If you’re still not sure which board to spend your well earned cash on, then you can try out some of the latest gear at TSA’s demo sessions this month.

There’ll be hardware to try out plus expert advice from TSA staff and the brand reps.

Normal slope costs apply but it’s free to try boards and enter the monthly demo prize draw.

Here are the dates and times:

10/01/09 – SnowDome @ Tamworth SnowDome, 10.00pm - 1.00am
16/01/09 – SNO!zone @ Milton Keynes Xscape, 7.00pm – 11.00pm
23/01/09 – SNO!zone @ Castleford Xscape, 7.00pm  - 11.00pm
30/01/09 – SNO!zone @ Braehead Xscape, 7.00pm – 11.00pm

More info at www.snowboard-asylum.com/demo-sessions.htm
 

Gatorade have signed 17-year-old snowboarder Ellery Hollingsworth to join their elite
team roster.

As a member of the US Snowboarding Team, Hollingsworth is a hopeful for the 2010 Winter Olympics, and is qualified to compete in the 2008/09 Junior World Championships, Winter X Games and Dew Tour Series.

"I'm really excited about joining the Gatorade team," said Hollingsworth.  "This is going to be a really busy year with a lot of travel and competitions.  I want to ride as much as I can so I'm stoked to have the support I do from Gatorade because I really see them helping me a lot in maximizing my hydration and nutrition strategies so I can keep raising the bar in terms of my skills."

A focus on fitness aids Hollingsworth's success in the pipe, as do her multisport interests including surfing, skating, running and swimming.

In addition to working with action sports athletes like Hollingsworth, skateboarder Chaz Ortiz, and BMX rider Nigel Sylvester, Gatorade also has plans to support professional and amateur action sports events in 2009 and will do more with parks and in films as well.

"We're excited to take our presence in action sports to the next level," said Kenny Mitchell, action sports team manager with Gatorade.  "Many riders are using our products already because they know Gatorade is what you reach for when you want to stay hydrated and fuelled so you can session longer.  We think tapping into this interest is a very authentic move for us as a brand."

The six Star O’Neill Evolution hits Davos on January 9 and 10

The first TTR six Star competition o European soil in 2009 has a plethora of points spread over two formats and  promises to set up for some exciting new ranking changes.  First up, riders will
tackle the five Star Slopestyle course and with 850 ranking points the first day and a total prize purse of $100,000 USD up for grabs the competition will be fierce.
 
The O’Neill Evolution will also see the likes of Dimi De Jong (NED), Victor De Le Rue (FRA) and Elias Elhardt (GER) stepping it up on the big stage. The Euro crew will be further bolstered by Colin Frei (SUI), Olivier Gittler (FRA) and Jamie Nicholls (GBR). Last year’s Highest Air winner Manuel Pietropoli (ITA) will be in attendance alongside Martin Cernik (CZE) and Seppe Smits (BEL), who recently claimed second place in the four Star Horsefeathers Pleasure Jam in Austria.  James Hamilton (NZE), one of the most  dominating during the Downunder season, will be out to prove he’s got what it takes in the Northern Hemisphere contests as will American rider Tim Humphreys.
 
All the action from the O’Neill Evolution will be broadcasted live on Friday January 9 from 15.45 – 22.30 CET (Slopestyle) and Saturday January 10 from 15.45 – 22.30h CET (Quarterpipe) by Freecaster.tv

You can watch it all below as it happens:

The four star Red Bull Nanshan Open in Beijing China will once again bring Swatch TTR snowboarding action to the Chinese masses on January 7 to 14. 

There are 500 TTR ranking points and $25,000 up for grabs at the contest. Last season's Nanshan third place finisher, Atsushi Ishikawa (JPN) will be back in town, looking for another podium finish to put him into the Swatch TTR Top 60.  Well known Norwegian shredder, Fredrik Austbo will also be in attendance and a top 10 finish could jump him up over 100 positions, back into the Swatch TTR Top 90.
 
The other rider to watch out for is Swiss hotshot Markus Keller who will be looking for a top 10 finish to land himself in the TTR Top 60, keeping his Swatch TTR Title hopes alive. Peter Koenig (AUT) is one rider who will need to dig deep and score a top three result in order to jump over 70 places into the TTR Top 70.
 
As always, the Chinese snowboarders will be a force to look out for when riding on their home soil. China's most well known rider, Wang Lei, is the hometown hero who could potentially knock off some of the well established TTR names. He will be joined by his fellow Chinese
countrymen Wang Zhixun, Lijie and Zhangwei.  All Snowboarders who shine in the rapidly developing Chinese scene.
 
For video updates, news and ranking changes from this event and others around the world, check out www.ttrworldtour.com

Skullcandy has announced they're throwing a party on Wednesday, January 28 at the Rain nightclub in the Palms Hotel. The party will have headliners Snoop Dogg and Mix Master Mix and MC Super Natural. This is the final year the snow trade show will be in Las Vegas.

“At Skullcandy, we’re always looking for events that bring a unique energy to the action sports and music industry,” stated Rick Alden, CEO and founder of Skullcandy. “Bringing a mainstream and talented crew of folks like Snoop Dogg, Mix Master Mike and Super Natural to SIA for the show’s last year in Vegas is our way of going out with a bang.  We’re thrilled to bring top-notch musicians to our party as a way of thanking our collaborating partners and core dealers—it’s going to be a great.”

Skullcandy is also releasing artist collaboration products with Snoop Dogg and Mix Master Mike. Snoop Dogg will have a signature Skullcrusher and Mix Master Mike will have a DJ Headphone . Both will be released later this year.

For more info visit www.skullcandy.com

Europe’s longest established winter snowsports festival, the Brits celebrates its 20th Birthday next year when it returns to Laax, Switzerland from March 28 to April 4. 

Fresh from a pre Brits reccy out to Laax, Soul Sports chief, Stu Brass reports back on the brand new resort development and epic early season snow conditions.

Stu quotes: “Laax has undergone a brand new development in resort, the Rocksresort, which has already been given a design award and will give the resort and the Brits an ultra modern twist, including new shops, restaurants and accommodation options. The amazing snow conditions and the 40inch base layer, promises for a long season and will help to create yet another amazing snow park and freestyle arena that Laax and the Brits are renowned for.”   

As well as a celebrated winter festival, the Brits plays host to the prestigious British Snowboard and Freeski Championships that unites kids, rookies, pros and Olympians. The Championship action comes courtesy of the Trespass Snowboardcross/Skiercross, Quiksilver Big Air, Animal Slopestyle and SNO!zone Halfpipe.

So if you fancy bagging yourself a British title, gold medal, TTR World Ranking points (snowboard) and bragging rights for a whole year, then register online now to compete and get practicing whilst the snow’s still soft. Registration is now live at www.brits09.com and the competition programme has been confirmed:

BRITISH SNOWBOARD CHAMPIONSHIPS:
Trespass Snowboardcross Championships - Monday March 30
Quiksilver Big Air Championships – Tuesday March 31
SNO!zone Halfpipe Championships - Wednesday April 1
Animal Slopestyle Championships - Thursday April 2

BRITISH FREESKI CHAMPIONSHIPS:
SNO!zone Halfpipe Championships - Monday March 30
Animal Slopestyle Championships - Tuesday March 31
Trespass Skiercross Championships - Wednesday April 1
Quiksilver Big Air Championships - Thursday April 2

Come join in the fun and festivities with unbeatable packages out to the Brits starting from as little as £269 which includes seven nights’ accommodation, night days lifts pass your Brits event pack and wristband. Go to www.brits09.com for full details.
 

Mountain High Resort, Roxy and Snowboard Magazine have partnered to create the Sunset Sessions - a new series of evening park clinics for girls in January and February.

Geared towards girls who are comfortable on green and blue runs, the Sunset Sessions provide an encouraging environment where participants can progress at their own pace with Mountain High's certified female coaches. The Roxy team ups the experience by hitting the slopes with the girls and providing Roxy product demos.

The Sunset Sessions are offered in two four-week sessions and takes place every Wednesday in January and February from 7-9pm. For $99 each participant receives a four week clinic, a free subscription to Snowboard Magazine, an opportunity to demo Roxy snowboards, and a chance to ride with the Roxy Team. Each clinic ends with complimentary hot drinks and dessert.

"At Mountain High we're always looking for new ways to encourage more girls to get involved with snowboarding," said Laura Johnson, Marketing Manager at Mountain High. "Last season we launched a successful 30+ women's learn-to-ride program and look forward to adding Sunset Sessions for the 16-29 year old demographic. We're excited to have Roxy and Snowboard Magazine as partners to add to the experience for the girls."

 
Sunset Sessions: Wednesdays from 7-9pm, $99 per session

Session 1: January 7, 14, 21, 28 2009

Session 2: February 4, 11, 18, 25 2009

Space is limited; please reserve your spot early by calling
760.316.7830. For more information visit  http://mthigh.com/school/sunsetsessions.html

Park City’s Quick Start programme gives you the chance to trade in the boarding pass from your flight for a free one day lift ticket.

However you can only take advantage of this deal on the day you arrive in town. You’ll need to hotfoot it to The Canyons and  Park City Mountain resort  and present your boarding pass from that day at the ticket window, along with some ID, to get a free lift ticket.

The deal is only for regular scheduled flights arriving at Salt Lake City International airport and isn’t open to Utah residents.

There are also blackout periods during the holidays – visit www.parkcityinfo.com for full details.

Kelly Clark and Louie Vito took the the top spots at the US Grand Prix Halfpipe at Copper Mountain last Saturday.  Clark dominated in the snowy conditions, putting in the two top scoring runs.

"It's really encouraging. I didn't know how my approach was going to go today. My focus has really been on the fundamentals these last few months and I'm really excited to have done so well just focusing on the basics," Clark said. "I know once I get more into the technical aspects, it will be a really big strength to me."

The only non-American woman in the finals, Suko Yamaoka of Japan, took second place. Hannah Teter rounded out the top 3.

Louis Vito, Steve Fisher, and Antti Autti were the winners of the men's competition.

Women's Halfpipe
1. Kelly Clark, West Dover, VT, 43.20
2. Soko Yamaoka, Japan, 37.60
3. Hannah Teter, Belmont, VT, 37.50
4. Madeline Schaffrick, Steamboat Springs, CO, 36.60
5. Elena Hight, South Lake Tahoe, CA, 32.30
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6. Gretchen Bleiler, Aspen, CO, 29.30
7. Kaitlyn Farrington, Bellevue, ID, 24.20
8. Clair Bidez, Minturn, CO, 17.70

Men's Halfpipe
1. Louie Vito, Sandy, UT, 47.20
2. Steve Fisher, Breckenridge, CO, 44.00
3. Antti Autti, Finland, 43.60
4. Daniel Friberg, Switzerland, 43.40
5. Dustin Craven, Canada, 42.00
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6. Andy Finch, Truckee, CA, 41.60
15. JJ Thomas, Golden, CO, 33.70
17. Broc Waring, Edwards, CO, 31.50
18. Danny Davis, Highland, MI, 28.30
19. Ross Baker, Squaw Valley, CA, 20.30

The European Roxy Chicken Jam has been cancelled. The qualifications were held on Friday but the finals had been postponed after bad weather on Saturday. But the wind was even stronger on Sunday  morning, forcing the cancellation.

"Due to the heavy winds at the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier Park, we can't hold the Roxy Chicken Jam this weekend", said  Maritxu  Darrigrand, Roxy Marketing Director. "It would have been too risky for the snowboarders to ride under these conditions. We are all disappointed that this important TTR event can't take place."

Riders like Torah Bright (AUS) or Kjersti Buaas- Oestgaard (NOR) had been at Kaprun the whole week before the event to prepare themselves for this 6-star competition

"But we had a very nice evening yesterday at the Christmas masked party at the castle Kaprun", Darrigrand added. "And now we all look forward to the next Roxy Chicken Jam in the USA in March!"