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

Verbier, Switzerland Resort Review

One of the resorts that I  had the chance of riding this season was Verbier. In fact, I got a chance to go twice and it would be very unfair to both the resort and you if I wait too long to write up this review. My first trip to Verbier was a quick 2 day experience in February as I was passing through Geneva on my way back to Toronto. My second trip to Verbier was a 5 day non-stop riding and partying bonanza with my closest friends, whom I hadn’t seen for almost 2 years!

60 Second Elevator Pitch

Everyone has heard about Verbier at one point or another. Whether it’s epic stories about their nightlife, their ‘drink till you pass out on the hills’ philosophy, or their slopes and backcountry offering, there’s a wicked time to be had at this popular Alps resort. If you’ve never been to Verbier, you have to go. Families, couples, and friends will have an insane time as there really is something for anyone. Everyone is pretty friendly and you’ll have a wicked time exploring the endless terrain – Verbier is part of the Les 4 Vallees ski are which includes the ski resorts of Verbier, Nendaz, Veysonnaz, La Tzoumaz, and Thyon with a total of 410 km marked runs. Just make sure you’re not wallet shy, because this place is not cheap, but well worth it!

What We Love

• Excellent lifts, on-piste and off-piste terrain – it’s endless!
• The nightlife, food, and parties
• It’s the Alps
• Powwwder
• Tuesday nights when the Chalet girls have their night out!
• Old school log/wood chalet and availability of cheaper accommodation close to the center of the resort
• Professional patrol and emergency rescue system
• Insane weather!

What We Didn’t Love

• Expensive (with that said, its worth it)
• The terrain is obviously not beginner/novice friendly
• Limited accommodation for trips less than 7 days

Best For

• Party lovers
• Off-piste and backcountry dare devils
• Anyone looking to marry rich

Worst For

• Inexperienced riders and skiers
• Park junkies (the current park is pretty decent, but nothing you can spend more than a few hours on)

Tips

• You can save money by staying down the mountain in Le Chable now thatthe new evening bus service which runs between it and Verbier is active.
• Make sure you are there at least on a Friday or Saturday night.
• Tuesday night is when the Chalet girls have their night out, so make sure you are ready to shred snow on Wednesday with no sleep at all!
• Wednesday nights are the quietest so plan for Wednesday to be your easy night in.
• Have the fondue at Le Caveau
• If you plan on going off-piste/backcountry, shell out the extra 4 CHF for insurance which includes a free helicopter emergency ride (we got stuck somewhere way off off-piste, and after about 90 minutes of endless exploring, we called ski patrol who sent us a helicopter to get us out from what they called the “late march melting snow trap”.)

Have you had a different or similar experience? Share it with us in the comments!

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!

[ak] Softshell Jacket Review

I bought the [ak] softshell jacket (it’s really more of a fleece but given its price tag, a fancier name was needed) last season to wear under my main snowboarding shell jacket, because it wouldn’t keep me warm. Before getting the fleece I’d wear a Helley Hanson Dry base layer, a tshirt, sweater, and the snowboarding shell jacket. With that setup, I always felt a tad cold and since east coast resorts are significantly colder than west coast resorts, I definitely needed an extra layer to keep me warm.

A lot of people recommended getting a fleece and on I went to find my new warm buddy. I walked into the store and after an hour of talking with the rep it came down to two: the [ak] fleece and some random brand one, and with a $150 price difference ($350 for the [ak] fleece and $200 for the other one), I couldn’t choose one or the other. The [ak] fleece was my preference due to the quality of the material, but I was skeptical as to whether the extra $150 was going to make much of a difference. In the end I caved in and shelled out the $350 for [ak] softshell jacket (fleece). So what are my thoughts:

• At $350, this is a very expensive fleece/softshell jacket/secondary jacket.
• The quality of the material is excellent (it still looks brand spankin’ new).
• It makes for a a great post-piste jacket around town.
• It keeps you warm enough.
• Well designed and rather stylish.

Despite that, I recommend you save the $150 and opt for something cheaper. It’s a fleece at the end of the day and there’s no justifying forking out $300-$350 for one. The only exception to that would probably if you’re planning on using it as a day to day outdoor jacket. I doubt the extra $150 makes much of a difference in terms of warmth and while you may think the better quality means a longer lasting fleece, I still don’t think it’s worth it.

Review: 2010 Lib Tech Banana Magic

I got a chance to try this board out for a couple days on the East Coast this past weekend. I’ll spare you the details and jump right into the juicy review stuff.

Where: Mt. Tremblant, Quebec
Snow Conditions: groomed / packed powder
Size: 158 cm.

Notable Technologies/features: Banana/reverse camber design, Magne-traction, made from green-friendly material, and art by Matt French.

First Impression: It’s stiffer than other Banana boards I’ve ridden which makes it more of a freeride board than a freestyle one. It’s official Lib Tech flex rating is 7/10, but it felt less stiff than that (a good thing in my books). The board didn’t feel too heavy or too light, so I was a little concerned with taking jumps with it, but it felt as balanced in the air as it did on the snow.

Feel: So depending on what type of board you’re used to riding, the Banana Magic is on the stiffer end compared to a typical park board and on the more flexible end compared to a typical all-mountain board. In other words, the board is neither overly stiff or flexible and is ideal for a freerider who wants some some extra flex compared to what you get from an all-mountain/freeride board.

Response: To put things in perspective, I ride a T6 (here’s my Burton T6 2010 Review) and I’m an aggressive rider. Given my experience with the T6, responsiveness of other boards is usually weak in comparison. However, I was pleasantly surprised with Lib Tech’s Banana Magic’s responsiveness. It’s deeper sidecut made turning fast and easy and going from edge to edge was a breeze. Overall, there were no issues with sharp turns or wider turns.

Magne-traction & Stability: The MTX technology definitely comes into play with this board, allowing you to be more aggressive with the turns compared to a same-flex board with no MTX. To my surprise, the board was also pretty stable bombing down  the mountain.

Pop & Switching: The Lib Tech Banana Magic isn’t as playful and easy to press as park boards, but it certainly had more pop than typical freeride boards and was fun to butter with. As for switching, the board is designed as a true twin board and it rode that way. My buddy didn’t completely agree with me at first, but after a few runs, he got used to it and felt it did ride like a true twin board.

Overall Impression: Lib Tech is selling this as a stiffer Skata Banana for freeriding, and I think they hit the spot with that. The Banana Magic will be ideal for freeriders who like to get a little rough with their boards, but also enjoy hitting up the park every now and then. I just don’t recommend getting too comfortable in the park. The Banana Magic is definitely one of Lib Tech’s more aggressive boards that’s easy on the legs.