tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13932905864596246722024-03-05T23:17:26.919-08:00The Speedy DescendA blog about my passion for snowboarding, surfing and and my favorite place in the world, Whistler BC. Also will bring you snowboard product reviews, my travels to new and exciting spots and maybe if you are lucky Whistlers hidden gems on the mountains...the best places to ride that is off the beaten path. So sit back and enjoy the journey.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00269095025197016300noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393290586459624672.post-63435596164858376942010-08-14T15:55:00.001-07:002010-08-14T15:55:41.672-07:00Import Audio Sonar<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb_DpwAAAt65wwknYk7NURR6WqMJnchTpN8ibVBDCf6wXIil5z41P70BZ7pFLDcrgGPwe4Cj5no_p7aZKiax2HZPET26zec7i3rIjW6P_GvPkk0dsaTjYn-vdtb-97cu_OD539SIgUOVc/s1600/Untitled.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb_DpwAAAt65wwknYk7NURR6WqMJnchTpN8ibVBDCf6wXIil5z41P70BZ7pFLDcrgGPwe4Cj5no_p7aZKiax2HZPET26zec7i3rIjW6P_GvPkk0dsaTjYn-vdtb-97cu_OD539SIgUOVc/s320/Untitled.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505403007317260754" /></a>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00269095025197016300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393290586459624672.post-10178885617920210372010-07-04T21:09:00.000-07:002010-07-04T21:10:26.894-07:00Midi Worls<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcfOeG5uaigFAKy5mAb0c3aud7hwlzQUWoGq37T9eoJzrPw0nJ-kdJFBr33NtpM1zvR48J_3ubLQiyX9PVsncW2k7tHzV-x34f42dbrQ2vQIdIe3h-nvTthCfbUzB354vi2jd48dJtxhc/s1600/works.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcfOeG5uaigFAKy5mAb0c3aud7hwlzQUWoGq37T9eoJzrPw0nJ-kdJFBr33NtpM1zvR48J_3ubLQiyX9PVsncW2k7tHzV-x34f42dbrQ2vQIdIe3h-nvTthCfbUzB354vi2jd48dJtxhc/s320/works.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490269662804256594" /></a>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00269095025197016300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393290586459624672.post-85521529121274323742010-07-04T15:04:00.000-07:002010-07-04T15:05:33.473-07:00Sonar PE 7 Midi Issue<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpdwVuwpABUYk4fr4LB7JAAoq29cpEvbVpM7Xp3YxcSyD7CeTFRi5jtzf5WtpUCH6_nvAyE1OgD1mfQ5rwWe4_5yIvqtFcY5KGQ75uaZHbqMhOBgiK4a5Rzgu0b4hBCe63aLGQ2hOY6k0/s1600/Untitled.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpdwVuwpABUYk4fr4LB7JAAoq29cpEvbVpM7Xp3YxcSyD7CeTFRi5jtzf5WtpUCH6_nvAyE1OgD1mfQ5rwWe4_5yIvqtFcY5KGQ75uaZHbqMhOBgiK4a5Rzgu0b4hBCe63aLGQ2hOY6k0/s320/Untitled.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490175624500814946" /></a>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00269095025197016300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393290586459624672.post-77797944237943967792009-11-24T20:11:00.000-08:002009-11-24T20:16:37.469-08:00StepChild Snowboards - This Video Sucks (HD) DownloadHello Everyone,<br /><br />I got frustrated with the official Stepchild Snowboards This Video Sucks HD download process so I created a torrent. Start seeding so everyone can get it without waiting weeks. The 100 limit per day download is dumb.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mininova.org/tor/3184925">http://www.mininova.org/tor/3184925</a><br /><br />Enjoy,<br />The Speedy DescendMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00269095025197016300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393290586459624672.post-58384657690411496162009-05-25T05:34:00.000-07:002009-05-25T05:34:00.293-07:00Bobby Martinez Takes Win at Teahupoo 2009<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmMrRrIRFmpgrqTKwthWUdKwq9mJFDWy57l3HoZxr0SCCcrQu5livcWJCT3tYD6nQci9qbBNmb-hgyQm2qL7px3AjZezJ-AIBGO5zbCzoi04vCAQ8bGglSAwKVjl4gg9Y2880XihaNfoA/s1600-h/BMartinezBBGTah2009Final(Robertson)Big.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmMrRrIRFmpgrqTKwthWUdKwq9mJFDWy57l3HoZxr0SCCcrQu5livcWJCT3tYD6nQci9qbBNmb-hgyQm2qL7px3AjZezJ-AIBGO5zbCzoi04vCAQ8bGglSAwKVjl4gg9Y2880XihaNfoA/s320/BMartinezBBGTah2009Final(Robertson)Big.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339245571077411570" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" >TEAHUPOO, Tahiti (Tuesday, May 19, 2009) – Bobby Martinez (USA), 26, has taken out the Billabong Pro Tahiti presented by Air Tahiti Nui, defeating fellow Finalist Taj Burrow (AUS), 30, in clean three-to-five foot (1.5 metre) waves at Teahupoo.<br /><br />Event No. 3 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour, the Billabong Pro Tahiti survived a marathon waiting period, culminating on the second-to-last available day in improving conditions that peaked for a climactic Final.<br /><br />Martinez surfed a near-flawless heat, opening up with an impressive 8.73 out of a possible 10 before putting his opponent in a combination situation with a Houdini-esque 9.73 out of a possible 10. Netting the highest heat total of the event, an 18.46 out of a possible 20, Martinez claimed his second Billabong Pro Tahiti and fourth elite tour win, establishing himself as one of the premier tube-riders in the world.<br /><br />“I feel great and a bit emotional,” Martinez said. “I feel wonderful. I waited for the good ones out there and just got lucky. There weren’t too many waves and I was lucky enough to get a couple of good ones and not fall. Things just seemed to work out for me today. I really don’t know what to say. It feels really special.”<br /><br />The form surfer of the event, Martinez surfed the majority of his heats on borrowed equipment, having broken most of his surfboards early in the waiting period.<br /><br />“I actually borrowed a board from Alain Riou (local Tahitian surfer),” Martinez said. “He rides Darren Handley shapes and the board was the same dimensions and pretty much the same board I ride. It was great to find that as yesterday, I was a bit skeptical about today in terms of the conditions and my equipment, but everything worked out perfectly.”<br /><br />Martinez, who is without a major sponsor at the moment, has rocketed himself from 19th to 7th on the ASP World Tour ratings with today’s win, putting him in excellent position for the remainder of the year.<br /><br />“I’m not thinking about money right now, but rather I’m thinking about the feelings I have,” Martinez said. “I didn’t start surfing to make money. I started for me, and to win today, you cannot put a price on the feelings I have. I’m really going to let it sink it and enjoy it. It’s a great result, but it’s a long year and anything can happen. Joel (Parkinson) has a great lead, and now that this event is over, my focus goes to the next one.”<br /><br />Burrow’s efforts in the Final were nothing short of spectacular, collecting an 8.17, a 7.93 and a 7.33, but they were not enough to overtake the Martinez stranglehold on the event.<br /><br />“I definitely had fun but it was tricky against Bobby (Martinez),” Burrow said. “He had a dream heat. The conditions looked pretty good for your forehand because the judges like seeing you pump on your forehand in the barrel. On your backhand, you just have to park it in the pit and you can’t do much, but Bobby did everything he had to out there and deserved the win. I still had a fun Final, but hard to enjoy out there because I was in a combination situation the whole time.”<br /><br />Burrow now moves into the No. 2 position on the ASP World Tour ratings, setting the Western Australian up well as he eyes up the next events.<br /><br />“I’ve had two keepers in terms of results and I’m hungry,” Burrow said. “I’m still kicking and I’m looking to win. The next few events, I feel really strong at and I’m going to do whatever it takes to win. I’m stoked to get a result at Teahupoo, I haven’t done well here in a few years so it sets me up really well for the rest of the year.”<br /><br />Aritz Aranburu (EUK), 23, former ASP World No. 39, was the “Cinderella Story” at the Billabong Pro Tahiti. Having failed to advance through a heat in the opening two events of the season, the Basque Country’s first ever ASP World Tour competitor stormed past Californian sensation Dane Reynolds (USA), 23, former event winner Damien Hobgood (USA), 29, Australian veteran Tom Whitaker, 29, and reigning nine-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA), 37, en route to a Semifinals berth.<br /><br />"I’ve had a tough draw throughout the event, but that’s what has kept me motivated,” Aranburu said. “Coming up against the best guys out there, you need to lift your ability. Beating Kelly (Slater) for me is one of the biggest achievements I’ve ever had. I’ve been looking up to him for so long, and just being on tour with him is an honor. To beat him is a major achievement for me."<br /><br />The career-best result was halted at the hands of eventual winner Martinez during one of the most exciting heats of the event. Despite coming up short to Martinez (15.23 to the Californian’s 17.17), Aranburu’s equal 3rd place finish boosts the European to 19th on the ASP World Tour ratings.<br /><br />“Bobby (Martinez) is one of the best out there,” Aranburu said. “I had one good one, but he got two good ones, and that was it. It’s my best result ever and I am stoked. I have lots of confidence going into the next events. I just want to go home and train and try new boards for Brazil and J-Bay. The biggest thing for me is to know that if I can do it once, I can do it twice.”<br /><br />Michael Campbell (AUS), 35, opened his final day affair with a close win over fellow ASP Dream Tour veteran Taylor Knox (USA), 38, in the Quarterfinals, but the goofy-footer’s precision forehand approach wasn’t enough to overtake a rampaging Burrow in the Semifinals.<br /><br />“It felt like I was a bit out of rhythm in the Semifinal,” Campbell said. “I wasn’t able to capitalize on the waves I got and Taj (Burrow) posted a couple of really strong scores mid-heat that left me wanting.”<br /><br />Although falling short of a Finals berth, the journeyman competitor’s equal 3rd place finish boosts him from 29th to 16th on the ASP World Tour ratings.<br /><br />"This is going to do a lot for my cause,” Campbell said. “I’ve had average results this year and last year too, so a third is pretty special for me. All of the heats have been hard and sometimes the luck goes your way. I’ve had a bit of luck this time around, but I’ve also spent some time here and I know it pretty well. Stoked to get a result and looking forward to the next one."<br /><br />Joel Parkinson (AUS), 28, suffered an unfortunate Round 3 loss at the Billabong Pro Tahiti, but after two event wins to open the season up, the Gold Coaster remains the frontrunner on this year’s ASP World Tour ratings.<br /><br />The next stop on the 2009 ASP World Tour will be the Hang Loose Santa Catarina Pro in Brazil from June 27 to July 5, 2009.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/fwjN8W4rwBg&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/fwjN8W4rwBg&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />BILLABONG PRO TAHITI FINAL RESULTS:<br />1 – Bobby Martinez (USA) 18.46<br />2 – Taj Burrow (AUS) 16.10<br /><br />BILLABONG PRO TAHITI SEMIFINAL RESULTS:<br />SF 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) 14.86 def. Michael Campbell (AUS) 10.00<br />SF 2: Bobby Martinez (USA) 17.17 def. Aritz Aranburu (EUK) 15.23<br /><br />BILLABONG PRO TAHITI QUARTERFINAL RESULTS:<br />QF 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) 15.33 def. C.J. Hobgood (USA) 14.06<br />QF 2: Mick Campbell (AUS) 12.84 def. Taylor Knox (USA) 10.17<br />QF 3: Bobby Martinez (USA) 15.93 def. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 12.67<br />QF 4: Aritz Aranburu (EUK) 11.66 def. Tom Whitaker (AUS) 10.66<br /><br />REMAINING BILLABONG PRO TAHITI ROUND 3 RESULTS:<br />Heat 5: Bobby Martinez (USA) 13.17 def. Andy Irons (HAW) 10.16<br />Heat 6: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 13.57 def. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 8.67<br />Heat 7: Aritz Aranburu (EUK) 12.56 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 9.16<br />Heat 8: Tom Whitaker (AUS) 9.43 def. Mick Fanning (AUS) 9.40<br /><br />CURRENT ASP WORLD TOUR TOP 10:<br />1 – Joel Parkinson (AUS) 3000 points<br />2 – Taj Burrow (AUS) 2318 points<br />3 – Mick Fanning (AUS) 2208 points<br />4 – C.J. Hobgood (USA) 2196 points<br />5 – Adriano de Souza (BRA) 2174 points<br />6 – Jordy Smith (ZAF) 2076 points<br />7 – Bobby Martinez (USA) 2025 points<br />8 – Tom Whitaker (AUS) 1932 points<br />9 – Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 1886 points<br />10 – Kieren Perrow (AUS) 1742 points<br />10 – Taylor Knox (USA) 1742 points<br />10 – Damien Hobgood (USA) 1742 points</span>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00269095025197016300noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393290586459624672.post-68109428597141401042009-05-19T05:21:00.000-07:002009-05-19T05:21:00.948-07:00This Video SUCKS!!!<span style="font-family: arial;">Stepchild & 32 just put out the new teaser for their 2009/2010 snowboarding video called, This Video SUCKS!!!. But don’t worry this video won’t suck. Featuring JP Walker, Stian Solberg, Markku Koski, Simon Chamberlain and Joe Sexton this video is bound to be action packed and showcase some of the best snowboarding….Stepchild now has the best team in the biz. Enjoy<br /><br /><object id="flashObj" width="610" height="450" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,47,0"><param name="movie" value="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9/22077132001?isVid=1&publisherID=1343581801"><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"><param name="flashVars" value="videoId=22940306001&playerID=22077132001&domain=embed&"><param name="base" value="http://admin.brightcove.com"><param name="seamlesstabbing" value="false"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="swLiveConnect" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9/22077132001?isVid=1&publisherID=1343581801" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashvars="videoId=22940306001&playerID=22077132001&domain=embed&" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="610" height="450" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" swliveconnect="true" allowscriptaccess="always" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed></object><br /></span>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00269095025197016300noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393290586459624672.post-30624515391606858732009-04-20T05:50:00.000-07:002009-04-20T05:50:00.487-07:00Parkinson Wins at the 2009 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, While Slater is Knocked Out Again<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiXRqNfel4R-byckP-CHhc4QjoUF650rBXrY9kyybzDFkxVllyYAgkNy8SjCdzaZb57eE13EkCbdXLzHVBtPsAzDYRER4LZFKoIu8xxRPeLfzPypgK1IXCLZkkSlq4rXFBqdUPoyJg4_o/s1600-h/c.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 347px; height: 232px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiXRqNfel4R-byckP-CHhc4QjoUF650rBXrY9kyybzDFkxVllyYAgkNy8SjCdzaZb57eE13EkCbdXLzHVBtPsAzDYRER4LZFKoIu8xxRPeLfzPypgK1IXCLZkkSlq4rXFBqdUPoyJg4_o/s320/c.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325735007483221186" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">At the second stop of the ASP 2009 at Bells beach Joel Parkinson wins again after the Gold Coast win last month. For Parkinson this win was sweet, "Winning at home is probably the most special win you can have but this is the most special trophy you can have,” Parkinson said. “There is not another trophy in surfing that holds the prestige and honor list that this has. To be back on the trophy again and to hold it for a year is going to be amazing.”<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Mv21tuZmcU0&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Mv21tuZmcU0&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br />Not to be out done in this competition Adam Robertson, the young local, finished second. Throughout the course of the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, Robertson went toe-to-toe with the world’s best surfers, eliminating Kekoa Bacalso (HAW), 23, Tom Whitaker (AUS), 29, Bede Durbidge (AUS), 25, among others in the process. Despite not having a major sponsor, Robertson’s nine-heat effort proved to all that he’s capable of world-class surfing. Robertson’s effort at the 2009 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach will go down in history, as the young natural-footer’s runner-up finish is the highest ever by a Victorian at the prestigious competition.<br /><br />2009 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Final Results:<br />1 – Joel Parkinson (AUS) 17.40<br />2 – Adam Robertson (AUS) 13.37<br /><br />Also Jody Smith also had a really good run at Bells and probably the best result of his career finishing 4th. While Kelly Slater was knocked out again in round 2 for the second time this year, this time by Owen Wright.</span></span>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00269095025197016300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393290586459624672.post-1024635811901004082009-04-17T05:12:00.000-07:002009-04-17T05:12:00.625-07:00The Making of a Snowboard<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I just wanted to pass you along this amazing video on the making of a snowboard from the Elan Factory in Austria. Elan is one of the best factories in the world that are producing snowboards. Many of the biggest names in the biz have their snowboards manufactured there.<br /><br />The reason why this is a really good video is because they show you more of what it takes to produce a snowboard. So sit back, watch and learn how the best are making your snowboard…and they probably did because this year they manufactured 90% of the boards out there.<br /><br /><a href="http://broblog.snowbroader.eu/2009/04/15/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-snowboard-manufacturing/">http://broblog.snowbroader.eu/2009/04/15/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-snowboard-manufacturing/</a><br /><br />Working there in the engineering department would be my dream job.</span></span>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00269095025197016300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393290586459624672.post-81793711545707013292009-04-15T16:45:00.000-07:002009-04-15T16:53:33.095-07:00Stepchild Snowboards 2009 / 2010<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Hello all,<br /><br />I’m just getting back in the swing of things since I have been so busy with work and just snowboarding.<br /><br />I happen to stumble upon the Stepchild 2009 / 2010 hardgoods and softgoods lineup and I wanted to share it will all the Stepchild lovers out there. I currently have Simon Chamberlains first pro model and it’s the best board I have owned….so much fun. Also it’s so awesome that JP Walker signed with Stepchild last year because now they have one of the best teams around, look out for their new video in the winter of 2010 because it should be a killer.<br /><br />Well here it is the Stepchild 2009 / 2010 hardgoods and softgoods catalogs. I am also hoping to demo a couple of these boards at the WSSF this weekend and next in Whistler.<br /><br /><a href="http://ob1enterprises.com/brands/catalogs/cat_stepchild-softgoods_0910.pdf">Stepchild 2009 / 2010 Softgoods</a><br /><br /><a href="http://ob1enterprises.com/brands/catalogs/cat_stepchild-hardgoods_0910.pdf">Stepchild 2009 / 2010 Hardgoods</a></span></span><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00269095025197016300noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393290586459624672.post-67723585797211334692009-02-27T09:49:00.000-08:002009-02-27T10:48:11.981-08:00Whistler Update (Feb 2009 weekends)<span style="font-family:arial;">Hello white gold surfers,<br /><br />Sorry for the long long delay with regards to my Whistler updates but I’m going to give you a quick update on the Whistler conditions and what I have been up to there.<br /><br />The last couple of weekend in February the conditions have been off and on. One day during the weekend you’ll get a shitty icy day of riding but sunshine which is always good, but I would take pow over sun. While on the Sunday if you are lucky, like I have been you get a pow day. For some reason the last 3 week Sunday have been power days with about 10 to 15 cms.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioOjDnQg4SHRp1SXOBm0ReNla6i5LHcigKXzPjwZF60MNAdIcu0McAitaROzBbRtnKsBcAcXWoJsMDpx1wXCYjuuJejjxfpcZUysVohtkm-6pBVU6UqFoC4PGVEiV-oHS0COB6FAvj0HY/s1600-h/CIMG0270.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioOjDnQg4SHRp1SXOBm0ReNla6i5LHcigKXzPjwZF60MNAdIcu0McAitaROzBbRtnKsBcAcXWoJsMDpx1wXCYjuuJejjxfpcZUysVohtkm-6pBVU6UqFoC4PGVEiV-oHS0COB6FAvj0HY/s320/CIMG0270.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307546400539873106" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />The weekend of February 7th has been the best of the year so far and there has not been that many good days this season so compared to other years it was as best good. During that weekend we got about 30 plus cms of snow over 3 days so we decided to hike out and build a kicker. We first tried in Bagel Bowl on the Saturday but the snow coverage wasn’t that great, to wind blow. On Sunday I suggested hiking into Flute to find a spot to build. It was the best decision because we found a hidden spot that had the best features to build an amazing kicker.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDbi_OPNn0vfBUXr4Ad6mKTeMHI45izrT7mnLlv5iocC9A2V9nk4JpMVhDyns6BGSY3MGDzsBgCUrcvC4RgleuK-Ty99a-T9O8p_FvGpaa9HNgrfWrJo9fB-07WTI1k5lKtOKYS7KEwwY/s1600-h/100_0572.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDbi_OPNn0vfBUXr4Ad6mKTeMHI45izrT7mnLlv5iocC9A2V9nk4JpMVhDyns6BGSY3MGDzsBgCUrcvC4RgleuK-Ty99a-T9O8p_FvGpaa9HNgrfWrJo9fB-07WTI1k5lKtOKYS7KEwwY/s320/100_0572.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307546762401169938" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />A couple of us sessioned the kicker all day on Sunday, hiking up and jumping down. We had suck an awesome session that we lost track of time that mountain patrol found us to say that the mountain was closing and we had to get the hell out…..it was 3pm and we starting sessioning at 10am. It was such a fun but exhausting day.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPv13i6vgU6WyBUvbELzlmyHXLcOx2bsqnpVd5I2yYO5uBt1hXSqAf0cY_23-TH6d20k4OJCdyGiKXwRLOXFgKRwCxDE6pgPjdbtxIKc-ujyCSwzFKEd_x04UMbA-LotISoICNbEmOIeI/s1600-h/100_0558.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPv13i6vgU6WyBUvbELzlmyHXLcOx2bsqnpVd5I2yYO5uBt1hXSqAf0cY_23-TH6d20k4OJCdyGiKXwRLOXFgKRwCxDE6pgPjdbtxIKc-ujyCSwzFKEd_x04UMbA-LotISoICNbEmOIeI/s320/100_0558.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307547305664404658" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgdwlzjoBlDvQVvAzSoXWT9gobdA0L03K0OtqxfszNg6x96uVGusaMo4Lth6jB5valSoiJjKd-iR2tcgI8bINZoazEe4N01APKc3r1ualZER2mIP51Nhy5mdY3f04_2XnhO_q3K9qxxq4/s1600-h/100_0568.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgdwlzjoBlDvQVvAzSoXWT9gobdA0L03K0OtqxfszNg6x96uVGusaMo4Lth6jB5valSoiJjKd-iR2tcgI8bINZoazEe4N01APKc3r1ualZER2mIP51Nhy5mdY3f04_2XnhO_q3K9qxxq4/s320/100_0568.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307550078403964802" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />The last two weekends have been shit to ok. Not much snowfall so the runs where pretty icy especially for the Valentines day weekend. But don’t worry thing will get better in Whistler if history is on our side. March and April should start dumping snow and it has already started this past week. So be patience and watch the forecast closely for the next little while….winter is not over.<br /><br /><a href="http://speedydescend.blogspot.com/2008/12/weather-prediction-for-winter-2008-2009.html">Winter 2008 / 2009 Prediction</a><br /><br /><a href="http://speedydescend.blogspot.com/2008/11/whistler-daily-snow-report_10.html">Whistler Snow Forecast</a><br /><br />Well hope you get out and enjoy some powder lines this weekend and I’ll be back up in Whistler to shed and give you an update on the Showcase Showdown competition happening on Sunday.<br /><br /><a href="http://speedydescend.blogspot.com/2009/02/showcase-showdown-2009.html"><span style="font-family: arial;">Showcase Showdown</span></a><br /></span>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00269095025197016300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393290586459624672.post-76167485335712952009-02-25T04:51:00.000-08:002009-02-25T04:51:00.455-08:00Fantasy Surfer 2009<span style="font-family: arial;">Hello Fantasy Surfers,<br /><br />Just wanted to reminder you that the new season has officially started and you can start your picks for the Gold Coast Quiksilver Pro. The </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Quiksilver Pro starts on Feb 28th so get your picks in before the actual comp date.<br /><br /><a href="http://speedydescend.blogspot.com/2008/09/fantasy-surfer-leaguebe-part-of-action.html">http://speedydescend.blogspot.com/2008/09/fantasy-surfer-leaguebe-part-of-action.html</a><br /></span>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00269095025197016300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393290586459624672.post-79194507126823620942009-02-23T05:29:00.000-08:002009-02-23T05:29:01.099-08:00Showcase Showdown 2009<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6hGJGkEyCbdDUUx4xuh_pWukP7ZnVZvNEXp3AJSflzRy4PRfQq9lYIMRXsRBv3NFFCxcGurCTQGOqEzZC_gSAAXah0qj29GWndc0zU1PUDt-A-moPYjzaWjHzsRmBDCuu3AbRQAwQHhI/s1600-h/2009_WebSplash.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 223px; height: 344px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6hGJGkEyCbdDUUx4xuh_pWukP7ZnVZvNEXp3AJSflzRy4PRfQq9lYIMRXsRBv3NFFCxcGurCTQGOqEzZC_gSAAXah0qj29GWndc0zU1PUDt-A-moPYjzaWjHzsRmBDCuu3AbRQAwQHhI/s320/2009_WebSplash.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304671900358477778" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">On February 28th, 2009 Showcase Snowboards is holding their annual competition called the Showcase Showdown. The Showdown is a combined pipe/park comp that features the best pro riders in Canada. This is a really good event to attend because the level of riding is so good.<br /><br /><a href="http://ww1.whistlerblackcomb.com/showdown/index.html">Showcase Showdown website</a><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">Usually this comp is held on Blackcomb mountain at the superpipe location but this year because of the shitty snow conditions it is being held at the base of Whistler mountain, next to the GLC. This will be even better because you don’t have to take the gondola then walk up to the Blackcomb superpipe.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />So if you are in Whistler during the weekend of Feb 28th stop by the base of Whistler and watch the comp. Every year the park/pipe gets better and better. Here is a detailed schedule if you are interested.</span><br /><br /><a href="http://ww1.whistlerblackcomb.com/showdown/09_ShowcaseShowdownSchedule.pdf"><span style="font-family:arial;">http://ww1.whistlerblackcomb.com/showdown/09_ShowcaseShowdownSchedule.pdf</span></a>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00269095025197016300noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393290586459624672.post-38756599650308460062009-02-02T05:25:00.000-08:002009-02-02T05:25:00.283-08:00Out of Bounds: Tales from the Backcountry<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmmnfPnlN-dThVOsYZAMx2VY8Az8cyuTfqeDF6MLBwRFH7BNYA1RDOvX6f2-yRn5DQ81cHrzDe0kmaAa59sO3bITfFzaiuCsIymPdvSHOEfhMrGdqLXUQhZHPCjzzyS8G9SHXQDJ-s3W4/s1600-h/outofbounds-h.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 98px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmmnfPnlN-dThVOsYZAMx2VY8Az8cyuTfqeDF6MLBwRFH7BNYA1RDOvX6f2-yRn5DQ81cHrzDe0kmaAa59sO3bITfFzaiuCsIymPdvSHOEfhMrGdqLXUQhZHPCjzzyS8G9SHXQDJ-s3W4/s320/outofbounds-h.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297696434998373538" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Hello again, sorry for the long delay between posts but I have been so busy with work that my blog has been suffering.<br /><br />I just wanted to let you know about one my favourite events in Whistler that is happening….it’s called <a href="http://www.whistlerartscouncil.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=142&Itemid=206">Out of Bounds: Tales from the Backcountry</a> photo exhibition. This is an amazing photo exhibition that feature some of the best photographers work within the BC mountains. Some of the photographers featured in this years exhibit are as follows:<br /><br />Alex Wigley<br />Andrew Bradley<br />Andy Anissimoff<br />Blake Jorgenson<br />Bradley Slack<br />Brian Baker<br />Brian Hockenstein<br />Bruce Rowles<br />Cam Unger<br />Dagan Beach<br />Dave Henkel<br />Greg Eymundson<br />Jonathan Kirby<br />Larry Jung<br />Nicolas Teichrob<br />Pete Cussrin<br />Rich Glass<br />Todd Hellinga<br />Joel Sweet<br /><br />Out of Bounds is being held from Feb 1st to 28th at the Millennium Place in Whistler and I’m pretty sure it’s free to drop in and view these great pieces of work. If you’re in Whistler and enjoy photography and the mountains don’t miss this feature.<br /></span></span>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00269095025197016300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393290586459624672.post-40789626752011821872009-01-19T16:49:00.000-08:002009-02-28T23:32:30.426-08:00Stepchild JP Walker 2010<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Hello all,</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Sorry for the very long posting delay but I have been swapped with work after I returned from vacation.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />This pasted weekend I was up in Whistler, as I usually am, and came across a Stepchild demo tent near the Roundhouse. Stepchild bought out there 2010 models for everyone to demo. Now what tipped me off that this was happening was that I saw a 2010 JP Walker 151 in the village.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />So I headed up Whistler to see if I can get a closer look at the new models. Stepchild had the new Chamberlain, Power stick, Jib stick and the JP Walker. Now the shitty part of this all is that I forgot my camera that day and can’t show you any pics of the new boards.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Since I already have the first Chamberlain pro model and really wanted the Walker 151 this year I decided to demo the 2010 JP Walker board. The only size left of the demos was a 157….Yes I said 157. The sales rep told me that the JP model has a 147, 151, 154 and a new 157. The 2010 board seemed to be the same construction as the 2009 version and is also available with the RETT. The board was super poppy and about the same stiffness or just slightly softer than the Chamberlain. The 2010 JP Walker 157 also rode pretty smoothly and held its edge while ripping down the hill.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Wish I had more time on this board to give you more details but the rep said they will be back for Telus festival in early April so I really demo it properly for to post a full write up.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />In the mean time here are some recent pics from the Stepchild blog…..JP’s 2010 board looks so good.</span></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVrH7nMu2nWUzQ9asoJs3QcghB_3_NWMeA2iXBqbTcXIToKvDiHC1sNJnTr-L-DKmsesT23YoG-CtF5GlyAUGWc6KkjcET19OG5p2-kJfkCeUJxgtc-G9BClZM9D-IU5klf7FbRd6Seb8/s1600-h/jp-and-simon-hike-rail-0134.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 377px; height: 258px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVrH7nMu2nWUzQ9asoJs3QcghB_3_NWMeA2iXBqbTcXIToKvDiHC1sNJnTr-L-DKmsesT23YoG-CtF5GlyAUGWc6KkjcET19OG5p2-kJfkCeUJxgtc-G9BClZM9D-IU5klf7FbRd6Seb8/s320/jp-and-simon-hike-rail-0134.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293172052169553250" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL2sNymlkdvCytODwoBj4P9zDkE3_KorTWzBYRRji8QO3JveoUwsYMoDvy_XK-cObyUety1anXqmGzjVbdL8nST1TU92lUi7iEi8b4ABEoRoRO08z_6KreP51r4eCBAm0KwS0aZyWcCho/s1600-h/jp-w.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 388px; height: 290px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL2sNymlkdvCytODwoBj4P9zDkE3_KorTWzBYRRji8QO3JveoUwsYMoDvy_XK-cObyUety1anXqmGzjVbdL8nST1TU92lUi7iEi8b4ABEoRoRO08z_6KreP51r4eCBAm0KwS0aZyWcCho/s320/jp-w.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293172414285630530" border="0" /></a>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00269095025197016300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393290586459624672.post-23789256477638613092008-12-25T04:41:00.000-08:002008-12-25T04:41:00.940-08:00Merry Christmas & Happy New Year<span style="font-family:arial;">Hello Loyal readers,<br /><br />I just wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year. I'll be away on vacation until the second week in January so I won't be putting up many new post between now and when I return.<br /><br />But when I do get back to reality, I'll be sure to get you the latest news from up in Whistler and around the snowboarding world.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWvuRJE3OpGPE-QNGvvXqnxIsmR3xAvkT8XnjcAdi96tNO8Bj3JY1y8vmWMaUBJo_vq9e51hvzhGIfuYO9qoZCRac6OfZej6PtsUYhAK_9a9dL8T2TVN655odqkelgIiGtPZpAy5XUbBU/s1600-h/santa.snowboard.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 246px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWvuRJE3OpGPE-QNGvvXqnxIsmR3xAvkT8XnjcAdi96tNO8Bj3JY1y8vmWMaUBJo_vq9e51hvzhGIfuYO9qoZCRac6OfZej6PtsUYhAK_9a9dL8T2TVN655odqkelgIiGtPZpAy5XUbBU/s320/santa.snowboard.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283089306804548370" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Take care and all the best this holiday season,<br />The Speedy Descend<br /></span>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00269095025197016300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393290586459624672.post-82956745695937263252008-12-23T12:26:00.000-08:002008-12-23T12:38:36.027-08:00Whistler Blackcomb Update (Dec 20 & 21, 2008)<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CMMarra%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><link rel="Edit-Time-Data" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CMMarra%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_editdata.mso"><!--[if !mso]> <style> v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" ><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" spt="75" preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter"> <v:formulas> <v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"> <v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"> <v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"> <v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"> <v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"> <v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"> <v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"> <v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"> </v:formulas> <v:path extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" connecttype="rect"> <o:lock ext="edit" aspectratio="t"> </v:shapetype><v:shape id="_x0000_i1025" type="#_x0000_t75" style="'width:252pt;"> <v:imagedata src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\MMarra\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image001.png" title="" croptop="9138f" cropbottom="8980f" cropleft="16357f" cropright="10899f"> </v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span><span style="font-family:arial;">Hello all,
<br />
<br />Sorry for the lack of postings or updates but I have been really busy at work and have no time to posted up any new blogs.
<br />
<br />This passed weekend I decided to get away from my busy schedule and head of to Whistler to get some snowboarding in before I go on holidays. Now in past weeks the conditional have been less than desirable but I really want to snowboard so I just went for it.
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<br />On Saturday I went up to Whistler mountain for the day because the Whistler side has better snow coverage than Blackcomb, Blackcomb was way too icy. It was still pretty cold as the temperatures were about -20 degrees Celsius but very little winds so that was good. I tried to good off and find some better terrain but the lack of snow coverage in those area made me stay close to Emerald and Red chairs. Staying within these areas sucked because there was too many people and the snow was so packed down that it was ice….I couldn’t get my edge in which started to really frustrate me. So I did a hand full or runs and decided to call it a day….that is the beauty of a seasons pass.
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<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBsoJw66s5lTEJIWoZic5vdnpw-7YvejtxgSjw-mzp9N-dcZBzHD5l1u0hjOfxMAdWWXxDOgqnKcNTblseFWFP1_CuS0vhdOPRt0fjqHPmSyMqjQWIm5AhrqMC0YQQCqZsxpe6ZN1bd_I/s1600-h/PICT0008.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBsoJw66s5lTEJIWoZic5vdnpw-7YvejtxgSjw-mzp9N-dcZBzHD5l1u0hjOfxMAdWWXxDOgqnKcNTblseFWFP1_CuS0vhdOPRt0fjqHPmSyMqjQWIm5AhrqMC0YQQCqZsxpe6ZN1bd_I/s320/PICT0008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283086308029338546" border="0" /></a>
<br /><span style="font-family:arial;">When I got back to the cabin I check the snow forecast because if it was going to be shit again I was going to pack my bags and head back to Vancouver. But the forecast surprised me when it said that about 15cm was going to fall in the alpine overnight. Yes, finally a somewhat powder day.
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<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9I4zascMFVE5PcgLCGucoZNXa4JPpNp6wloEDhJaJchqMs4wOfrHefO1C68U9p6wiMIthBfUv4r_5YiCajmhGUs5FTEhce132n1BPJwoph8h7ieMvxy5jL-YjFxkY9y41wozwowCQNf0/s1600-h/PICT0010.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9I4zascMFVE5PcgLCGucoZNXa4JPpNp6wloEDhJaJchqMs4wOfrHefO1C68U9p6wiMIthBfUv4r_5YiCajmhGUs5FTEhce132n1BPJwoph8h7ieMvxy5jL-YjFxkY9y41wozwowCQNf0/s320/PICT0010.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283085444516501666" border="0" /></a>
<br /><span style="font-family:arial;">So on Sunday I woke up really early and headed to the lifts to make it there for 8:00am. When I got up on Whistler mountain there was powder to surf though…this is what I have been waiting for the last couple of weeks. Now areas close to Emerald and Red chair were good enough but I could have ventured out a bit more but was too lazy to. I surfed all the pow until it was all tracked out then headed to Blackcomb mountain via Peak 2 Peak. I was told that not that many people were on Blackcomb and there still some untracked run left. But I when on Blackcomb and the conditions were still not the best. It’s weird because Blackcomb usually gets better snow coverage in more areas than Whistler. By 2:00pm I was done and decided to call it a day since I’ve been up from about 6:30am.
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<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZwqiDgDIcxQp7P95gfPAQFig-Ww0Hu5cGIM4ikWWzjeup787ReWw_ylqEPqeQP5CQulJHnr7143Uxd2IB7EiWIIQrC3y9G9xKyOBQE5DTPlHRth6sP22bnGMEA3ZQIddNiYGKoRgm4VU/s1600-h/PICT0013.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZwqiDgDIcxQp7P95gfPAQFig-Ww0Hu5cGIM4ikWWzjeup787ReWw_ylqEPqeQP5CQulJHnr7143Uxd2IB7EiWIIQrC3y9G9xKyOBQE5DTPlHRth6sP22bnGMEA3ZQIddNiYGKoRgm4VU/s320/PICT0013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283085817673930354" border="0" /></a>
<br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Overall this weekend was saved by the Saturday night snowfall and the fact no one was up on the mountain on Sunday, so I was happy with it. But looking ahead…it’s going to start dumping in Whistler have a look…..just in time for Christmas and for me not to be there since I’m head to Toronto to visit my family.
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<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD3uE386V1XQnxAX9057ZJ9aVqrF2Zl3RILdQ5ZSoj3Q4-MYU4EmVjtMk3Rtfifzf2RgNQzmFJEvkNhIcEuZMMk6jIq5iivqZSkUnQHz54-fDeJdg0G_1OKC-n1XO3Pb9793fQe2P7E_k/s1600-h/untitled.bmp"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 338px; height: 314px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD3uE386V1XQnxAX9057ZJ9aVqrF2Zl3RILdQ5ZSoj3Q4-MYU4EmVjtMk3Rtfifzf2RgNQzmFJEvkNhIcEuZMMk6jIq5iivqZSkUnQHz54-fDeJdg0G_1OKC-n1XO3Pb9793fQe2P7E_k/s320/untitled.bmp" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283087496188132546" border="0" /></a>
<br />Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00269095025197016300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393290586459624672.post-32375915557527341392008-12-15T12:23:00.000-08:002008-12-15T12:30:25.733-08:00Kelly Slater Wins the 2008 Pipeline Masters<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGV88QmrdborvYYC2MjLPom3IIUfOkbIfL-J8yM3yLc6bg8VYLYxuH2WMPXSi1SUXLJn3v7mF9WlESqBFVm0UyPnvXRibWvxROyjV1X0YeCnM8dmRsy2f-3NVHRcOX9u0nKhgWm5jHN0Q/s1600-h/slater_k9054pipe08rowland_l.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 349px; height: 233px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGV88QmrdborvYYC2MjLPom3IIUfOkbIfL-J8yM3yLc6bg8VYLYxuH2WMPXSi1SUXLJn3v7mF9WlESqBFVm0UyPnvXRibWvxROyjV1X0YeCnM8dmRsy2f-3NVHRcOX9u0nKhgWm5jHN0Q/s320/slater_k9054pipe08rowland_l.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280115885073896658" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">On Friday Dec 12th Kelly Slater won his 6th Pipeline Masters in Hawaii defeating follow American Chris Ward. Pipeline was the last stop on the ASP Tour and is the most prestigious event in surfing. Slater paddled out in eight to 10 foot waves at Pipeline four times today, beating Chris Ward (USA) 14.00 to 7.23 in the in the first man-on-man final* held at the venue in eight years. Slater’s heat totals in the three heats prior to the final were 19.00, 18.63 and 19.40 – all out of a possible 20 points.<br /><br />This years Pipeline Masters victory was doubly sweet given Parkinson made headlines earlier in the week by earning the first-ever perfect 20 out of 20 heat total at Pipeline – only the second perfect heat total in ASP history under the two wave format. Also Parko won the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, which is the highest score for competitions at Haleiwa, Sunset Beach and the Pipeline Masters.<br /><br />So now this the ASP Surfing tour all wrapped for 2008, this is how the final top ten standings look.<br /><br />1) Kelly Slater (USA)<br />2) Bede Durbidge (AUS)<br />3) Taj Burrow (AUS)<br />4) Joel Parkinson (AUS)<br />5) C.J. Hobgood (USA)<br />6) Adrian Buchan (AUS)<br />7) Adriano de Souza (BRA)<br />8) Mick Fanning (AUS)<br />9) Bobby Martinez (USA)<br />10) Jeremy Flores (FRA)<br /><br />At the age of 36, Kelly Slater’s 50-6 record is the most dominant in pro surfing history, which validates what we already knew, that he’s also surfing better than ever. But what does it all mean? Is Kelly Slater going to come back in 2009 to compete for his 10th ASP World Championship? I guess we will see on February 28 at the Quiksliver Pro, Gold Coast Australia, tour stop. I can’t wait for another year of the exciting ASP Tour.</span><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/cqR-f1uHbBk&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/cqR-f1uHbBk&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00269095025197016300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393290586459624672.post-35060375754564033892008-12-12T04:18:00.000-08:002008-12-12T04:18:00.559-08:00Whistler Peak 2 Peak Opens Today<span style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" >Hello all,<br /><br />Just wanted to remind you that Whistler's Peak 2 Peak opens today. If you don't know the Peak 2 Peak is a cable car or gondola that runs from Whistler to Blackcomb mountain. More specifically from the Roundhouse lodge on whistler to the Rendezvous lodge on Blackcomb, right over Fitzsimmons Creek.<br /><br /></span><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPeylRtkJqURABelytVxDvXg8JWRLwCx7DRwJgZO_2E3YLKgjuH3yux9cYtvO8Rzt8Puwfd_byTrC6UNloVE191aGh7e4Uh3XXFBrReFhV9QN8gpHpDXdWpZccZVmEYOLdxI8-uNog1xY/s1600-h/peak2peak.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 376px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPeylRtkJqURABelytVxDvXg8JWRLwCx7DRwJgZO_2E3YLKgjuH3yux9cYtvO8Rzt8Puwfd_byTrC6UNloVE191aGh7e4Uh3XXFBrReFhV9QN8gpHpDXdWpZccZVmEYOLdxI8-uNog1xY/s320/peak2peak.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278692908824925522" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I be riding it this weekend so I will take many pictures and videos to show you all the Peak 2 Peak experience.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Take care and look for my Peak 2 Peak post next week.</span>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00269095025197016300noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393290586459624672.post-77019965771686719632008-12-10T05:00:00.000-08:002008-12-10T05:00:01.302-08:00Whistler Blackcomb Update (Weekend of Dec 6, 2008)<span style="font-family:arial;">I headed up to Whistler on this weekend, as per my usual winter weekend routine. I knew going into it that it did snow much or at all the week before, so the condition where going to be less than desirable. Got up there Friday night, via the Greyhound and headed straight for the cabin, as I was really tired from working long hours all week. My plan was to wake up early and hit the mountain to ride all day, but Saturday morning came around and I needed more sleep. So I got up to the hill at 11:30am.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx6L25Lfnv9Y9nPzVtN_D15bqvo3jkKDE6hFKC0TsYl_bFgWPbbVDdqslVhHK439ZYaK3pIGcO0PQwXbylP3J0Y7ZLc-fiC0K4iEJCcjaPIKwU7VHprQPSMBlHhfszv6TcSUUQJMFzWK8/s1600-h/PICT0002.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx6L25Lfnv9Y9nPzVtN_D15bqvo3jkKDE6hFKC0TsYl_bFgWPbbVDdqslVhHK439ZYaK3pIGcO0PQwXbylP3J0Y7ZLc-fiC0K4iEJCcjaPIKwU7VHprQPSMBlHhfszv6TcSUUQJMFzWK8/s320/PICT0002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277960736476808994" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">On Saturday I boarded on Blackcomb…still no new snow. The conditions actually were worse than the weekend before….kind of icy. Also Blackcomb only had a couple of lifts open, Jersey Cream, Solar Coaster and Catskinner, so everyone was all in a confidante area. If you know Blackcomb the run are tight even on the best of days, that what Blackcomb so good. But on Saturday with the number of people and narrow runs I basically took a hand full of runs and called it a day…good thing I have a seasons pass.<br /><br />Sunday, I headed to Whistler and this time I managed to get up earlier that the day before. The extra motivation came from the 10cm of snow that fell overnight. So in the morning the condition where ok, a layer of powder over hard packed….nothing to ride home about. As the day when on the conditions got worse and the fresh powder was all packed out.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgosGemD4WfM2oRxtX4DntXVIDJbnz_QJAEKr2UXenLzFdxnGlZFOTjw7EHSuNhpQ4la7c4_XDaNNfRrA_0Kawtj38iM3n9el2ZCunFq4N61e5y0oU8uZi4x5LqJR-Y6jp7Dn5JBE-zfqY/s1600-h/PICT0001.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgosGemD4WfM2oRxtX4DntXVIDJbnz_QJAEKr2UXenLzFdxnGlZFOTjw7EHSuNhpQ4la7c4_XDaNNfRrA_0Kawtj38iM3n9el2ZCunFq4N61e5y0oU8uZi4x5LqJR-Y6jp7Dn5JBE-zfqY/s320/PICT0001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277960633551818338" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Since all the run were pack out I decided to go off and make my own line….what a mistake that was. Knowing that there were rocks, or land mines I like to call them, under the powder, I tried to get some powder riding done. After taking my so called powder line I look at the base of my board and it was full of rock shots. One word of advice just stay on the runs until it dumps unless you are will to hike the higher alpine just like some people I saw. But all in all Sunday was a better day because the Whistler they had open area more wide open therefore accommodating more riders.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg02K8yfKM32vN3Gpel17jDSjx0AHFzXx0f5gvetf4TFFjgbCJJ8R5ap_gH9RuZgKTyAwfpul99MWctORQqlxsjT-hHwkIc7aDalKi5gHM8eOzEn68CkxP4qcGTRzgv56483P-dQBwnT04/s1600-h/PICT0006.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg02K8yfKM32vN3Gpel17jDSjx0AHFzXx0f5gvetf4TFFjgbCJJ8R5ap_gH9RuZgKTyAwfpul99MWctORQqlxsjT-hHwkIc7aDalKi5gHM8eOzEn68CkxP4qcGTRzgv56483P-dQBwnT04/s320/PICT0006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277960504675893666" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">It is suppose to snow a bit over the rest of this week so hopefully the weekend will be better. Also Peak 2 Peak is opening on Friday so if I can get on it this weekend I’ll show you all in my next post.</span>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00269095025197016300noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393290586459624672.post-68542040769012885882008-12-08T10:02:00.000-08:002008-12-09T09:38:55.052-08:00Movie Review – Ready (Absinthe Films)<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CMMarra%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="State"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">To follow up last years snowboarding flick Absinthe Films released the 2009 film, Ready. Ready features the usually Absinthe riders like Nico Muller, JP Solberg, Romain DeMarchi, Gigi Ruf, and Wolle Nyvelt to name a few. One rider you see that is not on the list is Travis Rice. Travis created his own film for 2009 called <a href="http://speedydescend.blogspot.com/2008/11/movie-review-thats-it-thats-all.html">That’s It That’s All</a>.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Much of the film takes place in Europe, British Columbia Canada (Whistler and BC interior mountains) and of course what made Absinthe famous, in <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">Alaska</st1:place></st1:state>. As you can expect from Absinthe is that most of the riding is centered around big mountain snowboarding and taking technical freestyle tricks to the backcountry.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">I was really excited to see this movie because last year two of my favourite riders were not featured in last years Absinthe flick, JP Solberg and Romain DeMarchi, due to injuries.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">So without further adieu here is my review on Ready.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBb6h0IJVidA-_uZBVuUhBMCZ1legIwZ7_0XXp50giJDxVl3v3aftqPn635YAPG8GvzNgr3cHi0vGfYyW1R0iG-k-mwa1soyfwTXULw6nH6l1eUN1QuPLQupZBWB1khpkD6hvJwJgl6I4/s1600-h/Ready.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 230px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBb6h0IJVidA-_uZBVuUhBMCZ1legIwZ7_0XXp50giJDxVl3v3aftqPn635YAPG8GvzNgr3cHi0vGfYyW1R0iG-k-mwa1soyfwTXULw6nH6l1eUN1QuPLQupZBWB1khpkD6hvJwJgl6I4/s320/Ready.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277481646812518882" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal">1) Soundtrack</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Well I have to start of by saying that Absinthe Film was always experimental with their soundtrack, but they always seem to put it together well. This years soundtrack, in my opinion was not very good at all. It lacked any type of energy and climatic moments. It was really mellow from start to finish, almost putting me to sleep. Even the closing scene with Nico and Gigi was so mellow…I mean come on finish strong. I thing that really pissed me off about the soundtrack was JP Solberg’s and Romain DeMarchi’s part, the music did not compliment the riding and I was so looking forward to getting amped by their parts.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Absinthe, for next please step in the soundtrack department to inject more energy….the soundtrack sucked for this years flick Ready.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal">2) Cinematography</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">The cinematography in Ready was high quality as per the usually Absinthe flicks….not most cutting edge but good. Colours came out well and camera positioning for each scene was on point. Alot of the <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">Alaska</st1:place></st1:state> scene I special enjoyed watching because you can see what these riders are up against up there in that unforgiving terrain.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal">3) Scenes / Rider Segment</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Putting the shitty soundtrack aside, the riding in this flick is awesome. I mean how could it not be with heavy hitters like Nico, JP, Gigi, Romain, Wolle and Jeremy Jones. My favourite scene had to have been JP Solberg’s segment. He had been injured for awhile now and partaking in filming for a bit but this years put was off the hook….he definitely killed it….right on JP. The guy is so smooth when launching off backcountry booters…he spins are so tight. I also really like watching the closing scene, baring the music, from Nico and Gigi as they put on a good show together. It gave me the sense of riding with my buddy just having fun.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal">4) Extras / Bonus Scenes</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">The bonus scenes didn’t have must but there did put in the Flipside to Optimistic, which is the making of last years movie. The Flipside to Optimistic is pretty cool to watch because it gives us an insight to a day in the life of a professional snowboarder….it not all gilts and glam.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal">5) Overall</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">To sum it up I really didn’t enjoy the soundtrack as I thought it was lacking energy and to bland. To me a soundtrack is what makes the flick that much better, not get me wrong the riding was awesome but because of the shitty music I think this years Absinthe movie is just average.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I give it a 6.5 to 7 out of 10 and would consider it just a one time rental type of movie. Meaning if you see it once it’s good enough, as I don’t think it’s worth the buy. It’s too bad because I really love Absinthe films but this one lacks the energy they once had.</p>
<br /><object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-5IY5b3MRj0&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-5IY5b3MRj0&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00269095025197016300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393290586459624672.post-55533593408385042722008-12-05T05:37:00.000-08:002008-12-06T14:54:15.542-08:00Weather Prediction for Winter 2008 / 2009<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CMMarra%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="country-region"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceName"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceType"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Hello loyal readers, you know from previous posts that I have been really concerned about the 08-09 winter and the amount of snowfall we might and might not be getting. Well I just came across so information that doesn’t paint a very good picture for this years winter season in the coastal <st1:place st="on"><st1:placetype st="on">mountains</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename st="on">Canada</st1:placename></st1:place>, which includes Whistler.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I search the net franticly in find information that would give me an idea of what to expect this winter. A good reference that I have used for the last couple of years is the Farmer’s Almanac, which is pretty accurate from year to year.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Below are a couple links that predict the next couple of months:</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.almanac.com/weather/">
<br /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.almanac.com/weather/">http://www.almanac.com/weather/</a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://wx-man.com/blog/?cat=200">
<br /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://wx-man.com/blog/?cat=200">http://wx-man.com/blog/?cat=200</a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.farmersalmanac.com/weather/a/2008-09-weather-outlook-for-canada">
<br /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.farmersalmanac.com/weather/a/2008-09-weather-outlook-for-canada">http://www.farmersalmanac.com/weather/a/2008-09-weather-outlook-for-canada</a></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLvWzS1qS22BdS8quQZaHIyRbhpWbU0MmczYeFlHWrALhwF3NjChPKfmXQeClBW1HoES7ZdtVH3rkgGlwmr1YGl_ZYtR88jvbg0efaKUrh0jveR_ABAi7M9Och14I8T-7RX-R0pqq6zUw/s1600-h/0809_fa_canwintermap_lores_01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 327px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLvWzS1qS22BdS8quQZaHIyRbhpWbU0MmczYeFlHWrALhwF3NjChPKfmXQeClBW1HoES7ZdtVH3rkgGlwmr1YGl_ZYtR88jvbg0efaKUrh0jveR_ABAi7M9Och14I8T-7RX-R0pqq6zUw/s320/0809_fa_canwintermap_lores_01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276114458550760482" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">As you can see from the information above the temperature for the pacific <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region> will be seasonal but the big kicker is that there will be less precipitation….meaning possibility less snow.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Well thinking positively I hope we these predictions do not come to fruition and we here in Whistler have a season full of powder days.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Take care and happy trails on the slopes.</p> Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00269095025197016300noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393290586459624672.post-64234027546088044652008-12-03T15:01:00.000-08:002008-12-03T15:02:49.785-08:00Opening Weekend at Whistler Blackcomb<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CMMarra%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">I have officially started my snowboarding season for 08/09 this past weekend, Nov 28<sup>th</sup> and 29<sup>th</sup>, in Whistler. Whistler mountain actually opened on Nov 26<sup>th</sup> with Blackcomb mountain opening one day later, on Nov 27<sup>th</sup>. Now since I’m now working full-time in <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Vancouver</st1:city></st1:place> I can really only get up to Whistler on the weekends…I hate being a weekend warrior.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJyzkHbRE7mutbKTWLOD_oa969j04_0V1GFlNy1DSfHBEMG8T62B5nmiToDUDxFvWnUR2dVLWD7hw93o0TnDwyJlsAtPUY-xjR_pGpmLl95giKbXN-y4hzGMxqt1ju0-IR6DUC1IrpcAM/s1600-h/PICT0008.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJyzkHbRE7mutbKTWLOD_oa969j04_0V1GFlNy1DSfHBEMG8T62B5nmiToDUDxFvWnUR2dVLWD7hw93o0TnDwyJlsAtPUY-xjR_pGpmLl95giKbXN-y4hzGMxqt1ju0-IR6DUC1IrpcAM/s320/PICT0008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275702109997426402" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I was a bit worried with regards to the conditions as I have been checking the snow report for the last two months and never really saw any significant snowfall…even up to opening day. As a matter a fact the freezing level and overall air temperature was well above seasonal….now you can see why I was so concerned.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">On Saturday I hit the slopes pretty late, at about 10am, to avoid the huge lineup for the Whistler gondola that was expected. Since it was the US Thanksgiving and opening Whistler mountain on Saturday was packed with people….it’s a good thing that I did wait until later in the morning. Also the snow conditions were what I thought they would be shit. The alpine temperature was about + 4 degrees celsius and there were times were it drizzled rain because the freezing level was above the peak of the mountain....I felt sorry for people who paid $83 plus to ride in those shitty conditions. Sunday we decided to hit up Blackcomb. The conditions actually got even worse over night because it didn’t snow and the alpine temperature was almost 8 degrees celsius…..spring like conditions. The good thing is that it wasn’t too busy but even with that said we only took a couple of run and packed it in for the day. Overall opening weekend was disappointing with regards to snow conditions as I was hoping for a lot better. I just hope we don’t see another 04/05 season in Whistler as I really want to do more powder riding this year and get into the backcountry.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRL8HuY5kNsNm6OkmX23KHwUCKGu8X3FR7nfbx0Eri9cS9ljT6ek3Coq74BMtNcGe4GwKuycYHnkAf0E0KfpCfiht9-6mtqHvZ0qrKsgoQYlRmVIUBarIsGuY8dNtKbknaj7gXBg-ErdE/s1600-h/PICT0006.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRL8HuY5kNsNm6OkmX23KHwUCKGu8X3FR7nfbx0Eri9cS9ljT6ek3Coq74BMtNcGe4GwKuycYHnkAf0E0KfpCfiht9-6mtqHvZ0qrKsgoQYlRmVIUBarIsGuY8dNtKbknaj7gXBg-ErdE/s320/PICT0006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275702307151099490" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Well all you Whistler riders prey to the snow gods for a huge dump of snow to come really soon because it is much needed for Whistler and Blackcomb mountain.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFicAXBUcefLTAqmLfR1UNYLZEzR6KefWp7c5DNQx2wnWz2MWjuMD7X_0707QcFOncSydZX2IFVcVBz6OdUsEH3NEbyCj33wao7TvoJA6mgDyxZbYJ6Bhl3km4EDUbzIAOrE2pUiS_99k/s1600-h/PICT0007.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFicAXBUcefLTAqmLfR1UNYLZEzR6KefWp7c5DNQx2wnWz2MWjuMD7X_0707QcFOncSydZX2IFVcVBz6OdUsEH3NEbyCj33wao7TvoJA6mgDyxZbYJ6Bhl3km4EDUbzIAOrE2pUiS_99k/s320/PICT0007.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275702568328822050" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">I’ll keep you post on the conditions this coming weekend.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA54ULbNe6-STNe2mKqudvOAAKZtYPUmLpZrThs-HaFOrOIJX5PqXjkZKzlhTO2FMznJPl5SaAPEfzOxhvUXUFnLlQTNWgDNATDSmhgkkr_G3xCNNNt5OAAkNCNSordxE-Ns28ydh-9RU/s1600-h/PICT0005.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA54ULbNe6-STNe2mKqudvOAAKZtYPUmLpZrThs-HaFOrOIJX5PqXjkZKzlhTO2FMznJPl5SaAPEfzOxhvUXUFnLlQTNWgDNATDSmhgkkr_G3xCNNNt5OAAkNCNSordxE-Ns28ydh-9RU/s320/PICT0005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275702776931179122" border="0" /></a></p> Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00269095025197016300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393290586459624672.post-84775505845927963662008-12-01T11:55:00.001-08:002008-12-01T12:01:34.551-08:00Movie Review – Down With People (Mack Dawg Productions)<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CMMarra%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceType"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">The second film for 2009 from Mack Dawg Productions is Down With People. This follow-up film to With People stars Louis Fountain, Josh Mills, Pat McCarthy, Shaun McKay, Jordan Mendenhall, Stephen Duke, Jon Kooley, Austin Smith, Bryan Fox, Simon Chamberlain, Zac Marben, Filippo Fratter, Ryan Thompson and Joe Sexton. Some of the locals that the flick is shot in are <st1:placetype st="on">Park</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype st="on">City</st1:placetype>, <st1:city st="on">Aspen</st1:city>, <st1:place st="on">Brighton</st1:place>, Northstar and Crested Butte to name a few.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Down With People crew is a bit younger than the Double Decade crew, so it’s kind of like Down With People is the minor league version of Double Decade. But don’t get twisted the riders in Down With People are some of the best in the world at rail and park riding in particular. The film shows the riders strengths off well because it’s pretty rail and park heavy with little snippets from the backcountry.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1cxSYe-mBzQZqs7dRmcDq887aLW4tMrcsYXM9w3cR2H7bk95Q_XjNFEQ37PuzYJjignT5bgFkZaydd_7i4p1x6Ad_q16vAtAg6e2CoalGF1-40-fq9rNPV-ye9X_cTS_qTd2XXbIOrg/s1600-h/mack_dawg_down_with_people_snowboard_dvd.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 211px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1cxSYe-mBzQZqs7dRmcDq887aLW4tMrcsYXM9w3cR2H7bk95Q_XjNFEQ37PuzYJjignT5bgFkZaydd_7i4p1x6Ad_q16vAtAg6e2CoalGF1-40-fq9rNPV-ye9X_cTS_qTd2XXbIOrg/s320/mack_dawg_down_with_people_snowboard_dvd.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274912823562729810" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal">1) Soundtrack</p><p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I really enjoyed the soundtrack to Down With People because it complimented the rider’s scene well and provide some variety from segment to segment. Some of the artists that were featured in the film where Judas Priest, Boy Dylan, Run DMC and Jimi Hendrix to name a few. The music kept my attention throughout the film and added to the enjoyment of watching Down With People. My Favourite segment with respect to music had to have been Zac Marben’s with Jimi Hendrix’s Crosstown Traffic, the beginning to that scene was awesome and it just flowed right. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal">2) Cinematography</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Cinematography in Down with People is similar to other Mack Dawg films as in it is pretty high quality. I mean nothing like the gold standard, which is now <a href="http://speedydescend.blogspot.com/2008/11/movie-review-thats-it-thats-all.html">That’s It That’s All</a>, but well done. There are some unique camera angles during the street riding segments and the editing is done really well as Mack Dawg does. For some reason the way Down With People was filmed reminded me of Mack Dawg’s film from a couple of year ago called Shakedown….not really sure why?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal">3) Rider Segment / Scene</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">As I mention I really enjoyed watching this film as all the riders parts were solid. I was hard to choose a rider that really out did the other but guys like Bryan Fox, Jon Kooley, Joe Sexon and Simon Chamberlain had amazing parts. But if I had to choose I would say the intro from Austin Smith and last scene from Zac Marben were the best. I really liked Zac’s intro to the scene with that cool segment of him riding through a residential neighborhood with Hendrix pumping in the background.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Since the film is rail and street heavy each rider is really pushing to put out the most tech jib tricks and that is so evident in riders like Marben, Kooley, Sexon and Chamberlain’s part. If you’re a park / street rider, watch those guys because their riding and tricks are off the hook.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Also another really cool and funny part is the end of the film just before the credits were guys like JP Walker, Jeremy Jones and Todd Richards are dissing the crew from Down People. I guess Mack Dawg just wanted to create a little rivalry because the two Mack Dawg crew. Check it out because their disses are pretty funny. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal">4) Extras / Bonus</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">The Bonus scenes in this film are so amazing. It’s like having two movies in one because the bonus is each riders extra scenes that didn’t make final cut put together….that makes it like a second movie. If you’re thinking that the scenes in the bonus section won’t be that good because it’s the out takes from the main film, you’re wrong because the bonus material is just as good as the movie itself. Actually I enjoyed some of the bonus segments more than the final movies ones. Riders like Austin Smith, Jon Kooley, Zac Marben and Simon Chamberlain’s had awesome bonus features.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal">5) Overall</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Overall I really enjoyed Down With People as the film had a ton of bangers, amazing riders and good music, all the right elements that make a good snowboarding flick. If you’re into park and street riding I would suggest picking this one up because of the high level of riding and with the added scenes in the bonus scene it makes $35 seem well spent….a cool, fun flick with some of my favourite riders.
<br /></p>
<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4QW3H25C91M&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4QW3H25C91M&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00269095025197016300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393290586459624672.post-53046301278590768102008-11-26T08:00:00.000-08:002008-11-26T08:00:00.764-08:00Movie Review – That’s It That’s All<span style="font-family:arial;">The wait is over for the much anticipated follow up to Travis Rice’s Community Project and the 2009 film is called That’s It That’s All (TITA). TITA was a two year project by snowboarder Travis Rice and film maker Curt Morgan that features a sleuth of amazing riders like Mark Landvik, Nicolas Muller, Terje Haakonsen, Jeremy Jones (big mountain rider), Scotty Lago, John Jackson and of course the creator Travis Rice.<br /><br />The film is all about exploration, big mountain riding and snowboarding progression. This flick features scenes from New Zealand, Whistler, the BC interior, Part City, and Jackson Hole to name a few.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc1VmaK3f0k8Hft3WooFIUCDtQqOHdW8xvOVaz48OtebFAjVRtPjow9gYqDJ0FAQCYrZmSXEZ27fE6qPhdvXxpuBZARZSZ2QUZqWDKUCPaxmUekDj35lkGbYa5OyQWpHO1-0Q1_mvvGmc/s1600-h/thatsit_thatsall_1of3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 344px; height: 190px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc1VmaK3f0k8Hft3WooFIUCDtQqOHdW8xvOVaz48OtebFAjVRtPjow9gYqDJ0FAQCYrZmSXEZ27fE6qPhdvXxpuBZARZSZ2QUZqWDKUCPaxmUekDj35lkGbYa5OyQWpHO1-0Q1_mvvGmc/s320/thatsit_thatsall_1of3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272273716217471506" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />So cutting to the chase, here is my review of That’s It That’s All. And trust me this is going be a good one!!!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1) Soundtrack</span><br /><br />The soundtrack for That’s It That’s All is fitting to the riding style of Travis Rice, hard hitting and powerful. Most of the tracks in each scene are straight up alternative and heavy rock/metal. This snowboarding movie shies away from the normal by packing a powerful dramatic punch to each scene. Snowboarding movies in the last couple of years have got the mellow route in my opinion, which is cool too. From the opening scene the music sets the tone of the whole film, there is no dull moment music wise. It’s just high energy and intensity all the way through. Even if you don’t like hard rock this soundtrack will amp you up to go out to your local mountain and ride as hard as Travis Rice does.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2) Cinematography</span><br /><br />Oh my God, the cinematography in That’s It That’s All was out of this world. The director Curt Morgan used a film technology call cineplex filming that made so high high quality. Morgan mentions in one of the scenes that the cineplex technology really puts the audience in the moment of what the riders are experiencing. I also have to mention that the colours in the flick just popped. I have never seen a snowboarding movie that was filled with so much colour from the scenery…it was just visually vivid. TITA is now the new standard in snowboarding filming production, if not the standard for all action sports. Filmmakers take note because this is the best flick visually I have ever seen. I just wish I had a HDTV to see this movie the way it was intended.<br /><br />Best looking snowboarding movie ever produced, it was worth the wait.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3) Rider Segments / Scenes</span><br /><br />This movie is so so fucken good that it’s hard to pick the best scene but I really like the opener because it sets the tone for the whole flick and it display the cinematography really well. All through the movie Travis Rice is banging out trick after trick. T.Rice is killing it in order to make the best movie possible and progress snowboarding to the next level. I mean there were so many tricks that Travis did that I’ve never seen before, this guy is what snowboarding is about. Also another rider who kill it was Jeremy Jones with his big mountain lines in Alaska. I really enjoyed watching Jones helmet cam ride because you really go the sense of what it’s like to snowboard in the Alaskan backcountry.<br /><br />You really have to give it up for the riders in this film because they displayed to the world what the new standard is for riding in a snowboarding film.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4) Extras / Bonus Features</span><br /><br />Unlike other movies for this year That’s It That’s All packs a lot of bonus clips from the making of TITA to a photography slideshow to all the teasers. Also included is an intro to the snowboarding competition, Natural Selection, which was invented by Travis Rice. But my favourite bonus feature was called “Travis Does Tahiti”. It was Travis Rice and Quiksilver snowboarding team mate Todd Richards going to Tahiti on a surf trip with the amazing surf and also Quiksilver sponsor surfer, Dane Reynolds. I almost jumped out of my chair when I saw this because the filming was so good and getting to Dane surf he is definitely one of my favorite surfers. Rice and Richards are pretty good surfers too, it was really cool to see one of the most famous waves in the world be shredded by snowboarders.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5) Overall</span><br /><br />As you can already guess, That’s It That’s All is definitely my favourite snowboarding movies of 2009 and maybe of all time. It just on another level compared to everything else out there these days. From the riding to the quality of film this has to be movie of the year and is really worth the money. Even if this movies was $100 I would still buy it, it was that good.<br /><br />Overall I give this movie a 10 out of 10. But really it should be more like a 100 out of 10. Awesome movie Travis and after watching That’s It That’s All I’m so amped to hit the mountains.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mI8Lv932q-g&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mI8Lv932q-g&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></span>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00269095025197016300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393290586459624672.post-82149655180344181592008-11-24T09:06:00.000-08:002008-11-24T09:10:58.391-08:00Movie Review – Double Decade<span style="font-family:arial;">For 2009 Mack Dawg Productions is celebrating their 20th year in the business with the release of Double Decade. The title is fitting because back in 1999 they released Decade. Double Decade features your favorite riders that MDP has been filming for the last couple of years like Jeremy Jones, Andreas Wiig, Seth Huot, DCP, Eero Ettala, Jussi Oksanen and more. Also riding are returning stars that use to film with MDP like my favouite rider JP “The Don” Walker and Devun “Whistler backcountry master” Walsh. Double Decade was film in places like Whistler, Mt. Baker, the Tahoe area, Finland and I think I even saw a couple scenes within Montreal hitting up handrails/jibs.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcUfZcXfWBsumV1BMCmMmy2M9GV1-x0bzNY_xrD4iUIizvd0GW798qh1IghKC5GLp3QVh3rLpScs8kDhrMoFyqIMjQDnIdKug9SN3rU_2vI4H0ZwfbYteaJNncCdPQQdNORVu7HSoEmaw/s1600-h/452.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 159px; height: 228px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcUfZcXfWBsumV1BMCmMmy2M9GV1-x0bzNY_xrD4iUIizvd0GW798qh1IghKC5GLp3QVh3rLpScs8kDhrMoFyqIMjQDnIdKug9SN3rU_2vI4H0ZwfbYteaJNncCdPQQdNORVu7HSoEmaw/s320/452.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272271911840638546" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The concept of the flick is to give the audience a history lesson on the progression of snowboarding and filmmaking, along with a great movie that MDP is know for. You will also notice a lot of homage to past flicks by the places that were filmed in this movie, especially the jibbing scenes.<br /><br />So without further adieu here is my review on Double Decade.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1) Soundtrack</span><br /><br />One major thing you will thing you will notice when you watch Double Decade is that there is only one hip-hop track, weird…and it’s not even in JP’s part. Regardless of the lack hip-hop that music throughout the film works with music from the Doobie Brothers, Pet Shop Boys, NOFX, The Cardigans and the Ramoans. The soundtrack kind of gels together in a more laid back way rather that hard hitting like in past movies. I don’t mind this collection of music for the film but I don’t think it’s MDP best. I think they could have put in a bit more climatic hard hitting tracks to give the movie more pop…come on MDP this is your 20th year anniversary.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2) Cinematography</span><br /><br />Cinematography in this film was good…very much the same as Picture This. Shots were clean, crisp and the colours came through well…high quality filming techniques. Also editing was done well as no scenes were cut off at the beginning or end…they showed all riders tricks from start to finish including a good amount of run out. The tricks within each scene were seamlessly put together and flowed really well.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3) Rider Segment / Scene</span><br /><br />Each rider in the movie did a good job so it’s hard to choose to a scene that stands out….one doesn’t standout more than the other. But if I had to pick I would say the history lesson 201 and JP Walker’s part…these two scenes are well placed and fit together back to back. It’s great to see JP back filming and his final scene jump was off the hook. I still can’t believe JP’s song is not a hip-hop one, but the Pet Shop Boys song does fit to my surprise. Devun’s part was really good too...it flowed amazingly.<br /><br />As I said all the riders were awesome and the level of snowboarding high with tech tricks accompanied by amazing locations and conditions.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4) Extras / Bonus Features</span><br /><br />There are not a lot of true bonus scenes in Double Decade. But the one they have are pretty cool it keep inline with the concept of the film by ask riders of the past and present who is the best Jumper, Jibber, Pipe Rider and what is the MDP film of the last 20 years. At first I thought, oh man what a waste, but as I watched them I really enjoyed hearing who the riders of the past picked for the best of.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5) Overall</span><br /><br />Overall I enjoyed watch Double Decade, I think it was a well made film with solid riding from a star studded cast. I really liked the JP Walker was back filming and it was good to see him reunite with Jermey Jones and Devun Walsh. A couple of amazing riders from the old Forum team…brought back memories of my favorite MDP movie, True Life. Also the flick did get me amped to go out ride and it does that then it’s a pretty good movie. The only downside to Double Decade was the soundtrack. As mentioned before it should have been a bit more climatic for their anniversary movie. So sum this review I up I give Double Decade an 8 to 8.5 out of 10 and think it’s money well spent.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/pQNbc3TZOp0&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/pQNbc3TZOp0&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></span>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00269095025197016300noreply@blogger.com2