The Chill Foundation announced today that they will be flying outstanding youth participants from their 14 North American cities to Vermont to attend the US Open Snowboarding Championships at Stratton Mountain from February 10th-13th.  Participants were selected based on not only their progression in snowboarding, but also on their demonstrated commitment to Chill’s values.  This will be the 12th year that Chill has provided this unique experience for kids served by Chill’s program in North America.

Youth participants will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in snowboarding culture at one of the largest snowboarding competition in the world.  Activities will include watching the sport’s best riders compete in halfpipe, slopestyle, and big air events, riding with Burton founders Jake and Donna, and a special recognition event with various Burton team riders and Stefan Lessard of Dave Mathews Band and Yukon Kornelius. Stefan and his “Secret Stash” of friends will also perform at a special benefit show with all of the proceeds going directly to the Chill Foundation.

June Heston, Executive Director for the Chill Foundation had the following to say about the event. “The U.S. Open gives these Chill participants the opportunity to see beyond their own community, and it is a way for them to really experience and believe that anything is possible.” Many of the youth Chill serves have never been out of their cities let alone to a major event such as the U.S. Open.

www.chill.org

Mark is really happy about signing in with Burton: “I’m really stoked to be riding the best products with the most progressive team in the business. Since I got on the program, I’ve already been working with such great people that all share a strong love for snowboarding, and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

Also on the program, Wisconsin-native Ethan Deiss, who is super stoked to be part of the Burton program. “You wanna know what’s cool about Burton … Everything. My only regret in snowboarding is not riding for Burton earlier. The product is just so sick.”

How to win ….
Starting this week, everyone is invited to vote for the first ever MINI Creative Use of Space Award:
a new $25,000 cash prize for one male and female snowboarder who receives the most votes for creative riding during the Burton Global Open Series. One week following each Burton Global Open Series event, a shortlist of the most innovative runs will be chosen and posted on MINI’s Facebook page for public voting. The most creative runs from this month’s Burton European Open (BEO) are now live and ready for judging.

A panel of experts nominated the following BEO riders for online voting: Jamie Anderson (USA), Ty Walker (USA), Yuki Furihata (JAP), Xaver Hoffmann (GER), Sven Thorgren (SWE), Peetu Piiroinen (FIN) and Markus Keller (SUI).

Here’s how to vote for the MINI Creative Use of Space Award:
Drop by http://www.facebook.com/MINI Click on the Burton tab and hit the “Like“ button Watch a shortlist of snowboard halfpipe and slopestyle runs from this month’s BEO Vote for the runs that you think are the most creative and progressive.

Good luck!!!

Enni will have to get dressed in a fancy frock and together with her boyfriend Saku they will get to greet the President after queuing with all the politicians, top national athletes, rock stars and faboulous celebrities. This is broadcast LIVE on TV and generally all the tabloids and newspapers are jam packed the next day with articles about dressing “faut-pas” and who went with who. So it is a bid deal!  

She repeats her first reactions: “Noo way…no way, it cant be true. I’m not going!  Naah…. I better go” She explains that “It is a big honor, but  its probably not a party too much in my style”.  It will certainly be an interesting and new experience for her.

Her mother had apparently said ” I knew that you would get an invite” and she was very pleased about her daughters success.

We think its great and congratulate Enni!

If you are in Finland, check her out representing all the Finnish Female snowboarders out there!
Live show times:

YLE TV1 klo 18.50 – 22.15 in finnish
YLE FST5 klo 19.50 – 22.00 in swedish
YLE Areena klo 18.35 – 23.10
YLE Radio Suomi klo 18.03 – 21.50

We received the delightful news about the success of two of the female Swatch TTR Tour Champions. Check out the news from our brand partner Burton:

It has been more than a decade and over 113 podiums since Kelly Clark started riding for Burton Snowboards. Now, Kelly will continue her snowboard career with Burton after just re-signing a head-to-toe contract, and she will also be joined by a new teammate, Finnish shred sensation Enni Rukajärvi.

“It’s a real privilege to ride for Burton Snowboards for all these years,” says Kelly Clark. “As Burton riders, we’re very involved in the product development process, and it’s amazing to be a part of the company on that level. Through Burton’s support, I’ve been able to achieve my goals, and I’m really looking forward to my future on the team.”

Kelly’s contributions to snowboarding go way beyond her staggering competition results, which include a record-setting four US Open halfpipe wins and two Olympic medals. Her relentless drive to progress women’s snowboarding and positive vibe on and off the hill is an inspiration to all. Kelly’s biggest focus is not on her incredible results, but on having fun with a sport she loves.

The newest member of the Burton and RED team, Enni Rukajärvi, is also no stranger to podiums. Last winter, Enni earned more impressive titles than some riders do in an entire pro career. At the top of her season’s achievements was winning both the women’s Swatch TTR World Tour Championship title and the Burton Global Open Series overall title. And she’s already started this season with a bang, most recently winning the 4Star Horsefeathers Pleasure Jam in Austria, boosting her into the women’s TTR world ranking lead.

“I’m so happy about my new sponsor,” says Enni. “Burton provides me with really amazing gear and a lot of support to develop myself as a rider. I can’t wait to get to know the team better, and start working with Burton.”

Congratulations to both Kelly and Enni from everyone at Burton.

To learn more about Kelly Clark, check out her timeline at www.burton.com/kelly.

Finnish pro rider Peetu Piiroinen will remain as a proud member of the Burton Snowboards team, with his recently signed contract for Burton boards and bindings.

Peetu has a long history with Burton, which started almost 10 years ago when company reps spotted him and kick-started his pro career. Ever since then, he has ridden Burton boards and bindings to a long list of incredible competition results that includes unprecedented back-to-back TTR titles, a silver medal at the Olympics and a second Burton Global Open Series title.

A quiet and humble rider, Peetu doesn’t like to say too much about his riding or endless list of victories. But he did have this to say, “Burton was my first sponsor back in 2001, and they’ve supported me since the beginning,” said Peetu. “They definitely make the best boards and bindings out there, and I wouldn’t want to ride anything else.”

At age 16, Peetu started leaving his mark on the competitive snowboard world when he won his first major title – the Juniors Slopestyle Competition at the Burton European Open back in 2005. Dozens of podium wins, major titles, the Olympic silver medal and hometown parades in his honor followed, with Peetu staying soft-spoken and down-to-earth through it all. He is an incredible and valued member of the Burton team, and we can’t wait to see what this season brings.

Check out all of Peetu’s career highlights in his timeline at burton.com/peetu.

Burton have come out with an awesome new site that contains all the best video action and latest video news from the Burton Team. There are 6 different shows all with their own story to tell, whether its the behind the scene action, travel stories, sick snowboarding footage etc…It’s sweet design makes the viewing a pleasure and of course our favourite fact is that you can spot a ton of riders and events from the Swatch TTR Tour, like Peetu Piiroinen, Shaun White, Marko Grilc, Kazuhiro Kokubo, Kelly Clark and well you go and see for yourself…

The different Channels are:
Snow Porn: Traditional snowboard action footage
The Big Picture: A behind-the-scenes look at team photo shoots
Bangers & Mash: Bails, crashes, falls – what it really takes to get video parts
Wild on B: Traditional DVD-extra style content
Ad to Fakie: Burton commercials

Time Travel: Real-time unedited clips
www.theliftline.tv

“We thought about doing another movie, but it felt like a steady flow of fresh content might be a better way to go,” says Jake Burton, Founder and CEO of Burton Snowboards. “The intent of The Liftline is to keep riders current on what our team is up to on a continuous basis. I’m sure there will be a learning curve, but it feels like a solid direction.”

The Liftline will also feature unique editorial stories, random facts, competition results, interviews and giveaways throughout the season – all focused on the Burton team. In addition, feeds from Burton pro riders’ Twitter and Facebook pages along with RSS feeds from key snowboard news sites will also live here.

To get in the game, head to www.theliftline.tv and see for yourself.  Welcome to The Liftline.

About Burton
In 1977, Jake Burton Carpenter founded Burton Snowboards out of his Vermont barn. Since then, Burton has fueled the growth of snowboarding worldwide through its groundbreaking product lines, its team of top snowboarders and its grassroots efforts to get the sport accepted at resorts.  In 1996, Burton began growing its family of brands to include boardsports and apparel brands. Privately held and owned by Jake, Burton’s headquarters are in Burlington, Vermont with offices in California, Austria, Japan and Australia. For more information, visit www.burton.com.

As a sequel to their previous cutting-edge product collaborations, Burton Snowboards and leading British fashion designer
Paul Smith have once again teamed up for the Winter 2011 season. This time, their collective partnership moves from apparel and outerwear to hardgoods, with the co-design of the 2011 Burton Vapor snowboard.

Available this month in Burton authorized retailers worldwide, the Burton Vapor snowboard represents both the finest in snowboard technology and artistic design. This season it sets a new standard of polish and refinement, with its sleek graphics styled by Paul Smith. The black, glossy topsheet is strong and sophisticated featuring Paul Smith’s signature and Burton branding, while the base graphic delivers a powerful statement with the tip-to-tail pop of Paul Smith’s iconic multi-color palette.

“It’s always a pleasure to work with the crew at Paul Smith,” says Greg Dacyshyn, Chief Creative Officer at Burton Snowboards. “This is our fourth collaboration, and the two brands really have become connected in our understanding of one another. Creating a snowboard together was the natural next step, and the Vapor was the perfect platform, given its legacy for rider-driven technical innovation combined with iconic designer-driven graphics. Paul Smith epitomizes what the Vapor is all about, and they took it to the next level with the 2011 model.”

“Burton Snowboards is a company I admire very much and I have enjoyed working with them over the past four years,” says Paul Smith. “To see my signature stripes on such an innovative piece of equipment as the Vapor snowboard is a great compliment.”

The 2011 Burton Vapor snowboard sets the industry standard when it comes to high-tech snowboard construction. Taking engineering cues from NASA, the Vapor is one of the lightest and most responsive boards on snow. Quite simply, it brings out the best of anyone who gets on it.

The Burton Vapor retails for € 1.000.  For more information on the Burton x Paul Smith Vapor, stop by your local snowboard shop, a Burton flagship store or visit www.burton.com.

The first signs of winter are hitting riders worldwide today with the launch of the completely re-designed http://www.burton.com/
and the arrival of new 2011 Burton catalogs in mailboxes from Milwaukee to the Netherlands.

The 2011 Burton catalog is the printed resource for all things Burton, while the all-new burton.com is fully loaded with more rider-friendly features and usability than ever. The new site focuses on the overall snowboarding experience, allowing riders to connect with Burton and to the sport in ways they never have before.

From extensive team rider info, updates and profiles and the ability to connect to a global rider network, to exact coordinates of your local snowboard shop and live info from local mountains, the 2011 burton.com is all about servicing and supporting riders.

Check out some of the features of the new burton.com, all of which will make you swear off summer and wish for winter.

•    Meet the Team: The all new Team Timelines let you really experience the life of our team riders – from birth to their first podium, film part and mag cover.
•    Support Local Snowboarding: Check out our new and improved shop locator to find a store near you.
•    Board Finder: Find the board that’s right for you in two easy steps.
•    Look Books: See our team riders living the dream and check out the gear they’re wearing in each photo.
•    Product Tech: Want to know exactly what our boot backstays or bindings’ SensoryBED™ look like up close? See more product tech details than ever on the new site.
•    Twitter feed on the homepage: See Twitter feeds from Burton, team riders and shops right on the homepage.
•    The Community: Join the Community to upload your own photos, videos and interact with riders around the world.
•    Catalog sign-up:  Get your copy while they last. And if you just can’t wait to see it, flip through the entire 2011 catalog online. You can even turn the pages, just like the paper one.

The new burton.com is live now, and catalogs are available at your local snowboard shop or online when you sign up.

And just in case you need any more reasons to get stoked for winter, check out some fresh 2011 footage here http://bit.ly/c4cuyH

Can’t get enough of winter 2011? Follow our line at
facebook.com/burtonsnowboards and twitter.com/burtonsnowboard