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Syndication

Joel Rerko | Seven Springs | Superpark | Laurel Mountain | US Open | Wakesurfing

Episode #52

Paul and I trucked it up Joel’s office to talk with Joel about park building, his unique path in the industry, motorcycle racing, the Pittsburg surf scene, Laurel Mountain, and much more.

We also got a surprise visit from an earlier podcast guest, Jon Kramer.

 

This episode is brought to you by Seven Springs Mountain Resorts  

Bed, shred and breakfast just got more affordable than ever! Our seven progressive parks have something for everyone to enjoy, with 70+ features including jumps, jibs and the ONLY 22’ Superpipe in the East. Seven Springs’ premier parks are calling your name! Slide a handrail and into our bedrails with the Rails to Rails Lodging Package.

STARTING AT $142 PER PERSON, PER NIGHT, BASED ON DOUBLE OCCUPANCY

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Package Includes:

  • – One night’s lodging
  • – A limited edition Seven Springs Parks & Pipes t-shirt
  • – Unlimited skiing/snowboarding at Seven Springs from 4 p.m. the day of your arrival until close the day you check-out
  • – Breakfast each morning
  • – Overnight ski/snowboard check
  • – Access to the indoor swimming pool and fitness center

For more information or to make your reservations, please call (866) 437-1300.

 

 

The Streets at Seven Springs
The Streets at Seven Springs
Springs Snowboarder Cover
Seven Springs Parks are FIRE
Springs Forum Build
Super clean!

This episode covers:

Ski Patrol

Joel's background

 

 

Leashes

Starting new trends in snowboarding

Getting top down commitment to make a great park and pipe

Gaining national recognition for the snowboard parks at Seven Springs

Paul gushes about how much he loves Springs (Nate and AJ agree)

Woking in the skateboarding industry pressing skateboards

First time in a snow cat

Working hand crew at Keystone

Working with Snow Park Technologies 

Chris Gunnarson and jump science

How SPT helps off the snow as much as on

The secret of Seven Springs success

Starting at the bottom and working up.

Working hand in hand with the other departments on the mountain

Jon Kramer visits because he heard that we would be shooting guns.

Joel’s most impressive build ever.

The back story to Superpark at Seven Springs 

When builds go bad and perfectionism

How snowboard park building is actually construction

Tremble units and man cards

Laurel Mountain 

The perfect halfpipe

Taking smaller features and making them look huge

Paul wears diapers - bathroom breaks

Enduro Motorcycle racing

Wake Surfing / River Surfing

Listener questions:

Does Tom Dickey still have a job?

Why does Seven Springs not have a skatepark?

When will the Wagner headwall become an official terrain park?

Colleen Musson - please bring the apple grogs back to the top lodge.

Who is the best contest announcer ever?

The Angry Snowboarder asks….

Scott Darr - Why not more snake runs and hold bowls set-ups.

Transworld TransAM

Seven Springs world record

The Motown Throwdown

Nate in the Seven Springs Superpipe: 

Quotes from the episode:

"We’ve always had a great staff, besides AJ!” 

 

“I worked there (retail) for about seven days, but I really wanted to be a outside.”

 

“We have support (for the parks) from the top down.”

 

“Seven Springs is never going to grow 1000 feet vertical… There’s no reason why our terrain parks can’t be as good as anyone’s in the country.”

 

“I really try to build everything like a skatepark.”

 

“I want to travel, build rad jumps and run a tractor.”

 

“The building of the terrain parks is one of the easier things at this point. It’s hiring the right staff, logging what you’re doing, testing the features, involving ski patrol, snowmaking - there’s so much behind the scenes…”

 

"My second Super Park, I think I worked 48 hours straight.”

 

“Don’t say anything, but we’re having Superpark here.” -Paul

 

“I got my man card pulled.” -Jon Kramer

 

“We’re not gonna have 40 foot halfpipes.”

 

“It’s a lot easier to leave the hip connected than it is to put the channel in it… you have to clear that 20 foot gap.”

 

“You can build the greatest feature on the world and if the riders don’t succeed - you might as well not have even of built it.”

 

"Riding dirt bikes on terrain that you shouldn’t ride dirt bikes on.”

 

“I wish I had a mini snowcat.”

Shooting guns after the podcast:



 

 

Post podcast adventures!

 

A video posted by #TNSP (@thenotsnowboardingpodcast) on Nov 2, 2016 at 9:32pm PDT

 

Direct download: Episode_52_Joel_Rerko_Seven_Springs_TNSP_.mp3
Category:Outdoor -- posted at: 3:49pm EDT

Will Ritter | Spark R&D | 3D Printing | Scaling Up | Parenting | Splitboarding

 

Episode #51

In this episode we connect with Will Ritter, Founder of Spark R&D Splitboard Bindings  to discuss family, parenting, entrepreneurship, scaling a business, problem solving, education, rapid prototyping and of course splitboarding. 

Shout out to Dan Ventura  for connecting us with Will. Check out the newly launched Spark R&D podcast here: http://www.sparkrandd.com/podcast/

This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Rado Racks - a handmade elegant way to store all of your boards: Use the discount code TNSP for FREE SHIPPING

Prices start as low as $50.00! 

www.radoracks.com

Rado Racks
Rado Racks make the perfect gift for the boarder on your gift list.

This episode covers the following topics:

Family dinner at the Ritter house
Parenting skills
Baby Sylvia’s premature birth story 
Limiting screen time and reading with the kids 
3D printing and computer assisted design (CAD)
Scaling up a business 
3d printed pancakes 
Rapid prototyping 
April Fools pranks 
Working with his wife, Becca Ritter. 
Sharing a shop with Tyler Jaroz of 26 products 
Killing birds with wind turbines in college 
Getting a Masters Degree at MSU Bozeman 
Trials and error - Danny Harrison 
Skype Drop 
The initial Spark 
Apple iPod 
Market reserach
Split-boarding fitness   
The story behind the name Spark R&D 
Tesla 
Updates on the binding line 
The wammy bar 
Backcountry sketchy situations 
Avalanche Safety 
 
Will and Becca Ritter
Will and Becca Ritter

 

Quotes from this episode:

"Dinner time manners are something we’re trying to work on at the Ritter house.
"The two year old will throw food across the house.
“Kids are just programed to find out where the boundaries are… As their parent - they’re always experimenting on you.
“We crash landed into parent hood.”  
“The screens come in handy - it’s like you hit the deactivate button on your kids…” 
“They’re smart, they know how to steal a phone and unlock it (the 2 and 4 year olds).”
“Getting my Masters really taught me how to get into a big problem, slice it into small problems and go after the small problems.” 
“If there’s something you want to do - just start doing it…. There’s a small step you could take every day…” 
“If you want to get after something epic - you’re going to have to work for it.” 
“For us, it’s always been about how much more of this can we do ourselves”
“The mega growth can be a huge problem - you can grow yourself to death.”  
“You gotta take your hands off the wheel a little bit when you have people working for you.” 
“I’m a former park rat from Minnesota.” 
“I lost my Ice landing steez out here pretty fast.”
“The day I turned 30, I was out (splitboarding) with some friends…. As soon as we dropped in, everything just started sliding out… I went in the washing machine and was buried up to my waist.”  

 

Want to help the podcast grow? Just click the banner ad below before shopping on Amazon and the podcast will receive a small commission from your purchases at no cost to you. Thanks in advance -Nate and AJ 

Direct download: The_Not_Snowboarding_Podcast_Episode_51_.mp3
Category:Outdoor -- posted at: 6:31pm EDT

Eero Ettala | Cycling | Simple Pleasures | Thriftiness | Knees | Fast Food

Episode #50 

This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Rado Racks - handmade elegant way to store all of your boards: Use the discount code TNSP for FREE SHIPPING

Prices start as low as $50.00! 

www.radoracks.com

Rado Racks
Rado Racks make the perfect gift for the boarder on your gift list.
Eero is  someone that choose to carve his own path in snowboarding (pardon the pun), by branching out on his own projects such as his tv show tracking Eero or his web series cooking with gas. From our discussion with Eero, I can tell that he’s calculated, organized and a planner - the process that he describes going through for each trick at street spot was eye opening to me! It’s a very time consuming, focused methodology, I don’t want to ruin it, but I’ll just say that he does not pull up to a spot, shovel some snow and decide what to do.
 
Eero tells us about cycling 100 miles a day for seven days in a row, the state of his knee injuries, his favorite junk food. We also get into why Eero's backing the preferred swimming attire of the European Union.
 
Follow Eero on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/eeroettala/

 

 

 

Topics from this episode include:

Oktoberfest 

Road biking 

Thriftiness 
Getting into snowboarding in Finland 
Hard work 
Heikki Sorsa
Iikka Backstrom 
Lauri Heiskari
Skateboarding 
Helping Jaakko Ojanen get on Red Bull 
Getting sponsored by Oakley as a kid 
Getting on Nitro in 2001 
Thoughts on Burton’s past team decisions 
Why he can only bend his knees half way 
Pain management 
Listeners questions 
Fast food 
Surfing 
Social Media 
Hockey 
X-Games 
The switch board slide double under flip in Ender
His relationship with his photographer, Pasi Salminen
Cooking with Gas 
GQ 
How to swear in Finnish 
Speedos
Snowskating 
 
 

Quotes from this episode:

 
“It seems like in the US the beer is a lot lighter - which is good for hangovers.”
“We did a charity cycling event, we were raising money for kid suffering for cancer. We cycled 10200 Kilometers in seven days…. it’s a hundred miles a day."
“I really started road cycling like two years ago.”
"We took a boat from Helsinki to Trollman Germany and then we circled form there to Paris”
“It’s such a good exercise for my knees (cycling).”
“I’ve never had a flat tire.”
“The better bicycle you had the more time you’re going to spend on it.”
“I never buy anything if I don’t really need it. I always put thoughts behind it… I usually don’t buy useless crap.”
"We have so much crap anyways - I don’t need or want anything unless it’s really going to make my life better.”
"If I want to go snowboarding this (Simple Pleasures) is one of the movies that gets me the most hyped.”
“…I feel like Nitro is a very loyal company.”
“Still when I think of Heikki, I think of Burton.”
“It’s pretty painful after a long flight - when I have to get up and try to walk a little bit it kind of sucks.”
“I don’t have an ACL in the left knee right now.”
“I’ve had six knee surgeries so far and three ACL’s, now four… and two meniscus.”
“I only eat painkillers when I’m shooting - it makes me feel more flexible than I am.”
“I play a lot of squash and swimming and cycling and skating.”
“I feel like if I play squash then I can eat whatever I want, pizza and burgers… I probably have the worst diet out of any pro athlete.”
“Fish, I hate the fish - the texture the taste, I hate it.”
“Social media is almost as important as snowboarding now a days.”
“The older I get the more summer I need.”
“I’m the most proud of video parts, people always think X-games, but video parts are like five months of work.”
“I always need to have a solid plan - I can’t go to a spot and decide what to do at the spot…. I have to go there before and visualize it before I go do it.”
“The riskier and bigger the tricks are - the easier they are to get because you have to send it.”
“There’s a lot of photog’s that are never ready, but Pasi always gets the photo - it’s been a pleasure working with him.”
“I feel like if you film for a movie and you’re one  of the 16 people - you’re helping the film, but you’re not really helping yourself.”
“The actual last time I bought clothing was 20 years ago - it’s going to be shocking when I quit snowboarding - I’ll have to pay for stuff!”
“If I go swimming, I go in Speedos… I don’t want (especially) American people to know that I wear Speedos.”
“The first time I put on the spandex - I was like F* I look ridiculous.”
“I think in past years, I’ve been too organized - it takes the fun out of snowboarding.”

Want to help the podcast grow? Just click the banner ad below before shopping on Amazon and the podcast will receive a small commission from your purchases at no cost to you. Thanks in advance -Nate and AJ 

Right Click here to download the episode:

Direct download: The_Not_Snowboarding_Podcast_Episode_50_.mp3
Category:Outdoor -- posted at: 11:36am EDT

Sven Thorgren | Dry Slope NBD | Bondi | MIPS | Gun Control | Ice Bath

Sven is one of the younger dudes we’ve chatted with on the podcast - he’s 22, from Sweden and he’s probably one more contests than the average 22 year old competitive snowboarder has even entered. We catch up with Sven over Skype during some down time while he was recovering from an injury which he explains in the episode. We also discuss his relationship with his sponsors, his aspirations to become a pilot, the olympics, dropping a never been done on dry slope and much more. 

 

Topics:
 
Sven’s Skype Picture 
New Era in the US vs. in Europe 
GoPro voice control 
Robot’s take over the world
Surfing in Bondi Beach 
The GoPro commercial 
Knee injury 
Helments & MIPS technology 
Snapchat vs. Instagram Stories 
Christmas Ice Bath 
Snowboarding at 7 years old 
Cross country ski racing Stale Snadbach 
Splitboarding 
Stockholm Snowboarding Syndrome 
Getting his first sponsor 
Snowboarding high school 
Moving away at 15 years old
The Olympics, FIS
Gun control 
Milk Cartons
Dave TV / The Unbreakables 
How to do the DrySlope Loop 
Remote control plans 
Flying goals
People riding drones 
Sven’s new website 
Getting the middle seat on a plane 
Direct download: TNSP_Episode_49_Sven_Thorgren_.mp3
Category:Outdoor -- posted at: 9:43am EDT

Jon Kramer & Jason Smith | Heavy Metal Motorsports | Rally | The Art of The Flick | Co-Driving | Board Tuning | Expert Class

Episode #48

While AJ was home for a few days this summer we drove it up to Jon’s house for the day with the intent of recording a podcast. Little did we know that we’d be in for one of the most fun days of our lives. When we got to Jon’s he asked if we should record the episode before or after going out for a few laps in his rally car..... AJ and I both said "after!"
  
 
I’ve been lucky enough to be able to get to know Jon and Jason over the years via their roles in the industry and from their preexisting friendship with Tim and Mal from Pitcrew.
 
Jason and Jon get deep into many aspects of racing rally cars - they share stories from times that they’ve crashed, what it’s like to be a co-driver and what it takes to participate - Jon mentions that the driving is the easy part. About a third of the way through Jason has to leave and put the kids to bed and we change subjects a bit and get into snowboarding and business.
 
Check out Jon's Rally America bio and race history here: Rally America
 

This episode is brought to you by Let It Block Sunscreen  Let It Block is a mineral based paraben free sunscreen that both Nate and AJ use and 100% back. Nate recommends Goth Block for anyone that wants to protect their tattoos from the sun!   Use discount code "TNSP" for 40% off of two packages sunscreen or more (valid through the end of 2016).  

Let It Block - Sun DMC (SPF 30) Original Formula (SPF 30) and Goth Block (SPF 50)
Let It Block - Sun DMC (SPF 30) Original Formula (SPF 30) and Goth Block (SPF 50)
Jon wheels up!
Jon wheels up!

This episode covers the following topics:

  • The day of rally fun
  • AJ joins the PA rally scene
  • The electric car
  • How Rally driving compares with snowboarding
  • Nate and AJ’s experience riding along with Jon in the rally car
  • Co-driver’s role
  • Rally event logistics - stages.
  • Jon’s race stats
  • The Snow Drift rally
  • Wellsboro PA rally
  • The art of the flick
  • How Mal at Pitcrew influenced their passion rally
  • Rallycross
  • How Ali Goulet introduced Jon to rallycross
  • Seven Springs
  • Heavy Metal Racing
  • Wrecks and ruts - Jon’s first roll
  • Naturally aspirated verses turbo charged
  • Driving verses co-driving
  • Engine trouble
  • Pierre Wikberg / Ken Block
  • Jon’s obsession with camo
  • Engine swaps
  • Race prep
  • Brandon at All Wheels Driven in Wellsboro PA
  • Jay exits
  • Jon’s role at Hoonigan
  • Ken Block’s racing team
  • The Hoonicorn
  • Gymkhana
  • Nardwar
  • Killington
  • How to get paid for photo incentive when your sponsor is stingy
  • How to (not) tune a board
  • Flipping cars via the Baltimore abandoned vehicle auction
  • Listener questions:
    • Dave Thacker - Thacker’s Transmissions
    • Paul Horning
    • Jared Lantzy
    • Alex Dunn
    • John Leonard
  • Clutches
  • Superstition in racing and snowboarding
  • Blood Sweat and Grease Paint
  • The first 1080 into powder - Colin Lentz
  • Broken bones
  • Step-in bindings
  • "Expert class” - sharing advice on snow at just the right time.
  • AJ signs on with Hoonigan
  • Family vibes
  • Getting to the hill before noon...
  • East Coast/West Coast - Tupac and Biggie
  • Adventure-mobiles
    • Nate’s truck
    • 4wd minivans
      Jon Kramer SnoDrift Rally
      Jon at the Sno*Drift Rally

Quotes form the Episode:

"I hope you’re right - cause if not we’re going to go into a tree!” Jason Smith
“Right four over crest - five short.”
“The cool thing that I like about rally is the adventure in between - the time’s don’t always reflect what happened.”
"The snowdrift in Michigan - you’re going to go off the road.”
“You shift the weight of the car - like riding a snowboard.” Jason Smith
“It was a $400 car so I didn’t care about it - anytime it snowed, we’d attack the streets.”
“We’d get the $9.00 insurance on rental cars so that you could just drive it like a race car - I sent a car back on a flatbed, I won’t say where.”
“You’ve seen the roads around here, there’s no straight roads - it’s a rally to Seven Springs.”
“If it died, just light it on fire and leave it - when you pass that point where you no longer care, you can do some pretty cool things with it.”
“I’ve rolled three times - the first one was with Jay and we didn’t have a cage.”
“To do well in race you have to be close to wrecking.” Jason Smith
“Not bursting your bubble, but you’re a better driver than co-driver (Jon to Jay).”
“You see my car - this isn’t some high roller thing, I buy an engine for a couple hundred bucks at a junkyard.”
“I popped a tire, the front right, we had to go six miles more, but we won the stage… We just kept it pinned and kept going!”
"Carbon fiber is not my deal - I just don’t have a fancy car… I’d rather have people think that my car is turd and them beat them."
“Killington had the half pipe… We’d sleep in our cars.”
“I can part out a car in my head, just by looking at it - it’s a weird skill to have.”
“Typical Colin (Lentz) - he did an amazing run and then he was like, I’m good - got in the truck and left.”
“There was no easy way to try em - you had to use some else sweaty boots (step-ins).”
“Adventure is cool right now….Rally is that, your phone does not work, there’s snakes, there’s tic’s…”
“All my grade school teachers marked does not work well with others.”
“It was almost like, if you’re not from the east coast - we can’t hang out.”

 

Direct download: Jon_Kramer_Jay_Smith_X2_Episode_48.mp3
Category:Outdoor -- posted at: 10:20pm EDT

Gus Engle | Van Life | Hawaii | Music | Introspection | Dostoyevsky | Just For Men

Episode #47

AJ joins Nate in The Not Snowboarding Podcast studio (Nate's basement) and they connect with Gus via Skype to discuss a wide variety of topics. The conversation ranges from Russian literature to moose milk and everything in between.

The following words written by Matt Vantta back in 2012  (link to the full ESPN article) articulately describe Gus:

"Gus Engle is a true original, a bohemian lover of life that appears to be drawn right out of a Kerouac novel. His snowboard seems to be less an instrument of athletic progression and more like a paintbrush of a master. To really dig Engle's snowboarding you have to be open minded, because it's not manufactured and doesn't meet industry standards for how you're supposed to ride.

Based on our chat with Gus, I'd add: "Gus has a kind, authentic infectious energy and an appreciation for the beauty that lies in the subtleties of everyday life."  

 

This episode is brought to you by Let It Block Sunscreen  Let It Block is a mineral based paraben free sunscreen that both Nate and AJ use and 100% back. Nate recommends Goth Block for anyone that wants to protect their tattoos from the sun!   Use discount code "TNSP" for 40% off of two packages sunscreen or more (valid through the end of 2016).  

Let It Block - Sun DMC (SPF 30) Original Formula (SPF 30) and Goth Block (SPF 50)
Let It Block - Sun DMC (SPF 30) Original Formula (SPF 30) and Goth Block (SPF 50)
Nate's giving away these Vintage Sims Bindings, Size 10.5 32 Boots (used one season), Revenge of the Grenerds and Cue The Birds. To get this stuff just screenshot your receipt from your Let It Block purchase and email it to Nate@shredsoles.com
Nate's giving away these Vintage Sims Bindings, Size 10.5 32 Boots (used one season), Revenge of the Grenerds and Cue The Birds. To get this stuff just screenshot your receipt from your Let It Block purchase and email it to Nate@shredsoles.com
This episode covers: 
 
Moving to Canada and marrying a French Canadian - Estée Preda 
Literature and reading Dostoyevsky 
How Alaska shapes personalities  
Reading in French and learning the language 
Spending the winters in Hawaii and summers in Alaska as a kid
Coffee, tea and dark chocolate 
Milking soose 
Boogie boarding 
Jesse Burtner’s thoughts on Gus’s first skateboard
Skateboarding and snowboarding culture 
Cops VS. Skaters 
Skateboarding and snowboarding in Alaska 
The Think Thank movie - The Weather Outside is Weather 
The power of LOVE in human relationships  
Alone time for introspection 
Path to snowboarding professionally and dropping video parts  
Pozi Pozi - video embedded below 
Making music 
Sport vs. Art 
Surfing and contest scoring 
Van life and living in a VW Jetta 
Brothers 
Moustaches 
Video Games in the X-Games 
City snowboarding guide service 
Managing life’s path
Filming with Think Thank vs. Videograss 
Snowboard graphics - Gus’s wife did the graphic for AJ’s board on Pseudo! 
Listener questions from: Jeremy Barker, Steve Lauder, Chas Truslow, Jeff Holce (The Athlete) 
Dave’s Killer Bread 
Vegan snowboarding boots (Nate's giving away a pair of vegan boots)
Consumerism and zero waste  
 

 

 

 

Quotes from the episode: 

“There’s a special kind of sadness that comes along with Alaska.” 
“I have two sides… A lot of people from Alaska do - summer is so wonderful and, winter, it’s wonderful too, but it’s like a happy sad place.” 
“We lived in a little cabin in Alaska, totally off the grid. We gathered all our water, totally off the grid.” 
“I can’t drink coffee either - it’s like two week long emotional rollercoaster.” 
“It’s so culturally acceptable now to be a skateboarder - from all walks of life, there’s more people doing it. It’s still beautiful though, both skateboarding and snowboarding."
"Football isn’t even in the Olympics - skateboarding is!”  
“I really do have a hole in my heart for all my friends, the Pacific North West, Think Thank… I miss that so much.” 
“I seem really easy going,but I’m really hyper obsessed and stressed out.” 
“I was just so nervous around girls that I couldn’t even imagine one liking me and I can’t believe that one does.” 
“I’m excited by ideas!” 
“Come to Quebec - that’s the secret, there’s really amazing girls.” 
“I lived in a van for three or four years… I really loved it - it’s so fun to travel all the time.” 
“I just usually wake up super early and open the doors and brush my teeth and pee on the street.” 
“One little step off to the side and you can be somewhere strange and uncharted.” 
“We’re just all floating around in a big pool of influence.”  
“When I was living in Hawaii, I just shook trees and got fruit!” 

 

Want to help the podcast grow? Just click the banner ad below before shopping on Amazon and the podcast will receive a small commission from your purchases at no cost to you. Thanks in advance -Nate

 

Direct download: Gus_Engle_Episode_47_of_The_Not_Snowboarding_Podcast_.mp3
Category:Outdoor -- posted at: 11:30pm EDT

Halldór Helgason | Captain Harold | Atrip |TBI | Nike | Dayumm! | A2M | Bird Bath

Episode #46

 

In the discussion with Halldor - we get into his alter ego, his new clothing company, Atrip apparel, his thoughts on Nike and his new video project that will be airing on YouTube at the end of October. Halldor, as you may know from his alter ego (Captain Harold) - very much has two sides, there’s the fun loving creative snowboarder that likes to keep it loose and there’s the party animal that like to push boundaries for a laugh. That said -a little bit of the conversaion toes into some pretty crazy territory- be forewarned! 

This episode covers the following topics:

Captain Harold
Party Boats
Europe vs. US street snowboarding
Snowboarding street in Japan
The Special Interest Club Atrip
Building Atrip
Lobster graphics
Mustaches
Nike
TKO at the X-games and the recovery
Snowboarding while recovering from a major concussion
Dayumm!
Looking up to Eiki
Sage Kotsenburg
Naked Snowboarding
7/9/13 Thongs
Free Air Guitars
Advice to Hallódor’s 18 year old self
Catching wild cats on the farm
Thoughts on contest riding
Bird Bath Nuts
A2M birthday party

 

 

 

 

Halldor's Bio:

Date of Birth: January 10, 1991
Born: Akureyri, Iceland
Lives: Monte Carlo, Monaco
Sponsors: Atrip Apparel, Lobster Snowboards, Monster, VonZipper, GoPro, 7/9/13, Switchback Bindings, Neff Headwear/Gloves.
 
Social media:
 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HalldorHelgason, Twitter: @halldorhelgason, Instagram: @hhelgason, Website: www.helgasons.com
 
Timeline: 
2000 First skate video part in VTH
2001 First ever video part in Oreida 
2007 Sponsor me tape - Gets him sponsored by DC Sweden 
2007 Shared part with Eiki in Factor Films “Up In the Sky
2008 Full part in Factor Films “Notes
Shared part with Eiki & Gulli in Action Horse “Ponytale
December 2008 Signs with the DC global team 
June 21st 2009. First edit made by Eiki/Halldor for Helgasons - Go Skateboarding Day (Eiki wrote and made the song with Halldor as back up vocal)
Sept 2009 Standard Films “Black Winter"
Sept 2009 Full part in Factor Films “They Came From
Jan 2010 Winning X Games Big Air being the first snowboarder ever to win with a perfect score (100/100)  
Sept 2010 Standard Films “The Storming"
Sept 2010 Pirates Productions “Hooked
“Jibber of the Year” 2011 - Snowboarder Mag 
“Rookie of the Year 2011 - Snowboarder Mag 
“Rookie of the Year 2011 - Transworld Snow
Nov 2010 Signs with Nike
Dec 2010 7-9-13 is launched
Jan 2011 Lobster Snowboards is launched
Jan 2011 3rd at Air & Style Munich
Jun 2011 Move from Iceland to Monaco
Sep 2011 1st Freestyle.ch Zurich
Dec 2011 Sexual Snowboarding “Sexual Snowboarding”
Jan 2012 2nd X Games real snow (voted comp)
Dec 2012 Sexual Snowboarding “Pepping!
Aug 2013 Nike Snowboarding “Never Not 1&2”
Sept 2013 “Video Part of the Year” 2013 - Reels Festival
Dec 2013 Sexual Snowboarding “DTF
Dec 2013 “Trick of the Year” 2013 - Transworld Snow
Dec 2013 1st & 2nd Most viewed videos 2013 - Transworld Snow
Jan 2014 5th “Rider of the Year” 2013 - Snowboarder Mag
Jan 2014 “Reader Choice Award” 2013 - Transworld Snow
Dec 2014 Sexual Snowboarding “NoToBo
Jan-Apr 2015 Sexual Snowboarding “This Just Happened 1-4.2”
Dec 2015 Sexual Snowboarding “Master Bay Table
Aug 2016 Launch of Atrip Apparel
 

Quotes from the episode:

“I’m only Captain Harold when I’m drunk."
“You can’t go too classy, you have to keep it real.” 
“I actually just shaved my mustache off - after two years. It feels so disgusting without it.” 
“I barely knew what X-games was when I did it.” 
“Why do you want me on the team? I am not a serious person, I am not a contest person… What is going to happen in four years who my contract is up and you guys (Nike) decided to get out of snowboarding again?” 
“If we don’t go minus (in sales and money) we’re pumped!” 
“The hard thing with snowboarding is that it’s a pretty high class thing to do and that’s not even buying the ticket for like 100 bucks.” 
“Wanted my first triple to be a triple back flip while jerking off in the air.” 
“When I was filming all the pow for my Never Not part… I was like not able to focus on the jump (Because of the head injury).” 
“I was actually really happy when I heard that (I broke an ankle at SuperPark), cause I usually get knocked out or tear a ligament or something that takes forever.” 
“We’re Europeans - we’re not afraid to be naked.” 
“Without Nike I would never of and the chance to make Lobster.” 
“I’m not a business guy at all and I don’t want to be. My main focus is snowboarding.” 
“I never want to be serious in my snowboarding - it’s only snowboarding.” 
“Eiki has been my biggest inspiration…. It’s pretty much all thanks to him that I’m able to do what I do.” 
“The Helgason balls are famous for being lazy - mad loose.” 
“You know how it is with your friends, it always levels up.” 

 

 

Direct download: Halldor_Helgason_Episode_46_The_Not_Snowboarding_Podcast_.mp3
Category:Outdoor -- posted at: 9:26pm EDT

Eiki Helgason | Island Born | Monaco | Iceland | Road Biking | Lobster | Pickled Shark

Episode #45

Today we’re talking with Eiki Helgason - Eiki as I‘m sure most of you know, is the mastermind and business partner with his brother Halldor behind the Helgasons.com, SwitchBack Bindings, 7/9/13 Belts & Accessories and Lobster Snowboards.

Eiki’s had at least one amazing video part each each year dating back to 2003 - including one of my favorite, Rome’s No Correct Way in 2008

He’s also worked with Mack Dawg, Standard and Transworld before taking the reins and gaining creative control with 2011’s Sexual Snowboarding which if you haven’t seen - put your browser into incognito mode and google "sexual snowboarding"!  

This episode covers: 

  • Eiki's full name and his nickname
  • How to properly pronounce Eiki - "Achy"
  • Achy Breaky Heart
  • Go Skateboarding day edit 
  • Growing up skateboarding in Iceland
  • Seasons in Iceland
  • Influences on Eiki's style
  • The trick to flip tricks on a snowboard (Extra Pop)
  • X-Games Real Snow
  • Eiki found Stan 
  • Mockumentary - Island Born 
  • Sexual Snowboarding
  • Taking things for granted
  • Iceland tourism
  • Wow airlines
  • The Ring Road
  • The Highlands of Iceland
  • The Northern Lights
  • Snowboarding high school in Sweden
  • Vaping in Iceland
  • Road biking with Strava
  • Flat tire
  • Iceland's currency crisis
  • Moving to Monaco
  • Jail and education Iceland
  • Leaving Rome and starting Lobster
  • Lobster's graphics
  • Brotherhood
  • The Frontline Rail Jam
  • Day in the life
  • Street snowboarding culture in Iceland & the golden ticket
  • Listener questions
  • Iceland backcountry
  • Skating mini-ramps
  • Food in Iceland
  • Japan
  • The ice rink
  • Life changing news!
  • Icelandic naming

 

 

Quotes from this episode: 

"The real pronunciation is achy like achy breaky heart."

"Living in Iceland - we don't have any indoor skateparks (or we didn't then), so I had to find something to do in the winter. "

"Snowboarding kinda came easy to me cause I was already doing rails and stuff on skateboards."

"I think skateboarding is cooler - actually."

"I always love to do weird stuff."

"The tre-flip took a while (on a snowboard), but varial kickflip - I actually think it's easier than a normal kickflip."

"The tre-flip boardslide shove it out on that picnic table... I actually haven't done that trick on a skateboard. It took me a while to get it, like four days and four or five hundred tries."

"If I think of trick that I want to do and it's possible - I just won't quit... I've had a lot of long sessions for a trick."

"It's always been a competition between hackers (X-Games Real Snow).... That's what you get when you have an online voting system. I think people know way too much about computers."

"I've been doing the same thing for fourteen years - go out and film a part. This year is different - it's more like a mockumentary than documentary."

"That's why we did our own project with the sexual snowboarding movies, we kind of felt like everything was getting way too serious."

"It's basically me and Stan going around to weird places in Iceland snowboarding (the Island Born movie)."

"I started partying late for a European. I was just focused on snowboarding."

"I wear those pants with the padding cause my asshole gets sore (while bike riding)."

"Jail in Iceland is actually like a rehabilitation center - it's just like a nice hotel room. When you go to jail here you can actually go to school for free."

"I always just loved creating stuff - I think Lobster was the first thing."

"I would always bring these ideas (for graphics to Rome) and they would be like - umm yeah, let's not do that."

"That board had a good meaning - it said STD's will fuck you up."

"I'm kind of always and never working."

"The weather in Iceland is the most random - it can go from minus 20 to plus 20."

"I tried it (Sheep Balls) - it kinda tastes like old milk."

"The best plan is no plan -we'll see what happens."

"Keep snowboarding for yourself and not for someone else - cause that doesnt make any sense."

Direct download: Eiki_Helgason_TNSP_45_.mp3
Category:Outdoor -- posted at: 10:00pm EDT

Antti Autti | Olympics | Skateboarding | Surfing | Backcountry | I'm Not Gifted | New Zealand

Episode #44

AJ and Nate connect with 31 year old Finnish snowboarder Antti Autti over Skype as he's preparing to head to New Zealand for some backcountry shredding. Antti has been one of the main riders pushing superpipe progression over the past decade. He’s won tons of contests over the years including the X-games He also represented Finland in the 2006 Olympics where he very controversially ended up in fifth place after a nearly flawless run. We get into Antti’s thoughts on surfing and skateboardings recent admission into the 2020 olympics as well as his transition from competitive snowboarding to the backcountry.

This episode is brought to you by Let It Block Sunscreen  Let It Block is a mineral based paraben free sunscreen that both Nate and AJ use and 100% back. Nate recommends Goth Block for anyone that wants to protect their tattoos from the sun!   Use discount code "TNSP" for 40% off of two packages sunscreen or more (valid through the end of 2016).  

Let It Block - Sun DMC (SPF 30) Original Formula (SPF 30) and Goth Block (SPF 50)
Let It Block - Sun DMC (SPF 30) Original Formula (SPF 30) and Goth Block (SPF 50)
This episode covers:
 
  • Packing to head to New Zealand for a month in the backcountry
  • Pow Surfing
  • Skateboarding and Surfing in the Olympics
  • Mixed feelings on snowboarding in the Olympics
  • Heikki Sorsa’s mohawk
  • Stale Sandbech
  • The International Roller Sports Federation
  • Seven Springs Half-Pipe better than the Olympic pipe.
  • Both the US Open Laax Open having better set-ups than the Olympics
  • World Surf League
  • Mick Fanning and the J-Bay Open
  • Anttie's World Cup
  • Banked Slalom
  • Anttisworld.com 
  • Transitioning from competitions to the backcountry
  • Blog posts:
    • I am not gifted & Turning.
    • Statements video series
  • Backstory to a line next to the tallest mountain in Sweden
  • Skateboarding in Finland
  • Cloudberries
  • Nest Oil Company partnership
  • Listener questions:
    • Mike Happy Bauer
    • Uncle Rufus
  • Antti’s nicknames
  • Polar Bears
  • Advice for Antti’s younger self
  • Thoughts on the weather
 
 
Quotes from this episode:
 
“Surfing with handle this but Skateboarding might be in trouble."
“Have really mixed feeling about the olympics…. with parks and pipes, there’s not that much imagination that they use. There’s actually not the all of the best snowboarders in the world there since each country can only have the top four.”
“Started in final and I only wanted to ride halfpipe… and the only way to get out (of Finland) was to do the FIS contests.”
“At the end of the day, I just want to snowboard.”
“Sponsors really need to find a way to promote their stuff at the olympics."
“You have to put tape over your helmet because there’s a graphic (while competing in the olympics.”
“There’s always been major issues between snowboarding and the FIS… They ran the contests that I was doing really well… But it’s really bad when it comet to the the Olympics - they’re not using the top level guys to do build the pipe.”
“When the riders show up for a competitor like this - you need to have everything ready for them…. The weather should be the only thing that could affect the course.”
“US Open and the LaaX Open are made by snowboarders for snowboarders and you can tell.”
“Surfing already has a very established tour, the World Surf League… It just seems that it’s very clear in surfing - how they want to do things. I don’t think that people will give so much respect to the olympic winner.”
“I look up to how things are done in the World Surf League. It’s the most interesting tour in the worlds to me right now. You have no idea who is going to win because every wave is different.”
“They forgot about what’s super important in snowboarding - it’s the grassroots. There needs to be contests that are not so serious all the time.”
“I was living in this bubble that was like - I’m doing competions every weekend and doing good… Then you come out and you just want to snowboard with your friends.”
“You didn’t start snowboarding for a medal or a video part or even to become a professional. I think you started snowboarding because you really really enjoyed being on that board and making turns.”
“If you really want to get good at riding powder lines you have to put everything else aside.”
“I was riding for Flow and they didn’t like the idea of me focusing on videos and not contests…. I rode for flow sense I was 14 years old.”
“The guys were telling me, that’s no good (about Flow bindings), but I was like they are my sponsor.”
“If you really like something a lot and you put a lot of time in it you will be able to do something with it.”
“Learning tricks for me was really hard at first.”
“Learning how to really turn your snowboard is probably the best trick that you’ll ever learn….”
“You can’t hurry nature, weather comes when it comes.”
 

Right Click here to download the episode:

 

Want to help the podcast grow? Just click the banner ad below before shopping on Amazon and the podcast will receive a small commission from your purchases at no cost to you. Thanks in advance -Nate

Direct download: Antti_Autti_Episode__44.mp3
Category:Outdoor -- posted at: 11:09pm EDT

Episode 42
 
We know these are a little out of order, but Nate is dyslexic so cut him a break!
 
Nate and AJ connected with Nima via Skype to discuss Nima's recent allergic reaction to a Vitamin C supplement. They also discuss Nima's businesses, investments, work ethic, golf, surfing, snowboarding, diet and more. 
 
Sorry but Skype was a bitch on this one - it dropped the call many times. I was able to clean most of it up in post, but there are some glitches as an FYI.  
 
Quotes: 
“My arms felt like they were boring and there were hives everywhere.” 
“I’ve always wanted to own a bar."
“When I was young, I never got hangovers - I used to think that was a thing that people said to sound cool or something.” 
“I feel like the only thing that fix a hangover is exercise - like surfing of something.” 
“You’re only there for a short window - you don’t want to waste your sponsors money because you partied too hard."
“You’re gonna be 35 one day and your body is going to slow down.” 
“We looked for what would seem to be the least amount of competition and what we could get all of our friends on.”  
“I’d say that I’m probably better than Mike and Lance (at golf)?” 
“Golf is probably the hardest thing I do.” 
“Surfing’s probably the most realistic thing to do as you get older.” 
“For me, I feel like I alway have to be busy… When I do have downtime, I like to go surfing or skating or snowboarding.” 
“I feel like so much cool shit was coming out of the surf zone (at Agenda)"
“I just have a used random shortboard… I’m just gonna surf that until I get good enough to notice a difference.”  
“I barely graduated high school - I went to continuation school because of snowboarding.” 
“Howl was not selling direct, but next week when we launch our bag line and welcome Eric Ellington to the team - we will start selling direct.” 
“My perspective has now changed,  feel like it’s ok to sell to direct now.” 
“I don’t really buy anything - I’m not a shopper.” 
“I don’t really like to own much… I don’t need to own excess shit.” 
“I grew up skating, but I fell in love with snowboarding on a way different level.” 
“Snowboarding is such a nostalgic feeling it makes me feel like a kid again - there’s a feeling that you get from it I don’t get from skating or snowboarding.” 
“I don’t ride in denim anymore, cause now they make snowboard pants that fit a little more proper.” 
“We were so heavily influenced by skateboarding and music and then your sponsor sends bright yellow cargo pants… For me, it made more since to just cut some jeans at the bottom and wear em.” 
“If you do anything a lot - all day every day - you’re going to get better at it.” 
“I went full vegan for six or seven years and then I went raw vegan for six months - I’m surprised that I made it that long.” 
“My body just started to crave rice and heartier foods."
“Now I’ll even eat meat like once or twice a month - I still eat about 80% vegan.” 
“I’m not a vegan anymore, but I’m not offended by it.” 
“I remember sitting there eating my first steak in like 10 years, it was weird, I took a bite and I liked it.” 
“When I was vegan I wasn’t like hey I’m Nima, I’m vegan.” 
“When I ate a piece of fish for the first time in a long time, it felt so good, it was like that was what I needed.” 
Direct download: Nima_Jalali_EP_42.mp3
Category:Outdoor -- posted at: 11:26am EDT

Chad Otterstrom | Hard Boots | Dogs | Van Life | Primal Diet | Photography | Following your passion

Episode #43

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For this episode, by buddy Paul (from the Todd Richards episode) joined me in my basement AKA TNSP HQ - we connected with AJ and Chad over Skype. Paul used to ride with Chad in the 90's - they kick the episode off discussing the good ole days.

Cover photo shot by Chip Proulx 

Topics we discuss:

  • King Pin & Wild Duck days  
  • Chad’s dogs Calloway and Chopper 
    Calloway & Chopper - Love over Money.
    Calloway & Chopper - Love over Money.
  • Instagram - Follow Chad here: @chadotterstrom
  • Photography - Peep Chad's professional photography website: www.chadotterstromphoto.com
  • Chad’s nickname 
  • Hard Booting
  • Paying attention to the minor details of Chad's set-up 
  • Moving from Minnesota to Colorado 
  • Working at Walmart to ride 
  • Crews
  • Summit County
  • First chair at Loveland 
  • Van life
  • Driving the Pacific Coast Highway
  • Splitboarding 
  • Bivy sack camping
  • Head tents
  • Buy Chad’s $700 North Face Tent 
  • Following your passion 
  • The dirt own Connor Manning 
  • Judging X-Games
  • How Chad got into coaching
  • Solo missions
    4wd Safari Van Life
    4wd Safari Van Life
  • Coyotes 
  • Living in Colorado
  • Legal weed
  • Avalanches 
  • Loveland pass
  • Snowboarding in India
  • Chad’s favorite cheeseburger 
  • Chad’s primal diet 
  • Turning 40 
  • Paul’s rollerskating 40th b-day 
  • Forty kick-flips for 40
  • Chad’s snowboard video archive 
  • Army of Darkness (AOD crew) and the Hell Cats crew
  • Bluebird Snowboards (Smokin & Marty)
  • The two year curse 
  • Making snowboard movies
  • Performance enhancing drugs 
  • Legal weed
  • The rumor mill
  • Listener questions
  • Golfing or lack thereof
 
Quotes from the episode:
 
"So my friends started calling me Chopper."
"Turns out that it’s actually more fun than soft boots (hard boots)." 
"It’s fun to go do a 360 in hard boots."
"I did the Damian flip with my hardboots - I call it the iguana flip." 
"Back then you could work at Walmart and make enough to live up here." 
"Working at Walmart is better than working the lift."
"Last year we had to stand in line for four days (to get first chair at Loveland)." 
"I run a straight Safari van, I just took the back seats out and put in a bed… Basically I did it because of my dogs - it’s hard to get rooms with dogs."
"The van’s good for splitboarding, you can just sleep at the trailhead and get going first thing in the morning." 
"I don’t need a $700 tent."
"I like to hike mountains to take photos."
"I take care of my dogs…I’m a part time photographer, part time snowboarder, part time judge, part time snowboard coach - I live in Breckenridge is what I do."
"People would ask what I’d do when I was done snowboarding - duh you’re like, I’m gonna snowboard."
"All of sudden you're forty and you’ve only got five friends left in town."
"Most snowboard coaches feel like the end all is getting a gold medal in the Olympics, but for me it’s like the beginning… like free riding you know?"
"I always sleep with  knife on me - one of these nights I’m gonna have to take on ten coyotes."
"…especially in Colorado you’re swimming with sharks all the time (in regards to snowpack safety)."
"There’s so many people moving here not that weed is legal - I call them trimagrints."
"That’s kinda like feeling like a ghost… That morning I heard that five people died on Loveland Pass."
"I’m itching for next season."
"You got to Breckenridge and they’re selling $18 cheeseburgers all day."
"My Primal diet is 100% to beat skiers (up the skin track)."
"Chairlifts really hurt my feelings - I don’t ride em unless it’s a perfect powder day."
"We were a bunch of diggers at Hood in 98… And then we wear the Hellcats - I was shredding with Devon, he was like we’re the Wildcats.. I went home and I was like guys we can’t be the Hellcats - that's not gonna work."
“I live in Breckenridge which is the Red Bull donkey stamp town of the world.”
“Don’t put me on the team and give me a paycheck - or you’ll be out of business in two years.”
"When you get to the Fourth Phase level, that’s when your brain explodes and I don’t think I want to do that.”
“At forty years old I’m a better snowboarder now than I’ve ever been and skateboarder - for sure.”
As mentioned - things got weird on Paul's 40th. Rollerskates, Leotards, Diapers and Coors Light.
As mentioned - things got weird on Paul's 40th. Rollerskates, Leotards, Diapers and Coors Light.
"I live on the highest road in the country and I don’t smoke weed.”
“If I could snowboard for the rest of my life, I’d do that…. But, I’d probably say photography.”
“I haven’t golfed in three years, but I’ve saved a ton of money because of that.”
“Never quitting is such a big thing…. Powder is the answer in the end."

 

Want to help the podcast grow? Just click the banner ad below before shopping on Amazon and the podcast will receive a small commission from your purchases at no cost to you. Thanks in advance -Nate

Direct download: ChadOtterstrom.mp3
Category:Outdoor -- posted at: 8:05pm EDT

Pierre Wikberg | Filming | Politics & Religion | #Skatetourism | Focus

This episode Nate and AJ Skype in with Pierre Wikberg shortly after a fire in his NYC apartment building is extinguished. We discuss Pierre's career behind the lens filming and editing many of the best snowboarding videos ever made Ie - Lame, Afterlame, Afterbang, the D.C. Mtn. Lab and many others. We also get the story behind his footage of Ingemar Backman's historic backside air. Then the discussion takes a turn into deeper waters - we discuss Pierre's Atheism and political leanings.

We touch on the following topics:

Fire in Pierre’s building! 
Moving to NYC
Iphone filming
Video quality
Bobby Worrest
Skate tourism
Working with Ken Block
 
Santa Cruz Wheels of Fire and Powell’s Animal Chin 
Filming Ingmar Backman’s backside air (the shot heard around the snowboarding world)
Filming rally car driving
Transparency
Atheism
Politics
Donald Trump's face on Half Dome
Trump rides a scooter
Populism in social media
Brexit
Socialism in Sweden
The American Dream
Being a "Right Wing" Swede.
Chris Christie and New Jersey
Shane Pospisil
Election Fraud
Climate change discussions on Facebook
Death threats
Tumbler
Sitting at the window seat on a flight (Louis CK everything sucks video)
Focus versus multitasking
Cell Phone addiction
How songs from snowboard and skate videos influence musical preferences
Listener questions Matthew Yarboro, Uncle Roofus , Justin Majeczky
Snowboard/Skateboard song trivia
New Deal Useless Wooden Toys
Skate and snow nerdism
The cloud and video editing software.
VX and GL2’s
How to properly film with an iPhone - AKA stop vertical videos!
Social media etiquette
What advice would you give to your 18 year old self?
Photo hoarding
 

Quotes from this Episode:

"I film snowboarding with my Iphone all the time (now), but I just don’t go on paid trips to film triple corks." 
“I always think that content is everything.” 
“The internet killed my livelihood - it killed the dvd… But I welcome it with open arms."
“If you have a good GoPro or an Iphone and you have Bobby Worrest skating through NYC… That’s better (content) in my opinion.” 
“For people that have met Ken, know that he’s a charismatic and to some an intimidating person. I’ve only know him as a really fun guy who scored on a high school adventure that turned into a really successful business, but also a snowboard nerd." 
“When I clicked with Travis Parker… I was like, I get this guy.” 
"… And then the Natas part came on and I think I blacked out!” 
“I bought Ban This for $60.00… That was like two months income at the time!” 
“I actually filmed skateboarding before I saw a skate video… I wore out so many pause buttons!
“It was a pivotal moment in my life (filming Ingmar Backman’s backside air)."
“I’ll talk smack on NASCAR, but I’ll defend rally, because it’s probably the most complicated motor sport.” 
“Ken definitely likes to scare anyone (in the car with him).” 
"Todd Richards can’t sit in the car with him (Ken).” 
“I can’t even find the spark plugs on a car.” 
“We bought rubber bands for like $18,000.” 
“Riding through the house was one of the highlights.. Ken was just like why don’t you put some snow there and ride off of the deck?” 
“I think everyone is born an Atheist, I just stayed with that..It’s not even a topic in Sweden - because, like 90% of the population is Atheist.”  
“I think it’s dangerous, what is going on in the US and in Europe, with positions that are boing racist bigots." 
“If there’s 7 billion people on the planet - there’s less than 100 million that want Trump for president.” 
“The United States is so polarized. Bernie is a radical like Trump.” 
“Sweden is such a small country - you have the size of California with the population of Manhattan."
“There’s actually downsides to socialism, I’m actually a right wing Swede.”  
“Yes, it’s the land of opportunity, but it’s also the land of too many dreams that will never be fulfilled.”
“My girlfriend now my wife, had never seen a homeless person, because we don’t have that.”   
“When I’m Oregon, I feel like I’m in Sweden… I feel like I’m home.” 
“You know if you talk to vegan cause they’ll tell you in thirty seconds.” 
"I’ll watch earthlings and still go to Chipotle and get my barbacoa, but I know that I’m in the wrong.” 
“Forty percent of Americans don’t believe in evolution, I don’t believe in forty percent of Americans.” 
“There’s been like over a hundred versions of a virgin born person under a star with wise men… It’s mind blowing to me to be that ignorant to not see the pattern."
“I’m addicted to power on my phone…It’s the biggest first world problem.” 
“I have 20 to 100 tabs open at any given time.” 
“I can tell you what stance every riders is (regular or goofy) - never been wrong.” 
“I’m obviously against vertical videos on youtube…. It really really bums me out.” 
“My camera was my ticket to the world and to meet amazing people and I wouldn’t change a thing about it." 
Direct download: Episode_41_Pierre_Wikberg.mp3
Category:Outdoor -- posted at: 3:26pm EDT

Jason Borgstede | Blue & Gold AK | Limiting Beliefs | Poker | Marathon Wagers | Blood Clots

Nate and AJ traveled to Long Beach (well - AJ moved there) to record this episode with Jason in person.

This is episode was full of podcast firsts. This was the first podcast where all guests we're live in one location. We did a Facebook Live broadcast - until the phone battery died. And, this was, by far the longest podcast that we've ever recorded.

I considered breaking this episode up into two parts, but I could not find a good spot to make the break - the conversation is just too intertwined in my opinion. Please let us know your thoughts on the length of the episode - I know that Jason prefers listening to long-long form discussions, as do I.

We touch on the the following and much more:

Snowboarding & Skateboarding Nerdism
People in the hallway
Long Beach Agenda Trade Show
Austin Sports and Music Festival
Meeting your heros
Bitcoin
Brexit
Soccer
Craigslist casual encounters
Fallen Shoes and Jamie Thomas
Useless Wooden Toys
Anchorage Skatepark
Boarderline
Jessie Burtner
Mack Dawg
Blue & Gold AK
Fights as a kid
Baseball and growing up in California
Summer in Hawaii
First snowboard
Limiting beliefs
Dick Dragers
Parenting
Scootering is cool - drugs are bad
Game of Thrones
Longboarding
Pushing Mongo
Jay and Scott Liska
Gaining sponsorships and starting a career in snowboarding.
College or snowboarding?
Moving to Lake Tahoe and living in a mobile home with four or five other guys.
Mobile home fire by aroma therapy.
NOT going to strip clubs.
Thinking about becoming a parent.
Vaping.
Strait Edging.
Nate comes out of the closet to AJ and also tells him about falling off the wagon beer.
Hate Edge.
AJ’s Craigslist missed connections.
Bacteria brain connection
The Borgariel
Transitioning from snowboarding to poker.
Nice Gordon
The Big Blind
Gunshots in the backgorund
Wu-Tang financial
Running a marathon as a bet at 39 (Blog post insert)
Advice to Jason’s 18 year old self
Lane
Catching a heel edge on a culvert, breaking ribs and puncturing a lung
Best wife ever
Blood clots board graphic
 
“There’s something cool about seeing someone that’s made an impression on you.”
 
“I don’t follow soccer at all cause I’m American.” 
 
“You’ve to the big corpo brands - which, I really questions their love of the industry… believe in skateboarding, for skateboarders, by skateboarders."
 
“The whole reason that I decide to do a shop was to make our scene better.” 
 
“I’m trying to pay attention as much as possible and learn as much as possible as far as the business side.” 
 
“You have to develop the business and put processes in place - so the business can run while you’re not there.” 
 
“How do I get people to not shop at the mall? That’s a problem that I have to break down.” 
 
“When you start something because you love it - I don’t think that anyone else will ever love it as much as you do.” 
 
“I can’t live without skateboarding and snowboarding in my life.”  
 
“(As a kid) My initial reaction to confrontation was to punch in the face.” 
 
“I was blessed to have a family that was super supportive of everything.”  
 
“I broke my hand punching him in the jaw… That was right before baseball season was about to start.” 
 
“My first board ever was an Action Sport kamikaze.”  
 
“The nice thing about skateboarding is that it does not have any rules.” 
 
“All I thought was that I love this, I’m going to do this all of the time…. I just wanted to be the best that I can be. Being good is part of the fun of it.” 
 
“If I can’t continually figure out a way to somewhat progress than it gets difficult to stay interested in it."
 
“We can’t let ourselves become the jocks.” 
 
“Do you ever go to the mountain when when you’re snowboarding and say, this dude’s just here for the weekend, I hate him?” Why do we do that to longboarders” 
 
“Skaters need to understand that skating is yours in a different way that you think…When you throw a vibe to a kid at the park, think about that - this may be his first time at the park."
 
“All I care about is that when  kid comest to the shop is that their interaction with skateboarding and snowboarding is positive.”
 
“I’ve been strait edge my whole life… You feel immune to peer pressure. You don’t need someone else approval.” 
 
"Can I figure out how to get to that place that you get to with a drug - on my own?” 
 
“I just wanted to be a strong person… I wanted to beat the challenge. The glory comes in the pain and the strife of beating the challenge.” 
 
“Vaping’s easy - skating’s hard.” 
 
“I belive that if I did start drinking that I’d go off the deep end.” 
 
“Struggle through the uncomfortable of this and figure it out.” 
 
“Don’t fight being scared.” 
 
“This is part of being a loner kid, you sit in your room and you think about stuff.” 
 
“I went to Best Buy and bought a DVD on poker.” 
 
“The closer to the blinds you are the better your hands need to be.” 
 
“I did well enough the next day to get all that money back and a few bucks - I was hooked!”
 
“I’d wake up in the morning and my hands would not close from a holding a drill all day long. I was like I don’t want to do this - I don’t want this to be the next 20 years of my life.” 
 
“It (poker) was taking my mind off the fact that I was no longer getting paid to snowboard.” 
 
“Almost everybody will tell you that they win at poker.” 
 
“It’s super easy to play the game, it’s super hard to beat the game.” 
 
“Poker is the most stressful thing ever. It’s the only job that you can go to and end up owing people money.” 
 
“When you lose, you get pissed and that’s not good for the game.” 
 
“As we’ve seen in the past - I don’t really give a shit about what anyone thinks.” 
 
"You’re telling a story when you’re playing cards."
 
“The ones that you remember are the bad nights. I had a 1200 cheeseburger one night.” 
 
“Poker is not necessarily gambling, you’re not playing the house." 
 
“I don’t want to gamble - I want to have a positive expatiation.”  
 
“It was five and half hours and I couldn’t train (for the marathon)."
 
“Do I have to crawl to the finish? Until I drop dead, I would not quit on this bet.” 
 
“I wanted to say that I ran a marathon in my life.” 
 
“It was five hours of me getting to play in my brain.” 
 
“Try to step back and see a bigger picture.” 
 
“You never have to quit snowboarding - I can still go out and be the best that I can be.” 
 
“I would gladly put my life on the line to snowboard any day. If I’m gonna go… I’m going doing what I love doing.” 
 
 
“On our one year wedding anniversary - they wheel me into surgery.”
 
“All those years of snowboarding and a six foot fall on a little thing was the closest thing to taking me out.” 
Direct download: Jason_Borgstede_Episode_40_The_Not_Snowboarding_Podcast.mp3
Category:Outdoor -- posted at: 5:16pm EDT

Nate and AJ | Californication | Mike V | Chicken & Waffles | Surfing | Pokemon Go | Agenda

Episode #39

This episode is a recap of the recent trip that Nate took to to Cali to visit AJ, record an episode with Jason Borgstede and attend the Agenda trade show. 

We also want to ask the podcast audience to please take a moment (literally one minute) and complete the following survey asking what day of the week you'd most like to receive new episodes. It also asks about what future guest(s) you'd like us to have and there's a general feedback area. 

 

Please take a quick minute and complete the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/5JSBSLW

This episode covers the following topics:

Anonymous
Spotify - AJ discovers the podcasts that are on his computer. 
Reddit 
Mic levels off - sorry new mixer 
Chicken and Waffles 
Long Beach skate culture 
Mike V and Nate’s elbow Tattoo 
Scooters 
SUP & Skim Boarding 
LA Traffic 
Nate’s first UBER and Air B&B 
Pokemon Go 
Flappy Bird 
Augmented reality 
Virtual Reality Porn in Japan 
Parts and Labor VS. Agenda 
Pizza Slime and the internet meme culture 
Thule and AJ’s box 
Hillary Trump 
Pizzanista and vegan pizza 
Yoga 
Surfing and dick dragging at Sunset Beach. 
Three wave limit 
Obama’s weed habit
Nate gets fired 
Podcast schedule 
Episodes in the pipeline
Jason Borgstede 
Pierre Wilkberg
Bed Bugs 
Facebook live 
Kickstarter 
New left media 
Podcasts & going deep 
Matt Belair 
Mike Basich 
4chan & Btards 
Snowboarding 
Boreal and Lane Knanck 
What would AJ tell his 18 year old self? 
 
Quotes:
 
 
“I haven’t played it cause I know it will consume my life” -AJ on Pokemon Go 
“I’m a vagabond - NFA, no fixed address.” 
“Surfing is hard man.” 
“We were at a skatepark and the kids were calling him Thor and me Tony Hawks."
“I’m going to get it up tonight.” 
“Don’t ever show your face around here again.” 
 

 

Direct download: Nate_and_AJ_Episode_39.mp3
Category:Outdoor -- posted at: 11:51am EDT

Parts and Labor | Navy | Tradeshows | Trump | Craig Kelly | United Nightmare
Steven:
 
I don’t bring snowboarding up with someone that does not know snowboarding.
…(Craig Kelly) taking freestyle to the backcountry & riding powder, not being the coolest guy, with the coolest board sponsor...his path is the right path for every snowboarder to follow. 
Do I need to observe every internet sales holiday every week, or can I just mark everything down 20% and if it sells, it sells. 
If you want to increase participation in snowboarding - you just have to make snowboarding cooler. 
If you need the Navy to build a jump, just skip it. 
If you want to plug a light into the floor of the convention center, you’ll have to pay around $130...
It’s like you wore the most beautiful dress to the worst party. 
If you want to make money, snowboarding is probably the worst corner of the world to business in. 
As participants in the show, we have a different perspective….
If you look at the best thirty snowboard shops in the country - probably ten of them will be gone in a couple years...
We need to find the fastest way to weaponize the teen snowboarders. 
I never do anything on skateboard that’s awesome...
 
 
 
 
 
Joe: 
 
Doing Nightmare was a direct result of being confused at a shop and seeing all these brands look identical. 
Being part of SIA was a milestone moment for us. 
We can do this ourselves and be in control of the market for our own companies instead of trying to attach ourselves to this much bigger market...
People are just overproducing snowboards - the market is just flooded. 
The whole industry needs an enema.  
Snowboarding is not as big as everybody thinks it is. 
It’s so uninspiring for the snowboarder world - they didn’t want us there in the first place. We somehow got attached to a ski trade show. 
Thank you SIA - we paid thousands of dollars to hang out. 
It’s about transparency.
Its the same dates because we’re not asking people to take extra time out…. Just take a day and see what snowboarding is all about.
We don’t need a rollerblade brand being there or tennis rackets - it’s about people that are contributing to snowboarding 100%. 
This show is not booth oriented at all - its a gallery show… Everyone’s on the same playing field. 
The on-hill will be rad, it will be like no other snow demo - there will be convinece and luxury provided! 
We will not be having any porno hopping at Parts and Labor. 
Parts and Labor is going to address the real state of where our industry is - it is a tiny market. 
Lets do something where snowboarders invented it. 
 
Direct download: Parts_and_Labor_.mp3
Category:Outdoor -- posted at: 4:50pm EDT

Todd Canipe Vertical Urge TNSP 37

AJ Skypes in from Portland to chat with Todd Canipe and me. We delve deeply into the state of skate and snow retail. We also gain an understanding of which parts of Star Wars media are considered to be "Cannon" (official).

Stay up to date with Todd online:

Todd's Twitter: https://twitter.com/toddcanipe

Todd's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toddcanipe/

 

This episode covers the following topics:

  • Nate's dyslexia and how to pronounce Todd’s last name.
  • Trouble connecting on Skype - plus we had  5 drops during the call
  • Windstream communications and the new phone number at Vertical Urge
  • 42 years old
  • The Vertical Urge Origin story
  • Hanging insulation and repo
  • Skype drops
  • Grey Marketing
  • The golden age of skate snow retail
  • Talking in front of middle school career days
  • Skateboarding industry trends
  • Bike shops
  • Consumer loyalty
  • Scaling up and down
  • The new Vertical Urge
  • Investing in your brand
  • Vintage Snowboard Trader - VST BAY
  • POP marketing material
  • Star Wars
  • Todd's Star Wars Podcast
  • Ewok Movie
  • Star Wars continuity issues
  • Star Wars and Chill
  • Star Wars skateboards and snowboards
  • Board Retailers Association (BRA)
  • Sports Authority
  • Terminator X
  • Instagram businesses
  • Skate shop life

Quotes from Todd:

"I’m not going back to school - I’m actually going to stay and work in the surf shop.”
“I just kinda had a knack for commerce in general.”
“I always believed in what we were doing.”
“I didn’t mind eating ramen noodles and drinking cheap beer.”
“The education that I got…was well beyond anything that that I could have got from a book.”
“Anytime something gets bigger - it’s more work and you have to take it more seriously.”
“What’s always worked best for me is a hell of a work ethic and a passion for what you do. For me that’s always trumped having a diploma.”
"We’re talking 70 and 80 hour work weeks - it’s not a 30 hour a week job.”
“We have and still have one of the best skateboard teams around.”
“The industry is not as healthy as it used to be and it probably never will be.”
“Skateboard companies are cash poor - have been forever, even since the glory days.”
“We have to learn to evolve and do more with less - you can’t have 600 boards on the wall anymore.”
“The kid coming up is not as brand loyal and retailer loyal as the generation before them.”
“I was a skatepark owner for 10 years… we’re one of the only industries where your core consumer base expects you to not make any money.”
“I remember buying a complete in the 80’s, it was $150.00…. Our margins have not gotten better, but the manufacturers margins have.”
“I can’t remember the last time I had kid come through the door and ask for a specific pro deck.”
“2006-2011 everything hit on all cylinders for us it was overwhelming, but every facet of our business was doing incredibly well during that period."
“We were one of the really early online adopters - one of the first small shops to really go after it."
“We read books on Dreamweaver and Photoshop - we knew enough to customize it and make it look good.”
“We didn’t have an inventory management system that spoke to the store’s POS until 2011.”
“We wanted people in NY or CA to look at us like Dogfunk.”
“Some night’s I’d go home with the family, put the kids to bed, then work until 4:00 AM  and get up at 7:00 AM.”
“It’s much harder to scale down than is it to scale down - a lot more people will help you scale up.”
“Investing in your own brand is the most important thing that every retailer that’s going to be around in five years is going to have to do.”
“We want to sell the stuff that we would wear.”
“There’s not many reps anymore - there are a few really good reps left… The good ones are getting older."
“When the Supreme video came out - with-in weeks the way that kids looked changed.”
“The cool thing about VST bay is that you know that your product is going to a good home.”
“I got banned because I forgot to pull my auctions down (on VST bay).”
“I think for Start Wars fans - die hard Star Wars fans, it was a relief (the new movie).”
“I’ve never been to a Star Wars fetish party. Katrina and I are not in the cosplay scene.”
“I’m not afraid to tell it like it is and some people don’t really like that.”
“Let it go - that would be the best advice that I’d give myself. Don’t get so emotionally wrapped up in things that I can’t control.”
“If it’s your passion, take a chance. Be willing to sacrifice everything for that chance.Don’t be scared to jump off the cliff if you think you can make it work.”
Direct download: Todd_Canipe_Vertical_Urge_TNSP_37_.mp3
Category:Outdoor -- posted at: 7:59pm EDT

Matt Belair | Zen Athlete |The Meaning of Life | Transcending Snowboarding | Communicating with Squirrels & Butterflies
  • Custom Cult intro from Marty 
  • Being of Service
  • Burning man
  • Marketing
  • Zen Athlete - The Science to Achieving Your Highest Potential in Sport and Life
  • Zen Snowboarding
  • Guided visualizations and manifesting your own destiny
  • Martial Arts
  • Consciousness
  • Law of Attraction - The Secret
  • Wim Hoff
  • Breath work
  • Training in China with Shaolin Monks
  • The meaning of life
  • Clearing your mind
  • Self-worth
  • MMA
  • Enlightenment
  • How to be happy
  • Lucid dreaming
  • Ayahuasca
  • The analogy of Plato’s Cave
  • Bill Hicks
  • Propaganda
  • Roots of war and famine
  • The Snowboarding in the Olympics
  • Taming a squirrel
  • Travis Rice, Eddie Wall, Jamie Anderson

 

 

Quotes

 

“What I do is just try to be of service, openly and honestly.”

“No dummy, not networking - friendship.”

“I was always interested in mind power.”

“I know kids aren't going to read so I took the most important parts of the book and put them into video.”

“For me it wasn’t about getting a 9-5 job just to make money… I felt like I wanted to experience life.”

“Some people are made in different ways and I was just made curious.”

“For me the meaning of life is just to be alive, it’s to experience it ….”

“I want athletes to transcend sport.”

“Step one is clear your mind.”

“The sky is not the limit, your belief system is.”

“My life is my art - it’s the highest form of art.”

“You are not your thoughts.”

“What enlightenment is - realizing that you are the creator.  That the world isn’t happening to you, you’re happening to it.”

“Try NOT to imagine a purple elephant.”

“Wim Hoff is the karate of Pranayama .”

“I can have a full Ayahuasca experience just through breathing.”

“…going into the void with meditation takes you to a place where you are so humbled with the realization that you never had control to begin with.”

“I’ve done Ayahuasca seven times… if I meet someone that’s done Ayahuasca, I give them a hug. It humbles you.”

“I wanted to know why we still have war - why do we still have famine.” 

“Watch the Century of the Self with Edward Bernays.

“My big mission is to raise the consciousness of the planet.”

“Education is basically stolen intelligence.”

“Lets bring it down to the human level of let's be loving and kindness first, let's follow my bliss second and let's support everyone and everything around me as best of my ability.”

Direct download: Matt_Belair_Episode_36_Zen_Athlete.mp3
Category:Outdoor -- posted at: 11:14pm EDT

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