12.4 English Method Snowboard Magazine

PHOTOGRAPHER: Doctor Zapalac RIDER: Travis Rice SPOT: Jackson Hole, WY TRICK: Frontside 1080 double cork

PHOTOGRAPHER: Ashley Barker RIDER: Mathieu Schaer SPOT: Revelstoke, BC TRICK: Cab 5

PHOTOGRAPHER: Adam Moran RIDER: Keegan Valaika SPOT: Seoul, Korea TRICK: Stalefish

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Thomaz Autran Garcia thomaz@method.tv SENIOR EDITOR: Alexis de Tarade alexis@method.tv SENIOR EDITOR: Chris McAlpine chriso@method.tv ART DIRECTOR: Carlos B. Aranda carlos@method.tv VIDEOGRAPHER/EDITOR: Ryan “Diggles” Scardigli diggles@method.tv WEB PROGRAMMER: Laurie Barker laurie@method.tv FRENCH EDITOR & TRANSLATOR: Gabriel Bessy GERMAN EDITOR & TRANSLATOR: Oliver Kraus ITALIAN EDITOR & TRANSLATOR: Davide Compagnoni SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHERS: Daniel Blom, Oli Gagnon, Carlos Blanchard

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atisfaction. Curious thing, isn’t it?

Not even much of a word. Nothing fancy or particularly eloquent about it. Yet this rather pedestrian little noun is quite possibly the most important thing in anyone’s life.

Camera: Canon 5D Mark II

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Vanessa Andrieux, Ashley Barker, Vaughan Brookfield, Said Burg, Oli Croteau, Jeff Curtes, Vernon Deck, Ethan “E-Stone” Fortier, Joel Fraser, Liam Gallagher, Dean “Blotto” Gray, Jason Horton, Erik Bro Hostetler Jordan Ingmire, Þórir Jensson, Gabe L’Heureux, Tommy Larsen, Tobias “Ludschi” Ludescher, Peter-Paul de Meijer, Alex Mertz, Adam Moran, Anders Neuman, Lucas Nilsson, Jonatan Nylander, Franz Ortlepp, Bob Plumb, Lorenz Richard, Alex Roberts, Markus Rohrbacher, Daniel Rönnbäck, Frode Sandbech, Christoph Schöch, Kealan Shilling, Olav Stubberud, Daniel Tengs, Gray Thompson, Kiril Umrikhin, Johan Wennerstrom, Andy Wright

Aperture: f/7,1

For there is no way to be happy without satisfaction, and if happiness is the ulterior motive that drives most human lives, then satisfaction is intrinsically and indispensably a part of most of us. So what, indeed, is satisfaction?

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Hans Ahlund, Kevin Backstrom, Gjermund Braaten, Johannes Brenning, Jeff Curtes, David Doom, Halldor Helgason, Jason Horton, Ásgeir Höskuldsson, Bryan Iguchi, Kevin Jones, David Bertschinger Karg, Peter König, Tobias “Ludschi” Ludescher, Tor Lundstrom, Frode Sandbech, Ståle Sandbech, Alex Schiller, Kealan Shilling, Philipp Strauss, Tobias Strauss, Yves Suter, Jon Weaver

Shutter Speed: 1/200

CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATORS: Malin Persson Jarskär, Simon Riviere

Satisfaction is earning your turns the oldfashioned way, by hiking. Satisfaction is brewing the perfect cup of coffee.

Satisfaction is realizing that you truly, deeply love someone. Satisfaction is finally stomping that trick after 50 tries. Satisfaction is seeing the sun break through the clouds right when you are about to drop in.

Satisfaction is the knowledge of having put in a full, honest effort. Satisfaction is not failing when life challenges you the hardest.

Spot: Oslo, Norway

Satisfaction can come in an infinite myriad of ways, and mean as many different things as there are living beings on this planet. In our case, we are tremendously satisfied with how this season’s magazines have turned out. It was most certainly a group effort and it gives me great satisfaction to have worked with these most talented individuals, each adding his or her own uniqueness to this sloppy stew of awesomesauce we call METHOD Mag. It is DUMPING in Europe right now, so I hope you’re all snorkeling through some of that glorious powder, wherever you may be.

Stay gold, motherfuckers!

TAG

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“In between contests and traveling last season, Ulrik was home for a few seconds, so he joined Alek Oestreng and I at this spot in Oslo.

And as mellow as Ulrik is, he hit it a couple times and pretty much nailed it first try (and went straight back to partying)! “ - Frode Sandbech

Lens: 16mm

Rider: Ulrik Badertcher Trick: Frontside boardslide Date: March 1, 2011 @ 16:51

BOOM EXTREME PUBLISHING LTD

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Gareth Rees PUBLISHER: Ben Gallivan FINANCE DIRECTOR: Mark Fenwick SALES & ACCOUNTING: Ben Gallivan ben@method.tv DISTRIBUTION: Transglobal Freight Management Ltd www.tgfml.com PRINTER: Benhamgoodheadprint Limited www.bgprint.co.uk PAPER: Gould Publication Papers UK www.gouldpublicationpapers.co.uk METHOD MAGAZINE 218 Penarth Road Cardiff CF11 8NN United Kingdom Ph.: +44 (0)2920 671 513 Fax: We prefer emails info@method.tv Method and all other brands associated to it are produced by Boom Extreme Publishing Ltd. Copyright 2011 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 choosing Method Mag. We sure hope you like it.

5 things you have bonked: 1. Rocks 2. Mt. Hood poles 3. My friends’ high backs 4. My tattoo artist’s back (seriously, it was an accident) 5. Anything you can think of, try it, it’s fun 5 things that might happen in the future: 1. The Apocalypse 2. A second JRBK movie 3. I’ll start tattooing 4. I’ll have a child 5. I’ll become recognized as a painter 5 things that Germans do differently than Austrians: 1. Speak 2. Behave 3. Build parks 4. Eat kebabs 5. Tourism 5 things that should be tweaked: 1.Junts 2. Any grab 3. My head 4. Inverts 5. Titties 5 things that remind you of your childhood: 1. My dad 2. Playing cowboys and indians 3. Skateboarding 4. School 5. Christmas 5 things that are better cold 1. Ice 2. Beer 3. Ouzo 4. Schwipp schwapp 5. Winter 5 things it seems like snowboarding forgot: 1. To not care 2. Individuality 3. To be real 4. Swallow tails 5. Punk rock 5 things that are better to let out than keep in 1. Farts 2. Smoke in your lungs 3. Your true opinion 4. Happiness 5. Jizz 5 things that you asked Santa Claus for this year 1. Tattoo gun 2. Tattoo gun 3. Tattoo gun 4. Tattoo gun 5. Ink 5 things Travis Parker did for snowboarding: 1. He started a style renaissance 2. Leg bags 3. Farts 4. The way people look at snowboarding 5. Nose grabs 5 things you see a lot more of: 1. Emo kids 2. Corrugated tube internet clips 3. Triple corks 4. Tits 5. Economic crisis 5 things people always ask you: 1. What does JRBK stand for 2. When will I get a real job 3. When am I coming home 4. To go skate 5. When am I moving here (wherever I happen to be at the time) 5 things that girls do a lot more than guys: 1. Look good 2. Talk 3. Be jealous 4. Bleed 5. Be social

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5 things that make a good party: 1. Concrete 2. Beers 3. Herbs 4. Friends 5. Slayer Something between a lizard and bird, the Sebisaurus takes flight, Japan to fakie. Photo: Franz Ortlepp

Jye using those big hind legs to kangaroo pounce a front 3 off the flat. Photo: Vaughan Brookfield

The Jye Kearney is a omnivorous gnarsupial native to Australia. Its early years were spent on the Gold Coast (mostly in its mother’s pouch), then the Jye’s pack migrated inland to Jindaybyne to reside lakeside for optimal swimming and fishing. Seasonal displacement to higher altitudes in Perisher for feeding on abundant snow amounts is typical for the JK. A typical specimen is 180 cm tall, weighs 84 kilos and has thick blond fur on its head, with chocolate-brown highlights and a prominently light-colored ventral side, along with fluffy white ear tufts. The JK is similar in appearance to the wombat (its closest living relative) but look for the Burton “B” on its coat as positive proof of identification.

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Feeding occurs at any time of day, but usually at night on “stir-fry, rich in chicken and veggies”. Preferred beverages of the JK are “Coke, water and orange juice” but when looking to get sideways he drinks “cruisers and goon sunrises”. The JK’s long fingers include two opposable thumbs, allowing for much better grabbing ability and holding its tricks through entire rotations. Its elongated legs help it spring onto rails and over rocks, making it difficult to prey on. The teeth of the Jye Kearny has adapted to groomers and rails since the powder diet in Australia can be scarce. The JK plays an important role in Australia’s ecosystem as an apex predator and the

continent’s largest terrestrial rail predator, though it most prefers to consume powder whenever it can find some.

Shivering has also been observed in the JK in cold climates, as a means of creating heat through rapid contractions of the penial muscles. This seems to occur when outdoor temperatures drop below -10 degrees or his mating partner is not available. The JK, like many marsupials, has a bifurcated (pronged) penis. Mating season is in the summer “because I’m too tired after snowboarding in winter”. It seeks mating partners with the most ideal “legs, bum and pretty face” by performing astounding feats of agility on its snowboard, but often attracts unwanted “young skanky chicks”, what is scientifically known as Pro-honious Extremis. The JK generally a silent animal prefers to not communicate with loud callings or emails and would “rather speak to people in person”.

Like wombats and sloths, the JK has a very low metabolic rate for a mammal and rests “a fair bit, I’m most active in the arvo”. The JK spends most of its active hours shredding. A JK doesn’t handle stress well and can become aggressive. It prefers to keep light-hearted company spending time with “good mates most of the time” and “anyone that is funny”. Footage has been gathered of wild Jye Kearney’s by Reason Films in their new film Go Seek, go a take a peek!

What comprises a perfect photo?

I think a perfect photo is something you find on a personal level, it doesn’t have to be the biggest, gnarliest rail or feature, It could just be a quick snapshot of you and your homies lapping a sick day at your home mountain. If you look at it and get psyched and want to ride, that for me, is the perfect photo.

If you were forced to choose between snowboarding or photography, as in you’d only be able to one or the other exclusively, which would you pick?

I could be happy doing either or, but pow runs with the homies are the best thing ever, I could never give that up!

How would you describe your own photography?

Ever-evolving. That’s the beauty of photography, you can always learn more and apply it to your craft.

Hardest lesson you’ve learned shooting?

Shit ain’t easy, it takes a lot of love to do what you want for a living. That, and F.Y.P.M.!

Best excuse when you blow the shot?

I never blow the shot, the camera just fucked up... haha.

One thing about snowboard photography that no one knows about?

Spending countless frozen hours in soggy boots, watching your buddies hit the most epic pow runs or jumps. Then knowing you might have only one run that day on the way out and you have to carry 75+ lbs of gear with you. But for some reason even that run out is the best ever.

What are your thoughts on film? What about post-production?

I respect both immensely, when they are done well. Film is amazing, there is no better feeling than getting the shot on film and taking it to a darkroom. But shooting film for the sake of just saying it was shot on film just loses all validation for me. Know it, use it, love it. I’ve seen too many shitty photos called “art” solely based on the fact it was shot with film. You are not original, enjoy posting to tumblr. Post-production is a tool, use it it wisely, or you risk looking like a mark.

Most fucked up experience you’ve ever had photographing?

Nearly falling into a crevasse walking on a boot pack at ASI in Tahoe. I was scoping an angle and punched through a layer in the snow and found myself dangling in this hole.

Almost lost all my gear and had to cliffhanger my way out without any help, since the rest of the crew was out of eyesight and earshot.

Got my heart racing for sure. The run-ins with security, cops and thieves are mellow after that, haha.

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What influences you?

So many things come to mind, I find influences everywhere. Music, art and meeting people are the biggest for me, just seeing what drives them and what makes them happy doing what they do is a big part.

That said, knowing there are people that hate their jobs and wish they could be doing something else is a big motivation too. I appreciate where I am now, but I know not to get comfortable. When you get comfortable you lose creativity, so keep moving.

ILLUSTRATION: SIMON RIVIERE

Airport to Snow: (Ásgeir Höskuldsson) There are some resorts in the south but the best ones are up north. Best to fly to Keflavík airport (your only option) and then rent a car and drive up north. Takes about 4-6 hours to drive to Akureyri from Reykjavik/ Keflavík depending on weather conditions. I recommend www.cheapjeep.is if you are looking for a bargain on renting a car and www.dohop. com if you are looking for flights to Iceland.

Good Eats: Don’t try anything the locals tell you is traditional Icelandic food, it’s all sour sheep testicles and faces and such. Do however try lamb while you are up here, and there’s a lot of good fish eating to be done. The sushi pizza at RUB 23 in Akureyri is to die for! And the Bukolla pizza (beef, bearnaise sauce and fries) at Tik Tak, Akureyri can cure a hangover in seconds. Traditional Icelandic meat soup is pretty good as well.

Local brew: Beer was banned in Iceland until 1989, true story. A lot has changed since then. You have to try Kaldi (the cold one), it’s brewed 40 km north of Akureyri. There is a good selection of local beers but Kaldi is hands-down my favorite. If you go snowboarding up north then book a tour/tasting of the Kaldi brewery. Another local drink is Brennivín, it’s a schnapps/vodka/black death thing that we force upon tourists to wash away the bad taste of sour ram testicles. Try Opal instead, it’s just like adult candy.

Don’t Forget: To send me geiri@nikitaclothing.com an email before you come over. Seriously, I am glad to help out with local info and such.

Don’t Bring: An empty wallet, you can sort of do Iceland on the cheap but bumming it out won’t get you much or far.

Definitely Bring: Booze. Buy spirits in the Duty Free on the way over, the tax on alcohol is super high in Iceland and you can only buy it in government stores and at bars. So if you want to get your booze on and save money then shop at the Duty Free in the airport before grabbing your bags. Also, don’t forget to bring over your swimwear, there are so many swimming pools and natural tubs and such.

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First line of National Anthem: „Ó, guð vors lands! Ó, lands vors guð!“ = “Oh, god’s thee country! Oh, country of our god!“ Oh man, our national anthem sucks and is super hard to sing...

Swearing 101: Helvítis = Damn; Píka = Pussy; Skinka = Ham (uber-tanned Icelandic party slut); Drusla = Slut; Now put them together and you have got “Helvítis píku skinku drusla”. “Rassgat í bala” is also a favorite and sort of means “asshole in a laundry basket”.

Locals Suck At: Drinking.

Locals Rip At: Drinking.

From 1-10, how accepted is it to light up a doobie (1=totally illegal, 10= legal)?

I would say 2 to 4-ish, depending on what kind of situation you find yourself in.

From 1-10, how easy is it to find?

Pretty easy if you know the right people. Iceland has a small population (320,000) so the right people are always only 1-2 people away from you.

Old Mountain Tale: Come on over and I shall spill all the beans over some Bukolla pizza and a beer. Ask Hen-

ry Jackson about the milk bong incident or Halldór/Gulli about the poop bet.

Why Shred your Country: Because of the women!!! Or... here are three very good reasons to come shred Iceland: www.boreaadventures.com/winter/Sailboat_Skiing and www.arcticheliskiing.com and akx.is.

100 euros Gets You: That’s about 16,000 Krónas, so that gets you roughly 47 Kaldis from the government liquor store or 10.6 sheep faces and Coke menus from a drive-thru in Reykjavík.

What might seem like just just a quaint little park in Oslo where beautiful big-boobed Norwegian mamacitas bring their poodles to pee actually holds infinite potential to alter one’s life.

Danny Larsen came to pop a few tricks in this unusual setting for some Nordic totem-esque photos with Daniel Tengs. Not really questioning the meaning or purpose of the tall obelisk, Danny didn’t realize that it is actually an ancient sun dial. It points directly at the sun on the spring equinox ( March 21), the moment when the night and day are the exact same lengths, 12 hours each. At midday on the equinox, this granite spear is finely tuned to conduct the energy of the sun. It forms an energy blender that swirls at a velocity that causes the ionosphere to bend down and swallow life, excreting it out into a parallel dimension of the same life.

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Unaware, Danny launches and is mid-method at this key moment of the vernal equinox. He is struck by a gust of neutrino-laden wind and the

Danny cranks a method as the slot machine of infinite possibility spins. Photo: Daniel Tengs

slot machine of infinite possibilities spins. The slots stop and Danny falls through the invisible membrane into his new world. He stomps his trick, skids to a stop and unstraps. He stands up and looks around. His filmer is gone, so is the hot chick that was walking a dog nearby and it feels a whole lot colder. “What the hell happened?”, he ponders.

What is different about this world that he is yet to find out? Is he in a dimension where man never learned to speak and still communicates through pure emotion? Is he in a world where people are actually used as pets, like house cats?

Finally, his phone rings (in case you were wondering, we have the same phone number in all dimensions, you know those calls where you hear other voices on the line, they are actually cross-dimensional phone calls). He answers his phone and a tinny voice yells out, “Danny, where the hell are you? The sales meeting starts in an hour and no one is here to make coffee and we need those spread sheets, pronto!”. Apparently, even for the Lord of Darkness there looms the possibility of being an office jockey in another dimension.

Scary, right? This gives a whole new meaning to the expression “getting a sunburn”.

Please introduce your posse.

(Matteus Lestage) We are the GUNRACKPACK. We hail from Stockholm and Åre in Sweden, we are all about weed, women and peace. We believe the government rules people.

Where does the name GunRackPack come from?

I don’t really know. Rumor has it that our President LJ Börko was taking a crap and he had an epiphany.

Who are the heavy hitters in your posse?

Jens Bergqvist aka President LJ Börko, Nils Berge aka Vip Nils/Nilpa, Noa Gadelius aka Nodja, Jonatan Gadelius aka Jonde/Dr Boner, Emmanuel Lestage aka Prospect Mane, Viktor Ståhl aka Prospect Hultan, Matteus Lestage aka Le Ginja King, Joel Andersson aka Mista Andersson and Blayze Bramwell aka Be-Tuda.

GRP are the biggest dirtbags in the Swedish snowboard scene, how did you all hook up?

We got hand-picked by the Swedish government as an elite killer task force in the 80’s. We don’t give a damn penis about image or other snowboarders. We hate Schtaufenkaufen, he sucks ass and is a danger to himself and the community.

Your pack seriously rips, who is the biggest badass in the pack?

Nilps Berge “Nilpa”. He was born and raised in the woods of Jämtland and he has an awesome mullet.

Are you snowboarders that party or a party pack that snowboards?

We are bi-curious! We go both ways.

We think snowboarding needs more crews like the GRP, are you the next big things to come out of Scandinavia?

We already are the biggest in the universe. We got pro-ho’s all the way to Systembolaget (Swedish liquor store).

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What’s up with your online edits?

We are on our way to Hollywood to be the next movie stars.

What’s the most fucked up thing that has happened to the GRP? Joel Andersson has been partying too much and not wiping his ass enough. He has a hemorrhoid called David that visits his rectum a few times a year.

Last words.

We ride together and we will die together, surfer-dudes for life!

Johan Olofsson changed the way we ride down the mountain. Or at least the way we aspire to ride down the mountain: No-holds barred, strap in and pin it to the bottom. While others were whittling their way slowly down the harshest terrain, Johan just pointed it with a style which redefined big mountain riding forever. That benchmark he set is still the highest, even today.

This shot is a classic Johan moment from his breakthrough season, 1996/97, pinballing down his preferred “bumpy terrain” of Valdez, Alaska. The dream trip and first experience in Alaska, up there with Mike Hatchett of Standard Films, shooting with Johan, Victoria and Downing. Damn, what an experience... Still a career highlight for me.

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- Jeff Curtes

Transform gloves, good for doing hand plants and making board trees. Joonas Mustonen, Miller flip. Photo: Peter-Paul de Meijer

Can you give us a quick history the length of a tweet.

(Tom Kingsnorth) Transform Gloves is a European company offering a European flavour in a US dominated market. Running since 2007 Can you tell us about your skyrise office in the City of London filed with a huge staff and a whole lot of fax machines?

It’s the ideal summer base, it’s situated in Shoreditch so there are loads of real creative people around that area. I get inspired by the different cultures and personalities travelling around Europe in winter and put everything into shape in London.

I love it there. No fax machine though- pretty much obsolete I guess.

Who’s hands you are keeping warm on your pro team?

The pro team is Gulli Gudmundsson, Jamie Nicholls, Niklas Mattsson, Basa Stevulova, Colin Frei, Joonas Mustonen, Tom Klocker and we just added the Swiss giant Boris Buhler who is killing it this year. I am hyped with the team, all solid riders who are fun to hang out with, attitude free and get the job done.

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What is the story behind the Brick Lane glove name?

Brick Lane is a street in London with a high Bangladeshi community living there- even the road signs have Bangladeshi names written on them. It has the best curry houses in London and so much going on there. I spend a lot of my free time chilling/ getting on it there so the Brick lane glove is a tribute to that.

Is the KO glove good for an uppercut?

Probably on the right person it is, I haven’t tested it for that yet but have come pretty close on occasion, especially in high season and those snakers and lift queues.

bottom. I sit on my hands in that case, swear a lot and ride under the chairlift until I find it again. Usually it’s full of snow by that point too.

Who did you want to get on team but was already taken?

God so I know he existed and I should improve my behaviour. Imagine how good the marketing campaign would be with him onboard?- he could fire Transform Gloves logo shaped lightening bolts over Ispo. That would be better than the usual girl in a bikini marketing that a lot of people seem to run with there.

Any good uses for the gloves in the off season?

Gulli Gudmundsson told me that he always gives his old pipe gloves to his mum and she What is the best thing to do when you see loves them to do the gardening in and has been someone steal a design idea? recommending them to all her friends- maybe Just to relax and take it as a compliment. It shows that we are on point in what we are doing. we opened up a new market there hahaha If you drop a glove off the lift what is the best way to keep your hand warm on the ride down?

I hate it when that happens, usually when it is minus 20 and there is a huge queue at the

Where can we we get our hands on your mitts?

At legit snowboard shops all over the place, you can check out our online stockists on www.transformgloves.com/online/

After a long stay in Japan for an exhibition tour with some artist friends, I decided to go back very soon, accompanied by my friend and young Swiss snowboarder Dominik Betschart. Japan has always been kind of a dream destination for us to snowboard, so we wanted to go there really bad. Once we made it happen, we knew we didn’t just want to make another Japan feature for a magazine, we wanted to do something special, something unique.

Also, most of the features on Japan are very limited or focused to some point because most riders don’t usually have the time to spend an entire month traveling all over Japan. We had no obligation to “bring a story” home, so we could do whatever we wanted and go wherever we wanted, we simply had no boundaries.

Due to the fact that in snowboarding there is a lack of progression from an artistic point of view, we thought this was a perfect opportunity to connect art and snowboarding

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in an unusual way. I have seen similar books on war zones in the Middle East or Africa from war correspondents, but never in snowboarding, so I was quite curious to see if it would work.

Books are beautiful anyway, you can collect them and pick them up after years and re-read them. I don’t understand why there aren’t more publications in snowboarding?! Skateboarding definitely maintains an interaction with artists and progression from that side. I just wish there was more of that kind of stuff going on in the snowboard scene, so we decided to do this photo book!

Strawberry Snow is published by Hakuin Verlag in Zurich.

ISBN: 978-3-9523730-3-3 -Yves Suter

What is the story behind WhatWeWantFilms, how did it come about? Who is in the crew?

(Serge) After shooting for the Pirates for a few years, we had the opportunity and resources to create our own project between Serge, Tyler and Gérome.

Does your company’s name have something to do with having creative control?

Definitely! That was the main motivation for us to create this project, to do what we want, when/where we want and how the fuck we want!

What’s different about WWWF compared to other film crews you guys have worked with before?

That now we is tha BAUS!!! Seriously though, we learned a lot by filming with other film crews and now we want to pass on our knowledge to the young guns we bring on to our crew.

You guys are working on a full movie this winter, tell us a bit about that.

We’re traveling around, shooting as much as we can, you can check our podcasts and follow us through the winter, but we’re keeping the best shots for the movie.

Will the movie have only rock in the soundtrack? Please say yes!

FUCK YES! But maybe a few old school 80’s tracks as well, cuz we all have a little queer side deep inside! Haha!

Since you guys are a French/Swiss crew, how much procrastination goes on? Are there lots of cigarette breaks?

Yes, there is a lot of procrastination between the Swiss cheese and the French baguette, but don’t forget that Tyler is a fucked up mix

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of British/French/Spanish/ Andorran. And yes, there are a lot of cigarette breaks!

Even though only one of us smokes...

So what does the WWWF crew actually want?

Hookers, booze, heavy metal and a few STD’s… Hmm, what else? Bad ass METHODS all up in your face!!! Thanks to everyone who supports WhatWeWantFilms, our sponsors, friends and fans!

PHOTO:

A VAN ESS

AN DRIE

UX

ILLUSTRATION: SIMON RIVIERE PHOTO: OLI GAGNON

There is perhaps no more critical, no more valuable, no more passionately freaky love affair in snowboarding than the one between a rider and the perfect tranny. Sure, the one between the legend pro snowboarder and the local young grommet is right up there.

As is the interwoven, borderline homosexual devotion between a pro snowboarder and his weed dealer, or the ongoing shadiness between the OIC and the FIS working in cahoots to keep snowboarding down. And yet, all these lack any sort of importance when compared to the flirtation, the forbidden love, the fuck soup that is a snowboarder-tranny bond. They are so close it should be illegal.

Now it doesn’t matter if you’re a professional snowboarder stacking hundreds of tranny stomps a year across the globe, or a hometown hero who sends it over the biggest jump in the local park, take it from us at Method, forging this bond is pivotal. Yep, just ask Nicolas Müller, this guy knows more about finding trannies than anyone, except maybe an overweight German pederast in Thailand. How’s that for a visual?

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Transvoltum means “the urge to jump from high places”, commonly used when skydiving or standing near the edge of a cliff.

Nicolas knows ALL about that urge.

PHOTOS: FRANZ ORTLEPP

What does JRBK stand for?

It stand for “badass snowboard family”.

If JBRK is more than just a shop, what else is it?

We’re just a random crew trying to make shit happen in our home area and have fun. We’ve been lurking around for years. We’re filmmakers, photographers, riders, artists, weekend warriors and mainly friends. JRBK is more like real life. But we also run the world’s worst snowboard site! It’s a blog about our journals as well as clips, pics and news from international friends.

What do you need to do to get into the JRBK club house?

You need to be a wizard, you need to be positive and you need to shred with a lot of heart.

What ultra-super-awesome gear can you find at the JRBK shop?

Rider-owned brands like CAPiTA, Niffa and Airblaster. We’ve got everything to pimp you out from top to bottom.

Die crew!

What kind of jams have you guys held in the past and what’s planned for the future?

There is the Bully BBQ in February and we just held a benefit snow & skate jam to support our local miniramp, which is probably going to happen this spring again. We’re also proud to support the Tropcamp with manpower.

Staking their turf

Rumor has it that Beavis & Butthead will be at the BBQ head banging and shit, is this true?

Fuck yeah, they’re back! We’re gonna play some serious metal jams to bang your motherfuckin’ head to.

Who rolls with the JBRK? The Wizard, SAZ, Ben & Benni, Murdock, Big Holg, Sebhead, Franz, O.D.D.B.,100Marx, Klaus Lotto, international homeboys and anyone who’s down.

Tell us more about the wizard named Klaus Lotto.

Well, Klaus ain’t got wizard status yet, but he’s going for it. We love him.

Are you guys shallow powder specialists? Tell us about the low-altitude German powder fields.

It feels like riding a meadow. It’s an experience you shouldn’t miss. Just going for the simple pleasure, making Hollywood turns.

What is that, a portajohn? Ben Fischer lipslide

How much snow do you guys need to have a session?

12 inches would be perfect.

What kind of ridiculous places have you guys managed to have session at?

Let’s just say the world in general is a ridiculous place.

How important is it to chill?

It’s essential.

If you mix JBRK with some alcohol and frozen H20, what happens?

Madness! jrbkingz.com

46

Sebi Muller back one, CRITICAL!

The Game of Life is a an old game that I learned from a gypsy lady living in a caravan behind the circus tent. She drew six shapes, then handed me the pen and told me to continue the shapes with whatever came to mind. I scribbled my own additions to the 6 shapes and then she told me what each one represented.

The circle represents “how you see yourself”, the triangle represents “how others see you”, the steps represent “how you see life”, the upside-down W represents “how you see love”, the plus sign represents “how you see religion” and the square represents “how you see your home”.

When she revealed their meanings, I was so shocked by the reading’s accuracy and insight that I fled from the circus caravan in a panic. I knocked over her crystal ball as I busted out the door without turning the knob and never spoke about this incident again.

That is, until the Burton boys were in town, including Danny Davis, Mikey Rencz, Seppe Smits, Mikkel Bang and Mark Sollors, and I decided to play hit them up with this old game of witchcraft...

48

This book was quite the endeavor, tell us how you pieced together “Current State”.

Yeah, it really took a lot longer than I thought. I guess there’s always a danger that’s out there when you have no idea what you’re getting into.

I had a rough idea what I wanted it to look and feel like, but when I started I obviously had no idea what the result of any of the interviews would be.

So before making anything visual I basically did a round of pre-interviews with all sorts of people, just to help me determine the range of things or issues I wanted to talk about. From there I made my list of final interviewees, who I then visited on one round-trip. I wanted to speak to everyone in person so it was pretty nightmarish to schedule, but it worked out pretty well and I had an amazing 2-month trip. Definitely by far the best time of my last two and a half years, haha.

After all the interviews it started to dawn on me what the amount of work was going to be, you know - just editing and rearranging all the written content took about 6 months - and then I finally started working on the design and creative direction, which I really wanted to put a lot of energy into. Thus, 2.5 years later I am finally done. Oh - and sourcing images, of course, haha. In retrospect, I think I was actually pretty fast.

You’ve been involved in some of the best snowboard movie projects of the last decade, now you’ve made a book. Is it hard to decide whether to present an idea on paper or video? What are some of the pros/cons of each?

No, I don’t think that’s a decision you really have to make. It’s more the subject that finds its own medium. I was interested in everyone’s opinion about snowboarding’s current state and it was clear it had to be in book form. Also, I was really intrigued from a design point of view, having to master a full editorial design project from beginning to end.

Until that point I had only done packaging or board graphics, but nothing really on that scale where you have to find a design language for hundreds of pages. But I did compare the the two a lot, working on a film and working on a book. The main advantage of graphic design is that it’s static - which ironically is also its biggest curse, I feel. If you don’t like something, you can always go back and change it. With film, your options are very limited since you can’t just reshoot something you don’t like. You just have to settle for something sooner, which is a salvation from going insane trying to improve something.

We know you’ve spent as much time designing this book’s layout as gathering the content, did any of your ideas not fit on the page?

Hm, I’m not really sure. I’m pretty surprised most my ideas were actually feasible. I remember doing a rough sketch of all the different concepts and ideas I wanted to try, thinking that half of them were probably either not possible or affordable. But in retrospect I’m pretty surprised how little I had to compromise. Or maybe I’ve just become very good at forgetting what didn’t work. That seems more likely.

50

Seeing how fast the currents move through snowboarding, is it hard to pin-point its “Current State”?

Well, I think trends might move fast but the current state is actually fairly static, or at least it’s slow enough to be graspable, depending what exactly you’re looking at. It’s more that no one actually has the authority to proclaim its current state, because there are so many current states within snowboarding that we can only make assumptions or look at specific pockets at a time. I couldn’t possibly deliver what the book’s title promises, I know that. I knew that from the very beginning, too.

At what point does someone enter the realm of the “Current State” of snowboarding and when do they leave it?

I guess anywhere. Even if you’re entirely out of snowboarding’s realm, however mainstream or core, or you have never stepped on a snowboard - in this case you’d be are part

of snowboarding’s outside image which is just as important to define its current state. Is Vin Diesel going to slide down an avalanche before he backflips off a cliff while shooting villains? All those things directly influence snowboarding’s current state, maybe not its actual culture, which we’re all interested in, I guess, but certainly the overall picture.

One hundred years from now, what do you think someone’s conclusion about current the state of snowboarding will be after looking at your book?

Looking at a book in a hundred years? Phew... probably downloading an archival copy into his iBrain or something. Haha. No, seriously, I doubt people will care very much 30 years from now. I think more than anything the book is something that our generation, meaning people who snowboard and have snowboarded within the last years or decades, will simply enjoy looking at. If that’s the case then it’s good enough for me.

It’s a pretty limited print run, only 2,000 copies, where can people get their own?

Yes! About half of the books have been preordered already, so when the book goes on sale Feb 1, 2012 the remaining copies will be up for grabs at www.almostanything.com.

PHOTOS: LUCAS NILSSON

Please introduce yourself to the zombie horde.

I’m Niklas Mattsson from Sundsvall, Sweden.

I’m 19-years old and into the snowboarding lifestyle in general (party all day and all night).

I first got introduced to it by my brothers, who were and still are into snowboarding. My dad got me my first snowboard when I was 5, so I’ve been snowboarding about 14 years and still going strong. Love it!

Can you give one good reason why you shouldn’t be eaten by zombies?

Because I’ve got a mean recipe for human brains that they would love.

What do you do if you are attacked by zombies?

I would probably stick a straw in their eye and pour boiling water into their brains!

What kind of people do you think should be eaten by zombies?

Niklas in

Just douchebags in general, guys that hate too much and steal my hook ups.

Tell us about a crazy crash that made you think you had returned from the dead.

At the Junior World Champs I hit my head real bad, I walked around Like a zombie for like two days before I came back to reality! It was pretty bad, but I’m fine now and really dug the whole zombie feeling of it.

If you were bit by a zombie, would you ask your friends to shoot you or would you try to eat everyone?

I would bite my friends so they could join me in the awesome world of a zombie.

You are infected and your brain has begun to rot. If you could only mumble words, what 5 words would describe you?

- SNUS, - ÖL(beer), - GIRLS - GET - NAKED

his zomb

ie-battlin

g stance,

blunt to re

What would be the benefits of already being dead?

You could learn quad corks without being scared about getting hurt. Chlamydia also wouldn’t be a problem, would it? I would totally get rid of my condom stash. Ladies watch out!!

Do you prefer eating humans on the streets, the park or the powder fields?

In the park, that’s where I spend most of my time! But I would like to dig in on some ‘’fresh meat’’ on the powder fields.

Definitely going hunting in the streets this season as well!

What other zombies do you mob around with?

Everyone in my class at Malung Snowboard School here in Sweden. BIG SHOUT OUT TO ALL THOSE DICKS AND ONE SPECIAL PUSSYCAT, you know who you are!

Who are some of your favorite zombies?

Everyone I ride with and my brothers Jonas and Danne Mattsson, they are the shizznit!

gs

Who keeps your unholy, undead body kitted and fitted?

Colour Wear, K2 snowboards, ThirtyTwo, Etnies, Oakley, Transform Gloves, Contour cams, Junkyard.com, AiAiAi.

Please introduce yourself to the zombie horde.

Halla, folks! I’m Caroline, 20-years old, from Stockholm, Sweden.

PHOTOS: JONATAN NYLANDER

Can you give one good reason why you shouldn’t be eaten by zombies?

I’m still fresh, still keeping it real. It would be a waste, I guess.

What do you do if you are attacked by zombies?

I will dance battle those zombies into the ground, seriously. When I bust out my handstand they would kill themselves in self-pity.

What kind of people do you think should be eaten by zombies?

If you’re the kind of person who uses the phrase “you go girl!”, I wouldn’t mind.

Tell us about a crazy crash that made you think you had returned from the dead.

I knocked my front tooth out last season on a rail. Blood all over the place, that was pretty gnarly, I guess.

If you were bit by a zombie, would you ask your friends to shoot you or would you try to eat everyone?

I would live the zombie dream for a bit, eating everyone, friends included.

Then i’d build a castle from their skulls and bones. Go big or go home, zombie style.

You have been infected and your brain has begun to rot. If you could only mumble words, what 5 words would describe you?

“I do not like cats.” I actually wanted to say “I hate cats”, but that’s only three words!

What would be the benefits of already being dead?

The fact you cannot die again!

Do you prefer eating humans on the streets, the park or the powder fields?

The park. I started out small in the streets last winter, I want to go bigger. We’ll see what goes down this year.

What other zombies do you mob around with?

Stockholm steeze machine Jonathan Lindhe and the rest of the local crew.

The winters here in Stockholm Who are are really great when some of your there’s snow! favorite zombies?

The one and only Desiree Melancon, no bullshit on that one!

She’s putting female snowboarding where it should be.

Who keeps your unholy, undead body kitted and fitted?

Salomon, Bonfire, ThirtyTwo, Straight Krukt and Stitch & Stones.

Caroline sinking her teeth, I mean tail, into this wooden rail

Tor chomps this kicker with some meaty air PHOTOS: ALEX ROBERTS

Please introduce yourself to the zombie horde.

Hey there! I’m Tor Lundstrom, 19-years old, from Gothenburg, Sweden.

Can you give one good reason why you shouldn’t be eaten by zombies?

They will end up getting seriously sick because of all my STD’s. But it’s their choice!

What do you do if you are attacked by zombies?

You need to make some smart traps. Then when you catch them you don’t have to kill them, just keep them locked up in a room somewhere.

What kind of people do you think should be eaten by zombies?

Skiers with bright yellow/green/orange/pink tall tees. Actually I saw one skier that faked his tall tee the other day, he just stitched on some extra t-shirt length on the jacket! Eat him too. Bitte!

Tell us about a crazy crash that made you think you had returned from the dead.

When I was way too drunk a few months ago and wanted to make a next level move in bed with a girl. I flipped her around and she smashed her face into the wall and broke her nose, there was blood everywhere, it was awkward.

If you were bit by a zombie, would you ask your friend to shoot you or would you try to eat everyone?

I would probably just eat a couple of bad guys first then find some nice zombie girls, make boom boom and then ask my friends to shoot me.

The end.

You have been infected and your brain has begun to rot. If you could only mumble words, what 5 words would describe you?

I only need three: aggressive, fast and dangerous. Nothing else, my friend.

Who are some of your favorite zombies?

Shiiieet, there are way too many of them.

But If I have to pick, my top 3 is Terje, What would be the benefits of already being dead? Halldor and Mikkel Bang.

Not having to die again and you can chill out Who keeps your unholy, undead body pretty hard, just laying around. Also you could kitted and fitted? try all kinds of tricks and ride in avalanches SWEET, Lobster, Nike 6.0, Clast. and not be scared!

Do you prefer eating humans on the streets, the park or the powder fields?

I mostly hunt in the park, but would love to get out more in the powder!

What other zombies do you mob around with?

Mostly Kevin Backstrom and Joachim Krogstie.

PHOTOS: TOMMY LARSEN

Please introduce yourself to the zombie horde.

Jørgensen, Len Roald Jørgensen, been half dead in Norway for 230 months and 18 days.

Can you give one good reason why you shouldn’t be eaten by zombies?

Hell no, zombies are the shit. Eternal life, mad limp swagger and everything.

What do you do if you are attacked by zombies?

Travel back in time and kill their mothers, terminatiiin’!

What kind of people do you think should be eaten by zombies?

People that cheat playing solitaire by themselves and those who don’t appreciate free strawberries.

Tell us about a crazy crash that made you think you had returned from the dead.

Never had any serious crashes, but them Swedish suckers can give you a hangover you’ll never forget.

If you were bit by a zombie, would you ask your friends to shoot you or would you try to eat everyone?

I would try to eat my own head.

You have been infected and your brain has begun to rot. If you could

only mumble words, what 5 words would describe you?

Fuck life or die tryin’.

Sigurd (Zombiscuit) Lindquist, Øivind (Marshmellow) Fykse & Fredrik (Zombouglas) Perry.

What would be the benefits of already being dead?

Never shitting your pants!

Do you prefer eating humans on the streets, the park or the powder fields?

Hunting all over, yo. The bigger the better, but eating those small trannies is also delicious.

What other zombies do you mob around with?

Jonas (Zombato) Steen,

Who are some of your favorite zombies?

Keegan, Bang, Oestreng, Line & the overlord Haakonsen.

Who keeps your unholy, undead body kitted and fitted?

Forum, Special Blend, Gnarly Wear, Junkyard.com, Mushroom crew.

Someone check this boy for a pulse. Len switch front board transfer like he’s already dead!

The first thing when you want to do a backside 180 Japan is to find a jump you are comfortable with.

Approach the jump slightly on your toe edge. As you leave the takeoff, pop as hard as you can and turn your head and shoulders back towards the jump.

Grab your board between the bindings with your front hand, but make sure your arm is on the outside of your knee.

It is important to grab between the bindings, if not it will look wack.

Pull your legs up and behind your body and tweak as hard as you can!

As you pass the knuckle, spot the landing by looking down between your legs.

Careful though, if you turn your head too early it is easy to revert on this trick and you want to ride out as straight as possible.

Hold the grab as long as you can and stomp as hard as possible.

Ride away and don’t claim it, cause nobody likes a claimer.

- Ståle

Marco grew up facing mountains in a narrow valley in the Arlberg called Montafon. I got to know him 15 years ago, while sessioning a sketchy gap jump that used to be the shit back in those days. At that time I spent every weekend riding at Silvretta Nova, thinking I could make it somewhere close to a shop sponsor with my 3 tricks in the bag.

But after making friends with Marco and his local crew, I knew straight away that he had a future as a pro rider and I didn’t. Luckily, I picked up a pocket camera and shot blurry pics during our first sessions together with Fichtl, who was pulling backflips in pow. I took these shots down to the local skate shop called HotShop, which was in Feldkirch, about 40 km from Montafon. After a talk with the HotShop’s owner Tobi, Marco got his first sponsor and I realized that taking photos could help my friends out (and become a career for me). A few years later Fichtl joined the Scandalous Pirate trip, which was the first time he spent a longer period out of his valley, and that eventually put him on the Radar! While others only needed the right passport for a professional snowboard career, Marco had to work his way up to the point where he is now. His ender part in the new Pirates movie “Bottom Line” is remarkable and reflects his pleasure in being out in the wild. My pictures & words might still be blurry, but Marco’s riding is now defined by absolute sharpness.

- Ludschi

Marco takes the first bite out his vanilla birthday cake, MONSTER Front 3. Photo: Ludschi/Bottom Line

Did you ever see the 1985 movie “American Ninja”? Did you like it and do you know any ninjas?

No, I was born in 1988. I started my army and have 2 ninjas, Eiju and Ayumu Hirano. I wil l send them to take over the world this winter.

What happens if you pour you r own Sake in Japan?

You will die.

How was the response in the media when you became the Olympian black sheep?

I cannot talk about it. The Jap anese mafia will cut off my fing er.

How deep is the powder in Hok kaido?

The snow in Hokkaido is not deep. It is really bad. Do not com e to Hokkaido for snowboarding. You will be sad. Plea se let us ride the bad snow by ourselves, it is all we have.

What are 3 things that are am azing about being Japanese?

1) Most people don’t think we understand English, so it’s fun ny when people talk really loud and slow to us.

2) If I don’t want to talk to som eone, I can say I do not underst and “Engrish”.

3) Japan will always be home.

Do you think style is more imp ortant than rotations?

I think both are important.

How affected were you and the North Island Mountains in Jap an after the tsunamis?

We were not affected at all.

You were in a crazy car crash this year, what happened?

I don’t remember, I just remem ber waking up in ambulance and then at the hospital.

They say I rolled my truck 6 tim es. I am very lucky to have peo ple watching for me and protecting me from getting hur t.

What is the weirdest shit tha t you can find in the vending machines in Tokyo?

You can buy live crabs from a machine on Hokkaido.

Last day ever on a board, pip e or powder?

Powder.

Why is it considered a sacrile ge to ride through the trees in Japanese resorts?

(Laughs) That is an old tale. It is okay to ride in the trees.

Famous Japanese proverb tha t you live by?

I just asked my friend what pro verb means. I don’t know if it works in English but I think it says “if you smell shit , maybe you need to clean you r ass”.

Inhuman Kazu swan style on the tweaked out method. Photo: Blotto Photto

You were a Forum Youngblood back in the day and now you have your own company, talk about the choices you had to make to get where you are today?

Well, the snowboard industry is not as beautiful as people might believe.

Unfortunately there’s so much politics and “bro” relationships that affect people’s careers in both good, but seems like more often than not, bad ways. I guess the choices I made have never been about money but more about trying to keep snowboarding the way I want and feel it should be. I’m just like that, I don’t wanna kiss ass, I don’t wanna put on an act and do what I’m told if I’m not backing it. I’ve always been focused and thought that what should matter the most is what you produce and deliver, but unfortunately that doesn’t seem to be the case.

You seem to be a mentor to a lot of Swedish rail riders, how do you feel in this role?

I’m stoked on it. It’s dope to be able to help young talents reach their full potential.

There are many things about being a pro snowboarder and how sponsors, filming and the scene work that are good to know. And to

HEAVY 50-50, Kareem is living on the edge. Photo: Daniel Blom

be helped out with things like that the easy way instead of the hard way, it can help a brother “make it” much easier. But mostly they’re all my homies and it’s fun to ride with ‘em and stoke each other out.

How has your perception of snowboarding changed over the years, do you feel it’s necessary to keep throwing down harder or are you getting more mellow as you get older?

I guess when you are younger you have nothing to lose and you try to prove yourself way more. With age comes also experience, I guess I ride smarter and don’t try to send my life away all the time, now I make better choices about hitting the right spots and conditions. It’s always fun to push your limits to the fullest and send it, but it sucks when you get hurt and end up spending time on the couch.

The majority of people think you are just a rail rider, but the truth is you love the backcountry and powder just as much as the metal, right?

For sure. I mean, I love rails, that’s what I grew up riding cause that’s all we had in my city, I was far from real mountains.

And I still love riding urban, there’s so much shit you can do, but since I got my first taste of pow I immediately loved it and I’ve gotten more and more into it as the years go by. It’s so sick to send and build your own jumps, I like choosing spots like in the streets, where every feature’s different. Same goes for tricks, in snowboarding every trick is dope if it’s sent the right way on the right feature. It doesn’t matter if you do a switch indy or a FS 180 to whatever. Although it’s not like you could go win any comps with a switch back 3 or some shit.

You also run Scandinavia’s biggest rail contest, the Frontline Rail Jam, what made you decide to get into this side of snowboarding and how is it working out?

Well, we’ve done it for over 5 years now and it’s been sick to see how we stepped it up every year and how it has grown. At first we just did it as an experiment, for fun. But as we realized the potential it had, I also realized that I had my chance to make an event exactly the way I think it should be.

So we always focused on building a perfect and fun set up, a street rail style set up that everyone’s comfortable and has fun on. The whole idea of the event is to bring riders together and send it in a fun jam, give the audience a good show and an insane afterparty for everyone. Same goes for the prize money, it’s all in cash and when people stomp tricks in the finals I reward them straight away, 50 or 100 euro bills for each trick stomped so everyone can get some and then the winner and best tricks take the rest.

You wanted to start your own clothing label when you were riding for Forum,

but they wouldn’t allow it, so you quit the team and went off and started Frontline. How come you felt so strongly about creating a new label?

Well, I kinda started FL before getting on Forum but it was just an idea at that point. It eventually got much bigger once I started getting my name out there with video parts in the Forum movies.

Why I left Forum was not only because of FL but also because the company had changed and there were new people getting involved. It just wasn’t the same, the new TM’s didn’t like me and (Travis) Kennedy for some reason, so there was really nothing left for me there, there was nothing I wanted to represent and work with. With FL, it’s kinda always been my priority cause it’s mine and it’s something I wanna work with in the future. It’s just way better to work for yourself than getting used by others.

The Frontline team is dope, who are some of your riders and who do you choose to represent your company?

I’m super hyped on all our riders and how they represent us. The thing is, we’re just a big group of homies who met each other on trips around the world. We always ask our riders what kinda stuff they like and sizes, so we make exactly what we wanna wear ourselves. The team is Halldor Helgason, E-Man Anderson, Eiki Helgason, Fredu Sirvio, Werni Stock, Risto Ruokola, Benny Wetscher, Leo Crawford, Tom Klocker, Jonatan Linde, Peter König, Felix Engström and Adam Granqvist. Recently we started hooking up more bands and musicians, and other dope people who are creative in different aspects in life.

Last year you were in a freak car accident, explain the story.

Yeah, that was the craziest thing I’ve ever been through. So the short version, I was in Zams in Austria for a board demo at the end of January. We had gone for dinner and I was heading back home in a cab (big Mercedes minibus). We stopped and I got out first from the back, since my homie was paying, and started walking towards home. As soon as my friend got out and slammed the door, the cab driver starts reversing full speed to maneuver back out and doesn’t see me. I didn’t have enough time to get out of the way so he knocked me to the ground and ran over me. I was pinned underneath, lying on my side with the full weight of the car crushing me, only a bit of my feet sticking out the other side of the tire. It was the worst feeling ever, I couldn’t breathe and was bleeding from my head and legs, so I started panicking. My friend was in shock, he got down and asked me what to do, so I told him he had to get me out from under the car. I told him to just get in the cab and drive it back forward over me. He says my legs are in the way but I say “fuck it, just do it, I can’t breathe” so he threw out the cab driver (who didn’t speak a word of English) and drove back forward over my knees and legs. After that I kinda passed out from the pain and woke up in the hospital all fucked up. After a few days, my insurance company flew me home.

Damn, how was recovering from that and how is your body feeling now?

I ended up bruising both my knees and fracturing my leg, and of course mad bruises and scratches all over. For a week it was to painful to walk but then I got up on my crutches and started doing rehab pretty soon. I worked out like 5-7 days a week for 2 months and ate healthy, and luckily after about 2 months I could go boarding again. I still hurt the whole of last season but it was manageable. Today I’m feeling good except for a bit claustrophobia, but I still kinda got away with murder, it could have been MUCH worse.

We hear you have a sick set up this year, what’ve you got laced up?

Yeah, I’m super stoked. Endeavor and Colour are teaming up to support our filmer Mikael Norrman to film and travel around with us. So me, Risto and Leo will be traveling together all winter, going wherever we want, boardin’ whatever we want, however we want. We will be doing blog episodes throughout the winter and dropping full video parts at the end of the year. The idea is definitely to film urban in Scandinavia, our home turf, as we just bought a sick team van, but we’re also gonna travel and hook up with our other homies around Europe and North America. We have some trips in the pipeline, like Wojtek in Poland, Tyler Chorlton in Andorra, Benny Wetscher and the Zillertal G’s in Austria, and E-man and Kale Stephens in Whistler/Canada. But first, with the slow start to the winter, I think we’re gonna do a week in Moscow to shoot some rails. So keep a look out for us this winter, we’ll be dropping edits from our missions that never pan out the way we originally planned, haha.

Does smoking the herb make you snowboard better?

I don’t know if it makes you better. I guess it affects everyone differently but it definitely makes me more creative.

Some surfers say that when you are in the green room time stands still, is this the same for you when you are in your green room?

I guess it is, cause when you really set your mind to something and focus 100%, nothing else really matters in the world. You are in that moment and that’s a sweet feeling.

If you had to only have one hard and fast sex rule, what would it be?

Don’t be scared to go all in..

PHOTOS: VERNON DECK

W

henever somebody puts a “The” in front of your name you can sit back and relax, you’re a legend! That is exactly what The Guch has not done. I have never met somebody that snowboards more or gets more out of snowboarding and the mountains than Bryan Iguchi. If you’re not stoked going out with The Guch and/or learning something, whether it be about the geography of the area or the snowpack under your feet, you might as well pack your bags and move to Nebraska or Big Bear. The irony is, that’s where Guch is from. Big Bear, that is. A pro skateboarder and freestyle snowboard wizard who went feral in the mountains around Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Many people have visions and dreams, it’s the execution which is the hard part. Sixteen years ago, financially secure in snowboarding, he abandoned everything that the mainstream

knew and started carving his nicha in the Rockies, south of Yellowstone. After losing his sponsors and maybe even a little bit of his mind, the industry now writes about how influential and brave this move was and still is. Most pro snowboarders throw in the towel when they can’t make their Audi payments anymore.

Very few have continued through the hard times to keep the dream alive. Guch still pioneers new spots. He thrives on it, lives it, breathes it and then kills it! It’s inside of him. Nothing makes him more happy than seeing what is around the next corner or behind the next ridge. I don’t think he will be stopping any time soon either, and hopefully I’ll be right behind you, homie (or maybe you will slow down and let me break trail for a change)!

There is nobody I would rather be in the mountains with. I think I speak for a lot of people when I say, “THANKS GUCH”!

- Kevin Jones

KJ: Gucher, What made you move to Jackson Hole 15 years ago?

Guch: I guess I wanted to live in a place where snowboarding could be my main focus. I wanted to dedicate my life to riding. I was a park and pipe rider back then and I wanted to learn as much as possible about the mountains and backcountry riding. I had visited Jackson when I was in high school and the riding I experienced then left a powerful impression on me, so I thought it would be a good place to grow as a rider.

At that time, was it the smartest career choice or was it just too far off the map for the industry to understand what you were up to? It seems to me that at the time if you didn’t fit the “mold” you were out.

Especially if your adventures were leading you towards big mountains and being out of the limelight, so to speak.

I think it was a big setback for the momentum I had with my career as a park/pipe rider, but I knew I had to commit to the mountains and be true to the path I was on if I wanted to become a big mountain rider. I lost sponsors and kind of fell off the radar for a while but I rode more than ever. It was during this hiatus that I discovered so much good riding in Jackson. I had nobody telling me what to do or where or what I should ride. I just explored my surroundings and kept riding.

“Momemtum” is an understatement!

You are so humble. I mean you had a pro model with Burton and I’m sure financially were pretty secure.

“Committing to the mountains and being true to your path” had to play a mental game late at night sometimes.

You had to of second-guessed yourself at least a million times. For those of you who weren’t around back then, Bryan might as well have moved to Siberia!

Was there a defining moment that you knew, I mean, really knew you made the right choice?

KJ catching a mean set

Bros!

Guch tosses out a hearty a nd healthy back 7

Guch makes some turns with his brush

In the hard times, when I was struggling to keep things going, I second-guessed myself a lot. But every time I found a new spot or had a really good day out in the mountains riding powder I felt the satisfaction only good riding brings you and it made me feel like I was on the right path.

What year did you cut the ponytail?

Haha, it was 1994, damn, I miss that thing! I think it had magical powers.

You have been spending a lot of time with your head in a hole in the snow. You always seem to be ahead of everybody by a couple of years, what’s the deal with that? Is this something that everybody should be doing?

I want to ride the best snow and terrain possible, as much as possible. I realized I needed to be confident in my decision making in the backcountry to stay alive doing what I’m doing. After losing a couple friends in avalanches, it’s changed my view on what I’m doing out there. I’ve been trying to learn as much as possible about the snowpack, avalanches and getting a better understanding about when to go and when not to. I think Scopin’ it out...

more riders are realizing the risks of backcountry riding and taking the right steps to do it safely. It takes a lot to really be on it and get after it. To be knowledgable is a selfless act, because it really will only benefit the riders you ride with. It’s really important to choose the right type of riding partner, encourage training and practice to be prepared if things go wrong. You really have to have each other’s back out there.

Real-life scenario versus finding a beacon in your front yard?

I suppose the level of stress and chaos is the main factor in a real-life situation compared to the front yard. It’s imperative to practice.

What motivates you to get out of bed at 4 in the morning and go walk up a mountain?

I get up early to make sure I get to the top of my line and back down with plenty of time to spare. There are many factors which motivate me, sometimes it’s because the sun creates hazards when it warms up the mountains so I like to be up there before conditions change, and other times I just like to watch the sunrise as I am climbing up.

What’s next for The Guch, I mean, you know you’re a legend when somebody puts a “The” in front of your name. Is that enough for you or should we expect an Olympic quest for gold?

Ha. I doubt I’ll be competing much these days.

I really just want to spend my time searching for and riding new lines in the backcountry.

I’m stoked to continue to work with Volcom on developing product and mentoring the younger team riders. I love being in the mountains and will continue to ride and search for good riding for as long as I can.

What’s the number 1 mistake you see people make in the backcountry, and how can that be avoided?

People going out without the proper equipment (transceiver, probe and shovel) and the knowledge of how to use it. My advice is get the gear, take an avalanche class and practice. cliff dropper Guch making like a lemur, man-sized

Is your son Milo regular- or goofy-footed?

I think he’s a little of both right now.

K

evin Jones resurfaced in Jackson a couple of years ago, after a long hiatus from the hype, ready to shred. It was a start of a new chapter in his legendary career. I’ve had the privilege of spending a good part of last winter shredding with KJ. Endless pre-dawn starts, sunrise drives and coffeefueled conversations plotting our next missions led to a season’s worth of great shredding. He’s become my favorite shred partner and I’ve witnessed firsthand the talent, drive and passion for riding that has shaped his career and continues to do so as his legacy moves forward.

- Bryan Iguchi Guch: After being Snowboarder Magazine’s Snowboarder of the Year 3 seasons in a row, did you feel like you “did it all” in snowboarding?

KJ: I don’t know what I was thinking. I mean, I was getting pulled in so many directions and there was so much going on that I didn’t even know which way was up. I definitely remember saying to myself, “what are you going to do, get another video part, X Games, 4-time snowboarder of the year”? I obviously had my head in the wrong spot. Thinking about my “career accomplishments” and my bank account and not about snowboarding. I needed to slow down and think. Without outside

interference. I needed to figure out what snowboarding was to me, beyond a career. I never stopped snowboarding, I just stopped doing it for the cameras and other people. It took a little longer than I wanted but the answers came.

Now I can fully enjoy snowboarding for what it is. As Todd Schlosser said, “it’s just a bunch of guys riding around on little sticks”. Craig Kelly (RIP) stated, “I don’t care about whats cool or hip in snowboarding, the smile at the end of a run is all I need”. All I need is to snowboard.

It’s my life! It’s the second best thing that has ever happened to me (my daughter Ella is first)!

When and why did you move to Jackson Hole and has it had an effect on your snowboarding?

I moved to Jackson Hole in December‘08. The first time I visited Jackson was over a decade earlier. We drove all night from Truckee and I woke up in a blizzard. It took us over 20 hours to get there. I’ll never forget that powder day the next day. It is etched in my brain permanently. I was 19-years old and I was blown away! It was so freaking beautiful. It had just snowed a couple of feet and I when stepped out of the tram, after being squished in the middle and not seeing out the window, I almost fell over. Sundogs, Diamond Dust, blue skies, 2 feet of blower powder, 365 degrees of mountains and the Grand Teton looming,

Homies hiking

beckoning. Even though it was an insane powder day, I sat up top and stared at the view for what seemed like an hour. I made the decision right there that someday I was going to live here and explore these mountains. The first run with you came a couple years later. I don’t know if you even remember this, but you took Seone and I to“Once is Enough”, which was a pretty gnarly run for back then. We were standing up there and you just dropped in. I was tripping. I was thinking,“where is this guy taking me and why aren’t we filming this”?

“If we are not filming this then what are we doing here?”, I thought. I liked this, I wanted more! I didn’t make it back until 2008. I took up residence and started to make a dream happen that I had so many years earlier. It fitted with what I wanted to do perfectly. Get out of the scene and ride powder, even if that meant walking up a mountain all day for one run. I enjoy snowboarding more now because of Jackson Hole and the people I have met

Going for broke, Guch points it

there. Everybody shreds and couldn’t give two shits“who you are”It is paradise for me.

Influences?

Good: Friends, wIthout homies nothing is possible. You have to trust your inner circle with your life. Family, keeps my head in the right place. Powder, see family. Full tank of gas equals freedom.

Bad: Alcohol.

Negativity (although I can get bitter with the best of them). Narrowmindedness. Empty tank of gas. Refer to “friends” above.

I’m sure I’m not the only one to wonder about this: how did you muster up the balls to throw down a triple backflip last season? How did your first attempt go? Did you know you had it, or did it feel like it might not work out?

It’s seriously amazing what you threw down!

That was last February, I did about 10 double backflips one day and I kept over-rotating.

I kept having to slow them way, way down until I got one that felt right. Then I thought to myself “if you just pull a little harder you could probably do a triple”. I kind of laughed at myself.

Anyway, we happened to have another jump built that was pretty similar to the one we were hitting all morning and I was amped up because I had been flipping KJ burls one out through the air all morning. I hucked the triple and landed on my board, but fell. I knew it was possible after the first try. I just didn’t want to land on my head. Then a storm came in and I had to think about it and wait a week before I could try it again. I just kept playing it over and over in my mind at night before falling asleep. The sun came out and I tried it and rode away after four or five tries. It was the scariest “trick” I have ever done, for sure. The last rotation feels like you’re going to land on your neck every time. So fun though!

Roll out!

PHOTOS: MARKUS ROHRBACHER

MARC SWOBODA Age: 26 Sponsors: Nitro, Vo lcom, Vonzipper, Celtek, Blu Redbull, e Tomato, Absolutpark, Love, EMA, Landing, Bagjump

N ER DOMIN IK WAG Age: 23 L1 Sponsors: Nitro, ster, Outerwear, Mon , 32/ ve Lo o, at Blue Tom A, EM y, ur hb As , es Etni k Absolutpar

s battles ard of the famou You have all he Nadal, sico, Federer vs involving el Clas dn’t mean shit di e t? Well, thos gh ri r, ethod ie as Fr Ali vs d here at the M hat we witnesse ner w ag to d W re ik pa in m m co oda and Do ob Sw c ar M ll. th e calling e office this fa what people ar in d ea a -h -to ad went he illa in Manila”, n since the “Thr w ed do bb ow du sh t en es bigg s since be owdown that ha sh us d to re en sh an om m Austri rcelona”. Both lls on “Die Boner in Ba and put their ba e id pr r ei th e id as me this t co pu s be machine d it out to k as they battle oc bl d in lte ng pi su re op ly ch the ch actual ated Champion, whi he t Off go ce it Fa Sh ’s ar d. ye r faces instea ei th off sire g in de tt d ingness an the boys ge get-go. The will e th er itl om H fr at k th ic real qu ded me intense it remin e so th as t w le , d ay ee cc Ok to su o early? stria. Oh shit, to was born in Au win... an m st be ay the games begin. M

The first chal lenge of the da was a sit-dow y n skate race do wn a 40 degr pitch (well, m ee aybe it was 4 degrees) and then explode into a sprint ra ce along the beach wearing Raiden bindin gs. (ever tried running in bi ndings in the sand, not as easy as it look s…) then strip down and jum into the icy M p editerranean , swim out in the surf and m to eet a Meth he ad out on a surfboard ho lding two beer s. Skull the be as quick as yo ers u can and sw im back to th finish line. Fu e ll on triathlon shit right here Winner: Mar ! c Swoboda Score: 1-0 A wonderful pe rformance from Swobodubs as he annihila ted the young Dominik and showed him w ho’s boss! Dom inik objected that Marc chea ted. He checke d the rule book after and filed a complaint th at “Marc altere the condition d of equipment during play”. Th referees checke e d the video re play and cam the conclusion e to that Dominik should “suck it up, princess”. 10, Marc Swobod a.

Ballet and skateboarding are quite similar. They are both are an outlet for physical artistic expression. Skateboarding is about using and controlling your body. Ballet is similar in that respect. Ballet is also about movement and very technical. So is skateboarding. You see where I’m going here. The 2nd challenge for the boys was to come up with an individual dance routine which incorporated jumps, style, finesse and grace which had to be executed according to a specific technique and song. They each were allowed to choose a song for one another for their performance. This challenge ended up gayer than a Christmas table cloth and as the big homo Justin Timberlake once said, dance is a competition between you and only one other: the dancer you can become.

We called bullshit on that and let the boys compete and express their innermost beauty, desire and emotions that we never knew they had. Awkward.

Winner: Dominik Wagner Score: 1-1 Wow. That shit was weird. Two grownass men being reduced to dance around on their skateboards, ended up weirder than a Filipino girl stripping on acid. Dominik had the skills on the deck but Marc had the skills on the pole, great improv. A tough one for the judges but it came down to Dominik having more time on the board. Marc lost points for taking his shirt off. You can’t do that sort of stuff, not even in an international FaceOff competition, very un-sportsman like of Marc. 1-1.

Homies faced off toe-to-toe, coming nose-to-nose at the finish line

Kinks that will make you think

is the 3rd challenge The Newly Shreds This is a game and it’s all tied up. couples against that pits newly shred revealing of s each other in a serie how well the e in m questions to deter don’t know) each team riders know (or being borderline other. This ended up ew way too much kn bromosexual. They ey might as well be about each other. Th married. agner Winner: Dominik W Score: 2-1 as the young grom A twist in the game mfortable lead Dominik takes a co up in the next the and can wrap it all if he can handle his challenge but only soned professional, piss against the sea e hound Marc. semi-alcoholic booz

We all know that Au strians love their be er, so this challenge was intro duced to see which boy could man up and drink 100 sh ots of beer in as man y minutes. An extra shot of Jagerm eister was added ev ery 25 shots to add a bit of flavo r to the game. At no time are the competitors allowed to leave the table aft er the first shot is consumed. Th ere is a zero toleranc e on bodily fluids being expelle d, including pissin g, vomiting, bleeding, crying or sweating. Any of th ese result in an instant dismissal an d forfeit. Pröst.

Winner: Dominik W agner Score: 3-1 Well it all proved too much for the old sn ow dog Marc Swoboda, who could n’t hold onto his scr otum for 100 minutes as little dr ops of pee dribbled out of his Jap’s eye and his bladder begged for full relea se. Meanwhile Dominik’s bulletpro of bladder held on for the long haul, even after Ma rc repeatedly punche d him in the nuts. All in all, Domi nik was a worthy ch ampion and was crowned the 20 12 FaceOff Champio n.

Closing out the spot, Dominik giving some lip for the W, while Marc nails a tail and is runner-up

- A member of the genus Homo and especially of the species H. sapiens.

- Subject to or indicative of the weaknesses, imperfections, and fragility associated with humans.

WORDS: JASON HORTON

Man’s physical limitations have never been a match for his ingenuity. When, back in around 8000 BC, he figured out that placing rollers underneath large stones allowed him to move things he could never possibly carry, he created a prototype of the first machine; the wheel. He’s been building machines ever since.

Unfortunately, the better we became at building them, the more we distanced ourselves from the natural world. Is our ingenuity really a good thing? Dolphins are supposed to be as smart as we are, and they didn’t build anything; then again, they didn’t destroy anything either. Fast forward to today, and we’re living in a post-industrial utopia or wasteland, depending on your point of view. Fast forward a few more years and we’ll be at war with robots and sending Terminators back in time to protect John Connor. Talk about being too clever for your own good.

But I digress.

The idea for this short film came about while we were trying to figure out a location for our next Burn team shoot. Because our team have such a variety

of riding styles, we’d talked about building something that had big, progressive jumps in it, but also with smaller, more unusual lines worked into it. This would allow a rider like Gigi to express his creative approach, while giving Ståle free rein to throw 10’s and 12’s. As usual, Gigi had other ideas. He suggested holding the shoot in a famous gully in Rikgransen, which is an amazing natural playground. Back in the day, this was the place where top Scando riders like Marius Sommer would head each springtime to shoot amazing natural hits in the crazy late spring Arctic light.

Gigi’s idea was all about taking it back to the roots, with everyone grabbing a shovel, finding their own line, firing up the BBQ and sessioning away into the small hours.

So there we were, with Gigi wanting to pursue his vision of all-natural, additivefree snowboarding, and me, with

“If you represent snowboarding, you need to know where you choose your line.” - Gigi, front 3 tail, Riks Photo: Andy Wright - Gigi Rüf, “Progression takes place inside of you.” ht Indy tailbone, Riks Photo: Andy Wrig

“Riks is the kind of place where you know you’re going to get shots, if you want them.” - Arthur Longo, BS7 melon step-up, Riks Photo: Daniel Rönnbäck

- A device consisting of fixed and moving parts that modifies mechanical energy and transmits it in a more useful form.

- An intricate natural system or organism, such as the human body.

visions of snow sculptures on steroids.

Suddenly, it clicked: we would do both.

The film would explore both sides of the same coin.

Armed with a 16mm movie camera that’s older than any of us, Gigi would head to Riks with Arthur and Pirates filmer Justin Hare to shoot in the gully.

Meanwhile, armed with RED cameras, dollies and a heli budget, filmmaker Johannes Östergård would head to Folgefonna with Ståle and Mat and a few other Pirates heads to build a badass kicker that would send the guys into the stratosphere, all with a nice sunset and lake backdrop. Well, that was the plan, anyway.

Over in Riks, the sun shone, the light was perfect, and the vibe was all about having fun, and gettin’ ‘er done. Terrain like this, spread out for miles and all within easy reach by sled, inspires your inner creativity like nothing else.

It’s like staring at clouds, and slowly letting your imagination create

We were kinda worried about paying a load of money for a heli to shoot in the rain, so we phoned the heli pilot and asked him if there was any good weather coming. He replied, “I’ll fly up above the clouds and have a look.” Turned out there wasn’t, but we got some shots anyway. Ståle Sandbech, FS3, Folgefonna. Photo: Carlos Blanchard

pictures out of the randomness. And, of course, when the person creating those pictures is Gigi, the results are always going to be magical.

But, while Gigi’s crew was blessed with days of good snow and warm sunshine, the “machines” were dogged by snow-destroying rain, constant cloud cover and flat light. Perhaps Mother Nature had heard about our organic vs. metallic concept, and was trying to show us which approach she was personally backing? Still, it kind of worked out anyway, at least aesthetically. With the snow covered in a layer of ash courtesy of Icelandic volcanic activity, heavy granite surrounding the jump and grey clouds suspended above, the jump took on a sombre, industrial look that actually suited the tone of the film perfectly.

Action-wise, the patchy light took its toll: for example Ståle, who had been planning some double corks and

When you’re waiting for bad weather to roll out in western Norway, you get pretty good at wasting time, including making swastikas out of gumboots. Photos: Jason Horton

backside 12’s, “only” felt comfortable busting out a frontside 1080 because of the conditions. Which just goes to show how these young guns are progressing the sport every time they strap in: a trick that just a few years ago would have been the highlight of a rider’s season is now a stock trick to be done on demand.

Ståle is pretty funny to travel with.

Standard question to Ma t Crepel: “So does your girlfriend wan t to sous ma bit?”

Photos: Jason Horton

After a decade of sma shing it in parks and pip e contests, Crepel delivered one of the sta ndout parts of the yea r with his ender section in TB20 – film ed mainly in Alaska and BC. What’s next?

Nicolas Müller handra il section? Mathieu Cre pel, BS5 Stalefish, Folgefonna. Photo: Jaso n Horton

By the week’s end, we had the sketchy distinction of being the first crew to hire a heli to film a session from the sky… in the rain. But we almost had enough shots to call the film a wrap – almost.

And so it was time to use a machine that represents better than any other man’s mastery of the physical world, something that gives us all the freedom to be anywhere we want to be in a matter of hours. A jumbo jet. Pretty soon Ståle was on a flight to Snowpark in New Zealand, where the jumps were almost as perfect as the sunsets. We had placed our trust in the machines, and we had prevailed.

Burning up in the mesosphere like a meteor, Kalle Ohlson, BS7 melon, Folgefonna Photo: Carlos Blanchard

They literally sit down like a think tank, brainstorming and bouncing concepts and ideas off each other till a multi-tiered idea cake is baked for a new movie, covered in a frosting of hidden meanings. They always gather an eclectic bunch of riders that celebrate their uniqueness by shredding together and supporting each other in filming their parts. Jesse explains that he wants dudes that “haven’t decided what kind of rider they are yet. We’re not just going to have someone bang out their moves, edit it to a sick song and be done. We want to see if we apply our mentality to the rider how will it change their game”. Geno clarifies that “it’s more than just about how they ride their board, it usually boils down to who they are as a person”.

M

any would agreed that Think Thank movies made it dump on the snowboard playing field, forever erasing the sidelines and limitations of what a snowboard movie can consist of. Like two pedals on a bike, Jesse Burtner and Sean Genovese cranked into the unfamiliar with a orange cone that followed along. We sat down with both of them to look back at the colorful skid marks they left along the way.

The all-Alaskan crew (+ Genovese), which was originally know as the JB Deuce crew, descended from the Great White North to form Think Thank. You might remember JB Deuce’s last movie, Steezin’ for no Reason, which was where they really started to “surf that creative energy”. Jesse elaborates: “I had hit my head then and was looking for a new way to express myself that wasn’t going to kill me, so we started getting weird”. They wanted to make a movie that had an idea behind it, not just mere “snow porn”. Think Thank movies became platforms to explore concepts beyond landing tricks and getting good snow. And “never taking ourselves too seriously”, punctuates Sean Genovese.

Tim Eddy owning his snowboarding. No rails, no kickers... all mountain, all the time! Photo: Gray Thompson

To summarize their ethos, their “thing is getting across an idea and manifesting it in a different way every year”. The idea that one’s greatest power is to see the world in one’s own way dripped out and congealed into the Ransack Rebellion!

Is there such thing as a trick being too weird or too kooky?

JB - I don’t think so. It’s all relative to where you are in time and who you are. It’s art. It’s relative.

Ask yourself this, is snowboarding too kooky?

SG - Yes!

JB - What we do across the board is too kooky. Can anything under that umbrella of kookiness be any more kooky than the simple act of snowboarding? Probably not.

What’s up with the junk pile session in the intro?

JB - Basically, you are in the city and you see all this stuff that people have tossed out and we are all like,”I can snowboard on that!”

SG - One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

JB - That is our underlying manifesto in Ransack Rebellion.

How do guys keep so motivated to stay innovative?

JB - We have spent years doing this and it’s not that we don’t have to work towards doing innovative things. We need to innovate to work or else we’ll get bored.

SG - Yeah, I started snowboarding because it was fun and then you start filming as another creative outlet. Like painting, you can’t just keep painting the same thing over and over. You start to ask yourself, “what other colors can I use?” or “how can I paint with another medium?”

JB - It can’t be every season, 540, 720, 900. Once you get the taste for being creative you just go…

How did you guys make the on-screen paint splats?

JB - Don’t tell ‘em how! This is Geno’s secret, it’s magic! It was pretty intense, it had a lot of steps to it. Sean just takes an idea and is gone for a few days, then shows up with it and there it is.

SG - It’s not completely computer generated. It’s organic. I like that we do that a lot.

Hupp gap, if you say it fast it sounds like hubcap. Brendon with the buttery gap out back board. Pho to: Alex Mertz

Hironaka. Photo: E-Stone

Oh, hi! I’m Chris. Yep, Larson.

Photo: Alex Mertz

Genovese hatching gnarly dino eggs, up rail to gate hurdle. Photo: Alex Mert z

Larson lights up the dance floor with MJ’s for days. Photo: Alex Mertz

Jesse, do have to make an effort to film tricks with both feet in?

JB - Yes. I just love one-footing.

SG - It’s just back to the whole avoiding being bored with something after 20 years thing. You can do a 540 off a mogul but then you do it one-foot and it’s like, WOAH. JB - Like Jon Stewart in Half Baked, have you ever done a cab 5 on WEED! Except I’m more like, have you ever done it ONE-FOOTED? IT’S CRAZY! But seriously I’m going to take a break from onefooting because my knee is getting destroyed. Watch out, kids!

What is more mind-blowing, Sean Black boarding or the music he listens to?

SG - So you guys somehow know he listens to J-Lo and club jams on repeat.

JB - Black, Beresford, Yoshida, Stevens… they all just listen to straight up R&B pop music. J-Lo, Britney, Ke$ha, Rihanna, they like it all. I mean, I like it too, I’m just not going to listen to only that.

But, his boarding is mind-blowing. Sean Black can butter like not other.

Bogart checking if dinner is ready, back one blast. Photo: Alex Mertz

How does Nick Visconti have such a fresh part without ever leaving Tahoe?

SG - It proves that you can film an insane video part in your own backyard. I mean, half the frickin’ movie is filmed in Snoqualmie Pass.

JB - Just goes to show what you can do with your mind. It’s not like Tahoe sucks. Even if it’s been filmed a million times, they still haven’t done it like Nicky! He just shuts down spots with really hard tricks. You can always go down that route of doing really hard tricks… if you are good.

Tell us about Tim Eddy’s transition from a jibber to complete powder hound.

JB - The way he described it to me is that he wanted to own his snowboarding completely. He only wanted to do exactly what he felt like doing every day, ride whatever was in front of him, however he wanted to hit it, right at that moment.

Turns out he just wants to slash pow and ride the waves.

SG - Yeah, he has been chipping away at it for a while. He just wanted to do it his way, which is awesome.

JB - He said since we are doing a rebellion movie, he wanted to rebel against junk and garbage, the status quo. He wanted to have his own rebellion, no rails, no kickers, just ride the mountain. Go get it, Tim! What’s up with Ted Borland’s guest militia?

JB - Well, Ted wanted to use that epic long song. The song starts to meander for a bit and then gets epic again. It just gave us a opportunity to fill in this meandering with all of his friends that put in work around the edge and weren’t going to get video parts. We don’t have a “friends” section, so we gave this little Bundy crossing his T’s through the all-natty Bone Zone close-out. Photo: Bob Plumb

Burtner droppin’ some Shaolin on the spot. Photo: Alex Mertz

crew of SLC homies a place to shine. Ted just loves his friends SG - It was a good representation of Ted. He mostly just boards and hangs with his buddies. He’s a good guy.

What is more impressive, Hupp’s riding or his laugh?

JB - His laugh! He can bottle and sell it. He could probably cure cancer with it. Next question.

What are Chris Larson’s calves made of to be able to pull off those MJ’s?

JB - Chris is made of steel but not his body, his mind.

SG - And he has an exoskeleton.

JB - He’s kind of like the Terminator but he was sent back to snowboard instead of kill people. I’m pretty sure that’s what Chris is.

Actually, I’m positive.

Tell us about Hironaka’s tree zone.

JB - It’s basically an elaborate place to go smoke weed. He walked over a ridge one day and found all these trees and built this sick zone with a smoke shack next to it. It’s two feet off the side of the run but you will never find it. It’s like Narnia.

SG - Yeah, I’ve been there and I still have a hard time finding it. You get lost coming out of it too.

JB - I think most people besides Think Thank heads would not want to film there. It’s not epic, but it’s magical.

Does Bogart ever bogart the joint or the spot?

SG - I’m sure he bogarts the joints, but yeah he will do everything at a spot and leave no tricks for anyone else to do.

JB - Yeah, he’s known for claiming every trick that’s available. He’ll roll up to a spot and be all like (gangster twang voice while smacking his lips), “I’m thinking like back 7, front 7, cab 7, back 5, double back flip, front 9, back 9, back rodeo…”. Then you’re like, “what am I gonna do?”

SG - It’s true, then he will do ‘em all!

JB - Yeah, he does do that. He does bogart shit! He’s a bogarter.

Which of Chris Beresford’s moves were you most excited about?

SG - I love that first shot over the cat track.

It’s not weird or spectacular. I just like the feel of it. He pops super high and the way it’s filmed is great.

JB - And you can hear his binding tweak. I speed ramped it and it’s like “eeeewwa”. This is my favorite Beresford part ever. I like the wall to pillar kinda loop. That’s why I put it in there like 3 times. I could’t decide the best angle that describes it, so I put them all in!

None more Black… Photo: Kealan Shilling

Austin, have I ever told you you’re my Hiro?

Nosepress back one out. Photo: Alex Mertz

Ke$ha sucks but Sean Black rips, scary gap out. Photo: Kealan Shilling

Where is Geno’s part?

SG - Good question.

JB - Sean is having a baby.

SG - Yes, I’m having a baby in my part. I actually went into labor during editing.

JB - Next year he is going to give birth to a Dino video!

SG - Cat is out the bag!

JB - You heard it first on Method! Don’t tell anyone.

Look for the extended talk with all the footy from the Ransack Rebellion on Method TV!

Beresford high friction air thru the corner pocket. Photo: Alex Mertz

: KEALAN SH ILLING

OS INTERVIEW & PHOT

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KS: So tell me about some of your favorite shots we got this winter.

BG: You know, it’s crazy because in my head when I think about getting photos I always just think big, intimidating, adrenalin-type stuff, but you shoot way different. I feel like a lot of my favorite shots we got are the more mellow ones, like slashes and stuff. So now I think I’ll go into this season with a bit different perspective on what it takes to get a photo.

KS: I remember one day you were pretty burnt in the Buttes, trying front 9’s and I was just after an artsy photo at that location on the lake. I didn’t find the angle I really wanted till pretty much the end of the session and you were already over it, drinking beers on one of the sleds. I called down to you, asking you to come hit it one more time in the name of making a sick photo. You really impressed me that day because you stepped up to the occasion and hiked up to hit it one more time. The crazy thing is it ended up being one of the sickest shots in your part, I got the photo, not to mention it was probably one of the best back 3’s I’ve ever seen.

BG: Yeah, I remember you said something like, “I don’t care what you spin as long as you spin backside” and I was like, “I can probably spin a cool back 3 off that”. That jump had some crazy pop but the back 3 sent it just perfect, which doesn’t always happen. Should we talk about that? How often I go for something and it turns into something else?

Throwin’ buckets on the toeside burner

KS: Sure. I do have to say, some of your ridiculous recoveries and tricks you pull off barely holding on are what I love about your snowboarding. There’s a particular series of shots of you hitting the Half Dome cliffs in jeans, that I think really capture your individuality and what I love about watching you ride. The second shot in the series where you’re dragging your hand, riding away like you’re surfing a barrel, is my favorite.

BG: Yeah, I love that shot. Super back seat, hand dragging, one arm up in the air with my jacket blowing in the wind and a huge trail of dust behind me. That image is just plain cool. You might call it a bail, but to me this picture captures a really good time.

Hiking all day, drinking wine on top of a mountain at 9 in the morning and having a blast snowboarding in the sun. When I look at this photo I don’t see a hand drag, I see something different. Isn’t everyone tired of seeing the same stock action shots?

I think everyone should open their minds a little bit to what they’re looking at in snowboarding.

Frontside stab with the power of the pyramid, tuck knee to rock ride

Wood you? Ballsy front 180 melon

Frontside sender off Half Dome in Tahoe

KS: When I’m watching you snowboard, I see a certain looseness that shows through in your riding, like whatever happens, you just go with it, make it look good and somehow turn it into part of the shot. For years that’s been sort of unacceptable in snowboarding.

BG: I look at myself as a different kind of artist. Snowboarding for me is just the venue I’ve chosen to express myself. So honestly, it’s whatever I want to do with it. I don’t feel like I need to live up to someone else’s standards or expectations of what snowboarding has to be, because I’ll always do what feels good to me first. Hand drags or slops to me are a cool part of what happens in snowboarding. It’s about the feeling, being on the board and going with the flow. It takes a lot of work getting shots. I don’t really understand why everyone’s so selective with them, that’s part of who you are as a rider. When you think about it, it can almost bring a completely different aspect to viewing how riders use their boards to snowboard. The way people wash out and bail, it shows more about their riding.

KS: So are you trying to change the idea of what’s considered an acceptable shot?

BG: Fuck yeah! We work way too hard out there. And come so close sometimes to getting broke off. There’s no reason not to respect what someone has done in this sport. There’s too much hate out there these days.

You might call this a bail, but Brendan calls it a good time

Gerry getting it done in the name of ART! Super poppy back 3 on the last hit of the day...

Claiming the spot, pissing off the top of Half Dome

cialist, super sketch Roof and gutter spe f ride 50-50 transfer to roo

e er, the 7-11 feature. You hit som KS: So let’s talk about your end the of one was t , but I think tha pretty heavy shit last season ve by that thing all winter and dro We off. led pul wildest we how you wanted to hit it. I ut you were always talking abo g it myself, was kind of doubtin think everyone else, including . pen hap was possible, but you made it that all year, eyeballing it, won BG: Yeah, I had been looking at ckee, Tru wn nto dow in t righ is 7-11 dering if it was possible. That and it’s a 7-11 so it’s open all the so people are always driving by, up on the roof, especially while time. It was pretty hard to get attempts, we got kicked out the two they were there. It took us up we woke up around 4 am, got first time, but the second time sun the as it ot sho to e tim in t righ there and finished the drop-in help to re the I had all my homies came up. It was a group effort, t photo was everyone. tha so , pen hap it ke build and ma side time you flew off the wrong KS: Well, aside from the one r heel, you ised bru s, rock e and som of a building landing on me suc tty pre good. I’d say it was a and messed up my leg pretty n cessful winter. Thanks Brenda ! life for e jeans, that’s Styl ch Bea libu BG: Ma Huge shifty tip grab, open jacket & Brendan in a nutshell

Superhero-sized 50-50 to drop at the Truckee 7-11

This one was pretty fucked up! I had to get towed in with maximum speed and then make a sketchy turn just in front of the kicker. If I fucked up there I would be flying straight towards the sharp corner edges above the door or even the wall and/or antenna! Luckily I know how to turn and the pillow just sprayed my soft skin with marvelous snow crystals instead.

W

hat could be more inappropriate than an old, kinda chubby and really hairy guy riding heavy street spots in mad pow with no shirt on? Not much, I figured.

I wanted this project to be really fucked up and leave you feeling awkward and inadequate. A shirtless shot on an park rail in April is pretty gay and not too crazy, to be honest. But I was chillin’ half naked in -20 degree weather, flying off roofs, landing in thorn bushes, getting towed in at max speed and even some flip-in/flip-out shit.

To pull something like this off you need some Viking spirit, some sweet body fat and definitely some hair on your chest to even think of taking your shirt off in that weather. A couple of tries and slams later I wasn’t feeling that cocky anymore, but the shots came out exactly like I hoped they would. Bangin’!!!

This is one of those things where I don’t think any of you kids will be biting my steeze, for once.

But if you do, I will be proud of you! I got your back, son.

- Hans

When the sun is out in Sweden it means that it’s really cold and on days like this a shirtless switch back rodeo into a thorn bush is something I definitely recommend!

This day was insanely cold! It was under -20 outside and the snow was crispy. Riding in switch and half-cabbing to this skinny pillow was gnarly. Afterwards the owner of the house came out and gave us coffee and crackers! Good luck with something like that happening in the US, over there the owner would have probably come out with a shotgun instead.

Never a frown, with golden brown... Mike Ruddy with the nasty FS 180 fakie nosepress

I

s D.O.P.E. an acronym, does it mean anything besides the fact that you guys made a dope flick with dope riders and dope tricks at dope spots?

(David Brocklebank) I don’t know… It’s whatever you want it to be! We are all just a bunch of dirtbags in Canada with nothing worthwhile to film for, so we started our own shit.

How much weed did you guys need to spell out the title of the movie?

That was my roommate Martin’s half pound of purple kush. Nig’s a boss.

Tell us a bit about the riders, are you guys all homies or is there a selection process for the line-up?

We’re all mad homies, some different than others but we all seem to get along.

We think this might be the best snowboard movie cover of all time, is that a real shot of a crackhead getting a blowjob?

Fuck yes! My good buddy Logan Haubrich went down to the big city last spring to get an iPhone. He bought the damn thing, walked across the street and snapped 2 lovers in the park...

How much dope was consumed during the making of this movie?

I wouldn’t know… Half the crew probably smokes an eighth a day, the other half smokes but doesn’t chronic out.

What’s in the works for D.O.P.E. 3?

Everything. We’re pulling out all the stops for this one so watch the fuck out.

DOPE: - My kid - Milk - Dope - Nolan NOPE: - BDFPNLOCITA (Balls Deep First Push No Lube Or Condom In The Ass)

Alex Stathis makin’ the grou nd shake, massive switch stale gap out

There is no selection process for the lineup, we just board with our homies and film. Some dudes stack more clips than others and get parts, others just keep the homies seg-y tight as fuck with either a smoking lifestyle or getting crazy on their board.

Is Alex Stathis okay after getting that stair massage on his skull? Fuckin’ GNARLY slam...

Duh… Nig’s a beast!!

Is Kael Hill the world’s biggest dirtbag?

We love how much he just doesn’t give a fuck.

We feel the same way. That kid’s straight fucked!!! He’s got the world at his fingertips and all you haters fooled. If you look back on some of his old footy on Youtube, him and his best friend Nash were at the forefront of new-school jibbing with an endless bag of tricks and style for daysssssssss. Seriously kids, do your fucking homework!

Layne Treeter got the ender part for a reason, high pressure 5-0 thru the kinker

DOPE: - School - Handplants - Michalchuk - Dr. Dre - My family NOPE: - Meth - American customs - Gay sex - Twin tip skis - Snowboard fashion

Angry tranny scrapes on vide o tapes. Wait, I mean P2 cards or some shit... Stathis half-cab to bank

DOPE: - Chuuchbeeasy.blogspot.com - Stiffy’s Boardshop - Skateboarding - Gnarly NOPE: - No snow - Grouse - Hi backs - Norts

ys keeps it G

E-man knows blunts, homeboy alwa

Kael These kids have the bite to match to their bark!

Hill firing an Outrage-ous switch front board

PHOTO: OLI GAGNON

A

fter yet another 2-year film project Travis Rice filmed the sequel to his groundbreaking That’s It, That’s All. With precious little time to recover from the phenomenon of his first movie, Travis went to work on The Art of Flight. The snowboard world woke up as Travis put on a show for the mainstream. In the space of two years he filmed one of the most talked about snowboard movies of all time. The Art of Flight pushed the limits of cinematography and snowboarding. and Travis almost single-handedly put snowboarding on the front page of newspapers and blogs across the globe by putting on a show of helicopters, filming helicopters, filming snowboarders. With a massive budget and backing, the world was his tacit oyster.

Now Travis, aka T-Rice, needs no introduction. He is a nobullshit, no-attitude guy and has a simple, uncluttered view of the world, and the fact that he is one of the most freakishly talented and mind-blowing snowboarders on the planet hasn’t changed his approach. He has parlayed his preternatural talent into an epic career, based on burly backcountry shredding. These days Travis can’t scratch his ass without a camera crew filming him, so we didn’t bother interviewing him. He’s had so much smoke blown up his ass at this point, it’s enough to cause 3rd degree burns.

When these shots landed in our inbox we were speechless.

They say a picture tells a thousand words, well after seeing these we only had two: Holy. Shit. So enough talking, all we ask is when you turn the pages of this feature try and imagine the ramifications of this type of snowboarding.

But it still looks like Travis is having the time of his life out there.

Cab 900

Backside 180 melon to switch slash

Crossrocket

Ethan Morgan is the man, I’m pretty much laughing the whole time when I hang out with him, and we pretty much have exactly the same humor (sex, porn, puke, poop, pee and everything in between). He is a mix of German and American, so most of the time he is super stoked on everything but then sometimes his true German roots come through and he gets angry, unmotivated and complains. I just can’t take it seriously when he does. But overall he is a sick rider, good on jumps, rails, pipe, powder, and probably slalom as well. If you haven’t seen his part in the new Isenseven movie, you should. Impressive stuff!

How do you feel about having stomped the Three Golden P’s? Explain how?

I am so stoked, especially since I landed it in the flat without a hand drag, super steezy. It started off when we were playing the game “I have never…” and we ran out of beers but no one was drunk.

Halldor, Jonathan and I had never really snus’ed before, so we decided we should take snus to try to get shitfaced, We used the strongest snus we could find. We were super high for a few minutes, it was great, until Halldor ran outside and puked, then 10 seconds later Jon ran outside to puke, and then I had to run outside to puke. So all 3 of us were standing on the balcony puking together, great times. The shitty part was I accidentally swallowed the snus, then the puking didn’t stop, it just kept on going.

I was puking from 10 pm till 3 am. During that time I had to poo and pee, so I puked, pee’d and poo’d at the same time (the Three Golden P’s) whilst naked on the toilet. I ended up asleep on the toilet floor. The worst part is I remember every single second of it because I wasn’t wasted, just poisoned. Now every time I smell snus, I feel like puking.

Ethan is a really good friend and one hell of a snowboarder. He has so many tricks in his bag, it’s crazy.

He can ride everything, pipe, rails, and jumps with such good style. I’m going

to teach him how to drink though, he acts like a big baby when he’s drunk and he always ends up pissing on my right leg! He is the man and his girlfriend, she’s not bad either.

What’s up with you always taking your tshirt off when you’re drunk and also, why do you hug and try and kiss other dudes?

I don’t actually know. Every time I get drunk I forget what happens and I end up waking up without a shirt. It kind of sucks because when I party I like to wear my favorite shirts, so those are the ones I always lose… And yeah, kissing other dudes is just my way of spreading the love. Don’t worry, I have a girlfriend and I am not gay.

There are a million stories about Ethan which will already be written in here, no doubt. His style makes him stand out. He works hard when he is out filming, and doesn’t realize how good he is at times. I sometimes have to remind him of half the tricks he can actually do. Last year was his breakout, with last part in the Isenseven movie, he went filming with Transworld and also managed to put down top 10’s in BEO and Arctic Challenge. He is a good guy to have around, but just keep an eye on him with the alcoholic beverages. He managed to puke in two cabs in one night in Tokyo, and somewhere there are some legendary photos, but I guess they will never see the light of day.

Are you really the white Jay Z? Well, they do call me Big Lips Morgan.

Jay Z has big lips too, so yeah, that’s me.

And I am actually a true “nigga” on the inside. I would say I am the white Jay Z.

Ethan is a cool guy. He has nice style and a super sick ender part this year.

Ethan’s dad looks like Chuck Norris. You have to find a picture of him, it’s crazy.

If you would have to pick only one what would it be: Only smoke weed all day or get super drunk all day?

Smoke weed for sure, it’s really healthy for you and the more you smoke, the cooler you are!

Eat one cat or four of Paris Hilton’s dogs?

I would have to say both but I would prefer to eat the dogs because I hate Paris Hilton.

Only spin flat or only spin cork?

Spin cork, man! Spinning flat is gay as fuck! Corked is super important in snowboarding, especially the double and triple cork. That’s what snowboarding is all about, maynneeeee.

Make out with me or Halldor?

I actually had a fantasy the other night where the both of you guys were making out with each other. Wow, it was a great fantasy, so maybe a threesome make-out session would be awesome, because you both are fucking beautiful men!

Work for Method Mag or Helgasons. com for 9 years without pay?

The Helgasons.com, just as long as I could make out with Halldor and Johannes at every shoot, then we would be in business.

Do crack for 4 months or heroin for 1 month?

Heroin. No matter what you do, you’re fucked, so why not go straight into the heavy shit.

Snowboard fully naked for 3 days every season for the rest of your life or ride in a girl’s sexy outfit for one full season?

Naked for 3 days every season. I have so much to show the world. My abs are awesome, my ass is really cute and obviously I have a huge shaved king cobra in my pants, no biggie, why cover it with a sexy outfit?

Pole jammin’ to the tran ny. Ohhh, that sounds kind of dirty‌ Photo: Frode Sandbech

Say all you want about him, Ethan fuckin’ chucks it big time. Pho to: Frode Sandbech

I love filming with him because he doesn’t talk back when I give him shit.

What happened at the kebab shop in Schladming, Austria?

I took a big shit in front of the kebab shop while everybody was inside ordering and eating kebabs. Everyone was watching the poop squeezing out of my asshole, half of it hit the floor and rest oozed into my pants (which I found out the next morning) and yeah, the kebab guy didn’t see it even though I was right next to the window where he was cutting the meat. Haha.

How do you justify your ghetto steeze in the past? You used to rock XXXXL pants, über-tall tees that went to your ankles, bandanas and gold chains.

I just got a gold chain for my birthday from my girlfriend, I am rocking facemasks again and I actually still wear my grey 3XL shirt from back in the days. I’m back, baby!

Ethan is probably the funniest guy to have in a “I have never...” game!

Ethan, why do you like watching kiddie porn so much?

If you look at it like that, I used to watch kiddie porn when I was 13, because back then it was like watching porn designed just for your age, it was perfect! I mean, it felt weird watching normal porn and they’re these 35-year old MILFs. They could have being my grandma! And I am not down for GILFs, sorry.

I don’t really know if I ever had a serious conversation with this guy, but we both are in for some whatever-talks, so I guess we’re a good combo.

Hey Ethan, why do you always dress like an über-douche when you go out? You get clothes for free, right?, Order something nice, man!

I admit, I used to dress like an überdouche until NOW! I just got back from China, and I got myself 2 custom-tailored suites. So I will be rocking the pimp steeze from now on.

Ethan is an all-round shred. He’s not really blessed with beauty but other than that, he is blessed with everything else!

What’s your best idiot story? Don’t tell me it’s shitting in public in Schladming, I bet you can be way more retarded. How many hours do you spend on your trampoline?

I need to know how much commitment it takes to kick Mr. Morgan’s ass!

I puked into my girlfriend’s bra once, after almost making out with a random Spanish dude. That was a heavy one. Not sure if that tops the Schladming story, though.

I really have been practicing a lot on trampolines lately, because I really, really, really want to be the 5th guy to stomp a triple cork and spin a 1080 onto a rail. It is super important for my snowboarding career, without the 1080 on rails and the triple you can’t make money in snowboarding.

Ethan wins every knuckle drag comp out there, hands down.

Ethan, how do you cope with your girlfriend not fixing your little lunch when you are filming or competing abroad?

My baby girl is the only reason I haven’t starved to death or overdosed on candy.

She wakes me up in the morning every day at 7:30 am with breakfast, makes me lunch for the hill and calls me to ask how the day is going, a true mom/girlfriend, doesn’t get better than that. When I am on the road,

I just buy loads of chocolate or gummy bears, I’m loving the gummy bears.

Ethan was born in Japan, is a citizen of the USA and grew up in Mittenwald, Germany. The result is trouble. Going to eat sushi with him is annoying because he thinks he invented sushi, since he was born in Japan and lived there for a couple of days. Trying to speak English to him freaks you out because he baffles you with his English skills but in a very German way. But go-

Pre-shred siesta. Photo: Frode Sandbech

ing riding with Ethan is great and I always enjoy it. He loves to ride every terrain or feature and is always thinking of different ways he wants to progress, no matter if it’s a 1080 or a rail trick.

Is there any chance you are going to start a German rap career?

I gave up my rap career at the age of 15. The music industry was treating me brutally. I had a hit single called “Was Ist Hit Dir Los?” featuring Painilsix and we went double gold platinum, but the industry was giving us bad reviews. We couldn’t handle it, we were always crying so we quit.

Does it really say in your contract that you have to (a) have a blog, (b) go to the gym otherwise you don’t get paid and (c) you aren’t allowed to ever have a rap career while you are still snowboarding?

No, it is not in my contract but having Jon Weaver as a team manager can be hard times. He made me start a Facebook fan page!!! TM’s are stepping up lately but going to the gym is important, without Jon I wouldn’t be in the gym, I am super lazy and would still be wanking to kiddie porn. Nike and Cash Money records had a bit of beef when I was wearing a Cash Money shirt at a contest, and there were long discussions between Jon and Bird Man, and they decided I had to focus on only one aspect of my career. So I chose to be a snowboarder full-time. I really regret it, now Bird Man and lil’ Wayne won’t talk to me anymore, but Jay Z is still good with me.

When Ethan is having fun on the hill there’s no stopping him, like last time in Dachstein he learned 6 new rail tricks in one day! He also has a lot of fun when he’s drunk, mostly kissing boys, taking his shirt off and peeing everywhere. Watch out, dawgs!

Tell us how you almost set the house on fire during a wild night of sex.

I actually had a really romantic night with my girlfriend with candles and flower petals, and while we were making out one of the candles fell onto a pillow and set the whole bed on fire! Good thing I was manly enough to put out the fire, like a real man, and then we finished off what we started.

When I first met Ethan, he was this annoying kid with a weird accent.

But he had a certain drive. A few years later this same drive has turned him not only into an outstanding snowboarder but also a close friend with great outlook on life.

Hey Ethan, is it true that your girlfriend wears the pants in your relationship and you do everything she says?

Yes, that is true. She has to tell me everything that I am supposed to do, because if she wouldn’t then I would most likely just be stuck somewhere and not know what to do. Or I would be sitting in my room for days and most likely pooping and peeing in bed because I would be too lazy/dumb to figure out what to do.

How many times have you looked in the mirror and thought about Shaun White?

Honest answer required!

Shaun White, WTF? Hell NO!!! Have you seen my face in HD frames? My face is fucking beautiful! It is the shit! It’s Gucci!

It’s Prada! That’s harsh, Tobi.

Knuckle to knuckle, this trick is always good for a chuckle. Photo: Cyril M端ller

Ethan might be working on his rap career but he still knows how to rock... to fakie! Photo: Cyril M端ller

he still Ethan might be working on his rap career but knows how to rock... to fakie! Photo: Cyril M端ller

Mikkel Bang’s got so much style he even makes a “guy in the sky” shot look good, MEGA switch method Photo: Blotto Photto

Sebi Geiger goes scuba boarding! Photo: Christoph SchĂśch

Jonathan Lindhe makin’ the caged animals salivate, heavy front lip in Stockholm Photo: Anders Neuman

Grasshoppin’ over a Beetle, Colton Morgan shifties one out. Photo: Gray Thompson

Dylan Alito’s got enough ammo in his gun to take it to the powder. Photo: Vernon Deck

Dylan Thompson perching a press on a sky-rise close-out. Photo: Andy Wright

Scott E. Wittlake getting swallowed by a man-eating white dragon. Photo: Liam Gallagher

to: Liam Gallagher

ple of little rascals! Pho

Scotty & BFox are a cou

Sticker squirrel Jed Anderson slaps

one up. Photo: Oli Gagnon

Ana Rumiha & Julia Baumgartner. Photo: Carlos Blanchard

Wyatt the Snowman, was a jolly happy soul! Photo: Liam Gallagher

Kalle O. doing the drop-your-pants snow dance. Photo: Carlos Blanchard

Fuckin’ ballerina! Danny Larsen, super stylie method to fakie. Photo: Olav Stubberud

Kazu getting ready to uppercut the X Games superpipe. Photos: Gabe L’Heureux

Rapid fire Russian firecracker! Photo: Kiril Umrikhin

Gus is a hippie at heart. Photo: Oli Croteau

Benji knows that hesitation = devastation. All-in mega cornice rodeo 7. Photo: Oli Gagnon

Maxwell Carl Scott, slapping the bass! Gap to wall redirect. Photo: Kealan Shilling

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again… Alex Andrews. Photos: Bob Plumb

Ludde Lejkner lights it up with a thunderous tailpress . Photo: Adam Moran

Nicolas Wolken turns on the turbo and peels out a rooster. Photo: Carlos Blanchard

Batman-style transfers, Andrew Brewer can’t be contained! Photo: Andy Wright

Gotta pin it to win it! Forest Bailey back board fly out. Photo: Bob Plumb

Scott Vine, wall plant on the edge of infinity‌ Photo: Jordan Ingmire

Fly like an eagle, let my spirit carry me… Gigi let’s one fly, all-natty stalefish. Photo: Carlos Blanchard

Dim Biau trying to check out the hot girl in the shower thru the window. Photo: Lorenz Richard

You can’t corner LNP, BS 50-50 gap out. Photo: Ashley Barker

Eric Jackson riding like it’s his last day on the planet. XXL pillow popper. Photo: Ashley Barker

Flight of the Kazu. Photo: Blotto Photto

Fredi Kalbermatten crushing the zone down to the bone. Photo: Adam Moran

Cale Zima, pressing tail to backside sail over the stair set gap. Photo: Joel Fraser

Aeronautical awesomesauce, Lauri Heiskari super stalefish. Photo: Erik Bro Hostetler

Flo Achenrainer coming in hot this past summer at Hood, see you guys in September! Photo: Said Burg