Monday Mix - July 29, 2019
Jul 29, 2019·Snowboard Cross
Lots of good stuff this week, with some great news coming from Max Parrot (CAN), fun clips from the French Alps to the Australian Alps, a look ahead at the soon-to-start Continental Cups in the southern hemisphere, and much more, in today's Monday Mix...
Max Parrot (CAN) is cancer-free
The PyeongChang 2018 slopestyle silver medallist, 2015/16 big air crystal globe winner, and five-time X Games gold medallist, Canada's Max Parrot has been one of snowboarding's preminant competition riders and most well-respected technicians since the early part of this decade. However, Parrot shocked the snowboard world last Decemeber when he announced he had been diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma and would be stepping back from riding to focus on treatment.
Now, seven months later, it appears the treatment was successful, and Parrot is cancer-free just in time to prepare for X Games competition coming up next month in Norway, as well as for the Beijing (CHN) Air + Style big air World Cup in November.
Last season's Beijing big air was the last competition Parrot competed in before his diagnosis, and it's great news both for him and for snowboarding that we'll be able to see the 25-year-old back out there doing what he does best again this year...
Belle Brockhoff (AUS) looking stong ahead of 2019/20
After back-to-back ACL tears kept her out for World Cup snowboard cross competition for the entirety of last season, Australia's top woman Belle Brockhoff is looking to be on course for a full return to racing this winter.
The third overall World Cup finisher in both 2015/16 and 2016/17, Brockhoff put in an incredible performance to finish 11th at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games despite competing without an ACL and having not dropped in for any head-to-head racing for almost a full year before the Games.
With the Australian team fresh off a successful training camp on home soil at Mt. Buller, everyone is looking forward to seeing a rider of Brockhoff's caliber back in the World Cup mix next season.
Hagen Kearney (USA) tours with metal band Them Evils
US SBX rider Hagen Kearney is easily the biggest rocker of any on the FIS Snowboard World Cup tour, riding in competition clad in his signature black motorcycle jacket, rocking a Motorhead snowboard, and leading his own metal band when he's got time off from the hill.
A couple of weeks ago he took it up a notch by going on tour with Californian metal band Them Evils as a guest guitarist, and last week posted this video looking back at how the experience of being on the road playing rock stacks up to being on the road racing on his snowboard...
Camp #DIYX looked like a good time
Camp Do It Yourself Extreme wrapped up this past weekend in Les Deux Alps (FRA), and once again it appeared to be one of the most fun places to strap on a snowboard this season.
Organized by Germany's Ethan Morgan, DIYX is allows the riders to shape and build their playground as they see fit, with jibs and features thrown together in a million unlikely combos designed as much for laughs as for getting next season's ender for the video part.
Mikey Ciccarelli (CAN) DIY water ramp
Speaking of DIY, up in Canada, Mikey Ciccarelli and friends have built themselves a water ramp unlike any you've ever seen before...
Matty McCormick (GBR) dryslope bangers
From one extreme to the other now, as we leave the wetness of the Canadian lakes for the scratchyness of the British dryslopes, where Matty McCormick dropped a couple stylish hits at the Bearsden Ski Club last week.
For those of us who have never had the experience of dropping in on the glorified astroturf of the dryslope it seems crazy to even put down an edged turn on the surface, but here we've got McCormick stomping a perfect, fully-grabbed backside 900 like it's the most normal thing in the world. Boss.
Shaun White (USA) to compete at World Skateboarding Championships
While it's been known for in snowboard circles for some time that three-time Olympic halfpipe gold medallist Shaun White would be looking to cross over to skateboarding for the sport's debut at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, this past week White went on the Today Show to officially announce that he would be competing in the World Skateboarding Championships in the leadup to the Games.
It's no easy feat that White is looking to achieve here, but if there's one athlete with the drive and ambition to pull it off, it is him. Plus, he's got some pretty decent connections to help him get where he's looking to go, as these shots from a little session at Tony Hawk's private ramp can attest to...
Southern hemisphere prepares for Continental Cup seasons
Competition season in the southern hemisphere kicks off this weekend with South American Cup action coming from La Parva (CHI), where back-to-back slopestyle contests will take place on August 3 and 4 at La Parva resort.
La Parva's Snow Animal terrain park is known as one of the best in South America, and it should be an exciting start to the south's season this weekend. Check the full 2019 SAC schedule HERE.
Then, next week, it's the Australia New Zealand Cup's turn to get in on the fun, with SBX at Mount Hotham and, slopestyle, and big air competitions at Perisher all slated to go down from August 5-9. Check out the full ANC schedule HERE.
Alexander Payer (AUT) mountain bikes in nature's speed suit
One of the most thoughtful and engaged riders on the FIS Snowboard World Cup, alpine rider Alexander Payer showed his wild side this past week, dropping in for a downhill mountain biking lap wearing nothing but a helmet and a smile. Skin to win, baby!
And that's it for this week! Thanks for reading!
