New Jump Line on the Gully.

New jump line at the Gully.  There's two expertly shaped cheese wedges for the shredding.  It's like Spring out there.  Get some while it lasts.  

First Girls Only Shred Sessions of 2012

If you've checked Facebook, you've seen that South isn't going to open today.  Fog eats up snow, especially snow that's being moved around by riding over it.  And rain never helps either.  Vernon peak is still open, so go get your carves in, jump out of some side cuts, and take the Cab for old times sake.  There's enough snow to set up a down rail, or gap, or wallride if you're willing to put in some set up time.  

Tomorrow, Tuesday January 23rd, will be the first actual Girls Only Shred Sessions here at South.  As you can deduce from the title, if you're a guy, you're out.  Only girls are go-listed for this one.  

TransAm is a wrap until next year

     This Saturday was one of the most anticipated days on the hill since opening.  We were scheduled to get a few inches of fresh, which happened, and the Transworld/High Cascade TransAm set up was open for business.  As in the days of yore, the TransAm has a focus on creativity.  Park crew and JibLab are given the green light to build whatever features they can think of within the parameters set up by sponsors/TransAm.    

     Having these minimum requirements is an asset to the park build.  Three sets of 2 features, one having to be a minipipe, set the stage for a contest that takes up a huge amount of real estate on the hill.  The street rainbow made its way out, and apparently it's en vogue to casually 270 to the top. Two pole jams were employed to rocket participants into the minipipe, so a lot of allyoop 270ing went down.  After the pipe was the Anon up box.  Up boxes are best used by those who think differently, not to be bogged down by industry norms and trick selection snobs.  The session really heated up when people started handplanting over it, and a misty flip may or may not have went down.  If you chose the other route you rode through the MuscleMilk six pack and then over the Zumiez couch/living room dropping you into the Coal snow beanies.  Below are some photos from the event to prove it happened, and to get everyone hyped for the edit/actual photos that will be up soon.  

     Special thanks to Transworld Snowboarding, Skullcandy, Anon, Coal, Drop, Zumiez, Giro, MuscleMilk, Ride, High Cascade Snowboard Camp, MC Park Crew, JibLab, Grooming, and everyone else who made this contest a gem in a snowstorm.  

     Tomorrow has sun in the forecast, so we might take the day off and slash some gnar, it's highly suggested you do as well.  

Results: 1st - Matt Behre

             2nd - Scotty Hopper

             3rd - Richie Verost  

     Matt Behre was ripping in the most traditional way.  He rides fast, smooth, and lands tricks properly.  The things he lands are always intentional, and he has a mean method.  He rides a Blak Sheep snowboard, and he's always repping Outkast Sports.  He's a locals local.  Everyone was stoked to give him the gold.  Pat Bridges would be proud.

     Scotty Hopper has been doing comps all over the country since forever.  It's good to see him do some mellow no-grab 360s over couches.  He's got a mean nose poke when he spins frontside.  He's the jump contender, dialed and well thought out.  He rides fresh DC stuff, and may, in fact, drive a Bentley.    

     Richie Verost needs no introduction.  His gear is awesome, his attitude is awesome, and like Behre, he hasn't cut his hair in years.  He's got Jersey pride oozing out from all angles, and he stomps tricks clean with 6 year old bindings.  He's also on the Blak Sheep program.  Don't forget where you came from. 

Local homie Brett Strother was quoted as saying: "The hike wasn't bad." No naysayers. 

 Legend Panel aka "Judges"

Clipboards with tally mark scoring, so you know it's official.

Matt Behre collecting.  He won a board, a backpack, an array of softgoods, and a shot to get out to Big Bear and ride in the finals.  

Best Weekend Ever Post

Another super post of images that should be enough to build excitement for the best weekend ever.

This weekends happenings: TransAm's best set up ever, new six-pack build on Kamikazee, GoPro Video Lab with Final Cut Pro is up and running in the ShowRoom at South, natural snow fall. 

TransAm:

Kamikazee:

GoPro Video Lap in the ShowRoom:

Get after it, kids.e

TransAm Is Tomorrow

High Cascade Snowboard Camp has been running the TransAm for years now.  What started as a homage to mini shred features and other things that end up in Scott Stevens video parts, has now become a full fledged national amateur fun fest that brings participants from far and wide.  This year Jib Lab built a new rail and moved a whole grip of snow to allow for BMX jumps and a mini-halfpipe to be in the same contest.  We crafted up this short to show you John Hanson and Marc Tremain at work.

Dhane Knakkergaard X Eddie Choe Two Plank Collaboration

Dhane is one of those enigmatic skiers in the way that he defies description.  He looks super comfortable spinning, his arms are down, and he doesn't have to hide his style under layers of tall-t's.  He's always down to session a rail, and not take things too seriously.  Eddie Choe is a similar figure.  He's one of the nicest kids on the hill, and is always skiing or filming.  A couple years ago he rocked gold outerwear, and he may still drive a lowered car.  The definition of flossing.  Eddie lives Upstate now and goes to college, but it was awesome that he came down and shared this joyous edit.

Park Feature Mega Update

With TransAM weekend fast approaching, it seems as good a time as any to post what notable park features are up throughout South Peak.  Rather than tease you with a few photos, we're giving you the January 20th Mega Post of the park so far.  Being its been relatively cold (it was 18 degrees this morning), and the humidity has been low, those over at snow making have been able to blow snow night after night.  Depending on how much natural snow we get tonight, we might have to skip out for a couple of Sunday runs on the Cabriolet and burn some euro carves. 

GoPro VideoLab

Terrain park aficionados may have noticed the back of the Show Room, Mountain Creek's premier place for hard and soft goods, is home to one of the most coveted media set ups ever assembled.  

A 70" TV next to an iMac.  We're on some pre-economic-collapse, NYC-film-school-grad-student-West 4th & Broadway media station kick back there.  The best part about the set up is that it is for everyone. It's a fully operational on hill editing station for aspiring Pierre Wikbergs and Mike McEntire's who don't have the luxury of  Final Cut Pro or Apple Computers at home. Sign a waiver and you can use the computer to edit your own footage.  Bring your cam, your usb/firewire connectors, and fire it up.  We're working on getting you guys some rental GoPro's (The Official Camera of Mountain Creek) so you can leave your HVX at home.  Sign a waiver, bring a credit card for a deposit + camera fee (we're working out the dollar amount) and go shred with one of our cams.  Then come in and edit it.  Pretty mellow considering most of us here started our snow media careers with Hi-8 cameras and double VHS deck editing.  

Here's a little teaser of what's in there.  Go into the show room, buy some gear, watch a video on the TV, and start thinking of lines to film.  

First Girls Only Shred Sessions of 2012

In lieu of that capricious weather that has been plaguing this region with reckless abandon since the revered Halloween storm, the Girls Only Shred Session will have to be postponed until next Tuesday.  In other very saddening news, Bear Peak along with the soul shredder's favorite, Granite Peak, closed a few minutes ago due to inclement weather.  South and Vernon peak will remain open until 9pm tonight, so get there while you can.  Some of us here at the Park Blog HQ took a sampling of the conditions this afternoon.  It was soft, rain was minimal and intermittent, more off than on.  This, of course, is no promise of anything, and the disclaimer applies that protects us from anyone claiming we didn't foresee on-coming rain, snow, sleet, clouds, volcano eruptions, hurricanes, tidal waves, end of the world and/or universe, doomsday predictions, prediction redundancy, negativity, lack of stoke, your favorite feature not being up, etc., etc., etc., etc.  All of these things could happen at any time, but why worry about them when there's a hill to be ridden.  Besides, other mountains closed entirely, and we're not them, we keep it real(er).  

Keep checking the event calendar, Trans Am is coming up, and you know their deal.  Girls Only is coming in hot next week, and so is Twisted Kids, the jam for kids starting to ride park. Don't worry, we'll drop a flier for that, too. 

Stay up.   

These are the days

Today, Sunday, January 15th, seems to be marking the first day of real, actual winter.  Anyone driving up 515 in a car luxurious enough to have a thermometer on the dash saw that temps were hovering around 8 degrees Fahrenheit at 9am this morning.  Snow was being blown throughout the night, so provided one had the proper attire, today was one of the best days on hill so far.  The sun shone throughout the day, and the guns were positioned at just the right locations so that those advocating goggle free snowboarding didn't have to ride from feature to feature with their heads facing uphill.  Although, such posture does allow for a crowd pleasing trick, the switch regular ollie (said trick is found at the 1:19 mark).
In other news, the homies at Burton were hooking it up with demos throughout the day, giving perspective customers the chance to test their new line of hardgoods.

The airbag is fully operational for guests to throw themselves into, critique, spectate, and stoke out.  A new favorite of the hill is to just post up near the fence and watch the inverted insanity.

Here's some photos of today.  Tomorrow will be firing.

The Sport Sack

Burton Boys

Fantastic conditions

Still Firing

Got That Winter Feeling

Came up on some quick shots from the lift of the new features on Jumping Jack.  Historically, this line is reserved for more the more experienced stylings of those affiliated with the discipline of slopestyle.  This year, the opening line of Jumping Jack is taking a slightly different approach.  The flat bar has dual take offs, one street style for frontside goofy riders, and one from the front.  The down bar was salvaged from the stair set, so it has a good level of steep to it.  The tube was brought up from the hike park and now sits with a slight upslope, making it ideal for back 360s off.  As dusk approaches on this lovely Saturday of North Eastern winter weather, remember tomorrow has the sun shining.  With all the new snow being blown throughout the park, the odds of not burning up some corduroy are slim.   

BAG JUMP WILL BE OPEN TOMORROW

$15 for three jumps into the ole' trick pillow
$25 for the UNLIMITED day pass.

That's right, one of these will be operational tomorrow, January 13th, from 10am to 5pm.

So from what can be deduced from Mountain Creek's social media, the Bag Jump should be the trick party of the century.  This feature is sure to breed a new generation of jump crushers.  Remember to keep it fun out there, and enjoy yourselves, kids.

High Cascade :: TransAm

Every year High Cascade Snowboard Camp puts on the world's premier "mini-shred" contest.  Its goal is to have 3 lanes of features that all flow together as if you could snowboard at Wallows, but with boxes and rails at the crest of each bank.
A recent luncheon with some of finer heads behind JibLab and Park Crew will give us all the privilege of attempting to parse out this montage of documents with a microscope in a futile attempt to understand how they plan on outdoing themselves this time.  Which, they undoubtedly will.

In the mean time, you contest heads get the weekend off.  So take some cruiser laps and prepare for SATURDAY JANUARY 21st when HCSC'S TRANS AM WILL BE HERE.

3rd Rail Jam Recap

For the past 4 years we've hosted the most unlikely contest in snowboarding and freeskiing, the 3rd Rail.  3rd Rail is one of those very rare joints where you can enter a snowboard/ski contest, take in a Raekwon show, and watch OG graffiti dudes paint live within the same 4 hour time block.  3rd Rail takes that East Coast identity born in the cold winters of Irvington and Newark, New Jersey and filters it up to the mountain.  Being the jam is open to kids of all ages and skill levels the course always has great variety, this year unveiling the chillest feature going, 6" wide down-flat-down rail.

Nick put together this video recap so you could get a feel for everything that went down on hill.


Mountain Creek – UA MTN 3rd Rail Jam 2012 from Mountain Creek on Vimeo.

The Local-est of Locals

Despite filming with a flip cam, iPhone, or Blackberry has become completely acceptable behavior in New York professional skateboarding, this underdog medium hasn't rightfully found its way into snowboarding.  Richie filmed this with something called a "Contour pro," probably the most convenient camera in post-modern snowboard media.

The lines in this video are insane.  Richie, RJ, Frank, Brett, Brett, and Walter put it down day after day.


General Ripping from McR on Vimeo.

Jed Is Down

Calgary native Jed Anderson might be one of the best snowboarders in the world.  His part last year in Videograss' Shoot the Moon included tricks with trajectories previously never thought possible. (His part from Bon Voyage is on YouTube).  Flying down the rail gardens double set, spinning a backside 270, and then somehow as if aided by a cosmic force, he was capable of coming off the rail switch.  He also won the Canadian Open in Halfpipe once.

If that wasn't enough, this year, Jed rode away from a switch backside 2 disaster, and came out regular.  Proof of which can be found here.  Actually, watch all of those, contemporary street snowboarding is insane.

In between a busy schedule of landing tricks, setting sartorial trends, skating, and dunking garbage Jed stopped by Creek and took some laps.



Salomon Team Vacation at Mountain Creek from Mountain Creek on Vimeo.


If you don't notice, he snowboards goofy and skateboards regular.  Just saying.

Word to the 3rd

Under Armour MTN's The 3rd Rail Jam returned to Mountain Creek for its fifth year on Saturday, January 7th. Named after New York City's most lethal subway rail, The 3rd Rail Jam unites some of the nation's best amateur skiers and snowboarders with local graffiti artists, hip-hop artists, bands and DJs.



Over 140 fearless competitors showed up Saturday afternoon to throw down in this winner-take-all event. Competitors in four divisions - Juniors (snowboarders ages 15 and under), Girls (snowboarders of all ages), Skiers (all ages) and Best of Breed (male snowboarders ages 16+) - had 45 minutes to showcase their skills to make it through to the finals for a chance to win cash money, gear and accessories.

When it was all said and done here's how it went down:

Juniors - Sean Neary (two-time winner '10 and '12)
Girls - Elise Fugowski (two-time winner '11 and '12)
Skiers - Sam Zahner
Best of Breed - Tome Weiss (three-time winner '08, '09 and '12)

Salomon Team Sneak Peak

As many of you know, Salomon was here today to ride the new park in Bakersfield.

Features were ridden, footage was clocked, and East pow was slashed. Nick Dakota was out there to capture the onslaught of freestyle annihilation, as well as proud HVX connoisseur, Tanner Pendleton. Both of whom will be dropping edits for their respective production outlets, which will be posted here once they're finished. So check back.

If you don't like reading, here's two photos to prove that filming happened.

Notables:

Jed Anderson can go sideways on anything in his path.

Cole St. Martin has that chilled out New Hampshire style that everyone wants.

Chris Carr charges obstacles with phenomenal facial hair.

Very Special Thanks to Ski Barn and their hardworking crew, everyone at Salomon, and everyone who rides a snowboard in New Jersey.

Check back for video dropping soon.

Cole St. Martin, Jed Anderson (OG Skeleton Crew Member), and Tanner

We all wait in the same lift line.