The dudes at the World Snowboard Tour have partnered up with Swatch to produce this 7-part documentary series focussed on the history of competitive snowboarding. Pretty interesting stuff, check it…

Shred documentaries filled with archive footage seem all the rage these days – this series follows hot on the heels of burn’s nostalgia-heavy We Ride – The Story of Snowboarding – and this is no bad thing. It’s always rad to dip into snowboarding’s history to see how far we’ve come and also throw some high fives to the guys and girls responsible for pushing the boundaries. With this season’s World Snowboard Tour almost a wrap, the crew have launched this 7-part series charting the evolution of contest riding from the titular straight line runs to today’s mind melting barrage of hyper spinning.

This first episode looks at the inception of the first shred contests over in the US back in the 80s, spotlights the likes of Jake Burton, Tom Sims, Craig Kelly and Terry Kidwell, and is, to coin a phrase from a magazine of the time, absolutely radical.

Peep Part 2 of snowboard legend and freestyle pioneer Terry Kidwell’s interview with UK scamp Jamie Nicholls. Once again it is at once interesting, weird and amusing.

As we said last week when we posted Part 1 of Terry Kidwell’s Jamie Nicholls interview, it looks for all the world like Terry and Jamie were on different continents when they recorded this (the only thing missing, our German ed said, was the occasional cut to Kidwell nodding in attentive agreement to Nicholls’ spielings) but that and the fact that Terry occasionally seems to throw out some random stuff about Sims every time should not prevent you from checking this.

Jamie’s is an interesting tale. The bit where he admits he was confused as to why it was called SNOWboarding really shows how far a kid from a dryslope background has come, and when he’s asked if, coming from the UK, he’s ever ridden powder his faux-cocky reply is pretty funny: ”So, yeah I have rode powder Terry and, er, yeah have you rode dryslope? Bet you havent, have yer.”

Someone give that boy a Chinese burn.

This is like Obi-Wan interviewing Anakin. Shred-legend Terry Kidwell interviews fresh-faced up-and-coming Brit ripper Jamie Nicholls. It is really good, and a little bit weird at the same time. Watch it…

Jamie’s story is an interesting one. Terry Kidwell, the man widely credited for introducing a more skate-influenced style of riding into snowboarding, gets deep into how Jamie’s riding and career developed from über dryslope grom to one of the most exciting young riders in Europe. It looks like they were in different countries when this was filmed, mind…

You're never too young for porn.

FEATURED RIDERS: Simon Chamberlain, Joe Sexton, Terry Kidwell, Stian Solberg, Fredu Sirvio, Chris Wimbles, Mark Sollors, Markku Koski, Scotty Vine, Risto Ruokola, Eddie Wall, Tom Burt, Jonaven Moore, Antti Autti, Shin Campos, Knut Eliassen.

At least they're not skiing.

If you are into Danny Larsen, this has been your week. An ESPN and a Yobeat interview as well as a Day in the Life within seven days. What more could you ask for? Without waiting for your answer we just throw everything at you that is remotely within the triangle snowboarding – wack – awesome. Enjoy our latest edition of This Week in Snowboarding!

SATURDAY

Danny Larsen talks about metal art. Nick Visconti is now a Session rider. Cody Beiersdorf’s full part from Poachers X is worth your attention. Yobeat continues to reject bad edits. Seb Toots wins an FIS big air comp in Sweden.

SUNDAY

Here’s the official wrap-up video of the Horsefeathers Pleasure Jam. Jeremy Jones lives up to the cliché. Here’s Vinny – and there’s 6-year-old Benny!

MONDAY

The Pirates have fun in Oslo. Benny Urban & Co. shred the Dachstein. ClasSICK is the teaser for yet another solid Polish flick. Here’s the wrap-up video of the Backyard Bang in Denver. Here’s part one of the excellent Terry Kidwell episode of “Powder and Rails”. Nils Arvidsson and Bryan Fox ride the shit out of their parts in the current Nitro movie. Yobeat is treating their interns even worse than we do. Here’s the Capital Rail Jam recap (scroll down for the video). Would you call your crew ‘Montana‘ if you only rode fridges? These kids did it. Nick Dirks stars in the third Airblaster Family Portrait. Dani Rajcsanyi keeps things sick and simple. The O Chas G shows you how to do a front blunt switch up half cab out on a down rail. And if you’re cool you’ll shred the park no matter how much pow is around you.

The image would be funnier if you knew that it is quite hard to get the kicker and the Munich television tower to appear in one image.

TUESDAY

We produced this humble edit of Alessandro Boyens doing some epic pow turns in Saas-Fee. The Air&Style returns to Munich (and we talk to Ethan Morgan about it). Nic Sauve talks about stuff. Heavy urban shredding goes down in Absinthe’s latest Flipside episode. You’re into girls? Then check this TTR edit of women in snowboarding. Check these Mt Baker early season pow slashes! Transworld Snow presents 10 noteworthy collaborations of the season. But who cares, the Onboard x 686 outerwear is the best (AND you can win it!) Whoever the L1 Kids are, they went to Brighton. Scotty Lago talks about his plans. JP Walker gives Spatziba the horn, and Gigi talks about his exceptional career on the same site (and here he is at work in Canada and Switzerland). Erin Comstock and Robin Van Gyn take you on a tour-de-Utah. German Benny Urban had some footage left over from Mt Hood. Burton kid Mark Sollors drops a few bangers here. Ice Mountain Rail Battle anyone?

WEDNESDAY

Danny Larsen spends a day in Avoriaz, and some time with Yobeat, too. The Ästhetiker crew travels a lot. The Gothenburg Rail Battle video looks tight. Boreal’s 2nd Team Video Challenge is taking off: check the Academy edit for example. Zac(h) Marben plays the guitar. ESPN called Chris Grenier. Learn how to stick front inverts here. Mason Aguirre, Forest Bailey et al shred Mammoth. Peetu Piiroinen still rides for Burton. The Nike 6.0 Stairset Battle is all over the place. Smith Optics keep sending their team into the deepest pow in Idaho. Cheers takes you behind the scenes in Whistler. And AWSM gets you in the Thanksgiving mood with a snowboarding turkey.

Kilimanjaro: La Niña strikes.

THURSDAY

Pirates boss Basti Balser gets some coverage on the Snowboarder Mag site. The Flux pre-roll ad sucks, but behind that lies Travis Rice’s Behind the Cover clip. More Boreal TVC stuff can be found here. Kyle Miller seems to be in good control of his snowboard. And who would have thought: Girls and bungee cords mix well. The Analog Design Unlikely Features competition continues. Simon Gruber is featured in our wallpaper of the week. Juuso Laivisto is drunk but answers three questions nonetheless. Here’s the full Oh Frankie, What Did You Do This Time movie. Mitch Tölderer climbs some mountain in Equador. The Air&Style goes China, too. Werni Stock stomps a Switch Back 12. And Peter König invents the squirrelpult.

FRIDAY

The Kotsenburgs and friends ride Park City. Here’s the second ‘Powder and Rails’ Terry Kidwell part. The classic Neoproto movie gets re-released here. Vera Janssen joins the ranks of people with online video parts, and so does Swiss ripper Mario Käppeli. Eero Ettala posts a sick edit of him and friends shredding in Ruka.

That’s all for now. No, wait: Have you seen this guy by any chance?

Good weekend everyone…

Where: Stuben, Arlberg

Longboarders ahoi!

Announced as the “Woodstock of Snowboarding” we expected love, peace and harmony, a bit of weed, good vibes, plus lots of guys with long hair and long beards. And we found – all of it!

Okay not everybody at the Longboard Classics last Saturday, April 17th 2010, had long hair or beards, but we for sure got the whole dose of blazing sunshine, super chilled out people, positive vibes and a banger atmosphere. Which was almost a given, considering the ingredients of this tasty event: bring the legends of snowboarding, aka Shawn Farmer, Terry Kidwell, and Bob Klein to Stuben in the Arlberg region, add a couple of hundred of snowboard enthusiast from day one until the present and so much neon colours you get abs cramps from laughing. And cheers!

First stage of the Chinese Downhill: running down the Albona Grat to strap in

For the 11th year now, organiser Paul Gruber put this event together to celebrate the end of the season with the origins of snowboarding. So snowboard fans from all over the world dig out the oldest snowboard gear they can find, strap on their longboards, snurfers and cut-off boards to meet old friends and race each other in the infamous Chinese downhill race from the Albona Grat in Stuben. With neon green lips from original 90s zink suncream, Shawn Farmer is grinning widely, stoked about the event and everybody gathering for the mass start. When asked if he’s going to win the race, he laughs mischievously, “Of course I am!”

Riding on those old school boards is already quite an art for itself but jumping? Big ups for that!

Although the event isn’t about winning at all. Much more it’s about who has the oldest stuff (or is the oldest snowboarder on location), the freakiest outfit (without neon you will feel as boring as never before in your life), the craziest moves and of course, has the most fun. And it is about looking, watching and marvelling. With every blink of your eye another outfit even crazier and flashier than the one before turns around the next corner. Snowboards with bindings that are no more than a bunch of strings or some plastic loops and tips sharp as spears are lined up in the snow. Guys sporting pants so tight you’re glad they’ve reached an age where the making of children is already dealt with. And people telling stories of how they bought their first snowboard one month before you were even born.

Shawn Farmer just went for the neon lipstick - unlike the Elho incarnation by his side

Still this is not a convention of old farts reminiscing the days of their past fame and glory. To the contrary. It’s a place where you can meet the legends of your teenager years, learn more about the origins of your favourite sport or just have a great time hanging with fun and interesting peeps. Like Lena from the Allgäu in Southern Germany, who came here with a bunch of friends. “After I heard all their stories from last year and how much fun they had, I wanted to be part of this as well”, she tells us, chilling out on a Nitro L shape chair, that is way more comfy than it looks. She’s sweet 17 years old. Behind her a guy hobbles in to the event area on the foot of the hill on crutches, aiming straight for Farmer and throwshis digi cam at us: “Can you please take a picture of me with him?” he asks and then tells Farmer his story. “You’re my hero Shawn. I came all the way to Stuben from Finland for one day just to get the chance to ride with you. But then I tore my ACL last week…”, harvesting sympathy and compassion from all bystanders.

Shawn Farmer, Terry Kidwell and Ben Klein were honoured for their lifetime achievments

After a day of hanging in the sun, drinking beer, eating delish hot dogs and rocking to four songs Kidwell, Klein and Farmer perform as the LBC Allstars, all the neon dudes and normal people head to the big tent for the movie night. Which of course isn’t just any movie night showing any snowboard movies but the very first of all snowboard footage ever done. Including the likes of Jake Burton and Tom Sims battling each other in a slalom contest of about 10 meters length and practically no decline at all, and Régis Rolland being chased from France to Switzerland by evil monoskiers in the legendary Apocalypse Snow.

The night ends rather smoothly and mellow with a bit of dancing but minus the typical mayhem and freak outs you’re used to from snowboard parties. But to be fair, the majority was on the farther side of their Thirties and taking that into account, the party still rocked.

So we leave the Arlberg valley slightly blind from all the eye cancer inducing neon, tired and sore from all the laughing and already looking forward to the beginning of next season, to contribute to the history of snowboarding as well. Because in the end no matter what decade, what style or what area of snowboarding you’re into, it all comes down to one: keep on riding.

- Anna Langer, pics by Miriam Weiherer

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Where: Stuben/Arlberg, Austria

The Woodstock of Snowboarding is what they call the Longboard Classic in Stuben. This celebration of nostalgia and fun has become Europe’s biggest old-school snowboard event. Among the many snowboard legends that will rock up on April 17, 2010 are Terry “Godfather of Freestyle” Kidwell, Shaun “I’ll have another one” Farmer, Micky “First European Halfpipe Champion” Früh, Reto “I won the Air&Style in the year dot” Lamm, Jose “I invented the term European snowboard pro” Fernandez, and Regis “Apocalypse then, Apo now” Rolland.

Scene from the new Sony Bravia ad. Photo: Roland Schopper.

Three generations of snowboard heroes from industry, riders, media and John Q. Public will celebrate the eleventh Longboard Classic together. This year the focus will be on the kids “who will be taught the real spirit of snowboarding by the older ones” – if nothing else this should be fun to watch.

The music acts include Darby and Joan with their dynamic Indie/ Alternative Rock style and support from the LBC Allstars featuring Shawn Farmer (Vocals), Terry Kidwell (Guitar), Bob Klein (Drums), Paul Gruber (Guitar) & LBC friends.

Treating your own root canal on stage was a first. Photo: Mike Chantry.

As usual, the Longboard Classic race will start at the Albona Grat (2,408m). After a Le Mans mass start they will go down a thousand meters off-piste to Stuben Village (1,407m) in four different categories (Kids under 14, Old School, Boys und Girls). The event’s mantra goes like this: “It is not important to be first but to meet friends, find new ones and to have fun snowboarding with like-minded people.” Does this sound like a good time or what?

See, they DO use longboards. Photo: Sylvia Margreiter

If your board quiver does not feature anything beyond your 152 rail stick, longboards and freeride equipment from selected brands can be tested. To make the registration as laid-back as possible, we recommend you register online in advance. The provisional list of participants is published on the event’s website. And if you want to car pool (and we recommend: everyone should!) – the participants can be sorted by post code, city or name!

More information and registration on the website: www.longboardclassic.com

This is the first part of the TTR’s little history lesson on the origins of what all our hearts beat for: snowboarding. From Terry Kidwell and Jake Burton to Terje Haakonsen and the first Olympics in Nagano…

April 17, 2010 will see the Longboard Classic descend on Stuben am Arlberg

Once more over 50 snowboard legends from the US, Japan and Europe have applied for the 11^th Longboard Classic in Stuben – the biggest old school snowboard event in Europe. Among them Tom Sims, one of the 4 founding fathers of snowboarding, Terry Kidwell, the ‘Godfather of Freestyle’, 4 time Freestyle World Champion and legendary Sims team rider, Shawn Farmer, a legendary lunatic with a penchant for rapping, and Taro Tamai the surf and freeride legend from Japan.

Three generations of snowboard heroes from the fields industry, riders and media will celebrate the eleventh Longboard Classic together! This year the focus will be especially on the kids who will be taught the real spirit of snowboarding by the elder ones – away from the promoted spin to win and rail battle contests.

Shawn Farmer rocking out.

And check out the Bands! Main act Darby and Joan will definitely rock the stage with their dynamic Indie/ Alternative Rock style supported by the LBC Allstars featuring Shawn Farmer (Vocals), Terry Kidwell (Guitar), Bob Klein (Drums), Paul Gruber (Guitar) & LBC friends.

As usual, the Longboard Classic race will start at the Albona Grat (2,408m). After a Le Mans mass start they will go down 1,001m off-piste to Stuben Village (1,407m) in 4 different categories (Kids under 14, Old School, Boys und Girls).

The credo, like always, is not to be first but to meet friends, find new ones and to have fun snowboarding with like-minded people.

Of course, longboards and freeride equipment from selected firms can be tested.

To make registration as easy as possible on the actual day of the race, we recommend that you register via the homepage in advance. The provisional list of participants is published on www.longboardclassic.com and can be sorted by post code, city or name so you can easily create car pools.

Get your friends together and join the “Woodstock of Snowboarding”,  the Longboard Classic with numerous snowboard legends!

Find info about the program, accommodation, photos and movies as well as the Hall of Fame from the last ten years under: www.longboardclassic.com

Facts

Event: Longboard Classic

Date: Saturday, April 17, 2010

Location: Stuben am Arlberg (Austria)

Format: Le Mans mass start – top to bottom snowboard – longboard race

Classification: Kids under 14, Old School, Girls, Boys, Oldest Board, Soulmaster and more

On stage: Darby & Joan (A) & „LBC Allstars (US/A/D/CH)

Fee: Euros 50 (incl. day ticket, event shirt, lunch and beverage)

Number of spectators: None! – Everyone will take part!!

Credo: The Longboard Classic is the Woodstock of Snowboarding for soulsurfers, longboarders, off-piste enthusiasts and snowboard legends from all over the world, to go riding with friends, to have fun and celebrate the spirit of snowboarding together.