Freestyle Session at Hemel
Following the last post, which commented on the park design/building that’s going on at the Hemel indoor slope – I wanted to post this video, from the 24th May.
It’s a good taste of one of the freestyle sessions at Hemel – some good shreddin’. Check it out:
Top Drawer Freestyle at Hemel
There are a bunch of different, indoor snow slopes across the UK. They each hold a weekly freestyle night, or nights, for which they build an indoor park.
And we get some good parks.
My local slope, if it can be called local, is Castleford. It’s 100 miles down the motorway, give or take. During the time I’ve been snowboarding there, I’ve ridden some really good park features. It’s not always the same quality, and there are special events when they put more time and effort into the park design/build… Sometimes it’s just ok, other times it’s awesome.
Switch track to the slope at Hemel Hempstead. Over the last couple of months, I’ve taken note of the park photos they’ve posted on Facebook. They look good. The features look well shaped. For an indoor park, they’re impressive.
Hemel Hempstead is even further away than Castleford; I haven’t ridden there, so I can’t say what the freestyle nights are like. But I do think the parks that they build look good; the crew at Hemel are making an effort to give riders some great features.
Take a look for yourself – I’ve pulled a bunch of photos from their Facebook stream.
DC… Sam Turnbull… Spring Shred…
Sam Turnbull will always be one of my favourite UK shredders… favourite pro shredders.
Seeing his ambition and determination back in 2007 – on his first few visits to the dry slope at Halifax. Lots of respect for his attitude and ultimately, his success.
Here’s some more action from him:
Local Spotlight: Native Skate Store, Newcastle, UK
Previously on this blog, I’ve written about the important role the local shops and groups play in the development of a scene – the snowboard scene. In return, by shopping at and supporting local stores, snowboarders can help to contribute to the development of their community…
With spring getting started and summer following, I’m casting the spotlight on Native Skate Store, an example of a shop that’s integrated into the local scene – in this case, the skateboard scene.
Native has been standing firm in Newcastle since 2003, just recently passing the ten-year mark. Compared to snowboarding, I skate infrequently, especially at the moment. But Native has always been my ‘local skate store’. I bought my first deck from them back in 2006 and then a second, my current skateboard, around 2008/2009. Plus a bunch of the other things, good stuff, like skate sneaks, DVDs (back in the day) and the leather Volcom wallet I’ve had for 6 years – it still looks new.
Sponsoring local skaters
A key part of the relationship between shops and the local scene, whether it be snowboarding or skateboarding, is the sponsorship of riders/skaters. The shop helps the skater to do their thing and the skater raises the profile and awareness of the shop.
Native Skate Store is fulfilling this role in Newcastle. They’re currently sponsoring: Will Creswick, Jamie Cairns, James Coyle, Chris Rose, Dan Main, Kurt Mitchell and The Cougar.
YES. It’s a Day at Whistler…
Shred day in Whistler with Clint Allan and some guys from YES….
Who wants to go shred?
Sick Skateboarding (Shane O’Neill)
I was browsing on YouTube the other day and, with warmer weather on the way, had the impulse to check out some skateboarding…
This edit of Shane O’Neill was close to the top on an open search for “skateboarding”. It’s a couple of years old but that doesn’t matter. The video is a long collection of sick skateboarding tricks. So good.
If you like skateboarding, take a look…
Photography and Film at Woodward
It’s April. Spring. Transition from Winter to Summer.
No doubt many snowboarders will be looking ahead to more skateboarding, or perhaps, summer-snowboarding. Summer camps, artificial slopes, training…
Woodward is well known for it’s skateboard camps, but they’ve branched out into other areas, including snowboarding. Artificial kickers with soft landing areas; safe ways to learn new tricks.
They’ve recently added a new Digital Media program. Photography and film is a huge part of snowboarding, from top level pros down to the holiday-shredders. It’s in the culture. Their new program is setup to help people learn skills in this area.
Here’s a snippet from their press release:
“April 1, 2013 (WOODWARD, PA)— Woodward Camps – the leading youth camp facilities for action sports, gymnastics and cheer – have expanded the curriculum for Summer 2013 to include cutting-edge programs in digital media, including video production, photography, graphic arts and music recording. Woodward has always recognized and supported the connection between visual arts and action sports. Training the next generation of filmmakers and photographers in these storytelling mediums will allow them to communicate in an increasingly digitally-focused society. Summer camp begins in June, 2013 for all locations, including Woodward, Pennsylvania, Colorado’s Copper Mountain, Boreal Mountain Resort at Lake Tahoe, and Tehachapi, California.”
And more from the Woodward page.
Pretty sweet.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McgHo6Yx8Ps
Zgriff in the Breck Trees
Via the AngrySnowboarder… I love watching shredding in Breck, it brings back a lot of good memories!
About the video:
This video features the logmaster Zgriff riding a 158 Socozy from 728 Outdoor. Filmed March 11th after good 3 day snow storm, we attempted to keep up with Zgriff riding this 728 Outdoor board for the first time.
The Socozy is a reverse camber board that is slightly stiffer than most boards. The result is flex when you want it, stiffness when you need it. A great park board and an amazing powder board. Check out more at – facebook.com/728outdoor
Music: Nightmares on Wax – 195lbs
Video/Edit: Nathan Minatta – facebook.com/skepticproductions
Rider: Zgriff – Zach Griffin
