Category Archives: Snowboarding

HIP JUMPS

CATEGORIES Leave a comment

Tabletops are a dime a dozen, Halfpipes make their appearance on a regular basis, while the Hip Jump has always been a rarity. It’s not without good reason, they’re difficult to build, require tedious daily maintenance and are notorious for the low margin of error when snowboarding on these beasts. Read more

IS FILM REALLY DEAD?

CATEGORIES 5 Comments

It’s no secret. I love film. I shoot film all the time. For me it’s a style choice for a lot of my personal work but I still push for it with clients when the time is right. But more and more, when push comes to shove, film gets sand thrown in it’s face in favour of digital. However, I know many other photographers that feel the same way I do and want to use film whenever possible. For some time now, I have wanted to put together a series of interviews about the use of film in our digital world. Bneeth has presented me with the opportunity to get down to the heart of this pressing matter.

Read more

Tools Of Progression

CATEGORIES Leave a comment

Documenting urban snowboarding has come a long way in the past decade, not only from a riding perspective (progression), but the tools to help get the job done. The early years saw the advent of the ‘drop in ramp,’ a device that provided enough speed for handrail maneuvers (gap-outs excluded), built inexpensively out of wood or metal (if you had a bit more money budgeted). Of course there was always a couple of friends to ‘pull you in,’ but that gets old quickly. If you were really lucky, you’d locate a spot that provided ‘natural speed,’ everybody’s dream scenario, even to this day.

Read more

Hating For The Love Of The Game: A Love Letter To Snowboarding

CATEGORIES 9 Comments

You hate on snowboarding. Admit it. You talk shit behind its back like a cheating ex. And you should hate it. It’s this passion that keeps it real. It’s this passion that proves deep down how much you love it. And you should love it. The scenario is the same at every industry function: tradeshow, contest, industry event. It matters not. Groups of men – we’re not that young anymore – wearing the uniform that promotes whatever brand they’re currently working for or thinks is the next big thing. They grab a drink, slap high fives, and talk briefly about their hangover. And then they gossip. We. We gossip like schoolgirls.

Read more

WHISTLER WEEKEND

CATEGORIES Leave a comment

With a dire early season forecast back east, booking a flight to ride Whistler the first weekend of December made perfect sense; especially factoring in the free accommodation thanks to my wife’s work trip to the Whistler Film Festival. And with social media practically vomiting the powder onto my Toronto desk, I felt no reluctance clicking the “purchase” button.  I might’ve missed the 60 cm days and accompanying face shots everyone was bragging about on Facebook, but my mantra was simple: Who cares? I sure as shit wouldn’t be snowboarding had I stayed at home, and groomers and park laps on Whistler and Blackcomb under sunny skies never disappoints.

Read more

SNOWSPORT HELMET ACT

CATEGORIES 11 Comments

I started wearing a helmet again last year after a few years of making excuses for myself to not wear one. Excuses like “it’s too cold at the top”, or “I’m only riding pow today”…whatever. After a couple of close calls, I now wear a helmet every time I’m riding.  A few years ago, I went way over the bars on my mountain bike and broke my helmet in five places, but it was the way the helmet collapsed that saved my life. It also made me reconsider what I was doing on the mountain.

Read more

HIGHER FLASH SYNC SPEEDS

CATEGORIES Leave a comment

Today’s Digital Single Lens Reflex Cameras (DSLR) have a flash sync limitation of 200, 250 or 320, depending on the model. For us snowboarding photographers, we’ve been dealing with this rather slow sync speed since the early days of snowboard documentation. There are a few different techniques in squeaking out a higher shutter speed to properly catch fast moving action while using artificial light.

Read more

AN EARLY WINTER?

CATEGORIES Leave a comment

I love that the East Coast decided to dress up like winter for Halloween this year. The first major snowstorm of the season hit the Eastern Seaboard (and the media) last weekend, pummeling some of the oldest cities in the States and leaving millions without power for days. Dubbed, the ridiculously nonsensical “Snowtober” by the talking heads on TV, it’s the Orange Alert to last year’s Red “Snowmageddon.”

Read more

MAKING MAGAZINES ISN’T EASY

CATEGORIES Leave a comment

Making magazines isn’t easy. Deadlines generally get blown instead of the editors themselves, and more often than not it’s a thankless, underpaid profession. You don’t make money in media. Well, skate/snow media anyways. You do it because you love it, or because no other profession would have you.

Read more

DUST ON CRUST – THE NEXT BIG THING

CATEGORIES Leave a comment

I’ve always loved single panel comics from The Far Side when I was a kid to Penthouse as a teenager, and now The New Yorker.  I’ve wanted to do my own comic for a while, but I’m no artist, so Toronto illustrator Smolik agreed to put pencil to paper and bring my stupid ideas to life.

Read more