All right, everyone, it’s time to pick up those pens and put your writing skills to use! We want to hear your most hilarious stories, or anything else you care to share with us. You never know what you may get out of it. This month, Britta’s stoked on new gear from Roxy, and Northface is hooking up Nick. Also, they’ll both receive a pair of Drop gloves. All you have to do is make us laugh, cry, cringe–basically evoke any emotion–and you’ll have a great chance of winning some gear as well.

As the season came to an end last April in Steamboat, Colorado, the summer and hot weather, along with my job at McDonald’s in order to save for trips in the winter, was about to begin. I did every odd job in the world throughout the entire summer, and saved every cent I had for the winter. Soon, I thought, "Why am I taking all this money and putting it toward an activity when I already have more than enough for a car? Is this really what I want to be doing with my money?" Then I woke up from that terrible nightmare and realized, I’ve never thought twice about what I’d rather be doing with my hard-earned summer money. The only thing it’s worth spending on is the best thing in the world … snowboarding! I know once the winter comes along and I’m clicking into my Burton at the top of the mountain for the first time, that one run will make up for the six months of hard work. It’s all worth it to me.

Clyde, Michigan

It sure sounds like you’re a die-hard boarder, Britta. That’s got to be rough, slaving away at a hot and greasy McDonald’s all summer, but as long as you stay focused on the snow–mind over matter, right? Well, we think, after all your hard work and pure state of mind, you deserve to be the recipient of a brand new snowboarding outfit from Roxy and a pair of Drop gloves. We hope you have a nice and long season before it’s time to go back to work again.

A couple of friends and I decided, for our last ride of the season, we would hike since the resorts were closed. We found a spot where we hiked down in the slush-packed snow, and up the side of another slope where we wanted to come down. Trust me, it looked like a beauty. Well, on the way down this steep hill, my friend Brent accidentally lost his grip on his board and it went flying down the hill. He jumped after it and started hauling down on his butt. My other friend Wren jumped after him trying to help, but he went sliding also. So, of course, I was worried about their safety and I ran after them, fell, and began sliding down the steep-ass slope as well. We were all sliding out of control when I heard Wren scream, "Oh shit!" All of a sudden there was a cliff of snow we flew off, which went down into an ice-cold, rocky-bottom river. The first thing that went through my mind was "We’re all going to die." But somehow my board got wedged between two rocks and it stopped me from going any further down the mountain’s river. I stood up, looked around, and saw that my friends were all right. We picked up our boards and, trying to keep our balance, found a part of the snow ledge that was low enough to climb out. We decided not to hit the hill after all. Then, they looked at me and said, "Nick, you’re bleeding everywhere!" From the impact on the rocks I had busted my nose and my right knee, but I didn’t notice the pain until we got back up the hill. My board cracked across the base in three spots from the water pressure in the river, but if it weren’t for that board, my daughter probably wouldn’t have a father today. Even though I don’t have a board now, all I can say is–thanks for everything, Type A (Nate Cole 158)!

What an adventure! This is one of the wildest stories we’ve heard here in a long time. It sounds like you’re extremely lucky you weren’t seriously injured. It’s a good thing your Type A was able to stop you, and we’re happy to know your life means more to you than your board. Unfortunately, we can’t hook you up with a new board, but we are selecting you as the winner of some Northface gear and a pair of Drop gloves. So, be careful out there–and next time, keep your daughter in mind before deciding where to ride in the backcountry, not once it’s too late.

You’re Welcome

I just finished reading your September issue, or at least the few semblances of legible text I could find. It is really surprising how you gentlemen have "sold out." I know advertising is an effective way to beef up the profit margin, but your publication has become an anthology of billboard-like garbage. With a cover price of five bucks, excessive advertising should not be necessary. You take the materialistic aspect of the sport and give it a shot of steroids. In turn, this is precisely what the sport has become: a circus sideshow. You whine when people write in and spew out their egotistical stories, but this is exactly what you perpetuate. Snowboarding is now the "cool" and "in" thing to do. I feel like I’d actually be an anarchist if I strapped on a pair of skis for a change. But even that would be futile, as I would still have to share the hill with every last poseur hitting jumps way out of their league in attempts to impress a camera. You’ve created this pool of piss, now sit in it. Snowboarding was once a pure and beautiful thing, thank you for contributing to its demise.

Billings, Montana

Matt, I imagine you were riding down a mountain on a sunny morning, making turn after beautiful turn in pristine powder, when all of a sudden, everything went to shit. What happened I wonder, did your binding break? Did you run into a tree? Did you uncover a rock and fall down? No, it must have been because you were thinking of all the advertising in TransWorld. Wow, to think of the power at our hands–we can ruin an outdoor activity with mere pictures and words printed on paper.

Huck With Style

I’m full of questions, please answer. My friends and I are trying to figure out what we’re hucking. So, what’s a rodeo anyway? All of frickin’ North America thinks it’s a backflip spin, but I’m pretty sure it’s not. People have also told me it’s a corkscrew with a backside grab. The best one I’ve heard, though, is that a rodeo is an inverted 360 with a backside grab. Do most people backflip cartwheel style, or do they kind of spin 90-frontside, flip, then bring it back to land? By the way, what’s a misty? Please enlighten me, great snowboarding gurus. You guys are the only magazine when it comes to snowboarding.

Letters (which may be edited for clarity and space) should be sent in marked: Letter To The Editor, TransWorld SNOWboarding. By snail-trail mail: 353 Airport Rd., Oceanside, CA 92054. By FAX: (760) 722-0653. By electronic mail: [email protected]. Those of you who have too much time on your hands and have access to the World Wide Web can post cyber-letters on transworldsnowboarding.com.