Snowgo

Huck Doll

We've all seen those little finger snowboards (used to help visualise tricks right). Well now Huck Doll is offering them complete with a fully flexible bendy doll to strap in and get an even better visualisation of that wicked new trick you are perfecting.

Don't eat yellow snow!

Alternatively, write your own message with this nifty tool called simply: pee.

Courchevel couloirs

There is a good thread running over at rec.skiing.resorts.europe on "How hard are the Courchevel couloirs?" - first hand descriptions from people who have skied them and discussion of how difficult they really are. There is also a useful link to further info on skiing the couloirs and one of the posters has some good pictures showing the couloirs and his party skiing them.

I have always fancied riding them but they do look intimidating, the best advice seems to be that, while they are not that technically difficult, you want to be pretty confident on steeps due to the exposure.

Couloir.org

Just found this beautiful photo site via del.icio.us. It covers a number of other mountain sports but there are some great skiing and mountainscape shots and the slideshow design is neat.

Backpack + chair lift = unwise

I have always ignored those little signs on the chair that advise removing backpacks. After this incident I may pay heed.

Make-a-Flake

Not many snowflakes around just now, so have some Friday afternoon fun and make your own!

Skwaling revisited

It has been ages since I saw any skwaleurs and I assumed that skwaling had died out. Not so. From a new comment on an old post it seems that skwaling is thriving.

There is a great site at Skwalzone and, although much of the text is in French (English coming soon apparently), there are lots of good photos, videos and a forum with a fair number of English speakers. Additionally, new for this season is the Assocation Européenne de Skwal which has a championship lined up.

I must try it again.

Who snowboards?

I just read that Juan Pablo Montoya had his board stolen and it got me thinking about who rides. It comes as no surprise that Montoya is a snowboarder but I have noticed a couple of other consistent correlations: bikers and techies.

When I get chatting to other riders they often turn out to be one or the other, I can understand the link with bikers, who tell me that it is a similar sort of adrenaline rush, but what is it about computers and snowboards?

Swiss web cam map

Here is a neat map showing Swiss web cams via Dave Hayes, another snowboard blogger.

It is not as comprehensive as my favourite web cam site, Snoweye, but it is a good graphical representation, at least for Switzerland.

The Carver's Almanac

Scott Firestone has just alerted me to his revamped site, The Carver's Almanac. It is a superb resource on carving equipment and technique and is also available in Russian!

I have only tried a carving board once and its something I would like to try again (I was very taken with the skwal too). Scott's site is a great intro to the subject for riders like me who want to find out a bit more about carving and carving gear.