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

rant on a rant

Found this beaut from way back enjoy!

dude hate me or not i think about some things and like to talk about them, heres what i really stood out on my night off........ and then i just played some tar.

>> 
>> Is this real? how is it that people must get offended about curtain ideas? i purposed that maybe and i will emphasize here, MAYBE it wasn't the consumers fault for global warming but the creator(not to mention it might not even be real, according to many scientists.), and the reaction was quite hostile. One girl in a frustration included herself in the topic and told me to read a book to find out about the topic, little did she know that i actually read quite a bit of information/ disinformation on the topic at hand. i wasn't selling any point i was just raising a discussion; who was at fault for our people's demise. People were a bit aggravated that i even said anything contrary but fuck it i have my opinions so why must i sit in the dark, i believe what i believe and so be it. I merely raised the idea of the corporations being at fault, no need to blame the consumer for fault after all it seems much easier to blame a corporation for a problem than to blame an individual. I have recycled my whole life yet there is still a problem, i am still blamed for an-others mistake, why blame? remaining cool headed was tough and i did accuse this girl of watching too much cnn and accepting it as fact... as a matter of fact i told this educated gentleman, of studying biased information as i do when speaking with people who bring up their studies of a subject at a university level. nothing is fact. I refuse to believe anything as long as money exists and this guy really seemed to understand where i was coming from so he was more intrigued than offended but damn that girl was annoying every time she interrupted me. i mean in all my points i never stated anything factual i just said what if? and that not necessarily the consumer was at fault. i think too many people are narcissistic, that each individual looks for cause in their life whether or not its good or bad, hate me for saying it but here is what i think i derived from this night on the town. people need to feel needed and whether they feel needed or not it need not matter for they feel wanted. we all want a purpose, a higher calling but i swear it shouldn't be the deterioration of our species thats just taking it too far, i mean get over yourself.

Small Towns Big Cities

From their little curved roadways to their little round signs they boast so much character. The popularity of big cities keeps these gems hidden tucked away in the Mountains of BC. Its not just the aesthetic look of these tiny towns but a feel amongst the people who live and create the possibility for these places to exist. 

A cup of coffee with breakfast in the diner goes well while we all look out into the cold day. Flanel jackets line the coat rack and the heads turn when we get up to pay the bill. They must be wondering what we are doing here. All the boredom that comes with a small town builds a curious and wild imagination in the minds of the small town folk. Just passing through or maybe some new comers who also like the touch of our small community.