Modern Miracle: Snowboarder saves himself by calling girlfriend, snapping selfie, after getting trapped in backcountry avalanche!

Chas Smith

By

We live in the future.

Selfies have become a cultural cancer, what with folk obsessively turning cameras back on themselves to capture every last expression, but in snowy British Columbia selfies can also save lives and let us learn the very wonderful story of a snowboarder out alone in the backcountry near Cypress Provincial Park.

It is there that an avalanche trapped him, burying him to the waist, but he was able to retrieve his phone and call his girlfriend who, in turn, called the police. The man then snapped a photo of his location allowing rescue teams to spot him from the air and scramble a ground team which pulled him out hours later.

A doctor on the scene declared he was in serious, but stable, condition with a fractured pelvis and other injuries.

North Shore Rescue team leader Mike Danks said the whole business was very complex involving avalanche experts, a doctor, an emergency room nurse, paramedic and multiple rope rescue teams as well as ski patrol.

He added when in backcountry trouble the first call should be to 911.

Not the girlfriend.

Apparently.

Las Vegas resort receives 30-inches of snow in 72-hours, marketing director attempts to lure people up from Sin City: “We believe that skiing and snowboarding are good for the soul and physical health!”

Chas Smith

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You woke up in the rusted frame burned out old Deville

Las Vegas is known for many things, gambling, drinking, strip clubs, illicit drugs, guns, cheating on spouses, fighting, cheating in general, etc. and, equally, not known for its fresh, fluffy snow but 2020/21, amirite?

Over the past 72-hours, Lee Canyon resort, an easy 40 minute drive from both the Wynn and Encore, received 30-inches of epic powder and its marketing director is seeking to lure people away from acting naughty.

The main thing about this season is that we wanted to be here for the community,” said Jim Seely. “We want to be a place where everyone can come escape their routine and maybe some of the constraints that COVID has put on their life. We want people to get outdoors. We believe that skiing and snowboarding are good for the soul and physical health.”

Very fine but is it altogether true?

Las Vegas Strip-style sin, while gross, can usually be cured with 12-step programs/doctor prescriptions.

Snowboarding, on the other hand, takes hold and refuses to let go for, possibly, a lifetime leading to many poor decisions, families and friends being left behind, etc.

A real conundrum.

Which would you rather suffer?

World-famous rap star Travis Scott picks up snowboarding instead of working on much-anticipated new album: “It seems to be he is a natural talent!”

Chas Smith

By

Very Natural Selection.

Procrastination is a many-splendored thing what with its native ability in replacing things we don’t want to do (work) with things we do want to do (binge-watching Netflix, online shopping for 1980 Renault Fuegos, social media shaming people with whom we disagree, etc.)

Travis Scott, world-famous rap star and father to Kylie Jenner’s daughter Stormi, is currently supposed to be working on his much-anticipated album UTOPIA but decided to learn to snowboard instead.

Per the website Hot Hip Hop News:

While fans have been waiting on Travis Scott to deliver his brand new project called UTOPIA, it seems like the artist has decided to go off and try some new hobbies, as a way to clear his head throughout the recording process. Considering it is the winter, there is no better time than now to take up Winter sports, and that is exactly what Travis has decided to do.

In a new clip posted to Twitter by SAINT, Travis can be seen making his way down the slopes, and based on the way he’s moving, it seems like he is a natural talent. On his way down the hill, Travis is seen moving from right to left all while keeping his balance and coming to a perfect stop.

Extremely cool.

Scott’s own Instagram feed depicts him “going off a cliff” according to Hot Hip Hop News (pictured above) which surprised sister-in-law-ish Kendall Jenner who responded, “what????”

Very Natural Selection.

Professional snowboarder Chloe Kim admits after epic win: “Tonight I wanted to try a new trick on my second run, but at the end of the day, winning is more important!”

Chas Smith

By

Go small or go home (empty handed).

Competition and progression are strange bedfellows, no? Sometimes winning forces the hand and new, never-before-witnessed tricks are unveiled that leave spectators breathless. Other times, safety claims the day and a professional will only do as much as it takes to claim first place.

Two days ago, phenom Chloe Kim chose the latter. She was also riding in her first halfpipe competition in just under two years at Laax, Switzerland, beating Japan’s Mitsuka Ono and Sena Tomita with her half-assed effort for the gold.

Kim, who is part Korean, said, “Tonight I wanted to try a new trick on my second run, but at the end of the day, winning is more important. I wanted to put something down and told myself I didn’t need to go as big as I did on my first run. I just wanted to slow things down a bit.”

But does that make your heart a little sad or do you hunger only for Ws too?

It makes my heart sad as I once tacked a fluorescent poster to my wall reading “Go big or go home” though it might have featured a skateboarder doing a handplant as opposed to a snowboarder doing anything.

Still, the sentiment has burrowed deep.

In any case, the X-Games relaunches in just three days.

Exciting.

Natural Selection, Travis Rice’s singular take on competitive snowboarding, is asking for your help in filling out dance card: “There are simply too many great riders out there that we couldn’t make the final decision alone!”

Chas Smith

By

With great power comes great responsibility.

There is no more competitive professional surfing in our lives nor competitive professional skateboarding. The extreme sport landscape has been laid bare thanks to the dreaded Covid-19. Laid all the way bare except for professional snowboarding which is going to have a grand competitive season kicking off in mere days.

Very cool.

Natural Selection, with its first stop in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, is going live as early as Feb. 3 and let us get excited.

Excited and never more important with a who’s who of big mountain riders we all want to see minus two, one man, one woman.

Which two?

Oh, that is for you to decide.

For the man, choose between: John Jackson, Danny Davis, Jake Blauvelt, Bode Merrill, Manuel Diaz, Sammy Luebke, Jason Robinson, Stale Sandbech.

For the woman, choose between: Mary Rand, Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, Yuka Fujimori.

Go here before Jan. 29 and lock it in.

Thank you, snowboarding.