It’s hard to believe that even though Jamie Anderson has been winning pretty much everything she’s entered since she was 10 years old, that she just signed on as a “guest pro” for Gnu Snowboards (she’s been riding their boards for a while).
The South Lake Tahoe, CA-local is signing with GNU as the brand’s first “Guest Pro.” As a celebrity guest Jamie will enjoy all of the perks of Gnu pro status including fabulous photo shoots and parties in her honor. She’ll also have the ability to work closely with Gnu’s leading design teams in Carlsborg, WA to develop new snowboards that fit her style and make riding even more fun. . . “I love Gnu boards! They’re the best!” exclaims Anderson. Fellow Gnu rider Danny Kass says of Anderson, “Jamie’s a one-of-a-kind rider. She’s fearless on all terrain and pushing the boundaries of park riding for women around the world.”
The family of a 17-year-old snowboarder who is currently brain dead from injuries sustained after landing on his head at Wachusett Mountain on January 16, 2011 has decided to donate Dan Crowther’s organs to those who need them, according to a story on The Boston Channel.
His parents have decided that even if the popular lacrosse player will no longer live, he can live on in others.”We decided that with Dan being brain dead, that doesn’t mean his life is over. We decided to donate his organs so Dan can give others the gift of life,” said his mother, Sharon Crowther. . . Dan’s cousin was with him when he went over the jump at Wachusett. . . “He hit it at a lot of speed. He was probably about 25 feet up in the air,” said Dan Michelczyk, 22. He said Dan was not wearing a helmet. . . “He suffered a contusion to the brain and developed a blood clot, and from that blood clot he suffered a stroke,” his mother said.
According to the story, “eight recipients across the country will benefit from Dan’s organ donations.” At least this way some good can come of a tragic situation.
According to a little pre-show recon from Ashbury’s Lance Michael Hakker, Salomon Snowboards was been nice enough to equip their booth with a mini ramp. It looks perfect. We’re guessing this thing is going to get pretty crowded over the next few days.
After seeing Mark McMorris’ performance at the O’Neill Evolution slope air we knew it would only be a matter of time before things began falling into place for the Canadian.
Mark paid his first visit to Burton’s home base in Vermont last week to check out HQ and meet product managers. After his visit, Mark had this to say, “I’m really stoked to be riding the best products with the most progressive team in the business,” said Mark. “Since I got on the program, I’ve already been working with such great people that all share a strong love for snowboarding, and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
Burton also hooked up Osceola, Wisconsin rail-slayer Ethan Deiss (pictured above). Both riders will be representing Burton outwear and hardgoods on the AM team. Follow the jump for more details [click to continue…]
While most of the snow industry is descending on Denver for the SIA Snow Show, those who stay at home don’t have to feel left out. Nope, thanks to Transworld Business we all can get a solid overview of many of the new boots, bindings, and boards (along with the company line from each brand) in Transworld Business 2011/12 Preview.
Two more snowboarders died in the last week in unrelated accidents resulting in head injuries. Rahsheka Keith (right), a 22-year old UC Santa Cruz theatre student from Oakland, California died after riding her snowboard (like a sled) into a lift tower at Lake Tahoe, California’s Granlibakken Resort, according to a story in the Sierra Sun.
The accident occurred when Keith used her snowboard as a sled, sitting upon the board with her feet unattached to the bindings, Ausnow said. At some point, Keith became turned around, facing uphill, with her back turned toward the bottom of the hill. She then crashed into a lift tower pole.
In Arizona, 22-year-old Branson Holm died from injuries sustained after landing on his head while “attempting to do a backflip on his snowboard,” on January 9, 2011 while riding near Flagstaff, Arizona, according to a story in the Mail Tribune.
Keith and Holm become the 12th and 13th snowboard deaths in North America since December 20, 2010. Our thoughts are with their families and friends.
The wallets of many Washington State snowboarders could take a pretty big hit if a new bill becomes state law, according to this story on KOMO.com. Washington’s Senate Bill 5186 could fine snowboarders (and skiers) up to $1,000 for venturing out of bounds.
It states that people “shall not ski on a ski slope, trail, or area that is designated by a ski area operator as closed to the public and that has signs posted indicating the closure.” . . Under the measure, members of the ski patrol who witness out-of-bounds skiers can collect evidence and turn in a report to the local sheriff, who could then issue a citation.
During the Sundance Film Festival (which runs January 20-30, 2011) brands do pretty much anything they can to get celebrities to wear, hold, use, and promote their products.
Stars reportedly get to roll through houses and/or shops set up in Park City, Utah and pick and choose what they want. Burton Snowboards is all over it according to a story on The Wrap.
Try for the Burton House, where select industry VIPs can get off Main Street, get private lessons (and free gear) from snowboard legend Jake Burton himself, or just hit the slopes for a few hours.
Danny Davis is even out making celebrity runs with stars like Gossip Girl’sPenn Badgley, according to Zimbo. Don’t say Burton Team members don’t work for their pay.
We mentioned the Denver Big Air contest in the past when Metro Denver Sports Commission first thought they could get people to pay $75 a head to stand out in the cold and watch a big air snowboard contest. After having lowed the price to an overpriced $45 they’re still getting grief because of the lack of big name talent in the event, according to a story on the Denver Post.
This forced USSA Competition Director Eric Webster to deliver one of the best lines we’ve heard this week:
“This is a legitimate field of skiers and snowboarders,” said competition director Eric Webster. “It’s not just people we dragged off the street.”
And that’s a bummer, because just think how entertaining this sideshow snowboard event would be if competitors were simply “dragged off the street.”
