Elliott Neese in the new jacket.

686 Technical Apparel announces exclusive outerwear design collaboration with Captain Elliot Neese for the crew of the Saga. The one-of-a-kind 686 technical jackets and bibs, constructed with proprietary Infidry 20™ (20,000mm) waterproof fabric and designed exclusively with Neese for the crew of the Saga, will debut tonight on The Deadliest Catch, airing on Discovery Channel in the US.

“It actually makes a lot of sense when you think about it,” explains 686 team captain Patrick McCarthy. “686 focuses on making highly technical outerwear to protect you from the same elements that crab fisherman fight daily – frozen wind, ice and water.”

Elliot Neese, an Alaska native with his self proclaimed “wide f@#king open” fishing style and often controversial owner and captain of the Saga fishing boat, collaborated on the one-of-a-kind jackets and bibs, incorporating specific details to battle the unique conditions presented to fisherman on the Bearing Sea.

“I used to snowboard a lot when I was younger in Alaska, and I still get to ride after Opie season in April and May with all my boys in Bellingham, Washington,” says Elliot. He goes on to provide the following feedback on the custom 686 gear, “The Saga crew has never been so dry nor had such technical and bomber gear to work in.”

Currently, the custom 686 jackets and bibs seen on Capt Neese and the crew are not available to the public, but the same Infidry 20™ fabric and construction is available in the 686 Plexus™ line of goods at retailers worldwide and at 686.com.

The stuff.

For this occasion, 686 organised an interview with team boss Patrick McCarthy:

The Deadliest Catch, the Discovery Channel the reality series featuring crab fisherman battling the beast that is the Bearing Sea, has become a phenomenon of modern television. During the current season, you may have noticed 686 logos popping up on Elliot Neese, the controversial captain of the Saga, this season and wondered, “What’s going on here?” Patrick McCarthy, 686 team captain, takes a moment to answer some FAQ’s about Elliot Neese, 686, and the future.

[686] What is the relationship between 686 and Elliot Neese?
[PM] Elliot Neese and I (Patrick McCarthy) have been friends for quite some time now. He was always just an Alaskan fisherman that would come down to Washington state during his off-season to hang, snowboard and recharge his batteries. We started shredding together here and there and just developed a friendship. Elliot can rub people the wrong way, but if you are down with him, he is a good homie. One year, before returning to Alaska he hit me up, wondering if he could get some gear to keep him warm and dry during the fishing season. That was right around when I was transitioning from team rider to team captain at 686, so luckily I was able to hook it up. The gear worked great, and each season after that Elliot would get some gear to battle nature’s harshest conditions in style. He may not be a professional snowboarder, but he is down for the brand and we got his back, literally.

[686] Why should Elliot Neese, a crab fisherman, be rocking 686?
[PM] It actually makes a lot of sense when you think about it, 686 focuses on making highly technical outerwear to protect you from the same elements crab fisherman fight. Frozen wind, ice and water combine to create the harshest combination of elements and working conditions on the planet – the perfect testing grounds for some of the most technical apparel on the planet. So far it’s been a great relationship – 686 gear has been keeping Elliot warm and dry and he has been able to provide amazing feedback as well as help design a special project. Plus, love him or hate him, Elliot walks to the beat of his own drum just like we do here at 686.

[686] Elliot isn’t snowboarding in his gear, isn’t that an issue?
[PM] Although we are a winter apparel snowboard specific company, our technical outerwear can be utilized in a lot of different situations from fishing, backpacking, cross country, etc. From 3-ply shells to down-sweaters and parkas we make gear that can keep you protected in any condition. Supporting Elliot Neese and the crew from the Saga allows us a new outlet to showcase our outerwear in a unique element.

[686] What is this special project between 686 and Elliot Neese you mentioned?
[PM] We (686) were able to do something special and work with Elliot to create custom Plexus™ series jackets and bibs for the entire crew. The jacket and bib are constructed of fluorescent yellow 3-Layer Infidry 20™ waterproof fabric in an Expedition ergonomic fit with custom detailing and custom Saga crab screen-prints on the back of the jacket developed with Elliot himself. The crew wore the gear all season, putting it to the test on the deck in arctic temperatures, blistering wind and with freezing water splashes and came back with amazing feedback. Elliot explained it best saying, “The crew has never been so dry nor had such technical and bomber gear to work in. Usually gear seems cumbersome, wears very fast and begins getting wet and cold and falling apart, but the 686 gear was easy to move in, help up day after day and shows no sign of slowing down!”

[686] What similarities and differences does the Elliot’s custom outerwear have from a typical snowboard jacket?
[PM] You know what’s crazy is that Elliot’s gear is almost exactly the same as our Plexus™ line with just a few extra features to battle the freezing cold Bearing Sea. Both the jacket and bib are constructed from our Infidry 20™ fabric, a 3-Layer abrasion resistant fabric that is super waterproof (20,000mm) while still being very breathable (15,000gm) with fully Bemis® taped seams, with a few more unique details. An extra high, laminated collar with hideaway hood with double Velcro stormflap closure keeps your face warm amidst frigid splashing water and frozen wind and keeps your body heat from leaving the neck of your jacket. The guys typically don’t wear goggles so the extra high collar is a great detail we get to design into the jacket, since it would normally lead to goggle fog on snow. There are 4 fleece lined handwarmer pockets for cold hands and smoke breaks and two external fold over military style pockets to keep water from splashing up into them while still being constantly accessible. Double storm flaps at every opening cover heavy-duty zippers, built to absorb the abuse crabbing seasons put no them. The most interesting detail though, is the double adjustable wrist closures. The outside closure tightens down over a longer inner adjustable gaiter with a PU seal to keep any water out of the sleeve – you don’t want below freezing water up your sleeve or in your gloves. The bibs are a bit different as they don’t have boot gaiters, but do have adjustable cuffs that can seal over boots to keep any water out of your boot and pant. Overall its amazing to see how similar the outerwear and how well it continues to work, keeping the crew warm and dry day after day, and hold up to the abuse that seasons on the unforgiving Bearing Sea can bring.

[686] What is next for 686 and Elliot Neese?
[PM] The future is wide open. We look forward to continuing to support Elliot and the crew and utilize their feedback to make our technical apparel even better. Hopefully we can also get Elliot back on the snow sometime early next year and bring him to a place where we all find peace and happiness.

Follow 686 @686clothing, Patrick McCarthy @patrickmccarthy and Elliot Neese @captainelliott4 for more info.

For more information about 686®, please log onto 686′s Reclaim Project page.

#passitonproject – an experiment in social art: connecting the global snowboard community through one board: Travis Rice is sending his favorite new board, the Lib Tech Speedodeeps, out into the world for all of us to ride!

PROJECT MISSION:
#passitonproject is an experiment in social art: connecting the global snowboard community through one board. Travis Rice is sending his favorite new board, the Lib Tech Speedodeeps, out into the world for all of us to ride! This project will document the mini-journey of each snowboarder this one board is passed to. How far this board can travel, how many riders it can reach, will be up to all of us snowboarders to determine! Be on the lookout for this board via the hashtag pic updates, it may be in your area! If you come across it, high five the previous captain, spin the tricks, snap the pics, and then pass it on. Anyone who receives the #passitonproject board has 3 days to ride it, then they must pass it on to another trusted individual. What a cool idea innit!

THE BOARD:
Lib Tech 2013/2014 Speedodeeps BTX. This is Travis Rice’s personal board, ridden by Travis during the 2012/13 season! Really!

The Lib Tech 13/14 Speedodeeps BTX.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU GET THE BOARD:
• Treat this board like it’s your own, be nice!
• Do something creative with it!
• Instagram and/or Facebook your photos.
• Hashtag photos with #passitonproject
• Add artwork to the topsheet.
• If you break it, fix it.
• Ride at your own risk.
• Pass it on within 3 days of receiving it to someone you trust.
• Remember, the fate of this board and this project is in your hands…

Check the #passitonproject video. And like the Asymbol Facebook page to track down the board!

Quiksilver snow team.

After we first spoke on Wednesday about these persisting rumours around Quiksilver and the denials published by certain athletes on the team, communication finally came yesterday from the men in charge, long time CEO and Executive Chairman Bob McKnight, and new CEO Andy Mooney:

Focus is a recurring theme that Bob and I see for the company for the foreseeable future. Focus on our key brands, focus on our key athletes, focus on key categories.

In a long and detailed article, Shop-Eat-Surf website clarifies the matter: in fact, the rumours have been so persistent and spread so wide that the two bosses had to speak out and maybe let some of their strategy go along the way. Nevertheless it’s a good news for Quiksilver, their athletes and probably the whole suffering industry, that many of those cuts were, apparently, just rumours, or misinterpretations. “While the company is narrowing its athlete rosters in hopes of significantly elevating the profiles of the athletes it is retaining, it is not abandoning the strategy of athlete sponsorship,” says the duo. Actually the cuts effectively concerns more the surf team, but with a total of 180 paid surfers, Quiksilver is still one of the big sponsors out there. In snow, it has 93 athletes paid on Quiksilver, Roxy and DC, and this is not including the riders sponsored solely by Mervin (Lib Tech and Gnu). And Mooney adds: “What we are doing is narrowing our focus. We have tremendous athletes and they should be household names beyond the core universe and they aren’t because nobody in the industry has the money to activate them. It’s not that I am trying to save money and put it in my back pocket. I plan to reallocate the money and to spend more money on the athletes we have.”

“Narrowing the focus” is always a clever way to put things out in a time of crisis that the whole industry has been suffering from for a few years, especially in the US. But let’s face it: most of the companies out there had to take these kind of measures, and it happens to be not only strategic most of the time, maybe unfortunately! The other argument toward reducing a pro team of riders is to be able to be more reactive when a newcomer pops up with the potential to be a future star, and more generally sign more up-and-coming athletes. Basically, Mooney points out strategic decisions that have been taken by most major brands of the industry in the last couple of years – one of the most shocking being Burton’s decision to simply shut down Forum and its sister brands. But in this time of crisis, what could be unacceptable becomes acceptable in the eye of our (reduced) core public opinion.

But when you announce cuts – although not as dramatic as spread all over the web for the last couple of days – you have to dig up a bit of your global strategy to give your interlocutor a bit of long term vision. That’s how Bob and Andy go deeper talking about the future of those teams and brands. Refocus being the main word here, it seems the two men don’t believe much in a Quiksilver and Roxy skate team, as well as a DC surf team, which in both cases “are not core competencies”. So in between the lines, we can assume that the snow teams of Quiksilver, Roxy and DC should stay pretty much as they are, minus the adjustments that could be made here and there, but without a strategy to cut those teams out.

Further to these clarifications, Andy Mooney also speak about the future of DC women: “It was also wrongly reported this week that DC is exiting women all together. DC will retain its key items business in both footwear and apparel for females”. It also clarifies what is happening with  Quiksilver Women and Quiksilver Girls: shut down. “After analyzing the situation, the feeling was that the QSW and Quiksilver Girls product was cannibalizing sales from both Roxy and Quiksilver Men” said Andy. Finally, Kelly Slater’s project VSTR is also being shut down, and Summer Teeth goes back to its originator, Dane Reynolds, who owns it.

All in all, a certain amount of restructuring are in the forecast, just like most companies in this world today, but there appears to be no messing with the snow team for the moment – and another good reason not to follow all the rumors on the web in search of sensational headlines…

Quiksilver Europe office in Saint Jean de Luz.

To be complete on the matter, here’s the memo that Andy Mooney sent to all the employees:

“I thought it would be helpful to share a few details about recent decisions made, the rationale behind them and the process involved.

I spent my first two weeks on the job with Bob, Charlie and Carol meeting Pierre and his team in Europe, Greg in Japan and Australia as well as Craig and the QAS team in Hong Kong.

Those two weeks were an invaluable learning experience, listening to the challenges and opportunities in each region.

After that I spent a a number of weeks with Rob and the US team.

After 10 weeks of meetings, capped off with a week long executive team meeting in Huntington Beach, Bob, I and the entire management team reached consensus on some key decisions we can communicate today.

Focus is a recurring theme you’ll hear going forward. We must focus on our key brands, key athletes and key categories in order to compete and grow.

Our key brands are Quiksilver, Roxy and DC. Within these brands we must further focus.
To that end, we have made the decision that Quiksilver and Roxy should exit the skate category and that DC should exit the surf category.

Those decisions were relatively easy to make and require little explanation.

A more difficult decision was for Quiksilver to exit women’s. We felt this was vital in order to focus our resources on making Quiksilver in men’s and Roxy in women’s as strong as they can possibly be.

The VSTR line inspired by Kelly Slater is shutting down
The Quiksilver’s women’s and girl’s teams have done an outstanding job generating top line growth.

Some of this growth however has come at the expense of existing business, particularly within our own retail stores.

In order to generate significant future growth, it seemed inevitable that we’d cannibalize Roxy’s business in key categories.

This was a particularly difficult decision as many people have given their all to make Quiksilver women’s a success.

We believe this decision however will allow us to compete more aggressively in men’s with Quiksilver and in women’s with Roxy.

A few web articles over the last few days stated DC was exiting women’s. This is absolutely untrue.

DC will remain in women’s in footwear and apparel. We have always been strong in key items in women’s footwear and apparel at DC and expect to be even more so going forward.

We have made the decision to discontinue VSTR and to pass the management of the Summer Teeth brand back to Dane Reynolds, again, in order to focus on our key brands.

Athletes are vital to the success of Quiksilver, Roxy and DC. We have an amazing roster of talent at the top of their respective sports in surf, snow and skate and an equally amazing depth of talent. We’re committed to maintaining our leadership position in athlete endorsement in action sports.

Our key athletes should be household names, known well beyond the universe of core fans.

Over the last few weeks, we reduced the number of athletes under contract. This was done to free up resources to tell the world about the many great athletes we work with.

Quiksilver for example will continue to have 130 pro surf riders on its team, Going forward, we have the opportunity to tell people how great those athletes really are.

All of these actions are in support of our three strategic goals of strengthening our brands, growing sales and driving operational efficiency.

I hope this puts these recent decisions in some context. We have a great many details to work out and will have more news to share with you in the coming weeks.

I will do my utmost to keep you informed every step of the way.”

Andy

Quiksilver Europe office in Saint Jean de Luz.

Yesterday, Transworld Business’ website published an article in which they were revealing that after a recent board meeting, the Quiksilver Board decided to cut around 30 jobs as well as most of the athletes, both on Quiksilver and DC.

Although Quiksilver has decided not to communicate further towards these allegations for the moment, we’ve noticed that some of the riders, whether they are surfers, snowboarders or skaters, have published disclaimers about these rumours, which for most part shouldn’t be affecting Europe.

One of them is Portuguese surfer Tiago Pires, who wrote on his Facebook page: “There’s been a news item in many surf industry websites stating that Quiksilver fired myself and many of their main teamriders! This statement is completely false and unfounded. I have a wonderful relationship with the brand that I am very proud to represent. There’s only one thing that comes up to my mind: CHEAP JOURNALISM.”

More news soon on this.

Watch ‘em all here on the Dew Tour Recognize page and then vote for your favourite on Facebook.

Here’s how Standard were touting their clip: Take flight to access the peaks of Haines Alaska riding the steepest terrain with the De Le Rue brothers, Xavier and Victor. Nonstop top to bottom action at dare devil speeds, shredding the best conditions that will make you hit rewind.

And it’s pretty darn nuts. You know Xavier will blow minds in situations with consequence, but young Victor really impressed with his hard charging. The other edits are also super strong, so we’d suggest you watch ‘em all and vote for the one that gets you most hyped.

Big names in skateboarding and snowboarding have come together to build the world’s largest community of skateboarders and snowboarders by launching Spot Digger – The App for finding the best Skate- and Snowboarding spots around the world. Spot Digger has been originally founded by Eero Ettala and Fredu Sirviö and has an impressive global team of professional riders behind it. The development of the Spot Digger app has been financed by Samsung Finland.

Spot Digger is a location based social mobile application and internet service that lets users search, find, share and rate the best skate and snow spots, and lets them add their favorite ones to the map and list favorite locations. The users will create the content by adding their own spots. The application lets users see all the spots on the map and in a list view. They can also search for specific locations filtered by distance, name, rating and type. They can check in to spots, add photos and information about their own locations and rate other’s spots and pictures. In the news feed, users can see in real time what others are up to;

“I check the Spot Digger news feed all the time to check where my friends shred.” Says Halldor Helgason, Spot Digger team rider.

Spot Digger has an impressive global team of professional riders behind it; the snowboard team includes global super stars: Eero Ettala, Mark McMorris, Aaron Biittner, Fredu Sirvio, Halldor Helgason Eiki Helgason and Heikki Sorsa. The skateboard team includes professional skateboarders: Madars Apse, Jaakko Ojanen, Simo Makela, Jesse Turunen and Pirkka Pollari and more joining soon.

The team members will be an active part of the Spot Digger community. They will create content such as blog posts on spotdigger.com, videos and pictures for Spot Digger, list their own favorite spots while travelling the world taking part in the biggest contests and filming for the most popular skateboard and snowboard movies.

“I used to have hundreds of spots in my head and finally there is a way to store them all on my phone. I feel like I have tons of free brain capacity again.” Says Eero Ettala, one of the founders.

With Spot Digger you have all the spots in the world in your pocket plus you can easily see what your friends and professional riders are up to. Spot Digger offers an easy way to follow your friends, the pros and your favorite brands. Samsung Finland is Spot Digger’s main launch partner and actively participates in related events. “Samsung is passionate about sports and we think that snow- and skateboarding are really exciting pursuits. We have been involved in organizing sports-related events in the past and have developed products, such as the Galaxy Xcover, that offers durability and are perfect for snow- and skateboarders. We’re excited to be a part of the Spot Digger launch as it is a cool, new innovation that helps snowboarders and skateboarders find the best spots to do their thing”, says Samsung Finland’s marketing manager Eva Carrero.

The application was launched worldwide for Android during Board Expo trade fair 2nd -4th November 2012 in Helsinki. The iOS version of the application will be launched worldwide in the beginning of January 2013.

We just heard the sad news that Burton, who own ‘The Program’ brands of Forum, Foursquare and Special Blend, has decided it will “exit out of The Program brands in winter 2014″. With no plans to sell the companies, it looks a near certainty that these brands are headed for the Great Trashow Hall in the Sky. Read more…

Burton took the reigns of Forum, Foursquare and Special Blend when the company who previously owned them, Fourstar, went tits up. At the time the move was viewed with more than a couple of raised eyebrows as many of the brands’ riders quickly ‘found themselves other sponsors’, but Burton’s insistence that they were slowing “the trend of ski companies buying up snowboard brands” was valid, along with the support they offered the brands in terms of service, distribution and logistics. Arguably Burton’s takeover helped steady the ship in troubled waters.

Now, due to a large scale restructuring, Burton has decided that at this time it’s prudent to focus on its core business and, sadly this means The Program will be put out to grass in 2014.

This is from the press release: “Also part of today’s restructure, Burton announced it will transition out of its Program brands (Foursquare, Forum and Special Blend), which were purchased in 2004 with the intent to keep snowboard companies in the hands of snowboarders. Burton has supported these brands for eight years and will continue to support them over the next year through warranty service, dealer support, marketing and inventory. The company will exit out of The Program brands in winter 2014, in order to better focus on and invest in Burton.”

In essence, they want to back their winners and for the B that would be Burton hardware and outerwear. Strictly in business terms it’s an understandable move in a tough economic climate, but for the brands and the people involved it is a bitter pill to swallow.

Reaction from both riders and industry heads has been flooding in across the social networks, perhaps best summed up by this from Alek Østreng on Instagram: “Really sad to hear the news that Forum Snowboards has come to and end. I am going to miss all the good times with the homies at Forum. I have only been there for 3 years but that has been the best years of my life.”

With Burton’s insistence that they will not sell the brands, a campaign to give Forum back to founder Peter Line has quickly been doing the rounds. This would be perhaps the happiest of endings, but whether anything will come of it – or whether Line would even want it if it is even possible – remains to be seen.

Here’s the press release in full, including Burton’s plans for Analog, Gravis, RED and Channel Islands. #giveFORUMtopeter

Burton Realigns its Family of Brands for Long-Term Success

BURLINGTON, VT (October 23, 2012) Burton Snowboards today announced that its senior management team has elected to alter the structure of Burton owned brands to better position the company, its retail partners and stakeholders for the future. The current family of brands includes Analog, Gravis, RED, anon, Foursquare, Forum, Special Blend and Channel Islands. During a company-wide meeting today at its headquarters inVermont, Burton Founder and CEO Jake Burton explained the new structure and how it will allow Burton to focus on what it does best: make and support products that set the bar for snowboarding development and further progress the sport and lifestyle.

Specifically, Burton announced the following changes to its structure and subsidiaries. Over the next year, Analog will return to its roots of being a pure snowboardingbrand based at its original home in Burlington, Vermont. Analog has a deep heritage in snowboarding from the day when Greg Dacyshyn (Burton Chief Creative Officer) and the late Jeffy Anderson (Team Rider) gave birth to the brand in Burlington, and as such, will revert back to being a winter-only brand. Burton’s Gravis brand will ultimately move its headquarters to Tokyo, Japan and moving forward will be solely distributed in Asian markets selling lifestyle shoes and bags. Gravis was established in 1998 as the company’s first independent lifestyle brand, and since then, Asia has been by far its most successful region. As a result, Gravis will now focus purely on this market and opportunity. Further, in a move that Burton has been planning for several years, the company will also start developing protective headwear under theanon brand name. Burton will continue to offer its RED helmets on a limitedbasis, but the bulk of helmet and optics product lines will be combined under the anon brand, which has become synonymous with quality riding accessories.

Also part of today’s restructure, Burton announced it will transition out of its Program brands (Foursquare, Forum and Special Blend), which were purchased in 2004 with the intent to keep snowboard companies in the hands of snowboarders. Burton has supported these brands for eight years and will continue to support them over the next year through warranty service, dealer support, marketing and inventory. The company will exit out of The Program brands in winter 2014, in order to better focus on and invest in Burton.

Finally, Channel Islands, which was acquired by Burton in 2006, will be unaffected by this brand realignment and will continue to design, develop and manufacturebest-in-class surf hardgoods products in Carpinteria, California.

In addressing all of these changes, Jake Burton had this to say: “Burton has experienced several years of income growth since the recession and paid outbonuses to employees over the last two years,” said Jake. “That said, the economy has a voice of its own that we all have to listen to, and the message is clear: do what you do best and focus purely on it. In our case, that means to narrow our focus to the sport and lifestyle that got us here – snowboarding. We will continue to support Channel Islands in its endeavor to make the best surfboards in the world and Gravis in its new home in Japan, but when you walk through the front door here in Burlington, Vermont, it will be all snowboarding and snowboarding lifestyle all the time – driven by the Burton, Analog and anon brands.”

Jake went on to share that one of the key factors that led senior management to these decisions includes the success of Burton’s entry into the apparel and bag/pack business on a year-round basis, which has grown significantly in all seasons. The message Burton has taken from the marketplace is that for long-term success, this is the direction that the company should be pursuing, along with its core hardgoods and outerwear business.

Increasing the company’s focus on Burton has also been demonstrated by recent significant investments in Burton’s headquarters and infrastructure. These include the acquisition of the building next door to its Burlington, Vermont headquarters where the company not only built Craig’s, a new 10,000-square-foot R&D and prototype facility, but also Area 13, a 6,000-square-foot Burton/anon/Analog wholesale showroom. Craig’s (named after the late Craig Kelly) is known as the most advanced and sophisticated snowboard prototype facility in the world where ideas are conceived, built and on-snow in less than 24 hours. Area 13 is Burton’s marquee showroom where retailers from all over the world can come to Vermont to see future product lines. Like today’s announcement, both of these examples demonstrate the company’s commitment to the long-term growth, progression and success of the Burton snowboard brands.

In closing, Jake went on to state the following: “I take full responsibility for the decisions that led to the creation (or acquisitions) of these ancillary brands, and I similarly am the individual ultimately responsible for the decision to realign and focus more purely on what made this company from the start. Clearly, the most difficult aspect of this decision and transition is the people affected. The employees and team riders associated with these brandshave poured their guts into making it happen. Their level of commitment hasbeen extraordinary, and we will do everything we can to help support them through this transition. There is never a good time for moves like this, and we could have delayed the announcement, but it isn’t our style to perpetuate a myth. Clearly this transition will pose challenges along the way, but in the long run, everyone will see the results of our commitment to our core business.”

The first edition of The Reels film festival in Annecy is over, and it was an amazing start for an event Europe has been waiting for for a long time.

The Reels Festival aimed to be a sort of Cannes Festival of snowboarding, with a host of films shown (about 20 film crews showing and attending with their riders) in the biggest cinema in Annecy. They jetted in the US based crews giving it a real international vibe, erected a village with brands showing their latest gear and Onboard photographers exhibiting their finest work by the Reels village. Of course, there were also great parties, and even a snow slope for kids initiation.

On Saturday evening it was time for the juges (Nicolas Droz, Ingemar Backman, Eddie Wall and Peter Line) to reveal the happy winners of the nine categories, introduced on stage by Danny Kass and Dingo.

So here they are…

Best Froggy Victor De Le Rue (2112 – Standard)

Best Web Series Brothers on the Run

Best Guts Xavier De Le Rue (2112 – Standard and White Noise – Timeline)

Jury’s Coup de Cœur Sorman’s  intro in Unique8

Best New Comer Jaeger Bailey (Mind The Video Man – Think Thank)

Best Editing 13 – Burton

Best Jib Section Franck April (Enlighten – Videograss)

Best Freeride Section Nico Muller (Resonance – Absinthe)

Best Cinematography 13 - Burton

Best Rider Performance Dan Brisse (IP2 - Volcom)

Movie of the Year 13 - Burton

A female category was originally scheduled but the juges took the decision, with only 4 female riders in the selection, to not give out any prize for this category, considering it would be unfair to all the girls featuring in girl’s productions which couldn’t be delivered in time for the show. Peter Line, with a zest of provocation, added that “they are all beautiful anyway”. He’s still single by the way, ladies.

Last word: well done organisers, gathering all the media, filmers, riders and nominees was a real tour de force!

Eddie Wall and Peter Line, two of the judges, plus L’Arrogs, organiser.

Crowd’s one minute cheering for Tom Sims. RIP legend.

Matt Georges putting the last hand on the exhibition.

Best froggy Vic De Le Rue, friend, Coin Coin and Elias at the Pop Plage closing party.

Psykopit Reunited.

Also check The Reels’ website.

[Watch this ^^^]

Snowboarding lost one of its founding fathers yesterday as Tom Sims passed away at the age of 62. Condolences to his family and friends, and thanks for snowboarding.

We never met Tom Sims but one thing is certain – snowboarding and skateboarding owes him a huge, huge debt. He made more than one member of the Onboard crew think snowboarding was awesome before we even knew what it was – he was, after all, the guy who made James Bond look cool in A View To A Kill.

His influence on shaping the development of snowboarding and skateboarding is hard to overstate. As one of the three men widely credited with laying the foundations to what the sport has become he, amongst many other snowboarding milestones, created one of the first snowboard companies, Sims Snowboards, lobbied hard for the sport’s acceptance at a time it was routinely outlawed and supported a raft of groms who went on to become some of the defining riders of a generation, or two.

Rest in Peace, Tom. And thanks for everything.

Standard’s new flick, 2112, will have its World Premiere in Oslo, Norway, before it embarks on a worldwide movie tour. Peep the dates and locations here…

Playboard Magazine & Billabong Presents the World Premiere of Standard Films 2112 in Oslo, Norway September 17th. Standard Films releases the 2112 Global Tour Schedule, over 35 shows across Europe and North America with more dates to come.

From the ashes of our uncertain times rises the 21st movie in the legendary TB series: 2112. In this all-HD epic, Standard Films showcases snowboarding’s future with new riders, new spots, and next gen thinking. This full spectrum action film will force you to readjust your parameters for speed and spin as it carries you from the immense mountains of Alaska to the frozen streets of Scandinavia. Turn up the volume. Get fired up. And shred your future away…

Starring: Mathieu Crepel, Frederik Kalbermatten, Gulli Gudmundsson, Ethan Morgan, Xavier De Le Rue, Tim Humphreys, Nils Ardvisson, Kimmy Fasani, Victor De Le Rue, Chas Guldemond, Anne-Flore Marxer

Filmed on location: Iceland, Norway, Austria, Sweden, Washington, Red Mountain BC, Whistler BC, Alpine Meadows, Northstar, Mammoth Mountain, Haines AK

Sponsors: Burton, GNU, Oakley, Nike, Quiksilver, Billabong, The North Face, Bataleon, Flow, Contour, Under Armour, Rip Curl, Swatch, Squaw Valley, Rossignol, Buff, Alpine Meadows

TOUR DATES

WORLD PREMIERE

Monday September 17th
Playboard Magazine & Billabong Presents
Standard Films 2112
Parkteatret
Oslo, NORWAY
www.playboard.no
www.parkteatret.no

EUROPE

Friday September 21st
The Reels Snowboard Film Festival
Standard Films 2112
Annecy, FRANCE
www.facebook.com/TheReelsFestival
www.the-reels.com

Friday, October 5th
Standard Films 2112
Traumpalast Theatre
Room 1001 Nacht
Schorndorf, GERMANY
www.freeride-mountain.com

TBD October 11th to13th
Snowboard Garden Festival
Standard Films 2112
FRANCE
www.snowboardgardenfestival.fr

TBD October 11th to13th
Snowboard Garden Festival
Standard Films 2112
FRANCE
www.snowboardgardenfestival.fr

Saturday, October 20th
Standard Films 2112
Cinema Pathe Flon
Lausanne, SWITZERLAND
8:00pm

Saturday, October 27th
Standard Films 2112
Lichtburg
Ulm, GERMANY
8:00pm

Thursday, November 1st
Standard Films 2112
Goteborg, SWEDEN

Saturday, November 3rd
Standard Films 2112
Andorra ja Dubrovnik Kino
Helsinki, FINLAND
8:00pm

Wednesday, November 7th
Standard Films 2112
Batelier Art & Music
Bratislava, SLOVAKIA
9:00pm

Friday, November 9th
Standard Films 2112
Palais Auersperg
Vienna, AUSTRIA
9:00pm

Saturday, November 10th
Standard Films 2112
Praha, CZECH REPUBLIC

Thursday, November 15th
Standard Films 2112
Arena
Ljubljana, SLOVENIA
8:00pm

Friday, November 16th
Standard Films 2112
Cinestar Arena Centar
Zagreb, CROATIA
8:00pm

Friday, November 16th
Standard Films 2112
TBD
Innsbruck, AUSTRIA

Saturday, November 17th
Standard Films 2112
Salewa Conference Center
Bolzano, ITALY
8:00pm

Wednesday, December 5th
Standard Films 2112
LeRex
Hossegor, FRANCE
7:00pm

TBD December 20-22nd
International Freeride Film Festival
Standard Films 2112
www.festival-freeride.com
St. Lary Soulan, FRANCE

UNITED STATES

NORTH AMERICA PREMIERE
Saturday, September 22nd
Standard Films 2112
After Party Live Music by Peace Mafia
Cargo at Commrow
255 N Virginia St.
Reno, NEVADA
All Ages
Doors open at 7:00pm
$9 at Door
www.commrow.com

Wednesday September 26th
Standard Films 2112
Presented by Snowboard Colorado
1902 Blake Street
Summit Music Hall
Denver, COLORADO
www.logolivemusic.com

Friday September 28th
Standard Films 2112
The Northern California Action Sports Film Festival
Mission Cliffs
2295 Harrison St.
San Francisco, CALIFORNIA
www.sfindie.com
21 and Over
8:00pm
Free to Public

Saturday September 29th
Standard Films 2112
THE MEETING
Belly Up Aspen
450 S Galena St.
Aspen, COLORADO
www.aspensnowmass.com
10:00pm

Saturday September 29th
So Lucky Slice Presents
Standard Films 2112
Musical guest Chicharones
Ogden Amphitheater
Ogden, UTAH
All Ages
Doors open 6:00pm
$12 in Advance / $15 at the door
Beer Garden
www.ocae.org
www.facebook.com/luckyslicepizza

Wednesday, October 10th
Standard Films 2112
Rivalries
10 Cotton Street
Portland, MAINE
21 and Over
8:00pm
www.rivalriesportland.com

Thursday October 11th
Standard Films 2112
Western Washington University
Fraser Hall, Room 4
516 High Street
Bellingham, WASHINGTON
Doors 7:30pm
Show 8:00pm

Friday, October 12th
Standard Films 2112
University of Vermont
Billings Lecture Hall
Burlington, VERMONT
All Ages
7:00pm

Friday, October 12th
Standard Films 2112
Downstairs
625 Main St.
Park City, UTAH
www.downstairspc.com

Thursday, October 18th
Standard Films 2112
Joker’s Bistro
1279 South Willow Street
Manchester, NEW HAMPSHIRE
18 and Over
8:00pm
www.jokersbistro.com

Tuesday, October 23rd
Standard Films 2112
EVO & Red Mountain Presents
Standard Films 2112
Tractor
5213 Ballard Ave. NW
Seattle, WASHINGTON
After Party
www.tractortavern.com

Saturday, October 27th
Standard Films 2112
Mt. Baldy Ski Resort
The Top of the North
Mt. Baldy, CALIFORNIA
www.shopbaldy.com

Thursday, November 1st
Standard Films 2112
Wolff’s Biergarten
895 Broadway
Albany, NEW YORK
21 and Over
8:00pm
www.wolffsbiergarten.com

Thursday, November 8th
Standard Films 2112
The Greatest Bar
262 Friend Street
Boston, MASSACHUSETTS
21 and Over
8:00pm
www.thegreatestbar.com

Thursday, November 8th
Mammoth Mountain Opening Day
Standard Films 2112
Mammoth Mountain Ski Area
Rider Appearance Kimmy Fasani
Mammoth Mountain, CALIFORNIA

Tuesday, November 6th
Standard Films 2112
Clinton Street Theater
2522 SE Clinton Street
Portland, OREGON
All Ages
7:00pm
$2 at Door

Friday, November 16th
Steamboat Film Festival
Standard Films 2112
Ghost Ranch Saloon
56 7th Street
Steamboat Springs, COLORADO
www.steamboatfilmfestival.com

Thursday, December 6th
Standard Films 2112
Silverthorne Pavilion
601 Center Circle
Silverthorne, COLORADO
www.silverthorne.org

Friday, December 7th
Standard Films 2112
The Carson City Community Center
Carson City, NEVADA

CANADA

Friday, November 16th
Standard Films 2112
Rafters / Red Mountain Base Lodge
4300 Red Mountain Road
Rossland, BC CANADA
www.redresort.com