Now With More Betterness
Automaton has gone through some major hardware retooling to make their 2010/11 line of awesome award-winning snow swords even better. Their goal was to create the world’s finest and most fun freestyle snowboards. The end result are two new models for 2011 from Automaton, the Babble and the Manimal,with the graphics side of things held down with designs from Alex Funderburk and Eve Duhamel, giving some unique flavor to each. Keep your eyes out next season for these bangers!

Image source: Automaton Snowboards

 

Get Vectorfunked
Matt W. Moore is an artist, designer and Illustrator from Portland, Maine. You may recognize his signature style from the countless projects he’s produced over the years for clients such as Burton, Mountain Dew, Nike and Google. We had the opportunity to talk with him about his style, influences, action sports and what’s next on his list of big things to do for 2010.

 

For a good cause
In honor of Jeff Anderson’s 30th birthday and to raise money for the JLA Memorial Fund, a group of world-renowned photographers and artists, friends of Jeff and of snowboarding have come together to create a unparalleled body of work titled, I AM SNOWBOARDING.

The concept works though which one photographer is paired with one artist to create an original 30” x 40” piece. A photo of Jeff, shot by the photographer, has been enlarged onto archival canvas upon which the artist paints or uses any medium to create a unique collaborative work. The resulting pieces are one of a kind, the partnerships formed in this project a tribute to the depth of the snowboarding, skateboarding and art communities. Super snowboard website YoBeat has some great coverage of the I AM SNOWBOARDING? event at Nemo Design, more photos on their site.

Image source: Yobeat

 

Heavy Hitters
ISAORA is adding some new flavor to the current snowboard outerwear industry with their approach to design and regard for style and technology. Their current season’s collection launch video was a joint effort between W+K agency’s Attack faction, director Shinichi Maruyama, and music produced by MNDR, and is simply mind-blowing. The video highlights the technical properties of ISAORA’s collection in a creative way, check it out.

Video source: ISAORA

 

The Earth Is My Best Friend
DROP MFG launched their DROP Pure Inspiration (DPI) Series last year as a tribute to athletes and artists who inspire the brand and shape the lifestyle it represents.For 2009/2010, DROP is proud to release its second DPI Series glove featuring artwork by nature-loving creative force, Bigfoot.

The VAC II pipe glove from DROP’s new eco-friendly Verde Series had the distinct honor of serving as a canvas for the DPI Series Bigfoot glove. Sporting a custom design by the acclaimed yet reclusive artist, Bigfoot’s highly-anticipated glove features recycled three-layer, thermal-ply soft shell fabrics. Given his love of nature, Bigfoot was the perfect artist to help launch Drop’s Verde Series. Dope!

This limited edition DPI Series Bigfoot glove is now available at finer retailers worldwide. MSRP $55.00 USD. More info at www.dropmfg.com

Image source: DROP MFG

 

Artist Series
K2 Snowboards and Matt W. Moore of MWM Graphics collaborated on a 2010 K2 Astar snowboard. The deck is a European only exclusive and is based on a 4 Seasons theme that focuses on nature, geomety, pattern and the flow of a perfect pow turn. Lots of detail has gone into the topsheet graphics, which use metallic ink, die cut knock-outs and hologram detailing.

Image source: MWM Graphics

 

Everybody loves the Weekend
Weekend Snowboards debuts its highly-anticipated snowboard line this season. Weekend’s introductory “Lodge Series” features one all-mountain board in three sizes (153, 155, 157) with intricate hand-drawn graphics by Steve Nazar who is best known for his illustration work in the ’80s for T&C Surf Designs. Made in Austria, only 450 boards are available worldwide this season and each is hand numbered.  When the three LTD ”Lodge Series” boards are put side-by-side they reveal a gigantic graphic that’s packed with Steve Nazar’s signature characters. MSRP: $449.95 (USD). Find out more at Weekend Snowboards.

Image source: Weekend Snowboards

 

Sneaker Freaks get Hyped
Colorado-based artist and designer Evan Hecox has collaborated with Technine once again for their Mass Appeal Freestyle boards. This time the boards get the sneaker treatment with basketball high top inspired graphics. The Mass Appeal is built for all types of riders at all riding levels. The Tri-axial fibreglass gives this board soft yet responsive flex that is perfect for new riders but will still hold a solid edge at high speeds for the more advanced. The board’s graphics feature High gloss and rough touch effects with foil stamp lace lock on the sneaker. Dope. Look for the matching Technine Mass Appeal bindings to match up the kit.

Image source: Technine

 

Artist Series
Hiroshi Fujiwara’s Fragment Design collaborated with Oakley to develop a special edition O Frame goggle for the Japanese market. The goggle comes in two colorways and sports a new Iridium lens with a green tint. The Fragment logo is present on the strap and etched into the lens as well. One of the most noticeable features is the motocross-inspired nosepiece for added protection against the elements. The goggles come in a special Fragment designed goggle case, and can be bought at the Honeyee online store for 23,100 yen.

Image source: Hypebeast

 

Artist Series
Since the Vapor™ snowboard was released, there have always been little surprises along the way that Burton has dropped in the form of artist limited editions. The Futura Vapor™ last season for example. This year is no different as Burton has come out with a special version of this board with its graphics derived from the works of Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat. A culmination of fine art and high technology, and at $1200 MSRP it would fit in just as well on the slopes as it would on your wall. Available at Burton Flagship stores.

Image source: Radcollector