Archive for the ‘Industry’ Category

Whitelines Snowboard Magazine published a very interesting letter from Terje Haakonsen in which he voices his opinion about snowboarding at the Olympics and the recent talk about Slopestyle as a possible future Olympic discipline. Terje has never been shy when it comes to speaking out on critical topics in the world of snowboarding and his opinion is always well received.

Time for Olympic change!

Letter to the editor:

As the Olympic slopestyle/snowboarding discussion is peaking, it is time to cast some light on this defining topic for the future of competitive snowboarding. This upcoming weekend, the ski federation FIS introduces slopestyle to their program, on the same weekend as the best slopestyle riders are competing in the Dew Tour. And the IOC is about to decide if they will include slopestyle in the next Olympic program or not. Some remarkable events have taken place in the last year. Let us recap:

After the extraordinary TV rating success of the Vancouver halfpipe contest, top cats from the IOC and NBC saw the potential in expanding the snowboarding program at the next Olympics. Seeing the golden boy Shaun White go double at the next winter Olympics (Sochi 2014) would be a ratings wet dream. In the fall of 2009, USA, Canada and New Zealand had prepared a proposition for the ski federation FIS’s annual congress in Turkey, June 2010. The idea was to prepare slopestyle for the 2018 Olympics by introducing it at the FIS Snowboarding World Championships, as the IOC requires two successful World Championships before considering new sports for future games.

By then, the FIS delegates were euphoric at the hysteria that followed the snowboarding events in Vancouver. They decided to speed up the process, bypassing the existing requirements, by submitting an application to the IOC immediately – before slopestyle had been tried out at a single FIS world championships. It is reasonable to imagine they felt confident that the IOC would react positively to this application.

The only problem was that IOC had a lot on their plate at their next meeting, in Acapulco in October. The most disturbing topic was women ski jumping; a nightmare for the Olympic movement. Women ski jumpers have been fighting for years to enter the Olympics, but have faced serious opposition both within FIS and the IOC. Many believe women ski jumping (including members of the sports media) does not have enough participants, is low on quality and does not have the necessary international reach as a sport to be a credible Olympic event. Women ski jumpers had sued the IOC before the Vancouver Olympics for discrimination, but were ruled against by the Canadian legal system.

Allowing snowboard slopestyle (as well as twintip ski halfpipe and slopestyle) before solving the women ski jumping issue probably made the choice impossible for IOC. Rather than accepting some applications from some sports and denying others, they made one statement for all: We will wait and see the quality of the sports at the upcoming world championships. FIS has several world championships coming up this season, among them the Nordic Ski World Championships in Oslo, the Snowboard World Championships in La Molina, Spain and the Freestyle World Championships in Deer Valley and Park City.

The only problem about this from a snowboarding perspective is that neither Molina nor Deer Valley/Park City had planned for a slopestyle! Even worse, Deer Valley actively bans snowboarding on a general basis and they do not have a terrain park. In Norway, where the snowboard federation is independent of FIS, and are part owners of the TTR/WSF World Snowboarding Championships in 2012, this whole situation culminated in a public debate. IOC executive board member Gerhard Heiberg admitted that IOC wanted to check out more than just FIS events when deciding upon the quality of slopestyle. As FIS did not have slopestyle on their Olympic program, this opened up for a new scenario in the debate: if the IOC could look at non-FIS events, could they also approve these events as qualifiers for the Olympics?

Everyone working with top level snowboarding contest knows how much the date conflicts in Olympic qualifying years is hurting the sport. This has been bad before, but in 2013, when riders are qualifying for both halfpipe and slopestyle, it has the potential to be a nightmare. And this is the fundamental problem of competitive snowboarding: it will never reap its full potential before the Olympic issue is solved. Snowboarding is not a 4 year cycle event. It is a daily operation where progress is happening in all corners of the world – summer, winter, spring and fall. At the moment, the Olympic halfpipe finals is only good for the podium winners, the IOC and the broadcasters. It does not help the sport as a whole.

The potential for date conflict is the most apparent problem. This was cruelly exposed when FIS all of a sudden decided to include slopestyle on the program at the La Molina Snowboarding World Championships – a mere two months before the event! This was obviously a move to impress the IOC before the slopestyle decision was made, but it was not a good move for the sport: the slopestyle contest in Molina happens on exactly the same dates as the Dew Tour stop in Killington. All Dew Tour riders, being the best slopestyle riders in the world, have been already committed to these events, meaning the FIS World Champion in slopestyle (and in halfpipe for that matter) will be crowned without the best riders attending.

Competitive snowboarding has fantastic potential. Right now, judging formats, slope design, prize money, TV production/distribution and rider services are progressing fast in TTR, X Games and Dew Tour events. These are the best events in the world. But they are outside the Olympic family. As the organizers as the biggest winter sports event in the world, we believe that the IOC holds a corporate responsibility for ensuring a workable solution for the sport. This will not only realise the potential of the sport, but also fast-track the quality of snowboarding contests at the Olympics. All of us, including event organizers, FIS, IOC and federations, should find a solution for the better good of the sport. Otherwise, the riders will be the main losers. They will be forced into making impossible choices between conflicting events in 2013 – on any given weekend throughout the season.

We believe a good solution could be a common Olympic ranking, not sanctioned by FIS or TTR, but a joint ranking list based on results from the best events in the world. By embracing this, the IOC would take a credible position for the youth of the world and take charge in the ongoing action sports revolution. We are willing to talk to find a good solution for the sport. But we are also willing to keep fighting for snowboarding like we have done for over a decade. The Olympic system for snowboarding is wrong; preserving the status quo is not an option.

Terje Haakonsen
Henning Andersen
Owner and organiser of The Arctic Challenge

Pro riders Gretchen Bleiler and Jeremy Jones recently voiced their opinion about climate change. Both are supporters of a great cause and project called “Protect Our Winters” (www.protectourwinters.org).

Winter Is Here
By Jeremy Jones and Gretchen Bleiler

Once again, winter is here.  Since we were kids, the holiday season has signaled the start of the most exciting part of the year.  As professional snowboarders, it means gearing up for a long event season, but it also means reengaging in the sport that is our identity and our passion.

And we’re not alone. More than 12 million winter sports enthusiasts will visit the mountains this season in the U.S. They’re buying new gear and making travel plans, booking hotels and eating out. Their 59 million skier visits pump $6 billion dollars annually into the communities we call home.

Yet this year, our eager anticipation has been tempered by the uneasy feeling that winter, as we know it, is on borrowed time.  Even though the world’s scientific community has spoken unequivocally on the realities and implications of climate change, America’s political leadership has failed us.  With the most recent mid-term elections, needed climate change legislation is likely dead. And without broad policy action by the U.S. government, the joys of winter may become a thing of the past.

To read the article…

TTR Silver Partner Roxy recently hit 1 million fans on their Facebook page, which makes them the first women’s action sports brand to do so! We are proud to have them as a partner and hope they keep doing what they do so well. Erin Comstock, Kjersti Buaas, Lisa Wiik and Torah Bright are some of the riders on the Roxy snow team. You go girls!

TTR Gold Partner Zimtstern is hooking Facebook fans up with vouchers for the online store at Zimtstern.com.  For the next 4 weeks in December you have the chance to score some sweet Zimtstern gear and start the upcoming season in style! The prizes are 50 € (75 CHF) this week, 100€ (150 CHF) next week, 200€ (300 CHF) in two weeks and 300€ (450 CHF) in the Christmas week!

What you have to do: “Like” Zimtstern on Facebook as well as the picture of the week. The lottery starts every Thursday and will be raffled among all “likers“ the following Monday.

As if that’s not enough, Zimtstern.com offers free shipping on all orders until Christmas to most European countries.

Happy Shopping and Winning!

Win sweet Zimtstern gear!

Nike 6.0 Stairset Battle Tour

TTR Platinum partner Nike 6.0 is giving you the chance to vote for your favorite park to host one of the Nike 6.0 Stairset Battle Tour Stops. The tour starts on December 4th with a contest going down every weekend until February 15th, stretching across 9 countries in Europe! Watch the video below and go to www.facebook/nike6 to vote – Hurry! Voting goes until the end of November!

Nike 6.0 Stairset Battle Tour – Last Call from Nike 6.0 on Vimeo.

TTR Gold Partner Zimtstern is happy to announce a new addition to their International Snowboard Team. Canadian rider Brendan Keenan will from now on be riding in Zimtstern outerwear. Brendan says he is happy to be rocking Zimtstern not only because it’s a cool brand but also because of the award winning eco friendly materials. You can check out Brendan’s super smooth style in the Sandbox Film latest production “Now You Know”. To find out more about Zimtstern, make sure to visit their website Zimtstern.com

Beijing is the city to be for the next 6Star Swatch TTR event. In about two weeks time the Oakley and Shaun White present Air & Style Beijing will take place for the first time. The whole snowboard industry, community and media will be pointing their eyes at Beijing.  Another event drawing riders to China is the 4Star 9th Red Bull Nanshan Open, which takes place in mid january. Like past years, the location for this 4Star TTR event will be the Nanshan Park. This season the park will be built by NIKE 6.0 TTR’s Platinum partner, who joined forces with the park outside Beijing’to create a world-class terrain park for Chinese snowboarders and to make Beijing more attractive for snowboarders from all over the world. We are looking forward to see a bit of the new set-up!

Check out last years video of the 8th Red Bull Nanshan Open at Beijing

Nowadays sustainability and eco-friendly production is really important to keep our planet green. This should be kept in mind by every single production company.
Therefore we are really proud to announce that TTR’s Gold partner Völkl Snowboards got awarded with the Ecological Innovation Prize. Völkl received this prize for their snowboards: Cashew, Yavana and Vice SQD. Check out Völkl’s “Greenpage” homepage for details.

BIG AIR STUTTGART is having the top-notch DJs to entertain the crowd. DJs will be playing at the event itself and of course at the After-Show Party on the 5th of January 2011. DJ Stylewarz (Double Trouble), DJ Mixwell (Samy Deluxe), DJ 5ter Ton (Massive Töne) and the Famous Deck Team will bring everyone into party mood and will make it an unforgettable and unique event.

For further information check out the TTR homepage or go to the BIG AIR STUTTGART event homegage.

The 6Star TTR event Air & Style is about to go in its 18th winter season and Innsbruck (AUT) will be again the place to be on the 5th of February 2011. Besides the progressive set-up and the good riding, the Billabong Air & Style Innsbruck is also known for the huge music acts at the Bergisel Stadium. This year Jan Delay and Pennywise will entertain the crowd and melt the ice in the winterly Innsbruck Bergisel Stadium.

For further information check out the TTR homepage or go to the Air & Style event homepage to buy your tickets for the Billabong Air & Style Innsbruck Tirol 2011.