10.1 English Method Snowboard Magazine

9 771651 975016 £3.50·4,95 €·7,9 CFH

09

10.1

SEP09·OCT09

SNOWBOARD MAGAZINE · WWW.METHODMAG.COM · www.METHOD.TV

ENGLISH

ISSUE # 25

ELIAS ELHARDT

RECYCLED P.E.T BOTTLE PRODUCT

photo: Georges

#3&"5)"#*-*5: 8"5&31300'/&44

DIFDL PVU FMJBT FMIBSEU JO UIF MBUFTU SJQ DVSM NPWJF

BOE

Hello my name is:

Romain de Marchi PHOTO: Oli Gagnon SPOT: BC backcountry, Canada TRICK: RDM sends a back 3 off the left titty

Hello my name is:

jonathan Nilsson

PHOTO: Daniel Blom SPOT: Ă–stersund, Sweden TRICK: How many triangles do you see in this photo?

Ollie to fakie

Pål SørEnsen Hello my name is:

PHOTO: Daniel Blom SPOT: Mammoth, California TRICK: FS Air

Hello my name is:

Tyler Chorlton PHOTO: Daniel Blom SPOT: Prato Nevoso, Italia TRICK: BOOOOM!

EDITORIAL Editor-IN-Chief: Thomaz Autran Garcia thomaz@method.tv SENIOR EDITOR: Florent De Maria florent@method.tv Art Director: Iñigo Zapiain Ugalde inigo@method.tv Asst art Director: Malin Persson Jarskär malin@method.tv Asst art Director: Tom Lenartowicz thrilly@method.tv senior design advisor: Angel Sanz Correa French editor & translator: Florent De Maria German editor & translator: Florian Mortan Italian editor & translator: Paolo Paganelli Senior photographers: Daniel Blom, Oli Gagnon, Frode Sandbech Staff photographers: Fred Egli, Carlos Blanchard Staff Writers: Ben Fee, Mark Rosenberg

Time is such a curious... thing, for lack of a better word. It s been discussed and debated for millennia, described conversely as an absolute by rationalists like Newton and an illusion by the Greek philosopher Zeno. To Einstein, time and space are one and the same, warped by the gravitational interaction of celestial bodies.

Regardless of what people choose to call it, to this day no one has been able to quantify or explain time in a completely satisfactory manner. The fact is we are still very far from understanding its true nature, and I’m not even sure humans have the mental horsepower to ever wrap our minds around something so far beyond the reach of our comprehension.

And so it is that we’ve arrived at the ten-year mark for Method. Our first decade. Whilst this may constitute half (or even more) of your short time on this earthly plane, for crusty old bastards like myself it makes up an increasingly smaller part of our lives.

Granted, a lot happens in 10 years, but you’d be surprised at how fast it goes by...

Since 2000, METHOD has grown from a website to a video magazine to a print magazine and online TV and in the course of that time we’ve weathered many storms, friends and trends have come and gone, but our love of snowboarding is as pure and unalloyed as it was the day we first strapped in. A love so strong that we’ve sacrificed opportunities, relationships, friendships, money, time and even our bodies in an attempt to slake our unquenchable thirst for the shred. And it shows no signs of waning, despite all the abuse we’ve put ourselves through. So enjoy the 10th season of Method, we hope it inspires, motivates and reminds you that some things are too important to not pour your heart and soul into.

TAG

Contributing Photographers: Vanessa Andrieux, Geoff Andruik, Ashley Barker, Dave Brewer, Remi Desclaux, Joel Fraser, Mark Gallup, Andrea Giordan, Tyler Heffernan, Sam Mellish Alex Mertz, Denis Piccolo, Bob Plumb, Kealan Shiller, E-Stone, Bavo Swijgers, Jerome Tanon, Phil Tifo, Mark Welsh, Andy Wright, Mike Yoshida, DR Zapalac Contributing writers: Chris Beresford, Jesse Burtner, Tim Eddy, Colin Frei, Sean Genovese, Julien Haricot, Mike Leblanc, Alex Mertz, Spencer O’Brien, Gigi Rüf, Frode Sandbech, James Stentiford, Scott Stevens, Mark Thompson, Phil Tifo, Mike Yoshida, DR Zapalac

WWW.METHOD.TV camera & SHREDITOR: Tom Elliott tom@method.tv MUSIC: music@method.tv

COVERSTORY BY: FRODE SANDBECH

I was hanging out with the Pirates crew at the time; this shot is from one of the deepest powder days of the season in St. Moritz. It had snowed too much, so the avalanche danger was too high to go up into the mountains. Marco Feichtner found this one bump in the woods with a little tranny finder as a landing. With the massive amount of snow, the 200 meter hike took about 20 minutes. Chest deep! Marco is a guy who is super good at riding different terrain like this. He is always determined to get the shot and works hard. I am super stoked on his method here.

Camera:

Canon 5D Mark 2 Lens:

Canon 90mm Tilt/Shift Aperture · Shutter Speed · ISO:

f/7,1 · 1/1000 · 100 Rider:

Marco Feichtner Trick:

METHOD! Spot:

St. Moritz, Switzerland Date:

February 8, 2009

WWW.METHODMAG.COM Web editor: Alexis de Tarade alexis@method.tv Web reporter: Edgar Lanting edgar@method.tv SENIOR Web Programmer: Laurie Barker laurie@method.tv Web Programmer: Christoph Bödl chris@method.tv

BOOM EXTREME PUBLISHING LTD PUBLISHER: Rasmus Ostergaard FInance Director: Mark Fenwick Executive Director: Gareth Rees Accounting: Ben Gallivan ben@method.tv CEO: Rasmus Ostergaard rasmus@method.tv - +33.672.546.456 ADVERTISING: Rasmus Ostergaard rasmus@method.tv - +33.672.546.456 PUBLIC RELATIONS: Caroline Cowley caz@method.tv DISTRIBUTION: Caroline Cowley caz@method.tv Printer: Benhamgoodheadprint Limited www.bgprint.co.uk Editorial Office METHOD MAGAZINE 25 allée du Moura, lot 8B 64200 Biarritz FRANCE Ph.: +33 (0)5 59 41 21 45 Fax: We prefer emails info@method.tv Method and all other brands associated to it are procuced by Boom Extreme Publishing Ltd. 218 Penarth Road Cardiff CF11 8NN United Kingdom Copyright 2009 Boom Extreme Publishing 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 Boom Extreme Publishing 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. Boom Extreme Publishing Ltd assumes no responsibility for the loss or damage of unsolicited material.

Thanks for buying Method Mag. We sure hope you like it.

Whatever

I/15

- The Resistance (Forum) and Destroyer (Kingpin) hit stores and will remain forever as some of the most influential videos in snowboarding.

- Air France Flight 4590, a Concorde jetliner, crashes into a hotel in Gonesse just after takeoff from Paris, killing all 109 aboard and 4 in the hotel.

- American Beauty is the big winner at the Oscars. It also features an awesome soundtrack.

ONCE UPON A TIME...

BY: FLORENT DE MARIA ILLUSTRATION : MALIN PERSSON

January 1st, 2000. People are slowly waking up, staring at each other and realizing that computers are still on, TV sets didn’t explode, apples and melons still taste like apples and melons, toasters didn’t commit suicide, my dog still can’t talk, a car is passing by... Life goes on, we’re still not dead. Welcome to the year 2000.

- A new bible is born: Method sees the light, still in its first incarnation as a VHS magazine.

First “issue” includes Romain De Marchi, Jakob Wilhelmson, the Crystal Awards... 10 years later, we’re still in the game, baby!

- Plastic surgeons the world over are in grief: Lolo Ferrari, the French pornstar (or singer, dancer or whatever she was) dies at age 32, of undetermined causes. Drug overdose or murder, who knows?

- Nupedia, a predecessor to Wikipedia, is created. Sounds more like a porn site to me than anything else.

- Stefan Gimpl wins the G-Shock Air & Style contest for the second year in a row. And he’s not done winning yet.

- Three masterpieces drop from three immense artists: Radiohead releases “Kid A”, Elliott Smith his “Figure 8” and PJ Harvey “Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea”.

- Vladimir Putin is elected President of Russia.

French Canadians love eating poutine. There must be some relation between those two facts somewhere, no?

- The billionth Indian citizen is born on May 11th. There were 26 women battling simultaneously for the honor, with the winner popping out a mere 0.47 seconds before the runner-up.

- Bill Clinton becomes the first sitting U.S. President to visit Vietnam.

- France is the new European champion in soccer, beating Italy 2-1 in extra-time. Italians have a lot of difficulties re-corking champagne bottles.

- Bush v. Gore: The U.S. Supreme Court stops the Florida presidential recount, effectively giving the state, and the Presidency, to George W. Bush. And mad cow disease alarms Europe. I’m sure those two events are linked somehow...

- Blue Montgomery is one smart puppy. He launches CAPiTA along with the elusive Jason Brown, which, in a few years time, will become the brand all the cool kids ride.

- President Slobodan Milosevic leaves office after widespread demonstrations throughout Serbia.

- The first resident crew enters the International Space Station. I bet they didn’t even have satellite TV up there.

CONTINUES ON THE NEXT PAGE...

Whatever

II/15

CONTINUES FROM LAST PAGE...

Season 2000/2001 was a pretty good one for me! I got 4th at the X-Games Big Air. I also went to Japan for the first time! Spent quite a while in the States shooting with Gigi and Blotto. Got invited to the 2nd Arctic Challenge in Lofoten, Norway. All the Analog team, Jeff Anderson, Chris Brown, Gigi, Trevor Andrew, DJ A-Dog, Blotto and I did a roadtrip/ shoptour/partytour with an RV all the way from NYC to San Diego! For sure the best trip I was on! And I was 10 years younger...

SANI ALIBABIC I basically don’t remember shit about back then. I do remember not hiding under my bed because of the millenium, and getting bombed on New Year’s.

Snowboarding was just another year though, those were the early years for me riding for Forum and we had just completed Lil’ Bastards for IS Eyewear. Man, those were good times!!!! Oh, and I’m OLD!!!!

DEVUN WALSH

The Electric Chair Show by METHOD! PHOTOGRAPHY: REMI DESCLAUX

This fall you can’t miss Method TV’s controversial new show “The Electric Chair”. Like inmates on death row, the biggest personalities in snowboarding will drop raw science on the state of all things snowboarding today. Romain De Marchi, Nicolas Müller, Drew Stevenson and many more will shed light on the stories and issues that have been largely ignored by the snowboard media up until now. Obfuscation (look it up, dummy) will not be tolerated, we’ve gone straight for the soft, tender jugular and plunged the blade in deep this time. The show debuts September 21, 2009 on Method.TV and we kick things into high gear right off the bat with the inimitable RDM. Make sure you tune in because shit is going to get hectic! www.method.tv

Ten years ago I was (just like right now, actually) up in Saas Fee, living and shredding the glacier with Fredi during the summer. I would say that was the time when we both (Fredi and I) progressed the most on our snowboards. All day, every day we were riding or talking about it. It’s also been ten years since we can both proudly say we are sponsored by Burton.

Not much was motivating me on the school front, my intuition told me to go to the mountains so I did that.

Ten years later, I have no regrets. It was also the year when we first had the idea of starting our own street wear brand. Arcus soon was born shortly after and took its own path. Time is what you make of it and I always have the best time when I forget about time.

Nevertheless, it’s important to look at what happened in your life and move on with those experiences in your back pack.

Nicolas Müller

and met with Friedl and Beckna to shoot with Justin H. for the Absinthe movie. After that, we took a plane from Reno up to Alaska, where we went up in a heli on the day we arrived. It’s one of the sickest moments I can remember, out of the plane, into a cab, change into our gear, climb into the heli and within 20 minutes you are in heaven! After the Alaska trip we (Beckna, Wolle and I) made our way down to Whistler, where we went snowmobiling for a couple of weeks. Then it was back to Austria for the Ästhetiker Tour stop in Obertauern. There was also a Riksgransen trip and some other little missions I did, but what I really recall the most is driving to Hossegor to surf with a friend for a month. I had the best time. It was a great year, full of good memories which I will never forget. Thanks to all my friends who made this time so awesome. Keep on riding!!!

Steve Gruber

That season I was filming for Moment´s Notice (a Marco Lutz film) and Tribal (Absinthe Films). I spent a lot of time on the road that year but every single trip was worth it. Early in the season I was mostly in Europe, which was great because conditions were perfect. In mid-February I went to Japan for a photo shoot with Salomon, then to Hawaii for a week to go surfing. Then I went to LA to ride Snow Summit with Wolle and David B. Later we cruised down to Lake Tahoe, dropped David off at the Standard Films house

Ten years ago I was filming for Jamie Mosberg’s movie 1999. It was the year when it dumped like crazy in France, the year when that big avalanche came down in Chamonix. That storm was so strong, it was crazy.

I think it was one of my best years ever! I did a lot of filming and had a lot of good riding with friends like Babs, Trevor & Tonton. It was also the year we did the last Boucherie in Avoriaz, probably the best riderorganized contest ever back then: snow, skate, friends and the best French hip hop band! I miss those days…

Nicolas Droz

Whatever

III/15

Knife Show an interview BY: TAG PHOTOGRAPHY: KNIFE SHOW

Knife Show packs more bananas into their clips than anybody on the intarwebz. We are backing what they do so here’s a few words with them.

Tell us a bit about yourselves, backgrounds, shredding, filming...

Casey: I live in San Diego during the summers and Mike lives in Los Angeles.

We try and travel to the snow as much as possible, then during the winters I live in Big Bear. It’s fun to shred at Bear because they have such a unique park with all the jibs there.

Mike: I started shooting about a year ago, and I quickly realized that almost nobody watches snowboarding clips. So I decided to mix it up a little bit.

What’s up with the name, Knife Show?

How did you guys come up with it? We like!

Casey: I used to have this quote on my MySpace: “Bring your knives, we’re going shredding”, so Mike kind of got it from that.

Mike: It’s also because our stuff is pretty editing-intensive. And a lot of the time, we’ll say that we’re “cutting” instead of “editing.”

Casey & Ben

You guys are definitely pushing boundaries, when you first did “Gnar Wars” what were your expectations? Were you guys afraid it might not be taken seriously?

Mike: Oh, we knew for sure it wouldn’t be taken seriously. [laughs] Casey: When Mike told me his idea for it, I thought it was pretty random and weird, but I’m into weird and random ideas like that. So I was into it regardless if people were gonna like it or not. But then most people liked it, so it all worked out... Thank god.

Mike: I think the good thing about that one is that it appealed to the Star Wars crowd, which is cool cuz I am also pretty geeky.

Which is your favorite Star Wars character and why?

Casey: I actually was never into Star Wars but if I had to pick one then definitely R2D2.

I think because if I was in Star Wars I would want to be him.

Mike: Casey is only saying R2D2 because he is short. The obvious answer for me is Han Solo, but that’s boring. So I am going with Grievous. He has four arms, imagine the crap you could do with that. I could edit and do After Effects at the same time!

Do you think other production companies might hop on the bandwagon and get more creative with their film-making? Or do you think the type of clips/movies that you guys make is more of a niche?

Casey: In the last year I’ve seen more companies do more stuff like what we are doing. Not saying we started it but I think because the regular snowboard video just isn’t cutting it anymore. People want to see more creative stuff, the typical lifestyle/timelapse intro with all the sponsors’ logos then the banger part at the end just isn’t enough for people now.

Mike: But that being said, we like a lot of other stuff. Like Justin Meyer of Videograss and of course Jesse Burtner’s Think Thank.

And Isenseven. I think there’s a lot of room for different kinds of videos now.

I believe the next frontier is really infusing a storyline into the videos. “That’s it, That’s All” has a storyline, and “Cool Story” definitely has an overall story structure. You will see more of that.

Do you guys see yourselves sticking to this type of movie-making or are you down to do some straight up shred-porn?

Mike: Well, there is a project coming up that might be a tiny bit more traditional, possibly.

But we are still working out details, so I don’t want to announce it…

Casey: I think if we did normal snowboard videos we would just blend in with all the other production companies but we wouldn’t have all the big names. We make up for not having the big names with having a cool storyline or theme to our videos. There are so many good riders out there with no sponsors and I think it’s nice to show them to the world and give you guys something new and fresh.

What are your favorite movies?

Mike: Children of Men, Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams, The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, No Country for Old Men, Interstalla 5555, The Sweet Hereafter, and in terms of snowboarding films I like “Stack Footy” the best probably.

Casey: I love all the Think Thank movies for sure. They use creativity in a whole new way with their riding. We also like Spike Jonze, he’s a super creative guy with the stuff he puts out.

Finish this sentence: After Effects is the illingest of the illest editing tool of all time because...

Casey: Because Knife Show runs off of it? (laughs) What can we expect from Knife Show in the near future: full-length feature maybe?

16mm?

Casey: We always think in the back of our heads about doing a 15-20 minute movie but web videos are so big right now and get so many more views. It would be fun to do one in the future though; we’ll see...

Mike: We’re going to do some music videos also.

What would you like your epitaph to read?

Casey: Cranberry sauce!

Mike: What he said.

Whatever

IV/15

You still use the first camera your dad ever gave you, it seems like your whole approach is based on “less is more”.

How would you describe your style of photography?

I like the “less is more” attitude, and I’m trying to incorporate that ethos more and more into my photos. But in all honesty, when I answered this question I didn’t really have a snowboard shot in mind. At least not one of mine.

My Cameras BY: TAG PHOTOGRAPHY: CARLOS BLANCHARD

Hi Carlos, introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Carlos Blanchard, I’m originally from Zaragoza, a not-so-big town in the north of Spain. I’ve spent 3 winters in Innsbruck so far, but it’s only been in the last year that I’ve been based there, and I love it. I have much love for the people that surround me and I want to take care of that, as well as the mountains and general environment.

Respect is an important part of my life.

How did you become interested in photography?

I’d rather talk more about how I started with photography, which was when I was around 18, I guess. It all started with the help of a friend who told me about some photography workshops back home and also my dad, who loaned me the Nikon F2 which I still use. My interest in photography waxes and wanes and is affected by different influences almost everyday.

You are one of the few guys still shooting mostly with analog these days, tell us a bit about your passion for film.

It’s just my way of working, from the get-go. I definitely trying to keep analog photography as vital as I can and ultimately I know I’m going to love the photos if they turn out well. Analog is definitely a type of photography which, from my point of view, requires more effort and passion from the photographer, so it leads to more satisfaction. But I guess that’s something that generally only the person snapping the shutter feels.

What are the best and worst things about working with film?

It’s not really about best or worst, like I said before, it’s just that film is usually what I love the most, the type of photography that gives me the most satisfaction. If I really have to come up with something, maybe when you don’t get any good shots in a roll or the roll is fucked or whatever, that’s the bad side of working with film. The best thing about film always has different ways of manifesting itself, depending on how the shot that turned out good “touches” you.

Do you see yourself focusing on shooting only snowboarding for the time being?

Are there any other types of photography that you like?

I definitely don’t see myself doing the snowboard thing for too much longer. I don’t know, I never really thought about it, I just think there’s probably something else out there somewhere for me, I just don’t really know where yet. Maybe something in between documentary, art, and fashion?

Or maybe I’ll just stick to what I’m doing now and maybe get involved in other action sports, we’ll see...

What is the hardest lesson you’ve learned in your years shooting snowboarding?

Believing in yourself, being there for yourself when you need it, to push yourself, to stay the course and follow the path you started on. I’m still into it.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

What, in 2019??

Thank you’s & shout-out’s Thanks to you all!

Whatever

V/15

Variety Pack "not bad!" by Gigi Rüf PHOTOGRAPHY: FRODE SANDBECH

· Right off the bat, the music choice of The Clash is great. · Alex throws weak snowballs and drops big hammers to a heavy punk song. Surprisingly he lands in the backcountry but can’t hold his grabs as long as his presses. · Ben knocks 3-4 chicks steady until Jordan comes in claiming. · Wow, what is going on with that stance?

Push-ups are not gonna help the stance. · Steve Cartwright has the sweetest overlap between his railing going down. · Gulli, ohhh man, look at his color range.

Should have kept sporting it for the Toys ‘R’ Us rail - he’d blend right in. · Sean Black’s BS 180 could be his ending shot because that was sick. · Jed. Heard of him. With the Thrasher jacket he must be into skating or simply underground status. Somehow he reminds me of a J2 sequel. · Bode Merrill, switch, huh. · JP Tomich... Where, what!? This must be Utah, yeah!? Wouldn’t have had to crack a nut over that one. He rides very light. Since I did it with Jed I would like to compare JP to another old Utah asset in snowboarding, which would be Ali Goulet.

· Knut Eliassen talks a lot. · Brandon Hammid’s jibbing is great and big what you expect outta Utah. · Really thought this video was gonna be filled with Utah metal. Now it’s changed into camera film footage. The parts slowly move into backcountry riding. · First to mention here is Clint Allan. Together with Andrew Burns he is filling the Tahoe section. · Mark Sollors and Logan Short are killing it here in the follow up riding in Canada. · The video gets brought back to jibbing with Cam Pierce and some Biggie lyrics. I wish I could get a Biggie song for my video part one time.

· Kurt. Yes, c’mon. Can’t give him an alias, he is a solid Utah veteran. It’s sick how he threads · Now we have a long hair guy. Must be in Canada, eh. Shows good riding and also jumps the needle through the tree.

on rails. I got to rewind to get his name. Matt Belzile earns it here. Showing style and variety. · That was it at the 40-minute mark, seems the goal set by the editor was within this timeframe. The collected footage made it happen but surely wasn’t coming from the same source. Lots of buddy cams, even more buddies in front of the cam. · Overall the video has more of a raw feel and throws the light back to what takes place everywhere in the same fashion with snowboarding: a bunch of friends going outside and then running back inside to get the camera. · The music varies just like the riders, cameras and locations. This is Variety Pack!

Gigi

Whatever

VI/15

Little Labels

"

Clast Neckwear

BY: FLORENT DE MARIA PHOTOGRAPHY: CLAST

Mu, please tell us a bit about Clast, the philosophy of the brand and the people behind it. Who’s the master and who are the slaves?

It basically all started with me losing the first and only neck warmer I’ve ever bought. After not being able to find another one that i was happy with, plus already knowing that we wanted to start our own little project, pretty much showed us the way and everything kind of fell into place naturally. Next thing I did was to call my grandma, who happens to be a seamstress, and ask if she would help me sew up a couple of neck warmers for my friends. Then it just snowballed from there, people liked what we made, we liked what we made and it all started to grow. Our philosophy is simple: everyone who feels like getting involved with clast is more than welcome to do so, regardless of style, stereotypes and whatever else people are hating on out there! We want clast to be fun and at the same time functional, we want to motivate people to go out and be creative.

At the moment clast is four people: Fabian Friedli and Marco Dalla Bona take care of everything concerning production and the

sales process, Renato Späni is the CEO, overlooking everything and making sure that things get done in time and finally myself, trying to take care of the team, design & marketing as best I can! At least that’s what it says on paper, but of course it’s not always so well organized and everybody helps out however we can.

Did you guys contribute to the decrease of the flu and other diseases that snowboarders were suffering from? Do you consider yourselves the first “medicinal” brand in snowboarding?

I wish we could claim that, it would be pretty cool but I guess we’re more of a function- or fashion-oriented brand than medicinal really. But I still think making sure people are not freezing while being out there shredding and having fun as one of our biggest goals is a pretty good thing.

But in all honesty, I’d say our business plan is basically based on getting people totally addicted to clast after they have worn our stuff for just one day…haha!

How do you manage to run a brand and be filming and riding in contests all over the world at the same time, do your parents help you out when you’re not in the office?

That would be nice of them, right? But seriously it’s not that big of a deal, because I mostly take care of the team, design & marketing, the kind of stuff which I can basically do from everywhere in the world as long as there’s an internet connection.

And in the spring and summer, when a big part of the design process is going on, I’m stoked to just stay at home for a while after a long season on the road, so it works out just fine for me at the moment.

But the biggest reason why we are in business is the other guys, who are all based in Switzerland so they can take care of all the day to day stuff that needs to be done to run a company. Without them I obviously wouldn’t be able to balance both snowboarding and clast.

Clast is all over the place so quickly, riders seem really stoked on your neck warmers and ninja masks. Which is no wonder, cuz they’re well thought out and super practical pieces. What’s the next magical clast product to hit the stores?

We’ve definitely got some things up our sleeves. But on the other hand, why would you wanna mess with a winning team,

right? Neck warmers and ninja masks are two things that have proven themselves out on the mountain, so we’re focusing on really getting our designs as perfect as possible and only using the best materials we can find on the market. That means a lot of research but I think the hard work pays off in the long term -- people appreciate quality.

Seriously though, do you consider clast as a real business venture to focus on after snowboarding, or just an awesome hobby?

Hard to tell, right now it’s definitely more of an awesome hobby that takes up a lot of my time, especially in the spring and summer. For now I just look at it as an opportunity to learn about new things and keep my brain from totally melting away.

And if it keeps on growing like it is at the moment i can’t see a reason why we would stop the journey anytime soon. I guess the bottom line is that as long as there are people who are stoked on our products we’ll be there to make sure they’re not getting cold around their necks!

Which of your riders would get the first pro-model neckwarmer and why?

Definitely not Grilo, that’s all i can say...

The many faces of Mu

revenge for what you wrote about me in your last interview, my friend...haha! But we’ve definitely been talking about promodels a lot lately, but how do you decide who’s worthy of getting his own signature line out of a group with so many awesome individuals? So for the moment we are just trying to make everything as close to what riders want as possible.

Well Mu, thanks for your time, here is where you tell the readers how cool clast is.

Well, what can I say, it’s definitely megaüber-super cool, that’s for sure...haha, bullshit... It’s just something simple and fun that a few friends started together to have a little room to get creative and have a good time! Maybe even give a little something back to snowboarding, which has given all of us so many amazing opportunities in life and the chance to meet all these wild creatures we now call friends.

I guess that’s it, clast is about friendship!

Peace! mu.

Whatever

VII/15

Family Matters: Margot & Jean-Louis RoziEs BY: FLORENT DE MARIA PHOTOGRAPHY: ROZIES FAMILY

Do you remember the first time you put Margot on a board? How long did it take till she threatened to give up?

Margot got on skis first. We would ski the Mickey (bunny) slope in La Mongie and Margot would hang onto a ski pole which I would hold across my body. She was 3 or 4. As for snowboarding, I suggested she should give it a try, but she didn’t want to at first. Eventually, she strapped in on her own one day and never looked at her skis again. Even at that early age she was already challenging the status quo… What a brat!

Until what age did she refuse to take the T-bar?

She never refused riding on the T-bar as far as I know. She started riding drag lifts on skis and then on her snowboard.

Margot was secretely in love with Math Crepel, that we know, but for how long?

It’s hard to tell if she really was... At times they seemed as thick as thieves, but they also argued quite often.

As a father and radiologist, how many times did you have to bring her to your clinic to take X-rays?

Once for her wrist, and another time for her humerus. But that time I was far away, in Bali. Every once in a while we do a quick x-ray or a sonogram to reassure Margot when she is injured or not feeling too good.

And right now we have to take an x-ray

of her foot (overhanging metatarsals are definitely not good for turning).

Do you think you’re still better than her at carving?

On skis, probably. On the guitar, for sure!

How does it feel to see your own daughter in magazine ads and billboards all over the city?

It makes me really proud! And I also enjoy asking our friends, “Did you see my daughter on the billboard?”. We definitely keep all the magazines that have photos or ads of Margot, we keep them to show to family and friends.

Was the school/snowboard combo hard to deal with?

When she left for sport school, she was only 14, it was really hard (especially for Margot’s mom, but also for her). So for her last two years of high school, she came back home to her family circle to finish her degree. It was actually the school that suffered most of the consequences of Margot’s time there (aka pranks), because her personality isn’t really suited for extended periods in a school environment.

Today, 14 years later, how do you feel about her career as a professional snowboarder?

Parents tend to want their children to blossom on their own terms, so you have to let them live their passion and help channel their energy. Her career path has not been a straight line. At first Margot was focused on competing, she was determined to succeed in every discipline (slalom, boardercross, halfpipe, etc). Then her mentality shifted after the terrible loss of her close friend Tristan Picot, but also because she didn’t really feel comfortable with the French Snowboard Federation.

At that point she started focusing more on shooting photos and videos, and competing in more slopestyle events. We followed her development on the sidelines, we knew there was little we could do to change Margot’s mind, she pretty much does what she wants.

So… is Margot more of a Jeune & Jolie magazine type of girl or is she more Method Mag? Method Mag, for sure! Now she is also an Art & Decoration and Côte Sud type of girl, since she is studying to be an interior designer.

How many times did you make sure she was behaving at all the crazy snowboard industry parties?

Never, mainly because I am usually not around when she goes to these parties, except when she’s in the Pyrenees, then we are always together.

Last, but certainly not least, what’s your favorite memory of Margot?

Her halfpipe World Champion title in 2000.

Whatever

VIII/15

I drew an angry black monkey with a gun and a knife. My aunt was invited over to add a rainbow and some colors. At the age of 8 I discovered my father’s collection of Zap Comix. Consequently my first sexual fantasies were in black and white. After that I was skateboarding, which got me into video. At some point, I discovered stopmotion animation. I never really gave much thought to whether this is what I want to do. It’s what I do. Apart from some days, when I go for a walk.

WAyne HOrse Of Course, My HOrse von: Malin Persson Jarskär ILLUSTRATION: WAYNE HORSE

Who is Wayne Horse and where did he come from?

Hallo. Mein name ist Wayne Horse. I was born in 1981 in St. Petersburg. My parents moved early on to Germany, where I spent a remarkably happy youth. In high school I was the kid who could draw. Then there was another kid who drew better than me. Luckily he got into grunge and stopped drawing. I pretended to be more weird than I was and did all sorts of shameful artistic drawings about slitting my wrists. Then I got into drinking and laughing. I came to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, to study art. It took some time to get over feeling guilty for doing nothing but bullshit. After art school I realized I had to do something to support myself. I was lucky enough to be able to show here and there.

Tell us about the origin of your artwork.

When did it all begin and is this what you’ve always wanted to do?

Drawing is something that I always did.

As a child I would only draw in black and white. When I was 6 years old my parents allowed me to paint a wall in my room.

Your art is like a combination of a thousand impressions and general weirdness. Is there often a particular line of reasoning or even planning behind your works or do you just go crazy and let it flow?

I don’t work towards a goal. If I knew what I wanted the result to be, there would be no point in making the work anymore. I want the work to talk to me and go beyond my first vision. For example, I never write a full script for a video. All I do is set the frame, as in two people, in the forest, with a fine piece of biscuit, or tight red pants, or something.

Maybe I have a certain mood in mind, but many times I just go with what the situation creates and build on that. It is impossible to create something that means nothing as long as you work honestly. Apart from that I don’t consider my work especially weird.

What goes into me goes into my work.

What inspires you?

A good sense of humor.

Your website has everything from sketches and illustrations to videos and animated characters. Seems like you enjoy dabbling in a little bit of everything - do you do this simultaneously or focus on each art form separately?

Often different fields melt into each other. I prefer a bad drawing with a good idea behind it to a well executed but uninspired one. If you don’t know the medium well, it offers no opportunity to hide in it. There is nothing to disguise your idea. I switch from one

technique to the other all the time, most of the time it is not a conscious decision. I try to find some balance in between them. To be honest, it never works. I don’t manage to balance anything and it’s a disaster every time. Over and over again. ...and which type of media do you prefer to work with? Which is most worthwhile?

The most immediate/simple is the best.

Putting pen to paper, building something, involving people and creating something together. I enjoy digital work too, but find work that takes place in the real world the most appealing.

Ever thought about doing snowboard graphics?

Never thought about that. I’ve been on a snowboard once. I can do the falling leaf.

But... yes. Why not.

What does the future look like for Wayne Horse?

This summer I will go on a crusade through the Schwarzwald and the Alps. I intend to perform the fetal position at numerous locations. I recently got involved with a cult. It is no picnic.

Probably around a month of searching for the light. I don’t have a clue what the outcome of this is going to be, so I hesitate to announce any other future plans. Thank you for your time. www.waynehorse.com

Whatever

IX/15

Jakob is on fire right now. Literally.

5 biggest changes in your life after becoming a dad: - I miss home even more - Earlier mornings - Changing diapers - No time to just sit around and do nothing - I have someone that I care more about than myself

JAKOB WILHELMSON BY: TAG · PHOTOGRAPHY: DANIEL BLOM

Top 5 things to say to yourself right before you slam: - Why did I even try this trick?

- Fuck!

- This might hurt.

- I’m too old to slam...

- Oh, no!

5 best things to eat with lingonberry jam: - Meatballs - Reindeer stew - Porridge - Potato cake with bacon - Blood pudding

5 worst insults you have ever been on the receiving end of: - I really don’t know, I guess I try to forget them as fast as I can Top 5 Swedish shreds of all time: - Hampus Mosesson - Ingemar Backman - Johan Olofsson - Chris Sörman - PH 5 craziest Midsummer party memories: - Don’t know if I have any crazy memories of Midsummer. It’s usually the same every year, we eat a fish called “sill” and drink too much hard liquor...

5 best types of Haribo candy: - They are all good!

5 best things about Banana Tech: - Easy to ride - Insane in pow - Better pop - Nice to carve - More fun snowboarding 5 gnarliest tricks you saw last season: - It’s really hard to say, I think most of the days when I go out riding I see gnarly tricks, from the kids here in Åre throwing down sick 1080’s to Markku and Hampus just shredding the pow in Japan. But one thing that stands out from this year is when Nils Arvidsson did a switch double back on a super windy and sketchy day 5 things you still want to do before you die: - See Edvin grow up - Go snowboarding with Edvin - Have one more child - Go ride powder at Mt. Baker with some friends after my snowboard career is over - Hang out on the golf course when I am retired

WELCOME TO THE TEAM: GIGI RÜF UNION BINDING COMPANY

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Whatever

Origins Method Air

X/15 Ah, the Method... What can be said about this classic (and classy) trick that hasn’t been said before? The Method is one of the most basic yet most stylish grabs in the book. I’d even go so far as to say it’s become the de facto yardstick by which one’s riding skills are judged -- cranking out a fully boned Method takes more board control than you’d think.

Like most grabs, the Method’s origins lie in skateboarding. Neil Blender was one of the most influential skateboarders of the 1980’s, an iconoclast and an incredibly talented artist, his style fast and flowing, imbued with fingertip precision and effortless grace. Blender is one of the most creative characters in the history of skateboarding so it was only natural that he also create seminal tricks such as the lien air (that’s Neil spelled backwards), the nocomply and yes, the Method. According to him, it was just a “method” for him to get more amplitude on his backside airs.

The beauty of the Method lies in its simplicity, which leaves plenty of room for the rider to express his or her style. The front hand grabs the heel edge between the bindings, both knees are bent and the board is pulled up behind the rider. There are many variations of the Method: the Palmer, which is usually done on a transition, where the board ends up higher than the rider’s head; the suitcase, where the rider reaches across the base and grabs the toe edge; the Grasser, a style immortalized by another snowboarding legend, Chris Roach from Grass Valley, California.

Some of the best Method’s in snowboarding include Jamie Lynn, Terry Kidwell, Terje Haakonsen, with LNP and Mark Landvik representing the newer guard. Danny Larsen’s got a pretty mean one too, as you can tell by the photo. Now get out there, strap in and start cranking that back leg out!

BY: TaG PHOTOGRAPHY: CARLOS BLANCHARD

Whatever

XI/15

After a perfect day of shredding on the glacier in Saas Fee, we drove down to the valley to enjoy the concerts and have a party night at the Openair Gampel. Since we were pretty hungry when we arrived, we decided to have a barbecue before heading to the festival. If that wasn’t the perfect situation to try my new recipe, I don’t know what could be.

The Mini-Calzone is an ideal snack for all festival fans and instantly pimps out any BBQ. The recipe is pretty simple and you can fix it on the fly even after one or two beers (i.e. don’t try this when you are well into that bender of epic proportions). All you need is 600 g of flour, a pinch of salt, one packet of powdered yeast, 400 ml of water, 1 packet of mozzarella... and a grill. You can either bring your own or else look for some friendly folks who are willing to share theirs with you. Since there were no fires allowed on and around the festival area, so we had to go and find someplace where

ShreCIpes Colin s Mini-Calzone BY: Colin Frei PHOTOGRAPHY: ZIMTSTERN

we could grill our stuff. After carrying all the food and all the drinks 500 m down the road we found the coolest VW van with the smallest grill we’ve ever seen.

And this is how it’s done: - Mix the flour together with the salt, the yeast powder and the water and knead it to a nice dough.

- Let the dough rest for a couple of minutes and use the time for a beer (and/ or smear your doughy hands all over your friends’ faces!).

- Wrap the dough around the mozzarella and place it on the grill – voila! Now you have time for another beer. Make sure you keep rotating the Mini-Calzone’s so they cook evenly. Once the dough turns golden and crispy, they are good to go!

You can add as many extra ingredients as you like to this recipe, such as sun-dried tomatoes, olives or basil, chocolate or whatever else tickles your fancy. Enjoy and cheers!

Whatever

XII/15

Dimi Biau had to make a fast getaway from the saloon after gunning down the town sheriff

Poney sessIon BY: FLORENT DE MARIA PHOTOGRAPHY: FRED EGLI

If there are two contests we are crazy about, they are definitely the Poney Session and the Wangl Tangl. We’ll get into the latter event in the next issue, but for right now let’s focus on the best thing happening in European snowboarding beyond the boundaries of the Alps. It’s been a number of years now that the mustangs seized power in the Pyrenees.

They even expanded their kingdom from Luz-Ardiden to Saint-Lary, where the battle took place this year. We could have asked Thomas or even Bizmut, aka Casque d’Or (Gold Helmet in French, his very local nickname) to tell us a bit about the event, but then he would have blathered on for eight pages about making love, not war. Let’s let the pictures speak for themselves, okay?

How to make a long story short? Well, 18 reasons should be more than enough to sum it all up: A first night pipe session with “garbure” (a tasty local soup) at the bottom of the pipe for everyone. A charming hotel, which saw more than one pair of tightywighties flying through the air. Dimitri Biau. An indoor pool, whose owners should make sure to close the windows by night (otherwise, one could be witness to the aforementioned Dimitri Biau skinny dipping). The Fluofun crew painting the town red. A Pyrenees vs Alps rivalry on the rise, proof being those steel bars that Bruno Rivoire and Sully Monod rode with to smash Pyrenean legs. Dimitri Biau. A dazzling park, enhanced by the wonderful creations of Bizmut and his fellow artists.

The best judging crew in Europe (led by mademoiselle Margot Roziès). A luscious barbeque, but I wondered if we weren’t grilling any pony meat… A well-deserved

Victor Delerue wrangles a front 5 mute over Bizmut’s kicker ornament

victory for Victor Delerue, so steady, ahead of Coin-Coin who stacked violently on his beak once or twice, and JJ Roux, who got the best trick-thingy. Thirty degrees celsius, let’s just say it was an aphrodisiacal atmosphere. Dimitri Biau. Donovan and the Doors on the soundtrack. A party night at the local cider-makers, capped off with Armagnac (even better than Cognac). Cutting the rug with DJ sets from Monosurround and Craack. Dimitri Biau yet again. And the Tristan Picot memorial, won with class by one Nicolas Cerretani.

When asked for a comment, Jolly Jumper said: “Fuckin’ hell, I wanted to go kick it with my homies, I’m so bummed that I was on a film set in the Caribbean that week, I heard there was such a good vibe and some super hot fillies…”. That’s pretty much it in a nutshell. Thanks Ponies. www.poneysession.com

Whatever

XIII/15

WELCOME TO THE dalikfodda SHITHOUSE TOUR! BY: SAM, IAN & SCHOPH PHOTOGRAPHY: sam mellish

Gentlemans Pistols, supported by Jettblack headlined seven European gigs. The shows took the rockers to Val Thorens, Morzine, Mayrhofen (Wangl Tangl), Tignes, Val dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Isere, back to Mayrhofen (Jib-Vid), Zurich and Laax for the mother of all parties at the British Championships. Booze, groupies, snowboarding, rock and 70â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s haircuts were second nature for some, whilst hair metal and iron workouts proved indispensable for others. Get your hands dirty and clean up in a wellness centre. dalikfodda, Dragon, The Dragon Lodge, Vans and Vestal bring you unspeakable debauchery, so either lock up your daughters or bring them to the slaughter - we are the people your folks warned you about. Viva la tour de ShitHouse! Wanna find out what went down on the most raucous tour ever to hit snowboarding? Go to www. methodmag.com to read the full story and all the photos.

Whatever

XIV/15

My Name is Scotty BY: TAG PHOTOGRAPHY: TYLER HEFFERNAN

Everybody loves Jason Lee. Some people love him for his skills on the the stunt wood, including a seminal part in Video Days, the most important skate movie of all time. Others love him for his acting roles, including the lead part in My Name

is Earl, one of the best TV shows produced in the last decade. In our case, we love Jason for both his skateboarding and his acting, so in his honor we decided to create a new section based on his TV show My Name is Earl. Basically we ask some of our favorite pro bros to list 10 things that they regret, just your basic, everyday shenanigans (or generalized debauchery, depending on who you ask) that they wish they could take back or make amends for...

For our first issue of the year, we got New Hampshire hellion Scotty Lago on the hot seat, and here’s what he had to say: 1. I suppose this should be number one: last week I did some drugs, got hammered and ended up turning up someone’s speakers so loud they blew. Well, he came over, pulled me out of the car and delivered at least 5 upper cuts into my facial region! I was so happy!

2. I stepped in human poop at this campsite.

3. I told my friend that he could come out to New Zealand this week with me, but I was wrong... There’s no place for him to stay, I’m going to break his little heart when I have to tell him he can’t come.

4. Missing Danny Kass’s Grenade shoot in Portland, he’s still mad at me.

5. On my way out here (to NZ) I snuck into the Red Carpet Lounge at United.

6. I swore a lot this week.

7. I made fun of Michael Jackson and Billy Mays.

8. I’m having lustful thoughts about Danny’s girlfriend.

9. I lied to Method Mag on one of my answers above.

10

I smoked a cig after I quit.

Thanks, you guys, this has really opened my eyes to how sketchy I am. I think I’ve got some work to do...

Jonas does the orange pants dance. Minishred BS 180 on the steeplechase course.

Word Association with Jonas Emery

BY: FloRENT DE MARIA PHOTOGRAPHY: FRED EGLI

Revolution Flash Speedo Twin Sleepwalking Lambada Coin Steven Seagal Spirit 69 Youth Lips Yellow Ice Plastic Absinthe Europe Moon Crème brûlée

Krishnamurti Highway Dope Tip Moon Club Med Pac Man Pony tail Connection YEAH Generation Slashes Man Vanilla Bertrand Fairies Mafia Sleepwalking Mmmm

Whatever

XV/15

flashback: Kevin Delaney

Check out how hard KD tweaks this... uhm, what is this? A Japan?

A suitcase nute (mute + nose)? A nutecase? Whatever you wanna call it, the two-fingertip grab, the slightly boned out back leg, the extra flair with the trailing hand, dude’s got some ferocious steez going on here.

BY: ALEXIS DE TARADE PHOTOGRAPHY: MARK GALLUP

Who is this human donut, you might ask?

Kevin Delaney is the name and killing it was his game. Kevin basically put the “rad” in Colorado back in the 80’s. Like basically everyone back then, KD competed in all disciplines. Only difference was Kevin won pretty much everything he entered, from NASTAR race contests to the ISF Overall World Championship (twice).

He also pushed the limits of freestyle snowboarding beyond what was thought possible at the time, as you can see from this snazzy snap. Kevin went on to found some of the best first freestyle camps ever.

In fact, to this day you can still sign up for Kevin Delaney Snowboard Camps in Aspen. He is also one of the main voices of televised snowboarding in the US, spreading the good word to the masses and explaining what in God’s name those pipe pirouette moves really are. We think Kevin is rad and you should too!

Let’s see, the first step is riding towards the gap with a moderate amount of speed and only your ankle straps buckled. Make sure you only ratchet them a few clicks in!

Then, about 5 or 6 meters from the jump, slap both ratchets and ride towards the gap cold turkey without being strapped in.

PHOTO : JOEL FRASER

Hit the jump, suck up your knees to make sure you’re clear of the first board and start looking for the other board. When you make eye contact, try to gauge how much juice you will need to clear the gap.

Chill in the air for a few seconds and try to set down the landing gear nice and soft on the other snowboard.

Make sure you plant both feet real tight behind each binder so you don’t slip off.

Bend your knees and ride away nice and clean.

“Make sure you are lined up real well with the second board when you drop in because once you jump off the first board you won’t be able to maneuver laterally too much.”

LIFE UNFOLDED IN OUR BACKYARD WORDS AND PHOTOS BY DR. ZAPALAC

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Fast forward 10 years to 2009 and I begin to recollect the 2 feet of fresh that we scored on our maiden voyage to the Angeles Crest Nation Forest. Could it be, could we once again ride fluffiness? Our initial thoughts of favorable weather patterns soon became reality as noaa. gov reconfirmed our hunch that snow had reached levels of playability. The call was made to embark on this mission using our beloved “The Dreamer.” A beautiful machine she is.

Swathed in authentic American metal, this 1989 Ford F-350 7.3 liter 4x4 Diesel sure does pack a hefty drive. We packed her with gear, filled her with food, we even loaded her with 3 buddies and she still had room for more.

then came across a painful sight, a road closure. The anticipation turned to angst as we contemplated in disbelief about our next move.

Our patience paid big dividends as the crew from Cal-Trans arrived willing to discuss the orange obstacle. There was no estimated time for the gate to reopen. The undermanned team was overwhelmed from all the snow that had fallen in the past 24 hours. We decided to assess our options while relaxing in the spacious comforts of “The Dreamer.” An hour or so later we came to the conclusion that changed this mission into a journey. We were going to hike in and up the mountain.

With a plan intact and anticipation to last, we once again headed 78 miles east. At around 3,500 feet, we had the pleasure of being introduced to the first signs of snow. It was about 6:45 am, at around mile 70, that we

What follows is 3 days of absolute adventure.

Our innate presence allowed a path to be laid. We followed with anxious ambition as life unfolded in our backyard.

METHOD WANTS YOU! Do you love SNOWBOARDING? Have you always dreamed of working at a snowboard magazine?

Can you FILM, WRITE or SHOOT PHOTOS?

METHOD is recruiting volunteers and If you answered yes to all of the above, we want YOU to fight the good fight in your local scene. So drop in and drop us a line at cv@method.tv

JOIN THE METHOD ARMY TODAY!

A aro n

B i i tt n er

Aaron Biittner has been hovering on the edge of our radar for some time but the SLC kid with the ill style is slated to melt your face this season. Believe the hype. Bittner leads the charge in an era where style is reclaiming its rightful throne. Whether he is blasting the backcountry, slaying gnarly cheese grater triple kinks or sessioning the park – it all just oozes with ease. Chilled demeanors usually make for effortless style and anyone that has met Biittner knows he’s more relaxed than a Buddhist on vacation. Watching him stomp lofty spins and nasty tip slides, you’ve got to ask yourself how he makes the shit look so ridiculously easy. After spending this past summer at COC and chasing the white winter wave in Argentina, Biittner is coming soon to a resort near you, capitalizing on what was his “busiest ever” season last year. He’s like, so totally hot right now.

MJR Biittner gives this rail some front lip.. switch! Minneapolis, Minnesota. PHOTO: ©andywrightphoto.com

FIGHTING the Man in Japan BY: JAMES STENTIFORD PHOTOGRAPHY: DANIEL BLOM

LEFT · Markku Koski threading the needle through some trees and Godzilla’s claws with ease.

RIGHT · Hampus Mosesson, lone winter warrior and gambling addict, creeps through the white forest searching for the next powder pocket to slay with his trusty katana shred blade.

I watched Scco I watched bemused as 50 well-behaved Japanese school children waited patiently and quietly at Heathrow Airport to board our slightly delayed plane.

The same scene seemed unimaginable with a bunch of French, or for that matter English, school kids. The French would be off smoking Gauloises behind the teacher’s backs and making out in the corner, while the English kids would be trying to pickpocket a poor old granny or nicking sweets and perfume from the duty free shop. Instead, these kids were killing time with timed Rubik’s Cube challenges. On the other side of the waiting area Japanese tourists returning home sat with white surgical masks covering their mouths and noses, which I later found out were to protect others from catching their colds.

Japan is about as culturally different from the west as humanly possible, from going through airport security to ordering

food, everything is punctuated with great courtesy, consideration and order, making it one of the most unique and intriguing places to visit in the world. One of the first things you notice driving from Sapporo airport towards Niseko is the size of the snow banks on each side of the road, which obscured any view of the surroundings for much of the drive. Instead of poles to mark the side of the road, here they have massive great pylons every hundred meters with reflective arrows indicating where the road should be, that’s how much snow there is! Our convoy of rental cars made its way slowly towards the mountains, full of jet-lagged snowboarders in various states of sleep deprivation, “The General” Tomi Toiminen (Quiksilver team manager) and myself leading the charge. Smoke billowed out of the Frenchie’s car, as they chainsmoked their way to the resort after being cooped up in a plane for twenty-odd hours,

followed by the Scandi car, handbrake turning and four-wheel drifting towards our destination.

I’ll take this opportunity to introduce our rather large, multi-faceted crew.

Representing France we had Florent Duccase, chain-smoker, photographer and philosopher, along with poker fanatic and filmer Regis and pretty boy Emeric Front (who wouldn’t look out of place in a boy band but put him on a snowboard and he will crush anything and everything in his path). The Scandi contingent included Finnish rally champion and all-terrain master Markku Koski, loose cannon and “I’ll-bet-on-anything” Hampus Mosseson, smooth operator Jakob Wilhelmson and our visual image expert for this mission, monsieur Blomy.

‘All the stories and rumors about endless snow storms, waist-deep powder and perfect trees can’t prepare you for how much it snows in Japan.’

Niseko is probably Japan’s most famous resort. Until recently a secret powder stash for a chosen few, these days the resort is a staple for Aussie tourists and western photo crews. Niseko itself seems to be going through the changes traditional French mountain resorts like Chamonix went through ten to fifteen years ago, when the English decided to colonize and buy up all the property. But in this case it’s the Aussies (I’m not sure which is worse)… Posh wine bars full of middle-class Sydneyites stand shoulder to shoulder with traditional sushi bars and modern apartment blocks overlook dilapidated wooden shacks. Despite Niseko’s slightly confused demeanor, you can still see and feel the remnants of a “rootsy” mountain town. All the stories and rumors about endless snow storms, waist-deep powder and perfect trees can’t prepare you for how much it snows in Japan. An endless conveyor belt of storms are manufactured over Siberia and sent across the Sea of Japan at regular intervals.

Just as you think it’s going to clear up, the next storm comes charging in. There’s no point hanging around too long for a photo opportunity, with any luck you’ll score a few breaks in the clouds, otherwise just keep charging.

Our routine quickly settled into shooting and filming by day and riding for fun by night, messing around and setting each other stupid challenges. Most resorts in Japan, which is a lot (Japan has more resorts per capita than any other country in the world), have night riding. This alone is worth the 22-hour flight! At night a resort becomes a surreal and magical place, with big exaggerated shadows and freezing temperatures. Your senses become heightened charging through the trees in half-light, predicting the terrain ahead, trusting your instincts. Speeds feel greater and more intense, and the silence in the forest away from the lights is eerie.

The floodlights are so powerful that even riding into the next valley is just about doable, although some of us did come out of the trees looking like Special Forces soldiers with half the forest sticking out of our beanies. Our night sessions were some of the most eagerly anticipated events on the trip, all cyber-nerding would immediately cease at the mere mention of one and a frantic scramble to don every last piece of warm clothing would ensue.

While our snowboarding days were filled with idle banter, laughter and random conversations from world politics to J-Lo’s ass, as soon as the door to the house opened complete silence reigned, each rider consumed by their computers, chatting with distant friends for hours on end or perhaps updating their Facebook photos or for all I know just spending a little “me-

HERE 路 Hampus tried to show Jakob his magic card trick but things went horribly awry...

OTHER PAGE 路 Emeric Front sends a front three over the backside of these powder dumplings.

BELOW 路 Hampus awakens the sleeping spirits of the sacred forest with this screamer.

HERE 路 When in Rome, do as the Romans do, right? Buttery ass Japan in Japan, brought to you by Jakob Wilhelmson.

time” on YouPorn. The first question a pro snowboarder asks these days when entering a hotel is: “Is there wireless and can I get coverage in my room?” I found myself texting people in the next room to see if they wanted a cup of tea. But as soon as we left the cyber-vortex of the house, normality resumed. Although there was another big culprit, aka IiPhones, which also led to a few long silences at dinnertime. Is this what the future has in store for humans?

Will I have to communicate with my children solely through electronic devices?

A couple of days into the trip the French crew were struck down by a hideous flu, although I suspect the cause was probably the consumption of 200 duty free cigarettes in 24 hours! This however freed up Hampus, Jakob and myself to go and explore. The snow that day (as on most days we were there) was light, deep and perfect but we struggled to find anything of real interest that wasn’t obvious and/or slightly tracked out. We quickly concluded that all the best spots were in the “strictly out of bounds area”. The Japanese being a very orderly and law-abiding society, where breaking the rules is seen as dishonorable, we presumed

ducking the rope wouldn’t be taken lightly.

Coming from Europe though, and especially after living in France, a country where authority is mostly disregarded, where a rope merely suggests the possibility of danger and where you are perfectly free to go and kill yourself if you really feel like it, it was impossible to resist…

What happens next, will our heroes score the best pow of their lives or will they get busted by the man?

Go to www.methodmag.com for the full story and extra photos too!

HERE · Jakob sets the pace as our heroes continue their epic saga.

BELOW · Off the roof and into some poof! Jakob bombdropper.

ABOVE· Emeric lights up some sidecountry pow, hoping to hit the brakes before turning into roadkill.

HERE · Hampus says “Hi from Japan!” to his mom in a postcard starring himself

Arthur gallops his stinky French fromage through the magical forest of das Gnarlberg.

PH: Vanessa Andrieux

Text: Florent de Maria Photos: Vanessa AndRieux, Fred Egli & FRODE SANDBECH

Hey Arthur, all good?

Yea, all good, thanks my man.

You’re finally at the beach after a few weeks in the US dialing in your pipe runs for the upcoming Olympics... How does it feel to finally be able to take a break?

I’m only on a short holiday with my girlfriend, but it’s always good to be back home in France and kicking it at the beach!

Some surfing, some sun, that’s all I really need, then I’ll be ready to get back on the snow.

When are you going to be shredding again?

I leave Saturday for New Zealand.

How do you feel about ending your season so late and starting up again so soon? Don’t you get burned out on snowboarding?

Not really, actually I was done with my season pretty early this year, I went back to school in April. I’ve also been up to some other stuff since then, but I’ve spent most of my time since spring at school.

It’s a pretty long break, I think. After a few weeks off my board I’m pretty much ready to start shredding again anyway.

Did you get your test scores back yet?

Not all of them yet, but some are already

online and they look alright. I have a GPA (grade point average) of 12/20…

You’re a regular Einstein…

Not too shabby, right?

Definitely not, I’m proud of you. We just heard that Apo threw in the towel… Where does that leave you?

We’ll see what happens with Volcom. Right now I don’t have a board sponsor, so I’m on Volcom boards for the moment, it just makes sense. I’m hoping they’ll make me an offer and I can ride for them officially, because I’m really into riding Volcom boards and I think they are too. But as of today (July 31, 2009), nothing is official yet.

always loved working with Cédric. I was really disappointed when I heard the news that they were done, but I guess I kind of knew that I wasn’t going to ride for them forever. It looks like Volcom is the right way to go for me right now, but I wish Cédric and Régis (Rolland) all the best, I love you guys!

This past season worked out very well for you, even though it was kind of rocky at the start of it, no?

Yea, this past season started out all wrong for me, I made some bad calls. I decided to focus on qualifying for the Olympics but after riding tons of pipe at Hood last summer, I realized I wasn’t really sure if that was what I really wanted to do anymore. So I asked Jan if he could find me a small production It’s kind of a tough situation for you, since company to film with. We were pretty sure you’ve always had mad love for Apo and it was going to work out, but it turned out Cedric (Le Cordroch, Apo Team Manager)... all the crews were full and we ended up not For sure, I’m really proud of what we’ve finding me a spot anywhere, except at the very accomplished together at Apo, they’ve been so end of the season. By then it was too late to good to me. But deep down I knew that if my start filming... I knew from early on that I was career went any further, they would only be a going to have a weird winter, doing a bunch stepping stone for me. Everyone knows it’s a of different things without really having any small brand with no real marketing budget. direction. But as the season progressed from They actually told me from the start that they shoot to shoot and from contest to contest, could probably wouldn’t be able to support me I kept being pleasantly surprised and things throughout my career, but that they would do worked themselves out eventually. everything they possibly could to back me. I’ve

“That’s one of my weaknesses. As soon as someone shows some curiosity in me, I don’t ever question their integrity and I’m immediately nice to them. But I never really think about the big bad wolf who might try to seduce me with his brand, luckily I’ve managed to avoid becoming too cynical”.

Arthur tears off a front 10 lien of beastly proportions in the land of l’amour

PH: Fred Egli

…And then, your season suddenly came together!

Definitely! Things worked out well for me on What’s it like to beat Terje, especially in quarterpipes all season long, keeping in mind that his own house? quarters are not something you get to ride everyday. Tough luck for him! Hahaha, no, I’m You usually only get to ride transitions that big kidding… I don’t know, it’s unreal. Shit, when you’re at a quarterpipe event. So I’m super it’s Terje, he’s one of my idols and I ended stoked it worked out, especially since I wasn’t up beating him at his own event. It’s really that well-prepared coming into it. I certainly definitely something really special.

So are you a perfectionist or just pragmatic? didn’t expect anything like winning the Arctic Both, I think, haha. I’ve always had a Challenge!

You really surprised me when you said hard time being proud of myself and my you didn’t think your win at the Arctic accomplishments… And I’m a realist too, Looking back, what does winning the Arctic Challenge wasn’t well-deserved. What’s because Matt (Ladley) was seriously killing Challenge mean to you? up, have you changed your mind since it that day. He was on fire, I didn’t see every Well, you were there with me, you saw how it then? trick he threw but each one I did see was was. It was very special, the weather was bad, Yeah, yeah, I changed my mind, because perfect, so I couldn’t understand why I beat it was snowing like crazy… That day, uhm... everybody convinced me I did deserve to him, that’s all. (pause) I won… (pause) Haha, looking back win it. But then again, it’s a contest, it was at it now, I actually have a hard time talking gray and snowy and luck plays a big role in One of the first things you did right about it! Whatever, it was unbelievable, it winning in those conditions. You have to take after you found out you had won was to gave a lot of momentum, it totally boosted into consideration all the external factors, it’s call Math Crépel, who had just injured my confidence and I have no doubt it’s going all a part of the game. Yeah… I changed my himself in Japan. You couldn’t have been to help me a lot in my career… Seriously, it’s mind, but you know what I’m talking about. further away from the moment… hard for me to express how stoked I am to have won in Oslo.

Straight up backie to the delight of the Parisian peanut gallery

PH: Fred Egli

This champion of cheese is willing to sample the sharp, tangy flavors of the Zillertaler bergkäse. Cab 9 nose grabber deep in the Austrian backcountry

It’s such a strange feeling, it’s kind of hard to explain… Every time I win something, I’ve never really… (pause) Wait, yes, there were a couple of times where I went off, but this one, yeah, it took some time to really wrap my mind around it. So, right then and there I guess it still hadn’t hit me that I had won and I was more worried about Math.

How cute, thinking of Math before yourself… Sounds like a daytime soap opera.

Hahaha, whatever, you won’t actually use this in the interview, will you?

You guys were just together at Hood, the Olympics are just around the corner. How do you expect it to go, will it be the biggest event ever?

First of all, not all of us on the French team right now are guaranteed to go. The coach includes all of us in team meetings anyway, that way we can start visualizing actually being there. Anyway... I didn’t really dedicate myself to making the cut for the Olympics and I know there’s still a long way to go, especially since I came in when the whole process had already started. But if I make the cut I’d be stoked, the whole crew is so fun to be with, it’d be beautiful, in every sense of the word. Even if I don’t go, it’ll be amazing just seeing them on TV. Basically I can’t really tell if I’m going yet but I try to keep my perspective, my life doesn’t really revolve around making it to the Olympics.

“Chile was the first country I visited that wasn’t totally developed. Most of the time when we travel to other countries we don’t have time to get to discover the local culture, it’s a shame really. We usually just hop on the plane, go straight to a resort and then back to tfor the flight home...”

Yes, yes… Let’s hope so, haha! Do you ever feel a little suspicious when people develop a “sudden” interest in you?

Well… First off, every time someone shows an interest in me, I feel like I have to take an interest back in them.

I like recognition and it’s hard to differentiate between someone who is just interested in you because of what you represent and someone who actually wants to be your friend. That’s one my weaknesses. As soon as someone shows some curiosity in me, I don’t ever question their integrity and I’m immediately nice to them. But I never really think about the big bad wolf who might try to seduce me with his brand, luckily I’ve managed to avoid becoming too cynical.

So how do you really feel about your privileged lot in life? No bullshit, please!

It all came together so slowly, it’s hard for me to step back and see how my situation has evolved over time.

The only thing I can say for sure is that money is not an issue for me. Right now I have to spend a lot of my time traveling but I don’t really think too far ahead... I feel good living my life this way, and it’s not some crazy jet-set lifestyle either, right now things aren’t going so well with Apo. But hey, I definitely don’t feel sorry for myself and I don’t think that having my privileged life has changed me.

You have this reputation for being a civilized and adorable guy. I’m fucking over it, could you please come clean and set people straight about who you really are?

Hahaha, I don’t know, I don’t really know my reputation… You might even know more about it than me! Feel free to tell me what people are saying about me. I don’t know, I’d say I’m half-angel, half-devil!

PH: Vanessa Andrieux

Do you think the way people perceive you is different in and out of snowboarding? Not only with regards to your riding, but also how you’ve matured.

Yes, although it’s the something that I’ve never really figured out. Personally, I think I’m definitely more mature! Haha, look, I can even twirl the ends of my mustache! It’s pretty hard to answer this question… I don’t really know. For example, you will probably always have the same perception of me…

Let’s get back to snowboarding… You started riding a while ago, blah blah, same boring crap every time this question is asked. What I want to know is, was there a precise moment in which you realized that you could snowboard for living?

Back in the day I used to go to a sports academy in Albertville, and this school had really strong ties to the Federation, so all winter long all I did was train and compete in FIS European Cups in shitty weather, so I wasn’t really that stoked on snowboarding. Then, when I left the sports academy and went back to regular school I totally had a revelation: I rode less, but I rode better. Not to mention I had way more fun.

I think that was when things really started to gel for me, right before I won that O’Neill thing in Avoriaz, remember? I’d say around 2007, right? So yea, I think that was sort of when I realized I could make it as a pro rider.

You grew up in Les Deux Alpes, far, far away from any kind of civilization, hehe. What’s it like being a teenager in a place like L2A? It’s definitely pretty special up there. Some of our buddies turned out a bit weird, if you know what I mean. I was lucky enough to have supportive parents, some great friends and, of course, I had snowboarding. It didn’t really matter anyway, because I’ve always loved the mountains and nature, and I had a blast growing up. But the most important fact is that I didn’t actually live in Les Deux Alpes, I lived in a small village at a slightly lower elevation. My parents are awesome and they wouldn’t let me turn into the biggest shitbag ever. I’m a shitbag, but not the biggest ever! My surroundings and my family played a really strong role in how I grew up.

What’s the coolest thing you’ve seen in all your journeys? Not necessarily linked to snowboarding…

It’s hard to say, because we have so many cool experiences but in the end, you only remember a few of them. Which is too bad… But if I had to say something, I’d say meeting some seriously weird and interesting people. Oh yea, there’s an amazing story in Santiago de Chile with CoinCoin, but I’m not sure I should tell it, haha!

But I’ll tell you right after you shut off the tape recorder.

So do you think you’re having too many crazy experiences to remember them all?

Well, we’re always in developed countries, where life is pretty easy. Fine, there’s a few cultural differences between them, but not that many. It’s not like we’re lost in translation type thing. That’s what was so different about Chile, it was the first country I visited that wasn’t totally developed. Still, most of the time when we travel to other countries we don’t have time to get to discover the local culture, it’s a shame really. We usually just hop on the plane, go straight to a resort and then back to the airport for the flight home...

French people are well-known for organizing strikes for any and everything. If you had to take part in any strike tomorrow, which would it be?

Right now I’d certainly go on strike for the environment.

“I don’t know, I don’t really know my reputation…

You might even know more about it than me! Feel free to tell me what people are saying about me.

I don’t know, I’d say I’m halfangel, halfdevil!”

Un magnifique frontside tenner off a camembert wedge

PH: Fred Egli

Again, what an original answer… Are you doing it on purpose?!

No way, the environment is really important to me. My father taught me to respect nature from an early age and I really believe we need to do something about the way we are destroying the planet now, before it’s too late.

Arthur, what do you want us to wish you?

Uhm… That my mustache grows a bit faster and that I stay healthy, that’s pretty much it. I just want to keep doing what I’m doing right now.

Thanks man, it was special.

Thanks to you, Flo, it was cool to do this interview with you.

And thanks a lot, Method!

Hi, I’m Arthur and I’m looking for a long-term relationship. I’m a lovely French boy who likes big, scary gaps, nose grabs and romantic sunsets in Trysil. Hit me up at arthur@ lovescheese.com!

PH: Frode Sandbech

All the labor of sledding in the middle of the mountains, sleeping in a haunted hotel and not being able to shower in hot water is forgotten when you get to ride nice pillow spines like these.

Marie-France points it and loves every moment.

WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY: PHIL TIFO

There might not be a lodge in the backountry to go warm up in, but if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re preventive like our shreddettes, you bring your own tea, hot cocoa and soup. Of course, a true girl pro rider has her Versace thermos to stay fashionable despite the harsh mountain environment..

During the winter of 2008, Whistler was going through an early snow drought. Normally the Coast Mountain range on the West Coast of British Columbia gets a ton of snow in January. But this year, the snow didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t show up. Annie Boulanger and Marie-France Roy, both French-Canadian shred superstars, were getting anxious to get their ride on. They had video parts to work on for the next Absinthe film and time was flying by. With a regular season already being a short amount of time to gather enough shots for a complete part, it was time for them to put their noses to the grindstone.

Annie, look at my ollie! The snow is so good I forgot we don’t have hot water for our shower tonight!”

What could be a nicer than spending your afternoon bouncing in soft, pillowy puffiness?

Shopping, hanging out at the pool, getting a pedicure?

None of these for Annie, she’d rather be bouncing around in pillow fields hundreds of kilometers away from the nearest shopping mall.

And you thought that Marie-France and Annie would need help from the boys to double them up on their sleds? Hell no, they can take care of themselves just fine.

There was a little spot in the middle of the Selkirks, a mountain range about 400 km east of the Coast Mountains, that kept getting dumped on while the rest of the province was dry. To get there you have to drive 6 hours from Vancouver to Revelstoke on icy mountain roads, get on a ferry across a big-ass lake, then drive pretty much in the middle of absolutely nowhere for two more hours. Our destination town (if you can even call it a town) has a total

When Annie and Marie-France were little girls, they dreamed of having ponies... Somehow they ended up with 500pound, 800 cc snowmobiles that are “rip-your-arms-off” powerful. Here the girls are getting the horses fed and packed up before leaving for a mountain escapade.

of about 30 houses, maybe only half of them actually occupied. The atmosphere was as sleepy as a hibernating grizzly bear, but the snow banks were huge, almost burying the little cabins. Since we could still see green grass when we left Whistler, this was a good sign for what was to come. After a long day of driving, we were happy to get to the town’s only hotel.

But don’t expect a 5-star luxury palace for the girlies, no, no, no! The Windsor is the oldest

This isn’t a Club Med resort, this is NoWhere, BC. Cold, dark and dumping snow.

The Absinthe crew is about to head into the mountains for the day. Unfortunately for them, it’s doubtful that they’ll find a ski lodge with hot chocolate dispensers up there...

Sometimes people think contest riders can only shred man-made obstacles. MFR breaks the mold and stomps this sketchy gap to disaster on the huge impaler log without messing up her hair and make-up.

Wait, that’s a girl? Un switch backside 180 avec beaucoup de style, s’il-vous-plait. You think the landing would be manicured but instead there’s a big hole right before the sweet spot that goes from super steep to flat. Not easy for mere mortals, but easy enough for Annie.

hotel in B.C. and is entirely made out of wood, or at least it sounds like it. It was built in the early 1800’s for visiting miners and fishermen and is apparently haunted. We didn’t see any signs of ghosts, but later on some friends told us about some personal encounters that were bone-chilling... Real ghosts, showing up here and there in the hotel. Spoooooky! We hooked

up with pro shred/backcountry snowmobile guide Shandy Campos so he could show us the goods in his home territory. He told us that his crew had been working for the last three days, breaking trails into the mountains with their snowmobiles. It was pretty much bottomless snow and driving 500-pound snow machines through thick forest and steep

slopes in these conditions is extremely tough and very physical. Annie and Marie-France were definitely strong enough to get where they wanted and found the treasure they were looking for. When most were dying of thirst around us, we were nipple-deep.

Day One After checking into our hotel and grabbing a good breakfast at Tim Hortonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, we went to a school with three different rails to hit. One perfect down rail, one kinked rail and one really fucked up rail. Everybody figured it would be a sure shot and an easy way to warm up. One crew sessioned the down rail while the others sessioned the weird rail. Ben got a sick frontside 180 switch nosepress on the down rail, and

Frank kinda hurt himself after a bad slam. The other crew sessioned the weird rail for about 6 hours. That rail was a bitch. It was made out of 7 flat sections, kinda like a staircase and the two last parts were super rotten and shaky. Louif finally man-handled that sketchy fucker with a boardslide and we went to eat.

After dinner, Ben and I went to pick up Dan Migno at the airport while the others went out to scope and set some shit up for the next day. Stoked!

Louif Paradis was the only one who rode this bull till the buzzer. Bumpy boardslide all the way to the end.

Max Legend Ramboâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thro

ugh this triple-kink people-

eater, BS 50-50

Day Two Frank, Max and Dan found a triple-kink, so we went there in the morning. The rail was buried under a couple feet of snow, so while they dug out the stairs, Louif, Ben, Alex and Will went to hit a big ass kinked rail. Luckily, they shoveled a drop-in ramp the night before.

The rail was really steep with a run-out into a super busy street. Will stepped up to it and deflowered the beast with a backside 50-50 after only a couple tries. Louif, Alex and Will got some shit too. After that, we wrapped up and went back to the triple-kink to meet up with the other guys. After eating some food and resting a little bit, we went to the third spot of the day. It was a down rail with a little kink at the top. Our generator was backfiring and the lights were about to shut off at any moment. Some dude showed up and kicked us out. As he was saying, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pack your shit and leave,â&#x20AC;? Alex landed the sickest cab 270 to front board. Sucker. Everybody was super tired, and we had big plans for the next day, so it was time to get some rest.

Frank April lays another brick on the wall, FS wallride

Ben Bilocq stars as The Rail

Reaper! FS 180 to switch nos

epress

Day Three I woke up to a text message from Jan (Videograss filmer) saying that it was bluebird out and that I should wake up the rest of the dudes.

Jan’s roommate in Whistler, Alex Bebee, was from Toronto so he was showing us around. Alex is a rad dude. The guys sessioned a rail until dark, but since it was so technical, only a few of the dudes ended up getting shots. Frank got a crazy switch frontside boardslide, Alex B got a backside nosepress and Ben got a fronside nosepress. In the meantime, Louif found two pieces of sheet metal and built a sweet wallie-jump after the rail and backflipped the fucker. Fuck yeah, Louif. The next spot was located at a funeral home. Bad karma? I guess not because the dudes ended up “killing” it (hahaha) until 2:30 am in -28º celsius weather. It didn’t seem to bother the guys, though. It was a long night of standing around shooting photos in really cold weather. After a quick stop at 7/11 for some late-night snacks, we returned to our stinky hotel rooms at 4 am. Workin’ hard to get those shots.

Day Four Alex Cantin knew about a really good down rail located in a park, so we decided to go there and set it up. There was a smaller rail close to it, so we figured we could probably do 2 or 3 different things. As soon as we got there, Alex C, Alex B, Ben and Dan started to session the bigger down rail. Alex C was on a mission and nailed a frontside 270 and a switch nosepress. Alex B got a 5-0 and a front board switch-up to boardslide. Ben did a backside 5-0, a blunt to switch nosebonk, a blunt to switch tail bonk and a blunt melon. Finally, after walking away from the gnarliest slam of the day, Dan got a back tail 270 out. We couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t believe he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get hurt and

Alex Cantin presses his nose down this rail... SWITCH!

Ghost in the Machine: Louif Paradis late night FS 180 to switch nosepress

PIZZA PARTY!

that he actually kept sessioning the rail till hegot his trick. In the meantime, Will and LNP made a pole jam and started hitting it and gapping to a rail. The angle was super weird so it made it tricky.

They got so many tricks on it that I can’t remember them all. I love it when you show up to a spot and you don’t have to worry about getting kicked out. It makes it so much easier on everybody and that’s when the riders can really step up and get some shit done. After dinner, we went and hit a wallride that the dudes found. I was sure this spot was gonna be a total bust cause they had to climb on top of a roof in order to hit it. There were a lot of people in the building right next to it, but I guess they didn’t mind because the guys sessioned it until 1:30 am.

LNP working overtime, blue

-collar stee 5-0 to front boa

rd

Day Five Frank, Max and Louif decided to go hit this kinked rail that they found the day before in front of a huge cathedral. While we were setting it up, two guys in a pickup truck with a big table in the back started asking what we were doing and why we were doing it. I slowly started to lose faith that we were gonna be able to hit the rail. After more talking, we ended up getting permission to session the rail as long as we helped them bring the giant table inside and if we shoveled the stairs (which we were already doing). I was amazed. Getting permission to session a spot is fucking sweet.

While we did that, the other guys went to set up a 40-stair down rail and sessioned it for a while.

Unfortunately I couldn’t be there to shoot it, but Alex Cantin did a backside 5-0. You will see the shot in the new Videograss movie, though. After re-grouping for dinner, we decided to end our trip on a perfect down rail. Everybody was kinda looking forward to hitting the rail, especially LNP. So many tricks went down I can’t even remember everything, but it was hard to keep track, cause I was fucking with my stupid flashes that wouldn’t fire. Fucking flashes. After picking up a bunch of beers and some food, we all went back to our hotel and started drinking. We knew it was our last night and everybody was leaving the next morning, so we figured we might as well get drunk. Who doesn’t love to get on a plane early in the morning with a raging hangover?

Alex Beebe’s motto is “No rail too long”. BS nosepresser through the kink.

Alex Beebe’s motto is “No rail too long”. BS nosepre kink. sser through the

Will Lavigne eats harsh kinks for brekkie. Boardslides are back!

PH: Roxy

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Tania chucks one into the deep end, BS 5 sender

PH: Denis Piccolo

“Wait, that looks like a satellite dish.” “It is a satellite dish.”

“Oh.” Layback on the TV!

PH: Mark Welsh

Tania charging like an Italian Filly, half cab down a sweet pillow line.

No, nothing special, I always try to watch somebody that is already hitting the jump or rail and if I’m going first I just try to visualize the trick in my mind. I also ask my friends a lot about how I did and if there is something that I can do better on my next hit.

What’s up with your magic powers, how did you get them? Are they the reason why you’re so good at snowboarding? (If you’re wondering what we are referring to, check Method TV for the latest Roxy podcast featuring Tania.)

Hehehe, yes, the big spirit helped me!

Where would you place Italy on the European map of snowboarding? Give us the low-down on the Italian scene!

For me it seems like there are always a lot of snowboarders in Italy, more and more every year, but the level still isn’t very high, especially in the women’s scene. Now there’s a new girl called Bibi who is really young and very good, so hopefully she will raise the bar.

What has filming changed about your snowboarding and the way you approach the mountain?

I appreciate filming so much more. I have always loved the backcountry aspect of snowboarding without ever really being able to discover it before -- long hikes in the woods, riding fresh snow with friends... This side of snowboarding is definitely better and more pleasurable than contests and park riding.

Do you feel that you’ve been underrated so far considering how talented you are on your snowboard? Do you think that perhaps the media hasn’t given you the coverage you deserve?

PH: Andrea Giordan

“I have always loved the backcountry aspect of snowboarding without ever really being able to discover it before, it’s a side of snowboarding that is definitely better and more pleasurable than contests and park riding“

Death-defying drop of death

PH: Denis Piccolo

Tania is a front 7 lien, mean, fighting machine

I think it’s pretty much impossible to say one way or the other, everyone has their own point of view which is different from others’, and what is right for you shouldn’t necessarily be so for anyone else. So I have no idea if I’m underrated or not, I prefer not to think about these things.

What were the toppings on the best pizza you’ve ever eaten?

I go through phases where I have different preferences. Like right now I really like pizza with real mozzarella di bufala.

How long have you been a vegetarian? I’ve been a vegetarian for three years now.

Have you ever given a false name when you checked into a hotel? If not, which name would you use?

Mmmmmm…no. I don’t know which name I would use, it depends on the situation, I guess. I like Spanish names like Florida and Rodriga or names from the south of Italy like Dolores or Assunta.

Did your life turn out the way you thought it would? If you could change anything about it, would you?

I don’t want to change anything. I love my life, I’ve had so many opportunities to do what I want and if what I did yesterday has made me the person that I am today, it’s only natural that I enjoy my life as I am living it now.

Tell us about something outrageous you’ve done. Details, please! I like to walk barefoot and go swimming naked. There aren’t really any interesting details, sorry. What is the easiest trick you can do that looks hard? FS rodeo 7 in the pipe, maybe for some people it may look like a hard trick, but it’s easy!

What would you ask if you could ask yourself any question? Now that you’ve finished studying, what do you want to do, continue studying or dedicate yourself to something in particular? Shout out to? I wanna say ciao to my family and all my friends, to all the people at Random Video, especially Killer (Alessandro Minotti), Lukas Goller, Kinder (Carini Stefano) and my boyfriend Matteo.

Thanks to my sponsors, DVS, Drake and Roxy for all the support, and a special thanks to Stine for being such a good team manager.

Ciao everybody!

PH: Andrea Giordan

CALE ZIMA

Made in: United States

Years packed:20 Local Mountain: Brighton, fuck yeah!

Reg/Goo: Regs Stance: G-Code Favorite terrain: All terrain but mostly street shot!

But I also love going on backcountry adventures!

PHOTOGRAPHY: bob plumb

FRESH MEAT FRESH M FRESH MEAT FRESH FRESH M MEATMEAT FRESH

Safety trick: Front boards and backside 360 stalefish!

Favorite trick: Anything into a cement bank, but cab 360’s are really fun!

Sponsors: Capita, Union, 32, Holden, Comune, Coal, Ashbury, Celtek and Milosport I -

LOVE!: Friends and Family Snowboarding Skateboarding Camel Lights and coffee Adventures!

I think some underestimate Cale

...

Underneath that jokester is a sincere, compassionate young man with unlimited potential.

- Kenny Zima (Cale’s dad, to Mike Leblanc in a letter) Cale is exactly as his Dad says, a young man with

has unlimited potential and a jokester. He also

a very surprising

ability to quickly focus and charge gnarly shit. He takes hard falls ands get up unfazed and does it again and again it until it’s done. ome ople and awes cts awesome pe situations, Cale also attra

so its always amazing to have him around. erland”, the Watch Cale destroy shit in “Nev upcoming Absinthe film.

- Mike Leblanc

What do you like about traveling with your It’s great beca brother? use you alway s have a ridin g buddy.

We motivate each other and learn new tricks together.

Favorite memory from this season?

The season has been super packed with contests so I haven’t had that many crazy moments.

The one I liked the most was the Air & Style in Innsbruck. The contest was super well-organized and the vibe amongst the riders was really mellow .

The parties were pretty decent as well! the What are your plans for next season and future?

I’m going to be training in NZ

over the summer and in December I’ll probably be

he’s a good party starter! Basically it’s never boring

somewhere

in the US. I’m definitely going to the O’Neill Evolution, BEO, Spring Battle and Pleasure Jam. I’m also gonna do some FIS World Cup Big Air and

halfpipe contests.

the mood to drink, At parties he always gets me in

when he’s around. snowboarding?

Funniest story you have from Once I went to a con test with my brother in Serbia.

When we arrived at the spot where the kicker was supposed

to be, we only saw a table without a kicker. The guys organizing the event called someone and 30 minutes later a snowcat showed up.

He pushed a pile of snow together and gave us some

shovels.

We shaped for about two hours and then we

’t too stoked started the contest. At the time we weren funny. but looking back, it was pretty

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Favo rite tric k: B Spon S 5 sors indy : Bu rton Safe , RE ty t D, A rick non, : BS Hot7 zone .tv

I LO - Sn VE!: - Sl owboard - Be eeping ing - Pa lgian f - An rtying ries d of cour se, GIRL S!

David is a well-known rider in

the Swiss,

German and Austrian scenes, and not just for his famous ex-nickname “Danger Dave” (ask him to tell you the story

!). With his motivation, professionalism, behind the nickname and all the insane magazines coverages he got last season,

David is definitely the next killer!

And you can count on

multiple one thing, he’s definitely not going anywhere. Transcending “style” of riding. facets of shred, DBK has no official He’s not a rail monkey, he’s not a pipe jock, he’s not a backcountry demon.

He’s all of them .

He never complains and every spot I’ve ever taken him to, he was hyped and No matter what David is doing, g gnarly! in h et m so landed

he puts all his energy and devotion into it. For now, snowboarding is his life, and he’s got his own particular way of doing it.

ads

why this season As his TM, I truly believe in David, that’s team he’s on the Bataleon international am ). (along with US rider Ben Rice I’m 100% sure David will reach great heights,

he knows exactly what he wan

ts and nobody can stop him!

Yeah For It, mister DBK! - Julien Haricot

David Bertschinger Karg

Made in: Switzerland

Years packed: 20 Local Mountain: Hoch-Ybrig Reg/Goo: Regular Stance: Depends on terrain Favorite terrain: Powder & Urban

FRESH MEAT MEAT FRESH FRE MEAT FRESH FRESMEAT FRESMEAT

PHOTOGRAPHY: vanessa andrieux

Safety trick: FS 540 Favorite trick: switch BS 540, FS 1080 Sponsors: Volcom, Bataleon, Smith, Vans, Flux, Clast, Rockstar, OneBallJay

I LOVE!: -My cat -AC/DC -Chillin’ with my friends at the lake -Fresh pow -Food

You’d think because Meghann’s my sister we’d know everything about each other,

but in fact we’re still

getting to know each other. It’s probably because she’s a chameleon and has transformed into so many different people over the years, if I had time to tell about all the different phases I witnessed growing

But, regardless

of her

you

up I would, you’d lau

gh for sure.

has always been transformations, snowboarding the one constant in her life. s and mountain e’s in the sh s rt en h pa w o vide ome She’s at h watch her when you t en id ev it’s or see her photos.

The girl knows how to snowboard but herself, which is why I and isn’t doing it for anyone the rest of the industry why and h muc so respect her otice.

I’ve had the pleasure is taking n of watching her riding transform along with the rest of her and I ca n honest ly say that I haven’t be en more excited to see what comes next than right now.

- Spencer O’Brien

ads Meghann O’Brien

Made in: United States

Years packed: 24 Local Mountain: Mt. Cain & Whistler/Blackcomb Stance: 56 cms Reg/Goo: I’m trying to be both... Snowboarding can be hard on the body and I want it to unwind from regular stance and just be symmetrical.

Like yoga.

PHOTOGRAPHY: ashley barker Safety trick: Front three, the first trick I learned Favorite trick: Ollies into powder Favorite terrain:Steep rolling mountains with pillows and about 3-4 feet of powder

FRESH MEAT FRESH MEAT FRESHAT MEAT FRESME FRESME ATFRESMEAT I LOVE!: - Weaving with cedar bark - Being in the mountains, snowboarding and hiking around in powder with good people and learning!

- Picking wild berries on the coast of BC - Having my daily Macro Greens drink - Having good dreams

Sponsors: The North Face, Spy, Macrolife Naturals, Beta Unit, Yes Nowboards

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20 QUESTIONS

I/I

LAURA HADAR

20 QUESTIONS BY: FLORENT DE MARIA PHOTOGRAPHY: DAVE BREWER

1.Did you brush your teeth before starting this questionnaire?

No, my toothbrush is in my car. I’m on my sister’s couch.

2. How old would you think you are if you didn’t know how old you were?

Shit. Maybe seventeen, or twenty-five.

3. How is it possible to run out of space?

Everybody keeps having babies. They should stop that.

4. What would be your first line in a rap battle against me?

You thought you’re lookin’ fine, I’m here to tell you you’re no dime.

5. Did Barack change your life?

No, he only gave me slight hope that not everybody in this country is completly retarded.

6. Did Chuck Norris change your life too?

No. I’ve never had any close encounters with Chuck.

7. Did you ever fight at the movie theatre for the armrest?

I’m a lover, not a fighter. But I do throw a mean, mean glare.

8. Will Ferrell or Jack Black?

Jack Black.

9. How do you think Batman met Robin?

In the bathhouses of some seedy neighborhood off skid row.

10. What’s the most inappropriate thing you ever yelled after a crash?

Fuck me, Christ.

11. Are Mormons for real in SLC, or is this just an urban legend?

Yeah, they are for real. Downtown you don’t notice it, but if you end up in the suburbs for some godawful reason, it feels like you’ve stepped into the Twilight Zone.

Very creepy.

12. What’s the last thing you stole in your shop, FICE? A pair of sunglasses, a bag, some socks and a skirt.

13. Which would you prefer: biking blindfolded or driving your car with your feet tied?

Driving with my feet tied, I feel like I bike home blind from the bar a lot.

14. Did you also think you were going to die on the 31st of December, 1999 at midnight?

Not at all.

15. Have you ever listened to AM radio after noon? What happened?

Yeah. Coast to Coast on 570 AM is crazy.

Last time I tuned in they were talking about Moth Man. It was so crazy! The best call INS ever!

16. Do you think Noah had woodpeckers on the ark?

Um... No. Stupid Noah.

17. Which spots would you love to hit up without your boardbag?

Barcelona, Buenos Aires and Berlin.

18. How many times have you read Method on the toilet?

I actually just had one of the better dumps of the summer reading Method.

19. Where do you see yourself in ten years?

In some spaced-out environment reading peoples fortunes through dream interpretation in exchange for water and fruits.

OVER IT

I/I

OVER IT I light up a duty free Marlboro and simultaneously suck up ambience and cancer.

St. Anton is but hours away. From hell to heaven - I have arrived.

IN TRANSIT BY: Mark Rosenberg ILLUSTRATION: MALIN PERSSON JARSKÄR

“Sir, you need to pay £150 for your snowboard, it is airline policy”, says a check-in attendant reminiscent of Jabba the Hutt, at the desk in Gatwick Airport.

“You can either pay or leave them here”, she proposes smugly.

In my head I am playing through a scenario where the check-in bitch makes her maiden voyage as a glamorous flight attendant aboard a plane, her lifelong goals of international jet-setting finally realized. She is walking down the aisle smiling, offering nuts and pint-sized cans to the passengers. Suddenly a C4-packing jihadist jumps up and punctures her saggy abdomen furiously before slitting her throat from ear to ear. “Allah akbar, Allah akbar”, he screams, as crimson red blood spurts from her severed jugular onto the terrified passengers and his finger reaches for the detonation button...

The line begins to swell behind me and the crowd rustles impatiently. I pay.

I rock up to customs, hoping that they will let me leave my sticker-covered Macbook in its trendy neoprene cover inside my backpack. They do not. To make matters worse, my tiny backpack has been expertly packed with surgical precision. Once opened, it is harder to repack than Pamela Anderson’s tits into a training bra.

I buy a free trade organic mango drink.

They must have spliced the mangos with the DNA of white rhinos because the cashier asks me for five quid.

Luckily Sylvia, the cashier, is a stone cold fox. Her Slavic accent is très sexy and indicates she has recently arrived from one of the Baltic states - ready to take on the big, bad world with her perfect cheekbones, milky complexion and tight little ass.

Working at the food hall in Gatwick Airport is probably just a precursor to bigger and better things for Sylvia. Either that or she’ll join her compatriots in an illegal brothel downtown, servicing the carnal needs of London’s criminal underworld. “I could save her”, I think to myself as I fumble through my travel wallet. Thoughts of saving her quickly evolve into thoughts of taking her out the back and watching her wrap her glistening lips around my joystick. I am a creep.

The plane finally boards and I stuff my backpack into the overhead bin alongside the belongings of some Polo-sporting, square-jawed Dolph Lundgren lookalike. He totally wants to fuck me.

“Salut”, he says.

I hit him back with an extreme sports, “Yo”.

The blond stewardess is gorgeous. I muse over which positions would be most conducive to me getting her off in the lavatory as the plane hurtles into the grey London skies and heads due south over the Channel.

I sit alongside two beasts from America.

They are ugly. One of them has donned a baggy beige Harvard sweater. They are horrific but we still make small talk. They ask for my Facebook. I give it to them. I won’t accept their friend requests.

9 771651 975016 £3.50·4,95 €·7,9 CFH

09

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SEP09·OCT09

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ISSUE # 25