Chile MegaPost 1

Well I got to finally do some good summer snowboarding this summer. Unlike my usual routine of spending almost everyday in hot weather on a fire line digging all day. Lucky for me I was able to get a little bit of both and cut fire season off a little early and come down here to Chile. Myself (Kyle Miller) and Shane Stalling got down here about 10 days ago and have pretty much loved every minute of it. I flew down here by myself which went pretty well for not speaking much Spanish at all, very shortly after I got down here I met up with Shane and a few other buddies he had came with. We were able to get a pretty good deal on a rental car and headed up to a small town in the mountains called Farellones. The road from Santiago to Farellones is crazy, the gnarliest switchbacks, insane drivers and lots of stray dogs to dodge. Our first day at Valle Navado was insane. We drove up the day before in pretty heavy fog and couldn’t see much at all. The next morning we woke up to blue skies, completely surrounded in snow covered peaks and about 10 inches of fresh at Valle. I was speechless to say the least. We spent our first week in Farellones riding Valle Navado with breaks of near by lines and jumps. I have not done any real international travel so just being in another country like this is a lot of fun. I take pictures constantly. The food here is pretty tasty, it’s not a lot different than food in the states but you’ll find some pretty wild stuff here and there. The first trip to the grocery store was pretty eventful for me. The wine is very cheap in Chile so that has been our primary beverage, that and Emergen-C. We caught some bad weather for a bit after our arrival that brought down a bunch of rain in the lower parts of the mountains. There was so much water running down the mountains a pretty massive landslide let loose. A few houses were hit by it and the report said two people were killed. It took them a few days to get the road all cleared off. Boulders the size of cars were moved from this slide. It was crazy to see the aftermath. We just arrived in a small town outside of Chillan called Las Trancas after spending a few days running around Santiago. Santiago is fun place. I was really stoked on the street venders, bought some neat stuff. Stumbled upon a zoo while skating around the streets, also pretty jazzed about that. We spent our first day up here hiking around the resort of Navado de Chillan doing some little gaps and mini shred features. The mountain has a not so pleasant scent due to the hot springs, but the boarding is good. I think I hear it raining outside now, hope it’s snowing up higher. More Chile boarding adventures coming soon.


Leo


Sunrise coming into Santiago


Mountains for days


Yeah...not to bad here


Powder snow


First jump in 5 months... hope I still got it

Air time


Shane high speed boarding


Shane doing what he does best


Bet you 5 bucks to climb that wood pole


Big ol' chunk of meat


The essentials


Mr. Crab


Rental car in Chillan


Touched a monkey


Valle Navado


Pretty rewarding hike


Still need my summer bronzing right???


Buddy Murph ripping a Chute

Shane getting mini jibby with it


Shane fs 3


Good morning Andes


Night boarding from the bar


Montana Photog Jeff Hawe really excited on my ollie skills

Sessions ladies in Argentina

September 3, 2009

Day 4 South America Snow Sessions

It is day four of our adventure here in Bariloche, Argentina in South America. We began our journey at the end of the first weekend of August and settled into a hostel in the MicroCenter of Buenos Aires. During our weeklong stay, we explored, tasted, and enjoyed all the city had to offer. We have been blown away with the beauty and elegance of this country, but that does not even start to explain the regions of the Andes we have been apart of these past few days.We will be spending two weeks with the snowboarding camp South America Snow Sessions, or SASS, that specializes in backcountry style snowboarding with a side note in searching out the best tree lines, natural features to ride and big mountain riding. There are 85 other campers that come and go within the session, including professional snowboarders and skiers who are out to train and explore the area.This session at the camp has combined with MGT, More Good Times, an all girls company that organizes and hosts all girls snowboarding camps. We have been riding at Cerro Catedral Resort, and have been in the middle of a weeklong storm with has delivered more than 4 ½ feet of fresh powder. The local patrons at the mountain are mainly found riding the groomed trails of the mountain, which leaves dozens of untouched tree runs that stretch the entire length of the mountain open for us to shred.Although we have only spent three days out snowboarding, Krista and I have racked up more powder runs, cliff jumps, and tree runs, than we have in all our past seasons combined, and have also found it necessary to take a day off to rest and recuperate for the rest of our days here is Bariloche.Cerro Catedral is known for its access to multitudes of powder and long trails, but it is also known for its dangerous terrain, which often is associated with avalanches. All the campers are required to be wearing a working beacon carry a pack with a probe and shovel, in case of an emergency. We have daily beacon drills, where our guides and coaches hide an active beacon, and we take turns being timed to search and retrieve the beacon.Although the campers and guides have fun doing these activities, we all have a solemn approach and acute awareness that perhaps we will actually need to use these new learned skills in a real avalanche.As for now Krista and I are having fun being taught and coached by seasoned veterans of the sport and meeting new friends and chairlift buddies!

Until next time! Adios! Monica and Krista

Tim Humphreys Shreds Liberty Snowflex Grand Opening

September 1, 2009

If you haven't heard about it yet, Liberty University in Virginia has just had the grand opening of first and only Snowflex park in North America. Snowflex is an artificial snow surface that simulates the closest possible thing to riding on the real white stuff, It even has such features as a 20ft kicker, 10ft quarterpipe, and even some jibs set up. Once Sessions got word of this event (we are sponsoring the one coming to Califorinia) back about a month ago, we decided that it would be a worthwhile idea to go and check this stuff out to see if it actually works.

Tim Humphreys and I (Billy Flick) hopped on a plane last week to go and test this stuff out and see how you could actually preform on it. As it turned out it was a lot different than we expected but still really fun to ride on, as long as you didn't try to carve to hard on to your edges. It took us about five runs or so to get the hang of it, and then came the jump session. We got to shred the park for at least an hour by ourselves until a few other guys came out to ride with us and turned out to be a damn fun session "Shradical!" Once we were too tired of shredding we headed back to the hotel to wash up so we could go and check out the local snow/ skate shop SCENE3, and have Tim autograph some stickers for the kids. We then went out to dinner and checked out some of the VA nightlife, which there werent actually to many places to go but there were a couple of good spots to hang out, just a whole lot different than we were used too.

On Saturday we woke up early to go to the grand opening of the of the mountain and set up a tent so we could give out some goods, and talk to the media. Tim hung out at the tent for a while then went up to shred in the opening day ceremony demo that the mountain was putting on. He pretty much killed the show for only having one day to ride on it, not to mention it was in front of a 3,000 deep mob of spectators. After the demo we went and relaxed in the freshly built lodge deciding that it was worthy trip overall, even though it was a little unusual to be riding in 90 degree heat with humidity.

Sessions Is the official outerwear sponsor of the Morgan Hill Snowflex Center coming to the bay area, expected to open in the next three years.

-Billy Flick

(See Below For More Pictures)

Tim gettin nasty on the wall ride with a lil frontside invert

Getting that Humphreys signed Sessions logo up front and center on the door of the local skate shop SCENE3, thanks to Jeff Gray and KC!

Sessions tent looking up to the Snowflex Mountain

The start of a new revolution in Snowboarding and Skiing

Humps getting ready to so some Sessions Branding on some innocent bystanders

Got Sessions?

3,000 people crammed in to watch Tim and the others take the first official run off the jump!

Tim about to drop from the top

Dropping!!!

Carpetboarding Mayhem! Gnarly man!

What a better way to finnish the day than to post on a nice leather couch in the lodge! Tim slept there probly three times!

Autumn Line Premier!!!!!!!

Don't miss this!!!!!!

Sessions Announces Skye Darden as European Team Manager

Zurich, Switzerland, August 27, 2009-Sessions is proud to introduce Skye Darden as the new European ski and snowboard team manager. Skye has been on the SESSIONS European team for only two seasons, but even as a regular team member, he has managed to take up the slack and put together ideas and action immediately, to bring the team to a new level in Europe.

“The appointment of Skye to the position, was a no-brainer. He has the respect of the old schoolers and the skill on the hill of the young guns. He has amazing connections in Europe and is full of energy and better yet… creativity.” Says, Daniel Fitzgerald, SESSIONS European Managing Director. “Skye is a fun dude, but he takes his job seriously. I've only met a handful of people that are as passionate, as Skye is, about the sports they represent.”

Skye is no stranger to the team manager position having done the job for LINE skis for the past 4 years. He has been in the European snow sports scene for the last 12 years, working with such companies as Marker, POW gloves, and Electric goggles. Skye has also worked for Air & Style and Shred Empire as a player in the snowboard scene.

“SESSIONS represents one of the truest ski/snowboard brands since the beginning and have shown that they continue to keep it real throughout the company's history.” Skye Darden commented. “I am honored and privileged to be a part of the brand, the philosophy, and the future. I look forward in taking part in bringing the European division to the highest level possible.”

Chile on my mind

Myself and fellow northwest sessions shred Kyle Miller take of tomorrow morning for a month of springtime riding down south in Chile. Its one am and i just finished packing for a early morning flight. Stay tuned for some updates, cant wait to get on board.

-Shane Stalling

JT in Field Productions' 09 release "Eyes Wide Open"

Field Productions

13 year Sessions ski team member, JT Holmes, encouraged the Scandinavian filmmaker Filip Christensen of Field Productions to come and spend 3 weeks in the western United States filming on his local terrain including Squaw Valley California, Lake Tahoe backcountry, Ruby mountains of Nevada, and the Wasatch of Utah. Filip showed up with athlete Eirik Finseth and the 3 of them together with still photographer Sam Hall followed the good snow and shared amazing ski lines and good times the whole time. Eirik and JT were CHARGING! Look for lots of big airs, fast skiing and also some hearty wipeouts! In the end, the crew was sad to finish up and made a pact to ski again together next year.

Field Productions is the next force to be reckoned with in ski movies. With a distribution partnership with VAS entertainment, Filip's creative editting style, unheard music tracks and the skiing from Jon Olson, Eric Hjorleifson, PK Hunder, Chris Rubens, Aksel Lund Svindal, Tom Wallisch, Anders Backe, JT, Eirik and many more, this will be THE movie that ski fans young and old consider a must have following the September 19, 2009 premier. Check out the teaser and decide for yourself! http://fieldproductions.com/official_teaser/