VANS AM ERIC WILLETT WINS SLOPESTYLE AT RIVER JUMP

Eric Willett. Photo: Fizza.

If we haven’t lost you to the alpine skiing and figure skating broadcasts of the Olympics, you might know that today saw the first day and the slopestyle format of the annual River Jump event in Livigno, Italy. This year, the contest had been upgraded to a 5-Star TTR event, and the riders laid down their action accordingly.

It was American Eric Willett who took home the Brux Slopestyle title and 850 Swatch TTR ranking points this Thursday at the Burn River Jump. With high level snowboarding seen from the 67 riders gathered from all over the world, it was the talented rookies Gjermund Braaten (NOR) who grabbed second place and Roope Tonteri (FIN) who took third. All of today’s top ten riders who have not yet received an invitation or wildcard will compete in Friday’s straight jump format, the Burn River Jump.

To read the full story from OnBoard Magazine, CLICK HERE.

Wolle and Beckna Poppin' Booters

Vans Europe Snow Team Manager Thomas "Beckna" Eberharter sent in some great images of Wolle Nyvelt (pictured above) hitting a big backcountry booter this week somewhere in Zillertal Austria. Yeah, thanks a lot for reminding us how rad it is over there while we're stuck in plain old Tahoe or Mammoth or Colorado. Seriously though, those guys kill it on the regular and we gotta give them props for holdin' Vans down around the world. Beckna even got in on some of the action (pictured below)! Good work boys...

February Follies Boa Shoe Giveaway

Want to win these New Belgium Brewing inspired Vans with Boa? Just post your favorite human-powered commuting experience/story (cycling, running, walking...to work, the bar, soccer practice, etc.) or photo on the Boa Facebook Page to enter. The five entries with the most "likes" by fans on the Boa page will be posted on Feb 26th to www.theboablog.net. Boa judges will then choose from the five finalists, three winners to receive custom New Belgium Brewing VANS with Boa. Winners will be announced on The Boa Blog March 1st.

JLA art exhibit I AM SNOWBOARDING lands in Tokyo

JLA art exhibit I AM SNOWBOARDING lands in Tokyo for one week at the ART-IN-GALLERY February 25 to March 2, 2010.

VOLCOM JAPAN is hosting a VIP reception for the show at their flagship store in Harajuku on February 23, 2010. A small group of artists will be making the trip to celebrate - Ryan Boyes, Bryan Iguchi, Mike Parillo, Jamie Lynn, Jane Baer, Devon Weniger, Peter Stow, Robert “Sticky” Shaw and Brian “Blacky” Cook.

For collectors out there: Special for the Japan stop the artists of Volcom have created a limited edition t-shirt honoring the exhibit and the photographers and artists involved. The tee features the collaborative work created by Ryan Boyes and Ben Brough for the I AM exhibition. Only catch? They're only in Japan...

Big thanks to presenting sponsor Volcom, Vans, Burton, Snowstyle magazine and the Eric L Smith Art and Science Foundation.

Protect Our Winter's "Sixty Days" Campaign

Jeremy Jones and his friends at the Protect Our Winters organization have just launched their “Sixty Days” campaign, a new project designed to mobilize the winter sports community in a unified voice against climate change.

As you may or may not know, The US House of Representatives passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act a few months ago and now the legislation is currently in the hands of the Senate. This important bill is a crucial part in the war on climate change, and the sustainability of the snowboard lifestyle. A strong US clean energy economy will not only insure the future of snow around the planet, but also help protect thousands of small businesses and jobs in local resort communities that have developed alongside ski resorts across the nation.

A Senate vote must take place within the next sixty days, so time is of the essence.

The battle in Washington could very well come down to just a few votes amongst our Senators, and there are 48 still undecided. By visiting the Sixty Days website at www.60daysto.org, you can see where your representatives in the Senate stand. You can also review full and abbreviated copies of the bill to help you understand exactly what is at stake, and find an easy way to send an e-letter to your Senators telling them why passing strong climate legislation is crucial to the economic and cultural well being of mountain communities.

Please visit www.60daysto.org TODAY and make sure your voice is heard.

VANS RAIL RAMPAGE COMING TO LOON MOUNTAIN THIS SUNDAY

Come Rage at the Am Rail Jam for Your Chance to Win Cash Prizes & Vans Snow Gear!

Join Vans and Eastern Boarder this Sunday, February 21 at Loon Mountain in New Hampshire for Vans Rail Rampage, an amateur rail jam open to male and female shredders. The event kicks off at 12:00 pm and will feature an open jam session on Loon’s sick set-up, narrowing down to a 10-man final judged by Vans Snow team riders Darrell Mathes and Nick Poohachoff. The 1st place winner in both men’s and women’s categories will score a cash prize of $300 and 2nd and 3rd place will walk away with Vans snow gear, shoes and other cool prize packs!

Riders that would like to participate in the rail jam can register at Loon Mountain the morning of the event from 8:30 am to 10:00 am. Slots are open for the first 100 riders to register - first come, first serve!

A special thanks to Loon Mountain, Eastern Boarder and Pro-tec for their support!

For more info, check out www.loonmtn.com and www.easternboarder.com.

Danny Zapalac's Mile Seventy Eight Book Release

Photographer extraordinaire and Vans friend Danny "Doctor" Zapalac is hosting an evening in celebration of his self-published book Mile Seventy Eight this Saturday, February 20th in Long Beach, CA. He sent us a little info on the event...

"We're transforming a Long Beach airplane hangar into a three dimensional gallery for this special evening. The book release and art exhibit will feature prints from the series as well as very special guest, the “Dreamer” camper. The “Dreamer” camper – one of the highlights of Mile Seventy Eight – will be on hand as guests tour this magnificent machine in all her glory.

WAKE UP LUCID will be playing an acoustic set followed by tunes from local D's Casey Carver, Steve-O, and Micah Miller.

We're super excited to announce that various raffle prizes and silent auction items will be available and proceeds go to benefit the non-profit organization PROTECT OUR WINTERS. It's going to be a fantastic night. Looking forward to seeing you all." — Danny

Location:
Saturday, February 20, 2010
7:00pm - 11:00pm
Private Hanger, Long Beach Airport
3215 E. Spring St.
Long Beach, CA 90806

For more info, check out Danny Zapalac Photography @ www.dannyzapalac.com and Photo Book Mile Seventy Eight @ www.mileseventyeight.com.

Cholula Triple Air Show This Saturday at Mountain High

The $25,000 Cholula Triple Air returns to Mountain High this Saturday, February 20th, for its 12th straight season. The Triple Air is the resort’s largest one-day snowboarding competition and participants come from as far away as Utah and Colorado to battle for the enormous prize purse. Cholula Hot Sauce, Monster Energy, Powder And Sun Ride Shop, and Jarritos Soda have pooled a terrific $25,000 in cash and prizes, and the top rider takes home a whopping $10,000. Registration takes place from 7am to 9am in the Angeles Crest Café (East Resort), and the event begins promptly at 10am.

For more info check out www.mthigh.com.

Vans Riders Compete in Winter Olympics

Check out this piece on Vans own Iouri Podladtchikov from CNN on his quest for Olympic glory. The Snowboarding Men's Halfpipe Semifinals is going on right now, with the finals coming up in a couple hours. Good luck to Vans athletes iPod and his teammate Markus Keller, as well as Arthur Longo who is riding for team France! Go get some medals boys.

Vans Jib City Nights Kicks Off at Mountain High

Come out to Mountain High on Wednesday, February 17 for a fun evening of snowboarding at Vans Jib City Nights. The crew will be bbq'ing, serving up beverages and giving away a bunch of free schwag throughout the night! There will also be a best trick session for some cool new Vans gear. The night kicks off at 5pm. See you on the hill.

For more info, check out www.mthigh.com.

Podladtchikov wins title at Burton Canadian Open

Sunny conditions at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary saw the first format of the 5Star Burton Canadian Open Snowboard Championships last Saturday. After a week of qualifying rounds, the halfpipe format ended with an electrifying final that saw Kendall Brown (NZE) and Iouri Podladtchikov (SUI) taking home the titles and 850 TTR ranking points. With the result Podladtchikov made a great leap in the world ranking list, now sitting in World No. 2. It remains to be seen if he can narrow the gap to the coveted No. 1 spot in the upcoming events.

To read the full story from ESPN CLICK HERE.

Eric Willett Qualifies First in Final Dew Tour Stop

Breaking News: Fresh off his Silver Medal at Winter X Games 14, Vans Am Eric Willett (pictured above) qualified first today in the final stop of the Winter Dew Tour in Mount Snow, VT. Vans Am Nick Poohachoff also qualified 5th, proving that the next generation of rippers has truly arrived.

(Via www.allisports.com) By: Nick Lipton - At all of 16 years-old Tyler Flanagan and Sage Kotsenburg have managed to become one and two leading into the Mount Snow Slopestyle Championship, but one and two now doesn’t guarantee a thing. Tyler has a solid lead, Sage isn’t too far behind, and superstar huckers Chas Guldemond, Eric Willet and Torstein Horgmo are all still in the Dew Cup hunt.

To read the full story from www.allisports.com, CLICK HERE.

Zac Marben Jib and Jam

Eric Willett Takes Silver in Winter X Games 14 Slopestyle!

Photo: Tomas Zuccareno/Shazamm/ESPN Image

Vans Am Rider Eric Willett (pictured above) came up HUGE over the weekend at Winter X Games 14. First he qualified for the finals in the Big Air competition on Saturday, going against heavy hitters like Torstien Horgmo and Eero Ettala. Then he took on the same field in the Men's Slopestyle Finals on Sunday, where Eric threw down a monster run and ended up taking home the Silver Medal! Big ups to Eric for filling in for the injured Andreas Wiig, who tweaked his ankle in elimination and couldn't ride for the rest of the event.

“This is my first X Games ever,” Willett said. “Until now, I have just been sitting on the couch watching it at home. To be here is a dream come true and then to get on the podium just tops it all.”

Photo: Tomas Zuccareno/Shazamm/ESPN Image

The Vans ladies represented as well in the Women's Slopestyle Finals, with both Hana Beaman and Cheryl Maas (pictured above) riding for a chance at X Games glory. Although they couldn't beat out Jenny Jones or Jamie Anderson, solid runs earned them 5th and 6th place, respectively. Congratulations to all the X Games athletes for snowboarding like the champs that they are and showing the world how it's down.

For more info check out the ESPN X Games Home Page, and to watch video of the winning runs go to ESPN's You Tube Channel.