Sick

I stumbled across the following video on YouTube. It's really short, but I think this bs 180 looks so sick that I should share it... Smooth and stomped. I'd quite like those skills :)

What's The Park Like?

It's a question that I've asked myself many times. So what is the park like? Can I expect something good? Is it gonna be all rails or kickers too?...

If you don't know someone who's been to a resort before, finding out what state the park is likely to be in when you get there isn't always easy. Sure there are resort reviews out there, and these do help, but I've always felt there's a need for more comprehensive coverage of resort snowparks.

I've tried to provide some information myself; there are some pictures of one of the Avoriaz parks from last season, and also some of the Deux Alpes summer park. But a few holiday pictures aren't really up to the job!

This is where the SnowParkGuide comes in. It's a website dedicated to covering the European snowparks. What a mint idea.

The website has only just gotten going (press release), but it looks like there are enough people contributing to it to make it work out. Plus, if they can build a good community on there, the information will get better still.

Personally, I think the Shapers Blog is a pretty cool idea; they're the guys who are closest to the park setups, if they can update the blog regulary it will be great. Also, the index of parks with links to photos is spot on. I hope the whole thing really takes off!

The ABCs of Avalanche Safety: Review

This is the first book of its kind that I've bought and read. Most people would agree that when it comes to avalanche safety, a book alone is no substitute for regular practice with avalanche equipment, guidance from an expert or real life experience of travelling in the backcountry. I was looking for an introduction, some background knowledge, things to think about. The ABCs of Avalanche Safety covers exactly what the title suggests - it's a good place to start.

The book is pocket size, say 4" by 6", with around 130 pages. The content is split up into 4 chapters - Snow and Avalanche Basics, Practical Guidelines for Stability Evaluation, Safety Rules and Rescue and Case Histories - each filled with concise information.

Concise should not be confused with simple, however. The book is written with technical and scientific language, especially so with the descriptions of how the snow cover forms. Photos and diagrams are used in places to suppliment the text, and to good effect.

I think the size of the book itself is a plus. Being handy, with a small number of direct chapters, makes reading encouraging; it's easy to dip into any of the sections for a quick read. Its size also makes it portable; weighing you down isn't a concern, so it's easy to take away.

In contrast, I occassionally found the vocabulary a little slow to digest. At this stage, some of the snow science seemed quite heavy, given my lack or practical experience.

So what about the scope of information? This is where the book really scores. Starting with an explanation of avalanche terms, it then provides foundation knowledge about different types of snow and how avalanches form. There are guidelines for assessing the risk, how to avoid avalanches and how to perform a search. It's a good mix of theory and practical advice. Simply put, it's the ABCs of avalanche safety.

Written on the back cover: A respected authority since 1961. I can see why. This is a good book. What's more, at around £6 it's very accessible. At the time of writing, Amazon has it listed with the Search Inside feature - so go take a slightly closer look!

Helmet Cam, Round Two

Well I've ordered the Oregon ATC-2K helmet cam. I've got some reservations, but I'm confident it's gonna fulfill at least some of my needs. The whole package was pretty reasonable too.

I bought the camera itself from purely gadgets. It was £75 plus £5 delivery. It may not be the cheapest price around but I'm sure it's close.

I also ordered a couple of 2GB SD cards. The manual recommends a couple of SanDisk models; I opted for the SanDisk Ultra II SD 2GB, rather than the standard card, just in case it makes a difference, as was hinted at in that review I read. I'd like to say I knew more about this kind of thing, but I don't, so I figured I just spend a few extra quid to be on the safe side...

I picked up the SD cards from play.com, £11 each with free delivery, making a grand total of £102. That's not bad!

I'm sure I've read it somewhere, but I can't remember what the expected battery life is. I'm gonna get some lithium AAs from somewhere as they're supposed to be better in cold conditions, but it would be handy to know how long they're expected to last. The two, 2GB cards gives me around 2 hours of footage, so I hope to be able to cover that with one set of batteries...?

I'm pretty interested to see how it turns out! Here's an update on the list:

• Pants
• Backpack
• Transceiver (& probe)
• Helmet cam

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Absinthe's Optimistic: DVD Review

I'm a fan of Absinthe films, especially the last two, so I was really looking forward to this season's Optimistic. It didn't disspapoint - I think Optimistic's a good snowboard movie with some exceptional parts... but for me, overall, it didn't grab in quite the same way as Futureproof and More.

So which bits didn't work? Mostly, I think it's the case that having really liked Futureproof and then thinking that they took More farther still, Optimistic had a tough benchmark to beat. I do feel that as the film gets going, it kinda settles in. My favourite bits are mostly at the beginning, so it seems to mellow out as the movie goes on. Don't get me wrong, the riding and filming is strong throughout, it just bobbed around my personal that's so good meter, whereas More kept leaping above it.

What about the excellent parts?
Gigi's section really appealed to me. The music's funky and the riding is varied. There are some heli follow-cam shots of Gigi and Danny Davis hitting this backcountry kicker that might be some of my favourite ever. The action smoothly follows the rider showing how big the jump is and you get an idea of what the kicker might look like from the rider's perspective on the run in, yet the rider and the kicker appear small in the vastness of the whole scene; awesome. There's also this sequence of Gigi riding down a side street with steps and rails, how can he make that sequence look so good? It just oozes style.

As well as some pretty sick shredding (I really like the way he rides powder), MFM's part has a true laugh out loud section - a snow-spray assault on skiers. You might think it's a little harsh, you might think some of it's justified, either way you'll probably think it's hillarious. The film is worth watching just for this bit!

Trees. There's some excellent tree action in Optimistic. Trees and deep powder. The section shot in Canada towards the beginning of the movie shouldn't be missed. Visually it looks fantastic, the trees, deep snow, the sun. And then check out the riding, Marco Feichtner and Wolle, it's like the trees aren't there, except when they're jibbing off them!

Perhaps most impressive in the movie is Wolfgang. I reckon Wolle Nyvelt was on a mission last season. Seriously, he has so much footage in Optimistic, so much powder, so many good shots. It's like he owns the DVD. The guy is riding deep pow on a wooden stick with no bindings better than most people when they've got both feet hooked in, it's insane. His riding alongside Matt Beardmore is also top drawer. I can't always tell who is who, but it's all good. Wolle really kicks this film going, he's killing it!

Other parts that I liked
Annie Boulanger is representing female snowboarders and has some really nice backcountry riding, pushing it pretty hard. I found myself liking quite a lot of the urban scenes. Mikey LeBlanc provides a lot of charisma along with some gutsy street moves. Then there's Hans Ahlund putting down some really sweet jibs, making it all look varied. The section with Romain De Marchi and Danny Davis has a handful of hits from a backcountry kicker that deserve to be watched over - super smooth riding/filming and a sick tail grab in there.

If you're into extras you may find the DVD a little thin in this area... having said that, Flipside's The Making of More (part1) is included, and it's really good!

The Soundtrack
I really like the soundtrack to Optimistic, there's some nice tunes in there, the mix is good. I'm not going to try and classify it, I'll just say it's right up my street. The production of the movie's intro is especially noteworthy. Excellent song, it's pretty inspiring. Here's the track list in the order played, with uk iTunes hook-up:

• "Rusted Wheel", album "Carnavas", by Silversun Pickups
• "Wolf Like Me", album "Return to Cookie Mountain", by TV On The Radio
• "Season of the Witch", by Donovan Leitch
• "Calling For The Dissolution", album "Criminal Saints", by Scott Sullivan
• "Don't Sweat the Technique", by Eric B and Rakim
• "Frosty", Meka
• "Cadillac Dust", by Elliot Brood
• "John The Baptiste", album "File Under Forgotten", by The Ants
• "C'mon C'mon", album "Pawn Shoppe Heart", by Von Bondies
• "Ain't Cha", album "Hell Hath No Fury", by Clipse
• "Jamna Plagor", by Dungen
• "Spring and by Summer Fall", album "23", by Blonde Redhead
• "The Man Who Came To Stay", album "Killamangiro", by Babyshambles
• "I Love My Bitch", album "The Big Bang", by Busta Rhymes
• "Presentazione Orchestra", album "Stasera Shake! Volume 2", by Rafaella Carra
• "Fragments", Meka

Here's most of the soundtrack to sample:

Helmet Cam?

I'd quite like to try out a helmet cam next year in Fernie. I've seen some footage around the web that looks pretty good, and then there's some of the examples from snowboarding films.

My current video camera doesn't have video-in, however, which eliminates nearly all of the options on the market. As far as I can see, it certainly eliminates the chance of getting half-decent video quality.

At first I decided to just drop the idea, due to the camera's incompatibility. But since then I've seen a couple of self-contained helmet cams that might be worth considering.

I've found two options. actioncameras.co.uk has a decent summary, with the only suitable models being Oregon's ATC-2K and the Tony Hawk Wireless Helmet Camera.

Of course the quality on these devices isn't great, but you'd expect that given the size and the price. The self-containment does have several advantages, the main one in my eyes being that I don't need to carry the larger, more delicate camera all of the time...

I hate riding with my camera in my backpack. I don't mine riding with it while I'm using it, and of course, if I'm riding while one of my friends is using it then all the better :) A small helmet cam could be carried in a pocket, giving the option to get some video at any time, without having the backpack with you.

I've pretty much ruled out the Tony Hawk camera as the resolution is too low at 320x240. It's only 640x480 when attached to a pc, what's the point in that!?

That leaves the ATC-2K. There's a good review of the camera on Helmet Cam Central, which includes some links to sample footage: one being the raw footage and the other a YouTube sample.

There's another good review of the ATC-2K on Nollie, which looks at some of the usability issues, including the act of attaching it to a helmet!

So what am I thinking?

• The camera is cheap, as are additional SD cards for storage
• Self-containment is a big plus. Being solid state it's also pretty robust. These benefits to me are worth the trade off in quality
• I'm concerned about how well it attaches to the helmet
• I'm concerned about regular batteries working in cold conditions
• I'm concerned that the choice of memory card might effect the quality

So will it end up being a waste of money, or a really handy device to carry on the hill to use either in the hand or attached to my lid?

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Deep Powder And Avalanche Safety

So it seems that it's snowing everywhere. Fernie had a half meter during a 24 hour period this week and I think some places in the Alps have had as much as a meter.

There's still a while to go before I get there, but it's a good sign all the same. The thought of all that powder is really exciting...

And a little scary. Well, not scary, but thought provoking. I was reading an article from last month's WhiteLines around the same time that these snow reports hit me; the article was about being burried alive...

It was describing an avalanche safety course in which the participants underwent a practice burriel. Even the controlled environment came across as pretty damn hairy. It sure made me re-think about the dangers of riding off-piste.

But it's not like I've never given it any thought before. I'm trying to hook myself up with a transceiver, and I've done a small amount of homework with the book The ABCs of Avalanche Safety. It's more that I feel I should practice. Practice with the transceiver, practice a search pattern, practice looking at the snow. Just practice something.

I was talking to Ciara about the article and we both agreed that the whole situation would be so freaky. But that's the point. We're all hoping to ride as much powder as possible in Fernie, and in the unfortunate event that we're in the vacinity of an avalanche, I don't want to be stood around trying procedures for the first time...

Airline Charges For Snowboard Gear

I've been stung at least once with charges for transporting my snowboarding gear on a flight; actually it was a two-leg flight with KLM, and I'm pretty sure I ended up paying the charge for both legs, in both directions.

Anyway, a friend pointed me at this table that airport parking company APH have, which summarises the charges with different airlines for taking your snowboard. It might be useful...