By: SIA
May 17, 2013

Mercedes grew up in Whistler, where she learned to snowboard. Nicoll has represented Canada in the halfpipe at the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympic Games, finishing 6th at the 2010 Games. Mercedes has been competing in halfpipe since 1997 and is a five-time National Champion. She has competed in various World Cups, World Championships, as well as X Games. Nicoll works closely with the Whistler Blackcomb foundation. Read more about her at mercedesnicoll.com

Board & Other Sponsors:
Drake, DFL 146. Northwave, Drake, Powder Room, IS Eyewear, Whistler Blackcomb, POW.

Q&A:

1. The mountain I learned to ride on was: Whistler when I was 14 years old

2. I can’t live without: Family and friends

3. My favorite cuisine is: Japanese

4. When I’m not riding, you can find me: Basking in the sun, reading a book.

5. My favorite movie of all time is without question: Dirty Dancing

6. Who/What inspires you? Friends and family

7. Favorite:

1. Bands: Awolnation, Pink, the Black Keys, Serena Ryder, Olly Murs, ZZ Ward, Ellie Goulding
2. Books: Jaime Oliver cookbooks
3. Vacation Spots: Barcelona, London, Japan

By: Ryan Dunfee
Powder Magazine
April 25, 2013

Jeremy Jones in front of the White House. Photo: POW

On April 11th, Jeremy Jones, pro snowboarder and founder of snow sports non-profit Protect Our Winters, was honored by the White House as a “Champion of Change” for his and POW’s work to bring attention to the issue of climate change within the winter sports community. The Champions of Change awards are part of President Obama’s Winning The Future Initiative, which recognize “ordinary Americans doing extraordinary things in their communities to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world.” Jones was among a crowd that included an environmental biologist from the Bay Area and a climate change educator from Miami. Protect Our Winters was also recognized for being vocal about the effects of climate change and its unique approach of bringing professional snow sports athletes into schools to present young students with information about climate change.

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By: Forbes
March 21, 2013

Photo Courtesy of Forbes

It’s the thrill of fresh powder and icy winds, the rush of going 40mph down a sheer slope as the challenge of an entire mountainside opens up before you. It’s the racing of your heart and the blood pumping in your veins, with one foot fixed in fear and the other carving in delight.

I’m talking about snowboarding of course, but I’m also making a point about becoming an entrepreneur. Having just returned from some time away on the ice with my family, I’ve come to realize whether you are shreddin powder or running your own business, both boil down to the same principles in the end.

It often begins with doubt. Most people step off that snow lift for the first time and stare down in awe at the sheer expanse of ice that awaits them. Their feelings race from excitement to fear and back again, as there’s nothing between them and the journey ahead except the board and their brains. It’s the same when you start your own business and the sudden realization that everything rests on no one’s shoulders but your own. Just as in snowboarding you will fall the first time, the second time and probably the third and fourth time as well. Even with experience, you know you will inevitably fall again- It’s never a question of ‘if’, but ‘when’, both on and off the snow.

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By: Agy Ozdowski
March 4, 2013

SIA Research Intern Agy Ozdowski Shares Her Passion For Snowboarding With Her Son, Dominik

As a parent who has been driven by the love of snowboarding, I wanted to instill the same passion within my son. My vision was for him catch on at an early age, and if he enjoyed it as much as I did, we’d be able to venture and explore any peak together. I wouldn’t need daycare and in turn would be introducing him to not only a great recreation, but also inspiring him into the “snowboarding lifestyle”. The idea of being able to share my passion with the most important person in my world quickly became a priority.

While growing up, my parents took my brother and I skiing every winter, and we thrived and enjoyed every minute of it. I wanted to provide Dominik with that very same experience through safety, fun and learning. After doing some research, I gathered that resorts rarely offered group snowboarding lessons for kids younger than 5 due to their underdeveloped coordination at that age. I was pleased to learn that the majority of resorts offer free riding and skiing till the age of 5/6. This prompted my decision to begin teaching him myself. He made his first tracks at the age of 3 and to my surprise he began linking his first turns at age 4, in Park City, UT. To see him finally show me exactly what we had been working towards and practicing was one of the most satisfying feelings. As if all the effort, patience, time and money invested in him riding had finally paid off. I was ecstatic, providing me with even greater motivation to take him shredding as often as I possibly could.

Since then, Dominik has made his slides in some of the most renowned resorts. In Virginia/MD he has been to Snowshoe, Whitetail and Ski Liberty. Up North he has been to Killington, and Jay Peak VT, and out West to Park City and The Canyons, UT, Whistler BC, and most recently Jackson Hole, WY.

I purchased his first board at Profit, a local ski shop that was closing down. I walked out with board, boots, and bindings for close to $100. His first board was the Burton Chopper, specifically designed to give kids greater control and balance in their learning stages. Dominik is already on his second board, the Burton Youth Grom Chopper, upgraded ThirtyTwo boots and Burton Youth Mission bindings. Currently 6, Dominik has made some considerable improvements both in the park and the trial. He is comfortably riding blue trails, hitting side bumps, and even doing some box rails.

I admit, instructing him has been both incredibly rewarding and challenging. There have been a number of times when his frustrations have reached their limit. It’s usually during the first few runs of the season when he is reacquainting himself with his board again. Regardless, we do not give up! Instead we take a break, usually involving a cinnamon bun and some time to regroup. As soon as we are back out, it takes one good run, and I can’t get him off the slope. That alone puts a smile on my face, and makes it all worth it. My mission is to get in as much riding with him while he is still young, as the time will come when he will surpass my skill level and leave me in the dust! Even then, I will always feel accomplished that I enthused yet another soulful rider.

By: Jake DesRoches
February 13, 2013

With each year that passes, the opportunity for seeing, meeting, and speaking with a snowboarding legend diminishes. The passing of Tom Sims last September is a stark reminder of this. The ranks of the original riders, the guys who took what we would consider simple wooden or fiberglass planks to the snow, are fading fast. On Friday February 1st at the SIA Snow Show, I was fortunate enough to come across one of the original riders. I was lucky enough to meet Chuck Barfoot.

After speaking to Chuck and his board-building partner Ernie Delost, I was nearly at a loss of words. I had never met a stranger who had lived through so much snowboarding history, let alone helped to create it. I knew I needed to learn more about this man. Before he parted to meet with old friends on the snow show floor, I asked if he would be willing to do a brief interview with me the next day.

Being simply a down to earth guy, he agreed to come back the next morning and speak with me for fifteen minutes. This fifteen-minute meeting turned into a thirteen-minute interview plus another twenty minutes of great conversation, just talking, laughing, and enjoying the snow show vibe.

Chuck Barfoot is a humble, inspiring, and truly good man. We should be thankful he loves snowboarding so much, because without him we might still be riding wooden boards with black grip tape and skyhooks for bindings (ok, it probably wouldn’t be that bad).

This is Chuck’s story.

The Old Days

Chuck Barfoot started surfing in Beach Haven, New Jersey in 1961. Nine years later, in 1970, he moved to Santa Barbara, California and was living with Tom Sims. Chuck was well positioned to help craft the snowboarding industry that we know today, but he didn’t know it.

It was 1977; he was working for Tom Sims, building prototypes and doing research and development on the classic skateboards and surfboards that Sims produced. At this point, he had never even touched his feet on a board and placed that board on the snow. He was a surfer and a skater. He had no idea how much his life would change.

Read More HERE

By: Ed Wray, @edawray
SIA Eastern US & Canada Sales and Marketing Manager
September 20, 2012

Today, September 12th, 2012, was a day filled with great sadness and happiness.  The passing of Tom Sims is so sad; we’ve lost a true legend.  Tom gave me a chance to be one of his sales reps.  I knew a little about snowboarding  at the time and was a terrible rider.  But he taught me a lot about board construction and design. I soaked up every bit of it.  It helped make me a better sales rep.

Selling Sims boards in Burton territory definitely made my job tougher and the Burton guys certainly weren’t going to make it easier; after all “Sims were western boards” as one rep put it to me.  But I really think deep down that Tom helped Jake and Jake helped Tom.  They both pushed each other to further our sport.  We all know about the “rivalry” between the brands and the signing of Craig Kelly, but take that away and you have two guys that truly loved what they were doing.

Today I reconnected with other Sims reps from back in the day.  We were all consoling each other over texts, Facebook and emails.  It was so nice to hear from these guys again.  I was telling my son Tucker some of the great times we had together with Tom.  The sales meeting trips to Whistler, Panorama, Heli-boarding, Breckenridge all great memories.  But one story stood out how Tom literally took a $20,000 Rolex off Jamie Salter’s wrist to pay off a debt, priceless.

Tom you will be greatly missed and left us way too soon.  My thoughts and prayers go out to your family.

By: Mike Akira West
Hypebeast
September 14, 2012

Most of you already know the story on how I started 686 twenty years ago in Big Bear while going to school in LA. However, only a few know the back story on how I actually got into snowboarding from skateboarding in the late 80’s. To make a long story short, I learned how to snowboard in the winter of 1986 at Snow Summit in Big Bear, CA. Coming from street skating, I thought it was silly to try and skate on the snow. I vividly remember the first day on the beginner hill trying to get my toe edge furiously kick turning, while leaning back. It was all wrong and I became severely frustrated. While on my knees about to give up, I recall this one guy in a bright one piece outfit with a fresh mustache who said “Take it easy-don’t try so hard. Just lead forward and move your upper body”. I said to myself, ok I’ll give it a try and it somehow started to click. I asked the lift operator who that dude was and he said it was “Tom Sims.”

There are only a few legends in my book that contributed more to the sport and to the industry than heads will ever know- Tom was definitely one of those dudes. Tom Sims passed away from cardiac arrest yesterday. Without legends like Tom, Snowboarding, Skateboarding and even something as small as 686 would be vastly different (nor might not be here at all) Thanks Tom for being you. God Bless and Rest in Peace

By: Mariana DiMartino
September 13, 2012

(Santa Barbara, CA) September 13, 2012 – Tom Sims, snowboarding legend and pioneer, died yesterday, September 12, 2012 near his home at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. Sims suffered sudden cardiac arrest.

Sims is survived by his wife Hilary, sister Margie Sims Klinger of Santa Barbara, sons Tommy and Shane, daughter Sarah and step daughters Alexa and Kylie Wagner.

Sims built the first “skateboard for the snow” in 1963 and founded the SIMS® brand in 1976. He continued to revolutionize the sport of snowboarding for nearly four decades. Sims brought several industry firsts to the world of snowboarding including the first snowboard, first metal edge snowboard, first pro-model snowboard, first women’s specific snowboard and the first folding highback bindings. In addition to a lengthy list of podiums throughout his professional career, Sims was the primary snowboarding stunt double for “007″ Roger Moore in the 1985 James Bond film A View to a Kill. Throughout the years, he continued to be a driving force within SIMS, leading the growth and progression of the brand.

The family will not be granting interviews at this time.

Tom’s accomplishments speak for themselves. A true pioneer, Tom brought forward thinking concepts and innovations that forever changed the landscape of the snow and skate industry.

By iseultdevlin
Thu, Mar 15 2012 1:45 am

Action in the halfpipe final: Photo Credit: Transworld Business

The 30th anniversary of the 2012 Burton US Open presented by MINI wrapped up last weekend at Stratton Mountain, with more than $100,000 in prizes and a pair of MINI Countryman vehicles awarded to the top competitors. Fresh snow and sunny skies brought out the crowds for the halfpipe competition on Saturday.The beauty of the Open is that it’s an event anyone can win at—and it always has been. While men’s halfpipe winner Shaun White was in and out, coming to the event for just over a 24-hour period and leaving after the awards ceremony in a private helicopter, there was also local rider 20-year-old Benji Farrow (from Okemo, Vermont) who grabbed third and was in the finals for the first time after competing at the Open for six years.

“To do it here in my home state, close to my home town when it turned 30 years old was a nice redemption,” he said, commenting that for the last two years he had been nipping at everyone’s heels.

Women’s halfpipe winner Elena Hight (USA), who knocked out longtime champion Kelly Clarke’s 16-competition winning streak, was in shock about her win, but attributed it to a new trick she’s been working on: the alley oop backside rodeo along with back-to-back 900s.

“It’s a legendary event and to win at the 30th is amazing—I’m beyond happy,” said Hight, who first came to the Open when she was 13.

The weeklong competition was much more than just Saturday’s halfpipe action. The Washed Up Cup kicked off weekend festivities on Friday night. Riders went old school wearing hard boots and maneuvering around gates hitting a kicker at the end. Early Burton competitors like Scott Palmer, Ian Price, and Andy Coghlan came out for the fun, along with many others including Tricia Byrnes and Ross Powers. Some riders used original gear from the era.

“That was about as close as you get to the early days,“ said Todd Kohlman, Burton’s archivist. “Everyone was hooting and hollering and just cheering people on—it was a cool feeling to be a part of that,” he continued, adding that in the initial days of racing downhill, the equipment was in such an early development state that it was a challenge just to make it down the hill.

Read more HERE

January 16, 2012
By: SIA Staff

This past weekend, four SIA employees hit the slopes for #LSSM at Whitetail Mountain in PA. It was a beautiful day at Whitetail; clear, sunny and a crisp 25 degrees. The four boarders included Minna Casser, Anovia Daniels, Emily O’Hara and Lindsey Auer.

It’s pretty safe to say that we made everyone around us aware of our presence and excitement. We stepped out of the car and started cheering, asking strangers to take pictures, while also asking for some tips for our day.

The morning began with getting fit with the right rental equipment and making sure we rented wrist guards! It is advised for first-timers to wear wrist guards! After about an hour of filling out paper work, collecting our rental equipment, and making great friends with Whitetail employees who helped us make sure we were properly dressed; we were sweltering so we knew it was time to get outside. Lessons were on the hour so we decided that we would mess around on the convenient closed in area that we saw immediately. After a peaceful ride up the magic carpet, we laughed and tumbled on our way down. For some reason we never put two and two together that we were in the kid’s area, despite the fact that we were the oldest of the bunch.

So when we realized we weren’t in the right area it was time to hit the bunny hill for our lessons! Our instructors were so generous and made us all feel comfortable, and by the end we all felt as though we made progress from earlier in the morning when we could barely stand up. This was especially the case for Minna as she quickly turned into Shaun White and left the bunny hill for bigger and better things while everyone else kept on trying!

At Whitetail, there are different stations set up for learning. If you demonstrated a particular task at that station, you were able to move on and learn more. It was a very interesting and smart approach for lessons. Everyone progresses differently so this made it feel individualized. The afternoon consisted of falls, bruises and spending some quality time with the snowy ground. The car ride home consisted of sore legs and Chik-fil-a! Needless to say, it was a great learning experience and extremely fun. The feeling of learning a new sport is really special, leaving us excited to continue snowboarding in the future! #LSSM