I would have been tweeting each and every flawlessly executed aerial as well as the wipeouts.

Kelly Clark and Shaun White both landed first place spots at the Copper leg of the Grand Prix Tour yesterday.  If you have been paying attention to the lead up and to the qualifiers, you must have known.

Unfortunately I don’t get paid to write, and am not sent around the world to document snowboarding events or expeditions, otherwise I would have been tweeting each and every flawlessly executed aerial as well as the wipeouts from the past three days.  That being said, I would love to be able to recount  what went down and what I thought of each rider’s runs for you, but I can’t cause I wasn’t there.  What will have to suffice are the scores and the following images of the top two women and men accompanied by related video footage.

2010 US Snowboarding Grand Prix Results
Copper Mountain, Colorado on Dec. 12, 2009

Men:

1. Shaun White, Carlsbad, CA, 47.00
2. Louie Vito, Sandy, UT, 45.60
3. Zack Black, Breckenridge, CO, 44.10
4. Fredrik Austbo, Norway, 41.20
5. JJ Thomas, Golden, CO, 41.10
6. Greg Bretz, Mammoth Lakes, CA, 40.00
7. Steve Fisher, Breckenridge, CO, 39.40
8. Tore-V Holvik, Norway, 34.80
9. Ryo Aono, Japan, 34.00
10. Jack Mitrani, Mammoth, CA, 28.80

Women:

1. Kelly Clark, Mt. Snow, VT, 44.50
2. Gretchen Bleiler, Aspen, CO, 42.60
3. Soko Yamaoka, Japan, 40.20
4. Quera Castellet, Spain, 30.50
5. Ellery Hollingsworth, Stratton, VT, 35.80
6. Madeline Schaffrick, Steamboat Springs, Co, 35.50
7. Holly Crawford, Australia, 24.00
8. Clair Bidez, Minturn, CO, 13.60

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Do you know any media or gear companies that are looking for a journalist to rock out columns or blogs for them?  If you do, I would hope that you urge them to hit me up!

Were you at Copper this weekend, my snowboarder amigo?

If you can throw down crazy with steez I’m on your side.

Like I had forewarned in my article about Project X, Shaun White is too far ahead of the rest of the pack.  Yesterday he took first place in the qualifiers at Copper in Colorado, and closest on his heels was Louie Vito also pulling off back to back doubles.

Turns out that you must blast “Tiny Dancer” by Elton John (Louie Vito) or “Mother” by Danzig (Shaun White) while throwing gnarly aerials in the pipe to be considered an Olympic candidate.

1st Shaun White:

Men’s Grand Prix Qualifiers:

1. Shaun White, Carlsbad, CA, 49.50
2. Louie Vito, Sandy, UT, 48.60
3. Greg Bretz, Mammoth Lakes, CA, 45.70
4. Danny Davis, Detroit, MI, 45.50
5. Dustin Craven, Canada, 44.50
6. Scotty Lago, Seabrook, NH, 44.30
7. Steve Fisher, Breckenridge, CO, 43.30
8. JJ Thomas, Golden, CO, 43.20
9. Jack Mitrani, Mammoth, CA, 43.10
10. Ryoh Aono, Japan, 42.90
11. Tore Holvik, Norway, 42.90
12. Elijah Teter, South Lake Tahoe, CA, 42.60
13. Charles Reid, Canada, 42.50
14. Nathan Johnstone, Australia, 42.40
15. Zack Black, Breckenridge, CO, 41.80
16. Fredrik Austbo, Norway, 41.40

If you want more info about the Grand Prix Tour and related events, check out Olympic Beginnings.

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We have to consider if this double corking around is truly progressive riding.  I haven’t decided if I’m one hundred percent about ‘em, but if you can throw down crazy with steez I’m on your side.

What do you think of these back to back doubles, my snowboarder amigo?

These three venues will progressively determine which riders truly have what it takes to rock the gold in Vancouver.

The beginning of the official trail to Olympic glory started yesterday with Gretchen Bleiler stealing first at the women’s qualifiers event, with their finals on Saturday.  50 ladies threw down in the pipe at Copper in Colorado, with two heats determining the final eight for Saturday’s event.

1st Gretchen Bleiler:

Women’s Grand Prix Qualifiers:

1. Gretchen Bleiler, 47.1
2. Kelly Clark, 45.7
3. Soko Yamaoka, 43.5
4. Maddy Schaffrick,  43.2
5. Quera Castellet, 43
6. Ellery Hollindsworth, 41.4
7. Holly Crawford, 41.1
8. Clair Bidez,  41.07 (everyone else has her listed at 41.70, but they’re wrong)

Dreams will be made and broken during the 2010 US Snowboarding Grand Prix as the tour makes three stops in its 14th season.  A total of five Olympic qualification competitions will take place at Copper Mountain in Colorado’s Summit County and Mammoth Mountain in the Mammoth Lakes region of California.  The tour will make its final stop at Park City Mountain Resort, the venue for the 2002 Olympics, to announce the 2010 Olympic halfpipe team.

The Grand Prix series will narrow down the competition for Olympic spots through its first two tour stops and solidify the 2010 team at the final event in Park City.  “Copper, Mammoth and Park City are all classic Grand Prix sites and will provide a most fitting stage on which to name the Olympic halfpipe team for 2010,” said Grand Prix Tour Director Eric Webster.  “Copper, Mammoth and Park City all have a proven track record in hosting world class snowboard events, which lends confidence to the riders and coaches in a season with so much on the line.”  Each with their own 22′ halfpipe, these three venues will progressively determine which riders truly have what it takes to rock the gold in Vancouver.

The competition will heat up as Olympic gold medalists Kelly Clark (Snow Mountain, VT), Hannah Teter (Belmont, VT), and Shaun White (Carlsbad, CA), along with fellow Olympic medalists Gretchen Bleiler (Aspen, CO), JJ Thomas (Golden, CO) and Danny Kass (Portland, OR) all look for another shot at Olympic glory.  Joining them in the hunt will be Grand Prix overall champions Steve Fisher (Breckenridge, CO) and Louie Vito (Sandy, UT) as well as Grand Prix podium performers Ellery Hollingsworth (Stratton, VT), Clair Bidez (Minturn, CO) Greg Bretz (Mammoth Lakes, CA) and Olympian Elena Hight (South Lake Tahoe, CA).

2010 US Snowboard Grand Prix Schedule:

1. Dec. 10-12, 2009, Copper Mountain
2. Jan. 6-10, 2010, Mammoth Mountain
3. Jan. 22-23, 2010, Park City Mountain (followed by the Vancouver Olympic Team Announcement)

Check out US Snowboarding for more information about the Grand Prix Tour and its venues.

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Which rider are you gunning for, my snowboarder amigo?

Board sports, for the most part, are about expressing individuality.

When contemplating what to wear on the mountain, most riders will attempt to conjure images in their mind’s eye that stray from apparel conventions and blow away what we know of snow-safe outer wear.  This is why, when the first outfitting of snowboarder Olympians took place in ‘98, Burton took the stance that our sport’s individualistic culture deems uniformity as contrarian.  Burton’s come around since ‘98, deciding that this is a prime opportunity to show the masses you can be truly unique while stylistically conform at the same time, or maybe this is still just another way Burton can rake in the dough and dominate the industry even further.

They are the provider of gear for the US Olympic Snowboard team, and recently unveiled their not-so-uniforms this past week.  This time around they have a fresh idea to take the red white and blue, transpose it into plaid outerwear, and then combine a complementary worn-jean pant look.  Not exactly a lame spandex suit, is it?  I don’t really think the team would be caught dead in those onesies anyways.

As with all product development, Burton purports that this Olympian garb has also been through rigid rider testing and input.  They even held a roundtable discussion with top pro-snowboarders and Olympic hopefuls Elena Hight, Mason Aguirre, Danny Davis, Kevin Pearce, Jack Mitrani, Luke Mitrani, Steve Fisher, Scotty Lago, and Louie Vito to review design concepts for the outerwear before arriving at the final creation.  The main issue was to harmoniously balance individualistic boarder style and team togetherness, and since last time around Burton’s outfits were baseball jersey reminiscent, this year the “sports team” concept has been ousted.

“Board sports, for the most part, are about expressing individuality — that’s what makes them cool,” said Greg Dacyshyn, the company’s creative director.  “So the whole uniform thing, you know, it’s a sensitive subject.”

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I’d def rock this outfit to work if I could.  Well, that’s if I had a job.  Plaid aligns with boarder taste and is back in mass style again, while the ripped and ravaged look is always fresh.  Good job Burton (or the underpaid/unpaid product design intern)!

What do you think of the US Olympic team’s new outfits, my snowboarder amigo?

I honestly felt sorry for the woman who was trying so hard to seem approachable inside of the concrete jungle known as the Bayside Expo Center.

Trade shows and expos are the brilliant monsters of business meet and greets.  Although some exhibitors go to parade products and services to their target market, these events are truthfully inspired by the need to get out from behind desks and potentially do a little networking with like-minded industry players.

For Boston’s 2009 Ski & Snowboard Expo, the majority of those presenting were ski resorts from around the USA, and the floorplan was set up so that the one’s from New Hampshire had their own particular enclave, those from Vermont also had their area to cluster in, and so on.  Let’s say that 70% were resorts, 20% were ski and snowboard product/service companies, and then the remaining 10% were what I deem to be randoms.

I can see how Sojourn bicycle adventures aligns with the outdoors enthusiast characteristic found in those of us who partake in snowsports, and how Stonyfield Farm’s organic yogurt may align with the granola side inherent in us as well, but McDonald’s?  Are you guys at BEWI, the production company that put on this expo, implying that the typical rider is a pothead who resorts to fast food because he doesn’t have funds (or patience) to understand the delight found in savoring Alaskan King Crab Legs a la Royal?  Wrong.  Anyways, they weren’t sampling munchies, simply their “new” McCafe segmentation.  But for real, the most random company there, which I actually did an “are you serious?” double-take when they offered me a free window consultation, was A&A Services – Home Improvement.  Mad props for showing up to a completely irrelevant trade show, but I honestly felt sorry for the woman who was trying so hard to seem approachable inside of the concrete jungle known as the Bayside Expo Center.

There was even a Ski Market inside of the convention.  And no, I don’t mean another building within a building.  On one end of the trade show, fenced off from the rest of the snowsport industry hustlers and thugs, was a fully functional store with fitting room stalls and all.  The underbelly of Boston’s Ski Market, Underground Snowboard, provided the snowboard community with our own back room to shop in.  It was minimally illuminated with dingy lighting, either to infuse a cool lounge atmosphere or to trick buyers into thinking $700 was actually $100.  Everything you’d ever find in the brick and mortar version of a ski shop was on display, but the discounts were better than your grandma can get at Macy’s with her purse full of coupons and promo vouchers.  I wanted thick socks and low profile gloves, but by the time I was free to meander over to the shop on the second day, all I had to peruse were the leftovers of bargain hunting vultures.  No socks left for me.

I was there with SnowRiders, a badass band of brothers, three to be exact, who have come together to start an epic company providing the snowsport community with gnarly trips and events.  They are getting ready for an interwebs-site relaunch (hopefully real soon) to replace the existing one with tremendous user interactivity and functionality.  It’ll be bomb we promise.  Our boys over at Bean Snowboards were also holding down the fort. This is Scott geekin it:

Aerialists Trace Worthington and Kris Feddersen put on an indoor aerial display that’s always a crowd pleaser.  Or so the press release says, but that seems to insinuate that Worthington and Feddersen were executing those aerials.  What I saw was a group of young bucks performing phenomenal maneuvers on the trampoline setup, while Mr. Feddersen provided his voice through a mic.  He MC’d and the emerging Flying Ace All Stars were the dancing bears.  Please don’t get me wrong, they were most definitely super duper spectacular all stars.

Sunday River had quite an expansive area to attack and overwhelm their potential clients.  They had a wheel of wondrous fortune, one of their gondolas to sit in and hot box, and some We Ski for Wii action.  I’ve always been amused by the use of the Wii console when energizing a company’s community, and here’s why:

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Trade shows are a blast if you know how to rock them.  Do a couple of laps around the venue, because you’re bound to have missed something.  Approach strangers to strike up conversation, because you’re clearly attending for similar reasons.  Get deals or retain information.  Either way you’ve gained valuables.

Would you be a trampoline all-star, my snowboarder amigo?

A collaborative art project in honor of Jeff Anderson.  One photographer is paired with one artist to create an original piece.

Jeff Anderson was a professional snowboarder for ten of the twenty-three years that he lived his amazing life.  In that time he touched thousands of lives around the world in both the snowboard and skate communities.

Jeff Anderson Dies in Japan

Jake Burton Remembers Jeff Anderson

Interview with Jeff Anderson

Joel Muzzey: “Jeff Anderson is snowboarding.  True Mammoth local.  First-generation grom.  Child of the 80s.  Student of Life.  Malcontent.  Handrail destroyer.  Artist.  Aerialist.  Younger brother.  Devoted friend.”

In honor of what would be Jeff’s 30th birthday this November, and to raise money for the JLA Memorial Fund, a group of world-renowned photographers and artists, friends of Jeff and of snowboarding have come together to create an unparalleled body of work titled:

One photographer is paired with one artist to create an original 30” x 40” piece.  A photo of Jeff, shot by the photographer, has been enlarged onto archival canvas upon which the artist paints or uses any medium to create a unique collaborative work.  The resulting pieces are one of a kind, the partnerships formed in this project a tribute to the depth of the snowboarding, skateboarding and art communities.

All proceeds from I AM SNOWBOARDING go directly to the JLA Memorial Fund – the completion of the Brothers Skateboard Park in Mammoth and the support of local art.

The collection will be released for the first time in The Village at Mammoth, Mammoth Lakes, CA on November 14th, 2009 and will be open to the public for two weeks through November 29th.  Opening Reception Saturday, November 14th from six to nine in the evening during Mammoth Mountain’s Big Kickoff Weekend.

Limited edition prints will be available online through Asymbol Gallery – Travis Rice and Mike Parillo’s new endeavor that showcases the art and photography that have defined their lifestyle for the past decade.  Asymbol is set to launch this November.  Originals will be auctioned at the end of the season.  Details TBA.

Please visit www.iamJLA.org for more info.

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If you live in the Mammoth area then I urge you to visit The Village.  If not to support the JLA Memorial Fund and it’s meaningful endeavors, then go to experience the beautiful unity of snowboard culture and different artistic mediums.

What about Jeff Anderson’s legacy, my snowboarder amigo?