So Much Snow – A Photo Gallery

We have been receiving some massive storm totals down here in Patagonia. We apologize in advance for having to put you through this kind of temptation during your summer beach time. It’s just that the energy down here at the SGT Compound is turned all the way up to 11, and minds are being blown, while quads are burning. Enjoy and if you still want to make it down then we still have spots available in Session 3B August 31st to September 7th make this your year.

Get in touch and make it happen

mikegordon Mikey Gordon having a nice laid back kind of day. Photo: Ben Girardi

landscape

The Views are alright. Photo : Ben Girardi

Check out our program in Argentina!

lucasmoore

Program Director Lucas Moore still has it. Photo: Ben Girardi

group

Josh Trosky and Garrett Russell sharing a nice Chairlift Ride. Photo: Ben Girardi

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Mauri Cambilla having some Deep Thoughts. Photo: Ben Girardi

pierssolomon

Such style, such class he has to be European, Piers Solomon. Photo: Ben Girardi

tage

Diego when he isn’t serving us our Tostado Americanos, loves his old tractor. Photo: Ben Girardi

Get in touch and make it happen

joshtrosky

Josh Trosky this kid was just everywhere, out for another hike. Photo: Ben Girardi

group

Too many to name all of them, but top of the bottom of the world…yeah that makes sense. Photo: Ben Girardi

joshtrosky

Josh Trosky again, not just riding lifts and hiking, he also can ski, quite well. Photo: Ben Girardi

Check out the New Video As well

So Much Snow – SASS Global Travel Argentina – SUMMERized Episode #1 – Ski from SASS Global Travel on Vimeo.

How dangerous is skiing? Let’s look at facts

To Live (and Die) on the Mountain

Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature,
nor do the children of men
as a whole experience it.
Avoiding danger is no safer
in the long run than outright exposure.
Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.

–Helen Keller

Peering over the precipice, externalities dissipate, the corners fade, consciousness unravels, connecting to a familiar: the continuous space from whence we came and to which we shall invariably return. Is the skier’s objective to reach the bottom of the mountain? No, the skier’s objective is to live.

But while that may be, each year, this sport claims lives. And with that we leave you with these statistics lifted from unofficialnetworks.com (who lifted them from the denverpost.com) to better illustrate some of the statistical risks of skiing at the resorts.

Men account for more than 80 percent of ski deaths in Colorado. The average person to die on skis is a male of 37, wearing a helmet who loses control on an intermediate run and hits a tree.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins estimates that around 600,000 people nationally are injured each year while skiing and snowboarding.
Last season out of 51 million ski visits, 54 skiers and snowboarders died at ski areas within the U.S.
The majority of deaths — 54 percent — occurred on blue, groomed runs, while 31 percent were on expert trails.
The increase in the number of people who wear helmets hasn’t resulted in fewer fatalities. Helmets are designed to protect riders at about 12 mph, while a skier or snowboarder who collides with a tree or another rider is typically going 25 to 40 mph.
Estimates are that about two injuries occur per 1,000 skier visits — a decrease of 50 percent since the mid-1970s.

Best of 2012

The Best of 2012
_______________________________

Social

Ski Machine:
Michelle Parker – If you don’t know, I can’t explain it

Best Bar:
Kiosco

Best Intsagramer:
KC Deane

Best Song:
My D#@k – Big Pun (what up Burnsy)

Best Dance:
Kate Upton – Cat Daddy

Best Shredder:
David Gonzalez – I know this is a skate part, but he is hitting snowboard sized rails on a skateboard. And doing it well.

Best Person to get a Churro with:
Robin Van Gyn

Best Night Out:
Burns’ Birthday @ DUSK – still recovering

Chief Handler:
Tikos – never home before 1:00am and always up and ready to shred

Best Attitude:
Michelle Parker – ski, smile, run, smile, eat, smile, ab ripper, smile, hang out, smile, sleep & smile (I assume)

Biggest Bad Ass:
Chirs Coulter – should just name this award after him

Mellow Cat:
Piers “Semi-Swiss” Solomon – hola

Best Food:
lomoito @ TAGE & anything @ Alberto’s (tie)

SGT Staff

The Garrett Russell Award (words can’t explain this):
Garrett Russell

Best House:
New Hampshire Shanty Crew (Burg, Lucas & Crockett – featuring guest appearances by Burns)

Best idea:
Travis Moore – acquiring Rincon Surf School

Safe as Heck:
Miguel (off-hill) – don’t try to go in the pool after 11:00pm
Skylar Holgate (on-hill) – bringing everyone home

Best Smile, Hair & Bottom:
Nicki Slectha

Best SGT Staff Member:
David Burg – for handling everything

Gnarliest Adventure:
Jon Conway – over 100 hours to get to Bariloche

Biggest Crap Talker:
Fran – in a run away

The Man & Internet Beast:
Skylar Holgate

Over shoot the landing:
Ben Girardi – JESUS!!!!!! He went so far past his normal consumption of none. Twice.

Most things engaged in:
The Lucas – Watch a movie, check clients in, g chat, listen to new track from some crappy band, talk (in spanglish to Samuel), correct a mistake by Burg, . . .

Staff MVP:
Tony Pavlantos – for taking every difficult assignment without complaint

SGT Family

Sendiest Camper:
Blaine Galivan & Chris Poe (Tie)

Funniest Name:
Sam Shopland Reid (say with bad british accent)

Most Stoked:
Chelsey Wells

Wisest & Most Impressive:
Evan Axelrad

Biggest Cojones:
Sparky

Most Fun Had:
Wes Mills & Wes Mills jr.

Best Intern:
Oscar Jacob

The Major Awards

Rookie of the year:
Tony Pavlantos

Most Improved:
Nicole Harris

Best Edit:
Session Uno – Snowboard (by Jon Conway)
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Best Photo:
Tikos

Best Coach/Guide:
Pete Connolly

Best Camper:
Chase Josey

______________________________________________________________________

As the foremost authority on all things snow I take the end of the season honors very seriously. When I chosen from the nearly six applicants to attempt to fill the vast chasm left by the departure of the immensely talented Dunfee, I know this would be the most difficult part of the job. It took the last three months of research, opinion gathering, video watching and the occasionally stress related panic attack to deliver the definitive list for SGT Argentina 2012.

Now that this lomo of a list has been consumed, I must rest in an attempt to muster the courage to once again document Argentina in 2013. For you. . . I will go once again go into the depths of insanity and bottomless powder to overcover the truth behind SGT, the people & Argentina.

Thank you to everybody for being part of the best year in SGT history. We anticipate next year to be even better, so make sure to get down to Argentina so you can make the best of 2013.

-Dr. Crockett

Dr. Crockett’s Interview Hour: Andrew Burns

This is Dr. Crockett’s interview hour
Where based on the subject’s intelligence they are asked a serious of questions and then scored on how deeply they search their soul for the answer.

Today’s subject is Andrew Burns. Andrew is one of the talented coaches at SGT Argentina and in his spare time he snowboarders professionally. Ol’ Burnsy claims to be a real Canadian, even though he is part AMERICAN (The good part). He status at the top of the medical miracle charts is unquestioned. This kid (well he is old, but younger than Dr. C, so that makes him kid) has been through more crap then a toilet in a Wisconsin truck stop, yet he brings it ever day and any night you want. Burns and his meat flavored breath have a way of challenging Dr. Crockett on almost everything. But now he is in the chair of honesty and must yield to the most suffificanted mental barrage of craium cracking questions ever posed.
Mr. Burns’ questions are:

_____________________________________________________________________

View on rocker vs. camber vs. mustache boards?
I like camber with a little rocker at the nose and tail. So there.

Describe SGT Argentina Lodge in one story (not featuring Crockett)?
Wake up, shred, pow, epic, après, pool, dinner, Jacksons, fernet, and repeat. The details are unimportant, everything is pretty rad to the max after you wake up.

Bets x-mas/Kwanza present ever received?
Lift pass one year when I was super hurting. That was top notch.

Where do see snowboarding evolving to?
Wherever people want to take it, whatever they want to do with it

Vote on the following:

Rider of the year
Mikey Rencz
Video of the year
DOPE 3
Hottest chick in Snowboarding/Skiing?
There’s a lot of them.
Dude you want to spend a couple of nights in a tent with?
I don’t, plus I live in a trailer anyways.
Best trend in shredding?
Trends
ROTY (Rookie of the year)?
Layne Treeter

Last time you crapped your pants?
Never have believe it or not.

Is Travis Moore a kook?
No but he’s a little nuts!

Marriage, when is that going to happen?
hahahahaha

What type of facial hair should Garrett Russell grow next?
Mustaches under his eyes.

Do you feel like a failure because do not know how the “fiscal cliff” will effect the resale value of your properties?
I don’t have properties, so no.

Any advice for the kiddies?
Be awesome.

Have you ever fallen on a snowboard?
Obviously not.

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State the best of the following:

Grab
method
Trick
fs 3
Band
Slayer
Celebrity
Bruce Willis
Beer
PBR
SGT Legend
The Dunf
Headwear
Toques
Country (there is a right answer)
Wrong, it’s Canada
Hair Color
That’s just stupid

Do your parents hate your snowboard friends?
Only you pal!

Biggest cliff you have dropped?
Big…

Claim your sponsors:
Capita, 32, The Levitation Project, Union, Dragon, Etnies, SEABA, MyPakage

Better movie Top Gun or Art of Flight?
Top Gun.

Are the Red Bull contests legit? Who is going to win in 2013 and why?
They seem pretty cool. Who knows, pow’s like that.

Murder, Make-out, Marry (Kim Kardashian, Katie Holmes, Katie Perry)?
I have no real preference. Maybe I’d start with a game of Russian roulette, then see who annoyes me the least out of those two, then bang the other I guess.

Lucas Moore, great or greatest ever?
There is no word yet properly describing the Lucas.

How many nicknames do you have? Please list them and how you got them?
Shit I don’t know… I have lots, don’t you think the nickname question is pretty played out? Call me Burns. Or Andrew. Please don’t call me Andy. Thanks.

Party story, go.
It was crazy! On my way to the club in centro and then… wait I blacked out, you’ll have to ask someone else my best party story haha.

Last time you were in jail? Why?
No comment.

How many double corks do you have?
Some. Less than 23.

Best way to pick up a chick hanging out in front of Tage?
That’s not where you want to pick up chicks.

What is your greatest accomplishment in life?
Surviving? haha

Any advice on how to hook up free drinks at Mute?
Be awesome. For reference, see me (Andrew Burns), Skylar (Holgate), Nicki (Slechta), and (Chris) Coulter.

If T-Rice rules big mountain and Terje is the legend of legends then how many miles do you have to ride on your bike to be a man?
I don’t have a bike, I like machines better.

Final Score and Rating:

Even though Mr. Burns feels that he deserves a prefect score and will probably attack me (& lose) he will not receive one. The standards and traditions of Dr. Crockett’s Interview Hour have long been a pillar of journalistic excellence, and will not be bullied. In conclusion, Andrew answers were honest and thought provoking. He challenged his inner Dr. Phil and combined it with the sensibility of a Hallmark movie of the week. In consideration of this – 43 points are awarded.

Waiting for an Answer: Creativity

As I was breezing through the endless flow of online edits to see if anything was worth posting, again disappointed . I was transformed back to my youth for a brief second when I realized I had just received a new SNOWBOARDER magazine that I had not yet perused. Once I thumbed passed a bunch of ads, I could not care less about, I land on a sweet little piece about creativity in snowboarding featuring a trip to Quebec with the Quicksilver team. Since I love poutine and french accents I started reading and judging post haste.

The article featured a bunch of youngsters that were having a group chat about getting shots and creativity in snowboarding. One of the points young buck Ted Borland made was in relation to people being “artsy” and how you can do it without being a “pussy”. Mr. Borland was contenting that you can do all the new school “moves” and do them on big features and make it look good.

As I am want to do, I started thinking, and had the following thought:

If you are unfamiliar with “artsy”, then maybe a class at the local learning annex, taught by your favorite over dramatic thespian is in order. If you have seen or participate in the movement, please start explaining yourself. To an outsider like myself, it just seems like snowboarding has gotten so big that people can get sponsored for “looking at things differently”. Which in raw form is awesome. I have witnessed many events where people went at a gap, rail, jump or line and rode it in a way I did not consider. That is art. The pure form of snowboarding (& skiing) is to do it your way. No coach necessary, no pep talks at half time, no wins or losses, just you and whomever else you choose to explore the terrain and world in front of you. I dig it man.

However, I feel like a lot of young pups today do not send the gap bigger or ride a line differently (some do and they are sick) but mostly many copy what others before them have done and claim it to be their style. You see it everyday, “look at that fake Bradshaw” or “he is the new Tanner Hall”. Even worse, is that this sub-sect of shredding simply is not very good. They have watched all the films (but claim they haven’t, because the are too cool) and realize they do not have the moves of a serious rider. So instead of getting better through time and experience they just do really small tricks on stupid features and claim that they are artists.

Let me clear this up for you, all of the world’s renowned artists mastered their art form before they tried something different. Picasso, Beethoven and even Nicolas Muller who rode and won contests, learned all the tricks and handled all the big lines in Europe before he put on that stupid animal fur hat and destroyed powder in Japan. The message here is own your craft, study it and be able to perform your master stroke, then you can be over it and just do duck unders with a cool scarf and pack of menthols.