Tahoe Flophouse

Early in the project, we knew we wanted to get a big house in Tahoe where all riders who are part of the Rome SDS could crash out at while filming for the video, and where we could build a back-yard jib park out of bum barrels and other random shit. A month before the snow started to fall (or not), we found the perfect spot in the hills outside Truckee—a large, run-down house from the 1970s with 20 acres out back. The Tahoe Flophouse was open.

A Euro crew and rep riders took over a wing for a couple months, a few long-time SDS crew members slept in corners of the living room, our Quebec militia converted a room upstairs into Little Canada, Marius, Bjorn and Jesse spread out in another room, and the four filmers and photographers packed into the “master” bedroom. You can guess what the kitchen looked like, or even worse, the long, unplowed driveway littered with cars.

The snow never really came to Tahoe all season, so we only got a few backcountry days from the comfort of our home base. But we still managed to pack in some good times and a bunch of fun, creative snowboarding. We built features and sessioned the back yard a few times, including a full-day party where the Dirty Kings came and played live. The house served as the home base for all the Tahoe park shoots with the pros and regional AmArmy riders at Kingvale, Boreal, Northstar and Alpine Meadows. And to have some fun and piss off the neighbors, we rounded the season out with a couple parties where Brodway and the Colour played live.

To get the full house tour, check the SDS Cribs bonus feature on the DVD.