SIA and More

Oh boy! I definitely haven't been the most prolific writer, well, ever. But recently, I've been feeling especially slow. Thank you for your patience. At times I feel like I'm losing my mind and the words are going with it. I'm sure it's temporary. Just gotta get back on the horse. What better way to remount the steed than the good ole snowsports industry tradeshow, SIA? 

Right now you might be thinking to yourself, "But you weren't that prolific after last year's SIA, what's new this year?" Well, I'm glad I'm telepathic enough to hear you ask yourself that question, so I can provide the answer. Perhaps because of last year's shortcomings, I feel I owe it to you (and to myself) to produce more this year. It's what I should have done last year anyway. It wasn't snowing enough to ride as much last year, so why didn't I write more? I had the material. I had the time. I just got lazy. Sometimes that inertia is hard to overcome. But here I am.

In a stroke of  'better late than never,' here's a brief wrap up of 2015's SIA.

• GoPro accessories everywhere. More sticks and mounts than a polo match.
• Burton didn't have a booth, they had their own venue. Seriously. They held down a three-level warehouse/rave venue for the week and ran shuttles back and forth to the convention center. They're doing the same this year.
• Mervin didn't have a booth, they had a suite next door at the Hyatt. That one was weird. Not GNU weird, just strange. It was a two-bedroom hotel suite casually decorated in Lib Tech and GNU boards, bindings and clothes. They have a small booth this year.
• Skullcandy didn't have a booth, they just ran the show at the Hyatt bar. DJs and banners included. Same deal this year.
• Highlights from the on-snow demo were the Nitro Quiver MTN - a charging, all-mountain ripper - and the GNU Zoid - a directional, asymmetrical charging ripper. Also, I was a fan of the Electric EG3.5 goggles. It may be personal preference, but they fit my face well and the tupperware-like press-and-seal was intuitive, quick and confidence inspiring.
• A lowlight from the on-snow was the Lib Tech DUH - two edges per side (one inner, one outer), so different I probably should have ridden it more to truly understand what was going on, but with the time I gave it, it seemed like a big swing and miss.
• Airblaster and Celtek (two companies that gave me walk-in meetings after I didn't schedule appointments with them) knocked it out of the park. Both of these rider-run companies are crushing the big dogs. 

Now I'm off to the current SIA show. Look for a little something from me on YoBeat in a few days. Until then, check out this bib roundup I did for Transworld (remember what I said about Airblaster?). Drop any requests you have for SIA in the comments.

Legendary Mt. Baker Banked Slalom 2013

Dustin Anderson (far left) was posing for me when a bunch of chumps got in our way.

Alright cats, let me tell you what's real about this year's Legandary Mt. Baker Banked Slalom. Why now? The day after I got back from the LBS I flew to Japan and who wants to write about Mt. Baker when you could be riding pow in Japan. Not I.

First off, some greats were there (LBS, not Japan): Terje, Palm, Gigi, TRice, Müller. Some Olympians: Holland, Watanabe and Wescott, who took home the gold for the Men. His first. Maelle Ricker won for the ladies. Her seventh. In a row. If there's an asterisk (there isn't) it was that Maria Debari wasn't there. I don't know why not. Filming?

While we're talking about winners, the Men's Masters winning time (Jake 'minibike' Price - 1:35.167) beat the Pro Men's Masters time (Marcel Dolak - 1:36.678). Actually the top three places in Masters would have won Pro Masters. I guess the joke's on them? I asked last year's Masters winner Adam Haynes whether he would bump up to Pro Masters and he declined in his customary, humble way. His sixth in Masters would have been second this year in the Pro Masters field. Catch the rest of that interview in the current issue (10.4) of frequency: The Snowboarder's Journal on finer newsstands now.

Missing from the winners category, the belt buckles. Open Pros got race gates instead. Bamboo poles and all. Ask Marcel Dolak if he minds. Spoiler Alert, he's still stoked. He seems like the kind of guy who might wear one of those belt buckles, though. With the jacket. And a cowboy hat. Maybe it's all in my head. Dude lives in Seattle somewhere. Redmond. Not exactly the wild west. They also got Lib Tech Water(surf)boards and the customary raven statuette.

Speaking of shit that was missing, no switch race, at least officially. I don't know the story, maybe they ran out of time, but I feel like the awards were finished early this year. They did award the Andre-nuski rivalry award at Milano's after the official awards, though, and I didn't go, so that could be something.

The sportsmanship award went to a girl whose name I missed. She was finishing her run when she came upon a slower rider in front of her. She didn't get upset, she didn't pass. She slowed. She shouted. Words of encouragement. 'You go girl' and 'Finish strong.' Love to hear it.

Unknown rider extends ass and hand in opposite directions, remains erect.

Also missing was the mid-course party cave. No cave. Smaller party. Even with (because of?) the legal weed. The fact that the sheriff's department was on the scene, in skis, might have had something to do with that.

Sighted at the location of the cave-less party, OG Mt. Baker Hardcores Eric Janko, Carter Turk and Mike 'Tex' Devenport. Longer pony tails and gray hairs. Legends, all three. I've seen maybe 10 pictures ever of Turk. He didn't even show up to accept his Craig Kelly award two years ago. Tex is the one I'm most familiar with. He's in some later movies. Maybe Let it Ride or Platinum even. Ballsy, big-mountain stuff. Stories of dropping four stories to flat. Earning his stripes the hard way.

From the same site, I watched the course gobble fools up. And by 'fools' I mean even big-shot pros like Terje. Cat went off-course, boosted a method and drowned a cameraman in spray before ducking out ahead of the awards ceremony. I guess if you're going to leave before your gold tape (last year) you might as well leave before your 8th place, too. What a guy.

This year, Jamie Lynn got the Craig Kelly Thunderbird Award and I've never seen anyone so proud of anything before in my life. You could tell how much it meant to him from the second his name was called out by last year's winner Jeff Fulton. Lots of love coming from that man for those who came before and the current tribe.

Proud Jamie sandwiched by Jeffs Fulton (left) and Galbraith

Once again, the Older Amateurs podium was swept by Baker employees. Home field advantage kids. Deal with it.

Jason Robinson won the 2nd Annual Handplant Contest. He took home a raven-shaped Lib Tech board, which he tried to make out with. Des Melancon deserves props for the sickest single trick, a steezy stalled frontside invert.

J-Rob bestiality boardplay

Oh yeah and keep your eyes open for some demos of next year's gear. I got my hands on the Anon M2 goggles, Jones Aviator, Gnu Beast and Salomon Villain boards. I also might have something in the works with a binding company that will remain nameless until the ink dries.

Also in a coming post, I'll talk about Japan. Right now, I'm off to Montana and Moonlight Basin.

Board Exam: 2012/2013 GNU Impossible A.S.S. Pickle

What the Rep Said: Symmetrical tip to tail (twin tip), but not edge to edge. Not only is it a deeper sidecut on the heelside, but the contact points are closer together also. Your body is asymmetric, your board should be, too. Elliptical C2 camber means more rocker between your feet and less near the inserts.

First Impressions: Just looking at it, it's hard to notice the sidecut difference. Weird and wavy graphic. Average to below average weight.

Any questions? Ask GNU!

Stats/Setup: I'm 6'1" and about 162 pounds as of this demo. I rode the Gnu Impossible Asymmetrical Symmetrical Synchronized Pickle in a 155 with Salomon Dialogue boots (men's 9.5) and Union Force SL bindings at Mt. Bachelor.

Conditions: Packed powder groomers, up to boot-top pow off the groom, snowing

The Ride: The asymmetrical sidecuts were quite subtle on the snow, but they translated to a real ease of turn initiation. Both heelside and toeside turns came quickly at all angles of attack.

As always the Magne-Traction didn't disappoint, holding on to all turns. Granted, the snow was soft that day and it was less icy and choppy than your standard Pacific northwest winter day.

The EC2 camber profile is a good blend of rocker and camber with the most pronounced rocker at the waist, then mellowing toward the inserts as it transitions into the camber zones at the tips. This means easy presses and a more skatey feel but a little less stability and pop than Mervin's C2 or similar profiles. Gnu calls it a flex of 6, but I'd say it's closer to 5 out of 10 (10 being a fence post, 1 being a fence wire)

Though the powder wasn't too deep, the Pickle performed well for it's size. There's no reason to think it wouldn't hold it's own on a deep day with a little setback.

As per usual, I didn't test this board on rails.

Bottom Line: I couldn't get my hands on a 159, which would be my preferred size of this board, but the 155 was impressive enough. I feel like this board would be great for all ability levels. A beginner get's the forgiveness, easy turn initiation and edge hold. A more advanced rider appreciates the park skill set. This is a board that can grow with a rider. If only it didn't retail at $800.

Awards: The Gnu Impossible A.S.S. Pickle won 2013 Transworld Good Wood and Snowboard Magazine Platinum Picks awards.

Similar Boards: Never Summer EVO

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.

27th Baker Banked: Another Legend

Yup, last one to the party, no doubt, with the 27th Annual Legendary Baker Banked Slalom info. Had to make the haul down I-5 yesterday with some stops. Then, crashed out early because today was a powder day at Meadows. Who'da thunk? That crazy ice layer is still lurking, though. Tripping heel edges you thought were going to spray powder all over the free world. Serious damage done today. In a real way. To my meat box. Not some metaphorical 'destruction.' I feel broken. Enough about me, though, things got legendary over the weekend. Let me tell you what eye saw.

Saturday. Hard to get motivated when it's been raining all week. More on that later. Managed to get down there and check out the race. Even demoed some gear: Jones Hovercraft, Yes Pick Your Line and Now IPO bindings. All good in different ways. You will hear more, but here's the teaser.

2013 Yes Pick Your Line

2013 Jones Hovercraft and Mountain Twin flanked by Yes men

JF Pelchat sets me up with the Now IPO.

Mervin boards I didn't ride. Look for C3 BTX next year.

What about the race? I watched a few folks from the top and a few from the middle. Not much middle ground as far as the race. Folks were either slaying or getting bucked. Gnarly-ass course. Makes me wonder whether I really want to get accepted to ride in it. Gwyn Howat said that for the first time ever some of the banks were over her head. And she's no pixie at six feet tall. Another first, mid-week the course was an icy mogul field and the crew was praying for rain. You read that right. They can't just power-till the course, so the only natural cure would be the four-letter word we usually curse. It came. Course softened. What could have been a bobsled track got downgraded to 'challenging.' Thank the rain. Ha. Just make sure it knows its place. For example, don't rain on the salmon feed/handplant contest. Thank you. 

Who is this, Marben? Where's the light from, God?

So much food they were giving it away at the end.

The grindage up top was looking tasty, too.

Sunday Finals. No demos as my crew again lacked motivation and the demo tents were packing up early. I did get a glimpse of some pro men's runs and some groms' after them. Let me tell you something, it's easy to appreciate video-part-quality snowboarding when it's on a screen in front of you, but it's even easier to appreciate when it's carving down a hill in front of you. Professional athletes on a closed course. Sit back and watch. If you can't watch Josh Dirksen take his LBS turns and aspire to replicate them, you're either Terje or you're numb. Not everyone films a three-minute shred-porn section every year, but, much like REM said, everybody turns. Sometime. Still, no one ever says, "I want to turn like Josh Dirksen." Well, I do. Maybe next year I'll ask all the micro-groms who their favorite riders are. I will take special note of those who respond with Dirka-Dirka-San. All that said, this is a results-based game, no one cares what you look like, you gotta WIN! Overheard in the lodge before the awards, "Dirksen has all the qualities you envy in a person except the ability to win." I should have asked that dude his name, I'd love to have an attribution for that. You know who you are, third floor of the lodge around 4pm. Of course he goes on to take second AGAIN. Maybe he just knows that silver is the only real duct tape color. Everything else is an impostor. Who would want that? Temple Cummins came in third because the only place he ever lands at this event is on the podium. Terje won because he's that good. He had to bounce to Norway and the World Snowboard Championships before the awards, though, because he's in demand. And because he's that good.

Scotty Wittlake praying

Scotty Wittlake slaying

Another special moment for me that day was Kevin Pearce's presence. What can you say? Has a time ever mattered less? Kevin looked more stoked than anyone at the awards ceremony. What an inspiration to anyone who's ever had to come back from a serious injury. Traumatic brain injury to gnarly banked turns in a couple years. Ending in Banked Slalom entries for life. See you next year, Kev. Wear your helmets, kids.

Watching Milo Malkoski race and win his first gold was pretty cool, too. You can read all about it on his proud pop's blog. What he won't tell you is that dad was pacing/racing Milo down the first half of the course. Talk about a stoked dad. Milo's time was just a little slower than the old man's, too. What does he get when he finally beats you, Johan?

Who says the groms don't take it seriously?

Hearing the crowd go nuts when someone from Glacier wins is amazing. Makes me wish I could have been there when Lucas DeBari won in 2007. Must have been off the meter. My first year was 2008, when Temple won it and I thought that crowd was nuts. I couldn't even hear Danielle Davis's name getting called this year. And this wasn't her first win. Glacier loves its own.

Sarah Taylor, "I get second every six years: 2000, 2006 and 2012."

Maelle Ricker owns the women's pro division. This year marked her sixth win in a row. And she won by almost five seconds. She also wrecked into the fence in her second finals run. Like a true pro, she unstrapped, hiked up around the gate, took a bow, buckled back in and finished her run without a DQ. Is the mark of a pro the flawless winning time or the unwillingness to give up?

That quote sums it up.

Finally, I just can't top Baker for getting together with all my shred buddies. I have quite a few that I only see there. I wish I could see them more often, and I wish I'd stop missing some even there, but as long as the Legendary Banked Slalom goes down, at least I'll know where they'll be for that one weekend in February. You guys know who you are. See you next year!