Friends, family and fans of Jeff Anderson gathered this past weekend in Mammoth during the Grand Opening of the resort for the "I Am Snowboarding" Tribute Art Show.

Jeff passed away tragically in 2003 at the height of his snowboarding career. This month, 2009, would have marked his 30th birthday.

Photographers, artists and friends of Jeff were asked to create pieces with the Jeff as an inspiration. The pieces were auctioned off this past weekend to support the JLA Memorial Fund. The collection opened to the public this past Monday, November 14th at the Village at Mammoth and will stay open to be viewed for the next two weeks.

If you can't make it out to Mammoth in the next few days, take a quick peek at this video of some of the art generated by Jeff's peers.

It's no secret that Absinthe Films consistently pumps out one of the best snowboard movies of the year each season and this September's release of "Neverland" was no exception to that rule. Once again Brusti and his crew of filmers brought together an all-star cast of riders (DCP, Travis Rice, MFR, Kevin Pearce, MFM, Cale Zima, Bode Merrill and more) and as usual they have outdone themselves.

First things first, you can download the full movie on iTunes. Just click here to go straight to the source.

A movie as good as Absinthe's "Neverland" tends to do two things. 1.) It makes you REALLY want to go snowboarding and 2.) It leaves you wanting more.

Well, "Flipside" is where you can get more. For the fourth year in a row Absinthe has set out to create a series of episodes that documents everything that goes into making a snowboard movie of the Absinthe caliber. It's as in-depth as it gets to going "behind the scenes" with the pro's.

This year GrindTV.com will be bringing you each of these 10 to 12 minute episodes, set to be released every other week. We're starting off with a bang here- dumping episode's 1 & 2 on you at once. So take a longer than usual lunch break, hide your laptop under your covers before you go to bed, just do whatever it takes to sneak away for 20 minutes and get your drool on.

"Flipside IV" Episode One



"Flipside IV" Episode Two

Every season Burton throws a "Ladies Night" themed party at their LA Flagship store. Well that night will be gracing us once again this Thursday November 19th. Burton and Teen Vogue goodie bags for the first 100 gals, drinks, grub, and the opportunity to check out what the Burton 2010 women's collection has to offer.

All the info you need belooowwww:

Words by Jeff Schmuck
Photos by Nate Abbott & Alex O'Brien/K2 skis

On March 26th of this year, legendary skier, base jumper, father, husband, friend, icon, hero and all-around amazing human being Shane McConkey was killed in a base jumping accident in Italy. He was 39.



To say that Shane was one of the most influential skiers ever would be an understatement of grand proportions, and to say that his death shocked and saddened skiers all over the world, from the ones who knew him personally to the ones who never met him would be an even bigger one.



Shane left behind a wife, Sherry, a 3½-year-old daughter, Ayla, an immeasurable number of fans who idolized him, and a legacy that will undoubtedly never be forgotten in the sport of skiing. He was a true pioneer of the freeskiing movement, appeared in too many ski magazines and movies to count, was the first person to combine skiing and BASE-jumping, and revolutionized the way people now ski powder by designing the first ever reverse sidecut and reverse camber fat skis (similar to the shape of a waterski and surfboard).



Since the beginning of his career, Shane primarily worked with one ski film company only, Matchstick Productions. The Crested Butte, Colorado-based company was hit hard by Shane's death, and in the wake of his passing set out to create their most loyal athlete and friend's final segment. The end result not only captures Shane's history, talent, personality, humor, good nature and overall zest for life better than ever before, but it is also one of the most fitting tributes ever created in action sports history.



The segment was recently made available online, and there is no finer way to see what Shane was all about while saying good-bye to the most influential skier of all time.



RIP Shane McConkey. December 30, 1969 – March 26, 2009

The jumps are approximately 20 ft, 25 ft, and 30 ft, with "really good pop" according to rider Josh Sherman.

Today, Wednesday November 11th, Josh Sherman, Bobby Brown, Ryan Thompson, and a few other Breckenridge Pro Team riders got to go up to Breckenridge's park early to "test" the jumps for tomorrow's grand opening.


Josh Sherman- Rodeo Tail grab at Breckenridge today, 11/11/09






As usual, Breckenridge has come through with a sick triple jump line. That's more impressive than any other early season terrain park can boast. Most of the resorts that are open (Keystone, Copper Mountain, Mt. High, Mammoth Mountain, Bear Mountain, Brighton, Mt. Hood,...just to name a few) are sporting at the most one or two baby kickers or spines, more for jibbing around on.

The triple jump line isn't as big as it will get once the season picks up and more snow falls. You can be sure by the time the Winter Dew Tour comes to Breckenridge those jumps will be uber beefed up.

Breckenridge is cranking up their lifts to skiers and snowboarders tomorrow, November 12th. If you're in the area get your arse over there- a storm is on its way in for the weekend, so you won't be disappointed due to lack of snow.



Getting the snowmobile tow back up to rally the jump line again. Opening day for Breckenridge, Thursday, 11/12/09

If you haven't had a chance to see Absinthe's newest epic movie "Neverland" check out this little treat. Bonus footage from Bode Merrill. He had a sick part in the movie (you gotta see it) and its hard to believe he had this much extra footy and tricks on lock. Keep your eye out for this kid.

Go to www.absinthe-films.com to order the vid and check out Bode's bangers that made the official cut in "Neverland"

Another lady snowboarder has partnered up with her longtime sponsor to create an extensive signature collection. Gretchen Bleiler has her own '09/10 signature line with Oakley that includes street apparel, sunglasses, goggles, and a wide selection of outerwear. I first saw some of her pieces during her part in the movie “Stance” and almost immediately was wondering about it because her outerwear spoke so clearly “Gretchen”. They are all feminine but edgy with tons of small details from back embroideries to chains to customized buttons. This girl thought of everything including making sure the quality and fit can keep up with the girls that are shredding these days. The Oakley website featured a quote from Gretchen expressing her thoughts:

“From the Olympics to the X games, I’ve experienced the power of Oakley’s innovations for 10 years. The Gretchen Bleiler Collection pushes the limits of technology and design to elevate your riding to an art form.” – Gretchen Bleiler


(above) Gretchen in her Mane Jacket 2.0

Gretchen obviously put a lot of energy and thought into creating her collection out of her respect for Oakley and it shows. To view the entire collection click HERE.

Here is a PREVIEW of some of the outerwear that she came up with for this season.

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