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Trewly Technylish

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

trew bus
When images of Trew Gear’s ’09-’10 line made their way online sometime last year, I wasn’t exactly blown away. I was a fan of the brilliant thumbs-up logo immediately, but nothing else struck me as particularly original. I thought the colors were fairly similar to what companies like SAGA and LDC were producing, and the fit appeared to be thugtastic. Essentially, I assumed that Trew was another fledgling outerwear startup that unabashedly placed “form” miles ahead of “function.” What I didn’t know, was that the masterminds behind Trew Gear were 100% committed to producing some of the most technical gear this side of those brands your dad swears by and that you wouldn’t be caught dead in.

TREW promised us no cheeseball ad campaigns.

TREW promised us no cheeseball ad campaigns.

Any other reservations I had about Trew were totally laid to rest upon seeing and touching the 2010-2011 line, and talking with the guys behind the wheel. While the designs and colorways of last year’s line were cool—if not exactly groundbreaking in my estimation—this year’s stuff is top notch in both style and quality. Trew appears to have set their sights on a slightly wider audience, while still retaining an undeniable freeride influence and styling. For guys looking to steer clear of skittle steeze and yet still look the part, Trew is positioning itself as a viable alternative.

Thanks to the guys at TREW for taking time out to chat with us, and be sure to check their site for updates.

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Ruby Hill With Garrett Russell & Andy Parry

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

Three consecutive days of wandering aimlessly around the Denver Convention Center for SIA (stands for Snowsport Insiders and Alcohol) left many in attendance clamoring for something to do other than shake hands and flex skis. Luckily, the brilliant minds behind The Rail Yard at Ruby Hill Park—minutes from downtown Denver—hosted a rail jam on Saturday night.

So, two bored BroBombers, a circus clown, a Garrett Russell, and a charmingly jaded filmer decided to head for the best damn free-public-park-hikable-rail and box-garden-thing known to man.

Courageously shot on two budget point and shoots by Matt Barber and edited (sloppily on iMovie) by yours truly, we present a look at The Rail Yard, and a potential sneak peek of Traveling Circus Episode 5.

Look out for an article and interview with the founders and organizers of the incredible Rail Yard in the next week or so. Simply put, it’s the coolest thing I’ve seen in a long time. For now, head over to their site for more info. Big thanks to Tim Hutchens for being so cool about the whole thing.

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The RMU Skis Interview

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

SIA is fast approaching, and here at BroBomb we’re kicking off our event coverage with an interview with Mike Waesche of RMU Skis. Mike is a Summit County local, and his special-order-only boards are making waves in the crowded pool of independent ski manufacturers.

Check back over the coming days as we take a good look at what RMU and some other companies have in store for ’10-’11.

BroBomb: Hey Mike, thanks for taking time out to chat with us. You guys just got back from a few days on the road right? What’d you get into?

Mike Waesche: Thanks, Chris. I’m stoked for the opportunity.

Yea, we were down in SOCO for a few days, started out in Telluride, then headed to Silverton. It snowed two feet over night in Telluride, and Silverton received over 50 inches…to say the least: Epic.

Was that trip business, pleasure, or both….and more importantly will we be lucky enough to see any footage?

That there is the grey area…who would of thought skiing powder could be a tax write off!? We are working on a new edit to show off our new pow ski, the Professor, and it should be up around the 15th of this month.

proffesorwebsite

The Professor. RMU’s powder whip. Early rise, and 122mm underfoot.

Oh, the wonders of capitalism…How did RMU come to be? Who are the key players?

RMU was the search for a better way, it was about the product. My good buddies Chris, Ocho, and Alex were all down for the cause from day one. I think Ocho’s exact words were, “Drink beer and build skis?…I’m in”.

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Disabled List: Casual Gets Cut

Monday, January 11th, 2010
My life. How good do I look?

My life. How good do I look?

If I gave one worthwhile suggestion in my previous Disabled List entry it was this: find a way to be on skis post-injury, pre-surgery. I did just that this past Sunday when I rode at Angel Fire Resort in NM. I headed up to AF with a couple of pals with the intention of just cruising a few groomers in order to beat back my obnoxious ski cravings. I convinced myself in the car that simply sitting on the chairlift with headphones on and straight-lining flattish runs would be a nice little treat before the cutting—and, right up until I found myself at the top of the most meticulously maintained baby shred park known to man—it was. Needless to say, I unleashed my entire trick catalog on a number of ride-on, buried features. It took roughly two runs. While I probably looked ridiculous and gapertastic trying to spin onto ride-on flat boxes, I had an absolute blast. It was warm, sunny, dead, and most importantly…free (titans of ski media don’t pay for lift tickets). It was exactly what I needed to reconnect with why I love skiing so much. To be honest, nearly a year of living ski-free with NS as my only real source of, ahem, “ski culture”, I was growing more and more cynical by the article. You probably noticed.

So, Tuesday the Doc finally fixed me up.

What they allegedly did.

What they allegedly did.

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Best of Dew Tour (Pizza Rolls Edition)

Monday, December 21st, 2009

dew tour brobomb

Four days of restless couch sleeping—made all the more miserable by an ever-looming demon cat—have rendered me incapable of any sort of in-depth Dew Tour breakdown. This list will have to suffice for now. Expect something a tad more substantial tomorrow.

 I give you the best of the 2009 Dew Tour Totino’s Open at Breckenridge.

 1.) By simply closing your eyes and walking forward in any direction, you were guaranteed to bump into a lovely young lady whose sole mission was to force you to eat  complimentary little pizza rolls and down Dixie cups of Mountain Dew. In an era of resorts charging $3.50 for bottles of water, anything free is glorious.

Fuel for the elite athletes of the snowsports world.

Fuel for the elite athletes of the snowsports world.

 2.) The weather. Last year’s Breck stop, despite featuring what was arguably the best slopestyle course ever built, was cursed with incredibly snowy and windy weather. Thankfully, this weekend in Breck was absolutely beautiful. Blue skies and relatively warm weather, combined with another incredible slope course, paved the way for some of the most impressive comp skiing yet to be seen.

 3.) Speaking of the slope course, I have to say that I was thrilled to see a wallride. Admittedly, most riders seemed unsure of just what to do with the damn thing (not Sean Jordan or Phil Casabon), but it added some badly needed variety to the cookie-cutter “2-jib 3-jump” format we’ve been seeing recently. Let’s hope the trend continues and we see creativity and choice-of-line really factor in at future stops. Also, there wasn’t a “cannon box” or “money booter” anywhere in sight. There was an unfortunate gap-to-truck-flat box-thing however that nothing cool happened on.

 4.) Gotta hand it to Breckenridge Resort. They reeeeaaaally know how to handle huge crowds of people. Sure Peak 8 was a circus, but the event staff did an amazing job herding everyone around. Even the wait for the Gondola after Superpipe finals Saturday night was a breeze.

 5.) Remember when I said nothing cool happened on the gaptruckflatboxthing? Well, I lied. Simon Dumont absolutely stomped a cork 3 hand-drag over it. Upon landing, he assumed what I can only guess was an ironic/mocking afterbang position before catching an edge and absolutely eating shit. In doing so, he cool-guyed himself right out of slope finals.

 Look out for the worst of the worst tomorrow…

 Last but not least, thanks a million to my Breck pals (and hosts) Mike, Joe, Tyler, and Whitney.

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Casual Fridays 10

Saturday, December 12th, 2009

Brobomb Ski Blog Casual saturday

I have nothing interesting to say about my own life, particularly as it pertains to skiing, so I’ve decided to poach ideas from fellow BroBombers. This week’s “inspiration” is Mr. Dunfee’s long overdue demand for freeskiing team videos. I sort of want to just copy and paste his article and hope no one notices, but I think Jon actually reads what I send him.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the death of the Pro Movie lately. Frankly, I don’t really understand why people are still willing to pay for ski films. Look, I’ve liked a couple (literally) flicks from this year, but I can’t definitively say that they’re a cut above any number of the dozenish free movies that have trickled onto the internet over the past month or so—particularly, those produced by relatively anonymous Scandinavians. To be sure, the overall quality of riding, features, and locations in the pro films is better, but the movies themselves….well, they just aren’t.

I’ve mulled over the “whys” and I think I have a few of the answers.

I’m good, you’re good, and racial harmony is so hot right now.

I’m good, you’re good, and racial harmony is so hot right now.

If we’ve learned anything from ill-advised musical supergroup collaborations (I’m looking at the Monsters of Folk album cover), it’s that all the talent in the world doesn’t guarantee any sort of chemistry or cohesion. Have you ever seen a Craigslist band? You know, the ones that put up “bass player wanted” ads? Well if you haven’t, they’re usually made up of 4 or 5 incredibly technically proficient musicians with top notch gear and distinct visions. Unfortunately, these visions are often completely at odds with one another, and the result is 4 or 5 middle-aged Guitar Center employees standing on stage waiting for their chance to solo. It seems to me that often times pro flicks have that same feel; everyone’s got chops, but no one is listening to what the other guy is playing. Ditto this criticism for the completely unnatural athlete groupings- the whole is often less than the sum of its parts. And, I don’t give a shit if the titles are fancier and they can afford to license Bob Marley songs. I double don’t give a shit if there’s a shot of a heli taking off while someone rambles about their first trip to Alaska.

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YoBeat Hates Skiers

Friday, December 4th, 2009

Dear Luckiest Readers in the World,

This week, you get a double dose of Mr. Casula (scroll down for Casual Fridays). I give you a marginally/debatably interesting video interview with the queen of the ski-haters: Brooke Geery of Yobeat.com. She managed to not only make me look like Sloth from the Goonies, but also managed to alienate the entire wakeboarding community in one fell swoop.

As you’d expect from hatemongers- the Yobeat office is located above a vegan bakery…that happens to be exactly one block from another vegan bakery cafe…white people.

Disclaimer: Brooke doesn’t actually hate African Americans OR Christians. Click the links for proof.

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Casual Fridays 9

Friday, December 4th, 2009

Brobomb Ski Blog Casual Fridays

Karma is a bitch. I suppose it’s a sort of poetic justice that a mere week after my (ski)bum dreams died with a whimper somewhere on a lonely stretch of I-40, that an even bummier ski bum would land on my doorstep. It’s true that he gave me ample time to properly align my chakras prior to his arrival, but is anyone ever really ready for an obnoxiously tall kid with multiple pairs of skis crammed in a Honda Accord to turn up on a lazy afternoon? I sure wasn’t. He’s presently 2-3ft. away from where I type this lying in bed…mercifully, two sheets of drywall and several 2×4’s separate us.

This used to be my living room...now it’s a refugee camp.

This used to be my living room...now it’s a refugee camp.

It’s snowing outside and if I turn my head 90° to the left, I’m forced to stare at his brand new, never-skied EP Pro’s which he plans to guinea pig at MY home resort bright and early tomorrow morning. Did I mention that I’m six days out from knee surgery? Super considerate…

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Casual Fridays 8

Friday, November 27th, 2009

Brobomb Ski Blog Casual Fridays

Chick’s dig ski bums. Actually, seeing as how I can’t ski, that statement could be broadened to include the entire Bum Nation. It’s truly heartachingly beautiful to see a gal go from standoffish and disinterested to biting her bottom lip when she learns that you’re on a journey of self-discovery with no real destination. Seriously, “I’ve been sleeping in my car for five days” is the new “What’s your sign?”—provided of course that your car is niceish, you can grow a legit ginger beard, and you show up at hipster clubs and spit game to chicks that voted for Obama and/or have an ironic tattoo. You can practically see the “My parents will hate you…swooooooon” thought bubble appear just above their dramatic bangs. They really don’t stand a chance.

He could be slayin' these hoes if he would stop rambling about the CIA and Agent Orange.
He could be slayin’ these hoes if he would stop rambling about the CIA and Agent Orange.

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Casual Fridays 7

Friday, November 20th, 2009

Brobomb Ski Blog Casual Fridays

Jon’s Monday-Mashup got me thinking. Sure, I don’t have a camera, I can’t ski, and I’m not famous, but a quick perusal of youtube videos uploaded by 16 year old girls (by accident….honest) convinced me that none of those things are prerequisites for making a self-indulgent and questionably interesting video blog thing.

I’m still on the road, presently in Portland, and yes it’s apocalyptically gray. I like it. I’ve been here less than 24 hrs., I’ve made friends, eaten Poutine for the first time (Canucks just slid past the Dutch into 7th place of people I like the most), and seen a hip up-and-coming band play a “show.” I’d say we’re doing alright.

If you’re in any way affiliated with law enforcement, I want to assure you that despite appearances, I am in fact NOT texting, iPoding, macbooking, GPSing, rapping, and driving at the same time. Mom, I’m wearing my seatbelt.

Anyway, for those of you who couldn’t join me on this little mission, I put together a visual summary of my trip. If you loop this video for the next 15 hours, it’ll be like you were riding shotgun—in England, because my macbook mirrors everything.

There’s something extra special about 2/3rds of the way through.

 ***P.S. This is an official demand for a ski/boot/outerwear/eyewear/energy drink sponsorship for both Jon and myself. I’m serious.

Jon’s progressive riding/writing, coupled with whatever it is that I do, has gone unnoticed for far too long. We’re taste makers—trend-setters if you will. We’re willing to sellout, though.

 I have a dramatic/tragic past, felony arrests, stints in rehab, and I rap. Should I start a ski-beef? Jacob Wester is a pretentious tool. Blao. Skiing needs a Suge Knight. Which core companies are going to step up and do the right thing?


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