Session Friends
The Vail Valley Foundation relies on great people and companies to help us make the Session one of the world's most progressive snowboard competitions. Without their help, this session would not be "THE Session," it would just be another comp.
Let the shout-outs begin.....
The "Session-Tastic" Volunteers:
Without volunteers, we wouldn't be "Sessioning" anything. Our volunteers brave huge fireballs, long hours, cold temps, snow, ice, yeti and a whole flock of riders all jacked up on Mountain Dew. They make this event possible and without them, we would probably start outsourcing labor to India. Thank you volunteers.
(P.S. - If you are interested in volunteering, please click here)
Greg Johnson, Competition Director - a.k.a "The Lorax Rides Pow:"
Greg is a widely respected snowboarding pioneer. He led the judging at snowboarding's international debut at the 1998 Nagano Olympics. He has already forgotten more than we know about snowboarding, and helps us put together all the pieces - making sure the Session pushes the envelope of what is possible on a snowboard every year.
The force is very strong when the Lorax is on the scene.
Check him out on Plum TV:
Planet Snow Design:
Planet Snow is a rider-driven company solely dedicated to creating the best snowboarding venues on the planet. They build, design, construct and master-mind the sick features that make the Honda Session what it is today.
Planet Snow has built countless parks, halfpipes, superpipes, quarterpipes, slopestyles, big airs and boardercrosses for snowboard contests and mountain resorts. Their tick-list boasts many of the industry's top snowboarding venues including the US Open, Honda Session, High Cascade Snowboard Camp, the Grand Prix Series and the 2002 Olympic Superpipe.
Check them out at Planetsnowdesign.com
Musco Sports Lighting:
And then there was light. Since this is a competition under the lights, we couldn't do it without Musco. They make the night event possible and are a pleasure to work with. Imagine stringing those lights way up there off a 75-foot table with ice and snow everywhere. It's probably dangerous, but, you'll never hear them say that.
Check them out at Musco.com
GO211.com:
This year we brought a lot of new elements to the Session and one of them is a great partnership with GO211.com. Since we have riders coming to the event from all over the world, we wanted to get on the web cast bandwagon and broadcast to everyone with an internet connection, live and for free. GO211 came on board and made it all possible. Without them, we would still be using smoke signals and Morse code.
Check them out at GO211.com
Jim a.k.a "Chief Pyromaniac":
Jim spent many years training with the monk of fire in Florida to hone his flame throwing skills. Currently considered a lethal weapon by many, he stays in a cell in Beaver Creek all year until the Session rolls around. At this time he is transported in a solid block of ice to Golden Peak where he makes the Session's trademark fireball a reality.
He can even throw the flame switch... we kid you not.
U.S. Forest Service:
Since the Session venue is on public land, we work closely with the U.S. Forest Service to make sure that everything we do is as green and low impact as possible. Long, long ago (at the first Session in 2003), they brought Smokey the Bear to the party, however, he had a nasty altercation with Jim a.k.a. "Chief Pyromaniac," that resulted lawsuits and a restraining order -- against who, we will never know.
Check them out here.
Honda:
If Honda had a MySpace page they would totally be our number one friend. Without their support the Honda Session would not be regarded as one of the top snowboard events in the world. They provide most of the entertainment in Base Camp for the general public and keep everyone warm on days and nights when the temps drop and the snow is falling. They’ve been with us since the beginning and have helped us grow the Session into what it is today.
Check them out at Honda.com
GameStop:
If GameStop didn’t come on board last year spectators would probably still be playing Atari at Base Camp in-between events and activities at the Session. They make the event tons of fun for everyone involved and are helping us take the Session to the next level. It is their vision and enthusiasm that makes this event so much fun for everyone involved.
Check them out at GameStop.com
Town of Vail:
Without the Town of Vail's support, our events in Vail, and throughout the Vail Valley, would not be possible. We love the Town of Vail; many of us live there, and we hope that after the Bud Light Super Slopestyle event nobody we know ends up in their holding cell.
Check them out at Vailgov.com
Vail Resorts & Vail Mountain:
We work closely with Vail Mountain and Vail Resorts for the Honda Session. Their dedicated crew spends countless hours blowing huge snow whales into what ends up being the Honda Session. Often this work happens when the temps are well below zero and throughout the night. For all the frostbite we apologize, and promise it is for the greater good. Without Vail Resorts there would be no Honda Session.
Check them out at Vail.com
