We didn’t get inside Denver’s Fillmore Auditorium in time to hear Mike Ranquet’s 2011 Transworld Riders’ Poll Legend Award speech or to see him pelted in a hailstorm of brightly colored silicone marital aids (but we heard it was epic and that his speech was littered with “moments of genius.”)
For all the award winners (and some photos from the evening) follow the jump.
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In its annual review of the top 100 Most Powerful Athletes, Businessweek has named Shaun White as number two right behind football player Payton Manning and just ahead of Tiger Woods. Why did they put him on the list:
With his fiery red locks and dorky attempts to look cool, Shaun White is the lovable face of both snowboarding and skateboarding. He dominated the halfpipe at the Olympics this year, proving once again that he is the world’s best snowboarder and an attractive athlete to brands that want to appeal to youth.
They estimate his annual earnings to be around $8.8 million. When compared to other athletes’ annual pay and sponsorship deals Mr. White seems like a bit of a novelty player on the Businessweek list, but that what snowboarding is to many people and what’s good for Shaun is good for snowboarding, right?
[Link: Businessweek]
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We didn’t get to see Shaun White’s new all-black X Games 15 halfpipe costume last night, but we certainly hope he wears it again in the finals. We want to see it in action. He’s definitely kicking halfpipe fashion up a notch this year. Follow jump to see it the details.
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After shuttling in from the airport, getting our badges, and spending about 15 minutes figuring out that the 2011 SIA Snow Show floor is actually upstairs in the Denver Convention Center, we finally made it in for the last half of day one.
The show floor was ghostly quiet in the ski section when we arrived at 1:00 PM. People were milling about, but it seemed that everyone was speaking in hushed tones. Off in the far back distance, we could hear the low roar of the snowboard section like a siren song. Once we made it back the isles were nicely filled with people doing business, hanging out, and catching up.
Click the links for photos of some of the people and products we saw on day one: Booths, Products, People.
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We were not among the crowd of people who paid $45 to watch snowboarders they’re not familiar with do some hucking in downtown Denver last night, but apparently a guy named Rocco Van Staten won with a switch cab 9 and a backside doublecork 10.
“Energy [in the crowd] was totally there. I felt it in my toes to my head. Everyone was screaming. It was a special night tonight,” Van Straten said, who picked up his first World Cup win after finishing four, just out of the medals, at the World Championships last week in Barcelona. “There were pretty big riders here. You have to be scared of everyone ’cause they are all learning new tricks, too.”
Almost makes us sorry we missed it. Follow the jump for the official word.
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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.”
Now she’s riding for Quiksilver and Billabong. Way to play the angles.
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It’s a game of Snow as North Shore faces off against South Shore in an all Tahoe Duel At The Dangerzone (no appologies to The Berrics it seems).
[Link: Tahoe Dangerzone]
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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.
[Link: The Boston Channel]
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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.
[Link: Ashbury]
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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…]
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