Best Snowboard Video Ever.

That's right, I said it. That's It, That's All takes the standard shred flick and turns it into a high-def National Geographic special on steroids. If you liked Planet Earth and you liked Die Hard, imagine what they would be like together. Not since Subjekt Haakonsen, where Terje Haakonsen defined an entire generation of snowboarding in 45 minutes, has one person changed the the level of impossibility so much. Travis Rice pulls off so much technical riding that it makes you wonder what they cut out. If you think that the pinnacle of snowboarding is defined by a wavy haired ginger that rarely makes it out of the half pipe, you are sadly mistaken. Just like Rodney Mullen goes greatly unappreciated for his advancements in skateboarding, I feel that Travis Rice has been overlooked because he doesn't really participate in the competitions that prime time television wants you to see.

The Alaska segment of the video shows that Travis isn't just a park rat, he rides because he loves to ride not just to pay the bills. He has fun, and you can tell by watching the video. Also when Terje himself goes on camera to say how good Travis is, well it's hard to beat a testimony that comes directly from the father of modern snowboarding.

Travis Rice is the best snowboarder on the planet, for now. I have yet to see Double Decade by Mack Dawg, and even though I'm a huge fan of their films, I would be very surprised if they could produce a film of this caliber.

That's It, That's All

Trek-Tech TrekPod II Product Review

The very first thing that I noticed about the TrekPod when I pulled it out of the box was the size of the MagMount ball head. I was skeptical about it being able to handle the weight of my camera body, let alone with a lens attached.

However, I threw caution to the wind and attached the mount to my Canon 20D. It looked absolutely ridiculous, until I secured it and stepped away. Not only did it not fall, but it was very secure considering it was being held by a modified monopod and a magnet. Not only that but the TrekPod is very light, about 27 ounces. The aluminum body also adheres to my rule for tripods, if needs be it can be used as a very sturdy weapon (just in case one of those deep woods muggers happens to take a liking to your camera). It does help to be handy with a bo staff.



The one thing that I thought they could have put more thought into was the way the legs are held together. It is heavy-duty velcro, but it's still velcro. It makes transforming the pod to a tripod into a two handed operation. The MagMount is just so cool and unique, but the velcro around the legs might as well be duct tape.

For day hikes and as a substitute to lighten your load it is the perfect camera multi-tool. I'm not going to be throwing out my six pound Bogen tripod anytime soon. For night shots, portrait work and extreme weather situations I still want a rugged heavy tripod with a mount that has two locks and allows me to just fold up the legs and throw it over my shoulder. The TrekPod will certainly cover a lot of miles with me and I can't wait to fold it up and throw it into my luggage the next time I travel instead of the Bogen.

Trek-Tech now also has a MagMount that they claim will hold up to 13.5 pounds which I would feel more comfortable using my 70-200 zoom lens with (I haven't built up the courage to try it with the current mount). All their products can be seen at their website, Trek-Tech.com and look for them soon on BivWak.


The TrekPod that was used for these photos.