The Snowboarder BlogSnowboarding Blog

Hey, my name is  Adam Bowcutt and I am a snowboarder.  Welcome to this week’s tasty round-up of snowboarding blog posts, articles and forum topics from around the world.

Pro rider Anne-Flore Marxer doesn’t need bindings

Snowboarding with bindings is so last season according to top female pro AFM.  No boarding is slowly gaining much deserved recognition. It brings a more surfy feel to riding powder.  Unshackle your bindings and set your feet free!.  The GT memorial was a tribute to the pioneer of no boarding Gregg Todds. He tragically died in an avalanche five years ago. This event drew together the likes of living legend Terje Hakonsen and friends. Anne-Flore describes her thoughts on no boarding at this fun gathering.

Check it out HERE courtesy of Powderroom.net

Olympic Gold medalist Hannah Teter talks about pipe riding & ice cream

Hannah Teter won the 2006 Olympic halfpipe event and took home gold to the States.  She talks to Shayboarder about her plans for the upcoming winter Olympics in Vancouver Canada.  As well as being an elite athlete Hannah is a strong advocate for charity work.  Ben & Jerry’s introduced limited batch  ‘Maple Blondie ‘ flavour for the Olympian. A portion of the proceeds go to Hannah’s Gold her charity that helps projects in Africa.

Check out the interview HERE courtesy of Shayboarder.com

Girls are stepping it up on the big screen.

In past years female snowboarding films have had a bad reputation for poor standards.  ‘Stance’  is an all girl snowboarding movie that showcases progression and high standards of riding.  Jenny Jones one of the UK’s brightest exports has a solid part in the film.  Another standout rider is Raewyn Reid who claims the ender section.  Her skills and style can by no means be deemed low quality.  Female snowboarding is making its mark helped by films like Stance.

Check out the article and link to watch the film HERE

‘Because of snowboarding’ woman are inspired

Snowboarding can help to transform the lives of people for the better.  ‘Because of snowboarding’ is a campaign by Burton to show the way snowboarding has changed the lives of  a selection of top professional female snowboarders.   There are many benefits of snowboarding and this shows poignant examples through female eyes.

Check out the article & footage HERE courtesy of womenssnowboarding.org

Remember, snowboarding is for everyone.

Check back next week for more.

NONSTOPsnowboard.com

via nonstopski.com

This ad ended up 23% Corney then any of our other commericals. watch and see for yourself, it’s cheezy. The funny thing is many people have commented on seeing it, which means that now they will come into Shoreline with buckets of money to buy Skis and Snowboards they Saw on the X-games. How about a Helmet that explodes off your head while riding in a half Pipe….Oh Sorry Shaun White already bought that one.

via Shorelinesnowboards

Man if I only had $500 to blow on a fisheye lens for my Canon Rebel XT. Why do lenses have to be so expensive?! The 180 degree wide angle view can make some of these sickest snowboarding shots out there.

Oh well, lets at least enjoy a few from the pros.

via WhoaSnow

Barely five days before the 2010 North Face Masters series at my current home mountain of Snowbird, the conditions were rotten. Rocks, Ice, and shallow snowpack defined the daily reality. Just keeping an edge down the anticipated Silverfox venue was a significant challenge, not to mention hucking my meat off cliffs.

But on Wednesday the 20^th the storm cycles came with oomph, dumping almost seven feet in seven days when the skies finally cleared. Blessed with amazing contest conditions, freeriding was showcased as it’s meant to be: In deep, dry powder with a stacked field and tons of fun.

But it wasn’t without ample waiting, watching the weather, and nearly running out of time altogether. On Saturday the 22^nd, the anticipated first day of competition, over a foot of overnight fresh, fierce winds, poor visibility, closed roads and a delayed opening at Snowbird made it logistically impossible to run a field of over 100 competitors. We were thus introduced to the term “aggressive standby,” which quickly turned to a postponement to Sunday.

Day two looked to be more promising but an unexpected fourteen inches of snow fell overnight with puking snow continuing through the late morning. Postponed again. Now with almost the entire mountain shut down, I wondered how they could do the necessary avy control work for Monday even if the weather was to cooperate.

Two days of waking up with my stomach in twisted knots from the fear/stoke of prepping to compete plus five days in a row of riding pow for six, seven hours a day had pummeled me into a mess of fried nerves and noodly legs. But the weather finally looked to be taking a break so I braced for one more day.

            The morning of Monday the 25^th the snow had stopped but the vis was crap and ANOTHER foot of powder kept avy dangers on high. But the course had been closed on Sunday meaning the potential for the all too rare combination of powder and big-mountain competition was high.

           With solid patrol work and steady organization, the aggressive standby was lifted and they got the ladies going by about 10:30. Due to the postponements, it was one-day, one-run-take-all format. No qualifying, no second venue, just throw it all on the line.

The women got the freshest turns of the day and ripped the course apart but a thick, hanging ball of fog put half the course completely out of view for a good portion of the day. The final area for a big move was in view however, and the women straight-lined some tech sections, aired out some solid drops and billy-goated with power and style.

After watching about half the women’s field I headed to the top where it was cold and miserable and the tension mounted as I watched rider after disappear behind the steep curvature of the terrain. After not qualifying in 2009 on the same venue the doubts piled on as to whether I was out of my league or if I could actually hang with these guys. Finally I was in the start-gate, rocking out to some bracing metal, then “3,2,1, dropping.”

           The top section was a beat-up but I worked some turns and didn’t take many risks, for fear of an early run-killing fall. I sped to my first air, a cross-fall line 10-footer and booked it down the fall line, popping a few fun bushes and small rocks on the way. I knew the last section would make or break my score. I ducked into a narrow chute, making choppy, jump turns over roots and rocks, and spilling sluff over the immediate drop-off below. Almost directly out of the chute lay a 20 foot drop over some bushes with some rock hazards lurking somewhere in the landing. I took a quick breath and sent it. It felt big but I touched down on good powder and stomped it. All of a sudden it was over and I had executed my run without a fall. Stoked!

Ecstatic to have it all behind me, I could sit with some friends, drink a beer and watch the action go down. The sun even came out for a bit, warming the faces of the spectators and providing good visibility for the first time in days.

         Creative spins were mixed with classic big mountain strength and speed. Mark Carter destroyed the venue, linking fifteen-footers and smashing the fall line with complete control and awareness of his surroundings. The judges noticed as well and he won the Men’s field by a good margin.

I pulled off a 19^th place finish, far from the podium for sure but well stoked to be among the ranks of some amazing riders.

After an exhausting three days of waiting, riding deep powder and finally competing, it was all over. But in the end it seemed a great success as it displayed the core simplicities that make big-mountain riding great: Stoked riders, an impressive venue and fluffy powder snow. Let’s hope the rest are like this as well.

via www.frqncy.com

Not to be outdone by last week’s video diary, our latest batch of diary writers in Banff really have displayed some raw publishing talent. If they don’t make it as ski and snowboard instructors, we’re sure the world’s press will be throwing editorial and design positions at them. Check out the cover, hot off the press (and scroll down to read the text).

Having had yet another ‘quiet’ weekend in Banff, a somewhat hung-over and slightly depleted group of NONSTOPers headed back to the slopes to meet their new instructors. It was around this point that it dawned on me that I’d agreed to write this week’s diary so here goes.

There was much anticipation for the dog sledding on Saturday and it didn’t disappoint! We arrived and were introduced to our teams of dogs and were soon on our way on the beautiful route. With names like Megatron, Thor and Blaze, the dogs weren’t messing around and before long we found ourselves back at the kennels (with the minimal amount of dog mess to wipe from our ski jackets!). Our reputation for a love of alcohol and cookies had preceded us and we finished a great day in the best of ways with booze and food around the camp fire.

Moore Sausages!

Well equipped with rugby and football chants the group went to the Canmore Eagles ice hockey game. Whilst the Canadian crowd were silent, the Brits and Cockstralian did a sterling job of putting off the opposition with cries of “Moore likes sausage” and ‘’you’re sh#* and you know you are’’ echoing across the ice. Despite this fine display of the wittiest of banter, the team still went down 3-1. Jess and Mandingo took to the ice at halftime whilst large amounts of alcohol was hurriedly consumed in a failed attempt to keep it from the authorities. Spirits were up on the journey home, the quote of the evening being; ‘’Who won?’’ that’s the spirit Colorado!

Vancouver 2010

The Olympic torch came to Banff on Wednesday! The whole crew traipsed into town for the party and had a great night out, as per usual. Mama Lake excelled in wild bills, lassoing a bull and all parties were suitably merry by the end of the evening!! An old NONSTOPer took part in a magnificent ski jumping display to celebrate the torch coming to lake Louise the following day but unfortunately succumbed to faulty equipment and took a tumble, I’m told his condition is stable and we hope he’ll make a quick and speedy recovery.

Look out

It’s been another fruitful week for Banff’s crows, they’ve stayed well away from the beers thus far but there are one or two starving NONSTOPers so I’m not risking it!

Down to business

Of course, being on an instructor course there has been a fair amount of training on top of everything else and the snow ploughs and power pendulums have been improving rapidly! LOVING THE COURSE SO FAR AND LOTS MORE FUN TO COME!

If you’d like to take part in one of NONSTOP’s instructor courses check out:

For skiers

For snowboarders

More updates from the 09/10 Banff NONSTOPers

via nonstopski.com

Hi- I’m Graham and I’m on the 6 week MTM course here in Fernie. After thinking about a course like this for some time, I finally took the plunge and booked up, and I can honestly say I have no regrets whatsoever!

We arrived in Fernie on Tuesday night and after a day of exploring the town and sorting our ski gear, we got onto the hill to enjoy the legendary powder snow that Fernie is famous for.  I’ve never skied in Canada before; and being more used to European pistes, am loving the change of domain, amazing tree-runs and having the mountain to ourselves!

There are 24 skiers and boarders on the course who divide into 5 groups, with lessons Monday-Thursday.  We’ve already seen some massive improvements, with a number of us having had ‘Eureka’ moments and working out what we’ve been doing wrong all these years!  Our instructors never seem to run out of ridiculous drills to help us with technique – designed to make us look as stupid as possible (and usually directly under a chair lift!).  I’ve certainly never done an exercise designed specifically to make you fall over!  Maurie has taken this drill particularly seriously – practicing it religiously (but unintentionally) on a daily basis and never failing to win fall of the day… “I may never be Master of the Mountain but I’m already Master of the Fall!”

The format of the lessons has been great – stripping us right back to basics and taking away any idea we could ski or board already to get rid of all our bad habits.  To be honest, it’s been exactly what we’ve needed, with the instructors then pushing us harder so our newfound skills can be used to full effect on as much of the mountain as possible.  Some of our powder turns have been hard-earnt (with some fairly tough, sweat inducing boot-pack hikes) but they’ve all been completely worth it – the feeling of carving fresh lines in virgin snow, with all of us shouting with excitement, pure choice.

Thirsty Thursday got off to a rocking start after a hard day on the slopes and continued through some eventful curling and on to The Brickhouse to see birthday girl “Steph” debut her singing career on stage.  Dave meanwhile took his drinking games as seriously as tracking down his AWOL luggage…

Saturday brought The Olympic torch to Fernie, which I’m sure is something many of us will experience only once in our lives.  Despite the -10°C temperatures and early start, it really was a great sight, with a brilliant vibe in town.

We then rushed back to start our Avalanche Safety Training and after an informative classroom lesson on Saturday we were let loose on the mountain on Sunday, all geared up with transceivers, shovels and probes.  The day was spent digging pits and looking at the layers of snow already there in the 2.5m base, burying people alive, probing and “whoomping” snow!


The weekend was rounded off by a “spag bol off “ between two of the houses… It was technically declared a draw on the night, but having spoken to most of the people since, I think it is pretty clear who the real winners were…

Well, Week 1 is over and most of us have survived (some with a little more help than others from Morphine and Ibuprofen)… Bring on Week 2!!!

Graham Miller

If you like the sound of our experiences in Fernie this winter and want to know more about instructor courses in Canada or New Zealand check out:

6-week Master the Mountain Programme Fernie

Instructor courses for skiers

Instructor courses for snowboarders

Interested in other resort diaries?  We have lots!  Here’s a few to start…

Red Mountain course diaries.

New Zealand course diaries.

Or perhapsa little tour around Fernie might interest you…

Fernie Resort and Town

via nonstopski.com

The 11-week ski instructor course is underway in Fernie, BC. The Canadian NONSTOP team were delighted to welcome the 104 guests to the mountain town of Fernie for 11-weeks of fun and instructor training in the Kootenay mountain range on Tuesday 19th January.

The mood was a mix of excitement, nerves, jet lag and jubilation as the group pulled up outside The Red Tree Lodge in Fernie, which will act as home for the winter season to many of the course participants. Having arrived in the evening after a long days travel from the UK, most of the guys hit the sack to begin the adjustment to Canadian mountain time.

Wednesday morning breakfast was the first time the entire group came together for their first sample of the excellent breakfast served up at the Redtree lodge and a welcome speech from NONSTOP hosts Dave Richards and Adam Guilfoyle. After filling their stomachs the group was split into smaller groups and given a guided tour of the town and the resort area up at Fernie ski hill. The mood was buoyant and excitable as the characters among the groups revealed themselves with light hearted banter to keep the guides on their toes.

Wednesday night was the official welcome dinner and everyone was in fine form, including the instructors who joined us for dinner to start to get to know the people they would be working with over the coming 11 weeks. The food was exceptional with the chefs using the occasion to show off their creative flare to the approval of all who attended.

Thursday morning came around and it was time to hit the slopes for the first time for many of the group this season. The organisation was seamless and all the groups were on the chairlift within minutes of arriving up at the hill. The nerves and a desire to impress was evident amongst the clients, as everyone was given a guided tour of the mountain to familiarise themselves with their new surroundings. I was lucky enough to meet up with Jonno Squires and his group in the afternoon for a few laps in one of my favorite of the five bowls in Fernie, Cedar Bowl. Jonno is an experienced NONSTOP instructor and has an intimate knowledge of the NONSTOP programme and ethos. His unique style of instruction combines classic one line sayings that I refer to as ‘Jonno-isms’ and technical explanations which get the mind and body working together. The afternoon was informative and lots of fun!

Day one was a low intensity cruise about in order to allow everyone to find their ski legs once again. As the day drew to an end it was all smiles and positive feedback for the instructors who had once again shown why they had been handpicked to teach the NONSTOP 11-week ski and snowboard instructor programme.

Thursday night was open mike night at The Brickhouse bar in Fernie town centre. Among the many great acts on show were two of NONSTOP’s own budding musicians, Jim Darlow (acoustic guitar) and Stephanie Oliver-Holmes (vocals). They were greeted warmly by the crowd and gave a great rendition of several classic and fan favourite songs- Well done Jim and Steph for putting together such a performance on such short notice!

Following the great night out at the Brickhouse, there were a few fragile people upon the 9:30am bus to the hill. However after they had digested another fantastic breakfast from the Redtree and the prospect of another great day on the hill had set in, all ill affects from the previous night’s antics dissipated and the groups hit the slopes for another excellent day of skiing and snowboarding. I had the privilege of skiing with a female instructor called Axelle from Grenoble in the morning and what a fun filled morning it turned out to be. We began the morning with a quick warm up lap followed by some boot skiing to work on stance and balance and then some penguin slides to work on……well, sliding like a penguin! It was superb fun and loved by all involved who ended up in a pile on the floor in fits of laughter!

My afternoon was spent skiing with another female instructor from Ontario called Camille. I thought my fun morning could not be matched but Camille rose to the occasion and provided excellent instruction and entertainment for the whole group. The group dynamic was excellent and everyone got on like a house on fire! Incredible to think they had only known each other for a matter of days! It was a real treat for me to ski with three different instructors in two days as I got to see first hand the different teaching styles of the NONSTOP instructors, which is so crucial to the diverse nature of the training provided to the course participants. The one thing all three instructors had in common was the evident in depth knowledge of skiing and ski teaching. Having chatted with some of the snowboard coaches and the guys in their groups, it is clear that they too are the top of their game.

Friday night was spent at the Royal Pub for my birthday celebrations. It was a great night and I got to meet many of the NONSTOPpers I had yet to speak to. The night was fun filled with pool, dancing, chatting and the occasional beverage……as you do! Thank you to everyone who made it out to help me celebrate the quarter century milestone!

So that rounds off a great first few days the participants of the Fernie 11-week ski and snowboard instructor course. The fun continues this week as the instructors will begin to step things up and start getting down to the business of making snow sports instructors! The Level 1 exams are the first challenge! Good luck everybody and have fun!

By Adam Hillier- NONSTOP Ski & Snowboard

11-Week Ski Instructor Course

11-Week Snowboard Instructor Course

Fernie Resort and Town

via nonstopski.com

A B-Grade snowboard is a snowboard that has a cosmetic or other blemish that does not adversely affect how the board rides. B-Grades come with the same manufacturers warranty as regular retail models. The B-Grade or Factory seconds are priced 20% Off the regular price, Buy yours now, because just like last year, all the great Mervin snowboards are selling out.

Lib Tech Travis Rice Pro Model BTX Pointy B-Grade

Lib Tech Skate Banana B-Grade

Lib Tech Skate Banana Narrow B-Grade

Lib Tech Skate Banana Wide B-Grade

Lib Tech Skunk Ape BTX B-Grade

Lib Tech 1986 Snow Mullet BTX B-Grade

Gnu Billy Goat C2 BTX B-Grade

Gnu Danny Kass Split Personality C2 BTX B-Grade

Gnu Women’s B-Nice BTX B-Grade

Gnu Youth Girl’s B-Pro Mini BTX B-Grade

Roxy Women’s Ollie Pop BTX B-Grade

via Shorelinesnowboards

Shoreline Of Tahoe, Lake Tahoe’s alternative ski & snowboard shop. Is so into the ski/snowboard scene that we buy new stock all year long, so we can offer new stock on sale during the season. This year we have made some great buys from, K2, Full Tilt, Mervin and Burton. Stop on by and save. The 20% off is good only in store, K2 Skis and Full Tilt Ski Boots are on sale online.

via Shorelinesnowboards

A new website has been launched in the US which concentrates on the key issue of climate change gas emissions caused by travel to ski resorts by skiers and boarders, which in most cases are far greater than the emissions in resort. The company behind energy snack CLIF BAR has developed the first guide in the US to “green travel” to and from ski resorts.

CLIF BAR’s new Save Our Snow (SOS) website, www.clifbarsos.com, helps skiers and snowboarders find local ski bus services, arrange ridesharing and learn winter driving tips to reduce their carbon emissions.

The new SOS website is part of CLIF BAR’s ongoing Save Our Snow program, which includes a free iPhone App that enables winter enthusiasts to learn what North America ski resorts are doing to combat global warming. The iPhone App also provides skiers and riders with up-to-the-minute snow conditions (download the free app from your iPhone, iTouch App Store or clifbar.com/sosiphone).

CLIF BARs, organic-certified energy bars, are made by athletes, many of whom themselves are winter sports enthusiasts. “Global warming is the most significant threat facing winter sports,” said Ricardo Balazs, sports marketing experience manager for Clif Bar and Company. “We want to help skiers and riders rethink how they reach the summit. We all can drive less, have more fun and help save the planet.”

Transportation accounts for nearly 30 percent of the US’s greenhouse gases-the leading cause of global warming-according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Winter enthusiasts alone make more than 57 million visits to U.S. ski resorts each season, reports the National Ski Areas Association. Taking a bus, says the U.S. Department of Energy, creates just half a pound of CO2 per passenger mile, compared with 590 pounds per passenger mile for the average car.

To locate a ski bus this winter, skiers and riders can simply enter their zip code on clifbarsos.com. They’ll see information about the nearest ski bus, the resort(s) it serves and a map directing them to the bus departure site.

The ski bus search tool has information on 35 ski bus companies serving more than 50 resorts in 12 states. The list includes shuttles from CLIF BAR, which is partnering with Greasebus to operate the nation’s most eco-friendly ski bus services this winter in three cities. Each Greasebus is fueled by waste vegetable oil from local restaurants:

Portland, OR: Runs daily throughout this winter season between Portland and Mount Hood Meadows ski resort. Debuted last winter as the nation’s first ski bus fueled by vegetable oil.

Vancouver, BC: Will serve Grouse Mountain in February during the Olympics, providing eco-conscious transport for area skiers, riders and Olympic spectators.

Seattle, WA: The Vancouver Greasebus will move to Seattle in March, offering shuttle service to and from Summit-at-Snoqualmie and Stevens Pass.

In partnership with Zimride, clifbarsos.com also helps winter enthusiasts find or offer car rides to others heading to ski resorts. Ride sharing helps reduce traffic and thus the overall climate impact of vehicles.

via Ski-Buzz