Few have been around the snowboard industry underbelly longer than Mike Ranquet. He remains one of the snowboarders most responsible for brining modern skate style to snowboarding and, remarkably, he’s still in the game thanks to Chris Roach and D Day Snowboards. Yobeat interviewed Mike for their Hump Day feature and had Mikey Leblanc write the intro. How’s that for a power packed package? Here’s a little taste:
The industry has an appetite for the next Baby Jesus. It’s always looking for the next big thing. And that’s been the trend for so long, but Baby Jesus, you know, he grew up. Every team is always after this new kid, and that kid’s fucking old after awhile. You look at some goggle companies that have a surf team and you look at that surf team three years ago and you look at it today and there’s maybe one out of the six people that are off that team. You look at a snowboard list now and one from three years ago, and it’s a whole new team. As a brand it’s kinda defeating to try and build some kid up and he just isn’t cool in a couple years.
Vice Sports (just one more arm of the billion dollar media octopus called Vice) is dropping in with a new show which follows the Too Hard crew as they gather footage for their all-girl snowboard action videos. It’s called Lady Shredders and as you might expect, part one comes with full raw-dog Vice stylings that just might make this more entertaining that your average snow doco. Bad-ass indeed.
Yuki Kadono put down one of the most epic runs in the history of snowboarding to win the 2015 US Open of Snowboarding Slopestyle contest. Back-to-back 1620 triples. Check!
Last week (March 3 -7, 2015) Burton Snowboards presented this years edition of the longest running snowboard contest in the world: the US Open of Snowboarding at Vail, Colorado. The entire thing was broadcast live online and if you cared about the event at all, then we’re guessing you watched at least some of it, but just in case you didn’t (or if you just love reading comp results) we’ve listed all the officials for easy access and reference after the jump.
We can’t even begin to understand the dress-up world of cosplay, so it’s really not all that surprising that we don’t understand snowboard cosplay, either. Luckily, Illicit Snowboarding has done the research and now we can all be enlightened from a distance.
These days there’s a group people who take dressing-up and not growing-up to another level entirely and now some of them have brought cosplaying to snowboarding. I’m an expert on pretending to be someone else, so let me guide you through the various characters and costumes…
A snowboarder died today (March 4, 2015) in an “unintentionally triggered” avalanche in Hells Canyon at approximately 10:44 AM just out of bounds at Utah’s Snowbasin Resort, according to a report on the Utah Avalanche Center.
Two people entered Hells Canyon. Hells Canyon is an out-of-bounds area beyond Snowbasin’s boundary. After a few turns, the two decided to cut back and return into the area. The first person, a snowboarder, triggered a slide and was caught. Preliminary information is the slide was about 2-3 feet deep, and fairly narrow, and triggered in a steep, shallow rock area. The path is a confined gully. He was carried to the bottom and buried about 3 feet deep. He was not wearing a beacon, and found by a dog search. Significant trauma is suspected. Hell’s Canyons has had a shallow, faceted snowpack much of the season.
The snowboarder was Blake Ford, 21-year-old man from Morgan County, Utah, according to NBC News. Our thoughts are with Ford’s family and friends.
With that pen Mammoth Mountain CEO Rusty Gregory officially tied together all the lose ends in Mammoth’s plans to own Southern California mountain recreation. Mammoth now owns Bear Mountain and Snow Summit. Sure, Mtn. High and Snow Valley are still running lifts, but you know what we mean. Gregory, however, is much more poetic about it.
“This is more than a merger of ski resorts, we’re creating greater access to year-round mountain experiences with a distinctly southern California feel,” said Mammoth CEO Rusty Gregory. “At Big Bear Mountain Resorts our goal is to provide the best first-time ski, snowboard and mountain bike experience in the country.”
And then, as soon as he gets them up and sliding (or rolling) he’s going to entice them to make the six hour drive to Mammoth and maybe even buy a condo! Yes, now Mammoth Resorts really is Mammoth. For the official word from Mammoth Resorts, please follow the jump. [click to continue…]
Hey kids! Here’s your chance to watch Freddy Perry, Jesse Burtner, Aaron Kiser, Brandon Reis, Derek Lever, Brady Lem, Mitch Richmond, Sammy Spiteri, Ryan Paul, Sunburst locs, Ted Borland, Max, and Parker ride some rails and jump off some buildings (okay, one small shed) because that’s what urban snowboarding has come to. And lucky for us Think Thank was there to get it all down in all its glorious 1s and 0s.
Watch out Oakley, Nike Vision is bringing heat to the skate and snow sunnies game with their debut line of Nike SB sunglasses. The shades all feature hand-crafted acetate frames and come in the following three styles and builds:
Nike Achieve (left column): A supple leather inlay and laser-etched Nike SB branding set the Achieve apart. Inspired by professional snowboarder Spencer O’Brien, the unisex style features a six-base frame coupled with a polished metal nose bridge. Includes minimal Nike SB branding on the interior. (MSRP $196)
Nike Volition (middle column): The Volition features premium metal details, including a semi-rim and a six-base frame. The retro-inspired design is complemented with minimal Nike SB branding: the swoosh on the frame’s exterior, crafted from premium metal. Subtle yet bright color pops ensure that the Volition remains on-trend. Metal pins alongside the lenses match minimal SB branding on the interior. (MSRP $196)
Nike Volano (right column): Featuring an acetate frame with full rim, the Volano is built with a six-base frame and tortoise-inspired color way, accented by Nike SB’s iconic logo. The classic silhouette features pops of color to provide a timeless yet modern design. (MSRP ranges from $156-$176)
Those who are down with the swoosh on their feet might find a few of these a viable (although spendy) option in the battle against the burning ball of fire in the sky.
Dragon Alliance is upping their presence at USSA events like the US Grand Prix in a new deal with Crown Sports United.
“With revolutionary technology like the first fully frameless snow goggle and our new Swiftlock Lens Change System, we constantly strive to enhance the experience of being in the mountains,” said Dragon Alliance Founder and Chief Executive Officer Will Howard. “We are excited to leverage this opportunity with Crown Sports to engage more fully with USSA supporters and the winter recreation community.”
This new agreement will reportedly see the integration of Dragon signage, on-site marketing space, in-event promotion, video content on broadcast and in-event, and promotion on USSA social media channels for the eyewear company. For the official word from Dragon, please follow the jump. [click to continue…]
Next time we borrow grandma’s iPad it seems we’ll have something to do with it — Alto’s Adventure snowboarding game. The Verge calls this “chill snowboarding adventure” the “next great iPad game.”
But what really sets it apart from other similar games is its style. Alto takes place on an achingly beautiful mountain, one filled with crumbling ruins, dark forests, and icy slopes. The weather and time of day change regularly, and you’ll find yourself chasing (and being chased) by llamas and village elders. It feels like an art game fused with a fun little time waster; like Sword & Sworcery meets Tiny Wings. “We wanted it to be a beautiful experience,” says Ryan Cash, from developer Snowman, “but the gameplay and fun factor matters just as much to us.”
The game is available in the iTunes store for $1.99 and has no in app purchases (thankfully). For a more in depth review, click the link.
