All Eyes On Us
The 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver means people will be paying attention to Canadian snowboarding like never before. In their own words, Canada’s top halfpipe contenders talk about their feelings on the Olympics and what it’s like to be in pursuit of one the world’s most sought-after prizes.

READ IT HERE

Snowboard Canada Magazine

Winter 2009

“Artist File: Dave Amos”*

Read it here

“The art department at SBC Media can be a pretty hectic place: a crazy mix of creative people, stressed-out editors, super-tight deadlines and hundreds of pages of editorial copy that need to be designed.
It’s in this chaotic mix where you’ll find Toronto artist David Amos every day….”

Packing for any kind of trip these days if flying is involved is fraught with a certain amount of apprehension: Will my bag be too heavy? Will they make me pay extra for it? Whaddya mean I can’t put my snowboard jacket in the same bag as my board?

You see, packing for a snowboard trip is second probably only to surfing when it comes to airline worries. You have to bring a lot of shit and it’s all a bit unwieldy and heavy and prone to inciting suspicion and/or anger in airline staff.  As we leave for our Revelstoke/Kicking Horse odyssy this weekend, I’m already thinking what to bring and how to pack it. So, in honour of this train of thought, here are my snowboard trip essentials:

1. My Roots sweat pants: Yep, sweat pants. There’s nothing like sweat pants after a day on the hill. Nothing.

2. ALL my snowboard shit: boots, board, coat, pants, goggles, mitts, helmet. Forget any of these items and you’re gonna have to buy ‘em when you get there, which SUCKS.

3. Good skin care: I get the worst dry skin on my face from snowboarding and I’m prone to frostbite. I always make sure to pack beeswax lip balm and face protector, and a nice mask to re-moisturize afterwards. I’m test driving a new line of athlete-oriented skin care this trip called Mission, so I’ll let you know how it goes.

4. At least one decent outfit. If you end up going to some shred party or nice dinner while you’re there, you’ll feel like an asshole if you’re in your jogging pants. Trust me. I always mess this part up.

5. Travel insurance: You can’t buy it once you’ve started your trip, so do it beforehand. I’m not going out of the country this time, but you never know: what if you want to head down to Baker for a day if you’re in Whistler/Van? Break your arm there with no insurance and you will pay dearly.

6. And, most importantly, a sports bra: You do not want to spend a week of active big-mountain riding in a regular underwire bra. Not. Comfy.

-KB

Photo: Flickr

I spend a lot of time at ski resorts and lately, I’ve seen a lot of youtube footage of ski resorts. Therefore, I’ve seen a lot of kooks. Based on this empirical evidence, here are some unscientific, but fundamental, truths that I wish to share  (especially if you’re just learning).

The three biggest mistakes people make in snowboarding are:

1. Stance too narrow: Your stance width is incredibly important. Stance is how your feet and legs are oriented on the board. Your feet should be a decent distance apart. That depends on your height, but shoulder width is way, way too narrow. You will never snowboard well if your stance is too narrow because your balance will be screwed.

2. Messed up stance angles: Don’t let someone set up your board with old-school racing angles where both feet are angled in the same forward direction.  Start out a little bit duck-footed (toes pointed outwards at opposite angles). Not crazy duck, but a little bit. It will give you better balance and make you feel more solid on your board.

3. Bend. Your. Knees. It fixes everything. Seriously.

So there you go: You’re already on your way to not looking like a kook.

Four pro riders share their wild tales and dicey dispatches from the farthest corners of the world.

Snowboard Canada Women’s Annual 2008

Travelling all over the world is one of pro snowboarding’s best perks. While the rest of us are lucky to squeeze in one trip per season, pro riders spend their winters gallivanting around to all sorts of places. Glamorous as it may seem, this privilege also comes with its share of hazards. Evil airline staff, homicidal hall-mates and death-defying drives are just some of the crazy situations pro riders Marie France Roy, Dominique Vallee, Spencer O’Brien and Sachi Tanaka have found themselves confronting over the course of their travels last season. Throughout the winter, we spoke to each rider about their most unusual destination and what it takes to travel to some of the farthest corners of the world.

Read the whole story here.

I love the snowboarding pre-season.

Some people hate it, waiting painfully for it to snow while your snowboard sits idle in your closet. But I love it. It signals the “second half” of my year, when I travel to the hill every weekend, plan vacations to epic destinations, hang with my winter friends and get a crapload of exercise while managing to have fun at the same time. But the pre-season is special, becuase once the real thing kicks in, the fervor only lasts for so long. Soon, snowboarding on the weekend becomes commonplace and I cease to appreciate it on the level it should be appreciated. (That’s not to say I don’t like it — it just becomes normal.)

This year, I’m especially looking forward to:

• Cheaper trips: The economy might suck, but I’m hoping to get some good vacation deals this year. With emails coming in to my inbox with subject-line phrases like “Two for One” and “Kids Eat Free”, I think the savvy consumer will be able to get some good travel value this winter for sure.
• My powder board. Yep, am finally getting one. Ever been on one of these babies? Life changing. Seriously.
• The weather forecast: While no one’s promising a repeat of last winter, the overall forecast is good, calling for average to above-average precip and colder temperatures.
• The terrain park: Look out, intermediate-level rails. I might get up the courage to try you this year. Maybe.

-end-

Local snowboarders maximize all the opportunities snowboarding has to offer

On The Bay Magazine, Holiday Issue 2007

A profile on local professional snowboarders and how they rise to success in different aspects of the sport.

To read the whole story, go here.

On The Bay magazine, Winter 2007

Christina Metzger arrives at a downtown Starbucks in Toronto on a frigid December evening, her cheeks red from the cold and a bright smile on her face. Her cheery expression glows against the parade of bleary-eyed Bay Streeters streaming in and out of the café after a long day at the office. She strides over and introduces herself, revealing a friendly demeanour and professional poise.

Metzger is one of Southern Georgian Bay’s elite ski racing alumni, a product of the extensive network of ski racing programs available to our speediest young citizens. Thousands of children participate in local ski racing programs every winter. In an area inundated by almost a dozen ski hills and as many racing clubs, ski racing has long been a rite of passage for the youths of local families.

To read the whole story, go here.

Scenes: Kamloops
Snowboard Canada, Winter 2008

The dry and desert-like plains of Kamloops, B.C. are a stark contrast to the Rocky Mountains to the east and the Coast Mountains to the west. Unlike the dazzling peaks of its siblings, the mountains of the Southern Interior are a little older and a little wiser.

Luckily, this in no way reflects the populace. Since the Europeans portaged their way over the Rockies and into modern-day BC, Kamloops has been a bona-fide Wild West kinda town. The first Europeans settlers were a typically gnarly bunch of rough and tumble fur traders and they brought the do-or-die attitude of the fur trade with them.

Like its rugged past, the snowboard scene here is based on taking advantage of the area’s stacked natural resources – famously dry and light Interior powder, untracked lines that last all day and a bevy of urban rails for the local outlaws to capitalize on.

To read the whole article, go here.

Snowboard Canada Women’s Annual 2006

It’s no secret that, until recently, girls were largely neglected in the big budget, large distribution shred-video department. Sure, they were landing parts, but they were too short and too few between. To fill the gap, two (relatively) new filming companies, Misschief Films in North America, and Chunky Knit Productions in Europe, stepped in with full-length, all-girl snowboarding movies. As Misschief and Chunky Knit prepare to release their second and third films, respectively, their founders and starring riders reflect on what it was like to get their start and the challenges of putting snow and sweat to celluloid.

To read the whole article, go here.