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…

Since launching the “Sixty Days” campaign with the support of Clif Bar almost two months ago, the response has been amazing. Thousands of letters sent to Senators from throughout the Protect Our Winters community, urging them to support strong climate legislation when a bill is presented to the Senate this spring.

For the bill to be successful, bi-partisan support needs to be counted on and currently there are a number of Republican Senators still very much undecided. Some of those key Senators include: Michael Bennett (CO), Scott Brown (MA), Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe (ME), Max Baucus & Jon Tester (MT), Jeff Bingaman (NM) and Judd Gregg (NH).  The list includes Senators from a number of mountain states that whose economies will be hit particularly hard by climate change. Check the entire list HERE

With about a week to go before a climate bill is to be presented to the Senate by Sen. Lieberman, Kerry and Graham, our last chance to reach out to our Senators is quickly approaching. We’ve only heard snippets of the bill’s contents, but it’s imperative that we, as a community raise our voices and urge our Senators to support a new, clean energy economy – start the debate now. The climate isn’t waiting.

Here is a good article on the latest news from the Hill: CLICK HERE

PLEASE TAKE A MINUTE TO SEND A NOTE TO YOUR SENATOR.  IT’S PRE-WRITTEN SO ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS CLICK AND SEND: WWW.60DAYSTO.ORG

Not only thousands of people in Kopenhagen care about our planet. You can also find initiatives and people who care among those many snowboard companies and riders out there. Beside Drew Stevenson and his Breath Foundation, also the Roxy Chicken Jam is making a strong effort to keep our planet the same as it is now. The event, a Swatch TTR World Snowboarding 6Star event, scheduled for 8th to 10th of January in the Austrian resort of Saalbach Hinterglemm has set out on a mission to add Carbon Neutrality to its cash prize of $50,000. Then first Woman’s event to pick up the mantle of adding a deep respect for the nature surrounding the event, they have teamed up with the Suddenrush Atlantic Rainforest Institute that already has other conscious internationally renown snowboarder ambassadors such as Terje Haakonsen(NOR) and Nicolas Mueller(SUI) representing the dire need for preservation of one of the worlds threatened biodiversity hotspots. Outside of setting an example for other events, the commitment from the Roxy Chicken Jam will ensure reforestation and preservation of forest for 100 years.

Read more on www.breathefoundation.org and www.roxy.com.

More detailed new on their effort are soon to follow in the blog section of www.ttrworldtour.com.

If you are interested in the topic, make sure not to miss Drew Stevenson’s movie that premieres in Zuerich this weekend:

Premiere Location: Riff Raff Cinema
Date: Saturday, 19th December
Time: 12:30
Entry: 10 CHF

For more premiere dates head to www.breathfoundation.org

A down day for the FOUR(4)STAR Quiksilver Natural Selection competition meant a good day for riders to get out in the deep pow and get some shots with the multitude of photographers and cinematographers on site for the event.

The TTR crew was lucky enough to get a sneak peak at tomorrow’s contest venue, Casper Bowl, as Travis Rice and all the riders competing packed out a couple of hits in preparation for the last day of competition. The guys packed down a run-in for a huge hip jump and a couple of other booters on the course.

On the way out of the Casper Bowl area, J.J. Thomas, Nicolas Mueller and Kyle Clancy were all planning on hitting a cool drop next to a tree, and TTR filmer/editor Nugg was lucky enough to be on the scene and captured the session that went down (Check out the footage here). J.J. started things off with a nice front 5 stomping it in the deep pow. Nico was next with a frontside 180 landing clean in a huge puff of pow while Kyle dished out a tasty method. Everyone was a bit shocked and stoked on how deep the landings were. So, they boot packed it back up to the drop-in and had another go. J.J. threw down a giant method and Nicolas dropped right behind with a sick mega-ollie.

The crew dropped through some trees and cranked some pow turns on the way to the next location. They rolled up on a diving board with a nice landing and got right to work. Nicolas chucked a backside 3 with good distance stomping it way down the landing and J.J. followed with a large tail grab going just as far as Nico.

JJ thomas – © Scott Sullivan

Nico Muller – © Scott Sullivan

Everyone was a bit hungry, so dropping through the café at the bottom of the hill was essential for a bite to eat. While chatting over lunch, Nicolas was stoked on the partnership between the Natural Selection and TTR, “I think the natural selection fits really well into the TTR World Tour. It’s a new kind of event, it’s a natural slopestyle and it’s just you and the mountain, and you pick your line. And that’s how I feel, like snowboarding belongs to you and the mountain.”

After a slice of pizza and some hydration, it was back up the gondola with Jason Ford and Scott Sullivan, from Future Snowboarding Magazine, and Nicolas Mueller for a lap in the backcountry.

After about a 25-minute hike, the crew dropped down through a pow field to a cliffy, pillow section where Nicolas threw down once again. He quickly packed out a nice lip, hiked up and threw a frontside 3 stomping it just as the sun was disappearing behind the mountains.

Epic snow + legendary riders + sick riding = an amazing day at the Quicksilver Natural Selection.

Benedek Cliff Drop – © Tim Zimmerman

The last day of competition here in Jackson Hole, Wyoming will go down tomorrow in Casper Bowl, a steep, wide-open bowl with an abundance of natural hits for riders to attack. Whoever has the best-combined score from the Dick’s Ditch competition that went down on Saturday and tomorrow’s Casper Bowl competition will be crowned the Quiksilver Natural Selection champion. Plus, the $75,000 prize purse that Quiksilver put up for grabs will be distributed tomorrow night as well.

Misty Gondola – © Tim Zimmerman

Stay tuned to www.ttrworldtour.com for a complete recap of the event plus video coverage. And, be sure to check out the official Quiksilver Natural Selection event website www.quiksilver.com/naturalselection for all the details you could ask for plus webcasts from the entire week.

Travis Rice in First after Day One of the Inaugural Quiksilver Natural Selection Competition in Dick’s Ditch at Jackson Hole, Wyoming

The Quiksilver Natural Selection, a Swatch TTR FOUR(4)STAR event, kicked off on Saturday in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Riders were greeted with tons of fresh powder for the first day of competition held in an area of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort known as Dick’s Ditch. The course is a 2500-foot long natural halfpipe with 18 natural hits for riders to choose from. The Natural Selection is such a unique competition with deep, fresh powder landings making things super fun but also challenging for riders.

The riders braved snowy conditions in the morning making visibility a bit difficult, but everyone was riding strong and put on quite a show launching off the lips in Dick’s Ditch. The course looked more like a filming session setup then a contest venue with hits that sent riders through trees and over trees and the shape of the gulley made for a run that really flowed well. It was a great vibe on the hill and all the riders were having a great time hitting the course, hanging out and looking on as others took their runs.

DCP – Tree Bonk – © Tim Zimmerman

Hometown hero, Travis Rice, had the home court advantage and took the top spot in the Dick’s Ditch competition with huge airs. Travis kept it together in the deep powder landings stomping a huge FS 3 with a tree tap on the first hit, into a large BS 7, a mute air over the cat track hit, a FS mute on his fourth hit finishing things off with a clean FS 5 and stylish FS 180.

Mark Landvik threw down a flowing run to take second place. He started things off with a smooth FS 7 on the Terje hit, into a cranking method, threw a straight air into the mix, had a FS 180 to butter, into a switch BS 3 ending his run with a switch BS 180, and a FS 3.

Mark Landvik – Tweaked Method – © Scott Sullivan

Another Wyoming native, Mark Carter, took advantage of his local knowledge taking the third place spot. He had a fluid run through the ditch throwing a super stylish FS 7 tail on the first hit in between a couple of trees, into a nice BS 3, a sick method over the cat track hit, cranked a nice pow slash and finished off with a switch BS 180.

Mark Carter – © Scott Sullivan

On the TTR side of things, current World No. 73, Gigi Ruef, finished 8th and had this to say about the competition, “The Natural Selection has definitely been an experience of it’s own. The riding was great and it turned out to be a really good session. It was like a day out snowboarding with great friends. And for me, the Natural Selection being part of TTR really shows that TTR is purely for riders.” If Gigi has a good result in the Casper Bowl competition he has the opportunity to move into the TTR Top 50.

And Nicolas Mueller, currently at Swatch TTR World No. 21 finished just outside of the Top 10 claiming 11th place. Nicolas was stoked on competition in Dick’s Ditch, “The Natural Selection is already my favorite contest of all time. Dick’s Ditch is like a natural halfpipe with super good hits all over. It doesn’t get any better than this.”

The final day of competition is scheduled to go off on Tuesday, February 5th in an area of Jackson Hole called Casper Bowl. Check back to www.ttrworldtour.com for more updates and videos from the Quiksilver Natural Selection, and hit www.quiksilver.com/naturalselection for complete event coverage and daily webcasts.

Results of Day One:
1. Travis Rice
2. Mark Landvik
3. Mark Carter
4. David Benedek
5. Samuel Luebke
6. DCP
7. J.J. Thomas
8. Gigi Ruef
9. Rob Kingwell
10. Colin Langlois
11. Nicolas Mueller
12. Kyle Clancy
13. Wolle Nyvelt
14. Austin Smith
15. Hamous Mosesson
16. Bjorn Leines
17. Romain De Marchi
18. Bryan Iguchi

It has been DUMPING at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort for the past week and the snow still has not let up. This is both good and bad for the Quiksilver Natural Selection, a Swatch TTR World Tour Four (4) Star Event, as the organizers have been waiting for optimal pow’ conditions, but the weather has been making visibility a bit tough to run the contest. So, it’s a good thing that the event organizers built in a seven-day holding period to make sure conditions are right.

With the contest on hold for the past three days, everyone in town for the event including the riders, media and judges have been out getting the goods. With over 50 inches of snow over the past week, it’s been an easy search for some epic pow’ lines.

“It’s been great over the past couple of days here in Jackson,” said Gigi Ruef, who’s been enjoying the conditions. “Just snowboarding with lots of friends and locals who showed us around the mountain and took us to some really nice terrain and really good snow.”

The event will take place in two separate sections of the mountain, Dick’s Ditch and Casper Bowl, which have been closed to the general public since January 25th to ensure perfect snow conditions. Day one of the contest (scheduled to get underway, Saturday, February 2nd) will kick off in Dick’s Ditch, a 2500-foot long gulley with 18 natural hits spread throughout. Riders will only have two runs, with no practice, to unleash their creativity on the run with judges looking at overall impression.

Travis – Tree ollie – © Scott Sullivan

Leubke – Logslide – © Scott Sullivan

The second day of competition (scheduled for Monday, February 4th, but is subject to change depending on weather) will go down in Casper’s Bowl, one of Travis Rice’s favorite runs on the hill. The Casper run is a wide-open 2500-foot long bowl with cliffs, rock drops, boulders and hips. Again, judges will be looking at overall impression with riders taking two runs apiece.

The contest is sure to be one for the history books with some of the best and most creative riders ready to shred one of the most storied mountains in North America, including legendary shredder Nicolas Mueller who claimed “It’s been so fun over the past couple of days. Yesterday was one of the best days ever. We got an early gondola ride up to get the goods. The snow is so good.” Over three-years in the works, everyone here in Jackson is hyped for the event especially with no other snowboard competition out there that is quite like the Natural Selection.

Nic Muller – Pow Jump – © Scott Sullivan

Stay tuned for more updates from the Quiksilver Natural Selection and be sure to check out www.quiksilver.com/naturalselection for news and video updates direct from Jackson Hole, and the Quiksilver Natural Selection Event Bio page on TTR for more info.

Given the fact that the TTR office is located in the snowboarding capital of Europe (better known as Innsbruck, Austria), It seems pretty ridiculous not to take advantage of the abundance of terrain that surrounds us.

This past Saturday provided Head Honcho Drew Stevenson with the perfect opportunity to take the TTR crew up to Mayrhofen for a full day of powder glory and fresh track extravaganza. It was the first day of riding for many of us and we foreigners certainly weren’t used to massive mounds of powder in November. It was embarrassing to say the least as Drew gave slight reconsideration to why he hired us interns in the first place. A note of caution: If you ever hear the words “It’ll be fine, just follow me” on the first run of the season in the Alps, take a step back and ask yourself, “is it really worth hiking all the way back up again from the depths of the Mayrhofen valley?” Don’t say we didn’t warn you…

But after a ton of face plants, wipeouts and flat out bails, we got into the groove of things, charging each and every face and chute to prove our worth. According to all the locals, mid-November of last year didn’t see anything close to weather we had experienced. Blue bird skies, limitless powder and the sun brightening our smiles, it was day to behold.

Later in the day, our film guy Nugget came out a little banged up after hitting a buried steel pipe of some sort, cracking his board and injuring his left leg. But he’s a strong guy and even though he’s walking around a little slower, with a couple stitches, bloody scars and using the office as his temporary place of zen and healing (we have a shower which helps out a lot), he’ll be back out on the slopes in no time.

On a separate note, what on earth is going on with the poll on the main page of the TTR Site?? For those not aware, we recently asked everyone who they thought would take the lead after the Nokia Air & Style in Munich. You had four options: Mason Aguirre, Shaun White, Torstein Horgmo and Travis Rice. The results of this poll are ridiculous. The question doesn’t ask who you think will win the event. It asks who will take tour lead! Obviously the people voting in these polls have no idea how the ranking works. Are you dumb or just stupid? If you’re going to vote at least do your research. Maybe look at the riders list? Or dare I say…look at the ranking list?? GASP!

I’m just going to throw it out there, but I’m thinking Torstein is going to take the lead. I mean seriously people, Shaun White? HE’S NOT COMPETING IN MUNICH!!! Neither is Mason! Unbelievable. And Travis Rice. Yes, well, Travis kills it, and he’ll probably bust out some boggling double cork 1080 and blow everyone away, but keep in mind that he has not bagged any previous 07/08 points. This is one of six results. So he’s got some catching up to do.

However……. maybe this is a sign of how many people simply do not know how the ranking systems works…so we may try and piece together a little “Ranking 101” for all you newbies out there.

Also check out Shaun White‘s New Profile.

Keep it real.