Laced. Third Release.

Third R

elease

TARON LUCAS

By Sam Purdie

FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! Cover Shot; FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! FREE PRINT FOR THE PEOPLE! It’s the middle of summer, not to mention my first summer in five years - I forgot what 40’C meant- The waves aren’t great, It’s too hot to go outside let alone skate and all the while the northern hemisphere is getting absolutely nuked on! Much like their mountain ranges consistently filling up, so is my instagram feed.

It’s a hard thing to watch from my sweat pooled eyelids.

Benjamin Masterson

By Crystal Legoffe

“No real story to it. It’s just on a lot that hasn’t been built yet. We knew it was there because some and other boarders in the area had ridden there before so we just went to sesh it.”

Well it’s a perla guys!

You, the reader, I’m assuming didn’t get the chance to get overseas either. I feel you my dawg, I feel you.

It’s been a whole life shake up. Some good, some bad, some of us just taking the hits and floating in the wind. But some of you were lucky enough to snatch up a visa and live out a one in a million chance of snow untouched by masses of tourists in a unique season that you won’t soon forget. All in the midst of a pandemic. You Bastards!

For majority of us though, the 20-21 winter seasonal decision making, was automatically made for us.

Brown snakes, heat waves and hoards of flys at christmas lunch.

I’d like to say that I’m going somewhere with all this, but I’m not.

Another Australian winter season is rolling around the corner and I am straight up Hyped!

I’m hyped to see what new features the parks have got install for us. I’m hyped to put my snow shoes on and walk the backyards again. I’m so fkn stoked for all the homies in Victoria, who are finally going to get their chairs running again! Local businesses will be able to make a comeback. Events will start to pick up and get some atmosphere back in the resorts. We can stand up in pubs again, we can spill drinks on each others shoes. Play pool or darts without fear. We can stand up in pubs again. You probably won’t get fired for having a one night stand in staff accom anymore. And, we can stand up in pubs again!

The land down underdogs have been let out the cage and are free to run wild again!!

LET’S GOOOOO!!!!!!!

Editor; Jake Carthew

@lacedmag jake.lacedmag@gmail.com

ANDY JAMES

By Jake Carthew

Can you tell me more about how that started?

R: I guess my interest in the park grew a lot when there was shit snow and nothing else to ride! Powder is fun for the one day a season it’s there, but the parks are always open. I really got into park when my brother started getting good at it, he always pushed me and made me stop being a weak little bitch because he knew my limits, so that really helped having the encouragement.

The Robyn Hoddle Interview Tough Tits Co. is a project aiming to showcase women behind the scenes and on the front line of Aussie Snow seasons.

We caught up with Robyn Hoddle, one of Perisher’s badass Snowboard Instructors, to have bit of a yarn over a nice cold pale ale (shout out to Aldi for the $18 twelve pack)…

So Robyn, what’s it like having a mans name in a mans world?

R: People definitely give you weird looks hey. Why does a hot girl like that have such a masculine name???

As a qualified park instructor what is your best tip?

R: Excellent question! Go big or go home??? Nah I guess one tip would be to remember that a huge part of snowboarding is the mental game, get that little voice in your head to start telling you that you can do something, rather than scare you away from it, and then you’re already halfway there.

And what about Big Bad Front Valley? Being a chick hitting it can be pretty intimidating. The last thing you want to do is eat shit in front of the T Bar, everyone up top… oh and did we mention V8 above you? What’s your advice for the gals AND guys getting sweaty gloves?

R: Haha don’t wear gloves!! Yeah, front valley can definitely be intimidating, it took me a while to get in there and even still I get nervous a LOT. I guess you just need to remember that falling is part of learning, and it’s an important part of progression. If your biggest fear is people seeing you fall then first of all its likely you are in the wrong sport, but secondly they will forget about it after 30 seconds so jump back up and hit the feature again so it doesn’t scare you for next time.

Favourite feature in FV this past season?

R: Rainbow, always.

*side note we slowed down on the twelve pack after that.

Favourite pocket snack for when you’re peckish on the hill?

R: Oh easy, babybel cheese!! (Ideally ones you find in the middle of the run).

So how long have you been instructing for? Give us the 411.

R: Man I can’t work that out, how long ago was 2014? I started at 18, I’m 24, haven’t stopped since? What year is it now?? My first season was in Lake Louise, Canada where I met some of my coolest friends… I did a couple there, a few in Niseko and a LOT at Perisher.

And one for women everywhere, any tips for peeing in a bib and brace?

R: This is a tip I am looking for!! I’ve never actually worn bibs and it’s not likely that I will (at least until I get a new bladder).

With so many seasons under your belt, tell us about your experience as a female Snowboard Instructor…

R: Ahhh it’s been amazing, exciting, and just downright fun. I reckon female snowboard instructors would have to be the smallest of the categories so it’s nice knowing your part of a little talented niche ball haha. It can definitely be tough to compete for recognition and respect at times but having the support from fellow gals makes it a lot easier and worthwhile. There’s definitely a push for both female skiers and snowboarders within the industry, as there should be, so I think being part of that is pretty awesome.

And last question.... what’s your review of the Aldi 12 pack?

R: Cheapest pale ale on the market worth drinking, Aldi can take all my money.

And I hear you’re a lover of the park?

R: Oui!

Words by Bridie Rawson.

Photos courtesy of Robin Hoddle.

Jake: How are ya?

Liam: Pretty good.

Jake: Keen?

Liam: Yeah, let’s get into it.

Jake: Shed some light on your boogin’ days?

Liam: Yeah semi pro. Fourth in Australia for a couple years in a

row and it all got too political so I dropped the boog and picked up a snowboard. That was from about 12 years old to 20 years old, roughly. So, a good eight years of bodyboarding. Never seen snow before that.

Jake: How’d you get into snowboarding?

Liam: I actually went to the high country on a four-wheel drive trip

in the middle of winter and then I ended up using one of my bodyboards to slide down the hill at dead horse gap. Fell in love with it and just decided to go up two weeks later to Perisher. Got two day passes and learned with my mates.

Jake: Did the boog work well on the snow?

Liam: Not too well, no. It was almost sheet ice [laughs].

Jake: Now five or six years down the track, you’re pressing your

own snowboards?

Liam: About to yeah. Got templates drawn up, materials are on their way and a mate is getting his presses sorted. Mid March it should all happening!

Jake: And Jye has turned a few of your snowboards into surfboards

yeah?

Liam: Yeah. Basically I was riding my Gentemstick, big fish, 163 in

Happo north face on a nice deep day and got an idea that this side cut might actually work on big waves in the surf. So I wanted to try and express that feeling on a surfboard. It works very well for my style of surfing.

Jake: Would you rather hike out for the open face or paddle out for the perfect clean runners?

Liam: Hike any day of the week.

Jake: Any Liam goals for 2021 winter?

Liam: I reckon heel side elbow carves.

Jake: I thought you might say “The Sentinel” or something like

that.

Liam: The Sentinel is going to happen. That’s not a goal, that’s a

fact! [laughs].

Jye: Sorry, there might be some swearing in this.

Jake: I’m the only one transcribing this, so don’t worry..

Jake: When/ what got you into surfing?

Jye: Dad, obviously. I was probably about 8, maybe earlier than that. We were getting little surfboards when we were tiny. But yeah about 8 I guess.

Jake: How’d you get into shaping?

Jye: Well my dad mainly. Dads been making boards since, I’d say

’69. Growing up with him always doing it in the backyard, looked Rasta Fire Board like the coolest thing ever so it just made me want to do it. I’d basically just go into the shed (shaping bay) with him and he’d show you a few tricks and let you do it. Then you’d sort of fuck them up and he’d show you what happened. Then he wrote a list for me to use and check off and yeah.

Probably started making boards properly-ish when I was 14. They were shithouse. But got pretty serious when I was 19.

Jake: And how old are you now?

Jye: 29.

Jake: Inspirations?

Jye: Just fucking play Slayer! [laughs]. That’s a hard one. I dunno, maybe we just sit on that.. one.

Jake: I’ll just throw this one out there, ‘South Coast Satanic Surf Crew” Jye: Oh yeah, fuck yeah, it’s on! We’re gonna make some shirts. I drew it in the shower this morning actually. So it’s in the making.

Jake: I can play two Slayer riffs..

Jye: Perfect you’re in.

Jake: Obviously the 70’s and 80’s were the most experimental and innovative times for surf-

board shaping. Do you think there is much more people can do with boards now?

Jye: Yeah fucking oath, things are just going to get weirder. More high tech stuff. A bit more flex in the tail, more advanced than the typical fluid motion. I think it’s going to take skateboarding influence on a bit more. It’s going to get more like, rad-er. Fuck I don’t know. Channels, kicks, just some shit to get you more rad I think. I guess everything is going to keep getting lighter too. Then it’ll go through all the eco friendly vibes and that’ll become functional stuff. The formula’s will always stay the same but little tweaks here and there will be flexing out.

Jake: Personal favourite of your own shaping?

Jye: Yeah probably this little rasta fire one. That thing just

works for me. A little 5 6’. It just came out rad and really works for me in every surf I put it in I think. It’s pretty much a basic fish but tweaked it to be a bit more performance based. It just fucking works!

Jake: Any sign offs?

Jye: Umm, support the satanic surf team and buy Glass handcrafts ya dog!

In the dying days of the 2020 season that was or wasn’t depending on where you were. A storm came through and delivered 40 centimeters of the freshest, tastiest chowder beautiful mother nature could offer. After one epic day storm riding in the resort, a top up followed that night giving us a bluebird pow day in the last week of september. Two days of open to close riding left me feeling emptier than a goony on a Thursday morning. The sweet sound of a freshly cracked tin brought me back to life in the perisher car park and talk of where we could find more freshies began to flow. We decided that we would head out to Leather Barrel creek, about a two hour walk from Thredbo. Once our choice was made it dawned on me that I had not one fucking clue concerning what I was about to do.

Fortunately for me, I was in the company of people who did know what they were doing. My friend Elliot, a man as nice as he is tall, with an amazing gift to keep the vibes as high as possible, my main boys/ housemates Conor and Regan, Conor a veteran of several overnight BC trips and Regan who had survived one of the coldest nights of the season last year and was solely responsible for keeping me in check about just how cold I was going to be. A truly invaluable skill for when I was convinced I had packed enough warm clothing. As Conor and I were heading out for the night and Regan and Elliot were day tripping.

Conor sorted our food; 4 cans of smoked tuna, 3 value packs of alfredo pasta, 4 chorizos (an apparent necessity for anyone travelling into the BC), a 1L bag of chopped and assorted veggies, 6 cheese and bacon rolls, 3 boxes of muesli bars and 2 powerade bottles filled with port. While I tried to procure a splitboard off of anyone who would lend me one. My search ended in disappointment and I decided to opt for snow shoes. By the end of the night the bags were packed food organised and I was put in charge of making sure we had enough joints rolled to satisfy ourselves. That number topped out at 15.

We arrived at Thredbo for first chair the next morning and after few minutes of fucking around at the top of the kosi chair we were off. The first few kilometers felt like I was dragging myself out of a K-hole. As I found my rhythm I was able to almost catch up to everyone on the split boards only stopping to cough up a lung every 25 steps or so. Two hours in, the cloud had lifted to reveal the moonscape that is the Australian alps.

With my last percentage of battery, a text from my girlfriend appeared. “ You left your alcohol at home.”

Catching up to Conor I explained our situation. He looked me dead in the eye and said, “what can we do about it?”

I replied bluntly with, “Smoke the joints”

With little to no advance I flicked Gus a message “Hey man, i’m in Torquay! Would you be keen to do a shoot tomorrow?”. The kid had been working all week labouring, so he couldn’t do it until after 6. The Dryslope wasn’t setup and I was leaving the following day. A bit strapped for time.. He calls me the next afternoon. “Dude, let’s do it! I just finished work, i’ll setup the ramp right now!'. He must be on good terms with his neighbours for them to put up with the sound of that drill in the evening. I’m guessing Gus hadn’t riden the rail for a while but after a warm up 50-50, he’s throwing his meat around. 2 on 2 off’s. Getting rag dolled into the mattress that he setup to stop himself going through the colorbond fence. The dude was working up a sweat!

Meanwhile i was having some issues with my flash.. After developing these shots i felt bad that Gus really put it in and made the efforts that he did.

Moral of the story kids, check your gear!

Thanks Gus.

HARRY HARRY HATES HATES AUSSIES IIN JAPAN AUSSIES IN JAPAN

We were off again reaching the top of the main range to rendezvous with the rest of the crew. Below us was our objective. Seeing the valley above Leather Barrel Creek for the first time and I was convinced I’d entered into some kind of exhaustive delirium. It was made up of 2 main bowls with a very open, very rippable steep face. I kicked myself for waiting this long to explore the backcountry. Once we finished transitioning it was time for the first run. In that unguarded moment when my edge started to slice through the cloud like snow every worry sprayed away with the snow in the air. It was bottomless, untouched, pristine and quicker than it had begun it had finished. We stashed the overnight pack down at a spot we’d chosen for camp and began the arduous climb back up the bowl. I was beginning to understand the trade that I was engaged in. 20 seconds down for 30-40 minutes up could possibly be the worst deal ever struck on paper. However in practice those long ascents faded into total obscurity once we were flying down in a haze of euphoria.

If you’re reading this, the odds are probably pretty high on two things: 1. You’re a snowboarder.

2.You’re also a citizen or resident of the flattest, driest, hottest fuckin landmass on spaceship earth.

Following the zig zag track of the splitboards made for tricky off cambered snowshoeing. I decided to try a more direct route and stepped off the skin track and promptly sunk down up to my waist. With one leg buried up to my waist and the other sunk to my knee on the skin track, I opted to go back onto the skin track. Three runs and three hours later the rest of the boys said goodbye. Conor and I had our final run of the day down to camp.

After setting up camp and sitting down for dinner, the trials of the day faded into obscurity. As the sunset over Victoria I could be forgiven for thinking we were the only ones in the world. We climbed into the tent and sparked another joint to christen my new tents first night in the open. That night the temperature dropped well into the negatives. So cold in fact that when I went out to piss in the middle of the night in only my double socks rather than my feet getting cold they simply snap-froze to the ground. Our faith in our equipment and Regan’s abundant warnings paid off and we were rewarded with a warm comfortable full night sleep. The next morning I crawled out of the tent, pulled my boot liners out of my sleeping bag and sat down next to Conor and took a sip of fresh coffee.

A cursory snow check revealed that after 45 minutes in the sun the snow had lost its icy crunch and returned to the Champagne powder it was the day before. Stashing the packs at the top of the bowl we got our last two runs in. Non stop hooting and screaming, knowing there may not be anyone in the country getting it better than us that morning electrified the amphitheatre. At the bottom of our second run I once again had to work out the balance between my stoke for more runs and conserving the necessary energy to walk back. This mental back and forth ended in the decision to begin the long walk back.

It’s an inconvenient truth for those of us from this vast, mostly brown land that we’re not blessed with big mountains or arctic vortexes. We don’t have long winters of short days and cryogenic temps. We huddle over laptops and weather apps anxiously tracking weather systems; knowing that the line between the dump of the year and a week of pissing rain is only 1-2 degrees thick.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a glorious season that keeps us coming back year after year after year, in spite of the odds stacked against it... but its short, and holds endless propensity for heartbreak. Before you know it, you’re staring listlessly over the top of a 5$ coffee at green hills and simmering city streets, trying not to think about the endless space between you and your next buckle in.

How serendipitous then, that for us, sweet relief is only 8 hours in cattle class away When the summer seems endless and the yearning for turning fills our days with an ache that only the sweet kiss of Gore-Tex on skin can soothe, we need only shell out some hard earned cookies, strap into a JetStar bogan missile out of the gold coast, and let the twin miracles of physics and the international transit system rocket us out of our waking nightmare and into a monochromatic dreamscape...

Japan.

Touch down, hit the Yamazaki for an onigiri and you’re away. Lunging awkwardly between Wi-Fi hotspots and packed local trains, you navigate the world’s best public transit system like a confused pigeon stuck in a combini. despite your best efforts to fuck it all up, eventually you find yourself easing back into a fastidiously clean Shinkansen seat, a cold Kirin in your hand, watching the cityscapes of the world’s largest urban sprawl slip back to endless rice paddies and finally, turn to the heart-stopping Japanese alps.

Cursing my lack of a splitboard, I arrived at the top of the Ramshead range where Conor was getting lunch ready. Collapsing on the ground I swore off of snowshoes for the rest of my life. After lunch we continued the last leg of the walk and step by step the top station of the Kosi chair came into view. I fumbled my way onto the chair and I rode back down into the real world. A confusing sense of achievement overcame me. I was awash in a sensation that we had experienced something so true and beautiful yet quantifiably meaningless. Our foray outside of the civilised world served no concrete purpose other than to satisfy our need to go there, beyond the edges of the maps we draw in our minds. We simply revelled in the Idea that we must breach these boundaries from time to time.

Leave the station and it’s like you’re on some distant planet. 3-ton bulldozers push more snow out of the car park here than Thredbo gets in a YEAR. There’s a 90-year-old across the street shovelling more snow off her roof than Selwyn gets in a DECADE. An impeccably dressed station employee cuts through your slack jawed gawking to politely direct you to a bus headed to your chosen resort. You pull into town, dump your gear, and make a b line for a ramen shop of famous repute. 12 hours after leaving home, you are slurping a bowl of Spicy Miso within spitting distance of the gondola, watching bank note sized flakes stack up on the roof of a kei van across the street.

The wilderness behind me, the idea of a shower and cold beers flooded my mind. Until I realised I hadn’t done a shit in 2 days. Sprinting to the toilets at the bottom of the chair I was able to reflect on what was possibly the best two days of snowboarding I have had in my entire life, that was almost ruined by a truly catastrophic shit.

Dead on your feet, you head into an onsen for a pre-bed soak. quietly, following the reverential example of the guests already inside, you ease your travel weary body into the seething pool and let the mineral rich water take the hurt out of you. as the steam pulls at your weary pores, surrounded by the hushed sounds of the other bathers and the trickling of the spring, you begin to wonder if you could be any more at peace. you won’t have to wonder for long though. because you are not the only Aussie in town.

The door bursts open, and in wanders Terry, Dale, Robbo and Baz. ChuHai’s in hand and on night one of a boiz trip. they steam straight past the frantic gesticulations and protestations of an elderly Japanese man

Words and photos courtesy of Ryan Backhouse.

Unable to bear the heat of the water or the heated glares of the locals any longer, you make a dash for your soggy clothes and the door. Several frantic sumimasen’s later and you find yourself stumbling out into the bracing chill of the Nagano night air. Picking your way home through winding streets that were here generations before the first chairlift, you find yourself assailed by a kind of weird guilt and heightened consciousness. Having left one roaming pack of dickheads from your homeland behind, you now can’t help but notice a thousand more.

Fur collar clad influencers take vapid selfies over the top of quiet worshippers at a thousand-year-old shrines, Sydney dads berate frustrated waiters at the doors of full restaurants whilst their kids scream themselves blue that they won’t eat anymore seaweed. Puffer vest wearing middle aged has-beens flash AMEX cards and creep on everything that moves. Teenage bong rats pinball gleefully between their parents accommodation and the street side beer vendies, dropping their ciggie butts in the street and wearing the vomit on their shoes like a medal of valour. Set against the still and tranquil backdrop of a Japanese mountain village and the exhaustively courteous, respectful nature of the people who live there, the entire scene unfolds before you like some kind of jarring cabaret where all the players have been copy pasted into the wrong scene.

Australia is a tadpole of a country, there are only 22 million of us on the whole arid rock, but for such a comparative minnow we travel so widely and so frequently that it’s virtually impossible to post up in a hostel anywhere and not hear someone streaming Double J. Why then, for such a well-travelled people, do we seem to feel this inescapable urge to go too far flung corners of the globe, and act like we’re at the fucking Brekky Creek hotel on Ekka race day? If the only point of packing our bags is to get absolutely fingered and piss in the street, or wolf down a burger with chips and gravy, why bother with a plane ticket? why not save yourself some cash, buy a bus ticket, head into town, and do it in a place where you can uber back to your bed via the Maccas drive through? At least then whoever is going to have to pick up your rubbish and clean up after your braindead antics already knows not to expect any better. H.

Billy Hayman By Jake Carthew

Matty Cox By Jake Carthew

HEY MOM PREMIERE STILL COMING..

B E A C H B U R R I TO J I N DA B Y N E 02/07/2021

@mommasb0ys

Jarryd Sinclair By Sam Purdie

Winter of a Lifetime It was clear it was not going to be normal winter in Hakuba. For many business owners the forecast looked grim.

With no international travellers there would be little to no business. For the workers, the fortunate few able to return, a winter of a lifetime lay ahead. A throwback to the early winters, before the word of of epic Japanese powder spread around the globe, almost as fast as Covid did.

Pay cuts across the board but a small price to pay for the rewards on offer. Spiritually rich but financially fucked.

Nothing new for those chasing the endless winter and the white dragon.

The previous winter the snow had not come to the party. Classic J-Pow days where few and far between. It may have been the product of a rampant rumour mill, but apparently it was the lowest snowfall in Japan’s recorded history. In winter 2021 the crowds could not return but the powder did. The storm cycles started in mid December and kept coming. Cold, wintery storms unloading one after the other. Quickly we had a base and the famous tree riding zones filled in fast. Between the storms the backcountry awaited minus the hordes of European visitors and the requisite fluorescent outerwear. Powder for the people, it was well and truly game on and the fortunate few were frothing!

“Get up, we’re all booking tickets!”

“What?”

“The shop’s shutting, we’re booking flights and we’re getting out of here.”

“Shit!”

I stumbled from bed and rubbed last night’s cheap Lawson red from the eyes. Fired up the laptop and booked my flight home. Hakuba winter 2020 was over!

Early whisperings of Covid were dismissed. It’s not a big deal, it’ll be over in a few weeks. If ignorance was bliss we were happy mother fuckers… it wouldn’t last. Checking the daily stats it quickly became clear it was big deal. Nervously we watched as Covid cases increased worldwide.

It was escalating in Oz but under control in Japan. Probably a philosophy of don’t ask, don’t tell and a case of Japanese shame. You have bought dishonour to your family.

Seemed a little crazy leaving the safety of the Haku-bubble as the pandemic picked up momentum at home. However there’s a certain sense of security being in your country of birth during a global crisis.

Quarantine, lockdown, a cancelled domestic winter and another lockdown… possibly Australia and in particular Victoria was a poor choice. Being on Sco-mos sports team was good but it wouldn’t last forever. Fortunately there was light at the end of the tunnel and it wasn’t a train coming the other way. Despite the likely lack of international travellers essential workers were being allowed back into Japan. A small cog in a mighty machine, being considered an essential worker was a bit of a stretch. Regardless my visa was still valid and with a contract of employment it was surprisingly easy to get a travel permit out of Australia, and a re-entry permit for Japan. Another quarantine required but a small price to pay for the potentially high return on investment.

Unrelenting snow and almost empty lifts. The perfect storm. On the rare occasion there were lift queues they were all familiar faces. In a normal winter, most would squeeze in riding around the daily grind of servicing the guest. We need customers to pay the bills, but quietly… or not so quietly bemoan the interference of the hunt for white powdery goodness. This paradox was out the window. Finally the opportunity to ride with crew you always knew, but could not normally find the shared time off to shred with. Obligation and commitment free, financial concerns would have to wait. No point fighting what you can’t change. Shoga nai as they say in Japan… acceptance of ones fate. Sou desu ne!

As always the storms eased earlier than we would have liked. Greedy brats we hungered for more, but the reality was we had been spoilt rotten. Some sun on the face and spring slush sliding was all that was left to wrap up the winter that was. With Covid concerns still high and a piss poor vaccination roll out in Oz another quarantine loomed, this time with a hefty fee. Hoping things would change the decision to return was delayed but inevitably the bullet was bit and the trigger was pulled. Who knows what lays ahead for winter 2022? With international travel still looking unlikely we may see a repeat of the winter of a lifetime. Would I do it again… fuck yes!

Thomo.

Words And Photos Courtesy Of Andrew Thomson

Ashlin

BENJAMIN

Ben my friend its been so damn long, where are you and why hasn’t anyone been able to witness you boarding on home snow lately?

-Living in Canada at the moment. I’d love to be back on Aussie snow and come back for a visit but the whole Covid thing really makes that tricky and expensive. So for now just trying to set up life over here. It can be pretty cool here, this morning I saw two bears fighting on the golf course (see pic) Haha, I love how cute and goofy bears go about their day. At least you’re in the right hemisphere when it comes to winters.

-Yep, way longer season over here. Well, that is when they don’t shut the mountain at the start of spring. DIdn’t bother me as much this year as my season had already abruptly ended due to a wrist injury, so at least I don’t feel like I’m missing out as much.

I’ve seen you in pieces a fair few times, that collarbone of yours a few years ago at Thredbo was jagged. Care to share your favourite injury?

-Haha favourite… the collarbone was the easiest. My favourite I guess would be doing my ACL because it forced me to live a healthier lifestyle. I need to keep the strength in that leg now otherwise there’s just no way I’d be snowboarding.

So you would hit the gym at 4.30am everyday if I remember correct?

-Yep and then go to work bricklaying.

Sounds like a good way to stay fit in the off season.

-The whack thing was getting up that early to go to the gym, and then be stuck in traffic, on the way to a full gym. It was crazy to see how many regular earth people were getting up that early to hit the gym before work. And now I was one them.

You back to 100 now or are there any tricks that just don’t feel safe?

-The twist and pop in the leg of a front lip pretzel is something I don’t do anymore. That and just flat landing in general.

Tranny finding is cooler than flat landing anyway.

- Unless you’re Ethan Morgan. Skip to 16 minutes into The Freeman Show In The Air Unaware on Youtube.

Yeah his knees are made of rubber! So no more front lip pretzel, I’d happily give up that trick if it meant I could pull all four rodeos. How does something like that come so easy to you?

-I definitely prefer flipping to spinning, growing up with a trampoline centre near my house probably helped.

But when we were teaching at Thredbo, Andre Bergamaschi and I decided to try learn all 8 flips. I think the only one I didn’t get was switch tamedog.

So without skating or surfing influencing you, when did stunts on a snowboard start to become a regular thing?

-After a couple of trips here and there it wasn’t until I was doing my first full season in NZ when I was 20 that I realised, alright, how am I going to keep snowboarding as much as I can all year. That’s when the progression started.

So how did you decide to keep snowboarding as much as you could all year?

-Well I decided to become an instructor, work, snowboard, that sounds sick right…

Ah yes, instructing.

-Ah yes.

We’re going to be way more interested in what you’re doing now rather than any semi fascinating instructing tales you have. So what’s fresh?

This year we wanted to make series showcasing our friends and I riding in Canada called Mediorca. It’s so fun because everyone here rips. Other than that I think I’m going the Whistler Frolf league, and taking heaps of photos.

MASTERSON

I’ve seen a couple of those and I tell you what, they make me want to ride. Well done! I have a funny memory of you riding around in Japan with a mini umbrella for your camera to shoot while it was puking. Photography still keeping you sane?

Yeah I love photography in general but when it coincides with snowboarding that’s when it’s on. Having a bunch of talented friends to shoot really helps.

You’ve been all around the world now and I think I know what you’re going to say but where is the ultimate place to ride?

-Japan would be favourite country to travel to but the riding always is best wherever the homies are.

Yeah I know most of your trips have been to Japan, you speak it, read it, eat it… You’re kinda half Japanese in my eyes. Has living in Canada slowed down your Nihongo?

-Nah I still study it and try to stay on top of what I already know.

Keeping up with that anime as well? Maybe shoot the readers your highly recommended.

Favourite anime I’m into at the moment is ‘Jujustu Kaisen’. And it’s hard to choose an all time favourite but ill say ‘One Punch Man’. Definitely give those a watch or ten.

V

CARY

Whats the best Japanese sentence?

-Kimmi chou kiwaii desu Beautiful, this lifestyle can add up $$$. After so many hours put in it’s good to see people like yourself getting helped out. Sponno shouts?

Yeah so appreciative. Basic Supply Co., Field Snow, Twelve Boardstore, Airblaster, and everything under my knees has been Rome.

SNOWBOARDS

OMNI

Finish it off mate.

All in all it’s the appreciation I have for the snowboard industry that keeps me doing it. I want to be part of it for while. After the most recent wrist injury I had a gofundme set up because it left me in a bunch of debt.

Seeing the crazy amount of support from that was really special. It makes me want to stay in this industry, it makes me want to stay fit to ride, take photos of friends and just keep it going.

POGSON

Words By Ashlin Coyne Photos Courtesy Of Ben. M You may have seen the Brand ‘Omni Boards’ floating around before. They became a large name in Aussie skateboarding during the 80’s and 90’s. But before they made their mark in the skate world, they were making surfboards and even snowboards.

Carey Pogson is the man behind the brand. A genuinely modest man who has dedicated his whole life to perfecting the production of boards of all types. Hence the name ‘Omni’. It’s one things to make your own brand and produce your own product but Carey is an absolute engineering freak and has built his own production line from scratch. Everything from the board presses (yes multiple) to the machine that puts graphics on to boards.

When I went to meet with Carey in his home factory, he was waiting for me with a board base, resin and ply, for a snowboard to be assembled and pressed right in front of me. He showed me around the shed and talked about each machine he built and it’s place in the production process. I felt like a little kid in a toy store!

JAKE; Omni started making skateboards around ’87?

CAREY; Yeah officially. I mean I was making surfboards from around 1974 and in 1978 I actually registered Omni Surfboards Australia as a business name.

JAKE; Tell us how and when you started making snowboards?

CAREY; Ahhh, well I guess being a surfer and skater. But, I started seeing Winterstick’s in the early 80’s and sort really liked the idea of surfing the snow. So yeah, I just really wanted to make some snowboards (laughs). I got the chance to do so in 86’ when I got a bit of money from a back injury compensation and that’s when I went “that’s it, I’m going to make ‘em”.

One of Cary’s first moulds in 1988.

vTt

Cary Pogson and Geoff Sawyer at the Homesbush Ski show in 1986.

Cary giving a snowboarding demo at Homebush.

SNOWBOARDS

SNOWBOARDS

JAKE; You learnt how to snowboard with the Australian Team in America?

CAREY; Yeah well we were the Australian Team! (laughs). Nah, we went to Kashmir first and went on this little chair lift and learnt how to ride on the small trail there. And well, Geoff Sawyer was the only one who could actually snowboard, he’d come over and show us a little bit of stuff. But they were filming a proper movie over there for the Indian tourist bureau ‘Ski hire, Ski Himalayas’. We were there for about four weeks and after around 2 weeks we sort of caught up and got good enough to do some tree runs with Geoff.

JAKE; You can make and pretty much have made any type of board out there, what else have you done in your spare time?

CAREY; Ah well, I’ve got into photography a lot. Built my own camera. Done a lot of hiking and taken a lot of landscape shots.

JAKE; You were some what a large part of why snowboarding is allowed in Australia today?

CAREY; Well, I was just Geoff Sawyer’s helper. So Geoff is the guy. I Honestly don’t want to claim any credit for that at all. Geoff was the guiding force behind it. I was there in the early days and saw what happened and helped with whatever was needed but Geoff was the man!

JAKE; Do you have anything/ anyone in particular that you draw inspiration from?

CAREY; I don’t really have one hero or anything but what’s really driving me here, is making a good product. I really like to see people doing well on my boards you know, maybe they win some comps or something and it’s like “man, I made that thing and he’s ripping”. To make a high quality item that’s helped them get to that level, It’s like “woah, cool man!”. So that’s what’s driving me at the moment, making a high quality product that people can excel on.

JAKE; What was the response like when you guys came back from the U.S, trying to make snowboarding happen in Australia?

CAREY; It still wasn’t allowed on the lifts then. It wasn’t classed as a controllable ski device and that was the whole mission, to get it classed as controllable. We had a store at the Homebush ski show and our store was twenty deep of people after every demo we did. The demand was there.

JAKE; Are you going to find much time strapped in this coming season?

CAREY; I’d like to but honestly, I don’t like the busy crowds. I’ll probably just wonder off into the bush and do some backcountry more so.

JAKE; So you can claim that you competed in Australia’s first snowboard competition..?

CAREY; Yeah I did (laughs). I got equal second in the half pipe. I thought I did pretty good because that first run I did in the half pipe, was actually my first time in a half pipe! I got third in the duel slalom. That was on a board that I made actually. And I got fourth in the giant slalom. That competition was all at Guthega.

JAKE; I remember seeing Omni Boards when I was a kid. It was a massive part of the scene when I was a grommy. How did it feel to be a huge brand in Australian skateboarding?

CAREY; I think a lot of people thought I was some mega factory and had all this money. If only they come around and looked at my factory or the piece of shit car I’m driving. Their dreams would be shattered (laughs). I probably didn’t see a lot of it though, because I was head down ass up making boards in the factory.

I mean, it was good, we had a great team and sponsored a lot of riders. I got a lot of feedback and emails from kids but I didn’t feel like I was a massive brand.

JAKE; And now it’s thirty years later and you’ve started to press snowboards boards again?

CAREY; Yep. I made some boards back in the early 80’s but it never really took off for me. It’s something I’ve always really wanted to do and I just haven’t had the time or the money to do it.

JAKE; Am I going crazy or did Omni have shoes back in the day?

CAREY; Well there was but they weren’t mine. A guy I went to school with got into the shoe industry. He came to me with a couple prototypes and said ‘Payless Shoes’ wanted to do a deal with Omni. I just got some royalties from it. It was fuck all really. But yeah, there were Omni shoes. I had no real say it all though. vT

JAKE; Where are you hoping to see Omni go now?

CAREY; I really want to get the name out there again and start getting some good product out in the world. For the snowboard side of things, it’s kind of unfinished business. I just want to make a high quality product and I’d like to see it take off and hopefully put some more money behind me (laughs).

JAKE; Thanks for the chat Carey, keen to ride one!

CAREY; No worries, Jake. My pleasure.

Gibbo, Geoff, Cary (‘the Australian snowboard team’) India 1986.

Check his insta for updates @omni_snowboards

Busetti’s Season Guide For Beginners..

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Choose Your Job Wisely;

Consider not working for the mountain: I’m not gonna pull a Stuzz and talk shit on lifties or mountain staff, but although it seems like the perfect option to work the mountain with benefits such as a free pass and staff accommodation, many of the jobs available are full-time and during the day. So, if you are trying to ride as much as possible, think about working nights at a restaurant or bar instead.

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Look After Yourself;

Look after your body: Doing a full seasonng commitment, especially for your body. Make sure you are eating the right foods, stretching before riding and taking rest days when your body needs it. Your mental health is just as important, so take the time to take care of yourself, talk to your mates if you need to, and check-in on them to make sure they’re doing well too.

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Enjoy The Moment;

Don’t talk about how good Japan/Canada is: If you have been fortunate enough to live in/visit one of these amazing places, don’t go on about it all the time. Too many people spend their Aussie season dreaming of neck deep Japan pow days or $80 bags. So, if you find yourself in the Aussie high country this season, enjoy the moment for what it is.

Designed and tested in Australia’s Snowy Mountains.

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www.fieldsnow.com

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AUSTRALIA'S LARGEST ONLINE SNOWBOARD STORE

Go For It;

MELBOURNESNOWBOARD.COM.AU

Go for it: This mainly applies to those getting after it in the park, don’t be afraid to go for it! I know it can be scary or intimidating at times, but I guarantee you’ll be kicking yourself at the end of the season if you don’t give it a crack. Just don’t snake.

5

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Be Nice;

Be nice: You never know who you’re going to run into down the track, so it pays to get to know the people around you. There’s great potential to meet some amazing friends that you will share some of your best memories with.

Bear this in mind when you’re on the hill or at the pub.

B

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