Dear Bro-brah,


Firstly, we like to thank all the riders that made The Oakley Arctic Challenge (TAC) 2008 a success. According to TTR’s rider survey, TAC got the highest score possible from the riders together with Air & Style. The 08 event was a big step for us with solid improvements in organisation, rider services, TV production, competition format and safety.



In 1999 we did the pilot project for TAC. That’s soon ten years ago. Oakley helped us getting 12 guys over to test a new snowboard competition concept we called The Arctic Challenge. The test was approved, and in 2000 we did our first contest in Lofoten.


Even though we had our ups and downs and years of stormy weather, we believe it’s time to celebrate. In a snowboard world of corporate ownership, TAC is still rider owned and controlled. We believe this is important for all snowboarders, not only for us. We want to invite all that has been pivotal to the development of TAC to celebrate 10 years of independent snowboarding. 10 years of experimenting with formats, arena construction and production. Always with strong input from the riders.


The riders are the backbone of The Arctic Challenge. In addition to all qualified and invited riders for the competition, we are inviting all previous winners (and other influential riders) to the event.


These include:

Romain De Marchi, winner of 2000 qp
Terje Haakonsen, winner of 2000 hp
Gian Simmen, winner of 2001 qp
Heikki Sorsa, first man over 9 meters, 2001 qp
Shaun White, winner of 2001 hp and 2003 ss
Travis Rice, winner of 2003 qp and 2004 qp
Andy Finch, winner of 2004 hp
Markus Keller, winner of 2005 qp
Henning Marthinsen, winner of 2006 qp
Kevin Pearce, winner of 2007 and 2008 qp

24 riders will attend. Top 10 from TTR ranking + the preseason winners of Air&Style QP in Innsbruck (Feb 2nd) as well as the winner of our own qualifying event in Norway, The Arctic Open (Feb 14) + wild cards. We will also keep a close eye on what’s going on in the O´Neill Evolution QP and at the Tokyo X-trail Jam QP. Furthermore, we are looking into several options in the US to make a qualifier there, and we will get back to you as we know more.

Our dates are February 16th to 21st. Competition days are the 19th and 21st. TAC will host and provide your hotel, food, transportation and light entertainment here in Oslo, Norway. TAC will take care of housing& food for the invited riders from the 15th to the 22nd.

The prize money is 100 000 dollar, which should be top dollars among snowboard competitions as we only have one gender and one contest. First prize is 35 000 dollar and still up for grabs: The Oakley Gold Time Bomb worth 25 000 USD. It will be two days of competition. On Thursday it will be a classic air session – highest air wins. Saturday is overall contest with the same format as last year (5 runs, 3 best counts +variation score). If you have any comments on the format, feel free to e-mail as soon as possible.


Since we moved the arena seven times before, we`re going to do it one more time. They are rebuilding Holmenkollen arena now, so we will be using another ski jumping arena called Linderudkollen. Lucky for us, Linderudkollen has a very intimate setting that has all the facilities that we need like: lift, snow production, wardrobes with shower, sauna, trolls and a very well wind protected quarterpipe from the deep green forest. The arena is beautiful situated in the forest, only 10 team manager minutes drive from downtown Oslo.


Lodging will again be down town Oslo at Scandic hotel Edderkoppen with health-care facilities and all the other things you need for an urban experience.

Celebrating 10 years of The Oakley Arctic Challenge, Oakley and TAC will make sure to up the ante for the magic number ten. The TAC crew and more hope to see you here in feb.


Invites will be sent shortly.
- TAC crew -

The Swatch TTR 2-star events give young riders born 1989 or later the chance to show their freestyle skills and put themselves on the map of European snowboarding. With the new main sponsor Volvo Cars the contest series will step up the quality and maintain the unique atmosphere of the past years.

The first three stops of the tour will be indoor events, the first taking place on 15 November 2008 in Bispingen, Northern Germany. All 2009 stops will see sunlight, starting on 24 January 2009 in Flachauwinkl, Austria.

The tour stop winners will receive a guaranteed starting slot for the slopestyle competition at the Burton European Open (BEO) in Laax, Switzerland, and prizes from tour sponsors Burton, RED, and Anon. The overall tour winners will be crowned at the last stop on the glacier of Val Senales (Italy) on 28 March 2009. They will receive a Burton European Open package, consisting of starting slot and full board accomodation.

Last year’s overall winners were Stefan Ackeret (1989/SUI/Junior Boys), Laura Berry (1988/UK/Junior Girls), Tim-Kevin Ravnjak (1996/SLO/Kid Boys) and Enya Beutler (1993/SUI/Kid Girls). They all showed an insane level of riding over the entire past season. Like the tour stop winners they will seize their chance and compete in this winter’s BEO in January 2009.

Ivar Fougstedt, Burton Europe’s Marketing Director, says the following about the Burton AM Tour: “I am pleased to welcome our new main sponsor Volvo Cars. Their commitment shows the relevance of our grass-roots efforts for the sport of snowboarding. Since its early days the Burton AM Tour has grown into the most advanced amateur snowboarding event series in Europe and helps push the riding on all levels.”

A regular podcast will keep you posted about the tour. It will feature tons of riding and impressions from the stops. Subscription and download under burtonamtour.com.

Burton AM Tour Calendar 2008/09

15/11/2008 Bispingen (GER)
22/11/2008 Castleford (GBR)
06/12/2008 Landgraaf (NED)
24/01/2009 Flachauwinkl (AUT)
31/01/2009 Adelboden-Lenk (SUI)
07/02/2009 Grandvalira (AND)
14/02/2009 Bialka Tatrzanska (POL)
28/02/2009 Tandådalen (SWE)
07/03/2009 Sappee (FIN)
14/03/2009 Zolotaya Dolina (RUS)
21/03/2009 Avoriaz (FRA)
28/03/2009 Val Senales (ITA)

Check out burtonamtour.com for more detailed information on each individual stop.

The Stash is an evolution of freestyle terrain in a natural environment, created by Jake Burton and the Burton global team riders. Located on the north-side of the mountain opposite the Absolut freestyle park, the kilometer-long Stash run will follow the natural line of the mountain providing riders with an organic, big mountain terrain park. The Stash run in Flachauwinkl will take on an ‘Old West’ theme and feature over 40 obstacles, including some unique features like a bridge, a saloon-style cabin, hitching posts and banked wall rides. Also unique to The Stash at Flachauwinkl is Lil’ Stash, which will include small features perfect for kids and beginner riders at the top of the Stash run. The main Stash run is aimed at intermediate and advanced riders.

Burton team riders Stephan Maurer and Christian Haller were already onsite in Flachauwinkl to help choose features for the new run. Snow Park Technologies, an industry leader in terrain park development, is also adding its expertise to the design and construction of The Stash.

“We’re super stoked to bring The Stash to Austria, Burton’s home base in Europe,” says Burton Global Resort Director Jeff Boliba. “The Stash at Flachauwinkl will include new style features that play off the resorts’ natural terrain and allow riders to get really creative.”

Flachauwinkl’s Park Manager Seppi Harml says, “As Park Manager, I’m more than stoked to have a Stash run in Flachauwinkl - it is the perfect addition to our Absolut Park. As a rider, I can’t wait to finally ride the Stash run – just building the obstacles has already been so much fun.”

The Stash can also be found at Northstar-at-Tahoe, USA; Avoriaz, France; The Remarkables, New Zealand and Killington Resort, USA.

The Freeride World Tour is on for the second edition. The world best professional freeriders are back on the Tour and have all confirmed their participation. A number of 40 male and female riders plus wild cards are invited to the first three contests: Nissan Russian Adventure in Sochi (Russia), Nissan Tram Face in Squaw Valley (USA), and Nissan Freeride in Tignes (France). The final contest will take place in Switzerland with the Nissan Xtreme - Verbier 09, on the gruelling north face of the Bec des Rosses, one of the most challenging descents in the world of freeriding. The Freeride World Tour has a prize purse of $250,000, the highest sum ever to be paid in ski or snowboard freeride contests.

On March 15, 2008, the first ever edition of the Freeride World Tour (FWT) was completed after five successful events around the globe, finishing with the prestigious Nissan O’Neill Xtreme in Verbier, Switzerland. Elyse Saugstad (USA) and Henrik Windstedt (SWE) in skiing, Ruth Leisibach (SUI) and Xavier de le Rue (FRA) in snowboarding became the first Freeride World Champions in history.

Watch the teaser on www.freerideworldtour.com

In order to allow freeriders who are not qualified for the Freeride World Tour to participate and score points, the Pro Freeriders Board elected existing international events to be part of the Freeride World Qualifier (FWQ). The FWQ is a series of independently organised events around the world. Riders participating in those events collect points in the Freeride World Ranking (FWR), a unique ranking list for both FWT and FWQ events. Riders from the Freeride World Tour and the Qualifier will therefore climb up and down the ranking list throughout the season. Finally the three best results will count to score the 2009 Freeride World Champions who will be crowned in Verbier after the Xtreme.

The four events of the Freeride World Tour 2009 are:

1. NISSAN RUSSIAN ADVENTURE - SOCHI, RUSSIA 20-25 JAN 2009,

2. NISSAN TRAM FACE - SQUAW VALLEY USA 27 FEB-05 MAR 2009

3. NISSAN FREERIDE DE TIGNES, FRANCE 8-14 March 2009

4. NISSAN XTREME - VERBIER 09, SWITZERLAND 20-29 March 2009

Confirmed Freeride World Qualifier (FWQ) events are:

THE NORTH FACE MASTERS OF SNOWBOARDING - SNOWBIRD (USA), 30 January-1 February - Freeride World Qualifier, sister events of the Nissan Tram Face – Squaw Valley (USA)

SPYDER BIG MOUNTAIN FIEBERBRUNN (AUT), 5-15 February 2009 - Freeride World Qualifier, sister event the Nissan Freeride de Tignes (FRA)

THE NORTH FACE MASTERS OF SNOWBOARDING - CRESTED BUTTE (USA), 13-15 February - Freeride World Qualifier, sister events of the Nissan Tram Face – Squaw Valley (USA)

WINTER MYSTICXPERIENCE (ITA), 19-22 February 2009 - Freeride World Qualifier

THE NORTH FACE MASTERS OF SNOWBOARDING - KIRKWOOD (USA), 6-8 March - Freeride World Qualifier

NENDAZ FREERIDE (SUI), 13-18 March 2009 - Freeride World Qualifier, sister event of the Nissan Xtreme – Verbier 09 (SUI)

JASNA ADRENALIN (SK), 31 March-5 April 2009 - Freeride World Qualifier

RÖLDAL FREERIDE CHALLENGE (NOR), 22-26 April 2009 - Freeride World Qualifier, sister event of the Nissan Russian Adventure - Sochi 2010

Today’s episodes show the first real snowboarding movie “Snowboarders in Exile”. It wasn’t like today’s productions where you see peoples’ section and trick by trick, it was more like telling about what snowboarding is about what lifestyle is, basically a story of three guys living on the edge.

Many of you don’t remember but in the early 90’s snowboarders were exiles in major skiing resorts, nonetheless everyday people like Damian Sanders, Chris Roach, Dave Seoane pushed snowboarding to another level.The movie gave them popularity boost and opportunity to travel and people were so happy with the film that it pushed the riders to do something more spectacular (longer airtime, jumping of the cliffs, riding backcountry).

A lot of people showed up on a premiere in San Diego and it was the first time that around 500 top industry people and pros were in one spot. No one has ever done premier like this before.  For them it was complete career change, check it out.

Contrary to all movies packed with sick guys throwing sick trikcs on a sick kickers they wanted to make a documentary that passes the rider’s feelings about the sport. Something comparable to the surf movie “The Endless Summer”. Briefly a dedicated movie about dedicated people.

It doesn’t mean that it’s a boring documentary about people and mountains. The style and the level of riding is breath-taking and shooting locations undoubtedly will make you envious. Online premiere is set for November, meanwhile check out the teaser.