Photo Blog

Photographer: Andrew Miller

Camera: Canon EOS 1D Mark II

Lens: Canon 70-200 mm L, 15mm fisheye

Lighting: Natural

Riders: Harrison Gordon, Ben Gustafson, Cody Comrie

Location: little cotton wood canyon, Utah

Trick: andract, bowl ride, dirt ollie

Today we have Team Thunder and my last day of shooting snowboarding for season. It was the day before I was leaving to fly to California to go to school for the summer and I got a call from Harry Gordo. All he really said was “we got this crazy multi feature deal and if it works it will be very cool”… So I said ahhh what the heck and gathered my gear and I was off.
These guys are all about creativity and trying new shit and this a perfect example of a cool idea that worked out very well. I don’t think this thing ever got named, at least while I was up there but here is a quick explanation of the obstacle like course: It started with a dirt ollie into the valley to a quick step up into a bowl curving you into a big ollie back down into the valley to another quick step up over some trees. First few tries were pretty funny to watch.  A lot of maneuvers went down so I’m sure you will see this in their new movie “Gold Country” coming out this fall.

- AM

- Harrison Gordon dirt gap to step up ollie to a quick andract all gymnastic like.

- Ben Gustafason feeling the g forces while getting his curve on.

- This was the first part of this multi feature and this is Cody Comrie olling it.

Photographer: Andrew Miller

Camera: Canon EOS 1D Mark II

Lens: Canon 70-200 mm L

Lighting: Natural

Rider: Spencer Naess

Location: Park City, UT

Trick: frontside boardslide log jam

All edges forward, Spencer Naess sliding through one of many log jams on the back side of Park City. PC is shutting down for the season tomorrow. Most all resorts here in Utah (besides Snowbird) will be closed by April 20th despite tons of snow….AND its still snowing just snowed like 14inches two days ago… So closing day at Brighton could be a pow day… I never experience that before. We will have to wait and see about that one. Coming time to migrate over to Mammoth for the rest of spring.

- AM

- Some major Toadsback on this log. Spencer handles it like an big, hairy, flannel wearing lumberjack

To see previous DOUBLE|TAKE’s click HERE

Photographer: Andrew Miller

Camera: Canon 1D Mark II

Lens: Canon 70-200 mm L

Lighting: Natural

ISO: 100

Rider: Mason Aguirre

Location: 2008 Vans Cup Superpipe- Northstar at Tahoe, CA

Trick: backside five

Mason killed this past weekend at the 2008 Vans Cup. He walked away with 17,000 bucks at slopestyle for 2nd place and best trick. As for Sunday at Superpipe I thought he should of podiumed for sure but like Crosland said the “Judges included Jeff Brushie, Jim Rippey and George Oakley so what do I know?”. Hell Mason destoryed the pipe with some much style we thought we would do a Double|Take on his super stylish first hit backside five. Boy does that fool know how to poke, I would take this five over a 1080 any day!

For full 2008 Vans Cup Coverage click before for your desired event Report:

Friday : Rail Jam

Saturday: Slopestyle

Sunday: Superpipe

Mason adjusts his goggles with the tunes bumping right before he sends his sickest backside five poke of the day.

-AM

Photographer: Andrew Miller

Camera: Canon 1D Mark II

Lens: Canon 70-200 mm L

Lighting: Natural

ISO: 100

Rider: Elliot Levett
Location: Grizzly Gulch, UT

Trick: Slash

Elliot is a radical dude straight up. Anytime you hang out, shred or party with this kid its always good time.  This particular day was the first clear day in Utah after almost eight solid days of snow.  While the rest of the crew was building jumps Elliot went for the all natural approach scoping a face that took him around 30min to hike around and up the back.  I got the radio call to head over, I got set up and after jimmyin his way down a sketchy rock infested chute and sending a cliff Elliot railed into this radical slash on this small natural transition.  I love shooting slash photos.  I would not mind it if all I ever shoot was these kind of photos…  I never get tired of shooting or looking at them.  So here is Elliot with my favorite slash photo of the season so far!

-AM

Photographer: Andrew Miller

Camera: Canon 1D Mark II

Lens: Canon 17-40 mm

Lighting: Vivitar 285HV

Rider: Lonnie Kauk

Location: Mammoth Lakes, CA

Trick: bomb drop

A week ago I took my first trip back to Mammoth for the year and we were greeted with 40 inches of new snow in two days. With all this new snow and the first clear night Lonnie Kauk and Johnny Centi went on the prowl from some urban shit to do. About an hour later I got a text from Johnny saying “strap up”, I threw on my gear and headed out not sure what they had found.  I rolled up to Lonnie climbing around the top of the ski trail/ car tunnel pointing out where he wanted to drop it. Minute later I had set up all my gear and we started banging out shots.  We got a banger photo on the right side and after, Lonnie dropped the smaller left side for the hell of it. Even though it was on the smaller side it turned out to be a pretty sick photo and I was stoked. Lonnie is the man he just recently signed a two year deal with DC, filming with Standard again and is about to blow shit up. We are all stoked for him and he deserves every bit of it!

-AM

Photographer: Andrew Miller

Camera: Canon 1D Mark II

Lens: Canon 70-200 mm L

Lighting: Vivitar 285HV x2

Rider: Jeremy Black

Location: Salt Lake City, UT

Trick: Ollie

There is always one kid anywhere who is down.   Doesn’t matter if your going to set up a 30 stair,  hike for two hours for one line, jib a picnic table or in this case set up skatepark bowl.   Jeremy Black is one of these kids… He was cool enough to solo mission it with me to the local skate park not sure what we were going to hit just that I convinced him it would be a rad photo.  This is not the hugest trick and by no means gives Jeremy’s talent justice but it represents just having fun and being stoked to shred anything.  Our session was just a test run;  The park has so many options and we will definitely be back once it snows again.

Photographer: Andrew Miller

Camera: Canon EOS 20D

Lens: Canon 70-200 mm L

Lighting: Natural

Rider: Johnny Centi

Location: Mammoth Mountain, CA

Trick: Layback or Slash if you prefer

I began to write this post and got to were you fill out the trick info but was wondered what the hell to call this…… A Layback, Spray or Slash? Well I figured I could turn to the all knowing Google and typed in layback - spray - slash - snowboarding. This it was I came upon first: Snowboardinghelp.com….haha (go figure). They go into a in depth and detail report on the origin of the “layback” and “slash” plus a step by step on how to master both of these extremely advanced skills. Pretty funny check it out the article HERE.
Anyways I have decided thanks to snowboarding help that the first photos would be more of a “layback” and 2nd photo would fall into more of the “slash” category. So I guess I’m satisfied with providing you with the correct term. I will wrap this up with a bit from the article:
“As you can imagine layback maneuvers are fairly hard to achieve but are also very glamour and very impressive when completed. Having an extremely advanced snowboarding ability is an absolute must before attempting as is having the proper safety gear. However, the work and effort are more than worth it once you too can do this and impressive everyone on the hill..”

Well here you go a man who is a master slasher- Johnny Centi smacking Dave’s other wave in Mammoth. Like totally sick brahhh!

Photographer: George Crosland

Camera: Canon 1D Mark IIN

Lens: Canon 70-200mm L

Lighting: Natural

Rider: TravisRice

Location: Icer Air 2007, San Francisco

Trick: rodeo seven

What can you say it is Travis Rice. Travis is pretty much like the Terje of the new Millenium. He can pretty much do whatever he wants, including double rodeo 10’s over the Bay Bridge in San Francisco at the Esurance Icer Air. Do the trick and get the chicks, Travis had a lot of female fans.

- George

Photographer: Andrew Miller

Camera: Canon EOS 20D

Lens: Canon 70-200 mm L

Lighting: Natural

Rider: Shaun White

Location: Stratton, VT

Trick: frontside 1080

These two photos are from last season 25th annual 2007 Burton US Open. It was the first time I had shot the open, first time at Stratton and was it was quite the experience. From hearing Shaun Whites name said a millions times a day to getting screamed at for not staying in the designated “photo box” (since I didn’t have a ultra super duper photo pass) to riding Powder, Slush, Ice and Rain all in two days and hanging with Billy and Johnny it was pretty rad. Shaun White was the man to beat winning by a landslide…. his winning run consisting of this: frontside 1080, cab 1080, frontside 900, backside 900 alley-opp 900 to a McTwist. In case you missed the US Open Halfpipe video check out Shaun’s winning run HERE.

Photographer: Andrew Miller

Camera: Canon EOS 20D

Lens: Canon 70-200 mm L

Lighting: Natural

Rider: Shaun White

Location: Stratton, VT

Trick: 1st place Halfpipe

Two more. Score board and Martinellis. Shaun winning Halfpipe first place $20,000 and TTR $100,000 bucks not bad for one day of snowboarding and not even being 21. In case you missed the 2007 Burton Us Open Halfpipe Full Report check all the photos HERE

Photographer: Andrew Miller

Camera: Canon EOS 20D

Lens: Canon EF 17-40mm

Lighting: Natural

Rider: Peter Benchetler

Location: Sonora pass, CA

Trick: bs 360

This trip to Sonora was around mid of April after it had snowed only about a foot. It was my second trip out there of the year and definatly a lot less snow than the first. Started off we probably drove a good 10 miles pass the gate and another 3 or 4 past where we had parked my first time. There was only about 1/2 inch of snow on the road where we were unloading the sleds and all of us didn’t really know what think about the snow up the pass. We rode from concrete to about 1ft of nice pow further up and started hunting for a good zone. The first two spots were blowout and shitty but Peter and Gabe come across a nice little step down off this rock ledge into some decent snow. We started moving snow while Peter “lumberjack” Benchetler took care of a tree in the landing. Everything finished the jump ended up being sketchy cause of 4ft wide runway and super narrow lip but the troops proceed on. My first angle I was set up next to this tree looking straight up at the jump. Peter went first landing a little right and was 1 sec from taking me out before I dived behind a tree. Pretty funny on the footage… Long story short took they fixed the jump while I found a new angle and second try Peter prevailed over the ribbon runway of death and stomped a super floater b/s 360 off this hairy jump. After two hits we called it a day and sled necked the rest of the afternoon. Turns out a group went out to Sonora the next day and go some fat tickets for being to far off the road and i think the pass road was pretty much melted out a fews weeks later. It was a great last trip and this shot turned out to be one of my favorite’s of the season.

Photographer: Andrew Miller

Camera: Canon EOS 20D

Lens: Canon 70-200mm L

Lighting: Natural

Rider: Gabe Taylor

Location: Sonora Pass , CA

Trick: Method

This was trip out to Sonora was on February 16th 2007. It was my first trip out there and about the first good time there was a enough snow to get into the pass. These two photos were from the first zone we hit where the jumped really didn’t work out and Gabe and Peter had some close calls with a few rocks. You can see their landings coming from the left side and the exposed rocks in a few of the tracks..(the jump is out of the picture) After the close calls everybody decide to just shred the small face. Mac Spedale was focused on the left side, Peter did some slashes and couple of 180’s off some nubs in the middle and Gabe was all about the Right side. Here he boosts a textbook method over a rock gap. It was not the biggest trick ever but it turned out to be a good photo. After everybody had their share on the face it was pretty shredded up… I even got a few turns in on the nice snow and was stoked!

In case you missed the Main gallery from this Sonora trip last season you can check it out HERE and another photo blog post with some Sonora Extra’s HERE