So you want to know where is good to go for an awesome
winter holiday? How to choose your setup? Where to get your setup? And where to
learn how to shred for this upcoming winter season?
My name is Ant and have
just moved back to the UK after doing season’s back to back for the past 5
years and I am going to share a little knowledge of what I have learnt whilst
being away.
Firstly, what destination should you head to this
winter?
If France isn’t your cup of tea then another
alternative close to home would be the wonderful land of Austria. Definitely
one of the most beautiful countries I have been to and 100% the most
friendliest! When you enter Austria you get this great feeling of this is how
it should be. It is so natural and breathtaking that you will be stopping mid
way through your run just to take breath at the scenery. I worked in a resort known as Kitzbuhel which
I would recommend to anybody and hosts the well known Olympic run the
Hahnenkamm. It ranges from 800m up to 2000m and consists of two main mountains
like Alpe D’huez. If après ski sits high in your priorities look no further.
This is a place where you finish your last run of the day (some first!) and get
involved in the live music and jagermeister which is flowing around, get up and
have a boogey with your friends and randoms and go home having lost your
boards, boots and friends! But more times than ever all those necessities will
be right where you left them! Fingers crossed. The mountains in Austria have
many tree’s so if it is a white out day then do not worry! With Kitzbuhel you
will find that you will be travelling across mountains more than up them, like
in Alpe D’Huez as the resort is a little lower. This gives you a great sense of
achievement when you realize how far in distance you have travelled in a days
riding and also gives you a larger variety of terrain to cover making every run
a little different. The mountain offers a variety of runs largely red but if it
is your first time or you like to cruise then the other mountain known as the
Horn has a perfect bowl shaped peak giving you many cruisy runs and stunning
views. There is also a snowpark built giving the trick hungry riders something
to play with.
There are so many places out there and on the internet
offering good deals for 2012 and last year’s equipment. When buying equipment
it is always good to shop around and find the best price available. I have
found a shop known as S2AS (Surface 2 Air Sports) which deals with many extreme
sports such as snowboarding, wakeboarding and kitesurfing. There website is www.s2as.com for internet
orders or if you want to go in store to check out the equipment (which I
recommend unless you know exactly what best suits you) they also have a shop in Poole so you can try out the gear in person. I have found that they offer a wide range of
snowboard equipment from boards, boots, bindings, bags, protection, clothing
etc all from well known and recommended brands such as K2, Ride, Never Summer,Lib Tech, Forum and many more. They also had a lot of 2011 kit for really good
prices if money is an issue. With last year’s kit there is not too much
difference other than graphics with most brands so don’t be afraid to buy older
gear. When I bought my kit off of them they were really good with sorting me
out with the kit I desired and gave me an excellent deal. Highly recommended!
Thanks S2AS. Just to let you know my set up is a Never Summer Evo 154 cm with Ride
Capo bindings and Burton Ruler boots – happy days!
If it is your first time on the mountain this year I
would strongly recommend having a few lessons on the local dry slope so that
when you are out there you can explore and appreciate the mountain with what
time you have. If you are a seasoned pro I would still say why not get back up
to scratch and have some fun in the UK winter scene. There are 3 main types of
artificial slopes that are available to ride. You have demdex which is criss
crosses of brush like material, there is snowflex which is like a carpet and
then there is your artificial snow. There are many snow centre’s around the UK
so I suggest getting on the net to see where is closest for you. There is usually
a designated night for freestyle so if that’s what your after I would check
there website for what day of the week that is hosted. The Snow Centre in Hemel
Hempstead is a great artificial snow slope that hosts many of the UK’s winter
competitions, Calshot Activities Centre in Southampton is great for beginners
and yet hosts a freestyle night also with the use of their snowflex and Snowtrax
in Christchurch has a variety of demdex slopes to offer.
There are so many resorts and countries out there how
do you know where would suit your needs?? If you’re looking for those long
motorway runs with champagne powder, a good day and night life scene and
limitless back country then state side is always a good option but there are
resorts closer to home which are within easy access. I have recently come back
from doing a season in Alpe D’Huez, France well known for its long sunny days,
its famous and longest black run in Europe if not the world coming in at 16km’s
long known as the Serenne and also the ever fun under the mountain tunnel. The
resorts height is 1860m and rises to a 3330m glacier giving it a good guarantee
for snow cover. This resort has plenty to offer on and off the piste. Mountain
wise it has many spots for powder hunting which lasts for weeks and if you know
where to look there are always hidden and untouched tracks to shred (which is
very uncommon in France!). Sticking on the piste it is an excellent resort for
beginners due to the fact that all the green runs are at the base of the
mountain and also excellent for the more advanced due to the vast array of
black and red runs which increase in volume the higher you go. There are many
different area’s to explore such as Vaujany which gives you many tree runs, a
small snow park and variety of runs from green to black. There is also another
mountain to shred known as Auris en Oisans which is again great for riding off
the beaten track and is also a lot less busy giving you more space and time on
the mountain to ride. If you’re a park rat and want to nail anything from your
first jump to those front side 7’s the park can offer an array of abilities for
what you desire. Come end of January the park is usually fully built giving you
the option of green to black kickers, green to black rails and even a pipe if
the snow fall is good. The runs venture all the way into town allowing you to
ride straight to your favourite bars and restaurants. If you fancy getting away from the resort for
a day there is also the option of a 10 minute helicopter ride to the
neighboring resort Les Deux Alpes. You can feel just like Travis Rice as they
drop you off on the piste and be able to ride off straight away. Off the mountain the resort offers a swimming
pool, ice rink, gym with many facilities (including a rock climbing wall!), a
lively night life and a friendly atmosphere. They also host many ice car races
on their ice track, which you can even have a go at if you like getting
sideways! Another fun extra is to see the town on a Segway, if you think they
look crazy on the road try taking them up the slope!
If France isn’t your cup of tea then another
alternative close to home would be the wonderful land of Austria. Definitely
one of the most beautiful countries I have been to and 100% the most
friendliest! When you enter Austria you get this great feeling of this is how
it should be. It is so natural and breathtaking that you will be stopping mid
way through your run just to take breath at the scenery. I worked in a resort known as Kitzbuhel which
I would recommend to anybody and hosts the well known Olympic run the
Hahnenkamm. It ranges from 800m up to 2000m and consists of two main mountains
like Alpe D’huez. If après ski sits high in your priorities look no further.
This is a place where you finish your last run of the day (some first!) and get
involved in the live music and jagermeister which is flowing around, get up and
have a boogey with your friends and randoms and go home having lost your
boards, boots and friends! But more times than ever all those necessities will
be right where you left them! Fingers crossed. The mountains in Austria have
many tree’s so if it is a white out day then do not worry! With Kitzbuhel you
will find that you will be travelling across mountains more than up them, like
in Alpe D’Huez as the resort is a little lower. This gives you a great sense of
achievement when you realize how far in distance you have travelled in a days
riding and also gives you a larger variety of terrain to cover making every run
a little different. The mountain offers a variety of runs largely red but if it
is your first time or you like to cruise then the other mountain known as the
Horn has a perfect bowl shaped peak giving you many cruisy runs and stunning
views. There is also a snowpark built giving the trick hungry riders something
to play with.How to choose your setup?
Firstly you will want to decide what you want out of
your kit and what area you would like to progress into such as freestyle,
powder, all terrain etc. This is just due to the fact that the technology of
boards has expanded so much that the designs are aimed at specific area’s but
do not worry as any board will get you down the mountain it’s just whether you
want to go fast, go crazy or enjoy those large sweeping carves. The technology
for boards is mainly focused on the camber/rocker technology of the board. A
standard camber is the shape of a frown so the middle of the board rises off
the floor. This is great for speed and control as it allows you to get a hard
edge on the slope as your weight is pushing down against the camber meaning
that you are driving that rail edge down. This and also gives the board a lot
of pop as you are pushing your weight against the board’s natural shape. Rocker
is the opposite and is a smile shape like a banana. This is great as it gives
the board a catch free edge feeling and you can get away with a lot more and
not fall, helping you progress and feel more confident in your riding. The tip
and the tail of the board will naturally rise allowing you the ability to ride
powder with so much more ease, but don’t worry you can still get a hard, fast
and controlled edge on rockered boards with the built in high tech designs on
offer. Then you have many different cross breeds of camber and rocker such as Lowrize and Prorize with the brand Ride and Doubledog with the brand Forum.
There is so much tech out there you could write a book on it!
Obviously everybody is different for sizes of
equipment due to their own build, but I will give you a size guidance of an
average size man. For freestyle you would be better off getting a smaller sized
board as it allows more movement and a lighter board allowing you to spin and
get air with ease, sizes ranging from 150-156cm. With regards for powder a
larger board would benefit you more as it would keep you afloat with more ease
and allow you to surf the white stuff without getting cramp in your back leg,
sizes ranging from 156-160cm. And for an all mountain board you would be
looking for a board size in the middle allowing you to shred whatever comes at
you. With Boots I would just try as many as you can on, the more you try the
more likely you will find your glass slipper. Don’t just buy the prettiest
one’s, comfort matters more than anything! An easy guidance would be that the
stiffer the boots flex the more response you will get out of your board and the
more flex a boot gives the less response. So if you’re starting out or like a
bit of forgiveness in your freestyle a softer boot may be perfect for you but
if you want a more reactive and more response ride then go stiff. Also if you
ride a lot or are doing a season a stiff boot will last longer and still have
that response you like after all the abuse you give them. With regards to
bindings get ones that hold your boots securely and comfortably in place. The
metal base plates are excellent as they can take a beating but adds more weight
to your board. If you prefer a light set up then aluminum or plastic would be
best.
Where to get your setup?
There are so many places out there and on the internet
offering good deals for 2012 and last year’s equipment. When buying equipment
it is always good to shop around and find the best price available. I have
found a shop known as S2AS (Surface 2 Air Sports) which deals with many extreme
sports such as snowboarding, wakeboarding and kitesurfing. There website is www.s2as.com for internet
orders or if you want to go in store to check out the equipment (which I
recommend unless you know exactly what best suits you) they also have a shop in Poole so you can try out the gear in person. I have found that they offer a wide range of
snowboard equipment from boards, boots, bindings, bags, protection, clothing
etc all from well known and recommended brands such as K2, Ride, Never Summer,Lib Tech, Forum and many more. They also had a lot of 2011 kit for really good
prices if money is an issue. With last year’s kit there is not too much
difference other than graphics with most brands so don’t be afraid to buy older
gear. When I bought my kit off of them they were really good with sorting me
out with the kit I desired and gave me an excellent deal. Highly recommended!
Thanks S2AS. Just to let you know my set up is a Never Summer Evo 154 cm with Ride
Capo bindings and Burton Ruler boots – happy days!
Where to learn and progress those skills?
If it is your first time on the mountain this year I
would strongly recommend having a few lessons on the local dry slope so that
when you are out there you can explore and appreciate the mountain with what
time you have. If you are a seasoned pro I would still say why not get back up
to scratch and have some fun in the UK winter scene. There are 3 main types of
artificial slopes that are available to ride. You have demdex which is criss
crosses of brush like material, there is snowflex which is like a carpet and
then there is your artificial snow. There are many snow centre’s around the UK
so I suggest getting on the net to see where is closest for you. There is usually
a designated night for freestyle so if that’s what your after I would check
there website for what day of the week that is hosted. The Snow Centre in Hemel
Hempstead is a great artificial snow slope that hosts many of the UK’s winter
competitions, Calshot Activities Centre in Southampton is great for beginners
and yet hosts a freestyle night also with the use of their snowflex and Snowtrax
in Christchurch has a variety of demdex slopes to offer.
Well I hope this helped you in deciding your choices
for this upcoming season. Have a wicked winter.
Keep on riding!
Keep on riding!