RIDER: Gigi R端f PHOTOGRAPHER: Carlos Blanchard/Hooked PMP SPOT: Arlberg, Austria TRICK: Tailgrab tunnel transfer
RIDER: David Carrier-Porcheron PHOTOGRAPHER: Phil Tifo SPOT: Pemberton, British Columbia TRICK: Mega FS 3
EDITORIAL
COVERSTORY BY: FRODE SANDBECH
What can I say about Paxson… This dude charges on his snowboard! He always does something different, big and stylish. This was shot on a Rome trip to Japan, filming for their upcoming movie “The Shred Remains”. Johnny catches some serious airtime straight into the wall, homie is a total boss! - Frode Camera:
TAG @ LAAX Photo: Markus Fischer
Today was a really good day. It could have been a great day, but I’ll explain why it didn’t quite qualify as great later. When we woke up it was snowing lightly, the gray clouds slightly foreboding. But the snow report called for sunny skies, so we ignored what we saw out the window, laced up our boots and headed out. It’s not that conditions were amazing. Anyone who’s been in the Alps this season can attest it’s been a disappointing year. But it had been snowing lightly for the last 4 days so we intended to hike around and score some fresh. Hike we did. A whole lot. My old legs were definitely feeling the burn but man, was it worth it. We launched off one cornice into the first bottomless turns of the year for me. Alas, it was a short-lived pleasure, three turns in the slope flattened out and we had to point it to make it back to the piste. Still, few things in life feel as good as ripping a turn in some steep and deep. As the day progressed, we hiked even further out, clambering across icy ridges and working hard not to slip out on sketchy traverses. We hit a few good zones along the way, but in general the snow was wind-blown or just plain frozen solid. I called it quits eventually, as I was at least 45 minutes away from home and still had to write this editorial you are now reading. I left my crew and on the very last run threaded my way through some small pillow lines in the trees. As I emerged back into the piste, I had a smile plastered on my face and my mustache was frozen solid. Ahhh yea, the pow ‘stache, thasss whassup! So at this point you’re wondering, “what exactly is this dick complaining about, sounds like pretty much a great day to me”, right? Well, it’s quite simple. On the last little side hit before the bottom, I launched a stalefish, landed back in the piste with my upper body twisted in an awkward position and felt an instant jab of sharp pain from my ribs. Not broken but definitely something torn in there. FUCK! Moral of the story? Snowboarding emulates life in so many ways. You’ve got to pay to play, kid. Pain sucks but you can’t truly live life to its fullest if you are afraid of getting hurt sometimes. TAG
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Lens:
EF35mm Aperture:
f/2
Speed:
1/250 ISO 100 Rider:
Johnny Paxson
Editor-IN-Chief: Thomaz Autran Garcia thomaz@method.tv SENIOR EDITOR: Alexis de Tarade alexis@method.tv Art Director: Carlos B. Aranda carlos@method.tv Asst art Director: Maria Ferrés Amat maria@method.tv French editor & translator: Gabriel Bessy German editor & translator: Oliver Kraus Italian editor & translator: Davide Compagnoni Senior photographers: Daniel Blom, Oli Gagnon, Carlos Blanchard Contributing Photographers: Markus Alatalo, Vanessa Andrieux, Ben Birk, Oli Croteau, Vernon Deck, Andoni Epelde, Markus Fischer, Ethan “E-Stone” Fortier, Joel Fraser, Liam Gallagher, Pascal “Scalp” Gombert, Dean “Blotto” Gray, Tony Harrington, Brian Hockenstein, James Holm, Jason Horton, Alexander Klun, Tommy Larsen , Justin l’Heureux, Espen Lystad, Alex Mertz, Justin Meyer, Jonas Michilot, Greg Miller, Jonatan Nylander, Alex Paradis, Bob Plumb, Frode Sandbech, Scott Sullivan, Jerome Tanon, Daniel Tengs, Johan Wennerstrom, Andy Wright, Mike Yoshida, Dominic “Howzee” Zimmerman Contributing writers: Florent De Maria, Ben Fee, Liam Gallagher, Jason Horton, Vera Janssen, Danny Larsen, Travis Rice, Frode Sandbech, Mark Sullivan, Alex Tank, Cole Taylor Contributing ILLUSTRATORS: Javier Chaler, Ian “Buttless” McGillivray, Malin Persson Järskär, Friedemann Zschiedrich Editorial Intern: Adi Mani adi@method.tv
WWW.METHOD.TV
PRODUCER: Marc Vaudroz marc@method.tv
Trick:
FS 270 Stalefish to Wallride Spot:
Hokkaido, Japan Date:
February 23, 2010
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22. 5 THINGS
5 reasons not to mess with a Slovenian: 1. Yugos are everywhere, we stick together 2. You don’t know what kind of skills he learned in school 3. He might steal your wallet and your girlfriend after beating you up 4. His ego is too much for you to handle, anything you say could potentially be your last words 5. We are actually very nice people
5 craziest things about having a huge global brand like Red Bull make a documentary about your life 1. Casting for the actor girl 2. Being involved in a movie 3. Acting and being put in another environment 4. Watching the movie for the first time 5. Calling my parents up on stage at the premiere and thanking them for all they did for me
5 things we should definitely do with you when in Ljubljana 1. Sightseeing 2. Partying 3. Lunch in town 4. Skateboarding 5. Shopping
5 sweetest things about winning the London Freeze big air one year after getting broken off on the same jump 1. Having a good day 2. Stomping and winning even though I had the injury on my mind the whole day 3. Looking at the Battersea power station on my out
5 lies / made-up stories you are most proud of 1. Making my dad believe it was always my brother’s fault 2. Making Kim-Rune believe the Battersea Power Station in London is red because it’s so tall that sunlight was still hitting it even though it was already nighttime 3. Convincing Florent that my dad was a sniper in the Yugo war 4. On my 21st birthday, a girl believed she took my virginity 5. Making Kim-Rune believe that Mu, Sani and I were getting a pro model. He asked Burton when he was going to get his!
and being stoked, even though I had to stare at the same building for a week from my hospital bed last year 4. Spending a few more days in London without hating on it, actually loving it 5. Being stoked to go back next year 5 most ridiculous celebrity-type situations you’ve found yourself in? 1. Sitting courtside at an NBA game 2. Sitting in the first row with all the players’ families at an NFL game 3. Being a VIP at a David Guetta concert in Ljubljana and being asked to take photos with sketchy Mafia dudes 4. Being asked to take photos with Playboy bunnies 5. Going to a club, then to the VIP room, then the VIP room in the VIP room… VVIP, just ridiculous 5 things that suck about having your car caught in a flood? 1. Almost collapsing when I saw it underwater 2. Thinking it just needs to be well-cleaned but that wasn’t the case… 3. Finding out it’s totaled and that I can’t drive it anymore 4. Dealing with insurance 5. But getting more for it than I would if I tried to sell it in the end was awesome
5-course meal you would prepare for the love of your life 1. My mom always makes the best dinner... 2. Clear soup 3. Some meat with French fries 4. Vegetables 5. Ice cream 5 apologies you’d like to make to 5 specific girls 1. My mom for not thanking her enough times for all she has done for me 2. My exgirlfriend for not thanking her enough times for all she did for me 3. Steffi and Birgit from Burton for not thanking them enough for all they do for me 4. All the girls who are reading this page for wasting their time 5. All the girls who think I am an asshole 5 favorite snowboarders 1. Me, hehe 2. Mikkel Bang 3. Gigi Rüf 4. David Benedek 5. Me 5 years ago, hehe 5 things you’ll be when you’re 35-years old 1. Fat 2. Ugly 3. Broke 4. Bald 5. Dating a super hot, young supermodel (I’ll actually probably have no girl at all in real life) 5 reasons why people can’t resist you (especially girls) 1. I’m self-confident 2. I’m a Yugo, so exotic, ha! 3. I’m funny 4. I’m nice 5. I’m medium good-looking PHOTO: Justin l’Heureux
24 MY CAMERAS
What is the first photo you remember seeing? My dad was a pro motocross racer back in the day. Growing up we had a photo of him racing his motorcycle, hiding in the garage. I think he kept it there because he didn’t want to be reminded about how great his life was before he made the mistake of making me. Ha. What is photography to you? Passion. A lot of people say this but I really did fall in love with it, the moment it found me. The worst day shooting photos is a thousand times more fun than the best day in the office. That’s probably why I hate captioning the photos so much at the end of the year. It feels like I’m in an office.
How much time do you spend on your computer retouching your photos? Not much time at all. I hate overproduced photos you see sometimes, where it has Lightroom written all over it and it doesn’t even look like a photograph anymore. I like to try and shoot the photo how I want it when I capture the image, not when I capture it into the computer. What are the key elements in an extraordinary action shot? GELS!!!! HA...THE ACTION. Let the snowboarding speak for itself, not the photo. I always stress out, hoping the photo reflects how sweet/gnarly the spots are. I think the best snowboard photographers think about the snowboarding first and the photo second. I never want the photo to take away from the riding.
Self-portrait: Bob Plumb
You shoot both film and digi, pros and cons of both? Film is the best. You need to be on point when you’re shooting film. It’s sweet cause you walk around metering, taking your time. If you blow the exposure the shot’s fucked. When you get it right, nothing looks better. Digi is a lot cheaper than film and is nice for those sequences.
Why do people call you The Possum? I can’t really remember how I got the nickname. I think because I just hang around like a possum. Jake Duncombe once told me I should never go to New Zealand because they kill possums like they’re rodents over there. Imagine that. What are the 5 things you ALWAYS have in your camera bag? Well I’m not sure it’s five things anymore, just one — my iPhone. You can shoot the photo, Photoshop it, text it or email it to your buddy the photo editor, play games while waiting for your response and voila: COVER.
Coldest you’ve ever been shooting snowboarding? I went to Fairbanks, Alaska this year for a Nitro trip. Fairbanks is about 6 hours north of Anchorage. It was ranging from -5 to -25°F. The best part about it was a local up there was saying how warm it was because it hadn’t hit 40 below yet. I would never live there... ever. What would you like your epitaph to read? Here lies The Possum, son to Papa Satan and Mama Lizard, brother of Big Fish and Lizard King, and fiancé to Cherry the Otter. BOZWRECK.
26. PRODUCTION VALUES Who is the biggest weirdo in the crew? Jessi Blackwell is the biggest weirdo in the crew, he can’t do anything besides snowboarding. Do you guys ride as much in the summer as winter? No, in the summer I think everybody is a little tired of snowboarding. The beach and girls are probably more tempting. Is it possible to ollie on water? Ask Jessi Blackwell, or watch the movie.
Oyvind Fykse 50-50 back one out on a nasty close-out
Hey Mikkel, what crews do you look up to, who inspired you to make snowboard movies? (Mikkel Fykse) I look up to F.O.D.T, that was the crew that inspired me from the beginning. That’s why I started filming with all the lil’ gangsters in Norway.
rse! Pål Brekka
Look at my ho
50-50 FS3
Do have any non-snowboard film influences? Do you see yourself making other types of films in the future? I like art movies, and in the future I hope to start filming commercials and stuff like that. How are you guys different from other crews out there? Were all Norwegian! Except from Tor, he´s from Sweden.
Do you guys ever see tricks that big name riders are doing in big movies and feel like you’re not impressed, or wonder why do they get so much money/attention? It happens all the time, especially with rails. I think Jessi, Øivind, Eirik and Pål have more unique tricks than all the money-makers. Did anyone get hit by the fireworks on the flame kicker session, how was the set-up? Yes, Even got hit by one of the fireworks. You can see it in the movie, he does a FS 720 and the fireworks hit him in the ass, but I don’t think he felt it. The kicker was a little too small but it was a fun session. Last words or thanks? Every snowboard brand in the world, check out my crew before you sign other riders! PLAYA! next-production.com
Are you guys hinting that you are the NEXT hot shit by calling your production company that? We are not the next hot shit, we ARE the hot shit. And we will always be on the next level shit. Do you guys ever get tired of Folgefonna? Folgefonna is the best place on earth, I would recommend it to every snowboarder in the world. And you CAN’T get tired of Folgefonna, thats the hot shit right there! Thanks to Emil Fossheim, he is the park shaper at ‘Fonna. Mad props. Are you guys gonna take your Viking fury and pillage the rest of Europe this season? I don’t think we’re gonna be filming anywhere besides Norway this season. Some of the riders are gonna do contests in Europe and the world, but if they are filming in other places outside of Norway it won’t be with Next Production.
Marius Smith backside blast PHOTOS: Tommy Larsen
Pål B pole jam stalefish sender
28. FLASHBACK
David Vincent is one of those guys who was just bound to become a living legend, no matter what path he ended up choosing in life. Luckily for us, this wily Frenchman chose snowboarding. Known for his mind-blowing tweaks and mind-altering board graphics, DV was a true hero, a champion of style and grace. Pascal “Scalp” Gombert is another legend, albeit behind the lenses, capturing some of the most seminal moments in European snowboarding for all posterity. So what happens when you bring together two legends? One fucking EPIC shot, that’s what. DV Taipan monster tweak in Scalpy’s stomping grounds of Les Arcs. BOOM!
30. GETTING THE MOST FROM... there were so many of us there he couldn’t do anything about it. We all just stayed and figured we’d rather get trespassing tickets than not see Mikey jump that set. Most exhausting editing session: I don’t really exhaust myself editing, just try to take it mellow. I guess animating all the intros for Bon Voyage was the most tedious. Worst case of a blown shot: I think the one that bugs me most is Darrell’s FS3 off this roof in Ogden. I kinda forgot to follow him through the landing so I had to slow down the clip to show that he didn’t fall.
Step off, punk! Darth Meyer
Most irresponsible thing you’ve seen a rider do with his travel budget: No names, but “escorts”, boozing, gambling and copious amounts of the devil’s lettuce come to mind.
will fuck you up, gran tempo
Funniest Laurent moment: Either when he fell and actually shit his pants, or when Jed and Nick shoved pieces of a carrot into one of his bullet belts. Biggest VG power move: Joe Carlino/Hayden Rensch/Gary Milton deciding to come make a second movie with us. VGsnow.com
F
grass PHOTOS: Video
or this edition of Getting the Most of we sat down with Justin Meyer, main cinematographer, director and editor of the mighty Videograss, and picked his brain about the travails of this merry (and motley) band of brothers. Make sure you check out VGsnow.com for the full low-down. Most memorable day in the history of VG: There are so many to think of… Every day on a VG trip is a pretty damn good time. I think the most memorable day was when Mikey ollied that double set in Big Bear. Just the fact that most of the crew was there and that shit was nuts. Best slam: Probably when Alex smashed his leg on this bike rack in Minnesota. We all thought for sure he broke his femur. The shot is in his part in the first VG flick, if I remember correctly. Dirtiest party story: I think for VG Year One it’s a toss between Nick Dirks pissing on his pillow in the hotel room, or when Jonas got everyone in a fight at a house party in Minneapolis. Craziest thing about Mikey’s closer that no one knows about: We were getting kicked out the entire time. We went to the spot mid-day and some kids were hitting the rail, then they got kicked out by the cops. So we went back towards sunset and the janitor that called the cops was pretty pissed off, but Nick Dirks and Gus Engle get
at it in STHLM
Forest Bailey is a dude who gets huge boners when he’s tossing his Pickle around. Check him tossing up everyone’s favorite trick with a Magnum-sized boner over a Mack-sized truck. Popping boners in risky places is advised, it makes for great eye candy on paper and the ladies love it too. So next time you ask yourself, “Is this a cool place to spring a boner?”, don’t hesitate, give it all you got! And do make sure you’re tearing the seams in your pants, blow that thing up like that shitty little redneck town in Rambo: First Blood. Or else what’s the point, am I right? PHOTO: Ben Birk ILLUSTRATION: Ian “Buttless” McGillivray
34. SOAP BOX doors. I watched Charlie Chaplin movies before going to bed. What a genius. Week 12: That’s right. 3 months, and not a single drip from the awesome faucet. My friend Pete came to visit, he is Chinese. I tried to teach him how to ride a bicycle, but it didn’t work.
W
hile I was employed at High Cascade Snowboard Camp at Mt. Hood a few years back, I was a busy guy. Waking up at 7 am with campers, snowboarding all day, playing soccer, altering clothes, going on midnight movie runs. I hardly had time for my girlfriend. We always played sneakaway nookie at night, but it was tough to give her the love she deserved. She moved back to Europe and I was left alone at camp for some time. I decided the best thing for me to do was conserve my energy and not worry about, you know, releasing the hostages. Since the real thing was gone, gone as well was the effort. Below is a short chronicle of my odyssey. Week 1: Not too far from normal. Time flies and a week isn’t even that long. Week 2: I had never gone two weeks without choking my chicken before. I was noticing a slight difference in the way I felt when I awoke in the morning. A bit more “fresh.” Like I had “douched.” Week 3: My dreams began to escalate into the realm of Swedish erotica. Week 4: Began roadtripping from the Northwest down to Colorado with a great female friend of mine. I was worried I would somehow unexpectedly pork her while we were hanging out. Still no release. Week 8: By now I had found a deeper meaning for my “experiment”. I didn’t just want to conserve energy, I wanted to channel it into my work. I was editing a short film, making a line of clothing for an MTV campaign, editing MTV commercials, biking 20 miles a day and assisting Hunter S. Thompson from dusk ‘til dawn with his writing endeavors. Week 10: I was pretty much living in a closet. It was really fun actually. I had a giant down comforter and Western-style
Week 13: My birthday was around this point in time, and so was the 2004 presidential election. I was getting weird. I insisted on wearing women’s clothing to cast my vote. I practiced bicycle kungfu on a plastic dummy. Your mind starts to bend like space-time, friend… Week 14: My dreams were absolutely remarkable at this point. Straight up orgies with distressed cavewomen. Swinging from vines made of peckers and ending up in swimming pools shaped like J-Lo’s vajayjay. Week 16: Pete and I were driving across the country, picking up my friend Mike from a bus stop in Kansas City along the way. After a very late night rendezvous and a Thanksgiving sandwich powwow, we continued heading East. We didn’t sleep at all, Mike and I. Pete, who lacked a license, slept in the back for 2 days straight. Mike told stories about touring with a band through Europe, and how fun it was to be surrounded by babes in sexually-liberated countries. I told him I hadn’t jerked off in a third of a year. He railed against my foolishness before nearly driving into a guard rail. We dropped Pete off at his house, and Mike and I continued on to our final destination. We got to bed at a decent hour, but I suppose any hour is decent after not sleeping for a couple days.
sleeping bag, and even in the dark I could see a weird pearly glow through my underwear. I stood up apprehensively and was confronted with 16-week’s worth of mushroom stew in my crotch. What a goddamned mess. It probably growled coming out. I started laughing so hard I could hardly breathe. Mike, who was sleeping on the floor next to me, woke up thinking I was in trouble. He looked at me and I pointed to the mess on my crotch. “You’re so disgusting,” he said and passed out again. Epilogue: There is an important lesson to be learned from all this. After my eruption, I, for reasons still unbeknownst to me, waited another week before finally pleasuring myself. I lay in bed, junk in hand, yanking for all I was worth. I was nearly there when, a millisecond before my seed mainlined out of my shaft, my whole body began to lurch. You see, all those muscles one uses when climaxing, they are precisely that: muscles. And muscles, without use, atrophy. Well, my muscles kicked and bucked like an old 50’s pickup with dust in the tank trying to start for the first time in 20 years. It was like dry-heaving convulsively. My body finally gave in and spat out the goods, leaving me with pulled muscles all up in my own guts, and a few less specimens in my tubes. So what this all boils down to is this: those who think it is wrong to fondle oneself, sooner or later your body will eventually need it. All you damn religious retards who find it a “sin” are just, well, retarded. “Up with Skin”, that’s what I say!
I awoke at 9 am and thought to myself as I stretched out of my sleeping bag, “Damn, 9 hours, pretty good, but I think I’ll sleep some more…” So I drifted back, my mind concocting images of an AliceIn-Wonderland-scape of fantasy. It was wild…and SCARY. The queen didn’t like me, so she sent her guards after me with flame-throwers. I was running away when a big-boobied Asian babe pulled me into a bush. She told me I was safe and let me jam my wiener into her places. I remember strictly abiding. I can still remember the breath of shock I inhaled as I gasped myself awake. I had no idea where the crap I was, but I knew something was awry. I moved my eyes left and right, before acknowledging something must be wrong down...there. It felt, how should I put it, different. I peered into my ILLUSTRATION: Friedemann Zschiedrich
What might seem like your usual night session with Mark Sollors throwing up the usual hams is actually an effort to save all of humanity. Do you remember back in in 1974, when NASA sent out that signal deep into space, trying to impress alien life forms with our society’s sounds and visions, consisting mostly of opera and square dancing? Well, they got the message, but they weren’t really that impressed, so they didn’t call back. So here we are, decades later, trying to wow them with something new, something gnarly. The mechanism in the foreground projects a live video stream light years out into the galaxy and beyond. With this world crumbling and spiraling into chaos, Mark might be our only hope to be rescued (from ourselves). Who knows, maybe this time they’ll be sufficiently impressed that they’d be down for a little session, or maybe even let us ride some of their red alien pow, fluffy and lighter than anything we could imagine… PHOTO: BlottoPhotto.com
38. DANNY’S WEIRD PAGE
40. LITTLE LABELS Meet one of the best dudes in snowboarding, a truly unique character who goes by the name of Willie McMillon. Bluebird is his brainchild and it is of the most legit companies out there. And by legit I mean Willie and his ridiculously stacked team (including Travis Rice, John J, Scotty Lago and Jamie Lynn among many, many others) don’t take themselves or snowboarding too seriously, even though they dedicate their lives to shredding the white winter wave. From wax to full-length shred porn productions, Willie’s got his fingers in a lot of pies. “Snowboarding… it was better when you hated us”, HELL YEA! Who’s idea was it to start a wax company? I already had a name and a logo but no product. Just stickers. My buddy Jeff gave me a really simple wax formula and I started off making it in my kitchen. Do you need to be a chemical engineer to make wax? Do I look like a fucking chemical engineer? What is the gnarliest wax-making story you can tell us? Definitely started some fires. But there’s really nothing gnarly about making wax. You have one of the most stacked teams in snowboarding, what is Bluebird’s secret ingredient? I think these riders just want to represent something that actually represents something. What is the weirdest thing you’ve seen someone use Bluebird wax for? Maybe to wax a snow shovel. PHOTO: Bluebird
Willie comes to work in his
Is Harrison Ford on the flow team? He got cut.
bluebird suit everyday
What makes a dude a good dude? They have to be down to earth, not ever forget where they came from or who helped get them there, and they can’t screw people over. Favorite moment while filming for Dobre Hombres? Probably Carter’s ranch. What does Dobre Hombres actually mean? Dobre is “good” in Czech. And Hombres is “dude”. According to our translation.
What is the most gratifying aspect of filmmaking? Showing people what snowboarding means to us. Anything in the works for a new movie? We are working on travel documentaries. One in Switzerland and one in Montana. Maybe a South America one if we find money. When can we expect Bluebird world domination? We aren’t trying to dominate anything. We just want to grow without jeopardizing our beliefs. www.bluebirdwaxeurope.com
Please introduce yourself. My name is Jonah Dylan Owen. Where does your meat come from? I was born and raised in Eugene, Oregon. What is your favorite kind of obstacle to throw your meat off? Natural wind lips. Who are your favorite meats to shred with? All of my friends back in Oregon. Where would you like to take your snowboarding as your meat ages? As long and as far as I can. What is your favorite kind of meat? I really only eat fish and sea food, but I will eat organic local meat from time to time. What’s the last kind of meat you ate? Sushi. What meat would you not eat? Pig.
Filthy switch front board transfer into the bank in the SLC
Which sauce do like on your meat? Cholula hot sauce. How do you like your meat cooked? Raw. What do you think about vegetarians? I grew up a veggie. Anything you’d like to say about actual snowboarding instead of meat? I love it! Who are your sponsors? Technine, Electric, Exit, Celtek, Landing.
PHOTOS: E-Stone
ACTION: Espen Lystad PORTRAIT: Alexander Klun
Anything you’d like to say Please introduce yourself. about actual snowboarding inMy name is Viktor Wiberg. I’m from stead of meat? northern Sweden and that is where I I wasn’t really expecting to answer spend my time. any questions about snowboarding, isn’t this a food magazine? Where does your meat come from? I get my meat from behind the local ice hockey Who are your sponsors? rink. We usually grind some hockey players I ride for Salomon Snowboards, Haze and figure skaters while we’re at it. clothing and Burn. 3 reasons why your meat is fresher than the rest? Because I’ve never been in prison. Because I just got my first STD. Because I slice fresh meat at the place I work. And eat it too. You are what you eat. What is your favorite kind of obstacle to throw your meat off? A perfect down rail or a double kink.
Who are your favorite meats to shred with? Almost everyone in the Random Bastards’ “7UP” movie. All the folks from Umeå. I’m not gonna name names cause I’ll just forget someone and they’ll think I’m not their buddy. Where would you like to take your snowboarding as your meat ages? I really don’t know. For now I’m just trying to film a good street part because that’s what I think is the most fun. And if my part is ever good enough for me to not work during summer and snowboard all year round that would be awesome. But I’m really not counting on it. What is your favorite kind of meat? Dried reindeer meat. I’d rather eat that stuff than candy anyday. What’s the last kind of meat you ate? A down-flat-down rail in Gällivare, but I actually only ate snow, the rail ate my meat. Worst session ever. Ask Haze and Rolf. What meat would you not eat? All those switcheroo combos on rails, that ain’t for me. Lots of those tricks are hard but they don’t look stylish. I’d rather see a solid nosepress or slide executed with steez. Which sauce do like on your meat? A summer day barbecue with beer marinade. If that counts as a sauce. How do you like your meat cooked? I like it Folgefonna-style with salt (water). That place is the best. Snowboarding all day, then down to the beach for a swim in the insanely cold Atlantic or have a beer or ten at the camping. Thanks, Emil Fossheim. What do you think about vegetarians? I think skiing is OK when they’re hitting jumps. But skis on rails just doesn’t fly. Not at all.
If Viktor ever makes it out of the Swedish northlands, LOOK OUT! Sunset spinner session in Folgefonna
ernon OS: V PHOT
Deck
Please introduce yourself. My name is Torgeir Bergrem. I come from Klæbu, a small place just outside Trondheim, Norway. I am 19 years of age, and have been snowboarding for about ten years.
Nitro teams are also epic!
Where would you like to take your snowboarding as your meat ages? I haven’t really thought that far Where does your meat come from? ahead. I want to snowboard for as My meat was first seen in the northern part of norway, but shipped off to Trondhe- long as i can, and make the most of it! im when it was six years old. What is your favorite kind of 3 reasons why your meat is fresher than meat? Something tender. the rest? The fact that it has been bred in Norway What’s the last kind of meat you has to be one of the main reasons. Another reason could be that it is almost al- ate? ways surrounded by Volcom packaging. BACON! I don’t even think I need a third one. What meat would you not eat? I pretty much eat every kind of meat, What is your favorite kind of obstaas long as it’s cooked. cle to throw your meat off? My meat is most comfortable around Which sauce do like on your meat? jumps, but I think that the most fun Anything with a little spice in it. thing to do is hammer a good pow turn. Who are your favorite meats to shred with? How do you like your meat cooked? Big beef Sondre Tiller and porkchop Alek Medium rare? Ostreng from the Norwegians. Volcom and
What do you think about vegetarians? They can always squeeze in a piece of meat. Anything you’d like to say about actual snowboarding instead of meat? I love doing it, and hope I can continue doing so for many years to come. Who are your sponsors? Volcom, Nitro, Electric, Session boardshop, Airblaster and Bern.
Nylander PHOTOS: Jonatan
Rolf is working hard on that high
speed nickname! Blurry front boar
Please introduce yourself. I am probably a fly fisher more than a snowboarder. Born and raised in Uppsala, Sweden. We don’t have mountains at home, so I’m very bad at riding lifts and slopes. Now I live in Umeå, a better place for snow than Uppsala! Where does your meat come from? From the Romon lab, science is important when you want to make some new kind of meat! 3 reasons why your meat is fresher than the rest? I have a new fridge at my parent’s place in Uppsala, one in Umeå and it’s freezing outside so the meat always stays fresh! What is your favorite kind of obstacle to throw your meat off? Small down rails or the PVC in Umeå.
d back to regs
What’s the last kind of meat you ate? A down rail in Stockholm, but I didn’t actually cuz my friend Philip ate it all before I’d even opened my mouth. I just kind of touched it with my tongue. What meat would you not eat? The kind of meat where you die if you don’t chew it properly. I would really enjoy to keep eating meat the rest of my life.. Which sauce do like on your meat? Tingsryd 2.8, a Swedish delicacy! How do you like your meat cooked? Over a bonfire with some good friends around. And I want Robér or Petter to film it all and make a cool cookout edit!
What do you think about vegetarians? I don’t think about vegetarians a lot, but I suppose it’s good in some kind of way. Where would you like to take your snowboarding as your meat ages? Who are your favorite meats to Anything you’d like to say about actual snowI think the time for style and tricks soon will be over. boarding instead of meat? shred with? So I’d like to learn to grind real fast... super fast! That All the guys Uppsala. When I’m in Yes, fly fishing is the shit! will be the shit in a few years. I also hope to get a nickUmeå I ride with the Random Basname that has something to do with high speed! tards, and everyone else that rides Who are your sponsors? behind the hockey arena!! But since Salomon, Bonfire, Burn, Haze and Giro! And What is your favorite kind of meat? I started snowboarding I’ve always my friends in Uppsala have this secret eyeridden with Philip Grund. If he was a My favorite meats are LNP in “No Correct Way” and wear project, called Monokel. I’ll count them Louif in “These Days”. girl I’d probably hump him! as a sponsor as soon as it’s no longer a secret!
of this trick important parts One of the most u’ve dialed ur speed. Once yo is figuring out yo basicalst ju u ed to go, yo in how fast you ne u have yo re su e ak FS 3 so m ly have to spin a . ck re trying this tri those on lock befo air and not t spinning in the Remember to star ch makes hi w on the kicker, while you’re still t based fla off ke Ta . l the spin ning it hard to contro in sp t ur heels and star cker. ki or slightly off yo e th ar cle p once you oo y le al e sid nt fro le to pins you should be ab d make After 270 degree an ot sp e th g. Aim for it. This point the landin on t fla n w do d boar , landsure you put your re he ht of the trick rig rt pa l ia uc cr e th is ing is key. ver you are bonk ing flat on whate d you gonna slip out an Otherwise you’re this trick. won’t ever land to landing tries to get used It may take a few ough. Just th , ow her than sn on something ot d ride your board flat an remember to keep it! p om st ie after you away like no bigg Lystad PHOTOS: Espen
In the past ten years I’ve had the opportunity to work with and help develop a lot of big name rider’s ca reers. Never have I co me across a rider who ha s the work ethic, passi on and dedication that Dylan has for snowboarding. You can alw ays count on him to go hard and make the most of every season, producing so me of the best video parts I have ever film ed. Dylan is a quiet kid who lets his shred ding do all the talking, which has earned him the sobriquet “Silent but Deadly”. I am really proud to have him on our tea m and can’t wait to see what the future has in store for him. - Cole Taylor
Dylan’s part in FODT’s The Arena was one of the most impressive things we saw all year, 50-50 to stale with some serious consequences. Photo: E-Stone
Fredi’s got the illmatic spinning style, stompy-chan cab 5 in AK. Photo: BlottoPhotto.com
You are back on the Absinthe crew after 7 long years, how does it compare to back in the day, does it feel any different? There are new riders on board, but the filmers are still the same. I was shooting with Brusti and Vladyka most of the time, just like 7 years ago. We love your smooth spins, all huge and mellow and buttery as fuck. Why is style so important? Because it looks better and makes the tricks look easy? I think if you have good style you make yourself individual and stand out from the mass. Style is something you cannot really practice, either you are born with good style or not. You can try to imitate style from someone else but then it’s not authentic anymore. What are your feelings on double/triple corks, sweet or beat? I like double cork 1080°s because people can do it with good style still. Not sure about anything more than 1080° though, I prefer seeing something with style than big rotations. Would you rather be a world-class snowboarder or a world-class DJ? Snowboarder for now because I can still be DJing for the rest of my life, once my body is done and I can’t ride at the level I am now. What is your biggest attribute? Everything always needs to be perfect, I think perfection is my biggest attribute. How is Atreebutes different from Arcus? Sustainability, exclusive designs, more fashion. We have a better and bigger network than we used to have with Arcus. Growing up in Dorfblick was amazing because... the gondola station is across the street. I could watch the lift line from my kitchen window, waiting for the perfect moment to jump in the gondola. Overall growing up in Saas-Fee is very special and nice because you are very connected to nature here, without cars, in your own little world. Some people claim hip hop is dead, what do you have to say about that? I don’t really care. I am getting more into different music lately, such as funk, dubstep and drum & bass. I mean, I still love the beats and everything but I am really getting over the lyrics in hip hop. Of course you can still find good stuff but most of it is for kids. There is too much hate and negativity involved, which I personally don’t want to represent as a DJ anymore. What does the expression “the pursuit of happiness” mean to you? Definitely not getting injured. I am very thankful every day for the life I have been blessed with, I have the best job in the world, the best girlfriend, the best family and friends. What is your favorite Catalan expression? “Que fas?” Name 3 things you still want to do before you are done. Raise a family, get better at DJing, build up atreebutes into a successful brand.
Describe Jessica Kimura in 10 adjectives. Organized Creative Busy Determined Eccentric Chaotic Helpful Hard-working Open Ambitious Best thing about being a half-Japanese Canadian? My mom’s sushi. You’re a former national halfpipe and boardercross champ, do you ever miss just pinning it down the hill or are you a street slayer for life now? I’m still pinning it down the hill. You are one of the few women whose snowboarding looks GOOD, why do you think so many girls have a hard time doing the same? Shouldn’t it be the case that women make it look good as often as men, after all grace and athleticism count for more than size or speed in snowboarding. If girls would ride more aggressively, their
snowboarding would look better. I think it will happen more when girls become comfortable on their boards and if they make themselves learn the basics before stepping up. We hear you are pretty handy, what’s the coolest thing you’ve ever built, the one you’re most proud of? Probably my new drop-in ramp, it’s my favorite thing at the moment anyways. Top 3 reasons why masonry is the shit. 1 - It’s like Lego but heavier. 2 - It makes you strong for snowboarding. 3 - It teaches you about concrete forming so you can build your own skate features. Skateboarding is the raddest thing that has ever happened in the history of mankind because... It helped bring style into play. Peep Show is leading the charge in women’s progression, with you at the
tip of the spear. How does it feel? It feels good, but I just hope younger girls are being inspired to shred harder because of it. Craziest, scariest moment you’ve ever had on your snowboard? Too many to pick just one. It happens a lot when you push yourself. Who is Dykeboy and why is (s)he so elusive? She is my filmer/photog/ best friend. She only feels right in the wilderness so that is why she is so elusive. Favorite South Park episode and why? Creme Fraiche - the Shakeweight episode. Famous last words: Make it count!
Back tail back to regs, shit is fucking proper, Jess K brings the ruckus! Photo: Oli Croteau
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PHOTOS: TONY “HARRO” HARRINGTON, GREG MILLER & BRIAN HOCKENSTEIN
“Alaska is the ultimate snowboard destination and camping on an alpine mountain pass sounded exactly like my type of event. 2010 was the year I made my dream come true: I rented an RV in Vancouver, picked up 3 friends and all of our snowmobiles, and drove the 3,280 km up to Thompson Pass in Alaska where, during Tailgate Alaska one of snowboarding’s most historical events would be brought back to life... Competing in the King Of The Hill was like being part of snowboarding’s history. I grew up reading about this contest that used to be THE ultimate annual event up until its discontinuation in 1999. I idolized His and Her Majesties, King Axel Pauporte and Queen Karleen Jeffery, who were slaying Alaskan lines by day and Valdez bars by night. The chosen grounds that have hosted the world’s best snowboarders year after year blessed us with the most perfect powder days. Sharing the mountains with legends like Shawn Farmer, Mike Basich, and Julie Zell was inspirational and incredibly fun. The first two runs were in Bro Bowl, which is accessed by a short sled-ride and a short hike up the ridge where you can pick your drop-in spot. There was one very dominant spine that intrigued me right away. It exited through another smaller spine and a tight gully, before opening up into an Alaskan-style bowl.
Follow Farm at yo
ur own risk!
Photo: Harro
For my second run I chose a chute far off to looker’s left of the venue that dropped off into hundreds of rocky, vertical feet on one side and had only been hit by Eric Themel and
the most techEric Themel rode some of day nical lines of the
“I had heard stories about the King of the Hill when I was a kid, so it was amazing to be back in Valdez and actually win the contest. It’s been 11 years since they held the last one, and this year it totally went off. Hopefully they will bring back the tradition and start holding a yearly contest up here again. It’s the King of the fucking Hill, man!”
e top in er going over th Lando and Farm oto: Harro battle for 6th Ph
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The King!
Photo: Ha rro
The Queen! Photo: Brian Hockenstein
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Photo: Brian Hockenst
Scotty Lago. It was lit by the last sun rays and I slashed some snow down the deathly drop-off. The last and third run went all the way down to base camp and everyone’s legs were burning like crazy by the end of it. It meandered through a natural halfpipe, a river gully that has lots of hits on either side of it, and makes for great spins, drops, butters, and whatever else your heart desires. TRice even found time for an allnatty Andrecht Photo: Harro
Snowboarding is so very pure up in the Chugach Mountains, I’m already counting the days until I will be back up on Thompson Pass!”
In 1994, the King of the Hill was founded as the world’s first freeride/extreme/big mountain event. It was bad ass, and perhaps the most challenging event I had ever entered as a competitor - back then it was a 3-day, helicopter-accessed event. The first day was a down mountain race, 4,000 vertical feet with 12 gates - imagine a chopped powder straight line race down a mountain. The second day was freestyle, booters were carved out of the natural terrain on a powder-drenched run. The third day was extreme - balls to the wall, hang it out there and live to tell the tale. As heli runs escalated in price, so did the difficulty in putting on a 3-day heli event and 1999 proved to be the last time KOTH could run. Fast forward 10 years. Tailgate Alaska was taking off - riders from the lower 48 began coming to the Alaskan mountains in droves, testing themselves in the world’s most formidable mountains and conditions. It only made sense to put on a contest to quantify the effort. And so the new Recco King of the Hill was born, an all-new event that paid tribute to the originator while taking into account a decade of snowboarding progression. The King of the Hill sets out to find the best rider in the world based on riding in the most challenging mountains with the best snow conditions. The Recco King of the Hill was unlike any other snowboarding event. It drew a mix of legends like Mike Basich and Shawn Farmer, top pros like Travis Rice and Mark Landvik, Olympians like Scotty Lago and the next generation of pros like Aaron Robinson, Ralph Backstrom and Andy Bergin-Sperry. The conditions were perfect – around 0°, blue skies and an uncontrolled course blanketed in deep Alaskan powder. The first two runs took place on Bro Bowl face, a 2 kilometer long, 350 vertical meter mountain curtain littered with cliffs, chutes, waves, couloirs and terrain features of every description. As cool as this may sound, the competition is secondary to the experience. Really, making the pilgrimage to Valdez is a rite of passage, for pro riders and now for regular dedicated riders through the Tailgate Alaska festival, and the real competition begins when you arrive, against your own fiercest competitor: yourself. If you are anything like the riders who have come in the past, it will change the way you look at snowboarding forever.
AFM couloir toeside burner into second Photo: Greg Miller
Tailgate Alas ka is an unfo rgettable expe the chance ju rience, if you st fucking GO have ! You will not Photo: Harro regret it, guar anteed.
…before sending it off the cliff Photo: Greg Miller
book method…
Scotty Lago sets up with a text Photo: Greg Miller
to: Vera & Travis, weiners! Pho
Harro
Please join us for Tailgate Alaska (March 25- April 10, 2011) and for the World Freeriding Championships (King of the Hill April 1-10, 2011). tailgatealaska.com worldfreeridingchampionships.com
corked out back 7 Travis clinched top honors with this e Photo: Harro chut hy sketc a n into a straight-line dow
PHOTOS: JÊRÔME TANON, VANESSA ANDRIEUX, JOHAN WENNERSTROM & JAMES HOLM
Only someone with Ha ze’s eye would even realize this is a legit spo t… Wallride dropin to gap, you can’t ste p to this, fool! Photo: James Holm
Hans getting bu ck with a full-sp eed front lip on the closeout Photo: Johan W ennerstrom
Hi Hans, please introduce yourself. My name is Hans Ahlund and I’m 29 years old, but I feel younger. I grew up in northern Sweden in a village of 6,000 people. A lot has happened since then, I guess. I’ve been shredding for over 15 years and I’m still motivated and stoked to ride. How do you see yourself, what kind of person are you? And how do you think other people perceive you? I guess I’m a funny guy and slightly retarded, I probably have ADD. There is a negative side to that, when I’m kinda spacing out, totally in another world, I have a hard time focusing and listening. Everyone who knows me knows about how I can be, they tease me and call me slow because of it, hehe. But I’m also really good at math and physics, and I have a great sense of direction. It helps me find good spots and scope the surroundings, as well as figuring out in my head quickly if a spot works or not. (Ed note: it’s called spatial awareness.) But I can’t spell or read at all! I don’t really know how other people see me, before I used to be a party animal but these days I figure I’ve already puked up enough alcohol, hehe. But I hope they think I’m a rad dude.
So you’re a married man now (sorry, laYou’ve been in the game for a dies), how has life changed? Has it affected your while now, which is your favorite focus on your career at all? “snowboard moment” so far? Yea, I got married last winter and I’m so stoked! I really love my wife, we’ve been together since we It’s not really any specific moment, but I’m really stoked on all my movwere 18, even if we split up once or twice during that time. But now I know it’s only her I want, I’m ie parts and everything I’ve achieved during my career, and all the amazlooking forward to the rest of life with her and ing places I’ve been to. It feels awemy kids. Oh, you haven’t heard? She is pregnant some to look back on all of it. I’m so and lil’ Haze is on the way, he is gonna rip shit thankful to snowboarding for everyup on the mountain when he gets here, that’s thing it gave me, even though I had to for sure! I’m sooo looking forward to that! But make it happen myself. I’m still really motivated to shred, so I don’t see that it’s an issue, almost the opposite How would you describe your snowsince I want support my family now. And boarding? even if I’m traveling to film I’m still gonna Outside of the box, I think. I’ve been be able to spend more time with them snowboarding for so long, I can do most than if I had some crappy 9-5 job.
Are you fucking kid ding me? 50-50 to backside wallride in the dead of nigh t Photo: Jerome Ta non
tricks and ride everything, pipe, jumps and backcountry, even though the urban stuff is what shows up the most in my parts. I’ve always watched a lot of snowboard and especially skate movies, it’s where a lot of my influences and steeze come from. I just look at a spot and try to think of what the next step could be. It just comes automatically for me. I see spots where most others don’t, and I can also figure out what to do to get the most out of it, so the only limits really are my skills, kind of.
between filming for a What’s the main difference ed to a bigger project like par smaller crew like RB com the Pirates? ts to be in the Pirates movI’m always aiming for my sho ing with. For example last ie, regardless of who I’m film ffer Fahlgren aka Kuske, sto year I filmed a lot with Kri editor for RB. Some of those who is the main filmer and but since the Pirates’ boss shots made it into Hooked , arily know what’s cool or not Basti Balser doesn’t necess But ;) d, to the RB movie instea some of the bangers went fun to film with RB since and xed mainly it’s more rela on, it’s not as big of a deal. quality-wise, lights and so play around on fucked up For example, you can’t really oting 16mm which costs sho is ledge when a hired filmer at I mean? 100€ per minute, know wh
port team in Umea, how is Tell us about your local sup nicipal snow plow to push it that you can get the mu e offs for you? together landings and tak e ctor Tony is the man! I giv Tra , ups k hoo I got the best us ks hoo he and €€€ e him some Haze stuff and som shit so our backs don’t get up with sweet landings and shoveling. thrown out from hours of
Imagine getting impaled on the barbed wire on top of the fence? Too horrifying to contemplate‌ Haze is unfazed, drifting blind on the back one gap out Photo: Vanessa Andrieux
We’ve heard a lot about the Skyliner, pray tell us more about this “project”? Do you think it was a good investment? That Skyline was, and still is, my dream car, so just being able to buy it with money I made from snowboarding feels like a big accomplishment to me. I mean, I bought it in Japan, shipped it home and that piece of shit broke down, so I had to fix the engine which cost pretty much the same as what I paid for the whole car. So I wouldn’t exactly say it’s been a good investment, but just driving that car on the Nurburgring race track is worth all the hassle and money. Is there some sort of magnetic attraction between your hand and your balls? Definitely! It’s not a perverted thing, it’s just that me and my balls are homeboys, I like to hang out and chill with them. For you guys who don’t roll like me and Al Bundy, you should start, it’s wicked! So you’ve been doing Haze Clothing for a while, how did that whole thing come about, what drove you to start your own brand? Yea, I’ve been doing Haze for a while now, 2006 I think I started
it. I’ve been taking it pretty chill and keeping it underground so I’m in control, cause if Haze blows up there’ll be a lot of money involved and if I’m not on top of things and something gets fucked up in production that means I’d be fucked too. But now I feel like I’ve got the business part under control, and I get requests from all over the world, so I guess it’s time to go big. A lot of people diss street shredding, saying it’s not legit snowboarding, what are your thoughts on that? A lot? I don’t know who these people are, are you hanging out with these dudes, Thomaz? It’s probably the same dudes who have telemarketing jobs for buttplugs on the side, right?! Seriously though, urban riding is pretty much as real as it gets, besides backcountry. Filming park is not really legit even if it is fun, but where shit is going down for real is in the streets and in the backcountry.
Tech and burly, that’s how Haze rolls, switch backside nosepress thru the kink Photo: Vanessa Andrieux
Hans is no one trick pony, backcoun try booter meat helicopter Photo: Johan Wen nerstrom
Basti told me to ask you if you think your MAX burger diet is helping you stay in shape? For sure it does, it’s actually the only time I ever eat salad. You know there’s lettuce in their burgers, right? And even a slice of tomato! When we shred we usually bet Max meals on who stomps their tricks and shit. For example, I promised Kalle a meal and a double dip if he does this über drop this week. There’s nothing better than the first big bite of a free Max burger for stomping a trick. For reals!
Guess Hans never got the mem o that a McTwist is a pipe trick… Photo: Johan Wennerstrom
Are you addicted to protein shakes? Definitely not, it’s just that we eat a lot of crap on the road, we never cook, we always end up eating Pizza Max and gas station food. So it’s an attempt at being healthier, but those protein shakes and my stomach don’t really like each other. Nasty gases comes out of my ass after drinking those things, haha. My asshole is usually nice and fresh otherwise, :) Who/what are your biggest influences in life? I actually think it’s snowboarding, without snowboarding I don’t know what I would have done with my life. It certainly wouldn’t have been this good, that’s for sure. But if I had to name some riders, I liked Terje (Haakonsen), Ingemar (Backman), Peter (Line) and Johan (Olofsson) when I was younger. Nowadays I’ve met and know all of them, they are really cool dudes. It’s pretty sick to hang out with your teenage idols, big ups to those guys! Later when jibbing came back, with The Re-
sistance and shit, I was so hyped on those movies I even ended up riding for Forum. JP and Jeremy Jones were my favorites and they’ve influenced my riding a lot. But I met both those guys and actually I don’t think they are that rad in person. So it’s kinda weird watching their new parts when I feel like Jeremy hates riding and just wants to cheat his way through the rest of his career. Like that year he did those shuvits and Burton designed a binding that automatically stopped spinning after 360º, which is pretty homo. And JP is just gay all over, even though he comes off pretty cool in the vids. I’m still blown away by their riding though.
urs! Last word is yo hod and everyet M u yo Thank ! my interview body who read
Tractor Tony com es through once ag ain! FS 180 up to switc h wallride front 27 0 out in Umea Photos: Jerome Tanon
“Heading to the Pyrenees in spring has become almost a tradition for me over the last few years. The people and the atmosphere are very special and the possibility to do creative park stuff together with ho5 make it a guaranteed fun trip. The idea was and is to push for more creativity in snowboarding and also shape new kinds of obstacles that challenge the riders in ways they aren’t used to. Board control and an eye for riding things differently was what we wanted to see from the riders at the Twisted Trick Tournament. In the end every feature was sessioned and people were shredding all over the place. It was really cool to see, especially after all the struggle with the snow and the weather we had before the event.”
- Christoph Weber-Thoresen
PHOTOS: DANIEL BLOM, ANDONI EPELDE & JASON HORTON
PH: DANIEL BLOM
When Victor dropped his shades in the snow I could finally use the skills I picked up in ninja school. I fired this shot midsomersault, picked up Vic’s glasses and got out of the way before Chris SÜrman stomped my face.
PH: DANIEL BLOM PH: DANIEL BLOM PH: DANIEL BLOM
The man, the myth, the mofuken leg-end: herr Weber in full effect.
Knut was having a running contest with his own shadow to see who had the best style. His shadow won, by a shade. Cab 9 melon sender.
Is it just me or is that the Roxy logo?
PH: DANIEL BLOM
The Col du Tourmalet is one of the most famous climbs on the Tour de France. It has been included more than any other pass, starting in 1910, when the Pyrenees were introduced. The first rider over was Octave Lapize, who went on to claim the yellow jersey in Paris. In 1913, Eugène Christophe broke his fork on the Tourmalet and repaired it himself at a forge in Sainte-Marie-de-Campan. That’s what Chris Sörman read on Wikipedia after doing this FS 7.
PH: DANIEL BLOM
PH: DANIEL BLOM
Knut strums, Jakob taps, different strokes for different folks.
PH: ANDONI EPELDE
Knut and Weber may have been wearing matching tees, but that’s where the similarities end. Besides being way less hairy, Knut is the loquacious one (i.e. he talks endlessly, mostly hilarious bullshit) while Weber is the reticent one (i.e. he’s pretty quiet and the less he knows you the quieter he gets).
Swoboda means freedom in Polish. Well, almost, it actually meant a freeman, as opposed to a serf, in medieval times. Marc isn’t Polish but he is most definitely a free spirit, soaring through the skies as he twists out a brodeo 7 stomper.
PH: DANIEL BLOM
The de le Rue brothers must hate each other, or at least they haven’t been hanging out much on the hill, as they could not be further away from each other in riding style. One thing they do have in common though is the fact that they shred hard, Xavier on big mountain and in this case, Victor who shut down most of the features at TT. Vic rode with great confidence all day long and stomped close to everything he tried, including this back rodeo 540.
If we were just a little bit smarter we might say something clever about how this photograph’s juxtaposition of natural and man-made terrain represents the dichotomy that lies at the very heart of modern professional snowboarding… but we’re not. It’s just a shot of Marc Swoboda doing a sick handplant.
Amazing style by this gangster, I love how you put SPF 100 in a 1cm layer all over your face but leave your shades at home!
PH: DANIEL BLOM
PH: DANIEL BLOM
PH: DANIEL BLOM
Sörman & Kalle get lost in their photography while Knut and Florent get lost in each other’s eyes.
I was going to write something about the fact that Kalle Ohlsson loves big cleavages since he got his chick fake tits, and then tie it in with something fun about him jumping over this saucy snow cleft, but they broke up.
PH: ANDONI EPELDE
PH: JASON HORTON
PH: ANDONI EPELDE
PH: ANDONI EPELDE
This shark fin was in my eyes the most interesting feature: a Great White killer that lurked ominously in the lineup, daring all comers to tackle it. A strange, curving angle of approach followed by a gnarly transfer to regular kicker landing. The sort of thing you’d find in a skatepark, not a snowpark. Weber stepped up first and (not for the first time) did the groundwork, eventually making a few clean straight airs over the treacherous creature. Then Keller, who had been keeping a pretty low profile so far, decided that as he was the one with the Old Man Of The Sea beard, he may as well go fishin’. After a couple of tries this epic Method was reeled in and soon a FS Alleyoop 3 was on the hook as well.
Gerome Mathieu, Cab 7. Coin-Coin is one of those ridiculously solid, powerful riders who doesn’t really “do” small. The bigger the jump, the bigger the rotation… the more he shines.
Gotta pay to play. Geno is a bloody beast. Photo: Alex Mertz
T
he whole concept of brain hemisphericity initially came about when physiologists realized that lesions in certain parts of the brain produced different symptoms. For example, someone who suffered massive trauma to the left side of the brain would lose their ability to speak. But it wasn’t until a Nobel Prize-winning scientist called Roger Sperry performed what are now commonly-known as the “Split Brain Experiments” (Google that shit if you want to know more) did the final proof emerge that the brain is in fact made up of two very distinct hemispheres. Your left brain is structured and logical, it focuses on details and facts, where language resides. Whereas the right brain is intuitive and fluid, focused on feelings and imagination. The left brain acknowledges, the right brain appreciates. That said, we all have one hemisphere which is dominant, which is why some people are really good at math and others are really good at art. The same theory applies to snowboarders. For example, a left-brained shredder is good at tricks that require precision and technique, while a right-brained rider would be more creative and flow with natural terrain. The Think Thank crew is stacked with both left-brain and right-brain types, and they have one trait that they share in common: they all fucking send it!
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THINK Left Brain
Jess K putting some serious hurt on this AK ledge, perfectly calculated front one to fakie nosepress. Photo: Mike Yoshida
Beresford gettin’ groovy, don’t eat the brown acid, man! Photo: Mike Yoshida
Geno knows exactly how much speed he needs to land in the sweet spot on this switch front 3 tranny finder. Photo: Alex Mertz
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Chris Larson locks into a precision backside 5-0 through the kink. Photo: Alex Mertz
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Jesse Burtner is on a single-handed mission to revolutionize snowboarding! Gnarly one foot gap out to 50-50. Photo: Alex Mertz It’s not the size of the ship, it’s the motion in the ocean… Photo: Alex Mertz
All you see is a hippy jump, but Scott Stevens actually dropped a house, stomped and unbuckled in time to thread the needle through this wall. Photo: Alex Mertz
Well, maybe Burtner isn’t on a single-handed mission after all, sleepy Scotty Stevens continues to melt faces on the regs. Hole shot melon poke. Photo: Joel Fraser Gus Mah keeps those creative juices flowing with some rock steady beats. Photo: Mike Yoshida
Don’t be fooled by the artsy photo (which was shot by a most likely right-brained photographer), Ben Bogart thoroughly thought out this switch back 5 at Turnagain Pass, AK. Photo: Alex Mertz
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Sean Genovese scoped out the landing and saw that it lined up almost exactly with the angle of the take-off on this pillow before he torqued out a Method sender deep into British Columbian mountain mozzarella. Photo: Mike Yoshida
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Burtner, POWER MOVES! Photo: Alex Mertz
Gus Engle’s snowboarding flows like a cold, clear mountain stream. Front board transfer to double drop. Photo: Alex Mertz
Jesse is a one-foot ninja!. Bossy fakie fastplant at the Palmer skatepark. Photo: Alex Mertz
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Chris Larson knew that he would always land in the sweet spot if he hit this gap at exactly 72 km/h. Floaty front one lien in AK. Photo: Alex Mertz
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Tim Eddy was keenly aware that he needed to keep his nose up when he landed otherwise he would unavoidably tomahawk into the creamy Canadian pow. Photo: Mike Yoshida
Okay, so maybe this varial flip doesn’t exactly float your boat, but you cannot deny that this is some seriously next level shit. Check out the fourth frame, Jesse B with the diabetic footwork! Sequence: Mike Yoshida
os & Phot TEXT : Liam gher
a Gall
” “Alright…ready? in a c, there’s a dude se a on ld ho t, hi “S snow plow.” “What?” just , it looks like he’s… “He’s pulling up hold on a sec.” tice what the guy won’t no ng pi ho , es ez fre Everyone erlook us, let us ep on driving, ov ke st ju , to up e we’r ver happens. Eveesn’t happen, it ne do ’s at th ht up to t Bu it. have at course, he pulls rig terested. And of in s ay w al e’s on ry n now. finitely shut dow us. Shit, we’re de rprisasks, sounding su e you doing?” he ar t l. ha w ua , us ys r gu “Hey pissed as pe ead of just plain ingly curious inst n these stairs.” owboarding dow “Um, we’re just sn do for a break eck it out? I could ch I if ol a co it is l, “Okay, wel This is some kind all day, ya know. it at , re en fo Be . be w is no right hing like th r really seen anyt ve oNe ec h? n hu ow , ’s m re or st r Natu g me busy. ‘Mothe definitely keepin plow drivers are e th l al t ha w that’s nomic stimulus’, ow. And man e up with all th sn ep ke t n’ Ca it. calling is. Say, you guys lieve how cold it be t n’ ca , ld co s it’ from there at some of that snow want me to clear plow in it real e steps, drop my the bottom of th trouble.” for ya, it’d be no quick, clean it up
“Um…sure” we say slowly, surprised. We’re all a little confused. Guess this dude doesn’t give two shits. In fact he actually seems down. So down that’s he’s willing to buff out the landing for us. How about that? He makes quick work with his plow, then parks just across the street, pours himself a little bit of coffee from his thermos, rolls up the windows and watches as Darrell, Jed and Nima session this double-down for oh, a good half-hour. Before he leaves he pulls up to us again, says “thanks” and that it was a “hell of a show, don’t know how you guys do it but keep it up, that’s awesome”.
hes
again. Darrell Mat If at first you don’t succeed, try, try ham that in’ stack
That was the reception we got almost everywhere we went in Omaha. Everyone seemed a little confused by what we were doing and few had any problems with it. What a pleasant surprise: Snowboarding is not a crime in Omaha.
Omaha is known for steaks. First thing you see when you get off the plane at Epley Air Field is a brightly lit kiosk selling beef, Omaha Steaks specifically. Nebraskan’s take pride in their beef. It could almost be considered a form of currency. “Give, savor, celebrate” goes the saying. Hell, the local indoor football team is even called the Omaha Beef. And they play in The Slaughterhouse. Yeah, beef is big in Nebraska, it’s definitely what’s for dinner round these parts. But we opted for pizza. So it goes on the road when you’re wet, tired, really hungry and the GPS says there’s a California Pizza Kitchen around the corner. So much for when in Rome… Convenience is king with this crew. And, embarrassingly enough as it would turn out, we ended up eating at this very same CPK several more times on our trip. Something just kept bringing us back. Maybe it was our waitress. She’s wasn’t hot, not by any means. You’d probably “Next” her on ChatRoulette. But she was the prettiest girl in the place, probably the prettiest one of her friends, probably the prom queen or the quarterback’s girlfriend in high school. In all honesty though, she was pretty close to a six, maybe a seven if we were above 5,000 feet. “Would you?” was all Jed had to say. We were split. Two yays. Three nays. We were hard-up. Hard truth: Omaha lacks good-looking girls. Good-looking guys too, just good-looking people in general. Seems to be a population of incredibly average-looking folks. So up to this point there really wasn’t much fodder for the ever-present question: “Would You?”. Standards had plummeted since our arrival but they spiked slightly when this waitress walked up to our table. Now was time to order. Checking our ID’s, she says “California, Oregon, Utah and… Washington. So, what’s you guys’ deal? What are you guys…a band or something?” This is always an awkward moment. Everyone waits for someone else to answer. Cuz in reality, it’s more ridiculous than that.
The talent
Jed lipslide roller coaster ride
“We’re here to snowboard,” says Justin Meyer in a monotone. “Snowboard? Weird. I thought where you guys are from is better for that? I mean there’s not really any mountains in Nebraska. But whatever, at least you picked a good winter, this is the most snow we seen in like 25 years. It usually snows a little bit here every winter, but not like this, never like this, this is crazy” she says. “But, yeah, there aren’t really any hills here…why would you come to Omaha? Where are you guys even snowboarding, like in the parks and stuff?” Another awkward pause.”Um…in the streets,” says Meyer. “Okay” she says, clearly confused. “So you guys are on vacation or something? “Kinda,” says Jed. “We’re filming a movie.” “No way, you guys are in movies? What are you, like professional boarders? Are you guys going to the Olympics? I saw something on TV about that.” “Well, um, we…uh…” someone mumbles, but she just keeps right on going now. Wait for it. It’s coming… “Oh, coooool, like Shaun White. Do you guys know Shaun White? He’s the coolest. He makes me what to try snowboarding. Do you know if he has a girlfriend?” It could’ve been any California Pizza Kitchen in any strip mall anywhere in America. It’s always the same question everywhere. We should’ve known. Bet the help at the local steakhouse wouldn’t have gone there. But we chose this. We gravitated toward that warm orange glow of the interior, the promise of Cheeseburger Pizzas and bottomless Arnold Palmers. Why? We always know exactly what we’re gonna get. But fuck, we’re more adventurous than that aren’t we? What was it that Mark Twain famously wrote, “Familiarity breeds contempt – and children.” Yeah. I suppose we’re just willing to accept the former for a chance at the latter. After all, the hottest chicks always work at CPK.
e, at Jed is definitely not as cool as Shaun Whit . flatty to fatty one front , aska Nebr in least not
after Darrell kicks out a kinky method Pizza rger sebu Chee some slices of
waved. Both of them were carrying plastic snowboards, the kind with the red straps Except maybe his buddy. His beanie for “bindings” and cost maybe 30 bucks at Walshowed his loyalty to the Steelers. But, Mart. Jake said they were Shaun’s, he was borthen again, it could just be a hand-merowing one, he doesn’t have enough money to down. His jacket certainly looked like it get his own, someday maybe, he hopes. was. That or he didn’t have any hands.
The kids eyed us for a while from across the street. I think we were in their spot, and they were curious. Slowly they made their way over. Stood on the periphery for a few seconds, talking occasionally to “Is it okay if we watch?” the kid in each other. Then Darrell said, “Hi” and asked camo asked shyly. “And maybe use that hill right there to ride down?” them what they were up to. “Just snowboarding,” said the taller of the two. He had on camo coveralls and a fire engine red beanie with a big “N” sewn on it. He was a Cornhuskers fan. Everyone here is.
He said his name was Shaun, he was “13, no 14, yeah 14”. He introduced us to his buddy Jake, who reached out of his oversized sleeve and
“They both kinda suck,” Shaun said. “I have to save up to buy a better board. I really want a better board. Your boards are way nicer. I bet you can do a lot more tricks on those boards.” Shaun wasn’t that shy anymore. He told us his brother got him into snowboarding, that
he “just put me on it and pushed me down the hill, and I’ve been doing it ever since”. He’s been shredding for about three and a half years now. He rides at either Rocket Park or Memorial Park. He says they have jumps over there. “Yeah, sweet jumps,” interjects Jake. “Yeah, it’s sweet,” confirms Shaun. “It sucks cuz there’s no ski resorts in Nebraska, but there’s one in Iowa, it’s called Mount Crescent. I haven’t gone there yet, but we might go next year.” He keeps talking about how he hopes he’ll be able to buy a new board next year too. He knows these plastic decks are pieces of shit. Says he’s sure he could learn a lot more tricks on a real board. But he doesn’t have the money for a real snowboard. That doesn’t’ matter though, he doesn’t let it stop him, it’s all he’s got right now. “If I had a better board…cuz when I started out… I…um, I just need a better board, then I think I could do a lot better.” He says he’ll save up for a good board. Jake’s gonna save up too. “Yeah, this is just my first year, I’ve just been trying it out and stuff, but I think it’s awesome. It’s soooo fun and it’s just about having fun and doing what you want.” Well put, punk. Then Darrell decides to put the kids to work. That Banshee Bungee won’t stretch itself, so why not put a couple bucks in these kids’ pockets and get them to do some heavy pulling. It was probably the best 10 bucks those kids ever made. Here’s to hoping that money went toward a new board. Odds are just as good though that those ten bucks ended up in the pocket of the older kids lurking in that same park across the street.
This is what a prope r front board looks like, kids. Nima locked in and squared up
“You guys like to party?” “Um…yeah,” answered Jed sarcastically. Whoops. Wrong answer. Now we’re about to get into it. “Oh, okay, well I know where the party is at. You know? I party. Okay, so what are…” Nima interrupted, he knew what was up. “Okay, yeah, that’s cool, but we were just leaving actually…” “Yeah, you guys aren’t from around here are ya? Well, we know how to party in Omaha. I know all the spots. You guys should hit me up. I’ll hook you up. We can go party, you know, let’s party.” None of us knew what to say. Crickets. It was quiet enough to hear this kid grinding his teeth. What the fuck was going on? This dude was tweaked. Still, silence from all of us…but he just continues…
“Yeah we’re just boarding right over here, across this park, we’ve got this huge jump built, we’re just launching, you guys should come check it out. You could probably do some sick tricks on it. Let’s do this. Then we can party. What kind of boards do you guys ride? You guys ever been to Colorado? I heard they got the best boarding out in Colorado. Or Whistler, I heard that place is a party. Yeah, that’s all we do here is party really. And board, I guess. But we hardly ever get to board like this. This is awesome. I could do this all the time. There’s not a lot to do around here. Except party, I guess. So what are you guys up to tonight? I could show you around, show you how Omaha parties, if you know what I mean?” Now Jed knew what he meant. And now you know. Omaha’s a lot like everywhere. They’ve got their share of party people pushing shit in the park, cute girls who ask stupid questions, lots of people who are clueless about snowboarding and surprisingly enough, even a few frothing groms. Yeah, there’s snowboarding in Nebraska. Who knew?
Would you? Jed steezy
switch nosepress
Nima frosty sw itch front 270 to front board
Now you see him, now you don’t. Or wait, was it the other way round? DCP charges through the white room Photos: Oli Gagnon
Jump off a building! Matty Mo 50-50 to 540 transfer drop in Utah Photo: Blotto Photto
Thomas Hรถrhager can leap over entire cities in a single bound, massive tail snatch over IBK Photo: Carlos Blanchard
It looks like a giant white shark is opening its gaping maw to swallow up Aleks Ă˜streng, cab 540 in ‘Fonna Photo: Daniel Tengs
Ben Bilocq ridin’ dirty, oververt Andrecht in Whistler Photo: Oli Gagnon
Style for miles, Elias Elhardt half cab pillow fluff in Austria Photo: Carlos Blanchard
Double tip grab rammer jammer! Sebi M端ller gets wild in some avy debris in Kaunertal Photo: Jonas Michilot
Back scratch fever, Jules Reymond endo backie on the MFM jump in Brighton Photo: Andy Wright
Phil Jacques bustin’ out in DC, fully committed back lip Photo: Alex Paradis
Woo hooooo! AFM backside 180 mute in Zell am Ziller Photo: Carlos Blanchard
Fredrik Perry’s feeling loose, pole jam ollie north Photo: Daniel Tengs
Salut Laurent! Photo: Alex Paradis
Bjorn Lindgren getting’ fresh with a stalefish in the frozen tundra, Riksgransen Photo: Markus Alatalo
Taste the rainbow! Gigi goes gaga for cereal Photo: Scott Sullivan
AK is not for pussies, Wolle Nyvelt hangs it out to dry in Haines Photo: Oli Gagnon