This is where you’ll see the behind-the-scenes product stories, random rants, stories from the road, and different opinions from the employees, riders and reps who form the inner circle of the Rome SDS.
On Friday, Darkside Stowe held a “Metal Mini” party to celebrate the opening of the new mini-ramp inside the shop. Beer, BBQ, skating, heavy slams, good people. Such a great start to the off season. Enjoy the low quality photos. Thanks to Paige and Bo for throwing a good time. There were way better skating and hanging photos to be had, but I was busy skating and hanging.
…and I didn’t have the one I had been using today.
Dedicated readers of the blog will know that I’ve done a few splitboard adventures in my time. Long story, but one of our team riders needed one and since he “gets shots” it’s safe to say I had to give up the board I had…
Well I wasn’t bummed about not having the splitboard until today (I’m sure you can find some other posts about our season here in the East).
So my poles are set to 46" let your eyes do the rest of the math...
So I originally took this one as well to demonstrate snow depth...notice the layers of snow that were created as the temperature changed. I'll admit this didn't make for perfect riding, but I'm not complaining.
So again skins rule...this tele guy (and his little dog too) was just closing ground on me the whole second half of the hike. He caught up just as I was strapping in. (phew)
Anyways as my last post indicated it’s good out there…go get some…
So March was crazy warm here in VT, and when it was happening, we all knew that we were seeing days off the end of the season. It was almost like March was doing an impression of April…
Starting with closing day, April’s been doing a good impression of March. I was trading texts with Capt. Al that this weekend definitely had good potential for snow and subsequent hiking. So I wake up Saturday morning with shred on the brain and try to go to Stowe’s webcam to check out conditions: broken. Well, that’s when it starts pouring here in Waterbury. Just so I’m clear, it was POURING rain. So I end up running errands in Burlington, ya know, a nice little Saturday, even had time to get to Bed Bath & Beyond.
So I get home and see the post Eastern Boarder has made on their Blog about Wildcat, which of course get’s me thinking about when I’ll go to Tuck’s again. After a check of the radar, I see pink in NH and was all bummed that it seemed all the snow went to Wildcat and Mount Washington.
Well I had blown off the work I had to do this weekend until Sunday and this morning I was continuing to procrastinate when I got this photo from Josh…
A little snow at the top of the Quad...
I have to admit I wasn’t totally convinced. I saw the icicles and remembered the POURING rain and figured the snow quality probably sucked pretty bad.
Then the call came…someone driving a snowcat had given Josh a ride up for a second run… he verified the snow was definitely the shredable variety. One of my bosses was urging me to go ride, so my work could wait, seemed logical at the time.
I finished my game…struggled to find pants to hike and ride in…and got on the road… safe to say I shouldn’t been the first person down the trail I went down… but I was…
(POV video always seems like a better idea when recording it than when you actually have it on screen. This is definitely my half-assed video editing, do not hold this against the Kids on Shred boys).
So East Coasters, get out there and earn some turns…
(oh BTW, West Coasters… ease up, we know you have snow, but remember those years you didn’t and then you’ll let us enjoy it when we actually get it)
If you are up in AK, you’re probably doing something like this….
Photo: Sharif Zawaideh
High pressure has hit and with blue skies the heli-fun is in full swing.
Photo: Dustin Carroll
But what do you do when the sun goes down? You throw a party and have a big ass bonfire. The kind of bonfire that would make even the best pyromaniac jealous. Our 4th Annual Doug Coombs memorial party always features a massive fire to celebrate the man that made Alaskan shredding happen in the first place. If you don’t know who Doug Coombs is, do your homework. Big mountain snowboarding would not be where it is without him, especially here in Alaska.
Heres a little taste of the celebration…
Like any self-respecting pyro, we burn everything we can get our hands on, and are sure to add plenty of propellants.
Photo: Dustin Carroll
Photo: Dustin Carroll
But like every party, its going to end at some point. See you in Alaska….
After the contest (i took it very easy since i´m just not ready yet after my injury to do a good run on a 7 jump course) Tyler Charlton and me got a chance to go heli-ing with Oakley, it was sooo sick! Tyler and me had only been in a helicopter once before – on the way to the hospital. Back then I was even unconscious and therefore not able to appreciate it in any way, so i was way stoked to get my heli experience without the bad circumstances this time!
The snow wasn´t the best since it had been warm for a while, but it was still great times and i can´t wait for the next time…
Now i am by the way back in the US riding Breckenridge to get my old strengh back 100%. Right in this moment it´s dumping outside. The winter isn´t over yet!
Former Rome intern Dan “Jiggy” Janjigian checking in from the land of shred up here in Valdez, Alaska. I’ve bounced out of Jackson Hole for the spring to work on Thompson Pass at the Alaska Rendezvous Lodge as a jack of all trades: apprentice guide, bartender, maintenance man, occasional diesel technician; an all around doer of things.
After kicking off March with 13 straight days of snow, including an 18 hour, 3 foot storm, we are experiencing one of the best seasons to date. We just had another foot fall up high and are laying down the tracks as quickly as the heli can take us up there. Anyone with some free time, a few free dollars, and the want to ride deep pow should GET UP HERE.
Dave Schiff, John Cavan and Bub from EB. Schiff may have been asking them who let the dogs out, because later that night he had the jukebox ask everyone who let the dogs out…maybe 6 times in a row.
Cavan and I headed down to Loon Mountain for the 10th Annual Last Call. We showed late Tuesday night, with no real plans of where to stay or anything, just assuming stuff would work itself out. EB came though and hooked it up with a couch and one of those awesome beds that come out of the wall, which I always wanted as a kid. If you have a small apartment, you should build one.
Rome Regional rider Mary Rand, who took 1st place and $1200 at the event with coach Charlie Sweet.
Wednesday missed the mark on weather, little windy, little cold, but that didn’t seem to make a difference at all. Loon put together a sick set-up, with a gap jump over a rhythm section/ jib course, huge quarter pipe, and huge wallride. After a few guinea pig warm up straight airs from riders, Chilly Miller, on what I think may have been his first drop, gapped the rhythm section with a huge front rodeo and it was on from there.
So… the plan was, Matt would make a giant rice snowball, then hide in the bushes outside, and when someone walked out of the bar, he would pop up and yell snowball fight, and whip a giant rice ball in someone’s face. Really it was one of the best plans I’ve ever heard.
The awesome continued pretty heavy through the night over in Woodstock. Great times, great people. Well done and thanks to EB and the Loon crew. Check out the EB blogs for more photos and wrap ups of the event. http://easternboarder.com/main.php
NH's finest at work, Chas in the quarter pipe, photo - Mary Walsh
