Grip Grand - Brokelore

From a strictly musical standpoint, the majority of hip-hop and rap tracks available simply don't vibe well with snowboarding. Most are too aggressive, too obnoxious, and to...tally don't synch up to footage very well at all. Even if you do find a diamond in the rough, that's usually all that can be squeezed from a CD of more than ten tracks. This CD, Brokelore by Grip Grand, might be the first hip-hop album I've heard where every track is built to shred.

Right from the get go with "Showtime", Grip Grand takes you back to the glory days of hip-hop with a hooked up beat and intelligent rhymes that will have you bobbin' your head before you know it. Further listening provides more of the same; I was surprised when I had gotten to the 5th song without having to skip a single one, and even more so when silence ensued and I realized the CD was over already. Brokelore is a classy hip-hop album through and through.

Mellow beats and tasteful instrumental accompaniment also make this album powder approved... yes, hip-hop and powder! There are several songs that beg you to cut some freshies and let Grip Grand help set the mood. To round things off, there are a couple of jib anthems on the CD including the track "Handle That", which would fit great in any FODT movie. That makes Grip Grand's Brokelore the ultimate all-around snowboard hip-hop soundtrack in my book. You could literally make an entire snowboard movie--powder, parks, pipes and rails--using just this one CD.

Did I mention there's a sweet sample from House of Pain's "Jump Around" ("But Anyway")?

Grip Grand - Brokelore
5/5 Cacti

Mammoth Memories

Most of you know about my days as a liftie up in Mammoth. I can best sum up my experiences at Mammoth with the story of my first day working back when I was 18 years old: It was late in the season and my very first day was also the end of season party for one of the lodges. I almost didn't go seeing as I hadn't actually worked a day of the season yet, but the homies wouldn't have it and I got to come along. Without saying too much about the activities that went on, I must say that after the party I immediately lost all apprehension about my bosses, my co-workers and the fact that I picked up and moved to a random mountain in a timespan of 3 days. Talk about your all-time icebreakers; I wish every job had an orientation like I got my first day as a Canyon liftie.

Anyway, I found an old card for my camera and it had some awesome pictures and memories of seasons past. I thought I put a few up along with the stories behind them...


First shot is of the shit-heap that was my room. It was a single hotel room that they crammed two bunk beds and four employees into. The result? Trash monuments and the physical act of walking being no longer possible. That's Scrubs on the TV, one of ten channels we got; I have that show memorized.


Here are more shots of the trash kingdom, a true testament to the glory of the resort employee lifestyle. One day everyone realized that our room was literally radioactive, and we organized an effort to sanitize the domicile and make living conditions bearable. Some twenty trash bags later things were cleaner (yet still not clean), but when someone pointed out the dumpster was across the street, out on the balcony the bags went. I guess anywhere but on the floor was a major improvement...


This is the elusive trash kingdom balcony. One time my roomates downed a bottle of Jager and when I got back to the place one of them was asleep next to the toilet and the other was here on this balcony. He was shirtless and completely wasted, standing still as a statue just staring at nothing in particular; it was snowing pretty thick-like, and I laughed and laughed.

Oh, and those empty booze boxes? That's a girls room... goddamn alcoholics...haha.


Shot from the top of chair 5. This was my test shot with my new camera, which turned out to be a pretty nice photo. Chair 5 is an awesome all-mountain access chair at Mammoth. You can go to any of the lodges from it, which is a good 15 to 30 minute ride depending.


This is a pretty awesome shot riding into Mammoth on the 395, snow capped Sierras and luminous rays of sunshine.


This is my favorite picture of all time, probably because this was my favorite lift of all time. Once I put in some time as a liftie Mammoth started sending me to chair 9, which was one of the most untouched, out-of-the-way and chill lifts on the mountain. Chair 9 is the only access to an entire face of Mammoth, and this is the face you simply can't miss on a powder day.

I say it was my favorite lift because the summer after I took this shot from the lift shack Mammoth tore her down and installed the new six person "Cloud 9 Express". If I'm remembering correctly, this was the last of the original lifts Mammoth opened when it first went into operation. The two-seater took 10 minutes to get to the top, but that long ride was probably the best part about it. Riding that lift to open the top shack, and being the only one on it--the only one on that side of the mountain--was just awesome.

I haven't been back to Mammoth since that season, but I'm sure the six seater blew that area to shit and now it's constantly crowded and the complete opposite of what it used to be. I'd be happy to be proven wrong on that assumption.

Make a Trampoline Snowboard

Summertime is when I start preaching trampolines as a means to keep physically fit and use visualization to "practice" some of the more daunting jumps and spins in snowboarding. Most of the time simply emulating riding by maintaining your stance on the trampoline works pretty well, but often times this makes harder tricks seem much easier since you are able to widen or narrow how far apart your feet are during the maneuver to bring it completely around. When there is a snowboard attached to your body you will not be offered this luxury, and being able to create spin with your feet in a fixed position will translate a lot quicker into your riding.

But you aren't going to be able to just strap in to your snowboard and start bouncing around on your trampoline--the board has far to much surface area and makes balancing in any manner difficult, let alone being able to jump and practice spins/flips (and did I mention your snowboard's edges will slice right through your tramp-mat). There are some inventions made specifically trampoline-safe that simulate a board and bindings, but they are always fairly overpriced and even worse, they break after not too long. Sooner or later everyone figures out that a skateboard deck (sans trucks) is the perfect complement to a trampoline session... so how to put "bindings" on a skateboard deck?

Over the years I've been through countless methods trying to get a skateboard to work as a trampoline snowboard. I've tried shoelaces, zip-ties, duct tape and eventually they would all snap, leaving 15 to 20 minutes of fiddling before the fun could resume. One day--and on YouTube of all places--I finally found the perfect method. It's all thanks to TurtleTramp:

Ingredients:

1 x Skateboard Deck (Old or New)
1 x Belt
4 x Short, Self-tapping Wood Screws
4 x Appropriate Washers
1 Screwdriver

Instructions:

1. Put your foot on the skateboard deck approximately where you would like it positioned.
2. First fold the belt, doubling the thickness (and strength).
3. Now shape the doubled belt over your foot, adjusting the gap for whether you will use shoes, bare feet, etc. Mark off the belts position as best as possible.
4. With a screwdriver, start screwing everything in *with the washers on top of the belt*.
   
5. Test your new trampoline snowboard out! If this is your first time making one, don't be discouraged if you have to repeat steps 3 and 4 several times until you get the strap to your liking.
6. Start play-err-Practicing!

I wanted to add that you don't necessarily need a Karate belt; any thicker belt--especially a leather belt--is likely to do as a good a job, or better. Now in the video, TurtleTramp ends by wrapping tape around the straps to get them to "pop up". If you check out his YouTube channel, TurtleTramp does a lot of one-footed tricks, pulling feet out and putting them back in the straps. Even if you aspire to one-footed tricks, in snowboarding you won't be concerning yourself with getting that foot back in the binding so much as back on the board; by all means feel free to skip the tape step.

One last thing to touch on, if you buy a set of screws long enough to go through the washer and two belt layers and into the skateboard deck but not penetrate the bottom, you can eliminate the need to grind off the exposed screw points shown in the video. Save yourself the money and the effort and just get screws that fit.

If you are curious what to do with your new trampoline snowboard, TurtleTramp is also here to demonstrate how to use as well:

Ode to the Alleyoop

If you happen to be a fan of basketball, then you know just from the name that the “alleyoop” is going to be one kick-ass snowboarding trick…

Just like basketball, to properly execute an alleyoop requires nothing more than a bit of finesse. So what exactly is an alleyoop? I’ve seen this trick mistaken for a simple backside/frontside air, and man what an injustice this truly is.

Let’s look at the alleyoop in basketball: One player sets up a shot that another player puts in the basket. Essentially, the alleyoop is merely one player “redirecting” the ball. In snowboarding, the rider continues to head down the quarter/halfpipe/hip but “redirects” their spin to the direction opposite their downhill edge. This is one of those tricks that is always better explained visually:

Once you start mastering the basics of airing opposite the direction of your momentum, you can start throwing in more complicated grabs and add extra steez to an already steezy trick.

The alleyoop is one of those tricks that doesn’t require any enormous amount of skill, and once you start to get them they look pretty damn awesome. As your ability to spin increases so can the difficulty of your alleyoops moving from 180s to 360s to 540s and so on…

Risto Mattila sends a ginormous alleyoop 3
Courtesy: Snowboarder Magazine

Don’t forget that like many tricks, the alleyoop isn’t limited to only snow features. You can alleyoop a wallride, a pole-jam, a tree stump and even rocks if you feel so inclined. Remember, it’s only snowboarding and it’s only a snowboard so just have fun with it.

If you can build it, you can alleyoop it
Courtesy: BoardtheWorld.com

A young-gun alleyoops to tail tap
Courtesy: SnowboardMag

If it isn’t already, be sure to add the alleyoop to your list of must-learn tricks for next season and turn up the style points on some of your favorite features…

Thanks again for taking time to enjoy with me another one of snowboarding’s more fun to look at, fun to perform and just all around fun tricks. Stay tuned for more not-so-average “trick tips” here on the Ode To series at DesertsDontSnow.com.

Links, Resources and Awesome Websites

While I wish I could have each of these websites prominently displayed on every page of the site, there is only so much space in the sidebars. The websites that are automatically updated in the sidebar of the site are all perfect complements to the content found on Deserts Don't Snow, the sites that are most definitely worth a visit. Since to write up all of the links to my favorite snowboard companies, shredsites, film crews, magazines and more would take well, an entire post... I decided to make...an entire post:

Companies	Friends	Resorts
686	AGoodReed	A-Basin
Airblaster	High Cascade	Bear Mountain
Burton	Shayboarder.com	Beaver Creek
Capita	Shred Betties	Breckenridge
Demon	The Angry Snowboarder	Copper
DNA	YoBeat.com	June Mountain
Electric		Keystone
Ellis	Forums/Communities	Mammoth Mountain
Forum	ABC-of-Snowboarding	Mt. High
GNU	Shred Union	Snow Summit
K2	Snowboarder Community	Snow Valley
Lib-Tech	Snowforum	Timberline
Nativ	The Snowboard Realms	Vail
Never Summer
Nomis	Film Crews	Magazines/Resources
O-Matic	Actionhorse Films	AllUS // CO Shred Mag
Oakley	Isenseven	Frequency
Section	Sanbox	Snowboard Mag
Smokin'	Think Thank	Snowboarder
Special Blend	Variety Pack	Transworld Business
Stepchild		Transworld Snowboarding
Swany
Union
Vans
Westbeach
ZION

---

Got a website that belongs here, but isn't? Send any links to DesertsDontSnow@gmail.com with Subject: Link Submission. All you need is a website that either fits the categories above or is unique enough for a category all its own.

Snowboarding's Largest Media Pimp

In snowboarding, and definitely in recent times, advertising campaigns have become insanely aggressive. We’ve all experienced it, the anticipation for your next issue of your favorite snowboard magazine and the disappointment of getting it and finding over three-quarters of the pages are advertisements; when it is to the point that companies like Milosport can place a multi-page advertisement of more than five consecutive pages in a widely-read magazine and get away with it… talk about advertising overload!

Even the very professional snowboarders we idolize and wish to ride like, at least in executive eyes, are merely the current most profitable poster children for company-x. I asked you readers which company you believed to be the largest media pimp. Who shells out the most cash for marketing and recruits the most snowboarders to help promote their brand?

With the most votes was Target, who as far as I am aware only works with Shaun White. Now admittedly the clothing line was a little much, and to many Shaun is industry sellout numero-uno, but even so I would have say Target is not much of predator in the snowboarding world.

PacSun was a consideration since each USASA event is another opportunity for the companies logo to be emblazoned on every single bib, flag and tent. Most in the snowboard world view PacSun and USASA as a different page of snowboarding, they are into their own thing… so they aren’t a largely dominant company in the industry.

In my opinion, the winner of biggest media pimp would have to go to the likes of Monster, Red Bull and Mountain Dew. Thirst + Action-sports + Winning riders drinking your product = Many people who will buy your product; this simple equation reveals the logic behind the aggressive onslaught of advertising and rider recruitment these companies utilize.

These are the companies responsible for most of the mainstream events in snowboarding, and in some cases the major financial backers of your favorite snowboard films (Red Bull and That’s It, That’s All). It’s ironic that the most media hungry companies in snowboarding have very little to with the actual sport, but such is the crazy world of marketing.

So you heard it here kids. If you want to be sponsored, hunt down some energy drink companies and start sending tapes.

Bitchboards - How to Tell A Snowboard Company Is Bad

When I recently found out that Bitchboards had survived the season, and not only that but had added a new line of bindings to its products, I couldn't believe it. So many good companies were lost to the recent economics time, yet this piece of shit brand somehow survives and expands? Either Bitchboards survives via deep pockets (more on that later), or it is we who are to blame...

Understand that in writing this article, I am faced with a monumental challenge: Here I am, a guy snowboarder, about to try and talk any lady snowboarders who read this page out of selling themselves short. So I am 1. A guy, 2. I have never tested, or even seen, these girls snowboards, and 3. I'm going against a company that has built its brand on gender identity (some powerful psychological stuff) with a deviously sneaky, yet incredibly effective marketing plan behind it.

So this is what I am up against before I even get the ball rolling; the odds are pretty much completely against me. The way I see it is this: What follows is not necessarily an attack on Bitchboards alone so much as an attack on all companies that come into this market only for the glory and the profitability. This is what a bad snowboard company looks like...

A successful snowboarding company is usually built around a unique idea or innovation that satisfies a particular void in our industry. Bitchboards actually does have a niche, the "snowboards by girls for girls" market, which while slowly growing is still in dire need of revolutionary companies; Bitchboards just isn't one of said companies:

"BitchBoards® is a new and revolutionary company focusing exclusively on the creation of highly functional and fashionable ‘boards for bitches’. We’re not talking about awkward and heavy men’s boards with butterflies and daisies slapped on top. We are also not talking about ‘chick-sized’ boards with a dash of pink across the surface, hiding weak and cheap manufacturing..."

So let's check fact with fiction. Women's voices in the snow industry are definitely being heard, and today you can't be a snowboard manufacturer without offering a ladies or at least a unisex model. More and more female riders are starting to push the progression of the sport, and this has meant enormous improvements each year to the women's hardgoods market. Burton, Salomon, K2 and many, many other companies all offer a full line of tried, tested and approved snowboard models specifically designed for the female rider.

To call the female models in production today, "...awkward and heavy men's boards with butterflies and daisies slapped on top," is pretty bold, particularly when the company making the claim offers no detailed explanation on just what makes their boards for girls. Essentially this is just a claim from a stranger that you can either believe or not, and I don't buy it.

Now, I have scoured the Bitchboards website time and time again looking for evidence that maybe, just maybe they do care about the progression of snowboarding. They finally added a Twin-tip model, yet even that lacks any real substance. They did add a hint of technical research with "Engineered Carbon Fiber for Woman's Lower Center Of Gravity". I'm not a wizard with these things, but I do believe carbon fiber is used more for stiffness and pop; I'm not sure what a woman's center of gravity would have to do with the carbon fiber.

Basically, these boards are no different than the boards at your local Sportsmart/Sports Authority/Wal-Mart, and their new binding line is more of the same. It's very clear that Bitchboards is not about female progression in snowboarding, but they do have a target consumer:

"Our mission and philosophy is to always provide the highest quality women's snowboards women love to ride and show off! We promise to provide the ultimate in style and design in every BitchBoards® snowboard without skimping on the performance or quality...

...BitchBoards® is embracing the word 'Bitch' to mean an empowered and beautiful female snowboarder. It's a fun and playful ‘thumbing of the nose’ at a male-dominated industry that until now hasn't addressed women's real wants and needs. Move over 'betties' the 'bitches' are shredding up the mountain!"

Yes, in an effort to break away from the male-dominated industry and pre-conceived notions of a woman's taste, Bitchboards offers a snowboard that let's everyone on the mountain know that you are the stereotypical Long Beach Barbie, all about looks and in serious need of books. Bitchboards boast a "pretty" photo-realistic topsheet yet underneath reveals a bland, rudamentary and simplistic board construction; pretty on the outside with a soul like dried leather... just like Long Beach Barbie.

Even the name, "Bitchboards", is just another gimmick, another way the company feeds on our psychological impulses. Either you are raving on how bold and unconventional the genius behing Bitchboards, Alex Masterson, is; or you are absolutely hating on the absurdity of having the word "Bitch" plastered across the base of your board. Guess what? Alex Masterson actually is a genius, well not her, but her family and the folks over at Masterson Creative. Turns out daddy happens to specialize in "Branding, corporate identity and image building." A perfect arrangement if you are a spoiled little girl who wants to have her own snowboard company, and you have a shitty product that you need to sell tons of skeptical people.

I'm not necessarily saying I want Bitchboards to go away, but if it is going to stay and people are going to keep buying their boards--and now bindings--then they really need to step it up and figure out what the industry is all about. Right now, Alex Masterson and Bitchboards just don't get snowboarding... it's plain and simple.

The thing is, it is true that there is a lack of information and resources for female riders who want to get started/progress to the next level in their riding; seeing an girl-specific board company like Bitchboards, especially with how much they promise to deliver to female riders, makes it all to easy to fall victim. Don't sell yourself short! Consider your sources and do your research. You can ask around on forums, call various companies; don't forget to pump your local shop kids for information or you can even try and send an email to your favorite pro-snowboarder. Even if graphics and looks are your main concern, don't let clever brand marketing talk you into paying over $600 (the going price for Bitchboards last season) for a board you could have bought for under $200 at Sportsmart. Better yet, take that $600 and buy into some of the truly innovative and progressive woman's snowboard companies.

Stoked - Snowboard Game for Xbox 360

Not many know that there were two snowboarding games scheduled for release this year; the Tony Hawk inspired, pseudo-realistic "snowboard superpower" based Shaun White Snowboarding and another called Stoked. The brainchild of Destineer games and Absinthe Films, Stoked is the first snowboarding game of its class.

Stoked mixes EA Skate inspired controls with a specialized in-game weather system to shatter what we've been bred to believe a snowboard game should be. Far from the kiddie style of its predecessors (Amped, Shaun White, SSX), Stoked is all about real-time style and a true-to-life snowboarding experience.

Real-Time Weather

The key selling point for Stoked would have to be its dynamic weather system. It pretty much demands that you mix it up as you either chase the sun to exotic destinations or chase the storms to where the real powder lies.

Real-time Weather Explained...

The storms are epic; whiteout days with wind howling through the trees--you can actually see the trees move from the force of the gusts. It feels like you really are one of the crazy idiots that goes out riding when the Mother Nature clearly says, "Don't go riding or I will kill you."

Even more amazing is that if it snows in Stoked it really snows. You can keep track of which mountains have the best snow conditions by checking your in-game cell phone. As I understand it, you can cause avalanches on some of the stormier more snow-packed mountains... but I haven't quite gotten there yet, and you'll find out why later on.

360º Mountains

Oh, so you think there should more to a mountain than just one face? Well Stoked is a snowboarding game that answered a long awaited call. No more being restricted to a single face of the mountain, each level in Stoked features a fully rideable, 360º mountain! You can cut across, cut across and cut across without ever running into loading screens or invisible barriers... as long as you have speed, you are riding.

Graphics

The graphics for Stoked are pretty stunning considering the games retail price of $29.99. Only a few places were noticeably lacking, but there is a little bit more involved in running this game since the detail is in the environment; meaning the 360º mountains, remembering all of your tracks (and effectively "tracking out" your features, forcing you to move on) and of course the real-time weather system.

Gameplay

The controls for Stoked are very similar to the controls for EA Skate but lacking a few key ingredients. The stick is not pressure sensitive, one flick does all; its how you time your jump that affects your height. This isn't a fatal flaw, and its a vast improvement to the ridiculous control scheme of Shaun White Snowboarding--I only have so many fingers for so many buttons!

You can't nollie or any variation and the tail-press is your only butter move. I'm not sure if they decided not to incorporate these features because they couldn't, or because since the game takes place in deep backcountry powder settings you really wouldn't be able to pressure towards the front of your board. If due to the latter, I'd say it's an understandable flaw.

The game is very realistic in that in order to get the most huck out of your hit, you need to prewind. Prewinding is always the opposite the direction you want to spin, this is true in both the game and real life. The game keeps you on your feet, constantly on top of which way to prewind depending on riding normal or switch. This having any effect on your riding is debatable, but hey, here is a game that isn't as mindless as "hit button to jump".

In terms of missions and the like, if I had to say anything about this game I'd say it's educational... Basically, the missions and things to are a variety of pop quizzes to test your snowboard know-how. It's not as simple as scoring x-amount of points in x-amount of time; if you are told to do a shifty to backside 360 mute, that's what needs to be thrown in order to move on--you can't even overspin and have it count, in other words any spin except a backside 360 fails. There is a handy grab bible to let you in on the grabs you can't remember. All in all if you were someone who has trouble naming grabs and spins this would be like your "Hooked on Phonics".

The only flaws in gameplay are that it gets a bid tedious and this in part due to a huge lack of variety with obstacles (mostly straight logs, rocks and a few ledges--all just the same obstacles copied and pasted); I think they could get more creative with a backcountry game like this, nature makes some pretty crazy things.

Customizable Features

In terms of features in the game such as boards, gear and settings I'm not exactly impressed...yet. The game starts out with only one board that is OK looking, and looks seem to be all that matters as there are no board specs or anything like that. There are plenty of hats, hairstyles and facial features to play around with though, and maybe that's all that really counts?

Basically in the beginning of Stoked there is a tremendously limited choice in snowboards, bindings and outerwear to customize your character with; I expect I will unlock more as I progress through the came since I see names like Burton, Rome and Lib Tech plastered all over the game interfaces.

On other insteresting customizable on this game is that you can set up your binding angles and stance width. I haven't played with these to see if they change how your spin/jump etc. but I doubt they do, and if they did it doesn't seem like something altogether necessary.

Audio

Well the Shaun White Snowboarding soundtrack earned the mute button not long after it was played. Teenie-boppers I'm sure loved it, but I was ready to shred my hand up in a blender after hearing the same songs loop through after playing only half an hour.

Stoked features a pleasant--or not so pleasant, depending on your tastes--variety of ambient beats, european club tracks and other such soothing melodies associated with Absinthe and the European big mountain riders featured in the game, plus a few popular favorites just to even things out. The soundtrack seems long as I have not felt like I have heard the same song twice yet, even with quite a few hours of playing time logged.

Stoked Video Game
4/5 Cacti

Stoked is a snowboarding game I can get behind. First of all it's only $29.99, which compared to other Xb0x 360 games at double the price is in itself a deal-maker. On top of that, Stoked emphasizes a very different aspect of the snowboarding world and does one hell of job doing so. The mountains are surreal, the environments astounding, the control schem is highly user-friendly and the overall experience thrilling. This game is perfect to feed the need during the long summer stretch, cold winter white-out days or anything in-between.

I hope they continue the series, though Shaun White Snowboarding virtually silenced the existence of Stoked altogether...lame. If they do decide to make a sequel though, I would like to see the addition of pressure sensitive flick controls and incorporation of nollies, as well as a greater variety of missions and features. Those are the only areas where the game lags, and not having them really doesn't take away from the experience.

If a big part of your summer plans involves quality time with your Xbox 360, why not have the best of both gaming and snowboarding with Destineer Game's Stoked?

Capix Skatecap

The Capix Skatecap and I have a history. It all started a few years ago... I was getting into some new tricks and decided I wanted a helmet, and being that I have a propensity towards wearing hats, I decided that this helmet was the right way for me. Well, I didn't get to enjoy it very long before the helmet, along with my brothers car, was stolen from outside of my house (they recovered the car, no helmet).


So when I headed out to Colorado last season it was time for round two, and I purchased yet another Capix Skatecap. I've got to be honest, I think maybe the car thieves were doing me a favor when they did whatever they did with my first one.

Protection

A lot of people are into helmets for style and how low-profile they are, but very rarely is the issue of a helmets protection brought into question. After buying a Bern helmet, later to find out the "hard hat" style material was only suitable for one impact, I became much more aware of this fact.

The first question I had about the Capix Skatecap was its protection rating. **This is a certified helmet built for multiple impacts; not unlike the classic Pro-Tec skate helmets.** => I doubled back and checked this out: the Capix Skatecap only meets CPSC Standards for a bicycle helmet, which merely "ensures that bike helmets adequately protect the head and that chin straps will be strong enough to prevent the helmet from coming off in a crash, collision or fall." This helmet is NOT certified for multiple impacts. Thanks to Angry Snowboarder for pointing this out.

I did take a few to the dome wearing the helmet, and thankfully it was on right at the time and saved the day with only a mild jolt on impact: No headaches, no bumps, no split skulls, and after taking a moment to regroup I was back on my way.

Breathability

This is not really an issue with the Capix Skatecap since it isn't one of those bulky snow-specific helmets with toasty liners and all of that crap. This helmet is just the bare bones of helmets: some plastic, some padded, some straps and voila!

In fact, on a really cold day you might try to wear a beanie under this bad boy or you are going to freeze.

Goggle Compatability

Non-existent. The Capix Skatecap hated every single one of my goggles (Oakley, Electric, and Von Zipper). Every fucking trick I tried, every little ollie or slight movement, and I was back adjusting my damn helmet and goggles again.

It recently dawned on me that I have NEVER seen Pat Milbery wear goggles with his Capix Skatecap... and now I know why.

Capix Skatecap
2/5 Cacti

I have to give the Capix Skatecap a pretty low score since it is almost completely non-compatible with snowboarding *and not built to sustain multiple impacts*. The helmet is great during those summer skate sessions where a hat-helmet proves incredibly useful. It has got an awesome aesthetic if you like wearing hats, and you can even go all out and custom paint it like your favorite baseball team cap.

I feel like Capix has only recently embraced snowboarding in its line with their recent addition of Pat Milbery to their team. Maybe with Pat there we can start to see some helmets made specifically for the snow, until then I'd stay take a look at Sandbox's Brainbucket. Same stylin' with snow-friendly features... plus it supports a down film crew!

Hating - The Worse Trend In Snowboarding

So the results are in and it was pretty much unanimous that "hating" is the worse thing to happen to snowboarding since step-in bindings. Hating is essentially the act of zoning in on and attacking a fellow riders personal style (clothes, riding, mustache, whatever). The most obvious and textbook example of hating in general is demonstrated by the more elitist skiers, who start with the shit-talking the moment they see a snowboard... even if said snowboarder were say, an 8-year old, baby-faced child in a pink bunny costume who had cured both cancer and aids.

Within snowboarding, there are the "park police"; the kids who got good--not good enough to be sponsored or win contests, but good enough that they are entitled to shout at you from the lift everything about you that sucks. From a new rider trying to ollie to an experienced rider whose frontside boardslide has gone awry, these are the kids who laugh and jeer at anything that isn't "cool".

On the other side of the spectrum, you've got the "anti-park brigade". These are usually an older generation of snowboarders and skiers; they remember back in the day when *insert park run* was a wide open trail just for them, and some will stop it nothing to keep it that way. They stop in front of kickers, carve ruts and moguls into ramps and in general just make the park a more dangerous place for you and me.

Then there are the haters in your local ski patrol office. When you've been working resorts as long as some of those bastards, you know that if a snowboarder is dressed a certain way you should follow him until he does something wrong and clip his pass... wait, is this really part of the job description?

Even professional snowboarders aren't immune; just head to any video post on TWSNOW.com and read some comments. In fact, I challenge you to find a video where a kid doesn't say something stupid about what a rider is wearing, a feature or snow conditions or the really bold kids will even comment on a riders style/trick choices (which wouldn't be that bad if only they backed it up with a tight video of their own).

Hating can be a tricky subject, though; a double-edged sword of sorts, as where does one draw the line? For instance, some might view the blunt, matter-of-factness of an Angry Snowboarder as a form of hating; others might view the lude and crude shenanigans of one Mark Frank Montoya as a blatant sign of disrespect towards gapers:

I could say more on the subject, but I'd like to hear everyone's personal opinion, particularly regarding the last two examples. I will say this, even I have had my moments... sometimes you just get cut off by one out-of-control gaper too many and something has to be said; but is this "hating" or "regulating" for a better, safer tomorrow?

Teaser Pleasers 09.10 - Think Thank's 'Cool Story'

Think Thank's shenanigans are the type of bizarre boarding bloopers found in British bazaars... now I'm not sure if the British have "bazaars" per say, but a uniquely strange introduction is the only way to do proper justice to Jesse Burtner and the Think Thank crew.

These guys have never done "snowboarding" the way people expect it to be done. Sure, they'll throw in an occasional rail or booter for good measure but don't be surprised to find a few minutes devoted to running tricks off shovels and over traffic cones, through hoola-hoops and across people-jibs... and the Think Thank crew rides these unique and seemingly un-rideable objects with a style that makes you say, in the words of Dane Cook, "I want that!"

This year the focus is on some of the more priceless moments and stories experienced by the riders and filmers of Think Thank and ironically, the process of documenting these experiences created a Cool Story all its own.

Disguised as one of the native birds, I was able to procure the final pages of Jesse Burtner's notebook as he enjoyed a Volcano Cone up at Government Camp. The pages contained (not so) classified information about the new film:

"At this point of our story it's May 26th and the winter is over.

I'm now set with the task of describing Think Thank's newest film "Cool Story". How do you describe a project that encompasses a year's work of 16 of the world's best snowboarders?

Maybe something like, 'Think Thank traverses the globe with a stunning display of creative street and backcountry freestyle the likes of which the world has never seen. Through trials and tribulations this eclectic crew of snow ninjas delivers a frozen circus act that will melt your plasma screen with it's HD intensity.'

Hmmmm, that just makes me want to roll my eyes and say "Cool story Jesse."

How about this, "Cool Story a movie about Think Thank's 08/09 season, which just happened to be their best yet. A bunch of amazing and funny stuff happened and it all got captured on camera. Hope you enjoy watching it as much as we did making it."

Yeah, that sounds good."

Follow some of the most creative and inspirational riders on an adventure through time, space, but mostly snow in Think Thank's 2009 production Cool Story... coming sooner than later.

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If you've got a teaser that you'd like to see posted on this site, send the link along with anything about your movie, your crew, etc. that readers should know about to desertsdontsnow@gmail.com, Subject: Teaser Submission. You can be a thirteen-year-old kid with a badass video; if you have a wicked teaser I want to post it--everything goes!

Dangshades

Summer is here... did you bring your sunglasses? I forgot mine when I packed for High Cascade last year, but it's a good thing I did or I never would have gotten my Dangshades. What is Dangshades? Why, Dangshades is just a sick new sunglasses company run by snowboarding's own Chris Beresford.

Those days at High Cascade were the grass roots of this budding company, selling Oakley Frogskin style shades for less than half the price. There was a lot of folks were in need of a good pair of shades those sunny days in August, and Dangshades were just the ticket... All of that steezy snowboard stylin' in a pair of sunglasses dark enough to keep the luminous rays of intense sunlight from frying your eyeballs.

Of course, it wasn't long before everyone brought back pairs of Dangshades and became the center of attention amongst their circle of friends. Soon friends and friends' friends and friends' friends' friends were aching to snatch up a pair of Dangshades. In response, Chris threw up a website so everybody can order their own sweet pair of Dangshades.

Now available in several styles, far too many colors and the same great price, each pair of Dangshades is a whopping $19.99. "If you're wondering how to get more DANG for you're buck... order 2 pair for $34.99. DANG!"

I still have my original pair of Dangshades that I bought one year ago at camp. They have held up really nice and I wear them almost every day... when I don't they are getting smashed by my friends feet in the floor of my car; pretty impressive for a $20 pair of sunglasses I'd say. The best part is that for the price these are sunglasses you can afford to drop off a lift, snap apart when you fall, etc.

Head over to Dangshades.com and pick up your pair before the summer sun gets strong enough to melt eyeballs.