Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

5/16/13

Beverly, MA -- Endicott College student Justin Velasquez will officially be launching his blog, “Shredding from State to State” on Friday, May 17^th at noon. This blog will cater primarily to east coast snowboarders and skiers. It features content that applies to all age ranges; there is a “how to” for children and editorials for teenagers and adults.

The blog creator, Justin Velasquez, has been snowboarding for four years. He is a knowledgeable source for information about the sport. He lives in Maine, therefore he has the chance to ride prime winter terrain during the snow season.

You will be able to see the creator’s unique personality through his blog posts. “When I was asked to make a blog for a college course,” Justin Velasquez said, “Snowboarding was the first thought that popped into my head.”

This blog contains posts that are helpful to east coast snow lovers. Justin wrote a review of his experience riding at Sugarloaf over his winter break. This blog also contains articles such as, gear reviews, photo stories, interviews, and “how to’s.”

Justin is always looking for new mountains to ride and new gear that arrives on the market. “The most fun about making this blog, “Justin says, “was getting to talk to all of the interesting people that I interviewed.” The people that were interviewed for this blog all are skilled snowboarders and skiers and had personalities as bold as their talent.

Shredding from State to State is a blog that is dedicated to serving snow lovers in all locations. Just because the school year is coming to an end does not mean that Justin will stop updating his blog. He is constantly looking for new people to interview with stories about riding, mountain life, and fun times.

Anybody who snowboards, skis or wants to find out more information about these winter sports is invited to stop by Shredding from State to State.

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A Day of Riding with the Bros

Me with my friends Taite (left) and Brandon (right) getting stoked for our first time riding at Sugarloaf for the season!
 

We stopped for lunch in the woods, it was very quiet and peaceful.

 

 

This was one of hte steepest glades I have ever ridden through.

 

 

I honestly dont know what this glade was called, we just turned off a trail and went into the woods randomly.

 

 

Last run through the trees of the day!  

 

Nathan Dye, a True Ski Character

Nathan Dye is the definition of a character. His facial hair differs every time I see him; it goes from beard to moustache to goatee in a matter of weeks. It is pretty concerning that he can grow a beard that fast. He is known to wear a double XL green one piece suit when skiing, and his tall tees majestically flow as he rides down the mountain. I tried the one piece on and I looked like a saggy mess, I have no clue how he could rock it successfully. He has had more jobs than I can count and he calls his Jeep the White Tiger. He even taught me how to ski in one day; by the end I could do 180’s which was pretty cool. The reason I know all of these things about him is because I have been friends with Nate since the first grade, we have gone riding together countless times.

Q: When did you first start skiing?

A: I started skiing in 6th grade; it was after a big snow storm had passed. My dad had always gone skiing, and he thought it would be good to get me involved in it.

Q: What initially attracted you to it?

A: At first it was the speed, and the ability to make as many of your own decisions as you want, it’s a very freeing feeling.

Q: When did you start riding park?

A: I started riding park in 8th grade, after hitting that first jump and getting the sensation of flying, you only want to keep going bigger and bigger after that.

Q: What is your favorite trick to throw down?

A: Probably a big ol front flip, it’s really cool to be upside down flying over the snow and knowing that it will all come together.

Q: What is the hardest trick you have done?

A: That’s tricky, I don’t think there is anything individual like that which I would consider the hardest, every day is different skiing, so depending on conditions and what features are in the park, a trick that was easy one day could be really hard the next and vice versa.

Q: How was the skiing in Colorado different than skiing in Maine?

A: The mountains were a lot bigger in Colorado, and it was a much bigger part of the culture, almost everyone you got to meet was a skier, and in the community I was in, everyone there was extremely passionate about it, definitely cool surroundings to have.

Q: How does it feel that you are on Newschoolers front flipping in an edit?

A: haha that was pretty cool, I have been in a few edits skiing, and I always like to have things on the internet I can truly say I’m proud of.

Q: Give me a story from Colorado that exemplifies the lifestyle of a hood ass skier haha.

A: Probably April fool’s day, or clown day, where everyone dresses up like old school skiers wearing one pieces and leg warmers and just insane outfits, the entire day is dedicated to partying and having just as much fun as possible.

Q: Are Colorado skiers more steezy than Maine skiers?

A: Everything is different, and because of that the skiers are different, I think it’s impossible to say one is better than the other.

 

How To be an Awesome Snowboarder, and Possibly Pick up Some Girls

Having fun on the mountain can be difficult if you are not dressed properly and don’t know how to behave on the mountain. There are certain rules that employees at resorts enforce to keep riders safe, and there are unspoken rules among the snowboarders and skiers. In this how to I will show you snowboarders how to look badass and avoid conflict on the mountain. The four steps will teach you how to dress, take the lift, ride down trails and conquer the terrain park. Basically I am going to show you how to be an awesome snowboarder, just like how I envision myself on the mountain. Clearly I am not an awesome rider, but it does not hurt to know how to suit up and go with the flow of the mountain.

1.       Suit up: step into your fresh snow gear and make sure to layer up if it is going to be cold. If you are new to snowboarding and don’t know what brands/styles are cool no worries. As a snowboarder you can literally wear whatever you want on the mountain. Some popular snowboard brands are Special Blend, Sessions, Burton, 686, and Foursquare. The style that is sweeping the snowboard nation right now is slimmed down snow pants. My outfit consists of slim fitting Holden pants, a Holden jacket, and a Rasta colored shoelace belt, for that little extra flare. It is also very important to always wear a helmet.

2.       Taking the chairlift: odds are, if you are riding by yourself, you are going to take the lift with a few random people. I have met some pretty entertaining people on chairlift rides. You don’t always have to talk to people on the lifts; you can just listen to music and get ready for your next run. I always enjoy when I take the lift with a group of girls that are on vacation in Maine. If this ever happens to you it is time to make yourself look way cooler than you actually are. You can pretend to get a call from your friend and talk about all the awesome tricks you are going to throw down at the terrain park, tell them about all the competitions you placed first in, or offer to be their mountain guide for the day. These strategies are guaranteed to get you girls, 60% of the time, they work every time. *Disclaimer: I take no responsibility for rejection if you decide to use my somewhat questionable strategies.

3.       Riding down the mountain: when you are riding down the mountain make sure that you are aware of your surroundings. You don’t want to be “that guy” who stops in the middle of a busy trail and causes a massive pile up. Also don’t ride like a reckless asshole on green circles, these areas were made for beginners to get their bearings. There are also lots of children on green circles; you don’t want to run into a kid because you were trying to go way too fast on the trail. Black diamonds and blue squares are places where you can ride as fast as you want and not have to worry about beginner riders.

4.       The terrain park: the park can be a dangerous place. Usually at the top there is a group of people waiting to start hitting features. You should never ride into the park and act like you are the best rider there cutting people off or being rude; there is generally always someone better than you at the park. Also, don’t be afraid to ask someone better than you how to do a trick. If the person is not a total ass they will be stoked that you want to progress your riding and they will gladly give you some tips. If you are chill people will not have a problem with you in the park. Especially if you give people props on the difficult tricks that they land. Make sure that everybody knows that you are going to hit a feature before you start riding because you might end up cutting someone off or vice versa. If you notice somebody fall off a jump and they are in the landing area you need to walk to the top of the jump and signal that somebody is down. This is done by either waving your arms or crossing 2 ski poles in the air. Safety is the number one priority in the park; you don’t want to see somebody on the ground get hit by a person taking the same jump. 

Dubstep: Snowboarders Like it

Snowboarding and music go hand in hand, most riders listen to music when they are on the mountain. Some people like it and some people don’t. Personally I listen to music occasionally when I am riding. My biggest issue with it would be the fact that you can’t really hear what your friends are saying on the chairlift if you are bumping music. However, when I ride off the lift and start going down a trail the music enhances everything. When I ride and listen to music it feels like the music playing is what song I will have in my debut pro riding part (which will obviously never happen). Nonetheless it is still really fun to ride down a trail while listening to your favorite beats.

My snowboarding playlist consists of dubstep, rap and screamo music. The first time I heard of dubstep was when my skier friend introduced it to me. For those of you who don’t know what dubstep is it is, according to about.com, “The best way to recognize a dubstep track or mix is by the reverberating sub-bass that is present in most productions. The sub-bass is reverberated at different speeds to give a sense of movement and insistence. The tracks are typically higher in BPM, ranging between 138 and 142 typically. The style does not favor four-to-the-floor beats, instead relying on spaced, syncopated percussion that the listener typically adds their own mental metronome to.” So my snowboarder kid definition of dubstep is, basically electronic music that incorporates “drops” in the tracks. The electronic music, usually drum and bass beats, build up until the drop happens. When the song drops, then all hell breaks loose. Dubstep fans live for the awesome change of tempo that the drop provides. These drops are all unique in their own way and they are all dope. Some awesome dubstep artists are Bassnectar, Zeds Dead, and Excision.

At first when I heard this new type of music and thought to myself, “it sounds like two metal trash cans grinding together over a dial up connection.” It took a few more times listening to dubstep for me to get into it. The song that made me think that dubstep was not just random computer noises was Wake Up Call (Datsik Remix) by Steve Aoki and Sidney Samson. I can literally remember everything that happened when I listened to the song. I downloaded it off of dirtymexicanlemonade.com (it used to be a dope site for good music, I don’t know if it’s still running or not) and when I heard it my world was changed. The beginning of the song is so happy and then it suddenly drops and blows your mind. It’s a great song and I will always like it.

Currently there has been a new electronic music phenomenon sweeping across the nation. This new genre of music, trap, takes after rap that comes primarily from the south. It uses 808 bass beats to make songs that I honestly can’t describe. A good trap song just makes you want to move. They have a buildup similar to dubstep songs, when the trap beat drops it causes chaos in your ears because it is unexpected, but great. Ever since this movement started I have put several trap songs on my snowboarding playlist.

Like I was saying earlier, my skier friend introduced me to dubstep. Every person that I heard talk about dubtep a few years ago was either a skier or snowboarder. I honestly don’t know why snow enthusiasts started to like this music, but I have to thank them for spreading it around because dubstep is awesome.

Meet Kevin, He Can do a Backflip

 

“My favorite trick to do is probably backflips. Really easy, but really fun.” Hmmm...I totally wish I was good enough to say that. These words were said by no other than Kevin Costello, one of the best skiers I know. I mean he must be really good if he thinks backflips are a laid back trick. Kevin and I went to high school together and he was one of the chilliest kids there. He had no problems with anyone and had no enemies. He fits the stereotype of super relaxed and modest people that turn out to be dope skiers. He has been skiing since the age of three and started competing at 12; if that tells you anything about how much this experience this kid has under his belt. Let’s just say that the best trick he can do involves so many spins that it would make a normal person nauseous.

Q: When did you first start to ski?

A: I first started skiing at the age of 3. My parents have skied for a long time and wanted to get me into it at a young age.

Q: What attracted you to skiing?

A: What attracted me to skiing was how different it is from other sports. There isn't anything else quite like it.

Q: How many competitions have you been in, and have you gotten on the podium in most of them?

A: I have been in a lot of competitions in the past, starting when I was about 8. I started out racing at Lost Valley, and then started skiing park competitively when I was about 12. I still try to do competitions occasionally. I have placed first in some comps and always try to at least get on the podium if possible.

Q: What is your favorite trick to do?

A: My favorite trick to do is probably backflips. Really easy, but really fun.

Q: Do you see yourself making a name for yourself in the skiing world soon?

A: I don't think I will make a name for myself in skiing at this point. It has become increasingly competitive over the years, and I am finding it hard to keep up. But I am content with where it has brought me. I am currently a sophomore in college in Vermont and I get to ski four days a week during the winter. I have also coached park skiing at Sunday River, so skiing has brought me job opportunities as well. I hope that someday I might be able to get a job in the ski industry.

Q: Where have you been skiing before?

A: I have skied at mostly mountains on the east coast. Sunday River, Loon, Stowe, Sugarbush, Sugarloaf, Killington, Lost Valley, and Mt. Snow are some of the mountains that I have skied on the east coast over the years. I have also been to Mt. Hood in Oregon twice during the summer.

Q: What is your favorite mountain?

A: My favorite mountain that I have been to is Mt. Hood. It is massive in comparison to any mountains on the east coast. I hope to ski somewhere out west again in the near future.

Q: Have you met any pros before?

A: I have met a lot of professional skiers before, most of which I met when I went to Mt. Hood. I have also met some of them at mountains on the east coast. Most of them were nice, down to earth guys.

Q: Have you seriously hurt yourself before?

A: I have seriously hurt myself skiing a few times. I've had a few concussions, cut my knee open through my snow pants once, broken both thumbs a lot, and have had more bruises than I can count. But luckily, I have not sustained any injuries that have put me out of commission for more than a few days.

Q: What is the dopest trick you have ever done?

A: I guess that I would say the best trick that I can do is a corked 1080 (3 full spins inverted). I hope to have double flips down by next season.

Burton Primo and Love Get a Bad Rap

As I am sure all of you guys know I currently ride a BurtonPrimo snowboard. This snowboard depicts a person mutilating their own hand to make the word “OK”. Personally I have no problem with this and think that it is kind of funny, and mostly everybody I know agrees. People either think it is hilarious or repulsive.

It turns out that when these boards were first produced they were, and still are, banned for employee use at certain mountains. Along with banning the Primo they also banned Burton’s Love board. The Love board has pictures of former Playboy models on it. Technically, some of the girls are fully naked, but their behinds are the only things that can be seen. Everything else provocative is covered or did not fit on the snowboard. Personally, being a guy and all, I have absolutely no problem with the Love board at all. In fact I searched the web for one because it would be a great addition to my dorm/future man cave. Sadly I did not find any boards that were as steeply discounted as my Primo was. These two snowboards were released as limited edition boards; only one thousand of each board was produced. This means that I only have the same snowboard as 999 people, versus the millions of mass produced snowboards out there. This board will most likely become a collector’s item, which is also unique.

It makes me upset that employees of Vail, Beaver Creek Resort, Breckenridge Ski Resort and Keystone Ski Resort in Colorado, California’s Heavenly Mountain Resort and Vermont’s Smugglers Notch, Killington Resort, Pico Mountain and Stowe Mountain Resort can’t ride these boards while they are working. For crying out loud, this is AMERICA and we have the right to express ourselves how we want! Over 100 people were crazy enough to go out and protest in front of Burton’s Burlington Vermont headquarters. Do these people have nothing better to do with their lives than trying to convince consumers to stop buying Burton products? Really guys? Do you think that shitty quality picket signs that say “Shame on Burton!” will tear down one of the biggest snowboard companies around the world? Burton’s co-owner Donna Carpenter said in a news release “These are not X-rated images…these are vintage Playboy images from as far back as the 1970s. They are beautiful, kitschy, well-fed models; nothing obscene is revealed. These board graphics are retro, tongue-in-cheek and, in my opinion, harmless.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself, this lady is a total bro. She understands that snowboarding is a sport that is as much about self-expression as it is about skill and precision. When you are on the mountain, you can dress however you want and express yourself through your riding. It should not matter what you are riding as long as everybody is having fun. Also, Burton Snowboards CEO Laurent Potdevin said, "Burton supports freedom of artistic expression. Board graphics are artwork, and art can be offensive to some and inspiring to others. ... We will keep these boards in the market and have no intention of recalling them" This statement goes along with what I just said about snowboarding. Why would the CEO of a snowboard company want to recall a product that echoes the self-expression of snowboarding? Also I would like to point out that the two people who advocated for these boards are women; clearly having naked models on boards is not an issue to them. If these boards do not mortify professional female company heads, they should not disturb anyone.

When this board was for sale the product description was, “Hi. My name is Love™ and I’m on the market for someone who’s looking to score serious action, no matter where they like to stick it. I enjoy laps through the park; long, hard grinds on my meaty Park Edges followed by a good, hot waxing. Whether you’re hitting it from the front or the back, my mid wide shape, supple flex, and twin tips like it kinky. Keegan and Mikkel love riding me, I hope you will too.” Honestly that is the raunchiest description of a snowboard I have ever seen; I love it and think it’s hilarious. Keegan and Mikkel are the pro riders who helped design the Love boards. I also find this product description to be very clever, whoever made this up must have had a field day relating snowboard terms and the board’s tech specs to sexual innuendos.

The description of the Primo is not sexual at all, but it is just as funny and makes the board sound pretty badass. “Like the father who gives his son a carton of smokes for Christmas, the Burton Primo Snowboard doesn’t care if you get straight A’s or help old ladies across the street. That stuff is for sissies, which is one thing this twin-tip park slayer certainly isn’t. From executing street rails to burying park features, this Burton Coalition snowboard isn’t trying to make friends—in fact, it’s not really down with people at all.” It makes it seem like this board is its own entity and it is ready to get out on the mountain and shred.

According to Boston.com’s article Edgy snowboard graphics test liberal Vermont, Mark Redmond de-affiliated his nonprofit, Spectrum Youth & Family Services, from a Burton charity that donates snowboards to needy children after “learning about the Playboy line and Primo, which depicts fingers mutilated by razors, a dog's teeth, and scissors. Because objectification of women increases the chance men will become abusive, he said, the boards are an important issue for both sexes.” What kind of person would take his nonprofit organization away from Burton because some of their graphics are suggestive? And I am 100% positive that if I strapped into a Love board I will not have the sudden urge to beat women. If you know of anybody who started to abuse women because of this board tell me, because I will be very concerned.  It is absolutely absurd that Redmond says that this board can possibly increase the chance for men to become abusive. If anything, you should respect the models that were willing to let their images be displayed on this board for the enjoyment of others.

The sanest and most practical viewpoint about this graphic comes from the article Scandalous Snowboards, “As an adult, I don’t necessarily care,” said Bend’s Joy Wilson, a 37-year-old mother of two who has written a letter to Burton. “If somebody was standing in front me on the slopes, it wouldn’t matter. But I have two young ones (a son and daughter) who snowboard, 11 and 8, and that’s the difference for me. As a mother tiger, you don’t really want to expose your kids to stuff before it is necessary. In a sense, it is just as important as someone else’s freedom of speech or expression.” Since I am your typical snowboarder punk that is all about free expression I still don’t agree with Wilson’s viewpoint. But I will acknowledge that it is a parent’s duty to protect their children from raunchy material. But in all reality how badly would seeing a Playboy model’s ass affect a little kid? I am sure that it would make young boys giggle instead of become instantly corrupt, like some people would think. If you want to ride a snowboard with a naked woman on the bottom or a cartoon of a person cutting their fingers off, more power to you. Ride that board and rock it; don’t let anybody try and stop you!

The Art of Flight: an Adrenaline Filled Ride throughout the Best Backcountry in the World

“We dedicate this film to the ones we have lost doing what they love.” This message is literally the first thing that you see when you start to watch Red Bull Snowboarding’s The Art of Flight. Craig Kelly and Sara Burke are among the pro snowboarders and skiers who have lost their lives doing what they loved. It is awesome how Red Bull dedicated this incredible film to everybody who has come to a tragic end while riding down a mountain; it really shows that they care about the action sports community. That being said, The Art of Flight is INCREDIBLE; my mouth was gaping the whole time I was watching it. Even the intro credits to the movie are dope; it takes you on a journey through space. Through the clusters of comets and meteors you can see the movie’s sponsor logos floating millions of feet in the atmosphere. Why did Red Bull do this? The answer is because they really wanted to make the best snowboard movie out there, and they succeeded monumentally.

This movie was shot with 1080 pixel high definition video cameras, the most high definition resolution a camera can shoot in. The snow looks like it is right in front of your face, you can see every little snow pile that the boarders kick up when they stop, every scar on the riders seasoned faces, and every rock peeking its head out of the deep powder. The high visual quality of this movie makes it twice as enjoyable. Some of the scenes in this movie just make your jaw drop. I can’t count the number of frames that you see the Red Bull helicopter surrounded by pure white snow, it looks so cool.  The first scene of the movie depicts pro rider Travis Rice going through his morning routine. He waxes his snowboard, which looks sick in high definition, and then he goes to the airport to go fly to Alaska to ride untouched powder. How awesome is it that his morning routine was to casually go to another state to ride with his friends?  This scene is shot cinematically perfectly, I could find no flaws in the filming or angles, it just looks so aesthetically pleasing. The shot of the plane taxiing down the runway shows that this is not just a snowboard movie, it is a story.

Travis Rice narrates over the epic journeys that he and his fellow riders went on. The first words he says are very inspirational, “We will never know our full potential unless we push ourselves to find it”. This is what every single snowboarder who is in this film does, they push themselves to their limits for the sport that they love, and the end result is awesome. The first scene with actual snowboarding in it is insane. Three riders step off of the helicopter on a ridge that is approximately ten feet wide and covered in waist deep powder.

They are all smiles and you can tell how excited they are to ride down the untouched mountain. Literally, nobody has ever been where they went. It must be cool to say, “yeah I snowboarded somewhere where no human beings have ever been before”. To put the danger of what these men are getting into in perspective, the helicopter has to fly down the mountain vertically because the incline is so steep. I didn’t even know that it was possible to have a helicopter go vertical!

After the helicopter leaves the scene all three riders drop into the mountain at once, they shred it together, dodging avalanches, until they reach the bottom. It is crazy to see how fast they are going, I think they go faster than highway speed.

 Every rider in this movie is extremely talented; they are also the biggest adrenaline junkies in the world. Think of the rush they must feel while tearing down a mountain face being chased by a large avalanche. Pro rider Travis Rice takes the mountain on alone in one part of the video. He is sitting at the top of a mountain by himself and all of a sudden he takes off barreling down the mountain at top speed. He decides to throw in a few spins for extra flare; spins in general are difficult so doing them down a mountain must be very challenging. This run really shows how fearless Rice is, if you have the cojones throw down a 360 while going over 60 miles per hour then you deserve the ultimate respect.

 This movie also uses helmet cameras to capture what the riders are seeing, and what they see is mind blowing. One rider was riding on top of a huge snow ridge, in order to carve down the mountain he has to switch sides on the ridge repeatedly. It must have been really hard and nerve racking to ride over a snow ridge and then go back onto the other side constantly.  The helmet camera gives viewers an idea into what these pros are seeing; I know that I will never be a good enough rider to see some of the terrain that these guys saw on their trip.

The movie is structured like a documentary, not only do you get to see sick riding but you get an insight into what the lives of these snowboarders are like. From what I can see, they live the most fun lives ever.  At one point the riders traveled to South America and the cameras covered all of the beautiful land from an aerial view. South America is so scenic, where there isn’t snow rocks jut out from the green ground and it just looks so peaceful.  The locals of the town they visited were all smiling; I did not see one without a grin on their face. This echoes the happy vibe that this movie instills in its viewers.

One scene of the film contained no snowboarding at all but it was one of my favorite montages in the movie. This scene chronicled the adventures of the snowboarders in their Alaskan cabin, and the guys are hilarious. It shows what they do when they are not out riding. If I had to choose any people to spend an afternoon with, it would be them. One guy tries to skim across a long pond with a weird skateboard thing and he falls in and it is really funny. One rider sits down for an interview, he turns his head and gives the camera a funny looking smile and then a gun goes off in the background and he jumps and screams, “son of a motherless goat!”; hands down the funniest line in the movie. Another person randomly grabs onto a snowmobile and gets dragged through a snow bank face first. After that the guys take out the shotguns and shoot skeet with beer cans and then they shoot trees down with their guns. After they finish with the shotguns they take out the sniper rifle (complete with bi pod) and shoot some propane tanks, which blow up. I honestly have no clue where they got all of these guns and ammo, but it makes for an entertaining movie segment. These guys are like the Jackass crew, but with more brain cells.

This is the best snowboard film that I have ever seen. It shows everything that a snowboarder could want. It shows breathtaking scenery, awesome riding, and hysterical mountainside shenanigans. If there is one thing that you take away from this movie it should be this: snowboarders know how to have a good time.

Sunday River is Spending Millions

Sunday River, located in Bethel Maine, is one of New England’s most expansive ski resorts. Its snow guns blanket 616 acres alone, leaving the other 126 acres of expert terrain covered in the 167 inches of annual snowfall.  Well guess what I just found out? They are going to spend 5.7 million dollars enhancing the resort for next season. This is a very smart business move for Sunday River; once they further improve the resort they will gain more attention from out of state skiers, which will result in increased recondition as well as revenue.

The mountain is going to improve a number of aspects with the almost 6 million dollar investment. The first thing on their list is to improve snowmaking. Having ridden on the man-made snow at Sunday River I can say that it is already awesome. Their snow does a very good job at replicating natural powder, when you fall in their artificial snow it feels just like deep powder. To put these changes in perspective, Sunday River already has 1,900 snow guns. There are 72 miles of pipes running throughout the mountain to supply the snow guns, as well as 30 miles of hoses. With the snowmaking process as intricate as it is now, they are going to add another 200 guns to the battalion of snow producers. When I read this I instantly became excited because their snow will be even better next year. The mountain is installing new HKD SV10 Impulse snow guns as well; these guns can pump almost five times the amount of water than the old guns could, while using half the energy. Since the mountain is using energy efficient snow guns they can save money on energy costs while making the tree huggers happy.

To go along with adding more snow guns; Sunday River will be breaking ground on a new 15 acre terrain park. YES. This is going to be so sick; the mountain (in my opinion) has the best terrain parks in Maine. This park is going to include a base for an 18 foot Superpipe. Oh I forgot to mention that it is going to be designed with help from Simon Dumont. For those of you who don’t know Mr. Dumont, he is one of the best freestyle skiers competing today. He is decorated with medals from the X Games and many other freestyle competitions. He also hosts his own competition at the mountain called the Dumont Cup. It is fitting that he is going to host his competition in the new park that he is helping design next season. This new park is going to be 2,300 feet long, just shy of a half mile. Imagine how dope half a mile of terrain park features is going to be?

Now to go over the off mountain additions; during the spring Sunday River is going to renovate its Legends Restaurant. These renovations are going to add 300 additional seats in the restaurant, because Sunday River keeps attracting loads of snow enthusiasts. The finished product will be approximately 5,500 square feet. It will also be able to convert into a large event hall when it is necessary.

Sunday River offers wedding party services; therefore they are making a new wedding ceremony site for new couples to enjoy. This is great because the site will have a beautiful view of the mountain, which will attract nature lovers of all types. Sunday River is also going to start building a new road leading to its most recent real estate development, the Glades at Ridge Run. This will provide ease of access to Sunday River’s permanent residents.

Sunday River is spending over 5 million dollars on renovations for upcoming seasons. The new terrain park is going to be sick; it will attract many more freestyle riders to the mountain. Especially since Sunday River has a reputation for having great terrain parks. The new snow guns will provide more snow with less energy, a win win situation there. The restaurant is going to have 300 new seats, which means they can handle bigger crowds better. The investment of nearly 6 million dollars of improvements at Sunday River is going to pay off in large dividends at the end of the season.

2008 Burton Primo Review

Today I will be reviewing my 2008 Burton Primo snowboard. I purchased it for $114 at geartrade.com. This is a great deal for a snowboard, especially a new one. The initial thing that attracted me to the snowboard was the ridiculous graphic. The snowboard depicts a person slicing their fingers off and stapling them back together to form the word “OK”. I thought that this was awesome and kinda funny so I immediately got the board. The graphics on this snowboard are so gruesome that they have been banned at certain resorts; they attract attention wherever I go.

This snowboard has many technical features that make it way better than the beaten up K2 that I used to ride. It has sidewalls that make the board stronger while also absorbing impact. It has a special core called, “Negative Core Profile”, that is designed to make the board more flexible. Aiding the Negative Core Profile is its special “Biax React Fiberglass” core. Board flex makes park snowboarding much easier because you can lean forward or backwards on your board to do specific tricks way easier. Also, if you land wrong coming out of a trick, board flex can help you regain your balance.

 This being said, the “Rail Ready Edge Tune” makes the snowboard’s metal edges dull enough so that they won’t dig into rails, but sharp enough to grip into the snow.  Another feature that helps the board in the park is its, “PRO-TIP” shape, which makes the board much easier to spin with off jumps. The special tips of the board also are supposed to help you maintain your “float” in powder easier. Float means that you are riding right on top of deep powder. Floating in powder feels like your board is a knife cutting through warm butter. Riding powder is challenging at first; you have to lean far back on your board or else your board will sink into the snow and you will tumble head over heels several times.

The first thing that I noticed when I rode this board was that its dulled edges did not help me out while I was riding through snow. The special edges made it much harder to control my board, which was difficult at first. This board would not be ideal for the snowboarder who is just learning how to carve. Its edges don’t cut into hard pack snow as well as other boards can. Whenever I hit a patch of ice or hard pack snow I didn’t even try and turn. The edges would just scrape across the surface of the snow and wouldn’t dig in. I was able to get used to this, but a snowboarder who is used to making deep carves all the time might have some difficulty. However, I can say that my edges have never gotten caught on a rail or box ever. The park ready edges are great for freestyle riding. I can turn my board completely sideways on a box and be confident that my edges won’t catch.

When this board was brand new, it was flexible, but stiff at the same time. This made the board have amazing pop off of jumps and hills. Now the board seems to have lost the majority of its stiffness, which I like. The increased flex of the board makes it more playful on the hill. It is way easier to butter with the loads of flex that the board has now. Buttering is when the rider leans backwards or forwards while riding so that one tip of the board is off the ground. Some people have different preferences about board stiffness. If you prefer a stiffer ride than the Primo is not for you. This board also is very short; it is 148 centimeters long. This is a few centimeters shorter than a board person of my height should be riding. The shortness of the board makes it really entertaining to spin around with on the mountain. I noticed that the board flows through the air very well when doing spins and the PRO TIP shape really helps. This board performs very well in deep powder too.

Overall my Burton Primo was a great jib stick (park snowboard) for beginners. It was not really too good for riding down trails due to its dull edges at first. Its performance in the park made up for its lack of agility around the mountain. It has helped me learn how to do specific rail slides and I have slowly been able to conquer my fear of jumps with my Primo. I would recommend this board for beginner to intermediate park snowboarders.

 

How to Dress Warm on the Mountain (For Kids)

It is 6:00 in the morning and your parents just woke you up, they yell to you that you need to get ready to go to the mountain for a day of riding. Now kids, I am pretty sure that you are aware that mountains are freezing cold! What kind of gear should you wear and bring? Definitely not a bathing suit that’s for sure, those belong in a swimming pool. Follow these simple steps and you will be shredding all day while being extra warm.

1.       Check weather of the mountain: This is important because it will help you decide how much to layer up.

2.       Base layer: put on your base layers first, these special layering fabrics are designed to keep the body warm while taking away moisture. After the base layers are on slip into your comfy socks.

3.       Extra layer: this step is optional and should always be done if it is going to be below 20 degrees on the mountain. Sweatshirts, long sleeves, and sweatpants are all good extra layers. You can never put too many layers on because you can always take them off.

4.       Regular clothes: dress as comfy under your snow clothes as possible, remember comfort = happiness.

5.       Suit up: now that you are all layered up it is time to put your snow clothes on. Always put your snow pants on first because it is way easier. Once you get your jacket on you are almost ready to head out.

6.       HELMET: this is the most important step; kids don’t forget to wear a helmet. Safety first!

7.       Pack extra items: these include at least one pair of gloves, and two face warmers (bandanas), you should bring them into the lodge with you.

8.       Enjoy your day of riding!

The Sugarloaf Expierience

When you think of the state of Maine, vivid images of nature immediately pop into your mind. If you are into nature and also love the freedom of the ski slopes, Sugarloaf Mountain will not disappoint. Sugarloaf is nestled in the quiet mountain town of Carabasset Valley. This town boasts numerous beautiful ski cottages and a prestigious high school for teens to achieve a prep school quality education, while being able to shred the mountain at their leisure. This mountain has terrain for everybody. It has super steep trails that will give an uncovered face gnarly wind burn, great bunny slopes for the kids, unbelievable glades, and multiple terrain parks that cater to all skill levels.

Sugarloaf Mountain Resort, referred to as the “Loaf” in the snow community, is the largest ski area east of the Rocky Mountains. Us Mainers are pretty proud to call Sugarloaf our home mountain. “Sugarloafers” or “Loafers” are their own breed of people; they are all incredibly nice and down to earth. Veteran Loafers rip down the mountain on their skis and enjoy cold brews with their friends at the base lodge bar after a day of riding. You can’t help but smile after riding for a day at the Loaf.  

I went up to the mountain for two days with my friends; unfortunately, I could not afford a season pass, which meant that I would have to pay a steep price for lift tickets. Just for one day of riding it costs $81 for adults, $67 for teenagers and $56 for children and senior citizens. Personally, I think ticket rates are a little too high. Thankfully, one of my friends I went up with was a snowboard instructor there. He managed to get me and his brother free lift tickets for both days of riding. When he approached the person who deals with giving out free tickets, he did not even care he was using four freebies on his friends. After we got our tickets, the employee, a veteran Loafer in his 50s, said, “Boys you better be buying this guy some beers for the weekend cause he hooked you guys up”. The customer service at the Loaf is pretty laid back.

The snowfields are the highest skiable terrain on the mountain and the Timberline chairlift takes you up to the top. When you are standing 4,237 feet high, you feel like you are above everything and everyone. The Timberline lift is also the only chair lift that services above tree line skiing on the East Coast. When you ride on the Timberline chair, the scenery is unbelievable. At the base of the mountain barely any trees have snow on their branches, as the lift climbs you can notice how white everything becomes. The trees have the appearance of being blown over and covered with ice, almost like Jack Frost came out to play.

From the top of the mountain you have access to some of the Loaf’s best trails. Tote Road is considered by many as one of the best. It is 3.5 miles long and it will be one of the fastest rides of your life. When I ride it, my snowboard tends to start shaking because I am going so fast, which is a huge adrenaline rush. All trails at mountain resorts use the same rating system - green circles are the easiest, blue squares are medium level, black diamonds are for experts, and double black diamonds can potentially kill you. Tote Road is only a blue square, as the trail starts to flatten at the bottom it turns into a green circle. This can get annoying at times, because there are always little kids and slow skiers on green circles. Most green circles have “family ski zones”. These zones are places where inexperienced skiers and riders can ride slowly and stop without disturbing the flow of the mountain. The Perfect Turn Ski School instructs in these areas, this program is great for young riders. The instructors are all knowledgeable and are very skilled riders.

Broccoli Garden is a collection of scenic glades that shoot off from the Whiffle Tree chairlift. When I rode over winter break, the glades were unbelievable. The entrance to the glades is very narrow and filled with moguls, which can be slightly intimidating. The snow was virtually untouched when we approached the entrance to the glade; there is nothing better than the feeling of cutting into fresh powder with your board edges. Throughout the course of the day, there were only about three other riders who went into the glades. We had a crew of over six people shredding through the trees. These glades have one of a kind natural features that experienced riders can bust tricks over. There was a tree that had fallen down that my friend managed to jib, which was incredible. There were also a few natural jumps that we all performed tricks over; I dialed in my 180’s over these natural powder jumps. By the end of the day, I can say with confidence that I shredded those glades.

The brand new Skyline chairlift starts at an elevation of 1,454 feet. Almost every trail that can be accessed off of this lift is a black diamond. When we took this lift, we took the Upper Spillway trail, which was a diamond. It was such a huge rush, and the pressure is really put on the riders because the lift goes right above the trail. Upper Spillway is very steep in the beginning, which is exhilarating to ride. Steep trails are the best because they really help challenge a rider’s abilities. If my board shook from speed on Tote Road, imagine how intense taking this diamond was. When I got to the bottom of the mountain my face was red from all of the snow hitting it at over 30 miles per hour. My overall rating of the diamond trails at Sugarloaf is a ten out of ten; they are great trails for the more advanced rider.

The Loaf has five terrain parks, which are special areas for skiers and snowboarders to practice their freestyle riding skills. Haywire is home to the biggest jumps on the mountain. To put the size of these jumps into perspective, if you fell off the top of the jump, you would hit the ground and it would not be pretty. However, a large portion of Sugarloaf’s freestyle riders can handle these jumps. The kids ride up to them and throw 720s like it’s nothing. If you can handle the size of the takeoffs, Haywire will provide hours of fun. This park also has the biggest rails and boxes on the mountain. It is definitely not a place for a beginner.

The Stomping Grounds is the ideal park for the intermediate rider. The Sugarloaf Park Crew has improved the park tremendously this year; they took out everything that used to be problematic and made it have great flow. They got rid of the old rickety boxes and eliminated some awkward turns. There are a few jumps that are made for intermediate snowboarders and skiers. The rails and boxes are great for stomping sick tricks.

I wish I had the opportunity to hit Sidewinder when I went riding; this park is a snowboard/skiercross course. Snowboard cross is basically like a downhill ski slalom race, except the slalom gates are replaced by winding banked turns and jumps. This course is top of the line, because it was designed and tested by Seth Wescott; a Sugarloaf rider who also happens to be a two time gold medalist in Olympic snowboard cross. Wescott has been riding Sugarloaf his whole life, I am proud to say that an Olympic athlete has been made from my home mountain.

Toward the middle of my day of riding, my friends and I stumbled across the Pipe Dreams Superpipe. The superpipe is a four hundred foot long, 18 foot high half pipe. Sugarloaf maintains this pipe extremely well; it is formed by expert park crew members using the specialized Zaugg PipeMonster. The second I laid eyes on the pipe I knew I had to hit it. None of my friends wanted to ride it with me so I was on my own. I gained as much speed as possible and tried to go into the entrance of the pipe like the pros do, that part was not too difficult. When I got to the top of the 18 foot, 90 degree vertical wall, I basically froze and did not know what to do. I have never been that high up before, and the icy walls did not give me too much of a confidence boost. I ended up making it back down the wall safely; I only fell when I tried to do tricks. When the crews of freestyle riders come through the pipe it is a spectacle to observe. Plenty of Loafers know how to ride the pipe. People who are learning can hit it slowly and focus on the basics of half pipe riding.

Skybound is the place to be if you are new to the park at Sugarloaf. This is like a McDonalds Playplace compared to Haywire. This is the park that I always hit in the beginning of the day. It is a great place to dial down more difficult tricks, because the features are miniature compared to Haywire. It is a chill park to mess around in. I learned how to do nose slides at Skybound, and then I was able to take them to the Stomping Grounds. The only downside to this park, is that in the mid-day, it gets full of kids from instruction groups. They usually cut off the experienced riders, but it is pretty entertaining to watch instructors try and teach little kids how to hit park features.

Overall Sugarloaf has great mountain terrain, excellent terrain parks, and beautiful scenery. This mountain is fun for the whole family. This mountain literally has trails for everybody. If you are just learning the basics Perfect Turn Ski School has you covered. The green circles are perfect places for beginner to intermediate riders to work on the basics. If you are a more experienced rider then the steeps will give you a run for your money. This mountain is a prime destination for snow lovers because the terrain is always pristine and the Sugarloaf community is always welcoming.

 

A Conversation with "Mad Mike"

          Hello everyone, first off I would like to mention that I live with a guy who goes by the name “Mad Mike”. Now don’t be alarmed, he is not actually crazy…well not that crazy. He certainly is a character.  When we first started college he had a huge mop of curly hair. One of my friends affectionately referred to him as “the curly headed fuck”. He always wears a hat and has the scruffy appearance characteristic to many snow enthusiasts. At my Endicott orientation I first saw Mike and thought, “this better be a snowboarder, cause he looks like one.”  He dresses like the typical snowboarder kid: tight pants, skate shoes, and various types of t-shirts. He honestly does not give a crap about what he wears; he has a shirt that has a cat in an astronaut suit on it, if that gives you any clue into this guy’s style. He has since cut his long curly hair but his personality has not changed at all.

Michael Placella is a hilarious guy; everybody in my dorm likes him. He has the weirdest sense of humor and he basically brought along a whole new culture to Endicott. He introduced the phrase, “it’s all gravy” to my dorm, and his idea of fun is going out into the woods and climbing trees. He took this interview like a conversation, the first question he asks is “Can I still eat my sunflower seeds?”  His personality is truly unique; he does not give a shit about what other people say about him. His nickname is Mad Mike because he always does the craziest things on and off of his snowboard.  “[Mike] Have you ever hurt yourself snowboarding? Ummm…oh yeah I got knocked out. [laughs] I got a wicked wicked wicked bad concussion...I got up, went to my friend, asked him what day it was and then he showed me the video and it was fucking hysterical.” Who else would be a better source of knowledge than a gnarly snowboard instructor right?

Mike has been snowboarding since he was seven years old. He grew up riding at Waterville because his aunt had a condo there. Since he was able to ride frequently he got very good at snowboarding. He can do way more stuff on a snowboard than I can that’s for sure.  Mike has thrown tricks that my body physically cannot even perform.

The best part? He is self-taught. He said that he started off when he was young with an instructor, but when he wanted to take his riding to the next level, he was on his own. To add to his credit snowboard instructors only go over the basics of the sport with you when you are young. It is sick that he taught himself how to ride; I have tried to teach myself multiple tricks but failed miserably. This shows the true passion that Mike has for snowboarding. Also, teaching yourself park snowboarding is extremely difficult, trust me. I have taken more falls straight to the ass in the park than anyone that reads this. For those of you that don’t know what park snowboarding is, it is a combination of jibs and jumps. A jib is anything that is not snow that riders slide down. Stair rails are a great example of the intimidating features that you see in terrain parks. Mike is the only person at Waterville Valley that is certified to teach park lessons.

Snowboarding has been around since the 1960’s. When people first introduced snowboards to their local mountains a whole new world of snow sports became introduced. Snowboarding is one of the most fun extreme sports out there today. Snowboarding offers full personal freedom, riders can express themselves through how they ride and how they dress. From growing up riding in Maine I noticed that the skiing and snowboarding scene is very unique.

The style of the Maine snowboarder or skier can vary. From what I observed the beginner riders seem very awkward with their style and dress. They generally wear plain clothes and look a little out of place. On the mountain beginner riders definitely would not fit into Maine’s “snow culture”.  They tend to stick to their instruction groups on the mountain and tend to not ride with their friends separately. Beginners have not grasped the basics of snowboarding yet so they know how to ride. It is hard for them to develop their own definitive style. The good riders, I noticed, float around the mountain with a certain grace. This grace can be called “steeze”. I first heard that word from my hardcore skier friend. I have no clue where the word steeze comes from, but it sounds like a word that was made up by somebody who loved spending their time on a mountain. The funny thing is that Mike used the word “steeze” to describe the snowboarders in Colorado. The kids that ride in Colorado are all gnarly, all they do is ride and their skill shows it.

Good snowboarders in Maine wear lots of name brand snowboard apparel, usually have multiple snowboard setups, and all ride with unique style. When you are a good snowboarder, you can basically do anything you want on the mountain. If you slay boxes and rails in the terrain park you will gain respect of the park crew. If you can tear up glades and trails then you basically can ride the whole mountain. The same rules apply to skiers. The snow trend that is currently sweeping the nation is baggy clothing; the skiers adopted this trend by stretching the limits of how long they can make their shirts and how low they can sag their snow pants. Snowboarders do the same, but in the past few years I noticed that the trend has been changing. Tight snow pants were taking over the snowboard scene. More snowboarders were wearing trimmed down pants and jackets. After I saw snowboarders shedding weight from their outfits I noticed that a few skiers did the same. But snowboarders seem more into the tighter clothing movement.

Mike: Can I still eat my sunflower seeds?

Justin: [laughs] yes you can.

Mike: Okay cool, now start asking me questions [laughs]

Justin: When did you start snowboarding?

Mike:  Seventh grade.

Justin: What made you want to start?

Mike: My aunt got a condo in Waterville Valley New Hampshire. We just went up there one time and I tried it out and it was sick.

Justin: Is Waterville upper or lower New Hampshire?

Mike: Uh it’s kinda in the middle. Its north of Timton, it’s the exit before Loon.

Justin: Do you remember your first snowboard set up? Like your board, bindings and stuff?

Mike: Well first I used a rental board.

Justin: Nice.

Mike: It was Burton. It was wicked shitty.

Justin: Well rental boards are usually pretty shitty.

Mike: Yeah true [laughs] but my first board I actually won at the mountain in a contest in one of the bars there. And it’s that one [points to the board in the corner of the room] the Signal Matt Hammer. It has Burton Mission Bindings.

Justin: So where do you usually ride at?

Mike: Waterville Valley New Hampshire.

Justin: What’s that like?

Mike: Uhhh kinda like a low key resort. Like it’s not really a tourist attraction. It’s a decent size mountain but it is nothing special. The only thing that is special about it is the park; it’s fucking huge and amazing.

Justin: I remember you telling me something about pros riding at your mountain. What pros have ridden at your mountain and what pros have you gotten to meet?

Mike: I’ve only met Pat Moore. I didn’t really get to talk to him, I just kinda saw him and said hi and dipped out. He actually grew up riding at Waterville. But a lot of pros Travis Rice, John Jackson, ummm who else? Who else? I don’t know but Waterville throws this event called Back to the Boneyard. They just make everything super pro sized. Jumps and stuff like that. One year they had a school bus as a jib.

Justin: That’s gnarly.

Mike: It’s cool yeah.

Justin: Did you ever hit the school bus jib?

Mike: No it’s closed to the public.

Justin: So you are a snowboard instructor too. How is that?

Mike: Um it’s nice. Kinda sucks when you can’t free ride all the time, but it gets you a free season pass. You get paid to snowboard which is pretty sweet.

Justin: That is true. It is pretty cool. Do you get any discounts from the mountain being a snowboard instructor?

Mike: Yeah you get 50 percent off all the food and you get a discount in the store. If you get certified you get discounts from places like Burton and Never Summer. I got my favorite board from Never Summer for like 75 percent off. So definitely some perks go along with it.

Justin: What kind of boards do you like to ride? Do you like twin boards or like rocker, camber, like what’s your ideal set up for a snowboard?

Mike: Always twin. Never directional. Cause I like to do jibs and shit. But I always have either a board that is camber under the feet, so v – rocker. Either that or reduced camber board if I want to just shred mountain only. But the double camber is almost like gliding and reduced camber is good so it’s like almost the same. But if I had another choice besides Never Summer I would probably choose Academy and get one of their boards with the Magna Traction on it cause that’s a sick feature.

Justin: That’s cool. What is your set up now? What is your favorite board that you possess?  

Mike: My Never Summer Proto CTX is my favorite, and I got Union bindings on there. All Rasta’d out.

Me: [laugh] Oh well of course. What is the culture like at your mountain? What kind of styles do the kids have with their clothing and how they act and certain slang terms and shit like that?

Mike: Uhh STEEZE! Steez is a big one. Lot of steeze going around.

Justin: Steez as in how they dress or do people afterbang their tricks a lot and shit?

Mike: Both. There is a snowboarding academy called the Academy right outside Waterville and they train people to be pros. They send them to the Olympics every year. So there are a lot of fucking crazy ass motherfuckers out there tweaking out tricks and doing some crazy fucking shit.

Justin: What’s the gnarliest trick you have seen thrown at your park?

Mike: Uhh during the one competition they had last year I saw a double cork 1260. And it was fucking unbelievable.

Justin: That is incredible.  So where else have you gone riding at?

Mike: I’ve been to Cannon, I’ve been to Tahoe, I went to Squaw, Alpine Meadows, Wachusett one time, uhh Jay Peak and that’s it.

Justin: Did you notice any differences in snow culture? Or how they behaved?

Mike: Yeah well everybody out west is fucking awesome and everybody is really good at snowboarding and skiing [laughs]. Like even fucking 60 year old guys are going down the steepest fucking cliffs ever. But umm when I went up to Jay Peak because it’s so close to Canada they were a bunch of douchebag Canadians.

Justin: What state is Jay peak in?

Mike: Vermont.

Justin: What do people dress like at your mountain?

Mike: Well the beginners always look like beginners because they got their jeans tucked into their boots and their fucking giant gap between their goggles and their helmet.

Justin: [laugh] I love seeing people do that, gaper gap!

Mike: Ummm but most kids are flashy.

Justin: Tight pants, loose pants, baggy as fuck?

Mike: Uhh it depends. The racers wear spandex which is pretty cool if they are hot girls [laughs].

Justin: Yes!

Mike: Most snowboarders anyway are like, I don’t know. Snowboarders? Baggy shit, flashy colors.

Justin: What do you prefer to wear? What is your clothing style like?

Mike: I’m not too flashy. I got a blue and black jacket and green pants.

Justin: What type of terrain do you enjoy to ride?

Mike: Steepest steeps, backcountry powder, rock drops, all backcountry shit.

Justin: Do you like the trees?

Mike: Oh yeah.

Justin: Does Waterville have nice trees?

Mike: Waterville’s got double black diamond trees.

Justin: How are the trails there? Like are the hard trails really difficult or just eh.

Mike: They are hard. Double blacks at Waterville are wicked steep. The double black trees have an 8 foot cliff drop in it.

Justin: That’s pretty sweet .Out west was the easy terrain more difficult than the easy terrain at your home mountain?

Mike: Uh it was about the same just way more wide open. But the difficult terrain there was a lot more difficult than the difficult terrain here.

Justin: What’s your favorite trick?

Mike: If I’m just cruising around I like to throw like a nice shifty stale that’s wicked tweaked out. Umm if I’m actually going at it probably like a backside…hmmm I don’t know? Backside melon 360.

Justin: That’s pretty gnarly. Now did you teach yourself all the tricks that you could do? Or did you have someone teach you or did you like watch videos?

Mike:  Uhh I pretty much taught myself most of the tricks. When I first started out I had an instructor but I’ve taught myself most of the stuff.

Justin: What do you teach when you instruct? Just general riding lessons? Or park lessons?

Mike: Park lessons usually.

Justin: And how is that?

Mike: It’s fun because it’s just like I get to ride the park. I get to show people how to do tricks in the park. After you show them the trick once and they start to learn how to do it it’s just practice so you get to practice your own tricks too. It’s nice. Show them what they can learn what to do, it’s pretty fun.

Justin: Have you ever hurt yourself snowboarding?

Mike: Yeah. I broke my arm one season.

Justin: How did you do that?

Mike: Uhh I hit a 30 foot jump, was coming up short and I had just gotten out of the cast from my ankle surgery, getting two screws put in. So instead of bouncing off that ankle and bending the screws I just like leaned back and broke my arm.

Justin: That really sucks. So did you get any other injuries from snowboarding?

Mike: Ummm…oh yeah I got knocked out. [laughs] I got a wicked wicked wicked bad concussion. I was riding on a snowy day without a helmet, the one day I didn’t have my helmet. And I was riding up a jump like a ramp and two posts and a giant pipe going across on one side. Almost like, I don’t even know what that looks like? Like the symbol for pi. You know? And then you gotta ride up on it and tap it or spin over it or do something. Since it was snowing and I fucking didn’t have a helmet on I was riding up it, hit it in the wrong spot and it flipped me over and I fell ten feet straight to my head on ice and then slid down  the entire landing ramp completely fucking unconscious for like 20 seconds. Then I got up, went to my friend, asked him what day it was and then he showed me the video and it was fucking hysterical.

Justin: [laugh] That’s great.