by The Editors on January 4, 2011
After a month and a half of wondering if Winter X Games 15 would include a spectacular performance by Shaun White it appears that both sides of the negotiation have come to an agreement. The mega shred star will take part in Disney’s made-for-TV snow sports entertainment festival in Aspen, Colorado this January 27-30, 2010.
According to a tweet from @Xgames:
This just in & confirmed, @Shaun_White will compete in Slopestyle & SuperPipe at Winter #XGames 15
Wonder how much the Mouse paid Shaun to appear? Exactly how many zeros are there in “butt load”?
[Link: @X Games]
by The Editors on January 4, 2011
686’s new HUF x New Balance ménage à collab snowboard boot and and sneaker will be sliding out in limited quantities beginning January 8, 2010.
The triple partnership brings forth a focus on clean design, with dark blue and white tones accented with pink and green hits and embellishments. The HUF for New Balance 205 sneaker is made of a micro suede and highly breathable mesh upper. The perforated suede New Balance logo makes a polished statement with coordinating NB 205 and HUF logo hits on the tongue. The terry cloth lining gives exceptional cushioning properties and has a contrasting micro suede heel cap.
A party to celebrate the release will be held at HUF LA on Saturday, January 8, 2011. HUF LA is located at 410 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles For more photos and all the details, follow the jump.
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by The Editors on January 3, 2011
Seems like this should have happened years ago, but legendary snowboard photographer Bud Fawcett has finally put his first gallery showing together. The Bud Fawcett Photo Retrospective runs January 4 – 30, 2011 at the White Rabbit Bakery in Aurora, Oregon. Bud says:
I chose images for this exhibit that represented those special ‘ah-ha’ moments in my photo career. I hope that you will come by and check out the prints in person and have some great coffee and treats at the White Rabbit Bakery (closed Mondays).
White Rabbit Bakery is located at 21368 Hwy 99e, Aurora OR, 97002. Photos from the show are also posted on Fawcett’s AbsolutelyRadical.com website. And yes, the show features the classic photo of Jeff Brushie ending the all-around snowboarder era with a method on the 1990 June Mountain OP Pro GS course.
[Link: Fawcett Photo Design]
by The Editors on December 30, 2010
A 32-year-old woman reportedly died of suffocation after falling head-first into deep snow while cat-boarding Wednesday, December 29, 2010 at Retallack Lodge near Kaslo, British Columbia, according to a story on CBC.ca.
She was the only snowboarder among a group of skiers who had begun a run down the mountain and suddenly noticed she was missing, Moskaluk said. . . “The guide returned up the hill and used his avalanche transceiver to locate this woman and found her partially submerged in the snow, head first. . . Moskaluk could not say how long the woman was in the snow but she was unconscious and not breathing when found. Staff members performed CPR but were unable to revive her, he said. . . The woman, whose name has not been released, is from southeastern B.C. and was an experienced snowboarder.
This BC woman has become the ninth snowboarder to die in North America since December 20, 2010. Our thoughts are with her family and friends.
[Link: CBC.ca]
by The Editors on December 30, 2010
Shawnte Marie Willis, the 25-year-old snowboarder who had been missing from Tahoe’s Alpine Meadows since Tuesday afternoon became the eighth snowboard death in North America this holiday season when her body was found in a tree well at 9 AM this morning (December 30, 2010), according to a story on KCRA.com.
Ausnow said it appears Willis may have crashed while snowboarding. He said she may have died as a result of injuries and the freezing weather, but the coroner will make the final determination.
Our thoughts are with Willis’ family, friends, and all those who has lost loved ones this season.
[Link: KCRA.com]
by The Editors on December 29, 2010
The body of snowboarder Eli Shelby, 29, was found yesterday (Tuesday, December 28, 2010) at California’s China Peak, according to a story on KMJNow.com.
Eli Shelby, 29, was found by China Peak skiers “who saw the tip of his snowboard,” said Tim Cohee, the resort’s owner. . . “He either impacted the tree or slid backyards into the tree well,” Cohee told KMJ News, “and perhaps was suffocated by the snow.” . . Shelby was found off the Lake View run.
Shelby was reported missing at California’s China Peak Monday afternoon (December 27, 2010). He was last seen by a friend at 3:30 PM. Shelby becomes the seventh snowboard death in North America December 20, 2010. Our thoughts are with his family.
[Link: KMJNow.com]
by The Editors on December 29, 2010
Snowboarder Shawnte Marie Willis, 25, was reported missing by her boyfriend yesterday (December 28, 2010) around 4 PM at California’s Alpine Meadows Ski Resort, according to a story in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Sheriff’s officials say they dispatched search and rescue teams to Alpine Meadows Ski Resort around 4 p.m. Tuesday to look for 25-year-old Shawnte Marie Willis after Willis’ boyfriend said she went missing. Willis apparently became separated from her friends while snowboarding earlier in the afternoon.
The search reportedly continues this morning, but making progress has been difficult due to “blizzard conditions.” We can only hope for the best and that Willis does not become another Holiday 2010 statistic.
[Link: San Francisco Chronicle]
by The Editors on December 28, 2010
Maine’s Sugarloaf Resort experienced a lift failure this morning (December 28, 2010) at approximately 10:30 AM when a cable fell from a lift tower injuring six people, according to the Boston Globe. The injured reportedly fell from their chairs when the cable dropped. One hundred others were left stalled on the lift, according to CNN.com.
CNN Newsource employee Rob Atkinson was among about 100 skiers stranded on the chairlift 30 to 40 feet off the ground after the accident. At least three people were injured, he said. . . “We heard screams from skiers down below that skiers were off the lift, and we’ve been trapped ever since,” he told CNN’s Tony Harris.
Another person on one of the chairs that fell was the mother of Bomberonline.com’s Jack Michaud. He was on the lift next to the one that fell and had the following to say about the incident:
I was on the other side of this unique “double-runner” style chairlift when this happened. I saw the other side stop with a strange jerk that I had never seen before. Then we came up to the scene where the rope was on the ground, and it was a very scary and bizzare thing to behold. And then I saw my mother – she was on the side that crashed, on one of the chairs that hit the ground. She is ok. Very shaken-up and some bruises, but basically fine. . . According to my mom, the crash appeared to be caused by a mechanic who was up on the tower. He was banging on the shieve-train with a hammer or something, which they are known to do from time to time for god knows what reason, but he was doing that around the time the rope came off the wheels somehow. The worst looking injury was a guy pinned under a chair and he couldn’t get himself out, I believe due to his injuries, but he was conscious.
This may go down as the worst Christmas holiday ever.
[Link: CNN.com via @MattyMcClain, Boston Globe, Bomberonline, Photo via @USAbreakingnews]
by The Editors on December 28, 2010
According to a story from the Associated Press a 24-year-old snowboarder from San Bernardino, California died Monday, December 27, 2010 at approximately 6:06 PM after he “collided with trees.”
The San Bernardino Coroner’s Office says the accident was reported at 6:06 p.m. Monday. The 24-year-old man, who had collided with trees, was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead shortly after.
This makes six North American snowboard deaths since December 20, 2010. This really needs to stop. Our thoughts are with this snowboarder’s family and friends.
[Link: San Francisco Chronicle]
by The Editors on December 25, 2010
A missing 20-year-old snowboarder was found dead Christmas Day in a “fast flowing creek” in-bounds on Blackcomb Mountain, according to the Vancouver Sun.
It appears that the unidentified male went down a gladed run, fell into the creek and was unable to extricate himself, Whistler Pemberton RCMP Sgt. Steve LeClair said Saturday. . . The snowboarder, who was on a family vacation with his parents and other relatives, went missing late Friday afternoon. He was last seen by a cousin at about 3 p.m. near a treed section of the mountain. . . About 45 cm of snow fell overnight, further delaying the search as ski patrollers conducted avalanche control procedures before searchers could enter the area where the snowboarder was last seen, said LeClair. The man’s body was found by a dog-handler team in the creek.
The cause of death was not yet reported. This is the fifth snowboarding death at a North American resort in the past five days. Our deepest sympathies are with the snowboarder’s family.
[Update December 28, 2010: According to a story in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, the snowboarder found was Cooper Plaxco. He was from Windsor, California and was a sophomore at Humboldt State University. Here’s what probably happened:
“He was down about 15 feet from the surface of the snow,” said Doug Forseth, Whistler Blackcomb resort’s senior vice president of operations. . . Forseth said the creek had been covered in a “snow bridge,” and it “probably just looked like a snow field to him — I think that’s exactly what happened.” . . Plaxco, an avid skateboarder and snowboarder, was wearing a helmet and his board was still attached to his feet when searchers found his body. He was face down with his head underwater.]
[Link: The Vancouver Sun]
After a month and a half of wondering if Winter X Games 15 would include a spectacular performance by Shaun White it appears that both sides of the negotiation have come to an agreement. The mega shred star will take part in Disney’s made-for-TV snow sports entertainment festival in Aspen, Colorado this January 27-30, 2010.
