grenade games

Well the festival is over and my hangover is gone, what a week. I'm a big fan of snowboard realms and so i will link to their awesome coverage of the games.


http://thesnowboardrealms.wordpress.com/

Happy 420

The morning was a gloomy one, the clouds were hanging low and the booming voice of my roommate replaced the alarm that is usually set in my cell. I opened my eyes but remained in the fetal position, I didn't feel like getting up the dream was way better than being awake so back down went the eyelids and I tried to remember the adventure that was just taking place. 15 seconds go by and then a burst of laughter so loud came from upstairs "HAHAHA DUUUUUDE!!" and the base line dropped vibrating through every wall in the house. It was 10am and it sounded like an event was taking place. Just when I was wondering what the big deal was out come the numbers in words "four twenty"... I should have known by the reggae that was playing.
The thing about 4:20 that gets me is the celebration. what are we celebrating? Marajuana is pretty intertwined with pop culture nowadays and since everybody's doing it we are given a day where the police seem to look the other way. I don't get why it's still illegal and why cigarettes are legal a known killer is legal and pot a well known booster of moral isn't... it seems black and white to me. I don't smoke it but in these hard economic times I feel like if it was legalized would solve a couple problems and give way for controlled safe distribution of a gang related product. 420 seems like an empty celebration and with the legalization every time the clock stuck those numbers maybe we could remember the time when our economy was boosted back into shape rather than the time you got charged for possession.
The Marajuana Party of BC states that 2 billion dollars a year would be generated in tax revenue alone, would create jobs, eliminate organized crime dealing with the substance and essentially would keep the public happy. Now I know the "what if'"s are there but come on they are just one big hypothesis, we all know life in moderation is sustainable and in a world with an unsustainable population why not legalize a plant that grows from the ground right? If weed is controlled and taken out of the hands of the illegal dealers the effects regarding safety will be reduced because less chemicals will be used, and parents can rest easy now that little jimmy's pot isn't laced with cocaine.
Now I know smoking is bad and people might die from it but overpopulation is also bad and unfortunately there is only one way to solve that, so add it to the list of things to die by doing and people can at least take comfort in the fact that they will be laughing along the way.

Trevan Salmon Gets Promoted

I awoke late the other day and told the salmon brothers(Keegan, Trevan) I would meet them up there to hit this jump we built the day before.  Arriving at the jump they were nowhere in sight so I checked the phone for messages and there was one from Trev it said they were at the cliffs in the alpine. With avalanches at a considerable to high level that day I wondered what the hell they were thinking playing with those south faces. As I crested the alpine and the cliffs came into view I saw my pals standing at the bottom of the debris with shit eating grins on their faces like they just got away with something big.... I expressed my relief that they were ok and alive then took a gander at the footage and after seeing that front 3 stomp..... Trevan became a Boss.

Its Easter I know but still giving thanks

Recently published was an interview in a Local Mag Fodder and Photo in Freewriter inside cover both shot by Mason Mashon.

Extra Extra Death Not To Be Feared... Living Dead Still Feared!

"wanna check those pillows over there that we hit earlier in the season?" Mason said the other day up rainbow. "Sure" I said as i made my way over to look at them from the side of the cliff. I thought to myself the snow has really blown in to create a really big and unstable crevace so I better walk around and stand where i saw the hard pack for a good vantage point. I crested the hill and went out of sight from the group i was with and was looking at a possible line when the ground beneath me disappeared. At first i heard the crack but before i could react i was falling. Snow surrounded me in the air and i had no idea how far the ground was or if i was going into the patch of trees at the bottom. The first thing i hit was a pillow with my chest then slid a few feet and realized how lucky i was to be awake.

I don't think it was a big deal or anything but in the moments where i was lost and the world dropped away on me there was no feeling of fear. It just made me realize that on your daily routines you can just bite the dust unexpectedly and that comforts me knowing that it will just happen one day and i won't see it coming.

GREECE

About a month ago I awoke to the most exciting email to date. It was from my pal Eric Green asking if going to Greece for a Snowboard Canada feature would be something i would be interested in. Without a thought of expense I said yes and my day was started with a beat in my step. Telling people you're going snowboarding in Greece to snowboard can be confusing as I found out rolling though the airports on the way, the officials would question me and either laugh or look at me as if I were lying. We made it through airport after airport and a day later we met up with the other two members of the crew: Geoff Andruik and Dominique Vallee. By 9pm we were rolling on our way to our hotel in the downtown area of Athens when we past a sweet riot going on, police surrounded them awaiting an act of violence so they could beat the protestors mercelessly. the manager of our hotel told us yes the protest happens very often, the people are passionate and they protest whenever they get the chance. Apparently the Police over there shot some kid a while back and people since then get up in arms whenever things don't meet their needs.  The Next day we blasted on up to our first resort Vasilitza. 

The resort resides 5 hours north of Athens and took us 10 its a good thing we made it inwhen we did because a massive storm came in as soon as we parked. 1850 is covered in snow and the building attached to it has seen better days, but is the main visible part. it resembles something out of a horror story, kind of like the shining a desolate building up in the mountains with chipped paint and red shutters. The Founder of the place was murdered in the town below back in the day for messing with some pimps girls. the first night i ended up having a nightmare about him and awaking terrified in a sweat.  Nothing about the place should have scared someone, the people Theo and Maria are the sweetest couple that ran the place and all the Greeks that came to stay and have drinks were very kind and hospitable. 

The first day of snowboarding was looking pretty harsh. Hurricane force winds blowing snow and thick fog made it hard to find features suitable for a magazine.  It had snowed for the previous week and we lucked out with some really great snow when it cleared up. 

One of the traits of greece that really sets it apart are the trees, they are unlike any other tree i have ever seen and snowboarding through them really provides a unique feel to snowboarding on a mountain.  after the five days hiking and building features we were ready for a change so we had our last meal at vasilitza and took off for Parnasos just outside of Athens.  

We arrived in Parnasos and got set up at the Vans house which was so great, they had the sickest mini ramp out front and it has a great view of the surrounding mountains.

 The snow at Parnasos was pretty brutes magutes so we decided to go be tourists for the rest of our time there. Our friend Mike was touring us around for the majority of the trip and let us crash with him in athens at his girlfriends mansion.  

Two days in Athens then off to Mykonos and the blue waters of the

mediterranean.  One topic I should touch on is the food. It's the best vacation food ever,  souvlaki and pitas ran my diet for our duration of time spent in Athens and 

Mykonos, the pitas are about 2 euros and theyre filled with either lamb, chicken, beef oh man and if

 you get the right place theyll have a mystery meat thats probably made up of all the meats combined! with fries inside the pita! I ate way too much on my second last night there and i don't think ill be able to eat them for another long while. 

Mike had a friend Mowse who is a tattoo artist and Eric recommended that we get tattoos on our last day there. So we did! Eric got his girlfriends name on his chest for a laugh and i got a tree on my side... worst 3 hours of my life but now that its all healed up I'm glad I did it!

January Juice stain

Here is a little tidbit from my january on Push.ca

http://www.push.ca/blogs/snownews/archive/2010/02/24/video-january-with-justin-vdp.aspx