REAL SNOWBOARDI NG - VOLUME FOU RTEEN / ISSU E FOU R
14.4
VOLUME FOU RTEEN - ISSU E FOU R
Skoglund
Eiki Helgason, Iceland. Photo: Frode Sandbech
EIKI HELGASON PRO MODEL Eiki’s bindings are optimized for jibbing and street riding. Featuring Eiki’s custom Flatbacks. These highbacks are asymmetric and almost completely flat so you get a super loose, skate style feeling with maximum freedom of movement.
Switchback Bindings are awesome! Switch between highback and no-back riding and back again in seconds. Don’t need forward lean? Don’t pay for it! Don’t want a highback? Leave it out! Want everything? Take it! Now why didn’t somebody think of that before?
www.switchbackbindings.com
Jaeger Bailey rides DISASTER. Photo: Frode Sanbech
JIB TBT
The DISASTER features JIB-TBT which is great for jibbing and urban riding. JIB-TBT is completely symmetrical about the nose and tail. JIB-TBT has the biggest center base flat of all our TBT flavors which stabilizes your slides and presses. On the side bases the TBT uplift begins under your feet for a super loose and forgiving effect. JIB-TBT comes with a very mellow flat camber to make pressing easy but still give plenty of pop to your ollies. Read more on Triple Base Technology shapes at bataleon.com/tbt
P: Oli Gagnon
www.dejavumovie.com
featuring
LOUIF PARADIS WWW.SALOMONSNOWBOARD.COM
PHOTO
M A R K KO H L M A N
SPOT
L A K E TA H O E , C A L I F O R N I A
RIDER TRICK
MAXWELL CARL SCOTT SNOWCRAFTY VIBES
014
14.4
016
PHOTO
M A R K KO H L M A N
SPOT
N I S E K O , JA PA N
RIDER TRICK
14.4
SCOTT E. WITTLAKE LIVING LEGEND
E D I TORIAL
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Thomaz Autran Garcia thomaz@methodmag.com SENIOR EDITOR: Alexis De Tarade alexis@methodmag.com SENIOR EDITOR: Chris McAlpine chriso@methodmag.com ART DIRECTOR: Brooklyn Whelan hello@brooklynwhelan.com ASST. ART DIRECTOR / ILLUSTRATIONS: PWEE3000.com VIDEOGRAPHER/ EDITOR: Ryan “Diggles” Scardigli diggles@methodmag.com WEB PROGRAMMER: Laurie Barker laurie@methodmag.com WEB CREW: Klaus Lotto Mike Goodwin Tom Guilmard
-----------------
SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHERS: Daniel Blom, Oli Gagnon
P H OTO : C A R L O S BLANCHARD
14.4
VOLUME FOURTEEN ISSUE FOUR
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” - Leonardo da Vinci You might have noticed that all our covers in this volume have featured a method air. There’s a reason for that, besides the obvious namesake it shares with this publication. Essentially, it’s got to do with simplicity. For all the mindboggling technicality of a triple-corked aerial, there is something beautiful, almost majestic, about a simple method air. Ask any snowboarder what their favorite trick is and the answer will more often than not be a “method”. It’s not difficult to see why, though. Its greatness derives from its inherent simplicity. As many minds far more enlightened than mine (including Mies van der Rohe) have stated time and again, less is more. Simplicity belies genius, for it is within simplicity that genius resides. The grace of simplicity will never be matched by the gaudiness of complexity. The simple answer is always the best answer, the most elegant solution. But simplicity is more elusive than one might think. Humans feel compelled to mire themselves in needless complexity, never seeing the forest for the trees. Clarity doesn’t come easy, and therein lies its greatness.
COVER STORY “Alex Fischer is a good friend of mine, and probably of some of you as well. Also known as ‘Railex’, he is calm, respectful and full of enthusiasm for what he does best: snowboarding. Besides having a powerful style on the hill, I also see Alex as an independent character who keeps mostly apart from all the industry stuff. All in all, Alex is a really good human. At least once a year Alex heads up the mountain with a small backpack but a huge load of motivation. Once there he builds things most of us would never even think of trying. I knew about this side of Alex, but had never witnessed it till that day. I found myself in front of one of the biggest set ups I’d ever seen, something that would’ve taken a crew of 4-5 guys a solid two days of work but had actually been built by only Alex in just 2 afternoons! It was a day in which our passions for what we do, snowboarding for him and shooting for me, were as accessible as can be, with a perfect balance of working and taking decisions together. Some things didn’t work as we expected, of course, but the feeling of taking a good swing at something difficult can sometimes be as satisfying as being 100% on point. All I can say is, thank you Alex!” - CARLOS BLANCHARD
Stay focused, don’t let yourself be distracted by all the noise, strive always for simplicity in your life. For as Flaubert so succinctly put it, “to be simple is no small matter”.
CAMERA: CANON 7D
Now go do some methods!
TRICK: MEGA METHOD
- TAG
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Stepan Artemev, Ashley Barker, Remy Barreyat, Carlos Blanchard, Ralph Damman, Andoni Epelde, Bud Fawcett, Ethan “E-Stone” Fortier, Liam Gallagher, Dean “Blotto” Gray, Mark Gribbon, Erik Hoffman, Richard Hope, Philipp Kämerrer, Mark Kohlman, Gonzalo Manera, Cole Martin, Darrell Mathes, Cyril Müller, Franz Ortlepp, Bob Plumb, Kealan Shilling, Adam Slama, Phil Tifo, Ilaria Troisi, Ilya Verhoturov, Lenn Verjans, Andy Wright, Rudi Wyhlidal CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Flo Achenrainer, Bud Fawcett, Thomas Delfino, Colton Feldman, Liam Gallagher, Jason Horton, Philipp Kämerrer, Bjorn Leines, Angus Leith, Justin Meyer, Ethan Morgan, Cyril Müller, Sebastian Müller, Peter Rossner , Kealan Shilling, Marc Vaudroz, Lenn Verjans PUBLISHER: Method Media Ltd CEO: Chris McAlpine WEB DIRECTOR: Laurie Barker FINANCE DIRECTOR: Steve Dowle
ADVERTISING: Chris McAlpine chriso@methodmag.com Skype: chrisomcalpine +46 729 338 556 DISTRIBUTION: Steve Dowle steve@methodmag.com PRINTERS: AJSP printing services Vilnius, Lithuania DISTRIBUTION: Spatial Global Ltd Spatial House Willow Farm Business Park Castle Donington Derby - DE74 2TW United Kingdom ----------------------------------------------------Method Media Ltd Regency House 2 Wood Street - Queen Square Bath - BA1 2JQ United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0)871-218-2268 Copyright 2014 Method Media 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 Method Media 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. Method Media Ltd assumes no responsibility for the loss or damage of unsolicited material. Thanks for choosing Method Mag. We sure hope you like it!
LENS: Canon 24-70 mm APERTURE: 5.6
SHUTTER SPEED: 1250 ISO: 400
RIDER: ALEX FISCHER SPOT: TOP SECRET DATE: APRIL, 2013
018
THE OLYMPICS SHOULD BE GOVERNED BY SNOWBOARDERS, NOT FIS SKIERS.
R O M E S N O W B O A R D S . C O M
MIKE R AV ELSON
REVENGE OF THE BONER
I guess this is technically more of a tweak than a bone, but honestly, when it looks this rad, who cares?!? Mike Rav can tweak with the best of them, here’s a face-melting backflip indy tuck knee backscratcher type thing off the courthouse in Worcester, Massachusetts, ALL RISE!
---- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Court is in session!
P H OTO : C O L E M A R T I N
020
E S S I R B E TH od e l Sig nat ur e M e s is r B n a D
WWW.DEELUXE.COM
PHOTOGRAPHER ANDY WRIGHT
government economic policy bends over for (and gets properly shafted by) big business. Cheap money to lend and not enough regulation led to bankers getting greedy, poor people borrowing money they couldn’t pay back, and a massive property bubble. The result: the bubble bursts, and governments bail out the banks because the banks control them, not the people. But that’s not all: when a poor country’s economy collapses, it is forced to borrow money from the IMF/World Bank. This money should, but isn’t, used to stimulate the economy: it all goes to the bankers and investors who are busy selling off the national assets of their countries. Basically, Big Money ruins a country’s economy, then makes it borrow more money, and takes that too. The people are left with a devalued currency, higher taxes, crippling austerity measures and a government teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.
SOAP BOX
JA S O N HORTON
Personally, I don’t have a problem with Ayn Rand or her views. She was an idealist who had huge faith in the power of the individual. The main problem is how her views inspired the wolves of this world, not the sheep. These wolves, these economists and politicians, picked out the bits they liked (pursuit of wealth, economic freedom) and left the bits they didn’t (hatred of corporations, actually caring about your fellow human being) to shape the world in ways Rand would have probably despised. So what does any of this have to do with Shaun White? Well, Shaun’s story reflects Rand’s legacy quite closely. Despite humble beginnings and a life-threatening heart condition as a baby, the carrot-topped little shredder rises above the crowd by sheer talent and hard work to become the most famous snowboarder in the world. A national hero whose jaw-dropping Olympic pipe runs inspire countless kids to strap on a snowboard, helping our sport to grow, and helping his people to feel “Proud To Be American”. America/Shaun White, fuck yeah! Wealth and celebrity are the rewards for this poster boy of the American Dream, and for a while, snowboarders were proud to have the grinning redhead with the amazing FS5 stalefish as their mainstream-facing mascot.
- - - - -------------
Horton with the fully flapped Andrecht
P H OTO : O L I V I E R G I T T L E R
The views expressed in this article articl are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Method Mag’s editorial policy. "A soapbox is a raised platform on which one stands to make an impromptu speech, often about a political subject. The term originates from the days when speakers would elevate themselves by standing on a wooden crate originally used for shipment of soap or other dry goods from a manufacturer to a retail store." - Wikipedia
W H Y D O W E H AT E S H AU N W H I T E ? You’re just a stupid kid, so you won’t have heard of Ayn Rand, but you have heard of her grandchild Shaun White. Ayn Rand was a Russian-American whose novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged are two of the most influential in American literature. In them, she expressed a personal philosophy called Objectivism, which states that every individual should have the freedom to succeed on their own merits, and that the role of government should be as hands-off or “laissez faire” as possible. Altruism, that little thing about our lives being defined on how we treat others, was a big no-no for Rand: she was all about looking out for “numero uno”. In The Fountainhead, the hero is a badass architect called Howard Roark who refuses to lower himself to the level of the morons around him, builds amazing skyscrapers faithful to his unique vision, and never compromises or sells out. Which, granted sounds fine in principle, isn’t really the key to social equality: as Rand’s disciple Alan Greenspan proved during his career as head of the United States Federal Reserve. Alan G is largely responsible for the current economic situation, in which
But it’s lonely at the top. Rand’s immense intelligence scared off most men, leaving her to create her literary fantasy lover Howard Rourke instead. In White’s case, what started with a trademark facecovering bandana led to private training facilities and solo training sessions at the X Games, the pipe closed off to other athletes. White’s huge talent and exclusive treatment alienated him from his peers. Meanwhile, in much the same way Greenspan spawned a new financial industry dedicated to unrestrained greed, core sponsors like Volcom were replaced by mass market clothing chain Target, and the next thing you know, the world’s best halfpipe snowboarder is putting his name to fucking razor scooters. Even fucking Red Bull couldn’t afford to have him chugging their gut-rotting concoction on the podium. And so it continues: as the pants keep getting tighter, Shaun’s credibility keeps getting thinner. As board riders, we don’t have a whole lot in common. Some of us are rich, some are poor, some are peace-loving anti-capitalists and some are… well, fans of Jeremy Jones. But, while the rest of the world seems to regard Shaun White as the Halfpipe Hero, the Shining Saviour of Action Sports, the funky Flying Tomato, at least every selfrespecting skater and snowboarder is united in thinking that Shaun White is… a bit of a dick. But it goes deeper than that. Shaun White, posing in his starred and striped leggings on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, represents the apotheosis of the American Dream. But, the dream is exactly that – a dream. A fake, empty illusion that keeps its public poor, crassly overconfident and celebrity-obsessed, while its vast military tramples the rest of the world into submission under the false flag of freedom and democracy. When we say we hate Shaun White, we’re really saying is we hate seeing what he, and his country, have become.
022
MARC SALAS
----------------Andrecht redirect like WHOA!
FIVE THINGS
P H OTO : A N D O N I E P E L D E
5 weird habits you have: - Too much olive oil, too much sugar, too much smoke - Never plan more than a week ahead - Always end up wasted when all I wanted was a few drinks - Never stretch - Too many hospital visits (maybe this is a list of things I need to stop doing…) 5 best expressions in Spanish: - “Vale” - “Socio” - “Ole” - “Joder” - “Coño, follar, cachonda”... 5 things that suck about the Great Recession: - More political/police repression - Lots of stupid tickets - Friends losing their jobs - All the shit we tried to show in the intro of our movie, “Pain in Spain”
5 favorite things to do with your snowboard: - Use it as a cutting board for veggies or meat - Use it as a bench while I’m chilling in the snow or camping - Make a daisy chain with a bunch of them to move snow blocks for building kickers - Use it for self-defense if a bear attacks you - Ride it!
5 best reasons making your own movie: - Doing something with the right people, people you admire for different reasons - Doing it your crew’s way - Planning trips ghetto style - Learning and having an amazing time during the whole process - Chilling with my homie Jose del Corral while he’s editing, rolling joints and feeding him beers non-stop
5 countries with the easiest chicks: - I would say Spain, here you have a lot of variety, local chicks are super hot and “cachondas”, and you can also find tons of girls that just come here on vacation to get drunk and have a good time with someone, but I’m not really into that lately
5 best “bocadillos”: - Tortilla de patatas - Fuet - Calamares - Jamon Iberico 5J - My sister’s roast beef and curry chicken sandwiches
5 best skate spots in Barcelona: - I can’t pick just 5, BCN is a big skatepark with the best weather, there’s nothing better than grabbing your skate, a bunch of friends and just cruise around the city, ending up somewhere having beer and tapas
5 things you always have in your backpack: - Weed! Haha, for sure I always have my first-aid weed kit cuz you never know how long it’s gonna take to be back home - Water, food and Burn - Dry clothes and a Buff neckwarmer - Tools - Electric sunnies
5 longest times you’ve gone without a shower: - I have no idea, but for sure the longest was last summer on a surf-skate trip, maybe a month, but surfing counts as a shower
5 craziest moments while filming for “Pain in Spain”: - There were too many crazy moments, every day we went filming the guys were landing fucked up tricks
024
IT’S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE. IT’S COSMIC DESIGN.
The Cosmic Collection by Forest Bailey: A collection of waterproof and breathable outerwear that provides everything you need to enjoy your journey through winter. So while it may take a rocket scientist to explore the cosmos, it only takes Forest Bailey to create a collection of technical apparel and accessories that is truly out of this world.
@ 686
FOREST BAILEY
CRUNCHING NUMBERS
How many years have you been on this Earth? 22 wonderful years. How long is your part in “Nation”? I dunno, 5 minutes? How many kinks have you gotten through? Not many… Best boob size? A handful. What size board do you ride? 153 in tha streets, 157 in pow. How many concussions have you had? Maybe a couple when I was young, but not in a long time. How many tries is too many? I will usually try to avoid going back to spots, one day at a spot is usually max for me, so anything past that is too many. But to each, his own. How many “safety meetings” do you take before you go riding? Haha, safety meetings all day, everyday. How many times do you curse a day? Probably too many, I should work on that. How many future ex-girlfriends do you want before you get married? Haha, don’t know if I’ll get married... but hopefully none. How many flights have you missed? Maybe one. I’m usually pretty on point with travel, missing flights sucks, I try and avoid that shit. How many times have you looked in the mirror and said, “who am I”? Haha, probably the same amount as every other human on the planet. Number of times you’ve been to Europe? Five, I love Europe. How many years have you being growing your mustache? Haha, every once in a while I’ll shave it off and start over. Right now I’m maybe on a month or two… What is the number of your outerwear sponsor? 686! Check out the Cosmic Collection hitting stores soon, I’ve been working on designing outerwear with them. Also, check out Gnarly Clothes, it’s the goods!
----------------Smash awnings! P H OTO : B O B P LU M B
026
REVERSE CAMBER ANNIHILATOR
ULTRAFEAR
HOWL
LITTLE LABELS
- - - - - - - - - - - - - ---P H OTO S : H OW L
-- - - - - - - - - - - - - --House of 1817 x HOWL collab mitts!
Who is HOWL? (Nima Jalali) HOWL is myself, Justin Meyer from Videograss, and Darrell Mathes. What is the creative process like at HOWL? We start with ideas that come from the three of us or our team, we make drawings and turn those into samples! Then, with a few tweaks and changes it turns into the final product that hits shops.
----------------Camo will never go out of style! - - - - - - - - - - ------Darrell Mathes looking dapper in the Vintage mitts
How do you pick your team riders? Do they need to be able to howl convincingly? Haha, yes, that helps for sure. We just pick riders based on who we think would fit the team well. Jed (Anderson), Joe (Sexton), Jake (Olson-Elm)… all the guys, those are our favorite snowboarders in the world so those are gonna be the guys we go after! I love where the team is at right now! Why should kids know about the poet Allen Ginsberg? I should probably know more about him. I know he wrote the poem “Howl” back in the 50’s and it’s supposed to be very inspirational but I haven’t read it. I am a huge Bob Dylan fan and he’s talked about Ginsberg before, I’m a bit embarrassed that I haven’t checked it out. What are you guys working on for the future? We are gonna keep working on our gloves, backpacks and beanies, those are our main areas of focus. We want to have the highest quality product out there! The new line for fall 14/15 is really going to impress. Last words are yours! Thanks so much for supporting HOWL! We take pride in the fact that we are owned and operated by snowboarders. this company truly is by snowboarders, for snowboarders! Cheers! howlsupply.com
028
P H OTO S : F R A N Z O R T L E P P
--------------- - -
B LV/ / NTHNG
P R O D U C T I O N VA L U E S
----------------Georg Obermeissner back board pop over ----------------Sebi back board in Vienna
--------- - - - - - - - Lukas, Fuchsi & Sebi using some elbow grease
“David Struber’s been a good friend of mine for a couple of years now. He told me about his friend Lukas, who’s a pretty nerdy guy that wanted to make a snowboard movie. At that time my life was falling apart and Davo suggested I should move into his apartment and spend the winter shredding together. That was the only option I had at that point so I gave it a try. I remember telling Lukas that I wanted to get at least 3 minutes of footage and as many lines as possible. Everything else we just improvised. We rode, lived and traveled together for 4 months. We had ups and downs but we were there for each other when someone was in a bad place. It was the exact opposite of being out with a professional film crew. We went out, shared our ideas and supported each other just like a family. It seemed like in the middle of the process we all lost our minds for moment. Taking that into consideration, I’m especially happy that ‘Farewell Flowers’ turned out being such a rad document of that time.”
Is there a formula to make a cool movie that kids will watch till the end? (Lukas Lerperger) I think this is something that’s getting harder & harder every day to achieve. I think about this a lot, like, how can you present your visual work so it keeps or even gains value? Going back to DVD’s doesn’t seem like the right path for me. The idea of putting your film onto something physical is pretty cool, I think, like vinyl with music or photographs in books, but DVDs, BlueRays... those don’t mean anything special to me. I would rather make a movie on real film and then provide film rolls to the people, but how many folks still have a projector at home? And it would be sooo expensive! So in the end I think there is no real other way at the moment besides the WWW, which of course opened up a lot of doors for people, especially for small crews like us without the mega budgets. The internet made it possible to present our stuff easily to a big audience. Unfortunately this opens
- Sebastian Müller
030
up the floodgates for countless movies, webisodes & edits and it’s just not the same anymore. It’s not like back in the day, when I would watch my Toy Machine VHS movie literally 100 times. People nowadays already feel there is TOO much content online, so they naturally start to filter that content more and more aggressively. For me, the two keywords to get past that filter are, again, IDENTITY and CONTENT.
Check out the full movie and an in-depth interview with filmmaker and founder of BLV//NTHNG Lukas Lerperger on www.methodmag.com! blvnthng.com
----------------P H OTO S : F R A N Z O R T L E P P
Photo by: Florian Jaeger
EVEN POWER DISTRIBUTION Comparing to traditional sidewall constructions, the unique FRAMEWALL evenly distributes applied edge pressure from tip to tail, while eliminating pressure peaks underneath the binding areas. Better power distribution along the edges results in more balanced turns and improved edge grip without needing to invest higher efforts into riding.
FREDRIK EVENSEN RIDES THE INSTINCT DCT i. KERS
COME RIDE WITH US. WWW.RIDEHEAD.COM
MICRO-SUSPENSION While sidewalls are covered and therefore stiffened by different kind of laminates top and bottom, our all new FRAMEWALL is wider and only partly overlapping with the top layers of the board construction. Hence, the FRAMEWALL’s exposed top edges can flex more freely to the upside with the effect that disturbing vibrations and micro-shocks get filtered and leveled out.
P H OTO S : ST E PA N A R T E M E V
------- - - - - - - - - - -
HASH H E AV E N
P O S S E PA G E
----------------Stepan Artemev stalefish to 50-50
----------------Stepan again, savage 50-50 to wallride redirect
- - - - - - - - - - - -----Nikolay Grinev FS 3 nosebone
----------------Nikolay front board gap out on the gnarly close-out
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - --Alexey Naimushin camera dawg
there is a lot of space to explore, film and ride. I think if we had snowmobiles we’d be stuck in Siberia for the whole season, we’d just never leave, :) As for street riding, it’s nothing special, except for the post-Soviet architecture. If you guys weren’t filming do you think anyone would’ve heard about Hash Heaen? I don’t think so. Only if we rode in some big, international contests probably.
Where are you guys based? (Nikita Sidorov) We’re based in Siberia, a place called Novosibirsk City. It’s in the central part of Russia, that’s our main spot but we also have a base in Prague – we run our European distribution from there. What is something very different about eastern Russia compared to western Russia? There ain’t no east-vs-west gang wars, but people are really different. Russia is huge and there are a lot of nationalities livin’ in different parts of it, so yes, Russians differ vastly from east to west. You have to take this into consideration when working here – dealing with different regions is sometimes like dealing with different countries.
Tell us about your movie, “Alpha-Omega”, why did you name it that? Alpha and Omega symbolize the end of something and the start of something new. We just feel like we are about to enter a new phase, not like another era or anything like that, more like we’re facing some major changes in the Russian snowboard industry and these changes are very important to us. Probably we just got older and began seeing things from a different perspective. So that’s where the movie name comes from. Why is it cool to film in deep Siberia? There are a lot of different mountains situated not very far from each other, they’re not that big but we get a shitload of snow here. Each mountain is unique,
Does filming keep you motivated to keep snowboarding? Snowboarding motivates us to snowboard, we live it. And the filming is like a job for us – you go shoot something, you scope the spot, think about the trick you want to do, then you stomp it and get the clip. I think you know how it goes, ;) Then you see the result, first just the unedited footy on your computer, then your whole part, then the whole movie shown in premieres at theaters and on the web, presenting it to everybody. Which is exactly where the job part comes in, this is your job and you’d better do it well. So yes, filming motivates us. What does someone have to do to get to “Hash Heaven”? What’s it like there? Hmm, that’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it! I think it’s a cool, green place where you chill with your homies after everything’s done and dusted. vk.com/hashheavenfilms
032
C H R I STIAN HALLER
FA L A F E L S TA N D
-- - - - - - - - - - - - ---”Hitsch” does his best Duane Peters impression, Indy air at the now defunct SnowparkNZ P H OTO : B L OT TO P H OTO
034
DYLAN THOMPSON
H O LY S H I T
Every time you see a photo of Dylan Thompson, invariably the first thought that pops into your head is “HOLY SHIT!”, the guy is just that gnarly. Take, for example, this no grab back 3 in SLC, it might not be the most technical trick but just look at how tiny that sweet spot in the landing is, not to mention the crazy compression from the tiny transition at the end. It takes a special kind of madness to chuck carcass into this pit of doom… ----------------P H OTO S : E - STO N E
036
( F ) A R T PA G E
THE EIGHT PROJECT
Selfie
Tell us a bit about yourself, Gonzalo. My name is Gonzalo Manera and I’m a photographer from Madrid, Spain. I’ve been shooting snowboarding for well over a decade but slowly drifted away from it as the snowboard industry shrunk and it was getting harder and harder to pay my bills. Nowadays I shoot mostly mountain biking and commercial work, but snowboarding is in my heart and I definitely try to ride as much as possible. How did the idea for The Eight project come about? I guess it was in the back of my mind for a few years but actually became a reality at the end of 2012. As a photographer I always felt bummed about the number of great photos I had that went unpublished due to the many filters that exist in the photo editing process at snowboard mags. I figured probably every photographer faces the same problem so I wanted to create an outlet for all those photos and allow photographers to show amazing photography without any restrictions, all those never-seen photos in the way they wanted, as they envisioned them. My final goal is to have every snowboarder enjoy amazing photography. That’s why the digital version is free. I want everybody to be able to enjoy it and feel motivated to go snowboarding. If they like it, they can buy the great printed version. If not, that’s cool, I just hope to somehow influence snowboarders into appreciating great photography. The book’s quality is amazing, what was the editorial process like? I wanted to create something different from your average snowboard mag,
----------------P H OTO : G O N Z A L O M A N E R A
more like an art book. So after much thought about what kind of publication I wanted to create, I looked for designers specialized in that type of editorial design. I met the guys at Rifle and they really understood my ideas. We had a few meetings and their input ended up being great. We were on the same page about where we wanted to go with this project and they also helped choosing the paper, final details, etc. When I reached out to the photographers I wanted for the first volume, they all loved the idea and were onboard right away. I’m truly grateful to all of them for that. It’s been a longer process than I expected but very gratifying and fulfilling. And the response has been great so far! Will there be more volumes? Yes, my idea is to make two per year,
038
one at the beginning of the season, around November and the other around April. This, of course, is if the project is supported by enough people (there are no ads in the book) and I can move forward with all the design and printing costs. It all adds up pretty quick! The reason behind this first one being the Black Volume instead of number 1 is because the volumes are not consecutive in any way. It’s just a way to differentiate them as time goes by and more volumes are made. I hope we run out of colors! I want to encourage people to download the digital version. Enjoy it, soak up the pictures and go snowboarding! If you feel like it afterwards, I would love to hear some feedback from you through our Facebook, Twitter or regular email. Thanks! theeightproject.com
NEW JOE SEXT PRO MOD
ON
EL!!
STATHIS & LAYNE GET
GET HIGH ON LIFE
STEPCHILDSNOWBOARDS.COM
JOHN CARDIEL
FLASHBACK
“Cardiel and I had traveled to Government Camp, Oregon in 1991 to do a summer camp story for Snowboarder Magazine. It was June and it was still snowing so the halfpipe filled with snow. When the weather finally broke, we hiked slightly out-ofbounds on the east side of Mt. Hood. John was good at riding off anything but with the ring around the sun, I backed off the close-up huck and went super wide with a fish-eye. Ski patrol came by and escorted us away right after I got the shot.” - Bud Fawcett
- - - - - - - ---------All hail, Cardiel! FS nose boner. P H OTO : B U D FAWC E T T
040
Y A L P LET´S ! G N I D R A SNOWBO
LIVE
22 nd of March 2014 Ifen/Kleinwalsertal follow us on facebook for more information and registration: k2snowboarding/events
supported by:
After-Contest-Party at Auenhutte
AYUMU H I RANO
----------------This fresh meat likes stale fish! P H OTO S : B L OT TO P H OTO
What kind of meat are you? I’m Ayumu Hirano, I’m 15-years old and I am a “shake” (salmon), the most famous fish from my home in Murakami, Japan. Would you describe yourself as a bag of bones or meaty? Somewhere in the middle. One person’s meat is another person’s poison. Which are yours? I love skating and snowboarding. I don’t like bad style. What makes you still feel like fresh meat on the scene? Interviews like this. Have you ever been put through the meat grinder? I’ve had some good slams, yes.
What is the meat and potatoes of snowboarding? Having fun and doing it with good style. Who would you consider a fine aged meat? Are Kazu Kokubo and Danny Davis old guys? Do you have any bones to pick? No, not really. When was the last time you thought you were dead meat? I don’t think it’s happened yet. Who puts the meat on your plate? Nike, Burton, Monster Energy, GoPro, SSCV (Ski and Snowboard Club Vail) and Slick House in Japan.
Once you get past your spring chicken phase, where do you imagine yourself after you beef up and get older? Relaxing in a green pasture.
042
W E N D N BRA TS C U D O R P 3 1 2 0 SCAN here
find our pro shops here: Austria, 6281 Gerlos, Hauptstrasse 177 Tel. +43 (0) 5284/52 50 Austria, 6290 Mayrhofen, Scheulingstrasse 390b Tel. +43 (0) 5285/62 982 Austria, 6130 Schwaz, Wopfnerstrasse 4 Tel. +43 (0) 5242/64 907 www.hotzone.tv
www.hotzonemag.com
info@hotzone.tv
Who would you consider a fine aged meat? I look up to everyone who has been pushing the sport since day 1, but if it came down to one hero, I would say Chris Bradshaw. Bradshaw has the right vision of what snowboarding is really about. Do you have any bones to pick? Slow chairlifts piss me off so much! - - - - - - - - - - - - ----P H OTO : R I C H A R D H O P E
When was the last time you thought you were dead meat? One summer in Whistler me and the boys got wasted in our apartment and decided to
DI LLON OJO What kind of meat are you? What’s good, my name is Dillon Ojo. I am a black bear from St. Hubert, Montreal, and I’m 18-years old. Would you describe yourself as a bag of bones or meaty? #teammeat One person’s meat is another person’s poison. Which are yours? I like skatin’, golf, chocolate milk is the truest, partying, hockey, trap music, babes and hanging with the squad. I don’t really dislike too many things. Off the top of my head I definitely hate tomatoes, 3/4 pants, birds and flip-flops! What makes you still feel like resh meat on the scene? I guess the constant web edits I like to make with my boys, the Bruners crew, and being black always helps when it comes to standing out. Have you ever been put through the meat grinder? I eat shit all the time but I’ve never actually gotten badly injured (knock on wood). But back when I started riding park I taco’d a flat box and split my spleen. I almost had to get it taken out. Once you get past your spring chicken phase, where do you imagine yourself after you beef up and get older? The classic, settle down with a nice house and a family. I always wanna be doing something I love, so hopefully I’ll be working in the snowboard industry. What is the meat and potatoes of snowboarding? Snowboarding is who I am and I love it more than anything. The feeling I get from just cruisin’ the hill or spot searching with my friends and having a good time is what’s most important for me. Fun is the key principle BUT, throwing down in front of a mob of chicks is always encouraging.
----------------HEAVY nosepress pop over to wall smash! P H OTO S : R A L P H DA M M A N
044
have a arm wrestling tournament. One of the guys gets real emotional when he’s faded and ended up losing the final fight, and that’s when shit went next level. He was so pissed off that he climbed over the railing of our balcony on the 4th floor and was ready to jump for the pool. This was for sure a full body contact to the bottom of the pool if he jumped. So I had to go straight psychologist on him and bring him back to his senses. He was dead serious, no joke. So yeah, that’s my sketchy story. Who puts the meat on your plate? ThirtyTwo, LRG, etnies, Pop Headwear, Dragon, Empire Boardshop, Stance,
P A D
6 L A
James Niederberger, LAAX Rider
0 L Y
- - - - - - - - - - ------Max makes hardway BS 270 to fakies look easy! P H OTO S : I L A R I A T R O I S I
MAX ZEBE GUILTY OF BEING TOO GOOD FOR YOUR AGE
What kind of meat are you? I’m Max Zebe, 17-years old from South Tyrol, Italy and I’m a “Südtiroler Speck”, hehe. Would you describe yourself as a bag of bones or meaty? Bag of bones. One person’s meat is another person’s poison. Which are yours? I like going to school, Shaun White, halfpipes, skiers, big jumps, boot grabs, tindys and zeaching... NOT. What makes you still feel like fresh meat on the scene? Not having a wide stance. Have you ever been put through the meat grinder? I’ve only broken my collarbone, arm and fingers... Haven’t gotten hurt too much so far, and I’m really thankful for that. Once you get past your spring chicken phase, where do you imagine yourself after you beef up and get older? I’m gonna try having as much fun as I can and not get hurt.
046
What is the meat and potatoes of snowboarding? I like that snowboarding is a free sport, there are no rules and all that stuff, it’s just an insanely fun sport that can be shared with your friends! Who would you consider a fine aged meat? Lo Renz because he found my wallet last week at Stubai, please like his facebook profile picture. Do you have any bones to pick? Nah, I like everyone. When was the last time you thought you were dead meat? Trying hard way 270’s at Hintertux and did a full back flex scorpion. Who puts the meat on your plate? Burton, Analog, Anon, Fakie Shop, F-Tech and Woodybunch…thanks!
WIEN, INNSBRUCK, MÜNCHEN, STUTTGART, ROSENHEIM, GRAZ
HAMBURG, SCHLADMING, OBERTAUERN, BERLIN, SCS WIEN, OBERHAUSEN
SPARROW KNOX
Have you ever been put through the meat grinder? I’ve been through the meat grinder, mainly just knocking myself the fuck out, which always sucks. Riding in the streets is sick but there is always that first try, which is scary. Falling on that first one is alright, though, cuz it kinda kickstarts the session.
What kind of meat are you? My name is Sparrow Knox and if I were to categorize myself as a meat, I’d be an edible meat, some sort of bird. I mean, sparrows wouldn’t taste that good and they haven’t got much meat on ‘em so I reckon I’d be a pigeon.
Once you get past your spring chicken phase, where do you imagine yourself after you beef up and get older? Who knows, I’d love to stay in “spring chicken” mode forever but once landing on street becomes a problem, and maybe even before that, I’m just gonna go get lost in the woods. Pillow lines for breakfast, tree taps for lunch, methods for dinner and, if I’m lucky, backflips for dessert.
Would you describe yourself as a bag of bones or meaty? Bag of bones for sure. All you gotta do is take a look, do I look meaty? One person’s meat is another person’s poison. Which are yours? My meat would be fruit for sure, just how deliciously scrumptious, fresh, cheap, colorful and in some cases, fun to play games with, they are. Games like orange peel bin throwing, another fun one is lychee pip spitting (if you get the pip into the fire, they make a mini-explosion!).
What makes you still feel like fresh meat on the scene? Not much really. I’m all scabby and whatnot. Don’t really know what to say, I just like to ride, ya know. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -50-50 back one off the flat in Blighty P H OTO S : A DA M S L A M A
What is the meat and potatoes of snowboarding? To be comfortable, with friends, and having fun. If you’re not having a good time whilst snowboarding, come ride with me, I’ll make it jokes for you. Winning medals is some people’s idea of fun but I feel contests just put mad amounts of pressure and focus on one run. Filming, you’re just having fun, if you get a trick you’re stoked, if not, you’re still stoked because you’re around people you want to be with and maybe some of your friends got shots, which (unless you’re a dick) you should be stoked on too! Right? Who would you consider a fine aged meat? Heros, there are too many. Because now everything is online, you can see a sick clip of somebody and for like the next 5 years that person is a hero, just because they make you hyped to ride. But there are some people who get me so damn hyped: Bob Burnquist, all time G; David Gonzales, ripper; David Beckham, waaaa. When was the last time you thought you were dead meat? My dad rented this 4x4 all-weather granny trolly for a film shoot we were doing, he had specifically said DO NOT get on the granny trolly! Of course, 1:30 AM, “let’s get on the granny trolly” after not-so-swiftly getting it out of the van. So this thing flew down the hill, me and some friends were loving it, closest thing to driving on roads. Next thing I knew I’d hit slap bang into a brick wall. Came out of nowhere… Rode the thing back home, not so hyped now as half the front of this granny trolly was in pieces. Not-so-swiftly managed to get it back in the van, really not looking forward to the next day. Needless to say, I was in deep doo-doo. End of story, dad was PISSED! Who puts the meat on your table? Quiksilver, Vans, SS20 and Switchback Bindings.
048
Connecting Global Competence
ADRENALINE MEETS BUSINESS. JANUARY 26–29, 2014 AT ISPO MUNICH. Go all out— in sports and in business: visit the ISPO Action Sports Summit in hall A1.322 at ISPO MUNICH. Benefit from a multi-faceted program, experience the entire bandwidth of Actions Sports first-hand. What are you waiting for? The perfect place not only to discover tomorrow’s Action Sports trends, but also gain valuable contacts to the international sports business. All this and more up close and personal at ISPO MUNICH and 365 days per year at ispo.com SPORTS. BUSINESS. CONNECTED.
-- - - - - - - - - - - - - --P H OTO S : C Y R I L M Ü L L E R
1) At these kind of spots precision is your friend. You need the perfect amount of speed and the perfect pop off the rail so make sure you chill and don’t go overboard. Obviously you’ll probably be hitting a different set up so you’ll need to figure out the speed on your own, which shouldn’t be too hard… Just don’t go too slow either! 2) Hop on the first rail 50-50, but don’t lock onto it perfectly or else you will slide too far. Try to keep your balance more on the side you need to pop off of. 3) This is the tricky part, and it takes a bunch of tries to figure out, or maybe only one try if you’re a badass. Just kind of
play around on how much you need to pop off the top rail, it all depends on how far away the second rail is. You’ll get it eventually, just keep trying. 4) Turn your board 90º midair to lipslide and keep those knees bent to absorb the impact on the lower rail. Make sure you keep looking at the end of the rail and slide that sucker all the way, then swing your shoulders around to bring it in to fakie. 5) Now do the heaviest afterbang you can so people are extremely pumped on you. - Ethan
050
14.4
- - - - - - - - - - - -----Grimy ass back nose pretzel to flat in Szczyrk, Poland. P H OTO S : L E N N V E R JA N S
052
KAS LEMM ENS
“The first time many of us saw Kas was during the 2009 Skullcandy Rail Battle we put on every summer next to the indoor slope in Zoetermeer, Holland. He was probably under a meter and a half or something but seemed to have a knack for snowboarding. He wore a tie-dye Ashbury shirt he had made himself and tight jeans. Even though the take-offs were about armpit height, Kas managed to pull some back lips and came close to pretzeling out of them. Needless to say we were all super hyped on him and figured we would see more of this kid in the future. Fast-forward to 2013 and Kas filmed his third video part with Postland Theory last winter and it is straight FIRE. Besides his ridiculous technical snowboard skills, Kas is non-stop smiling ball of infectious positive energy. Always down for a prank or a wrestle and high on gummy candy all day long. Before last season Kas kept it mellow on the party side of things but recently he’s turned it up a notch. He likes beer as much as the next man but that doesn’t mean he likes getting smashed, Kas says he gets down just as hard without booze, which is true. With or without beer, this kid is a real party starter with his amazing dance moves and no-fucks-given attitude.” - Lenn Verjans
14.4
Bear or Hyland? It’s impossible to choose! They are two of the best places in the world. John Belushi or Chris Farley? Chris Farley. I grew up on Farley, Beverlly Hills Ninja, Tommy Boy, Black Sheep. Classics! Best part of being able to design your own pro model shit? I get to design stuff that I personally like to wear, and when I get to design stuff with sponsors that means it is quality stuff too. How flammable exactly is snowboard outerwear? I sat by a fire the other night and I didn’t catch on fire, so that tells you something. I’m not really sure how flammable it is but it’s usually pretty resistant to water. What’s your best fisherman’s tale? Too many to pick just one! I guess the latest would be Jake OE fighting a fish for a pretty long time knowing it was something big, and then when it got close to the boat it got off the hook and neither of us saw it. That was pretty heartbreaking and I know Jake couldn’t sleep too well at night after that.
How come you and OE get so serious when you guys are fishing? Cause it’s just a passion, I swear we care more about fishing than a lot of things. Sometimes we go hours on the boat with out saying a word to each other, just completely focused. 1817 ways to… Catch a bass?! How many tons of sex are there in a Sexton? Not as many as I would hope, haha. Best Euro country and why? Either Finland or Spain, for the obvious reasons: good spots and good partying. Why are female singers better than male ones? I don’t know why, I’ve just always been down for female singers, maybe it’s their soothing voice.
054
pow part Are we ever gonna see a full from you? for real! I’m down! Maybe someday, only If you had to choose between for the rest of skating or snowboarding choose? your life, which would you ose… If cho to ble ossi imp ’s Damn, that would I mer sum the you asked me in say skate. Are you and Will Smith starting a boy band? I’m down! Will already dresses like he is in One Direction, so he just has to take me shopping for clothes to make me look like the edgy one. Or the sensitive one. Top 3 best pop outs in snowboarding? Jake OE, anytime he comes off a rail early, and the shot in “The Darkside”. Halldor, front board on that kink to pop over in the Nike movie. Jordan Mendenhall, boardslide pop over in “Burning Bridges”.
were a Not a lot of people know you has your T9 head back in the day, how e 2006? “State of Mind” changed sinc down for That part is soo funny! I’m psyched was I t wha ’s that it, that, fuck k my actual on at the time. I don’t thin much since state of mind has changed shred and to ted exci as just still , then film. at this Things are getting so gnarly t? nex t’s wha t, poin I guess, film Just keep doing my thing, cool. Try to on what I think would look wboarding film new tricks. I think sno what you do can grow a lot still, it’s not it. do you how but rily, necessa Last words are yours! (D) 1817 (I) 1817 (B) 1817 (I) 1817 (N) 1817 (S) 1817 (G) 1817 1817 (N) ------------ ----Teeter totter, monster FS boardslide pretzel out in Oslo! P H OTO : DA R R E L L M AT H E S
14.4
What are the best/funniest ways non-Finns have mangled your name? Starbucks is always the best. Even when I spell it out, I have had “Yusacnsi” and other equally impressive ones. Now I just say my name is John! In 2008 you started Mizu, the original water bottles, how’s business? We’ve come a really long way. We now have worldwide distribution and just partnered up with some pretty solid companies such as Burton, Volcom, Nixon, Electric and Poler, which has helped cover more ground with our brand. We are working on filling the gap in solid water solutions from source to bottle, and making good headway in cutting down on single-use plastic bottles every day. You are also a father of two, do your kids share the same passion as you for the mountains? If only I could get them away from a soccer ball for 5 minutes... Actually, they love the mountains, but right now it’s more about exploring the forest for them. They love Mammoth. My youngest is into snowboarding, the older one is sort of starting to get into it now. My season is pretty hectic in the winter, so we don’t get a ton of chances to take them on snow, but we have a few trips lined up with them this year. Speaking of your family, you’ve lived in California for many years now, do you miss Finland? Any plans on moving back to the motherland? I miss the Finnish summers, they are the best. But we’ve been in California for over 8 years now, my kids are in school, and our life is pretty set up. We love our life here, so no, we don’t have any plans on moving back. Tell us about your sweet van that you cruise in during the summer, surfing and camping. I bought it a couple of years back and it’s been amazing with the family. We’ve done a ton of little camping trips in So Cal and explored a bunch of cool spots around where we live that I had no idea even existed before. We also take it to the beach
a lot and the kids can just chill there and get out of the sun for a bit. It’s the perfect California adventure mobile! In the winter are you on the road constantly filming or have you altered the way you travel now that you are a family man? I have it super dialed now. Most of the time I’m filming in Whistler and I have my truck and sled there, so I rent a place up there for 4 months where I can leave all my stuff. Then I just commute between San Diego to Vancouver (and anywhere else I need to be). Last winter I did about 11 trips back and forth! You recently signed with Zeal, like Mizu they are also a very ecofriendly company, are you conscious about which companies you ride for these days? I really liked what those guys are about, as they are in it for more than just making a quick buck. I feel like it’s more important to be a part of a family rather than just a name on the team list. With Zeal we can be really involved with everything and the products they are putting out have a deeper meaning than simply looking cool. The products are insanely good, and on top of that you feel good knowing that your sunglasses are going to biodegrade, rather than turning into more plastic waste. You are still producing hammer snowboard parts, won People’s Choice award for X-Games Real Snow Backcountry, do you set these goals or do they just happen? I love pushing my riding. That’s all I know and I’ve been lucky to film with Mikey Rencz for the last few years. Mikey is pushing his riding really hard too, so it’s been a good mix for a while now. We’ve also had some legit projects to work towards, such as the Burton movies and Real Snow, which always gives you extra motivation. We’ve got some great plans for this winter as well, which will change things up a bit, so I’m really looking forward to getting back into filming.
056
In a time where there is a constant influx of “new” riders in the limelight who are gone in a season or two, what do you think separates you from the rest? First off, I am as passionate about snowboarding now as I have ever been. In some ways more, as I explore new zones and see the magic in what the mountains really have to offer. I feel like my riding is improving and evolving constantly, and I never feel like there is an “end point” to it. I’ve also been really lucky to have had such great sponsors for such a long time. I’ve been with Burton for almost 14 years! And I think maybe some people don’t realize what actually goes into keeping it going. You’ve got to be professional, stay fit, and take really good care of your injuries. I’m in way better shape now than I was 10 years ago, and all that counts. You can’t take this shit for granted! You are known as an all-round ripper but what is your absolute favorite terrain to shred and why? Backcountry riding. That’s where my heart is. Being in the mountains with a small crew and adventure to new places is where it’s at for me. Last words are yours! Huge shout out to my sponsors, Burton, WeSC, Zeal, Mizu and Active. Be passionate about what you do and you will find success, because then you are doing it for yourself and not for anyone else, that way you’ll be a winner whatever happens. Follow me and my adventures on my instagram @jussioksanen!
----------------Dreamy FS5 lien in Rutherford, British Columbia. P H OTO : A S H L EY BA R K E R
14.4
“I was born 32 years ago in Olten, Switzerland. Currently I live and work out of Fulenbach, Switzerland, and Dornbirn, Austria. I’ve been shooting photos for half of my life, and for the past 6 years I’ve been fortunate enough to make a living by taking pictures. I never studied photography, my passions have always been in other fields, such as snowboarding, for example. I only picked up a camera to document things and people I was excited about. Before I realized it, photography itself had grown into one of my strongest passions, paving the way to infinite new fields of interest. The photos on the following pages have all been taken with one of my three favorite analog cameras: a Hasselblad Xpan, a Polaroid SX Land, and an Olympus Pen-D. I hope you enjoy!” - Cyril
I don’t consider myself a very good portrait photographer. I still have to learn a lot. It’s funny how which camera you use makes a big difference for portraits, just because your subject is going to judge you according to your equipment. The foldable Polaroid SX-700 is my favorite portrait camera, not just because the soft rendering of the film is flattering, but because it’s way easier to get people to relax in front of the lens. This is Maxence Tevelle in Flachauwinkl, Austria.
I’ve known Sani Alibabic for almost ten years now, he’s one of the good friends in my life I owe to snowboarding.
060
Can you figure out how we got this shot? Stephan Maurer in Laax.. 14.4
Shooting with a panoramic format camera can really open your eyes. You realize how all the surroundings which usually don’t end up in a shot actually give it the context to tell the whole story.
Snowboarding needs more people like Niels Schack. I’m sure all snowboarders out there already know that, it’s just the companies that still need to figure it out.
062
The Olympus Pen is a half-frame camera, so as the name suggests, every photo is half of a 35mm frame. Although the view through your viewfinder looks like any other, this camera shoots in portrait instead of landscape format. When you get around to scanning the film, you end up with little stories, frames adding up, diptychs and triptychs. It’s an amazing little gem.
THE END
Despite everything, I love California. No place says “anything goes” like SoCal. 14.4
PHOTO
M A R K KO H L M A N
SPOT
T H E 8 0 ’s
RIDER
ERIC MESSIER
TRICK
G E T WA R P E D !
108
BRYAN FOX IN THE INYO 2L GORE-TEX速 JACKET AND THE NATIONAL 3L GORE-TEX速 PANT OUR GORE-TEX 速 PRODUCT IS BACKED BY A LIFETIME WARR ANT Y. FILMED ON LOCATION IN WHISTLER, B.C . FOR:
SNOW.QUIKSILVER .COM
JUSSI OKSANEN trusts his days to the ZEAL Optics SLATE equipped with the Automatic lens.
NEVER CHANGE YOUR LENS AGAIN INTRODUCING
ZEAL AUTOMATIC O N E L E N S . E V E RY C O N D I T I O N . Engineered for incredible clarity, the ZEAL Automatic instantaneously adjusts to changing light conditions
FORCE
E-STONE PHOTO
The Force Binding Workhorse Dependability unionbindingcompany.com
BLACK
WHITE
YELLOW
SEAFOAM
RED
GREEN