STEEZ MAGAZINE® – Snow, Skate, Culture

Granite Gorge kicks off the new year right – under the lights. Fireworks, bonfire and plenty of product for riders of all ages. 6-8pm.

Xmas Edit at Crotched Mountain from Devin Cutter on Vimeo.

Stop 2 of the So-Gnar Mighty Midwest Tour at Buck Hill started Saturday, December 17th. The temps were warm, the campers were stoked, and the park set up was insane thanks to the So-Gnar crew, Jason and his park crew who were building it until 4a.m the night before. First, the campers met inside the lodge to get a quick run-down of the camp and to meet up with their coaches. After that everyone rushed to the hill and were strapped in within seconds. The various groups took only a couple of warm up laps before heading to our irresistible private setup. After getting used to the setup and slowly starting to throw down and learn new tricks, it was time for the campers to refuel with the help of Evol Burritos. Lunch time allowed campers to talk about their day so far with others and relax their muscles they’ve been working so hard. After lunch and a couple of Red Bulls, the campers were anxious to get back out to our course. The rest of the day was spent in our private course aside from maybe a couple of rope/lift laps. The campers were used to the course by now and were learning new tricks along with throwing down hammers that no one even knew they could do. By the end of day 1, campers were exhausted from hiking all day but somehow still found energy to compete in the So-Gnar Shred Circuit Contest Series later that night. Luckily, they had a couple hours in-between to relax, eat, maybe even take a nap.

Coaches for stop 2 at Buck HIll included: Pat Milbery, Aaron Ezman, Austin Ezman, Jonas Michilot, Jordan Michilot, Josh Tranby, Louie Arrigoni, Alex Miller, Casey Rodriguez and Joe Mertes.
Thanks to all the good energy and effort from the campers, the Red Bull MXT entertaining us, and the beautiful weather from mother nature for making Day 1 of the Buck Hill stop such a fun day. Check out these awesome pictures taken by Ryan Taylor. Next stop Granite Peak, December 26th and 27th, click here to register.

STZ.edits (SPY Super Session @ ATP) from Quint Noble on Vimeo.

Say hello to sweet satisfaction. SNAP Infusion, the world’s first Supercandy has arrived. It’s candy that’s good for you – packed with tons of electrolytes and B vitamins to get you moving, whether you’re skating, snowboarding, or waking up from a rough night of partying. There’s no high-fructose corn syrup and no empty calories to hold you back from accomplishing great things.
I spoke with CEO Eric Stoll, of Andover, MA, to get the low-down on the “better for you” gummy, tart, caramel and bean candies.

What’s the difference between eating a pack of SNAP Infusion Supercandy and eating some of my favorite candies like Snickers and Starbursts?
I’m a skier and a snowboarder and the last thing you want is to have a sugar crash on the mountain. That’s why we use natural sugars because your body can naturally digest them and you don’t get that crash. SNAP also has about half the calories of a normal candy bar.

So, you’re saying SUPERCANDY will satisfy a sweet tooth, and it’s a health food?
We’re not claiming to be an apple, but we’re far from junk food. It’s hard to get this product to taste good. SNAP is loaded with B-vitamins that work with the natural sugars. It has Vitamins E and C for hydration. In fact, one pack of SNAP has around 30% of the daily value of vitamins and electrolytes.

You’re the mastermind behind SNAP, what inspired its creation?
I always looked at this brand as a fusion between Nike and Willy Wonka. I used to go on these long biking treks with colleagues and eventually I would become carb deprived and have a sugar crash. I noticed there were only two options at sports stores – candy, or all this performance enhancing stuff that doesn’t taste too good. You really didn’t have that mainstream brand where you had that good taste and it’s good for you. Being in that marketplace is where SNAP came about. It’s about instant gratification, it’s a candy-like formation infused with health benefits.
So, what inspired me? I’m an athlete and an artist. I looked at the candy as a palette and I fused things two things I loved – candy and eating healthy.

There’s five varieties to choose from – Mel (short for caramel), Tart, Gummy, Bean and Gum. That’s a wide variety – any particular reason?
That’s the Nike side of me. It’s really beautiful the way they do they’re merchandising. Everything fits together and there’s always something for everyone. We’re a healthy lifestyle company for generation next. I wanted to go natural and feel like we wouldn’t have to sit in a Whole Foods.

Which variety do you like to snack on?
Tart is my favorite. It has a tangy taste but it’s more candy-like than Flintstone Vitamins.
I’ve gone out and played two and a half hours of tennis after a bag of Tart, and I felt awesome! It was an epiphany for me. I started realizing how my diet really affects my life. I used to drink a Red Bull before going to the gym. Now, I’ll have any SNAP candy before I train or workout. I eat it as a snack while I’m at work. Finally, I’ve yet to have it during the winter, but it will be in my ski jacket all season long as I ski the East Coast powder and moguls.

You said SNAP stands for that instant gratification. It’s active and action oriented. What’s SUPERCANDY doing now?
We want to start sponsoring a few semi-pro female snowboarders that have reached out to SNAP. I love the culture, and the brand is so unisex. Nobody’s going to stop eating candy. But SUPERCANDY is a new category, bringing a little attitude to a natural brand. I love the Willy Wonka side of SNAP and having that personality come through in our candies.

Are you creating more flavors and varieties?
Yes, we have a great team that is working developing a few new flavors.

Can I get a taste of what’s coming?
Nope. I’d love to tell you, but we’re pretty early in the production process. First, we’d like to solidify SNAP Infusion as it stands today and be recognized as a brand. There isn’t anything else like SNAP out there right now.

That’s right, SUPERCANDY! Where can I grab a pack?
We have a store locator on the website. Right now, we’re selling at Eastern Boarder, gyms around the region, natural food markets in New York, and few ski mountains have picked us up as well.

Interviewed By: Sydney Lindberg

Straight out of the middle of nowhere, Millstone NJ, is an up & coming skater who is doing things right. Getting stoked on his buddies skating and rolling strong after tearing his ACL twice, Arjun Shah took the time to answer a few questions about his experience skating in Jersey and that gnarly Thrasher tattoo he’s rocking.

So what’s it like growing up skating in Jersey? Do you feel all the spots are really as bad as everyone says they are?
I mean for the most part I skated a lot of parks when I was younger. But the spots are definitely sick in Jersey. Everything’s haggard but that’s what makes it unique. Not everyone can deal with our spots, but we can deal with anything.

Of all those haggard spots where’s your favorite local spot?
I don’t have really one specific spot, but Trenton has the best spots around here. I live in Millstone, and that’s farmland country. So I have to travel to skate anything good, streetwise.

Millstone is the middle of nowhere man, How did you end up getting involved in skating?
I was around 11 and these two kids I went to middle school with were skating outside the gym one day after school when I had basketball practice. I skipped out for a second and asked one of them if I could ride their board. They let me and I rode it to a curb and tried to ollie off it. I just jumped in the air and the board stayed on the curb. I haven’t been able to put it down since.

That’s the way it should be! What happened to your knee? I heard you’re like back from the dead or something…
I tore my ACL in my right knee twice, recently, it was like one after the other. Once in June of 2008 and again in 2010. I was out for so long after the first tear, lost a bunch of sponsors, and had to start all over again. Right when I was getting back into the swing of things it tore again. The second time my doctor did this blood infusion so it would speed up the healing process and make it stronger. Hopefully it worked this time, so far so good you know?

I hope so man, does that relate to this “Pro Shop” curse I’m always hearing about?
(Laughs) Yeah that’s just a little joke we have going on. The date of my first ACL tear is June 11, 2008. On June 11, 2010 my good buddy Chris tore his ACL. He rides for Pro Shop too, and we just don’t skate on June 11th anymore. No real curse, just weird sh*t man.

Who are your biggest influences? Who gets you the most stoked to go skate?
Oh man, there’s so many good skaters that get me hyped, but I’d rather get hyped off my friends than watching some video part. I love it when everyone I skate with just feeds off each other and pushes each other. That’s the best.

You can always count on the homies to get you stoked. What are you looking forward to in skateboarding?
I’m really looking forward to Skatenugg. It’s my friends company he’s starting up but he’s definitely going about it the right way trying to get all the legal stuff done and do it proper. Unlike most new companies that just make shirts and try to sell them; he’s trying to make everything legit, so I’m hyped on that. Especially since he lives in Jersey. I’m also looking forward to Nick Merlino’s part in the Foundation Video. Nick has been a long time homie and also rides for RPM.

That’s rad, we need more companies that are doing things for real, who’s currently sponsoring you?
Pro Skateboard Shop, RPM, Skatenugg, and DC Shoes (flow).

That’s a sick Thrasher tattoo on your arm, what’s the deal with that?
Ah, Dude no real cool story behind it, I’m just gunna go with Thrasher is sick and it was a dare. (laughs)

Did you put the “666″ in the forehead of the skate-goat?
Yeah. (laughs) It came out sick. But that doesn’t mean I worship the devil or anything. Sometimes people get freaked out and think that when they see the Thrasher tat. But really, come on..Its just a tattoo (laughs)

Everyone takes everything way too seriously. Who’s the most underrated skater you’re stoked on right now?
James Pitonyak out of Hamilton, NJ. For real, he’s so good and gets no credit.

Anyone you would like to thank?
My family, Bob Losito, Bob Taurosa, Kym Nadonely, Ronnie Flash Gordon, everyone that I skate with, Princeton Orthopedic Association, Dan Eskes, Brian Grande and Kevin Gomez, Rob Antonucci, and Slayer.

By: Frankie Lopes

On December 10th, 2011 the 6th annual Mighty Midwest Snowboard Camp Tour kicked off at Echo Mountain. With a great park set up, good vibes, stoked campers, and our rad coaches, camp started off perfect! The first day of camp everyone met their coaches and split up into groups of all ability levels then headed out to the hill. After taking a warm-up lap, the campers started small but throughout the day learned more and went bigger. While the coaches held it down outside, Andrew, Damon, and Katie held down registration and the So-Gnar merch booth inside. At around noon, Chris from Evol Burritos showed up with lunch to refuel all the campers and coaches. Right after lunch many campers headed over to our very own park for the first time to explore all of our colorful features. The rest of the day was spent mostly in our park with many campers trying new things and progressing at an incredible rate.
On day 2, everyone met in the lodge around 9:15 and geared up for another day of learning and fun. Some groups combined allowing campers to work with a larger variety of coaches. Campers focused on really getting the tricks they wanted to learn down and put in extreme effort even though they were a little tired. As the day went on campers learned more and more progressing faster than most people do in a month! Evol burritos showed up again right when everyone was getting hungry. The campers chowed down and we even had a fun, hands-free, burrito eating contest between camper Andre, Coach Aaron, and the one and only Rat. When all the excitement ended, campers headed out again to start our fun, jam style, progression session. With good atmosphere, campers were giving it their all and even learning new tricks 1st or 2nd try! Campers were stoked because right after, awards started. Thanks to our awesome sponsors, we had enough prizes for everyone so no one was left out. As awards ended every camper packed up with a smile on their face. Many goodbyes were givin’ as the campers wished the camp hadn’t ended just yet.
Our first stop at Echo Mountain was a huge success. Thanks to all the parents, campers, Echo, our sponsors, coaches, and everyone who helped out for making it such an awesome stop. Be sure to come back next year or if you really can’t get enough, we have another stop at Winter Park in January. See you all on the mountain!
-Aaron

Whether he’s making beats for “Quim-Time” or skating the streets of New York, Quim Cardona is still showing the true blood of the East Coast skate community. Although the days of Eastern Exposure are over, Quim has kept himself involved in skateboarding as much as any other legend has. Smiling on the companies who helped him to the top and keeping a watchful eye on those still on the rise.
Quim grew up skating in an era that almost seems prehistoric to kids today. Quim stated, “If we wanted to film each other we would have to go rent a VHS camera and take turns with it. We were lucky if someone’s older brother would drive us around from spot to spot.”
Quim’s trip to California in 1994 to visit Matt Fields in San Francisco gave him the exposure to Real Skateboards that turned him pro at such a young age.
“We skated with Tommy G and Jim Thebo at Wallenberg and we just busted ya know? They started sending us boards when we got home and by ‘96 in my senior year of high school I turned pro, it all happened so fast.”
“Kids have to learn that skating isn’t about being in one place, it’s about going to different parts of the city. Take your whole crew and hop on a train and find something new to skate.” Quim’s roots lie deep within New York City; the never-ending search for untouched skate spots is his past time. “When people go to skate spots, they go to spots they see other skaters doing tricks on, but us, we’re looking for spots that no one else has ever found. To this day, there are still spots that no one has found, that’s what I’m out looking for.”
Finding spots isn’t the only thing that keeps Quim busy, being the brand manager of his up and coming accessory company “Ministaz” keeps his hands more than full. Producing high quality headphones and making positive tunes to skate to has become Quim’s top priority. “I’m making conscious music, I don’t talk about drugs or anything like that. I understand everyone has their grind but I’m focusing on making the kind of music that will keep people motivated to skate. For the past 10 years I’ve been keeping my music to myself and cultivating it and I’m finally ready to share it”
Check out ministaz.com and show some support for our local legend. Snag a pair of Ministaz headphones and download a few positive tunes to skate to. Take Quims’ advice; “Grab your crew, hop a few trains and find a new place to skate!”
By: Frankie Lopes

Launch states it is based on quality, not quantity. How long was Launch around as an idea before becoming reality? How many people had to come together to form Launch snowboards?
It’s been an idea that has been in R&D since 2004. We really took our time to make sure we were making quality product that included the right shapes and flex patterns. We attended SIA for the buying season of 09/10, so you can see how much time we put into developing our products before they became available to the public.
We have a lot of people who have helped in the growth of the brand: everyone in-house including our sales manager, all our great reps on the road hitting up the shops, our distributors worldwide, team riders, and our community of artists. They all deserve a lot of thanks for their contributions.

Were there specific aspects of the actual snowboard you wanted to improve (whether through personal experience or other rider’s input/general consensus in the community)?
Thinking about it now, there is probably a lot that I wanted to improve besides the physical products we produce. Having ridden for a lot of different brands as a pro rider, you realize the strengths and weaknesses of the brands. So the weaknesses of brands and the missed opportunities really drove me to start Launch, basically out of frustration.
Our experience with the frustrations of the shortcomings of other brands taught us that it is important to listen to what your team riders, retailers and consumers are looking for and need. We really do focus on the needs of the snowboard community and tailor our products to the input and suggestions we receive all the time. That’s a priority and what we think sets us apart.

How much has Launch grown since its start in 2004? Where is HQ?
The brand and especially the brand awareness has grown a lot – more than we could have hoped. After deciding to bring the brand out in the 09/10 season, we went international practically overnight. We had offices in PA and Tahoe but we are moving our east coast office to NJ and looking to get our west coast office down in SoCal, somewhere between San Diego and LA.

Do what you love, love what you do. Does Launch ever feel like work? Do co-workers feel like friends? Is it all business in the workplace, or does the snowboarder mentality come out?
Honestly, it really doesn’t feel like work at all. I know that is rare for someone to say, but I love snowboarding and board sports in general, so it will never feel like work. It really feels like one big family here; we all have each others’ backs and we are all super supportive of one another. Probably the best way to put it when it comes to the business aspect is to work hard and play harder. So we all work really hard in order to spend a ton of time on snow.

Was it tougher to get Launch started, or maintaining the success you have now and finding more places to grow the company? Are you still looking to grow the company size-wise (geography, product lines, product depth)?
I think every company is tough to start in some way – which is probably the reason most people are afraid to start a company. I knew we had something that people wanted though, so we pushed hard to make it happen. The toughest part was the world’s economy collapsing and all the effects it had as a result.
We are growing in leaps and bounds; we are constantly getting more opportunities to grow. It is sometimes tough to keep up with the demand of the growth. We are definitely going to keep growing where there is demand whether it be geographically, in product line or product depth. We are very excited about our future product development. We have received some great feedback on our new offerings from shops and distributors who have seen previews.

How have the musicians and artists associated with Launch help shape the company’s goals? What prompted getting involved in those areas?
Music and art are intertwined with action sports, so it is basically a no-brainer for us to work with musicians and artists. Every snowboarder wants a killer graphic on his or her board and we all shred to some type of music when we ride. We are very stoked on the support that those communities have given to us. It is important to give them more exposure as well whenever we have the opportunity to do so. The amount of submissions we get from musicians and artists is insane.
We are working on some bigger things in those communities and you can definitely expect some showcases and events to come in the near future that will include artists and musicians alongside our athletes.

You’ve made a positive impact through charities. Care to speak on them at all?
I think it is just really important to give back any way you can. It doesn’t matter how, as long as you can help make someone’s day, or even their life, better. We are even in the process of starting a charity, just finding the key players to grow it and manage the day to day.

Is there anything in the near future you are excited to be participating in, or a place you are traveling to, or something you’re releasing from the company?
Every day we have exciting things going on. Off the top of my head, we are always excited to be involved with the 3rd Rail Jam. That is a great tour for up-and-coming riders. We are all going to be doing a lot of traveling worldwide, too soon to say what our favorite place will be, but we’re excited to take the brand to new spots and reach out to new groups of riders.
We are working on a binding right now that we are super stoked on. It will be released at this year’s SIA and in stores Fall 2012. We have had some really solid feedback on that and we are looking forward to seeing how the snowboard community takes to it.

You created a successful company in something you enjoy doing anyway. If there was anything you could make reality, whether it’s something you get to do and experience, something you change in the world, some awesome product you want in your life now, what might it be?
Wow, that is a pretty in-depth question. I always had the philosophy to “do what you love, love what you do.” And that is exactly what Launch is. It is always so awesome to see people riding our boards or people trying them for the first time and falling in love with them and all the positive feedback we get.
If I could change anything in the world, it would probably be to let everyone know they can Realize their Dreams. Too many people are afraid or feel that they can’t do something. If I listened to all the negative people and haters that claimed Launch couldn’t be created, no one would know about us. Just go for it – you only live once and no one gets out of here alive. If you have something you want to accomplish, do it, and don’t listen to people who say no.

What’s the best way to keep up on what Launch is doing?
Our website which is LaunchSnowboards.com and you can follow us on our Facebook page and Twitter.

Interviewee: Jon Callahan
Interview by: Taylor Kendall

UNH kicks off the winter season with an on campus rail jam! Rail Jelly Rail Jam is goin down tonight at Boulder field. $5 gets you in the comp (UNH students), open to skiers and snowboarders, and all proceeds benefit Boarding for Breast Cancer. Prizes and more, check it!

Tuesday, November 29th, the So-Gnar crew got the chance to head up to Copper Mountain and check out their pre-season park. After working with Woodward on weekly events throughout the summer camp sessions, we were stoked to see all the new changes they were working on for the park set-up this season. Woodward @ Copper is really stepping up their game this season, the jumps rode really well and the jib set-ups are fun as well. We even got the chance to get barreled from some early season pow slashes with the available pockets of snow on the open runs. Check out the So-Gnar Mural we painted up this summer at the resort, it is located in the Woodward Cage, stop on in and see hello to Kevin holding it down, he’s awesome! We compiled a recap of the So-Gnar crew shred day with pictures taken by Jeff Nass. Thanks for the awesome pics man and thanks goes out to Ben Brown for helping us have some fun at the resort…