Just in: How McMorris learned to soar!

Chas Smith

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Have you ever wondered what the Canadian's secret is? Come discover!

Mark McMorris is very good at getting big air. The Canadian superstar seems very natural whilst flying. Does anyone do it better? I think not and he will certainly be the Olympic favorite for Korea in two years. Maybe his only competition will be other Canadians.

Oh it’s a Great White North renaissance!

But have you ever wondered how Mark McMorris and the other Canadians learned their skillz?

From Ray. Friggin’ Ray.

Watch and learn!

O Canada! Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide, O Canada,
We stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land, glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee;
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada! Where pines and maples grow,
Great prairies spread and Lordly rivers flow!
How dear to us thy broad domain,
From East to Western sea!
The land of hope for all who toil,
The true North strong and free!
God keep our land, glorious and free.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee!

O Canada! Beneath thy shining skies,
May Stalwart sons, and gentle maidens rise.
To keep thee steadfast thro’ the years,
From East to Western sea.
Our own beloved native land,
Our true North strong and free!
God keep our land, glorious and free.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee!

Ruler supreme, who hearest humble prayer,
Hold our Dominion, in thy loving care.
Help us to find, O God, in thee,
A lasting rich reward.
As waiting for the better day,
We ever stand on guard.
God keep our land, glorious and free.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee!

Revealed: Snow better than Kardashian!

Muzzey

By

If you combine the top ten riders and add 200 million!

popularity contest…

Instagram’s most followed. The top 10.

10) Torah Bright: 195K followers @torahbright Aussie legend.

9) Ståle Sandbech: 196K followers @stalesandbech Silver Medal. RK1.

8) Torstein Horgmo: 257K followers @torsteinhorgmo Triple pioneer.

7) Hannah Teter: 269K followers @hannahteter Medals. Buttshots.

6) Silje Norendal: 278K followers @siljenorendal X-Games glamour.

5) Sage Kotsenburg: 333K followers @sagekotsenburg Golden style.

4) Travis Rice: 382K followers @travisrice That movie.

3) Jamie Anderson: 410K followers @jamieanderson Namasté contest.

2) Shaun White: 442K followers @shaunwhite Macy’s.

1) Mark McMorris: 524K followers @markmcmorris Oh, Canada.

 

For contrast:

Reality sex-tape deformed fake ass chick 88.8 million followers @kimkardashian

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Namaste for making us so popular.

Power: Shaun White to pick Olympians!

Chas Smith

By

He's got the whole world in his hands!

Is Shaun White your favorite Olympian of all time? Did you love the Flying Tomato years? Did you thrill at each cork, each gold, each jaunty rock n roll bottom of the pipe celebration?

Is your heart sad now that he is aged? Not as spry? Slightly crusty? Hope of more cork, more gold, more jaunty rock n roll bottom of the pipe celebration fading with each and every day?

Well cheer up! Your favorite Olympian of all time is maybe going to have a hand picking future Olympic stars! Let’s read about it on the CBC!

Though Shaun White will never compete in snowboarding’s newest Olympic event, he could have a hand in deciding who does.

The two-time Olympic gold medallist is interested in turning his Air & Style series into an Olympic qualifier for the Big Air competition, which makes its Olympic debut in 2018 in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

White’s tour, which returns to Los Angeles on Feb. 18-19, will mix snowboarders soaring 16 stories high off the big-air ramp with the music from about 20 bands, including Major Lazer and Flume. Other stops in the series are in Beijing and Innsbruck, Austria.

White says he has had preliminary talks with Olympic organizers about turning the tour into a qualifier for the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, and he hasn’t ruled anything out for 2018.

“There are discussions about trying to do something in the future, hopefully in the near future,” White said.

Is your heart soaring again? Oh it should be! And do you think, since he will be picking the Big Air Olympians don’t you think Shaun should be able to dress them too? Maybe something subtle but fabulous from his WHT SPACE line? Maybe in something throwback classic?

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Terje seen here with Burton on the nose and Burton in the heart.

Terje: “I’m a company rider!”

Clegg

By

The Dew Tour Team Challenge was a wonderful success but let's make it better!

We are selfish bastards, usually, cuz snowboarding glorifies the individual. It is a solo pursuit. A party of one. That’s why lots of us fell in to begin with. Stick and ball sports, team sports, were fucken lame. Too much conformity. Fucken coaches yelling. Uniforms. Bullshit.

But sometimes it ain’t as fun to watch as team sports. Easier to cheer on the Coloradbro Rockies than one dude. And that’s why I liked yesterday’s Team Challenge at the Dew Tour so much. It was the first, natural, non-patriotic, team based thing that I’ve ever seen work.

The concept was thus:

Six snowboard brands assembled at Dew Tour Breckenridge with a roster of riders to take on the first-ever Team Challenge that combines multiple disciplines to declare one overall champion team.

In similar fashion to this year’s Slopestyle Pro Challenge, teams will take on the jib section for three complete separate from the jump where they will be allotted four jumps with the best two tricks spun in different directions making up that score. However, for the Team Challenge each brand must assign a different rider to each section in addition to selecting a Team Captain from their roster to pump up the riders and talk strategy.

Bad weather canceled the jump part making it a touch lamer but still. I like cheering for some brands and against other brands. Especially against other brands.

Terje Haakonsen, captain of winning Team Burton, said it best:

This has always been my team. I don’t go to big events and cheer on another Norwegian guy just because I’m from Norway. I’m cheering for the guys on my team. I’m a company rider. I didn’t get built up by Norway, I got built up by Oakley, Burton and Volcom—that is my support.

They should do a whole tour of this shit except the brands should really build real awesome teams, use all their best riders, etc. There could be a major league and a minor league and if a minor team league is really good they could move up to the majors. Like Euro soccer. Except with no falling down and crying on the grass.

Gerry Lopez: “We surf the mountain!”

Chas Smith

By

The Big Wave Challenge at Mt. Bachelor is a perfect synthesis!

Growing up on the Oregon coast I pointed my little nose toward the sea rather than the mountain. I was cold and miserable enough and the technicolor dream of California and Hawaii fired my imagination. Oh I went to the hills, to Hoodoo and Willamette Pass and even Mt. Bachelor a handful of times a season and loved but surf had my heart even though the water was near freezing and angry sharks swirled underneath my frozen solid feets.

When I was in the ocean, amongst the waves, I could at least pretend that I was tropical. I was at least doing the same thing that bronzed Australians and even more bronzed Hawaiians were doing.

And I remember like some great tragedy the day that Hawaiian legend Gerry Lopez left Oahu’s North Shore and moved to Bend, Oregon.

“BEND?” I thought. “Why did Gerry Lopez go crazy? What made the poor man lose his mind?”

For those who don’t know, Mr. Lopez is one of the most stylish surfers of all time and Pipeline was his playground. I could not fathom what would make someone move from the warm to the cold. From the sand to the snow. From Hawaii to Oregon.

And then, years later, I snowboarded in powder for the first time and it all made perfect sense. It all clicked.

I crossed paths with Gerry a few years ago. I was waiting on a helicopter out of Bald Face and he had just arrived. The man belongs in both worlds equally and, oddly both world’s belong to each other. And, thus, his surf event at Mt. Bachelor, the Big Wave Challenge, makes perfect sense too.

Watch!