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My friends are all really cool. We all get along well, buy each other beers, shots, shoot each other with airsoft guns, hook each other up with gear, take turns on driving to the coast/mtns, scope lines, and buy each other beers. Sometimes we’ll even wait for each other.

The other night is one such example. All day at the ol’ J.O.B i was freaking out looking at the pass cams and getting more and more giddy with calls/text from other friends who don’t work 9 to 5 with reports of sic-ass pow, balls deep, white room, mega spray, whatever. I was super amped to get my ass off the Eastside and b-line it up to Snoqualmie Pass which had been closed for over 24hrs. They’d gotten something like 2 feet of new in that time so the night session was guaranteed to be ella sic.

Got to the meeting place on time (4pm) and met up with friend #1, aka Shane#2. At 4pm got a call from friend #2, aka Kopafeel (that’s your new nickname) stating he’s running a bit late. Cool, no problem…we’ll wait 10 mins. 10 mins turned to 40mins. In that time the Pass closed back down and we missed the boat. A few of my other friends made it up and were ’stuck’ at the pass with balls deep snow, lifts running and nobody up there. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

I used to live up at Alpental with Eli and when the pass closed and all the kooks (what i am now) from the city couldn’t get up there cause the pass was closed…shiiiit. That’s like a pow day times 10.

I could have had a pow day (or night) times 10 tonight but Kopafeel ef-ing blew it. He did make good though and bought Shane#2 and i some Mickey’s Ice.

Lesson learned: ‘No friends on a powder night.’

I can’t believe how good the chicks are riding in the pipe and park this year at the X-games. These Bitches are hot and have style. Snow porn has gone to a new level. Torah Bright switch backside 7 in Pipe. Jamie Anderson a cab 7 in the park. Where did these chicks come from. Let me guess Minnesota.

Mens Pipe was pretty cool too. Dumont was ripped off no way a guy going 20 feet out should lose to a guy going 15. I don’t care what way he’s spinning.

Men’s snowboarding kind of boring same shit. ski ballet spin like a top.

I hope someone brings back the michaelchuck that was an impressive trick in the pipe.

After riding this week at Mt. Baker and having bluebird conditions I thought I’d see some big lines thrown down in the b/c.  To my dismay I didn’t see any big lines just a ton of lines traverseing and side slipping chutes.  What’s happened in the last 10 years?

Top 3 moments I’ve witnessed at my local Hill

1.  1996 or 1997 Watchin Tex, Teal Copeland (R.I.P), Bas, Mark Friesen, jump off the Beast.  Get off Chair 8 look left.  Tex and Teal biggest back flips I’ve witnessed not sure how big over 40 easy.  Bas and Friesen threw big slow 3’s. 

2. 1995 or 96 Terje Qualifying 1st reg and 5th switch at Banked Slalom.

3.  1998 Darrin Dickinson Backside rodeo over the road gap with the snow blower in the background.  Retarded

All in the 90’s

I’m curious to what kind of riding people are seeing out there?  Is the next generation stuck in the park or are all the big lines done with snowmobiles away from ski areas.

Holy Sweet Jesus!  I got in….3rd year in a row.  YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!  Somehow i got on the waiting list and i just got an email ‘confirming’ that i was entered.  Word up Amy–High5!

The Banked Slalom is probably one of the most fun events in snowboarding.  The laid back vibe up at Baker from the locals, the staff and everyone associated with the Slalom is so rad.  It makes being in the race so much fun.  Even if you’re not in the race just being there ‘in it’, shredding with your friends, catching up with peeps you haven’t seen in a while, drinking beer, hosing people and staring at Victoria Jealouse–that’s what snowboarding’s all about.

Looks like myself, Clem, DaryinB, MarcelD and Camaro are all that i know that are in.  Anybody else get in?  Anybody got a couch i can crash on?

This year im not drinking any beer….

Pics below from the 2007 LBS

I finally got my Ski Acres (aka Central) Park Pass! I think it’s a great idea that they require a special class/pass to ride the park. Hopefully they see a decline in injuries as a result.

The class showed a little video about ATM…some weird acronym about common sense. Then the park kids gave a little speech embellishing on the vid. Pretty well done, organized and quick. I wish they would’ve had popcorn or hot chocolate though.

Here’s my thoughts: Whether or not you get that pass, if you’re an idiot, you’re an idiot. You’re still gonna do something stupid and hurt yourself. If you point it off the smallest jump in the park, it’s gonna hurt. If you hit a jump that you haven’t hit that particular day, you might clear it–the jumps change daily. If you hit boxes/rails, your going to break your edges. All common sense right? I don’t know how that Park Pass is going to protect against lack of common sense.

Here’s my advice to all you park kids out there. Try riding some actual terrain–learn how your board works. Then take it to the park.

In the meantime try riding Alpental. It’s just like a snowboard park….but without rails.

I’ve pretty much broken every snowboard i’ve ever set foot on. This post is just a recap of all the boards i’ve killed since i started snowboarding in 1997.

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UPDATE:  01.14.1008 2:00pm

Just talked to a reliable source.  Said that the reason there is no pipe right now at Snoqualmie is because the Water Utility Company for Snoqualmie Pass jacked up the price of water 10 times what they were paying last year.  When you consider that it takes something like 200,000 gallons (?) of water to build the halfpipe and the fact that Snoqualmie Pass operates under a finite budget that explains why there’s been no pipe yet.

Ideally the halfpipe would be made with a mix of natural and man-made snow.  The man made snow is way more dense than the natural stuff so it holds it’s shape longer.  Remember the all natural snow pipes way back?  With our wet NW snow and warm temps, those things fell apart quick.  Pipes made from man-made snow hold their shape longer, last longer and are probably less maintenance in the long run.

The good news is they they started pushing snow today(01.14) and plan to have the pipe cut in the next two weeks.  The guy who built the jumps and halfpipe for the Grenade Games last spring is tentatively planned to come out and build the pipe.  While it lasted, the pipe at the Grenade Games was sic. The jumps were super sic too.  All i know is Danny Kass was going richter in that thing.  Check out pics from last years Grenade Games in the Gallery.

end.

01.13.2008

So it’s January 13 and Washington has seen above average snowfall so far. This time last year we had less snow yet there was a pipe at Snoqualmie Pass.

Has anyone heard what’s up with the Snoqualmie or Stevens Ujump?

Snowboards have not changed too much in the last 10 years. So I’m curious to what people are riding in the northwest these Days.

2005 160 Lib Mullet (black base/no Magna) no need. This board is the best powder board ever hands down. Floats through the cream with no back leg burn. Some friends just ride this board all year. For me the board is a bit wide for jibbing and I have smaller feet.

2008 159 Lib TRS Banana Magna. This board came to me with more hype than I’ve heard in a long time. So my expectations were high. The board is fun I mainly rode it in the pow cause it wont stop snowing and it floats nice when its balls deep. It’s real loose and fishy for you surfers. The tail is too soft for high speed run outs. I wouldn’t do gunsight on this board. I think for spring riding this board would be real fun but if your riding pow and charging just get a mullet. I hear Mervin is integrating banana in more boards next year I hope they can make them stiffer.