Update for Ayer

Cody Carlson Enjoying VIP at the Grand Prix

Randall Stacy checks an inbounds avalanche path in Breck 

Phoebe at the Grand Prix this week

Phoebe

Grand Prix Update

The Olympic qualifiers continue and next week we will see the final events.  The first stop was here in Copper a month ago.  The second event started this week here in Breckenridge.  

Slope qualifiers were today.  Nik Baden qualified 2nd and Eric Beauchemin 9th, both making tomorrow's finals.  Brett Moody was 5 places out of finals, and Phoebe was 4 spots out.  They all rode well.

There are two more Grand Prix events for Phoebe, Eric, Nik, Brett and Serena.  We leave for Mammoth CA this sunday for the two back to back events.

Next week Chris Waker takes Biba Turnbull and Codey Ellison to Stoneham for the final European qualifying event.  Wish them all luck!

A few riders were invited to Andorra for an event in March.  That is an interesting spot for you to research!
We hope things are not too cold in Ayer, sounds like quite a winter over there.

Dew Tour Starts

The Team has been riding in Breck.  Some preparing for the Dew Tour, others filming and snowmobiling.  All of them shredding.  Enjoy some photos of our day to day and a video from day one of the Dew Tour.  

Moody and Ellison escape the -20 degree day

Moody and Savage brave a -20 degree day

Savage One Foot

Savage one eighty

Phoebe is back

Moody at Dew practice

Logmasters

 The entire snowboard world has descended on Breck and its tiny park.  You'd better be ready to throw down or just not give a care with the crowd at the drop-in.
Danke Jah that there is another world outside of the park.  Waker and Moody took to the trees this week where hassle-free shredding awaits.  I have to admit I wish there was a crowd to see the level these guys ride at.  Riders shredded logs before resorts started installing handrails on trails.  The photos below are a testament to the versatility of the KC Riders.
And wait until you see our park footage...

Moody

Moodier 

Waker blastoff

Chris Waker bluntslide to fakie

Benji Farrow backside lipslide

More Moody

Landgraaf Europa Cup and SnowWorld

The Camp all returned safely to The States last night.  Our demanding journey kicked right in at 9am.  We sped to the Dusseldorf airport in a shuttle manned by a Dutch criminal who robbed me of my last Euros and dollars.   It's a good thing Serena had my back with some contest Euros, and I was able to pay the scoundrel in full.
SnowWorld provided quite an experience.  Upon arrival the thought of a hotel, ski area, gym, spa, restaurants and bars all under one roof was appealing and exciting.  In the first Team Captain meeting the host advised that while there was really no need to leave The Dome, we should all find time to step out and get some fresh air.  By the end of the trip the hotel channeled Stephen King's The Shining locale.  Jeremy Thompson and I are the only ones who ended up leaving for long.  A 500 set staircase leads up the landfill that supports SnowWorld.  At the top is a viewing point overlooking Germany and Belgium.  Those with WWII knowledge could appreciate the history of this crossroads.

Our first day on the slopes was pleasantly productive with small jumps and some good rails.  Temps were low but the laps were hot with the 40 second T-bar rides.  A young local named Mees quickly introduced himself and demanded to know how Americans from Breckenridge could be so obviously enjoying themselves in The Dome.  Mees quickly became our Dutch guide, as did his father Martin.

Mees

JT

This tire later exacted revenge upon me for this switch air

  We came to the event wondering if doubles or 10s could be done on indoor jumps.  By the end we lost count of how many we witnessed.  The course hosted some amazing runs from an international field.  Serena Shaw ended up in 4th in a decision the the judges even questioned.  She fell on the last rail in an otherwise flawless first run in finals.  Under pressure she repeated the run top to bottom, showing true grit.






  Brett Moody, clearly favored by fans and the announcer himself, rode like a wildman, and only a bit of the wild-stlye on rail two kept him off the top of that podium.
Jeremy Thompson fell on a front 10 in his first, otherwise top 5 run.  Like Serena he came back and landed the run, and somehow scored lower.  These flagrant fouls led me storming to the panel, to no avail.  An inspiring day led to a frustrating evening.  What to do but catch up with Mees and Martin for the going away party!
Nothing too crazy though, we had a shuttle to Dusseldorf at 9am…….

MOODY AND JT SHOW YOU SNOWWORLD

And to the fans at Ayer Shirley, don't forget to wish Mrs. Shiely a Happy Birthday on Monday.

Austria's a Wrap. On to Nederlands

Austrian Snow Idols

Austria is now another fond memory.  The Pleasure Jam never disappoints, and this was confirmed again in 2013.  In our first contest as a Team, Kirk's Camp kinda crushed.  4 of 7 riders made finals and Eric B stood on the podium again (albeit an extended podium, 4th place) and collected cash.  His redonkulous rail game enhanced a jump line of Cab 5, front 10, back 9 (the 9 being a neglected gem in his bag).
Serena Shaw rode like she wanted to up until her final run, which would have been a top 5 run if landed.  It is great to see this fierce competitor perform on a level approaching her stringent standards, and even better to see her laugh and smile!

Serena Shaw Sending

Jack on the Gondola roof

Jack Herald just missed Semi Finals

Brett Moody made it through qualifications, semi's and finals without botching a single run.  I take that back, he may have screwed up once, but it was lost in the mix of his strong ones.  He has the ability to will himself to land things.  He has other extraordinary abilities which were on display in Ostereich.  He was bold enough to tell me his has Ninja skills early in the trip, and has proved it with amazing feats of agility and persuasion.

Finalist Nik Baden

Nik Baden pushed into finals and would have enjoyed a top 5 spot if he had landed his Double Back 1080's.  I have seen him land this trick many times, but it just wasn't meant for today.  He certainly turned more heads than his own in the attempts.
Our last day at the Dachstein gletsher was foggy and windy, but we managed some powder turns, an exposed hike for some pow turns, and ended with some time on the catwalk and ice cave.  The Europeans relish mountaintop architecture and recreation spots.  The bridges, overlooks, lodges, gondolas and skywalks are feats of engineering uncommon in the States.  This video of Brett Moody walking the catwalk gives some perspective.

What a View

Ice Cave Bear

After packing the bags it was time for the annual ritual of the Pleasure Jam Afterparty.  Eric B, a little miffed to be one spot out of top 3, took his wrath out on the broken glass-covered dance floor.  At around 4am he became the champ we know he is by winning the dance off.  Champagne spraying ensued.

Brett on a catwalk that even cats might fear

3-4 hours of sleep later and it was time to say goodbye to Jack, Codey and Schladming.  With Eric as navigator the van headed north to Salzburg where Nik was dropped for a meeting with Red Bull at their Headquarters and Eric cemented a deal with Glorify eyewear before flying home.

Now the team was down to 3 riders.  With Serena in the navigator seat we headed west to Innsbruck.  Brett delighted in seeing all the fast Euro cars ripping by us on the autobahn and we enjoyed a schnitzel in Germany.  We pulled into Innsbruck around 8pm and checked into a hotel across the street from the legendary Landplatz Plaza.  

Back Lip in Landplatz Plaza by Kirk

This outdoor masterpiece was designed by skaters who slipped a skate-freindly design past city planners.  The result is appealing to all, but clearly meant for 4-wheeled assault.  Assault is just what Moody and I did, disregarding light rain and skating ourselves into a frenzy.  It was only the next morning that I realized I had smashed myself to pieces slipping out on wet marble.  We grouped up for some of the best Thai food I have enjoyed and retired to the hotel for rest and American television stations (finally).

Innsbruck Dragon

Innsbruck Goblin

Too sore to skate, I spent the next morning shopping and sightseeing in historic Innsbruck with Brett and the girls.  Innsbruck is truly a first-class city.  The cars, people, and architecture are beautiful and classy.  

Serena gets her shop on

It was hard to say goodbye to Innsbruck after less than 24hrs.  We all agreed that we could live in this city surrounded by towering, snowy peaks and chock full of skatespots, shopping and beautiful people. A few plane rides later and Innsbruck was just a memory and we were in a shuttle driving through the night to Snow World, a giant indoor ski resort in Holland.  Our good friend and ripper, Jeremy Thompson had joined the crew, infusing new stoke.  Our days of curiosity regarding indoor shredding were over as we entered the Disneyland of Snowboarding and were greeting like celebrities.
As I write this we are relaxing after day one on the "slopes" and I can say the place didn't disappoint.  The park is fun and no one smashed their heads into the ceiling when hitting the jumps.  We met a young local who let us drag fences around and open up closed features.  The trails are open until 11 and the locals all make way for my impressive crew.  Practice for the Europa Cup starts tomorrow but this chapter in our fortunate lives has already begun…..

Jeremy Thompson gets all street in Holland

Austria Images

In a world fueled by media it is easy to get overloaded with images.  I purchased a new camera for the season and am finding it just as easy to overload on killer photos.  How many can I put on FB before they loose their impact?  As a kid I would treasure the few riding photos we would get during the winter.  And as we had to wait for them to be developed (this concept must be mind-blowing to today's youth), getting them back from the lab was like Christmas.  Now photos that could grace magazine covers (the magazine also becoming a cultural relic) are lucky to get a glance on the internet.  

All this being said, I have adapted to the times and do not overly lament the change in culture.  It means we get to see tons more killer photos and more riders get some sort of exposure.  I have been posting the bangers to my FB sites, but realize that some fans still reject this medium and favor text-rich blogs.  This post serves to get some shots from our current stay in Austria out.  Otherwise they go to that hard drive graveyard in the depths of my most recent computer.