The French Climber Lionel Terray famous term “Conquistadors of the Useless” Which I think is a perfect description of the enlightened ones that call these beautiful mountain towns home for the winter and life becomes a lot simpler. After many years of living this dream myself I dedicate this to our fellow Conquistadors! 1. You consistently buy bulk instant ramen. 2. You have all the free Wi-Fi passwords in town. 3. You think beer is a legitimate form of currency 4. You use duct tape to fix everything clothing, furniture, vehicles etc. 5. “Doing Laundry” consists of cycling through different flannels on your floor. 6. You have a day job anight job and possibly a third job for the “hookups” 7. You might not have been a gear head but you are now. 8. You collect all your old seasons passes and grow your moustache all summer for the photo. 9. Your goggle tan is the only tan line on your whole body. 10. You find yourself storm chasing with a car full of gear, sleeping bags and beer. 11. You yank broken skis and snowboards from a dumpster and think: “With a touch of epoxy, these could last an entire season.” 12. Seven strangers share your apartment from November till May. 13. You have facial hair. Lots of it. If you answered "thats me" to any of these 13 points... Guess what? you are a ski bum!
The French Climber Lionel Terray famous term “Conquistadors of the Useless” Which I think is a perfect description of the enlightened ones that call these beautiful mountain towns home for the winter and life becomes a lot simpler. After many years of living this dream myself I dedicate this to our fellow Conquistadors! 1. You consistently buy bulk instant ramen. 2. You have all the free Wi-Fi passwords in town. 3. You think beer is a legitimate form of currency 4. You use duct tape to fix everything clothing, furniture, vehicles etc. 5. “Doing Laundry” consists of cycling through different flannels on your floor. 6. You have a day job anight job and possibly a third job for the “hookups” 7. You might not have been a gear head but you are now. 8. You collect all your old seasons passes and grow your moustache all summer for the photo. 9. Your goggle tan is the only tan line on your whole body. 10. You find yourself storm chasing with a car full of gear, sleeping bags and beer. 11. You yank broken skis and snowboards from a dumpster and think: “With a touch of epoxy, these could last an
When travelling to cold places its always good to plan your wardrobe before you go. I have so many first time working holiday visa kids heading to places like Canada, USA, Europe and Japan coming in to the shop saying that "they will just buy every thing over in place X when they get there". To me this is dumb. What do you do when you get off the plane in say Calgary and its -30 outside and you brought your "Australian winter hoodie" yep thats right you freeze your arse off until you get to a shop to buy one and that may not be right away as soon as you land. Us veterans do know how to do the luggage pack and know that when we are on holidays that wasting time searching for that jacket that is just right takes away form precious time on the hill. So its always good to be prepared before you go and have every thing you need. A good start is the basics. Here are a few essential items to start with. Walking around wear - not ski gear although the cool kids do both Soft shell Jacket down parker/jacket for the cold days hoodies/jumpers/sweaters some nice clothes to wear out to dinner. (party shirt for the boys) apres/ waterproof walking boots Japan this is a must as the town gets meters of snow in town. gloves thermals/ skins glove liners travel socks/ thick socks - don't use these in your ski boots dumb dumb beanie day backpack camera Mountain wear ie. Skiing/snowboarding gear base layer- thermals top and bottom Mid Layer- fleece, hoodie, tall tee Jacket and pants 10k recommended gloves, glove liners and mitts goggles, helmet, beanie thin merino ski socks neck-warmers/ balaclava and of course, your ski/snowboard boots and
When travelling to cold places its always good to plan your wardrobe before you go. I have so many first time working holiday visa kids heading to places like Canada, USA, Europe and Japan coming in to the shop saying that “they will just buy every thing over in place X when they get there”. To me this is dumb. What do you do when you get off the plane in say Calgary and its -30 outside and you brought your “Australian winter hoodie” yep thats right you freeze your arse off until you get to a shop to buy one and that may not be right away as soon as you land. Us veterans do know how to do the luggage pack and know that when we are on holidays that wasting time searching for that jacket that is just right takes away form precious time on the hill. So its always good to be prepared before you go and have every thing you need. A good start is the basics. Here are a few essential items to start with. Walking around wear – not ski gear although the cool kids do both Soft shell Jacket down parker/jacket for the
Avalanche Safety is imperative when going in to the back country, always Know Before You Go! " It doesn’t matter if you have made thousands of good calls – all it takes is one bad call and that is one too many. Some days the mountains are screaming GET OUT OF HERE and some days they are saying come on in – it’s time to party." - Jeremy Jones
Avalanche Safety is imperative when going in to the back country, always Know Before You Go! ” It doesn’t matter if you have made thousands of good calls – all it takes is one bad call and that is one too many. Some days the mountains are screaming GET OUT OF HERE and some days they are saying come on in – it’s time to party.” – Jeremy Jones
Your ski and snowboard boots are the make or break of a good day on the hill. It is a must when purchasing your boots to have them properly boot fitted by a professional ski boot fitter for that perfect day on the mountain. After purchasing and using your boots, storing your boots correctly is key. This will provide proper hygiene and increase the lifespan significantly. Having them ready to go is important, but looking after them is equally important. For the start of the season good preparation starts with the last day of the previous season. First of all you should always make sure your boots a dry before storing them. When your finished for the season use a damp cloth and some mild soapy water clean the shell of any dirt marks or impurities and leave to dry. Pull the liners and foot beds out and leave them in a dry place to dry for a few days (I leave mine in outside undercover in the sun for a day then bring them inside to dry for another few days). Note: if liners are not removable leave them in a dry place with news paper scrunched up to draw out any moisture. Once they’re dry put foot beds and liners back in boot and do them up so they a loose enough but still firmly together. The reason behind this is, all boot liners these days are all heat mouldable in some way or another and a lot of ski boot shells are going that way too. With the highs and lows of temperature this can cause them to change shape over time and the next time you put them on they will feel different. SO its always a good idea to do them up for storage. leave them
Your ski and snowboard boots are the make or break of a good day on the hill. It is a must when purchasing your boots to have them properly boot fitted by a professional ski boot fitter for that perfect day on the mountain. After purchasing and using your boots, storing your boots correctly is key. This will provide proper hygiene and increase the lifespan significantly. Having them ready to go is important, but looking after them is equally important. For the start of the season good preparation starts with the last day of the previous season. First of all you should always make sure your boots a dry before storing them. When your finished for the season use a damp cloth and some mild soapy water clean the shell of any dirt marks or impurities and leave to dry. Pull the liners and foot beds out and leave them in a dry place to dry for a few days (I leave mine in outside undercover in the sun for a day then bring them inside to dry for another few days). Note: if liners are not removable leave them in a dry place with news paper scrunched up to draw
If you can imagine your snowboard as a car, your snowboard bindings are definitely your steering wheel. As anyone who has watched the Fast and the Furious will know this is an imperative to winning the next quarter mile and for your shred setup its vital for your Performance on the snow. There are three main things to consider when choosing your snowboard bindings: Fit, Flex and Features. 1. Fit Obviously bindings come in different sizes to fit different boots, and a snug fit between boot and binding is vital for effective control. Perhaps less obviously, different bindings also fit different boards. While most brands’ products will work OK together there are exceptions Burton for example, make their boards with three-screw insert patterns, meaning you need a set of Burton bindings to ride them. These days, a lot of their boards feature the ‘ICS channel system’, two sliding inserts which also require a conversion kit (which Burton provide with new boards) or better still, one of their EST bindings. These are designed specifically to work with the channel, so won’t fit with other companies’ boards. Make sure your bindings will fit your boot and your board before you buy them! 2. Flex Flex is determined by materials – the particular combinations of plastic, aluminum or composites used to make a binding. It’s a question of personal preference, but there is a general rule of thumb: Softer bindings are more forgiving and easier to ride, making them good for beginners, jibbers and park rats who’ll need a bit of extra ‘give’ round their feet to help with sketchy landings. Stiffer bindings offer greater response, making them better for free-riders and advanced freestylers who need that kind of precision control at high speed. 3. Features While most bindings share a lot of
If you can imagine your snowboard as a car, your snowboard bindings are definitely your steering wheel. As anyone who has watched the Fast and the Furious will know this is an imperative to winning the next quarter mile and for your shred setup its vital for your Performance on the snow. There are three main things to consider when choosing your snowboard bindings: Fit, Flex and Features. 1. Fit Obviously bindings come in different sizes to fit different boots, and a snug fit between boot and binding is vital for effective control. Perhaps less obviously, different bindings also fit different boards. While most brands’ products will work OK together there are exceptions Burton for example, make their boards with three-screw insert patterns, meaning you need a set of Burton bindings to ride them. These days, a lot of their boards feature the ‘ICS channel system’, two sliding inserts which also require a conversion kit (which Burton provide with new boards) or better still, one of their EST bindings. These are designed specifically to work with the channel, so won’t fit with other companies’ boards. Make sure your bindings will fit your boot and your board before you buy them!
Goggles are and can be a very understated piece of equipment when you are piecing this year’s list of essentials together. I’ve done it myself, you put off replacing them for another year claiming that “they are fine, I don’t NEED new gogs.” As the foam falls away from the frame and the lenses have more scratches on them as if the face hugger from aliens has tried to get through them. Trust me. Save the dollars, buy cheap beers, eat instant ramen for a month and treat yourself. Without your precious peepers you will never be able to see that Epic pow run in all its glory or when the blinding spring sun is beaming down on you and your squinting like Renee Zellweger on the beach when she forgets her sunglasses. Goggles mean EVERYTHING! Sure some people wear sunglasses on the mountain, but if you want to be taken seriously and start pushing your riding, invest in a descent set of goggles. From the fit to the Lenses here are some recommendations as to what will get you the best pair of goggles you will ever own: 1. Its all about the fit; The process of buying goggles can be somewhat tedious and not knowing where to start is a common place for the first time shopper to be. Look at it as a process of elimination fit. Try as many on as you can, look for the frames that sit comfortably on the face without pinching your nose or creating pressure points on the face. If they are not comfortable they are not your winning pair. You want a perfect seal over the bridge to prevent them fogging up and getting snow in the inside of your lenses. 2. Now that you have narrowed it down to one or
Goggles are and can be a very understated piece of equipment when you are piecing this year’s list of essentials together. I’ve done it myself, you put off replacing them for another year claiming that “they are fine, I don’t NEED new gogs.” As the foam falls away from the frame and the lenses have more scratches on them as if the face hugger from aliens has tried to get through them. Trust me. Save the dollars, buy cheap beers, eat instant ramen for a month and treat yourself. Without your precious peepers you will never be able to see that Epic pow run in all its glory or when the blinding spring sun is beaming down on you and your squinting like Renee Zellweger on the beach when she forgets her sunglasses. Goggles mean EVERYTHING! Sure some people wear sunglasses on the mountain, but if you want to be taken seriously and start pushing your riding, invest in a descent set of goggles. From the fit to the Lenses here are some recommendations as to what will get you the best pair of goggles you will ever own: 1. Its all about the fit; The process of buying goggles can
