The US Ski and Snowboard Association announced their “Pro Halfpipe” team and aside from Greg Bretz and Louie Vito it’s all girl action in the pro ranks. As we’ve said for years, all the US Snowboard Team does during non-Olympic years is fill uniforms. Aside from bronze medalist Kelly Clark none of the Vancouver Olympic medal winners stayed on the team. Wonder if that hurts any feelings at USSA?
Follow the jump for the entire list.
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Denver’s Westword Weekly visited Cooper Mountain for post-Thanksgiving Leftover Yam Jam and talked to snowboarders about fashion. Here are two:
Mike Perle, 16, snowboarder “I like Volcom because they are the biggest company. I also like Quiksilver. Tight pants and tall tees need to go — I like normal clothing on skiers and riders.”
Andy Harris (pictured right), 22, snowboarder “I’m wearing Tech Nine. I like Big Clothes and like to look like a gansta. I think your gear needs to be steezy.”
These civilians certainly know what they want. Steezy, indeezy.
[Link: Westword Weekly]
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If The Guardian is going to give Cooler Magazine Editor Sam Haddad a trip to Stratton she might as well write it up the old-fashioned way. And do it she does. Going as far as to claim that Stratton Mountain is the place “where it all began.”
Today, snowboarders are such a ubiquitous sight on the slopes, it’s hard to imagine there was ever a time when they were universally banned, not to mention ridiculed as renegade punks who wore too much fluoro. Those of us who get our kicks from riding sideways through the snow have a lot to thank Stratton Mountain for. In 1983 the Vermont resort became the first to allow snowboarders on its slopes, and in doing so catapulted the sport towards its modern-day incarnation. Skiers have Wengen, surfers have Santa Cruz, and we have Stratton.
Well, Haddad got the East Coast version of the snowboard story down, but we’re still kind of stumped by the Santa Cruz reference?
[Link: The Guardian]
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Alternate Groove Snowboard Shop owner Marc Ebdrup may live in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada, but that hasn’t stopped him from being a desert bad-ass, according to a story Cowichan News Leader. He and teammates Nick Caldwell, Paul Gallagher, Don Hatton finished fifth place in the plus-30 pro class for “enduro bikes.”
Duncan Motorsports owner Don Hatton, sales and parts manager Nick Caldwell, technician Paul Gallagher and Nanaimo’s Marc Ebdrup teamed up to complete the race Friday in 33 hours, two minutes and seven seconds . . the big event began Thursday at 7 a.m. from Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, about 65 miles south of the U.S./Mexico border. . . The course covered a distance of 1,061.69 miles before racers finished in La Paz.
Congrats. The team averaged 30 MPH for the entire race. As anyone who follows the Baja 1000 know, just finishing is a win.
[Link: Cawichan News Leader]
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Tahoe’s Sugar Bowl Ski Resort is opening today (or so we’ve heard) with what is likely the best opening day snow they’ve had in years.
With 101 inches of new snow in the last seven days it would seem like they’d have all kinds of great things to Tweet about. Right?
So what was their last tweet? It was on November 9, 2010 letting all their followers know that they had “fired up the snow-making guns.” Since then, not a peep.
Social media really shouldn’t be this difficult, seriously. Then again, maybe they’ve ditched Twitter for facebook (which seems to be where all their latest info ends up).
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The latest promotional video/advertisment for the Oakley Shaun White Air & Style in China on December 4, 2010. It’s going down in the Beijing Olympic Sports Center Stadium. Don’t think we’re going to make it for this one. Click the link for more info.
[Link: TTR]
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Sierra-At-Tahoe gave snowboarders a little early season taste of deep, deep Sierra snow with a sneak opening on Tuesday, November 23, 2010. The resort had been buried in nearly nine feet of snow in the past seven days and resort General Manger John Rice (pictured right) could not have been happier.
“Up until last week, I wasn’t really sure how this season would go,” he said Tuesday morning. “We don’t have snow making so our business depends on the weather. But how about nine feet of snow the week before Thanksgiving? That will do, huh?”
Sierra’s lift crew fired up a few of the lower lifts (Nob Hill and Easy Rider) at little after 10 AM, but saved the Grandview chair (and the top of the mountain) for a surprise 12:30 opening. That’s when everyone got to float (or boat) through nine feet of fresh snow.
With no base layer in the trees it was absolutely bottomless (we know, we looked in several different spots). Upper Dynamite was technically closed but that didn’t stop anyone from exploiting the terrain. It was first tracks and snow-spackled smiles all around. We heard rumors that Abe and Elijah Teter were out getting some, but they we way too stealthy for us, unfortunately. It would have been fun to run a few with them.
This morning (Wednesday, November 24, 2010) Sierra is reporting clear skies, 7 degree temperatures, and an entire mountain of perfect, mid-winter snow. Damn.
[Link: Sierra-At-Tahoe]
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Denver, Colorado based private equity fund KSL Capital Partners announced yesterday that they had acquired virtually all the assets of the Squaw Valley Development Company from the Cushing family for a undisclosed amount. The Cushing’s have run Squaw Valley since founder Alex Cushing opened the resort in 1949.
“It’s with a respectful eye for the past that I say this news is part of a new era in Squaw Valley’s incredible history,” said Andy Wirth, Squaw’s new President and CEO. “KSL is dedicated to further enhancing the resort and the guest experience by committing over $50 million in additional capital improvements over the next 3-5 years. The KSL team, all of whom are skiers and riders, are thrilled to be the new owners of Squaw Valley and are excited about the resort’s future.”
KSL currently owns several warmer climate resorts like La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California, Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa in Rancho Mirage, California or Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin, Texas, but the Squaw Valley purchase marks their first expedition into the winter resort business. This is not to say they have no experience. After years at Vail Associates, KSL’s Managing Directors Mike Shannon and Eric Resnick certainly know the ski business.
This purchase, along with Vail Resort’s recent operations deal at Northstar-At-Tahoe is kicking the entire Tahoe resort game up a notch. Industry insiders are saying that this is exactly what Squaw needed. “This is going to be a game-changer for sure,” said one resort executive.
We’ve never really liked riding Squaw. Maybe the changes KSL brings will give us a reason try it out again. For a complete list of resort upgrades follow the jump for a “personal letter” from Andy.
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An in-bounds avalanche this morning (November 22, 2010) at Colorado’s Wolf Creek Ski Area resulted in the death of the resort’s head of Ski Patrol Scott Kay and closed the resort for the rest of the day. Kay was the father of two boys 6 and 8. He was 41.
According to a release quoted in Westword the avalanche occurred at 7:45 AM while Kay was “working to protect others.”
Wolf Creek’s management and all its employees wish to express our deepest regrets at this loss of a wonderful man and close friend. Our sympathy and condolences go out to his wife and two children. . . To honor him, Wolf Creek will remain closed for the remainder of Monday, November 22, 2010 and, also to honor him, will reopen on Tuesday, November 23, 2010 at 8:30 a.m.
Our thoughts are with Kay’s family especially his wife, two boys. Messages are being left on Wolf Creek’s Facebook page.
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Kevin Bransfield says he’s lucky to be alive after he got caught in a large avalanche last week on Colorado’s Berthoud Pass, according to a story on The Denver Channel.
“I kept sliding and sliding and sliding,” said Bransfield. “I thought I was going to get buried. I thought it was the end of my life.” . . Bransfield said at times, it felt like an eternity, waiting for the slide to stop. “It was large in every direction that I looked. It was all sliding,” he said. . . “All I could see was my board and my feet. All I saw was white the whole time,” said Bransfield. . . Bransfield was buried up to his neck. His dog was safe on the mountain, while his friends called for help.
Luckily, Bransfield was wearing his helmet. According to the story he should make a full recovered from his injuries in about eight weeks.
[Link: The Denver Channel]
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