To all Shredders:
This winter’s conditions have not been what they were last year here in the US. Don’t get me wrong- The storms have provided ample good times, but the chemistry in the snowpack around the country has been sketchy. On top of multiple recent accidents in my home state of Colorado, I was very saddened to hear about the 3 individuals who lost their lives in Washington earlier this week. Jim Jack was the head judge for the Freeskiing World Tour, and was an inspiration to many skiers. RIP
Be careful out there! Skiing is dangerous but it is what we live for!
Once you know it’s safe go SHRED!
Happy Turns!
-Grady
“Mountains speak, wise men listen.” John Muir
I am not just another number, and if you’re reading this you’re not a number either. You’re a non-conforming badass shredder just like me. The FIS will not hold us down by telling us what we can and cannot do. We are progressives who care about one thing and one thing only…skiing. I live for skiing, and I know that you do too. Skiing is all about progression and pushing the limits of what was previously thought impossible. I’m not going to tell you what we are about to do on our skis, or how far we are going to push the limit, that’s what FIS does. I’m going to tell you that we recognize the constraints that FIS has put on us, and we are not going to pay attention to them. We will fight for our right to progress the sport to unknown levels. I am so lucky to find a hardcore group of people who share the same vision and passion for life, and so it’s no coincidence that I use Shred and Slytech. FUCK FIS.
http://www.facebook.com/marcuscastonphotography
Marcus Caston
“Living life, Loving it” – Spencer Nelson
We are currently racing in Rosa Khutor the alpine site for the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia. The downhill race was today in which I did not partake in and the Combined is tomorrow in which I hope to crush it. The downhill track here is one of the coolest hills in the world and has the ability to be legendary. This being the first time it’s ever been run I think organizers were nervous so they set it way to turny. It resembles a SuperG set more then a downhill but I’m guessing they will have that ironed out for the Olympics.
Outside the race venues this mountain is probably the best ski area you’ll never ski, since getting into Russia (visa-wise) is a feat unto itself and it’s not easy to get here/to Sochi. The mountain has something like 5000 feet of vertical and after the Olympics they will connect the three resorts here so it will be massive with incredible terrain. (Snowbird/Alta+JacksonX5=)
We landed in Sochi (via private jet with the Russian team) at 3am and construction was in full swing the entire hour drive to the hotel. I’ve never seen anything like it, it seems like they are starting completely from scratch; new roads, railways, hotels, lifts etc. The security is something else too. The security is infinitely tighter then the Olympics in Vancouver and similar to airport security to get on the gondola, other then many of the security personnel are carrying machine guns. It will be very interesting see what this place will be like for the Olympics!
I attempted to poach a few powder turns today and got a taste of the skiing and the security. Here’s a video:
*** Marco is not that into capitalizing his words, in case you were wondering about his informal writing style.***
short update about my season!
before ispo i stayed a few days in zillertal- the crew was local guy werni stock! justin, flo and mau as our filmers! photo dog carlos.we got lucky with the conditions- some fresh snow- some nice spots! great times in zillertal! thx to werni! check the photos out- photos telling more then words!
after that trip i was at ispo for one days! i think i talked with the most of you guys- it was great to see everybody again!!
the last days we were not lazy! our crew was on the route again- this time we shot some stuff around vorarlberg ( montafon- thx to montafon tourism for sponsoring us the tickets)!
we got some really cool stuff out of the last days but now i need some days off to get my body again in a good shape!
upcoming plans: i stay in europe till middle and of feb. and the i am traveling to us, canada for one month! i will be back in april!
stay tuned for some more updates!
all the best
marco