Official 2015-2016 Ski/Snowboard Season Thread!

[Dave P]

Saw a new trailer. Never to early to start thinking about the upcoming ski/snowboard season.

PUHRrM0tey0

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Bought my new ski jacket at Ski Cellar on Thursday. 50% off last year's stuff in most cases.

[03ozwhip]

I'll get it started...skiing is for homos. Snowboarding is better. The end.

[dubhead]

Almost time to start planning Japan again I think :poosie:

[mazdavirgin]

Source sale August 21st.

http://blog.sourceboards.com/our-biggest-sale-of-the-year-returns-august-21/

[googe]

This thread is just mean :(

[asp integra]

Haha this has to be the earliest this thread has ever been started! That being said we are only 3 months away from the start of the season.

[Redlyne_mr2]

lol awesome.. I used to have a hook up from Surface but going a different route this year. Trying 4fnt Yle, loving the 187 length.

[Redlyne_mr2]

Originally posted by dubhead
Almost time to start planning Japan again I think :poosie:

Dude Im going solo, any tips?

[jacky4566]

Redlyne_mr2 I have a Japan trip booked for Feb 14-27. When are you going?

[Dave P]

Saw this today!

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

I want to do Japan so bad...

[googe]

Originally posted by asp integra
Haha this has to be the earliest this thread has ever been started! That being said we are only 3 months away from the start of the season.

I dunno, with the strong El Nino, we all might get screwed again :(

[dubhead]

Originally posted by Redlyne_mr2


Dude Im going solo, any tips?

-Avoid Chinese New Year like the plague. We left a week before it started and things where already getting stupid busy when traveling around.

-make sure to slurp your Ramen

We had a group of 8 so not too sure about going it alone, where are you thinking of heading too? We spent most our trip in Niseko.

With so much awesome back country riding (the trees just grow perfect for riding everywhere) I would look for someone to go with who's into a bit of touring if I were you

[g-m]

I'm headin to Japan again in February and doing the haute traverse in france in April! Gonna be a hell of a season!

[Dave P]

Fade To Winter
http://skimovie.com/portfolio-item/fade-to-winter-2015/

[g-m]

Well the weather models are predicting worse than last year. Glad I'm going overseas. Looks like KH at the beginning of that TGR preview. Stoked for freshtival!

[flipstah]

Holy fuck, so early hahahaha.

[mazdavirgin]

Originally posted by g-m
Well the weather models are predicting worse than last year. Glad I'm going overseas. Looks like KH at the beginning of that TGR preview. Stoked for freshtival!

Hopefully they are wrong. If not well another year of park riding :)

[asp integra]

new super proof trailer, wasn't a big fan of last years movie, skiing was decent but 'story' was weird, this looks more promising though

https://vimeo.com/136245484

[asp integra]

Also, Godzilla El Nino predicted for this winter, don't know how this will affect us, but looks good for Cali areas http://unofficialnetworks.com/2015/08/godzilla-el-nino-forecasted-for-2016-ski-season

[GQBalla]

any good deals around for snowboards?

[mazdavirgin]

Originally posted by GQBalla
any good deals around for snowboards?

Source sale but IMHO it's not really good deals. It's the same deals you could have gotten back in May with less inventory...

Some of the soft goods are on for good prices but most of the hard goods are pretty much the same price as they were in May.

[asp integra]

Revy is putting in a park, maybe they know something about the El Nio we don't
http://smpfreeskiercom.c.presscdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Terrain-Park-2-658x1024-411x640.jpg

http://freeskier.com/the-wire/revelstoke-mountain-resort-to-add-a-whopping-new-terrain-park

[dubhead]

Originally posted by GQBalla
any good deals around for snowboards?

thinkempire.com usually has lots on clearance this time of year

[silvercivicsir]

Get a Lib-tech Banana Magic... I bought me a new one in April, can't wait to try her out..

[mazdavirgin]

Originally posted by silvercivicsir
Get a Lib-tech Banana Magic... I bought me a new one in April, can't wait to try her out..

IMHO lib tech banana anything is over hyped and too pricy for what you are getting. Not to mention their notorious issues with top sheet delam. :dunno: Just buy something with the camber profile you are looking for and get something on the cheaper end of things. A 200$ vs 700$ snowboard it really doesn't make much of a difference. Get better boots/bindings.

Pretty hyped on the revy terrain park though :) At least there will be something to do now when it's not snowing or raining on the base.

[silvercivicsir]

I would totally disagree with you on this.. it's like comparing a Focus RS to a base model Honda Civic. Sure they will get both to point B, but the tech in the higher end Snowboards is worth the money in my opinion.

a $200 sport check special vs a high end Burton, Lib-tech, or GNU are completely different. But I agree spend the money on a good pair of Boots.. Nothing worse than cold and sore feet to ruin your day on the mountain.




Originally posted by mazdavirgin


IMHO lib tech banana anything is over hyped and too pricy for what you are getting. Not to mention their notorious issues with top sheet delam. :dunno: Just buy something with the camber profile you are looking for and get something on the cheaper end of things. A 200$ vs 700$ snowboard it really doesn't make much of a difference. Get better boots/bindings.

Pretty hyped on the revy terrain park though :) At least there will be something to do now when it's not snowing or raining on the base.

[flipstah]

Gloves>Boots>Board>Bindings

My ride made a big difference going to a stiffer boot. But I had to learn what I needed to have to make my ride better.

Time to get my GNU board waxed and tuned. :love:

[mazdavirgin]

Originally posted by silvercivicsir
I would totally disagree with you on this.. it's like comparing a Focus RS to a base model Honda Civic. Sure they will get both to point B, but the tech in the higher end Snowboards is worth the money in my opinion. A $200 sport check special vs a high end Burton, Lib-tech, or GNU are completely different.

:dunno: I've ridden plenty of expensive boards and cheap boards. Frankly I've never felt like my board has ever held me back in terms of what I can do on the mountain. It's always been a question of needing more days out AKA more skill.

At the moment I'm ridding so called sport check specials AKA 200$ park boards. Pretty sure that if I had bought a 700$ lib tech park board my park skills would be pretty much exactly the same. Unfortunately buying a more expensive board doesn't make you a better snowboarder. Wish it did but spinning a FS/BS 5 feels the same on a sport check special as it does on a 700$ lib tech deck. Just feels a lot better though when you snap your sport check board vs wrecking something in the 700$ range.

As long as the board is the right size everything else is pretty much minor details.

[g-m]

Originally posted by jacky4566
Redlyne_mr2 I have a Japan trip booked for Feb 14-27. When are you going? I'm going Feb 6 to 21. Where are you g guys going? I wouldn't mind hitting the Japan alps this time, mostly stayed on Hokkaido last year. Niseko was sick though

[Redlyne_mr2]

haven't booked yet but thinking around the same time frame as g_m. I was thinking about the Aomori prefecture in the upon most north section of the large island.

Can anyone here suggest the best resort/slack country skiing for powder? I've heard niseko is awesome but can get tracked out.

[jacky4566]

Originally posted by g-m
I'm going Feb 6 to 21. Where are you g guys going? I wouldn't mind hitting the Japan alps this time, mostly stayed on Hokkaido last year. Niseko was sick though

We are booked for Feb 14 - 28. Ill send you my schedule PM.

Redlyne_mr2 if you went as well maybe we should do a beyond meet in Japan ?:rofl: Rental racing anyone?

[dubhead]

Originally posted by mazdavirgin


:dunno: I've ridden plenty of expensive boards and cheap boards. Frankly I've never felt like my board has ever held me back in terms of what I can do on the mountain. It's always been a question of needing more days out AKA more skill.

At the moment I'm ridding so called sport check specials AKA 200$ park boards. Pretty sure that if I had bought a 700$ lib tech park board my park skills would be pretty much exactly the same. Unfortunately buying a more expensive board doesn't make you a better snowboarder. Wish it did but spinning a FS/BS 5 feels the same on a sport check special as it does on a 700$ lib tech deck. Just feels a lot better though when you snap your sport check board vs wrecking something in the 700$ range.

As long as the board is the right size everything else is pretty much minor details.

I have 4 boards in rotation right now and I assure you they all ride waaaaay different sure I can throw down on anything under my feet but still love the ride of a quality board vs cheap one. (I think we beat this to death last year though)

That being said I would never pay MSRP since most boards, boots and bindings don't change a lot yet over year.

Boots, base layer, board,----------->binding offin a distant last place they'll all pretty much the same.

[asp integra]

Originally posted by Redlyne_mr2
haven't booked yet but thinking around the same time frame as g_m. I was thinking about the Aomori prefecture in the upon most north section of the large island.

Can anyone here suggest the best resort/slack country skiing for powder? I've heard niseko is awesome but can get tracked out. pm'd

[g-m]

Originally posted by Redlyne_mr2
haven't booked yet but thinking around the same time frame as g_m. I was thinking about the Aomori prefecture in the upon most north section of the large island.

Can anyone here suggest the best resort/slack country skiing for powder? I've heard niseko is awesome but can get tracked out.
Niseko is awesome, people really are risk adverse, tons of amazing skiing. Risutsu or however you spell it is good too. I wasn't impressed by anything else on Hokkaido. I want to hit Honshu north as well.


Originally posted by jacky4566


We are booked for Feb 14 - 28. Ill send you my schedule PM.

Redlyne_mr2 if you went as well maybe we should do a beyond meet in Japan ?:rofl: Rental racing anyone?

We're still in the early stages, I'll send you a PM when we're more locked down, next week. Furano is really good out of bounds so long as you're allowed, and it snows. Otherwise it's horrible, as we found out. High winds closed the top lifts so even though we were willing to defy the bans, we couldn't. Asahi'dake was pretty cool to summit but not enough vert

[dubhead]

Originally posted by Redlyne_mr2
haven't booked yet but thinking around the same time frame as g_m. I was thinking about the Aomori prefecture in the upon most north section of the large island.

Can anyone here suggest the best resort/slack country skiing for powder? I've heard niseko is awesome but can get tracked out.

We had cars which made it super easy to access the backcountry behind Niesiko but even without there is tons of easy lift accessed slackcountry.

A popular route is to buy a single use ticket then ski/ride back to the Onsen at the top of the pass behind Niesko then there's a bunch of easy little tours from there. Stop at the Onsen on before touring back over to the resort.

We also did Yotei which was way over my fitness level but worth it for sure. Crampons are definitely helpful on this one the top half is wind swept bullet proof hell.

Asahidaki was pretty cool riding on an active volcano was sweet. It was way to socked in to stray too far. It's also super laid back with only a handful of people around which made for some nice relaxing at the end of our trip

[g-m]

Did you ski the crater on Yotei? We had a perfect day but chose to ski lift access retain instead for more laps

[dubhead]

Originally posted by g-m
Did you ski the crater on Yotei? We had a perfect day but chose to ski lift access retain instead for more laps

Unfortunately we did not, was getting late by the time we got up and there was some questionable looking weather rolling in so decided against it.

[mazdavirgin]

s5kvQv7WnUY

[asp integra]

haha that is awesome!

[g-m]

That reminds me, gotta ptex a core shot from last year

[flipstah]

Is there still snow in Niesko late March-early April?

[mazdavirgin]

TM2oX2quLHk

Looking forward to more ridiculousness like above over the winter. Lake louise upper terrain parks are absolute shit shows. :nut: They really should be separating out the noob areas from the more advanced crowd.

Now for some positive terrain park stoke. <3 This video.

ZTyiOew5YCU

[JfuckinC]

Lol ^^^^ :rofl:

Went and hiked up on highway 40 and got some turns in Monday haha... Long hike for a short ride, but it was good exercise and nice to feel a board beneath my feet :love:

[gogreen]

Does anyone have any opinions on the Jones Mountain Twin board? My current setup is great in powder and absorbs bumps well, but icy conditions are a challenge and it takes a lot of effort to carve on hard snow, so I'm considering going to a more all-around performer.

[mazdavirgin]

Originally posted by gogreen
Does anyone have any opinions on the Jones Mountain Twin board? My current setup is great in powder and absorbs bumps well, but icy conditions are a challenge and it takes a lot of effort to carve on hard snow, so I'm considering going to a more all-around performer.

You're probably better off with a stiff traditional camber board if you are looking for ease of carving on hard pack/icy stuff. I don't really buy into the whole frost byte/magnatraction edge stuff but frankly unless it's a >1foot pow day I ride my reverse camber dull edged park stick pretty much everywhere... You just sort of learn to deal with the conditions and make your board work no matter.

[Redlyne_mr2]

Was skiing high wood pass on the weekend, some powder, lots of rocks lol.

[dubhead]

Originally posted by mazdavirgin


You're probably better off with a stiff traditional camber board if you are looking for ease of carving on hard pack/icy stuff. I don't really buy into the whole frost byte/magnatraction edge stuff but frankly unless it's a &gt;1foot pow day I ride my reverse camber dull edged park stick pretty much everywhere... You just sort of learn to deal with the conditions and make your board work no matter.

+1 the mountain twin seems to be a decent hybrid but full camber will give best results in crud and ice

Though I will say I'm not sure my pow board would turn at all on hardpack without the help of magna-traction.

[gogreen]

Originally posted by mazdavirgin


You're probably better off with a stiff traditional camber board if you are looking for ease of carving on hard pack/icy stuff. I don't really buy into the whole frost byte/magnatraction edge stuff but frankly unless it's a &gt;1foot pow day I ride my reverse camber dull edged park stick pretty much everywhere... You just sort of learn to deal with the conditions and make your board work no matter.

Agreed, I learned to make the best of the conditions when I used to drive from SK and cram as many runs into 3 days as humanly possible, lol.

I'm definitely looking for a stiffer board, and I am used to traditional camber (15 seasons now). I was considering a K2 Slayblade after trying out my wife's Eco-Pop on hardpack (basically the women's version of the Slayblade at the time, with the Flatline profile) but I see it's now discontinued and the previous year's models were a weird hybrid of flat and cambered.

I currently ride a Burton Supermodel which is a cambered directional board with a tapered shape, but I do find it a little soft. Carving performance isn't the most important for me but an improvement in that area would be welcome. I like tree runs and the occasional chute, but I'm not dropping cliffs or anything like that, and I spend very little time in the park.

To further complicate things, I have considered taking the quiver approach and using my current setup for pow days and picking up a shorter board for cruising and playing around on the less-than-ideal days.

[g-m]

+1 for quiver. I've got 5 pairs of skis

Trying to narrow it down to 2 pair for Japan was a fucking challenge

[dubhead]

Originally posted by g-m
+1 for quiver. I've got 5 pairs of skis

Trying to narrow it down to 2 pair for Japan was a fucking challenge

Just bring pow skis no real need for anything else over there.

[JfuckinC]

Originally posted by Redlyne_mr2
Was skiing high wood pass on the weekend, some powder, lots of rocks lol.


lol ya i definitely caught one good on my board, turned me upside down, luckily i landed on my pack/snow shoes :barf: lol

[cam_wmh]

Originally posted by asp integra
Revy is putting in a park, maybe they know something about the El Nio we don't
http://smpfreeskiercom.c.presscdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Terrain-Park-2-658x1024-411x640.jpg

http://freeskier.com/the-wire/revelstoke-mountain-resort-to-add-a-whopping-new-terrain-park

Ben,
Did you hit up their Cabin event ? I imagine similar park to that.

[g-m]

Originally posted by dubhead


Just bring pow skis no real need for anything else over there. nah I brought my DPS touring skis and chopsticks. Worked out perfect. Don't kid yourself, there are bad days there too, I'm glad I didn't only have the pow skis. I'll bring the same this coming year again

[asp integra]

Originally posted by cam_wmh


Ben,
Did you hit up their Cabin event ? I imagine similar park to that.

Didn't even know about it, what was it?

[flipstah]

A group of us want to do a ski/snowboard trip and somehow, I got suckered into planning it.

However, there are a select few that want to join but don't do either activity. What's a good mountain that can entertain people who don't careen off of slopes?

[mazdavirgin]

Originally posted by flipstah
A group of us want to do a ski/snowboard trip and somehow, I got suckered into planning it.

However, there are a select few that want to join but don't do either activity. What's a good mountain that can entertain people who don't careen off of slopes?

Whistler is probably the best for that scenario. Otherwise Whitefish/Fernie would probably be OK as well.

[lasimmon]

I don't know if I will be booking a ski trip in advance this year. We booked Fernie early last year and it was shit. Couldn't cancel either.

Supposed to be a terrible snow year.

[flipstah]

Oh right it's El Nino this year!

[JRSC00LUDE]

Originally posted by flipstah
A group of us want to do a ski/snowboard trip and somehow, I got suckered into planning it.

However, there are a select few that want to join but don't do either activity. What's a good mountain that can entertain people who don't careen off of slopes?

Tell them to go to Mexico and stop fucking with your ski trip.

[mazdavirgin]

Originally posted by lasimmon
I don't know if I will be booking a ski trip in advance this year. We booked Fernie early last year and it was shit. Couldn't cancel either.

Supposed to be a terrible snow year.

I'm ok with a terrible snow year if it actually stays cold instead of melting everything out and having no snow like last year. :cry:

If there's not going to be pow I want my jump lines to not melt.

[asp integra]

Originally posted by flipstah
A group of us want to do a ski/snowboard trip and somehow, I got suckered into planning it.

However, there are a select few that want to join but don't do either activity. What's a good mountain that can entertain people who don't careen off of slopes?

Lots of places cater to the non snow slider. Whis is best because it has everything you need, but its also far away and pricey. For the sub 3 hr drive, Panorama, Fernie and KickingHorse will all work. Whitefish is a bit further but is really good as well.

[Dave P]

Some good deals at Sportschek right now. Getting rid of last years stuff and today is a Friends and Family sale.

Got all this for $450

[cam_wmh]

Originally posted by asp integra


Didn't even know about it, what was it?

Cabin Fever. First weekend of May. They re-open Revy with a big park.
They restrict photo/video though.

[notoriouss]

Are there any places with decent deals going on for snowboards? I just missed source's sale.

[flipstah]

Originally posted by JRSC00LUDE


Tell them to go to Mexico and stop fucking with your ski trip.

LAWLZ. Thanks to everyone else though!

[flipstah]

.

[dubhead]

Originally posted by notoriouss
Are there any places with decent deals going on for snowboards? I just missed source's sale.

think.empire.com might have some stock left but I think for the most part you've missed your window for grabbing anything good left from last year

[mazdavirgin]

Originally posted by notoriouss
Are there any places with decent deals going on for snowboards? I just missed source's sale.

There is some ok stuff at sports chek at the moment in terms of boards anyways.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

RIP Erik Roner.

[Redlyne_mr2]

Originally posted by Twin_Cam_Turbo
RIP Erik Roner.

So sad... another legend gone too soon.

[asp integra]

Terrible news about Roner, so sad. Cant believe J.T. Holmes was on the trip with Shane and now Roner.


In happier news, Freshtival is coming up! www.freshtival.ca

[Rocket1k78]

So sad about Roner. I only know about him from the NC show and he used to do some crazy things on there.


In regards to booking a trip, whitefish is always a good time and although our dollar is shit its still a cheap place to go and because theres an actual town site the non riders can go there during the day. 5 hour drive so doable for everyone. Theres a million VRBO's in the town so we always do that. Kalispell is a big town which is 15 minutes from the hill.

If you've never done whistler, thats a place you have to experience! The snow can be hit or miss all season though, went once in december and it was slush and another time in feb and slush on the last day. The village is big enough to keep you occupied so on the wet days we just hot tubbed and walked around the village. Whistler is not cheap though:thumbsdow

Fernie is a sick place if you like rock boarding lol That place gets worse and worse each year and you'd better have 20k gear or else youre gonna get wet. We got so screwed a couple years ago in late feb that out of 3 days we rode a total of 3 hours the first day, it felt like we were riding in wet clumpy sand.

Golden is my go to for a quick trip! Close drive and you're pretty much guaranteed good conditions for the duration of the season with a ton of epic pow days even if you're not lucky.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Roner did a Reddit AMA a while ago and I asked him what his favorite memory of McConkey was. He told me it was something highly illegal base jumping that he couldn't say exactly what. So sad another great guy gone to early.

Also 1 year anniversary of JP and Andreas' deaths today :(

[mazdavirgin]

Originally posted by Rocket1k78
Golden is my go to for a quick trip! Close drive and you're pretty much guaranteed good conditions for the duration of the season with a ton of epic pow days even if you're not lucky.

I feel like I am taking crazy pills when people talk about Kicking Horse. My experience there is it's wet and shitty at the bottom pretty close to year round and the gondola lift line is retarded if there is even a decent amount of snow. Rather go to Revy... At least at Revy I don't have to go through the bottom wet mess every damn run. I can stay up top and ride where it's actually cold enough to not be soaking wet.

[g-m]

Yea Fernie is way more consistent than kh. But when kh is on, it's the best except for red. I've got a pass for both. Last year was Fernie's worst season ever I think. Had some sick days at both last year, despite. But I encourage people to stick to LL and sunshine anyway, better for me

[JRSC00LUDE]

We stayed in Bozeman last winter and rode Bridger Bowl, it was unreal. There is terrain for days there when the upper ridgeline has good coverage. :thumbsup:

[Rocket1k78]

Originally posted by mazdavirgin


I feel like I am taking crazy pills when people talk about Kicking Horse. My experience there is it's wet and shitty at the bottom pretty close to year round and the gondola lift line is retarded if there is even a decent amount of snow. Rather go to Revy... At least at Revy I don't have to go through the bottom wet mess every damn run. I can stay up top and ride where it's actually cold enough to not be soaking wet.



Originally posted by g-m
Yea Fernie is way more consistent than kh. But when kh is on, it's the best except for red. I've got a pass for both. Last year was Fernie's worst season ever I think. Had some sick days at both last year, despite. But I encourage people to stick to LL and sunshine anyway, better for me

You guys get ahold of that blue meth?:D :D

No way KH is wetter than Fernie. The Gondola line can be pretty nasty though. Im all for LL too

[googe]

Originally posted by JRSC00LUDE
We stayed in Bozeman last winter and rode Bridger Bowl, it was unreal. There is terrain for days there when the upper ridgeline has good coverage. :thumbsup:

don't blow up the spot

[mazdavirgin]

Originally posted by googe


don't blow up the spot

:dunno: If you're that close to big sky why would you not go there?

[JRSC00LUDE]

Originally posted by mazdavirgin


:dunno: If you're that close to big sky why would you not go there?

Yes, yes go to Big Sky instead! I agree!

[googe]

Better yet, go to Colorado!

[jacky4566]

Does anyone have news on the RCR ski more card? I havnt seen it for sale yet.

Do we get any refunds or bonus for last year's Castle card? Bought a card and only got 1 day in before they closed.

I bought the Mountain Collective card so we will see if I can setup direct to lift.

[ramminghard]

Anyone have an extra ticket for sale to the Oct 15 @ 9:45 Freshtival showing for sale?

[dubhead]

Well a Japan trip fell through so booked got in on a guided trip to the Kokanee Glacier cabin outside of Nelson.

Basically get a Heli ride in to a cabin in the middle of no where and left to Splitboard for a week straight. I'm pumped!
Trip info here (http://www.splitboardhq.com/guided_trips/Kokanee_Glacier_Cabin)

https://youtu.be/1lmxucB5H7c

[asp integra]

Louise and Cop blowing snow. Louise is set to open Wiwaxy 500 next friday

[SkiBum5.0]

CO resorts opening next weekend. ABasin and Loveland are making snow!

[GT.....O?]

Anyone have any recommendations on splitboards?

I have a sled, so looking to do some sled in/tour around days, but also have some friends who snowshoe in.

Im thinking something lighter, MEC has the BlackSheep Carbon by G3, but honestly ive never ridden one of their boards.

Willing to spend a decent coin to get a good board.

Open to suggestions. But right now im thinking something like the Jones solution (possible carbon) or Libtech T-Rice.

[dimi]

Originally posted by GT.....O?
Anyone have any recommendations on splitboards?

I have a sled, so looking to do some sled in/tour around days, but also have some friends who snowshoe in.

Im thinking something lighter, MEC has the BlackSheep Carbon by G3, but honestly ive never ridden one of their boards.

Willing to spend a decent coin to get a good board.

Open to suggestions. But right now im thinking something like the Jones solution (possible carbon) or Libtech T-Rice.

I've had both of those boards. They have the exact opposite camber profile which I find dominates the riding experience. I hated the libtech (164.5). The nose cambers down and would dig in constantly, requiring an uncomfortable amount of back lean. Furthermore the mid section has reverse camber and would be a pain while skinning due to a lack of contact. Add to that the heavy weight, and it just did not work for me.

The solution (166) is the exact opposite and the nose cambers up, which I find to be much more intuitive and floats way better. The camber in the between the feet I also really like and its a lot lighter. The weight makes a very noticeable difference.

What I would not recommend is carbon. I've tried a carbon board and the thing was really stiff, to the point it wasn't playful at all. Great if you're doing some insane pitched lines, but not really for everyday use.

Bindings: I've tried Karakorams (Split 30), Sparks (Afterburner), and now Phantom with HB. Karakorams are nice and I like the all metal design, however they do move around a fair bit and are a fair bit more expensive than Sparks. Sparks with pucks are rock solid, very simple and would be my choice for a softboot.

I've now transitioned to a phantom split-board binding with dynafit TLT6s. Takes touring and getting around in the back-country to a whole new level and with some mods to the boots the downhill can be just as much fun as with a softboot. This is a very expensive option though.

Best of luck!

[mazdavirgin]

Originally posted by GT.....O?
Anyone have any recommendations on splitboards?

I have a sled, so looking to do some sled in/tour around days, but also have some friends who snowshoe in.

Im thinking something lighter, MEC has the BlackSheep Carbon by G3, but honestly ive never ridden one of their boards.

Willing to spend a decent coin to get a good board.

Open to suggestions. But right now im thinking something like the Jones solution (possible carbon) or Libtech T-Rice.

Most important part really should be finding a board with the right camber and shape that matches what you would like to be doing in the back country. Don't buy a fish board if you want to ever ride switch for example...

Lighter usually means flimsier and more expensive. So as long as you are OK with that going into things...

If you're really stuck on light weight then the weird multisplit boards are probably what you should be looking at. Something like the Salomon Premiere.

IMHO though if I had a sled I would not bother with a splitboard period and just ride a normal ass snowboard.

[GT.....O?]

Originally posted by mazdavirgin



IMHO though if I had a sled I would not bother with a splitboard period and just ride a normal ass snowboard.


Ive been snowboarding for around 13 years. Cant find much in-bounds that i wont go down.


Problem is, not many of my backcountry friends have sleds, so while it would be nice to get us into an area, doubling up on a big powder day really is a pain in the ass. I had a couple days last year, were we burned a quarter tank just getting to the cabin because the trail that was groomed the night before had 1.5-2 feet of snow on it. Doubling up would have only made it worse, and then to pack a trail up anything that is half steep takes a big chunk of time.

Anyone tried the Never Summer prospector?? Reviews all seem to say its an awesome board, lots of guys all say the same. Bit on the heavier side, but supposed to be very responsive.

[flipstah]

C'mon snow!!!

[mazdavirgin]

Originally posted by flipstah
C'mon snow!!!

We need the temps to dip down. It's too hot at the moment for snow fall. Hell too hot for them to run the guns. :guns:

It's -1C at the top of sunshine... Bring on winter already!

[dimi]

http://images.drivebc.ca/bchighwaycam/pub/html/www/101.html

[asp integra]

Originally posted by dimi
http://images.drivebc.ca/bchighwaycam/pub/html/www/101.html

Beauty!

[SkiBum5.0]

27cm in the last 24 at Revy

[GT.....O?]

Well, after a ton of research and hours of scouring over websites, I ended up picking a 2015 Never Summer Prospector, with Spark R&D Magneto bindings. Found some really good deals on both and I think I will be super happy with both. I have yet to read a bad or marginal review on the Prospector.

I had a really hard time deciding between the Karakorams and the Sparks, but ultimately i couldn't justify the price of the Karakorams especially after reading multiple reviews about how they ice up easily and require them to pretty clean to fully engage. Plus will all the extra moving parts and the deal i found on the Sparks won me over.

Found a 2015 Prospector in Van for $899 (regularly $1280) with free shipping and found the 2015 Magneto bindings at the ski cellar for $299. The new spark T1 arcs $500 at mission for the 2016 models. So overall pretty happy. Picked up new boots K2 T1 boots at mission in spring so hopefully it all gets put to good use this year!!

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a109/Jeff__23/47355_zps7yiukiij.jpg (http://s10.photobucket.com/user/Jeff__23/media/47355_zps7yiukiij.jpg.html)

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a109/Jeff__23/spark-magnet-splitbard-bnd-blk-14-zoom_zpsbtmawlwn.jpg (http://s10.photobucket.com/user/Jeff__23/media/spark-magnet-splitbard-bnd-blk-14-zoom_zpsbtmawlwn.jpg.html)

[SIC1]

Its puking here in Banff. Cant wait. Norquay this week, sunshine and the lake next week.

[dubhead]

Originally posted by GT.....O?
Well, after a ton of research and hours of scouring over websites, I ended up picking a 2015 Never Summer Prospector, with Spark R&amp;D Magneto bindings. Found some really good deals on both and I think I will be super happy with both. I have yet to read a bad or marginal review on the Prospector.

I had a really hard time deciding between the Karakorams and the Sparks, but ultimately i couldn't justify the price of the Karakorams especially after reading multiple reviews about how they ice up easily and require them to pretty clean to fully engage. Plus will all the extra moving parts and the deal i found on the Sparks won me over.

Found a 2015 Prospector in Van for $899 (regularly $1280) with free shipping and found the 2015 Magneto bindings at the ski cellar for $299. The new spark T1 arcs $500 at mission for the 2016 models. So overall pretty happy. Picked up new boots K2 T1 boots at mission in spring so hopefully it all gets put to good use this year!!


Nicely done I can't wait to get out on the skin track. Really planing on spending much more time in the backcountry this year.