What Was Good About 2007 Anyways?

Wait, the year can't be over yet. I was just getting the hang of 2007. I mean, c'mon do you really want it to be over? We were just getting the '07 good to go! Ah well, c'est la vie. I lose years faster than old skate spots are dying out. Well, this will be the last post for 2007 so I might as well get into what was good and everything else that wasn't.



With the launch of South of the North I got to see some pretty cool stuff up close. Here's a few things I was really digging from 2007.

From the World of Skateboarding ...

Skatebook
So Ballard and Salman Agah are at the helm of this little monster. The book is visual and lets leave it at that. The same way that watching somebody skate triumphs infinetly over somebody writing about skating. The visual medium Ballard assembled is amazing and latches onto the principle that you must bear witness to the experience in order to be a part of the experience.

I have no shortage of guests hanging around during the holidays and everybody picks up Skatebook. Everybody loves it and to be honest, they should. Photos and art that cover it all from Koston, to Schaaf, to Way, Jason Adams, Hosoi, Barletta and more.

Get your hands on a copy of this if you can. Keep it warm and safe no matter how many time you dog ear he pages and run them ragged. Books like this are thing to cherish. My personal favorite is a toss up the stellar chapter on beer that the Thrasher recapus. Click on over to Skatebook.tv for more information.


The Vans Pro Tec Pool Party
Several years ago was when I first started feeling my age. I had just turned 31 and after a night of street skating in D.C. I woke up feeling like crap. The next day I started skating a friends bowl. I got hooked on roundwall. After watching web coverage of the Pool Party for a couple of years on the web I made the journey west to hang out and witness it first hand. I was in shock. I was in awe. After sitting through the X Games, the Dew Tour, the Gravity Games and god knows what else...here was contest where the bowl guys could open up. The thing is ...it wasn't just the bowl guys. Street skaters, all terrain rippers, vert skaters everybody was attacking the combi with a passion I rarely see in most contests.

Simply put: Vans puts on an amazing event. It's not about who wins (although they do cut a nice check)the level of skating that takes place eclipses the "gold medal" factor of the X Games. If you can go in 2008, go.


Fall of the Videos
Fully Flared. Nothing But the Truth. The Beginning. Feed the Need. Now, come on you have to admit it's been awhile since we had a banner year for skate movies. The movies that dropped at the end of the year set the bar a little higher. While skateboarding is purely individual there must be some level of progression that is fueled by ego. You have to wonder if everybody working on 'Extremely Sorry' is thinking. Maybe it doesn't affect them at all. Then again, maybe it does.




Some Randoms ...

Shaun White Getting Arrested
Come on. Admit it, this was fucking awesome. If for nothing else it reminds us that he's still only a 20 something and gets a little rowdy.

Jake Brown Living
Yeah, I still think back to that night. I jumped out of my seat in shock. I can only imagine what Jake was thinking. I'm sure: "Holyshitfucknononononoidontwantodie" is a safe bet. Ah Well, JB lived to skate another day and got back on the board in Dubai. Hopefully he charged ESPN an appearance fee for all the money they milked off his fall. Glad Jake is still with us. Sorry he had to experience Larry King.

Vital's Grill Sessions
OK, are you not watching these? Why not? Good god that is some damn good video. Nice pull from Shad Lambert on getting these together the latest episodes with Clint Peterson are outstanding. Plus, it goes to illustrate that one mans shithole warehouse is another skater/artists dream destination. Actually, I would pretty much break a few fingers to have a ramp like that on hand.

Epicly More Video on the Web
Yeah I can't leave out Epicly Later'd. Although the 17 Part Wild Ride Episodes was a bit much. Kind of like Homer's 'The Odyssey" with Justin Regan as Odysseus. I'm still waiting on the Cardiel Episode. Fuck it. Patrick is doing his thing and doing it well. Good stuff.

Donde Esta Soul?
Sure, I am the only person left standing who has not seen "The Man Who Souled the World"
The most anticipated movie of 2007 (for me) is about to become the most anticipated movie of 2008.


I'm sure there are many more so we will leave this as blog post in progress for now.

A quick note... Since I'm not on the West Coast (and just keep this chatter going to preserve my own sanity) it's only fair to mention the South of the North lens is a little different than most. We aren't part of the skate-surf-snow industry really. From my little outpost in the confines of the Washington D.C. beltway I just tap out a stream of consciousness with my only guiding principle is that skating, snowboarding and surfing are things of beauty. Standing sideways on a board in a variety of terrain I can't think of anything better. Spending time with my family not withstanding. Everyday I get to skate, ride and write is a great day.

That's a wrap on 2007. I can't wait to get 2008 rolling and maybe, just maybe, I'll finally get to see that fucking Rocco movie.

The Final Skate Wrap for 2007

OK, writing a snowboard trip recapus might not have been the best way to start my day considering it was 3 AM. Seriously, trying to remember what you did a week ago on a few hours sleep isn’t good for anybody. But, enough about my poor sleeping habits. We’re shifting back to the norm and that means a weekly skate wrap.

Vans Gabba Gabba Hey
Having grown up on a steady diet of New York City exports a deep love for the Ramones is easily defined. The images of Vans’ Johnny Ramone pack snuck out onto the website this past week. When I was walking around Van’s booth at ASR the Johnny Ramone pack was displayed proudly in the center and stopped me square in my tracks. An shrill echo of “1,2,3,4!!!” rang in the middle of my brain and I stood for a minute taking it all in. I’m looking forward to this hitting the shelves. Yeah, I like the Ramones and Vans that damn much. This is like chocolate and peanut butter





















Speaking of Vans, Johnny Layton gets all sorts of a “day in the Life” treatment with the latest installment from Active. Haney does a good job with this and the crew at Active has the right idea keeping you looped in on their team riders.


If You Can’t Say Anything Nice…So, Terry and Jereme are hanging out taking questions and talking about their first sponsors. Jereme decides to talk some shit on Girl skateboards. Mom always said “if you can’t say anything nice don’t say anything at all.” Seems like useful advice to me. Myabe his agent can pick up the pieces here.




Big Mike Tribute
OK, sad story – the short version. There was a guy named Big Mike. He was 110% down for skating and passed away on road trip with his family. He was skating all the local spots he could find. During one stop, he and his brother collided in the park. Big Mike was wearing a helmet but he impacted head to ground in just the right place that it quickly led to his passing.

One of Big Mikes friends has pulled together a tribute deck to Big Mike. With help from Jim T and deluxe and real skateboards these tribute boards will be available in January. If you need some new wood hook one of these up. All proceeds go to a fund for Big Mikes wife and children who survive him.

Small Time Skate Shop Will have the hook up on these coming soon.

Return of Richie
Richie Jackson is back with another part full of airwalks, hippy jumps and stuff. I really dug his first video. This, not so sure anymore…. Watch Richie Jackson on videos.skateperception.com

Random Roster Hop
Now that Bueno is no mas is Shiloh Greathouse on Forest skateboards?

Bonus!
Pitcrew has surfaced a bonus section from their latest video ‘Feels Like the First Time’ hitting shelves in January 2008. Enjoy.




Do You Know the Way to San Jose?
Finally, the Concrete Disciples ventured to San Jose for a secret park sampling. Yeah, just another reason to visit California more often. Click here and stop back when you are done picking your jaw up off the ground.

Mile High and Rising: Recapus

All good things must come to an end and by the end of 96 hours spent hustling all over Colorado in search of snowboarding I had slumped into seat 14 F on United Airlines just slightly passed out. Perhaps it was the drinks consumed in the airport lounge; maybe it was the all out riding that occurred couple of miles above sea level. Who knows? Those answers are best left to physiologist and somebody smarter than I. Physical exhaustion aside lets close out this adventure with part five; recapus!

Shameless self promotion and safety first. That's my motto.

The next few days were your pretty standard fare: wake up, drink coffee, snowboard, talk, drink more coffee, snowboard, have a beer, take a rest, eat, and fall asleep. I know it’s riveting stuff. You would think there would be some gnarly talk in here of all the radness that went on but not so much. Instead it was mellow times and very relaxing all around. Perhaps it was a sign of overall maturity from the group on hand but not really. We just rode until we were dog tired.

I own the patio chair and naptime scene in Aspen.

Not to mention, and let’s be honest here, Aspen is a weird place. We are talking about a town in Colorado where a million bucks is considered “not having enough money”. On one side you have the last bastion of the rich and shameless. This group sneaks up on you when you are walking down the street. Say, for instance, when you look inside the window of a high end clothier displaying their signature couture baby seal skin chaps and here a couple behind you say “Oh, I must have those”. Creepy doesn’t even come close to describing the chill that comes over your body. Unless, you are into baby seal skin chaps … then let your freak flag fly baby.

The upside is Aspen does know how to take care of their mountains. Make no mistake I have ridden some of the crappiest snow and ice globally. Aspen had their slopes dialed in during these early days of December to the best of their ability. An added bonus was the fact that the slopes were deserted. Come our third day a brief interlude through Buttermilk for change of scenery we where still getting fresh back in the glades. Weird to say the least but it gave the most smiles. All the brouhaha aside this trip had one element that all trips have: a bunch of friends wanted to make some turns. Pretty simple stuff and at the end of the day there will be more like it coming this season.

Mile High and Rising: Part 4 (Time Doesn't Wait)

When your alarm clock rings at 3:45 AM it's way to early to be doing anything but hitting the snooze button. But, there I was sitting in the starting gate of a snowboarding trip bright and early on Saturday morning. While most of the crew was stumbling home from the bars ...  I was waking up. A few hours later I descended into the Denver airport and prayed to God, Buddah, Allah and Frosty the Snowman that my snowboard bag had made it onto the flight. Lucky for me it was sitting deep in baggage claim. From that point on I knew it was "game on".

Nice to finally see some real snow in december for a change.

With gear in hand I hit the road with my good friend Colin behind the wheel. We caught up over the usual stuff: snowboarding, family, snow conditions, friends, what boards had made it into our quiver this trip and some small talk about skating. We finally pulled into Copper around 11 AM Mountain Time. I was now into my ninth hour of being awake but seeing the mountains from I-70 got me a little fired up.

This is the point where I usually go into a long rambling tale of how great the conditions were (even if the weren't) and how wonderful snowboarding is (even if it does cost and arm and a leg) but not this time. No, definitely not this time. A few things happened next. Let me run 'em down. Once in the parking lot we joined in with the numerous crews or riders who had fled their urban existence to get a little taste of the good life up in the mountains. They came in all ages, genders, sizes and flavors. That was probably the most gratifying moment of the day. Seeing the riders wh0 were excited to breathe fresh air and charge slopes. The air was electric with their excitement.

The funniest thing that happened all day is when our parking lot neighbors who were bumping the new 'Atmosphere' album offered me party favors of a "kind" kind. Now, being that I don't partake in such experiences I felt bad turning them down.  But, their energy and excitement for riding as they strapped on boots and zipped up jackets was contagious. Even without sampling their hospitality we were getting lifted from the vibe and ready to ride.

These guys were playing their music the loudest and ready to take the party from the lot to the hill. Thank god there are some riders who don't care about the BS and keep the party going. I hope they have a great season.

Next up we connected with old DC/ Baltimore skater and snowboard John L. These days he's an amazing telemark skier. Goes to show the positive benefit of living up in Summit County for seven years. The downside is when it came time to ride I was  wreck from travelling. Colin and John pushed the limits of all I had in me. Finally, around 2 PM I faded.... my total ride time for the day was less than two hours. Maybe the drastic change from sea level to 9,000 feet had something to do with it. Maybe I shouldn't have fell on my head as much as I did. eventually we grabbed a cup of coffee bid John "Adieu" and headed back to the parking lot.

Colin (L) and John (R) after humoring me with a short session at Copper.

After saying goodbye to all those still hanging out in the lot we were off to Aspen. Another East Coast riding crew had flown in the same day to the land of "cougars and cash". A floor was offered up and we were determined to take care of business in the land Hunter S. Thompson left behind and the slopes a certain X Games annually invades. After a watching Colin play "press your gas tank luck" all the way up I convinced him to refuel. We finally made out destination and all was well. Slices of pizza, crispy garlic bread and cold beers were in order for all. Once that was accomplished we retreated to the condo floor space. 

I could tell Colin was a little worried about the fuel gauge when he brought up Triple A automotive services. We felt the pain at the gas pump for the truck a few hours later but at this point ...that was OK by us.

Sleep had finally come some 22 hours after waking up in Washington DC. I drifted off thinking about the days travels and lack of riding. As the dreams began to consume my thoughts all worries drifted out and visions of Snowmass opened up. Tomorrow was another day to ride. The day had ticked over to December 16th. It's officially snowboard season and it's time to ride because time doesn't wait.

Shaun White Meets "The Man"

I don't know what's better that fact that Shaun White jumped in the Grand Prix out at Breck during the 11th hour or that he allegedly got a little hammer time in the post-victory celebration and subsequently...busted.

First up, lets gaze upon the signs of a great rider. The red headed wunderkind decides to show up, and kill the pipe without too much of a prelude to snowboard season. Reminds me a little of Terje dropping in switch at the Baker Banked slalom and we all know how that ended. Amazing no doubt. Then White may or may not have been partying a little too hard and gets rowdy. OK, back to the Shaun Palmer days of rowdy partying.

Basically, I don't care what he did or did not do. The guy is acting like a 21 year old who was holding it down and partying on. Nobody got hurt and Shaun White will ride on. Let's all remember one thing: These men and women are snowboarders. The live for the ever so gratifying moment of landing a trick after hucking their bodies through the air tens of dozens of feet. That's gotta be a hard thing to come down from. Also, sometimes you gotta keep the party going. Nice one Shaun. Now Terje would have won but Palmer wouldn't have been caught.

Strike that. Palmer would have flipped off the judge while guzzling sapporo been caught but he would have kept the party going after posting bail.

Mile High and Rising: Intermission

At some point I realized ..."I haven't blogged in almost a week!?!?!" To be honest, I shocked myself. There I was in awe of all that Aspen has to offer and I was thinking about blogging. That's probably a sign for an intervention. But, I digress... the trip is winding down so it is time to begin briefing you all on what went down and where. First lets get into a quick little feel good "awe shucks" reflection.

Who doesn't love a good 'A-Team' moment? I think everybody does. Especially when you can look back and say "I love it when a plan comes together." Lucky for me this trip out West to get in some snowboarding came together just fine. With the exception of the riding crew getting into the firewater a bit too much last night ... all went well. Yeah, there's nothing like having some drunk guy wake you up at 2 AM to high five you. More on that later...back to the words.

This trip was a bit overdue and much welcomed. You can only write about snowboarding, skating, and action sports in general before you begin to lose your connection to it at some level. Talking and writing vs. doing and creating is a weird line to walk. However, it's a weird line that is equally fun. So, it's back into the blog. Back to the writing and back to D.C. later today.

We're going to grab some turns at Buttermilk this morning and then hit the road. The daily adventures will roll out on Thursday morning so, that's about that. See you all on the East Coast tomorrow.

Too Much Money + Free Time ='s Fun

The best stories told always have an outrageous ending. One of my personal favorites is about a buddy of mine who got millions from a dot com back in the '90's. He was a great guy and you couldn't do anything but wish the best for him. This could not have happened to a better guy. he lived life large. A little too large. Homey straight up was broke three or four years later. But, in the process of spending his money... he found himself. This is why I dig Ken Block. The founder of DC Shoes is a guy who clearly is sitting on enough money to buy a herd of sheep and the country Yemen. But, rather than turn into an ultra rich douchebag who owns sheep and a country called Yemen Ken Block is living life.

(I apologize to the fine people of Yemen. I'm sure your country is lovely this time of year.)

Next time you find yourself wondering why guys like Richard Branson are mega millionaires, even though they don't appear to have the Bill Gates brains or Steve Jobs Machiavellian style, there is a very simple reason. Either they have great instincts for success or they straight up go for it. I mean there is a formula for success that plays out like this: "going for it + having fun * friends = fun".

OK, it's not a published formula. Not yet at least.

Why the babble? Well first DC is going to be dropping their Mountain lab 1.5 video soon. Actually, strike that. More than likely the video has already come out. regardless, the first Mountain Lab was great. Sure, it didn't have the indie rock art factor that all the Portland kids are loving. Maybe the big mountain TGR - Mack Dawg gnarness wasn't there but god damn if it wasn't fun to watch. Short? Yes. Yes, indeed it was short but it was also fun. Mountain lab one was more fun than a your first night with a fake ID in New York City. That being said, a new version of the Mountain Lab coming soon better not disappoint.

Next up if any of you out there have got your hands on the December issue of Snowboarder mag you'll see these pics of Ken Block and the DC shred team down in New Zealand. I wouldn't call it "new" news but it certainly isn't old. Just let the pictures say what they gotta say.

DC Mountain Lab 1.5 review coming soon...

Mile High and Rising: Part Three

"I should really take a picture of this."
- Mathew Brady
Gettysburg, PA July 1 1863

Capturing the images of your adventures is always a slippery slope. get that? The whole slippery slope thing? Yeah, pun intended. However, it's true for the most part. Getting shots of snowboarding while trying to enjoy your riding is damn hard unless your name is either "Blotto" or "Curtes". When push comes to shove you have to decide why you are out there. is it to document the experience or live the experience? Why bother even raising these questions well lets go to an e-mail I received from Mr. Bane not to long ago:

"Unrelated: Do you have one of those tiny tech video cameras of some kind? It seems to me our tour demands some documentation: The very mention from your mouth of intending to do some Berts and celebratory Methods made me think of it. We're going to need that on record, for sure. Ditto for my signature tailgrab you were so impressed by once: The world must know."

The world must know what? That I have two tricks in my bag in my decrepit old age? For the record Colin's tailgrabs are so freaking tweaked it's like Jeff Brushie without knee caps and cartilage. Pretty sick if I may compliment him myself. As for me, nobody really needs to see that. But then i started thinking why not have fun. I mean we are going to end up screwing around. Why not grab a little video. Throw some berts and get upside down once or twice in shred tube. God forbid we have a powder because then it will just be crater central. Documented for scientific reasons of course....

So here's the lesson learned in this hand typed verbal diarrhea marathon. Are you ready?? I'll only get preachy once on this topic. Here we go: Not every shot has to be perfect, nor every run must be perfect. Sometimes, the images of your journeys need to opportunity to formulate and come to life in their own right. You can make the direct correlation to riding in terms of style and skill if you have to. Now, that of course is the PhD version of saying "some things have to be done for nothing more than the 'sake of doing' ."

Bottom line is this, for all my brethren weekend two day a week shred all-stars What happens from when you press record is secondary. What you want snowboarding to be is the most important thing.

Fun seems like a good place to start ...

Time to take some tips from Travis Parker

Next up ... Do you hear what I hear? or Straight edge punk rocker and me in car for four days...who will survive?

Catch up on Mile High and Rising:

Entry #1

Entry #2

Yet More on the Berrics... Steve Berra

"There are no logos or banners in the park for any skateboard companies. This is not a DVS, LAKAI, ALIEN WORKSHOP, GIRL site because we want all skaters from all companies to come skate and we don't want to use their names to sell our products. We don't sell any products. This is skateboarding, that's it."
-Steve Berra

Actually, this is less about the Berrics and more about 50% of the equation behind the Berrics: Steve Berra. By now if you don't know how much we enjoy the fine fresh feel-good content over at 48Blocks.com well then you just need to go start LARPing on the weekend.

Seriously though, the Block delivers above and beyond with an in-depth interview from Steve Berra. The topics are all over the place but the caramel center of it all is Steve, a pioneering street skater from the 90's. By some off chance you don't know who Steve is this should be a good introduction. For those of you shouting "Wha' happen to Steve Berra?" say hello again.

Read the Interview now...

Key Holding: The Berrics

By now everybody should know or at least have general idea of the Berrics. That would be the private indoor skatepark owned by Eric Koston and Steve Berra. Gte it? Berra? Eric? Berrics? Pretty self explanatory. Replicate real street skating indoors and surely it will attract only the finest street skaters. Why not film 'em and show the world what the best street skaters do daily?

Why not indeed.

The funny thing here is how almost everybody has overlooked the level setting irony of the The Berrics. Even the worlds best still take matters into their own hands to create a skate spot. Again, down to the core of skating, it's a do it yourself type activity. You must create and give to skating in order to draw out. From pouring your own concrete bowl to going down the key holder path for a private skatepark the cycle is never ending.

... and I'm thankful for that.

Mile High and Rising: Part Two

"A new week is upon us and more adventure awaits in the days to come...."

As a grom back in my younger days I used to love those choose your own adventure books. One could even make the case as to that is why I found skating, snowboarding and action sports in general. From the first day you put your feet on a board, strap into bindings or paddle out the world is your oyster. Today marked a brief 30 minutes of freedom in my schedule where I could begin plotting my adventure for next week in Colorado. This was the day I had to drag out the gear boxes and start getting ready.

Moving aside from the usual gripping horror of obsessive compulsive disorder for 13 minutes , I can say this, for once everything was just where I had left it. Why am I packing almost a full week in advance? Well, glad you asked that very question. I am travelling all this week and when I get back to good old Washington D.C. I'm here for 18 hours before heading West. So, today is my only day to pack it up and move it out.. Let's do this! Better yet... lets embark on a brief photo essay with the help of Mrs. South of the North 1972 behind the lens.

First up, I needed a little entertainment. Naturally Fuel TV's coverage of the arctic challenge was enjoyable. Damn, that Jim Rippey is a good narrator.



What will the quiver selection be for this go around? Malolo and T6 perhaps with the Co2 binder? Yes, thank you very much! Ah, delicious!




Mr. Danny dropped off a grip of diecuts! Check out Danny for all your sign and sticker needs


Ah, boots time to break them in all over again. This go around it's all about the Vans BFB boot. Heck yes, this boot is sick.



Actually the BFP and BFJ are in effect as well. It's the best freaking kit this year. Giddyup! If it works for Mandreas it will work for me! (barring he rips and I ...well I don't.)



After all main gear was pulled and packed everything else got tossed in the bag with excitement. I sat and watched Terje bust out a 32 foot air on Fuel and smiled knowing the whole season is waiting for me. The adventure of my choosing is coming soon. Six days and counting. When those plane wheels touch down Mr. Bane and I will follow the snow and the miles of smiles will ensue.

Next up ... getting the media maxed out and dialed in. Ain't no half stepping so we can document this whole debacle.

Catch up on Mile High and Rising:
Entry #1

Wrappin' Up the Week: A Work in Progress

Ahhhh the end of he week and the beginning of the weekend, it's a beautiful thing isn't it? After jamming all week the time has come to cut loose skate, rip, ride and let your freak flag fly. All in all I have to say it's good to be alive. While most holiday season are a continued downward spiral into the inevitable awkward holiday party and always over hyped New Years Eve throw down this year is yielding interesting returns. lets dig into them before somebody comes along and decides to eff it all up.

Not Just another Nike SB Update...
First up the homies at Nike SB began dropping their December releases. Ordinarily, this isn't a big deal. Nike shoe drops happen every month. This month though we see a few extra special drops including one I have had my eye on for some time. That's right the "Joe Strummer" dunk low. technically the colorway is described as black/metallic silver but, as we blogged about earlier this year, this is apparently an homage to none other than the punk rock warlord himself : Joe Strummer.

Nike SB Dunk Low
Black/Silver
Check out the Hypebeast before and after shots

Backing up the new dunk is the blazer low and several others. You can check out Hypebeast for the full update.
Nike SB Blazer Low
Newsprint/White

New to the East Coast
While you may be scrambling looking for these kicks let me tip you off. There's a newer shop on the scene over here on the East Coast. Our longtime friends have struck out on their own after bowing out of the rep game. that's right the boys from Arrival Boardshop are now a Nike SB dealer. First up, even if they weren't there's nothing better than buying and supporting a true skater/rider owned and operator store. The masses in the North east and points beyond need to check these guys out. Arrival Boardshop has it all on lock.

And now for something completely different ....
Not available at stores yet but making the interweb rounds...a Do we have the Jordan/P-Rod II high? Quake patterns, Jordan style, and P-Rod steez ...oh my.

Let's Talk About Tim

Really it's not good to talk about people behind their back but really since we are only saying good things it won't hurt. Plus we better actually talk about skating up in this blog and quit be the god damn fashion police. So, thanks to Keir at 48blocks.com, we get a interview with Tim Gavin that falls upon our inbox. What never ceases to amaze me is the continued transition from respected pro to industry. Check out his interview.

The block also dug up this vid on the youtubes of Henry and Tim to jog your memory.

Randoms...
Independent Trucks North West Tour Vid-yo!

The end of Epicly's Wild Ride

The "What the Fuck" Blog Post of the Week

Not quite sure what happened over there in Seattle but a blog popped up in the google alert and it provided enough unintentional comedy that I laughed through Thursday on its' merit alone. Here we go ...
"As far as I’m concerned Johnny Miller is the future of snowboarding. His style is singular. He’s laid back, yet on target every time he sets board to snow..."

That's about as far as I got before I started laughing. The writer goes on to slam Shaun White and be plenty witty about snowboarding. Watch the video for yourself and then join back up with me afterwards...

OK, did anybody get the same douche-chill running up their spine like when you first watched that kid from the Hollarado video? yes? No? I digress... First up you have to, if you read the blog, give them props for the correct use of Tyrolean madman. But, on the flip side the statement "Johnny is progressing the sport faster than anybody else". Where the fuck did
that come from?

I'm not hating on Miller. The kid definitely has talent and is working it. But, uh seriously, just because the new jack is wearing tie dye and rocking funny hats doesn't necessarily equate to progressing the sport. Neither are hippie jumps sans bindings. Actually to be honest here (while we are on the topic) progression in snowboarding and skateboarding happens in massive leaps and bounds such as the ollie, or when riders like Terje come along or Koston.
Not by bringing a fashion sense from a decade whose lasting influence to this day is tie dye t-shirts.

The breed of skaters and riders who progress are those who view the world through a
different lens This small group of talented individuals doesn't understand how things can't be accomplished. They are mentally wired for success and they spawn innovation by opening the eyes wider of those who surround them. The previously impossible becomes attainable. I'm pretty sure most everything we see in that vid already happened in Summit County Colorado during a time called the 1990's is unique in its' of way. However, lets remember how far snowboarding has come before we start handing out trophies that haven't been earned just yet.

Planet Earth No Mas?

Some newish news is filtering out from the left coast. Apparently reps are in the process of finding out the fate of Planet earth clothing. Rumor has it that both street wear and outer wear will be taking a hiatus through 2008 and returning for 2009.

The fate of the brand now lies in the hand of the corporate heads at K2. This will be interesting to watch from afar....

Mile High and Rising: Part One

Today most of the east coast is saying a collective “what the f*** just happened?” That’s right! As opposed to last seasons miserable showing of white wintry mix known as snow, we’ve been graced with below freezing temperatures and enough storm patterns to make the local weatherman finally earn his keep!

I only say this because amongst some of my fellow intrepid bloggers I was beginning to feel envy. Nay, I felt jealousy at what my compadres in higher altitudes were experiencing. Oh blogger Colin Bane with your opening day at Colorado or Snow Brooke taking Powder Runs recently. Dare I speak ill of the intrepid leader of this Motely Crue, Shanti, that's Miss SOS if you are nasty, was making turns recently as well. That left me, little old Jonny from South of the North, out in the cold. Actually, strike that three days ago it was mid seventies and we were skating. But, I digress…

I mean come on! When am I going to get a break here and get some snow? Of course when I mentioned this earlier my companion (and Steamboat Springs Colorado native) Mrs. South of the North 1972 grumbled beneath breath “why don’t you pack us up and move back to Colorado.” Well, it’s hard to argue with that. Really, I had no good comebacks. With the exception that it would be logistically impossible at this late stage in the game so I came up with a solution. I put several hours of hard research into this. I used the latest scientific methods and deliberated for several hours.

The solution is this:

Road trip

Yup, plane tickets are bought and in ten days we are hitting the road. What lies ahead are four fun filled days on the road through the Rockies. Snowboarding, skating and of course general mayhem. I am linking up with Colin Bane west of the Mississippi and we full intend to cram as many shredible hours as humanly possible until I have to hop back on a plane back to the South of the North.

In the coming days we will be firing through the quiver selection online. Following the snow reports and looking for a general reason the come barreling through your mountain town. Reports will be filed from the road and pictures supplied.

So stay tuned until then and of course…see you mile above sea level. Remember we are making this up as we go along.

Oh Canada!

Here in Washington D.C. the Canadian embassy is one of those spots you roll by and then, well you keep on skating. Nobody really wants to walk around looking two inches shorter after trying to ollie down a 21 set. Nobody but Bobby Worrest. Mr. Worrest, Krooked's newest pro, has been up to some filming as of late and look where it lands him. Check out TheForgottenCity.com to see the attempt. My body hurts just watching the four attempts on tape.

That explains why I am blogging about Mr. Worrest and he's getting paid to skate. Yes, sometimes the truth hurts.

Who Is Nossa?

All I can really dig up on NossaTV are a few small nuggets including this press release and job listing. After reading both and knowing what lat34 went through to be the title sponsor behind X-Dance I'm wondering who is throwing cash at this venture. It will be interesting to see how this one works out. I mean, they have 34 hours (yes hours!) of footage. Bottom line, if past history is any indicator of the future ... well, let's just say having a backup plan might be a good idea.

"X-Dance Entries Due

Park City (SP)-X-Dance and nossaTV announced the X-Dance Short Film Festival on nossatv.com Comprised of the best short action sports films, the 2008 X-Dance short film festival will premiere on the X-Dance channel on nossaTV in January 2008.

Entries are due to X-Dance on December 4th. Finalists will be announced no later than December 14th, and the online voting will run from January 4th to 21st. Users will have the opportunity to pick their favorite videos after downloading and viewing them on the X-Dance Channel on nossaTV. Videos must be watched in the nossaTV media player. The grand prize winner will be announced January 23rd along with the feature-length winners at the X-Dance closing party."

Then here's the job posting

nossaTV is a video on demand website, media player, and advertising solution. We are the leading provider of “long-form video,” or feature length, action sports films on the internet. The technology being developed by our parent company is on the leading edge of the internet video revolution. Our business model is based on splitting adverting revenues with filmmakers. Our CRM platform and ad supported business model is the future of advertising.

There are over 133 titles and 34 hours (yes, HOURS) of top independent video available on the nossaTV site. We have a committed staff of three managers with extensive experience in the skiing, snowboarding, surfing, and skateboarding industry. We also have a team of developers and marketing support in our Austin, TX, office.

We are gearing up for a Spring 2008 launch of our advertising sales campaign, and are hiring regional sales reps to further improve our position us in the action sports market. Initially we are hiring six sales reps for this winter, growing to as many as twelve in the coming months.

Compensation will be $500 per month this winter. Compensation will shift to 25% commission on ad sales starting in April of 2008. Stock options in this web 3.0 and software development company are also part of the compensation for the first 6 sales reps hired.

The successful candidate will have a solid understanding of online marketing, targeted advertising, social media, and social ads. They will be established manufacturers reps in their regions, able to leverage their industry experience and contacts with both suppliers and retailers.

The candidate’s primary responsibility is to attain 100% market penetration and awareness of the nossaTV service and advertising solution in his/her territory, then aggressively sell advertisers on our highly targeted, zero waste, adverting solution.

Qualifications:

•Exceptional communication and salesmanship skills
•Ability to collaborate online and via conference calls
•Intimate knowledge of at least three of the four board sports represented on nossaTV (skiing, snowboarding, surfing, and skateboarding), to include athletes, filmmakers, and manufacturers
•Excellent industry contacts in your region
•Eagerness to travel, must have own vehicle
•2 years experience, more preferred
•Familiarity with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint), Google Docs, E-mail, Facebook, MySpace, and action sports community sites

nossaTV and parent company User Level Media is headquartered in Austin, TX, but the primary managers of nossaTV on located on both coasts.

Didn't See This Coming

I heard this was a possibility with the whole Beloe thing going on but still kind of a shock. regardless, Ethan used to rips and still does.

Das Skate Week in Review

SOTY Announcement
Sweet Jeebus, we got ourselves a SOTY! Thrasher dropped the word yesterday that Marc Johnson will be receiving their Skater of the Year nod. Congrats to Marc and only six more days until we can finally catch your part in ‘Fully Flared’. After hearing all the rumors about his part and additional footage I'm guessing this honor the SOTY title was an easy nod. Right on Marc and congrats!

Behind the Lens Again

Brian Lotti's ‘First & Hope’ was one of the few DVD’s where the medium and format took center stage as a canvas. The skating was amazing but I thought Lotti’s vision was solid. I’m really excited to see what he turns around with ‘Free Pegasus’

speaking of new vids here are two more to peep:
Mike York and Turf Skateboards are unleashing Turf’s Up!


Four years in the making? Damn better be a good DVD… no pressure there. Check out the trailer for a good idea of what Scummish activity is all about. Starring: Josh Campos, Alec Beck, Jake Eames, Justin Cefai, Ray Maldonado, and Friends



Midrecap Recap
Cardiel is going to be on Epicly Later'd
Shaun white is kinda-sorta liek that kid from 'Mask'
Skatebook Party tonight. Be there!

Hubba Wheels is Funnier Than Your Skate Company
... It’s official.


SPoT
OK, can Skate Park of Tampa do no wrong in the wonderful life they lead? We all know SPoT gives back 10 times what they take out of skating so it’s cool to see something fun happen for them once in awhile. The guy who handles their human resource info was demo’ing a pool for rebuild he actually invited them over to skate it. That’s pretty fuckin’ rad. Video of the session after the jump.

Roster Hops
In the world of roster hoping Ipath continues to clean house. Matt Field and Bigfoot get the big boot from Timberland. No word yet on if they’ll land anywhere. If you caught Ragdoll’s “set the record straight” interview in Transworld Skateboarding you’ll see he gives the official nod to now being on Crimson skateboards. Second chances are awesome. Third chances are even better.

Finally, God Speed Evel Knievil. God Speed.