Random Goodies: Ski Industry Happenings.
Right, time for an update on some happenings in the ski industry.
Here we go!
Dumont Cup
The Dumont Cup course. Click me!
The first ever Dumont Cup is going down this Saturday April 11th at Sunday River, Maine. Hosted by the man himself, Simon Dumont, the competition is open to anyone who thinks they have what it takes to shred with the big boys (big as in ski ability, not necessarily stature, sorry Simon). TJ Schiller, Jossi Wells, Tom Wallisch, Laurent Favre, amongst other super pros, are said to be competing.
The course looks like it will be HUGE. Loaded with everything you would expect from a RedBull/Dumont collaboration; a 70 foot tabletop, 80 foot step down and a few rails for good measure, this looks to be one of the biggest set ups for an open competition to date. The Dumont Cup will undoubtedly be a good show.
Nine Knights
Last years winner Henrik Harlaut (red and white) and Oscar Sherlin slaying the 2008 setup. Photo: newschoolers.com
If Maine is a little too far for you to go to compete, you may want to nix this next competition too. The Nine Knights, hosted by Nico Zacek, will be taking place April 13 – 18 in Nebelhorn, Germany. Last year, the Nine Knights had one of the coolest set-ups (read: wicked cool snow sculpture) ever built.
This years setup looks to be a pretty large step above last years. The snow castle comes complete with its headline feature, a massive step over jump, two quarter pipes (with a channel gap inbetween), a hip jump, a rail feature, and what looks to be a spine. Ohh…and a loop. A Loop? Like JP Auclair circa Propaganda? Yep a loop! This one should be very cool. Options galore! Check out an interview with Nico Zacek about the up comming event.
Superunknown VI Winner
Superunknown VI winner Niklas Eriksson. Photo: level1productions.com
Level 1 Productions have finally reached a decision on this years Superunknown winner. Much to the dismay of the 100 or so other entrants, Niklas Eriksson took this years title. Niklas’ smooth style, technical prowess, and most notabily his performance at this years JOI, helped him to land the title. Big things are expected for the up and commer. Word is he has some pretty nast double flips. Check his latest edit, Superunknown entry video, and what John Symms had to say about the win over at ESPN.
Chris Benchetler Interview
Mr. Benchetler. Photo: downdays.eu
Atomic pro and Nimbus rider, Chris Benchetler recently participated in a rather interesting interview with the folks at downdays.eu. Benchetler spoke (or didn’t) about his new skis, injuries, his season and more. If only more interviews were done like this…what a refreshing change from the ordinary. If you liked the Benchetler interview, check out these interviews with Euro freeskier, Tobi Reindl, and Banana Man!
Remember to check out Benchetler in all the Nimbus webisodes as they continue to drop over the season.
Well, that’s all for now. Get out on your shred machines while Grouse Mountain is still truckin!
-cj
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Slum Dog Illionaire – Simon Dumont
For those of you hungry for some park footage, check Simon Dumont as he regains some street cred in his latest edit, Slum Dog Illionaire. Love him or hate him, the kid shreds hard.
See what others are saying about it over at newschoolers.com
Everyday is a Saturday
So for those who havent heard, old local Jeff Thomas and his Theory 3 Media have merged with Johnny Decesare and Poor Boyz Productions. They now go under the name of just Poor Boyz Productions. Anyways… Here is a new half season trailer of their new movie “Everyday is a Saturday” . It looks as if they have spotted the most gnar skiers for this years motion picture. The biggest names in skiing Tanner Hall, Simon Dumont, Sammy Carlson, Anthony Boronowski along with the new famous up comer Nick Martini.
Heres the trailer; I’m sure you can decide for yourself.
XGames Judging
For those of you who caught the X Games ski big air, you will know what I’m talking about. If not, this is a good summary of the night for skiers.
For the first time ever in the X Games, the judging of the big air, both snowboard and ski, was to be done not by a panel of judges, but by the public viewing the event. The votes would be measured by text messages received from the viewing audience. I’m guessing you can see where this is going…
In the snowboard category, Travis Rice, being the sole American competitor in the event, had little to worry about that night, claiming “America’s got my back”. And right he was. An entirely American crowd of teenage boys and girls showed little to no compassion for Rice’s competition, clearly the better side. This article explains how the prejudiced judging went down.
On the ski side, it was the same. Simon Dumont, the lone American, had little to do but show up in order to get his gold medal. The degree of difficulty and execution of his tricks were nothing compared to that of his competitors. In the Jan 24th episode (Big air practice) of Jon Olsson’s videoblog, he predicts Simon will win the contest with a superman double front flip, clearly a crowd pleaser. Sure enough, despite PK Hunder’s amazing double 12′s, and Jon’s switch double 10 (with afterbang thank you), Simon walked away with the gold. Here is another good summary of this debatable topic.
Anyways thought I’d share that with you. Nonetheless, Simon was kind enough to donate his winnings to his injured friend Riley Poor, which in the end was a very thoughtful move. Perhaps a new judging system is to be thought of?
I currently am searching for a petition of some sort showcasing the redundancy of this text-based voting system and will share when found.
CAM
Photo: Bennylin0724 on Flickr