NIKITA NATION

The first Girls Shred Session just wrapped up in Snowpark Obergurgl!

So many girls turned out for the event to get tips and learn new tricks from freeski coach Lisi Gram and snowboard coaches Lea Baumschlager and Pilar de la Cruz. The coaches were sharing their knowledge and expertise with every girl that came by, and of course getting their own riding time in on the expertly-maintained features by the all-female-shapecrew of the Snowpark Obergurgl.

Check out the two edits that came from the event and be sure to check out the next one closest to you!

Girls Shred Session Obergurgl - Snowboard from Nikita Clothing on Vimeo.

Girls Shred Session Obergurgl - Freeski from Nikita Clothing on Vimeo.

Originally posted on Transworld Snowboarding, you can see the full article here!

All images - Jessika Hunter

Last month, the first ever G.W.R. snowboarding event by Nikita Clothing with Rude Girls Snow and Skate took place at Sunshine Village.

The day started off with a gathering of more than 50 girls at the top of Wolverine's Kids Play Park. The park itself had been designed by Abby Furrer, a manager and buyer at Rude Girls shop, and the participants of the G.W.R. event had exclusive access to it all day. The regular park had been turned into a girls-only snowboarding zone for several hours and the ladies loved it. (Don't worry folks--there were two other parks that riding patrons could visit on Saturday, Sunshine Village made sure everyone had a great day that day.) The park was the perfect mix of inviting and challenging, and the everyone took to it right away.

Nikita brought out team riders Taylor Elliot, Summer Fenton and Ari Morrone to hang out with the Rude Girls shop team riders and help teach the girls who showed up for the event a new trick or two. Nikita team riders and Rude Girls riders stationed themselves at various features throughout the park, and girls had the opportunity to cruise or session any feature they wanted. The stoke level was at an all-time high, and soon enough girls all throughout the park were pushing themselves and landing new tricks they learned that day, as well as spending time perfecting the tricks they already had in their bag. Everyone was cheering each other on after both hearty slams and victorious lands.

Head over to Transworld Snowboarding to read the rest of the recap and see all of the awesome photos that Jessika Hunter captured during the event! Stay tuned for the announcement of our next G.W.R. location, we can't wait to get it started.

From young-gun shredder riding a few years ago, to lifer and co-owner of new vintage shop Vantage in Salt Lake City, Grace Mayernik has done a lot in the 20 years she's been on this planet. Never one to see an obstacle as a stopping point, she's continuously pushed on to live life exactly the way she wants to.

Read on to get to know where she came from, what drives her, and where she's going next!

Hey Grace- we’ll start with the basics, how old are you?

20

Just 20 and killing it already! Where do you come from and where do you live now? 

I grew up in Virginia, but have been living in Salt Lake City, Utah for the past 7 years.

Another basic question to check off the list here- how long have you been snowboarding?

7 years.

Lucky number 7 😜  What or who got you into it?

My older sister Amy got me into snowboarding. She was the first in my family to move out West and whenever we had a break in school we would fly out to visit her and board. It got to the point where we would spend weeks longer then we were supposed to and my whole family kind of just said, what the heck, and made the move to Utah.

That's a big move for a family to just get up and do! We need to meet all of them some day, they sound awesome.

Snowboarding has it's ups and downs. The ups are what keep us coming back, but dealing with the downs and coming back to ride again is what makes a real snowboarder. Have you ever had any downs? How did you deal with that? 

I would say the biggest challenge that I've faced in snowboarding was tearing my ACL and getting knee surgery three years ago. It was really unexpected and definitely put me in a funk at first. I never knew if I would snowboard like I did before the injury and now that I have recovered and regained my confidence I would say the ongoing goal in my snowboarding is to do it for fun, and because I love it.

That's the best kind of attitude to have, and the goal of having fun is what it's all about.  Speaking of fun- what’s your favorite trick right now?

Is riding powder a trick? If not, I'll say handplants.

Riding powder definitely counts as a trick! Handplants do too, we love those choices and need to do some of both ourselves ASAP.

What is your must-have for a day of riding?

I have to start my day with lots of food and coffee. Another must-have would be friends to ride with.

Every snowboarder has a place they’re dying to get to. What’s your dream destination?

Japan!!!!

Oh Japan. That's a place dreams are made of, definitely on the list of places to go.

@vantageslc

A post shared by Grace🌹 (@gracemayernik) on Aug 12, 2017 at 6:29pm PDT

But you aren't just a snowboarder. What else do you do?

I co-own a vintage clothing store in Salt Lake City! @Vantageslc We've been open now for close to six months and its been an awesome experience, and a lot of hard work. Between balancing snowboarding and owning a business I also just got into yoga, I play guitar, love photography, and skateboard as much as I can!

You own your own shop? Tell us more about Vantage, please!

Vantage is a vintage clothing store in Salt Lake City selling carefully curated 80's and 90's clothes. We opened doors for business in July and before that there was little to no talk of starting something like this.

It began with my boyfriend, Paul and I, having a booth at the flea market. We had little expectations for it but it ended up going super well and thats when we realized maybe something like a store could work! Our friend Andrew happened to collect and sell online so we rounded him into the deal and immediately started talking business.

I saw an ad for a space available in our local newspaper and we went to check it out- the space needed a little TLC but it was exactly what we were looking for. They were only asking for a year lease so we figured what the heck, lets do this for a year, see if it works, if not we'll still be able to live working our second jobs. Well, 5 months later, our second jobs no longer in the picture, we couldn't be more happy how it has worked out. It was a leap of faith to get it started but if you ever have the opportunity to start a business with your friends, do it!

We heard you had some cool people drop by one afternoon, who was that again?

We had the band HAIM in the shop before a show once! I wasn’t even there when they came in *laughs* [but Paul was and] he got a pic with them. I guess one of their songs was playing on the radio and Kevin (gravedigger) was like, "Oh are you ladies going to the concert tonight?"

And they were like, "Uh yea that’s us!"

After all of that, how do you unwind after a long day?

Since I've started a business my days are usually packed with things to do, so my favorite thing to do as of now is cozy up on the couch and watch a movie or go to a yoga class and clear my mind for an hour!

You've got the right recipe for everything and it's obvious you push yourself a lot to be exactly who you want to be. Do you get influenced from the outside? Who would you say inspires you the most?

Anyone who paves their own path. Someone who never gives up, who is creative, hardworking, and genuinely happy with the life they live.

And finally - how do you feel about eBay?

Are you asking this question before or after I got banned? (Long Story) But now that my boyfriend lets me sell from an account in his name, eBay and I are still in good standings. For now. 

Put this playlist on, grab your board and start getting inspired out on the snow! Thanks to Grace for taking time out of her busy day to catch up with us, stop into Vantage if you're ever in Salt Lake City and stay tuned to Nikita Clothing to catch the next feature #forgirlswhoride

We are non-stop moving and shaking over here at Nikita! Hot on the heels of releasing our first ever playlist for our first ever (lots of firsts) Nikita Retreat-A, we have just dropped our latest Spotify May Playlist #forgirlswhoride! Kick off the summer with this upbeat exploration of modern day punk; featuring nods to all-female punk forebearers like ESG & The Slits, intros. to our current day staples like Grace Mitchell & Death Valley Girls, and unexpected deviations into the hip-hop genre (even some tracks by dudes too)…because, as this year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction reminds us, any genre can celebrate a rebellious spirit. Follow us on Spotify @Nikita_Clothing. 

After an unpredictable snow season on the east coast of the US where riders were forced to stay on the groomers for fear of riding rocks and mud in January and then rejoiced at an unexpected snow storm that brought road closures and mini avalanches, this winter is finally coming to a close.

Through all of those ups and downs- Ari Morrone was hardly deterred. She was strapped into her snowboard at every opportunity; even for fitness breaks in the park (where she schooled anyone watching with the number of pull-ups she could perform while dangling her snowboard below her).

Go watch this tiny powerhouse of a human slay on everything from handrails to home-base baseball cages. We think you'll agree it's a home run.

Ari Morrone Street 2017 from big boulder PARK on Vimeo.

Ever dreamt of jumping on a plane to Japan, setting off on your very own unplanned perfect JAPOW adventure? Nikita Ambassador Summer Fenton stopped dreaming, started doing- and found herself a world away with no plans, lots of friends, and tons of great snow.

What made you want to go to Japan? 

Ever since I could remember, snowboarding in Japan has always been a bucket list dream of mine. I’m so happy I finally got the opportunity to fulfill it! 

Dreams: fulfilled p. Keith Rutherford

This was kind of a last-minute thing. How did you end up going to Japan?

I was back home in San Francisco and realized I had some rare spare time in between contests. My boyfriend and friends were in Japan and they kept telling me how awesome it was out there. I then got this gut feeling that I should go out there too and do some soul shredding for myself. No contests- just me and my board in Japan. I thought it was crazy that I was even thinking about hopping on a plane and leaving to Japan, especially since I had no actual agenda and knowing that I would be in a foreign country solo traveling, but then I got encouragement from my boyfriend and friends and knew in my heart that I needed to go and make this quick last minute decision for my own good. I packed my bags and left the San Francisco airport 24hrs later- it still gives me chills that I sent it out there.

Did you have a plan before you left?    

I had absolutely no plan whatsoever. I really was just following my instincts and heart. I remember sitting there thinking to myself, “What am I going to do once I land?” I didn’t know where I was staying or even what mountain to ride. I didn’t even know how I was going to get to the mountain town of Hakuba because it is a five hour trip away from the airport nor do I speak or read Japanese. But in the end it all worked itself out.

Spots don't build themselves- Summer and friends putting in the work p. Keith Rutherford

Who did you meet up with there? 

I knew I would meet with Taylor Elliot at the bus station in Hakuba (which was easier than expected). I ended up meeting up with some of the Too Hard/ Powanoia crew that included Taylor and Kendel Elliott, Fancy and Kieth Rutherford and Christine Savage.  We met a bunch of local Japanese riders too! It was so awesome riding with a crew that was motivated and constantly in good spirits. I was so stoked to be filming with them! Love all my new tomodachis!!! <3 Don’t know what I would do without them all!

Where did you go? How long were you there for? I was there for one week. While I was in Hakuba, I received a last minute invite to compete in the Burton U.S. Open in Vail, Colorado for the following week so I had to cut the trip short.

Something else that Japan has no shortage of- delicious drinks! Just make sure you pay attention to the pictures on the packaging if you don't read Japanese 😜

What was the weirdest thing you saw and/or did? The weirdest thing that I did was drink some herbal lemon relax tea that had cat nip in it. I thought cat nip was just for cats haha…it did make me feel relax though  Or the fact that you have to wear special shoes that are bright red and say toilet on them in the bathroom

What were your top three favorite moments while in Japan?  

Ahhh there were so many to choose from!

 1.) Obviously my favorite moment was riding that JAPOW! It is the fluffiest and just overall best powder ever! This one particular day was just magical- we went to a resort in the Hakuba area where it was only $32 to ride the mountain. Such a steal! There were only eight cars in the parking lot so we basically had the resort to ourselves for the entire day. So many endless face shots and fresh tracks all on the best snow I’ve ever ridden. Like- what?! Is this real life? Somebody pinch me!

Our last run of the day was the one to remember. The chair lifts were about to close and we found this one open area of untracked powder. I was in this unreal state of euphoria, peace, gratitude and presence. It was absolutely mind blowing! And then afterwards I ended the day with my favorite… RAMEN!

The goods were got. p Keith Rutherford

2.) I hit my first street spots! Street is scary and I loved every second of it from thinking creatively of what you can do and how you can hit the feature to having to go into the feature confidently without having any second thoughts. I think I liked that part the most because once you’re going you can’t chicken out and stop, you just have to go for it because if you don’t the consequences worsen. Hitting street has taught me so much about myself and I feel I have grown as a person. Landing tricks and lines in the streets were so rewarding and I hope to play in the streets more! 

From the pipe to the streets- Summer's ready for whatever, wherever.

3.) Lastly- exploring Shinjuku, Tokyo. Once I got to Shinjuku, I meant to go drop my board bag off at the hotel. Instead, I got lost and ended up walking and dragging my heavy board bag around the very crowded Shinjuku. It kind of reminded me of Times Square with all the bright lights and billboards, it was a beautiful sight. One bright side of getting lost in Shinjuku was that I practically walked the entire town so when I did finally find my hotel I knew exactly where I wanted to go. In this exact order I went to: 7-11 to grab a quick snack, after I got my fixing at the 7-11, I went straight to the arcade. I decided to go to the one that had popping Japanese music and a lot of pickachu games. Once I was done playing at the arcade, I went to a 24hr ramen shop and ate my life away haha!

I know, I know, you’re probably saying, "why 7-11 when we have those back in the states?" Let me tell you that 7-11 in Japan is the best for snacks and drinks. I didn’t know I liked 7-11 until I went to Japan. The fried chicken and sushi rice balls are so yummy and cheap. Also, there is a huge selection of the most delicious gummies ever invented.

Summer Fenton is a Nikita Snow Ambassador, regular competitor in the halfpipe circuit and lover of sand and waves. If you don't already, see where this jet-setter ends up next by following her on Instagram @badgirlsumsum

Back in September, we handed out 30 disposable cameras to girls across the US, planning on assembling an entire photo show without even knowing what we would get back. Scary? Yea, maybe a little 😅

Luckily, we had nothing to worry about. What we got back on those cameras was nothing short of awesome! We should've known that we could count on our Nikita Nation to deliver pic after pic of disposable gold ✨ There were photos from skate sessions at the park, hikes along mountain ridges, urban explorations and even cowgirls out on the ranch. Every image was like a snap straight from their lives, and we loved looking at every single one.

Our event went off better than we could've hoped, if you haven't checked out the recap of it yet you should now. Of course, there was no way we could include all of our favorite images in that show- we would've needed an art space the size of a real museum (maybe that's an exaggeration, but still, we would've needed a bigger space for sure).

Nevertheless- we buckled down, picked our favorites to show, and had an event to remember!

So here they are- in all their disposable glory. Enjoy these select images from our disposable Nikita Perspectives Project.

Perspective from Emily Bedell

Perspective from Amanda Proudfit

Perspective from Summer Fenton

Perspective from Grace Mayernik

Perspective from Heidi Venturine

Perspective from Quinn Poer

Perspective from Emily Bedell

Perspective from Amanda Proudfit

Have a favorite? See something cool? Want to just let us know what your unique perspective is? Connect with us on Instagram @nikitaclothing or Facebook Nikita Clothing! We can't wait to hear from you. 

Last week, ripping rider and Nikita Ambassador Julia Baumgartner took to the slopes with a crew of almost three dozen eager snowboarders at Nordkette Skylinepark for the first Shred Unit coaching event of the season!

A #tbt of Julia showing off her rail skills and why she was pumped to coach the up-and-comers at Shred Unit. 

The aim of the day was to improve their snowboard skills, while having a blast and getting to know other girls that loved to ride just as much as they did.

Getting ready to follow the pros through the park

Everyone grouped together with their coaches and paid close attention to not only what their mentor was telling them, but how they were showing it- with style. Students made mental notes and each took their turn to give it a try.

The whole group of riders, coaches, volunteers and everyone else who came out to make the Shred Unit event a reality!

At the end of the day, it was simply a gathering of great people having a great time. When you're in a place like Nordkette and riding with people like Julia, how could you not? 

Huge thanks to Shred Unit and Nordkette Skyline for hosting the event, as well as the other amazing coaches Hanna Volgger and Stefi Nitiv for continuing to spread the stoke.

👋🏻

You know and Nikita knows- Girls Are Awesome.

How awesome? Well have a look at the newest Crap to Bottom edit with our girl Elena Koenz and friend Sina Candrian from LAAX. These ladies take turns making turns and jibbing features in such a smooth way you'd think they practiced ballet in their off time.