Snowboarding Blog & Snowboard Reviews

Absenteeism

Rami — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:12:32 +0000

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:

Gretchen Bleiler Interview on the TODAY Show

Rami — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:04:45 +0000

It’s been pretty quiet on SnowboardGo lately but for good reason (read: mountain hopping). In any case, this was submitted to me via email and thought it would be a lazy way to update the site. Don’t be fooled though, the video is pretty good.

Yes, I know posting the interview this late is ironic, but better late than never.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

2010 Winter Olympics Recap and Highlights

Rami — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:13:02 +0000

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.

Mont Tremblant Resort Review

Rami — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:29:11 +0000

I’ve raked in at least 45-50 days on Tremblant in the past 5 years or so. Having gone up there so many times with all kinds of riders and skiers, I think it’s time for a good ol’ review for those considering Tremblant as a destination.

As one of the largest snowboarding areas in Canada and being backed by the same guys running the show at Whistler Blackcomb, one can only expect great things. The mountain’s layout is excellent and well planned, covering two main sides, the South and the North in addition to two edge sides. The South side gives initial access to the runs which are all carved out of thick forest. The North side is a little smaller, but offers the same degree of cool riding.

Our Elevator Pitch

Mont Tremblant is definitely our favorite North American east coast resort. Very few resorts on the East Coast come close to the variety of the slopes and runs available at Mont Tremblant. The apres-ski atmosphere is pretty good on the weekends, but not so much midweek. For those on a budget, staying at a nearby hotel/hostel is an excellent option as they are all a 3-7 minute bus ride away. The village itself offers all kinds of things to do for just about anyone. Tremblant is definitely a must visit, especially for the family types.

What We Love

The excellent and well planned slopes and runs. Bombing down from the top to the base as quick as you possibly can will take you about 5-8 minutes. On average it’ll take you about 10-15 minutes to make it down.
Snowboard/Ski valet right next to the Gondola so you don’t have to worry about carrying your gear to and from the main lift.
Great village with many dining and leisure options to choose from.
Excellent line up of accommodation choices. “En plus”, budget trips need not shy away as cheap accommodation is available minutes away from the village. Combine that with Mont Tremblant’s T-Pack offer for 2 day lift tickets for ~$70 total.

What We Don’t Love

Gets pretty damn cold up there.
The crowd… but then again this is a problem at most of the popular resorts.
Subdued night life especially for the younger crowds.
Terrain park has very limited features and the half pipe is not always available.

Best For

Families who want that European/French ‘alps’ village feel.
Groups/families looking to spend and those on a budget.
Intermediates looking to up their game

Worst For

Party animals, unless you go during college break week or in big groups
Backcountry/off-piste lovers – there just isn’t any.
People who really detest the cold.

Trail Map

Click the above image for an interactive trail map.

Resort Statistics

Resort Type: Alpine
Winter: Nov to May
Summer: None
Board Leashes required: Yes
Night Riding: No

Lifts

Total Lifts: 12
Gondolas: 2
Chair lifts: 9
Drag lifts: 1
Max people per hour: 27,230

Mountain

Total pistes/trails: 94
Total ride area: 602 acres
Longest run: 3.75miles (6km)
Top lift: 875m
Vertical drop: 694m
First lift: 181m

Pistes Difficulty

Green runs: 17%
Red runs: 33%
Black runs: 50%

Lift Passes

Half-day ~$50
Full-Day ~$80
Lift times:8.30am to 4.00pm

Snowfall

Average annual snowfall: 3.82 metres
Artificial snowmaking coverage: 70%

Facilities/Misc

Snowboard/Ski Schools: Excellent
Snowboard/Ski Rentals: Yes
Snowboard/Ski Valet: Yes, about $5 for overnight – right next to the main gondola
Heliboarding: Not available
Snowmobiles: Yes

Halldore Wins X Games Big Air Video Mashup

Rami — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:47:58 +0000

Pro rider Halldore Helgason wins the X Games Big Air with the best possible score. Check out the footage below directly from the competition!

The video was uplaoded by Halldore and his crew.

Detune Your Snowboard: What, Why, and How?

Rami — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 17:15:37 +0000

Lightly trace the edges with the file until they become slightly dull. Feel the sharpness of the edge by pressing your finger down on it. Practice on the edges at the tip and tail of your board to find the right amount of dullness.Every year I’ll tune my snowboard a month or two before the season starts mostly out of anticipation for the season itself.

Personally, I’m a freerider, so a tuned board is crucial. And I’m sure a lot of our readers have tuned their board at one point or another. But have you ever detuned a board? Why would you even want to do that? Sounds like something stupid to do. Believe it or not (you better believe it), there are some cases that detuning a board is a good idea.

What does Detuning a Snowboard Mean?

Detuning a board is more about reshaping your edges than dulling the edges, since most snowboard edges protrude from the board at 90 degrees. Though, the 90 degrees is what you want in general as it provides the best grip for carving into the snow. When hitting rails though, you’re usually moving much slower, not really carving, and worried about landing on your butt too often.

This is where detuning is plays its role. Instead of maintaining a 90 degree edge profile, you can detune your board so they protrude at a smaller angle, thus prevents you from catching as much edge.

When/Why Should I Detune my Snowboard?

Riding rails, boxes, bent trees…
If you’re a beginner and worried about catching too much edge.
When you’re in the mood to muck about/butter on the snow.

How do I Detune my Snowboard?

You can do it yourself or take it into your local snowboard shop. For beginners who just bought a brand new board, I urge you to take it into your local store and have them take care of it. If you have an older board and are comfortable detuning it yourself, here’s how:

You’ll need:

Course File – can be found at any hardware store.
Diamond Stone – used to polish your edges.
Clean Cloth

The steps:

Find the widest part of your board at the nose and tail (these are the contact points). It’s the section of edge that’s most likely to catch an edge.
Start an inch back from that point and use the course file to round out the edge toward your nose. Repeat with the tail end.
Now for a light detune of the entire edge. Divide your edges into 3-4 equal sections (including the contact point edges you just filed)
Place the file on your edge at about a 45 degree angle and make a pass over each of the sections. This will give each section a light detune.
Feel for the edge and do another pass over if you necessary.
Remove the edge shards with your clean cloth – this is important, so don’t forget to do it.
Polish your snowboard’s edges with the diamond stone to buff out all the micro burrs left behind.

Video

Tips

Files work in 1 direction so keep that in mind when filing your edges.
Dull your edges to about 88 degrees – anything more than that will be a waste and could damage your board.
East coast riders should be careful as to not over do it… with our snow conditions, we need our sharp edges.
Some boards come factory detuned so find out if your board is factory detuned or not before attempting to detune it.

Shaun White Pulls of a Double Mctwist 1260

Rami — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 13:28:25 +0000

Shaun White pulled off an insane new trick at the final Grand Prix practice under the lights at Park City, namely a double McTwist 1260. Here’s some footage of White warming up:

Snowboarding Eye Candy #3

Rami — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:15:19 +0000

These pictures are so cool that I’m tempted to steal my buddy’s pro camera but I love snowboarding way too much not to ditch the camera the second I see the snow. If any of guys and girls are photo junkies please feel free to send your pictures in.

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Sahara Sandboarding Video

Rami — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 15:51:34 +0000

If you’ve never sandboarded before, this will look more glamorous than it really is. Not to say sandboarding isn’t fun, it’s just not what you think.

Helmets Reduce the Risk of Head Injuries by 35%

Rami — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 15:44:22 +0000

Some suggest that helmets may increase the risk of neck injury in a crash or fall, particularly in children because of their greater head to body ratio.

Skiing and snowboarding are popular winter activities. Did you know that head injuries account for up to 19% and neck injuries up to 4% of all injuries reported by snow patrols and emergency departments? Traumatic brain injury is the leading cause of death and serious injury among skiers and snowboarders. I know a lot of riders don’t like helmets because they’re uncomfortable or they don’t look cool, but trust me, hospital beds are pretty uncomfortable and very uncool!

An analysis of 12 studies conducted in Europe, Asia, and North America, found that helmet use in recreational activities is beneficial. However, the authors were unable to determine the effect of the design, quality, or fit of the helmets.

“The use of helmets significantly protects against head injuries among skiers and snowboarders,” write Brent Hagel, Alberta Children’s Hospital, and coauthors. “Risks of head injury can be reduced by 35%…and between 2 and 5 of every 10 head injuries among helmet users could be prevented.”

I don’t need a study to tell me something so logical, but for those in denial or are on the fence about buying a helmet, I hope this is a good wake up call. Here’s a link to the scientific study on helmets and head injuries.