You’re female? You’re into snowboarding? Then head over to Kitzsteinhorn/Austria this weekend for the unique opportunity to ride with Cheryl Maas! And don’t forget to sign up in advance!

The Snow keeps dumping and we’re actually not so sure if April really means springtime anymore. What it for sure does mean is snow and this makes us stoked to still be riding. If you are, what you really should do is grab a couple girl friends and head over to Kitzsteinhorn, Austria on the 13th of April for a great day of riding with one of the worlds top female snowboarders, none less than Cheryl Maas. 

Volcom, Nitro and Kitzsteinhorn have teamed up to provide 20 lucky snowboarders with free lunch and Cheryl Maas as their private coach for a day on the mountain. Just sign up, show up and be ready to shred. 

Schedule:
10:00am – Meeting at Easy Park
10:30-12:00 – Coaching
12:00-13:00 – Lunch break
13:00-14:30 – Coaching

Remember, there’s a limited amount of spots so sign up now via email at office@kitzsteinhorn.at 

We’ll see you soon!

Henry and Doom are back with another season of their irreverent look at the world of bib boarding. In episode 1 you have Roope Tonteri skinny dipping in Lake Wanaka, Cheryl Maas driving like a mental and Jamie Nicholls farting. Give these boys an Emmy!

Check out this fresh teaser for Nitro Snowboards’ goodtime-vibed team movie, Hyped!, featuring all their heavy hitting teasmsters, including Eero Ettala, Markus Keller, Austin Smith, Germund Bråten, Cheryl Maas and way more. Aside from the fact that this is way rad, it’s worth watching for Ettala and Eliassen’s re-imagining of William Tell’s decisive moment. Happily they fare better than Hunter S. Thompson did…

Here’s their chatter. Roll on October 22nd…

Nitro snowboards is making a full length team video that breaks away from the standard snowboard movie format and focuses more on what snowboarding is really about. The Hyped! movie will be released October 22nd.

Get ready to see Austin Smith, Eero Ettala, Jon Kooley, Justin Bennee, Bryan Fox, Mark Swoboda, Markus Keller, Knut Eliassen, Anton Gunnarsson, Gjermund Braaten, Cheryl Maas, Benny Urban, Eric Botner, and many more like you have never seen them before.

www.nitrousa.com

With the Southern Hemi season starting to wind down, take a look at this interesting short documentary on the competition circuit down under. Contains solid riding from all the major events, plus chat from the likes of Gjermund Bråten, Roope Tonteri, Tor Lundström and more…

Vacation? is a full short documentary about competitive snowboarding in the Southern hemisphere featuring Scotty Lago, Gjermund Bratten, Seamus O’Connor, Alex Beer, Orla Doolin, Stale Sandbech, Cheryl Maas, Mark McMorris, Seb Toots…

A private season end session has long been high on the Onboard Crew’s wish list and yet the lack of an appropriate partner had until now kept it as just that, a wish. Then out of a smoking lamp came Kitzsteinhorn and their genie Stefan Plattner and with the wave of a long handled shaping spade The Onboard & Kitzsteinhorn Send Off Sessions were born.

This edit shows what went down at Kitzsteinhorn in May 2012. Watch the riding of Markus Keller, Markku Koski, Ville Uotila, Cheryl Maas, Sami Luhtanen, Marc Swoboda, Peter König, Luka Jeromel, Gerome Mathieu, Mario Kaeppeli, Michael Schärer, Fridtjof Tischendorf, Werni Stock, and Björn Hartweger.

For more information on the event and a lot of banging pictures grab some money and buy the September issue of Onboard Mag!

Photo: Matt Georges.

Read our full interview with Cheryl Maas from last season, beefed up with some of her killer footage over the years.

We think Cheryl’s the bomb – no bullshit; all bangers – so here’s the interview we did with her in the mag last September.

BREAKING THE MOULD

[Words: Uli Köhler]

From the Netherlands to Mayrhofen to Biarritz. From the tough school of dryslopes to the biggest contests to memorable movie parts. From nobody to sponsored rider to inaugural TTR champion. Dutch rider Cheryl Maas is an unusual snowboard pro, constantly on the move, with an insatiable hunger for progressing her riding. To make a formidable comeback after two difficult seasons hampered by injuries she has worked an entire season for her web series Open Air. The series of webisodes will give more insights into her life and is planned to launch in September [2011 - you can re-watch all the Open Air episodes here]. We called her to learn more about the show, her past season, and what keeps her pushing the envelope of female riding time and again…

In September your own web show ‘Open Air’ will be launched. Can you tell us a little more about it?

I wanted to go back to filming, but it is hard to just find a regular film crew. It’s hard to go with a film crew with all the guys, you know? So me and my friend, the filmer John Roderick, came up with the idea to do this webisode series. We just made a plan and everyone was backing it, and we went from there.

How did you decide on where to go and what to do over an entire season?

I wanted to show where I came from, like my personal story, how I got into winter sports, which is pretty unique. We were also looking for good locations for all kinds of different snowboarding. I wanted to go more into the backcountry this year, just to try that out. John knew good spots, so we just picked some good locations. We had to show Mayrhofen, kind of where it all started… the season where I learnt most of my snowboarding. So yeah, show a little bit more about me!

TTR WORLD CHAMP PROFILE 2005/06

Why didn’t you just film a video part with one of the established film crews?

It’s always hard schedule-wise, you know? If you go with a proper film crew you’ve got to dedicate your whole season just to do that with them, and go to the spots they have in mind. I wanted to be quite flexible, and I knew I wanted to do some of the competitions, like TTR and X Games. It’s kind of hard to go with a proper film crew… It was just nice to plan it all myself and focus on the riding I wanted to put down… that kind of worked out.

It is sometimes surprising to see you still have quite a few contest appearances, such as this year’s X Games or the Arctic Challenge, when you have obviously shifted your focus onto filming. Why are you still competing in so many contests? Do the sponsors force you?

No, it’s really fun. You know, a lot of people go there. So you get to meet everybody. The big contests also always have a big park that is fun to ride. And it is always nice to try to get one or two results in during a season, just for fun. I don’t know. I really love filming a lot more, but it is still a lot of fun to see everybody…

You have always been a rider who pushes the level of female snowboarding – just take the back 9 at this year’s Euro X Games. How do you keep yourself motivated to push your limits?

I don’t know. I just want to grow as a rider myself, and learn all the new tricks. The riding I’ve done before… I’ve never really got to do that in a contest. I always wanted to do well in a contest, but a lot of times I had screwed up my contest runs. I did not have the mindset to pace it and say ‘If I do this I will win the contest’. I was more like ‘Oh, this is what I want to try and do my best! I want to progress my riding!’ You know, if I fall on my first run I have to do a second good run. That’s kind of hard. But now I just want to do it: Put down the run I want to put down. I was happy to do it with my knee that was already kind of torn… I don’t think it was the nicest 9, so I’m a little humble there (laughs). I am happy anyway I got it and landed it.

Do you think it comes down to you being a mentally stronger person, are you nowadays better with the whole psychological side of competing?

I’m not sure… stronger? I do a lot of good tricks when I enjoy riding. As soon as I take the pressure off me that I have to win gold or second place I ride actually really good. That’s what I’ve been doing this past season. The last two years I got injured, and now I wanted to have a good season again and not put too much pressure on myself and try to do well on the TTR and all that. I just wanted to have fun and film and do what I wanted to do. That’s how I found myself again, that’s what I used to do, and that’s how I progressed. I got some good tricks for my web show coming out.

PURPLE YEAHH – 2007

What do you think about the development of female snowboarding? Do you think it is still similar to make it as a pro today as it was 7 or 8 years ago?

It’s definitely tougher now. The girls riding are getting a lot younger, because younger girls are getting into the sport. And they have a lot more help than we had eight years ago. They get proper coaching, training, like that new training center that opened at Woodward. That really helps for snowboarding and progressing with the tricks. I think the level has gone up a lot, and the girls are pushing it. Some of us have no fear about them; they just go and try it again and again.

Do you think it is easier for those young girls to make it as a pro? As you said there are all those training facilities, coaching, the support they get?

It is hard to say. I don’t know. They do have to be better now. If you have some talent you’ll get quicker helped out to progress to what you want to do, to reach your goals. I think that’s a lot easier now than before as a girl. You were doing it all on your own, rode with the guys, and tried to keep up. But now it’s a lot more focused on girls’ snowboarding.

What do you think what influence you had on snowboarding in the Netherlands? Or do you think you did not play a big role in helping the sport grow at home?

I think I did influence it when I went to the Olympics; to put snowboarding on the map. In normal people’s eyes snowboarding is not anymore just that crazy people’s sport where everyone parties hard. You know, that was the picture everyone had in their head – especially in the Netherlands, where we don’t have any mountains. But people who go on winter holidays had more respect after I made it to the Olympics, and it turned out to be the most watched Olympic program at home. That was really good that I could do something nice for snowboarding in Holland in that way – that more people understand the sport.

Do you sometimes go back and ride there – either in a fridge or on a dryslope?

Yes and no. My younger sister and my brother still ride on the dryslope. If I’m there and I have the time, I still like to go, it is so much fun to ride the indoor or the dryslopes and just have a laugh and do the things you really enjoy. But I don’t usually have that much time to do it, as much as I would like to. If I lived there I would probably go a lot.

YEAHH LOVE – 2008

You have been living in Biarritz, France for the last couple of years. Do you still feel as deeply connected to the snowboard scene as you were when you were living in Mayrhofen?

There’s a lot of industry in and around Biarritz and Hossegor, and it is easy to keep up with your sponsors and all that. I also got quite a bit into surfing, I like to do that as well. In Mayrhofen you see the snowboard scene, it is all around you, but you don’t get to see the global picture. For me it doesn’t really matter where I live, I just travel around and at the contests you meet all the people in your sport. It doesn’t really matter where you live.

And what does your perfect day of riding look like? Where would you go? Who would you take?

Hmmm… I always love to do fun sessions in the park, not too crazy big jumps, just something you can have fun on and try new tricks on. A slushy sunny day with some good rider friends… no particular names, just having fun together.

You don’t seem to embrace shameless self-promotion as much as, say, the Helgasons. Do you still believe a rider should let the riding speak for them – or does this get outdated in times of Facebook and Twitter?

I am not too loud a person. I guess that’s just my personality. I am kind of shy at the beginning. Only when I meet people I am different. And I do want to let my riding do the speaking, and not get attention in any other way and maybe take it away from snowboarding. And I’m not much of a computer fan. I’d rather have everyone to go out there and go skateboarding and snowboarding, because that’s what I want to do myself – and not getting stuck behind a computer. (laughs)

Yeah, that’s exactly what we have to do all day, and it is horrible! But speaking about loud people: You also don’t like to talk about your private life in public, do you?

I don’t think it’s necessary. I am open about everything. But to try and get attention by telling everybody how things are… I think everyone should do whatever they want to do in their private lives, and live the lives they want to live. You know, I’m good at snowboarding, and people like to see me snowboarding, and I’m happy to show that. But to draw your family life into that is a different thing. I don’t like to be in a Big Brother house where I have to show every day what I am doing (laughs).

OPEN AIR – BANGERS PART

That’s cool for us. Last question: What are your plans for the coming season? Will it be as busy as last winter or do you think about kicking it back a little and enjoy more of your private life?

No! I definitely want to go out there. There are a couple more new tricks I want to learn. This season I did a switch double underflip, and it was so easy. So I was like ‘Ok, it’s all about doubles and stuff now…’ You know, I have so many more tricks that I want to try and learn. As long as I’m hungry I want to get out there. I just have to make it work. I don’t know exactly what I’m going to do next winter, if I will have my focus on filming. Slopestyle might come into Olympics, I don’t know if there is any news about that. I would want to train for that as well… I’m definitely not stepping back. Only forward, if anything! (laughs)

Good luck with that, and thanks a lot for taking your time! Is there anyone you want to thank?

I want to thank Volcom, Nitro, Electric, Vans, Nixon, Celtek and Rockstar. And a special thank you to my family and to Jeroen Bazuin.

Last week, Henry Jackson, man-of-the-hour and ever-growing internet phenomenon, went to the Roxy Chick… uhm Snow Pro to film for another episode of Jackson’s Hole. What can we say: Good interviews, good tricks, good times.

Cheryl Maas may be new to parenthood but an veteran when it comes to steezy tricks - photo: Alex Papis

And she did it again – turning anything she enters into gold, slopestyle queen Jamie Anderson from California bagged yet another title at the TTR 5 star Roxy Snow Pro in Saalbach Hinterglemm last Friday!

It was a tight one, though, and could have ended very differently if Cheryl Maas from the Netherlands had fully stomped her back 9s. Sadly for her despite trying her best in the finals she couldn’t quite land them and still took second place, while the massive grin of stoked rising star from UK Aimee Fuller scored third place with backside rodeos and cab 5 underflips in the Night Park, bumping her up into the top 5 off the current TTR ranking!

Aimee - wheeeeeee!! Photo: Celine Chaplin

But it wasn’t only the moon- and floodlight night finals that elated the crowds, the semi finals held in a jam session style had some bangers in store too. You could witness 5s and 7s in all directions from almost all of the girls, some pretty steezy cab 5s from Sina Candrian and Aimee loosing her monopoly on rodeos with Isabel Derungssticking a nice one too.

Girls could even test the latest Gnu and Roxy boards fresh out of the Mervin factories - Photo: Celine Chaplin

This was mainly down to the fact that the course was shaped especially for the girls, with the jumps big enough to showcase their skills but not super-sized scary. Something the Roxy events have always been focused on since the beginning of their existence: this is for the girls!

And so instead of Xboxes and Playstations the chill out lounge was equipped with hot chocolate for free, the latest Roxy gear for everyone to check out and a whole wall of Essence cosmetics, plus corresponding make-up artists to apply them to the happy faces of spectators, riders – and media (as you can see in the party pics below).

The only downside of this event has to be that the after party couldn’t nearly compare to the legendary happenings of former Chicken Jam – but with the World Snowboard Championships starting a day later this probably shouldn’t be overrated. We’ll come back next year to see how this development will commence…

WATCH THE HIGHLIGHTS!

More Snowboarding Videos

Speaker Henry Jackson and Ästhetiker Mone Monsberger enjoyed the party anyways... - Photo: Celine Chaplin

...and also team manager Lesly McKenna wasn't too sure where all the girls were - Photo: Celine Chaplin

Onboard significantly raised the quota against the sausages tho, much to the delight of Lib Tech's Tobi - Photo: Celine Chaplin

Apres ski and alcohol is the secret to Mayrhofen’s popularity but it doesn’t stop Cheryl from shredding the pipe. After Mayrhofen, Cheryl heads to Innsbruck to dump the board and pick up some sleds to have some fun in the slushy snow.

All last winter, Cheryl filmed for her own web show Open Air. At the end of it, she not only had enough footage for a full-on video part, it also blew all female competition out of the water. And quite frankly, some of the guys, too. Our Fuck Yeah’s were evenly distributed over her backcountry skills, her rail efforts, and her park laps. Good stuff from start to finish.

Oh, and if we didn’t say it to you already, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Movie: Open Air Web Show
Posted Online: 24.11.2011
Fuck Yeah! Score*: 24

[* We used a complex scientific calculation method to determine the quality of these clips. Every time something stoked us out we had to exclaim 'Fuck Yeah!'. It could be a triple cork, it could be some rail dancing, it could be a face shot, it could be some editing, but once uttered it was noted down and added up at the end. The part with the most 'Fuck Yeah!'s won.]