European X Games - Day 1

The first ever European X Games is happening in Tignes as we speak. The best skiers and snowboarders in the world will be battling it out for X Games gold from the 10th – 12th March.
MPORA are the official online partners for the event meaning we get the official highlights 24hrs before anyone else. As well as producing our own daily X Games highlights show covering all the action and behind the scenes.

Riders descending on Tignes include TTR World Tour Winner Peetu Piiroinen, Travis Rice, Scotty Lago, Louie Vito, Jenny Jones, Torah Bright and Gretchen Bleiler. An all star cast is set to light up Tignes over the next two days.

We are pleased to announce we have one of the first highlight clips to come out of Tignes. Yesterday was practice day so we had our guys out filming as riders got their runs down. Despite freezing cold temperatures and high winds the riders got stuck in. Two time X Games Slopestyle winner Jenny Jones talks us through the course as she prepares to try and bag her third X Games gold.

Eight Athletes Participate in Opening Press Conference; Two Eliminations Tonight

Tignes, France – Together with ESPN and Canal+ Events, Tignes Resort welcomed the first Winter X Games Europe today at a press conference in front of 125 media and the following eight elite athletes who will compete in the inaugural event: Torah Bright (Australia), Kevin Rolland (France), Jenny Jones (UK), Xavier Bertoni (France), JJ Thomas (USA), Mathieu Crepel (France), Louie Vito (USA). Final competitions begin tomorrow and will go through Friday.

Snowboard SuperPipe Women’s Eliminations were held tonight under the lights and temperatures in the teens. Australia’s Torah Bright, 2010 Winter Olympic gold medalist, easily qualified in first for the women’s Snowboard SuperPipe Final which will be held on Thursday. Bright’s best elimination run score was nearly 12 points higher than number two qualifier Ellery Hollingsworth from the USA. Four of the six riders who made the Winter X Games Europe Final were in the 2010 Olympics.

Skiing SuperPipe Men’s Eliminations were also held this evening where Canadian Justin Dorey took the lead with his second run, which scored 40 points higher than the second qualifier. Two athletes did not let there homecountry down in tonight’s elimination where Tignes’ own Xavier Bertoni and Kevin Rolland will head into tomorrow’s night final in the two and three spots, respectively.

WINTER X GAMES EUROPE 2010
The inaugural Winter X Games Europe will feature nearly 150 men and women from across the globe competing for medals and prize money in the sports of Skiing and Snowboard. Additionally, there will be daily Snowmobile Freestyle demonstrations. The event is the first Winter X Games held outside the United States and brings together ESPN's world class X Games franchise with Canal+ Events and Tignes Ski & Snowboard Resort.

Together with CANAL + Networks (CANAL +, CANAL + SPORT, Sport +) and ESPN International, Winter X Games Europe will be broadcast live in eight countries, including France, and distributed to 166 countries and territories, including Latin America, Middle East, Pacific Rim, sub-Saharan Africa, Brazil, Israel, Caribbean, North America and Europe.

Spring Snowboarding - Why leaving it late can turn out great!

Make the decision to head off on a snowboard trip and the chances are that you’ll automatically think about picking out a week or two in the winter for your holiday. There’s a lot to be said for the late season, however – not least because you can often pick up a fantastic deal on Spring snowboard trips if you shop around.

It’s not just the flights and accommodation that will come in cheaper, either; as springtime is traditionally the quiet season, lift passes will also be significantly cheaper. Put the cherry on top by shopping around and finding yourself the best foreign exchange rate for buying your holiday currency too and you’ll have a great time for a relatively low price.

It’s not just the financial aspect that makes Spring ideal for snowboarding though. Your chosen resort’s snowboard lifts will operate for longer, too, because of the longer daylight hours that Spring brings. With great weather and quieter slopes than peak season, taking a snowboard holiday in the Spring makes a whole lot of sense.

Not all resorts are at their best during the Spring, however. As a general rule, try to stick to a destination that offers snowboarding at 2,000m or above to greatly reduce the risk of the snow disappearing before you get there. It’s always best to check with your chosen resort before you book, though; if a resort that is generally fine in the Spring has an unusually poor snowfall then it could jeopardise your plans. You don’t want to book your tickets, pack your snowboarding gear and buy up a load of the relevant foreign currency only to find that the resort is snow-free.

Remember, even experienced snowboarders sometimes have accidents, so whatever time of the year you book your trip for, be sure to have the right insurance policy in place. Some places offer specific snowboard trip cover; there are a number of places out there offering cheap travel insurance so be sure to shop around and find the right deal for you.

Granted, you can’t buy your travel insurance until you decide on a destination, so where to go? In terms of Europe, France is a great bet for late season snowboarding with Val Thorens and Tignes often proving popular. Alternatively, the likes of Zermatt makes Switzerland a solid choice too, while Sweden boasts great resorts like Riksgransen and Åre. Further afield, North America has a host of great spots for Spring snowboarding, from Canada’s Whistler in British Colombia – recently in the headlines for co-hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics – to California’s Mammoth Mountain in the USA.

There’s something for everyone out there, so do your research and find the perfect Spring snowboarding resort for your needs.

Forum ‘Forever’ – Alternate Angles Video

Some of the bangers from the 2010 Forum snowboard movie as seen from different angles. Sick!

Alternate Angles from Forum Snowboards on Vimeo.

Snowboarding DC Streets - Cool Video

Cool snowboarding video of a guy on snowboard being towed through Washington DC streets being followed by cops who are enjoying the ride! Cool!



The snow was 2-3 inch thick so the snowboard was perfectly fine and never touched the concrete. Obviously the car towing was a 4x4 or it could have ended in tears!

Snowboard Tricks Videos

Cool snowboard tricks video contest inviting snowboaders to upload videos of sickest tricks to YouTube.com. It is part of NYTimes.com's overall Olympics Coverage.

Submit your snowboard trick video to youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1h2ERqwjy3I

Snowboard Video - Top 10 Snowboarding Tricks

Cool video of 10 amazing snowboarding tricks from the likes of Travis Rice and Eero Ettala.

Garret Bartel Ski Accident

Extreme skier Garret Bartel makes one wrong move at the top of this mountain. The result is a near death experience and I cannot believe he survives this crash.



This is why I snowboard instead of 2 planks beneath my feet!

First Patent Snowboard (1939) - Pictures and Video

Here is an exclusive short video of the first snowboard patented in USA in 1939 sent in to us by Stephanie (Burgeson) Dorn which features her Grandfather, Gunnar Burgeson who co-invented the snowboard. Snowboarding sure has come a long way since 1939 and we are glad that Stephanie decided to share this great video and pictures on snowboarding days blog

Video of first patent snowboard (1939)

What Stephanie (Burgeson) Dorn's father, Don Burgeson has to say about his dads invention....

My dad, Gunnar Burgeson, came to the U.S. from Sweden when he was 18 years old and settled in Oak Park, IL. In 1939 my dad co-invented the snowboard with his brother Harvey Burgeson and relative Vern Wicklund. They filed the first patent for the snowboard in 1939 [U.S. Patent 2,181,391]. My dad was 31 years old at the time of the invention and at least 5 snowboards were made and I have 3 in my possession.

Growing up we would call the snowboard a “bunker”. As a kid I used the bunker all the time. My dad would take my brothers and me to hilly areas in Illinois and Wisconsin. We would generally jump a fence to get onto someone’s property and use the bunker to ride down the hills.

Standing sideways we would secure our rear foot under a leather strap that looks like a belt buckle that accommodated different sizes of shoes. Our forward foot was placed behind a piece of wood fastened to the board. The front of the board had a rope that we would hold with one hand – this rope would help us slow down the board and served as a break. Our other hand would hold a stick that had a hole with a piece of rope we’d put around our wrist – this helped us with balance. The entire board was made of oak and was bent slightly to a concave shape weighing at least 15 pounds, maybe more.

I never knew that my dad patented the bunker until I saw the January 16, 2004 Sports Illustrated article on snowboarding that listed the timeline of the sport that began with my dad’s patent. And, little did I know growing up that my dad’s invention would take off and become an Olympic sport with such a following. Watching the Winter Olympics I am reminded of my dad and my childhood growing up using the first snowboard on some little hills in the Midwest. Snowboarding sure has come a long way since 1939.

Pictures of first patent snowboard (1939)

Here are pictures that Stephanie (Burgeson) Dorn sent in of that first board from 1939...

Pictures provided by Don Burgeson, Son of the co-inventor of the snowboard

Shaun White - Sick Private Pipe Video

Last year, Shaun White disappeared from the snowboard scene, holding up in the wilds of Colorado training for what would be the biggest winter of his life. This is the story of his year, the private halfpipe and one of the most progressive sessions in history. Check out this video...

FIRST LOOK: Shaun White's private pipe - Red Bull Project X - watch more skate, snow, surf, and moto videos

View more at Red Bull Project X

Sick Snowboarding Compilation Video

So you think you're a seasoned snowboarder because you've mastered the commercial slopes in your area? Think again. This amazing compilation of cool snowboarding tricks showcases the true masters of the sport, in all their glory. Check out this video!