How turning into a mean son of a bitch won Shaun White Olympic Gold!

Jazzy P

By

An Instagram Fairytale!

Instagram, oowee, how it sings. 

And, for a socially woke slugger like Shaun White, it cuts a window into their soul.

If you examine Shaun’s Instagram account (1.2 mill followers, 185 posts) you’ll discover the three-part hero’s journey to unlikely Olympic Gold last year.

Follow the narrative.

Part one. A man that has become bigger than the world. He is indulged by fame, fortune, distractions. This cossetted man is broken and unable to perform at the heights he once did back when he was hungry and desperate for success. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BNivtT6Dbxd/?hl=en&taken-by=shaunwhite

“Just before the Olympics, about a year or so out, I realised that all these things in my life, the possessions, were all becoming distractions. They began to own me and I went through this process of getting rid of things just so I had no distractions around the Olympics.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQLpIkHgr8-/?hl=en&taken-by=shaunwhite

Part two. The redemption. Back to basics. Shaun rents a house in Malibu where he can be…alone…and get back the grit, the fire, he once had, the same one that burned in his leaner, needier competitors and one his cute chubby stomach couldn’t match.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVBFNAJj5Ae/?hl=en&taken-by=shaunwhite

https://www.instagram.com/p/BfFg254DQNp/?hl=en&taken-by=shaunwhite

Part three. The hero returns. Shredded. Rocky meets Ivan Drago in Moscow. Shaun arrives at the Olympics in form. Before his final run Shaun trails Japan’s Ayumu Hirano. He needs an almost perfect run to take gold. Dramatically he pulls off the final run to snatch his third Olympic gold. 

“All I could think about was I want to win this medal and come back to this house and celebrate with my friends.. and that was this recurring thought in my mind. … “

 

Mark in a plane chair as big and as comforting as a household chaise lounge. | Photo: @markmcmorris

Suck on this: Mark McMorris Flies Private!

Jazzy P

By

Come and swing above the heavens in a PJ with the Olympic bronze medallist…

Eighty percent of the world turn right when boarding their commercial jet. If y’got any length in your bones, you’re screwed. Wedge yourself into seventeen inches of cushion. Eat re-heated scum and drink wine so cheap the homeless will spit it back into your face.

But the world ain’t egalitarian.

Some are lucky enough to hit the left indicator and bask in pampering and service so slavishly servant-like it was once reserved only for sheiks, sultans and princes. Mr Mark McMorris, a twenty-four-year-old Saskatchewan, has always enjoyed the charmed life.

He has dated Coco Ho, one of surfing’s hottest athletes since 2013. Her nickname for Mark is Sparky.

And Mark, not content with regular travel has found an elitist edge of his own. The joy of the PJ. While the claustrophobic cabin, sub-par seating, and turbulence susceptibility might leave something to be desired… the sheer convenience and added elitism of private jet travel puts it a cut above.

Mark’s jet of choice is the 2001 Citation Excel. Seating for eight, a range of 2000 nautical miles and a cruising speed of four hundred-plus knots. Three gees an hour, if you’re interested.

Or three-ish mill to buy your own low-mile version.

Stroll through the cabin below.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bk3Xz0GFboj/?taken-by=markmcmorris

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjTVDnzgYTM/?taken-by=markmcmorris

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjTFChIAMOB/?taken-by=markmcmorris

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bcf1VwmgClZ/?taken-by=markmcmorris

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTCBiErD9mY/?taken-by=markmcmorris

Chloe, at left, with pals. On beach. | Photo: @chloekim

Daughter of Korean Immigrants Lands Front 1260!

Derek Rielly

By

Ain't nothing delicate or fragile about the outrageous and persistent Chloe Kim.

The Olympic gold medallist, Chloe Kim, who just turned eighteen, is a first-generation Americano, the kid of Korean immigrants.

Chloe is also the first woman to nail a front 1260, three-and-a-half spins if your nervous system collapses at numbers etc. At spring camp at Mammoth in May, Chloe says she ate up three days practising the trick and “seven to ten” tries before she rode out of one.

Chloe says she ain’t one for air bags. All tricks on the snow. Ride out or die, so to speak.

Watch!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BixMVcvlhQS/?taken-by=chloekim

Hacked: Thanks a lot Burton Russia!

Chas Smith

By

We've been down! But we're back! Or at least back-ish!

Your fifth favorite snowboard enthusiast website has been down for days due to some troubled backend issues most likely being ok’d by the Kremlin/Burlington.

And thanks to that nefariousness this is what you missed!

By the wonderful Muzzey.

Longtime Jackson scene-builder Jeff Moran is hosting an event with the Jackson Hole Ski & Snowboard Club tomorrow night that will bring out a heavy roster of local luminaries to talk about all things snowboarding; Travis Rice, Bryan Iguchi, Cam FitzPatrick, Blake Paul, Hana Beaman, Willie McMillon, Rob Kingwill, Mark Carter, Mikey Franco, Lance Pitman, Jack Hessler, Alex Yoder and Halina Boyd will be on stage, talking story, and fielding questions from the audience.

If you’re in town and want to hear firsthand from some of snowboarding’s most relevant and respected voices, head over to the Pink Garter Theater.

Son of a bitch.

Merry Christmas from us to you!

Chas Smith

By

Blessings on all!

Oh please forgive the lack of content here this week… we are still, officially, in a soft launch period but are almost ready to really fly! In the meantime, very Merry Christmas to all and may the Snow Miser visit you soon!