American Made: Postal Snow, POW & The Splitboard Revolution

Postal Snow

Airmail, America (Shred White and Blue)—Shred White and Blue is heading to the Olympics this week, ready to hand out stickers, deliver a few t-shirts and mail some missives about how our homegrown shredders are handling the scene north of the board. To that end, the new Shred Mail stamp should come in very handy.

The U.S. Postal Service is commemorating the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games with the issuance of a snowboard stamp created by Illustrator Steve McCracken. In Wiki-scoop fashion, it’s not the first time stamps featuring Olympic themes have been invoked to help ‘send it.’ During the first modern Olympiad in 1896, Greece issued 12 commemorative stamps. And since 1932, when the Olympics were held in Los Angeles, U.S. stamps have honored the Games.

Jeremy Jones and POW Ride Capitol Hill

Capitol Hill (SWB)—Jeremy Jones (8-time Big Mountain Snowboarder of the Year!) along with a coalition of winter sport filmmakers and industry representatives shared a new perspective on climate change with lawmakers on Capitol Hill: the economic, social and intangible values of winter.

Jones represented Protect Our Winters (POW), the environmental non-profit he founded in 2007, and was joined by Chris Steinkamp, Executive Director of POW, big brother Steve Jones, Founder of Teton Gravity Research (TGR), Elysa Hammond of Clif Bar and Elizabeth Burakowski from the University of New Hampshire.

The two-day agenda included a screening of Generations, a film about climate change, to a theater of Congressmen and environmental leaders, and a meeting with key lawmakers from US mountain states to discuss how climate change effects winter sports culture and the $6 billon winter sports industry. Said Congressman Jared Polis, (D-CO). “The ski industry is the lifeblood of my district and climate change is already taking a toll.” FOMO on POW, check here http://protectourwinters.org. (you can find the Generations move there as well). Or watch a clip here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPCObLVislY

The Splitboard Revolution

The Backcountry, Colo. (SWB)—Longtime SWB buddy Mike Horn – when not riding deep backcountry pow in the mountains around Crested Butte – keeps a keen eye on the latest developments on the snowboard scene. What does he says is the next big sensation?

“Splitboards are going to go mainstream,” says Horn. “The companies like Never Summer and Venture that have been honing this market for years are going to see brands like Lib-Tech and the new Jones Snowboards introduce their own big mountain boards for backcountry stash skinning.”

In the SnowPress Show Daily, the official magazine of the SIA Snow Show (just held in Denver for the 1st time), Horn writes, “Not only are there at least eight snowboard manufacturers producing splits—Jones Boards, Lib-Tech, Atomic, Burton, Never Summer, Prior, Venture, and Voilé—but two big mountain heroes named Jeremy Jones and Travis Rice will have their own signature decks.”

These guys at Spark are making very cool splitboard bindings – check out their how-to video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuiTKdFVttc

Building a Brand: SWB in Denver

Josh Chaiken, Shred White and Blue’s main man in Denver hit the Yonder Mountain show on New Year’s Eve with lots of stickers, friends and SWB cheer for 2010. Here are a couple photos from the show. Josh is the man in the hoodie. Thanks, Josh.

Sunday Shout Out: Squaw Named West’s ‘Greenest’ Resort

Squaw Valley, Calif. (Shred White and Blue)—The 2010 Ski Area Citizens’ Coalition ski resort environmental score card, just released, ranked Squaw Valley USA as the highest scoring Western ski resort for environmental initiatives.

This is the third consecutive year Squaw Valley USA received an ‘A’ grade from the Ski Area Citizens’ Coalition, a third party group that supplies a comprehensive analysis of ski area environmental efforts.  This year the coalition grouped the criteria for which the ski resorts were evaluated into four categories – Habitat Protection, Protection of Watersheds, Addressing Global Climate change, and Environmental Policies and Practices.  Report card data is obtained from an annual survey and public records from government and environmental agencies. Freedom of Information Act and Public Records Act requests are filed with appropriate land managers to identify ski area development projects and management plans each spring. All document sources and detailed information about the grading criteria can be found on-line at www.skiareacitizens.com.

“The environment is our asset,” said Chairman and CEO Nancy Cushing. “A beautiful and pristine mountain experience brings guests and employees to Squaw Valley. It is our duty to make every effort to protect that experience.”

From the geothermal heat pump that heats the entire Squaw Kids Children’s facility, to the multimillion dollar water run off filtration system in the parking lot, the state-of-the-art heat exchange system at High Camp’s Ice Pavilion and Lagoon & Spa, and comprehensive forest re-vegetation projects that help to preserve Squaw Valley’s natural eco system – aspects of the conscious environmental commitment are ingrained in Squaw Valley’s culture.

Squaw Valley USA’s exemplary work in 35 categories in regards to preservation of sensitive areas within ski resort boundaries, water conservation and commitment to recycling and alternative energy rendered the resort the highest score of the 83 resorts evaluated.

Maverick’s – How to Watch the Super Bowl of Suring

Half Moon Bay, Calif. (Shred White and Blue)—Mavericks Surf Ventures, Inc. has a wide-ranging series of options for remotely watching the 2009/2010 Mavericks Surf Contest.

Mavericks CEO Keir J. Beadling explained that that the decision to offer such a large array of viewing options was informed not only by the company’s desire to bring the excitement of Mavericks to as wide an audience as possible, but also by its interest in protecting the area surrounding the world-famous break.  “In an effort to limit crowd impact on the Half Moon Bay area and coastal ecosystems, we are encouraging all Mavericks fans to watch the contest via free live webcast and by attending our live viewing party at AT&T Park in San Francisco.  Both options provide a much better viewing experience than the view from the beach. If you do plan on attending Mavericks in-person, please be respectful and cautious of the natural environment, and leave no trace.”

Millions of fans witnessed the 2008 Contest via a live webcast, and this season Mavericks has launched its most ambitious webcast offering to-date.  For the first time ever, fans can catch all the live action at Mavericks’ official website, www.maverickssurf.com. Also new this year, Mavericks will bring viewers around the world an opportunity to experience the thrill of Mavericks via a live, interactive webcast on Facebook and Ustream.  The webcasts will be powered by Ustream, the leading live broadcasting platform on the internet. The experiences will provide fans with an unprecedented level of interactivity while viewing the contest—sharing their thoughts real-time, through Facebook Connect, with other Mavericks fans everywhere.

As was the case in 2008, the day’s activities will also be available via a unique live webcast viewing event at AT&T Park—“baseball’s perfect address” and the home of the San Francisco Giants.  Ticketed fans can watch the Contest live and in high definition on the big screen in centerfield or from any of the big screens throughout the Club level. Tickets for the AT&T Park viewing event will include in and out privileges and can be purchased for $20 in advance, $25 at AT&T Park, or online at www.maverickssurf.com.

Fans who will be in the East Bay can attend a live viewing event at Miss Pearl’s Jam House in Oakland.  The event is free to attend, but space is limited, so fans are encouraged to arrive early.  For more information go to www.misspearlsjamhouse.com.

For those who want to be even closer to the action, Mavericks has a few spots available on its officially-sanctioned boat tours.  These boats are piloted by seasoned, local captains with knowledge of the area around the Mavericks surf break, and guests on the boats are provided with complimentary parking, lunches and official Contest apparel.  More information is available at www.maverickssurf.com.

Finally, fans who want to experience Mavericks from an entirely new perspective will have the unique opportunity to view this year’s event from the world’s largest airship—Airship Ventures’ Zeppelin Eureka.  The “Eureka” is a 246-foot airship that accommodates 12 guests per trip, and, weather-permitting, will run 30-minute passenger trips in the sky throughout this season’s Contest Day from Half Moon Bay Airport.  The spacious cabin comfortably accommodates the pilot, flight attendant, and up to 12 passengers with luxury features including oversized panoramic windows, an onboard restroom with window, and a unique 180-degree rear observation window and “love seat” that wraps the entire aft end of the cabin.  More details are available at www.airshipventures.com or by calling Airship Ventures at (650) 969-8100, ext. 111.

//photo by: flickr.com/jdegenhardt

‘What is Ski Music?’ Part 1: The 8-Track Years

The Parking Lot (Shred White and Blue)—So there’s this ongoing conversation about what the heck ski music is anyway. Does it even exist? Is someone actively creating it somewhere? Or is it just whatever’s on the car stereo when you’re driving to the hill?

It seems as if there’s always been surf music, with its sunny guitar and that drum roll like a crashing wave. And skateboard thrash with its repetitive angst of insistent bass and strangled chords. And always the multi-sport friendly anthemic rock of Springsteen/Queen/Zeppelin and even Jersey pulp like Bon Jovi or whatever kind of hair metal you still get a secret charge from listening to.

But I couldn’t really tell you what defines ski music – now, or ever. Which is what got me searching my own CD (‘album’) collection, across the Internet and on the ever-indispensable YouTube, where it finally occurred to me, that like music technology (the aural delivery service, if you will), since 1970, what may or may not be considered ski music has undergone four distinctly different eras – encompassing 8-Track, cassette (oh lord, it’s the mixed tape), CD and i-Pod.

And you know what? There are a lot of great arguments for what American ski music just may be about. Here’s a little sample of the early years.

The 8-Track Years

Take it to the Limit: The Eagles
‘Cosmic American Music’s’ greatest progenitors, and the all-time gods of American album rock (because ABBA still kicks their asses in Europe), The Eagles were that perfect pairing of country plaid and blue-eyed soul. And out of all their hits, this was the one that let every skier feel as if every heartache could be burned out by a heavier foot on the accelerator – “You know I’ve always been a dreamer.”

Rock, Stein and the Bird
I don’t know Mark Johnson and have only once got to shake the hand of the great Stein Eriksen (who my father still claims as the greatest race and powder and bird-hunting – wink, wink – skier ever), but this film Mark made of Stein and buddies powder skiing in Alta is video proof of the truth that ‘the powder was always deeper in the early years.’ Powder on, ski gods!
January 5th, 1974, Mark, Stein and the Bird:

Hot Dog and the Return of Mitch Ryder
I will never be able to explain how Mitch Ryder of ‘Mony Mony’ and ‘Devil Blue Dress’ fame suddenly singing a Prince written song in a ski movie happened, but this one hits me every time. The video montage of Squaw Valley steeps and easy descending rhythm of this Hot Dog classic is what I still sing to myself on those bluebird days when I want to match a little mojo to my turn (especially as I wonder which local ski-skiing double is under all those hats and sunglasses ripping those local lines): Hot Dog/Mitch Ryder

Next, Ski Music: Cassettes and The Mixed Tape Years

//photo by Colin O’Brien

Renaissance Rider: Shred White and Blue’s Jeremy Jones Interview

Tahoe, California (Shred White and Blue) — It’s no secret what huge Jeremy Jones fans we are around here at Shred White and Blue. From his unbelievably smooth big mountain snowboarding style to his visionary planning and implementation of the Protect Our Winters Foundation – already one of the coolest movements in action sports environmentalism – the guy’s been a hero for awhile.

But when we saw the trailer for Deeper, the turn-earned big mountain backcountry snowboard quest he’s developing with his brothers at Teton Gravity Research, we collectively said, “how does he do it all?” Then we got word that he’s about to introduce his own signature JONES Snowboard line, and had to give him a call.

Halloween Day, on his way to Antarctica, Jeremy took the time to talk. Here’s what he had to say:

Shred White and Blue: Jeremy, thanks very much for taking the time. It looks like you’ve got five different careers going right now, including being a dad, an extreme athlete, making a movie, building an action sports environmental movement, and now launching a snowboard brand? How do you stay focused on all those things, and make sure they’re all moving forward at the same time?

Jeremy Jones: It can be a little overwhelming at times but the key is the people I am surrounded by.  I have made amazing relationships over the years and I draw on those relationships to achieve success in all these different ventures. In order for my world to work I rely on a lot of people to do their job. Being a pro rider is job number one and I have no problems unplugging and losing myself in the mountains for weeks on end. This keeps me grounded and energized.

Shred White and Blue: Starting with the snowboard launch, it looks like you’ve already been riding some prototypes on some pretty big exposures – what’s different about what you’re going to bring to market? Why pick now to start a snowboard brand?

Jeremy Jones: The last few years I have had a growing desire to put more focus toward the freerider.  There are hundreds of park boards out there but a limited number of good freeride boards and I am seeing more and more people stepping away from the park and starting to explore more of the mountain. This is super important for the growth of snowboarding. We are losing a lot of older riders because all they know about is the park and they are getting sick of getting hurt so they are heading to the beach.  With this company and my new movie Deeper I hope to inspire people to keep evolving their riding.

We will have a strong focus toward freeride boards. Unlike most companies where freeriding is an afterthought, for us it is the primary focus.  This focus will hopefully lead to innovative products for people that like to ride the whole mountain – steeps, jumps, etc. and keep snowboarding.

Shred White and Blue: And I’ve got to admit that I already watched the teaser for Deeper 8 or 12 times. Not to put too much pressure on your filming for this year, but so far it looks awesome. Why does it appear so unique? What’s so different about what you’re doing?

Jeremy Jones: Hiking has always made up a large part of my winter but when it came time to film I often used heli’s and snowmobiles. These areas (where we film) have become over crowded and we had hit all the low hanging fruit.

I wanted to get back to solitude, adventure, and new descents. By hiking past boundaries set in place by helis and snowmobiles we are able to get into bigger mountains, away from people and back to first descents.

Shred White and Blue: On the environmental aspect, part of our mission here is to celebrate that inherent sense of soul and native soil in American boardsports, and we’ve drawn a lot of inspiration from what you’re doing with the Protect Our Winters Foundation. Why has this movement begun to gain so much traction?

Jeremy Jones: From the start all my energy was put toward making Protect Our Winters a legit organization. I have relied on experts in the field and 98% of the money we have raised has gone toward programs that show tangible results. Real front line programs were I can show people where their money is going and they can be confident that their money is going as far as possible to slow down climate change.

A lot of these projects are just getting completed now and are starting get some attention.  Our volunteers have really helped in are success too. Chris Steinkamp, our executive director, has been working nights and weekends the last three years keeping everything in line. I am proud to say he is now full time with Protect Our Winters and we are now expanding faster then ever on all fronts.

Shred White and Blue: Mentally and physically, what are you bringing home from all this time in the mountains?

Jeremy Jones: The mountains are my energy source. They make me the person I am and if I am away from them for to long I become lost.  So I am in this weird world where I do not want to leave my family but it is on these longer trips that I get inspiration and I bring that home and feed it to my kids.

Shred White and Blue: How are you sharing it with your children?

Jeremy Jones: I have been taking my kids into the mountains since they were born. I think my daughter’s first peak she climbed she was six weeks old because I needed to get out. Now they are getting older and starting to be part of the activities.  A day of skiing with my four-year-old is in many ways as fulfilling as a day in the backcountry for me.

Shred White and Blue: And last time we talked you said you were about to head to Antarctica – what have you got planned?

Jeremy Jones: We are focusing on the northern peninsula where the mountains rise right from the ocean. So we will be staying on a boat and riding these 2,000 to 4,000 foot peaks. The photos look promising but the weather is a crapshoot. As always we will take what the mountains give us. We will shoot a documentary about the trip and if the riding is legit a segment for Deeper.

Shred White and Blue: Thanks, man.

// Main photo by Bernhard Ritzerlow, Jermey Jones Portrait by Jeremy Jones.

It’s On! Mavericks Contest Window Opens!

Half Moon Bay, Calif. (Shred White and Blue) — On just 24 hours notice between November 1, 2009 and March 31, 2010, 24 of the world’s best big-wave surfers will be summoned to Half Moon Bay, home of Mavericks, one of the most majestic and infamous surf breaks on Earth.

There, they will test their individual skills and vie to be crowned champion of the 2009/2010 Mavericks Surf Contest Presented by Sony Ericsson. Competitors will face the dangerous elements of the frigid northern California waters in search of the perfect ride on waves reaching heights of 30 to 40 feet or more.

“The 24” make the call

And according to Mavericks CEO Keir J. Beadling, this contest seasons adds a new and exciting element:  “This season we’re embarking on a new chapter, as the Mavericks competitors will choose the day.  Once potentially contestable conditions are identified, ‘the 24’ will vote and determine whether to pull the trigger.  If they say ‘go,’ we go, and that’s exactly the way it should be at Mavericks.”   Commented longtime Mavericks surfer and Contest competitor Kenny “Skindog” Collins, “This Mavericks Contest combined with this season’s El Niño is going to be historic!”

El Niño in-play

Official Surf Forecaster Mark Sponsler of Stormsurf.com says there is good reason to be hopeful:  “The El Niño season, which has already begun, should bring a higher number of storms moving from the International Dateline into the Gulf of Alaska than in years previous. Those storms should have the potential to push larger and more consistent surf down the Pacific Coast into California. It’s likely there will be several good opportunities to hold the contest between now and March 31 when the contest window closes.”

Once the contestants receive the green light alert, they have just 24 hours to arrive for the event.  The international roster of invited surfers consists of, in alphabetical order: Matt Ambrose, Ben Andrews, Grant Baker, Ion Banner, Chris Bertish, Carlos Burle, Kenny Collins, Shane Desmond, Nathan Fletcher, Brock Little, Greg Long, Josh Loya, Peter Mel, Shawn Rhodes, Ryan Seelbach, Evan Slater, Tyler Smith, Jamie Sterling, Anthony Tashnick, Darryl Virostko, Grant Washburn, Dave Wassell, Tim West, Zach Wormhoudt.

Also named were the 15 alternates, in order of priority: Alex Martins, Danilo Couto, Mark Healey, Tyler Fox, Rusty Long, Nic Lamb, Jamie Mitchell, Mike Gerhardt, Russell Smith, Kealii Mamala, Garrett McNamara, Andrew Marr, Lawton Smith, John Whittle, Colin Dwyer.

Record Prize Purse

This year, the invitees will compete for a record-breaking $150,000 prize purse, including $50,000 to the Champion.  The purse is personally funded by Mavericks benefactors Moose Guen and Jane Sutherland of MVision, and Barracuda Networks. In addition, a $5,000 “Gnarliest Drop” award will be offered to the surfer who exhibits the most impressive drop-in of the day.

Teaser Alert: Deeper is 4 Real!

Jackson Hole, Wyo. (Shred White and Blue) - Got into checking out this trailer from the snowboard flick Deeper and it could be the only movie I’m more stoked to see than Black Dynamite.

Still shooting right now, and scheduled for a release sometime in 2010, Deeper is a joint production between big mountain snowboard kingpin Jeremy Jones and the boys at Teton Gravity Research (run by Jeremy’s real-life bros Steve and Todd Jones). Filmed without choppers, chairlifts or even snowmobiles the super steep shots these guys are still able to access absolutely made my palms sweat.

“I wanted to get back to solitude, adventure, and new descents,” Jeremy Jones said. “By hiking past boundaries set in place by helis and snowmobiles we were able to get into bigger mountains, away from people and back to first descents.”

And how. It looks to me like they could release a longer sample of what they’ve already got and it would be better than almost any snowboard footage hitting the screens this fall.

But I digress. Because what’s also awesome here is that on the other side of the camera, in order to capture the lines on film, cameramen are required to climb alongside athletes, without the aid of helicopters or other assistance.

During one shoot, Jones and the rest of the production crew spent 27 days camped on a glacier in Alaska. On another shoot in the Swiss Alps, Jones started hiking at 10 at night in order to ride a line at sunrise the next morning.

Also cool, the production crew must also use solar chargers and other technology to be able work for extended periods in the backcountry. “Being away from electrical outlets for such long stretches really forced us to plan differently. But if it wasn’t for all that, Deeper wouldn’t be half as unique,” said Director of Photography Chris Edmunds.

Good luck, dudes, as the word is that this project will take at least two years to complete.

Visit Teton Gravity Research for more.

Sunday Shout – POW Gets the Nod Again

Truckee, Calif. (Shred White and Blue) — Was up at Graham “the man” Gephart’s wedding to the lovely Lulu Bael (congratulations again, you two!) in Fraser, Colorado, a couple weeks ago when presiding Justice of the Peace and filmmaker Josh “Bones” Murphy told me he had been working on a environmental movie with Protect Our Winters.

Then I home and got this note from Jeremy Jones, Chris Steinkamp and the good folks at POW:

“When The North Face came to us last year with an idea to produce a climate change film with them, we couldn’t wait to get started on such a cool project.

With additional help from Clif Bar and teaming up with Teton Gravity Research, we all wanted to create a visual piece that would bring the idea of “climate change” to life, giving the term some real-life context and inspiring everyone to get involved.

Available in October, “Generations” is a short film that discusses climate change through the perspectives of those for whom snowy winters have a deeper personal significance. Going beyond charts and numbers, Generations humanizes the debate on climate change by exploring the fragility of winter and the intrinsic value of snow to people across generations and cultures. The film poignantly captures cultural and personal responses from those to whom mountains and snow represent an irreplaceable way of life, ending with ways for everyone to take part in the solution.”

Sounds really cool. There’s your shout out. Here’s the trailer:

Sweetgrass Takes Signatures on Tour

Rocky Mountain West (Shred White and Blue) — Longtime Shred White and Blue friends Sweetgrass Productions, the Colorado-based film company, is tooling around the Rockies right now showing off Signatures, their super soulful new film.

Filmed last year in Hokkaido, Japan, this human-powered powder quest is a kind of poetic homage to the inherent beauty of winter and deep snow skiing. Seriously, the storytelling and cinematography are all top notch – way better than the action porn you’ll see in most shred flicks these days – and the overall feeling is one of timeless transience.

At the IF3 film festival in Montreal last week, Nick and the crew were honored with the Best Cinematography Award. Here’s the blurb Nick posted about the film – check out the trailer and the tour dates below:

“At the heart of this lovely tale of deep powder mystery: the seasons. In Japan there is a cultural connection to the different Signatures of our terrestrial home — a sense that the rhythm of fall, winter, spring, summer influences the rhythm of the person, their energy, their style, and the lines they choose. Niseko local photographer Yoichi Watanabe explains, “As a photographer, the change in season brings a change of subject. I have to be ahead of this change in nature, like I have to be thinking about flowers before they actually bloom in order to capture what really goes on. I can say the same about the snow as well.” Rooted in winter backcountry and mountain culture. We give our time to filming remote freeride lines, from snowsurf and noboard to alpine and tele. We focus on the riding, we focus on the art, we focus on blending the two into what we call film, both form and content.”

SEPTEMBER
30th  Crested Butte, CO The Majestic Theater 7pm $8

OCTOBER
1st  Salida, CO Benson’s Tavern 7:30pm $9
3rd  Colorado Springs, CO Colorado College Armstrong Hall 8pm $6 for students / $10
6th  Denver, CO The Oriental Theatre 7pm $12, Live music to follow from Paper Bird Band
7th  Boulder, CO The Boulder Theater 7pm $12
8th  Fort Collins, CO TBA
10th Telluride, CO The Nugget Theatre 8:30pm $9
13th Durango, CO The Abbey Theatre 7pm and 9pm $8
14th Golden, CO Bent Gate Community Night 8pm

Check out the site for more: http://www.sweetgrass-productions.com/

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