Travis Rice seen shredding Jackson on his trusty Widow Maker. | Photo: Red Bull

Revealed: Jackson before Travis Rice!

Travis Rice is a certainly a tall tale but did you know he did not invent Jackson Hole?

Did you know that Jackson Hole Mountain, the world’s most loved cowboy snow resort, existed before the very famous Travis Rice was even born? It’s true, though maybe difficult to believe seeing that Travis once used a rattlesnake named Shake as a lasso and another snake as a little whip. His snowboard, Widow-Maker (also called Lib-Tech), was so named because no other man could ride it and live. Dynamite is said to be his favorite food. It is also said Travis sometimes rides a cougar instead of a snowboard.

On one of his adventures, Travis managed to lasso an avalanche. It is also said that he once wrestled the Bear Lake Monster for several days until he finally defeated it and discovered the Bear Lake Monster’s real name was Mark Landvik.

Travis has done a lot but he did not invent the Grand Tetons.

Come watch this sepia footage from the olden days (1997). It is called Foreshadow, which is an apt title and by the wonderful Willie McMillon!

Yeeehaw!

FORESHADOW from willie mcmillon on Vimeo.


Just in: Todd Richards a perfect car mate!

"He smelled fresh from his shower!"

Nearly a week ago from today LodgeGrit was thrust upon an unsuspecting world and what fun we’ve had so far! Right?

Who could forget such hits as Gimme: Some of that Icy Wine! or Willie McMillon’s Neat Fuckin’ Stories! A fan favorite was Top 5 Worst Pro Snowboarders…to spend 6 hours in a car with on the way to Mammoth!

J-Dizzle liked it so much she/he wrote:

Hands down worst article I’ve ever read. Has nothing to do with snowboarding, isn’t even funny, and honestly just shitty writing skills. If you were going for satire, you fell flat on your face. Look for a new job.

Part of the beef maybe had to do with Todd Richards inclusion.

“Fuck that dude…” the author Hamilton Bridges wrote. “…Could you be more irrelevant? What are you like 75 now?”

But apparently Mr. Bridges was wrong and this account, pulled from Facebook, seems to suggest that Todd Richards is an ideal car mate. Shall we read?

I used to ride from Boulder to Summit or Vail in the winters with Todd Richards. He showed up when he said, stopped for coffee and drove like an Andretti.

He smelled fresh from his shower. His girlfriend was fresh and clean too. He didn’t talk about himself, except to share some funny stories. He didn’t burp or cup rippers.

He was an adult.

That was back in the day when we wanted to grow up, stand on our own feet and by our accomplishments.

I am proud to know a founder of the sport.

He is one guy who lives life.

It is like poetry and I hope that Hamilton Bridges feels fairly awful.


Hot: Olympian on Olympian action!

Todd Richards and Sage Kotsenburg discuss the joys of being the best!

Todd Richards won an impressive 16th place finish in halfpipe at the 1998 Nagano Winter Games. Sage Kotsenburg won an equally impressive gold medal in the first ever slopestyle at the 2014 Sochi Winter Games. Let’s listen in as these two legends chat in the rarified air… 

Richards: Tell me the most annoying thing about having a Gold medal.

Kotsenburg: Everyone asking where I keep it and asking if their son’s best friends cousin can get a photo with it on. Haha on the real nothing is exactly BAD about having it but people turn into Smeagol from Lord Of The Rings when they get around it.

Are you pissed that Mark McMorris got 3rd at the Sochi Olympic games and he got a video game and you won the thing and you can’t even get a signature App for the Galaxy 7?

I am pumped for Mark having a game. That is rad! Seems like too much work for me though.

Do you think this is your agent’s fault?

Definitely my agent’s fault. I can always blame him for stuff I don’t get. He did get me a lifetime supply of bacon which is cool. I never redeemed it though

You just signed with Oakley from head to toe. Have they tried to get you to wear some wacky glasses yet that look like they fell out of someone’s Halloween costume closet?

I am actually looking to get one of those Over The Top glasses… Those things are fuego!

Do you have any kind of pre snowboarding OCD behavior that is super embarrassing but somehow want to tell everyone in this interview right now?

I don’t have any pre snowboarding OCD behavior but if you have hung out with me you know I have twitches or tics whatever you want to call them every 30 seconds or so that switch up every 6 months to a year that I have to do or I get insanely pissed off.

Are you the coolest person in Park City? Trick question! Ken Block is. Do you hang out with Ken Block?

He is the undisputed King Of Park City. I hang out with him for sure when he is in town. We both have pretty hectic schedules but we kick it for sure.

I know you are super into Game Of Thrones. Who is the King Joffrey of snowboarding?

Shaun White?

4adf8a0d-0382-4354-9880-aeed9fea6d30

On a scale of 1-10 how awesome do you think you are?

6.5

What are you going to be for Halloween this year?

I have no idea but I take Halloween pretty serious I always go all in on costumes so I need to figure it out asap. My brain hurts from the premier tour I just got done with Halldor though so it is tough to decide…

Do you need any yard work done? Because Hondo is available.

Hondo is always welcome to help me with my yard. Or just come kick it and drink some @icywine_official

You’ve been to the White House to meet the president and got really close to him. What did Obama smell like?

I can’t remember but he told me I did the chillest interview he had ever seen…

Are you still tight with all the talk show hosts?

Not really… I’d say i’m closest with Conan me and him gel super well. He comes to Park City with his family every year I told him to hit me up to shred but he never did. Letterman was cool too but he put a lot of pressure on me saying he wants his kid to be like me when he grows up!

What was the dumbest thing you bought with all that Olympic loot that came pouring in?

I actually never sent it with any of the money really. Sorry that is such a boring answer. I got my girlfriend a YSL purse. But that was also cause I puked in her purse on my 21st birthday haha so I kind of deserved that one…

I hope you did something nice for your parents because they are nice people. My parents are the best!

Shouts out to mom and dad.

Do you ever skip leg day or is everyday leg day when you are Sage?

This is such a rogue question hahaha.

The Olympics were two seasons ago, do you ever wake up in the middle of the night and think you are still trying to qualify?

I have nightmares that I am back in 2014 trying to qualify and I haven’t ridden at all… Such a stressful time haha… The Olympics are nasty that way.


Fresh: Technological breakthrough!

Is your board slow and lame? Make it instantly better!

It’s very early season some places and almost ready to go other places. How is your board looking? Does it need to get waxed up? Yeah it do.

This is older but an important reminder of how to get the most from your gear this season. Watch and learn. Watch and learn.

Watch.

And learn


Don't be down failed CEO. You're in good company!

DIY: Best failed pro snowboard brands!

Are you a pro? Did you start a brand? Did it fail? Join the club!

Pros always like to start brands. Don’t know why, but they always do. Maybe it’s the mindset like “Oh hey I was a “marketing consultant” for this brand, now I’m an expert and so let’s do this…”

But then real life comes along, bites them in the ass, and poof back to normal…. Now don’t get us wrong, the brands are fucking sick. It’s awesome DIY ethos, it’s punk rock, and it’s dope. But like it’s really hard to do something and run a business when you’ve spent your whole life traveling the world snowboarding, chasing chicks, and partying.

These are our top 5 brands that pros have started that didn’t work:

Elevation– Chris Engelsman was every tall snowboarders favorite snowboarder, and even he couldn’t make it last…

Forecast- Really? Pat Milberry? Does this look like the face of a business owner?

Pat Milbery... owner/CEO/n shit
Pat Milbery… owner/CEO/n shit

Omatic- Give us a fucking break Todd…

M3- These guys were the fucking shit for a while. But then they went to M4 and then to something else, and tbh they might still be around as some version. But you lost us with the M3 to M4…

Public Snowboards- Lol sorry Joe, I had to hahahahhhhh