Method 16.1

D:

G Y

16.1

O G

A

METHOD16.1_ADS DPS FRONT.indd 13

10/09/15 15:03 10.09.2015 18:22

METHOD16.1_ADS DPS FRONT.indd 2

10.09.2015 18:23

METHOD16.1_ADS DPS FRONT.indd 3

02.09.2015 17:25

METHOD16.1_ADS DPS FRONT.indd 4

02.09.2015 17:25

METHOD16.1_ADS DPS FRONT.indd 5

02.09.2015 17:25

photo: Dominic Zimmermann

METHOD16.1_ADS DPS FRONT.indd 6

05.09.2015 16:16

Tor Lundstrom

When Tor isn’t popping bottles in the VIP, or travelling the world filming for his acclaimed web series “BYNDxMDLS”, he’s stomping triple corks at Air & Style on The Jam 156 or Boss 154.

portrait: Lucas Nilsson

METHOD16.1_ADS DPS FRONT.indd 7

05.09.2015 16:17

TRAVIS RICE \ TREBOUX PHOTO F E AT U R I N G : A N T I - D R AG & ASYMMETRICAL OUTSOLE TECHNOLOGY

DCSHOES.COM DC_16WI_TRICE_PRINT_320x225+3.indd 1 METHOD16.1_ADS DPS FRONT.indd 8

02.09.2015 17:27

THE

TRAVIS RICE

ENDLESS LINES

METHOD16.1_ADS DPS FRONT.indd 9

20/08/15 15:26 02.09.2015 17:27

THE EXHIBITION JACKET

TRAVIS RICE APPROVED

METHOD16.1_ADS DPS FRONT.indd 10

05.09.2015 16:12

METHOD16.1_ADS DPS FRONT.indd 11

05.09.2015 16:12

GLOW IN THE DARK Turn off the lights and discover our new glow in the dark binding parts.

Design your own at switchbackbindings.com

1516_DPS_320x225_Method_2015_08_13.indd 12-13 METHOD16.1_ADS DPS FRONT.indd 12

10.09.2015 15:45

METHOD16.1_ADS DPS FRONT.indd 13

02.09.2015 17:39

16.1 HELL-O

014

METHOD16.1_HELLO_NICO.indd 14

01.09.2015 20:24

photo DOMINIC ZIMMERMANN trick BALLS DEEP

METHOD16.1_HELLO_NICO.indd 15

02.09.2015 18:40

16.1 HELL-O

016

METHOD16.1_HELLO_DANIMALS.indd 16

01.09.2015 20:29

photo PERLY trick FS BLUNT

METHOD16.1_HELLO_DANIMALS.indd 17

02.09.2015 18:39

16.1

EDITOR: Mike Goodwin michael@methodmag.com SENIOR EDITOR: Chris McAlpine chriso@methodmag.com SENIOR EDITOR: Lukas Lengle klaus@methodmag.com

EDITORIAL

LET IT ROLL, FOOLS...

You want to rock that shitty haircut? Do your thing, rock that shitty haircut...

Greetings, rippers of the world! Welcome to our 16th volume of Method Mag. You hold between your devious little fingers an exceptional issue, both in content and in distribution, as this issue will be our first that’s properly distributed in North America. The wonderful, horrible, and omnipresent Internet has truly made the snowboard world a global community and it’s high time for a print publication that reflects this shift.

ART DIRECTOR: Maciej Jerzy Walenty Przezak PWEE3000.com FRENCH EDITOR: Julien Mounier PHOTO: DARCY BACHA

mean that whatever it is you choose to do will be shared or published, or is worthy of such, but again, who cares. No motive should trump your quest for good times.

STORY

COVER

There is a lot of chatter among riders and in snow media about what riders or brands should or shouldn’t do and what’s core and what’s not core, and it seems to simply produce more whiny, self-absorbed “snowboarders,” spreading negativity.

If you don’t like something, don’t do it.

We are honored to include in this issue an If you don’t like a certain crowd, don’t interview with legendary skateboarder, join ‘em. You don’t need to bash them on lifelong snowboarder, and one of our your girl’s Twitter account or your crew’s favorite wildcards, Lizard King. Part of a hot blog. Do your own thing and let that dwindling breed, Lizard is a guy who does stand as yourstatement. It’s a trite and not shy away from honesty, and sure as simple concept but one that is apparently hell isn’t interested in shaping a persona difficult to grasp. Divisiveness, both in the to garner the approval of the masses. “I’d world in general, and within go kayak with a dildo in my mouth if I snowboarding is at an all-time high, and thought it was cool,” he says, speaking this click-y, school-girl pettiness serves no to an idea that is often discussed but means other than to dilute and weaken less frequently acted upon: Do whatever what should be a tight-knit group. the hell you like. Do it with tenacity, and snowboard without a care for the apSnowboarding has long been an outlet for proval of others. It’s a tenet that many of individual expression. Keep it that way. A our readers already embody (and we love common bond binds us, but it is our ya for it!) but one we feel is worth differences that make this realm exciting. reiterating above the static stream of judgment and almightiness that seems Cheers, to be so in vogue. That doesn’t necessarily - The Mooseman

The day started super mellow as I followed the steps of the Absinthe crew hiking above the tiny-ass resort of Pragelato, Italy. You pay five euros to get on top of a mountain.

No slopes, just paradise. We found a first wind-lip that we sessioned for fun with the cameramen, and later, this one, which was

018

METHOD16.1 EDITORIAL.indd 18

much more proper. Keegan Valaika, Austen Sweetin and Yusaku Horii sessioned it like true men. No shaping, full speed into a single track. I couldn’t believe how far and high they were going. It took them a few tries to handle the landing, but man, it was truly a unique moment of epicness.

Keegan’s style and pop was insane on this BS 7, with a touch of Japan tweak. I love you.

- Jerome Tanon Camera: Nikon F5 Lens: Old Nikon 70-210mm f.4.5 Film: Rollei Retro 400s / B&W Aperture: Probably around f.8 Shutter Speed: 1/1000s ISO: 400 Rider: Keegan Valaika Trick: Backside 720 Japan Spot: Pragelato, Italy Date: Mid-March

WEB WIZARD: Klaus Lotto METHOD TV: Kristofer Fahlgren THE APPRENTICE: Oscar Ladd CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Ryan Anderson, Wojtek Antonów, Darcy Bacha, Kyle Beckmann, Daniel Bernstål, Carlos Blanchard, Ian Boll, Bud Fawcett, Logan Guerry, Jussi Grznar, Teemu Heljo, Erik Hoffman, Erin Hogue, Peter König, Cole Martin, Cyril Müller, Marc O’Malley, Dasha Nosova, Julien “Perly” Petry, Bob Plumb, Philipp Ruggli, Tim Schiphorst, Jérôme Tanon, Daniel Tengs, Sermier Thierry, Rafal Wielgus, Rudi Wyhlidal, Mike Yoshida, Dominic Zimmermann CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Carlos Blanchard, Keenan Cawley, Bud Fawcett, Marko Grilc, Pat Harrington, Len Roald Jørgensen, Danny Larsen, Julien “Perly” Petry, Ryan Scardigli, Tim Schiphorst

PUBLISHER: Method Media Ltd CEO: Chris McAlpine CTO: Steve Dowle FINANCE DIRECTOR: Steve Dowle ADVERTISING: Chris McAlpine chriso@methodmag.com Skype: chrisomcalpine +46 729 338 556 Distribution: Steve Dowle steve@methodmag.com PRINTERS: AJSP printing services Vilnius, Lithuania DISTRIBUTION: Spatial Global Ltd Spatial House Willow Farm Business Park Castle Donington Derby – DE74 2TW United Kingdom -----------------------------------------------------METHOD MEDIA LTD Regency House 2 Wood Street – Queen Square Bath – BA1 2JQ Tel: +44 (0)871-218-2268 Copyright 2014 Method Media Ltd. No liability is accepted for the accuracy of the information contained herein, nor are any guarantees given by the magazine.

Copyright worldwide of original material is held by Method Media Ltd and permission must be obtained for any use, transmission, storage or reproduction.

Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily shared by the publisher.

Method Media Ltd assumes no responsibility for the loss or damage of unsolicited material. Thanks for choosing Method Mag. We sure hope you like it!

06.09.2015 20:05

160x225

METHOD16.1 EDITORIAL.indd 19 1 160x225_NIXON_RANGER-40.indd

02.09.2015 11:02 21:15 23/07/2015

METHOD16.1_ADS 20.indd 20 NITR0-GOODTIMES-AD-Method.indd 1

02.09.2015 17:30

METHOD16.1_ADS 20.indd 21

02.09.2015 17:30 18.08.15 08:43

16.1 REVENGE OF THE BONER

SEASON 16

The bone bash never stops and Brandon Reis starts this volume off, taking the nose on this maxed-method toward six o’clock territory while in Boston working on the new Think Thank flick, Methods of Prediction.

EPISODE 01

P h o t o : M i k e Yo s h i da

022

METHOD16.1_WHATEVER_REVENGEOFTHEBONER.indd 22

01.09.2015 20:33

RECRUITING NOW. DEATH BEFORE BOREDOM

PURVEYORS OF THE WILD LIFE WWW.CAPiTASNOWBOARDING.COM

METHOD16.1_WHATEVER_REVENGEOFTHEBONER.indd 23

01.09.2015 20:34

16.1

5 reasons to rock all white - To look very dapper - It’s less hot in the sun - Dirty white threads build up the street credit - To be different than everyone wearing all black - For any special occasion, or any occasion at all

FIVE THINGS

5 artists Mocha Boys would want to go on tour with - Cam’ron - Future - Biebs - Blink-182 - Drake 5 ways to become a Space Case - Smoke peyote - Hangout with Forest Bailey - Turn off your phone - Daydream - Ride the Gnu Space Case!

5 influences on your style, snowboarding or otherwise - People with their own unique style in life - Alex Olson - Skateboarding/surfing - Music - Artistic people 5 ways to keep riding loose - Stiff boots, soft boards - Go fast, take chances - Listen to music - Don’t plan your tricks until you’re leaving the lip - Toss a couple back

5 things people should know about Bproddi productions - It’s a super high production company - We just hit a million dollars in revenue - Currently looking for a camera sponsorship - Watch “The Full Length” from 2014 (year in review) on Lick The Cat’s Vimeo - Look for “The Full Length 2” from 2015 (year in review) coming this January

024

5 people you’d love to have guest star in one of your episodes - Arianna Grande - Yoda - The Seinfeld cast - Emily Ratajkowski - E.T.

METHOD16.1_WHATEVER_FIVETHINGS_BLAKEPAUL.indd 24

5 top Karaoke song choices - “Wicked Game” by Chris Isaak (shouts to @shoeburt) - “Never Tear Us Apart” by INXS - “Say It Ain’ t So” by Weezer - “Please Take Me Home” by Blink-182 - “Covert Discretion” by Freeman 5 potential names for your first pro model deck - Bproddi - Life - Heart - The Cruiser - Love * Bproddi taking that smooth Jackson Hole-style to the Austrian BC with this diving board ollie PHOTO: CYRI L MÜ LLER

01.09.2015 20:37

P:Tim Zimmerman

NICOLAS MÜLLER / Riders Choice Gnu.com

METHOD16.1_WHATEVER_FIVETHINGS_BLAKEPAUL.indd 25

01.09.2015 20:37

16.1 CRUNCHING NUMBERS

His dad might out-party him, but it’s unlikely his dad can out-frontboard him P H O T O : R A FA Ł W I E L G U S

What is your net worth?...................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Number of strip clubs visited while in Montreal?..............................................................................................................................................................

Most money you’ve ever spent at a strip club?...................................................................................................................................................................

Times your sponsors told you to stop partying?.................................................................................................................................................................

Times you were scared shitless this year?................................................................................................................................................................................

Shirtless tricks landed for your new part?..............................................................................................................................................................................

How many instruments can you play?....................................................................................................................................................................................

Years since last haircut?...................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Longest tattoo session? ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................

How many kilograms do you put into a nosepress?........................................................................................................................................................

Number of times a bouncer has told you to walk the block?........................................................................................................................................

Nights you’ve been out-partied by your dad? ...................................................................................................................................................................

026

METHOD16.1_CRUNCHINGNUMBERS.indd 26

02.09.2015 20:14

FREDI KALBERMATTEN p: Tim Zimmermann

lib-tech.com

METHOD16.1_CRUNCHINGNUMBERS.indd 27

02.09.2015 20:15

16.1 LITTLE LABELS

Skateboard, snowboard, you name it. SK OG Radim Hovad fully rips. Back lip in frozen Warsaw P H O T O : WOJ T E K A N T O N ÓW

What is SK Posse and where are you currently based?

(PWEE3000) SK Posse is a clothing company and at the same time, a crew - a brainchild of the long-gone minds of my friends and I, and those who’ve tagged along for the trip, like Caroline Degardh, Gido Gfoellner and Radim Hovad. Started and run out of Krakow, Poland, Europe, Earth, Milky Way, Observable Universe.

Tell us a bit about the new product line. Was there a certain theme or idea you were chasing?

The products we make feature a mixture of the individual styles that our SK people bring to the table.

It’s a collection of different inspirations assembled under one aesthetic umbrella.

SK stands for “Straight Krukt,” right? What’s that about? And knowing your crew, what else could “SK” stand for?

Straight and crooked are opposites and we are bunch of them. Sobriety Konfronted, Sex Kinetics, Stoner Kult..

How is SK different than the loads of other apparel brands out there?

We never do restocks, so you better get that product while you can.

What does your motto, “Living Delusional,” mean?

I guess spending all your savings and dropping out of school to ride a plastic piece of shit on snow can look a bit delusional from a “normal” societal perspective.

If there were in fact a “Living Delusional” world tour and you could bring anyone in the world along with the crew - dead or alive - who would you pick?

Bobby Liebling, Vladimir Komarov, Biggie Smalls and Nikola Tesla. And JFK, why not?

What’s the snow and skate scene like in the Eastern Bloc?

Nobody makes a dime off of snowboarding or skateboarding, so it’s pure love.

SK credo…?

Bridges we burn, light your way.

SKPOSSE.COM @skposse

028

METHOD16.1_SKPOSSE.indd 28

01.09.2015 20:40

photo: Ryan Taylor

THE BRISSE 4 “Congratulations to Deeluxe on its twentieth anniversary. It’s been an incredible ride.“ DAN BRISSE [#deeluxesince1996]

DEELUXE.COM fb.com/DEELUXEBOOTS #DEELUXEBOOTS @DEELUXEBOOTS

METHOD16.1_SKPOSSE.indd 29

01.09.2015 20:40

16.1 PRODUCTION VALUES

* Johnny Brady, hand-drag front board in the Masshole Mecca P H O T O S :

IAN BOLL

A product of three influential North American lensmen - Jon Stark, Matt Roberge and Eli Olson - Rendered Useless is a DIY effort featuring an insane collection of rippers assembled from coast to coast. We caught up with Stark (you may know him from Working for the City, among other releases) for a quick Q &A volley on their new endeavor.

snowboard history while discovering cool, new places to snowboard around the state was nothing less than spectacular. The people and cities of Massachusetts are unique in every sense of the word. The fact that many of the riders in Rendered Useless are from Mass. made it that much more comfortable for everyone to kind of cruise and find their own line during the making of their video parts.

What is Rendered Useless? While we are at it, what’s Chikenmeat?

(Jon Stark - Producer, filmer) Rendered Useless is a Mike Ravelson brainchild - a state of mind developed from our environment and past experiences. Chikenmeat is the idea that just going out and filming with your friends should be the bottom-line and nothing should really trump that.

What cameras were used for this film?

We filmed with Panasonics: HPX170, HVX200, AF100 and a HMC150. We also filmed some Super 8 with a Nizo 86S, a Canon 814 and Eli’s shitty Bell and Howell.

You once said that “the whole basis for Chikenmeat is no expectations.” Is this still a guiding principle?

Always and forever. We built Rendered Useless on the principle of not creating high expectations for any situation.

Is Chikenmeat, the best meat?

Duh. Were any animals harmed in the making of this film?

Yeah. Vin killed two chickens but we ate them both. Sorry, PETA! Most useless person in the crew?

Everyone, including myself. We are all equally disturbed and unmotivated… Blame the Internet.

What was it like spending so much time in Boston?

Rumor has it you stayed at Cole Navin’s parents’ house for over a month?

Yeah, and I thank Amy and Chris Navin immensely for showing patience with us during that time. In total we spent 70 days in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. We had a few crews out filming on most days. I’d say 65 percent of the movie was filmed in Massachusetts. I valued my time on the East Coast a lot. Learning the East Coast

How many miles of road did you guys cover?

Oh fuck. Too many, like usual. But I would say probably over 22,000.

Which song/album got the most play in the HCSC van you were traveling in?

Johnny Brady made a couple of mixes while in Canada that stayed in heavy rotation for a while, but that new Taylor Swift album is not too far behind. We could only play the radio and CDs in the van so we had to get creative at times.

Any van hookups worth mentioning? Or other worthwhile van-tales?

Seriously, pretty lackluster, other than pedestrians seeing the word “High Cascade” on the side and thinking it was some sort of weed-related vehicle.

How and when will Rendered Useless be released?

October 9 is the world premiere at Portsmouth Music Hall in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. On October 16 we’ll be in Duluth, Minnesota and we’re in SLC, Utah the following weekend. The movie will be available for purchase from our Big Cartel store (www.rendereduseless.bigcartel.com) and we will be selling hard and digital versions. Contact imrendereduseless@gmail.com for any further questions concerning international premiere dates and shipping.

030

METHOD16.1_PRODUCTIONVALUES.indd 30

06.09.2015 19:35

METHOD16.1_PRODUCTIONVALUES.indd 31

01.09.2015 20:49

16.1 POSSE PAGE

Mario Käppeli. Totally down For Asses and back 180s in the Arlberg PHOTO: RUDI WYHLIDAL

Where is TFA headquarters?

Brooklyn, Tyrol.

Any new recruits?

Yes, two members of the Zillertal Chapter transferred last season. Welcome, Tom Klocker and Mario Wanger!

Top prank a member has pulled?

Mario got into trouble with a member of our rival gang, Sane!, in Laax last year, where this guy Max G., aka M. Glatzl, literally pissed him off. The revenge prank involved Max crying, seeing his snowboard career destroyed and almost resulted in a big crew fight, but luckily, Mario revealed the truth and the prank just moments before shit broke loose.

Crew full of lovers, or crew full of fighters?

Spread love, it´s the Brooklyn way...

When can we expect a shipment of TFA’s latest product?

We’re all hurtin’ for a fix here. And does the new movie have a title yet?

We´ll start our premiere tour for Medium Raw on October 2 in Hintertux, stop by IBK on the 7th and go on to Kaunertal on the 9th. We´ll release our new baby into the endless depth of the Internet around the end of October.

PHOTO: PETER KÖNIG

Who are the O.G.s of TFA and what does the initiation process demand from prospects?

The inner TFA circle consists of four founding members: Ethan “Whiteboy” Morgan, Mario “Teint” Käppeli, Daniel “Dirty Sanchez” Diedrich and myself (Flo “Prince Charming” Corzelius). The initiation process is top secret, but you might be able to see some fools attempt a task or two at our premieres this year.

What would the crew be most likely deported for?

Nothing, to be honest. We´re all upright citizens who have great respect for our law.

Tits out for the boys!

First things first, TFA stands for…

Totally for asses.

Among TFA, who operates the sex ring, launders the money and executes the murders?

Mario is the porn dude, I´m in love with the cash and Ethan is a total killer on the road.

032

METHOD16.1_POSSE PAGE.indd 32

06.09.2015 19:33

Dennis Ylikangas

FELIX ENGSTRÖM BROTHERHOOD

METHOD16.1_POSSE PAGE.indd 33

02.09.2015 20:08

16.1 16.1 SHAPES OF SHRALP KLAUS’ CORNER

034 034

METHOD16.1_KLAUS CORNER.indd 34

R I D E R : AU S T I N S M I T H PHOTO: CYRI L MÜ LLER

02.09.2015 19:08

Photo: Chirs Wellhausen

RAKE ORTH WAVE CTOR E LE RUE

DRAKE NORTH WAVE VICTOR DE LE RUE @northwavedrake #rideyourway

Drake Team 161 Drake Reload Charcoal Binding Northwave Domain Grey boots

www.northwavesnow.com

METHOD16.1_KLAUS CORNER.indd 35

Check out the new TWS “ORIGINS” movie featuring the adventures of Victor De Le Rue

01.09.2015 20:46

16.1 HOLY SHIT

P h o t o : Da r c y Bac h a

This frontside boardslide from Justin Norman is a classic example of “Holy Shit!” At first glance, it seems as if this maniac is risking a four-story fall should he miscalculate his pop, and it takes a moment to realize that a trip over the rail would land him on that second deck.

Perspective can be a trippy thing, man…

036

METHOD16.1_HOLYSHIT.indd 36

01.09.2015 21:17

METHOD16.1_HOLYSHIT.indd 37

01.09.2015 21:18

PHOTO CRED: WELLHAUSEN, ZEITER, CASTON, SCHWARTZ

16.1 (F)ART PAGE

Christian Weber on the right side of the tracks P H O T O : S E R M I E R T H I E R RY

PAGE

E First of all, tell us how the EroOne Paradigme project got started?

(Sermier Thierry, photographer) In talking with Julien Roserens, filmmaker for EroOne and WhatWeWant films for a couple of years, he expressed how he wanted to do something other than just a video with rider’s parts. We decided to start this nice challenge - Paradigme - a documentary DVD that includes a book of photographs from the project.

With this project, we show our vision of a small snowboard crew in our Alps: le Valais! Much better than an Office of Tourism movie, Paradigme enables you, by following a Frenchspeaking Swiss snowboard crew, to travel the Valais Alps and it’s snowy mountain summits.

You’ve got a killer lineup of riders that many people might have never heard of? How did you go about this group of people?

That was the point of our project! It’s more and more difficult these days to be in a big movie production. If you don’t already have a big name and good sponsors who pay for you, nobody will see you even if u rock! As Paradigme shows, it’s all about the spirit, not the name. Julien compiled

R

O

O

a small crew of riders, some known, and others no so much, who come from backcountry, freeride or competition backgrounds and we mixed them all together.

Why a print book and not a web gallery? Didn’t you hear print is dead!

Ha, yes I’ve heard about that! Man, aren’t there enough web galleries?!

Honestly, I still don’t know if I’m crazy editing this book! I think in this digital world we have to try to do it differently. Today, everybody is a photographer. Everybody has 100,000 pictures on their computer without printing out any of them. Some magazines are produced only on the web, and the paper magazines are published maybe three to four times a year. I think that the digital will kill the digital… As a photographer, paper remains the best platform! For sure it is harder to make it happen: you need more money to print it, more energy to find a publishing house, and you won’t become rich from it. But at the end of the war, when you have the book in your hands, it’s a nice part of the story. Whatever the price, print won’t die!

N

E

How many pages is the book? Will there be any text included? If so, what language will it be in?

The book has 144 pages with some text taken from the riders’ interviews.

It will be in French and English.

What other guest artists or photographers have you invited along?

We asked a bunch of photographers to become part of the project but it was hard to have all of them, especially because of the busy season.

After all, I have the pleasure of welcoming Julien Perly, Tero Repo, Ahriel Povich and François Marlcay in the book. And to stay in the family, for the graphic design and layout, I asked Swiss artist Nicko Constantin to join in this adventure. www.nicko.ch When and where will Paradigme and the accompanying book be available for purchase?

If all goes well, everything will be available at the end of October in shops and online bookstores. Keep an eye on our website and MethodMag.com for the link! www.paradigme-le-doc.com

038

METHOD16.1_FART.indd 38

06.09.2015 19:42

LUCA KUPPELWIESER [ SNOWPARK L A A X ]

# M A D E W I T H L O V E F O R S N O W B O A R D I N G

METHOD16.1_FART.indd 39

02.09.2015 20:11

16.1

1969

1971

1994

1982

1989 1983

FLASHBACK

1965

1974

Captured in February of 1985 on Plus-X film, this picture of Shaun Palmer at Donner Ski Ranch was one of my first snowboarding images, my second published photograph, and inspired me to continue shooting. It was shot while riding with Shaun, Terry Kidwell, and Tom Sims, on a day that I made my first top-to-bottom powder run without falling.

WORDS AND PHOTO: Bud Fawcett

040

METHOD16.1_WHATEVER_FLASHBACK_SHAUNPALMER.indd 40

01.09.2015 20:52

PIC: FLORIAN JAEGER

SUBJECT: PARK OBJECT: SINA CANDRIAN

HOPE THE NEW WOMEN BOARDS WITH LIBRA ARCHITECTURE

COME RIDE WITH US. WWW.RIDEHEAD.COM METHOD16.1_WHATEVER_FLASHBACK_SHAUNPALMER.indd 41

01.09.2015 20:52

16.1 FRESH MEAT

16.1

P H O T O : L O G A N G U E R RY

FRESHMEAT

From where does your blood run?

I’m Cole Navin. I’m 19 years old and from Worcester, Massachusetts.

What gets your blood pumping?

Rap music? Or being with a good group of friends.

Blood on my hands…

Procrastination and my temper. I could work on those.

What’s in your blood?

I like cameras, music, skateboarding and clothing. Mostly anything that involves aesthetics.

If you were bleeding out, what would be your last mission?

To thank everybody I’d met... It was fun while it lasted?

Who are your blood brothers?

Eastern Boarder family. Rendered Useless crew. All the awesome people I’m lucky to call my friends.

Worst bloodshed?

Knee surgery was pretty bad.

What makes your blood run cold?

Conceitedness.

Got any bad blood?

Trying to remain neutral here. I definitely hate getting kicked out of spots.

Who keeps the blood flowing?

Thank you Ride Snowboards and Eastern Boarder. Those guys have done a lot for me.

Written in blood…

Have variety and act honestly.

* Rumor has it that Cole’s part in Rendered Useless is something else… Northeast represent!

AC T I O N P H O T O : M A R C O ’ M A L L E Y

042

METHOD16.1_FRESHMEAT_COLENAVIN.indd 42

01.09.2015 20:58

686_ME

@ 686

METHOD16.1_FRESHMEAT_COLENAVIN.indd 43 686_METHOD_MAG.indd 1

01.09.2015 20:55 8/17/15 3:14 PM

16.1

All that Cali time has been serving her well.

Mono-hoof pole jam at Les Deux Alps

FRESH MEAT

AC T I O N P H O T O : T I M S C H I P H O R S T

16.1

FRESHMEAT

From where does your blood run?

I’m Ivika Jürgenson and I’m 25 years old. It’s Estonian blood that runs through my veins but the lack of snow and flat landscape has pushed me to travel in search of better conditions for snowboarding. Lately I have been doing most of my boarding on the West Coast of the States.

What’s in your blood?

Try as I might, I really can’t think of anything to define me other than snowboarding and the traveling that comes with it. Seeing new sights and meeting new people is what makes it all worth it to me. As corny as it sounds, snowboarding is in my blood.

044

METHOD16.1_FRESHMEAT_IVIKA.indd 44

Who are your blood brothers?

Since I’m always traveling, I’m not snowboarding with any crew in particular. I’m not complaining, though. I’ve got friends at pretty much every destination I would want to go.

What gets your blood pumping?

First snowflakes of the season, fortune cookies and snowboarding with friends.

If you were bleeding out, what would be your last mission?

I would put a bandage on and book a flight to South America to go heliboarding in the Andes. On the flight there I would sip pisco and watch the newest episode of Family Guy. Worst bloodshed?

I have dislocated my elbows three times, but nothing bloody though (knocking on wood). I’m way too superstitious to talk about injuries.

What makes your blood run cold?

I’m terrified of sharks, maybe that’s the reason I started snowboarding.

What are the odds of meeting a shark on snow?

Blood on my hands…

I stole a snow shovel from a shop. I walked through the checkout counter carrying a bag of bananas and a shovel in my hands and ended up paying just for the bananas. #easterneuropeanblood Got any bad blood?

Well, what I’m really bummed on is that it used to snow a lot in Estonia but we haven’t had a decent winter in years.

Who keeps the blood flowing?

Huge thanks to my parents, Dinosaurs Will Die, Neff, Surfhouse shop and Postland.

Written in blood…

Fingers crossed for a snowy winter!

01.09.2015 21:00

P C &

slayer_2

PHOTOS: CALE MEYER & KIPP HINKLEY

AIRBLASTER S.LAYER & SIDE HIT SOCIETY MOVIE AVAILABLE THIS FALL

MYAIRBLASTER.COM @AIRBLASTER

METHOD16.1_FRESHMEAT_IVIKA.indd 45 slayer_2015_METHOD_MAG.indd 1

#SIDEHITSOCIETY #STAYWILD

01.09.2015 21:00 8/26/15 3:47 PM

16.1 FRESH MEAT

16.1

FRESHMEAT

From where does your blood run?

I’m Sebbe De Buck, 20 years old, from Antwerp, Belgium. I travel around the globe doing snowboard stunts.

If you were bleeding out, what would be your last mission?

Get one last track down the mountain’s untouched face.

Got any bad blood?

People who talk shit, people who tell you what to do and tell you to change your style!

What’s in your blood?

Snowboarding, skateboarding and surfing.

Worst bloodshed?

I’m fortunate to have been injury free so far. I’ve had multiple concussions over the years but nothing major and I’d like to keep it that way.

Who keeps the blood flowing?

DC gives me the essentials for my missions, Monster gives me the energy for the missions, Mini gets me to the missions, Anon supports my vision and Union keeps it all connected. Shout out to TwITS for being the sickest core shop and shout out to all the homies out there!

Shakabra!

Who are your blood brothers?

All the Belgian homies - Lorenzo Peeters, Seppe Smits and the rest of the gang. All the people who are pumped to be on the mountain and do stupid shit.

What gets your blood pumping?

Airtime, stunts, pow, slides, grinds, friends, tits and booty.

046

METHOD16.1_FRESHMEAT_SEBBEDEBUCK.indd 46

What makes your blood run cold?

Waiting to drop in, waiting for rails, waiting for jumps, waiting in lift lines - pretty much just waiting to ride. And snapping your boot laces.

Blood on my hands…

Not allowed to talk about it.

Written in blood…

Shred ‘til ya dead!

* Shred animal and bar hurricane – double threat guy. Back 180 in Meribel PHOTOS: CYRI L MÜ LLER

06.09.2015 19:47

METHOD16.1_FRESHMEAT_SEBBEDEBUCK.indd 47

05.09.2015 16:21

SHAPES OF SHRALP

PHOTOS: PH I LI PP RUGGLI

Severin Van der Meer proper planting in the park paradise that is Snowpark LAAX

Does progression in park design have to mean going higher, bigger and wider?

Not really. I mean, if you build parks for contests, that’s probably where it’s going. But everybody else doesn’t need the big jumps.

We try to make progression possible for beginners and mid-level boarders. I think we should integrate the park features more into the normal slopes, randomly building different freestyle elements all over the resort.

It’s great to see that LAAX is carrying on with the former BEO under the new name, LAAX Open. What happened with the Big B though?

When Burton finally decided they were not going to do the Burton Open anymore, it was a shock for LAAX. For us, that was a pretty important event in showing snowboarding to the mainstream audience. But we knew that the industry is struggling, even Burton. We still work together in other ways and the door is open to work together on another big project.

What can we expect from the LAAX Open?

It is going to be bigger. That means we have more prize money to get the best riders here. We want to have everybody here. Also, the side program is going to be bigger and hopefully we’ll have some riders going through the qualification and battling with the invited pros in the semis. We like that open format. Back in the day there were always riders who came through the qualifiers.

Roope Tonteri won once, I think. He was not even invited.

Many people are complaining that there’s no money in snowboarding to organize events. The LAAX Open seems to prove ‘em wrong?

Yeah, I think it is true. The industry is struggling and there is no money, so we help ourselves during this time. But we’re always looking for sponsors and partners. It is not that we want to do it alone - there is just no industry partner right now. We have a good infrastructure on the mountain, which we are building anyway, and that helps a lot. Building the superpipe and the slopestyle course are big-budget endeavors.

Do you think we need more challenging slopestyle set-ups that force riders to get creative and refrain from just spinning as fast as they can on the big kickers?

That’s a hard question. At the end of the day, the riders need good jumps to do their doubles and triples. They’re battling for a lot of money and points so they want to throw down their biggest tricks.

That’s just how it is. A lot of the time when you build something a bit different the riders don’t like it too much. Back in the day we had a few pipe hits in the slopestyle course. Not everybody liked that.

048

METHOD16.1_SHAPES OF SHRALP.indd 48

photo: m.lämmerhirt

16.1

Snowpark LAAX seems like a huge success in many ways.

What makes a good park and why don’t more resorts follow LAAX’s example?

(Roger Heid, Laax Freestyle Guru) First you need the backing of the resort to get things started. After that, I think the team is the key to building a good park - the shapers who shred, build the park and stay “true to this.” We have a long history and a strong background in the company. Without that background it’s hard to get the budgets you need to build a good park. I think there are also lots of resorts that invest their money in the wrong features.

Some resorts build a halfpipe and pro jumps but they don’t even have a proper beginner or medium park. That makes no sense.

06.09.2015 19:49

BLU

BERL BON BREG BREM ESSEN GRAZ HAM

Bringing

photo: m.lämmerhirt

BRINGING

SNOWBOARDING

TO YOUR DOORSTEP

BLUE TOMATO SHOPS | BLUE-TOMATO.COM/SHOPS BERLIN BONN BREGENZ NEW! BREMEN ESSEN GRAZ HAMBURG

INNSBRUCK COLOGNE LIENZ LINZ MUNICH MUNICH OUTLET OBERHAUSEN

OBERTAUERN ROSENHEIM SALZBURG SCHLADMING STUTTGART TRIER VILLACH

VIENNA NEUBAUGASSE VIENNA ROTENTURMSTR. VIENNA SCS WÖRGL NEW!

BringingSnowboardingtoyourDoorstep_160x225mm_3mm.indd 1 METHOD16.1_SHAPES OF SHRALP.indd 49

ORDER YOUR FREE BLUE TOMATO CATALOGUE NOW! blue-tomato.com/catalogue

f /bluetomato 14.08.15 21:12 17:22 01.09.2015

16.1

Welcome to our brand new column, “Full Zoom”, spawned because sometimes you just need a closer look. For our first installment we’ve got Canadian reality TV superstar and a heavy shred in his own right, Craig McMorris flexing that O-face in full camo on this boardslide to boardslide.

PHOTO: ERI N HOGU E

050

METHOD16.1_FULLZOOM.indd 50

02.09.2015 21:18

METHOD16.1_FULLZOOM.indd 51

02.09.2015 21:18

16.1 CONSEQUENTIAL

003

001

005

007

000

006 002

008

009

004

052

METHOD16.1_CONSEQUENTIAL.indd 52

02.09.2015 19:56

* This one’s got all the makings of disaster - full commitment, fully blind… Forest handles it with ease S E Q U E N C E : M I K E YO S H I DA

METHOD16.1_CONSEQUENTIAL.indd 53

02.09.2015 19:58

16.1 RADAR

054

16.1 RADAR.indd 54

01.09.2015 21:19

16.1 RADAR.indd 55

- Danny Larsen

Eirik is the type of person you know is a genius, but at the same time, you can’t really pinpoint why. The boring thing to say would be that he’s amazingly talented and stylish, but I’d rather bring out his golden locks, fascination for small, goofy motorcycles and that he tends to visit the theatre (the actual kind). I feel like he’s a young Mozart who discovered Pokémon instead of the piano.

- Len Roald Jørgensen

Let me look through this old fanny pack called a brain and check if there’s anything filed under Eirik Nesse... Loading, loading, loading. When snow is covering stairs, a shovel Nesse is holding.

Bare hands and without a beanie, at every spot he’s a genie. King, karate, Kool-Aid, killa - Young Neezy always brings the vanilla.

RADAR

* Always keep that mind mashing... Young Mozart with a fresh take on a classic Swedish spot PHOTO: TIM SCH I PHORST

01.09.2015 21:20

16.1 RORSCHACH

How are you preparing for the Sexual Snowboarding movie tour this fall?

I’ve been partying so much. Just warming up my body.

Are you nervous for tour? Are girlfriends allowed to come?

I’m pretty nervous, actually. There will be some serious X-rated shit going down. And of course, NO girlfriends!

Is it true that you know more untouched spots in Stockholm than anyone?

Ha, probably! When I was younger I even made a spot book with all the spots we had found up to that time.

But these days, Mr. Jonathan Lindhe and I have so many between us that not even our phones and computers can help us remember them all. The only problem with many of the spots here is the snow. We’ve had a few really bad winters, so we haven’t been able to hit most of the new spots we’ve found.

You’ve had some injuries over the past couple seasons.

How do you deal with that shit and were you able to stay injury-free this last season?

I’ve had injuries the last three seasons and it has been rough - so fucking boring. I’ve been doing so much physio, you wouldn’t even believe it. But I healed up just in time for last year’s Frontline Rail Jam and I’ve been injury-free ever since. The trick was going all in on the physio and then biking as much as possible. I rode almost 90 km a day September through mid-December. #FitnessFelix, yo.

We heard your dad is in a biker gang? What gang is it and why are you not in it?

Where did you get all this information from? But yeah, he is! The coolest gang there is, too. The name is BALLS Choppers MC. They have a ballsack with a helmet as their logo. Legit. I guess I’m not in it because I don’t have

the same passion for bikes as the rest of the gang. Also, everyone in the gang is around 50 years old now. They wouldn’t be able to keep up, ha! But I pretty much grew up in their clubhouse and I had some of the most insane birthday parties ever there as a kid. I consider myself a part of the family.

Do you own any motorcycles? What bike would you love to have?

Not any more. I had an MX when I was younger but it always broke down and I got tired of it so I sold it a few years ago. If I had one today, it would probably be something like my dad’s old one - a Harley from like ’88 with the longest front fork and insanely high handlebars. It kind of sounds like a monster truck. I would just keep it real.

How many New Era hats do you own and how much money do you think you’ve spent on hats over the years?

I counted them not too long ago and at that time there were 95. I have since given some away so I don’t really know any more… Maybe 80? I don’t think I’ve spent more than 80€ max on hats in the last 10 years. I had a nice little hook-up from New Era Sweden, so that’s the reason for the insane collection.

You’ve spent a lot of time ripping with Jonte Lindhe.

Got a good road story for us?

Where do I even begin? There are so many. The first story that comes to mind is when we drove down to ISPO with Kareem El Rafie, Leo Crawford and Mikael Norman.

Jonathan and I didn’t have driver’s licenses so we started drinking on the boat between Denmark and Germany. We bought a bottle of vodka to share, just to start out mellow. By the time we got off the boat, Jonathan was wasted. Total black out. We drove for a few hours and when we ran out of drinks, we stole Leo’s beers

056

METHOD16.1_RORSACH_FELIX.indd 56

01.09.2015 21:25

figuring he wouldn’t need them because he was driving.

We stopped at Burger King somewhere along the way and Jonathan jumps out, runs in, cuts the whole line and starts ordering in Swedish, not realizing he’s not in Sweden any more. He gets super frustrated when the cashier doesn’t know what he’s saying, so I had to drag him to a table, order food for us and hand it to him. He takes his drink, leans back while drinking and falls off the chair, pouring the drink all over the floor. He then crawls around and gets up, saying to me, “Felix, god damn it! I lost my burger!” I laughed so much and handed him his burger.

Before we got back in the car, we bought more drinks and Jonathan tried to pay for them with his Swedish bus pass (still only speaking Swedish). Obviously, it wouldn’t work, but he tries and tries. He yells to me that the cashier doesn’t want him to pay and asks if he should just take the drink and go? I tell him no and we pay with actual money, jump in the car and continue the party. The rest is another story. Jonathan doesn’t remember anything from the boat to when we got to Munich.

You used to live close to one of Sweden’s best rappers, Näääk? Did you guys do all sorts of gangster shit together?

Yeah! Actually, I lived near his crew’s studio - Näääk and the Safe House studio. I used one of his songs in a part a few years back. And yeah, you know it! Keeping it real, straight outta Årsta! 120-style.

Do you rap? What would your stage name be and what kind of shit would you rap about?

I took some honest tries at writing lyrics as a kid. It didn’t turn out well at all so I gave it up. But I did a few really cool lip sync performances in school to famous Swedish rap songs and to Bomfunk MC’s “Freestyler”.

What’s the worst job you’ve worked to support your snowboarding?

Probably a summer job in telecom. I sold electronic toothbrushes. My job was to call people and ask them if they wanted to compete in this super easy competition where the prize was a “free” top-rated electronic toothbrush (which was shit). All they had to do was answer three really simple questions and the brush was theirs.

Even if they didn’t get all the questions right, they still won the toothbrush. The thing was, in order to actually get the toothbrush, they needed to sign up for refill-packs that cost 20€ every third month. We said that it was super easy to cancel the whole deal, but in reality it was a struggle. It was all just a big scam and I felt so bad for working there that I quit after a month. Never again.

What brands are hooking you up these days?

Lobster Snowboards, Neff, SP and Dragon.

Last words?

SKRL1

Big man, big kink, and big-time BALLS Choppers recruit?! Lengthy BS 5050 in Stockholm P H O T O S :

METHOD16.1_RORSACH_FELIX.indd 57

DA N I E L B E R N S T Å L

01.09.2015 21:25

16.1 RORSCHACH

How did you get involved with Videograss and what should we expect in this new film?

I kind of just fell into it mid-season. Colton Feldman hit me up saying that him, Tommy Gesme, Mark Wilson and Derrek Lever were coming up to Canada and that we should meet up. It was funny because an hour before I got that text my homie Dylan Vachon and I were talking about going to the same place so when they asked to meet up it was a no-brainer. We all met in some town in B.C. and spent a couple weeks together. The East Coast started getting slammed with snow at the end of that trip and they asked me to come east with them. At first I didn’t think it was a real thing and didn’t want to impose on their trip but they said it was all good. I had kind of a split part with Keegan Valaika and Alex Stathis a couple years ago in “The Last Ones” so I already had some history with Justin Meyer and some of the people involved with VG so they were all down and it went from there. Expect some crazy shit though. There are a bunch of ballers in the film this year.

Where the hell is Stathis these days?

Killing it, as always. He’s back in B.C. after taking a year-long travel and surf journey with his girlfriend and a bunch of friends.

Do you know what a “mole bowl” is? Is Lever still smoking them, and are you down with moles?

Haha! Yeah I know what a mole bowl is and no, Derrek wasn’t smoking them. I learned about them when I was in Denver with Stathis a few years ago. There’s a similar way of smoking weed in Canada called a popper. It’s basically a tube that has the same diameter as a cigarette and you snip a small chunk off the smoke, pack it in the tube and then pack some weed in there and you smoke the whole thing in one go until it “pops” through the tube.

I used to smoke some of those but I don’t really anymore.

In our opinion you’re one of the best switch riders doing the damn thing. Do you think there is any use in filming an all-switch part? Think anyone would get it or care?

I don’t know. Some people might get it, but I also don’t think it would matter that much. I like filming stuff because it’s fun and some tricks are more fun regular and some are more fun switch. Nash Lajeunesse filmed the sickest all-switch part in Sandbox’s “Now You Know.”

He actually completely switched his stance for the whole year - board graphic, the way he rode the chair, T-bar, first run, powder, everything. He rode regular though he

grew up riding goofy. It was crazy because he was just as good and doing crazy new shit riding regular like 1080s, rodeos, and any rail trick. Even the way he rode the hill, you would never think it was switch. Check that part out.

His brother Spencer and Kael Hill have some cool shots in there too.

Give us some insight on the Instagram photo where your arm turned into the most chronic purple we’ve ever seen.

That thing… One day we found this sick gap to down rail and we were all taking turns getting down on this thing.

One time while he was pulling the bungee back Derrek convinced me that trying a backside 180 on to this thing would be mellow. I tried it, got close, but smashed my elbow on the ground. It was pretty mellow at first so I tried the 180 a couple more times and hit my elbow a couple more times... After a few more I was like, “Fuck this.” I had another trick in mind and my elbow was hurting but I said fuck it and started trying it. It took me quite a few tries to get the next trick and every time my elbow even grazed the ground it felt crazy. I kind of ate shit a couple times but eventually I got what I wanted and that was the end of the session. So we went for food and as I was waiting in line, I felt my elbow and it didn’t feel right. I pulled up my sleeve and there was a baseball-sized lump coming out of my arm. We took some photos, had some laughs and that was that. When I woke up the next day, my whole arm was purple. The baseball was gone, but now I had this fully purple arm.

We took more photos and posted them on Instagram and instantly people were saying that my arm was infected and to go to the hospital. Turns out I didn’t have health insurance so I didn’t want to go to the hospital. A couple days passed and my arm felt crazy so I got health insurance and went to the hospital. They thought my elbow was broken for sure and wanted to do X-rays but with my health insurance you have to pay up front and then the insurance company will pay you back so I said fuck that.

I knew my arm wasn’t broken. It had been five days and it was working fine, other than the color. I talked to the doctor about infection and he told me I should be fine. He told me what to watch for and then he kind of snuck me out of emergency room so I wouldn’t have to pay any fees and I was free. Shout out to that doctor for being so cool.

Even without the X-ray I would have had a pretty big bill.

Do you cringe when people claim Drake is the best hip-hop artist to stem from Canada?

A little bit but I don’t really care.

058

METHOD16.1_RORSACH_LAYNE.indd 58

01.09.2015 21:23

Seems a lot easier these days for Canadian rippers to make some noise. Who is the loudest young D.O.P.E. recruit?

Dylan Vachon and Adam Franks! There are a bunch of homies that are really on it. Pretty much anyone you see in the FootyFIEND edits is killing it: Don Wheeler, Kai Ujejski, Brin Alexander, Kody Williams, Nick Elliott, Chris Fellner, Lucio. They’re all destroying shit. Expect to see some big things from them soon.

Do Boston locals have the worst accent in North America?

It’s pretty bad. I can’t say though because I haven’t been to Jersey or Baltimore yet and I think they’re all on a similar level.

What brands are keeping you afloat these days?

Stepchild, ThirtyTwo, Union, JSLV, Ashbury, Salmon Arms, Duh Bolts, The Source.

Looks like you cut your hair. Couldn’t handle the white guy dreads anymore?

It was time for a change. It wasn’t easy for me to cut them. I probably talked about it for a month before I actually stepped up but it felt good.

We all know you are into yoga, and besides being flexible in the sack, how does it elevate your life/ snowboarding?

A better sex life elevates everything in life. But I used to notice my lower back would get sore after a full day of snowboarding.

It would be the first thing to start bothering me and after I started doing yoga the back pain went away. I got into it through friends who would ask me to go.

After a few classes you realize how beneficial it is. I don’t go to the gym or do any specific workouts or exercises so yoga gives me a reason to exercise outside of skateboarding, snowboarding and biking.

It’s actually a lot harder and more of a workout than I ever thought. Before you go and after you finish that hour or hour-anda-half session, you feel amazing. I need to go more. I’m not always consistent with it but I would suggest trying it out.

Is “hippie” a rad title or bummer putdown?

I don’t really care. I don’t consider myself a hippie so when people call me one I just laugh inside. Calling anyone with dreads a hippie is like calling anyone who lives in the country a hillbilly, or any snowboarder a pothead. It doesn’t always apply.

METHOD16.1_RORSACH_LAYNE.indd 59

Layne “the bongbarian” slaying this beast of a ledge in Hartford just before dark settled in PHOTOS: COLE MARTI N

Last words?

Shout out to all the people that have had my back, supported me in any way and have been by my side.

Much love to all my friends, family, homies and all of you out there. You’re the shit - keep doing what you’re doing.

01.09.2015 21:23

16.1

16.1

M Y

P O R T F O L I O

KALLE OHLSON IN KIROV, RUSSIA

MYPORTFOLIO

I truly don’t remember how this photo happened. It’s a mix of the view from our apartment and the action of the day before, which demonstrates quite well a bit of the chaotic time we had during our three-week trip to Russia. Said in a different way, things were quite Russian most of the time…

The following images, taken over the last two years, reflect moments where riders have caught my attention, either by their spot choice, their actions, or their personal interpretation of snowboarding. The backstory of each photograph is different, all united through my camera.

From backcountry heaviness and determination, to street spots far way from home, they capture the spirit of snowboarding that I hold close. The locations and the tricks are not necessarily the focal point, as much as the moments these snowboarders created and communicated through their riding, now assembled in this portfolio.

- Carlos Blanchard 060

METHOD_16.1_CARLOS.indd 60

02.09.2015 20:04

WERNI STOCK IN ZILLERTAL ARENA, AUSTRIA After several tries, including one where we got back to the spot just to see that someone had hit our jump, we finally got the chance to liberate ourselves with a great session in a spot that Werni knows well. Not only did he push his limits with different tricks, but also had plenty of fun throwing some signature-style moves in between, which is always a great mix for a photographer.

Here’s a backside air from the guy who took me away from my working desk that day to go up the mountain. How blind I was not to have seen the chance to go up and ride and shoot with good friends like Elias Elhardt and Tobias Strauss. Just for the record, this one was performed with a cast on due to a broken hand. Luckily, not the hand used to grab here.

ELIAS ELHARDT IN SEEGRUBE, AUSTRIA

METHOD_16.1_CARLOS.indd 61

02.09.2015 20:04

MYPORTFOLIO

16.1

GERALD FUCHS IN SEEFELD, AUSTRIA It’s always good to hang out with these guys - Gerald Fuchs, Sebi Müller, David Struber, and media boys, Lukas Lerperger and Peter Rossner. In this image, Rossner helps out in the building of the “stage.” Quite a tricky one, and funny as well, needing two people to try and get the shot.

Good times bring good things - that’s for sure!

I got the call from Gigi Rüf to join him for a day shooting at Stubai. Sebi Müller came along as well and when we arrived we found that Gigi brought Billy Anderson, who was visiting at the time, with him. It was a nice crew despite the weather, and as you can see, Sebi couldn’t stop testing and riding the new Slash boards from the moment we got there. Early season sessions always bring nice surprises.

SEBI MÜLLER IN STUBAI, AUSTRIA

062

METHOD_16.1_CARLOS.indd 62

06.09.2015 19:51

MARCO FEICHTNER IN ARLBERG, AUSTRIA Not our first time with lots of snow in the Arlberg and hopefully not our last. There we were once again and this time I managed to bring Marco a bit closer to the ground for some powder turns.

I actually think he has spent more time in the air over the past winters than most of us, always charging and flying so high every time he hits a jump. Impressive!

Here you can see my good friend Nicholas Wolken checking out some lines. What you can’t see is his plan and the big-mountain progression his mind has prepared for us to enjoy. He is a true rider, and also founder and developer at Korua Shapes. It’s no surprise those boards ride so well with guys like Nico behind them.

NICHOLAS WOLKEN IN SEEGRUBE, AUSTRIA

METHOD_16.1_CARLOS.indd 63

02.09.2015 20:05

15

AVAILABLE NOW

SHOP AT SHOP.METHOD.TV

16

PHOTO: KUSKE

METHOD16.1_METHOD AD.indd 64

02.09.2015 20:00

AVAILABLE NOW

SHOP AT SHOP.METHOD.TV

YEAR SUBSCRIPTION

METHOD16.1_METHOD AD.indd 65

02.09.2015 20:01

“It’s funny that skateboarders hate on snowboarding so much because snowboarding is the shit.” Lizard King laying it out there

066

02.09.2015 20:17

16.1 METHOD LIZARD.indd 66 16.1

THE

I

N

T

E

R

V

I

E

W

WORDS: PAT HARRINGTON | PHOTOS: BOB PLUMB

Like any person with a stage name, pseudonym, or pen name, Lizard King is a bit of an enigma. Most people know him as the wild, fast-skating, in-your-face dude who opened the Deathwish video, made the cover of Thrasher and hit Bob Burnquist’s mega ramp in skintight jeans. Very few people know that his real name is Mike Plumb, that he is from Salt Lake City, that he is a father or that he has been apart of a tight-knit snowboard community for a long time.

This past year, Lizard stepped away from his skateboard a bit and in turn, grabbed a snowboard to help refresh his mind. With the motivation of friends, his brother (photographer Bob Plumb) and some influential snowboard brands, the free-wheelin’ skateboarder was found sliding on snow all over the world last year, bagging clips for both L1’s new video Americana and Absinthe film’s forthcoming release, Eversince.

I was fortunate enough to grab breakfast with this Salt Lake City icon at one of his favorite local spots, the Over the Counter Café. Over too much coffee and a seriously greasy American-style plate of breakfast specialties, he divulged his love for snowboarding, how skaters perceive snowboarding, why his brother kicks ass and how he thinks his snowboard style is similar to that of a circus character. Ladies and wildmen, this is the Lizard King interview…

When was the last time you snowboarded prior to this last season?

Like with boots and shit?

and it all wound up leading to me going to Europe with my brother. I lived this pro snowboarder dream for an entire season (laughs). It was fucking sick!

Yeah.

Probably about nine years ago, at least. I would go with just shoes on and borrow people’s boards, like when I did the boardslide to five-0 in Bozwreck. Since I was just wearing skate shoes, I couldn’t lean and use my ankles or do anything really, so I would just jump on stuff. Killer tuck-knees, though, with shoes. You can get the knee right below the board; I don’t know how people do that with a regular snowboard boot. I hadn’t snowboarded at a resort for at least eight or nine years.

I imagine that not very many people know that you’re from Salt Lake?

No. Some people know that I am from Utah, but they don’t really understand what comes from Utah. If you don’t do anything else but skate, you don’t realize that it’s probably the best place to snowboard. It’s the mecca of snowboarding in the U.S. Then you have biking, skating…

Everything here is pretty extreme.

What motivated you last season to start snowboarding as much as you did?

The Stepchild dudes hit me up and asked me if I would want to do a pro model board and I was down. I said that we should do one for me, as well as my brother, Bob. How did that project come about?

Our buddy Twigs from Salt Lake works for Stepchild and he helped set up the idea with the main guys at the brand.

Anyway, he hit me up and asked me what I thought and I was fucking down! I have always wanted my name on a snowboard. When I was a little kid, I wanted to be pro snowboarder. JP (Walker) and Jeremy (Jones) were my favorite people alive and I worshipped them, so it was cool for me to be a part of their world for a second. Plus, JP rides for Stepchild so that makes it even cooler. Once they gave me the board I said, “Fuck it, it’s on” and I started shredding as hard as I could. JP hooked me up with boots and L1 did a collab with Kr3w, so I was dialed for outerwear

16.1 METHOD LIZARD.indd 67

Since you grew up in the middle of this snowboard culture, your perception of snowboarding must have been pretty positive?

Like I said, I wanted to be a pro snowboarder so badly. I used to buy JP’s Forum boards, the one with the blue base and the F on the bottom and the dragon on the top. We would light spots up and go jibbing every night. I loved it.

When did your mentality switch over to skateboarding and you really started to focus on that?

I was just better at skating, I think. At the beginning, I don’t necessarily know if I was that much better at skating, but snowboarding was so much more work. It required more money and more gear. With skating it was easier to con my parents into buying me a board.

You have to roll with what you’re good at, right?

Totally. Since all of my friends skated and that was our thing, I figured that moving to California was the thing to do.

02.09.2015 20:18

Creeper 5050 in Boulder, CO

16.1

Maybe we wouldn’t normally run a spot like this, but given the circumstances, it seemed appropriate. Boardslide in PTG, Katowice

068

16.1 METHOD LIZARD.indd 68

02.09.2015 20:18

How old were you when you knew that skateboarding was what you wanted to do full-time?

Well, I moved to California when I was 17. My mom said if I could graduate from high school, I could leave. So I said fuck it. I graduated and literally the next day I said, “I love you, but I’m out of here,” and I hitched a ride to California.

I knew I was going to make it, because when I got there I knew that I had the right homies at the right time and was in the right place to make it.

At that point, did you even think about snowboarding and Salt Lake or miss that lifestyle?

No, not at all. I was just engulfed in partying as hard as I could and skating as hard as I could and that was it.

Nothing ever mattered for a while after that. It took me about seven years to get out of that pit. It was a huge pit; A huge, life-killing pit.

You obviously kept in touch with your brother who is a snowboard photographer. Over the past several years, did you have an idea of what was going on in snowboarding?

Of course. I knew everyone that snowboarded. Every year, when I would come into town in the winter, we would go snowskating at Nate Bozung’s house or watch Matty Ryan go to some spot.

I remember you coming into Milosport snowboard shop and hanging out with all the snowboarders who were headed out filming for the day and you would always go hang at some spot like the Rail Gardens with those guys.

No matter what, I would just go to the session and watch and just hang out. It was the best. Plus, Rail Gardens is like being at a skatepark. You kick it with your homies, you hang out and watch everyone try fucked up tricks.

The hype is there. When you go to a resort, the hype isn’t quite there. You can find it, but at the resort everything is so spread out and so big that it can be hard to post up and watch your homies. Plus, if you don’t snowboard, you aren’t going to drive up to the resort, hike up to the park, watch your friends for two seconds and then wait and not see them again for 20 minutes because they have to take the chairlift. It’s not as fun.

How would you describe the difference between the vibe when you are filming at a street spot on a skateboard vs. with a snowboard crew?

I would say it’s identical. You’re all there together trying to do the exact same thing - shred and fucking rip! But the main difference is that snowboarding requires so much effort. For example, I went on that month-long trip with L1 to Poland this past season and the amount of shoveling that you have to do in order for one dude to get a trick is insane. And that is for just one person sometimes, because the rest of the crew might wind up riding something else.

You all have to come together so one homie can get a trick and that’s how it is the whole time you are there. With skating, you can pull into a parking lot and find a curb and the next thing you know you have had a two-hour

16.1 METHOD LIZARD.indd 69

session of just slappies. So there is a difference there, but as far as the homies coming together to shred, drink beer and just hang out at the spot, it’s identical. It’s funny that skateboarders hate on snowboarding so much because snowboarding is the shit.

What was the attitude in the skateboarding scene when those photos and video clips of you snowboarding came out this past winter?

Oh, they all hate. There were comments like, “Oh, fucking loser” and all this stuff. But my actual skateboard homies think it’s cool. They love it - guys like The Nuge, J Roy, Erik Ellington and Andrew Reynolds. Reynolds thinks it’s tight.

People who actually care about what they do and know who I am as a person understand that I have to go out and do other things in order to be happy. Snowboarding is basically the same thing as skateboarding. You’re just strapped in, so it’s a little bit different. It’s the shit. I mean, you can do handplants. Do you know how long I’ve been trying to learn handplants on a skateboard? Then I go up to Brighton and learn handplants on their quarterpipe on the first day. I was so fucking hyped!

You started filming for the L1 movie right away. How did your trip to Poland come about?

My brother hit them up, because he was going to take photos, and then the L1 guys called me and asked how I would feel about going to Poland for 25 days or something.

Obviously I was fucking down. Plus, Bob and I had never been on a trip like that together, especially in Europe, so having the chance to be with my big brother in Europe was amazing.

Has getting back into snowboarding this year allowed you to spend more time with your brother?

We hang a lot. Whenever I come into town, I stay at his house. We have always gotten along really well. We are almost more like friends than brothers. It’s just another rad aspect - now I get to go out and try to shoot photos with him. He is pretty busy these days and can’t come out and shoot skate photos in the summer as much, so it’s perfect.

What’s it like seeing Bob fully in his element?

It’s sick! I get to be his photo assistant, hold flashes and help him out. Bob rips, dude! You know what’s funny, too?

Bob can see the morale coming down on a trip and he brings it up. He’s the funniest dude. He can tease and pick on people and still make them feel better just by the way he does things. I think it’s super important to have someone like that on a trip who can make everything happen, instead of having a dude on the trip that can make it suck. He would make a good psychologist or something.

Going into the trip, did you know any of the guys other than your brother?

A little bit, but not really. I didn’t know Dominik Wagner or Zebbe Landmark. I basically didn’t know any of them besides the “Buffmoose”, Brandon Hammid, from

02.09.2015 20:19

16.1 LIZARD KING

“I am the Lizard King, I can do anything!” Why fit Mike those might be Jim Morrison’s words, they n.

Plumb as well as those leather pants fit Morriso Poland in Boardslide to tranny

working at Milosport, but this was the first time we were able to spend time together. I have known Sam Taxwood forever, but I was teasing him on the trip saying that it took me something like four years to finally learn his name (laughs). But now he is my good homie.

Who impressed you the most on that trip?

Everyone really, but Taxwood took the heaviest slams and still kept shredding. He hit his head really hard and had to go to the hospital. The next day he was scoping stuff out and I had to tell him to chill. He is such a shredder.

How was the chemistry with everyone on the trip?

It was amazing. Sure, people had their little tiffs, but everyone was on the same page. I feel like that’s what makes a trip too. When everyone is working toward the same common goal, you begin to figure each other out to the point that you can understand how they look at certain spots and you will start to build what they want without really talking to them. That aspect of the trip was amazing.

Did you think you were going to come out of that trip with enough footage to have a video part, or did it just happen that way?

When we first got there, it was so different than skating and I didn’t know everyone, so I didn’t really want to start shredding in front of someone while I was in their world. If we go skating, I don’t care what anyone is doing; I’m just going to go shred. But on this trip it took me a little while to break out of my shell. I

16.1 METHOD LIZARD.indd 70

didn’t realize that if I went and hit a two-stair hubba, they would be hyped. Once I figured that out, I started fucking around and realized that I could do real tricks.

Toward the end of the trip, I was having them help me build spots and pull me in on the winch - scaring the shit out of myself. At the end of the trip, I didn’t want it to end because I thought, “Man, now I know what I’m doing.” Each day I felt more and more a part of the posse and each day I wanted to impress them. I wanted to be seen as worthy of being on the trip, not just as the skater who is drinking beer and pretending to snowboard. I wanted them to look at me like I was a snowboarder too, because we are all shredders. We all do different stuff, like half of those guys skate too, you know?

That is something I have always noticed about you.

You don’t let the activity that you do define who you are. You aren’t just a skateboarder. You’re Lizard King, and you happen to skate, snowboard, bike… whatever.

I’d go kayak with a dildo in my mouth if I thought that was cool, you know what I mean? I just want to have fun. I’m from Utah, man. We are a different breed. I feel like we are just a little more willing to accept everyone. For example, one of the guys I follow on Instagram is this pro rollerblader that I grew up watching at the old Real Ride skatepark in Salt Lake.

He was always so cool to me. So when I see one of his photos, I get hyped and always like it. The only thing I really hate on are Razer scooters. That shit is pretty whack. But at the same time, there are guys doing crazy stuff on those things that I wouldn’t do. I guess if you aren’t going to try it, how can you hate on it?

02.09.2015 20:19

You are going to have a part in the L1 video, Americana, and I have heard through the grapevine that you will have shots in the new Absinthe film as well. That puts you in a crazy echelon of skateboarders who have also had a “snowboard career,” so to speak. You and John Cardiel are the only ones that I can think of. What do you think about that?

Danny Way had a pro model board, too. It was with Type-A, I think. I am so stoked. A couple days into the trip, after the nerves started to go away, our filmer Cole Taylor asked me if I wanted a part and I was so stoked to hear that. Once that was on the table, I started going to town.

I went from ground zero to having a video part. Plus, my snowboarding is like a circus act. It’s like watching a clown that broke out of the circus and found a snowboard and needs to go hit some shit before they put him back in his clown cage. So that will mix the movie up a bit (laughs).

You took some time off from skating last year. Did snowboarding help re-motivate you to eventually get back on your skateboard?

Totally. I need to take breaks from things or else I get burnt out. Plus, with snowboarding, you can go so much faster and bigger that it has motivated me to do the same on my skateboard. I have been doing way crazier shit on my skateboard the past six or seven months since it hasn’t been snowing. I have been going for just huge, huge shit.

I haven’t landed a lot of it, but I have cleared what I was trying to clear. If I can put the skills I picked up snowboarding into what I’m good at, it is only going to make me better at what I am supposed to be doing in the first place, which is skateboarding.

Are you going to snowboard this year?

Fuck yeah, man! I can’t wait. I’m going to try and get on more trips and balance it out with my skating. Getting back to Europe would be all time, L1 team cruising or whatever. I’m down!

Stepchild and blunts, a hellish match. FS version from the Liz in Szczyrk, PL

16.1 METHOD LIZARD.indd 71

02.09.2015 20:19

16.1 SARAJEVO

Abandoned rooftop to tiny tranny, Ethan Morgan getting it done in the Balkans

072

16.1 METHOD SARAJEVO.indd 72

02.09.2015 20:27

SARAJEVO RISING WORDS: MARKO GRILC PHOTOS: CYRIL MÜLLER

I reached into my pocket, took out 40 euros and slipped it

between the first couple pages of my passport before closing the passport and handing it over to the policeman at the

Bosnian border. I did not have international insurance for my car but the officer assured me that in Bosnia, there is not a problem that cannot be fixed…

16.1 METHOD SARAJEVO.indd 73

02.09.2015 20:28

16.1

It was evident at that point that we were in for one hell of a trip, but I had no clue what we were getting ourselves into. As soon as you cross the border you enter a new world, so wild, so different, a bit sad, but so cool and joyous at the same time.

SARAJEVO

We’d heard tales of the magic street spots in Sarajevo a number of times and we’d been planning on filming a “Grilosode” there for the past three seasons, but the tough snow situation in recent years prevented such a mission from really working out. But this year, on the third of January, it snowed just enough, presenting us with a now-or-never opportunity. I quickly got Zak Hale on the phone and he hit me with an impromptu, “Getting on a plane in Los Angeles now. I will be there tomorrow. Sage Kotsenburg iscoming with me and let’s hit up Ethan Morgan, as well.” I was equally thrilled by his commitment to making this happen and shocked at how quickly I was going to have to work to get everything ready. We were about to have an insane crew going to an insane place.

Sarajevo is a city like no other in this world. As we drove in, our guide directed our attention out the window saying, “This bridge is where the first World War was started.” I glanced over at the boys with a dropped jaw. He continued, “This building is from the time we hosted the 1984 Olympics and at that point Sarajevo was recognized worldwide for its amazing modern facilities and the beauty of the city.” He told us how its position in between the mountains made it a perfect ski town and the pride of former Yugoslavia and its leader at the time, Josip Broz Tito. He pointed out a river on our left that separated the two sides fighting in the Yugoslavian War of 1991. It is a war that’s still visible every step you take in Sarajevo. Twenty years later, bullet and grenade holes remain in buildings across the city. It is easy to spot the locations where snipers sat and shot at their targets. Our guide, Jadran, was a kid at that point but remembers those years very well. He told how Serbians living in Bosnia surrounded the city, trapping them inside. A tunnel built under the airport, two kilometers long and one and a half meters wide, extended toward the Bosnian side and provided the only way in and out. He said they didn’t have any food, electricity or water for four 074

16.1 METHOD SARAJEVO.indd 74

02.09.2015 20:29

years and that the only place you could get anything transported into the city was through that tunnel. The whole city was left without a single piece of wood because they would use anything they could light to make a fire during the cold winter nights.

At that point money no longer had any value, and any work one did was paid for in cigarettes. The soldiers fighting would get a pack of cigarettes as payment, which they would trade for food or anything else they might have needed. Jadran and his mom used the “tunnel of hope” to escape the city, but his dad had to stay back and defend Sarajevo. No man that could carry a gun was allowed to leave. That was the rule.

Marko greased pockets and flipped his world view

They would send him packages with food and their pictures from their new home in Austria and his dad told them he got a jar of mayonnaise one time and since he hadn’t had a decent meal in so long, he downed the whole jar like it was a can of beer. Many people died in that war, but luckily his dad made it out alive. I asked Jadran what they did after the war and he said they moved straight back to Sarajevo, leaving the Austrian Alps behind. He also said firmly: “I am a man of Sarajevo. I love this city and will never leave it.”

Putting their embattled past aside, the locals of Sarajevo were the friendliest people we have ever met, consistently cracking jokes and messing with each other to keep up the good spirits. It made me so happy to be there because if they can be so stoked after all they have been through, we had to max out our stoke level.

We travel the world all the time and once in a while you go somewhere and say to your self; “Damn this place looks like someone made it for snowboarding”. The Arlberg, Whistler’s backcountry, and Quebec City are some of those top locations and I got that same exact hyped feeling driving through

16.1 METHOD SARAJEVO.indd 75

06.09.2015 19:55

16.1 SARAJEVO

16.1 METHOD SARAJEVO.indd 76

02.09.2015 20:33

Back 270 boardslide in this unlikely shred wonderland

16.1 METHOD SARAJEVO.indd 77

02.09.2015 20:33

16.1 SARAJEVO

078

16.1 METHOD SARAJEVO.indd 78

02.09.2015 20:34

Sarajevo. The whole place is on a hill and I don’t know why, but they build a rail for every single set of stairs there. There are street spots one after another, enough to film three video parts and spend three seasons just hitting those locations.

The first zone we sessioned was an old Olympic bobsled track. It was partially destroyed in the war but there were sections of it that had wall-ride potential. The modern graffiti with old Sarajevo themes, reminded us of the nation’s past. I was standing at the drop in for the wall ride and Jadran looked at me and said, “You see this 20cm x 20cm hole here? This is where they put the gun through. The concrete bank of the bobsled track offered perfect protection.” I dropped an “Oh my god,” and dropped into the wall ride.

After that we worked our way through the city, hitting a few drops and spending a good amount of time at the stadium, where we set up a gap-to-down rail. We were winching into this thing like we were hitting a jump.

Sage landed a perfect tail grab to front board before a police car pulled up, out of which stepped two huge officers with their guns loaded, ready to rock. After a long talk, they explained that someone reported us as terrorists who were trespassing at the stadium. Once again, we put some euros in the driving license, but this interaction required additional measures. Because someone called it in, we also had to pretend like they were are arresting us. We had to drive out of there behind the police car, making it look like we were going to the police station. They waved us off after two kilometers.

We grew a bit worried as the snow in Sarajevo began to melt, but Jadran quelled the panic, reminding us, “there

16.1 METHOD SARAJEVO.indd 79

are plenty of spots up high in the mountains.” He took us straight to the a hotel on Mount Igman, built as one of the most modern lodges in the world for the ‘84 Olympics, before it served as a headquarters for the Bosnian army during the war. The place was all burned down and ridden with bullet holes and grenade destruction, but it was one of the sickest spots I have seen in a while. Every little piece of concrete had riding potential and we ended up bagging a lot there, just working around it from one side to the other. Rumor has it that the place is haunted now and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was.

On our last day, after snowboarding from dawn to dusk, enjoying the trip of a lifetime, the crew went for dinner at one of the best restaurants in town. We devoured amazing traditional food, mostly meat-based dishes, and paid half the amount you would in most other places. Afterwards we headed into to town to get a taste of the party scene, at which point I realized there is no playing around with the Bosnians. We were about three bottles of vodka in and I looked over as our filmer Mark was talking to this hot chick with long black hair.

I started looking around and couldn’t help but admire how stoked, friendly and happy the people were. At least that’s how it looked from my perspective. This place has had a lot of highs and endured some of the worst lows but holds a magic that is hard to understand. This beautiful city in the mountains of Bosnia, with the potential of becoming a world famous snowboard destination, is a jewel in the Balkans.

The trumpet noises mixed with a lot of bass were coming out of the speakers, as the black out was approaching with rapid speed. We had to say goodbye to this amazing place and this trip of a lifetime.

02.09.2015 20:34

16.1 SOCHI

WORDS: Ryan Sc ardigli PHOTO S: Dasha Nosova

It can Backstr be a tough tas k om, Tor One of th Lundstr keeping track o e o our Soc first nights w m and Brenda f Kevin looking hi BYNDxMDL e were in Russ n Gerard. ia S fo room o r the boys an episode, I we to film walked f some local R d found them nt out u in, one a neck ta of thesessian kids. Whin the en dudes w tt as gett I our boy oo, everyone w hotel ro s were all dra as wasted, aning win om d received ink. Nikita, th g up their th e o e n n e playing eck tatt who has to p a game whereoo, began ull out h th e lo ser let the w is ball s a in really g ner flick it. I dck and e id t h n ow it w ’t but I wa ork s either. I n’t down to le ed, a th rn in k every on the tr one with at ip came home least tw o tattoos; Ke much fi vin pretty ll free spa ed all the ce o left armn his .

080

16.1 METHOD SOCHI.indd 80

02.09.2015 21:24

Took a grip of work to get the

16.1 METHOD SOCHI.indd 81

track down for this one. Peep

the Sochi episode - Tor gap front

board to switch

06.09.2015 19:58

16.1 SOCHI

Kevin off the tombstone, fs 270 wallride

082

16.1 METHOD SOCHI.indd 82

02.09.2015 21:26

Gerry sampling the local fare

Safe to say the dude’s a fan of the backside. Kevin with an all-natty

Superman, Pikachu?... and the bungee from hell!

bs 540 stalefish

When we started the BYNDxMDLS series, the original idea was to follow Kevin and Tor on their road to the Olympics. After Kevin was controversially let go from the Swedish national team and Tor left in protest, we refocused, and made the show a representation of all types of snowboarding. This last season we thought it would be cool to finally “make it to the Olympics”, albeit a year late, and to Sochi we went. Everyone told us to expect a ghost town. They said everything had been built specifically for the games and that now, a year after the event, no one would be there. There was a bit of truth to this: The building the Russian kids were staying in had served as the hospital during the games, there was a giant ski jump stadium way below snow level that won’t ever be used again, and one resort stood uncompleted after its construction was stalled due to a lack of funding. However, the Rosa Khutor resort we rode was packed, the Olympic village below was always full of people and everyone was really welcoming to us, especially the crew at the Riders Lodge. They were the ones that set up the heli day, secured our tickets, and hooked us up with the bungee jump. And let me tell you, that bungee jump is fucked!

16.1 METHOD SOCHI.indd 83

06.09.2015 20:03

16.1

Good with kids

Tor taking a stick-and-poke break for a fs lip

SOCHI

Ha! Shoveling...

The Sochi trip was a bit of a roller coaster ride. We started on a total high, as Kevin and Tor had just pulled off the Ale Invite in Gothenburg, which was a major success. They were able to get their visas approved the day before flying and we arrived in Sochi to a meter of powder but I think the overall intensity of the trip led to it being so turbulent.

After three seasons of BYNDxMDLS and being on the road with each other all year, some of our personal shit was starting to take its toll. Once the temperature went up in and around Sochi and the conditions turned to shit, partying became the main focus for the boys. This difference in focus led to Kevin, Tor, and I getting in a big fight about two thirds of the way through the trip which created a pretty tense vibe in the crew. We were able to all come together on the last day of the trip to help Tor with double-line spot you see in the Sochi edit. After shoveling for most of the morning, getting incessantly heckled by a drunk local, and a lot of tries from Tor, we got the shot. Although we were still bitter with each other, we had the end goal in sight and made it happen. That’s the way it goes sometimes, and anyone who has been a part of a long-running project can attest to that. There are highs, there are lows, and especially with a couple wildcards, there are some bat-shit crazy times, like when our friend Erik walked out on a huge cornice on the heli day, triggering an avalanche that partially buried him and blew out his new. Or when Brendan unknowingly rode the whole time with a fracture in his back. Or when that crazy stalker chick dropped from her balcony down to someone’s room only to shit in their bed…

16.1 METHOD SOCHI.indd 84

06.09.2015 20:04

Kicker or natural lip,

Switching it up and putting the tail in the powder. Brendan

16.1 METHOD SOCHI.indd 85

Mr. Backstrom’s got

one of the most dia

led fs 720 tailgrabs

Gerard hanging in there with a broken back.

02.09.2015 21:33

16.1 RECRUITS

WORDS AND PHOTOS: Tim Schiphorst / Postland producer and filmer

T

hroughout the years, plenty of tapes have rolled through Dutch cameras.

Years ago, riders like Gerben Verweij were among the first Dutch snowboarders to travel the world looking beyond the comfort of the local indoor slope for more interesting locations to document their tricks. Hoping to inspire a new generation of new talents, these riders passed the torch to young Dutch shredders like Kas Lemmens, Cees Wille and Bob Van Unnik who now spend their entire winter filming for one video part. However, it seems like the tradition has hit a snag and something is preventing the latest generation from seeking out adventure. It is a symptom that I see all over Europe – plenty of kids are killing it in the parks, but we don’t see many random little street edits these days.

086

16.1 METHOD RECRUITS.indd 86

02.09.2015 21:44

As they say, you learn to sail on old ships.

Roel Van Oosterhout lost his street-virginity to this rusty old kinker.

16.1 METHOD RECRUITS.indd 87

02.09.2015 21:44

Passing wisdom or talking shit? Will and Roel having a “breather”

RECRUIT:..........................

RECRUIT:..........................

A lack of motivation doesn’t seem to be the problem. As a filmer, I often receive an elevator pitch from young kids trying to become snowboarding’s next big thing. The conversation usually ends with them asking if Postland has space for one more rider on our next street trip. Unfortunately, this is almost never the case, but it does make me think: Why would a talented snowboarder need us to go out and film a video part? I guess it’s a pretty intimidating thought for a 15-year old to take his group of friends, fly to a strange country and seek out places to snowboard, rather than just hopping on a lift. With this young generation in mind, we took two established park riders with hardly any street experience, and hooked them up with some of our more seasoned Postland riders for a Finnish street mission. We dropped them off in the most popular city for snowboarding, Helsinki, and followed them for a week to see what would happen.

First, we introduce Roel Van Oosterhout. We’d seen Roel shred at many indoor events, like the Postland Rail Riots, and in plenty of park videos where we could hardly figure out if he’s regular or goofy. He has always wanted to shoot a video part, but it simply hadn’t happened quite yet for whatever reason. He literally dropped everything for this trip - at one spot he was even doing some homework while Raffi Kossman was trying to get a shot.

“Riding street was definitely something different. Normally I start my day with some mellow laps before I actually begin trying more difficult tricks. At a street spot, I felt like that wasn’t really possible. Once the spot is set up you pretty much have to get started with the one trick you want to get on film. It took me a while before I was able to adapt to this, but I think it worked out well. In the end, I prefer street over park. It makes for a more interesting trip because the experience is more random than on a mountain. Another thing I really enjoyed was that everybody was there for each other. You’re constantly digging or pulling bungee even if you’re not hitting the spot. We were really working as a team.”

While our second recruit, Raffael Kossman, had already spent last year exploring the Tyrolean streets with a group of homies, he was still relatively fresh to the street game. I don’t know if you’ve ever tried hitting a spot in Mayrhofen before, but it doesn’t take long before a farmer is chasing you with his pitchfork. We mainly got to see Raffi ride at last year’s Rail Riots, in addition to the many enders he shot in District’s park video (check ‘em out on Vimeo!). After one day in Helsinki, he said he’d already seen more spots than he did during a whole year in Tyrol.

“It’s just something completely different to hang out with guys of other nationalities in another country. I have never really been on a filming trip away from what I am used to, so I really enjoyed it. Seeing how the other guys deal with every day life and ordinary problems compared to the way we deal with such things is pretty fun.

Dealing with busts at spots was really different as well. For instance, Bob Van Unnik just kept setting up the spots and riding even though the cops had already busted us twice. In the end, he got the shot and it was all good. We would have never stayed after getting kicked out by the cops.”

You can take the Bossman out of the park, but you can’t

take the park out of the Bossman. Effortless as always on this front blunt down the waterfall.

088

16.1 METHOD RECRUITS.indd 88

02.09.2015 21:45

Cees Wille was the spiritual leader of the mission. Ollie to bank

You know your crew is young when Will Smith is a “veteran.” Dude doesn’t even need to look, going in blind on a gap to frontboard, 270 out

16.1 METHOD RECRUITS.indd 89

02.09.2015 21:45

16.1 RECRUIT:..........................

To be honest, we kind of expected the whole trip to be a mess. Building a spot is way easier with guys who have experience, and even finding the spots can prove to be a challenge with new dudes, especially with the snow conditions we experienced in Europe the past few years. Luckily there’s Spotdigger: an app made my Eero Ettala, designed to help snowboarders find spots. The app works particularly well in Finland. You can just scroll through a catalog of spots and find all the pertinent information, like the bust factor and what the best time to hit a certain spot is. For example, a rail by a school is best hit on weekends.

“A really big difference between Finland and Austria is the variety of spots. In Finland, no matter where you look, you can always find a ride-able feature and they’re often not more than a 15-minute drive apart. Austria is kind of the opposite. There are surely a couple of spots, but they are mostly in rural areas and you have to drive kind of far to reach them. So it’s pretty difficult to hit more than one spot a day.”

Young and hungry. Bossman out for blood with this FS 270 back to switch

When Cees Wille and Kas Lemmens went on their first street trip we gave them the same tour as Roel and Raffi, starting at the rail we call the “Searchplate”. This time, we had only just arrived in Helsinki and had to chop a good amount of ice just to build a take off at this classic spot.

Luckily, we had Cees with us to share his experience.

“I can’t say I prefer a street or a resort trip, I just get different things out of a street trip. I love filming and working on a video part - building it up to what you want it to be and trying to get an end product that you’re happy with. It is always a challenge and it lands you in some places not many other people would go! Riding mountains is a nice way to get motivated to film. Blasting side hits and carves and pow on a mountain with your friends is so much fun. I don’t even really look to ride park much anymore when I get to a mountain. I just want to ride my snowboard. In the dome though, I love it! So many laps and fun little trannies!”

“ VETERAN ”:..........................

It didn’t take long for the new crew to get in the flow. Though everything took a bit more effort than it should have (we should have had an icepick in our toolbox!), by day two, everyone knew what had to be done while setting up the spots. Ultimately, we decided to drive a bit further north, where we ended up in Tampere for the remaining two weeks of the trip. We booked a super tiny room in a hostel and found a routine that worked really well: Get up early, have a short breakfast, get to the spot, one person builds the kicker, the rest dig out the stairs and shape a landing.

Then we’d have the session and once everyone landed a trick we’d go to a second spot or drive around and scope for the next day.

“ VETERAN ”:..........................

“It’s pretty hard to say, but I think the biggest difference between the new kids and our old crew is that the bar is way higher for these kids than it was back then. They’re video kids - they literally know every snowboard film.

Now it’s, “If you don’t do a proper trick it doesn’t count,” where as back then it was sick enough to even make it to the end of a rail with a boardslide!”

The best part about a trip like this is that you’re not stuck in one town or one resort. In traveling and searching out new zones, you see much more of a country and you end up in places you’d never see otherwise. It’s also way cheaper than a traditional winter holiday. No touristy prices for accommodation and food. No lift pass. You just buy a shovel at a local hardware store and that’s pretty much all you need! A lot of spots in Helsinki are actually accessible by tram or bus. If you’re lucky with the snow conditions, you don’t even need a car. But the best part of it all is that you end up with a video part, and that’s what every snowboarder seems to want.

16.1 METHOD RECRUITS.indd 90

02.09.2015 21:46

16.1 METHOD RECRUITS.indd 91

02.09.2015 21:46

Ya wouldn’t even know our man’s going in switch. Kas Lemmens, ladies and gentlemen

16.1 BEER & RAILS

092

16.1 METHOD ROME BEER.indd 92

Suck on this. The Kerk rubs off the wall

02.09.2015 21:49

B

E

E

R

and R

A

I

L

Ian Daly, sultan of the stoop

TK putting in metal miles

Breakfast, lunch and dinner

S

WORDS: KEENAN CAWLEY | PHOTOS: TEEMU HELJO

IF I HAD TO GUESS, IT’S 8:30 IN THE MORNING. HOWEVER, I’M SOMEWHERE ABOVE THE BALTIC SEA, SO MY GUESS IS A COMPLETE APPROXIMATION GIVEN THE FLUX OF TIME ZONES AND BEARINGS, NOT TO MENTION THE TIMELESS NATURE OF A HANGOVER. I CAN FEEL MY PULSE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRETY OF MY BODY, AS IF MY HEARTBEAT WERE TWO WOODEN BLOCKS IRRATIONALLY CLAPPING SOME CLENCHING TIMBRE. SHIT, I CAN EVEN HEAR MY PULSE OVER THE AIRPLANE ENGINES. I AM A PSYCHOACOUSTIC WRECK, CLAD MORE AS A BINGEING ‘70S ROADIE THAN A CONTEMPORARY SNOWBOARD BUM, ALTHOUGH, WITH THE CANE AND HAND-CAST, I SUPPOSE IT COULD GO EITHER WAY. I AM TRAVELING SOLO AND WHEN I COME TO I NOTICE THAT EVERYONE ON THE PLANE IS STARING ME. MY INITIAL THOUGHT IS THAT I WAS SLEEP-TALKING, SO I TRY TO SHAKE IT OFF. AS I’M COLLECTING MYSELF, I NOTICE THAT REBEKAH, MY MIDDLE-AGED SWEDISH SEAT-MATE, LOOKS AS IF HER SOUL WAS LEFT AT DEPARTURE AND REPLACED WITH A BLOATED, PALLID REPLICA. SHE IS MOANING, WRITHING IN ONE INSTANT, THEN COLD AND LIFELESS THE NEXT. SHE IS DYING AND, GIVEN THE PALPABLE GLARES I’M RECEIVING FROM THE ENTIRE FLIGHT, EVERYONE THINKS I’M THE CAUSE. I ASK MYSELF A QUESTION THAT WOULD BECOME THE BASIS FOR THIS ENTIRE TRIP: HOW THE FUCK IS THIS HAPPENING?

16.1 METHOD ROME BEER.indd 93

02.09.2015 21:49

16.1 BEER & RAILS

The question was first presented three-and-a-half weeks prior to our departure for Finland. We were out in Cleveland, Ohio—Ian Daly, Jasper Tripp and I—when we received an invite to film with Toni Kerkelä in Finland for a new Rome project. We were tripping (obviously), and when I hollered at Riley to share the juice, he got me thinking about trip preparations when he said his passport was in question. Daly realized that his had expired, prompting me to check mine, which had, of course, also expired. In our scramble to secure new passports (we had ten days ‘til departure), it became evident that not only would the Strange Brew van have to trek back to Tahoe to drop off the homies, but since I’d lost both my ID and my birth certificate, the van would also have to make an impromptu drive to Vermont so I could figure my shit out. You should know that this is the true Strange Brew fashion; that van was an escape for the homies and always took care of us, whether it served as place to sleep or a vessel to access your soul’s honest desires. Leaving the van for Finland was like a coming-of-age story for us: graduating from the gutter.

Climbing out of that gutter and getting overseas was no simple feat. Let me just say this: The Federal Bureau of Consular Affairs offices in Vermont, Maine, and Massachusetts fucking rule, as they got us all proper travel documentation for minimal fees in the blink of an eye. I flew separately from the boys, dissected Lonesome Dove for metaphorical reference, and awoke in Helsinki a couple hours before everyone else. I wish there were a good story about those first Scandinavian moments but I just smoked cigs and took in the cityscape, flipping through old magazines in my head, imagining all of the rails I’d seen from this place and wondering “how the fuck this happened.” Shortly after, the rest of the boys landed.

We piled in our new van and headed north under the falling Finnish sky. Three hours later we made it to Jyväskylä where Mr. Kerkelä greeted us at the door with Karhus in hand. The jet lag caught up with us awfully quick and aside from those beers, we pretty much just moved in to our apartment and fell fast asleep.

We woke up to a mellow session on the 30-ish-meter rail at the top of our apartment complex, trying to put together little lines and see who could go the furthest. After that, Toni took us on the tour de spots. As snowboarders, we all possess a predisposition for spot-location mapping, but it never ceases to amaze me when someone else shows you the spot-map of their area. After a couple hours of looking over both shoulders and cranking our necks at the spot overload, it was clear that J-town was Toni’s town. The progression of spots, from first-timer to ender-ender, made so much sense as to the rider he has become. It was one of those cities where it seemed there was always one more spot, or another way to hit an old one, providing an endless platform for those motivated to get it, which Toni has been for the better part of the past decade. Adopting his M.O., we went out and tried to get after as much of it as possible. And that was the sickest part of the trip, for us Strangers at least, because we’ve never really been able to do that. When you’re on the move with ten kids, there’s a lot of figuring out to do, and that directly effects how, and how much, you’re going to be boarding. But here, it was simple: all we had to do was board. There were only five of us, so everywhere we went chances were high that we could all get a go at something in a relatively brief manner and be on to the next zone. Obviously there were a few interruptions (i.e. going to get donuts, chatting with the tweakers who came to every single night spot, making fun of ourselves, getting weed, getting tattoos, taking photos, drinking Smurf, going to the hospital, having mental breakdowns, etc.) but all that in-between time plays a strong role in defining who you are, directly influencing your style on board and what you want to do with your board. That is a dynamic that differentiates all of our riding and it actually worked to our advantage. From mid-morning to sundown, and even into the late corners of the night, it enabled us to bounce around, exploring Toni’s catalogue. This further solidified both his and Riley’s riding and they were both quick to get shots at every spot, regardless of circumstance. Even the idea of feasibility didn’t affect them and Toni broke grounds on new territory. I had never seen an NBD go down before, so getting to watch two was a double-‘how the fuck’ moment.

094

16.1 METHOD ROME BEER.indd 94

02.09.2015 21:49

16.1 METHOD ROME BEER.indd 95

02.09.2015 21:50

Dusk comes early in Finland. More time for drinking and night sessions. Ian Daly FS 180 tail scraper down the brick dick

This rail is one of the most famous pieces of architecture in the snowboarding community. Jasper Tripp paying his dues with a front noseblunt, pretzel out

16.1 BEER& RAILS

16.1 METHOD ROME BEER.indd 96

02.09.2015 21:50

16.1 METHOD ROME BEER.indd 97

02.09.2015 21:50

16.1

Treasure hunting at the trash cans. Keenan Cawley 5050

But seriously… how the fuck did this happen? Riley Nickerson nose-bonk back lip

BEER & RAILS

As for the Strangers, Jasper, the youngest of the group, got his feet wet on some bigger terrain and certainly did it in his own style. Daly, who’s normally at the helm of our vehicle and always the team player, got to taste the fruits of a trip that he didn’t have to do all the work for, and subsequently, got as many shots in those two weeks as he had in the past two years. I believe that was eye-opening for both of those fellas, as it also was for myself, despite getting put on reserve.

098

16.1 METHOD ROME BEER.indd 98

02.09.2015 21:51

When I could no longer ride, I began taking notes on how we function: as a group, as individuals, as foreigners and as locals assisting foreigners. And in a grander spectrum: as snowboarders, as people who long to be physically and mentally stimulated and tested and as people who want to see this world in light as in darkness. With its thematic position here, it’s that questioning, that “how the fuck is this happening,” that puts air in your lungs and opens you up.

Now, for a bit of closure, because I’m sure you’re ready to ring this jargon from your noggin, I should tell you about what happened to Rebekah. After realizing that she was a diabetic (and I was just an American bum), the stewardesses tried feeding her some juice, which she could not hold down. She was drifting in and out, clenching my hand as if she were holding on to a cliff’s edge, when they asked me to move so they could stretch her out. Complying, I grabbed my belongings, hastily throwing my jacket over my shoulder, when my hand slipped into the chest pocket, revealing a sucker from none other than the Central Hospital of Jyväskylä. I looked at my broken hand holding the lollipop. Yeah fucking right!

Riley 5050 on the flat bar, gap 270 switch front board, back to switch

The flight attendant opened Rebekah’s jaw, I plopped the sucker under her tongue, and by the time we landed, she was completely coherent. I was excited to land and tell the boys what had happened but upon our meeting, they interrupted with a story of their own. While my booze-brain had put me to sleep next to a dying woman, their appearance had grabbed the interest of the all-female Swedish flight staff who could not get enough of their cute, American accents and laissez-faire attitudes.

They were ushered to the back of the plane to share drinks, stories, and phone numbers with one another. I couldn’t help but wonder – forget wondering – I know that in the midst of their bizarre, foreign-flight affair, they were thinking the same thing I was… How the fuck is this happening?

16.1 METHOD ROME BEER.indd 99

02.09.2015 21:51

METHOD16.1_ADS 100101.indd 100

COAL HEADWEAR SEXTON FW15 AD

METHOD MAG Double Page

320mm X 225mm 3mm BLEED

BRAD SCHEUFFELE brad@coalheadwear.com

02.09.2015 17:21

Joe Sexton in the Stanley Fall / Winter 2015 collection in stores now.

Photography by Andy Wright coalheadwear.com - @coalheadwear

METHOD16.1_ADS 100101.indd 101

02.09.2015 17:22

16.1 GALLERY

0102

16.1 METHOD GALLERY.indd 102

02.09.2015 21:53

photo JUSSI GRZNAR

rider ANNIE BOULANGER

spot BELLA COOLA, B.C.

trick SPINE SLASHIN’

02.09.2015 21:53

16.1 METHOD GALLERY.indd 103

GALLERY

photo KYLE BECKMANN

rider JOHNNY BRADY

spot NORTHSTAR, LAKE TAHOE

trick BOARDSLIDE

0104

02.09.2015 21:54

16.1 METHOD GALLERY.indd 104 16.1

trick TURNIN’ AND BURNIN’

photo ERIK HOFFMAN

rider DYLAN GAMACHE

trick FRONTSIDE 360

photo JÉRÔME TANON

rider VICTOR DE LE RUE

spot ARLBERG, AUSTRIA

spot EXETER, RHODE ISLAND

02.09.2015 21:54

16.1 METHOD GALLERY.indd 105

GALLERY

photo CYRIL MÜLLER

rider ETHAN MORGAN

spot REYKJAVIK, ICELAND

trick OLLIE

0106

02.09.2015 21:54

16.1 METHOD GALLERY.indd 106 16.1

photo DANIEL TENGS rider MAX WARBINGTON

spot RIKSGRÄNSEN, SWEDEN trick FAST PLANT

16.1 METHOD GALLERY.indd 107

02.09.2015 21:55

0108

16.1 METHOD GALLERY.indd 108

02.09.2015 21:55

photo RYAN ANDERSON

rider JYE KEARNEY

spot WHISTLER, B.C.

GALLERY

trick TAILGRAB

16.1

photo CYRIL MÜLLER

rider HALLDÓR HELGASON

spot REYKJAVIK, ICELAND

trick FRONTSIDE BOARDSLIDE

02.09.2015 21:55

16.1 METHOD GALLERY.indd 109

METHOD16.1_WHATEVER_GOODBYE.indd 110

02.09.2015 19:52

METHOD16.1_WHATEVER_GOODBYE.indd 111 PHOTOS AND QUOTE: DARCY BACHA

GOODBYE

“Boston was insane. This bum came at our group loaded up on drugs and demanded to fight. We were trying to leave without conflict but it wasn’t possible.”

16.1

111

06.09.2015 20:08

METHOD16.1_ADS DPS BACK.indd 112

02.09.2015 17:23

E.TV

HOTZON

http://opening.hotzone.tv

METHOD16.1_ADS DPS BACK.indd 113

02.09.2015 17:23

METHOD16.1_ADS DPS BACK.indd 114

02.09.2015 17:24

渀 攀 昀 昀 栀 攀 愀 搀 眀 攀 愀 爀 ⸀挀 漀 洀

匀䄀䜀䔀 䬀伀吀匀䔀一䈀唀刀䜀

16.1

圀伀刀䬀 䴀䤀吀吀 METHOD16.1_ADS DPS FRONT.indd 13

10/09/15 15:03 10.09.2015 18:24

GLOW IN THE DARK

THE BRAND:

UNION BINDING COMPANY KAZU KOKUBO FC BINDING

Turn off the lights and discover our new glow in the dark binding parts.

BINDING ALSO AVAILABLE IN: Design THE yourFC own at switchbackbindings.com

STRONGER.

PHOTO: DARCY BACHA

INSTAGRAM: @UNIONBINDINGCO UNIONBINDINGCOMPANY.COM

1516_DPS_320x225_Method_2015_08_13.indd 12-13 METHOD16.1_ADS DPS FRONT.indd 12

FC BINDING RIDDEN BY KAZU KOKUBO

UNION BINDING CO. 2015 - 2016

10.09.2015 18:21