Real and true and honest moments are so rare in corporate snowboard sport that when they occur it drops the bottom half of our brains out into our laps and leaves us dumbfounded and quivering. That what happened last night (January 29, 2012) when two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, five-time Winter X Games Gold medalist, Target Clothing Designer, video game character, and 2012 Businessweek Power 100 number 8Shaun White dropped in on his third and final run in the Winter X Games Halfpipe Finals.
White had already won the gold medal with a score of 94 points, edging second place finisher Iouri Podladtchikov by one point. White was perfectly set up to take a victory lap. He could have just made a four hit run of 23 foot straight airs and the gold would still have been his. But Shaun had some unfinished business. In his second run, White had gone down on his last hit. It was the unveiling of his frontside double-cork 1260 and he didn’t land it. We could tell the moment he dropped in on his final run that he was going to try it again.
As we all know, Shaun landed the back-to-back backside double cork 1260 to frontside double cork 1260 on his last two hits and was awarded the first perfect 100 point score in X Games history. And while it seems an almost too perfectly scripted finish for a Walt Disney Company owned made-for-TV entrainment event property, the truth is Shaun White’s run was one of those real, true, honest moments in snowboarding were an athlete’s performance rises above all the bullshit that surrounds the event, the marketing, and the hype and stands alone on its own screaming for everyone to hear: this is snowboarding.
Shaun White seemed as stoked as we all were. “It’s unreal. I’ve been wanting that 100 forever,” he said. “Thank you everyone here tonight. This is unreal. . . I came here on a mission. I couldn’t compete in slopestyle. I was sitting around icing my ankle. I took out a little of the anger that I couldn’t compete in slope on the pipe tonight. I was upset with my first front double 12 and wanted to get it.
For one of the first times in X Games television show history we were glad we were somewhere with cable and able to watch, because missing this was missing one of those epic moments.
For those who assumed that maybe after breaking his pelvis and, let’s face it, being old, that Tony Hawk would would slow down, get off his skateboard and coast off into the sunset on his wallet, here’s a little proof to the contrary.
Utah snowboarder Alecsander Barton, 24, died Saturday, Janaury 28, 2012 after being buried in a self-triggered 700-foot-wide avalanche after dropping in from the top of Kessler Peak, according to a story in the Deseret News.
Barton’s death came on the heels of a slew of avalanche warnings prompted by heavy snowfall and weak snowpack. . . “The backcountry conditions are extremely dangerous,” Hoyal said. “This is a sad reminder for people to know that conditions are so extreme right now that people need to stay out of the backcountry.”
Barton was riding with two friends at the time of his death, and though they were not buried and had proper avalanche equipment it was not enough to save Barton’s life. Our thoughts are with Barton’s family and friends.
Day two of the 2012 SIA Show in Denver began with sunshine and partly cloudy skies, but by 10:30 AM Downtown Denver was engulfed in a classic mid-winter snowstorm making getting to the show a lot more like getting to the lifts. But it is the Snow Show, right?
On day two the mood of the show began to make itself more known. Traffic is definitely down in the aisles. Booths that last year were a non-stop parties are quiet and business-like. The parties that last year required pushing, shoving, and friend calling to get in were casual walk-ins this year.
While those at the show are doing business and brand reps have been busy showing lines, a snowless December really did its damage to the shops. As one retailer told us, “Fall was great. But December was terrible. January is right back to normal, but we’ll never be able to make up for December.”
An overall mood of caution seemed to hover over every discussion and it seems that trickled down to the parties as well. That said, the slight drop in hype made everything that much easier to negotiate.
We’ll continue to add more images to these galleries, so check back often for updates. For live updates during the day be sure to follow us on Instagram @Boardistan or Twitter @boardistan or on Facebook.
After five “lei days” the Volcom Pipeline Pro finally got off to a macking start this morning (January 28, 2012) in eight to twelve foot surf, but after three hours of competition (seven heats) the waves had jumped into the 15-20 foot range forcing event organizers to call off the contest for the day because it was getting too dangerous.
Kauai’s Stephen Koehne, the top-scorer of the day, ended up with a gruesome gash to the knee that could well see him out of the water for weeks. Regular Pipeline chargers Mark Healey and Tom Dosland took the wipeout beatings of the day, and lifeguard/Pipe specialist Dave Wassel (above) was the overall standout. . . “I pulled into the barrel and next thing I knew I just got shot in the knee by my board,” said Koehne. . . Resident Doctor Leiland Dao said it was a serious injury that required 20 stitches or more to three layers: muscle, fascia and skin.
Organizers say the contest will likely resume tomorrow. Follow the jump for official word. [click to continue…]
After five “lei days” the Volcom Pipeline Pro finally got off to a macking start this morning (January 28, 2012) in eight to twelve foot surf, but after three hours of competition (seven heats) the waves had jumped into the 15-20 foot range forcing event organizers to call off the contest for the day because it was getting too dangerous.
Kauai’s Stephen Koehne, the top-scorer of the day, ended up with a gruesome gash to the knee that could well see him out of the water for weeks. Regular Pipeline chargers Mark Healey and Tom Dosland took the wipeout beatings of the day, and lifeguard/Pipe specialist Dave Wassel (above) was the overall standout. . . “I pulled into the barrel and next thing I knew I just got shot in the knee by my board,” said Koehne. . . Resident Doctor Leiland Dao said it was a serious injury that required 20 stitches or more to three layers: muscle, fascia and skin.
Organizers say the contest will likely resume tomorrow. Follow the jump for official word. [click to continue…]
Travis Rice (above with C-3 President Bob Gundrum and Union’s George Kleckner) has added Union Bindings to the list of brands he whole-heartedly supports. During his Transworld Riders’ Poll acceptance speech Rice let everyone know he was on the program.
It’s amazing what Union has been able to achieve in the past eight years. More than just making the best bindings on the market, they have created a successful business with family values. I’m very proud and honored to join the incredible Union team.”
Rice joins Dan Brisse, Jess Kimura, Danny Kass, Gig Rüf and the rest of the Union team. Follow the jump for all the official details. [click to continue…]
Pro snowboarders and civilian fans of snowboarding gathered last night (January 27, 2012) in Denver’s Fillmore for the 13th Annual Transworld Snowboarding Riders’ Poll Awards hosted by Greg “GT” Tomlinson and Dave Lee to celebrate the best snowboarders of 2011.
In a night filled with gracious acceptance speeches (Jess Kimura made three, Travis Rice did two), the highlight was Jamie Lynn accepting the Legend Award from Bryan Iguchi and Dave Lee.
At 7:30 am on day two of the 2012 SIA Show (Friday, January 27), a ballroom-full of snow industry professionals gathered to hear a panel discussion on the ever-confounding women’s market. Titled Growing SnowSports Participation from a Woman’s Perspective and moderated by SIA’s Kellyann Davis, panelist included Burton President Donna Burton Carpenter as well Roxy’s Kyre Malkemes, Ski Utah’s Raelene Davis, Wachussett Mountain’s Carolyn Crowley Stimpson, Caldwell Sports’ Amy Caldwell, Freelance Writer Heather Schultz, and Outdoor Divas Kim Walker.
While much of what was discussed has been tossed around in similar panels and snowsports conference roundtables during the past twelve years, a few notable points did jump out. Most obviously, women have different shopping habits than men and with that comes a need for separate customer service training on the retail floor. “Women want to be included and educated about things that are specific to them personally,” says Malkemes. “They don’t necessarily want to know the technical benefits to each item, they just want to know how a product will make snowboarding more fun and more enjoyable for them.”
Tomorrow night, (Saturday, January 27, 2012) Praxis Footwear will celebrate its official launch party in San Francisco, California at Gallery 1307.
Karl Watson is the lead skate personality and foundation for marketing of the Praxis brand. The Praxis Launch Party is brought to you in conjunction with the following co-sponsors: Organika Skateboards, FTC, Tech Vector design, Foundry Supply and Creative Edge Public Relations. Live music for the event includes DJ DSharp and Atlas.
