“So why don’t you do an edit with Shaun White?” asks Torstein’s filmer guy. Well, why not? Check these two bosses lapping Northstar.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, surely a washed out digital polaroid of a rider’s eye view of the rockstar life you wish you were living has got to be worth a quick butchers. If you fancy stalking some famous dudes, you could do worse than to download yourself  the instagram and see them the way their iPhone sees them (other handsets are available). You could even stalk us @onboardmag while you’re at it.

Everybody imagines that their heroes live in a rose tinted world of free flowing beers and bottomless pillows, which is fortunate since nobody can resist the temptation to insta-age their life with filters, blurs and borders until it looks like you’re back in the 60s, and snowboarders are no different. What’s that you say? It’s waist deep in junk out there on the internets, possibly more than you can manage to wade through whilst waiting for a gondola, however nifty you are with the Google. Well have no fear, we’re here to help lighten the load. We’ve compiled a who’s who of snowboarders stroking their egos with the knowledge we’d rather procrastinate in their virtual company than with the real people sat around us, so you don’t have to do the legwork yourselves. Phew.

10. Kicking things off is Jamie Anderson at number ten, setting the standard pretty high for vast snowscapes and fluffy pillows we all want to get stuck into. But frankly we don’t need to know what beetroot dinner you’re eating or what colour tea you’re drinking. In fact if it weren’t for the  delicious selfies and lady-yoga shots peppered between the all the self help slogans and your dietary requirements, you wouldn’t have gotten anywhere near this list. And we know you live by Lake Tahoe, we don’t need to see the view again. I’m wondering now if this should have been a ‘top 9′ instead…

@JME_ANDERSON

9. In at 9 is the affable Gigi Rüf, an Austrian unfamiliar with this end of any competition. ‘Shred Dad’ is still keeping it real in between his trophy collecting trips in far off fluffy places as well as producing his own planks to do it on. This guy knows his way around an instafeed, mixing life on the hill with artwork, landmarks, and his mates standing by adverts of themselves on busses. What Gigi lacks in rock and roll he makes up for in stoke, which it’s immediately clear his kiddies have inherited.

@GIGIRUEF

8. Next at 8 is Kevin Pearce, the second coolest Kevin of the week. That dude’s grin must have a lot to do with why he has 9931 followers lapping up his every instamove. As our man on the ground in the FRENDS house, he’s pretty handy with the camera. After hard months of rehab pics it’s great to see some riding creeping back into this guy’s feed.

@KEVINPEARCE

7. Number 7 is Frank April, whose online persona is just what you’d expect from someone who in real life spends his days gliding down handrails like a boss and his nights necking Grand Marnier. His feed is a one stop shop for gnarly places to sleep, beer bongs on wakeboards and empty booze collections. The man’s got plenty of rockstar in him and mayhem around him – get your glimpse here.

@FRANKAPRIL

6. The top Kevin of the internet is Kevin Bäckström, our 6th Favourite instasnapper. A healthy portion of his 15,000 followers are swedish girls who seem to like nothing better than to scrawl his initials on their perfectly hemispherical buttocks in order to qualify his status as Scandinavia’s favourite rebel son to hate. In between tattoos, parties, and moody portraits, there’s snaps of lines and from events as well as plenty of reminders of his initials.

@KEVINBACKSTROM

5. Shaun White is like Marmite in whatever he does, and it’s no different here at number 5 in our oh so crucial list. No doubt he’ll be devastated with most likely his worst result of the new WST year. Those of you outraged by what he choses to dress himself in each day will get no end of amusement here, where bare chests, hawaiian shirts and cravats are just the start of it. If dog beauty pageants are more your thing or you want to know what he’ll look like in 25 years time before your man crush goes head over heels for him, you’ll be well catered for. And If you can’t remember what Lake Tahoe looks like since Jamie last reminded us, he’s got that covered too. 

@SHAUNWHITE

4. Mark Landvik is actually quite good at taking pictures which, combined with being privvy to some banger action most every time he goes riding bags him spot number 4. Silhouettes, tilt shift, double frames, you name the settings and Landvik’s all over them. If it’s too long since you were last out there getting after it, let Landvik lend you a glimpse from his drop in for you to dream a line down. Cats have been winning the internet since before it was dial-up, and mark’s is one ridiculously hairy feline. Shaun’s bulldog’s never had a chance.

@MARKLANDVIK

3. Eric Jackson takes home the bronze medal today, albeit with a little help from his friends. It’ll not surprise anyone that the man who apparently never stays still has done a few things recently that might blow your mind. Luckily for us, he had the good grace to share the stoke from along the way. He’s got fish on hooks, ridiculous lines and heaving barrels up in his page there, and a beard to be proud of too.

@EJACKSHREDS

2. Second place goes to the man with the most pets and guns in the industry, Scotty Lago. Man’s got style for days in the pipe, and he’s none too shabby behind the camera either. Also, his was the only page with a horse’s head mask, always a winner. What more could you want?

@SCOTTYLAGO

1. The biggest of the instadogs of snowboarding right now is Xavier De Le Rue. It was always going to be tough for anyone to compete considering what the Frenchman’s been up to. Then he went and dropped the ‘waterslide with a penguin’. There was no looking back from that really, was there? Big lines, big hair, and big animals are a winning combination even in real life, and right here they’re all that mattered. Hats off to you Xavier, we wish we could’ve been there.

@XAVIERDELERUE

In this short video shot specifically to get SEO nerds gumming their own weapons at the sheer keyword potential of it, Torstein Horgmo decides to poach a lap in the US Open pipe and turns to multiple X Game and Olympic halfpipe winner Shaun White for advice. 

As Shaun knows better than anyone, it’s all about the backward Nancy and double upward Blumpkin these days. Sorry, that’s Shaun White. SHAUN WHITE. And now we want to see TORSTEIN HORGMO give SHAUN WHITE tips on bossing slopestyle. Sadly there are no cats and not even a whiff of Leeroy Jenkins in this, otherwise we would be able to slope off to Cancun for the rest of the winter…

Prior to the finals everyone had been raving about how Vail’s pipe was one of the best ever built, and after witnessing the finals it’d be hard to disagree. The level of riding, specifically the amplitude these guys and girls were getting, was next level. Shaun and Kelly won – which is no great surprise – but they were both given a run for their money by two kids who represent the future of men’s and women’s pipe riding: 14-year-old Ayumu Hirano and 16-year-old Arielle Gold both were arguably the people’s champions and showed that they’ll be deeply involved in writing pipe riding’s next few chapters. Props must also go to Christian Haller for the best Method of the day that, sadly, we couldn’t find a clip of. We saw it, Hitch, we saw it…

***Warning: Most of these videos contain AWFUL music. Set machines to mute.***

MEN

1 – Shaun White

2 – Ayumu Hirano

3 – Louie Vito

WOMEN

1 – Kelly Clark

2 – Hannah Teter

3 – Arielle Gold

The 31st annual Burton US Open Snowboarding Championships presented by MINI is excited to announce an impressive list of confirmed riders, all on deck to compete at the sport’s most legendary event taking place in Vail, Colorado from February 25th – March 2nd, 2013. Some of the biggest names in snowboarding are confirmed, including Shaun White, Mark McMorris, Kelly Clark, Jamie Anderson, Iouri Podladtchikov and more, who are all heading to Vail Mountain for the Burton US Open world-class slopestyle and halfpip ecompetitions.

“The US Open is one of snowboarding’s legendary events, and some of my best competition memories are of competing at Vail, so for me, bringing the two together is all time,” said Shaun White. “I’m excited to compete in Vail’s new pipe and see everyone come out for the next evolution of this contest.”

It all gets started on Wednesday, February 27, with slopestyle semi-finals, which will be more exciting than ever now that slopestyle is an official sport at the 2014 Winter Olympics. At the US Open, the best slopestyle competitors in the world are confirmed to compete, including X-Games slopestyle gold medalist Mark McMorris (CAN), 2012 Burton European Open (BEO) slopestyle winner Aleksander Oestreng (NOR), 2012 US Open slopestyle champ Sebastien Toutant (CAN), and World Snowboard Tour overall title holder Ståle Sandbech(NOR), among others. The women’s line-up is equally impressive, with X Games gold medalist and 2012 US Open slopestyle champion Jamie Anderson (USA), 2012 X Games gold medalist Enni Rukajärvi (FIN), Olympian Kjersti Ostgaard Buaas (NOR), three-time BEO Junior Jam winner Ty Walker (USA) and Cilka Sadar (SLO) all confirmed to compete.

The odds on this guy being stood atop the pipe podium at the US Open again this year are high. Photo: Blotto.

On Thursday, February 28, the legendary Burton US Open halfpipe semi-finals begin. The US Open halfpipe rider list is stacked with nine Olympians, including Shaun White (USA), Louie Vito (USA), Greg Bretz (USA), Kazuhiro Kokubo (JPN), Kelly Clark (USA), Elena Hight (USA), Hannah Teter (USA), and Torah Bright (AUS). Also competing are World Snowboarding Championships gold medalist Iouri Podladtchikov (SUI), Queralt Castellet (ESP), Peetu Piiroinen (FIN), Christian Haller (SUI) and 14-year-old halfpipe phenom and 2013 X Games silver medalist Ayumu Hirano (JPN).

Burton Snowboards is thrilled to announce that Seattle-based hip-hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and singer/songwriter Santigold will both perform FREE concerts at the 31st annual Burton US Open Snowboarding Championships presented by MINI.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis will kick-off the Burton US Open free concert series on Friday, March 1st following the world-class US Open slopestyle finals at Vail. Known for their electrifying live performances, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ hit single “Thrift Shop” is currently number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the third straight week.

On Saturday, March 2nd, Santigold will take to the stage for a freeshow following the legendary Burton US Open halfpipe finals. With two critically acclaimed albums to her name, Santigold also created the song “Girls,” which is the lead single for the album Girls Soundtrack, Vol. 1: Music from the HBO Original Series.

The 2013 Burton US Open is the must-attend snowboard event of the season where crowds can watch world-class, Olympic-level snowboarding competitions by day and incredible music acts by night – all for FREE at Vail Mountain in Colorado.

If you can’t make it to Vail to experience the Burton US Open in person, check out live webcasts of the slopestyle semi-finals on Wednesday, February 27th, halfpipe semi-finals on Thursday, February 28th, slopestyle finals on Friday, March 1st and halfpipe finals on Saturday, March 2nd.

For more information on the 2013 Burton US Open and a full list of competitors,follow the hashtag #BurtonUSOpen and head to www.Burton.com/USO

The king cobra of snowboard disciplines, halfpipe riding, didn’t open its box of mental trickery at last night’s X Games in Aspen. Swiss rider Iouri ‘I-Pod’ Podladtchikov came in first while Shaun White effortless cruised to a second spot in qualifications.

Still, this is an unfamiliar position for Shaun White, who is used to winning his X Games Superpipe gold (five so far) from the top position in qualifications. It was Iouri Podladtchikov who claimed the latter with a one-third of a point lead.

And here’s some extra weirdness thrown in from the Don’t-call-me-Flying-Tomato. We quote straight from the ESPN website:

“White had a chance to reclaim the lead Thursday night but instead coasted down the pipe without hitting a jump, his fist raised high in the air. He left the venue before anyone had a chance to interview him.”

And for the record, neither of the first two showed their full potential, something the antsy American public are eager to sea on Sunday night. White’s run consisted of a 19-foot, 2-inch backside air and a frontside as well as cab double cork 1080s. Podladtchikov, too, said he was saving “a mystery trick” for Sunday. We. Can’t. Wait.

Scotty Lago qualified third, and interestingly, 14-year-old Japanese phenom Ayumu Hirano also made the final in sixth.

Shaun White: Weird guy

X Games Men’s Halfpipe Qualification Results

1 Iouri Podladtchikov 87.33 R
2 Shaun White 87.00 R
3 Scotty Lago 82.66 R
4 Markus Malin 81.00 R
5 Matt Ladley 80.00 R
6 Ayumu Hirano 78.66 R
7 Christian Haller 76.00 R
8 Louie Vito 74.66 R

The trash talking seems to have worked as Mark McMorris qualified in first spot for the X Games 2013 Slopestyle finals in Aspen, with Shaun White sneaking through in 7th. Watch the top 3 runs…

Ahead of this elimination round of X Games slope style, talk had been concentrated on the fact that Shaun White had been trying out the triple in training, while Mark McMorris had been laying his opinions about Shaun’s riding on the line. Well, McMorris stepped up to the plate and knocked a solid, yet for him safe, run out to slide into the finals in first. Shaun, erm, didn’t. But we wouldn’t rule him out just yet as his seventh place was good enough for him to have another stab at it when finals roll around.

[Never discount Peetu Piiroinen when things get serious. He made it through in 2nd with this belter.]

With some names you’d expect to see at the business end of a big contest like this failing to make the cut – notably Torstein Horgmo, Seb Toutant and Sage Kotsenburg – and others (like Halldor Helgason and Ulrik Badertscher) whose mentality is “first or last” coming closer to the latter, it was down to the reliable Peetu Piiroinen to send it into second, followed up by Canadian Max Parrot – fresh from his triple-stomping win at the O’Neill Evolution – in third.

[Max Parrot's run was good enough for 3rd in the qualifiers. And slopestyle snowboarding has gone bananas.]

The field of 16 riders was thus chopped down to eight who will go at it again in slopestyle finals on Saturday. Here’s the full list of who’s in, and who’s out. Oh, by the way, this video here is way better than all those above. We need more snowboarders like Halldor…

Elimination Results And Scores

1. Mark McMorris: 88.66

2. Peetu Piiroinen: 81.33

3. Max Parrot: 75.66

4. Seppe Smits: 72.00

5. Chas Guldemond: 70.00

6. Aleksander Oestreng: 68.66

7. Shaun White: 67.33

8. Gjermund Braaten: 62.00

—

9. Roope Tonteri: 46.66

10. Sebastien Toutant: 43.66

11. Stale Sandbench: 33.33

12. Halldor Helgason: 20.00

13. Torstein Horgmo: 19.66

13. Sage Kotsenburg: 19.66

14. Ulrik Badertscher: 14.00

15. Eric Willett: 10.00

Early this morning, we were sent tese shaky videos

And when you’re done speculating over this you might as well watch yesterday’s interesting Shaun White behind the scenes edit.

Say what you want about Shaun White but the man can certainly pull perhaps the best pipe Method in the business. Check this edit going behind the scenes on that Oakley shoot we posted a while back where he pulled off a double alley-oop backside rodeo totally before Elena Hight did. This doesn’t show that, but it does show a few monster Methods and the legend that is Doctor Zapalac at work behind the lens. Sadly no one thought to ask Shaun what the hell he was thinking when he dressed himself the morning of the interview shoot…

This video was originally released in conjunction with a feature on Shaun in the new issue of One Icon, Oakley’s quarterly magazine which is produced for the iPad, (the issue is available for free download on iTunes), which you should snag if that kind of thing floats your boat.

Let’s wrap it up in the medium of words first. Shaun White won the men’s pipe with Kaitlyn Farrington taking the women’s crown; Mark McMorris put down back triple 14s like it was a stock trick to take the Big Air title, while in the wind-affected men’s slopestyle it was McMorris again whose dice roll paid off and in the women’s slope Jamie Anderson showed once more that she’s god mad skills to top the podium once again. Finally, there was a nighttime Nike Streetstyle Jam, in which Eric Beauchemin snagged the win. Peep all the videos – there’s some HEAVY riding in them.

WOMEN’S SLOPESTYLE HIGHLIGHTS

WOMEN’S SUPERPIPE HIGHLIGHTS

MEN’S STREETSTYLE HIGHLIGHTS

MEN’S BIG AIR HIGHLIGHTS

MEN’S SUPERPIPE HIGHLIGHTS

MEN’S SLOPESTYLE WINNING RUN