Kinger welcomes us to the party.
When Rob Kingwill was finalizing the dates for this year’s Pow Wow with Jackson Hole Mountain Resort he had no idea that the week he chose for the event would be the deepest storm cycle of the ‘15-’16 season. Over four feet of stable pow fell on the Tetons last week providing ideal conditions for the froth fest that was this year’s event. Legendary figures and contemporary riders alike gathered in Teton Village to share good times and their thoughts on the latest shapes from various manufacturers including: Lib, Burton, K2, Gentemstick, HighTide Mfg., Arbor, Franco Snowshapes, Unity, Jones, and others.
“This event isn’t like others where reps are trying to push their products on you. This event is about the community coming together to collaborate to push snowboard design forward.” Kingwill said during the event’s welcome party. Participants were asked to fill out an online survey on each board they rode giving shapers valuable feedback that they can use when coming up with new products. “The entire event is rider driven,” Kingwill added.
The crew starts to assemble at the Welcome party.
Community was a central theme of the event and it was really cool to share laps and smiles with so many hugely influential people in the industry. It was a surreal experience to say the least. After each day of riding, evening seminars and events took place that focused on snowboard-centric topics, arts, and culture.
While the three days of the Pow Wow are invite only, a public demo was held on Friday.
I tried out a handful of boards during the week including shapes from HighTide Mfg, Gentemstick, Arbor, Unity, and K2 with my favorite ride of the week being the 150cm K2 Party Platter with the Arbor Carter Clovis 159 nipping very closely at it’s heels.
Thanks again to Rob Kingwill and all the manufacturers and shapers for putting on such an amazing event.
Beautiful stuff from Franco Snowshapes
Tent vibes…
The king of perpetual froth: Mr. Alex Andrews rigging up.
HighTide Mfg. Draft Dodger 157. A very fun ride that could easily be a daily driver.
Colorado’s own Jake Black sending a jump that Terje has hit a time or two supposedly.
The Gentemstick Chaser 156 rode with the precision of a samurai’s sword in the tight steep trees at Jackson.
Raul Pinto knows a thing or two about style.
The Carter Clovis 159 could easily be a freerider’s daily driver. Nice work on this one guys.
As if 4ft of pow wasn’t enough to keep you smiling, Buoloco’s Ed Segovia’s running commentary at the event was nothing short of hilarious. It does beg the question however, “Who is more heavy metal: Ed or his hat?”
Raul Pinto re-loads. This time on a Gentemstick shape.
Pete Wurster’s meticulous attention to detail and solid craftsmanship really showed through on this shape. I definitely recommend checking out some of the offerings from Unity if you’re looking for a solid all mountain shape.
A group of riders makes their way out to Four Pines in the Jackson Hole side country.
Looking at a small sliver of the Jackson Hole sidecountry from the top of Four Pines.
Long-time friend, and Jackson Hole silent killer, Mike Scott puts a little air under his feet headed into Four Pines
Mike Scott snow testing jackson hole sidecountry
Mike Scott slotted in the Four Pines Sidecountry
Rob welcomes us to the Shred X talks on Wednesday night
Jeff Grell inventor of the high back was one of the guest presenters during the Shred X talks on Wednesday night.
No, this group photo was not taken at this years event although some of those shapes might fool you.
Mike Basich spoke at the Shred X event as well.
It was at this moment that Mike Basich locked up the honor of being named ‘Chief of the Pow Wow’ as I’m pretty sure everyone in the room agreed that this might be the most badass thing to have gone down on a snowboard in the last 10years.
Apparently while being taken up to the drop point for this iconic shot the heli pilot asked Basich if he’d ever done something like this before to which Mikey replied, “Nope.” The pilot then asked, “Do you have a helmet?” To which Basich replied, “Nope.” and the rest they say is history.
K2 Party Platter 150. I had a ton of fun on this board and it was my favorite ride of the week. Really good float and a great directional flex allows you to go anywhere on this thing.
They aren’t joking.
The sun came out on the last day of the event which allowed us to get a better look at some of the amazing terrain for which Jackson is known.
Mike Scott takes a second to look back up at our lines down Four Pines.
Franco Snowshapes hosted the closing party on Thursday night.
As the bonfire slowly wound down, the memories of an amazing week lived on in the hearts and minds of everyone who was lucky enough to be a part of the Pow Wow in 2016.