Snowboarding Video

History of Snowboarding

So the season is over for the most part, so I figured I'd brush up on my history, and spread a little knowledge your way. Snowboarding got its origins from a mix of a few things surfing, skiing, and skateboarding. East Coast surfers had no where to surf in the winter and wanted to go against the curve of the skiers. Jake Burton created the first modern day snowboard, and the funny thing is it could only be used in the back country. Even still today snowbaording is not allowed on some mountains, or some parts of mountains. But heres a video that will show you a more in-depth look.

Loon Mountain Street Cred Contest

The staff put together a course filled with obstacles such as wall rides  handicap rails, a chain-link pole jam, and even a 20-foot down bar with ten small knobs on it.

Results:

Men:
1st – Jeff Deforge
2nd – Devin Therrien
3rd – Dennis Filteau

Women:
1st – Maggie Leon
2nd – Lilly Calabrese
3rd – Gina Perelli

Winter Snow Summer Sand

Though there are still some mountains open around in the east coast and out west, but the little snow that they have is melting off and snowboarding is about to fade with the season. But riding doesn't end with the snow being gone. Obviously theres the options of long boarding, skateboarding, or surfing that you can get that feel of riding, but just in a different atmosphere. But if you want to try something else that will hold more true to riding on a mountain, seek out some sand dunes... Wait what?  Yea I said it kid sand dunes. Sand boarding is starting to grow in popularity especially in areas that have these massive sand dunes that are great to just take your snowboard, hike up and ride down, just as if you were on a mountain, but wearing shorts and teeshirt. This also gives those of you who aren't a fan of the winter cold to get on a board and try it out. To find a spot to go the easiest thing to do is search it in google. The northeast doesn't have many of these dunes, but Colorado and California, along with North Carolina but if you have the time and the cash there are amazing spots in Australia, South America, and the dunes of Sahara Desert. Heres a video, check it out and hopefully you'll have a chance to try it out.

Still Can Ride

Though the summer is right around the corner if your willing to put some work in or take a trip there are certain places you can find some places to ride...Well more Jib, which is slang term for going tricks using objects and in places you wouldn't normally board. If you look back in the blog you can see a jib session me and my roommates made after storm Nemo pummeled us with snow. One thing you can usually find at certain mountains is promotional events from snowboard suppliers such as Burton, or Anon. This one is at bear mountain in New York held by Ashbury, an eyewear company.

Warm Weather

The warm weather is coming into Connecticut closing many mountains to go snowboarding on.  Its time to go on vacation to find some snowboarding resorts with snow.  Look to travel to Colorado and Utah or you can travel overseas to Europe where there are plenty of places to still go snowboard.

X-Games Tignes, France results

There was some epic tricks pulled off and close competition at X-Games in Tignes, France over the weekend of the march 20th. Louri Podladtchikov landed the first cab double cork 1440 in competition. For those who don't know the terms cab means a switch front side spin, cork is a side flip and 1440 is four full rotations. He did this in the superpipe which is even more impressive. Louri Calls this the YOLO flip. Heres a video.

Here is the medal placements for both the mens and women's super pipe from X-games Tignes. The second of six events in the new set up of the X-games which you can read about in my previous blog. 

MEN

1	Louie Vito	R74.00	R53.33	R92.66	92.66
2	Arthur Longo	R92.00	R20.00	R22.00	92.00
3	Taku Hiraoka	R33.33	R78.00	R86.00	86.00

WOMEN

1	Kelly Clark	R87.66	R4.33	R23.00	87.66
2	Elena Hight	R61.66	R29.33	R85.00	85.00
3	Arielle Gold	R76.00	R83.00	R79.00	83.00

Nike Snowboarding?

Nike has a small snowboarding line out, only consisting of a small line of boots, and clothing. But they are looking to make a new name for themselves in the snowboarding world by hosting a unique snowboarding competition. The competion is a mix of slalom style and slope style events. for those of you who dont know what they are slolaum style is when the racer gets down the mountain by weaveing in between sloalums as fast as possible. Sloapstyle is more tecqniquly advanced, involving rails, jumps and different obsticles for doing tricks off of. This Nike competition called Snakes and Hammers involves both those styles of runs. The competitors will get to the bottom of the run as fast as possible and the better the tricks they pull the more time they will get deducted off their time. there is five events in Chantel, France won by Enzo Nilo. The next race was march 16th in Mountain High Colorado, the next race is in Montafon, Austria, followed by Mount Hood Meadows, Oregon, USA. And the finale is in Mounmouth Mountain, California. Should be interesting to see what happens heres a video from the first event. 

Where to still snowboard on the east coast

With the spring rapidly approaching there snow is melting and mountains to ski on the east coast are closing somewhat soon. but theres is places for those who still have the fire to go and snowboard.
Here are some links to those sites. These two would be my recommendations for east coast skiing.

http://www.killington.com/winter/index.html

http://brettonwoods.com/

    

Or if you want to get after the best skiing you can get on the east coast, granted it will come with a sacrifice, you can ski Tuckermans ravine, the bowl of Mnt Washington. You have to hick up but the ride down is worth it. 

2012 Oakley Shred Shop Challenge

This is a recap from last years 2012 Oakley Shred Shop Challenge.

Tignes France X-Games

A new face has been given to the X-Games this year with multiple events throughout the year. Next week in Tignes, France the second event of the year will kick off. Giving a different and harder test to those athletes who are trying to make a name for themselves or those like shaun white looking to extend their legacy and create an even bigger legend surrounding them. Heres a list of those competing in the snowboarding events.

Snowboard Men's SuperPipe
Athlete Name	Country
Shaun White	USA
Iouri Podladtchikov	SUI
Ryo Aono	JPN
Louie Vito	USA
Matt Ladley	USA
Christian Haller	SUI
Danny Davis	USA
Benji Farrow	USA
Nathan Johnstone	AUS
Taku Hiraoka	JPN
Scotty Lago	USA
Ayumi Hirano	JPN
Markus Malin	FIN
Greg Bretz	USA
Luke Mitrani	USA
Kazu Kokubo	JPN

Snowboard Women's SuperPipe
Athlete Name	Country
Kelly Clark	USA
Elena Hight	USA
Gretchen Bleiler	USA
Queralt Castellat	ESP
Kaitlyn Farrington	USA
Torah Bright	AUS
Arielle Gold	USA
Ellery Hollingsworth	AUS

Snowboard Men's Slopestyle
Athlete Name	Country
Mark McMorris	CAN
Sage Kotsenburg	USA
Sebastien Toutant	CAN
Chas Guldemond	USA
Aleksander Ostreng	NOR
Eric Willett	USA
Seppe Smits	BEL
Roope Tonteri	FIN
Ulrik Badertscher	NOR
Torstein Horgmo	NOR
Shaun White	USA
Stale Sandbech	NOR
Max Parrot	CAN
Yuki Kadano	JPN
Peetu Piiroinen	FIN
Gjermund Braaten	NOR

Snowboard Women's Slopestyle
Athlete Name	Country
Jamie Anderson	USA
Enni Rukajarvi	FIN
Kjersti Oestgaard Buaas	NOR
Spencer O'brien	CAN
Sina Candrian	SUI
Sarka Pancochova	CZE
Aimee Fuller	IRL
Silje Norendal	NOR

Here is a recap of the last event to get you pumped and ready for the week to come