New Zealand is Aotearoa.

Aotearoa is Maori for 'Land of the long white cloud'. If you've never been to NZ you might not understand. If you are a snowboarder,(you probably are, that's why you're here, right?)you owe it to yourself a visit. Just once. It is a beautiful country. We'll be blogging more about Aotearoa soon. We'll be there... Keep in touch. /// We are addicted.

BSA Crew Update: Lauren Staveley

Hey Guys,

I have some good news and bad news. 
The good news is my first world cup experience was amazing. Stoneham had a great course, Quebec was a beautiful city and our hotel was awesome. 



On my first day of training I took a hard knuckle coming down on my hand hard. It had swollen up a fair bit, but I didnt think much of it. By the time contest day came around a snow storm had arrived, but I didnt let that effect me. I ended up winning my heat and took the third highest score for the day! I was straight through to finals. Yet finals day was full of wind and after a difficult practice I wasnt ale to put down the run I wanted. I finished in 6th place which I am really happy with!




The bad news is my hand is now in a splint, I have a fractured ring finger and the doctor suspects I have broken bone in my hand. I got an MRI this morning and am waiting on the results now. I am hoping to be back on snow in the next week to start training for Junior World cup held in Spain this March. 

I'll keep you posted with my recovery!
Lauren

www.laurenstaveley.com

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lauren-Staveley/103386206422782

Are you addicted? If so, buy a BSA 2012 beanie...

...at our new BSA online store: Click HERE to have a look

100% certified for the addicted snowboarder

Action sports, SNOWBOARDING & this video clip. It's all visceral

Sponsored Video Action sports, SNOWBOARDING & this video clip. It's all visceral.

What does visceral mean? Well, it's a feeling. It's a word to help readers attempt to understand a feeling through written form. However, snowboarding & action sports are not to be just understood. They should be felt. To some extent this short video subtly captures this feeling. By tickling your ears & eyes with some 'extreme action sports' the pit of your belly starts to giggle. This giggling is sometimes referred to as 'butterflies'. It's visceral. Now we're talking! But, let's not just talk. Let's do... You'll feel so much better for it.

(*Cough cough: Get off your couch & spread your wings) Just an idea: save your pennies and book a snowboarding trip to Canada or the States. Get stoked. Breathe in the fresh mountain air and strap into your snowboard. Boom! Now you're riding. Now you're feeling. This is living. You'll feel alive. Fully alive. But, be warned snowboarding and action sports, it's all visceral. These feelings can become an addiction. It's like a drug. Believe me you will want to feel like this more and more day by day. Is being addicted to snowboarding a bad thing? I think not. Scratch that, I feel not. Let's make each other giggle... 

Get addicted! /// We are addicted.

(*This post was sponsored by Red Bull. We liked the video & wrote about it. That's it that's all) Written by Adam Bowcutt

Red Bull Supernatural Comp & Judge Mel Simmons: BSA Industry Interview

Travis Rice & friends Gigi & Nico. Winning... Photo: Christian Pondella

"It's a game changer for sure. Bringing in the best of the best to battle it out before a panel of snowboardings' acclaimed legends? Next level". (Mel Simmons, 2012)

Mel Simmons is a cool human being.  Read on...

Hometown?

Queenstown, NZ

What 3 things do you love most about snowboarding?

The places, the people, the vibe.

What are the best & worst things about judging snowboarding comps?

The best part is the progression we get to witness, up close & personal. The worst is when the results don't roll the way the coaches/parents/riders want & things get ugly.

Who's your favourite rider & why?

Of all-time? Or here at Supernatural - Gigi Rüff - his riding speaks for itself, he's such a charger & he's one of the loveliest humans you'll ever have the pleasure of hangin' with. My all-time fave rider is my homeslice Will Jackways - for pretty much the same reasons as Gigi…

How did you feel about being invited to judge the inaugural RedBull Supernatural Comp at Baldface BC?

I was FIZZING. Froth factor was off the richter. I seriously thought someone was fucking with me. I got an email from "TOM BURT",  introducing himself & asking if I MIGHT be available for the window. I didn't respond at first, then Liam Griffin emailed to confirm & I was all "Oh that shit was legit?!?" needless to say I was for sure going to be available for that window… It was a lottery draw - actually. I was one of a bunch of names in the mix for the role as Assistant Head Judge & I came out trumps. So pumped. It's such a privilege to be here. Moderating a panel of judges that consists of Tom Burt, Andy Hetzel, Temple Cummins, Shin Campos & Bryan Iguchi? The highlight of my career for sure.

What's the atmosphere like there?

Out riding, the atmosphere is pure STOKE. It's so sick. Loungin' at the lodge, the vibe is so chill, for the most almost everyone involved in the event are good buddies, if they weren't beforehand - they are now… 

What do you think about this comp concept?

It's a game changer for sure. Bringing in the best of the best to battle it out before a panel of snowboardings' acclaimed legends? Next level. The format itself with the combination of freeride & freestyle elements is something I'd love to see more of in snowboarding competition. 

Where do you see snowboarding in 10 years time?

With the way snowboarding is progressing right now? I couldn't begin to try to answer that. I couldn't even take a stab at where it's going to be in 10 months let alone a decade. All I can say is: all eyes on the rookies…

Could a huge tweaked method score higher than a double-cork? 

SHIT CHEA! In my books hells yeah.

DCP and his own method. Photo: Christian Pondella

Who are you looking forward to see ride at the Supernatural comp? (who's currently killing it?)

All of them. They're all legends. Every one of them. Even the judges could have a shot at winning this - straight up.

What are your thoughts on energy drinks companies & their association within snowboarding? 

Being that I'm here on Redbulls' dime? Oh, they're great! Everyone should drink 'em! Yuuuuurr… Seriously though, they've made themselves a place in elite level extreme sports in affording athletes & event organizers alike, the means to get where they want to be & that's great. At this level, it's difficult trying to get that kind of support from other sources & if these companies are keen to bankroll, I have nothing against that. I'm just not into edc's sponsoring rookie events or younger generation riders though. Watching a 10yr old inhale a can of that shit before dropping into a slope run, just ain't cool. I've witnessed this. On multiple occasions. & it blows…

Any Mel Simmons words of wisdom for your fellow snowboarders?

Life's short, make it amazing… fucking SEND IT.

Bonus question: Woukd you have scored Shaun Whites' recent X Games halfpipe run a 100 out of 100 if you were judging ?

Nup. 98 from me. Without a doubt, a SUPER sick run for sure though he lost a lil amplitude on his backDub12 & I saw those hands on the last hit buddy…

John Jackson boosting at Baldface.  Photo: Christian Pondella

Interview by Adam Bowcutt

Scotty Arnold would rather see a big 540 into pow: BSA Rider Interview

Scotty Arnold knows snowboarding

Scotty Arnold has been in the game for quite a while.  His experience helps provide a good insight into his views on the past, present & future of snowboarding.  Scotty puts strong emphasis on style.  We think it's a good thing. 

"If you are the sickest rider in the world and can do triple corks to nosepress through a kink but a cocky hater I have no interest in you." 

Hometown?

I currently live in Park City, Utah but grew up snowboarding on the east coast in Holderness, Nh.

Use 3 words to describe your relationship to snowboarding.

It's my life

Where will you be riding mostly this winter & what are your plans in the next few years?

I will be riding at Park City Mountain Resort and also travelling to different resorts all over the U.S. Europe and Japan for the Salomon Team Vacation tour (coming to a resort near you).

What's are the most important things you've learnt about the 'snowboard industry' over years?

I've learnt that although it's friends working together, at the end of the day it's still a business and all about the all mighty dollar.

Which rider do you rate most highly & why?

I would have to say Bode Merrill is my highest rated rider right now. I base that opinion on attitude and skill level. If you are the sickest rider in the world and can do triple corks to nosepress through a kink but a cocky hater I have no interest in you. Bode is the all around best snowboarder. Only a couple people can compare to him in the jumping field and those people won't hit a street rail. Bode is sick on jumps rails and is better than a lot of dudes with one foot strapped in ha. But most importantly he is a good dude with a good head on his shoulders. I also have a lot of respect for Marc Frank Montoya on and off the board.

Who's the hottest female rider, in your opinion?

Hmmmmm

Can you do a double-cork & what are your thoughts on progression within snowboarding these last few years?

I've tried one into an airbag hahah. I think these days the progression is pretty obvious. Last year was double corks this year is triple corks next year quad corks?!?!?! My opinion is that's cool and all but I have always been into peoples style and would rather see a big 540 or 720 into some pow where you can actually see the style the dude has. As far as rails go, its cool to see people getting more progressive with spots. It use to be down rail, kink rail, down rail, but now people are getting more creative with the spots and it is helping jibbing stay fresh.

What words of advice do you have for aspiring kids wishing to become a 'professional snowboarder'? 

Learn quad corks hahaha Just kidding. I would say if you love snowboarding enough and are obsessed with it, it will happen naturally. Go for your dreams, don't give up, and above all make sure you are having a great time. Also be yourself, there are too many clones out there we need more individuals. 

What did you have for dinner?

I had a salad, an English muffin and a jack and lemonade ha

Is Jeremiah Weed for snowboarders?

We got a cheeky surprise at BSA headquarters. A note & a suspicious looking package.

I dubiously tore the wrapping paper to reveal a wooden box emblazoned with the 'Jeremiah Weed' logo & a BSA label beneath.

What's this then? I slid open the plywood to reveal two bottles of Brew; Sour mash & root, glass jar drinking vessel, t shirt, canvas satchel, packet of beef jerky & a harmonica.

Box of stuff

Ok, so why BSA? A note inside the box said Jeremiah Weed Brews liked our snowboarding Blog. Sweet!

Talking of sweet... Both brews were really sweet & easy to drink. Especially the root brew. They could be a refreshing drink after a fun day of spring-time snowboarding.  Be warned because if you try to ride after sinking a few of these it could end in tears. The energy from the sweetness & the delayed reactions from the 4% alcohol might cause you some shred trouble.

Tim's pissed again...

Don't drink & ride. It's just not worth it. Trust me. I've learned the hard way. (clue: fractured fibula)

So, yes. Jeremiah Weed could be for thirsty snowboarders with a sweet tooth.

PS. More people should play the harmonica.

PPS. Beef jerky is an awesome high protein snack that could help rebuild your tired snowboarding legs

"Sweet brew bro"

Want to know more? facebook.com/jeremiahweeduk

By Adam Bowcutt

7 ways to deal with not snowboarding

How to deal with not snowboarding

Injuries suck

Something has happened. For some reason you aren’t riding right now and you may not be riding for sometime. Somewhere in your mind there are plans to go somewhere but you don’t know how to make it happen. Cold sweats, nausea and loss of sense of humor follow. Its a pretty hateful state of being. Those of you smugly sitting out in the mountains reading this are welcome to jog on and go enjoy it. There are lots of reasons why we might be here: injury, illness, money, career, visas, responsibilities... For the last four winters I’ve done seasons out in the US and now due to events beyond my control I am at home in windy, rainy England, sucking a lemon. This being the “Holiday Season” has made not snowboarding very difficult. As well as missing the snow and the mountains I’m missing my winter family, PBR (substitute Mützig) and crab and fondue for Christmas.

So here I have compiled some hopefully helpful advice to those of you who may be in a similar situation. Feel free to take or leave any of it:

1. Don’t watch the videos

With every other ripper (and punter) having a Go Pro there are an almost endless supply of short edits out there. Don’t watch them! Its so easy to get yourself worked up into a seething heap of jealous angst by seeing some crew tearing up the park/pow at your favorite mountain. What you don’t know won’t hurt you. You’ll get amped only to look out the window and realize you won’t be able to channel that energy into having fun on your snowboard. Thoughts of where that pent up energy and frustration might go while watching said videos lead me down a disturbing path. Snow porn isn’t actual porn!

If you must watch videos watch the superpros in highly polished videos. Or the X games. They’re doing things which are insane in amazing locations but you won’t feel the need to emulate as much as watching someone do a super fun park run.

2. Don’t check the snow report

You need to get into the habit of not caring if it snows or not where your friends are. Its great for them but it will drive you up the wall. If it dumps six feet (two meters) then you will feel just as bad as if you were there but had to work in a room with one tiny window and could only listen to the yelps of joy floating in from outside. If there is no snow then you will become a smug dick while you lie through grinning teeth, handing out your false sympathy. You are far better off checking something that could make a difference to your life. The lottery numbers for example.

3. You cannot avoid Facebook

Well you can, but what I mean is that if you use it then you will be forced to see what a great time everyone else is having. There is no simple way around this one although I’m sure someone will tell me that I can change my settings and put the blinkers on. The only way to deal with it is to push through with jaw firmly locked into a grimace and *bleep* over the bits you don’t want to see.

4. Do the family thing

Its not often that you’re at home for the holidays so enjoy doing all those trad things you’d forgotten about. See your relatives at Christmas. Eat brussle sprouts and Christmas pud. Enjoy the drunk uncle and talk to your grandparents. Go to the pub with your mates from school who aren’t normally around and drink Yorkshire Tea.

5. Go to a dome

This one is harder if you are injured but otherwise it is well worth it. You don’t even have to go on a freestyle night. An hour on a recreational day when you haven’t ridden for six months feels AMAZING! If you don’t have any money then see if you can convince someone who calls it ‘boarding’ to take you, perhaps in exchange for a lesson? It just gives you the chance to feel the board under your feet, butter about a bit and feel the wind in your face. Like methadone (apparently).

After the dome you will almost certainly let your half formed mushy plans to get somewhere at some point in the winter form into a shiny, snow covered glitter ball of wondrousness. At this point I would stress that I do not recommend getting into debt to finance your trip. If you have rainy day money then this is your rainy day.

6. Don’t Get Hurt!

You have booked your trip! Whether its a weekend in Andorra or bumming the rest of the season do not get overexcited and do yourself damage! I am a clumsy fool and sprained ankles seem to pop up from everywhere. Wrap yourself in cotton wool, lock up your skateboard, don’t punch any bouncers. Try to limit your movements to between your bed and your exercise bike (well, you need to stay in shape right?)

7. Watch the Videos

You’re going Snowboarding! Get amped! Take point 1. and flip-reverse it! Watch all the videos you have stockpiled in your bookmarks! Re-watch them paying special attention to how you can do that trick better and how you are going to spray all those people with snow and destroy the mountain!

Get back in the game...

By Kenji Lim

Austen Sweetin BSA Interview: 'Just Be You'

"It's hard to pick just one, it's a tie between switch back lip's, front 3's, or back 180 methods"(Austen Sweetin)

Austin Sweetin is probably the most stoked young rider you'll meet. His energetic enthusiasm shines through in his riding. He has this natural ability to stomp everything with style, and at the same time, always with a huge beaming smile.

This is a rider to watch out for.

BSA has a quick Q & A session with Austin Sweetin. Here are his answers:


Hometown?

Seattle, WA


Use 3 words to describe what snowboarding means to you.


I love snowboarding!


What's it like riding & filming for Forum?


It's a dream come true, I always looked up to forum and the people riding for them growing up and now being apart of it is awesome. It's rad being able to spend the winter traveling and filming with a good group of friends instead of standing around at contests all winter.


Which riders do you respect most & why?


Austin Hironaka, because I grew up riding with him my whole life and it's awesome to see him out there hustlin all for the pure love of snowboarding. Peter Line because he has done so much for snowboarding in both the progression of it and business side of it by starting the brand I ride for now.


Who's the hottest female rider in your honest opinion?

That Ellery Hollingsworth shawty is pretty bangin


What are your plans this winter?


Travel with the forum homies and try to film another part, I'm gonna try to divide my time equally into streets, pow, and park to try and have a well rounded part.


What did you eat for lunch ?


Egg scramble with potatoes and sausage in it, along with a few cups of coffee, I ate my breaky at lunch today.


Trick you want to get dialed this year?


Cab 3's on natty backcountry hits along with big park jumps


Your best feeling trick, one you'd choose to do everyday if it had to be just one?


It's hard to pick just one, it's a tie between switch back lip's, front 3's, or back 180 methods


Slopestyle in the Olympics... What are your thoughts?


I think it's cool the Olympics are starting to support snowboarding in other aspects besides half pipe, but I also think its whack that the FIS is running that shit and making all the riders switch up there winters by not making TTR events eligible for qualification.


Any random words of Austen Sweetin wisdom?


Just be you
 

Interview by Adam Bowcutt

Shaun White, What are you thinking?

Source: fastcompany.com Photo: Martin Schoeller

Shaun White, What Are You Thinking?

I suppose the only place to really start on this is a little bit of Shaun White background. I’m sure you all know about it so I’ll leave the facts short and get onto the wild speculation as fast as I can. Shaun White can claim to be the greatest competition snowboarder of the modern age. Anyone who disagrees with this is wrong. His record speaks for itself and I don’t need to go into it. He is also the most marketable and commercially successful snowboarder/skateboarder/action sports athlete in the world. Yes he is. The proof? Forbes estimates that in 2008 he earned $9 million, almost all of it in endorsements. None of his competitors earned over $1 million. Since then he has won another Olympic gold medal and his commercial value continues to rise.



As a Snowboard Instructor in the US I’ve talked to plenty of kids about snowboarding. Often the conversation goes like this:


“So who is your favorite snowboarder?”
“Shaun White.”
“Cool. Why do you like him”
“I don’t know. Because he’s the best?”
“Sweet. Did you see him in the X Games?”
“No”
“Did you see him in the Olympics?”
“No”
“Have you ever seen him snowboard?”
“Only on my X Box.”


No Joke. This is what we mean when we say that an athlete has transcended their sport. People need have never even seen the sport but still know who the star is. Shaun White is on that level. That is why he makes me despair. The exposure that he brings is great for snowboarding but that interest does not extend further than brand White.

He thinks differently from other pros. Of course he isn’t going to share his private half pipe. He doesn’t want the competition to learn his new trick. He is pushing himself in splendid isolation, not the sport as a whole. I think that was pretty evident when he failed to qualify for the slopestyle final at the last X Games, he’d taken his eye off the competition. His is a focused and individualistic approach to what many see as a communal activity. From the articles I’ve read he appears to be a nice guy. He just has very different priorities from the majority of snowboard pros. He is a lone guy leading from the front, and I’m not going to hate on him for that.

Source: Transworld Business Target Advert

Which makes the TTR Beijing Air and Style a bit confusing and annoying. Here he is “presenting” an event for a tour which he does not even seem to support. He only seemed to be there to pose for photos with various suited guys. He is a bigger name than any of the sponsors, any of the other athletes and even snowboarding itself. His name attached to the event gets people around the world, who may know very little about snowboarding, to watch it. The fact that while this is going on his silence is undermining TTR’s position on Olympic qualifying, and therefore the importance of the tour itself. That annoys me.

He hasn’t said anything about the IOC telling TTR to sling their hook at all. When I can find a quote from Sebastien Toutant but not from Shaun White, Double Olympic Gold medal winner, something is wrong. Has nobody asked him? Surely someone has asked the face of action sports what he thinks about the whole dirty, stinking mess? There hasn’t been anything posted on the News section of his official website since July shaunwhite.com I read lots of articles about this subject too, even The Economist has written about it. They all come out in favor of TTR. Nobody (except the IOC) think that FIS should be running the qualification process, not even at least one of their own. So why so quiet? Well I actually don’t think that it has anything to do with sponsors or big business telling him to keep his mouth shut. I think that if he cared he would speak up. My conclusion is that he doesn’t care. As one of the few guys who do both halfpipe and slopestyle he has been through the whole process before and has toed the line. Why should it be any different this time? He changed his schedule to fit in with the Olympic qualifying season and so it would be pretty hypocritical of him to object to the whole process now.



He is not the snowboarder’s snowboarder. He is the kid’s snowboarder, the granny’s snowboarder, the CEO’s snowboarder and the marketing manager’s snowboarder. He gives the world everything they want in an athlete in a neat little package. He doesn’t care who runs the competition, just that he wins it.

Written by Kenji Lim
(Guest blogger)

Source: wired.com

More mainstream press articles on Shaun White: fastcompany.com


More on Olympic Snowboarding Slopestyle: 
Whitelines
bnqt.com
http://whitelines.mpora
snowboardermag.com
onboard.mpora.com
&
transworld.net
snowboardersunite.com

Does snowboarding make you happy? The Zen snowboarder

Does snowboarding make you happy? The Zen snowboarder

The answer appears obvious. However, let's go deeper.  I'll use a theme of Zen snowboarding to do this. Ok, before you think here we go, just another hippy shredder getting all spiritual. Let's just open our minds, and think objectively for a moment.


You are a snowboarder  That's why you're here. Right? When you strap on your snowboard and just ride, it's fun. No doubt about it. Now add the idea of Zen to the mix and what's created is an awareness of snowboarding.


Zen is about being in the moment.  The word literally translates to 'meditation'.   So what's meditation got to do with snowboarding? Well, an example is this.


You're about to drop-in to a jump. It's bigger than you're comfortable with. Your heart races, as does your mind. What if you don't hit it with enough speed and bounce off the knuckle? What if you hit it with too much speed, over-shoot and explode on impact. Just thinking of the 'what ifs' and the consequences affects you.


Intentionally or not  It's precisely at this moment that you become a Zen snowboarder. There is no past or future, you are in the moment. You're meditating because you are purely focused on perfectly conquering that jump.


You're in the air. Boom! How did that happen.  Bliss!  You've landed. Now, you are euphoric. You've internalized all these feelings in that one beautiful moment. This is snowboarding at its best. Only now you're ready to share your happiness with your shred friends. High-fives and smiles. You're part of a community of snowboarders collectively spreading the joy. Yessss!


Let's explore an alternative situation. You are sat at your desk within a four-walled office. You're trying to hide the fact you're chatting away on Facebook to numb this monotonous existence. All you can think about is snowboarding. It hurts. You're in pain and unhappy. It's as if you're trapped with no means of escape.  Mr 9 to 5 firmly has you in his claws. Nooooo!!!


Just an idea.  Perhaps become zen and escape, although metaphorically, just for a moment. In other words it's focused shred-dreaming.  You're free, but just for that moment.  Enjoy it before your boss catches you!


Or, you can go snowboarding and do it literally, for real. The choice is yours.


So there you have it. Snowboarding does, albeit with a Zen spin, make you happy. It's your choice how you make that moment happen.  

Written by Adam Bowcutt

Do you ride regular or goofy? Origin of goofy footed

Where did the term goofy come from?
orward before the 1950′s"

This is a clip from Hawaiian Holiday by Disney circa 1937

Check out 43 seconds in...
...Goofy riding, well.. Goofy footed.

Maybe this shreds some light on the origin of goofy footed.  Perhaps more riders rode regular-footed (natural) and the remaining right-foot forward surfers were nicknamed goofy.  This term progressed to skateboarding, then snowboarding.

Thank you Goofy, You're a good character!

PS. Eero Ettala rides goofy and he can tweak a pretty mean method.

/// We are addicted

BSA selected as one of world's best snowboarding websites

Relentless Energy Drink pick the 8 best snowboarding blogs and websites in the world...

Article HERE:

This slick portal was started by a passionate snowboarder and instructor, Adam Bowcutt, when he picked up an injury while snowboarding. All he could think and dream about was snowboarding, so instead of wallowing in his situation, he channelled his frustration and passion into something more constructive. The idea was for a ‘rehab clinic’ for addicted snowboarders like Adam.

What makes you stand out from other snowboard blogs?

Our blog stands out because it's pure snowboarding from the heart and soul of this passionate lifestyle and action sport. We’re not affiliated with any large corporation. We keep the true spirit of snowboarding alive.

Where is your favourite place to snowboard?

My favourite place to shred is The Remarkables, Queenstown, New Zealand. You can go for fun park laps on your own. After the first fun lap you'll always find a friend to ride with. Smiles and progression happens here daily. Love it.

Why should we come to you?

You should come to us because we are addicted. You'll find random shred-related media shared socially.

Which snowboarders should we look out for?

The rider you should look out for is Keegan Valaika. He's already 'making it' in snowboarding. However, there's more to come from this freestyler.

Article Link HERE:

BSA welcomes James Burgie to the team

James Burgie joins fellow rider & Ontario local Adam Carmichael to the BSA family. Watch out! random carnage coming soon...

Peace,

/// We are addicted.

Time of the Triple?

It was preying on my mind. I’m sure it was preying on your mind too. Ever since the clip released in July 2010 of Torstein Horgmo’s “Triple Cork”, I was thinking: Is this going to blow the doors off again? Is flip-to-win the new spin-to-win? Has it been pushed too far? I’ll confess, (sorry Torstein) I thought it was pretty ugly. Very clean but a bit wrong. I’m not going to go into the semantics of what a corked spin is yet but it looked very flippy to me. But he had his feet above his head three times before he landed and rode away, and apparently this had never been done before, so massive props to Torstein.

The footage screamed out across webland and sent reverb throughout the snowboard world. Competitive Snowboarders are a .... well... competitive bunch of guys and you do not want to be left playing on the old pitch when someone has picked up the goalposts and moved to another part of the park (just ask Chas Guldemond). The Race was on for all the other big air contenders to get after the triple too. The timing of the Torstein Triple release was interesting. Traditionally (and you guys can correct me if I’m wrong) these monster tricks get laid down in the spring because thats when resorts and sponsors can put down sufficient resources to build the massive jumps required for riders to practice and nail them for their video parts. In the winter months the comp schedule means there isn’t very much time to push these kind of tricks out of the ideas box and into the toolbox. Seeing this footage in July meant that nobody was going to have time to practice it before the X-Games...

Ahhhh the X-Games. It was made for this type of thing. A massive TV audience witnessing something that had never been done before. It was amazing to watch. Torstein knew that the only way he was going to win the big air was to land his Trip Cork. Seb Toots had his doubles on Lockdown. Stylee and scarily consistent. Torstein kept missing his triple. Why? The jump was really too small to be doing it on. At 75’ its not the kind of monster booter that riders are normally able to land this kind of crazyness on. The most interesting thing for me was seeing how he kept changing the rotations each attempt to try and get that third flip in. In the end, seeing him land it (hand down man down?) was amazing. I jumped off the couch. There was no way he couldn’t win with that. The ‘never seen in competition before’ goes a long way. Generally it takes another ‘never seen in competition before’ trick to beat it. And for the reasons above, that wasn’t going to happen. So he didn’t land it cleanly, and it wasn’t really a cork, it was a flip... I didn’t care. Did I? ....This is where I need to point out that a ‘cork’ is a ‘corked spin’ its not a flip. All it requires to be a cork is for you to be spinning and for your spin to be off axis, like when a spinning top starts to loop in big circles as its about to come down. Torstein wasn’t really spinning, he was flipping. Those last two flips had no other rotation... Coming back to the real world, no I didn’t care. The triple had entered competition and one thing was clear: If you were the only one to land it you were going to win. Over the course of the rest of the 2010/2011 season, several other videos came out with the young guns landing their triples. This includes (but not limited to) Sebastein Toutant and Mark Mc Morris. Other guys have landed them too and I read in one magazine how many riders now have them. I don’t remember either the magazine or how many other riders. But it was significant. The doors had indeed been blown off.

Onto my second question: Is flip-to-win the new spin-to-win? It pretty much already was. I alluded to it earlier about Chas Guldemond. He flat out said he wasn’t able to go upside down twice and although still competing he was having real trouble retaining his place at the top of the comp tree. He went away, worked hard and got his doubles. Late on at the end of the season he won an amazing and much deserved Gold at X Games Europe Slopestyle with the highest score ever posted in X Games Europe. Props. Essentially the Triple is the new Double. Soon you won’t be able to win unless you do one. But one thing may stand in the way of this: the course design.

Image copyright of WillBremridge | www.willbphoto.com

Torstein had a mighty struggle getting upside down three times on the X Games kicker. That was on real snow, at night (fast snow). Lots of the Big Air comps around the world are in city centers on scaffold jumps and I’d be very surprised if it were possible to get the air time on those. So competitions will have to build bigger jumps if they want to see triples go down at their event. Will they? Can they? Aren’t they building the biggest they can right now? I don’t know, I’m not an insider in this world but I’ve asked a man who is. He asked to remain anonymous but when asked if jumps would be changed to accommodate triples he said: “Yeah, steeper, poppier takeoffs. Maybe at first just the third jump in a triple line, but it's gonna happen. More than likely this season. (Its) just a matter of time. Guarantees McMorris, Toots and Torstein will throw it it a line if the jump is right. And considering they can ask for changes to the jumps, it'll happen.” There you have it. It doesn’t even sound that hard does it? And it opens up the slopestyle contests too. Maybe I’ve had it all wrong... but if anything it will reinforce the primacy of those able to nail the triples even more.

In the end, the question of whether we see competition jumps changing is one of economics. Will it make you more money if people land triples in your competitions? I’m going out on a limb here. If the comp isn’t on TV then there is no chance they’ll build jumps big enough to do triples. Because (and I do realize I’m generalizing) its the TV audience and not snowboarders who are driving this. Sure riders want to progress and we want to see the best guys in the world killing it but its those outside the bubble who want to be awed by the spectacle. They want to see things which have never been done because its a definitive measure of quality when they have no other way to measure quality. That’s why everyone knows who Shaun White is. He wins things: He MUST be the best. The Flip side of the comp circuit is for events which are about the riders. They are focused on having fun and being inventive. Recently I was really stoked on footage from the Dew Hut Jam on Mt Buller, Australia. Aussie riders getting rad, being inventive and killing it. Still progression but it just looked fun. The Burton Stash Gathering is also almost universally loved. These are lower profile events where entrants and core riders get really excited. Its because we can see the complexities of the tricks in more subtle tones than “a triple is better than a double.” You see really sick stuff going on and riders feel that they can throw down more risky tricks (especially on rails) because it will get some serious recognition from the crowd, fellow riders and the judges.

There is room for all. There has to be. One end of the scale needs the other. The rider’s comps need the TV comps to keep money flowing into snowboarding (all those gapers on the hill pay to keep your park open) and the TV comps need the rider’s comps to keep pulling through new talent and keep core riders involved.
So the final part of my initial musings: Has the triple cork pushed things too far? It’ll never be too far. You will never stop progression (it was stupidly suggested by Christine Brennan after Kevin Pearce’s terrible injury) and until the jumps get so big that the pros won’t hit them we will keep adding more and more rotations and corks/flips to the trick lists. Plenty of comps on the circuit will never build kickers big enough to throw down triples on. Some of these will be big flashy events and many will be rider led progression sessions aimed at the core. I have no doubt that big comps, on TV, will build kickers big enough to safely land real triples. Whether it happens this season or not, we shall find out soon enough.

Peace

Kenji