow GrindTV Snow on Twitter click here.

And, of course, you can check out Shaun's official website here for more pictures and vids.

Sherman's So Cal Spray Tan Challenge

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:31:36 PST

For the newest installments of "The Sherman Show", Sherm and his BFF Mike Casanova head down to Southern California to soak up some sun and visit some sponsors before the snow flies. Somewhere along the way the "So Cal Spray Tan Challenge" was born. If you missed Part One from last week catch up below before scoping out Part Two.

PART ONE

PART TWO

Jamie Anderson's New Signature Outerwear Line

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:19:42 PST

Jamie Anderson has one more thing to add to her list of serious accomplishments in life. Right under two X Games Gold Medals, a Swatch TTR World Champion title in 08’, being named Snowboarder Magazine’s “Best Female Snowboarder” of 2009, Transworld’s “Female Rider of the Year”, and…man, there are too many to keep track…the point being; now she can add having her own signature outerwear collection.

Billabong and Jamie have worked together this year to create a few key pieces that illustrate Anderson’s style and preferences in outerwear. She recently strutted around New York City showcasing her collection to Lucky, Teen Vogue, Sports Illustrated, and ESPN. The collection includes the Peace outerwear jacket, the Love outerwear pants, and the Bling winter street jacket.

Of course there is some pinkish/purple and some yellow in the color way choices. I always seem to notice Jamie rocking at least one of those colors. No problem with it though, who isn't a fan of yellow and purple? Right?

Basically, Jamie is taking the snowboarding world…screw that, the world by storm. She is leaving her mark and she is doing it with style. Look for her Billabong line in stores this winter. Congrats Jamie. Can’t wait to see what you do next.

P.S. If you want to see the list of all of her impressive accomplishments check out her athlete profile on billabong.com

The LOVE Pant The PEACE Jacket The BLING Jacket

Vito Eliminated After Dropping Chelsie on Her Ass

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:08:44 PST

It was a good run while it lasted for snowboarding's prancing celebrity, Louie Vito. Seven weeks and making it to the halfway mark of the competition on "Dancing With the Stars" is no small feat. (Although at 5'5", Louie probably does have some small feet. Ba-dum-ching, bad joke.) Sadly, this week will be the last we'll see of Louie and Chelsie on prime-time television.

It all started on Monday night's show when Louie and Chelsie set out to do the Jitterbug. Louie was jitterbugging away when he flipped his partner up in the air and (literally) dropped her on her ass. (Watch the clip below- Louie drops Chelsie around the 2:20 mark, but the intro ABC did of them practicing is good laughs too.)

Don't worry, Chelsie wasn't hurt.

And Louie's jitterbug focus was so intense that he didn't even notice he'd dropped the poor thing on her bum. It was kinda hilarious.

His outfit and unexplainable nerd glasses made it even more hilarious.

Otherwise the dance wasn't that bad. Over the weeks the judges main complaints were that Louie wasn't really dancing per say, that he was more walking thru the steps. It was pretty obvious during last night's jitterbug and tonight's "Dance Off" that Louie was really trying to pep it up.

What is a dance off, you ask? Yes, it sounds like something out of a Ben Stiller movie, and yes, it is for real. According to all the buildup the first 45 minutes of the show, a dance off is taken quite seriously on Dancing With the Stars, although we can't say it without lol'ing.

Tonight's show happened to be a "double elimination", where two couples were eliminated rather than the usual single couple. America voted via text and phone after the celeb's did their thing on Monday night, and then three couples with the lowest amount of votes are singled out.

The lowest score of the three was Melissa Joan Hart. She got the boot right away with no last chance at the dance off. (Louie was definitely a way better dancer then her.)

That left Louie and Chelsie up against NFL star Michael Irvin and his partner Anna Demidova for the dance off (again, lol). Louie and Chelsie did the Jive and Michael and Irvin did a Samba, but this time it was up to the judges to decide who the votes went too.

During his dance off Louie managed not to drop his partner and he kept his energy level up, but he did have quite a few missteps.

Judge Bruno Tonioli voted to keep Louie and Chelsie in (we like that guy) but both judges Len Goodman (old stiff) and Carrie Ann Inaba (loud and obnoxious) voted to keep Michael Irvin on the show.

You gotta hand it to Louie though, he had the best attitude possible throughout his entire run on the show, including his final moment after he got kicked off. He backflipped off the stage (crowd pleaser) and told the show's host, Tom Bergeron, "Every week I was proud of myself just for getting out there... It's harder than it looks". And he said it with what has become his trademark smile that makes middle age women all across America want to pinch his cheeks and wash his hair.

And honestly, snow's a fallin' and it won't be long before a halfpipe opens up somewhere. It's time for Vito to get back to doing what he does best and start gearing up for the Olympic qualifiers.

Big ups to Louie for being a good sport and a great representation for snowboarding. Head on over to Louie's athlete page to check out all the dance vids... and some of him actually riding. Become a fan so you can see Louie's updates as he competes in the Olympic Qualifiers and tries to make the elite U.S. Olympic Snowboard Team for Vancouver this February.

Shaun's Secret Training Regime

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:06:05 PST

Photos courtesy of Burton.com

It's no secret that Shaun White is about ten steps ahead of his competition right now when it comes to slaying it in the pipe. America has high hopes for the red headed anomaly to bring home the gold in this February's Vancouver Olympics- and with that kind of pressure Shaun's been in extreme training mode for the past year or so. He's had private halfpipe's built, top-secret nighttime training sessions, and even took the summer off from skating vert ramp to concentrate on upping his game.

We've been wondering what kind of physical training he's been up to when he's not on the hill. We stumbled across this blog from our friends over at Burton and perhaps this is his Shaun's secret...

Olympic Halfpipe coach Bud Keene analyzing Shaun's "Batsman" technique on the "Pitch"

Ok, so the game of Cricket doesn't have a damn thing to do Snowboarding... but at least Shaun and the crew are having fun in New Zealand during their down time. Check out the full blog here over at Burton.com- there's more hilarious photo's. While you're at it cruise around in their News and Events blog. They've always got tasty nuggets of internet content to keep you entertained.

Just look at the intensity of Coach Keene's pitch...

The Sherman Show: Southern California Spray Tan Challenge

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 22:02:23 PST

Josh Sherman and Mike Casanova headed down to Southern California to kill some time before the season kicks off . Check out how the "Spray Tan Challenge" manifested itself on the B-Ball court and come back next week to see how it pans out for Nova.

WME vs Level 1 Productions Lawsuit Update: Warren Miller Releases a Statement

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:50:14 PST

As we reported last week, Warren Miller Entertainment, one of the oldest and biggest Ski and Snowboard Movie production companies in the industry, filed a lawsuit for trademark infringement against Level 1 Productions (a smaller, independent and very popular freeskiing movie production company) and their new 2009/2010 movie "Refresh".

As many may not know, Warren Miller Entertainment is a separate entity than Warren Miller himself. (You can read more about this here or at Newschoolers.com)

Warren Miller (the man) has released a personal statement regarding the lawsuit and his strong opinion on the matter.

"For so many of you who may not already know, I would like to clarify that I am not, nor have I been involved with Warren Miller Entertainment (WME) or their ski movies for quite some time now. When I sold the company to my son in 1988, I was excited about staying involved and helping carry the company forward. However, the company has twice since been sold, and it has been six years since I have had anything whatsoever to do with the films bearing my name.

The lawsuit that WME has filed against Josh Berman and Level 1 Productions is something that never should have happened. WME has no valid claim for Trademark Infringement, and that is why they are attempting to delay the action with Level 1 and go to arbitration with me. The judge will rule on the stay of action sometime this week. For Josh and Level 1, a stay of action only means that WME gets to put off their lawsuit, until the arbitration between them and me is finished. That is unacceptable as it leaves Josh and Level 1 hanging in the wind.

I stopped working with WME because our ideas on what the ski films should be weren’t on the same page, and they demonstrated that they didn’t want my involvement in making ski films any longer. WME’s statement that they “would like nothing better than to have Mr. Miller be a continuing part of WME,” but cannot because they are “a small company with limited resources and we are not in a position to meet the financial conditions Mr. Miller requires” is really absurd.

I have never made ski films solely for the money. I have always done what I do out of my love for skiing, passion for people, and the freedom that I find while on the mountain. I sat down and did an interview with Josh, a friend whose entire company, Level 1 Productions, generated less than $100,000 in revenue in 2008. While on the other hand, WME is the largest company of its kind in the world and is part of a multi-million dollar corporation, which is owned by a larger global conglomerate that posted more than a billion dollars in revenue in 2008.

I am really flattered by how much support so many people have shown not only to me, but also to Josh and Level 1 Productions. Thank you for reading this. Let’s all look forward to bluebird days and untracked powder snow!

-Warren Miller

Check out the trailer for Level One's new film "Refresh"

Newschoolers: New and Improved

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:02:19 PST

For all you ski enthusiasts out there we wanted to give you a heads up that our favorite freeskiing website, Newschoolers.com, got a new facelift this week.

We're pretty stoked on it. It's got a newer, cleaner layout, a bigger and better video player, and smarter navigation. All of your fav's are still in there, including the forums, photo's, cults, video of the day, daily articles, contests, etc. Cruise on over and check it out.

And while you are at it, you can follow the NS.com crew over at Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.

ROXY CHICKEN JAM EUROPE: SLOPESTYLE FESTIVAL IN SAALBACH HINTERGLEMM

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:36:37 PST

In 2010, the Roxy Chicken Jam presents itself with a new location and
an extended supporting programme. The seventh edition of the world’s
biggest female snowboard competition will take place from the 08th to
the 10th of January 2010 at the Nightpark Saalbach Hinterglemm. Apart
from the snowboarders’ top performances, parties and live acts like
Bunny Lake and the Wax Wreckaz will provide a great atmosphere at
Saalbach Hinterglemm!

The move of the Roxy Chicken Jam to
Saalbach Hinterglemm will bring the world’s best female snowboarders
closer to their fans: the Nightpark is only 200 meters away from the
village centre. Thus, the spectacular contest will attract more
spectators than ever before. The Nightpark at Unterschwarzachlift will
be shaped according to the demands of the world’s best snowboarders.
Two jib sets at the beginning and the end of the course and a triple
kicker line at the middle of the park will give the slopestyle artists
the opportunity to show their best tricks and moves on many varied
obstacles and prove their creativity and style at the fight for the
50,000 prize-purse.

The Roxy Chicken Jams in Europe in early
wintertime and at Mammoth, USA, at the end of the season both are
6-star events and the biggest and most important competitions of the
TTR Women's World Snowboard Tour – while the event at Saalbach
Hinterglemm sets the course for a successful season, the female TTR
World Tour Winner will be crowned at the Roxy Chicken Jam USA. With
1,000 points for the overall ranking respectively, the winners can
distance themselves from their competitors. At both events, the snow
park and the event format are specially tuned to the girls’ demands,
and the focus will be 100% directed on them. All in all, this leads to
stronger performances, and has made these events the benchmark
measuring the progression of women snowboarding as well as being an
avenue for unknown riders to make their mark.

For more on this article please visit http://www.ttrworldtour.com

Hannah Teter's New Effort: Saving The Seals

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:42:40 PST

PETA’S campaign efforts towards “Saving the Seals”, specifically the Canadian seals that are being wiped out due to slaughter, have gained another famous face. U.S. Olympic snowboard team athlete, Hannah Teter, has joined the impressive amount of celebrities that have become involved in this new ad series.

Teter claims that she heard about the disturbing annual massacre of Canadian baby seals through the PETA website and was blown away. The new advertisement shows all of the participants lined up wearing PETA’s “Save the Seals” t-shirt that sports the slogan, “Hug Me, Don’t Club Me”. Click here to view the shirt with prices.

Personally, I think this an awesome step for Hannah. She is a role model and inspiration to tons of people of all ages and by using her fame for such a good cause is very admirable and sets a statement. I want one of these t-shirts now. Think the peeps over at PETA will want me to pose for the ad? I mean, I can even be behind one of the celebrities…maybe just show one of my hands? I’ll look into it.

With Teter being included in the group of celebrities showing support for the cause, it reaches a different demographic and audience within the action sports industry. The more people aware of what is going on, the more chances people have to make a difference.

There’s a pretty gruesome video on the PETA website with an interview with Hannah…if you have the stomach and heart for it…click here.

Otherwise, get yourself a t-shirt! These seals need people to stick up for them!

Vito. Sleezy and Steezy

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:38:50 PST

The sleeze came out in full effect last night during Louie Vito's most recent "Dancing With the Stars" appearance during his "Argentinian Tango"

Check out the hair.

You gotta commend the kid, but he's giving us so much ammo for the upcoming season. Not sure if I'll look ever at his double-cork 1080's in the same way...

Nikita Flagship Store Trailer

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:16:41 PST

So, I've been a Nikita fan for quite some time now. I remember having a Nikita t-shirt when I first started snowboarding (ahem, 1999) that said "For Girls Who Ride" across the front. Pretty simple but I was stoked on it because it sent a message that said, "Yeah, I'm a chick and yes, I snowboard." In the 90's, I thought that was pretty damn sweet. Since then, they have grown tremendously and have extended their brand into a fashion forward clothing line that identifies with all the ladies out there who "ride". On September 26, 2009 they opened up their first flagship store after revamping an old four story house. Only downside for me...the store is in Iceland. Granted, that is where Nikita was founded and where it has flourished but c'mon, when the hell am I gonna get out to Iceland? Guess I'll have to settle for ordering online and searching through stores in California. Nikita provides tons of options for outerwear and street wear for all of us girls who want to sport something different and edgy that relates with what we love to do. They've just released a short trailer documenting their store being built and it's opening party.

Check it out below:

Nikita Flagship Store Trailer from Nikita Clothing on Vimeo.

Freeskiing at the Inagural Freestyle.ch in Berlin

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:29:57 PST

Words: Jeff Schmuck (www.newschoolers.com)
Photos: Dominic Zimmermann

The incomparable Henrik Harlaut took home another major win this week at the inaugural Freestyle.Berlin in Germany.

Henrik topped the field with a flawless and stylish double cork 1260, edging out Freestyle.ch champion Sammy Carlson, who placed second, 2009 X Games slopestyle gold medalist TJ Schiller, who placed third, and Jacob Wester, who was attempting the first ever double cork 1440's and landed in fourth for his efforts.

With two of the five major pre-season stadium big airs in the books, we now look ahead to the highly anticipated London Freeze on October 31st, the recently announced Barcelona Snow Show on November 7th, and the always exciting Stockholm Winter Jam (aka King of Style) on November 21st.

Stay tuned to Newschoolers.com as they'll be bringing you coverage on all three events as the snow begins to fall and the 09/10 ski season quickly approaches.

Results

1) Henrik Harlaut
2) Sammy Carlson
3) TJ Schiller
4) Jacob Wester
5) Andreas Håtveit
6) Jon Olsson
7) Bobby Brown
8) Elias Ambühl
9) Fridtjof Fredricsson
10) Nicolas Vuignier
11) Thomas Hlawitschka
12) Russ Henshaw
13) Jossi Wells
14) Andri Ambühl
15) Martin Misof
16) Colby West
17) Benedikt Mayr
18) Richard Permin
19) Simon Dumont
20) Oscar Scherlin

Jeff Anderson - I Am Snowboarding

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:52:06 PST

Next month, a collaborative art project is being put together in honor of Jeff Anderson, a professional snowboarder and all around amazing guy who tragically died in 2003. The project is entitled, "I Am Snowboarding." What would have been the month of his 30th birthday is now a celebration and remembrance of Anderson translated through art. Read the release below for more details:

“Jeff Anderson was a professional snowboarder for ten of the twenty-three years that he lived his amazing life. In that time he touched thousands of lives around the world in both the snowboard and skate communities.

Joel Muzzey: “Jeff Anderson is snowboarding. True Mammoth local. First-generation grom. Child of the 80s. Student of Life. Malcontent. Handrail destroyer. Artist. Aerialist. Younger brother. Devoted friend.”

In honor of what would be Jeff’s 30th birthday this November, and to raise money for the JLA Memorial Fund, a group of world-renowned photographers and artists, friends of Jeff and of snowboarding have come together to create an unparalleled body of work titled: I AM SNOWBOARDING.

One photographer is paired with one artist to create an original 30” x 40” piece. A photo of Jeff, shot by the photographer, has been enlarged onto archival canvas upon which the artist paints or uses any medium to create a unique collaborative work.

The resulting pieces are one of a kind, the partnerships formed in this project a tribute to the depth of the snowboarding, skateboarding and art communities.

All proceeds from I AM SNOWBOARDING go directly to the JLA Memorial Fund - the completion of the Brothers Skateboard Park in Mammoth and the support of local art.

The collection will be released for the first time in The Village at Mammoth, Mammoth Lakes, CA on November 14th, 2009 and will be open to the public for two weeks through November 29th. Opening Reception Saturday, November 14th from six to nine in the evening during Mammoth Mountain’s Big Kickoff Weekend.

Limited edition prints will be available online through Asymbol Gallery - Travis Rice and Mike Parillo’s new endeavor that showcases the art and photography that have defined their lifestyle for the past decade. Asymbol is set to launch this November. Originals will be auctioned at the end of the season. Details TBA.”

For more info click HERE

List of Partnerships:

Photographer – Artist

Danny Zapalac – Bryan Iguchi
Cheyenne Ellis – Matty Thompson
Chris Brunkhart – Matt Donahue
Jane Baer – Mark Gonzales
Tim Zimmerman – Mike Parillo
Jared Eberhardt – Michael Jager
Jane Baer – Jamie Lynn
Billy Anderson – RYNo
Shem Roose – Scott Lenhardt
Patrice Miller – Dustin del Giudice
Jeff Curtes – Nick Russian
Todd Hazeltine – 2jaws
Ryan Boyes – Ben Brough
Dean “Blotto” Gray – Shane Charlebois
Jane Baer – Devon Weniger
Stan Evans – Robert “Sticky” Shaw
Jamie Mosberg – Jojo Whitmarsh
Trevor Graves – Adam Haynes
Chris Owen – Tyler Lepore
Billy Anderson – Jamie Heinrich
MMSA/Steven Brown – Peter Stow, Brian Cook and Aaron Vujicic representing Stormriders

Can You Smell It?

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:50:45 PST

Winters coming.

Mammoth Mountain is reporting 20" to 30" inches of Snowfall last night and has announced they are opening early, Friday, October 16th!

Sunday River in Maine opened early... today!

Four other Resorts are open to the public already:
Boreal, CA
Loveland Ski Area, CO
Arapahoe Basin, CO
Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort, NV

Lots of early openings, lots of excitement. Rumors of an El Nino winter are heating up... could be a record snowfall year.

Mt. Baldy is running a deal for $49.95 season passes. (Limited availability- first come first serve. Click here for that one.)

You can still get a season pass for Breckenridge, Keystone and A-Basin for under $400 bucks.

If you aren't excited enough already, watch this Forum Forever teaser... then cruise over to ">iTunes and download it for only $7.00 bucks. It's one of the best movies of the season, hands down.

"Bowl A Spare, Save A Pair" B4BC Event

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:53:35 PST

Who in their right mind doesn't want to contribute to the cause of "Saving the Boobies"? This is precisely why everyone needs to show up to the Boarding for Breast Cancer event in Orange, California this Saturday October 17th. It's going to be held at Lucky Strike Bowling Alley, so yes, your dreams have come true, there will be bowling and it will be free. There will also be free admission, free pool, and five dollar Monster drink specials all night.

For you kids who won't go to any event without knowing you can win something, there will be a raffle for boards, outerwear and other sweet gear all benefiting breast cancer. This is the kind of stuff you just can't skip; it's for an amazing cause. We can't let the NFL be the only people sporting pink every weekend.

Another big reason to go - the all girl snowboard movie "Peep Show" will be premiering AND Roxy and Nikita will be putting on a fashion show for us all to enjoy. Tons of riders will be hanging out so come stop by to see Desiree Melancon, Leanne Pelosi, Bev Vuilleumier and the rest of the crew. All the fun kicks off at 8pm but sorry kiddies, it happens to be 21 years and over only.

They ask that you RSVP at peepshowfilms@yahoo.com.

Come show your support for Boarding for Breast Cancer, show them your bowling skills, your dance moves, and how good you look in pink.

Lucky Strike
20 City Blvd W
Ste G2
Orange, CA

Trouble on the Two Step for Vito

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:39:16 PST

Vito and Chelsie did their fourth dance last night on ABC's primetime Dancing With the Stars Show. And for the first time they may be in a little trouble. Vito's two-step was less than perfect and the two earned a low score of 16 from the judges. (Of course with this show its about who wins the nations vote, not what the judges score.)

Len Goodman, the old fart judge that gave Louie the nickname "Louie Frodo" said to Louie "It was a series of walks and then you stopped and Chelsie did something."

Harsh

See for yourselves... The tight jeans might have had something to do with keeping the "bounce" out of Louie's two-step.

Louie and Chelsie received the lowest score from the judges but are tied at the bottom with NFL star Michael Irvin... but again, its "up to America to decide." via voting.

The critics are not giving the couple any slack.

"Louie failed to find his inner cowboy." - Dawn Minty, Ledger Enquirer

"Louie Vito: It's Not Called 'Walking With the Stars'" - Lorilee Craker, Grand Rapids Press

"While Vito and [Chelsie] Hightower haven't come close to elimination this season, the name recognition gap between Vito and Irvin could come into play with viewer votes." - Elliot Olshansky, NY Daily News

Vito even took to defending the performance on his twitter last night after the show aired.

"I was told by the world champ of two step to not pick your feet up, lead the girl. We did a true traditional 2 step. I did the best I could."

Tonight may be the end of Louie and Chelsie. Personally I'd like to see him stick it out a few more weeks... or at least until Copper Mountain gets the first halfpipe of the season built (typically mid November). The rest of America might forget, but there's a bigger competition to be practicing for than Dancing With the Stars in Vito's near future, and that's making the U.S. Team for the Vancouver Olympics this February.

Check out this video to see what the snowboard industry is saying about Louie Vito on dancing with the stars.

A True Sneak Attack. Las Vegas Gets the Jump.

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:41:30 PST

The race to be the first North American Ski Resort to open up her trails and chairlifts for the season always gets a lot of attention this time of year, especially in Colorado. For the past, oh... half a century (give or take) it has been one of only two High-Alpine Colorado Resorts to earn the prestigious "First to Open" honor each season.

This year it was Loveland Ski Area on Wednesday, Oct. 7th. (See the story here)

Naturally the world assumed (well, those of us who care about this kind of thing) that Arapahoe Basin would earn the title of "Second North American Resort to Open" when they opened two days later on Friday, October 9th.

I mean, its a sure-fire bet. It's been One and Two for either Loveland or A-Basin for the past 40 some years when it comes to opening early.

But a small, unassuming resort had different plans for this season. And no one saw it coming.

Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort opened their lifts to the public just hours after Loveland's opening last Wednesday.

Seriously? Las Vegas and snow in October?

Beating out resorts in the Rocky Mountains???

The high desert mountain resort located just miles out of sunny Las Vegas really shook things up by throwing themselves into the race to open first in North America by breaking the four decade tradition.

And honestly, kudo's to the little resort for their hustle. Everyone likes an underdog story.

And of course, its a bonus for anyone living close enough and willing to make the drive. Historically riding and skiing as early October is a privilege only the spoiled Coloradans get to brag about. The Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort will be open every weekend during the pre-season until the regular season starts and they open daily. Discounted tickets are available. Check out their website here for more details.

The unanticipated opening of, quite frankly, the last ski resort in the nation I would have pegged to open early, is just one of a series of unusual events that lends itself to the industries rumors of either an "El Nino" year (the fabled "big snow" year that is said to happen every three to eight years and is generated from a certain world weather pattern) or, possibly, another effect of global warming.

Coinciding with the early opening of the Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort was the Burton B Movie Tour stop in sin city just days before the resort opened. Check out the gallery from the premier with photos of Terje, Mikkel, Keegan, Jeremy Jones and more of the Burton team here or by clicking on one of the thumbnails below.

And for even more stimuli, check out the GrindTV.com video from the second stop of the Burton tour in Irvine, CA here.

Game On

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 11:12:07 PST

Yesterday, October 7th 2009, Loveland Ski Resort took the coveted honor of being the first North American Resort to crank up it's chairlifts for the 2009/2010 winter ski and snowboard season.

For years the race to be the first to open has been held between the two Colorado resorts Loveland and Arapahoe Basin. The resorts neighbor each other and both sit at high altitudes on the Rocky Mountain Continental Divide. Last year the mountains tied for opening day on October 15th. This year, the October 7th opening is the earliest opening for either mountain in over 40 years.

Makes me wonder if those rumors of another El Nino winter are starting to prove themselves true.

A Basin plans to follow suit and open up her trails to the public this Friday, October 9th.

Breckenridge is quietly waiting her turn to open for the 2009/2010 season. Brian Henry Photo

LA Burton Premiere. Success In My Book.

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:09:13 PST

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.

Warren Miller Entertainment Sues Level 1 Productions

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:57:49 PST

Warren Miller Entertainment has filed a lawsuit against Level 1 Productions for trademark infringement as a result of Warren Miller's participation in Level 1's new ski movie, Refresh.

Last week, Warren Miller Entertainment (which is a separate entity from Warren Miller himself, and his foundation "The Warren Miller Freedom Foundation") filed a lawsuit against Level 1 Productions for trademark infringement as a result of Warren Miller's participation in Level 1's new ski movie, "Refresh".

Warren Miller, who is no longer affiliated with Warren Miller Entertainment, willingly provided commentary in Level 1 Productions' 10th film, Refresh, which has been receiving rave reviews.

Level 1 Productions is a small ski film company based in Denver, Colorado that is owned and operated by Josh Berman, who makes newschool ski movies.

Pro skier Tom Wallisch with Level 1 Productions' Josh Berman

Shortly after the filing of the lawsuit, Warren Miller Entertainment also entered a plea for a Temporary Restraining Order that would prevent last week's premiere of Refresh in Boulder, Colorado, which was denied by Judge Marcia Krieger, at which point the premiere took place in front of a capacity crowd at the Bluebird Theatre.

Following the filing of the lawsuit and the denial of the Temporary Restraining Order, both Level 1 and Warren Miller Entertainment released statements concerning the lawsuit, and earlier this week, Warren Miller himself entered the lawsuit as a potential third party intervenor. His Opposition is forcefully challenging Warren Miller Entertainment's trademark allegations, and alleging that WME should have approached him, not Level 1, over this dispute as opposed to suing Level 1.

Warren Miller

Although Warren Miller Entertainment lost the initial motion for an interim injunction (mainly due to the very short notice and duration of its filing), they are still pushing for a preliminary injunction against Level 1 for between now and the trial, which is scheduled to take place on October 22nd.

For more information and details on the ongoing lawsuit, go to Newschoolers.com.

Tight Pants, Wide Stance

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:39:06 PST

Well, well, well….look at what the ladies put together this year. Today, October 1st, the all chick snowboard film, "Stance", was released. And by released, I mean, FREE DOWNLOAD! For you! It's for a limited time only so click here to get yours. Jeremy Miller and Stan Evans were the minds behind this and ultimately wanted to “create the most innovative female snowboarding film to date...start a large initiative to push snowboarding’s creative and cinematic boundaries” (www.stancemovie.com).

Let me first start by just listing off the amazing talent in this video: Gretchen Bleiler, Kimmy Fasani, Raewyn Reid, Hana Beaman, Molly Aguirre, Laura Hadar, Jamie Anderson, Gabi Viteri, Lisa Filzmoser, Erin Comstock, Jenny Jones, and Torah Bright.

With all these babes teamed up with their best footage, you’re not going to be disappointed. There are epic shots of not only their riding but of the scenery and locations that they traveled to. I also was super hyped to see some of the girls out of their comfort zones. (For instance, getting out of that half pipe and switching it up with some powder and natural jibs.)

It opens up with Gretchen’s part and well; if her aim was to show her ability to ride backcountry…good job Gretch, mission accomplished. I’m sure there is more where that came from. Raewyn Reid. Um, seriously? That girl shreds like her life depends on it and her part proves it, she hits everything. All these ladies showed up with their game faces on and were obviously stoked which in turn, got me stoked. Also appreciated the couple random shots of these girls with their huge lifted trucks; don’t think they are trying to make up for anything.

Long story short: Love the music, the balls out riding, the creativity, the cast, the bails, and the variety. That’s my stance…what’s yours?

"Me, Myself and I" The Todd Richards Documentary

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:22:31 PST

This past Thursday night in the beach town of Encinitas, CA, Todd Richards introduced the world premier showing of the documentary that tells the story of "a kid growing up on the East coast who was a complete and total nerd who actually made something of himself despite everyone saying that he couldn't."

The movie is "Me, Myself and I", and it tells Todd's inspiring life story, from his first introduction to the barely known sport of snowboarding to his domination of the Winter X Games, to where he now- a family man, industry leader and owner of O'Matic snowboards.

Josh Landan is the award winning director of "Me, Myself and I - The Todd Richards Story". He has directed such films as "Against the Grain- The Tara Dakides Story" and "Flow- The True Story of a Surfing Revolution".

Josh is no stranger to what it takes to chronicle the life of a legend in a full length feature film, and he didn't hold back exposing the trials and tribulations that took place behind the scenes of Todd's high profile career. The documentary touches on sensitive subjects like Todd getting teased incessantly as a pre-teen and even the passing of his father right at the pinnacle of Todd's career. As Todd puts it "It has a lot less to do about snowboarding and it's a lot more of a coming-of-age-thing."

While at times the movie tugs at heartstrings, it also portrays many inspirational and heartwarming messages, like how important it is to follow your dreams and always have fun. Pro rider Luke Mitrani sums it up, "I hope every kid sees that. Especially every kid on [those websites] who just hate on every video. It's like 'It's just snowboarding. We're having a good time.'"

Check out the reaction video of the industry after the sneak peak world premier showing at La Paloma theatre in Encinitas and look for the release of "Me, Myself and I- The Todd Richards Story" in October, 2009.

Scotty Lago Gets the UnderCut

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 12:15:15 PST

Ouch. Scotty's slam at the Burton New Zealand Open... dramatized.

B There Or B Square

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:07:13 PST

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.

Show Me Your Twit

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:37:26 PST

This little gem of a tweet came from none other than the infamous Peter Line himself. If you are part of the twitterverse and you aren't following "Peetard" yet, then it is highly recommended. He is full of good ones like this:

I named my kidneys, my left ones named Robert and my right, John F. And they're both shot."

To follow Peter Line on Twitter click here.

To check out Peter's athlete profile and become a fan, click here.

Also, Mr. Line has himself a fancy blog that's chalk full of questionable drawings, pictures, blogs and poems. Take a leap into the "beautiful and sexy world of Peter Line" at www.peetard.com, and don't say we never did anything nice for ya'.

America Loves Louie Frodo... errr... Vito

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:16:06 PST

It's official. The results are in after last nights Dancing With the Stars premier and snowboarding's own Louie Vito is a hit in the mainstream, and he's earned himself a few extra nicknames along the way.

Show me those jazz fingers!

After Louie and his partner Chelsie Hightower danced for the first time last night, Tom Bergeron, the host on the show, called Vito "Louie Frodo". This came just after Bruno Toniolli referred to him as "A Dancing Hobbit".

We've been referring to Louie around the office as "Tiny Dancer" all week, but now we have to give those fruity judges on DWTS some cred for that creativity.

Although he's sure to never live those nicknames down, Vito has undeniably won over the hearts of America.

The San Diego Examiner says "Louie Vito is adorable." and goes on to say he "has a certain whimsical charm."

TV Guide's Joyce Eng gushes, "I love Louie! He is absolutely adorable..."

And Extra TV writes "[Vito's] smile might be stronger than his dance moves."

How could you not love that toothy grin?

At the end of the night after two dances (a Foxtrot and a Salsa relay dance) Louie and his partner were scored fourth overall by the judges, but its up to how America voted to determine who stays and who goes. Wednesday night is a double elimination night.

We're rooting for you Louie. Keep it up and just because that one judge Len said you should cut your hair we don't think you should.

To watch the full episode of the premier and see Louie's moves click HERE

Tiny Dancers

Louie Vito dances foxtrot and salsa.

Hot Dawgs and Handrails Wrap Up Video

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:41:09 PST

Yeah, you shoulda been there. See what you missed below and check out the blog and results here.

How to Vote for Louie Vito on Dancing With the Stars

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:24:13 PST

First off, It's FREE to vote... so you have no excuses unless you are really lazy.

Secondly, you can vote multiple times! Show your support for shredding and vote for Vito as many times as they will let you.

It's easy to vote and there are two ways to do it.

Online (The easiest way) : Go to http://abc.go.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars or Click HERE. There will be a VOTE link/button. Click on that. You just need an email address and it should let you vote numerous times. Use a different email address to vote even more times!

You may vote online until the next day!

Phone: 1-800-VOTE4-06 (1-800-868-3406)
You can call from a cell or a hard line. IT DOES NOT COST MONEY. You can call multiple times. The lines open at 8pm EST and will stay open a half hour after the show ends.

Louie and Chelsie (aka "Team Chito") recommend calling as early as you can and as often as you can. If you wait until the end of the show there is a good chance the lines will be busy.

For iPhone Users: If you have an iPhone you can text "vote" to the number 3406.

The show premiers live tonight at 8pm/7pm central on ABC. It is a three night premier.

If anything tune in just to see Louie Vito in this kind of getup.

What Really Happened: Hot Dawgs and Handrails

Sun, 20 Sep 2009 23:03:53 PST

This event gets better every year. What started off as a ploy to get Southern California residents up to Bear Mountain to buy a season pass at a "screamin' deal" has six years later turned into a highly anticipated and respected pro-jib contest that draws thousands of spectators and 50 of the worlds best rail riders.

The lollapalooza-esqe crowd herding around the sun deck (beer deck) and vendor booth city is in a class all its own. From the meat-heads to the die-hard old-schoolers, from the Magoon look-a-like's to the hormone driven teenagers flirting with each other and trying to find a signal on their cell phone. It's pure chaos. By 4pm before finals had even started, I had seen everything from kids vying to win a beenie by eating cupfuls of straight coffee beans to barely legal girls making out with each other on a bet... and that's just the legal stuff.

Todd Richards announcing from his perch overlooking the event and crowd below

The crowd's debauchery and chaos added to the energy of the event. Even though it was just a DJ spinning records, the entire afternoon felt more like rock and roll than a snowboard event. Its always good to see that many amped people show up to support snowboarding.

50 riders were invited to compete in the event. The riders in finals were whittled down from a qualifying heat and then semi-final. If a rider made it into finals they had already been shredding and hiking the course for about two hours... not including practice.

The course itself was completely unique as far as rail jams go. Besides the fact that it was long (requiring the riders to hike more than usual), it was well received by the riders. There were six features, each stationed with a judge. There was no question the judges were qualified; they were six of the worlds best jibbers LNP, JP Walker, Joe Sexton, Seth Huot, Keegan Valaika and Simon Chamberlain.

Keegan Valaika (far right) stationed at the feature he was judging during the event

Since each heat was a jam session with all the riders hiking and dropping at will, and since the course was spread out on two strips of snow like a giant horseshoe, there was always something getting thrown down. Trying to watch everything happen at once was like trying to watch a doubles match with four tennis-balls in play. As soon as you looked to watch a rider drop in on one feature a part of the crowd would erupt as someone stuck something at another feature across the way. The dialogue became a constant "Wait I missed it, what did he do?"

A couple of the features were simple, i.e. a down box and a c-rail, while the dog-house and pyramid features required more creativity from the riders. The wall ride became the crowd pleaser since the boys could huck backflips and rodeos onto it, consistently emitting screams from the kiddies, but it was the double-kink elbow rail that had the riders facing the ultimate challenge of the course.

Lacing the rail without getting bucked off was challenge enough, so when Ted Borland tailpressed through both kinks and all three doglegged sections it was a well earned "Best Trick" title. 16 year old Bear Mountain local-boy Zak Hale was neck and neck with Jed Anderson during the finals, both of them sticking tricks on each feature consistently and with style. In the end Anderson scored an inth higher than Hale for 2nd place and Hale took 3rd.

16 year old Zak Hale can buy a lot of candy with that cardboard check

Scotty Vine, another Bear Valley local, was the man to beat all day and he never backed down. Even in the finals when it was apparent all the riders were losing steam from hiking all day, Scotty was charging up and down the course- dancing on the rails, backflipping over the dog-house and combo'ing up his runs with new variations over and over again. He went home $7,000 grand richer at the end of the day.

Four hours of riding later and, despite some sunburnt drunkey monkeys lurking and snoozing on the sun-deck, the Bear Mountain wasn't about to shut 'er down yet. Just as the sun set they premiered their new movie "Parkumentary" via projector (in close vicinity to the bar) followed by the Stepchild/ThirtyTwo movie "This Video Sucks".

After that it was go-time for "The Official After Party" (Yes, it was really called "The Official After Party") at a bar a few miles out of town that doubles as a chinese restaurant. As rumor goes, the Hot Dogs and Handrails after-partys have been so reckless in the past that no bar in the actual town/village of Big Bear was willing to host this years party.

Without getting into gory details (and there was gore) lets just say that the after-party lived up to its reputation.

LNP and Gabby Maiden during "The Official Afterparty". Gabby looks scared due to the intensity of the party going on around them.

Results:

Best Trick: Ted Borland- Tailpress through the double kink

1. Scott Vine
2. Jed Anderson
3. Zak Hale
4. Jake Kuzyk
5. Ryan Tarbell

Shocker: "This Movie Sucks" Doesn't Suck

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 21:06:13 PST

There ain't no party like a tailgate party. And thats just what the crew at the SoleTech compound offered up to approximately 400 rowdy, tight-jean, PBR drinking, misplaced snowboarders on Thursday evening for the premier of the new 2009 Stepchild/ThirtyTwo Snowboard movie "This Video Sucks".

Simone Chamberlain and Seth Huot

As the miscreants slowly rolled in during the sunset hours they were treated to a skate sesh at the private indoor skate park at SoleTech. Non-skateboarders lurked in the beer garden (720 PBR's downed... nice work crew) and around the Taco Stand (which had a very authentic feel per the language barrier with the servers and the quality of food).

Snowboarder Magazine's Huggy destroying one of the 720 PBR's consumed during the premier

Projected against the outside white-wash wall of the skatepark the movie kicked off with a solid handful of the riders in attendance including JP Walker, Simon Chamberlain and Joe Sexton. That threesome makes up the "The Tripod of Homies", a term coined by young-buck Joe during the movie.

JP Walker trying to wrap up an interview with FuelTV and getting clowned by one leg of his tripod, Joe Sexton

JP has the closing part, big surprise there, but what did floor a lot of the audience was that he filmed his entire part switch... and it was good. The last shot of the movie was such a banger that it had kids on their feet as the credits rolled.

The folding chairs were the formal seating in front of the tailgate party. I kept waiting for a bridal party to walk down the isle.

"I've had a lot of video parts and I really wanted to challenge myself to do something completely different this year. After seeing the video for the first time at the premier last night, I am really stoked on the way it came out," said JP Walker. He went on to say, "There were a lot of good surprises and laughs for me watching it and I think the riders came through with good snowboarding."

Yes, JP, we couldn't agree more. Good surprises, laughs and good snowboarding. Well done boys.

Interview: David Kamo - Factory KTM Racing

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:08:46 PST

Two wins this year and a 12 point lead going in to the final 3 rounds, how do you feel about your year so far?
It is always hard to judge your speed after a long break like we have had – but I still feel confident and am ready to give it my all at the next round.

You have been working at this racing thing for quite a while now, working your way up through the ranks from a top amateur, to a top 10 guy to a top 5 guy and now this year you have put it all together and are winning some races finally, what has allowed you to just keep getting better year-after-year?
I have always been a more cautious rider and I don’t really ride over my head – I think that is part of the reason for it taking me longer to be on the top of the podium. I tend to be rather consistent and I hope to race for another 10 years or longer and if I keep progressing at the rate I have been I should do well.

Through the years you have raced in almost every form of off-road racing including WORCS, Hare and Hounds, Hare Scrambles, Best in the Desert, ISDE, World Enduros and you even had some success at Red Bull Last Man Standing, how does a kid from the Idaho desert become such a versatile rider?
I just try to ride everything – whether it is raining, snowing or if it is just plain hot and dry I ride. I like to ride where I need improvement the most which I feel really helps me in becoming a more versatile rider. However, I am still scared of trees!

Up until the last 2 years it seems like you have raced pretty much anywhere you can on the West Coast, pretty much being on the road every weekend, is it nice to be able to take a step back a little and just concentrate more on desert racing or do you miss being at the races all the time?
At first it was nice to have a big break and have some time off – but sometimes with the break I feel like I might be getting slower and I miss being at the races. For 2010, I plan to race more during the long break in the Hare & Hound Series - possibly some WORCS rounds.

This October you are once again headed to the ISDE as the captain of the Junior Trophy team, what's your expectations for the ISDE this year?
We have a really competitive team this year. I am really pumped to go because we know we have a great chance of doing well. We obviously expect to finish at the top. We are all determined to work together to meet this goal.

Thanks for your time, David.

Thanks.

Pony Up and Go to Big Bear This Weekend. Hot Dawgs and Handrails is Back!

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:40:49 PST

If you are in the Southern California region this weekend and you are craving a little snowboarding action after this wet, hot American summer, do yourself a favor and head up the hill to Big Bear on Saturday, September 19th for the annual Hot Dawgs and Handrails event.

Bear's going to magically pump out enough snow for a pro-invitational rail jam and the all the big boys (and some girls) of snowboarding are on their way out to play. Expect appearances by LNP, Pat Milbery, Johnny Miller, Zak Hale, Jed Anderson, Michael Casanova, Kyle Clancy, Austin Hironaka and a shit-load more.

Todd Richards and Snowboarder Magazine Editor Pat Bridges will be announcing the shin-dig (those two are hilarious announcing together, you don't want to miss that), and judging the rail jam will be pro rider's JP Walker, Simon Chamberlain, Joe Sexton, Keegan Valaika and Seth Huot (just in case there weren't enough pro's on hand already)

Other goodies include weenie roasting (the "Hot Dawg" part of "Hot Dawgs and Handrails"), music, vendor booth city, pro autograph signings. product giveaways and much, much more. Oh yeah, and it's the last chance to buy a Bear Mountain/Snow Summit Season Pass at the special "Roll Back Price"

And, probably what I'm looking forward to the most, the new Bear Mountain Movie "Parkumentary" is set to premier directly following the event along with the new Stepchild/ThirtyTwo movie "This Video Sucks".

The premiers are free, just show up on Saturday. Check out the trailers below for a taste of what the movies are.

Bear Mountain's "Parkumentary"
This film tracks 20 years of terrain park and snowboarding innovation, style, creativity and history at Bear Mountain and Snow Summit. Beginning with Summit’s hand-dug halfpipe in 1989 and the opening of Bear’s Outlaw terrain park in 1990 it all started in Big Bear. From the domination of Summit’s Westridge and Ego Trip parks of the late 1990’s, and the rise of Bear’s All-Mountain Park in 2002, to new one of a kind features coming this season, Big Bear has been leading the way in terrain park development and helping to push the progression of snowboarding for two decades. It’s a solid place in snowboarding history for a couple of resorts located in sunny Southern California.
EndFragment

Stepchild and ThirtyTwo present "This Video Sucks"

Watch the Online Movie Premier of Poor Boyz and Nimbus this Saurday!

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 11:09:28 PST

Poor Boyz Productions and Nimbus Independent has joined forces with Mobile Rider and Mountain Sports International to bring you the World Premiere of the Triple Threat Tour streamed live online the night of September 12th, starting at 7:00pm PST. Be sure to watch as athletes, sponsors and media arrive via limo, walk the red carpet and are interviewed by legendary pro skier Mike Douglas and Newschoolers.com's Jeff Schmuck. After an hour pre-show, the feature films of “Contrast” and “Everyday Is A Saturday” will be streamed for your viewing pleasure. The first fifteen minutes will be free, then users will have to subscribe for a $10 (USD) fee and will have access to the entire night’s activities for five total views over an entire month.

To watch the Online World Premiere of Poor Boyz Productions' "Every Day Is A Saturday" and Nimbus Independent's "Contrast" this Saturday night, head on over to Newschoolers.com

They Came From Teaser

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 21:28:13 PST

Check out the Teaser for the new film from Factor-Films. It looks insane with quality filming and editing. The quality alone is insane. Its a new European movie made in assosiation with Sweet Protection, DnB
NOR and Atikin. Featuring riders such as Eiki Helgason, Halldor Helgason,
Torstein Horgmo, Ståle Sandbech, Gulli Gudmundson, Roger Kleivdal, Kareem
El-Rafie and more… www.factor-films.com

Supergirl Invitational at Venice Beach

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 04:07:04 PST

2009 S3 Supergirl Snowboard Rail Jam Results
(from the final stop of the three part tour)

1. Laurie Currier
2. Nicki Sletcha
3. Desiree Melancon
4. Madison Blackley
5. Colleen Quigley
6. Danyale Patterson
7. Bryn Valaika
8. Leanne Pelosi
9. Erika Vikander
10. Melissa Evans
11. Ashley Thorton
12. Raewyn Reid

Best Trick : Laurie Currier with a front 180 Hardway to front 180 out.

"On a Boat!" with Danny Kass and the Grenade Crew

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 07:46:04 PST

The notorious Grenade crew has outdone themselves with this most recent video addition on their site. In a nutshell: an urgent transmission arrives at Grenade Headquarters. Mission 33 to be exact. General Kass abruptly stops his skate sesh to rally his troops. Next thing you know Kass, Sketchy D, Kevin Casillo, Tom Tom, and (of course) The Dingo are starring in their very own Grenade-esque remake of "On A Boat ft. T-Pain"

Keep an eye out for a real life mermaid, the infamous Zumiez orange couch, Sketchy D's flawless lip syncing pirate impression and a pseudo-impressive special effect explosion at the end of the video. Well done boys, well done.

The Grenade website has been going off recently. If you haven't been over there in a while make the jump and waste some time perusing the vids, blogs, and contests where you can win all kinds of signature Danny Kass memorabilia.

Todcast Special Edition with Travis Rice

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 17:13:47 PST

They just do things bigger in Jackson Hole. Throw Travis Rice and Todd Richards into the mix... together... and anything can happen.

Prospect Co-op Project

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 20:51:32 PST

The Prospect Co-Op project has been setup so that anyone can submit snowboard artwork to a real snowboard company with a real chance to have it published.

We've been seeing some rad ideas coming from independent designers and its important for us to offer. This concept, designed by Lane Lederman remains nameless at the moment, so we're calling it the bush whacker for now.

Lane submitted his design to us through our Co-op and within a few weeks we will publish his board on our site with a chance for people to reserve their board in advance.

The point of our Co-op is to give guys and gals, like Lane, the chance to have their artwork published with a snowboard company.

Screw design competition where you will literally be one in 1,000 to win. Our Co-Op is natural selection. If you design kicks ass people will want it and we are here to help you make it.

If you are interested in creating your own board for our Co-Op then here is where to start.
1. Put together the most rad artwork you can think of, just don't copy other people's designs.
2. Submit your artwork and create a bio. What is your artwork about?
3. Tell all your friends about your board so they want to buy it.
4. Your friends reserve a spot to purchase your board.
5. Once a few reserve orders come it we'll print your design.
6. When it is time to print we'll call to complete the reserve orders.
7. We then invest in your design and publish it into our line of boards.

This is your chance to be a snowboard designer.

Check out our Co-op page for more information and to see the current line of concept art.

If you are looking to reserve a model for purchase email us at contact@prospectsnowboards.com

www.prospectsnowboards.com

Top 5's With MFR

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 19:47:02 PST

Marie France-Roy. One classy lady who rips at Snowboarding.

Top 5 Shred Spots:  
1. Whistler/Blackcomb 
2. Japan's North Island
 3. Interior British Columbia 
4. Tahoe
 5. Any back yard session with friends     

Top 5 Vacation Spots:  
1. Vancouver Island
 2. Anywhere tropical that has surf
 3. Chanelle’s house in Cali
 4. Mexico
 5. Back home in Quebec     

Top 5 Songs to Shred to:  
1. Any Beirut song
 2. Lil Kim - How Many Licks
 3. Q-Lazzarus - Goodbye horses
 4. Any Wolfmother song
 5. Let me be - Xavier Rud   

Top 5 Places you have been:  
1. Japan 
2. Iceland
 3. New Zealand 
4. China
 5. El Salvador     

Top 5 Moments with Rome Team:   
1. Filming for Any Means
 2. Filming for No Correct Way
 3. Transworld awards in Vegas
 4. Camping trip in Montana for Any Means intro
 5. Rome sales meeting   

 Top 5 Rome Gear:
  1. Rome Lofi 
2. Rome Madison bindings 
3. Rome wallets
 4. Rome duffle bag 
5. Can wraps      

Top 5 Movies:  
1. The Never-Ending Story
 2. Super Troopers
 3. Simple Pleasure 
4. Throw Your Panties
 5. Borat     

Top 5 Shreds you Respect:
   1. Andrew Hardingham 
2. Gigi Ruff 
3. Nicolas Muller
 4. The legends, like Tara Dakides, Barrett Christy, Nicola Thost, etc…
 5. My friends Jamie Anderson, Chanelle Sladics, Hadar, B.E.V, Kjersti Buass, G-Baby, Annie Boulanger, Natasha Zurek and so many others...

Stay tuned over the next few days to www.romesnowboards.com and www.twitter.com/romesds for more updates and other happenings of the SDS.

Top 10 Fixes To Cure The Shakes (From Your Winter Withdrawals)

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:38:29 PST

It’s that time of year again. The dreaded last couple of months before winter when we fellow snowboarders begin to feel like alcoholics with a case of the shakes, in search of the nearest liquor store. There is one upside to this time…new snowboard videos! So, in an attempt to reduce my case of the shakes before the 2009 films are released I’ve made a list of my personal top 10 trailers of the season – the full length films will be dropping this month or next. Enjoy.

10) MFM Inc. and Finger on Da Trigga – “Hard to Earn” – People may have mixed views about MFM but my point is this: a ton of awesome shots and unique camera angles always prove to make a video worth watching and the riding more impressive. Plus, they use a great song…Sam & Dave – Hold on I’m Comin’. Give it a chance.

9) The Background Collective – “Me, Myself, and I – The Todd Richards Story” – Pretty much because Todd Richards is hilarious and anything that is about him will make any of my top 10 lists. It’s made by the same director that made “Against the Grain” (the Tara Dakides documentary) but has a completely different feel to it, hence, the ridiculous flashbacks to the 70’s. He’s been shredding forever and it shows, plus, he’s a cool dude. I’m sold.

8) Flow – “Bad Reputation” – This documentary is a) FREE and b) a ridiculous account of 6 weeks on the road with Flow’s team. C’mon…it’s got a lot of partying…and personally, I think drunkenness contributes to ballsier snowboarding.

7) Ashbury and Holden – “Videograss” – I’m just stoked to see this one because there are so many young insanely good jibbers in it and they continue to blow my mind with their video parts (cough Keegan Valaika). It’s got a mellow feel…and ya know what? I like that.

6) Burton – “The B” – Well…its Burton. Burton puts out some pretty sweet stuff…like, always. This year, they felt the need to release different versions of this trailer including a backwards version. Just because of that, they made my prestigious top 10.
.
5) Forum Snowboards – “Forever” – Let’s be honest, everyone is curious to see the next project that Forum is putting out. After “Forum or Against Em’” you’ve got to believe that their next film will be equally impressive and earn a permanent spot in your DVD player.

4) Alterna Films – “Elektro” – Whoever was in charge of the opening scene in this trailer had to know that it would win me over, no questions asked. If you haven’t seen this trailer yet, simply put; dance party to “Sandstorm” by Darude. That combined with HD and all the riders going huge…well, you can’t go wrong.

3) Transworld Snowboarding – “Get Real” – Transworld’s 2^nd snowboard film ever. I mean, they always seem to have the sickest footage and an unlimited amount of creativity. This trailer had me running around in my outerwear in August.

2) People Creative – “Nice Try” – “Nice Try” has the advantage of winning my number two spot because I love Shaun Mckay and Seth Huot and think they are awesome riders. Also, I’m a huge fan of People’s past work with “We’re People Too” and “Down with People”. This trailer, however, has an amazing scene involving a coin toss while they debate whether or not to stay and get drunk or be responsible and get to Whistler to shred. Underrated.

1) Absinthe Films - “Neverland” – And my number one spot goes to…“Neverland.” If you’ve seen this trailer, I think you understand. “Teenage Wasteland”, Absinthe Films, lots of fresh powder, and honestly, it just reminds you of your favorite days cruising around with your friends. Oh yeah, and the famous Travis Rice has a part in it.

Vito's Paparazzi Nightmare

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:40:48 PST

Not only is getting on "Dancing With the Stars" an instant 1/4 of a million dollar paycheck... but it's also an instant paparazzi nightmare. Random clips of Louie Vito (Snowboarding's newest prime-time TV star) and his partner Chelsie Hightower have started floating around the web. And by random I mean boring. I.e: Clips of them leaving the dance studio. Clips of them going to a party. Clips of them getting into their cars. Clips of them saying "text me" to each other. Clips of Chelsea signing autographs and Louie getting shoved out of the way. (OK that one is funny.)

Here's a taste of the randomness that is encroaching Louie's personal life right now. Can't say I'd wish this on anybody, but I guess that's what you get when you sign a deal with Hollywood. (Warning. The awkwardness of these paparazzi videos is painful to watch)

Did anyone else catch the "rhinestone snowboard" part? Or the "Wouldn't it be funny... [if] the first show you come out with some snow... and you... snowboard."

Blogs have been lighting up about Louie's newest endeavor. While most of them are harmless (mostly interviews), one in particular deserves special mention. Cracked.com's high-larious "The 'stars' explained" blog freakishly hits the nail on the head when it comes Vito's presence on the show. "Snowboarding is awesome fun. Watching snowboarding is not fun. Watching snowboarders not snowboard is right now making Satan punch the table and shout 'Damn, why didn't I think of that!'" The graph that accompanies the blog is a must see. (Thanks to Tim Zimmerman's twitter for pointing that one out.)

If you want to check out some of the other, more serious blogs about Louie's upcoming appearance on "Dancing With the Stars" check out some of his interviews at Transworld Snowboarding and Yobeat.com.

Seb Toots Wins Stylewars To Become TTR No.1

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 03:15:01 PST

The Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour has a new Tour leader: With his win at the 4Star Stylewars 2009 in Falls Creek, Australia, the 16 year old Sebastien Toutant from Canada finished the contest in front of his current biggest opponent on the Tour and fellow countryman Charles Reid. Toutant is the youngest Tour leader in Swatch
TTR history.

Reid now sits in World No. 2 with a 3rd place finish behind Norwegian youngster Mikkel Bang who took second place at
Stylewars. Eric Willett managed to enter the TTR Top 5 and is now ranked 4th on the world ranking list thanks to his 4th place finish at Stylewars and 3rd place finish in the Slopestyle format of the 5Star Burton New Zealand Open only two weeks ago. Stay tuned to ttrworldtour.com for the full news release and video from one of the sickest contest of the Southern Hemisphere winter, Stylewars 2009.

http://www.ttrworldtour.com

Dear BitchBoards, Please Stop Calling Us Names

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:36:51 PST

Dear Bitchboards, please stop calling us names;

Slowly but surely, the snowboard company BitchBoards has been creeping up on the snowboard industry. “Made by women for women” is their motto,and they are very much about girl power, independent women, “All my single ladies!” type stuff. Let me start by stating that I am a chick, and I snowboard, and I do appreciate women specific boards.

However, I laughed so hard shot soda out of my nose when I first came across this company. Bitchboards? Really? I mean...really? The name put me off right away. Don’t get me wrong, I like the idea of completely going after women’s athletic needs in snowboarding, and in most cases we do need differently constructed boards. So kudos to them for attempting to cater to our needs! But…

As a dedicated consumer please hear me out. Please rethink the name BitchBoards. It hurts my feelings. Stop pretending like that refers to a cool, athletic, fun, awesome chick. It does not. No one likes a Bitch. They are mean, nasty women who pour drinks on people at bars and then grow old and fat.

And I don’t “get” your ads.

That’s all.

Sincerely,

Mountain Girl

Ed Note: To see the full unedited version please go here . We here at GrindTV.com do respect the author’s free will of speech, or blog, but have chosen not to feature the complete works of this post.

Seb Toots and Charles Reid Win Stylewars Stairmaster 09

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 05:51:31 PST

Much to the surprise of the winners both Charles Reid and Seb Toots now share the title of Stylewars Stairmaster 2009 and the cash - unfortunately however, no TTR competition points were available. When it came down to tabulating the results the judges had both coming in evenly on top after the 30 min session.We had the option of running a super final (but the audio had unfortunately just died to the mic, the rail set up was being packed up and the public were leaving to the bar) or flipping a coin for the winner. The judges discussed style over tricks (as they both threw down each gap option around) and when it came down to it the two French Canadians were just too close to give it to one over he other. Not one person at the event has said that one was obviously better than the other and both had insanely smooth style and ridiculously tech tricks.

For more on Stylewars visit: http://www.ttrworldtour.com/events/season-0910/4star/stylewars.html

The Infallible Shaun White

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:43:35 PST

If I had a dollar for every time I write something along the lines of "Shaun White wins again" I'd treat all of you to ice cream.

Shaun White, the human snowboarding robot, laid down another absolutely perfect run at this weeks FIS World Cup Halfpipe competition in New Zealand. This comes right on the back of his win at the Burton New Zealand Open just last week.

Two for two ain't bad, especially right at the start of an Olympic season. This is starting to smell oddly familiar of White's last Olympic season in 2005/2006. The season that has been dubbed "Shaun White's Perfect Season".

During White's "Perfect Season" he won everything he entered, including the 2006 Winter Olympics Halfpipe Gold Medal. That year he won all five Grand Prix Olympic Qualifiers. He won the Winter X Games (both pipe and slope). He won every professional snowboard competition he entered that year, upwards of 17 competitions. And, as though the point hadn’t already been made, he took Gold in Skateboard Vert at the Dew Tour. Point made.

Fast forward to this summer. White put skating on the back-burner to focus solely on snowboarding. With his Olympic aspirations clear, he spent a good portion of the summer on the glacier at Mt. Hood, Oregon sneaking up to the hill after the lifts shut down to work on his new tricks. Well, he wasn't really sneaking. His team of people arranged for him to have the mountain literally all to himself, away from the "common people" and screaming fans.

During these special private training sessions at Mt. Hood no media was allowed, the pipe was freshly cut, and the snow stayed firm but still forgiving from the days heat. It was an idealistic situation to cultivate new tricks and add to his already chock repertoire. This is when and where White perfected his double cork's, the impossibly hard and cool-as-hell-to-watch tricks that have raised the bar drastically in snowboarding halfpipe. (And just in the nick of time for Vancouver.)

Because of the hush-hush centered around his training, none of White's major competition had a chance to see what he was up too. Rumors flew, but they didn't know exactly what tricks he was learning, nor were they privy to such a perfect training set-up. As far as going up against White this season, the competition was blind.

White's cannon-ball start to the season wasn't earned without a little bit of a fight. Other riders, slightly clued in with whispered rumors about White's progression as well as fueled by the looming Olympics, have come up with their own impressive variations of the double cork. Riders like Danny Davis, Luke Mitrani, Danny Kass, Louie Vito, and Scotty Lago (to name only a few) have all shown that they aren't easily willing to play second fiddle. If White wasn't in the picture it would be hard to say who the current top pipe rider in the world was. But, as seen in New Zealand, White's calm consistency and unexplainable style is currently trumping any efforts to take that title from him.

Shaun White claims victory yet again. Iouri "iPod" Podladtchikov of Switzerland and Kazuhiro Kokubo of Japan round out 2nd and 3rd at the New Zealand F.I.S. World Cup

"It's one thing to do a double cork but another to perform it in competition." White summed up after winning the New Zealand World Cup. In the finals, although they attempted, no one was able to land their double corks except, of course, the infallible Shaun White. He scored a jaw-dropping 47.1 points out of a possible 50.

The Burton Open just the week before was a similar story, with only White and Luke Mitrani able to land double corks in their final runs. They led the pack, 1st and 2nd respectively.

“I have some new tricks in store but I don’t think I’ll be revealing them right now.” White said with a humble smile after his latest win. And with that comment White lays the bait for the competition to catch up and give him a run for his money, he's more than ready for the challenge.

For the sake of suspense and good competition let’s hope that White's competitors do step up and close the gap in talent and skill that White so abruptly widened this month. But as it stands now, Shaun White is well on the way to a second perfect season and another Olympic Gold Medal.

Your Very Own Free "Bad Reputation"

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:53:44 PST

Flow Snowboarding kills it. They are the perfect example of a little company that makes big moves. Their team has always been something that I've been super impressed with. I mean, they could of just stopped with Scotty Lago- he's heavy hitting enough. Shit, his part alone in Travis Rice's "That's It That's All" makes him untouchable.

But no, the team is way more than just Scotty. You've probably heard of Tim Humphrey's, slopestyle killer and the geekiest, smartest pro snowboarder out there. (Seriously, he even fixed my laptop for me at the bottom of the course at the X Games. True Story.)

And then there is Olympic Superpipe shoe-in Antti Autti from Finland. He got 5th in the last Olympics and has been consistently landing himself on the podium at major pipe competitions since. He will be in Vancouver this winter.

I can't go without mentioning 19 year old female phenom Sarka Pancocohova. She's a mystery, that one. She comes from the Czech Republic (they snowboard there?) and Snowboarder Magazine Editor, and general snowboarding authority, Pat Bridges recently called her, "The best overall female rider in the world today.". That's a big statement for a little girl everyone's barely heard of, but it really comes as no surprise that Flow had the smarts to snatch her up before anyone knew about her.

Anyway, The important this is that Flow has a movie featuring their aforementioned team (plus more riders that weren't mentioned) they are releasing this year as a free download... (FREE DOWNLOAD!!!)

It's a documentary style film (looks like plenty of debauchery and exciting riding) that follows the Flow Team as they travel during the most intense six weeks of competition. From Mammoth to Switzerland and everywhere in-between. And It will be free to download. In case you missed that part.

We think it looks sick, but you decide for yourself. Watch this trailer. We've got trailer number two coming in a wee bit so stay tuned.

Go to the Flow site for more info... (*INSIDER TIP*... or check out their Flog Blog. Its actually updated a lot and pretty entertaining.) We'll let you know when and where you can download the whole movie. For Free.

Did we mention the whole movie will be for free?