taking it to the streets

February 12th, 2007

Once upon a time ski resorts banned snowboards. In the mid 80s, it wasnt the snowboards that were a problem, but snowboarders fucking dirty skate rats looking to dirty the mountian with attitudes, styles, and moves from the street.

The Union Square Street Session showed just where snowboarding is going. Now those dirty skate rats are high paid pros. Instead of on-snow antics, theyre hucking down Mountain Creeks Jib Lab-built 17 steps, on a couple of handrails. And instead of the cops coming in for the kill, the NYPD was busy corraling the crowd so the boys could shred. The whole industry was fixated on two boxes and two rails in the middle of NYC. The media coverage was bolistic and it was all sponsord by the resorts. Dude, where am I?

The rails were pretty badass - steep bars, flat landing, very jarring. Mark Frank showed up, gapped the flat-down-flat on the Jeep, stomped it a few times and then spun at the afterparty. Danny Kass rolled in with Dingo and the Grenade launchers, busted a few slides and collected photo incentives.
The format was all street, just go up and bust as many moves as you want. The young bucks were really getting after it, mostly the Vermont kids  Lucas Magoon, Chris Rotax and Yale Cusino doing their thing. Magoon kept laying down this backside 270 slide, and gapping out. Charles Ried, rediculous backside 270s. Louie Vito threw down a 50/50 slide with a 360 out. Pat Moore would bust a switch 50/50 and 180 and sprint back up to do it with more style.

Eddie Wall took the event and $15,000. You’ve got to respect a guy from North PA who does a 270 in and 270 out of a boardslide. And at 26, you know his knees were hurtin.’ What made this event was the setting. So much of our culture comes from right here in NYC – and here’s snowboarders busting huge slides in the midst of cabs and ambulances and mobs of heads in the city! The place was just charged.

by jon coen

photo by ann coen photography

Entry Filed under: Uncategorized, Living Proof Mag, Action Sports