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Scotty Wittlake Olympics on Vimeo

Mel — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 20:02:40 +0000

Scotty Wittlake Olympics on Vimeo on Vimeo

Mr. Wittlake makes valid points. Now, I supported my friend, Mr. Greg Bretz, when he went to the Olympics and I’ll support him again next year when he returns – but I do agree with Scotty about the whole sham of it all and how it completely ruins economy’s. Vancouver being , I think, the biggest loser in that argument. Van was hurting for snow which made people not attend, the destruction of land and forest that BC prided itself on maintaining is now gone just so more people could over populate Whistler. The whole money drive of it all makes the root ideal of the olympics obsolete. The romans didnt have sponsors. you’re attendance wasn’t based off of how much revenue you brought in the previous season and the athletes we’re there due to being the best of the best and they wanted to prove it.

That last point I believe is still strong today – but it’s fueled by greedy companies saying ” you can beat so and so and when you do this blank check is yours.” Who could say no to that? I know a lot of riders, GOOD riders, who couldn’t give two fucks about comps. They ride purely because that’s what makes them happy.

The olympics, like Scotty touched on, is like Forced patriotism – if you don’t support the olympics you don’t support your country. I’m pretty sure tax money supports the olympics while I still support my country. most of the people who live in olympics cities cant even afford to ATTEND the event. It’s all foreign money coming over.

So while I watch people from over seas lavishly spend their money here and there because our whole economy sucks and soon the new olympics cites will as well – I’ll sadly and poorly watch the further commercialism of snowboarding from the bar cheering on my country.

Kelly Clarks success funds future stars training – espnW

Mel — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 17:54:00 +0000

Kelly Clarks success funds future stars training – espnW.

Ezra Shaw/Getty ImagesKelly Clark, known for the tremendous amplitude of her tricks, catches some serious air.

Kelly Clark was all smiles as she rocked out to her Christian worship music atop her third and final run at the 2011 Winter X Games.

Over in their booth, the announcers joked, “She might be appealing to the man upstairs for a 1080.”

For good reason, too: The 1080, three full rotations in the air, was a stunt no woman in halfpipe history had pulled off in a competition. It’s the kind of trick you’d pull out of your bag at the last minute in a desperate gamble to win a competition.

Clark didn’t need this trick to win. She already had clinched the competition in her first two runs, making this her victory lap. The 1080 attempt was simply Clark wanting to see whether she could be the first woman to nail it in a competition.

She dropped in with a big smile, knowing the stakes were record-breaking high. In just her third hit, she “stomped” it — insider lingo for perfection. At the end of the run, her teammates swarmed her. This 28-year-old, the winningest woman in halfpipe history, had catapulted her sport into the next frontier.

[+] EnlargeCourtesy of Burton Press
Kelly Clark, the winningest female snowboarder in the U.S., was the first woman to complete a 1080 — three complete revolutions — in a competition.

“It was a special moment for me,” said Clark, who resides in snowy Mammoth, Calif., when she’s not on the road. “At an event, it is really easy to go down and celebrate yourself, like, ‘Yeah, I did it!’ But to have the support of my teammates, friends, competitors made it such a powerful moment. It was a huge step forward for me to land that trick, but I also knew what it meant for women’s snowboarding. To be able to celebrate it with my teammates and competitors — I couldn’t have dreamed of a better way for it to happen.”

Clark, a two-time Olympic medalist in snowboarding, has been an innovator in her sport from the beginning. She’s known for her astonishing amplitude in the pipe — flying higher than any other competitor. Watching her incites a wow factor from fans. She’s a technician, a master. She works hard for it, too. Clark outlines a clear plan for each season — continuing to raise the bar for her friends and competitors.

“I’m definitely a goal-oriented person,” she said. “I start small with trick goals, and those turn into contest goals, and ultimately I think in four-year increments in terms of Olympic goals as well.”

Born to board

Growing up in Vermont, Clark couldn’t help but be surrounded by snow sports from an early age. When she was 8 years old, her parents bought her a snowboard, and she was quickly hooked. She soon enrolled in Mount Snow Academy, a sports school for competitive winter athletes in grades 6 through 12.

There, under the guidance of instructors, Clark fine-tuned her skills — learning to find the board’s edge better for more speed — and began experimenting with new tricks. At age 18, she became the first American to win halfpipe Olympic gold in front of an American crowd at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, a daring performance that earned her the respect of fellow snowboarders.

She’s been pushing the technical limits of her sport ever since.

“

I’m a goal-oriented person. I start small with trick goals, then contest goals and ultimately Olympic goals as well.

”– Kelly Clark

For Clark, the risk of trying a new trick is what it’s all about. Although the points system of snowboarding means that many times she could win an event with a far more conservative approach, Clark frankly doesn’t care. “I want to challenge myself,” she said. “I try new tricks just because I love it.”

In a sport known for its loud lifestyle as much as its appreciation of guts and not a small amount of grandstanding, Clark’s personality can seem at odds with her chosen path. On the mountain, her competitive spirit is fierce. But when she’s not boarding, her main focus is her faith.

“The biggest thing that helps me be effective in what I do as an athlete and a person, for that matter, is that I’m very comfortable in my own skin,” Clark said. “I know who I am apart from what I do and the importance of God.” She has seen plenty of young boarders become so caught up in winning contests that they quickly burn out and disappear from the sport. Not Clark. “I’m successful at what I do because I’m not using snowboarding as a way to get a sense of self-worth,” she said.

That self-confidence began in 2004, when Clark, who’d won the X Games, the U.S. Open and the Olympics, was starting to wonder whether there was more to life than just another season of snowboarding trophies. “I was at an event, watching a competitor come down the pipe. She fell at the bottom and began to cry,” Clark said. “Her friend came up to her, trying to make her laugh, and said, ‘Hey, it’s all right, God still loves you.’ And that really stirred something in me.”

Clark wasn’t raised in the church, and said she didn’t know much about the religion at the time. But she was looking for something to ground her, and the more she learned the more she knew this was where she’d find that inner peace. “As I pursued God, the conclusion that I came to was that He was real and that He loved me,” Clark said.

Higher calling

One of the big takeaways for Clark in her exploration of Christianity has been her desire to give back to others. Last year, she created the Kelly Clark Foundation to provide today’s youth with the resources and opportunities to attend mountain schools and pursue their dreams in snowboarding.

In its first year, the grassroots foundation raised $11,500 for seven young snowboarders to attend five different mountain schools. The board of directors includes some of her snowboarding friends and her mom. In addition, Clark has a personal assistant who handles the admin for the foundation. The foundation is small and requires a lot of hands-on work, and Clark is busy traveling the world for events, but it’s part of her heart and its success is a priority for her in her life.

“The longer my career and the better I do in snowboarding, the more I realize it’s not about me,” she said. “I’ve realized the importance of making the things I’ve learned and achieved transferable to the next generation. So I’m not just leaving a memory, I’m going to leave a legacy, and I see the foundation as just that.”

Of course, it’s a legacy in progress. On Dec. 7, Clark will kick off her season with the U.S. Grand Prix at Copper Mountain, Colo. She’s also got an eye on the top podium spot at the new world snowboarding championships in Oslo, Norway, in February.

Topping her wins from last season will be a tall order. “I’m definitely coming off the most successful season I’ve ever had,” Clark acknowledged. “I accomplished my goals. But there were a lot more victories than just the ones on paper.”

Managing stress, emotional ups and downs and the long season can make or break an athlete’s performance, and Clark said the pieces all came together for her last year. “This year, I’m going to take what worked from last season and build on it,” she said.

That should have her competition worried.

TIme for a little Switch up?

Mel — Wed, 11 May 2011 15:54:27 +0000

Eternalsnow.com has asked me feature this article by what I’m assuming to be a new writer. Either way I’m always down to help out a fellow shredder/blogger. Read away and Let us know what you think.

The following guest post is by Rory Alexander, a seasoned snowboarder and member of the Eternal Snow team. EternalSnow.com offers everything from a women’s snowboard, to all around snowboard boots, to top snowboarding gear, and much more.

How Do You Convince a Seasoned Skier to Try Snowboarding?

Alright skiers it is time to try something new, snowboarding. “But I have skied for years. Why snowboard?” Well here’s the truth, it is far easier on the body. Sure your first few days you spend falling on your butt, however once you get over the learning curve (typically 3 days) then your body will thank you for it. Snowboarding puts far less strain on both your knees and lower back. If you have bad knees or back then it is actually a great way to get back out on to the snow.

All of us at Eternal have been on the snow for years, and some of us even started on skis. We all have fallen in love with snowboarding. Now it is even easier to learn than back when we learned. With the help of some new equipment, you can cut down that learning curve in half. Snowboards with “rocker” have taken the industry by storm. This technology has taken a lot of angst out of the learning process. With a rocker shape (think of the legs on rocking chair) the board does not catch edges as easily. This means you spend less time on the ground. So now there is no excuse to not learn.

Speaking of the equipment, aren’t you skiers curious about the boards that saved skiing. That’s right – without ideas that snowboarding brought to the table, namely side-cut, skiing was dying. Oh yeah, and all of that “rocker” you see out there, that was snowboarding too. Snowboarding has brought more innovation to the hill in the past 10 years than skiing did for decades. So take a look at what has been fueling progression in the ski industry.

The great Skier VS. Snowboarder battle of the mid to late ‘90’s has simmered down quite a bit but the animosity is still out there. The important thing is that we all get out on the snow and enjoy the great outdoors. So if you skiers really don’t want to try something new and exciting, that is alright! Let’s all just get out on the hill and look after each other.

no surprise, lagging as usual…

Mel — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 18:24:41 +0000

After I left Seattle, I was in such a love have that I pretty much dropped a lot of things to spend more time with this boy…

and now, well, now i cant stand the site of him and I helped him migrate 10 min from my home here in Mammoth – good job Mel.

twenty five feet of snow, working at a new lodge, and retarded boy troubles were among the few things that kept me from blogging more avidly…laziness and lack of creative push were in there too.

Some of you might’ve heard about The Ultimate Gig being offered by The Canyons Resort – I applied – made an awesome video – but didn’t win. obviously since Im still here in Mammoth . Here’s the video my friends Sahwn, Ryan, and West helped me make.

While waiting to hear back from The Canyons, I’d already started working at Canyon Lodge instead of Eagle Lodge (thank God since that where I got that guy a job). Christmas rush was super mellow this year – most likely due to the fact that it snowed for 2 weeks straight giving us the most snow in the world..yeah…epic. During this time I’d also moved into my new house with two of my best friends. Our house is pretty much the hottest house in town.

Oh, and somewhere in the mix I competed in the Rome Pre-Jibulation rail jam and the Volcom PBRJ. Shayboarder was snapping photos of me for her blog while I hadnt even considered doing a write up…Im REALLY on point this season – oh well.

AAAAAAAND i started working at a shop called P3 – park, pipe, powder…much like the book from Mr. Todd Richards, which I’m reading right now. The shops great and I’ve somewhat become the assistant buyer. Won, my boss, pretty mush asks m opinion on everything – which is awesome. He also took me with him to the trade show in Costa Mesa with him to pick out all of next years stuff and I being the only girl in the shop will be demoing all the ladies hard goods this wednesday at demo days….stoked.

and yeah…

Instead of babbling on trying to think of what my season has consisted of thus far – I’ll just show you.

DOWNTOWN THROWDOWNSEATTLE 2.0

Mel — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 23:02:36 +0000

Besides the pouring rain that no one was surprised by, the comp carried on as always. Skullcandy, Forum, Lib-Tech, Snowboader Mag, Vans, Jones Soda Just to name a few all came out – booths stocked and everything to help bring more of a crowd to Occidental Park. There were so many people buy the time I got there that mY shots are borderline not blog worthy. So bare with me as I still only have my iPhone.

Here are the results:

Results

1. Ryan Paul $3000
2. Scott Stevens $2000
3. Forest Bailey $1,000
4. Jake Kuzyk $750
5. Ted Borland $500

Zumiez Destroyer Award:

Johnny Lazzareschi $1,000 + power tools

Saturday Night Ride by Wildcard Movies @ The King Kat Theater

Mel — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 18:47:29 +0000

Last season these guys put out How the Northwest Was One… if you missed that premier psh…well bummer for you. Tons of North-westerners came out to EVO here in Seattle to support the boys.

This season, they decided to go a different route (as I’m sure they will every season). Saturday Night Ride – I’m sure there will be some pretty sweet punches…err slashes…tonight on the big screen.

Check out the teaser and then go hurry and buy your ticket! They sold out last year and Im on my way right now.

COLE BARASH signin the guest book.

Mel — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 18:56:12 +0000

Cole is one rad and talented dude. I have the pleasure of meeting him this year while a whole gaggle of us were enjoying Coachella Fest. Later, I scoped around at some of his work and man, you’d never guess so much talent spew from this guy.

click the picture to get to the Snowboarder Magazine page or just go straight to Coles page and have a look see

Attempted Tyranny from Tyrant Snowboards…

Mel — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 10:32:46 +0000

Being that the snowboard community is a pretty small one compared to others, word of whats good, not cool, and just balls out LAME travels pretty fast. With the help of Twitter and Facebook – this news travels even faster. I’m sure if you read my blog you read other, better, blogs as well – like Angry Snowboarder and Deserts Dont Snow. If so then I’m also sure you’ve read and discussed with fellow riders how ignorant, immature, and pretty much ridiculous Tyrant Snowboards is.

After reading Angry’s post and watching the video of Dirty D. I couldnt help but laugh out loud. If I was going to be told to, “cop one of these” or that these boards are the ” illest, freshest, on the market” or ”one of the dopest boards” and they’re for “serious riders only”?… seriously – lame. All while the sales kid was wearing his flat billed flex-fit hat cocked to the side? what…are we filming Malibu with B-Rad Aspen edition?

Unlike Angry, I would probably nod my head and act as much like this cracka as possible so he doesn’t cop my pack pack and run – but as soon as I left that booth I would fuckin clown he SHIT outa that fool…ah stuck in white ghetto mode…sorry.

anyways, atfer reading angry’s post, Dirty D’s response and other readers comments – I kinda felt bad for D. like, almost as if he was being bullied the way he was taking it so well and keeping his cool even tho angry was dishin it out like Angelina feeding the hungry – the guy couldn’t sell a board if his life depended on it. Then…the big baaaad owner prolly got a text from Dirty about the “shit talking” and came at us all with full force “I’m an idiot – just listen to me talk” mode.(he prolly never switches this mode off)

“you want thug? anytime anywhere. sack up, and send me an invitation. you can bet your fat ass i’ll use “due dilligence” in taking care of this problem. we’ll handle your bitchy attitude real f*cking quick. Weve been in this industry for 6 years and were not going anywhere, EVER so get used seeing us in the snowboarding community turnin heads. i would love to see your next 2 posts bitch, lets see your “destruction” You sound like the biggest f*cking geek in the world. and why is snowboarding the whitest sport around? you ignorant racist f*cking pig. i bet your about 5’5, 300lbs, and definately not getting annnyyy pussy. im right? whats your name? i bet i know you personally…which would mean your a fake f*cking loser who PROBABLY doesnt ride at all. any real snowboarder sure as f*ck wouldnt be runnin their mouth about that gangster shit that we rep with pride. Thats our style, ride or die and f*ck what you heard cause until you hear it from us, your just another broke ass jealous cock sucking paper pushin f*cking fag” …”go f*ck yourself ass jockey. i’ll reiterate this for the angry douche, i will meet you ANYWHERE face to face. Hate on haters, we eat this shit up. infamy is still fame Tyrant fo life!!!!!!” – Comment left from owner of Tyrant Snowboards on Angry’s post

Like Angry, DDS and readers have pointed out multiple times – threatening your potential buyers? not the way to go about it. oh, and acting like the fake wigger who’s fronting harder than Ricky Martin was, isn’t going to help either. Your reaction to us calling you out for not being “thug” shouldn’t be to try and act more thug. We’re only going to laugh even more. Ready?

“Jimster, I think you’re the one that doesn’t know what the fuck you’re talking about. In your sheltered fucking world, you might get away talking like that. If we ever met face to face, you’d be the one with his fucking brains spillin out. How do you know where we come from? I’d think about that first with anyone you encounter. It’s kind of an important life lesson, knowing when to shut your ignorant mouth. When you grow up and catch yourself a good old fasioned man ass beatin, you might change your tune a little.

And Zack thats awesome you’ve started riding over the last 6 years. This industry you speak of has been around for over 30 years at this point. And these well known brands, for which Tyrant Snowboards has the up most respect, were the forefathers of the sport we thug for today. Nothing BUT respect is due. These companies have been around a long time and have put in alot of hard work to get the recognition they have today. Thats why we started building our own snowboards, not just slapping some graphics on some chinese shit that so many of these so called “1st tier snowboard companies” have started doing. This shit takes time and intense dedication. I dont see you guys starting with next to nothing, building great snowboards with no more than snowboard techshop experience and staying around for six years in this economy? Back off the people trying to make their lives all about snowboarding and go enlighten yourself with something you truly love.I apologize to all for not getting the proper information on our boards. But I thank everyone for this uproar, since traffic on our website has increased 20% more this july than the same month in years previous. So at least the people are still getting the real story for Tyrant Snowboards.” – Second comment from Owner of Tyrant Snowboards

And that whole deal of claiming six years in the industry? I’ve been in it for that long and riding for 13 – dont see me makin a shotty snowboard company claiming to be the “freshest and illest on the market”. It’s not about how thug you are, how deep you roll, how hard you worked to get to the hill – It’s about getting to the hill and fucking have fun doing the one thing you worked so fucking hard to do. RIDE.

Quit fronting such a facade and actually try and sell your products. We’re not stupid. We know what you should be offering us and if you’re not, well then we’ll tell you – just don’t bust a cap in our ass – ok?

and PS – I grew up in this “city of sin”…def not a thug.

Kevin Pearce update #7 – HE WALKS!

Mel — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 01:24:58 +0000

Kevin Update #7

Posted on 02.04.10

DENVER, CO (February 4, 2010)

Snowboarder Kevin Pearce continues to make excellent strides in his recovery. Just over one month after his accident Kevin has been transferred from the University of Utah Hospital to Craig Hospital – a world renowned center for specialty rehabilitation and research for people with traumatic brain injury. There Kevin will begin his next steps towards a full recovery.

While at University of Utah Hospital Kevin was under the care of many doctors, including Holly Ledyard, M.D., a Neurointensivist (a physician with specialized education and training in critical neurological conditions) at University of Utah Health Care. Dr Ledyard is extremely proud of Kevin and his fight through the first steps of his recovery, “Kevin has made tremendous progress since being admitted to University of Utah Hospital on December 31. He is able to walk and do many daily activities with some assistance. I asked him how he felt about being discharged from the hospital and he said, ‘Excited! I’m ready to keep on going!’ His positive attitude and determination will certainly serve him well as he moves on to the next phase of his rehabilitation.”

Alan H. Weintraub, MD, Medical Director, Craig Hospital TBI Program, NIDRR Rocky Mt. Regional TBI Model Systems Center, will be leading Kevin’s team at Craig and is eager to help Kevin continue along the right path to recovery. “Craig Hospital’s specialized TBI treatment program has begun a comprehensive evaluation of Kevin’s neurological injury and his rehabilitation needs. Our goal is to assist Kevin and his family through this challenging journey and help them reach their fullest potential in every phase of recovery. I also want to acknowledge the excellent work since Kevin’s injury by our acute care colleagues at the University of Utah.”

Kevin’s parents would like to give a special thank you to all of the doctors, nurses and staff at the University of Utah Hospital who have helped Kevin and the Pearce family though this difficult time. The Pearce family would also like to thank all of the friends and fans of Kevin for their outpouring of support, thoughts and prayers; they have helped Kevin get through his day. With Kevin embarking on a new level of rehabilitation the Pearce family look forward to the experience at Craig Hospital with great optimism.

For media inquires please contact Danielle Burch at 212.529.1598 and/or danielle@shpny.com.

Kevin Pearce update #6

Mel — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 01:22:37 +0000

Kevin Update #6

Posted on 01.25.10

SALT LAKE CITY, UT (January 25, 2010)

Kevin Pearce, snowboarder and Norwich, VT native, continues to make progress at the University of Utah Hospital where he has been recovering after an accident on December 31, 2009.

Elaine Skalabrin, MD, Medical Director of Neuro Critical Care who has been one of Kevin’s doctors, states; “Kevin is making excellent progress and will move from the Critical Care to Neuro Acute Care unit at the University of Utah Hospital today. He is working very hard to make daily progress in therapy, and his sense of humor and optimism are apparent as he begins his rehabilitation.”

Kevin’s parents and family members remain by his side and continue to be grateful for all of the support shown from Kevin’s friends and fans worldwide.

Kevin’s Facebook Fan page, Well Wishes to our Frend Kevin Pearce, is still the preferred site for people posting their get-well wishes and for getting the most current and reliable information.

For media inquires please contact Danielle Burch at 212.529.1598 and/or danielle@shpny.com.