Snowboard Colorado Magazine (V2I2)

SNOWBOARDINGS HOMEGROWN HISTORY
BIG SOFT FLUFFY PILLOWS ESCAPE TO MONARCH MOUNTAIN

OCT. 2011
R: Zach Rawles P: Terry Ratzlaff
O T O R P
NS Factory Built, Denver CO.
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WE MAKE THE GREAT DAYS BETTER

SCOTTY LAGOMAZE HELMET AND I/O GOGGLE
PHOTO: MARK WELSH
PHOTO: ZACH HOOPER
R: AUSTIN JULIK-HEINE PARK CREW P: NATHANIELBROCKMEYER P: JEFF HARRINGTON BRECKENRIDGE, CO
CONTENTS
THERE WAS NO REAL MONEY IN IT, AND EVERYBODY WAS KIND OF IN IT TOGETHER. 12 20 22 24 26 28 FROM THE EDITOR LADY KILLERS MAN EATERS OUTSIDE THE BOX ALTITUDE SICKNESS JUST SAYIN 30 32 34 36 38 54 JOURNEY W/ JJ BACKCOUNTRY OPS VIDEO STASH WEVE GOT COMPANY PRODUCT SHOWCASE LAST RESORT 58 66 76 78 80
Page 69
O C TO B E R
V O L U M E 2
STYLE POINTS HISTORY 101: SNOWBOARDS ROOTS TRICK TIPS ART INSTALLMENT MUSIC
ON THE COVER We couldnt be more excited to kick off October with the Breckenridge local, Zach Rawles. We are also stoked to sponsor Role Model Productions new film Cockfight! Photographer Terry Ratzlaff gives some insight on how the cover came to be. What a day, rising temps, wet sloppy snow, graffiti, bike cops, duelling crews (Role Models vs. SixEleven) spliffs, pizza and lots of fun. Zach Rawles here nose pressing to redirect in a grimy water drainage ditch. Just another day in the life in the Mile High City.
R: ZACH RAWLES P: TERRY RATZLAFF
SCAN TO SEE ZACHS COVER SHOT IN ACTION IN ROLE MODELS COCKFIGHT. FULL MOVIE AVAILABLE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD AT: AROLEMODELBLOG.BLOGSPOT.COM
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OCTOBER 2011
snowboard-colorado.com
Su n n y and Sick
Ri d e r: M a r k H o y t
Woo d w a rd T e rra in P ar k s
New l y de signe d Te rrain P a r k s . Ne w high spe e d park ch a i r l i f t.
R: BRECK PARK CREW P: JEFF BROCKMEYER P: JEFF BROCKMEYER BRECK, CO
FROM THE EDITOR

-ADAM SCHMIDT
DISCOVER YOUR ROOTS.

In the midst of premiere season here in Colorado, we witnessed a further movement of the Colorado snowboard scene as the largest production companies in snowboarding came to Colorado before any other state, to showcase their new vision to the world. A new season approaches and legendary mountains like Arapahoe Basin and Loveland will go head to head for the first opening day of the season as they have for decades. With all this attention on the state of Colorado, we are proud to document the growth of snowboarding, as we know that...
AS WE DIG DEEPER INTO THE SECOND VOLUME OF SNOWBOARD COLORADO MAGAZINE, WED LIKE TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO LEARN A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SNOWBOARDINGS HISTORY HERE IN OUR GREAT STATE AND EXPOSE THE ROOTS THAT LIE DEEP WITHIN.
MAGAZINES ARE THE HISTORY BOOKS OF SNOWBOARDING.
12 SB CO MAG
OCTOBER 2011
E E R O E T TA L A / S I L E N C E
WATERPROOFING TAPES THE ELEMENTS MOUTH SHUT.
Pro Rider Series : Lava Jacket x Lava Pant
WWW.OAKLEY.COM/SnOWbOArd
2011 Oakley, Inc.
800-320-9430
2011 Luxottica group. All rights reserved. 877-680-0123
AVAILABLE AT:
SB CO MAG
EDITOR IN CHIEF: ADAM SCHMIDT SENIOR EDITOR: SHAD ORITZ ASSOCIATE EDITOR: JUSTIN LESNIAK OPERATIONS DIRECTOR: BILLY CONNOR ART DIRECTOR: ANDREW LANGFORD ASSOCIATE DESIGNERS: CODY ADAMS AND JESSICA HERZANEK FEATURE WRITERS: JEFF AGUILAR COLIN BANE MACK COLLINS LESLIE GLENN MIKE GOODWIN DORAN LAYBOURN PAT MILBERY CHAD OTTERSTROM ADAM QUEEN JJ THOMAS TIM WENGER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER: AARON DODDS CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: GEOFF ANDRUIK JEFF BROCKMEYER CHRIS GARRISON DEAN BLOTTO GRAY NATHANIEL HARRINGTON DAG LARSON JUSTIN LESNIAK JEFF NASS PATRICK ORTON JON PACIARONI BOB PLUMB JEFF POTTO TERRY RATZLAFF PHIL TIFO SALES EXECUTIVES: JESSICA DEAL STEPHEN GIESE
jessica@snowboard-colorado.com stephen@snowboard-colorado.com tiffany@snowboard-colorado.com ken@snowboard-colorado.com
TIFFANY HARDER KEN KELLEY
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: info@snowboard-colorado.com
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P: TERRY RATZLAFF
L ADY K I L L ER S
BY: MIKE GOODWIN
Z AC H R AW L E S
BASICALLY EVERY TIME I LANDED ON THE DUMPSTER, IT WOULD GIVE IN AND I WOULD END UP FLIPPING. IT WAS LIKE A LITTLE TRAMPOLINE, SAYS ZACH REFERRING TO HIS FIRST FEW STABS AT THE MAN-SIZED DROP THAT OPENS HIS PART IN THE LATEST ROLE MODEL RELEASE, COCKFIGHT!. I PROBABLY DID FOUR FRONT FLIPS OUT OF IT BY ACCIDENT.
D.O.B.: 07/24/89 RESIDES: Breckenridge, CO HOMETOWN: Breckenridge, CO SPONSORS: Rome Snowboards, Ashbury Eyewear, Jus Liv Clothing, Landing Headwear, Monster Cables/Headphones, Satellite Boardshop, ZSC STANCE: +12 front, -12 front / 22 inches wide
After a number of attempts to land on the dumpster and getting tossed by the dumpsters plastic doors, Zach traded the landing on the dumpster idea for the ever-ballsy ollie to flat. (Dylan) Alito was just like Send it to flat, so I was like fuck it - the shot might have turned out better actually. This past February, Zach and a few other ZSC heavy hitters caught a ride up to Minnesota with filmer, Jim Langer, to get crackin on, COCKFIGHT! Langer has a pretty new Subaru with everything you could imagine. There were four of us in an all-wheel drive beast thing, says Zach. Zach took full advantage of the two-week trip, playing his cards wisely and banging out almost half his part, monster drop-to-flat included. We ended up going to the spot (the aforementioned ollie) on the last day of our trip. I was saving it for the last day, so that I didnt get smoked in the middle of the trip.
20 SB CO MAG
OCTOBER 2011
P: NATHANIEL HARRINGTON
THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE YOULL FIND HIM `ROLLED UP WITH THE HOMIES, JUS LIVIN.
In addition to the time spent in Minnesota, Zach spent a serious amount of time this past winter cruising Colorado with Langer rounding out his first full video part with Role Model. I have hung out with the Role Model dudes for a while, says Zach. I started actually trying to film parts with them two years ago. Last year I had a half part, and this year a full part. I would hardly say it is all business with Zach though, he is a pretty comfortable dude, and its what makes working with Role Model such a solid fit. Its up to what the riders want to do. We get to choose the spots we go to and how we want to make stuff happen, says Zach. Langer is really lax about it. I helped edit the film and everyone has some input, but I was in the studio with Langer a bunch for a couple of months. Zach seems to have worked out a nice little formula for himself over the past couple of years lounging in Colorado dedicating time to dial in legit video parts, all the while making sure to reserve some time to travel with the homies, and staying loose for projects like Bears Sunday in the Park. This year proved no different. I went out to Bear twice for a couple weeks at a time, says Zach. I like it a lot out there actually. My old roommate, Pat Lynch, moved out there right after I went out there for my first year. He had never been, but just decided to move there. So I just go visit his grimy ass every couple of months. And this summer, Zach continued to carve out his homey Colorado niche, opting out of a job digging at Hood, to tie up the summer months at Copper where he could post up in his own place with his girl and his dog. I worked at Woodward at Copper as a skate coach, says Zach. It is pretty good up there for what they have to use. They just stopped the snowboard stuff like the first week of August, so they go just about as long as Windells or High Cascade. The only difference is there is not a rope tow or chairlift yet. But they do have a new high speed quad just for the park, so keep your eyes peeled for this dude, at Copper, in COCKFIGHT! and everywhere else. There is a good chance youll find him `rolled up with the homies, Jus Livin.
I WAS SAVING IT FOR THE LAST DAY, SO THAT I DIDNT GET SMOKED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TRIP.
SB CO MAG 21
ISSUE 2.2
MA N EATERS
BY: LESLIE GLENN
MEG RIDES WITH A HUGE BEAUTIFUL SMILE ON HER HAPPY FACE. CAREFUL ITS CONTAGIOUS.
D.O.B.: 09/28 RESIDES: Fraiser, CO HOMETOWN: Sunnyvale, CA SPONSORS: Screamer, PURL, Bern, Bolle, GNU STANCE: 27 front, -12 back / 21.5 wide
P: JEFF NASS
I have been looking forward to this interview with Meg because we have been friends, fellow competitors, and riding buddies for a long time. We initially met many summers ago, hiking the pipe at Mt. Hood before either of us made the move to Colorado. Since then, Meg and I have shared countless powder days, park sessions, traveled together to competitions across the country and even changed our first flat tire together on the side of a road in Vermont on the way to the US Open. She is an awesome friend, an amazing rider and a true free spirit whose positive energy and unique style can light up any room. I caught up with her in late August when she was in Oregon following the endless winter to its full extent. She will be riding Mt. Hood into the fall, getting as many days on snow as possible. Meg hails from the California coast and was introduced to snowboarding in the Lake Tahoe area back in 1995. When she strapped into her first board it was not exactly love at first sight. She explains, My first experience wasnt one of the best actually. I went on a school trip and broke my arm. Luckily, a broken bone was not enough to shake her spirit and she stuck it out, hitting up Northstar-at-Tahoe on a major pow day as her follow up experience and falling head over heals in love with the sport. Meg has been making up for that first day, with the same determined attitude, charging any and all terrain including halfpipes, logs, jumps, and of course powder. Meg has been a consistent threat on the contest scene over the years with some impressive results. She won the Paul Mitchell Progression Session where she boosted huge airs and spins on a
30 ft. tow-in quarterpipe above downtown Breckenridge, Highest Air award at the Abominable Snow Jam and more recently finishing 9th in the 09-10 Dew Tour overall. This past season, Meg took a break from a busy competition schedule and concentrated on progressing her riding and learning new tricks. The focus has really paid off with the addition of a bunch of new tricks including multiple flips in the halfpipe, an increase in her confidence, and bag of tricks on rails and jumps and in the backcountry as well. When asked what she is most proud of from this past season, Meg responds Getting upside down more than ever and dialing in more tricks on rails and jumps. Meg also wanted to challenge herself to find an outlet to share these experiences with the world, in her own time and outside of the typical and sometimes hectic contest venue. Making the most out of every shred session, she and her boyfriend, Mark Kelsic began documenting all their daily adventures through photos and short videos on MegPugh.com and MarkKelsic.com. It has been a really great way to see the day-to-day process of learning, fun and all behind-the-scene parts of the shred life that dont necessarily translate to contest, TV coverage and other media outlets. This coming season she hopes to balance out a healthy competition schedule following the Dew Tour and other key events, along with continuing to publish her travels and daily adventures around Colorado through her website. Her goals include challenging herself to learn new things and find new ways to reach out to people both inside and outside the snowboard community, and perfecting the perfect halfpipe run - a constant work in progress.
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OCTOBER 2011
A CONSISTENT THREAT ON THE CONTEST SCENE.
R: MEG PUGH P: JEFF NASS
OUTSIDE THE BOX
BY: CHAD OTTERSTROM
A GOOD OLE BOY ON A HUMBLE MISSION TO SEEK AND DESTROY.

D.O.B.: 6/28/80 RESIDES: Ten Sleep, WY HOMETOWN: Ten Sleep, WY SPONSORS: The North Face, Smith Optics, Bluebird Wax, Liberty Board shop, Remind Insoles, CFR Racks, Carter Inn STANCE: Regular / +18 front, -12 back / 22.5 wide
P: PHIL TIFO
DID YOU SPEND MOST OF THE TIME IN JACKSON? STANDARD HAS KIND OF ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT TAHOE. WAS IT JUST YOU AND KEVIN JONES ALL YEAR OUT THERE? WHO ELSE DID YOU FILM WITH? I spent most of my time between Jackson and BC this year. I had an all time two weeks at Baldface lodge in early January and then s o m e re a l l y g o o d c yc l e s i n Jackson with Sammy and KJ. I was off to Terrace in February with the sickest crew I have ever ridden with. Mads, Kazu, Sammy, Lonnie, and Mathieu made it not suck. Good times had by all. HOW WAS IT WATCHING KEVIN JONES RIDE THIS YEAR, WAS HE BACK ON 100 PERCENT? I saw a triple backflip sequence that was pretty sweet. First off, KJ has always been one of my heroes. So for me to shred with him was huge. Watching him ride blows my mind every time. Hes one of the funniest and most positive, knowledgeable guys to be in the backcountry with. The Triple was insane, some of the best live snowboarding Ive ever seen. Hell yeah Jones! IT SEEMS LIKE THERES A LOT O F P R O S N OW B OA R D E R S WA N T I N G T O M O V E T O JACKSON NOWADAYS. IS THAT GOOD OR BAD? DO YOU THINK ITS TRAVIS FAULT FOR MAKING THATS IT, THATS ALL? It always seems that if you have something great, people want a piece of it. Thats fine as long as they know their place and respect the zones. That doesnt always happen. It was inevitable that Jackson was going to blow up. You can only keep it a secret
for so long. No one is at fault, its just a sign of the times. Its T-Rices back yard and I think he can do anything he wants. Ive seen him do amazing things in these mountains and he has definitely earned their respect. Its the guys that have been shown a zone once and bring back all their buddies that we have a problem with. These zones are sacred and not to be blown out by a bunch of Waldos. We just have to start regulating it Western style. WERE YOU BUMMED THAT YOU DIDNT GO ON THE BLUEBIRD FILM TRIP TO SWITZERLAND AFTER YOU SAW THE TEASER, OR ARE YOU HAPPY YOU SAVED YOUR LIVER? Im bummed for sure. The Bluebird crew are my brothers and always good for an awesome time. Traveling to Europe with them would have definitely taken a few years off my life, but its a small sacrifice. SO IM PRETTY SURE YOURE INTO HUNTING IN THE OFF SEASON? ANY GOOD HUNTING STORIES THIS LATELY? Yeah, I do a ton of hunting in the fall. There are so many stories that its hard to pick one. It is really great to be able to spend that part of the year in the mountains with my brother RC. We always end up knocking down some amazing animals. Its good to get a little blood on your hands. IM PRETTY SURE YOUVE TOLD THE STORY PLENTY OF TIMES, BUT I HAVE TO ASK YOU. MY GIRLFRIEND AND I SAW YOU SNOWBOARDING WITH JUSTIN T I M B E R L A K E T WO Y E A R S AGO AND IM PRETTY SURE
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? In Ten Sleep, Wyoming with a population of 304. H O W D I D YO U G E T I N T O SNOWBOARDING LIVING THERE? Every Friday, if my grades were up to par, I could take the bus up to the local mountain Meadowlark and ride. It was like three bucks and the lift was literally a poma fueled by a 400 big block. I skied for a couple of the early years and always saw the local legend, Charlie Hicks, shredding the hell out of the mountain. It seemed like he was the only shredder on Meadowlark. It looked like so much more fun than skiing. From that point I begged my folks until I finally got a legit board. Charlie took my bro, sis, and me under his wing and taught us how to ride proper. Hes still shredding the mountain to this day. DO YOU THINK THERE WILL BE ANY OTHER SNOWBOARDERS COMING OUT OF TEN SLEEP OR ARE YOU PRETTY MUCH THE ONLY ONE?
Unfortunately, I think Im the only one for now. Ten Sleep is mostly an agriculture community, so there really isnt a ton of extra time for the kids to shred because of all the work needed to be done on the ranches. There could be a sleeper though. H OW WAS T H E W I N T E R I N JACKSON THIS LAST YEAR? IT DIDNT STOP SNOWING ALL WINTER HERE IN COLORADO. WAS IT THE SAME THERE? It was winter all of the time in Jackson. Some of the best cycles I have seen in years. Mother Nature was kind to us. I THINK THIS WAS YOUR FIRST YEAR FILMING WITH STANDARD. HOW DID THAT GO? DID YOU HAVE A GOOD YEAR? Filming with Standard was a huge honor. I finally had a serious project to focus all my efforts and it turned out awesome. It was some of my best riding and memories to date. Meeting and shredding with some amazing guys.
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OCTOBER 2011
IVE HEARD STORIES OF YOU H A N G I N G O U T AT E LT O N JOHNS HOUSE. THAT DOESNT SOUND LIKE SOMETHING A S N OW B OA R D I N G COW B OY FROM WYOMING WOULD DO. HOW DID THAT ALL GO DOWN? I was fortunate enough to meet a friend who introduced me to that crazy world. Shes great and I cant thank her enough for those experiences. Justin is an awesome guy and shreds hard too. I have to give him props for taking a country boy into his scene. Hard saying what was going to happen, but I pulled it off. Ive met and hung out with some pretty crazy folks from Elton John to Guy Ritchie. Its cool to see both sides, but I try to spend most of my time on the ranch. W H O D O YO U R I D E F O R NOW? WHAT HAPPENED WITH WEEKEND SNOWBOARDS? The North Face supports me more than anyone else. Its really a dream sponsor. They allow and support me in any direction I want to go. TNF really has my back. Smith optics hooks it up and helps keep the dream alive. Bluebird are my bros, Liberty Board Shop helps whenever I need them and Remind insoles keep my feet happy. A very special place in BC called Baldface lodge; thanks to JP. Weekend and I parted ways, great guys over there. We were just going different directions. No hard feelings and I thank them for the opportunity they gave me. WHATS YOUR BACK UP PLAN Y E A R S F R O M N OW W H E N YOURE DONE SNOWBOARDING FOR A LIVING? I think Ill always have my hands in snowboarding one way or another, but Ill probably be doing whats in my blood - ranching. WHAT WOULD YOU BE PROUD O F, G E T T I N G T H E C OV E R OF COWBOYS AND INDIANS MAGAZINE OR A SNOWBOARD MAGAZINE? Haha! Ill take any cover shot I can get. Cowboys and Indians would be rad though.
ITS GOOD TO GET A LITTLE BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS.

ISSUE 2.2
R: MARK CARTER P: AARON DODDS
SB CO MAG
25
ALTITUDE SICKNESS
BY: SHAD ORTIZ
P: AARON DODDS
AL EX ANDR EWS
For most people, when they hear the word Aspen, they think of perfect corduroy, blower pow, Hollywood stars, and raging parties. When you ask Alex Andrews about Aspen, I can guarantee you that his first thoughts are far from those of the majority. He simply doesnt like Aspen. If you ask him if he plans to revisit, he will retort with an immediate, yet polite No. To better explain why he loathes one of North Americas more popular destinations, you have to understand how his first visit to the Centennial State went down. Alex also has another, more positive experience that he recently had in Colorado last spring. One story is terrifying and quite possibly one of his most painful experiences that hes been through so far. His other, more current experience is full of stoke for Alex and is somewhat of a milestone for his career. On his first trip to Colorado, Alex paid a visit to Aspen Mountain. It was here that Alex suffered what could have been his worst injury to date. He was invited to film with Alterna Films for a video shoot at one of the parks at Aspen. I had never been out to Colorado before. I was there with Seb Toots along with a couple of other guys hitting this hip with a bonk on it. I overshot the feature and landed right on my ass. I ended up breaking my back and getting a serious concussion. I didnt even hit my head when I wrecked. I had just landed on my ass so hard that the impact itself gave me a concussion. It knocked me out and I literally regained consciousness in the hospital with this huge brace on and a bunch of doctors working on me. I remember wondering where I was and just wanting to wiggle and move my toes.
D.O.B.: 03/11/88 RESIDES: Salt Lake City, Utah HOMETOWN: Ogden, Utah SPONSORS: Burton snowboards, Analog, Bern, Electric, Mica watches, Dogfunk STANCE: Regular / +15 front, -15 back / 22 wide
Most people would never have the courage to strap back into a snowboard after going through such a traumatic experience. But Alex isnt a quitter. Hes a grinder, a kid with grit, and the kid has way to much heart to bail on the shred life. He simply loves snowboarding way to much to give it up for anything. There is a line in a Lil Wayne song that states, Nobody gives you a chance, youve got to take chances. This is so true these days in relation to the pro snowboard game. Riders working to achieve professional snowboard status are feeling the heat of the fire from the companies handing out paychecks. Some of these organizations are new to snowboard culture and handle their team riders more like stuntmen than snowboarders. Riders are taking greater risks to ultimately keep their jobs. These kids are constantly placing themselves in sketchy situations. Along with the increased risk, injuries are now considered by most pro riders as part of the job. Unfortunately, Alex has had more than his fair share of the injury bug. Two years ago Alex broke his collar bone, ruptured his spleen, and completely blew his knee out all within a six month time frame. Alex explains, That six month span was a big wake up period for me. I realized I needed to be smarter about my decisions and to take calculated risks. Injuries are going to
THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PUSHING YOURSELF AND DOING SOMETHING THAT YOU KNOW WONT END WELL.
OCTOBER 2011 snowboard-colorado.com
26 SB CO MAG
P: AARON DODDS
HE WANTS TO STAY WITH THE BRAND THAT HE FOUGHT SO HARD TO BE A PART OF.
-JEREMY JONES happen; there is just no getting around it. I had to learn to be OK with doing the best I can. I had to start asking myself if I could really do this or not. There is a difference between pushing yourself and doing something that you know wont end well. Sometimes you have to push yourself and fear isnt always a bad thing. But if you know inside that your not feeling it at all, maybe you have to ask yourself if its worth it. Along with a laundry list of injuries, just coming up and trying to get noticed by potential sponsors was a task all in itself. The big challenge that comes with a Utah address is standing out from the mass of talented snowboarders. Alex knew he had to separate himself from the rest of the pack. He explains, I had to branch out and meet people. I placed as much effort as possible at being creative. I know that sounds kind of classic, but I guess its a big reason why Jeremy (Jones) called me. I guess some of my footage was getting sent to him and from what I understand, my riding stood out to him because he felt it was a little more creative. As far as living and getting noticed out here, (Salt Lake City) you really have to network, and being involved with the scene is huge. But what Ive found to be the most useful is standing out and having your own style and niche.
I spoke with Jeremy Jones about Alex. Jeremy said, To me, Alex is a motivated kid that is bringing something to the street side of snowboarding. Hes talented and can do all the stock stuff, but hes also bringing something unique and hes progressing. Hes pumped up. Hes pumped to be something with Burton. He isnt looking for the next offer, he wants to stay with the brand that he fought so hard to be a part of. Its a good quality I think. Hes the type of kid thats hard to come by. Those kids are out there, but digging them up is kinda hard. Alex has a part in the Videograss film, Retrospect as well as his first part as a Burton team member in the film Standing Sideways. His first filming experience with the big B took place right here in Colorado. The team shot a session at Keystone this past spring. Alex had great things to say about Keystone. He said, That place is awesome! I loved it there. It was a really cool place and everyone with the park crew were all so rad. We (Ethan Deiss and Zak Hale) drew up some stuff that we thought would be cool and the park crew worked with us so well. We shredded Keystone for almost a week. If you ask him about his video footage in these two films, Alex will tell you that hes not that stoked on his part because he knows he can do so much more with a healthy body and a reassured sense of confidence to get him back to his creative riding style. His determination and blue collar work ethic coupled with his grounded and humble attitude will keep Alex hungry. I have no doubt that this young phenom has just begun to get things started.
ISSUE 2.2
SB CO MAG
27
R: DORAN LAYBOURN P: JEFF POTTO
JUST SAYIN
BY: DORAN LAYBOURN
Hey, whats up Colorado. My name is Doran Laybourn and I wanted to talk about something every rider can relate to, the crew. Everyone has a crew of their own and I wanted to tell you about my crew, the GIVIN homies. First, theres Nick Russell. The guy always has a huge smile on his face. He has a surfy ass style out there in the backcountry. Wyatt Stasinos is a serious mountain boss who can take you on a sick tour through Colorados big country in any season. In the winter, summer, spring, and fall, Wyatt constantly lives balls to the wall. Cody Rosenthal is one of my favorite people on the planet. He always keeps it real, stays stoked, and he always seems to consistently beat Scotty Arnold in a game of SKATE. Then we have Mason Aguire. He was shown the ropes of the backcountry here in Colorado this past season. I remember the first day he ever rode his brand new sled. I watched it ghost-ride itself into a tree, smashing the shit out of the hood after he got thrown off after attempting a nasty hill climb. Keegan Valaika is ultra buttery with whatever he does. His skateboard skills are insane for someone who looks like they are never trying. And Butters has such a ultra buttery style too. He has such sick style behind the lenses and the man rolls a proper el doulche. Jan Snarski is a cool ass Australian bloke. Jake Koia has to be the toughest dude in the crew. Shayne Pospisil recently told me he wouldnt want to get in a fight with Jake and Pizzle (Shayne Pospisil) is rock solid himself. Pizzle is a straight up pimp too. He stole Codys girl the other night at the GIVIN premier in Laguna.
NOTHING COMPARES TO SHREDDING WITH YOUR REAL HOMIES AND BEING ABLE TO FILM WITH THEM IS EVEN BETTER.
Forest Bailey is a spectacle on the shred or the skate. The kid fucking has it! Im constantly entertained watching Forest do just about anything. Robbie Walker has a back 10 and a double cork thatll impress even the best huckers. Brendan Keenan is a Canadian that has some sick style, shredding all over B.C. Alex Stathis is one of the coolest kids that I met last season. He showed up at the park shoot in Boreal and destroyed it harder than anyone there. It was crazy, he wore a Bulls Starter jacket, corduroys tucked into his boots and rode with no highbacks... BOSS! Benny Urban is from Europe and is about to blow up. I guess Keegs and Forest met him at a contest in Germany and they asked him to come to Finland. He ended up coming through with some serious HAMMS for the movie. And Jonas Michilot is seriously one of a kind. He has so much style and creativity in his riding. He can tweak the fuck out of his snowboard off any kind of feature. I think I saw him do a tailgrab and touch his head to his tail. Timmy Ronin is the man and also rides for Gnarly. Jon Francis is such a major boss. He is the best production manager on earth. He single handedly ran shit for our crew and I wanna say THANKS JON. Being able to ride with good friends and having each others back out there is a blessing. Nothing compares to shredding with your real homies and being able to film with them is even better.
28 SB CO MAG
OCTOBER 2011
J O U R N E Y W I T H JJ
BY JJ THOMAS
P: JOHN PACIARONI
FOOD, COFFEE, SCENERY AND SNOW IN GODS COUNTRY. START SAVING TO SEE FOR YOURSELF.
ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I AM MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED IS, WHERE IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO SNOWBOARD OUTSIDE OF NORTH AMERICA? FOR ME ITS AN EASY ANSWER - NEW ZEALAND!
This year will be my fourth trip to New Zealand, and I always look forward to going back there. Lots of people think that since its so far away it must be crazy to fly there, but in reality its one of the easiest international trips that you can make. Get the evening flight from LAX straight to Auckland. From there, you just sit down, eat some dinner, watch a movie and hopefully fall asleep. You should wake up with just two hours left until you land in Gods Country! Once you get off the plane I recommend that you try a flat white from the first coffee shop you see. A flat white is New Zealands way of making a latte. I am not sure why, but they are better than any lattes in the US. On that note, I am going to say that most of the food, water and wine there is just better in general. It might have something to do with the small population of the country. Fewer people could mean higher quality food for all. Weve all seen great powder footage from New Zealand, but Im going to shoot you straight and tell you that even though New Zealand has some of the most fun and unique terrain in the world, it still takes a good amount of luck to score a real North American powder day there. A typical pow day in New Zealand is 3-6 inches of fresh. They do get big dumps, but they just arent as common as they are here in the powder paradise of Colorado. If by chance you are down there and the heavens unleash, I highly recommend getting up early and taking the death defying roads up to the ski field to score a true NZ powder day that you will never forget. Lets say its worst case scenario. You get there and there is no snow in the forecast for weeks. Dont worry! Everything is good because lately most of the ski fields there have really fun park riding. I am not saying its like Breckenridge, but trust me, for the dead of summer the parks of Cardrona and Snow Park will easily provide you with enough obstacles to get your freestyle fix. Now. for those who strictly want to free ride, dont worry, you will be OK too! What New Zealand lacks in snow depth, they easily make up for in scenery. I can honestly say that New Zealand rivals Colorado for scenic groomer cruising. If your budget permits and you are wondering whether to do New Zealand or not, Im saying go! Good food, good snow, great coffee, amazing scenery, and to top it off - they speak English!
30 SB CO MAG
OCTOBER 2011
BACKCOUNTRY OPS
BY CHAD OTTERSTROM
SPARKS R&D SPLIT BOARD BINDINGS
So this month Im gonna talk about hippie stick (split board) bindings. I am proud to say that Ive been a halfway serious backcountry hippie sticking enthusiast for the last four years. I mostly go out to explore new zones. Its something to do when I need some exercise or when I need to escape into the woods, away from the world for a while. Anyway, over the last four years Ive become a gear nerd. Im always researching all the sweet gear for split boards, and over the years Ive discovered that bindings are the most essential part of your hippie sticks. Split boards can only go so far. These things are great for pow and cliffs, but because they are cut in half, split boards ride like a 2X4 on any type of hard-packed snow. It doesnt help that the boards are latched together by nuts and bolts. The bindings are the one thing that help split boards ride more like a traditional board. Sparks R & D is one company out there working towards making the best possible binding. With an average set of split board bindings a rider has to mount the bindings on a slider track, which places the rider about an inch higher on their board. This, along with most bindings being flexible plastic makes for a wobbly, unresponsive board. Sparks fixed this problem by making the baseplate from thin aluminum that slides perfectly onto the most any split board kit. This places the rider closer to the board and the stiff aluminum makes the board way more responsive.
P: CHAD OTTERSTROM
R: CHAD OTTERSTROM P: JEFF BROCKMEYER
OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS IVE BECOME A GEAR NERD.

The Sparks R&D bindings also offer a high back, with quick forward lean adjustment, so you can take the lean off for a comfortable hike up the hill and put it back on for more control going down. The bindings are only 3.52 pounds a pair which saves a lot of weight. This is another main concern with most REIers. The less weight you have the more you can hike. In the end, there are not many options for split board bindings. If youre going to get a pair for your hippie stick, Sparks are the ones you want. Theyre also built and tested by people who are passionate about making the best bindings.
WIDE CHOMP
CO
CT
CO
EC
32 SB CO MAG
OCTOBER 2011
R: JORDAN MENDENHALL P: BOB PLUMB
VI DEO STASH
BY: MACK COLLINS
SHOOT THE MOON VIDEOGRASS
DELIVERING A FILM WITH PURE, ALMOST RAW SENSE OF AUTHENTICITY

completely urban video part to the background sounds of Mazzy Stars Fade Into You. It is so difficult to judge whether Jed rides regular or goofy footed with all the variations hes got. Hes making a mark in the standard of keeping rail tricks proper with his part this year! Although Shoot The Moon was certainly made more for the jib influenced rider and not so much the backcountry adventurer, the level and magnitude of all the urban snowboarding is a must see no matter what kind of a rider you are. Videograss also released a sister title this year called Retrospect (the old Transworld crew) that has a more balanced ratio between urban and backcountry, adding a strong addition to VGs catalog of titles. Both are available on iTunes or on hardcopy from the new distribution company, Kids Know Distribution (also run by the same producers of Videograss).
Sponsors: Monster Energy (presented by), Ashbury, Academy, Airblaster, Elm Company, Onboard Mag, L1 outerwear, Salomon, Vans, WE Clothing, Volcom, Snowboarder Mag, Ride Snowboards, K2 Snowboards, Holden, Bonfire, Howl, Nike Snowboarding Riders: Chris Grenier, Darrell Mathes, Gus Engle, Jake Olson-Elm, Jed Anderson, Johnny Miller, Jon Kooley, Jonas Michilot, Jordan Mendenhall, Justin Bennee, Louif Paradis, Nick Dirks, Will Tuddenham, Zac Marben Filmed on location: Japan, Sweden, Whistler B.C., Colorado, Boston, Alaska, and everywhere in between.
The moon was the closest it has been to earth in 20 years this past March and judging by Videograss third video installment to date, the lunar gravitational pull stirred up the brainwaves of the riders in Shoot The Moon. The feel is not overly cinematic and VG is not trying to make snowboarding something it isnt - they just deliver a great film with a pure, almost raw sense of authenticity. Not a single shot in this video was filmed in a snow park. The film has a funky art direction, funny high-jinx footage, and one hell of a timeless soundtrack that goes strangely well with the snowboarding footage that makes up the skeleton of appeal for Shoot The Moon. Louif opens the video up with flawless French-Canadian skate influenced snowboarding. Will Tuddenham follows up with a shorter full part but has a couple of the top ten shots of the movie. Jake OE has one of the worst bails Ive ever seen and somehow just jogs away from it; also note how he destroys the landscape with no high-backs and unlaced boots (still trying to figure that one out). Other standout parts include Darrel Mathis, Zac Marben, and Jordan Mendenhal with the most well rounded parts between urban and backcountry riding. Jonas Michlot, Chris Grenier, Dan Liehdal, LNP, Johnny Miller, Justin Benne, Nick Dirks, all have good parts as well (not a single part skipper in this video). Gus Engle has never failed to entertain but dont be fooled by his demeanor and the sounds of Pink Elephants, he brings his quirky style weve grown to love. Last, but certainly not least, is Jed Anderson closing up shop with his powerhouse,
34 SB CO MAG
OCTOBER 2011
P: JUSTIN LESNIAK
WEVE GOT COMPANY

BY: ADAM QUEEN
BACKCOUNTRY ACCESS
BUILT TO SURVIVE SO YOU CAN TOO.

About three years ago, Backcountry Access introduced the Float Avalanche Airbag. Basically, its a backcountry pack with an airbag inside that when triggered, will help an avalanche victim swim to the top of a moving snow pile. Were killing it with airbags, says Egerly, We think an airbag will become the fourth mandatory piece of backcountry equipment along with a beacon, shovel, and probe. The system works well, there have already been a ton of saves because of the Float airbags, and its only going into its third year on the market. Just ask Brad Baber, a snowmobiler who got caught in a massive slide. Because he used the Float 30 airbag, Brad was able to stay about 85% on the surface of the slide with his head up and feet facing downhill. His sled however, was buried under 13 feet of snow. Baber says it took almost two weeks to find the sled afterwards. Oh yeah, Brad is about 64 and weighs 260 pounds. Id say these things work, and they work well. In addition to their beacons and the new airbags, BCA also offers a wide variety of shovels, probes, climbing skins, snow study tools, and another popular line of backpacks known as the Stash Packs. These bags come equipped with a freeze-proof hydration, developed by BCA, to ensure that dehydration wont ruin your day in the back country. Backcountry Access has worked hard since it was started in 1994 by Egerly, a University of Colorado grad, and McGowan, a Colorado native, to develop products and technology to keep people as safe as possible in the backcountry. And if something does happen to go wrong, BCA has all the products you need to save someones life.
AS SNOWBOARDERS LIVING AND RIDING IN COLORADO, WEVE ALL NO DOUBT BEEN EXPOSED TO AVALANCHES, EITHER FIRSTHAND OR HEARING THE HORROR STORIES. OUR STATE HAS SOME OF THE MOST UNSTABLE SNOWPACK IN THE WORLD, BUT WE HAVE SOME AWESOME BACKCOUNTRY SPOTS. IF YOURE GOING TO TAKE THE RISK OF GOING INTO THE BACKCOUNTRY, BE PREPARED! BOULDER BASED BACKCOUNTRY ACCESS MAKES ALL THE PRODUCTS YOU NEED TO STAY SAFE OUT THERE.
BCAs Tracker and Tracker2 avalanche beacons are some of the most reliable and easy to use on the market today. Ask anyone with backcountry experience and they have heard of the Tracker. In fact, they probably own one or two themselves. Introduced in 1998 four years after the company was formed, the tracker is one of BCAs best selling products. Owner Bruce Edge Egerly says, The Tracker is what really put us on the map. Before that we were just making better versions of the low quality alpine touring equipment that was on the market at that time. The Tracker was developed by Egerly, BCAs other owner Bruce Bruno McGowan, and another friend who was an electrical engineer. The beacon they developed has proven itself time and time again over the last 12 seasons, with countless avalanche rescues chalked up to people having and knowing how to use the Tracker.
36 SB CO MAG
OCTOBER 2011
2011/2012 BINDINGS PRODUCT SHOWCASE WORDS: JUSTIN LESNIAK

BINDINGS COME IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES, LITERALLY. NO MATTER YOUR RIDING STYLE OR PREFERENCE, THERE IS A PAIR TO GET THE JOB DONE. AS UNIQUE AS THE BOARDS THEY ARE BOLTED TO, BINDINGS FEATURE INNOVATIONS THAT ALLOW LIMITLESS CUSTOMIZATION, COMFORT, AND PERFORMANCE. WITH NUMEROUS COLOR COMBINATIONS BINDINGS ARE EQUALLY STYLISH AND FUNCTIONAL. A CRITICAL PART OF YOUR SETUP, BINDINGS ARE CAPABLE OF ALTERING THE WAY A BOARD HANDLES AND THE WAY YOU RIDE IT. WITH SEVERAL BRANDS PRODUCING EXCELLENT BINDINGS, FINDING THE RIGHT PAIR CAN BE DIFFICULT. WE SORT THROUGH THIS YEARS LINEUPS TO SHOWCASE THE BEST BINDINGS, JUST FOR YOU.
BENT METAL
THE MORTAL
TOO MUCH METAL FOR ONE FOOT, BRO.
Cored highback shaves unnecessary weight. Full EVA footbed keeps your feet happy after huge landings. Asymmetrical ankle strap coupled with a leather wrapped toe cap for style and comfort.
BURTON
THE MALAVITA EST
INNOVATION, VISION AND PERFORMANCE ALL SUMMARIZE THE MALAVITA EST.
The Hinge, allows the heelhoop and baseplate to move independently providing natural ollie movement. AutoCANT offers a more natural, ergonomically correct ride. Removable SensoryBED cushioning system with B3 gel cushioning. Colorways: Sulfur, Violent, Stone, Black.
38 SB CO MAG
2011 - 2012
BINDINGS
DRAKE
THE RADAR
AN ALL-IN-ONE SOLUTION FOR ALL MOUNTAIN RIDING.
Omnicrom baseplate for superior response needed for all mountain shenanigans. Contact Plus footbed features full EVA cushioning for increased comfort. Photo sensitive paint changes color in the sun.
FLUX
THE DMCC - LIGHT
LIGHT, BRIGHT AND THE BINDINGS OF YOUR DREAMS.
Ultra lightweight and customizable Alpha Baseplate. Alpha Highback offers unmatched weight by eliminating the forward lean adjustment. Absolute Fit Strap rounds out the lightness round table with cored out comfort.
FORUM
THE SHAKA
NO WORRIES BRO, THE SHAKA HAS YOUR BACK IN ANY SITUATION ON THE MOUNTAIN. YOURE ON YOUR OWN OFF THE MOUNTAIN.
Hinge Disk coupled with the Split Base for natural feeling and flex. Full EVA pad and dual-durometer EVA cushioning for natural canting and cushioning. Flip Flop ankle strap and Throwdown toecap come with tool-free adjustments. Colorways: The New Black, Blimey, Oil Spill.
OCTOBER 2011
BINDINGS
2011-2012
SB CO MAG
39
HEAD
THE NX SEVEN
THESE BINDINGS ARE STIFF JUST LIKE YOUR FAVORITE DRINK. UNLIKE YOUR DRINK THESE BINDINGS ARE CRAFTED FOR FREERIDE DOMINATION.
Full EVA and silicon dampened basepad reduces vibration. Carbon reinforced base and highback for maximum response. FAS buckles and tool-free adjustments make customizing on the fly easy. Colorways: Leather, red and brown.
ROSSIGNOL
THE COBRA (VI) PRICE POINT BINDINGS NEVER LOOKED OR FELT SO GOOD. LIKE DRINKING CHAMPAGNE ON A BEER BUDGET.
The HCX 18 baseplate is 20% lighter and 50% more responsive. Magnebed 2.5 is a full length dual-density EVA footbed with 2.5 inch canting for increased performance and comfort. 3D Asymwrap highbacks provide unparalleled comfort, especially for riders with wider stances. Colorways: V1 (White, Black,Gold), V2 (White, Red).
SALOMON
THE CHIEF NO TERRAIN YOU SHY AWAY FROM? NO PROBLEM, NOT WITH THE SALOMON CHIEF.
New Viper Ratchet system can be cranked down with a single click and released with ease. Never get ratchet bite again. SCS canting for added ollie power and a break for your knees. 3D Supreme Ankle Strap and True Grip Toe Strap offer ultra lightweight yet responsive straps. Colorways: Dark, Light.
40 SB CO MAG
2011 - 2012
BINDINGS
ColoradoPremiere|October20|SummitMusicHall
TECH NINE
ELEMENTS ALL AROUND DEPENDABLE BINDING MEANT TO SLAY THE PARK.
Flex and response specifically tuned to make the most of day-in, day-out park laps. Comfort King II ankle straps with Dual Density EVA for response with comfort. All Nylon Highbacks for just the right stiffness and playfulness. Available Colorways: White, Black, Blue, Graphite, Tonal Mashup, Rasta.
WOMENS
BURTON
LEXA EST MUCH LIKE HARRY AND SALLY, LADY AND THE TRAMP; THE CHANNEL AND A PAIR OF LEXA EST ARE A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN.
True Fit, womens specific design. Heel Hammock, rubbery material that creates a more snug fit between your boot and heelcup. EST mounting system allows for infinite adjustability and unmatched board feel.
WOMENS
DRAKE
THE JADE BINDINGS FIT FOR A QUEEN, NO REALLY.
Newly designed highback for increased dampening and boot-to-binding fit. Delta Light baseplate provides great response while saving weight. Contact Pad footbed softens the blows Colorado can dish up.
42 SB CO MAG
2011 - 2012
BINDINGS
WOMENS
ROSSIGNOL
JUSTICE SILLY BOYS, BOMBPROOF BINDINGS ARE FOR GIRLS TOO.
The HCX 18 baseplate is 20% lighter and 50% more responsive. Magnebed 2.5 is a full length dual-density EVA footbed with 2.5 inch canting for increased performance and comfort. 3D Asymwrap highbacks provide unparalleled comfort, especially for riders with wider stances. Colorways: Black.
WOMENS
ROXY
ROCK-IT-POWER PERFORMANCE MEETS COMFORT AND CONVENIENCE. BRILLIANT!
High speed highback for quick entry and exits. Ultra light aluminum frame for feather light response. Chairlift relief buckle for pain free lift rides.
WOMENS
SALOMON
THE ABSOLUTE PREMIUM ANNIE BOULANGER SLAYS THE BACKCOUNTRY IN THESE BINDINGS. CHANCES ARE YOU CAN TOO.
Transfer baseplate offers quick response in a lightweight package. All new CantBED for natural foot alignment and increased pop. Viper ratchets for smooth, solid entry and exit, every time.
OCTOBER 2011
BINDINGS
2011-2012
SB CO MAG
43
WOMENS
TECHNINE
GLAM ROCKER BINDINGS SO NICE PARIS HILTON WOULD BE PROUD.
Flex designed for an all mountain throwdown. Baltimore toe strap adds extra style. Cast-aluminum ratchets for a dialed-in fit every time.
YOUTH
BURTON
THE FREESTYLE GROM
SNOWBOARDING IS HARD ENOUGH. BINDINGS SHOULDNT BE.
Onestrap easy access strap keeps things simple. Kid-Friendly Smooth Glide buckles. Bombproof polycarbonate baseplate.
YOUTH
GNU
THE GNUNIOR BECAUSE YOUNG ONES SHOULD SPEND MORE TIME RIDING AND LESS TIME FUMBLING WITH BINDINGS.
Reclining highback and Auto Open Straps means instant access off the lifts. Snow shedding footbed keeps grip up to par. Oversized highback levers so the little ones cant miss.
44 SB CO MAG
2011 - 2012
BINDINGS
P.O.V. CAMERAS
WORDS: JUSTIN LESNIAK
SOME OF MANKINDS GREATEST MOMENTS ARE CAPTURED ON VIDEO, ALLOWING COUNTLESS GENERATIONS TO RELIVE THOSE MOMENTS THROUGH THE MAJESTY OF VIDEO. CHANCES ARE, YOUR DAY ON THE MOUNTAIN, OR NIGHT OUT, ARENT ONE OF THESE HISTORICAL MOMENTS IN HISTORY. Nevertheless, recording your escapades are just as important, which means that choosing the right video camera is just as important. Good news is there are video cameras with your name on it regardless of your skill level or budget. The right camera could lead to something beautiful. Who knows, you may just make the next great snowboard film or YouTube gem.
GoPro HD Helmet Hero
VIO POV HD
ContourRoam
Action sports POV standard for a reason.
Military style POV camera brings a new perspective to the mountain.
Capturing your life one adventure at a time.
FIELD OF VISION/RECORDING MODES: 170 degree at WVGA (60fps), 720p (30 or 60fps) or 960p (30fps) and 127 degrees at 1080p(30fps) EXPOSURE CONTROL: Auto with user selectable center weighted ave ra g e a n d s p o t m e te r i n g settings. Auto white balance. Waterproof housing included with purchase. SD card slot that supports a maximum of 32GB.
FIELD OF VISION/RECORDING MODES: 142 degrees at 1080p (30fps) or 95 degrees at 720p (60fps). In-field flexibility offers on-the-go editing and exposure control. Attached CPU device acts as an on-mountain editing station allowing video playback and adjustments. R u g g e d b u i l d . S h o c k p ro o f, waterproof (up to 1m) and dustproof. SD card slot that supports a maximum of 32GB.
FIELD OF VISION/RECORDING MODES: 170 degrees at 1080p (30fps), 960p (30fps) and 720p (30fps) GPS capabilities (select models). MicroSD card slot that supports a maximum of 32GB. Built-in waterproof housing.
PRICE: $299.99
PRICE: $599.95
PRICE: $199.99
OCTOBER 2011
P.O.V. CAMERAS
SB 47 CO MAG
MONARCH
LAST RESORT
By Jeff Aguilar
UNLESS YOU WENT TO COLLEGE AT WESTERN STATE, OR YOU LIVE IN SALIDA OR GUNNISON, CHANCES ARE THAT YOUVE NEVER RIDDEN AT MONARCH. WELL SHAME ON YOU, YOU LITTLE PUNK. MONARCH MOUNTAIN HAS BEEN IN OPERATION SINCE 1939, AND ITS IS ONE OF THE MOST FUN MOUNTAINS IVE EVER BEEN TO IN MY LIFE. IT DOESNT HAVE A LOT OF THINGS THAT THE BIG RESORTS HAVE, BUT I THINK THE PEOPLE WHO RIDE AT MONARCH WOULDNT HAVE IT ANY OTHER WAY.
R: NIC DRAGO P: AARON DODDS
P: AARON DODDS
JUST A QUICK THREE AND A HALF HOUR TRIP FROM DENVER, MONARCH MOUNTAIN IS LESS THAN 20 MILES WEST OF THE TOWN OF SALIDA, AND ALMOST 50 MILES EAST OF GUNNISON, RIGHT ON THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. NOW I KNOW THAT SEEMS LIKE A LONG DRIVE TO RIDE A MOUNTAIN THAT DOESNT PLAY HOST TO A MAJOR SNOWBOARD COMPETITION, NO HIGH-SPEED 6-PERSON SUPER CHAIR OR A TWENTY-WHATEVER-FOOT SUPER PIPE. ITS NOT SO MUCH ABOUT WHAT MONARCH HAS, BUT MORE ABOUT WHAT IT DOESNT HAVE, THAT MAKES IT SUCH A FUN PLACE TO RIDE.
The first thing youll notice is the lack of people on the mountain, no one to snake you in the park, no one to see you face-plant-tofakie as you get off the chair and no one to impale you with their ski poles while youre in the lift line. In fact there are no lift lines, no nine dollar hamburgers or seven dollar beers, no shuttles back and forth to the parking lot, and no losing your idiot drunk girlfriend on the other side of the resort (I guess that last one isnt so bad, but you get the point). You just get out of your daddys whip (which youve parked for free), do the stoney-bologna shuffle up to the lift and its shred time. Serious shred time. With over 350 inches of annual snowfall, Monarch Mountain has a way of separating the men from the park-punks, and its called Mirkwood Basin. Previously only accessible via the Monarch Snowcat Tours, this zone consists of over 130 acres of expert terrain, and was opened to powder-hungry hikers back in 2005. Packed with deep snow, cliff drops and tree glades, Mirkwood is just a fifteen minute hike from the top of the Breeze Way Lift. Thats 300 vertical feet (1,200 linear feet) of hiking, and youve made it. Yeah, you gotta earn them turns tough guy, but it is well worth it. Even in April on closing weekend, when Snowboard Colorado
50 SB CO MAG
MONARCH
1,200
700
200
Mirkwood 11,952
Thumbolina
Panorama
Br ee z
W ay
n Pio eer
Garfie ld
Base Elevation 10,790
Vertical Drop 1,162 Terrain - 800 Acres
50
150
250
350
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
MONARCH MOUNTAIN HAS A WAY OF SEPARATING THE MEN FROM THE PARK-PUNKS
made it out there last; there was still a ton of fresh powder to ease our hangovers from our awesome night on the town (Which Ill tell you about in a bit). The Monarch Snowcat Tours are considered some of the best in Colorado, with a small group of up to 12 people per day, you can log about a dozen runs at around 900 vertical feet per run. Youll be riding the steepest of the steeps that Monarch has to offer and theyre all out of bounds-terrain that nobody else on the mountain has privy to. If youve got the cash to throw down, this will make your experience at Monarch that much more awesome. I would recommend riding the cat your first day, and then checking out the rest of the mountain on the other days of your stay, because you definitely wanna be on youre a-game to impress any breezies who might be on the cat with you and your crew. The cat tours run from December to April, with cheaper rates early and late season. If youve got enough heads to fill the cat, then you can all throw down and get a cheaper group rate instead of rollin solo. Check online and make your reservations well in advance, cat rides are a hot commodity in this part of the state. Oh yeah, be prepared for some crazy ass Colorado weather. The continental divide makes the weather predictions around this area tricky. Youll be drenched in sunlight one minute, and then blasted with an arctic, snowy wind that will make your momma cry for you the next minute, be ready.
Mirkwood Basin and the Monarch Snowcat Tours are not the only expert terrain at Monarch Mountain. In fact, 31% of the mountain is expert terrain, and you can access black runs off any lift besides Tumbelina. One of our favorites was Christmas Tree (riders left off the Garfield Lift) on the way to the Aftershock! Terrain Park. Its a super short run, but its a good warm up before you get to the park and theres a ton of stuff to jib on and plenty of ways to get broken off. If youre more into the longer, leg burner steeps, take your Jeremy-Jones-wannabe-ass up the Panorama Lift, head lookers-right, and point that shit son. Youre not going to find anything off the lift as gnarly as what lies within the hike-to terrain of Mirkwood Basin, but thats the way it should be, right?
TAKE YOUR JEREMY-JONESWA N N A B E - A S S U P T H E P A N O R A M A L I F T, H E A D LOOKERS-RIGHT, AND POINT THAT SHIT SON
OCTOBER 2011
MONARCH MOUNTAIN
SB CO MAG
51
THE FIRST THING YOULL NOTICE...
...IS THE LACK OF PEOPLE ON THE MOUNTAIN.

R: NIC DRAGO AND ALEX PASHLEY P: AARON DODDS
THE THREE TERRAIN PARKS ARE 100% AWESOME!
to slide down, bonk on, or launch off of. The features are nice and spread out too, so you can recover from your weak front-blunt-towash-out and still have enough speed to pop off the next jib. The Aftershock! Terrain Park is not as long as the K2 Park, but it also has a nice flow and some small, but fun jumps at the end. (These jumps were reduced to rollers when we were there because of the kayak race the day before, yeah, a kayak race, on snow. Rad, I know). Theres nothing in the terrain parks here thats going to make you grow chest hairs just from stickin tricks on it, but the features are more about fun than freaking you out. Theres no do or die consequences, or 80 foot tabletops, just a fun ass park filled with good vibes. Every single person we met in the terrain park was super chill, no attitudes or claiming; just everyone giving props for anyones landed tricks. If youre in the park at
At this point, you may be asking yourself, If 31% of the mountain is expert terrain, whats the other 69%? Well, smarty-pants, I dont know, but the three terrain parks are 100% awesome! Yeah, have your mommy read you that part again, THREE terrain parks. Thats tres parques at a resort that only has five lifts and hardly 1,000 acres. You may ask, why would such a small mountain need three terrain parks? But we at Snowboard Colorado ask, why wouldnt they? I can honestly say that I had more fun riding park at Monarch, than I had anywhere else on my board all last season. Maybe it was the crew I was with that made it so fun, maybe it was the fact that I slaved away in an office for 80 hours a week and only rode like 10 days last season, or maybe it was because the parks are designed
IF YOURE IN THE PARK AT MONARCH MOUNTAIN AND YOU SUCK, NOBODY CARES.
Monarch Mountain and you suck, nobody cares. If you are in the park and youre riding like Torstein on his best day, still, nobody cares. Everyone is just there to have fun and ride, no fronts or pretentious pricks. That is one element that a few big resorts have lost and will never have again, yet Monarch still has it. After you perv out all over this piece, head into the bar and tell your Mom to pay her tab and drive you over Monarch Pass into Gunnison (just kidding), have her recklessly swerve you back on the short route into Salida. A town where the beer flows like wine and the women flock like wait, wait. Salida is no Aspen, and I think everyone there is cool with that. It definitely has an awesome small town feel to it, with a population of around 5,500 theres not going be a Starbucks on every corner, thats for sure. But they do have a rad public pool (with a diving board), The Salida Hot Springs, theyve got a flat-track roller derby team, The Ark Valley High Rollers, plus a board shop connected to a liquor store, and a few bars that were pretty okay for a small town. But Ill get to that in a second.
CHANCES ARE THAT YOULL HIT YOUR DESIRED FEATURE A FEW TIMES BEFORE YOU EVEN SEE ANYONE ELSE AROUND. SO MAYBE YOU CAN PRACTICE UP, AND QUIT EMBARRASSING YOUR GIRLFRIEND EVERY TIME YOU THROW THAT SLOPPY TWO-SEVEN ON A DOWN-RAIL.
in such a way that no matter your ability level, or how tight your pants are, you can flow the shit out of your line and not have to wait to hit a feature. Seriously, waiting in line to hit a jump or rail is as lame as it gets, and its something you will never have to do at Monarch. Hiking features is no big deal either. Without a million kids in the park, chances are that youll hit your desired feature a few times before you even see anyone else around. So maybe you can practice up, and quit embarrassing your girlfriend every time you throw that sloppy two-seven on a down-rail. For the beginner park rider, theres the Tilt Terrain Park that is located at the bottom of the Panorama Lift. A couple boxes, and rails, and a barrel and a mini rainbow await your arrival. You can definitely hike these features as much as you need to get your poop in a group (A.K.A. your shit together), before you get buck-nasty on some of the larger features in the other parks. The K2 Terrain Park is long as shit, and hella fun if you like natural jibs, which you all should. Theres an up-log in this park that has about a 20 foot drop off the end, if you can even ride the whole thing. But since you probably cant ride out the giant up-log, (Im just bitter because I tried like 30 times), you should take a look around, because there are all kinds of other fun, natty things for you
54 SB CO MAG
THERE ARE ALL KINDS OF OTHER FUN, NATTY THINGS FOR YOU TO SLIDE DOWN, BONK ON, OR LAUNCH OFF
R: JEFF AGUILAR P: DAG LARSON
OCTOBER 2011
MONARCH MOUNTAIN
SB CO MAG
55
R: ALEX PASHLEY, NIC DRAGO AND ERIN SMITH P: AARON DODDS
T H E SA M E S M A L L TOW N HOSPITALITY YOUVE COME TO EXPECT IN COLORADOS MOUNTAIN TOWNS

Whenever visiting a new town on a snowboard trip, you have to know where the good boardshop is. The good one in Salida is seriously attached to a liquor store, which makes perfect sense to me. Wilderness Ski and Snowboard isnt your typical crappy small town boardshop. They have the latest Solomon, Never Summer, and Ride Snowboards. Theyve also got cheapo rentals in case your board gets left at home on your voyage, and on top of that theyve got a bunch of replacement binding straps for when you break one. Whether youre looking to step it up in the park or on the steeps, this place has an excellent selection of body armor that you can throw on under your gear to give you that extra little bit of confidence it sometimes takes to get you to push your riding to the next level. Combine that body armor with some items from the liquor store, and youll be tuckin and huckin doubles before you know it! Just kidding, riding drunk is actually frowned upon by most people these days (especially Ski Patrol), so you may want to make sure you stop by the boardshop on your way to Monarch, and the LQ on your way back into Salida.
A much more urgent need after a day on the snow, however, is food. The beer should come second, unless you eat at Amicas Wood Fired Pizza and Micro Brew, where you get the very best of both worlds! The name pretty much says it all, but doesnt really explain just how good this place is-holy crap, the food and beer at Amicas are amazing! I had a big ass calzone and a Headwaters IPA or two to wash it down. I hadnt had a meal that good in a while. A couple of the guys in the crew got the pizza, I snatched up a slice or two and it was life changing. Theres a cool modern feel to Amicas, yet there is still the same small town hospitality youve come to expect in Colorados mountain towns. Overall a great place to eat and drink a couple of delicious beers that are brewed on-site. Check em out on the web at amicassalida.wordpress.com and read the reviews. Everyone from all over the place is in love with the food and beer at Amicas, and thats a good sign for sure.
ALL I KNOW IS THAT MYSELF AND ANOTHER GENTLEMAN (NON-LOCAL) WERE THE ONLY TWO DUDES FOR MILES WITH FLAT-BILLED HATS ON.
56 SB CO MAG
R: ALEX PASHLEY P: AARON DODDS
MONARCH HAS BEEN UP AND RUNNING FOR OVER 70 YEARS.

With our bellies full and our minds open, we decided to see what kind of night life existed in a town with a few thousand people living in it. We were surprised to find a bar that was seriously packed. It was probably because there was a reggae band playing, and the roller derby girls had their afterparty there. I think anyone in town with a pulse was there that night. Theres a definite locals only kind of scene goin on though. If youre not in the scene, youre goin home alone cowboy. We all agreed that weve never been in a bar with so many girls who wouldnt talk to any of us. Maybe it was because we werent locals, or maybe its because we didnt have dreadlocks or beards and had bathed within the past week. All I know is that myself and another gentleman (nonlocal) were the only two dudes for miles with flat-billed hats on. (Chafee County is a bit different than Summit County to say the least.) So we left the hippie-roller-derby-bar and went to another tiny little bar, farted uncontrollably, sang karaoke and danced with fat chicks! Later on that night, two of those swamp donkeys were sitting on the couch in our villa, guzzling our PBRs and talking noise until they were creatively kicked out with the old Im-toodrunk-to-wear-pants trick works every time.
Speaking of our villa, if you want to have your own bed, free cable and WiFi, independent heating controls in each room, a full kitchen, couch and a living room with a giant flat-screen TV, and not have to worry about the neighbors complaining about you, or them keeping you awake; then you want to stay in The Villas at Tudor Rose. Its a ways off the main road in Salida, so you wont be walking home from the bar, but it affords you enough privacy that you may not even want to leave once you return from your day of shredding. Recently remodeled to include both a bed and breakfast and a hot tub on site, the Villas at Tudor Rose are super classy, one of the nicest places Ive had the pleasure of staying. And probably the only place Ive ever stayed to include a bear awareness DVD in the welcoming handbook. Bears are quite common in Salida, so no matter where you stay, you have to be aware that bears are around and they can definitely run up in your business and F your S, if you know what I mean. So all in all, Salida is a cool ass little town, that knows how to get down. And Monarch Mountain, although small as well, has everything the average shred head could want in an in-state vacation. So if youre looking for a great time off the beaten path of I-70, and youve got a little bit of cash to throw down, make your way south-west to Chafee County, and dont just take my word, see for yourself why Monarch has been up and running for over 70 years. Hopefully you will fall in love with this place and have as much fun as we had.
OCTOBER 2011
MONARCH MOUNTAIN
SB CO MAG
57
The word pillow conjures up an abundance of fond memories; Playful romps between sexy ladies, enchanting dreams and of course epic runs down fluffy pillow lines. Honestly, whats better than slashing, boosting and floating through a soft, steep pillow line? Just like I thought, no response. Try this, think of your best memories on the mountain. Its most definitely filled with close friends, pow and what else? Pillow Lines. Unlike your memories, this months wallpaper features Colorados best knocking the stuffing out of the states best fluffy stuff. Look, learn and cut out these photos to inspire you for when theres enough snow to fill your days with pillows not just your nights. Words: Justin Lesniak 59 R: BRADEN WAHR P: CHRIS GARRISON
60 R: ELLIOTT BERNHAGEN P: PATRICK ORTON
61 R: PAUL GEMINGNANI P: TERRY RATZLAFF
62 R: DCP P: AARON DODDS
63 R: MADISON ELLSWORTH P: AARON DODDS
64 R: JAKE BLACK P: GEOFF ANDRUIK
65 R: SARKA PANCOCHOVA P: JEFF BROCKMEYER
HISTORY 101: COLORADO SNOWBOARDERS
DIG THEIR ROOTS

BY COLIN BANE SNOWBOARDING IS AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT PROGRESSION AND MOVING FORWARD. NOW, MORE THAN EVER, THERES ALSO AN INCREASING PUSH TO TAKE A LONGER VIEW OF THAT PROGRESSION AND A NEED TO LOOK BACK AND EMBRACE SNOWBOARDINGS ROOTS.
66
OCTOBER 2011
SB CO MAG
ISSUE 2.2
WE HAVE A WINNER! A MAN BUILDING TOYS FOR HIS DAUGHTER IN 1938 IS THE REASON YOU HAVE A LIFE AND PASSION TODAY.
THE FIRST HANDCRAFTED SNOWBOARD BY TOM SIMS 1963.
1963
THE SNO-SURF PATENTED BY BURGESON AND WICKLAND IN 1939
1939
1977
FIBERGLASS PROTOTYPE OF 1977
JAKE BURTON CARPENTER
THE COLORADO SNOWBOARD ARCHIVE
HISTORY 101: Snowboarders Dig Their Roots
67
CHRIS PAPPAS HAND PAINTED SIMS BOARD.
T
SIMS 1500 FE 1977
The history of snowboarding in Colorado steps into the spotlight this season as Never Summer Industries celebrates its 20th anniversary manufacturing snowboards in Colorado, Ski Cooper celebrates 30 years of officially allowing snowboarding on its slopes, and the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Museum and Hall of Fame in Vail partners with the Colorado Snowboard Archive to present the museums first full-fledged snowboard history exhibit. Weve really got an amazing collection coming together, says Colorado Snowboard Archive founder Trent Bush, also a member of the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Museums board of directors. The museum is celebrating its own anniversary y this season, marking 35 years of safeguarding the spirit and evolution of snow sports and their contribution to Colorados history. Snowboardings roots in Colorado date back to around that same time period, but before today the museums Snowboard Timeline collection had been relegated to a tiny corner. Thats about to change in a big way.
PORTION OF JOSH MALAYS RAIL
A PIECE OF HISTORY AND COLORADOS HEART.
68
OCTOBER 2011
SB CO MAG
ISSUE 2.2
The people behind the museum are really good people skiing is their life and their passion, Bush says. They had snowboarding somewhat represented and had the vision to know that they needed to make some changes, Especially after Susie Tjossem became the executive director five years ago. But I still kind of had to beat down the door to make this happen. Now, its really snowballed into something beyond even my own wildest expectations since I first got the word out and started working on this. The Colorado Snowboard Archive collection will focus on early snowboarding history, with an emphasis on what Bush calls the Colorado story. The collection has come to include a broad range of items that Bush, an active snowboarder himself since 1984 and a partner at Brandbase, (Nomis, and Technine) still cant quite bring himself to call historic artifacts.
EARLY ON COLORADO BECAME AN EPICENTER IN A LOT OF W YS. THERE W A AS A LOT OF EARLY INNOV ATION GOING ON HERE.
- Trent Bush
Colorado has always been such a crossroads for snowboarding, Bush says. There were a lot of things going on on each coast, with Burton in the East and Sims and Barfoot on the West, and early on Colorado became an epicenter in a lot of ways. There was a lot of early innovation going on here to make boards ride better, and weve got a lot of really early examples of all that experimentation as people here in Colorado started playing with different shapes and bindings and trying to put edges on boards. Guys like Jake Burton, Tom Sims, and Chuck Barfoot all came through Colorado in those days and their contributions to snowboarding are well known. There were also contributions by many different people here that helped shape what snowboarding has become today. Back then, it wasnt so cutthroat, because there was no market for it yet, there was no real money in it, and everybody were talking about a very small handful of riders was kind of in it together. What Im trying to do is paint a true picture of how all that innovation came together.
1988 BRECK COMP POSTER
THE SNURFER. CHILDREN AND ADULT MODELS
PROOF IS IN THE PROOFS.
WERE YOU EVEN ALIVE BACK THEN?
69
Ted Slater (1968 World Snow Snurfer Champion) donated his trophies and ribbons from the first-ever snowboarding contest in Muskegon, Michigan to the collection. Tom Sims donated the first board he ever made, back in 1963, and the collection will also include the first board ever made by Chuck Barfoot and one of Jake Burtons first fiberglass prototypes. Bush says one of the holy grails in the collection will be the first ever hi-back bindings, invented in Aspen in 1984 by Jeff Grell, who rode his Hibaks to second place in the halfpipe finishing behind Terry Kidwell at the 1984 Worlds at Soda Springs in Tahoe. There will also be boards from a number of early Colorado companies in the collection, including Nip Sticks, Aggression, Hyper, and Denver-based Skosh Snowboards: The company, co-owned by Carrie Campbell and Bill OConnell, made boards in the 1970s and 80s. Campbell died in August, and several boards are in the museum.
ONE OF THE HOLY GRAILS... THE FIRST EVER HIBAKS.
JEFF GRELLS SNOWBOARDFIRST HIBAKS INVENTED IN OUR VERY OWN ASPEN COLORADO.
7 0
OCTOBER 2011
SB CO MAG
ISSUE 2.2
People are going to trip when they see all these boards in one place, Bush says. Everybody who was involved in snowboarding early on was working hard in their own way to make it all happen, and there were a lot of good Colorado companies from the beginning. Colorado snowboarders also lead the charge to win acceptance from ski areas: Paul Alden, father of Colorado Snowboard Archive and co-founder David Alden, were instrumental in getting the ski resorts insurance companies to rewrite their policies to cover snowboarding, in what Bush calls a pivotal moment in snowboarding history. While anecdotes abound about snurfing and snowboarding all over Colorado throughout the 70s (Chuck Barfoot tells me he showed up at Snowmass with a snowboard and was allowed on the mountain back in the early 70s, when he would have been the only person in the Aspen Valley to own one and the lifties wouldnt have known what to make of it, Bush says), Ski Cooper and Berthoud Pass Ski Area were the first to officially allow it three decades ago, in 1981. Breckenridge followed a few years later, in the 1984/1985 season.
Todays snowboarders take for granted that theyre welcomed and catered to with terrain parks at every ski area in Colorado, but its worth remembering that the Aspen resorts, known as the home of the Winter X Games since 2002 and featured as a snowboarders dream destination in a Last Resort profile in this magazines September 2011 issue, didnt officially allow snowboarding until 2001, a mere ten years ago.
COLORADO SNOWBOARDERS LEAD THE CHARGE TO WIN ACCEPTANCE FROM SKI AREAS... SKI COOPER AND BERTHOUD PASS SKI AREA WERE THE FIRST TO OFFICIALLY ALLOW IT THREE DECADES AGO
COLORADO LEGEND QUINN SANDVOLDS AIRWALKS AND FRAN RICHARDS FRANTIC LEASH
CLEARLY THE 90S
YOU THOUGHT YOUR BOOTS WERE OLD..
71
HISTORY IN THE MAKING AND IN COLORADO.
BILL WRIGHT STARTED CARRYING SNOWBOARDS IN HIS SHOP 30 YEARS AGO, IN 1981, MAKING THE WRIGHT LIFE THE OLDEST CORE SNOWBOARDING SHOP IN COLORADO
Never Summer, our states longest-standing snowboard company, has been around twice that long and shows no sign of slowing, with a 2011/2012 line that features two 20th anniversary boards that are getting industrywide acclaim: The Proto CT Carbonium Twin is being touted as a quiver killer and came in at number three in Snowboarder Magazines 2012 Best of Test, and the big-mountain Heritage, with its Colorado flag graphics, remains a local favorite. Tim and Tracey Canaday, the brothers behind Never Summer, can actually trace their roots in the industry even further back. Tim still keeps the first board he ever made, back in 1983, in his office at Never Summers North Denver factory. The brothers had a short-lived company called Swift Snowboards in the 80s, selling boards out of the back of their car on Berthoud Pass and in shops like The Wright Life in Fort Collins.
EARLY COMP POSTERS
72
OCTOBER 2011
SB CO MAG
ISSUE 2.2
IT W AS AN EXCITING THING TO BE A PART OF BECAUSE EVERYONE INVOLVED COULD SENSE THE POTENTIAL IN IT.
- Bill Wright
Speaking of The Wright Life, the shop in Old Town Fort Collins is worth a visit for anybody looking to soak up some Colorado snowboard history, and owner Bill Wright is celebrating an anniversary of his own this year: The former freestyle Frisbee champion first started carrying snowboards in his shop in 1981, making The Wright Life the oldest core snowboarding shop in Colorado and one of, if not the longestrunning board shops in the world. Theres no doubt weve been carrying snowboards longer than any other shop in Colorado, says Wright. There was a shop on the hill in Boulder that had them before we did, but they were going out of business just as we were getting started. As for anywhere in the U.S. or anywhere in the world? Thats a good question. I guess its possible theres somebody out in Burlington, Vermont or somewhere whos been at it for longer. Ill have to ask Jake Burton some time. The Wright Life will be celebrating with 30 years in 30 days specials in the month leading up to its official 30th anniversary celebration on November 19.
Wright, who competed in one of the worlds first-ever snowboarding contests at Berthoud Pass in 1982, remembers the sports beginnings in Colorado fondly. Snowboarding was pretty raw back then I remember at that contest in 1982 Tom Sims was the only guy who had a board with metal edges, Wright says. My whole thing back in those days was to try to create something like an inland surf shop here in Colorado, so snowboarding was a perfect fit from the beginning. It was an exciting thing to be a part of because everyone involved could sense the potential in it. Within just a few years of that the manufacturing and the demand caught up and it just exploded in popularity. The Wright Life has become something of a museum itself, featuring 30+ years of vintage snowboards and skateboards on its walls. If you want to feel like a snowboarding dinosaur or back up your boasts about how long youve been in the game, theres nothing quite like seeing one of your first boards displayed on the shops ancient history walls: A Burton Performer similar to the board I first learned on and the embarrassingly neon pink and blue Gnu Antigravity model that I got for Christmas in junior high are among the treasures on display.
73
THE FIRST EVER WIDE SNOWBOARD CREATED BY BOULDER BORN/VAIL LOCAL ADAM MENTMAN
FAT BOB PROTOTYPE
We have a lot of these boards because I sold them back when they were state-of-theart, and I hung on to a few of my favorites along the way, Wright says noting a distinct advantage over snowboard collectors who have come to the game late. A couple of the boards in the collection actually preceded us, like the Winterstick and the yellow Sims that were given to me by customers over the years. The prize of the collection is probably the Snurfer that Sherman Poppen signed for me. His daughter works down the street from the shop he invented the Snurfer for her back in 1965 when she was 11 years old and hes been in a few times. Hes kind of thought of as the grandfather of snowboarding, so that ones really special to me. Another one thats special to me is the old 77 Burton that was given to us by Jake Burton. We were the first Colorado snowboard shop to carry Burton snowboards and theyve been one of our bestsellers in the shop ever since.
TARQUIN ROBBINS 1991-1992 AND 1992-1993 PRO MODELS.
THE YEAR THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING. HELLO SKATEBOARD STYLE.
74
OCTOBER 2011
SB CO MAG
ISSUE 2.2
The Wright Life, incidentally, is also a great place to pick up new issues of Snowboard Colorado as they hit the racks. You look back and think of all the ideas you once had but never pulled the trigger on, like starting a Colorado snowboarding magazine, Wright says. Just the other day, while I was sorting through some old stuff and thinking about our upcoming anniversary, I came across some of my old notes for a magazine project I had wanted to start at one point. You think to yourself, Why didnt I follow through on that? It could have been a great idea, but we decided a long time ago to focus on the retail side of things and to really hang our hat on carrying the best snowboards made by the best companies in the business Burton and Never Summer in particular have been very, very good to us over the years and I guess its worked out pretty well. Weve outlasted everybody else in the snowboard retail business and were still going strong. Wright says all these historic anniversaries provide great opportunities to reflect on just how far snowboarding has come and how much potential it still has to grow and evolve: As the 2011/2012 season gets under way, make a vow to spend some time brushing up on your local history as youre hucking yourself into creating the future.
SEE ALL THESE RELICS AT THE COLORADO SNOWBOARD ARCHIVE, OPENING EARLY DECEMBER 2011 IN V AIL, COLORADO.
75
TRICK TIPS 270 GAP TO REGS ON DOWN RAIL

TRICK: KEEGAN VALAIKA PHOTOS: DEAN BLOTTO GRAY
GAP TO DOWN RAIL... 270 ON... IN THE STREETS... WOW, WE STARTED OFF WITH A BACKFLIP LAST MONTH, NOW WE ARE SENDING YOU INTO YOUR HOOD TO TRY THIS MONSTER.
I HOPE WE CANT GET SUED BY ANGRY PARENTS OF BROKEN OFF KIDS. BUT KEEGAN SHOWED ME HOW TO IN THIS MONTHS TRICK TIPS IN SNOWBOARD COLORADO. WELL CRAP, MAYBE WE HAVE GOOD INSURANCE, AND HOPEFULLY OUR READERS DO TOO.
76 SB CO MAG
OCTOBER 2011
YOU GOT THIS... RIGHT?

FIRST BE A PROFESSIONAL SNOWBOARDER. THIS MIGHT TAKE A FEW YEARS, OR A LIFETIME. NEXT APPROACH THE LIP OF THE TAKE OFF WITH YEARS OF EXPERIENCE OF KILLIN IT IN THE STREETS. INITIATE SPIN WITH CONFIDENCE AND STYLE OF AN AWARDED ROOKIE OF THE YEAR, AND 2009 JIBBER OF THE YEAR. FOCUS AS YOU REMEMBER THIS WILL GO INTO ONE OF THE MAJOR VIDEO PARTS YOU ARE WORKING ON. TOUCH DOWN ON THE RAIL, AND TRY NOT TO NOTICE THE FAMOUS AND WELL RESPECTED PHOTOGRAPHER CAPTURING YOUR EVERY MOVE. KEEP BALANCED, AS YOU DO BETWEEN SCHOOL, SNOWBOARDING, AND BEING A BUSINESS OWNER. STOMP BOLTS AND HEAR YOUR FRIENDS, WHO ALSO HAPPEN TO BE PRO, CHEER YOU ON AS YOU ADD ANOTHER BANGER TO YOUR PART. THAT WASNT SO HARD NOW WAS IT?
WARNING: SBCOMAG IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR BUSTED BOARDS, BODIES OR EGOS. TAKE TIPS AT YOUR OWN RISK.
GOOD LUCK!
ISSUE 2.2
SB CO MAG
77
ART INSTALLMENT
BY PAT MILBERY
CHRISTOPHER DAVID CARR

Allow me the pleasure of introducing you to one incredible artistic individual. His story kind of goes a little something like this He goes by the name of Christopher David Carr, he hails from just outside of the historical city of London. He has been snowboarding, skateboarding and playing in bands since he was 12 years old. Chris is down to earth, filled with an over abundance of contagious positive energy, very involved with his family, as a supportive figure to his parents and is one of the most enjoyable humans I had have the opportunity to converse with in quite a while. Chris is very passionate about his craft, so much in fact that he has taken a few years off of his snowboarding to strictly channel his creative energy into his art career. Here is how it all went down. Talk about hungry, Chris sent out 44 emails with his portfolio to every brand he could think of in the snowboard industry. In return, he received nothing. Without having any inside contacts, not one company responded to his emails. So, as a kid who grew up with punk rock, his mentality was independently strong which influenced him to not accept this lack of response as a definite No. Chris remained persistent, and sent his portfolio back out to the 44 companies and added a few more companies to his list for a second try. His persistence paid off. He received a response from the folks at Lamar and LTD Snowboards. He scored his first gig in the snowboard industry. Four commissioned board designs through Lamar and LTD Snowboards got his foot in the door, which Chris is very thankful for. He then received an additional response on his portfolio from Pete, the owner of Unity Snowboards. Pete dug his work and quickly hired Chris to design a snowboard for the Unity line.
A STORY OF PERSISTENCE, PAINT AND POWDER.

The project between the two has proven to be a highly exciting relationship that continues to grow for both Chris and Pete. Pete has now hired Chris to design a handful of other boards for Unity. Chris feels honored to have his art out there on snowboards and he wanted to personally thank all the riders that have chosen to support and shred on the boards he has designed! Chris founded a website called Drawn To Play, where he collaborates the beautiful with the ugly. Drawn To Play is an outlet for his sketches, illustrations, paintings and new products he creates. Chris has remained independent as an artist and continues to keep his focus and drive without losing his soul, by working in a corporate office space. His design experience includes everything from sneakers to T-shirts, and our favorite, snowboards. He applies the traditional first step of sketching out his idea to develop a basic concept, which he then scans into the computer to it clean up. This step allows him to compliment his original sketch with some color and computer illustration. Check out all of his techniques on Drawn To Play. You can browse through Chriss sketches, doodles, paintings, and illustrations, as well as support him through a purchase from his online shop if you buy a print! Much respect goes out to Chris and his imagination - keep those graphics coming so we can see more of his work on Unity snowboards in the magazine.
78 SB CO MAG
OCTOBER 2011
MUSIC
BY: TIM WENGER
D ON T LOOK AT M E L I KE IM SOM E K ID.

The Potato Pirates are better than your band. Want proof? Talk to Shad Ortiz, my fearless editor here at Snowboard Colorado who had the portentous assignment of photographing the band during their September gig at the Lions Lair on East Colfax. After an hour of being tossed around the dance floor and covered with the sweat of a bar full of drunken punk rockers, snapping a photo every time he could stand still long enough lift the camera up in front of his face, he stood outside the venue wide-eyed, unable to erase the smile off his face. Yeah man, that was fucking awesome, he said. I think the more shit we go through and the more bad experiences we have, the better our music gets, says Vinny Capaldo-Smith, lead singer and guitarist. The band went through a lot between their first and second albums, including lineup changes and multiple tours. Their recent album, Tried and True, Black and Blue, showcases a group of guys that are growing up but still looking at the world through punk rock eyes. They work extra hard when theyre not playing music to keep their goals as a group within reach. The Potato Pirates have been playing for over five years now, becoming a strong part of the Denver punk community. The older bands have always been really good to us - Pitch Invasion has wanted to go out on the road with us, King Rat has been amazing to us, says Steve. And some of our best friends now are people that came to our shows since the beginning. Yeah, its a community, says guitarist Matt Emrick. As soon as were off stage, were not not the Potato Pirates anymore, this is us 24-7, adds Vinny. I think a lot of people that listen to our music relate to that. Its like you still want to be punk rock but you want to move forward and be like, Yeah Ive got my shit together, dont look at me like Im some kid, says Scott Risch, bag piper extraordinaire who can also be seen drumming on an empty keg and liquor bottles during their set. We all do our own thing, trying to support yourself while youre on tour and at home is a struggle but we all help each other through it, says drummer Steve Stackhouse. Youve also got to have a lady friend that knows whats up, says bassist Andrew Williams. These guys flow together as well offstage as they do during their show, always keeping the mood light. Basically, were the same people everywhere we go, says Vinny. Were the same at a show as we are when were sitting on the couch. Onstage, on this particular evening, with the rest of the band held down by their instruments, Scott leaps into the crowd and leads a sloppy conga line around the bar a couple times before jumping back up and grabbing the bagpipes. It was about this point that everyone who had never seen these guys before, realized why so many people crowded a dark dive bar on Colfax to catch this show. Not only did they get the crowd moving in a good circle pit, they also got them singing along to and running around the bar like fanatical maniacs. Being on the road can be hard for the band members, but also for those that they love back home. Any musician will tell you that high maintenance relationships and drama wont cut it, and The Potato Pirates know this as well as anyone. The guys take their band very seriously but are rarely seen without a smile on their on their face. If you want to catch a badass show that will leave your good mood carrying over into the next day, make sure to check these guys out. The Potato Pirates end the evening out front of the Lions Lair, in a circle of about fifteen people, talking and laughing with the crowd that just watched them do what they do. From the looks on everyones faces, it is easy to tell that everyone here is happy about what they chose to do with their Friday night. Where else are you going to see someone beating the shit out of a pony keg? says Matt. Touch guys, touch.
80 SB CO MAG
OCTOBER 2011
Photo Tero Repo Rider Mathieu Crepel
AN HD SNOWBOARD FILM BY MIKE HATCHETT AND TRAVIS ROBB STANDARD FILMS 20TH MOVIE FROM THE REVOLUTIONARY TOTALLY BOARD SERIES
TOTALLY BOARD - VOLUME TWENTY
Halldor Helgason Sammy Luebke Kevin Jones Gjermund Brten Blair Habenicht Mark Carter Xavier de le Rue Kimmy Fasani Ryan Tiene Torstein Horgmo Lonnie Kauk Raewyn Reid Mathieu Crepel Leanne Pelosi Eiki Helgason Gulli Gudmundsson Mads Jonsson
Location Haines, AK
Copyright 2011 Standard Films
Inc. All Rights Reserved. Tour
Schedule, Blu-ray, DVD and More
Direct at: www.standardfilms.com
Living the Good Life
Photo Tero Repo Rider Mathieu Crepel
Location Haines, AK
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SGT and Sierra Nevada College have teamed up for four years to offer the ultimate backcountry freeride experience in Argentina, combining pro coaches and guides with the opportunity to take any of seven college-accredited courses during July and August.
surf / kite / SUP / yoga
photo: DR Stockdale
SGT Cabarete opens October 29th. With surf guiding from local guides, pro kiteboard instructors, beginner lessons for all activities, and luxury beachfront lodging right on Kite Beach, SGT is opening up the mother of all warm-water operations this fall.
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Snowboard Colorado Magazine (V2I2)

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Snowboard Colorado Magazine (V2I2)

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SNOWBOARDINGS HOMEGROWN HISTORY

BIG SOFT FLUFFY PILLOWS ESCAPE TO MONARCH MOUNTAIN

R: Zach Rawles P: Terry Ratzlaff

WE MAKE THE GREAT DAYS BETTER

PHOTO: MARK WELSH

PHOTO: ZACH HOOPER

R: AUSTIN JULIK-HEINE PARK CREW P: NATHANIELBROCKMEYER P: JEFF HARRINGTON BRECKENRIDGE, CO

R: ZACH RAWLES P: TERRY RATZLAFF

R: BRECK PARK CREW P: JEFF BROCKMEYER P: JEFF BROCKMEYER BRECK, CO

FROM THE EDITOR

DISCOVER YOUR ROOTS.

MAGAZINES ARE THE HISTORY BOOKS OF SNOWBOARDING.

WATERPROOFING TAPES THE ELEMENTS MOUTH SHUT.

Pro Rider Series : Lava Jacket x Lava Pant

2011 Luxottica group. All rights reserved. 877-680-0123

jessica@snowboard-colorado.com stephen@snowboard-colorado.com tiffany@snowboard-colorado.com ken@snowboard-colorado.com

TIFFANY HARDER KEN KELLEY

Snowboard Colorado 565 E. 70th Ave. 8-E Denver, CO 80229

See in color at anonoptics.com Portrait by Vincent Skoglund

Get the app:

A CONSISTENT THREAT ON THE CONTEST SCENE.

R: MEG PUGH P: JEFF NASS

OUTSIDE THE BOX

BY: CHAD OTTERSTROM

A GOOD OLE BOY ON A HUMBLE MISSION TO SEEK AND DESTROY.

ITS GOOD TO GET A LITTLE BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS.

R: MARK CARTER P: AARON DODDS

R: DORAN LAYBOURN P: JEFF POTTO

SPARKS R&D SPLIT BOARD BINDINGS

R: CHAD OTTERSTROM P: JEFF BROCKMEYER

OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS IVE BECOME A GEAR NERD.

R: JORDAN MENDENHALL P: BOB PLUMB

SHOOT THE MOON VIDEOGRASS

DELIVERING A FILM WITH PURE, ALMOST RAW SENSE OF AUTHENTICITY

WEVE GOT COMPANY

BUILT TO SURVIVE SO YOU CAN TOO.

2011/2012 BINDINGS PRODUCT SHOWCASE WORDS: JUSTIN LESNIAK

GoPro HD Helmet Hero

Action sports POV standard for a reason.

Military style POV camera brings a new perspective to the mountain.

Capturing your life one adventure at a time.

R: NIC DRAGO P: AARON DODDS

Base Elevation 10,790

Vertical Drop 1,162 Terrain - 800 Acres

TAKE YOUR JEREMY-JONESWA N N A B E - A S S U P T H E P A N O R A M A L I F T, H E A D LOOKERS-RIGHT, AND POINT THAT SHIT SON

THE FIRST THING YOULL NOTICE...

...IS THE LACK OF PEOPLE ON THE MOUNTAIN.

THE THREE TERRAIN PARKS ARE 100% AWESOME!

R: ALEX PASHLEY, NIC DRAGO AND ERIN SMITH P: AARON DODDS

T H E SA M E S M A L L TOW N HOSPITALITY YOUVE COME TO EXPECT IN COLORADOS MOUNTAIN TOWNS

R: ALEX PASHLEY P: AARON DODDS

MONARCH HAS BEEN UP AND RUNNING FOR OVER 70 YEARS.

60 R: ELLIOTT BERNHAGEN P: PATRICK ORTON

61 R: PAUL GEMINGNANI P: TERRY RATZLAFF

62 R: DCP P: AARON DODDS

63 R: MADISON ELLSWORTH P: AARON DODDS

64 R: JAKE BLACK P: GEOFF ANDRUIK

65 R: SARKA PANCOCHOVA P: JEFF BROCKMEYER

HISTORY 101: COLORADO SNOWBOARDERS

DIG THEIR ROOTS

THE FIRST HANDCRAFTED SNOWBOARD BY TOM SIMS 1963.

THE SNO-SURF PATENTED BY BURGESON AND WICKLAND IN 1939

FIBERGLASS PROTOTYPE OF 1977

JAKE BURTON CARPENTER