Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Be Safe Out There Incident

Powder time



The line before open


Debbie and Ben psyched


It was fun


I did f*** my board though. Surgery in process.Love that pow

Niche Wins Environmental Hardware Award at Ispo

While this isn't Animal Farm specific, I wanted to point this out. We are glad to see Torrey (a environmental science major) riding for arguably the most environmentally friendly snowboard company in the industry. Hats off to Niche for not giving into the economic pressures of cheap materials / designs that most other companies use.

More information here:

http://ispo.com/award/en/All-Sports/RESULTS/ECO-RESPONSIBILITY/HARDWARE?clb=55.112.147.1.77661

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Manifest

This is great. This guy ARob seems like he was a class act, sad to see him go. Watch the whole thing, you'll thank me when you see Morg's shots in the credits.


Friday, January 20, 2012

Be Safe Out There




It's a well know fact that here at Animal Farm, we care about the safety and well being of all boarders. With the Protective League, we try to promote safety, fun and defying the dangers inherent in our sport. One of those dangers, however, can barely be mitigated by just wearing a helmet. I am referring to avalanches.

Rich and I found ourselves just outside ski area boundaries yesterday, and ended up setting off a very sizable avalanche. It was terrifying. Rich noticed some signs of danger, and recomended that I pull out of a gully into a safe zone after dropping a cliff. I did as he suggested, and just as I reached the ridge, the entire gully slid, and fractured over 100' all the way clear over to another ridge. The slide gained momentum, traveled through and number of trees and off some cliffs, and continued all the way down to the bottom of the zone.

We were both well aware that the avy conditions were poor, but with the limited coverage we did not imagine we would find ourselves in any avalanche prone terrain. Because of this, neither of us were carrying our beacons. Now for the take home message. Always be mindful of your surroundings, have the proper safety equipment, have a buddy, and listen to the signs. We were lucky that no one was taken for a ride, but were certainly shaken by the ordeal. We both left with a greater respect for the mountains, whether it be miles in the backcountry, or just out of bounds. Stay safe, stay alive.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Torrey hits the big time with Niche

We are proud of you!

Welcome To The Team: Torrey Lyons from Niche Snowboards on Vimeo.



http://snowboarding.transworld.net/1000168327/videos/niche-snowboards-welcomes-torrey-lyons/

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Monday, January 9, 2012

Midwestern Boardin'

Josh and I spent a sunny Saturday riding the rope at Raging Buffalo (Thank you Connor and Kent for the help).

With both a slalom and a slopestyle contest going on, the left rope was the only one open.
With temperatures in the mid 40's and the good ole midwestern rays the features softened up right nice.

We snapped a few photos to document the experience.


A great place, and a most wonderful day turning, airing, grinding, and just plain wholesome snowboarding.
Though I wish we had stayed for the slalom race...


Saturday, January 7, 2012

Love Hurts


Snowboarding is an amazing thing. The passion we feel for the sport is unparalleled. The combination of adrenaline, speed, air, and personal accomplishment can be nothing short of intoxicating. Sometimes, that feeling can bring us to places where we think we can do anything. Unfortunately, that feeling will disappear in an instant when reality comes crashing back into your sphere of consciousness. Here is a little reminder that we are human, and most of us, even more mundane.