On the second weekend in March 2012, snowboarding’s longest running contest turns “Dirty 30.” The Burton US Open is one of the most storied events in snowboarding and has been traditionally held at Stratton, VT for most of those 30 years. A lot of things have happened at the USO: old school downhill racing, the first machine-dug halfpipe, keg parties, snowball fights, mini-riots, people dangling from trees above the halfpipe, drunk people did a lot of dumb shit and some of the coolest stuff in snowboarding history–sometimes those last two are one in the same. Powder & Rails collects accounts from snowboarding legends like Terje Haaksonsen, Jake Burton, Jeff Brushie, Andy Coghlan, Tricia Byrnes, Seth Neary, and Jason Ford, many of which have had podium spots throughout the USO history. Speaking of podiums, US Open winners and Olympic medal holders like Danny Kass, Ross Powers, Kelly Clark, and Hannah Teter are in there too. Part 1 goes into one of the most controversial things to ever happen at the US Open, 1996: “The Year of the Cage.” Look out for that story.
Archive for the ‘Snow’ Category
“”The 2012 winter season saw poorer than usual snow conditions in Utah, causing me to travel and explore a bit more for the powder I crave. Things turned out pretty well, finding great snow and fun terrain in the Idaho backcountry and at Mt. Baker, WA and producing a fair amount of footage. Along the way I found a strong presence of birds, which play a pretty significant spiritual role in my life in the mountains. For quite some time now I’ve felt a connection with Ravens and Crows especially, which is coincedental that the birds are featured in the artwork on all of my K2 skis. So here are all my choice shots from last season compiled into one edit for your enjoyment…”