words, photos, and captions: T. Bird
More often than not, Superpark is the last event of my winter. It’s hectic. The days are arduously long. It’s hot as shit. And between you and me, I’m mentally checked out by the end of the event and ...
words, photos, and captions: T. Bird
More often than not, Superpark is the last event of my winter. It’s hectic. The days are arduously long. It’s hot as shit. And between you and me, I’m mentally checked out by the end of the event and ready to hop on the first plane back to San Clemente to start making magazines. This year was different though, as Danny Davis and the Burton crew held off their late-season shoot for a few days so the B could send a crew to compete in Battle of the Brands at Superpark 17, and opted to host Danny’s sophomore event at Squaw Valley, USA immediately following our blowout at Mt. Bachelor. Our Video Production Manager John Cavan and I caught a quick flight to Reno to meet up with Bryan Knox, Kevin Keller, Aaron Leyland, Justin Eeles, Frankie Chapin, Nathan Yant, Corey Koniniec, Alex Adrian, Joel Muzzey, Dean “Blotto” Gray, Adam Moran, and a handful of Burton employees, as well as riders Danny Davis, Marko Grilc, Peetu Piiroinen, Mark McMorris, Ben and Gabe Ferguson, Roope Tonteri, Scotty Lago, Kevin Pearce, Alek Østreng, Torgeir Bergrem, Scott Blum, Christian Haller, Jack and Luke Mitrani, Craig McMorris, and Charles Reid.
Last year, Danny Davis, Burton, Mountain Dew, and Chris “Gunny” Gunnarson’s Snow Park Technologies teamed up for Peacepipe, a one-of-a-kind halfpipe littered with jibs, hips, tombstones, and extensions that offered its riders a myriad of options and allowed them to find lines that lay outside the parameters set by modern-day competitive pipe riding. What Danny and his sponsors created was a come-one-come-all tip of the hat to pipe progression, and in snowboarding’s modern era of private TFs, top secret tricks, and airbag foam pits, Danny instead decided to simply ride with his friends, and that’s something that has separated him from the pack and endeared him as a darling to snowboard fans across the globe.
Regardless to say, last year’s Peacepipe was a smashing success, hence their propensity to want to re-create it yet again. However, like Burton always does, they consulted with Danny and Gunny’s SPT crew and tweaked the setup so that it offered more traditional jump and airtime options, as well as incorporating parts of last year’s Peacepipe transition and jib obstacles. Without sounding too redundant, it was a smashing success. The weather at Squaw was perfect, the setup was incredible, and with Danny given the luxury of extending the proverbial olive branch to riders outside of the contest arena, Peacepark was born.
Needless to say, the photos and video to come out of this late-season gathering are evidence of its achievement but you’re gonna have to wait until Burton’s new film drops. For now, enjoy these (extremely cropped at times) shots from Peacepark, and thank you to Bryan Knox, Kevin Keller, Frankie Chapin, all the Burton filmers and photographers, and of course, the riders. We had a great time, and for once, I was stoked to sneak in another shoot after Superpark.
