R: IAN BOLL P: KEALAN SHILLING

A DENVER DISCUSSION O' DREIDEL, DREIDEL, DREIDEL ARE YOU A GIVER? HOLIDAY SHOWCASE

DEC. 2012

THE SCIENCE OF SNOWBOARDING PERFECTED.

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R: STLE SANDBECH P: OLAV STUBBERUD L: BRECKENRIDGE, CO

ISSUE 3.4

F O R E P L A Y

D E C E M B E R

CONTENTS

COV E R RIDER: Ian Boll PHOTOGRAPHER: Kealan Shilling LOCATION: Boulder, CO

I heard through a friend that Ian and Alan (Parenteau) had a spot in mind. Boulder is pretty thick with cops, so I was surprised when we showed up downtown on the rooftop of a business complex with people hanging around watching. There was one rather large group that had gathered in the window of this large glassed-in office. They all had their noses glued there for a good fifteen minutes figuring it out. I thought wed get busted for sure, but somehow they pulled it off. Congrats Ian! - Kealan Shilling

"YEAH, IT'S PRETTY WEIRD. WE WERE POSTING PHOTOS OF MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY FROM THAT MOVIE SURFER, DUDE ON THE SCREEN"

DECEMBER ISSUE 3.4

22 26 28 30 32 BLUE RIBBON OUTSIDE THE BOX LENSMEN THE CHOP HOUSE SOMETHING.NICE 34 36 38 40 48 VIDEO STASH WEVE GOT COMPANY NEW TECH PRODUCT SHOWCASE LAST RESORT 61 68 92 STYLE POINTS GUNS, GAYS AND GAPS TRICK TIPS

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MASTHEAD

DECEMBER

ISSUE 3.4

EDITOR IN CHIEF ADAM SCHMIDT MANAGING EDITOR MIKE GOODWIN ASSOCIATE EDITOR MATTHEW SECKINGER ART DIRECTOR ANDREW LANGFORD ASSOCIATE DESIGNER CODY ADAMS OPERATIONS DIRECTOR BILLY CONNOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES JESSICA DEAL ALEXANDRA LOHR sales@snowboard-colorado.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS ERIK VAN ASSCHE PATRICK ORTON CHAD OTTERSTROM JJ THOMAS

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER AARON DODDS CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS JEFF BROCKMEYER, NED CREMIN, JEREMY DUBS, CHRIS FARONEA, CHRIS GARRISON, JOEY JENE, JON HILL, ZACH HOOPER, DAN MANNING, JEFF NASS, PATRICK ORTON, JON PACIARONI, KEALAN SHILLING, SKS, OLAV STUBBERUD, JRME TANON

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www.snowboard-colorado.com Snowboard Colorado is a free magazine distributed eight times per year, once a month from September to April. CONTACT ADDRESS: 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: info@snowboard-colorado.com To carry Snowboard Colorado in your store please send an email to distribution@snowboard-colorado.com. Copyright 2012 Core Market Media LLC. All rights reserved.

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R: SPENCER SCHUBERT P: AARON DODDS

ONE STYLE. TWO SIZES.

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO

dragonalliance.com

B LU E R I B B O N
R: SETH HILL P: JEREMY DUBS

SETH HILL
WORDS: MIKE GOODWIN

D.O.B.: 09/21/87 RESIDES: Breckenridge, CO HOMETOWN: Jacksonville, OR

SPONSORS: SIMS Snowboards and Outerwear, Smith Optics, Screamer, Phunkshun, Empire Attire, Crab Grab

regular

f: 18 b: -15

22.5 in.

154 cm.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS ARE LONG LASTING, AS SETH HILL KNOWS WELL. WHEN SETH RELOCATED FROM HIS SMALL HOMETOWN OF JACKSONVILLE, OREGON TO BOULDER, COLORADO FOR COLLEGE, HE BROUGHT WITH HIM A LARGE EGO AND A VIOLATING ARRAY OF MATCHING SECTION OUTERWEAR.

"I was quickly shocked and put in my place," he says. "I was at CU and I think it was too much. I was too driven, like I am not gonna drink, I am going to be this professional snowboarder ... I just carried myself in a way that I have learned to not carry myself." And here we are. Seth is no longer 18, and having lived in Colorado

"I will be the first to admit that when I moved out to Colorado, I had a big head. I guess I just had my sights set a little differently," says Seth. "I just rode a lot and was kind of one of the best at the mountain (back home), I guess. My senior year of high school, I won states. I got first overall at nationals for my age group and it was like, 'Ok, you know, I am this semi-pro snowboarder.'" The scenario is really not all that uncommon: A kid happens to be the best snowboarder in his small, insignificant town, acts and is treated as some varsity hero and then winds up among plenty of good snowboarders clutching this "I'm the man" conviction. Upon reaching such a junction, one must decide how to proceed. Some immediately realize their misguidance and avoid a scathing o u tc a st i n g , w h i l e o t h e r s u n fo r t u n a te l y, ke e p t h e a c t u p l o n g enough to fuck themselves a bit.

f o r a g o o d w h i l e n ow, h e h a s f o u n d a m u c h m o r e j u d i c i o u s approach. It's an outlook that befits him, but he realizes it's a point of view that does not sit well with all. "I know there is a division between those who call snowboarding an industry and who call it a sport," he explains. "I have always been into calling it a sport because of how hard I try to work for it, but I can fully understand both aspects. There are a lot of times when it's easy to say it's an industry from that aspect or (vice versa). I guess being so contest driven, it has to be a sport to me." After graduating, Seth held fast to a regimented routine, working out, eating right and making a point to ride a certain number of hours a day. As he puts it, "a very plan-oriented approach," to help him get to where he wanted to be.

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"I guess some of that people look down on, like, 'Oh, he is not having fun. He is practicing like it's a sport.' But for me to get better and have more fun, I wanted to have a certain skill base, I guess. I think that I just look at snowboarding a little differently than a lot of people. It's good and it's bad. Everybody has different feelings on it." While that ethic has continued to turn some people off, it has certainly garnered him some very positive attention - most notably from Bridges and Snowboarder Mag, who dealt him the prestigious Superpark Standout at Superpark 16 last May. If you followed coverage of the event, Seth rode tirelessly, showing up at every possible shoot. "I do feel like I work hard and I want that to be seen," he tells me. "The attitude I took towards Superpark was 'I am going to do everything I can to be at everything and there is time to rest after Superpark.'" "Do you still feel that you deal with a lot of critics?" I ask.

"No, I don't think so anymore. The people that know me that I have stayed friends with from when I moved out to Colorado definitely appreciate how far I have come. With that said, there are definitely some people from when I moved straight out to Colorado that haven't stayed close friends, that definitely still look down on me a little bit. But I think that after Superpark, people have started to respect me a little more, for lack of a better word." Seth ran with that "sleep when you're dead" edict he demonstrated at Superpark all year, maintaining his contest rounds all the while assembling a full part in both Aunti Radd's local video, Mother Falcon Ship, and Wildcard's Shred-A-Vision. "Basically, two years ago, they (Wildcard dudes) were out visiting Colorado early season and mutual friends invited me to come ride and hang out with them," says Seth of his inclusion in the Northwestbased film project. "Told me they were a cool crew. I just spent a couple days at Keystone lapping the park, having fun, and I guess we just kind of clicked. Then I went out later in the winter just to hang

I T H AS C E RTA I N LY G A R N E R E D H I M SO M E V E RY P O S I T I V E AT T E N T I O N - M O ST N OTA B LY F R O M BRIDGES AND SNOWBOARDER MAG WHO DEALT HIM THE PRESTIGIOUS SUPERPARK STANDOUT AT SUPERPARK 16

out in Baker for a week." So this past season, Seth, already comfortable with the Wildcard crew and with Colorado hurting on snow, jetted to filmer Jeremy Dubs' house in Mt. Baker for much of March, April and May to reap the massive load of powder that cloaked Baker and work on his part. "I rode a lot with Nick Ennen, Kurt Jensen, and Pat McCarthy, those were the dudes I was rolling with," says Seth. "Colin Spencer and Madison Ellsworth had come out as well. I was stoked to have them there."

ISSUE

3.4

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R: SETH HILL P: DAN MANNING

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"Are you always going to refer to yourself as 'The Dreidel'?" I interrupt. "Yeah, I don't really know how that was coined. I have kind of been one of the few Jewish kids in every community I have been in, whether it be high school or whatever. I went to a private school and was, like, one of two Jewish kids in the school, so I have always kind of had a soloed out Jewish presence. And with snowboarding and spinning around it kind of just fit, so yeah, I think I will try to keep it going. We will see how long it lasts. I think it's pretty funny."

"It was amazing. It was one of the first trips I have done without snowboarding being involved so it was kind of nice not to have that on my shoulders and just kind of be a tourist. It was very on the bus off the bus, see as much of Israel as you can in ten days, but it was an amazing experience and definitely made me feel more connection to the religion. I want to embody it that much more. Since then, I have been thinking about more Jewish sponsors and trying to get a little more into that. We will see what happens." "Are you a pretty religious person?"

"You ever try to pull any Jewish-based sponsors into the mix. Is there such a thing?" "I haven't, but this summer I actually went and visited Israel for the first time." "Birthright? How does that work?" "Yes, Birthright. It is honestly a full, everything included 10-day trip. You are part of a group of around 40 other young adults. Hotels, two meals a day, travel - everything. It's all on a tour. You are not just on your own wandering around Israel but yeah, everything is paid for. It's pretty crazy." "Yeah man, first feature part from Jerusalem. You could be, like, 'Sacred "So I could convert to Judaism and go on Birthright?" "I don't know how converting works. I think you have to be born that way." "Beat. How was the trip?" Seth' instead of 'Seth Dreidel Hill.'" "Ha. I did hear something about an indoor park, might get my rail game on there. There are some things in the works right now. I can't divulge all the details, but we are trying to do some stuff connected with Israel a little bit more." "Yeah, they have one little mountain and it's like 5000 feet and has like three trails. I don't know if I could film a whole part there." "I wouldn't say that I am very religious. I was Bar Mitzvahed and I practice and observe the holidays when I can. I think with my lifestyle snowboarding comes first and travel and all that, but I try to get it in there as much as I can." "You ever thought about filming a full part in Israel? Heard they get snow up north."

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R: SETH HILL P: JON HILL

OUTSIDE THE BOX

R: SHAYNE POSPISIL P: JRME TANON

SHAYNE POSPISIL
INTERVIEW: ADAM SCHMIDT

D.O.B.: 5/15/85 RESIDES: Mammoth Lakes, CA HOMETOWN: Manasquan, NJ

SPONSORS: Head Snowboards, Dakine, Billabong Streetwear, Smith, Val Surf, Remind Insoles, Mammoth Mtn., Mimis Cookie Bar

regular

f: 18 b: -5

23.5 in.

158 cm.

SHAYNE AND I ARE BOTH FROM NEW JERSEY.

School when I was younger. From my sophomore to senior year of high school I was up in Vermont all

find powder. I went over to Austria for that one trip where we had a crazy amount of snow and scored awesome powder over there. YO U V E B E E N F I L M I N G F O R Y E A R S N OW. D O YO U H AV E A SPECIFIC PRODUCTION COMPANY THAT YOU STRIVE TO FILM WITH? No, not in particular. This year, I had some awesome opportunities to film with People and I got to meet Pierre Minhondo. Earlier this season, we went to Austria together, so I got to know him. His movie was amazing last year. He basically edited the whole movie. Eric Jackson had that sick part last year, so I was stoked to get the opportunity to work with them. I

D I D YO U M A K E I T O U T T O COLORADO AT ALL LAST YEAR? No. I was supposed to go out for the trade show and the X Games for a few days, but I ended up going to Austria that same week. HAVE YOU HAD ANY MEMORABLE TIMES HERE IN COLORADO? Definitely. The Vail Sessions I remember was a fun time. And I think it was last year, The (Zumiez) 100K party. Everyone was there and we hit some powder that week. Definitely a fun trip. SO, YOURE FROM JERSEY, RIGHT? Yup.

WHATS THE PERCENTAGE OF TIMES YOU GET A CRINGE WHEN YOURE OUTSIDE NEW JERSEY AND YOU TELL PEOPLE WHERE YOURE FROM? Haha, I dont know. There are a few Jerseyans out there in the snowboard world, so its not too bad anymore. But people definitely want to cringe at a snowboarder coming out of Jersey, especially out here in Mammoth with Jersey plates on my truck. W H E R E D I D YO U G R OW U P RIDING? I grew up riding in Stratton and Okemo. I went to Okemo Mountain

winter long and traveling. D O YO U F I N D YO U R S E L F T R AV E L I N G A LOT M O R E AS YOUR CAREER PROGRESSES? Oh yeah, tons of driving. I mean, Mammoth had a horrible winter so I had to go to different places to

"ESPECIALLY OUT HERE IN MAMMOTH WITH JERSEY PLATES ON MY TRUCK"

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am riding for Dakine outerwear and they helped get me in that movie. WHO ARE SOME OF THE PEOPLE THAT YOU LOOKED UP TO AS YOU STARTED SNOWBOARDING? Growing up in Vermont, it was Danny Kass, Ross Powers and all those guys that I got to ride with when I was younger. Me and Danny rode for Grenade at a superyoung age. He actually got me on Grenade when I was younger and we rode a bunch together. H AV E YO U G OT T E N TO R I D E W I T H E V E RYO N E YO U V E LOOKED UP TO? Yeah, almost. IS THERE ANYBODY THAT YOU HAVENT RIDDEN WITH THAT YOU WANT TO? Nicolas Mller and Gigi Rf. I also had the chance to compete with Terje Haakonsen in the Arctic Challenge. It was pretty cool to

meet and hang out with a legend like Terje. WHAT WOULD YOU CONSIDER THE BEST CONTEST YOU WERE IN? Probably the Arctic Challenge in 2009, with Kevin Pearce. He got first, I got second and everything we n t s u p e r we l l . N o o n e g o t hurt and the quarterpipe was amazing. Terje was there - he and Nicholas got top five. There were a ton of great riders and it was probably the best event I was at. IS THERE ANYTHING GOING O N I N YO U R WO R L D OT H E R THAN SNOWBOARDING OR IS SNOWBOARDING YOUR FOCUS ALL-YEAR ROUND? Im super into surfing. I try to surf as much as possible when I m n o t r i d i n g . We g e t g o o d waves in Jersey, but not all the t i m e . T h a t s w h y I m ove d t o Mammoth a few years ago - the

drive to San Diego isnt too bad. Ive been making some missions down there from Mammoth with Gabe Taylor, hes a sick surfer. We went down and caught some swells in January just over the boarder in Mexico. H OW D O S N OW B OA R D I N G A N D S U R F I N G C O M PA R E FOR YOU? IS SURFING MORE RELAXING BECAUSE ITS NOT A SPONSORSHIP CHALLENGE AND THERES NOT MUCH OF AN AGENDA? Kind of. Its still pretty intense. M y l a s t t r i p d ow n t o M ex i c o we we re r i d i n g t h i s b i g swe l l and trying to find the best face possible, so it was kind of like a snow trip except we didnt have videographers or photographers w i t h u s . We we r e j u s t d o i n g it for fun. There are definitely times when surfing is relaxing and other times when its super stressful.

DO YOU EVER FEEL THAT THE FILMING AND PHOTOGRAPHY TAKE AWAY FROM THE FUN OF SNOWBOARDING? OR DOES IT PUSH YOU TO HAVE MORE FUN? Filming definitely pushes me to get out there a build some jumps, but it holds back from riding with your buddies and shredding the powder for fun. I think its two different types of fun. D O YO U F E E L YO U P U S H YOURSELF MORE WHEN YOU DO SOME SOUL SHREDDIN? Yeah, definitely. Especially when youre with your buddies and riding with people you look up to. It makes you want to ride stronger. I think riding the mountain and having fun helps with soul riding. W H O A R E YO U R FAVO R I T E PEOPLE TO RIDE WITH? Nate Farrell, one of my good buddies from Vermont who works for Smith now and Cody Rosenthal.

ISSUE

3.4

27

R: SHAYNE POSPISIL P: JRME TANON

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LENSMEN

THE PERFECT TURN

Elliott Bernhagen and I were on a backcountry trip in Cooke City, Montana when I heard of insane snowfall back in Colorado. We first saw posts on Facebook and then called friends to confirm that conditions were that good. Over the phone, the voice of our good friend Whit Boucher crackled with excitement. Forty inches of blower had fallen in the last three days at Vail and another 30 were expected. This was the storm I had been fantasizing about all year. Bernhagen and I immediately loaded the snow machines onto the trailer and hit the road. We rallied down the winding highway in the darkness, through barren Wyoming, on icy roads bumping Fela Kuti. At midnight, after 11 hours in the truck, we pulled into our snow covered house in Eagle. I had barely closed my eyes when I was abruptly awakened by my alarm at 4 a.m. Looking out my window, the stars were shining brightly. I jumped out of bed and quickly threw on all my gear, knowing it was going to be a deep, bluebird day. I double checked that I had my beacon and camera gear and then wolfed down my peaches and cream oatmeal.

WORDS: PATRICK ORTON

immediately put on our skins. No point trying to do anything more with the sleds when it was this deep. Bernhagen broke trail on his split board, slowly zig zagging up the face. On the skin up, I noticed a spot for a perfect slash, with massive peaks in the background. The slope was heavily wind-loaded and looked extremely deep. As I set up the shot, I had a slightly uneasy feeling in my stomach. We had received over five feet of new snow and it had been less then 24 hours since the storm ended. The best shooting conditions are during the heart of the storm and the first day after. This is when the snow is reactive and explodes in oating waves that hang in the air for what seems like an eternity. This is also when the snow has not bonded and is most dangerous. Bernhagen dropped into his line and we watched him carefully. He came barreling down the slope, laying over a deep slash that exploded into a white tsunami. He was immediately blinded by a wall of snow ten feet high that seemed to defy gravity. The turn was perfect until, suddenly, the slope cracked. Instantly, the mountain around Bernhagen was moving with an uncontrollable

As we fired up our sleds, the headlights illuminated the darkness, revealing a deep blanket of fresh snow. The guys took turns breaking trail through three feet of fresh, and with every turn a massive explosion of glowing powder billowed over them. After an hour and a half of snorkeling through the waist-deep powder, we had made it to the zone. As we sledded into the pristine valley, the peaks were golden with the first rays of light. We killed the sleds and
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energy. The slope had fractured 50 feet wide on either side of him. With the speed of a ninja warrior, he cut hard left to safety as the avalanche picked up speed and raced down the mountain. We watched in awe as the snow finally came to a stop at the bottom. This was way too close of a call. Shooting backcountry snowboarding is a delicate balance of wanting to get epic shots and staying safe. This fine line can be easily blurred, but moments like this bring you back to reality.
DECEMBER 2012 snowboard-colorado.com

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R: ELLIOT BERNHAGEN P: PATRICK ORTON

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6 0 ACR ES OF TERRAIN PARKS WITH OVE R 100 FE ATURE S! /// /// R I DE WHE RE THE P ROS TRAIN! /// /// PAR K SPECI FIC LIFT, SO YOU CAN LAP ALL DAY!

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T H E C H O P H OUSE
R: SHAUN WHITE P: ZACH HOOPER FOLLOW CHAD ON INSTAGRAM @CHAD_OTTERSTROM

DECEMBER
Come December, youre really starting to feel winter. Not to scare anyone from the mountain, but it gets real cold in December. So when you go to the hill, be prepared to freeze. If we are lucky, things are in full swing by the first week of December. Silverton Mountain opens December 1 for unguided snowboarding, and with the amount of snow they get down there early season, theres a good chance you will out do your previous best pow day at Wolf Creek. Red Mountain also starts to fill up with snow this month, so dig up issues 1 - 3 of Snowboard Colorado Volume 1 that tell you where all the jump spots are at, break it out, and go start shoveling. The first part of December is usually pretty slow in the mountains. No one really goes on vacation before Christmas, so its a good time to come up and beat the holiday crowds. On the other hand, the snowboard parks are anything but slow in December. With the Dew Tour at Breckenridge and the Grand Prix at Copper, every snowboard team, pipe jock and park chucker from around the world comes to town to train for the big, early-season events. This is actually really awesome to see. You can totally go jock your favorite contest pro in the lift line or fan out on them at the bar. Everyone is in town, to the point where resorts sponsor snowboarders who dont even live here. The high-five throwing is out of control this month. But dont worry! If youre not into the scene and just want to get out and snowboard, it will all be over in a month. Contests move on and so do all the scenesters. But lets get back to the contests. For me, this is the best part about December. I love watching snowboard contests. Kids are going for it. Theyre either getting broke off or doing 22-foot record airs in the Breck

WORDS: CHAD OTTERSTROM

pipe. Contest history is made every year in Colorado. Whether its just another 180, flip or a bigger air, its always entertaining to be at the bottom of the pipe or jump course watching snowboarders send it at the highest level of competition. The end of the month brings Christmas and New Year's. This is one of the busiest times of the year for most resorts. If you live here, its all about escaping the crowds. For the most part, I dont even go to the hill over Christmas week. Loveland Pass and Berthoud Pass are great places to go if youre from the city or Summit County. Southern Colorado doesnt get as much traffic, so if you are down there you dont really have to worry as much. This is also a good time to go to some different resorts and explore. I usually like to go to Vail over Christmas week and ride the whole resort. Its such a huge place that it takes all day just to ride half of it, and I always feel like Im on vacation when I go over there. Between snowboard contests, fighting the crowds and exploring new terrain around Colorado, December is a pretty full month. It usually flies by in what seems like a week, so take advantage of every part of it.

THE HIGH-FIVE THROWING IS OUT OF CONTROL THIS MONTH

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SOMETHING.NICE

FOLLOW JJ ON TWITTER @JJTHOMAS_

WHEN THEY CALLED MY NAME TO DROP IN, I JUST SHIT MY PANTS

FULL MUD
Growing up in Colorado has a lot of perks, especially if you want to become a professional snowboarder. Not only do we have some of the best terrain to hone your skills on, but we also have a ton of professionals to learn from. All around Summit County, on any given day, you can roll through the park and most likely watch one of your favorite pros practicing for the X Games or an upcoming event. Looking back on my teenage years, I would have to say that having the opportunity to ride with some of the worlds biggest pros on a daily basis was such an advantage and motivator for me. I know I wouldnt have had half the success that Ive had without these guys being around for me to learn from. Out of all of the guys who were killing it back in the mid-to-late 90s, it is safe to say that Todd Richards was Colorados pride and joy. Even though he didnt grow up in the state, he moved here at a young age and currently has a house in Breckenridge, where he still rides often. I figured this month would be a good month to shoot him a few questions. JJ: YOURE FROM MASSACHUSETTS. WHAT YEAR WAS IT YOU DECIDED TO MOVE TO COLORADO? TR: 1991. I was on my way to SoCal and I stopped in Boulder and ended up staying put because I liked it so much. WHEN DID YOU MAKE THE MOVE TO BRECK? I didnt move up to Breck until 1993, when I started hanging out with a girl that lived there. I was driving from Boulder to Vail everyday to ride and this girl I was hanging out with at the time had a house there, so I just started hanging. You know, free rent and all.

WORDS: JJ THOMAS

WHEN YOU MOVED THERE, WHO DID YOU LOOK UP TO? Tim Windell! Tim was on point back then. This was back in 1989 or 1990. Tim Windell and Dave Dowd made up the crew I rode with and looked up to back then. LOOKING BACK, WHAT'S THE MOST MEMORABLE CONTEST WIN YOU HAD IN COLORADO? Thats super easy. It was the North American Championships at Vail in 1996. That was my favorite win, by far. It was weird. It was just something that I worked really hard for. That Friday before the contest, I put money down on the first Audi I ever bought. I won the contest and went to Japan for one day. The very next day I came home and picked up my first Audi! O K , W H AT WA S O N E O F T H E M O S T M E M O R A B L E , N OT S O GLORIOUS EVENTS THAT YOU DID IN COLORADO? In 1990 I went out for the Body Glove contest at A-Basin where I shit my pants in the start gate! I got sun poisoning. I didnt put any sunscreen on and went straight from New England to 10,000 feet completely dehydrated. I didnt have any water, actually. I was on a diet of Pepsi and Spree candy and two days of cloudless skies at A-Basin. When they called my name to drop in, I just shit my pants. Full-mud diarrhea pants. I took my run with poo still in my pants. You know how you stop at the bottom of the run for your interview? I just ollied straight out of the pipe and went right to the lodge, where I wiped my ass with my underwear, threw them away and went back to the pipe for my second run to finish the comp!

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The Future is
2012 product of the year.

Binding
now-snowboarding.com

V I D E O S TA S H
R: RYAN CRUZE P: AARON DODDS Riders: Ryan Cruze,Tony Pavlantos,Charlie Hoch,Ryan Stephens, Rajat Bhayani, Jason Elms, Bryon Bagwell, Darell Miller, Andrew Bergin, Jason Hindman, Cooper Hoffmeister, Jake Williams, Chris Lynch, Brock Butterfeild, Juston Henigan, Chris Corning, Nick Larson, Jacob Carey, Austin Gibney, Brady Farr Sponsors: CandyGrind, Old Smokey Moonshine, Osiris Shoes, Snowboard Mag, Steez Mag, SCS Unlimited, Cheetah Factory Racing, V.I.O, 686 Locations: Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Japan, Oregon, Washington, Alaska

NEVER SUMMER MEDIA - DAYS OF CHUNDER

Why Days of Chunder? Well, why not! Picking movie names has to be the hardest part of the movie. We had a few different options we were thinking about and I always run it past my riders to get their point of view. Days of Chunder just sounded like the kind of year we had here in Colorado and I thought it would make for some funny motion graphics I could incorporate into it. Would that still have been the title if we had a better snow year? I dont think so. We had some other ones picked out that would have fit better for a pow-filled year. Keep them fingers crossed people. This year is looking like we are on track for some good storms! Who is Never Summers Tom Cruise equivalent? Well, when it comes to looks, I have to toss out Tom Floccos name. He has the chiseled chin that just says Cruise. In the movie, I think Charlie Hoch came through with the I like to go fast routine. He never stopped all year! Did you have a favorite spot you shot at this year? We did a road trip up to Idaho this year. Im not going to give specifics, but holy shit that place has some of the most intense all-over terrain you could think of: rolling hills to build jumps, huge vert runs to slash and chutes and pillows for days. We will be heading back there this year, for sure. Who filmed the video? We always have a ton of help and I could not make a movie without the riders. They work just as hard to help get the shots throughout the year. Austin Gibney, Cooper Hoffmeister, Cameron Payne, Corey Tibljas, just to name a few. And to all the others, thank you!

QUESTIONS WITH: MICAH COOK BY: MIKE GOODWIN

What cameras did you use? Panasonic HPX170, Canon 7D, Canon T3i and GoPro, of course. Who wrecked the hardest? There were some good ones this year, for sure, but I have to give it out to Nick Larson on his front seven attempt between two pillows. He overshot the landing to flat from about 30 feet up. Its in the credits. Be sure to check it out. Standout parts? Brady Farr always comes through. He is a ripper of all terrain; he kills it. Also, Ryan Cruze is the hardest worker in the backcountry and always comes through with good pow and hard shredding. Any run-ins with the fuzz? No, not too many, as we are always in the backcountry. But, it still amazes me how you can be 10-miles deep and a forest ranger comes up out of nowhere to check your registration. I think they have secret holes they pop out of. It happened a few times this year. Register your shit. Advantages of making a team movie? I love it. We go out and have fun every chance we can, every year. "No stress" is my philosophy. I always just encourage riders to go out and have fun and capture the essence of the mountains. Being out in the backcountry is by far the best thing any person who shreds can do. Ive been filming and shredding out there for many years, and I am still amazed every time. As for making a team movie, it brings us all to the same place. We can ride all over the country, and all have different styles, but when the movie is put together, its all about stoke and shred!

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WEVE GOT COMPANY

OZ SNOWBOARDS
Developing a new snowboard brand is a daunting task. Snowboarding is still relatively young, but has blossomed into a lifestyle for many. Many brands that have been able to take hold in the industry have loyal consumers that rarely sway. Adam Browning, Founder/Owner of Colorado-based company OZ Snowboards, launched his idea of a snowboard in 2011 and is currently battling the arduous task of establishing his product. Browning wants the public to not "be afraid to test out new products" because "you might be surprised at how much better they are compared to the mass-produced boards." The truth is, there are not many people who are willing to take that kind of risk when it comes to product choice. When you find the ride that fits best, there is very little that is going to persuade you to switch. OZ's take on breaking in - get as many people on their boards as possible. Browning explains that he wants to be at as many on-snow demos as possible this season and that he "will be doing demo days right out of our Evergreen shop." Sounds convenient. But the real question to be asking is why even consider going out of the way to check one out? S n ow b o a r d i n g f o r 2 0 + ye a r s , B row n i n g h a s s t o o d o n m a n y snowboards of various shapes and size. "I was discouraged by the lack of innovation that existed in current snowboard design," says Browning. So, for two years he spent time in his shop perfecting this craft. Multiple materials and shapes came out of the initial

WORDS: BILLY CONNOR

R&D phase and the majority of them were tested on the slopes of Summit County. Browning reminisces about one such day of testing: "I remember one time I created a new base shape and took it up to Keystone. The first cat track I came upon, I decide to launch it, landed on the board awkwardly and it couldnt handle the landing. I caught an edge going full speed. I woke up with the patrol over me asking if I needed a ride down. Long story short, I was in serious pain for months." He stresses how much hard work it took him to perfect his skills, and he has the battle wounds to prove it. The product formed from these sketchy sessions is something that he is pleased to present to the public. Carbon fibers, honeycomb Kevlar and full-lenth poplar stringers are the materials that were ultimately chosen to be included in the OZ core structure. Browning justifies this decision, saying, "carbon fiber is a third of the weight and three times stronger than fiberglass. The Kevlar honeycomb core lightens my boards and acts as a vibrationdampening system. The full length poplar stringers create a more durable and consistent flex pattern throughout the board." He believes in his structure and backs it with a three-year warranty. Taking care of the environment is also high a priority for OZ. Browning claims their factory is 100% powered by wind, but don't just take his word for it. Go and check out the factory and demo a board or two. It's a quick stop off the Evergreen exit on I-70.

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WWW.POWGLOVES.COM

NEW TECH

SWITCHBACK BINDINGS
I enjoy waking up early about as much as I enjoy a toothy blow job. On the right day, I'll deal with it, but God damn. On this particular Tuesday, I was to get up at 8 a.m. to go to A-Basin and ride some Switchbacks for this section you're currently breezing over. The mountain had been open for weeks, but I had yet to board, and truth be told, I didn't care a bit. I was over it. Denver had been so nice and I could walk to the skatepark. The few trails that were open remained an afterthought, at best. Too much writing about snowboarding, I suppose. Naturally, I forgot my boots at the office and 8 a.m. quickly became 7 a.m. Determined to seek a bit of light in the scenario, I reasoned it was fair time to hit the post office, for rent was long overdue. But the shitwinds only strengthened. I had made it but a few blocks from my apartment when I was once again reminded how much I suck. The rat race had southbound I-25 backed up, as usual, and that quick trip to the office had just turned into a hourlong gauntlet. "Is the post office even open?" I mused as I approached the building. Those bankrupt motherfuckers. "Perfect," I remember thinking. The front door is open, there is someone in there behind the counter - looks like things are shaping up. But, what do you know. Of course there is a second door and, of course, it is locked and as I attempt to meet eyes with the devious, weasel of a man slouched behind the counter in an appeal to let me in, he swings away, furtively flicking his eyes about his desk like he is coordinating some monumental extra-terrestrial mission. Overwhelmed with a manic frustration, I speed out of the lot through residential streets between Federal and Pecos, trying to scramble home before we are due to meet at my apartment for departure. There I am, just another asshole, wasting away in traffic, watching through my rearview as some Gandalf-looking creature in an oppressive grey Chevy waives his lonely, pruned grip above his head and curses my Jersey plates.

WORDS: MIKE GOODWIN

I had spent an hour in the car before I even began the drive to the mountains - the part I can't stand in the first place. I tried to focus on the usual: get high enough to pass out in the back seat on I-70, take a couple runs, convince yourself you're not a pile of shit and then be back on the road and out of there in a couple hours. I don't like to change bindings. I expected that my time that day at A-Basin would be spent primarily walking between car and lift as I tried the bindings with highbacks, without highbacks, felt awkward because I had never ridden them and changed back to my usual pair. But, in a single step, that Kardashian-thick cynicism I had been sporting just a moment prior, vanished. "These things are actually super comfortable," I tell Andrew, who looks equally as shocked at my positive tone. I never spend six hours lapping one trail at A-Basin. Yes, the sun was out. Yes, the homies were there, but it was the bindings that sealed the deal. I was jaded, needed something fresh and got just that. These Switchbacks were awesome with the highbacks, even more enjoyable without, in my opinion. Yanking out those highbacks lends a surfy feel that everyone really should try. Overall, they were just incredibly easy to get used to. "Get used to" is probably not even the right phrase, as I don't really remember feeling uncomfortable, even for a run. So here I sit at DIA, London bound and astonished that snowboarding is on my mind, taking into account my outlook on the whole business a week ago. But I am. I'm looking to ride those bindings some more. All the components of the Switchback bindings can be swapped without tools and the four interchangeable parts (highback, straps, base, footbed) come in five different colors, allowing you to build whatever binding you like.

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h e -f ly s u re. O n -t w e rf u l c lo el fo rt . A p o new H3 Re d re a l c o m tion of the we ha st, e introduc S u d d e n ly he stronge ow, with th ex t level. T ility. And n tab For fit to the n microadjus ur Dialed In precision cked by o ve taken e rn. net is ba Platform, w its your tu on the pla re system game, now d up our most secu ve steppe rantee. We Life Gua
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*WOMEN'S

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*WOMEN'S

Photos: Mark Fisher

< DEXTERITY GLOVE

Rider: Ralph Backstrom

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*WOMEN'S

LAST RESORT

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R: MATT SMITH P: NED CREMIN

STE AM BOAT

WORDS: ERIK VAN ASSCH E

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STEAMBOAT

LAID BACK MOUNTAIN LIVING

F O R H U N D R E D S O F Y E A R S , T H E YA M PA VA L L E Y, W H E R E ST E A M B OAT S I TS , S E RV E D AS A S U M M E R H U N T I N G R E F U G E FOR THE UTE INDIANS. WHEN WHITE TRAPPERS FIRST MOVED THROUGH THE AREA DURING THE EARLY PART OF THE 19TH CENTURY, THEY HEARD A CHUGGING SOUND, SO THE STORY G O E S , A N D D E C I D E D TO N A M E T H E P L A C E " S T E A M B O AT SPRINGS" IN HONOR OF ITS NATURALLY PRESENT HOT SPRINGS. James Crawford was the original permanent settler in 1875. By 1885, many families had followed suit and the area was growing. F ro m i t s i n ce p t i o n , t h e tow n wa s a to u r i st at t ra c t i o n . O n ce a train line was erected in 1909, travelers from all around came to Steamboat Springs to bathe in the hot springs. Then came Carl H owe l s e n . H e i n t ro d u ce d s k i i n g a s a re c re at i o n a l a c t i v i t y a n d forever changed the way people lived in Steamboat. Back around 1914, skiing was used as a way of transportation until Howelsen introduced ski jumping and established the Winter Carnival. That was the start of something big. James Temple, the son of a North Routt County farmer, was able to m a ke t h e d re a m o f c re a t i n g a d e st i n a t i o n s k i re s o r t co m e true. During the late 1950s, James would organize ski trips to t h e t o p o f S t o r m P e a k t o a t t ra c t a t t e n t i o n to the mountain a n d ex p l o re p o ss i b l e ro u te s fo r t ra i l s a n d l i f t s . H e l a te r u s e d the phrase Champagne Powder to describe the light, dry snow

and used it as a marketing tool to attract ski enthusiasts from all over the world. I m ove d to Ste a m b o at f ro m t h e Po co n o s i n 2 0 03 to p u r s u e a degree at the Colorado Mountain College there and ended up staying for six years after I had finished. Located in the heart of Colorado, about an hour and a half from any other ski resort, Steamboat is a true ski town, with a western-style downtown and a laid-back, friendly local scene. It is not uncommon to leave the doors to your cars and houses unlocked because of the tight and trusted community within this town. Hosting a Colorado Mountain College (now a four-year school) brings in a lot of future locals to help keep the economy balanced, and the town youthful.

IT IS NOT UNCOMMON TO LEAVE THE DOORS TO YOUR CARS AND HOUSES UNLOCKED BECAUSE OF THE TIGHT AND TRUSTED COMMUNITY WITHIN THIS TOWN

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R: SPENCER TAMBLY P: NED CREMIN

ST E A M B O AT
R: RITCHIE COLASANTI P: CHRIS FARONEA

CLOTHING OPTIONAL HOT SPRINGS

ESTABLISHED: 1963 SUMMIT ELEVATION: 10,568 FT. BASE ELEVATION: 6,900 FT. VERTICAL DROP: 3,668 FT. TRAILS: 165 LIFTS: 16 ACRES: 2,965 SNOWMAKING COVERAGE: 375 ACRES LONGEST TRAIL: OVER 3 MILES TERRAIN PARKS: 2 HALFPIPE: YES ANNUAL AVERAGE SNOWFALL: 349 INCHES NIGHT RIDING: NO

R: ERIK VAN ASSCHE PHOTOS: CHRIS FARONEA

The first white men through Steamboat were French fur trappers

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to any snowboarder. These passes are stocked with open fields IF YOU ARE LOOKING TO GO FAST, HEAVENLY DAZE IS THE PERFECT RUN TO BOMB STRAIGHT DOWN and perfect jump building transitions to progress and have fun on. When I first moved out to Steamboat, our school took us on a cat trip out there. I am an East Coast kid and it was my first time out in the backcountry like that, just endless deep powder. It may be The riding in Steamboat is some of the best in the world when it comes to terrain and snow conditions. There are a lot of wide-open fields, aspen tree runs and technical cliff lines, all-accessible from the lift. The locally famous run is the Buddy-to-Nelsons Run full of gutter jumps, hips, powder stashes and cliffs. This is usually a first run go to for most that know about it and is a great retreat when the mountain gets tracked out. If you are looking to go fast, Heavenly Daze is the perfect run to bomb straight down. Vagabond is another trail with tons of side hits and spots to mess around on and is the trail you will want to follow to the park. Steamboat provides for every riding style out there. From bumps to jumps, whatever your preferences are, Steamboat can satisfy them. The resort is not the only place to search out features and powder. Surrounding Mount Werner is mostly all national forest. Within this land are two well-known passes, Buff Pass and Rabbit Ears Pass. These passes are accessible with anything that floats on snow. With endless lines and varying terrain, these two spots are a dream The atmosphere in Steamboat is laid back and has a No Worries feel. I'll give you an idea of what I mean: One time I was at a bar and had forgotten my wallet and did not want to go all the way back to the mountain to pick it up. I had my roommate take a picture of my credit card and send me the photo on my phone so I could go around to the bars and show them my card number and they could punch it in. Pretty legit. Steamboats youth have opportunities unlike most offered within a community. The Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club (SSWSC) is a group made of young future athletes and coaches, both ski and snowboard. These coaches are great at what they do and offer motivation and guidance on and off the snow. Developing skills is the main objective for this group, and life skills are learned t h ro u g h t rave l i n g a n d m a ste r i n g n ew t r i c k s to b r i n g i n to t h e competition scene. the most memorable time I had out in Steamboat.

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P: CHRIS FARONEA

PUTTINGFUNBACKINTOTHE

WORLD
ITS A BRAND

AVAILABLEAT METASKATEBOARDS,THECAGE,MOUNTAINWAVE UNDERGROUND,BIGHIT,ANTIAPPAREL,SOLSKATEBOARDS, STEAMBOATHATSHOP,RADIO,POWDERPURSUITS

PHOTO:MARKPOWELL RIDER:MARQUISPRESTON

WWW.YEANICE.COM

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IV E LI FE ST YL E O TH IN G FO R A N A CT CA SU A L CL

R IDER: R YAN H RYCKIEWICZ P : T ERRY R ATZLAFF

R: MATT SMITH P: NED CREMIN

AFTER BOARDING, GO SOAK YOUR BONES IN THE HOT SPRINGS

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There are a lot of great restaurants to eat at, one being the Ore House. The staff at the Ore House is always accommodating and serves some of the most delicious steaks in town. A top lunch spot to visit is Sun Pies. This restaurant/bar has the best Shrimp Po Boy and they are known for their strong drink, the "Hurricane." Creekside Cafe would be my recommendation for a breakfast spot; my go-to plate there is the Waffelaughagus, a Belgian waffle topped with eggs and sausage and smothered in gravy. Everybody in town lives and breathes the ski and snowboard world, so there are many recommendable ski/snowboard shops. In my opinion, the guys and gals that work in Powder Tools Board Shop are the best. The shop is located right across from the gondola. They are all true snowboarders and love the sport. They are honest and want to put you in the right gear and give you a fair price for a tune on your board or a rental. If you're looking to do a little shopping in town, dont hesitate to stop by Urbane, located downtown, off Lincoln and 7th Street. They are always stocked with a variety of clothing, shoes and skateboarding supplies. Mel and Trent, who own the shop, are very friendly people and will help you out with anything you need. This is one place that you have to visit and ride at least once. The light fluffy Champagne Powder makes for good, deep, winter days of endless lines and fun with friends. Come visit, enjoy and experience this tucked away valley for yourself. Steamboat is a beautiful and peaceful place to live and to visit. The people are friendly and offer a tight community within this small town. There is always something to do in Steamboat: hiking, biking, tubing, swimming, snowboarding, snowmobiling. If you visit, make sure you save time for the Strawberry Park Hot Springs. It is a cool place to relax and clothing is optional. You are allowed to drink there as well, just no bottles. Seriously, there is one dude that works there that is always naked in the hot springs and he will sneak up on you in the steam and catch you if you are drinking from a bottle! WAFFELAUGHAGUS - A BELGIAN WAFFLE TOPPED WITH EGGS AND SAUSAGE AND SMOTHERED IN GRAVY.

R: MATT LADLEY P: NED CREMIN 56

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THE FUNNEST PLACE ON EARTH! | WINDELLS.COM

JUSTIN FRONIUS digger

ERIK HOFFMAN photographer

iON Snowboard Team: Scotty Lago Eero Ettala Eric Jackson

Using IONs SHOOT/SHARE technology you can shoot every experience and share as you live it via Facebook, You Tube, iON CLOUD or e-mail.

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-Control the camera functions and settings remotely.

www.ioncamera.com

s T y l E

p o i N t s

r: charlie hoch // p: ben eng // l: summitville, co 61

PAGE

s T y l E

p o i N t s

r: ricky bates // p: sks // l: jackson hole, wy

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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 factory in Silverthorne, Colorado USA.

The Worlds Finest Snowboards hand built in www.unitysnowboards.com Summit County, Colorado Since 1995

Rider: Matt Guess Photo: Darcy Bacha

211 North Main St. Breckenridge, Colorado 80424 (970) 423-6465

r: leanne pelosi // p: aaron dodds // l: silverton, co 65

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BRENDAN GERARD

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More often than not, I end up sitting on my bed looking at my gear and debating whether or not to get on a plane the next morning. How much snow is there? How long will it last? Can we get a filmer? Last year I had just gotten back from SIA and a trip to Jackson Hole when I got the call from one of my favorite dudes in the world, Brendan Gerard. Its dumping in Denver. Im going out there for court in two days, you want roll and shoot some photos? Fuck it, lets make it happen. At 11 p.m. I made the decision to pack my stuff and get on an 8 a.m. flight back to Colorado, where three feet of snow had just fallen and multiple crews were headed. Brendan would be in court all morning but said he could grab me after. We ate burritos, slept on couches, shot some guns, managed to get our car towed with all our shit in it, borrowed filmers, almost got in a fight with some meth heads and spent Valentine's Day at a gay bar. Unfortunately, we missed our appointment for couch surfer tattoos. You never know whatll happen when you go on a trip. I guess this is just my life. Get on the plane and see what happens. Make a move and hopefully things come together and you get a story. Its like that as a snowboard photographer. Regardless, at least I always know Im in for some good times when I get together with the Comune kids. -Kealan Shilling

GUNS, GAYS AND GAPS A DENVER DISCUSSION

BETWEEN MIKE GOODWIN AND KEALAN SHILLING PHOTOGRAPHY KEALAN SHILLING

MG: What's up Kealan, how are you? KS: How's it going man? Pretty good. I am just finishing up a blog post. Could you give me like 15 minutes. Yeah, just call me whenever you're done. (waste some time on Vice) ---

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: BRENDAN GERARD JORDAN MICHILOT BILLY MACKEY

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BRYAN ZINK

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Oh yeah, crazy. That's what happened. It's pretty funny, actually. I was in Jackson Hole and had Hey, what's up dude? Nothing, how are you? You got everything all finished up? Yeah. How's the East Coast? It's gorgeous out right now. Cool fall day, you know. Bunch of leaves changing colors, pretty nice. You guys got some waves coming your way too, huh? Yeah. It's looking like this hurricane is going to come up the coast, so I am pretty psyched. It should be a good time. When was it that you were in Denver last year? First time I was there was at the end of November, beginning of December, like when Jed was there filming and stuff. But I didn't really shoot much of anything then. Let's see when did we go back? I think that was the beginning of February, if I am not mistaken. When you came back? Yeah. Were you there last year? Is that when that huge snow was? I was in Reno, but I think it was right after SIA, which would have been beginning of February. flown to Denver for SIA. I almost stayed there and hung out but I was like, "Oh man, maybe I should go back to the East Coast and head towards Quebec." So I got back to Boston and literally two or three days later it started dumping and that's when I got a call to go back out. Who called you to come back out? Brendan Gerard. Are you recording right now or ... ? Yeah. Ok cool. I just didn't know if we were diving in or not. Yeah, getting right in. Where were you staying? We were staying with two of my old roommates in Denver. You lived here for a while, right? Yeah, I lived up in Boulder in Raul Pinto's house. I worked at Snowboard Mag and was hanging with the Satellite guys a lot. So Brendan and everyone were here already, they had stayed after SIA? I don't know if you heard about this earlier, but basically Brendan and some of the other Comune guys went to Denver in December to hit some stuff. And they found a bunch of stuff but then actually ended up in jail.

I remember that. I a l m o s t w e n t t h e r e , a c t u a l l y, i n b e t w e e n C h r i st m a s a n d t h e n ew ye a r. I wa s i n Re n o Christmas day and I flew back across to see my family and same thing - that day it started snowing in Colorado. But I had decided to not go with them and just go home. I had been traveling for a few weeks anyway. I told Jon ... Hill? Jon Hill, yeah. I got him to shoot that story and he linked up with them. But anyway, Brendan and a few of those guys ended up in jail for trespassing or something - I am not quite sure. So, he got out on bail but had a court date for whatever it was, like, two months later. He already had to go back to Denver and I was there for SIA, and I was talking to him and he's like, "I have to be in Colorado in a couple days, you should hang out and maybe we will hit something." And I am like, "Yeah, there is no snow here, whatever," and I got on a plane back to Boston and literally a few days later, it started dumping in Colorado. Brendan had made it to Denver and I made a last minute call like, "Fuck it, I'll go." Bought a ticket and headed b a c k o u t t h e re to s h o o t w i t h B i l l y M a c key, Jordan Michilot and Brendan.

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Bill got banged up pretty early on though, right? That's the sad thing. He showed up and I think the first night we went and hit something and he was doing good and he went to hit it again to get another photo and tweaked his heal or something. Actually, I think it was his knee that got tweaked. Anyway, he pretty much couldn't ride at all the rest of the time. That's actually part of the story. Brendan went out there for court and I decided to go on a whim. It was kind of crazy because we didn't have a filmer to go with us, just a last minute trip. It was pretty much me and Brendan and then Jordan making the call to go there and meet up with Billy. It's like, "Ok, we have three dudes and a photographer. Let's try and get some shit done." We talked to, I forget his name, kid hangs out with Jon Hill, the filmer, Brendan, maybe? Brendan Barry. Yeah. But that was the tough thing. Right off the bat, Billy got hurt and we were down to two riders and a photographer. Brendan had said he was dedicated to shooting with us for the week, but he started getting calls from the guys he films a lot. I don't know how you want to talk about it, per se, but the interesting thing about the whole trip is that it was basically four crews in Denver.

I was going to ask you about that. Were most of the spots pretty jammed up? A couple of them were wait-your-turn type of scenarios, like "Oh, we'll go back to that spot later," but everyone was kind of finding weird spots to hit. The cool thing about this trip was that if someone had an extra filmer, they might come with us, or I would go shoot photos with a different crew if our crew was just setting something up, you know? It was like this big mish mash of snowboarding going on at different spots. I ended up shooting photos with the Technine guys and the Givin guys and Comune guys, obviously, and with some of Brendan Barry's and Jon Hill's homies, too. So you went right to that short, black closeout? Yeah. Walk me through the trip a little bit from there. Well, I'll tell you right off the bat, there are a co u p l e t h e m e s to t h i s t r i p. O n e i s t h a t we realized that it isn't easy to get shit done in Denver, at all. Sometimes when you do a lastminute trip like that, you are just running around trying to find spots in certain areas before the snow melts. Getting crews together and filmers, it was kind of like a scavenger hunt the whole time because like I said, the Technine guys were there, the Givin guys flew in, the bHappy dudes

showed up and then us. We were all kind of jockeying around at these spots and trading off filmers and photographers. I noticed a picture of Bryan Zink, surprised to see him out there. Yeah, he's a homie of Billy's and was down to come help and pull bungee for that spot. After Brendan and Billy hit it, he asked if he could hit it and ended up nabbing a pretty sick shot. That's how you gotta be if you're coming up. I have a lot of respect for kids who are down to help out and will always try to get them shots. I linked up with Ian (Boll) and Alan (Parenteau) through Raul the TM for Satellite. I let him know that I was in town and putting together a story and that if he had any team riders with spots, I was down to get them shots. Those dudes had that roof spot picked out and it was actually an easy grab. I thought we'd get kicked out of there for sure cause it was right in downtown Boulder. But it worked out. Got them both shots without a single cop showing up. I was wondering how you ended up with that set of photos. It's just a pretty random collection b e t we e n , l i ke, B i l l y a n d B re n d a n , A n d rew Brewer and Dylan Thompson, and then I saw Alex Stathis in there.

ALEX STATHIS

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Yeah, again that's what happens when there are a lot of crews in an area. There were days where we couldn't get anything done. We would try to go to a spot and get kicked out and another spot someone would be at and at another spot the snow wouldn't be good or we couldn't get a filmer down there so the riders wouldn't want to hit it or numerous other reasons. Some days it was totally frustrating. What's funny is there were several times where I was about to freak out, like, "Man, this is fucked! Everything that is supposed to be happening is not happening." It's funny how it sometimes randomly works out . All of the sudden, in one day you go and nail a spot with your dudes and then the other dudes got a spot and so on. I think there was one day, the day that Bradshaw and Layne Treeter and Alex Stathis showed up, we invited them to come hit this gap down some stairs with Brendan. It was only me, Brendan and Jordan and we couldn't get it done with two people. So Brock Neilsen came and filmed and Bradshaw and one of the Technine filmers came and then the two Givin dudes, Layne and Alex, showed up. That was one spot with three different crews. We all pitched in and made that spot happen and Brendan and Bradshaw got shots there. In return, we all went with the Givin dudes to go help Layne and Alex hit their spot. It was kind of like we traded manpower. Not a lot of competing for shots? The atmosphere was pretty cool? Yeah, it was, honestly. When you put the right people together, it's super sick. Even when you have mixed groups. It was more like, "well hey, Brendan wants to hit this thing" and Bradshaw is like, "well, I want to hit this thing," and Layne and Alex are down to help do that if you guys can help build their spot. It was cool to see different crews coming together to kind of make spots happen.

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Yeah that's legit, it's not always that way. It can get pretty vibey pretty quick. I think that it just comes down to who it is and the crews. Some kids have more of a vibe than others or are more territorial. If they know that other people are cool, they are going to be more open to hit a spot. But a lot of that comes down, also, to who found the spots. For instance, I did a lot of my own scouting there. I would find a spot, then hit up the different riders to see who was down to do what. Me and Brendan were rolling around and Jordan and Billy were off doing their own thing and the Technine guys were also off looking at spots. So you didn't have a lot picked out ahead of time. Get there and find a bunch of spots kind of thing? We knew of a couple areas. A few things I found like the gap that Brendan and Bradshaw hit. Brendan was down to hit it and I called Bradshaw and was like, "Hey, would you be into hitting this?"

He was down, so we combined crews and made it happen. How many days were you here? Five or six days. We might have actually been there longer. I remember the snow wasn't even gone yet. It seemed like the last day was the most productive day. I think we hit, like, three or four different spots that day. Which spots? There were two spots in one area. The first was the stair gap and then we went to this up railto-stair-set thing in the same area and we got thrown out. Then we went with Alex and Layne to the sideways kinked rail to wallride, hit that and when it was a wrap there, went to go meet up with Andrew Brewer and Dylan Thompson over at the junkyard and got that dump truck thing set up. They were building that all day and I just shot some photos at the end of the day. Did you have many problems with the cops? That was our only run-in with the cops. There were

DYLAN THOMPSON

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a few other times, but they were pretty mellow for the most part, just like, "you guys can't be here." I am surprised the snow stuck around for that long. Usually, Denver is the kind of place where you have to get on it or it's baked in a couple days and gone. Yeah, it was around for quite a bit. It stayed overcast and kind of cloudy. There was something I was going to ask you. I am spacing out right now. It looks like you went to a gun range? Where was that? Fuck, I don't even know. I could probably find out. It was with some local dude, some Marine. Just a casual day shooting with some Marines? It was a friend of a friend, you know? He took us and had some sweet guns and taught us how to shoot them. That's legit. Are you a good shot? Funny story, actually. That was when I found out that I am a good shot. I had never shot a gun before. I have never shot a rifle or a pistol

or anything. I have shot BB guns. Anyway, this Marine shows me how to shoot this rifle and the target was pretty far away, maybe, like, 25 yards. Not too close. You can't really see it and I fired off five shots or something. The thing is super hard and I am looking at the target and I can't really see it and they were like, "Ok, let's see how you did." I am like, "Oh fuck, this is going to be embarrassing. I bet I didn't even hit the fucking target." The guy pulls back the target and I had all five shots within two inches of each other and they were all right on this dude's head. The Marine was like, "Holy shit!" I guess there is, like, a five percent chance that the first time you fire a rifle, your grouping will be that close together. That's impressive. I guess I have a steady arm, but I would attribute a steady arm to holding a damn camera all day. In all of your Denver experiences, does this trip fall in the middle of the road? It was pretty good, actually. It ended up turning

out pretty awesome. I would say that last day really blew it away. What else can you tell me? Yeah, lets see. I got a couple things I was going to mention. I will say that Denver has awesome Mexican food and they have really good cheap burrito joints. You stayed on the burrito tip all week? Ye a h , we b a s i c a l l y s h owe d u p a n d t h e f i r st couple days I think we ate burritos for dinner, late-night snack, breakfast - everything. We were laughing about it because we kept going back to these same spots. One was Burrito Express. One of them was, like, Viva Burrito, I want to say. And there was another and they were kind of our trifecta of burrito joints that we kept hitting. We were joking, like, what if we did a whole trip and wrote a story about burritos and snowboarding in Denver. Just go s n ow b o a rd fo r a we e k a n d e at n o t h i n g b u t burritos.

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That would be tight. Another funny thing. My old roommate from Salt Lake bartends in Denver at a gay club. Ok. And on Valentine's day, me, Brendan and Jordan d e c i d e d t h at we wo u l d g o b e c a u s e h e wa s working and we would get free drinks. So we went to a gay bar on Valentine's day, which is pretty amazing. They were playing this game where you walked in and got a number you had to wear and there was this big screen you could message other people on. Basically, it's designed so dudes can hook up with each other. If you are at the bar and you saw some dude across the bar that was wearing number 43, you could do a post up on the bar's Facebook page, which was on the screen, like, "Hey 43, meet me in the bathroom or something, or meet me outside, or are you single." Then that person would respond. It made for some funny entertainment. So we got shitfaced at the gay bar for Valentine's day. Did your numbers get called? We were calling out each other and fucking with each other. Brendan turned to me and was totally freaked out like, "We really got to get out of here. I am a small, good looking, little dude. You don't
BRENDAN GERARD

understand. I'll be the victim in one of these places. Someone is going to eye me out and come and try to rape me or something." In my gay club experience, people tend to be pretty forward with what they want in there. It was hilarious. Easy way to get free drinks if you're willing to bend the rules a bit. Yeah, it's pretty weird. We were posting photos of Matthew McConaughey from that movie Surfer, Dude on the screen. The worst part is that when we got outside they were towing our car. The owner of the sex shop above the bar was having cars towed. I guess we didn't see the parking sign and all our gear was in there and the dude wouldn't drop it. But yeah, at that point we were pretty loose and Brendan was talking about breaking into the compound and cutting the lock and busting his car out. Shit. That sucks. Money grubbing bastards. The trip wasn't easy to get done but somehow things came together. I always skated that city when I lived there. I never went snowboarding because the drive was too much of a pain in the ass. I used to just skate Denver all the time and I went back to the city with the same mindset.

When we would cruise around we kind of came up with the idea that we should just find more skatestyle features. Just like ollies and gaps, step-ups or whatever. And that is what ended up being cool. We found the road gap that Brendan hits and the other stair gap over the hand rail and the short rail to drop. They were spots you had to go fast and ollie big, for the most part. I really just wanted to find cool gaps. Especially with the setup we had where there was a lot of people. It was cool to me to find spots where we could hang out and session something. Like gaps versus some massive gnarly thing where only one person is going to try it. And you came to Denver with that approach in mind? Yeah, that was just the natural approach from having spent a lot of time skating when I lived there. Cool, well that's good man, I appreciate you taking the time. Yeah, no worries, Mike. Have a good one. Take care.

JORDAN MICHILOT BRENDAN GERARD KEALAN SHILLING

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TRICK TIPS

This trick should come naturally once you get the basics down. Before trying this trick, warm up with some front boards, front
R: JOE MANGO PHOTOS: JEFF BROCKMEYER

at the end of the rail, load your weight on your back foot. Just keep looking over your shoulder at the end of the rail so that you can wait until the end to start your spin. This will keep your board from starting a pre-spin. At the end of the rail, get a solid pop off and keep looking over your shoulder at the landing. The 270 should come easy and feel like a 180 because you are turned and looking over your shoulder. Stomp it out and go try it switch!

blunts and backside 360s. The key to this trick is coming straight into the rail and waiting until you get on to set up for the spin out. Otherwise, you will fall off the rail to the outside or just do circles on the rail. Approach the rail so your board is parallel, maybe a foot outside the rail.

FRONT BLUNT 270 OUT WITH JOE MANGO

Get your pop and land so you are looking down at the rail with the rail right under your back foot. Once you are on the rail, start to look over your back shoulder, and

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