Burton Mountain Festival Hits Mt. Hood Meadows

Do I need 3D goggles for this flyer?

Demo some boards, get your kids a jump on the 2026 olympics (if we still have snow then) at the smallest terrain park ever, lose to me at trivia and listen to some live entertainment (maybe drink some liver entertainment, too). The Burton Mountain Festival. I can't wait.

Demo-lition

Sunday's demo day had a huge turnout. The line for paperwork could have easily been confused for the line for some hot band's autograph signing, perhaps Ween. For good reason, too. This was easily the biggest demo day Meadows has hosted. About 10 snowboard companies were on hand (and as many ski brands) with boards and bindings and wait times for all but the hottest boards (GNU Impossible, Never Summer Cobra) were minuscule.

I put the screws to five new boards. Many of them were similar in the all-mountain freestyle category, but all had their pros and cons (that pun will hit you in a second here). I got on the following boards, in chronological order - all 2013 models - Lib Tech's C3 Jamie Lynn (back to camber-dominant, banana-submissive), Salomon's Man Board (camber profile, radial sidecut, how old school), Ride's Berserker (Jake Blauvelt's narrow, directional destroyer), Burton's Con Artist (152cm micro pow shredder) and Never Summer's Proto CT (twin, all-mountain freestyle, rocker-camber). Full write-ups forthwith. 

Meadows Demo Day Sunday

Ever wonder how I ride all the latest snowboards before they're even on store shelves? Seriously!? It's all about demo days at my local resorts. These days you can try out boards as fast as you can switch your bindings. All for free! This Sunday (3/18) the Northwest Demo Tour hits Mt. Hood Meadows. Get there by 9am for first shot at more boards than a lumber yard. Rapid fire you're way through a dozen boards or pick one and give it a good thrashing. Reps will be on hand from K2, Capita, Never Summer, Lib Tech, Gnu, Arbor and maybe some more if you're lucky. Be sure to bring your own boots, though. Full details at Mt. Hood Meadows' site.

Burton Mountain Festival Coming to Meadows

There's nothing better than riding pow. Since I'm not going to Alaska or the Alps any time soon, I'll have to settle for riding other peoples' snowboards at the Burton Mountain Festival this weekend at Mt. Hood Meadows.

Aside from the snowboard demos, they're throwing a big ol' party with music and dancing and games of chance or at least a 4-star TTR event that can qualify you for the qualifying rounds of the US Open. A mini-park will be set up for those shred-kins too young for the main even, but whose overbearing parents insist they work on their double cork before nap time. And judging by the list of sponsors, you'll be tripping over caffeinated beverages and hair care product samples all day long. But at least you'll be out there and on some free gear. That's fun, right?

Dirksen Derby Day 2: Carnage and Tribute

I just got back from the A-Rob movie premiere and it put me in a bit of a funk. For his part in Manifest, Aaron Robinson could have been the next big thing. Or at least the next underground, cult 'big' thing. For those of you who don't know, Aaron died before the movie wrapped. His friends finished the movie for him and did their best to end it on a positive note. I can't help but think about the one guy who wasn't in the room, but should have been. The guy everyone was talking about, but not one said a negative word. The guy pictured on the commemorative snowboard up for silent auction (if it went for less than a grand, it's a travesty). I just can't help but wonder why.

In more amusing news, I made the finals of the Derby. Amusing because I fell on the right course and almost fell on the left. Timing error, they said. Come back tomorrow. OK.

Also, it was a demo day at Mt. Bachelor. Does it sound like a good idea to ride four different boards on race day and have some guy who is not you set it up before you race? I'm just sayin'. Keep an eye out for reviews of this year's Arbor Wasteland, K2 Turbo Dream and Lib Tech Travis Rice. All good rides, but my favorite was the Wasteland. Get to Meadows tomorrow (12/18) and get your own board swapping. I don't know where the demo tour goes after that, but if you live in Washington or Oregon, you might want to look it up...

Salomon Team Vacation Hits Hood

Catch them TODAY, like NOW, at Timberline. Also, tomorrow 12/2 - that's right, we're in December now - they'll have a demo at T-line. Saturday and Sunday, they're moving on to Meadows. When I say 'they' I don't mean some bunch of jabronis, 'they' includes Jed Anderson, Bode Merrill, Louif, Grenier, Dirksen and more. Go check out Salomon and get your slalom on.

Don't Forget the Bone Zone

Timberline. Tomorrow. One of my favorite things ever. BOARD DEMOS! From next year, even. Bank to the Future and shit. Oh yeah and a race. And it might snow. Shaping up to be a good weekend.

shrednwmagazine.com for more info (or click the pic)

NW Demo Tour Comes Through Meadows

The good news today was that I got to ride some killer snowboards. The bad news was that it was raining, foggy and/or windy depending on where you were on the mountain. The quasi-bad news is that every board I rode today was more fun than my current board. Whether it was the effortless pop of the Salomon Answer, the straightline speed of the Salomon Burner, the tight-turning stability and dampness of the Never Summer Herritage-R or the all mountain freestyle sickness of the Lib Tech Dark Series C2. Overall, the fun of riding rad new boards totally blew away the crappy conditions. Full reviews will follow on all those boards. When, not if, I become the proud owner of a new board, I'm sure I'll drop a gushy one on ya.