Sequence Magazine 53 En

FREEPRESS 35.000 COPIES DISTRIBUTED IN ITALY, SWITZERLAND, AUSTRIA, GERMANY, FRANCE, ENGLAND MARKUS KELLER BY MATT GEORGES

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20.10.16 16:13

T HE TORST EI N JACKE T

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CALIFORNIA SPORTS - TEL 0119277943 - WWW.CALIFORNIASPORT.INFO TORSTEIN HORGMO \ F/S 720 TAILGRAB \ WRIGHT PHOTO DCSHOES.COM

01/09/16 15:04

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T R AV I S T.R ICE

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C O L L E C T I O N T.RICE

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HYBRID BOA CLOSURE / REACH AROUND CUFF STRAP / H E AT M O L D A B L E L I N E R

VA N S.CO M / SN OW ©2016 Vans, Inc. Photo: David Tchag

28/09/2016 16:15

Patagonia. I barely know where it is placed on the map of the world. More or less like I barely know how to nail Nils Arvidsson’s backside airs like this one here. Unfortunately I do not; about both things, I mean. It is more likely one day I’ll be gone in Patagonia than I’ll stomp one of his tricks. I will still be happy with just admiring it on a magazine. Enough.

NILS ARVIDSSON BY MARKUS ROHRBACHER IN PATAGOLINA

Is there anything that the Matt Georges-Markus Keller pair can not make look like super cool? Don’t think so. The French-Swiss duo, already authors of many oh so beautiful shots, here combine with a third crazily marvellous scenery: Japanese backcountry. For yet another refreshing coolness in 4k.

MARKUS KELLER BY MATT GEORGES IN JAPAN

All the way down to Argentina to nail a handplant. Is it really worth the pain? Yes, it is 100% worth the travel. For this picture and for all that is around. Snowboarding is not only trick-trick-trick.

DBK BY MATT GEORGES IN ARGENTINA

BY GIACOMO MARGUTTI

The first contest of this season was held in Milan, Italy. It was a FIS World Cup, as this federation seems the most active one in this difficult moment for competitive snowboarding. In the meanwhile they managed to introduce big air in the Olympics in 2018 (the recently-introduced PSL at Sochi 2014 was soon withdrawn from the next Games), to “conquer” a tough terrain that has always been “on the other side” like the Laax European Open putting their World Cup stamp on it, while last year they organised a big air in Boston with 10 thousand spectators.

Anyhow, they are acting well – let alone the annoying old argument if that is good or bad; I mean, at the end of the day we all know that the guys who take part into any events they do not really care which federation is the organiser, do they? Contest is contest, more or less fun, but it is what it is.

I write all this on a magazine that fortunately only has to deal with the cool and fun part of snowboarding: nobody wins nor loses, friendship is king and the cultural aspect prevails. I write all this because Eero Ettala in his interview told me that there is a huge gap between the contests’ riders and the videos/shootings’ ones. According

to the legendary Finnish rider, snowboarders of the first group do tricks that the second ones do not know how to. And this great divide is going to be more and more extreme as time (and tricks) goes by.

You would work your ass off in the gym, jumping on trampolines, training in pipes or slopestyles made of cement at 8am, then you would have only two tries at a contest in the morning and you eventually would not get through to the finals ending up in 50th place. Would you really like to go through all this? Otherwise you would opt for Alaska or Japan cruising through the woods in fresh powder with your friends. I am not saying this is easier, also because of the amount of stress you would accumulate while you are trying to stomp tricks for your video part.

So maybe there is a real reason which explains the current market’s division: split and backcountry on one side, street and park on the other. At those levels, Eero Ettala suggests, there is only one guy able to be competitive on both sides, contest and video – Torstein Horgmo. Not necessarily we should not do both. On the contrary, luckily we mere mortals do not have to pick just one of the two sides. The beauty of not being pro I guess, huh?

Antti Autti

Ph: Luca Crivelli

In pizza we trust 2016 / 2017 Collection

Follow us on facebook and Instagram

@northwavedrake #rideyourway #inpizzawetrust

Visit our page northwavesnow.com to see the new collection

EDITOR IN CHIEF Denis Piccolo | denis@tabcommunication.com EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Giacomo Margutti | giacomo@tabcommunication.com EDITORS Denis Piccolo | denis@tabcommunication.com Cristian Murianni | murio@tabcommunication.com ADVERTISING OFFICE welcome@tabcommunication.com ART DIRECTOR George Boutall | george@evergreendesignhouse.com GRAPHIC DESIGN Letizia Macaluso | letizia@evergreendesignhouse.com Andrea Roncolato | info@evergreendesignhouse.com

PHOTOGRAPHERS & FILMERS Cristian Murianni, Davide Fioraso, Marco Morandi, Gianfranco Battaglia, Andrea Schiliro, Matt Georges, Cyril COVER Matt Georges - Markus Keller COLLABORATORS Antonio Isaja, Enrico Santillo, Lisa Filippini, Simone Natale, Marco Contardi, Alessandro Belluscio, Elisa Maria Ferrari COMPANY EDITOR Tab Communication Via Paolo Bassi 29 Milano 20159 welcome@tabcommunication.com

SEQUENCE_MAGAZINE.COM Daniela Micali | daniela@tabcommunication.com

PRINT Grafiche Ambert Verolengo TO

PHOTO SENIOR Matt Georges | hello@mattgeorges.com Denis Piccolo | denis@tabcommunication.com

DISTRIBUZIONE FreePress 30.000 copies distribuited in Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, England in 1200 snowboard shops

INFO: welcome@tabcommunication.com

ad-previews.indd 1

13.09.16 10:37

FREERIDE SELECTION ESSENTIALS BOOTS THEY WEAR PRO SETUP PRO SHOP MODENA SKIPASS FIRST LAYER SPOT CHECK: OBEREGGEN DAVID APPEL FOR DC HARDGOODS UMBERTO PILONI FOR MAMMUT SUPERTRICK KNOLL, SPATZLE & BURTON TEAM CIANOTIPIA RUSTY VAN EERO ETTALA SEARCHING FOR ARLBERG HOT SPRINGS & COLD SAKE WORD OUT FACUNDO BY MARKUS ROHRBACHER IN PATAGONIA

ANDY WRIGHT

DAN BRISSE ULTRAFEAR

HAND BUILT AT THE WORLD’S ONLY 100% HYDRO POWERED SNOWBOARD MANUFACTURING FACILITY.

THE MOTHERSHIP CONNECTION DIST. BY CALIFORNIA SPORT www.californiasport.info tel 0119277943

BY THE EDITORIAL STAFF

BURTON BRANCH MANAGER

K2 EIGHT SEVEN

Designed in collaboration with Japanese powder guru Narufumi “Beru” Yoshimura, the new Branch Manager features one of the most interesting shapes in the line, fine-tuned for slashing through trees and floating through open pow fields.

A surf-inspired all-mountain board, the Eight Seven features a retro design and enviable technical characteristics. It ensures control and stability on any type of terrain thanks to an unmatched versatility.

155 . 159

150 . 155 . 160

DC SPACE ECHO

LIBTECH SWISS KNIFE

A versatile all-mountain board with a freeride instinct. Responsive, powerful and easy to control, it gives you that floating feeling during powder days and it’s easily maneuverable when riding the park.

The rider Fredi Kalbermatten wanted a precise, jibbing-like and easy-carving all-mountain board, a versatile directional board, designed to provide power and control.

154 . 158 . 162

155 . 158 . 161

CAPITA KAZU KOKUBO PRO

NITRO NAUT

A real weapon to surf the powder, a board especially designed for the needs of the pro rider Kazu Kokubo that will surely become the best adventure companion to ride backcountry all around the globe.

Designed as a true All-Mountain board with a new, fun, surf-inspired shape that utilizes classic surfboard wings on the tip and tail for faster turns through the trees.

151 . 154 . 157

163

DRAKE GUERRILLA

RIDE WARPING

With a surf-influenced shape developed by Antti Autti, the Guerrilla is extra wide in order to give you total float in deep powder with the minimum effort. The short tail will give you easy mobility and powerful snappy slashes.

Incredible new entry of the Ride collection, a board available in two sizes only, small and large, ideal to enjoy powder days. A machine created with a one and only purpose: have fun and let powder enthusiasts have fun. A true spraying-machine, it can be aggressive when doing slashes!

154 . 158

SMALL . LARGE

STRONGER.

A TEAM MOVIE FROM THE UNION BINDING COMPANY

FEATURING:

P: ANDY WRIGHT

KAZU KOKUBO - GIGI RÜF - SCOTT STEVENS - DUSTIN CRAVEN JOHNNY O’CONNOR - PHIL JACQUES - TRAVIS RICE DAN BRISSE - ANTO CHAMBERLAND - BRYAN IGUCHI ARTHUR LONGO - TORSTEIN HORGMO WWW.UNIONBINDINGCOMPANY.COM CALIFORNIA SPORTS 0119277943 – WWW.CALIFORNIASPORT.INFO

TXT:GIACOMO MARGUTTI PICS: DENIS PICCOLO

BURTON SLX

Superior science and technical mastery in one of snowboarding’s most comfortable and capable boots. As Burton’s highest performance option, the SLX boot combines the latest advances with a versatile flex and feel that’s at home on any terrain. The new Life+ Liner is Burton’s most comfortable yet, shaving weight, enhancing rebound, and cranking warmth to a higher degree by being the only liner with a full Dryride Heat Cycle interior. Underfoot, the Vibram XWing Outsole with EcoStep Plus is comprised of 50% recycled rubber, minimizing your environmental footprint and guaranteeing grip. Shock absorption is equally advanced with Burton-exclusive ReBounce bringing cushioning closer to your foot while simultaneously reflecting body heat to keep warmth and cushioning consistent in cold weather.

DC JUDGE

Striking perfect balance of high performance The Vans Infusethe in Pat Moore’s signature colorway is the and Judge combines infinite adjuepitome of comfort, ultimate the customisation, and thethe most sophiof theboot Focus BoaVans closure with premium sticatedstability and versatile in the snowboard boot materials and featuresterrain including responsive, line. With the ever-changing Pat the rides, he needs skaa te-shoe feelcustomised of our lightweight Contact boot that can be on the spot, andoutsole. the Infu-Rally through pillow pow-choked chutes, se allows just that.stacked The new Vanslines, Hybrid Plus technology and hidden treeaccuracy stashes with a little help from its revolutionizes closure and flex management aggressive flexall-in-one and supportive through a complete systemconstruction. that allows a Althourider ghait’s responsive, thesupport, boot’s articulated conto bomb hillhighly full-throttle with total then adjust to allows for go, a bit more ankle when a softerstruction boot profile on the hassle-free.

Themobility Infuse also styling out grabs liners off cliffs bigger jumps. featuresyou’re heat-moldable Custom for and the ultimate cuIndependently tightening the upper and lower stomisable comfort and heel hold,over dual-density UltraCush theand Judge’s Focusfor system dials in excelV-Corkzones, footbeds V-HexBoa Outsoles superior dampelent support forsupport, maximum energy transfer.

ThevalBlack ning abilities and arch waterproof breathable liner is thermo-moldable for foot-wrapping support ves, and Vans Flex Control with removable high-rebound withoutstiffeners, pressurepermitting points. Additionally, Hytrel tongue the rider to multi-density further cufoamboot provides a bit more support than single-denstom-tune flex and support. sity liners, with J-bars for locked-in heel hold.

VANS INFUSE PAT MOORE

The Vans Infuse in Pat Moore’s signature colorway is the epitome of ultimate customisation, and the most sophisticated and versatile boot in the Vans snowboard boot line. With the ever-changing terrain Pat rides, he needs a boot that can be customised on the spot, and the Infuse allows just that. The new Vans Hybrid Plus technology revolutionizes closure accuracy and flex management through a complete all-in-one system that allows a rider to bomb a hill full-throttle with total support, then adjust to a softer boot profile on the go, hassle-free. The Infuse also features heat-moldable Custom liners for the ultimate customisable comfort and heel hold, dual-density UltraCush V-Cork footbeds and V-Hex Outsoles for superior dampening abilities and arch support, waterproof breathable valves, and Vans Flex Control with removable high-rebound Hytrel tongue stiffeners, permitting the rider to further custom-tune boot flex and support.

KAHUNA SHOP Via Andrea Alciato 6 Roma Italy +39 06 39 37 72 76 info@kahunashop.it kahunashop.it BERN MACON

BY DENIS PICCOLO

They Wear shows a snowboarding outfits selection from some of the most influential snowboard shops, the department managers will unveil their gear of choice for their surfing days!

CRAB GRAB TRACTION MEGA CLAWS

DRAGON NFX2

BLACK STRAP THE TEAM HOOD FACEMASK

CRAB GRAB PUNCH MITT

AIRBLASTER WORKHORSE

VOLCOM ARTICULATED

STINKI MIKE GRAY X JAKE SHAIBLE

THIRTYTWO CRABGRAB

FLUX DS

FUNKY ABRACADABRA

SMITH MAZE

POW JOHN J

JONES DEEPER

AIRBLASTER GRUMPY AIRBLASTER HOODLESS NINJA SUIT

POLER WORKER MAN

AIRBLASTER CRANKY

SWITCH SHOP Via Dante 45 - Scandicci Firenze Italy +39 055 250 902 3 info@switchshop.it switchshop.it

SMITH IO7

THIRTYTWO SCOTT STEVENS

UNION CONTACT PRO

ARBOR WESTMARK

SENSIBILMENTE PIÙ LEGGERO. AIRBAG + ZAINO + CARTUCCIA = 1,5 KG

I COMPONENTI DI ULTRALIGHT REMOVABLE AIRBAG 3.0 1. Zaino da 20 litri 2. Cartuccia in carbonio 3. Removable Airbag System 3.0

0,5 kg 0,3 kg 0,7 kg

Sistema completo

1,5 kg

Convincitene tu stesso! www.mammut.swiss/airbag Distribuito da Socrep srl

BY EDITORIAL STAFF PIC: MATT GEORGES

DYE T1

RIDE REVOLT

DAKINE

VANS IMPLANT

RIDE KINK HERO

Skipass Modena 2014, 2015, 2016 Best Park, Best Pro Line, Best Jib Line

SNOWPARK SEISER ALM Best Snowpark in Italy Snowpark Setup:

DON’T MISS THE

16 Kickers (1-20 m) 32 Rails & Boxes 1 Secret Stair Set 14 Wood Obstacles Family Fun Line Park length of 1.5 km more than 20 hits in one run

FREESTYLE WORLD CUP

sequence_190x245_3mm 2.indd 1

SKI & SNOWBOARD

25 – 28/01/2017

SNOWPARK.SEISERALM.IT 04.11.16 16:51

ITW BY DENIS PICCOLO

WHEN AND HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE IDEA OF AN ACTION SPORT SHOP? At the end of the 90s I used to practise backcountry in Sestriere, my favourite spot, but there was no action sport shop for those like me. A place where to meet up and talk about the lines and the jumps after a day with friends on the mountain. And of course where to watch and buy your new gear to use straight afterwards.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN SNOWBOARDING TO YOU? Fun, mountain, backcountry.

WHICH ARE YOUR INVESTMENTS IN THE ACTION SPORT FIELD? Except for some dinners with my wife, I don’t invest in anything else!

WHAT KIND OF ACTIVITIES DO YOU OFFER YOUR CUSTOMERS? “I Love Split”. It’s already the fifth edition of the splitboards promotional meeting for all those who have never tried the split. They can rent it and have a teacher at their disposal for a safe journey ending it up with a party in a hut with expert alpinists and simple split lovers.

“Peace Love and Powder Day”. It’s a meeting of snowboarders and skiers

with self-made powder gear. A day dedicated to backcountry trials and tests, ending up with a party as usual.

“Safety Academy”. It’s a basic course of mountain safety, how to use a shovel, a probe and the artva, with tests of new avalanche alert systems.

“Base Camp”. A two-day trip around mountains with tents, for those who would like to enjoy a whole weekend on the snow, with an equipped base camp and followed by pros.

“Banked Slalom”. Back to when we used to race all together, youngsters and old farts of moguls and banks, a competitive way to have fun on the mountains.

During the season there’s the chance of testing out all the most up-to-date freeride and freestyle gear, and we organise trips and courses, either private or in group.

DO YOU HAVE A TEAM? Our team is all our friends who come meet us up. Friends we share the same passions with.

HOW MUCH DO YOU BELIEVE IN THE ONLINE WEBSHOP AND HOW MUCH IN A DIRECT CONNECTION WITH YOUR CLIENTS? The truth is that brands have direct sales, the web’s big stars have their own huge role, then there’s who follows it all and passes his life in front of a screen.

But I still prefer to live on the snow and find the real passionate ones who still believe in trusting someone with a tanned face and not just a bleak screen.

WHICH ARE THE LATEST TRENDS IN THE SNOWBOARDING MARKET? Nowadays the market offers any kind of solution, the essential brand does not exist anymore. It’s the shop owner who has to know what to choose for his own clients.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF SECOND-HAND TECHNICAL SNOWBOARDING GEAR? You can get away with the boards until they break, while you’d better buy new boots and new bindings.

WHAT ARE YOUR SHOPPING ADVICES FOR A ROOKIE? Rent a board, find a good teacher and then think of getting yourself some nice gear but invest more on bindings and boots and less on the board.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT SPLIT AND STREET SNOWBOARDING? For us the split has already been something common since years, while the street is rough: I personally prefer soft snow.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE SPOT? Well, we are in Sestriere.

WHAT YOUR SHOP’S STRONG POINT? My mum and Steu.

WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE RIDER? Jeremy Jones. It’s also the only rider I have had the pleasure to get a couple of powder turns with.

THE FIVE MAIN BRANDS YOU HAVE AMONG YOUR TECHNICAL SNOWBOARDING CHOICE: Jones Snowboards, Burton, Slash, Rome, 32.

DO YOU SUGGEST TO WAX YOUR BOARD BEFORE THE FIRST SEASONAL RIDE? DIY OR IN A TECHNICAL CENTRE? I’d say it’s better if you wax every single time you use your board, and not only once during the season!

COSA PENSI DEGLI SNOWBOARDS CLUB? I don’t like uniforms on kids.

But if they promote snowboarding in general, they can give a future to this sport.

FUTURE PLANS? I’d like to go on enjoying sports with my kids as well.

MODENA SKIPASS TXT: MATTEO ROSSATO PIC: DENIS PICCOLO

Once again Skipass trade-show in Modena launched a new winter season.

And one more time we should point out the Likes and the Don’t Likes of this important fair that is trying to get renewed and updated to the various needs of a ever more demanding crowd and to the ever less predictable winters. Surely among the Likes there is the new set up realised by F-Tech, with a longer in-run and a set of features that allowed the riders to get as much creative as possible.

Among the Don’t Likes I’d put the Halloween party, with well-known deejays though having few to do with Skipass spectators; the entrance ticket’s cost also prevented many to participate, whether they had wanted to. Fortunately Sunday night was set on fire by Monster, who backed Marco Morandi’s Searching For video premiere, hosted at the Red Lion Pub where all the aficionados gathered.

Thumbs up to reinstating some gravity sports with Alessandro Barbero and his Kobra BMX Team, who enlivened the days with demos on a specific course. As usual, the B pavilion hosted the Moon Cafè in the centre, and all around the main snowparks and media booths – like our Sequence’s stand, with a give-away of the Fifth Season Buyer’s Guide and Skull Diary copies.

On to the Awards now. Seiser Alm and Mottolino split the most important ones. The resort in South Tyrol won Best Super Park, Best Jib & Pro Line, while Best Marketing, Best Beginner Line and honourable mention for its 20 years of activity went to the resort in Livigno. Pila’s Area F won the award as best North-West park, Val Malenco’s Palù Park as best Central Alps park, while Obereggen as best East Alps park. Best Apennines park is Campo Felice’s SWUP. Emiliano Lauzi won as best male rider, Margherita Meneghetti as best female and the Russian Vladislav Khadarin was voted as best rookie.

Best ambassador is Igor Confortin, who is the Paralympic Snowboard Italian National Team coach. The contests now. The whole event covered four days: first, the World Rookie Tour, with 33 riders battling it out on some of the best urban set-ups of Europe. In both categories foreign riders came out as winners: the Swiss Florian Fischer among the rookies, and the Brit Scott Walsh among the Groms. The Italians came in third places, with Nicola Liviero in the Rookies and Alex Lotorto in the Groms. The rest of the podium was conquered by Swiss guys, Gian Andrea Sutter in the Rookies and Nick Punter in the Groms.

The Open contest on Monday saw national riders fight equally with young bloods from all around Europe. The technical level was arguably high, with everyone landing impressive tricks. Loris Framarin won the best trick with a kamikaze bs board from the container on to the lower rail. While in first there was 17-year-old Finnish prodigy Renè Rinnekangas, followed by Max Zebe and Austria’s stylemaster Marvin Salmina, thanks to his smooth press changes on the rails.

On Tuesday, finally it was the time for the Street Fighter main event. 10 invited pros battled it out with the first 10 ranked riders of Monday’s railjam, to get the main prize money.

Max Zebe came ahead with a much consistent performance and few errors, closely followed by Dominik Wagner and Simon Pircher. Flo Cornelius got the best trick with a 50-50 fs board transfer from the plug to the rail of the lower section. Honourable mention went to Denmark’s Simon Houlind, who literally won jury and crowd over thanks to his creative tricks and his huge transfers from the container to the central rail. On his very last try, he even managed to break his board in two pieces, getting the crowd even more stoked. See you all next year, at Skipass 2017!

rk & Nightpark Setup Snowpa RK: SETUP SNOWPA m), 4,5 m, 0 (10 ipe lfp Ha , m) 16 – (2 ker Kic 10 Down Box 7m, Box 3m, Rail 6m, Fun Tube 7m, Rainbow Box 3,5m, il 9m, Down-Flat-Down Ra

x 3m, Up Rail 4m, Up Bo Kinked Box 7m, Starship, Kinked Box 5m, Mila-Box 5m, A-Frame Box 6,5m, 8m, Straight-Step Box

BOARDERCROSS BANKED SLALOM KIDS PARK ES: NEW STRUCTUR Citroen Stairset, High Five Hand, e Citroen Rainbow Tub Multiobstacle

K: la pista Obereggen SETUP NIGHTPAR ma, gi, ve, ore 19:00 – 22:00 lungo di ate ser lle ne o Apert ore 8:30 – 16:30 e tutti i giorni dalle Wave Box x Down Box Rainbow Wave Bo STRUCTURES: nk Ba ker Kic & Down Box Up s Kid Down Tube Up & Down Tube Butter Rail

(2A)

rk .com/snowpa

eggen // www.ober RK PA W O N .S EN G k.com/OBEREG www.faceboo

OBE16_sequence_190x245_3mm.indd 1

04.10.16 12:34

BY MATT GEORGES

So I have started my small publishing house called THE.DIRTY. DOGS. and directly an eponymous book-object. Hand-bound with a leather string, embossed cover, limited to 500 copies, numbered and dated. 200 pages, all B&W. Crafted with love and from Euro product and recycled paper. This one was the first volume. Published end of 2014. Sold out in less than three months. Ads free, 100% independent & non-profit publishing, gathering all the best snowboard photographers worldwide and talking about winter adventures.

At first the idea was just to gather all those unpublished photos from all the photographers and make something nice with it. Just to show the pure essence of snowboarding that you do not always find in basic snowboard magazine titles. But as it is a timeless project of course I added a lot of other shots but with no restrictions, no politics, no ads, nothing. I can just run a double spread landscape or lifestyle, or portrait. Just give 25 pages for a travel story etc. No rules, no page number, no content, nothing. Just a cool state of annual snowboard photography, or winter/snowboard related.

Since the hand-bound took me a lot of time, I needed a break for a year but now currently working on THE.DIRTY.DOGS.volume.two. which will be out couple weeks before Christmas 2016.

This time it will be a 250 pages, with 100 pages of colour, some deep talking about things and other things. Still crafted, numbered and made in the Alps. The idea is to do a different format and dif-

ferent style for each volume, using a different paper, binding and packaging too.

It’s more like a book-object.

This publishing house is also working on limited zines and newspaper style which will be out in 2017.

On top of this, I have just release my second FIRST LAYER project with Vans, which is a photobook collab.

This year is all about Japan. 150-page photobook that comes together in a Japanese envelope and five-large size limited postcards.

Also a 50-page newspaper.

All for free in core shops.

The decline of magazines and print in general just gave me the motivation to launch my own projects. I do not earn money, it takes me a lot of time but the reward is just very nice.

It is a fresh air to be able to craft all these things and sell it at the good price too, just to inspire the new generation and make them love the real things, not just screen and pixel. That is why I wanted those things to be affordable. 27€ for Dirty Dogs is really low when you think about the time it takes to create, produce, print, handbound, wrap and craft together, but it is not there to bring money. It is also a giveback to snowboarding in a way. It sends me worldwide to shoot in amazing locations and countries so it’s just a very small giveback in this sense.

BY EDITORIAL STAFF

The Obereggen snowpark is one of the most enduring and best developed snowparks of the Italian Alps. Placed in the town with the same name at few kilometres away from Bozen/Bolzano, the park has always been present in the Italian snowboarding scene, and we can actually say that has become a piece of history of our national snowparks’ heritage.

Many riders have ridden its features, like Simon Gruber who, in the early years of his career, used to be a local at Obereggen park. Halfway through the 90s Obereggen’s pipe was the North-East mecca, then the first park, then the park connected to the pipe in the same area and a sort of setup, to end up with nowadays’ only one big area: a pipe, a middle-sized jumps’ line, tons of rails and boxes, a pretty fun easy line and a kids line for the groms which is a real gem. Don’t forget on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays’ nights (7-10pm) there is a perfectly shaped jib-line with lots of features totally lit up. At only 20 minutes from Bozen/Bolzano there is something different to have fun during your wintertime eves. Nowadays the F-Tech crew takes care of the park from planning the set-up to the actual construction. Thanks to their usual attention to every little single detail and in collaboration with the lift company, they have improved the park more and more season after season with new features and solutions. This season’s set-up comprehends: 1 Halfpipe: 100m long, 4,5m high. 10 Kickers: from 2m up to 16m of various forms and characteristics.

16 Rails and Boxes: 7m Down Box, 6m Rail, 3m Box, 7m Fun Tube, 3.5m Rainbow Box, 9m Down-Flat-Down Rail, 4m Up Rail, 3m Up Box, 7m Kinked Box, Starship, 5m Kinked Box, 5m Mila-Box, 6.5m A-Frame Box, 8m

Straight-Step Box and, absolutely stunning news of this season, two new Citroen Unconventional Team features – a stair-set with box, rail and pole and a 12m rainbow tube! 1 Kids Park: the ideal terrain for snowboard schools, kids, groms, rookies and beginners. Through fun and ability games it is possible to learn how to ride in the snowpark. As for the events, throughout the years the Obereggen crew has been always prolific coming up with important events like the King of Iron that has brought the best European jibbers to battle it out in a night contest through flames and fire. There you go with the calendar of the park’s events on schedule for this season, save the date!

EVENT CALENDAR 10.12.2016 23.12.2016 26.12.2016 05.02.2017 26.02.2017 19.03.2017 25-26.03.2017 02.04.2017 17.04.2017

nitro4kids opening nightpark opening snowpark king of obereggen citroën unconventional contest neuro rail session fsi snowboard finals & rookie finals sponsor me snowpark closing party

BY GIACOMO MARGUTTI BRIEFLY DESCRIBE YOURSELF. My Name is David Appel, I’ve been working at DC for five years as the Global Hardgoods Director.

IS THERE A CRUCIAL EVENT THAT DETERMINED A REAL TURNING POINT IN YOUR CAREER? I would say there are multiple points that have helped my career. I first snowboarded in 1987 at Dollar Mountain in Sun Valley, Idaho. In 1991 I got a job working at Chick’s sporting goods in the ski and snowboard department. While working there I met the Burton Rep Eric Stoops, and he hired me as a tech rep. While working for Burton I got to meet the in-house product designers, one in particular, was Paul Maravetz. Paul would later contact me in 2001, when he co-founded Rome Snowboards. At that time, I was studying Mechanical Engineering at University of Nevada, Reno. He offered me a summer internship, and taught me how to design snowboards. That ultimately paved the way to what I’m doing now.

DC FOCUS

DC MEDIA BLITZ

DC PLY MINI

DC TELEGRAPH

DC MEGA

DC SPACE ECHO

DC PLY

DC SUPERNATANT

DC PHASE

DC BIDDY W

DC PLY W

DC PHASE

DC TRAVIS RICE

DC JUDGE

DC SEARCH

IN CASE OF A PRO-MODEL COLLECTION, WHO COMES UP FIRST WITH HIS OWN IDEAS, YOU OR THE RIDERS? HOW IS THE COLLABORATION WITH THE RIDERS EVOLVE FROM THEN ON? The product is always a result of a rider’s idea first. They come to me with an idea or a suggestion to improve the product. Or, their riding has changed and they want to try something new. From there I gather as much information as possible from them and start to put their ideas on paper. We make prototypes for the rider to try and revise as necessary.

WHAT OBJECT OF WHAT COLLECTIONS DO YOU WISH YOU HAD DESIGNED? I wish I designed the bottle opener.

IF YOU WEREN’T DOING THIS JOB, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE PREFERRED TO BE IN YOUR LIFE? If I didn’t get involved in snowboarding, I would have preferred being in a band touring the world and recording.

AND IF YOU COULD LIVE THE LIFE OF ANOTHER CREATIVE, WHO WOULD IT BE? Joe Strummer.

WHAT ARE YOUR PRIMARY GOALS AS DESIGNER? Strip away all the bullshit. Giving

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DC TORSTEIN HORGMO

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the product space to breath and having the snowboarder completely forget about what product they are using.

WHAT ARE THE MAIN CHANGES YOU’VE NOTICED IN SNOWBOARDING/SKIING/WINTER SPORTS DESIGN IN THE LAST FEW YEARS? Comfort rules all else. The Mountains are a place for people to escape from the city, but they want to be comfortable. Snowboarders are relating their personal style more and more in the mountains, gone are the days of some alter-ego approach.

WHICH IS THE BEST PIECE OF DC CLOTHING/DESIGN FROM THIS SEASON YOU ARE MOST PROUD OF OR YOU LOVE THE MOST? I love the Travis Rice Boot. It started with a great idea from Travis and we have executed. The result is a comfortable and performance oriented piece of equipment that delivers.

WHAT ARE YOUR MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES AT DC? To make sure DC is putting out the most relevant snowboarding equipment that continues to push snowboarding while keeping it fun.

e-mail: info thegroupdistribution.it

ITW: GIACOMO MARGUTTI PIC: MATT GEORGES

With the Airbag 3.0, Mammut have succeeded in developing an airbag system that is reliable, while at the same time so small and light that you will barely notice it, even on long freeride missions.

The carrying system is now even more comfortable. The compressed gas technology is still the best solution, as the system is used continuously in mountain environments and needs to operate reliably regardless of temperature. In the past, airbag backpacks meant compromises in terms of carrying comfort. Now even smaller, lighter and better integrated in the backpack than ever before, Mammut’s Airbag System 3.0 means there is no longer any excuse for going out in powder terrain without an airbag. We had a chat with Uberto Piloni, who has been an alpine guide for more than 20 years now, to better understand freeride’s risks and how a backpack can save a life.

trust their own physical strength, but in certain situations it is of no use. The new generations have to gain experience. They can start with an alpine guide to grow little by little. Gear’s choice is also very important: few things are OK, still you have to know how to use them.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS KIND OF JOB? Mountains had always been my life and I thought it would have been really nice to share my passion and experiences with other people.

AN AIRBAG BACKPACK: WHAT FOR? CAN IT MAKE THE DIFFERENCE? An airbag backpack does increase your chances of surviving in case of an avalanche. It prevents a complete burial and facilitates the locationing. It surely makes the difference, although in Italy safety culture has a long way to go.

WHICH ARE THE MAIN RISKS ONE CAN FACE ON A MOUNTAIN? Mountains have changed a lot lately. Climate is radically changing.

Everything must be considered and planned in advance, so to have some margin for late changes. As for advices, I’d say never underestimate the mountains. Never take it lightly. Sometimes people

HAVE YOU EVER FOUND YOURSELF IN SOME KIND OF DANGER AT THE START OF YOUR CAREER? At the beginning I had some issues with timing – sometimes I was forced to come back home later than expected so my parents got a bit worried. First timers should take it step by step, knowing well what you’re up to, planning your path and always be very humble not to overestimate your preparation. If you’re in doubt, you’d better go back and try it again next time.

DO YOU THINK THAT “NORMAL” PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING THE RIGHT GEAR? Many people too frequently trust friends’ advices and they do care more of boots,

ULTRALIGHT REMOVABLE AIRBAG 3.0 Lighter to the summit. With Mammut’s new Removable Airbag System 3.0, the Ultralight weighs the same as a 1.5 liter bottle of water. There is space for everything you need on demanding snowboard tours.

RIDE REMOVABLE AIRBAG 3.0 Enjoy the Ride. Equipped with Mammut’s new Airbag 3.0 system the Ride is a genuine allrounder. Whether you are freeriding or out for a day’s snowboard touring, this backpack is comfortable and has everything you need in terms of technical features.

LIGHT PROTECTION AIRBAG 3.0 Bodyguard 3.0. Now that Mammut’s new Airbag 3.0 system is even lighter and more comfortable, there’s no excuse not to carry an avalanche backpack in the powder. Despite its 30 liter volume, the Light Protection Airbag is a genuine lightweight with enough space for demanding, technical snowboard missions in backcountry.

snowboard and bindings. Artva, shovel and probe usually come last for them. And people who do have an Arvta most of the times they don’t know how to use it correctly though. Then people still count only on the alpine rescue for help, but self-rescue from their own friends is fundamental.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE THE MOST OF MAMMUT BACKPACKS? Comfort first. Then fabrics’ high quality and the mechanical trigger which keeps me safe and sound in any weather condition.

WHICH PARTICULAR MODEL DID YOU PICK? A Ride Removibile 30L: everything I need is in there.

WHAT ARE THE MAIN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MAMMUT BACKPACKS? Mammut has two different systems. One for the beginners (Removable) and one for freeriders and wants more protection (Protection). There are many different types: 11 models that come in 15 different capacities, so everyone can find his favourite backpack, lightweight or with a high capacity, or with even more protection. All the backpacks are interchangeable and removable, so you can buy two different backpacks and swap only the system from one to the other depending on your needs, or even take the system out for just an easy journey.

QUAD CORK BY MARCUS KLEVELAND

BY ROHRBACHER IN STUBAI, AUSTRIA

How to explain the most difficult trick that has been done with a snowboard so far? Tough.

Useless to say that you need such a super high level of riding and a good amount of talent.

The prerequisite is surely having a perfect takeoff from the kicker for backside rotations. You need to know how to stomp a perfect backside double and triple cork and only after you manage to reach this “little and easy� steps, you can begin to think of going down in history nailing a quad just like Marcus. To execute such a rotation you also need to have a very strong and much trained body, so hit the gym more and more.

At this point you are ready to drop in. You concentrate on the take off as if you will be executing a bs triple, but on the kicker you should get a huge rotational force managing to contract your abs for the whole spin.

Then you start spinning without losing eye contact with your landing sweet spot while you are in the air. You need to concentrate as much as you can: one of the most difficult parts of this trick is surely the mental one. You really have to be brave enough to start the rotation in order to stomp the most difficult manoeuvre ever been done.

Well, for now only Marcus and Billy Morgan managed to reach this point which seems to be impossible for the rest of us and who knows what is going to happen in the next few years.

NITRO GOODTIMES BOARD, VENTURE BOOTS, ZERO SHAKA BINDINGS

FS 360° STALEFISH BY ALBERTO MAFFEI

BY DENIS PICCOLO IN LIVIGNO, ITALY

Here is one of those tricks which personalise a rider’s style.

They are usually basics tricks, still you need to have a good talent for. Normally they are also a bit under underrated by many riders, but in my opinion these tricks can tell your own personal and unique style.

The execution is the one you do for a standard frontside 360.

You need to be concentrated to execute a nice takeoff, but you impress a little bit less rotation than usual so not to risk an over-rotation on the landing. Once airborn, pull up your legs and grab stalefish.Now the fun part: you try to bone as much as you can that stalefish, as you might get over 360

with your legs. Beware that the more you push your grab, the tougher finishing the rotation well will be. Always remember to take a look at the landing, because you really need to know when it is the right moment to let the grab and nail the trick absorbing the landing with your legs.

NITRO EERO PROMODEL BOARD, TEAM BOOTS, TEAM BINDINGS

TXT & PICS: LORENZO FIZZA VERDINELLI SPOT: ALPE DI SIUSI, FTECH PARK

Completing a snowpark is a very long process, made of many hours to plan the whole thing and then to shape it. To finish all the features is not only a human thing, but Mother Nature has to give her little help – without the raw material for the construction, we can do few stuff.

Last season’s start was particularly delayed because of the high temperatures and fewest snowfalls. Still, the most organised resorts managed to provide for any shortage thanks to programmed artificial very expensive snow. Yes, ‘expensive’ especially when you have to build an entire snowpark.

Among the fewest Italian resorts not afraid to invest in building a nice snowpark there is Seiser Alm, the plateau of Siusi in Bolzano province, that since a few years now has become one of, if not the best snowpark in Italy.

Alpe di Siusi once again proved to be the freestyle capital, finishing all its features first, its pro-line kicker too with three jumps in a row and the well-known Schlern’s silhouette in the background.

Since years Seiser Alm, thanks to its super snowpark, have hosted not only the Italian national freestyle team but also many international brands who picked the South Tyrolian resort as the perfect set for their

MAX ZEBE

WERNI STOCK

SEPPL RAMSBACHER

MARKO GRILC

MAX ZEBE

lifestyle and action shootings. Burton did not lose time and wanted

get more tricks and in just one morning you can get the footage you

to try the new features created by F-Tech, organising one of those

would get in two days otherwise.

shootings with its European team, featuring the likes of Marko Grilc, Werni Stock and the Italian Max Zebe, born and raised right in this

The best international freestyle scene gathers on the Alpe also thanks

park.

to the Panettone Bros. Since many years this crew have managed the snowpark’s hut and it is famous for its fabulous BBQs and the penan-

This kind of shootings are usually very laid back, as there are no

ces after the spikes and hammer game. If you don’t know what we are

product catalogues to produce and all the energies are spent into

talking about, you basically have to try to plant a spike in a trunk with

riding to come up with “fun” footage, just like during a normal day

a hammer that resembles a wrench.

snowboarding with your friends – with the sheer difference of the level of riding.

In the afternoon, after one of those infamous Panettone Bros’ BBQs and the usual spike and hammer game, Max Zebe and his mates con-

The Alpe is particularly indicated for this kind of situations. Well, to be

centrated on the big kickers trying simple tricks first and other tougher

fair, Seiser Alm is perfect for any kind of shootings. The park is split

manoeuvres afterwards. All Burton riders soon found themselves at

into two great consecutive parts. The higher part is all dedicated to

ease with F-Tech’s set-up, and despite the relaxed atmosphere they

jibbing, with features for beginners and pros. This area is perfect to

did not hold back. Max Zebe landed a couple of double corks I had

learn and get the right confidence with your tricks, but also to warm

never seen him do with such incredible style, just like when he grind

up a bit and have fun riding all the features in a row, while getting

street rails.

ready for the bigger kickers of the lower zone. Snowpark’s heart is in fact right there, in the lower part, where the three consecutive

The mood of the day was more or less like this: riding, skidooing, jum-

kickers play the leading role in the Italian and international freestyle

ping, BBQing, alternated and repeated, under a perfect sun and blue-

scene.

birds. In a few words, all the right ingredients for a flawless shooting.

Marko & co. unleashed a series of fun tricks in the park’s higher part,

We bet Seiser Alm is going to be the first resort to complete its

among boxes, huge AA batteries to grind and fun boxes to be passed

snowpark this season too. You’d better stay tuned on the resort’s so-

over flying in backside air. All this while going back to the top with

cial network pages to find out when the park is going to be open for

the help of some skidoos – a sledge is just a blessing during a pho-

the new season and organise your personal photo shooting session

to-session, since the riders do not get tired, everybody manages to

just like Burton guys did.

MAX ZEBE

SEPPL RAMSBACHER

WERNI STOCK

SEPPL RAMSBACHER

TXT & PICS: MATT GEORGES

This year will be the eleventh, yes my eleventh year shooter snowboarding! One can easily wonder what motivates me after all that time spent on the snow. Which is flourishing in combining snowboarding and photography, this is the opportunity to grow, not to stagnate, out of your comfort zone to try new things year after year, even miss them, but all this of course would not be possible without the BASICS! Yes, the basics are important. It served Markus well here to do his Mc Twist with his Swallow board on the hip in Patagonia, Argentina’s backcountry, which made the cover of this issue 53 of Sequence Mag. His mother told him all the time being small it was very important to have good basics. So he rode the pipe which helped him a lot, like so many others too, to be comfortable in the backcountry a few years later. And yes... the basics!

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: DBK IN JAPAN FREDI KALBERMATTEN IN SAAS FEE TOKYO, JAPAN JAMES NIEDERBERG IN SAAS FEE SEVY VAN DER MEER IN NEDAZ, SWITZERLAND FREDI KALBERMATTEN IN SAAS FEE

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: NILS ARVIDSSON IN JAPAN SEVY VAN DEER MEER IN NENDAZ, SWITZERLAND LAAX, SWITZERLAND NENDAZ, SWITZERLAND SEVY VAN DEER MEER IN NENDAZ, SWITZERLAND KORUA BOARD IN NENDAZ, SWITZERLAND

This bluish monochrome printing technique is called Cyanotype, and it is one of the first photographic processes developed in 1842 by the scientist and English astronomer John Frederick William Herschel. This is a chemical mixture of citrate ferric ammonium and potassium ferricyanide. After mixing the 50/50 solution, away from the light of course, it is possible to give a particular shape to draw its future using for example different brushes or even a sponge. Once the sheet (watercolor paper, preferably) dries, it is then necessary to expose it to the sun’s UV rays, then rinse with clear water in a bathtub, for example. That is when the iron on the draw will reveal a monochrome image from a blue color to cyan blue Prussia. Each print is unique, because we will never get the same shape with the brush when spread the chemical solution, or even an exactly similar exhibition with the sun.

Sometimes it is so much easier to stick to the basics, no frills.

Brushes, a sheet of paper and sun for a blue and white photo, the basic colors of the snow! William Herschel, thank you!

We are in Innsbruck for a few days on the streets searching for potential street spots.

I’m staying in the back of the van. I don’t feel that well, because I got a bad injury in Laax, and I have to rest for a while. So Alex asks me to write our trip’s story. So I’m doing it.

Day 1 of the trip. We start it off from the DC Chalet on February 20th on a fresh cold mini-van with an Estonian plate. On the road we pick Tom Picamoles up, who’s ready to go for it since 4am. The meeting should have been at 4pm, who knows why then.

Next stop: Geneva airport, where we pick up Kolben and Mahi after their trip to AK. Then, last stop: we hook up with Federico and Jack in Laax, in a super hippie camping with mushroom-shaped bungalows and we stay there for a couple of days. The crew is finally in its entirety! Marco (the guy who runs the camping) does not lose time and shower us with alcohol as soon as we get there.

We are not here to fuck spiders so we start to look for spots since dawn. The first one catching my eye is this feature made of concrete along the street where we shape a hip thinking of riding it the following morning to get a better speed.

Clearly I take the chance of getting my knee from bad to worse so I have the time to write this thing down.

After this two-day trip in Laax, we get into the van heading off to Innsbruck. We play cards, listen to music, take a look at the shots of the session, while the fog gets thicker thanks to Fede and his electronic cigarette.

Once landed in Austria, the majority of the crew takes place in an apartment in town, while Tom and I are welcomed by Jack, and we have a good chuckle with the crazy rasta man!

Monday 23rd: First spot in Innsbruck. An easy flat rail that Alex, Tom, Mahi and Jack can play on landing some nice tricks. In the meanwhile I stay in the van, putting some ice on my knee and seated in first row to enjoy their show.

How good is to get around with these boys from different parts of the world (New Zealand, Italy, France and Alaska). It’s a real emotion being part of this crew, sharing moments and never-ending fun.

TXT: VICTOR LORON PICS: KOLBEN SAETRE

VICTOR LORON

GIACOMO ERRICHIELLO

GIACOMO ERRICHIELLO IN ITALY

MAHI MAINS

GIACOMO ERRICHIELLO

Our shovels bought in Moutiers (France) are shitty and they break one by one. The same morning before the session we have to go search for some shovels in the shops of Innsbruck. We get to the spot, a beautiful lakeside place, and there’s a tough donkey rail. To the left of the rail there are some stairs and to the right a tree which is right next to the stairs. There’s basically not so much space for trials and errors.

The session starts at 11am, with Jack, Alex and Tom. The hours go by and soon it’s already 4pm, while there’s only one Kiwi soldier left at the top of the stairset: Alex Stewart. He warms up to shoot some backlips. An impressive maneuver, since the tree’s proximity, because as soon as he gets his backlip on it, he should 50-50 for just a fraction of a second to avoid the tree, then back on the backlip, soak up the kink and land the trick. I really can’t explain how much difficult and technical that trick is!

After a three-digit tries, all the crew motivate Alex. Kolben is shooting, Fede is filming and Brad is controlling the drone. “DROP IIIIN!”. The Austrian spectators are there and the coaches crossing the street in front of us make the rest.

Two hours have already gone by with slams and crashes as if it had been no tomorrow. Everybody is tired but no one speaks. Eventually, with a half-broken helmet and slams all over the place, Alex is still on his feet and the much-awaited trick is nailed!

Wednesday 25th: me and Alex like two Bro© we get ourselves into the van to freeze our articular aches. The rest of the crew is out there to shape up a wall ride out of Innsbruck. The session starts, from the sky some snow flakes and some BANGERS are coming down! The word “Bangers” for Rusty is when a trick is really cool.

Thursday 26th: We are in a rough and tough spot, with two rails connected along a castle. Tricks’ options are infinite. There is an issue though: the owners come speak to us and they’re pretty pissed off, because a lot of riders go there to do exactly what we are doing. “In wintertime guys like you come here and ruin our place. It’s a problem, you understand?!”. We do understand but we are good negotiators, so we manage to get an agreement: 25€ in beers and we wouldn’t break anything. Alex is already rushing to the supermarket.

Saturday 28th: Our trip continues with a laid-back couple of days in Milan. During some skateboarding and pizza, cocktails and the fashion week, Tom and I appreciate it all staying at Francesco’s.

Monday 2nd of March: We get on the Banger Van again and drive towards Briançon to stay in the town of Vauban. During our research for spots, we find a nice rail on the road, right next to the motorway.

Vauban, where we would stay for three days, is a dream come true. The immense number of spots we can hit is just overwhelming.

Thursday 5th: We arrive in Andorra. The 4-star “Llop Gris” hotel’s guys gently host us, at the bottom of the ski runs. They take care of us like if we were kings: there’s a spa with a pool, a gym, a mini skate ramp and a squash court. The restaurant constantly gives us the energy to go build up several different spots during the rest of the day.

This is Becco Brad after a big night like zombie: “We went for it a bit too much last night, Victor...”. Hearing that I already feel relieved not having gone out because I was too much into riding the following day.

ALEX STEWART IN LAAX, SWITZERLAND

ALEX STEWART IN SEEFIELD, AUSTRIA

Our stay comprehends shooting, shaping the spots and riding the night park between 6pm and 9pm. But to tell the truth this is just the warm up. We organise the gear inside this “Peretol” hotel, which is at the bottom of the park, another place we find ourselves at home. In between 10pm and 7am is the moment in which we have to give it all – after three coffees and six rums.

At 8am, done with our normal working day, we are back in our hotel just in time for breakfast, then spa for the bravest, then a couple of hours in bed to repeat the same schedule for yet another day. We live bats’ life.

The hotel’s boss helps Alex out in installing a drop from the first floor over the pool, to jump in it with his snowboard from 7-8 metres high, and his daughter Arami helps us to dry our gear up. Useless to repeat how much we are welcomed here! Since there always must be a bad moment, during our fifth day in Andorra our van breaks.

We have to find another way to reach the night park of Peretol.

A friend of mine whose name is “Jesus” and lives in Andorra comes help us out (“Jesus saves”) and brings us to the park in the evening for our night shooting and he even comes at dawn to get us back to the hotel. Geared up with our technical equipment and litres of rum, we begin to work in this park which can boasts features comparable to the ones you can find in the States.

There’s only one night session in the park left and there’s so much still to film, but we can do it. The hours pass by, the sun is about to come as the new day approaches, the alcohol is not missing and... shit, we are not done yet! More and more pressure.

There’s only one shot left now, we have to project the images on the van and just guess?! The generator doesn’t start, the tank is empty. We are in the parking lot, it’s cold and all is frozen, the gas station are closed, of course. We are screwed. Alex desperately goes back to the “Peretol” and comes back with a plastic tube and the aspect of a lion. The boy never runs out of ideas...

So we start to sip our van’s gasoline to fill up the generator. Because of alcohol, Jack decided to pass part of the night sleeping in the van so he wakes up while Alex is sipping and tries to teach him how to do that – without, of course, having the slightest idea of it. “Jack, we don’t have time for your crappy things, go back to sleep!”

Alex gets angry and tries to kick a rum bottle, but he misses it and miserably falls down. While Francesco is trying to fix the projector and the cameras in between the general chaos, he sees Alex’s scene and overwhelmed by the frenzy and the fatigue, bursts into laughters and collapses on the ground.

The light eventually comes but we manage to film this shot at last! We’ve spent 13 hours in this park, it’s 7 in the morning, mission is accomplished. Now it’s the moment to sleep a bit before getting home.

Our trip has ended, we leave the “Llop Gris” hotel that hosted us so warmly. Time to say a huge thank you to all its staff, a couple of nice words and some tears if necessary.

See you next winter!

VICTOR LORON IN SEEFIELD, AUSTRIA

VICTOR LORON IN SEEFIELD, AUSTRIA

GIACOMO ERRICHIELLO IN LAAX, SWITZERLAND

GIACOMO ERRICHIELLO IN SEEFIELD, AUSTRIA

PORTRAIT & ITW: GIACOMO MARGUTTI PICS: MARKUS ROHRBACHER & PASI SALMINEN

BY MARKUS ROHRBACHER IN FINLAND

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN UP TO SINCE THE END OF LAST SEASON? Last season for me it was a bit more chill, as I travelled a little bit less. Nitro came to Finland for three trips and of course I was part of those, and then at the end of the season I went with Nitro to Svalbard for another week. So actually I ended up filming in total, I’d say, three weeks with Nitro and then I went on a couple of random trips with Method Mag with my buddy Antti Jussila, who just invited me. All in all I filmed four weeks during the whole season, but in the end, during those four weeks, I got somewhere close to 20 to 30 shots, which would have been enough for a video part even if I said on the “Ender” that I wasn’t gonna film video parts anymore. I still love filming and it’s nice to go out, but as I said in my own movie I don’t see the value of making video parts anymore especially when I’ve done it for 15 years now. This past summer I’ve been taking it super easy. I’ve been skating, cycling and playing squash and badminton, just enjoying summer and trying to get ready for this season – I have some cool plans for the next one.

HOW ARE YOU PREPARING FOR THE UPCOMING SEASON? For this se-

ason I have a big plan with Pablo Films and Red Bull Media House. We’re filming a project that’s only gonna take one week to film it, and to put it out on the internet right after we finish it. It’s only gonna be filmed in Helsinki. We’re hoping to put it out either January or February. And it seems that Nitro also wants to make a movie - more like a documentary type of movie - so I’ll be part of that too.

WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON THE OVERWHELMING CONSTANT FLOW OF VIDEOS ON SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS? I don’t really know. I feel like there’s too much content on the internet and on Facebook all the time and that’s why I realised that to me filming a video part wouldn’t make any sense. You work super hard for five or six months and then it comes out, it goes on Facebook and lives there for two days. I don’t really know what the next step is and I think it’s just about doing something a little outside the box. Either it has to be super crazy, tricks or something like this, or you have to go on crazy trips, like somewhere nobody has ever been before. Otherwise it just gets lost in the mix.

I don’t really have a solution or a straight answer. I’m struggling with that too.

BY PASI SALMINEN IN FINLAND

WHAT’S YOUR STRATEGY FOR MAKING YOUR VIDEOS STAND OUT? What I’m trying to do is just post stuff on Instagram and Facebook all the time, just post the stuff that I like to do. It doesn’t have to be anything special, but I feel like people who follow me are just happy to see a front board with a classic style that I always do, instead of me trying to spin a switch backside triple cork. I love skateboarding and I watch a lot of skateboard videos. I’d rather see my favourite skater do a nice frontside kickflip instead of him trying to do a 540 flip down something. I think there has to be something classic about the video - when you grow up with a specific skater or a specific snowboarder you still want to see the classic stuff that they do, what they can do best. That’s what took me a long time to understand also. When I was riding I was thinking, “I have to be able to do every trick in the book, I have to be able to spin all the ways, have to be able to do all the 1080s,” but then I would have the video parts and do switch backside 7 or switch backside 9 and it would look super ugly and I was like, “Why would I really need to do this when it doesn’t look good?”. You’d rather concentrate on stuff that looks good, and I think that’s gonna inspire people.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE LEVEL OF SNOWBOARD COMPETITIONS AND TRICKS NOWADAYS? The competition is crazy. There’s a way bigger gap between the guys who only film video parts and the guys who compete. If you take anyone – OK, maybe we can’t count Torstein (Horgmo) or someone else, ‘cause Torstein can still compete and be on the podium - but 99% of the guys who are filming could never podium in a contest. It’s taking snowboarding into a totally different direction. By “huge gap”, I mean the technique and the consistency and just how good the riders have to be and are. In the contests these days it’s getting more and more acrobatic. To me sometimes it doesn’t look like snowboarding anymore, ‘cause it’s like more or less just spinning and you don’t even know what they’re doing in the air anymore. You can’t really concentrate on the style. But I think that’s why it’s still important that there are some who are filming, because that is gonna respect the roots of snowboarding, the heritage, the style of it.

IS THERE ANY RIDER WHO REALLY STANDS OUT FOR YOU? I really

BY MARKUS ROHRBACHER IN SVALBARD

like Alek Oestreng. He’s not a typical contest rider. He always pulls off something weird, different grabs, he can always switch up his run. Riders like him are cool to watch because you never know what to expect, they can basically do every single trick from the book with every different grab and variation. They do handrails, handplants, they can do quad corks, triple corks and stuff. Danny Davis in the pipe, for example, Alek in the slopestyle.

Or Markus Kleveland, he is crazy and I can’t wait to see what he has to offer in the next couple of years. He is definitely on the acrobatic side for now because he wants to win contests, but I think he has all the potential to be one of best filming guys too when he’s done with the contests. He has a bright future ahead of him.

BIG AIR WILL BE PART OF THE NEXT WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES IN 2018, AND IN THE NEXT SUMMER OLYMPICS IN 2020 THERE WILL BE SURFING AND SKATEBOARDING. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THESE CHANGES? This just proves that a lot of the Olympic sports are getting outdated and the kids and the youngsters don’t wanna watch the Olympi-

cs anymore, because there are not interesting sports anymore. This is the way the (International Olympic Committee) is reacting to it, they wanna be cool again. They kind of didn’t have any other choice than to make skateboarding, surfing and snowboarding a part of it. Snowboarding is getting the highest ratings and audiences, like hockey and a few other cool sports that young people still actually do. If you look at ski jumping or cross country skiing, they used to be cool sports, but no one cares anymore. As for me, since I’m not competing, I’m just happy that I get to watch some of my favourite sports on TV. It’s not necessarily taking the sport in a good direction, but I think it’s still gonna inspire more people to actually try the sports and at some point it will bring more money, at least for the qualification’s year, and to the guys who actually compete.

ABOUT SPONSORS. TOGETHER WITH MARKO GRILC, YOU ARE ONE OF THE FEW RIDERS WHO HAVE MANAGED TO HOLD ON TO THE SAME SPONSORS THROUGHOUT ALL THESE ROUGH TIMES. WHAT’S THE SECRET OF IT? The most important thing is that I realised that loyalty

BY MARKUS ROHRBACHER IN SVALBARD

always pays off. When I was younger and I was already riding for Nitro and Oakley, I got offers to go ride for some other companies. Sometimes they’re tempting. But I’ve been with Nitro for 16 years, and if I had ended up with a bad year they wouldn’t just have focused on this one bad year, but instead said, “OK, this guy has been on the team for 16 years and having one bad year doesn’t mean anything.” But if you’re new on the team and you end up getting injured during the first year, then you might be kicked off the team. Loyalty goes both ways. If I stay loyal to a company, there’s a better chance they stay loyal to me too when I’m having bad times. I think that’s always been a good thing to stay true to yourself and stay loyal to your sponsors and they’d definitely respect that.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR YOUNGSTERS WHO WANT TO REPLICATE YOUR LONG CAREER AND MAINTAIN LASTING RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEIR SPONSORS? What makes me and Marko Grilc similar, is that we see snowboarding also a job, not just that we’re going on a hill to have fun. We also see the business side of it. I can understand why Nitro

are sponsoring me, and why they back some projects. You have to see also the sponsors’ perspective, why they wanna keep someone on the team.

That’s how you can actually start to see why you have to make some kinds of decisions and what is gonna be good for your career, like making your own movie, making the web episodes, filming with this specific company.

You always have to look at it like, “If I do this, if I invest my own money, my own time in doing this, is this gonna help me in the long run?”. The more you work with the company the more they respect you and that’s how both parties get the biggest benefit.

YOU HAVE HAD A LOT OF NITRO PRO-MODEL BOARDS. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE? In terms of graphics, you always feel like the newest one is the coolest one because when you ride something for one year or a year and a half, you get bored of it and you always get excited when you get the new one. But I still like the newest one with the Northern Lights theme and the graphics. I think that came out super nice and the feedback I’ve been getting about it seems like people love it. I’m not only thinking

BY PASI SALMINEN IN FINLAND

about the sales perspective, I’m always trying to tell a story about myself with the graphics. And with the Northern Lights and me coming from Finland, it’s a pretty common thing in Lapland to see. It’s a bit more mature than some of my boards, because I used to have like all these cartoons drawings, and now I’m kinda shifting away from that. I wanted it to be a high-end looking board, because my board is pretty expensive too and probably the consumer who buys it – because it comes out with sizes 55 and 58, it can’t be a small, young kid buying it - I think for that target group it’s gonna be a pretty appealing board and I’m happy with the way it cameW out.

WHAT HAS SNOWBOARDING GIVEN TO YOU? Snowboarding has formed me into the person that I am nowadays. Without all this travelling and meeting all these cool people I gotta work with, without having all these chances I wouldn’t have been here today talking about this and probably I wouldn’t even speak English. All this stuff that you learn through snowboarding has given me so much.

DO YOU HAVE ANY REGRETS ABOUT YOUR CAREER? Not really.

Of course I would take out all the injuries that I had with my knees, but at the same time with injuries you grow as a person and you respect yourself more. For some people and also for me it was a good learning experience and good motivation - getting hurt and some people telling me, “There’s no way you are gonna come back at the same level.” That’s when you bring out your inner strength.

That’s when you start working much harder. You wanna be at the same place that you used to be. But besides that I definitely have no regrets. I’ve been extremely lucky with the people I met along the way, like being able to ride with Heikki (Sorsa) who took me under his wing, and filming for Standard Films and from there getting onto Mack Dawg, which was the biggest company of the time, and then doing my own TV show with Oakley, and going from there to making my own webisodes, and now making my own movie. I feel like I’ve been able to achieve all the goals that I wanted to. I definitely have no regrets, and I think snowboarding has given me way more

BY GIACOMO MARGUTTI IN MILAN

than I had ever expected to get. Looking back I definitely wouldn’t change anything.

WHAT DO YOU SEE AS YOUR BIGGEST CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENT? Being able to make “Ender” and having all my career itself in one movie, that’s probably the biggest achievement for me. Having something that I would like to watch when I’m 60. Having it all on a DVD and being able to say, “This is what I’ve done.” If you talk to my sponsors they’d probably say that the biggest thing was winning the X Games or the last video part with Mack Dawg, but to me there’s also a value in making my own movie because a lot of stress went into it, a lot of doubts like getting the budget from Red Bull. When you have to organise everything yourself and you have doubts whether you actually have what it takes to make a movie that people are stoked to see, with the full tour going to the USA and all these stops in Europe and there seeing that people were hyped on the movie, well that was the biggest reward I could ever get. Having a nice career and people respecting it.

I THINK THAT IT’S ALWAYS A GOOD THING TO STAY TRUE TO YOURSELF AND STAY LOYAL TO YOUR SPONSORS AND THEY WILL DEFINITELY RESPECT IT.

TXT: ALESSIA GUALLA PICS: ROBERTO BRAGOTTO

ETHAN MORGAN

SIMON GRUBER

MARCO GRIGIS

CAMPER LIFE IS TOUGH BUT WHEN YOU WAKE UP AT ONLY 100M FROM THE SPOT AND YOU LIVE SO INTENSELY CLOSE TO NATURE, WELL IT ALL PAYS OFF IN THE END.

Last winter was not that easy. High temperatures, inconsistent weather, no fresh snow in February throughout Europe. Given all this, there was no sense into planning anything like filming in precise spots. Idea: we need to follow the incoming low-pressure area, no matter where nor when. And the only way to do so was to get a house on wheels.

We had three riders, one filmer, one photographer and one month. The main goal should have been the backcountry, to fit our road trip style – taking it day by day, searching for fresh powder, walking and immersing our soul and body in nature.

So our decision was to rent a camper van and search for the appropriate conditions to film enjoying a bit of fresh pow.

The characters of this story are: Simon Gruber – we know him well. He is one of the most expert and versatile snowboarders in Italy, he always goes as big as he can pushing his backside airs into space. We saw some of them at the Nine Knights - serious stuff. He loves freeriding and when you see him ride it always seems he is pulling off the easiest thing on earth. Sometimes he parties hard until 6am but then he rides the park the next morning as if it was nothing and makes you wonder which planet he comes from.

Ethan Morgan – he was born in Japan, he has a double citizenship, American and German, but he lives in Austria. Nobody has ever understood anything from his story, but what matters here is that he is well-known internationally and he is a super-stylish rider, able to adapt his riding to any situation. He loves to jump but he also likes to mix it up. That’s why he always drinks RV Juice - we’re gonna tell you what this is later on, don’t worry. Marco Grigis AKA Marchino – he is one of the family too. He is Italian, currently going through one of his best career’s moments. Young, always smiling, he plays benjo very well and lately he likes to hang in between mountain peeks balancing on a slack line. Marco Morandi AKA Johnny – filmer. He is one of the Italian snowboard scene’s characters of reference, pushing himself and his filming to the greatest international ground. This year he has filmed for Method Magazine too, and his name is roaring all throughout Europe. His personal story is complicated, but since he is very good at telling other people’s lives he turned this into his job. Nobody can explain how he

ETHAN MORGAN

could leave home his Jack Russel “Houston” for all that time. They are inseparable.

Roby Bragotto – he does not want any AKA, he is only Roby. He is the photographer.

He always says his shots suck, only then to win the Click of the Mountain contest where he is the only Italian invited. He has a stunning artistic flair, a sensitive soul and a big heart. The thing he loves the most is snowboarding with his friends. The other hobby he has is breaking his bindings in backcountry and blaming Simon for that, since he has not donated Roby a brand new pair.

They met up in Seiser Alm, Alpe di Siusi, as Simon had just participated into a Slopestyle Europa Cup stop, while Ethan had hit the park for some time during the day, then they packed everything up on the camper van and left.

Time to leave contests, points, rankings, comp’s runs and bibs’ numbers, the infamous spin-to-win thing and all the paranoia behind.

“Johnny came up with this project together with Monster,” Roby starts to tell. “When it was planned that the riders would have been Simon and Marchino they contacted me. I worked so many times with them and, most of all, we are close friends. They did not have to ask me twice, when they proposed it to me I said “OK” straight away.

“At the beginning we did not know where to go,” Johnny says. “Then after double checking the weather forecast we decided that something was arriving over Austria, so we decided that it would have been our first stop. Basically we simply followed the low-pressure areas. Or, most likely, we just followed the only one around the Alps, from Austria to Italy, to France and eventually to Switzerland and then again to Italy.”

Arlberg is located on a pass at 2’800m. Not so much to do over there: some restaurants, a couple of hotels and a few houses. During the first days the main goal was to get used to the “gipsy life”, with its first issues. “For example, the temperature was around -22°C and there was no sort of heating,” Johnny adds. “The van was made

SIMON GRUBER

MARCO MORANDI

MARCO GRIGIS

MARCO GRIGIS

for summer trips, when you stop in camper areas, you plug in and all is just fine.

That was not our case. There was the gas tank for the heating, but it only lasts for a day and a half. The solution was to set the alarm every two hours to switch on the engine to get the warm air flow.”

Five people inside a van which in theory was made for seven, but with snowboarding gear and darn cold. You feel tight at the beginning, but then you get used to it and it is worth the try. Key word: FRIENDSHIP. You take off with the same spirit you once used to have at the beginning of a school trip: fun, a lot of enthusiasm and confidence. Simon, Marchino, Roby and Johnny already knew each other since a lifetime, as they had already worked together one thousand times but never gone through such a trip all together. They were stoked like kids who have eaten too much sugar, and Ethan just followed them as if he had been on the same crew since years.

“It didn’t take long to him to settle in,” Roby says. “In Seiser Alm, before even leaving, he was already in total harmony with everyone of us. It seemed we all knew each other since long time.” “At first when I heard the idea of taking a van I wasn’t much happy with it,” Simon says. “Well, you always have your gear completely wet, you don’t have any moment for yourself, everything is of everyone, like the beds, because in the end one of the beds was the flippable table and there were things all over the place. I expected the worst, but in the end it wasn’t actually that bad.

On the contrary, it has been really cool. We had so much fun.” And what about the shower? “The shower was our storage closet,” Johnny says. “Inside there were boots and boards. We used restaurants’ washrooms or we sneaked in hotels to get into their public toilets and to wash ourselves. It was impossible to get a shower on the van. Our typical day was: 6:00am or 6:30am wake-up call, breakfast at the bar, snowshoes walking for an hour or an hour and a half, then an all-day-long shooting.

At evening: restaurant, schnitzel and potatoes and public washrooms trying to get

MARCO GRIGIS

something that was as much possible close to what a shower is. Then back to the van, a couple of beers and cards.”

The landlord was Ethan, since he lives 40 minutes away. Apparently there are many spots out there and good to build kickers. Roby had already been there together with Simon and Marchino shooting for a month, but Ethan played the secret spot card going on the opposite face. The first three days were daunted by bad weather but were useful to build up features, then the sun eventually came out and five incredibly beautiful days followed. Camper life is tough. You feel tight, you can’t really wash yourself, you sleep in the cold, in the morning you can’t open the door because it has frozen during the night. But when you wake up at only 100m from the spot and you live so intensely close to nature, well it all pays off in the end. Even more if you are up there with friends, you live exactly what snowboarding is for: having fun, laughing all together, light-hearted floating on the snow and without any kind of stress. There also was Marchino who played benjo and gave some kind of hippie energy to everyone.

“When we arrived it was raining, it was a disaster,” Simon says. “We began to build under the rain, but then we got lucky and it began to snow. By the time we were done, the jumps were hard as marble and with a perfect landing. It must have snowed half a meter of powder in the meanwhile. And then the sun, at last! It just couldn’t have been better than that.” After a week the weather was really nice, while the snow was not. In those cases you know that you have a certain number of days to come up with the footage, then the low-pressure area ends, and after only a couple of days it is already time to go somewhere else. Snow is not fresh anymore, while the landings are already gone bad.

“You are never 100% sure of having the footage you really need but you guess you’re OK and you move on,” Roby says. “You simply feel like it’s time to go, as you’re happy with what you’ve got that far. You move on with a smile on your face.”

The low-pressure area moved on to the Western part of Italy, right over the Mont Blanc, so the journey towards Courmayeur started off. Right there then, a special guest joined them.

SIMON GRUBER

YOU TAKE OFF WITH THE SAME SPIRIT YOU ONCE USED TO HAVE AT THE BEGINNING OF A SCHOOL TRIP: FUN, A LOT OF ENTHUSIASM AND CONFIDENCE.

ETHAN MORGAN

MARKUS KELLER

As far back as I can remember, Japan has always been a classic pilgrimage for snowboarders. Throughout the winter, you can count on the land of the rising sun to get blanketed by heavy snowstorms. And like clockwork, every single winter, a bunch of adventurous snowboarders take the chance to taste its magic. For most of us, that trip to the other side of the world remains very distant, so we decided that it was time to experience it for ourselves, AGAIN! Yes again… because between all of us, we have been there more than 20 times. It sounds a lot but each time is a new experience, and each time we find new spots. Markus has been there seven times, Nils three times, Valérian two times, myself eight times and DBK was his first time so he was definitely the rookie from our crew.

So, yes, once again we decided it was time to embrace the Japanese mountains of the northern island of Hokkaido immersed in a peaceful and frozen environment. The “cliché” was real. With deep snow, good terrain and... a lot of hiking. From the crowd of Tokyo, Honshu Island, to the loneliness of Asahidake, Hokkaido Island, we definitely experienced japanese contradictions at its highest level. And, as suspected, Japan was AGAIN definitely a good call!

Our first mission was to catch up the beloved Car Danchi crew and spend some time together shredding powder. Unfortunately the language barrier did not really help meeting up with Hayato Doi (AKA Sharky Boy) and Kazuchi Yamauchi (AKA Orange Man AKA YAMA SAN) and unfortunately we ended up spending only a day together at the end. If those names remind you of cartoon characters, it is actually not so far from reality. Riding long swallow boards while completely dressed up in orange, (including socks, boxers and even the wheel covers on their van) calling upon Krishna before each run, and stretching

TXT & PICS: MATT GEORGES SPOT: JAPAN

NILS ARVIDSSON

NILS ARVIDSSON

like Plastic Man… those Japanese guys really look like they are from outer space. As we were total sucker for baths, showers, hot tubs… you name it. In Japan they have this thing called “Onsen”, which basically means hot springs. These relaxing baths use water from the mountain, which is naturally warmed by the volcanic activity in the earth, and can smell like a really bad McDonald’s fart. Never mind the smell – it is amazing! The special thing in Japan is that they do not only do the hot baths, they also have icy cold pools that will shrink your balls’ sack to the size of a ping pong ball in no time. But going back and fourth from hot to cold water is really good to keep from getting sore muscles, so the longer you stay in the ball shrinking cold, the better. Since the pow was all-time on our trip and we didn’t want to have a day off to recover, Nils and DBK went onsen crazy and did it every damn day after riding! It definitely helped, because the whole crew rode eleven awesome days in a row. After that the legs were just like overcooked spaghetti!

These nomadic snowboarders from the CAR DANCHI Movement spend most of their winter time living in their van, chase deep snow everyday, avoid crowd from cities and get lost in the deepest and most secret corners of Hokkaido Island to just slash powder all day long in slow motion style. They always check the latest storms and follow the flakes just to enjoy unlimited lines, accessible from the road, lost on a pass, in the middle of nowhere in the wild. Of course, when you sleep in your van, especially after a long day outside in the cold you better know where to park and where to go for an onsen spot and aprés-ski chill.

So their only three concerns is to get good terrain, good powder and a hot public bath near by. This is just mandatory!

Japan is probably the place where you find the lightest and the deepest snow in the world, but it also could be the place where you hike the most. I remember the first day that Markus brought us into that huge zone near Niseko. When we got there, we could already see an infinite forest loaded with white gold from the road!

Immediately, everyone started looking around and checking different options. I do not really know why, but Valerian chose to pack his backpack and go get lost on the opposite side of the road and the crew. He probably thought he will find a spot closer and quicker than everyone. Ah! Typical french style, those guys never listen… (shit, I’m french too!). But as he got closer, he realised that there was not enough speed, so he kept hiking up to the next one, and this time there was a tree in the middle of the in-run. So once again to the next one that turned out to have a flat landing and so on. He just kept on going like this for more than two hours and at some point, he was like, “okay, it’s time to give up and go find the boys” but on his way back he found himself in front of a perfect cliff that seemed to be just the spot he has been looking for the whole day.

Both landing and in-run looked good, it seemed perfect and he just had to go check it from the top! Excited again to start another hike mission he suddenly felt into a hole. The only thing that kept him from falling all the way in a deep river cave was that he managed to hang from his board. But without anything under his feet, it was really hard to climb out. Far away from the rest of the crew, no one could hear him screaming and asking for help. It took him more than an hour and the rest of his energy, just to get out and find us again in the wild. Lucky him of course, but rookie mistake to leave the crew and go alone in the opposite direction. The next day he was just totally cooked and of course not so picky anymore about the flat landings and sketchy in-runs…

Couple days later, thanks to another long hike in that deep powder and maybe thanks to the jet lag, he was dead tired, took a little break, and felt asleep in a snowstorm. Suddenly he woke to the sound of the cops using a siren to make us come back down from our spot.

DBK

DBK

NILS ARVIDSSON

They were about to remove our van and maybe even give us a fine, since it’s forbidden to ride in that area. This is a major problem here in Japan passes, because many spots are just near by the road but you have to park somewhere at some points. Sometimes it is just easy to dig a big hole and get your car in there but sometimes you have to park Italian style (yeah, I know, I’m a man full of cliché). This day we could not really park well and got the visit of both the road patrol and police. To find us they use a very loud siren and talk to us in a funny English saying «NO SNOWBOARDING – PLEASE GO – NO SNOWBOARDING – NO PARKING – PLEASE GO…» that resonate in the whole mountain. Quite scary the first time, you feel like being arrested after robbing a bank on the fifth avenue in NYC but actually you are just in the middle of nowhere in Japan backcountry. Anyway without them, Valerian might still be sleeping there, on the opposite side, again!

After a little while isolated in the forest we decided it was time to enjoy a bit of civilisation so we went night riding in Niseko resort. Usually snowboarding at night means generators, filmers, flashes in the way and absolute freezing cold. In short, a lot of work and usually a lot less fun than we usually have in the daytime for both of us, riders and filmers/ photographers. Apparently night riding is a big thing in Japan. Here and there, resorts light up a piece of the mountain, creating the appearance of a floating island in a sea of black. We feel like on the moon even if I have never been there… I think.

People go night riding after work to get their mind off of things and there is even enough light to do some sprays next to the slopes. We hit perfect conditions in Japan, so we were pretty beat up every evening after shooting all day long. But we still had to get a taste of Niseko’s famous night riding. It was totally worth it to get back into our wet snowboard gear and hit the slopes with the crew, we just had a good time shredding full speed for hours!

Nils found a carton of plum wine in the car (with eight people in one van, there was stuff being lost and found all the time). Those drinks helped us loosen up our stiff muscles. We had a blast and it actually felt like a mini-vacation in the middle of our Japan trip. Finally, no hiking, no waiting for weather windows, no backpack, no snowshoes… just the crew and a random carton of plum wine. Hell yeah!

Going to Japan was a first time for DBK and of course he was the most excited!

It goes without saying that after the time on our boards, we had to visit Tokyo together.

While in Hokkaido Island, it was dumping every day and night, we did not really have any days off, we just shot every single day. This also meant we got home every night super late and super tired, which did not leave any room for the occasional beer(ssss) at the bar.

So after an amazing time in the snow, we couldn’t wait to dive into Tokyo. Compared to Hokkaido, the main Island was relatively warm and it really felt like a getaway to a foreign and wonderfully weird play land. Few evidences to complete the picture: sleepless nights, karaoke, lost in the subway, fish market after clubs, bathrobe on the streets, palavers with the bouncers, all you can drink, flights missed, last minute tattoos… Classic!

Arigato gozaimasu Japan! AGAIN!

DBK

TXT: GIACOMO MARGUTTI PICS: MATT GEORGES RIDER: MARKUS KELLER

During one of my trips in Japan I passed by Tokyo and tried a new thing – a night in a capsule hotel. These hotels’ rooms are made of plastic modular blocks of a length of around two metres and a width of one metre. Not that bad then. Well, more or less. The more interesting and fairly awkward if not fearsome thing is that those capsule are a bit more than one-metre high. A room, well, a bed, is very cheap though, around 15/20€ a day. A little curtain at the bottom of your capsule guarantees your privacy. OK, kind of. Basically you sleep in a washing machine for human beings, still you don’t wake up shining bright. If you do not suffer from claustrophobia, for a night your capsule room will serve just fine, and you will end up culturally enriched and with some extra footage for a good chuckle with your friends. Now, making a comparison between a capsule where to sleep in, and a powder day in Japan where the fresh snow is just the best on earth, is even too predictable.

But probably it is right what Markus and his mates thought too.

PHOTO: TBIRD

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