In my experience Canadians will often ask if you mind if they light up on a chair lift and will usually offer to share their ‘chair-lift-cigar’! ;-)

Smoking in the ‘lift-lines’ isn’t tolerated though …

As a result, they’ve put a ‘wall’ in I guess to stop super fast Gee Atherton lookalikes like the chap in that video up there

lol! ;-)

Yeah – I’d noticed the ‘re-route’ and signs to by-pass the raised boardwalk section.

I haven’t ridden that route since the start of the monsoon season, but thought I’d mention it as it might ‘surprise’ anyone on a night ride or similar …

In *slightly* related news, I noticed whilst out running last week that a route fairly local to Pook (that featured in one of his videos):

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/a-dull-video-of-me-riding-down-a-hill-slowly

has received the attention of the local ‘friends of the cemetery’ once more!

Take care if dropping in blind chaps, as some logs and stones have been placed across the trail again …

You must have a good riding buddy stevomcd – someone who was prepared to stop and take the shot instead scoring the fresh tracks! :-)

Nothing quite like the feeling of riding a steep pitch and being able to run your fingers through the snow is there? 8)

Just looking at that picture is making me ‘ache’ to get back on the snow!

@stevomcd – that’s a stunning photograph for sure! ;-) lovely composition!

Is that you riding or behind the lens?

Doesn’t that leave you with batman-neck?

lol GrahamS – very good! :-)

Depends really on the relative size of your hood and your helmet and how tight you like to cinch it up ;-) … make of that what you will!

Yup! +1 for a helmet compatible jacket with hood.

I’ve not needed it that often, but when I have I’ve really appreciated it (including being stuck on a chilly chairlift in strong winds for >45 mins … I did get a voucher though from RCR, which covered beer & nachos! 8-))

2010-2011 actually came out as quite a “safe” year in terms of number of deaths in the end. I remember it as being really bad because of a number of widely-reported accidents in my local area where several people were killed in single avalanche incidents

Great post & very interesting stevomcd … is it possible that 2010/12 season is subject to the same phenomenon as the Everest Disaster in 1996? i.e. although the loss of life in particular incidents was disturbingly high, the overall (possibly subjectively calculated) fatality rate percentage was low making it a relatively ‘safe’ year …

Nice ‘rooster’ stevomcd! ;-)

Malamutes, ME, Rab, Noronna, much happier

Malamutes are great aren’t they? (if you have the right/wrong shaped feet that is – although i did have to cut out the internal ‘cinch’ buckle/loop, as it caused foot pain when my bindings were cranked up tight)

Over the years my trials & errors in clothing & kit has resulted in:

Arc’teryx, Rab, Sweet Protection, TNF & Howies merinos (8 yrs old and still rockin’) … i.e. a GORETEX shell outershell with requisite layers.

Alpine/Mountaineering stuff seems to work well without the bulk of many ‘snow sport’ specific clothing – especially when hiking/touring. Watching ski sunday the other week, I couldn’t help but notice that the lovely Jenny Jones had to strap her huge bulky snowboard jacket to the outside of her rucksack when spliting in NZ …

Westbeach was one of the brands whose kit just fell apart for me – you were clearly luckier in your choice:

During a particular cold spell (-20 celsius) in BC I was acute aware of ‘Stephen & the Twins’ retreating inside my body every time I picked up a bit of speed on the board – felt like I’d left my flies wide open … turned out the stitching in the trouser/crotch dept had ripped leaving a large hole in the ‘tinter’ vicinity. :oops: I would often spend the evenings sewing each new hole back up and covering with ‘duct tape’ …!

@ GrahamS – I’d be very dissapointed if I’d received that level of poor response from Snow & Rock – I’m kindof surprised as I’d always had good service from the Sheffield shop (before it burnt down).

But I gave up with most snowboard ‘specific’ clothing years ago. As I was buying a new jacket etc almost every year! :-(

The majority of snowboard clothing is the epitome of ‘style over substance’ unfortunately with most items being too warm/padded/bulky but with insufficient weather proofing – leaving you damp & chilly, and some stuff just fell apart :-(

@jambalaya – yes, I was very aware of that.

I thought the program was pretty good on the whole: it thankfully managed to avoid the over-dramatic style all to common with these kind of ‘freak weather’ programs whilst still being poignant, moving & informative.

wow – that’s some pretty comprehensive reading material you’ve got lined up there GrahamS.

I look forward to a review! ;-)

Tonight BBC4 21:00 looks like it might be worth a look:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03l5lvh

[btw – I’m guessing the CASI question is directed at the first part of the video with the ‘Youth Gone Wild’ soundtrack rather than the Nico ‘Jazz Fags’ Müller soul-riding part…]

grum, thank you for that! Not laughed so much at a ski/snow film since G.N.A.R.!

So much, funny, inventive, jaw-dropping stuff in there.

Parenthetically, CASI posted that same video on their FB page with the question: “Does this help or hurt snowboarding as a whole?…Discuss.”

Personally I thought it was exactly as others have said i.e. funny, creative and hugely entertaining, but sadly, I can see why it might fuel the ‘haterz’ argument about snowboard ‘punks’ …

if you can put your happy face on and get your shred on, you’ll have a good time.

Exactly nedrapier! :-) Well said – kindof like Rudyard Kipling’s poem ‘If’ … but with a waxed-base … ;-)

@GrahamS – btw – sterling exchange rate with Canadian dollar is looking favourable at the moment … you might only have to sell a body part rather than a whole child! ;-)

I always found Italy a good place to start skiing

Same here – my 2nd & 3rd snowboard trips were to La Thuile. Friendly, great food & coffee, and no real lift queues to speak of …

Fernie on the other hand, a gang of us went for 2 weeks (had been before though when it was chucking it down) and not a flake of snow for 2 weeks.

Yeah – I spent a couple of months in Fernie a few years ago in amazing conditions and kept sending emails home about how much snow there was … when my partner came out and joined me for two weeks it barely snowed – she was a little disappointed to say the least!

great photos btw grum! :-)

[you] only need to sell one child to afford it

Not really – it depends how many are in your group and whether you are paying for a guide as well. Heli skiing in Italy for example, could be as low as 200 euros each for one drop to 700 euro for 2 drops inc guide etc

… so for the sale of one child you’d get a couple of drops at least wouldn’t you? ;-)

I did a cat day with Fernie Wilderness Adventures and I thought it was $hite. Their terrain is too flat. Check out Island Lake or Powder Cowboy instead.

For sure Island Lake has access to some longer & steeper vertical, but both areas top out at about 2100m from memory.

Island Lake caters mainly for Multi-day trips and is a bit more spendy as it includes food & [posh] accommodation (single day cat-skiing is available only early or late season)

Fernie Wilderness Adventures 1 day cat-skiing: $450
Island Lake e.g. 2 days in March (inc Food & posh accommodation): $1900

I guess there’s always a risk booking a premium trip like this that the runs you get to do may be dictated by current conditions; what areas have already been ‘farmed’ since the last dump; and the skill level of the group! … a buddy did a trip to Baldface Lodge (as seen in countless Absinthe films – Travis Rice was actually staying there at the same time) but he was disappointment with the cat-skiing provided to the public group as the skill level was pitched at the less experienced of the mixed public group.

Shame you didn’t enjoy your day Stevomcd. What did you think of Fernie though?

You’re only 40 once GrahamS … ;-) The advantage of cat-skiing as I’m sure you know is unlike heli-skiing, you are not at the mercy of the weather and so much less likely to get a down day!

In which case GrahamS, the Black Diamond pack looks like quite a sweet deal – as you say, plastic shovels are often a bit useless.

The Dakine Heli bags are mid-size and can carry a board vertically but looks like you’d be rattling your head and heels off it as you walked

The Dakine Heli bags were part of my [bruised] painful experience. I’m usually a big fan of Dakine kit (scarily I have matching Dakine snowboard bag, luggage and pencil case … go figure! ;-) ), but the Heli Pro etc just aren’t practical for anything more than really short hikes – and the sheer number of straps & buckles etc beggars belief!

Gagging to go back to Canada. 40 next year and would love to have my first go at Cat Skiing (well snowboarding) to celebrate

As I think I’ve mentioned before, my day with ‘Fernie Wilderness Adventures’ cat-skiing was one of my top 10 days on the snow.

Hoping to get back to Fernie for an extended trip again next season, but it sounds like they are having another bumper season again!!

@GrahamS – the Black Diamond looks pretty reasonable I guess.

The shovel & probe will be decent enough. (I’ve got the same shovel – it’s light(ish) deploys quick and doesn’t flex under load like many plastic shovels)

However, there are other packages/bundles available though – as I’m sure you’ve seen and you might find a good bundle that includes a beacon. (which I would put above the ‘AvaLung’ in terms of priority)

If you really get the Backcountry bug you can buy an AvaLung separately later on.

The bag certainly won’t be up to board carrying. In my (painful & expensive) experience, only bags > 25l capacity will have the ‘stiffness’ to support a large board for any serious hiking without it flapping and wobbling all over the place (either horizontally or vertical)

Also worth trying to avoid any bags that attach bits of shovel etc on the outside of the bag, as they have a tendency to get ripped off in a fall/interface with tree/chair-lift type situation!

& +1 for Oakley warranty! ;-)

@nedrapier – loving the top photo – was the severed torso effect intentional? ;-)

@NZCol – sobering & very interesting! Thanks for sharing!

Is your concern from the steeper angles above it?

lol – don’t worry GrahamS – I don’t think for one minute you are being argumentative.

I’m not at all familiar with the Serre Che area in question but I’m guessing that the photo flattens things out a bit – it certainly looked steeper in the Webcam that CFH posted earlier.

Certainly avalanche risk is much lower below the mid-twenties, but then how often do you have an inclinometer? And yes – the steep angled slopes could certainly effect the area – especially if environmental factors like wind loading or the sun came into play. Isn’t this the slope where the tragedy occured in Serre Che last month? :-(

Just to be clear GrahamS – there were no fatalities on my NONSTOP course. However, as part of it we did a really good couple of days with the ‘Canadian Avalanche Association’ – they gave us details of recent avalanche scenarios to analyse & discuss which was really interesting – what was sobering was how many there were in the Kootenay mountains alone!

Without wishing to sound too gloomy & morbid this avalanche happened just before I went to the Lyngen Alps in Norway 2012 – many of those caught were very experienced showing that even with experience you can be caught in the wrong place at the wrong time …

http://pistehors.com/news/forums/viewthread/1216/%5B/url%5D

hard to tell from the photo but doesn’t look steep enough to be a serious avi risk

“If it’s steep enough to ride … it’s steep enough to slide …”

that looks comparatively safe terrain and is the kind of piste-side area I often find myself riding in without much knowledge

And you probably wouldn’t be on your own GrahamS!

I reckon I’m probably quite risk averse, especially when it comes to avalance terrain:

The tragic death of Keith McIntosh in 2009 who I knew through Neil McNab; witnessing an avalanche fatality in Italy on what I would have previously considered safe terrain and the sheer number of avalanche fatalities in British Columbia when I did my NONSTOP course all led to an increasing awareness and respect for the mountains.

These events haven’t stopped me from enjoying the backcountry at all – far from it, but have hopefully increasing lead to more informed decisions.

Yeah, being honest, I’d definitely hit that without gear

with or without avalanche rescue gear there’s a couple of things worth considering before you droped into a slope like that …

Assuming that knowlege of current avalanche risk, temp changes, wind loading etc is a given I’d also want to pick my line taking into account any existing ‘ski-cutting’ which may have dispersed pressure in the snowpack; possible fall line/avalance paths and make a mental note of convex areas; terrain traps and escape routes.

If you don’t fancy a course I can recommend the book staying alive in avalanche terrain:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Staying-Alive-Avalanche-Terrain-Ski-mountaineers/dp/1898573751

Coincidently I’ve just this minute had an email from those lovely people at Facewest (where I bought my Ortovox 3+) regarding upgrades for S1 & 3+ …

You can send your beacons to them for an upgrade …

Noble Custom are the Uk distributors for Ortovox … not sure if they can do a firmware upgrade, but they might be worth contacting in the first instance.

http://www.noblecustom.co.uk/%5B/url%5D

I was just going to swing by Zero G in Chamonix when I’m out there in March …

Looks like there is a 2.1 version of the 3+ software now.

Thanks GrahamS! :-)

there was a recent recall on some of the Ortovox 3+ transceivers

From memory I seem to think there was a firmware update for 3+ beacons in 2011 … I’ll try and dig out the info, but I’m fairly certain that when I checked mine (purchased in 2011) it was using the latest version … probably worth checking again anyway.

@GrahamS – whilst I agree that the behaviour exhibited by the 3+ in the Facewest video is cause for concern (or least worth taking stock of), did you see some of the other comments regarding it?

In particular the comments from Ortovox themselves?

http://www.wildsnow.com/4127/ortovox-3-plus-review/%5B/url%5D

<snip>

I also reviewed the search on facewest.co.uk and my overall opinion is that the beacon worked as designed with one “flutter” at five (5) meters. The searcher completely stopped rather than continuing the search. The processor in any beacon needs information in order to perform calculations; this is accomplished by MOVING! Movement to adjust direction should be deliberate and ONLY enough to get the center arrow to turn “on”.

When I was researching beacons to replace my old F1, I tried to take as many reviews etc into consideration, but in the end my conclusion was that for any given price point, the key factor was [as others have also mentioned] that whatever beacon you buy, the chances of a successful search will be probably be more due to familiarity with your model and the only way to get that is by practice – until it becomes second nature.

Understanding the flux lines and how they might impact the signal(s) you receive [in your particular model] in addition to practicing multiple search scenarios should give the confidence required – so it helps if you’ve got access to additional beacons so you can practice (although a number of resorts now have ‘Arvaparks’)

+1 for the Ortovox 3+ … a great piece of kit. I’ve used the [old ‘workhorse’ analogue] F1 for years and the Ortovox 3+ is miles ahead especially when it comes to multiple burials.

I’ve ridden with guides quite a few times, usually there’s some beacon practice, only once been told about shovelling techniques. That was on a longer trip, though, so time will be a factor. And it was in Canada, where the I think the guiding fraternity have had more focus on this subject

I’ve had a very similar experience Nedrapier … infact most beacon practice comprises a beacon in a bag buried slightly below the surface, however when we did some practice at the Ptarmigan/Boulder Hut on the NONSTOP course the guides buried a bag about 1 meter deep … not only did this throw us off when searching but the effort required to dig was immense – even when organised into relays … it was a real eye opener and valuable experience for sure!

Digby, sounds like you need to drive

Driving is certainly looking like the favourite at the moment, but I’m just weighing up the alternatives!

planning a trip back to the Lyngen Alps trip in late April/May. email in profile if you might be interested

That’s incredibly generous of you Nedrapier, to invite me along! :P Very much appreciated, and it’s an amazing part of the world, but it looks like this year is going to be relatively slim pickings snowboard wise.

Hopefully if work/contracts are fruitful this year I’m aiming to have one more ‘big season’ next winter whilst I’m, still old/fit enough to enjoy it. Fernie will no doubt feature, plus a few more on the wish list! 8)

Can you not double or triple bag boards like you can with skis?

I can get bag + 2x boards & 2x bindings and 1 pair of boots < 20kg, but I need to take three boards plus backcountry gear which weighs in about 28kg

It can really add up if you have to make connecting flights

I was lucky when I flew with BA from Heathrow -> Oslo -> Tromso they only charged me for once in each direction, but yeah … some of the other ‘low cost’ airlines are proper spendy when it comes to sporting equipment …

‘Deliver to the Alps’ website quotes £80 return for one snowboard bag up to 30Kg

I need to transport 3 x snowboards plus backcountry gear which would mean having to check in 2 x snowboard bags with the likes of Jet2 as they have a 20kg per bag limit (£25 each way per bag would mean £25x4x2=£200) so from a financial perspective using a courier is looking good, but I keen to know of anyone’s experience with this type of service.

@spin- yeah I take your point, but I’m planning to be in the alps in advance so that I can take delivery