And then there were three.
Taos Ski Valley, one of the last bastions of snowboard-free skiing, caved to commercial pressure last week and said it will allow snowboarders on the slopes starting at the end of the season. For the family that owns the storied resort, it's an effort to expand the business and retain customers whose children or grandchildren prefer snowboards to downhill skis. But it's a crushing defeat for some lifelong Taos fans, who now are threatening to pack up and sell their New Mexico real estate.
It leaves just three major resorts standing against the snowboarding juggernaut: Alta and Deer Valley in Utah, and Vermont's Mad River Glen.
Relations between skiers and riders (as snowboarders are known) have never been chillier. An age gap helps put the groups at odds.
The majority of skiers who skied more than a day at a U.S. resort this past year were older than 25, according to the National Ski Areas Association; the majority of snowboarders weren't old enough to rent a car. The divide has led each side to generalize about the other: Boarders cast skiers as old, stuffy and conservative; skiers say boarders are young, reckless and rowdy.
Taos, built to resemble Switzerland's St. Moritz, opened in 1955 and is known for its steep terrain, gorgeous scenery and laid-back vibe. Skiers fuel the local economy, buying art, real estate and fancy dinners.
Some locals say boarders won't bring the same kind of money to town. "They bring their lunch to the mountain instead of buying it," says Liz Jamison, a real estate agent and ski instructor at Taos for 22 years.

http://www.ridetaos.org/ 

Vote for Terje!

How many conversations among snowboarders have revolved around the greatest of all time? I have been there plenty of times naming my top five who have been rotating through the years, but always at the top is Terje.  If you are also the same way, click on the following link to award Terje the citizen of the year in Norway for bringing the Artic Callenge the his homeland and advancing the sport further than any other rider in history.  Who set the latest world record for the quarter pipe? Vote away.

Terje Haakonsen is on the list for Norway's Citizen of the Year competition.

You can cast your vote for the snowboarding legend online on their website. It's in Norwegian, but it's pretty easy to figure out what to do.

http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/oslo/article2138016.ece

The Canyons Resort is the lastest to add a terrain park only site to promote their expanding park information, safety , and knowledge of terrian parks.  The site has info on each park, staff information, events, photo and video galleries. The site is also interactive with the viewer to designer the picnic bench set ups to win prizes and also posting photos through Flickr.  The Canyons (http://www.ridecanyons.com/) site follows Brighton Ski Resorts Terrain Park site (http://www.brightonterrainparks.com/) and Park City Mountain Resorts terrain page (http://www.pcride.com/winter/index.html). 

Keep up todate information on terrain park safety through Burton's Smart Safety program here, http://www.burton.com/LTR/LTR_smart_style.aspx

Now Go Shred The Gnar! 

This new documentary features some of the most daring skiing ever shot in the sports history.  Guides such as Doug Coombs who lived for the sport of big mountain skiing and guided snowboarders and skiiers around some of the most trecherous conditions mother nature has to offer. While riding, each of us in our own way has felt the thrills and defeats of riding chutes or closing in on cliffs while our mouths go dry and the world focuses in on the moment.  This movie is not nececarilly about one sport, but one way of life we all share together.

To watch the teaser click http://www.sonyclassics.com/steep