Val d’Isere Review

Ah Val d’Isere! I finally got the chance to ride on the magnificent mountains of the French Alps at Val d’Isere. It was beautiful weather all week long with blue bird skies and a golden sun. Despite having not snowed in the region for about 3 weeks, conditions were very good. Yeah, there were patches of ice here and there, but 90% of the terrain was covered with good snow that only got better as you soared in elevation. Starting at about 1850m, a few lifts and a mountain train will get you to a peak of 3650m! With a vast terrain to cover, you can easily spend a week here without getting bored. Off the mountain (or apres ski as they liked to call it), you could wander around the village and the street shops or you could walk into expensive shops and restaurants. For those on a budget, there were a few options, but if you’re going to Val d’Isere, it’ll be worthwhile to spend some money.

The only downside to the trip was the rather quiet night life. We went the first week of February, so that could be it, but for a world class resort like Val d’Isere, I had higher expectations. In any case, we had a great time there and we are definitely going back next year. And if you’re still wondering whether you should go, Val d’Isere gets two big thumbs up from us. We definitely recommend you visit the resort soon.

The ‘Apres Ski’ Activities

• There were plenty of restaurants to choose from with a variety of local French and ‘Alps’ cuisine.
• The party scene was alright with a few options to choose from, including some pubs and clubs.
• Karting and the BMW circuit were a fun surprise.
• For those who like to play online craps or poker, I’m sorry to inform you that we didn’t find any casinos or ‘underground’ gatherings for such activities.
• The Val d’Isere village committee organizes regular street shows and we managed to catch a couple of them during our 5 day stay at the Village. Needless to say, we participated in one of the street dances!

What We Loved

• Awesome and endless terrain – about 24,000 acres
• About 1900m of Vertical
• The snow parks
• The green learning zone
• Blue-bird skies, golden sun, and great conditions
• Very stretched out and well placed lift systems – we did not experience much crowding
• The food, the shops, and the apres-ski shows and beer spots

What We Didn’t Love So Much

• It’s a bit expensive
• Quiet night life (I think the prices are driving away the party animals

Lucky Enough Snowboarding Project

I got an email earlier this week from a young rider who is looking to spread the word about a project of his. Here’s a description of the video:

In the life of a child athlete on the verge of breaking into the professional circuit, there is a transitional career stage. This “coming of age” period separates those who will have a lasting career from those that don’t quite have what it takes. With the project we propose, we plan to document the next year of Seamus O’Connor’s snowboard career–his transitional period in the snowboard industry. This footage will be used to create a feature length documentary that captures the road he has to go down and the challenges he must overcome to attain the success he dreams of. Only time will determine the outcome in his career, so it’s an exciting project.

Check out the video below and click here to read more about his project: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/illthinking/lucky-enough

Recon-Zeal’s Transcend Shows Us The Future of Goggles

We’ve had our eye on Canadian-based Recon Instruments for a while now, especially when they announced that they would collaborate with Zeal Optics to enter the winter sports goggle market with a revolutionary product estimated for the end of this year. We are absolutely blown away by what they have come up with. Not only does the Recon-Zeal Transcend goggle completely transform the reason we cover our eyes while we ride, it ushers in a completely new era in snowboarding technology.

Let’s get down to the facts.

Features

• World’s only fully-capable GPS goggle.
• Real-time speed, latitude/longitude, altitude, vertical distance traveled, total distance traveled feedback.
• Chronograph/stopwatch mode for timing runs, clock, and run counter.
• Temperature sensor
• Accelerometer
• Gyroscope
• 3-Dimensional lens
• USB-capable
• $399 for SPX version, $499 for SPPX

How does the goggle display all this info?

This is the part we love. The lens has a built-in micro-LCD display that sits right below your right eye (yes, serious black ops stuff). When you put the goggle on all the information is displayed in a user-friendly dashboard that appears to hang six-feet in front of you. Glove-friendly buttons on the outside of the lens help you navigate the full-color display and user menus. One menu will show you stuff like your current speed and altitude, another one will show you your fastest run alongside a few other stats, and somewhere along the way you can punch a button to drop a location marker you can view later on a map.

Transcend's Built-In Micro-LCD Display

The Lens

There are currently two models for this line of goggles. The Transcend SPPX is fitted with a polarized photochromic lens. That’s right, this lens will get darker or brighter adaptively depending on sunlight conditions. The brighter it is, the higher the rate of activation of the photochromic pigment and the darker the lens will get. In low-light situations the lens becomes much clearer as the pigment remains deactivated. The Transcend SPX comes fitted with your standard high-end polarized lens without all the fancy photochromic features.

Software

Recon Instruments developed a special program for this product that you comes with the goggles. Using the Recon HQ application, you can plug the goggle into your system and upload all your data. The software will pull-up actual maps of the resort you just rode, layout all your tracks on it, and give you all your stats. You can connect to the Recon Instruments website and share your info with an online community that’s becoming increasingly popular. Recon has also talked about the possibility of a software development community for more apps that can potentially be accessed directly from the goggles.

Recon HQ Application

This is one product we definitely cannot wait to get our hands on for the 2010-2011 riding season. Products like these can definitely help a rider get the most out of the relatively short-lived action on the slopes. Besides, who doesn’t want to feel like a commando while shredding some pow?

Check out the official product page here.

Thank You Whistler!

Well I’ve spent the past week or so kicking off the season at Whistler Blackcomb and I just got back this morning. What an awesome start to the season this has been so far, so I really hope everyone else has had the chance to kick of theirs. I just wanted to post this to let you know (and serve as a self reminder) that I’ll be posting a few new posts this week including a full review on Lib Tech’s latest Travis Rice C2 Power Banana board (and I think many will be happy to hear the results).

In the meantime enjoy this video while I get some much needed rest in an actual bed (for a change).

5 Winter Exercises Outside the Gym

Winter is right around the corner, and for some that means the lost desire to work out. Some of us will be confined to our couches, snuggies, and hot cocoa, while others will still seek to find their adrenaline rush in the coldest of days.  Regardless of which bucket you belong to, below is a list of some exercise activities you can still do in the winter to keep yourself in shape.

Staying in shape, especially keeping your leg muscles and abdominal area in top condition is the best thing you can do before and during the winter season. Nothing is worse than having your legs fail on you halfway down a run.

Go Downhill skiing/snowboarding/sledding

Well this one was obvious. If you’re not snowboarding during the season on a regular basis, then we need to talk. If you have decided to go to a ski resort, that’s even better! 60 minutes of riding or skiing burns about 500 calories (slightly less or more if you weigh less or more than 150 lbs).

If you are a naturally fit individual, none of these activities should be too difficult for you. Snowboarding and skiing rely a lot on abdominal and leg strength, along with flexibility. If you want to tone up your abs and leg muscles before your trip do some exercises in your home gym. Check out these other exercises you can do to improve your new winter hobby in snowboarding and skiing (in addition to keeping in shape during the winter time)

Snowshoeing

Trekking through the depths of snow, works your leg muscles as well as gets your heart rate up. If you want to get a serious workout in, bring a partner along so you can motivate each other to keep a steady pace going (highly effective). A 30 minute hike is a great way to get your cardio in for the day.

Snow Shoeing doesn’t have to be an intense workout though, it can also be a great activity for a group of people; bring your friends or family along to check out the winter-y sites in your local park.

Go to your local parks and recreation center to see if there are trails around that you can rent snowshoes at.

Cross-Country Skiing

Cross Country skiing is one of the most demanding winter sports that anyone can do. Heck, it’s an Olympic sport! Whatever you put into your workout – no matter what it is – is what you are going to get out of it. If you want to train for a winter cross-country skiing race, all power to you. I am sure you can find these races all over the country. However, just like snowshoeing, cross-country skiing is also a great way to just get outside and venture out to your local parks and check out the scenery.

Run Outdoors

Now that it is the winter, going to the gym can be a hassle because all of the treadmills, or ellipticals will be taken up, so why not run outdoors. If you want to time yourself or run a certain distance, map out a path first with your car. If that’s not your cup of tea, just do a search on your smartphone’s application market for a number of cardio timing and tracking applications.

Find a nice area that you can run and be safe in. Big neighborhoods are always my personal choice. The elaborate houses decorated to the 9s with their seasonal cheer always put me in the winter spirit. Also, most of the time the roads and sidewalks will be shoveled, plowed and even salted for your running needs. You should aim to do 20-30 minutes. Also make sure you are dressed to stay warm.

If you don’t want to run through the neighborhoods, go on your town’s main roads or “over the river and thru the woods.” I’m sure the path to grandmas house is always a nice journey!

Shoveling

It is a necessary evil. Do you realize how much shoveling can help tone your body? Please use your legs! Don’t just use your upper body and back. If you shovel incorrectly (just like if you are at the gym and throwing up 500 pound weights to show the 95 pound teenage boy next to you how it’s done) there is a high percent that you will throw out your back! And then in that case, you really won’t be able to stay in shape for the rest of the winter season and will be stuck on the couch in your snuggie drinking hot cocoa and baileys just like the rest of us lazy humans out there.

Shoveling is also a great way to get on your neighbors good side, and will make you feel good about helping those around you, especially during the holiday season.

I cannot stress enough the importance of careful exercising, warming up, and stretching before a workout. And as always, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to ask in the comments section of this post.