NO FALLSN

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scotland’s newest snowboarDing magazine

HOW TO MASTER THE BACKSLIDE BOARDSLIDE...

WIN A NEW BURTON CUSTOM SNOWBOARD AND BINDINGS...

10GREAT HEADPHONES

TO MAKE YOUR RIDE ROCKING...

SCOTTISH RESORTS YOU MUST RIDE

INSIDE...

ISSUE 1

£2.10

6 March 09Photography By Stuart Kerr

V I S I T O U R W E B S I T E W W W. N O FA L L S N O B A L L S . C O M

N O F A L L S N O B A L L SSCOTLANDS NEWEST SNOWBOARDING MAGAZINE

NO FALLS NO BALLS is Scotland’s NEWEST weekly snowboarding magazine!

NO FALLS NO BALLS are dedicated to bringing the Scottish snowboarder what they want when they want it!

The best Scottish riders, Scottish resorts and everything in between.

We aim to entertain, inform and best of all help to improve your riding with the latest news, tips and tricks from our NO FALLS NO BALLS experts available at your fingertips.

So enjoy the first ever issue of NO FALLS NO BALLS!

Love the NO FALLS NO BALLS team x

n o f a l l s n o b a l l s

SNOW ROOM FOR CHANGE? 1

D R Y S L O P E O R I N D O O R 2

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O U R M U S T R I D E R E S O R T

D A N N Y M C C O R M i C K

M A K E YO U R R I D E R O C K I N G 5

7W H A T S H A P P E N I N G N O W

C O N T E N T S

F R E E S T Y L E T I P S & T R I C K S 8

N O F A L L S N O B A L L SS N O WROOM FOR CHANGE?

The days when you mentioned you went snowboarding and people looked at you like you’d grown an extra head are well gone now. More and more people are hitting the powder each year but is this really such a great thing?

This growing influx in boarders world wide is set to give the sport the cash injection that it truly deserves. We all know that more cash in the industry means better gear and better slopes and parks for us, but what are we giving up to get this? By more people getting into the sport are we in part giving up our individuality as snowboarders?

Many people including myself remember from our school days when walking around in baggies and snowboarding gear had you branded a “goth” by the majority of our peers. These same people a few years on set their Facebook or Myspace or whatever social network they use these days to them kitted out on the slopes. Snowboarding’s the world’s newest fad and I can’t help thinking that we’re all going to suffer because of it.

With the expansion of sports brands such as Nike into snowboarding it’s no wonder that so many people are donning a board and heading to the snow. Global

brands like Nike, I believe, have no place in our tight knit community. Brands like Burton and even DC and Vans that have helped raise the sport to what it is today shouldn’t have massive companies muscling in and over-riding what they worked so hard to achieve- it’s just greed.

I have nothing against their kit, and maybe one day Nike will bring some innovative ideas that could help improve what we use today. My problem with them is why did they have to force their way into snowboarding? Is Nike on a quest for world domination? How many pro-riders did you see wearing Nike ACG

gear last season? Not many until Nike used their seemingly unlimited supply of cash to poach Danny Kass from Vans, still I don’t think anyone really wants to ride in an over sized high-top.

I’m coming across very negative to new people coming into snowboarding, I don’t have a problem with it really, if people want to board let them board. I’m just sick of seeing posers on the powder who have no true love for boarding and are just there to look good. Sporting the latest Technine board –really what do guns have to do with snowboarding anyway- and wearing face masks isn’t

in my opinion what it’s all about. It’s about having fun with your mates, having a great laugh attempting to do new tricks on the park, and even just hanging out on the snow with youngsters that haven’t been boarding for long because you never know what new tricks you may learn.

Even though I have been a little negative, I love snowboarding and I’m happy that it’s beginning to thrive, seeing the slopes so full, well it warms my heart a little. I just don’t agree with posers, money grabbers like Nike and the change of styles that seem to glorify guns, violence and inspire fear.

OLD VERSUS

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H A V E Y O U R S A Y O N T H E N O F A L L S N O B A L L S F O R U M

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B y N a t a l i e D e a n s

IS CHANGE REALLY WHAT’S BEST?

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OLD VERSUS

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the epic battle between good and evil...?

f o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n o n e v e n t s a t S N O ! z o n e g o t o p a g e 6

Dryslope or indoorIt’s a question as old as time it’s self… well maybe not time, but it’s a pretty old question when it comes to snowboarding. What is better, the dry slope or the indoor slope? Well it’s really a matter of opinion for the rider, but I’m here with some of the facts about both to help you decide what is best for you.

Let’s start on dry slopes. Dry slopes are usually made of either dendix or snow flex. Dendix is large, wiry square blocks that use sprinklers to decrease the friction from the bristles. However dendix doesn’t really offer any resemblance to board-ing on snow and it tends to hurt, a lot, when you bail. Dendix also isn’t my favou-rite as I have the bad luck of every time I stop I seem to land in the range of the sprinkler. Freezing Scottish wind plus cold water hitting the back of your head from the sprinkler isn’t really my recipe for good boarding. So in many ways dendix is like marmite… meaning that you probably hate it and if you don’t people will think that you’re weird.

Snow flex slopes are made of softer, tightly packed bristles and from my per-sonal experience are much more cushioned than dendix when you fall. Snow flex can make riding on a dry slope really enjoyable, snow flex is usually used for more advanced riders that have developed all the much needed basics and

are moving on to freestyle. Bearsden and Bellahous-ton feature snow flex on the quarter pipes and jump sections as well as a rail section at Bella.

The upside to using dry

slopes is that they are pretty much empty most of the time. So if you want to be able to go and hit the features over and over then it’s for you. The frequency

of the boarding you get amazes me sometimes, but freestyle is pretty much the dry slope’s forte. If you want to pick up some speed and pull out a few turns before reaching the bottom, well the dry slope, both dendix

and snow flex, is probably something you want to avoid.

The once mythical lands we know call snowdomes have

been popping up all over the country in the last few years. They’re a great place to keep your skills in tune during the off season and a great place to learn. Snow-domes give you access to snow all year long and also host freestyle nights almost every week. Sno!Zone at Xscape Braehead hosts freestyle Thursday and Fri-day which has features for seasoned pros and groms that wouldn’t know a kicker if it came up and bit them in the… well you get where I’m going with that. Sno!Zone also has a rookie park with instructors there to help any newbies progress on their freestyle and best of all… the instruction is FREE.

I’m not saying that there aren’t downsides to indoor slopes, they can be pretty expensive: lessons for adults start at about £27 per hour and freestyle nights will set you back a score or two for a couple of hours on the slope. Indoor slopes can also be busy and you may not get a great amount of runs up and down the slope for your money but the chance to get on the snow all year round really over-rides most negative factors for me. On the other hand dry slopes while you get a lot for your money and you can board all day with no problems about crowds are just not user friendly enough for me.

Well No Falls No Balls de-liver the facts and you make your own decisions just go out and have fun!

B y N a t a l i e D e a n s

Photography By Stuart Kerr

N O F A L L S N O B A L L S

3FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT WWW.LECHT.CO.UK

O R E M A I L I N F O @ L E C H T . C O . U K

THE LECHT

NO FALLS NO BALLSMUST RIDE RESORT

OF THE WEEK

NO FALLS NO BALLS must ride resort for this week is the Lecht in Aviemore. The resort has been running since the 70’s but has grown over the past 30 years into one of Scotland’s leading ski resorts.

With a freestyle park built into the hills, you can hit the park with no need for heavy snowfall -which is a good sign considering the current global warming crisis. The park has a little bit for everyone so I do recommend it for both rookies and the more experienced rider. The park has the basics that every good park needs a good few jumps and rails. The current set up for the park this season is an on site half pipe cutter, log slides, gap jumps and table tops, an additional fun park is added when the snow allows it.

The Lecht isn’t all freestyle,

the slopes are available for everyone. A mix of free ride terrain and wide flowing runs for the alpine riders give the Lecht an extensive range for you to choose from depending on your mood. The lecht is also a pretty awesome place to learn if you get the chance, I first learned to ski there many years ago (yes I used to use the planks but I saw the error of my ways) and the novice slopes have a lot of green and blue runs that allow you to put to practice what you’ve learned. The steeper terrain also offers a good few red runs for the more experienced shredder.

Best of all is that it’s reasonably cheap too, a days board and lift pass for an adult will set you back £42, or less if you happen to be a student. A two day board package that includes your lift pass, board hire, tuition and slope pass is

only £90 for an adult. That’s pretty good value for money if you ask me.

So you heard it here from me, the Lecht is the place to be if you want to board. It’s cheap, has a great range of runs for everyone and has a decent park if you’re in a freestyle mood and it’s all on your doorstep. So what are you waiting for? Head on up to Aviemore and check it out for yourselves.

By Natalie Deans

WIN A BURTON CUSTOM BOARD &

BINDINGS...PAGE 7

DANNY MCCORMiCK

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No Falls No Balls gets a one-on-one with one of Scotland’s up and coming snowboarders. Who along

with his younger brothers –Matt and Chris- are taking the competition by

a storm.

Name: Danny McCormick

Age: 16

Where you ride: Bearsden

Sponsors: HEAD snowboards, Grenade clothing, SNO!zone and www.ilovelegion.com

Board: HEAD True

Bindings: HEAD PX 5 Team

Boots: HEAD Triple

Regular or Goofy: Regular

When did you start riding? I think it was about 3 and a bit years ago.

What has been the highlight of your riding? Probably when I won the first Westbeach championships in France cause I didn't think I stood a chance.

Where is your favourite place to snowboard? Gotta be Bearsden for easy going Saturday nights and SNO!zone for the awsome setups on Fridays.

What is your favourite trick?Back cork 7 mute, such an awesome feeling.

Who is your favourite pro rider and why?Probably Jeremy Jones because of his attitude and style towards boarding

Finally, if you could change one thing about snowboarding, what would it be?That's a tuffy but I reckon it would be changing it from snowboarding to fudgeboarding, yummy.

Well there you have it, the gospel according to Danny McCormick, but fudgeboarding… just make sure that helmet is on tight Danny. Danny has been doing Scottish snowboarding proud over the past season, winning competitions from Westbeach to the Lowlander competitions.

He is definitely one to watch for the future.

FOR INFORMATION ON HOW TO GET YOUR PROFILE FEATUREDE M A I L I N F O @ L E C H T . C O . U K

Photography B

y Stuart K

err

N O F A L L S N O B A L L S

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10 HEADPHONES FOR

A ROCKIN RIDE

Street Headphone by Wesc

As expected from the Swedes these headphones not only look great but they sound awesome too. Rumoured to have been manufactured by Sennheiser, the Street Headphone have a deep sound that gives crystal clear quality with most music. The only downside is that the headband isn’t very tight fitting, so if you’re the slope hard beware of them slipping off.

Recruit by Skullcandy

Skullcandy’s ultra-light headphone is a perfect choice for anyone that wants to listen to some tunes while they ride. With a 30 mm audio driver the Recruit headphone delivers unbelievable sound quality, combine this with the double strap headband for exact fit these headphones not only sound great buy they look great too and they’re guaranteed to never slow you down. They’re also the favourite headphone of Team Skullcandy’s Aaron Bittner.

Full Metal Jacket by Skullcandy

Skullcandy describe them as the official favourite bud of people with ears and personal style. Well I definitely come into that category because I think the Full Metal Jacket buds are fantastic. They have the great sound that Skullcandy are known for with a bass sound that could burst your ear drums and they just look cool. But best of all… they’re cheap as chips! Coming in at only £30 from most retailers.

MX 85 Sport II by Sennheiser

Sennheiser’s innovative twist-to-fit system featured in the MX85 Sport II headphone gives you maximum secure fit as well as amazing sound quality. These tiny buds are also sweat and water resistant so you can work up a sweat on the slopes and your headphones will be none the worst for wear.

we want to know what your playlist is.. .t e l l u s o n o u r f o r u m s

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MDR- AS30G by Sony

These fashionable over the ear headphones offer good sound and high stability for a low, low price. With a foldable, flexible neck band and an extension wire these affordable head-phones take portable to the next level. All of that from only £19.99 make the MRD’s No Falls No Balls choice of headphone for those on a budget.

Tell us your top ten songs for when you ridew w w . n o f a l l s n o b a l l s . c o m

Bongo Headphone by Wesc

These awesome lightweight headphones by Wesc will make sure you’re never lacking style on the slopes. The adjustable headband ensures you’ll never miss a second of sound while you shred. The Bongo headphone has great looks, amazing sound and a good price, all in all a cracking buy.

The Wire by Nixon

These buds really are proof that good things come in small packages. The small light-weight buds pack a punch when it comes to sound with great bass and treble. They also look fantastic and have a specially designed chord that can’t tangle. So if you want to look great, get good sound quality and take away those annoying tangled wires get down to you’re local music shop and pick up a pair.

Nomadic Headphone by Nixon

These headphones are a prime example of Nixon’s sleek and fashionable designs. The Nomadic headphones both look great and sound great and they’re completely collapsible so when the time comes to get off the slope and hang out in the lodge they fit easily into your jacket pocket. A win – win situation, great on the slope and easily storable off of it.

SX10 by Beyerdynamic

This lightweight, comfortable headphone delivers quality hi-fi sound for a great price, start-ing at around £25. The neckband provides a secure, adjustable fit and the headphones are compatible with all ipods, mp3’s , CD and MD players so no matter what kit you have these headphones will do you good.

Image by Klipsch

These tiny buds have amazing looks and sound. When you try them out be prepared to look around because you really do feel like the band is beside you playing into your ears. The rubber bud give a tight fit to your ear and cancel out any noise in the background. Great looks, fantastic sound these buds are near perfect, although they are a bit pricey coming in at around £250.

N O B A L L SN O F A L L S

7

WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW...

EVENTS IN SCOTLAND

WIN A BURTON CUSTOM SNOWBOARD AND BINDINGS...

JUST ANSWER THIS QUESTION...

Q. WHAT YEAR DID SNO!ZONE BRAEHEAD OPEN?

A. 2004B. 2005C. 2006

TO ENTER VISIT WWW.NOFALLSNOBALLS.COM/

COMPETITION

F O R L I N K S T O Y O U R L O C A L S L O P E V I S I T W W W , N O F A L L S N O B A L L S . C O M

SNO!STORM…

The end of winter has come and as usual Xscape is hosting an epic freestyle event. With off the wall snow features, mini kickers, rails and more head down to Xscape to end the winter in style. Interested in music? Then Snow!Storm is for you, along with Rubadub there is a DJ competition where you can win a bag of Rubadub goodies and ski/snowbarding package at Xscape as well as a set playing at Snow!storm to about 300 riders. If all this is for you head on down to Xscape on May 1st 7pm till Midnight.

DISABILITY SNOWSPORT UK NATIONAL SKIATHON…

Disability Snowsport UK are challenging riders to ride out of this world in their Space Mountain challenge. At the beginning of your ride, choose your space mountain (a choice of Mount Huygens on the Moon, Mount Maxwell on Venus and Mount Olympus on Mars) and ride the equivalent distance on the slopes. As well as being loads of fun, this is event is to raise funds and awareness for disabled riders at your local slope. Your ride lasts 90 minutes and the event runs from 9am to 9pm on May 6th at Xscape. So I challenge you all to get down there, have some fun and help a good cause.

FBBB…

This travelling community gather wher-ever there is man made snow, with the mission of spreading fun and laughter to us all. With a great freestyle park, bands, artists and almost everything that has to do with snowboarding and skating the 22nd of May looks to be a barrel of laughs at Sno!Zone.

KELVINGROVE PARK JAM…

Sno!Zone’s street team will be painting the town white in Kelvin-grove. For the second year running the street team will be dumping 80 tonnes of snow on KG park and having a right old party. There’s fun for all the family, great boarders and good music. If you want to come down and see the festivities visit Kelvingrove Park on the 23rd May.

THE FREESTYLE CORNER

BACKSLIDE BOARDSLIDE

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OUR STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO IMPROVING YOUR FREESTYLE SKILLS

B y N a t a l i e D e a n s

We’re going to start off our freestyle corner with a trip back to basics for anyone that’s having some trouble with the backslide boardslide, or for anyone that’s looking to dabble into freestyle for the first time.

The backslide boardslide is one of the first tricks everyone should learn, it’s relatively easy to do and it looks awesome once it’s mastered.

The Approach: You should pick a spot where you’re on to a straight feature and have your stance flexed and relaxed. Your speed is up to you and your level of riding, if you’re just starting out and you’re a bit nervous take it a little slower, keep in control and don’t panic. If you’re more experienced and feel up for a little speed have at it, it’s all in good fun.

The Take Off: When you’re moving up to the kicker rotate your shoulders towards the rail, this will make your board face the rail. Once you pop off the kicker your board should easily go into the boardslide position. When doing this trick it’s helpful to take off with your weight equally balanced between both feet with a bit of pressure toe side just to make your landing a little easier.

The Move: Make sure you keep a flat base when you are on the rail –if you have trouble with this try to do the move while on ice and maintain your balance- keep you stance stable and get a decent bit of speed or you may slide out and end up with a sore butt. Another important part of the move is keep your eye on the prize, you want to get to the end of the rail so keep looking towards it, most times your body will go where your head’s pointing.

The Landing: Keeping your flexed and stable stance that you’ve used all through the move, pop up from the rail and rotate back into a riding position. By popping off the rail you give yourself enough time to be able to land the trick, if you just slide off the rail most time you end up eating snow as it all comes too quick for you to handle. The landing gives you two options for the ride away from the rail: you can ride switch or your regular stance. When coming off the rail you may find that you’ll be riding switch, if you’re comfortable with it then away you go. It looks great and shows you know what you’re doing. If you’re not so comfortable with it when you pop off the rail rotate your shoulders until they’re facing the way you want to ride and whip your legs round. You should be in a position that easier for you to ride.

That’s your step by step guide to the backslide boardslide just remember the to keep a flat base, keep your eye on the prize and speed keeps you from falling on your behind. Hopefully that’s gave you a good start on your freestyle or solved any little problems that you’ve been having with the trick

The Backslide Boardslide In Action

M O R E T I P S O N T R I C K P R O G R E S S I O NN E X T W E E K

Photography B

y Stuart K

err