Just as a reminder to see how far snowboarding has come in the last 16 years, check out this edit of the 1998 Nagano Olympic medal runs by Ross Powers, Daniel Franck, and Gian Simmen with the world’s first halfpipe gold medal. Wow. Follow the jump for the full final results [click to continue…]
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How is Shaun White preparing for the Olympic Games? He took to Twitter to show that he’s been dining on a local delicacy saying: “Food in Russia is amazing! #McSochi” Wonder if this is part of a “viral marketing” campaign? Might as well get paid to eat, too.
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During training on the Olympic Slopestyle course on Monday (February 3, 2014), Norway’s Torstein Horgmo went down on a rail and ended up breaking his collar bone, according to a story in the Sydney Morning Herald.
The 26-year-old crashed on the slopestyle run’s rail feature and was taken to hospital with his neck in a brace. . . Horgmo suffered a broken collarbone and was pulled from the Games. . . “I am terribly sorry about this. Injuries and falls are a part of this sport but the timing is really bad. Now I just want to have a fast recovery and to get back on the board,” said Horgmo.
Athletes have reportedly been complaining that the Slopestyle course was not built properly. Australia’s Torah Bright was quoted as saying:
“The business’s best aren’t here building the course. . . When jumps aren’t built properly, if they don’t match up, yeah it can be a safety issue. But as long as the jumps are built fine, we’re all very experienced in our chosen disciplines, we’ll be able to manage it. It really shouldn’t be a problem.”
We hope Horgmo recovers quickly, and that the course gets fixed so it won’t cause more injuries.
[Link: Sydney Morning Herald]
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Burton Snowboards held their US Open Snowboarding Qualifiers over the weekend at Seven Springs in Pennsylvania and the upshot is that Chase Josey and Summer Fenton won the pipe and Zach Normandin and Japan’s Asami Hirono won Slope.
At the event, the six best men and three women per discipline earned a coveted spot to compete against some the world’s best riders at the iconic 32nd annual Burton US Open Snowboarding Championships in Vail, Colorado from March 3rd – March 8th, 2014, as well as valuable 4star World Snowboard Tour points and a piece of the $20,000 prize purse.
For the official results, and all the people who won a spot at the US Open in Vail, follow the jump. [click to continue…]
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SMI Snow Makers, a family run, Michigan based company, has set up massively technical snowmaking facilities in Sochi, Russian to make certain that there is enough snow Winter Olympics. With setup that looks more like NASA Mission Control and 400 snow guns, SMI is going to make it happen, according to this edit from National Geographic. And as these are the “most expensive Olympics” ever, we’re hoping SMI gets their monster slice.
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We are so hyped to see that snowboarder Bryan Iguchi will be honored with the TransWorld Snowboarding Legend Award tonight (January 31, 2014) at the Riders’ Poll Awards in Denver, Colorado.
Bryan’s evolving legacy comes down, in part, to always listening to himself and following his own path. In the early 90s he grew away from life as a sponsored skateboarder and moved to Big Bear, California, where he made contributions to park riding, filming, and board design – progressing riding in one of the first snowboard parks at Bear, filming segments with Mack Dawg when contests took precedent, and helping Burton develop its Ouija Twin model. All of this was just Bryan doing his thing, but it had a ripple effect throughout the snowboard community. . . At a high tide of his freestyle career, Guch saw his snowboarding going in a different direction: the mountains surrounding Jackson Hole, Wyoming. After moving to Jackson to ride powder and learn about what he was riding, he was dropped by most of his sponsors. The snowboard industry essentially told him that what he was doing was wrong, but this didn’t stop him from following the path he wanted to. The ripple effect of that move is still being felt today.
Congrats, to Bryan for some well deserved recognition. For the official word from TWS, follow the jump. [click to continue…]
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Just look at all those sweaty balls and stinking trade show feet!
The SIA Snow Show kicked off in Denver, Colorado yesterday with snowy streets, a warm convention center, and the omnipresent smells of weed (Okay, we’re guessing on that last part. We thought we’d be able to smell it from here, but we can’t.) The Western states may not know it, but according to the SIA’s RetailTrak report for the August through December 2013 period, the industry set a new sales record of $2.2 billion at retail. So we’ve got that going for us. We’re also guessing that local marijuana merchants will experience similar sales spikes this weekend. What other news did you miss if you weren’t there? A little Olympic fever, it seems:
The Show kicked off with a special “Sendoff to Sochi” Opening Ceremony led by Doug Lewis, 1984 &1988 Olympian and Alpine Analyst for Universal Sports. Lewis named team members and revealed the official uniforms for the U.S. Alpine, Freestyle, Freeski and Snowboarding teams developed by Spyder, Columbia, The North Face and Burton. . . “The relationship between SIA and USSA is really pivotal to the success of our athletes,” said Tom Kelly, Vice President Communications, USSA. “USSA athletes could not accomplishment their goals without the support we get from the industry and the companies that supply us with ski, snowboards, outerwear and uniforms,” . . The Opening Ceremony also included video messages from athletes to the industry, thanking them for their support and encouragement. Officials from the city of Denver, U.S. Ski & Snowboard Association (USSA), SIA Board Members and industry leaders took to the stage to officially ring in the Snow Show with cowbells. To wrap things up, Klaus Obermeyer added his signature yodel, which he’s done at the end of the Snow Show for over 30 years.
Sounds to inviting. Doesn’t it? While we continue to man the controls, click the links below for up-to-the minute coverage from all the poor saps who had to make the dreary trudge to Denver from one more year from the SIA fun zone:
Yobeat’s Justin Leveille Buys Weed And Hits The Show
Snowboard Magazine’s Day 1
Transworld Snowboarding’s Day 1
Snowboarder’s Day 1
Transworld Business’s Day 1
And, you’re correct. GrindMedia is paying not one, not two, but three separate editorial crews to follow each other around talking to the same people, shooting the same photos, and drinking the same beer in Denver. Occasionally we do pine for the days of big media redundancy! For the official word from the SIA, follow the jump. [click to continue…]
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Salomon Snowboards is staying true to their Euro roots with the hiring of David Pitschi as Global Brand Manager. Before making the jump to Salomon Pitschi served as European Team Manager and Marketing Manager for Billabong.
“The Salomon snowboards family is very pleased to welcome David Pitschi back to the team! He was really appreciated as a rider on our pro team back in the day and I’m sure he will be even more valuable to us as brand manager,” says Salomon Business Unit Manager Jeremy Joire. “His various experiences within the snowboard industry will bring a fresh perspective and a great deal of expertise to Salomon Snowboards. Our brand is in a really good place right now thanks to the combined strengths of our pro team, product development, and marketing efforts. David will for sure contribute to its further deployment. Attracting new snowboarders, growing the different sides of our sport while respecting the core, and pushing the tech envelop will remain at the heart of what we do. David will be a huge help to keep challenging ourselves and having fun.”
Pitschi will be based in Annecy, France at Salomon world headquarters. For the official word from Salomon, follow the jump. [click to continue…]
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K2’s historic old factory/headquarters on Vashon Island, Washington is in the process of being sold by the Jarden Corporation to a commercial marijuana grower, according to a story in the Vashon Beach Comber.
Last month Bakkhos Holding applied with the state to both grow and process marijuana at the 180,000-square-foot K2 building. Should the sale go through and should Bakkhos be granted a state license as well as King County permits, the company would grow marijuana and manufacture Edipure-brand edible marijuana products at the building. The products would be sold to off-island distributors.
Sounds like a mellow deal. Oh, and could you please pass the Cheetos, please.
[Link: Vashon Beach Comber]
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Spy is rolling out their reportedly “mood altering” lens technology in goggle form at the SIA Show in Denver, Colorado today (January 30, 2014).
“Happy Lens™ shook the sunglass market last year with its ingenuity, proving to be the biggest breakthrough in eyewear since polarized lenses,” says Travis Tomczak, SPY goggle line manager. “The addition of Happy Lens™ into our snow goggle line—as well as the recent acknowledgement from Wired.com for our Lock Steady™ lens change system—reaffirms that we’re a brand creating innovative products that are both stylish and have purpose.”
For the official word from Spy, follow the jump
[click to continue…]
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