A little recap of this years Vans Film Awards in Andorra via SnowPlanet Magazine...

Conversamos con el snowboarder que con solo 22 años está a la altura de los mejores a nivel mundial.

Great interview with Chilean pro Manuel Díaz, who in my opinion, is the first rider to step up and really bring attention to the Latin American scene. A cross-cultural movement to watch...

No todo el mundo puede volar 20 metros con un snowboard o unos skies, pero tampoco hace falta. Sin embargo, todos podemos ser creativos.

Not everybody can fly 20 feet on a snowboard or skis, but isn't not necessary anyways. We all have the means of being creative.

It's definitely fair to say that Kilian Martin was influenced by Rodney Mullen's style...This Spanish kid is definitely doing his own unique thing right now.

Over the weekend, I found a forum "dedicated to giving Spanish speaking snowboarders a unique and exclusive place to voice themselves."

Así se presenta SnowTeam.es, un foro dedicado única y exclusivamente a dar voz a todos los snowboarders de habla hispana. SnowTeam nace con la esperanza de ser una comunidad pública y sin ánimo de lucro para todos los amantes de este deporte. Desde aquí les mandamos saludos y suerte!

I've been thinking quite a bit about sociolingustics...Specifically the role of word choice when you go between English and Spanish, in particular when put within the context of a product or service.

Take the consumer experience of going to a mountain resort for a bilingual Hispanic in the United States. Lodge is the common term for facilities that provide shelter and sustenance to patrons throughout the area. There are quite a few definitions associated with the "lodge", you'll even notice that it also means to "stick" or "insert" into a space...Kind of sounds uncomfortable.

Now if we look at the word for a mountain hut in Spanish its "refugio"...while it too has many meanings, it all enters around the idea of finding refuge. When used in a variety of contexts it just sound more inviting and comfortable.

One of those instances where I can't help but think an English words meaning might not always work. A cross-cultural approach is needed in this type of situation that allows for the sights, sounds, and smells of an experience to be framed in the proper cultural mindset.

Maybe word choice, or syntax does matter after all. A form of transcreation...

El Argentina Snowboard Tour (AST) tendrá su lugar propio en la pantalla de ESPN+. A partir del 27 de Septiembre comenzarán una serie de programas sobre cada fecha del circuito argentino de snowboard llevado a cabo en diferentes sedes del sur argentino y convocando a snowboarders de todas partes del planeta.

Looks like Latin American inspired snow content may finally be moving up the chain of digital consumption at ESPN Deportes. The acquisition and development of alternative Spanish-language content is something being explored and likely to increase moving forward. Very interested to see how much exposure the Argentina Snowboard Tour (AST) gets as a result of being highlighted on ESPN+.

As content like this get disseminated, it would be fascinating to understand and track its reach within the North American Latino audience...

Four years ago, I would comb the internet seeking Spanish language snowboard content. It was there, but definitely hard to find and outdated. Things have hanged dramatically since then. Now it seems like everyday something new stuff is on my news feeds...

Here's the latest "story" (de cuento) from Burton Argentina. Its about life on the road with Spanish speaking shredders looking to take things to the next level.

...De cuento es una road movie de snowboard protagonizada por Tomás Materi, Pablo Fagiani y amigos quienes buscan llevar sus conocimientos deportivos a un próximo nivel. Para eso viajan rumbo a la mejor nieve de los Estados Unidos. No te pierdas de este adelanto!

A little digital content for bilingual/bicultural U.S. Hispanics interested in learning to ride a snowboard. Winter 10-11 is fast approaching... 

El Demo Tour te espera en Cerro Bayo todos los dias de la temporada. Estamos de 10 a 15 horas en la carpa Burton ubicada en la pista 9 y conexion 1500. Hace el test drive gratuitamente de los ultimos modelos de tablas y llevate productos de regalo!