Hello. This is Peter Line reporting from Mount Snow, Vermont. I'm a little banged up this year so I'm not competing but I thought I'd keep you up to date on what's up around here. Yesterday was the first day of competition so things are starting to get crazy.

I bumped into Tony Hawk who was demonstrating a new snowskate yesterday.

Hawk: "It's fun. I couldn't get up the halfpipe though. Shaun White rules of course."

Tony Hawk gives Sean White and Todd Richards a snowskate lesson.

A snowskate is kind of a mix between a skateboard and a snowboard. It's like Burton makes a snowskate with a skate deck on top of a little miniski which is a little more maneuverable than Premiere's version which is kind of like a plastic skateboard. It seems really fun.

J.P. Walker and Jeremy Jones, Forum team members, bowed out of the X Games Thursday morning to go home. They are "over it" or so they say. They aren't really into X Games or contests. The course really wasn't their favorite also. That is their style. I think it is kind of funny myself. It just isn't their deal I guess.

I asked Bjorn Leines what he thought of the whole thing. "It is their own prerogative I guess. I'm stoked for sure. Everything has its consequence. They are just over it."

I tracked down Steve Ruff, Forum Four-Square Special Blend Team Manager, A.K.A. Corrupta', A.K.A. The Babysitta', A.K.A. The Psychologist, A.K.A. The Dirty Diaper Changer for all us little kiddies. I asked him what he thought of these pompus, prima-donna, whiney little Forum riders that jump out of these contests early.

"I think they probably should have stayed to do the TV stuff but I guess they feel it is better promotion for them to go film their video parts. I guess you can't blame them."

I thought I would head over to the Athlete Lounge to check out who was there. It's Kevin Jones and Tara Dakides, the cutest couple in snowboarding since Shannon Dunn and Dave Downing. And the cutest guy in snowboarding just walked up, Todd Richards.

Hey Todd, is this everyday life in the snow tent with all these athletes?

Richards: "It smells like a giant fart in here. It smells very jock. It smells like an old sock that has been left in a hot dumpster for four days."

He's not lying.

Talk to ya tomorrow.

Peter Line

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