Malay Day 2009 is in the books and what a day it was. Check Mike Hardaker's Blog over on Snowboard Mag's website for full post and pics. A special big thanks goes out to everyone who made this day in honor and memory of Josh a reality! Special shout out to Santa Cruz' own Andrew Steward who slayed all day and landed in second on the podium! Nice work Droid! Peep the Malay rail in the Beaver Creek terrain Park! They even have a mini-battleship rail just like the one Josh slayed at he original Honda Session! Photo: Hardaker

Head on over to Beaver Creek. Registration starts at 9am at the Beav's Terrain Park. Competitions, Prizes, Free Giveaways, Music, Food, Drink, Fun, Destroy Everything Under the Sun! After Party @ Coyote Cafe, After After Party @ Agave with Dj Z Trip!

Malay Day 2009 will be held on this coming Thursday, April 9th at Josh's home mountain, Beaver Creek. Come out and live and love life in Josh's memory, and be ready to shred!

Marissa Hushaw 12, of Seacliff Beach, in Aptos, a local Sierra Summit shred, charges to the finish on the Santa Cruz Muse ... and wins! Photo courtesy of Proud Papa, and ardent SC Supporter, Mike Hushaw

CK sends one aloft at Homewood earlier this month. Photo: Nohajs

in the Rockies... and Droid is all about it - Chad Schmidt Photo

Directive Boardshop in Logan, Utah holds it down. They are currently rockin an in-season sale to sure to knock your socks off. Holler at Zach, (435)752-0155, he'll get you all dialed in for that late season dump!

Christopher Kvaernberg - aka - CK - just recently stood amongst the top 10 in snowboarding's most elite QP comp, the Arctic Challenge. You should pop over to CK's facebook page and tell him just how rad you think that is. Let's all just be friends!

The Santa Cruz Rockies demo support squad can shred. All of em. Exibit A: Kevin Aragon breaking off something proper on his trusty Fuison Trip Out! Up over and out the long way. Kevin has been reppin' SC hard for quite some time now... and it shows! Thanks for the support Kato! Photocred: Billy Drumm
( williamdrumm ) check out Billy's other shots - great eye, and up and coming!

Droid and the Marilyn emblazoned Park TT high above the Vail pipe. Stunt ditches are part of the park too, don't neglect them! Photo: Chad Schmidt

Live Streaming Schedule (in European Times, so 7-10 hours ahead of States): Get up early to watch! Highest Air: Thursday February 19th: 12:45 – 14:00 CET / 11:45 – 13:00 GMT

Check out Gian's weapon of choice right here before you look at his
bio page over on the Arctic Challenge Website. The main event is tomorrow!

Watch the 2009 Arctic Challenge HERE!

There will be some on snow demos going down at Keystone today through Thursday this week. Click on my name below to set up a time to shred some brand new gear! The elusive X-Type TT's will be on the hill and available to shred!

Chances are you have seen the Chris Roach Decal version of the All Star that is selling off shelves nationwide... (peep deck here!) ... but if not, better head over to Lenitech's New Site and grab a look at one of theirs before the're all gone! Just a friendly FYI: Lenitech is SLC's newest SC Snow retailer and are located right across the street form the U of U!

If you haven't had a chance to visit Emage in person, you should check out their website here: ((Emage))! These guys know the inside and out of everything snow and have just anything you could possibly need to get a great shreducation. A+.

Gian and Iouri both confirmed riders for the '09 Arctic Challenge. The event kicks off February 16th and wraps up on the 21st. Check back here for the lowdown.

Santa Cruz Snow's European Division is out in full force at ISPO through this Wednesday the 4th. If you are anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere I highly recommend popping by booth #435 in Hall A1 of the Munich Trade Fair Centre. Hot, hot ish, fo sho.

Santa Cruz' All Star I Pod Photo: MethodMag

Iouri slayed the ol' stunt ditch in Aspen last night, cutting it up something proper! When the dust settled, the judges deemed his run good for 9th amongst a who's who of professional pipe riders.

Be sure to watch Iouri in the Men's Superpipe elimination round down in Aspen at Winter X 13 tonight 7pm eastern. He has been on a tear lately and the competition is sure to be intense... should make for a great show!

Winter X Games Starts Today!

After you go to the boards page and check out the Fusion XX - Ståle's deck of choice, check out the Video of the Day: Ståle Sandbech Edit - D.LAB0900

The January ASR Trade Show in San Diego kicks off tomorrow and SC Snow will be on hand. If any of you retailers want to check it out, click on the name below, and we can squeeze another appointment... or swing by booth #2117!

Frayo continues to leave a wake of coverage wherever he goes this year. This shot is on the K5 site and was captured right outside of a buddy's condo! Nice multitasking Greg!

Here ya go kids! Courtesy of the fine folks at Snowbroader.eu - a sneak peak at the goods that are set to hit the slopes near you next year... the '09-'10 Jeremy Fish Twinza, The Screaming Hand All Star (just wait 'til you peep the base on this puppy!), and my stick of choice, the Fusion TT! Pray for snow!

Ståle on the slope course: Ståle and Iouri were both at the BEO and riding strong throughout the whole comp. Stale, who qualified first a few days ago in the slopestyle opening rounds put down a stylish run of a cab 7, cab 9 and frontside 7. Iouri rode excellent through all the rounds qualifying 3rd for the halfpipe finals and was, in my oh-so-humble opinion, robbed of a top 10 finish. Way to represent gentlemen!

The European Open event webcasts live on GO211.com and will feature the men’s and women’s slopestyle and halfpipe semi-finals and finals taking place January 13 – 16 in Laax, Switzerland. Check Iouri out during the Halfpipe Semis: 10:00 – 11:15am (CET)!

WARNING: May cause snow addiction and irresponsible, loose definitions of “sick days”. Peep the details on the board link above. Go get some.

Mike Hardaker - Vail Valley local and ardent SC supporter out in the fluff roopin' it up. Nice drop Mike! Full story and more photos on the BeaverCreek blog over at Snowboard-Mag.com.

Gian and Iouri both rode strong all throughout the Evolution this year, but it was Gian showing everyone how its done with arguably one of the best overall performances of any rider throughout the week. Gian ended up with a top ten finish in the QP as well as a really strong showing in the slopestyle event just edging out Iouri for bragging rights.

The O'Neill Evolution goes off today on the good ol' interweb for all you techies out there. Gian says its gonna be good and I usually listen when Gian talks. Check it out at freecaster.com - 15.45 Swiss time.

Gian and Iouri are in Switzerland representing their homeland and Santa Cruz to the max while schralping in the qualifier/practice rounds of the Evolution 3 Star TTR event. Check back here for results as they come in... the finals are coming up!

Greg Frayo - our resident Left Coast, slayer continues to crush it on his deck of choice - the multi-award winning Fusion Trip Out! Peep some more shots @ dragonalliance.com/blog.

Iouri Podladtchikov in Laax, Switzerland - Photo: Christian Stadler

Santa Cruz Snowboards are the # 1 Brand in camber this year at mad shops across the universe! Just ask the folks at Broadcast Ride Shop in Breck where they have been slingin' SC like it was their jobs or something! Probably preaching to the choir here, but they know, just like you do, that it's impossible to beat the ride of a Santa Cruz coupled with a full 3 YEAR warranty and a FREE ticket to ride the slopes at Winter Park or Sugarbowl! But, you don't have to take my word for it, call the shop now and ask what they got in stock! 970.453.6405 - ask for Jay or Trent, they know what's up!

2008 has moved along pretty quickly. It has been an interesting year to say the least, but we here at Santa Cruz have much to be thankful for and much more we are working towards and cooking up for the future! Have fun tonight all you rabble rousers, but be safe out there!

The newest SC Team rider to hit the shores of the god 'ol US of A hails from Momma England. Jo Howard has been up in Summit County (like the rest of the shred world these days!) laying it down something thick! If you happen to see a rather jolly chap popping and locking some lofty nines on the line up in A 51 on an I-Pod pro TT, be sure and say what up!

Santa Cruz Ticket To Ride Partner Resorts Winter Park and Sugarbowl are both blanketed with some proper pow these days. Great time to send in your warranty info for that new SC deck Santa just brought you and get us to send you that FREE lift ticket we promised!

Happy Holidays all you Santa Cruzers! Hope that you and yours' are enjoying this season to its fullest!

Yesterday, December 21st was World Snowboard Day and I was driving all day and thinking about shredding instead of riding so I want to see how your day went. Be the first to click on my name below and send me your best shot from yesterday riding some Santa Cruz gear and I will send you a fresh SC Knot T Shirt for the Holidays!

The final rounds got underway today in Breckenridge with snowboard slopestlye and the highlights will be broadcast from 1am-2am eastern on the USA network. Be sure to check back here for the goods!

Iouri is qualified through to the main event in the Dew Tour for halfpipe AND slopestyle! Way to go I Pod! Look for Iouir's Pro Model and the Allstar XX as he schralps his way through the competition!

Grab a December Snowboard Magazine, turn to page 70's Platinum Picks. "The Fusion Trip Out is an incredibly well rounded park board. It's not too stiff, or too soft. Honestly, it's spot-on. A rubber-laminated sidewall absorbs vibration, the Structurn base will keep you hauling ass." Mike Basher words and photos: the best twin tip sticks out there. Right on Snowboard, kinda what we thought!

Iouri is in Breckenridge this week training hard for the inaugural Dew Tour event. Starts this Friday, and just to reiterate, I highly recommend making the trip if at all possible... promises to be quite entertaining!

Christopher Kvaernberg is stateside now too... and he just so happens to be up here in Breckenridge. If you are riding Summit this weekend and get passed by a streak of lightning speaking Norwegian and chucking backies, just yell "high five", 'cause that's about as close as you're probably gonna get.

Andrew "Droid" Steward nabbed the top spot on the podium in a heavily contested battle at the Vail Snow Daze Rail Jam last night adding to the already deep Santa Cruz tradition coming out of Vail Valley. Way to hold it down Droid!

Just a friendly reminder... FREE tix to Winter Park or Sugarbowl with the purchase of an '08-'09 SC Deck!

Iouri Podlachikov confirmed for the Breck Dew Tour Stop. Innagural Dew Tour snow event, AND a chance to witness I POD slay the stunt ditch the way its supposed to be... gonna be really hard to miss. December 18-21.

Keystone opened the A 51 Terrain Park last Saturday in a bid to be the biggest and best in the world right now. Ståle got word of the 4 booter line and all the amazing new wallride/jib/bonk/tiny rail dancing features and hopped a flight direct. Ståle's been turning heads and showing the rest of the shred pros on hand a glimpse of the future ever since! You can check out a sneak peak of his steeze here: youtube.com/watch?v=9m6PYJjcrFA

Martin Robertson is one of our up and comers from across the pond. UK to be exact, but he's gonna be based out of Bear this winter, so be on the look out. But, if you don't happen to be out on the Left coast these days, go to the closest newsstand and grab a TWSnow. Page 62, tell em Martin and Patrick sent ya.

Santa Cruz will be at the base area of Winter Park tomorrow doing some free public demos of all the freshest new gear. Winter Park is one of our TTR partner's again this year, so its a great opportunity for you to come up and hang out with the SC crew and get to take some laps at one of our favorite resorts! All you need is a valid driver's license and credit card for collateral but as usual, they are completely free!

The last early season free concert in the Friday Night Lights series at Keystone is tonight! Girl Talk will start spinning records in the Hunky Dory at 8 sharp!

Greg Frayo, our resident California snow-slayer and SC Continental team rider has been at it lately. This little gem is on the Sierra Summit website. Proof's in the pudding. sierrasummit.com. Photo by Mike Hushaw

Congratulations are due to Santa Cruz supporter and über-shop Salty Peaks as they just received the 2008 award for Best Snowboard Shop in Salt lake City from the U.S. Local Business Association. The USLBA "Best of Local Business" Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the country each year. Way to go guys!

Rumor has it that some Santa Cruz Continental Team heavy hitters are stateside right now taking advantage of the freshies in Colorado! Check back here to find out more...

The first annual Santa Cruz Rookie Rider Challenge was held at Tamworth Snow dome in the UK on the 29th of November. It was a blast according to all who attended, and is even being hailed as the "best UK riding experience ever" by one of the competitors. Check out some photos and a story on the event here: coolermag.com/news/-/events/santa-cruz-rookie-rider

Now that we are finally getting dumped on, it's time to read up on the pow setup of the century... The Platinum Twinza! Named after twin finned, “fish” shape surfboards, the Twinza offers you the most tricked out pow ride available. The Santa Cruz exclusive Double Barrel channel is set back and gets gradually wider in the tail, loosening the flex for softer snow conditions. The tail is tapered and sinks a bit in deep snow while the big floaty nose allows you to plane to the top of even the deepest powder. The Twinza is meant to be ridden 4-6cm smaller than your normal board due to its surface area but is agile enough to excel on the groomers as you bomb out of the trees thanks to a triple sidecut combo'd up with a tighter radius hook in the tail. If you are ready to eliminate that nasty back leg burn and trade in your card to the Over The Bars Club, this board is for you. The Twinza will provide the ultimate floatation, while taking all the work out of riding the deepest pow. Features: ComPly CTI Sidewalls, StrucTurn Speed Base, Double Barrel Construction, Quadrax Superlight Fibers

At long last the Santa Cruz Rookie Rider Challenge is poppin' off today! Head to Tamworth Snowdome, UK if at all humanly possible and check out the spectacle of rails and booters and new talent on display and you will surely NOT be disappointed!

Happy Holidays all you Santa Cruzers! Even in a down economy, we have much to be thankful for this time of year--our families, our health, our jobs; and our lifestyle, although challenged, is still pretty great. Thanks to each of you for all you have done and will do to help keep our industry strong! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday. Enjoy quality time with your friends and families and try not to eat too much Turkey!

Methodmag did a really cool interview with Santa Cruz's budding snow supershred Iouri Podladtchikov a while back. This interview has a ton of goodies in it including the lowdown on cuba libres, dating Scandinavian twins, and how to get your brother to ace your tests for you! (methodmag.com/169.html?&tx_ttnews[swords]=iouri%20podladtchikov
&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=4523&tx_ttnews[back
Pid]=283&cHash=4f0de9e469)

Gian Simmen and friends have been in search of some serious kung pow filming for their new flick "Gather and Ride". They found it! They also thought everyone might want to check it out! Coolest part is, you can watch a low res. version on dedicated-project.com and then choose how much you want to donate in order to get a high resolution version with all the extras... for keeps!

SC Ticket To Ride partner resort Winter Park is open and rockin' for the rest of the season!

Tamworth Snow Dome, UK. Holla!

Trent Owens, Santa Cruz Demo Support Rider and Broadcast Ride Shop Super-Salesman with a proper front 180, switch press, switch back 1 on the new Keystone septic tank in A51.

Catch Gian Simmen's new part in "Legends" as the O'Neill International team premieres their new shred flick at 11 am MST tomorrow on Onboard Snowboarding's website.

Tomorrow and Sunday we will be doing some free demos at the Burning Stones Base Area under the Flyer and Eagle Lifts at Copper Mountain resort with all the sick new shred sticks. Hang around after the demo on Saturday for a show by Boombox and Brother Ali.

Plenty of heads got a chance to shred some new Santa Cruz decks over at Loveland and the word on the street is that they were pretty "stoked". You could be too! We are going to be doing it all over again this weekend over at Copper during Liftoff this Saturday and Sunday. Check back here for more info!

We will be at Loveland Resort on the Continental Divide in Colorado today and tomorrow sending out some brand new gear to demo. All you need to shred is a valid ID, a credit card for collateral, and a high five.

Join snowboard super talent Iouri and his musically talented bro Igor Podladtchikov while they are on hand for the Season Opening Party dubbed "Hit The Cheese" on the 22nd of November at St. Moritz Switzerland. This is the third iteration of "Hit The Cheese" and promises to be the best with tons of flipping, front boards, fondue, and fun.

Keystone, Breckenridge, and Copper all open today with top to bottom shredding to usher in the 08-09 season. To celebrate, SC we will be at Keystone today spreading the stoke in the form of mass amounts of stickers! We will also be at Loveland for Free On Snow demos all day Saturday and Sunday.

Andrew "Droid" Steward is taking advantage of the early season dusting we have received out here in coloRADo and is getting some shots for Snowboard Magazine's website in the process. Way to represent SC! http://67.19.252.171/node/33201

Boreal Mountain Resort opens tomorrow and will be the first resort to open on the West Coast this season. They will feature the only new lift in California this year along with a slew of new terrain park features and improved snowmaking capacity. Won't matter too much tomorrow as they have already gotten over a foot of the natural stuff and its still falling!

"What" is the new video just released from our friends up North at Brother's Factory featuring some of the heaviest hitting rail sequences and crispy cold Canadian backcountry shots yet to be documented. Check SC Super Shred Jordan Bell and crew as they seek out some of the most cold and polluted cities, and destroy all the urban structures and obstacles in their way. It’s only a matter of time before these single minded shreds take over this game… WHAT! After you check out the Fusion XX, Jordan's stick of choice, peep the teaser at: brothersfactory.com/videos

Snowmass to open for athletes and spectators for the first ever Jack-O-Lantern Jib Jam today, October 30, from 6–7p.m. The comp will take place at the top of the Burlingame lift in a Halloween themed park on a significant pile of snow preserved over the summer by a large snow blanket. Everyone's invited to come throw down under the lights against Aspen/Snowmass Athletes on several rail and park features for only $15. Costumes encouraged.

Exactly 1 month from today, The Santa Cruz Rookie Rider Clash will go down in Tamworth SnowDome on 29th November 2008. Be there to throw down and win a complete set-up and tickets to compete in the UK’s biggest event this season – The Brits.

With all the hype about new school / skate style, it's important to know the roots. Chris Roach was the seed, the blueprint, the mold for punks to come. In an era that witnessed the birth and explosion of freestyle snowboarding, Roach rose from the confines of sleepy Grass Valley, California. He paved the road of progression, snow destruction and infamy with his smooth, skate influenced style often mimicked, but still to this day, never replicated.

Introducing the Allstar XX Chris Roach Decal new for '08-'09. We brought back Roach's exact sticker job from his original '91 shred stick right down to the damn stomp pad, and then matched it to the shape of the modern, freestlye and freeride performer the Allstar. Comply shock absorbing sidewalls, Superlight FS core, Biax Superlight Fibers, 2000 base, 3 Year Warranty! The past meets the present, meets the future.

Roach Tested, Devoured, and Approved.

In a gentlemen's agreement between the two GM's, A Basin and Loveland tie as the first lifts started turning in the '08-'09 snow season here in the States at 8:30 am sharp yesterday. Dustin Ford, Santa Cruz Rockies Demo Support and Guerilla Ops shredder summed it up nicely for the photogs at Snowboard Magazine with this proper front board: snowboard-mag.com/node/32922

Loveland Ski area just announced an 8:30 opener tomorrow, the 15th. Oh snap! Maybe they will be the first?

Arapahoe Basin officials announce its' opening day for the 2008-2009 season will be Wednesday, October 15, 2008. For the past two years the basin has been the first to open in the U.S., and looks continues that trend this year. SC will be on hand spreading the stoke and shredding that icy ribbon of death like it's our job! So if you wanna posse up with us, hit me up and we'll get down!

I-Pod's new pro model is based off of our most popular freestlye shape: the TT. The TT is the only snowboard shape in the world tailored to the duck stance that most us knuckledraggers rock in some form on the hill and especially in the park these days.

Think about it: toes on one side of your board that are closer to the contact points than the heels on the other side of your board are to the backside contact points. This equals totally different pressure distribution to your edge. We put a slightly deeper heelside radius in our shape so it is easier to shred your face off! On other twins you have to work so much harder to do heelside turns, frontside spins, and make that twin perform proper at speed. Plus, with this electro-kitty graphic puttin' some power in your downhill snowdance you will be sure to turn some heads! You might not perfect backside airs as quick as Iouri, but now you can try! Oh did I mention that you get a full 3 year warranty on this bad boy?

From October 3-5 the place to be was the Tux in the Zillertal where the Hotzone.tv Park Opening was taking place on the Hintertux Glacier - and of course SC Team Shredder Christofer "CK" Kvaernberg was on hand for the first Park Opening of this season! The Tux came correct with a full array of fresh pow, booters, boxes, and bonks and even had the super pipe cut for the opener! Hintertux is nestled in the Tyrolean Mountains in Austria relatively close to Mayrhofen.

Santa Cruz has been kicking snowboard ass for 20 years. To celebrate this fact we want to give new UK talent a chance to shine. So wax your stick and get ready to put your skills where your mouth is at this season’s Santa Cruz Rookie Rider Clash on November 29th. Check back here for all the details!

Combining the lightness and versatility of one of our most popular boards - with the classic, yet cunning 20th anniversary decal inlay, the Fusion XX Anniversary is every shredman's answer to wintertime blues. Whether you destroy rails or wait in line for first chair, this board's "jack of all trades" capabilities will impress even the most discerning shred-freak in everyone. Warning: Riding the Fusion XX Anniversary may result in chair lift hooting, knuckle dragging, show boating, one upping, and an utter lack of respect for ski patrol and/or various authority figures.

Stub and Kontakt films present Paint The Town Red. This flick was shot on location in California, New Zealand, and all across Canada. It features some of Ontario's most talented shred heads and has a unique artistic and creative theme that is sure to set it apart from the mundane. Santa Cruz Snowboards is a title sponsor of the video and is proud to have Chelsey Armstrong locking it down for SC up north! Peep the teaser and see what else Chelsey has been up to over @:

www.santacruzsnowboards.blogspot.com

Gian Simmen has been logging some shots for the upcoming O'Neill production "Legends". Be sure to check the teaser for this epic over at O'Neill.tv and look for the full length flick to drop on their website on October 2nd. 11 days!

Our friends up in Canada have been on it the past few seasons, and it shows. There is a ton of raw talent and a lot of hunger for the sport we all love in the Seymour, BC area and these schralpers are a true representation of this vibrant scene. They have a ton of tricks in the bag and up the sleeve for '08-'09, so be sure to go to:

www.santacruzsnowboards.blogspot.com/

to check 'em out 'eh? Trust me, you will be stoked! In fact, you'll probably thank me because now you too will have friends in Seymour! Oh yeah, and if you are in Santa Cruz today, better see you at The Nickelodeon Threatre at 6:30 for Absinthe Films' "Ready" premiere.

Ståle is on the rise, really, has been for quite some time considering his ripe age of 15. We know he is poised to do some serious damage to the face of snowboarding in the next few seasons, and the rest of the universe is starting to wake up to that reality too. Here is a little link to a bio and a few choice shots on the new 32 site. Lookin' forward to the hammers Ståle! Keep up the good work! http://thirtytwo.com/team/stale-sandbech/

Just a little friendly FYI reminder from your friends over here at Santa Cruz Snowboards. In case you forgot, or hadn't heard, or have been living in a hole in your backyard for the last 3 years, you HAVE GOTS TO remember that if you buy an '08-'09 SC Snowboard AND turn in your 3 YEAR warranty card and receipt of purchase YOU GET a FREE (yes, I just said THAT f word) Ticket To Ride at WINTER PARK (if you live in the Rockies) or KIRKWOOD or SUGARBOWL if you live in Nor Cal!!!!! Oh dang! We did it again! FOR FREE!

It's here, it's all here, it's ALL NEW! We spent some serious time on our latest line of Santa Cruz Snowboards, and we think you will agree when we say that these decks will not disappoint! Be sure to check out the crazy tech in the new Platinum series, it will blow your mind! There is so much here I am excited about and I can't even believe it's only September. . . Here's to a new season! Happy Shredding!

These guys sure are. http://www.dedicated-project.com/sites
/movies.html . Gian, Iouri, insane cinematography, good soundtrack... not much else to ask for. Don't sleep on this one!

The Nazca Snowboard Camp in Aosta, Italy is where it's all been going down heavy this summer. If you aren't in the loop about Nazca, I suggest you head over to myspace.com/nazcacamp or nazcacamp.com (after you have read everything Santa Cruzy from here of course!) and get hooked in. They have it all from man-made park to natty hits and everything in between with the facilities and instruction to rival any camp in the world! If you're summer was lacking it's because you didn't go to Nazca! Oh yeah, forgot to mention, they are an official Santa Cruz Camp! No wonder they are so legit!

That's right folks... the long awaited website showcasing the newest crop of Santa Cruz snow machines will be up and running and fully operational (kind of like a super cool frozen Death Star) on September 1st!!!! Mark your calendar and be sure to check back here for updates on all things Santa Cruz between now and then!

The operator of Mt Ruapehu ski area, Ruapehu Alpine Lifts or R.A.L, is celebrating today with Turoa experiencing the biggest snow base ever recorded at any New Zealand ski area.
The snow measuring stake at Turoa (one side of Ruapehu) previously only stood at 380cm so had to be extended to measure today’s amazing 455cm snow base.
The Whakapapa side of the Mountain also has a fantastic base, with 350cm of snow, the biggest since 1995.

There is a blanket of fresh snow on top of Loveland Pass this morning. It's August though, so the question is, is this snow the last of the season or the first? Kind of a half full vs. half empty kind of conundrum, but I really don't care 'cause it snowed.

http://snowboarding.transworld.net/2008/
08/04/folgafonna-norway-update/ - CS Team rider Ståle Sandbech and his brother, TWS Staff Photog. Frode were over in Folgafonna Norway not too long ago and got some pretty epic shots. Be sure to checkout the shot of Ståle sending it during the sunset booter session! There is also a video at the end of the post that has some pretty fun summer slush schralping on it. Enjoy!

Want to get a sneak peak at the brand new '08 - '09 20 Year Anniversary Fusion???!!!! Obviously you do, so paste snowboard-mag.com in your browser and you will be greeted at the top by the greatest twin tip board on the market!

In the wake of a less than super economy last season, Colorado resorts are making an attempt to make it easier for you to go ride there. It seems like everyone is jumping in too. In response to the higher cost of flying (especially with equipment) Winter Park has updated the quality of their rentals, Crested Butte and Steamboat are giving bag credits if you book by a certain date, and Crested Butte is offering a "Friends and Family Fly Free” program where every third airline ticket is free (buy two get three - restrictions, I am sure, would apply)! Lots of good stuff, lots of other offers from other resorts! Read the full post here: www.snowboard-mag.com/node/32101

In 1992, John Cardiel was a pro for our snow team and was shredding harder than just about everyone on the planet. He was rockin' a Santa Cruz DTK Snowboard. Just happens to be the same year he was awarded the most prestigious award in skateboarding: Thrasher Magazine's Skater of The Year. NO ONE will ever do that again. Cards is truly a SC legend! This is a must: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fa0UnBJz02E

Scotty Whittlake is snowboarding; and a whole lot more of it in one place than most of us can ever pretend to be. It's good to know the stories of those who paved the way for us, and that is why you should probably watch this shred-history lesson. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4L4zQne8I6I

This link has almost nothing to do with Santa Cruz. It does rely pretty heavily on we the snowboarders' ability to have a whole lot of fun though. And, as you probably can tell, we the people at Santa Cruz are really into having fun. So, once you are done checking out our web site, you might enjoy this too.

http://snowboarding.transworld.net/2008/
08/01/magic-flashlights/

The all new Transworld Snowboarding site went live a few days ago. Pretty sweet redesign to one of my all-time favorite snow sites. I think it's totally worth a trip over to http://snowboarding.transworld.net/. Have a good day Santa Cruzers!

http://www.snowboard-mag.com/
node/30412 - Bob Klien reppin' an SC t and our former TM and long time friend Corey Actoong were up in the mix at Donner Ski Ranch for the Tahoe Legends of Snowboarding “Vintage Snowboarding Mogul World Championships” with all the true OG's. Edumacate yourself. Go 'head, check 'er out.

Mountain High’s annual season pass sale returns August 30th with the lowest prices in years. For $299 guests can get an entire season of skiing and snowboarding for what it costs to visit other resorts for the weekend. Plus anyone who purchases by September 7th will receive two free tickets good any day this season, non-holiday! Mountain High is Southern California’s closest winter resort at just an hour and a half from downtown LA and two hours from San Diego. Can you afford to sleep on this one? NO. This pass will pay itself off in only 5 visits.

A wopping 7 cm of fresh snow has fallen on Mt. Baw Baw outside of Melbourne in Australia. Not too much, but a little powder for the Cactus Battle at Baw Baw Rail Jam going on today!

Horizon Airlines announced a new flight service that is expected to boost tourism to Mammoth Mountain next winter. Travelers both heading to and leaving Mammoth will gain an easier way to travel, with connections to dozens of destinations coast to coast and around the world served by Alaska, Horizon and other airlines at LAX. The new daily service runs from Dec. 18, 2008, through April 12, 2009. The one-hour-and-five-minute flight departs Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) daily at 2:20 p.m. and arrives at Mammoth Yosemite Airport (MMH) at 3:25 p.m. The return flight leaves Mammoth at 4:05 p.m. and arrives at LAX at 5:10 p.m.

Terrain near the “box run” on the east side of the resort has been terraced to create a new slopestyle run, featuring 10,000 m/sq of new jumps and jibs. The Half Pint Park has also increased in size by 4000 m/sq this year. Also, for the first time ever, Snow Park will open up for skiing and riding on Tuesdays and Fridays (during July and August) from 5pm to 9pm. Time to use those frequent flier miles.

Or "halfayearers" as everyone will be saying shortly. Go to snowboarder-community.com and search for "halfayearers" and find out what it takes to be gnar. Iron Maiden soundtrack not included.

It isn't as hard as you might think, even if you are a recluse! Just go to snowboarder-community.com and start making new acquaintances. Find someone to go skate with while you wait for snow, someone to ride with next winter, or if you're really lucky, find someone to go see Kung Fu Panda with.

Eirik Haugo got some footy for the new Pirates flick "Overseas" due to drop early next season. Go to http://www.pirate-movie-production.com/movies/overseas to check Eirik getting wicked on his new Fusion Trip Out! (could be one of Future Mag.'s FSMVPS for '08??!!!)

PARK CITY -- American Skiing Co., a once high-flying company in a risky, weather-dependent business, has sold its final resort and will completely dissolve. The company sold its flagship resort, The Canyons, to a subsidiary of Toronto-based resort operator Talisker Corp. for $123 mill., according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
American Skiing owned as many as 10 ski areas as recently as '01.
American Skiing's board, which includes Oak Hill Capital Partners, realized the exceptional value the company could get for the ski areas when it got a $265 million offer on Colorado's Steamboat Springs, a smaller but more popular resort than The Canyons.
American Skiing also unloaded Mount Snow, Killington, Pico and Sugarbush in Vermont, Attitash in New Hampshire, Maine's two largest ski areas, Sunday River and Sugarloaf, and California's Heavenly.

Happy Independence Day! And what a day it is; a day about picnics, bar-b-ques, man sodas, family, fireworks, and freedom. Quite the combo. Have fun everyone, and be safe!

Long time Santa Cruz team rider (recently dubbed the Dragon TM!) Jared Johnson's trick tip from High Cascade makes its way back onto the TWS site! http://www.transworldsnowboarding.com
/index.jsp;jsessionid=28A1591B6B8DF1
44ED984F915773B77D.pa10_snowboarding - I know its a long url... but stick with me, this one is worth it, and it will learn all you young shreds on one of the bestest tricks of all time. I mean, who doesn't love a laid out backie? Thanks Jared!

Congratulations to Gian and Petra Simmen who on June 25th at 1:21 am had a brand new baby boy! Niculin Andri Simmen, is healthy, strong and happy to be here! We would like to welcome Niculin into the family and we cannot wait to go shredding with him! After all, he does share Gian's gene pool and we figure that if we don't get some laps in the next few years with little Niculin, his backside airs will no doubt eclipse ours in both style and amplitude! Congrats Gian and Petra!

The first session of the summer is underway up in Whistler at Camp Of Champions. If you haven't already made plans to attend, now is the prime time to get 'er dialed as a majority of the camper slots have already been filled and this summer promises to be the best yet. Happy Summer Schralping!

LAKE WANAKA, New Zealand - Snow Park NZ kicks off the 2008 season Wednesday June 18th welcoming shredders to get their first turns and jumps in and enjoy a pie and a stubby or can of V as they board the lift for their first ride up the mountain.
The snow guns have been cranking for the past two weeks and combined with good snowfalls throughout May and June the groomers have developed a good solid field (that's N Zed for snow base) for the season.

Aspen Skiing Company announced that it will open the top of Aspen Mountain for skiing this weekend, June 13-15, 2008. Record winter snowfall has left the top of the mountain covered in snow as the traditional summer operating season begins. With an average depth of more than three feet remaining on the upper slopes, the mountain will open with seven runs and about 45 acres of mostly intermediate terrain, served by the Ajax Express chairlift.

Utah’s longest snowboard season just got longer. Snowbird Resort officials announced today the resort up in Cottonwood Canyon will continue to be open for riding on weekends through Sunday, June 15, conditions permitting.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=283653864

Check out Breckenridge's newest authority in everything shred: go to Broadcast Ride Shop's myspace page and peep the heroes section. Pretty rad little what up to Josh Malay. These guys know whats' goin' on.

I found a couple shots and did an edit and put them on youtube. you should check it out!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFz6cCsocDg
hopefully this rain stops soon... thanks for watching, dylan stelck

After an unusually dry late season, snowboarders have one more full week to enjoy spring schralping conditions on Mammoth Mountain. Cool temps, aided largely by the foot of fresh snow that fell on the Eastern Sierra over the Memorial Day Holiday weekend has allowed resort operators to make the call to stay open until Sunday, June 1. Grab all your friends and posse up for some mini-shred!

Seems late huh? REALLY late to me, but not too late. Anyway, I'll be up at Arapahoe Basin holding down a grill, some demo boards, and a bunch of NEXT year's product for the first annual Santa Cruz Locals Appreciation Day all day today. All you need is your valid CO drivers license, your boots, and a high five. I just checked the weather and it looks like we might luck out on the rain... only a 30% chance of precip. and a 100% chance of fun. Wow. That just happened.

Starting at 3pm today, in Pioneer Courthouse Square, the top snowboarders and skiers from the tour will traverse the three treacherous features that have been sessioned more then Steve’s Sister Sally. The course will be built Friday morning using 55+ tons of snow trucked in from Mt. Hood and dumped in Pioneer Courthouse Square. An event of this magnitude hasn’t been hosted in the Square since Red Bull Heavy Metal back in 2003. The competitors from this tour's last 14 stops in 7 states will be vying for their share of more than $5,000 in cash that will be awarded to the top skiers, females and of course, snowboarders.

Australia’s 2.3 million shred visitors per day will enjoy the fruits of a $25 million plus capital works program across Australia’s alpine resorts. At the top of the list is the installation of fully automated snowmaking systems which has involved the installation of 99 snowmaking guns and associated pipeworks capable of producing in an average season an additional 712, 000 cubic metres of snow at the nominal cost of $16.25m. This investment in the future certainty of snow has been augmented by the purchase of new grooming equipment, and further improvements in snow fencing and drainage, all of which improves the quality of the snow sliding surface for skiers and boarders looking to expand their season down under.

Mammoth Mountain opened its legendary spring Super Duper Pipe last Saturday, May, 17th, and by doing so guaranteed that the mountain will have a public pipe and park open for the duration of the season. With a three to six foot base and legendary spring conditions, you should shred those last runs at Mammoth, which will remain open through Memorial Day on Monday, May 26, 2008.

There is a new teaser on the TWSnow site that features some jib trickery from a lesser known shred on a Kooley pro model. Be the first person to email me the name of said shred and get a stikcer and t shirt pack sent your way. 5-0 to trash can harlem shuffle, triple kinker, acid drop finger flip... there are some serious SC induced bangers fosho! http://www.transworldsnowboarding.com/
video.jsp?ID=1000005813

SIA sent out an online survey to over 3,300 Consumer Panel members to find out how consumers use online product reviews when researching and purchasing snow sports products. According to the Panel, the majority of snow sports participants (86.4%) said that they take the time to read online product reviews that other consumers have written before purchasing new products. More than 88% of panel members said they seek out and read these reviews before purchasing a new deck. After all, it is pretty important to ride a good snowboard while snowboarding. SO, if you are stoked on your Santa Cruz snowboard, then stop being so lazy and write a review on a rad website like Dogfunk.com where you can find everything you need to shred the gnar, and at the same time help spread the word about SC!

It might be a little hard to get a hold of me by cell phone this morning. A Basin, Summit County's lone remaining open slope, is reaping the benefits of some serious late season dumps. In true A Basin fashion, they have reported a solid 5 inches of overnight snowfall, funny thing is, I live a few thousand feet below the Basin and there is at least 8 in my backyard. I wonder...

Event dates for Winter X Games 13 were recently announced and are as follows: January 22nd-25th, 2009 at Buttermilk Mountain, Aspen/Snowmass, Colorado. This is good news for us as the Snowsports Industries of America(or SIA)'s last show in Vegas will be held at the Mandalay Bay Convention center right after the conclusion of the X Games from January 27th through January 30th 2009.

Its late season fluff, but its still fresh. Arappahoe Basin reported 6 inches overnight and its still coming down. Happy schralping.

This is a good, no great, email to open first thing in the morning:
"If you are receiving this email, one or more of your products has placed in the Top 10 of Future Snowboarding’s FSMVP Board Test for 2008/2009. This is an honor we would like to bestow upon you and your company for all the hard work by everyone who made this possible." Now, we can't tell you all the details; like exactly what place in the top 10 the Fusion Trip Out Got, or how long it took our crack team of artists to develop the perfect tye-die base pattern to hypnotize the competition into submission... BUT we can say:
The Fusion Trip Out (already a 3 time award winner, now 4!) won top 10 in the $400-$550 range in the '08-'09 FSMVP Board Test!

With more than 11 feet of snow on the ground at mid-mountain, Snowbird announced today it will extend its season into June and possibly beyond. Bird Pres. Bob Bonar said today he feels confident the resort will be able to offer riding daily through Sunday, May 11, and then Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through June 1 (including Monday, May 26, Memorial Day).
Previously not scheduled to operate for the remainder of the spring schedule, the Little Cloud chairlift began operating today and will continue to do so for the remainder of the spring schedule along with Peruvian Express, Mineral Basin Express and Peruvian Tunnel. The resort is open for skiing and riding 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. through Sunday, May 11. Beginning May 16, the hours of operation will be 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lift tickets are $59.

The What teaser is what teaser. And what a teaser What is. SC Snow Team rider Jordan Bell holding it down in one of the most progressive urban influenced shred flicks yet. Check 'er out: http://www.transworldsnowboarding.com
/video.jsp?ID=1000005799

Superpark 12 is being built right now over in Mammoth and promises to continue in the proud Superpark tradition of stupid huge jump lines and uber-tech rail-trickery. This year's event has been dubbed "Son of Berserker" in its triumphant return to the left coast and will begin tomorrow May 6th. Oh yeah, Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone!

Its the end of the season and time to show off those bangers that you have been honing all year. Snowboy Productions is hosting a kinked rail and piñata bonking fiesta at Summit at Snoqualmie today, Saturday May 3rd, and its the perfect place to bring your bag o' tricks.
It'll all be happening in the West base area, just off the plaza. Registration is from 10-11 a.m. $20 to enter. Helmets required. Theme music recommended. Anyone under 18 needs a parents signature.

Don't miss one of the biggest parties on the West Coast during the West Coast Invitational from May 2nd to 4th in Mammoth. Village Nighttime Rail Jam Saturday and the Fiesta de la Pipa today. There will also be a 21 and over concert at Canyon Lodge tomorrow night with performances by My-G featuring a special guest and Talib Kweli. Tickets are currently available at the Main Lodge ticket office, McCoy Sports and all MMSA lodging properties.

Happy May Day. If you live in Colorado, you might not see a whole lot of May flowers today. Everyone above 9,000 feet has a fresh white blanket to keep the dream alive into yet another month. Thanks snow gods, we've missed you the past couple seasons.

The $40,000 PEANUT BUTTER AND RAIL JAM CHAMPIONSHIPS will go down tomorrow at Mammoth Mountain. Remember, this one is invite only, and the rider check in is at 8am at Roma's Room at the base. If you aren't going to ride, be sure to come check out the show, chances are, it'll be a good one.

Snowbird extends season due to continual accumulation of the good stuff. They will remain open daily though May 11 and then Fri, Sat, Sun until Memorial Day, or maybe even longer, conditions permitting… oh dang.

Santa Cruz and MOM llc, the hottest new accessory brand in the game, bring all you coloRADans the End of April Sunday Funday at the Basin. MOM will be there with a few uber fashionable snow gaiters and doo-dads from next years line to up your flair game. Easy to find us, just look for the Knot logo on the tent on the beach next to the Molly Hogan Lift.

Loveland Ski Area is still accepting photos for their 2007-2008 annual Photo Contest. Monthly winners have been selected all year and will compete against one another for 1st through 3rd place as well as one grand prize winner. You can check out the Loveland website for details and also the rules for submission.

Echo Mountain is the Last Park Standing. Echo Mountain's grand finale late-season park comp and party will happen TOMORROW! This year's LPS is going to be blowing up too, with more than $12,000 in cash and $4,000 in prizes to be given away. Not only will there be an amateur rail jam and pro slopestyle competition, but all the festivities that go along with 'em including live music, a sponsor village, and much much more. Go to echomtnpark.com for the details.

Yeah! And it's the 24th of April! Kirkwood Mountain Resort, celebrating 35 years of operation, will hold its final Snowbomb Sunday in the Park Jam series this sunday on the 27th as the season finally winds down. We'd love to see you there!

Loveland Ski Area in Colorado will celebrate the end of another amazing season of riding on May 4th. The Smith Limo will be on hand for open sessions and an end of the season rail jam. Also, local singer songwriter Arnie J. Green will play on the patio in the afternoon. Come out for the last day of great riding here at Loveland!

There is a vast amount of information, and well, garbage on the internet. Good thing I'm here to steer your attention in the right direction. Instead of surfing aimlessly, you should paddle your PC in the direction of the great white wave that is at: http://www.ttrworldtour.com/
profiles/men/gian-simmen.html
- Surf's Up!

Check out this video that Spy just posted of their Euro Pro team. I-Pod has got some pretty sweet shots in there worth checking out... http://www.transworldsnowboarding.com
/video.jsp?ID=1000005734

Brighton and Breckenridge both call it quits for the 2007-2008 season. The riding is still pretty epic though, snow fell steadily all year and both resorts close with over 100" bases. If you don't want to fight the crowds, you are more than welcome to come join us over at Arapahoe Basin for the first annual Santa Cruz and MOM "Smokin! Bar-B-Que and Pipe Jamboree"! If you haven't heard, MOM makes the snow gaiters that all you jeans wearin' hessians need to keep dry while schralping the gnar!

Today is the second to last day of the season over at Breckenridge and the park is incredible. The weatherman is calling for an afternoon high near 50 right around 3 o'clock when Robert Randolph and the Family Band will take the stage up on Ridge Street for another installment in the Spring Massive Free Concert Series. If you haven't had the chance to see Robert before I suggest you get over there and check out the festivities... this guy wails on the lap slide guitar like no other!

So today is National High Five Day here in the States. Go and celebrate with anyone who looks like they need a good five! First person to email me photographic High Five evidence gets a Santa Cruz Knot T! Happy slapping! www.nationalhighfiveday.com

Park City Mountain Resort just announced $10.5 million in improvements for the 2008-09 winter season including a new high-speed chair lift, terrain enhancements and renovation of the Mid-Mountain Lodge. PCMR’s new lift, Crescent lift, replaces the existing Ski Team lift, and begins near the base of the Resort and extends to Crescent Ridge. The new chair lift will significantly increase accessibility out of the base area to the front-side runs, which are some of the Resort’s best advanced terrain. The new lift takes guests almost twice as far as the Ski Team lift and in less time.

Woodward Camp and Copper Mountain are beginning construction of a 20,000 square foot snowboard/ski/and skate training facility at the base of Copper Mountain. Inside the facility they will feature rails, boxes, a ¼ pipe that simulates a Superpipe, big air jump into foam, trampolines, some skate features, a viewing platform and much more to compliment the already built indoor wooden skate bowl and retail facility. This will instantly turn Copper into a year round mecca for the constantly evolving world of action sports. Exxxtreme! Go to http://www.malakye.com/asp/front/
CMSPage.asp?TYP_ID=2&ID=1294 for a full story.

The season is winding down out in coloRADo, but not quite yet over. Finish off the season in style with Breckenridge's end of season blowout concerts featuring Grace Potter & the Nocturnals and Robert Randolph & the Family Band on Friday and Saturday. Not a better way to end a great season than with a sunshine-filled day on the slopes and action-packed concerts in town on Ridge Street.

Today is the last day of the season for Copper Mountain, Keystone, Vail, and Winter Park resorts out here in Colorado... and its a powder day. Go figure. Each mountain has some pretty rad end of the year festivities going on, so quit slacking, and be sure and join in the fun!

Malay day went OFF yesterday smack in the middle of a ridiculous late season Colorado snowstorm. The snow did anything but dampen the spirits of those who came out in number to show their support and love for a fellow snow enthusiast. To those of you who weren't lucky enough to know Josh and who haven't yet made your way to one of his memorial events, I strongly suggest that you make the time next year. In all the events I have been fortunate enough to be apart of over the years I have never before felt so much love and camaraderie from fellow participants. Go to: http://www.futuresnowboarding.com/2008
/04/malay-day-thrives to check some photos.

The Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival begins in Whistler today and runs through the 20th. The festival will feature all sorts of events and musical acts including De La Soul, Blackalicious, and Michael Franti and Spearhead, and dj's Donald Glaude & DJ Dan, and Mark Farina.

Get your gear together and head over to Golden Peak lodge at the base of Vail to sign up for Malay Day 2008! The fluffy stuff keeps falling so it should make for an interesting day to say the least. If it keeps coming down like this it will be easy to spot me over there... I will be the guy lapping the trees next to the park trying to spray anyone and everyone on a Jeremy Fish Twinza. The stunt ditch spectacular starts at 11 am sharp, followed by rails at 12:30 and jumpin' at 2. Be there or be square.

Spring Massive at Breckenridge is about to get underway. Spring Massive is an end of the season celebration with many events including my personal favorite, the Breckenridge Beer Fest presented by KSMT. This year's Beer Fest will be held Saturday the 12th in Breck and will feature unlimited tastings featuring 17 microbrews and craft beers and live music from Tony Furtado, the Subdudes, and the The Railbenders. PS - MALAY DAY is TOMORROW, so make sure that you get the time off work to come to Vail and throw down in Josh's honor!

Vail Mountain is proud to host the fifth annual Malay Day in the Fly Zone Terrain Park at Golden Peak on Thursday, April 10 at 11 a.m. The event is held in honor and loving memory of Santa Cruz and Vail team rider, Josh Malay, who lost his life while snowboarding in 2004. Malay Day kicks off with a Pipe Jam at 11 a.m., followed by a Rail Jam at 12:30 p.m. and a Jump Jam at 1:30 p.m. A best overall male and female “Destroyer” will be announced at the end of the day and each will receive a 2008/2009 Vail Season Pass.
A DJ will be spinning all day, free food will be available for all participants, and additional prizes will be awarded at random to those who impress the judges. Garfinkel’s in Lionshead is hosting the after-party.
Malay Day is open to all ages, genders and disciplines. Participants must register for the contest at the Golden Peak Lodge from 9 – 10 a.m. on April 10. The registration fee is $10 which includes a bandana and the opportunity to win cool prizes, donated on behalf of some of the best companies in the snowboarding industry. Those under 18 must bring a parent to registration to sign waivers. Participants may purchase a special $40 lift ticket for the day of the event at registration.

Malay Day will be held this Thursday, April 10th at Vail. The event is held in honor and loving memory of Santa Cruz and Vail team rider Josh Malay who tragically lost his life while snowboarding in 2004. Friends and fellow snowboarders are inspired to "live and love life" in his memory. Details will be posted on this site shortly.

April 7-13: Spring Back to Vail. Vail’s huge end of the season bash includes free concerts, unique competitions and the Bacardi World Pondskimming Championships hosted by special guest Johnny Moseley (yeah!). On April 10, Gov't Mule will perform at the Dobson Arena, followed by Kottonmouth Kings on April 11. Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals take center stage April 12 for an outdoor concert at Ford Park.

For 2008, The Wahoo's Winter Park / Amateur Freeride Series will consist of Rail Jam, Slopestyle, and Superpipe events. For those of you who competed over the past couple years, you know that they have some of the best events around! The slopestyle course is one of the longest in the region, using the entire lower Rail Yard (including the Dark Territory section!). Superpipe events will be held in a Zaugg-cut pipe featuring 18 foot walls. Event is open to the first 100 competitors. Day-of Registration is 8-9am Showcase Snowboard Shop @ the base of WP. Cost is $25 Early Registration, $35 Day of the event ($10 discount for 13 and Under). Reduced Price Competitor Lift Ticket available at registration. For more information visit www.rlyrd.com.

http://www.doskimag.ru/ - This is a link to a Russian Snowboard mag's website. Its called Doski and unfortunately that's about all I could understand from their front page. I am looking for someone to help me translate, so any help would be rad. Anyway, Gian Simmen just got the cover of their latest issue and its a sweet night shot in the stunt ditch. You should check it out.

The Vail Film Festival kicks off activities for 2008 today and will run through this Sunday the 6th. The festival will feature over 100 films in the following genres: Student Films, Shorts, Animation, Documentary, Feature, Oscar Shorts, Green Showcase Documentaries, a Red Vision Short Film Contest, and of course a sampling of some of the finer Action Sports films of the year.

If you live in Southern California and have any plans of riding at June or Mammoth next season now would be a good time to figure out your pass situation. For an extremely limited time Mammoth and June are offering their unrestricted 07-08 Gold Pass for 50% off! Wow, pay off your season pass in under 10 days!

A Public Service Announcement from my buddy Anton Radice:
"Hey SC, just wondering why you guys aren't bigger on the east coast? I've been riding a rebel series 146 and Kooley 151 for the past couple of years and your boards are soo sick! Just the shape and flex is perfect for everything I ride, which is everything from park to trees. Over the last 10 or so years, I've tried nitro, burton, academy, forum, signal, and gnu and nothing was working until I got to Santa cruz.
I dont understand why more people don't ride Santa Cruz boards here on the east. I've been spreading the good word to a bunch of buddies in hopes of more people buying Santa Cruz. Keep making the dope boards and I'll keep coming back to you. Give me a holler if you come east! Thanks!" - No, Thank You Anton - Keep spreading the word!

Tomorrow, April 1st marks 720 Boardshop's 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY! We will be holding an event here at the shop (18551 E. Mainstreet Unit, Parker, CO, 80134 @ 720-842-5366) along with the Parker Chamber of Commerce. There will be specials going on throughout the day, Giveaways including skateboards, clothing, and gift certificates, FREE food and drinks! We will be running specials all day, but the actual festivities will run from 5PM-7PM.

Thank you for all of your support! Hope to see you all there! - Travis Idler, owner/manager 720

Vail resorts has tried to put the kaputz on an annual celebration of yester-year style and inebriation known lovingly to locals as "Gaper Day". In an attempt to be sneaky, Gaper Day is actually going down today March 31st at Breckenridge instead off the more traditional April Fools Day gathering according to reliable inside sources. You still have time to drag out the neon onesie and strap a pair of Sled Dogs or Big Feet snowlerblades to your hard boots and get schRADical. Zinca is also highly recommended.

Celebrate the coming of spring with the Winter Park Spring Blast. Check out the 2nd annual Dummy Downhill, or chill out on the decks of Derailer Bar with drink specials and live music, get free tips from the Winter Park Ski and Snowboard school, watch the area's best freeride competitors in rail jam competitions and demo's, and don't forget about the season finale Spring Splash.

If you live at Timberline, Oregon or Targhee Resort over in Idaho and have a really comfortable couch, will you please email me your address? I heard you guys just got a foot of fresh and I am totally willing to trade for a spot to crash for a day or two!

Congrats are due to a Mr. Robbie Sell for winning the 2nd annual Butterbox High Ollie Competition recently at the village at Northstar in Tahoe. Robbie sent his shred stick a wopping 4 feet 7.5 inches into the stratosphere! Oh Dang!

Happy Birthday Seth! Thanks for all the memories on and off the snow, and best wishes on many, many more to come!

The 2008 United States Of America Snowboard Association National Championships will be held at Copper Mountain, CO, site of the 2005 Nationals, from the 29th to the 5th of April. USASA have made a 2 year commitment to Copper and have lots of great things planned! Check back here later this week for more details on this great event!

Yup you missed it. 50,000 easter eggs and you didn't even find one. Well, unless you were at Copper with me and about 37,000 snot nosed little rug rats. The biggest egg hunt in coloRADo went down yet again without a hitch and brightened the day of many a pastel wearing little tyke.

NHS recently hosted its first ever Open House. The event was freakin' gangbusters! We invited a mess of our top retailers, bros, & pros to come hang out, eat, drink and be merry. The pictures show a good sneak peak at what goes on inside the NHS headquarters. Here's what went down: http://www.strangenotes.com/.

Today is Earth Day 2008. I know its a little trendy right now, but we should all try and reduce our waste and carpool today in the name of Momma Nature (well, everyday since we are snowboarders and rely pretty heavily on the stuff staying frozen). I won't get all Al Gore on you, but winter is pretty dope and I'm done taking chances. Lets all think of winter as our hot little sister who we feel really protective over. Happy hippy day.

Flumsiberg, Switzerland: Gian Simmen got down with the crew over at the German Snow Publication "Snowboarder MBM" (MBM stands for Monster Backside Magazine!) as they played host to the 10th annual Monster Session. Apparently the whole point of this event is to TCB (take care of business of course). Go to http://www.futuresnowboarding.com/
2008/03/monster-session to get the low down and see some rad pictures.

V.R. is excited to introduce a new pass for 08/09 that will change your definition of the perfect season. The Epic Season Pass — unlimited and unrestricted skiing/riding at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Heavenly for only $579.
Yes, you read that correctly.
This pass makes your Epic Season a reality — no need to count days, check lift prices, or worry about blackout dates. With the Epic Season Pass, you can simply enjoy the excitement of skiing and riding again. Visit EpicPass.com to learn more.

"Good news! I pod just won the Halfpipe World Cup at the FIS Grand Finals held from the 12th to 16th in Valtellina, Italy. He actually won the overall points total for the Cup too so he got a crystal bowl for it. Oooh! Here is the link: http://www.swiss-ski.ch/ (and then click on the link that says "Bling Bling im Halfpipe-Team")." Greetings, Gian

Contrary to popular belief pinching people is actually really fun. Throw on your favorite shade o' green, dance a jig, and get pinchy! I heard happy hour at the pub might be the cool thing to do today, but I'm totally sticking to pinching. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Momma Nature must be feeling generous these days. Around 2 feet of new snow at all of the resorts in and around Summit County Colorado in the past 48 hours, its right around 32 degrees, and not a cloud in the sky. Things could be worse...

The US Grand Prix is set to start tomorrow at Killington resort in Vermont. Halfpipe, slopestyle, and boardercross have all had some practice laps and the courses are looking good so the action should be too.

A friendly reminder to all you shops and buyers out there: the prebook deadline is upon us. If you haven't gotten your order for the '08-'09 line submitted to your local rep feel free to email me and I will put you in touch with the best inside sales team in the game.

Reef Larwood just got hooked up with a hoody, a t, and a sticker pack that should make all you little shreds jealous. All because Reef saw the light.... in case you missed it before, here are Reef's words. Pure genius:

"hey guys, i was at the vans cup last weekend and i demo'd an 09 allstar and i have to tell you it was the best board i ever rode! i bought a rome solution earlier this season but i would trade it in for this board in a heartbeat. next time i buy a board its probly gonna be a santa cruz. also the guys you had working the booth were really rad. the last night i had just put lock tite on my binder screws so i couldnt really take my bindings off to demo the new board with so one of the guys took his own bindings off just so i could demo it, not many people would do this. you should give this guy a bonus or something for being so cool and making another person (me) want to buy a board from you guys. thanks, reef larwood (13yrs.)"

The NHS day at Dodge Ridge was a blast! Thanks to Dodge Ridge resort for putting up with us, we appreciate it a ton! Go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/
hollyphotography/sets/72157604093892582/ to check out some of the action! Yeah Team!

There is a new video up on the Future Snowboarding Magazine website (http://www.futuresnowboarding.com
/category/videos). It has tons of really good shots from the Vans superpipe event at Northstar and even has one of Iouri's entire runs. Pretty rad... u-tubular even.

So I am going to start a petition to send to the World Superpipe Championships dudes and dudettes that are in Park City right about now getting all u-tubular without I-Pod. I was hoping that you would want to be on my petition. Without Iouri (and a few other select international rippers) they should have to change the name or something. How about the "Invite Only Super-Stunt-Ditch Cup" or something else generic?

Remember, the views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the official beliefs of Santa Cruz or it's affiliates.

The annual Log Masters Competition is set to go down this Sunday March 9th at the one and only Beaver Creek Resort in Avon, Colorado. This is arguably the birthplace of the jib and still represents the progression of the movement. The contest will definitely not disappoint. Jibs not jobs.

"hey guys, i was at the vans cup this weekend and i demo'd an 09 allstar and i have to tell you it was the best board i ever rode! i bought a rome solution earlier this season but i would trade it in for this board in a heartbeat. next time i buy a board its probly gonna be a santa cruz. also the guys you had working the booth were really rad. the last night i had just put lock tite on my binder screws so i couldnt really take my bindings off to demo the new board with so one of the guys took his own bindings off just so i could demo it, not many people would do this. you should give this guy a bonus or something for being so cool and making another person (me) want to buy a board from you guys. thanks, reef larwood (13yrs.)"

http://www.transworldsnowboarding.com/
enlarge.jsp?galleryID=1000018987&
imageNbr=11

I know its a pain in the arse to copy and paste this address into your browser, but you need to peep this in case you forgot how to do a proper donkey kicker. I Pod's got that ish on lock like doo doo on Brooklyn dreads. Plus, yellow cats are like totally the new black.

Iouri Podladtchikov takes third in the Vans Tahoe Cup for the second year in a row with a stellar run and catlike maneuvers! The person who emails me the first thing that Iouri bought with his newest set of 7,000 dollar bills from the cup gets a brand new fleece lined brandana! Oh dang.