Check Dennis in the hospital of Innsbruck. Na, he didn´t crash. He got a pneumonia. Wow! The English word sounds way more dangerous than the German “Lungenentzündung”.  And (check Teddy in the backyard)

HELLO BANKED SLALOM RACERS!

Firstly, we would like to thank you for your patience today – all this snow is certainly a GREAT thing for riding pow, but it has certainly made for some race challenges!

1. The Washington State Department of Transportation will be CLOSING THE MT. BAKER HIGHWAY Saturday at approx mm 37 (just east of Glacier) due to forecasted significant avalanche danger. The Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center has predicted that the rain event Saturday on top of the tremendous snowfall we have had this week could produce one of the most significant avalanche dangers the Pacific Northwest has seen in 20 years. (wow)

2. THE RACE IS CANCELLED FOR SATURDAY and the ski area will be CLOSED. In light of that, WE QUALIFIED 50% OF FRIDAY’S RACERS as the finalists for Sunday.

3. Anyone who DID NOT QUALIFY will receive a GUARANTEED ENTRY into the 2009 (next year’s) Legendary Banked Slalom. (we hope that helps! )

4. ALL RACERS (and friends) are welcome at the Salmon BBQ on SUNDAY. We will hold the BBQ in front of the White Salmon Lodge (complete with bonfire) prior to the Awards Ceremony.

5. SUNDAY’S FORECAST: 2,000 feet freezing level morning dropping to 1500 by the afternoon with 12 inches of new possible!

Thanks again to everyone for making the effort to come visit Baker. . . . . . we hope you got some good powder turns in today . . . .hunker down and stay out of the rain on Saturday and then GEAR UP for Sunday! We’ll be ready and waiting for you for the SUNDAY FINALS and SALMON BBQ!

Gwyn, Amy, Nicole and the Banked Slalom and Mt. Baker Crew

Result List Pro Men (Top 30) 1st Qualifier:

(…with our youngest team rider placed 12th !)

.. our binding engineer, fetish for everything which makes noise, stinks or destroys. Ordinary afternoon in Washington State.

Photo: Mitch

Monday morning: Bibi on her way to the mountain in Socchi. No comments.

Stefan Falkeis has been seated onto the alternative list for the Air & Style in Innsbruck. After the first training session he decided to skip the contest due to his knee - Stefan just went through a surgery 4 weeks ago. However, he made it onto the cover page of TT, one of the biggest austrian daily newspapers.

… began as a race and ended up defining the soul of snowboarding. Every winter pro riders, industry pioneers and inspired racers journey to Mt. Baker, Washington for friendship, love of the mountain and the ‘infamous’ Duct Tape trophy. Engaging interviews, stunning photography and never before seen footage of the first race are woven together in Platinum, a passionate documentary that reveals the past, present and future of this truly unique snowboarding saga.

Check out the trailer on www.platinumthemovie.com

While President Vladimir Putin was skiing on the opposite mountain, the elite of the sport of freeride skiing and snowboarding put on a great show at the second contest of the Freeride World Tour, Nissan Russian Adventure, today in Krasnaya Polyana / Sochi, the Russian host resort of the Winter Olympics 2014. The 43 participating riders proved their skill in a steep and committing first face in exceptionally beautiful scenery, and further freestyling the second section with front-, backflips and other creative riding.

From Mammoth, California to the West Caucasus in Russia in less than a week. And once again the world’s best freeride skiers and snowboarders experienced great powder for a part of the contest run that was held from the top ridge of the Krasnaya Polyana resort. The wide ridge with three different starting gates gave the riders the opportunity to choose many varied lines on the 350 vertical metre run. The top section was the extreme part with very steep, serious riding, narrow couloirs and big cliff drops. A lot of sluff was coming down making the route finding even more difficult but absolutely stunning to watch for the spectators. The second section of the run was more of freestyle in skied out terrain, where consistency and creativity awarded.

In the women’s snowboard discipline Bibi Pekarek from Austria had the cleanest run with an original, committing entrance, clean jumps and fast riding at the lower part of the run. Although Ruth Leisibach from Switzerland is not riding hundred percent of her capacity, because of a fall earlier this winter, she took second place with a stable run with two nice drops. All the rider’s concerns went to Swiss Geraldine Fastnacht, who hurt her knee landing a jump. Geraldine took first place in Nissan Mammoth Challenge last week. Bibi is currently leading the world ranking list of the Freeride Tour.

Earlier in the week it snowed heavily in Krasnaya Polyana on a very thin base, meaning high avalanche risk. The organisers of the Freeride World Tour had planned to execute a part of the contest on one of the big, stunning faces of the Caucasus mountain range, with a heli lift from Krasnaya Polyana. For safety reasons the decision had to be made to hold the contest on a shorter but still challenging face.

Photo: Christophe Margot

Next to come: Swatch O’Neill Big Mountain Pro

The next stop of the Freeride World Tour will be in the Alps with the Swatch O’Neill Big Mountain Pro, starting in Chamonix 24 February. The Big Mountain Pro is a unique one week mobile event, including three contest days, taking the riders to some of the greatest mountain faces of the Alps, depending on where snow conditions are the best. The eight highest ranked male riders of the Freeride World Tour and five world class wild cards of each discipline will battle for the 80′000 USD prize purse.

Photo: Chris Wulf

Just a little pet shot from this afternoon at the Mt. Baker parking lot. Unknown dog, waiting for his best buddy to come back down from tracking fresh powpow.

Photo: Darth Vader

Amplid founder Peter Bauer and 1) his brand new car; 2) a snow pack of 4.50m; 3) fresh: 30cm; 4) ready to drop into the untracked Mt. Baker roadrun. Lucky guy.

Photo: Peter Ortmann

Negative Camber, early riser, rocker … you name it. We built it. Here is a little sneak preview into our 08/09 product line: A backcountry jibbing sled with a revolutionary reverse camber line. While Benny is still working on the finetuning, we thought we’d give you a little early appetizer …

Photo: Korbinian Geiger

All it takes to calm down after a busy tradeshow is a dose of powpow underneath the base. Amplid founder Anian getting some therapy. Yesterday afternoon. Secret line at his home mountain in the Bavarian Alps.

Watch out for the guy who shot the photo. We might read that name more often - once he trades his office lamp for blue sky.

Photo: Simon Van Hal

Some do it to get a good structure in the base. Some do it to feel the vert. And some do it because they try to reinvent snowboarding by every trick they pull. A.R.C. missionary SAM STRAUSS is one of those riders who contribute to the definition of modern riding day by day. All it takes is a generator, spot lights, a shovel, a bit of snow and friends who have time to participate at a midnight wallride session on a secret spot somewhere in Corinthia.

Photos: www.freerideworldtour.com

Bibi ripped the supersteep face in Socchi, putting swiss mate Ruth Leisibach onto 2nd place and Elisabeth Pahl from Russia onto 3rd place. With some extra cash and a huge smile Bibi is already on her way to the next tourstop, the “Swatch O’Neill Big Mountain Pro” which will be held in Chamonix, France. Congraaaaats Bibi!!!

Benny is currently getting some exposure in the chicks’ owned mag “Golden Ride”. As a consequence he is currently receiving lots of fan mail, night calls and other stalking action. Interested in interest? Then make sure you get your coverage in female publication…

Check out Benny´s Part in the Young Guns and Bonus Section.

The Playboard Snow VM#5 DVD is included in every Playboard Magazine Travel Issue…go and grab it!!! www.playboard.de