The first stop of the 3rd annual The North Face Masters freeride snowboarding tour went down this past Saturday, Sunday and Monday at Snowbird, UT. With over 70in of snowfall the previous week and two weather days already burned, Monday was the day for the 75 men and 27 ladies to go after the 45k purse, bragging rights and grand prize Samurai Katana. An impressive athlete roster, from Travis Rice to Rob Kingwill showed up and did not disappoint, with Mark Carter taking first for the men and Shannan Yates swinging the sword for the ladies. A great day, a great event. The ‘Bird is the word. Believe it.

Registration is open for the upcoming Crystal, WA and Kirkwood, CA tour stops. Check www.thenorthfacemasters.com for more info.

photo: Lance Koudele/MSI

Mens Top 3 Runs at The North Face Masters Snowbird, UT 2010 from The North Face Masters on Vimeo.

Womens Top 3 Runs From the The North Face Masters at Snowbird, UT 2010 from The North Face Masters on Vimeo.

Friends of frequency: The Snowboarder's Journal,

It's that time again. With the snow already hitting the mountains from Monarch Pass, CO to Mt. Baker, WA, we at frequency TSJ, are proud to announce the release of Volume 6, Issue #4 -- our much anticipated 09 Photobook, featuring collected works in five essays by Evan Chandler-Soanes, Mark Gallup, Lorenz Holder, Jess Mooney, and Jake Stangel. From the powder trails of Stowe to the urban projects in Romania to the deepest depths of the Kootenay, #6.4 brings the amazing landscapes and transportive winter moments the way frequency TSJ readers have come to expect. Solitary pow turns, crusty backwoods characters, amazing freestyle achievements - it's all here in coffee-table resolution.

In addition to the limited edition release of softbound Photobooks, in partnership with our friends at Vans, we are again releasing an even more limited number of hardbound editions of this issue. Available only at true snowboard retailers and direct HERE we do expect this issue to sell out as did the last hardbound edition.

The ideal gift for the riders on your list, or the ideal gift to yourself. -- order yours today. Shipping pre-ordered issues and available stock now.

Mt. Baker - In continuing funny feelings LLC's commitment to clean, progressive aesthetics, we are pleased to introduce frequency TSJ's new Designer, Jessie Carlson. With her recent BFA in graphic design, tenure as a previous frequency TSJ intern, and an intuitive sense of what we do around here, Jessie is proving to be a perfect addition. She and her shepherd/husky mix Koda work with Jessie Lu Design to keep things correct upstairs in the art dept. Jessie Carlson is a charger who leaves the boys staring at her dust -- both on the single track and on the hill.

With two passports, one graduate degree and a deep stoke for the mountains, frequency TSJ is equally pleased to announce the addition of Colin Wiseman as Senior Editor. Working with our publisher, Jeff Galbraith, to establish editorial and continue frequency TSJ's reputation as snowboarding's true voice, Colin brings smarts, drive, and a real understanding of snowboarding's roots and future. With personal travel from New Zealand to South America and a shred tutelage in the Canadian Coast Mountain range, Colin is definitely down for the rad. He is in Argentina getting it on our behalf right now.

Freq Week dates just announced: March 16-19 at Baldface Lodge. Book now for the best powder cat boarding in North America .