Summer is approaching, but that does not mean the ski season is over.  Many resorts remain open during the off-season, hosting premiere camps and perfect parks.  Empire Attire would like to recommend some of our favorites so you can continue to shred all summer long.

Whistler, BC

Momentum

Momentum Ski Camp has been producing excellence for over two decades.  They are a core camp for skiers with an interest in slopestyle, halfpipe or moguls. Momentum also offer a unique program for filmers and photographers.  Over the years, Momemtum has turned many ambitious campers into top-level professionals including: Sarah Burke, James Woods, Roz Groenewoud, Mike Riddle, Nick Martini, Phil Casabon and many more.

Momentum gives campers the tools they need to succeed, offering a very personal coaching experience. Some of these coaches include: Simon Dumont, Tom Wallisch, Gus Kenworthy, Kaya Turski and Justin Dorey.

Camp of Champions

Camp of Champions has the biggest and baddest park on the glacier, and it happens to be expanding by 20%.  You can rip for an entire day without hitting the same feature. Camp of Champions has a very mellow atmosphere. The coaches are there, but you don’t always need to stay with your group.  It is all about having fun at your own pace.  The park is like a fantasy factory, home to four airbags and features that can only be thought of in video games.  Some of the coaches there last year were Bobby Brown, Matt Margetts, Sean Petit, Banks Gilberti and Luke Van Valin.   Beware that skiers and snowboarders share the same lane.

Mt. Hood

Windells 

At Hood, Windells is the place to be.  It offers an array of full-time staffers including Steve Stepp, Nick Martini, Will Berman and Brady Perron.  They are also graced by big named pros such as Mike Hornbeck, Will Wesson, Tom Wallisch, Nick Goepper, and Alex Schlopy.  There is also an amazing skate park and fun trampolines off the hill.  Mt. Hood is the perfect combination of quality skiing and having the genuine experience of an overnight summer camp. Definitely give this place a shot.

Snow Park, NZ

When it turns to summer in the states, the snow is just beginning to fall in New Zealand.  Take the trip to Snow Park for the ultimate slopestyle and halfpipe experience.  This is where many pros go to train in the off-season.  Major competitions go down in August such as The North Face Freeski Open and the Winter Games NZ. Make your summer shredding experience the trip of a life time.

Woodward

Woodward is the perfect place to learn new tricks in a fun and safe way.  The camp balances on snow and off snow training, allowing you to take tricks from the foam pits to the jumps.  Woodward provides top notch coaching from people that understand what the body is physically capable of.  Check out the unique Woodward experience at Copper Mountain, or in its new Tahoe location (www.woodwardattahoe.com).

The AFP has become the most premiere scoring system in all of freeskiing, allowing athletes to add up their points to determine their World Ranking. Points vary depending on the event; Platinum Level events earn the most points, while Bronze earn the  least. Each skier’s World Ranking is calculated by their top 5 point-based finishes . The disciplines that the AFP judges are big air, slopestyle, halfpipe and overall.

This year’s game changer, Gus Kenworthy, was crowd Big Air World Champion. Gus had an incredible season, winning Jon Olsson Invitational with switch triple 1440s and taking gold at WSI/AFP World Championships Big Air with a switch double 1620. His efforts put him at the top of the World Rankings with 3666.17 points.

“I really liked the jump and the landing was super soft so I knew I wanted to throw that 16,” said Kenworthy, reflecting on his last victory. “The energy at tonight’s event was incredible. I was able to feed off that energy, do the best that I could and come up on top.”

Going into the AFP World Championships Kai Mahler was in the lead of the World Rankings. Unfortunately, Kai was bumped to 3rd as a result of his 8th place finish in Whistler. Bobby was able to jump from 7th to 2nd based on his 4th place. We also have seen some impressive late scores out of Vincent Gagnier, who received the silver medal last week in Whistler.

To no surprise, Kaya Turski was awarded 2011/2012 Women’s Slopestyle World Champion. Kaya earned 5,700 points throughout the winter, winning five Platinum level events in a row. This is Kaya’s fourth straight season being named Women’s Slopestyle World Champion.

“So excited and proud to be honored the top spot in the AFP Women’s Slopestyle ranking,” said Kaya. “It’s amazing to be part of the sport at such a progressive time and so proud of all the girls who have come so far.”

Kaya was undefeated in competition this season. Her first place titles included Winter X Games, X Games Europe, Mammoth Grand Prix, and both stops at the Winter Dew Tour. She was also the proud winner of the Dew Cup.

After the WSI/ AFP World Championships slopestyle, Anna Segal jumped from 5th to 2nd in the World Rankings, bumping Devin Logan into 3rd. Dara Howell drops down to 5th and Emilia Wint holds on to her 4th place position. All the women skied incredibly well and should be very proud of their season finishes.

Tom Wallisch absolutely slayed his was into the Men’s Slopestyle World Champion title. Tom received 5273.04 points this season, with podium results at Winter X Games, X Games Europe, Grand Prix Mammoth and all three Dew Tours.

“I am so stoked on my season,” said Wallisch. “I skied the best I have ever skied and now I have the title to prove it. Men’s Slopestyle World Champion is the highest achievement that I can get in one winter and I am so excited. I am glad the judges liked the way I skied”.

Wallisch is known for his flawless style, incredible rail skills and perfect landings. The combination has helped him earn some of the highest scores ever seen in competition.

Bobby Brown and Nick Goepper had an extremely close battle for the 2nd place World Ranking. Bobby could have overthrown Nick if he beat him in the WSI/AFP World Championships slopestyle and scored above 5th place. Bobby beat Nick but finished in 6th, allowing Goepper to maintain his number 2 position. Gus Kenworthy advanced to 4th, bumping Andreas Håtveit into 6th. Russ Henshaw also advanced, moving from 6th to 5th.

“It is dream come true,” said Goepper. “Last year I had no idea I would be in this position this year and it is so crazy. I am super stoked to be in the top three in slopestyle.”

The award of Halfpipe World Champion went to the talent Roz Groenewoud and Torin Yater-Wallace. Groenewoud had an incredible season, winning major events such as X Games and X Games Europe. The 16-year-old, Yater-Wallace had podium finishes at platinum events throughout the year, including gold medals at Killington Dew Tour and X Games Europe.

“I am super happy to be part of the female freeskiing industry this year,” said Groenewoud. “Sarah’s legacy has definitely been felt. I have seen so many girls pushing themselves, doing their personal bests.”

“I’m so stoked to receive this award,” said Yater-Wallace. “This is unbelievable and a dream come true”

Maddie Bowman made a solid jump into 2nd in the Halfpipe World Rankings. If Groenewoud had not finished received the bronze medal at AFP World Championships she would have been pumped out of her winning title. Anais Caradeux also made a solid comp in the rankings, from 5th to 3rd.

Heading into the AFP World Championships David Wise and Torin Yater-Wallace were 28 points apart. Wise hurt his leg during the big air and was unable to compete in pipe. As a result, Yater-Wallace was able to secure the lead. Thomas Krief jumped from 4th to 3rd in the World Rankings.

The AFP was truly honored to announce Gus Kenworthy and Devin Logan as the first recipients of the Sarah Burke Trophy. The Sarah Burke Trophy is the most prestigious award in skiing, awarded to the male and female with the highest Overall World Ranking. Competing in all disciplines of freeskiing is an incredible talent that Burke always possessed.

“I am honored to accept this award,” said Kenworthy. “Sarah’s legacy will never be forgotten. She did so much for the sport and she was so inspiring. I just feel really honored that this is named after her and that I can accept this award.”

Gus Kenworthy had 23 top five finishes this season. He competed more than anyone and was rewarded in doing so. This is Kenworthy’s second year in a row winning the title of Overall World Champion.

Devin Logan also had an outstanding season, scoring in the top 5 in nearly every event she competed in. Unfortunately, Devin hurt her ankle during the Women’s Slopestyle at the AFP World Championships and was unable to compete in superpipe.

Over the past two years, Candide has been working on a full length film titled Few Words.  The hype around the film has been incredible, pre-claiming it as the best ski movie ever.  Well, the trailer just dropped and from the looks of it, it might just be “the best ski movie ever.” Check it out along with Candide Kamera 1 and Candide Kamera 2.  Let us know what you think.

Three months after the loss of skiing icon, Sarah Burke, thousands gathered in Whistler/Blackcomb for a breathtaking memorial service.  The day started with a candlelit ceremony along the walls of the halfpipe.  The pipe was decorated with purple snowflakes and hearts, along with giant banners.  At the very bottom of the pipe were several candles forming the shape of a heart surrounding a bonfire.  Luke Van Valin led the service and had family members play music and share poems.  The on-snow ceremony ended with a three-bird solute; three helicopters flew overhead while the crowd below erupted in noise.  Skiers and snowboarders dropped into the halfpipe as a tribute, only hoping to look have as good as Sarah.

In the evening another ceremony was held for the masses in Whistler Village Square. A giant stage was set up with a projector displaying the words, “One light will not go out if it lights 1,000 more.”  The words spoke very true to Sarah, spreading her love and attitude to everyone she ever met. The impact that she had on the industry and the community was truly felt as the streets flooded with people.  As night fell the darkness was lit by thousands of candles.

The ceremony continued with a slideshow, completely capturing the personality of Sarah Burke.  It was filled with songs she loved, paired with images of her with family and friends. Then Luke Van Valin called up several key figures in Sarah’s life to give speeches. Everyone was extremely well spoken and perfect at telling her story.  After the speeches Sarah’s sister, Anna, and Jan Phelan played one of her favorite Beyonce songs, “I was here”.  The service concluded with “a moment of noise,” just how she would have wanted it.   All of Whistler Village shouted, whistled, clapped, and chanted in honor of Sarah Burke.  Those who were of the legal age raised shots of vodka (Sarah’s drink of choice) and danced in celebration.  Sarah Burke will live on through all of us and will always be thanked for her contributions to this world.  We will love and miss her forever.

The Dumont Cup has made it as one of the most premiere ski competitions in the world. Simon started the contest 4 years ago to provide a Pro/Am challenge for the kids on the east coast.  Over the years the Dumont Cup has grown into something beyond our wildest dreams.  This season it reached AFP Platinum status and earned a television spot on NBC on April 10.  However, the growth of the competition has not changed its roots.  It is all about having fun at the end of the season.

The weather in Maine has a history of being inconsistent.  Last year the course was rock-solid, with high winds and arctic temperatures.  This year was the complete opposite.  The week before the event brought temperatures above 80 degrees everyday.  Practice was postponed because snow was melting one foot every 24 hours.  That was just a golden opportunity to throw on the shorts, take off the shirts and ski hot laps with good friends.  We spent hours ripping dirt patches and running trains through the jib park.

The weather cooled down enough to have a successful competition on Friday and Saturday. Although the snow was melting at alarming rates, the Sunday River Park Crew did an excellent job of salting the jumps and rails.  The Friday qualifier featured a 2-hour jam format, with 20 amateurs hand selected by the pros and the judging panel to advance to semi-finals.  During the semis the amateurs competed against the invited athletes in a best of two run format.

The top 12 athletes advanced into a three run final and a shot at the Dumont Cup.  This field consisted of Ryan Wyble, Gus Kenworthy, James Woods, Dale Talkington, Alex Beaulieu, Andy Partridge, Joss Christensen, Willie Borm, Kolby Ward, Jossi Wells and Sam Lagrange. Last years victor, Nick Goepper, would also meet the group in the final round to try and reclaim the win. In the end there could only be one winner and that was Gus Kenworthy, earning a 96.00. His run featured a switch dub 9 and a dub 12.  Nick Goepper was the only competitor to throw three doubles in his run.  He scored a solid 94.00 for 2^nd place. The 3^rd place spot went to Joss Christensen who has podiumed at 3 out of 4 Dumont Cup’s. He scored a solid 89.70 on his run.

Athletes in the snow sports industry are notorious for traveling the globe to ski against the top competitors at the best mountains in the world. Freeskiing is saturated with young boys and girls who are eager to shred every peak on the planet. There are extreme benefits to this profession, like the opportunity to learn of foreign cultures and their people, but being on the road all the time is not all perks. Living out of a suitcase, eating out at restaurants, and always sleeping in a hotel bed, couch or a buddies floor can be tough on your emotions, immune system and family. So, courtesy of the professional athletes and industry friends at Empire Attire, we would like to provide all you traveling snow sports athletes with 10 tips on how to successfully live on the road.

Photo Credit: Torin Yater-Wallace

1. Peter Olenick

“Bring more clean socks and undies than you think you’ll need.”

2. Simon Dumont

“Get an agent.” Agents really help with managing travel. They will help you sort out where you need to be and when.

3. Jossi Wells

“The best tip I can give, and it’s pretty legit coming from me because I always take too much, when it comes to packing, pack what you think you need.  Then cut it in half and you’re good to go.”

4. Torin Yater-Wallace

“Don’t drink soda, ever.” Torin is still working on his travel skills, first being how to sleep on a plane, a trick not yet mastered by the young ski star. 

5. Luke Van Valin

“Always pack your bag the night before your flight, specially if your going to the after party.”

6. Jake Largess

“Pack as many socks as possible”

7. Gus Kenworthy

“Make sure you travel in jeans because getting a boner in sweatpants is not very fun on a plane”

8. Colby West

Click to Listen “Colby West Travel Tip“

9. Brian Schroy

“Stick to one airline.” That way you can rack up frequent flyer miles that provide you with priority through long lines and gets you upgraded to first class.

10. Michael Spencer

“Make sure you have one carry on that just has everything you would ever need where ever you go; computer, phone, passport, toothbrush, toothpaste. If you have all of that in your carry on who cares if you bags get lost, you can go anywhere.

Bobby Brown was able to pull off the win in Men’s Slopestyle, taking down the nearly unbeatable Tom Wallisch.  Bobby skied so consistently all day, throwing down 3 different runs, all of which were stomped.  Bobby scored a 95.00 on his second run and was able to secure the lead.  Second place went to Tom Wallisch with a 93.33 and Andreas Håtveit in third with a 92.00. Andreas was wearing our black Team Pipe Glove. On the women’s side, Kaya Turski took home the gold medal with a 92.66, followed by Anna Segal (91.00) and Dara Howell (89.66). Kaya Turski has won 6 straight gold medals at X Games, 3 in Europe and 3 in Aspen.

In the superpipe, the young Torin Yater-Wallace finally earned his first X Games gold medal with a 95.00.  Torin has podiumed with silver in 2011 and bronze this year in Aspen.  Thomas Krief, the hometown hero, proudly represented his country with 91.66 points and a second place finish. It was a very beautiful celebration for Krief and his family and friends.  David Wise was bumped out of his winning spree and received a third place finish.  For the ladies, Roz Groenewoud was on top of her game scoring an 89.33.  This was Roz’s second X Games gold of the year.  Second place went to heavy hitter Devin Logan with an 87.66 and third to the local girl, Anais Caradeux, with an 85.00.

The Empire Attire team was a little banged up in Tignes.  Unfortunately, Simon Dumont tore his ACL doing a straight air in the pipe.  Simon rushed back to Colorado to undergo surgery, which was a great success. Even though he is upset about his injury, Simon is looking on the bright side.  He believes that this injury is going to make him more motivated and hungrier than ever when he gets back.  Henrik Harlaut also had trouble with his knee and decided to sit out the slopestyle competition.  He says his knee is feeling much better and that he will be skiing again very soon.  Jossi Wells was experiencing severe pain in his ankle.  Although Jossi competed in slopestyle and halfpipe, he was forced to take it easy to prevent further injury.

The Birthday Boy

Our beloved Peter Olenick is a Leap Year baby. Therefore, his real birthday only comes around once every four years. Today, Petey is busy celebrating his seventh birthday in Mammoth Mountain for the Grand Prix.  Halfpipe qualifiers are delayed due to high winds and bad weather, so hopefully he will be able to use this off day to go have some fun. We got Peter on the phone with us to discuss what it is like being a seven-year-old in a 28-year-old’s body.

First off, Happy Birthday!!!
Thank you.

What are your big plans for the day?
Well I was suppose to compete at the Grand Prix but it is snowing uphill with tons of wind, so that is really fun. Yeah, so, I think I might just Google how long it takes to get to Vegas.

What is the best birthday present you have ever received?
Best present I ever received was my ID that said I was 21. That was a good one.

So since your birthday happens every 4 years does that mean you have to party 4 times as hard?
I think that is exactly what it means. I need to party for all the years I missed, since I definitely did not party for the years that did not count because they weren’t my real birthday. It kind of builds up like stress, you just got to let it loose.

When do you usually celebrate your bday when it does not fall on the 29th?
I will celebrate either on the 1st of March or on the 28th. Whatever day is better for my friends to come hang out with me. I often look for what day falls on the weekend.

What are you going to do for your 21st?
For my real 21st? Like in 50 something years? I hope to be sitting on a porch somewhere really warm sipping whiskey with all my friends.

Did you know you have the same birthday as Ja Rule? How does that make you feel?
Ja Rule and I share a birthday? No way! I knew through his music we had a connection. He is a lucky guy if he is sharing a birthday with me. Maybe I should tweet at him and tell him we have the same birthday.

Simon Dumont Returns to Sunday River Resort for 4th Annual Dumont Cup
-Association of Freeskiing Professionals elevates Dumont’s slopestyle event to platinum status
-Event to be featured on NBC on April 10, 2012 as part of the Red Bull Signature Series
Newry, Maine (February 8, 2012)— Sunday River Resort and 8-time X Games Medalist and World Record Holder Simon Dumont will once again team up for the 4th Annual Dumont Cup scheduled for March 23-24, 2012 in the resort’s Rocking Chair Terrain Park on a slopestyle course designed by Dumont himself.

The Dumont Cup has quickly gained a reputation for being one of the World’s most prestigious slopestyle contests. It will be featured in the nationally televised Red Bull Signature Series on the NBC Sports Network on April 10, 2012 from 12:30-1:30AM EST as well as internationally through Dumont Cup event sponsor, Red Bull. http://www.redbullsignatureseries.com

This year, the Association of Freeskiing Professionals (AFP) officially recognized the Dumont Cup’s importance by elevating it from a gold status event to a platinum status event. This is the AFP’s first strictly slopestyle contest to receive such a promotion and will allow amateur and professional freeskiers the ability to compete at the highest level possible.
Created to highlight New England’s best skiers, the Dumont Cup has drawn competitors from as far away as Europe and all throughout Canada. In the last two years alone, former amateurs Alex Schlopy and Nick Goepper took home the coveted Dumont Cup using it as a launching pad for their current high profile professional careers.

Past professional freeskiers who have competed in the Dumont Cup alongside Simon Dumont include: Tom Wallisch, Gus Kenworthy, Peter Olenick, and Jossi Wells.
“The Dumont Cup has exceeded all of my expectations,” says Dumont. “It’s incredible that in the last four years this went from a contest we started to help skiers from New England get noticed to becoming the first slopestyle contest to get elevated to platinum by the AFP. I’m honored that the ski community would embrace this event so much.”

$20,000 in cash and prizes are up for grabs for first, second, and third place finishers. Amateur skiers will also have the opportunity to score some great prizes from Dumont Cup sponsors.
Qualifiers will be held in two sessions on Friday, March 23 from 10A.M. until 4:30P.M. The top 40 amateurs will advance to the semi-finals on Saturday, March 24.

During the semi-finals and finals, professional and amateur skiers compete side-by-side. Judges determine the top three overall winners as well as a stand-out amateur from the two-day competition.

Registration is now open to competitors. The price is $125 and includes a lift ticket. Space is limited.

For additional information on the 4th Annual Dumont Cup, please see www.dumontcup.com or www.sundayriver.com. Please note that the event schedule is subject to change.
Official sponsors of Simon Dumont and the Dumont Cup are: Red Bull, Target, Oakley, Nike 6.0, Sunday River, HEAD, Toyota, Giro, Rockwell, Seshn, Empire Attire, and Kicker.

About Sunday River – A true four-season destination, Sunday River offers eight interconnected peaks of world-class skiing and snowboarding, two Grand Resort Hotels and golf at the highly acclaimed Sunday River Golf Club. Sunday River is a member of the Boyne USA Resorts family of resorts and attractions and is located in Newry, Maine amidst the scenic Mahoosuc Range.

About Aura360 – Aura360 specializes in animating client brands through innovative event and media properties and related marketing ventures. Aura360’s services are structured into three operating units; Ownership & Ventures, Client Property Development & Management, and Productions. Allied business 360 Productions provides global video production services. Properties of Aura360 include NBC World of Adventure Sports®, The Men’s Health Urbanathlon, The Baja Unlimited®, SCORE Baja 1000, Freestyle Grappling Open®, and The Dumont Cup. For more information please visit www.aura360.com

In our backyard of Colorado, there have already been 6 deaths in the backcountry this season. Washington suffered another tragedy on Snoqualmie Pass when an avalanche pushed a snowboarder off a cliff.  We also lost ski icon, Jaime Pierre, to an early season avalanche in Utah.  Empire Attire cannot stress the importance of safety in the backcountry enough. We remind you to never go out-of-bounds without a beacon, probe and shovel, always ski with a buddy, and please try and take an avalanche safety course.

The North Face has done an excellent job in teaching avalanche safety in their
“Know Boundaries” webisodes. The top big mountain skiers explain what to you need to know when facing the backcountry. Check these videos out and spread this knowledge to others.