HF

The crowds came out in warmer weather than expected. Last year we were here it was full on winter, and this time there were no funny furry tank driver hats, but they were still drinking lots of vodka! It’s really fun to do these shows in Russia towards the end of the season. After all my practicing and touring around the USA and Canada, it’s refreshing to still see excited and happy faces. We did two shows that went off well, but there was some trouble on the horizon brewing, literally.

As anyone who hasn’t had their head in a hole knows by now, Iceland had a major volcanic eruption this weekend, and the resulting ash cloud has put a serious dent in European travelers plans, myself included. There are worse things than being stranded in Europe, but hanging out in airports gets old after awhile. Regardless of how frustrated I was, I knew there were thousands of other people trying to get home as well, so I relaxed and had a beer.

I would also like to thank everyone who asked questions on Facebook. I have copied and pasted the answers below.

What mods do you guys do to your sleds so they are ready for freestyle?

I usually put a skidoo mod engine kit on my sled. I also put on a freestyle seat, Fly mini-moto bend handlebars and a Fly 3 inch handlebar riser.

How hard was it to become what you are today? And what are some of the things you did to get where you are?

It was a lot of work there were a lot of years were I had a lot of fun but there was no money and it was very hard for me to pay my bills. I practiced and I love what I do so i just kept working hard and keeping my eyes on the main goal.. winning Winter X games.

How did you start sledstyle and how often do you hurt yourself doing it?

I started because I wanted to be a freestyle motocrosser but I couldn’t make the cut when I was younger. I have been hurt a bunch I broke my left leg tibia and fibula three times. My left ankle three times, dislocated my right elbow and shoulder, broke my jaw, broke my right heal, broke my back, collapsed my lung, and broke three ribs.

What is it like the very first time you hit the ramp? What should I start first, freestyle fmx or snowmobile?

I was really scared to hit the ramp the first time because there had only been three other people in front of me and they all crashed… I started on my bike doing tricks, it was easier to find jumps than ramps at first.

Are you filming for Slednecks 13?

We filmed some in Idaho for X Games and are going to be working more this season on my segment.

4/10/10 OMAHA… MIDDLE AMERICA

It’s hard to believe this was the final stop of the year for the Gravity Slashers, but it was and the boys blew it up! The fans at Quest Center were treated to the best show of the season and they responded by being one of the loudest crowds I have ever heard. Things got ramped up with Keith Sayers leading off. He sailed thru his run nailing a whip flip and a disco can to put up a solid opening number, 84.4. Derek Burlew ripped it up next reaching in to his bag of tricks and showing the crowd a nice BASE jump that helped him to a total of 89.5. The third man to the Quest Center floor was Dustin Nowak and he loaded his run with a double grab indy air and a nac flip that helped him post an 88.0. Nick Dunne followed him and went huge on his super flip and backed that up with a very nice Captain Morgan giving him a shot at the finals with a tally of 89.6. The last bike out in the first set was ridden by Javier Villegas and he flowed thru his run leaving his mark on the crowd with a Kiss of Death flip that pushed his score to an 89.9 which looked like enough to get him into the finals.

Heath Frisby slid out to rousing applause on his Red Bull powered Ski-Doo. Heath got his bearings in the first intermission with a couple of basic tricks and took some time to talk to the audience. He came back after the finals and brought Nick Dunne and Keith Sayers with him for what has become their trademark ending, the triple flip with the sled in the middle and the bikes on either side. As always the crowd loved it and were on their feet cheering wildly for over a minute afterward.

Our second half of qualifiers was led off by Rich Kearns and he wasted little time getting going, dropping a heel clicker flip and a shaolin bar hop that netted him a total of 84.0. Drake McElroy rolled out next and showed the crowd a big 9 o’clock nac and ended his run with a dead body for a score of 85.7. Julian Dusseau was on point and super flipped and side showed his way into the finals with a tally of 90.1. Greg Hartman showed why he is referred to as “Superman”, going upside down with a super flip and qualifying number two with a 90.5. Brody Wilson looked cool for his full 60 seconds and put up the top number with a 92.1. After intermission the incomparable Jennifer Schneider came to the floor to a raucous ovation and launched herself into the stratosphere. “The Cannonlady” brought Rich Kearns and Dustin Nowak with her and they went off the ramps as she came out of the cannon for an amazing first! We had a full house for our whip contest as seven riders came to the floor to contest the final crowd judged whip off of the year. Dunne, Sayers, Villegas, Dusseau and Wilson went for broke but they didn’t have enough to unseat two of the best whippers in the business, DMC and Burlew.

When the dust settled Burlew took home the honors for the night, but it was awesome to see seven guys vying for the win. The finals started with “Astroboy” and Villegas let it all hang out, even putting a Kiss of Death flip in his run to score a 90.4. However, the “California Kid” Julian Dusseau wasn’t messin’ around and loaded his run with big extension and a beautiful 9 o’clock nac to supplant JV Air with a 91.6. Greg Hartman left it all out on the floor on his final run of the season and posted his best score of the year with a 92.8. That only left “The Wilson Express”, and Brody didn’t disappoint. He let a Holy Grab fly that made the entire audience gasp and then go wild. Even before he got is total you could tell he was stoked. His 94.5 gave him the win and as always he was smiling from ear to ear.

What a phenomenal way to cap off the season, with Brody Wilson taking home the final Gravity Slashers tour stop victory here in Omaha. All the guys will head their separate ways for the next 8 months but don’t worry we’ll all be back next season and you can bet the competition will be even bigger and better!

As winter winds down, I have found myself spending a lot of time at home and out with friends. Keith Sayers and I have been practicing quite a bit of FMX in Butte, MT at his house. Getting ready for the summer series of shows and learning new tricks is our top priority right now. As some of you might have known, I recently bought my first house, which is a leap in itself! But I can completely understand how people go shopping now. When I walk into a store, I see so many more things that “might look good in the living room” so to speak. It’s hard not to just splurge on housewares.

I’ll get some pics up soon from my stateside travels, and after a long winter it feels pretty good to be resting and riding my dirt bike a little. Hope everyone had a Happy Easter and check back soon.

Heath

Heath

Since everything is so close in Europe we also headed over to Geneva, Switzerland for the International Car Show. Mind blowing is the only way to describe the type of cars here. You never really see anything like this in the US, especially Montana! I left feeling poor, since I don’t own a million dollar supercar, but at the same time you can’t really drive a Duramax in Europe…so that made me feel better. There were cars made entirely of carbon fiber, and not just race cars!

Even the displays they had to showcase the cars were pretty incredible. I’m not sure who designs them, or better yet has to assemble them, but most had nicer hardwood floors than my house, and more TV’s than a Best Buy. All in all it was a ridiculous day. I’ll leave you with one of my favorite pictures from the trip, me on the rainbow carpet.

Back to the US today, where I can look forward to some awesome jet lag!

Later

Heath

CLEVELAND ROCKS!!! You have heard the mantra before and it certainly held true tonight at the Quicken Loans Arena. The fans were loud from start to finish and they certainly had a ton to cheer about. Sean Nielson started us off with a solid run that netted him an 83.1. Sean was happy to end his season on a good note and will be having surgery to repair a torn ACL on Tuesday. We hope for a speedy recovery for “The Outlaw”. Next, Derek Burlew went off, hitting both a switch grip Indy and a BASE jump to net an 88.8. Keith Sayers came to the floor after DB and despite a solid run was only able to manage an 83.5 which was okay with “Say Ya” because he said his return from the early season ankle injury continues on schedule. Nick Dunne came out to a huge applause and didn’t disappoint his many fans, hitting both a Captain Morgan and a Drunken Monkey as well. His 90.8 would turn out to be the top qualifier for the night. Dustin Nowak was fighting the flu as he came to the floor, but still put in a game effort, but was only able to score an 80.0.

During our first break X-Games gold medalist Heath Frisby came out to get his Red Bull Ski-Doo dialed in and ended up a little short on his second jump and got huckle bucked off the front of his sled. He was ok and got right up. He promised to be back after the finals and he kept his word performing a back flip on his snow mobile with Nick Dunne and Keith Sayers flipping right next to him.

Rich Kearns got us going in the second half and he was also fighting a stomach bug but made no excuses. He was only able to manage an 83.2, but the crowd definitely appreciated his effort. Drake McElroy cruised out behind him and smoothly work his way thru a run that included a stylish cliff hanger and his signature whip nac. He had a shot at the finals with his 88.4 but with three riders left he would have wait and see. Julian Dusseau strode out aboard his Yamaha and had a clean run. He put together a nice no footed can to candy bar and managed to get in an extra trick and the judges rewarded his effort with a 90.5 that had him headed to the finals. Greg Hartman rode from the tunnel to the sounds of Johnny Cash and the Man in Black inspired him to an 89.5 which was good enough for the final qualifying spot. Brody Wilson stepped to the plate with the final chance to get to the main event. He showed the crowd a perfectly executed one hand seat grab to rock solid that helped him to the second qualifying spot with a 90.7.

We had all the usual suspects for out crowd judged whip contest with Dunne, Dusseau, Wilson, McElroy and Burlew squaring off. Dusseau and Dunne put up nice whips and “The Wilson Express” turned his bike nearly upside down, but DMC and DB again took things to another level. Drake’s whip nac really revved up the crowd but Burlew stole the win by going to the single ramp and throwing a sweet left handed whip to the Cleveland faithful.

“Superman” Greg Hartman was the first to go in the finals and he started things off with a superflip and ended with a back flip Indy to score a 91.7. Dusseau was rider number two in the finals and used a whip flip and a flip can can to take over the Hot Seat with a 92.3. Julian looked a little nervous in the big red chair knowing Brody Wilson was next to the floor. It turned out to be with good reason because Wilson started his run with a Kiss of Death flip and also showing off a very nice sidewinder and a massive Rock Solid. He nudged Dusseau out of the Hot Seat with his tally of 93.8. The crowd favorite Nicky “Six Guns” Dunne was our last rider and he had it on a rail until his third trick which he dead sailored which pretty much sealed the win for Brody.

It was a fantastic night here on the shores of Lake Erie and the crowd at the Quicken Loans Arena saw one of the best shows of the year. Get to Facebook.com/gravityslashers and let the guys know how much you loved the show. – David Knisley