2009 Powder Video Awards and Reader Poll announce hosts and their online giveaway

LIVE WEBCAST THIS FRIDAY at www.POWDERAWARDS.com

The biggest night in the ski industry, the 2009 POWDER Video Awards and Reader Poll Presented by We Ski &Snowboard™, is only one day away. This Friday, January 23, the event will welcome a host of skiing's best and brightest stars to The Hotel Jerome in Aspen, Colorado for a unique night honoring the greatest ski performances, tricks, films, cinematography and images. Ensuring this will be a night like no other, hosts Chris "Uncle E" Ernst and Luke Van Valin will return to usher us through the mayhem. An exclusive sponsor prize pack giveaway featuring ski goodies has also just been announced, and entry is open to all.

"When we started this event nine years ago, there was usually a clear cut winner and three or four contenders," says POWDER Editor Derek Taylor. "These days, it's a struggle just to narrow down five nominees from the 30 or so movies that are released every year. The level of skiing, cinematography and film production this year is unprecedented."

Known for his way with words and often a silly hat, Uncle E has hosted the POWDER Awards for the past six years. A ski industry icon, Ernst has announced for events including Lord of the Boards, The Gambler, Mayhem with Moseley, and most notably, the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. He is also the on-air host for ESPN and ABC for all skiing events in the Winter X Games.

Luke Van Valin will again join Ernst as co-host. Considered one of the more well-rounded and stylish skiers, Van Valin's MC skills have also gained him notoriety in recent years. Bouncing from coast to coast, he can be found with mic in hand at all of the major freeskiing events.

An exclusive online giveaway features a selection of goods from the event sponsors including: a Wii console and We Ski and Snowboard game, K2 PBR skis, Helly Hansen Men's Ekolab™ Jacket, Helly Hansen Women's Zera Jacket and Aspen/Snowmass Lift Ticket. Go to the Powder Awards giveaway page to enter.

Coinciding with the Winter X Games, the POWDER Video Awards and Reader Poll presented by We Ski &Snowboard honors the top 10 male and top five female skiers of the year as voted on by the general public, and the year's top ski films and filmmakers as chosen by a POWDER-appointed expert panel. Considered the "Academy Awards" of skiing, guests include the biggest names in skiing, a bevy of professional athletes and industry heavy weights, as well as surprise guest presenters, celebrities and entertainers.

To catch all of the action LIVE from the 2009 POWDER Video Awards and Reader Poll Presented by We Ski &Snowboard, watch the webcast at www.powderawards.com beginning with red-carpet arrivals at 7:30 p.m. MST on Friday, Jan. 23, followed immediately by the Awards show beginning at 8:00 p.m. MST.

Watch for We Ski &Snowboard, a fun and exciting new winter sports experience developed by Namco Bandai Games for Nintendo Wii™, which will be available beginning in March 2009.

A brave new world?

Get yourself along to this..Rip Curl Rail Sessions

...Skullcandy are running the after-party and Dot Inc's Helgason Bros are riding. Looking forward to a cracking start of the ISPO week.

Rip Curl Rail Sessions presented by Renault: top riders at the start
Finest rail riding at Munich’s Theatron • After Show Party at the Club Ampere



At the Rip Curl Rail Sessions presented by Renault on the 2nd of February 2009, some of the best rail riders in the world will rip the Theatron at Munich’s Olympic Park. On two ten-meters rails, they will show tricks and moves you normally only spot in snowboard videos. The entrance to this spectacular contest that takes place during the Munich sports trade show ISPO is free. Snow-safety is ensured by a delivery from Austria’s Kitzsteinhorn: 70 cubic meters of snow will be brought from Salzburg County to Munich.

24 invited pro snowboarders will show their best rail tricks on the impressive ten-meters down rail and the ten-meters flat-down-flat rail that will be erected on the stairs of the Theatron amphitheatre. Under the floodlights of the Theatron and with the legendary buildings of the Olympic Park as an extraordinary backdrop, the spectators will experience riders like the young Icelanders Halldor and Eiki Helgason (ISL). The brothers have taken the snowboard world by storm with their progressive rail sliding and great video parts in movies like “Pony Tale” and “Notes”. They’ll meet the third of the Crans-Montana Champs Open 2007, Rip Curl rider Nils Arvidsson (SWE), and Louif Paradis (CAN), who is known from the Transworld video “These days“. Gulli Gudmundsson (ISL), Max Legend (CAN), Victor Delerue (FRA) from the Rip Curl team as well, and a surprise guest will complete the list of the seeded riders. The qualification will see starters like Alex Tank (GER) and Peter Koenig (AUT).

The best of the best will show their rail slides and 270s at the finals where they’ll fight for a € 10,000 prize-purse and wild cards for the TTR event Crans-Montana Champs Open from February 4th to 8th 2009 in Switzerland.

After the prize-giving at 10 pm, the party will continue at the Skullcandy ISPO Party at Munich’s Club Ampere/Muffatwerk where DJ Kid Sid will send riders and spectators into raptures.

The Rip Curl Rail Sessions by Renault are part of a series of four events. Les Deux Alpes/FRA, Modena/ITA and Lausanne/SUI were the other locations. These events offered rookie riders the possibility to gain contest experience and to qualify for the Crans-Montana Champs Open. The Munich edition is the last session of the series and a pure pro snowboard contest with a strict invitational character.



Key facts Rip Curl Rail Session Munich:

What: International snowboard rail contest
Where: Theatron, Olympic Park Munich, Germany
When: February 2nd 2009
Entrance: Free!
Prize purse: € 10,000 & Wildcards for the Crans Montana Champs Open by Rip Curl
Sponsors: Rip Curl, Renault, Kitzsteinhorn

Schedule:
04.30 pm Doors open
05.00 - 06.30 pm Qualifications session (90 minutes)
07.00 - 08.30 pm Main session (90 minutes)
08.30 - 09.00 pm DJ set with DJ Kid Sid (30 minutes)
09.00 - 09.45 pm Finals (45 minutes)
10.00 pm Prize-giving

After Show Party:
What: Skullcandy ISPO Party 2009
Where: Club Ampere at Muffatwerk (Zellstr. 4, Munich)
When: Monday, February 02nd 2009 at 10 pm
DJ: DJ Kid Sid

Seeded riders
Number Last Name First Name Nation Sponsor
1 Helgason Halldor ISL DC
2 Helgason Eiki ISL Rome
3 Arvidsson Nils SWE Rip Curl
4 Legend Max CAN Rome
5 Delerue Victor FRA Rip Curl
6 Gudmundsson Gulli ISL VANS
7 Paradis Louif USA Salomon
8 tba

Skullcandy Europe appoints KAOS for Pan-European Role

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 19.01.09

Skullcandy Europe has appointed action sports and music integrated agency KAOS following a four-way pitch. KAOS will be focused on Pan-European PR for core/action sports, music and lifestyle digital and press media. KAOS’ action sports marketing and creative resources were also a factor in the appointment.

‘KAOS provide us the perfect avenue to action sports and lifestyle media across Europe’ says Skullcandy Europe MD, Anders Håkansson. ‘We needed an agency that had affinity with Skullcandy and understood how to express our message credibly and effectively. They are emerging as one of the most forward thinking and creative agencies out there and we are excited about working together.’

Paul Knipe, KAOS Managing Director said; ‘Having Skullcandy as part of the KAOS family is a great buzz for the agency. It’s one of those brands with immediate appeal to those interested in action sports and pretty much anyone that cares how they look and the quality of their sound when listening to music. We’re all going to work really hard to help keep building Skullcandy and spread the stoke amongst their media partners and consumer audience.’

KAOS’ appointment commenced from January 2009, coinciding with preparations for the launch of the ’09 product line at ispo in Munich (1st – 4th February). Over the course of the next 8-10 months Skullcandy will roll out several new products and continue to unveil artist collaborations that notably included Metallica in 2008.

New board anyone?

NEW YORK — Like the artist and designer who inspired the new collection, Louis Vuitton is heading downtown for its new Stephen Sprouse collection.

This week, the company’s boutique on SoHo’s Greene Street will be transformed into a Sprouse destination in time for the collection’s arrival.

“SoHo is a special place for the entire launch of the Sprouse collection,” said Daniel Lalonde, Louis Vuitton North America president and chief executive officer. “It’s in the proximity of where Stephen Sprouse hung out, so we are going to give the entire store a Stephen Sprouse feel. It will have a lot of reminders of Stephen Sprouse. We will be giving it a new identity.”

For instance, the company is wrapping the store in vinyl and spray painting neon graffiti all over the facade. The window display will feature a 6-foot neon light installation in Sprouse’s Rose motif. The store’s interior, enhanced with black brick wall facing, will also be sprayed with the neon graffiti.

The collection will launch in its entirety at the SoHo boutique on Thursday. The complete worldwide launch will follow on Feb. 2, though the Rose pieces will be available at Louis Vuitton stores worldwide starting Friday.

For the launch, the luxury goods company is also creating two limited edition pieces, which will only be available at the SoHo location: a Stephen Sprouse graffiti skateboard replete with a hard case monogram skateboard trunk, and a Stephen Sprouse “Roses” T-shirt. The company hopes to sell three graffiti skateboards with trunks for $8,250 each, and 70 T-shirts for $250 each. “I don’t expect them to last very long,” Lalonde said. “By Friday, there probably won’t be any more left.”

Proceeds will benefit Free Arts NYC, which provides underserved children throughout New York City with special arts programs. Vuitton is also making an undisclosed donation to the Sprouse Estate, as well as the Stephen Sprouse Memorial Scholarship Fund at the National Academy for Design here.

Sprouse became known in the Eighties for his graffiti art and fashion designs. In 2001, Vuitton artistic director Marc Jacobs collaborated with Sprouse and created an instant must-have accessories collection with the Monogram Graffiti collection. Sprouse died in 2004, and Vuitton made its first donation to the fund in 2006 when Jacobs created a scarf in Sprouse’s honor, using one of the collaboration’s leopard prints.

Vuitton will honor the late artist with three events this Thursday. The night will kick off with cocktails at the Vuitton boutique on Greene Street, with a simultaneous event at nearby Deitch Projects’ Wooster Street Gallery for the opening of the “Rock on Mars” Sprouse retrospective. Afterwards, Vuitton and Jacobs will host a bash at the Bowery Ballroom, featuring a performance by Sprouse’s friend Debbie Harry, followed by DJ Jus Ske. The venue is expected to have a Sprouse feel, with a special graffiti-and-neon decor.

“It’s something new from Vuitton to start the year off,” Lalonde said of the collection. “The product, design, and expression are uplifting and rejuvenating. That’s the feel we try to provide for the evening and for the collection.”

KAOS takes to the world of dance

Enjoy

www.breathecostarica.com

Hey Guys,

A good friend of ours is running this really innovative event in Costa Rica that you should all check out and see if it's your kinda thing. see www.breathecostarica.com If the break at Santa Teresa is not enough to get you there, maybe a the Yoga sessions or music events is your your thing but there's plenty on offer this Feb.

Here's a brief intro....

Any Yoga master will tell you concentrated, deep breathing is the start of all
healing. For body, mind and soul, learning to breathe relieves stress, relaxes
the body, creating greater clarity of mind. At a time in our history where
complicated, inter related issues face us on a global scale, clarity of mind,
strength and conviction can be the difference between action or non-action.
Breathe is an organic concept that believes both the answers and solutions
to many of the world’s challenges are inclusive in nature. No single solution
will resolve all the issues. No single action is too small to make a difference.
The biggest issue we face is ignorance or the feeling of helplessness creating
an inertia or failure to act.
Breathe challenges people to leave their regular surroundings and to re-
immerse themselves with a living, breathing ecosystem. A week of isolation
from the market driven distractions of the modern Western world, it at-
tempts to increase awareness of today’s major issues, the individuals and
organizations working to address them.
Breathe promotes awareness through music, art, surfing, eco tours, yoga
sessions, horse tours, offshore fishing, beach combing, local food & culture,
workshops, documentary screenings and much more…
Pura Vida…