And the nominees are:

Rookie Of The Year
Jed Anderson–Salomon
Ben Bilocq
Halldór Helgason
Sebastien Toutant

Men’s Rider Of The Year
John Jackson
Pat Moore
Bode Merrill—Salomon and Bonfire
Gigi Rüf

Women’s Rider Of The Year
Annie Boulanger–Salomon
Marie-France Roy
Torah Bright

Men’s Video Part Of The Year
Bode Merrill (Neverland)–Salomon and Bonfire
John Jackson (Forever)
Gigi Rüf (Neverland)

Women’s Video Part Of The Year
Annie Boulanger (Neverland)–Salomon
Marie-France Roy (Neverland)
Torah Bright (Stance)

Video Of The Year
Forever/Forum
Neverland/Absinthe Films (Sponsored by Salomon)
Videograss/Videograss (Sponsored By Bonfire & Salomon)

Standout Of The Year
Xavier De Le Rue —Hair-raising, big-mountain lines in Alaska.
Louis-Felix Paradis—New rail variations.–Salomon and Bonfire
Chas Guldemond —Contest clean-up.

Reader’s Choice: Men’s and Women’s Nominees TBA

Yes, its true, lake Tahoe’s Number one Snowboard Shop, just got a shout out from Freeskier Magazine. Freeski magazine recognized Shoreline of Tahoe as the best freeride ski shop in South Lake Tahoe, they went on to talk about our great selection of twin tip skis, and expert advice. Wow this was a great surprise for us, we really try our best, to give the best service, and information to all who seek to improve their mountain experience. Skier or Snowboarder, we want to equip you with the gear that the Ski or snowboard industry has to offer. To us its like being the best match maker, a marriage of sorts. We listen to what our customers are saying, how they ski, where they ski, how often they ski, problems their having, and the direction they want to go with their skiing. We marry the skiers flesh and bones, to wood and metal so they can become one with their skis. This is how we became # 1 in both Skiing and snowboarding.

67% Prefer Merry Christmas while 26% Opt for Happy Holidays
Thursday, November 22, 2007
As the holiday season begins, 67% of American adults like stores to use the phrase “Merry Christmas” in their seasonal advertising rather than “Happy Holidays.” A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that just 26% prefer the Happy Holidays line.

There is no gender gap on this question and few demographic differences. From a politically partisan perspective, 88% of Republicans prefer “Merry Christmas” while just 57% of Democrats favor the saying.

The poll says … Merry Christmas!
By Michelle Healy, USA TODAY November 30th 2009
If you think greetings such as “Happy Holidays” or “Season’s Greetings” are poor substitutes for “Merry Christmas,” you’ve got company.
A USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll taken Friday through Sunday finds that 69% of adults surveyed say “Merry Christmas” is the greeting they most likely would use this time of year when first meeting someone. That’s up from 56% in 2004. Only 29% would opt for “Happy Holidays,” down from 41% in 2004.

Shoreline Trying to keep you Safe on the hill…this really works, now people are getting hurt on the second to last run of the Day! Our injury prevention team is now working on a plan to stop the growing number of injuries that now occur on the second to last run of the day. We may soon have to skip the last two runs of the day or better yet just stay home and read the Shoreline Blog all day long and we’ll tell what it is like to Snowboard.

Here is a thought that is over looked when Shopping online. Retailers are doing all they can to get you to buy from their site. From the consumer’s point of view, they often think that is all come down to price only, but over look the expert advice, they receive from a specialty snowboard shop. Specialty Snowboard Shops don’t put together package deals online in a one size fits all way. One way to determine if a shop has your best interest in mind is weather or not they bundle together packages Boards, boots, bindings, at a great discount. The motive behind this type of packaging is greater profit for the retailer. In most cases they purchase large amounts of boards boots and bindings that don’t sell. So the question to ask is why didn’t they sell? So lets go through why these items didn’t sell. The number one reason, a board doesn’t sell is graphics, I remember the year Danny Kass one the Olympic gold, his board’s graphic was this overly punk thing that you got tired of after 10 seconds, but the board it’s self was great! So in a package deal, they may be some good decks offered. The other boards you find in these packages are made for packages. These boards are made with the motive of making it as cheap as possible, often heavier, less responsive, and prone to fall apart. The same can be said about both boots and binding.
The bindings have a job to do, they must hold your boot firmly down to your board, so your able to control your board. Some of the cheaper plastics, will stretch allowing your boot to lift up in the binding. Depending on what kind of riding you do this could be a good or bad thing. Some forgiveness from you bindings if your focus is park riding, is a good thing, being able to tweak your equipment, is desirable. If your focus is improved stability at high speeds then a stiffer binding is what you want.
The reason boots don’t sell in a small way is how they look, but a far bigger reason is fit. If your shopping packages online, with the motive of saving as much money as possible, keep in mind when it comes to boots, not all boots fit all feet. People are funny, the boot is the most important part of your equipment and is often the piece of equipment that people put the least amount of thought into. The odds are against you getting a comfortable boot that can hold your foot firmly down.
So buyer beware, if an online dealer is offering a package deal, there is a good chance that you may suffer in pain and lack the performance you want.
We want to offer our customers a package deal but don’t want to take away your freedom to get the right gear.
So pick out the best gear for you, feel free to give us a call toll free 888-866-7669 (snow) if you have any further questions about your package. We want to reward you for buying from us. So pick out any 2010 snowboarding gear… Board, boots and bindings then put in the coupon code put the word “Package” and you’ll receive 10% off your package. The Coupon code will only work with 2010 equipment, that totals over $700.00 before discount. Sorry small kids packages are not included.

This debate will most likely never completely be resolved, it actually begin back in 1985 when the snowboard industry followed the ski engineers use of camber. For the next 20 years rocker snowboards were only seen in museums. Then Mervin Manufacturing in 2005 offered one board with rocker. Since then most all manufactures offer a variety of different rocker snowboards.
The average snowboarder is confused about this new choice, they’ll have to make when buying a snowboard, so I will try to explain the differences based on the characteristics you will feel while riding in different terrains.

POWDER

Camber boards have had a great 20 year track record of ripping up powder. To improve your ride, many riders will set back their bindings back so that nose will increase will rise to the top easier. While your shorter tail will sink. This will give you a disadvantage if you want to ride switch, but most riders will compensate for this by leaning back.

Reverse camber boards will not have to be adjusted back to improve their buoyancy. they will hold high speed buttering, and can be ridden switch no matter how deep the powder is.

PARK RIDING

Most all tricks to date were made up while riding Cambered boards. In bigger parks the camber stability will allow you to hit the big booters with a stronger sense of calm. Camber boards give you a more consistence , crisp, pop off of jumps and allies.

Rocker boards can make many of the stylish tricks easier to do in between charging towards a rail or jump. Buttering your way towards a rail then turbo pressing the rail will be easier with rocker.

GROOMERS

Many riders will agree that on the groomers camber will delivery stability at high speeds due to the additional edge contact. The way side cut and camber work together, a properly executed turn will deliver an additional g-force feeling as you excellerate through your turn.

Rocker boards initiate turns very easily, and tend to want to finish the turn just as quick. Due to its design you end with a lot less edge on the snow. This is no problem on days where the runs are soft, but on hard pact or icy days you will fell less edge bite, that will will make you want to ride a bit slower. Note* Mervin manufacturing’s “magnetraction” and Burton’s “pressure distribution edges” will give back the bit to your edges. Both these features to a greater and lesser degree can be under stood by looking at a steak knife.

It’s sometimes hard to buy the right snowboard. Even for people who have been riding for more then 10 years sometimes have trouble Choosing the right snowboard. It’s even harder when you are a beginner and you are wondering what the best board for a beginner would be. So That’s why we wrote this article.

CAMBER PROFILE:
Selecting a snowboard can be a complex process. A rider looking to purchase a board needed to decide according to the shape – freestyle, freeride, all mountain, stiffness, length, waist size – important for big feet, and graphics of course. Now brands are adding a new dimension: camber profiles!
Some brands offer up to 5 different profiles: classical positive camber, camber for powder, reverse camber only in between the feet, reverse with flat base under the feet, and some hybrid camber to round it up. It’s sometime summarized as S, V, U W camber shapes. How do I choose a board now? The simple rule with reverse camber / rocker snowboards is that they make all areas of your riding easier because the boards are more forgiving. Powder floats higher, Park less edge contact and Freestyle disengage the edges quicker. When it comes to Freeride, camber / rocker can be less stable at high speeds due to its reduced edge contact.

In 1985 boards were all rocker, but classical positive camber became the standard simply because it just works better, then the original rocker designs.
Lib and Gnu call it Banana Technology. Their boards bow from the middle to the tip (there are variations between models). One feature that Lib Tech and Gnu also offer on all their Banana Technology designs, Magnetraction which is like a serrated edge to increase its edge ability to cut though hard pack and ice.
Burton, K2 and Ride call their version Rocker, the difference being that their boards are flat between the bindings and rise from the binding to the tip (there are variations between models).

LENGTH:
A quick starting point for board length is to have it reach somewhere between the tip of your chin and the top of your hairline when standing the board in front of you. The board you most enjoy riding, however, may not fall within that range. Typically, a jib board for rails and flatground tricks will be a little shorter. A board intended purely for powder riding or for high speed carving down groomed runs will be a little longer. Reverse camber boards in powder are easier to keep on top of the powder, so you can get away with a smaller board in powder. A heavier set person will often be better off with a little longer board, whereas a small framed person may end up happier on a shorter board.

FLEX:
Personal preference is a huge factor in the flex of the board you select. Stiffer boards are typically used for higher speeds, carving, or pipe riding. Softer boards are preferred for beginners. It is easier to initiate a turn with a softer board, while stiffer boards will hold an edge at a higher speed.

WAIST WIDTH:
The width of the board should be fit to your boot size and stance angles. Typically, boots size 12 (mens) and larger should be on a board designated as wide. For maximum response, a width that allows the toe and heel of the boot to sit up to an inch over the edge of the board is ideal. The combination of the curve of the boot sole and the rise from the binding baseplate will eliminate the possibility of heel or toe drag.

SHAPE:
Boards come in many shapes. This may not be obvious at a glance, but there are several possibilities. The most common shapes are twin and directional. A twin shaped board is one that is symmetrical tip and tail with sidecut that is the same at either end. Twin shaped boards are great for park and pipe riding, and are easier to ride switch (rear foot first). A directional board has a longer tail than nose and often has progressive sidecut, where the radius is not one consistent curve from tip to tail. Directional boards are more often used for freeriding.
There are also tapered, swallowtail, and other shapes.

TAPER:
Taper refers to the difference in width between tip and tail of the board. Tapered boards are ideal for powder because the narrower tail will sink more easily, allowing to nose of the board to stay at or above the surface. Tapered boards also work well for carving on groomed runs, but don’t work as well for riding switch.

STANCE OPTIONS:
If you like to ride with a really wide stance or a really narrow stance, then you will want to check the stance options on the board. All boards have inserts to attach the bindings to the board, and there will be a range of widths possible using those inserts. Besides width, there is also setback to consider. Many boards come with the inserts set back 1? or more from a centered stance, but the bindings can still be mounted on center. Conversely, for boards with the inserts centered on a board, bindings can still be mounted off center.

Our clearance of all Snowboards, boots, and bindings. The sale includes Burton, Lib Tech, Ride, K2, Gnu, Flow, Rome, Arbor, and Salomon, We have literally hundreds of boards, boots and bindings to clear at 30%, 40% and even 60% off retail. Our website is live, so if you see an item, it is in stock, if you can not see it the next time you look, it is because we have sold out!!! Stock does sell out quickly, so be warned! We also have a good selection of snowboard pants and snowboard jackets in stock on clearance. Stop by our site often, because we buy closeouts from our suppliers, and will be adding more snowboarding equipment as stock become available.

Bonfire and Salomon Rookie Matt Ladley Slays Arctic Challenge
OSLO, Norway–Matt Ladley may not be old enough to buy smokes, but after recovering from a shattered collarbone in December he proved that he still knows how to get high with lofty amplitude and a variety of tricks at the Arctic Challenge where he snagged 2nd place and an award for Best Trick.

“I’m so stoked,” he said. This is the best I’ve ever done at a contest.”

Ladley stomped a huge backside Rodeo, a backside 540, backside 720 and nearly landed a backside 900, in front of a crowd of thousands in Oslo, Norway at Terje Haakonson’s annual event.

The Snowboard industry is a funny one, some times you have to just laugh at the hippies. Take this Idea of some grass root movement that is all the rage in snowboarding, yet it never went “corporate” some how keep pure to the love of the sport…if that existed we wouldn’t know about it. Corporate means cor?po?rate?–adjective
1. of, for, or belonging to a corporation or corporations: a corporate executive; She considers the new federal subsidy just corporate welfare.
2. forming a corporation.
3. pertaining to a united group, as of persons: the corporate good.
4. united or combined into one.

If there is a good idea that you want to get made and sold in market, forming a corporation is a good way to do it. I laugh at some hippy snowboarders because they seem to think these boards grow on trees.  The effort to design, make, distribute, and sell takes a whole year of hard corporate work.  A few years ago we sold gloves from a company that was so anti-corporation, that the next year when we placed our order they lost it, blame us, and never shipped us our gloves…now that is as  unincorporated as it gets.