snowboard colorado magazine

7/29/2019 Snowboard Colorado Magazine

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/snowboard-colorado-magazine 1/100

T HE T ODDRI CHARD S

T AP E S

A WY AT T S T A S I N O S

S I GHT I N G

S I AI S HE RE

R:

ANDRE WBRE WE R

P :

E - S T ONE

F E B.2 01 3



R I D E R : A U S T E N S W E E T I N

L O C A T I O N : R E V E L S T O K E , B C

Z E A L O P T I C S M A K E S G O G G L E S B U I L T

F O R T H E E L E M E N T S . C R A F T E D A N D

D E S I G N E D I N B O U L D E R , C O L O . U S A .



E X P LOR E

MOR E



LIVELY UP™ LEATHER SCOUT PACK

™

FEATURING EXCLUSIVE UPCYCLED FABRIC

Bob Marley believed in a better world. Today his family is creating it through a premium

collection of inspired products that give joy and give back: 5% of annual profits support

1Love, the Marley family charitable organization commited to youth, planet and peace.

LEARN MORE AT HOUSEOFMARLEY.COM

BOBMARLEY.COM

BOB MARLEY™ MARLEY™ © Fifty-Six Hope Road Music Ltd., 2012.Right of Publicity and Persona Rights - Fifty-Six Hope Road Music Ltd.



SCOTTY LAGO | SMILEY CREEK, IDAHO

I/O GOGGLE IN MINT KILGORE


http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/snowboard-colorado-magazine 9/100 SMITHOPTICS.COM

OUR GOGGLES ARE DESIGNED, TESTED AND BUILT IN OUR BACKYARD. AUTHENTIC SINCE 1965.

WE MAKE THE GREAT DAYS BETTER



F O R E P L A Y

I S S U E 3 . 6

R : Z A C M A R B E N

P : A A R O N D O D D S

L : E V E R G R E E N , C O



F E B R U A R Y



12PAGE FEBRUARY 2013 snowboard-colorado.com

F E B R U A R Y

I S S U E 3 . 6

"I am stoked that I am on a

road trip right now. We are

snowboarding everyday until

it gets dark, and even when

it's dark, under the moon."

C O N T E N T S

BLUE RIBBON

OUTSIDE THE BOX

LENSMEN

THE CHOP HOUSE

SOMETHING.NICE

VIDEO STASH

WE’VE GOT COMPANY

NEW TECH

PRODUCT SHOWCASE

LAST RESORT

STYLE POINTS

TODD RICHARDS

TRICK TIPS

22

26

28

30

32

34

36

38

40

48

60

78

90

C O V E R

Years ago, MFM hit this gap in downtown Denver while filming

with Absinthe Films. I remember seeing a really sick photo that

J2 shot from an obscure angle that inspired Cole (Taylor) and I to

put this on our "to do" list. MFM and J2 were part of our original

crew back in the Vail days when we were all young shredderswith nothing on our mind but shredding. Classic spots like

this dig up lots of good memories. Props to Andrew

Brewer for stepping to this dope feature and busting

some really sick grabs. Following in the footsteps of a

legend like MFM is not easy, but leave it to Brewer

to make that shit look good.

E-Stone

RIDER: Andrew Brewer

PHOTOGRAPHER: E-Stone

LOCATION: Denver, CO

R : W Y A T T S T A S I N O S

P : A N D R E W M I L L E R

22



LIVE Webcast Feb 27 — March 2

Get full event details and tune in

at Burton.com/USO

#BurtonUSOpen

LIVE BROADCAST

Fri, Mar 1: Men’s Slopestyle Finals 12:30 – 2:00pm EST on Universal Sports

Fri, Mar 1: Women’s Slopestyle Finals 3:30 – 4:30pm EST on Universal Sports

Sat, Mar 2: Men’s Halfpipe Finals 12:30 – 2:00pm EST on NBC Sports

Sat, Mar 2: Women’s Halfpipe Finals 3:30 – 4:30pm EST on Universal Sports

H A L F P I P E S L O P E S T Y L EE N T E R T A I N M E N T

VAIL, COLORADOF E B 2 5 — M A R 2 , 2 0 1 3

T H E W O R L D ’ S G R E A T E S T S N O W B O A R D E V E N T




F R O M T H E E D I T O R

WELCOME TO DENVER

Last year, during the Dew tour, I sat down with Todd Richards

to record a short interview for a 500-word piece we wanted

to do for the magazine. When the conversation continued for

over an hour and a half , I real ized that Todd had a lot more to

share than we could jam in a little one-page piece.

So, late this past fall , we got a hold of Todd again, this t ime

looking to shape a much larger interv iew. Again, Todd had

plenty to say, weighing in on the Olympics , the prevalence

and effect of energy drink sponsors, the overall softening of

the snowboard world - you name it . Because I fe lt strongly

about what Todd had to say, this piece was put aside to be

our feature interv iew in the February i ssue of Snowboard

Colorado Magazine, an issue we are stoked to share with the

entire industry at SIA.

Our opening Blue Ribbon story is also a piece that's been a

longtime coming. Wyatt Stasinos is one of the today's most

intriguing riders and it just so happens that Colorado has been,

and looks to a lways be , h is home. As a guy who spends a

great deal of his t ime in the woods, Wyatt isn't the easiest

dude to find and we spent a good bit of t ime this fall trying

to get a hold of him. His part in the latest Givin video, Too , is

incredible, and because we were sitting on some insane p hotos

of him, we f igured what better p lace to unleash the Wyatt

profile than SIA. This dude is truly on another level.

With this February issue of Snowboard Colorado, we would

l ike to welcome al l of our SIA v is itors , and thank our local

supporters for mak ing snowboard ing in Co lorado so rad .

Please, enjoy this issue and all that Colorado has to offer.

WORDS:

ADAM SCHMIDT

R : A N D R E W B

R E W E R

P : E - S T O N E




M A S T H E A D


EDITOR IN CHIEFADAM SCHMIDT

MANAGING EDITOR

MIKE GOODWIN

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

MATTHEW SECKINGER

ART DIRECTOR

ANDREW LANGFORD

ASSOCIATE DESIGNER

CODY ADAMS

OPERATIONS DIRECTOR

BILLY CONNOR

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVESJESSICA DEAL

ALEXANDRA LOHR

[email protected]

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

TUCKER ANDREWS

KELLI LYNN HARGROVE

CHAD OTTERSTROM

TERRY RATZLAFF

JJ THOMAS

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERAARON DODDS

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

MIKE AZEVEDO, DEAN BARNES,

MATT BERGLUND, JEFF BROCKMEYER,

ETHAN FORTIER, NATE HARRINGTON,

ZACH HOOPER, ALEX MERTZ,

ANDREW MILLER, THOMAS MINOR,

JON PACIARONI, TERRY RATZLAFF,

MEG HAYWOOD-SULLIVAN, PHIL TIFO

www.snowboard-colorado.com

Snowboard Colorado is a free magazine

distributed eight times per year, once a month

from September to April.

CONTACTADDRESS: 565 E. 70th Ave. 8-E

Denver, CO 80229

303-325-3040

Contributions: Snowboard Colorado Magazine is not

responsible for unsolicited contributions unless otherwise

agreed to in writing. Send all contributions and job

inquiries to: [email protected]

To carry Snowboard Colorado in your store please send

an email to [email protected].

Copyright © 2013 Core Market Media LLC.

All rights reserved.

F E B R U A R Y I S S U E 3 .6

@SBCOMAG

@SBCOMAG

@SNOWBOARDCOMAG



20

02

20

12

@keystonea51

facebook.com/keystoneA51

ke ys to ne a5 1. com

/// 60 ACRES OF TERRAIN PARKS WITH OVER 100 FEATURES! ///

/// RIDE WHERE THE PROS TRAIN! ///

/// PARK SPECIFIC LIFT, SO YOU CAN LAP ALL DAY! ///




I CAME BACK FROM NEW YEAR'S IN NEW JERSEY TO AN

ODD, BUT FITTING DECLARATION. "WYATT HAS BEEN MISSI NG

SINCE THE WINTER SOLSTICE," I WAS TOLD. NOT MILK-CARTON

MISSING OR MISSING IN ANY TRAGIC SENSE, BUT HE HAD BEEN

OUT OF TOUCH - WYATT HAD ONCE AGAIN, AS HE PREFERS,

SLIPPED INTO THE EXPANSE OF THE ROARING FORK VALLEY.

"It 's kind of my base and my roots," Wyatt tells me later,

describing the area he's always called home.

Aspen, and the terrain it af fords , shaped the way Wyatt

learned to ride his board, idolizing the likes of Doran Laybourn

and Ryan Lougee. It is where he emerged on the Burton program,

and it's where he landed shots as a teen in Grenade's legendary

Smell the Glove. The valley, more in a literal sense now than ever,is Wyatt's home.

He l ives in and of f these woods , regard less o f season ,

sleeping in a hammock as the mercury rises and retreating to a

sheepherders tent when the snow falls. As his longtime fri end,

Zach Hooper, puts it, "He has been sleeping outside every night

for the last 11 months. He is on a different level, a completely

different path … he is never really intrusive. If he cam e to stay at

my house, he would go sleep on the balcony. He likes being under

the stars and is really comfortable being by himself."

So you can understand my nonchalance in hearing the news

of Wyatt's absence, yet now, with deadli nes drawing near, the

revelation carried a little more consequence than the other times

I had missed him.

I spent a good bit of the fall in and out of contact with Wyatt,

running into him sporadically, each time briefly di scussing the

possibilities for a magazine story, with each encounter ultimately

amounting to nothing. He surfaced at Summit Music Hall this past

September for the Givin premiere, but I just couldn't get myself

to hassle him that night. Wyatt is naturally soft spoken, rightfully

garnering him the nickname Quiet Wyatt, and having just come

out of the woods, I didn't anticipate him being too ecstatic about

an interview."Is it weird to be in seclusion for that long and then come

down into the city," I ask him. "Is it overwhelming?"

"Uh huh," he replies, decidedly. "When you first start seeing

people, like a crowd of people, it gives you anxiety almost."

Beneath a th ick beard , dark and fu l ly connected to h is

mustache, and a Stetson-style hat, he had a hybrid gaze about

him that night, a wide-eyed blend of excitement and unfamiliarity.

As we sat on the floor in the back of Summit Music Ha ll, I turned

to him with half a thought of trying to record a few questions

WORDS:

MIKE GOODWIN

D.O.B.: 08/12/88RESIDES: Roaring Fork Valley, COHOMETOWN: Aspen, CO

SPONSORS: Jones, Analog, Seaba Heli,Levitation Project, Smith

R: WY AT T S T A S I N O S

P : ANDRE WMI L L E R

B L U E R I B B O N

f: 23b: 0goofy 22.5 in. 154 cm.



ISSUE 3.6 23 PAGE

over the drone of drunks stepping around us. When I couldn't

make out a word of his first response, I just let it go.

I caught him briefly again in Aspen during The Meeting, which

seemed promising as a more disarming setting, only to lose him in

a legion of white, dreaded Stephen Marley fans outside Belly Up.

I have not known Wyatt for all that long, but when I've been

around him, he has struck me as one of the most humb le, honest

and good-hearted dudes around. So having sent him an e-mail

expressing my concern about the story, I sat there thinking, "if

anyone is going to come through for me, it's probably Wyatt."

And sure enough, a couple of days later, Wyatt calls me from the

road on his brother's cellphone.

"Where are you?" I ask with resounding relief.

"We are in Salt Lake," he answers . His p lacid inf lect ion

makes hearing him on speakerphone diff icult enough but the

intermittent barking in the background renders it near impossible.

I reach for the little plus button on the side of my iPhone knowing

full well I have already maxed out the volume."You riding resorts?"

" A l i t t l e b i t o f b o t h . We h i t a r e s o r t and d id a l o t o f

splitboarding and we just got the sleds fixed. We are going to

take those out in a few days here. We were splitboarding today

near Brighton, got a few shots. It was cool because it was all

windy and we didn't know if it was going to break and we still

went for it. You can never listen to the weatherman."

Unti l recent ly , Wyatt 's been biding his t ime in Aspen as

Colorado eases slowly into its win ter, alternating between stints

in the woods and jaunts into civilization, washing windows or

taking up other odd labor to put some cash away for travel. On

the 10th of January, along with his brother Corey, he packed up

the Tundra and nosed west - out to f i lm the follow-up to his

captivating part in Givin's most recent video, Too .

Mind you, this year's Givin flick is fucking heavy - certainly a

tough video to standout in. Yet, the first ti me I had the pleasu re

of viewing it , albeit through clouded eyes, at Givin's Summit

Music Hall premiere earlier this year, Wyatt's part floored me.

The slashes, the pan-flute solos, the wizard hat - each part adding

to a sum of mysticism about the part appropriate of a modern

frontiersman."Where did you find that hat you wear in your entire part?"

I ask.

"Found that at a mountain thrift store," he replies. "We were

out in Baker and I was like, 'Oh!' It went from there."

In addition to the heavy Givin segments he's assembled the past

couple seasons, Wyatt has spent time, a long with his brother, behind

the lens of his 16mm, capturing in their own way, their travels and

conquests. (You may recall the powder killer, Blood , they released

a few years back). "That is kind of a soulful thing," says Wyatt of

WHEN YOU FIRST START SEEING PEOPLE, LIKE A

CROWD OF PEOPLE , IT GIVES YOU ANXIETY ALMOST






the project with his brother. "It is just a passion for snowboarding

and to just go r ide with my brothe r, chasing powder." Though Wyatt

couldn't say whether we would see a Blood 2, they've got the camera

with them on the road. Maybe we will get lucky.

"You're still in the woods I hear?" My mind wand ers back to the

wilderness. (Let it be noted that the average daily temperature in

Aspen for the week following December 21, 2012 was a shade above

12 degrees Fahrenheit).

"Yeah, we got all the gear to camp in the winter," he says. "These

last few days we haven't been doing that much camping. Just trying

to keep the gear all good and the cameras working and keep morale

up. It was like -11 for a few days."

"So, if you were back in Aspen and not on the road, you would

try to be camping no matter how fucking cold it is?" I ask.

"I do a bunch of camping out there, but it's easier because you

know the zones and the little cabins you can go to. There is a bunch

of that out here in Utah, too, like lookouts that you can go to."

"Give me a picture of your camp area."

"It's a really nice valley with nobody in it, just all the wildlife and

peace and quiet. It's very enjoyable to me."

The awesome part about Wyatt is that when he talks about

his being, it's devoid of any naturalist elitism, or holier-than-thou

sentiment you might find at a Boulder coffee shop. It's pure. No

front. No bullshit. "Wyatt is a really, really humble soul," says

Hooper. "He got dubbed the nickname Quiet Wyatt for a while

because he doesn't really talk. It is not because he is stupid; it is

that he likes to let his actions speak louder than his words. He is

jus t one of those dudes ."

"How long do you spend in the woods each time you head

out?" I ask.

"I always try to spend my age in days traveling through the

mountains," he says. "But I always end up spending more, just in

the mountains, not seeing anybody really."

"And what do you hunt with?"

"Small game, like a 22 or a bow," he answers. "Then I use either

a bow or muzzleloader for some bigger game and I carry some

fishing line and catch trout."

"So say you're out there in December, like you just were, do

you bring your board and whatnot? How does that usually go?"

"I am just out there relaxing. But I am stoked that I am on a

road trip right now. We are snowboarding everyday until it gets

dark, and even when it's dark, under the moon."

There was never a more indicative statement. Wyatt may keep

to himself most of the time, but in what he chooses to share, he

leaves no doubt where his passion rests.



WHEN YOU FIRST START

SEEING PEOPLE, LIKE

A CR OWD OF PE OP LE ,

IT GIVES YOU ANXIETY

ALMOST




P : M E G H A Y W O O D - S U L L I V A N




OUTSIDE THE BOX

BRANDON HAMMID

A r e y o u i n t o s n o w b o a r d i n g

naked? I just saw an interesting

photo of you.

Um, not too much. You know Shawn

Gruenhagen? (Vans rep). He sent

me boots and I sent him a photo

wearing them in my boxers - pretty

much naked. Then I went outside

and Bundy took a photo and posted

it on Instagram. Most of the time, I

am not into snowboarding naked.

Is a trick more badass if you do it

with your shirt off?

Kind of, I guess. Gives you that

street credit.

People that read this magazine

probably don't know what the

Bone Zone is. Why don't you give

me a brief rundown?

Well, the Bone Zone is a spot that

has moved a bunch of times. It

is just somewhere for a bunch of

people that put in a lot of hard work

to snowboard before the resorts

open. It's just a cool place where

you don't have to deal with paying

for a pass. I don't get to snowboard

during the summer that much, so it

is a good thi ng to have before we

go out and start filming for the year.

Tell me about some of the new

things you have built up there.

Everyone helped, but Alex (Andrews)

and I bu i l t l i ke a 15 - foot- ta l l

quarterpipe. It is like 11-feet tall and

then it's got a four-foot extension. So

that has been pretty sick. We built a

jump that is about 10-feet tal l out of

wood and a landing out of wood, so it

is pretty much good to go. We don't

need, like, four feet of snow. The Lick

the Cat kids built a pretty sick snake

run and we fixed the wooden down-

flat-down from last year.

You can actually go sideways now?

Yeah, because Ted (Borland) and

Scott (Stevens) both got killed on

it. So that thing is pretty buttery

now. What else? We have two Jersey

barriers up there and Bennee and

Deadlung pretty much did every

trick over them, like nollie tricks.

They killed it.

Sounds awesome.

Yeah, dude, there have been so

many people there this year. Scotty

Wittlake was there one day with

Mikey Leblanc and Jed. He was

hitting this red down-flat-down and

I watched him do a boardslide and

it was probably the sickest thing I

have seen there this year.

Where did Bone Zone come from

anyway? Have you penetrated a

chick up there?

Uh, that's the goal, but it hasn't

happened. It just came about. I

don't know exactly how the name

came up.

Have you done any Think Thank

stuff yet? Who you on the road

with this year?

Well, hopefully I will be on a trip

next week. I was waiting until I

finished up classes. We filmed here;

Ted has already filmed, like, four

shots or something. In the fall, we

jus t d id a bunch of premiere stuff.

W h o i s d o i n g t h e S a l t L a k e

filming?

Sean Lucey and Ross Phillips. Jesse

(Burtner) is pretty busy with all of his

shit going on. He is the new Mervin

TM or whatever. Between them and

Pika (Burtner), the three of them

pretty much make it happen. Jesse

is still killing it, he just has a lot of

other stuff going on also.

Every time I hear Sean's name, I

think of this one time in Salt Lake.

We went to some bar, Willies

maybe?

Yeah , Wi l l i es . That ' s funny . I

thought about that place today.

INTERVIEW:

MIKE GOODWIN

D.O.B.: 01/22RESIDES: Salt Lake City, UT HOMETOWN: Salt Lake City, UT

SPONSORS: Arbor, L1, Ashbury,Coalatree, Milosport, Beaver Wax,Celtek, Brighton Resort

R: BRAND ONHAMMI D

P : NAT HANI E L HARRI N GT ON

HAMMERED, WASTED, FULL-TORQUED. BRANDON LENDS A NEW

TERM FOR WAY TOO DRUNK - CHEROKEE FADED.

f: 12b: -12regular 20 in. 150 cm.



ISSUE 3.6 27 PAGE

There was huge brawl that night.

A group of people I was with got

into it with some ex-Marines or

something like that. I remember

Matt Guess was there - it was some

kind of Signal trip. I just remember

supergluing this cut on someone's

face together.

That place is kind of a shitshow.

You go there often?

It depends. If I am trying to send it

and just get crazy, I will go there. It

is not a place you go to hang out.

It's a place to go send it.

You much of a Karaoke dude?

Shit, I wish. Not as big as Sean

(Black). The best one I have seen

him do is probably Rammstein, like

that "Du hast" song. Maybe I should

do more Karaoke.

So, your last little Colorado trip,

how did th at treat ya? You were

pretty loose at the premiere.

I t was so fun. Jesse bought us

this sick hotel room, I don't even

know what the name was. It was

a weekend trip because I was in

school, so I was like, "All right,

we're partying." Like two hours out,

we started drinking beers - I was

probably six or seven beers deep

before we got to Denver. Ended

meeting up with Tony Perez, the

Arbor rep, and hung out in his van

right outside the premiere and just

got really hammered.

Where did you guys go after the

premiere?

I don't even remember. I blacked

out . I don ' t rea l ly remember

anything after 11:00. I remember

seeing Tucker Andrews and Ben

Lynch and that is kind of where the

lights started getting dim.

Yeah, that was when we split up. I

remember there was a lot of strip

club talk at that point. But I didn't

have the cash.

Might have . I se r ious ly don ' t

remember. I think what happened

was I blacked out, Cherokee faded,

and walked back to the hotel. I

am notorious for that. I will get

drunk and just, wherever I am, I

will somehow find a way home. We

were in Seattle and I did the same

exact thing at one of the premieres.

I got super drunk, blacked out and

somehow got a ride from Seattle to

my homie's house that was, like, 30

minutes away.

Did your opening part bring you

into favor with any Denver chicks?

Uh, maybe? I think I probably blew

my chances when I was on stage

screaming.

I think I have a good video of you

yelling something. I don't think

you were shouting anything in

particular, just yelling.

I t was so fun. That was a cool

venue. I want to spend more time

in Denver. It was only one night that

we got to walk around, downtown

Denver just seems so rad.

You can speak honestly. What do

people in Salt Lake City think of

Colorado?

Shit man, all I hear is, like, 'Never

Summer and peop le jus t get

sucked in,' and whatever, but I

feel like anywhere you are you're

always going to hear the worst

about i t . When I was there , I

enjoyed it and I have been to

Denver before and thought the

city was awesome. I mean, I hear

good th ings about Co lo rado ,

maybe i t ' s jus t i t ' s own l i t t le

world. But Salt Lake is its own

little world. People probably say

the same shit about it.

Yeah, same shit. You'll hear, "no

beer and Mormons," and we've

all been there. You can rip in Salt

Lake if you want to rip.

Exactly. So it's like everywhere

has its good things and its shitty

things. I went to Crested Butte and

I thought that was the sickest place

ever.

Ok. Well, I will shoot you an e-mail

if I need any clarifications. What's

your e-mail? Sorry, little stoned

over here.

Oh yeah, that's another thing. I

have to come out to Colorado

because you guys got a l l the

dispensaries. Everyone has to be a

stoner out there.

Eh, it's good and it's bad. I could

do without a lot of the whole

weed culture.

All I hear is chill. Colorado is so

chill, ya know? Chillorado.

R : B R A N D O N H A M M I D

P : N A T H A N I E L H A R R I N G T O N

IT IS NOT A PLACE

YOU GO TO HANG

OUT. IT'S A PLACE

TO GO SEND IT




ROAD SICK SHIT TRIP

If there's one thing that never gets old, it's traveling and exploring

with your friends, in search of ad venture. Every year, crews gather

together in search of the best snow, the best features and the best

of times. Sometimes you may find it all, and sometimes, not so

much. You never know.

On this particular trip, I set out with friends, Ryan Cruze and Ritch

Colasanti for a trip down to Silverton, Colorado. Ryan called Silverton

home base for the year, so we decided to head down and see what

we could make happen. The snow down there, as we all knew, was

not the greatest and the avalanche threat was high. Nonetheless, the

backcountry is where we wanted to be. So, sleds loaded, we headed

down. When we arrived at Ryan's house, we found there had been

at least 15 random people staying there (building jumps for the Red

Bull Cold Rush event), so the house was buzzing with people for the

next couple of days. That night, we all crammed into Ryan's room

to sleep and rest up for the long day ahead. With Ryan and Ritch

sleeping soundly, I could not manage to catch any sleep. I lay awake

the entire night, trying as hard as I could to sleep, but it never came.

Hours later we were up and heading out.

Working in the cold, on no sleep, is just part of the job sometimes.

You just keep smiling. Regardless of my condition, I'm ready to

do my work, as are Ritch and Ryan. We end up being out all day,

until dark, sledding around looking for safe zones and features to

spend our time on, but it never really came. We called it a day and

went back to rest up for the next day. Returning to a busy house

is never ideal when all you want to do is eat and sleep after a less-

than-successful day.

That night, I could not fall asleep for the life of me. Again! Now I'm

upset. No sleep for two nights, shitty snow and a loud house led to

a very unhappy photographer, which is never good for any crew.

But despite it all , we headed out once more into the backcountry

and ended up having a little better result. But with the lack of

sleep, and the amount of time spent out in the cold, I ended up

catching a bug and spent the next couple days in bed, missing

the action.

There is no better medication tha n sleep. Take all the vita mins and

health food you want, but if you don't sleep and you work in the

cold, you're going to get sick and have a shitty trip, just like I did.

I guess trips just don't always pan out the way you hope. That's

just how it goes som eti mes .

WORDS:

TERRY RATZLAFF

L E N S M E N

P : T E R R Y R A T Z L A F F

i n s t a g r a m @ t e r r y r a t z l a f f




THE CHOP HOUSE

FEBRUARY

So, it's February and the winter is pretty much half over already. It's

around this time every year I get burnt on riding the same runs I've been

cutting loose on since mid-November - whether it's powder or not, I just

need a change.

This month is the perfect month for a road trip. Road trips, for me,

are one of the reasons I still love snowboarding. When you get in your

car and hit the road, you're in for an adventure - whether you like it

or not. This i s what makes snowboarding and skateboarding different

than any other sport. You never see football players driving halfway

across the country to check out other football fields. Road trips usually

consist of eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, sleeping in cars

and either hiking off the passes to snowboard or milking tickets for

cheap to ride other resorts. At least, that's what they are for me. You

can go the high-end route if you want, but I like to keep things cheap.

It's a lot easier that way.

It's been a rough year in Colorado so far, but there are still plenty of places

to go explore if you're motivated. Silverton Mountain, for one, is claiminga 50-inch base so far this winter. It is a seven-hour drive from Denver, so

if you leave at night, you could be dropping into Gnar Couloir early the

next morning. This mountain is guide-only the whole month, so make

a reservation before you make the commute because you never know

if they are fully booked or not. The whole experience of this town and

mountain is an adventure. The crusty locals, the old railroads and mines -

you definitely get the Wild West feeling when you go there.

Wolf Creek is claiming over 140 inches, year to date. This is actually

the perfect time to go down there. All the gullies are still deep and

most of the rocks are just about covered up, so the whole mountain is

perfect. As for the budgeted road tripper, there are plenty of passes

around Colorado you can hit up.

Around Summit County and the Front Range, there's Berthoud,

Loveland and Vail Pass. All of them allow you to access amazing terrain

if you're willing to hunt for it. There's also Monarch Pass, down near

Salida, that can be hiked if you work for it. And again, back down south,

there are a couple other passes you can hike.

Red Mountain Pass is one of the better ones. There are plenty of lines

to hike with skin tracks going everywhere and it's also booter central. If

you're looking to do that new gymnastics maneuver you've been waiting

to try, but are too scared to do it on a park jump, this is the place to

go. Finally, Wolf Creek Pass has some hikeable terrain, but is a little

harder to access without a snowmobile.

There are other places in the state that make for good road trips this

time of year, as well. These are just a couple I think would be goodnow. There is also some serious spectating going on this month, if

you're into it. The Burton U.S. Open is coming to Vail for the first time,

starting on the 25th. It's perfect if you're into going to a fancy town to

watch fancy snowboarders send the latest and greatest maneuvers. If

that gets you going, this is where you want to be. From watching Shaun

White and Louie Vito battle in the halfpipe to potentially seeing the best

slopestyle contest on the planet, this is the place. Vail also happens to

be my favorite resort in Colorado because of the terrain, but I'm not

going to tell you about that. You're going have to find me on Instagram

to find out where the goods are.

WORDS:

CHAD OTTERSTROM

R: CHAD OT T E R S T R OM

P : J E F F BR O CKME YE R F

OL L O W CH

AD ONI N S T A GRAM

@ CHAD _ OT T E R S T R OM




S O M E T H I N G . N I C E

A CHAT WITH FORREST SHEARER

A lot has changed in snowboarding since the mid-to-late '90s, but one

of the most common switches I have noticed over the past few years is

the change from snowmobiling to splitboarding. Ten years ago, when the

snow would start to fall, I couldn't tell if my friends that were fellow pros

were more excited to snowboard or drive around on the new snowmobiles

they had just bought.

Splitboards have been around since skiing first started. They are still usedby military and recreational users around the world to negotiate through

deep powder. Splitboards are made up of two skis that you skin on -

basically cross-country ski with. Once you get to the top of the peak, or

wherever it is you are going, you join the skis together and you have your

old snowboard back to cruise down the run on!

I am a snowmobile owner myself, and I've had the same sled for 10-plus

years. I can't say I drive it a whole bunch anymore now that I don't film

video parts, but I couldn't help but notice the explosion and popularity

of splitboards these days. It really seems to me that splitboards have

become the new snowmobiles. I can't lie, I want to get a splitboard. Maybe

it's the idea of owning a new toy, or maybe it's just that it's something

totally new to me.

After watching the film Further last night, starring Jeremy Jones and friends,

it's apparent that this trend is the real deal and looks like it will be around for

a long time. I was so blown away by the measures these guys take to ride

lines that I took it upon myself to call my friend Forrest Shearer, who has

a part in the film, and ask him some questions about this new movement.

(JJ) Do you still own a snowmobile?

(FS) I used to s led a ton . I t ' s s t i l l such a usefu l mode of

transportation to get out there and build jumps and film, but a

couple of years ago, I just said the hell with it and got rid of it.

Utah is a spot where all the areas we ride are very accessible by

foot, so I just went for a change of pace and haven't looked back.

Is it scarier hiking these giant lines than actually going down

them? I know when I'm in the backcountry, I'm always more

scared hiking up the mountain. Once I strap my board on, I feel

better because I k now I can just bomb down to safety.

On one side, you are learning a lot more about the snowpack andwhat you are about go down versus getting dropped off in a heli

and not being sure what the snow is like. We take the time to learn

about what we're going to ride and just have a closer relationship

with the terrain. We take photos of the lines we're going to ride

and then we really study them and memorize the terrain.

Talk me through that avalanche you got into in Japan and what

it feels like to be in that situation?

When you're hiking these l ines and studying the terrain, the

only thing you're thinking about is making it down the mountain

and you know that fall ing isn't an option. We also know that

avalanches and sluff come with the territory, so it's something we

all go through. In that particular scene, it was a giant sluff that

came down behind me, took me for a ride and beat me down.

Basically, it felt like I was in a washing machine and, all of the

sudden, it seems to be one of the favorite scenes in the film. For

us, it's important to show that those things do happen to us and

the risk is real.

Are you guys doing another film and how we can follow you?

Yes, we are going to do another film and we're taking our time

with it. We don't have a set release or time frame yet, but Jeremy

plans on doing another, as far as I know. Feel free to follow my

adventures on the sites of Jones Snowboards, TGR, Clif Bar,

Patagonia, Sanuk and Tactics!

WORDS:

JJ THOMAS

F OL L O W J J

ONT WI T T E R

@ J J T H OMA S _

R: F ORRE S T S HE ARE R

P : ANDRE W MI L L E R



The World’s Finest Snowboards hand built inSummit County, Colorado Since 1995www.unitysnowboards.com

This is the new DOMINION nose rocker Big Mountain board.Rocker in front of the front foot and camber from there

back to the tail gives you perfect all-terrain performance.They feature our bullet-proof sintered p-tex

sidewalls, aspen and maple full-length wood cores, a

2-year warranty, and are built with pride in our own factoryin Silverthorne, Colorado USA.




V I D E O S T A S H

STANDARD - 2112

What cameras were used to film 2112?

TR: We used a wide range of cameras on the film this year. For most of

the timelapses, we used a specialized Canon 7D and 5D. For the action,

there were Sony FS100s, a Red Epic-X, and Panasonic HVXs, as well as

Contour cameras for the POV shots.

Did anyone really surprise you?

MH: Victor de Le Rue did very well this season. He got a lot of great

footage to work with and that is impressive since this was his f irst year

filming with us.

Dubstep in snowboard films. What's your take on i t?

TR: Well, I like dubstep, especially Zeds Dead from Toronto, and as

a director, I need to be open to all music and the moods they create

visually in my head. I am not opposed to dubstep in movies, it just has

to be done right. Music is always the most subjective thing in any film.

It just comes down to what you are into as a viewer and the mood

you're in when you watch stuff.

Are you a personal fan or is that what the masses want to hear?

MH: I am not a personal fan. I think Travis is a fan, ha! I am not sure

if the masses like it or not. I have heard both positive and negative

feedback on it. I, myself, am over it, and I think it's been overdone. Ido try and have an open m ind and appreciate all types of music when

it comes to editing. That is why our soundtracks are always changing

style-wise. Everyone has their own opinion and taste when it comes to

music. My hat's off to any artist making good music, no matter whether

I happen to like it or not.

Do you often have zones/spots already picked out for trips or do

you prefer to travel to a certain area and f ind the spots once you've

arrived?

MH: It's a b it of both. In Tahoe and Whistler, for example, we have spots

already picked out that we know will produce good footage. But within

those spots, we are always trying to find new places and new things

to film. Sometimes it's d ifficult to resist hitting the same feature again

and again. We do try and wait at least a couple of seasons if we have

filmed a certain jump a bunch that last winter. When we travel, we are

finding new spots, at least new spots for us. Lots of the time though, no

matter where you are in the world, the spots have all been sessioned by

other crews or even our crew 15 years ago. Alaska is one spot that you

can still find new places and new lines to ride, but even that is getting

more difficult. When you travel to new spots and find new stuff to film,

it is always the best feeling. It keeps the new movie fresh and keeps

you motivated as a filmer.

What factors go into choosing an ender? Is it strictly whose riding

was the gnarliest?

TR: Sometimes, but this year it was about the aesthetic of the segment

as a whole. Xavier had an amazing year and gathered insane footage

that translated really well when cut to the Hot Chip track. We almost

had Victor as the ender because of the all-around throwdown his part

is, but after some deliberation, I realized I can watch Xavier's part a

thousand times and still be stoked on it. It is a timeless segment and

one of the edits I am most proud of in the film!Do you decide that you want a certain sort of ender, say street or big

mountain, ahead of time?

MH: No, not usually. But this year was a bit of an exception. There

were a few parts that were ender-worthy. We decided to feature big

mountain and Xavier since Standard Films has been known for its big

mountain footage over the years. One time in the past, when we made

the film Paradox, Jeremy Jones clearly should have had the ending

part but I did not give it to him since he did not have any freestyle in

his part. I won't ever make that mistake again. Whoever gets the best

footage gets the ender.

QUESTIONS WITH: MIKE HATCHETT (MH) AND TRAVIS ROBB (TR)

BY: MIKE GOODWIN

R: MAT HI E U CRE P E L

P : P HI L T I F O

Riders: MathieuCrepel, Frederik Kalbermatten, Gulli Gudmundsson, EthanMorgan, Xavier de Le

Rue, Tim Humphreys,Nils Ardvisson, Kimmy Fasani, Victor De LeRue, Chas Guldemond,

Anne-Flore Marxer

Location: Iceland,Norway, AustriaSweden, Washington,Red Mountain BC Whistler BC, AlpineMeadows, Northstar Mammoth Mountain,Haines, Alaska

Sponsors:Burton,GNU, Oakley,Nike, Quiksilver,Billabong, The NorthFace, Bataleon, Flow Contour, Under

Armour Rip Curl, Swatch,Squaw Valley,Rossignol, Buff Valhalla Design,

Alpine Meadows,Snowboarder,Onboard, Transworld

Japan




N E W T E C H

K2 ULTRA SPLIT

K2, champion of the Clicker technology of years past, is bringing

the step-in binding back. Realizing that with some kinks worked

out, a step-in system would be attractive to the splitboard world,

they began reworking the setup, beginning with the boot. "Really

the whole concept came around due to the fact that the boot

technology has just gotten to the point where we can make a

boot that is relevant in the backcountry," says John "JP" Pinnick,

territory sales rep.

A major emphasis was put on developing a boot that could

perform well without a highback or ankle strap, all while remaining

sleek and light. "The Endo construction in the back of the boot

gives us our highback and our flex and the rotation that we need,"

says JP. The "Endo construction" is basica lly a urethane insert

in the back of the boot designed to act i n place of a highback.

"It keeps you from pressing out backwards but gives you the

flex forward that you need," he adds. The K2 BoaConda la cing

system, which they have run for a while now, allows for quick boot

adjustments and helps with ankle support, eliminating the need

for an ankle strap.

With a lighter, revamped boot, the rest of the Kwicker system (the

new, improved Clicker system), and the Ultra Split it is featured

on, were designed with absolute q uickness and ease of conversion

remaining top priorities. "With the old system, with pins and all

that, you really couldn't function with a glove on," says JP. "When

you are in the backcountry and you have to pull your glove off,

it's just a negative rig ht out of the gate. Literally, with this system,

you can pull and do everything you need to do in your swap-over

with a mitt on. Not even debating doing it with a glove, you can

literally do it with a mitt."

Just as keeping the boot light was imperative, the Ultra Split was

designed to be K2's lightest split yet. Built with a bamboo core

and without a top sheet, it is a strong, responsive deck that is

still incredibly light - about four pounds lighter than the average

splitboard setup, according to K2. (Using Kwicker system boots

and bindings).

K2 is also offering a separate Kwicker-system binding that is

compatible with the new boot for customers who want to use the

same pair of boots when they are not riding their splitboard. "It's

basically a four-hole pattern disk that fits three hole, fits slots," says

JP. "Really, the system is meant for that split customer and he can

now mount that binding to his other, regular board and doesn't have

to worry about getting another boot or setup."

The new system has won the praise and approval of splitboard pioneers

Voilé, who will also be offering the Kwicker setup. "You can actuallybuy it from Voile," says JP. "And anybody that has an old Voilé setup

can put this system on their board and just roll right along with it." The

Kwicker system is also compatible with the old Clicker technology, for

anyone that might be holding onto those boots or bindings.

In addition to the new board and step-in system, K2 is running a

whole line of backcountry gear to match: the Shaxe - a compact and

sturdy shovel/axe, self-collapsable speed-link poles, probe, backpack

- the whole kit.

WORDS:

MIKE GOODWIN




P

D

T

O

A

R

U

S

W

S

O

C

H

C

E

2 0 1 3

2 0 1 4

A SA M P L IN G

SMITH

THE VICE T RILABORATION

$1 40 .00

NEVER SUMMER

THE PROTO HD

$5 49 .9 9

NEVER SUMMER

THE RAVEN

$4 99 .9 9

ROME SDS

THE BODEGA

$2 09 .9 9

ROME SDS

.



ISSUE 3.6 41 PAGE

ROME SDS

BUTTERKNIFE

$3 89 .9 9

HESTRA

THE FALL LINE SERIES

$1 45 .00

YEA.NICE

GET WILD 5 PANEL

$2 9.0 0

CANDYGRIND

THE WORKMAN'S MITT

$5 6.0 0

DAKINE

TEAM MISSION ERIC JACKSON PACK

$8 0.0 0




REMIND INSOLES

THE MEDICINAL

$3 9. 95

VOLCOM

PUFF GIVE MITT

$1 00 .00

VOLCOM

4X4 JACKET

$1 20 .00

PLANET EARTH

MILLIE JACKET

$2 99 .9 9

PLANET EARTH

HAZE JACKET

$2 89 .9 9

ZEAL

THE FARGO

$99.00

VOLCOM

PUFF GIVE MITT

$1 00 .00




DRAGON

NF X

$1 60 .00

NOW

IPO $279.00

SELECT $319.00

UNDER ARMOUR

COLDGEAR®INFRA

GHOST SHELL

$2 49 .9 9

UNITY

THE WHALE

$5 49 .00

WESTON

BEETLE KILL

$5 99 .00




DRAKE

THE JADE (W) $159.99

THE RELOAD (M) $189.99

ARNETTE

WINDSHIELD (WALSH PRO)

$8 0.0 0

K2

I.P.O. $249.99

ENDER $329.99

OAKLEY

VILLAGE JACKET - $320.00

HAVER PANT - $250.00

RIDGEWOOD JACKET - $360.00

FAIRHAVEN PANT - $350.00

ANALOG

ZE NI TH JAC KE T

$3 90 .00

YES.

TROUBLE

$4 99 .00

P

D

T

O

A

R

U

S

W

S

O

C

H

C

E

2 0 1 3

2 0 1 4



WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/K2SNOWBOARDING.COUTW

COLORADO

OUR




WORDS:

TUCKER ANDREWS

CRESTED

BUTTE

L A S T R E S O R T



ISSUE 3.6 53 PAGE

GUNNISON

NATIONAL FOREST

GUNNISON

NATIONAL FOREST

H I G

H

H I G

H

N . F A C E

N . F A C E

T W I S T

E R

T W I S T

E R

W E S T W A L L

W E S T W A L L

R E D

L A D Y

R E D

L A D Y

P A R A D I S E

P A R A D I S E

P E AC H T RE E P E AC H T RE E

G O L D L I N K

G O L D L I N K

S I L V

E R

Q U E E N E X P R E S S

S I L V

E R

Q U E E N E X P R E S S

E A S T R I V E

R

E A S T R I V E

R

T E O C A L L I

T E O C A L L I

P R O S P E C T

P R O S P E C T

PAI N T E R BO

Y

PAI N T E R BO

Y

R: RANDAL L S T A CY

P : AAR OND ODD S

R: RANDAL L S T A CY

P : AAR OND ODD S

P : MAT T BE R GL UND

C r e s t e d B u t t e w a s h o s t t o

C o l o r a d o ' s fi r s t X G a m e s

ESTABLISHED: 1961

SUMMIT ELEVATION:

12,162'

BASE ELEVATION: 9,375'

VERTICAL DROP: 2,775'

TRAILS: 121

LIFTS: 15

ACRES: 1,547

SNOWMAKING

COVERAGE: 297 ACRES

LONGEST TRAIL: 2.6

MILES

TERRAIN PARKS: 2

HALFPIPE: YES

ANNUAL AVERAGE

SNOWFALL: 300 INCHES

NIGHT RIDING: NO

CRESTED BUTTE

S UMMI T :

1 2 ,1 6 2 '

P ARK S :

G OL DL I NKP ARK

G OL DL I NKP I P E

CA S CADE P ARK

B O WL S :

S P E L L B O UND

UP P E RT HI RD

L O WE RT HI RD

T E O CAL L I



ISSUE 3.6 57 PAGE

I could only see someone getting tired of riding Crested Butte ifthey weren't looking at the resort in the right way. Snowboarding

at Crested Butte has taught me how to truly and completely go

snowboarding. If you like riding the entire mountain, finding mogul

gaps, going fast and having a damn good time, then you gotta

trust me - you're going to enjoy your time spent at the Butte.

Along with what seems like endless natural terrain, Crested Butte

has been creating a bigger and better park every year. The first

terrain park I can recall in the Butte consisted of a halfpipe with

10-foot-tall walls, a double-barrel rail shaped like the silhouette

of a cartoon whale, two triangle-shaped kickers and a massive

metal wallride at the end of it all. This existed before I even dared

to step foot in the terrain park. Over the past few seasons, the

terrain park has improved greatly. A lot of the man hours put into

making a better park come from a g uy named Christian Robertson.

Christian is about as good a dude as they come. Along with being

one of my coaches a bunch of years back, he is the owner of some

gold duct tape that he brought back to Colorado from the Banked

Slalom up at Mt. Baker. He is one hell of a snowboarder and thanks

need to be given to him for kicking ass every year and making the

terrain park better and more enjoyable. Over the past handful of

seasons, he has been looking at the perfectly-made parks around

Colorado and applying his firsthand experience in those parks

to build and shape Crested Butte's terrain parks in his own way.

If you do end up making the trek to Crested Butte at some point in

your life, chances are you're not going to want to go hu ngry while

you're here. You're also going to want to sit down after a good day

of boarding and have yourself an ice-cold beer. Well that's what I

like to do after a bunch of hours on the hill, so I'll give you a little

info on some of the places at the base area and in town you are

not going to want to skip.

If you're getting up to the mountain early and want to get a quick

breaky burrito or sandwich, the Brown Labrador Pub will be your best

bet. They normally have quick breakfast stuff hot and ready so you

can hop on the lift and enjoy your breakfast on the go. You can pop

R : J A C K

K Y L E

P : A A R O N

D O D D S

IF YOU'RE GETTING UP TO THE MOUNTAIN EARLY

AND WANT TO GET A QUICK BREAKY BURRITO OR

SANDWICH, THE BROWN LABRADOR PUB WILL BE

YOUR BEST BET




R : H U N T E R W O O D


A COUPLE GOOD-TIMIN' PLACES TO POP INTO ARE EITHER

THE TALK OF THE TOWN OR KOCHIEVERS. CLASSIC BARS

WITH POOL TABLES, DARTS AND A JUKEBOX

back into this spot for lunch, as well, because the Brown LabradorPub is also a bakery and the staff is always whipping up fresh

croissants, cookies, calzones and tasty soups.

When the l i f t s tu rn o f f for the day , I l i ke to head over to

The Avalanche. This p lace is constant ly packed to the br im

with good people having a good time. The menu is massive,

but some highl ights are the burgers and r ibs . And to wash

it a l l down, they have dr inks with names l ike The Painki l ler

and Avalanche Warning, which always seem to do the trick in

taking the sore bones, aches and pains off your mind. The good

people and warm atmosphere make it a tough place to beat

when looking for a spot to dry out after boarding.

Now if you only had a few beers at the "Avy," hop on the free

local shuttle bus, which is only about 100 footsteps from the

exit of The Avalanche, and head down to town for some more

good t imes. One place that always does the tr ick when I 'm

hungry is Teocall i Tomale. It 's a small l itt le burrito/taco shop

located on Elk Avenue. It's set up like most burrito spots, but

because it 's what I grew up on, it 's a lways going to beat out

the rest.

When the sun tucks itself away for the day, a couple good-timin' places

to pop into are The Talk of the Town and Kochievers. Classic bars with

pool tables, darts and a jukebox. What more do you really need?

No matter what time of year you show up in Crested Butte, you

will have an awesome time. The summer is packed with swimming

holes, cliff jumps, mountain climbs, bike rides, skateboarding and

tons more, and the winter, hopefully, consumed entirely by never-

ending powder. This town that I was extremely lucky to grow up in

has a real sense of heart still, and I honestly couldn't be happier to

be from Crested Butte. It's where my parents and brother and a few

good friends still call home 12 months of the year, and no matter

what, I will always continue to come back.

If you feel like traveling and want to spend some time in a truly classic

Colorado ski town, I'm pretty sure you know exactly where to go.



71 PAGE

r: dylan thompson // p: e-stone // l: denver, co

s T y l E p o i N t s



SNOWBOARDS BUILT BY

SNOWBOARDERS WITH JOBS

WE’RE ANAMERICAN BRAND

FACEBOOK.COM/WIMESHRED

WWW.WI-MESNOWBOARD.COM



73 PAGE

r: chris brewster // p: mike azevedo // l: denver, co




75 PAGE

r: ian boll // p: dean barnes // l: boulder, co





T o d d w a l k s

u s t h r o u g h a n

i n d u s t r y s h i t

b l i z z a r d

D E S T I N A T I O N

U N K N O W N



ISSUE 3.6 79 PAGE

INTRO

RICHARDS

BY:MIKE GOODWIN

PORTRAITS:TERRY RATZLAFF

Th i s summer I was g i v en a r ecor d ing o f a conv e r sa t ion

b e t w e e n T o d d a n d m y e d i t o r , A d a m . B r i e f l y , i t w a s 4 5

m i n u t e s o f T o d d l e t t i n g l o o s e . S o I c a l l e d h i m t h i s

p a s t N o v e m b e r t o r e - h a s h s o m e o f t h e i s s u e s a n d

a t t e m p t t o o r g a n i z e h i s r a n t . F o l l o w i n g i s a p o r t i o n

o f t h a t c o n v e r s a t i o n .

Todd



ISSUE 3.6 81 PAGE

CHUCK G ENJOYINGTHAT ROCKSTARMONEY

R: CHAS GULDEMOND

P: AARON DODDS

were like, "holy shit, Snickers wants to sponsor

us for the weekend, awesome," I never in a

million years thought that we would be at this

point. Just wow.

In my opinion, the more that some of these

brands become a force, the more the culture,

if we can even call it that, is diluted. Yes, they

have their hand in snowboarding, but that hand

is also messing with a million other things. It's

not top-down driven snowboarding.

And they wil l dump it. As soon as it is not

profitable, it's gone. They will leave it in ruins

because we have come to count on them. I

would like to say that Nike is doing it pretty

well because it seems like they have hired the

right people and from what I can tell they have

kind of bucked everything that everyone wants

to say about them. But at the same time, Nike

is Nike and they are huge. And if snowboarding

takes a shit, they are going to dump it and they

are going to dump the whole marketing and

they are going to dump the team and they are

going to move on. Look at Lance Armstrong, for

instance. They invested more money than they

have ever put into snowboarding into Lance

and they cut him in one day. They won't even

think twice about it because it's bottom line

and it's shareholders. Done. So, in my narrow

opinion, I think we need to start looking back

in on ourselves and looking at where the sport

came from so that we can make sure it goes to

a place where we can control it. And by "we," I

mean everyone who loves what snowboarding

is and what it was.

"AS SOON AS IT IS

NOT PROFITABLE,

IT'S GONE. THEY

WILL LEAVE IT IN

RUINS BECAUSE

WE HAVE COME TO

COUNT ON THEM"




L O S TSLASHING AWAY IN DEEP PARADISE

P: ALEX MERTZ



ISSUE 3.6 83 PAGE

Do you think people will turn away from the

money?

That's a really good point. Once you get good

now, people are not really looking at board

sponsors to pay them. People are going, "Well,

if I get really good, I can either get on Nike or

I can get on Red Bull or Rockstar." There are

not really those board companies coming up

anymore. Look at Forum. Forum is gone and

Forum used to be one of those companies that

kids would be like, "If I get good someday, I

am going to ride for Forum because they are

fucking awesome." It doesn't seem like there is

that anymore. Maybe Capita, ya know? Maybe

Capita is still a rad brand in those ways, but

I am trying to think who else. Maybe some ofthese smaller brands coming up will have the

power pretty soon. You are not going to get

rich off of making boards, I can tell you that

right now. There is no company that is going

to start anytime soon that is going to be the

next big thing. It is just impossible and it sucks

that that is the way it is, but it's impossible.

So you see things continuing to move in this

crazy way until enough people push back?

I think so. I think you have cycles that come

with everything. But when does that happen?

I guess that is the big question. How many

people need to push back and what happens

when everyone pushes back? Because now

we are talking about, do we push back so

that the energy drink companies and people

r ight now pul l out and there is th is g iant

vacuum and everyone just falls into it and

snowboarding has to kind of climb back out of

that? It's really hard. It would be nice to have

a happy medium. I have conversations with

people now that my lifestyle and my career

in snowboarding is a lot different and I talk

about how much product people are moving

because I am truly interested in where the

needle is moving in snowboarding because it is

just baff ling to me. I was ta lk ing to s omebody,

like, "Ok, so you guys are making a jacket that

costs, like, $500 or $600 and you are trying

to market it towards these people that are 28,

29, 30 years old, because the guys that are

younger than that, they will not buy a $500

jacke t. "

You're lucky if they even buy a jacket.

Exactly. So now you are marketing this jacket

to someone that is 29 , 30 years o ld , but

you are not up against the other snowboard

brands; you are up against Apple . These

people are looking at this jacket and it's like,

"I can either skip this jacket for another year

and buy a new iPhone or I can buy this jacket."

And Apple is going to win and that is almost

a great analogy for where snowboarding is. It

almost seems like the companies are trying to

keep up with what Nike and what the energy

drink sponsors are doing and there is no way

to do that. It's almost like everyone needs toturn around and go rogue an d go hardcore

again and then everyone e lse wi l l fo l low

because that is the only way we are going to

survive it.

I wonder sometimes about a movement like

that. Now that snowboarding has been in the

Olympics, and that is great, whatever, it's

already been established on this certain level.

If there even was this sort of rogue grassroots

movement, will enough people be willing

leave the big arena? Are enough kids going

to be into moving back to the old ideals or

are they going to be so blinded by events like

the Olympics that they keep moving in this

formula and don't care?

That is a really good question. I think that

any time there is an establishment, there will

always be an anti-establishment. It is just

the way people create personal identities. If

a big push right now is to train everyone for

the Olympics, then there is going to be an

equal part that will have nothing to do with

the Olympics. Who knows? Maybe there will

be more companies like Corey Smith's Spring

Break that are just these small, little brands

that have nothing to do with competitive

anything and it's simply for the fun of it. That's

it. It's simply for going out and snowboarding

and shit. Guys like the Helgasons, they are so

good at snowboarding, but at the end of the

day, they just don't give a shit.

todd

"MAYBE THERE WILL BE MORE

COMPANIES LIKE COREY

SMITH' S SPRI NG BR EA K"



M a r k L a n

d v i k

H a w k e y e

L a n d v i k

P r o

A c t i o n b y L i a m G

a l l a g h e r

P o r t r a i t b y R i c k L e v i n s o n

snowboard colorado magazine

Documents