“Surfing Powder” – Herald Journal Story about Grassroots Powsurfing

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The local paper here in Cache Valley caught wind of the recent publicity we have been getting and jumped on for a ride.  A quick interview and photo shoot produced a pretty nice article.  Thanks to the Herald Journal for giving us a full page of love in sunday’s paper.

Read the article here.
http://pioneer.olivesoftware.com/Repository/getFiles.asp?Style=OliveXLib:LowLevelEntityToSaveGifMSIE_HERALDJA&Type=text/html&Locale=english-skin-custom&Path=THJ/2012/01/08&ChunkNum=-1&ID=Ar01704&PageLabel=C1

Grassroots Powsurfing on ESPN!

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We were super stoked when the writers for ESPN.com contacted us for a story.  We provided them with a grip of unseen photos and some very detailed answers to a list of questions about what we are about and why we do what we do.   They decided to start the new year off proper by running our story on the first day of 2012.

Check the story here. Titled “The Powsurf Chronicles take snowboarding back to it’s bindingless roots”

While the photos did not make it into the story (??) and many details were left out of the responses, we were pumped to have a story ran on such a major media outlet.  Editing is necessary… especially when someone like me is rambling on and on about this obscure activity that is foreign to most people (powsurfing)… but it’s a bummer when points get missed or lines are used out of context.  Journalism is a double edged sword.. Things can get pretty twisted around and the readers of these stories don’t realize this.

The response to our product, the films, and powsurfing in general has been overwhelmingly positive and it feels good to know that we are spreading stoke and opening minds in the world of snow sports.  The few negative reactions we have seen are mostly due to misunderstandings.  Dealing with the media is a funny thing.

Merry Solstice!

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The solstice usually comes on the 21st of December but this year it fell on the 22nd.  I was delighted by this news because I had to work the day of the 21st and I wanted to celebrate properly.  Mother nature dropped 7 inches of the lightest and driest cold smoke she had to offer and served that up sunny skies and cold temps.  Perfect timing for an epic celebration.

We keep getting holiday e-cards sent to me from anyone and everyone… so we hopped on the bandwagon and made a quick little e-card from today’s session.

It has been nearly a month since a significant snowfall and this seems to be the case across much of the US.  So the conditions are still low tide and the spots with good coverage and no old tracks are difficult to find but luckily we know just where to find them.

The attitude across the country seems pretty bummed on the conditions but honestly I have been enjoying the hell out of it.  Logged at least 20 good powder days so far and I have only felt the need to strap in once.  Until the big lines fill in.. I just don’t see any reason to snowboard.

These early season conditions are a big part of what spawned Powdersurfing in the first place.  Being able to take advantage of the smaller features and maximizing the fun and the challenge keeps things interesting and fresh.  This is just one of the many advantages of Powdersurfing.  If you are not enjoying the season so far, you should probably consider investing in a Grassroots Powdersurfer.  It will change your life.

 

One Man Machine and his Powsurfing Dream – Biglines.com Story

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One hell of a good write up on the biglines.com homepage today!

Big thanks to the fellas up north for tracking me down and doing the leg work on this story.  Really well written and spot on.  I was sold at the first paragraph:

“Ok, picture this: you’re surfing a pow line, slashing turns and letting the sunshine light up your roostertails. Out of the corner of your eye, you peep a poppy little pillow and you know the landings perfect. You line it up, adjust your feet and BAM.

Kickflip.
Your feet catch the board and your face catches an updraft of pow as you stomp your landing and set up for your next turn…
Sounds impossible, right?
For Jeremy Jensen, it’s anything but.”

That updraft of powder in your face is what makes powsurfing (or any type of powder riding) truly awesome.  The guys at biglines.com obviously know whats up.

Check the full article here.

http://biglines.com/articles/one-man-machine-and-his-powsurfing-dream-jeremy-jensen-profile

SLOPE Magazine – double pager!

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We got an nice double page spread published in Issue 3 of “SLOPE – The Snowskate Magazine” early
this winter.  Wooo hoo!  Congrats to Craig Stevenson for snapping the shot, Jeremy Jensen (myself) for dropping the bomb and props to mother nature for suppling a beautiful day in the Utah backcountry and a nice powder filled landing.

We would have loved to see a little write up in there on Grassroots Powdersurfing to go along with the shot that sticks out as one of the best in the mag… but we can’t complain.. We appreciate them contacting us and making us a part of this issue in one way or another.  Hopefully we can get some written content in there next time.

If you haven’t check out SLOPE Magazine I highly recommend it!  SLOPE is a European online magazine focusing on bindingless snow sports, good friends, and good times.   Bindingless riding is big in Europe and it’s only getting bigger.  These fellas are putting out a great looking E-zine every couple of months or so throughout the winter.

SLOPE Issue #3 can be viewed at http://issuu.com/slope-thesnowskatemag/docs/slope_mag_issue_3

Check out SLOPE at http://www.thesnowskatemag.com

Kronicle Magazine – Powsurfing Article

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The premier issue of Kronicle Magazine is out and Grassroots Powdersurfing is stoked to have some content in the magazine!  Check out the “Primal Pow”story for the goods!

When Kronicle Magazine contacted me about running a story on our boards I was stoked to say the least.  This would be the debut issue for a new magazine focused purely on backcountry snowboarding and I knew their readers would be the ideal audience for what we have created.
I supplied Kronicle and their writers with a grip of photos to choose from and a lengthy and detailed interview about powsurfing, our boards, and the direction we are headed.We were stoked to see my photos of Craig and I slaying pow on our Grassroots Powdersurfers in the finished article. The written content ended up blending us in with a couple of other companies that were building hand made custom snowboards (with bindings) so that was a little confusing.  Then there were the dreaded relations to “noboarding” in there.  No offense to “noboarding” but what we are doing is NOT noboarding. We are riding boards that were designed to be ridden without bindings and we are not using ropes to hold the boards to our feet. We are not just throwing a rubber pad and bungi cord on an old snowboard.. there is a huge difference!   With 75% of the photos being bindingless riding on our boards, It would have been nice to go into a little more detail about what sets Grassroots apart, but you don’t always get what you want.  Although the written article ended up to be mostly about these other companies, we are grateful for the coverage that what we did get and super stoked on the opportunity.  Big thanks is due to Mike Horn, Seth Lightcap, and Jesse Huffman!!  ..and Kronicle Magazine

I would highly suggest you ORDER A COPY NOW!


A peep at the spread.

I never thought I would have my photo in a mag next to Johan Olofsson!
I was pretty stoked to get published in a world wide mag both as a photographer and and athlete.   Technically, it was the second time I have had an action photo of myself published in a major magazine.  The first was a photo of me in the Northface Masters competition at Snowbird a few years back…kicking out a big method off of a cliff onto a bullet proof landing and of course the photo was labeled with someone else’s name… just my luck!   They didn’t even bother to correct their mistake.  Lame.
We were delighted for coverage in such a widely distributed magazine.  So much so that we bought our first ever add to run in the mag.  Cost was very high for a small company like myself.. hopefully that investment pays off down the road.
                                     Surely this add makes you want to buy a powsurfer right?
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“Surfing Powder…. Literally” – Powder Propaganda

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A nice little write up on Grassroots Powdersurfing in “Powder Propaganda” called “Surfing Powder…. Literally”

There are a few inaccurate lines in there, but what can you do.  It seems that many journalists don’t want to send out proofs before they publish.. but I think if they did things would work out better for everyone!

We appreciate the publicity nonetheless.

Check it..
http://powderpropaganda.wordpress.com/2011/12/03/62/

Follow the Snurf – Powdersurfing some serious vert at Retallack Lodge.

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Ian and Neil posted this edit the other day.  I’m always stoked on the Provo Bros edits, no matter if they are skiing, snowboarding, fishing, or powdersurfing.  Good dudes doing what they love… I’m all about it. If anyone was wondering how our Grassroots Powdersurfers handle the deep and light pow in some steep lines, look no further (or of course stay tuned for the “Big Waves” episode in The Powsurf Chronicles).

Here you go.. Ian, Neil and friends slaying the deep on their 140cm Slasher and 140cm Powder Shark.
ENJOY!

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Method Magazine – “This shit is as real as it gets, kids”

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Methodmag.com did us the honor of sharing our teaser for the Powsurf Chronicles.  It’s refreshing when the more legit outlets see our stuff and recognize out-right what separates what we do from the “noboarding” movement.  No training wheels here… “This Shit is as real as it gets, kids”….. we couldn’t have said it better ourselves.

November 2011 in a nutshell – MEGA POST

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November dealt us quite a few storms early on, and then things dried out for a few weeks.  We had 3 feet or so come quick but with little to no base this still made for low tide conditions.  This time of year is rad because there are so many little features and bumps that normally just get covered up.  There is an extra challenge knowing that if you slam there isn’t much cushion in between you and the rocks, dirt and stumps under the shallow snow.  This just adds to the excitement.
Wackin’ weeds in early november.  
The first couple of rideable days this year we had about a foot to ride on.  12 inches of snow is pushing it for a base especially in light and dry snow, but the width of a powsurfer takes advantage of all 12 of those inches and makes for a pretty sick ride.  The snowboards were carving down into the dirt, the bi-deck snowskates and powderskates were sinking to the bottom like rocks in the light deep pow, scraping the dirt and rocks,s but the float of the powsurfer made these early days awesome.
Hiking in the stoney grove
One of the things I dig most about early November pow is that it is usually super cold and dry, and the angle of the sun gives very interesting light and long shadows… it makes for some cool shots.
Milking the slivers of late light

Backside 180 over the sliver of light

We’ve been hitting up the classic early season spots… the hits in the “stash park” have been hitting, the tree weaving has been a blast, and the mellow grassy fields are always rad for ripping switch and trying tricks. The steep shots have been dealing up early season face shots!  Now is the time for getting into those because the snowpack doesn’t really have slab layers yet.  It’s just rotten “loud powder” all the way to the ground.  Love that stuff, it rides really well and sounds rad when you slash it.
Jeremy – Kickflip in the powsurf “stash park”
KICKFLIPS!
Zach Shepherd poppin’ ollies
360 shuvit – Zach Shepherd
The upper fields are always holding
shooting tubes of cold smoke and rad light
Bobbing and weaving the tight trees is another familiar early season past time.  These pines are so thick that the snow stays super good and a layer of pine needles softens the ground and makes it possible to rip thru them in super shallow snowpack.  It’s rad how playful and agile the powsurf rides, you can weave trees like never before.. even without bindings I can get thru spots that my snowboard would get hung up on.  There are a couple of chutes/ditches running thru these groves of trees that really get the heart pumping.  Fallen logs, shallow snow, tight  walls and no exits make for a wild ride.
Zach shooting out the end of the gauntlet
Flying out the upper gauntlet – the blur in the shot tells the story.. a fast and wild ride!
MID NOVEMBER
The snow finally stacked up enough to close down the road so at this point the sled season begins, at least for the approach.  It’s not quite deep enough to climb anywhere on the sleds so a 7 mile road ride gets us to the base where the hiking begins. 30 minutes later we are on the top of some mellow grassy slopes, perfect for early season slashing.
Rolling up to the base camp packing a small quiver of powsurfs
A few minutes later we summit on foot, take a few minutes for our heads to adjust and the slashing begins
Roosting thru the upper fields
Another positive aspect of low snowpack is the amount of features that exist.  Under deep coverage these natural jumps and drops would just be buried, so now is prime time for hitting up all the features that will soon disappear. The landings can be a bit sketchy cause there is just a couple of feet to cover the dirt and rocks beneath but that is just more motivation to land on your feet and ride away.
Cliff drop/Bush Ollie bottom angle
Top Angle
FS air
Slashing in the November light
LATE NOVEMBER
Late november arrived and it still hadn’t really snowed for weeks.  We were basically shredding the same pow for 3 weeks and it was becoming harder to find good snow.  It had stayed cold so most aspects were still holding powder but with only 3 feet of coverage the options were pretty slim.  We became so desperate that we decided to brave the poor coverage and creep around on our sleds.  All it takes is one big rock to do serious damage to the suspension on our snowmobiles so we crept around treading as lightly as possible.  We managed to find some good fields to test out some of our new shapes and some fun features to bag some hammers on.
Creepin’ with with a quiver.  One on my back and 3 on the sled.

The Phish shapes I had designed over the summer were riding pretty cool, not my favorite ride but interesting nonetheless.  I shaped a diamond tail, a square tail, and a couple of swallow tails, all with a variety of different waist widths.  The diamond tail 130 (pictured above) rode fast and straight.  It is a relatively narrow board with a flat tail so it was responsive but still seemed to turn more like a snowboard than I would prefer, not as agile and playful as some of my favorite shapes.  But it rode fast and had it’s own benefits in certain conditions.  The swallows were interesting but again, not what I’m really after… they would probably sell good to people who didn’t know any better… because they look cool.
The more testing we do the more we realize how much snowboarding has confused people when it comes to what makes a good shape for a powsurfer.  People think that a long board with a giant nose and a long swallow tail is going to be the ultimate powsurf shape.. this is so NOT the case!  It’s cool to have a board with a unique shape, but function always outweighs fashion if you want a good ride.  I’m not saying the swallow tail boards don’t perform, they just perform differently and the ride you get is much more snowboard-like feel and not very “surfy” if that makes any sense.  As far as Grassroots Powdersurfing is concerned, we are not trying to imitate snowboarding.  We are bringing something new to the game of snow-sliding and that is what keeps things fresh for us.  If we wanted a snowboard feel, we would ride a snowboard (with or without the bindings).  We want to make boards that offer a new and unique feel, without factors that limit the way you can ride and the tricks you can do.  That is what powdersurfing is all about.

Having a snowmobile doesn’t mean you don’t ever have to hike to get to the goods.
Almost there…

From the top we rally some open pow fields on the way down to some features we found to play on. Slashing the fields is rad but we always want a challenge so we try to get freestyle on the way down.  Kicktails!  I don’t know why you wouldn’t want one.  Crusing pow is great and all but who likes to be glued to the ground the whole time?  The ability to ollie is a priority in the design of our boards adding agility to the overall ride, allowing the rider to ride backwards and putting some pop under your feet.  Even on flat slopes you can get some air time without the help of a bump or jump.

FS air on the 120 “Slasher”
Pop shuvit over a hippie track on the 140 Twin Powder Skate
Hard to tell what the hell is going on here. I’ll give you a hint, its deep, sunny, and the pow is some high quality shit!
We arrive at our features and it’s game on.  Slam a few times, stomp a few times.. its all fun.  If you’re not slamming you’re probably not learning so there is no shame in eating shit once in a while… or a lot.  I really wanted to bag some good kickflips on both stills and video so I sought out some drops with good takeoffs and got to it.
powdersurf grassroots kickflip
I’d been wanting the nose angle of a kickflip for a while, makes for a sick shot on video as the world spins around and the rider stays upright… trip out… (see video below)

Ollies… the root of all freestyle
One last kickflip to cap off another fun day

November was great despite the lack of snowfall late in the month.  We had lots of sunny cold days in some unique and interesting terrain.  Although our options grew smaller every day, this just meant we had to get creative, and creativity always leads to progression.