Photo: Huggy
Tucker Andrews

Despite more bad news for the print media world, with ad sales continuing to drop, Snowboarder Magazine continues to invest in events and riders that are keeping the sport growing, progressive and fun. At least that's what we'd like to think.

Last week SNOWBOARDER Magazine kicked-off its third annual The Launch presented by Rip Curl and after a whirlwind four days on the hill at Keystone Resort in Colorado, 50 of the world s top groms have bombed their last run.

Mother Nature was in a fickle mood to begin the week, but no amount of snow, wind, sun or any combination thereof was going to keep these groms from attacking all the insane features created for them by the illustrious Keystone park staff. From Tucker Andrews hand planting on a deer to Trevor Jacob jumping off the deck to pole jam or Dylan Alito flipping and spinning one footed, there was no slowing these riders down. To see these and other shenanigans including triple double corks by Sebastian Toutant, Marc McMorris and Tyler Flanagan on the bottom gap jump check out the daily video footage now on SnowboarderMag.com.

Right down to the final run on the last day these boarders were pushing the envelope, not only for the cameras, but to expand their own personal repertoire of tricks. Former Launch participants have gone on to take their place among the ranks of the snowboarding elite, says Chris Engelsman, Publisher, SNOWBOARDER Magazine. Based on the dedication, creativity and outright courage we saw this past week there s no doubt that the future is bright for professional snowboarding.

Keep an eye out for full event coverage in the September issue of SNOWBOARDER Magazine in print next year. In the mean time, log onto www.snowboardermag.com for the daily recaps, photos, video and more.

Special thanks to the Keystone park staff for the amazing set-up, to Red Bull for providing the heli-assist, to Cobra Dogs for the grub and finally to our presenting sponsor, Rip Curl, for making it all possible.