A 30-year-old snowboarder who was riding off-piste with his 31-year-old brother has died after being caught in an avalanche in the Valaisarea (Southwestern Switzerland), according to a story in The Independent.
The pair are thought to have been travelling down the so-called ‘Hannibal corridor’ of Mont Vélan, in the Valais area, when the younger was caught in the slide. . . The accident occurred at an altitude of 3,600 metres and while rescuers were able to reach him quickly, he died at the scene.
He is reportedly the 28th person killed by avalanche in Switzerland this winter. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.
With no snow in their Pacific Northwest homeland Blair Habenicht, Matt Edgers, Temple Cummins, and their crew took off for the land of the rising sun where the snow was stacking in like twigs in a bird’s nest or something like that.
Let The Bird Fly. A motto embodied by a transient spirit, whose sideways sliding migrations, often rolled into motion on an empty gas tank in a limping VW van, inspired this project. . . We flow as one.
In 2005 the architecture firm (N-1) designed what just may be the ultimate snow shred house on the edge of Whistler, BC’s Khyber Ridge, according to story in HUH Magazine.
Consisting of five floors, the majority of the residence has a huge glass facade and a large terrace, making the most of the stunning views, while the guesthouse on the lower level has been embedded deeper in the rock to allow for as much privacy as possible. On the mountain side of the building, which receives very little light, windows have still been added to remind the inhabitants of their close relationship with this harsh environment. Upstairs, a green roof has been added to enable to structure to better blend into the landscape.
So, exactly which “professional snowboarder” had this house built ten years ago? Appears it’s Marc Morisset! (thanks, commenters!) For more photos, click the link.
The Going Off Grid show host Laura Ling gets a tour of Mikey Basich’s Area 241 house on 40 acres near Northern California’s Donner Summit. It’s a great look into living right. To bed with the sun, up with the sun. Man, brother Mikey!
Snowboarder Kjersti Buaas has some new gear up and protecting her eyeballs. Yep, she’s reportedly now on the Zeal Optic program.
Growing up in Norway, Kjersti was on skis before most of us began walking. Starting at age one, Kjersti was born to be on the snow. At age 12, she tried snowboarding for the first time, and was instantly hooked. “My passion for snowboarding started at age 12, when I tried it for the first time and absolutely fell in love. Since then, I have had this never ending motivation to learn and express myself as much on my board as I possible can, whether it’s a trick in the park or if it’s just a lofty air into powder” says Kjersti.
For over 30 years, riders from around the country have descended on Northern California to celebrate the history of snowboarding with retro boards from brands like Barfoot, Sims, Burton, K2, Gnu, and Santa Cruz, hand-dug halfpipes, grand slalom courses and great friends.
If you’re up for the party event of the somewhat sad Tahoe shred season, then pony up. Click the link. Register and compete. Do it now.
Stoked, the organization founded by entrepreneur Steve Larosiliere and action sports announcer Sal Masekela turned 10 this year and they’re taking this as a the perfect time to update everyone on all the great things theme been doing for low-income high school students in New York City and Los Angeles. How’s this:
The Brooklyn-based organization, which has a satellite office in Los Angeles, proudly boasts a 100% high school graduation rate among program participants; roughly 30% higher than the national average for disadvantaged students in New York and California. Through their involvement with STOKED, students receive 41% more education and career development experience than traditional classroom learning provides.
That’s a pretty amazing statistic, right? For the official word from Stoked, please follow the jump. [click to continue…]
Damn, this winter (or lack thereof) just keeps getting worse and worse. First Mt. Baker announced they were shutting down the lifts until they got some snow, and now Sierra-at-Tahoe says that shut it all down for the season on Monday, March 16, 2015. Shut and done. Sadly, that means no Vans Hi-Standard Tahoe event.
“It is with a heavy heart we must announce Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort will be suspending winter operations beginning tomorrow, Monday, March 16,” said general manager of Sierra-at-Tahoe John Rice. “Conditions around the mountain have deteriorated to the point where we can no longer deliver a product that meets our standards.”
The next Vans Hi-Standard is scheduled for the Vans Penke Park in Maxyrhofen, Austria on March 21, 2015. So if you’re in the area, drop on by for Vans “homage to more than 20 years of Vans heritage in snowboarding, bringing modern day competition back to the basics by rewarding riders for individual style, creativity and self-expression.”
Otherwise, may we suggest skateboarding? Or surfing during spring break?
See kids, once you get away from an “all-over” sponsor you can start reeling in all the brands you’ve liked, but not been able to ride before. Take John Jackson for example. Now that he’s on Signal Snowboards he can ride whatever bindings, clothing, goggles, shoes, and boots he wants. His most recent choice is Flux Bindings.
“I’m really amped to be joining the Flux team,” says Jackson. “The first time I set up my bindings this year, I was amazed at how good they felt. Super durable, stylish, simple, and lightweight. That’s everything I look for in a binding. I’ve been putting the same pair of bindings through abuse all year and they are just like new. Sad to say, but that’s rare these days. I’m very excited to start this relationship and help Flux continue to create seamless board to foot happiness.”
See that little, tiny spec on that monstrous white wall? That’s Forrest Shearer, the newest member of the Zeal Optics team, working his big mountain magic. Now, he’s going to charge all the harder because he’s got some proper eyewear showing him the way (and someone paying him to wear it) which isn’t all bad these days.
“Forrest is one of the most legendary and inspiring snowboarders out there, and we’re so excited to have him in the ZEAL Family as he holds a passion that is found deep within every ZEAL ambassador,” says ZEAL Marketing’s Mike Lewis. “A passion and desire to explore more and a constant push to challenge himself and those around him to make the world a better place with his work with the POW Riders Alliance makes Forrest a perfect fit with the brand.”
