Travis Rice mentored a bunch of kids in Stoked Snow Mentor program last Sunday at Snow Summit. As soon as he was introduced, he jumped right in with no coaching and basically set the bar for mentoring. It was awesome. He even led a snowball fight at the end. Check out this video from the day. Many thanks to Travis for being such an inspiration for kids and adults.

If you’re in Los Angeles this Saturday, come check out surf photography done by youth in Stoked’s Los Angeles program. Over the course of 6 weeks inner city LA youth were mentored by top action sports photographers and shot lifestyle, documentary, and event photographs. Should be a great time with giveaways, drinks, music, and photographs. Be sure to RSVP to gain entry.

This past spring, Stoked & House of Vans partnered up to do some good old community service and skateboarding in Brooklyn. At the end of the spring season, Stoked got 100 kids and volunteers to do 268 hours of community service. This is part of our Stoked to Serve program that rewards youth with action sports experiences for doing community service. Below is a quick recap video.

Stoked to Serve: Spring 2011 w/ House of Vans from wearestoked on Vimeo.

On Saturday, June 18th from 12PM to 3PM, The House of Vans is hosting a private party to celebrate Pre-Go Skateboarding Day NYC and the conclusion of Spring 2011 Stoked to Serve. Kicked off by an Open Skate Session, there will be product giveaways, a Best Trick Contest and an Art show of skate decks created by Stoked After-school program youth!

*Youth (under 18) participating in the skate portion of this celebration will need to fill out the House of Vans Waiver and bring it to the event.
*All youth that attend the final day of Stoked to Serve (June 11th) gain automatic entrance to this event.

When I saw this clip it made me really excited about snowboarding this season. Perhaps it’s the music with the flow of the video. Or maybe it’s the ritual leaving the city butt ass early in the morning to head up to a mountain with your fellow snowboarders. We snowboarders in NYC know how lucky we are. It’s not out west, but at least we can do it. I haven’t hit the hill in NY yet, but will do so this weekend at Snow Summit in California. Enjoy the weekend.

Just days after winning Kelly Slater cliched the world title and our recent Stoked Awards, my homie Sal Masekela got to interview the 10x world champ in New York City. I listened to this interview this morning and I have to say, it is truly motivating to hear what goes on in the mind of arguably one of the greatest athletes of all time. He talks about the passing of Andy Irons, what his mindset was before the competition, and what it takes to be a champion. My favorite line from the interview was Slater saying “To put your best in anything you kind of have to care about it more than anything else.” Say word. Listen and be inspired. Enjoy the audio interview on Transworld Surf.

We can all agree that snow related films feed our addiction to ride. When I first started riding, there was nothing that got me more hyped than watching shred flicks. I don’t know whether it was the music, the editing, or just the scenery – films made me want to snowboard….bad. So for most of you New York shredders and skiers (sorry rest of the country), you’ll be happy to know that the inaugural Snow Film Festival NYC kicks off on November 19 – 20. For many of you this will be your only time to see the best snowboard & ski films on a big screen. Best of all, Stoked my organization is getting a portion of the revenue from the festival. We’ll be using the money to fund our Snow Mentor program this winter – which takes youth from under-served communities in NYC snowboarding at Belleayre Mountain. Major props to Morgan, Jason, Daria, Christian, and Pete for putting together an awesome festival.

Here’s more info!

SNOW FILM FEST, NYC’s mission is to showcase the diversity of the snow lifestyle by bringing the varied perspectives of snow to a wide audience. We will celebrate snow as the powerful silent element that stirs massive excitement in all ages. As enthusiasts find different ways to interact with snow, it’s important to explore both the range and the common threads that connects us all to the snow lifestyle. The SFFNYC aims to bring together the greater community to get stoked, create, inspire, motivate, reflect, and most importantly, live life in the snow.

Festival Overview

• Three days of screenings of independent short and feature films, cult classics, and world premieres from established snow filmmakers
• Q&A Sessions with filmmakers and notable snow athletes
• Panel Discussions on topics such as travel, the snow filmmaking craft and environmental issues concerning the snow peaked mountains of the world
• Snow Art & Expo showcasing new winter action sport products

The Snow Film Festival NYC, Walkabout from Driggs Bros on Vimeo.