HUNTSVILLE, UT – The life of a snowboarder ended prematurely after being killed in an avalanche outside the ropes of the Snowbasin Ski Resort. According to the Utah Avalanche Center the snowboarder was found buried under 3 feet of snow via the assistance of a search dog as the snowboarder was NOT wearing an avalanche [more…]
The post Snowbasin Backcountry Avalanche Claims Life of a Snowboarder appeared first on Mountain Weekly News.
VAIL, CO – Taku Hiraoka (JPN) won the men’s halfpipe title today at the 33rd Annual Burton US Open Snowboarding Championships presented by MINI. With the win he takes home $45,000, and continues the Japanese domination of the Open following Yuki Kadono’s slopestyle win yesterday. The 22-foot halfpipe at Vail Mountain was basked in sunshine [more…]
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JACKSON, WYO – The 2015 Intertribal Winter Sports Summit is an event that brings together Native youth, elders and snow sports enthusiasts. This cultural exchange includes people from the Great Plans Nations and the Jackson Hole community to inspire young people to spend more time in the mountains enjoying winter activities. This winter sports event [more…]
The post Skiers and Snowboarders are Mountain People, so are the Natives that were here First appeared first on Mountain Weekly News.
JACKSON, WYO – As I sit and type this article from Jackson the sun is shinning, temperatures are in the low 50’s and the grass is starting to turn green. There’s nothing wrong with a picturesque landscape like this on a Sunday afternoon aside from the fact that it’s early March. In September we published [more…]
The post Say it aint so, the Winter that Never came appeared first on Mountain Weekly News.
VAIL, CO – (March 7, 2015) — The final day of competition on Vail Mountain saw Kelly Clark (USA) earn the halfpipe title at the 33rd Annual Burton US Open Snowboarding Championships presented by MINI. She also claimed the World Snowboard Tour Pro Series Championship for the halfpipe. With her result, Clark takes home $45,000 [more…]
The post Kelly Clark & Taku Hiraoka Win 2015 Burton US Open Halfpipe Titles appeared first on Mountain Weekly News.
WINLAW, BC – If you weren’t already aware, there are a lot of backcountry ski lodges to choose from in BC. Lots. Few, though, possess as storied a past and as bright a future as Mount Carlyle Lodge in the Kokanee Range of the Selkirk Mountains. What sets Carlyle apart? Well, aside from its proximity [more…]
The post Rise, shine, breakfast, pow, pow, dinner, rest, sauna, repeat. a typical day at Mount Carlyle Lodge appeared first on Mountain Weekly News.
Duck ropes. Go out of bounds. Work for your turns. Riding outside resort boundaries has been getting pretty popular and it’s easy to understand why. There are great lines, loads of tasty terrain, and fresh tracks to be had just beyond the boundaries. But it’s also far more risky with less chance of getting help [more…]
The post 3 Resorts that are Bringing Out of Bounds Terrain to Inbounds Skiers and Riders appeared first on Mountain Weekly News.
Should North American snowboard brands be manufacturing equipment oversees? Personally I think not, and am happy to announce that the GST (Global Sports Technologies) factory in Austria is closing! How did this happen? OEM manufacturing agreements – duh it’s called outsourcing 101.. Rumor has it lots of shred brands were having trouble paying on time. [more…]
The post GST is closing their Factory – Does it Matter to Snowboarding? appeared first on Mountain Weekly News.
Teton Pass, Wyoming Everyone has heard of the legendary skiing and ridding at Jackson Hole, however it’s not just the ski resort the offers access to incredible backcountry terrain. Just up the road separating Idaho from Wyoming lies Teton Pass. This well known Pass only has 100 parking spots so don’t be surprised if you’re [more…]
The post 5 Amazing Places to Snowboard For Free appeared first on Mountain Weekly News.
We all need a little review from time to time and a quick personal check-in to ensure we are making safe decisions. In my past two articles, I covered five essentials to carry with you in the backcountry and what necessities to make certain are in your backcountry backpack. My hope with this article is [more…]
The post Safety tips for splitboard travelers appeared first on Mountain Weekly News.
Rossignol has long been one of my favorite snowboard manufacturers. I’m always hyped when I get the chance to ride one of their snowboards. However, my experience with the Rossignol Jibsaw was not what I expected. Though there is no denying that the snowboard is great in just about every category, it was the name [more…]
The post 2015 Rossignol Jibsaw Review appeared first on Mountain Weekly News.
Lately I keep seeing all these kickstarter, gofundme campaigns being floated around. Essentially it’s asking other people for money. Something, personally I haven’t felt comfortable doing even with my own family, maybe its my Irish guilt who knows but asking random strangers on the internet for a few bucks seems weird. Here’s a few examples [more…]
The post Whats with the current trend of Professional Snowboard Bros Asking for Money appeared first on Mountain Weekly News.
Duck ropes. Go out of bounds. Work for your turns. Riding outside resort boundaries has been getting pretty popular and it’s easy to understand why. There are great lines, loads of tasty terrain, and fresh tracks to be had just beyond the boundaries. But it’s also far more risky with less chance of getting help [more…]
The post 3 Resorts that are Bringing Out of Bounds Terrain In-bounds appeared first on Mountain Weekly News.
Mountain Weekly News ~
JACKSON, WYO – The 2015 Intertribal Winter Sports Summit is an event that brings together Native youth, elders and snow sports enthusiasts. This cultural exchange includes people from the Great Plans Nations and the Jackson Hole community to inspire young people to spend more time in the mountains enjoying winter activities.
This winter sports event provides an opportunity for local reservation residents to participate in a host of activities including learning to ski and snowboard, taking a cross country tour of Yellowstone National Park, taking a sleigh ride among elk herds, stow tubing at Snow King Mountain Resort and even soaking in nearby hot springs.
The cross-cultural experience will be an open exchange between native elders, youth and local residents to support a new alliance between the Jackson Hole community and surrounding Native peoples. The vision of Intertribal Winter Sports Summit creators was to get Native youth from surrounding reservations out on the mountain to ski or snowboard. The most important part about the event is to develop connections through conversation, ceremony, dance and mountain sports.
Skiers and snowboarders are mountain people. We spend our time out in nature and directly connect with others who share the respect and passion for the natural world. Native Americans thrived in these wild places hunting, playing and dancing, holding ceremonies and living free on the Earth. This event was developed to coordinate an opportunity for Native youth, snowboarders and skiers along with the elders, to create a space for cultural dialogue between the Jackson Hole community and participating reservations.
The 2015 Intertribal Winter Sports Summit will be held March 25-29 and kicks off with a final fundraising effort on Saturday March 21. Join us to celebrate the new moon and solar eclipse!
Wednesday, March 25th
Native neighbors are invited to stay with participating host families in the Jackson Hole community. For those participants not staying with host families, dinner will be offered.
Thursday, March 26th
Breakfast is provided and then participants will be taken to Jackson Hole Mountain Resort for an opening ceremony at the top of Tram. Kids will then be outfitted in donated gear or rental equipment and paired up with guides and instructors. Elders then get the opportunity to enjoy a complimentary spa/massage/wellness treatment or just hang out on the mountain. Lunch will be offered and at the end of the day participants can head back to their host family home.
Friday, March 27th
Kids return for another day of snowboarding or skiing and elders are encouraged to join a different host family for dinner.
Saturday, March 28th
Is a FREE day for participants to explore downtown Jackson Hole. Performers will prepare events at the Center for the Arts and participants can there enjoy a social mixer and an evening of pow wow performances, music and stories from elders and youth, with an open mic type format. A potluck dinner will be served and then participants can prepare to return home.
Sunday, March 29th
Host families and event staff will take participants into town to start heading back.
The Intertribal Winter Sports Summit is a heartfelt community effort developed by good people – but there are limited financial resources.
If you would like to help these kids experience the mountain you can offer your cash.
The post The Natives were here First appeared first on Mountain Weekly News by Brittany Artwohl.
Mountain Weekly News ~
JACKSON, WYO – As I sit and type this article from Jackson the sun is shinning, temperatures are in the low 50’s and the grass is starting to turn green. There’s nothing wrong with a picturesque landscape like this on a Sunday afternoon aside from the fact that it’s early March.
In September we published an article on the 7 Best Places to Score Snow During El Nino. It was sort of tongue in cheek when I stated that everywhere but the southwestern United States would be skunked on snow, turns out I was right, gracias El Nino. While everyone’s been freaking about a lack of snow in the lower 48’s one of largest storm in a decade blanketed New Mexico with more than 70 inches of snow in late February.
High Pressure is not always a bad thing, Daniel Frohman enjoying clear skies and stable conditions in the Tetons
As of Sunday March 8th, 2015 “We are going to suspend operations TEMPORARILY until we get some more snow… Passholders: We certainly appreciate and understand the purchase you have made for this winter and are mindful of that as well. We appreciate your support. We will not be making any decisions for passholders in particular until this whole season pans out, and that has yet to be seen.”
Mt. Baker has had a horrible season, possibly the worst on record, almost zero powder days, most of the mountain has NOT been open throughout the season and the company is deciding whether or not to offer up free passes for anyone that got hosed this year?
Ouch, I just lost a little bit of respect for my favorite ski resort in North America, paging Duncan and Gwen, please fix this ASAP!!
It’s so bad up at Baker right now they even had to reschedule the 30th Annual LBS Banked Slalom to February 18-21, 2016.
We’re willing to bet that if if you’re reading this article your local zone has been skunked this winter unless you live in Japan or spend your time in the backcountry surrounding the Tetons.
Option #1 It’s never to early to start getting ready for bike season
Option #2 If it’s gonna be sunny lets take a surf trip
Option #3 Be patient March and April can deliver big storms, who knows maybe it will even turn on again or start for that matter up at Baker…
If you get creative you can find plenty of snow, Mike Hardaker in his happy place Photo Travis Young | Mountain Weekly News
The post Say it aint so, the Winter that Never came appeared first on Mountain Weekly News by Mike Hardaker.
Mountain Weekly News ~
VAIL, CO – (March 7, 2015) — The final day of competition on Vail Mountain saw Kelly Clark (USA) earn the halfpipe title at the 33rd Annual Burton US Open Snowboarding Championships presented by MINI. She also claimed the World Snowboard Tour Pro Series Championship for the halfpipe. With her result, Clark takes home $45,000 and earned a record eighth first place US Open halfpipe title.
Kelly Clark boosting out of the pipe during the 2015 US Open of Snowboarding in Vail, shots rad, chem-trails and all minus the no grab?? Photo Ben Koelker | Mountain Weekly News,
Another day under perfect bluebird Colorado skies in front of a packed house lining the walls of the 22-foot superpipe also brought 2nd place to Chloe Kim and 3rd to Arielle Gold. The women’s event was a battle of 1080s between Kelly Clark and Chloe Kim. In the end, Kelly Clark took her record eighth Burton US Open halfpipe title landing a huge frontside air, backside 540 mute, frontside 1080 indy, Cab 720 mute, crippler stalefish, finishing with a method air for a score of 91. 15 year old Chloe Kim added a new trick, a huge frontside 1080 tailgrab, landing it for the first time in competition for a second place finish of 88.74. Arielle Gold took third place with a score of 83.87, ending her competition with a frontside 1080 stalefish on her third run.
How many 15 years old girls do you know that can boost out of the Superpipe like this? Chloe Kim showing us a how it’s done at the US Open of Snowboarding in Vail Photo Ben Koelker | Mountain Weekly News
Burton and Clif Bar & Company also presented the Clif ‘Raise the’ Bar Award rewarding creativity and style. The award was given for the best throwback trick in the halfpipe. The award was presented to Chloe Kim and Danny Davis, both laying down a classic McTwist in their halfpipe runs. Both riders took home $2,500 each.
Kelly Clark US Open of Snowboarding Photo Ben Koelker | Mountain Weekly News
Kelly Clark US Open of Snowboarding Photo Ben Koelker | Mountain Weekly News
The post Kelly Clark & Taku Hiraoka Win 2015 Burton US Open Halfpipe Titles appeared first on Mountain Weekly News by Ben Koelker.
Mountain Weekly News ~
WINLAW, BC – If you weren’t already aware, there are a lot of backcountry ski lodges to choose from in BC. Lots. Few, though, possess as storied a past and as bright a future as Mount Carlyle Lodge in the Kokanee Range of the Selkirk Mountains.
Well, aside from its proximity to similarly snow-smashed venues like Retallack Cat Skiing and Selkirk Wilderness Skiing to the north, Carlyle is sandwiched between Slocan Lake to the west and Kootenay Lake to the east, both of which are home to silver-rush towns whose bread and butter has since shifted from galena-rich ore bodies into dry and light Kootenay pow; where fortunes were once made grub-staking claims and working mines in the Kaslo and New Denver areas, plenty of BC’s core backcountry set count themselves as locals in nearby Nelson, Ymir, and lesser known enclaves like Kaslo and Silverton.
There’s plenty of pow to be mined in these mountains, and the savvy few still settled in the ghost towns of Sandon, Cody, and Three Forks can tell you that Mount Carlyle is where to go for the goods; While old-time miners made their way to town for supplies, it has always been the surrounding hills and peaks that have secreted away riches for the truly committed.
Mount Carlyle Lodge is located at 7200 feet, a short heli-flight in from the Kaslo airport (air-strip, really, a loader clearing just large enough of a path for vehicles to pass through powder piled up to their side-view mirrors- And this is at valley bottom!).
Mount Carlyle Photo Iain Reid
Depending on the weather and a given pilot’s preferred flight path, alternating views of the Kokanee Glacier or the ass-end of Retallack’s substantial terrain welcome you into the mountains before the Carlyle lodge comes into view.
Like a well-oiled machine, gear, goods and people switch out at the Carlyle helipad as leg-punched outgoing visitors dish the goods on what zones are best pillaged and pillowed for the incoming guests; this is integral beta, the veritable passing of the torch from a well-seasoned crew to an as yet uninitiated green line.
Mount Carlyle Photo Tyler Austin Bradley | Mountain Weekly News
Lone Larches, Misty, Northern Dancer, Troll Trees, Flynt, Carpenter Trees, Lumberyard, these are zones that will rapidly become part of the popular lexicon around the communal dining table. Breakfast and dinner are definite highlights by any weary body’s estimate, but the real action, of course, is what takes place in the surrounding terrain; big mountain features, glades, wide open pow fields, Carlyle has it all.
If your timing is especially impeccable, you may even find yourself in the company of owner and host Brian Cross. “Bomber,” as he is known to friends, has cut his teeth in the Kootenay backcountry for over thirty years, first co-owning Valhalla Mountain Lodge and now presiding over Mount Carlyle, too. Nicknamed for an especially flammable incident with white gas and a propensity for skiing exceptionally (and sometimes recklessly) fast in his never-distant youth, Bomber knows the terrain inside out. Additionally, he is cut from a cloth decidedly more Earthy than many lodge owners/proprietors, a skier’s skier by any measure; Far from some oil tycoon playing at regaining their cool-factor, Bomber farms in the off-season and has worn more hats on an occupational footing than most of us have digits; prospector, fire-warden, ski-model(!), he spins yarns as thick as the annual snowfall.
Whether or not Bomber is in during your stay, the lodge is extremely well set up for either self-guided groups, guided cohorts, or for those preferring a fully catered experience. The hut keeper/custodian is never far off, their days filled with snow-clearing, ensuring your comfort, and of course slaying the occasional line. If unpretentious, pow-filled, ski-centric experiences are what you are after, Carlyle is the place.
Rise, shine, breakfast, pow, pow, pow, more pow, dinner, rest, sauna, repeat.
Mount Carlyle Photo Iain Reid
The post Rise, shine, breakfast, pow, pow, dinner, rest, sauna, repeat. a typical day at Mount Carlyle Lodge appeared first on Mountain Weekly News by Tyler Bradley.
Mountain Weekly News ~
With all the social media post this week about Burton Snowboards thanks to a letter posted over at Yobeat.com I figured it was time to get a couple things straight. First off all it seems that Burton Snowboards is no longer invested in the North American snowboard community anymore..
Donna Carpenter who owns Burton Snowboards with her husband Jake had this to say “We’re just starting to grow in China,” Carpenter said. “China is small right now, but it’s changing so quickly. The government is committed to building 150 new ski areas in the next three years. The scale at which they do things is incredible.”
Interesting since according to Yahoo News “Burton Snowboards has opened 5 dozen stores in China. A country with only 50,000 snowboarders.”
Isn’t China one of the most polluted counties in the world causing widespread environmental and health problems? Sounds like a perfect place to manufacture without environmental regulations or child labor laws where children are known to start working in factories at the age of 5.
Back in 2010 Burton closed their Vermont manufacturing center (BMC), laying off 43 employees in the process while moving the jobs overseas to Austria.
“When I started Burton Snowboards in 1977, all we did was make snowboards in Vermont,” Burton’s Carpenter said. “But simply put, it costs us significantly more to produce a board in Vermont than we are capable of selling it for, and sadly, this is not sustainable in the current economy.”
Currently, most Burton snowboards are being made in China, while some of the higher-end boards are being produced in Austria.
When people think of snowboard brands Burton surely comes to mind. However when you ask a core rider what they’re running 99% of the time it’s not BURTON. There however some exceptions to the rule, some people swear by Burton boots. The Burton Fish is a really cool concept, and less we forget the 420 Kit, however they seemed to have re-named The Kit 
Personally I don’t have access to Burton snowboards so it’s hard for me to say if their boards performs well on snow? Maybe the PR team will see this, hopefully not That being said their AK Jacket is solid for splitboarding.
And let us not forget that ol’ Jake left a cushy desk job in Manhattan back in 1977 to develop the brand. With over $500 million in merchandise sold annually, Jake and Donna are doing well for themselves especially considering they kept the company private and earn an estimated 40 to 70 percent of the total revenue. Do the math…
The post Burton Snowboards Doesn’t Care About You, They Care About China appeared first on Mountain Weekly News by Mike Hardaker.
Mountain Weekly News ~
SILVERTON, CO – I am super bummed to report that we just received an email from Venture Snowboards (which you can read below) announcing the brand will not be delivering snowboards for the 2015/2016 season.
Venture Supporters,
Venture Snowboards has encountered some challenging terrain in recent months. Circumstances beyond our control have forced us to make a tough decision. We will not be delivering any boards to market for the 2015-16 winter season.
To our friends, colleagues, collaborators and all you Venture riders and supporters, we are deeply sorry. We sincerely apologize for any impacts this may have on you or your business.
To our staff who stuck by us through thick and thin—you are the heart of Venture. So many people had the best days of their lives on boards we built by hand. That is something to be proud of, something no one can take away.
Trust us when we say we did everything possible to make it work. Venture has been a labor of love for us for more than 16 years. We did it for you, for ourselves, and for snowboarding.
We can’t project what will happen beyond 2015-16. In the meantime, we hope you’ll support the other craft manufacturers out there who love snowboarding as much as we do.
This isn’t goodbye. See you soon.
Klem and Lisa Branner
Venture Snowboards
I have reached out to Lisa and hopefully we can learn more. This is a huge blow to the snowboard industry! Lisa and Klem have been going against the grain for many years creating hand built snowboards that are designed for hard charging big mountain riders.
When the industry went all park, the Branner’s stuck to their roots in riding powder.
Combined with a progress Shape Shack line that introduced us to the Euphoria and now that cool looking Powder Pig among others. Venture Snowboards were, are and will continue to be truly unique.
Lets hope that this is just “half time” for one of our favorite brands and nicest people in the snowboard industry.
We are here for you Lisa and Klem!
The post Venture Snowboards Will not be Manufacturing in 2015/2016 appeared first on Mountain Weekly News by Mike Hardaker.
Mountain Weekly News ~
Burton Snowboards has announced a new outerwear line inspired by Disney. According to a press release we received from Burton “The new Disney Frozen collection by Burton features jackets, snow pants, a one-piece snowsuit and layering pieces to keep girls warm even on days as cold as in the Kingdom of Arendelle”.
Now we can’t argue that this gear ain’t cute, however is this Burton’s market? Everyone knows it’s all about the youth these days so maybe Jake and Donna are gaining fans from the ground up.
This actually might be some of the most techi outerwear coming from Disney ever, as the Burton Disney Frozen outerwear features toasty Thermacore™ insulation and Durashell™ waterproofing with Aquapel™. The Burton Tech Tee shown below offers up UPF 50+ Rating and a “NEW Enhanced Stink-Proof Finish”.
Along with Burton, Anon is jumping on the Disney train to create the Disney Frozen by anon. Tracker goggle and Rime helmet.
I wish today was actually April 1st, just sayin’.. Come on Burton
The post Burton Snowboards Disney Collection appeared first on Mountain Weekly News by Mike Hardaker.
