By looking at the list of snowboarders the US is taking to the 2011 FIS World Snowboarding Championships it would appear that being FIS world champion isn’t that big of a deal to anyone anymore (which seems kind of strange).
Who will be leading the US charge for the men in the World Championship halfpipe in La Molina, Spain Jan. 15-22, 2011? Paul Brichta, Benji Farrow, and Taylor Gold. Who? Looks like the disconnect between the best snowboarders in the world and the “world championships” continues. It really is a completely different universe.
Follow the jump for a breakdown of the rest of the team and the event. [click to continue…]
Nearly 300 people were stranded for two hours on Whistler’s Village Gondola yesterday (Monday, January 10, 2010) around 9:45 AM, according to a story on The Province.
[One trapped woman] said she phoned the mountain’s toll-free number twice, but was disconnected both times. She then checked the mountain’s social media pages, only to be frustrated by a lack of details. . . “Being stuck that long and not being able to contact the staff at Whistler was really aggravating,” she said. “We kept checking Facebook and Twitter and they weren’t saying anything except that it was a mechanical issue.”
The gondola finally moved enough to allow all the guests to exit. Those stranded were reportedly given food and drink vouchers and free lift passes. The gondola is reportedly closed until the cause of the problem can be completely investigated. This is just the latest in a seemingly annual lift and/or gondola failure at the financially troubled resort.
After having been reported missing at Montana’s Whitefish Mountain Resort on Saturday afternoon, an unnamed 29-year-old snowboarder was found dead by patrollers. He was in a tree well, according to a story in the Whitefish Pilot.
The victim is a Flathead County resident, but his name is being withheld pending notification of family members. The man was snowboarding alone, but had gone to the resort with friends, according to the sheriff’s report. . . This is the second tree-well related death on Big Mountain in the past two weeks.
Sadly, the snowboarder (who is the 10th snowboarder to die in North America since December 20, 2010)was one of two deaths on the mountain Saturday. Another unnamed man was also found unconscious and died later at the hospital, according to a story on KRTV.com. Our thoughts are the families and friends of both men.
We probably would have scored the men’s final of the O’Neill Evolution Slopestyle a little differently than the judges did, but that shouldn’t take anything away from the guys on the podium in Davos. Official details results after the jump [click to continue…]
Those who thought the death of the ASR Show signaled the death of action sports trade shows in general were proven grossly wrong during day one of the Agenda Show in Anaheim, California January 6, 2011. All three halls were packed to the point of making it difficult to cruise the aisles. And it wasn’t people just hanging out. Lines were being shown and in many cases orders were being written.
While some brands we spoke to seemed relieved that they didn’t have to be at ASR this year, others mentioned missing the old days when Agenda was just a small show for the cool kids. Agenda has definitely kicked it up a level this year and nearly everyone seems happy about it. Even those who seem nostalgic for the past.
Shreds from around the world have gathered in Davos, Switzerland for the O’Neill Evolution 2011. Halfpipe and Slopestyle finals go down Friday and Saturday January 7-8, 2011 beginning each day at 1 AM PST or 10 AM CET. Watch it all live right here.
Hundreds of snowboarders had to be rescued from a lift at Wrightwood, California’s Mountain High resort on Wednesday January 5, 2010 after a lift on the mountain’s east side slowed to a stop, according to a story in the San Bernardino Sun.
Ski patrol and sheriff’s search and rescue personnel rescued 212 people from the chair lift after it broke down just after 11 a.m. . . Some snowboarders waited more than two hours to be evacuated from the lift. . . “Both of my legs got numb,” said Hernandez’s sister, Cherrie. . . Some of the evacuees jumped off the lift on their own.
Guests who asked were reportedly given vouchers for a return trip to the resort.
The Pro division was mind blowing, with 12 riders advancing to a cash-money round were each landed run was rewarded with a $5, $10, or $20 bill on the spot. The finals went on for about 25 minutes until all $500 in cash had been dolled out. The judges crowned Justin Fronius overall winner and awarded him with a $100 cash bonus.
We’re not exactly sure how the contest worked, but as long as the kids got cash it’s fine with us, because it’s all about the money these days. Follow the jump for more photos. [click to continue…]
By looking at the list of snowboarders the US is taking to the 2011 FIS World Snowboarding Championships it would appear that being FIS world champion isn’t that big of a deal to anyone anymore (which seems kind of strange).
