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Homegrown snowboard day

Image: Firstlight Boards
Image: Firstlight Boards

Saturday September 6, Main Range NSW

This is a chance to have a go at making your own snowboard and spending the day in resort, board with others, and see what everyone else has come up with.

The rules are:

No Metal Edges
No P-Tex Bases

Make you board in the garage and bring it on the day!

“Bring your home made creations down for a like minded gnar off!“

Organised by FirstLight Splitboards.

Register here.

This will be held the weekend after the splitfest (Australia’s backcountry boarding festival) which is being held over the weekend of the 29th – 31st of August in the NSW main range.

 

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Snow on the way

So, after the ‘autumn break’ and decent rainfalls across the south east, we are finally steering towards cooler and wetter conditions which are expected to bring the first significant snowfalls of the year.

As reported on MountainWatch, the esteemed forecaster Grasshopper is quoted as saying:

“At this stage it’s looking like some snow worth mentioning – it’s plenty cold enough – but the totals won’t be crazy. Don’t expect this snow to stick around, at best it will ruin a few hiker’s days and help to cool the ground. But any ground-cooling event at this time of year is positive!”

‘So this mightn’t be a season-starter, but it’s worthwhile getting hyped about’. 

And the final analysis?

5 to 20cm across Friday/Saturday (Alert level: Confident).

Read the full report here.

The BOM is not quite so enthusiastic, forecasting ‘snow showers’ across much of the High Country over the next week.

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2014 season – Backcountry film festival

BC festival posterNow in its 9th year the Winter Wildlands Alliance Backcountry Film Festival celebrates the human powered winter experience through film.

The festival is now a pre winter event here in Australia, in its 4th season.

The Melbourne show for 2014 will be held on

Wednesday the 14th May

at Melbourne Uni (exact location soon). From 6.30pm, films start at 7pm.

Suggested donation: $8 conc & students/ $12 waged.

Co-hosted with Melbourne University Ski Club.

The festival is run by not-for-profit hosts, and in Australia, all funds raised will support the Friends of the Earth campaign against new coal and gas.

Full details here, including the trailer and list of films.

Facebook event here: please feel free to invite your friends.

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‘The Little Things’ snowboarding film

TheLittleThingsMovie-EarthDaytrailer-April14-fiAs a contribution for Earth Day (April 22) Snowboarder magazine released a trailer for the snowboarding film ‘The Little Things’.

They say:

As snowboarders, we are explicitly tied to the outdoor world. We depend on ample snowfall, cold temperatures, and healthy forestland to provide us with areas in which to strap in and make turns. And that’s just the tip of the environmental iceberg. Fuel to power our cars, trucks, and snowmobiles (and if we’re lucky, helicopters). Power for chairlifts, resources to make equipment, the list goes on and on, and for most of us, the impact of everything doesn’t enter our minds that often when we’re moving from edge to edge down corduroy or through fresh snow. But, and in no way do we or the folks involved in The Little Things Movie intend to be pushy, being considerate of our environment is something vital to take into consideration. Especially for snowboarders.

The Little Things is a snowboard movie/documentary based on environmentally conscious riders who are inspirational through their riding, as well as their sustainable ways of living and thinking. The film to be released fall 2014 is an initiative taken on by professional snowboarder Marie-France Roy and directed by Filmmaker Darcy Turenne in which all the riders are bringing to life the importance of protecting and living in balance with our environment. Riders include Gretchen Bleiler, Tamo Campos, Jeremy Jones, Mike Basich, Meghann O’Brien, Jonaven Moore, Marie-France Roy, and friends.

You can find the trailer here.

 

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snow season forecast – 2014

some good conditions from last year. Early July 2013, Mt Loch, VIC
some good conditions from last year. Early July 2013, Mt Loch, VIC

Once the weather starts to cool down in southern Australia, something interesting starts to happen to this website: traffic to the ‘sidecountry’ skiing and boarding guide to Mt Hotham starts to climb, peaking in early June.

Its that time of year where we can almost smell the snow and are locking in trips. While this rain has been good, its still really warm. So, what type of winter do we have coming? After last years boom-and-bust cycle of good snow alternating with warm air and rain, lets hope its more consistent. The media is warning of a strong El Nino event this winter, meaning warm and dry conditions. The much trusted weather guru, The Grasshopper who writes for Mountain Watch recently released their initial forecast for the 2014 season.

Amongst some interesting analysis of what an El Nino event actually means, the bottom line on forecast is:

More likely than not we will have a mediocre to above average season and there will be plenty of opportunity for fresh provided you are ready for it. But even if things tend towards the lower end of the scale, my gut tells me we will be compensated by plenty of cool clear nights with copious amounts of snow making to keep the groomed areas looking tip top.

Read the full report here.

And keep checking Mountain Watch for an update closer to June.

Fingers crossed!

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STEPS – A Journey to the Edge of Climate Change (the whole film)

StepsFrom Ride Greener.

After storming cinemas and film festivals across Europe and North America, the first climate-friendly ski and snowboard film, STEPS, is now available online for everyone to watch. STEPS is there to show us how we can snowboard and ski in harmony with nature – without giving up any fun.

Choose how much you pay: You can watch STEPS for FREE or make a DONATION to Ride Greener. Each voluntary donation will be reasonably used and 100% invested in the Ride Greener environmental campaign.

You can watch the film here.

Donation information here

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Splitfest 2014

Splitfest – Australia’s backcountry boarding festival

4201417Now in it’s third year, the Splitfest DownUnder is THE gathering for anyone interested in trying out splitboarding or just meeting other people who are into backcountry boarding.

Details below and on the festival website.

The NSW Splitfest DownUnder will be held over the weekend of the 29th – 31st of August in the NSW main range.

You can register here.

Facebook page for the event here.

We will be holding the Friday night entertainment at the Banjo Paterson Inn Starting @ 6pm (1 Kosciuszko Road Jindabyne Snowy Mountains New South Wales 2627).

IMG_00000903There will be all the usual trimmings, T-Shirts, give a ways, raffles and loads of fun. Some of the prize categories include worst DIY job, most inventive Splitboard design etc. etc.

An official list will be out soon so stay tuned!

You have the option to stay in Jindabyne, camp in the National Park or my favorite camp on the peaks.

There will be rental gear available to those who need it. Jump on board and meet some new touring partners, the more the merrier!

This is a free event, there are no guides so you must be able to make your own terrain decisions.

Organised by FirstLight boards.

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Valhalla showing in Melbourne

Valhalla.Two years in the making, Valhalla is the latest film from Sweetgrass Productions. The premise of the film is that as we get older we lose our passion for life, that sense of wonder we had as a child, but can find it again.

This is a tale about the search to rediscover the freedom of youth.

Valhalla is like a psychedelic version of ‘Into the Wild’, but with a bit of nudity, a lot of skiing and boarding, a happy ending, and a simple message: Go out there. Find yourself. Bring yourself back and find your place. It’s a homage to ‘70s era surfing and skiing films and counterculture lifestyle, with a sound track to match.

But as with any Sweetgrass film, its also got incredible skiing and boarding footage in some beautiful terrain.

We will also be showing a couple of short films from Sweetgrass before Valhalla: Desert River, a nice flowing piece set in Alaska, and Skiing the Void, about skiing and coming to terms with the loss of friends.

This is being shown as a fund raiser for climber and all round great guy Lincoln Shepherd and his family.  Their house was burnt down in the recent Grampians fire. Feel free to make a donation of any size.

This film is being shown at
LongPlay
318 St. Georges Rd.
North Fitzroy 3068
Tuesday 25 February

Arrive at 6.30 to get a drink and have a chat
Shorts start at 7 (Skiing the Void, Desert River)
Valhalla starts at 7.20pm

Please be aware that LongPlay only holds 35 people so please rsvp if you’re coming along. We have 14 rsvp’s by facebook and email, so please let me know if you’re attending.

Entry by donation – all money raised will go to Lincoln.

Further info: cam.walker@foe.org.au

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The Little Things – A new snowboard film project from Marie France Roy

The following comes from Snowboarder Magazine. There is a trend emerging of snowboarders and skiers – who are often keenly aware of how climate change is already impacting on mountain environments – taking on a more vocal attitude about the need for change. This is one more example of this.

the little thingsMarie-France Roy has earned many accolades during her snowboarding tenure for her talent when standing sideways. She has put out some of the most influential video parts of the past decade and has chops in both the backcountry and the streets.

Last season, Marie embarked on a journey to give back to the sport she loves and create a film that would share the stories of snowboarders who are committed to living in a way that positively affects the environment as much as possible. The movie is called “The Little Things” and will follow Marie and the rest of the crew this season before culminating in a release in fall 2014.

You can see the trailer for the film here.

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Protect Our Winters launches the POW Riders Alliance

Riders-Alliance-2-300x225In the US, Protect Our Winters has just launched what it is calling its ‘Riders Alliance’, a group of 53 professional snowsports athletes, committed to fighting climate change and speaking out for the environment.

It is a remarkable line up of some of the best skiers and boarders on the planet.

As they say in the release, “Climate change is affecting our lives and careers and it’s in our best interest to use our passion to mobilize the community and bring a new perspective to the policy discussion.”

It’s great to see leadership being taken by so many high profile athletes. The group includesGretchen Bleiler, Jeremy Jones, Sage Cattabriga-Alosa, and Ingrid Backstrom.

The POW Riders Alliance was developed as a central platform for athletes to speak out and create a social movement against climate change.  For example, POW recently led a group of 17 athletes to Washington, D.C. for meetings with US Senators and has reached over 20,000 young students with a message of climate action delivered by pro athletes.

POW believes that by combining the athletes’ passion with their influence, first-hand experience and immense media reach, it represents a new, powerful approach to environmental advocacy.

With the Winter Olympics just a couple of weeks away, POW and Olympic athletes from the Riders Alliance will launch an initiative to call attention to climate change on the world’s largest sports stage in Sochi, Russia in partnership with a group of graduate students from the Yale School of Forestry.

The press release is available here,  and photos of the skiers/ boarders are available here.

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‘snow surfing’

‘Snow surf’ boards are hardly a common sight on our slopes. But they are showing up more in some classic backcountry films like Signatures, from Sweetgrass Productions.

The following item is lifted directly from the new The Drift publication, and features some quotes from renowned surfboard designer and rider Taro Tamai. The company Gentemstick makes snowsurf boards.

 

Image: The Drift
Image: The Drift

Taro Tamai: Of Gods and Mountains

ON DESIGNING GENTEMSTICK:

My shapes aren’t just mimicking surfboards, but like surfboards they have different shapes for riding different waves. I shape boards depending on snow, terrain, and riding styles.

The design should perform on any snow condition, whether it’s powder, groomers, or spring corn snow. I don’t focus on skateboard-like snowboards, which emphasize ollies, big-air landings and the spinning factor, but a design that focuses on the relationship between the rider and slopes.

Image: The Drift
Image: The Drift

ON SNOWSURFING:

What if someone sees the mountain differently than others? What if the same terrain appears different to each person who sees it? Obviously the design for riding that place will differ from one another. The reason I quit skiing— which I loved so much—for snowboarding is because the potential lines that I could see when on a snow-surfboard were drastically different from when I was on skis. The ultimate goal of surfing is to be one with the wave. The ultimate goal in snowsurfing is to be one with the mountains.

MOUNTAINS IN JAPANESE SYMBOLISM:

Traditionally, Japanese people felt the presence of gods in all natural elements: water, forests, fire or mountains. Mountains were one of the most important deific symbols and climbing was a religious ritual. Japanese mentality sees gods in every single pebble lying on the river shores.

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The Drift – new publication

The DriftThe Drift is a collaborative newsprint publication between The Usual and Patagonia to celebrate all things snow.

Issue 1 features Patagonia ski and snowboard ambassadors Caroline Gleich, Josh Dirksen, Gerry Lopez, Kye Petersen, Liz Daley, Pep Fujas, Forrest Shearer, Taro Tamai, Alex Yoder, and Aidan Sheahan.

Pick up your Winter 2013/14 copy at select Patagonia stores worldwide.

For more information visit: http://www.thedriftmag.tumblr.com and http://www.patagonia.com/us/sports/snow. Follow us @theusualmontauk, @patagonia #pursuitofpowder

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