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R I D E R B I O GRAPHY NICKNAME
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HOME MOUNTAIN
BE AR MN T, CA
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20+
FAV. TRICK
GOIN REAL FAST!
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S H E L L , S O F T S H E L L , PA C K A B L E D O W N . E L E M E N T S T H AT W O R K TO G E T H E R W H E N T H E ELEMENTS ARE WORKING AGAINST YOU. JEREMY JONES SYSTEM OF DRESS.
Don’t ask me how, but he really did it. Yes, Nils was a bit afraid before this last try of his - basically in the dark. But when the sky changed into this kind of colour, he just couldn’t resist and he went for it. 3, 2, 1, go - a shot in the dark! The crazy thing is that he was even able to stomp one of the best landings of the entire season. NILS ARVIDSSON BY CYRIL IN ARLBERG, AUSTRIA
Riding and shooting days on the mountains usually begin early and end late, sometimes very late. Most of the times it happens that you get the best light right at the end of your day, when the strength and the level of stokedness are down at the bottom on a scale 1-10. But it’s right during sunset that light modifies the view, and it’s always in that moment you always get The Shot. GARRETT GIBB BY MATT GEORGES IN MAYRHOFEN, AUSTRIA
Rolle Pass is Simon’s own thing. Any spot up there, he has already put his mark on with his amazing style. To a photographer it is pretty darn good shooting in a place where a rider feels like home as he knows all the secrets. You find shortcuts, risks are less and most of all you can get gnarly shots like this one here. MARKUS KELLER BY MATT GEORGES IN ALBERG, AUSTRIA
TXT: GIACOMO MARGUTTI PIC: MATT GEORGES RIDER: MARKUS KELLER
Flashback. Last days of November 2015. Me and Denis, in our car, coming back home after a couple of days checking out a wonderful place: the shining brand new Capita factory, the newest and the best on the planet in terms of eco-sustainability and boards production. Boards are beautiful, the planet is safe and the whole factory is a pure gem. The eco-green matter apart, you can’t be struck more than we were by the style of this beauty in between two valleys and with its own natural slope – good for testing out the newest boards. One can even avoid paying attention to the eco issues in our world, but in the end we all know that we need to come to terms with our poor Earth. Especially in this period.Anyways, I was saying. Me and Denis, we are coming back home. Since we’ve been working on the mountains for the past 20 years, one would think we know that at the end of November, in Austria, chances of icy and snowy roads are kind of, yes, high. And in fact... our Fiat Punto gets stuck in the middle of a muddy snowy road on our way
to the top of a mount. That was supposed to be a shortcut. No winter tires. Bummer, isn’t it? Indeed it is. Well, not so good for us both on one hand, on the other good in general. Because a snowboard factory’s grand opening couldn’t be better with some white snow dumping down from the sky. And it’s good because the season is just about to begin and starting it all off with some nice powder days is just amazing. We know this, that’s why we can’t be that much bummed. So I think about all the negative thoughts of the ones saying the planet is going down the sink because of the pollution, it’s getting warmer and warmer, the North Pole is melting down faster than one could think, blablabla... and so on and on. Bullshit. Look! It is actually snowing at the end of November! So it can’t be that bad, come on. We realised it later in the month of December, that it can actually be that bad. And it already is that bad. But these thoughts are postponed to the end of this magazine. For now, just enjoy the good part of it – in between this page and the last one.
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GIGI’S SELECTION PICNIC IN THE PARK JIB STICKS RED WINGS X BURTION ION TECHNINE HISTORY ASMÒ BOARD SHAPING STREET CRED DRAKE COLLECTION THE MOTHERSHIP SUPER TRICK SNOWFLAKES NICHOLAS BRIDGMAN CATCHING AIR IN CERVINIA SCOTT STEVENS NEVER FORGET PASSO ROLLE WORD OUT
BY MATT GEORGES
PIC: MATT GEORGES
BOARD: Slash ATV BINDINGS: Union Contact Pro BOOTS: Nike Kaiju GOGGLES: Dragon Apx GLOVES: Celtek Trippin PROTECTION: Slyteck Backpro
UNION BINDING COMPANY
PHOTO: MATT GEORGES
GIGI RÜF THE ULTRA BINDING
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ITW: DENIS PICCOLO PIC: FIZZA
TELL US ABOUT THE OBEREGGEN SKI AREA: Obereggen counts as one of the best ski areas in the Alps. In the last years, Obereggen and the Latemar Ski Center were awarded numerous international prizes. They both offer state-of-the-art lift facilities and sunny slopes for winter sport athletes of every level. 48 km of slopes, two snow parks with half pipe facilities, a sleigh slope, three playing grounds and many cosy ski huts guarantee a winter blast from the end of November until Easter. As if that weren’t enough, you can visit the neighbouring ski areas of the Fiemme Valley/Obereggen and enjoy over 100 km of slopes with one single ski pass.
our small guests. 6. One of the best ski schools in all South Tyrol. 7. Sleigh by floodlight on the 2.5 km sleigh slope; also get ready to hike on a vast network of winter footpaths with breathtaking views. 8. Delight in a number of excellent dishes at the ski huts: enjoy South Tyrolean and Italian specialties alike. 9. Professional hire and maintenance area at the valley station as well as an outstanding ski school. Make use of a new and modern ski depot at the Valley Station and avoid carrying about cumbersome ski equipment. 10. Just 20 minutes from the motorway exit Bozen Nord/Eggental.
THE 10 REASONS WHY OBEREGGEN IS WELL WORTH A VISIT IN WINTER: 1. 48 km of sunny and snow-reliable slopes for all levels in the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Dolomites. Ski to your heart’s content! 2. One of the best skiing areas in the whole world with professionally and carefully groomed slopes, which have been awarded prizes more than once. On the slopes you’ll find state-of-the-art and quick ski lift facilities taking you to fun ski resorts and shortening waiting times. 3. One of the best ‘theme and snow parks’ in Italy with a half pipe and a new night-time snow park with a cool jibline. 4. Night-time skiing and sleighing by floodlight three times a week until 10 p.m. 5. The Brunoland playing ground, the YETI Park crèche and a new Kids Snowpark for
SNOWPARK The Obereggen snowpark has been one of the biggest and best theme and snow parks in Italy for the last 20 years. Guaranteed fun for both old-timers and newcomers. The park, one of the few in Italy with a half pipe, is located on the Pampeago slope, which can be reached via the Obereggen lift. The snow park was planned and is currently managed by F-Tech, one of the most important park builders in the Alps. High-level quality and safety standards are guaranteed thanks to the professional maintenance routine carried out. The park is maintained on a daily basis using snowcats and manually by staff. The half pipe is maintained 2 or 3 times a week using a pipe machine. The park’s very own club, with a chill-out area, is ideal to sit back and mellow surrounded by good music.
#24sevenisnotenough P R O T E S T. E U RIDER: URSINA HALLER
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BY THE EDITORIAL STAFF
BURTON NAME DROPPER
BURTON PROCESS OFF-AXIS
CAPITA ULTRAFEAR
DC PLY
No need to claim when you’re rolling with the anatomical awesomeness of this park-tweaked performer. Let your riding speak for itself with the Name Dropper’s next-generation, park-tuned performance.
This Process aligns performance with your stance for the ultimate in park-tuned geometry. A twist on the pro’s pick for freestyle action, the Process Off-Axis aligns key tech with the typicalparkrider’sstancetounleashtheboard’s natural flex, edge hold, and landing control.
As a three-time Transworld Good Wood Award winner and star of endless video segments, no board is more dependable than CAPiTA’s team favorite, the Ultrafear.
Be good or be good at it, they say. On the ever-popular Ply, it doesn’t matter which way you go. From the streets to the park, Lock & Load Camber makes it fun to do bad things while the lightweight Stratus Core will forgive you if you get caught.
DC SUPERNATANT
DRAKE DF1
DRAKE DF2
FLOW ERA
A directional freestyle powder vessel built to sail straight into the eye of the storm. Even riding switch! Developed by Devun Walsh, the Supernatant features a floaty Micro Camber profile and the lightweight of Karbon/Kevlar laminates under a FreshDeck topsheet.
The definition of strength, with the perfect blend of precision, strength and rideablilty. The DF 1 has been designed to slay pipe transitions, dominate icy takeoffs and it will handle the harshest rails and jibs imaginable.
The DF 2 had a revamp last season with Drake’s new Microcamber and twin tip shape. The result? An ultra responsive board that will give you a lightening edge to edge control with precision.
Every time you strap in to a pro-model board, you already feel to be a better rider. Just a little. It’s a subtle psychologic matter, like you are back to childhood. It’s a true twin hybrid rocker with a medium flex for guaranteed fun in any condition.
J AK E B LAUV ELT J AKE WELCH
HANA BEAMAN
YUKI KADONO
DANIMA LS
RIDESNOWBOARDS.COM MARCO FEICHTNER 2016_WILD LIFE
BY THE EDITORIAL STAFF
K2 FASTPLANT
LIB TECH PHOENIX
LOBSTER FREESTYLEBOARD
NITRO AFTERLIFE
Feather light bambooyah strength! No other board pops harder and slashes heavier for longer than the K2 Fastplant. The primary freestyle ride for K2 team riders Jake Kuzyk and Matt Belzile.
Jamie is a no bullshit guy and demands no bullshit boards. His boards are confidence inspiring, predictable performers when it counts most… full speed, full commitment. Open side cuts, solid construction, Real snowboards.
This is Lobster’s most aggressive board. It’s made to take beastly park jumps and big ass backcountry gaps, or simply for freestyle riders who like a stiffer, more powerful ride.
A snowboard so good it’s scary! This freestyle board was designed to help you take all of your tricks out of the boring park and throw down some hammers in the steep and deep of the backcountry.
NITRO EERO ETTALA
RIDE BURNOUT
RIDE KINK
SLASH SPECTRUM
“Being my 10th pro model snowboard with Nitro I wanted to bring back the good old days and use the infamous crocodile on the graphic again,” Eero Ettala.
The perfect board for stepping up to the big jump line. The Hybrid twin shape paired with Carbon Array 5™ Laminates allows for a stable ride with a matching flex that will have you redlining through the park.
Another new board from Ride Snowboards for this 2015/2016 season: the Kink got a facelift with a new shape, improved tech and art by the legendary, Sean Cliver. Exclusive-Ride Slimewalls make the King ductile, permissive and forgiving.
A Jib/Freestyle board for the rider that appreciates full contact. The Zero Camber profile has no camber nor rocker, so you get the combination between both. The reactive flex gives the board the ability to also flex across the width, so the board edges lift up.
rk & Nightpark Setup Snowpa RK: SETUP SNOWPA ked Rainbow Box, Kin m), n Rail, Halfpipe (100 m, 4,5 ow il,D Ra , Rail, Wallride, 10 Kicker (2 – 16 m) , Roller, Straight Fun Box, Mini Spine ked Mila Milk Box (Special), x, Kin le Tube, Fun Tube, Flat Box, Down Bo Up Box, Up doub ramide) (Py Box, Rainbow Box, ip rsh Sta Box, Straight Box, Kinked x, Bo e ram A-F C-Box,
P
NEW SETU BOARDERCROSS BANKED SLALOM P & NEW KIDS SETU
ES:
NEW STRUCTUR Double Kink Rail Down Rail
K: la pista Obereggen SETUP NIGHTPAR ma, gi, ve, ore 19:00 – 22:00 lungo di ate ser lle Aperto ne ore 8:30 – 16:30 e tutti i giorni dalle Wave Box x Down Box Rainbow Wave Bo STRUCTURES: nk Ba Kicker s Up & Down Box Kid e Down Tub Up & Down Tube Butter Rail
(2A)
rk .com/snowpa en g eg er b .o w RK // ww EGGEN.SNOWPA ER B /O m o .c k www.faceboo
TXT: EDITORIAL STAFF PICS: DENIS PICCOLO
Like a classic pickup with a Hemi under the hood, this Red Wing® collaboration rides with precision and rolls with style. Genuine Red Wing leather (waterproof and built in the USA) meets Burton boot construction: guaranteed performance in style. For riders who want both high performance and full grain leather style, this special edition of the Burton Ion fuses genuine madein-the-USA Red Wing® waterproof leather with the trademark features that have made this boot legendary. Proven Ion technologies such as Total Comfort and AutoCANT EST® cushioning deliver precise control and out-of-box bliss, while the Infinite Ride™ 4 liner equals seamless comfort, quicker response, plus flex and fit that stays consistent year after year. The result is a highly technical boot that threads lines and stomps landings with a swagger rarely seen in snowboarding.
LACING: Speed Zone™ lacing system featuring new components for 2016 and powered by new Burton exclusive New England Ropes with a lifetime warranty. New for 2016, Speed Zone™ lacing now features streamlined, re-profiled lace guides and jam cleats for increased performance and greater durability. The system retains lightning fast lacing control by allowing you to customize the fit of the upper and lower zone in seconds. More power means more rebound, wrap and response with less lacing effort. New England Rope laces add a virtually indestructible character worthy of the lifetime warranty. FLEX / RESPONSE: new 1:1 Firm Flex PowerUP tongue, Shrinkage™ Footprint Reduction Technology, reducing the boot’s overall footprint one full size, meaning a men’s size 10 fits like a size 10, but has the footprint of a typical size 9. Shorter, lighter, sleeker—
never suffer from toe drag again... It features genuine Red Wing leather in a Burton boot construction, this is genuine Red Wing leather and needs to be cared for accordingly (extend the life of your boots by occasionally cleaning and treating the leather with Red Wing’s shoe cream - more info at www.redwingheritage.com CUSHIONING / TRACTION: low-profile EST® optimized midsole (for a more direct connection), autoCANT cushioning (allows your foot to settle into a more natural and relaxed position, resulting in improved comfort, reduced fatigue, and smoother, more direct board control), ReBounce cushioning (more comfort and more warmth), sleeping bag reflective foil, total comfort construction, outer shell pressure relief panel, snow-proof internal gusset, level 2 molded EVA footbed, ESS support shank. Lower-profile, lighter weight, and with a reduced ramp angle, EST lowers your center of gravity
and improves feel. All without sacrificing an ounce of cushioning thanks to ultra-dampening B3 Gel inserts. TOTAL COMFORT CONSTRUCTION: Get an instantly broken-in feel right out of the box. Total Comfort’s industry-exclusive construction eliminates the break-in period for a fit that feels just as good from day 1 to 100. LINER: Infinite Ride™ 4 liner, DRYRIDE Heat Cycle™ lining, tuff cuff, rad pad, Aegis™ antimicrobial coating. DRYRIDE Heat Cycle™ Lining - Warmth and wicking are two key traits for on-snow comfort. The new breathable inner-lining technology utilizes interwoven thermally activated carbon thread to capture, radiate, and reflect body heat inward to keep feet warmer while also wicking heat-robbing moisture outward for all day comfort.
When Ethan Fortier founded Technine with friends Ali Goulet, Jay Demarais (J3), stepbrother Mark Girardi, and father Ray Fortier, he was an eighteen-year-old professional snowboarder with zero money for marketing. Without a formal business plan, Technine evolved successfully based on the idea that the company and its professional riders are more than just a business, they’re a family. The birth of Technine came in 1994 when jibbing was popular and snowboarders were butchering the nose and tail off thier boards. J3 was experimenting with bindings and decided to make a metal binding out of diamond-plate metal–the same stuff you step on to get into the cab of a Peterbilt. Every binding on the market at the time had a base, but J3 drew up some heelcups, put them in a metal bending machine, and attached them directly to the board–baseless bindings from scratch. “I believe we had the first baseless binding,” said Ethan Fortier. Ethan’s dad Ray Fortier saw the design and took it a step further by having prototypes made in a factory in New York and bringing them back for what would become a Las Vegas debut at SIA. Without a booth, they sold a lot of bindings, most of
them going to Japan. As for the name, Fortier says they came up with the idea from listening to a lot of rap. “We don’t back guns or anything. The first Technine’s were all chrome, which reminded you of a gun. The name Technine just kind of clicked.” The idea got people in the Colorado scene talking, because not only did they have an interesting product, they had some popular riders behind it. In 1995, the company developed its first all-plastic prototype, with the help of Mark Frank Montoya, in his early pro rider days. In 1996, the metal adjustable heel cup attached to a plastic base. In 1998, Technine released the Ali Goulet pro model. After spending a few years refining their plastic binding technology, the company relocated to their new headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah, the Jibbing world capital. Snowboard production was the next phase for the company. As such, Technine introduced an extensive range of snowboard products to the global market in 2004. The following year, the company launched its inaugural line of women’s snowboards. As of 2015, Technine is currently located in Sutton, Canada, close to another Jibbing mecca, Montreal. And the story goes on..
FEATHER
THOMPSON PRO
INDIAN AXES
BLOCK FATHER
HERITAGE
BRADSHAW PRO
TXT: MATTEO ROSSATO PIC: E-STONE RIDER: LUCAS MAGOON
LUCAS MAGOON
WWW.TECHNINE.COM
Action: E-Stone Portrait: T-Bird
HI WOLLE, TALK ME THROUGH YOUR PROJECT: WHEN, WHAT AND WHERE? We, Steve Gruber and I, started Äsmo in December 2006 after I had been riding on Salomon Powder Snowskates and building my own decks for them. We started building single deck Powsurfers inspired by Wintersticks and Hydrodynamic Planing Hull Surfboards in a little barn and developed the concept over the next 5 years. The general construction evolved a lot over those years and the board transformed from a flat deck to a 3D shape almost like a hull. With those channels which end in a fin like trailing edge it adds a lot of control even on hard-packed snow so it became fairly easy to access all the pow runs in the resorts. Over the last few years we fine tuned and grew our quiver of boards, custom built them in Mayrhofen, Zillertal, and pretty much sent them out worldwide. LATELY THERE’S BEEN A HIGH DEMAND FOR POW SURF BOARDS (ESPECIALLY FROM EXPERIENCED AND “OLD”,
WELL, OLDER-THAN-30S, AMATEUR RIDERS): IS IT JUST A FASHION OR DO YOU THINK IT’S SOMETHING LIKE COMING BACK TO THE ROOTS AND HAVING JUST FUN? I think it’s something to see the mountain from different angle. You can ride the same run on your snowboard or powsurfer and it’s two different feelings and lines you draw. I rode my home resort forever and to ride the same runs where i started snowboarding with an Äsmo was so fun. It was like rediscovering all those places another time. For sure it is to acknowledge our past, concepts which are so rad you can interpret them in many different ways and make something new with it. It’s amazing to see how well those sacred surfshapes work in the snow like the swallow tail for example. Maybe that could mean it’s a bit of fashion or better passion about the boards too. I love how they look and the soul of what ideas and concepts went into each shape. At the end of the day though and, as clichè as it sounds, it’s about having fun for sure.
TXT: GIACOMO MARGUTTI PICS: MATT GEORGES
DEFINE ÄSMO PROJECT IN THREE ADJECTIVES. Futuristic, Retro, Fun. ÄSMO IS FOR... ? For anybody who likes to ride pow and wants to switch it up once in while. You won’t be disappointed! WHAT DOES IT MEAN POWSURFING TO YOU? To ride bindingless in powder.
R I E S ”: W H AT ’ S T H E D I F F E R E N C E ? The difference is in the construction. The All Terrain series is max 32cm wide. They have a shorter channel and a bit chea per construction like no Veneer topsheet. We wan ted an easier entry board. Price and riding wise as they are really good all round boards for any kind of condition. What they lack is the lift of the board compared to the High End series which is wider but also has the upgraded channels with better control.
I THINK IT’S SOMETHING TO SEE THE MOUNTAIN FROM DIFFERENT ANGLE. YOU CAN RIDE THE SAME RUN ON YOUR SNOWBOARD OR POWSURFER AND IT’S TWO DIFFERENT FEELINGS AND LINES YOU DRAW.
D O Y O U H AV E A N Y KIND OF “PRO” RIDERS O N Ä S M O ? We wish but no, not really. We give out boards and a bunch of pros shred our boards like Bode Merrill, Louif Paradise, Nico Müller, Terje, Austin Sweetin, Bryan Fox and so. Obviously we are super stoked if they like our boards. That is definitely a real rewarding part of it when they or anybody really has a great day out in the mountains. Y O U H AV E “A L L T E R R A I N S E R I E S ” A N D “ H I G H E N D S E-
veloping
that
W H AT ’ S T H E L E G A C Y OF ÄSMO BOARDS? I ’m not too sure. We ourselves are inspired by the past and pre sent and try to come up with something new and keep deconcept of our boards.
W H A T ’ S P R O G R E S S I O N T O Y O U ? We l l i t m e a n s a l o t to me in many different ways. I think most important is to progress and develop into the ones we want to be!
1 TXT & SELECTION: MATTEO ROSSATO
2 3 4 Jibbing had several ups and downs in snowboard modern history and has always brought many changes. Its first vague can be traced back in the early 90s, when snowboarding was shaken up and influenced by skateboarding. Up until then, there were just some glorious neon colours mono suits. The first denims (more or less waterproof) and flannel shirts appeared on the scene, everything obviously oversized as the early 90s skate fashion ruled. No more rocket airs or roast beef tricks, but bonks, late 180s, slides, nosepresses and brands linked to skateboarding scene started to invade snowboarding market. Unforgettable movies like Roadkill, Big Jean Fantasy, Plaster Caster with some youngsters called Bryan Iguchi, Noah Salasnek and Tarquin Robbins sliding on the first rails, benches and many other features which nowadays are kind of basics for our modern streeters. After some lack of interest lasted for more or less five years, jibbing was back on the main stage thanks to the new skate-oriented wave promoted by core brands like Forum and Technine, and from their well-known pros JP Walker, Jeremy Jones and Mark Frank Montoya. It was right at the beginning of the new millennium, and since then jibbing has become more and more popular, making its way through the freestyle scene while becoming an essential part of it, influencing parks morphology. Which is jibbing’s ideal gear? There is no precise formula and each rider has its own personal taste. Still, there are boards, bindings and boots which can be more comfortable than
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1. Technine Work Camo 2. L1 Flint 3. Nitro NYC 4. Technine LM Pro Indian Axes 5. Ride Kink 6. Nitro Zero Mouse 7. Thirtytwo Wooderson Hp 8. Burton Malavita 9. DC Lynx 10. K2 WWW
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others. First of all, the board itself: flat cambers, micro cambers and classic cambers yet with soft flex to make presses easier. Basically there’s no more room for inverted rockers, less solid and less ‘ridable’. Boards length usually is restrained: max 152, or 155 for the tallest. Bindings should be tough, because falling off rails is easy and it is way easier to damage spoilers and other parts. Better to opt for simple bindings without too many gimmicks; some even eliminates the highbacks to get more flexibility. Let’s pass on to the boots, which usually have to be soft and with a traditional lacing system, still because you can not break something you do not have. When you’re out there in street, your gear gets easily trashed. Clothing has to be comfortable but solid, with no frills and not too many pockets: no way you go slide on a rail with your car and house keys in your pockets. It is very dangerous, watch out. To be more comfortable, you don’t want to use your jacket, but of course if you ride in Helsinki at -27°C better to wear it well: that’s why many riders prefer to use street outerwear or otherwise comfortable and lightweight shells. As for sizes, the last fashion is getting back to the roomy ones, without pushing it too hard and too large – as it used to be some time ago. On to the accessories: pants with no pockets, so better to have something where to stash your personal stuff, maybe a couple of sticking plasters and gauzes, some snacks, a camera or some dry outerwear garments for the post-session. You should also wear a helmet, even a lightwei-
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11. DC Pb 12. Level Rexford Sneaker 13. GBP Gbpeace Crewneck 14. Lobster Jibbaord 15. Anon Blitz 16. Technine LM Pro 17. Nitro Taxwood Hobush 18. Thirtytwo Locut 19. Stinky Socks Yawgoons 20. Drake Urban
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21 ght one, to protect yourself from potential crashes on the stairs: it might be a bit less cool on the pics, yet surely better than paying visit to the local hospital after a concussion. In the end, gear to face the spot. Most of the times the chosen ones are in public premises so the local law enforcement is not usally really happy with what you’re doing on their/our stairs or from some rooftops. So you ought to be there at night or during weekends. So that’s why you should have a portable power unit (you can buy it in any big store for some hundred bucks), lights to light up the spot at night, but most of all you need big shovels to remove or place the snow in short time. Good advice for the power unit: before buying it, double check the halogen lamps’ absorption. You don’t want to miss out on a thing part of the essential kit of a pro-jibber: a banshee which helps you out in getting on the kicker (and on the rail too). There are many brands you can choose from, just buy it. You should walk out from your place with a spare handle in your backpack, you never know when the original one is going to break. And it does, usually. Eventually, you just need a couple of big balls, which unfortunately you can’t buy in any shop, a crew of friends willing and able to get some cold down their spines and much patience: it is really not like trying tricks in park, not even close to that!, and you might need a lot of different sessions to get a good shot. Good luck.
25
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21. Flow Era 22. Union Contact 23. Airmec 5000DDC 24. Capita Scott Stevens Pro 25. Tehnolit snow shovel 26. Maurer light with stand 27. L1 Americana 28. Drake Fifty 29. Banshee Bungee 30. Slash Spectrum
29 28 27
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18-24 /01 / 2016
500.000 US$
Photo: Mariell Vikkisk
#
ITW: DENIS PICCOLO
DF1
DF2
GRIND
URBAN
DF3
GUERILLA
TEAM
BATTLE
FORCE
RADAR
SUPERSPORT
RELOAD
PODIUM
JADE
HI DAVIDE (SMANIA – DRAKE & NORTHWAVE HARD & SOFT GOODS PRODUCT MANAGER), WHAT’S THE BRAND NEW STUFF FROM THIS SEASON’S DRAKE COLLECTION? Oh for sure the attention has to be drawn on the new Reload and Supersport bindings, which mount our new Lightsaber baseplate, totally tool-less in any of its adjustments. We wanted to let our riders fix new set-ups and test them in any kind of weather conditions, no matter the elements, and thanks to this project we finally did it.
se goal is specific performance, as in the case of freeride and freestyle. HOW AND WHOM IS INSPIRED YOUR BOARDS COLLECTION TO? This collections hasn’t been inspired by anything in particular, just because of the many different flavours we used for every different riding styles, but if we really want to find a common topic, I’d like to say this year we mainly collaborated with the Italian street art scene.
THIS SEASON WE PARTICULARLY PICKED ITALIAN UP-AND-COMING ARTISTS, LIKE ALOHA PROJECT AND THUNDERBEARD TO NAME HOW DO YOU PICK YOUR DEA COUPLE OF NEW ENTRIES. SIGNERS? All is based on an
WHAT ABOUT DRAKE BOARDS: HOW ARE THEY PROGRESSING? Our board line-up is evolving towards riding style from both a technical and a design point of view. If from one side we see a comeback to a versatile all-mountain board, from the other there are lots of riders who-
international network, built up throughout all these years, although for this season we particularly picked Italian up-and-coming artists, like Aloha Project and Thunderbeard to name a couple of new entries.
FORCE
FREEDOM
DOMAIN
LEGEND
HOW DO YOU RECKON THE FUTURE OF ROCKER WILL BE LIKE? Classic camber apart, being a traditional construction still unmatchable as for pop, response and powerful edge control, these hybrids found their spot in the market. The ongoing trials still lead to a progression of this combination of camber and rocker which (if wisely mixed up) can still offer new levels of reactivity and simplicity of use. We’ve come a long way, still I reckon we haven’t cut the finish line just yet.
PROPHECY
Y O U R B O O T I S W E L L P E R F O R M I N G T O O, W H AT A R E Y O U F O C U S S I N G O N ? B e i ng lightwe ight i s the re al thi ng fo r o ur bo o t. Take o ur Lightste p so le , which i s brand ne w fo r thi s se aso n, but also we re ly o n the ne w te chno lo gie s i n the uppe r’s co nstructi o n, li ke the se am le ss he at se ali ng and the high fre que ncie s.
BEING STRONG AND LIGHTWEIGHT ARE TWO REAL STATS: OUR DAMAGE RATE IS 0.0% AND THE NEW LIGHTSABER BASEPLATE WEIGHTS 20% LESS.
STRONG SIDES OF YOUR BINDINGS? Being strong and lightweight are two real stats: our damage rate is 0.0% and something, and the new Lightsaber baseplate weights 20% less than the well-known and proved Delta Light.
DECADE SL
W H AT A B O U T T H E N E W G E A R O F 2 017 T H AT Y O U C A N T E L L U S ? The ne w Prophe cy S, be i ng o ur pre m ium bo o t fo r fre e sty le , will be a re al m ust-have fo r all the custom fle x love rs who do n’t want to give up an e xce lle nt fo o t grip. Di d y o u li ke o ur 54 0° He e l Re te nti o n Sy ste m ? So y o u have to try thi s o ne o ut!
AIMEE FULLER
AIMEE MITT MADE FOR WOMAN • SUPER WARM • GREAT COMFORT • 3 GLOVES IN 1 • WATER PROOF
“Our mission is to enrich the culture of snowboarding through innnovative products, progressive athletes, and the best production facility in the world.” Yeah, that is actually what written on the golden plate right to the side of the main door of the Mothership, where it landed 21st November 2015 in Feistrizt, region of Carinthia, Austria. Focused on responsible manufacturing, CAPiTA MFG is a zero CO2 emission, 100 percent hydro powered factory – fueled by a new hydropower station built in cooperation with the local community. Utilizing new production technology, less energy will be required due to reduced process temperatures and specialized water pumps regulating climate control. The company’s philosophy promotes sustainable initiatives, such as the development and use of reforestation certified wood cores and advanced industrial material recycling. Healthier production techniques will also be utilized, like water-based inks, plant-based resin and solvent-less finishing. “The investments we’re making in renewable energy and high-end production processes come with a cost, but also yield high efficiency” Blue Montgomery stated. “We see these as strategic expenses that are important to the overall plan and will pay
dividends over time.” All current employees were retained, comprising a multi-generational workforce that takes great pride in Austrian Made snowboard production. Plus there were new jobs being created with 78 employees currently. As Blue Montgomery added: “It’s all about quality and consistency.” In addition to sustainable power sources and lower emissions, CAPiTA MFG President Blue Montgomery states, “In 2013 we acquired the largest snowboard factory in the world, but production on that scale wasn’t our goal. The strategic purchase allowed us to retain proprietary machinery essential to our products as well as valuable transition time to execute on all aspects of a custom design and build factory. Our focus has always been on The Mothership – an all new, state-of-the-art facility for the future. Moving forward, our goal is to make the best snowboards in the world, utilizing socially responsible manufacturing for a dynamic and demanding marketplace.” Here’s why the sustainability is real. Zero carbon emission is achieved through powering the 52,000 square foot facility entirely with hydroelectric energy. The NH3 natural gas heating system has an ozone depletion potential and global warming potential of zero. A coefficient
TXT: GIACOMO MARGUTTI PICS: DENIS PICCOLO
of performance rating of five means the electricity from the hydro power yields five times higher output in cooling and heating. Lighting is either natural or LED, inks are water-based, finishing is completely solvent-free, and all are no bullshit measures for a better tomorrow. We had a chat with Michi Kollman, former Technical Director and Elan Austria CEO (the company which in 2013 Capita assumed control of, after Elan’s bankruptcy) who brought eighteen years of manufacturing experience at the facility to the Capita team as Director of Production. Michi is now also CEO of Capita MFG. That is what he said to us during our walkthrough the factory: “Usually you build a company in the middle of an industry soil, where the companies usually build their factories, but our goal was to find a place for snowboarding, in the nature, in the middle of some mounts, in a small village, where to have the advantage of a combination of the nature and the production. The outside of the building for example is made out of wood from old farms of this region so to show in the next 20-30 years the signs of the last century. Of our history.” Production is down at the base, the R&D department and the management offices are upstairs. Calcu-
lating all steps together, it takes 50 minutes to build a board. As for now, on a daily basis, the Mothership is producing 400 boards. But it’s going to be of 600 units the boards production planned for the next months. “It’s really exciting that a brand like Capita came here to build its own factory. I’m slowly getting it, I haven’t realised it yet. It’s really cool. One of the very unique features here it’s that our factory, our production is one of the fewest to have its own printing technologies. We have direct and transfer sublimation processes (the printer prints graphics with water-based ink), digital printing and we mainly combine our know-how with the high resolution characteristics that every printing technology gives us. The gem of it all is our own special printer, a direct sublimation machine, which is the only machine in our industry (it doesn’t exist out of here, it’s our own development) that doesn’t use any solvents: it’s better for our environment and for our workers, for everyone and everything. Thanks to this machine, we have a resolution and a printing quality nobody in our industry can equal and can reproduce such graphic art on their boards’ topsheets. That’s for sure our unique technique. We are in the middle of December production, we
OUR MISSION IS TO ENRICH THE CULTURE OF SNOWBOARDING THROUGH INNNOVATIVE PRODUCTS, PROGRESSIVE ATHLETES, AND THE BEST PRODUCTION FACILITY IN THE WORLD
DEFENDERS OF AWESOME
HORRORSCOPE
INDOOR SURVIVAL
MERCURY
SPACE METAL FANTASY
ULTRAFEAR
SCOTT STEVENS
SPRING BREAK
are already producing the boards for next season.” Unfortunately we can’t show you the graphics and the boards of the 2016/17 season before ISPO, but we can assure you that there are some real beauties there! One thing he showed us that struck me the most, is actually a very little but particular thing which tells a lot about their way of thinking and producing: the scraps of the wood cores are recycled as they get pressed through a machine and become pellets to be sold. Recycling is the word here. “All our production structure is air-conditioned so our wood cores do not get wet. Both the heating and the cooling system is thanks to the river next to
the Mothership. The water comes in as we can get our NH3 down to -30°, that’s the temperature when it boils so the steam (compressed through hydroelectric energy) can make all the heating and cooling processes start – it’s our energy source. And another special feature in our company is that we are using low temperatures, lower than all the other production structures of our field. The standard of other manufactures is usually of 125°, while we are working around 75°. So to use less energy. And we’re also using our own glueing system bio-resin based.” Recycling, zero impact and bio. The future of our world, our own future, already here.
PHOTO: JOEL FRASER
SCOTT STEVENS
PURVEYORS OF THE WILD LIFE
WWW.CAPiTASNOWBOARDING.COM
APPROACH This trick is quite easy nowadays, and if you keep trying it in park for some time, no doubts at the end of the day you will stomp it. This trick in particular here is difficult just because of the spot: 4-kinked rail, stairs on one side and 5-meter drop (at least) on the other. So if you really want to try this kind of rail, you should have great confidence with this trick.
cushion the kinky bits with your legs and calibrate where to put your weight given the rail’s section and incline. LANDING Once you reach the end of the feature, get a little pop off it and get your legs and shoulders into the starting position. Bend your knees while landing to cushion the impact.
EXECUTION Get all the speed you need as you reach the take-off with your knees bended and your weight slightly on your toes. Get a nice ollie out of the take-off as you rotate 90° your pelvis and your legs so to get your heels towards the landing. Your shoulders should be rotated in the opposite direction (shifty position), so to stop rotating on the rail. To be able to get a good balance on the whole thing, LOBSTER CAPTAIN HAROLD SWITCHBACK HALLDOR
BY CYRIL IN REYKJAVIK. ICELAND
APPROACH Find the best spot where to built a jump in powder. It would be best to come up with a nice big poppa so to build a step-up kind of take-off. In this case, possible fails would be less painful. Try to get all the speed you need and before the transition slightly go to your left (right for all you regulars). Before taking off, get your weight on the heels and bend your knees. TAKE OFF Do not anticipate the rotation on the take-off but only when your board does take off from the kicker begin the shoulders’ rotation lowering your right shoulder in order to manage to get a nice cork. Work it with your legs to get more amplitude.
tation in the air is most important. It’s all about experience and training, don’t worry. Hold on to this position and the grab until 900° and get ready to land. LANDING Eventually, let your legs complete the 1080° rotation while the shoulders are in the opposite direction, so during landing you won’t have over-rotation issues. When your board gets on the landing, bend your knees with your weight on the tail so to avoid your board’s nose to get caught in powder.
MANEUVER If you take off well, grab your tail and control the rotation with the other arm. With single, double and triple cork rotations having a good perception of your body and of its roNITRO PUSHER NITRO VIKING OFF NITRO TEAL LTS
BY CYRIL IN ARLBERG, AUSTRIA
PICS: MATT GEORGES TXT: GIACOMO MARGUTTI
“Under the microscope, I found that snowflakes were miracles of beauty; and it seemed a shame that this beauty should not be seen and appreciated by others. Every crystal was a masterpiece of design and no one design was ever repeated., When a snowflake melted, that design was forever lost. Just that much beauty was gone, without leaving any record behind.” Wilson “Snowflake” Bentley 1925 From the earliest memories of our childhood, many of us can remember hearing the phrase “no two snowflakes are alike”. This discovery was made in the small rural town of Jericho, Vermont, USA, by Wilson A. Bentley (1865-1931). A self-educated farmer, Bentley attracted world attention with his pioneering work in the area of photomicrography, most notably his extensive work with snow crystals (commonly known as snowflakes). By adapting a microscope to a bellows camera, and years of trial and error, he became the first person to photograph a single snow crystal in 1885. He would go on to capture more than 5000 snowflakes during his lifetime, not finding any two alike. His snow crystal photomicrographs were acquired by colleges and universities throughout the world and he published many articles for magazines and journals including, Scientific American and National Geographic. In 1931 his book “Snow Crystals”, containing more than 2400 snow crystal images, was published by McGraw-Hill but has long been out of print. A soft cover copy, identical in all respects, can be obtained today from Dover Publications, Inc.. On December 23, 1931, Bentley died at the family farmhouse in Jericho. Because of his wonderful work with snow crystals, he became affectionately known as “Snowflake” Bentley. Our own Matt Georges, during one of his trips in Japan, captured with his third eye (his camera) the pure essence of snowflakes, in the path of mister Bentley.
INDY TAILBONE IN PRATO NEVOSO, ITALY
PICS & ITW: DENIS PICCOLO
WHEN AND WHY DID YOU PICK SNOWBOARDING? Since I was a child, I’ve always been attracted to sports like skateboarding and snowboarding. At the beginning I used to visit my grandparents with my mum and dad, and we took advantage of it as we went skiing. Then I saw my father ride a board and I immediately wanted to try it as well. In the end, with the idea of becoming a snowboard instructor in my mind, I ended up studying in a college on the mountains... I could ride every single day! From that moment on, I had fun in park and in powder with my friends. IT’S A BIT WEIRD FOR A GUY FROM THE SEASIDE OF JESOLO LIKE YOU TO FALL IN LOVE SO DEEPLY WITH THE MOUNTAINS... IF YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN THE SEA AND THE MOUNTAINS, WHAT WOULD YOU PICK AND WHY? I couldn’t pick any of the two choices, I just wouldn’t be able to choose. I grew up at the seaside, during summer I still work with my father in a windsurf school, sup and slackline in Jesolo and I drive a boat to pull wakeboards and inflatables. While in autumn and in winter I run away to film and to take part to snowboard contests. Up until now I’ve been just fine living like this, and I guess I’m really lucky: why do I have to choose between one or the other? THIS YEAR YOU FILMED YOUR VERY FIRST VIDEO PART, HOW HAS THIS NEW EXPERIENCE BEEN? Filming is the coolest thing I’ve ever done in snowboarding: one team searching for a snowfall, for a wind lip for a slash, a hill where to build and shape a kicker, or anything good you can find to take advantage of, trying to invent something out of it, to bring home some shots. Doing all this and travelling together with Simon Gruber has been a good experience. The struggle to build a jump, hiking in fresh snow, all this can kill you! And it’s not always that easy staying concentrated the whole time. In the end we did our best and we had fun.
BS 720° MUTE IN PASSO ROLLE, ITALY
HOW MUCH IS IMPORTANT FOR A RIDER TO FILM A VIDEO PART AND TO BE PRESENT ON THE MAGAZINES? I MEAN, IN TERMS OF MOTIVATIONS AND VISIBILITY FOR YOUR SPONSORS. For my sponsors and the companies who back me up is surely important to improve their brands’ visibility. Regarding my satisfaction when I stomp a trick and then I see it again on film and I know I couldn’t get it done any better, well, it’s like owning the spot and get back home relaxed. There are fewest sports that can give you these emotions, and once infected you just can’t live without! LATELY YOU JOINED THE ITALIAN INTERNATIONAL SNOWBOARDING TEAM, YOUR FIRST IMPRESSIONS? POSITIVE NOTES AND NEGATIVE ONES? So far so good, we’ve already been training in Switzerland and in Austria, and I saw some good vibes! Now let’s see how the contests’ results will be… let’s hope for the best! CHOOSING TO BE PART OF THE INTERNATIONAL TEAM ALSO MEANS CUTTING OUT THE FILMING, OR AT LEAST IT MEANS HAVING SOME ISSUES WHEN YOU WOULD NEED TO FILM DURING THE BEST PERIODS OF THE SEASON. Yes, it surely is a tough task! But I don’t see this whole drama, there are riders who both film and do contests, like Simon Gruber. I spoke with Filippo [Kratter, coach of the Italian Team] about it, and in the end I just didn’t want to miss this opportunity of being part of the Italian International Team and so I wanted to try one more year like that, we’ll see then! And back to filming: I won’t give up for sure! ARE THE ITALIAN RIDERS REALLY SO BAD OR ARE THEY JUST UNDERESTIMATED? I think that out of Italy the riding level is just nonsense! It’s not true we are so bad, it’s just that we are not the best ones! Each of us is trying to get recognised even out of
Italy, but it’s not that easy to compete against riders who maybe can ride more than us. HOW DO YOU RECKON THE ITALIAN SNOWBOARDING SCENE IN THIS PARTICULAR MOMENT? AND THE EUROPEAN ONE? There’s one thing I’ve been asking myself since I began to travel out of Italy, most of all about snowboarding, but also skateboarding and surfing. Everywhere I went, I met more and more passionate people for these sports: from middle-aged persons to kids! It’s fantastic! Maybe it’s just not part of our culture, or maybe since our childhood we watch just football. But only fewest times I found in Italy these same situations as abroad - I feel like I’m part of a minority... although it’s a minority, still we’re deeply in love with what we do. HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE YOURSELF? I am that kind of rider who likes to ride on any freestyle terrain (powder, street, park): there’s always something new and something to learn. For example, last year I hit my first street rail, I didn’t think it could actually be that different from the park! IS THERE ANY RIDER OUT THERE WHO INSPIRES YOU? I don’t have any favourite rider: each rider has something to prove, and I am a person who watches videos again and again to understand what and how they do and how they feel when they’re stomping the trick. TALK ME THROUGH YOUR VIDEO PARK IN BROKEN CIRCUIT: ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH THAT OR WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO IMPROVE? I am overwhelmed with that! Johnny [Morandi] was able to shoot and edit a good video part although I would have loved to nail more tricks in powder - I need to improve this. In park everything is easier, while in deep snow each run is important and committing a mistake is only a waste of time and energy.
You ride a lot with Simon Gruber, who is a real trick machine while filming. What do you think of him? Simon is a well-experienced rider, most of all in powder. I felt like I went back to school when we hiked searching for some spots... he knew everything! It was important to start filming with a pro-rider like him, I got scolded sometimes but in the end we built a strong friendship. WHO IS THE RIDER AMONGST BROKEN CIRCUIT’S CREW WHO STRUCK YOU THE MOST? Well, I’d say him again... Simon! But I’ve already talked about him too much ;) Another rider whose riding always blows me away is Max Zebe. He is always so much in control while hitting rails... a thing I’ve rarely seen before! … WHILE AMONGST YOUR ITALIAN TEAMMATES? I’d say Alberto Maffei struck me the most. I like the way he is into training and I see how much he loves to give it all. Last winter he showed this to everyone, and I really hope he goes on like this... Ciao Albi! YOU’RE VERY LUCKY TO HAVE THE CHANCE OF TRAINING AT ALPE DI SIUSI, ONE OF THE BEST PARKS IN EUROPE. HOW DO YOU FIND YOURSELF UP THERE, AND WHERE ELSE DO YOU LIKE TO TRAIN AT? I like snowboarding anywhere, yet the best park to train and have fun is the Alpe di Siusi’s one for sure. Most of all, I am at ease with the shapers up there... they use me as their guinea pig, haha! OK, seriously: they’re very helpful and we work together to build a better park. I usually don’t move anywhere else if not for filming or for some contests abroad. IN THE NEXT FUTURE WOULD YOU LIKE TO PROGRESS IN POWDER OR PARK? I want to ride for the whole wintertime and if I am not training or doing contest in park, I’ll be filming in powder with Marco Morandi... I want to do both and I hope to improve.
FS CORK 540° NOSEBONE IN PASSO ROLLE, ITALY
GARRETT WARNICK: SW BS 540° INDY
PICS & TXT: MATT GEORGES SPOT: CERVINIA, ITALY
GARRET WARNICK / SW BS 5 (PREVIOUS PAGE) We had already been in Cervinia five years before, for Absinthe’s movie
building our kicker and he came back to help us out, opening up and
Neverland. Our group was amazing: Gigi Ruef, Romain de Marchi, Wol-
widening a path for us. That just saved us a good three hours of shaping
le Nywelt, JP Solberg and Sylvain Bourbousson. This time there were
and grooming at least. Mat joined us for a couple of days just to shoot
more Americans on the squad, amongst them the young Garret “Worm”
his own part. He’s very busy with his engineering studies. He has such
Warnick who opened up our trip’s first shooting with a Switch Back-
a brain but at the same time he also has so much style on a snowboard!
side 5 over the gap, while two fashionist skiers, dressed up with neon
He just deserves much more respect, a few people really get how good
outerwear, looked at him with an interested glance. Since the very first
his riding is…
time we had already shot this spot, but this time around it was more difficult just because right in the middle there was a lift. The gap was also
GARRET WARNICK / ROAD GAP CAB 5 INVERTED (ABOVE RIGHT)
way bigger, and it wasn’t impossible to miss the chairlift. It was good to
David Vladyka and the whole Absinthe filmers just switched to digital
be back in the same place and to shoot in a different way, also because
cameras. It’s a bit sad because I think their new camera are way less
the spot changed in the course of time.
photogenic than a good old 16mm. I’m not so stocked now to have a filmer in my shot.
MAT SCHAER / CAB 7 (ABOVE) Cervinia is a tough place where to shoot, as there are a lot of rocks. That
WOLLE NYVELT / FS 5 TAIL (RIGHT)
is what makes it dangerous and you need to take extra care of where
It’s always good to have Wolle in the crew. He is so good at slashing that
you’re going to build up your kickers. There had been much wind ei-
it’s just perfect to follow him and enjoy the snowboard show. He is not
ther, and the landing seemed to be covered with so much fresh snow.
so young anymore but definitely a true legend and still throwing some
As one of the workers who maintain the slopes saw us while we were
big tricks on big kicker. Legend!
WOLLE NYVELT
HE IS SO GOOD AT SLASHING THAT IT’S JUST PERFECT TO FOLLOW HIM AND ENJOY THE SNOWBOARD SHOW.
WOLLE, GARRETT, & MAT
WOLLE NYVELT
MAT WAS A MACHINE THAT DAY, HE LANDED SO MANY TRICKS.
MAT SCHAER / CAB 9 (ABOVE)
MANUEL DIAZ / BS RODEO 7 (NEXT PAGE)
Mat was a machine this day and has landed many tricks. Un-
Manuel is honestly one of the funniest rider I know. He is
fortunately it’s not always possible to have them all in the mo-
always smiling and talking shit. This guys is also riding and
vie because there is each season a really big cut. Absinthe has so
surfing almost all year long. When he goes back home during
many sick riders that they just have to cut some tricks here and
our euro winter, he surfs in Chile, and when during the euro
there otherwise the movie would be just too long. Riders get fru-
summer he snowboards in Chile. It was our last day in the
strated sometimes of course, but that’s Snowboarding. Lots of ef-
resort and the snow was already changing after a couple days
fort, during all the season, for sometimes just 30 seconds of tricks.
cooked by the strong sun. We didn’t relaly know what to do because rocks were popping out all over the place, soi t was
MAT SCHAER / BS 5 (LEFT)
too sketchy to jump off cliffs and build kickers. On our way
Last trick of the day. You really need to think about your line to not land in
down we found this little natural booter just below the chair-
a bomb hole and break your bones. This spot looked like a war zone at the
lift. When possible I like to have interaction with tourists, soi
end and you could almost tell which try had been landed. I usually don’t
t was perfect that the kids were looking at my camera when I
really like shooting landing tracks but I found it pretty photogenic for once.
shot Manuel sending it.
CERVINIA IS A TOUGH PLACE WHERE TO SHOOT, AS THERE ARE A LOT OF ROCKS. THAT IS WHAT MAKES IT DANGEROUS AND YOU NEED TO TAKE EXTRA CARE OF WHERE YOU’RE GOING TO BUILD UP YOUR KICKERS.
GARRETT WARNICK
MANUEL DIAZ
GARRETT WARNICK
GARRET WARNICK: CAPITA MERCURY BINDINGS: VANS INFUSE BOOTS: 32 LASHED GOGGLES: ELECTRIC EG3 MANUEL DIAZ: SLASH NAHUAL BINDINGS: NOW DRIVE BOOTS: NIKE ZOOM GOGGLES: ANON M3 MAT SCHAER: DC MEGA BINDINGS: UNION T-RICE BOOTS: DC JUDGE GOGGLES: ELECTRIC EG2 WOLLE NYVELT: SALOMON ASSASIN BINDINGS: SALOMON DEFENDER BOOTS: VANS INFUSE GOGGLES: DRAGON X2
MAT SCHAER
PICS: E-STONE, SCOTT SERFAS, ERIK HOFFMAN
PORTRAIT: DENIS PICCOLO
ITW: GIACOMO MARGUTTI
AT THE GRAND OPENING OF CAPITA FACTORY’S “THE MOTHERSHIP” IN AUSTRIA, WE INTERCEPTED THE MAN WHO KEEPS ON REDEFINING THE CONCEPT OF CREATIVITY EVERY SINGLE TIME HE STEPS ON A BOARD AND ONE OF HIS MIND-BLOWING VIDEO PARTS IS RELEASED. THE MAN WHO SEEMS TO HAVE FOUND THE SECRET TO ALWAYS HAVE FUN WITH A STICK UNDER HIS FEET. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MISTER SCOTT STEVENS.
NOLLIE ONE-FOOT BS TAILSLIDE BY E-STONE
HOW MUCH STOKED ARE YOU ON THE OPENING OF THE FACTORY OF CAPITA HERE IN AUSTRIA? It’s just incredible... I mean, who would have thought? From being such a small company... as long as I’ve known Blue [Montgomery], he’s so focussed and he’s capable of anything, and this is a good example of that. And everybody involved with this as well. We took a walk through a few days ago, and this shit is mind-blowing. There are so many things that people usually don’t think of when they look at a snowboard. There’s so much more. Snowboarders are really impressive when they want to achieve something.
WHAT’S THE THING WHICH DIFFERENTIATE CAPITA FROM THE OTHER SNOWBOARD BRANDS? It’s just been a fantastic ride. It’s all been like very nice planned, in a successful way. It’s just been the right people in the right place. It’s a big deal when you break through with Capita. And the history of Capita is so well documented, it’s so interesting. WHAT DRIVES YOU MOST IN SNOWBOARDING, WHAT’S THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF IT FOR YOU? Honestly I think the drive is all I have and is what I really care about, outside friends and family. It’s my life. And it drives me to progress. I’m on a good mood when I ride my snowbo-
FOOT PLANT TO LIPSLIDE BY SCOTT SERFAS
ard well. You gotta work hard to ride a snowboard good and in these days it’s even harder. Riding a snowboard good is not necessarily just to be good at it. It’s trying to learn new things, new ways about how you can ride a snowboard: that’s what makes me happy. DID YOU HAVE ANY HEROES WHEN YOU STARTED SNOWBOARDING? You always have the people at your resort, the guys that seem years ahead of you. Those guys, for example. One of my friends, his name is Ross Phillips, I looked up to him: all the tricks that he did, just the way you wanna ride a board, it was really fun. I watched all the guys who used to ride for Burton and Forum,
brands like that, they were my idols. I watched all the Mack Dawg’s, Standard’s, Absinthe’s, Kinpin’s, Robot Food’s movies... those kinds of movies and those guys in it are living legends. Like Travis Parker was huge! Or Peter Line. Peter Line is awesome and incredible because I think his riding is so relevant now as it was back then, and Travis Parker is one of my biggest inspirations in snowboarding growing up. There are some guys from back then that set some serious groundbreaking work that were seriously my idols. HOW CAN YOU BE SO MUCH CREATIVE EVERY SINGLE YEAR, APPARENTLY THERE’S NO LIMIT FOR YOU... Haha,
STEP UP TO FS INVERT BY ERIK HOFFMAN
there is a limit! It’s just that... I don’t have necessarily a job in snowboarding if I can’t do it this way right now. 10 years ago I think I kind of plateaued as a normal snowboarder, so if I wanna keep doing it I gotta be smart about it. And also... I love it, that’s one thing I should have probably said before. I just love it! I love thinking of new tricks and learning new tricks and that is first and foremost. But I hope there is no limit. It kinda has to be, other people would take over, but I don’t want it just yet. But it’s inevitable. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE WHOLE CAPITA TEAM, YOUR PEERS, THE OTHER RIDERS? That’s the best part! I don’t work as a rider if there isn’t other riders going big
or getting gnarly or halfpipe or powder. My stuff works because there are others doing other stuff. And if we all rode trying to be creative, that would be so annoying! We kind of have to differentiate ourselves. It’s really nice to have a well-rounded team, where everybody does something different... and, oh, I have so much respect for all of them. I am really actually more fond of stuff that I can’t do. That’s what I find super interesting and fascinating, when I see a lot of riders doing things that I can’t... like I watched the new [Travis] Rice’s teaser and I’m all like “Oh my god, what would I pay to do that!”. Ours is anyway a great team, I like to think it’s one of the better teams in snowboarding.
50/50 360° INTO BANK BY E-STONE
D O Y O U H AV E A N Y R E G R E T S ? T h e r e ’ s s o m e r e g r e t s , snowboarding is always fun but sometimes when I stepped on the gas and did things that I didn’t want t o d o , o c c a s i o n a l l y, b u t a l o t o f t i m e s i s j u s t s t i c k i n g to the plan and do things that I really truly like to do and then... who wants to do things they don’t? N o b o d y. B u t i n s o m e w a y s t h a t ’ s w h a t w o u l d h a v e made me a better snowboarder in some aspects. But I’m still working on that, I wanna still fill in the blanks the stuff I wanna show people I can do. And do it for myself too. H O W M U C H E X P E R I E N C E A R E YO U P U T T I N G I N YO U R
P R O -M O D E L B O A R D, H O W M U C H A R E YO U T E L L I N G T H E G U Y S O F C A P I TA T H E WAY YO U WA N T YO U R B OA R D D O N E , YO U R F E E D B A C K ? This year is the most perfect has ever been. It’s exactly how I wanted it. It’s just perfect, it’s legitimately and exactly what I want a snowboard to be: friendly and something that can do it all. And I want to feel it simple this year. And it is, everything about it. They did a perfect job. Capita and Union they could be my name on anything and I would be like “it’s great! I’m gonna ride it!”. Everything they do it just looks great, and if any of my experience can help them in building anything I’m just there. It’s always something that is awesome.
I DON’T WORK AS A RIDER IF THERE AREN’T OTHERS GOING BIG, GETTING GNARLY, HALFPIPE OR POWDER.
BOARD: CAPITA SCOTT STEVENS BINDINGS: UNION CONTACT BOOTS: 32 TM TWO GOGGLES: SMITH IO JACKET: 32 BLYTHE PANTS: 32 WOODERSON
CAVE MAN BOARDSLIDE BY E-STONE
NICHOLAS BRIGMAN
PICS: DENIS PICCOLO TXT: MARCO MORANDI SPOT: PASSO ROLLE, ITALY
NICHOLAS BRIGMAN: FS CORK 540° NOSEBONE
Most of the times, I had always filmed in street or park, as I had never had the chance to work with any freeriders or powder riders before that session with Simon Gruber – a guy who can boast many video-parts with European movie crews in his CV. The season had not been the best one ever as we all had been waiting for some powder for too long when, at the beginning of February, a lot of fresh snow eventually came down from above, especially on the South Tyrol region. There was no time to lose then: we packed our stuff and off we went, towards one of the most famous spots of Italy, the Rolle Pass. I had heard a lot of nice stuff about this location and I had seen many shots run in so many snowboard magazines from this small pass which unites South Tyrol and Trentino. At a first glance, it was a cool place. A cosy little bar and its old owner welcomed me with hot sandwiches, fresh orange juice and a lot a coffee for that extra energy you need in powder. In the meanwhile, I met up with Simon Gruber and Nicholas Bridgman. Being locals, they knew that zone better than any others. We soon went shape a kicker up North, before the sun
and the warmth would ruin its landing. Nice. On our way up, I didn’t miss out on some slashes in powder, remembrance of the good ol’ days when I used to be a rider too. I should have probably considered freeriding as a better choice rather than riding only street features. That way I would have saved myself from so many bruises at least. Once we reached the top of the Pass, the panorama was just amazing with its enormous mountains which always add some extra points to the shots. We walked for one hour in search of the best snow conditions, eventually ending up in a zone Simon knew well. We shoveled and shaped for the whole day. At the end of it, we managed to build two kickers and even to film a couple of shots in natural – which is always good stuff. It was already time to go back to our apartment to relax a bit: the jump we built was really huge, I couldn’t wait to see the guys hit it! We woke up pretty soon of course, we had a good breakfast, a rapid espresso shot at the small bar down there, and then off we went to the spot: motivation and adrenaline were pretty high.
SIMON GRUBER: SW BS CORK 540° NOSEBONE
THE JUMP WE BUILT WAS REALLY HUGE, I COULDN’T WAIT TO SEE THE GUYS HIT IT!
SIMON GRUBER: SW BS CORK 540° NOSEGRAB
THE GUYS JUST WENT FOR IT, AS THEY HIT THE JUMP SO MANY TIMES BACK AND FORTH
NICHOLAS BRIGMAN: FS CORK 540° NOSEBONE
Light changed at every single minute, depending on its glare on the rocky faces, silence was around us, pure calm. Well, at least until Simon and Nicholas decided the jump was ready and so we started our session off with their first tricks. The guys just went for it, as they hit the jump so many times back and forth, without any breaks up until the landing was too bad to go on with their tricks. We were all happy with how our session went, so we decided it was time for lunch. On our way back we found another good spot, but it was already too late to build up a new kicker and to try some tricks, so we had lunch and then we started to shape once again. We would stay there one more day, but it was definitely worth. Bluebirds even on our third day of shooting, but we had to keep on rushing things because on the Rolle Pass conditions usually change very quickly and without the right light the spot was not that good. Luckily that kicker was also very close to the lift, but the negative side was just around the corner. The lift was at hand not only for us but also for a group of a hundred of policemen who, on their day
off, opted for a nice ski trip. Unluckily for us, they decided that our kicker’s landing was too good to miss those group pictures which always make the trip perfect. Simon managed to stop them before they could ruin our big poppa, and was even able to convince them to go take a picture somewhere else. They eventually understood what we were talking about, as they moved on. One more coffee at the bar would have costed us the entire shooting. We started the new session off very well, all the crashes and bails from the previous day didn’t stop them from going for it again. Nicholas was able to learn from his previous day’s mistakes and to build up on them getting all the tricks and the shots he needed for his video part. Cab 540, Frontside 360, Backside 720, Switch Backside 720, Backside Double were the shots we managed to collect during my very first shooting at the infamous Rolle Pass as it would stay in my mind for a long time. In fact they say you’ll never forget your first time. Rolle Pass, see you next season. Snow permitting.
NICHOLAS BRIGMAN: BS 720° MUTE
WE STARTED THE NEW SESSION OFF VERY WELL, ALL THE CRASHES AND BAILS FROM THE PREVIOUS DAY DIDN’T STOP THEM FROM GOING FOR IT AGAIN
SIMON GRUBER: FS 720° MELON
NICHOLAS BRIGMAN BOARD: DRAKE TEAM BINDINGS: DRAKE PODIUM BOOTS: NORTHWAVE PROPHECY SL
SIMON GRUBER BOARD: CAPITA DEFENDERS OF AWESOME BINDINGS: UNION T-RICE BOOTS: 32 TEAM TWO
SIMON GRUBER: CAB 540° MUTE
TXT: GIACOMO MARGUTTI RIDER: KALLE OHLSON PIC: MATT GEORGES
Last days of December 2015. Last time it snowed was that one. The first, the only and the last. Situation now is quite terrible to tell the truth. Temperature is considerably higher than all the other years I can remember. It has never been this way. It’s not that cold even on the Alps. Flowers are in blossom. TV says pistes are just fine and people who ski are happy with that. And that might be even true, but after all these arguments one tends to forget what kind of dramatic situation we will be all in, sooner or later. And that might even be true, we’ve transformed this world which we live in. It’s not as before, and who knows if it ever will be again. At the grand opening of the Capita factory, the eco-sustainability issue was part of the project. Yes, I was struck by it, but
just as much as I was struck by the new top-sheets of the 2016/17 boards. Or the way they make this or that. I cared about the green side of the whole thing, but... but. Maybe it is really going to snow tomorrow, or in a few days. Thing is we can’t let things go this way, just hoping afterwards. Take “the Mothership” as a good example: built after the highest standards and sustainability measures to protect our environment. Because we are all in this, none is excluded. Not only they had the guts of embarking on this kind of enterprise, tough in these hard times, but they did it taking care of what we all need to love the most: nature. As I write these last words, it is actually snowing right now out of my window. Good sign. It is going to be a great season anyways.
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