Between the Lines: frequency 11.4

Quality periodical

Whoa, buddy! Can you believe it's officially spring time!? Spring demo day is coming to Mt. Hood Meadows, the birds are chirping, the flowers are popping and the last issues of the shred rags are on the news stands. One of them, frequency: The Snowboarders' Journal even contains some of my own writing. It's true. I can't tell you what page it's on because I gave my only copy to my parents. They must be so proud. All of their other kids are engineers or parents or in the health care field. I'm the only one who gets paid to go to Japan, snowboard and write about it (more like go to Japan, snowboard and con-vince someone it's worth a couple bucks to write about it). Anyway, check it out if you're interested in little spots in faraway places that have deep pow and untouched tree stashes.

Here's a story that got left on the cutting room floor, you know, word counts. I was on my way back from Mt. Hakkoda to my room for the night in Hirosaki. Buses and trains were all running late. I was waiting for my last train when I heard an overhead announcement that contained only one word that I understood, 'Hirosaki', then everyone around me slumped. I stood up, went up to a middle-aged gentleman and said, 'Is everything OK?' He laughed in my face. Google translate app to the rescue! A young woman, maybe high school age, also had a translating app on her phone and we pieced together that we were going to the same place. She got me to the right train, then to the right bus. In between we made broken small talk via phone translation. In all the jumping from train to bus and lugging my gear around, I didn't catch her name. She was wearing a camouflage parka with a fur-lined hood and the word 'AMAZING' printed all over it, so she will live on in my mind as 'Amazing Girl.' Wherever you are, Amazing Girl, thanks for getting me home that night.

SIA Bound

No plane, just rain

I'm headed to the future of snowboarding. Slowly. Denver is the destination and the Snowsports Industries America (SIA) Snow Show. Right now I'm stuck at the airport with an hour delay, but free wi-fi. My question to you, fair reader, is a simple one. What do you want to see from this crystal ball? What would be the first booth you checked out if you were at the show?

I'm there for four days of convention crawling and two days of on-snow demos, so I'll have a good chance to see all of 2014. I'm sure by the end I'll be checking out handmade children's ski gear from Botswana. Or maybe I'll be rushing to fit in all the good stuff.

Did I mention it's my first time at this snow sports spectacular? Yep. Exciting. Stay tuned to the blog, the twitter (@boredyak) and the instagram (boredyak) for all the updates. 

Superpark 16: Go Ahead and Tell 'Em

Snowboarder Magazine's Superpark 16 presented by Gatorade, Prinoth and Sunriver Resort (should have been presented by Drink Water or Boneyard Brewing) is officially over. I think some ski contest is desecrating using their jumps now. Mt. Bachelor saw some heavies over the week and it all got critical on the final day.

I didn't witness any of them, but I sure heard the cheers and stories about three triple corks that went down. Two out of three (ain't bad) of them are on the day 5 video (don't miss the frontside 5 to tripod and Big Mike spitting hot fire - shirtless, natch - on the top Boreal feature).  I never did hear who pulled off the third triple cork, but Pat Bridges himself was trying to hunt down video of it as late as the wrap party.

Speaking of the editor of Snowboarder Magazine, he knocked off his 68th different handplant location at Superpark 16. I think he goes by event because he also said he planted three different features at Superpark. What's up, Pat? What's the plant count and criteria? 

Back to the day at hand. The first thing I did on the last day was peep that weird Mt. Bachelor feature:

Not that weird.

All that and a pole jam on the backside. No homo.

Dudes were handplanting and jibbing. No weird simultaneous air/jib/plant action. I hope someone did that though. That feature had more angles than the Missouri River. Wait, maybe that's 'anglers.' Either way, fools were reeling in the transition like walleye.

Handplant-tastic

Wyatt Caldwell jibbin'

After that, I rolled down to this multi-purpose structure you may remember from Thursday:

All about choices. Some of the lines cut in this thing were straight confusing.

Just in time to see this gang mobbing through:

My snowboard for a video camera, STAT!

The resultant Chinese downhill plus innovative slope feature was the best thing I saw all trip. Nothing but homies popping up and disappearing, over and over. Like being in an Airblaster movie.

Not even close to doing it justice. So much fun.

I ended the day and the event at the Boreal feature up top. I didn't really think that thing was ever going to get finished or look good or get hit if it did get finished. Proven wrong once again. It looked like a shred BBQ when I got there. Fools just camped out drinkin', smokin', straight west coastin' and all that. 

Some more interested than others.

Pat Bridges, interested; photog, not.

Jake Olson-Elm with the drop after creeper crawling across the top of the wall.

Bjorn Leines, frontside 5 tail tap, shadows looming.

Fo' real

At the end of it all, riders descended on Bend's Astro Lounge like ants on a forgotten deviled egg. Wes Makepeace rocked a set and Pat Bridges gave some of that Gatorade money to Seth Hill for the Driven from Within award. Said he had to kick Seth off the hill at 7pm multiple times. Said Seth broke a board at the sunrise shoot before most riders were awake. Probably a safe bet it was before some of them were asleep. A member of Bachelor's park staff confirmed it. Said Seth was dropping twice to most others' once. Look for this young Sims rider on the come-up.

Look for me not snowboarding again for a while. Unless it's at Timberline just getting my slush slash fix. Actually look for the Big Wave Challenge recap coming up quick. In a word: awesomefunsurftastic. Hashtag that twerps. 

Superpark 16: Eyes Wide, Shut Up and Sit Down

I feel like I should be riding around this place with a bag of Reese's Pieces and a bucket of popcorn. Maybe some Junior Mints and a Pepsi. Between all the tech rail wizardry and aerial acrobatics performed without harness or net I'm in a constant state of astonishment. I know, I shouldn't give in. I should remain fully with-it and detached. 'He wheelied a little on the landing of that switch backside 12. I wouldn't even use it in the edit.' That should be me. With the cappuccino in the shade. I'm not that guy. Hope I never am. We'll leave that to jaded team manager dude. I just close my eyes and shake my head. Take for example Jaeger Bailey. Watch this video all the way through and tell me what you think of the ender - his second edit-ender, by the way. Did he really just do that? Close eyes. Shake head. Usually I'll talk about someone doing a late front flip as a way of saying he fell on his face. Guess I'll have to come up with a new one. Plenty of guys doing tweaked out shifties and slo-mo spins on these uber-booters, too. Chris Bradshaw's style. Andrew Brewer's backflips. A double cork over here. A handplant on a tree over yonder.

That's the only problem with Superpark. It's too big. You never know where - or when - the epicness is going to go down. Two things to look for are the big inflatable Gatorade bottle and Pat Bridges. One of those usually oversees all things earth-shattering. Pat, being more mobile, is the better bet. But he's also smaller and harder to pin down. Here's a rundown of the shred rad that I managed to witness on this day.

Knut Eliassen, Robbie Sell and Cory Grove among a crew checking the upper Seven Springs jump.

He could tuck the knee more, but the style arm is right there. That's as jaded as I get.

To the hills.

Oh, we got rails, too. I'll get a better shot of this feature. Too much rad for one shot.

Speaking of rails, the Boreal rail feature was one of those 'right places' last night. Niko Cioffi blasted a wallride across the whole thing, Sage Kotsenburg gapped the whole feature and Halldor Helgason did a sick nose stall to backside boardslide to shut the place down.

As close as you're going to get to a sequence from me...

...because this one's from a non-make anyway. Halldor Helgason

Aaaand here's how to miss the shot. Niko Cioffi with the full-pull wallride.

I've got one more day of Superparking left, so prepare to be astonished just a little more. Bangers and hammers. None of that 'He came off the rail a little early,' bull. Close your eyes. Shake your head. 

Superpark 16: Seeing Ghosts

Snowboarder Magazine's Superpark 16 is such a mindjob. So many riders are cruising around and they're all so good. I had never heard of half these kids before I got here and they're all just out of control. Jaeger Bailey sounds like some college-kid drink. Turns out it is a person and he rips. Check out the shin-bang front flip he does to end this video. 

Plenty of old-school shreds are representing as well. Dale Rehberg, Dave Lee, Russell Winfield and Wes Makepeace were cruising. Winfield was riding on '93 rules, "Nothing over a 360 and if you don't poke it, you gotta go home." Chris Brunkhart was even capturing it all on Super 8.

How to give a cop a heart attack. Rider: Brandon Reis, Graffiti: Avert Guldemond

So much fun, even I took a run through.

The mountain in the back is Broken Top, the rider is hoping not to get broken off.

At one point, Austin Hironaka came up short on this burly step-up, sending the photographers on the deck scrambling. Everyone was OK, but it prompted a brief shutdown to reshape the takeoff and change underwear. The photo below shows the deck, photogs and I supposed we might as well put a feature there, too.

Josh Dirksen practicing for this weekend's Big Wave Challenge

Pouncing on the cat

Peter Line, still a big deal. The Burtners know what's up.

Keep checking back. Features are still being built, if you can believe that. Boreal was still working on an even bigger wall when I left last night. Of course, check out Snowboarder Magazine for all the best. It being their event and all. Now go chug a Gatorade and buy a Prinoth! Energy! Snow pushing!!

Superpark 16: This is Not a Contest

Superpark 16. It's all there in the name. It's just like your resort's park, only super-sized. Just like the dudes who ride there, only super-pros. Just like the bloggers who cover it, only, well actually the bloggers are the same. The other photogs and filmers are super, though. The number 16 represents the number of years Snowboarder Magazine has been running Superpark. I'm glad they didn't go with the easy 'Sweet Sixteen' theme and opted instead for a gameshow motif.

You're the next contestant on Superpark 16

Props go out to Gatorade for sponsoring the event and hooking everyone up with liquid sugar. They also have some 'energy chew' candies this year that are basically gummy bears for vegetarians. Wait, do vegetarians eat gummy bears? No? The gelatin, eh? Also on the sponsor tip, Prinoth. Never heard of 'em? They make snowcats, which are important to this event. Look for lots of them parked in the channels and on the decks of jumps. You know, to provide context and texture.

Prinoth: pushing pow for prime pop

Just in case you forgot who was paying for the show

Mt. Bachelor is hosting the proceedings on the Sunrise Lodge side of the mountain, the Sunrise and ultra-slow Rainbow lifts shuttling riders. Park builders from Boreal, Loon and Seven Springs joined the Bachy crew to turn what's left of the snow into features fit for freestyle fantasy.

Keeping the Mongols at bay

Look for some jumps to really start going off tomorrow. Speed should be checked. Conditions should be prime. Corks should be multiplied. Dudes gettin dizzy. 'Til then, this.

Alaska Always Makes You Think

View across the street from basecamp.

Fellow snowboarders, I'm back from AK. What was I up to while I was there? This stuff. Hence my lack of writing on this fair site. I didn't do nearly as much riding as I had hoped, but I got plenty of good work done, including some enlightening interviews that could lead places. Exciting places.

Along the way, I did learn a thing or two that you might find interesting, if not entertaining. I will share that information with you now. Cue that song.

It's not always all about the snowboarding. It's the whole experience. Northern lights to bar fights. Maybe you score a free heli flight for being with the media. Maybe your sled breaks down halfway up and you miss all but two runs of the contest you were supposed to be covering.

View from inside the cat.

You'll probably get some sled bumps, maybe a cat day, some road runs. Splitboard. Hike. Get out there. Just don't worry if you don't. Do something just as mind-blowing instead.

You will get sick either in Valdez or immediately upon return. Some attribute it to the oil pipeline terminus. I attribute it to the late nights and drinking. My friend and photographer never went to sleep sober or before 4am, he came back with pneumonia and plenty of new friends

Snowmobiles are the best way around Thompson Pass. I never had a smooth trip on one in two weeks including a spontaneous trip into a creek and a halfway-to-the-contest-finals breakdown. Maybe it's because I never referred to them as 'snowmachines' as the Alaskans say.

Mike Basich's pickup holds a sled and pops up.

Speaking of which, you can fit a snowmachine into the back of a Suburban. You saw that in the last post, but did I mention he slept in there with it one night, too?

Tips for getting rides on a sled: have your own, have a loyal friend (most friends will just bail on you), have money, have drugs, be female. I guess the old 'ass, grass or cash' mantra holds.

The female-to-male ratio is probably more like 10-to-1.

Pam Robinson was definitely digging the ratio.

A 10 in Alaska is a 4 elsewhere. Try not to think about what gets a 4 in Alaska.

Andy Bergin-Sperry set up a business drying other peoples' clothes. I hear he even got some takers.

The guy serving you drinks at night might be giving you sled bumps by day. Tip well.

Gilly and Jonesy, 'nuf said.

Kevin Jones is the real deal. He said, "You're not a snowboarder if you don't come here." But he still thinks too many people are showing up. Maybe there are just too many people. He's been coming here for 17 years. Private heli for 30 days? Done it. Still says a splitboard changed his life. Genuine article, folks.

"Do what you can today, for tomorrow may be gray."  -- Dave Geis, Alaska Snowboard Guides

"What's the difference between Valdez and Maine? What do you think this is, a joke?" -- Darren "Gilly" Gilmour, former Mainer

Manly man. I couldn't get the moose in the frame.

Alaska locals look kinda like Portland locals. Except they're bigger and their clothes look tattered from doing actual work. That and they look like they would beat the shit out of you or just shoot you. The beards, though, the beards are similar.

The sign said "No Sopping Avalanche Area." Now what?

Finally, I'd like to thank Chris at Snowboard Magazine for giving us the chance. We wouldn't have gone  without that and I hope we delivered. I'd also like to thank the guys at ClifBar for hooking us up with 30 pounds of food and promotional goodies. Our time on the pass would have much more expensive or just straight malnourished without them.

Tailgate Alaska, Here We Come!

Car 1 of 2 in the caravan

The drive from Chugiak to Valdez went down today. Breathtaking mountain vistas, half-rushing-half-frozen rivers, giant wolf dogs standing in the road. All in a day's drive in the 49th state. 

The Tailgate lot is just getting finished. It's looking bigger and badder than last year. They're rocking a sun deck on scaffolding and the bbq zone is best described as a trailerpark courtyard. Pictures on the way. Forecast for the week is precipitation. Riding forecast is small ball. File this under something you've never seen before:

The old 'snowmachine in the Suburban' trick

Superpark 15: No One Escapes the Rules

Rule number one when snowboarding in the northwest is that weather is always a factor. Rule number two is show us your method.

First person to tell me who this is, I will 'friend' you on Facespace.

My second day at Superpark 15 was much like my first. This time, however, I made it on-time (aided by the late start from mediocre skies) and remembered my camera. More wall-riding madness. More 100-foot booters. More crazy jib cube.

Unknown rider safely exits the cube.

Tim Humphreys with a big gap redirect

I also got in on a slash sesh that included Terry Kidwell and Shawn Farmer. Fizz cut the following promo just as I was riding up, "This is Shawn Farmer at Superpark 15 and I didn't come here to ride, I came here to rap." That should make for some good video.

Like, I said though, the weather rolled in around 4:30 and mediocre skies became excellent skies, if you're into swimming through the air. Visibility went to zero and the rain came down so hard that the thought occurred to me to kayak down the mountain. The park was clear faster than if they were handing out free beer at the base lodge.

Due to this abbreviated session, I still haven't seen anyone hit the big channel gap hip, though. Hence, no pictures. The bigger booters haven't seen much action, either. I'm hoping everyone didn't hit those on day one (the day I missed) and just move on.

Now for my final day at Superpark 15 at Mt. Bachelor. Goals: check out the gap hip and witness a triple cork. You can't fight progression, so just grab the popcorn and enjoy it. As always, check out Snowboarder magazine if you want up to the day pictures and video.

Superpark 15: This Park Sure Is Super

Long story short, I showed up late and forgot everything. Forgot my camera, so I went with the phone. Forgot the sunblock, so I won't be playing games with the other reindeer. The lift had already stopped turning, so I had to hike about an hour to the park. Once I got in the theater, the lights dimmed and the show began.

Superperk 15 is going down right now at Mt. Bachelor. Luckily, I rode right to the wallride pictured above, where Dustin Craven was sessioning. His frontside invert was huge. I didn't get that shot, though, I got this one.

Really captures the magic, doesn't it?

That wall is at least 30 feet high. And Dustin kept going back for more. Forrest Bailey was also owning it with frontside boardslides across the top. That feature had more angles than a dodecahedron. I ended the day riding with Craven, c-3's Johan and Pat Bridges himself as Bridges took a couple shots at the wall. This being a 'must hit' for a handplant fanatic, Pat checked it off.

Keep checking back for more Superpark 15 coverage from all of the other features. If you want some different angles check out Snowboarder magazine and maybe even Johan's blog eventually. I gotta get out there or I'ma be late again...

Tailgate Alaska: Outtakes

Alaska's state bird is the willow ptarmigan. It's a member of the grouse family, but to the uneducated eye, at a glance, it looks like a dove. I mention this because when you blast a toeside turn and the resultant rooster tail makes a flock of these fowl erupt in front of you, it's enough to make you think you're in a John Woo movie. Best move is to come out with both guns blazing. Slash first, ask questions later.

There's a chance you may come across a man biking down the Richardson Highway toward Thompson Pass with a fully-grown falcon perched on handlebars. Do not be alarmed. This man is probably trained to rescue and rehabilitate raptors. You know, mommy bird style. I didn't ask if he ever vomited into the young bird's mouth, nor if he taught it how to "sick 'em."

Mike Basich, dropping. Photo: Jeff Hawe

The King of the Hill contest went off the very same day I went for most of my riding. Those blue skies make things get done. We did a flyover on our way out and things were getting going. Weird to see a bunch of sponsor tents set up at the bottom of Bro Bowl: a 10-minute sled ride for all involved. Check out a write-up with the above and more quality photos at snowboardermag. Another quality piece including full results at ESPN. Congrats to King Will Brommelsiek and Queen Holly Enderle. Hip hip, hooray and shit.

Tailgate Alaska: The Weather Breaks

That's what I'm talkin bout

Yup, the sun even shines in Alaska sometimes. After another single-run, mostly-waiting day, (Enchanted Kingdom with Alex, Dane and Leigh, guided by Ken) I was downgraded to a half-day and the priority shaft that goes with it. Meaning I got to wait some more, even on a bluebird day. This waiting had a distinctly different feel to it. The feel that I'm actually going to ride, before the sun sets, just not right now. Much better than the past days of sitting around not knowing if I'll ever ride in AK. Today? Tomorrow!? Next year!?!? More like 1:00, be here, be ready. That's more like it.

My group for the day was three California firefighters: Martin, Lance and Clayton

Our guide, Ken, from Tahoe

Top of the first and third line: Cold Smoke (reverse view, I'm not insane)

Clayton, pure stoke on Cold Smoke.

Bottom of Cold Smoke. Fun features, 10-footers, etc.

Second run: Bloodstain. Follow the tracks back to the gully shadow in the middle.

Ender ender. Thanks everybody, see you next year!

That's as close as I can get you without a GoPro-on-a-stick. After that, you'll have to pony up the dough. Trust me, it's worth it. All waiting and bs aside, when the bluebird day came and I finally got out there, it was about the best time I've ever had. And that was only a half day... Start saving your pennies and clear your calendar for next April. I'll see you up there.