Filming a top-level backcountry snowboarding event presents distinct technical challenges. The action moves all over the mountain; riders navigate through groups of trees, sail over jumps, and carve around obstacles, all the while making split-second adjustments to their speed and direction. The unpredictable and fast-paced nature of the competition can leave even the most talented camera operators struggling to keep up. For Travis Rice and Liam Griffin, the organizers of the Natural Selection Tour, this issue was compounded by the fact that they wanted to broadcast their event live. The annual three-stop jamboree sees a hand-picked field of the world's top snowboarders (eight women and 16 men) compete at specially selected courses in Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Alaska; and British Columbia.

Snowboarders are pulled by a drone on a lake near Cesis, Latvia, in January. Snowboarders are pulled by a drone on a lake near Cesis, Latvia, in January. You may have heard of drone racing, but people keep coming up with new ways to enjoy these flying machines. One of the latest twists on drone sports comes from Latvia. A company called Aerones has developed a drone to use for droneboarding, a new sport that's just what it sounds like -- a snowboarder being pulled through the snow by a powerful drone.

Former actress Saya Takagi was arrested in Okinawa on Oct. 25 for possession of marijuana, three months after she unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the Upper House election on a platform to legalize pot for medical purposes. She insists the contraband was not hers. Though Takagi, whose real name is Ikue Masudo, is retired from showbiz, reruns of dramas she appeared in are still shown on TV. When a celebrity is involved in a scandal, broadcasters scour their lineups for any ties to the disgraced person. TV Asahi quickly scrubbed from its afternoon schedule old episodes of the popular detective series "Aibo" that featured Takagi.