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GIGI

RÜFOn The Fine Art OfGetting Lost Page 90

Powder In AfricaRiding Morocco’s Atlas Mountains Page 82

CONTENTS

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

LEGENDARY LEARNINGA first step into the Jackson backcountry with Bryan IguchiBy Ben Gavelda

ARCTIC AFRICADeep In MoroccoBy Annie Fast

ROAMER, NOMAD, VIDEO VAGABONDAn Interview With Gigi RüfBy Joel Muzzey

012FRAMED

024LAUNCH

030MAIL GIVEAWAY

032THIS MONTH ONLINE

034VARIABLES

PRODUCTS

051NOTABLES:Capita Green Machine

052SURPLUS:Gloves and Mittens

056TESTED

065FACES:Sessions’ Joel Gomez

066CHECK OUT:Mark Sollors and Niko Cioffi

070PRO FORM:Marco Feichtner

072Q&A

108WALLPAPER

HOW TO

119HARDWARE

12020 TRICKS

124BACKCOUNTRYBASICS

RESORTS

131SPOT CHECK:June Mountain,California

132RESORTBREAKDOWN:Jackson Hole’s Casper Bowl

134ANGRY INTERNS

136YELLOW SNOW

138TIMELESS

140SOUNDS

142COMING NEXT

144LAST WORDSShaun White

RIDERS

TRANSWORLD SNOWBOARDING magazine, Volume 23, No. 8(ISSN 1046-4611, USPS 004-301) is published nine times a year in September, Buyer’s Guide, October, November, December, January, February, March and April by Transworld Magazine Corporation (a division of Bonnier Corp), 2052 Corte del Nogal Ste 100, Carlsbad, CA, 92011 . Copyright @2009 by Transworld Magazine Corpora-tion. All rights reserved. Reprinting in whole or part is forbidden except by permission of Transworld Magazine Corporation. Mailing list: We make a portion of our mailing list available to reputable firms. If you would prefer that we don’t include your name, please write us at the Palm Coast, FL address. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Transworld Snowboarding Magazine, PO BOX 420235 Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235. Periodicals postage paid at Carlsbad, CA and additional mailing offices. Subscription rate: $9.00 for 1 year. Please add $16.00 per year for Canadian addresses and $36.00 per year for all other international addresses. Canada Post Publications agreement number #40612608. Canada Return Mail: BCI, PO Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2 Canada. Printed in the USA.

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By this time we had been in Morocco for a week. It was early March when we met up in Marrakesh, the closest city to the Atlas Mountains−Northern Africa’s highest range at 13, 671 feet. Our crew came together quickly with the help of Roxy Europe−Erin Com-stock, Tora Bright, Kjersti Buass, Lisa Wiik, and Slovakian rider Basa Stevulova rallied together along with an entourage of media and guides−the snow was there, we just had to get there . . . quickly. As our crew trickled in from all corners of the planet, we had a few days dizzily exploring this exotic and foreign desert city−we relaxed in the quietness of our Moroccan riad hotel guzzling sweet green tea under the open skies with satin-pillow-lined hallways, heavy drapes, and a reflecting pool. One step out of the non-descript door, and we were hurled headfirst into a maze of loud, narrow-walled streets−dodging scooters loaded with entire families, donkey cart trucks in a hurry, and small cars squeezing past. We made our way to Marrakech’s main square called Djemaael-Fna−it’s discombobulating, there’s the constant high-pitched flutes of the snake charmer, the guys with the spinning hats and finger tambourines, the constant beat of the drum-mers drumming, and swirling crowds of people under a hot, beating sun.

We sampled the local food−aromatic tagines cooked in a tandoori, couscous, apricots, and fresh squeezed orange juice. Our crew of blonde girls stood out in the crowd, but that didn’t intimidate anyone from diving headfirst into the carnival atmosphere−Kjersti and Basa came out with henna tattoos, Erin had a snake draped over her head, while Torah made friends with the monkeys. It was Morocco condensed−and it was hard to believe that we’d be doing any sort of snowboarding here, but through the haze, on the horizon we could see the white-peaked Atlas Mountains.

We made the two-hour drive up to the mountains with Erin bravely behind the wheel of the rented SUV, and our guides Stefan from Chamonix, who runs a surf camp near Casablanca in the sum-mers, and Hamidi, who is Berber ( the indigenous mountain people of North Africa) and a former Olympic skier. We were in good hands with them leading the way. The drive took us through the suburbs, then into sparsely populated foothills, then to a winding mountain pass through heartbreakingly poor roadside villages.

It was a staggering change of scenery in such a short drive. We went from masses of humanity in a primarily muslim city to a quiet resort village . A mix of traditional stone Berber houses built into the mountainside and more modern hotels with a French feel to them welcomed us into the valley, and the peak looming 2,175 feet. Not knowing what to expect, we were relieved to see a solid base of snow at the resort and lots of terrain. The resort has two beginner surface tows and a chairlift that reaches the summit. We paid 100 dirhams (thirteen dollars) at the lift shack for an all day pass.

The chairlift was more like a carnival ride than a means of uphill transport with scenic riders on “Le Journee” kitted out in ski boots (which seemed to be mandatory for walking on the snow) emitting raucous cheers as the chair swept group after group up into the air. Up at the top, we took in the contrasting views of frosty white peaks to the north and endless desert to the south, and dropped into consist-ently steep, long pitch−fun enough freeriding−mind blowing consid-ering it was Africa. Africa! But it wasn’t going to last. A few more days of evermore hardening conditions passed and then blasting winds from the Sahara−the world’s largest desert−kicked in, and the

THE CHAIRLIFT WAS MORE LIKE A CARNIVAL RIDE THAN A MEANS OF

UPHILL TRANSPORT.”“

Kjersti Buass boosts a big air over some of the moremodern architecture found in the Atlas Mountains.

Ms. Torah Bright.

Is it bad to have a bunch of leftover liftparts? Erin Comstock finds the upside.

Explore the Highlife

Milk.Always grow.

Grow all ways.