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A.Skate, Heartchild The Movie, Autism, and you……
I am the person I am today because of skateboarding. I can say without hesitation that skateboarding changed my life forever. Although I came to SLC from Alabama in ’96 and quickly assimilated into the snowboard culture ( y’know the skateboarders retirement plan) it’s still skateboarding that started it all. I may not know all the kids nowadays like I do the snow kids but I still love and appreciate what skating is, what it stands for, and what it’s given to me. It’s hard to even articulate the impact it’s had on my life, no strike that it’s not hard it’s impossible. You may be one of the millions who pick up a skateboard and flirt with it a few years and move on to other things, that’s fine I hope you at least get a better or different perspective of the world because of it. However if you’re a lifer, one of those people that it profoundly effects forever the story of Crys Worley and A.Skate must strike you at your core. It’s a good chance most skaters know this story but many snowboarders may not. Take a few minutes to watch the trailer below for HeartChild and if you can find the means please help by donating 5 10 or whatever you can to the HeartChild Kickstarter. If you can, please pass the information on as well. Especially to anyone you may know that is an advocate for Autism but may not be involved with the Skate/Snow world. Thank you skateboarding, thanks Crys, thanks Faith of Birmingham Alabama, and thanks to Ben Duffy. Bama Pride!
Visit the HeartChild KickStarter here.
Find out more about A.Skate here.
SLC crew “This Must Be The Place” advance to next round in Nike Chosen contest….
reprinted from a post I made on Brightons Terrain Park Blog
Unless you have totally been under a rock this season you have seen the Nike Chosen competition. The contest, presented by Nike, challenges filmers and crews from around the world to document their scene, get “noticed”, and eventually win a trip to Austria to shred like a Nike pro. Brighton Resort is lucky enough to be the home mountain for one of the crews chosen as finalists. Connor Brown and Jesse Gouveia are the guys behind the “This Must Be The Place” crew. Through out the season we have featured edits, pictures, and trick tips from the crew here on the terrain park blog but now it’s at a whole new level. The crew needs your help to get them into the final three to win a trip to Austria to compete for the grand prize. I caught up with Jesse to get the low down on whats taken place so far, what still needs to be done, and to talk about the crew and riding at Brighton Resort.
Brighton Ok Jesse give us the quick version of how you guys got to this round and how the contest proceeds from here…
Jesse So the contest was all about Facebook likes and comments and such before to get Nike to “notice” you and look at your page. Now that we got the US spot and made top 9 its straight up votes. From today until March 5th everyone who knows how to use the internet can vote for us once a day on each computer or phone or whatever. Maybe a PC if youre feeling risky.
Brighton So in talking with you guys I know you are working on a variety of projects at once. How was it trying to fit the Nike edit into the mix and how has it been just filming in general in a brand new place?
Jesse At first it was all kinda weird because we knew we wanted to make a movie, and knew we wanted to save our best stuff for that. So we got kinda stressed about how we were going to make the Nike stuff good while saving the best shots for Connor’s movie. Being able to put park footage and Bonezone stuff in there obviously made things easier earlier in the round but we wanted our main video on our page to be mostly street. Its ended up working out pretty well so far because we were able to come up with some b footage and some stuff we filmed just for the Nike as well. Its a lot to put together, especially for Connor editing it all but there is definitely nothing we would rather be doing. Its been super fun because we are all so new to filming in the streets so we’ve learned a lot and have all gotten to get better at it together. As far as the snow goes we’ve just had to film in surrounding towns where they have some snow like Park City and stuff or had a couple chances to film in the valley when we got those 3 inch storms. Its been kinda rough I guess but way better that we’re used to. Last year I lived in a city that pretty much never got snow and I went on one three day film trip so getting this many chances to film feels crazy to me. I think we’ve gotten better at making things run smoothly at spots since the beginning of the year. Not quite as many rookie mistakes as before. Still sketched out sometimes…
Brighton So tell me about Connor’s roll and your roll in the crew. Who’s doin what…
Jesse So connor used to snowboard, but that doesnt happen any more haha. I can confidently say he is a filmer now. Before I was like no way, he’ll bounce back and wanna go snowboarding every day but no. He loves filming, seems like he has the same amount of fun and gets the same appreciation for filming as we do boarding. He films. We board. I give him some creative gestures here and there for titles or ideas for edits here and there but “The Con,” “Conman69,” or “Contraceptive,” you take your pick, is definitely a filmer now.
Brighton Ok that covers you two but whose the entire crew…
Jesse Our crew is Connor Brown, Jesse Gouveia, Andrew Aldridge and Blaze Kotsenburg.
Brighton So how has your first season at Brighton been so far?
Jesse Brighton is just the jam becuase it has the best park and the terrain is sick. First time I’ve ridden a mountain with so much stuff to charge of off and so many sick snake runs. Cant really enjoy it all right now cuz of the lack of snow. I still barely know the mountain but the taste I’ve gotten so far has been amazing. Everyone who I love to ride with rides there (except Jordan Morse.. PC?? whatttt, whyyyyy) and the way they run things there is on point. In other words you dont feel like youre going to get your pass taken away for ollieing a slow sign, and the people who run things there do a good job. Nothing against skiers but Brighton is mostly people who snowboard so its so awesome to rip with all your boarder buds. There’s so many good people there that sometimes it makes you feel like you suck, so definitely helps you wanna get better. Its just a good place to snowboard I’d say.
So heres What Connor, Jesse and the crew need you to do. Hit up the Nike banner below and vote for “This Must Be The Place” every day from now until March 5th. HINT you can vote once a day from your phone as well as a laptop and PC/Mac for a total of up to three votes per day. The top three crews will be flown to Austria where the winner of the Grand Prize will be chosen. So show some Brighton love and hit that link then spread the word to all your homies. Brighton represent and dont forget to VOTE EVERYDAY!!!
P.S. Did you catch that Jesse said they were saving their best stuff for their full length film.. stunning
After voting take a second to enjoy some of Connor’s other Brighton edits this season…
Brighton Trick Tips: Back 180 On from Connor Brown on Vimeo.
Brighton Trick Tips: Back 3 On from Connor Brown on Vimeo.
Buds at Brighton from Connor Brown on Vimeo.
Brighton Must Be The Place. from Connor Brown on Vimeo.
Brighton Must Be The Place: Part #2 from Connor Brown on Vimeo.
Product reviews Niche Aether and Flux tt30′s
Last year when we had our amazing 800 inch snow year I was lucky enough to spend a good bit of the spring at Snowbird on the Niche Aether and had a blast on it This review is a great example of why I do not like to review a board after just a couple of runs. When I first got on the Aether I knew it was going to be a bit stiffer than I was used to and if I just had a day or two on it it probably wouldnt have been my cup of tea. However over the spring as I got to ride it and get used to the all mountain stiffness I ended up having tons of fun. Where The Knew didnt quite fit my jib style the Aether was great for my style of all mountain riding ,especially at the steeper slopes of Snowbird. I found it poppy when I needed it to be but still forgiving enough for fun high speed butters. The Aether is Niche’s reverse camber board but the reverse is so slight that it really feels closer to a flat camber. I would say this is the most stable pure reverse board I’ve ever ridden that didn’t have some sort of edge technology. Of the three Niche boards I’ve been on this one is by far my favorite. Although it is the “all mtn board” it should be noted that Niche rider Everest Arnold kills this thing in the park at Brighton Resort. All in all it is a great board that did everything I wanted it to when I needed it to with zero short comings. If you like a good stable all mtn ride in a reverse camber or if you need a stiffer park board for a more aggressive park style I would definitely recommend you give the Aether a go (added bonus theres is now an Aether with Magne-Traction for an even steadier ride).
Check them out at NicheSnowboards.com
I bought the Flux TT30′s about a month ago to replace the Raiden Zeros I bought last season. (note the Zeros were trashed but they did have about 125 days on them which is a more than acceptable life). Here’s what attracted me to the Flux bindings a) low flat high backs b) no footbed c) urethane highback that are flexible enough for park but sturdy enough for free riding and d) tool less adjust on the heelcups/highbacks. The footbed thing may catch you off guard but I’ve never been a fan of footbeds at least not the big flat insert type and until last years Raidens I have actually taken them out of the bindings I used. Just a personal thing I guess. The TT30′s are the mid flex binding in the Flux line with two softer bindings below it and a couple stiffer ones above it although they are still billed as a rail/park binding. I liked these things right out of the box, great flex, super comfy (but not super puffy) straps. They have a rather unique ratcheting system where the ratchet and the locking mechanism are two separate pieces which is pretty interesting and seems to keep a bit of torque off of the locking mechanism which basically translates into these dont slip loose when you are riding, no stopping to retighten your bindings half way down the hill. Another interesting thing about the locking mechanism is that it has two teeth on each end that lock into the ladder as opposed to the traditional single flat piece. I like this because it also helps prevent slippage and that situation where you end up with one side of your ladder “stripped out”. Finally I thought it was a nice touch for Flux to include within the box and extra ankle and toe ladder .. sweet. There are two things I dont like about the TT30 but they would not prevent me from buying them again. First off is the rather extravagant plastic guides along both the ankle and toe strap that keep the ladders snug against the straps. At first I thought these were just a bit gadgety but once I had my ladder not go in the guides and found it super hard to unstrap it. I guess they help keeping the ladders at the proper angle to strap in/out. Second thing, and this does drive me nuts, is the tool free adjust on the binding straps. They may be tool free but they are hardly on hill friendly. First they are the kind where you pop up the plastic piece and use it to unscrew the hardware holding the strap in place. Then you have to move it and line up the hole you want to use for the hardware as well as two tabs on each end to help lock it in place all the while trying to keep it all aligned and trying to not drop the screw in the snow. In this day and age where almost every binding company has a quick adjust where you just pop a tab and slide the strap this Flux tool-less adjust is kind of a fail, but one I’ve learned to deal with. After all once you get it dialed in you shouldn’t have to mess with it too often anyways. If you like a more old school type binding with lower, flat highbacks you should give the Flux a look. The TT30 is a mid flex park style binding in the middle range of their flex scale. While it has a few short comings all in all it is a great performer on the hill and I guess that really matters the most. PS If your kind of into these you may want to grab some this year as next seasons TT30, as well as other Flux bindings, have been upgraded to include a footbed.
Check them out at Fluxbindings.com
Dinosaurs Will Die 2013
If you remember my post from last season Dinosaurs Will Die and specifically Sean Genovese really helped my mental state at last years SIA. He and I have kept in touch through the standard press releases but also a few other emails and Fakebook posts as well. I ran into this years SIA anxious to see their line of product however when I went to their booth from last year…..
….nobody was there. Then I found out that this year DWD actually had a booth INSIDE SIA. I’m super stoked to see the company grow especially since Geno and crew are keeping their shit super legit. It’s cool to be on the outside but it’s easier to take on the machine and destroy it from the inside so I’m glad DWD made the move. Speaking of making moves DWD has been doing just that.. before SIA they had two big announcements one being that they were filming a team vid this season (with the help of Think Thank) and the other was that Chris Brewster was added to their am team. If you some how missed the Brewster news peep the vid below….
So I went in to check out the new product and heres whats up….
The 2013 Maet (black) and Brat (blue)
This is the Maet and the Brat. The Brat is still pretty straight forward from last year, soft and reverse camber. The only difference is that a 143 has been added to the line up making it available in two sizes the 43 and 147. The Maet has a few changes from last season. Its still a cambered board but it has a bit wider waist width and it has been softened up just a bit too. It comes in 152 155 and 158.
This is the Rat on the left and the Sean Genovese Pro Model on the right. The Rat is reverse camber but its been mellowed out just a bit to cut down on the slip factor. The Rat comes in a 151, 153, and 155. The Geno Pro Model is flat camber and comes in 151, 154(new size), and 157. The Geno is a bit stiffer than both the Rat and the Maet.
Geno detail
Rat detail
Finally we have the Kwon. The Kwon was skinnied up just a bit and the camber was lowered to make it a bit more playful. Its the stiffer brother to the Maet and comes in 153, 156(new size) and 159. Heres a pic….
The Kwon on the right
Thats it for the line up but the party didnt stop there for DWD. Friday at the booth they premiered their own movie teaser (vid coming soon) as well as the new Think Thank Movie “Mind the Video Man” teaser. On top of all of that they also announced the addition of Ben Bogart to their pro team. Heres a few pics of that event as well as the Think Thank teaser. It was pretty sick when they whipped out the Ben Bogart pro model.. he had no idea it was coming haha. Congrats to Bogart on the Pro status and the Pro Model… long time coming for a really under rated rider…. now stack that footy homie.
Mad crowds showed up for the teaser premieres...
Bens WTF! face
Bogart had no idea this was coming
SIA .. the lifestyle and product shots
Lets be honest, I went to SIA to schmooze and meet up with folks. Theres the added benefit of getting to see new crap but I really prefer just the element of getting most of the snow community in one place and being able to meet up with people I’ve interacted with on the pretendernet. Heres some pics of some of the stuff that went down during SIA as well as some of the product/tech that caught my eye. I’ll have a proper post detailing product from companies I care about in a day or so…
Some pretty cool work just outside the convention center
If you remember 80s punk/metal artist Pushead you'll be stoked to see him resurface with a Nike Jacket next season. For those that dont know Pushead did lots of Zorlac and Misfit art, however the Nike Jacket is brightly colored pink and blue paint smears. You probably saw it multiple times during the XGames
If you go way back like I do you recognize that this Rome Artifact Rocker Graphic is an homage to Gators iconic late 80's Vision Board
This little booth had tons of buzz at the show
I had a chance to talk to the man behind slash, Mr Gigi Ruff, about his project. Super cool guy, and there will be more about Slash in my product post
Believe it or not this is a Yes ad not a Forum or Foursquare ad ... more info coming .. and actually yes I DID see him at the show.
more from Ashbury later but what I want you to notice in this pic is that closest two lines of goggles... thats right Ashbury will have spherical frames next season
The man with bionic knees Mikey Leblanc showed us some of Holdens upcoming street wear line
Do you notice anything odd about this Bode Merrill picture that was at the Salomon booth?
The new VG movie is called The Dark Side and we got to see the teaser at the Ashbury booth .. its going to be insane
Speaking of Bode ... Zeach life (the pin)
Salomon has been running wiring through their heel cup for a few seasons now. However next season this super soft wire/urethane heelcup is made for the super tweaker kid. The thought is that as you tweak your bindings the heel cup will bend to follow the torque of the highback. Interesting concept that definitely caught my eye. We will see how it plays out.
there are lots of wood topped boards popping up these days ... remember Arbor was one of the first, besides how can you forget when you see stunning art like this
Dinosaurs Will Die announced Ben Bogart as the addition to their pro team. Obviously Ben already knew but he didnt know there was a Ben Bogart Pro Model waiting for him ... this will get its own post tomorrow but this pic is too awesome not to share now ... p.s. the color of the year next year is matte black EVERYONE has something matte black
There were a few really good efforts as far a graphics go this season but the guys I was with really thought Forum made enormous strides graphically this season. This is a new board called The Kitchen Sink an all mountain killer... more Forum stuff in the product post.
Body Shots happen
Burton thought .. what if we take Nug technology and use it in a splitboard ... behold The Spliff
For 2013 Stepchild has a lowcost no metal edges urban board ... this is not a low cost alternative for the mountain because it has NO metal edges. Great for wood and metal urban sliding bad for on hill snowboarding be warned
We went to Transworld Awards where Capita's Jess Kimura won pretty much everything .. of course shes a fucking bad ass so what do you expect. Pic of me and Danger Pony at the Nike party
Speaking of the Nike party SLC's Justin Bennee held it down with a sick DJ set
After Benne's set dj/electro wizards Digitalism took the stage and slayed it
This season Stevens' 32 was hot but next season I think Grenier's "woodgrain" 32 boot will be the one to get ... super sick
Finally we headed out of Denver. Its nice to visit Denver with its bustling city life but it is definitely not a mountain town like SLC. As we crossed the border into Utah this sunset reminded us why we love it here so much .. see you next year Denver
Few product previews for 2013 Jones Snowboards, VonZipper, Coal, Burton, and Arbor …. plus a few other random photos
The Outdoor Retailer, or O.R., show hits SLC twice a year summer/winter. Traditionally this has been more of a stuffy shirt, fur hat type of crowd with a few pleated pant Euro’s thrown in for good measure. However over the past winter or two a few more”cool” companies have started showing up at O.R. Although still conscious of the overall vibe of the event companies like Burton, Arbor, Jones, Spy, VonZipper are starting to set up shop. I was able to run through the place today courtesy of the guys at Arkade Maagazine and heres a few previews. THeres not a ton of stuff here just a few random pictures obviously next week at SIA I will have a more complete run down of all my favorite companies as well as product and tech information. (Click to enlarge pics)
VonZipper 2013
Von Zipper
attachable earmuffs?
Feeling these primary solids
sunnies
Arbor 2013
Arbor is entering the production split market
Amazing base on the split
Coal 2013
Ball caps and various hats
deserved its own picture
Beanies!
Jones Snowboards 2013
Always beautiful boards from Jones
New for 2013 is a 30L and an 18L backpack
Read my write up about POW in the new Arkade its Jones/Shearer approved
Random Stuff
Many companies had airbag packs for 2013. This clean looking Dakine pack featured an airbag system from ABS
This was some type of granola shoe or something .. did like their guerrilla marketing though
Burton has some "classic rock" decks .. this one is from Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" I also heard there was a Grateful Dead Deck
Speaking of Burton I guess this is some new guy on their team or something...
