2011 Early season edit

Seeing as there is no snow in summit county, many ski and snowboard enthusiasts have been taking their skills and their cameras into the early season parks. As a result, there have been 100's of sick early season edits on the internet and I decided to jump on the bandwagon. There is a serious lack of snow in the Ten mile and Gore ranges of Colorado so this vid is just a little taste of the fun I've been having this early season. Still working on getting some better video editing software.... Imovie just doesn't cut it.   Enjoy! Until next time, Jake.

2010-2011 Season Recap

A view from the northern tip of Patagonia

            

My 2010/11 snowboard season started out in Bariloche, Argentina. There I got to shred and film with the likes of Chris Coulter, Skylar Holgate, Andrew Burns, Vera Janssen and Sean Sullivan while attending the SASS Global Travel snowboard camp. When I was in Bariloche, the Rip Curl Pro Series made a stop at Cerro Catedral (the monstrous resort in Bariloche). This slopestyle contest has the weight of the “Dew Tour” in the States. I was able to fight off the competition and harsh weather to grab the win. As this was my first win in an international contest, the celebration lasted well into the morning.  Part of my time in Argentina was spent gaining college credit through Sierra Nevada College. I was able to graduate from Colorado Mountain College in the winter of 2010 (finally!) so that I could focus on snowboarding for the rest of the season.

Mystic trees in Cerro Catedral. Front 3 tap

A rainy day at the lodge, Argentina.

            I returned home to Summit County in the fall with a determination to keep the momentum going. With a first place finish at the Revolution Tour slopestyle in December at Copper Mountain, I would do just that. This podium finish guaranteed me a spot into the first ever, FIS World Cup Denver Big Air. After the Revolution Tour, snow continued to pound the western section of Colorado creating conditions the mountains have never seen before. Needless to say this made for all-time riding and excellent film and photo conditions throughout the Rockies. With snow burying the mountains, the industry congregated in Denver for the annual SIA trade show, as well as the Denver Big Air. I was quoted in grind TV’s blog about the event, “The crowd was blowing up, and it felt like a Nuggets play-off game with all the excitement surrounding me. My friends and family brought a group of at least 30 people to come and watch, so it didn't even matter that my trick landed me a few spots out of finals. It was just awesome to compete and to be apart of the first ever Denver Big Air”. For the entire article check out Heater Hendricks’ piece here: Denver Big Air.

Twilight shot of the Denver Big Air, with the courthouse lit up in the background. 

Taking advantage of a good snow year.  5-0  180 tap

            As I made my way back to the mountains, so did the snow. With the season in full affect and pow days out numbering blue bird days, I decided to venture into the backcountry. This mission led me to Taos Ski Valley, NM to put my big mountain skills to the test. I headed into the finals in second place, but that wasn’t enough for me. On the final day, I turned it up and swept the competition. But with the multiple-day judging style, my win in the finals was only good enough for second overall, finishing .02 points behind the first place finisher. This made me re-look at snowboarding and gave me a passion I have never had before, a passion to chart the uncharted and to see what these mountains have to offer me. I ended my competitive season where it began, Copper mountain. With my graduation behind me, this would be my last go at the CBS college sports ALT Games. For the third year in a row I won first place in the slopestyle event, earning myself a 15 second commercial on national TV and a 2-hour program on CBS college sports.

Best run of the day, good enough for 2nd overall. Solomon Extreme Freeride Championships Taos, NM

Summit County backcountry

Trick tip sequence for Snowboard Colorado. Back 7

           

As the winter of 2012 approaches, I couldn’t be more excited to use the momentum I gained last year and take my snowboarding to the next level. I want to thank all my sponsors because I would be nowhere without them! Lib Tech, Quiksilver, Bern, Aerial 7, One Ball Jay and Powder Tools in Breckenridge. Be sure to stay tuned, as the flakes have started flying, the posts will be too.