Hey everyone, Ian here checking in from quiet Whistler, BC. The snows starting the show itself after a hibernation that lasted way too long for me. I'm just chilling, finishing up some school work and getting my body and mind ready for the winter. Supposed to be a El Nino year so it's gonna dump massive amounts of snow (POW!!!!!!).

I just wanted to everyone out there someone who has been very important to me in the last year. I had a really rough year after my brother passed, filled with injuries and a lot of surrounding me. His name is Rayme. My parents got him 2 months after my brother died in addition to the other Golden we had, Shadow. He has done wonders for me and my family and I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him. This is him and Shadow a year ago(Shadow unfortunately passed soon after this photo was taken. He was 8).

When I moved back to Victoria in August Rayme and I became very close and went everywhere together. I recently got to bring him up to Whistler with me and he stayed with me for 3 weeks. Those were the best 3 weeks I've had in a long time. This is him now, 1 year old and still the crazy puppy my parents bought a year ago.

 

I hope everyone gets to meet him someday. He'll put a smile on your face no matter what is happening to you or the world. I wish he could live with me full-time but when ski season comes I wouldn't be able to spend any time with him so he lives my parents.

 

 

Sorry this took so long I've got a lot going on right now, but I'll get to that. I guess let's start from...... Christmas! This winter I had the privilege of skiing with a lot a great friends and going a lot of amazing and wonderful places. I started my year off at a NorAm in Sunvalley, Idaho. After days of training I was able to land myself a 4th place both days in qualifiers and in finals. Then it was off Bear Mountain for the Gatorade freeflow tour. I got there stoked out of my mind, unfortunately the weather didn't co-operate but we did have to 4 sickest days of powder I have ever experienced which was pretty ill. Then it was off to mammoth where they had also been hit with a massive storm. Weather was good and the jumps were pretty fantastic, but I kinda broke two pairs of skis screwing around and decking... whatever though. After that I flew home where my mom told me I got a spot in the finals in Vermont. Needless to say I was stoked, and after a LONG day of travel we got to our hotel. I competed did my best and had a great time along the way meeting a lot of pretty dope guys (and girls) people.... a lot of cool people. And then it was February! Time flys I know. So then there was some Canadian series comps and nations, where just like the rest of my season I placed fourth all 4 comps. Then I had some time off to get home and catch up on school hang out with my friends and chill, before heading off to Calgary to train for pipe nationals. Pipe senior and slope senior nations went really well but yet again I got 4th.... in both comps. Making the grand total somewhere around 8-10 fourth places this year, can't complain too much though there is always next year. Then it was time for WSI the sickest place on earth, great weather (sometimes) GREAT JUMPS, and great times to be had, I did a lot of shredding and had the time of my life but like all amazing thing it didn't last nearly enough. Finally after the most hectic four months of my life I was home, with a pile of work and I lot of sore muscles. I won't bore you with details but I did a lot of school work... every single day and now I am here at the start of August. The other day I found out I had gotten into worlds for pipe and slope, I'll be heading out in twelve days for what I am sure will be my best experience as of yet. I'll be sure to get a lot of footage when I am there and hopefully have a video up for everyone sometime halfway through December. Bless, Alex.

TMC super pro Mack Jones and others at camp of champs on the glacier! Look for a cameo from Dane Degruyter.

Dane Degruyter's new grab that is melting face across the newschool world ...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pattaillefer/4732143976/in/set-72157624227167661/

Dane in all of his fruitful spring glory!