Our Apple TV seemed lost without the weekly Shralp! snowboarding edits and just when we were beginning to think it was over for good we got his message from Shralp! founder Mee-Z letting us know the edits are back on and kicking off with this exclusive edit from the Oakley Shaun White Air & Style.
“When I started shralp! the Video iPod was the latest shit. Downloadable video podcast were basically the only way to distribute a video magazine online.” explains Christan ‘mee-z’ Miessner, founder and maker of shralp! “Now YouTube is the largest distribution platform for video content and shralp! is still on, adapting to the new situation with even more programs.” . . . shralp! is the longest running snowboarding video podcast and now in it’s 8th year. Since October 2005 shralp! covers people, WST/TTR contests, competitions, powder, big mountain riding, tricks, products, events, video previews and everything else that matters in the snowboarding scene.
To help celebrate Sneaker Freaker’s10th Anniversary, editor Woody kicked down his version on the Supra Owen with the limited edition Blue Balls.
This time around we busted a nut on the lightweight Owen, combining brains, brawn, and beauty into one sweet ball breaker of a shoe. SUPRAFOAM shock absorption and a black diamond mesh upper with royal blue microfiber ensures the ride is limo quality, while the rope-a-dope lacing and speckled concrete SUPRAFOAM sole punches harder than Kojak’s cojones. Tug on the plush pink heel pull and admire the unorthodox asymmetrical color blocking as you guide your foot deep inside this super snug package. Yep, once you’ve cupped our throbbing Blue Balls in your hands you simply won’t be able to wipe the smile from your dial. Unlike our Golden Balls, these are no wet dream.”
Someone’s got to wear the uniforms until Mr. White climbs back in, right? And a few of these snowboarders might actually go to Russia for the Olympics. So here are the 2013 US Snowboard Team Members.
2013 U.S. Snowboarding Halfpipe Pro Team
Men Greg Bretz (Mammoth Lakes, CA, Mammoth Charter School) 12/19/90 * Matt Ladley (Chicago, IL, Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club) 5/17/91 Scotty Lago (Seabrook, NH) 11/12/87 * Benji Farrow (Ludlow, VT; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club) 3/8/92 Louie Vito (Sandy, UT) 3/20/88 * Luke Mitrani (Bondville, VT) 7/20/90
Women Gretchen Bleiler (Aspen, CO; Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club) 4/10/81 * Kelly Clark (West Dover, VT; Mount Snow Academy) 7/26/83 * Elena Hight (South Lake Tahoe, CA; American School) 8/17/89 * Ellery Hollingsworth (Darien, CT; Stratton Mountain School) 9/2/91** Hannah Teter (Belmont, VT; Okemo Mountain School) 1/27/87 * Maddy Schaffrick (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club) 4/24/94 **
2013 U.S. Snowboarding Slopestyle Pro Team
Men Chas Guldemond (Reno, NV) 4/22/87 Sage Kotsenburg (Park City, UT) 7/27/93 Eric Willett (Breckenridge, CO) 1/2/88 Women Jessika Jenson (Rigby, ID) 8/7/91 Jordie Karlinski (Snowmass Village, CO; Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club) 8/24/89 Ty Walker (Stowe, VT) 3/3/97
So what about the Alpine racers? Or Boardercross racers? Who? Exactly. Everyone knows, they don’t count. For the rest of the official word, follow the jump. [click to continue…]
Surfers in the Billabong Pipeline Masters in Memory of Andy Irons rolled all the way into Round 4 before the light began to fade. And it was a day of epic surf and hits and misses. Sebasitan Zietz secured the 2012 Vans Triple Crown win in Round 2, took out 2011 Triple Crown winner John John Florence in Round 3, and then topped Damien Hobgood and Dane Reynolds in the non-elimination Round 4. Shane Dorian took out Alejo Muniz in Round 2 and then did the same to Mick Fanning on Round 3 ending Fanning’s slim hopes of a world title. Joel Parkinson quieted any negative voices when he commandingly dominated C.J. Hobgood and Kieren Perrow in his Round 4 heat.
“It’s good to get in the water and start the game,” Parkinson said. “It was torture watching yesterday, but it’s a nervous frustration. You’ve got to scramble at the start and stay patient at the end. I tried to get a couple of early ones and then wait. I got folded on a crazy left and then found that perfect drainer on the right. Backdoor can offer the best section to lay one over and it had the perfect part to lay one over. It felt so good to do that.”
At Pipeline in December surfers either advance out of their heat or their season comes to an abrupt end. And that’s so often makes the Pipeline Masters a bitter sweet event.
The next heat will see World Title hopeful Kelly Slater face off against Gabriel Medina and Josh Kerr in Round 4 Heat 3. We’ll see that either Monday or maybe on Friday when the next swell is supposed to arrive. We’ll keep you posted on the call.
For the official word from the ASP including results, follow the jump. [click to continue…]
Think ground effects lighting on a skateboard are stupid? Maybe you haven’t seen this. Click the jump to see how Samadhi Productions did it. [click to continue…]
In one of the most amazing Vans Triple Crown runs in its 30 year History Kauai’s Sebastian Zietz, 24, took the 2012 title with a win at Haleiwa, a third at Sunset, and after eliminating John John Florence in round 3 has won his fourth round heat and moved directly into the quarter finals of the Billabong Pipeline Masters in Memory of Andy Irons.
“I’m super stoked,” Zietz said. “I’m just doing it for everyone in Kauai and everyone in Hawaii. Thanks everyone who comes down and watches us, you’re the reason we have a job. Thanks to Andy (Irons), you’re the one giving me the power. I’m so stoked. I don’t know what to say. It’s just amazing. I’d like to thank everyone who was a part of it. So many people have helped me throughout my life. The list goes on and on, you guys know who you are.”
“After our brief hold this morning our new swell is filling in and we’ll get underway with Round 1,” Rich Porta, ASP International Head Judge said. “The surf is expected to build throughout the day and we should see some nice barrels for the opening round of competition.”
For the official word and complete heat draw, follow the jump [click to continue…]
In October 2012, Kelly Slater’s North Shore home was burglarized. Here he talks with KHON2 about the rip-off and what he’s doing to help raise money for people in need during the holidays. For Slater’s handwritten list of things stolen, follow the jump. [click to continue…]
Vail Resorts, Inc. has entered into agreements to purchase two premier urban ski areas in the Midwest, Afton Alps in Minnesota and Mount Brighton in Michigan, for total cash consideration of $20 million. Both ski areas serve major snow sports markets in the Midwest with more than 468,000 active skiers and snowboarders in the nearby Minneapolis-St. Paul and Detroit metropolitan areas.
These two resorts will be added to Vail’s resort portfolio which already includes: Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood. To big to fail, right?
