Articles

Journey to Le Massif

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 11:47:00 -0500

By: Erik Olson

Watching the weather is essential for the powder craved skier. During the winter months it’s pretty typical for me to be checking the various weather service websites multiple times a day in hopes of finding some clues to where and when those heavy snowfalls are predicted to take place. In mid March a large system was full of moisture and tracking into Ontario and Quebec. This system would be missing New England as it headed too far north.

As I came to the conclusion that I wouldn’t be skiing anything fresh that weekend my phone is rang and it was Geoff. Now from experience, when Geoff is calling and there is a major snow storm barreling down somewhere on the east, I usually know what I’m in store for… The oh so familiar, flying by the seat of your pants, last minute, adventure into the unknown.

The group consisted of the meatboss/Geoff, photographer Dan Brown, fellow Line shredder Jeff Curry and myself. On the drive up it was clear that this region had been getting pounded with snow. Quebec City was pretty much buried and as we continued on the snow banks that lined the highway seemed to only get larger along the way.

When we arrived to Le Massif, we had just enough time to get a few runs in and learn our way around the mountain. The staff at Le Massif was very receptive to us and offered early access the next morning. On top of early access, we were going to be guided around the mountain by Jean-Luc Brassard (Olympic medalist/mogul champion).

That afternoon we retreated to the nearby port village of Baie St- Paul which would provide our shelter for the brewing storm. We awoke pre-sunrise the next morning and were met at the door with a chest high snow drift blocking the exit.

As we drove out of the Baie St-Paul, we came upon a local highway worker who communicated to us via hand signals and broken English(about as poor as our French) that the highway was closed and he didn’t think it was opening anytime soon. The fast thinking leader of the group and pilot of our Subaru told the worker that we would just go up ahead to turn around. Without a second of hesitation, Geoff gunned the meatwagon and made a run for Le Massif! After all, we had fresh snow and early access waiting for us. We didn’t come all this way to let fresh pow get cut up while we waited the storm out in town.

Well, it turns out we were pretty much the first and only people at the resort for quite some time. When we finally met up with Jean-Luc he gave us the low down on the situation. Due to the blizzards conditions most of the employees hadn’t made it to the mountain yet and the lifts were on hold. Instead of waiting around, the Le Massif team arranged for some laps with snowmobile tows until they officially got the chairs running.

Over the next couple of days, Jean-luc and another local guided our crew around the mountain and showed us what the mountain had to offer. Le Massif is definitely one of the most unique mountains on the east. The trails practically run right down to the Saint Lawrence River and start about 2,500ft. above.

This creates amazing views of the seaway from anywhere on the mountain. A considerable amount of terrain is devoted to glades and natural bump runs. Over all, I was really impressed with Le Massif and highly recommend it to anyone who gets the opportunity to shred with the Quebecois.

Kaufman's Migration

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 13:00:00 -0500

As eastern skiers, we know all too well the allure of deeper snow, a lack of rain in the winter and lofty peaks. Each year many of our brethren succumb to this pull and head west. Sure it’s tough when we lose the young talent to our movie makers in the Rockies, but there are other folks that we’d like to keep around too. Alas…

So AK, I hear you went west in April of last year after Heat Harvest 3, the Eastern Superpark. How was it?
It was a blast. My wife and I were slated to hit up Tahoe for a week, but they had gone 40 days without snow. Since the only thing we had reserved was our rental car, and being interested in getting some non-eastern conditions, we drove north from Oakland. 9 hours north. We caught some sleep in the car somewhere on I-5 and ended up in Bend, Oregon the next day. Found some wi-fi and got ourselves a place to crash. Oregon was getting 4-6” a night for few days in a row so we were amped. We hit up Meadows on day one and Mount Bachelor on day two. My ski pants were MIA on day one so I manned up and did a powder day on tele skis in jeans. It was strangely liberating.

We were both amazed with Bend. It’s so rare to have an actual city (by ski resort standards) in such an amazing location. I’ve lived in ski towns east and west and this is one of the few that I’d want to raise a family in. Mount Bachelor is about the skiing (not fuzzy boots and goofy spa treatments) and Bend is a real town with a vibe all its own. That’s what appeals to me in our sport. Bachelor was more powder on day two and I got a chance to meet some of the staff. We headed south from there for the second half of our week, back to Tahoe where I had some tickets that needed to be used. Caught up with some former colleagues and wrapped up the week in Napa Valley, which made Laura happy.

What’s new at Sunday River these days?
Plenty. The Chondola is being installed as I type and the mountain bike park is back in business. The Resort is coming off a great year and has more to come in front of it.

Anything more to say about that?
Nope.

Why not?
Sorry man, but I’m headed west. I just accepted the Director of Marketing role at Mount Bachelor in Oregon. Now I have to sell my house and move my stuff. Big fun.

What about Heat Harvest?
Well you guys played as big a role in that event as I did. It’ll be up to Sunday River to operate as they see fit. I think it had a good run either way. I like to think that it did what we intended. Eastern skiers got exposure and made names for themselves. 3 years ago when Ahmet killed it and we told the world, it was good for the east. Same for LJ getting two full pages in Skiing Mag. Shea got a ridiculous 3 page spread in his local paper. Justin Perry at HH3 was just one of many eastern shreds who have come and conquered over the years to get noticed. Of course Sunday River seemed to like the results too. But things need to keep changing to stay on the edge.

Mount Bachelor eh? Things been a little bumpy there lately?
That’s true. I’m a student of the industry and have been following their moves for a few years, even more so recently. I wouldn’t be going there if I wasn’t sure it could be dialed. It’s been a while since the mountain and the city have been on the same page. It’s led to both sides talking at each other instead of with one another. That’s not my style, nor the new style I’m being brought into. I’ll talk to anyone who wants to talk to me, as I have shown over the last 5 years in the east. You’d be hard pressed to find a resort rep as comfortable dealing with guests online, in person or otherwise. I’m a known commodity that has been literally raised by the ski industry over the last 15 years. The skiing is and will continue to be epic at Mount Bachelor; it’s the delivery of it we’re poised to tackle. 08-09 season passes have been announced and guess what – they cost less now. It’ll be a step by step thing. But that’s a pretty appealing first step for everyone.

What’s it like preparing to move across the country on short notice?
It’s wild. We are going to have a massive yard sale this weekend. I’m going to give away free hot dogs – it might help. We’ll have the ping pong table setup (for sale) in the front yard if anyone thinks they have game. I’ll also be flying out to Bend for a few days in the middle of August to get some balls rolling. We hope to be fully moved in early September. Our dog will enjoy Oregon, but we’re not sure our cat will survive the Oregon Trail experience in the car. It isn’t that major for me, but it’s a little daunting for Laura since she’s lived in the east her whole life. The new GM out at Bachelor is a guy I have looked up to for a while (he would call a spade a spade on ASC conference calls when no one else would) and apparently he’s dug the work I have done too. There will be a press release on all this once I get out there, but since I know the internet waits for no one, I wanted to say hello to the west and goodbye to the east. Needless to say, it’s an exiting time and I don’t get a lot of sleep.

Is this the last we will see of you?
Never say never, but I plan to take my act to Bend for a very long run. Come and visit. I visited Bend and months later I’m moving there. I have seen my fair share of mountain towns, so that says a lot.

Will you accept this honorary Meat badge?
With pride. The Rooster and Geoff show is unmatched!

More history of AK can be found in this story from Dec. of 2007 by Mike Rogge.
http://www.newschoolers.com/web/content/news/news_id/1754/

Don’t miss Meathead Films upcoming release "Head for the Hills" with exclusive action from Sunday River’s Heat Harvest 3 - the Eastern Superpark. Trailer coming soon to www.meatheadfilms.com (we swear!).

One Last Weekend

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 07:31:00 -0500

By Will Wesson

The last lift serviced skiing in Vermont this year was available at Jay Peak and Sugarbush. After a great snow year, the most dedicated skiers made it out for one last wet, foggy weekend of skiing. Radio Ron and the Hammer were obviously in attendance... Andy, Geoff and myself joined them for some fun at the Bush.

Check out the video I edited:

With a few trails to play on, the group split in two: bumps and jumps. The bump crew no doubt consisted of Radio Ron, the Hammer and friends. The jumpers were Geoff, Andy, and myself... all skiboarding.

There were no big jumps to play on, so we had no choice but to scale down everything including our skis. Skiboards were the perfect answer to our problem. Suddenly a bump became equivalent to a 10 ft table and a log on the ground was a rail. When we got bored with skiboarding on snow, we picked out lines in the grass between snow patches.

Late in the day, Andy decided to lead us down a patchy looking trail on which the snow ended about a fourth of the way down. Geoff found out the hard way how extreme skiboarding can get when he ripped open a scab on the decent.

On Sunday, we came prepared. With shovels and salt, we built jump after jump going down on the side of the trail until we had our own personal slopestyle course. It started with a 3 pack of jumps followed by a flat section for buttering into two log grinds and a couple more jumps. Backflips, frontflips, side flips and many, many crashes went down over the course of the day.

The mogul diehards lapped Stein over and over. Rain and low visibility only momentarily slowed the 20 or so bumpers. The end of the day brought epic mogul runs with the Hammer and Radio Ron, both in top form, laying down perfect lines to finish up the season.

Gettin' Down with Sundown

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0500

By: Erik Olson

April greeted New England with warm temperatures and abundant sunshine, perfect for a spring park shoot. After some quick organizing by the meatboss, Ski Sundown was ready to offer its services and build some custom park features for our own private shoot. Leaving from the Meathead HQ in Burlington, Geoff, Andy Parry “with an A”, Shea Flynn, and myself gathered our gear and headed down to Connecticut for a few days of filming.

Day 1

Even though Sundown was technically closed for the season they decide to run a chair for us which was pretty awesome to say the least. The first feature was an eight pack of mini booters that was built the night before. This kept us busy while the park crew was working on setting up the infamous Ski Sundown U rail, which had a pretty good sized gap to the landing. After Shea owned the mini line with his every variation of a flip run, we moved to the up rail. This was the kind of feature that you either landed or you ate tons of shit on. With that being said, it wasn’t too long until almost everyone had called it quits. Shea, who was determined to land his trick, took about 10 more laps than anyone else.

Day2

On the second day our goal was to transform the rail feature into a super poppy table. After a few hours with the cat and shovels, the transformation had taken place. We successfully recycled a feature, Meatheads go Green! We were even able to get this crazy old boom crane on the deck, allowing Geoff to be perched in a bucket 20 feet up getting shots. Everyone was psyched on the jump and even the sore Andy Parry couldn’t resist after he had declared that he was sitting this feature out.

After several hours and a few minor modifications the session then began to fizzle out. As the light faded away it was time to position the boom crane and for Andy to perform the world’s largest Treecrest! Personally, I thought the idea was kind of crazy but it worked out and the session end with a bang. Huge thanks to Jarrod for his accommodations and everyone at Sundown for all their efforts in putting on a successful shoot!

The K2 Tall Mountain Expedition

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:34:00 -0500

Dave Watson leaves for Pakistan this Wednesday as a member of the K2 Tall Mountain Expedition. He plans to climb both Broad Peak and K2 (the world's second tallest mountain).

K2: The ultimate high altitude mountain

Watson has appeared in a host of Meathead movies, including Epoch, Born from Ice, and Wanderland. Dave was also a ski patroller at Smuggler's Notch, VT for several winters.

Dave on the summit of Everest in 2006

While thousands of people have climbed Mt. Everest (Dave has done it TWICE), fewer than three hundred have successfully summited K2. Watson plans to bring his tele skis along to ski portions of the K2 descent. Without a doubt this will be one of the gnarliest things ever done by any member of Meathead crew.

Dave’s team also includes Chuck Boyd, a ski patroller and AMGA member from Connecticut. Chuck helped supervise the park shoot we set up this April at Ski Sundown in New Hartford, CT. The remaining members of the expedition include Dr. Paul Alberti, Andy Selters, Brian Block, and Dan McCann. They will first climb Broad Peak (the 12th highest peak in the world) as a "warm up" and to get acclimatized.

Dave graciously took the time for a quick interview with us while he finished up last minute trip preparations:

What are the approximate dates that you'll actually be on Broad Peak and K2?

Dave: We leave the US on June 11 and come home September 4. We'll be at the mountains from June 22 untill the end of August.

What modes of transportation will you use to reach the base of the peaks? How long will that take and how far will you travel after you arrive in Islamabad?

Dave: From Islamabad we drive 24 hours on the Karakoram Highway to reach the trailhead. From there it is 80 kilometers to walk to base camp.

Why is the weather on Everest better to summit with in May and K2 better in July/ August?

Dave: The weather on Everest is very stable and predictable so there is consistantly a window that opens mid May to June. K2's weather is crap all of the time and there are no predictable windows. So you go there to climb during the warmest months, June, July and August.

What are you most excited about on this expedition?

Dave: Skiing! I am so excited to be going to K2 to ski. The shoulder looks like an amazing slope perched high on K2. I think that I have now over taken McConkey as the "Most stoked person to ever have lived."

What are you most scared of?

Dave: Bin Laden's crew f***ing it up for us. Seriously, the Taliban. The mountain will be fine.

How sketchy is traveling in Pakistan?

Dave: I think it will be fine. It is always hard to get a hold of the true details from the American media.

What makes K2 more difficult than Everest?

Dave: The weather. The route I climbed on Everest was more tech than this route that I plan to ski.

Will you use oxygen to climb and ski? How is high altitude skiing different than normal?

Dave: I am bringing O2. I won't use it on Broad but will most likely use it on K2. High Altitude skiing is difficult because of fatigue and the fact that you can't breathe. Try doing a trampoline workout while drunk and holding your breath, then add in some no-fall ski terrain. It's a bitch, but incredibly rewarding.

Has anyone skied K2 before?

Dave: There have been a couple of guys that have skied lower parts of the mountain, but Hans Kammerlander is the only person to have skied up high. There is controversy about where he skied down from. Being the first doesn't matter to me, I just want to ski around on K2. The upper mountain looks so sweet!

What attracts you to the Himalayas?

Dave: The culture, the vibe, the raddest mountains on Earth.

We want to wish Dave and the whole crew the best of luck and a safe trip! Make some turns for us.

Learn more and show your support for the K2 Tall Mountain Expedition at: http://www.k2tallmountain.com/

Make sure to follow along all summer on the their blog: http://www.k2tallmountain.com/blog/K2%20Tall%20Mountain/Welcome.html

Trees, Rails, and a Big Pile of Poop

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 11:59:00 -0500

Written by Will Wesson

So it was mid March, my senior year of college and only a few months left till the dreaded "real world." Woooooo... Spring Break! Partyyyyyyy! Beaches, girls, alcohol, party like there's no tomorrow.... right?

Wrong. Instead of spending my last school break ever in Cancun, Jamaica or Panama City, I chose a slightly less glamorous and far more affordable setting: Western New York. Home, sweet home. Andy "the wizard" Parry, Tyler "treecrest" Secrest, and myself decided to drive from Burlington, VT to home in New York after hearing of decent snow levels on the urban frontier.

After meeting up with our good buddies Giray "boner jams" Dadali and Geoff "Meathead" McDonald, we were off. For the first couple days, Andy, Tyler and I sessioned some trees in odd ways. Then it happened. The jump of poop. Hours and hours using pitchforks and shovels yielded one of if not the world's first real pooper park booter. Literally a 45ft table of rotting leaves, garbage and mulch. It smelled fantastic! Tyler and I hit it a couple times each and that was enough for us.

Luckily, the courageous Andy and lionhearted Giray triumphed over adversity and slayed the beast like it was nothing. Keep and eye out for the Giray Dadali Invitational next year in Rochester, NY on the Cobbs Hill Park poop pile.

Next up was a little trip west to Buffalo, NY, birth place of the chicken wing and home to a few very kinky rails. Giray shook off some somersaults in the stairs and cleaned the rail first. Unfortunately during the second rail we hit, Andy had a run-in with some concrete and had to sit the rest of the night out.

That was it for New York. You know it was a good trip when you drive home sore, bruised, and exhausted. Until next time, keep it crazy real.

Big Burly Cannon Mtn.

Fri, 16 May 2008 16:39:00 -0500

By: Geoff McDonald

Cannon Mtn. is the hardest of the hardcore backcountry skiing resorts in New Hampshire. The mountain is huge, the runs are steep, the trees are tight (compared to many Vermont resorts) and the weather can be brutal. If you time it right though, it can be amazing. With some snow in the forecast and having had success filming for “Wanderland” there last year, we were lured back in early February to explore the terrain with Stacey Rachdorf, Erik Olson and a few knowledgeable locals.

Arriving mid morning on a grey day, we talked it over with Stacey and decided to drive about 1/2 hour further to Crawford Notch and ski a chute that he’d been eyeing in the fall. A couple ice climbers had the same idea and had already started a boot pack so it was easy ascending up the twisting riverbed.

This was my first day shooting with 16mm film and it was difficult getting used to the weight of the all-metal Bolex camera. Our plastic Sony HD cameras are like a feather compared to that thing!

So after breaking my back to reach the top Stacey and Erik shredded some beautiful turns for the 2,000 lb. camera. The chute narrowed and turned towards the bottom and we got some good shots airing off the boulders in the riverbed.

Day 2 was a full on assault on Cannon. With the help of about 10 in. of new snow and Stacey’s local buddy we found lots of nice terrain. Much of the mountain has a consistent steep pitch and made for some crazy shots of skiing the narrow trees. Both Stacey and Erik layed down some sweet lines through the woods…

Apparently a lot of other people were out enjoying the backwoods of Cannon like we were because by our third day, untouched pow was getting hard to find. The well known areas like Mittersill had been totally played out so Stacey took us to some secret spots where we schralped some cliffs and bushy tree lines.

All in all a productive three day trip. Stacey and Erik hammered out some more backcountry footage for "Head for the Hills," I eventually adjusted to the new camera, and Cannon once again proved it’s gnarliness.

Meatheads in Aspen?

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 09:46:00 -0600

Why would we ever go out West? To celebrate the East of course! Wanderland was nominated for two Powder Video Awards (“Best Powder” for Jay Bowen and Stacey Rachdorf in the Stowe segment and “Best Jib” for Pat Cowan’s crazy long/ unstable kinked rail). With the awards ceremony being held at the Hotel Jerome in downtown Aspen on Jan. 26, we knew we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to go out and represent our region to the rest of the ski world.

After a full day of flying on Friday, we were greeted at the Aspen airport by our longtime amigo and former roommate, Chester Areson. As a ski patroler for Aspen Highlands, Chester stands as a pillar of the community in Aspen. So it was with no surprise that we headed to his condo overlooking the infamous Ajax mountain and all of downtown. Chester lives right next door to Bryce Kellogg!!

Anywho, Saturday was bluebird and with the help of some coupons we only had to fork over half of a small fortune to ski at Aspen Highlands for the day. Chester was patrolling but managed to scrap some time off and led us up into the Highland Bowl immediately. Neither Rooster nor I thought much of the hike until we were gasping for breath. Altitude was the culprit… we may have been in great shape but we weren’t ready for the 12,392 ft. of altitude. Soon we were at the top, however, and schralped down the face and into the woods. Not as steep as Tuckerman’s, but a still a rush.

CHECK OUT THIS SICK VIDEO!!!!!!!!

The Powder Video Awards ceremony was a raucous good time with open bar for the first hour or so and pretty much everyone in the ski movie industry was there. We didn’t win our categories but it was sweet to partake in the event and know that Eastern skiers and terrain can hold it down with the best in the world! As a bonus, we were graced with the presence of Meathead athletes Stacey Rachdorf and Shea Flynn who added to our East Coast representation and level of rowdiness. Thanks to Powder Mag for throwing an event to celebrate all the hard work the ski movie producers and athletes put in every sesason.

The next day was spent at Snowmass, which was a flat mountain for the most part. There were sections of super gnarly terrain and some dope pillow lines but accessing them was difficult since we had no idea where to go. We did find some cool mini lines to ski though and spent most of the day in anticipation for the forecasted overnight storm coming…

Monday was the day. It had snowed 20" in 24 hours and kept dumping all day. Rooster, Shea (out there for the Aspen Open and U.S. Open), my buddy Mike Flood (from Superior, CO) and myself shredded the steep and deep at Highlands from open to close. Check out the pics.

Tuesday was sunny and more of the same deep powder. So in celebration, Mike and I busted out the one-pieces for some Aspen Extreme flavor. Mule kicks and Zutnicks were highlight tricks off the cat tracks. I think we passed tryouts for the Ashpin Ski School, reminiscent of TJ Burke and Dexter Rutecki.

Overall, it was a sick trip but we had to scramble back on Wednesday in order to continue production on our new East Coast Ski Thriller. With record snowfall this year and more in the forecast, we can’t wait to show the world once again that the East Coast is where it’s at!

Great Grinding in the Granite State

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 10:41:00 -0600

As told by: Andy Parry

Hello again! Just got back from our second New Hampshire urban trip, and with more meatheads along for the ride even more radical tricks got thrown down. This trip we headed out with the talent: Willy Wesson and Rossario Imburgia, along with the fantastic photographic skills of C. Nelson James. We all headed out of Burlington on Thursday after noon with two cars packed full with lights, generator, cameras, boots and too many pairs of skis. Our first stop was back to Manchester, NH to meet up with Richie Paradise and of course the ever illusive Joe Joe Ciprari.

With all of us pumped to ski, Richie lead us to a massive wall ride that he had set up days before. The jump and landing needed a little TLC and after an hour or so of work the session took off. By the end of the night Ross had laid down some insane tricks including ginormous corked spins off the wall, while Richie boosted higher then anyone with some stylie 180’s. With snow/ rain forecasted for the next morning we all went to bed unsure of what tomorrow would bring… turned out to be rain.

However the weather changed quickly and by the time we where outside of Boston it had cleared up and the sun was shining. The rain, sun and warm weather had killed almost all the snow in the city so we had to scrape together what we could and get ready to hit a long elbow kinking rail. After many hours Will was the only one to prevail, and as the sun started to set we all headed down into the heart of the city for some much needed nourishment. That night after a short trip to Salem NH and a down rail we booked it back to Manchester where we spent the night in a super sketchy motel with no hot water and a distinct smell of mold.

Still extremely sore from the past two days we headed to a bomb drop where we met up with Forrest Frizzle and Austin Holt. After some crazy tricks we moved on to a wooden down rail where Devin Flynn (Shea’s bro) showed us all up both 270s out and both switch ups.

After making short work of the wooden rail we drove to UNH to hit a 6 kink that we had been booted from a week before. After that we needed sleep badly and made our way to the Colburn’s house in Concord, NH where we enjoyed the amazing movie: Snakes on a Plane, and a homemade waffle breakfast courtesy of the ever-generous Mr. and Mrs. Colburn.

This weekends adventure came a close with some weird kinky rails at a private school near the Colburn’s and a famously red colored down flat down rail at a school in Manchester. A celebratory feast at Boston Market was just the thing to finish up the trip, plus we found out the Patriots won and are going to the Super Bowl!

Manchvegas Mission

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 15:28:00 -0600

As Told by Andy Parry

The only predictable part about the East Coast is that it’s unpredictable. With a great winter thus far and an outstanding base around the Burlington area, fog, rain and unseasonably warm weather for multiple days killed all of our local jibbing aspirations.

However not all the east was feeling the crunch and in true Meatheads fashion we packed up the Subaru and headed out in search for snow. Geoff and I left warm and sunny Burlington on Thursday morning to meet up with Richie Paradise and “The Illusive” Joe Joe in Manchester. After some car trouble, a close brush with the 5-0 and a few wrong turns we reached Manchester, and to our surprise, a plentiful amount of snow.

Being on top of their urban game, Richie and Joe Joe already had numerous rails all set up and ready to slay. With only a few hours of sun light we headed to a park near Richie's house that had a disconnected C-rail with a bridge at the end. After multiple crashes and all of us smashing our nuts, we walked away satisfied and eager for more jibbing.

The sun had set and after a short tour of the many rails in Manchester we followed Richie and Joe Joe to a mellow down flat down. The rail looked trickable enough but the mellowness of the rail and the lack of speed made tech tricks hard to get. Wasting no time, Richie around his 8th or so hit stomped front side switch up pretzel 450 out. However the rest of the night was full of frustration and after 5 hours on the rail we left to get some much needed sleep.

The next day we woke up and after a quick stop to an apartment complex with a double gap rail we headed to UNH to meet up with Shea Flynn, Pat Colburn and Forrest Frizzle. Setting up in a high bust area right in front of the UNH book store Shea, Forrest and I spent the rest of the night attacking a steep quad kink.

The next morning after only a few short hours of sleep we went out to find some more rails on UNH campus. Unfortunately, our aspiration to slay some more rails was cut short by the lack of snow and a googley eyed security guard. All in all, the trip was well worth it, and with more snow in the forecast for Manchester and UNH we are sure to head back soon.

John Strenio: The Interview

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 07:00:00 -0600

How are your knees doing? They were giving you some pain this past season…

My knees are doing all right; I partially tore part of my meniscus back in January and was out for 2 months. I've been running 3 miles every day for the last 50 days or so and though running is supposed to be bad for your knees, I think its really actually helped. I'm also taking some supplementary pills, I'm pulling out all the stops. I'm having a minor surgery in a few weeks where they put a fiber optic camera in your knee so that they can 100% accurately determine the problem and possible solutions. I'll definitely be pushing it this winter; just how hard is yet to be determined.

Do you think it was from too much freestyle walking?

Ha-ha, no, though I'm sure it was a contributing factor, but I'm stubborn with things like that. I should be able to do what I want with my body as long as it's healthy, but I'm realizing that that's not a reality. I think 18 is the "my body is made of rubber" cut-off. Ha

Didn’t you do a solo skydive this summer?

YES! I've wanted to go skydiving for as long as I remember, and when I got back from Cali, I realized I was finally old enough to do it. They offered I a tandem or AFF (advanced free-fall) program. I decided that if I was going to be droppin', I wanted to be somewhat free, and it also counts towards getting your license. I would highly recommend skydiving, the first 10 seconds of free-fall is indescribable, I thought, I would have some kind of idea of what it would be like jumping off lots of different kinds of stuff and all; but it just blew me away...if you're reading this, you should check them out, they're super fun and safe people that are all about skydiving. It’s VTskydiving.com.

Do you actually “hate” Will Wesson, or is it a joke in order to create buzz and media attention?

Hate (verb)- to dislike intensely or passionately; feel extreme aversion for or extreme hostility toward.
Will Wesson (noun)- one who clucks often, who disperses feathers frequently, TO BE A CHICKEN...I HATE HIM! I HATE HIM I HATE HIM I HATE HIM!!!!

What was the most fun you had with skis on your feet this past winter?

Ew, this is always a really tough question, I'm going to have to say it's a tie between going to Newfoundland and going to mammoth. The beginning of Newfie was rough for me because me knees were really hurting me, but they randomly started feeling better and pretty much the climax of my life was the day we built the BC jump; watching the sun set over the glistening ice on the distant ocean while being towed up by a snowmobile to hit a jump built just for me and a group of good friends. Couldn't ask for anything better. Also mammoth because it was the end of the season and we had no obligations. It was our last Hurrah! It was skiing in its most pure form, fun. So laid back, yet Will and me still learned a lot.

Burlington, VT is consistently voted one of the best places to live in the country. What makes it so great?

All the possibilities! You can literally do anything in Burlington... well almost. There are the mountains, there's the lake, a small downtown area, there’s lot of
wilderness. I just love it.

Where are you working this summer?

Ha-ha "The Shanty". It's an old restaurant on Burlington’s waterfront that's actually really popular. I'm pumped though, because I'm a prep cook, which means I'm moving up in life, ha-ha. It’s a pretty easy job and I'm only working for a month total because I have to go to school.

Your “Extreme Summer Training” bonus feature in “Snow Gods” was voted best bonus feature of the year by an independent international council. Was that fun to make and why do you think it was popular?

No way? That’s neat. It was super fun to make! I think it was so popular because it was all the highlights of my summer life without the bad times and it really shows how much skiing related stuff you can do in the summer, if you're creative, and once again, Burlington is dope; plus Geoff McDonald can make mopping a floor seem fun!

You and Will Wesson both have some amazing urban skiing stunts on film for Wanderland. Tell us a story behind one of them…

Let's see, the obvious one that comes to mind, is the Smuggs/Stowe urban session. We had just gotten back from Newfie and I had been telling Geoff and Rooster about a really mellow down rail that we used to do when we were younger at Smuggs in the condos so we decided to check it out. Will and I sessioned that thing for like 2 hours straight, just doing every possible trick we could think of... then we went to Stowe at like 6 or 7pm and setup this crazy down, flat, left kink, down rail that was absolutely burley. I didn't think it was going to happen. I was testing the speed first hit, and landed on the cheese grater stairs which I didn't think was going to be a problem, but it left core shots and held so tight that I flipped over (moving at like 2mph) and landed on my side which left gaping bloody gashes in the sides of my leg. (You could grate cement with these steps) this unmotivated me even more. Why would they make stairs "sharp"? If an old woman tripped, she'd probably have her hands sliced off trying to stop her fall. Anyway; we start seasoning this thing, I'm not really feeling it, kind of just entertaining myself, while Will starts to get into it. Geoff then tells us the first one to get it gets a woopie pie. Its pitch-black out and I'm really cold, I don't really care about the stupid woopie pie though at this point I was seriously trying to get the rail. Then Will got it.... and I lost it. He was done and I was left hiking that stupid rail and my body kicked into some kind of crazy overdrive. I started sprinting up the rail over and over and over. I probably spent an hour hitting it non-stop; maybe 50 attempts on it. I remember I got a cramp... from hiking a rail ha-ha that was a first. I got it to regular once and to switch a couple of times, they gave me props but the chicken (Will) got 270 out and so I had to as well. Finally, cold, tired, and like 5 hours after we had shown up to hit this rail, I got the 270 and we left. Stupid Will Wesson. O but it was still real fun.

You like to ski for the fun of it and for no other reason. Discuss…

It's really simple actually. Skiing is an activity. When we are little our parents take us because they enjoy it and they want to enlighten us. Then if we find it fun, we continue to do it...."if we find it fun" no one forces us to ski. If you're constantly getting pissed off because of skiing DONT SKI! I ski a lot because I think it's really fun as do most that ski a lot. Because I like skiing so much, it pains me to see people struggle with skiing so much to "be the best". I just laugh at them because what’s that going to do for you once you are? You can strive to be the best because it's fun, but don't waste your precious time on the mountain worrying about getting "good" or "sponsored", they can't enjoy skiing like you can. Instead enjoy learning a new trick and pushing yourself physically and mentally. I guess its not that I that you should ski for fun, maybe it’s that I think you should live for fun. Enjoy life.

How’s your dog, Snowy, doing?

Eh not bad, he's an old fella. He got like 7 more teeth pulled so he doesn't stink anymore, no more rotting teeth. We're thinking about getting another dog so he doesn't get so bored.

What makes Smuggler’s Notch your favorite place to ski in the East?

It's my home. The friends, the memories, the ridiculously good and untapped skiing. On a powder day there's nowhere else I'd rather be on the east, not even Jay Peak. I know the mountain back and front. The woods are just amazing. It's so unrecognized that you can have most of the good spots completely to yourself, and there are definitely a few. I've done a lot of exploring and I honestly believe a day at Smuggs can be better than a day at Alta.

How many times have you jumped off the Winooski river bridge this summer?

Actually not that many, maybe like 50 times. I jumped a lot in the beginning of the summer, but then it got really rainy for a while and the river was too haggard... and then I got a job. Though we did setup a rope swing, which was mad fun, and we did that a bunch. If you include the rope swing I would up the jumps to about 100. It's a real fun spot with lots of options. I actually made a little edit of it.

Any shout outs?

The Fam, (Mom Dad Jacki Theresa), Burlington kids who I've shredded with since I was 10, all the Meatheads I skied with this year, we had some REALLY good times, I hate NY kids, 4bi9 out in Utah, and everyone I lived with and skied with out in Utah. And Especially Geoff and Rooster for showing me places I've never seen before and letting me ski there. Thanks everyone! -LJ

Nick Martini: Shaken, not Stirred

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 16:00:00 -0600

You’re a soldier out on the hill, always hiking for one more hit. What drives you to do that?

Well, I just think that skiing is all about practice, the more you do something the better you get at it. And when that work pays off and you stomp the trick you want it the best feeling in the world. That’s why I like skiing so much.

That was a sick jump you built at your high school this past winter. What was the deal with that and what did it take to make that happen

We had been eyeing the site for the jump for a couple years but we never really had the time or snow to really make it happen. Over the past couple years a lot of brush grew on the landing of the site so it was impossible to hit. This Fall we got together a crew with some clippers and saws and went out on a couple separate occasions to clear out the in run and landing. By the time ski season rolled around we were anxious to finally hit it up, but there was just no snow at all for the first couple months,
so when our one big storm rolled in we wasted no time building the jump. And who better to come film an epic east coast BC sesh than the Meatheads? Shea, Tyler, Pat, and I ended up having a super fun sesh and i think we
all get some dope shots. But I guess you would have to buy the movie to see...

Who is the crew that you mainly ride with?

I ski out of Waterville Academy, so i ski with that whole crew a lot - Hathaway, Morrison, Warnick, Pothier, etc... But I also travel a lot so I get to ski with a bunch of different people. I really like riding out in CO with my brother Alex and Matt Walker. But most of my ski friends are from around the east coast, like Shea, Brady Perron and the 4bi9 kids.

Where do you ski mostly?

During the week at school i ski at Waterville Valley, then ill go where ever to film or compete on the weekends. This year i also got to ride alot in CO and made way down to mammoth and out to whistler.

What’s a weakness in your skiing that you hope to dial in this season?

I really wanna work on pipe skiing. There arn't many good ones around here. I am awful and i dont like it that much, but i think it would be super fun to get good at.

What did you think of Heat Harvest II at Sunday River? Did you learn anything new?

Heat Harvest II was hands down one of the sickest "Events/Shoots" of the year. Super Fun crowd and awesome set up. I learned cab 10 true nose, and cab 10 mute to op blunt, which were both cool tricks to get. Also, everyone someday should see the footy of Joe Joe and Richies rap battle that went down one night in the hotel room, so classic.

What have you been up to this summer?

I went to whistler for a while in the begging of the summer, but we got a lot of bad weather so it wasn't really the "ideal" trip, but it ending up being pretty fun until i hit my head. I was coming off a box with a little to much rotation and ending up knocking my dome pretty hard and I had to go to the hospital for part of the night. I lost 15-20 hours of memory and still don’t really know what happened after hit my head.

Don’t you have a brother that rips too?

Yeah for sure! Alex is going to blow up soon or later, he’s just a little lazy when is comes to the whole "competing/getting sponsors" thing. But he is traveling a lot and starting to do some filming so that sick. Alex one of the steeziest kids around and kills it in the park, but his real specialty is urban. Defiantly watch out for him, he’s already better than a lot of the pros out there!

Powder day in the glades or sunny spring park… which is better?

Hahaha, Both, those are my 2 favorite things ever so its hard to pick. A lot of kids who are sick park rippers don’t really like skiing pow or big mountain stuff, but i grew up racing competitively and skiing at Cannon for 12 years and sometimes i get sick of the park and just wanna go shred.

Name three skiers that influence your style of skiing…

There is way too many people to name but for a couple, Alex Martini (more or less my steeze coach), Andrew Hathaway, and Tom Wallisch

Best comedy movie(s) every made?

Zoolander and Dumb and Dumber

Best horror movie every made?

Not a fan of Horror Movies, but i watched Scream when i was little and didn’t sleep for like 2 weeks

Goals for the upcoming winter?

Film alot more, and learn a trick no one has done before, and get some good comp results.

Any shoutouts?

Stept Crew, and EVEN HEATH!!! (He always asks me to give him shout outs)

The Real Secrest

Fri, 09 Nov 2007 07:00:00 -0600

Your house in Burlington this past year was kind of a dump. Thoughts?

Well hmm. Stick 5 college skiers in a house, half of who are injured and watch drinking go on the rise and cleanliness decrease. We didn't put much thought into keeping our house dirty, it's just that we were too busy skiing and just having a blast to clean up very often. That said, i am a reformed man and now enjoy the finer things in life, such as a clean living room.

You are involved in a wide variety of sports: skiing, rollerblading, and tennis. How do they strengthen your physique and improve balance?

Well besides keeping me in shape doing all these sports definitely helps me keep my coordination in place throughout the year. Although i dont think skating really translates directly to skiing it definitely help your balance alot. Also, skating like skiing can scare the living daylights outta me, so it helps keep my mind in killer instinct mode for doing scary stunts year round. Plus skating helps me think creatively when it comes to tricks and things to ski. But, all that stuff you could get outta skateboarding or some other similar sport, so i dont think it matters too much whether your skating skateboarding whatever.

What did you think of the trip to the Tug Hill region in Central NY?

Well, i had never been in the area before, but i knew they got lots of snow, i just didnt think there was going to be too much to ski. The first few days where pretty standard, but once we started exploring, the stuff we found was amazing, it was honestly some of the most rewarding skiing i have ever done. Hiking around looking for stuff to ski was a blast, especially in some of the places, it was unreal what got done in the middle of new york. That trip pretty much convinced me that anywhere there is an abundance of snow, you can find something sweet to do on skis.

You claim to have the cork 3 dialed on the tramp but I’ve seen evidence otherwise…

What evidence? I may not be very good on the tramp, but a cork 3 is something i most definitely can do.

You’re not afraid to try landing switch in sketchy snow conditions (sometimes at the expense of your health). What gives you the courage?

Well, i had always preferred landing switch in the park growing up on the east since its usually the best way to ease the impact of icy landings. I think all that practice paid off because i was able to figure exactly how i wanted to land to ride away in powder pretty quick. Also, whenever i go to hit a jump or other feature, i try and throw something different than everyone else is doing, and most of the jumps i hit last year where being aptly slayed by the fellow meatheads concerning any forward landing trick. Most the features i felt that i really had no option besides landing backwards if i wanted to get a quality shot.

How did you manage to get along without a cell phone for the winter? I had to call your neighbors to find you! Thoughts…

That was interesting for sure. It was nice alot of the time because i could just chill out without having to answer my phone all the time. However it did pose some problems when it came to going to the mountain. I would wake up super early because i didnt know what time my ride would be leaving and i did not want to miss it. Overall it wasnt to bad, i think i cause more headaches to people trying to get ahold of me than to myself.

Favorite freestyle rolling (rollerblading) movie off all time?

Well im gonna have to go with brain fear gone. It prove that with skates on your feet the only real limiting factor to what can be done is your own skill level.

Favorite freestyler roller?

Dustin Latimer, he did some of the craziest stunts ever done and could skate the smallest random object and make it look cool. No rollerblader has done both to the extent he did and ever will in my opinion.

What do you think of the term “fruitbooting”?

I think its a reminder nowadays that rollerblading has paid its dues since the mid nineties when it first came onto the scene. I dont think anyone could watch what is being done on skates now and really believe that fruitbooting is an accurate description of what they just saw.

Name a grab you can’t do that you want to learn this winter…

Leading parallel grab, I really don’t care about what grabs a do, just how I do them.

You skied more powder this past winter than probably ever before. Do you like the backcountry or are you still a park loyalist?

Well im definitely not a park loyalist anymore, although i still enjoy riding park. I just cant imagine skiing only park anymore when you can go out into the backcountry and have so much more fun every run. The park is probably still my favorite groomed run on the mountain, but untouched stuff is much much better. I just dont see how anyone can just ride a park all day long, it can get pretty boring.

How long have you been skiing?

Im not really sure, about 12 years now i think, but i've probably learned more in the part 4 years in Vermont than i did all the years before in Central New York

What’s the plan for this winter?

Ski more, 3 brand new tricks to learn, go to school and learn the backcountry at Stowe etc. like the back of my hand.

Shout outs?

The Bristol Crew for being some of the funnest people ski with every. Geoff and Rooster for driving me to the mountain all the time. My parents, without them i wouldnt have been skiing very much last year. And all the Burlingotn kids for fun time on and off the slopes.

Wanderland DVD - now available

Sun, 04 Nov 2007 09:05:00 -0600

Some important news:

1) Our lastest and greatest East Coast ski movie is now available for purchase online for just $19.95. You can purchase Wanderland through Eastern Mountain Sports:

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE WANDERLAND DVD

2) If your beginning your Meathead Films collection, pick up the new 4-pack that includes - Epoch (2005), Born From Ice (2005), Snow Gods (2006) and Wanderland (2007). Also being sold by EMS, you can get the 4-pack for $49.95 (about $30 less than if you bought them all seperately)

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE 4-PACK

3) Our online store, The Meat Shop, is back up and featuring all the DVD's and info about the Ski The East clothing. Click on the "shop" button on the top menu of our website to check it out

Here's some more info about Wanderland:

Grab your gear, jump in the car and take the road less traveled. Join the infamous Meathead crew as they roam windswept backcountry summits and grimy city streets from Ohio to Newfoundland in search of the finest Eastern skiing. Filmed in High Definition and Super 8mm, Wanderland is an unforgettable ski odyssey through the winter of 2007. The Meatheads had to pour over dozens of maps, endure record-breaking blizzards and brave 30 foot Atlantic swells in their quest for the best.
Welcome to the real East Coast. Welcome to Wanderland…

Over 2 Hours of Bonus Features: 40 minute Bonus Movie, 50 Minute Behind-the-scenes in Newfoundland, Radio Ron Uncut, Radio Ron House Tour, Summer skiing in NY, Crashes and more!

Starring:
JAY BOWEN
PAT COLBURN
GIRAY DADALI
MIKE EVAN
SHEA FLYNN
THE HAMMER
ROSS IMBURGIA
BEN LEONI
ASIA MAGRIBY
NICK MARTINI
ERIK OLSON
ANDY PARRY
STACEY RACHDORF
RADIO RON
TONY ROSSI
TYLER SECREST
LIL’ JOHN STRENIO
WILL WESSON

Filmed on Location:
Stowe, VT
Jay Peak, VT
Sunday River, ME
Tug Hill Plateau, NY
Killington, VT
Smuggler’s Notch, VT
Mount Snow, VT
Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland
Holiday Valley, NY
Snowridge, NY
Mentor, OH
Loon Mountain, NH
Waterville Valley, NH
Cannon, NH
Crotched Mountain, NH
Whaleback, NH

Holiday Podcast Series: BFI Bonus Movie

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 10:06:00 -0500

The Holidays are upon us! And Meathead Films is in a jolly good mood with the release of our new movie and Ski The East clothing line.

In order to celebrate, we're going to be posting a 7 part Fresh Meat Podcast Series featuring the "Born From Ice" Bonus Movie in it's entirety. Since "Born From Ice" came out in 2005 we've been including a extra feature-length movie in the DVD bonus of all our releases.

If you want to remember the Born From Ice days and re-live our 2005 season, check out the photo gallery.

Watch Part 1 (backcountry footage at Stowe) by clicking

HERE

Or Download Part 1 (collect 'em all!) by right clicking and saving

HERE

Remember, you can join our Podcast through iTunes to have the videos downloaded automatically when they go live. Just go into the "podcast" area of the iTunes Store and search for Meathead Films. You can join the Fresh Meat Podcast on the page that comes up...

The last (7th) Podcast in the series will be posted on Dec. 14. Stay tuned each week as we post another segment!

Andy Parry and the Hippy Killer

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 07:00:00 -0500

You looked like Erik Olson (circa 2006) this past winter… was that a hand-me-down jacket?

It was a trade, I needed a new jacket and he needed a new pair of snowpants. I was too lazy to fix the 6-inch cut in the pants from when I cut the side of my ass but Erik is homemaker so he stitched them right up.

Describe your unique approach to rails and urban terrain…

I don't like to hit big rails, or things with crazy kinks they scare me too much. I don't like going to a big quad kink that is going to take hours just to get to the end, it just isn't fun for me. Hitting a smaller rail, or other random feature that you can do alot of different tricks on, and isn't high consequence appeals to me a lotmore. I think that there are so many possibility's on things that most people wouldn't look at as something to hit on skis. Things like firehydrants, trash cans, trees, fences, posts, and an unlimited amount of other things have possibilities for new and different tricks. People are just to narrow minded right now in skiing, and in the next few years I hope that people will open up more and become more creative with what they are doing.

What are some of the names you've given to your tricks?

Alot of random names like the hippy killer, grendel, willy, jackflife, switchblade, jabber walkers, bindsould, willys, MC falls, Pdogin and Imburgia. Ideally I want to come up with a trick and a name for everyone I ski with so I still got more to work on.

Every time I watch your segment in I Hate NY Productions' ski film, "Bogart," I get mild depression from the music. I like the emo effect but was it pushed too far or was "Bogart" just ahead of its time?

I didn't get a chance to pick the song or how it was going to be laid out, and didn't know it was going to be so EMO. But it turned out good, and it was funny so I don't care all that much.

What's the Killington park scene like?

A lot of snowboarders and no skiers. It’s kind of cool that way because snowboarders tend to have a better outlook on tricks and what can be accomplished on random things. I like to look at what snowboarders are doing and try and add a skiing spin on it.

How do you think the new owners of Killington are going to change the mountain?

Ktown is going to be a great place in a few years, they will have money and people who know what is going on. ASC basically sucked, and POWDER corp is the best thing to happen to Killy in a long time. I'm looking forward to going back there in a few years to see how it has changed.

Is Pico over or under rated?

Ha, Ha, no. Pico is one of the best places to ski on a pow day, and then the day after. I have had some of the best east coast pow days at Pico and there is still so much to explore.

What are you doing this summer?

A lot of work along with a bunch of skiing. We made some new boxes that turned out great, and hardly cost us any money because we got most of the wood from dumpsters. We tried out a lot of different things like new ways to do rail transfers, making a V box for souls, and of course using tires.

You ski during the summer? How?

For the last 3 or so summers I have had a 10f drop in made out of random wood and palettes. Its about 10ft tall and you can get a bunch of speed for rails, right now we have a system of PVC pipes at the top for added speed, and then plastic fencing to keep up good speed and then the astro turf that allows you to get control before you hit the rail. It's taken many years to get a good system down that allows for maximum speed and good control. We also got a chance to use snowgel this summer and that definitely helped alot for speed.

Who is "the red knight?"

He is my little bro. He just turned 12 and has extremely pale skin along with bright red hair. He like to hang out in the back yard when we ski and make fun of us when we fall.

How much of the year do you spend in VT vs. NY?

The last three years I have been going to Green Mountain College in Vermont and then going back home in NY for the summer. As of now I'm in Burlington living on the floor at Will Wesson's and John Wiechecki place and the plan is to move out west at some time.

What is the sickest thing you've almost, but not quite, stomped?

Few things come to mind because they hurt a lot, like a chest height tree sticking out of the trail at Killington that I thought I could ollie over and ended up laying on the side of the trail while people told me how stupid I was. One other thing was when I was trying frontside switch ups to pretzel bindsoul hippy killer out this summer and ended up screwing up my back for a few days.

What Meathead do you know the least about and how do you plan to get acquainted?

I haven't had a chance to meet a lot of the BC guys and looking forward to getting to know them. They all rip so hard in the woods, and I love to watch footage of them because they fly like I wish I could in the trees.

You're locked in a windowless room via padlock on the outside and have only 3 ping pong balls, a clothing hanger, 8oz. of Gatorade and a matchbook. How do you pull a MacGyver and escape?

Ah… Well I guess light the door on fire and hope for the best?

What is the best band that has ever existed on planet earth?

I don't want to say just one, but I think the Beatles are one of the best bands and most influential.

How are you going to further shock the ski world this coming season?

Me and Erik Olsen have been talking about making a short movie that has all new tricks and jibs. We want to make a video that will open up peoples minds to what can be done on skis, and hopefully inspire a lot of people to start trying new things.

Any Shoutouts?

Everyone in NY that I ski with, and all the people from Killington that I ski with.

Ski The East: 2008

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 18:06:00 -0500

Drumroll please… the 2008 Ski The East Apparel is now shipping!

Man, have we blown things up big this year. Style it out in the new ’08 gear to show your love and dedication to the toughest, most hardcore ski region on the planet…

All new men’s and women’s designs plus new kinds of clothing, including Longsleeve Tees, Longsleeves with Hoods (for women), A super heavyweight fleece-lined zip hoodie, and three new kinds of hats. There’s new t-shirts and pullover hoodies as well.

The radical new designs were created by Burlington artist, Nick Lamper, and Boston-based, Cade Beaulieu.

Check it out and order some stuff for yourself, your family, or as a gift:

SkiTheEast.net

Wanderland World Premiere

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 19:45:00 -0500

The World Premiere (not counting the pre-screening at the IF3 Film Festival in Montreal) of Wanderland was held in Burlington, VT on October 5. As usual, two showings went down back to back at the Campus Center Theater at UVM.

What a perfect day for a premiere. Sunny skies, 70 degrees, brilliant New England foliage in full bloom. A far cry from the rainy October shows of yesteryear.

With the DVD having been finished just a few days prior to the event, anticipation was high, and things were chaotic getting ready for the show. Wanderland stars, Radio Ron and Backseat Jesus drove 11 hrs. all the way from Ohio to be at the show. Radio Ron was amped up in the morning, completing a 4 hr. gym/ tramp/ stretch workout just in time to make it to the show. Thanks to all the athletes who were on hand to help hang up banners, set up tables and do sound checks.

Crowds began filtering in around 6:00 and were treated to tables upon tables of free schwag, stickers and most importantly: poster signings with Meathead All-Stars – Radio Ron, The Hammer and Stacey Rachdorf. Photographer, Austin Holt, took paparazzi-style pictures of fans as the entered the theater (check out the photo gallery to see if you’re in there!) Hometown hotties, Jen Kuntz and Jennie Scudder, helped sell raffle tickets for the bigger items from sponsors. DJ Echo spun beats as people filed in and took their seats. After throwing out a box of stuff to the crowd, the first showing finally started around 7ish to an audience of 250. Raffle prizes were given away after the show and the early crowd went home full of East Coast stoke…

The 9:00 show has traditionally been the rowdier and more crowded and this year did not disappoint. 350 fans piled into the theater for the late night premiere. One particularly enthusiastic girl even had Radio Ron sign her chest on the way in! The Giant Meathead Inflatable arrived in between the shows and we got the 10 ft. head inflated just in time for the movie. After everyone got seated or at least found a place to stand, the lights dimmed and Wanderland made another group of East Coaster’s psyched for the season ahead.

The movie received an amazing response with a standing ovation at the end. After the raffle, which included the giveaway of a pair of LINE Prophet 100’s, everyone headed downtown to Nectar’s for the afterparty. Much merriment and drink was had before continuing on to the after-after party where Radio Ron was spotted throwing Beirut (not very well) into the wee hours of the morning.

Big Thanks to the UVM Ski and Snowboard Club for hosting the event and to all our sponsors that make the movie and tour possible: Subaru of New England, Eastern Mountain Sports, Kombi, Gore-Tex, LINE Skis, Clif Bar, FUR Headwear, Stowe Mountain Resort, Skiing Magazine and N’East Magazine

Check out our tour page for more details on the rest of our 60 stop tour!

Asia MaGriby

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 07:00:00 -0500

First things first, you are the first female Meathead skier ever. What do you think of the crew?

I thought they were great to work with not only was I the first girl that they shot with for Meathead Films, I was also 5 months pregnant with my second child so they were pretty cool dealing with my snack breaks! Ha-ha

Pregnant and ripping BC lines, that's hardcore, when are you due?

I am prego for sure, I have 3 more weeks of my pregnancy to go I am due August 31st. It is my second child, don't know if we're having a girl or a boy but we'll find out when it comes out - very exciting! .... update: Asia successfully gave birth to a boy dubbed Logan in September and is doing great with her second child. We predict he'll be on two planks by January.

What’s your home mountain and why?

Jay Peak Ski Resort is my home mountain since I was 5 years old, so I have been skiing there for a whopping 26 years and it truly is home to me. I have shot all over the east coast for my work in television, and I know I am biased and a true Jay snob but really it does have the best powder anywhere in the east coast and the tree skiing, chutes, and crazy steep lines you can find there are truly sick. Also, it's great to be a local at a ski resort and know the inside scoop on where all the good pow to be found is.

Talk about what it was like hiking, skiing pow and tight trees while pregnant this past season. Was that a little nerve-racking?

Believe it or not it wasn't nerve-racking for me because I wasn't dropping any cliffs shooting with the Meathead crew it was just good old powder skiing actually the best powder skiing we've had out in the backcountry ever. So I felt like I was doing what I have always done, but with a little floating babe all protected in there for the ride. My husband was a little nervous because he didn't want me to take any extra risks for the camera but I promised him and the Meathead crew I wouldn't but he still worried because he knows how competitive I am. Now my doctor was a different story, I met my doctor for the first time 3 days after that shoot and she freaked out when she found out what I do for a living and she asked me if I have fallen since I found out I was pregnant and I replied well what kind of falling, does nice soft powder landing not near any tree wells count? She didn't think that was very funny and made me promise to not ski anymore for the camera for the rest of the season. She did say I could continue to ski with my 2 1/2 year old son Chase on the bunny hills so that put an end to a fabulous ski season!

You have a history with the IFSA Freeskiing Tour. Discuss….

I competed on the World Tour for a couple of years and I believe I was raked # 2 in North America and 6th in the World after my second season for the big mountain skiing and then top ten for the skier-x. I really loved the big mountain comps it really got the blood pumping at the top and it always made me push my limits with cliff jumping, you learn every run you get on that tour from skiing and watching the other girls and guys competing, and you drop bigger and bigger cliffs every time as well, very scary! The aggressive line skiing part of the comps felt more natural to me due to my ski racing background. Now the skier-x's they were not my favorite. It was way too serious and too much like the stale competitiveness of ski racing that I was so over with at that point, but the crazy gap jumps we had to do three girls across sometimes was definitely good training going into the big mountain comps.

How are you involved in the world of skiing and action sports?

I used to be more involved in the world of skiing as an athlete when I competed on the World tour and guest coached with the Xteam, but now I am more on the career end of things because of hosting television that covers action sports events and shooting/modeling for resorts and now my big debut in Meathead films will hopefully keep me legit in the ski world as still sort of being able to rip for a wife and mother of two!

Who else do you shoot with in the ski film world?

I shoot television with Dan Egan as one of his hosts for his show Wild World of Winter, so I cover events like Sno-X, Moto-X, and shoot at different resorts. That show has taken me to very cool locations like helicopter skiing in the Andes of Chile, out to Targhee and the Tetons, one of the best was this past season skiing with Lindsey Dyer in Kicking Horse Mountain, Interior BC. I love doing television, I feel very comfortable in front of the camera. I also coached with the X-Team around the world the coaches on that are Dan and John Egan, the DesLauriers brothers and Dean Decas, that was awesome and so helpful in making me a better skier and making the transition from racer to big mtn skier; those guys really know how to ski.

Tell us about your family…

My husband is Bob Ellis he used to be a pro snowboarder and is just an amazing athlete, his big thing now is snow mobiling sno-x style so he is constantly building jumps and his longest jump of the season is up to 70 feet so as you can tell we both love the extreme sports. My son Chase is going to be 3 in October and he is great! He's already a total sled head crazy about snowmobiling and moto-x, his favorite potty reading, go figure. He swims and skis on his own already we're prepping him so he can hang with us on our surf and ski trips. Sounds selfish but there are worst things to learn at that age.

How do you balance being a mother, wife, and skiing superstar?

I don't know if skiing superstar is the right word to use but I'll take the compliment. Us moms take any compliments we can get these days! Honestly I have to thank my husband Bob, he's the best he works like crazy at his landscaping business from April to October and then takes the winters off where he used to indulge in riding and sledding all day but now he is also full time papa with Chase so mama can go to work and shoot tv and keep my little career rolling. I really only work part time, enough to keep my image and name out there in the action sports television world as a host. I also do photo shoots for resort brochures and ski mags and now luckily enough skiing with the great guys at Meathead Films! I really do describe myself though as first and foremost a full time mama to Chase and this little one to be and then as wife to a great guy and then my career as an extreme skier and television host and am very happy with that priority list.

Didn’t you just move from Canada to the U.S.? How was that whole process?

We actually decided to stay here in St.Bruno, Quebec as our permanent residence instead of moving full time to Vermont since we figure we have the best of all worlds from here. Chase starts pre-school in french this September poor little guy doesn't know any french yet and he becomes a big brother at the same time lots of transitions for him all at once but he'll do fine. We also decided to stay because we have Bob's business that allows us to have our winters off and not miss any Jay Peak storms. We also get to visit my mom in the summer at the beach in RI where there is a sweet surf spot so life is good with health care and government checks that can be placed in the kids accounts monthly Quebec is not so bad after all!

What’s the scariest thing you’ve ever skied in the East…

I think the craziest line I ever did was for the Big Mtn Jay comp for my second run around 4 years ago, where I threw down the biggest line for men and women supposedly by straight lining that little skinny chute to skiers right of the cliffs of the Face and then had to do a huge ripping g-force left turn to avoid going into the trees at mach 10 that was the best line I ever skied in the east I think. But man the feeling of satisfaction at knowing I can ski that line really carried me this past winter when I would look down from the tram with Chase next to me and my belly growing with number two and knowing that I know how to ski a line like that and hopefully will be doing it again in the near future maybe with the Meathead boys you never know.

Who are some local legends at Jay Peak?

Local legends, let me see that's tough there are some amazing skiers at Jay that's the beauty of that mountain the powder and tree skiing that we have breeds such strong skiers, riders and telemarkers that can really rip everywhere you look.
But my favorite is this old guy who is a ski ambassador and a great friend of my family- Ronnie Steinberg. He's probably around 80 years old has had 2 hip replacements, cancer twice, a stroke last year and is still trucking around Jay Peak every day enjoying life and being alive and ripping the glades and powder of Jay Peak- now that's a true local legend!

What are you up to this summer?

Being a mama to a super busy toddler, getting in as much beach time at my mom's before going into labor and working on having the brownest belly ever oh and body surfing at my mom's all that belly weight is good at winning the family body surfing competitions!

Any shoutouts?

Shout out to you guys at meathead fims for doing such a great job covering the fabulous terrain and athletes who call the East Coast home and for not only having me be the first women skier on Meathead Films, and a mama already but also taking an extra leap of faith with me and shooting me skiing 5 months pregnant - it will make a great story for this little one who comes out at the end of the month thanks you guys!!

Killington Spring

Sat, 13 Oct 2007 23:00:00 -0500

If you’ve never skied Killington in the spring, you’re missing out on one of the greatest Eastern traditions. Over the course of multiple trips, we hit up the annual mini-skirt party, consumed many tasty beverages, raged the park, witnessed the first-ever true meeting of mogul legends Hammer and Radio Ron, and skied our last day of the season on May 5th with great coverage. Oh, and we participated in some killer tailgate parties, which are virtually unavoidable since Killington has the most core tailgater community in the East. Rock on.

Jay Bowen Stowe Local

Mon, 08 Oct 2007 08:30:00 -0500

You’re starring in both Meathead Films releases this year “Wanderland” and the Stowe Resort promo vid, “Stowked Again.” What do you think of that?

I am, shall I say" STOWKED” I really admire the Meathead guys and what they have done to showcase the East and all it has to offer the hardcore skier. I have worked with Warren Miller films, TGR and others and am now proud to be part of the Meathead Fraternity.

What do you do for work?

I own Eastern Painting and Refinishing Systems, Started in 1983; we are a high-end residential and commercial painting company. We employ between 8-10 painters and work year round on some of Stowe's most beautiful homes businesses. In the summer you will usually see my son Ryan and I painting lift towers at SMR. We use to travel painting anything high; from steeples to radio towers to ski lift towers. These days we stay closer to home. My wife Kristen and I also do a lot of ski and action sport modeling and have started a new clothing Rep business. We represent lines from Rossignol and a new line Machu Picchu which we are really excited about. We will start the show circuit soon. I stay pretty busy.

How do you balance your skiing time with your job and family?

To bed late up early is the program. I live by the motto work hard, play harder. Everything is a goal. In the winter I play harder, skiing almost everyday. In the summer I work harder often 12-16 hrs a day. I like having lots going on at all times. My wife is a flight attendant and can be away 2 to 3 days at a time. That’s when I become Mr. Mom with my 4-year-old Mack. Up at 5:30, shower, make breakfast, get Mack up, get dressed, eat, call my guys to make sure they know where they are working, load up the truck, stop at store for supplies, drop Mack at school, off to work. Pick up Mack at 5:00 home, dinner, bath, read, a few cartoons, get ready for tomorrow and do it all again. As a family we love to ski together on weekend afternoons. We hike and climb lots. We even have our own climbing wall at home. Tennis, bikes and on and on and on.

You’re a living legend in Stowe. What makes the mountain special to you?

I have had the opportunity to ski all over the world, and I choose Stowe because of the terrain that lies beyond. I know every aspect of the Mansfield region and know what to expect and respect. While I do spend much time in the Utah area every winter, I always look forward to coming back home to Stowe. The town and the people here are great. I went to school here for a little while as a kid and many of the folks I met back then are still here. Day in and day out you ride with people who rip on this hill, some real deal folks who have competed and coached on the highest levels of the sport, world class mountaineers, alpinists the list goes on. The word Legend should be saved for memorial purposes and I have a list of many. I am just another guy who likes to rip and has a great passion for skiing and Stowe. I thank God every day I am up there.

When we were filming over St. Patty’s day weekend you said that it was possibly the best snow you’d ever skied at Stowe. Do you still stand by that statement?

Yup! Top 10 of all time in my book and that includes top 5 at Alta/Bird, Jackson, Silverton, Las Lenas, Sugar Bowl, Number 7, 8, 9 was here in Stowe.

How many days a year do you think you’re either hiking or skiing on Mt. Mansfield?

One year I had close to 150 on Mansfield and over 200 for the season. Last year I got in 7 days in October and after a rough Nov/Dec. still managed 100 days plus.

You’re a solid dude. Do you do any fitness or training stuff for skiing?

I love rock climbing, and do a lot solo stuff. I also hike on the Mountain or Nebraska Valley 3-4 times a week. I will hit Hazelton and hell Brook at least a dozen times each a summer plus a few of my own hidden gems. A killer hiking day is Sterling trail up Big Spruce down Sterling pond trail up Hell Brook down the Long trail up Hazelton to the Nose. (Last week) Drove back down with friends. That’s a workout. I road bike in the evenings usually short 20-25 mile time trial style. Love tennis and some gym.

Who is your favorite person to ski with?

I ski solo most of the time but I always enjoy running into Dave Howard and his posse, these guys rip and its always a no holds bared free for all, last one to the bottom is a #%#* kind of stuff. Bumping into friends for a run or two always makes it fun, but I really like to keep moving (I do have to work) and stopping to chat is a no no, save it for the Den.

How often do you ski solo and what’s that like?

I love people, but love them more when they aren’t around. (Stole that from Eric Pheota) I ski solo most of the time. Powder morning forget it, powder afternoon I am usually far out and up high. It's a feeling of freedom and solitude. You make your own decisions and truly challenge yourself with the mountain. I love storm hiking and skiing. The colder and windier the better (less people). When the lifts are shut down, I'm up there getting killer blow in. I love skinning up in the early AM. You get to the top it is silent, the snow is still falling and I am ready to leave the first snow signature of the day. I love it. Stowked is a state of Euphoric anticipation; it's knowing the result before the action. It's waking up at 4:00 am to let the dog out. Turning on the flood light and seeing nothing but a wall of white falling from the sky. The car is gone, you can barely push the door open, and the dog disappears after the 3 steps. Come on!

Best place to grab a bite to eat and drink in Stowe after a powder day?

To many to list, but I'll try. Den at Mansfield after a epic weekend day. Matterhorn is a great place to check in with locals and get a killer sushi plate. Rusty Nail for late night (past my bedtime usually), but when I am going deep lookout! Cactus Cafe if you need that South of the Border fix is awesome and Rimrocks Tavern for beer and burger and local fish stories. I can’t leave out the Shed, micro brew and burgers and lots of locals. Some call it the Mountaint Road crawl. I prefer the Mountain Road attack!

Do you ever venture into the terrain park?

In the spring when it's soft the park can be real fun. I have always enjoyed speed over hang time at least on snow and speed in the terrain park can be a lethal mix. Damn, I get mailings from AARP these days, and the knees aren’t quite what they use to be, but I'm good for an old school 3, double spread or daffy.

Have you ever slid a rail?

Kind of, the end result was not pretty. I save that for my sons Will and Ryan, they kill it on the rails and in the park. My little guy Mack started hitting the low rail at little Spruce last year what a hoot.

What makes skiing Eastern trees difficult?

The best tree skiing is up high; the lines are tight because most are natural (as they should be). I call those gnarled, twisted dead spruce, "Green Mt. Cactus" you hit one of them and usually and you are going to give away your secret stash with a blood trail. Lower down you get into more of a mix of hardwood, which is more open in places. Little more speed Hardwood can be challenging. The key is knowing the area you are riding and connecting the lines non-stop top to bottom. That’s skiing a Eastern tree line. Stopping in the middle, sideslipping and repeated falling are not permitted. You will politely be asked to leave and not be invited back.

Stowe Season Finale

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 10:00:00 -0500

The final day Stowe was open, April 29th, was for the die hards. A steady cold drizzle and thick fog blanketed the resort all day. But for those who have the love, not paying tribute to Stowe on its last day is just bad juju. No matter what the conditions are. Plus, the mountain had such a deep base from the past winter, coverage will still money.

So in typical fashion, Geoff, Josh Palmer, Fatty Areson, Erme Catino, and Rooster tore up the slopes one last time and suited up in one-pieces, ugly sweaters, buttrunner shorts, gators, retro sunglasses, headbands, straight skis (198’s to be exact), and snowblades. Not to mention we furnished a whole lot of radness that day. On slope activities were followed by après BBQ, beers, and boxed wine, and reminiscing of the stellar season with other friends and locals who undoubtedly have “the love.”

Tony Rossi Returns

Fri, 28 Sep 2007 07:00:00 -0500

Hey, good to catch up with you, aren’t you super busy this summer doing “Thunder Road?” What is that?

Thunder Road is a quarter mile short track in Barre, VT that holds stock car racing every Thursday night during the summer months. It's regarded as the best short track in North America. It's one of the most technical and hardest tracks to get around due to high banking and a turn 4 that pinches off really hard (I've found the wall more then once myself). I'm racing a car that basically looks like a NASCAR car, but just a little toned down. We're doing about 75 miles per hour down the backstretch, which might not sound like much until you see how small the track really is. There is a ton of R&D to be done in order to make these cars go really fast, so like you said...I'm super busy. Plus my father and I just opened up a new business so I'm straight out.

Didn’t you just spend a ton on a new car for that?

After it's all said and done we'll have spent about $25,000 on a car, trailer, and tools. It's not cheap but the thrill is worth it and if you're going to be competitive you gotta spend some haybails.

What was it like being sponsored by Floyd’s Carpeting?

That was my old car before I painted it. My new sponsors are VT Auto Brokers (my business), Endless Summer, Skitek.net and Granite City Brewing (I get free beer there).

Where have you been that past two years since viewers last saw you in “Born From Ice?”

I have been out in Alta, UT. I have been there for 6 years excluding the "Born From Ice" season. I have been shooting with Steve Lloyd and working on promoting Line skis in the area.

How was your experience in Newfoundland this past winter?

Newfoundland is an amazing place. The people are soooo nice and the surroundings are epic. You feel like you're at home up there even though you're 1,500 miles from Vermont. We got a little unlucky with the conditions as it rained just before we got there, but it did make for some super technical, steep as hell lines where if you fell you were going to be in big trouble. I'm working on getting up there for a month or two next season so I can hit up some of the bigger lines that were off limits due to conditions. There's so much to offer up there...I can't wait to get back to Newfoundland.

What was Jackladders and what was the deal with the “Ugly stick?”

I don't remember...I had one too many beers. Just kidding. Jackladders was the bar just up the road from where we stayed in Newfoundland. We happened to find ourselves in there one night and along came the Ugly Stick. The Ugly Stick was this wood stick that was about 4 feet long. It had beer caps screwed to it, a ribbed mid-section and a tin can on top of it. You hit it with a stick and bounced it off the floor in order to make these cool sounds that go along with almost any music. Well, after a bit of playing it there was this local chick that I challenged to a "Stick Off". The rest you'll have to see in the movie.

Who are your biggest inspirations?

My brother Chris has always been my biggest inspiration. He's been a huge role in my success as a skier. He has always been supportive and helped me through the tough times. He's guided me on my travels and we've skied some of my most memorable days together. I would also like to include my sister-in-law Ellen and Girlfriend Amber. They both have been through life struggles that you couldn't even imagine and come out on top just by putting there heads down and concentrating on what they really want outta life. It really motivates me to try my hardest to be the best I can.

You’ve taken some involvement in the development of LINE skis ’08 models. Which is your favorite and why?

Jason L is always up for suggestions so I took it upon myself to get more involved with Line as a whole cause I really believe in the products and the people behind the movement. My focus is primarily on the Prophet series as that's what I ride. The graphic for next season is a mountain scene that connects the 130/100/90. If you put em all together they are one big picture (kinda like the old Burton custom did back in the day). I was very passionate about the series being a beautiful work of art rather then a crazy funked out graphic cause these are the skis that are going to appeal to most of the public. Some 50 year old guy isn't going to buy a graphic that's whacked out. Tim and J agreed. We are also working on some other ski designs for the future, but I can't talk about that right now.

Are there hot chicks in Barre, VT or is it desolate?

There are wicked hot chicks in Barre and they all go to T-Road. I'll show ya when you come down. They are all rednecks, but that's not a bad thing. I've been trying to get Rooster to come down so I could fix him up, but he's too scared. I mean they might have a kid or two, but who cares if they don't look like it...Right!

Who is your favorite Meathead jibber and why?

Baxter is the sickest Jibber outta all of them fools.

Who is the greatest living big mountain skier in your mind?

I'll tell you who I look up to...but all you skiers out there might hate me. Terje Hakkonson is the sickest big mountain rider, hands down. Check out his huge decent last year. Nobody can step that up...nobody. OK, if you need a skier I'd go for Hugo Harrison. He puts the hammer down big time.

Are you going to be in the East this winter?

I hope to make it back a few times. I love coming back home and ripping around VT. You can take me outta Vermont, but you can never take the Vermont outta me.

Any Shoutouts?

I'd like to thank my friends and family for always being there for me. Special thanks to Everyone at Line Skis, Scott Goggles, Asterisk Kneebraces, Eider, Alta Ski Lifts, Bern Helmets and Vist Bindings.

NY Jib Excursion

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 07:00:00 -0500

Will Wesson is back in town! Hooray!

Will’s “study abroad” program had taken him to Utah this past winter so we were afraid we wouldn’t be able to film much with him. Fortunately he put in some extra effort and made the trip back East twice. Once in February and again from late March to mid April. Thanks Big Willy.

Anywho, this story is about when he came back in February to destroy urban locales with his brethren in central New York. The snowpack was deep there and with marginal conditions up in VT, I headed back to central NY (for the third time this past season) and met up with Will, Ross Imburgia, Andy Parry and Tyler Secrest… all being native to the region.

Will’s parents were nice enough to let me stay with them and they’re residence served as home base for the next several days. Thanks Mr. and Mrs. Wesson and by the way, how did you know I like dinosaur sheets?
The first day we hit up a well-known rail for this crew. It was out by some lake with lots of geese. When I say lots, I mean probably around 30,000 geese. It was unreal. The rail has big cement block posts on both the top and bottom, which can make for interesting bonks and taps. I spent some time setting up the crane for cool angles and the jib crew warmed up. Everyone landed 270 out but highlights were Andy’s shifty hop over the end and Will’s single and then double switch up to bonks.

Next came a double kink with an elbow that could be hit on both sides. The rail also had a mandatory bomb drop of about 6 ft. right after you landed. Tyler, Will and Ross got the rail bomb drop and Andy spent his time “spelunking” off a wooden flowerpot. See Wanderland for footage of Andy’s spelunking skiing, it’s totally original and totally weird…

Next was a night session at a public park in downtown Rochester. The park had amazingly colorful murals and we captured some exquisite footage. Ross did a misty 5 off a ledge with snowblades and Andy nailed the first ever bind soul grind on an urban rail. I’m telling you this kid is progressive!

After that exhaustive day, we slept in a bit and then headed back to the park in Rochester to finish off all the ideas we had. They included butter pads, wall rides, ledge bonks etc… it was pretty cool to watch how creative urban skiing can be. The day had to be cut short however as Rooster called me on his cell to notify me that a big storm was rolling into New England. With steel and cement forgotten, I was back to filming waist deep powder in VT the next day.