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Let my people go surfing
Yvon Chouinard
Every brand out there these days seems to claim
they are ethical and environmentally friendly,
but few truly are. Patagonia, however, is one
brand that have always acted with the environment
in mind and indeed ran every aspect of their
business around it.
In "Let my people go surfing", Patagonia
owner Yvon Chouinard tells his story, from starting
and running Patagonia from a shack on the beachfront,
to the multi-million dollar company it is today,
whilst always remaining true to his original
goals and values. This is a very inspiring book
both from a business viewpoint and for life
in general.
www.patagonia.com
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Optimistic
Absinthe Films
Last winter good snow was hard to find, so fitting
that the title of this years Absinthe movie
is Optimistic, as it seems they had no trouble
finding the best snow around the globe. The
opening section sets the scene well with some
rather unsubtle references to global warming,
and the video continues to show how the crew
made the most of winter, riding whatever terrain
iwas available at any given time, be it fresh
tracks in Alaska, a rail in California, or a
roadside in Switzerland.
Romain de Marchi missed out on a video part
last season so it is good to see he is back
and strong as ever with a blinding part shared
with Danny Davis. Gigi Ruf also has an amazing
section with plenty of innovative tricks on
strange obstacles as always. The Absinthe crew
is expanding every year, and now includes plenty
of top yanks along with all the original Euro
riders. Kurt Wastell and MFM both have wicked
sections also.
www.absinthe-films.com
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Flipside
Absinthe Films
The snowboard movie "More", from Absinthe
Films last season was undoubtedly one of the
best snowboard films of all time, shot in some
amazing locations with progressive camera angles,
this is snowboard film making at it's best.
Flipside looks at what it took to make More,
following the riders as they travel the globe,
and looking in detail at how the filmers went
about getting certain shots. Flipside includes
all the best footage from More, plus the behind
the scenes stuff which makes for an interesting
watch.
www.absinthe-films.com
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World Press Photo 07
Thames & Hudson
The World Press Photo organises the largest
and most prestigious photography contest, the
entries of which are displayed in their annual
book, as well as at exhibitions around the world.
With submissions from the worlds best press
photographers working for agencies like Magnum,
Prize Stories, and Getty, the 2007 edition covers
a wide range of subjects. The cover and winning
photo of this year was shot in Lebanon following
the fighting of summer 2006. The book takes
you through a visual story of the year, ranging
from images you will of already seen, such as
Zidane's headbutt at in the World Cup final,
to many images that you won't of seen. This
book provides a brilliantly shocking account
of world events in 2006/07. |
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The World Snowboard Guide
This is an essential piece of literature for
any snowboarder.
If a ski resort exists, anywhere in the world,
chances are it's in this book.
Most of the European and American resorts have
quite extensive reviews, while places off the
beaten track such as Russia, Africa, China,
and Japan are reviewed in less detailed. There
is plenty of useful information on each country
including a map and overview covering everything
from currency and customs, to local drug laws.
The rating system used throughout the book should
be taken as a guideline only, because so much
of a resort comes down to personal taste and
luck with snow conditions, but where this book
excels is in providing essential facts and information
on a huge range of worldwide resorts, making
it a great starting reference point when planning
any snowboard trip.
Get 20% Discount:
Step-On readers are entitled to 20% discount
on The World Snowboard Guide. Just enter 'wsgstepon'
in the coupon section of their online shop when
you buy.
www.worldsnowboardguide.com
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For Right or Wrong
Burton Snowboards
This is Burton's big movie for this season,
made in a documentary style and intended to
give an insight into the lives of pro snowboarders
and what it is really like to be a professional
snowboarder. To be honest it starts badly for
me. I don't care much for listening to the likes
of Kelly Clark moaning and going on about how
tough her life is. At the end of the day she's
still being paid to go snowboarding so what's
her problem?! I can see what the makers have
tried to do, showing more of the lifestyle and
personalities behind snowboarding, but it's
snowboarding, not GCSE revision!
Aside from that there are some really good sections
documenting the full spectrum of snowboarders,
from Mads Jonsson having a lone session on a
huge hip in Norway, Jeremy Jones and his crew
hunting down urban spots in America (and getting
busted by the cops), and Terje and Nicolas freeriding
in Japan. Even Jake Burton himself makes an
appearance and shows that there's no excuse
no matter how old you are!
Draw your own conclusion by downloading For
Right or Wrong at: www.burton.com/movie |
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Prediculous
Vincent Urban & Alex Schiller
The isenseven crew from Germany make great snowboard
videos. Prediculous is a well produced and nicely
edited video, but still retains a very homemade
feel. Filmed mostly around European resorts,
the snowboarding is straight up footage of some
of central Europe's most ripping riders like
Alex Rieger, Christophe Schmidt, and Vinzenz
Lups.
Full credit to filmmaker Vincent Urban and his
crew. They haven't tried to make their video
over-glamourous. It is a rider run video and
it shows the fun in snowboarding. The soundtrack
is also a perfect mix of electro, rock and hiphop.
Prediculous is one of the best rider produced
videos for this season.
www.isenseven.de
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Draw the Line
Standard Films
Draw the Line is a great snowboard movie in
all respects...from the first scene it really
gets you in the mood, with Mads Johnson shredding
big mountain freestyle to the sound of Placebo.
The balance of riding types, terrain, and music
is just right. From Jeremy Jones riding through
avalanches in Alaska, to the Japanese rider
Kazuhiro Kokubo floating a frontside 900 off
a record breaking sized kicker, there's just
about everything in this movie. The soundtrack
covers a wide spectrum of genres and the filmography
is super slick, with some interesting close-up
camera angles following the snowboarders through
the air off jumps. Mark Landvik's section has
some of the best backcoutry freestyle you'll
see for a while, and Matt Hammer, Marco Grilc,
Jonas Emery, and Eric Jackson also rip it up.
Stand out sections for us were John Jackson's
and Fredi Kalbermatten's.
A must-have for any snowboarders dvd collection
this winter.
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Montreal - 16mm snowboard documentary
Sunset Films
This is an interesting style of snowboard movie,
set only in the city of Montreal itself, and
documenting the winter of local and visiting
riders. It takes everything which makes a good
snowboard movie (impressive terrain, progressive
riding, big mountains, etc), and forgets it
entirely.
Montreal is what it says, it captures a typical
winter in Montreal, and nothing more. The film
follows riders around Montreal, shooting video
at countless handrail and ledge locations, and
the documentary, commentated approach works
well. The lack of variation does start to get
boring after a while, and just when you think
you're not going to see a single mountain, one
appears, and there's some good footage of park
and powder riding thrown in for good measure.
Of course this video will keep the jib monkies
entertained, but for a rounded or spectacular
snowboard movie your digging in the wrong place.
View Trailer
>>
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Dream Season - Worldwide Heli & Cat Guide
Bill Wanrooy & Chris Anthony
Dream Season is the first book to be published
that serves as a snowboarders and skiers guide
to heli and cat boarding worldwide. It is written
by Chris Anthony, 1996 Alaskan Extreme Skiing
Champion, and Bill Wanrooy, a well known skier
from Michigan who has been travelling the globe
on skis since a young age.
The book covers the USA, Canada, Alaska, Europe,
Greenland, New Zealand, and the Himilayas, providing
basic information on companies that operate a
heli service such as their prices and contact
info, as well as going into more detail about
the best time of year to visit certain places,
and how difficult the terrain is to ride.
Dream Season is a great book to use as reference,
as it will steer you in the right direction of
local contacts. It has obviously been published
on a limited budget, aimed literally as a guide
to heli-skiing/boarding rather than glamourising
it too much, and it is certainly not a definitive
guide. Other than the cover, the book lacks colour
images to really set the mood of the locations
it describes. However, all in all an essential
travel companion for heli-junkies.
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David Lachapelle - Artists & Prostitutes
Taschen Books
David LaChapelle's photography has graced the
pages of every fashion magazine and sunday newspaper
supplement in the western world. His style is
unmistakable, and this, his latest book, showcases
his work with music artists Eminem, Tupac, and
Britney Spears, as well as random models. La
Chapelle's fashion shoots never fail to impress
with bold colours and weird set ups.
Only 2500 copies of this book have been printed,
hence the price tag of over £1000. I have
to say for that price you would expect this
all to be new material, but in fact many of
the photos in this book, I have seen in previous
Chapelle books. What a cop out...
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Inside Cuba
Taschen Books
Described by Christopher Columbus as “the
loveliest land ever beheld by human eyes,”
Cuba’s sumptuous landscapes are marked
by sun-drenched tobacco and sugar cane fields
and its cities ripe with music, dancing, and
jubilation.
Celebrating the relics of Cuba’s revolutionary
glory days, this book explores everything from
the kinds of interiors seen in Buena Vista Social
Club to top-notch luxury hotels and cultural
heritage sites. Via a diverse selection of Cuban
homes, hotels, gathering places, and more, Inside
Cuba takes you on a colorful tour of Cuba’s
most archetypal interiors. Just mix up a Mojito,
pop in a Compay Segundo CD, and fire up a cigar
- you’ll be in the perfect mood to savor
these luscious Cuban gems...
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Magnum Stories
Thaidon Press
Magnum Stories is the latest release from the
worlds most elite photographic agency. This book
explores the idea of the photo story. It ranges
from Abbas' documentary of the Vietnam war to
Burt Glinn's coverage of the day Fidel Castro
took power in Cuba. In each case study, it outlines
the brief, the approach the photographer took,
and the results achieved.
Of course the imagery in this book is second to
none and the journalism aspect makes for more
interest than your average photo book. For anyone
interested in photojournalism this book is very
inspiring and also great for studying the different
styles of photography used by some of the best
photographers in the world. |
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The Playmate Book 50th Anniversary
Taschen Books
Lets face it. Everyone likes looking at gorgeous
girls in the nude, hence the reason Playboy has
grown from a magazine to a full on brand based
around the world's favourite hobby, pornography!
This book celebrates 50 years of the Playmate,
so is full from cover to cover of some of the
best eye candy in history. Equally at home kept
on the coffee table or on the bedside table. |
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