Monthly Archives: January 2011
SIA11 Capita, Sessions, Jones snowboards
Capita. Devour! Making some of the most popular boards out there Capita comes in with their brand of quirkiness and odd mix of fantasy/irony/fun….
Outdoor Living
Stairmaster Detail showing Corey Smiths artwork
Charlie Slasher
NAS
Capita NAS detail
MId Life Zero Camber ... overheard even a few of the die hard camber guys on the team are feelin this one
Green Machine
Indoor Survival FK
Saturina
Horrorscope FK
B.S.O.D.
Space Metal Fantasy FK .... KITTIES ... EVIL EVIL KITTIES!
The F'kn Awesome .. some of the most well received graphics of the show
Detail of the Fkn A topsheets
Sessions. Sessions has a soft spot in my heart not only because of how they began but also because they meant so much to our little Alabama skate scene back in the day. We’d get Thrashers and go through and find the old Sessions ads and look at all the punk rock tees. We “discovered” bands like DK, Minor Threat, Seven Seconds, Bad Brains, even The Smiths through those ads. I’ll admit though the last few seasons Sessions has been kind of slipping in their design but they got a new guy and this years line up is looking great. They have a huge concentration on soft shells that can be worn on the mountain, around town, or where ever for the upcoming year. They still have that same Sessions simplicity but now theyve gotten back on board with some good design as well…..
Puffys
SoS collaboration jacket
Pants .. colorway options on rack to right
I really liked this one...
Skull Candy collaboration in a heavy jacket
Skull Candy Collaboration in a lighter weight jacket
Cargo with colorway options on rack to left
Sessions new designer is taking them into a more fashion conscious direction...
The Ladies line for this year is looking much better....
Flannel over a hoody look but weatherproofed for riding
80's inspired print but technology from 2k12
Womens
Sessions Boarding for Breast Cancer Collaboration
Sessions has always been good about having a huge kids line .. rack 1 of 2
Second rack for the kids
Jones Snowboards. Jones snowboards was started by big mountain legend Jeremy Jones. His small but award winning line is quickly catching the attention of everyone not just the big mountain crowd. There may only be four boards in the Jones catalog but when you consider three of them have won best of awards from three DIFFERENT publications ( Backcountry, Snowboard, Outside) you definitely have to put Jones in the quality not quantity group. An ambassador for not only the fight against global warming but also for the split board (re)revolution Jeremy is now making just as many waves within the production side of the industry as he has in the riding side…
The All Mountain Twin ... because we cant all ride Alaska ... available in a split this board is so beautiful in person
The Flagship .. also available in a ladies model this season
The Hovercraft ... the powder killer
SIA11 Smokin, Union, Air Blaster, 686 2011/2012 …..
Thursday was the first day of the Snow Tradeshow SIA in Denver. Heres a big chunk of pictures from day one…..
Union Binding Company 2011/2012
The Ultra Fear is back .. incorporating graphics from the entire Capita line
Force 2011/2012
The strap of the Force has been beefed up a tad with more padding
The Contact for 2011/2012
Union is known for its many collaborations .. this year Holden steps in the game with a great looking, stylish, all black binding
Holden Union collaboration front view
DLX
Atlas
Contact Pro Gigi Ruff binding
Flite
Union Ladies Milan
Ladies Flite
Atlas Team
Union SL (super light)
Danny Kass Pro Model
Tril
Trilogy
The MC
Smokin Snowboards … straight out of Tahoe (more or less) owner Smokin Jay is still hand making boards in their facility. I got to meet Jay and this guy is a no nonsense straight shooter. I own a MIP, and how often can you say you were able to meet the person who made the deck you ride? Real Deal here kids Real Deal. With a PBR in Jays hand we talked about a few decks and what we like dont like. Heres some pics of the new line for 2011/2012….
One of my favorite boards The Smokin Big Wig
Jay said he had received numerous requests for a noodle.. its not his thing but Jay listened to what the kids wanted and the Hooligan makes its second appearance in the Smokin line up as their super soft jib stick
for the ladies The Vixen and The PYT
Two of the team series boards.. Girl Camo on the left and a duckhunt inspired graphic on the right ... the Duckhunt graphic is very pixelated when you view it up close
M.I.P.
The Super Park
Last year Smokin caught a bit of heat with their Buck Ferton model. This year Jay created this board in response. The top sheet says thanks with the see no evil hear no evil speak no evil monkies on it. To the right is the base of the board.
KT 22 (left) and Pinner (right) Smokins back country assassins
Airblaster. One of my favorite companies and a leader/founder of the “why should snowboarding be so serious” movement AirBlaster was definitely on my day one mental list. Heres a few things that caught my eye in the upcoming years line up. (bonus… I snagged some more Terry stickers .. you really cant have enough of those)
Dork Trucker Hat
many times when I want to type goggles it comes out googles and vice versa ... heres next seasons GOGGLE color ways
for someone who looks like he never takes a bath the Dirks line is pretty clean .. a jacket from his line for next season
Jed Andersons collection takes his piece meal style and unifies it into a functional single piece of outer wear
Dubbed "The Secret" this beanie has a pull down fleece facemask
The Ninja Suit line has grown over the years .. look at all the choices for next season!
A lettermans style Jacket
From Brights to Earth Tones the Airblaster line always has something for everyone
Terry Sweater!
686. Ive had pieces of 686 clothing in my gear rotation for many seasons. I always look forward to seeing what they come up with each season and especially look forward to seeing what collaborations they pull out of their hat.
686 Womens collection
686 Womens
686 Womens
686 Womens
686 Womens
686 Mens
686 Mens
686 mens
The boot line with New Balance is getting larger each season....
The 686/Fallen collaboration has generated tons of buzz .. so sick!
Next post …. Capita , Sessions, Bataleon, YES, and Jones
R.I.P. Hubba Hideout
There are legendary spots and then there are LEGENDARY spots. SF’s Hubba Hideout is one of the all caps kind of legendary spots. I mean as awesome as Wallenberg, El Toro, and the plazas of Barcelona are they still have not reached the status of Hubba Hideout. Hubba is so important thats its very name has come to signify any angled stair set ledge. Tell someone you know a sick 8 stair Hubba and they immediately know what you mean but Hubba means more than just a visualization of a tangible skateable structure. Hubba Hideout is a crucial, some may argue THE crucial, step in the evolution of skateboarding from the smaller ledges of nearby EMB to larger, riskier structures. In short the fertile proving grounds of the EMB ledges allowed for the proliferation of technical skating in the 90′s but it was Hubba that took that tech and added the “big” factor and in doing so laid the foundation for modern skateboarding.
I was lucky enough to get to Hubba once in my mid 90′s Bay Area traveling days. It was like a skater pilgrimage through EMB (to stand on The Gonz) over to Hubba and ending up at Bay Blocks. Let me tell you this, Hubba was no joke. You had to come with serious pop for that ledge. Unlike many rails and ledges today Hubba wasnt actually very long which meant you couldnt do the “small ollie out with speed and catch it half way down” trick. One look at Hubba and I knew I had nothing for it , well nothing but respect. As the years passed on the EMB skate era most of San Francisco became a no skate wasteland. Skate stoppers appeared on any and every ledge from the Library to Bay Blocks and Hubba of course didnt escape the wrath. Kind of sad actually especially for a city so connected with the lifestyle that it actually held contests in the city hall fountains a few times. Every now and then for some “odd reason” Hubba would be stopper free and their would be a brief deluge of cover shots and video bangers but just as quickly as it would come it would go again as skate stoppers would again appear on the ledge. Yesterday January 25th Hubba was demolished, my detailed knowledge is sketchy at best. Original reports came from twitters @fecalface with the tweet ”Skaters, just heard that they’re tearing down Hubba right now. Skate icon down.” A few hours later ESPN skate had more details and a few pictures (warning these images may be disturbing to creative free thinking skateboarding individuals). With EMB going years back it was only a matter of time before the Hubba area was renovated (by renovated I mean torn up to get the homeless out) for some new project. Hubba lives on though… hit Hubba Hideout up on Youtube and you get a host of clips from various skateboard games as well as clips of peoples mini sessions on their own home made Hubbas. The legend of Hubba and what it means to skating both past and present will not soon be forgotten.
R.I.P. Hubba Hideout
Utahs International Ladies Shred Day wrap up
Utahs first International Ladies Shred Day was held this past Saturday at Canyons Resort and I was there to share in the fun. Organizer Lindsay Aceto met up with the ladies at the top of the Gondola just outside the Red Pine lodge and everyone broke up into groups based on ability. Some participants needed help learning to link turns while others were just there to make new friends and shred. We took laps through the new 1.1 mile park at Canyons resort but were eventually forced out by the large amount of new snow falling from the sky (not a bad thing). The main group split into two smaller groups and I went with Lindsay and some others through Canyons’ infamous Canis Lupus natural half pipe.
Some of ladies...
After a few runs through Canis we headed back towards the lower area and jumped on the new orange bubble heated lift. The first of its kind in North America the orange bubble was a great trip back up the mountain. A few runs later everyone met up at Red Pine for lunch and then for more runs through the powdery trees and Canis Lupus.
Canis Lupus proved to be one of the most popular runs of the day
The day ended in the Grand Summit Hotel at the base area of Canyons Resort with a give away from all of the great local sponsors. Arbor, Nomis Girl, and Cilla Underlayers professional female rider Lynn Neil was present to meet the girls and help give away tons of product. Highlights of the give away included a 32 board from Milosport of Salt Lake, several high end under layers from Cilla Underlayers, and a complete set of outterwear courtesy of Epic of Park City. Every lady in the room went home with something from the give away!
Thanks to all the sponsors including those listed above and also Boarding for Breast Cancer, Nitro, Tech Nine, Yellow Snow Ice Cream of Park City, and Arkade Magazine. Lots of new friends were made at the event and many girls asked how they could help start an event next year in their town. Ladies the best way is to get in touch with the people behind ILSD is through their site here. The ladies behind shred day can help you with contacts and other information that can help you host a successful event of your own at your local resort, its fun, and thats what its all about!
Organizer Lindsay Aceto (left) and Arbor/Nomis/Cilla rider Lynn Neil (right)dishing out the free gear
Raiden 0 Binding Review
I hate buying bindings, Im the same with trucks on my skateboard, I prefer both well worn in and reliably consistent in how they perform. With new bindings you have to get the straps, heelcups, and highbacks adjusted plus new bindings are just not as comfortable as old worn in ones. Until recently I was still rocking a pair of Drake TM’s from their 08/09 line. They were really getting a bit out of hand with the constant screw tightening and strap adjustments needed. Finally last week I broke two straps in two days and decided that it was time to find a new pair. Heres another reason I was slow to get new bindings, I like low high backs and 0 forward lean so my choices can at times be limited. I was able to find the same 08/09 Drake TM’s for $105 shipped online but decided to see what my other local options were first. Drake stopped making the TM this season and replaced it with the ReLoad but the highbacks were really tall on them so Drake was out. I also looked at Flux (who has low highbacks) but then I had a couple people tell me to check out the Raiden line so I gave them a once over at Milosport and hooked em up.
I like to ride my bindings right out of the box with out making any initial big adjustments other than dialing in the strap placement. Luckily for me the heelcups and angles were good to go and I havent needed to do any of the tinkering normally associated with new bindings. Raiden does include a handy positioning chart in the manual that lets you know exactly where to adjust the bindings for each size boot within the 0′s size range.(noted however the chart is made with Nitro boots in mind which is what Im currently wearing).
The Raiden 0 also features the new Mini-Disc setup. The Mini-Disc is, as its named, a smaller than normal disc for the footbed of the bindings. This new smaller Disc allows you to use only two screws to hold the bindings (but has room for four if youre sketched on that idea). The thought behind it is that the smaller disc allows for more room for dampening materials on the binding itself and also gives a smaller footprint of the mounting surface which means it has less effect on board flex.
The Raiden 0 is one of the softer flex bindings within the Raiden line. Its billed as a park/urban slayer with the flex needed for presses and tweaks. Since I ride all over the mountain it would seem this isnt the binding for me but I prefer a bit softer than normal board so I need to pair it with a softer binding. Remember to always match your board flex and binding flex kids. Its not going to do you much good to get a good mushy binding and put it one a super stiff big mountain board and vice versa.
So far Ive only put a couple days on the 0′s but have managed to take them on some pretty varied area within Brighton. They handled great in the park of course but I also found them more than responsive enough to enable me to weave through the dense trees around the bottom of the Rock Garden and cushy enough to feel confident to take them off the drops as well. The Raiden 0 also feature an air cushioned heel bladder to help lessen the impact on those big drops as well as give a good comfortable all around ride. The ratchets on the 0 are aluminum but the teeth are hard plastic. Ive had bindings with plastic teeth before and found that as long as you have your bindings adjusted properly ( and dont live somewhere like Jackson Hole where its perpetually 0 degrees) a plastic tooth will last you as long as you need it to. Remember when properly adjusted you tighten your straps until they are snug but not constricting. If youre tightening your straps all the way down and struggling to get that last final click youre doing it wrong and need to take a few minutes to adjust your straps.
One small thing that I dont like about the 0. The footbed flap that covers the mounting hardware has no heel cup anchor. Basically what this means is that it just rests there. When you initially put the cover on its actually pretty flappy but once you tighten the screw down at the one mounting spot it tends to lower and goes a bit flush. My issue with this is on a deeper day there is the possibility of snow getting wedged underneath it and becoming a pain in the ass. To be clear I havent had this problem I just see it as a possibility and wish Raiden had put in even some small groove and insert to help keep this thing secured. Of course Im also talking about a park oriented binding so I can understand why its not there because if its a deep day you shouldnt be in the park anyways…. remember that.
Overall Im very happy with the Raiden 0 and glad I was able to get a good solid binding that fit my list of needs with very little searching. Im new to the Raiden family but would definitely recommend them to anyone looking for a softer skate inspired binding. Check out more on their site here.
A talk about International Ladies Shred Day with Utah organizer Lindsay Aceto
Grassroots… one of the most important terms in snowboarding, skateboarding, and BMX. Our sports started with little to no mainstream support through the grassroot local DIY efforts of pioneers like the Z Boys in skating, the early Tahoe “pipe” pioneers in snowboarding, and people like Matt Hoffman in BMX who took their entire sport on their shoulders and charted a course towards progression. Weve always taken our sport in the direction weve wanted it to go. Lately however there has been a wide spread mainstreaming of snowboarding. You can find it anywhere from Olympic coverage, cereal boxes, late night talk shows, multiple large corporation contest series, and even in mainstream department store clothing racks. So grassroots is dead right? I mean we cant ever go back to those days of grainy film with hand shoveled pipes and local contests right? I mean once the big global companies get involved we cant possibly fight them right? Well if thats right dont tell that to Lindsay Aceto and her friends KC and Missy. These three ladies from the non snowboarding mecca of the mid-west had a vision to get girls together and have an all girl shred event. International Ladies Shred Day was born and the grassroots movement of our sport gets another boost. Remember its our sport and we can decide where it goes and who we allow to take it there… them or us. I vote us and Im glad Lindsay, KC, and Missy did too.
Recently I was able to catch up with Lindsay Aceto, now living in Utah, and get the low down on International Ladies Shred Day.
Kassandra “KC” Cassily had an idea… as an active member of WCB (a social snowboarding club based out of Chicago), she wanted to encourage the girls who came to all of the club’s parties to actually hit the snow too. In 2009, a total success with over 75 girls participating, two events called ”Girls Can Shred” started it all. Kassandra and I had met before, but through this event we met Missy (MN) and all became good friends. With our shared passion for snowboarding, and wanting to share this with more women, we worked to create 2010’s international event. KC moved to Germany and organized an event there, while myself (Milwaukee), Missy, and WCB organized events locally as well. We recruited organizers in Seattle and Canada too and 2010‘s Ladies Shred Day became a grass-roots campaign to get girls on boards, Internationally, ILSD attracted over 250 women around the world to the slopes. Numerous never-evers bought full set-ups before the season’s end, intermediate riders took to the air and metal for the first time, and most importantly, girls got hooked and stoked on shred.
With the success of 2010′s ILSD, we knew we had to keep going and make it happen for 2011. KC moved to Luxembourg and I moved to Utah so we knew we had two new locations already. One of the girls who came to ILSD Germany last year (it was her first time ever snowboarding) stepped up to organize the Germany event for this year and through a Google search of “women snowboarding” a young woman in Romania contacted us and we helped her get started with organizing an event there. The Milwaukee and Chicago club events almost didn’t happen this year, but a few boys from WCB stepped up and have been trying to gain local support. So although the number of events for 2011 is smaller than we originally anticipated, we have more events starting to get organized and gaining support already for 2012 (Estonia, Seattle, British Columbia, California and Colorado so far!).
ILSD 2009
As I mentioned this is the first ILSD in Utah and you are organizing it. How was it being new to Utah and trying to organize such a big event?
Lindsay (center) ILSD 2010
Missy helping an ILSD participant learn to shred.. at the grassroots level
After party – TBA
