~*...stanton warriors and demo day at mt.norquay...*~

the more i spend time in this town, the more it grows on me. its growin at an alarming rate, the community i've tuned into here are awesome, the rockies are a quick drive away, and my boy pete's hifi club is the night spot in this town. if you make it to calgary, go to this club and get down!

on monday, one of my favourite producers and remixers, the stanton warriors, played at club hifi to a sold out crowd...ON A MONDAY NIGHT!!!



kristin was sick, so i went to the club solo. thanks for the hook ups pete! dae and kevin were already there and mama michie was on the decks killin it with some maad breakbeatz!



ran into more than a few familiar faces, including some new ones.






even had an old nickname from tribe approach me. we met in toronto years ago one night, and i guess i left an impression. good to see you again bitchass!


the stanton warriors came on around midnight, and assaulted the crowd with raw and birty breakbeatz. actually, only one half of the stanton warriors showed up...methinks it was dom.


czech out the get em high video by the stanton warriorz


as i danced my ass off with a packed house (which is only 179 people according to the capacity sign at the door), i couldn't wipe the smile off my face. world class talent in a world class club on a monday night. this town ain't a redneck cowboy town no more...says the guy who has yet to experience calgary during the stampede ;)



i bounced out of the club before last call as i was tired and needed my energy for an intense tuesday in the rockies. it was dealer demo days for the ski and snowboard shops of alberta on tuesday and wednesday at mt.norquay. all of the big ski and snowboard manufacturers were on hand to demo next year's products. its a simple and effective concept: get the people who are selling your product to the end consumer familiar with the product they're selling, and what better way to do that than gettin people to try out your gear.

i arrived at the 17th ave shop at 9am and i knew the day was gonna be hype when i saw our chariot arrive.


the source owns a fukkin limo! PIMP!



dan, the rep for capita snowboards, was there with a wack of next year's capita boards and some union bindings to send with us to the mountain. he also had a box full of defcon gloves for us to have!...and i was most definitely in the market for a a new pair of gloves...in black!




also grabbed a pair of gloves and a scarf for kristin too. free gear is an excellent way to start off the day :)

the limo had a few flat panel lcd monitors, a boomin sound system, even an xbox! too bad the electrical system was on the fritz so none of it worked :( that's alright, five of us in a stretch limo on our way to the hill to demo boards is still fukkin pimp, even without electricity.

norquay is the smallest of the rocky mountain resorts. its located in banff, just over an hour away from calgary. have i mentioned how much i fukkin love the rocky mountains? driving in their shadows is a humbling experience. riding them is a high.



unfortinately, the batteries in my digi were on their last legs, so the first thing i did when we arrived at the mountain was head to the shop to buy replacements. they didn't sell batteries at the shop. NO BATTERIES? that surprised me. what kind of resort doesn't sell batteries? aren't they tourist essentials?

to add to my disappointement, burton, ride, and option were no shows *grrrr* i really wanted to demo all of the ride boards for next year :(





so instead i got to demo next year's forum, capita, and stepchild boards as well as some forum and union bindings. other manufacturers like k2, nitro, atomic, head, salomon and rossignol were there but we only demo'd the companies we stock.





the snow was 85% man made hard packed and groomed (some bare spots) with fun steeps to pick up speed. it has a vertical drop of 1,650ft (503m), and 28 runs. the park was a fukkin joke (three rails and a jump, all of which sucked). when you've got sunshine, louise, and nakiska as options, i can see why norquay is one of the lesser frequented rocky resorts.



that being said, norquay is still bigger than your average resort and the views from the base and peak are simply breathtaking!



i got to ride with a cutie named becky who works at the 17th ave shop. the first board she demo'd was next year's forum craft.



first up for me was the 2008 forum youngblood 155 wide. i usually ride long boards (my option booter is a 163) wide enough for my size 11.5 boots, so riding a 155 was way smaller than what i'm used to. at least it was wide enough for my kicks. the rig was set up with next year's forum republic bindings.


2006/2007 younblood ^^^

the soft flexin' younglbood was buttery smooth on the groomers. light, fast,
and responsive, its a solid ride for both park and piste. if you've got
big feet and wanna ride everything from big mountain to rails, this board
is an awesome bang for your buck.



the republic bindings were comfortable and responsive, though bulky lookin', these bindings felt like love on my feet. the generous amount of gel in the heel and toe straps made these bindings extra comfy. the redesigned toe cap made for a solid hold...and the two tone black and purple design looked sweet, especially on the youngblood.



next up was the stepchild trick stick, payin homage to the old skewl look lamar freestyle snowboard of the 80z.

old skewl (with wonky shape)


new skewl


the stepchild trick stick was nothin' but fun to ride. a good flex in the nose and tail gave this board some serious pop. it tore up the groomers and was solid
at high speeds. the graphics are totally radical! overall, a fun board for the all mountain freestyler. keep your eye on stepchild. they make some fun boards at a great price point.

the bindings i rode were next year's union force


pik of this year's model ^^^

the only thing i liked about these bindings were the clean look and the
colour (red and white), but looks can only go so far. i found myself readjusting the convertible toe strap too often because they kept slippin off my toe. in the end, i said fuck it and just used the strap over top of my foot instead of on my
toe, and even then the response was lacking. these bindings made it kinda
hard for me to appreciate the board they were on. an alright effort, but these guys got a couple kinks to iron out with these bindings over the next few years.


2006/2007 forum recon

next on the list was the 2008 forum recon 158 with the forum republic bindings. this board was the largest board i demo'd, and it did everything i wanted. it blazed down the steeps at high speeds without chatter, it bounced and popped off hits, and it flexed perfektly all around. it was a joy to handle, and comparable to boards that are hundreds of dollars more expensive. with the way this board performed, you'd never guess that it's only $399. definitely the most bang for your buck, and by far my favourite board of the day. if you want a high performance board without the big price tag, the forum recon is a wise choice.

the last board i rode was the u.s.s. capita 152. i'm used to riding big and wide boards, so this board felt like a toothpick to me and my 11.5 feet. i still had a lot of fun riding this little stick. it had a fun bounce to it, and with its low
swing weight it made spinnin 3z a breeze. i could see this board bein a lot of fun to ride in a park, but seeing as the park at norquay is a joke i can't really say how well it performed on rails and kickers. watch out for these capita decks. they won't break your bank and they perform!

what a fukkin awesome day in the sun riding norquay. though the runs were a bit icy, i still had an awesome time. i took a day off work for my work to drive me to the hill in a limo, pay for my lift ticket, lunch and booze, and i got to demo next year's boards. another rocky mountain resort to check off my list. 3 down, 3 to go.

fuck i love my job!


i ate at tubby dog today for lunch. these guys make gourmet 1/3lb hotdogs.





on the reccomendation of my friend fred, i ordered the pbj dog. that's right, peanut butter and jelly hotdog! plus i made it a cap'n dog by adding cap'n crunch cereal to it. i know, it sounds fukkin gross, and i made the same face you're making right now when i first heard of the pbj dog. who would make such a thing, yet alone eat it? but it was actually one of the tastiest hot dogs i had ever eaten. go figure!



go canada! pbj tubby dogs with cap'n crunch and shreddin the rocky mountains! fuck yeah!


~*...normaste...*~