The contest season

At this point in snowboarding, contests have become a key player in progression and spreading word of the talent and the dedication this "sport" takes.Obviously everyone has their own feeling about contests, but at the end of the day; even if riders don't consider themselves contest riders, there is still a push to do at least a few. If not for the potential monetary earnings, for the push from sponsors and getting the exposure.

With the x-games wrapping up we can see that the level of snowboarding has gotten insane. Even in the street event which incorporates the rebel "I don't give a fuck" attitude still had some new and amazing rail tricks... With a side of shirtless back flips... Not to say that these tricks might never have been done without contests, rather that contests pushes the progression in a faster pace.

http://xgames.espn.go.com/video/9085495/x-games-snowboard-slopestyle-recap

Anyways for me, contests are definitely a double edged sword. I love the atmosphere, environment and feeling of being at contests; But they definitely don't always go how you want. It's hard to take the thing you spend basically everyday doing, and turn that into two runs. Hence why jam contests really incorporate the snowboard vibe that much better and really show off what snowboarding is. Imagine if a basket ball game only consisted of free-throws, it doesn't matter how good you are, your going to miss one every now and then.

For me, this season started off with a few more misses than lands... Which is obviously part of the game. Each contest is still a learning experience and great opportunity to have some fun and work on new stuff. But as my comfort level rose and I figured out what I would need to do with my boarding, things started turning up. I can't say I had any major podiums but definitely feel like I held my own, and proved my worthiness this season.'

As I said before contests are a double edged sword, even with all the money there is in podiums and the production of events; if your not getting on those podiums it's pretty difficult to make the cost to earnings work out. For instance, for 6th place at the European Open, I only got 600euros which does not come anywhere near the cost of going to Switzerland and competing. So even though I worked my way from 100-6th and risked my body for a week, I still came out in the negatives. Or 7th place at the shakedown in Montreal, which didnt provide any monetary money at all yet I made finals and was part of their tv show. Thats aot of pressure, work and energy going into something that may or may not provide any earnings, yet there is still the potential so we keep doing what we are doing.

With all this said, I absolutely love snowboarding and want to be a part of it and make an impact. And for me I feel that impact will come easier through contests. So I'll keep doing what I can, attempting to prove myself, an make my mark on what so many people, including myself care so much about.

2012 Snowboarder Magazine Super Park Standout

Super Park 16, Super Park Standout

Video filmed by Jeremy Dubs

   A year ago this may marked one of the greatest moments in my snowboarding adventures, and something that will truly stick with me for life. That accomplishment was being awarded with snowboarder magazines, Gatorade "Driven from within Superpark 16 Standout. Kind of a lengthy title but basically stands for; Super Park winner, haha, which isn't quite the case... but gets the point across.

     Let me back up a second with a little snowboard industry info... For those of you who don't follow the snowboard world, Snowboarder Magazine is for lack of a better word the coolest and most respected snowboard magazine there is, you have three major ones in the US including Transworld which hosts a bit more of the professional side of the industry, and Snowboard Magazine which I would say the more artsy side, obviously it's not quite that specific but you can catch my drift. Along with those, you have tons of international ones and state wide mags, but basically those are the three people think of when they think about Snowboard magazines. I suggest you all go and check them out to see which fits your own style. With Snowboarder Magazine really exemplifying the snowboarders take and realness of the life we live, hence why an acknowledgment is that much more significant. Now with that said for the past 16 years the magazine throws an event called SUPER PARK,  here they invite 300 of the worlds most elite snowboarders and set them free in literally the worlds best terrain park at that time. They invite the park builders from the country's top resorts and allow them to design and build what ever features they choose. Now these five days, being at mt bachelor this year was all time!!!! With numerous huge jumps and other unique features riders went crazy filming and getting photos taken of their best maneuvers and tricks. At the end of this week Snowboarder Magazine holds a video contest, which all the brands compete to win, as well as awarding a standout. One rider decided by the snowboarder staff that they feel excelled and fully stood out each year. Gatorade than provides them with some money a trophy, a year of Gatorade, and the title of "Driven from Within". Only 15 others can claim this title, including Travis Rice, and Scotty Vine, so definitely means a lot to me. 

     Now with some background on the event, gaining this award was far from easy, and wouldn't have come with out the help of my sponsors providing great equipment, all the other riders pushing the level, and my crew I was working with; including Jeremy Dubs of Wild Card Movies, Ethan Stone the boss of photography, my little brother Sy Murdoch for putting me up and being an amazing host, and obviously Pat Bridges for all the private shoot invitations. Its with out a doubt that I have never worked so hard in my life for five days straight on my snowboard, I put in a 12 hour day, tried tricks 30 times till it was perfect, and hiked my ass off till I was kicked out...Literally. It was all obviously worth it, and it was nice to really see my hard work and dedication pay off. 

Method mag showing some love

                                  Method Magazine Photo of the Week.

The other week I was honored to get a photo of me in the Method magazine "shot of the week." Not only is this an honor due to Method mags presence in the snowboard scene, but as an American to get love by European magazine is a pretty awesome feeling.

I have to say I'm a little surprised it took so long for something to actually happen with the photo. Great photographer and close friend Alba killed it with a completely new and unique photo. A photo different than the amount of overwhelmingly repetitious shots of snowboard photos, all great in there own right but this just seemed new to me. I personally have never seen a shot like it before, it exemplified the lack of snow in Colorado and our desperation to get out and try and make something of it. The photo really takes in the scene and focuses less on the trick, but more on the surroundings and uniqueness of the spot; Which I feel is what makes snowboarding so unique. 

As it says in the post we had scoped the spot a few times, trying to decide if it was really do-able, than one day we just stopped and said screw it, let's make this work. After one time of rolling down the dirt hill, I adjusted to the pitch and stomped the cornice drop. It was by far one of the most interesting and difficult to adjust to feelings I've ever experienced on my snowboard, feeling the dirt grabbing at the base trying to stop me in my tracks, while the sluff of the dirt than tried to push me in its own way at the same time. Either way Some how I made It down the hill still on my feet and all in one piece.

At the end of the day this photo shows how there really is no limit of what we can do on our boards or how outside of the box you can get. Snowboarding isn't all about triple corks, 100 stair rails, and 150 ft jumps. Yes all of those are great, but in my opinion challenging yourself to think of something new, experiment and make the most out any situation is really what makes cool photos and creates a different sense of accomplishment.

Please check out the post on Method Magazine HERE

Thank you for tuning in and sorry about the lack of posts currently, been trying to concentrate more on my snowboarding and less on the outside world, but I'm working to get back on my blog a whole lot more.

Early Season Washington Trip part 1

I've been playing around this winter trying to find the best experience to start my 2012/13 season blog, and was having trouble finding the right thing. A bunch of fun days hot lapping the Keystone Area 51 park. A super fun day board testing the new Sims Enduro E-Board technology with at copper, hitting jumps and sending it off moguls, but nothing felt unique enough to really make a whole post about. My Washington trip on the other hand was way to Epic to not share about.

With Colorado popping off with multiple resorts and features open I was a bit hesitant to make my trip to Washington too long. I knew I had to come early to finish up my intro for Wild Card, but didn't want to end up sitting around while people were riding in Colorado. That was not the problem what so ever though. After an amazing world premier of Wild Card Movies; Shred-A-Vision. With a sold-out theater and more friends than I could even talk to, we took a day of rest in Seattle and decided to get to work. I extended my plane ticket and we headed up to Stevens Pass to see what              we could make happen.               

Once up at Steven we Instantly found a unique little spot and started shoveling on the build. It was a little rhythm section over a railing, onto a patio than off the other side. It was super fun and Nick was killing it, popping in BS 180 Egg-planting out. With Dubs behind the lens and Kryn Allen assisting with the second angle we got a few shots and were pretty stoked as the snow continued to fall. With Nick and I each stacking a couple of clips and photos we decided to let a couple locals hit the feature with us. Friend of Wild Card Ryan stomped a sweet Fs miller and I knew it was time to switch it up. I grabbed a picnic table and put it on the backside. We sessioned that till the day turned to night and we called an end to the super fun Stevens mission.

As the snow continued to stack up and word of Mt. Baker opening on Wednesday I decided to extend my trip one more time to get the most out of Washington . So with a short but fun day hiking up baker to get some freshies with Morg and Nick. We got the sleds ready to get a little back country access. Unfortunately things don't always go as planned. Any Bellingham rider knows that 48 degrees is your cut off for it being rain or snow. So with the temperature gauge reading 47 in Nicks truck we loaded the sleds and headed north towards glacier.

As we climbed the gloomy road, rain pouring down we questioned how it might be up at the cabin. A quick chat with fellow Wild Card rider Andy Stern and we know the mission had come to an end without it even starting. Snowboarding and especially is always a gamble when it comes to early season conditions, so with the torrential down pour still raining down we turned around to head back down in to Bellingham..

At the end of the day, at least we made an effort and tried, but boy does it suck not getting to ride because of the rain. A quick night of rest, and a last minute decision to head to Stevens pass for their pre-opening day got our spirits back and excited to board.

Unfortunately once again we were a bit disappointed in our snowboarding experience...yes Stevens Pass started turning its chairs, but with a very wet snowy conditions, and only one real chair lift running our snowboard day was less than amazing. Luckily though this industry is much more than just boarding so a nice afternoon eating some grub and grabbing some beers with all the Stevens locals, and some Wild Card buddies made the day that much better.

Sometimes in my travels and experiences its hard to not take things too seriously, Yes its a job but its a job where I get to have fun, be with great people, and have new and unique experiences all the time. So with that I urge everyone to find the best in things, there is always something that makes any moment the best one yet so take a second figure that out, and put a smile on your face.

10 VIDEOS TO GET YOU STOKED TO SHRED...

As winter is upon us and more and more mountains are opening up, I thought it would be a good time to post a little list of new edits that will stoke you out. So take a gander and feel free to comment with other videos you think people will be stoked on.

In no particular order... and I searched out long and hard to find these 10 videos. Im sure there are tons more, but these are the 10 I decided to post. feel free to add some of your own!

1: WCM: SHRED-A-VISION

2: YES MOVIE: Colin + Madison part

3: FULL PART: Scotty Vine

4: FULL PART: Mark Hoyt

5: NIKE: Snowboarding project, official teaser

6: FULL PART: Alex Andrews

7: IRPC FULL PART: Bode Merrill

8: FULL MOVIE: This Must be the Place

9: FULL PART: Austin Hironaka

10: FULL PART: Dylan Thompson

Hope these stoke you out, and inspire you to strap in and slide sideways

SUPER PARK 16, don't stop till they kick you off the hill

Super Park 16, don't stop till they kick you off the hill

For most of the world the snowboarding season has ended long before may 7th, but for some of us we just can't get enough. What a better opportunity to get some late season shred in than the Snowboarder magazine SuperPark at Mt. Bachelor presented by Gatorade. Until last year I had only dreamt about ridding the amazing features and sessioning with all the incredible riders. With last year being nothing less than an extraordinary experience I gathered my things and prepared for what was soon to become one of the longest and most epic weeks of my life.


I pulled up to the mountain 30minutes prior to registration to ensure my meal vouchers and get my gear all dialed, as I hung in what I decided to call "tailgate bachelor" I chatted with all the homies and soaked in some rays anticipation killing me to see all the enormous features. After last years setup I knew things were going to be large and ready to be charged.


We all cruised around the sunshine area scoping features, checking speed and deciding what to hit first. The sevens spring jump directly to riders right of the lift jumped out at me as a solid starting point. I mustered up the confidence with all the other riders and dropped in for the first test run, the start point was set perfect so i sent it just past the sweet spot. The jump was amazing; long straight in run, great hang time and a smooth landing.

photo courtesy of Snowboarder Magazine. Photo: E-Stone
http://www.snowboardermag.com/exclusives/superpark-16-day-1-photos-recap/?pid=7841

With so many features and only a week to hit everything I charged trying to get as many hits as possible during every session, hiking if necessary, sled laps when possible, and strapping in on the lift to lap faster. This year I teamed up with Filmer Jeremy Dubs of Wild Card Movies and Snowboarder staff photographer Ethan Stone to ensure all of our efforts were captured at their prime, and with out a doubt they were.

Courtesy of Snowboard Magazine. Photo: E-Stone
http://www.snowboardermag.com/exclusives/superpark-16-day-4-photos-recap/?pid=7939 

Courtesy of Snowvboarder Magazine.
Photo: E-Stone

With the insane set up of superpark, location is always an interesting one. This year only a few features were above tree line making it a bit of a chore to get solid backgrounds and angles for banger shots. luckily I was working with E-Stone who has a hell of an eye and knew exactly where to be to get the shot at all times.


When it comes to getting the shot, with our success from last year for the sims snowboards ad we decide to go with the same plan of using shots from super park for my ads, so E-Stone and I constantly were on a mission to go big and style the tricks out. The outcome was more than I could have ever asked for and I can't wait to see the final products!


The week was a success in every aspect. With the 1st ever sunrise shoot we got stunning light for our shots on the Sims quest snowboard. Than with that perfect shaped top seven springs jump we were able to get an awesome sequence on the Sims "E-Board" with x wedge technology.



As Friday night rolled around, everyone was well passed being tired, but as the snowboard lifestyle goes; ride hard and celebrate harder. Astro Lounge was the place to be, and as Wes killed it on guitar, we all gathered shared a drink and relaxed after an unforgettable week

Courtesy of Snowboarder Magazine. Photographer: Huggy
http://www.snowboardermag.com/exclusives/superpark-16-day-4-photos-recap/ 

In the end the icing on the cake was receiving the Gatorade "driven from within" superpark 16 standout award. Every year one rider receives it for non stop charging, and this year I was lucky enough to get that honor. I can not begin to explain how much it means to get the award and it's only going to fuel my fire and make me work that much harder!

Courtesy of Snowboarder Magazine Photo: Laura Austin
http://www.snowboardermag.com/exclusives/superpark-16-day-5-photos-recap/?pid=7947

Thanks for all of you who have bared with me through my adventures and provided the audience for my stories! I write these for you, so thanks for spending the time to take a look.


Have an amazing summer, and don't forget to have as much fun as possible everyday, because it's the fun we have that keeps us young!
-Seth


Links to more photos:
http://www.snowboardermag.com/exclusives/superpark-16-day-3-photos-recap/?pid=7886
http://www.snowboardermag.com/exclusives/superpark-16-day-2-photos-recap/?pid=7868
http://www.snowboardermag.com/exclusives/superpark-16-day-3-photos-recap/?pid=7891 
http://www.snowboardermag.com/exclusives/superpark-16-day-5-photos-recap/?pid=7946 
Links to video:

http://www.snowboardermag.com/exclusives/superpark-16-day-2-video/  2:15
http://www.snowboardermag.com/exclusives/superpark-16-day-4-video/ 3:54

http://www.snowboardermag.com/exclusives/superpark-16-day-5-video/ 1:11

Mammoth, Where the water flows at 140degrees

As Tahoe wrapped up, we continued our adventure on to mammoth lakes CA to take in some of the most insane sunsets ever and get our windy jumping on.

We loaded the car with Jeremy Cloutier, Zach Aller, Alba Pardo, myself and a board bag of all the homies gear. With literally no room to even think we arrived at mammoth got our gear on and hit the slopes. With Alba shooting photos we knew all we had to do was get in the air and she'd make us look good. So as the wind flustered we continued to drop and send it off the amazing mammoth jumps.

Plenty of great shots were taken by Alba, but the sunsets are really what made mammoth so photogenic. Every second between about 6-8pm was picturesk and the shots we got were beyond amazing.

On top of the stunning sunsets, great snowboarding and fun times at the house. My trip was topped off by the absolutely insane natural hot springs and fun skate sessions at the volcom skatepark.

This whole adventure will stay with me till the end of time, it's amazing what snowboarding has provided. The best friends, amazing adventures, and stories that I could never imagined.


CLICK HERE for a link to the Alba's story on Snowboardmag.com
http://snowboardmag.com/stories/road-sunset-safari-mammoth

So to all of you; get out there, take a chance and make the story of your life as interesting as possible!

-Seth