January – Wanted List

      • Nike: Zoom Force 1 – Dark Obsidian

         

        Above is the first of a monthly Wanted List I plan to post here on the Grouse Park blog. This month I am feeling a real-life-boarding vibe. Starting with an oversize starter jacket paired with a mellow plaid shirt for the mild park days we were having up until recently. With that, the Electric EG 2.5’s – a smaller version of the original EG 2’s, great for anyone with a smaller face.  After that is a Japanese leather Macbook case – for travelers, students and employed; replacing the need for a backpack. Finally a pair of amazingly supportive Nike boots and a Capita FK, a 2012 Transworld good wood winner and one of my favourites for park and powder days.

         

         

        CV



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        SIA 2010 Tradeshow

        New product is awesome. So awesome in fact, that for a few days in Denver, the shred industry had a little party to show off all of next year’s awesomeness. I can only wish I’d been there for it, but instead here is a post courtesy of Snowboard Mag that recaps what went down and what’s coming out next year. Enjoy.

        2011 DC Outerwear. Photo courtesy of Snowboard Mag.

        2011 DC Outerwear. Photo courtesy of Snowboard Mag.


        Its Springtime!

        whatup! Long time no update eh… well I have been very busy with school and riding lots so I finally found time for an update.

        A couple weeks ago we came back from our rail trip from the Okanagan which was a blast! And you have all probably seen the footage and pics! Here are a couple good ones i found…

        Can you spot Liam Casey?

        Can you spot Liam Casey?

        Scott has a Volksawagon Golf.

        Scott has a Volksawagon Golf.

        Liam eating a huge donut!

        Liam eating a huge donut!

        Charlie was pretty hungry, that my friends is a rotisseri chicken.

        Charlie was pretty hungry, that my friends is a rotisseri chicken.

        The alley rail!

        The alley rail!

        Pat King getting the shot!

        Pat King getting the shot!

        I snapped this great moment of Scott and Liam laughing at me.

        I snapped this great moment of Scott and Liam laughing at me.

        OKAY, now for some snowboard talk. I got the chance to demo next years Ride Nitrane bindings which build off the Contraband chassis. Be ready to hear more of this in the future, this binding was awesome.

        Sam, Alice and I will be demoing next years Capita, which I am super stoked for considering this years Horrorscope FK is my favourite board to date, and I don’t think I can ride any other board. 

        A couple blogs that I have been following lately are www.gnarcore.com. www.shayboarder.com and www.ashburyeyewear.com!

        Gnarcore always has sick edits and posts about keeping snowboarding fun. Shayboarder always has fun, informative posts about this years and next years gear. Ashbury updates their blog multiple times a day and follows some of my favourite riders including Nick Dirks, Jed Anderson, Nima Jalali and lots others so check it out!

        Everyone check out Alex Beebe’s blog, Peachhat; he’s got a new teaser out! Check it!


        [video]

        Peace out, go snowboarding, have fun, smile!!

        -Dan


        Capita Snowboards: Super Scary Corporation

        Capita has been on the up and up since 2000.  This Seattle-based company currently has one of the sickest teams in the industry, featuring the  likes of Danny Kass, Dan Brisse and TJ Schenider, to name a few.  Capita created a lot of hype last season with their late release Horrorscope FK and had people raving about this soft park board.  Just ask fellow blogger Dan Jonas, he’d probably marry his Horrorscope if it was a girl.  Recently, I was able to talk to Mikey Scott, Marketing Manager for Capita and Union in Canada.  Capita is sticking to the saying that you don’t change a good thing… unless you’re making it even better, and that’s exactly what they’ve done.  The line up is super diverse and covers all your riding needs.

        The big news for next year are the Green Machine FK and the Charlie Slasher Pow FK.  This season, the Horrorscope featured Park FK, which kept the base flat between the bindings, reverse camber to the the effective edge and flat kick tips.  This tech is featured on their Green Machine, which features a sustainable core to make construction more eco-friendly.  If there’s anything us Canadians like, it’s eco-friendliness.  Next season will mark the introduction of Pow FK, which is featured on the Charlie Slasher.  This keeps the base flat from effective egde to effective edge then goes up into flat kick tips, to give the board more lift on those epic “I’m stuck in waist deep pow!” days… except you won’t be stuck with this deck.

        Park FK on top, Pow FK on the bottom

        Keeping it hippie conscious! The fine print says Mother Earth thanks you

        Capita has also extended the number of boards that now feature Park FK.  Decks that feature this tech include the Indoor Survival, previously my favourite Capita board with traditional camber, Horrorscope, Green Machine and Space Metal Fantasy for women.  Needless to say, I’m super stoked on the Indoor Survival FK.  All these decks look sick., but don’t take my word for it, judge for yourselves!

        In addition to all the FK boards, the keystone Stairmaster and Stairmaster Extreme decks are back.  As some of you may know, the Horrorscope is based off the Stairmaster series.  It’s basically a FK Stairmaster, which explains why Stairmaster doesn’t feature FK. That’s just be silly and redundant.  The Stairmaster Extreme in particular is looking amazingly rad with it’s tabloid collage influenced art work and screen printed base.  Let this board be a reminder to all you wanna be rockstars.  Keep your clothes on and you’ll stay off the front page.

        Tried, tested and true, the Stairmaster Extreme is back

        Mikey and Tony are also letting us grab a few decks off them to test THIS WEEK!  The tests will be dropping on Wednesday, so if any of these decks look interesting to you, and they should, be sure to check back soon, as we will have have some feedback for you and even some video footage of how they ride.  We even have the lovely Alice Gorton helping us out with the women’s boards, for you ladies out there.

        Cheers without the beers,

        Sam


        Random Rambles I

        I met mini shred Nick last night while doing a few laps with Dan Jonas and crew. This kid is sick. Keep your eyes out for him in the Quiksilver park. He’s easy to spot. The smallest dude hitting the biggest stuff is a good sign that it’s him.

        The term “Blogger” now identifies me, apparently. The following exchange from last night pretty much solidifies that assumption.

        Sam: Hi Alice.

        Alice: …Hi?

        Sam: It’s Sam!

        Alice: Hi Sam.

        (Pause)

        Alice: Sam who!?

        Sam: The blogger.

        Alice: OH! Hi Sam!

        The Rookie park is amazingly fun right now. Everything is ride on. Even my girlfriend can hit features. Yay for progressive parks!

        Nathan Jonas hurt his knee trying a ridiculous corked 7 off a tiny hit by the snowblowers. Bail or not, I was pretty impressed.

        Formerly local shred Wes is back on the scene, working on restoring his local status. I ran into him lapping the park Sunday afternoon and got a few laps in with him. He’s super fun to ride with, but long hours at work keep him off the hill.

        The BC Snowboard Association is holding a slopestyle competition at Grouse Mountain on February 7th, hosted by Showcase Snowboards.  You need to be a BCSA member to register, check out the Facebook page or their site for details.

        Fellow blogger Charlie Grinnell will be filming local boy wonder Liam Casey on Thursday with yours truly behind an old school 35mm SLR.  If you’re in the park, feel free to stop by and say hi.  If you’ve never seen Liam ski before, you’re in for a treat.

        You may wonder why my blogs lack the visual stimulation some of the other blogs have. To be completely honest, I have so much fun riding, that I forget to pull the camera out. That and the fact that I don’t want cold hands.

        SIA is over and done with and the new gear for 2010 is looking sooooo sick. Here’s a quick rundown of what I find sick…so mostly the reverse camber boards.Capita has introduced Flat Kick Technology to two more models. DC has a camberless model out. Rome is back with 1985s on more models. As for boards with camber, the choices are endless. All reverse camber boards have a sister board with camber. Now, some pictures!

        Nitro Sub Pop Series for 2010 ft. RC

        Nitro Sub Pop Series for 2010 ft. RC

        Signal 2010 Park Rocker with RIDICULOUS amounts of rocking

        Signal 2010 Park Rocker with RIDICULOUS amounts of rocking

        Some of DCs 2010 line.

        Some of DC's 2010 line.

        Capita Stairmaster Extreme

        Technine keeps its street roots for 2010

        Technine keeps it's street roots for 2010

        The new Ride Slackcountry for all your powder riding needs

        The new Ride Slackcountry for all your powder riding needs

        Local boys Endeavour have 4 RC models for this season. The Colour series for 2010, white with rocker and orange without.

        Local boys Endeavour have 4 RC models for this season. The Colour series for 2010, white with rocker and orange without.

        Stepchilds 2010 line up

        Stepchild's 2010 line up

        32 is in the outerwear business for 2010

        32 is in the outerwear business for 2010

        Sessions has you covered if you forgot the gloves at home.  Just pull out them mitts!

        Sessions has you covered if you forgot the gloves at home. Just pull out them mitts!

        A sampling of the Rome boards. The Design, Graft and Slash from left to right.

        A sampling of the Rome boards. The Design, Graft and Slash from left to right.

        Speaking of Rome, I’ve managed to get my hands on a 2010 Artifact 1985 courtesy of the good folks over at the SDS. Dan and I will be reviewing it in the next couple weeks. Be sure to check back to get the low down on some of next season’s gear.

        2010 Rome Artifact 1985

        2010 Rome Artifact 1985

        See you on the hill,

        Sam


        Going green and a few words

        After the introduction of this years Flat Kick Technology in the limited release of the Horrorscope, FK tech will be introduced in a few more models in Capita’s line next year. 2 of these new boards include the new Directional Pow board, the Charlie Slasher FK which also has an intriguing shape, and the Green Machine, Capita’s take on the Green Movement in the industry, the Green Machine is a centered park influenced board that is available in both camber and reverse camber FK.

        Charlie Slasher FK

        Charlie Slasher FK

        Green Machine FK

        Green Machine FK

        My schedule has been quite hectic, going to school full time and riding 6 days a week takes a major toll on your body and mind. I guess this is just a reminder from personal experience, if you are feeling tired at the end of the day, please don’t go huck yourselves off rails or jumps. Trying to impress someone won’t make you cool. Take it easy and enjoy the last runs of the day, its much better to enjoy snowboarding than to suffer from a stupid fall. Getting hurt is the last thing you want to do after a long and progressive day of riding. Take a breather, fresh legs means stomped landings.

        And…

        Get yourselves up to Grouse Mountain! The parks are going off right now! After the sick boardercross event that took place in the Rookie Terrain Park last week, Grouse Mountain Park Staff have updated the Rookie Park while including some features and concepts from the boardercross course. There are features for every skill level and I’ve never seen the Rookie Park this fun.

        Meanwhile, the Quiksilver Park is going through another park build! Both of Grouse’s famed down flat down rails; the Tram Rail (note the same dimensions as the staircase at the bottom of the tram) and the mellow down flat down are both in and provide much entertainment for everyone. (PS. They are easier than they look.) The 4 jump line is in the process of being completed and should be done by Monday or Tuesday, so if you ever see any Park Staff (Look for their black jackets, blue pants and white helmets), don’t be afraid to go say hi, or ask them to rake a takeoff, and definately say thanks for the wonderful park. A thank you can go a long way in today’s society. Thanks guys!

        Here is a free video from Action Horse Films. Some of you may have seen it and for those that haven’t, you shall now be entertained for 28 minutes and 13 seconds. This free film is funner to watch than more than half of the movies that have a 30 dollar price tag, plus who doesn’t love a movie that contains the vibe of the old Robot Food Movies like Afterbang or Lame. Enjoy!!


        [video]

        Here is the new Teaser for Think Thank’s new movie Cool Story! I’m digging their new approach.

        [youtube=http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=31RyCmnpLfU]

        [video]

        See you on the hill! I love my friends!

        -Dan


        Late Release Capita HORRORSCOPE Flat Kick

        The Horrorscope is Capita’s reverse camber/rocker board for this year. It was a mid season release so these boards were shipped even later than the already late Capita line to stores. These were a very limited run as only 500 were made. I managed to snag one of the first ones without having to pay! Props to Capita for their handling the warrantee on last years Capita Stairmaster, which some of you may or may not know that they had problems with using the wrong epoxy and delaminating topsheets were used as ice breakers around the world.

        Now, to get started, I would classify myself as an above average(not professional by any means) rider. I have ridden all sorts of terrain including groomers, park, deep pow, choppy crud, slush, rocks and hit runs at both Grouse Mountain and Whistler Blackcomb. I have taken it off 20+ foot cliffs and a couple park jumps, but that is because of the lack of tables in the early season, but with the coming jump lines being finalized the horrorscope will soon see its fair share of jumps.

        I am riding Union Forces and Vans dk5 boots with this board.

        The first thing I would like to say is that Capita’s rocker/reverse camber technology is called FLAT KICK technology where there is zero camber (flat) between the inserts, and then kicks up, much like a skateboard.

        flat-kick

        I found the Horrorscope to ride true to its size or even a little smaller. One issue that has risen with all reverse camber boards, is its ability to hold an edge.

        What camber does is it allows you to ‘pop’ out of your carves, and it applies pressure to hold an edge. with reverse camber there is no pressure on the edge, becuase when you stand on a regular camber board, it pushes flat and when you step off, it returns to its original position. This is what gives you ‘pop’ out of your carve. Libtech’s solution to this was magnatraction which give the edge seven edges instead of one.

        I found the horrorscope to hold an edge quite well, but definately noticed that it was not as good as regular camber boards. I find myself washing out but not enough to deter me from wanting to ride the board. It is something you get used to over time.

        Regular camber also gives a board its pop, using the same principle when you apply pressure to the board, when you let go it will want to return to its original position, the faster/more powerful it does this, the more pop it has. Now, this board has ALOT of pop, I find it very very fun, and can load the tail or nose and (n)ollie to the moon. Love this board.

        grab-tindy

        grab TINDY!

        The flex of this board is very similar to that of a stairmaster. The reason it rides like a really soft board is because of the flat kick. The flat kick turns the board in a very soft board, pressing it is like cheating.

        Took it into the pow a whole bunch when it was dumping that week before Christmas. The board is soft, but it handles the pow all right. The flat kick lets the board float with ease, but felt really squirrely goin fast in choppy conditions. I would not want this for a pow specific board at all, it can ride pow for sure, but is a tad soft. It is fine if you want to ride some pow on the side if you are not way past the weight range. I’m 13olbs and on a 148, so for me, it rides like a regular sized snowboard, not a jib board.

         This is a pure park/jib board but is still tons of fun when you take it out. It destroys rails, jibs, bonks, ledges, walls, and bamboo poles.

        Another thing I would like to add is the skate style influence this board has on the rider. With the flat kicks, it is very easy to loop out and landing on the “trucks”/inserts is a must or you will be on your ass alot.

        This is a very fun board and will be a jib board for many people because of its soft flex similar to that of a k2 www, rome artifact or ride kink. Good luck finding some, refer to Sam’s Boards, Boards, Boards! post if you are still looking for one. From what I have heard, the 48 and 56′s sold out in a heartbeat.

        capita-horrorscope

        I love this board, its a great fit for me because I am a small guy, and this board I can take anywhere. For others, pure jib/park specific. This is a very fun, playful and forgiving board. Great for playing around on, not so great for pow or bumps.

        Next review will be for the Bataleon Airobic and TRIPLE BASE TECHNOLOGY! YEAH FOR IT!

        Shout out to grouse local Rodrigo Caula and his fast expanding company: Choice Clothing; get them quick! they are selling out fast!

        CHOICE CHOICE CHOICE

        Another note to add is a friend of mine, Matt Munn from Alberta is putting out webisodes of his snowboarding antics where ever he goes. Check it out, MEAT MAGIC!! check it out!! lots of sick sick riding.

        -Dan Jonas