Saturday 15 November 2008

That's It, That's All - review

That's It, That's All is possibly the first snowboard movie ever to be released on Blu Ray. You could get it from iTunes but make no mistake, this movie is meant to be viewed on the biggest screen possible and in HD. 
















Prepare to globetrot as you have never globetrotted before through scenary so beautiful you could be watching a BBC natural history documentary. New Zealand, Jackson Hole, Alaska, Japan and er Munchner.... all captured in stunning lingering fly-bys, often at sunset.

Two years in the making, this is a high definition movie with high production values and a big budget. The helicopters have custom paint jobs (I notice that Absinthe Films had one this year too). There are even shots of the helicopters taken by other helicopters ...unless they have a superhero on the payroll. I try not to count Travis Rice as a superhero, even though he wears a cape sometimes, because I'm guessing he pretty much owns this movie and as such won't actually be on the payroll.
















Usually when I watch snowboard films, I sit there wishing there was a bit more personal footage of the snowboarders. I always want to get to know the riders and hear their story. But be careful what you wish for, sometimes a bit of mystery can be a good thing. That's It, That's All could easily have been called the Travis Rice Hour. You definitely get the feeling you have met one of your heroes after watching it, and that my friend, is something they say you should never do. 

This is as much a biopic as a snowboard movie. So much so that I was beginning to worry Travis might announce his retirement as the credits roll, or that it would pan out to reveal him in a prison cell, like the dude in Dogtown & Z Boys. Even when the other snowboarders appear, they provide testimonials as to what an awesome dude Travis is. 

And to be fair, he does come across as a bit of a dude and a nice guy and there are times that you wish you were up there on screen telling everyone what a great guy your buddy Travis is.















Travis wears his signature Egyptian Pharoesque designer snowboard clothing range without one iota of irony. However, as we see from the close up podium footage, these snowboarders live like kings so who are we to judge when they dress like them? I mean look at the huge crowds they draw in this movie. 
















One thing that is beyond dispute is the quality of the riding on display and Travis' love of snowboarding. When it comes to big air tricks, whether it's in competition or on the mountain, Travis rules and if you need evidence, there's plenty here. 

















But the truly jaw dropping moment is when he narrowly escapes an avalanche in Alaska. If you think this is just for laughs, watch a bloodied Jeremy Jones, one of the best back country riders in the world, break his arm on the same trip.

 













For most of us, That's It, That's All is a must see, for many it will be a must own. 















A Brain Farm Production directed, edited and produced by Curt Morgan. 

Riders include Travis Rice, Mark Landvik, Nicolas Muller, Terje Haakonsen, Jeremy Jones, Scotty Lago, John Jackson and Pat Moore. 

Additonal riders - Brian Iguchi, Kyle Clancy, Jake Blauvelt, Sammy Leubke, Danny Kass, Eddie Wall, Shandy Campos, Mark Carter, Lonnie Kauk, Dan Brisse, Dustin Craven.

Download the trailer from: thatsit-thatsall.com


Stoked - Xbox 360 screen shots

Absinthe Films have been kind enough to send me a clutch of screen shots from their forthcoming collaboration with games developer Bongfish for Xbox 360. It's a snowboarding video game called Stoked with a US release date currently pinned on the end of December 2008.










Friday 17 October 2008

Happy birthday Eero!

Today is Eero Ettalla's birthday. Another excuse to post Eero and Heikki's awesome phone cam video!





Check out Eero, Heikki and Juuso's blog:

Thursday 16 October 2008

Big board and music mash up hits Battersea Powerstation

Don't miss Freeze, London's big snowboard comp & music mash up at Battersea Power Station from October 23rd - 26th.


























Over 80 pro snowboarders and nearly 30 music acts will collide over one weekend at Battersea Power Station on the South Bank for Freesports on 4 Freeze, a huge snowboard and ski event sponsored by LG, energy drink Relentless, Shaun White Snowboarding and many more.

Some 30 UK riders, including Dom Harington, Ben Kilner and our top half pipe boy Dan Wakeham , will be up against the likes of Danny Kass and Stefan Gimpl in the Big Air competition. Even Shaun White is rumoured to be putting in an appearance.

Check out the list of riders.

On the gig front expect a mix of hip hop, indie bands and dance djs including Cypress Hill, Sway, The Enemy, Reverend and the Makers, The Automatic and my old mate from my Radio 1 website days, DJ Annie Mac. 

Check out Annie's new website where you can download a mix for free. This won't be just another gig for her. It's ridiculous how many people who work at Radio 1 are big into snowboarding.

The music line up at Freeze.
















Channel 4 have an online only competition running to win tickets and a top prize of a big screen LG TV on their Freesports on 4 website. You can enter as many times as you like but you better be quick, closing date is noon on October 17th.

For more details on the event, how to get there and how to buy tickets, visit:

Download a free Annie Mac mix at:

Monday 13 October 2008

Shaun White - Wii salute you!

November sees the release of Shaun White Snowboarding on every video game platform under the sun but of special note is the Wii version which allows you to control your rider with the Wii Balance Board introduced with Wii Fit.





















Are we about to witness the birth of a franchaise? It seems Shaun White has learnt a new trick from his mentor Tony Hawk and it isn't on a skateboard.

From November 14th (UK), Montreal games developer Ubisoft release Shaun White Snowboarding for Xbox 360, DS, PS3, PS2, PSP and PC. But potentially the most intriguing version will be the exclusive Wii incarnation Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip which has it's own exclusive storyline and incorporates the Wii Fit Balance Board as a controller. 

I'd like to see how grabs work on that apparatus because they're not light! Here's some screen grabs from the Wii version  and below that, Live Wire and Ubisoft demo the game on YouTube.
















































Watch Ubisoft and Live Wire demo the game on You Tube.


Friday 10 October 2008

Wakey's half pipe trick tips

Learn to ride half pipe with Britain's top half pipe snowboarder Dan Wakeham on White Lines.

Dan Wakeham














The White Lines boys have rejigged their website in time for the new season and included lots of videos with snowboarding tips for newbies through to jibbers.

Check out our Olympic snowboarder Dan's tips for wannabe half pipe riders.

Thursday 9 October 2008

Endeavor to be good?

While browsing Facebook I came across Canadian board and clothing company Endeavor (sic). Anyone know anything about these guys or know if they are sold in the UK?











The board graphics and hoodies look awesome but I must admit, I know nothing about them. 



























JP Walker's latest movie Downloaded for free

'Downloaded', this year's snowboard film from Step Child boards, is available to download for free fromt heir official site.







It runs just under 25 and a half minutes and features JP WAlker, Markku Koski, Shin Campos, Simon Chamberlain, Stian Solberg and the rest of the Step Child crew. 

I'm downloading it myself at as I write this so I'll let you know my verdict later! It does have a Japan section though so you know I will be compelled to watch and a nice picnic table jib session.









Saturday 4 October 2008

Absinthe Films get into gaming

Absinthe Films are about to release their first venture into the video games market with Stoked for Xbox 360.












Some of you will know I used to have a website called Stoked On Snowboarding where I reviewed snowboard movies and snowboarding video games. It had a logo suspiciously similar to Coca Cola's but with a snowboarder on it (Stoked ... Coke ... geddit?) until they threatened me with a big ass law suit. Did you know they have copyrighted that wavy line you see on coke cans?

Some of you may also have heard that my current day job is sticking up banner ads and mini-sites up on Xbox LIVE (which is free by the way to anyone with an Xbox 360 and a net connection if you wanna see my work! - You only have to pay if you wanna play against friends online). So imagine my surprise when this particular gem fell into my mailbox!

Top notch snowboard movie makers Absinthe Films have made their first foray into video gaming by co-developing a new snowboarding game for Xbox 360 with Destineer and Bongfish.

It's called Stoked but hey I'm flattered cos it will feature two of my all-time favourite pro riders Bjorn Leines and Travis Rice!


It's definitely not Bjorn's first time as a video game character as I've played as that dude many many times on the old Xbox.





















The game include 5 mountains, dynamic weather systems and sponsorship from respected snowboard companies. Other riders named are Nicholas Muller, Wolle Nyvelt, Gigi Ruf, Romain De Marchi, Annie Boulanger and Tadashi Fuse.

I guess what Absinthe will bring to the table (besides their name, contacts and well earned respect) is their unique style and creative approach which has always been a big part of their film making. I'm anticipating a great soundtrack and some awesome graphics.

The game is out in November and when you can download the demo on Xbox LIVE, I'll shout it out.

Friday 3 October 2008

That's All Folks

If like me, you're thinking snowboard movies are what HD was invented for, then you want to check out Travis Rice's forthcoming movie That's It, That's All.




Not only is it co-produced by Trice and shot in Hi Def, it also includes Terje, Jeremy Jones and Danny Kass among the featured riders.

You can watch trailers on the official site as well as win a heli-boarding trip to Alaska or loads of signature Travis kit.

Also there's a Facebook group for all the latest news and updates.


Wednesday 24 September 2008

Need lessons but have ADD?

 Method TV do their bit for boys with learning difficulties.





As the new season gets near, indulge yourselves with a reminder from the, erm, pros on how to wax your board. 

Future stars if I ever saw a pair. At least they're not topless.

Sunday 10 August 2008

On the Ed






I wasn't going to post again until next season but I had to say how much I enjoyed Ed Leigh's documentary on the BBC iPlayer recently, Siberia To Sahara: A Snowboarder's Odyssey.

The programme follows Ed as he travels from Siberia to Morocco via Hokkaido and the Himalayas in pursuit of some of the world's most exotic snowboarding locations.

Not only was this film beautifully shot and informative but it was even more notable for the things it was not - lecturing, condescending and full of cliches. Well, maybe the soundtrack was the usual kinda thing.

Ed was probably the most genial and chilled host I have ever seen him (well let's face it he is usually on TV whooping it up at some big air comp or rail jam) but he still managed to get across his love and enthusiasm for snowboarding.

If you ever get the chance to watch this, I'd recommend that you do. Even if you think you know everything there is to know about snowboarding, you could learn something from this.

Monday 28 April 2008

The stupidest gadget ever?

Over the last 10 years snowboarders have probably noticed the effects of Global Warming more keenly than most - so what idiot in their right mind would invent a MOTORISED SNOWBOARD!?






Usually I am a big fan of Channel Five's Gadget Show but to see presenter Jason Bradbury enthuse about possibly the most pointless invention ever, The Powerboard, is not a high point.

What the world needs now is *not* an environmentally unfriendly snowboard when it we already have something elegant and quiet than runs on gravity, can be carried under your arm and for the most part is made from sustainable materials.


So we need a motorised snowboard like a hole in the head. The Powerboard is a snowmobile crossed with scooter. It has a 4 stroke engine and can travel a yawn-inducing 18 mph.


As if skiers aren't bad enough, the prospect of dodging idiots on these things too is just too much. I suppose on the bright side it might keep some stupid rich people off the lifts.








Sunday 13 April 2008

Big Air in Japan

It's a long held dream of a friend and I to go snowboarding in Japan. Until that happens I live vicariously through Haruki Murakami novels, writing my Asian cinema blog for MSN UK, and watching movies like Trouble In Japan.

Trouble_in_Japan1

In February 2007 the Analog snowboard team shot Trouble In Japan as part of their Moving Picture Project. Genially hosted by 18 year old Danny Davis, it documents what the life of a pro snowboarder is really like as the riders compete in Japan's Toyota Big Air and the Nippon Open.

Not only does it include footage from both comps but there's also lots of behind the scenes footage, night and day riding on the slopes of Rusutsu and Furano resorts,  and we get to gig with veteran rider Trevor Andrew's band.

It also features a couple of my favourite snowboarders Heikki Sorsa and JP Solberg, as well as Danny, Trevor, Mikkel Bang and Kevin Pearce.

Trouble_in_Japan4

Besides all the wall-rides, car tows and general larking around, there's an excellent soundtrack from Kudu (awesome bass line on their tune), Stiffed and Trevor Andrew aka Trouble.

Not only is this a free movie but its makers positively encourage authorised distribution so BitTorrent it now or visit the offical Analog clothing site and watch it in their video section where there's an iPod friendly version available.

Trouble_in_Japan2

Watch Trouble In Japan on Analog's official site

Asian Provocateur - my Asian cinema blog

Friday 4 April 2008

Unbelievable!

Travis Rice rocks a Double BS Rodeo at the Nokia Air & Style 2007 comp. Seeing is not always believing!



Trice rules. Again.

Watch the clip on YouTube

Monday 31 March 2008

Your fave MySpace photos delivered to your desktop

If you have Windows Vista on your pc, here's a way you can have your favourite snowboard photos on your desktop.

There is a widget for the Vista SideBar that you can download from here:

MySpace Image Viewer

If you enter the ID number of someone's profile on MySpace e.g. a pro snowboarder or your favourite magazine, you can get all their public MySpace photos delivered direct to your desktop in a scrolling gallery.

All you do is install the gadget, click on it's tools icon and enter the ID of a MySpace profile. For example my fave snowboard mag is White Lines. Their MySpace profile url is:

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=112011604

So you would enter 112011604.

Respect peoples' privacy if they have an obviously low key profile. Not all pros like to be public figures but many want to promote their photos and even invite comments.

Sunday 30 March 2008

Be your own camera man HeRo style

Heikki Sorsa and Eero Ettala demonstrate what camera phones were invented for.

Heikki and Eero filmed this themselves on their mobiles! Watch out for the hand-off at the end.



The boys at White Lines have a longer version of this video which is even better:

Watch the full video on White Lines
Check my review of Heikki and Eero's movie Picture This

Thursday 20 March 2008

Now that's what I call a Good Friday

Method.tv to webcast the Burton US Open competition LIVE over the Easter Weekend!

us_open_webcast

Better than an Easter Egg, Method European snowboard magazine will be webcasting the final of the US Open LIVE from Stratton Vermont.

It all kicks off at 4pm (Central European Time) on Good Friday, March 21st and continues Saturday. So that's about 3pm in the UK by my reckoning. On the other hand I suppose you could always watch Countdown.

Watch the Live Stream

Friday 14 March 2008

Flippin iTunes

Absinthe Films have sent me a teaser video of their Flipside series which takes you behind the scenes of last season's movie Optimistic?

Episodes are now available on iTunes.

 

Monday 10 March 2008

Bjorn Again! Absinthe 'Ready' for 08|09

Exciting news - Bjorn Leines joins the Absinthe Films rider roster. And Absinthe branch out with a new music label.

ready

Absinthe Films have announced that the title of their movie for next season will be 'Ready' and will include some new additions to their rider line-up - most notably the mighty Bjorn Leines!

I can now finally get over Travis Rice not appearing in last year's movie Optimistic?

Other 'newbies' to the Absinthe roster this year are Kevin Pearce, Scotty Lago, Blair Habenicht, Louie Vito and Markus Keller.

Plus long time Absinthe riders Gigi Rüf, Marc Frank Montoya, Romain de Marchi, Matt Beardmore, Nicolas Müller, Jules Reymond, JP SOLBERG (great to see this fella back) and Mikey LeBlanc will be there.

As well as Annie Boulanger, JEREMY JONES, Chris Coulter, Sylvain Bourbousson and Marco Feichtner.

Absinthe have also started a new label called Absinthe Music and release two albums from Scott Sullivan entitled 'The Great Manifestiny' and 'The Crushwater Symphony'. Both are available to buy from Absinthe-Films.com.

You can now buy the workaholic-movie-makers' second TV series of FLIPSIDE on iTunes.

Tuesday 26 February 2008

Technine board sale @ Extreme Pie


Skate/snow shopping site Extreme Pie is shifting Technine snowboards from as little as £136.

Plus there is an extra 15% off for girls by entering the code GIRLSONLY.

Not only that but postage & packing is free for orders above £100.







Boards available are:
The Jib £180 (£153 with code) down from £225;
Street series £187 (down from £275);
Split T £136 (down from £200);
The Dime women's £153 (down from £225),
T-9 women's £136 (down from £200)

For details visit Extreme Pie

Sunday 24 February 2008

Dan Wakeham video podcast #4

 

Our Olympic half-pipe hope hits Laax.

Wednesday 6 February 2008

An urgent appeal on behalf of goofy riders

I'm right handed but somehow when I first learned to snowboard, I found it much easier to ride goofy (with your left foot forward) and have been that way ever since. Please don't feel sorry for me but as a result I have been subjected to 'upside down' snowboard graphics ever since!

Why oh why does no-one think about the goofy riders? Even the name suggests you're a bit of a wrong-un. If you ride goofy, by implication you don't ride regular.

Riding goofy is the snowboarding equivalent of being left-handed, or being a 'Southpaw' since that is the slang for a left handed sports person.

"Even the name suggests you're a bit of a wrong-un. If you ride goofy, by implication you don't ride regular."

In some ancient cultures, including Western ones, being left handed was a bit like being cursed.

The word 'sinister' comes from the Latin word for Left but has become understood to mean evil or at best 'unlucky'. Another suggested derivation of the word comes from the Roman name for the single pocket in a toga which was always on the left.

But it's not all bad. Southpaws have been rehabilitated in recent times as 'creatives' since so many designers and musicians are left handed. Chris McManus of University College London has claimed that proportionately speaking, the number of left-handed people is rising and as a group have historically produced more than their share of high achievers.

So why is it then that when 'creatives' design the graphics for their snowboards they either go for a bland 'any-way-up' abstract pattern or if they do produce something with an illustration on it, it often appears kinda upside down to goofy riders?

I mean when I ride my Jussi signature board, even the writing is upside down!

So all you rock star snowboarders out there, designing the graphix for next seasons' signature board, please spare a thought for the goofy rider!

Monday 4 February 2008

Travel Snowboard Insurance by TGIC (07/08 Rates) :: Snowboard Club UK :: The Riders' Network

Dunx at Snowboard Club UK has arranged a great insurance deal for snowboarders, not only amateur riders like me, but there is also cover for pros and riders who enter competitions.

It covers gear up to £1500 (individual items up to £800) which would have covered me when my last insurance company didn't pay out!

Here's some info cut and past from Dunx's site. Clcik on the link to go to SCUK and get the full lowdown.

GET A FREE QUOTE
Email: scuk@tagconnect.co.uk
Call tagconnect: +44 (0)845 408 0583

These days, we all know that Travel insurance is an essential part of our holiday, but how many of us actually know that our cover is appropriate? Not all insurance cover is the same and tagconnect recognise that many travellers are now choosing more adventurous winter holidays with the emphasis on snowboarding and have therefore worked closely with SCUK for 3 years to design a specific winter sports policy. Our policy offers UNIQUE packages tailored to suit all snowboarders’ needs. Peace of mind, should mean, peace of mind!

Plus we provide as STANDARD cover in all policies:

  • Winters Sports cover
  • Snowboard kit: Single item limit £800, total £1,500
  • Off piste, Park, Indoor, Dryslope
  • Personal Liability
  • 31 days Winter Sports (Annual Multi Trip)

The schedule of cover which sets out the cover provided by TGIC insurance can be seen on the TGIC website when you obtain a quote.

ALL Premiums include Winter Sports Cover (note: be warned many other insurance companies may not include this within advertised prices).

Loadings for Competitiors and Instructors

For participation in AMATEUR COMPETITIONS an additional premium at the rate of 50% of the above will be charged.
(Amateur = UK events such as AIM Series and the British Championships. Does not include coverage for those making a living from snowboarding).

For participation in PROFESSIONAL COMPETITIONS an additional premium at the rate of 100% of the above will be charged.
(Professional = International events (FIS, TTR etc and events where the participant is being paid a fee for participating e.g Daily Mail show, Inner City events etc..).

Any of the above can be used as additional policys on top of (Single, Long Stay or Multi Trips) for one off events e.g.
British Championships (5 days competition), SCUK member 1-5 days European cover = £21.15 plus 50% = £31.73

Working abroad as a SNOWBOARD INSTRUCTOR an additonal premium at the rate of 25% of the above will be charged (personal liability cover is excluded, as this should be covered by your employer).

Excess Waiver = £10 per person.

GET A FREE QUOTE
Email: scuk@tagconnect.co.uk
Call tagconnect: +44 (0)845 408 0583
and quote reference number "151005"
To get an online quote and purchase click here. SCUK members need to log in to see the 10% discount link. You can join from just £15

If you are interested in purchasing cover from tagconnect, please call 0845 408 0583 or e-mail our sales team at scuk@tagconnect.co.uk. Please ensure you read your insurance policy carefully.

Travel Snowboard Insurance by TGIC (07/08 Rates) :: Snowboard Club UK :: The Riders' Network

Insurance Cops or Cop Outs?

On Thursday Channel 4 ran the first part of a documentary called 'Scams, Fiddles and Honest Claims' about the insurance company inverstigators who investigate fraudulent insurance claims.

Well, I've been on the flip side and seen how insurance companies dishonestly make every effort NOT to pay out to honest claiments (see my previous blog entry).

Because of this I thought it might be a good idea to give my top tips on how to prepare yourself in case the unthinkable happens and you have your snowboard gear stolen.

1. Save all your receipts

Despite what your insurance company tells you, they will not accept any other proof of what items cost you, even when the invade your privacy and demand bank and credit card statements... and believe me they will demand copies!

2. Photograph all your gear, especially serial numbers

Get hold of a digital camera and photograph all your snowboarding gear, clothing and anything else valuable BEFORE you go away. Keep lots of copies of your photos and keep them stored safely and backed up somewhere (if you have webmail, you can always email them to yourself which will date them too!)

Obviously do not put the photos online somewhere public ... especially the photos which include serial numers of items.

3. Get someone to photograph you riding

It helps even more if you have proof of the gear being used by your's truly. Insurance companies treat claiments like liars and crooks by default but they sound like they're being nice to you while they do it.

4. If the premium is too cheap to be true, it probably is

Any insurance company can offer ridiculously cheap premiums if they have no intention of paying out. Better to pay more and be protected in the knowledge that the company you have chosen is reputable.

5. Go with a company recommended by someone who has used them before

If you can, try get a recommendation from someone you trust who has used that insurance company before - ideally someone who has had to go through a claim with them.

6. Don't hide anything

This is especially true with insurance claims that might have to cover hospital bills if you get hurt. Don't give them any excuse to withold payment later by claiming you didn't disclose any prior medical condition. If you tell them upfront, you can still get insurance in case you get hurt in an accident on the mountain.

7. Don't use Insure And Go

This is only my personal opinion but when I tried to claim for my stolen snowboard bag and all its contents, no amount of evidence was good enough. Everytime I provided them with what they asked for, they just asked for something else, more and more until so many months had gone bythat I practically lost the will to live.

Not only have I never received a penny, they have never actually given me an answer on my claim one way or the other.

They have never ever contacted me without prior provocation to ask what was happening with my claim.

You can't blame an insurance company because someone steals or loses your valuables but I think it speaks volumes about a company's good will (or lack if it) in the way they try to remedy your situation.


8. Don't book a holiday with Air Tours

Not exactly an insurance tip but in the case of lost or stolen goods, you will have to rely on your holiday company to provide proof or evidence.

I think the reps they employed in Livigno were crooks (see my last blog entry) and even if I can't prove it, they tried to intimidate me into accepting liability for my own stolen iems that they 'lost'.

Even if the company were unaware of their employees actions, they did nothing to remedy the situation, which speaks volumes about their integrity.

'Insure And Go' Don't Care About Snowboarders

To paraphrase Kanye West, 'INSURE AND GO' are to snowboarders what George Bush is to Hurricane Katrina survivors.

I had £1500 worth of snowboarding equipment stolen from the transfer coach a few years back during a trip to Livigno, Italy. The reps from the holiday company at the time (who, PLEASE TAKE NOTE, have since changed their name to AIRTOURS) tried to intimidate me at the hotel with a gang of huge 6 ft plus ski guides into 'admitting' it was my fault not theirs.

I'll never book anything with those scum bags again.

'Well,' they said sarcastically, 'you're insured'. As if it was an excuse.

"The reps from the holiday company tried to intimidate me at the hotel with a gang of huge 6 ft plus ski guides..."

I'd lost a brand new top of the range 'Terje' Burton snowboard that I'd never even had the privilege to ride one time, plus my bindings, boots and all my snowboarding clothes. Even the snowboard bag they were packed in. All the stuff I had managed to collect over 4 years of snowboarding.

The sad truth is, I was insured. With Insure And Go. I had heard from a friend that they were good if you got hurt on the mountain - which, let's face it, is the single most important consideration when buying snow sports insurance. It never occured to me that I might get robbed but I bought the premium insurance cover anyway, just in case the airline lost my luggage.

During the transfer from the airport to Livgno, the coach stopped once as we were allowed to stretch our legs and grab a coffee in a nearby cafe. That was the only time coach and my luggage were out of my sight.

When we arrived in Livigno to be dropped off at our hotel my snowboard bag and its contents had mysteriously vanished.

I confronted the reps who said some stuff had been tranferred to another coach as half the party went to another resort and they would track my bag down. later they changed their story and said that had never happened.

I have never lost my bag before or had anything stolen and therefore had no experience of dealing with insurance companies. I had no receipts for my equipment and had no photos of my gear either.

I called Insure and Go from Livigno the morning after my stuff disappeared and explained my situation. They said don't worry. All I needed was a letter from the holiday company to say stuff was lost and maybe a photo of me snowboarding as proof of my equipment.

I provided both.

Insure And Go are liars.

"they asked for more and more proof until months had elapsed and I simply lost the will to pursue my claim"

They never actually turned down my claim. Everytime I provided any info they requested, they asked for more and more proof until months had elapsed and I simply lost the will to pursue my claim.

As a result I hate them even more than the people who stole my equipment (who I strongly suggest were the local Livigno reps of Airs Tours).

Let me say simply this... if an insurance premium is so cheap it seems too good to be true? That's because ot is.

Anyone can offer a cheap premium if they never pay anybody out! As far as I am concerned, my insurance premium with Insure And Go cost me £1500 PLUS the cost of the premium I paid to those crooks.

Next time I will insure myself myself with a company for snowboarders and recommended by snowboarders. I hear Snowboard Club UK do one and will be checking it out.

http://www.snowboardclub.co.uk/insurance

It might cost more but if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.

Insure And Go? 'Insure And Go Fuck Yourself' more like.

Monday 28 January 2008

10 New Reasons to join Joost

Online TV Channel 'Joost' has gone snowboarding mad today with 10 new shows to watch for free on your PC.

They Include brill snowboard movie Positron which features brothers Bjorn and Erik Leines, British movie Skyrocket from Danny Wheeler, and a film on the Snowbombing festival (always a fave amongst my Radio 1 snowboarding pals).

To watch, just go to the Joost site and install their Beta software if you haven't already.

Top 10 Winter Snow Games - Airs, Dares and Scares - Joost

Wednesday 16 January 2008

Dan Wakeham on YouTube - podcast no.2

Don't even get me started on the London Olympics ... where's our snowdome that's what I want to know?!

But I *do* get excited about the Winter Olympics. If you want to support UK snowboarding, get behind Dan Wakeham who reprazents us in the half-pipe competition.

Check out his YouTube channel where you catch his video diary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y12ASIfmC8Y


Monday 14 January 2008

Dan's The Man

Support UK snowboarder Dan Wakeham from Plymouth by visiting his blog http://danwakeham.blogspot.com/ and signing up to the UK Snowboarding team newsletter at http://www.snowsportgb.com/.


On January 9th he won 2nd place at the Airwaves Invitational Halfpipe Competition in Tignes, France, pocketing an impressive $5,000 in prize money in the process!



I interviewed a fresh faced (and already incredibly tall) Dan back in 2003 on my old site Stoked On Snowboarding when he was hammering the rails at Board X Winter Festival in London's Alexandra Palace.


Even then he was sponsored by Santa Cruz snowboards and maybe no-one should have been surprised when he turned up in the half-pipe the year Ross Powers won the Winter Olympics in Utah.


For those who missed it, here's that interview from 16 November 2003.


Dan Wakeham is six foot plus, has poster boy looks and despite boarding for 7 years, he only turned 22 a few days ago. You should hate him but the dude's got too much class. For the whole of Board-X he was hitting the rail park with style and by Sunday's informal 'Jib Jam' demo, he was earning hard cash for tricks on demand.


As I recall, he was the only guy to pull a 360 on the Rainbow rail. If Dan isn't Santa Cruz's only UK snowboarder (he skateboards too), he's certainly the only one from Plymouth. Stoked caught up with him at the end of Board-X to find out how he got on...


Why are you at Board-X?

I come to Board X every year. When they have events in England, it's good to show your face. It's not always the best riding. I don't always get on well with the jump but this year they've got some good rails.


What do you think of the new indoor Grind Rail Park?


The rail park was pretty cool. When I first got here, I wasn't quite sure how it was gonna be. The run out is pretty short. They could do with making that a little bit longer so you've got a chance to stop. Plus they've got a flat bar. You pretty much have to drop in and jump straight on to it. There's not much time to get ready.


I notice you like the Rainbow rail.


I rode the Rainbow a lot because the flat bar wasn't made up well. The jump was a little too small and the landing was really flat. I've got a bit of a weak knee so the flat landing would hurt. So I stuck to the Rainbow, it's nice and smooth. Plus if you stick to one thing, you're going to get good on it and learn some good tricks.


What's it like in the Jib Jam, when everybody's watching and the MCs are throwing in cash for tricks?


Sometimes I don't really feel like it but you start to relax and forget that the crowd are there. Then the guys with the microphones come along and they start flashing around money, so I found myself starting to run back up to the top so I can try and get some. I got a hundred quid for one trick and then I got forty quid for another. If I got paid like that for every trick I did, I'd probably make a lot of money (he he).


You've got some big sponsors. Is there any money in it?


Up to now, I haven't really been making money from snowboarding. It's cost me a lot. Occasionally you get the odd thing free - like free hotels and free travel. But I'm starting to progress now. I competed in some of the big American comps and beat some big names.


This year I'm gonna ride some World and European cup events. If I ride well, there more chance of walking into better sponsorship deals. I might be riding for Oakley for clothing and eye wear. And maybe look for some corporate sponsorship like Red Bull (Dan was drinking Red Bull all day long so they ought to sponsor him) or Orange mobile phones. They've got a lot of money to spend so I wanna be in there and get a bit of it.


When learning tricks, what's the best approach ?


With every trick, you have to be able to visualise yourself doing it. You can't just throw yourself at it because it doesn't work. If you can't see yourself doing it, chances are you probably won't be able to do it. I think about what I'm gonna do and just have a go at it. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes I have to unstrap my board and give it a rest for a while and maybe come back to it later. If I'm in the right mood, I feel like I can do just about anything. That's the best way to be but it's not always like that unfortunately.


What tricks are you working on at the moment?


In the half pipe, I'm working on a Rodeo 900. It's a pretty hard trick because there's a lot of spinning. It's all inverted. I'm quite a big guy as well so it's not like those little kids who can just spin a 900 a foot out of the half-pipe, I have to go quite a lot higher just to get my board around so many times.


Not many pros ride wear lids. What's your view on protection?


Some people say that wearing a helmet is a distraction but I don't find that it is. I go through phases. This season I was filming and really pushing it. I had two concussions and a knockout. I was riding one of the jumps in Mammoth, it was quite a big jump, I went too fast and cleared the landing. I landed clean on my feet but the impact of hitting the ground knocked me out cold. I was out for about 2 minutes. I got taken away in an ambulance and had to have a cat scan, so I started wearing a helmet after that.


How do you get over an accident like that?


You've got to expect an accident here and there. I haven't had any real bad accidents to date, touch wood. I know some people who have broken their back. For them to come back is really hard. But like a broken bone or something, it's not really that big a deal.


Besides snowboarding, what else do you do?


I do a lot of skateboarding in the summer. We built a ramp down in Plymouth. We spent a lot of time down there just skating, having barbeques and enjoying the heatwave that we had.