Tokyo, Japan – December 14th, 2008: With the previous day’s Quarterpipe session locked away, thousands of stoked out Japanese snowboard fans packed the Tokyo Dome for the legendary Big Air competition of the phenomenal 6Star Swatch TTR Nissan X-Trail Jam. In an outstanding final, Norwegian rider Torstein Horgmo managed to pull out the best tricks of the night to win the second of two formats, but it was Shaun White (USA) with the highest combined score from both the Big Air and the Quarterpipe who claimed the first 6Star TTR Title and 1000 ranking points of the 08/09 Season.

A qualification field of 16 riders was narrowed down to 8 for the semi-final where Nicolas Mueller (SUI) and Shaun White set the precedent for an epic finale. In a unanimous decision by the judges, the best trick was awarded to Mueller who amazed everyone in the semis with his first ever Double Backflip in a comp that first looked a normal Backflip until Nicolas decided to to go for a second one “I am stoked,” he said with a big smile on his face. “I tried it once in powder on a small kicker, but this was the first time I did it in a competition.”   Continue Reading »

Wrightwood, CA – December 15, 2008- More than two feet of new snow has fallen at Mountain High and that number is expected to rise as snow showers blanket the region. The West Resort is now 100% open offering 31 trails and a good mixture of beginner to advanced terrain. The East Resort will make its seasonal debut later this week and resort operators are currently evaluating the North Resort for a possible weekend-opening as well.   Continue Reading »

Sol Dayz Snowboard Camp is the East Coast’s only grassroots holiday snowboard camp. Pro/am Ice Coast shrednecks will be on-hill to instruct and coach freestyle/freeride snowboarding for the two days following Christmas. Whether you want to learn a nollie or a cab 270 to front board, we have the coaching to make it happen.   Continue Reading »

COPPER MOUNTAIN, Colo. — The rider list for the first women’s heat of the U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix read like a who’s-who of female riders: Kelly Clark, Gretchen Bleiler, Hannah Teter and … Madeline Schaffrick?

OK, so Schaffrick may not exactly be on that level right now, but the 14-year-old Steamboat Springs native showed Thursday morning at Copper Mountain that she’s well on her way.

Read the full article here: http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20081212/SPORTS/812119930/-1/rss01

(Huntington Beach, Calif.) December 12, 2008 – Action Sports network Fuel TV will air a special look at the 2008 Quiksilver Natural Selection competition held at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, this Monday, December 15, at 8pm ET/PT. The brainchild of Quiksilver team-rider Travis Rice, Quiksilver Natural Selection consisted of two days of competition among Travis and seventeen of snowboarding’s top athletes, including Nicolas Muller, Mark Landvik, Samuel Luebke, and David Benedek - all chosen by the mastermind himself. Foregoing manicured parks and pipes, Travis and his riders competed on Jackson Hole’s most challenging natural terrain in an attempt to strip away everything unnatural about snowboarding competitions, and take the sport back to its roots.

The event is the talk of the snowboarding world because of its unusual format, its ideal setting and vibe, and the incredible array of talent to accept the invitation to ride. “Snowboarding is self expression,” said Rice. “For me the true reward was seeing everyone walk away with smiles of optimism. After talking with the riders it seems as though we have only scratched the surface of a new era. It’s nature that provides us with the most limitless canvas to challenge the way we ride.”   Continue Reading »

Incline Village, NV- Diamond Peak Ski Resort held a Base Lodge Grand Opening on December 6th and over 600 people were in attendance! The Base Lodge Grand Opening featured live music by Emily Tessmer, a Passport Adventure, text message contests, a “Name this Meeting Room” contest, and an Oldest Pass Contest. Diamond Pete gave out 2009 IVGID calendars, Santa Claus gave a snow prayer, and the Pet Network brought puppies to adopt. Appetizers and beverages were provided by the IVGID Food & Beverage Department and proceeds from the Loft Bar were donated to the Diamond Peak Ski Education Foundation.

At the end of the evening, the “Oldest Pass Contest” winner was announced and a pair of 2009 Diamond Peak Last Tracks season passes were given to Steve Silla, for bringing in a 1969 Ski Incline “Season Ticket”. Congratulations, Steve!   Continue Reading »

Straight from the offices at Rancho Relaxo…….Mt. Bachelor has announced their intent to open up the lifts on Sunday, December 14th, 2008, and Josh Dirksen has guaranteed the good times with the 2nd annual Dirksen Derby.   Continue Reading »

It’s shred time! There is nothing like those first few turns when you haven’t been on a board for months. Talk about a winter wonderland! We hit the park early this season to re-initiate our legs and haven’t looked back. We’re excited for another season and, in case you haven’t scrolled through the many new reviews that are up (great for holiday shopping ideas!), we do have a lot of new stuff up and reviewed and more is coming. We also are working on additional interviews and articles.

Enough about us, we want to hear from you. The new review engine is live and now you can join us in posting reviews of your favorite (and least favorite) products and resorts. For detailed instructions on how to post reviews, head over here: Review Instructions

December 10, 2008 – Sun Peaks, BC – Sun Peaks has splashed onto the international stage with a top 10 ranking in one of the world’s leading travel publications. Sun Peaks Director of Skiing and Olympic Champion Nancy Greene says, “We are thrilled with the results of the recent Conde Nast Traveler poll which ranks Sun Peaks as the 2nd best ski resort in Canada, and 10th best in North America.”

Over 32,000 Conde Nast Traveler readers voted in this 13th Annual Ski Poll. Conde Nast Traveler was named one of the top 10 magazines in the United States in 2008 and its 3.1 million readers are considered well-versed and well-educated on travel destinations.   Continue Reading »

McLean, VA (December 9, 2008) - Snow sports shoppers are willing to spend their money on snow sports equipment, apparel and accessories even when the overall economy is significantly down. August to October snow sports sales of $507 million were up 9% overall bolstered by very strong sales of carryover equipment and gear for juniors. “Snow sports shoppers went out looking for bargains and they were willing to buy when they found them,” said Kelly Davis, Director of Research for SnowSports Industries America (SIA), the not-for-profit industry trade group represents manufacturers and distributors of snow sports products.

The market data presented in this report comes from the SIA Retail Audit conducted by the Leisure Trends Group. Each season, Leisure Trends gathers data between August 1 and March 31 from a representative panel of more than 1,200 snow sports retailers who provide sales data directly from their Point of Sale systems. The panel and the method for extrapolating the results out to the entire industry is based on a triennial census of snow sports retailers designed to accurately define the size and structure of the snow sports retail marketplace.   Continue Reading »