Merry Christmas!

Well, I'm just about to finish work and head to the airport. We're spending Christmas in Ireland with Ciara's family, I'm really looking forward to it.

Merry Christmas all!

Proporta BeachBuoy: Review

The Proporta BeachBuoy is a waterproof case designed to keep small devices and valuables safe from water, sand, dirt, dust, and... snow?

As it's name might suggest, along with the information that comes with the case, I'd say the BeachBuoy was designed mainly for use on the beach, or situations where you're around water. However, I decided to take a look at one, and review it's usefullness to snowboarders.

But first up - does it work?

Waterproof to 5 meters
The instructions that come with the BeachBuoy advise a Tissue Paper Test. Test it on something that's not valuable, and shows wet'ness easily. I thought that was a little timid - so opted for the Twenty Pound Note Test. I sealed it up, dunked it in the sink, waved it around a little, and then tested the dryness of the note.

Bone dry. Phew.

I then moved onto my mobile phone. Same routine. Same result. The phone was dry and working after being submerged under water. Nice one, it's waterproof!

Making a call
Proporta also say that devices can be used whilst inside the case, for example, making a call. Easy enough to test. I called someone, asked if they could hear me, asked if the call sounded any different. The response was "it's fine". I could hear them, so I'd say that works. Obviously device use doesn't extend to earphones, as this would break the seal on the case :)

Ease of use
The first couple of times I tried to seal the BeachBuoy I was thinking, wow, that's a bit difficult. The case has two grip-seals, and getting them fully closed takes a bit of finger-work. Then you fold the top over twice, a bit tough, and stick down the velcro flap...

But once you've done it a couple of times, it becomes easy, and the result is a waterproof seal.

So at £10, the BeachBuoy provides a cheap, light-weight case, that's handy for keeping stuff dry and clean on the beach and/or around water. But should you go and buy one ready for your next winter holiday?

The BeachBuoy and snow
My first thought regarding its use on the mountain was well it's nice, but I don't think I'd use it. I don't like to carry too much stuff around with me, it feels a little big to go in a pocket, and besides, my pockets are waterproof... enough. For example, my phone has never been damaged, and I take a bank card out from time to time.

If I am taking more stuff up with me, then it'll be in my backpack, and again, that's reasonably waterproof. Enough for me to not worry about stuff.

But the use of a phone whilst inside the case is compelling. I tend not to make calls whilst on the hill, and I'll avoid getting my phone out if it's snowing hard. But I'm sure there are people out there who make a lot more calls than I do when snowboarding/skiing. And if you're one of these people and you value your phone, a cheap, light-weight and waterproof case could prove really useful.

And as I think about it, the Euro notes do sometimes get a little damp, and what if you needed to carry something like valuable like a passport (which does fit, just)?...

Summary
I'll take this with me next time I'm away. I might not use it very often, maybe not even at all, but it may come in handy. Others, perhaps heavy phone users, might make better use of it. But for me, it doesn't really fit with my on-the-hill setup, it won't be an essential item. I reckon I'll use it more at the beach.

Lots Of Snow / Avalanche Safety

There's been a lot of snow recently around the Alps at the moment. A lot! According to this article from SCUK, this is the best season start that Europe has seen in a long time. And it continues, check out this extract courtesy of WhiteLines' Friday Fix:

Here's our latest dump alert from Anne-Marie Sainsbury in Morzine: "It started early on Wednesday and didn't stop until late at night. I went up yesterday, visabilty was pretty sketchy but lovely floaty fluffy pow everywhere, even on the piste! It cleared up today but I didn't get to go up cos I had to work, from what people have said it is still pretty awesome up there, still loads of untracked sections, plus the park and the stash are looking good. I am struggling to get in my front door as there's knee deep snow in front of it - so if it's that deep in town, you can imagine what it’s like up the mountain!"

Awesome.

So the season's kicking off with a great base, and if it continues, we'll hopefully be shredding some pow in January. Finding good powder might not be the easiest thing mind, as I don't really know the terrain too well. It's one thing to get first lift up, but if you're heading in the wrong direction once you're up there you're gonna miss out. But that's another matter - perhaps I'll start asking around - see if anyone is willing to give up their favourite spots. Unlikely.

Hitting up the off-piste often makes me think about avalanche safety; the things that I know and the things that I don't. Last season was a little strange. I bought my own beacon, practiced with it, read up on some avalanche theory, and then when I got to Fernie I never went out of bounds once.

You see, there was so much good terrain, all in-bounds, and all cleared by the ski-patrol, that there was no need to venture farther afield. I used the beeper on the cat day, but apart from that, I don't remember if I used it while in-bounds.

In Canada, well, Fernie at least, as that's the only Canadian resort I've been to, the situation seemed fairly black and white. They open things up if it's safe. So if it's open, you can shred it. The ropes are all clearly laid out, and they patrol them, really well. You don't go into areas that are restricted. The result of this, I found, was that even though there was a lot of snow, I felt safe whilst in-bounds.

Europe is different; it's much more grey. More of the decision making is left up to the individual...

With this in mind I've been thinking about brushing up with my beeper. I remember the last time I practiced, on the beach, I was thinking about a way to show the pattern of flux lines transmitted from a beacon. I'd like to try that. I'd also like to have a few more attempts at multiple burial situations - but getting a few beacons together isn't easy.

I've never done an avalanche training course, which is something I'd like to do. I've never actually seen the resulting debris from an avalanche, after it's stopped. I'd like to see first hand how hard the snow settles, and have a go at using a probe and shovel.

Has anyone been on one of these courses? What kind of practical training is given? From what I've read about them - they seem to be very good...

Shoulder And Fitness, Again

Well it's exactly a month before we head out to Morzine and the Portes Du Soleil. A few weeks ago I started to ride into work in an effort to build some fitness before I start shredding. Remember, hard day on the hill + no hot-tub can = sore muscles. I don't like to waste any time out there.

Alas, I've stopped riding into work; for now at least. Mainly because my setup sucks. I'm not knocking the loan of a bike from a mate, but no breaks starts to become an issue on steep hills. It was ok for the first 5 or so journeys, but then I travelled out in the rain, and found the break-performance to be less than safe.

I started to resort to the foot-wedged-between-tyre-and-bike approach to slowing down. Not great, and my skate sneaks didn't like it either. The more I did this the more I knocked the break system out of place, so they stopped working on flat areas too, with the added annoyance of constantly being resisted by one of the pads always pushing against the rim.

It got worse after we had snow. With the ice hanging around on the pavements for a day or two I was forced to use the roads. Not too bad on the way in, when it's light, but after wrongly assuming the ice would melt during the day, I had to use the roads in the dark. No lights, no breaks, busy roundabout. Dumb.

So I've swapped that for 20 minutes on a cross-trainer style machine that we've got at home. It's ok - but especially good on the legs.

What's going better is the shoulder rehab. It's responding well to all the excercises and stretches that I give it. After my "warm-up cardio", I do something like this:

• 2 sets of lateral raises
• 2 sets of shoulder presses
• 2 sets of wide press-ups
• 2 sets of shrugs
• 2 sets of curls
• Some shoulder stretches
• 2 sets of squats on a balance board - that's fun
• Some 'core' excersises

A lot of that is aimed at strengthening the shoulder, but the core stuff and squats will help on the board.

The shoulder's getting stronger. I'm pleased. It can still be a little sore in the morning when I wake up, and I haven't tried any pull-ups for about a week now, and last time it was a no-go. But the progress is good.

I suppose I'll only know how good it is for snowboarding after taking a few slams...

Fernie Footage January 2008, Simon's Edit

I've been sitting on this for too long. Simon put this together from our footage last season, from our trip to Fernie. I love watching it, it just makes me happy :) All that snow. Plus I like the way he editted it.

With a bit of luck, the way this season is shaping up in Europe right now, we might get some more crazy pow. Whether or not it will be as epic as that which The Griz delivered is another thing, but here's hoping. In the meantime, it'll be a serious injustice if I don't do something myself with the footage, before I shred in January 2009, a full year later. Maybe I'm just put off by the thought of using Moive Maker... or is it all of those fs 3s that I don't land?

Anyhow, enjoy Simon's efforts. Thanks mate! If it doesn't make you want to get to the mountains you're probably not a snowboarder...

"Go Snowboard" Instructional DVD - Continues To Be Popular

A while ago, I wrote a review of "Go Snowboard" (Neil McNab), an instructional DVD and book, the crux being, I highly recommend it as an instructional source.

Along with that review, and this post, is a link to the product on Amazon. As an affiliate, I can see how many times "Go Snowboard" has been purchased via this site. It seems to be quite popular. In the last 12 months I've sold close to 50 copies (well, Amazon has sold them really). Still, that's quite a lot, and it's way more than any of the other products I've reviewed that are also on Amazon.

What I'm wondering is: if you bought the book from this site, what do you think? Do you think the review is accurate? Did I do a good job?

[If you've got it but didn't buy it from here, feel free to comment anyway...]

What's On Your Trick List?

Just about every time I go riding, I've got an idea of something I want to work on; a lot of the time that's some kind of trick. Over the summer just gone, I had a rather lengthy trick list, which unfortunately, was hardly dented at all. I guess I bit off more than I could chew.

I did make two tricks from that list, however. I landed a handful of clean backside 3s at the Chill FactorE, good enough to be proud of, but none were on film. I did record a sketchy effort, but you can't even see the landing. I also nailed the shifty-shifty at Halifax. That one is on film, but be camera work isn't great, the rider (me) is too small in the frame.

This film can be found in a recent, previous post.

So never mind about the lack of progress over the summer. I'm looking forward to Morzine, Avoriaz and the rest of the Portes Du Soleil. This time I'm gonna work with a more realistic list, just 3 tricks:

• Backside 180 stalefish
• Nose grab + any rotation except a frontside 180. Preferred options include fs 3 nose and bs 1 nose
• Any 5. Feeling now is a backside 5, but we'll have to wait and see

So what's on your trick list? What are you working on this season?

Snowboards For Petite Women

OK, so I could have said snowboards for short and light women, but I think petite is perhaps a nicer description. Ciara and I are looking for a new snowboard (for her), and it's nowhere close to being as easy as it is for me to pick a new board. But before I talk about why it's difficult, let's look at what she's got already.

144 Volkl Destiny. This is a high-end all mountain freestyle board. The season that we bought it, it didn't have a sintered base like it does now. The problem with this board is that it's quite stiff for freestyle progression (learning new jibs etc.) and it's also a little long for Ciara to be freestyle-oriented. Plus, the base dries out really quickly and it's got very bad glide...

141 Santa Cruz Rebel Series. This is actually a junior snowboard. It's ok for playing around and jibbing, a bit fun, but that's about it. Ciara doesn't rate it at all for all-mountain usage, which is fair enough because it's not designed for that, but no good if you a board that does both. It rattles at speed and the base is horribly slow. I have at times encouraged Ciara to ride faster over flats to not get stuck. The response is, it's not me, it's the board. After a near-argument one day in Avoriaz, we swapped boards at the top of a run through the town, and there goes Ciara gliding past me with a big I-told-you-so smile on her face, whilst I'm coming to a stop. That's me told! The board is slow.

So when I look for a new board, the choice is almost endless, it becomes difficult narrowing the search down. But it's the complete opposite looking for a board for Ciara. She's 5' 1", and weighs around 47kg (yep, I did ask permission before publishing this data). She wants a high quality, all-mountain, freestyle board. Something that's twin, or a directional-twin, has a good base, handles the whole mountain but also has a smooth, freestyle flex.

I've got options like the Rome Agent and the Ride DH to name two - but there are many more. The problem for Ciara is the length of board that she needs. Our thinking is a board around 140cm, maybe 141cm, but definitely not longer than 142cm. Some of the women's boards do go down to these lengths, but shops and websites tend not to get the shorter boards in stock.

So we've also considered kids boards, or youth boards. In fact, as well as the Santa Cruz mentioned above, Ciara has also ridden a Forum Youngblood Mini, at 140cm, and rated it highly, better than both her other boards. But it's hard to find.

We also like the look of the Burton Custom Smalls. It's supposed to be very close to the full-on custom, but given that it's a fraction of the Custom's price tag, there will be some differences, and one of them is the base. I'm not sure that this is a deal breaker, but it would be nice to get a good, sintered base. (The smalls has their light speed vision base... I don't know what that actually means).

Ciara likes the look of the K2 Fling. It might not be promoted as all-mountain freestyle, it's described as a park board, but it sounds close. I hear it's like the women's version of the Darkstar, which is a good thing. It's got a good base and has ok size options, 138 or 142. It's an option, and I have seen both the 138 and the 142 available on the web...

Obviously I spend more time looking at guys' boards - so maybe it's just that I don't know the women's options that well? But getting the right board at the right length isn't easy.

Girls: what board do you have and what's it good for? What length is it? Where did you buy it?

First Big Review For The WSG

Over the last year or so I've written 3 reviews of UK slopes for the World Snowboard Guide: Castleford, Halifax and most recently, Chill FactorE. As much as I've enjoyed writing these reviews, I've been wondering what it would be like to review a full-scale resort...

Well, I've been given that opportunity. I'm going to be reviewing the Portes du Soleil in January, as part of my trip to Morzine. Stoked. Anxious. It's a pretty big job.

The guide already has substantial information on the main resorts in the Portes du Soleil - so some of the work required is targetted at updating existing data. However, the project as a whole involves reviewing 12 resorts within the full area, some of which the guide has no coverage at all. It's going to be fun - but it's definitely a step up.

So my plan is for Ciara and I (we're doing the review together) to learn as much as possible before we go - especially about the areas that I've never visited before, or don't know so much about. We're only there for two weeks, so we need to be prepared.

I've been looking at one of the smaller resorts, La Chapelle d'Abondance. I tried calling the tourist office there this weekend and ran into my first hurdle - they had no one who spoke english. That's not very good - on my part! I can speak a little french, but I'm not confident enough (or practiced) to try and make a phone call. Getting an email contact was difficult too. I'm going to have to work something out here. Watch this space...

Some Video From This Summer/Autumn

It's taken me a while to sort this out, but better late than never I suppose. It's just some video from two sessions earlier this year: one at Halifax and one at the Chill FactorE. Right at the start is the slam that I mentioned from Halifax...

It's been a little bit frustrating to be honest. On my old laptop I had a version of some decent video editting software - which did a good job. I've been unsuccessful installing it on my new laptop; so I'm stuck using Windows Movie Maker.

Movie Maker isn't that bad, and it is free after all. But having the basics only is not what I'm used to, and that's frustrating. What's more, the video output from Movie Maker, when presented by YouTube looks bad. If I choose 4:3 ratio in Movie Maker I get black bars at the top and bottom of the video - because my camera is widescreen. So when I upload it to YouTube, the result is too small, which you'll see below.

If I choose 16:9 in Movie Maker, which is what I should select, it looks fine until it ends up on YouTube, where it is squashed, and basically looks pap.

These aspect problems may be caused by the fact that my camera isn't true-widescreen, which is confusing Movie Maker, maybe not. Has YouTube changed their default to widescreen? Either way, my old software used to handle it fine...

If you're a pc user, what do you use to edit your video? (Actually if you are a Mac user, what do you use?)