by The Editors on December 2, 2016
Someone at Burton loves dead people. We’ve said before that it was because they were much easier to do deals with. But we’re not sure that’s the only reason. Over the past few decades the company has done collaborations with Andy Warhol (who is dead), Bob Marley (who is dead), and now they’re getting in the ring with Muhamad Ali (who is also dead) with the Ali x Burton The Greatest Snowboard.
When pioneers see eye-to-eye, it’s only fitting to step into the ring and celebrate with a knockout. Thus the Ali x Burton collaboration brings two legacies together with a limited release board in honor of the People’s Champion, the Greatest, Muhammad Ali.
Wonder if this boards floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee? Truthfully, we’ll never know. But we do begin to wonder how much longer it will be before they do a Hugh Hefner model. He’ll qualify as a dead artist soon enough, won’t he?
[Link: Burton Snowboards]
by The Editors on March 28, 2011
Each storm seems to bring more bad news. The body of missing snowboarder Phillip Walker, 22, of San Jose, California was found in a tree well and “covered in several inches of snow” just before noon Sunday, March 27, 2011 at Sierra-at-Tahoe, according to a story in the El Dorado Hills Telegraph.
According to El Dorado County Sheriff officials, Walker may have struck a tree, but it has not been determined if severe winter weather was a contributing factor in the young man’s death.
Walker was reportedly snowboarding with his brother on Saturday, March 26, 2011, on the “Upper Powderhorn Trail” when he was reported missing. Walker is at least the 17th snowboard death in North America since December 20, 2010. Our thoughts are with Walker’s family and friends.
[Link: Eldorado Hills Telegraph]
by The Editors on February 21, 2011
The body of Alexander Gautreaux, the 23-year-old Mt. Shasta, California snowboarder who went missing at Northern California’s Mt. Shasta Ski Park on Thursday February 17, 2011 was found Sunday morning (February 20, 2011), according to a story in the Record Searchlight.
Gautreaux was found around 9 a.m. near the southeast side of Coyote Butte, about 100 feet from park boundaries, said Siskiyou County sheriff’s Capt. Jim Betts. . . Betts said it’s also not yet known what killed Gautreaux, who was found almost completely buried in snow, but he suspects asphyxiation at this point.
Gautreaux had gone missing Thursday after calling his family to let them know he was making “one more run” according to the San Jose Mercury News.
While search and rescue workers were looking for Gautreaux they rescued another “lone snowboarder who had fallen and landed upside down in a tree well.” This is the 15th snowboard death in North America in the past two months. Be careful out there. Seriously.
Our thoughts are with Gautreaux’s family and friends.
[Link: Record Searchlight and San Jose Mercury News]
by The Editors on February 14, 2011
A 49-year-old snowboarder who was reported missing at Colorado’s Winter Park Resort Friday afternoon (February 11, 2011) was found dead later in the day Friday in a tree well, according to a story on KKTV.com.
The snowboarder. . . was unresponsive when located, and after rescue efforts, was pronounced dead at the scene. He had been wearing a helmet at the time of his accident. Specifics of his accident have not been provided.
Resort officials say the man was snowboarding outside the ski area boundary at the time of the accident. Our thoughts are with the man’s family and friends.
[Link: KKTV.com]
by The Editors on December 30, 2010
Shawnte Marie Willis, the 25-year-old snowboarder who had been missing from Tahoe’s Alpine Meadows since Tuesday afternoon became the eighth snowboard death in North America this holiday season when her body was found in a tree well at 9 AM this morning (December 30, 2010), according to a story on KCRA.com.
Ausnow said it appears Willis may have crashed while snowboarding. He said she may have died as a result of injuries and the freezing weather, but the coroner will make the final determination.
Our thoughts are with Willis’ family, friends, and all those who has lost loved ones this season.
[Link: KCRA.com]
by The Editors on December 29, 2010
The body of snowboarder Eli Shelby, 29, was found yesterday (Tuesday, December 28, 2010) at California’s China Peak, according to a story on KMJNow.com.
Eli Shelby, 29, was found by China Peak skiers “who saw the tip of his snowboard,” said Tim Cohee, the resort’s owner. . . “He either impacted the tree or slid backyards into the tree well,” Cohee told KMJ News, “and perhaps was suffocated by the snow.” . . Shelby was found off the Lake View run.
Shelby was reported missing at California’s China Peak Monday afternoon (December 27, 2010). He was last seen by a friend at 3:30 PM. Shelby becomes the seventh snowboard death in North America December 20, 2010. Our thoughts are with his family.
[Link: KMJNow.com]
by The Editors on December 25, 2010
A missing 20-year-old snowboarder was found dead Christmas Day in a “fast flowing creek” in-bounds on Blackcomb Mountain, according to the Vancouver Sun.
It appears that the unidentified male went down a gladed run, fell into the creek and was unable to extricate himself, Whistler Pemberton RCMP Sgt. Steve LeClair said Saturday. . . The snowboarder, who was on a family vacation with his parents and other relatives, went missing late Friday afternoon. He was last seen by a cousin at about 3 p.m. near a treed section of the mountain. . . About 45 cm of snow fell overnight, further delaying the search as ski patrollers conducted avalanche control procedures before searchers could enter the area where the snowboarder was last seen, said LeClair. The man’s body was found by a dog-handler team in the creek.
The cause of death was not yet reported. This is the fifth snowboarding death at a North American resort in the past five days. Our deepest sympathies are with the snowboarder’s family.
[Update December 28, 2010: According to a story in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, the snowboarder found was Cooper Plaxco. He was from Windsor, California and was a sophomore at Humboldt State University. Here’s what probably happened:
“He was down about 15 feet from the surface of the snow,” said Doug Forseth, Whistler Blackcomb resort’s senior vice president of operations. . . Forseth said the creek had been covered in a “snow bridge,” and it “probably just looked like a snow field to him — I think that’s exactly what happened.” . . Plaxco, an avid skateboarder and snowboarder, was wearing a helmet and his board was still attached to his feet when searchers found his body. He was face down with his head underwater.]
[Link: The Vancouver Sun]
by The Editors on December 25, 2010
A 22-year-old snowboarder from Casper, Wyoming and a 5-year-old girl are dead after a collision at 2:30 PM Friday afternoon December 24, 2010 at Hogadon Ski Area. The girl and her mother had stopped on a run and the snowboarder apparently hit them, according to a story on Trib.com.
The snowboarder crashed into a five-year-old girl and her mother as the two were stopped on a ski run, Sheriff’s Lt. Mark Sellers said Saturday. . . All three were taken to Wyoming Medical Center. The man and the girl were pronounced dead at the hospital. The mother, who lives in the Casper area, was injured and remained hospitalized a day after the crash. An update on her condition was not available.
The collision occurred on a “black-diamond” run called Dreadnaught and the Sheriff’s office is investigating.
Knowing nothing at all about this particular case we are reminded of one thing: if anyone riding at a resort can’t avoid hitting someone who is stopped on a run they are riding well outside their abilities. Period.
We can’t even begin to imagine the pain these two families are going through this Christmas. Our thoughts are with everyone involved.
[Link: Trib.com]
by The Editors on December 23, 2010
A 15-year-old Portland snowboarder became the fourth snowboarder to die at Mt. Hood Meadows this year, according to a story on OregonLive.com.
A Portland boy, who was not identified, was discovered lying face down in the snow at Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Resort at 9:24 p.m. on Wednesday (December 22, 2010). The lifts closed at 9 p.m. and members of the ski patrol were clearing the slopes when they discovered his body near the North Canyon trail.
The cause of his death is still unknown and reportedly being investigated by the local sheriff’s office.
[Update December 28, 2010: According to a story on KPTV.com the Medical Examiner has stated that the snowboarder who died, Illya Petrovich Sirosh, as “not killed in a snowboarding accident,” however, they are still working on finding the cause of death.]
[Link: OregonLive.com]
by The Editors on December 13, 2010
According to a new report by snow injury statistician Jasper Shealy, reported in the Wall Street Journal snowboarders may experience more injuries on the hill, but they die much less often than skiers do.
On paper, snowboarding appears to be more dangerous but less deadly. The injury rate is 50 percent to 70 percent higher than in skiing, Shealy said, which he suspects is due to the people doing it. Snowboarders tend to be young males. . . While snowboarders get injured more often, the death rate is about one-third lower than in skiing. That snowboards don’t release from the feet of the snowboarder is likely explanation, Shealy said. When a rider falls, the edge of the snowboard drags on the snow and acts like a brake. But that can also cause fractures, he said.
Last year the National Ski Areas Association say 25 skiers and 13 snowboarders died on snow. We’ll take the injuries, thank you.
[Link: The Wall Street Journal]
