This week I/S Eyewear offered up some rad gear for Free Goods Friday! For a chance to win not only one pair of Walker shades but a second pair of Templeton shades and a Baseball Tank and T, go to SNOWBOARDER Magazine’s Facebook page and submit your answer to this question:  What is the common theme among the I/S Eyewear sunglass line names? If you correctly answer the question, you could win the I/S Eyewear prize pack!

Enter here

Contest ends May 23rd so get your entries in!

rider: Alex Cantin
photographer: Oli Gagnon

After TV Success, Documentary Premiers on the Web

Last May, several members of the One Life crew— professional snowboarders Chanelle Sladics, Kjersti Buaas, Sarka Pancochova and Marie France-Roy; musician Cindy Santini; and director Johnny Roderick—took advantage of their shared passions and traveled to the west side of Iceland. Surrounded by fjords, majestic waterfalls and natural hot springs, this group of friends lived on a sailboat, exploring the northwest tip of the island by foot for their first splitboard expedition.  The show featured backcountry snowboarding, island exploring, and artic surfing. This 22min show premiered on Outside TV throughout the month of February and will continue to air throughout this year.

“As a group, we had a goal of making a documentary to show our passion for snowboarding, the beauty of Iceland, unique friendships and a well-established group dynamic. While experiencing a culture different from all of our origins, we also wanted to share our commitment to protecting the environment through sustainable living practices,” says Assistant Producer and Norwegian Olympic Bronze medalist Kjersti Buaas.

Wednesday, May 1^st, 2013, marks the web launch of “Explore Iceland with One Life” the first of its series. It will be available for all to watch on the web for free.

In the film we watch the girls splitboard straight up from their basecamp, the sailboat “Aurora”, and conquer first descents. “It was really special feeling for sure, but I didn’t really realize until it was done. I just wanted to get down safe and have as much fun as possible. With every scary experience, you feel more alive. It makes me wanna do stuff like this every day,” says Czech Republic Olympian Sarka Pancochova.

“I can remember pulling into the fjord the first night perfectly: it was around 11 p.m., the sky was pink as if the sun was still setting and I could spot all the magic lines I would be dreaming about that night. I couldn’t digest that I would be able to access these insane mountains by kayak in the morning, splitboarding up and ride them back down to the ocean for dinner! It was the most ultimate moment in my snowboard life. That fjord remained to be my favorite to snowboard, hike and wake up to. The group gathered around in celebration and it was the opening chapter bonding all members on our boat adventure including our Captain Siggi, our guide Danny and our new local friend Birna,” says Producer and Professional Snowboarder Chanelle Sladics.   “I learned how magic it is to wake up with no Wi-Fi, cell signal or noise and how special we humans are when we no distractions from our digital world.

This would not be a proper One Life trip, without a good prank. “Well, it’s just kind of a tradition I guess! The best prank of the trip was by far when we convinced Chanelle to break a raw egg on her head!” says MFR.  “Normally this not an issue, but when you are isolated on a boat with no blow dryer and shower over a toilet, you barely utilize it.  I didn’t want to ride with wet hair, so I think I had egg in my hair for the remaining days. Eggs became a joke of the trip. Like, “Why are you being so eggy?” or “I was just yoking,” Chanelle laughs.

Explore Iceland with One Life is truly a unique film experience weaving friendships, first female descents, environmentalism and raw nature.  “Located on the mid Atlantic ridge, with more than 200 volcanoes and over 600 hot springs, it is one of the most tectonically active places in the world,” says Kjersti Buaas. “Iceland is located in a special place on planet earth, which is allows them to produce 99% renewable energy, ranking it the world’s most environmentally friendly country, by The Yale University’s Center for Environmental Law and Policy.”

“Snowboarding across the fjords, yoga below huge waterfalls, crystal hunting, jumping into the arctic ocean, eating fresh collected mussels from our captain, ommming at 3 a.m. on the sailboat, singing and playing guitar late night, visiting a historical abandoned whaling station and village, surfing in blizzards, eating amazing local food, and dancing to the beats of Cindy Santini in the Reykjavik.  Speechless,” says MFR.

One Life was founded in 2008; this group strives to demonstrate eco-friendly and playful values. As snowboarders, they are directly affected by the warming climate and get to see first-hand the pollution that is beginning to consume nature. This documentary touches mildly on some of these issues. “We don’t want to sound preachy and we are far from perfect, but this is what we aspire to and just want to leave a positive impact. We have such a beautiful life and we want the next generations of children to get to enjoy a world where the air and water is still pure and where you can thrive in harmony with nature while going after your own dreams. This is what we live for! You have to keep your mind open,” says Sustainable Home Builder and Professional Snowboarder Marie-France Roy.  Beyond wanting to inspire eco-friendly practices, and exploring this amazing planet, One Life also seeks to explore within,  “As a competitive athlete, where the stakes are high, it is easy to get sucked in old patterns of seriousness. Its good to have a friend to slap you in the face, if needed, so you can let go of what happened yesterday and focus on what you have right in front of you. This is why I like to surround myself around these girls,” says Kjersti.

“This is about creating an opportunity to represent who we are and the story we want to tell. We are all so grateful to our sponsors, who jumped on board to support our collective dream and vision. Our story would have never come to life without the skills and expertise of Neu Production’s Director/Cinematographer, John Roderick. We will never forget our experience in Iceland,” says Chanelle.

Thank you Oakley, Red Bull, Roxy Initiative, Flow, Monster, Kicker Audio, Taylor Guitars, and Borea Adventures.

For more information and links to our other film projects check out Thisisonelife.com and NeuProductions.com