Snowmotions Getting Set In Lenzerheide

Back in 2007 I had an excellent trip to Laax/Flims, and stayed with a company called Snowmotions. During the course of that season I became friends with Snowmotions' head guy - Jason Savidge - so I'm kept up to date with what's going on out there (the downside being that I find myself on the receiving end of an email depicting some incredible powder day).

New for this season, Snowmotions now has a lodge/chalet situated in Lenzerheide. Before visiting Laax, I hadn't heard much about Lenzerheide, but we spent a day there doing a back-country tour, and it was awesome. There is access to some amazing terrain.

I'd love to get out there this season; with holidays and cash being limited after Morzine, I'm just gonna have to wait and see... It's definitely worth checking out their site, especially if you're into freeriding.

Here are some shots from Snowmotions in Lenzerheide last season. Tempted?

Is That A Gorilla?

I was just cruising YouTube looking for some shred in Avoriaz and I found this. So good...

Dakine Travel Bags

I'm looking at getting one of the many Dakine travel bags. Originally I was thinking either the Split Roller 90 or the Split Roller 120; the 120L option seems kinda big - but you never know, that extra space can come in handy...

Dakine also do some convertible designs, which you can convert into two seperate bags, and therefore check them in seperately. To be honest I've never been attracted to this option - thinking it unneccessary. But, I've seen one in the sale which naturally makes it appealing :)

So are they any different to the regular split rollers? Do the two seperate bits join together well? Anyone got one?

Morzine

It looks like the destination for 2009 is going to be Morzine; things are moving along quite nicely.

There are one or two things that I'd like to buy this season: most importantly, a new snowboard. My Nitro T2 has taken a bit of a beating riding the snowflex at Halifax - plus I'm ready for a change. I'm thinking of returning to something a little shorter and softer, like the Kink, but again I think I'll try something new there.

I'd also like to get a new travel bag - something like the Dakine Split Roller. It's not absolutely essential (neither is the board), but I am without a bag so I guess I need something.

On the flip side, I've got one or two things I'd like to sell: a BCA Tacker DTS (avalanche transceiver) and an accompanying probe. I've used mine quite a bit, well practiced with it, and I rate it highly. I bought 4 last season for our group but ended up only needing 3, so there's a brand new one left over. At some point I'm gonna put it on eBay, but if you're interested, drop me an email. I'll probably post about it again before it goes to the auction...

The Usual Suspects?

Well we've started to look into organising something for next season - with France being the destination. Here are the places that we're looking at:

• Morzine/Avoriaz
• Chamonix
• Les Arcs
• Serre Chevalier

Personally, I hope we end up in either Chamonix or Avoriaz - although I'm interested by Les Arcs. Chamonix and Avoriaz are both really easy to get to and they have good accommodation options for larger groups.

I've heard a few things about the park in Chamonix and I'd like to try it out; plus the rest of the mountain(s) is awesome. After visiting Avoriaz once with poor snow conditions - I'm still eager to go back again with hopefully more of the fresh stuff. Plus it's got good parks.

We're coming into this pretty late on so a lot of places have been snapped up. Gotta move quick now...

The Season's Coming And I'm Not Ready!

It feels strange admitting that, but it's true. Normally, each year when the shops start to get their new gear in and the first WhiteLines Friday Fix makes its way to my inbox - I'm counting the days until my first snow.

But not this year. That's mostly due to the fact that I've got nothing planned yet, nothing to look forward to. I'm fairly confident that I'll be shredding some real snow this coming season, but I don't know when or where. Nothing's planned.

The summer (if you can call it that) seems to have passed in a flash. I've been spending time dealing with things at work and home. A lot of boring stuff that you don't want to do: diy, re-mortgaging, cars. Pap.

I'm still thinking about the 'summer' sessions that I'd like to get in at Cas and the 'fax; maybe learn a trick or two before my next holiday. My back still hurts from those slams I took. My most local skate park looks like it's being extended; I think there's going to be a mini-ramp. I've only just gotten around to looking at the footage from Fernie, and burning it onto DVDs for Simon. Where did the summer go?

I did get around to writing a review for the World Snowboard Guide: the Chill FactorE indoor slope. There's also a few sessions from earlier on that were good, both skating and snowboarding, and a little footage that's worth a peak.

But it's coming and that's that. I need to snowboard again. I need a new snowboard. I need to think about the possibility of an early season camp. I need to work out what I can afford for next season. I need to get my act together and get ready!