Technology VIDEO: Inside Burton’s 3D Printing Process

This fall, we took a trip up to Burlington, Vermont to meet with Burton Snowboards while doing research for an article on snowboard technology in our October/November issue (on stands now). While there, we stopped in at the Burton R&D center to meet with Senior Product Development Specialist Chris Doyle, the madman/tinkerer behind a lot of Burton’s latest innovations. He showed us the rapid-prototyping machine they use for testing out new ideas, a 3D printer that can make snow-ready plastic prototypes in a matter of days, as opposed to months going back and forth with overseas factories.

This thing is awesome, so cool that we had to let you guys know about it. Check out the video below to see Chris taking us through the rapid-prototyping process and how it keeps Burton on top…

Sports Snowboarder Travis Rice Talks ‘That’s It, That’s All’

Travis Rice’s snowboard movie, That’s It, That’s All, drops today on iTunes and on DVD. Rice co-produced the project with Filmer/Director Curt Morgan, and over a two year period the two were able to capture a Planet Earth-esque journey through snowboarding and scenery. If you’re a snowboarder, this movie is a must, and even if you’re not, this is a good flick to have by the TV when you’re looking for some entertainment.

The movie was shot completely in Hi-Definition, so if you can wait a month, cop the Blu-Ray version at Best Buy, or download it off iTunes today for $8. Read on to watch the trailer and see an interview with Travis about how it all went down…

Video Games Shaun White Snowboarding Comes To The Wii

Winter sports are undeniably fun, but sometimes the frigid weather makes us question whether it’s worth making the trek to the top of the mountain. And like most tedious activities, we look to video games to provide the lazy man’s alternative.

It’s been a while since a truly great snowboarding series emerged (we see you, SSX Tricky), but Ubisoft might have next: Shaun White Snowboarding is dropping this winter. Skip that trip to Vale and try to achieve world-wide acclaim in the Olympic Gold Medalist’s signature game. It will also be available for Xbox and PS3, but the Wii version is the most dynamic, using the new Balance Board to simulate the actual deck. See some more screen shots below.

Sports The X Games Don’t Really Start Till The Sun Goes Down

Lil Jon at the Oakley House

Party time in Aspen. With the 12th Winter X Games underway, the ritzy Colorado town is booked full with action sports athletes, industry folk and fans. Our first night in town, we managed three parties in one night: First it was dinner and cocktails at the Oakley House. A stop off at the Target Chalet. And come early a.m., we had no choice but to let loose and wil’ out Rocky Mountain style at the New Era digs, where Lil’ Jon held it down for all. Stay tuned for more.

Check the photos after the jump.

Sports Shaun White Stacking Paper At The X Games

Mat Hoffman (drums) and Shaun White (guitar) at the Target Chalet/Photo: Tracy Anderson

Winter X Games XII kicked off in Aspen last night. Tanner Hall placed first in the men’s ski superpipe and Levi LaVallee took the gold for doing backflips on a snowmobile. Something he’s obviously practiced before. Shaun White, jamming with Mat Hoffman at the Target Chalet last night, hasn’t slipped any gold around his neck. But he’s definitely cashing checks in Aspen. Yesterday Burton announced a new 10-year deal with White with intentions of expanding his signature line, The White Collection. The announcement comes on the heels of White’s new contract with Target to produce a casual line under his name. Maybe White will get the big Red Dot to change its stance on bloggers.

Sports Go South With Burton’s 28 Day Winter

For more than 10 years Burton team riders have shredded the Southern Hemisphere while most America works on their summer tans. 28 Day Winter documents the latest mission with 176 pages of photographs by Dean “Blotto” Gray, Jeff Curtes, and Adam Moran. The shooters followed a squad of Burton riders including Terje Haakonsen, Hannah Teter, Nicolas Muller, and the ubiquitous Shaun White tearing up rocky terrain on the earth’s south side. Blotto, who we caught up with via email, described the evolution of the book, “After completing the month long shoot through Chile, New Zealand and 72 hours on Mt Hood in Oregon, the photography was compiled and we all said, ‘Let's do this book.’ The title tells just what it was, a 28 day winter.” For anyone trying to start a North vs. South rivalry, Blotto had this to say, “The typical story with shooting snowboarding in the Southern Hemisphere was that of 'It's not as good as the terrain in the Northern Hemisphere…only good for catalog shots…not enough snow.' We've never subscribed to this attitude and this book is a testament to that. You're dealing with the best riders in the world, professional photographers, and terrain that will get you just as hurt as anytime in January or March.”
28 Day Winter: A Snowboarding Narrative ($40), powerHousebooks.com

Style Let’s Get Bro’d

Here's to not taking yourself seriously, bro. Our friends at Burton took the idea of the funny Wu-Tang name generator and applied it to the action sports industry. Enter your name and hope your alias doesn't turn out Bobby McBurnside.