December’s issue of Whitelines is packed with more goodies than Santa’s sleigh. Here’s what we’ve got in store for you in the run-up to the festive season.

FREE DOUBLE-SIDED POSTER INSIDE
There’s an A2 double-sided poster hidden away inside every issue. One side features our cover star Xavier de le Rue riding that ice chute, while the other has Travis Rice boosting the biggest first-track front three you’ll ever see.

OUT OF THE ORDINARY: XAVIER de le RUE INTERVIEW
Our December cover star has made a habit of going his own way, whether it be on the mountain – where he rides stuff other people simply wouldn’t think possible – or off the hill, where his decision to eschew freestyle almost entirely is an unusual one. Despite this (or perhaps because of it) he’s one of snowboarding’s biggest stars. We caught up with the straight-talking Frenchman to find out what makes him tick.

POWDER SCHOOL
Imagine a snowboard school where instead of endlessly repeating “bend ze knees” they actually taught you cool stuff like say, how to drop cliffs and throw up proper rooster tails. Sound too good to be true? Well, it exists. Whitelines travelled to British Columbia to check out how it works.

THE ENDS OF THE EARTH: SNOWBOARDING IN SVALBARD
If go north of Norway, Svalbard is the last landmass you reach before you hit the North Pole. Terje Haakonsen, Jeremy Jones and the intrepid Dan Milner travelled to this remote and desolate island in search of untouched and uncharted lines. Find out how they dealt with the cold, the lack of sleep and the constant threat of polar bear attacks.

SHUT DOWN: RICE vs. NIEMELA vs. LAGO
While filming for the epic The Art of Flight Travis and his crew came across an incredible kicker spot. With three of the world’s best riders on-hand to amp each other up and drive each other on, and two helicopters to capture the action, they had a session that was all-time. But of the three, whose trick was the best?

PLUS:
Matt MacWhirter teaches you how to ride balls. That’s balls in the park, before you ask…
We test the best snowboard goggles
The Geek looks at all-mountain boards over £400
Our experts answer your questions

You can get all this at WH Smiths or respectable newsagents for the bargainous price of £4.95 – common, that’s gotta be worth buying as a pre-Christmas pressie for yourself, hasn’t it?