World Snowboard Day 2010

It’s about time that the masses can say: the season’s around the corner and I can’t wait!. I don’t know how many of you find yourselves shuffling in your snowboard around your apartment during the off-season, but I’m certainly guilty of it. So when the season is literally around the corner, I can’t help it when I start obsessing about every little thing that I want to do this season.

One of those things is the World Snowboard Day which is taking place on December 19 2010. So far they have 26 events in 13 countries so be sure to check out the one in your area. If there isn’t one, then may I suggest you plan one yourself. Just like every year since its inception in 2006, the world’s snowboarding community will come together on Sunday, December 19 for one big day of madness. Snowboarding federations, schools, clubs, shops, resorts and even riders will have the chance to put together a day that will offer numerous free activities to seasoned riders and beginners alike. These activities will include product testing and demos, contests, pro rider signings, parties, concerts, and environmental awareness (no tribute would be complete without some kind of environmental agenda).

Last year, 139 events were organized around the world and when you compare that to the 4 that took place in 2006, it’s obvious that this day delivers. More information will be made available on the website but in the meantime you should watch the trailer of this year’s edition on www.world-snowboard-day.com.

Ellis Eecco Rocker 2011 Snowboard Review

2011 Ellis Eecco 153

So, we hooked up with the guys from Ellis Snowboards in Vail for an epic day of riding and trying out some of the innovative products they have in store for 2011. Ellis is a small shop operating out of Social that’s dedicated to putting some of the newest tech out there into their handmade, ride-or-die boards. I had a chance to try out their awesome environmentally-friendly Eecco Rocker prototype.

What: 2011 Ellis Eecco, $389.99

Where & When: Vail, Colorado, USA – February 2010

Conditions: Partly cloudy day, mild temperatures. Snow conditions varied from hard pack/packed powder to fluffy goodness and groomed runs.

Setup: 2011 Ellis Lithium Bindings, 2010 Burton Ion Boots

Technology Worth Mentioning

• Twin shape: This board is symmetrical in shape for easy switch riding.
• Full Rocker: The Eecco’s rocker runs from the center of the board between the bindings and extends all the way to the tips.
• Tri-Comb Core: The board features an innovative honeycomb-like core made through a combination of three kinds of wood; bamboo, poplar, and a combination of bamboo and poplar called X-wood.
• Bi-Axle Basalt Weave: Where most manufacturers opt for standard fiberglass to make up the remainder of their boards, Ellis introduces a weave made from basalt, which is a kind of rock found near and formed by volcanoes! 70% stronger and 20% lighter than standard fiberglass. It also acts as a natural dampener.
• Dip & Grip Contact Points: Ellis adds stability to this rocker with increased contact points that dig right into the snow at the front and back (toe and heel) part of the bindings.

Expectations: I tend to have mixed feelings when it comes to rocker boards. Although these things are usually ridiculously fun, it really depends on the conditions. Snow at Vail was plentiful and I was expecting to have a little fun on this thing. Maybe a little too much fun.

First Line: Our first run was down the front side of the resort from the Wildwood peak and into Hunky Dory (blue square wide groomer) connecting to Look Ma (black diamond narrow groomer) and into Lion’s Way (wide open green run) to the Avanti Express chair.

First Impressions: Wow. I’m not sure if it was the excellent conditions that day but my first run on this thing was incredible! The feel goes past forgiving and into do-whatever-the-hell-you-want territory. Pops, switches, and buttering around felt so seamless on this stick. Awkward landings off little booters had zero edge catch.

Flex/Pop/Stability: Initially, I was kind of surprised at how stiff the Eecco felt under my feet in comparison to other rockers. I slowly realized this was a blessing in disguise since it held a pretty decent edge at high speeds. I could also feel the contact points help me lay down some order on this unrestrained beast. The stiffness also gave it a really nice pop on ollies that lead into switch transitions. The board has a very “skatey” feel to it and it’s almost impossible to resist doing crazy spins. Coming out of a spin riding switch was natural thanks to the twin shape.

Park/Jumps: Not sure if the Eecco is the type of board you would want to mess around in the park with. I didn’t get a chance to try any rails but with only a 6mm rise on the rocker I’m sure you wouldn’t have too hard a time ripping some with it. The board is extremely forgiving on landings but you might find yourself sent into a top-spin if you don’t lean into the edge you want to use right away. In the air, the board had a really nice swing weight to it and spinning it around for 180’s or 360’s felt very natural.

Carving/Switching: I was a little hesitant to go too fast on this thing particularly when it came to groomers. When I did go fast, the board had a very nice damp feel to it, even in pretty choppy areas. As is the case with all rockers, unless there’s some nice fluff on the ground, you’ll feel a little bit of instability when transitioning into turns and carves. For something so playful though, I was surprised at how confident I was to try out some things I had never done before, like high-speed back-side switches. Overall, pretty snappy response and feedback from the board. This stick definitely brings out a completely different rider in you

Powder Riding: The Eecco felt very much at home in nice deep powder. Ellis features their “Cassette” tip and tail design on this board, which helps move snow very seamlessly around the board in deep conditions and prevent buildup on the nose.  I didn’t have to ride the backseat too much and the skatey feel of the rocker just makes you feel like you’re floating so much better than you usually would. I was actually having so much fun in the pow with this thing that I launched off a 2-3 storey cliff I completely underestimated just at the edge of one of the gladed runs. The board was 100% fine, my shoulder… 100% dislocated.

Pros:

• Extremely fun, free-feeling board.
• Excellent release from the snow, perfect for jibbing.
• Beautiful float in powder.
• Snappy response when initiating tricks.

Cons:

• Not really meant for high-speed riding.
• Spins are easy to initiate, difficult to stop/control.
• Hard to track straight/power out of turns.
• Too much fun sometimes!

Conclusion: I believe that every serious rider should have some sort of reverse camber board in their collection and the Eecco is a perfect candidate. Whether it’s a powder day at your local resort or a trek into the backcountry, the Eecco is the kind of board you want under your feet. Unfortunately most people’s riding is limited to groomed trails and while this board does perform well in the groomers, they’re definitely not its bread and butter. I would recommend this board for the intermediate to advanced rider looking to jump on the reverse camber bandwagon. Kudos to the Ellis team for making such an awesome environmentally-friendly board!

We Are Back!

So where have been the past 6-7 weeks? Well, aside from resort hopping in the Rockies and the Alps, we visited a few European cities, namely, Paris, Geneva, Frankfurt, and London. If that wasn’t enough, there was Mo popping his shoulder taking off a cliff in Vail (I don’t know what he was thinking pulling that stunt off while testing out an Ellis Snowboards prototype banana stick), my other buddy attempting to body slide down a super steep Alps hill, which turned out hilarious and sad (I have the video!), and our asses being air lifted after getting ‘lost’ a few kilometers out of bounds at the Les 4 Vallees mountain range.

As we settle back in Toronto, we will resume filling this site with great content as you’ve come to expect from Snowboard Go! Here are some things to expect in the new few weeks:

• 2 Ellis Snowboards reviews (including the Banana prototype Mo launched off a cliff with).
• What to do during the off-season.
• 1 K2 Snowboard review
• 1 Mundaka Goggles review.
• Vail, Colorado resort review.
• Verbier, Switzerland resort review.
• Sunshine Village, Banff  resort review.
• How to 3 days in Paris and 4 days in the Alps on the cheap.

Absenteeism

To all our regular readers and the many new readers coming to SnowboardGo on a daily basis, let me apologize to you for the snail pace at which new content is being posted during this fine month of February. Mo and I have been resort hopping the past few weeks and have had very little time to post much. We will be back at the end of March and will resume our regular brainwashing activities.

Until then, enjoy this powder happy video:

2010 Winter Olympics Recap and Highlights

With women’s Alpine training runs again delayed by heavy rain and snow, American favorite Lindsey Vonn successfully tested her bruised right shin on her own rigorous slalom training session, and her husband declared her ready to race.After a weekend of Winter Olympics goodness and action, it’s time to put up a post to recap the weekend’s highlights. This might not include everything, but I’ll try my best.

Opening Ceremonies

• The opening ceremonies began with a pretty impressive shot of a snowboarder coming down a mountain while listing the previous 21 Winter Olympic games years.
• The snowboarder entered a Maple leaf (the Canadian national symbol) design made with torchbearers and ended with the snowboarder coming down a ramp into the stadium.
• The underlying theme was mostly related to the First Nations of Canada.
• This was followed by a 4-part celebration, with the first part showcased Aurora Borealis on circle screens which came down from the stadium’s ceiling. The most spectacular part was when the display of orcas moving across the floor and water spouts shooting out of the floor.
• The second part of the show was related to Quebec, featuring a fiddler in a canoe coming from the ceiling.
• The third part was about the prairies of Canada. It was a simple one man acrobatic show, with the the floor featuring the prairies as the acrobat performed.
• The final part of the show featured the Canadian Rockies, where skiers and snowboarders came down from the ceiling as to appear riding the awesome rockies.

Medals Overview

• USA now has 8 medals, followed by Germany with 5 and France with 4.
• Switzerland has 3 Golds, followed by USA with 2 and France with 2.

Snowboarding

• Kelly Clark who won a gold medal in the last Olympics can do a 900 degree spin which is basically spinning in the air and rotating more than 2 full times around. If she lands that, she will most likely receive the gold medal this year.
• Her counterpart on the men’s snowboarding team, Shaun White is no small contender either. He won gold in the last Olympics and is expected to medal again. U.S. snowboarding is quite dominant and it is a fun sport to watch.

Men’s

• Alexandre Bilodeau won the gold medal in men’s moguls, the first time a Canadian has won an Olympic event on home soil. Canadians failed to win a single gold at the 1976 Summer Games in Montreal and the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary. Congratulations Alexandre!
• Jason Lamy Chappuis who competes for France, edged Johnny Spillane of Steamboat Springs, Colo., to win the Nordic combined. Spillane’s silver was the first medal for the U.S. in 86 years of competing in the sport that combines ski jumping and a 10-kilometer cross-country ski race.
• Five-time Olympic champion Ole Einar Bjoerndalen struggled with his shooting in failing to win his sixth gold medal. He still has four more opportunities at these games.
• Jung-Su Lee from S. Korea, Apolo Anton Ohno from the USA, and J.R Celski from the USA win the Men’s 1500m Gold, Silver, and Bronze respectively.

Weomen’s

• With women’s Alpine training runs again delayed by heavy rain and snow, American favorite Lindsey Vonn successfully tested her bruised right shin on her own rigorous slalom training session, and her husband declared her ready to race.
• Martina Sablikova gave the Czech Republic its first speedskating medal by winning the women’s 3,000 meters.
• Jenny Potter scored three goals in the first 22 minutes as the U.S. opened the preliminary round of the women’s hockey tournament with a 12-1 romp over China.
• Hannah Kearney from the USA, Jennifer Heil from Canada, and Shannon Bahrke from the USA win the Ladies’ Moguls Gold, Silver, and Bronze respectively.

Misc

• The Chinese pair, Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo won the gold for the the pairs free program figure skating competition.