Shred The Gnar, BRAH » Pros

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.

Hot Dawgs and Hand Rails 2011

Mel — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 20:18:28 +0000

I’m heart broken to find that this year I will not be able to attend this years HDHR. Literally my heart breaks. My mini Mammoth reunion will have to wait for the real thing in Nov/Dec when i move back for the season. Luckily, my snowboarding fix has been satisfied by the amazing mountains in New Zealand – so I know I’m not missing too much.

SNOWBOARDERMAG.COM’S OFFICIAL WEBCAST OF BEAR MOUNTAIN’S 8TH ANNUAL
HOT DAWGZ AND HAND RAILS EVENT PRESENTED BY RED BULL

SAN CLEMENTE, CA (September 21, 2011) — The largest summertime snowboard gathering in the world is back again for the eighth time. Bear Mountain’s Hot Dawgs & Hand Rails is the preeminent event for early season rail riders in the So Cal scene. On September 24th, over fifty of the world’s most renowned jibbers will invade Bear Mountain’s “The Scene” to drop in on one of the most unique HDHR setups to date, and the action will go on all day long. If you can’t be there for the event live and in person, you can watch it right here on snowboardermag.com, as the live webcast is happening again this year.

Nick Visconti, Hot Dawgs & Hand Rails 2010 winner.Photo: Huggy

Every year, Hot Dawgz and Hand Rails pulls a field stacked with talent, and September 24th, 2011 will be no different as Brandon Cocard, Chris Brewster, Dylan Alito, Desiree Melancon, Jake Kuzyk, Jess Kimura, Jonah Owen, Johnny Lazzareschi, Jed Anderson, Mike Ravelson, Scotty Vine, Ted Borland, Parker Duke, Ryan Paul, Zak Hale, Scott Stevens, Ethan Deiss, Austin Hironaka, Dylan Dragotta, Justin Keniston, Lucas Magoon, Harrison Gordon, Dylan Thompson, last year’s winner Nick Visconti and more will have their way with Bear Mountain’s insane setup for a chance at the $15,000 overall prize purse awarded to the top three men and one woman who will be crowned by the panel of esteemed judges including JP Walker, Joe Sexton, Johnny Miller, Seth Huot, and Chris Bradshaw.

The live webcast presented by Red Bull begins at 3:00pm on snowboardermag.com and ends at 7:00pm with the HDHR awards ceremony. Last year, thousands of fans tuned in to snowboardermag.com as SNOWBOARDER Senior Editor T. Bird and Weekend warrior Eddie Wall called all the action of the day while some of today’s top pros made appearances in the booth to answer questions from the general public watching at home.

In addition to streaming all of the stellar happenings during the 2011 HDHR webcast, partners SME and Ubiquity will be having snowboard legend Mike Ranquet announce the $25,000 winner of the SMElive.com snow video upload contest.

On top of all the great riding, Bear also invites some of the best brands in snowboarding up to the hill and there will be all-day giveaways, movie premieres, DJs, and of course, the legendary Big Bear nightlife after the event. While at Big Bear also be sure to pick up your Screamin’ Deal season pass on the last day it’ll be available at this special price. Go to bearmountain.com for all the info, and make sure to stay tuned to snowboardermag.com for all the live action and up-to-the minute recaps from Bear Mountain’s 2011 Hot Dawgs & Hand Rails.

Hot Dawgs & Hand Rails is brought to you by Skullcandy, ThirtyTwo, Red Bull, KIA, Analog, Wahoo’s, Arbor and Electric.

FRENDS DAY 10.10.10

Mel — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 00:13:05 +0000

Conveniently, on Frends Day, my best friend from Canada came down to spend a little time with me on her way down to Portland. What I thought was just going to be brunch and a little chit chat turned into a few hours of super fun memories. Caitlin and I met 4yrs ago when we both first moved to Mammoth – we instantly became best friends and the whole town thought we were sisters. Anyways, I’d searched around online this morning for someplace to have brunch. I came across this place on Yelp.com called Sweet Iron Waffle. Read some reviews and my tummy was rumbling. When I got there, I was a little surprised at how small it was but found a two seater no problem. Caitlin arrived not three mins after me and we ordered. Instantly I saw “Bacon Waffle – savory maple syrup”. Done. Sold.

Caitlin ordered something with spinach and cheese – didn’t sound good so I paid no attention HA.

After food and a bit of gossip, Caitlin had remembered a shop she wanted to go by so we left and headed out. Well, she remembered what she wanted from the shop, a certain bowl, but she couldn’t remember exactly where the shop was. We walked around a bit trying to find it and decided to just go to the gum wall instead and make a little donation.

On our way to the gum wall we were stopped by one of the fish market guys who had us try some salmon…SO good. We had two kinds of smoked salmon and then some salmon jerkey – delicious. I snapped a few photos and asked him to give me something to film. He replied, “how about some coffee on ice with cream not sweetened”. Caitlin and I laughed and said, “DEAL!”. We needed to buy gum for the gum wall anyways, so we went to the Starbucks aross the street, got our things and headed back.

We kept our end of the deal and so did he.

unfortunately I’m unable to upload the video I took of them tossing fish over our heads.

A little bit got on my blouse in the cleavage region – they were ever so eager to help me get clean.

On to the gum wall – I don’t really need to say much for this one…take a look

My phone was full of photos so Caitlin took a few more with her camera – I’ll get those up ASAP.

October 10, 2010 – Frends Day in honor of them launching their new headphones has gone from what I thought would be another slightly uneventful Sunday into probably one of the best days I’ve had with a Friend in a long time.

So go out, grabs your buds and make some memories on the first official FRENDS DAY!

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.

DOWNTOWN THROWDOWN 2010 SEATTLE

Mel — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 23:53:06 +0000

As you might remember from the last post, I’m heading up to Seattle for the month of October. Pretty exciting. And what better way to be welcomed back to the moist city than by attending the Downtown Throwdown. This Rail jam is hosted by Lib Tech and is pretty much the NW version of Hot Dawgs and Hand Rails. It takes place in Occidental Park in, you guessed it, downtown Seattle. Saturday October 9th. Perfect timing for me. So if you’re gonna be in the area Saturday be sure to come stop by. Inner city rail jams are ALWAYS a good time.

Visconti took HDHR this year can he keep it goin with DTTD? Discuss.

HOT DAWG AND HAND RAILS @ BIG BEAR

Mel — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 11:32:02 +0000

If you live/ride in So.Cal you know Big Bear. If you know Big Bear you know HDHR. Hot Dawgs and Hand Rails is the annual rail jam Bear puts on at the end of the summer to kick off the season. Pro Riders (invite only) from all over the states travel to Bear for a chance to win a small portion of a $15,000 prize purse. A few of my friends were also riding which is always fun – nothin like cherrin on your buddies while envy is dripping from your mouth.

I was stoked to find that this year I would actually be able to make it having missed the last four years. So I had no idea how this years setup really compared to previous. All I knew was that this years was SICK. It was pretty much a super legit street spot that I’m Sure Rob Dyrdek himself would be pumped on. Setup came complete with ledges, down hand rails, planter gap, and of course a gnarley wall ride/ rail.

Riders were definitley loving it and the creativity they were throwin down proved it.

1st Place goes to Nick Visconti, 2nd Place goes to Jake Kuzyk, and 3rd Place goes to Johnny Lazzereschi. The $5,000 Red Bull Best Trick goes to Mike Casanova, and Jess Kimura lands the $1,000 Red Bull Best Trick.

Along with awesome riding, two video’s are always premiered. This years People’s Cheers and Bear’s Mtn. Video Paint it Red were on the red carpet. Both highly entertaining and increased my urge of wanting to shred. I’ve included Bear’s Video here for your viewing pleasure with some pics from the handing out of the giant checks.
p.s. i still have no camera – so all pics were taken with my iPhone…not horrible but not great. deal.

New Zealand Burton Open at Cardrona

Mel — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 00:08:07 +0000

Being that I’m obviously not in New Zealand attending the Burton Open, I AM however fortunate enough to have a grip shit offriends who are. One friend Chris who among my group of friends, is our photo shooter – friend photo shoots, catching that one SICK shot to send home to mom and dad or sending me to post on here is pretty much his specialty.

He’d recently gotten a Media Pass to the open and hit me up wanting to share what he’d gotten. Again since I wasn’t able to attend or for whatever reason watch live online all I have along side Chris’s shots are the Press Releases from the event.

So enjoy Chris’s skills…

BURTON NEW ZEALAND OPEN HALFPIPE FINALS

WANAKA, New Zealand (14^th August, 2010)

The eighth annual Burton New Zealand Open Halfpipe finals took place under blue bird skies today at Cardrona Alpine Resort with Iouri Podladtchikov (SUI) taking first place in the men’s event and Kelly Clark (USA) winning the women’s competition. Podladtchikov and Clark both finished the day NZ$6,000 richer for their efforts and set themselves up nicely with solid early season results counting towards the 2010/11 Burton Global Open Series and the Swatch TTR World Rankings.

Although the weather was perfect, warm temperatures meant the competition format had to be shortened, in order to keep Cardrona’s 22-foot Olympic sized halfpipe in top shape. All 38 men and 19 women semi-finalists went straight into a single final round, with the best of two runs counting for their final ranking.

The women were up first, and Kelly Clark threw down the gauntlet on her first run with a giant frontside air, backside 540 mute, frontside 900, method air, frontside 720, and Cab 720 mute for 88.70 points and her 2^nd consecutive NZ Open halfpipe title. Kelly was very happy with her win saying, “I had a great day, it’s a great way to start off my season and I was really happy with how I rode today. I walked away doing the tricks I set out to do and had a lot of fun.”

Queralt Castellet (ESP) was the closest challenger with 82.45 points, also on her first run. Queralt’s run started with a backside 540 mute, frontside 540 melon, method air, and frontside 720 to place second. Taking third with 76.84 points was veteran Soko Yamaoka (JPN), who’s run consisted of a McTwist, frontside 720, Cab 720, frontside 540 melon, and backside 540. Kendall Brown was the top New Zealander, finishing in 8^th place.

BURTON NEW ZEALAND OPEN SLOPESTYLE FINALS

WANAKA, New Zealand (13^th August, 2010)

The Burton New Zealand Open Slopestyle finals took place today at Cardrona Alpine Resort with Burton rider Christian Haller (SUI) taking first place in the men’s event, and Jamie Anderson (USA) winning the women’s competition. Haller and Anderson both walked away NZ$6,000 richer for their performance on the challenging Slopestyle course which was even more tricky with today’s variable weather conditions.

Due to the snow conditions and morning delays, the competition format was condensed, with all 37 men and 19 women semi-finalists going straight into a single final round, where the riders took two runs, best of which counted for their final score. The low visibility and variable snow didn’t seem to hinder the best riders, with some amazing runs being thrown down regardless. The first feature of the course offered a choice between a down-flat-down round bar or a round down bar, the second feature was a choice between an up box or a gap to flat box, followed by three jumps measuring in at 45-feet, 55-feet, and 75-feet, then finishing with a quarterpipe to goalpost / hip.

Christian Haller put it all together in his second run to score 80.84 points with a backside lipslide on the down-flat-down bar, tailslide on the gap to flat box, switch backside 720, Cab 900, frontside 720 tailgrab. But the margins were tight with current TTR tour leader Gjermund Braaten’s first run score of 80.64 points holding top spot until then. Gjermunds run consisted of a frontside 270 gap over the down-flat-down rail, frontside 270 on the gap to flat box, frontside 540, Cab 720, and double back rodeo 900. Coming in third with 79.00 points was 2010 Burton US Open Slopestyle winner Mikkel Bang. Mikkel’s run started with a gap to switch backside lipslide on the down-flat-down rail, backside lipslide on the gap to flat box, backside 540, Cab 720, switch backside 900.

In the women’s competition, Jamie Anderson (USA) took her third straight New Zealand Open slopestyle title and had this to say about her win, “I can’t believe it, I love the Burton Opens and winning this event three times in a row is amazing, so I’m ecstatic and so stoked to start of the year with a good result.”

Jamie’s winning run earned her a score of 79.20 points and consisted of a boardslide-to-tailpress on the down bar, a frontside 180 out on the up box, switch backside 180 mute, backside 360 mute, and a backside 180 mute. Coming in second place behind Jamie was Burton rider, Shelly Gotlieb (NZL), who held it down on her home turf with a great second run earning her 74.56 points. Rounding out the podium in third place was Kjersti Buuas (NOR) who also had a good run that scored 73.60 points.

The newly developed Snowboard Live Scoring system (SLS) was used today by the judges, which gives scores for each individual hit during a run that is then combined with a flow score to provide a more transparent final score. Viewers of the live webcast on GO211.com were able to see this system in action and watch real-time ranking changes, among other features of the site. The live action at the Burton New Zealand Open culminates tomorrow with highlight event, the halfpipe.

The Burton New Zealand Open marks the first stop on the prestigious Burton Global Open Series and is also a 5Star event on the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour. Semi-finals and finals of tomorrow’s halfpipe event will be webcast live from New Zealand on www.GO211.com and full results and details will be available at the completion of each day on www.opensnowboarding.com, including high-res photos in the Press Section:

14 year-old Taku Hiraoka (JPN), who dominated the pre-qualifiers and qualifiers, continued to amaze with his first run score of 89.35 points setting the benchmark. Hiraoka’s run was a backside 540, frontside inverted 720, Cab 1080, and massive frontside 900 tailgrab. This Cinderella story proved that it’s possible to ride all the way from the pre-qualifier round through to the podium and second place. But taking the win was Iouri Podladtchikov (SUI) who let out all stops on his second run with a huge crippler, double McTwist 1260, frontside 1080 tailgrab, and Cab 720 for an impressive 93.70 points. Louie Vito (USA) also had a strong second run to jump up into third place with 88.04 points. Louie’s run started with a frontside 1080 double-cork, Cab 1080 double-cork, double crippler, backside 900, and frontside corked 900.

It was also a monumental day for judging, with the newly developed Snowboard Live Scoring system (SLS) proving itself for the first time in the halfpipe. Scores are given for each individual hit during a run, as well as a flow score, to provide a very transparent and informative final score. Viewers of the live webcast on GO211.com were able to see this system in action and watch real-time ranking changes, among other features of the webcast.

Photo Credit: Chris Moran: grimstills@gmail.com www.TheGrimLab.com

SAY MY NAME SAY MY NAME

Mel — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 18:22:40 +0000

No, this isn’t a Destiny’s Child post but you should still check it out.

Friend of mine, Keri Herman, along with other ski girls friends are featured in this EPIC film – check the teaser and wait patiently for the video to come out…us rider girls need to step up the game. who’s in?

Say My Name follows female professional skier Grete Eliassen as she travels the globe with the goal to inspire and evolve women’s skiing. Stacked with a handful of skiing’s elite female lineup, this high definition film features Lynsey Dyer, Sarah Burke, Keri Herman, Ana Segal, Kaya Turski and Suz Graham. See the world this international ski superstar roams, from a world record hip jump in 2010 to her exploration of the rugged backcountry

Say My Name Teaser 2010 from Stan Evans Photography on Vimeo.

MOSS HALADAY signin the guestbook…

Mel — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 01:54:41 +0000

If you don’t know Moss – you should wish you did.
check out his guest book jonts and whatnot over at SnowboarderMag