Sawtooths Powder Rendezvous - Starfish Magazine Article

After a killer trip to the Sawtooth Range in Idaho last February I was inspired to write a little story on the adventure.  We met some new binding free friends and slashed copious amounts of powder in some really unique terrain.  Starfish Snowskate Magazine ran the story in this years "Travel Issue".   Enjoy...

"Low Tide" Episode 1- The Powsurf Chronicles

The first Episode of the "Powsurf Chronicles"has dropped!
In this episode we take a positive look at "Low Tide" early season riding on a thin snowpack and talk a little bit about OUR version of powsurfing.  We are proud to be the pioneers of taking skate style and true binding-less surf style riding into the powder and the backcountry.  Our vision is centered on progression, creativity, and truly taking advantage of not having a board strapped to your feet.

This winter season has been exceptionally dry across much of the U.S. and one might think that as Powsurfers we would be shut down completely.  But in fact the opposite is true.  We take advantage of what we do have and make what some see as a rough situation, into an awesome one.  This is what makes powsurfing so special.  Being free from bindings, the opportunity for creativity, progression and challenge is endless.  Wether the terrain is large or small, it is as fun and as challenging as the rider chooses to make it.

I could go on for days about the potential of our powdersurfers but you may as well just take a look for yourself.  Sit back an enjoy "Low Tide"

Buoloco.com Interview and story

I had watched many interviews with top snowboarding pros over the years on Buoloco.com and I was stoked to get the call from Eduardo for a quick ichat and story.

Check it! 
http://www.buoloco.com/web6/content/powdersurfing-jeremy-jensen

"Surfing Powder" - Herald Journal Story -

The local paper here in Cache Valley caught wind of the recent publicity we have been getting and jumped on for a ride.  A quick interview and photo shoot produced a pretty nice article.  Thanks to the Herald Journal for giving us a full page of love in sunday's paper.

Read the article here.
http://pioneer.olivesoftware.com/Repository/getFiles.asp?Style=OliveXLib:LowLevelEntityToSaveGifMSIE_HERALDJA&Type=text/html&Locale=english-skin-custom&Path=THJ/2012/01/08&ChunkNum=-1&ID=Ar01704&PageLabel=C1

Grassroots Powsurfing on ESPN!

We were super stoked when the writers for ESPN.com contacted us for a story.  We provided them with a grip of unseen photos and some very detailed answers to a list of questions about what we are about and why we do what we do.   They decided to start the new year off proper by running our story on the first day of 2012.

Check the story here. Titled "The Powsurf Chronicles take snowboarding back to it's bindingless roots"

While the photos did not make it into the story (??) and many details were left out of the responses, we were pumped to have a story ran on such a major media outlet.  Editing is necessary... especially when someone like me is rambling on and on about this obscure activity that is foreign to most people (powsurfing)... but it's a bummer when points get missed or lines are used out of context.  Journalism is a double edged sword.. Things can get pretty twisted around and the readers of these stories don't realize this.  The response to our product, the films, and powsurfing in general has been overwhelmingly positive and it feels good to know that we are spreading stoke and opening minds in the world of snow sports.  The few negative reactions we have seen are mostly due to misunderstandings.  Dealing with the media is a funny thing.

Merry Solstice!

The solstice usually comes on the 21st of December but this year it fell on the 22nd.  I was delighted by this news because I had to work the day of the 21st and I wanted to celebrate properly.  Mother nature dropped 7 inches of the lightest and driest cold smoke she had to offer and served that up sunny skies and cold temps.  Perfect timing for an epic celebration.

We keep getting holiday e-cards sent to me from anyone and everyone... so we hopped on the bandwagon and made a quick little e-card from today's session.




It has been nearly a month since a significant snowfall and this seems to be the case across much of the US.  So the conditions are still low tide and the spots with good coverage and no old tracks are difficult to find but luckily we know just where to find them.

The attitude across the country seems pretty bummed on the conditions but honestly I have been enjoying the hell out of it.  Logged at least 20 good powder days so far and I have only felt the need to strap in once.  Until the big lines fill in.. I just don't see any reason to snowboard.

These early season conditions are a big part of what spawned Powdersurfing in the first place.  Being able to take advantage of the smaller features and maximizing the fun and the challenge keeps things interesting and fresh.  This is just one of the many advantages of Powdersurfing.  If you are not enjoying the season so far, you should probably consider investing in a Grassroots Powdersurfer.  It will change your life.

One Man Machine and his Powsurfing Dream - Biglines.com Story

One hell of a good write up on the biglines.com homepage today!

Big thanks to the fellas up north for tracking me down and doing the leg work on this story.  Really well written and spot on.  I was sold at the first paragraph:


"Ok, picture this: you’re surfing a pow line, slashing turns and letting the sunshine light up your roostertails. Out of the corner of your eye, you peep a poppy little pillow and you know the landings perfect. You line it up, adjust your feet and BAM.

Kickflip.

Your feet catch the board and your face catches an updraft of pow as you stomp your landing and set up for your next turn…

Sounds impossible, right?

For Jeremy Jensen, it’s anything but."

That updraft of powder in your face is what makes powsurfing (or any type of powder riding) truly awesome.  The guys at biglines.com obviously know whats up.

Check the full article here.

http://biglines.com/articles/one-man-machine-and-his-powsurfing-dream-jeremy-jensen-profile

SLOPE Magazine - double pager!

We got an nice double page spread published in Issue 3 of "SLOPE - The Snowskate Magazine" early 

this winter.  Wooo hoo!  Congrats to Craig Stevenson for snapping the shot, Jeremy Jensen (myself) for dropping the bomb and props to mother nature for suppling a beautiful day in the Utah backcountry and a nice powder filled landing.

We would have loved to see a little write up in there on Grassroots Powdersurfing to go along with the shot that sticks out as one of the best in the mag... but we can't complain.. We appreciate them contacting us and making us a part of this issue in one way or another.  Hopefully we can get some written content in there next time.

If you haven't check out SLOPE Magazine I highly recommend it!  SLOPE is a European online magazine focusing on bindingless snow sports, good friends, and good times.   Bindingless riding is big in Europe and it's only getting bigger.  These fellas are putting out a great looking E-zine every couple of months or so throughout the winter.


SLOPE Issue #3 can be viewed at http://issuu.com/slope-thesnowskatemag/docs/slope_mag_issue_3


Check out SLOPE at http://www.thesnowskatemag.com

Kronicle Magazine - Powsurfing Article

The premier issue of Kronicle Magazine is out and Grassroots Powdersurfing is stoked to have some content in the magazine!  Check out the "Primal Pow"story for the goods!

When Kronicle Magazine contacted me about running a story on our boards I was stoked to say the least.  This would be the debut issue for a new magazine focused purely on backcountry snowboarding and I knew their readers would be the ideal audience for what we have created.

I supplied Kronicle and their writers with a grip of photos to choose from and a lengthy and detailed interview about powsurfing, our boards, and the direction we are headed.  Then I patiently waited for the release of the magazine.

While my photos of Craig and I slaying pow on our Grassroots Powdersurfers dominated the finished article, the written content ended up blending us in with a couple of other companies that were building hand made custom snowboards (with bindings), and of course there were the dreaded relations to "noboarding" in there.   (More on that dreaded relation in a later post)   With 75% of the photos being bindingless riding on our boards, It would have been nice to go into a little more detail about what sets Grassroots apart, but you don't always get what you want.  Although the written article ended up to be mostly about these other companies, we are grateful for the coverage that what we did get and super stoked on the opportunity.  Big thanks is due to Mike Horn, Seth Lightcap, and Jesse Huffman!!  ..and Kronicle Magazine

I would highly suggest you ORDER A COPY NOW!

http://shop.holpublications.com/kronicle-magazine-winter-2012-premiere-issue

 
A peep at the spread.

I never thought I would have my photo in a mag next to Johan Olofsson!

I was pretty stoked to get published in a world wide mag both as a photographer and and athlete.   Technically, it was the second time I have had an action photo of myself published in a major magazine.  The first was a photo of me in the Northface Masters competition at Snowbird a few years back...kicking out a big method off of a cliff onto a bullet proof landing and of course the photo was labeled with someone else's name... just my luck!   They didn't even bother to correct their mistake.  Lame. 

We were delighted for coverage in such a widely distributed magazine.  So much so that we bought our first ever add to run in the mag.  Cost was very high for a small company like myself.. hopefully that investment pays off down the road.

                                     Surely this add makes you want to buy a powsurfer right?

Follow the Snurf - Powdersurfing some serious vert at Retallack Lodge.

Ian and Neil posted this edit the other day.  I'm always stoked on the Provo Bros edits, no matter if they are skiing, snowboarding, fishing, or powdersurfing.  Good dudes doing what they love... I'm all about it. If anyone was wondering how our Grassroots Powdersurfers handle the deep and light pow in some steep lines, look no further (or of course stay tuned for the "Big Waves" episode in The Powsurf Chronicles).

Here you go.. Ian, Neil and friends slaying the deep on their 140cm Slasher and 140cm Powder Shark.
ENJOY!

The Powsurf Chronicles - Teaser is out!

Introducing "The Powsurf Chronicles" a series of short films about powsurfing.  We will be dropping Chronicles throughout the winter season to keep the stoke running high and share with our audience the things that set Grassroots Powdersurfing (and powsurfing in general) apart from the rest of the world of snow sports.

The teaser is just the tip of the iceberg and it should give you a small glimpse of what's in store for the future.  With so many bangers, hammers and hum-dingers to sift thru, it took a while to get this little teaser done.  We are stoked to pump out a few short videos this year that offer a little glimpse into what we have been up to over the past few years.  The good times, the bad, history, direction, evolution, potential... there are so many avenues to base these films on.. the hard part is picking one and sticking with it.

So here's the tease... and stay tuned for more.  We will crank these out the best we can with the limited time we have.  Hopefully they will open some eyes and minds, and get people stoked to go outside, grab a Grassroots powsurfer, and go get a face full of powder.

Shot, Edited, Directed, and Produced by Jeremy Jensen.  

Other cameras: Josh Surna, Aaron Hunt, Craig Stevenson, Kanika Koh, Erik Haberstick, and Dave Smellie.

Early Season Weed Wackin'

It's super rare to get such brilliant colors frosted in white. Beautiful drive.

The first early season tease of snow fell on October 7th 2011. We rallied up to the "sacred grove" to check the depth and were delighted to find enough pow to snowskate the campground and powsurf the upper fields.

Check the video!

These early season sessions are what motivated us to start riding bindingless over a decade ago. We were always super excited to ride some pow, but we were bored with riding the mellow grassy slopes while strapped into our snowboards. After a decade of evolution, we are having more fun than ever surfing and skating the snow up here. Ditching the bindings has made it so much more challenging and rewarding.

Here's to another winter season!!

Bindingless, gloveless, hatless, careless, reckless, fearless, blissfulness..

Mowin' down them weeds!!!

Kickflip on that same ol bump in the earth I hit every year around this time.

Dave Smellie and I tested out some new shapes.. Look out for the "Phish", our newest directional shape. Super fun ride, flat swallowed tail... makes for some nice drawn out turns. (and of course it makes a really cool looking track)

Where would board sports be without the ollie? So crucial.

Looks can be deceiving.. I rolled up a couple days later to bluebird conditions, only to find the white stuff was crusted solid. Can't wait for the next storm!

SLUG Magazine features Grassroots Powdersurfing.

The October issue of SLUG magazine just hit the shelves and there is a nice little two page story on Grassroots Powdersurfing. Big thanks to Slug mag and Shawn Mayer for coming up to Logan and checking out what we do.

Slug magazine has been supporting the local underground and music scene since 1988, and I must say they do a damn fine job of it.

Check the article here.

http://www.slugmag.com/articles/3046/Grassroots-Powdersurfing.html

Shapes, scraps, and customs... decisions.

We have been hard at work stocking up on boards for the upcoming season.  Over the past spring and summer we've been playing a bit with some new shapes and styles.. . taking advantage of some of the scraps that are lying around.  We are excited to get some of these on the snow.  There are a few that we just built for fun and they probably aren't the best everyday boards.. but they will have their days where they rip for sure.  Unfortunately we will have to wait for snow to fall to find out.

 "The Blue Bomber" is just one of a bunch of experimental shapes we've got brewing.  

Makeshift kick tail support for the flat backed boards.  Helps keep the feet on but we are finding that the flat tailed decks are not super playful.

We have built and tested 30+ different shapes and sizes and it's pretty cool to discover all of the differences in the way each one rides.  Some subtle and others are very apparent.  Some ride great and some will do better hanging on a wall somewhere.  Shape is key.

A small collection of the quiver that has built up over the past 4 years.. the room wasn't big enough for the whole quiv.

 We decided to stick to a few shapes and sizes that have been tried and true for the 2011 line.  


Shaping is a blast but we had to narrow down what we were going to offer to the public for now.  There are a couple more that we may release after they have been properly tested and dialed in but this will likely be the line.

Adam in AZ is an old Winterstick rider from the 70's.  He saw what we have been doing and liked what was amped to have a custom board made for him.  I customized this "Rocket" for him shaped for his height, weight and foot size.  I wish I could have taken a few rides on her before I sent it off.

Custom "Red Rocket" built for Adam in AZ.

Summer sweatshop

Production has been in high gear since the season finally came to an end. I've revamped and updated the website, processed hours and hours of footage and photos, and pressed as many boards as possible. I have a grip of new experimental shapes and sizes and I can't wait to take them for a test drive.

We are involved in a bunch of new media about to hit the magazine stands, the television, and the interwebs this fall. It will be interesting to see how "the masses" react to this stuff. Maybe they love it, maybe they hate on it.. Either way, It won't affect the amount of fun I have surfing the pow.

Grassroots Powdersurfing Sweatshop - Manville, USA

The "Red Rocket"... aka "The Bomb"

Given the MANY hours I spend building these boards, I get pretty attached to them. I have a hard time letting them go really. Hopefully they find find happy homes and live up to their full potential.

Alta is for Powsurfing

Click Here to watch the video "Alta is for Powsurfing"

Late season snowstorms and cold temps were back in full swing in late May. I was due to leave for Kauai on a surf filming mission this weekend so I decided to leave a day early in hopes of bagging some late season pow at the bird. It had been dumping hard for 3 days and snowbird was due to open up on friday with 30 new inches. I woke up stoked and I waited patiently for the road to open after the avy control had finished up. The road opened on schedule and just as I was about to race to the car the bad news hit... Snowbird was not going to open today because of too much snow! They have been running weekends only for the past few weeks so they had not kept up with their avalanche control work and they decided it was too dangerous to open that day. I was pretty pissed after driving all the way from Logan and getting my hopes up to slash 3 feet of pow in late May.

I settled down and got on the phone to everybody I knew in the area to try to find a buddy to go hike some powsurf lines with. I had brought a couple of extra powsurfers with me for friends to ride. Nobody was into it. Who could resist a waist deep pow day in late May?! So I went at it alone. Not the smartest thing to do given all the red flags of the day - snowbird choosing not to open, 3 feet of new snow in May, potential for major warming...etc. However, 20 years shredding the backcountry has taught me that safe travel is still possible if you're smart about it.

Luckily, Alta had been running their snowcats and had been grooming throughout the week so I didn't have to hike in waist deep snow. I marched up the groomer passing ski supremacist hippies left and right. (Alta is a "skier only" resort, snowboards are forbidden)

The groomer made the hike up a walk in the park.

I love hiking with the powsurfers becasue they are so light and minimalistic. Of course I get all the awkward looks from people muttering things like "what the hell is that?" and "how do you ride down without bindings".... I reply with "it's a powdersurfer" and "gravity". Some people are intrigued and stoked at the concept and some people can't quite fathom it (especially your average hippy at Alta). They get all sorts of confused when you blow by them on the ride down.

Balls deep at 10,000 feet

Top of Collins Chair - Strictly Forbidden area for snowboarders

Looks like I'm authorized

Visibility was pretty poor so I decided the trees beneath the Collins chair were a good bet for good pow and better vis. The wind was raging so I quickly gave praise and dropped in for a warm up run. I knew it was going to be pretty deep but I didn't expect it to be nearly waist deep.

After a short warm up run it was on! Conditions were epic - even for mid winter. Now where to go?

Decisions decisions....

The signs were very helpful...

I ripped a bunch of lines down "sunspot" under the collins chair. Nicely spaced trees kept the pow safe from the wind and the visibility good. The snowpack was so high that I nearly hit my head on the chairs as I slashed by them.

Tree barrel

Almost hit my head on the chair

After 5 runs on the upper mountain I was spent. I headed for one of my favorite zones at Alta for my lower descent. The Wildcat zone holds some sick steep shots with tons of features to launch off of. I had to do some trailblazing in waist deep snow to get there but it was well worth the effort. The snow was pretty saturated on the lower mountain so I needed a good steep run. Although the snow was not as good down here, this was still the funnest run of the day. Super steep chutes with fun buttons left and right- all the way down to the parking lot.

Faceshots galore, fun bumps everywhere, I was in powsurf heaven. I left super stoked to get a nice deep pow day that could be the last of the season. 10 hrs later I hopped on a flight to Kauai and spent the next 10 days soaking in the sun, surfing, and chilling out in a tropical paradise. Pretty epic ender to another epic season.

Peep the footy below!

MayDaze

It has been 5 or 6 days since the last storm so I kept my hopes low for the day. We rode strapped for the morning and I scouted for deeper pow in the afternoon. Turned out we found some pow just deep enough to surf on the highest north facing slopes.

Earning my turns

I managed to grab a few good still shots with my remote trigger as the sun fell low into the sky. Too good to put on the blog... gonna have to stay tuned for those. My battery died in my remote as the light became just perfect so I was a bit let down. I managed to get some pretty nice video instead.

Slashing above the Mt. Naomi Wilderness

Aaron and I spent the morning snowboarding/skiing. There were some lines we had been waiting all year to hit. They were finally safe enough to shred, but the pow was not quite deep enough to powsurf.

We have been looking at these lines off of Mt. Magog, waiting for the right day. It could be years before they fill in good enough to ride. Hopefully we can nail this one in the next few weeks.