Snowboard Colorado Magazine (V2I8)

R: Nick RussellP: Andrew MillerAPR. 2012

HANDPLANTS

RIDE THE DIVIDE

SPRING SHOWCASE

SNOWCAMPINGADVENTURE

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Handcrafted Quality / ROCKER TWIN PROFILE / COMPOSITE Construction / 3 Year Warranty

NS FACTORY BUILT, DENVER C O. MADE IN USA W W W . N E V E R S U M M E R . C O M I N F O @ N E V E R S U M M E R . C O M

SOLD IN THE BESTSHOPS WORLDWIDE

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Handcrafted Quality / ROCKER TWIN PROFILE / COMPOSITE Construction / 3 Year Warranty

NS FACTORY BUILT, DENVER C O. MADE IN USA W W W . N E V E R S U M M E R . C O M I N F O @ N E V E R S U M M E R . C O M

SOLD IN THE BESTSHOPS WORLDWIDE

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APRIL2012

snowboard-colorado.com

CONTENTS

APRIL | V.2

FROM THE EDITOR

LADY KILLERS

MAN EATERS

OUTSIDE THE BOX

ALTITUDE SICKNESS

JUST SAYIN’

JOURNEY W/ JJ

BACKCOUNTRY OPS

VIDEO STASH

WE’VE GOT COMPANY

PRODUCT SHOWCASE

LAST RESORT

STYLE POINTS

SNOW CAMPING

TRICK TIPS

ART INSTALLMENT

MUSIC

12

18

20

22

24

26

28

30

32

34

38

48

62

76

88

92

94

I TRULY OWE A LOT OF THE MAGIC I HAVE GAINED FROM SNOWBOARDING, AND IT’S LIFESTYLE, TO THIS BEAUTIFUL PLACE OF SHRED. - PG. 50

ON THE COVERRider: Nick RussellPhoto: Andrew MillerLocation: Gunnison County

ISSUE2.8

Nick Russell has been a homie/roommate and one of my favorite riders to shoot over the past couple years. If you have ever met or rode with Russell Crowe, you know this cat shines with an old school style that is so refined for a young rider.

We randomly crossed paths coming off two different trips in Southern Colorado. Wanting to take advantage of the good snow, we took a quick detour to check an area close to where my grandfather hand built my family cabin back in the ‘70s in Gunnison County. A quick pat down and couple hits later we got the shot and hit road back to SLC just in time for dinner.

P: TERRY RATZLAFF

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.8

SGT Argentina 2012 registration now open at sassglobaltravel.com

sassglobaltravel.com

rider: Ryan Cruze

photos: Thomas Tikos Kadji

Don’t spend your summer sweating it out on a glacier. SGT has programs for high schoolers, college students, and adults that give you real powder, backcountry training and freestyle coaching from pros like Chris Coulter, Andrew Burns and Nicki Slechta.

For the same price as the other camps, you’ll learn a new culture, a new language and shred pow every day in one of the biggest mountain ranges on earth. The best winter you’ll ever have is going down this summer in Argentina.

SGT Argentina 2012 registration now open at sassglobaltravel.com

sassglobaltravel.com

rider: Ryan Cruze

photos: Thomas Tikos Kadji

Don’t spend your summer sweating it out on a glacier. SGT has programs for high schoolers, college students, and adults that give you real powder, backcountry training and freestyle coaching from pros like Chris Coulter, Andrew Burns and Nicki Slechta.

For the same price as the other camps, you’ll learn a new culture, a new language and shred pow every day in one of the biggest mountain ranges on earth. The best winter you’ll ever have is going down this summer in Argentina.

12 SBCOMAG

APRIL2012


FROM THE EDITORTIME FLIES

-ADAM SCHMIDT

ISSUE2.8

IT’S TRUE WHAT THEY SAY, “TIME FLIES WHEN YOU'RE HAVING FUN.” TAKING A LOOK BACK AT THIS YEAR I CAN'T BELIEVE THE SEASON'S END IS NEAR. IT FEELS LIKE EVEN AT THIS POINT, THE SEASON STILL HASN’T BEGUN. HOPEFULLY THAT’S A SIGN THAT MOTHER NATURE HAS BIGGER AND BETTER PLANS FOR AN EPIC SEASON NEXT YEAR.

We at Snowboard Colorado are thinking along the same lines. It's paramount for us to stack every issue with rich content, graphical depth and inspiring photos for you, our readers, and to keep each issue bursting with the highest quality we can produce. With this in mind, we will no longer produce a May issue. Instead, we will be focusing on bringing you eight strong issues filled with the absolute best articles, interviews and photos we can get our hands on. This was a decision that was not very hard to make, especially with the season being cut so short. Instead, we will spend the time while the snow remains, preparing for volume three of Snowboard Colorado, which is slated to blow the doors off of your local shops.

I want to personally thank everyone that has had a part in making this season and volume so memorable. Although it has come to an end, we are especially excited for the future and look forward to combining potential and execution to once again bring to life the Colorado snowboard scene.

See you September 15th at Red Rocks for the third annual Snowboard on the Rocks with the brand new issue in hand!

R: ASHER HUMPHREYSP: AARON DODDS

ZEAL Optics is more than just a goggle company. We are built by the people that ride. Day in and day out, we strive to define ourselves through our product. Hard-charging and no turning back, we help give Austen the ability to go bigger, see better and enjoy the journey.

FOLLOW us AnD AusTEn AT ZEALOpTics.cOm Or FAcEbOOk.cOm/ZEALOpTics

AUSTEN SWEETINWELcOmE TO THE FAmiLY

ZEALOpTics.cOm

1875_ZEAL_SnowBrd_mech.indd 1 11/10/11 2:32 PM

12BUR_JJackson_SnowCoApril.indd 1 3/14/12 3:05 PM

12BUR_JJackson_SnowCoApril.indd 1 3/14/12 3:05 PM

EDITOR IN CHIEF: ADAM SCHMIDTART DIRECTOR: ANDREW LANGFORDASSOCIATE DESIGNER: CODY ADAMSASSOCIATE EDITOR: JUSTIN LESNIAK

OPERATIONS DIRECTOR: BILLY CONNOR

FEATURE WRITERS:RITCHIE COLASANTI

MACK COLLINSLESLIE GLENNPAT MILBERY

CHAD OTTERSTROMJAY DEROSEJJ THOMAS

TIM WENGER

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER: AARON DODDS

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS:JEFF BROCKMEYERLIAM GALLAGHER

DEAN BLOTTO GRAYJON HILL

ZACH HOOPERRYO HIWATASHI

DAVE LEHLANDREW MILLER

CHAD OTTERSTROMJEFF POTTO

TERRY RATZLAFFANNELIESE RIX

SALES EXECUTIVE:JESSICA DEAL

[email protected]

Special thanks to: Lindsay Peterson, Brandon Painter, Mark Langford, Allie Hooson, Anya Zlotnikova, and Shellie McCallister.

Snowboard Colorado is a free magazine distributed nine

times per year, once a month from September to May.

Contributions: Snowboard Colorado Magazine is not

responsible for unsolicited contributions unless otherwise

agreed to in writing. Send all contributions and job

inquiries to: [email protected]

Snowboard Colorado565 E. 70th Ave. 8-EDenver, CO 80229

To carry Snowboard Colorado in your store please send an

email to [email protected].

Contact information for advertisement rates, specs,

publication schedule and distribution is available online at

www.snowboard-colorado.com or by calling 303-325-3040.

Copyright © 2012 Core Market Media LLC. All rights

reserved.

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LADY KILLERS

BY CHAD OTTERSTROM

DORANLAYBOURND.O.B.: 04/08/80RESIDES: Basalt, CO / Maple Falls, WAHOMETOWN: Laramie, WYSPONSORS: GNU, Active, Aspen Snowmass, Bluebird Wax, Saga, and ElectricSTANCE: Regular

f: 18b: -15 24.5 in. 166 cm.

I MOVED TO COLORADO IN NOVEMBER OF 1995. I DIDN’T REALLY KNOW WHERE TO GO OR WHO TO RIDE WITH, SO LIKE EVERY MINNESOTAN MOVING OUT HERE BACK THEN I DID THE LOCAL USASA CONTESTS AROUND COLORADO. THAT’S WHERE I FIRST SAW DORAN SNOWBOARD. HE’S PROBABLY ONE OF ABOUT FIVE PEOPLE I STILL KNOW FROM THEN THAT ARE STILL SNOWBOARDING EVERYDAY.

He must have been fifteen or sixteen, doing cab seven tails over this crappy 20 ft table at Snowmass. Doran’s a tall dude and was then too. Being tall is a curse for most snowboarders, but Doran is one of the few that is able to pull it off and make it look good. Doran grew up snowboarding in the Aspen valley from a young age, before Aspen opened to snowboarding in ‘97-‘98, he was able to ride the bus from Basalt to any of the other mountains in the valley. He had a tight crew from the beginning to snowboard with, his younger brother IZM and a few other kids from around town snowboarded together becoming known today as the Ryme Kryme Family, the local hip hop crew, for which Doran is the DJ.

They ruled the Aspen snowboard scene in the late ‘90s and early into the next decade. Growing up in Aspen can be hard though, with all the tourism and money floating around, it makes it easy to get into trouble, money does corrupt sometimes. A lot of the crew got themselves into trouble after getting hurt snowboarding, “partying and plotting,” is how Doran puts it. It kind of broke the snowboard crew up a little, but Doran claims not getting hurt, making good decisions and staying focused on his snowboard career has kept him out of all the trouble and still snowboarding today. Since those early years Doran started to branch out realizing there was a lot more out there to snowboard.

“A FREESTYLE GRIZZLY ADAMS.”

R: DORAN LAYBOARNP: CHAD OTTERSTROM

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I began to see Doran everywhere. Traveling the world to snowboard is something that opens your mind to what’s out there and makes you a better snowboarder. And that shows in Doran’s snowboarding. Living in Colorado, it’s easy to go to the park everyday and just ride chairlifts. Doran has seen the light and has taken his years of snowboarding experience to the backcountry of the Colorado mountains. Kinda like a freestyle Grizzly Adams. The mountains around here are extremely dangerous and hard to navigate with all the danger making a lot of people just stay away from it all, but he always seemed to make it happen more than anyone. After a few years of this he got to know the dangers a little too well. While snowboarding on the backside of Aspen with his buddy, Jersey, he was t-boned by a snowmobile in the legs while riding down the hill. The sled shattered his tibia, and fibia bones and his face bounced off the snowmobiler's helmet knocking out half his teeth and sent blood flying everywhere. From what I understand the snowmobiler freaked out and left, leaving Jersey to pick up the pieces and save his life, getting him out of there and to the hospital. Doran spent a couple weeks in the hospital basically getting his body reconstructed. This was especially harsh considering Doran’s snowboard career was just starting to blow up.

The year before his accident Doran, had one of his best video parts ever in Kyle Clancy’s movie, Who Cares. Not letting anything get him down, he got on a new program and took a job with Vans as the team manager for a couple years. Doran moved

to Southern California and limped around for over a year. It was a mystery whether or not he would ever get back to where he was on his snowboard before he got hurt. Miraculously, a couple years later, Doran started showing up on the scene again, hitting jumps and slowly getting back to where he was before his accident.

He quit Vans and went back to the mountains to pursue what he loved to do. After all the drama it seems he’s come back from his injury better than he was before. Along with coming out with his first video part in years, he’s now a producer of the Givin videos. A company founded by Keegan Valaika and cinematographer, Aaron Hooper. Givin came out with their first movie, One this last fall and are filming this year for their next release, entertainingly enough called, Too. Their focus is to create snowboard movies for snowboarders.

Doran seems like he will be involved in snowboarding forever no matter what it is. In Aspen, snowboarders will come and go, trends will change daily, the beer will always flow like wine and Doran will always be the true boss of the Aspen Valley.

R: DORAN LAYBOURNP: LIAM GALLAGHER

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MAN EATERS

BY LESLIE GLENN

ARIELFRIEDMAND.O.B.: 09/04/84RESIDES: Breckenridge, COHOMETOWN: Claremont, CASPONSORS: Vans, 720 Boardshop, and Betty RidesSTANCE: Goofy

f: 12b: -9 22.5 in. 152 cm.

R: ARIEL FRIEDMANP: JEFF BROCKMEYER

Ariel brings out the best in everyone around her and is always down for an adventure. If it’s sunny, you can find her lapping the park and laying down new combinations of spins and tricks each run. On a powder day, she charges just as hard, combing the mountain for the best snow, natural features to pop off or a good spot to throw a quick backie. Either way she is always pushing herself and those around her to ride better and have the maximum amount of fun.

Ariel grew up outside LA and admits to being a true “weekend warrior,” heading up to Mammoth Mountain, CA to ski and ride with her family every Saturday and Sunday. Ariel made her first tracks on a pair of skis, but it didn’t take her long to find the light. “I started snowboarding because both of my older brothers were doing it at June Mountain in California,” says Ariel. “Once I was able to keep up with my brothers, the rest, as they say, is history.” Skiing and snowboarding must be in her blood; her dad is almost 70-years-old and still heads to the summit of Mammoth Mountain any chance he gets.

Migrating to Colorado to attend Colorado University in Boulder, Ariel instantly clicked with fellow riders on the CU Snowboard Team, including the infamous Pamelas crew. After graduating, she spent three years in Winter Park where she “grew to love doubling up on bumps on the Jane, and catching air in the Rail Yard.” She made the move to Breckenridge and now calls Summit County home. This season Ariel has mostly focused on learning new tricks and having fun along with some filming and photo shoots. Upcoming plans include a trip to Utah and Tahoe to tackle the contest scene as well.

Ariel keeps her schedule full, on and off the mountain, by doing yoga whenever possible, as well as all sorts of outdoor activities from hiking and biking to hitting the sand with her volleyball crew. In her own words, “It’s not just the winters that keep me in Colorado, the summers are just as amazing. The last two summers, a bunch of kids and myself started playing volleyball. It is my mistress to boarding, and during these awesome spring days, I sense the net calling me.”

Do you remember when you fell in love with snowboarding? Ariel does. I will leave you with a quote from her about the moment she knew. “I still remember the day I realized that I loved boarding. It was after a semester abroad in Italy. I met up with another friend that was in Europe and we went to Zermatt, Switzerland. The journey was a bit rigorous and we missed the last train up the hill. The next morning before sunrise, we caught the train then walked to our hostel, and it was quiet except the crunch of snow under our feet and board bags. We were freezing cold and exhausted from the travel's hassles, but the sun was rising. With the murmurs of town slowly waking up, the way the light hit the peak and knowing that it was going to be an awesome day, something just clicked. Anything would be worth it. Including breaking my wrist and needing surgery in 2010.”

Ariel manages to ride and live life with unique passion and determination while keeping things fun and fresh. Watch out for much more to come from this Colorado shredder.

R: ARIEL FRIEDMANP: JEFF BROCKMEYER

“ONCE I WAS ABLE TO KEEP UP WITH MY BROTHERS, THE REST, AS THEY SAY, IS HISTORY.”

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NO MODELING QUESTIONS, I SWEAR...Ha, ok thanks.

FIRSTLY, CONGRATS JOHNNIE, YOUR FIRST PRO MODEL AND IT’S WITH SLASH BY GIGI. HOW DID THAT COME TO BE?Thank you! Yeah, it’s pretty crazy. I met Gigi a couple s e a s o n s a g o d o i n g t h e Greasebus Tour for Nike, so we got to hang out and ride together a bit. Then he came to Portland a few times for some Nike stuff and we got to ride Meadows which was amazing... riding with Gigi (Ruf) and Nicolas (Müller) and the rest of the crew at my home mountain, it was like a dream, haha. Then Gigi hit me up last summer while in Europe for the Absinthe premiere tour and we met up and he told me about Slash and his plans and everything. I really like Gigi as a person as well as a snowboarder and thought he had some pretty amazing ideas and it could be something really cool to be apart of. We took it from there and now we just debuted our line at SIA and it’s actually happening. We are super stoked and I think people are really gonna' love the boards.

SO WHAT’S YOUR PAXSON PRO MODEL ALL ABOUT? Well it’s got a bit of a northwest theme. I worked with Brandon Ramirez on it and he really killed it, that guy's really good and super easy to work with. I have some of Darcy Bacha’s photos worked into it as well. Darcy and I have been shooting together since the beginning of our careers and kind of came up helping each other. He is a really good friend of mine and an amazing photographer so it just felt right to have some of his work on my first pro model.

YOU SEEMED PRETTY PATIENT AS YOU WERE COMING UP, DID IT ALL PAY OFF, HAVE YOU MADE IT?I definitely made it to a point that I never really imagined I would. It was always a dream of mine to be a professional snowboarder and I had an image in my head of what that was. It’s what I have always worked towards but have never been sure if I would make it there or not. So no, I haven’t made it all the way to that dream or image of what I think a professional snowboarder is, yet. But I am really happy with where I’m at on the road towards it and am just trying to enjoy the ride along the way.

ARE YOU FOCUSING ON ONE FILM PART, OR JUGGLING MULTIPLE THIS YEAR?Originally I was going to be juggling again between the Nike project and Absinthe. Which is awesome, I love working with both groups. So I did a trip to Japan with Nike to kick things off, but we recently decided to hold off on the project until next season, so I will be doing Absinthe full time now.

HAS THAT BEEN MOSTLY FOR STREET OR POWDER SHOTS?So far it's been all street, but we’re about to hit the backcountry.

SO YOU’VE HAD A CHANCE TO RIDE IN OUR NECK OF THE WOODS?Yeah for sure, I went out to Colorado a couple times to ride Copper for a Vitamin Water camp. I came out the beginning of last season too, and rode Breck and Keystone and did a Park Sessions at Keystone during the middle of the season.

WHAT’S THE ONE THING THAT STANDS OUT ABOUT COLORADO?It’s just always a good time, whether we’re shredding or just chillin’ afterwards. People in Colorado love to have a good time and it shows with how stoked they are all the time. I’ve only ever been there to ride the parks pretty much and it’s always been so on point and sunny. There’s just always really good vibes. Colorado has always treated me well and I’m sure I will spend a lot more time there in my life.

HOW TALL ARE YOU?I’m 6’2.”

WHAT’S THE ADVANTAGE OF BEING A TALL RIDER?There isn’t any. Haha! At least I can’t think of any, but I’m always stoked when I see fellow tall guys killin it.

OUTSIDE THE BOX

BY ANDREW LANGFORD

JOHNNIEPAXSON

R: JOHNNIE PAXSONP: AARON DODDS

D.O.B.: 03/03/86RESIDES: Gresham, ORHOMETOWN: Gresham, OR SPONSORS: Slash Snowboards, Nike, VitaminWater, Dakine, Anon, Mt Hood 26, 7-9-13, and Jammypack.STANCE: Regular

f: 15b: -15 24.5 in. 156 cm.

RIDING WITH GIGI AND NICOLAS AND THE REST OF THE CREW AT MY HOME MOUNTAIN, IT WAS LIKE A DREAM.

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I ’VE HEARD YOUR STYLE DESCRIBED AS STRONG, POWERFUL, BIG, TRAVIS-ESQUE. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE IT, AND WHERE DID IT ORIGINATE?Well it originated at Mt. Hood Skibowl in about ten layers of cotton on a directional Burton Free-3 snowboard with the highback bindings cut off, doing the backwards falling leaf dragging my soaking wet gloves on the wet Northwest snow, wondering why my brother took me to the top of the mountain and left me to figure out how to get down.

It originated there and the rest just happened over time from wanting to go fast and catch some air. I didn’t worry too much about landing things at first, I just wanted that weightless feeling for as long as possible. I figured if what I was trying to do didn’t happen easily then I would rather just bail and keep trying it until it was easy. I didn’t want to have

to force it. If it didn’t feel right, I would just focus on bailing somewhat safely. There were a lot of bails in the beginning, but when it worked out, it came around so easy and felt so natural, and that’s what has stoked me out since the beginning. When everything works out perfectly and it feels effortless. That’s what I strive for, but the way it’s described is up to the people that watch it.

SO THERE IS A LOT OF HYPE ON YOUR FUTURE AS A PRO SNOWBOARDER, HOW DO YOU HANDLE THE EXPECTATIONS?I’ve never been to into the hype that surrounds a lot of things these days. I just try and take it one day at a time. I'm just here to snowboard to the best of my ability and to have fun doin' it. I try and just do what I do best and focus on snowboarding. It can be hard at times trying to l ive up to everybody’s expectations, but that’s just a part of the game and something

you have to learn to deal with. When it comes down to it, you gotta do what's best for you and what you wanna do. Otherwise it's just a matter of time before you burn out. I try and just remember why I started snowboarding in the first place.

WHAT ROUTE DO YOU WANT TO TAKE AS A PRO?That ’s tough, my mind is always changing so it’s hard to set a particular route. I just want to experience everything snowboarding has to offer. I want to keep doing what I’m doing and do the things I haven’t done yet. I wanna take my own route and take snowboarding as far as I can, I’m not sure yet where it’s gonna take me, but I’ll find out soon enough.

GREATEST THING ABOUT LIFE RIGHT NOW?I just got married in September so that’s pretty cool. I also just bought my first house in Gresham, OR, kind of a headache, but also great. Life is good, just stoked to be livin.’

R: JOHNNIE PAXSONP: AARON DODDS

WHEN EVERYTHING WORKS OUT PERFECTLY AND IT FEELS EFFORTLESS. THAT’S WHAT I STRIVE FOR

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APRIL2012


ALTITUDE SICKNESS

BY BILLY CONNOR / INTERVIEW BY JJ THOMAS

D.O.B.: 03/20/88RESIDES: Salt Lake City, UTHOMETOWN: Columbus, OHSPONSORS: Red Bull, G-Shock, Nike 6.0, Sprint, Toyota, Spy, Kicker, Neff, and Capix.STANCE: Regular

f: 12b: -9 22 in. 154 cm.

Ohio's poster child for shredding, Louie Vito is no stranger to Colorado and is definitely not one to be affected by altitude sickness. The sickness he suffers from comes from the heavy stock of tricks that this competitor holds in his back pocket. It just so happens that some of the hammers he drops in the pipe were learned right here in the beautiful state of Colorado, and Vito is pretty happy about that. “I learned my cab double during the last Olympic trial at Copper. I learned my double crippler in Aspen and then I learned my most recent backside double Michalchuk in Breckenridge this last January. So I've learned three different doubles at three different resorts in Colorado. Definitely not complaining about that.” Well, no one is complaining here, and honestly, no one in Colorado is too surprised to hear this. After all, this state is one of the major cornerstones of snowboarding progression.

To Louie, it makes perfect sense that he comes to a place like Colorado to progress his snowboarding. He has been to most all of the big mountains in Colorado, but still hasn’t been able to pick a favorite one. “It's cool that Vail Resorts has the five mountain pass. Copper has always been good to me. Aspen, Buttermilk and that whole zone is good. The mountains are all different, but I’ve ridden well at all these places at different times. I like how you can go up to Summit County and access five different resorts within 30 minutes of each other. So it's too hard to pick just one!” Vito definitely gets why Colorado is such a hot spot for the sport. People that live in the state year round

may often take this ample access for granted. Sometimes it takes someone from a humble, Midwest ice sliding background to remind us how fortunate everyone here is. Louie’s more obvious connections with Colorado are undoubtedly related to his multiple appearances atop the podiums at most major comps that go down in the state. “X Games, Copper Grand Prix and Breckenridge Dew Tour were all super good this year. Snow Park Technologies killed it at every spot. Those guys do a great job at every place we go to in Colorado.” But for Vito it seems not so much about the podiums and more about the memories that these contests create for him. Louie can even remember the first time he came here to compete in Colorado. “USASA nationals in Telluride was my first time ever riding in Colorado! My whole family came out. It was pretty memorable.” There is no doubt Louie has been killing the big contest scene here in Colorado, but comps aren’t the only tie he feels with the state. More relevant are the riders who inspired Louie to get on a board in the first place. His list of favorite pros include Colorado native JJ Thomas and Breckenridge local Chad Otterstrom. Vito says, “I think you always have to give it up to Chad Otterstrom. Chopper is the man and he still kills it to this day, so it's awesome to have one of your favorites still shredding today.” This kid speaks the truth.

LOUIE VITO

R: LOUIE VITO

R: LOUIE VITO

“I’VE LEARNED THREE

DIFFERENT DOUBLES AT THREE

DIFFERENT RESORTS IN

COLORADO!”

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In the past month, I have heard time and time again, "total bummer on the snow in the Rocky Mountains this year, right?" Yeah, I agree, but I think the majority of the let down comes from the unbelievable amount of snow we received the previous 2010-11 season in comparison to this season. This season has been a tough one to catch even a halfway decent pow day, with no tree riding really whatsoever, whereas the 2010-11 season was tough not to catch a powder day on a visit to the mountains.

On October 3, I received a phone call from Snowboard Colorado Magazine about a pressure system moving into the San Juan Mountain range that was looking like it could bring the fi rst large amount of snow to kick off the season. The staff wanted me to jump in on the mission and head down there in anticipation for the possibility of a legendary opening day at Wolf Creek. Not knowing what could or may happen, I decided why not? An October pow day is exactly what I always dreamed of and getting a day in to reduce the amount of waiting for the season to kick off would be rad. The chances were 50/50, but as a snowboarder, our lifestyle is consistently based on taking chances and exploration.

We packed up some gear, hit the road and found our way across a lot of dry highways and no visible signs of snow. Until we arrived about fi ve miles from the resort, where the magic began and instantly the rocks switched from brown and red, to white, as the temperatures drastically dropped. Winter had offi cially arrived, and through the early visible signs of this mountain pass, Mother Nature just hooked this place up with about three feet of snow.

By going with my gut feeling, and keeping the adventurous spirit of being a snowboarder alive, our crew got to shred three feet of pow in October. I’m talking face shots on every lap of the day, to the point of exhaustion where our legs were burning so bad we were forced to call it quits at 3:30, instead of four o'clock. This storm has been one of the biggest dumps of snow Colorado has seen all season, who would have ever expected this to happen on October 8? If I would have waited another month or two for the season to offi cially kick off, I would of never had this great day of snow to start the season off with.

The moral of the story is to get out and explore, check out new spots, take the sunny weather with little snow and learn fi ve new tricks. Get creative with local spots and think of new tricks you might never have thought about trying, but now you have the time to try. Instead of not shredding or complaining about what winter should be, or could be, make it yours and adventure into your imagination of what you would like it to become. Another alternative is to travel to other states or countries that have received snow. That’s right, road trip! Make some new friends, put yourself into challenging scenarios, and learn to appreciate a new type of snowpack and differences amongst shred cultures. Save up a little extra money and take a trip to experience places like Mt. Baker, Washington or Naeba, Japan. Travel and you will see!

JUST SAYIN’

PAT MILBERY

GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO TRAVEL.

R: PAT MILBERYP: RYO HIWATASHI

MANTU-0011 Snowboard Colorado Ad v01-PRINT.pdf 1 8/1/11 5:09 PM

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JOURNEY WITH JJ

BY JJ THOMAS

SPRING FLING

I could never understand why the coldest months of the ski season are the busiest. All season long, I battle freezing temps and put on layer after layer of clothing to stay warm, but all the while I know that spring is fast approaching, and it makes the cold and the crowds seem not as bad.

Here is a list of why, in my opinion, spring time is the best!

1. SnowOne thing that most avid snowboarders seem to forget is the amount of snow that always seems to fall in the spring time. Some of my best powder days throughout the years have all been in March and April, and thanks to lack of crowds, there was just that much more powder to be had.

2. WeatherWhen there isn’t bottomless spring powder to be had, who can complain about snowboarding in 40-50 degree weather? It’s so warm you can take your shirt off and start working on that summer tan while eating lunch.

3. ProgressionIt’s no surprise that pro snowboarders always seem to progress the most in the spring. At this point you’ve been on the hill all season doing your tricks in hard, cold conditions, but once temps start to warm up and the snow gets soft you suddenly get possessed with that soft snow confidence and try the tricks you’ve been thinking about all winter.

4. More lightAs we all know, in the spring time the sun is in the sky for much longer, so that means no more going in for the day at two pm. Some of the best runs come for me late in the day with that soft afternoon light on the hill. Breckenridge has even been known for keeping their park open an hour later during the last few weeks of the season.

5. Snow bunnies in bikinisYou have to love riding the lift up while watching a pack of screaming girls ride down below you in bikini tops. That’s what spring is all about. Don’t worry ladies, there’s always the handsome silver fox guy who rides below you as well with his shirt off, lathered in baby oil and hair blowing in the breeze.

The secret is out. Spring is where it’s at.

R: MATT GUESS

YESNOWBOARD.COM LET THE RIDING DO THE TALKING

FRANK APRIL154 JACKPOT

CO_YesJackpot.indd 1 11/14/11 7:25 AM

30 SBCOMAG

APRIL2012


BACKCOUNTRY OPS

BY CHAD OTTERSTROM

GARMIN RINO

I MOSTLY WRITE ABOUT THINGS I WANT AND DON’T HAVE. THIS IS ONE OF THEM.

THE GARMIN RINO. IT’S BASICALLY A GPS DEVICE AND RADIO ALL IN ONE... HAVING GPS NAVIGATION AND A RADIO OUT THERE IN THE WOODS CAN BE A LIFE SAVER

This month’s sweet item to have out in the backcountry is the Garmin Rino. It’s basically a GPS device and radio all in one. You can use it for all kinds of different things. I mostly use radios when I’m out filming or taking pictures. Radios come in handy when you are out of view from the media dudes. You can call them on the radio and tell ‘em you're ready to drop so they don’t miss the shot.

If you’ve seen The Art of Flight, which I’m sure everyone has, you see the shot where Travis throws the radio behind him in the snow and drops into the run. That’s a perfect example of what I’m talking about, except for most people your going to want to put the radio back in your pocket, because you probably won't have a helicopter flying you back up when you're done with your run.

These things are also good for figuring out where you are going. It comes with a topo map that shows major roads, bodies of water, and other points of interest. This feature comes in handy especially if your snowmobiling and want to see what might be over the next mountain, or if you get lost and need to navigate your way back to the trail. I mostly write about things I want and don’t have. This is one of them. The cool thing about this is it’s a radio and GPS navigator all in one, where as normally you have a separate radio and GPS device. This is the base model Rino. There are a couple other higher end models that come with some more advanced features, but for your average boarder getting

out in the mountains, it has everything you need. Having GPS navigation and a radio out there in the woods can be a life saver like anything else out there, ya never know when someone’s gonna get hurt or lost. This is just one more thing to help stay safe and keep the good times going out in the sticks.

R: CHAD OTTERSTROMP: JEFF BROCKMEYER

Lift

#6 D

oub

le

Surface

Lift

Lift#4 Doub

Ruby Exp

ress

Lift#2 TripleLift#1 T

riple Lift

#9 Quad

0’

1,500’

2,210’

Total Vertical Drop - 2,210’

32 SBCOMAG

APRIL2012


ROLE MODELVIDEO STASH

COCKFIGHT!BY MACK COLLINS

COCKFIGHT! LOCALS MAKING A STATEMENT.

Personally, I’ve never had one of those really sketchy nights down in Tijuana where going to a cock fi ght is a main event on the itinerary, but I’m sure that it would be some crazy shit the Role Model crew would end up doing given the chance. The new fi lm from the Colorado/Minnesota based crew doesn’t involve any actual roosters fi ghting each other to the death, just more so of these rookies and veterans alike battling themselves near death. Role Model has been known for comedic antics in their snowboard fi lms, releases (i.e. Just Kidding, But Seriously) and the comedy is still alive and well with their newest release. They are one of the main and longest standing local video crews of Colorado, and call Breckenridge their central base of operations.

COCKFIGHT! is the essence of a “friends” snowboard fl ick, not taking things too seriously, but still maintaining a high standard of riding. Stylistically, they aspire to the “raw” footage approach, with a layer of laugh tracks layered down in there. Being a Colorado boarder, there is a plethora of urban spots you will probably recognize throughout the greater Denver area, as well as a mass quantity of Vail pass, Silverton, and Red Mountain pass. Snowboard Colorado’s own feature writer Chad O (AKA the Godfather) opens up COCKFIGHT!, hitting all of the backcountry options Colorado has to offer, as well as dropping knowledge for aspiring fi lmers, that if you are getting the artsy tree angle, you better not have a tree branch block a part of the trick or else you are, “fuckin’ fi red.” Urban riding makes up majority of the fi lm aside from Chad O and young buck Colin Spencer’s parts. Stand out urban parts include Mike Casanova, Jared Jordan, and Dylan Alito. Role Model has always had a keen ear in selecting the soundtracks that accent their documented riding, COCKFIGHT!

being a mix of rock classics with some gangster tracks thrown in the mix. There are plenty of stand out moments throughout the fi lm, but my vote goes to Alito’s nose press to front fl ip off a fl at bar close-out, ala Ethan Diess’ White Castle front fl ip of a kink from Think Positive. There are plenty of reasons to support these guys since they are locals, but there is simply no excuse to not check out COCKFIGHT! because it’s at the striking fi ve-fi nger discount price of free! It’s available online streaming on Role Model’s website, so get the hell off Facebook for a half hour and check out this fl ick!

Park: 10%Urban: 60 %Back Country: 30%

Sponsors: Burton Snowboards, Monument Snowboards, Snowboard Colorado Magazine, Hobo Headwear, and Satellite Board Shop.

Riders: Chad Otterstrom, Jared Jordan, Dylan Alito, Mike Casanova, Colin Wilson, Austin Julik-Heine, Colin Spencer, Madison Ellsworth, Krister Ralles, Zach Rawles.

R: MADISON ELLSWORTHP: TERRY RATZLAFF

34 SBCOMAG

APRIL2012


FIRST DROPWE’VE GOT COMPANY

BY BILLY CONNOR

COLORADO, THE PERFECT LOCATION.

Starting a brand is no easy task. It takes more time, energy and money than most people have, and even those resources won’t guarantee success. A successful brand is built upon hard work, perseverance, loyal supporters and lots of sacrifice. First Drop may be a new face on the market, but they have been following this framework of success to the letter. Fearless leader, David Lesh, started First Drop under the auspices of a lack of involvement with his own sponsors. Being a professional in the industry, Lesh wanted to get more involved in the R&D side of the outerwear he was riding. However, his outerwear sponsors weren’t on the same page. So, in the summer of 2009, David began to visualize what was to become First Drop in just four short months. He finished up that summer in Oregon and then moved to Boulder, Colorado to go to school at CU. After gathering some last minute flow from his ex-sponsors, and with the help of some of his industry connections, David was able to first drop his brand on the scene in the Fall of 2009, with little to no funds. “I didn’t have good enough grades to get into the business school,” jokes Lesh when I asked him about his major in art, minor in business. First Drop, although first conceptualized in Oregon, has really made its home in Boulder. Originally, it was operating out of David’s one bedroom apartment near campus. Now, they have a legit warehouse on the east side of Boulder that they call home. No, seriously. It’s their home. Lesh, along with staple FD members Paul McSweeney and Nick Knauf, have all the amenities they need in the FD warehouse. This includes three bedrooms, a full kitchen, a full bathroom, a chill spot complete with flat screen and couches and plenty of booze and toys to keep the whole family entertained. Paul and Nick are both childhood friends of David’s and were brought on in the last two years to help with the immense amount of orders First Drop receives.

“Colorado is a great place for First Drop to be. Not only is it a benefit to have access to the riding we do, but Colorado’s location is great. We are pretty much in the middle of the country and it never takes more than three days for packages to ship anywhere. That is important for a company doing as much online business as we do,” mentions Lesh. “I would say about 85% of our sales are from direct buys on our website. First Drop is the only customizable outerwear out there right now. We do have retailers in the US, Europe and Asia, but in order to keep the customizable idea of our brand we really need to push the online sales.” Custom is right. If you go check out FDWear.com, they have about ten different color ways for you to play with. It may not sound like much, but when you can mess with the colors of individual sleeves, legs, hoods, bibs and other pieces of the outerwear, your creativity can really start to shine. Going forward, First Drop is looking to expand into markets beyond snow and create a brand that can persist beyond winter months. Coming out with products like jerseys, hoodies, jeans, hats and some other accessories is proof of this expansion. David stresses that “(First Drop) wants to do more events. It is something we really want to do, but haven’t had the time for. There have been plenty of events we sponsored, but we really want to start producing our own events. I also want to build our team exposure by getting more photo shoots and trips together.” Lesh also wants people to feel welcome to come to the First Drop warehouse. You can find all the info you need on items and sales at FDWear.com. The crew invites any interested consumers to come see what the product is all about. Just make sure you tell them Snowboard Colorado says hello.

AT LOVELAND

COME DEMO NEXT YEAR’S

GEAR, BEFORE YOU CAN GET IT

IN SHOPS!

DEMODAY

SNOWBOARD APRIL 21, 2012

AT LOVELAND

COME DEMO NEXT YEAR’S

GEAR, BEFORE YOU CAN GET IT

IN SHOPS!

DEMODAY

SNOWBOARD APRIL 21, 2012

38 SBCOMAG

APRIL2012


HOUSE OF MARLEY

POSITIVE VIBRATIONS ON-EAR

HEADPHONES

59.99

CANDYGRIND

EXECUTIVE WALLET

39.95

ME.GLAD

THE ADAMS HAT

26.00

PHOTOGRAPHER: TERRY RATZLAFF

MODELS: ANYA, MARK, BRANDON, ALLIE,

SHELLIE, & ELISE

HAIR & MAKEUP: LINDSAY PETERSON

PRODUCT SHOWCASEa spring

39PRODUCTSHOWCASE

SBCO

MAG

ISSUE2.8

MARK

ME.GLAD

DESPERADO HOODIE

85.00

ME.GLAD

ELY SLIM PANTS

68.00

40 SBCOMAG

APRIL2012


ANYA

ROXY

SURF CAMP TOP

34.50

ROXY NOMAD SHORTS

38.50

BRANDON

VOLCOM

EX FACTOR PLAID

45.00

41PRODUCTSHOWCASE

SBCO

MAG

ISSUE2.8

YEA.NICE

THE DJ HAT

27.95

SKULLCANDY

ROCNATION AVIATOR HEADPHONES

149.95

GRAVIS

FILTER DURO SHOES

65.00

42 SBCOMAG

APRIL2012


ALLIE

ROXY

LOVE MY SOL DRESS

54.50

SHELLIE

ROXY

PEACE TRIPPEN TOP

39.50

ROXY

MORNING REVELERS EYELET PANTS

64.50

43PRODUCTSHOWCASE

SBCO

MAG

ISSUE2.8

ROXY

PACK IT UP 2

32.00

ROXY

THE BOULEVARD

34.00

VESTAL

ST. JANE SUNGLASSES

60.00

44 SBCOMAG

APRIL2012


VESTAL

LUNA WATCH

40.00

VANS

CANVAS AUTHENTIC LO PRO SHOES

45.00

45PRODUCTSHOWCASE

SBCO

MAG

ISSUE2.8

ELISE

ROXY

SUNDAY MARKET SWEATER

54.50

46 SBCOMAG

APRIL2012


MARK

OUTDOOR TECHNOLOGY

WIRELESS HEADPHONES OT SLIMS

69.95

CANDYGRIND

STRIPE TRUCKER HAT

24.95

HEX

THE RECON SOURCE BACKPACK

60.00

NOMIS

SLICK DENIM

69.95

47PRODUCTSHOWCASE

SBCO

MAG

ISSUE2.8

ME.GLAD

CREST HAT

22.00

BERN

RETRO HEADPHONES

39.95

BRANDON

CANDYGRIND

LIFE PACK

74.95

LOVELANDLAST RESORT

By Jay Derose

P: AARON DODDS

50 SBCOMAG

APRIL2012


FIRST AND FOREMOST, IT IS AN HONOR TO WRITE THE RESORT PROFILE ON ONE OF THE MOST OG RESORTS IN OUR BEAUTIFUL STATE OF COLORADO. I’M SURE MANY OF US GROWING UP IN DENVER, OR SOMEWHERE ON THE FRONT RANGE, HAD THEIR FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH THE SHRED, OR GREW UP SNOWBOARDING AT LOVELAND SKI AREA. THESE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO KNOW THIS PLACE IS WORTH BATTLING THE COLD AND THE WIND IN ORDER TO SPEND A DAY HAVING FUN SHREDDING. AS FOR ALL OF YOU TRANSPLANTS, PERHAPS YOUR FIRST, AND ONLY

EXPERIENCE AT LOVELAND HAS BEEN IN THE EARLY SEASON, (AS LOVELAND IS ALWAYS ONE OF THE FIRST RESORTS IN COLORADO, AND THE COUNTRY, TO OPEN) OR IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN SO COLD, OR WINDY THAT YOU DECIDED NEVER TO GO BACK. I HIGHLY SUGGEST GIVING THIS PLACE ANOTHER CHANCE. I TRULY OWE A LOT OF THE MAGIC I HAVE GAINED FROM SNOWBOARDING, AND IT’S LIFESTYLE, TO THIS BEAUTIFUL PLACE OF SHRED. HAVING SAID ALL THAT SHIT, LET’S DIVE INTO THE WONDERS OF THIS AWESOME RESORT.

LOVELAND. TOO OFTEN OVER-LOOKED AND UNDERRATED.

R: MADISON ELLSWORTHP: AARON DODDS

51LOVELAND SBCOMAG

ISSUE2.8

Located a bit more than 50 miles from the heart of downtown Denver, this place is a breeze to get to on any day of the week, but if you do go on a weekday, expect to drive no more than about 50 minutes to get here. Good old exit 216 off of I-70, you avoid having to go through the Eisenhower tunnel, as well as going over Loveland Pass to get to one of the mega resorts Summit County has to offer. It’s always been crazy to me that even though Loveland is in plain sight from one of the busiest snowboard traffi c highways in the country, it still manages to get passed up and overlooked by a great majority of people driving west to go shred. No complaints here however, I say keep on driving to video game snowboard park land, and leave the Loveland goodies to the true believers.

As you take the exit to get to Loveland, you approach a fork in the road. You can either go left, to the Loveland Valley, or right, to the Loveland Basin. The Valley is host to ski and snowboard school, as well as lots of early season ski racing, which is not fun for anyone. Although the valley does have some fun terrain to explore on a sunny day, I’d say unless you got a little one you're gonna teach to ride, you need to head right to the Basin.

Turning into the parking lot at the Basin kinda has this feeling of old school shred. There are no parking gates you have to pay $20 to get through, nor are there any 15-minute shuttle bus rides just to get to the resort from the parking lot. Nope, not here, you just follow the lead of the always happy, and under the infl uence parking attendants, and pull right up to two chairlifts, as well as the mountain area, fully equipped with everything you need to get your stoke on. Now if you do arrive on a busy day, and have to park at the end of the lot, it’s seriously a three minute walk to the chairlifts. In my opinion, this is of great value to me, not having to deal with any more transport once you arrive at the area. If you get there early, (lifts open at nine on weekdays, 8:30 on weekends), guaranteed, you can pull right up to the front of the lot where you have to walk 50 feet and you're already strappin' in. MONEY… If you show up, and you forgot any gear, stop by the Loveland Sport shop, as they are equipped with tons of great product, and a highly friendly and knowledgeable staff to get you what you need.

I SAY KEEP ON DRIVING TO VIDEO GAME SNOWBOARD PARK LAND, AND LEAVE THE LOVELAND GOODIES TO THE TRUE BELIEVERS.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO GET YOUR STOKE ON

LOVELAND LOCATED A BIT MORE THAN 50 MILES FROM THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN DENVER

0’

1,200’

2,400’

Terrain - 1,570 AcresBowls - Super, Primer, Patrol

200 400 600 800 1,000 1,200 1,400 1,600

100 300 500 700

Total Vertical Drop - 2,210’

Lift#8

Summit Elevation 13,010’

Patrol Bowl

Lift

#6 D

oub

le Surface

Lift

Lift#4 Double

Lift#7 D

oubleLift

#3 Quad

Ruby Exp

ress

Lift#2 Triple

Lift#1 T

riple

Lift#9 Q

uad

Base Elevation 10,800’

Access Tunnel

Primer Bowl

Super Bowl

Lift#8

Loveland Valley

YOU CAN HONESTLY GET IN LIKE FOUR RUNS IN ABOUT A HALF AN HOUR ON SOME OF THE STEEPEST AND DEEPEST TERRAIN OUT THERE

P: AARON DODDS

54 SBCOMAG

APRIL2012


under the lift however, there’s a great natural hip that forms about halfway down the lift line. You can also access “Love Park,” which is the terrain park from this lift. Loveland is not known for their parks, so be prepared to get your shred on 1998 style. It’s extremely skate friendly, with lots of small rails and boxes, with a few small jumps as well. I find parks like this to be somewhat of a relief, as opposed to overcrowded 70 ft jump style parks. Just think skateboarding, and hand plants, and you’ll have a blast in there. Shout out to Skian Ian, Josh, Paul, and the ladies who make the park happen, with little to no budget. Your efforts are appreciated. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention, if you get off the lift, you can hike out an exit gate, and straight up behind The Rock House, and get to Loveland pass. The hike is only about ten minutes, and it gets you to the best runs on the pass. It’s amazingly easier than hiking all the way around the ridgeline. That alone is worth getting a ticket to Loveland.

Hop on Lift 2, and head to the top of the mountain, where you're able to get to the rest this place has to offer. I usually opt to take a right off the lift and stay high in order to get to “Fire Bowl.” Here you’re able to lay out some big ones, and then shred down through the fun trees on the south chutes, which have tons of little cliffs all over the place. This will then filter you down to Chair 9, and allow you to access “The Ridge.” Boasting to be the highest quad chair in North America, when you get to the top of the lift, you can pretty much see all the way to Georgetown, as well as three of Summit County’s resorts. It’s one of the most amazing views in the state.

Ok, so right off the bat, you got two lift choices, Lift 1, or Lift 2. Lift 2 takes you all the way to the top off the mountain where you can access pretty much any other lift on the mountain, the only downfall to hopping on this lift first is that it is the longest lift ride on the mountain, so anxiety starts to run high about halfway up. This is why I choose to ride up Lift 1 first. It’s a super quick ride up, with access to some of the steepest runs on the whole mountain. I highly suggest lapping this lift two or three times before venturing elsewhere, as it is so easy to do so. You can honestly get in like four runs in about a half an hour on some of the steepest and deepest terrain out there, that is in fact if you choose not to stop at The Rock House at the top of the lift for a smoke and a pancake, as people are always cookin' up something in there. If you don’t stop for safety, go left off the lift and skate for like two minutes, this takes you to “Over the Rainbow.” This allows you to drop into a long, wide open bowl that funnels into some well spread out tree chutes that you can just lay out massive turns in, or just point it to the bottom. Hug the rope line to the left as you drop in, and there’s a sweet ollie that you can send as deep as you want. If you choose to go right

BE PREPARED TO GET YOUR SHRED ON 1998 STYLE... JUST THINK SKATEBOARDING, AND HAND PLANTS, AND YOU’LL HAVE A BLAST

R: MADISON ELLSWORTHP: AARON DODDS

R: JAY DEROSEP: DAVE LEHL

R: JAY DEROSEP: DAVE LEHL

58 SBCOMAG

APRIL2012


From “The Ridge,” you can also really see the layout of the mountain. It’s pretty much one huge bowl, with chairlifts positioned all the way around, and everywhere in between. Lots of which is above tree line, so at most times it feels like you’re at a resort in Europe or something, it's pretty damn cool. So from “The Ridge,” you can pretty much get to like ten different bowls and numerous amounts of steep chutes, all doing so with no more than a ten minute hike. That’s fuckin' true. A favorite of mine, and the longest hike, which is ten minutes, is Wild Child. This may actually be the highest point at the resort as well, and it makes for a hell of a long and steep line. Shredding towards the bottom off the lifeline on Chair 9, it is equipped with fun little walls on both sides of the run, where there are tons of re-entry gaps, hips, and lots of little tranny finders to ollie. There are also some pretty hefty sized cliffs on the “Head Wall” off of this chair as well, but it’s totally Hollywood style, so if you eat shit, you're gonna hear about it from the people above you on the lift. On the north side of the lift, you can shred the “North Chutes,” which are made up of lots of pillows, drops, and naturally formed walls, which act like a pipe from the year 1995. The “North Chutes” are way too much fun to just lap once. The best way to get to these runs is from Chair 4.

Chair 4 is great for a number of reasons. It takes you across the highway to Chair 8, which in my opinion is the best area on the mountain, and also that anything you shred off this chair is likely to be good. It starts off a bit flat, but as soon as you roll past the midway load/unload point, it rolls over and gets nice and fast. Honestly, if you get it while it’s good, the lifeline is probably your best bet off this chair. Take the “Zip Trail” cat track, however, to

the Sunburst Chutes, and there is a wall on the right side built up of drops and nice boosty hips. Follow this same cat track all the way to the end, and it takes you to Chair 8, which also puts you on the other side of I-70, which has one of the most unique ways of getting back across the highway, to the main base area.

When you get over to this newfound realm of shred, you feel as if you just time warped into a whole new resort where nobody but you and your homies knows how to get to. It’s crazy how at Loveland you always have this feeling that there is no one else on the mountain but you and your friends, but in reality, there are people all over. It has a serene sense of privacy and tranquility, especially over on good ol' Chair 8. Riding this area feels like you're riding in a dream sometimes. You know that feeling you get when you hop off the lift, and your favorite song to ride to comes through your headphones, you drop in with your best homies, and you just feel like you could shred so hard that you're going to explode. Well that’s what it feels like when you’re riding this area and you know where you’re going. I could seriously write a whole other article just on this zone, but instead I will just cue you in on some of the goods over here.

R: PAUL GEMIGNANIP: JON PACIARONI

IT’S TOTALLY HOLLYWOOD STYLE, SO IF YOU EAT SHIT, YOU’RE GONNA HEAR ABOUT IT FROM THE PEOPLE ABOVE YOU ON THE LIFT.

P: AARON DODDS

59LOVELAND SBCOMAG

ISSUE2.8

There’s countless little ollies and bush gaps and hips all the way down the lifeline, so if you don’t mind the “Hollywood” factor, muster it out and get your jib on through there. If you choose to get off the lift and go left, I highly recommend staying high right in order to get to “Tickler Gulch." On your way to “Tickler Gulch,” there’s a couple awesome bush hips, and if you keep your speed, there’s an old school WU-Tang style jump that you can launch little back flippers off all day. Keep on truckin' through the gulch and you’ll find the legendary rock jump. I’m certain that this rock has been host to countless amounts of people's first tricks. I know that when I was a little punk ass, I would session this thing all day, learning new grabs and shit. It is to this day still as fun as it was back then. So after that, you get into the trees where there are a couple hippie jibs, and one smoke shack, which compared to some of the recent shacks going up, is primitive as all hell, but it still does the trick to light your flame on a blower day. You can also get to one of the most wide open and steep bowls on the mountain if you go this way off the lift as well. “In the Mood,” although a short and fast face, is wide open and fun as hell. About halfway down there is a wind lip, that when shaped the right way, you can get launched off this thing in all the right ways. If you choose to go the other direction off the lift, skate away in order to get to “Awesome.” This run is nothing less than awesome too. It takes a bit for it to get filled in over there and for the rope to drop in order to get to the fun stuff, but what rope has ever stopped the stoke from happening. On “Awesome,” there are a couple fun cliffs, and some pretty cool jumps too. Be sure to keep your speed at the end though so you can make it through the long flats of this gully. To get back to the rest of the resort, and the other side of I-70, there are two ways to go about it. You can take the “Zippity Split” cat track, and hit some

more lines on the way down, or if you're thirsty, and need to head to Ratskeller for a beer, I recommend riding down past the lift, to the face, which takes you to the access tunnel that goes under I-70, and back to the base area. I can’t think of another place in the state where you have to go through a tunnel under the highway to get back to the resort. It’s awesome, especially when it’s a big snow year, because the tunnel gets packed with ice and you can watch skiers eat shit going through it all day. So entertaining. Head on through and stop at the Ratskeller Bar for an oat soda, or some cheap tasty food. No $10 slice of pizza here folks, nope, eating at Loveland won’t break your bank.

Now if you paid attention to your surroundings throughout your trip to the mountain, you probably noticed that there’s no real scene here at Loveland. There’s no clicks of this kind of snowboarder, or that kind of snowboarder, no ones trying to look cooler than anyone, there’s no fashion show, and there’s definitely no fucking vibing going on here. No one gives a shit about that at Loveland. Everybody’s friends, and everyone wants everyone else to have a good time just being on the mountain shredding. That’s what it’s always been about, and will remain to be about forever here at Loveland.

EVERYONE WANTS EVERYONE ELSE TO HAVE A GOOD TIME JUST BEING ON THE MOUNTAIN

P: AARON DODDS R: STEVE UHEN

P: DAVE LEHL

D E P L O Y I N G I N 2 0 1 2 / 1 3

w w w . e c h e l o n s n o w . c o m

D E P L O Y I N G I N 2 0 1 2 / 1 3

w w w . e c h e l o n s n o w . c o m

Hand plants are like a fine wine, scratch that, a manly bottle of whiskey; gaining style, respect, potency and substance with each passing day. Decades, fads and styles come and go while hand plants sit back and continue to be the cornerstone of the “book of style.” Much like “the most interesting man in the world,” hand plants continue to influence the foundation of true style while staying confidently hidden in the shadows. However, when a hand plant does appear, it’s a sighting that instantly requires attention, the reason we are bringing you hand plants this month. Sit back, open a cold one and enjoy this collection of Style Points.

Words by Justin Lesniak

PG63

R: JAKE BLACKP: ZACH HOOPER

ASPEN, CO

PG64

R: BEN LYNCHP: JON HILL

TABERNASH, CO

PG65

R: TRAVIS RICEP: ZACH HOOPER

BUTTERMILK, CO

PG67

R: JAY DEROSEP: TERRY RATZLAFF

BERTHOUD PASS, CO

snowboards

www.wi-mesnowboards.com

snowboards

www.wi-mesnowboards.comPG69

R: PAT MILBERYP: TERRY RATZLAFF

CHEBOYGAN, MI

www.akinz.com

Aqua Acid Wash Hoodie Dress & Chunk Verushka in Plum Stripe

www.akinz.com

Aqua Acid Wash Hoodie Dress & Chunk Verushka in Plum Stripe

PG71

R: KELLY CLARKP: DEAN BLOTTO GRAY

BUTTERMILK, CO

PG73

R: DORAN LAYBOURNP: JEFF POTTO

ASPEN, CO

Halldor HelgasonSammy LuebkeKevin JonesGjermund BråtenBlair HabenichtMark CarterXavier de le RueKimmy FasaniRyan TieneTorstein HorgmoLonnie KaukRaewyn ReidMathieu CrepelLeanne PelosiEiki Helgason Gulli GudmundssonMads Jonsson

TOTA

LLY B

OARD

- VOL

UME T

WEN

TY

AN HD

SNOW

BOAR

D FILM

BY M

IKE H

ATCH

ETT A

ND TR

AVIS

ROBB

STA

NDAR

D FI

LMS 2

0TH

MOV

IE FR

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OLUT

IONA

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Copyright © 2011 Standard Films Inc. All Rights Reserved. Tour Schedule, Blu-ray, DVD and More Direct at: www.standardfilms.com

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Halldor HelgasonSammy LuebkeKevin JonesGjermund BråtenBlair HabenichtMark CarterXavier de le RueKimmy FasaniRyan TieneTorstein HorgmoLonnie KaukRaewyn ReidMathieu CrepelLeanne PelosiEiki Helgason Gulli GudmundssonMads Jonsson

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Copyright © 2011 Standard Films Inc. All Rights Reserved. Tour Schedule, Blu-ray, DVD and More Direct at: www.standardfilms.com

76 APRIL2012


77SNOWCAMPINGADVENTURE

ISSUE2.8

78 APRIL2012


ocated just about fi ve miles east of Keystone, on CR 5, lays a small town with nothing but dirt roads and a stop sign. People call it Montezuma. Our extremely rainy drive up from Denver during mid-spring, turns into snow as we gain elevation into the small town.

Our base camp is a three hour hike from the trailhead to the national forest access in St. Johns Bowl, where the good stuff is. So be prepared for a good hike if your not using machines to access the area.

Note: if you explore this area, you will come across the ghost town of Saint Johns, be respectful of the private property that you will pass by on the way to the shred zone. By leaving the trailhead at six am we left ourselves plenty of time to hike and set-up camp by noon. Which in return gave us time to explore and fi nd our fi rst feature early in the afternoon.


ISSUE2.8

Our base camp is a three hour hike from the trailhead to the national forest access in St. Johns Bowl, where the good stuff is.

R: RITCHIE COLASANTI

R: ERIK VAN ASSCHE

80 APRIL2012


With the weather still snowing off and on we were forced to find a location below tree line to build the first feature. Not far from camp we had discovered a burnt tree that was broken in half about 15 ft up from the ground. Finding a nice slope behind the tree for a “run in” we decided to go ahead and build. Keeping in mind that we only had so much daylight to complete the build we wanted to keep it simple and fun. After a good session on the tree, and getting totally soaked, we started heading back to camp where the only thing on all of our minds was to eat and get dry. Keeping hydrated and energized is a key factor for your comfort and ability to stay strong while your out in the elements.

As night approaches, the group settled into what would be home for the night. We all thought we were going to be able to relax around the fire, dry some gear, shoot some guns and drink some whiskey, but as the evening progressed, the storm closed in and began to thicken, which put us in our tents waiting out the weather. Bundled up in our sleeping bags tucked under the shelter of the tent we sat and waited out the snow, which turned to sleet, then rain and back to snow again as the cooler temperatures of the night hit. Dozing off to the sound of the rain and snow beating on the tent only left us with the thought of what was to come in morning. The forecast was changing every couple of hours leading up to the trip, calling for rain/snow mix on our first day and bluebird with a high of 53 degrees on the second day. We were facing the reality of Colorado spring storms.

After a good session on the tree, and getting totally soaked, we started heading back to camp where the only thing on all of our minds was to eat and get dry.



ISSUE2.8


82 APRIL2012



ISSUE2.8

We all thought we were going to be able to rel� around the fi re, dry some gear, shoot some guns and drink some whiskey...

84 APRIL2012


Six am the next morning as we all woke, the sky was dark and the clouds were still lingering above us. We prepared ourselves for just about any kind of weather to come at us that day. An hour later the clouds broke and the sun shined, opening up the opportunity for us to explore more of the terrain that we came to ride. The hike from the camp to the access above tree line is about an hour. Once we were above tree line there where plenty of different zones to ride depending on the conditions of snow. Looking around we noticed the easy access to steep open faces or safe rolling hills with plenty of landings, or creative surf and skate influenced features, St. Johns Bowl had everything from mini shred to big mountain lines. We spotted a section of wind lips that looked just like waves from the ocean, and set up a session. After spending a few hours on the wave feature, we tried to move on and scout some lines to ride. After all the storm had given us and with the rain and snow we were limited to ride just a few of the smaller lines in the bowl, which turned out to still be a little sketchy with all the new heavy snow on top of hard pack spring conditions.

Riding lines and features above tree line, it’s mission critical that everyone in the group is prepared with a beacon, shovel and probe. Even late in the season when there has not been snow for days there is still a high risk of avalanches due to large amounts of annual snowfall. Please check your local avalanche forecast and information center for more information on the zone you may be exploring. Here in Colorado, a good web site would be CAIC http://avalanche.state.co.us/index.php We were all feeling pretty stoked after battling pouring rain on the drive up from Denver. Spending close to 16 hours in a tent waiting out a crazy spring storm, and then waking up to a perfect sunny bluebird day with six inches of fresh pow. After a full day of snowboarding we hiked down to the camp to pack up the gear and proceed back down to the trailhead.

We noticed the easy access to steep open faces or safe rolling hills with plenty of landings, or creative surf & skate influenced features, St. Johns Bowl had everything from mini shred to big mountain lines.


ISSUE2.8

R: ERIK VAN ASSCHE

86 APRIL2012


R: ERIK VAN ASSCHE


ISSUE2.8

On the way back down we ended up spotting a beaver pond that had formed a pond skim from the snowmelt run off. We couldn’t resist the temptations of playing in the water, considering the spring conditions. Generating enough speed for the pond skim was the main issue, but we were most definitely in the water for a few attempts. After getting completely soaked, boots and all, we called it good and continued down the remaining two hour hike soaking wet. Only to have Erik (Van Asshe) forget one of the shovels by the pond skim, putting us back on trail hiking up to grab the forgotten shovel.

Note: Always leave your self enough time to pack out of your location in case of any emergencies, broken or forgotten items.

All-in-all, it’s impossible to know what lays waiting for your next backcountry excursion. No matter where you decide to camp/shred there’s one certainty, and that’s you will encounter unpredictable weather, unstable snow conditions, inspiring terrain, mishaps, camaraderie, danger and experiences that leave you a better person than you came. However, nothing ruins a good trip like disaster. Always be prepared for all conditions your trip will offer, this includes anything you will come across while hiking, camping or shredding.

History about Montezuma and St. Johns Bowl. Montezuma was founded in 1860. The town has a post office, a schoolhouse, a sawmill, a hotel, and a saloon. It was incorporated in 1881 and had a population of about 800 people. Now it is just about a ghost town. It still has the post office, but most of the town burned down several years ago. However, in the early days it was a pretty lively town.

88 SBCOMAG

APRIL2012


TRICK TIPS WITH NATE KERN

HALF CAB TO BACKSIDE WALLRIDE, BACKSIDE 180 OUT

WORDS: NATE KERNPHOTO: TERRY RATZLAFF

WALLRIDES ARE GREAT FUN AND A MUST HAVE TRICK WHETHER RIDING URBAN OR IN THE PARK NOWADAYS. THIS TIP IS A STEP UP FROM JUST YOUR STRAIGHT UP BACKSIDE WALLRIDES OR FRONTSIDE ADDING THE 180’S INTO THE FEATURE FOR EXTRA DIFFICULTY AND THEN OUT. KEY THING WITH WALLRIDES IS OFTEN SPEED, WHICH IS ON YOUR SIDE.

89SBCO

MAG

ISSUE2.8

GOODLUCK!

I started out dialing my speed on this wallride with a few straight backside wallrides. Once you have a good idea of the speed to take you across and off the wall, keep the same line as with a normal wallride. But remember to have a bit of an angle towards the wall. Now, when approaching the jump onto the wall, you have a bit more weight on your heel edge.

As you reach the top of the jump, open your shoulders into the wall to initiate the half cab and pop off your heel edge, looking at the end of the wall, keeping your weight centered.

As you land on the wall make sure your base is fl at on the wall and your weight centered over your board still. It's the same feeling as the basic backside wallride. Right away, get ready to keep the rotation with your shoulders going. If you have the speed to make it, the end of the wall comes quick.

Right at the end of the wall as your fl at based, it will be more of nollie backside one off. Start looking over your back shoulder as you nollie out, off the nose of your board.

As the 180 comes around spot your landing between your feet and drop your leading shoulder into the landing, trying to get weight even over both feet and ready for a fl at based landing.Landing more on the toe edge can help avoid sliding out and reverting.

Boom, now that you have it dialed, you can try backside three out or frontside 180 into switch wallride. Have fun with it and take it to the streets.

RAGE TOWNRAGE RAGE RAGE RAGE RAGE

S AT U R DAY N I G H T

APRIL 7TH 2012C A S S E L M A N ’ S

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92 SBCOMAG

APRIL2012


ART INSTALLMENT

BY PAT MILBERY

Please allow me to introduce you to this Corey Smith fella. He hails from the northwest town of bridges and luscious green trees, Portland, Oregon. Corey is quite the creative character to say the least. Corey and I were first introduced while hanging out in a mold infested dorm room at Mt. Hood, Oregon about six years back. We exchanged hellos, cheered a PBR tall boy and started geeking out on creative concepts and random ideas of new tricks we could try on our snowboards. We both at the time, had pro model bindings for Flux Bindings and it was awesome having a creative dude like Corey to build with. From this initial encounter, Corey Smith became one of my new favorite snowboarders and artists.

Corey is a professional snowboarder, who launched his riding into the industry through the Neoproto Video productions, he is currently the art director at Commune Clothing in Southern California, an independent freelance artist, and recently produced the first ever Commune Team shred video. Creatively,

Corey continues to produce “Pop Art” style illustrations for snowboard graphics. In 2011, Corey embarked on a new project through the hand shaping surf inspired shaped snowboards, taking contemporary snowboard design to a whole another level. He calls this project, Spring Break Snowboards, which has been highly recognized on a world wide level of his contribution of pioneering the full circle respect of surfboard style shapes.

Currently he co-produces the Capita “Stairmaster,” where Corey’s humor is expressed through his clean black and white illustrations of people’s phrases, odd habits and most importantly society’s tendencies focused on American cultural stereotypes. Corey’s style can be appreciated and understood to help make sure snowboarders aren’t taking themselves too seriously. In terms of comedy and fun, Corey continues to keep Capita Snowboard graphics creatively unique!

Check out Corey’s work at coreysmithtimetravel.com

COREY SMITH

coreysmithtravel.com

CAPITA STAIRMASTER

94 SBCOMAG

APRIL2012


MUSIC

A. TOM COLLINS

BY TIM WENGER

Sometimes, when you see something so crazy that your brain can’t quite process it right away, you just gotta stop, drink a beer and think about it for a second. Such is the case when watching A. Tom Collins and his band. Describing their live show would be a really hard thing to do, because at times it looks a lot less like a “show,” and a lot more like a “madhouse.”

“I’ve always liked guys who go crazy onstage,” says Aaron (Tom) Collins, the energetic front man and pianist that is the foundation of the bands’ live experience. “There are two parts of live music. There is the music, and the other part is performance art.”

Aaron and the boys definitely have the latter down solid, and their shows have been getting bigger and bigger. They are spending less time playing bars and small clubs and instead have been seeing their name on the marquee at places like the Gothic Theatre and the Bluebird. “It’s totally freestyle,” says sax player Andy Wild. “We’re definitely not going for some kind of a niche audience.”

The band’s style comes across as an offspring of jazz and rock with the free spirit of punk. Aaron grew up with punk rock, and it provides a lot of the base for their music and approach. “I still feel like we play punk, aesthetically, but we changed the instrumentation up,” Aaron says. “We are basically punk rockers that got tired of playing punk,” says Andy.

“I saw a band called MU330 when I was 13-years-old. Watching a band walk out and just own, and go for it, performance is an element that is lacking in music today. Why would you pay $15 for a show if it’s not going to be an excellent show?” he says.

The way the band came together is about as crazy as the band itself. “We had kind of a house party band, that was a pirate

band, and we just kept adding members,” says Alex. Aaron was at the party and wanted to get in on the action. “Aaron’s audition for the Que Quages (pirate band) was, we were all tripping mushrooms in the kitchen playing a Halloween party, and he played the tea pot and the kitchen cabinets. He killed it!”

They played together with a number of musicians before they evolved into the professional act that is A. Tom Collins. Aaron had came up with some songs of his own, and decided he needed to add in other members to the project. “He slowly added in Andy and I, and we thought ‘we should get a drummer and a bassist,’” says Alex.

The A. Tom Collins band may be the craziest live show in town, but for Aaron, playing live is how he keeps his sanity. “I’ve got 45 minutes where I can do whatever the fuck I want,” he says. “You become this raw, emotional energy. It’s therapy for me.”

If you have the opportunity to catch these guys live, it will be in your best interest to hit it up. Whether they are playing for 500 people at a big club or at a party in a basement, the guys bring their A-game to stage and love it when people go crazy along with them. “When you’re playing for 20 kids and they’re way into it, and you don’t know where the drummer is because there are too many people between you, I love that,” says Aaron. Sounds about right for a band who just shot a music video for a song called “Pants Off Dance Off.”

Check out more about this band that you don’t want to miss at www.atomcollins.com where you can listen to their new single and watch their music video. Watch for their new album this spring.

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Documents

Snowboard Colorado Magazine (V2I8)