All fans of the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour should now head to TTR’s media partner websites. Answer the questions correctly and win yourself some nice TTR goodies like beanies, watches and helmets.

www.onboardmag.com

www.snowpark.it

If you have followed the season on the TTR Tour, you will know the answers…we are sure of that. If not read our news, profiles and watch our videos on www.ttrworldtour.com.

If you are close to Stratton/Vermont this week, you have the chance to not only check out the best riders on the TTR Tour battling it out for some of the last 6Star points available, but you should also make sure to check out the photo show with the best images of Cole Barash and Blotto Photto (Dean Blotto Gray) this Saturday March 20, 2010 from
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm at the Barn.

Brought to you by Frends, Okay Okay, Burton, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Kodak, ID-PRINTS.COM

For more information on the photographers, please visit:

www.colebarash.com
www.blottophotto.com

To find out what the Frends cre has been up to lately, head to www.wearefrends.com

At the 5Star Burn River Jump, we met up with current World No. 10 on the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour, Christian Haller. This young rider from Switzerland just had competed in the Olympics and now puts his focus back to the rest of the TTR season aiming for one of those popular spots in the TTR Top 5.

TTR: Hi Hitsch. You just got back from Vancouver. Please tell us your first impressions when you arrived there.

Hitsch: Arriving in Vancouver, we only really had three days of training at Cypress because they had problems with the pipe. Everyone had problems the first two days and it seemed that Shaun White was the only one really being able to cope well with the conditions. The training is strictly planned. First the Warm- up and then straight into the comp. I like it better when it is a bit more chilled out to be honest. No one got there and warmed up really, because everyone already knew what run he’s gonna throw down and just tried to stick it.  At other contests you have a look at the pipe first and then watch the others. It is just more spontaneous, but at the Olympics everybody has his set program.

TTR: Snowboarding is a sport that brings riders from different nations together. You ride with your group of friends no matter where from. Sometimes the sponsor is a divider but not nationalities. How was that at the Olympics?

Hitsch: At the Olympics you did notice the separation into nations. The Americans for example had their own shuttle, wore a team outfit on the mountain, did not stay in the Olympic village. They did separate themselves from the rest. But they did not do it in an unfriendly way, it was just planned that way. The Fins were different although they had their own team outfits. And you were among so many people all the time, which normally is not the case at snowboard contests. There you have your coaches, physio therapists etc.  It is different.

TTR: What are you afterthoughts about the whole thing?

Hitsch: I think negative for me was that I did not get enough training. Good for me was that I had expected the whole thing to be way more hectic and strenuous and it wasn’t. As a rider you have the most important status there and you get everywhere. After the comp you have to pass by all that media and give interviews but you just have to deal with that. I didn’t think that was too bad.

TTR: Are you happy that it’s over now? So how does your season continue?

Hitsch: Every rider is probably happy that it’s over now. It was a busy program and the pressure was very high because of the new tricks and the high riding level.  Everyone said that this was the most important contest of the whole season that’s why expectations were so high. I think for a lot of riders the season is over now. My season will continue at TTR contests. But I am glad it is over because it was always in the back of your mind. It is like a countdown that started in summer with training and the pressure in the last weeks  just got really intense because of all the new tricks you still wanted to learn. That is hard and some people are stressed out about it. If the weather is bad then you move on and look for better conditions somewhere else.
In December we were in Laax and not at Copper Mountain like everyone else. After the BEO we flew to Michigan. There is that Golf Club – just a hill with a pipe. Quite some people were there and that guy just had invited everyone. He paid for accommodation and food and the pipe was always shaped. Unfortunately the weather was really bad. The conditions were perfect in Park City but we only had one week there. Then we had a bit of free time in L.A. before heading straight to Vancouver.

TTR: How was the Opening Ceremony and what did you think of Kazu?

Hitsch: The Opening was really cool although it sucked that we had 3 hours in a stadium before. But it was great because of the fans. 
I thought Kazu looked really cool but I guess the Japanese had a different opinion on that.

TTR: What do you think of the level of riding on the TTR Tour and at the Olympics?

Hitsch: It was pretty close in the finals at the Olympics. Everyone could have taken the podium. Canadian Open and XGames were similar. But the Olympics are special. You did see that with Shaun, too. He only showed his special new trick in his second run to play safe because he wanted to win. He knew that he would win without it, too. 
The pipe was not in good shape either. We had snowboarded the whole day and then it was soft and then icy again. Everybody just showed what’s necessary and still it was hard to figure out what you had to do.  One the one hand you want to show your best tricks, on the other hand you want to play safe. Scotty surely showed the run of his life. Iouri and Peetu also rode very well. I think it could have been everyone taking second to fourth place. That was a pretty close call.

TTR: Thanks for your time Hitsch and good luck for the rest of the season.

If you want to find out more about Hitsch, check out his video episodes “The Hitscher”.

Each of the 5 obstacles has been assigned one judge who will solely judge that obstacle. In addition two judges are allocated to give a score for the general flow. The scores are displayed directly after each run on the big screen with the total score. The spectators can easily follow and know exactly what tricks scored higher. Each section will count for 15% of the total, and the flow counts for  25%.

Ingemar Backman (SWE) who was judging the hip today commented: “It takes a while to get used to. It’s good that there are 100 points per obstacle. On  a normal slopestyle it is the riders who are stronger on the kickers who win, in this format it is important to be able to ride everything. You really cant play it safe on anything”

For more information on the format, check out the TAC website.

Don’t miss any of the action! Watch LIVE  webcast on www.ttrworldtour.com Sunday 1 pm CET)

Saturday 6.3.10

11.00: Doors open at arena

12.20: Warm-up, heat 1

13.00: Heat 1 start

14.00: Warm-up heat 2

14.30: Heat 2 start

22.00 Party!

Sunday 6.3.10

10.00 Doors open at arena

Enviromental activities in arena

12.00: Warm-up

13.00: Finals

14.15: Prize ceremony

If you did not make it to Livigno today to see Eric Willett showing a sick run including a Switch Backside 1260, Frontside Double Cork 1080 and a Backside Double Rodeo then you have the chance right here to watch him in practice. Burn, the main sponsor of the event, was lucky enough to have chosen him to try out the head cam. Enjoy! There are more videos available on the Burn Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/BurnRiverJump

Click here to view the embedded video.

More photos are also available right here:

www.flickr.com/photos/burnriverjump/

Kevin Pearce - photographed by Cole Barash in Japan

Almost two months after Kevin Pearce’s tragic accident NBC did a moving piece on him. It includes some photos showing him smiling at the camera and discusses the long way to recovery in front of him. Due to copyright restrictions and whatnot readers from outside the US cannot view the clip on the NBC Olympics website. However, someone filmed the whole thing off the TV screen and posted it on youtube.

The clip includes short interviews with Kevin’s parents and his brothers, and even though the sound is weak at times it is definitely worth watching. Keep sending your good vibes to KP, his family and friends on the Well Wishes to our Frend Kevin Pearce Facebook page.

Thanks to our media partner Onboard for posting this article – we just copied it in here to give people outside of the US the opportunity to watch it: http://onboard.mpora.com/news/kevin-pearces-family-appears-tv.html

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here’s a sneak preview…
Deela – Everything Counts DJ Mix by Switchstance Recordings

Antti Autti has officially announced that he will not be representing Finland at Vancouver after he was awarded the opportunity, due to the injury of Ilka-Eemeli Laari, to chase powder in Japan.
Antti, currently filming in Japan for his website, was approached on Thursday night by Finnish national coach Pekka Koskela to join the Finnish team in Vancouver. After much deliberation Antti has turned the opportunity down to stay in Japan and film with friends for his website. The decision by Antti has been based on his personal preparation leading into the Olympics and his commitment to his fans and providing them with A grade online content at anttisworld.com.

“Even though I had a result in the pipe leading into the Olympics at Stoneham, I still felt under prepared for the Olympics” said Antti from Hokkaido. “After my injury in November I guess I kind of switched off to Olympics and started focusing more on filming possibilities. I made plans back then to film in Japan for my website. Although the third place at Stoneham meant I went into a first reserve position in the Finnish team, I just didn’t think I would be going to Olympics. My mind became more focused on filming and scoring powder in Japan.”
The withdrawal of Antti has elevated Olympic veteran and 2006 bronze medalist, Markku Koski to the Finnish Olympic half pipe team.
“I am stoked for Markku” Antti went on to say. “Olympics is a huge deal and the preparation you need both physically and mentally is paramount. I was ready for it back in November and I might have been more prepared if I had outright qualified in Stoneham. Although I now feel 100% physically, my mind is just not focused enough. With Marku’s experience at that level (Markku is competing in his third Olympics), I am sure he will do well.”

Anttis plans now will involve filming in Japan before finishing off the final Swatch TTR World Tour events of the season.
“I always had the plan to film in Japan this season and it was meant to be after the Olympics. I brought it forward as soon as I heard I hadn’t qualified for the team. I made a commitment to my fans at the start of the year to provide them with great content regularly and after getting first reserve for the team my mind was made up. We flew directly to Japan straight after the Canadian Open.”

“So far I have been scoring some of the best snow of my life and getting massive amounts of filming done. I am now here for an extended period, right up until the end of February, simply just to film and I couldn’t be happier. Snowboarding isn’t just all competition and I am a firm believer in snowboarding as not just a sport but also a lifestyle. Riding powder like this is for me is just as rewarding as being in the Olympics. Although a medal would have been nice!” Antti finished laughing.

Antti Autti has now launched his first teaser from Japan, filmed around Sapporo in the past week. Antti will be dropping a free short film of his whole trip through anttisworld.com and other major snowboard media sites at the end of the month. Stay tuned for weekly updates as Antti and his friends score some of the deepest tracks Japan has to offer.
Antti Autti rides for Billabong, Giro, Rockstar Energy Drink, A+ Snowboards, Northwave boots and Drake Bindings. Check out anttisworld.com now and make sure you also sign up to follow Antti on Twitter and Facebook so you never miss a beat.

Chck OUt the video footage on Antti’s Website: anttisworld.com

Check Out Annti’s Rider Check Out:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Flow Snowboarding– is proud to announce the inclusion of team riders Scotty Lago (USA), Sarka Pancochova  (CZ) and James Hamilton (NZ) to the list of 2010 Winter Olympic competitors. Vancouver will be the destination for thousands of athletes as the Games kick off this week, and all three of these Flow riders will be representing both their countries and Flow Snowboarding. For nearly 15 years, Flow has stood for progression and excellence in the world of snowboarding, and now it is with great pride that Flow will be present in Vancouver to support their riders in their quest for Olympic gold.

To help fans stay up to date with their favorite Flow riders, the creative department at Flow has been busy building comprehensive rider sites for Scotty, Sarka and resident road-dog Tim Humphreys. These sites are designed to give fans an insight into the working, personal and professional lives of some of the world’s top snowboarders. Ever wonder what Sarka’s favorite local mountain is?  What kind of Harley Scotty rides? Why in the world Humpy likes to build computers so much? Or even if you just want to kill a few hours reading blogs and watching footage of some of your favorite Flow riders, now you can at:

Scotty.flow.com
Sarka.flow.com
Tim.flow.com
Flow.com

We promise you that you’ll be seeing much more of Scotty, Sarka, Humpy and James in the near future, so read up and get a head start to be in the know about these four elite shredders. Check in for weekly updates, photos, videos contest results and more.

For more information on TTR’s Industry Partner, also visit their profile on www.ttrworldtour.com/partners

To see Sarka in action, check out the video below

Click here to view the embedded video.

One of TTR’s media partners, Whiteout.tv, and TTR’s partners Swatch, have put together this project that follows Christian “Hitsch” Haller to TTR events all around the globe  in his Olympic season and offers the chance for viewers to get to know more. With interviews from friends, family and other top pros, you’ll get a unique look in to the life of one of Switzerland’s most interesting snowboarders and current World no. 2 on the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour.

For more information on this young rider also visit his profile on ttrworldtour.com

Click on the link below to watch the two episodes of Hitsch:

The Hitscher Episode 1

The Hitscher Episode 2