Lost in Translation: the Hidden Meaning in a Press Release

Ah, yeah I typically don't repost press releases so I can avoid the fate of being called out by a Sasquatch from the great Northwest. But, since I am just returning from Utah and since I have an opportunity to provide additional thought here.... why not. I present to you:

Lost in Translation: the Hidden Meaning in a Press Release Volume 1!

Seven Springs Mountain Resort Hosts Monster Energy’s Homecoming, Kristi Leskinen’s Invitational Ski and Snowboard Event

(Translation: She rips, she lived here briefly and did we mention she's kinda hot? Yeah, we'll promote the crap out of this these Steelers fans haven't seen a chick like this since she left.)

Seven Springs Mountain Resort is pleased to present Kristi Leskinen’s invitational ski and snowboard event, Monster Energy’s Homecoming, March 13 – 15, 2009.

(The economy blows. Please come your spend at our mountain. Instead of discounted tickets or other recession beaters we'll throw a hot skier/model at you.)

Leskinen, a pioneer in women’s freeskiing and native of Uniontown, Pa., took home a bronze medal at the Winter X Games IX in the Women’s Superpipe. Her career highlights also include: second place Slopestyle at the 2009 Aspen Open, second place Slopestyle at the 2008 North American Open, third place Slopestyle at the 2007 US and Japan Opens, first place Halfpipe in the 2005 Gravity Games, second place Halfpipe in the 2005 World Championships and in 1999 she was the first female to compete in the US Open.

(Face it you knucklehead Kristi skis better than you play guitar hero. Quit being a sad sack of suck, get your ass of the couch, quit arguing on the internet the right way to do shred tricks you can't land and go to 7 Springs. BTW, did we mention she's appeared in FHM?)

"After traveling around the world to international competitions for the past 10 years, I'm thrilled to bring this contest to the resort where I grew up," said Leskinen, "We have an amazing group of athletes coming and Seven Springs is pulling out all the stops to make this event a huge success."

("I'm going to kick my agents ass. South Western, PA What the fuck?" )

Top female skiers and snowboarders, including three-time Winter X Games gold medalist skier Sarah Burke; Tara Dakides, four-time Winter X Games gold medalist and two-time silver medalist; and Hana Beaman, three-time Winter X Games silver medalist, will join Leskinen at Seven Springs for the all-girls ski and snowboard slopestyle event and rail jam. The contest will be an opportunity for the girls to push themselves, progress the sport and raise awareness and interest in the sport among young girls and women.

(You know Tara the snowboarder who landed on her head in front of the Letterman cameras? Also she and Burke posed in FHM-ish, Maxim-ish mag. As for Beamen hey she slays it for Ride and has a bunch of awards.)

Snow Park Technologies (SPT) will make a stop at Seven Springs on its way to the Burton US Open to build the course for the first annual event. The course will be created specifically for the purpose of showcasing the girls’ abilities and the sport. The event will be a rider-judged jam format encouraging the girls to go for their biggest tricks. The prize purse for the ski and snowboard contests will be $20,000.

(OK, we had to surrender the job away from our regular park monkeys and hand it over to brand name builders. Apparently these guys crap perfect transitions and burp away icy landings. Have they ever been to Pennsylvania in March!?!?!? Oh yeah, rider judged means those pros will make a few calls and then peace out before handing off $20,000)

There will be many opportunities for spectators to interact with the athletes, including clinics, autograph sessions and more. Steelers Super Bowl Champion Chris Hoke will also be on-hand for autograph sessions.

(Bring your Terrible Towel because if you have zippy interest in snowboarding we have a Steeler for you!)

Practice sessions begin Fri., March 13 at 10 a.m. and will continue throughout the day. The first rounds of the competition will be at 12 p.m. and 1:15 p.m. with finals held at 2:45 p.m., Sat., March 14. On Sun., March 15, kids ages 10 – 16 will have the opportunity to ride with the pros from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. Limited space is available for this event. Registration will be held in The Yurt from 8 – 9:30 a.m. An amateur rail jam will be held from 1 – 2 p.m. and a pro rail jam will follow at 2:30 p.m. For more information on Monster Energy’s Homecoming and a complete calendar of events, please click here.

(We're not quite sure where the money is being handed out but here are bunch of days and times)

Event sponsors include Willi’s Ski & Board Shop, Rome Snowboards and Oakley. Freeskier Magazine is the event’s media partner.

(Blah, Rome Snowboards, blah)

Monster Energy’s Homecoming will be working with the Women’s Sports Foundation to promote healthy, active lifestyles for women and girls, and any proceeds from Sunday’s Ride with a pro session will be contributed to the organization.

“The Women's Sports Foundation is excited by new events that give women's sports greater visibility and give girls additional opportunities to play and become active,” said Women’s Sports Foundation CEO Karen Durkin. “In creating this event, Kristi Leskinen is not only expanding her own sport, but has once again demonstrated that she is a wonderful role model for girls and a great ambassador for women's sports.”

(We couldn't agree more ...)

Nitro Snowboards and the BMW Winch

Nitro nailed this one fer sure. Thanks Boardistan for showing it off.

Nike SB March 2009

Well it's been awhile since I did an SB drop. What with all the snowboard craziness going on. Actually, Ive been out snowboarding more than anything else. If I can emulate the same motivation to go skate this year will be more fun than any I can remember in a long, long time. Sneakers, well most people need them for skating. Unless you are Wenning and claim Timbo's up and down in a weird video that pops up on the interweb. But, I digress...

So the bigger thing lurking in the back of my head ...dos Nike SB still have the demand that other shoes are sneaking in on? For sure SB's are easier to get your hands on these days than in the past and for fat old guys like me having a little extra cushioning on the feet doesn't hurt. So I'll be interested to see if the swoosh keeps pumping dollars into their footwear and team. In the meantime here are the March 2009 SB drops. The first shoe is the Blazer low hybrid which gives a leather blazer upper and a zoom harbor sole.
Next up is the Nike Sb Blazer X Stevie Dread collab. Stevie takes a little influence from his hometown of Chicago for this one. Being a fan of all things Chicago myself (Cubs, Bulls, Bears, Bozo the Clown, the Shed, Old Style and the Sea Walls) I think these will land in my possession. The first pic is from CCS and has the usual Nike SB tab.
Next up is a pics from the shoe release event and ...

Last but not least is the image of the shoe from Hypebeast. See the tab? Yeah that's the Chicago flag. Pretty cool. Hey SB! How about a pair of D.C. kicks?

2010 Vans Snowboard Outerwear Preview: Hana Beaman

For those of you who wanted hi-res images. Attach are pics of Hana Beaman's new kits and specs

Hana Insulated Jacket (Gold Window Pane show)
• Vansguard 10MM/8GM window pane embossed plain weave
• Fully taped
• Fixed “Bigge” Hood with Dual Adjustment
• Removable powderskirt
• Pit vents
• TSS Lightweight Insulation (grid fleece core)

Hana Insulated Pant (Vans Black Window Pane shown)
• Vansguard 10MM/8GM window pane embossed plain weave
• Zip-to-Jacket Interface with removable powderskirt
• Cuff Pull System
• Adjustable waistband
• TSS Lightweight Insulation (60GM/40GM seat/knee)
• Fully taped

2010 Vans Snowboard Outerwear Preview: Andreas Wiig Kit

For those of you who wanted to see some hi-res images of the pro kits here they are with more info


Andreas Wiig Insulated Jacket (Red Orange shown)
• Vansguard 10/10 cross hatch fabric
• Vansguard 10/10 yarndye hammer plaid
• Fully taped
• Fixed “Bigge” Hood with Dual Adjustment
• Removable powderskirt
• Pit vents and wristies
TSS Midweight Insulation (100GM/60GM Primaloft Insulation)


Andreas Wiig Insulated Pant (Eden Hammer Plaid shown)
• Vansguard 10/10 cross hatch fabric
• Vansguard 10/10 yarndye hammer plaid
• Zip-to-Jacket Interface with removable powderskirt
• Cuff Pull System
• Adjustable waistband
• TSS Midweight Insulation (60GM Primaloft Insulation)
• Fully taped

2010 Vans Snowboard Preview: Vans X Seven jeans

I'm going to chalk this one up to "hey we are in the same corporate family". But, Id love to see how many of these units move. It will either sell like crazy or gather dust. But, if anybody is going to make a high fashion play I'd rather see Vans and VF Corp get in on that scene than Ed Hardy. Just sayin' we all know when dues have more than been paid and when somebody is a Hot Topic carpet bagger...

2010 Vans Snowbaord preview: Vans X B4BC

OK, here's a collab I can get behind 1000% percent. Too many of my friends and family members have been diagnosed with breast cancer as of late. This includes somebody in my immediate family. Lets set the bar pretty low here...all cancer sucks. But whether it be a 65 year old woman and 20 something year old gal this is one form of cancer we need to kick the crap out of. I'm glad boarding for breast cancer is still around and I look forward to the day when we eradicate the disease and no longer need them. Kudos to Vans for getting down with this.

Fuck cancer.

2010 Vans Snowboard Preview: Bad Brains Jacket

Not much to say. I am in Utah right now riding and am not banned in D.C.

2010 Vans Snowboard Preview: Vans X POW Collab

Now, if you are somebody who loves winter the way I do you tend to notice the little things. Like say a massive shift in global climate that causes winter to go completely hay-frickin-wire. Lucky for slakckers liek you and I there are pople who care enough to give us all a kick in the pants. One such organization is POW - Protect Our Winters or as their offical line puts it:

Protect Our Winters (POW) is a tax exempt, non-profit organization dedicated to reversing the global warming crisis by uniting the winter sports community and focusing our collective efforts towards a common goal.

Climate change is a serious issue for all of us who are passionate about our winter sports. It's our lifestyle and in some cases, its how we make our living. But if we harness our collective energy and put forth a focused effort, we can have a direct influence on reversing the damage that's been done and ensure that winters are here for generations behind us.

Knowing that growing from within is the best growth and understanding the challenges that lay ahead Vans forged a collab relationship with POw to drop several products Including a cirro boot plus a kit based on the grunt. Sneak a peek below

Vans 2010 Outerwear Preview

So coming in on the end of previews and just before I begin cue up for demo days and reviewing you'll see a good sneak peek of what Vans is offering next year. I've been riding in Vans outerwear for about 2-3 years now and I've been surprised how each year it improves upon itself. I think there is still a ways to go before they really hit their full stride in only the way that Vans can but 2009 - 2010 looks to be a year where they've done some house cleaning on the line. I'm unsure of how to best describe but the technical features, the cuts and the colors all seem to be functioning within themselves ... finally. For awhile it seemed that function came at a price as did the look and feel.

Now, I'm no designer and I don't get paid to ride Vans gear. I don know the Vans Supreme Down is one of the warmest jackets I've ever worn in the bitter cold of an Upstate NY winter and the Cirro boot is so lean and mean I have trouble finding a better technical boa boot. Strike that it's a tie between the Cirro and the DC Status. But I digress the point is Vans does lots of things right. If they get this outerwear thing dialed in then it's a whole new ball game. I hope they do. Some general pics below and then the collabs to follow over the next few days.

Happy Valentine's Day: Light it Up

So yeah Happy Valentines Day from South of the North. Here's hoping that you get some assction tonight by using your smooth romantic skills. I'm taking the day to reeeeeelax but I leave you with one of my favorite videos from not to long ago ' Magic Flashlights' by Mike Benson. A quicky interview with Mike is en route. I know, South of the North ain't high fallutin' jounalistically special but hey we know what we like and want to expose the fun stuff... so check it out.


Magic Flashlights from Mike Benson on Vimeo.

Shred Your Pants Off: Meet Magical Go Go

The best thing about snowboarding is the fact that while riding you experience this amazing uninhibited fun. No matter where I am: in a terrain park in Southern PA with all the jib jabs, back in the New York stomping grounds, out West with new and old friends alike ... every day is fun. So much fun that it makes me smile so big people often wonder what I am up to. I guess that happiness is one of the driving forces of South of the North. Trying to extend the mentality of that which makes me happy in the world of all things skate and snow. So when I see a brand embracing the fun side of snowboarding and letting their ya-ya's hang out I get excited. Not the Rick Springfield 'I get excited' kind of excited but the kind of hyped up mentality that makes me love snowboarding even more. I got this way just a few days ago by looking at graphic with a very simple message: Shred Your Pants Off.

The offenders of these amazingly fun four words? None other than Magical Go Go. A skate and snow accessory company that is a small operation but from scratching the surface a really fun idea. Now, I'm not going to be the guy who deconstructs the words or the brand. Bottom line this is the first snowboarding shirt since Transworld's "The Answers" that has made me laugh and think "Yeah, this is for us". Then again I've been out of step with snowbroing fashion for many years so I could be totally wrong. That should come as a shock to nobody. So finding out they are a small operation and then seeing the video they posted up it made me laugh even more. Being small, being quick, breaking into snowboarding turns into a labor of love all. Ask Monument Snowboards, Magical Go Go or even Bluebird Wax all these guys appear to be having fun with what they do. Doing it their way and sticking to that very core that made snowboarding fun in the first place: living by their own agenda and avoiding all else.


Sno-Go Promo 3: THREE FEET HiGH & SLiDiNG. POM POM Promo from roger cameron on Vimeo.

So if fun is on the agenda count me in. Shred your pants off and go ride. In this massive economic charlie foxtrot we are going to see little brands make a name for themselves by staying true and appealing to the best quality snowboarding has to offer ... being fun. All right time to start getting ready for South of the North winter break! Utah here we come!!!

2010 Vans Snowboard Boots: Jamie Lynn Pro Model

Every now and again in this little corner of the infoweb I occupy a pleasant surprise rears its head. This is one of those moments. When Chris B came back from SIA he made a point of telling me: "Man, Jamie Lynn is everywhere next year." Upon further clarification he pointed out that Lynn had a pro model boot back out and a few other things going on. Having looked to Lynn as somebody whose style was timeless and and his riding effortless I was pretty intrigued as to what would come next.

Then, without warning Vans followed up and said ... "hey we got stuff for ya." Nestled deep in the 4 page document was the followup with the new pro model boot from Mr. Jamie Lynn himself. Continuing their shift into a brand that embraces and rewards the pioneers of lifestyle rather than the flavor of the moment I think Vans has done something very cool here. Now, I can't vouch for how the boot will ride but it's nice to see one of Jamie's long time sponsors from the past provide him another moment in the spotlight now.



Jamie Lynn – As a founding father of Vans Snow and one of the most influential riders of all time, Vans is proud to welcome Jamie Lynn back to our family this season with the debut of his new boot. Possessing unmistakable style in everything he pours his heart into – from snowboarding to art to music, Jamie represents all that we at Vans stands for: style, creativity, individuality and self expression.

Drawing inspiration from his original signature styles introduced over a decade ago, we worked with Jamie to fuse his distinct artistic aesthetic with the performance functions needed to rip. The result is a freestyle boot featuring Jamie’s unique artwork as well as our new “flex-cuff” upper that provides critical closure around the ankle and lower leg, allowing for quicker response time. The highly functional boot also features Vans Quadfit Asym-X thermal liner and Vans V-tread Air Snowaffle Sole with a PU heel block and nylon arch support heel cradle. Combing the very best of past and present, the new Jamie Lynn model has you set for the season. (MSRP - $219)

Backlash: Banana Hype, Reverse Camber and Marketing

There is an inevitable cycle in any new product release where the vocal consumer base will sway towards the negative. In my 35 years I've seen it in everything from soda to cars, to 'Star Wars' movies to computers and even snowboards. The last time (in current memory) that the snowboarding population was so split down the middle was not over backcountry boards but step in bindings. Step in's have gone the way of the beta max video tape as a general victim that was equal parts bad hype, poor engineering and just being generally ineffective. But, more and more I see a similar slant driving from a vocal minority regarding reverse camber decks. What's even funnier is the bickering is filtering into my comments section.

I'll be the first to admit: I'm not an engineer. But, as a snowboarder I'm interested in trying different boards and seeing how they ride. Riding mostly on the icy slopes of Pennsylvania (Hey you gotta make do with what you have) the general crappy conditions provide a good testing ground for seeing if anything lives up to the the hype. When Mervin started marketing magnetraction the whole "turns ice into powder" was a pretty typical Mervinism. You know these mervinisms by now. The kind of statement that is so far reaching you can visibly see the sarcasm dripping from the catalog. But, like all things Mevin there is typically something worthy in there. The same can be said for the hype and footage surrounding the Banana traction (BTX) decks. Are they so revolutionary that it will forever change the face of snowboarding? We'll find out over time but I highly doubt it. I could be wrong but I can't fault them for being funnier if not smarter than most brands when it comes to marketing.

A snowboard, like skateboard or surfboard, has an inherent simplicity that is a big factor in its success and appeal. The ability to control and manipulate the board is not something that is incredibly complex. But, it could be changing the camber of a board means more to somebody who rides 100 days a year versus 25 days a year. Of the people I hear tearing down on reverse camber decks right now it's a few dedicated riders whoa re so dialed in with specific equipment that the slightest change would ripple effect their riding. From the 2010 Lib Tech Catalog post I had this comment.

"Bananas are so overrated. Every kid and his mom wants one and they don't even know why. A bunch of mediocre snowboarders swear Bananas are the amazing and they’ll never go back to standard camber. Unfortunately if you ride more than 20 days a year your libtech will flex out or delam before the season ends. Quick silver actually lost money off of them last year cause they warranteed so many boards. Its called good marketing and its just a snowboard... Don't Slip on Your Skate banana. Peace"

Knowing the Lib Tech faithful it didn't take long for another comment to sprout up:

"I ride 60+ days a year, on a lib trs, I love my board. My edge has a very nice chunk out of it thanks to a very friendly rock, and it's still not delamming, nor "flexed out" after 2 seasons. Why don't you stop talking shit and go snowboarding you pussy? Come to the northwest, you can still talk shit up here, but everyone will still rip harder than you... on their libs."

Put those two comments together and you have some high comedy for sure. I go back to my earlier statement: there's an inherent simplicity to snowboarding that makes it fun. OK, so I shortened it a bit but the point here is that we will always have snowboarding companies marketing to us, we will always have engineers looking to try something new and we will always have riders who say "if it isn't broke, don't fix it." As for me? I've had a few reverse camber decks I've tested including a Lib Tech Phoenix, Burton hero and Nitro Sub Pop. Each one has its own unique way of riding and to be honest it took a little getting used to the different minutia. On the flip side they are all really fun boards to ride. Because, at the end of the day, if I'm snowboarding I care less whats under my feet and more about the smile on my face.

Dakine 2010: Signature Team Packs and Gloves

So, 110% biased opinion here: I love Dakine. Gloves, luggage, beanies, they do a pretty stellar job with their line. Anytime Ive had a customer service issue with a bag it's been a quick fix. In these harsh economic times its nice to see a company building quality products that are durable and function up to your standards so That's the praise I sing for Dakine. Like I said I'm biased. If I were 18 and Dakine were a chick, yeah I'd probably ask it out to the prom. So without further awkwardness ...I give you a Dakine 2010 preview

First Up...

Skier Eric Pollard

Glove is the Maverick

Pack: “Team Heli Pro DLX” (*note* Eric created the artwork and graphics for his pack, so he worked extra close w/ the designers… here’s a link to his personal site: www.ericpollarddesign.com)

A side note I usually have a fair amount of distaste for the whole Rasta colorway but the muted/bold colros vs. bright was super smart by Dakine and Pollard. The personal touches make this really solid.

Skier Mark Abma

Glove is the Cobra

“Team Baker”

Snowboarder Austin Smith

Glove is the Raven

“Team Mission”

Snowboarder Wolfgang Nyvelt

Glove is the Bronco

“Team Heli Pro DLX”

Snowboarder Leanne Pelosi

Glove is the Comet

“Team Heli Pro DLX Girls”