Danny Kass popping off a ginormous ollie

"Danny Kass, you are still in the running to becoming America's Next Top Pro Model."



Snowboarder Magazine was kind enough to let Grind TV check out their first ever summer contest "America's Next Top Pro Model" held at Windells Camp on Mt. Hood Oregon. Editor Pat Bridges (standing in as Snowboarding's own Tyra Banks) and the entire Snowboarder Mag crew invited a slew of top professional riders up to the glacier with one requirement: they must have a pro-model board coming out this season.



An interesting array of pro's have graced the summer riding camp with their presence this weekend. From MFM to Eddie Wall to Lauri Heiskari to Danny Kass; you've got your contest killers and you've got you're shred-porn stars - and just about every breed of rider in between.



The riders battled it out for two days, earning points during each of the five "mini contests" held up on the glacier. Be sure to head over to Snowboardermag.com to check out the full coverage.


The first contest the riders had to anti up to was a regular old ollie-off.

Today is a big day for Steve Lawrence. The director of X-Games 3D: The Movie is on his way to L.A. for an executive screening at Disney. "It's a maker or breaker day for my career," he says, laughing. "But I've got a good feeling about this one." Judging by what we've seen of his latest project he should. The movie is ground breaking for both action sports and the medium of 3D, two areas that bring significant challenges to filmmakers.

"The toughest part of shooting in 3D is all your typical problems with exposures, angles and framing are doubled," says Lawrence. "Because when you're shooting 3D you're using two cameras that have to be perfectly synched at every level." Adding to the challenge is he doesn't have the luxury of second takes in the world of action sports, where the magic happens only once, and often in the blink of an eye.

Lawrence has been shooting X-Games competitions for well over a decade, and has worked on two other theatrical releases, including ESPN's Ultimate X, and a snowboarding film called First Descent. But X-Games 3D: The Movie is his first major release as a director, something he's been dreaming about since he started shooting surf films decades ago. "Surfing movies like Down the Barrel have given me the opportunity to work with the best shooters in the business," says Lawrence. "A lot of these guys have to be athletes themselves just to get the shot."

It's those relationships between shooters and athletes that drives lifestyle sports like motocross, skateboarding and surfing forward, something Lawrence said the Disney guys understood right away when he showed them some clips he shot in 3D. "They immediately saw the potential to really maximize the true potential of 3D and these amazing athletes, and I think we've pulled that off."

Tim Durtschi getting "did"

By Adryan Roane Ritter

"So I sleep in and miss my park shoot with Poor Boyz (fell asleep in the Timberline Parking lot)" pro skier and Windells coach Tim Durtschi explains in his Saga Outerwear Blog "...I am sitting in the parking lot, and a car pulls up. Little do I know that the person in the car is Bruce Weber, world class photographer. He tells me about the Ralph Lauren Winter collection shoot they are doing and they want to shoot some photo's of me."

Typical move for a pro shred... sleeping in and missing a shoot with your film production company. But if this isn't a case of "everything happens for a reason" then I don't know what hell is.

As the rest of the story goes, the three Windells coaches, pro skier Tim Durtschi and pro snowboarders Johnnie Paxson and Johnny Tsunami, were swooped right out of the Timberline Mt. Hood parking lot on the spot, dolled up in tight pants, reindeer sweaters and makeup, and matched up with "legit" models from Russia.


Johnny Paxson. Now no one can tell him to never quit his day job. He'd prolly make way more money as a model then a pro snowboarder.


OMG it's Bruce Weber! He's probably seen more almost naked models then anybody in the game. Tim Durtschi in the baby blue's getting told what to do.

Bruce Weber, one of the most famous fashion photographers of all time (we're talking Gucci famous, as well as being responsible for the sexy and scandalous Abercrombie black and white ads) shot the coaches accessorized with scarves, toboggans, dorky old-man hats, and even a husky puppy.

They boys were compensated a whopping $50 bucks, some sweaters from the set, and a pizza lunch for their whole day's effort. (But rumor has it If they make it into print with the ad campaign there will be ample compensation.)

Check out the Windells blog or Tim Durtschi's Saga Outerwear blog for more Ralph Lauren "behind the scenes" photos- and keep your eye out come fall for some Ralph Lauren Winter Collection ads in every fashion magazine in the world. Maybe you'll spot one of your favorite pro-shreds in there.

Bluebird Movie- Old School. Foreshadow

In 1997 some of you probably weren't even born yet, but this is what us old-farts had for shred porn.

No one had heard of Shaun White, or Danny Kass, or freshly cut 22 foot halfpipes. The idea of using a helicopter to film snowboarding was ridiculous. Travis Rice was just an annoying grom that followed the Jackson Hole Bluebird crew around town trying to fit in.

In 1997 Lance Pitman, Willie Mcmillon and Bryan Iguchi were IT. Every pro-ho in a resort town had a poster of Brandon Ruff on their wall. They were the playboys of snowboarding, pioneering a cushy path to rockstar status for all of the over-saturated sponsored riders of today.

Tip your hat, poor one out and pay your respects. This video is your history lesson for today.

Head over to www.bluebirdwax.com to watch more bluebird vids and scope out a rad brand that's been around longer than you've been alive.

Tanner Hall on the Podium at Winter X Games. Photo by John Vanderalk www.majestyphoto.com

Tanner Hall, one of the winningest freeskiers in history, has announced he is retiring from the competition circuit.

Hall, who has won three back-to-back medals in both X Games slopestyle and superpipe, recently made the decision after breaking both of his tibial plateaus and tearing both of his ACL's after overshooting at jump at Stevens Pass in May while filming with TGR.

"I'm kind of over and done with the contest scene," Hall recently told ESPN. "I came in and it was ten good years of having fun. Now I think it's time for the next chapter in what I want to do and where I want to take skiing, so I'm going to be focusing on making more film projects."


Tanner Hall mid-flatspin at the X Games. Photos by John Vandervalk. www.majestyphoto.com

Billy Mays RIP

Alright, we all know who win's this fantasy fame battle, but honestly... I'm going to buy the Billy Mays Tee first. Just Saying... Shout out to Yobeat.com for producing the Billy Mays King of Sale T-Shirt.

Shaun White at the Intelligent Design at Park City

Shaun White kinda leaked it on Twitter last week... Transworld Snowboarding definetely leaked it on Twitter today. No official word until Wednesday but... it is safe to say that YES Park City, Utah is the host of the final stop of the Grand Prix Tour where they will announce the Olympic Snowboarding Pipe Team. And YES, it is during the celeb-filled Sundance Film Festival. (Coincedence? hmmm?)

Will Shaun White, Danny Kass, Kelly Clark and Gretchen Bleiler make it through to the team? (With their major sponsors already banking on it?) What young guns are creeping on the seasoned vets? What new tricks will be thrown out? It's the most important contest of many of these riders lives, and already, seven month out, the politics are running high...

In other news... if you leak something on Twitter... is it called a Tweak?

Here's Shaun's Tweet from last week.

Billy Mays RIP

Man, these celebrities have been dropping like flies. First Ed, then Farrah and MJ, and now Billy Mays.

For those of you who don't quite remember Billy Mays right off the bat, just think back to the last time you woke up on the couch to blaring infomercials after falling asleep watching Late Night. Yeah, that obnoxious guy selling OxiClean and Mighty Mend-It... that is Billy Mays.

Awhile back DC Snowboards actually hired Billy Mays to help them sell stuff. They turned out pretty funny. Check out the infomercial spoofs below. It's our small way of paying tribute and saying thanks to Billy Mays.

Neff's tribute to Michael Jackson

The snowboarding headwear company Neff is officially the first snow brand to cash in on the recent Michael Jackson death, releasing this t-shirt design this morning that they say is a "perfect way to represent the King of Pop and let his legend live on."

Check out the Neff blog for more.