snowboarding!!

**tension** · 28-10-2011, 12:38 PM

We've arrived in Nelson BC, still at least 3 weeks until the snow flies here so a bit early but getting stuck into job and house hunting for now, halloween this weekend. If anyone happens to have any hookups let me know!

Bought a 2011 Elan Answer board and some 2012 northwave boots. Hanging to get some of the famous kootenay champagne powder, hurry up!

**Birt** · 28-10-2011, 01:22 PM

Just picked up these last weekend, now need to score some bindings.

**d-vo** · 28-10-2011, 06:18 PM

We have a big sale on the 5th of Nov @ osborne pk mainpeak. We just got over 50 2011 boards from Burton at 50% off which is pretty sweet. Also a bunch of bindings and boots and outerwear. Get on it

**Birt** · 21-11-2011, 10:56 AM

The trigger has been pulled on these bad boys!

Looking forward to using them!

**tension** · 03-12-2011, 12:57 PM

just picked up our season passes. lifts open tomorrow, 2m base already, 3 months of solid boarding ahead. good times!

miss_p* · 07-01-2012, 03:51 PM

Got some lovely tree branch scratches on my face today, finally a great day on the hill, not followed by work!

miss_p* · 07-01-2012, 03:57 PM

Originally Posted by tension

Anyone ever spent time in Nelson BC for the winter?

Pretty sure James Gifford and Blue have done a winter in Nelson

**d-vo** · 07-01-2012, 06:32 PM

Looks like I'm off to Colorado in march. Little excited.

**Birt** · 07-01-2012, 07:23 PM

Originally Posted by d-vo

Looks like I'm off to Colorado in march. Little excited.

Where are you headed and for how long?

They haven't had much snow on the West Coast this season, I am happy that I missed out on it, most of my friends are miserable. When I get over to the east coast this week at least I have a small base to play with. However being the East Coast it is smaller, mountains and wetter snow meaning ice.

However to avoid said ice I believe we are looking to book a trip to Argentina for a week or so in July to make the most of their resorts.

Suffice to say, I can't wait!

**tigeryas** · 07-01-2012, 10:47 PM

Niseko in March. Should be epic. Booking our Skymark flights now

**Yossarian** · 08-01-2012, 01:32 AM

Originally Posted by Birt

They haven't had much snow on the West Coast this season, I am happy that I missed out on it, most of my friends are miserable. When I get over to the east coast this week at least I have a small base to play with. However being the East Coast it is smaller, mountains and wetter snow meaning ice.

From what i've heard it's been pretty bi-polar, or are you talking west coast US? It seems BC is doing alright, the Kootenays and surrounds have been absolutely shat on so far. Big White has a pretty average base, with Whistler being on/off.

**Birt** · 08-01-2012, 09:05 AM

Originally Posted by Yossarian

From what i've heard it's been pretty bi-polar, or are you talking west coast US? It seems BC is doing alright, the Kootenays and surrounds have been absolutely shat on so far. Big White has a pretty average base, with Whistler being on/off.

West Coast, Tahoe in particular although I hear the same for Utah and Denver wasn't looking good before I left, fingers crossed the powder monkeys start to blow over now and it is a longer spring season.

**splinter** · 08-01-2012, 11:55 AM

Originally Posted by miss_p*

Pretty sure James Gifford and Blue have done a winter in Nelson

I wish! We were in Jasper, Alberta and blue did a season at Big White. Marmot Basin is pretty cool but it's a hell of a long way from anywhere, and it doesn't get the reliably good snow that many of the hills closer to the coast get.

**Yossarian** · 08-01-2012, 12:04 PM

Originally Posted by Birt

West Coast, Tahoe in particular although I hear the same for Utah and Denver wasn't looking good before I left, fingers crossed the powder monkeys start to blow over now and it is a longer spring season.

Need to get up north mate. This year is a La Nina cycle AFAIK, the real benefit of that is a heap more snow throughout BC, specifically lower BC. Looks like Cali and Colorado actually cop reduced precipitation patterns...

http://ggweather.com/enso/calenso.htm

http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/product...aninasfc.shtml

**Birt** · 08-01-2012, 05:31 PM

Originally Posted by Yossarian

Need to get up north mate. This year is a La Nina cycle AFAIK, the real benefit of that is a heap more snow throughout BC, specifically lower BC. Looks like Cali and Colorado actually cop reduced precipitation patterns...

http://ggweather.com/enso/calenso.htm

http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/product...aninasfc.shtml

It is, however originally I understand it was to be a good expected season on the west coast, however an air pressure system has pushed the snow north to BC. However I am not sad about missing out on a Tahoe season as I am going to be boarding on the icey East Coast instead with a mid year trip to South America for some boarding.

**d-vo** · 08-01-2012, 05:58 PM

It's barely January people. The snow will come

**smoka** · 09-01-2012, 12:47 AM

west coast US will be horrid all winter, a la nina system this winter.

I just pulled the plug on next weekends aspen visit, 36cm base can suck a dick

have pulled some strings for a freaky deaky little alaska adventure in march - guess ill have to wait for epicness then..

**Yossarian** · 09-01-2012, 02:39 AM

Originally Posted by smoka

west coast US will be horrid all winter, a la nina system this winter.

I just pulled the plug on next weekends aspen visit, 36cm base can suck a dick

have pulled some strings for a freaky deaky little alaska adventure in march - guess ill have to wait for epicness then..

Alyeska? Unfortunately jewtube has no evidence of it but the alyeska section of this film has possibly the best use of music to tricks I have seen. Even if it is for filthy skiiers.

miss_p* · 09-01-2012, 02:40 AM

Smoka, it was a La Nina system last year and it was the 2nd snowiest season in Whis. We were still skiing when the bike park opened. They had to dig it out.
Its predicted that it will be a warm start with colder weather later on this season. It does change quite a bit up here in Canada with the weather pattern coming from Hawaii, the snow is ok mid way but great up top.

**disintegration** · 10-01-2012, 11:13 AM

Nelsons been good, fresh powder pretty much every day, with a solid base (last time I checked it was ~170cm. Have heard big white has been the same, with a heavy downpour last weekend.

Heading to Vancouver tomorrow, any good hills beside whistralia I should check out?

miss_p* · 12-01-2012, 08:21 AM

Disintergration, I would check out Red Mountain. Its on my 'to do' but I've not been yet.
We are not expecting any snow until Sat/Sun which unfortunately will be when all the Yanks are here for Martin Luther King weekend.
We have been getting blue skies, so its great for photo or park sessions.
Took some freshies up 7th on Blackcomb yesterday

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**Haile Selassie** · 12-01-2012, 08:36 AM

why do i check this thread?

jealous

**David** · 12-01-2012, 08:41 AM

I have decided to hit the snow next season over east. I have never done it before so i thought airline ticket price and travel time wise I'd try it on the east coast first to see if I even like it.

Where are the best places to go over east for a beginner?

**Orestes** · 12-01-2012, 08:45 AM

I've got my season pass sorted for this year WOOHOO!
We've also had a really wet Summer (wettest and coldest in 50 years) so the prediction is for a good snow season.
Can't wait! Regular weekend trips to Perisher YAY!!!

**tigeryas** · 12-01-2012, 09:42 AM

Originally Posted by David

I have decided to hit the snow next season over east. I have never done it before so i thought airline ticket price and travel time wise I'd try it on the east coast first to see if I even like it.

Where are the best places to go over east for a beginner?

Went to Perisher for the first time in Sept 2011. Ridiculously massive to the point where we almost got lost getting back to base. Caters for all grades. Goes without saying but try to hit up some weekday snow and avoid the weekends.

**Orestes** · 12-01-2012, 10:03 AM

I agree re: Perisher.
Blue Cow was my favourite area to learn. The snow was less icy than Front Valley and less people. Lessons aren't too badly priced either and are a lot of fun

- It's also way more fun when everyone around you is falling on their ass and not just you.

I recommend staying in Jindabyne or at the Station (the station is pretty cool. There's always bands and DJs playing there.) Takes 5 minutes to drive to the tube and staying on the mountain is EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE. I prefer driving up to Front Valley rather than catching the tube as it's warmer, less squashy and with a couple of people it's way cheaper to pick up a national park pass (also, they don't check your tickets between Front Valley and Blue Cow, so no need for a tube ticket).

Food is ridiculously priced on the mountains so I suggest packing a lunch and snacks. In saying this you MUST try this hot chocolate (seriously, look at how happy it made me!):

If you want to buy gear (jacket, pants etc.) go to www.dogfunk.com
Buying gear in Australia is twice the price and America will be having their sales soon

Hope that helps!

**splinter** · 12-01-2012, 10:21 AM

Originally Posted by miss_p*

Disintergration, I would check out Red Mountain. Its on my 'to do' but I've not been yet.
We are not expecting any snow until Sat/Sun which unfortunately will be when all the Yanks are here for Martin Luther King weekend.
We have been getting blue skies, so its great for photo or park sessions.
Took some freshies up 7th on Blackcomb yesterday

I'm glad you didn't get put off by your initial boarding experiences

**David** · 12-01-2012, 11:04 AM

Very helpful thankyou.

**Yossarian** · 12-01-2012, 11:57 AM

Originally Posted by David

I have decided to hit the snow next season over east. I have never done it before so i thought airline ticket price and travel time wise I'd try it on the east coast first to see if I even like it.

Where are the best places to go over east for a beginner?

I would have to agree with Perisher being the best for beginners. If you go to Victoria though I would recommend Falls, Hotham has a lack of good long green runs and Buller is too crowded.

**tigeryas** · 12-01-2012, 12:49 PM

Btw if you're a novice you may have a bit of trouble with the T-bars. I stacked it a good 5-6 times in the first couple of days, got better as the week progressed.

http://www.torpedo7.com.au/division/snow/home.do is pretty good for some cheap gear.

**Orestes** · 12-01-2012, 12:56 PM

Yeah i fucked myself on the T-bar. I caught an edge, the board flipped 180, I just fell forward on my knees causing my foot to face the wrong way and I was stuck like that until my boyfriend came to help me as I couldn't get my boot out or flip my board around.
So, so painful. I also have cracks in my 2 front teeth :\

**Yossarian** · 12-01-2012, 01:19 PM

Haha oh t-bars. At least they are better than Poma's eh (for boarders that is). I used to love Big White's t-bar... 1.8km of joy.

**Orestes** · 12-01-2012, 01:42 PM

haha I was having enough problems not stacking it coming off the chair! NEK MINUT sore bum

**d-vo** · 12-01-2012, 03:13 PM

Originally Posted by David

I have decided to hit the snow next season over east. I have never done it before so i thought airline ticket price and travel time wise I'd try it on the east coast first to see if I even like it.Where are the best places to go over east for a beginner?

My opinion. Skip over east. Highest lift ticket prices in the world not to mention lack of real snow. Food and accommodation is an absolute joke how pricey it is. BUT saying that if you have some extra dollars !nd you're going with a few buddies you'll have a good time regardless. Ny tip would be NZ then save big for the northern hemi season.

**David** · 12-01-2012, 05:39 PM

Originally Posted by d-vo

My opinion. Skip over east. Highest lift ticket prices in the world not to mention lack of real snow. Food and accommodation is an absolute joke how pricey it is. BUT saying that if you have some extra dollars !nd you're going with a few buddies you'll have a good time regardless. Ny tip would be NZ then save big for the northern hemi season.

so flights to new zealand plus passes and accomodation would be cheaper than doing it in aus?

**Yossarian** · 12-01-2012, 05:53 PM

Originally Posted by David

so flights to new zealand plus passes and accomodation would be cheaper than doing it in aus?

If you jump on some of the sales by jetstar and the like, and factor in the costs of rentals and lift tickets, then yes it can be.

**dart** · 12-01-2012, 06:30 PM

Originally Posted by d-vo

My opinion. Skip over east. Highest lift ticket prices in the world not to mention lack of real snow. Food and accommodation is an absolute joke how pricey it is. BUT saying that if you have some extra dollars !nd you're going with a few buddies you'll have a good time regardless. Ny tip would be NZ then save big for the northern hemi season.

x 1 million

go to japan, hokkaido has had 11m of snow this year so far.

VIC/NSW is lucky to get 1.

cost of going to japan compared to heading east (from perth) would be similar when you factor in everything.

only thing is if you go to VIC/NSW and you decide you don't like snowboarding, then you're stuck in VIC/NSW.

if you head to japan and you decide you're not into it, it would be pretty easy just to switch up and then in 4 hours be somewhere like tokyo, kyoto or somewhere like that that is maybe a bit more interesting than Albury-Wodonga.

but if you go to japan and go snowboarding, there's no chance you're not going ot like it.

especially as a beginner, because you'll have a lot more snow to cushion the impact.

**dart** · 12-01-2012, 06:33 PM

i'm going to stop reading this thread.

not going snowboarding this year, making me depressed.

**David** · 12-01-2012, 06:48 PM

Cheers for the feedback. Some great points raised. Ill hop on the nest this weekend and check out nz and japan.

**Yossarian** · 12-01-2012, 07:02 PM

Yeah true dart, my japan trip is costing roughly the same amount as over east would. Flights are probably 200 more, plus travel insurance as an additional, but lift ticket and accom offsets that.

**d-vo** · 12-01-2012, 11:06 PM

Originally Posted by Yossarian

Yeah true dart, my japan trip is costing roughly the same amount as over east would. Flights are probably 200 more, plus travel insurance as an additional, but lift ticket and accom offsets that.

really? where are you going/staying??? i spend about half as much as i would in japan as going over east??

**Yossarian** · 12-01-2012, 11:40 PM

Originally Posted by d-vo

really? where are you going/staying??? i spend about half as much as i would in japan as going over east??

Furano, just in one of the random pensions. Well the flights were comparatively more expensive, about 770ea return vs ~500 for over east, plus the return skymark flight from Tokyo to Sapporo, plus aforementioned insurance all equates to about 600 more before I take into account accom and passes. After which it ends up about even for a week. I imagine food n drink will be a bit cheaper, so yeah it probably is a bit cheaper overall.

**BLEGH!** · 13-01-2012, 12:08 AM

hey snow peeps, my bro is heading to Japland in 4 weeks and is still looking at travel insurance - particularly to cover his snowboarding trip. Any insurance recommendations specific to snowboarding/ skiing? Phanx

miss_p* · 13-01-2012, 05:00 AM

World Nomads are really easy to deal with, and are inexpensive considering they cover outdoor activities like sb.

miss_p* · 13-01-2012, 05:07 AM

Originally Posted by splinter

I'm glad you didn't get put off by your initial boarding experiences

No I am doing my 3rd season and was not put off after my first season; one broken coccyx and one drunken (rather large superbowl sunday) busted acl and meniscus (didnt bother seeing a doc, just rested and after 4.5 weeks it got better)

I love taking newbies to places that they are too scared to go on their own.
There are still a shit ton of backcountry and hikes I have not done myself because I don't know the way and its too sketch to do it alone. I love it though, I know I always have a new place to look forward to.

**disintegration** · 13-01-2012, 10:01 AM

Originally Posted by miss_p*

Disintergration, I would check out Red Mountain. Its on my 'to do' but I've not been yet.We are not expecting any snow until Sat/Sun which unfortunately will be when all the Yanks are here for Martin Luther King weekend.We have been getting blue skies, so its great for photo or park sessions.Took some freshies up 7th on Blackcomb yesterday]

CheersRunning out of money and time so it will have to wait til next time, by then I'll hopefully have own my own skiis and not pay extraordinary prices for rental. Looks good though! Powder is so addictive, only started just before Xmas and wanting to go up more and more.

**Orestes** · 13-01-2012, 10:10 AM

I was pretty lucky and managed to score a season ticket for Perisher for $699 (normally $1500) and as my boyfriend's dad lives in Canberra, we can do regular day trips there and not have to worry about accommodation.

**disintegration** · 13-01-2012, 10:46 AM

Also thankful for info on australian ski hills.Where's best to go in NZ, north/south?Orestes-Fuck that's a good deal!

**~Msv~** · 13-01-2012, 10:49 AM

Originally Posted by disintegration

Also thankful for info on australian ski hills.Where's best to go in NZ, north/south?Orestes-Fuck that's a good deal!

South. hands down.

**Orestes** · 13-01-2012, 10:55 AM

Originally Posted by disintegration

Orestes-Fuck that's a good deal!

Tell me about it! Perisher had the promo in October I think. $699 season passes, pay $200 now, pay the balance in May!

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