The Snowblower: Issue 4.0
(November 18, 1996)

Welcome to the Snowblower 4, the most recent in a string of oddly timed bits of info. This issue we'll cut the intro and dive straight into the carnage. Yum!

RANDOM & RECKLESS
"There also is a fear that snowboarders, who are predominantly white and have a skinhead element to them, will move into the affordable housing. There actually has been a kind of snowboard-skinhead element in town this last year that has created disruption for police in some of the bars." -- Dave Watson, Mammoth Lakes Town Councilman, explaining why people are against an affordable housing project near Mammoth Mountain, quoted in the Los Angeles Times Sunday Aug. 4, 1996.

"I'm not interested in being a politician. I'd like to be a statesman." --Blaise Rosenthal, explaining his aspirations after throwing back a few in a Long Beach bar.

"I'd really love to come to your party, but I've got a photo shoot to do and I don't know when it's going to be over. But thanks anyway."--Kato Kaelin turning down an invitation to the SOL | Snowboarding Online Launch party in Long Beach.

"This year and happily forever after Alpine warmly welcomes those who slide sideways (a.k.a. boarders, riders, twig-jumpers, tray-riders, and a plethora of other names). --Alpine Meadows' Brinn Talbot cleverly avoiding the "S" word in a recent press release.

NOTES FROM THE DRIFT ESTATE AND OTHER PLACES
It's dumping snow here right now! I don't know if I am ready for this yet. It's been snowing for about three hours now we have almost 6 inches on the ground. Plus it is supposed to snow all night. Bye bye summer, hello winter. Where the hell did fall go? At least Boulder is still good for skating. Man I can't believe this, I'm looking out the window and I can't believe it. AAAAAGGGGHHHH! Just enough to make it pretty El sucko for El skateo. We heard that Keystone is going to open on the 15 of Oct. They are already blowing snow. I am going to go play NINT64 now. Talk to you later. --Todd Richards.

Circe Wallace is on the hunt for a contractor to build her dream home on the plot of land she just purchased in Cardiff, California. "I'm taking my time with it all. If it takes a year to find someone I'll wait," she said. Meanwhile Circe and Andy Hetzel are still reportedly in L-O-V-E. Hetzel proclaimed his Circe infatuation in the last issue of Heckler.

Former TransWorld now with Snowboarder snowboard-artist-to-the-stars Joe Soren has a great Anne Rice portrait up on Salon Magazine. Check it out: http://www.salon1999.com/weekly/annerice960902.htm.

The two Grand Prix Olympic Qualifiers scheduled for this season are still happening in spite of rumors that they may not. Keep an eye out for more information on those in the SOL Calendar.

CALGARY REPORTAGE
Winter in Canada is already on the way. The mountains have been covered with a nice blanket of white, unfortunately it's good for nothing but causing people to drool from a distance. (Enough to wet the appetite, but not enough to session on.)

Revelstoke is already reporting a nice beginning of a base and people are warming up their snowmobiles. Omar Lundi, Derek Heidt, Emanuelle Krebbs, and Andrew Murphy have planned to make Revelstoke their early season nest.

Calgary can report it's first snowfall in the city on Sunday, September 22 sending the city into mass hysteria. What everyone here is wondering is if we will have a repeat of last winter with more record breaking snowfalls.--Jon Boyer.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN
Close to a fifty people showed up in costume at Jake Blattner's swanky new ranch-style pad in Salem for an early Halloween bash last weekend. The party which was hosted by Jake dressed as Uncle Fester and roomies Michele Taggart as Barbie and Shannon Melheuse as a young Hugh Hefner-type guy.

The all evening and early into the morning event featured a bonfire weenie and smores cook out, many flowing kegs, three local bands (one was Rob Morrow's band), and a costume contest. The number one prize went to a Morrow employee who was dressed as a skier who had been hit by a snowboarder. Protruding from the winners midsection was a Morrow board covered in blood and a torn shirt. The irony of the costume was that the wearer has been in a few less serious snowboard accidents which involved stitches to those he had hit.

Another notable event in the evening was the rare public appearance of Craig Kelly who was flanked by surfing buddy Tex Davenport. The two have been reportedly seen riding the waves throughout the Northwest the last few months. Also at the party was Nate Cole who was passing by on his way back to Tahoe and U.S. Snowboard Team halfpipe huckster Sabrina Sedeghi who was down from Seattle.

BAR TALK
Snowboarder Senior Editor Jeff Galbraith, now playing house in Sun Valley, Idaho, was recently spotted back in So Cal at one of San Diego's finer drinking establishments, The Belly Up Tavern with Snowboarder Photo Ed George Covalla and Associate Editor Rob Campbell. Apparently, Jeff was in town for editorial planning and what better place to do it then at the BUT on Monday disco night, right? We should be seeing some interesting content from them in the future. Also spotted at the BUT that night was Boks team manager Sal Masekala and pro huckster Bobby Meeks.

Mike Ranquet was seen kissing the cement floor at the Crocodile Bar in Seattle last Friday with an oversized meathead crowd control specialist straddling the king of attitude while onlookers attempted to convince the bouncer that "it was only Mike Ranquet" and "he's always that obnoxious." They weren't successful and the blond boy rotten found himself sitting on the curb minutes later. Also joining Mike on the pavement that evening was a well intoxicated Russell Winfield, who apparently had no recollection of the evenings events.

CAR TALK
Chris Engelsman just bought a silver 1975 Dodge Tradesman Van with shag carpet and a dope stereo. He's not going to be driving his new rig for a few weeks though because he's in Saas Fe at the moment training for ISF halfpipe comps.

Tim Manning recently returned from New Zealand where he and Glen Plake starred in a new commercial for Volkswagen and K2. It's all over the television so you've seen it.

Hillary Maybery has joined the ever growing list of pros who own Subaru Outbacks. Staying true to her Cali roots Hil chose to buy a white one though instead of the ever popular midnight blue.

GOLD PROSPECTING
The 1998 Olympics in Nagano, Japan will award exactly four gold medals: halfpipe and GS for men and women. The following is a list of snowboarders who have recently mentioned their intentions to win "the" gold metal: Bobby Meeks, Shaun Palmer, Jeff Greenwood, Dave Sypneiwski, Michele Taggart, Mike Jacoby, Bill Enos, Jimi Scott, Victoria Jealouse, Annemarie Uliaz, and the entire US Snowboarding National Team.

AUTOGRAPH BOOTS
Van's signature: Circe Wallace, Shaun Palmer, and Jamie Lynn will have signature pro model boots for the next season.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU
After celebrating his 23 birthday surfing and partying with friends on the coast of Washington, Jamie Lynn packed his bags for the rest of the month and headed out for a weeks worth of pencil pushing exercises at shops on the East Coast. Following the brief tour he's headed to surf camp for the rest of the month in Fiji. Not a bad birthday present to give oneself.

A little surprise party was thrown for Rob Morrow last month at a roller skating rink in Lebanon, Oregon thanks to his girlfriend Shannon. Among the star-studded attendance was Michele Taggart, Jake Hausworth, Matt Schlingman, Miki Keller, Missy Samiee, and Matt Goodwill, as well as others. The group was given run of the entire place from 9 to 11 pm. They skated and skateboarded and played the hokey pokey. No fruit boots were allowed.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
The U.S. Snowboard Team just returned from Japan where they trained in the Snow Dome. Halfpipe rider Ross Powers went along to train, yep, you guessed it slalom. Why? He finished second.

Dave Lee will be traveling both coasts over the next few weeks. First he'll be touring shops in the Los Angeles area, then he heads to New York City to hang out with his MTV girlfriend, Kennedy, and check out shops out that way.

Todd Schlosser and Dave Sypniewski went to Europe recently. Todd for a photoshoot with Airwalk and Dave for Olympic Training. Yes, Olympic training. With the prospect of gold in the not-so distant future, the Syp is hitting the pipe hard in Switzerland until after Halloween.

SURF'S UP
Mike Hatchett was reportedly in Indonesia earlier this fall. Seems that finding the most extreme snowboarding footage wasn't quite enough for the filmmaker, he's now making a surfing video. Included in the film will be snowboarders that surf like D. David Downing. Will we be seeing Jamie Lynn?

Brian Savard just returned from guiding a surf trip off of Vancouver Island in B.C. for an articles that will be published in Surfer Magazine this winter.

OUCH
Mike Orr is living at home in Saskatchewan right now where he is recovering from a head injury sustained while skating a concrete bowl near Vancouver. Word has it that he took a rather nasty fall on the back of his head which caused a brain hemorrhage. Might be a few months before he gets back on the slopes.

Morgan La Fonte is reported to be almost 100 percent after nearly tearing her knee cap off last winter. She is expected to be riding as soon as the snow is deep enough in Colorado.

INTRUDER ALERT
Last month Megan Pischke had an interesting house guest. She was lying in bed at about midnight when she heard a lot of noise in her kitchen. After figuring out that it wasn't her roommates, she called 911 and the Vail SWAT team promptly arrived to evict the intruder. With guns drawn they stormed her house only to find a huge bear rummaging through the upstairs. The bear wasn't too stoked on the whole thing, so he split out the back door and Megan threw up on the porch. "I was kind of sick that day and all of the adrenaline got to me."

FRESH PRO-MOTIONAL BLOOD
The latest word from Burton Team Manager Barry Duggan is that they have some fresh blood they will be promoting this season. Keep an eye out for John Sommers, Derek Heidt, Trevor Andrew, Aurelie Sayers, Leslee Olson, and Jeff Anderson.

SOL CHAT
Been in the SOL chat room lately. Online lurkers this month this month have included Todd Richards, Noah Brandon, Barrett Christy, Russell Winfield, Chris Swierz, Jeff Brushie, Dale Rehberg, Mike Ranquet, and others. A good time to find the pros is after six PST. Stay tuned for upcoming scheduled chats with your favorite pros.

SWAP MEAT
Peter Strom is now riding for Morrow. He used to ride for Train.

Tara Dakides from Laguna Nigel, California and Jenny Jonsson of Sweden. are also new to the Morrow squad.

Dave Dowd recently signed with Device Bindings.

Andy Hetzel just signed with Lamar. Hey, stranger things have happened.

Eliot Olson has left Nitro to join the sunny SoCal Rusty team.

Brian Savard and Lori Gibbs were seen lurking around Quicksilver at the ASR show in Long Beach. Could there be new sponsors in the horizon?

This might be Tim Manning's last year riding as a pro for K2. Manning is claiming he's ready to enter the real world now where people actually go to a job in a building sometimes. His job at K2 is yet to be determined but we imagine it might fall somewhere around the team management area.

That's about all of the slop we could come up with for now. If you hear of more don't be afraid to come forward and whisper in our electronic ear. All information is confidential and the initial sprayer will never be revealed to the thousands of people who visit the internet daily. Intimidated? You should be.

Read it all. We'll make more.