Last Chance To Vote For Ciara

Remember that competition that I mentioned a short while ago - to win a season in Avoriaz? Well, Ciara entered and was shortlisted to the final ten. The general public have been voting on who they want to win since Monday morning this week.

The positions have been kept up to date making it possible to track the progress of your favourite. The leader has been changing regularly throughout the week. I've got to say that I'm a little bamboozled with the voting, as there have been some rather fast and dramatic changes...

Anyway, the voting ends today, at 5pm UK time. So this is your last chance to support Ciara and put a vote in!

Thanks.

Season Fitness

Well my first real movement towards improving my fitness for the coming season started today with a run to and from work. I reckon it's roughly 2 1/2 miles each way so it's a good enough distance to build up with.

Until this year I've never really had any issues with fitness while being away, but my first trip last season (Jan 2006) kinda caught me out. I don't know whether it was because I was simply less-fit than the times before, or because the runs in Meribel were longer than most. I do know that I was riding continuously for longer stretches because it was a much smaller group, so less waiting around. Whatever the cause - for the first time ever I was getting some serious leg burn! The type that makes you want to stop and rest. Once or twice I had to stop.

That first trip definitely served as a warm up, as I snowboarded un-hindered by time I got to Chamonix. But who wants to use a week to warm up? Who wants to feel hindered due to fitness? Not me, if I can help it.

So, with around 8 weeks until I visit Morzine/Avoriaz, I'm going to start running again and add in a few strength related exercises. The target is to be able to ride hard all day, each day that I'm on snow this season.

32 Lashed Snowboarding Boots: Review

I bought the 2004/2005 32 Lashed snowboard boots. Strictly speaking this isn't a comparative review as I was moving away from the Salomon Malamutes, which are a different kettle of fish all together. However, some features of a snowboarding boot are the same whether it's a freestyle, freeride or an all-round boot (e.g. the lacing system).

So I was looking for a more freestyle orientated boot. At the time I was totally pleased with the Malamutes, but when I started to do more jibbing, especially on the indoor slopes I found that they were too stiff. Flex was the main motivation...

How Light?
However, the thing that drew me to the Lashed boots was their weight. From the moment I picked up the 32s in the shop, I knew that they were light. Seriously light. I haven't tried this on an accurate set of scales (maybe I should?), but the old test of holding one boot in the left hand and another in the right speaks pretty loudly here. You can easily tell the difference when you put them on... it's like walking around in a pair of sneaks!

This actually made me think that they were pure freestyle boots, but 32 push them as all-mountain. I suppose the label doesn't matter though if the boot works for you.

Laces
The other feature of the 32s that interested me was the basic lace set up: velcro, laces and hooks. The Salomons used the pull-and-lock-off set up, which although very easy to use, had two things that I didn't like: firstly they seemed to loosen off after hard/long riding and secondly, the clip thing that you're supposed to hook onto the edge of your boot always fell off, and ended up clattering around your bindings.

Plain old laces seemed to be exaclty what I wanted: a double knot that wasn't going anywhere. Simple.

And they're great. I tie them up once at the start of the day and don't bother with any re-tying. No need. The laces just stay right where you put them. Although I've got to say that the gadgetary of other lacing systems (lock-off, hooks, boa etc.) do have advantages. I sometimes find myself fumlbing with those pesky hooks... the lace is always jumping out. This might not be a problem for those with a little more dexterity!

Fit
The best thing about the 32s in my opinion is the fit. Of course the same boot might be a great fit for one person and a horrible fit for another: feet come in different shapes and sizes! However the design of a boot can help out a lot.

Although the boots are relatively soft, as you bend and flex, the boot keeps it shape and hold with your ankle and leg. The softer flex doesn't seem to compramise the control as the boot bends. I think there are three things that contribute to this:

• A velcro strap that goes around the top of the inner boot, preventing the inner from opening up
• The control/freedom that you get with the simple laces, you can have the boot tight where you want it tight
• The tying mechanism for the inner boot: an 'ankle brace' that it attached to the outer boot behind the inner boot. When you tie the inner boot it is pulled-in against the outer

This setup really makes the whole boot work in sync with your feet/ankles/legs. Even though it's a soft'ish boot you still feel like you've got great control. Consequently I don't really notice the boots when I'm riding. The fit is great.

The Inner Boot
I'm going to mention the inner boot and it's molding capabilities - which is somewhat of a double edged sword. (I think) You can have them molded to your feet when you buy them, but I was told you get a better fit if you let the moulding happen naturally. Whether or not that's true, that's what I did. Besides, I didn't have a choice because I bought them on eBay :-)

It works. The inners totally match the shape of my feet/ankles. For me this is an excellent feature as my right ankle is permanently swollen so it needs more space than the left. Great comfort and fit.

But... it has been noted (strongly) by others that the inners stink. My two previous set of snowboard boots never smelled (honestly), but these 32s are always the worst culprit in the chalet. To further back this claim up, I visited some seasonairres' accommodation last season where the majority of the lads were riding 32 boots. They all stank! I think it must be the material of the inners...

Of course I'm kinda joking with this point, and it doesn't bother me in the slightest. Chances are you'll leave your boots somewhere out of the way and the performance clearly isn't effected. You never know though, it might put some people off!

Overall
The 32 Lashed boots are excellent. Not a single complaint. Thanks to the design of the inner boot and how it works with the outer boot, I don't seem to get heel lift or 'opening' at the top. The boots feel great to ride in, it's like I don't notice them, and they're like sneakers to walk around in. Being super light and having a soft'ish flex they work well for me as a freestyle boot and perform great around the mountain. If I was doing a lot of aggressive freeriding I'd probably want something stiffer - but I'm not. Fumbling with the laces was the best I could do for a negative point. And besides, once they're done up you don't need to worry anymore. I know that there are other compelling freestyle/park boots out there that claim light weight, low profile and the like. No doubt some of them are great too - just like these 32s, that I can't fault!

Simon Blaney: Rider Profile

There's a new addition to the rider profiles section - Simon Blaney:

I haven't known Simon very long. However, in the short time that I have known him, I've learned that he really likes snowboarding - a lot.

The first time I met him there was a small group of us sitting around drinking cold beer and talking about snowboarding. Simon happened to have his laptop with him and we spent a good hour sifting through photos, watching footage and talking about how good Canada is (well I haven't been yet, so I was just kinda listening). Excellent! I asked Simon if he wanted to use some of his stuff for a profile on afterbang - and here it is...

Rock'n'Roll Highschool

Rock'n'Roll Highschool by Teddybears STHLM is an album I've been listening to recently. Their music has featured in Afterlame and The Playground. See the updated music section...

Boots For Sale...

Quick notice for anyone in the UK looking for some snowboarding boots. I have a set of Salomon Malamutes, Size 6.5 and a set of Salomon Synapses, Size 9 for sale on ebay. Both in good condition, but the Malamutes especially are virtually new. Check them out if you're interested...

HDD Or MiniDV?

With the season being just around the corner, I'd really like to get something to film with. The question is: should I go with a Hard Disk Drive (HDD) camcorder, or stick with MiniDV? Just in case anyone doesn't know, with a HDD camcorder the data is written straight to a disk, so there are no "tapes" involved. MiniDV tapes are those small tapes that the vast majority of digital camcorders use.

I found this quick comparison on a forum:

In terms of pros and cons of HDD camcorder vs. miniDV (tape):

• Pro: Can shoot for hours without need to change tape.
• Pro: Copying files to PC is faster than with tape
• Pro: Can do basic editing on the camcorder itself.
• Con: Quality for your pound is not quite as good as DV.
• Con: If you are on a trip and fill the HDD, you have to offload it somehow. With tape you can always buy more tapes.
• Con: What do you archive your footage to? (Tape provides you with an archive).

To me, the convinience of not needing tapes is a big plus point. You don't have to worry about running out of film when you're on the hill. If you take some footage that you don't like I assuming that it is quite easy to delete it straight from the camcorder. This will save time later at the pc when you're sifting through your video. Quite a few people these days have laptops, so if there's one in your group you can off load data to it while you're away. The setup just seems more simple.

What about the quality? Well normally with these types of things I prefer to go for what ever gives the best image quality/sound quality. But looking at it realistically, most of the video that I take is ending up on the web, here on this site. I'm pretty sure that compressing video for the web imposes a much bigger restriction on the image quality than the move from miniDV to HDD. So I'm not sure this is an issue for me.

Will it skip? That's the big question for me. Will writing to the camera's hard drive be effected if you're filming while moving around - if you're filming while snowboarding? That would be a problem...

Afterbang's First Rider Profile

I've been wanting to get Rider Profiles going on afterbang for a while now, and I'm pleased to annouce that they've arrived - well, the first one has:

Ciara Corrigan is the subject of afterbang's first rider profile. I met Ciara around 2 years ago and we've been together ever since. I asked her if she wanted to do a profile with me to get the ball rolling with this stuff and she accepted. Read on...

The Rider Profile section is still a work in progress: there's no link to it on the menu yet and I'm thinking about the possibility of changing the layout/style.

Simon Blaney will feature next, and I'm hoping that with the season starting there may be one or two readers who would like to be part of a profile - questions, pictures and video. Take a look at the first one and see what you think.

Bern Helmets

I've been keeping an eye out for different helmets - especially those that have integrated audio. I think the helmets on offer from Bern have some pretty nice styling - and the basic models (those without audio or liners) are quite cheap - relative to pure snowboarding helmets. The one pictured here on the left is around £30.

I haven't tried one or, or even seen one in the flesh so I can't comment on how they feel. But, if you're in the market for a helmet I think they're worth a look... I kinda like the one with a peak!

The place to buy them in the UK seems to be StoreTwentyFour.

Xscapeology, Indoor Kicker Footage

So I've put together a few clips from last week's Xscapeology/SNO!storm freestyle night. Simon volunteered to stand around for 15 minutes at the end of the night for which I'm really grateful: it's always nice to collect some shots, but this time in particular I think I can definitely learn something from it. Here's the video:

Analysis
Here are two photo sequences of me doing a frontside 360. In both airs things start off pretty well. However, before long I'm no longer looking over my shoulder in the direction I'm spinning, and my shoulders start to point in the opposite direction too. The rotation slows down and I don't spin the full 360. In fact, in the first sequence I'm still looking back up the hill after I've landed:

What's going on? It's clear now why I have trouble spinning this frontside three. Often I end up spinning 180 only. With a frontside 360 the second half of the rotation is 'blind', so you don't see the landing. Maybe it's this that's stopping me from keeping my head in the right position? I don't want to take my eyes away from the landing after the first 180 so I stop looking over my shoulder? It's probably only momentum that's sending me past 180...

I suppose I've got to put some practice in at making sure I keep looking in the directin of the spin. Wait until I see the landing that way. This has kinda got me thinking that backside 3's might be easier to begin with, for me at least. With a backside 3 I'll see the landing all the way through the second part of the spin...

Music. The song that I've used in the clip is called "The District Sleeps Alone" and it's by The Postal Service. You can buy it here if you want, direct from iTunes:

Here's a still of that nice slam I took just to finish things off:

Win A Season In Avoriaz!

Cabnine competition
If you're thinking about doing a season this winter - this competition has got be worth considering. I heard about it on the GoneBoarding forum, so if you're a regular there you may have already seen it.

Competition deadline - 10th November 2006.

If you win you get to snowboard for 4 months in Avoriaz - all subsidised:

• A full range of either men’s or women’s CABNINE™ clothing.
• Return easyJet Flights to Geneva Airport
• Accommodation and food from the 2nd January 2007 to the end of the season – provided by rudechalets™
• An AVORIAZ ski pass.
• A brand new RIDE Snowboard and bindings.
• GRAVIS trainers and rucksack.
• A Zimstern jacket and pants.
• A NEFF beanie

That's pretty amazing!

Note though that the competition winner doesn't get a "free ride" - they've got to be motivated and dedicated to improving their snowboarding. There are '"basic requirements":

• You must be willing to push yourself to get better at snowboarding.
• You will have to record a video diary.
• You will have to update an online blog.
• You must always wear a crash helmet.
• You must be relatively tidy and respect your room mates.
• You will need to provide your own winter insurance which we will need to see proof of purchase of.

If you're the right type of person it truly is an excellent opportunity.

All of the details are on the site. The closing date for entry is the 10th November, 2 days away. So if you're interested go an fill in the Entry Form!

Xscapeology, We Want More

Castleford had an Xscapeology (now called SNO!storm) night last Friday and it was excellent. This was the second one of these that I've been to and I must say that the park setup has been great at both. You also get an extra hour of riding for the same price, making it a 5 hour session. Here's what was on offer on Friday evening:

• Gap kicker. Good size and really well shaped
• 4m Down Rail (side kickers)
• Down-Flat-Down Kink (side kickers)
• Slide Box
• Raised Magic Rail
• 10m Rail
• SNO!storm Whale Tail Box
• Raised Transco Pipe
• Raised C-box
• C-Box
• Double Picnic Bench
• SNO!storm Wall Ride
• Rookie / Snowskate park with rookie rails, boxes and kickers

The rails were organised into 3 separate 'lines' and there was just loads to choose from.

I think I spent my time roughly 50-50 between the kicker and the rails, although maybe a little more time on the kicker. I was most determined to work on the frontside 3, but also worked on the fs 180 and a basic backside shifty. Right at the end of the night I got a couple of short shots on the kicker, which I'll post shortly...

The rails were a lot of fun! I tried the down-flat-down for the first time, although I've got to say that the kink was pretty mild compared to previous setups, so it made for a good introduction. I was using the short rail with side kickers to practice ollie'ing on from the side to a 50-50; beginner stuff, but it was the first time I'd gotten around to trying it. As you progress to different rails riding straight on is rarely going to be an option so it's something that I need to be comfortable with. I also started to hit the slide box switch.

The wall ride was another first. Nothing impressive to report unfortunately.

All in all this was probably the best session that I've had at Castleford (and that was without playing around on the snowskates!) The park was great. I just wish that they'd put these sessions on more often...

Metro Ski & Snowboard Show: Report

I visited the Metro Ski & Snowboard Show last month, London, Olympia. With the season getting under way, trips being planned, new equipment being bought, it was perfect timing to absorb all things snowboarding. Here's what I thought.

What type of things were on offer? The show was extremely varied: video showings, kit to buy, snowboard demos and competition, fashion shows, art, resort information, accommodation information, flight companies, chalet groups, magazines, snowboard clubs... if you were looking for something in-particular there was a good chance you'd find it, or at least someone who knew something about it.

How useful was it? Well there was something there for everyone, so it kinda depends on what your interests are. Do you want to know more about something, buy new kit, are you browsing? The fact that some parts the show were more information-oriented, and others were exhibition-oreinted worked well.

For example, I sat down and watched a presentation about car safety in the winter, followed by ChunkyKnit's new film Last Winter. I was quite interested in the car safety stuff but felt it was more of a demo and sales-show. Last Winter on the other hand, suited me much better.

With the snowboarding film I was quite happy to just sit back, watch and enjoy, but to get more out of the talk, I should have chatted to the presenter afterwards.

Some information, I sought specifically. The snowboard show was a great opportunity for me to talk to the guys from BASI and McNab about instructing. Face to face is often much better than browsing a web site - which is all I had done until that point. I received some really good, unbiased information, along with details of what their companies had to offer.

I was also particularly impressed by a talk regarding setting up your own chalet company. The presentation gave a good overview of key things to consider - and the invitation was there to talk to the guy afterwards.

There were lots of people from lots of different backgrounds, all willing to help.

What kind of deals were there for buying new kit? I think a lot of people would expect big discounts at a show like this. I didn't see any. Nothing that stood out as being show-specific. There were sales from last season's gear - but the new gear that I looked at was all listed at regular price. There weren't "big savings to be had".

That said, when we bought a new pair of boarding boots we did get a free t-shirt and DVD, which was a nice bonus. Oh yeah, and a beer to drink while we waited for the heat-molding!

I suppose the big plus point for merchandise at the show was choice. There was a lot of choice under the same roof - so there was plenty to try on, look at and compare. It's not normal to have that many snowboarding retailers in the same place. What's more, with some of the smaller/internet shops having stalls you also got to see some less-mainstream products...

Was the snowboarding good to watch? I think I missed the best action, which may have occurred on Friday with the Orange Aim series competition.

But that's not to say that the riding I saw on Saturday wasn't good. It was just more demo-like. I thought the set up they had with the quarter pipe was pretty impressive, and it succeeded in bring some real-action into the show, which was great.

Should I go to the next one? I thought the show was excellent. There were loads of resources to tap into which enabled me to learn about some of the more 'niche' things that I'm interested in. There was also an abundance of mainstream stuff like resort offerings - so if you're looking for somewhere new you can take your pick. I chatted to the guy from Big White in Canada, perfect.

If you're into browsing then it's all there. The latest gear, the big strores, the smaller shops, interesting art work and real life snowboarding demos. You can spend the whole day just walking around soaking it all in.

If you're new to snowboarding a show like this makes for a perfect introduction. Any possible questions you might have can be answered and you're certain to go away craving your first holiday and planning your first lessons.

If you like snowboarding it's a great day out!

Hungerpain's The Playground

I watched The Playground last night for the second time, and was impressed for the second time. I really like it. The Playground is a UK film produced by the Hungerpain crew - and it's free with this month's WhiteLines magazine!

Recenently, I also managed to get a copy of the film Hungerpain (Hungerpain's movie from the season before The Playground) - which was equally impressive. Any non-British people out there who are wondering what UK snowboarding is like would do well to get hold of one of these movies. The guys at Hungerpain seem really sorted, so if you're looking for a copy and you can't find one, I'm sure that if you contacted them they'd point you in the right direction.

All I need now is Standing Sideways...