Davun Walsh, Cab 3 by Colin Adair.

This is the second entry in our column for this American photographer after this epic shot of Anto Chamberland. And this time, it’s no other that Devun Walsh himself who’s not only showing that he’s still ripping, but also puts Colin’s talent in the spotlight. Here’s the story behind the banger.

 Shooting up on Mt. Seymour in Vancouver, BC, where Devun Walsh grew up riding is always fun.

Camera: Canon EOS 1d Mark IV
Lens: Canon EF85mm 1.8
Speed: 1/1000
Aperture: f/5.6

THE TECH

Nothing too crazy here. Just natural light on an overcast day and my camera set to manual. I like to use the 85mm lens as much as I can because it’s so sharp and you get really good contrast, color and depth of field. I pushed the ISO to 200 in order to get my aperture up to 5.6 because even though I wanted some shallowness to the depth of field I still wanted it sharp as can be. The foreground trees are a bit of out of focus but not so much that it detracts from the photo. Even though Devun is wearing bright colors in the white environment I still tried to frame him in a bit of window between the trees so he pops out even more.

THE CONTEXT

Shooting up on Mt. Seymour in Vancouver, BC, where Devun Walsh grew up riding is always fun. A short hike up past the lifts and you’ve got some fun and varied terrain. There are a lot of trees so when it snows up there you can find great stuff to do and the light is good even on cloudy and foggy days. We definitely spend a few days up there shooting every year and it’s usually just like this because on the best sunny days we are up in Whistler in the backcountry. This photo ran on the back cover of Snowboarder Magazine in North America this winter. I was really happy to have it chosen even though I think it should have been on the front cover, haha!

Check Colin’s work on his website and follow him on his blog.

Also check all the previous photo tips on this Tag.

Featuring Iikka Backstrom, Mikey Rencz, Benji Ritchie,Kevin Griffin, Jody Wachniak, Eero Niemela, Devun Walsh, Dustin Craven, Andrew Geeves, Johnny Lyall, Jussi Oksanen,Mikkel Bang, Mark Sollors, Logan Haubrich and Kale Stephens.

Check the DC team, including the likes of Torstein Horgmo, Lauri Heiskari, Devun Walsh and a bunch of the Euro dudes, putting the smackdown on DC’s Area 43 setup in Meribel-Mottaret. Booming granny, it’s pretty dope.

For the second year in a row, the DC Area 43 snowpark spends the winter in Méribel-Mottaret, France, in the heart of the 3 Valleys ski area– the largest in the world. A vast playground for beginners to expert skiers and snowboarders, Area 43 has quickly become a notable feature in France and in Europe.

Last year, more than 825,000 people visited to shred the snowpark! Conveniently located at 2,400m altitude and surrounded by about twenty artificial snowmakers, the park benefits from optimal snow conditions. With 1,200m to slide down from the top to the bottom of the park, with quality features ready to be hit all winter long. DC Area 43, with it’s 90 000 m2 of features – 250m of handrails and boxes – over four areas to meet every rider’s needs: a boardercross to enjoy freestyle in a playful way, a beginner/ intermediate zone, an expert zone and a special “DC” area with new and original features, even open during photoshoots or events organized by DC Shoes. But wait there is more! The big new feature is undoubtedly the 22 feet half-pipe with XXL dimensions, ready to host the best freestyle skiers and snowboarders! Objective: making the DC Area 43 a training park of choice for the best riders by offering world-class and top-of-the-range features, to aid them towards the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games. Other new features are also here to brighten up the park.

Check out the original Plattières old gondolas which are recycled and ready to hit, plus all new handrails complete the park offerings for the season. More news, although there is no more mini-ramp to skate at the bottom of the park, it’s now replaced by a small skatepark (private) housed in the former adjacent cable car station. All of this is accessible using the new cable car of Plattières which guarantees access to the park in 9 minutes from the snow front of Mottaret!

To design and shape this amazing park, DC Shoes is surrounded by the crème de la crème of shapers: Benjamin Ravanel – Winter X Games Tignes’ Superpipe shaper, Nicolas Marduel – another great shaper, all working with the great team of Hilltechnics Snowpark Consulting. To get the job done, they have a fleet of impressive machines: two dedicated snow groomers, one mechanical shovel and the superstar of the groomer, the Zaugg Pipe Monster 22’’ recently acquired by the resort. The only machine able to produce the 22 feet famous halfpipe! Finally, the DC chalet, a cozy home, is the landmark of the DC Area 43, hosting DC Shoes team riders throughout the winter, plus media and partners. This year again, Julien Vaury, the ‘DC chalet keeper’ and his super great FORD Transit Custom AREA 43 car will be available for DC’s dear guests keeping them happy for the season.

AREA 43 MÉRIBEL MOTTARET DC Area 43, Méribel-Mottaret (FRANCE) | 3 Valleys Area Opening : December, 08th 2012 to April, 20th 2013 | Access : Chatelet Chairlift ; Plattières Cablecar Lift passes rates: 44€ (Méribel Valley only) | 53€ (3 Valleys) www.dcshoes.com | More info HERE.

Find all DC Area 43 news during the season through many podcasts! Visit the YouTube channel DCShoesFilmEurope Last season, more than 250 riders from 15 countries were the special guests of DC Area 43. Many events are scheduled during the winter season: photo-shoots, meetings with DC Shoes Europe Team riders, the famous DC Shred Days (3 days early April) with the DC Shoes International Team riders such as Devun Walsh, Torstein Horgmo… Then to end it all in April, let’s party at La Folie Douce for the closing day of the season! The famous highaltitude clubbing concept and inescapable after-ski break place, recently opened in Meribel, is one of the top partners of DC Shoes and DC Area 43. A co-branded range DC x Folie Douce will be launched and available exclusively at the Folie Shop at La Folie Douce!

Whoever uploaded this gem from around 2001, we salute you. Abandon work for the week, crack open a brew and check out the Canadian Wildcats crew in their heyday. Awesome movie.

For those of you wondering where those dirty Icelanders who produced the now-infamous A2M movie got their inspiration, watch this and pay special attention to the 15-odd minutes post-credits where the magic truly happens…

And if you’re wondering where these guys got their inspiration from, watch this.

Return of the Wildcats is the second snowboard video from the infamous Canadian/American crew and as you would imagine the vid contains plenty of sick footage…Although a lot of the video is made up of footage of the likes of Trevor Andrew pissed and falling around the place, there’s also a lot of good snowboarding…All the team riders have good individual sections…Kale Stephens has the first section with plenty of snowmobile action as well as some sick snowboarding including a massive cab 900. Chris Brown’s section is one of the best with the tune “I’m an Arsehole” by Dennis Leary going down very well. Also features Max Jenke, Devun Walsh, Chris Dufficy, Dionne Delesalle, Joni Malmi, Paavo Tikannen, and plenty of others.

Featuring: Bjorn Leines, Chris Brown, Dave Cashen, Dionne Delesalle, J.F. Pelchat, Kale Stephens, Pete Andersen, Brad Plamus, Chris Dufficy, Devun Walsh, Gaetan Chanut, Jacob McIntyre, Max Jenke, Rob Dow

Here it is, one of the greatest snowboard movies of all time featuring one of the greatest teams ever assembled: MDP’s The Resistance with the Forum team in their pomp. This legendary slice of shred cinema dropped in 2000 and showacased the Forum team when they were arguably in their prime. Line, Walker, Jones, Malmi, Walsh… it doesn’t get much better than this.

Whatever your opinion is on the brand and it’s recent demise, one thing’s certain: they certainly made some legendary movies in their time. RIP, Forum.

Arnette’s Uncommon Projects division features signature, limited edition pieces that tell
a unique story, commemorate a partnership or reflect the personal style of one of the
company’s notable athletes. Following his inaugural goggle with Arnette last season,
Arnette and Devun are releasing three new signature goggles for the Uncommon
Projects Division in time for this winter. Under Devun’s direction, each goggle
incorporates “Arnette DW” graphics inspired by graffiti handstyles in the traditional paint
pen colors of metallic gold, silver and copper.

Goggles in Devun’s Uncommon Projects collection include the following frames:

Skylight: Arnette’s newest and most cutting edge goggle, in a limited edition
copper and black combo with a Shadow Chrome lens. It features Arnette’s No-
BS (Blind Spot) technology to give riders a superior field of vision when on the
snow.
MSRP: 159€
Mercenary: A goggle on a mission, made even more formidable by the black
and silver frame/strap and Raspberry Ice Chrome lens Devun chose for this
version.
MSRP: 129€
Series 3: Rich in Arnette heritage, Devun’s Series 3 features gold and black
frame, matched with a gold chrome lens, make this goggle a standout.
MSRP: 99€

All three goggles come stock with Arnette’s signature F#%G OFF! anti-fog lens coating,
Cool Breeze venting, scratch resistant lens and the ultra-plush Combo-Plate triple-layer
face foam that ensures supreme fit and comfort.

More info and retailers can be found online at www.arnette.com and
www.facebook.com/arnette.eu

There are very few in the snowboard game who have earned such universal respect and status as Devun Walsh. One of the biggest names in the industry, Walsh has over 40 banger video parts to his credit filled with choker-deep powder, the biggest and baddest natural terrain, and ageless style. As king of the Whistler backcountry, Devun’s smooth style and uncanny ability to make snowboarding look fun in an age of huck and spin video-antics has made him a legend.

A backcountry rider with a skateboard-influenced style, Devun Walsh has partnered with infamous Wildcats member and long-time friend JF Pelchat by signing a deal with NOW Snowboarding which positions Walsh as a shareholder within the innovative new binding company.

“Devun is one of the most influential riders in the industry and we’re thrilled to have him on NOW,” comments JF Pelchat, inventor and founder of NOW Snowboarding. “Dev has been riding the binding since day one and has been instrumental in testing it, improving on it, and making it what it is today.”

NOW Snowboarding came to life in Pelchat’s garage six years ago when he started tweaking traditional bindings with technology borrowed from the world of skateboarding. Built around the NOW IPO hanger, the world’s first skate-influenced binding has a kingpin and bushings leveraging riders’ energy to create a smoother and more powerful ride while considerably reducing on-snow chatter and foot fatigue.

“I love the feel and control of the binding,” explains Walsh. “‎I’ve always been someone who rides a super tight binding with a big high back for control but it always hindered my tweak ability. NOW bindings have so much control that I can ride them loose and with smaller backs, it’s the best.”

With the NOW IPO hitting stores across Canada and the US and winter right around the corner, NOW is excited to have Walsh do what he does best: continue to creatively pioneer the backcountry and document the magic, so we can all be continually inspired to shred.

DC have just unleashed the teaser for their first team movie since the Mtn Lab days. Must Be Nice is the name, and as you’d expect with dudes like Devun Walsh, Torstein Horgmo, Lauri Heiskari and Iikka Backstrom on the roster the riding looks like it’ll be off the chain. Have a sneak peek…

The full flick is set to drop on the DC Snowboarding Facebook page on October 1st, so head over, get your Like on keep in the loop.

A couple of hours ago all videos for the ”first all-video, all out-of-bounds-shred Winter X Games contest”, Real Snow Backcountry, have dropped. Sit back and enjoy the epic shredding of Gigi Rüf, Nicolas Müller, John Jackson, Devun Walsh, Iikka Backstrom, Mathieu Crepel, Jussi Oksanen and Mark Sollors.

[UPDATE - Turns out we're a bit too handy with this internet thing as we'd managed to embed the videos here when apparently we shouldn't have been able to. So unfortunately you'll have to click over to check all 8 of the 90-second bangers. Apologies for the extra finger tap required.]

[UPDATE UPDATE - They fixed the matrix and the videos are all back and able to be viewed now. Round 1 of the voting is on and this is who's faceing off against who: Gigi Rüf v Iikka Backstrom, Nicolas Müller v Mark Sollors, Devun Walsh v John Jackson, Jussi Oksanen v Mathieu Crepel. Watch them all, then head over to the Real Snow Backcountry page to cast your votes. Voting for Round 1 ends Feb 28.]

GIGI RÜF

IIKKA BACKSTROM

NICOLAS MÜLLER

MARK SOLLORS

DEVUN WALSH

JOHN JACKSON

JUSSI OKSANEN

MATHIEU CREPEL

Do you remember this year’s Real Snow Video contest at the Winter X Games in Aspen? Louif Paradis took the victory in a field of heavy urban hitters. However, the people behind the X Games are no slouches and have revamped the Real Snow contest for the European Winter X Games in Tignes: Instead of urban riding it is now all about the backcountry.

John Jackson, Nicolas Müller, Devun Walsh, Mark Sollors, Mathieu Crepel, Iikka Backström, Gigi Rüf, and Jussi Oksanen have scoured the backcountry to produce 8 individual 90 second videos that showcase raw snowboarding talent. Watch this teaser and you’ll what this is about.

Vote for your favorite video here xgames.com/realsnowbackcountry