With the first week of spring behind us, it’s funny how quickly the masses shift out of winter. Last week was spring break for much of North America, so the resorts stayed busy, but it’s a noticeably different crowd than the hardcores that are still shredding the canyons and crevices of empty resorts. Most locals rejoice as they finally get their mountains back to enjoy with friends with warm temperatures, soft snow and/or slush, and more daylight.
And the backcountry is now revving up into high gear as film crews chart northward into BC and Alaska to try and produce the best damn segments that will soon be keeping you wet until the next season. Here’s a hug from Absinthe Films:
“Toe-in landings are when the helicopter is hovering above a peak while reaching out to touch a tiny part of the mountain with its ‘toe’ to provide just enough stability for the rider to exit the aircraft.”
Freeride World Tour, Haines, Alaska
The exclusive, worldwide big-mountain contest series stopped in Haines, Alaska last week for the second-to-last stop of the season (Verbier caps everything off starting this weekend). The conditions looked just about as good as it gets, and the snow-encrusted gopro footage seems to confirm that. My only qualm is that the location choice for a competion format normally judged on technical lines seemed less-than optimal. It could be an indication that the FWT is beginning to concentrate on more of the crowd-pleasing freestyle aspect of the runs. If that’s the case then it’s a good sign that the tour is listening to what the people want in an effort to boost a webcast audience beyond just the core of cores. On the other hand they could be taking direction from some insurance agent who gets his jollies from a mountain of paperwork more than a mountain of steep, soft snow.
Either way, it was a pretty entertaining final. Here’s Ryland Bell’s run that earned him the win on the men’s side:
From the Company Blogs:
“A dream became reality yesterday! First ski and snowboard descent of the forgotten Original route of Grande Rocheuse (4102m), 151 years after the first ascent… Thanks @lambert_galli @dcapoz @trentodenis for sharing this steep, wild and unique adventure!”
Jones’ Snowboards team rider Julien Herry offered up an in-depth account of a new first descent on Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps.
You really have to wonder what combination of balls and crazy it takes to keep people like Julien and the rest of the bigger-than-big mountain community pushing the envelope of WTF when you see what they accomplish. For me, it sure puts things in perspective when bitching out at the top of a technical line, and usually gives me a bit of motivation to just give’er. Not that I’ve sniffed anything remotely as consequential as what these guys just did. But it does give one inspiration knowing it just takes imaginative souls to not listen to that voice in your limbic brain saying “get the F- out of this situation”. Of course, sometimes you gotta listen to that voice, but more often than not your brain errs on the side of pansy… and discovering that edge is what fuels that adrenaline injection we all’ve come to know, love…..and need.
Creative Contests
This time of year we see all kinds of events taking place. And the cool thing is there’s so many surviving just out of the mainstream that appeal to so many more regular snowboarders. That said, the competition aspect is what helps push riding on this constant uphill curve with seemingly no end in sight. So while there is more to snowboarding than competing, it still provides the oft-needed extra motivation for riders to train a little longer, practice a little harder, and try new things.
But still–and this is what I love about snowboarding–once you get past the big money spectacle-style hype shows, there’s a whole lot of creativity. This allows different riders to shine in a particular niche. This is a good thing. It does, however, muddy the waters when arguing with friends on an undisputed “best snowboarder in the world”. But ambiguity is a beautiful thing in our eclectic sport: one thread consistent with pretty much every snowboarder I’ve ever met is a stubborn resistance to conformity. Also a good thing.
Two events did stand out this week, which actually really got me stoked, ones that allow riders the freedom to express their personal style while maintaining some form of objectivity.
The first was the Loon Project:
The Loon Project is the first of what will hopefully become a long franchise of pop-up “Projects” that bring innovative trickery on a course conscientiously primed for maximum fun. If you remember the Holy Bowly series, it’s like the next evolution of that, but now with jib features peppered on the course as well.
The second was the DC Hit and Run:
DC’s Hit and Run was a timed race format with jumps and jibs to make things even more interesting. With mandatory features to help or hurt your time, this contest required a well-rounded skill set. The contest was actually three events: Mammoth; Meribel, France and Whistler; which just went down last weekend.
Here is an example where sponsor dollars are well spent. It’s no surprise that it costs a signficant amount of money to put on an event. It’s also no surprise that companies need to turn a profit, and for them to sponsor an event it has less to do with benevolence and more to do with brand positioning. With that in mind, I’ve gotta say that my respect for DC/Quiksilver increases when they take chances on new formats. It shows signs of a healthy industry ecosystem. Last week I felt a bit jaded by the World Snowboard Tour and it’s Chinese championships stifling the sport. And there is a true risk to things like that happening if the power gets too concentrated into a single legislating body. I mean, it’s happened in pretty much every other sport out there, and we now have a prime example in snowboarding through almost 20 years of Olympic halfpipe. The danger lies when someone’s picture of “snowboarding” mirrors what they see on a screen rather than the definition you imply with your friends when you say “Let’s go snowboarding tomorrow”. Meaning, let’s shred the hell out of the trees and hit a few wind lips.
And if I may philosophize for a second, perhaps that is the root cause of snowboarding’s current reality-check: on a downslope for the first time in the sport’s young life. We need to go back to one universal definition of what it means to go snowboarding, whether you are Ryland Bell dropping in to win a check in Haines or a 5 year old trying not to catch an edge. If there’s too much disparity and the bar is too high for someone to feel accomplished, then the next generation will lose interest before they get to a level where success is in sight… and you see that happening right now. That vision is out there; we just need to define it as a community before kids these days find something else to emulate.
Headspace: Mike Basich
Mike needs no further introduction than the one I gave in this post, and if you don’t know who he is please take the time to get to know him a little bit in the latest edition of HEADSPACE:
The week ahead looks pretty good as well. Looks like the sun will be out for much of the west, yet cold enough temps will keep the snow all wintery for just a wee bit longer. Don’t forget to charge your GoPro. Until next week, friends… and foes.
