Wednesday 30 March 2011

BP's Scottish edits

Barry may have missed out on some Japan shred, but he's been doing his best to make up for it. Within a week of being back in the country he'd clocked up trips to the Lecht, Glenshee (twice!) and the 'gorms. With GoPro in hand he got enough footage for a couple of edits, take a look:



Sunday 27 March 2011

TURNING JAPANESE: The End.

It's been a while, and the big news since the last post is that the Japan crew are back in town. Due to the earthquake it made sense for them to just write off the rest of the season and get home safe. It's a shame; was always a treat to see a new vid from Barry in the inbox. Apparently he's got one last one on the way, but for now Natalie shares her thoughts: 

Due to all that is happening in Japan just now we have had to cut our trip short by a month. We are all very sad by this and our hearts go out to all the Japanese affected by this terrible disaster; such kind, nice people, they really don't deserve this but does anyone anywhere? Sadly these things are becoming common occurrence worldwide. Therefore, I think this is a good time to re-cap on what has been an amazing first season for all of us, and in Japan no less. From our crazy, random first few days in Tokyo ending in one banger of a night out, to the insanely amazing Japan POW (it's all that people say it is and more), ending in some more crazy night time shenanigans.


Wednesday 16 March 2011

Sam's new website

Injuries have kept team rider Sam Longmire off his board this year, but he's been keeping busy. As well as designing the B-B header logo, he's launched a new website for his photography.

Ben Kinnear, backside 5 at the Lecht from November 2008, as seen in Whitelines

Sam's been far and wide with his camera, from Indo to NZ, Ireland and the States. Subjects include Jon Addison and Andy Laird sessioning Aberdeen handrails, Nick Law surfing in Nusa Tengara, and 2006's G8 marches in Edinburgh. His shots have featured in many high-profile magazines, most recently in a piece on Aberdeen urban shred in Whitelines issue 95.

Head over to samuellongmire.co.uk to see his portfolio.

LSR Project blog now online

The new LSR Project blog is now online, and you can check it out here.

Ben is out in Tignes as we speak, with three of our favourite drymat rats: Kris Bell, Fin Bremner and Lara Wood.

Unlike most camps that summarise the week's events once it's all over, LSR are releasing videos and photos every day, with maximum input from the groms themselves. Here's the first riding footage, edited by Fin:




Speaking of the wee man, he'll be riding in the final of the Quiksilver Radar comp this Friday, and we wish him all the best. Check back at the weekend  to see how he got on.

Monday 14 March 2011

Matt joins the crew in Japan


After hearing about all the good times Nippon-side, it was only a matter of time before someone went to join the party. Sure enough, Matt Gibson got over there for a two-week trip, here's his report:



From the 19th February to the 6th March me and my girlfriend took a wee…very long hop across Eurasia to check in with Barry, Natalie, Lil’ Andy, Chris, Craig and Steve in Japan. So first things first, it was a full unbridled success of a trip!


Saturday 12 March 2011

Nicol's BASI 2

A few weeks ago Nicol headed over to Aviemore in search of his BASI 2 teaching qulification. Obviously he stormed it, and has dropped us a line about what it was like getting techy for two weeks on the Scottish hills....


So first pic's the whole nine BASI 2 crew, ten if you include Mark Petty the trainer. We had all sorts in there: one mellow guy who has served 22 years in the army, to one funny immature Cockney called Chesney named after Chesney Hawkes who kept on singing 'I am the one and only.....'

It was a very mixed bag as far as the weather was concerned for the two weeks; we had cloud, mist, sheet ice, 60mph winds and we even managed to fit in a bluebird day with no winds and freshly pisted, squeaky 'get your toe side carve on' snow.


The days consisted of more-or-less first to last lifts followed by 2 hour lectures at Glenmore Lodge, at least that was the first week anyway. Due to high winds we had to travel to the good old Lecht on the second week. As you will see by the pictures, some of us were defeated by the snow on the roads at the Bridge of Brown, and had to take the long route around.

There was so much we all learned on the course that it would take a good while to write it all down. Everything from finding a solid stance to short turns down steeps (my least favorite part) to carving. Everyone who did the course really enjoyed it and also improved a great deal. We had a great trainer in Mark Petty, who has a wealth of experience and knowledge and also reckoned he had never ridden  ice quite like what we had on the second Tuesday in his whole career. If any of you are thinking of trying out a BASI course I would highly recommend it, not only for teaching but for improving your board skills.

Find out about BASI courses here. Alternatively it's worth looking into Aberdeen Snowsports Centre's rookie instructor training courses, call 01224 810 215 for all the info.

Friday 11 March 2011

Valdez beckons


B-B is getting all over the place these days. Later this month Robin Parkinson will be reporting back from a once-in-a-lifetime trip to AK, probably the world's most number one freeride destination. Here's a wee preview from the man himself:


So with all the wild weather we had been having we decided it was only right to head somewhere even more wild than Scotland - is that possible? So we booked ourselves in to 6 days of heli-boarding / Cat madness in Valdez with Valdez Heli Camps, Alaska to see what all the fuss is about as its only a bit of snow after all isn't it? We fly Aberdeen - Heathrow - Seattle - Anchorage - Valdez which will take 2 days to complete. Just gotta hope for good flying weather when we get there!


Some Valdez facts:
  • Valdez is located at 61°7′51″N 146°20′54″W.
  • Valdez is near the head of a deep fjord in Prince William Sound in Alaska. It is surrounded by the Chugach Mountains, which are heavily glaciated. Valdez is the northernmost port in North America that is ice-free year-round.
  • According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 277.1 square miles (717.6 km), of which, 222.0 square miles (574.9 km) of it is land and 55.1 square miles (142.7 km) of it (19.88%) is water.
  • According to the Weather Channel, Valdez is the snowiest place in the United States, with an average of 297.7 inches per year. In winters past, they have had years when more than 100 inches of snow fell in 5 separate months (although not in the same year).

Leaving on the 19th of March, so we'll keep you posted...

Havit!


Cheers Robin, safe travels. Don't forget to check back for stories of helis, pow, and Hud At Ye Bam stickers in wierd places....

Thursday 10 March 2011

WILL IT SHRED? - Beeracuda


The warm weather's been creeping back in recently, so we're looking at a product that should be kept in mind once barbeque season hits. The Burton Beeracuda is an insulated sleeve that comfortably takes 4 tins of Tennent's, with a pocket on the shoulder strap for another. Burton's man in Aberdeen, Emmet Strachan, was charged with giving it a spin.

After conducting a thorough test, Emmet had this to say:
"what ye fkin lookin at ye fkin bawbag  *hic*  ye ken who ah am min? ah'm fkin  *hic*  Emmet fkin Strachan ye bam. which ane o yous took me crock o gold  *hic*  ah ken it wuz ane o yous. aahh dont feel so gud min"




Buy the Beeracuda here.

Wednesday 9 March 2011

Ben gets some pow in Tignes

 Europe's not had a great season by all accounts, but Ben managed to get some fresh last week and sent us the footage. Says the man himself:
"Neil McNair and myself made the most of a bit of snow up near the glacier in Tignes. Bastard hike in, some rad snow"



It was well worth the trail-breaking: freshies all the way down, doesn't get much better. The shredding's top drawer as well: some nice butters from Ben, while Neil gets the best white room we've seen in a while. Awesome filming from both parties as well; the last shot's a winner!

Tuesday 8 March 2011

TURNING JAPANESE: with added Gibson

Yet more ridiculous pow for the Niseko boys. Barry, Rumbles and Lairdy are joined by Matt Gibson, who was out for a two-week stint (he's the one in the red breeks, going big at 0.24). Trees, drops, spills, one unfortunate skier, and a classic end shot:



Awesome stuff, especially for just one day's riding. With so much snow they've been getting a lot of flat light days, so it's also good to see some sun for once.

Give Up Your Stance


 It's pancake day, which means Lent starts tomorrow. Regulars at the drymat will know that means it's time to give up your stance for 40 days.

Things have been getting stale down at Garthdee. Most people just stick to what they know, and there's not many new tricks being learned. Here's a way to get your stoke back and mix it up a bit. For the 40 days of Lent, spin your bindings round and embrace switch riding, including any skating on the flat, and the button tow. No need to give up the fags, booze, crack pipe, auto-erotic asphyxiation etc, just give up your stance!!

We'll be filming the whole thing, with an edit coming once it's all over. ONLY switch tricks are getting in the edit.

Give it a shot: Matt Gibson's already on the case and his cab 7s are ridiculous now.

New Whitelines in the shop: Garthdee cover shot!

Whitelines stuck its first ever dryslope on the cover for the new spring issue, and it's a banger.



Taken by Steve McKenna during September's Westbeach comp, it depicts a big bad Marc McClement backside air at (a pretty mucky looking) Garthdee.

There's been a strong Aberdeen presence in every issue of WL this year, with shots of Andy Laird, Barry Parker, and last month's ace urban shred article by Sam Longmire.

The mag's available at Boarderline now.

Friday 4 March 2011

Vote for Fin in Quiksilver Radar

Fin Bremner's video for Quiksilver Radar is now online, and he needs your votes in order to qualify for the final in Tignes next month.



Fin was obviously on fire that day, stomping clean back 5s as well as switch-ups and a massive fronty. Head to the Quiksilver Radar site to place your vote for Fin.

Wednesday 2 March 2011

TURNING JAPANESE: Kappa Steve

For those who haven't yet had the pleasure, Steve Gunn is the young lad who has ventured east with Barry, Natalie and co on their pow mission. Along the way he'll no doubt learn a few life lessons, the main one so far being 'don't indulge your natural impulse to undergo a makeover that leaves you looking like a mythical Japanese river imp'. Ah, to be young:



A quick look at Wikipedia tells us this: 'Kappa are usually seen as mischievous troublemakers'. This sounds about right: here's what BP said of him in an email earlier this season:
"steve gunn is a liability! haha, only word for him. 2nd night in tokyo we lost him between the hotel and gas station, literally 2 corners away. then 1st drinking sesh in niseko he is spewing in bed and spewing the WHOLE next day. was amusing to say the least".

Back to Wikipedia: 'Kappas are also known as ravishers of women.....Their offspring were said to be repulsive to behold, and were generally buried'. 
How bout it Steve? Rest of crew, if you see any wierd-looking kids around, you'll know who's to blame.