So until opening day, whenever that might be, just be glad you’re not this kid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDj2se504aA

Do you remember your first time shredding the pow pow? Hopefully it was not like this.

The rest of us, though, have to sit back and live vicariously through others’ facebook status updates. Or we could scour the internet for stupid people doing the ski & snowboard thing. Like these:

If it was possible to zeach a 180, this is what it would look like (I really hope my backside 180s don’t look that awful). As a sign of respect, the skier then runs him over.

And there isn’t anything quite like skiers blowing it on the lift or the tow rope. YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG!

Anyways our mission was to help Jon test his prototype, which was a pretty burly set of scaffolding and framed lumber to create a 10′ drop-in for two parallel run-ins (3′ wide). It was super windy, but the structure itself was very sturdy.

Adjusting the Parx setup...

We set up the course variously with a shorter, narrower 12′ flat rail, a wide 15′ flat bar, and a very small kicker for doing ollies over trash cans, etc.

dropping in on Parx setup

There is definitely a learning curve to riding on the Powderpak surface but after a few runs we got it pretty much dialed in. It is much “grabbier” than real snow especially if it is not lubricated well enough, and because it is a very thin layer of carpet over a very firm layer of plywood, it is difficult to edge for micro-adjustments or short setup carves. You kind of just have to point it, drop, and stay flat-based.

All in all it was a super fun day and it is always good to get out with these guys and ride, even if you’re just taking pot shots on a beginner rail in someone’s backyard. It’s only October, after all, so at this point I’ll take whatever I can get!

Quite possibly the world’s best almost backflip, submitted by Sabato.

DINGBAT from IceCoast KillsShit.com on Vimeo.

Unlike the pro film crews which produce banger movies year-in year-out with riding skills you couldn’t match in your wildest dreams, I like these am films because you get the feeling that it is almost something that you and your friends could do.

Almost — if you don’t mind splitting your face open, breaking your jaw by face-checking a tree, never-ending rail tacos, and midnight bong rips.

Is the Red Star $500 “gift card” a scam?

It’s not really a “scam” like some Nigerian dude stealing money from your checking account (although since I first published this article, a lot of people have left comments about really bad customer service, fraudulent charges, failure to refund money, etc. so be careful!) but it is a pretty shady sales tactic and you should see right through it because:

1. Quality products tend to sell themselves without gimmicky marketing.
2. No business makes money by giving away $500 worth of free stuff to millions of people.

Red Star $500 Gift Card in 2011 Transworld Gear Guide

The merits of guerilla marketing and word-of-mouth and focus groups notwithstanding, face it: nobody is going to see you wearing your totally sick new Red Star World Wear watch and shades, and then go pay full MSRP. So they’re not making money by giving you free stuff, and they’re not doing a controlled giveaway/promotion, either.

If it’s not a scam, how does Red Star make money?

Red Star offers you what seems like a crazy-exclusive deal on high-quality product (by pretending that their product is worth some ridiculous price) and then offers you an opportunity to buy at a steep discount just by paying a small “service fee” which the gift card doesn’t cover.

The main problem is, this ad is specifically designed to hide the fact that you’re paying $20 for $20 sunglasses, not getting a super-rad deal on a pair of $200 high end sunglasses. Red Star basically admits this.

There is a 9% Service Fee (per item) that pays for all expenses that RedStar incurs to get the product into your hands. This 9% service fee includes: USPS First Class delivery, processing and handling, and general overhead which includes; customer service, order processing, warehousing, labor, cost of goods and materials, profit, and marketing.

A mere 9% fee covers all of their expenses and earns them a profit!

This isn’t a new concept, various companies have been hawking watches and sunglasses this way for years in all types of magazines from Smithsonian to Runner’s World to Field & Stream, but Red Star is certainly a new low in terms of the way they are pushing this by the in-your-face popout and the deceptive “gift card” concept.

Is Red Star World Wear a scam? No. But it’s definitely scammy, and on that basis alone I would avoid them. If that’s not enough, then just ask yourself what valuable contribution Red Star brings to the world of snowboarding.

First up, presumably from some Euroland country — I am at a total loss to explain how this happened, unless he ran over a snow hippo or something.

I love the description of this one: David said he could 360 at Blue Mountain but he couldn’t.

Q: What’s more gaper than gaping the stairs?
A: Nothing.