Earlier this month, Burton unveiled the US Snowboard Team Uniforms for the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympics.  And in sharp contrast to other nations, the Vermont based company has  given the team a distinct ‘un-uniform’ edge – utilizing well worn denim plus a special red, white and blue plaid.  When the US Snowboard Team steps onto the World’s stage this February in Vancouver, they will look and feel unmatched with designs that speak to both individuality and heritage, key hallmarks of the Burton brand and the snowboard culture.

The Olympic uniforms feature a fresh and progressive style while also managing to pay tribute to more classic Americana fashion staples. The pants seamlessly integrate the look of real, worn, vintage denim (very cool), and the jackets feature plaids adorned with leather patches and chenille crests with both pieces incorporating the performance benefits of Gore-Tex fabric.

All product development at Burton is rider driven and this Olympic outerwear is no exception. Burton held a roundtable discussion with top pro-snowboarders and Olympic hopefuls Elena Hight, Mason Aguirre, Danny Davis, Kevin Pearce, Jack Mitrani, Luke Mitrani, Steve Fisher, Scotty Lago, and Louie Vito to review design concepts for the outerwear before arriving at the final creation.

“Since its inception, Burton has been a rider driven company,” said Jake Burton, Founder and Chairman of Burton Snowboards. “For the creation of the US Snowboard Team uniform, we listened carefully to the riders’ needs and used their input to ensure that the final fit, fabrics and overall design would maximize their performances and take these riders to the podium. It was also absolutely critical to ensure these Olympic uniforms were worthy of bearing the Burton name.”

“Although we are creating a uniform, our first objective is to express the individuality of snowboarding. As such, we are taking vintage American looks and interpreting them in a very unique and unexpected fashion.” says Greg Dacyshyn, Senior Vice President of Creative at Burton.

Looks like they’ve successfully managed to straddle both patriotic and street-influenced factors for the Games. What do you think?

Kelly Clark wins Burton New Zealand Halfpipe final

New Zealand’s largest snowboarding event, the Burton New Zealand Open Snowboarding Championships, came to a close after four intense days of competition. Part of the Burton Global Open Series and the Swatch Ticket To Ride World Snowboard Tour, the 7th Annual New Zealand Open showcased some the world’s top snowboarders competing in halfpipe and slopestyle competitions for over NZ$50,000 in prize money.

Hundreds of competitors from all over the world flocked to Cardrona Alpine Resort to compete, and action got underway on Wednesday with men’s and women’s slopestyle pre-qualifications and qualifications. Men’s and women’s halfpipe qualifications went down on Thursday, followed by men’s and women’s slopestyle semifinal and finals on Friday with Jamie Anderson (USA) and Sebastien Toutant (CAN) riding away with the top spots worth $6,000 each.

Saturday saw a field of 40 men and 21 women compete for the halfpipe titles worth NZ$6,000. In the women’s competition Kelly Clark and Jiayu Liu battled it out in semifinals with huge amplitude and clean spins, while Elizabeth Beerman just bumped Kiwi Kendall Brown from advancing on to final.

Halfpipe finals consisted of three runs each for men and women, with the women first to drop. The Asian contingent finished strong taking four of the top eight spots in the women’s finals, with Zhifeng Sun from China taking third. Her winning run featured an impressive frontside 900. Jiayu Liu (CHN) rode away with second with a run that featured back-to-back 720s and back-to-back 540s. But it was Kelly Clark that pulled it out with a whopping score of 83.67. Her winning run started with a massive frontside air followed by a backside 540 indy, into a frontside 720 tailgrab, followed by a Cab 720, finishing with a frontside 540 indy.

Clark had this to say of her win, “I felt really good today; I got to try new things. I like progressing, and when you ride against a solid group of competitors it pushes me to do more. I’m happy that I did well for my first contest of the summer, especially going in to an Olympic year.”

With the Burton New Zealand Open finished, the next stop in the BGOS is the European Open, taking place January 9-16, 2010 in Laax, Switzerland. The European Open is the second stop on the 2009-2010 Burton Global Open Series.

Jamie Anderson is currently in the lead for the Burton Global Open Series Championship titles and a piece of the $200,000 prize purse. With only two results on her account so far, 08/09 Swatch TTR World Champion Kelly Clark moves into world no. 7 with her victory in New Zealand.

Burton New Zealand Open - Women's Snowboard

Heavy snowfall and limited visibility delayed the start of the second day of the seventh annual Burton New Zealand Open, but the riders and course crew overcame the challenging conditions with a full day of competition. It was no small task as over 70 men and 35 women from 16 countries were slated to take to Cardrona Alpine Resort’s newly sculpted slopestyle course, each vying for a highly coveted spot in Friday’s semifinal competition.

The men were first to drop into the 800m-long course featuring up and downrails, boxes, three kickers and a unique upstair feature to quarterpipe. Following that competition, a thick fog rolled in making things more difficult for the women as they were lined up and ready to go for their turn in the course.

Thirty-five women were to take two runs through the course, the best score counting, however Mother Nature had other plans and the women were only able to take their first run.  Tommorrow morning will see the continuation of the women’s slopestyle qualifications, followed by men’s and women’s semifinal and final competitions.

Women advancing on to semifinals and finals will compete against riders like  Chanelle Sladics (USA), Cheryl Maas (NED), Jamie Anderson (USA), Lisa Wiik (NOR), Sarka Pancochova (CZE), Shelly Gotlieb (NZL), Silvia Mittermuller (GER), Sina Candrian (SUI) and Spencer O’Brien (CAN).

The NZ Open action continues with men’s and women’s halfpipe qualifications. Cardrona Alpine Resort is the home to the only 22’ halfpipe in New Zealand, which is the same size pipe that will be featured at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

How awesome would it be if every state had its own official sport and one day out of the year was designated a state holiday just for that sport.  Hawaii could claim surfing while Californians take a day for kiteboarding. The official sport in Idaho could be cow-tipping. Florida might make swimming the official sport. Rhode Island could adopt sailing.

The bill currently sitting in the Vermont legislature cites the importance snowboarding plays in the economic and historical well-being of the state.

Colorado has skiing and snowboarding as its state sports and some Vermont legislators would like to see the dual sports designated as official sports in their state. With competing pieces of legislation sitting in committee, lawmakers do not expect to tackle the state sport issue until the 2010 session.

Both options make sense since skiing and snowboarding have a long history in Vermont:

In 1934, the country’s first ski area opened outside of Woodstock when the first rope tow ski lift was installed, leading to the nation’s first ski race on Mount Mansfield the same year.

Four years later, C. Minot Dole founded the National Ski Patrol in Vermont, using his model to convince the U.S. Army to activate a division of soldiers on skis.

The Suicide Six Resort in Pomfret was the first American resort to allow snowboarding in 1982. Vermont was also the first state to host a snowboard park.

Additionally, Vermont resident Jake Burton Carpenter founded the first snowboard company in 1977 and perfected the technology to build the boards.

A number of Vermonters have excelled in the Winter Olympic games as well, from skier Barbara Ann’s gold medal in 1972 to the first-place snowboarding victories by Hannah Teter, Ross Powers and West Dover’s Kelly Clark.

While we wait to see what happens in Vermont, what do you think should be the official sport in your state?

Top riders including  Olympic gold medalist Kelly Clark,  Hannah Teter and Ellery Hollingsworth,  X-Games Gold Medalist Torah Bright, Asian Open winner Chanelle Sladics and TTR World Champion Jamie Anderson are all participating in the event. Hardly surprising as it is one of the first snowboarding events in the world to offer male and female competitors equal winnings.

The US Open is the last stop on the Burton Global Open Series and offers riders the chance to earn points towards a male and female championship title, each worth $100,000, currently the largest single payout in competitive snowboarding. 

This year’s Open features a different competition schedule than the past few years with all events and concerts taking place at the Sunbowl area of Stratton Mountain.   On the women’s side,  50 athletes vie for five spots in the semifinals, where they meet up with 16 invited riders.

Saturday, March 21st will feature men’s and women’s semi-final and final halfpipe competitions, an autograph session in the sponsor village, topped off with a Santigold concert immediately following the halfpipe awards presentation at 4:15 p.m. in the Sunbowl.

Sunday, March 22nd, will kick off with the junior jam halfpipe competition, followed by men’s and women’s slopestyle finals, after which three major titles will be awarded: the $100,000 Burton Global Open Series men’s and women’s title, the Volvo Most Valuable Rider Award and the Men’s Swatch TTR World Tour Champion award. 

A crowd in excess of 40,000 people are expected to attend the event which will without doubt have its fair share of thrills and spills. If you cannot make it to Stratton Mountain Resort in Vermont you can watch all of the semi-finals and finals live on March 21 and 22 on Go211.com, where webcasts and highlights of the competitions will also be available for on-demand viewing once the event concludes. NBC will show all the action on Sunday, March 29 from 1:00-2:30 p.m. EST.

Show up with 4 or more people in your car when you park at Stratton to be entered into the US Open carpool raffle. If your raffle number is chosen, you will be the lucky winner of Burton’s 2010 eco-friendly GMP products!

Burton is now her sponsor, and she’s featured in a double spread in the company’s new catalogue. Her board is about three and a half feet long, and it’s custom made. She and her dad decided that a regular kids’ board wasn’t light or flexible enough, so Burton designed something better suited to Lexi’s frame.

She’s also been featured on the Today Show, in Huck Magazine and the New York Times who wrote:

“At age 9 she has a chosen career path: to do the kinds of things on a snowboard that grown women don’t tend to do – let alone little girls.”

Like a lot of child prodigies, Alexis has had a helping hand from her parents, with dad Shawn Roland going as far as setting up a snow machine in their back yard when nature fails to do its job.

Juggling grade school and competitions, where she regularly takes out girls twice her size and age, this mini shredder is blazing her own trail. Our pick for a top tween.

AlexisRoland.com

Despite Japan’s unusual lack of snow, the shaping crew at Alts Bandai constructed a sick course which brought out the best in every participating rider. It was comprised of a street style down rail, two perfect kickers and a box, to a flat down box. The three run format gave riders a chance to mix it up and ensured the level of riding progressed steadily throughout the day.

The level of riding in the women’s final was at an all time high, with all the riders landing difficult combos on the rails and jumps. Sladics (a triple-threat who surfs, skateboards and snowboards) rode solidly all day and snatched victory in her final run, stomping a Frontside Boardslide to Fakie, followed by a massive Cab 5 Mute to FS 5 Indy, to FS Tailslide to Fakie. In doing so she earned her first ever Swatch TTR victory and moved into World No.24.

“I’ve never won a contest, I’m ecstatic!” Sladics said. “The girls who are here are the same girls I look up to and ride with, and it is crazy where the level of riding has gone this season.” Love it when a local girl tops the podium so congrats!

In second place, Jamie Anderson (USA) showed why she is in the lead for the Burton Global Open Series title this season. Despite being out for the past 6 weeks from an injury sustained at the European Open, she was still ruling the course with smooth 5s and Tailslides.. “I am stoked. It was a good day and some fun times. The girls were killing it today”, said Anderson. In third place was Silvia Mittermuller (GER), who has great momentum right now, coming off her win at the Canadian Open.

Competitive History
4th Place Dew Tour Northstar-At-Tahoe Toyota Championship 2009
3rd Place Dew Tour West Dover, VT  Mount Snow 2009
8th Place Dew Tour -Colorado Breckenridge 2008
6th Place Slopestyle Vans Cup 2006
3rd Place Nikita Chikita, Tahoe Slopestyle 2005
2nd Place Slopestyle Grand Prix Bachelor 2005
3rd Place Burton Snowjam Slopestyle 2004
2nd Place Queen of the mountain Slopestyle 2004
1st Place Queen of the mountain Rail Jam 2004

Known for killer clothing and accessories, not to mention a nice selection of rockin bags with built-in speakers, Burton has a long tradition in fusing technology with textiles so it’s no surprise they’ve added Mighty Pants to their line-up.

Flip the switch on this luxurious Burton pant, and envelop yourself in cozy warmth. A gentle and completely safe electric current heats this pant’s Thermo-Tex ink-printed liner. You control the temperature with a small rechargeable battery pack that fits in your pocket. Added insulation provides warmth when you’re not using this revolutionary technology and Burton’s two-layer Dryride Durashell fabric keeps you dry all day.

Burton gave the Mighty Pants its Sig Fit, or classic fit, which means they’re loose but not super baggy, and they’re a tad longer in length than Burton’s other styles. When you ride hard or temps creep upward after a powder run, open the inseam mesh-lined thigh vents, and get some fresh air.

The best and most surprising part about these pants is that they are actually designed for women – isn’t that a nice change of pace? And if you thought it couldn’t get any better, you might want to think again because Burton Mighty Pants are also currently on sale for under 120 bucks (originally $180).

September 10, 2008

During the early rounds of the semi-finals no one was able to tell who would break away, as most snowboarders seemed to keep things mellow, feeling out the course and scoping out the competition. Once finals commenced however, events changed dramatically.

Qualifying first in the semis, current World No. 1 Jamie Anderson continued her Slopestyle domination through all three run of the finals. While most riders failed to connect tricks and stick their landings, Anderson stomped her textbook Cab 5s, solid 3s and a sick FS 7 in her final run to cruise her way to the top of the podium. With her victory, Jamie extends her Tour lead that has her almost 300 points ahead of the two Aussie girls Lauren Staveley and Michaela Davis-Meehan now sitting in World No. 2 and 3 after their finishes in 8th and 9th position of the Slopestyle.

“I’m stoked!” said Jamie. “There’s less pressure going into the Northern Hemisphere now because I did the whole Southern Hemisphere and scored some good results. Let the good times roll!”

Don’t know about you – but we can’t wait for the NH tour to begin!

The Qiaobo Ice and Snow World is about 40,000 square meters and can accommodate about 3000 people.  The Ski Dome is equipped with a Children’s Snow Paradise, Easy Ski Run and Advanced Ski Run to satisfy the different needs of  skiers. With the unveiling of the all-terrain snowpark, which boasts  a kicker line, wallride as well as rail and box combinations, more people may get into snowboarding since it gets hot as hell in the city and the humidity is unbearable. 

The project is yet another sign of the growing affluence of China’s rising middle and upper classes, who are discovering new ways of spending their income and leisure time. We may well see some of the top snowboarders in the world come from China soon. So girls, next time you head to Beijing - be sure to bring your board.

March 26, 2008

There is, however, one event left this season that will determine whether or not Torah becomes the 2008 TTR World Snowboard Tour Champion. The ultimate title will be decided at this weekend’s Roxy Chicken Jam Slopestyle competition at California’s Mammoth Mountain.  

Currently in fourth place in the TTR women’s rankings, Jenny Jones could have been a contender – but is most probably out with an injury.  Jamie Anderson, currently World Number 2 and just nine points behind Torah, will provide the biggest challenge for the top spot – especially with her Tahoe honed park skills.  Either way, you know it’s going to be one of the most exciting women’s snowboard events of the season…stay tuned!

Countdown 

• Five jousting matches per day will take place at the Burton tent in the US Open sponsor village.
• Four disciplines take place at the US Open: slopestyle, halfpipe, big air and junior jam.
• Three is the number of US Open halfpipe finals Kelly Clark has won – the most of any female competitor.
• Two new Volvo C30 R-Designs will be awarded to the male and female Most Valuable Riders after the big air competition at the US Open.
• One snowboarding competition run by snowboarders, for snowboarders for 26 consecutive years: the US Open Snowboarding Championships.