Vans is celebrating 20 years in the snowboarding game with a new “Mountain Edition” of technical boots and accessories and the release of a new retrospective film by Mike Hatchett.
The 2014 collection will include an exclusive 20th Anniversary capsule, complete with V-66 boot, jacket and socks. And finally, Vans will release, “Twenty Years: Off the Wall, On the Snow”, a definitive retrospective film on Vans Snow by respected snowboarding filmmaker Mike Hatchett of Standard Films. . . . On the heels of Vans’ cultural influence in skateboarding and surfing in the early 90s, Vans made its debut on the mountain, employing nearly 30 years of footwear expertise to introduce the first Vans snowboard boots. Transforming what were then glorified duck boots into functional designs, Vans set out to deliver comfortable, performance-driven snow boots that optimized the mountain experience but still looked and felt like your favorite skate shoes.
For the official word on the riders Vans has sponsored and the gear they’ve created over the last 20 years, follow the jump. [click to continue…]
Don’t worry. Bryan Iguchi is not using his new MTN Approach Pro Model skis to go down the mountain, only to go up. In fact, the skis (which have permanently attached climbing skis) aren’t even designed for going downhill. The idea behind the MTN Approach skis (and it’s a good one) is that there is no reason for your snowboarding to suffer just because you want to earn your own turns. As MTN Approach says:
Until now, the split board was the main tool available for snowboarders seeking the backcountry experience. The split board has grown in popularity and has seen advances in equipment, however, we have taken a new approach to answering the need for performance and efficiency. The MTNApproach System is the most effective alternative for riders who want the feel and reliability of a legit snowboard while riding downhill.
Get it? If you’re going to climb all the way up there, why ride down on a board that is two pieces bolted together? The Bryan Iguchi Pro Model system (which sells for $829.00) pretty much everything you need including the MTNApproach folding skis, and integral backpack. Snowboarders weighing up to 250 lbs can use the boards. Though we’re guessing after a few trips into the back country they’ll start to shed the pounds. For more info click the link.
In celebration of the time honored tradition of Oktoberfest comes the Oktobeerfest Beer Bong Snowboard from Signal Snowboards. When you think about it, that might be everything the beer-drinking snowboarder needs.
European snowboarding pioneer and film legend Regis Rolland has developed a new “dual entry” binding for APO Snowboards and in this edit he explains exactly how it works and why he thinks it will make snowboarding simpler for everyone. It’s all about “technicity,” apparently.
German boarding brand Goodboard Snowboards has a new distributor in Scandinavia, France, and the UK. You know, since you were wondering. And that new distributor is Surf2Go.
Krijn Moens, owner of Surf2Go, is very pleased with the acquisition of Goodboards Snowboards. “I first saw Goodboards on the ISPO 2013, and I immediately fell in love with the brand. The clean designs with the natural look, the hand-crafted and eco-friendly boards, for me, Goodboards was the showstopper.”
With 2014 Sochi Olympic fever beginning to rev up for increased revenues for everyone involved, we’ll be seeing a lot more of this kind of interview. An Olympic hopeful at some other event talking to people who know nothing about the athletes sport about how great that sport is and why these Olympics are going to be the best ever for the athlete.
Well, here is Canadian spin-kinder Mark McMorris playing the part of the Olympic hopeful and doing his best for the colored cow, Canada, and his home town of Regina (yes, pronounced just like “vagina”). Be ready for more of the McMorris vs. White discussions coming soon.
Remember how rad the move Tremors was? Low budget. Great monster worms. Epic Action? Well, what if someone did that same movie, only it was at a shred resort. And the monsters weren’t word, they were sharks? Sadly, someone has already had this very thought, and after watching the trailer all we can say is: Avalanche Sharks is no Tremors. But it was filmed at Mammoth, so it has that going for it. Recognize anyone?
Wend, the high performance snow wax brand brought to you by the same people who make Sticky Bumps surf wax, has just signed a four-year agreement to be the official competition wax supplier to the US Snowboarding Team.
“We look forward to working with the USSA and their athletes to help push performance to the highest levels. Our innovative and exclusive MF natural plant wax technology improves acceleration beyond the limitations of the existing Mid Fluoro compounds. WEND waxes provide measurable increases in speed and durability and should be a key component to success in Sochi 2014,” said John Dahl, President, Wax Research.
Wend will also supply wax to a couple other USSA sports involving long sticks that attach to each foot and operate independently. For the official word from Wend, follow the jump. [click to continue…]
This didn’t take long. Seems like only yesterday we were saying how there was no reason for ESPN to expand their X Games into the global market because there is no global market for what they do. And now, according to a story on SportsBusiness International it appears they have finally agreed.
An ESPN statement read: “We are proud to have run world-class competitions for both the athletes and spectators; however, the overall economics of these events do not provide a sustainable future path. . . The company remains fully committed to the X Games brand and its full-scale competitions in Aspen, Colorado and Austin, Texas – its newest host city – and we will continue to distribute these premier events around the world.”
Vans is celebrating 20 years in the snowboarding game with a new “Mountain Edition” of technical boots and accessories and the release of a new retrospective film by Mike Hatchett.
