About.com Snowboarding

Okemo Fires Up the Snowmaking System!

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:19:59 +0000

News from the east - Okemo has fired up their snowmaking system! The resort, which routinely ranks near the top for snow quality in the east (according to reader polls from magazines like SKI and Skiing), has gone so far as to bring in extra air compressors to assist in the onslaught of creating snow in anticipation of opening day.

The resort plans on kicking off the season on November 21.

Okemo Fires Up the Snowmaking System! originally appeared on About.com Snowboarding on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 17:19:59.

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Louie Vito Voted Off ABC's Dancing With The Stars

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:29:45 +0000

It was a good run, but alas, professional snowboarder and 2010 Winter Olympic hopeful Louie Vito has been voted off ABC's Dancing With The Stars. After Melissa Joan Hart was eliminated last evening, the judges put Vito and partner Chelsie Hightower to a dance-off (similar to the "walk-off" between Derek Zoolander and Hansel in the 2001 movie "Zoolander") against NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin and his partner Anna Demidova. Although one of the judges - Bruno - voted to save Louie and Chelsie, Len� and Carrie Ann Inaba (who, as an aside, is apparently one of Howard Stern's least favorite people on the planet) weren't in their corner, which meant they were going home.

Although I can't say I'm heartbroken to see Louie go (I can finally watch Monday Night Football in peace!), it would have been a feather in the cap of the snowboarding world to say we had a Dancing With The Stars champion in our midst. So what's next for Louie? The Olympic trials, of course, which begin December 11 at Copper Mountain in Colorado.

One final note - my fianc�e swears that Louie and Chelsie either are or will be dating shortly. I have no idea whether or not this is true, but I generally trust her judgement in these matters. I guess only time will tell!

Louie Vito Voted Off ABC's Dancing With The Stars originally appeared on About.com Snowboarding on Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 at 09:29:45.

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Monster Energy Backs Off Rock Art Brewery!

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:39:57 +0000

Hey, whadaya know...a win for the little guy! According to the Rock Art Brewery website as well as articles from the Burlington Free Press and local CBS affiliate WCAX, the Hansen Beverage Company (which produces Monster Energy) bowed to pressure from the Internet late last night. Detailed terms of the agreement have not been released, but Rock Art has agreed to stay out of the energy drink business.

In addition to ordinary citizens voicing their displeasure and calling for boycotts of Monster Energy and other Hansen products, U.S. Senator and all-around rabble rouser Bernie Sanders (I-VT) also got involved in the dispute, urging Hansen to leave his constituent's small brewery alone. As Sanders comically put it, "An energy drink is not a beer, and the word "monster" is not "Vermonster." Any person who would get confused by these two different products and names should probably slow down a bit, and lay off energy drinks." Sanders continued his scolding, saying, "Further, as you may know, Vermont is a small state in New England which is the home of the Rock Art Brewery. Not surprisingly, that is why this Vermont company uses the name 'Vermonster.' While the Rock Art Brewery is a small business in a small state, my understanding is that the Hansen Beverage Company is a major multinational corporation based in California. While Rock Art Brewery has seven employees, your company earns more than $1 billion a year off the 'Monster Energy Drink' product alone."

In this day and age of corporations run amok, it's nice to see that an amicable settlement was reached in this case!

Monster Energy Backs Off Rock Art Brewery! originally appeared on About.com Snowboarding on Thursday, October 22nd, 2009 at 10:39:57.

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Louie Vito Will Keep On Dancing on ABC's Dancing With The Stars!

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:23:18 +0000

Louie Vito made the cut again last night on ABC's Dancing With The Stars! The professional snowboarder and 2010 Olympic Snowboarding hopeful was rumored to be one of the competitors on the chopping block, but both the judges and his fans at home agreed Vito and partner Chelsie Hightower had performed well enough to merit another week on the show.

Olympic swimmer Natalie Coughlin was not as lucky last night. To the dismay of the judges (who appeared to disagree with the voters at home), Coughlin was sent on her way over pop star Aaron Carter.

In one of the more comical portions of the show the other night, the entire group was practicing for their first group dance, which was the Hustle. Louie couldn't understand why most of them already knew the steps - having been born in 1988, he had no idea what the dance involved!

Tune in next week to catch more of Louie's moves on Dancing With The Stars!

Louie Vito Will Keep On Dancing on ABC's Dancing With The Stars! originally appeared on About.com Snowboarding on Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 09:23:18.

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Monster Energy Is Messing With The Little Guy

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:44:41 +0000

Monster Energy, an energy drink manufacturer owned by the publicly traded Hansen Natural Corporation, has stepped on the toes of beer lovers nationwide by sending a Cease-and-Desist letter to Vermont Microbrewery Rock Art. The product in question is the brewery's 10th anniversary "Vermonster," a delightful 10% 100 IBU meal of a beer. According to the legal geniuses at Monster Energy, the name Vermonster constitutes a trademark violation and will, in the eyes of the company, "undoubtedly create a likelihood of confusion." Right. Because I confuse giant, overpriced cans of chemically-infused sugar water with craft-brewed beer all the time.

So what's this have to do with snowboarding, you ask? A few things - first and foremost, my theory that snowboarders are in fact beer snobs has been well documented on this site. Any beer snob worth his or her chops should give the Vermonster a try - you won't be disappointed! Second, Rock Art rocks out in Morrisville, Vermont, a mere stones throw from the iconic slopes of Stowe and Sugarbush. Moving right along, Monster slaps its logo (which was obviously designed during the days when "extreme" was still cool) all over the action sports world, which is easy to do when your parent company is worth a billion dollars. Finally, it's my belief that the snowboard industry has always been for the little guy, even today when the sport is decidedly not little anymore. Someone get Jake Burton on the phone - Odds are he's on the side of Rock Art (although this is merely conjecture, as well as a deep seated belief in the man Jake Burton).

A boycott of Monster Energy and Hansen Natural products has already begun, and the issue has taken off in the blogosphere, on Twitter, and across Al Gore's Internet. A petition supporting Rock Art can be signed by clicking HERE.

For more information on the David vs. Goliath fight going on here, check out PJ's blog Starting a Brewery, Katie Pizzuto's writeup from Gonzo Gastronomy, and the Rock Art website itself. While you're at it, why not write Hansen Natural and voice your displeasure?

Monster Energy Is Messing With The Little Guy originally appeared on About.com Snowboarding on Friday, October 16th, 2009 at 13:44:41.

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Sunday River is Open for Business!

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:26:24 +0000

The East Coast got into the game Thursday as Sunday River opened for the 2009-2010 season. Recent natural snowfall accumulations of 3", coupled with several days of cold temperatures allowed the resort to open a full 13 days before Halloween, and well ahead of every other resort in the East.

Today, Sunday River has one trail open on the upper mountain for skiing and riding, and as is typical with early season openings, the terrain is recommended for advanced skiers and riders only. The best part? Lift tickets today are FREE! That's right, FREE...as in zip, zero, nada. Tomorrow, the price goes up (only place it could go, I guess) to $25 for all ages.

The resort plans to run the lifts through Sunday before closing again for the midweek period. Further operations in October will be weather dependent.

So now it's official - Loveland opened up nice and quick for those in the West, and Sunday River comes right back a week later to serve those of us in the East. Good show, folks...good show!

Sunday River is Open for Business! originally appeared on About.com Snowboarding on Thursday, October 15th, 2009 at 13:26:24.

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Snowboarding Still Represented on ABC's Dancing With The Stars!

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:16:40 +0000

Louie Vito survived another round of ABC's Dancing With The Stars last night, meaning the professional snowboarder and 2010 Olympic Snowboarding hopeful can breathe easy and get back to practicing his dance moves with partner Chelsie Hightower for another week.

Mixed-Martial Arts fighter Chuck Lidell (nickname: The Iceman!), alongside partner Anna Trebunskaya, was dismissed last evening. I guess Chuck's moves in the cage weren't enough to wow the judges, eh?

Snowboarding Still Represented on ABC's Dancing With The Stars! originally appeared on About.com Snowboarding on Wednesday, October 14th, 2009 at 09:16:40.

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Loveland Ski Area Opens Tomorrow!

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:59:59 +0000

Loveland Ski Area opens tomorrow, kicking off the 2009-2010 ski and snowboard season. Loveland is typically one of the first resorts to open in the U.S. each season, but tomorrow's opening date of October 7th is a record, even for the king of early openings.

The resort began making snow back on September 21, and when the chairs begin turning tomorrow morning at 9 a.m., lucky skiers and riders (read: all of you within driving distance of Loveland!) will find an 18" base with coverage from edge to edge. "We took advantage of the cold temperatures and got an early start making snow this year.� Those extra days paid off and we are opening a week earlier than last season," said Eric Johnstone, Snowmaking and Trail Maintenance Manager.� "Now we can move some equipment to other trails and try to open more terrain as quickly as possible."

With Loveland firing the opening salvo of this young season, look for other resorts around North America to begin hustling, weather-permitting, to get open as soon as possible. I'll update this post with photos from opening day at Loveland as soon as possible - stay tuned, and in the meantime, get those snowboards ready to go!

Loveland Ski Area Opens Tomorrow! originally appeared on About.com Snowboarding on Tuesday, October 6th, 2009 at 20:59:59.

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Snow Returns to the East

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:03:39 +0000

A photo of Stowe's legendary Front Four trails covered in some early season snow was sent to me this past Friday. Although the snow didn't pile up enough to warrant a hike up the mountain with snowboard in tow, the image was enough to get my imagination going...it won't be long before we're all making turns again, across the country!

Other resorts reporting recent snowfalls across the U.S. include several Front Range resorts in Colorado - Arapahoe Basin, Beaver Creek, Loveland, and Vail, as well as Snowbird in Utah, which reported upwards of 20" of new snow recently!

All these reports of recent snowfall can only mean one thing: The season is fast approaching, excitement levels are rising rapidly, and we're all oh so close to making turns once again!

Snow Returns to the East originally appeared on About.com Snowboarding on Monday, October 5th, 2009 at 15:03:39.

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Louie Vito Dancing With The Stars Update

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 20:16:35 +0000

This just in - Louie Vito has survived tonight's "cut" on ABC's Dancing With The Stars! The professional snowboarder will live to fight, uh, I mean dance another day.

Louie Vito Dancing With The Stars Update originally appeared on About.com Snowboarding on Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009 at 20:16:35.

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