We armed our intrepid photo intern Kemper Ahl with a NASA-worthy  camera and sent him up to Stratton, Vermont to brave the last sub-freezing temps of the season (yeah, we're not above bullying interns) and to catch snowboarders hucking massive tricks at the US Open. Turns out the relatively young sport's oldest event attracts X-Game caliber shredders and a crowd of 40,000 spectators. And why not? Not only can winners lay claim to thrashing Jake Burton's (snowboarding's godfather) home hill, but they can also get their mittens on the largest cash prize in snowboarding as well as keys to a brand spanking new Volvo. With Shaun White sidelined due to injury, Olympic silver medalist Danny Kass took the half pipe, the event's marquis competition, and spectators partied to live performances by mixmaster RJD2 and Santigold. But, heck, you don't want to hear us ramble on and on about it, so go check out our photo gallery and start dreaming of an endless winter.