12.2 English Method Snowboard Magazine

PHOTOGRAPHER: Oli Gagnon RIDER: Eero Niemela SPOT: Revelstoke, British Columbia TRICK: FS air

PHOTOGRAPHER: Carlos Blanchard RIDER: Julia Baumgartner SPOT: Kartalkaya, Turkey TRICK: FS air

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Thomaz Autran Garcia thomaz@method.tv SENIOR EDITOR: Alexis de Tarade alexis@method.tv SENIOR EDITOR: Chris McAlpine chriso@method.tv ART DIRECTOR: Carlos B. Aranda carlos@method.tv VIDEOGRAPHER/EDITOR: Ryan “Digglesâ€? Scardigli diggles@method.tv WEB PROGRAMMER: Laurie Barker laurie@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: Cole Barash, Euan Baxter, Oli Croteau, Jeff Curtes, Ethan “E-Stoneâ€? Fortier, Liam Gallagher, Mark Gallup, Guille Gonzalez, JĂśrg Häken, Borislav Kamilov, Frank Kunert, Crista Leonard, Alex Mertz, Adam Moran , Jonatan Nylander, Jeff Patterson, Bob Plumb, Lorenz Richard, Alex Schneider, Kealan Shilling, Emil Sollie, Olav Stubberud, Florian Trattner, Danielle van den Heerik, Johan Wennerstrom, Andy Wright

I recently read an old article in the New York Times entitled, “Winning Leaps Over Art�, authored by Gia Kourlas. It was written last year, during the last Winter Olympics in 2010. It is about figure skating.

You might wonder why I would be reading about figure skating in the first place, and you have every right to, I’ll freely admit I’ll read most anything placed in front of me, it’s an odd habit of mine. Anyway, I digress. It turns out that in her article Ms. Kourlas, reviewing the then-recent figure skating events in Vancouver, brings up the issue of something all snowboarders hold dear to our hearts: Style.

According to Ms. Kourlas, the judging process had “contributed greatly to impeding artistic development� and that “judges are a click away from slow-motion replay allowing them to review, say, the amount of time a skater holds a spiral or the landing position on a jump. If standards are not met, penalties ensue. Each step is an opportunity to accumulate more points. In this environment there’s no such thing as spontaneity, which is the spice of art: rather, skating is more of a competition than ever�.

Sound familiar? It turns out snowboarding isn’t the only “sport� that’s being stifled by bullshit Olympic rules and regulations. After the recent decisions made by the IOC regarding the qualification process for Sochi 2014, choosing to completely ignore a task force comprised of the TTR, W.A.S. and FIS Snowboarding which was working towards addressing all the myriad issues in the current qualifying system, we are stuck with the status quo. Which basically means that skiers are still telling snowboarding what to do.

Did you know that snowboarding is now listed on the IOC website as a “skiing� event, alongside ski jumping and nordic combined? Yep, it’s official, snowboarding is now skiing!

Take it away, Gia Kourlas: “The Canadian pair who deservedly ended up with the gold medal were the exception, not the rule, showing the world that gliding on ice could add up to more than athleticism. Figure skating may not be an art, but in such moments, it’s also not about winning: it’s about flying.â€? I guess we have more in common with figure skating than I thought‌ Fuck FIS, fuck skiing, fuck rules. Do your thing. Do it with style.

5"(

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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Hans Ahlund, Carlos Blanchard, Jeff Curtes, Kristofer “Kuske� Fahlgren, Joel Fraser, Liam Gallager, Danny Larsen, Scott Lenhardt, Rolf Nylinder, Johnnie Paxson, Bob Plumb, Jocke Rasmussen, Momchil Vesselinov, Alvaro Vogel, Viktor Wiberg CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATORS: Scott Lenhardt, Simon Riviere

“This photo of Mark was taken on our last day in Oslo this past January. We went there for a 10-day rail trip after hearing that Oslo had the most snow in the city that they’d had in a long time. Unfortunately it turned out to be the most ice in the city in a long time by the time we arrived‌ We spent days chipping ice on stairs and basically doing construction work to clean up every spot that we shot at. During one of our ice-chipping sessions Sollors looked back over the hill from where the rail was and noticed this old military bunker. He told us he thought he saw a cool gap there. A few days later we went back and realized this was no small gap at all, it was a backcountry-sized ollie to tiny tranny-finder landing. It took a bit to get it all dialed in but after a few pulls off the bungee cord, Sollors sent it and landed clean into the tranny. Dude took his backcountry skills to the streets on this one for sure. I went on this trip expecting to shoot mostly rails and ended up shooting a fucking beast of an air. I knew as soon as he did it that this shot would be something special, and now it’s the ender to his video part and is on the cover here. A perfect ending to it all!â€?

- Adam Moran t $BNFSB  Canon Mark 2 5D t -FOT  Canon 24-70 L series lens at 38 mm (that’s no fisheye, this thing is fucking huge!) plus 2 Profoto Acute 600R strobes t "QFSUVSF  F8 t 4IVUUFS 4QFFE 1/200 t 3JEFS  Mark Sollors t 5SJDL Ollie t 4QPU ĂˆOslo, Norway t %BUF ĂˆJanuary 25, 2011

BOOM EXTREME PUBLISHING LTD

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Gareth Rees PUBLISHER: Ben Gallivan FINANCE DIRECTOR: Mark Fenwick SALES & ACCOUNTING: Ben Gallivan ben@method.tv DISTRIBUTION: Transglobal Freight Management Ltd www.tgfml.com PRINTER: Benhamgoodheadprint Limited www.bgprint.co.uk PAPER: Gould Publication Papers UK www.gouldpublicationpapers.co.uk METHOD MAGAZINE 218 Penarth Road Cardiff CF11 8NN United Kingdom Ph.: +44 (0)2920 671 513 Fax: We prefer emails info@method.tv Method and all other brands associated to it are produced by Boom Extreme Publishing Ltd. Copyright 2011 Boom Extreme Publishing Ltd. No liability is accepted for the accuracy of the information contained herein, nor are any guarantees given by the magazine. Copyright worldwide of original material is held by Boom Extreme Publishing Ltd and permission must be obtained for any use, transmission, storage or reproduction. Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily shared by the publisher. Boom Extreme Publishing Ltd assumes no responsibility for the loss or damage of unsolicited material. Thanks for choosing Method Mag. We sure hope you like it.

UIJOHT ZPV E MJLF UP LOPDL PVU DPME XJUI B EJMEP 1. Little kids 2. Cats 3. Raccoons 4. Mountain sheep 5. Salmon UIJOHT ZPV XBOU XSJUUFO PO ZPVS UPNCTUPOF 1. The man, the myth, the six-pack 2. Lived, loved and lost 3. He came, he saw, he impregnated 4. Father to many 5. He was an OK guy to be around CFTU XPSET PG BEWJDF ZPV IBWF FWFS HPUUFO 1. If you don’t have condoms use Saran wrap - my grandmother 2. Don’t you boys forget to double bag it - my mother 3. Let her buck 4. The further out there you go, the wilder it gets 5. How do you get a witch pregnant? You fuck her UIJOHT UIBU ZPV EP CFUUFS UIBO &VSPQFBOT 1. Fight 2. Drink 3. Fish 4. Snowmobile 5. Bonfires UIJOHT UIBU DPNF UP NJOE XIFO ZPV IFBS UIF QISBTF iTJOHMF IBOEFEMZw 1. Fucked the dog 2. Shit the bed 3. Beat the monkey 4. Took her virginity 5. Made it happen TUSBOHFTU QMBDFT ZPV IBWF XPLFO VQ 1. The bottom of the skate bowl in Wanaka, NZ at 5 am 2. Still inside a chick 3. Some weird bushes 4. My bed 5. The box of my truck NPTU "8&40.& NPNFOUT UIBU IBQQFOFE mMNJOH GPS UIF $"1J5" NPWJF 1. I actually ended up filming a full part 2. I got to snowboard with some dudes I never met before 3. I went heli-boarding and got some wicked runs 4. Snowmobiling in Canada was unreal 5. The whole project was really cool PG UIF XPSTU JOTVMUT ZPV WF IBE UISPXO BU ZPV 1. Mordor breath 2. Handsome 3. Nice 4. Respectable 5. Straight CFTU USJDLT JO TOPXCPBSEJOH SJHIU OPX 1. Method 2. Back 180 3. Front 180 4. Cab 360 5. Handplants OBTUJFTU UIJOHT ZPV WF FWFS QVU JO ZPVS NPVUI 1. Lamb brains 2. Worms 3. Vagina 4. Dirt 5. Crickets UIJOHT ZPV XJTI ZPV IBE OFWFS EPOF 1. Jumped that cliff this summer into shallow water 2. Slept with that total beater after the bar 3. Fixed my front tooth 4. Gotten sick 5. Fallen in love UIJOHT ZPV OFFE UP BQPMPHJ[F GPS BOE XIZ Fuck that!

PHOTO: JEFF PATTERSON

QFPQMF ZPV TIPVMEO U IBWF ESJOLJOH DPOUFTUT XJUI 1. Mikey Rencz 2. Mike Figouski (CAPiTA filmer) 3. Blair Harper (Monster TM) 4. Jordan Mendalman (Bar owner – Banff) 5. Jake Welsh IJHIMJHIUT PG ZPVS TOPXCPBSEJOH DBSFFS 1. Making it out alive, so far 2. Not making the Olympic team 3. Making it to the pros 4. Snowboarding with Danny Kass 5. Learning how to snowmobile properly

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Craven making like a raven in the Whistler backcountry

Shhh, we’ve spotted a wild Jake Blauvelt hunting for powder!

Jake Blauvelt, Powder Pardus Maximus, is member of the cat family. The species once roamed freely across the eastern seaboard of the United States, but mainly in the northern state of VT, with an especially heavy concentration at Mt. Stowe. Recently, however, the population has decreased rapidly due to powder poaching and lack of bigger spots.

The Jake Blauvelt is now chiefly found in the Northwestern territories, mainly Mt. Baker or Whistler, devouring copious amounts of moisture-laden powder and natural terrain.

Descending from an ancestral lineage of pilots, one can easily see the Blauvelt’s affinity to taking flight off the side of cliffs and getting Boeing 747-type amplitude on his Ride snowboard..

Relative to other snow-dwelling cats, the JB is fairly light with an average weight of 68 kg, which keeps his light-footed size 9’s literally sprocking off the powder. His bright, waterproof fur is adorned with Oakley markings. A Jake Blauvelt can be easily spotted because of his… uhm, spots. Literally. Its face is peppered with freckles, camouflaging it in the trees as it preys on unsuspecting faces, peering intently out of its hazel eyes, hidden under the dirty blond shag of hair on its head.

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The Jake is an agile powder predator, with a notorious ability for surprising sleepy powder fields without patting down lips or carving

PHOTO: ADAM MORAN

cheese wedges. Simply springing out of the trees and “shredding the powder tits to bits”, as one Washington state local described it.

Its diet consists of fresh greens, pesto pasta, wild salmon, coconut water and kombucha tea, among other “organic and fresh out the garden” edibles. Late night sightings of a JB might mean you’ll catch it sipping on a Crown and Ginger. Being skilled fishermen, the species can be found on the water’s edge during spawning season, gorging on wild salmon.

The JB needs to compete with other powder cats for territory, so it sleeps early and sets out to hunt at sunrise. Being most active in the morning, it tends to have a midday nap much like its South American counterpart, the Mexican mountain lion. Studies prove that the JB gets “confused when people try to wake him”, hence this being the easiest way to capture a live specimen.

It is not very responsive to the howling or growling commonly found on social networks, instead communicating normally in person.

The Jake has been recorded practicing yoga, which explains its extreme flexibility and ability to tweak methods and crank out chicken-wing sevens like a radical yogi.

Research shows the JB is a monogamous creature which mates all year, maintaining

long-term relationships. It has been quoted saying it will “do it everywhere and anywhere with my longtime girl, Kristin”. It congregates with “spiritual and calming” types but “people with bad and awkward or narcissistic energy bother” the Blauvelt, and it can be found in solitude at times.

Lifespan can be expected to reach up to 85-90 years due to the Jake’s healthy diet and active lifestyle, although they may become less active in the later years. Its health and drive are also attributed to “enjoying the moment, all while striving toward specific goals”, as well as displays of compassion attributed to “feeling needed and giving back to people”.

Studies and soil samples confirm the JB urinates to mark its territory, especially along fall lines. “I piss before I drop into a lot of lines to get the nerves out.” A passive cat, the Blauvelt never get into fights and shows altruistic signs of generosity, thriving in a community of “givers less than receivers”.

The guys over at Brain Farm bagged and tagged a JB, so look out for his part in The Art of Flight, where you can witness it prowling mountain tops and devouring powder firsthand.

is good powder, because I like to shred it myself so badly. But on the other hand it’s good that my riding skills help me a lot while looking for spots or shooting in general, because I have done the moves myself so I know what is doable at a certain spot.

"SF ZPV B HFBS GSFBL PS EP ZPV LFFQ ZPVS QIPUP CBH OJDF BOE MJHIU It depends on what I’m shooting. In powder it comes down to a light backpack with one camera, 3 lenses (14-24mm, 24-70mm & 70-200mm), walkie talkies, a shovel and a pieps. When you are out in the backcountry you hike around a lot and need tochange position real quick, so packing light is not the worst move. But when I shoot urban I don’t really care how much stuff I’ve got with me because you drive your car to most of the spots anyways. I often use flashes on the streets and that’s where it can get a little crazy. One big Elinchrom battery with 1 or 2 heads, 2 speed lights and wizards to trigger those flashes. And don’t forget the 4 tripods!

8IZ EJE ZPV EFDJEF UP TIPPU TOPXCPBSEJOH 8BT UIFSF B TQFDJmD NPNFOU UIBU NBEF ZPV EFDJEF PS EJE JU IBQQFO SBOEPNMZ I was lucky to grow up with some of the best snowboarders in Bernese Oberland. Our crew was called “the mankiz� and we did everything together, so it was only natural that we started shooting each other while snowboarding. I got more and more hooked on shooting but without losing the desire to snowboard myself. So sometimes it’s quite hard for me to grab the camera when there

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8IBU JT NPSF JNQPSUBOU JO TOPXCPBSE QIPUPHSBQIZ CFBVUJGVM DPNQPTJUJPO BOE MJHIUJOH PS MFHJU SJEJOH Good question. Sure, if you combine good composition and good lighting with Travis Rice you got it perfect. But here we need to make a differentiation. There is the documentary aspect, which is more focused on the riding, that’s where morphed sequences come into the game. The other aspect is more creative, I guess.

It shows the symbiosis between the rider and the terrain. This can be a little ollie into a small pocket somewhere in the woods nice backlit by the sun between the trees... That’s the challenge for me: to take simple things and make it look good and fun. So that the viewer wants to go out and do it themselves. It’s simple to document legit riding if you know a bit how your camera works.

8IBU JT UIF NPTU FTTFOUJBM QJFDF PG FRVJQNFOU JO ZPVS RVJWFS Besides the camera itself, I would say my Nikon 50mm 1.4 lens. A 50mm sees the

world almost as our eye sees it. OK, there might be some weirdo out there with fish eye vision, but in general people see in 50mm. The best thing is you can shoot everything with it, from portraits to street rails to powder. Maybe I should do that next season for a couple of days‌ )PX IBSE JT JU UP DPOWJODF SJEFST UP HP PVU TIPPU TUJMMT UIFTF EBZT " MPU PG UIF ZPVOHFS LJET EPO U FWFO TFFN UP EFWFMPQ SFMBUJPOTIJQT XJUI QIPUPHT BOZNPSF JU T BMM BCPVU WJEFP There is no conflict between photo and video, even if video is more important to the rider.

For example, there are spots that look way better on photo then they do on video, and the other way around! So when a rider trusts in my skills as a photographer and can I visualize the photo in my head at a spot, it’s not hard to convince riders. Even if the spot is super small, or at least doesn’t look big, it could look good from a certain angle with a certain lens. And that’s what makes a good snowboard photographer to me: somebody who also gets the shot at a crappy spot.

8IBU JT ZPVS QFU QFFWF XIBU QJTTFT ZPV P¸ UIF NPTU XIFO ZPV BSF USZJOH UP HFU XPSL EPOF It’s so hard these days to get a good job in the industry. With the digital revolution everyone is a photographer. This is good and bad. On one hand it pushes me to step it up and get better. And it allows me to learn way faster too. But on the other hand digi creates so much crap, it’s unreal. Lorenz Holder, for example, wrote on his blog that around 1% of his total shots taken through the season end up in his submissions to magazines.

That’s crazy. So what’s up with the rest, the 99%? Taking pictures got broken down to point, shoot, check the display to see how the outcome is, delete or keep. I’m not judging Holder here. Everyone does it that way. I really like his work and respect him a lot. But digi makes taking pictures easy. That is a fact. And with that easiness there are more photographers every season. And then it comes down to connections. The time where the best picture got published is long gone. %FTDSJCF UIF GFFMJOH ZPV HFU XIFO ZPV LOPX ZPV HPU B CBOHFS TIPU A millisecond after snapping the photo, the viewfinder goes black because of the shutter. That is exactly the point when you realize if you pulled the trigger at the right time or not. Here it’s not a question of digi or analog, all that matters is capturing the moment. And if I got that moment right, I feel it immediately. I get a prickly feeling in my hands, butterflies in my stomach, check the display, the shot is crispy, I look at the rider, he is stoked, I scream, he screams, the filmer screams from far away, there is a lot of energy, I get more excited, high fives and everyone is stoked because a good moment of snowboarding just went down. That’s what we live for.

George Peltekov tai

lpresser

PHOTO: BORISLAV KAMILOV ILLUSTRATION: SIMON RIVIERE WORDS: MOMCHIL VESSELINOV

V

rd

"JSQPSU UP TOPX Easy. Grab a taxi from the airport and head to Central Sofia bus station (Centralna avtogara).

Buses go to every point in the country from here. Traveling by bus is the cheapest way.

-PDBM CSFX There are some nice local beers you can try, but if you really want to get a good taste of Bulgaria you must try a drink called rakia. Be warned!

8IFO From late December to mid-April. Best pow in February/March.

%PO U 'PSHFU Your camera. Get your friends stoked on the new land you’ve discovered.

1PXEFS Bansko is the best powder option. It’s a small historic town that has turned into one of the largest and liveliest winter resorts in the country with easy access to some pretty sweet backcountry terrain.

%PO U #SJOH Too much money. You won’t need it - Bulgaria is a cheap holiday destination.

1BSL FlipMode has transformed a little slope in Osogovo mountain into their own freestyle oasis. +JC $JUZ Remains of Communist architecture and monuments. Fast growing resorts like Bansko have unfinished construction sites, which can turn into great jibbing. )PX NVDI Lift passes cost around 25â‚Ź / day.

"WBMBODIF %BOHFS Best way to explore the Bulgarian backcountry is to hire a guide. Check out freemountains.com and oxo.bg for more details.

-PDBM )FSPFT Mario Benio, Lozio Dimitrov, Dimitar Chokoev, Georgi Peltekov, Georgi “Chernia�, Kiko Gustev (PPE &BUT Banitza and boza. For hangover cure order shkembe chorba (extremely spicy tripe soup).

Dinner: bob chorba (bean soup), meshana skara (mixed grill), kapama (stewed lamb with onions).

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Lozyo Dimitrov front boa

%FmOJUFMZ #SJOH Your charms. Girls in Bulgaria are beautiful.

Seriously. Try walking on any main street in Sofia and not hopelessly fall in love every 5 minutes.

4XFBSJOH Just yell “Chekidjia!� If he looks angry that means you’ve succeeded and called him a wanker!

8FFLFOE 8BSSJPST Plenty of English and Russian tourists and locals. /P $PNQSFFOEP Most young people speak good English.

-PDBMT 4VDL "U Pipe. There is only one tiny and really unpopular halfpipe in the country.

-PDBMT 3JQ "U Partying! Things in Bulgaria start around midnight and end when bars close at 5-6 am.

Iskren Zahariev 50-50 transfer

'SPN IPX BDDFQUBCMF JT JU UP MJHIU VQ B EPPCJF JO QVCMJD 1- it’s illegal to spark up in Bulgaria.

'SPN IPX FBTZ JT JU UP mOE 7 - ask fellow shredders on the hill.

0ME .PVOUBJO 5BMF Bulgaria has the highest peak between the Alps and the Caucasus: Mt. Musala. At 2,925 m it stands even taller than the legendary Mt. Olympus in next door Greece, which according to Greek mythology was regarded as almost touching the heavens, the abode of the twelve Olympian gods and the site of Zeus’ throne. Awkward.

8IZ 4ISFE #VMHBSJB If you’re not into powder covered mountains, good food, friendly locals and super cheap prices - don’t check out Bulgaria on your next shred trip.

8IBU JT -97 BOE XIBU NBLFT JU EJ¸FSFOU UIBO PUIFS CFBOJF NBLFST (JWF VT UIF TUPSZ (Claudia Almendros) LXV is a headwear brand from Barcelona and everything we make is entirely and exclusively produced in Spain, from the fabrics to the bag the product is delivered in. We work with family-owned factories, we know them personally and have a really good working relationship with them.

8IP T PO UIF -97 UFSSPS TRVBE 4USFFU 1VOL 1PTTF Gus Engle, Brendan Gerard, Ă˜ivind Fykse, Maxwell Carl Scott, Gerald Fuchs, David Struber, Klas Beyer, Matic Zavodnik, Ziga Rakovec, Rowan Biddiscombe.

"SUTZ 5FBN Carlos Blanchard, Kealan Shilling, RubĂŠn Sanchez, Esthera Preda.

-PDBM )FSPFT Chris KrÜll, Michael Stani, Joshua Alvarez, Oscar Valencia, Borja Merigó, Vanessa Waldenhofer‌ and a bunch more!

8IBU PUIFS OPO CPBSEFS UZQFT BSF QBSU PG UIF -97 GBNJMZ 8IBU T ZPVS DSJUFSJB GPS QJDLJOH UIF UFBN The artsy team mentioned above. We describe our whole team as “creative minds, unique individuals, independent thinkers�. We don’t really care about things like contest results or magazine coverage. We care about creativity, passion and individuality. Our team fits what we stand for and to us they’re all as relevant as an Olympic champion. Whether they travel the globe shooting the world’s best snowboarders, own a vintage shop/gallery or spend their summers welding rails for the winter, each of them is dedicated and passionate about snowboarding in their own way and that’s what we’re down for. They keep snowboarding alive.

Maxwell Carl Scott knocks out a tailpress on the bench he’s about to sleep on 1IPUP Frank Kunert

8IBU BSF UIF CFOFmUT PG CFJOH NBEF JO &VSPQF XIJDI JT BO BMNPTU JNQPTTJCMF DMBJN BOZ PUIFS BQQBSFM DPNQBOZ JO TOPXCPBSEJOH There are a few reasons we produce exclusively in Spain: The main one is to support local business in our country, where as everyone knows, the economy is a sinking ship. Most companies have gone to China or other countries and Spanish factories are struggling to stay in business. We also like the environment and the way locals work. We know the people who run the factories, visit them, meet the workers‌ This way we can follow the production process more closely and make sure things are up to our standards. Another obvious reason is sustainability, that old story about shipping from the other side of the planet, etc. It basically makes sense. *G XF MJWFE JO B XPSME UIBU NPOFZ EJEO U FYJTU IPX NVDI XPVME BO -97 CFBOJF CF XPSUI JO QPUBUPFT I’d say we’d take anything grown in your own garden.

8IBU JT ZPVS CFTU HVFTT PO XIZ LOJU IBUT BSF DBMMFE CFBOJFT Our heads are shaped like a bean. Beans rule the world, didn’t you know?

8IZ TIPVME QFPQMF HJWF &VSP B DIBODF Euro gaps are badass and relevant as fuck. It just makes sense.

8IFSF DBO QFPQMF HFU UIFJS IBOET PO -97 CFBOJFT Board shops across the world. There’s a shop list on our website.

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XXX MBYBWBMBIFBEXFBS DPN Who needs eyes when you have an LXV hat

man buddies, they were kind enough to let me use some shots. I think 95% of the movie was shot during those first 3 weeks in Helsinki.

PHOTO: DANIELLE VAN DEN HEERIK

*T JU PLBZ GPS NF UP DBMM ZPV 5JN WBO 4DIJQIPSTU PS EP ZPV IBWF UP QBZ UIF HPWFSONFOU UP HFU B iWBOw CFUXFFO ZPVS OBNFT (Tim Schiphorst) It would probably cost some money, but it doesn’t sound bad actually. If I changed my name it would be a little more drastic though, maybe something that nonDutch people can pronounce.

8IBU QSPEVDUJPOT BSF ZPV GFFMJOH UIFTF EBZT Obviously I love what Videograss is doing and I look forward to seeing the new CAPiTA and Rome films. I have always loved the People films but with most of the old crew gone, I don’t know what to expect anymore. The new and improved Isenseven crew makes me curious as well, can’t wait to see what Wojtek Pawlusiak and Dani Rajcsanyi did. On a smaller level, I love what KBR is doing, definitely looking forward to Toni Kerkela’s part again.

8IBU LJOE PG DBNFSB EP TIPPU ZPVS GSJFOET XJUI Mostly I went along with the DSLR hype, got myself a 550D the day we left for Helsinki. I had the oldest, crappiest lens ever, but it was the only thing I could get my hands on. I think this lens used to be mounted on an old analog camera my dad had back in the day. I also use my Sony FX7 like a GoPro, cuz the fisheye is pretty much rusted onto the body. $BO ZPV TUBUF UIF i1PTUMBOE 5IFPSZw JO POF TFOUFODF Ăˆ It’s all about fun? Hanging with your friends?

I don’t know, I just liked the logo.

%JE ZPV TUBZ BXBLF MPOH FOPVHI JO 1IZTJDT DMBTT UP SFNFNCFS UIF FRVBUJPO GPS NPNFOUVN I didn’t have to, Gerben couldn’t have explained it any better. He lost his drivers license in Helsinki so Cees had to drive most of the time. He’d only gotten his license a few months earlier, so jumping straight into driving on icy roads was difficult. They don’t teach you how to handle these kind of conditions in Holland, so every time Cees was about to get stuck in the snow, Gerben would tell him to “keep his momentum, or the car will get stuck�. That pretty much sums up how our season went, getting stuck in shit but pulling ourselves through with momentum and ending up with this film. %P ZPV FWFS iUBTUF DPBDIw UIF SJEFST BOE SFDPNNFOE USJDLT GPS UIF SJEFST UP EP PS OPU EP I tried talking Joey out of doing these gay-ass swivel ones but he did it anyway. I ended up using the shot and people seemed to love it.

Besides that, there was this one time where there was no “directing� going on at the spot, just a healthy discussion between all of us about what tricks would be dope to do on a certain rail. For example we pushed Kas to do that big kinked rail, it was his first week hitting street rails ever, and he had already seen Cees and Gerben getting taco’d on it, so I guess he definitely stepped up. First we had to convince him that a 50-50 was a legit trick, then he only needed 3 tries to land it. Ultimately though my job is just to be there, document anything that happens, and help the riders get the shot.

8IBU JT UIFSF B MPU PG JO )PMMBOE UIBU ZPV HVZT DPVME QJMF VQ BOE NBLF B XFMM OFFEFE NPVOUBJO There was a post on some ski site the other day about plans to make a mountain here. That would be rad, I think most of us wouldn’t mind driving for an hour to take some sunny laps. It sounded pretty crazy but they didn’t say what they were gonna use as a foundation, Dutch architects like playing God. But to answer your question, I would stack all the indoor domes in Holland and get rid of the roof, problem solved. That would probably piss off a lot of kids here, though.

8IP JO UIF DSFX XPVME XJO B OPMMJF CBUUMF Oh, there was an indoor contest here a while back, our second angle/intro filmer for the summer Luc BĂźthker won because he nollied into all his tricks. Highest nollie in our crew would probably go to Wessel van Lierop though, and I know Gerben Verweij loves ‘em as well.

8PVME ZPV SBUIFS TFF MJGF UIPVHI ZPVS PXO FZFT JO DPOTUBOU SBNQFE TMPX NP PS EVTUZ TVQFS mMN Ramped slow-mo for sure, hearing my own voice would make me laugh, basically everything is funny in slow-motion. I would dodge bullets and fight people like in the Matrix or 300. As long as the ramp is a frequency wave and not just a parabola, it would suck if the slow motion effect would increase until everything just stops.

GBDFCPPL DPN QPTUMBOE

8IBU BSF TZNQUPNT PG TQFOEJOH UPP NVDI UJNF JO UIF TOPX EPNF Lack of creativity, but being able to do a lot of tricks. Indoors everything is always the same so learning your moves is easy. Going outdoors is a big difference and I see a lot of indoor kids struggle to get their safety tricks down on other features besides their trusted local rail. Still, I think the level of riding in Holland is pretty insane, especially on rails, but we also got some kids that are doing well on jumps.

Cees Wille back lip

8IFSF EJE ZPV HVZT UISPX ZPVSTFMWFT EPXO TUBJST BOE UFFUFS PO SBJMT UP mMN .PNFOUVN First Cees Wille, Joey van Essen and Gerben Verweij went to Switzerland to test out the new winch and stuff. When that all worked fine we went to Helsinki for three weeks. Kas Lemmens joined us for one week. After that Kas and I went to Innsbruck to look for spots but there wasn’t enough snow. Later Cees and Gerben took Bob van Unnik to Helsinki again, it was late season so the snow wasn’t perfect but enough for Bob to get some shots. Bob went home and Cees and Gerben drove to Oslo to meet Joey and I. We spent a week looking for spots and snow but again we couldn’t get a lot done. Wessel shot most of his part with his Ger-

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Joey Van Essen spanks out a frontside 50-50

)PX EJE TBOF TUBSU (Michi Schatz) Five or six years ago a bunch of Germans moved to IBK, we hung out with some local Austrian guys, started hating the mainstream scene at the local mountains and felt the need to establish our own identity, so we started sane!.

Lukas Lengle steezy front board 1IPUP JÜrg Häken

sane! Is Michi Schatz, Tobias Winkel, Philipp Schorp, Steve Grumser, Patrick Wegerer, Dominik Brunner, Marcel Dextor, Markus Klaes, Aron Holterman,Thomas HĂśrhager, Lukas Lengle, Benno Postert, Johannes MĂźnsch, Andreas Gell, Christoph Geiger, Thomas Fimmel and our rookie Max Glatzl.

8IFSF JT ZPVS IPNF UVSG In early 2010 we started to shape our own lil’ jib park in Rinn, close to IBK, where we have a lot of different rails, tubes, boxes, a small jump, etc.

We love to ride park and street so it’s great to have a place like Rinn to try out new tricks first.

Marcel Dextor gapping out 1IPUP Alex Schneider

If there is fresh pow we also enjoy riding the big mountains in Tyrol, have some fun on the slopes and try our best in the backcountry.

8IFSF BSF ZPV HVZT CMPHHJOH BOE QPTUJOH WJEFPT UP LFFQ QFPQMF JO TBOF We have a new website (www.sanesnow.com) where you can check our profiles, clips and news. There’s also our facebook page and our vimeo account (www.vimeo.com/sane). Sometimes we get lucky and other sites repost our stuff... Thanks, Method!

Michi Schatz front lippy 1IPUP Florian Trattner

8IBU nBWPS BSF ZPV HVZT USZJOH UP BEE UP UIF CJH TISFE TPVQ We want people to get back to the old values this beautiful lifestyle offers us, to appreciate their time on their board a little more, respect nature and have as much fun as possible in every situation. Double kinks are the new double corks.

"OZ DSFXT GSPN UIF QBTU UIBU ZPV UIJOL BSF UPUBMMZ BXFTPNF The Forum 8 and the Wildcats are the crews that most of us would probably answer to this question, but also the Ninja Turtles and the Wu-Tang Clan.

8IBU NPWJFT PS QSPKFDUT DBO XF MPPL GPSXBSE JO UIF GVUVSF GSPN TBOF We will release a 10-minute flick in October 2011 and shorter clips throughout the season from different trips, spots and sessions. This season we plan to produce and film a full-length snowboard movie with the help of our friends of the brennweit medienproduction we’ll be able to produce something on a professional level.

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8IP XPVME ZPV MJLF UP UIBOL Everyone at sane!, Method Mag, brennweit medienproduction, Shredniks, JRBK, X- Double, Schatz GmbH, Kommunalbetriebe Rinn. sane! to the membrane 1IPUP sane!

Shlink, shlank, sh link, shlank‌ The man sharpened his as usual. The best blade late at night hour was around , 4 am to avoid being had been out for heard. The power months now, so he would sit directly that shone throug in the moon beam h the small window in the basement. flew from the flint Small sparks stone like synaps es in his brain as pondering how m he toiled in silence uch things had ch , anged. So much in seemed to be the fact, that change only constant. In the past 16 month fallen from powe s, fifteen rulers ha r, followed by inc d essant revolution quakes had litera . Five massive earth lly rearranged the planet and the fin shambles. Season ancial system wa s morphed into pe s in a rmanent winter, pla the wind and the gues swept in wi few remaining pe th ople were in cons tant migration.

Society had crum bled and the calen dar no longer mad time seem like lik e sense — even e a slippery concep t in this new age. had unwittingly be The man’s leisure come his tool for survival, his snow hope against the board the only soulless scavenge rs of the wastelan to decapitate with d. He was ready his shred blade an ything that stood and life. Although between him he wasn’t sure him self why anyone to remain alive in would struggle this harsh reality, where one survive cats and drinking d eating street melted run-off. At this point he wasn conscious decision ’t even making s, the switch was flipped and instin dictated his actio ct increasingly ns.

At last his board was ready, the sh arp edge sparkling the pale moonligh with menace in t. Who could have known one day we to jib to survive... would have Chis Larson slicing up some street signage in AK. 1IPUP Alex Mertz

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Steezy Brisse hulking out an insanely huge back 1 method in Utah 1IPUP E-Stone

Yep. You said it. Holy shi t! That was also our firs t reaction when we saw this shot. Now that the initial shock has worn off, let’s take a second think about “holy shit�. to It’s an expression of exc itement, terror, awe, surprise and shock all nea tly rolled into one concise statement. Usually reserved for or blurted out at face-melting, life -altering or mind-boggl ments in life. Like right ing moabout now.

After we picked our jaw s up off the floor we cam e to the conclusion tha %BO #SJTTF is starting to t feel so comfortable up there in the upper reache of the stratosphere tha s t he has begun to resem ble something of an extraterrestrial supers tar, the galaxy’s conste llation of shred lunatics orbiting around him .

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Looking at this photo is particularly pleasing bec ause it allows you to whip out one of the greatest snowboar ding clichĂŠs of all time without having to cringe: Holy Shit!

ILLUSTRATION: SIMON RIVIERE

Scott Lenhardt grew up in Vermont, not far from the original Burton Snowboards factory. After bugging them for years, they let him draw some shirts and eventually board graphics. He now lives in New York and still makes art and is still bugging Burton to give him work. “This painting is from a small series I did last year for an art show about snowboarding. I wanted to capture some of the simple pleasures I have felt as well as some of the weird times. And sometimes, most times, weird times are the simplest of pleasures.�

4DPUU

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“This was my first official shoot for Burton Snowboards. It was also my first time overseas. I was shooting for the Burton catalog in Saas Fee, Switzerland, I believe it was 1996.

I was wide-eyed and eager as hell. I was starstruck by all the big names on the shoot: Terje, Nicole Angelrath, Victoria Jealouse, Johan Olofsson, not to mention the admiration for the other photographers on the job like Vianney Tisseau, a French legend! But once I settled in, I just started doing what I do best, rapid fire at everything around, nonstop shooting with reckless abandon! Ha! The pipe sessions didn’t disappoint and to this day I still have visions of Terje Haakonsen, Aleksi Vanninen and Johan Olofsson blasting huge air-to-fakies in front of my lens! Epic times.�

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+F¸ $VSUFT Burton Staff Photographer since ‘94

1MFBTF JOUSPEVDF ZPVSTFMG UP UIF [PNCJF IPSEF Hey zombies, I’m Eirik Nesse, 18 years old and my favorite animal is my cat.

PHOTO: OLAV STUBBERUD

$BO ZPV HJWF POF HPPE SFBTPO XIZ ZPV TIPVMEO U CF FBUFO CZ [PNCJFT No, not really. I just finished school, so now I need some time to just do whatever I want to. Is that a good enough reason?

8IBU EP ZPV EP JG ZPV BSF BUUBDLFE CZ [PNCJFT You just gotta hide, cause I don’t think you can kill dead people. Perhaps with a chainsaw, but I wouldn’t count on it. I would just hide in the storage room of a grocery store with lots of food and candy.

8IBU LJOE PG QFPQMF EP ZPV UIJOL TIPVME CF FBUFO CZ [PNCJFT Fat people. For sure. And evil people.

5FMM VT BCPVU B DSB[Z DSBTI UIBU NBEF ZPV UIJOL ZPV IBE SFUVSOFE GSPN UIF EFBE Never had any crazy crashes, but once I accidentally rode my bike right into a car. I was just talking to a friend on the way to school, and suddenly a car appeared out of nowhere. I just went over the hood and landed on my shoulder on the street.

Really scary, but I didn’t die though. *G ZPV XFSF CJUUFO CZ B [PNCJF XPVME ZPV BTL ZPVS GSJFOET UP TIPPU ZPV PS XPVME ZPV USZ UP FBU UIFN It’s easy to say that you would ask your friends to shoot you, but when the day comes and you really get bitten by a zombie you’ll probably just try to eat everyone. But sure, just shoot me if I get bit.

:PV IBWF CFFO JOGFDUFE BOE ZPVS CSBJO IBT CFHVO UP SPU *G ZPV DPVME POMZ NVNCMF XPSET XIBU XPVME CF XPSET UIBU EFTDSJCF ZPV Nerd, candy, happy, boy, butterfly.

8IBU XPVME CF UIF CFOFmUT PG BMSFBEZ CFJOH EFBE I can’t imagine that dead people brush their teeth, so that might be the best thing about being dead. I really envy everyone who enjoys brushing their teeth. %P ZPV QSFGFS FBUJOH IVNBOT PO UIF TUSFFUT UIF QBSL PS UIF QPXEFS mFMET I usually eat them in the park, but I guess they are more tasty on the streets.

8IBU PUIFS [PNCJFT EP ZPV NPC BSPVOE XJUI My favorite zombies are Dina Treland, Len Jørgensen, Jessi Blackwell and Ă˜ivind Fykse. And of course all the homeyo’s from my local hill, Kirkerudbakken.

8IP BSF TPNF PG ZPVS GBWPSJUF PMEFS [PNCJFT Jake OE, Jed Anderson and Jonas Michilot might be top three right now, but basically most of the Videograss crew and Ducksjen. And Magoon.

I could probably mention a hundred more, haha.

8IP LFFQT ZPVS VOIPMZ VOEFBE CPEZ LJUUFE BOE mUUFE Thank you Airblaster, Dinosaurs Will Die, Session Boardshop and The Mountain!

Eirik trying to bite his own ass

PHOTO: GUI LLE GONZALEZ

1MFBTF JOUSPEVDF ZPVSTFMG UP UIF [PNCJF IPSEF Hi, I’m Polan, from Madrid, Spain.Â

when I see certain things in this world I wonder if I’m $BO ZPV HJWF POF HPPE SFBTPO XIZ ZPV TIPVMEO U already dead. Or maybe dreaming. WTF‌ CF FBUFO CZ [PNCJFT *G ZPV XFSF CJU CZ B [PNCJF XPVME ZPV BTL My mom would be super sad, hahaha.

ZPVS GSJFOET UP TIPPU ZPV PS XPVME ZPV USZ UP FBU FWFSZPOF 8IBU EP ZPV EP JG ZPV BSF BUUBDLFE CZ [PNCJFT I would definitely eat my friends and we I would just kick back and enjoy, let things play would have a blast eating all the 666 peoout by themselves. There are things that only ple, haha. happen once in life, plus you can’t kill someone who’s already dead. :PV IBWF CFFO JOGFDUFE BOE ZPVS CSBJO IBT CFHVO UP SPU *G ZPV DPVME POMZ 8IBU LJOE PG QFPQMF EP ZPV UIJOL TIPVME CF NVNCMF XIBU BSF XPSET UIBU EFFBUFO CZ [PNCJFT TDSJCF ZPV Politicians, cops‌ But they’re already rotten, so That’s too many words for zombie me.

I’m not sure the zombies would eat them, haha.

5FMM VT BCPVU B DSB[Z DSBTI UIBU NBEF ZPV UIJOL ZPV IBE SFUVSOFE GSPN UIF EFBE Smacked my head jumping, caught my edge, didn’t even know what day of the week it was, much less what had just happened‌ Par for 8IP LFFQT ZPVS VOthe course. But IPMZ VOEFBE CPEZ LJUUFE BOE mUUFE Volcom, Salomon, Vans, Buff, HML gloves, MadridSnowzone and dak-tak shop.

8IBU XPVME CF UIF CFOFmUT PG BMSFBEZ CFJOH EFBE Everything is A-OK if you’re dead. Not a care in the world. But I want to wait until I’m 27 so it’s cooler, haha. Just kidding!

Anti-gravity evasive maneuvs from Polan

%P ZPV QSFGFS FBUJOH IVNBOT PO UIF TUSFFUT

UIF QBSL PS UIF QPXEFS mFMET Eating humans is fun wherever... the important thing is to have fun doing it!

8IBU PUIFS [PNCJFT EP ZPV NPC BSPVOE XJUI Indio, Chupe, my brother, Alvarito, Yeyo, Chache and Conrabo, the Xana crew. Also with the BQP heads anywhere, anytime, I’m always down to tear shit up with my homies.

8IP BSF TPNF PG ZPVS GBWPSJUF [PNCJFT Marc Salas, Alvarito, Yeyo, the Videograss dudes, anyone whose riding looks original influences me.

PHOTO: EUAN BAXTER

5FMM VT BCPVU B DSB[Z DSBTI UIBU NBEF ZPV UIJOL ZPV IBE SFUVSOFE GSPN UIF EFBE There have been a few for sure. My favorite was my backflip to head plant or backflip to stomach plant. I can’t decide which was worse. You know the big jumps in Hintertux? Well, I backflipped the first jump super slow as it’s quite a big jump, but I overestimated the size of it and glided literally like a plane into the runway on my stomach. Haha! Massive case of under-rotation!

1MFBTF JOUSPEVDF ZPVSTFMG UP UIF [PNCJF IPSEF My name is Aimee Fuller. I am 20. I am English, but I live in Northern Ireland at the moment. Â Â Â Â Â

$BO ZPV HJWF POF HPPE SFBTPO XIZ ZPV TIPVMEO U CF FBUFO CZ [PNCJFT Way too many reasons, I can’t write them all down. End of.

8IBU EP ZPV EP JG ZPV BSF BUUBDLFE CZ [PNCJFT You apparently can’t kill zombies, so I’d just lock them in a cupboard. Simple‌ 8IBU LJOE PG QFPQMF EP ZPV UIJOL TIPVME CF FBUFO CZ [PNCJFT Snowbladers, no question, and the people who check your luggage at airports. I always feel like I have to make an extra effort to be super nice to them just so they don’t randomly decide to charge me extra when they see the size of my suitcase and then my boardbag!

*G ZPV XFSF CJU CZ B [PNCJF XPVME ZPV BTL ZPVS GSJFOET UP TIPPU ZPV PS XPVME ZPV USZ UP FBU UIFN Errr ,that’s a weird one! I definitely wouldn’t eat everyone, that’s just not cool, but I’m sure I’d give my friends a little nibble, then they could at least join me. Then I’d still have some friends in zombie world. :PV IBWF CFFO JOGFDUFE BOE ZPVS CSBJO IBT CFHVO UP SPU *G ZPV DPVME POMZ NVNCMF XPSET UP EFTDSJCF ZPVSTFMG XIJDI XPVME UIFZ CF A motivated, friendly, bubbly, messy and happy character. Haha, that was lame! You try describing yourself when your brain is rotting!  8IBU XPVME CF UIF CFOFmUT PG BMSFBEZ CFJOH EFBE I can’t think of any.  %P ZPV QSFGFS FBUJOH IVNBOT PO UIF TUSFFUT UIF QBSL PS UIF QPXEFS mFMET Right now park is where it’s at for sure! Although I am feeling the pow too, I definitely want to go on a few more backcountry trips this year.

8IBU PUIFS [PNCJFT EP ZPV NPC BSPVOE XJUI Silje Norendal, Cheryl Maas, Jenny Jones, Sarka P, Basa Stevulova aka STEVE! I once called her Steve in public and an American kid said, “ I didn’t know Steve was a chick’s name,â€? haha. Also the British guys are a real fun crew, the NZ posse and, of course, my Roxy teammates.   Â

8IP BSF TPNF PG ZPVS GBWPSJUF [PNCJFT Cheryl Maas, she rips! Cab 9 doubles, YES!!! Jenny Jones, a fellow Brit that goes massive and is a true legend. Lesley McKenna, she’s the Boss and looks out for us whilst showing us all up in the backcountry, haha.

8IP LFFQT ZPVS VOIPMZ VOEFBE CPEZ LJUUFE BOE mUUFE Roxy, Vans, TSA and Bliss gloves.

Lawn dart!

1MFBTF JOUSPEVDF ZPVSTFMG UP UIF [PNCJF IPSEF My name is Matic Zavodnik, I’m 22-years old and I come from Slovenia. Besides snowboarding I love to eat well, travel, edit videos, take pictures and hang around with friends.  $BO ZPV HJWF POF HPPE SFBTPO XIZ ZPV TIPVMEO U CF FBUFO CZ [PNCJFT

Rusty rails and crusty gaps, Matic doesn’t care! 1IPUP Peter Fettich

I don’t know, maybe because I think they’re cool. They wouldn’t eat someone who’s down with them, would they?

 8IBU EP ZPV EP JG ZPV BSF BUUBDLFE CZ [PNCJFT I heard that liquid nitrogen could be a good way to kill a zombie when thrown on the head. Either that or negotiation.

Â

 8IBU LJOE PG QFPQMF EP ZPV UIJOL TIPVME CF FBUFO CZ [PNCJFT Zombie haters?

5FMM VT BCPVU B DSB[Z DSBTI UIBU NBEF ZPV UIJOL ZPV IBE SFUVSOFE GSPN UIF EFBE Last summer I had a really bad accident overshooting a small kicker and landing on my extended left hand. It looked so bad that I really thought for a moment I would never be able to use my hand again. Turns out I dislocated my elbow, but everything turned out well and I got to snowboard again three months later. Â *G ZPV XFSF CJU CZ B [PNCJF XPVME ZPV BTL ZPVS GSJFOET UP TIPPU ZPV PS XPVME ZPV USZ UP FBU UIFN I guess I would take advantage of being a zombie for a day. Â :PV IBWF CFFO JOGFDUFE BOE ZPVS CSBJO IBT CFHVO UP SPU *G ZPV DPVME POMZ NVNCMF XPSET XIBU XPSET XPVME EFTDSJCF ZPV I want my last smoothie. Â 8IBU XPVME CF UIF CFOFmUT PG BMSFBEZ CFJOH EFBE Doing stuff that could make a living person dead.

 %P ZPV QSFGFS FBUJOH IVNBOT PO UIF TUSFFUT UIF QBSL PS UIF QPXEFS mFMET It’s fun to do it everywhere. But if I have to pick one, I would say lapping all day through a slushy park is what I love the most.  8IBU PUIFS [PNCJFT EP ZPV NPC BSPVOE XJUI Mostly with Nejc Ferjan, Dejan BrozoviÞ, Vid Bariß, Toni Jeleniß and other Balkan friends. Best times with these dudes all the time.  8IP BSF TPNF PG ZPVS GBWPSJUF [PNCJFT Jake Kuzyk, Mike Rav, Brandon Hobush, Jed Anderson, Dani Rajcsanyi, Danimals and more!  8IP LFFQT ZPVS VOIPMZ VOEFBE CPEZ LJUUFE BOE mUUFE TQPOTPST

Artec snowboards and LXV headwear.

Please introduce yourself to the zombie horde.

My name is Matic Zavodnik, I’m 22-years old and I come from Slovenia. Besides snowboarding I love to eat well, travel, edit videos, take pictures and hang around with friends.

Can you give one good reason why you shouldn’t be eaten by zombies?

PHOTO: E-

STON E

gotta e first thing you high nt and always th rta slower and pop as po go im to t ly al an re w u is d yo e ee us sp ca so , be ht ct Alrig redire lly when doing a as possible. figure out. Especia ard momentum rw fo h uc m as e inat vias you can to elim d really try to en e speed checks an m so do to e tim some your run in, take sweet spot.

After you dial in d landing in that an e ur at fe e th ng sion yourself hitti to want to keep ard. You’re going bo ur yo t, just er ov ed nter n’t you’ll slide ou , stay low and ce because if you do le ib ss po When you drop in as l al w t-based on the your board as fla il. ra or and keep your like on a box with it, lean back e on be tta go u e wall in the the wall yo u want to be on th d starts to go up Yo . ar es bo to ur er yo ov n s ee he W s, kn oulders over knee to it. body centered, sh snow coming in e th on e er w u yo as n d io sit po e sam your shoulders an ckside 270, move ba e ly th re w ba ro st th ju d to t an all u wan y to pop off the w d slightly down. Yo d When you’re read ction of the spin an ur head down an re yo di ep e th Ke . in er dy op pr bo r g in pe p. nd up m la ur e sto yo th to ist to y tw ound to get read e sure you come ar possible in order as on so as g in cork it out to mak nd feet to spot the la look between your will want to go d that your body in m in ht ep ke tta u go ur weight just rig g your landing yo ve to position yo m ha tu to en g in om go When redirectin m re ur u’ yo m and that yo snow to stop e tu th en to om in m g e di th ly with d to real edge of your boar while using the and “redirect” it. r some impact edge. Get ready fo el he ad ur yo on t weigh ees with your he ant to have your ld drop to your kn ou sh s er ld ou In this case you w sh ur stay centered. Yo the face. and once again, t to take a knee to an w t n’ do u yo , ies. between them s of milk and cook yourself a big glas ve ha go d an th ride away smoo That’s it, stomp it, - Johnnie

Balance and precision on some marathon metal. MEGA switch back lip with flawless form to the finish line from French Vanilla

As with most cohorts, I’ve got plenty of nicknames for Phil. L’ours Brun de Vanille, Philly Jakes, Philly Cheesejakes, French Vanilla, and so on. Yet perhaps the most fitting is a recent one, known by few: Balance and Precision. Maybe a description, rather than a nickname? What more can I say than that?

If last year’s appearance in the TWS film (and subsequent Rider’s Poll nomination) didn’t put PJ on your radar, then his part in Defenders of Awesome should. And if it doesn’t? Then you are clearly not paying attention. To repeated hammer tosses and wabahhh’s!

Over the past few years I’ve come to know PJ as one of the “wise ones”, as Ben Bilocq would put it. Honest and upstanding. Dedicated. Trustworthy. Hard working. A scholar and a gentleman. A man who says little (at first), but what is said is worth listening to. A man who also likes beer and pork tenderloin. And poutine.

Should you happen across a Philly Jakes in the wild, approach with caution. You don’t want to spook him. But if you walk true, with good intention, and get a little closer to take in that fresh vanilla bear scent, you will find a kind bear man who can snowboard better than you. Don’t be afraid, he’s bilingual.

-Joel Fraser

So “Rookie of the Year 2011”, happy days?

I have a name Chriso, leave that rookie business out of here! But yeah, happy days for sure. I’m holding on to the last few days of summer, trying to get my golf fix in before the snow starts dropping again.

And how stoked are you landing on the cover of Method Mag? The cover was a huge surprise, I’m so hyped. I was hoping that photo was going to go somewhere good and Method is the perfect home. I don’t think I’ve ever had a photo published with you guys. Is this you trying to make up for years of ignoring me?!?!

You seem to be Mr. Humble, is it just an act or are you really that nice?

I like to help people and do what I can for other s because I’m in a fortunate enough situation where I can do that. If I had problems and needed help I would hope that the kindness would be returned in some way to help me. But I’ll probably hit a midlife crisis in a few years and turn into a complete jerk.

How much fun did you have “Standing Sideways” this year?

I had a lot more fun Standing Sideways than I would have had I been standing forward. I got to board all over the world this year, it was amazing. It helps being in crews with friends and some of the coolest peopl e in the business too.

Do chicks dig your mustache?

No. Are you sick of people asking questions about your mustache?

Yes.

Does it feel like snowboarding is starting to becom e a job for you?

Yes. It’s terrible. There are times when I’m forced to ride fresh powder with my friends all day.

Is being famous important to you or do you just see it as part of a being a pro snowboarder?

The only snowboarders that are allowed to say they’re famous are the ones who have been on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.

Twice.

You have put together some seriously legit film parts so far, how important to you is it to have a well-rounded part?

It’s not so much that I think a well-rounded part is important. It’s more the fact that I have fun riding rails and I have fun riding backcountry, so I want to do both every season. I’m sure a lot of people who ride rails don’t want to get into the backcountry film game because it’s a lot of work . That’s cool too, they’re doing what they have fun doing. Well-rounded isn’t impo rtant to me but having fun is, so I’m going to keep having fun, be it rails, backc ountry or park.

What do you think is the key to dope style?

Personally, I think control is the key to style. That’s why I love Devun Walsh, Nicolas Müller and Gigi. Strong snowboarders that are in control and can ride solid.

When Whistler gets busy do you ever cut the lift line and then drop the old “do you know who I am” bit?

I’ve heard people drop that in bars and in line ups and it’s so disappointing.

Now that you are a big shot pro snowboarder, is this how you imagined your life would turn out?

I’m not a big shot pro! Guys like Jussi and Gigi are big shot pros, not this little man.

Do you think it’s cool to “claim” if you stomp a trick?

Depends what you mean by claim? If you just learn ed a new trick and you’re really excited then let yourself feel that way and react however you want. But if it makes you think you’re the coolest and best rider and you brag about it then no, that’s so wack. Rules: If you’re happy and excite d then let yourself feel that way, by all means. If you’re claiming to brag and look cool then grow up, because you’re not the best snowboarder.

You won a Black Camaro at the Grenade Game s for Most Radical Dude, do you get radical in it?

Oh man, this summer has been fun! It’s been such a blast to drive around, I’m so glad I kept it. It’s for sale now though, I had my fun but I had to be efficient and take the money so I can put it towards something smart er than a money-eating vehicle.

Is it true the only reason you are moving to Vancouver next winter is because there are more chicks there?

Honestly, I’ve been in Whistler for so long and I travel so much now that I think Vancouver is a healthy medium between the two. I want to give living in a real city a try because you get so comfortable in Whistler it’s dangerous.

Your brother is a professional model, does he lend you a lot of his hair products?

Hahaha, my brother is the best.

He got all the looks unfortunately, so I have to make up for it by trying to be good at sports. We always have little competitions, like who can get more photos published. I think this cover is putting me in the lead!

Why do you constantly talk to yourself when you’re riding, what sort of things do say to yourself?

How do you know that?! You have so much dirt on me, it’s creepy. I can’t help but talk and mumble to myself. If I land sketchy or flail I’ll point it out to myself. It’s kind of my way of realizing what I did wrong so that I can learn to fix it.

Words to live and shred by?

I’m too mellow to have something so inspiring. I guess “Live. Love. Learn.” is something that has stuck with me for a while now.

Just a reminder to keep moving forward and not to dwell on regrets or past events.

Sollors roasting a walloping front 1 off a marshmallow cliff Photo: Adam Moran

TÂ

he stars have finally aligned again and cosmic energies that have not materialized since the ancient Mongolians have returned. The planets have calibrated to form what Uzbek astrologers refer to as the Big Bird or the Middle Finger. This planetary phenomenon occurs once every 6,500 years. Alone these energies are quite harmless, but when the human carriers of this boundless force collide with each other, society is always rattled.

Sent through an Aurora Borealis from the north, this vitality seeded itself in several individuals. These chosen few aimlessly wandered the silent Scandinavian tundra for years. Stigmatized at first as mere random bastards, they would eventually bring snowboarding to its knees, piss in its face and finally be embraced by all as The Random Bastards from the Kingdom of Sweden!

“To tell you the truth, I’m not quite sure if I ever will be able to put together a movie out of this mess.

First of all, we’re less then three weeks away from the world premiere in Stockholm, and I haven’t even gotten hold of half the footage yet. As a matter of fact, I haven’t even edited one single frame of this damn movie as I’m writing this.

It’s great that a bunch of new riders are stoked to be involved in this year’s project, but man… it sure takes a whole lot more effort to put everything together when you’re dealing with 20+ different lazy ass bastards with shots spread out all across the world. It’s like there’s some kind of contest to see who hands in their shots the latest. Congratulations GRP, you will probably win… by far. I’ve been trying to get a hold of their material since April.

Does anyone have the number to the guys that hunted down bin Laden?

I could really use some serious help right now.”

Erik Karlsson - Miller Flip - Um

eå - Photo Johan Wennerström

Alex Haapamääki - Frontside Boardslide - Stockholm Photo: Jonatan Nylander

“Me and Viktor Wiberg grew up together at Mariehem, a small part of Umeå with a lot of gypsies, drunks and girls in gstrings. Anyway, we started playing soccer for the Mariehem team but ended up losing every single game of the season. We didn’t have a green grass field to play on, instead we had gravel fields and some of us started building gravel castles in the middle of the games… we really sucked! When we realized that, we started playing basketball instead.

A couple years later we opened a can of whoop ass on the rest of northern Sweden. Still pretty young and Lebron-Rasmussen, 170 cm, and AirWiberg, 164 cm, were not the tallest guys on the team. When the 205 cm center started peeing on me in the shower, it hit me in the fucking neck. I went for the big payback, loaded up with pee, jumped as high as I could and let ‘er rip! I hit his knee…

We thought we were the best ballers, and in one of our last games we played against Jonas Jerepko - who later played for the Detroit Pistons in the NBA. He schooled us all the way back to our stained diapers and sucking on mama’s titties…”

Viktor Wiberg - Fs Nosepr ess - Stockholm Photo: Jonatan Nyland er

Hans Åhlund - Trash Mountain Shredding - Umeå. Big Daddy Åhlund a.k.a.

Dirty Fresh getting his dirt on at the snow pit this mid-summer.

Photo: Jonatan Nylander

“Even though I just had a kid it feels like I’ve been a big daddy for years. I had a group of lost kids who called themselves the Random Bastards. So I took them under my wing and raised them as if they were my own blood. And when I see the result after years of huckin’ and chuckin’, it makes me proud to see how great my Random babies became. I’m happy that I offered my help to make our movie the best it could be, and I think we will blow people’s mind with the outcome of Tentacle.”

stoked Philip Grund - Frontside Nosepress - Stockholm. Philip pressing it out hard, Nylander after getting a (fake) autograph by Tove Styrke! - Lil-E. Photo: Jonatan Eric Johansson - Gangsta Pose. Nobody (we mean nobody) can chop down a tree (or a finger tip) as quick as Lil-E. Photo: Jonatan Nylander

Eric Johansson - Tail grab to bank - Umeå. Photo: Jonatan Nylander

Erik Karlsson - Halfcab 5-0 - Stockholm. This was the first spot we hit up in Stockholm, and we ended up spending more time there than we were comfortable with. It’s funny how men act like women in Stockholm but the women are MAD fine! - Kire & Jocke Photo: Johan Wennerström

“There are a couple of things you need to know about riding street rails in Sweden. Obviously guys from other countries come here because of all the spots and not for our superb “kokkaffe” and “Ettan lössnus”. Stockholm might be the capital of street rails but it is also the hometown of Arvid Nordquist and Mr. Ljunglöfs. You probably don’t know who these guys are. Please allow us to educate your ass: we look at them the same way Christians look at Jesus or beavers look at birch trees. They are the essence of our northern winters and the source of all that fights evil and defends good. If you’re not acquainted with these characters or have no interest in getting to know them, please don’t bother to come here because you’re disrespecting our traditions.

Now we’ll make this a bit more complicated, because they are not the only essences. There is also one man, from across the Atlantic, which has influenced our way of living. He roams the streets with not only his perfect rail skills and handsome face, but also a humble personality. Whenever we’re at a spot, we try to think of what this man would come up with. And even in the summer we remember these days. This wizard is in our mind both day and night. But even the greatest men have their weakness. We have yet to see him cherish the true love that is Arvid and Ljunglöfs.”

Viktor Wiberg - Slam dunk - Stockholm. Air-Wiberg goes for the slam dunk. Photo: Jonatan Nylander

Joakim Rasmussen - Switch Backside Nosepress Photo: Jonatan Nylander

- Stockholm.

Klas Beyer - Backside Wallride - Vännäs.

The whole Random Bastards crew was going to Klimpfjäll in Lapland, but me and the guys in my car got up six hours earlie r to hit up a spot we saw on the way there . When we hooked up with the rest of the fellas we had our first and only shots for the trip while they were still asleep… - Kire.

Photo: Jonatan Nylander

FireRolf Nylinder - Frontside Boardslide Tailgrab to le, cracker - Umeå. This is like the eighth spot in Klabbö outside of Umeå. Nobody even wants to go there us. He anymore but after some persuasion Rolf joined y side wasn’t too sure about coming off on the sketch he but after like 20 pussy tries landing on the inside result end the and one… right the hit and up d manne was banging! - Kire. Photo: Jonatan Nylander

What is destiny and what is it not? Do you control it or does it control you? How many different faces does it have, how many different ways will it manifest itself? I guess nobody knows. I certainly don’t.

But one thing stands out about destiny for sure: it’s there. In the long but short process of life, destiny will always put a period at the end of our sentences, or sometimes even between them. I believe that’s the way it goes. It’s basically the way I try to take it anyway, for good or bad.

But destiny is just a concept, something that for most of us sounds totally unrealistic, even fake, something we don’t believe in or take time to think about. It’s only when you stop and take a closer look that you see how destiny affects our lives. Personally I believe in destiny, the idea that there is a pre-determined path for us to follow. There will always our own input, our efforts to stay a certain course, but I feel there is some kind of master plan written somewhere for each of us. This is what usually gets me through the bad times, it just makes it easier to digest those not-sonice things that life throws in all of our ways.

Our trip to Japan isn’t about any of that, it’s not like I had to deal with anything bad or needed help figuring out if destiny or any other major WORDS & PHOTOS: CARLOS BLANCHARD

Arthur Longo falling like a cherry blossom

force had in the cards for us. It actually started as something totally different, a lifetime opportunity not to be missed.

It was early January when, after my usual break in Spain with family and friends, I “booked” myself a spot on the crew that Flo (Pirates filmer) and Gigi Rüf were putting together for the next few weeks. It was good to get on their program, it just made me more relaxed, I don’t know, I guess I knew I was getting myself into something good, and that’s always a good feeling.

Back in Innsbruck, knowing the situation in the Alps was going to be pretty much desperate for the foreseeable future, our plan to leave the old continent far behind us just kept seeming more and more likely. So we set about finding other riders to join Gigi and see where and when to go.

Things got a bit crazy for me at one point, I just got too excited when Gigi merely suggested we all get round-the-world tickets, first shred Japan and then fly to Canada or the US, depending on conditions. Ultimately it looked like the most productive plan would be to go to Japan and focus on one zone, so that is exactly what we did.

Within two or three days the crew and plan of attack were set, Werni Stock was the perfect match to Gigi’s riding, and we all knew each other anyways. I was, once again, getting really excited about hitting the road with this crew. I knew them all but had never traveled with them, and I had the feeling it was going to be great, an amazing life experience, I just wanted to get started really!

It was also my first trip of the winter and it was just coming at the right time, I was fresh and ready to go, motivated and looking forward to visit a new place with a “new” crew. After a long flight and a couple of connections, we made it safely to the Land of the Rising Sun, first Tokyo, then Sapporo, where we would rent a car and the trip would really start.

Werni sharpening his claws on a tree,

front lip

After a night in Sapporo due to our late arrival, we got ourselves a proper vehicle to move around in, which was accomplished pretty easily. Gigi is pretty or-

Gigi’s stale fish is considered

a delicacy in Japan

ganized with those things and he’s been to Japan many times before, so his experience was a big plus and we were quickly sorted out.

The plan then took us to our first stop, Asahidake, a remote resort with only one long gondola at the bottom of a volcano. A dead end road, where nice big hotels full of amenities awaited. We got ourselves rooms for a few days, since the idea was to try to milk the resort and then move on to a different zone.

Taking it easy after our (again) late and cold arrival the previous night, the first day was still pure excitement. It was all pretty new for me. You might think it’s just snow, trees, hills, spots to shape and shoot and all the things you can do anywhere else, but Japan, as do many other places, has its own details, the kind of things that give the place such personality. This is what we

Mathieu Gerome doing his own version of a sushi roll, all natty back 7

Big Euros, small Japanese car

Werni racking up that photo incentive! Floaty switch back one

Gigi & Flo

Gigi is a ninja

Ouch!

were looking for, the details that, not only in a snowboard context but also in one of ancient cultures, places this magical island nation in such a special place.

The weather, however, was mostly bad, which makes it difficult to work but at that point it doesn’t really matter, you go out and ride. Besides, the gods live in the trees, the ideal terrain to ride in Japan. But tree-riding also has its own tricks and risks, as a few of the riders felt after our first days in the area. Hiking was also a mission, there was an insane amount of the lightest snow I’ve ever seen, just shoveling and working in general was pretty hard.

But we were on it, it was still early in the winter and the crew was feeling good. Things were going smoothly, lots of hard work but allin-all smooth. There was incredible riding by the guys, with some hard lessons learned by Werni about riding in the trees (and crashing into them…). There was one moment where it didn’t look good, but Werni made it out in one piece on a pretty close call.

The routine in the hotel was also going fine, good food and an easy timetable allowed us to spend long stretches out on the mountain, making the best of our time in the zones we thought were most productive. Until the day it all changed…

Plan of attack

As I mentioned above, I believe in destiny, I find it’s a place of refuge when bad times come. And destiny had decided that our luck would change on that

Werni-san

trip to Japan. I think that on the exact moment Gigi sent a big BS air at the same spot he had hit a few days earlier and landed a bit too far, without knowing the forest had a surprise for him down there, a root that snagged the nose of his board and sent him cartwheeling into low trees, hitting his nose hard and breaking it, and a hard twist to his ankle too. In that exact moment, I think it all changed.

Of course, we weren’t done after Gigi got injured, there was more to come, both good and bad, as always I guess. Some

Longo launches frontside into the dream cream

If Gigi lands a method in

the woods and no one is

there to see it, is it is real

ly method?

Gigi pretty in pink

Coin Coin wondering if the shred bukakke will

ever end

Then fresh blood arrived, French blood in this case, ready to have a new experience shredding the deep powder of Japan. Things were getting a bit more difficult for Flo and I however, the routine was starting to weigh a bit on us and we definitely felt like we were hitting a wall.

But the fight was only half done. I don’t actually think we won that battle, more than anything we probably learned a lesson during our time there. I just have figure out exactly what that lesson was, and try to remember it next time I go there.

There was a change for the worse in the weather and conditions to work in the area were getting a bit tricky. We kept our eyes open, and despite there being so much snow and another good crew of riders, things got a lot harder than I expected.

After only a few days we were way behind our planned timetable, which made some of us lose motivation at times, and I have to include myself there. The battle in the white fields was just getting harder and harder, and it wasn’t looking any better with the weather still unwilling to help. It was hard going, but not in a bad way, I guess it was just the way it was supposed to be. I can see that now.

So our last days in Japan passed by with lots of hiking, shoveling, hiking, moving around, some frustration and a little success. But of course it was good fun, actually one of the last times I laughed till I cried was when Arthur, after shoveling for hours in the snow, stuck out his tongue and licked the blade. Think “Dumb and Dumber”, his tongue stuck to the metal, he’s trying to pull it off and I’m laughing so hard I can’t even help him, I still have no idea why he did it.

weeks after the whole trip was done and I was back home, I realized our journey to Japan was more about survival than anything else. I mean in sense that it was about the survival of our souls, our hopes and wishes. Not our physical selves.

These were well-guarded by the comfort of our hotel, a place that ended up being “home” for almost three weeks.

With the crew down to three due to Gigi’s departure (after a couple of visits to the hospital it was clear he had to leave and get his nose operated on back home), we

came up with a back up plan: Arthur Longo and Mathieu “Coin Coin” Gerome would be joining us a few days later.

But not before a few more surprises. On the exact day of their arrival, right after Gigi left, we were at the first big cheese wedge we hit on the trip, Werni threw a big double backflip straight into a tree, smashing his thigh into the trunk. Another blow dealt us by destiny, and Werni immediately bailed. Luckily, the crew that first brought us to Japan all made it through the bad times and were ready to shred again some weeks later.

It actually felt good that our time there was coming to an end, not that I don’t want to go back, the fire is still there, hopefully next time it’ll be better. But it was definitely time to make a move, even though the situation back in Europe hadn’t changed at all… destiny was just taking us somewhere else.

We were regaled with one last night in Tokyo by the Land of the Rising Sun, and we made it count, definitely a night for the history books.

Hope destiny takes me back to Japan soon, thanks to the guys who made this a special trip: Gigi, Werni, Flo, Tul Tul and Coin Coin, plus all the Pirates crew.

INTERVIEW BY: BOB PLUMB PHOTOS: BOB PLUMB, ANDY WRIGHT, COLE BAR ASH

Tip grab tail scrrrrrrrrraper, St. Paul,

Minnesota

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Oahu, Hawaii, in a place called Laie.

What was growing up in Hawaii like?

Did you get called “haole” a lot?

Yea, I grew up being called a haole, which basically means a white boy. Hearing

shit like “we grew here, you flew here” was a regular occurrence, being the minority. Kids liked to pick on haole boys growing up. But aside from that, Hawaii is a magical place, my parents lived there for 25 years and raised me, my brother and sister there.

Did you surf as a kid?

Nope, never got into it, really. Still not really into it. I’ve tried a handful of times but for some reason I suck. My dad and brother can tear it up though.

How did you end up finding snowboarding?

When my pops got a good job offer in Utah we decided to move from Hawaii.

When we got there, the job got pulled out from under my dad, so we ended up being broke most of my childhood and stuck in Utah. Seeing snow for the first time around age 9 was crazy, but I didn’t try snowboarding until I was about 14 or so.

My parents couldn’t afford to set me up with all the shit to go snowboarding, but I was lucky enough to get some hand-medowns from some of my older brother’s friends, so I would go from time to time.

My parents ended up getting divorced, and my mom remarried to some asshole, he gave me a pair of wire cutters to clip passes up at the resort. I would hitchhike up there and wait until someone would let me clip their pass. And that was my

way of getting away from the craziness at home, snowboarding was the one way I could escape from the trouble, so that’s all I wanted to do. Unfortunately, I couldn’t go as often as I wanted to because we didn’t have the money.

Were your parents supportive of your interest in snowboarding? You said you used snowboarding as an escape. What was going on at home you were trying to get away from?

Well, my stepdad was really abusive, physically and emotionally. He told me that I would never be good enough to become sponsored at snowboarding, that I wouldn’t ever amount to anything. He even bet me $100 that it would never happen. That said, I made it my life’s goal to prove that motherfucker wrong.

Which I did... My dad was really supportive though, he let me go to school every

other day so I could focus on snowboarding and took a job doing ski patrol so I could get a free pass. My mom was supportive when she realized that it was going to be my career, but when I was taking school off she thought I should be focused more on my studies and wasn’t very happy that my dad was letting me skip so much.

None of them really knew how involved I was with it though, they were pretty shocked when I came home one day and told them I got sponsored. I’ve kind of managed to make my career on my own, without my parents involvement. Like I said, it was my escape, so I didn’t have them taking me to contests or helping me make a stupid sponsor-me tape or any dumb shit like that. My stepdad is out of

my life now, and I have nothing but full support from my mom and dad, they are very proud of me and are my biggest fans, but it wasn’t easy getting here.

I guess you proved your ex-stepdad wrong.

When I got my first cover with Snowboarder Magazine, my mom and stepdad were already divorced at that point, but she put a copy of my cover in his mail box and wrote some rather explicit shit on there, along the

lines of “fuck you” or something like that.

Now that is a true fan, I love my mom.

Haha, amazing! How did you end up getting sponsored?

One year I did all these little local snowboard contests with a few friends, just for fun. During one of the contests this dude T-Bone from Milosport saw one of my runs, and I guess he liked what he saw. He told the rest of the homies at Milosport, like Scotty Goodale and WIse and LJ, so the next time I went in there a week later Scotty told me I was on the team. It was pretty much the best day of my life. From there I picked up a few

Bennee only rides spots as big as his t-shirt . Heavyweight nose press transfer, Toronto

Rocket-propelled ollie blast, Fairbanks,

Alaska

sponsors, just gettin’ flow or whatever, and decided I should try to film a video part and really do this, you know, like actually make it my life.

Your first part was in an old Technine movie, how did you link up with those guys?

I started finding street spots with my friend Ian Rigby, we were just trying to make our own edit or whatever. Not a sponsor-me video or anything though, because I always thought those were lame for some reason. I guess I just wanted to do what I saw all my idols doing in snowboard movies.

One day we ended up getting a shot that I thought might be worthy enough to maybe get me in filming with someone.

I had heard the SIA tradeshow in Vegas was the place where all the people I need to talk to would be, so I found a ride there with Bozung in hopes that I could find Cole Taylor and show him that shot, which I had on my camera. I got there and it was crazy, I just started asking random people if they knew where I could find Cole and after a while I found him.

Super nervous and unsure what this guy is gonna say to me, I just walked up and introduced myself. I pulled my camera out and asked if he’d be down to check this shot out. He watched it and said he was down to let me go out with their crew and give filming a try. That was

Tearing the powder tits to bits

when I filmed my first part for Living Proof, with FODT. I was still going to high school, so I was filming a couple times a week at nights and on weekends. Cole Taylor and E-Stone brought me up in the game, those guys did a lot for me.

Haha, that’s amazing. What was the shot you showed him?

It was that kinked rail I did a BS 50-50 on and landed in a little puddle, off Redwood Road.

Is Cole Taylor a thug?

Haha, hell yea, Cole is gangster as shit, he’s a good dude for sure.

Speaking of gangster, didn’t somebody tell you to tone your style down or something to that effect because it wasn’t cool anymore?

Yea, I won’t name any names but I was told I need to stop being gangster because I might come across as intimidating or something. I wasn’t even aware that I was “gangster” or whatever. I just told this person it’s not something you can change, all I know is I am who I am.

So you’re telling me there are no plans in the future for you to snowboard in jeans and get feather earrings?

Not gonna happen man, that ain’t for me. Not that there’s nothing wrong with that style, it’s just not me. I believe to each their own. People spend too much

Hammer time, gap to back lip with a XXL drop for some extra gnar points in MN

It’s crazy to me how many kids watch those videos online.

They will see a trick then just go out and copy it the next day...

I think that’s good for a lot of people, it’s a great way to get inspired. Don’t get me wrong, I watch shred videos but I’m not on there all day, keeping up with everything that’s going on every second. As far as kids copying what they see on videos, that will happen with anything, music, art, skating, whatever, it’s just how things go. I don’t really care if people copy what I do, if they like something I do in the first place, they aren’t going to care if it’s already been done. I just do what I feel and don’t get caught up worrying about what other people are up to, that is weak.

Who were some of the people that inspired you while you were younger?

Scotty Goodale (R.I.P.), MFM, Scotty Wittlake, Gigi Rüf, Bozung, J2, Mikey LeBlanc, Ali Goulet, Jeremy Jones. I don’t know, those are the first ones that come to mind.

I loved the Kingpin movies when I was young, nothing got me more geeked to snowboard than watching “Revival” or “Destroyer”, those to me were, and still are, the best movies of all time.

Yea, those are some legends fo sho. It’s pretty crazy to think that you have gotten to film with most of those guys.

No doubt! I still trip on that, and I still look up to those guys, they paved the way for us youngins in the game. I definitely feel lucky to have been able to work with some of those people, I learned a lot from them.

Falling off like a dress on prom night, FS 180 lien, UT backcountry

energy hating on what other people do, I don’t care what style you have. I’m positive lots of people hate on the way I dress, but I don’t really give a shit about that. People should just do what they feel and not take shit from anyone.

Do you ever read all the shit talking that goes down on the message boards on different websites?

Yea, I’ve seen some of that shit, but I don’t really spend too much time looking at it.

I think it’s hilarious though, people get so heated talking shit on people they don’t even know. The funny thing is that most of the people talking shit ain’t shit, they are wast-

ing their time hating when they could just be down and actually do something productive instead of being worthless piles, running their mouths in a chat room. I just laugh, haters are funny.

So you’re not sitting at your computer all day, waiting for the next epic web video to pop up?

Ha. Not exactly, there’s more to my life than snowboarding… Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE snowboarding, but I feel it’s healthy to be balanced and have other interests. I don’t spend much time on the web watching snowboard videos, it’s kind of a waste. I don’t really find myself being too involved with the “scene” or whatever you want to call it.

You got to share a part with most of those guys in “More”, it was pretty much the whole BozWreck crew. That part came out and then we didn’t see anything from you for a year or two.

Yea, after that part I had a pretty bad back injury, a herniated disc and 2 bulged discs. It just progressively got worse as time went on, to the point where I literally couldn’t lean down to tie my shoes. I had probably 5 different back specialists tell me that I would never snowboard again, one doctor even said I might consider a wheelchair. All they did was give me prescriptions for painkillers, which lead to an addiction to those as well.

I wasn’t for one second going to let some doctor tell me I can’t snowboard ever again, that wasn’t an option. I had to take a year off, not snowboarding at all, it was the worst year. I am healthy as can be now, which is a blessing that didn’t come easy. I found a guy in Salt Lake who was able to fix my back in under 6 months with extreme deep muscle work, and on top of that an intense Pilates schedule with my girlfriend, which was the best thing I could have done for my back.

Can you elaborate a little bit on how you got hurt and what dealing with an addiction is like.

My back injury wasn’t from anything specific, it kind of happened from years of flat landings and impact. When I got hurt a lot of my sponsors were wary about my being able to come back from it, I lost my board sponsor and fought to stay afloat with everyone else, it was rough. I was in so much pain from my back that I had my own doubts, but I knew I was gonna make it through.

Oh-fence-ive back one,

Salt Lake City

I got a pretty crazy addiction to painkillers, and it didn’t start recreationally. I was in so much pain that I actually needed to take them, but after a while having doctors tell you to just take the pills and live with the pain, I was in so deep I just couldn’t see out. I was definitely hooked, taking a ridiculous amount of painkillers on a daily basis. One day I just pulled my head out of my ass and looked

Touch me, I’m sick! Drifting blind on the Japan tweaker,

Riksgransen

at where my life was at. I had to face the fact that I was an addict and injured, and I had to find a way to fix myself, hopefully find a doctor that could make me able to snowboard again. I quit taking pills cold turkey, going through the most horrific withdrawals you could imagine. I’m talking like no sleep for weeks, in constant throbbing pain every second of every day, I can’t even put into words how awful this shit was. My brother had just come off a heroin addiction, and told me to prepare for the worst few months of my life...

He wasn’t kidding.

My girlfriend was huge for my recovery as well, she was by my side through the whole process and basically got me through it, I couldn’t have done it without her. Months later I was clean with no rehab, my back was starting to feel stronger and it was the start of the season. Coming back to snowboarding was so hard, everything seemed so much crazier than before. I felt like I didn’t know how to snowboard anymore, I hadn’t done it in a year. My video part in the first Videograss movie was that year and I was somehow able to pull something together, but I don’t think it was anything great. Finally everything has come back, years later, and I’m a stronger person having gone through that shit and showing everyone that I wasn’t going to just disappear. All I wanna do now is keep progressing and furthering my snowboarding adventures.

Your new VG part has a more jump shots than you’ve had in a while. Is this where you see yourself progressing and heading on new adventures, the backcountry?

Yea, for sure, I have so much fun riding powder.

There pretty much isn’t anything better. Although I have a lot of work to do. I can’t say that I’m super skilled in the backcountry. I mean I can ride powder all day, but as far as Travis Rice’ing off a jump, there is some serious room for improvement. But I’m okay with that, I just need to keep going out with dudes that are better than me and I will catch up eventually.

Didn’t you go on a trip with Gigi and Nicolas last winter? What was that experience like?

Yea, we went to Norway and Sweden, conditions weren’t ideal but we managed to make something happen. I’m not sure how I ended up on that trip though, like, those dudes are on a whole different level from me. Regardless, it’s always a good experience to see them ride in person. They are the type of snowboarders I’m striving to be, but with my own flavor. They are so good it’s crazy, it’s really inspiring to watch.

Thanks man, any shout outs?

Big thanks to my family, my girl, Bobby Meeks and Nike, Jesse and everyone at LRG, everyone at Skullcandy, Tonino at Nitro, Neff, Lance and Mike at Ashbury, Celtek, Bob Plumb, Cole Taylor, E-Stone, Andy Wright, Justin Meyer, Sean McCormick, Shane Charlebois, White Owl, Milosport, SFK!, Ryan Kingman at Stance and Scotty Goodale (R.I.P.).

First day, first run. This is how Nico warms up‌ Monashee

PHOTOS: MARK GALLUP WORDS: ALVARO VOGEL

L

ast autumn the True Color crew (Lisa Filzmoser, Mario Käppeli, Nicholas Wolken, Richard Prendergast and myself, Alvaro Vogel) met up in Innsbruck to discuss where we wanted to travel for our upcoming three-part movie. After some pizzas and a couple of beers Lisa, being the brains of the crew, came up with the idea to go cat boarding in Canada. None of us, apart from her, had been cat boarding before, so we were all excited to do something

new. Cat boarding is an alternative to helis, the snow cat transports you pretty much wherever you want to go. It makes its way around on cat tracks to reach the spots and while we set up our shots, the snow cat travels down the cat track back to the pick-up place.

The first destination was Monashee Powder in B.C., about an hour from Kelowna. Monashee Powder is not a common resort; it consists of a lodge in the middle of nowhere, reachable

only by sled or snow cat. The lodge is surrounded by more than 200 km of cat tracks and every home comfort we needed; jacuzzi, pool table, wireless internet and super good food to recharge the batteries after the long days on snow. We woke up at 6:30 am every day and left the lodge in our private

snow cat by 7:30. We were never home before 5 pm each evening, but always with a big smile on our faces!

Mark Gallup was our iconic photographer, storyteller, encore man, guide and trip planner. Mark was one of the first guests up at Monashee, even before they built the lodge back in 1999. He has spent a lot of days shooting in this area in the last decade and his experi-

Sticks and stones may break his bones but 2 meters of fresh won’t hurt Alva, Monashee

ence made our four da ys at Monashee way eas ier. He understood wh to shoot and brought at we wanted us to unforgettable zon es with endless tree run lows and chutes. Mark s, cliffs, pilhad pretty much a sto ry for every spot we loo are the Craig Kelly wa ked at. “These terfalls, a pretty sketch y triple cliff line which body landed or made probably nothrough intact till now…

So, who’s down to try a double cliff line, five it?!” Or “this is to seven meters, a good warm-up run, guys… the landing is kind of Just take care, flat on the first cliff bu t you need to keep the spe second one. Some riders ed for the got stuck there and it was a mission to get the m out…”

Such anecdotes would normally scare the cra p out of people, but for this was like throwing Nicholas gas into a fire. He lov ed Mark’s stories and exact reason he came they were the to Canada: to hit the biggest cliff, point it est chute and ride the down the steepgnarliest line in the are a. Nico is not the most talkative

guy on the mountain, to say the least, but he is totally focused on what and where he wants to ride, and this terrain seemed to be the perfect playground for him.

As soon as the cat driver gave us the thumbs up, Nico was the first to jump out of the cat, pointing out spots he wanted to ride and explaining the multiple ways in which we could all ride it. Once we got onto the snow, it was Nico who took over as the experienced member of the crew. Passing on years of experience to Mario by showing him spots, explaining how to move on the ridge, how much speed he should take and how to feel comfortable in the new environment.

His experience on the snow matched Mark’s knowledge on the spots; we had ourselves a good crew of snowboard geeks!

Nico looks like a bird fluffing up some pillows on his way back to the lodge, Monashee

Mario is a super funny guy from Switzerland with a strong background in park and street riding. This terrain was totally new to him, but in just a couple of days he proved his worth as a rider. He trusted Mark and Nico’s advice when riding, not questioning the landings or what it was he was jumping, he just dropped into everything in front of him with his renowned G-style and effortless “yo-ness”.

Mario showed his versatility by making the transition from street riding into real backcountry so smoothly. However, on the last day at Monashee he persuaded us all to help him build a kicker…the only cheese wedge we built in Canada. After only three hits on the jump it was time to move on again, little did we know this was the only bluebird day we would have in Canada.

The second destination was K3, between Sicamouse and Revelstoke. Unfortunately they don’t have a lodge there yet, it’s in construction still, so in the meantime we stayed at the Best Western in Sicamouse, just a couple of miles away. Sicamouse is not a very big town or as Mark called it, “just a truck stop on the Trans-Canada Highway”. At 10 pm there was pretty much nobody around, it looked like a ghost town, with only huge trucks parked on the side of the road and huge trailers with one, two, three or even four sleds.

Lisa kickin’ out that method like her life depended on it, Monashee

K3 has an amazing alpine range, with really steep faces but due to the strong wind and the really bad weather we weren’t able to ride it, so we spent pretty much all our time there in the trees.

Lisa impressed everyone in our crew.

She was on point everyday, she brought such positiveness, always making something good out of crappy conditions. She rode everything with style, experience and fearlessness. As usual she also had a tough time being the only girl in a boy’s crew. The topics of discussion weren’t too girly and time for intimacy (apart from in the shower) and relaxation were not part of the trip, but her determination and love for big mountain riding made these things insignificant.

The week we spent cat boarding was a blast, I enjoyed every single moment and I was really stoked

If it’s zero degrees outside today and twice as cold tomorrow, how cold is it going to be? Alva droppin’ like it’s hot at K3

on the whole crew — everyone worked their asses off, even though the weather conditions weren’t always the best. I got to ride probably one of the best zones on the planet and it opened my eyes to a new way of riding and playing with the mountain. Snowboarding is a continuous discovery of challenges and there, in British Columbia, you can find a new natural backcountry park with all kinds of different obstacles to challenge yourself everyday.

Out there, there are no rules, it was just me, my board, my crew and Mother Nature. We definitely had an unforgettable time in Canada. We’ll be back!

Check out: www.truecolorfilms.com www.monasheepowder.com www.k3catski.com/default.htm

Style matters… especially to this guy! Mario tweaks out a frontside, Monashee

Lisa couldn’t resist the chocolate waterfall, indy sender in Monashee

Bjorn swinging

his axe like a ba

rbarian, all natty

method kick ou

t

PHOTOS: LORENZ RICHARD WORDS: DANNY LARSEN

O

nce, in a land far far away, a troll known as Røltroll lived.

Not the happiest of trolls but still he had a heart of cold and slimy stone that even the sun of the brightest day couldn’t warm up. You see, while we humans tend to appreciate a nice, warm and fuzzy heart, trolls look upon this as rather faggy, so to speak. The colder the heart, the greater the troll. Røltroll naturally was rather fond of his granite core, it radiated frost like a bonfire radiated heat, and he wanted to keep it that way, that’s why he lived where he lived, in a great valley on the west coast of what was known among men as Norway. His valley didn’t really have name, so he called it Røldal, meaning Valley of Røl.

It was an ideal place for a troll, the winters were colder than a witches tit and summers were merely a time of year when that wretched sun would slowly heat the snow up to a fine slush that could be soaked in fermented reindeer blood, creating a tasty and cooling snack with an intoxicating effect. A frozen strawberry daiquiri for trolls so to speak.

Life was good for ol’ Røltroll, he surly couldn’t, even though he had rather limited mental capacity, imagine a better place to live. He was even thinking about the possibility of raising small troll puppies, both for company and as a backup in case he got hungry. He had on more than one occasion tried to impregnate the mountains up north, eyeing out a couple of good-looking boulders. Unfortunately he was shooting blanks, so his troll cream

Danny

Gerome

did nothing more than create a rather sticky inconvenience for the nearby grassing animals, and no life came out of that.

One day, to Røltroll’s big surprise, a warm hearted human showed up in his valley, a rather peculiar site to a creature that finds mountains sexually attractive.

“What the fuck” Røltroll thought.

The human’s name was Ola Nordmann, and he was the first to put a human footprint in Røldal. When trolls are taken by surprise they naturally get frustrated. Frustrated by being frustrated, Røltroll reacted like any troll would react when they’re frustrated, angry or hap-

Coin Coin riding like a “Heropean” off the Jarlsberg cheese

wedge, BS air

Tear da roof off! Bjorn nosepick transfer

py, he bashed the skulls in on the first living things he saw. The unfortunate receivers of this natural reaction were three hungry moose searching for food that wasn’t covered in trollgoo. The poor trio went from being a walking, foul-smelling carrier of fleas to a hairy and sloppy red mash in matter of seconds.

The meaningless violence didn’t really cheer the troll up much though, but at least it was something to do while his insignificant little brain tried to grasp what was happening. After a good while he remembered that he had heard of “dem’ yumens” before, and “surely” he thought, “This must be a yumen”. The smell of mead was what gave it away. He knew that men of Norway were very fond of mead and he could recognize the smell far far away. What Røltroll didn’t know, was that this human, this bag of warm flesh and blood, had crated an event on a facescroll, poking several farmers he hardly knew with a pointy stick, forcing them to like a stupid idea that he gladly told everyone about. He had lost a bet and now had to prove that he could survive a whole year in a valley shun by everyone, even sunlight. Igno-

o tail grab redirect

Danny filling the gap with a mond

rant to the fact that the valley already had an village idiot, Ola broke out two six -packs of mead and did what people of Norway usually do when they are away from home, drink mead.

While Ola drank and flung defenseless small birds at passing boars, Røltroll sat in his cave, gnawing on some rancid reindeer meat, pondering what to do. “Should I trample that nasty little thing, should I perhaps just scare it or maybe eat it?” He had never tried human before and was rather curious about how they tasted. “I bet they taste like bear cubs”, Røltroll thought, “just way less hairy and that’s yum-yum, that’s probably why they’re called yumens”. So he got his big club, hammered a few extra rusty nails through it to make sure the yumen would get stuck when he sent the club down on him. He hated when he clubbed things and they would fly away leaving nothing more than a red and wet stain on his club. He got out of his cave and started strolling towards the smell of mead, whistling a cheerful tune he had learned from listening to baby foxes die. “Now I’ll eat you” Røltroll roared. “No you won’t “ Ola said and fired a burning arrow towards the ugly beast. The arrow ripped through the troll’s eye like a scalpel cutting open a puss filled boil. Flames were dancing across the troll’s head while blood spurted out like a marvelous fountain of red delight. You see, trolls aren’t too bright, when they think, which they usually don’t, they do it out aloud and very slowly. Hearing a troll think is like witnessing an avalanche, it’s kind of hard to ignore. Ola had all the time in the world to prepare, and he did. So when he saw him, he shot him, and Røltroll fell screaming to the ground, turning to stone as soon as his enormous head connected with a unexpecting little bunny that naturally also died. His entire body, now stone, crashed hard to the ground, creating a beautiful and varied terrain that soon got covered in snow. That’s why Björn Hartweger, Gerome Mathieu, Lorenz Richard, Heiko Knauer and I went up there to ride, there’s really nothing better to shred than a troll corpse.

Coin Coin sending it fat into the Brunost fields, back one tail poker

Does this qualify as a wallride if it’s

on a ledge? Larsen getting weird

Bjorn

Bjorn ollies over the entire hotel 3c Backdoor Bjorn again! 50-50 front one off

Bjorn is just hogging the whole page with this jumbo melon to fakie

WORDS & PHOTOS: LIAM GALLAGHER

E

very trip to New York City is a blur. For the West Coaster, going East to the big city is always shell-shocking. Life operates far faster out there. It fucks me up every time. I’m always wide-eyed for the first few days, overwhelmed by it all. All that humanity and infrastructure, all those dialects and different languages, wild styles, so many suits, cops and security everywhere. It really feels like going to a foreign country.

So yeah, I jumped at the opportunity to go on a trip to NY with Joe Carlino and crew last winter. The Big Apple got blasted with snow. It was some kinda record-setting winter and Austin Smith, Harrison Gordon and Jake Kuzyk were determined to make the most. And as it turns out, it’s a pretty good place to do work.

Well, to clarify, NYC itself is a tough spot to get shots. Manhattan is flat. And fraught with uptight types who aren’t down for a bunch of dudes riding around their buildings, dog parks or parking garages. But get out of the city and there’s all sorts of shit to shred. It helped that Carlino grew up here. Just outside the city, a little upstate. So that’s where we went.

MARIA CARLINO IS A SAINT

We stayed with Joe’s parent’s, in the house he grew up in. All of us flopped out on couches and air mattresses and board bags down in the basement. It was basically a slumber party for a bunch of grown-ass men. A little strange, yes, but oh-so-comfortable. Holiday Inn ain’t got shit on the Carlino residence. And like every sleep over, there was Joe’s mom, always cooking something upstairs. Always pushing pasta, garlic bread, cannolis or cake on us. We might’ve been beat down, sleep deprived and halffrozen most of the time, but never were we hungry. I’m sure Maria Carlino’s Italian cuisine carbo-load diet was what kept us going on so many of the sub-zero nights. So, thanks again Mrs. Carlino, couldn’t have done it without you.

HARRISON’S LOSING BATTLE

Harrison wanted it bad. He never got aggro about it, but you could tell. He was just quietly determined. He’s that type. Call him: Hard-worker Harrison. He proved that on that quad kink.

The “Charlie Morace rail”. Remember that dude? He did it in one of those Robot Food flicks. It was almost an import, pretty much snowless, a dirty field, he bashed a stump,

barely snuck a 50-50 through the end, broke his board.

That’s this rail. It’s a beast. But Harrison wanted that boardslide bad. And damn did he come close.

Got through three kinks clean, almost took it to the end once. He hiked it nonstop, for what felt like hours. I think four different crews of kids came and went sledding on the hill next to him. Sometimes they shared the stairs with Harrison. Hiking right behind him, try after try. In fact, one little dude slipped, fell, and somehow got stuck in the handrail, while Harrison was standing on the drop-in, strapped in and waiting to give ‘er again.

But he had to wait, because there was this little kid, wedged under the bottom rung of the rail, on his back, limbs flapping around in the air like some kind of trapped turtle. He was really stuck on the rail. Just like Harrison, I guess. It was good comic relief.

Finally the kid freed himself and Harrison got back to it. He was on attempt 100, I think.

We stopped counting somewhere around 120 tries. Man, he came close so many times, it seemed as if it had to be the next one, one more try, to the end this time, he had to get it. But he never did. The G-forces were too tricky through that last down bar. So Harrison had to stop. He fucking tried though. And while he might not have left with a shot he won a lot of respect from all of us for going for it. You can’t win ‘em all. But, you gotta try and Harrison did…

Then Jake politely asked Harrison if he could try. He didn’t want be the dude to one-up Harry, but he really wanted to take a crack at that quad-down.

And sure as shit, four, maybe five drops later he took a 50-50 through the end of it. Easy as that. It was only a couple more tries for that 50-50 to boardslide you might remember from his VG part. That kid really is incredible.

Jake the snake gapping over the rail to high voltage

knee buster

KUZYK IS CRAZED

Have you seen his new VG video part, or parts rather? (We’ll count that “extras” one too, it’s worthy.)

Proper stee, right? It clearly comes naturally to Jake Kuzyk. But that isn’t to say he doesn’t work for it. He does. He did all last winter. He did in New York. Kid can, and almost always does, get tricks within a handful of tries. But he’s his own harshest critic and can’t stop till everything is as damn near perfect as he can possibly get it. And it shows right?

Every 5-0 is fully wheelied, noses are always completely pressed and boardslides are put square between the bindings. And how ‘bout those backcountry shots, surprisingly sick right? What’s more, Jake doesn’t just have perfectionism working for him, he’s also as stoked on snowboarding as anyone I’ve ever met. He’s a frother. Fully engulfed in snowboarding, giddy as a grom at times, always overflowing with energy and determined to progress. We’re gonna see a lot from Jake. And the safe money says all of it will melt minds.

THE ACCIDENTAL SEXUAL OFFENDER Here’s the joke of my life: This snowboard photography gig makes me seem like a real sketchy character. Way sketchier than I actually, er… already am. You see my “job” requires me to always be out there sneaking around (read: trespassing), dressed in all black, hood up, carrying all kinds of strange equipment,

Relentless pursuit of perfection right here, Jake locks into the switch nose

Austin powers a sun flare through this back lip

More kinky than your (little) sister’s best friend. Jake K on the triple kink, don’t blink!

Austin’s holy moly roll-in. Keep the faith!

unshaven, foul-smelling and sometimes surly. It’s a lose-lose situation, really and I’ve come to accept that I will be glared at. And I’ve resigned to let the onlookers assume I’m sort of burglar. Who cares? There are worse things to be pegged as.

Oh, like say, a pervert.

Yeah, that’s what happened in New York at the Charlie Morace rail.

Did I mention it was at a school, and there were a lot of kids there.

Well, there we were and there I was, just outside the school’s boundary, crouched down near a tree trying to get some cheesy artistic angle. There’s a lot of traffic around and that’s when I notice that people are really staring at me now. I mean who wouldn’t stare at the guy just outside the school hiding behind some tree, shooting photos of children. And as I’m thinking this to myself: ‘Yeah, this looks sketchy’, I hear someone yell, “Hey, hey you! I see you. What do you think you’re doing? You can’t do that.

Stop taking photos of those kids, you freak, pervert, creep, get out of there, leave our kids alone.

I’ll call the cops.”

Oh shit. This just got serious.

I could just imagine: First the cops show up and I have to explain myself to them, then later a judge and/or jury of my peers, then my cellmate, then someday my neighbors, “No, I swear I wasn’t taking photos of little kids, it’s a funny story, really, it was all just a misunderstanding. I’m really just an accidental sexual offender.”

Joke of my life. (Cue nervous laughter.)

Harrison flared out front lip thru the kink

AUSTIN’S HOLY ROLL-IN

Austin called Andrew Crawford. He knew Craw would know the best way to find and/or build a grappling hook. Of course Crawford was stoked to get the call, and of course he had some advice.

So Austin was off to the hardware store to get to rigging something up. It was sketchy, sketchiest thing I’ve ever seen. That grappling hook was really wonky. I wouldn’t want to scale a curb with that thing. But really, I’m a pussy compared to Austin.

Anyways… Austin put all his faith in a couple little utility hooks and some cheap nylon rope and set out to see if it’d work. Only one way to find out, right? It was unnerving to watch. I held my breath. If any piece were to blow out while he was at the crux of the climb he’d fall down at least 30 feet of shingled tranny. It would’ve been nasty.

But none of that happened.

Somehow the hooks held… and the knots... and the rope. Somehow Austin pulled himself up and over that super icy slanted ledge. Somehow no one noticed. No one called the cops. He got a handful of tries at it, stomped a couple and left intact. It all could’ve very easily gone the other way. The odds seemed real good that it would. We were all waiting for the worst, expecting this to end with a trip to the hospital or jail.

No one could believe it worked. Not even Austin. But it did. Remarkably. Austin caught a break that day. After the streak of bad luck (i.e. blown knees) he’s had over the last couple years, he deserved a break. Guess his faith was rewarded. And at a church. Of course.

Kaleidoscope eyes‌ Gerald Fuchs hops the hip with a mute in Kaunertal Photo: Carlos Blanchard

Gus Engle takin’ it downtown, legit fake ollie front lip in Stockholm Photo: Oli Gagnon

Bryan Fox Photo: Oli Gagnon

Jed Anderson Photo: Oli Gagnon

Bode Merrill Photo: Oli Gagnon

Nick Dirks Photo: Oli Gagnon

Elias Elhardt all natty meth snatch Photo: Carlos Blanchard

Nicolas Wolken death grip on this turbo-powered misty method Photo: Carlos Blanchard

Don’t worry, we can’t figure out what the hell is going on either… Ruben Verges with the extraterrestrial invert Photo: Carlos Blanchard

Nic Sauve front 270 on the hard way. Someone call the insane asylum! Photo: Oli Croteau

Anto Chamberland is French Canadian for badass, gap out to switch board, FILTHY! Photo: Oli Croteau

Eric Messier slices a back one melon in the Tahoe backcountry Photo: Kealan Shilling

Same day, different crew. Voyeuristic shot of Gabe Taylor on the opposite face. Buckets for days! Photo: Kealan Shilling

Louif’s don’t fall far from the tree, look out for Big Lou’s feature interview in the next issue! Photo: Oli Gagnon