Aug
15
Talking Stoked with Bongfish’s Michael Putz
We sat down with Michael Putz from Bongfish to get his thoughts on Stoked, development and what the future holds for the great little snowboarding game.
Jun
19
Travis Rice Interview on Snowboard Mag
Interview: Nate Deschenes | Photos: Scott Sullivan
Taking the progression of snowboarding to new heights each and every time he straps in, Travis Rice has resigned the rest of us to watch and wonder in total confusion. Blessed with unimaginable talent, Rice has evolved in to a beast of a man with skills that can only be described as disturbing. It’s really hard to convey just how talented he really is. I mean, I am supposed to be a writer, yet after witnessing him shred lines in AK this past April with Absinthe Films, I am simply stumped on how to relay his snowboarding in to terms we can all understand. What I can say, is that Travis bleeds confidence unlike any rider I have come across. How that translates to his riding is evident, you saw That’s It That’s All… you can’t justify that. What gives him the right to make everyone else suck? His riding speaks for itself, often in terms we cannot understand…I for one am done trying.
I saw Travis a while back in Juneau and caught his thoughts on what riding AK means to him, camping on a glacier for a month, as well as an update on his latest film project.
So when did you first start coming to Alaska?
The first time I came here was in the spring of 2001. The situation was, I graduated high school early that year and saved up some money working construction so I could travel and do some riding but nothing ended up coming of it until I went down to Superpark in Mammoth. I was with my buddy Rich Goodwin and he basically talked Justin (Hostynek) into filming me. After that little session Justin was stoked and asked me if I wanted to try and film a video part. I was like, “Ummm… OK!” I was so stoked but it was super deep into spring and I didn’t know what he had in mind. He told me I could go up to a place in Alaska called Haines Pass and try and get something, but it would just be me and Rich, no other riders. I was like “Yes Please!”
So I did end up going up there and getting some stuff well into June of that year, just snowmobiling around. It was crazy because that was my first real snowmobile mission too. That was for Transcendence, which I ended up getting the opening part for without even knowing it.
That is quite the first trip! Have you come up every year since?
Yeah. I missed one year in there but that’s it. The following year I rode in a helicopter for the first time and it’s been a priority ever since.
What strikes you most about Alaska that isn’t like the rest of snowboarding?
Well, to that effect, the sickest thing about it is that the terrain is available to anyone who wants to use it. It has been that was since they started using helicopters to access this stuff. The coolest thing about AK is that nothing really changes up here; it is this giant template for people to experiment with. It just shows how much views and perspectives and interpretations of the terrain has evolved over the last 25 years or so. I think that is the coolest aspect of it up here, that people will continue to progress with this terrain for eternity. Straight up!
Read the rest of the interview HERE 
Jun
10
Absinthe Wraps Filming for NEVERLAND in AK
Words by NateD
Travis Rice
After weeks on my own navigating the native land from Haines to Valdez I drifted south and landed in the relatively safe haven of Juneau, Alaska. There are stoplights in this town, buildings upwards of two stories and evidence of an intelligent local population; a stark contrast to the grey mud and ashy snow of Valdez to the North. 
Here my quarters would be amongst the super evolved Absinthe Crew or a good part thereof: Gigi Ruf, Travis Rice, Jules Reymond, Marc Frank, and JP Solberg along with filmer David Vladyka and Absinthe founder Justin Hostynek. They had been posted up for weeks finishing filming for this seasons offering, NEVERLAND, and invited me along for the ride.
Jun
02
Dakine on your iPhone
HOOD RIVER, Ore. (June 24, 2009) – DAKINE, the leader in action sports accessories, is pleased to introduce its mobile website. A newly launched, interactive site gives users access to DAKINE goodies while on the go. Content is broken down into categories including snowboard, ski, surf, skate, bike, windsurf, kiteboard, girls and music. An abbreviated version of DAKINE’s website, the mobile site, www.DAKINE.com/mobile, is compatible with most media rich-enabled cell phones.
Featured products, team riders, news sections, sponsored bands and a retail store locator round out the mobile site highlights. When connected to a high-speed wireless or 3G network users can experience optimum performance of streaming music and video clips.
Additionally, worldwide surf reports provided by Surfline.com are located within the surf, windsurf and kiteboard categories. Snow reports provided by OnTheSnow.com display conditions for North American destinations and are accessible in the ski and snowboard categories.
About DAKINE
Backed by a pro team roster that includes some of the world’s top action sports athletes, DAKINE has been an industry leader in action sports accessories for thirty years. Founded in Hawaii and based in Hood River, Oregon, DAKINE offers a complete range of innovative products, including sport-specific to street-savvy backpacks, bags, travel gear and accessories for guys and girls. To view the current line of DAKINE products, log on to DAKINE.com.
Stoked Coming to Europe
