r e a l s n o w b o a r d i n g
本 物
の ス
ノ
ー
ボ
ー
ド
v o l u m e t h i r t e e n · i s s u e t w o
h o t b a l l s / y e s i n j a p a n
h o l y b o w l y / t a d a s h i f u s e /
t h i n k i n g j a p a n e s e
R IDES T HE NIKE Z OOM I T ES W I T H ST I F F F LEX I N NIKE A PPA R EL A ND OUT ERWE AR
NIKESNOWBOARDING.COM
ng, tail blunt pressiking, log jamming, twea bonking, small chilitd, this board e you nam delivers. ERiC MESsIER
photo: sean sullivan
“TBt, THE ORigINal HYBrId CAmBEr THaT ACTuALLY WORkS !”
SNOW.VANS.COM
BUILT UTILIZING PREMIUM MATERIALS AND ADVANCED FEATURES TO DELIVER CLASSIC STYLE AND MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE
PHOTO: JESSE BROWN ©2012 VANS, INC.
JED N O S R E D N A SALOMONDER / BOSS BINDINGS
www.salomonsnowboard.com
P: Oli Gagnon P: Oli Gagnon
MIKKEL BANG
design unlikely futures / analogclothing.com
Check out Mikkel in
, out now / photos by Dean Blotto Gray
photo: endo tsutomo ri der: yuta kiohara spot: h a k u b a , ja pa n tric k: yuki ita slash
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13.2
photo: endo tsutomo r i d e r : y u ta k o b aya s h i & k y o ta m i ya k e spot: n a g a n o , ja pa n trick: double trouble
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13.2
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Thomaz Autran Garcia thomaz@methodmag.com senior EDITOR: Alexis De Tarade alexis@methodmag.com senior EDITOR: Chris McAlpine chriso@methodmag.com art director: Angel Sanz angel@methodmag.com KANJI CALLIGRAPHY: Jenny Teng jennnyt@gmail.com videographer/ EDITOR: Ryan “Diggles” Scardigli diggles@methodmag.com web programmer: Laurie Barker laurie@methodmag.com EDITORIAL INTERN: Franziska Porst franzi@methodmag.com WEB REPORTER: Klaus Lotto
EDIT -ORIAL
----------------Photo: Liam Gallagher
volume thirteen issue two
Wise words from the blessed patron of brewers and printers. Words to live by. You see, the world is indeed your oyster, if you chose to make it so. But you must also understand that traveling isn’t easy. It’s taxing on the body, mind and soul. It will strip you of control and force you into situations that might be uncomfortable, at times even downright dangerous. It will expose you to both the kindness and cruelty we are all capable of. Yet despite all this, traveling will change your life forever, for the better. It will teach you so very much, it will show you how beautiful our blue planet is, how varied human cultures and habits are and how similar we are despite those differences. All this learning doesn’t come cheap though, but it is precisely the trials and tribulations that make traveling so special. Nothing worthwhile ever came easy, so roll with the punches, keep moving and you’ll be a better human for it. This issue is dedicated to Japan, a faraway land populated by an honorable people whose fascinating culture and delicious food (not to mention ridiculous amounts of powder) should be experienced by every snowboarder on the planet. We love Japan and we hope to return many more times. As Tolkien once said, “not all those who wander are lost”.
13.2
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” - St. Augustine
COVERSTORY on one of our last days in hokkaido, clint allan arranged for us (the yes crew) to visit his cousin who owns a snowcat and could take us to a secret pillow zone that no one ever goes to. we’d been sessioning a section of the zone which was already super sick but when tadashi went for a walk around the corner he found the most badass pillow line we’d seen so far. it looked borderline undoable with the steps being so far apart, but the snow was tits deep and tadashi is a ninja — i’ve gotten used to seeing fuse-san do crazy shit without showing any sign of fear or hesitation. just as the storm took a breather to let some sunshine poke through the clouds, tadash styled a fat ollie off the top pillow and pointed it down the line before disappearing in a cloud of cold smoke. – Phil Tifo camera: nikon d-300 lens: 12mm aperture: f/4.5 speed: 1/1600 iso 200 rider: tadashi fuse trick: crushing pillows spot: hokkaido, japan date: 01/22/2012 @ 13:36
Now go wander! – TAG 18
Senior photographers: Daniel Blom, Oli Gagnon Contributing photographers: Ray Barbee, Ben Birk, Carlos Blanchard, Jeff Curtes, Perico Dominguez, Andoni Epelde, Joel Fraser, Liam Gallagher, Kazuhi Kokitayama, Justin L’Heureux, Alex Mertz, Dasha Nosova, Taro Omagari, Ahriel Povich, Daniel Rönnbäck, Frode Sandbech, Ke Sato, Yves Suter, Phil Tifo, Endo Tsutomo, Lenn Verjans, Kevin Westenbarger, Hiroyuki Yamada, Mike Yoshida, Rip Zinger. Contributing writers: Johannes Brenning, Jesse Burtner, David CarrierPorcheron, Jeff Curtes, Chris de Campo, Joel Fraser, Marko Grilc, Eiki Helgason, Halldor Helgason, Louif Paradis, Ian Thrashmore, Phil Tifo.
Publisher: Method Media Ltd CEO: Chris McAlpine Web Director: Laurie Barker Finance Director: Steve Dowle Advertising: Chris McAlpine chriso@methodmag.com Skype: chrisomcalpine +46 729 338 556 Distribution: Steve Dowle steve@methodmag.com Printers: Cambrian Printers LTD
Distribution: Method Media Ltd Spatial Global Ltd Regency House Spatial House 2 Wood Street Willow Farm B. Park - Queen Square Castle Donington Bath - BA1 2JQ Derby - DE74 2TW United Kingdom United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0)871-218-2268 –––––––––––––––– ---------------------------------------------------------------Copyright 2012 Method Media Ltd. No liability is accepted for the accuracy of the information contained herein, nor are any guarantees given by the magazine. Copyright worldwide of original material is held by Method Media Ltd and permission must be obtained for any use, transmission, storage or reproduction. Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily shared by the publisher. Method Media Ltd assumes no responsibility for the loss or damage of unsolicited material. Thanks for choosing Method Mag. We sure hope you like it!
SCOTT SERFAS PHOTO.
BARRIERS, BROKEN. TRAVIS RICE & UNION. STRONGER. THE ATLAS BINDING. WELCOME TO THE TEAM, TRAVIS!
13.2
UNIONBINDINGCOMPANY.COM FACEBOOK.COM/UNIONBINDINGCOMPANY
HANA BEAMAN
5 things
- - - - - - - - - - - -----Hana has plenty of rad-itude, corked out back fiver in Whistler. p h ot o : j u sti n l’ h eu reu x
5 things you won’t put in your mouth - Razor blades - Assholes - Dog poop - Vagine - Fish hooks 5 things you always have with you on the mountain - Knife - Phone/camera - Avalanche beacon - Tampons - Snacks 5 things you want to do this winter - Double cork - Backflip - Have fun - Big lines - Not have to fix my sled
5 things guys say to you that piss you off - I don’t care - Whatever you wanna do - Girls are crazy - Girls suck at snowboarding - So do you wanna, like, hang or something? 5 things you would do if you had 10 million euros - Throw a huge, week-long party and fly in all my friends from around the world - Heliboarding, all the time - Buy a sailboat and sail it around the world - Get a sweet little cabin and just live - Give my parents an extended holiday 5 reasons why filming for Intervals was amazing - On our own schedule - No contests - Good friends - New experiences - Control 5 things you should never do while filming - Spread yourself too thin - Eat on camera - Cry - Piss off the camera guy - Not try something new - Talk shit
5 things
5 things you think are pointless - Worrying - Road rage - Cooking for 1 - Holding a grudge - Politicians 5 things you wish were easier than snowboarding - Traveling - Skateboarding - Surfing - Love - Computers 5 people you want to thank - Mom - Dad - Robin Van Gyn - Tom Sims - Method Mag Read the full story on: www.methodmag.com
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COMBINING PERFORMANCE WITH ‘OFF THE WALL’ THINKING FOR VANS OUTERWEAR
CHECK OUT TYLER IN LEVITY WWW.WHATWEWANTFILMS.COM
13.2
----------------Bazooka blast up in Helsinki, locked and loaded BS noseslide.
taxonomy
WOJTEK PAW L U S I A K
分類.
The Wojtek Pawlusiak aka Bison Bazookus Gniazdus is a docile creature with a powerful body covered in a thick, dark-blond coat and blue eyes. It is mostly active in the mornings, grazing in the peaceful prairies of Wilkowice, Poland. The WP comes from “a poor family, but we are rich in love”. The herd is very active on the snow and his “dad was a great ski jumper”, having participated in the IBK ‘76 Winter Olympics. His favorite feeding spot during the winter months is, “no doubt about it”, the Ski& Sun resort in Swieradow Zdroj. However, frequent migrations are made to Dachstein to hang with the homies. The WP feeds on “all kinds of meat and salads”, and keeps hydrated mostly with water, as well as aloe, orange juice and Weissen beer. WP sightings are common in snowy streets across the world, “Helsinki is the best but I am going to Quebec this season”. Although its movements are generally ponderous, the WP displays rare moments of intense activity when it spots a down bar with a good run-in. A bit clumsy, the WP gets “injured often, but that’s just because I do sketchy things all the time.” ----------------photo: dash a n osova
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The WP isn’t territorial, “when I come to a new place, I always say hello and I get a hello back”. A gregarious creature that hates being alone, for the WP “the best feeling after traveling alone for a while is when I finally get to see my homeboys”. It is quite social with strangers “but the most important thing is hanging out with true friends”. Not a lecherous beast by nature, the WP is happy that “I have a girlfriend I love very much, and I’m planning my future with her”. He does admit that “it seems like I’m more attractive to girls lately, but I guess that’s just because of the Isenseven ender”. The WP doesn’t like “noisy, blinged out people”, and has few natural predators, “usually I don’t fight but when I have to I do, I know how to do it”. The WP’s aspirations are simple, “I want to see my family happy without any major problems, see my kids and my grandkids grow up, that would be enough from life for me”. Check some impressive compilation of WP sightings in his closer part in “Fool”s Gold”, Isenseven’s latest snowboard nature documentary.
13.2
RIP ZINGER
my cameras
Read the full story on: www.methodmag.com
How did photography first come into your life? Just like any other kid, when your hero visits your city, you go out with mom’s camera and shoot some photos. For me that started with my freestyle BMX hero, Eddie Fiola, and taking his pictures in 1984. I got into skateboarding soon after and started taking photos of my friends, as well as for my high school and stuff. It got serious when I was 19, I got my first SLR and started shooting with pro skaters who came to visit Tokyo from all over the world. Pretty soon I started shooting snowboarding too, my equipment got pretty serious, magazines started buying my shots and the rest is history… What is the most important tool you have as a photographer? I feel the most important thing to be able to express yourself or influence people is having your own personality. For photographers, it means having your own perspective, I believe. I’m not saying I have it, but it’s good to keep that in mind and try to look for it in yourself. So the answer is “find your own angle”.
by this hyper-physical, extremely talented snowboarder called Terje Haakonsen. He’s smart about taking care of his body and he turned my life upside down. Coconut water, fresh smoothies, surf and gardening. Yeah, brah! Over 10 years of yoga experience gave him the highest air world record when he was 34 years old. Eat well and stay strong, be ready for anything and do the best you can. I’m doing a totally different thing on a totally different level from him, but he always inspires me to do my best. Totally relaxed and having fun, that always brings the best results. But even my friend’s little kid inspires me. I get inspired by people who have fun and do what they love. Skaters, musicians, painters, surfers, snowboarders, whoever can’t stay in one place and has to keep moving. I want to make things happen through something I can find within myself. Every day I’m hustling, hustling!!
my cameras
What makes a photo extraordinary? I’m like a baby compared to other snowboard photographers shooting for this magazine, so I wanna keep my mouth semi-shut, but I feel that for me it’s always good to focus on what’s there, not what’s not, especially when it comes to photography and skateboarding. Shitty conditions, but killing it! Let the situation breathe and maximize it. That looseness creates the “gap” into which you can insert your originality, I believe. Who or what inspires you? Inspiration comes from everything, I feel. For example, I’m inspired
----------------photo: r ay barbe e
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Biggest differences between shooting skateboarding and snowboarding? Distance and focus. When I’m snowboarding I ride small things, like skate-sized features. It’s almost like skating vert for me. So when I shoot in the mountains there’s people flying across the sky like motocross or something, I can hardly believe it. The riders always go way bigger than I thought they would, which screws up my composition and focus. Another thing about snowboarding photos, the apex and the perfect moment of the trick are almost never the same. I still want to get one good shot which conveys the sound and reality of the moment, besides the good move by the rider in the air or surfing the snow. Where the peak of pressure and peak of spray coincide. It’s like a challenge, an infinite desire to take good pictures in snowy mountains.
PHOTO: E-STONE
THE
BRISSE DAN BRISSE SIGNATURE MODEL
13.2
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE BRISSE
22
How many siblings? .....................................................................................................................
2
What size is your foot? ................................................................................................................
US 9
How many tries is too many? .................................................................................................
4
What is your house number on your street? .................................................................
30
How many hours of sleep is enough for you? ...............................................................
7
How many countries did you hit last season? ..............................................................
3
Biggest rotation you can spin switch? ...............................................................................
1080
How bones have you broken your in life? .......................................................................
0
How many boards did you break last season? .............................................................
1
How many days did you ride last summer? ...................................................................
1
How long was your last full part? .........................................................................................
3:20 mins
How many tries did it take you to land your closer trick in your last part?
1
How many beers do you need to be set? ...........................................................................
5
How many centimeters is your favorite board? ..........................................................
159
How many days is a full season? ..........................................................................................
100
How many flips is too many? ..................................................................................................
3
How many kilometers can you run? ..................................................................................
20
How much is your rent? .............................................................................................................
600 €
How many times did you vote? .............................................................................................
25
How many calories do you eat a day? ................................................................................
4000
What time does your watch say right now? ...................................................................
23:27
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crunching numbers
How old are you? ............................................................................................................................
M AT S C H A E R ばりばり番号.
----------------Mat Sch”air”, FS9 in Furka Pass. p hoto: a h r i e l p ov i c h
ULTRAFEAR FK
WE DEVOUR EVERYTHING 2012 / 2013 CAPiTA SUPER CORPORATION
A4 Distribution + 39 0342 683494 / info@a4distribution.it
13.2
capitasnowboarding.com
Describe Gentemstick in one sentence. (Taro Tamai) Original shaped boards propounding a snowsurfing lifestyle, or a project to retrieve the soul of snowboarding that got lost in industrial mass-production and put it back in the hands of true snowboarders. You guys have been around a long time, since 1998, how have you evolved as a company from Moss in the late 80’s to Gentemstick today? Nothing has really changed at heart, but the outline and the bottom line has been refined, better core materials have been researched and we continue to pursue aesthetic and functional beauty. How much influence has surfing had on your designs?
A rolling energy travels through the ocean and rises up close to shore, creating a slope. When surfing, one uses that energy to glide down the slope, or wave if you will. The snow brought by the wind covers complex mountain terrain to create a smooth surface. When snowsurfing, one uses gravity to glide down a wave of snow. I have received a lot of inspiration from surfing, but now my surfing is being inspired by snowsurfing. These two elements now seem to be greatly influencing the lives of all boardriders. Whether it be surf or snow, it’s all about how to harmonize with nature. What’s the secret to a great powder turn? Many of the powder shots you see today are the result of making the snow looking like it explodes
Read the full story on: www.methodmag.com
by force-stalling the tail of the board. Relax, don’t fight the terrain and let gravity guide you through the right path. You don’t have a “team” as such but instead call it a family, is this something you see vital to your brand? We don’t see snowboarding as a competitive sport, so we don’t have a “team” striving to win medals or contests. Just a bunch of snowboard freaks that share our passion. Naturally, we treat each other like brothers and sisters, not rivals or competitors. www.gentemstick.com
GENTEMSTICK
rittre rabers
少しラベル.
- - - - - - - - - - - - ----RIGHT: Taro gets all Ted Turner on yo ass! p h ot o : ta ro omaga ri LEFT: The Gentemstick Magic38. p h ot o : h i roy u ki ya ma da
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D a n n y D a v i s | M a s o n | g r a v i s f o o t w e a r. c o m 13.2
STONP
production varues
生産値.
Why is your crew called Stonp and not Stomp? It was a bad idea from Japanese snowboarders… Our English is sketchy. Who are the 7 Samurai that make up the crew? Actually, Stonp is the younger generation that follow the 7 Samurai. The 7 Samurai is the top level, like the OG’s. You have to climb the ladder before you can be one of the 7 Samurai. Does Stonp have an honor code, like Bushido? Not really, just kill it, stay true to yourself, friends, family and snowboarding. What is your crew’s specialty? To Stonp or Die. Ride, laugh, film, travel and have fun. Tell us about Stonp or Die! It’s not easy to talk about it. It just is what it is. STONP or DIE forever. It’s a way of life. Tell us something about the man behind the camera and the equipment he uses? Kiyo Kawasaki is a super cool dude, he’s the best Japanese filmer and editor out there. He works with P2 and Canon gear, shit’s sick. Do you guys say “dropping” like us or do you use an actual Japanese word? IKIMAAAAASU!! It means something like “I’m gonna cum”!
- - - - - - - - - - - - ----TOP: Stonp heads nerding out. MIDLE: Yusaku Horii “stonped” the shit out of this front board. BOTTOM: Triple kamikaze attack in flying V formation.
Tell us a funny story that went down while you guys were filming the movie. So many stories… Check www.stonpme.com, that’s where we put all the funny shit that happens when we film that we can’t put in the movie.
p h ot o s : ka zu h i ko kitaya ma
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Order your free Snowboard catalogue 2012/13 now! 13.2 blue-tomato.com/catalogue
------- - - - - - - - - - photos: ke sato TOP: Neil hanging in the mobile village. BOTTOM: Shinya, nuts deep pow plow.
CAR DANCHI
posse page
Read the full story on: www.methodmag.com
What does the name Car Danchi mean? (Neil Hartmann) The word “danchi” in Japanese means apartments! So basically it means “car apartments”, but it actually has a little more meaning than that. Danchi refers to older apartments that were built by the government or a large company and the rent is usually subsidized. Danchi are generally not a place people would be excited to live in, you know what I mean? In New York they have something called the projects, that might be similar to what danchi means. So it’s kind of like ghetto-style car apartments! Who are the people and the people behind it? Car Danchi started out with about 8 guys in total, mostly the crew I have been riding and shooting with for the last ten years here in Hokkaido: Uemura, Yamauchi, Shinya, Mino, Takamasa, Hayato, Deshi, Ken. In the late 90’s everybody in Japan was still pretty much into riding park and pipe, plus of course street rails. Our crew formed because we liked freeriding and powder, so we started going away from the resorts in search of fresh lines and new jumps with soft landings. We wanted to be close to the mountains, but we couldn’t afford staying in a hotel every night while searching for the perfect spot, so we all just started sleeping in our cars! The key is to have a really good, warm sleeping bag. How long have you guys been living the Car Danchi life? It’s been about 12 years now since we chose to start sleeping in our cars. Personally I’ve had five different cars in that time, so I guess you could say I move a lot! Japan has always had a history of people sleeping and traveling in their cars. They have a word for it — “Shahaku” — which literally translated means, “vehicle sleep”. We just put a new twist on it by traveling with a crew, lining up the cars close together at night and called it Car Danchi!
posse page
What is it about snowboarding in Japan that makes it so special? Obviously the powder is the number one thing. The quantity and quality are truly world-class. The terrain is not the steepest, but there are so many fun features and the snow sticks to everything here. That’s what brings everybody over here at least once, but I think it’s the other aspects of Japan and Japanese culture that keep bringing people back. The people, the food, the hot springs, the monkeys, the foxes, the Seicomart stores, the huge cans of beer, the sushi, the yakitori, the futon beds, the cheap lift tickets, the friendly people, night riding, transportation that runs on time, electronics stores, hot cans of coffee sold nearly everywhere, and some pretty cute chicks. Car Danchi 6 is available on iTunes!
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Jeremy Jones – Swatch Proteam
13.2
actuary
ID’s checked, situation handled, Agent J stepped up to each of the riders, a small gizmo in hand. Before having time to realize what the device pointed directly at their eyes was capable of, brains were zapped and memories effaced. All you could hear as Agent J wiped their “hard drives” was the sizzle of extinguished neurons and the curious high-pitched squeal of the Neuralyzer recharging.
C T U A L LY.
Whatever life-altering, brain-scarring… thing Louif Paradis, Frank April and Alex Cantin saw no one will ever know, because those memories no longer exist. When the guys watch the clips they still can’t believe they were in Sapporo, they are just haunted by a strong sense of Deja-Vu when they see themselves on screen…
生産値.
----- - - - - - - - - - - - phot o: ol i gagnon
D E JA VÚ
The shred bukkake party skidded to a sudden halt when a compact little car pulled up. A yellow Man In Blue cautiously emerged, scrunching around on the fresh flakes in his heavy boots, wanting to hear no explanations, only to check documentation.
- - - - - - - - - - - - ----Louif and Frank have been Neuralyzed, now to wipe Alex’s brain and Agent J can head home for some tempura.
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@ Blom
IOURI PODLADTCHIKOV
13.2
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-- - -- -- - -- - -- - -- ph ot o : jo e l fr a se r
A massive thump that shook the ground for miles around sent the Hakuba locals running for their lives, screaming “Hory shit, it’s Gojira!”. Turns out if was just a fire-breathing Canuckistani named Sean Genovese riding on the back of a Dino-boardtasaurus and stomping the shit out of this Kaiju-sized front one.
hory shit
----------------Geno is a Bronto”soar”us!
SEAN G ENOVESE
神聖ながらくた.
Michi Stanschitz
Lorenz Richard
Gastein / Austria
MICHI STANSCHITZ ROCKING THE BRANDNEW
available in both – Rocker & Camber Shape forgiving & easy to turn – medium flex robust & stable – Shock Absorber & Völkl Premium Carbon Weave / POP1.0 normal & wide edition – the best width for any boot size
THE WHOLE TRUTH ON
VOELKL-SNOWBOARDS.COM
Available in rocker construction and camber construction!
13.2
DA N I E L B L O M
DRIFTING DECADE
fartpage
Tell us a bit about how you chose the title, Drifting Decade, does it have to do with your nomadic lifestyle during that decade? It sure does. I’m not really sure where I got it from but it was the first title I thought of, and I just stuck with it. What prompted you to publish a book, was it more of a personal thing than a commercial endeavor? Yeah, if you wanna make money you should be selling something other than books these days. Unless I can get on Oprah and promote it! When you’ve worked hard for ten years shooting photos, you don’t really wanna make a book on the cheap either, so I ended up adding
(f a r t
really nice paper, glossy UV coating and so on… My margins could be better, to put it another way. All in all, I don’t really care about the commercial aspect, my only goal was to complete the project and get it out there. How long was the process of going through all your material? Was it hard to make your final selection? Was there a balance between lifestyle and action shots you wanted to achieve? It was quite long, I first printed about 1,000 shots on contact sheets that I cut into 3x3 cm images. I laid them out all over the studio and worked my way down to a final selection. I also consulted the designers of the book www.1-2-3info.cc to get an outsider’s point of view and that was very helpful. I wanted to include a bunch of landscape and portrait/lifestyle images as well, since snowboarding isn’t just about the heavy tricks. We went for a mix that includes it all and I believe we found a good balance. Where would you like to see this book end up? I’d love for a snowboard kid to be able to flip through it and get hyped, and for people that might
p a g e)
38
have never seen snow (100 years from now that could be most people) to pick it up and maybe get an understanding of what snowboarding is. How many rolls of film (or memory cards) would you say are in this book? I have no idea, to be honest. A bunch, for sure. How many copies were published and where can people get their own copy of Drifting Decade? The initial print run was 1,000 copies and the book is available on the site for 65€ including shipping: www.driftingdecade.com Last words are yours! Oh damn, I’ve never been much for speeches but… I’d like to mention that some people were asking if this is my farewell to snowboarding, now when I’m shooting a bunch of other stuff, but that is not the case. My love for the snow is just as strong now as it was ten years ago, I just felt like I wanted to take the opportunity and make something less ephemeral than a website, and now was the time to do it. So, if you´re at the ISPO tradeshow this winter, stop by and check the book out for yourself!
Heida
Shot in Akureyri ICELAND
FOR GIRLS WHO RIDE WWW.NIKITACLOTHING.COM
Gabby 13.2
“This shot of my brother Joe was at the Annual Burton NZ heli shoot in August, 1998. It was funny how this shot worked out. It was a strange day, the heli broke down on the first day, there was no snow, and not much to do. So we decided to build a quarterpipe and sessioned the shit out of it! Joe and Jim Rippey were killing it. Real classic stuff. This shot of Joe is still one of my favorite fisheye shots to date. Classic reach in and awesome angle, everything was just perfect and allowed me to get in really close. Joe always nailed frontside inverts and this time was no exception.” – Jeff Curtes
フラッシュバック
1980
1981
1982
frashback
Joe Curtes making like a palm tree, FS handplant. ----------------photo: je ff cu rtes
1983
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13.2
Tell us something you did that you should get sent to the slammer for? I just got a driving on a suspended license... 2nd degree. What would your jail nickname be? Hopefully not bitch or cutie pie. If you drop the soap in the shower, would you pick it up? Guess I’ll be dirty till the next shower. No.
JA E G E R BAILEY
If you were allowed to bring one thing to jail, what would it be? iPhone, shit is key. Would you try to escape or wait for your sentence to be up?
Introduce yourself to your cell mate. What up, G? My name is Jaeger Bailey, you can say it like the alcohol or like the singer. It works just fine either way, whatever you prefer. I’m reppin’ that Washington stee, out of the great city of Chewelah (pop. 2,600), as well as Mammoth. Cellmate asks, “Gimme one good reason why I shouldn’t shank you right now?” Better off getting shanked now than impaled tonight! Ha. But no, really, I’m chill, I’ll watch your back, homeboy. What mob do you roll with? This depends on what time of the year it is, and where I’m posted up. For the most part my crew consists of Garrett Warnick (#hideyourdaughterhesaG), Mitch “HardBody” Richmond, and myself. Us three kill it as a crew, we work hard for what we want and always with a good mentality. Dudes are G’s. Besides that I’ll be kickin’ it with the Think Thank guys this season, and always shredding with different homies wherever I’m at! What would you do if you were surrounded by a crazy gang like the MS-13? First I’d try the old silent keep-to-myself treatment, but if they continued to give me shit I guess I’d try to join them. Think I’d be more stoked in a gang than dead on a prison floor.
- - - - - - - - - - - - ----Copping some coping at Superpark. p h ot o s : kev i n w este n ba rg e r ( p or t r ai t) & mi ke yo s h i da ( action )
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I’ve seen enough prison escape movies to know you just have to move the ceiling tile and crawl out the air vents. Duh. What is the first thing you are going to ride when you get out of jail? Anything. YOLO, right? If being rad at snowboarding was a crime who wound be sentenced to death? Too many felons to count, death row is stacked with names like Scott Stevens, Chris Larson, Hobush, Dylan Alito, Worm & Body, RP, the Helgasons and many more… Who will pick you up on the day you make parole? Anthony Manfred, my TM and Hardbody.
13.2
Introduce yourself to your cell mate? My name is Erik Leon. I have been snowboarding for about 8 years now, pretty addicted to it -it’s probably why I am here. Cell mate asks, “gimme one good reason why I shouldn’t shank you?” Because I am a California native and I know my way around all mountain hoods. What mob do you roll with? All the homies at Bear Mountain! For real! Jupiter People. Cats of Anarchy. The Markass homies, Gremlinz GBP, Sababa, HellsAnglers, Boreal park crew, bHhappy friends. Air-blasterz. Homies I’ve been fishing with. Everyone who likes snowboarding. What would you do if you were surroun-ded by a crazy gang like the MS-13? I would probably square up and form a posse real quick.
ERIK LEON
Tell us something you did that you should get sent to the slammer for? If having too much fun on a snowboard was a crime I would be sentenced for life, because it’s so much fun, for real. What would your jail nickname be? Jahlion. If you drop the soap in the shower, would you pick it up? Hell no. If you were allowed to bring one thing to jail, what would it be? A skateboard. Would you try to escape or wait for your sentence to be up? I would escape to some mountains far, far away. What is the first thing you are going to ride when you get out of jail? Boreal or Bear Mtn.
----------------Blasting a back one in Boreal. phot os : b e n b i r k
If being rad at snowboarding was a crime who wound be sentenced to death? Curtis Woodman, Ben Lynch, Brandon Cocard, Pat Bridges, Ian Sams, Mathias Nordby, Jessi Blackwell, Scotty Vine, Jake Devine, Nicolas Müller, Chris Bradshaw, Forest Bailey, Justin Bennee, Brandon Hammid, Craig Kelly, so many more I could list...
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Who will pick you up on the day you make parole? Hopefully Brad Farmer and Matt Patti at Arbor! Or Cale Meyer at Airblaster. Or maybe Kara and Ray at Flux Bindings, or even Maria from EMA. I would hope they would come get me!!
BODE MERRILL SITKA JACKET BALLISTIC PANTS
www.bonfiresnowboarding.com
photo: oli gagnon
13.2
Introduce yourself to your cell mate. What up! I’m Kike Carcelen, from Barcelona. Somebody said I was good at snowboarding and that’s why I’m here... Fuck, only 21 and already a prisoner! Dude, I love music and skateboarding, do you think I can get a guitar here? Or maybe a skateboard to do some flatground? Why are you here? Cell mate asks, “gimme one good reason why I shouldn’t shank you?” There’s not that many Spanish snowboarders, you can’t kill me cuz we’ll go into extinction… What mob do you roll with? I ride with a lot of people, I don’t have a main crew but I guess I should name some dudes from Spain, like Iker Fernandez, Marc Salas, Harry Carbonell...
- ---------------Baqueira back seven from heaven. ph otos : p e r i co d om í n g u e z (p or t r a i t ) & a n d on i e p e l d e (ac t i on )
KIKE CARCELÉN What would you do if you were surrounded by a crazy gang like the MS-13? I would join ‘em, haha. Tell us something you did that you should get sent to the slammer for? Sure, I break some laws from time to time… but who doesn’t? What would your jail nickname be? Metraka, Key, Kilo, youngK... there are a couple they could use. If you drop the soap in the shower, would you pick it up?
I don’t think so, haha. If you were allowed to bring one thing to jail, what would it be? An iPod full of music and a charger. Would you try to escape or wait for your sentence to be up? I’d try to escape, but only if I found a safe way to do it! What is the first thing you are going to ride when you get out of jail? I’m gonna ride a poppy backcountry kicker.
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If being rad at snowboarding was a crime who wound be sentenced to death? Hahaha… Mark Sollors or Mikkel Bang wound be sentenced to die, definitely! Who will pick you up on the day you make parole? I hope someone from Burton Snowboards or Analog Clothing or Oakley or Monster Energy Drink, but you never know... haha.
H O W L S U P P LY . C O M
N ICK DI R KS JAKE KUZYK GUS ENGLE NIMA JALALI DAN NY LAR SE N JED ANDERSON
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J O E S E X TO N J O N A S M I C H I LOT JAKE OLSE N-E LM D A R R E L L M AT H E S DESIREE MELANCON L A U R E N T- N I C O L A S P A Q U I N
Introduce yourself to your cell mate. I’m Max de Vries, from Ede in the Netherlands. I wanted to snowboard at my local snow dome but you had to be 8 so I started skiing at 6. Kept bugging my mom about it and got to go snowboarding for the first time at 8, been doing it since. Cell mate asks, “gimme one good reason why I shouldn’t shank you”? I’m really nice and will make very pretty kids someday. What mob do you roll with? Wessel (van Lierop), Luc (Büthker), Kees (Perry), Gerben (Verweij), Cees (Wille), Kas (Lemmens) and Joey (van Essen).
If being rad at snowboarding was a crime who would be sentenced to death? Cees, Gerben, Kas, Mike Ravelson. Who will pick you up on the day make parole? My parents, Forum (but they no longer exist), LA River, Skullcandy, Montana (they give me a free pass) and Vans.
----------------Pre-pubescent press, half-cab 5-0 at the Rock A Rail. photos: l e n n ve r jan s
MAX DE VRIES What would you do if you were surrounded by a crazy gang like the MS-13? I would tell them who I am, that it’s none of their fucking business why I’m there and walk away. Tell us something you did that you should get sent to the slammer for? Nothing, man, I’m a pretty sweet kid, you know. But once I did hit a kid at my old school for calling me names. What would your jail nickname be? Max Miller, yo! If you drop the soap in the shower, would you pick it up? No. If you were allowed to bring one thing to jail, what would it be? My snowboard, as a weapon. Would you try to escape or wait for your sentence to be up? I would sleep the whole time and just chill, I wouldn’t try to escape cause if I get caught I can’t snowboard. What is the first thing you are going to ride when you get out of jail? Montana, it’s my local snow dome, man!
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Media Offline SC3
13.2
start h ere
M E T H O D O L O G Y 方法論 50
------- - - - - - - - - - p h ot os: ol i gagn on
LOUIF
PA R A D I S
done
This is not an easy trick to teach because this spot is kind of unique. We found it in Sapporo, Japan, while I was out there filming for my Real Snow part last year. It’s pretty much one of those “get there and figure out how to ride it” spots, but I’ll take you through some of the steps I was probably considering unconsciously. Make sure you know how to frontside 50-50 and boardslide before you try something like this. Set up your run-in so you have enough speed and your landing so you have enough cushion, that way you can lower some of the consequences if you fall. Ride into the first rail with enough speed to transfer to the second rail. Ollie onto the 50-50 knowing that you’re not 13.2
staying on forever. You kinda have to keep some momentum to get out of that first rail so don’t give everything you got on the 50-50. When it comes time for the transfer, give it a little ollie, whatever you feel like you need to make it to the other rail. Then, with the second rail being so angled, you kinda have to try and lock the boardslide on the inside of the rail if you want to make it to the end. Otherwise you’d slip out. Once you are on the rail, try to slide the whole thing and ride away. But actually this is a feature with a lot of consequences, I was scared trying it. So the biggest part of this trick is really commitment to try it. Make sure you have the skills to do something like this before you try it and even if you do, know that you might get hurt, haha... - Louif
I think of Jamie a bit like a little brother. We first met in 2002 when I was about 22. He was practically a foetus back then, but already throwing back 9’s and nollie front flips. I remember that his lid used to skim the plastic slope on the way round, but he was already landing everything, even then! One of the main things that I like about Jamie is that there is no front. None whatsoever: What you see is what you get and he is no egotist. I think a lifetime under the Yorkshire piss take regime saw to that; his feet have stayed firmly on the ground. He often plays dumb, but don’t be fooled: he isn’t as daft as he makes out. That said, he often engages his mouth before his brain and he clearly lacks the “filter” – that part of your brain which decides whether a topic is unsuitable or not for a given social situation. This often has hilarious consequences. Jamie is into skateboarding, clean living, rock climbing, salad and stuff like that, not fast women and getting smashed. He takes shredding as a career pretty seriously. Whilst he had some great support over the years; Wayne from A.K.A. in Halifax, Fuller from Salomon and later John Weaver at Nike, he has always made the most of the opportunities that have come his way, so in that sense he is a self-made man. I like to go riding with Jamie for three reasons: 1) He always pushes the session and is down to shred on anything, 2) it’s a workout - he does laps really quickly and doesn’t stop for cig breaks, and 3) he always says hilarious things. Sometimes intentionally.
JA M I E NICHOLLS
R
A
D
A
R レーダー ----------------photo: frode san dbec h
factoids about jamie nicholls • jamie used to think the “69” sexual position was called a “47” and demonstrated this with the statement; “i’ve done it all! 47’s and everything!” • jamie was then given the bib number 47 at london freeze 2011 and was convinced i had set him up. • jamie owns lederhosen and a goat in austria, but he doesn’t know where the goat is. that’s irresponsible, jamie. • jamie is not a fan of the 10% rule. • jamie has a mini ramp in his backyard and it has the best view ever. • if jamie sees a queue form, he is incapable of not snaking it. • jamie cannot order a full english breakfast. he panics and ends up ordering either beans-on-toast or some kind of athlete’s option. • jamie hopes to be able to order what he actually wants by the age of 21. • when confused, jamie’s face does a pretty perfect impression of the spinning wheel of death on mac osx. • jamie is not to be trusted as a mountain bike racecourse marshal.
- Ian Thrashmore
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Read the full story on: www.methodmag.com
----------------Poke and mirrors tail snatcher.
13.2
- - - - - - - - - - - - ----Cool as a cucumber, back nose pretzel out in Umeå.
BRANDON HOBUSH - - - - - - - - - - - - ----p h ot o : dan i e l rö n n bäc k
Yo, Bush, what you got homie? Yo, Method. My name’s Brandon Hobush a.k.a. Bush, I’m 23 years old and I live in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Yeah, it definitely helps out. The only thing that feels weird is when I go back to snowboarding after skateboarding my stance feels crazy wide.
Ho or good girl? Good girl.
So you’re a convicted criminal? Haha! Some friends and I got caught smoking weed in Snowbird by the cops, so we ran into the woods and hid there for about ten minutes, but right when we stepped onto the actual hiking trail there were 4 cops with taser guns pointed at us. We ended up going to jail for the night. I got put on probation for a year and after 9 months I missed a drug test and got sent to jail for 10 days. That sucked!!!
Bush or shaved? Depends on the occasion, haha. Bear Mountain or Park City? Both. We hear you’re a pretty rad skateboarder, does it help your snowboarding?
54
to the bathroom, but the flight attendant stopped me and sent me back to my seat. I even told her I felt really sick but got no sympathy. I sat down for about 30 seconds and then started throwing up everywhere. I was so delirious I forgot about the barf bags, so I was just sitting there sending it all over my pants and all over the person and the seat in front of me, haha. Luckily a nice lady sitting a couple seats away from me hurried and handed me a barf bag for the last of the puke, but the damage had already been done. Screw eating plane food though, I for sure got food poisoning.
RORSCHACH ロールシャッハ Why do you eat so much pizza? Is this your secret to shredding so well? Because it’s the best thing in the world!! It could very well be my secret, but If I told you I’d have to kill you. You were raised in SLC with strict Mormon parents, when did you break away from that? The day I turned 18. You party surprisingly well for being a Utahn, do you think practice makes perfect? People from Utah like to party and we’ve all had plenty of practice, but it’s a always a work in progress. We’re getting better and better at it though! What’s your favorite dance party song? Be honest! I have a couple of favorites. “I Fink U Freeky” by Die Antwoord, and “Bandz A Make Her Dance” by Juicy J.
Why do you look and sound so retarded in interviews? Hahaha, I don’t know, I get pretty nervous before I have to answer questions right on the spot, and in front of a camera. Why is your hair longer than your girlfriend’s? Is it a competition? She hates my long hair and that’s a damn good reason to keep it long! It’s definitely turned into a competition after I read this question. Ha. When you were in Sweden 2 years ago for the FL Rail Jam you got constipated as fuck and had to start drinking coffee to
make yourself shit. Please explain. My stomach was all messed up, I don’t know exactly why. Probably because all I was eating was pizza. The best pizza I’ve ever had was in Umea. But yeah, I ended up having to drink a cup of coffee and smoke lots of cigs every morning to loosen my shit up inside. And on the flight over you threw up everywhere, how stoked was everyone about that? Dylan Alito woke me up because we were 10 minutes from landing in Stockholm and I had a crazy stomach ache. Even though the seatbelt light was on I still tried to go
13.2
What’s up with you always tying and fixing your boots? When I start getting frustrated either at a spot or at a resort, I like to retie my boots. It helps me to calm down and think about shit while I’m fixing them. Once I’ve tied them I feel like the session has started over and I’m ready to shred again. Would you consider yourself a high school dropout? You ditched plenty of classes to go shred, is that what it takes to become a pro these days? Yeah, I dropped out. I wish I wouldn’t have. Ha. Kids, go to school! What projects have you got in the pipeline for winter this year? I’m going to do the Spot Check tour with ThirtyTwo and film a video part again, just working shit out now.
ロールシャッハ
RORSCHACH Who is Erik Karlsson in 5 words? Rich, badass, ladies man, Bugatti owner and FLY... Oops, that was my wish list, guess I’m the opposite. Do you prefer to be called Kire or Erik? I don’t care too much about that, I don’t call myself Kire but it’s cool if someone else does. This is the Japan issue, would your name be Erik Karl-san if you were Japanese? Yeah, for sure! Or else it could be Kim Il-Kire. What’s the most Random thing about the Bastards? That there are a lot of people connected to our crew, so I can meet a Random Bastard who really is a random bastard. What’s the worst case of Blue Balls you’ve ever gotten? I don’t really know, but spending the whole summer in Folgefonna 4 years in a row is a good guess. There’s basically nobody there and we almost never get the time off to go out drinking or spend time at the beach anyway. How come you always say you can’t do tricks that you end up stomping first try, are you trying to psych yourself out or something? Shit, you heard about that, huh? But that’s a lie that the other guys use to hype me up! Sometimes I’m lucky and land first try, but it doesn’t happen a lot. You seem to have anger management issues sometimes, what’s up with that? Does it help you get focused? You think I have anger management issues? Have you seen Dylan Alito? But yes, I do get really angry when I fall over and over again, hit my head and shit. Then it’s good to “let it all out”, you know. A little bird told us you shit your pants on the way to Sälen the other day, tell us a bit about that lovely experience. Hahahaha!! No, it’s not true, it was just Ludde’s (Ludwig) excuse for our late arrival in Sälen. We were going to snowboard there during the day but it was already dark when we arrived. So Ludde put the blame on me and told them that I shit my pants. Don’t trust anything that guy tells you.
ERIK
KARLSSON
You’re a pretty big fella, do you have to hit bigger features than other riders to make that shit look legit? Yes!! It’s really true!! Viktor and Kuske both told me “this spot is really cool but you can’t ride it, it will look silly”. And the fact that Kalle calls me a tank doesn’t exactly boost my self esteem... So what’s up with your new haircut? Does it help with the ladies? Haha, I sure hope so, but not yet. What would the soundtrack to your life be? Some gangster shit to go with my gangster image! “Shoot ‘Em Up” by NaS maybe? Everyone from Northern Sweden is an alcoholic, do you also make your own homemade booze? I don’t make any but I’ll drink it. That’s the only escape from the darkness during the fall up here. How much reindeer milk can you drink through your nose before you puke? 2.5 gallons! Do you think it’s strange that Sweden has a National Chlamydia Day? No, it’s a good day that we celebrate with family and friends. How much experience does it take to be considered a “slutspurt”? What’s the longest “fullfart” you’ve done? Hmm, it’s a mystery how to be a good “slutspurt”, but laying down some good groundwork helps, Jocke taught me that. My longest “fullfart” is 100m but I’m going for 400m this year! If you could order anything from room service, what would it be? I have never experienced this “room service”, but I really want a polar bear! Is it possible? You had the opener this year, the ender the year before, what’s next? I don’t know, but I hope it’s good and that I can keep myself from getting injured, like I always do. Hopefully travel outside of Sweden, maybe ride a contest and film a new, better video part together with my friends, that would be sick!
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----------------Blue balls to wall, back board to wall smash transfer. p hoto: da n i e l r ön n b äc k
13.2
- - - - - - - - - - - -----Eiki lobster tail bone-age in the deep white sea.
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- - - - - - - ---------Short bus.
DUMP ON MY TITS ----------------photos: carlos blanc hard
Japaaaaaan! This trip was insane. It was my second time there, but the first time I actually rode, and god DAMN that powder was epic. We were in Niseko for a week and it pretty much never stopped snowing, so we ended up not getting as much stuff done as we wanted, but it was all good because we were just cruising around in powder like there was no tomorrow. Can’t complain about that.
----------------TOP: Coach Thunder goes incognito. BOTTOM: Hot rice is nice.
We did some night shredding and shot a cool zone, but didn’t do any extreme stuff – just jibbing around in the powder, pretty much. Then we met a whole bunch of cool Kiwis who showed us a sick spot and left us a jump (thanks a lot for that, boys!). Too bad when we got there the weather was really bad, we waited for like five hours just window shopping, waiting for sucker holes. We all ended up getting about four hits each, the jump actually turned out to be a lot smaller than we expected due to the massive amount of snow that fell, but it was still fun. We did one street spot as well – a super random rail to wallride to revert landing. Chris de Campo and Eiki got bangers on that one. ( cont. ––––> ) 13.2
HOT BALLS: DUMP ON MY TITS The whole crew we had in Japan was awesome – everyone super mellow with the same nasty kind of humor. Johannes (our filmer) was there so it wasn’t really possible to be in a bad mood, and Diggles (Method filmer) felt like a part of the group because everyone on the trip had a foreskin.
----------------Chris de Campo, all zen n’ shit.
Overall, Japan was a lot of fun and the vibe there is so awesome – everyone respects everyone. Thanks a lot to the Method crew, Shinji, Chris de Campo and Grilo, and everyone else that was there. I would still take filming street over filming powder any day, but just riding powder is one of the most fun things you can do, and Japan is the best place to do it. Kampai! PEACE. – Halldor Helgason
----------------It snowed a lot while we were there, Halldor and Thunder.
- - - - - - - - - - - - ----Halldor, gnarly press with serious consequences as his bro looks on in awe.
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- - - - - - - - - -------Halldor jerks one out all alone in the trees.
----------------Halldor’s bindings.
13.2
----------------Eiki playing pinball in tight places, BS 50-50 to FS3 wall smash redirect.
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HOT BALLS: DUMP ON MY TITS
----------------UP: Halldor, blind ass backside transfer. DOWN: De Campo also left his mark.
Our trip to Japan was insane. I could only ride pow for three days before leaving for the Toyota Big Air, but I wish I’d stayed for a whole month. We were the sickest, most mellow crew ever; I don’t know why, but everybody was just having a blast. And I have to say, snowboarding in Japan really impressed me. It was the first time I got to shred pow there and I thought the terrain was insane. There is so much stuff to do right off the side of the highway. I was bummed I missed the zone that the guys hit the day before I arrived, though. It looked like so much fun. In the end, I think the thing that stoked me out the most was that when I arrived in Niseko, straight off the plane and then the bus, we dumped our shit and went night riding, and it was blower pow. We did runs in the dark where the pow was just so blower. Fucking amazing. I love that place. I love Japan! – Marko Grilc
13.2
HOT BALLS: DUMP ON MY TITS
----------------Eiki likes to hang out in amusement parks.
Japan was a super sick trip. Before going there we had all seen footage and pictures of the powder, and it always looks so crazy. I was thinking we were super lucky because we got it as good as it always looks, but then you realize that those giant mushrooms on the signs and trees are always there, no matter what. We had a super sick day in a closed amusement park, and that day I filmed the sickest shot of Eiki that we’ve ever gotten together. It’s a true banger. – Coach Thunder aka Johannes Brenning
- - - - - - - - - - - - ----DOWN: Wreckfast...
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----------------Grilo pow chow during the day...
- - - - - - - - - -------‌followed by a late night flight.
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- - - - - - - - - - - - ----Eiki lassoes a powder rodeo.
----------------Hot bowls or hot balls...?
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HOT BALLS The Japan trip was sick. It was my third time there, but the first time I rode pow. We didn’t get a lot of sun, but we had a lot of pow because it didn’t stop snowing the whole time we were there, and we just went out and rode it for fun. We stayed up in Niseko and the hotel was sweet – we had a natural hot spring (they’re called “onsen” in Japan) that was so perfect after riding. In Niseko, they have night riding every night; it’s so sick to shred the pow at nighttime. There was a Kiwi crew that built a jump and couldn’t hit it because it just wouldn’t stop snowing so they had to leave. They told us that we could just go up there and hit it. That doesn’t ever happen in the backcountry, so that was amazing – thanks guys! We filmed both urban and pow, so it was a fun trip; everyone got good shots and I really liked the food too. We went to some sick sushi places, but I have to say that in the end, I really wanted some pizza and burgers. Haha. Japanese people are awesome, though – they were so hyped on everything. – Eiki Helgason
----- - - - - - - - - - - - Halldor, sidecountry method to the face.
13.2
HOT BALLS: DUMP ON MY TITS The Japan trip was a pretty surreal experience for me. I was chilling in Whistler, half-packing my bag for Lake Tahoe and half-lurking on Facebook when Chriso hit me up on chat telling me my “plans might be about to change real quick.” A day later, I was in Japan with the Helgasons and Marko Grilc, as well as an assortment of editors, photogs and filmers making up our 12-deep entourage. Luckily, I had remembered on the plane to change the photo of Halldor on my laptop’s desktop to avoid a potentially embarrassing moment. I was pretty star-struck around those guys for most of the trip, but they were all super friendly and funny dudes. It was also cool to see that the fame and money hadn’t affected them; they just seemed really stoked on snowboarding and having fun.
----------------UP: Making friends. DOWN: TAG powder nap.
For the last three days, we went to Sapporo to watch the boys ride the Toyota Big Air. Sitting for 8 hours through that seizureinducing laser show/stuffed-toy musical was a real struggle in my hungover state. But after a cheeky spew in the rider’s lounge, I was feeling better and got to witness some insane tricks go down in front of 30,000 frenzied Japanese fans. At the after party, I couldn’t help but feel like the kid from Almost Famous, getting loose with a bunch of my idols. There is no doubt they live a pretty rockstar lifestyle. After a recovery day in the city and a group blind date dinner set up by our Japanese tour guide Shinji, I was on the plane and shortly back in my bed in Canada, wondering if the last nine days had actually just happened.
終
the end
– Chris de Campo
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Big thanks to Shinji Hirose at IXSM Travel, he was instrumental in liaising with hotels and the resort for our stay. Without his help our trip would have sucked, so if you’re planning a trip to Japan check out www.ixsmtravel.com for the ultimate experience. Also many thanks to Niseko Promotion Board for hosting our stay. For further info go to www.nisekotourism.com/en
----------------Grilo “duff-duff” in the bush .
13.2
* Y E S (hai!) I N JA PA N
- - - - - - - - - - - -----w o r ds : p h i l ti f o & dc p / p h otos: ph i l ti fo c a l l i g r a p hy: je n ny te ng (& aki ra tor iyam a)
There had been a lot of snow at home in Whistler, but we were also facing one of the gnarliest avalanche cycles in recent memory. I got a call from DCP the morning after our last sledding day to talk about our options – we had been hearing of copious amounts of snow in Japan, where the terrain is more protected and less avy-prone. And just like that, it was on. Clint Allan had just left Australia and was heading to Niseko on the northern island of Hokkaido; Benji Ritchie was keen on joining us too, and Tadashi was happy to host YES in his home country. With a solid crew sorted, tickets were booked immediately, and less than 48 hours later we were flying over the west coast of Vancouver Island, looking at huge swells belting the shore and daydreaming of the deep powder days ahead.
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----------------DCP, 420 bunny hop.
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* Y E S (hai!) I N JA PA N Tadashi, who is already in Japan, greets us at our modest hotel and tells us: “YES, the snow is all time!” The resort is still open at night, so we don’t waste a minute pulling on our gear, jumping on a chairlift and washing off the long trip with some cold nighttime Japanese face shots. We’re super stoked and feel like we’ve scored already. DCP – with the help of The North Face, who supported a big part of our trip – has arranged to work with the Niseko Powder Guides for the first three days of our stay. These guys know every corner of the region. If you want to score, go with them. Our guides Mako and Tomoko have arranged for us to go touring nearby and warm up the legs after the long travels. After a good night of sleep and with snowshoes on our feet, we get our first feel for the place and the snow: light and deep!
----------------Clint Allan threading a method thru the trees.
- - - - - - - - --------Tadashi, Kamehameha blast!
----------------Tadash, “Hory shit!”.
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----------------DCP heelside, local knowledge sprays off.
We spend the first two days shredding lines (well, them – not me) and being stoked to freeride steeps in Japan. In general, DCP gets gnarly, Clint flows some super fun looking lines, Benji goes fast (and later finds a sick gap to spin over) and Tadashi airs some spines. Tadashi then tells us about some spots that are accessible right off the highway to Niseko, which have some fun short runs and jumps. Sure as shit, mere steps from the road, we find accessible runs and a natural jump that Benji destroys. DCP busts out the new YES 420 board – a short pow stick that feels like nothing less than epic fun – and hikes the run like 10 times.
13.2
----------------DCP method, is it 420 yet?
With a few days left on our trip, Clint calls his cousin, who runs a little cat skiing business, and asks if we can go hit a pillow zone he’d been to years before. “A’ight mates, shit’s good to go!” says Clint, and the next morning we meet up at the tiny yellow snowcat. With two Aussies in the front seat it suddenly feels like we’ve switched countries, but nope – pretty soon we’re dropped off next to a big-ass Japanese pillow stack. It’s puking out at first and the snow is super deep. Everyone finds something huge to jump off, and once the pillows are done, all there’s left to do is a bunch of laps just for the pure fun of snowboarding. We spend a few more hours hitting one last zone next to the highway on the way back to Niseko before heading back to the city for the usual last-night rager. Japan is so sick – YES, we’ll be back next year! – Tifo ----------------DCP, chi-power balance.
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* Y E S (hai!) I N JA PA N
- ---------------Tadashi putting some base in your face, FS3.
----------------You down with D-C-P, yea, you know me.
13.2
* Y E S (hai!) I N JA PA N
----------------Kapow! Benji floats a frontside.
This year, YES it’s a Movie Too is based on friendship and fun, so we wanted a bit more time spent at home, focusing on exploring new zones, building jumps and picking lines we haven’t ridden before. We also included some travel pieces to Chile, Alaska, Japan and Washington. We made sure to keep the new flick fun and funny; it shows the 2012 season as it happened for us, with a little bit of humor added in. We invited Clint Allan to join us on the trip to Japan – it was really fun to see him charge the pillows and butter the pow. Clint is a pow surfer for sure. Tadashi and Benji were also there and rode some deep-ass pow pow. It was amazing. We rode our new board, the 420 – a 146cm long, 29cm-wide board designed for deep pow. It was definitely the funnest trip of the season – it’s always so deep and fluffy, I love Japan!
say o nara!
– DCP
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- - - - - - ----------Nerding out by the heater.
----------------Drop bears made it to Japan! Clint Allan half-cab sender.
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EXTRA RAMEN, EXTRA SPICY!! - - - - - - - - - - - - ----t e x t : j oe l f ra s e r p h ot o s : jo e l f ra s e r & e n d o t s utomo
I LOVE JAPAN. I mean, I really love it – the people, food, onsen, the shredding, ass-showering toilets, the language – all of it. Over the past seven years, I’ve been ten times - I don’t really need an excuse to visit. Thus, when faced with the opportunity to finally experience the fabled snow bowls (which I have lusted over and dreamed about for years), I am tickled beyond belief. Not to mention the fact that I have pool/ bowl skating hentai. First, I recommend you read Pat Bridges’ Holy Bowly article in the August issue of Snowboarder Mag. He breaks down the history of the mystical snow bowls, something I choose not to do - both in the interest of space, and because Pat’s article killed it. Read it. Long story short: you have the Gentem Stick crew (Taro Tamai & Tomoki Takaku, along with team rider Bubbles) to thank for this phenomenon. They took the bowl torch and ran with it, starting in 2005.
DELICIOUS...
----------------TOP: Scott Blum finesses a fingertip FS air. p h : joe l frase r RIGHT: Kampai! p h : e n do tsutom o
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----------------LEFT: Pat Moore loves boobies! p h: e n d o t s ut om o TOP: Zizo loves Hasselblads! p h: joe l f r a s e r .
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- - - - - - - - - - - - ----Yusaku Horii is a style ninja, Grasser. p h : j oe l f ra s e r
HOTTTT!!!
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- - - - - - - - - -------RIGHT: Forest gettin’ weird, Method. p h : j oe l f ra s e r
H O LY B O W LY. EXTRA RAMEN, EXTRA S P I C Y.
-- - -- -- - -- - -- - -- ph : e n d o t s u t omo
Krush Kulesza (NW shred event wizard) has been feeling the pull of the Nippon trannies for some time as well, and together with Pat/ Snowboarder a plan was hatched to birth the Holy Bowly, an EastWest collaboration of shred. They joined forces with Bubbles and the Gentem crew (with the help of Kenji Kato), and voila, the Holy Bowly was born.
When I arrived in April, we were hearing rumors of potential cancellation, due to some drama between the resort owners and the organizers. Luckily, a last minute solution arose, and the event was on. In a true collaborative effort, all riders and crew helped create the bowl. Cats were used to push up large mounds, but the majority of the shaping was done by hand. Everyone pitched in and put in some elbow grease, a nice contrast to most events, where shreds just turn up to ride. Gambare yo! Earn those turns. An impressive contingent of gaijins showed up for the event, creating a truly international “brotherhood of the shred” vibe. Included were the likes of Jamie Lynn, Wes Makepeace, Forest Bailey, Scott Blum, Sean Genovese, Seth Huot, Jesse Burtner, Jess Kimura, Kyle Lopiccolo, Pat Moore, Austin Hironaka, and others - alongside Nihonjin heavy hitters such as Teddy Koo, Kohei Kudo and Yusaku Horii, not to mention the many, many Japanese rippers and soul surfers that you have likely never heard of.
----------------The Eye salt shaker. p h: joe l f r a s e r
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H O LY B O W LY. EXTRA RAMEN, EXTRA S P I C Y. Jamie set the event off with a classic method and it was on. High-speed FS carves through the corner, double and multi-rider lines, full beer-in-hand corner carves, corner pocket tit blasters, alley oops and so on. Some chose to blast it like a multi-hit pipe, others shralped it strictly like a skate bowl. All styles were welcome and, in true Japanese fashion, lots of handmade and innovative shapes were on hand.
----------------TOP: Geno front D on the rim of the bowl. BOTTOM: Mugi high-speed carve. ph: joe l frase r
dinner is over
Posi vibes were the norm & new friends were made. The stoke level was at an all-time high. This isn’t a contest, or even a jam session, remember – it’s shredding amazing transitions in its purest form. No pressure, no stress. Those two days of epic times went by too fast, I’m still dreaming about riding it. Easily one of, if not THE, raddest shred events I have ever attended, no question. Put a pilgrimage to Japan in the springtime to ride the holy bowls on your bucket list, you will be better because of it.
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----------------TOP: Think Thank in full effect. ph: joe l fr ase r
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----------------TOP: Krush Kulesza, Jamie Lynn & Scott Blum. BOTTOM: Immortal style, you can’t touch a Jamie Lynn method. p h: e n d o t s ut om o
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T S AA DN A S H I
--------- - - - - - - - i n t ro : dc p p h ot o s: ph i l ti fo
I’ve always been a huge fan of Tadashi’s riding and style, he’s got it so dialed. He rolls up to Whistler the day before opening every season and rides every single day. He goes fast, shreds mad pow and loves snowboarding. You can tell when you watch him or ride with him that he shreds from the heart. It’s actually contagious, in a universal way. Although most people think Tadashi only speaks Japanese, but give him a couple beers and he’s fluent in English. Tadashi is a humble guy who lets his actions speak for themselves when he rides or skates. But when you go to Japan, he’s beyond the man, everyone respects him, he knows all the best places to go and he’s always one phone call away from knowing where the best snow is. When I’m there with him I just roll with it, no questions asked. Tadashi’s personality, fluidity and strength mixed with how big he goes and how solid he is makes him my personal favorite YES rider. – DCP
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----------------Deep in the no-wifi zone.
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“My home is in Yamagata, Japan and I mostly ride Canada during the winter. I hang out with my family during the summer but I hardly see them in the winter because I’m constantly on the road” “my older brother yasushi started skating when i was about 15. that’s when i got into skating and decided i wanted to turn pro. then maybe 2 years later an older friend of mine called masahiro showed me my first snowboard movie: roadkill. right then and there i decided i wanted to be a pro snowboarder instead.”
“I’d already been thinking about stepping outside the box and leaving Japan when I met photographer Dice-K Maru. We both shared the same vision and decided to make the move to Whistler together. Since Dice had just graduated from school in Canada, it was a total no-brainer. While there, he met the infamous Wildcats and started hanging out with those dudes, as his English was better than mine, haha. They started asking Dice who I was and that’s how I first hooked up with the Wildcats.”
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- - --------------TOP: Tadash is an “indy-pendent” thinker, massive spine blast in Niseko. LEFT: Swishing a 3-pointer from midcourt, cab 5 stepdown in Whistler.
“Moving to North America felt so refreshing & different! Everything was so foreign and new to me, the roots of our lifestyle are there so it was a huge motivation for me to progress my riding.” 13.2
“I would have definitely been a different rider if I had stayed in Japan! Not even a question” “we i rdest th i ng i’ve eve r se e n i n a ve n di ng mac h i n e was… porn? soi l e d panti es? i’ve se e n th ese th i ngs arou n d si nc e i was a ki d so i gu ess it’s noth i ng out of th e ordi nary. haha!”
“My biggest influences are my brother, Masahiro, Cardiel, Jamie Lynn, Devun, JF Pelchat…” “th e hardest word to pronou nc e i n e ngl ish? u h, most of th em. haha!”
“I’m not really into technology, I’m an analog kind of guy”
“My favorite karaoke jam is ‘Blue Hearts - Ao Zora (Blue Sky)’”.
“I parted ways on good terms with Burton, basically my contract was up and I was contacted by the YES boys. We were all on Burton together and got along well, so it didn’t require much thinking. I’m stoked because things are still small enough that we are really core and have creative control of every aspect, from factories, to manufacturing, brand image/ direction, etc.”
“h ear t fi lms an d i have gon e ou r se parate ways. i’m worki ng on th e l i fe styl e project right now. c h ec k it out: l.s.p.!”
“You Westerners should have better convenience stores! The CS’s here in Japan are insane! SO good! Ask JP or Romain! Why are the ones abroad so boring and stale?”
“I would never live completely off the grid, I need to watch my skate vids!”
“I am pretty in tune with nature, especially during the winter. When it really matters to me.”
----------------RIGHT: Starting some shit in the steeps, Haines, AK.
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- - - - - - - - - - - - ----Full speed back 3 sushi roll in Haines.
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“I think Japanese riders are really passionate. They really pour their souls in whatever it is they do”
“If you wanna party, go to Tokyo, if you wanna ride, go to Hokkaido, if you wanna surf, head to Chiba. And if you’re in LA stop by Sanuki No Sato.”
domo a r i g at o tadash i-san!
“I want to than k my fami ly & fri e n ds. Without th em I wou l d not be who I am or wh e re I am now. It’s al l about th e good peopl e that su rrou n d you.”
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THINKING... - - - - - - - ---------t e x t : jes s e bu rtn e r p h ot os: a l ex me rtz
. . . JA PA N E S E !
We knew we wanted to head back to the mountains of Hakuba, Japan to shred rad stuff with rad people. The “rad stuff” part of the equation is always a matter of a little searching with just a dash of perseverance. The “rad people” are our good Japanese friends; Masaki Kitae, Kenji Kato, Jimmy Concrete and Ken Ken (amongst others). That’s a lot of “K” sounding names, I never realized that until just now... Get’s you thinking. Anyhow, we knew that much, rad stuff and rad people. The next thing we knew was that photographer Alex Mertz was joining us for his inaugural Japan trip, and that he looked like Opie from “Sons of Anarchy”. This often earned quizzical looks from the locals and was an interesting conversation starter (or ender, depending on your Portland bike gang comfort level).
THINK THANK I N JA PA N
----------------RIGHT: Slip n’ slide, Chris Beresford multi-tasking with a nose/board/tail slide. LEFT: Konichiwaaaa!
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私は日本のターニングよ
‘tu rn i n g japan ese’ by t h e vapors
私は日本のターニングだと思う 私は本当にそう思う 日本のターニング 私は日本のターニングだと思う 私は本当にそう思う 日本のターニング 私は日本のターニングだと思う 私は本当にそう思う 日本のターニング 私は日本のターニングだと思う 私は本当にそう思う
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----------------TOP: Sean Black didn’t forget how to do boardslides. LEFT: Total automation. RIGHT TOP: Whatchu lookin’ at, Willis? RIGHT BOTTOM: Jesse Burtner actually strapped into both binders for once.
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T H I N K I N G JA PA N E S E We soon discovered we were also being joined by the illustrious, and chronically forgetful, Sean Black. Sean looked like Ein, the Welsh corgi, a fact we wouldn’t know until our first night in Japan, when we met Ein and made the obvious connection, that their souls were brothers despite being born of different mothers. We now knew almost everything there was to know when one steps off into the adventure of travel, snowboarding, food and friendships. The rest of the crucial
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details Pika had filled in for us via a miniature binder she put in my hands as I stepped onto the train and she wished us well and headed off to business school. At that moment we knew things, yet had experienced nothing. We were just starting. Just to keep things straight, the “we” here is Sean Genovese, Ross Phillips, Chris Beresford and myself, and together with Mertz (the biker) and Sean (the corgi) we made Think Thank’s fifth journey to film in Japan.
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THINKING JA PA N E S E This is how it went: Rain, snow, powder, pillows, jungle gyms, trees, monkeys, milk tea, karagi burger, Keenan, Kulesza, Iizuna, Boxes For Days, Genovese slaughter fest, Mackie’s style, Ein, junkyards, wind, smiles, mixes, forgetting Mertz, Yokohama, Tokyo, kerosene, tatami mats. All of this happened. And it didn’t just happen to us, we didn’t just get happened on. It was with eager participation that we lived those moments, I’m proud of that. ----------------Geno on the Hakuba Stairmaster.
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THINKING JA PA N E S E Along the way Sean Black forgot many things and Sean Genovese landed many tricks. The rest is just a pleasant memory of good snow and great people, snapshots of time well spent. We stayed in a traditional Japanese house in the mountains, they cooked us a Shabu dinner, it was the best meal ever. We invented a jumping
salmon dance at a techno party in a ski lodge. Chris Beresford and Sean Black were attached at the hip and earned a “celebrity couple� nickname: BlackBerry. And of course Ein, the corgi. Seriously, so cute yet so strong. At the end of our journey the equation had flipped; we now knew nothing for certain, but we had experienced much. We were now experienced in something, something rad. Domo arigato, Japan! 100
----------------TOP: Beresford front 3 floater. RIGHT TOP: Snow plows and peace signs in Hakuba. RIGHT BOTTOM: Geno is such a tourist...
end!
Thanks to: Masaki Kitae, Iizuna Resort, Komin Kasaisei in Otari, Ken Ken for being the man, Kenji, Jimmy, Angela, Yasu, Krush and that guy in Tokyo that helped us find our hotel.
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GALLERY
volume thirteen 路 issue two
photo: joel fraser rider: konno spot: h a k u b a , ja pa n trick: the amazing spiderman
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photo: endo tsutomo ri der: yuki ita homi es spot: h a k u b a , ja pa n trick: earning turns
photo: endo tsutomo spot: tat e ya m a , ja pa n
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GALLERY
volume thirteen 路 issue two
photo: rip zinger rider: mads jonsson spot: n i s e k o , ja pa n trick: gentemstick method
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photo: rip zinger rider: gigi r端f spot: n i s e k o , ja pa n trick: tree bash
photo: endo tsutomo r i d e r : s h i n b i ya j i m a spot: h o k k a i d o , ja pa n trick: bush hop
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GALLERY
volume thirteen 路 issue two
photo: yves suter rider: dominik betschart spot: h o k k a i d o , ja pa n tric k: stalefish
photo: mi ke yosh i da ri der: dylan thompson spot: n a g a n o , ja pa n t r i c k : o l l i e t o wa l l r i d e
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photo: endo tsutomo ri der: masaki kitae spot: n a g a n o , ja pa n trick: slob stiffy
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GALLERY
volume thirteen 路 issue two
end
photo: mi ke yosh i da r i d e r : e r i c jac k s o n spot: h o k k a i d o , ja pa n trick: fs 3
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photo: rider: victim:
oli gagnon lnp will demers
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D A N N Y D AV I S
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photos by Adam Moran