Why We Shred

Scary Snow

Grady — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 23:09:46 +0000

To all Shredders:

This winter’s conditions have not been what they were last year here in the US. Don’t get me wrong- The storms have provided ample good times, but the chemistry in the snowpack around the country has been sketchy. On top of multiple recent accidents in my home state of Colorado, I was very saddened to hear about the 3 individuals who lost their lives in Washington earlier this week. Jim Jack was the head judge for the Freeskiing World Tour, and was an inspiration to many skiers. RIP

Be careful out there! Skiing is dangerous but it is what we live for!

Doing Control Work with San Juan Ski Company

Once you know it’s safe go SHRED!

Photo: Sven Brunso

Happy Turns!

-Grady

“Mountains speak, wise men listen.” John Muir

Keely Kelleher Ski Camp for Girls

Stephan — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 19:33:31 +0000

If you’re a girl and love to either ski race or freeski, Keely Kelleher has a set of camps that are for you:

Mount Hood features her ski race camp (age group for the race camp is 11-16 years old) with First session on July 16th-23rd and 2nd session July 25th-August 1st and
Snowbird, Utah is the site for her freeski camp (accepting 11-18 year olds for freeski) April 14th-15th.

Registration will be online starting Winter/Spring 2012 or contact Keely at keelykelleher@hotmail.com.

Pirmin Wishes He Had It On

Stephan — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 21:14:47 +0000

OK, this is a true, “wish I had it on” image posted by Jamie Prebble of his friend Pirmin in Stoos, Switzerland. The kind of move that goes wrong and you’re just praying the impact is not the worst it can be.

Think you got something that tops Jamie’s photo? Submit it at our WhyWeShred Photo Contest Page and have the chance to win a Shred helmet, goggles and Slytech back protector.

Your Name – Jamie Prebble
What of the 3 Themes? – Forgot/ Wish
Location the Images was Shot – Stoos, Switzerland
Who Is in This Picture? – Pirmin Karbon
Describe Your Image – Epic blue bird pow day.- 360 cliff drop gone wrong, was bigger than originally thought! Right about now he wishes he had a Slytech 2nd Skin BackProtector on.

Photo Contest: Ski Cross

Stephan — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 21:15:28 +0000

Jon is a ski cross guy who loves to live in the moment.

Submit your photo contest image here and win Shred helmet, goggles and Slytech Back Pro: http://whyweshred.com/why-i-shred-photo-contest/

Your Name – Jon DeWitt
What of the 3 Themes? – Why I Shred
Location the Images was Shot – Mountain High, CA
Who Is in This Picture? – Me, Myself, and I (Jonny DeWitt
Describe Your Image – Right before my skier cross event goofing off and just having fun! This is why i shred to have fun and to live in every moment

Photo Contest: Hintertux Landscape

Stephan — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 21:09:39 +0000

Gerli sends in this landscape shot from Hintertux, Austria.

Got a pic you think would win you a Shred helmet, goggles and Slytech BackPro? Submit your image here: http://whyweshred.com/why-i-shred-photo-contest/

Your Name – Gerli Selge
What of the 3 Themes? – Why I Shred
Location the Images was Shot – Hintertux, Austria
Who Is in This Picture? – Just the incredible landscape
Describe Your Image – Why I Shred? Because I just love the feeling I get when I’m skiing. The moment I get on the lift to get to the top of the mountain and see the fantastic landscape around me then I feel like I belong here and forget all my problems.

540 at Wachusett Mountain

Stephan — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 20:55:58 +0000

Andrew shoots this image out to us from Wachusett Mountain in Mass. His buddy Adam is doing a 540 and looks like he made it.

Think you have a better pic than Andrew and want to win Shred goggles, helmet and Slytech Back Protector? Submit your image here: http://whyweshred.com/why-i-shred-photo-contest/ . Next contest winner is selected on the 2nd of March.

Your Name – Andrew
What of the 3 Themes? – Forgot/ Wish
Location the Images was Shot – wachusett mountain
Who Is in This Picture? – Adam Mikaelian
Describe Your Image – 540

Marcus Caston: Candid Words on FIS

Marcus Caston — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:53:47 +0000

I am not just another number, and if you’re reading this you’re not a number either. You’re a non-conforming badass shredder just like me. The FIS will not hold us down by telling us what we can and cannot do. We are progressives who care about one thing and one thing only…skiing. I live for skiing, and I know that you do too. Skiing is all about progression and pushing the limits of what was previously thought impossible. I’m not going to tell you what we are about to do on our skis, or how far we are going to push the limit, that’s what FIS does. I’m going to tell you that we recognize the constraints that FIS has put on us, and we are not going to pay attention to them. We will fight for our right to progress the sport to unknown levels. I am so lucky to find a hardcore group of people who share the same vision and passion for life, and so it’s no coincidence that I use Shred and Slytech. FUCK FIS.

http://www.marcuscaston.com/

http://www.facebook.com/marcuscastonphotography

Marcus Caston
“Living life, Loving it” – Spencer Nelson

ISPO Off the Hook

Stephan — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 20:21:23 +0000

Ted showing off the new safety technology to the press.

Didn’t make it out to ISPO at the end of January? Well, let’s just put it this way: if you weren’t on the mountain ripping it up, then you missed something. Only being up on the mountain could possibly have topped the show!

It started off with a press conference in which Ted introduced the new 2012-2013 collection to magazine, newspaper and TV reporters from all over the globe. “Oooos” and “ahhhhs” were heard when they demonstrated all the new and radically advanced Slytech 2ND SKiN XT foam that is found in most Shred helmets, as well as the Slytech back protectors. A simple drop ball test showed that the force absorption of the 2ND SKiN XT foam outperforms traditional protective material by up to a whopping 80%. That idea blew their minds.

Down at the booth, our power house pro team came down to meet and greet fans, as well as to check out all the new styles and killer technology.

Romain and Ted picking out their personal favorite goggles.

You know you’ve got a great thing going when your pros are standing in front of the gear, touching, bending, trying on all the stuff and showing unbound enthusiasm. Just eavesdropping on conversations is a trip. The 2012-2013 collection signifies an amazing leap forward in terms of safety and technology. You’ll be hearing about it in the weeks and months ahead.

Wolle Nyvelt trying on his pro model back protector.

Ted Ligety and Carlo Salmini showing off helmet safety.

Here are more sights from the press conference and Shred/ Slytech ISPO booth…

[Show as slideshow]

Sochi, Russia

Ted Ligety — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 18:53:13 +0000

We are currently racing in Rosa Khutor the alpine site for the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia. The downhill race was today in which I did not partake in and the Combined is tomorrow in which I hope to crush it. The downhill track here is one of the coolest hills in the world and has the ability to be legendary. This being the first time it’s ever been run I think organizers were nervous so they set it way to turny. It resembles a SuperG set more then a downhill but I’m guessing they will have that ironed out for the Olympics.

Outside the race venues this mountain is probably the best ski area you’ll never ski, since getting into Russia (visa-wise) is a feat unto itself and it’s not easy to get here/to Sochi. The mountain has something like 5000 feet of vertical and after the Olympics they will connect the three resorts here so it will be massive with incredible terrain. (Snowbird/Alta+JacksonX5=)

We landed in Sochi (via private jet with the Russian team) at 3am and construction was in full swing the entire hour drive to the hotel. I’ve never seen anything like it, it seems like they are starting completely from scratch; new roads, railways, hotels, lifts etc. The security is something else too. The security is infinitely tighter then the Olympics in Vancouver and similar to airport security to get on the gondola, other then many of the security personnel are carrying machine guns. It will be very interesting see what this place will be like for the Olympics!

I attempted to poach a few powder turns today and got a taste of the skiing and the security. Here’s a video:

Marco Feichtner Hittin’ It

Marco Feichtner — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:43:32 +0000

*** Marco is not that into capitalizing his words, in case you were wondering about his informal writing style.***

short update about my season!

before ispo i stayed a few days in zillertal- the crew was local guy werni stock! justin, flo and mau as our filmers! photo dog carlos.we got lucky with the conditions- some fresh snow- some nice spots! great times in zillertal! thx to werni! check the photos out- photos telling more then words!

after that trip i was at ispo for one days! i think i talked with the most of you guys- it was great to see everybody again!!

[Show as slideshow]

the last days we were not lazy! our crew was on the route again- this time we shot some stuff around vorarlberg ( montafon- thx to montafon tourism for sponsoring us the tickets)!

we got some really cool stuff out of the last days but now i need some days off to get my body again in a good shape!

upcoming plans: i stay in europe till middle and of feb. and the i am traveling to us, canada for one month! i will be back in april!

stay tuned for some more updates!

all the best
marco