Conscussions and Bruises... and Death

Posted 8 Feb 2010 12:07PM by Alexandria F.

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Hahaha

Exteme Skiing/Boarding on Film!

Posted 12 Jan 2010 11:53PM by Claire Price

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The phenomenon of the Nuit de la Glisse has been inspiring fans and riders across the whole of Europe for over 28 years.  Known as Perfect Moment since 2000, the work of a passionate group of visionaries in the sports known as “glisse” – surfing, skiing, free-fall, skate and more – are magnificently captured on film for extraordinary presentation in 2K digital cinema.  Perfect Moment films realize the phenomenon of “glisse” sports using images filmed in spectacular places all around the world.  French director Thierry Donard continues to push the boundaries of action sports film, taking the audience on the search for the one, that perfect moment.

Perfect Moment 2009: “Instant”

“Instant” documents the athletes’ universal search for that tenth of a second where one must make a turn, jump a cliff or enter into the tube of a 10-metre wave.  The riders live for this instant, when the rest of the world disappears and they are at one with nature.  From the Chamonix Valley to the Balearic and Canary Islands, Australia to Hawaii, Micronesia to the Spanish Basque country, from Switzerland to Scotland – “Instant” takes us on a discovery of many different personalities and exciting moments in the world of glisse.

www.perfectmoment.com

CORTEX

Posted 24 Oct 2009 09:21AM

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Anyone who loves snowboarding has to try this product! It's called the The Cor-Tex -I just came across it and it is new to the market. It moves in all three planes of motion while the base translates at the same time. It forces movement and change of direction to maximize your body's reactions from foot all the way up to neck. This causes your body to respond just as it would in real world activities and sports. The Cor-Tex would be beneficial to anyone in the snowboarding world from beginners to professionals. It is not only a method of strengthening and rehabilitating sore muscles, but the motion feels like that of a snowboard moving downhill, helping you learn to balancing properly. You can practice heel-toe carving that has the same feel of being on the board - while helping your core become healthy and strong to gear up for the season!
you can check it out here!
http://www.functionfirst.com/coretex.html

FYVE 'New' Team rider Marc Triffitt

Posted 4 Oct 2009 11:26AM by Clive Dickerson

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Who do you Ride For?
 The voice inside my head sreaming SHRED, my homie's who cant shred anymore, obviuos tallies and fyve snowboards

Lets start with a little history where your from?
 I grew up in wagga wagga skating with mates for many years got a big krew still down there, pretty mad bunch, have the lot covered from wake, skate, bmx, moto x everyone's doing stuff but most just love to party now.
 
Where's the best place to ride?
 Havent travelled extensively or riden many o.s resorts but the sierra nevada's in C.A have topped my list.
 
Whys that?
 Resorts around like bear valley is the pow mecca for me and have some epic freeride and access to backcountry, get a sled plus the rest and the local tip and your on. From bear you can see kirkwood resort which holds the record for most snow fallen in the U.S in a season. Talkin POW.

How many years have you been boarding?
 First season was 05 at buller

Tell me about your job?
After school i was cabinet making for my dads business, we make custom handcrafted furniture from Australian hardwoods, its a good job but it was time to get out of wagga. Now i work at canterbury racetrack in sydney as a greenkeeper, early starts but its good work and i enjoy it.

Do you like to compete?
 The more i compete the more i like it, you just have to have a crack and ride your style, its a good feeling stomping something sweet in a comp gets me amped.
 
What is your best result?
 none really, went ok in an unsponsered rail jam at ess boardstore in erina this year and won some outterwear for 2nd place, its all good experience.
 
What's best move on and off the snow fields?
 Straight out the swisher box

What your style eg. jibber, pipe, freeriding and park riding? What da Jizz?
 well riding buller kinda forces you to smash rails n alot of em so my style's definately moulded around jibbing in the park i guess, MFM  nollie steez off everything i can, getting more into jumping but if theres pow finding those freeride features and building kickers is what im about, love the cliffdrops pillow pow lines double nubs rockdrops n stepdowns... i like it all but dont ride much pipe.

Best pick up line?lip slide my rail ill nose press your box

Have you ever been injured from snowboarding? Yeah broken wrist (first one for perisher 04 season) claim to fame did it hucking a 3 off some gay 1 ft hit, full punter steez ha ha umm broken thumb to

How the fuk do you handle down time?? staight out the swisher box... nah i dunno play skate 2 alot and stay away from shred vids and your mates talking up the day you missed... ring your mates you never see and do all that stuff your too lazy to normally do

Do you ever snowboard drunk?
 not intentionally but it happens, usually pretty rubbish on it after a few

Who was your most influential snowboarders as you grew up.kevin jones and MFM probly

What's the best movie you've seen?
 i hate this question i dont know depends what your in the mood for really, finger on tha trigger shit like one love is sick but they get too gangsta/baller/bullshit on that shit, it aint right im into it but it goes too far, picture this is good, child support i really dont have a favourite and im too stinge to buy em
 
Is there anything that scares you about snowboarding? yeah for sure if not your not going hard enough. spinning at mach speed is scary, avalanches and watching punters hit features thats scary.

Photo of:

Greg and Marc Triffitt (MARC's RED PANTS)

- Pics by Dominic Sharkey

Spring Bonanza Mt. Buller

Posted 14 Sep 2009 08:42PM by Clive Dickerson

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Falls Parks set for September

Posted 8 Sep 2009 08:03PM by Sean Radich

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I was up at Falls over the weekend and checked it all out. Unfortunately the rain, wind etc has played havoc with Aussie resorts over the last few weeks and made it very difficult for the kats to even get out and move snow around. I chatted to Reuben about Falls' parks and its directions for September:
 
After a successful Stylewars, Reuben and Matty (formerly of SnowPark) rebuilt Drovers park, putting in a twin set of decent jumps, 3 small jumps, and reset all the small rails and boxes that were previously in place. Apparently the Drovers jumps were perfect 40+ footers for size and speed, but a little advanced for the Drovers area and so had to be made smaller into 20 footers, which are still a lot of fun and were getting well-sessioned on sunny Sunday.
 
Over in Ruined Castle, when ther weather has allowed, hours and hours of work has been done to move snow to try and maintain the park for the rest of the season, and to rebuild it after Stylewars. So a few nights were spent winching huge drifts from the top of 'Castle and pushing snow to the skier's left. As of Sunday, there was a decent 50+ footer open to hit, in the location of the Stylewars 80 footer. This jump is similar, albeit a few feet bigger, than the Big Air jump of a few weeks back. There is also a pretty gnarly gap to flat-bar and then the wall ride used in Stylwars - although it is set into the snow mound, not on top (as during stylewars) so it requires less maintenance and will last the season. And i would imagine that by now the second proposed 60 footer in the line will be ready and open by now.  

YOU’VE NEVER HEARD ROMAIN DE MARCHI SAY ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE

Posted 5 Sep 2009 07:11AM by Stephan Boeker

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To see videos of the interview, go to http://slytechprotection.com/blog

Romain de Marchi says: Stop letting the economic crisis paralyze you; don’t listen to the talking heads on TV news; don’t slow down. Your life and the lives of those around you depend on your passion and stoke.

YOU’VE NEVER HEARD ROMAIN DE MARCHI SAY ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE

MAUI, HAWAII – For a moment there I thought I was pondering the intricacies of the Universe, God, and life with Deepak Chopra – the esoteric Indian doctor, author, philosopher – not Romain de Marchi – ball-to-the-walls, huck-myself-down-any-freakin’-thing – snowboard legend.

Prejudiced with images of his suicidal rippings in epic Absinthe films, tabloid sensationalism knocking him as a party freak, and his tattoo covered body, I went into this, our first longer meeting, thinking it would turn out to be another “shoot the shit interview” with another fortunate, yet undeserving rider. I got adjusted, hard.

Romain on Traveling

RDM: When I travel I like discovering different philosophies and new cultures. I try to learn more and more the world. TV I don’t think is a good example to learn the world. To me it’s better to be on the terrain and figure out by yourself. That’s what I’m looking for when I go travel: meet new cultures and new people basically.

SWB: How does riding factor into your travels? Can you describe that stoke that you feel?

RDM: Well, I always… when I’m travelling, it’s not really the places you go to, but the experience you share with people. I like the fact that when I go to different resorts, I meet different people and they give me their stoke-ness of wanting to share with me their culture, their mountain and their way of seeing their mountain. That’s what I appreciate a lot when I get to see different places. So, that’s what really stokes me out. 

Romain on Fatherhood 

SWB: I saw your daughter Annella there. Tell me about her!

RDM: Well, she’s almost 2 years old and she’s growing up by the minute. She’s a fan of Dora as you can see on the T-Shirt and she loves her mama a lot. No, it’s fascinating, I mean, it’s ahhhh, it makes you more mature, makes you go forward in life, to be able to see your kids, the way they interpret life, to see their innocence and their soul. I think it gives you a lot of inspiration! They really inspire me.

SWB: so how did you start to feel in riding after you became a parent? Were there differences in your behavior after you became a parent?

RDM: Yeah, a lot of people said: now that you have a kid your ride should be different, you should be more cautious. Actually for me it went the other way around. I’m more crazy now than before. It really pushed me to go out there and do what I love. Now more than ever, I do it for more and more reason. First it was just for me when I was younger, but now it’s also for my daughter and my kids because I want them to feel my passion and translate that to them, so now I go out there and try to get as stoked as I can, so when I get home they can see how happy I am to do what I love to do and they can feel that. So for me it went the other way around.

SWB: interesting! So she made you live life even more to its fullest?

RDM: Even more. 

Romain on the World Economic Recession 

 RDM: I’m not gonna say it doesn’t affect me. It affects everybody, but, I think that many people live in fear and they’re like “ohhh no, I can’t do this, I can’t do that.” People have been brainwashed with that and they’ve stopped living. I bet if each individual in the world like they did before the crisis, everything would be good, because money would still be spent, people would still be happy and do happy things and the world would still go around. Now everybody is watching TV saying “ohhh no, I can’t do this, because the TV said it’s fear, it’s economic, and it’s the world war, the terrorism and what not…” I think that’s pretty sad that people have been brainwashed like that and have stopped living just because some dude said it on TV. Of course, the economy isn’t as good now, but I think we are as much responsible for it as the people who are leading our country. I think we should keep living and everything is going to be fine.

SWB: ohh man, that’s a great insight. People paralyze themselves by listening to these so-called experts on TV and…

RDM: yeah, it’s been like that for centuries, you know like, create fear so that we can control people. I try to have my own opinion. I know times are hard, but it’s hard for everybody, but you keep living and if you can’t pay the mortgage one day and what not, then well, sell the house and do something else. The world is not going to end just like that. We have many options in life, so it’s not worth worrying about a mortgage or things like that.

Romain on Back Protection and Why Everyone Should Wear One 

 RDM: For sure it gives you extra confidence. If I hit a rock at least I have the Slytech 2nd Skin to protect my spine.

But I also try not to rely on it too much, because then you forget how your muscles work in your body; they are the first armor, right?

The Slytech 2nd Skin is more prevention. It’s not because I have a back protector that I’m going to launch a bigger thing. Whether I ride the resort or I jump, I always wear it in case something happens. It’s a precaution. It’s not like, “ohhh yeah, I’m just going riding the resorts, so I’m not going to put it on.” No, I put it on anyway.

Whether big jump or not, you know, now that I’m getting older, I got a family, so I kinda need to have that extra protection for me. But I’m not forgetting as well that my body is my first armor. For my state of mind it’s more uhhh… like in a car, you can have one airbag or you can have 5 airbags. Same thing with second skin: I’d rather have more airbags than just 1.

SWB: There are all kind of back protectors out there. What was it about Slytech 2nd Skin to make you choose to use it?

RDM: It’s easy to put on. It’s really comfortable to wear it. The good thing is, the foam they use, it’s really molding your back, so you really don’t feel it. I’ve tried other ones and they’re really uncomfortable. They’ve been using that for dirt biking at first. I feel pretty confident: dirt bikers get more beat up than snowboarders. When they fall, they hit the hard ground! Snow is soft. It makes you feel even better that it’s tested by dirt bike people.

SWB: How were you introduced to the Slytech people?

RDM: What went down is… basically, I got hooked up with Shred and they said, “hey, you want to try the Slytech 2ndSkin?” and I’m like “YEAH SURE!” They sent me some and I went riding and I didn’t feel it. I went riding all day and I didn’t feel it at all, “OK, wow! This is a freakin great product!” You have it on and it’s extra precaution for you and it doesn’t even bother you; it doesn’t even make you uncomfortable when you ride so I was like “yeah right on! This is a great product, so let’s do something with it!”

SWB: Would you recommend a back protector for non-professional athletes?

RDM: Yeah, I would recommend all the protection they can get. Most of the time, beginners just sit on a hump on the slope and if a skier or snowboarder just comes up from behind and BOOM, it could paralyze them. But if you have a back protector, it might save you from that. Helmet, back protectors are key.

As I left that interview, I never thought that I – as a philosophy guy living in Hawaii with all the inspiration I need around me – would have walked away with so much newfound inspiration to go for whatever I could possibly conceive of.

I want to publicly thank Romain de Marchi for sharing the inspiring stoke he collects through his experiences as a shredder, a father, a world traveler and as a free spirit (the snowboarding world’s own mini Deepak). Thanks also for believing in and endorsing the Slytech Back Protector. It took many years to develop and test, and now that it’s available to the general public we hope it will be as universally loved.


About Slytech Protection
The team and riders at Slytech Protection feel that life is best lived with maximum passion, confidence, comfort and protection (comfortable protection). We’re based around a rider's love for shredding and being free, to keep pushing the limits and to give yourself the chance to get up and ride again. Being sidelined with a bad spinal injury is the last thing we want, and so comfortable back protection is the first thing we grab.

Go to http://slytechprotection.com and signup for more inspiring rider tales from Romain and the rest of the shredders.



Slytech Protection distributors at www.slytechproteciton.com/contacts
Headquarters:
CERSAL srl
Viale Ancona, 26
30172 Venezia Mestre
Tel.+390412517211
Fax +390412517200

www.slytechprotection.com

###

WHEN GOING BIG, ROMAIN DE MARCHI FINDS HIS STOKE WITH THE SMALL

Posted 21 Jul 2009 10:56PM by Stephan Boeker

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Fresh off the messy divorce from the biggest name in snowboards and his new life as a father, one of the most respected (and controversial) snowboarders today forges a path less-travelled

MAUI, HAWAII – The rumors and infamous party sightings of years past suggested recklessness and an almost nihilistic streak that fueled the Romain brand. If he wasn’t going for broke – whether on the mountain or in the night club – pushing it come hell or high-water, it’s been said, there must have been something wrong with him.

Today the 29 year-old shredder from Geneva, Switzerland pushes his limits like never before, only now he does it with new-found purpose and conviction, and for reasons beyond just his own ego and self-aggrandizement. No surprise, given his tumultuous sponsor shift and the birth of his children, Anella 2 and Kayden 5 months.

For one,  the mega-conglomerate sponsorship with the biggest name in snowboarding vaporized and left Romain pondering the problem of his failed partnership, “I was a true believer [in Burton’s story] so I gave a lot of my energy for that company and I sacrificed a lot for them. I was expecting reciprocity and instead, they let me off.” 

Like with any loss, your awareness grows and Romain began seeing that he and many of his fellow shredders were drifting away from the very spirit of snowboarding.  Where do you go from here?

In Romain’s case, you launch yourself down a new path, forging relationships with small, young, up-and-coming brands, as well as starting your own line of snowboards (you’ll be hearing a lot about YESNOWBOARD this season). You do this all in the name of “driving the snowboard company back to its roots” and being able to write a story that reminds us all of why we ride in the first place: for freedom, growth, purpose and a quest for the ultimate authentic personal lifestyle.

And that’s what he found in SHRED OPTICS: a love for shredding in whatever form that may be. It’s about the feeling you get when you’re pushing your limits and having fun.

“For me it was a little crazy [to choose SHRED], because the brand is from skiing!” sarcastically chuckling as he uttered that last word. “They were simple and nice and really true to who they are […] and so I went for it and am not regretting it at all! And besides, there shouldn’t be a conflict between ski and snowboarding: we’re all riding the same snow on the same mountains!”

And for the first time in a long time, Romain feels the love. He’s stoked on the gear, loving how his current favorite, the SHRED SOAZA goggle fits his head, and how Shred engineers and designers are working with him on a future pro model based on the SHRED OMNIBOT with a twist of vintage goodness.  The eco-line of products too are catching his eye, “I wish we can push towards that, to recycle the entire goggle in the future!”

Harmony with a sponsor? Growth? Purpose? Recycling? What’s gotten into Romain?

Besides making positive moves in his professional life, he’s gone through transformations in his personal life too. And in a word, fatherhood got into Romain. You could hear it in his voice when asked to comment on his kids. He paused, reflected and shared sentimental and downright philosophical words:

“Man, Anella is almost 2 years old and she’s growing up by the minute! It’s fascinating… (pause), I mean, it makes you more mature, makes you go forward in life, to be able to see your kids, the way they interpret life, to see their innocence and their soul. It gives you a lot of inspiration!”

Hearing him gush about his little tykes would make you believe he’s turned soft and more cautious when out on the mountain.

“Actually, for me it went the other way around! I’m MORE CRAZY now than before! Now more than ever, I do it for more and more reasons.” Admitting that his ego-driven motivations in younger years left him empty, it’s now his little 2 year old and freshie baby who inspire him to live every day to its fullest: “I want them to feel my passion and I want to translate it to them, so now I go out there and try to get as stoked as I can, so when I get home, they can see how happy I am to do what I love to do. I love when they feel that!”

From debaucherous infamy to pint-sized inspiration, Romain de Marchi is blazing new paths based on the small, the passionate, the meaningful relationships in his life.  Catch him riding all over the world, holding his kids and dawning the new SHRED look.

About Shred Optics

100% athlete driven ski and snowboard products, Shred Optics is based on a rider's love for shredding, in whatever form that may be. Shredding is about the feeling you get when pushing your limits and having fun. It's a positive movement. There are no haters here. For more information visit Shredoptics.com

Shred Goggles, Helmets and Sunglasses distributors at www.shredoptics.com/dealers/index.html
Headquarters:
CERSAL srl
Viale Ancona, 26
30172 Venezia Mestre
Tel.+390412517211
Fax +390412517200

email: Stephan@StephanBoeker.com
www.ShredOptics.com

Dragon Mystery Tour rail Jam at Falls

Posted 21 Jul 2009 12:48PM by Sean Radich

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After a fantastic Friday of clear skies and great snow - perfect for hitting up the small jump line and jibs on Drovers Dream and the newly placed rail park with the new 42 foot down rail - the weather rolled in and cloud blanketed the mountain. It made it tough for the crew of competitors and Dragon riders out in Ruined Castle on Saturday, but a fun session was laid down.

Buller's Shaun Belmore was the snowboard winner, but it was little 9 year old Jack who received the year's sponsorship with Dragon after showing some nice riding and great future potential.

But the upside to the rough weather was that a reasonable amount of snow fell across the mountain - it might not be enough to get some decent sized jumps built on Ruined, which is a real shame - but more snow is always a good thing. See you up there this weekend...

Aussie Winter Begins

Posted 10 Jul 2009 10:26PM by Sean Radich

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The snow is finally falling and sticking to the ground, giving some opportunities for pow turns and tree runs last week. There's hopefully going to be a little bit more snow this weekend, and all the resorts have some small jumps and jibs set up.

So get those first season turns in, get that feel back on the board...and get the stoke back!