It was the latest in a string of disappointments for the organizers of the World Snowboarding Championships, being held at Oslo Winter Park in the hills above the capital. They failed to secure a main sponsor, which means Oslo taxpayers look likely to be stuck with a bill of NOK 28 million since city officials agreed to mount a guarantee for that amount. . .
Ticket sales were also a problem according to the story. Organizers who hoped to sell 25,000 tickets had only sold 3,350 by the start of the event and 5,000 as of yesterday. That’s compared to the 270,000 that were sold for the Nordic skiing world championships.
Norwegian snowboarding legend Terje Håkonsen himself had told Aftenposten that his goal was to convince “snowboard haters” that his sport is worthy of respect.
Still think it would be great to be there right now. We wouldn’t be disappointed at all to see it live.
There’s nothing like a best hits collection for pure, jaw-dropping awe. Jordan Haffart’s collection from the past four years has us confused and bewildered even more than usual.
Filmmaker Patrik Wallner rolled through South Asia for a month with skaters Walker Ryan, Laurence Keefe, Michael Mackrodt, and Kenny Reed and returned with this amazingly lush 10 minute video of the trip. The only things missing are the feelings of oppressive heat and gastrointestinal distress. . .
Nate Soules, 38, of Telluride, Colorado died on Monday, February 13, 2012 in an avalanche on Lower Bear Creek, according to a story in the Telluride Daily Planet.
Soules was an expert snowboarder who had stacked up years of experience traveling in the backcountry. He was equipped with an avalanche beacon, Avalung and ABS airbag system on Monday when he ventured alone into an area known as The Fingers in Lower Bear Creek, but those precautions proved inadequate against the large slide that swept him up. Soules was discovered and unburied shortly after noon by two skiers who came across the slide path, and his body was lifted out of the area by helicopter. He was apparently killed by massive trauma, according to the San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office.
Our thoughts are with Soules’ friends and family, especially his 3-year-old son, Ben, and his wife, Hilary.
Nike Surfing team cameras follow Filipe Toledo, Scooby, and Gabriel Medina as they surf up Oahu’s North Shore over the winter. Yep, the kids are still good.
We didn’t make it to the Mt. Baker Legendary Banked Slalom this year, but luckily we know people who did. And they captured it all down quite nicely. The above video from Yobeat features a painfully nauseating “shit people say” start, but if you just pause it and let it load, then skip to 2:33 you’ll see how men ride the banked slalom. Men like Terje Haakonsen, Temple Cummins, Josh Dirksen, and Travis Rice. Those with a more literary bent should check out Frequency’s coverage here, or jump straight tothe complete official results here.
As you might imagine Louie Vito and Kelly Clark took home the halfpipe cups and Sebastien Toutant and Spencer O’Brien grabbed cups for slopestyle. The above clip features the last Slopestyle event, if you were wondering. Watching it makes us wonder how much longer the Winter Dew Tour can keep sliding on? Next year we figure they’ll be down to just one winter event at Breckenridge.
For the complete results from the 2012’s last event in Ogden follow the jump. [click to continue…]
Sylven Walton, a 29-year-old snowboarder died at Jay Peak, Vermont died Saturday, February 12, 2012 after hitting a tree, according to a story in the Salem News.
Vermont State Police say Sylven Walton of Cambridge died of head injuries sustained in a fall at Jay Peak Ski Resort shortly before noon Saturday. . . Police say Walton fell on an expert trail and hit his head on a tree off the trail.
Walton was reportedly wearing a helmet at the time of the collision. Our thoughts are with Walton’s family and friends.
Editors’ Note: Sadly, this video has apparently been squashed by the copyright owners as A man says:
Vid got squashed. Weird. After a week and ~20K views? Red Bull media cops need to drink more Monster or something. Sleeping. I imagine Red Bull offices full of flatbrimmer MMA-looking monomaniacs stomping around half the time all aggro, frothing at the (lip-ringed and soul-patch decorated) mouths; and the other half on the flip side: hearts barely beating, those same bro-faces lying in puddles of neon puke. . . Doesn’t make sense to expect logical timelines or reaction from anyone who drinks that shit, so who knows what happened?
As if the Supernatural hasn’t gotten enough grief already, now comes the Trevor Reese Red Bowlface. And no, we can’t stop laughing. Thanks, a man.
686 has added a slew of new team riders in the last month. Minnesota’s Ryan Paul and Canadian Phil Jacques have joined the global pro team.
Hailing from the great state of Minnesota, Ryan has been a fixture on the rail jam contest circuit over the past few years, winning countless events and always showing up with his patented progressive moves and unique way of showcasing his style. His most recent accomplishment was a Silver X-Games medal in Street. Ryan reached the podium with 686 teammate, Forest Bailey, who took the Gold. . . As McCarthy says of Paul, “Ryan’s easy-to-approach demeanor and outgoing personality really makes him the person that he is, but his riding does all the talking. When we snowboard with him people stop to see what new ideas and creations that he has up his sleeve. RP always has a smile on his face and a progressive way to view the mountains in front of him.”
We saw Ryan slay it at Hot Dawgs & Hand Rails in September 2011. He’s the real deal for sure. For details on Jacques and the rest of the am additions follow the jump. [click to continue…]
It appears that not everyone is happy about the way the 2012 World Snowboarding Championships in Oslo, Norway are going down this week, according to a story on Views and News From Norway. For one thing there’s only one Norwegian in the slopestyle semi-finals.
