Monday, December 5, 2011

Nitro Snowboards : What Goes Up Must Come Down

Nitro's newest full length movie What Goes Up Must Come Down popped up online today and as it is available to watch free of charge, it's definitely worth checking out. The Nitro videos have and I'm sure will always be a strange beast. An odd mixture of Americans and Scandinavians, the team and riding rips but the videos never fail to omit this strange Euro vibe to all their productions.That's not to say it's not a good vid though. For a free internet offer, it'll definitely do the job for a few pre sesh psych ups.

The opener, super dramatic with it's pastel colored skylines and super slow mo shots is reminiscent of the Ty Evans book of video over production. It's just the intro though and really who cares, it's the riding and parts that matter right?

First part goes to Markus Keller. I've personally never followed much of this dude but I know he's Swiss and he loves the contest circuit. He rides to some throwback German dance song and does lots of tricks on steep walls. He's a good snowboarder. He does one bs melon off the side of a huge kicker that in my opinion is pretty sweet.

Eero Ettala- latest guest on Kingshit Mag's King vs. Snow with Evan Rissi. Seems like a cool Finnish guy, and he get's a lot of coverage. His part starts with the disclaimatory surgery footy, which all respect due is actually pretty gnarly. He goes on to kill it (which really a testament, lets be serious, to how fucking gnarly he is) with some really impressive tricks and style. The huge bs 180 the roof gap and bs 180 sw 50 sw fs 180 out were straight proper! Eero gets straight Leo Romero and Brandon Westgate on the boardslide 270 out UP the rail and of course the well served bs 180 gap out to sw 5050 the kinked conrete hubba thing...faaahk!

Next part comes at the hands of Marc Swoboda. An Australian dude who from what I can remember is down for the comp circuit, which is not really my proverbial cup of green tea as far as snowboarding is concerned. That being said however the dude does some crazy shit and respect given where respect due. I'm super down for the backlip 270 out (the hard and weird way) on the ledge on top of the gnarly wallride, his nosepress down the super legit kinker and mean bs 180 switch 5050 (soooo tight) which by now I'm sure people have gathered, is a trick I think is fucking siiiick.

In addition to full parts in this video, there is, which I think is kind of cool, trip sections which feature all or some of the riders. This is a rad addition and some awesome riding goes down.

Knut Eliassen is a character and has some hilarious clips throughout the video, adding some much needed life to the production. He's from Norway and has a business degree apparently and seems to have a pretty proper outlook on it all. He slays the back country and a bunch of other shit and has a good part.

Bryan Fox, the man, the myth the legend, my favourite rider in this video. I can't even front and say it's his riding in particular that I am a huge fan of, but more so his entire attitude. Perhaps bordering on flippant at times, I can't say I disagree with his staunch criticism of contest monopolized media coverage and sponsorship deals. He had one of the raddest interviews in the Snowboarder Mag and the dude represents to the fullest. Sick to see him in this video doing what he does in the back country. All day every day.

Austin Smith is good and reminds us to drink water. A reminder I feel like I could use far more often from 11pm - 2am most nights, where are you Austin?

This videos has a lot of good riding, a lot of weird stuff and some interesting music. It's was fun to watch and I'm glad it was free, that is always tight. Thanks Nitro







Darrel Mathes Kills It 7 Days a Week (or 2)

Sunday and Monday are always good days in the anticipatory shred world. I've always been pretty stoked on Transworld's Sundays in the Park and the Videograss site's Markass Mondays. There is no denying that from a boarding consumption perspective, park riding can sometimes get a bit stale. A plethora of shots featuring indistinguishable terrain and interchangeable features, originating from parks around the world, tends to get old pretty quick. From a boarders perspective however, the appeal of park riding is understandable. Why bother struggling with the inevitable conclusion of the security guard assisted boot in the downtown of some metropolis whilst simulataneously somewhere in some park there is a long line of features available to hit from open to close while there is also an even longer line of babes waiting to get on the lift. With the ever forward moving progression of snowboarding almost entirely eliminatined parts filmed entirely in parks (and not for the worse) there remains a pocket of the internet ripe with the fruits of park edits, and the aforementioned web series' Sundays in the Park and Markass Monday's are at the head of the class. Spending the day shredding in the park with the homeys is FUN, that is the bottom line, and these series encapsulate that sentiment accurately, week after week.

They both kicked off a new campaign for the 2012 season, and this weekend's posts, episode #2 and #3 respectively were extra crispy.


Both clips were apparently filmed on the same day during the same session, which is actually pretty funny. To make two different web episodes of a single session speaks volumes about both the level of riding of the dudes in the clips but also the level of entertainment, enough to watch both clips several times.

Darrel Mathes is the man! From his part in Love Hate to his involvement in VideoGrass, dude is slowly cementing a position for himself is snowboarding history, and it is clips like these two that show you why. His fs 180 sw 5050 sw bs 180 out at the beginning of the Sunday clip was flawless and his 5050 sitdown ipod song change in Mondays was hilarious, exactly the kind of fun and carelessness clips like this promote. Justin Mulford rips in the Sundays clip and dude has sick steeze, I'm definitely backing the SK8Mafia hat.

VideoGrass Mark Ass Mondays

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Cringing Countdown

Terje Haakonsen - Subject Haakonsen

Terje!! What more can be said that hasn't already been said. He's the man, will always be the man and forever changed snowboarding with parts like this one. Was never that stoked on the intro but the riding is amazing and there is no denying that. Speaks for itself.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

It's Not San Jose But This Is the Bonus Round

**Sick Part, haven't seen much of him since the Kael Hill Conundrum but I hope all is well. The creativity and style get the shreddie senses a tingling.

!!!!!!!!!THE SNOW IS COMING DOWN IN TORONTO!!!! THAT MEANS THE SEASON HAS PROBABLY STARTED EVERYWHERE IN THIS SNOWSLUT OF A COUNTRY

I KNOW I TALK AN ENDLESS AMOUNT OF SHIT BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY WE ARE ALL SNOWBOARDERS. LUCAS MAGOON TO JACK OLSON ELM TO XAVIER LA RUE WE ALL DO THIS BECAUSE WE ALL FUCKIN LOVE SNOWBOARDING AND WE ALL ALWAYS WILL!!! TO ANOTHER SEASON AND MORE MEMORIES!!!
STRAP IN FOR THOSE WHO CAN'T!!!!
CK-

Cringing Countdown 6

Keegan Valaika- In Color
This part is fucking insane! I don't even have to write anything about this because the snowboarding absolutely, hands down, no questions asked, places this dude in the leagues of legitimacy whether you like it or not. The song is incredible, the filming is incredible, the tricks are incredible, the part is incredible. I know he's super young and whatever but I would stake this blog's life on it that Keegan Valaika will be around for a long time to come and this is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of what we see from this dude.  Every season there is a plethora of parts that begin with the cliched slam section to show how tortured of an artist the rider is blah blah blah and normally this effort falls far short. Not the case with this tho. I don't ever remember being so affected by a slam section since Toy Machine's Welcome to Hell. Valaika definitely has paid his dues as far as putting in the work to be where he is at; and this part is the proof in the pudding. In my serious opinion this is the awesomest (not best cause what the fuck is best in snowboarding) part released last year. Classic

Cringing Countdown 5

Jody Wachniak/Kevin Griffin - YO! 8 Mile Life
http://www.dope.tv/movie.php
8 Mile just came out with a new flick Vacay and I've posted about it, KG and Jody both destroy shit in that vid, but their part in DOPE is still my fav by far. DOPE much like 8 Mile and more specifically Jody and Griffin themselves are what I personally look for in snowboarding, and it makes me super happy to see actual good riders doing it the way I think it should be done. Fuck all the bullshit, image, contest shit and just go out and kill it with the homies. Read Kevin's interview in the latest Snowboard Canada profile issue and you will quickly realize this dude has the right outlook on the whole thing and as snowboarders we would be more then fortunate to have more people like Mr. Kevin Griffin and Mr. Jody Wachniak as ambassadors and representatives of the lifestyle we call snowboarding. They shred to a Big L song, can't complain about that choice, plus the tricks are smooth butta pop to make your jaw go drop. Of course I am giving them extra points for being Canadian, but that is beside the point, They are incredible riders with steeze for days and some solid values that I can definitely align my outlook with. Plus lately Griffin has been getting lots of coverage wearing 5 panel hats, one of the few I've seen in snowboarding, and I don't even think he realizes how rad that is! Wachniak's intro is hilarious then he goes on to kill it with an abundance of noseslide variations followed by Griffin's equally gnar clips, my personal best being the sw back lip while wearing the bomber jacket and then the back board front 5050 line on the wooden rail...Steeze! If you are young and Canadian and can't afford a lift ticket..watch these dudes.

Throw Some B's on that Bitch! Bradshaw and Bozung!


I'm gonna finish my countdown of parts I'm watching lots of lately but I just want to interject with a quick post. Yesterday I said that the third part I have always watched lots of when I'm trying to psych myself up for riding was Bozung's part in True Life. I mentioned that I was stoked to see the clip of him shredding at Brighton, which I definitely was, and then today I stumbled across a Neff clip of him and Bradshaw riding at Bear. This clip is fucking sick and you can definitely count me as one of those who are to stoked to see the early stages of a potential Bozung comeback. It's early season and he's already getting the coverage, so I'm hyped to see what the rest of the season has in store for ol' Boznuts. One thing is certainly evident, dude can still ride, despite the fact that he looks like he's aged about 20 years in the last 5, dude shreds. The clip is extra tight cause it's with Bradshaw and even extra tighter cause of the Pat Lynch cameo.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Cringing Countdown #4

Lane Knaack - Smell the Glove
 Lanky Lane, die hard devotee of Satin Daggers and the star of probably the only actually funny skit in the vid, this part never fails to stir a desire in me to strap in instantly after it ends. Any snowboard video part with a Bad Brains song is fucking bad ass and this one is no exception. I always enjoyed the early punk infused Grenade videos and Smell the Glove definitely has some gnarly riding, but my favorite part hands down goes to Mr. Knaack. I used to rewind the fs tail press in the blue basketball jersey over and over, that clip is full of style and I love the sw fs 5050 bs 180 out on the cement hubba thing, that trick always does it for me. Lane looks like a total joker in the few lifestyle shots in the part, I love it it makes it even more rad. This part still all makes me feel the same way I did when I started getting super psyched on riding and I'll be watching it all season.

Cringing Countdown #3

Nate Bozung - True Life
Here's another video I can't count how many times I've watched. One of the first videos I ever purchased before I had any idea what was really going on, this one was on repeat for a while. Who would've thunk Bozung's career would have turned out how it has, face tats and all (good to see the new web edit of him shredding at Brighton, killing it!) but back then he was just the young kid on the squad and I thought he was super sick. I still think the phone call at the start is so funny "Is Jessica home...do you know when she'll be home from school?" Classic, and the Method Man song always got me super hyped. The opening straight ollie over the double set is so burly and reminds me a lot of a skate clip and the 50-50 down the triple kinker with the red shirt on...soooo steezy. The gap to back board the other triple kinker is insane.


Cringing Countdown #2

Nick Visconti - Stack Footy
Haters gon hate. Lots of people like this dude lots of people hate this dude. I am definitely a member of the former group, as I think he has crazy skills, is super creative and makes snowboarding look really fun, all contributing ingredients in any awesome part. The song "The Rocketeer" by Foxy Shazam is so hi jinx and the riding is pretty weird but I dig it. This part gets a permanent thumbs up in my book.

Cringing Countdown

I'm seriously starting to get a bit itchy and antsy over here in Ontario as it really looks like snow is nowhere on the horizon. I been able to keep pretty mellow about the whole thing due to the fact that the weather has actually been pretty rad and I've been able to skate up until yesterday, the 27th of November, which is pretty rare. This all came to a crashing halt today when an intense rain storm hit Toronto and skating went straight out the window. Enough is enough, it's time to ride and I can't hold out much longer. In the wake of my acceptance of the fact that the reality of making it to the hills in the immediate future might not be too feasible I'm going to start a countdown of the 10 video parts that are helping me get through these last days and increasing my stoke for the winter!
 ** I am by no way saying these are in any way "the best" video parts of all time or whatever. Just some that I enjoy watching and get me excited about snowboarding.

1. Devun Walsh - The Resistance
I have hands down watched Resistance more then any other snowboard video and this part more then any other part in the video. It's no secret I'm a huge Devun Walsh fan and although the dude has a ton of parts to choose from, the one always make it to the top of my favorite lists. It's short and sweet and the fact that he filmed it in 6 years always blew my mind and made me feel super lazy. Some people don't like the disclaimer at the start of the part but who cares? I think it's pretty rad that all of that was filmed in 6 days and who wouldn't want people to know that? Plus D Walsh is OG as shit so he can do whatever he wants. The sw bs 180 at 1:18 is tiiiight.


Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Winter Vacay

The mixed bag crew of Canadians and Finns residing in Whistler have just released another stellar video that`s available online for free.

8mile Vacay full movie

8 mile, the brainchild of Mikey Rencz, Johnny Lyall and Eero Niemala, conceived in their basement sweet in Whistler after many a long day on the hill and even longer nights at the bar has been reppin snowboarding in the name of fun for quite some time now. Their newest release, Vacay is definitely no exception and clocking in at less then half an hour is on the top of the pile of flicks for me to put on repeat in my process of getting hyped for the quickly approaching season.

This vid aside from having amazing snowboarding, which it does, everyone in it fucking rips, more then anything is a solid representation of how fun snowboarding is and why we all do it. I could delve into the increasingly popular hot conversation topic of the current state of snowboarding with it`s predominance of big league contests and corporate sponsorships and blah blah blah but what would be the point? That dead horse has beaten to death. What I can say is that 8 mile is not any of that, they are the antithesis of that. Sure some of these dudes ride for big companies and yea some of them are contest killers, but that's not what Vacay or any of the other 8 mile videos are about. They're about getting out with the homeys for the day, getting gnarly for hours and then soaking it all in in whatever fashion you choose, at the end of the night. That's what snowboarding is and always has been to me,and plenty of other people out there. As I can imagine it does for a lot of other people, watching these movie reminds me of all the good times I've had snowboarding with my homeys, and it's always motivating and entertaining to be reminded of that, and that's why Vacay kills it in my eyes.
And the snowboarding is REALLY good. With such an eclectic crew there is all kinds of riding in there for any snowboarder regardless of what you're interested in. Everyone in it straight kills it, Eero Niemela, Mikey Rencz, Johnny Lyall all have super tight parts fucking around in the back country throwing down some for real hammers. Ikka Backstrom is straight gnar. Charles White, Todd Malus, and Dustin Craven share a part with lots of funny lifestyle footy and plenty of good riding. Benji Ritchie slays the back country to a Stevie Wonder song, instant approval in this blog. I don't even have to write this sentence, everyone knows it but; Devun Walsh is fucking triple OG and still killing it harder then most people out there, dude is straight inspiring. My favorite parts in the video, not necessarily based on straight riding but their whole vibe all together, were Kale Stephens, who's hilarious, always looks like he's having a ton of fun and also is a fuckin beast, has an amazing part with good riding and an even better song
G code Kale Stephens



Hands down the most re watchable parts have to be from the dudes repping the Gypsy Mob contingent of 8 Mile, Kevin Griffin, Jody Wachniak and Andrew Geeves. Although every part in the video rips, these guys are unstoppable.Showing crazy versatility and rounded riding they kill it on the mountains, they kill it on the streets, all the while looking like they're having a blast. Kevin Griffin's line with the bs noseslide the ten stair rail and then switch backside 180 the fence to drop is all kinds of steeze and probably my favorite clip in the video. Wachniak brings the San Fransisco skate vibe to his part with the Andre Nickatina song and his bs 180 on the building pillar bs 180 over the bench line I re winded like 5 times. Andrew Geeves destroys both back country and street spots with equal amounts of power and style (fs 180 sw tail press bs 180 out on the huge curved structure and gap front lip the kinked green rail were both amazing) and I have a feeling we'll be a seeing a lot more of this dude in the future
Geeves



If you want to be psyched to go snowboarding and and even more to ride with the homeys, if you like good riding and really like good times check out Vacay, you won't be disappointed.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Official Countdown to Shred Season is On

whooooooweeeeee....shouldn't be long now!!