Jess Cumming and Kaya Turski Join the Orage Team

Orage is proud to announce a freshly revised and refocused team. A collective of diverse, accomplished and influential athletes that represent Orage’s continued focus on defining the current state of the sport. Blending new faces with Orage’s most established veterans, the Orage team boasts the best of the new generation and now one of skiing’s most elite female freeski teams.


Phil Casabon, JP Auclair, and Michelle Parker in Retallack, BC

Simply stated, Orage has a diverse team. “At any given moment there's a hundred different athletes doing a thousand different things promoting our sport in a million different ways. The formula that applied to a team 10 years ago no longer exists. Skiing is as diverse as its athletes choose to make it and Orage is a diverse brand living to evolve. You have to continue to change if you're going to stay relevant and our new team of riders will help us stay relevant in ways we never have before” comments Felix Rioux, recently appointed Orage Team Manager.

With the recent addition of Xavier Bertoni, French gold medalist (X Games 13 Superpipe) Orage hinted at signs of team expansion, but that was just the tip of the iceberg.

Orage is also proud to welcome Jess Cumming and Kaya Turski to the pro team. Jess is one of skiing's most decorated and recognized female pipe skiers and Kaya, a Quebec local is single handedly changing the face of female park skiing. Joining veteran athlete Michelle Parker, Orage’s expanded female team will spearhead an upcoming campaign focused specifically on women to further support the brand’s direction as one that sees the need and value of putting women in the driver’s seat.


Kaya Turski


Kaya training in New Zealand

“Orage has always supported and pushed the women’s movement in skiing. From product that fits, feels and performs unlike any other, to our mandate that each team competing in the Orage Masters include at least one female competitor on the roster. Orage will now back and support the women’s market with one of skiing’s most decorated and diverse teams. Michelle, Jess and Kaya are three of skiing’s most influential athletes and now the three will work in direct contact with our product team to continue Orage’s evolution of women’s product” says Mike Nick, Orage Marketing Director. “The idea is simple; it’s our goal to offer the best product for women, developed by the best equipped women in the sport.”


Jess Cumming


Jess at WSI


Orage also has a strong belief in its development program, case in point; Taylor Seaton who has gone from local Colorado rider to Dew Tour standout will now lead the charge alongside Bertoni as Orage’s Superpipe duo.


Taylor Seaton in Whistler earlier this year


With the North American winter on the horizon, Taylor has already taken two podium spots within the past ten days at the NZ Open and the NZ Winter Games where this past weekend both Taylor and Xavier shared podium spots taking first and third place respectively.


Winter NZ Games Halfpipe Highlights


Adding to the team’s core made up of JP Auclair, Phil Casabon, Xavier Bertoni, Taylor Seaton, Michelle Parker, Jess Cumming and Kaya Turski, Orage is stoked to represent some of the most unique and talented personalities in skiing. With athletes like Will Wesson and Andy Parry, best known for their Traveling Circus webisodes, Max Hill who fits the Orage mold by refusing to fit into a mold, Banks Gilberti and Matt Margetts and a host of supporting talent across North America and Europe, the Orage team is diverse, talented and ready to make a major impact on both the Orage brand and the sport for years to come.

X Games 13 Gold Medalist, Xavier Bertoni Signs with Orage

Hot off the press with wet ink still on the paper, Orage is proud to announce French superpipe phenom, and Winter X Gold Medalist, Xavier Bertoni as the newest member of the Orage pro team.



Hailing from La Clusaz, France, Xavier joins fellow X Games 13 Slopestyle Gold Medalist and veteran Orage athlete TJ Schiller, along with Phil Casabon, JP Auclair and Michelle Parker to round out what is now one of skiing’s most diverse international teams.  Xavier is no stranger to Orage and the brands presence throughout the global freeski scene.  “We’ve had our eyes on Xavier for a few years now stretching back to ‘07 – ‘08 when Xavier took home the silver medal at the Orage European Freeski Open in Laax, Switzerland,” comments Mike Nick, Orage Marketing Director. 

2007 European Open in Laax, Switzerland

Xavier’s been on the scene for a few years now but officially launched himself into the big leagues last season at the Winter X Superpipe event where he put pressure on, and ultimately introduced some of skiing’s biggest names to podium spots they were not at all accustomed to.  In a showdown of epic proportions Xavier threw down three flawless runs to outdo the likes of Simon Dumont and Tanner Hall taking home his (Bertoni’s) first X Games Gold.


Xavier Bertoni's gold medal superpipe run at Winter X 13

There’s a new breed of pipe skiers on the scene and Xavier’s one of the best.  With a huge bag of tricks and the rocket boosters to match, Bertoni will spend his summer in New Zealand training for a jam packed comp season to come.  Included in the deal, Orage and Bertoni have begun working on Xavier’s first signature model outfit slated to hit stores in 2010.


Left to right: Tanner Hall, Xavier, Simon Dumont

Stay tuned to orage.com this winter and follow him along the 2009 – 2010 competition circuit with stops at the Orage European Freeski Open, Winter X 14, Winter Dew Tour, the European X-Games, the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival and many more.

AI Parties in Colorado This Weekend!

On Monday JP Auclair will be heading back to Africa to complete a two year effort with Alpine Initiatives setting up a self sustainable orphanage in Kenya. If you happen to be in Colorado this weekend show your support for a great cause and get your groove on with JP and the AI crew at an 80's dance party in Vail followed up with another party fundraiser in Boulder...

Friday June 26th, 9:00pm in the downstairs Bar at Vendettas; Bridgestreet, Vail, CO;

80's Dance Party/Fundraiser with JP Auclair, Mikey Hovey and AI crew.

Raffle at 11:00pm

Saturday June 27th, 9:00pm in The lounge at Georga's; 14th Street, Boulder, CO, 303.786.7030;

Party/Fundraiser with JP Auclair, Mikey Hovey and AI crew.

Raffle at 11:00pm

Raffle gifts include:

Free day of heli-skiing with Alaska Heliskiing, Haines, AK

Armada Skis (Vail only)

Oakley Goggles

Orage Outerwear

And More...

Laps with B-dog and E'dollo at Northstar

Between slopestyle runs at the last stop of the Winter Dew Tour in Northstar Phil Casabon, Henrik Harlaut, and Sean Jordan had a chance to spin some laps in the public park. Check it...


laps in northstar from Phil Casabon on Vimeo.

JP takes home the People's choice award at the Redbull Coldrush

The event may be over, but the winning continues.

On March 18th, Kye Petersen became the official winner of Red Bull Cold Rush when he was voted the best all-around skier by his fellow competitors. But when footage from the event was released to the community on NewSchoolers.com, it was the runner-up who wowed The People.

JP Auclair, who finished second at Retallack, became the People's Choice winner this weekend when the newschoolers community voted for his performance more than 230 times with an average rating of 9.02 (out of 10).

But the winning doesn't end there.

Since Thursday, more than 24 aspiring editors have uploaded their submissions to the Red Bull Cold Rush Recut Contest on newschoolers.com. With a deadline of April 3rd, we expect the submissions to continue when, on April 10th, 1 lucky editor will be crowned the winner.

Congrats to Kye and JP, our official winners, and good luck to everyone competing in the Recut Contest.

Be sure to spread the word.

Thanks,

Words: Billy Hussey
Photos: Redbull

Video hosting courtesy of Newschoolers.com

Halfpipe Finals - European Freeski Open

The 4th annual Orage European Freeski Open by Swatch ended with a bang and as always we wrapped up the 4 day event, (or as the swiss say "eWent") with the superpipe finals under sunny blue bird skies.

Taylor Seaton

With pipe blasting homies and home-ettes throwing down all day long banana mania was in full swing with what has now become a fully functioning snow bar. Hosted at the bottom of the pipe by the one and only Sky (aka, Line's European team manager) and his business partner Sean the Human Banana, the Banana Bar has stepped up to a whole new level.

The Banana Bar is back for year 4

According to Sean, "now that the Banana Bar is supported by the E.F.O.'s official beer sponsor; Calanda, there are only two things missing... 1. A solid business plan to remedy the 364 day slow period that sets in once the event concludes and 2. more importantly, a guest appearance from Gwen Stefani on skis singing that silly ass BANANAS - EAT BANANAS - B-A-N-A-N-A-S song".

Roz Groenewoud

But with or without Ms. Stefani, the true stars of the day were the 16 women and 41 men who came to throw down in hopes of walking away with the $10,000 usd first place check. The contest kicked off at 10am and by 10:00:03 the first femme slayer was 10 feet out on her first hit looking to lay down the best run of the day. Coming in 3rd was Rossignol's Roz Groenewoud who made the most of her two runs in the finals boosting lofty airs, spinning 5's and 3's all the way down the pipe.

Womens Podium L to R: Em Lonsdale, Virginie Faivre, Roz Groenewoud

Also making it onto the podium, the new queen of England, aka Emma Lonsdale of Great Britain walked away with a solid second place finish. But the big story of the day, or should I say, the story of the entire event from years one through four is the continued domination from the E.F.O.'s most winning-est rider, the pipe dominator and home town hero, Virgine Faivre.

Virginie

Having now won 4 out of 4 superpipe events at the E.F.O., Virginie is unofficially the firs inductee to the E.F.O.'s hall of fame. Virginie boosted a first hit that would rival the men and followed that up with huge straights and alley oop airs, right and left 5's and a solid right 3 to take home the gold medal.

Tucker Perkins

On the men's side it was a day that will not soon be forgotten. The finals were packed with X games and Dew Tour champions and some of the best up and coming pipe riders in the game. Tucker Perkins, Matt Margetts, Duncan Adams, Banks Gilberti, Peter Olenick and Jossi Wells put in solid runs but were not able to crack top three. Simon Dumont, although on site was a no show for the finals allowing a bit of breathing room for the rest of the field.

Banks Gilberti

Orage National rider Taylor Seaton outdid all but two and found himself on the podium in the third position. After a minor crash in his first run Taylor stepped up at just the right time in his second run. With a switch drop in Taylor's first hit was a huge switch 7 followed by an enormous five into right and left nines with a funky alley oop five to finish it off.

Xavier Bertoni

Taking home the silver was X Games gold medalist Xavier Bertoni from France who threw two solid runs in the finals. A huge right five kicked off his run that lead into a left nine to right nine combo, with a huge lofty flat three and a switch 7 to run it out. But the man of the day was the dark horse, the man who says he's been in chill town training mode as of late, Matt Philippi. Matt came to town ready to throw down and didn't' disappoint. With a rock solid switch drop in matt proceeded to boost one of the biggest switch left 10's known to man. He took that straight into a right 9, left 10, switch 7 and laid out a huge left 9 to cap it off. If for any reason you need to ask, how did Matt P take home the gold... read the last sentence... nothing short of a 7... who's the man?

Mens Podium L to R: Xavier Bertoni, Matt Philippi, Taylor Seaton

To say the least the 4th annual Orage European Freeski Open by Swatch was a stellar four day fiesta of all things freeski. We partied hardy, the men and the women threw down like never before, mother-nature threw her best and worst at us and we once again came out victorious. We'd like to thank everyone involved, Orage, Swatch, Laax Resort, Giro, K2, Volkl, Smith and Salomon for making this another successful "eWent" and most of all a huge thanks to the athletes who not only traveled from far and wide to compete on Europe's biggest stage, but more so for pushing the limits of what can be done on a pair of wooden planks with two kicked up tips.

Champaigne, trophies, and double label Orage/Swatch watches accompany the giant cardboard checks for the winners

We hope you enjoyed the show and we'll see you next year for the 5th annual Orage European Freeski Open by Swatch.

Team Orage vs. Retallack

Michelle Parker dropping in at Retallack, BC

JP Auclair, Michelle Parker, TJ Schiller, and Phil Casabon just returned from a week long Orage team trip in Retallack, BC.  We'll be posting full day by day updates with photos and some raw video footage right after JOSS next week, but in the mean time check out a great review and preview from Frequency/Ski Journal editor Colin Wiseman.