KNUT ELIASSENMIKEY LEBLANC

CHRIS GRENiER

PHOTO: IAN MATTESON

10 - OPENING ACT16 - Burritos & SNOW: BALANCE18 - CALE’S CORNER: CAMPITA20 - (SLC) HISTORY 101: MUELLER PARK RAIL22-25 - CHARACTERS WELCOME: KNUT ELIAsSEN28-30 - ORIGINS: MIKEY & HOLDEN32 - HI THERE: MADISON BLACKLEY34 - HI THERE: DAVID FAIRCLOTH36 - HI THERE: MIA LAMBSON

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

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PHIL JACQUESON THE HORROSCOPE

PH

OTO

: OLI G

AG

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WE DEVOUR EVERYTHING

O P E N I N G A C T

If you live in Salt Lake a pow pilgrimage up north to Powder Mountain should be mandatory during the shred season. A perfect place to take a break from the crowds and powder panic. At Powder Mountain you can really slow things down and enjoy some quality shredding. I met up with the bearded brothers Wyatt & Cory Stasinos and Nick Russell for a full blown pow extravaganza. For three days we posted up in the parking lot, got first chair each morning, multiple cat rides, road laps down Powder Country and continued to shred well into the night under the lights of the Sundown lift. If hit right, this place will blow your mind. Wyatt Stasinos plowing his way through Powder Mountain’s Paradise.

PHOTO AND WORDS BY ANDREW MILLER

wyatt stasinos

powder mountainat

O P E N I N G A C T

If you live in Salt Lake a pow pilgrimage up north to Powder Mountain should be mandatory during the shred season. A perfect place to take a break from the crowds and powder panic. At Powder Mountain you can really slow things down and enjoy some quality shredding. I met up with the bearded brothers Wyatt & Cory Stasinos and Nick Russell for a full blown pow extravaganza. For three days we posted up in the parking lot, got first chair each morning, multiple cat rides, road laps down Powder Country and continued to shred well into the night under the lights of the Sundown lift. If hit right, this place will blow your mind. Wyatt Stasinos plowing his way through Powder Mountain’s Paradise.

PHOTO AND WORDS BY ANDREW MILLER

wyatt stasinos

powder mountainat

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B U R R I T O S & S N O W

B A L A N C ENo matter where you are, park laps or power day, you know snowboarding is all about finding that perfect balance. Too much pressure one way or the other and you find yourself going over your nose or tail. However those times when you get it perfect and are able to “lock it in” everything feels just right. It’s a simple example of how snowboarding can be a greater metaphor for life in general, and one we are all constantly trying to get right. Here at the magazine we do the same thing. We sometimes see other small publications on high gloss paper with 160 pages and we think “man we’d really like to look like that”. On the other hand at the same time we try to keep it pretty “core” whatever that means. Well actually I will tell you what that means for us. It means turning down a lot of offers from companies we’d rather not deal with. Some are huge corporations who want in on the snowboard demographic and some are local places that really don’t have anything to do with snowboarding. You can see where the high quality paper comes from when you look at some other regional mags and see soda pop and real estate advertisements. We feel we owe you more than that and we feel we definitely owe snowboarding more than that. There is a reason these things we do like snowboarding and skateboarding are labeled “lifestyle sports” by those big advertising companies on Madison Avenue. They know for you and I this is more than just turns on a mountain or lines at the skate park. One look at Instagram right now and you can see a whole host of pictures from the biggest pros to the smallest groms all falling under the “it’s almost time to shred” category. We live this shit and they know that so they want in on the action. The compa-nies and organizations you see in this magazine are companies we support because we feel they are what is right about snowboarding. Some you may agree with some you may not, but from our perspec-tive it is a collection of not only great products but also some amazing people behind them. That for us is the balance. We may not be going to Heli trips in Alaska but at the same time we can sleep at night. We may not be getting rich, but we also aren’t selling you or snowboarding out so that “they” can get rich either. Enjoy the issue and keep searching for your own balance.

WORDS BY DANIEL COCHRANEPHOTO BY ANDREW MILLER

R I D E T H E

W E S T M A R KF E A T U R I N G

Untitled-1 1 8/30/13 10:12 AM

R I D E T H E

W E S T M A R KF E A T U R I N G

Untitled-1 1 8/30/13 10:12 AM

Summertime is almost everyone’s favorite time off year. Whether you are into swimming, playing soccer or just relaxing with a cold beer, warm weather is always nice. For me summertime consists of skating, BBQ’s with my friends and my favorite thing,...CAMPITA!

Campita is a weeklong event that most of the Capita riders and myself get to go to every summer. We all get together and go camping in our own little secret spot at one of the lakes surrounding Mt.Hood. Campita consists of two major things. Snowboarding and camping, both of which just happen to be my favorite things in the world! We are fortunate enough to get to ride the park at High Cascade Snowboard Camp. HCSC is the Mecca of summer snowboarding for kids and adults that come from all over the country to get their summer shred on. Off the hill is just as fun. HCSC lets us participate in a lot of the camp events such as dodge ball and skating the bowls and street course. When we aren’t trying to kill kids with dodge balls or skating it, is still a great time hanging in Government Camp, which is the small town where the HCSC headquarters are. Government Camp is also home to a couple of my favorite food carts. If you ever stop by there be sure to hit up Cobra Dogs and Volcano Cones! Cobra Dogs is the best hot dog stand to ever exist, especially with the owner Cory, and sweet employees such as Wizard and Matty Mo in the mix! Cobra dogs will not disappoint. After getting your fill of dogs, cruise down the street for some dessert at Volcano Cones. Great ice cream and great people like Sally and Desiree!

After all of our HCSC day hang times are over we retreat back to our secluded camp zone in the deep woods. Now it is time to gather an incredi-ble amount of firewood to prepare for the long night of food and drinking beers around the fire. This is my favorite part of Campita. There is nothing

C A L E ’ S C O R N E R

like being lost in the woods with your friends, throwing hatchets into trees, and sharing stories with your good homies while drinking around a blazing inferno. The most memorable thing that happen during this summers Campita was the dirt bikes that were brought to the camp spot thanks to Jared Johnson. This was fun for everyone! We got to rip down the dirt roads for three to four hours, even Spencer Shoeburt who has never ridden a dirt bike before, got in the mix! Brenden Gerard had a Jug of wine and was doing donuts and catching some air as well. Kyle Fisher seemed to have the most fun on the dirt bikes! He finished off his dirt bike experience with what I like to refer to as the Beer Alley. Which basically means he cruised through a line of about 30 dudes and as he rode by all of us we spit beer on him! It was a blast for us but he got a bit destroyed! Even the guys who didn’t ride the bikes had fun because someone brought roman candles to launch off while this madness was going on. To finish off the dirt bike rally Jared decided he wanted to jump over the fire on his bike! This was incredible! We all gathered around the fire and cheered him on as he flew over the massive fire. He must have really enjoyed it because instead of doing it just once he did it five or six times! I was so happy to get to witness this!

All in all I am very thankful that I get to attend and participate in this event know as Campita. After dissecting the whole experience it basically boils down to one word, FUN! I would like to thank Tedore and Blue for having Campita every year and making it so fun for all of us, we are truly lucky!

WORDS BY CALE ZIMA - PHOTO BY JOEL FRASER

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M U E L L E R P A R K R A I L( S L C ) H I S T O R Y 1 0 1

WORDS & PHOTOS BY ROB MATHIS

JEREMY JONES - FRONTBOARD

Simply put, Mueller park was the best. It's how every year began, and it's a place I always looked forward to going.

If you didn't know where you were heading, it would be a tough rail to find. It was tucked up a jogging trail/ picnic area that was shut down for the winter in the Bountiful area. The walkway was chained off, so it made for a great little hidden rail. Just like any other spot the word got out about Mueller, but even with the added traffic it was still like having your own private rail. The natural run in and the lower height of the rail led to a perfect spot to dial in an old trick or work on something new. I'm pretty sure I could fill a book with all the photos I shot at Mueller park over the years. As great as the spot was for the crew to get their tricks dialed, it was a place for me to try new films (this was long before digital camer-as), angles or flash techniques. Mueller was the go to spot when you wanted to get that new trick. I remember a session that happened that would never happen in this day and age. JP called me up and wanted to get a frontside 270 on the rail. My response, obviously, was a hell yes let's do this! The funny thing, that never really happens these days is it was just me and JP. There was no other rider there to warm up with, and there wasn't a filmer! I had worked with JP long enough to know that if he was feeling the trick, it was going down. We met up and did the walk up to the rail. I walked to my favorite spot for sequences and set the video camera up so we could get both photo and video. Sure enough a few tries later and he had a perfect frontside 270 and I had a sequence and video clip which ended up as his 2nd clip in his Resistance part. Such good memories from this spot with the host of regulars JP Walker, Jeremy Jones, Mitch Nelson, Mikey Leblanc, Nate Bozung, Brandon Bybee, Jason Murphy and a host of others. It was an end of an era when the rail got taken out of commission by a falling tree. Even to this day once October rolls around and the first snow starts flying I think about those all day long sessions at the infamous Mueller park rail. It's long gone, but will never be forgotten!

C H A R A C T E R S

K N U T E L I A S S E NAs I approached people to talk about Nitro’s Knut Eliassen almost everyone had a story that started with “this is the funniest thing I’ve ever seen…” or “you won’t believe this…” and if you know Knut you probably have a similar story. Also if you know Knut and do have a similar story it will also probably be unprintable like some of the other antics I heard as I was asking around. Knut is funny, very funny, a class clown type of guy, and if you have seen his footage from Variety Pack’s Not Bad (this part is one of my all-time favorite parts), Actionhorse’s Pony Tail, or Videograss’s Retrospect you’ve definitely seen that persona shine so you know what I am referring to. If you are lucky enough to know Knut Eliassen you probably would not, and I mean this with all due respect, use the word professional when you first describe him. That’s not because he is in any way UNprofessional, but ask anyone to describe Knut and they will tell you about his sense of humor, his quick wit, and of course his complete devotion to snowboarding. It is after you get to know him that you realize that this easy-going guy with the big smile and mouth to match definitely has his business/professional persona as well, and it is just as sharp as his sense of humor.

Knut has a lot on his plate as team manager, marketing guru, and email monkey at Salt Lake’s Foundry Distribution home to the North American wing of Nitro snowboards and L1 outerwear. Still when you ask Knut about his position at Nitro even he himself doesn’t even give the nod to his profes-sionalism and hard work. Despite his involvement with the Nitro family as a rider for nearly a decade Knut attributes his current job more to right place/right time and a bit of luck. “I was with Nitro and the position of team manager came up. Having a long history with the owners, a degree, as well as industry support I guess they just trusted me” he says. It was a big step for Knut who had graduated college in Norway with a finance degree and was perfectly happy to get a “normal” job. “I moved to Salt Lake after graduating college and had connections with this investment firm out here. I thought OK I will start working in finance and still be able to snowboard on the weekends or whatever”. It goes without saying however that Team Manager at Nitro was the better option. “I was lucky as shit to be able to do this from just being some dude in snowboarding. This is obviously a hundred times better than that other life.”

WORDS BY DANIEL COCHRANEPHOTOS BY STEVEN STONE

C H A R A C T E R S

K N U T E L I A S S E NAs I approached people to talk about Nitro’s Knut Eliassen almost everyone had a story that started with “this is the funniest thing I’ve ever seen…” or “you won’t believe this…” and if you know Knut you probably have a similar story. Also if you know Knut and do have a similar story it will also probably be unprintable like some of the other antics I heard as I was asking around. Knut is funny, very funny, a class clown type of guy, and if you have seen his footage from Variety Pack’s Not Bad (this part is one of my all-time favorite parts), Actionhorse’s Pony Tail, or Videograss’s Retrospect you’ve definitely seen that persona shine so you know what I am referring to. If you are lucky enough to know Knut Eliassen you probably would not, and I mean this with all due respect, use the word professional when you first describe him. That’s not because he is in any way UNprofessional, but ask anyone to describe Knut and they will tell you about his sense of humor, his quick wit, and of course his complete devotion to snowboarding. It is after you get to know him that you realize that this easy-going guy with the big smile and mouth to match definitely has his business/professional persona as well, and it is just as sharp as his sense of humor.

Knut has a lot on his plate as team manager, marketing guru, and email monkey at Salt Lake’s Foundry Distribution home to the North American wing of Nitro snowboards and L1 outerwear. Still when you ask Knut about his position at Nitro even he himself doesn’t even give the nod to his profes-sionalism and hard work. Despite his involvement with the Nitro family as a rider for nearly a decade Knut attributes his current job more to right place/right time and a bit of luck. “I was with Nitro and the position of team manager came up. Having a long history with the owners, a degree, as well as industry support I guess they just trusted me” he says. It was a big step for Knut who had graduated college in Norway with a finance degree and was perfectly happy to get a “normal” job. “I moved to Salt Lake after graduating college and had connections with this investment firm out here. I thought OK I will start working in finance and still be able to snowboard on the weekends or whatever”. It goes without saying however that Team Manager at Nitro was the better option. “I was lucky as shit to be able to do this from just being some dude in snowboarding. This is obviously a hundred times better than that other life.”

WORDS BY DANIEL COCHRANEPHOTOS BY STEVEN STONE

So how does the class clown make the transition to team manager? The hardest part for Knut was suddenly becoming his friend’s boss. “The transition was pretty smooth for me, but definitely the weirdest thing was becoming all my homey’s boss. I am still their homey and I try to maintain a friendship as well as “boss” type relationship. Sometimes it kind of sucks, but at the same time everyone on our team is a pretty smart person and understands and they are easy to work with because they have a good head on their shoulders.” The greatest perk? Well that would probably be feeding his inner snowboard geek each and every day through his business dealings with Nitro. Whether it is dorking out on new tech and shapes or collecting and trading product with fellow industry insiders Knut is definitely stoked on where the snow life has led him.

Ironically perhaps the greatest influence on Knut’s professional persona comes from his approach as a happy go lucky team rider. “ What I noticed in my life and riding was that I was traveling a bunch with all these cool people and I loved snowboarding and I thought that was awesome. That was my thing though that I just loved the snowboarding I never wanted to be “the best” or be in all of the magazines. Snowboarding is awesome and I just wanted to 5.0 down the mountain and not have to learn a quad-cork.” Knut jokingly says he definitely takes advantage of that outlook towards riding in his role as team manager. “As long as I can jump and get off the ground everyone is like “Damn that TM is insane!” Where as before it was like “look at that piece of shit how does he even have sponsors?” ha-ha”

In all seriousness though, that outlook definitely does influence Knut’s selection of team riders as well. Knut says he is less worried about kids who can do all of the current hot tricks and really more into the kids who want to express themselves creatively on their snowboard and more importantly who are really great people as well. All in all it isn’t a bad industry life for the Minnesotan that moved to Norway and then eventually settled in Salt Lake with a degree in finance and no real dream of snowboard career. “Yeah man now I’m either out there riding to motivate the team members, which I love, or I am snowboarding just to snowboard. The testing, marketing, and all of that is just a bonus and I love it all” and that is one thing for Knut that is no joke.

So how does the class clown make the transition to team manager? The hardest part for Knut was suddenly becoming his friend’s boss. “The transition was pretty smooth for me, but definitely the weirdest thing was becoming all my homey’s boss. I am still their homey and I try to maintain a friendship as well as “boss” type relationship. Sometimes it kind of sucks, but at the same time everyone on our team is a pretty smart person and understands and they are easy to work with because they have a good head on their shoulders.” The greatest perk? Well that would probably be feeding his inner snowboard geek each and every day through his business dealings with Nitro. Whether it is dorking out on new tech and shapes or collecting and trading product with fellow industry insiders Knut is definitely stoked on where the snow life has led him.

Ironically perhaps the greatest influence on Knut’s professional persona comes from his approach as a happy go lucky team rider. “ What I noticed in my life and riding was that I was traveling a bunch with all these cool people and I loved snowboarding and I thought that was awesome. That was my thing though that I just loved the snowboarding I never wanted to be “the best” or be in all of the magazines. Snowboarding is awesome and I just wanted to 5.0 down the mountain and not have to learn a quad-cork.” Knut jokingly says he definitely takes advantage of that outlook towards riding in his role as team manager. “As long as I can jump and get off the ground everyone is like “Damn that TM is insane!” Where as before it was like “look at that piece of shit how does he even have sponsors?” ha-ha”

In all seriousness though, that outlook definitely does influence Knut’s selection of team riders as well. Knut says he is less worried about kids who can do all of the current hot tricks and really more into the kids who want to express themselves creatively on their snowboard and more importantly who are really great people as well. All in all it isn’t a bad industry life for the Minnesotan that moved to Norway and then eventually settled in Salt Lake with a degree in finance and no real dream of snowboard career. “Yeah man now I’m either out there riding to motivate the team members, which I love, or I am snowboarding just to snowboard. The testing, marketing, and all of that is just a bonus and I love it all” and that is one thing for Knut that is no joke.

H O W L S U P P LY. C O M

D A N I M A L SG U S E N G L EN I C K D I R K SJ A K E K U Z Y KD A N N Y L A R S E NJ U S T I N F R O N I U SDD A R R E L L M AT H E S

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J O E S E X T O NJ E D A N D E R S O NJ A K E O L S O N - E L MK E E G A N V A L A I K AJ U S T I N B E N N E EJ O N A S M I C H I L O TLL A U R E N T- N I C O L A S P A Q U I N

O R I G I N S

M I K E Y & H O L D E NWORDS BY JOSH RUGGLESPHOTOS BY MARK KOHLMAN

O R I G I N S

M I K E Y & H O L D E NWORDS BY JOSH RUGGLESPHOTOS BY MARK KOHLMAN

In it’s infancy, the snowboard industry had just a few brands push-ing nearly all consumer product. Now, decades later, everyone is trying to get their hands on the once-core fringe market. And while new companies are popping up like zits on a tween, many of the brands are as original as bagged cereals on the bottom shelf of the breakfast isle. However, every once in a while, something real comes along that changes minds, forges trends and refreshingly, doesn’t suck. That something is Holden, and for over a decade it has been forcing the industry to pay attention.

In the early 2000’s Mikey LeBlanc was at the top of his game, and had successfully carved his place in the snowboard industry like a hockey mask dawning psycho on prom night. But unlike the lum-bering slasher’s insatiable desire to plant his rusty machete into degenerate partygoers, LeBlanc was not satisfied with simply con-tinuing to drop hammers for a living. Years ago, he had a pro model from Ride Snowboards, featuring a logo of the Fighting Irish. That logo has taken on a new meaning as he transitioned into a bona-fide businessman. Along with his continuation of bone-splintering drops in the city, LeBlanc set his sights on conquering fashionable technical garments. “A lot of companies were doing bad Arcterix copies, but with trash bag type fits—so I was really interested in making technical outerwear that looks more like street wear,” LeBlanc notes. As a seasoned pro growing tired of getting boxes of wearable neon photocopies, Leblanc got serious about his idea to bring high fashion to the snowboard world. After pitching the idea of forming an offshoot brand under a slew of current outer-wear brands, and getting weary of the word “no,” it was time for him to take things into his own hands. He later partnered up with pro skateboarder Chris Miller and designer savant Scott Zergeb-el— then, under the umbrella of Planet Earth, Holden was born in 2002.

Leveraging years of shred experience, LeBlanc didn’t break into the industry shooting blind. He knew what the industry had, what it lacked and ultimately, where Holden could nestle their way into the aggressive industry. “It helped being out riding, and being with other riders all the time—watching and listening,” LeBlanc recalls. Even from day one, he was very conscious of how Holden would present itself. Never willing to sacrifice quality for convenience or responsibility for price, the small brand became a significant thorn in the sides of established and typically dominant brands. “Our goal from the beginning was to make clothing for people who want to lead happier, healthier lives, and I feel like we have stayed true to that,” says LeBlanc. Simply keeping course helped Holden snatch up some early accolades, including an award from the Worth Global Style Network for revolutionizing eco-friendly gar-ments with the world’s first technical jacket made of laminated natural fiber fabric. But LeBlanc and Holden don’t see themselves “as an environmental brand, but rather a considered brand.” It is how Holden has always been, and how it will stay, explains LeB-

lanc. “Eco-consciousness is not a business choice, it’s a personal choice. If we were doing this just to maximize profits, we would not be doing anything eco-conscious—it’s that simple.” While there is always something to be said about getting applauded for innova-tion, LeBlanc is much more focused on producing quality product. “We sort of stepped off of applying for awards since those first ones,” says LeBlanc. “It is much more rewarding to see people get psyched on our product because of the quality, fit and style. That is something that translates to me as an accolade.”

Nowadays, it is difficult to find a snowboard-oriented brand that has not had a “green line” of products or some form of eco-responsible initiative. Some companies genuinely strive to make a difference, some are in it for the attention—but Holden never saw any other option. To LeBlanc and Zergebel, running a considered business is a direct result of feeling the responsibility of living consciously in all aspects of their lives, not a marketing tool. From a young age, they both cared about their surroundings, and environment and how they treated it. The result is a company that collectively pioneered eco-responsibility from concept to consumer, and is con-tinuously paving the way for droves of other brands to follow suit. Many businesses would see it as a copycat movement. However, Holden gladly shares their knowledge with other companies in the hope that more will operate their business with eco-consciousness.

Part of what makes the niche company so original is that instead of trying to predict trends and tossing new prints on last year’s jacket, they take their time, and they cut the clutter—oh, they also get a lot of ideas from mom and dad’s closet among an array of other places. “Everyone gets design concepts and ideas from other sources. We do as well, but we are into more classic designs and materials that stand the test of time, while still maintaining tech-nical aspects that can hold up to weather” LeBlanc says. The result is a brand that has broken the confines of the snowboard industry, is making big moves in street wear and is getting competitors in multiple industries following their lead. “We have carried Holden since the beginning, because of their style, function, low-key lo-gos and Mikey,” says Cal Egbert, owner at Milosport board shop. “They are cool, different, stylish and true to snowboarding. They are blazing the trail.” In Holden’s first years, bright and flashy outer-wear was starting to turn snowboarders into what looked like giant sleeves of Starburst throwing backside 9’s in the park. LeBlanc’s reputation gave Holden an audience in the industry, but their eclec-tic styles and textures went against just about every other brand, which put it on everyone’s radar almost immediately, according to Egbert. “They hit at the right time with the fashion emphasis hitting snowboarding,” notes Egbert. “They have been, and are still in the drivers seat on trending, and just being cool dudes.” To Eg-bert, Holden is an easy choice. LeBlanc has been riding for Milo for longer than most pros have been alive.

Owning a company and producing clothing lines can be, well, pretty magical—especially when the fruits of labor can be seen on custom-ers backs everywhere from the streets of New York City, to Brigh-ton’s backcountry. But making an impact in the world of street wear and technical outerwear is not always the utopia that those college kids screening tees would like to think it is. Running a small busi-ness is intense, times are regularly tough and Holden has had its fair share of sailing choppy waters without a life jacket.

Initially being founded in Los Angeles, LeBlanc and Zergebel had always planned on moving the operation to Portland, Oregon. And in 2006, Chris Miller split ways with Holden to pursue other ventures, and they had their opportunity, and they took the leap. “We were licensed to Planet Earth for the first four or five years, and then when we exited that license deal, Scott and I took full ownership—and in that same year, the recession hit,” recalls Leblanc. With the econo-my hanging by the equivalent of dental floss, action sports slumped, budgets shrunk and shops across the country ended their dreams with a going out of business sale. “Some of our biggest vendors, which were doing over a million a year in product were now going under,” Mikey explains. Now, as the snowboard industry slowly rolls out of the recession-induced coma, massive corporations have been busy seizing the opportunity by swallowing up flailing companies.

For such a competitive industry, LeBlanc, Zergebel and Holden are far from the norm. In the wake of the economic storm, several outdoor companies did not survive. Last season, one of the staple brands of the industry, Forum Snowboards was dissolved like it nev-er existed, Elan manufacturing closed its doors for good and several other brands took huge hits, leading to whole headquarters closing and massive layoffs. Holden is currently settling into its new head-quarters in Los Angeles and back to the city where it all started. Moving toward their future in technical outerwear and in the street wear category as well, Holden is not just surviving anymore. “Doing street wear has always been in the plans,” says LeBlanc. “It just took a while to get it going, and that is part of why we made the move back out to L.A., we are a lot closer to everything we need to be. The sunny weather helps out, too.” In the constant struggle of business, sometimes it is much easier to cut corners and pull the occasional lowbrow business tactic, but LeBlanc refuses to operate that way. “People always say, ‘don’t burn a bridge,’ and I feel like one of the biggest reasons we made it through all of that is by keeping good relationships with our factories, our distributors and shops,” he men-tions. “As soon as you start taking advantage of people, you can forget about them ever helping you.” lessons were learned during the first few years of operating independently, and shops that held on to Holden did for a reason. “I can call Mikey anytime I need. I can relate to everyone on their team and staff, and I love the history,” says Egbert.

Relationship building goes way past client relations at Holden. In-stead of team riders, they have “ambassadors,” which LeBlanc re-lates closer to family than an employee. “Really, to me it means they are an ambassador of what they do, and we respect them for who they are and what they represent,” he says. “Not to say having team riders is a bad thing. To me it is really a respect thing. It is more like,‘we respect the hell out of you, and you respect us—let’s work to-gether.” Through it all, Holden and LeBlanc have grown together, and he has learned some things that anyone running a business should jot down. “Being worried about the future is part of being a small business owner. When you take risks, you really put yourself out there, so risk and failure are part of learning how to do anything,” he explains. “Nothing to fear, it’s just part of life.”

M A D I S O N B L A C K L E YH I T H E R E

WORDS BY MARK SEGUINPHOTO BY BEN GIRARDI

There is something to be said about the kind of person who learns a difficult, new skill because they want to, not because somebody is forcing them into it. Madison had her dad’s Burton Performer and her backyard; that was all she needed to start her snowboarding journey. Mads has taken her riding from the backyard to the streets and everywhere between. Last season she took the overall women’s victory in the Brighton ThirtyTwo Day Banked Slalom and Rail Jam. Mads has also been steadily stacking a catalog of clips; which means even more of her creative and progressive riding will soon be available for your viewing pleasure.

Name: Madison BlackleyNick Name: MadsAge: 23Home Mountain: Park City Mountain ResortYears Snowboarding: 16 Backing You: Bataleon Snowboards, Switchback Bindings, Airblaster Outerwear, Smith Optics, Nikita Clothing, Vans, Celtak, Cobra Dogs, Dank Donuts, Blindside Co.Gloat: Getting my own Signature Session at High Cascade. Besides Snowboarding: I like to hang out with my dog Maya. I like Hiking, biking (cycling), watching movies, reading, and anything outside really. Road trips are one of my favorite things to do. Inspired By: Spencer O’Brien and Jess Kimura for pushing women’s snowboarding; and recently Christy Prior. Peter Line has always been really cool. Also, I really look up to my friends who board for inspiration.Hardest “Easy” Trick: Back lips. I can still only do back slips most of the time.Short Term: I’ve been filming for the PS webisodes. I’m going to have a part in the sequel to Too Hard, Still Hard, coming out this month. I’ll be putting out a solo part as well; might even see some stuff in Airblaster’s Gone Wild as well. Long Term: I want to live out of a bag for a season. I want to travel and go to different places and just film without having a base camp. I just want to get out and travel more. Three Favorite Video Parts: Peter Line The resistance, MRF Any Means, Jess Kimura in Think Thank.

D A V I D F A I R C L O T H H I T H E R E

WORDS BY MARK SEGUINPHOTO BY ELIJAH WHITNEY

It’s a pretty common story: East coast rail kid wants to move to Salt Lake to snowboard every day and “make it”. The uncommon part of this story is when that kid actually steps up and makes the move. Even rarer, is when this kid arrives in Salt Lake and starts making people notice him not only because of how he snowboards, but also because he is just an all-around quality person. This is the true story of Westfield, Massachusetts native, Dave Faircloth. As soon as he arrived in Salt Lake, Dave went to Milo, got a job and fit right in. After that, the only thing left to do was for Hambone to dub him as “Too Fast”.

Name: Dave FairclothNick Name: Too Fast, Fast Dave, Fast ass Faircloth, Fast & FuriousAge: 24Home Mountain: Blandford Ski AreaYears Snowboarding: 15Backing You: K2 Snowboarding, Dragon, ThirtyTwo, Volcom, Milosport, Theory SkateshopGloat: Actually moving to Utah was one of my favorite and best ideas that I’ve had for sure. Besides Snowboarding: Tuning cars, working in the shop [Milo], and skateboarding.Inspired By: Anyone that enjoys snowboarding, really. Definitely Scott Stevens, Chris Beresford, and Chris Grenier as I watched those guys growing up; and all the Blandford homies. Also more recently Nicolas Muller and Gigi Ruf. Their eye for terrain is incredible. Hardest “Easy” Trick: I don’t know if it is considered easy or not, but a regular backtail is the scariest thing in snowboarding to me.Short Term: I want to learn more about the backcountry and hopefully get a splitboard. Long Term: I want to do a legit, full part to release this year. I also would like to get a great part in a real movie someday.Three Favorite Video Parts: Nicolas Muller in Twe12lve, Scott Stevens in Dunzo, Andreas Wiig in Derelictica

M I A L A M B S O NH I T H E R E

WORDS BY DANIEL COCHRANEPHOTO BY SEAN K SULLIVAN

Here at Arkade we have always highlighted up and coming riders in Utah. However without media coverage from photographers and filmers you would never know who these kids were. Utah has an amazing legacy of filmers and photographers from Andy Wright, Nate Christiansen, and Rob Mathis to SKS, Cole Taylor (both of them), and Pat Fenelon. This year we decided to honor that legacy by including up and coming filmers and photographers in our Hi There section.

Mia grew up in Southern Utah, and began riding at Brianhead Resort when she was 10. At 14 she got a job there, and by the age of 16 saved enough money to pay her own way to summer camp at High Cascade. It was at HCSC that she realized she wanted to always have a job in snowboarding. Upon graduating from high school she moved to SLC and began making what she calls “really terrible edits” of her friends. Over time through trial and error, some constructive criticism, and upgrading her gear the quality of her work greatly improved. A summer internship at Bonfire/Salomon helped open more doors for her in the industry, and allowed her to work with many well-known riders. Last season was Mia’s first official season on the Brighton staff, and she made some incredible edits. She has a great knack of mixing great shots and amazing soundtracks. Another thing you’ll notice about Mia’s edits is that she is breaking through gender barriers as one of the first, if not THE first, female filmer to work with the guys. Mia says “I'm pretty sure I'm the first to break the gender barrier there, and it's really shitty sometimes- but it's also my biggest motivation. I'm stoked to help blaze a trail for other aspiring girl filmers.” You can see Mia’s work this season on the Brighton Terrain Park website.

Name: Mia Danielle LambsonHometown: Cedar City, UtahCurrent projects: Staff Filmer at Brighton Resort, working on a catalogue project for Electric Visual, and always random freelance gigs. In the gear bag: HVX, Canon 7D and a couple Super 8mm cameras.School or self taught: A little bit of both- I learned some basics at SLCC then just took it from there on my own. A lot of web tutorials, and getting advice from other filmers/photographers. Favorite projects you've worked on: Filming Ms. Superpark is always a good time, and I'm stoked to have contributed footage to Under Dawgs' DAE and KTC: Roll Call. Describe your process for making an edit (shooting, song choice, etc): Sometimes I have a clear vision in mind when I start filming for the edit, and other times I'm just making it up as I go. There are usually a few specific shots I visualize and I'll set up for those, but there's a lot of cruising around just having fun with it. Finding a song is always the hardest part, but once I do, the clips fall into place pretty easily.What other mediums do you like to work in:I have recently gotten into making more fashion/art based videos and love to paint. Favorite filmers/photographers/artists (in any industry): I really look up to Tanner Pendleton and Pat Fenelon. Jake Durham and Colt Morgan have good style too.

T H I S I S T H E N E W S H ! T

INI COOPERATIVE MILITANT JACKET ($280)

SMITH OPTICSSMITH x POLER x AUSTIN SMITH TRI-LAB GOGGLE ($175)

OLLOCLIPTELEPHOTO + CIRCULAR POLARIZING LENS ($100)

HOWL JAKE OE MITT CAMO ($55)

LEATHERMANHAIL + STYLE PS SNOWBOARD TOOL ($47)

L1 OUTERWEARTHE STOOGE JACKET VIDEOGRASS ($130)

ASHBURYWARLOCK DARKSIDE GOGGLE ($90)

NIXONBLASTER BLUETOOTH SPEAKER ($150)

DRAGON APX KNIGHTRIDER/YELLOW-BLUE ION LENS ($220)

NIKE SNOWBOARDINGKAIJU ($360)

ROSSIGNOLCOBRA BINDING ($170)

B R A N D O N H A M M I DI N C E N T I V E

BOARD: Arbor Draft 150 ($400)

BINDINGS: Nitro Zero ($210)

BOOTS: Vans Hi Standard ($180)

JACKET: L1 Stooge Jacket ($130)

PANTS: L1 Chino ($200)

SWEATER: Coalatree Crew ($65)

BEANIE: Coalatree Camper ($23)

SUNGLASSES: Ashbury Pistol Sunglasses ($120)

AGE: 20 Somethin

STANCE: Regular, 20” 12 Front, -12 Back

HEIGHT: 5’10”

HOME MOUNTAIN: Brighton

FAVORITE UTAH SPOT: Bone Zone

FAVORITE SPOT TO EAT AFTER RIDING: Hector’s or Spedelli’s

WHICH ONE OF YOUR VIDEO PARTS IS YOUR FAVORITE: Dinobots: Shots and Goggles

WHO IS IN YOUR CREW:Sean Black, Justin Keniston, Ted Borland, Parker Duke, Chris Cloud, Alex Andrews, Pat Harrington, Milo Homies, BLK

SPONSORS:Arbor, L1, Coalatree, Milosport, Ashbury, Brighton,Beaver wax, BLK

D A V E D O M A N T H E G R A P H I C S T O R Y

WORDS BY MARK SEGUIN

can in Govy. One of the best qualities about The Davester is that, despite all the fanfare and hype he receives (deservedly so), he keeps things simple and remains a remark-ably humble, funny and likeable person. There wasn’t even a question of who Mark “Deadlung” Edlund would to go to for his 2014 pro model graphic: “…it was time to figure out what my board graphic was gonna be again, and of course I was gonna have Dave do it…” When Deadlung asked him to draw a “topless babe riding a nug though outer space”, Doman’s first thought was “Holy smokes, how could I NOT draw that?” Thus, the topsheet graphic blossomed into existence between the inserts. The cosmic backdrop continues on the base with a lighter donning the classic Doman stoney-face. Immediately discernible, it takes

more time to flick a lighter than it does to recognize this as another iconic Doman piece created uniquely for Deadlung.

Justin Bennee has been in the game for over ten years, but somehow hasn’t had a pro model snowboard until this season. To make sure he made the most of his premiere deck, he needed someone who knew him as more than just another snowboarder, to create a clean, original and striking graphic. “Dave and I are family, and have been designing things together for the past decade. We always work well together and he really gets it.” The idea of a shank spawned from a dream Bennee had about being stabbed. Dave was able to create a morbidly beautiful top sheet featuring a display of ten, intricately detailed, prison shanks between the inserts. The tip and tail are intentionally left blank, providing space for sponsor stickers. The base graphic is actually an old printout of Dave’s, covered in graffiti tags and overspray. Once the image was cropped to fit the base, they both knew it was the right choice. According to Justin, “We wanted to play on how we seem to always be having problems with the police when trying to do our jobs [while filming].” The hand drawn shanks on top and the gritty image of the cop with “Nitro” drawn to look like a prison tat on bottom are not only aesthetically pleasing, but they relate to the grind that snowboarders constantly endure on the streets.

The art displayed on these two snowboards couldn’t be more contrasting, in terms of style. However, they are the same in that they achieve exactly what their respective riders envisioned. The Smokin’ board is eye catching and distinctly reflects the personality and style of Deadlung. The same goes for Bennee’s Nitro: clean style, potentially controversial and absolutely unique. If you want a good conver-sation starter, these two boards will have people commenting on your gear in the lift lines without fail.

When asked about how people will view his snowboard designs in the future, Dave related: “I hope it reminds them of a good time; causing memories of the past. Specifically, I hope it reminds people of being a kid and thinking about nothing but snowboarding. Of course, I also want people to think of Bennee and Deadlung, and the way both these dudes ride boards: Inspired.”

Pro model snowboards have a tendency to become collectors’ items, eventually turning into pieces of snowboarding history. The graphic on a pro model is typically designed to do one or more of several things: reflect the personality of the respective pro, make a statement, be considered a legitimate piece of art, be original, possibly offend and stir up controversy, standout, tell a story or just be as random and hectic as possible. It goes without saying that the graphic on a pro model is tremendously important; not only must it satisfy what the pro envisions, but also the board company. By default, the creator of the graphic, or artist, is tremendously important as well. That makes Dave Doman a pretty important guy. His art seems to span the entire arc of the snowboard industry; from pro model snowboards to the Cobra Dogs garbage

OLI GAGNON PHOTO

Sometimes when we do interviews we will get last minute emails from people saying things like “yeah man ummm when I talked about “x” I was kind of mad can you take that out?” but with Chris Grenier it was totally the opposite. We had an interview with him done, and Grendy decided that he needed to say MORE. More about the current state of snowboarding, more about what is right, what is wrong, and how he fits into that mix. You will notice Grendy talks a lot about snowboarding and maybe not so much about himself unless you point him in that direction. The wild side of Grendy you see in edits and stuff is definitely part of him, but there is also that side that is more contemplative. One that thinks about snowboarding and where it is headed and if the direction is good or bad. I think it is super cool that there are people out there who are trying to put back into snowboarding because they are so appreciative of what snowboarding has done for them. Chris Grenier is definitely one of those guys and while he may or may not realize it he is also one of those people that are part of what is right in snowboarding. As long as Grendy and those types of people are around snowboarding then snowboarding as we know it will be around. Here is what he has to say…

Well where I wanted to start was that you felt like you had this platform and you had something of substance that you wanted to say. So what do you want to say?

I mean if I’m going to talk about some stuff I want to talk about some stuff that is worth hearing about you know. Like the current state of snowboarding; what is good about it and what is bad about it…

Ok then what is good about it?

I think we are finally in a cool place where snowboarding is at. The new generation of kids are really sick and they are really putting a lot of thought into all their tricks and their spots. It’s a cool culture that is more of a core culture than a weekend warrior bar culture. People live and breath this shit, and there are a lot of incredible snowboarders pushing it in all kinds of cool directions.

I agree with that. I think, and I know you’re super into skating, that skating has been that way for a few years and its cool to see snowboarding catch up. Like however you want to snowboard is cool. It’s cool to be you … however that manifests itself.

First off, snowboarding will never be skateboarding; they are hard to compare cause they are so different. But, I like to see the snowboard culture start to have a core scene like how skateboarding is. Yeah, there are definitely people who set guidelines as to what’s cool and what’s not cool. That’s too small or that’s too big or whatever, and I guess that’s cool to have your snow-board standards, but it’s also good to not limit yourself. The more rules you set for yourself, the more you limit yourself trick wise. I think it is all awesome, big moun-tain, half pipe, rails, crafty mini shredding, and split boarding, even though I suck at a lot of it. Especially

OLI GAGNON PHOTO

OLI GAGNON PHOTO

OLI GAGNON PHOTO

with filming, I’m a firm believer on stuff that’s aesthetically pleasing rather than counting stairs and do the same trick on a rail that is 5 stairs longer then last year.

Ok so that’s the good then what is the bad? What’s wrong with snowboarding right now?

One thing I think sucks is when brand managers for these huge com-panies make riders do certain things. Like the Forum guys, if you were a rail guy they didn’t want you to hit jumps, or they would say this is too small. When people try to micromanage snowboarding I think that is shitty. I think you should have the freedom to do whatev-er you want and express yourself on your snowboard.

So then while we are on the subject of sponsors talk about making that decision as a young rider as far as sponsorships go. I know there may be a lot of kids out there who want to go down that road so talk about how it was for you. For example you were initially sponsored by L1, which seems like a really crazy fit for both you and them.

Yeah well with L1 back in the day Tonino just kind of offered me a deal. I thought, “This could be cool”. At the time Kooley and the rest of the guys were doing it and making it look good. I didn’t really fit, but at the time it was a better opportunity than some of the other brands that were approaching me so I did it. Then luckily I eventually found my way with ThirtyTwo and I feel like that is a really good fit and I am happy with those guys.

What would be your advice for kids trying to get into the game as far as that type of situation goes?

I think it is really cool when kids are hyped on riding for a brand cause they want to be a part of it, instead of riding for some shitty brand cause they will be “sponsored”. But then again, I have some corpo-rate sponsors so who am I to talk. I think one thing that is important too is brand loyalty. I don’t think it’s cool when people constantly jump from sponsor to sponsor just to get a few more dollars here or there. When someone has been with a brand since day one that’s awesome, and you should stick with them. For most kids I’d say, don’t worry about being sponsored, just worry about snowboarding as much as you can and pushing yourself, then that stuff will come.

Totally a change in subject, but how excited are you to get Dunkin Donuts in SLC?

So stoked! Dunks just reminds me of home because they are every-where. It’s just quick and not bougie not high-class baristas. It’s like “Give me a coffee and bagel and I can get on with my day” you know.

Well speaking of coming out from the East Coast, and Scotty kind of touched on this in his interview so I wanted to get your thoughts on it, so you came out and had the big party houses but now you guys have made your name and are starting to you know settle in and are buying homes. How is that transition from shred house lifestyle to homeowner been for you?

OLI GAGNON PHOTO

OLI GAGNON PHOTO

OLI GAGNON PHOTO

It’s pretty cool owning my own house because I love taking pride of ownership. My dad, when I was young, made me mow the lawn, paint the fence, and build stuff. So it’s cool to see the stuff I hated to do as a kid come full circle. You know my dad taught it to me as a kid and now I’m doing it on my own house and that is kind of rewarding. Trying to make my house nice, finishing a project, I enjoy that just as much as filming a trick.

So talk about the shred house era.

Well when we first moved out here it was the SFK house and crew. Eric Christiansen, Simon, Doman, Bode, Timmy Ronan those guys were the squad. We lived downtown and went to the bars underage and just raged. You know all that dumb shit you do at that age. Then there was Club Booyah, which I didn’t live there, but it still raged. Then there was SFK house number two. So it has been like three party houses deep for the squad in general before I finally got my house and it is nice to just having my lady and me in a relaxing space.

Yeah like the party can be over when you’re ready for it to be over because you can leave.

Yes exactly haha!

So how was the summer? You went to High Cascade of course.

Yep

How long has it been since you worked at High Cascade?

Umm I think three years?

OLI GAGNON PHOTO

OLI GAGNON PHOTO

OLI GAGNON PHOTO

OLI GAGNON PHOTO

OLI GAGNON PHOTO

Was that first year not working there great?

Oh yeah, but the diggers gave me shit, and they still do because a lot of them still work there. I have mad respect for those dudes, but it was nice going back and not working. That digging lifestyle is so hardcore. You do so much manual labor, get paid dog shit, and just snowboard all day. It’s core. It’s done a lot for snowboarding. A lot of names have come up through those digger ranks.

Yeah for sure.

It is getting to the point where for young kids it is almost essen-tial to get out to camp just to meet people and get your foot into the scene or whatever.

Yeah and that is something I wanted to talk about too. I wanted to talk about is basically another thing I think is wrong is the whole parent coach thing. You know like parents trying to make their kids the next Shaun White right out of the womb, yelling and whatever versus the kid just finding it on their own and doing it. For me in snowboarding right now I’m rooting for the Man Am like Timmy Ronan versus some little kid that has never worked a job in his life.

So like the jock dad yelling at his kid on the football field kind of mentality creeping in to snowboarding? Like back in the day we skateboarded and snowboarded to get away from that.

Right!

We didn’t want the parents around. Friday afternoon I’d have my skateboard and be like “I’m leaving” and my mom would be like

“When are you coming back?” and I’d be like “Sunday, peace”

Yeah exactly haha… honestly I think it is cool when people look down on you for it (snowboarding). I WANT to meet someone in an airport as a snowboarder and they think I’m a dirt bag as opposed to them equating me to some NBA player or whatever. I don’t ever want it to be super cool. It seems to ebb and flow. I think the Olympics have a lot to do with that public perception because that’s where most of “regu-lar” America sees snowboarding.

Yeah for sure but I am definitely not anti-Olympics. Watching those dudes train at High Cascade, Lago and Vito for example, it makes me a bigger fan of snowboarding more than I already am, but as an outsider. What they are doing is so incredible.

Yeah like what they are doing is insane, you may not like the ma-chine of the Olympics, but you have to appreciate the skill level. It’s just odd that THAT is the face of snowboarding.

Yeah because that’s not what it is about but at the same time it is tight.

So switching gears back to what you’ve been working on for this year, How did it go this past season filming for your web series?

Well, it really isn’t a web series. The focus wasn’t on a web series more than it was for me to film a full part, but we just did a few little web edits things too. What was cool about it was I filmed with VG for the last three seasons, and I love those guys, but this gave me the chance to film with so many different people. I went on a trip with Pat Moore, went on a trip with the Dejavu guys, went with Tech-Nine to Lithuania,

E-STONE PHOTO

I went on an Absinthe trip to film back country, and I went on a VG trip too. So I was able to film with a bunch of dif-ferent people, which is what I wanted at the beginning of last season.

Actually I have that written down here.. as a question.. “Is there a video this year that you DON’T have a cameo in?” because I’ve already seen four or five and you’re in all of them.

Hahahaha! Yeah it was cool mixing it up. The trip with Pat Moore he just wants to hit huge shit and then the next week I went on a trip with VG and it was Scotty, Jake OE, and Bradshaw. They were just no shoveling, just set up a lip, casual, homie-style, and let’s just get a shot you know. Just to have the contrast is cool on all sides. All the different ter-rain, when you film with different people it makes you hit different stuff.

So I know how you are, what videos are you looking to buy this year?

I buy pretty much every video every year. Always Think Thank, always VG, Keep The Change, and Absinthe always. Ba-sically I buy every video every year. I am just a fan and I watch every video and I’m still just as much a fucking nerd as I was when I was 12. I’m still obsessed.

Is it weird for you then when kids come up to you for an autograph or whatever when you still feel like that 12 year old kid too in some ways?

Yeah it is weird because I’m just the same snowboard nerd that they are. I’m just like ok man but I feel more like your homie than anything else.

E-STONE PHOTO

E-STONE PHOTO

E-STONE PHOTO

How did you feel when you saw yourself in the big Brighton billboards around town?

Oh man, I was bummed on that, but only be-cause I couldn’t get coping on the hand plant. My friends gave me so much shit for it. Like Bode, Ronan, and Stevens were like “well looks like you didn’t get coping” every time I do a hand plant now, but that’s what your friends are supposed to do.

Keep you in check…

Exactly!

So before we go what else important do you feel you have to say?

I just want to talk about the next generation of kids I’m psyched on. Like those Hans and Nils brothers who are just doing new stylish jumps with crazy grabs, and then you got the whole Spencer Schubert, Johnny Brady, Mike Rav, and Garret Warnick group who have in-sane style and are finding cool spots. They are out there finding cool spots and giving hope you know because they are putting snow-boarding in the right direction. It’s not just contest test tube babies you know there’s a lot of fucking rad kids. Oh and of course the whole Lick The Cat crew. Finally I just wanted to say thank you to snowboarding because it is pretty much the reason I have my friends and everything I have. All the experiences I’ve gained I’m basically forever in debt to snow-boarding. Thanks for reading this, and thanks to the haters and the homies.

NOW THAT YOU HAVE READ THE GRENDY INTERVIEW MAKE SURE TO VISIT THE ALL NEW ARKADESNOWBOARDING.COM AND

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SETH HUOT BRIGHTON BACKCOUNTRYANDREW MILLER PHOTO

SETH HUOT BRIGHTON BACKCOUNTRYANDREW MILLER PHOTO

BRANDON HAMMIDSALT LAKE CITY BOB PLUMB PHOTO

BRANDON HAMMIDSALT LAKE CITY BOB PLUMB PHOTO

KYLE FISHERPARK CITYSEAN K SULLIVAN PHOTO

KYLE FISHERPARK CITYSEAN K SULLIVAN PHOTO

JEREMY JONESBC CANADA@DEANBLOTTOPHOTO

DYLAN THOMPSONOTTAWA CANADAESTONE PHOTO

JEREMY JONESBC CANADA@DEANBLOTTOPHOTO

DYLAN THOMPSONOTTAWA CANADAESTONE PHOTO

CALE ZIMAUTAH BACKCOUNTRYJOEL FRASER PHOTO

CALE ZIMAUTAH BACKCOUNTRYJOEL FRASER PHOTO

ALEX ANDREWSSALT LAKE CITY ANDY WRIGHT PHOTO

ALEX ANDREWSSALT LAKE CITY ANDY WRIGHT PHOTO

Rossignol’s Retox AmpTek is a core, true-twin jib board built for career-ending quad-kinks and urban bomb drops. AmpTek Freestyle combines traditional camber for explosive pop and stability, with slight tip and tail rocker, keeping the Retox playfully loose for effortless press-ability. “Built for the true rail junky,” said Transworld Snowboarding, with ultra-blunt tips lightening swing weight for easy spins and a symmetrical freestyle flex that locks onto rails, all that’s left to do is stomp it.

CoBRA V1Binding

ROSSIGNOL_SNOWBOARD_ARKADE_2013.indd 1 9/9/13 5:00 PM

B L I N D S I D ET A L K I N ’ S H O P

There is a proverbial shortlist of legitimate, reliable shops along the Wasatch Front. These shops have several things in common: They are owned and operated by people who are passionate about what they do, they carry high quality gear made by the industry’s top brands, they have a solid shop team, they treat their custom-er’s right and they have been around long enough to build unques-tionable reputations. Blindside Boardshop is on that shortlist. In 1996, Tom Lee opened the doors of Blindside. After a relatively brief stint in Kaysville, the shop moved to Layton; before long, several more locations, including Ogden, Salt Lake and Orem, were up and running. Thanks to a rough patch in the American economy, only the Layton and Salt Lake stores now remain open. However, that simply means the quality is more concentrated these days. The quality comes from people like Todd Leaver. In 2008, Todd purchased Blindside Layton from Tom. Not long after the Layton purchase, Todd decided he was ready for more and bought Blindside Salt Lake in 2012. Both of Todd’s stores are clean, well laid out and always stocked with top products. His passion is part of what makes Blindside tick: “I think for anybody who has skated and snowboarded their whole life, it is a dream to have a shop one day; so I have been able to live my dream. It is a good industry to be involved with. It is difficult, but with passion for the sports, you WORDS BY MARK SEGUIN

PHOTOS BY BRYCE PACKHAM

can make the shop happen.” Besides putting in countless hours dealing with the minutia that comes with running a shop, Todd and his crew make sure they are staying on top of everything industry related, from the never ending evolution of products and technology, to the latest shred flick. They really go out of their way to talk shop, music, fishing, or anything else that comes up with every person that walks in the door, from the weekend warrior to the professional. The Blindside team is spread across the Wasatch; ripping Powder Mountain and Snowbasin up North, Brighton and Snowbird in the Cottonwoods, and The Canyons and Park City on the Wasatch back. The snowboard industry is a difficult one to maneuver. Since the “good ol’ days” of snowboarding, a lot has changed, especially on the business side of things. Many shops have opened, only to succumb to the reality of the industry and close down. According to Todd, “…the reason we [Blindside] are still here is because we are based on one thing, and that is staying true to the roots of skateboarding and snowboarding, and supporting those who support us.”

S N O W B I R DM Y R E S O R T

Like you, every pro rider has their home mountain and their favorite runs. This season we will ask a few of Salt Lake's favorite sons about where they like to ride when the cameras are off and the fun factor is high. It's a great chance for you the reader to get inside their heads and get a glimpse of what makes these guys hyped and maybe, if you're lucky, learn a few local secrets as well. We start of with Mark “Deadlung” Edlung and Snowbird Resort.

Why you ride at Snowbird, and why you love it?I grew up there basically. My mom has worked there for 20 years, but besides that, it really is my favorite resort I've ever ridden. It's amazing how fun it can be. Powder or no powder it is one big natural terrain park. The plaza is always a good place to hang even when you're not really feeling shredding that day, you can always chill on the plaza.

What lifts can we usually find you on?Pretty much only The Tram or Peruvian if the upper cat tracks aren't good.

What zones you like to ride?Pretty much only Chips Run. Best run on the planet. If I get up there early on a pow day I will go get turns on Upper Cirque or go all the way out to the trees so I'm forced to turn and not just

WORDS BY DANIEL COCHRANEPHOTOS BY ANDREW MILLER

open up, but after a couple soul turning runs it's time for Chips the rest of the day to send it off cat tracks and get in the air. I love wall hits and cat tracks, they are the best things to do nollie and fakie Ollie tricks on. Chips is a 2 mile run and I think it makes you a strong rider because you have to muscle a lot of things to get hang time. The run ins and landings aren't groomed like the park, so you got to be on your feet. It's insane how fun Snowbird is.

Where do you ride on a "normal" day, a spring slush day, and a pow day?Chips, chips, chips and more chips

Who do you like to ride with?All my homies that are down to ride chips all day, there are too many to name! Hopefully it will be easier to get my friends without passes tickets up there in the future to film for Lungie Land! Chips means a lot to me, I may even get a Chips Run tattoo sometime. I already have The Bird wings tatted somewhere on my arm.

DEADLUNGJP TOMICH

CHRIS COULTER

A R K A D E C R E WI N S T A H A M S

@SPACE_TRUCKER

1. Father/son shred flick moment2. Favorite Days3. Brighton4. Lake Powell

1. Photobooth with the kids2. Powder Mountain3. Jackson4. #kneesurgerysucks

1. Dad Llewelyn RIP2. Pow day at Brighton3. Rule the Rocks Six4. Mobbin in Moab

1. My girl @zillahkatz2. Pow Mow3. Snow at PCMR4. Milly the dog

CORY LLEWELYN

PAUL BUNDY@PBUNDY801

DANIEL COCHRANE@BURRITOSANDSNOW

MARK SEGUIN@THEMARKSEGUIN

L A S T C A L L

WORDS BY DANIEL COCHRANEPHOTOS BY BRYCE PACKHAM

Saturday September 7th Arkade hosted the Salt Lake premiere of both Roll Call from Keep The Change, and the DejaVu Movie. Also added to the bill was Videograss’s The Last Ones which made for a three hour smorgasbord of shred flicks. Less than an hour before doors opened Arkade Editor/Art Director Paul Bundy was fighting the best efforts of Mother Nature to flood the venue by throwing sandbags in front of flooding doorways. With an eventual ok from the facility staff the show went on as planned. Everyone was super hyped to see the flicks and especially the parts from SLC homies Jordan Mendenhall, Sam Taxwood, Brandon Hobush, Scott Stevens, and new SLC resident Spencer Schubert. Between videos we gave away product from Howl, Ashbury, Nitro, Smith, Discrete, and after DejaVu an LI jacket and a Nitro Estevan Oriol collab board as well as copies of The Last Ones. It was a great evening and Arkade is extremely grateful to all of the sponsors who helped with product and of course to everyone who came out and made the show a success. We look forward to more movie premieres and other events in the future… thank you for supporting Arkade and Utah Snowboarding!

A 2-PART FILM BY NIKE SNOWBOARDING |

0314_HO13_ LunarEndor_Sngl_ARKADE.indd Trim: 8.0” W X 9.88” H Bleed: 0.25” Layout Scale: 100%