DEW TOUR IS HERE!

Today marks the start of the second of three Dew Tour stops and it's being hosted from the 19th-22nd by Killington. The four day long event showcases some of the top athletes in the sport throwing down everything they've got in a massive 22-foot superpipe as well as a truly intimidating  slopestyle course. If you've never been to the Dew Tour it is one of the largest events in the East and is worth going just to experience the booths, parties and raucous crowds. There are lots of freebies given out by sponsors in the "Festival Village" and the weather the next few days could make for some fun riding in between viewing events.

Here is the schedule for today:

Thursday, January 19, 2012 Festival Village open from 9:30 a.m.-3:45 p.m.
Womens Ski Slopestyle Practice 8:00-8:45 a.m. Womens Ski Slopestyle Qualifier 8:45-9:50 a.m. Mens Ski Superpipe Practice 9:00-10:15 a.m. Mens Snowboard Slopestyle Practice 9:50-10:50 a.m. Mens Ski Superpipe Last Chance Qualifier 10:30-11:30 a.m. Mens Snowboard Slopestyle Last Chance Qualifier 11:05 a.m.-12:45 p.m. Mens Snowboard Superpipe Practice 11:30 a.m.-1:15 p.m. Mens Ski Slopestyle Practice 12:45-1:45 p.m. Mens Snowboard Superpipe Last Chance Qualifier 1:30-2:15 p.m. Mens Ski Slopestyle Last Chance Qualifier 2:00-4:00 p.m. Womens Ski Superpipe Practice 2:15-4:15 p.m. Womens Ski Superpipe Qualifier 4:30-5:30 p.m.

pics from Dew Tour on Facebook

STE will be following up with coverage on these events as well as spotlights on some of the key riders to watch. Check back for updates soon. 

Moving Foward

I posted the trailer to this last week, here's the full length vid. It's really powerful, moving stuff and I'm so happy that things turned around for Danny. Watch it and then go check out Danny is the Bomb:

Free Day At Stratton Friday

Like Stratton on Facebook and you can ride there for free this Friday. Pretty sweet deal. Click below the pic to go to the fb page.

 

Free Friday

Shit Snowboarders Say

By now you've most likely seen "Shit Skiers Say" and we've all been wondering when someone would follow up with a "Shit Snowboarders Say". Now it's been delivered and it was even filmed at Mount Snow. Droooooppppp!

Holy Awesome!

If you guys haven't seen Scott Stevens part from CAPiTA's Defenders Of Awesome, well, you are about to have your mind blown. Scott (or "Atcha Boi")  is one of my favorite street style riders. He is extremely innovative and creative with his riding and tends to pull in a lot of style from his skateboarding background. He also happens to hail from Westfield, MA so he's repping New England (Awesomely!).




Also, please go vote for his X-Games video part ASAP: X-Games Real Snow
He's up against Halldor Helgason, who's also a great rider, but personally I think Scott is way more creative and deserves his recognition in this sport. Here's his X-Games spot:

Best places to ride MLK weekend

fresh tracks before work

After that little bit of snow we got we were all reminded that this is actually winter (I was starting to question that) and if you got the opportunity to ride yesterday you were also reminded that pow days are awesome. More please Mother Nature? If you didn't fake some mysterious 24 hour bug to play hooky Thursday you missed out on some fun times!

However, there's still some snow left to slash this weekend and even the possibility that some places will be getting a few more inches. Beware though: the forecast calls for dropping temps Saturday night into Sunday (high of 10?) so bundle up good! On the plus side this may keep some of the usual holiday crowds off the slope so you can get at that small bit of fresh left on the side of that one trail you like...


Best bets for this weekend:

While most mountains received 6-8 inches, Jay could be getting up to another 4 tonight. However the forecast also calls for winds up to 40mph and extremely cold temps. There's a good amount of terrain open and hopefully some of that snow will get pushed into the trees where you can avoid the gusts and ride some of the steep, tight lines Jay is famous for. Jay is also offering great lodging deals to celebrate the opening of their new indoor water park so even if conditions suck you can have fun surfing some artificial waves.

Wildcat powder (from @skiwildcat)

If you don't want to make the long haul up to Jay, Killington is a always a good bet for a busy holiday weekend. Although the mountain will undoubtedly attract a lot more vacationers, it has the terrain capacity to handle the rush without feeling too crowded and with 7 inches of new snow there's even the possibility you'll find some untouched stuff to make pretty lines in.

Wildcat in NH is reporting 9 inches of snow yesterday and from the looks of the pics they posted it seems like it was a blast. Not a ton of trails open but they will have less crowds than some of the bigger mountains. Nearby, Attitash also got a fair amount of snow and has more trails to offer too.

In Maine the Loaf is definitely the way to go. Report says 7 inches but by some accounts they got nearly a foot of snow, at the least 10 inches. Forecast is also saying 4-6 inches of additional accumulation possible tonight, but it will definitely be a cold one up there with a windchill as cold as -13.

Hopefully by now you've packed up your gear an you're getting ready to hop in your car to have an awesome weekend of riding! Stay warm and go get some pow, you deserve it.

Dude, wear a helmet.

Watching pro riders throw down ridiculous tricks like they're nothing is fun and awe inspiring. But what always baffles me is why none of these guys wear helmets!? I understand that many feel uncomfortable, they don't like the way they look or they just don't think they need it because they don't fall often. However, it's not just about them: what about about all the aspiring little shredders who are watching them, idolizing them and trying to do tricks just like them?

The last few seasons we have seen too many pro riders suffer traumatic brain injuries. Kevin Pearce is finally riding again after his 2009 head-to-half-pipe crash and I shudder to think where he'd be at if he weren't wearing a helmet that day.




Last January pro rider Danny Toumarkine also suffered a TBI after going off a jump wrong, he was not wearing a helmet. Danny was in an induced coma and had to have a piece of his skull stored in his stomach to relieve some of the swelling. After a long recovery period and intensive therapy he is now able to ride again.




Though it is inspiring to watch both of these videos and hear about their stellar recoveries, not everyone can be so lucky. Next week is National Ski and Safety Awareness Week and wearing a helmet should definitely be high on your personal safety awareness. If you don't have one yet, check with your local shop to see if they're offering any deals next week. In the meantime check out these sites:
Danny Is The Bomb
I Ride For Kevin
National Ski Areas Association