Down day boot camp – NOT!

Starting off in Saas Fee we something very rare. It has been almost 20 year that the Saas Fee Glacier had been closed for three days in a row. But still there was one perfect day to be scored up on the stunning surroundings of the mighty Allalin Glacier.

Look closely and you know why we weren’t up top on this gorgeous day…

Saas Fee – warm up day

Gotta love this – Andreas gapping

Next stop, Laax – Freestyle Academy. We left Saas Fee late afternoon having stoked faces after finally having a full day on snow. Even though we arrived late in Laax it was kind of a brightening moment for us when we saw this extravagant training facility for the first time. It is full of everything you wish for as a person who’s heart is beating for board sport. Also we finally met Alex Tank and had a real good evening at the academy. But see for yourself.

This is just one fun part of the Freestyle Academy!

 
Thomas getting the feel of new spins…

 
Our coach and Arnette ambassador Cedric shredding the academy’s bowl – as most of the days

After spending a (sunny) day inside trying and learnings new tricks into the foam pit, on the trampoline and in the fantastic indoor bowl of the Freestyle Academy Thomas, Louis, Gregor, Marius and Andreas hit the road with us once more – destination Kaunertal Glacier.

From left to (somewhere on the) right: Felix Urbauer getting the follow cam in the right spot and Alex Tank flipping into the fluffy landing
First day up top of the Kaunertal Glacier was pretty, let’s say white. But still we managed to have a cool session with the first freshly built features of the park. And foggy conditions can sometimes be an asset when it comes to artsy pictures.

The crew - Louis Labertrande, Marius Bakken, Andreas Grong, Thomas Kigle, Gregor Betschon

…

What a view…

As you can see above, the last two days of the trip were just perfect. Perfect park and sun all day – what more can you ask for!? Yes, for a proof in terms of moving images. Only so much for now: it’s in the making! We’ll bring it on as soon as it’s done. But you can already look forward to seeing it.

In the meantime check out the previous reports:

Part one

Part two

The melodic punk band from Sweden will be back on tour soon. So far there are 15 stops scheduled for November to present their new album “State Of Unrest”. The guys will perform shows in Germany, Holland, France, Switzerland and Italy. Check out the dates and see them live on a stage near you:

09 Nov, Hannover, Chez Heinz

10 Nov, Amsterdam, Maloe Melo

11 Nov Nijmwegen, Dornroosje

13 Nov Dunkerque, Le Kalvaire

14 Nov Karlsruhe, Alte Hackerei tbc

15 Nov, Solothurn, Kofmehl

16 Nov, Comacchio, VooDoo Arci

17 Nov, Rome, tba

18 Nov, Brescia, Latte +

21 Nov, Zwiesel, Jugendcafe

22 Nov, München, Feerwerk/Kranhalle

23 Nov, Stuttgart, Keller Klub

24 Nov, Wiesbaden, Kulturpalast

25 Nov, Köln, Sonic Ballroom

26 Nov, Münster, Amp

And if you’re interested in what the guys do backstage, the time in between their gigs and while they’re touring around you should visit their new YouTube Channel.

Atlas Losing Grip on Youtube

Three more episodes from the last tour will be online soon… keep on rocking!

Anyway, we had a LOT of fun in beautiful Saas Fee and had the honours of a perfect first day on snow in the end.

Gregor Betschon summer sledding

Thomas Kigle golfing

Andreas Grong getting some

After finally getting some time up on the beautiful Saas Fee glacier we stopped in Laax in one of the most beautiful playgrounds Europe as to offer - the Freestyle Academy in Laax.

Louis Labertrande - pulling a double

Right now, Kaunertal Glacier is calling tomorrow. We can't wait for the sun to rise tomorrow. We'll keep you posted, so stay tuned for more!

After a week of blue bird up in Saas Fee you might call it Murphy’s Law or even bad luck that the weather showed some proper antics as soon as we arrived. The glacier and the snow park was completely closed today due to nasty, gusty winds with snow fall up at the top.

Looks inviting, doesn't it?

But what can you do – right, you make the best out of it! We found a very funny alternative for so called down-days. Check out some impressions of the first action of the trip:

Lining up for the qualifying

Race mode pt. 1

Race mode pt.2

Checking the results

In the meantime you can help us keeping as many fingers crossed as possible for the weather to change for good. We gotta hit the slopes very soon - that’s for sure.

Stay tuned for more impressions out of Saas Fee and be looking forward to the rest of the week! We’ll keep you posted regularly!

After the cold waves in Namibia, Arnette Teamrider Marc Lacomare and his friends Michel Bourez and Maxime Huscenot decided to enjoy some warm water surf in Barbados. Empty beaches, good local rum and surfing fun waves in tropical water - sometimes being a surf pro seems to be a good choice.

Check this out:

Wanna score 15+ second tuberides accompanied by just a few friends and some smelly seals? Then Namibia might be the right place for you!
Arnette Teamrider Marc Lacomare and his friends are getting absolutely shacked in some of the craziest waves this planet has to offer.
Lean back and enjoy watching the boys having a blast at a mystique desert point in the middle of nowhere.

For more videos and pics go to www.french-connexion.tv

The US Open of Surfing is a massive event. More than 500.000 people came to see the show. But once reduced to the grassroots there is only one thing that matters: surfing. Marc Lacomare and his buddies Joan Duru and Charly Martin know that and enjoyed the Californian waves besides the big hustle and without the pressure of the contest in their spare time. Here’s your daily dose of surfing with the French Connexion’s newest video:

The brand new Skateplaza, right in front of the electoral castle of Koblenz, was built and planned by DSGN concept’s mastermind Ingo Naschold. It offers perfect conditions for a great session and will surely attract some of Germany’s best BMX riders.

Arnette wouldn’t be Arnette if we hadn’t selected some of the hottest Arnette shades for the contest’s winners! Besides other prizes riders will have to show their best grinds, tech tricks and combos to score props with the crowd and scoop up some brand new gear. The format and setup grants for a great session and will for sure be worth a visit for both – riders and spectators. Of course you’re welcome to invite your friends! Just register at www.contest-login.de and save yourself one of the limited spots on the riders list.

For more info and news about the event visit www.bugajam.de

Their newest flick does a) make you want to go surfing and b) show the French Connexion surf some of the absolute hot spots of the French coast in Hossegor, Seignosse and Capbreton. Enjoy (the nice views) and stay tuned for more video updates on www.french-connexion.tv!

Summer Sessions from French Connexion on Vimeo.

Arnette Europe is happy to welcome Marius Bakken (NO), Andreas Grong (NO), Thomas Kigle (GER), Roland Hörtnagl (AUT), Gregor Betschon (CH) and Louis Labertrande (F) to the rookie team! Don’t miss to check out the whole team with their videos right here!

We’re looking forward to travel, film and shred with these young talents and to support them during the upcoming season. We’ll be back with news on their first trip together with some of the Arnette Pros soon!

Around 40 exhibitors will present the newest trends in surfing, while urban artists show their work in one of the first exhibitions of its kind at the festival area. The visitors can participate actively in several workshops surrounding the sport of surfing as well as shaping- and repair-workshops. Entry and participation is free.

There is also something offered on the competitive side of things. The Iriedaily Skate Park at the festival area will host a contest which offers the chance to win a couple of brand new Arnette sunglasses - if you can make it to the podium!

Amongst practical impressions there are also some eye-soothing movies to watch. On Sunday for example, there won’t be just an ordinary cinema but at an open air venue under the trees at the Westpark lake. The European premier of “Manufacturing Stole” and Rip Curl’s “Float” can be watched there. 

That’s it, that’s … not everything yet: of course there needs to be a big party: the festival area turns into a fantastic party location on Saturday night and offers the finest DJ lineup with Max Mausser, Alex Schiller and Sir Hannes.

We’ll see you there!

Here's a quick summary of the contest... Skateboarders from Germany, France, Spain and Italy were asked to team up with their buddies to submit their own skate footage and provide a rough idea of how they'd want their very own video part to look and feel.

From all the submissions received, four crews were selected to compete in the final round including: Goodstuff Crew (Germany), Les Bloby’s (France), SUICHI Crew (Spain), and ZUCKA Crew (Italy).

Each crew went filming with Felix Urbauer for a week around their local spots to collect a grip of footage which was then edited into a video.  The four finished videos were shown at a legendary premiere party and they were then posted on Arnette Europe's Facebook page where fans voted on their favorite.  After all the votes were cast, the people's choice was the SUICHI Crew comprised of Ales Amor, Gustavo Rodríguez and Damià Tesorero -- and the grand prize was a trip to the US!

When they got to Cali, they stopped by Arnette HQ and then headed over to the Etnies TF where they skated alongside Arnette team riders Ryan Decenzo, Pat Duffy, Willy Santos and Danny Supa.  Here's an edit from their session.  Enjoy!

Suichi in Etnies Training Facility Park from Suichi Films

On Saturday, July 16th pros and amateurs will start on both cables at the Telekom Local Support Wakeboard Challenge! A travel budget worth 800€ and tons of cool prizes can be won for the top 3 pros. On top of that, Arnette is giving away brand new sunnies to the top five riders in each category. And if that wasn’t enough, all participants have furthermore the chance to secure a place in the finals of the Telekom Extreme Playgrounds in Hamburg on the 28th of August. First and second place of each category will then have to face riders such as Tom Fooshee, Lior Sofer and of course last year’s winner Frederic von Osten!

But that’s not all, there will be more goodies for the participants of the Telekom Local Support Wakeboard Challenge: free riders’ BBQ on the sun deck, no starting fee and entrance is free as well! The Turncable guys will also give away free tickets for the cables from Friday to Sunday. And of course there will be a proper contest party at the Beach Club! The Famous Deck Team and DJ This Is Nuts will rock the place for sure.

This should be enough reason to schedule a trip to the Telekom Local Support Wakeboard Challenge this weekend!

For more information and to sign up visit www.telekom-localsupport.de!

Marc Lacomare, Arnette Europe team rider and regular ripper at ASP Prime Events, teamed up with his buddies Joan Duru, one of Europe’s best young power surfers from France, and 21-year-old Charly Martin, winner of the 2010 ASP World Junior Tour.  The trio dreamt of sharing their lifestyle, travel adventures and surfing skills with you... and that's exactly what they're doing with The French Connexion, which is shaping up to be THE blog for surfing in Europe.

Curious about what they have to offer?  Then check out their first videos at www.french-connexion.tv and the official teaser right here:

“Like” your favorite rookie and win one of two Arnette Goggles every week!

Unbelievable - twelve weeks have passed since Arnette started the search for European rookies from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and Norway. Young, talented snowboarders had to apply with a short video clip that doesn’t only show their riding skills but also shows that they are having fun snowboarding. In the end, Arnette will be giving away six sponsorship deals for the upcoming season 2011/2012!

The Top 5 out of every country have finally been chosen by the jury. Congrats to all the finalists… 

- Norway “Young Guns”: Simon Kanebog, Marius Bakken, Mathais Haukjem, Petter Grøn, Fritjof Sæther

- Norway “Old Dogs”: Øivind Fykse, Håvard Bergheim, Even Deilkås, Andreas Grong,  Even Solbraa

- Germany: Michael Miethig, Simon Clemens, Oliver Kimmich, Kane Holz, Thomas Kigle

- Austria: Angelo Gastl, Roland Tschoder, Paul Schönthaler, Roland Hörnagl, Raphael Hagen

- Switzerland: Boris Bühler, Gregor Betschon, Simon Bürki, Nicolas Reber, Silvan Bellante

- France:  Anthony Grapin, Louis Labertrande, François Thevenet

Now it’s back to the roots of democracy as the finalists have to prove themselves in a public voting on Facebook lasting one week in each country. The one rookie that gets the most “Likes” wins and joins the Arnette Europe Snow Rookie Team. Besides a massive product support for the upcoming season 2011/2012, the winning rookies will be invited to join a 10-day trip with some of the Arnette Pro Team Riders.

Make some noise for Norway!

Due to the incredible response two sponsorships will be given away in Norway. That’s why there are two categories to vote for: the “Young Guns” (10-15 years) and the “Old Dogs” (16-20 years).

Now it’s up to YOU to support these motivated riders! Visit www.facebook.com/arnette.eu, “Like” the Arnette Europe facebook page and then “Like” the video of your favorite rookie.

One more reason for YOU to vote:

Arnette gives away two brand new goggles amongst all voters every week – and the Arnette goggles haven’t even hit the stores yet as they will only be available in fall this year!

Here’s the timetable for the voting phases of each country:

- Norway 14.06.-20.06.2011

- Germany 21.06.-27.06.2011

- Austria 28.06.-04.07.2011

- Switzerland 05.07.-11.07.2011

- France 12.07.-18.07.2011

And now VOTE, VOTE, VOTE!!!