NSMB.com Team

Redbull Joyride - Thru My Lens

Posted by jaydub on 2011-07-25

I'm not a big fan of crowds  and coverage is usually better on Freecaster than watching it live but I decided to partake in the festivities this year.  From the local paper, it cost $250,000 to build the course and 140,000 visitors for the entire Crankworx event.  Maybe the District of North Vancouver should take note.

Here are some of the photo highlights for me:

    Tippie is always the life of the party

    The crowds are always having a good time despite the high security.

    The Surrey kid (Anthony Messere) is already a force to reckon with and the only one to front flip this.

    Andreu has the best extensions on his supermans

    Semenuk styling it up on his last run.  Oh yeah, he won the whole thing along with $25k

    Massive crowd leaving

Below is a slide show from the "slopestyle" event:

Crankworx 2011 from Willows Photography on Vimeo.

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Remembering AIRprentice 2011

Posted by Eamonn Dugnan on 2011-07-20

AIRprentice 2011 has come and gone, and another champion has been chosen. By now you have been well versed on the events of that faithful weekend, so for your viewing pleasure, I thought I would throw down some random images of my own in remembrance of our annual comp. Enjoy. 

A few of the nsmb team members arrived on Thursday night in hopes of getting a full day of riding the mountain before the weekend’s event, but the weather had other plans. Much to our dismay, rain and snow were the morning’s surprise.

The picturesque village of Silver Star Mountain Resort. If you haven’t ridden there, I suggest you get it done. You won’t be disappointed!

All smiles with my new 2011 Rocky Mountain Flatline. 

 

This year’s AP contestants were a great group of guys, not to mention a solid group of riders. Not in any particular order: Spencer Graf, Jon Remple, Stephen Matthews, Kyle Quesnel, Ben Friesen, Brad Mills, Ollie Jones, Skye Schillhammer and Doug Sharpe.

 

Conditions improved as the weekend progressed, and by Sunday the dirt was elevated to hero status.

One of the AP competitor's doing his thing in the Vault at Silver Star.

Last year’s AP winner, Matt “The Monster” Montandon, doing his best to look normal.

AIRprentice train. The crew falling in line flawlessly.  

Big shout out to the two trail masters, Cam and Mike who are the brains and muscle behind the trails at Silver Star.

Ollie Jones won the balls out award for the weekend, and he had the battle wounds to prove it.

Not only did Doug Sharpe have some funky-ass shoes, he also had a heart of gold, and as a result, he won the spirit award for the weekend. 

A world class view from the top of Silver Star. The Monashee Mountains sure do make a hell of a backdrop. 

The final five from left to right: Skye Schillhammer, Ollie Jones, Brad Mills, Stephen Matthews and Doug Sharpe. Don’t mind the empty jugs of beer. They weren’t from us. I promise.

Prop’s to Stephen Matthews for becoming the AIRprentice, and for also using the words rudimentary and double rainbow in the same sentence.

Thanks to all the contestants for coming out, and a big thanks to Silver Star for hosting such a fantastic weekend!   

AIRprentice 2011 Part II

Posted by Cam McRae on 2011-07-15

While the AIRprenti and photographers are scouring the mountain for photographic gems the rest of us have a little time to burn off some laps of the park. We stop in and see how things are going as well - but our greediness to pillage berm heaven keeps us pointed downhill.

Hearing from the photographers about how the riders work on a photo shoot is gold. We learn who works hard, who is creative and who looks studly on camera, so it's not just about the rest of us shredding laps. Extra props go out to Mason Mashon and Jerry Willows who sacrifice their time in the park to get behind the lens.

Here are a few of my favourite photos from Saturday afternoon's sessions.


  This was a gnarly line on Dag's Downhill that may have been pioneered by Ollie Jones. The kid rides rowdy. Photo ~ Toby Cowley.

  Ben Friesen wasn't old enough to stay in the bar - but he manned up this step up. Photo ~ Toby Cowley


  Brad Mills plays the lead role in this moody shot. Photo ~ Mason Mashon.

  Jon Rempel playing through pain. Photo ~ Dan Barham.


  Jon Rempel chasing Stephen Matthews. Photo ~ Dan Barham.

  I'll let Stephen Matthews caption this one: Roosting Dan Barham in the face. Photo ~ Dan Barham

  There's enough air to go around at Silver Star. This time Stephen Matthews chases Jon Rempel. Photo ~ Dan Barham.

  Kyle Quesnel - winner of the 9th rider sweepstakes - sent it hard all weekend. Photo ~ Jerry Willows.

   Skye Schillhammer hitting the boost valve. Photo ~ Jerry Willows.

On Saturday evening we went to The Saloon to have a meal and be social. Ian Galbraith, Silver Star's summertime master of ceremonies, set up a tire change challenge for the riders. They went head to head until there were just three left; local boy Brad Mills against Whistler residents Stephen Matthews and Ollie Jones. I saw it as a deadheat between Brad and Stephen but Brad had the crowd on his side and he took the decision - and a fistful of twenties. Jerry Willows decided to sell me out after listening to my critique of the riders' technique. He told Ian to ask me to challenge Brad -  but I turned the tables and threw the gauntlet at Jerry - and took him in a tight race. (actually I kicked his ass)


  The three flat fix finalists went head to head for a hunny spot. Photo ~ Paris Gore

Most of the riders played it pretty casually at the bar and a few turned in quite early. This generation of riders is committed and three of them got up at the crack of dawn to shoot with Paris Gore. The results they got were well worth a few hours sleep.

  The early risers; Skye Schillhammer followed by Doug Sharpe and Kyle Quesnel. Photo ~ Paris Gore.


  Riding in the same order as above, while the rest of us were still asleep, in one of Silver Star's 963 berms. Photo ~ Paris Gore.

  Skye getting whipped when the light was nice. Photo ~ Paris Gore.

Once the rest of us were up and fed it was time for a couple of warm ups and then a race down Dag's Downhill. The weather and trail conditions couldn't have been more perfect. We sent Paul Stevens down first to set the standard and then the AIRprenti followed.

  Stephen Matthews laying the hurt to everyone on Dag's Downhill. He had the fastest time of the day followed by nsmb team rider Paul Stevens, Ollie Jones and Doug Sharpe who was riding a rental bike. Photo ~ Mason Mashon

After the racing was done it was time to choose our finalists. We couldn't get it down to four so we went with five - the quality of riding was that good. Even the four who we didn't put on barstools would have made great team members. This year's crop of riders gave us an embarrassment of riches to choose from.

  Our five finalists. Photo ~ Jerry Willows

We asked Mason Mashon to call, in no particular order; Skye Schillhammer, Ollie Jones, Brad Mills, Stephen Matthews and Doug Sharpe. We didn't go into the comp this year thinking we needed a particular kind of rider because we have a group that is strong in many areas right now. Skye can dirt jump, ride fast and he's got smooth big mountain style. Ollie Jones rides with a ragged exuberance that is amazing to watch. Brad Mills is mostly a dirt jumper but it turns out he can rip a dh bike as well. Stephen Matthews reminded me of Vanderham in the air with his dialled whips and he rides with serious pace. Doug Sharpe rounded out the top five, impressing us with his attitude, enthusiasm and all round riding ability. Once we had this crew selected we could relax a little because it was like shooting fish in a barrel; there was no way we could miss.

  The lads, with help from Mason as MC, kept us laughing. Photo ~ Jerry Willows.

As usual we grilled the riders with questions and each responded with poise and eloquence. Considering Stephen, at 22, was the oldest among them, they are dialed beyond their years. 

  All the riders were presented with a Nokia phone by Dan Scott. Thanks very much Dan and Nokia! Kyle Quesnel won first choice for his efforts. Photo ~ Jerry Willows.

Some years the decision making has been agonizing, with camps forming and insults hurled. This year we pretty much all agreed - Stephen Matthews was our man.

  Ryan Schnepf started the bike lift tradition in 2004 and the winner hasn't needed to be told since. Congrats Stephen and welcome to the team! Photo ~ Jerry Willows.

For the next year , and hopefully beyond, Stephen will be part of the nsmb team. He'll wear the jersey and represent our team sponsors. 

  Stephen on his 2011 Specialized Demo 8. It was custom built at Obsession: Bikes with a Rock Shox Boxxer World Cup up front, a Rock Shox Vivid rear shock, a SRAM/Truvativ drivetrain, Truvativ bars and stem, Avid brakes, a Chromag saddle, DT Swiss wheels and Maxxis tires.

AIRprentice winners over the years:
2004 - Ryan Schnepf
2005 - Benton Hennig
2006 - Neil Meier
2007 - Mitch Chubey
2008 - Justin Wyper
2009 - Andrew Sherry
2010 - Matt Montandon and Paul Stevens
2011 - Stephen Matthews

Thanks!
Ian Galbraith made sure all the details were sorted at Silver Star. Thanks for all of your hard work Ian! Thanks as well to Cameron Sorenson and his trail crew for making sure the mountain was in epic shape. The staff at The Saloon kept us well fed and watered. Thanks for the hospitality! The same goes for Oscar at the Bulldog. If you are in Silver Star make sure you ask Oscar to mix you some obscure cocktail.

I'd also like to thank our photographers and videographers. This was an exceptional year for images and video. Thanks to Dan Barham, Mason Mashon, Jerry Willows, Paris Gore and Toby Cowley for stills and Matt Dennison and Jason Lucas for movies.

Thanks as well to nsmb team captain Trevor Hansen. Much of the hard work leading up to AIRprentice is handled by Trevor and he does it all with his usual panache. Thanks T Bone!

Obsession: Bikes handled the über-dialled builds for the AIRprentice Demo 8 and P3. Thanks to James Wilson, Crazy Lou Costa and all the crew at Obsesh.

AIRprentice Sponsors
Specialized is the title sponsor of AIRprentice and their awesome bikes make it easy to attract the best riders around. Thanks to Nic Sims, Brandon Sloan and Jason Chamberlain. Without your support AIRprentice could not happen.

Thanks as well to Dan Scott of Nokia for providing wicked phones for all the riders and helping out wherever he could.

nsmb.com Team Sponsors
We are very lucky to have the best collection of sponsors in the industry.
SRAM/Rock Shox/Truvativ Avid
Our riders are able to perform at the top level because of top shelf parts from the SRAM group. Thanks very much to Tyler Morland and John Dawson for their commitment to our riders. You guys rock! And to Shawn Cruickshanks for keeping our bikes running like gold!

Maxxis
Everyone loves Maxxis rubber. Thanks to Maxxis supplier Cycles Lambert for keeping our wheels in contact. Props to Ed Wright and Jay Hebert.

Mountain Equipment Coop
MEC provides our jerseys and tees, supports our team and provides vital funding for trail maintenance on the North Shore. Thanks to Laurie Edward, Tim McDermott and Jesse MacDonald.

DT Swiss
Thanks to Paul Guebera for keeping us rolling fast.

Contour
All of our riders use Contour HD POV cams to capture their rides. Thanks to Marc Barros and Lacy Kemp.

Adidas Eyewear
All of our riders use shades and goggles from Adidas Eyewear. Thanks to David Wiesenhofer.

URGE Helmets
Urge is another new sponsor for this year and we are beyond stoked to have their helmets protect our heads. Thanks to Fred Glo!

Five Ten Shoes
The truth is we'd be wearing Five Ten shoes if we were sponsored or not so it's awesome having them as a sponsor! Thanks to Laura Sanders!

Chromag
We're chuffed to represent Chromag saddles.They rule. Thanks to Ian Ritz for being so dreamy.

Dakine
Dakine supports our scene and they make great products. A shout out to Chico Bukavansky and Dave Bisset.

Race Face
It's inspiring to see how Race Face managed to get up to speed as though nothing happened. Thanks to Marcel Jakob for keeping our riders protected!

Pedros
Again thanks to Cycles Lambert, we are lubed and maintained by Pedros products.

Suspensionwerx
When we need a suspension consultation locally we roll over to see James Downing and Arthur Gaillot at Suspensionwerx. For them perfection is the minimum requirement.

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This was a stellar year for AIRprentice. I didn't think we could top last year but it happened. Give us your two bits here...

AIRprentice 2011 Report

Posted by Cam McRae on 2011-07-14

Like Donald Trump's version of our reality TV show, AIRprentice is really a job interview. The problem is that job interviews don't work very well. There are applicants who give great interview but then fail to perform, as well as prime candidates who fail at interviews. Research suggests the best way to sift through applicants is to look at their previous work and to have them perform before they are hired.

  If you can't find the Bulldog at Silver Star just look up. Photo ~ Paris Gore

We've also come to realize that we need a particular kind of athlete. We want a rider who can share his or her experiences with our audience, be a good teammate and follow through on plans and commitments. The reality is that this person may not be the 'best' rider. Obviously we want a talented and committed athlete as well - and sometimes the stars align and we get both. Paul Stevens - who got our second spot on AIRprentice last year - is a perfect example of that.

  Part of the winner's prize package. A Specialized Demo 8 equipped with parts from SRAM, Rock Shox, Avid, Truvativ, Maxxis, DT Swiss and Chromag and a similarly decorated Specialized P3. On top of that the winner receives a Contour HD GPS POV cam, shoes from Five Ten, gloves from Dakine, protection from Race Face, tools and lube from Pedros, Eyewear from Adidas Eyewear, jerseys and tees from Mountain Equipment Coop and helmets from Urge.Photo ~ Paris Gore

The challenge is that most of the riders we invite to AIRprentice don't have much of a track record. If they did they would already have a list of sponsors and we aren't in the business of poaching. Diamonds in the rough are great - as long as you can polish them up. Because of all of this, and a short time frame, AIRprentice can be a nerve racking ride - and this year was no exception.

  Doug Sharpe, a Silver Star local and trail crew member, gets aquainted with the rest of the crew. Photo ~ Paris Gore

Like I said above, the best way to find out if someone can do the job is to get them to do the job - which is the way we now run AIRprentice. It's a film and video shoot which can mean hard work, monotony and patience. When you are riding with 8 killers who are pushing hard there's also a large helping of fun - but being a pro rider can sometimes be very hard work with very little glamour. 'Can you do that one more time' after hearing it eight times already, can be a real ball buster. But riders like Matt Hunter, who joined us again this year, know that the perfect shot doesn't usually happen on the first take. This year we also asked all of the riders to write up a blog using the photos they worked to get on Saturday afternoon. Every year we learn something new and this was a great addition to the comp. (we did this last year but only because we were rained out on Sunday morning).

  First thing Saturday morning the boys dressed in their green tees. Left to right:  top row - Spencer Graf, Jon Remple and Stephen Matthews. Middle row - Kyle Quesnel, Ben Friesen and Brad Mills. Bottom row - Ollie Jones, Skye Schillhammer and Doug Sharpe. Photos ~ Dan Barham

We met most of the riders on Friday evening at the Bulldog - where Oskar and his crew served up some great snacks and pints. Later on we discovered that Oskar is also a world class tender of bar so there's no better place for a cocktail as well. After we were beered and nourished we laid out the schedule for the riders. Saturday was to be a couple of warm up runs, riding with nsmb team riders, then some time at the Oakley dirt jump vault and then on to Prostar - the line Cam Sorenson and Silver Star's passionate team of builders put together for us last year. Prostar has grown to include several more moves and soon it will extend even further down the mountain. For riders who like to go big it's one of the best lines anywhere. After lunch at The Saloon we send the riders out in small groups with a photographer to find out what sort of bangers they could come up with. Sunday again was to start with some warm up laps and then the race down Dag's Downhill. Action packed to say the least.

  Itching to get at Silver Star's berms, the riders watch as the next generation rolls by. Photo ~ Dan Barham

Early on it became apparent that we had great crew of riders in terms of trail skills but things were slow to get going at the vault. Some of the riders were on big bikes and others just weren't dirt jumpers but nobody was spinning or whipping. I wouldn't say we were worried but underwhelmed could describe our mood - with a few exceptions. Ben Friesen and Brad Mills impressed us here along with a few others but we weren't gobsmacked the way we were by Matt Montandon last year or Shrew the year before.

  After a couple of warm up laps we headed to the Oakley Vault via Rock Star. Photo ~ Jerry Willows.

Luckily Prostar changed everything. There were spins - including Ollie Jones turning his DH bike around - tailwhips and lots of creativity and style. These riders shined on the big lines which suited us just fine. The AIRprenti were having so much fun they didn't want to stop for lunch.

  Matt Montandon was happy to lead the charge at the vault - despite his severed ACL. Photo ~ Jerry Willows.

Lots of elements have kept us returning to Silver Star for the past three years but the riding as at the top of the list. Every year there seem to be more berms, better airs and the whole mountain seemed faster in 2011. Double Dog - one of my favourite trails - added a bunch of berms in the woods and going fast in tight trees gets my mojo firing. Some berms and doubles were added to World Cup as well making a wickedly fun line sinfully more so.

  Ollie Jones appeared to be a loose canon - both by reputation and from his video submission. He lived up to that billing with balls out riding. Photo ~ Dan Barham.

The weather gods cursed and then blessed us. We arrived Thursday night to get an early start on some runs for Friday. Unfortunately March returned briefly and the word from the top was that it was snowing pretty good. It was pretty chilly in the village as well but I've been here enough times to know that things can change pretty fast. After lunch things were looking pretty good and the weather improved for the rest of the day so that by last ride up, a little before 5:00 things were drying out nicely and conditions were approaching optimal. By Saturday morning the trails were tacky like toffee but firm and solid - without a puff of dust to be seen.

  Team and AIRprenti convene before one of Silver Star's big views. Photo ~ Paris Gore

Towards the end of the first day of AIRprentice we start to form some opinions and the chairlift conversation with nsmb team riders usually boils down to 'who are your top four?' As we talk about it we slowly whittle it down and hope that by Sunday afternoon we have the finalists sorted out.

  On the way to Prostar there are a few opportunities to get rad. Photo ~ Jerry Willows

We were once again lucky to have five skilled lensmen along for the trip this year. Dan Barham has attended AIRprentice before and we were very pleased to have him back in 2011. Our team is blessed with a couple of skilled shooter including Mason Mashon - who recently had a two-age spread published in bike magazine and Jerry Willows whose eye continues to improve. Paris Gore contacted me before the event and he nailed some bangers over the course of the weekend. The final shooter was Toby Cowley, who just showed up out of the blue. 

   Ben Friesen showed an impressive ability to trick in diverse situations. Photo ~ Jerry Willows.

In the afternoon the riders hooked up with one of the shooters and worked to get the best images they could. I'll roll out some of those images in part two. Stay tuned as well for the AIRprentice 2011 video - destined to be the best yet thanks to the hard work of Matt Dennison and his loyal sidekick Jason Lucas.

  Despite a nasty shoulder injury Jon Rempel performed but didn't complain. Photo ~ Jerry Willows.


  Ollie Jones spun the first step up on Prostar but his second attempt on number two resulted in a lost shoe. Photo ~ Dan Barham

  An AIRprentice candidate has never been badly banged up during the comp bu here has been a bit of second year curse for AIRprentice riders. Neil Meier burst his spleen the year after he won and Benton Hennig went down hard enough to forget where he was on his first AIRprentice as a team member. This year Paul Stevens was the caboose on a train through Prostar and after 20+ feet in the air he landed on Matt Montandon's rear wheel. As you can see it appeared to be a nasty predicament. Photo ~ Jerry Willows

  Looks like a crime scene. Somehow Matt managed to keep it upright despite the unexpected piggy back and Paul managed to escape injury as well. We had dodged the sophomore curse - or so we thought... Photo ~ Jerry Willows


  After lunch in the Saloon on Saturday (fantastic food and awesome service - thanks Danielle and Stephanie) we set the riders free with one of the five photographers who had joined us. Photo ~ Dan Barham.

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Stay tuned for part II. Say anything you'd like here...

Airprentice saturday night

Posted by Trevor Hansen on 2011-07-10

Many an Airprentice saturday night goes in a pile of different directions; tonight was no exception.

Silverstar marketing man with a plan and a mic Ian Galbraith working the mic for the tube change showdown.

The finalists from the first three rounds(left to right): local tube change sensation Brad Mills, Whistler/UK speed machine Ollie Jones, and Whistler/Calgary transplant and massive whip-boy Stephen Mills all preparing for the showdown throwdown for 100 bucks.

The judge (Silverstar trail crew chief Cam Sorenson) checking for good sidewall bead and 30 lbs. pressure.

The judge in a controversial call gives the victory and $100 to local favourite Brad Mills