Yo! Gibbon!

Sea Kite + Snowboard

There really aren't too many words that need to accompany this clip.  Sea Kite + Snowboard = Fail.

Villars BCV 24H

For the last two years I've taken part in a 24 hour race in Villars, Switzerland (organised by Jacques Villeneuve and Craig Pollock).  We've done pretty well in the past - 54th in our debut year, and 16th last year.  We were hoping for a top 10 finish this year, but unfortunately it's not to be.  It's amazing just how much can happen in a year.  I'll spare you all the details, but I'm sad to say that the bigger team, the one  that held the smaller (snow obsessed) team together, has taken a bit of a weird turn.  The result being, we're not going to be in Villars this year.  It's a huge shame, but I've had an amazing time over the last two years with an amazing group of skiers.  Thanks guys.

Them Norwegen's sure is craZy.

This is a blast from the past, but popped up again today.... Norwegen "tree ski jumping".  It looks like it could do some lasting damage to the soft bits....

Perhaps it should be considered for the 2010 Winter Olympics?

London Freeze

Has London gone skiing event mad or is it just me?  Next on the list is the FS04 Freeze.  I've got no idea what 'FS04' means but the event looks good all the same.  A big air competition, lots of famous snowboarders, lots of famous skiers, and best of all, it's in the shadow of one of London's coolest buildings, Battersea Power Station.

The details, the details.  You can get tickets from TicketMaster.  And whistles are NOT ALLOWED (wtf?)

Chris Davenport at the Royal Geographic Society

Chris Davenport of Warren Miller fame, will be talking at London's Royal Geographic Society on the 17th October.  His lecture is entitled "Skiing the Worlds Greatest Mountains":

"Chris will be talking through some of his most memorable backcountry expeditions accompanied with stunning visuals from some of the world’s most famous peaks. See and hear the story of his personal challenge to become the first ever person to climb and ski all 54 of Colorado’s 14,000-ft peaks within one year."

You can get tickets from Snow and Rock.  See you there!

Details:
7pm, Friday 17 October 2008
Ondaatje Theatre, Royal Geographic Society, 1 Kensington Gore, London SW7

Ski Russia - Krasnaya Polyana

I've just found this article from the Guardian about skiing in Russian in a resort called Krasnaya Polyana.  It's from last season (why didn't I catch it earlier??), but I'm sure it's still pretty accurate. 

If you don't want to bother reading the whole article, here are the highlights:

"And then there's the powder. Phenomenally light; it forms here so well thanks to the moist air and Krasnaya's proximity to the sea, attracting pros and those in the know. And it can last through April and even into May, making the resort a good late season option."

"There's endless steep terrain, chutes, spines, cliffs and probably the best tree runs in the world. It's a relief to get away from the sanitised European and North American resorts to something more raw and unpredictable."

"Raw and unpredictable certainly describes the resort's lift, four consecutive rickety two-man chairs, which emit worrying metallic grunts and intermittently run backwards, taking a whole hour to reach the top, at 2,228m. It's a long, frosty journey (cold and uncomfortable enough for the Russians to ski with a foam cushion tied to their bottoms), but the views of pines and peaks compensate.

I might just have to change my travel plans for the 08-09 season.  Anyone else for a spot of adventure?  And if not adventure, the trip might be worth it to see some Russians with foam tied to their bottoms.

Tough Guy Productions

Whether you're already a free-heeler, or just thinking about getting into telemarking, Harmless might be a ski movie that you want to see.  It's from Tough Guy Productions which is a one man band that is Stephane Riendeau.  I'm not 100% sure about the reggae soundtrack, but his skiing more than makes up for it.  Enjoy:

The Fine Line - avalanche awareness

For any of you who spend time outside the ski area boundary you'll know about the thrill of free skiing, but you'll also be acutely aware of the risks.  It's something that I personally try to put to the back of my mind when I'm in the mountains.  I'm more of an snow_ostrich (than a snow_gibbon) when it comes to talk of avalanches - I'd prefer to put my head in the snow. 

I'm sure there are lots of people just like me out there, and that's probably why the folks at Rocky Mountain Sherpas have produce a new film with the Canadian Avalanche Foundation.  It's called The Fine Line

So far only the teaser has been released, but the end game is one feature film and 4 avalanche training films.

The film both looks amazing and informative.  I'm going to take my head out of the snow when it finally comes out.