george crosland photo blog

I went up to Mammoth to shoot photos of Danny Thomas. His friend Josh came along and even though Josh has only been riding like 2 years. He can spin 9’s and 10’s. To me that is pretty crazy so I decided to interview him as well as Danny. Josh is an all around around that you can see in the Mammoth park or at the Looney Bean

back 7 in Mammoth’s main park, thanks to Andrew Miller for help with the sequence

Name: Josh R. Dibble (JDB)
Nick Names: Dibs, JDB, Legit
Hometown: Grand Rapids, Michigan
Age: 21
Current Residence: Mammoth Lakes
Sponsors: Bern, Oneway Boardshop
Favorite snow brands: Nixon, Flux, Neff, Skull Candy, Oakley!, Omatic or Rome

SR: So Josh, you have only been riding for what 2 years? How the hell do you do like 900’s and stuff so soon?
JD: Well I knew how to carve and do 180’s when I first moved to mammoth.I teamed up with Danny Thomas and Mario Dragoi and some others and they helped me. Mario told me to widen my stance and then I just tagged along. It wasn’t long before I just went for new bigger stuff. I ask Hammer and Wynan and Nelson for advice as much as possible. I Just ride as much as I can. I knew I wanted to be shredder and so I went for it. I just am blessed. God hooked up the snowboarding abilities.

SR: What brought you from Michigan to Mammoth?
JD: I moved to Mammoth randomly. I didn’t even know there was snow in Cali, I was gonna move to Mt. Hood. Then my friend in So Cal was like you should check out Mammoth. So I looked at it, then decided I had to go there to get good at boarding.

SR: Where did you ride in Michigan?
JD: I rode at Cannonsburg, and Nubs nob. I mostly rode hills around my house and like back yards. I learned my first 180 on a sledding hill.

SR: Where is your favorite place to ride?
JD: Winter Park, Big Bear, Mammoth

SR: Does Motown still mean anything in Detroit?
JD: Motown smotown, Detroit is dirty. I cant stand being there, the only cool thing is 8 mile and I would never go there. I would rather just cross the boarder and spend the day in Canada!

SR: Please number in order, the best musicians from Michigan; MC5, Kiss, Madonna, Kid Rock, The Stooges (Iggy Pop), Ted Nugent, Srevie Wonder, Diana Ross, White Stripes and Aretha Franklin?
JD: Red Hot Chili Peppers!!!!!, the Verve, MC5, Iggy Pop, White Stripes, Ted Nugent, Kiss, Stevie Wonder, Kid Rock, Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, Madonna,

SR: When you first drove up and saw Mammoth, what were you thinking and feeling? Where you blown away by the mountain or was it what you expected?
JD: I didn’t know places like Mammoth were out there. I was used to a old landfill that had snow on it with a slow lift. Mammoth was super nutty. When I first moved here there wasn’t much snow, Last year, but this year blows my mind.

SR: What is good about living in Mammoth?
JD: I get to hang out with the cutest girl in North America! I have amazing friends. LOONEY BEAN. Every body is way chill, the riding level is so tough here. If you can really kill it in Mammoth then you can kill it anywhere. But here everyone rides at such a gnarly level.
Chair six is really fast and the jumps are mammoth! I love it. June Mtn is amazing!

SR: What is bad?
JD: Small town drama, it gets really windy sometimes and you can’t shred. The rails arn’t that sick. Gas costs 4 dollars a gallon no matter what. Vons is like a carnival on weekends.

SR: Do some of the girls take on multiple partners in Mammoth since there are so few girls there?
JD: Well since pretty much there is 1 girl to nine guys I would say Yeah.A lot of the girls I know here are really classy and well rounded so they stick to one man.

SR: What riders inspire you?
JD Scotty Witlake, Scott Vine, Mason Aguirre, Danny Davis, Lucas Magoon

SR: Best riders of all time?
JD: Jp Soleberg, David Benadick, Travis Parker, Scotty Witlake

SR: Top 5 songs and/or bands?

JD: Chili Peppers, Kanye West, Lecrae and Trip Lee, Hillsong United

SR: Who do you ride with?
SR: Danny Thomas, Nick roles, Kalyn Lepre, Brett Garnero, Mario Dragoi

SR: Do you parents support you or do they want you to get a “real job”?
JD: My Parents support me all the way. They were bummed at first because I gave up an opportunity to play college soccer because I knew I had to work and get out west to snowboard. I just wanted to so bad. They support my dreams and passions.

SR: What do your friends back in Michigan do?
JD: Wakeboard like crazy, play mad frisby golf, skim boarding on Lake Michigan. Hang out at Meijers, this 24 hour store like wal mart. Michigan is cool but its hard to do anything great with your life. There isn’t much there. Everyone I know who has mad something out of this life moved out of Michigan to follow there dreams!

SR: What does Snowboarding mean to you?
JD: Snowboarding is more than just riding a board to me. It represents my passions and dreams for life. It insprires me to take challenges head on. It requires me to believe in myself and to never give up. It represents taking leaps of faith and trying stuff you don’t know if you can land. But you don’t know until you try. It represents part of my core being, snowboarding is part of me. It is something that makes me happy and lets me be creative!

SR: Plans for snowboarding?
JD: I want to have fun and help the sport grow. Snowboarding is the most enjoyable activity on the earth to me. I just want others to expierience what I have.I want to give snowboarding a positive vibe. I just want to be able to have fun and through that win contests and inspire others to have more fun with it, instead of striving so hard. I want to leave a mark on the industry that makes people smile and say I Want to enjoy it like him. I also want to progress the sport. It is moving so fast its hard to keep up but I feel I have a lot to offer, I mean its really only my second season really snowboarding freestyle. I think I give snowboarding some new jib tricks and a new positive vibe.

SR: Do you owe snowboarding or does snowboarding owe you and why?
JD: I owe snowboarding so much. Snowboarding has given me so much freedom to express my creativity on rails and in the air. It is a release for me and a safe place to be at peace. It is a part of my heart and im passionate about it!

SR: Is this spring going to rule in Mammoth or are you heading back to MI?
JD: Im planning on shredding Mammy like no other this spring. Im finishing up some filming for a show on fox that will be airing sometime soon. Spring riding is way to fun to miss, then hopefully I will be going to high cascade or something to shred and contribute to the growth of
snowboarding. I love the opportunity to show kids who want to learn how to do there first 180 or front board! Hopefully this spring and summer are full of those times.

back 7 with a little poke for style

Nollie back lip to 270 out at June

Back Lip on the C-box at June

Rodeo at June

Back 180, again at June

Having fun with a fastplanr in the main park at Mammoth

Neil Blender in 1985 or Josh Dibble in 2008? Josh does a nose stall/tail grab on a big wall

Broken boards result from hard riding

900 off the big jump at Mammoth

The world’s gnarliest female pipe rider pretty much dominated, although Torah Bright put forth a good effort. Kjersti Buass Oestgaard rounded out the podium. Torah and Kelly are seperated by a mere 5 points after the pipe contest in the overall standings in the Ticket to Ride Tour. Kelly may have dominated the pipe but the weather really ruled the show. Wind and snow put off the qualifications that were scheduled for Friday. The result was that the qualifiers took place on Saturday and the winners were pulled from that. So with essentially a 30-40 person final. The action never heated up the same as if there was the normal 8-20 person final. It was fun to see all the girls ride though and see who may be a future ripper. Kelly did not even bust a 9; her winning runs consisted of big airs, a few 5 and a 7 or possibly 2 7’s. The pipe seemed a little slow and lumpy probably from the about a foot of snow blew in there overnight.

What the contest lacked in gnarlitude it made up for in casualness and fun factor. It kinda felt like a backyard bbq, except with a lot of the world’s best female snowboarders taking laps through the pipe. With lots of big money sponsors there were all the free goodies and food you could want, so that was cool. Lot’s of friends and family came out to support them too. Greg Bretz, Trevor Jacobs, Todd Richards and way more we seen watching the action. Lonnie Kauk was doing laps in the park all day and Todd (an announcer) kept saying “there goes Lonnie Kauk, one of the best riders out there in snowboarding today” too funny and true. Seriously, there were at least 50 girls from all over the world hanging and riding. The field for the pipe was maybe 50% from out of the USA; countries like Norway, Finland, Japan, Holland Canada, Japan and more were all well represented.

It should be said that the Roxy Chicken Jam is also the last stop for the female 07-08 Ticket to Ride tour. There are four females in contention for the top position. Off the top of my head Torah Bright, Kelly Clark, Jamie Anderson and maybe Cheryl Maas are up the top honors depending how things go this weekend. As of the time of writing this on 395 South in Big Pine on Sunday March 30th, the overall TTR winner had not been determined. Another storm rolled through for the Slope finals which were scheduled for today. So what you say, it’s snowboarding. Well, if you have been to Mammoth you know what can happen when it storms; strong winds, like 50 mph+ were gusting on Sunday. I have never seen a contest run in the near hurricane like winds they had on Sunday so it was not just cause they were chicks. The wind and snow meant EPIC riding though. Most of the tourist tools from LA left Sunday in the am with the wind and snow which the blowing snow filled in chutes all day – sick riding. Stay tuned for slopestyle….

Don’t let the pretty smile fool you, last years TTR champ, Torah Bright can rock a switch back 7 in the pipe that puts most people to shame

The pipe and you can see all the snow in bottom which usually equals lumps and less speed

At Mammoth windy conditions and snow equals fun for your hard working photographer/writer – secret spot on Saturday

Kelly Clark spins through a front 5. Kelly is a true role model. She is a big time Christian and whether you agree with that line of thinking or not (I don’t) you still have to appreciate someone who stands tall and is proud of her faith in today’s world of tight pants, looking cool, partying and so on

Liz Beerman

Uh, I don’t know who this is, sorry

Danny Kass or Torah Bright? Torah Bright with a nice stylee air to fakie

Just the scene at Mammoth, check the lift towers being used for two different lifts. At a ski area used by people from So Cal, you gotta get a lot of people up the hill fast for their $79 lift ticket

Torah Bright – front 5

Kelly Clark going mongo

Manuella Pesko rocks a proper method

Kendall Brown

Kelly Clark stoking people out with this front 7

Cheryl Mass is known for killing slopestyle contest, here is proof she can ride pipe too

Not the best photo of Kjersti Buass Oestgaard, this is basically a set up trick for her but heck, she got third so we gotta run something of her

Todd Richards taking like his “third run in the pipe all season” Todd announced, ran in the mascot contest, rode and oh yea, owns Omatic too. You think he gets to see his wife and kids as much he wants or works and travels a lot?

Oh yea, there was a mascot pipe contest too. Anyone could enter wearing a costume. It was super funny. Todd and Greg Bretz

Mammoth’s own wooly mammoth won the mascot contest. He (or she?) got $4,000

Two girls linked together to be a frog, looked super hard to go down the pipe that way

Clair Bidez and pipe champ Kelly Clark

Danny Thomas as the penguin and a Raccoon stoke out a kid. It looked really hard to ride with the heads on.

The Zumiez couch won best costume and with this non action shot, we end the Roxy Chicken Jam pipe contest story and photo

Roxy Chicken Jam Superpipe
1) Kelly Clark
2) Torah Bright
3) Kjersti Buass Oestgaard

Best Trick
Domenic Valle – switch Mikalchuk

Mascot Jam
Wooly Mammoth

Best costume
Zumiez couch

Hitting June Mountain on Easter Sunday was so fun it makes one question, why is this place so empty? The answer is pretty simple, Mammoth is 20 miles south, has way more terrain, good parks, longer season, more snow and so on. So why was I excited about June? On a weekend June is arguably better for the following types of people; beginners, intermediates, those riding park, steep powder when Mammoth is too windy and just plain those that want to ride while avoiding the crowds at Mammoth that can make the runs as crowded as the 405 freeway in So Cal.

The main park at June is super fun, long and served by a high speed quad. All the runs are empty and the bottom face runs are insane on a powder day. June only has a few weeks left so go check it out. Events coming up are the Superpark next week and the grenade Games on 4:20. If you really want a nice, quiet vacation you can actually stay in the sleepy town of June Lake. June is owned by Mammoth and if you ask me Mammoth could market June so much better than it does. I know a lot of people are over the crowds of Mammoth and June sits empty and relatively un-known and under utilized. It’s up to you Mammoth – lose customers to other resorts or send riders to June and build it up

Vertical drop: 2590’
Acres: 500
Runs: 35
7 lifts
All day tickets: $60 ($19 less than Mammoth)
www.junemountain.com

Getting ready for the Superpark

Looking towards the North from the top of June Mountain you see the borders of Yosemite and the bottom of the lift. One of the nice things about June is the mellow vibe and the views

Looking South you can see Mammoth and you will likely be stoked you are June instead if it is a weekend

The top 1/3 of the main park

The middle 1/3 contains two mid sized jumps and a field of propane tank jibs – super fun

The final 1/3 of the main park is straightforward – 4 jumps. Lower on the mountain is a small park and a pipe.

Josh Dibble Nollies to back lip

Danny Thomas – nose press on a propane tank

Danny Thomas rodeos the 1st jump in the final 4

Trail map shows the steep lower face and mellow upper mountain. If you find yourself on the double black diamond runs on a powder day you are very happy. You are also going to get a lot of powder while the foos at mammoth are getting in fights over the pow. All the photos were taken on June Mountain, the lift in the upper right portion of the map

Street Best Trick
1) Adam Dyet
2) Jereme Rogers
3) Chad Fernandez
4) BIlly Marks
5) Dayne Brummet

Street
1) Greg Lutzka
2) John Ratray
3) Mike Peterson
4) Matt Beach
5) Ryan Sheckler
6) Kyle Berard
7) Danny Funzadila
Eric Koston
9) Dennis Busenitz
10) Stean Janoski

Vert
1) PLG
2) Danny Meyer
3) Buster Halterman

The last snowboard magazines may be hitting the news stands, essentially announcing the end of snowboard season but any of who love the sport and know anything are well aware of the fact that in many places in the USA the snowboard season is FAR from over. Especially at Mammoth. The season will roll until Memorial Day and to me, it is the beast time of year to hit mammoth; the park is good, the crowds have thinned, the rates at the Mammoth Mountain Inn decrease, the snow gets soft (or icy or pow) and the sun is usually out. If you are like me and not rich, just charge the lift tickets and camp at the hot springs, screw it. Even though Mammoth does charge me for my lift tickets so I can essentially pay to promote their resort, even though Mammoth is run by a bunch cheapskates, it still rules the spring scene. Just don’t go to Sushi Rei, unless of course you like bad service, attitude and delicious expensive sushi or you want to see Adam Lovejoy.

Tyler Flanagan was in the park the whole time I was there, which was 10 am until close. Just in case you were wondering how that kid got so good, that is the answer, lap the mountain all day, every day

Rode around with Josh Dibble and Danny Thomas for a few little interviews, look for those soon. Here is Josh in the park on Saturday

Got some sick shots of Josh and Danny here is Danny Thomas doing I think a Cab 5 but we got a bunch of stuff on those guys coming up

The park at Main was looking pretty nice, South Park was going off too!

More into freeriding? Hangmans and all the upper level slopes had not seen the melt freeze cycle yet and had some nice windbuff snow in them

5-0

Grom the quarter pipe to truck roof

While Mason Aguirre was getting a podium at the US Open, Molly was back on the snow for the first time in weeks back in Mammoth. She injured her ankle in Tahoe. She was ripping blunts on this big metal wall with like 6 feet of almost vert. It was sick for a girl – or anyone; some real Tim Eddy shit, ha. Molly said she kind of refocused her outlook on snowboarding and has been having fun. The result is visible and she can pretty much be a threat to the podium in any discipline; rail jam, slope or pipe. I think we got an interview with her too coming up so I saved my better photos for that.

See you in Mammoth this spring; I will be up there for the Roxy chicken jam next weekend, the Grenade Games on 4:20, the WCI in early may and Memorial Day. See the season is just getting rolling, with 9-12 foot base.

P.S.
It should be said that the Roxy Chicken Jam should be super fun. Not only can you many of the world’s best snowboarders get down and dirty on the snow. If you go to the right bar, you may be able to weasel your way into some down and dirty dancing with them at 1 am. All in good fun though, don’t think it will go beyond that; most of those girls are all nice girls and I am not gonna tell you who the 2 bad ones are, ha, ha. Don’t look for me out at night, I will be in the hotel writing the story. Later

Just like stop #2 of the US Grand Prix at Tamarack, Louie Vito and Kelly Clark win the pipe at the third and final stop of the Grand Prix at Killington. Peetu Pironen podium in pipe and slopestyle and Claudia Flirli tops womens slopestyle

Womens pipe
1 Clark, Kelly USA
2 Hollingsworth, E USA
3 Bidez, Clair USA
4 Farrington, Kait USA
5 Brown, Kendall NZE
6 Marren, Kelly USA
7 Conrad, Sarah CAN

Men’s Pipe
1 Vito, Louie USA
2 Bretz, Gregory USA
3 Piiroinen, Peetu FIN
4 Korpi, Janne FIN
5 Fisher, Steven USA
6 Johnstone, Natha AUS
7 Waker, Chris USA

Womens slopestyle
1 Fliri, Claudia AUT
2 Sallah, Mary USA
3 Anderson, Jamie USA
4 Gulini, Faye
5 Duckworth, Alexa CAN
6 Karlinski, Jorda USA
7 Sobieralski, Kyl USA

mens slopestyle
1 Korpi, Janne FIN
2 Reis, Brandon USA
3 Piiroinen, Peetu FIN
4 Thorley, Ian USA
5 Pospisil, Shayne USA
6 Esser, Brett USA
7 Uotila, Ville FIN

Was heading up to my favorite place to snowboard ever - Mt Waterman when I called them to ensure they would be open and they were actually closed so I went skateboarding instead, at two parks

Pala is a new park in North San Diego county - super fun. Here is one of the flow areas

Another flow area

Street area

Here is Ron in the Kidney, Carpenter, Grandfather and rips on skateboard

Josh Nelson is an old Del Mar local. You used to walk up to the parking lot at the Del Mar Skate Ranch and you could here Josh, Allen Losi or Mike Smith grinding the heck outta the coping all the way in the parking. 20 plus years later, Josh still grinds loud and proud

Then, over at Encinitas, Jeff, a school teacher, ollies the hip

Marketing guy at Plan B/Syndrome deftly grinds the hip from shallow to deep. Hey, why does he have an Element sticker on his board.

So there you go keep skating and keep young

Mt Georgonio, near Big Bear and 11,500 feet tall seen past a patch of wildflowers and a vernal pond

Some Golden Poppys, the California state flower

Sun set behind Catalina Island from San Onofre surfrider beach, like the Waikiki of So Cal. You drive and park on the beach pretty much

The Clash at Claremont went down this past weekend in San Diego. It is a huge demo put on to benefit Grind For Life, a cancer survivor non-profit organization that involves skateboarding - a good cause. Here is Tony Mag with the sickest Indy Airs ever, let alone for a 43 year old

All of the skaters, workers and park staff donated their time for the worthy cause , including Kevin Staab

The scene was more like a carnival than a demo, there was so much going on; vert demo, street contest, bowl demo, mini ramp demo, autographs, Fluf (a band) rocked the joint. Adam Taylor did not notice though as he through this stalefish on the X X Games vert ramp

Over 75,000 dollars of work was done to the park to get it fixed up; street course repairs, new coping and drains for the bowl, a mini ramp/bowl was built and so on. Here is Zack Miller or Chris Miller’s son

Tony Hawk came in, skated for an hour and left, no autographs except those in the VIP section, like I said totally volunteered time for the busy man

Hawk is pretty much a legend, love him or hate him, he has helped shape skateboarding today, both vert and street. He also has brought loads of attention to the sport

I used to skate with Buster in Eastern Pennsylvania in the 80’s. He had a barn ramp and I think it is still there

Indy Air - Japan Style by Tony Hawk

Hawk can do a 540?

like a 12 year old doing an ollie - so easy for hawk

Hawk does a Madonna

Heelflip by Neal Hendrix at the huge Clash at Claremont demo

What does Rich Lopez have in common with Tony Hawk, Sandro Dias, Georgio Zattoni and a few others? He did a 900. Rich did his a long time ago with no one watching though

PLG - 540

Andy Mac styles through a 540

Heelflip Indy by Andy Mac. Andy is a great all around skater and nice dude

PLG

Bucky was taking a few weeks off, but showed up, so did Peter Hewitt, Neal Heddings and tons of San Diego Heads

Andy Straight Legs it

PLG is pretty freakin tech

Former Alva rider, current head man at Tracker trucks - Buddy Carr

Young ripper - Patrick

Steve Alba won contest 30 years ago and still rips, talk about a lifer

Nolan Johnson was ripping too

Thanks to Andy for getting me on the list!

Mochael Goldschmidt made the finals but got hurt, do not quite know what happened to him. Hope he is all right. Goldy is kind of a hippie but a hippie that rips

Vito has been on some podiums this year and got second in Tahoe!

Danny Kass dominates a Cab 1080

Molly Aguirre - 1st in the railjam, 4th in pipe, is that versatile or what?

Lizz Beerman negotiates the media circus to get 3rd place. Andrew was telling he was setting up lights for the rail jam when some guy gave him some flack and saying “dude I set up here at 1pm” Like a freakin Who concert or some shit, dude, it’s a rail jam and you are not getting a cover shot of Transworld - chill

Elena Hight gets a front 9 above the lip for 1st place

Kass - Back Indy 7, his ;ast hit of his winning run

I-pod - 3rd place

Mason Aguirre - front 5

Louie Vito - front 10 and TUCK KNEE - so sick

Women’s podium Elena Hight, Lizz Beerman and Steve Van Doren

Mens podium, Louie Vito, Danny Kass and I-pod