Guest Features

Snow Crown: Canadian Royalty At COP

Guest Column — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 17:52:00 GMT

[words by Stephanie Lake]

Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, AB, played host yet again to a pool of Canadian shreds from across the country, all vying for coveted TTR points to help secure them a place on Canada's Olympic team. Formally known as the Canadian Nationals, now known as the Snow Crown, in conjunction with Canada~Snowboard, rolled into town, along with an onslaught of talent, to light it up this past weekend.

COP's well-known superpipe was the place to be Friday night to see the men and women dig deep into their bag of tricks and throw down. With temps hovering around 3°C, the conditions were optimal during the semis and training sessions for the riders. But in Alberta's finest tradition, the winds changed, temps dropped and the pipe conditions quickly changed challenging the riders.

As a group of them walked by, you could here one say, "We were just trying to survive at the end."

But several did prevail, as 2010 Olympians Mercedes Nicoll, Brad Martin and Crispin Lipscomb lit it up much to the crowd's happiness.

Speaking of crowd, event organizer and old-school shred Jesse Fulton kept alluding to this "dance party" over the PA. Those who were there checking out the event itself didn't exactly know what he was talking about. But we would soon...

Off in the distance you could hear the beat and rhythm of '90s dance tune approaching. Soon they got closer and when we turned around, it was too late. People decked out in vintage '88 Calgary Olympic gear; rainbow leg warmers, horse heads and robot costumes were all around us. Ghetto blasters were being carried on shoulders and over top their heads, just like John Cusack in the classic teen movie Say Anything.

The original groups of spectators, on hand to see the competition, were perplexed. This was supposed to be a snowboard contest, was it not? One of national caliber, correct? We soon realized that we in fact were in the midst of a flash mob.

Partygoer and glitter-ridden Ashley explained: "This is the Decentralized Dance Party! It happens only once a year and this is the third time it's happened in Calgary. Normally it's held downtown but not this year - we changed it up and came to COP, met at the Olympic Torch where there are 100 ghetto blasters that we pick up for the party!"

While we were swallowed up by the crowd, riders still continued to hit their runs, vying for a spot on the podium. They didn't let this random flash mob stop them, in fact, as Olympic halfpipe slayer Sarah Conrad put it. "It's a good turnout. Not only was it warmer than what I expected, it was fun, too!"

Decentralized halfpipe spectator party.

With Fulton toting a hefty boom box over his shoulder and sporting a nifty referee jersey, he gathered up the Decentralized Party mass and led them up the side of the pipe. That alone was funny to watch, as partygoers weren't exactly prepared to hike up the hill. Wipeouts ensued, costumes were breaking down-heels and hiking don't exactly mix. And up the hill they went. With all the boom boxes in sync, they took over the COP PA system and brought back the ‘90s in all its glory, although half of the crowd might not have realized it since they were most likely born in the early part of the decade.

Okay, back to snowboarding...

With a mass group of spectators now on hand, halfpipe riders put on a great show. Taking their best score of two qualifiers, the ladies who prevailed at the end and on the podium were Mercedes Nicoll locking down first, Katie Tsuyuki securing second and Calynn Irwin comin' in hot taking home third.

Women's halfpipe podium, L to R: Katie Tsuyuki (2nd), Mercedes Nicoll (1st), Calynn Irwin (3rd)

For the men, Derek Livingston had first locked and loaded, Matt Wallace stole second and Crispin Lipscomb represented, holding down third.

Men's halfpipe podium, L to R: Matt Wallace (2nd), Derek Livingston (1st), Crispin Lipscomb (3rd)

The winners were presented with gold Sandbox helmets, which were handcrafted by Sandbox friend and artist, Mark Kowalchuk.

The after party then ensued where the Decentralized Dance Party people and those who were there for the SnowCrown Halfpipe Finals merged to get it started right on a Friday night in C-town.

All photo: Steve Marentette

(keep reading for a rundown of Slopestyle, plus full results)

[PageBreak]

Samm Denena.

Slopestyle Finals

St. Paddy's Saturday at COP brought a overcast kind of day but the sun burned off the clouds for the semis and the first run of the finals for the riders. The course was definitely featuring spring conditions, three jumps and four jib features. It was the same course that the Burton Open and Canadian Shield had on lock in the previous weeks, which was optimum for riders to showcase their sweet, sweet skills.

Calgary locals Brooke Voigt and Breanna Stangeland had the hometown advantage, knowing COP like the back of their hands and looking right at home on the course.

Stangeland's second run in particular was the banger, busting a sweet FS 5 off the first jump followed by a styley switch BS 1 then a BS 5 Stalefish on the last jump, which she then topped up with a nice BS 3 on the hip. Style and skills on hand, Stangeland had the crowd hyped.

Props definitely go out to Samm Denena who charged on her second run and busted out a big BS Rodeo, as well as Brooke Voigt who delivered a sweet BS 3.

For the men, slopestyle vet Craig Bealieau dug into his bag of awesome early and on his first run rolled out sick back-to-back switch BS 9s.

Sandbox crew homie Jon Versteeg went big and delivered on his second run, bagging a sweet switch BS 9 followed by another BS 9 and topped up with a large-and-in-charge BS 10.

We can't forgot to give big props to Trevor Niblett who stomped a sweet Wildcat off the third jump - a definite crowd pleaser. Or Matts Kulisek, who threw down a nice run featuring styley FS 7, followed by a sweet BS 9 and topped off with a tasty FS 10.

In the end and on the podium for the ladies, Brenna Stangeland locked down first, with Brook Voigt hangin' tough and securing second, and Samm Denena holdin' down third.

Women's podium, L to R: Brook Voigt (2nd), Breanna Stangeland (1st), Samm Denena (3rd)

For the men, Jon Versteeg was recognized and given the Sandbox gold helmet securing first, closely followed by Darcy Sharpe stealing second and Matts Kulisek rollin' up and tucking third under his belt.

Men's podium, L to R: Darcy Sharpe (2nd), Jon Versteeg (1st), Matts Kulisek (3rd)

After many high-fives and props, and after witnessing a ton of talent, it was time to go out and do it right on St. Paddy's Day night. Big props to all the riders who rolled out to COP for SnowCrown.

All photo: Steve Marentette

[PageBreak]

Full results:

HALFPIPE:
Women:
Seniors:
1st Mercedes Nicoll (BC)
2nd Katie Tsuyuki (BC)
3rd Calynn Irwin (ON)

Juniors:
1st Audrey McManiman (QC)
2nd Samm Denena (ON)
3rd Erin Lee (ON)

Men:
Seniors:
1st Derek Livingston (QC)
2nd Matt Wallace (AB)
3rd Crispin Libscomb (ON)

Juniors:
1st Jam Gallagher (AB)
2nd Joe Hills (AB)
3rd Francis Lachance (QC)

Under 12:
1st Carter Jarvis (AB)
2nd Quinn Dubois (AB)
3rd Joshua Reeves (AB)

SLOPESTYLE:
Men:
Seniors:
1st Jon Versteeg (BC) 
2nd Darcy Sharpe (BC) 
3rd Matts Kulisek (QC)

Juniors:
1st Michaël Roy (QC)
2nd Taylor Watling (ON)
3rd Michael Izzard (ON)

Under 12:
1st Carter Jarvis (AB)
2nd Quinn Dubois (BC)
3rd Quinten Fast (BC)

Women:
Seniors:
1st Breanna Stangeland (AB) 
2nd Brooke Voigt (AB) 
3rd Samm Denena (ON)

Juniors:
1st Laurie Blouin (QC)
2nd Audrey McManiman (QC)
3rd Samm Denena (ON)

You can find more details at Snowcrown.ca.

---------------------------
Related:
Video: The Jones Soda Champs

Done Awesome, Did The Dew: Mountain Dew In Toronto

Guest Column — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 16:19:00 GMT

[words by Dean Seguin]

Bright lights, big city - that was the overall vibe resonating Friday night at Dundas Square in the core of downtown Toronto as the Mountain Dew ‘Do Awesome, Do The Dew' rail jam went down in front of crowds of curious onlookers.

Tons of steel scaffolding, layers of plywood and truckloads of snow were hauled in to bring the mountain to the city and, in the process, settle the imaginative debate of whether or not it would ever be possible to put down laps and combo rails smack-dab in the centre of Canada's largest city.

Anyone could sign up to get on the hill.

The girls of the Women's Snowboard Federation were onsite giving pointers.

Fresh off a flight from Quebec, competing in the FIS World Cup stop, Whistler-based Craig Beaulieu was ultimately the man of the evening in the centre of the universe, laying down consistently solid runs that impressed both the crowd and judges, along with special guest event host Johnny Lyall. As he heads back to continue filming, Beaulieu is $1,500 richer from his grip of the $6,000 overall prize purse. Ontario's Craig Gouweloos, who snagged $750 for second spot, and Ontario's Alex Beebe, who grabbed $500 for his third-spot finish, flanked Beaulieu on the Mountain Dew podium. On the women's front, Genny Ross claimed the only prize with an oversized novelty cheque of $500.

Craig Beaulieu locks in a nosepress and shows the beginners how it's done.

Despite an ominous threat of bad weather moving in, the qualifying round got underway with plenty of action in dry conditions. Some 40-odd riders went head-to-head in a bracket format that had them call their tricks before dropping into the course. Judges were quick to deliberate and show off scores that meant one competitor was moving ahead and another was.

No question this event was in downtown Toronto.

A tight pack of Ontario shreds, both guys and girls, were heating things up on course much to the hype of a crowd who, as you can imagine, deemed such spectacle a complete novelty. No majestic mountain vistas here - this is our country's equivalent of Times Square, and it's surrounded by massive shopping complexes, skyscrapers and towers of eye-catching TV screens and in-your-face advertising. Combined with a DJ cutting beats, a display of rail prowess and an all-you-can-drink free-for-all of re-launched and now-caffeinated Mountain Dew, and it's easy to see the event had all the ingredients of eye-candy overload.

While the concept of hosting snowboard events in dense urban environments is nothing new (late ‘90s/early ‘00s Molson Canadian DV8 Snow Jam, anyone?), the Mountain Dew ‘Do Awesome, Do The Dew' event was as authentic and credible as the genre gets. The expertise of EventSing was called in to run things with a tight-ship mentality, alongside the enlisted help of ProAm Productions who know a thing or two about building legitimate contest setups.

On account of all of this, the execution of the event was professional-grade material. A massive scaffolding structure housed a top deck dropping in to three main jib lines - consisting of a flat down rail, a Jersey barrier with a heavy drop, and another flat down rail - that gave riders a mix of options to mull over before calling out their trick to the crowd and making it happen (or not). The setup was ultimately built for the viewing pleasure of the crowd, the rails kept tame enough for the riders to step up with technical combos but with just enough consequence to get bucked off in good spirit.

(keep reading for more photos and results)

[PageBreak]

There's one at every contest: nollie flipper of the jersey barrier.

Once the original pack of riders was whittled down to 20, the super finals got underway pitting them against a list of invited riders who had direct entry to the night's main showcase. Rain started spitting as Ontario heavies like Brad Gauley, Ryan ‘Smolik' Helstern and Stephen Powling, along with girls like Dani Brown and Breanna Stangeland all showed up to fight for a slice of the cash pie.

Craig Beaulieu, a blur in a sea of lights.

Again head-to-head elimination was the name of the game here as riders roshambo-ed for who would drop first. This time, however, results were kept under wraps until the awards were doled out at the end. Stephen Powling managed to eek out a couple of impressive laps that included a 180 on, 270 out on the Jersey Barrier and a 5-0, Back 1 out of the flat down rail. Alex Beebe's methodology had him laying down smooth Back 180s to Switch 50-50, 360 out on the flat down rails. Craig Gouweloos kept switching up his strategy, throwing down a pushed-out Nose Press , 180 out as well as a Switch 270 to Front Board. In the end, though, it was Craig Beaulieu's contest-circuit expertise that held his consistency and impressed the judges most. Until his very last lap when he opted to hit the down rail, Beaulieu kept at the Jersey barrier with a super-controlled and lofty Front Board, 270 out off the edge, riding away square over his bindings each and every time.

Men's podium, L to R: Alex Beebe (3rd), Craig Beaulieu (1st), Craig Gouweloos (2nd)

There was more inconsistency nailing landings on the girl's side, though there certainly weren't any issues with being timid on the setup. Dani Brown was putting down stylish 50-50s and Front Boards on the down rails. Natalie Allport opted to get a bit more technical with Switch Half Cab to 50-50 but was unable to pull through the landing. So, Genny Ross took top spot with her best combos of the evening.

Women's winner, Genny Ross.

The Mountain Dew ‘Do Awesome, Do The Dew' event was the official kick off to a season-long tour that will see events coming up at resorts across the country. This event will also be running again all day Saturday at Dundas Square where you can check out the action and sample the all-new Mountain Dew. Even if you don't have gear, Burton Snowboards is on-hand in the vendor village to suit you up with a kit and get you some time on the downtown terrain park. Read on for more details:

SATURDAY, MARCH 3RD 
Ride And Learn/Open Competition 

12:00pm - 3:00pm: Burton Team Demonstrations 
12:00pm - 3:00pm: Ride & Learn Open 
3:30pm - 5:00pm: Mountain Dew Mountain Rail Jam - Open Competition 
5:30pm - 10:00pm: Live DJ

*Schedule subject to change

----------------------------
Related:
Video: Mountain Dew 'Do Awesome, Do The Dew' Day 2
Video: Mountain Dew 'Do Awesome, Do The Dew' Day 1
Do The Dew In Downtown Toronto

World Rookie Tour: Canuck Chuck Rookie Fest

Guest Column — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 03:18:00 GMT

[words by Matt Baird]

With last week's World Snowboarding Championships in Oslo Norway, it was obvious that having Terje Haakonsen and the WSF at the helm the future of snowboard competition is looking bright. Further proof of that came this weekend when the WSF'S World Rookie Tour made its first ever stop in North America.

The Canuck Chuck Rookie Fest was held at Horseshoe Resort an hour north of Toronto this past Saturday and showcased the next generation of Canadian slopestyle riders. Brought to you by Jesse Fulton and the crew at 365 sports, this event focused on giving riders 18 and under the opportunity to compete against others of their age and skill level. All this while vying for a chance at competing in Austria at the world rookie finals.

Mystery prizes revealed: mini bikes!

The crew from 365 know how to put on a great event for the riders, with wicked swag bags for all competitors, a fun vibe from registration right to the awards ceremony, and some of snowboarding's legends on hand to join in the fun. If you are from Canada and snowboard odds are you know the name Dennis Bannock, and if you snowboard at all you should know the name Terry Kidwell. These two guys were on hand to make sure snowboarding was represented properly, with Dennis on the mic stoking the kids out, keeping the crowd informed and Terry making sure style was well represented in the judging panel of Jay Beech, Tosh Hero and himself.

Coulton Conway.

Located in the area that up until this season housed the resort's halfpipe, this new slopestyle course was a perfect venue for Canada's up and comers. The course breakdown was a good mix of rails and jumps with something for almost everyone. From the drop-in, the first feature was a set of stairs complete with two urban rail options, after that there was an "L" shaped bank/hip complete with corrugated pipe coping. This feature changed the rider's direction and led them in to the jump line. Two solid jumps led into the bottom feature which housed a quarter pipe/hip combo on riders left and a corrugated pipe pointing to the clouds to give riders one last chance to impress the panel of legendary judges.

With a field of 60 riders and a best-of-two run format, competitors needed to work the course in their favour and push for a strong placing. After the first run it was obvious that Flow rider Cole Cummins was the leader of the pack boosting larger than the other riders and adding his smooth style for all to see. Taylor Watling was close on Cole's heels and boosted a massive backside rodeo 540 to claim best trick of the day, but couldn't put together a clean run to challenge Cole for the top spot.

When all the riders had had their chances at glory, the judges had 20 minutes to tabulate and confer with each other before the prizes were handed out. After a very strong showing all day, Cole Cummins was awarded for his efforts. Cole's final run earned him the best style award for the day, based on a backside 720 tweaked hard, as well as the top spot on the podium and an all-expense paid trip to Austria to compete against the best rookies in the world.

One of the great things about having a passion like snowboarding is seeing that same passion in reflected in kids. With events like this, we as snowboarders should all be stoked that our sport has progressed to a level where companies and athletes understand that giving back and supporting the next generation (or in Terry's case, the next three) plays a huge role in the future of all things snowboarding.

Cole Cummins.

Huge thanks go to the World Snowboard Federation, the World Rookie Tour, 365 Sports, Horseshoe Resort and all the fantastic sponsors who put this event on for the kids. I'm sure we will see them competing again next weekend at The Jones Soda Ontario Championships at Mount St Louis Moonstone.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

All photos: Connor Dudgeon

(full results and photos on the next page)

[PageBreak]

Full Results:

Male Rookie Finals
1. Cole Cummins
2. Taylor Watling
3. Michael Izzard
4. Max Wharin
5. Jack Heysel
6. Malcolm Eppinger

Male Grom Finals
1. William Izzard
2. Coulton Conway
3. Quin Thielman
4. Gordon Hall
5. Ryan Parkhurt
6. Jaden Dankevy

Female Rookie Finals
1. Ali Cannon
2. Hilary Gardiner
3. Bree Simpsons

Female Grom Finals
1. Megan Simpson
2. Natalie Maugeri

All photos: Connor Dudgeon

-------------------------------
Related:
The First-Ever Brad Martin Pipestyle

The Canadian Shield: COP, Calgary

Guest Column — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 21:05:00 GMT

[words by Stephanie Lake]

When the Canadian Shield Ski & Snowboard Tour touched down at Canada Olympic Park [COP] in Calgary, AB, this past weekend, so did a hearty helping of cross-Canada talent, with a skill set that killed it on the snowboarding gauntlet.

With COP playing host, the park team delivered with a slopestyle course capable of challenging riders with a variety of abilities.

Saturday, which was solely allocated to the snowboard portion of the tour, proved to be a bit challenging as the notorious and gnarly Alberta Prairie winds threw a wrench in the day's events, which shuttered the event for the day and resulting in both the ams and pros being postponed to Sunday morning - lucky for those who were feeling a little foggy from the Coors Light Cold Party the night before at Calgary's super-rockin' HiFi Club.

The riders, not in the least deterred, showed up ready to give'r Sunday morning and the Canadian Shield team delivered. Since it was crunch for time with the ski portion also scheduled to roll on Sunday, the qualifiers were nixed for the riders, which made the competition a "best of three" to take it home.

Riders stepped up amidst the -20°C temps, steady snowfall and flat light, which made the course a bit slow up top but didn't stop riders from throwing down.

There were several standouts, several of which have been making their mark on the tour themselves. Jenna Blasman, from Kitchener, Ont. made the trek to the West and lit it up the course taking first place overall for pro women's yet again, pocketing a sweet chunk of change, $2,000 to be exact, as well as receiving best Standout Trick with a sweet Backside 3. The girl was on fire and didn't let the elements slow her down. This win is Jenna's second on the overall tour which will line her up nicely with tour points to take home the grand prize of a sweet seven-day surf trip to El Dorado Surf Resort in El Salvador.

Craig Gouweloos delivered for the pro men after styling out a sweet Backside 9 and winning the best Standout Trick, lining his pocket with a crisp $100 bill as well 100 tour points on top of securing first place overall for pro men's division. Taking home $5,000 and increasing his chances in his bid for the El Dorado overall tour prize had him pleased, along with his sponsors: Forum, Special Blend, Sabre and Circa.

We definitely have to give big shout-outs to Tyler MacRae, Royal Boardshop rider, who attempted the only Double Cork of the day. Nice work!

With 23 pro men on the roster and three pro women, the Canadian Shield team and judges were pumped on the turnout of not only the Pro Open division but also all the lil' groms and ams that rolled out and represented.

Stephen Craig, a Canadian Shield judge, noted: "The day was super cold, but it didn't stop riders from throwing down 7s and 9s." And continued, "The level of riding was pretty high, but the flat light prevented some from landing their runs clean. The second jump was definitely the biggest, and Jenna Blasman managed to throw a big Backside 3 of it."

Overall, Calgary peeps were pumped to see their local riders represent as well as those who traveled to this third stop of the tour. With heavy-hitter sponsors like Frank's Red Hot, Skull Candy and Electric on hand, not only did the Canadian Shield put on a great event, they also complemented it with sponsors onsite stoking out all the competing shreds and future hopefuls as well as spectators, which turned out to be good crowd watching on the chilly Sunday morning.

All photos: Steve Marentette

(full results on the following page)

[PageBreak]

Full Results From COP, Calgary:

DISNEY XD X-ELERATOR BOYS (12 + under)
1. Carter Jarvis
2. Josh Reeves
3. Mateo Massitti

DISNEY XD X-ELERATOR+ GIRLS (13 – 15)
1. Samantha Hamilton

DISNEY XD X-ELERATOR+ BOYS (13 – 15)
1. Liam Lafrance
2. James Leal
3. Jack Dowson

AMATEUR OPEN WOMEN
1. Amanda Coyle
2. Kennedi Deck
3. Adriane Cairns

AMATEUR OPEN MEN
1. Morgan Buchner
2. Kade Philips
3. Austin Kirk

SBCWOMEN.COM STAND OUT TRICK $100 / 100 POINTS
Jenna Blasman BS 3

SNOWBOARD CANADA STAND OUT TRICK $100 / 100 POINTS
Craig Gouweloos BS 9

Pro Women, L to R: Natalie Allport (2nd), Jenna Blasman (1st), Sabrina Gauthier (3rd)

PRO OPEN WOMEN
1. Jenna Blasman
2. Natalie Allport
3. Sabrina Gauthier

Pro Men, L to R: Ryan Manning (2nd), Craig Gouweloos (1st), Michael Rotsaert (3rd)

PRO OPEN MEN
1. Craig Gouweloos
2. Ryan Manning
3. Michael Rotsaert
4. Justin Todd
5. Kurt Layton

All photos: Steve Marentette

---------------------------
Related:
Getting Pow: The 2012 Seymour Canadian Shield
The Canadian Shield: Mt. Tremblant
You Look Good In El Salvador

Road Trip: (Nuu)Life On The Line

Guest Column — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 16:09:00 GMT

[words and photos by Kieran Brownie]

While wrapping things up at the Burton Canadian Open, John Swystun and I discussed our next move. Strange weather had left us scratching our heads atop a scaffold tower as we documented the final men and women sending it on the Burton Canadian Open slopestyle course at COP. From up there it was easy to see our plight. A small glacier of manufactured snow covered the general area below us but beyond that patch of man-made ice crystals all we saw was yellowed grass, baking in the warm sun, keeping our sunglasses on and our jackets off in early February; there would be no snowboarding in those prairie streets. Luckily, we had options. The BC interior had seen snow recently, but our west coast crew was banged up something fierce. Only one of the three west coast kids who came out to compete at the Open was still operating with all four limbs intact (although his tailbone had seen better days), so John and I begin wondering about the other side of the country. Unlike the forecasts had called for, had received normal winter weather. Our only other option was Eastern Europe, but with my expired passport and David Kinskofer's lack of one it did not look like we would be joining the euro winter party. With word that a crew of Nuulife's homies were already in Quebec we made haste and agreed on finding a way to cross Canada for a switch snow pilgrimage.

John's phone was already ringing in his ear, and a second later Joe Hills picked up on the other end. "Hey bud, how's it going?" John asked quickly. Joe's reply had barely crossed the airwaves when John inquired a little deeper.

"What're you up to for the next two weeks?"
"Noth-"
"Want to road trip to Quebec?"
"-ing really." Joe's voice catching up to John's fevered pace. "Well...I don't see why not." Joe replied calmly.

Little did Joe know that within 72 hours of his response he would be hurtling through the Canadian prairies on a 50-hour marathon of asphalt, dill pickle Spitz, and the occasional cuddle. His "slightly" extended cab Toyota Tacoma requires the two back seat passengers to rearrange limbs and smelly feet in a delicate fashion so that a few precious z's can be caught before the next driver's shift begins. By the time we closed in on Thunder Bay, ON, and begin the shorter leg of our journey, I begin to fear that any scraps of sanity we may have had before we left on this trip were twirling off into the prairie winds each time we had to crack the window for fresh air. I had no doubt that we would regain our level headedness when we found the snow we sought, and have some proof that we were not aimlessly rambling through our country for a destination that none of us had ever experienced.

Driving into the sunrise.

We arrived in Quebec City late in the night and drove through streets covered in snow right to our hotel door. It appeared not only that we had driven not only from one side of the country to the other, but from one season to the next as well. With snaps and pops and groans we pulled ourselves out of the truck, unraveling ourselves in the frozen parking lot. The hotel room greeted us warmly with two queen-sized beds cleanly made, waiting for our four tired carcasses. Room 143 at Le Voyageur would never smell quite the same by the time this trip had wrapped up.

John and Dave make room 143 home.

Our friends were waiting at the spot the first morning, having spent a couple of hours working hard to dig out the donkey dick of the ledge the day before, so we humbly asked if they would mind if we joined in on the session. Thankfully, the boys of vanLyfe are some of the nicest people around so there were no issues. Joe and Davey got right into it, happy to be moving freely in open space.

Joe Hills, backside 180.

The next day, and the day after that, and the day after that became a blur of snowboarding and sleeping. Already thrown off by the two day commute to get there, the new culture and different language seemed to make it harder to grasp reality. The one thing we all agreed on is that we went there to snowboard and so that is what we did.

Dylan Vachon and Davie K get gnarly.

On our fifth and final day in Quebec City, we broke our record and hit four spots, making hammers happen from sunrise to sunset despite a growing presence of Quebec police officers. Davey K got technical on a roof spot before 7am and then again on a flat bar to bank, both tricks stomped just as the cops pulled up. The kid knows when to get ‘er done, that's for sure. After everybody got shots and our energy levels were fully drained the day was called. We drove out of Quebec City that evening tired, sore, but satisfied with what we had accomplished and looking forward to seeing Montreal the next day.

The Quebec police question John Swystun about his presence on the freeway, while David Kinskofer sets up.

(keep reading to follow the journey)

[PageBreak]

Our friends in Montreal graciously put us up in their mansion for the night, and after settling in with some wine we visited a local hillbilly bar by the name of Grumpy's. The bartender had an attitude and the caesars were crap but we made some new friends who joined in on our fun. While drinking and laughing the night away, we tried to explain what we were doing so far from home but our new friends were not too sure what to think. For us three Whistlerites, the booze is dangerously cheap compared to BC so our stories were slurred and silly in no time. Grumpy's played some damn good music while we were there so we tipped well and shouted goodbyes before the bitter Montreal wind chased us back to the house.

Big Blue Mansion.

Our last day in Quebec and first in Montreal began at a small corner diner where plates of greasy food were served to us (with coffee) by an English-speaking server (for a change). The breaky hit the spot and our faces soon regained a bit of colour. While Joe changed his oil, John, Davey, and I took a walk up Mont-Royal to see what we could see.

John Swystun and David Kinskofer scope the view.

The viewpoint was magnifique, as the French would say, affording a view of downtown Montreal surrounded by rivers and hills sprawling outwards through the hazy afternoon. After taking a second to Instagram the spot we wandered down to the parking lots where Joe had met up with the boys of vanLyfe. Our last session of the trip was a near perfect ender to all the hard work we had put down in the last week. The jumps were built, and the snow was ready to go, a line of down bars ranging in sizes snaked through the woods as the setting sun spilled it's golden light on the scene. The boys took turns jibbing the rails and even a tree while I scrambled to use the remaining natural light. The sun gave up before the boys did, so I had to resort to some flashes to keep shooting. Joe's nose clipped the last down bar and he ended up hanging a taco on the last couple feet of the rail. It sucks seeing a rider get bucked while shooting, especially on the final session right before a 60-hour cross country drive, but it's a risk we all have to take when playing on our snowboards. Do or die, son.

David Kinskofer, cab 270.

Back at the parking lot we pack up and organize our lives into the truck. We say our final goodbyes to the boys of vanLyfe and head out. Before leaving we make one stop though: when in Montreal one must make a point to indulge in a sandwich at Schwartz's, home of Montreal's finest smoked meat. With mustard, meat, and cherry cola pleasantly mixing in our stomachs we proceed to the Trans-Canada Highway. The truck was quiet as we drove out, no one quite believing the realization, my brain sputters and struggles to cough out a thought and then it hits me: the trip is ending.

By Friday we would be back in Vancouver, atop Mount Seymour, and Davey would be checking out the course for the Canadian Shield slopestyle contest. I'm not sure how the boys do it: from contest to trip to contest, with hard slams and light sleeps holding the feeble mess together. Somehow they manage to keep on givin'r. Even as I finish this article on my dying iPhone they are busy sending it, the speedometer's needle jumping wildly as if urgently trying to get our attention and assure us that we are still making good time.

Ontario highway at night.

The prairies stretched out somewhere down the road, where the highway would stop it's squirming and draw a straight line across the country towards British Columbia, the yellow line that leads the way home to familiar beds, faces and places. There's no point in waiting for your destination on a trip like this, no one can be that patient. You must get into the moment and stay there because no matter how little or how much it sucks, has sucked or will suck, you will get where you need to be all the same. That's life on the line.

Thanks:
Dale Bailey, Ben Giesbrecht, Dylan Vachon, and Kurtis Rothecker (a recent addition), who make up what is known to some as vanLyfe: a crew of shredders so dedicated to the board they have lived out of a camper van named Agnus for the last month, travelling and shredding all over Eastern Canada and some of the States. These boys really made it happen for us out here, so a big shout out to them! Another big thanks to David Kinskofer and Joe Hills for boarding as hard as they could on the trip. We would also like to thank the Hills and Swystun families for the excellent home cooked meals and impeccable hospitality. Finally: to the girls of the Big Blue Mansion, we thank you for putting up with the stench of four dusty boarders, merci beaucoup!

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Related:
What Happened In NuuLife's What Happened?
Behind The Scenes: NuuLife's No Joke
NuuLife Cinema: Claiming Their Piece

The Canadian Shield: Mt. Tremblant

Guest Column — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:42:00 GMT

[by Guillaume Paré]

When arriving in Mont Tremblant, you access the hills by using the "Carouselle", a standing lift that resembles something you would normally see at Canada's Wonderland. While getting on, another snowboarder joins me on this odd ride, probably avoiding the tourists just as I was. Turns out, he is one of the athletes competing in The Canadian Shield, a new slopestyle tour that will become a launching platform for up-and-coming riders. Traveling with categories from rookie to pro and $80,000 total in cash, the series will be visiting some of the best resorts in Canada: Tremblant, Seymour, COP and Blue Mountain. They all have great terrain parks and are willing to accommodate the necessary features for all categories.

Diego Guerrero, bs 180-in, 180-out.

Born and raised in Yellowknife, NT, Andrew Matthews is now living the dream in Whistler and doing the Canadian Shield tour this winter to travel, get recognition and accumulate TTR points. This cool cat had done proper research before coming to la belle province - he not only found a cheap flight, but also scored the best accommodation in town: the HI Tremblant Hostels. Located in the old village, the spot offers the best value for travelers on a tight budget. Along with their comfortable bunk beds and healthy breakfast, you can enjoy the après-ski in the private bar and meet some cute French Canadian girls.

Andrew Matthews, fs 540.

My new friend Andy and a handful of young talents, attended the riders' meeting on Friday night. It was surprising to see the amount of people that traveled from all over the country to attend the first stop. Andrew Singleton, the event organizer, walked us through the course: "Riders come from the start gate and get quarreled by our starter. They have five different features in front of them. The first feature has two different down rails. After that, you've got the cannon box (a wide whale of a press box); remember, it's a speed box, so you want to keep your speed going through that. Then you're coming into the jump section. The first jump, which riders are saying is the best jump, has got some pop on it. It's about a 45-foot big deck, into a smaller feature that's 20 feet. Then it repeats itself; the three jump features are very similar."

Max Parmentier and Philippe Lemieux, judging finals.

Since the Canadian Shield has evolved from eight years of producing the You Look Good Riders Cup, the organizers have developed a good relationship with the resort to run events smoothly and efficiently. In all of those years, this would be the first time where "Mother Nature" was on their side at Tremblant, providing a nice blue sky and not-so-cold temperatures.

Maxence Parrot, front board.

Saturday morning saw the Disney XD X-Elerator (12 & under and 13-15 categories) take on the smaller jumps, which were still considerably big for this group. Around 11am, the qualifications for amateurs and pros started. Everyone was pretty stoked on the schedule, giving them extra sleep or time to ride the three different, and very well maintained, terrain parks.

New Zealand's Ryan Liam, front lip.

In the pro finals, it was impossible to predict who would have the best run out of two among the field of competitors. Local slashers Simon Reid and Jeremy Cloutier had won events here in the past; Tyler Nicholson was going for doubles; Warren Williams brought a clean back 9 to the game. But the king of the hill would be Chris Collard. The DC team rider landed a solid run, consisting of a frontside 180 to switch 5-0 on the down rail, half cab on the cannon, FS 7, BS 9 (which won the SBC Standout Trick) and Cab 9.

Gillian Andrewshenko, classic indy air.

The Pro Open overall tour prize is a surf trip to Eldorado Resort in El Salvador. Looking forward to the next event, the Canadian Shield will land at Mt Seymour, February 17-19.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

All photos: Yann Roy

(get the full results with photos on the next page)

[PageBreak]

DISNEY XD X-ELERATOR BOYS (12+under)
1. Charles Pratte
2. Justyn Patenaude

DISNEY XD X-ELERATOR+ GIRLS (13-15)
1. Camille Laduc
2. Eve Lalibert

DISNEY XD X-ELERATOR+ BOYS (13-15)
1. Jack Dawson
2. Justin Decastris
3. Coulton Conway

AMATEUR OPEN FEMALE
1. Chloe Bo
2. Lisanne Corbeil
3. Charlotte Fortin

AMATEUR OPEN MALE
1. Keith Brouillette
2. Diego Guerrero
3. Taylor Watling

SBCWOMEN.COM STAND OUT TRICK 100 POINTS / $100
1. Samm Denena BS 3

SNOWBOARD CANADA STANDOUT TRICK 100 POINTS / $100
1. Chris Collard HUGE Back 9

PRO OPEN FEMALE
1. Samm Denena $5000
2. Gillian Andrewshenko $400
3. Tamara Truchon $200

PRO OPEN MALE
1. Chris Collard $5000
2. Warren Williams $1000
3. Julien Beaulieu $500
4. Simon Reid
5. Joel Dalacker

All photos: Yann Roy

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Related:
You Look Good In El Salvador
You Look Good 2011: Mt. St. Louis Results
Video: 'Watch, Share, Win' YLGRC 2011 at Sun Peaks

Best of 2011: Scott Serfas - It Started At Seymour

Guest Column — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 18:27:00 GMT

Even though I had heard or read a handful of stories of Scott's photo sessions on the Seymour area, every time I read a new story I learned something new. There is something about the earlier days of snowboarding that we don't have in our sport anymore, whether it be the way photos were developed or how you could shoot an untracked photo by a chair on the weekend.

Read "Scott Serfas: It Started At Seymour" to hear Scott's insight on some of his original favourite pictures from Mt. Seymour and the dudes that were killing it back in the day. - Lenny Rubenovitch, Push.ca Video Manager

Best of 2011: For All The Right Reasons - John Jackson

Guest Column — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 15:11:00 GMT

Since one of his first interviews with Martin Gallant, I've been regularly following Pete Andersen's column. This multi-talented media man seems to have access to privileged information when comes to preparing questions. In this interview with John Jackson, he creates a trustful connection with the brilliant, down-to-earth backcountry athlete. The answers are for real, the riding is sick, and you come to conclusion that becoming 'Rider of The Year' is not just about setting goals and stressing out about your career, but mainly about enjoying the snow and the mountains. - Guillaumé Pare, French Editor

See how deep Pete gets in "For All The Right Reasons: John Jackson".

More Than Car Crashes And Bails: Darrah Reid-McLean

Guest Column — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 17:51:00 GMT

[by Esthera Preda]

I'd like you to meet Darrah Reid-McLean. I met Darrah for the first time last year during Miss Superpark. She caught not only my attention by throwing the most solid switch bs 5's I've ever seen and sending perfect bs 180 in's on the downrail, but she was also Miss Superpark's revelation for everyone else who attended. Darrah is a natural and she doesn't even know it.

Here's a little taste of what's it like to film a videopart: less than 4 minutes of video that takes up to 200 days to produce.

Your appearance in Peepshow's PMS #1 made people talk this year. Some even called it the ''worst female slam ever''. I know I'm not the first to ask but can you tell us once more what the hell happened at that fence gap in Minnesota? Any serious injuries?
Nothing serious. I was definitely very sore for a few days, and I still have a lump on my leg. The speed just wasn't there and I should never have tried to hit it.

Darrah's run-in with a fence:
(Please visit the site to view this media)

What people don't know is that a couple days before that slam you also got hit by a car while filming (see more in Peepshow's PMS #4). Explain what was going through your head before and after that event.
I really wanted to back 180 onto that rail, so we got there and it was pretty much set up other than the garbage can I stole to make the drop in better. I don't know why we didn't think of a spotter, we're dumb. But I remember I was just really excited about the rail and I think that was my second or third hit just warming up, and then all of a sudden I have a car twisting my knee up. After I was just pissed off because I thought for sure my knee was done, but it ended up being fine.

Darrah's run-in with a car:
(Please visit the site to view this media)

Did you have a hard time dealing with some of the comments left by people who watched your slams? PMS #1 made it on the front page of Comedy Central and was featured on Tosh.O during the first episode of the season. How does it feel to be featured on that show?
I'm pretty bummed that I'm internet famous for eating shit. People know me as ‘the girl who back tacos onto the fence'. Pretty embarrassed. On another note, being featured on Tosh.0 sucks; I've been getting phone calls and facebook messages about it all week. I don't like being famous for eating shit. Thanks Peepshow. I wish Tosh.0 had payed for that video...that would have been nice.

Anything from these unfortunate events that you've learned and would like to share?
Always have a spotter when your landing is onto a road. Don't hit things if you are unsure and uncomfortable. I've learned so many more things from filming this season too.

(keep reading for more about Darrah)

[PageBreak]

BS 360. Nitro USA photo.

Let's talk about happier times. Tell us a bit about you. How did you get into snowboarding?
Snowboarding was the cool thing to do in Winnipeg when I was in high school so when I quit gymnastics I started going to the local hill there a lot.

What was the Manitoban snowboard scene like when you started snowboarding?
It was so awesome. I am still best friends with all the kids I grew up snowboarding with in Manitoba. We had a pretty small group of friends that would just go ride the rope tow at Spring Hill every night after school and all day every weekend. We were all so passionate.

Did you look up to anyone in particular while growing up?
Leanne Pelosi.

It seems like you don't wait around when it comes to trying tricks. I've seen you throw some legit switch bs 270 into down rails without any hesitation. What drives you to continue to ride and progress?
I guess what drives me to continue to ride and progress is that I never feel good enough. I'm pretty critical of women's snowboarding, and I want my riding to be at a level that I can respect myself for. You wouldn't know it from that bail but I like to think I'm pretty aware of what I'm capable of, so generally when I say I'm going to do something I do it right away. Either that, or I realize right away that it's not going to work and I get really emotional.

FS board.

You've been filming with Peepshow for almost two seasons now. What's it like to film a video part? Is it harder than you thought it would be?
It's insane how much I'm struggling to film this year. All I want to do is go have fun in the park and I don't really get to do that anymore. I feel like I spend more time in cars, or airports, or shoveling, or getting kicked out than I do snowboarding these days. Also, I always imagined that all the tricks I can do in the park would just easily translate to street spots and that's not how it is at all.

Out of all the trips you've been on this year, who stood out the most?
Desiree [Melancon]. She does not snowboard like a girl. She lands something at every spot and works so hard. Also, Madison [Blackley] is so motivated, and Claudia [Avon] is gnarly.

What's the biggest challenge you've faced this year?
My own self-doubt.

What's the best moment of your season so far?
Any day I got to ride powder at Brighton was amazing.

If you could change anything in snowboarding, what would it be?
All the hating. Just have fun.

Here's Darrah and the rest of the Peepshow crew in the teaser for next year's Winter Wars:
(Please visit the site to view this media)

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Related:
Rider Hit By Car On Rail Runout
Worst Female Slam Ever?

Room With A View: The Annual Sandbox Heli Shoot

Guest Column — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 18:22:00 GMT

[by Brian Hockenstein]

The life of a snowboard photographer is anything but glamorous, but there are always a few events each year that, for a moment, however brief, make you feel like a rockstar. Getting to hang out in and around helicopters is always one of those moments and getting to participate in a private sunset shoot, complete with our own helicopter for shooting video and photos, is extra special.

How's the view from your office?

For the past four years, I have been lucky enough to be able to document the annual spring booter sessions at Whistler Blackcomb with the Sandbox Films crew. Each year a spot is chosen and the amazing W/B park crew get to work and build us a custom jump, bigger and better than anything the public gets to hit. When all the stars align (weather, riders, photogs, filmers, jump shape, snow conditions, heli...), we all come together as a group and try to make some magic. For the riders it's a chance to get in some final shots for their video parts, for the photogs it's an opportunity to nail a couple more bangers before the season is over, and for Kevin Sansalone and the Sandbox Films team, it's a chance to finish off the year with a bang and to hopefully keep their production progressing each year.

The motley crew (not crüe) that makes the whole shoot happen.

Your ticket to the top.

The beautiful white sands and bright red sun burns of Bro Beach.

The weather in BC for the past few weeks has been nothing short of terrible, but still the parks crew stepped it up and built the boys a huge booter that measured over 80 feet just to the knuckle, meaning the riders were going 100 feet. With the pop and airtime the jump's shape gave the riders, that was plenty of distance to help them nail down pretty much whatever they had in mind. Wiley Tesseo, Logan Short, Matt Belzile, Trevan Salmon, Jake Koia, Scotty Brown, Zac Stone and Clint Allan all really stepped it up, throwing down a hefty list of tricks, pretty much every spin up to 1440 and enough double cork whatnots to keep all the kids from getting their panties in a bunch. You'll have to wait for the footy to drop to see the specifics (don't worry, Push.ca is bringing you an exclusive behind-the-scenes edit on the session this summer) but you can be sure everyone threw down and hammers were tossed, and landed.

(keep reading to see some of the money shots that came from the session)

[PageBreak]

Clint Allan.

Wiley Tesseo.

Matt Belzile.

Wiley Tesseo.

Personally, it's funny to think back to the first year Kevin decided to step it up and get a helicopter for some filming. Of course we weren't the first to do it, taking our cues from Standard Films and others, but it was a real turning point for all of us involved, and Sandbox Films specifically, showing our audience we could continually progress the whole process of Canadian snowboard documentation. I can remember feeling like a kid in a candy store as I buckled into the helicopter next to Clayton Larson, Sandbox's head filmer, editor and basically everything else. We were laughing like little kids, more stoked than I think we'd ever been. I remember a funny little story that Clay likes to tell: basically he was so nervous about that first shoot that for a brief second as we got going, he kind of panicked and started wondering if it was all a big mistake and he was about to waste a ton of money, but as soon as shit started going he realized that this was the only way he wanted to film snowboarding and he knew right away it was going to all work out. And it's only continued to progress each year. Different jump setups in the backcountry, shooting from helicopters, and just being able to think outside the box in general, has continued to help keep Sandbox at the forefront of what's hot and new.

Enjoy the photos and stay tuned for an exclusive Push.ca video on the session coming to you soon.

Sandbox's Day And Age Teaser:
(Please visit the site to view this media)

All photos: Brian Hockenstein

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Related:
Behind The Scenes with Sandbox
Video: Sandbox Behind The Scenes
Spring Heli Shoot with Sandbox

Getting the Bird: The 2011 Legendary Baker Banked Slalom

Guest Column — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 23:58:00 GMT

[by Natalie Langmann]

Drive up the Mt. Baker highway for the Legendary Banked Slalom, past the small shred-town of Glacier, cabins askew with snowboard stickers and banners hanging haphazardly in the windows, and keep climbing up the snow-covered valley between canopies of dark green, mossy, thick-branched trees - a true sign of the Pacific Northwest. Near the top, there is not one over-developed eyesore of a home in sight, instead a sculpture of a couple of ravens welcoming visitors to the White Salmon parking lot, full of eclectic means of transport: beat-down cars, truck with sleds, family-vans to bio-diesel, grease-fueled vehicles. Cell phones barely get signals, internet is shunned upon, and inside there's an Ipod hooked up to an eighties-style alarm clock in the restrooms and the piano in the cafeteria has a dread-headed shredder plunking away Stairway to Heaven on the keys. But wait, it get cooler: Day two of the LBS, all tail-gates in the White Salmon area go down, and Mt. Baker staff light up their parking lot, blazing a massive bonfire, and a salmon bake to feed the racers and friends of the snowboarding clan.

Hikers booting it up the Arm above the course. Once you finish your race, start hiking for pow.

Not unusual to see a Mt. Baker Hard Core, hanging at the start shack in the midst of a blizzard: Jaime Lynn.

Sweet-tart candy-coloured day passes read like a twitter updates: Bank Bail Out; Eat Salmon, Ride Chicken; Got Duct Tape. The lone liftie, baring a strong resemblance to Tron in Fubar 2, is hyped to speak of the epic-powder forecast scheduled to come howling in for this weekend, as he personally checks every rider's jacket for a ticket. Electronic-scanners haven't come to Mt. Baker yet, but why bother when Tron could probably pick each pass-holder out of a line-up. Ride up chair 7, take in the views, hear the sounds of the ravens flying overhead, and then rip down and up chair 5, offload, and arrive at a start shack of the slalom course to stand amongst legends: Terje Haakonsen, Lucas Debari, Temple Cummins, Tom Burt, Maelle Ricker, Gretchen Bleiler, Josh Dirksen, and over a hundred of shredders that have enough balls to race against the best in the world.

Best book ends on any snowboarder's shelf: prestigious spray-painted, duct tape trophies.

Mark Fawcett quoted as saying: "Had an amazing Thursday powder day with Mike Robertson (SBX silver medalist 2010 games) and Travis Hauck from Whitewater ski area - knee to waist deep, no crowds, fresh all day."

The Legendary Banked Slalom, held for the past 26 years, is the longest running snowboard contest after the Open, and the only contest where according to five-time gold duct-tape recipient Maelle Ricker, getting the opportunity to race is something you never give up, expressing that 900 people applied to the lottery this year, and the locals qualifiers filled up in less than 48 hours. The organizers, Gwyn and Amy Howitt, recognize that Mt. Baker breeds rippers, like ski-patroller and Milano's Restaurant owner Jeannie Debari's family (Lucas and Maria), mom of two and hard-core shred Weeg Simmons, and then a whole slew of unknowns, that they make sure the roster doesn't get congested with only big names. Winning doesn't add up to oodles of dough at this contest: you walk away with nothing more than bragging rights, tons of swag, and a roll of gold spray-painted duct tape. If you win Pro, prizes are priceless: an embroidered Carhartt jacket, a LBS belt buckle designed by the makers of the American Rodeo Champions buckles, and to top it all off, you get given "the bird". No, not the finger, but a replica of the raven sculptures found in both the lodge and the entrance to Baker - rub the beak, and it brings snow.

Shot through the gates: local Baker Legend: Lucas Debari on course.

Kelowna's Kelsey Galt in the race shack - finished fifth in Women's Pro.

Capita's Blue Montgomery wanted to go for 15 years and tried to get in for 10, finally got in this year, placing third in Pro Masters. "It was an honour and really cool experience to meet, talk with, and race against guys like Tom Burt and Mark Fawcett; fun to hang with a shit-talker like Sypinewski, who riles everyone up and has like 20 side bets going at any given time; and just cool to see old friends like Waylon, Billy, Boyes, Corey. It's part race, part reunion, and it's so rad to see the little dudes, old dudes, pro dudes, ladies all ripping so hard."

Gretchen Bleiler hanging at the top of the course.

According to Nelson, BC's, Mark Fawcett, who first raced in 1991 - the only year it was part of a tour circuit (Body Glove) and the prize purse was 10K (won by Craig Kelly) - the race was set a bit straighter and faster than in years past. "I believe that's good because it added some flow. In 2004, it was so back and forth across the hill that it was difficult to keep enough speed to actually carve a turn." Watching Mark Fawcett race, all bets were on him; even after he fell on his first day, he still placed first in the Men's Pro Masters - eventually bringing home gold. "I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to have a competitively fast time on the first day, considering the big screw-up I made on the fourth bank. I think that I actually bear-hugged the gate to pull myself up and around it, which fanned my flame a bit, and I charged exceptionally hard the rest of the way."

Day 1, 2 of race equals beating it down through a blizzard.

Maelle Ricker took Pro Women for her fifth year (Karleen Jeffries holds the record of six) with a bum arm and a broken hand. She had come down to Baker on Thursday to make some turns, and a few slashes deep, she knew she couldn't stay off the course, and tucked up her arm, coming in two-seconds ahead of Maria Debari in the finals. As she walked away from the awards ceremony, Howitt on the mic, added, "Don't forget Maelle, You have a season's pass here," which signifies how much they love having her on their hill.

Women's Masters winner, Montana girl Tanya Simonson.

But the perhaps, one of the greatest thing about the LBS this year was watching a 17-year-old from Colorado kick Terje's ass down the hill. "Racing against guys like Temple and Terje is really incredible," says Harry Kearney, who's been racing in the Pro Category since he was 15, and the Juniors since he was 12. "I've been watching them in videos since I was seven-years-old and saw them in all the mags over the years. Those guys are such forces in the snowboarding world, its an honour just to stand next to them, let alone race with them." As far as getting nervous though, I wasn't so much going into it; I'd been racing with them for two years prior. But when I started posting some good times is when I knew they were right behind me; then I started feeling it a bit. But mostly I just went with it, rode like I had been all weekend." Right now Kearney is going to see if he can get in the Salomon Freeride Championships in Taos, New Mexico, but this time at Baker is truly unforgettable. "I'll be riding this high for a while," he says, "probably the biggest thing to happen to me in Snowboarding."

It's going to take a lot more than a broken hand and a bum shoulder from keeping Maelle Ricker out of kicking ass at the LBS.

Click here for the official results.

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Related:
4-Year Bragging Rights: Maelle Ricker
Baker Banked Slalom: Results (2010)
Maelle Stays Gold: Wins LBS With One Hand

K3 Catskiing in the BC Interior: Good Contingency Plan

Guest Column — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 20:36:00 GMT

With the recent decimation of the British Columbian logging industry due to the economy and housing market issues of late, logging towns and families all across BC have had to find alternate sources of revenue to make ends meet. After going from 120 employees to 5 in three short years, the Moore logging family of Sicamous BC, owners of a local forestry company, were desperately seeking an alternative. Nine years of hard (but slow) work on their contingency plan finally fell into place, and not a second too soon.

Packed house at K3 Catskiing.

Based out of Sicamous BC, just a stones throw from Shushwap Lake (home to many a late night houseboat party), K3 Catskiing has tenure on over 30,000 acres of prime terrain in the Selkirk Mountains, just a few peaks over from Revelstoke Resort. Over 6,000 of those acres are the primo high-alpine goodness you dream about and people from all over the world save up all year long to experience. Talking to co-owner Kris Moore on the drive in (K3 is owned by Kris, his father, and another family friend who also works as a guide), he tells me how the family and their friends used to come up to these very same mountains and sled-ski more than a million vertical feet a year using little more than one or two trail sleds, a lot of rigging and some quality know-how. When the government started accepting applications for commercial tenures in the area, they knew they better act fast before someone else snapped up the rights to their land. Nine years later, after wadding through a mess of red-tape and bureaucracy, the papers were finally signed and K3 Catskiing was created.

Catskiing has many great things about it, but the one thing that gets my goat is the amount of time you can spend in the cat in the morning just getting out to the zone. A cat can only roll at a maximum of about 10 km/h and sometimes the actual skiing terrain can be more than 15 or 20 km from the actual base, so...well, you do the math. What immediately stuck out to me is that not only do the kind folks at K3 pick you up right at your hotel in a fleet of bangin' full-size Tundras, but they actually pay a local man to plow the logging road right up to the base of the alpine and, with the help of some oversized winter tires and a bit of driving skills, get you right to the goods in 10 minutes instead of the usual hour-plus ride in. This is huge and really makes a big difference in the day. At most operations a day usually consists of 8 or 10 runs but at K3, 12 is the norm with 16 being a regular occurrence. Did someone say tired legs?!

The whole crew: top row, Rasman and Lenny (on Bealieu's shoulders); bottom row: Bannock, Melancon and Hockenstein

Bannock, two fists of legend juice.

The crew on this trip couldn't have been better. On most trips you are usually rolling with one film crew where everyone has done everything together all season and is already all settled into their jokes and routines, but for this trip our organizer Lenny Rubenovitch purposely put together a mix of riders from different crews. This made for a really fun time as everyone was able to bring their unique personalities to the table and get to know each other better. Say it with me: awww. Craig Beaulieau and Chris Rasman brought the youth and enthusiasm, Dave Melancon brought the mellow vibe and showed it's better to let your riding do the talking, and Dennis Bannock, who is a living legend to anyone living in the Whistler area, well, he brought a lot of smokes and a back pocket full of nearly three decades of riding experience.

Chris Rasman points an indy while Melacon looks on.

Dave Melacon gets some of his own.

From open pow fields to cliff bands and pillow lines, K3 Catskiing has is all, and more importantly their guides really know how to take the time to figure out what type of terrain you want to ride, and then deliver it on a silver platter. Because of the way the access road forms a ring around the shred zone, they are able to break the group up into several smaller groups who can then each ride exactly what they want. For example, we rode for two days with at least five or six other paying clients, but unless they wanted to, they never had to ride with us (or us them!). There was even this one woman from Vancouver Island who, for whatever reason, was convinced she could not ski anything over 15 degrees in slope. Guess what? The kind folks at K3 gave her her own guide and off they went, only to meet up at the bottom of the run with the rest of the group so we could be regaled by her tales of almost catching her ski tip on a wind-drift. I joke, but you see my point. I'd also like to take this opportunity to give a shout out to another one of our favourite co-catters, someone we dubbed 'Mehhh' by the second day. Picture a mix between Doctor Evil and your prototypical weekend backcountry skier and it was just damn lucky Bannock and him didn't come to blows. Long story short, unless Mehhh was drowning in ten feet of powder too deep to even ski in, he refused to admit how good the conditions were.

David Melacon grabbing tail through the trees.

Chris Rasman pulling one around.

He was kinda right though, conditions weren't good... wait for it.... wait for it.... they were frickin' amazing! We were only there for two days but both of those were pure bluebird goodness with a ton of fresh pow to ski. It's a hard feeling to get used to, but after a few runs in it hits you: the only tracks you are going to see out there are your buddies' and you can relax and have a good time without the pow-rush stress of a typical resort. And that's why once you go catskiing you're likely to return, because once you've experienced 6,000 acres all to yourself, it's a little hard to go back to the lifelines.

Bannock still has it.

One more for Rasman.

We dropped cliffs, we rode pillow stacks, we cruised pow fields and rode some of the steepest trees around. You'll see all this and more in the video of the trip but let's just say K3 Catskiing is one of the best operations around, and with their affordable prices and accommodating guides, if you are thinking of taking a vacation to the BC interior, this is one of your best bets.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Oh yeah, I almost forgot: one of the best things about the whole operation is that Kris is a snowboarder, and that shows through on everything from the way they cut their runs to the way they, well, don't look at us like a bunch of kooks.

Thanks again for all the amazing turns guys! I look forward to getting back out there as quickly as possible.

Craig Bowl-u with a celebratory tail wheelie.

More info:

K3 Website: www.k3catski.com

Sicamous, BC Info: www.sicamous.ca

Last chance to capture the memories.

All photos: Brian Hockenstein

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Best of 2010: Ride Shakedown 2010

Guest Column — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 14:51:00 GMT

This is where I was introduced to Mark McMorris' riding for the first time. I was stoked to see a 16-year-old kid from Saskatchewan that could throw switch backside 1080s and double corks. The video truly showcases the event's vibe and energy that you feel when attending. The Half-Time show and Finals were very intense, but the Push film crew did an amazing job of getting all the best tricks on camera.

- Guillaume Paré, French Editor for Push.ca

Watch the Ride Shakedown 2010 Day 2 video to see what Guillaume is talking about. Read the words and see the photos from Day 1, Day 2 and the Halftime Show as well.

Best of 2010: Tailgate Alaska

Guest Column — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 13:06:00 GMT

When I got into snowboarding I was inspired and stoked on VHS tapes filled with AK lines by guys like Salasnek and Farmer. It has always been a dream for me to head to AK, and over the years the direction that snowboarding has taken me has melted away with the high concentration of contests and jibbing keeping me grounded. Brian Hockenstein's (filmer/writer/photog) trip to Tailagate Alaska has been an eye opener and a great motivation to get me there. I may not make it there this year but know I will shortly, especially with legendary events like King of the Hill back in the works. Read the article, watch the videos and you'll know what I am talking about.

- Lenny Rubenovitch, Video Manager for Push.ca

Read Brian's first-hand account of Alaska, watch the videos he came back with and get into detail with the blog he posted along the way.

Oakley Shaun White Air & Style in Beijing

Guest Column — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 22:00:00 GMT

The big news from the weekend was Seb Toutant and his winning ways, starting his season right with a big win in Beijing, China, at the first-ever Oakley Shaun White Air & Style in Beijing. Seb's win was his first 6star TTR tour stop win, and a giant victory after getting broken off while guinea pigging the Air and Style jump in Austria last season. You can get all the details on his win here.

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that you didn't get to make the trip to China to see it live. Luckily for you you can watch all of the semi-finals and finals right here, on Freecaster.

Unlike most of us, Oakley's Derek Heidt did get to make the trip, and he was kind enough to bring back a gallery of photos for us (and you). Be sure to check out his gallery of shots for some daytime angles that we haven't seen from anyone else, all captioned by him.

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