Lower Trestles local, phenom Hailey Langland, gold medal threat in Slope Style at X-Games: “I grew up on the coast and actually started snowboarding before I even started surfing!”

Chas Smith

By

Fate is a glorious thing.

San Clemente, California, is known for its robust surf and skate scenes but less snow for professional snowboarders on the cusp of hammering their stamp on the wide world of actions sports but 2020/21, amirite?

And let us meet 20-year-old Hailey Langland who is currently in Aspen, Colorado ahead of this weekend’s X-Games.

Hailey, who should, by rights, be out at Lowers just getting it was instead put on a different track by her prescient parents and dragged up to Big Bear at the tender age of five.

“They tried to get me started on like this tiny, tiny snowboard that was like bigger than I was,” she told Fox 5 News. “It never really ended. We just kept going and I kind of fell in love with it, which is crazy because I grew up on the coast and I actually started snowboarding before I even started surfing.”

Prescient parents seeing as, if she started surfing first, Langland would be saddled with the World Surf League as her competitive outlet.

In any case, she will compete in Slope Style today, as opposed to wishing World Surf League CEO Erik Logan a speedy recovery from his season-breaking Covid-19 diagnosis.

“I feel pretty good,” she said. “I have been riding really well this season, comparatively to the last few seasons and I’m really excited to see where this winter’s going to take me. I feel really good and I’m just happy to be back in Aspen.”

Watch on ESPN tonight.

Modern Miracle: Snowboarder saves himself by calling girlfriend, snapping selfie, after getting trapped in backcountry avalanche!

Chas Smith

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We live in the future.

Selfies have become a cultural cancer, what with folk obsessively turning cameras back on themselves to capture every last expression, but in snowy British Columbia selfies can also save lives and let us learn the very wonderful story of a snowboarder out alone in the backcountry near Cypress Provincial Park.

It is there that an avalanche trapped him, burying him to the waist, but he was able to retrieve his phone and call his girlfriend who, in turn, called the police. The man then snapped a photo of his location allowing rescue teams to spot him from the air and scramble a ground team which pulled him out hours later.

A doctor on the scene declared he was in serious, but stable, condition with a fractured pelvis and other injuries.

North Shore Rescue team leader Mike Danks said the whole business was very complex involving avalanche experts, a doctor, an emergency room nurse, paramedic and multiple rope rescue teams as well as ski patrol.

He added when in backcountry trouble the first call should be to 911.

Not the girlfriend.

Apparently.

Las Vegas resort receives 30-inches of snow in 72-hours, marketing director attempts to lure people up from Sin City: “We believe that skiing and snowboarding are good for the soul and physical health!”

Chas Smith

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You woke up in the rusted frame burned out old Deville

Las Vegas is known for many things, gambling, drinking, strip clubs, illicit drugs, guns, cheating on spouses, fighting, cheating in general, etc. and, equally, not known for its fresh, fluffy snow but 2020/21, amirite?

Over the past 72-hours, Lee Canyon resort, an easy 40 minute drive from both the Wynn and Encore, received 30-inches of epic powder and its marketing director is seeking to lure people away from acting naughty.

The main thing about this season is that we wanted to be here for the community,” said Jim Seely. “We want to be a place where everyone can come escape their routine and maybe some of the constraints that COVID has put on their life. We want people to get outdoors. We believe that skiing and snowboarding are good for the soul and physical health.”

Very fine but is it altogether true?

Las Vegas Strip-style sin, while gross, can usually be cured with 12-step programs/doctor prescriptions.

Snowboarding, on the other hand, takes hold and refuses to let go for, possibly, a lifetime leading to many poor decisions, families and friends being left behind, etc.

A real conundrum.

Which would you rather suffer?

World-famous rap star Travis Scott picks up snowboarding instead of working on much-anticipated new album: “It seems to be he is a natural talent!”

Chas Smith

By

Very Natural Selection.

Procrastination is a many-splendored thing what with its native ability in replacing things we don’t want to do (work) with things we do want to do (binge-watching Netflix, online shopping for 1980 Renault Fuegos, social media shaming people with whom we disagree, etc.)

Travis Scott, world-famous rap star and father to Kylie Jenner’s daughter Stormi, is currently supposed to be working on his much-anticipated album UTOPIA but decided to learn to snowboard instead.

Per the website Hot Hip Hop News:

While fans have been waiting on Travis Scott to deliver his brand new project called UTOPIA, it seems like the artist has decided to go off and try some new hobbies, as a way to clear his head throughout the recording process. Considering it is the winter, there is no better time than now to take up Winter sports, and that is exactly what Travis has decided to do.

In a new clip posted to Twitter by SAINT, Travis can be seen making his way down the slopes, and based on the way he’s moving, it seems like he is a natural talent. On his way down the hill, Travis is seen moving from right to left all while keeping his balance and coming to a perfect stop.

Extremely cool.

Scott’s own Instagram feed depicts him “going off a cliff” according to Hot Hip Hop News (pictured above) which surprised sister-in-law-ish Kendall Jenner who responded, “what????”

Very Natural Selection.

Professional snowboarder Chloe Kim admits after epic win: “Tonight I wanted to try a new trick on my second run, but at the end of the day, winning is more important!”

Chas Smith

By

Go small or go home (empty handed).

Competition and progression are strange bedfellows, no? Sometimes winning forces the hand and new, never-before-witnessed tricks are unveiled that leave spectators breathless. Other times, safety claims the day and a professional will only do as much as it takes to claim first place.

Two days ago, phenom Chloe Kim chose the latter. She was also riding in her first halfpipe competition in just under two years at Laax, Switzerland, beating Japan’s Mitsuka Ono and Sena Tomita with her half-assed effort for the gold.

Kim, who is part Korean, said, “Tonight I wanted to try a new trick on my second run, but at the end of the day, winning is more important. I wanted to put something down and told myself I didn’t need to go as big as I did on my first run. I just wanted to slow things down a bit.”

But does that make your heart a little sad or do you hunger only for Ws too?

It makes my heart sad as I once tacked a fluorescent poster to my wall reading “Go big or go home” though it might have featured a skateboarder doing a handplant as opposed to a snowboarder doing anything.

Still, the sentiment has burrowed deep.

In any case, the X-Games relaunches in just three days.

Exciting.