Yet another Ticket to Ride contest, this one the O’Neill King of the Park in Sappada, Belluno, Italy, was postponed due to the lack of snow and warm weather the continent in general has been experiencing. Things do not bode well, not only for snowboarding events in Europe, but also several World Cup Skiing events that have been postponed.

The Burton European Open however, is confirmed to run in Laax, Switzerland, from January 20-27. This is one of the largest snowboarding events in Europe, with confirmed Olympic riders such as Shaun White (who was recently featured on the cover of Outside Magazine in an article with Tony Hawk about the evolution of the mega-brand). More than 500 riders are expected in Laax, including top riders, Markku Koski and Peetu Piiroine from Finland, Nicolas Müller and Gian Simmen, and Frederik Kalbermatten. What’s unique about the European Open is that it attaches itself to a theme each year over the course of 7 days. In its 8^th year, the theme is “Mexico!” which will clearly bring out the tequila. Total prize money is $125,000. The event is also presented by Motorola and is a part of the overall Ticket to Ride Tour.

In water-sports news, Volcom has announced its “acid” dropping $35,000 in prize money for the pro-amateur contest Volcom Stone’s Acid Drop Mini Ramp Fest in Florida during Surf Expo January 12-13^th. The 80-foot-wide mini ramp built by Team Pain is an invite only pro-am contest that has one of the largest 1^st place prize purses--$10,000—for a contest of this size. While most people will not be in Florida to check out the action, Volcom is broadcasting the event live at www.volcom.com.