Urban snowboarding in Occidental Park

Ah, autumn in Seattle, with that nip in the air. Fallen leaves dot the sidewalks, and snowboarders turn Occidental Park into a "giant snow cone."

Organizers of the sixth annual Downtown Throwdown Saturday built a giant ramp in the Pioneer Square park and covered it with 80,000 pounds of crushed ice, which they sprinkled with salt.

And as the "snow" melted, about 25 professional snowboarders took turns making 20-second runs down the ramp — enough time to skid against a rail, jump off the edge of the slope or do a quick back flip before it was time to unstrap their boots, climb the stairs and do it again.

Judges watched two one-hour "jams" and handed out $10,000 in prize money. Read More

SKI AND SNOWBOARD CELEBRITIES TO ATTEND BUCKMAN’S WHITEHALL GRAND OPENING

What: Buckman’s Ski & Snowboard Shop is hosting an event to celebrate the Grand Opening of their store in Whitehall, PA. The top athletes in the ski and snowboard industry will be at the new store signing autographs, giving away prizes, and showing their support for Buckman’s. In the evening, Seth Morrison’s film “The Ordinary Skier” will be shown on a large outdoor screen followed by Burton’s film “Standing Sideways.” This event takes place during our annual pre-season/tent sale. While customers are meeting ski and snowboard legends, they can also shop our biggest sale of the year. Read More

Shaun White Supply Co. launches Thurs

SAN DIEGO -- Want to own a skateboard like the one Shaun White used to win his latest X Games gold medal?

The action sports superstar is expanding his empire by launching the Shaun White Supply Co., which will sell skateboards, BMX bikes, helmets and pads, ramps and grind rails in sporting goods stores across the country and online.

The 25-year-old White said his product line is a logical step in a two-sport career in which he's dominated some of the sickest halfpipes in the world, from Los Angeles to Turin to Vancouver.

"The nice thing is, since I've gotten older, I have the mindset to take on things like this. When I won at Torino, I was 19. I mean, if the awards were at a bar, they wouldn't have let me in," White said, referring to winning the first of his two Olympic gold medals in snowboarding. "You can finally do all the projects that you've wanted to do, not that you have to do." Read More

White promises that his products will be better than what he used while growing up in Carlsbad in northern San Diego County.

Winter is Coming: Mammoth Mountain Kicks Off the 2011/2012 Season

BREAKING NEWS - Winter is here! Over the past 24 hours there has been a viscous storm front rampaging up and down the West Coast. Up north, the weather reports are calling for over a foot of fresh snowfall and looks to continue throughout the night -- especially with temperatures dropping below 18 degrees!

Those in southern California are waking up to soggy sandals, while residents up north in Mammoth Lakes are being greeted by beautiful, snow-covered Sierra Mountains! Some people get all the luck! The message from La Nina is loud and clear: Winter is coming to Mammoth Mountain early this year, and to be honest -- just like sexy -- it feels like it never left.

Old Man Winter could not have picked a better location to start the season. Mammoth Mountain is truly the premier ski destination in the state of California, and among the most elite resorts in the nation. According to our user-powered Resort Rater, Mammoth Mountain is the 4th highest rated resort in the country, is the #1 Spring Skiing destination, and has the #1 Terrain Park for 2 years running! Last year, the resort experienced the most snow in its history, which allowed them to stay open until July 4th, 2011! Read More

Snowboard magazine ranks Snowmass first, Buttermilk third overall

Snowmass has been named the top overall resort in Transworld Snowboarding’s 2011-2012 rankings. Buttermilk came in third.

Yes, that’s right. The Transworld poll, based on a reader survey, ranked our own 470-acre Buttermilk Mountain Ski Resort as the third best “total package” resort. Whistler/Blackcomb, British Columbia, came in fourth.

Located near the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport, Buttermilk was developed more than 50 years ago to provide beginner skiers with an alternative to the steep slopes of Aspen Mountain and Aspen Highlands. It has experienced a renaissance in the new-school era, hosting ESPN’s winter X Games since 2002 and developing what are undoubtedly some of the best terrain park features in the industry. For the third straight year, Transworld honored Buttermilk as having the best terrain park facilities. Read More

Non-Profit to set World Record at San Francisco Ski & Snowboard Festival

Roy Tuscany of High Fives Non-Profit Foundation and SnowBomb.com are teaming up to make history and break the Guinness World Record for most high fives in one day at the fourth annual San Francisco Ski & Snowboard Festival.

The current record holder is Josh Dueck, who completed 9,307 high fives in a 24-hour period. Roy Tuscany, the founder of High Fives Non-Profit Foundation, is hoping to get at least 10,000 high fives on Saturday, Nov. 5 in San Francisco at the Fort Mason Center’s Festival Pavilion. He is hoping to raise awareness for High Fives Non-Profit Foundation, which is an organization that is dedicated to raising money and awareness for athletes that have suffered a life-altering injury while pursing a dream in winter action sports. Read More

Snowboarding one minute then wakeboarding the next

A wild new competition combining wakeboarding and snowboarding has raised $500 for a Wakatipu charity.
The novel Twin Powers event last weekend attracted 20 entrants to its Queenstown venues up The Remarkables and on Lake Wakatipu.
Competitors got a combined score for their slopestyle snowboard runs in the terrain park and wakeboarding passes in Kelvin Grove.
Organiser Richard Milsom, who owns Queenstown’s Waketours company, says the intention had been to run both legs on the Saturday.
The weather roughed up in the afternoon and the wakeboarding was held on Sunday. Read More