United Slopes Of America Episode Season

United Slopes 4, so good...If you liked the Snowboard Realms, you'll like USOA.  THIS is something that snowboarding AND skiing need badly.  The attitude, adventure and sharing of accessible-in-bound spots is marketing that your average everyday ski or snowboard participant can relate too.  We have too much cool guy club shit that's out there and the way United Slopes is presented is really welcoming.  I always wrote Heavenly off my list of places I would ride, but now will ride there.  As well as Sierra at Tahoe.

Here's the series in its entirety,  take your time and check em all out. 

Holy Bowl Eh

"Dad, no offense but I kinda want to go to Holy Bowly without you." 

Getting to the Holy Bowly was no easy task.  It was during spring break, we didn't know if Milo was getting invited, didn't really have any family's to travel up with and split the cost, but regardless, I bought TWO airplane tickets to Calgary and rented a car hoping it would happen.  Holy has been on MY "to do" list since it started.  I always thought that it would be the event that the boy would shine at and put some effort into getting us both up there.
The DWD dudes said they would take Milo on his own, solo trip style.  Which sounded good at first, but then thinking about my precious Catholic all boys schooled son sleeping in a 3 bedroom condo, on the floor with 10+ men, partying, not cooking, and just being derilicks, that idea was scrapped.
After chatting with Riley about who he knew may be going, Miles Fallon's name came up.  He was rolling up with his pops, Joe and they offered the roll out couch to Milo.  I called Joe, we chatted and he seemed rad.   So when I asked the boy how he felt about me sending him on his first trip alone, across an international boarder, he responded:  "Dad, no offense but I kinda want to go to Holy Bowly without you." 
So off he went and as bummed as I was initially about not going to witness, ride, photo and film everyone getting rad, I was blown away with the boy and what he got accomplished without me there enabling him.   That was the EH in the Holy Bowl eh for me.
Thanks Joe Fallon, Miles Fallon, Mary Walsh, Mia Danials, Krush Kulza, Scott Stevens, Cooper, Matteo and the Dino's dudes for all looking out and bringing out the best in him.  Nice work producing, Gnar_Producer, I'm proud of you.

Joe, Miles and Milo.  Joe, does the room your staying in have a kitchen?  "Yea, maybe, I dont know.  I'm the type of guy that likes to eat out though."

SO TiTS closing weekend at Mission Ridge Parks with the Dinosaurs Will Die crew

Another great closing weekend, this time at Mission Ridge with the Dinosaurs Will Die crew.  Sad to see the PNW mountains shutting down when the weather and snow are at there best.

SO TiTS closing weekends @ Stevens Pass

The last two closing weekends at Stevens Pass have been pretty TiTS. Yea it's been raining, yea it's been snowing, yea we've had maybe 4 sunny days this season, but when its wet out, its soft out. I don't get it how we as an industry push the sunny, powdery, extreme days of being on the mountain when some of the best times I've been on them I've had a plastic bag on over my Gore-Tex coat and used a squeegee every run on my goggles.  If we payed attention to the weather channel we'd never be on the hill.
These past two weekends Corey Wilson, Austin Buza, Austin Vizz, Joe, Milo & Mac put the Stevens Pass parks to good use before the lifts stopped running during the 2016-17 season.  And we had to wear plastic bags to keep from being soaked thru.  All the specks you see in the video, that's water.
Thank you Stevens Pass management, staff, and parks crew for a killer year. 

SO TiTS hits the Launch at Snow Summit

There's a couple of yearly milestones with shred that I set my sights on:  Baker Banked Slalom, Baldface, the Launch an CAMPiTA.  

Well last week we checked off number 3 of 4 from the list as we went down to sunny California to Snow Summit for Snowboarder Magazine and Oakley's the Launch.   Last year we were at Big Bear and the dudes decided to move it over from the heavily cool guy trafficked Big Bear to old bro zone of Snow Summit, which was brilliant for two reasons.  It created an exclusive environment for the kids invited and gave the dads in denial that came access to one of the best old man parks in the country.  

The Launch set up was insane.  They Zaugg'd everything possible to make a multitude of hips thru out the run as well as built a couple of unique booters for the kids to chuck their meet off of.  Minimal rail set ups were there for the mid west contingent but for the most part, those kids are jumping everything these days and that didn't seem to be a factor.  

In the Westridge public park it was game on for not only the kids, but the dudes in denial as well.  Every jump was cheese wedged, but doable and they had a series of consequent-less hips that anyone could hit.  I haven't jumped anything in the last couple of seasons because of the shit I went thru with the big C and all but after hooking up with Dave Appel from DC and his co-workers Jeff and Shawn I knew I needed to get my shit in gear.  

We were only at the Launch for 3 of the 4 days as I had to get back to Stevens Pass and help orchestrate the SlayRide banked slalom that we were putting on and that threw a wrench in our usual Launch routine as we were cutting out the most important day for the Malkoski boys, the last day.  The last day of the Launch usually has a 1/3 of the attendees and its the day that Mac and Milo seem to come alive.  Not this year though, with a full pep talk before the trip of "I don't want to get on the plane coming home and here any of this I should have bullshit.  If you see something you want to do, do it.  Time is of the essence."  And for the most part, Milo, Mac and Matteo took that advice to heart and used the features to their benefit which resulted in getting a shot of two in the Launch recaps.  I followed my own advice and on the last day, last run, hit every jump in the Westridge park in suck-session with an array of scared indys, Tina's and missed grabs thrown to show the kids whats up.   Griff, you were sorely missed from this solid throw down of aerial acrobatics. 

Once again the team at Snowboarder Magazine pulled off an incredible event and I can't thank them enough for the invite.  The Launch may be and 18 and under event, but it certainly put miles of smiles on all the old balls that went there to chaperone their kids.  Thanks Pat, Bird, Stone, Mary, Huggy, Cavan, Cole and everyone else.