Snowboarding

Calling a snowboard with no bindings the latest “progression in the boardsports world” is a lot like saying the Pony Express is the latest progression in information transportation. Does every cool new thing have to be “progression?” What about fun? Riding a “noboard” has got to be one of the most freeing feelings in all of snowboarding, and we’re guessing that’s exactly why Burton has signed a deal with Noboard to release a Burton Fish that comes with the Noboard foot placement system on it. Congrats to everyone.
Follow the jump for the whole press release.

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According to Bloomberg News:

Seven snowboarders were missing in a snowstorm in Hiroshima, southwestern Japan, yesterday as search efforts were called off because of bad weather, the Asahi newspaper said in its English-language edition.

Two skiers also died in an avalanhe in the Nagano Prefecture.

[Link: Bloomberg.com]

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Yes, sometimes the glamorous life of pro snowboarding just isn’t enough. But apparently, Christ can made the difference, at least that’s what Kelly Clark says:

Most notable among them is Kelly Clark, who came to her newfound spirituality at the top of her game. As she tells it, she was the best snowboarder in the world. A gold medal from the 2002 Winter Olympics adorned her neck. Sponsors were courting her.

But something was missing. She tried to fill the hole with partying, acting out, more snowboarding. Still she felt “hollow.”

Then she overheard a fellow competitor say something to comfort another rider who had just posted a disappointing performance.

“Don’t worry about it. God still loves you,” Clark heard the competitor say.

Four years later, Clark is still the queen of snowboarding, a medal-harvesting pipe rider whose talents send her flying higher than any other woman in the sport.

But the dopiest comment of the story comes from hippy Hannah Teter:

“I just express it with meditation, yoga and candles,” says Teter, who earned Olympic gold in Turin’s 2006 Winter Games. “I always carry a crystal when I ride, and I do the whole centering thing before a contest.”

Oh yeah, that whole “centered” thing. We know it well.

[Link: Statesman.com]

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From EXPN.com:

How cowboy is your mountain town? Before Jackson Hole’s world-class riding and fancy resort-type attractions surfaced, there were cattle and cowboys. Wyoming has plenty of both, in fact. You could even argue that Travis Rice, the brains behind Natural Selection, is a bit of a rodeo star himself.

For the rest of Jesse’s “I’m here hanging out” story, click the link.

[Link: EXPN.com]

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Ryan Stassel, 15, looks like he could be on his way to super snowboard stardom according to the Anchorage Daily News.

The world is in his hands right now,” said Puckett, head coach of the Big Alaska Snowboard and Freeski Club, a nonprofit that offers competitions sanctioned by the United States of America Snowboard Association. “We’re seeing a generation of snowboarders who grew up with parents who snowboarded, and now we have 15-year-olds like Ryan close to winning events.”

[Link: Anchorage Daily News]

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According to Seattle’s NBC TV station:

A snowboarder has died in an accident in the Cascade Mountains. The King County Medical Examiner’s Office says the man fell off a jump at a snowboarding park on Saturday. The office says the man’s name won’t be released until Monday afternoon. The circumstances surrounding his death are not known.

[Link: KNDO.com]

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