Keeping the SOL family informed since a week before last

MERRY CHRISTMAS SHOPPING
(DISCLAIMER: any typos, spelling, or content errors encountered in this issue of the SOL | Groove mysteriously appeared in transit. It left here grammatically correct.)

Welcome to the SOL | Groove number three. We've just moved into the SOL | Shack on the shores of Lake Tahoe, CA, and we're pretty darn excited about it, but it's too soon to tell you all about our plans for our little mountain shed. We did get a chance to sample a little Alpine Meadows snow, and it was great for man-made. Maybe us moving here scared the snowgods away from Tahoe. We hope not.

Other than our bad luck with snow, here we go again with more random bits of news and not-so-news. Let's just dive right into the drivel shall we? Wait, on the other maybe we shoulddo the news and the new stuff first.

TOM SIMS WINS ROUND ONE VS. DNR
Last week a Santa Barbara, CA judge granted Tom Sims a preliminary injunction against DNR meaning DNR can not sell Sims product worldwide.

FIS WORLD CUP AT TIGNE, FRANCE
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WORN OUT MILLER MOVIE
Another Warren Miller movie? Yep. Shanti Sosienski went to 'Snowriders' and lived to tell of it.

VCR FOOD
Looking for that perfect stocking stuffer? Check out our new video guide in SCOOP. We'll tell you about some of the latest and greatest snowboard videos that are floating around in your local shop. Who's in 'em, what did we think of it? TB5, Stomping Grounds, Steak & Lobster, 96, How it it, Tales Of The Krypt, it's all there.

DROPPING IN
Also new this week, displaced New York City Writer/Snowboarder Susanna Howe gives us her first column for the winter. Beginning December 1, Howe will be at the SOL shack in Tahoe kicking down the weekly dose on who's hot and who's not in the Tahoe area and how the writing of her first book (which is about snowboarding, surprise, surprise) is coming along.

RESORT OPENINGS
Resorts are opening everywhere. Check out Crystal Mountain, Washington as Associate Editor Shanti Sosienski does Crystal On Opening Day.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
It's no rumor that Peter Line is leaving D23. We don't really know if we can tell you what he is doing or where he is going, but let's just say his new boards are rolling hot off the press as we speak.

Brushie's contract with Burton is up and rumors have been flying. Will he stay with the Empire or will some other snowboard manufacturer be able to flash the green and lure the Brush away. He was reportedly riding the board of a major northwest board manu during opening day at the Keystone pipe. Hmmm. . .

And speaking of Burton, rumor has it that the mega company is planning on helping the 'A team' get outfitted with laptops this season, so they can get more instantaneous product feedback. Apparently Craig Kelly, the guinea pig for the program, is touting his new Burton-connected laptop around with him along with his mess of new test products for photo shoots.

It appears that every pro except Noah Brandon is heading for MTV's winter house in Steamboat, Colorado this week. Should be the pro-deo of the year coming in just behind the U.S. Open for the most pros found in one location in a week. Bobby Meeks, Wendy Powell, Jason Wordall, and Dave Lee are just a few of the people who told us they'll be lurking with Kennedy. Maybe if we get our scene together, we'll go lurk there too and fill you in on what's happening (that's the beauty of having a cyber office).

Washington resorts like Baker, Steven's Pass, and Crystal Mountain were swamped with pros this month. Seen at the crime scenes covered in a fairly decent early season snowfall was Wes Makepeace, Ian Ruhter, Circe Wallace, Andy Hetzel, the entire U.S. Nitro team, Billy Summers, Matt Cummins, Dave Lee, Temple Cummins. We're sure there was plenty more, but we got sick of noticing them all and quit looking.

THAT'S ALL FOLKS
This is the end of the third issue of the SOL Groove. Come on, at least pretend that you got a little nourishment.

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