Chris Vaughn (@gnarczar) gave a great recap of our final session on snow, and a great shout out to all of our partners who helped make it happen.

Here are some key photos from the day...

Riding in conditions that felt much more January than they did late March, Burlington Freestyle closed out its inaugural season yesterday with an enormously fun day at Sugarbush's Mount Ellen peak.  Having picked up a few inches of unlikely snow here and there throughout last week, and another few inches after the lifts stopped turning Friday afternoon, the BFS crew was treated with great mid-season conditions for the sixth and final session of 2011.

Throughout the morning, mentees and mentors lapped the Green Mountain, Summit and North Ridge Express quads slashing fresh pow, shredding corduroy, popping 180s and ollies and dipping into the woods all over Northstar, Cruiser, Which Way, Rim Run, Lookin' Good and Elbow.  What is traditionally a one-to-one format for the morning, quickly transformed into a celebration of the very first BFS team, with most of the crew riding together, feeding off the group energy and pushing each other to finish up the BFS season in impressive fashion. 

For the afternoon, everyone donned tank top jerseys and headed to the parks for the Tanks for Nothing event put on by Rhythm Snowboards.  After a few laps through Riemergasse for the judges, the crew headed to Graduation for a hike session on the flat box, urban bar and wedge.  Everyone was pushing themselves and each other to dial in the moves they'd been working on all season, and even learn some new ones.  Some hammers, some slams, lots of hoots and high fives, and smiles for days... literally everything that makes riding park so much fun!  After watching some of Tanks for Nothing finals madness, everyone headed up to the summit for a top-to-bottom victory lap, calling it a day (and a season) at the base.

Gold Stars were awarded for individual mentee achievements throughout the day including Matty K's hard-earned frontside 360, Bobby's commitment to send the back flip on the big jump, Matt P's massive straight air off the wedge and Jake's and Brandon's slay-it-all progression.  Though they had to head back to Burlington before the afternoon awards, Gold Stars were awarded to Bleonda and Merusha for stomping 50-50s on the flat boxes and their all-mountain progression... we've got your stars waiting for you ladies.

Matty K and Bobby were recognized as the mentees of the day.  Matt, your dedication to riding progression has been there all season, but yesterday it all really clicked.  Watching you work for that 360 was inspiring.  Huge props.  Bobby, you joined us late into the season, but you quickly became a quiet leader.  You let your riding do the talking, and it speaks volumes.  Did I mention the back flip?!

As always, many thanks go out to Sugarbush Resort for hosting Burlington Freestyle throughout the season.  Thanks to Tony and the Parks Crew for consistently giving us a playground for progression (and for all the love on the mic yesterday).  Thanks to our sponsors 150 Cherry, The CHILL Foundation, The Future Forward, FRENDS, Volcom, Oakley, St. Michael's College Ski and Snowboard Club (the jerseys were clutch), DieCutStickers.com, Green Mountain Coffee, and Gray Dog Media.  Without all of your support, Burlington Freestyle's inaugural season simply would not have been possible.

Stay tuned for pictures and videos from the day...

As mentioned in the post above, the day couldn't have ended any more epically than it did.

Thanks to Barry Dugan from BFS, and Greg and Susan from FRENDS, the team was able to get up close and personal with some of the world's best snowboarders.

FRENDS has supported us from the very start of our inaugural season, and their fun-loving vibe is right on the money for what we are all about. It was incredible to eat pizza, get autographs, and just hang out with Kevin Pearce, Luke Mitrani, Jack Mitrani, Danny Davis, and Mason Aguirre.

Thanks so much, guys!

And big thanks to everyone who helped make the day an absolute blast: Barry, Gnar Czar, Grant, Jamal, Matt S., Sam L., Cole, Matt K., Matt P., Bryant, Devin, and Brandon S.

Let's do it all again next year!

One of the highlights of our Open excursion came midway through the day when Brandon S. and I rode the lift with one of the Slopestyle competitors. 

In fact, we'd just finished watching his second run on the Jumbotron at the bottom of the course, and it was the first time I'd ever seen him in a competition. The pro rider was Mark McMorris.

Mark is new on the pro snowboard scene. In fact, his success is almost entirely a result of one trick, captured on film: the triple cork 1440:

Now, because of the rain, fog, and bumpy slope course, we didn't get to see Mark's signature move on Friday. But we did get to see a couple of stellar runs, one of which earned him second place in the Finals. 

On the lift I introduced Mark to Brandon, and Mark said this: "You gotta enjoy every moment you have snowboarding. We are all really lucky to be able to do this. Make sure to enjoy it."

When I asked Mark how he felt about his newfound fame, he said simply, "I just feel really lucky. It's been amazing."

It was an awesome time with a truly talented new pro, who also seems to be a genuine, humble guy. 

The kind of guy that a BFS rider would want to be like.

Be like Mark.

This past Friday 6 mentees and 6 staff packed up a 12 passenger van and departed for the US Open of Snowboarding in Stratton, VT.

The trip was made possible by our very own board member and connected-guy Barry Dugan. Barry hooked up guest passes for the whole crew, and rode with us for most of the day as well. Thanks, Barry!

Despite the warmer temps, rain, and a bit o' fog, the riding was super fun, the snow was fast, and spirits were high. On top of everything, we got to watch some of the best snowboarders in the world in the Slopestyle finals at Sun Bowl. And, we got to hang in the sponsor village and see all the latest and greatest stuff.

As we left the Sun Bowl area, we were sure to leave our BFS mark on the day - in the form of a brand new sticker from Diecutstickers.com right on the big US Open sign.

But that wasn't the end.

The way the day ended was the really magical part. But I'll save that for an upcoming post.

It didn't really happen until it's posted: so, it happened!

After three long weeks off snow, Burlington Freestyle returned to Mt. Ellen this past Saturday to begin the second half of the season.  Everyone must have been eating their Wheaties over the break, because the level of riding across the whole crew was at an all-time high.  Everyone was charging it, riding fast and creatively on Cruiser and Which Way and stepping to new features throughout the Riemergasse and Graduation terrain parks. 

Saturday was the first day the BFS crew saw spring-ish conditions, and I have to say I am super excited for (keep your fingers crossed for sun and slush) the last two sessions on March 19 and 26.  Saturday's snow was soft and loose, but still pretty fast.  Maybe everyone was feeling a bit more comfortable and flexible not having to layer for freezing conditions; maybe the idea of bailing onto spring snow rather than icy hard-pack let everyone push themselves a bit further; maybe everyone was hungry to get back out and shred with their teammates after the long break... Whatever the cause, Saturday's afternoon session was crazy fun and full of the All-Time Freestyle progression that Burlington Freestyle is all about. 

The first part of the afternoon was spent in Graduation working mainly on hitting the large jump line and sliding the flat and banked boxes and urban style down bars.  Props to the whole crew for pushing themselves to hit bigger and more challenging features every week.  And a big salute goes out to Coach Nick Pintauro for providing the right amount of guidance, encouragement, critique and demonstration to help everyone put their nerves aside and just send it!

The second part of the afternoon was spent hot lapping on Cruiser, boosting off of bumps and rollers, gapping and tapping rocks and stumps, cruising, charging, cheering each other on, laughing, and even tossing a few friendly snowballs.  Week after week I am blown away by how the sense of team gets stronger and stronger.  Another reason the afternoon was so fun was that Sugarbush's in-house videographer, Spencer, took a few laps with the crew filming the on-snow energy and progression and learning about the positive effects Burlington Freestyle is having on its mentees, mentors and staff alike.  Thanks again Spencer!  We're looking forward to the edit and hope that we can catch back up with you to film some park on either the 19th or 26th!

This week's recognized mentees were Merusha and Matt P.  Merusha, your riding has improved so much in such a short time!  You are looking fluid and comfortable and most importantly like you're having fun!  Your perseverance is inspiring.  Even through tough falls you're quick to get back up and keep learning.  Keep up your hard work and you'll be taking those toe turns to the park in no time!  Matt P, the progression you made between Session 3 and Session 4 was unreal!  You've always had the physical abilities, but it was clear that something mental just clicked for you on Saturday.  You brought an attitude of, "I'm going for it!  Big!  And If I don't land it I'm going to get right back up and give it another go."  It was contagious, and it really helped set the tone for the whole afternoon.  Props for stepping to those heavy urban down bars.  For their personal successes, Merusha and Matt were recognized with prize packs from our good friends at Volcom and FRENDS.  Many thanks for your continued support of Equal Shred!