Winter Olympics- As Imagined By Homer Simpson

Santa Claus Diving.. The next event to be added to the Olympic roster? or from the imagination of a crazy man? The latter, I'm afraid...


Watching a very recent Simpsons episode- 'Boy Meets Curl' Homer discovers there is such an event as the winter olympics...

and the above picture is what he imagines its is like. Santa in a diving contest. Classic!

Well Yeap He Won..

An update from the final of the mens half pipe qualification:

The Americans really did show the real skills of the night as a nation. Aside from Mr White taking the Gold.. Scotty Lago threw down some solid moves to take silver. And the most noteworthy US mention goes to Gregory Bretz- the 19yr old shredder. Who really impressed in the qualifying. But in the finals failed to land.


Oh yes almost forgot- Louie Vito. He throw some fast spins and inversions.. but not getting a high enough score to podium. Anyone else notice all the boos from the crowd? must have been his douchebag appearance on 'Dancing on ice'


more to follow..........

Olympic Mens Halfpipe- Semi Final!

QUICK UPDATE!

Its on.. you got to throw big to have any sort of chance. It really is crazy viewing..

With three confirmed for the final already:

Shaun White
Louie Vito
Ryo Aono

The rest of the bunch were left to fight it out in the semi. As the sun set over Cypress Mountain, the event was blessed with a perfect evening.. and a perfect looking pipe!

GB team rider, Ben Kilner, did his country proud by strongly making the final, but in the end he was unable to lay down a clean run.. and finished up last. Awesome effort though! We salute you!

Top 6 made it through.

Markis Malin- Finland, threw huge, double cork, solid clean and easy.
Gregory Bretz- USA, the youngest of the team, really impressed and stole the show. Iv never heard of this kid, but he could definately stir things up in the final. Also able to cleanly land the all important double cork:

Scotty Lago- USA, the known name, a good finalist. A possible medalist. He looked on form for sure.
Mathieu Crepal- France, our favourite frenchman.. Loving the french humour amongst the team. With their drawn on tashes- keeping things a bit light and humerous in such official times!

Markku Koski- Finland, was wondering where he was the whole time. But ok he is through.. dont think its his night though..
Justin Lamoureux, Canada.

Apart from the riding, a few mentions on the style selections for all the teams. Loving it!
You can spot some branding every now and then- Burton, Quiksilver have definately been hooking some teams up. The french get-up, Quiksilver provided, really loving the look- aided by their tashes...

But top STEAZY PICKLE... definately awarded to the japanese team:



Bright, bold, steazy.. Mismatching!! we love it!

Bataleon 2011 Preview

Bataleon 2011 Preview

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Not So 'Cool Runnings'!

Under the Underlayers of Hannah Teter..

Hannah Teter - 2010 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit - SI.com

If you were wondering what Hannah Teter has been up to recently.. she has definitely not been hiding!

The former Shaun White of the girl world, has been stripping off her thermals for sports illustrated- a special edition on Olympic participators.

The obvious debate comes to mind. Is this the right move for female riders such as Hannah? In a recent interview with shredbetties.com, when asked her hopes for this Olympics, she is quoted as wanting to: 'be a positive role model for kids.' Although, looking gorgeous in the shots, and showing the feminine form of a snowboarders figure- lovely jubbly- it really doesn't help the female industry's plight to be taken seriously.

Flashback a few years ago and Hannah Teter was the one to watch in the pipe- the up and coming talent. Taking the gold in 2006 in Turin. Her name is one of the few mainstreamly recognised from the snowboard world.

Since then, whilst other riders have been hitting the icy training pipe hard and progressing the competition to a whole new level,-Teter has just returned to the competitive trail after a few years 'career gap' to do humanitarian deeds. Snowboarding since age 8, taking a few year off is probably not a bad idea. But can she still keep up with the likes of Gretchen Bleiler, Kelly Clark or Torah Bright? Taking another bronze in the 2010 Winter X Games- she was never going for gold... and it didn't ever appear like she had a shot at it...

Maybe instead of stripping down for the camera she should be concentrating on the upcoming Olympics and gaining back the respect of the industry. Otherwise she might not be the female equivalent of Shaun White... but the Anna Kornikova of snowboarding.

Celebrating Justice and Sense in the World- a quick post...

Back at Xmas, UK culture saved itself some dignity. It clawed some sense back. In an age of 'Big Brother' , 'Strictly Come Dancing'... Pop star turned opera star?... modern culture has been cursed and tainted. But at Xmas the British public, those with common sense, managed to change the course of history by voting Rage Against The Machine to the number one spot, instead of the Xfactor winner...

Now check this out...

Due to their amazing and rightful victory, Rage Against The Machine have decided to throw a concert to say thanks! They were loving the banter...

All you have to do is register here with a passport photo- before Sunday 14th Feb, tomorrow midnight.

www.theragefactor.co.uk

Then if selected you get two tickets (your friend who you decide to bring must also be registered).

The actual event is June 6th in Finsbury Park.

Good luck!

RIP Nodar Kumaritashvili, Olympic Luge Death...

A dangerous sport gone wrong in training. Nodar Kumaritashvili, died whilst carrying out a training run for the olympic luge.

RIP

A Random Pick-Me-Up

[Think this has been circling the web world since last Nov.. but I have only just come across it and thought it post worthy.]

Yes YOU! You can be the hero of the world- and you don't even have to move..
Easy as uploading your photo on to this site:

http://en.tackfilm.se/

see yourself as a worshipped fella.. great mood lifter!

Check it out........


p.s. Apparently its an ad for Tv Licenses in Sweden.

Yawn.. Shawn White Named Highest Olympic Earner... Yawn

Forbes has just released their list of 'Top Earning Athletes Of The 2010 Winter Olympics' and who topped the list- a not surprising name.. a not very interesting answer. Shawn White.. yawn.


When it comes to sponsors and money this guy is sorted. Very few snowboarders are able to make a decent living in the industry, Shaun White has made a multi-millionaire of himself.

BURTON, RED BULL, OAKLEY, TARGET, AT&T... and the real money maker UBISOFT. You know you'v made it when you have your own computer game! Last year he cashed in approx $7.5million.

But when it comes to snowboarding and progressing in his game, last season the money really was not the deciding factor. A private halfpipe, built and subsidized by Red Bull allowed White to develop tricks he had only formely dreamed off- the first to throw a double McTwist 1260. With the help of a giant forgiving-foam-pit at the end of the pipe, he was able to perfect crazily technical and dangerous tricks without the worry of injury....

But what has this private halfpipe done for the sport? It has given an already stellar competitor an unfair advantage. Snowboarding is not a money rich occupation for all- most do not make a salary and rely on their sponsors for 'aid'.. clothing, hardwear.

He gets a freaking private half pipe. F&%^ sake!

Snow Peepers at the Ready!

Could anything sound more appetising to the eyes...

rumours have been swirling since mid last year and now its confirmed.

Volcom have released a teaser poster advertising their upcoming winter movie... And they couldn't have a better protagonist!

The man himself.. Gigi Ruf. A movie devoted to one of the most talented, effortless riders. Its going to be epic. Especially after seeing his section in this seasons absinthe movie- Neverland- riding the rooftops and backcountry with Pearce. He has, as always, got the snowboard industrys attention. Will be interesting to see the angle his own movie takes.

Will it try and compete with T-Rice and TITA? Or will Ruf, as with his riding, take a new approach?


Out later this year. More details to follow...........

Something Greasy to Feast your Eyes on....

MMM CHICKEN CHOW MEIN IN A SHOE BOX....


Spotted by a collegue this morning... there must be a good story behind this one...


A shopping trip gone wrong?


A drunken snack for the walk home?


A packed lunch dropped on the way to work?


Bit of a pickle..Will we ever know...

Thank S Taylor!!

Any imaginative thoughts on what went on here??

Me, Myself, And the Snowball on my Brain..

A little bit about me before I elaborate on a weekend adventure I am embarking on at present...

I live with a permanent mental state of 'snow on the brain'....

My main interest in life is snowboarding;I am forever thinking about my next trip to the snow, spend evenings watching snowboard movies, talking to friends about snowboarding, reminiscing about happy times on my snowboard, calling people in the mountains to see if its snowing, planning trips to the snow, checking snow reports, waxing my snowboard.... I also enjoy knitting.

I work a 9-5 job in London.. In the rat race? Not quite..my job just happens to be for a company in the snow/surf industry. Not all bad, for sure! I am contracted to work a 9- 5.30pm Monday to Friday job, with an hours lunch break. 40hrs a week. I have a desk, a swivelly chair, a phone and a laptop. I also get a weekend. The company is amazing to work for.. getting to work within the industry has helped me to justify my many seasons in the mountains. Dropping out of Uni and running to the Alps has never felt like a better path since I was luckily employed. A turning point in life was definately during my interview for said job. I had to explain to my prospective employers why I had nothing to show on my CV the past 6 months (a fact I was stressing about).. well I had just returned from being a 'bum' in British Columbia for the whole 07/08 season- no work, all snow play. This not only gained me respect, but a job! Yes, I am super lucky.. yes I am thankful and work freaking hard in awe of the opportunity!

I have spent almost 2 years now in this job. I still get itchy feet when the summer closes in. I look back on my seasons and get a flurry of happyness/comfort/joy at the thought of living out in the mountains again... As the rest of London wilts as the winter approaches, I blossom! My bright snow jackets/ huge hoodies/ beanies come flying out the closest (not that they have been in there long- I take a while to transition into a summer wardrobe.. doing it stubbornly slow until a collegue tells me I look daft wearing a wool beanie and 5k jacket as the thermometer reaches 20) I am a winter neon flower. Its the best way to describe my dress sense..

Last season, despite working a full time job with only 25days holiday, I managed to get 20days riding in. Not bad at all! 12days in Austria. 8 days in Switzerland.

This season, I plan on getting as many days, if not more. So far I have 7 knotches to my snowboots already:

2 days Stubai, Austria

3 days Morzine, France

2 days Saalbach, Austria

But this year another factor is more important than the number of riding days.. this year I plan on ticking a few places of my 'Off the Beaten Track' list.

This weekend.. this very second I am on my way to adventure number 1... its not far from home, its definitely not snow sure.. but this season it is satisfying snow seekers. It is

SCOTLAND

Being Scottish.. and never having actually snowboarded in Scotland.. this belated trip is an exciting prospect! But..

Is it worth the long hours of travel for just a day and halfs riding?

How will the resorts measure up?

Will the mountain hold enough to satisfy an eager snowboarder?

Follow my blog to get the ins and outs as I head north in search of snow...