Each fall members of the US Snowboard Team (and former medalists) attend regional balls to raise money for the US Ski Team organization. Apparently, these parties held in Boston, New York, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and the Bay Area bring in millions of dollars.
“It’s a good way to meet existing U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding supporters face-to-face and try to generate new supporters as well,” said snowboardcross great Nate Holland.
Gold medalist Ross Powers will be at the Langham Hotel in the heard of Boston’s financial district for the New England Ski and Snowboard Ball this Wednesday, September 30, 2009. For all the details on the team’s big balls, follow the jump. [click to continue…]
The bargain lift-ticket seller Liftopia.com has added Whistler/Blackcomb, Killington, Mammoth Mountain, Winter Park, Copper Mountain, and Stowe, to its list of discounter resorts this season, and rounded up $1 million more in funding, according to a story on TechCrunch.
Liftopia allows ski resorts to offer variable pricing for tickets based on much how traffic they anticipate seeing on the slopes — in other words, resorts can lower their prices if they think they’re going to have a slow day the same way an airline does if a flight might not fill up. Some resorts have been able to do this to a limited extent with ‘peak season’ tickets (a ticket for Christmas time would cost more than one a month or two later), but up until now they haven’t had a good way to adjust their pricing on a daily basis. Liftopia gives them this option.
Definitely something worth checking out this season. . .
Sadly, our intern failed in his quest to cover the Me, Myself, & I premiere at the world famous La Paloma Theatre in Encinitas, California the evening of Thursday, September 24, 2009. And in so doing, our dreams of hanging out with Todd Richards all night (vicariously) were once again dashed. But thankfully, Snowboarder Magazine‘s Kyle Kennedy was on point and pulled down 19 photos from the historic event. And for that we thank him.
Canadian writer Colin Whyte has reviewed friend Dano Pendygrasse’s new Westbeach history book, OutWest on ESPN/Action. And guess what? He likes it.
In “Out West,” Pendygrasse taps into a vitality at the core of snowboarding that seems to have faded in recent years, something akin to snowboarding’s true identity—no matter where you come from—and teases it out in a way that’s never been done before. In short, this ain’t your typical coffee table book. And it’s not just for Canadians.
As non-Canadian people who actually wore head-to-toe Westbeach (including the occasional headband), we have to say we agree. Check it out here. And then buy it. It only costs $12.95.
For the past 32 years the SnowSports Industries America has released an “intelligence report” of topline numbers from the snow sports marketplace. This year is no different. Here are some of the bullet points we cared about:
$2.8 billion in sales of snow sports equipment, apparel, and accessories from specialty shops and Internet sales.
Online sales grew 12% in dollars and 23% in units
15% of all snowboard equipment was sold online
The average snow sports participant is about 30 years old, has a college degree and household income exceeding $100,000 annually
The snow sports demographic experienced a doubling in unemployment rate during the 2008.09 season as the economy tanked
Louie Vito did alright on the first night of ABC’s hit show Dancing With The Stars, you know, once you get past the fact that he’s on the show at all.
He and his parter Chelsie Hightower performed a foxtrot and finished second behind Donny Osmond and Kim Johnson. Here’s what Extra TV had to say about his number:
Professional snowboarder Louie Vito[‘s] . . . smile might be stronger than his dance moves. Carrie Ann said she was surprised by their dance, but she can tell he’s never danced before. Bruno says the performance was “so cute” and it was like watching a “dancing hobbit.” The couple earned a 19 and 8 points for their Salsa relay dance.
“Dancing hobbit?” Right. Coming from a judge Todd Richards described as “dude looks like Mr. Bean” that kind of makes sense.
It’s the middle of summer, but the Snow Industries of America wants everyone to know that the show’s move to Denver, Colorado (yee haw) is the best thing ever and they’ve got video proof from the likes of Joel Gomez, Dave Roseberger, Andrew Marriner, Rick Alden (and some guys we don’t know from some ski companies) in this six minute “come to cowtown” video.
Ari Marcopoulos’s photographs convey a remarkable feeling of intimacy. He draws the viewer into relationships with his subjects that could only have been achieved through a powerful experience of empathy and engagement. Self-taught as a photographer, Marcopoulos makes photographs that are often imbued with a subtle formalism, a classical austerity—informed by the artist’s broad knowledge of art history—combined with an intuitive approach and an ability to adapt to the moment.
There will also be a new book released at the show the will go perfectly in our library next to Transitions And Exits. The show runs through February 7, 2010. For more information follow the link.
Tonight (September 21, 2009) the new season of the hit ABC series Dancing With The Stars kicks off with a two-hour live show featuring our favorite dancing snowboarder Louie Vito. In an email sent out to industry heads on Sunday, 686’s Mike West encouraged everyone to vote often for Louie.
I’m going to be heading to the live show to give support (as well as get my laugh on…) Yeah, I know there’s been mixed opinions on why he’s doing this (Not to mention he’s all hip hop, only wears XXL and can’t dance to save his life) But at the end of the day, LV’s gonna make the best of it-While we get to laugh our asses off in a good way. . . If you agree, vote for Louie.
While we were sweating away in the Hurley Pro VIP tent at Trestles, the SoCal snowboard world was at Bear Mountain for the 6th Annual Hot Dawgs & Handrails event. Luckily for us, Snowboarder Mag had the whole thing covered.
On Saturday, September 19th, 2009, 50 pro riders and over 5,000 spectators descended on Big Bear to celebrate So Cal snowboarding at its finest albeit, out of season. The Bear park crew brought in 110 tons of ice to create the most ambitious HD&HR setup yet. Unlike similar events which incorporate a single feature, Bear built two separate lanes, each with multiple jib options, giving the riders the opportunity to dial their lines and link up tricks, making it more akin to a conventional slopestyle event than a simple rail jam.
We’re just bummed we couldn’t be in two places at once. Maybe we should invest in some unpaid interns. . .
Each fall members of the US Snowboard Team (and former medalists) attend regional balls to raise money for the US Ski Team organization. Apparently, these parties held in Boston, New York, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and the Bay Area bring in millions of dollars.
