Black Diamond’s 15th Annual Fundraising Party for the UAC

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 19:16:31 -0700

Join your fellow Utah splitters and backcountry skiers for Black Diamond’s 15th Annual Fundraising Party for the Utah Avalanche Center. The UAC provides a wealth of information such as daily avalanche advisories, annotated topo maps, weather links, and avalanche education. Even if you can’t attend the party or make a donation, check out there website and to increase your avy savy. Kudos to BD for supporting such a noble cause as well!

Venture Snowboards Photo Contest

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:47:53 -0700

Venture Snowboards announces “The Mountain Life” Photo Contest. Silverton, CO - August 28, 2008 - This winter, one lucky shutter bug will win a brand new Venture Snowboard. Will it be you?

Venture Snowboards is sponsoring a season-long series of photo competitions with the theme "The Mountain Life." Anything goes - lifestyle, action, scenic, humor...as long as it reflects life in the mountains. So get creative and capture the essence of the mountain life. Extra credit given for shots that include a Venture snowboard!

First tier competitions will take place monthly from September 2008 through March 2009, with t-shirts and other Venture swag as prizes. Monthly winners will be entered into a second tier competition, to be judged in early April. The grand prize for the second tier contest is a brand spanking new Venture deck.

For more details, visit the Venture Snowboards website: www.venturesnowboards.com and check out their new blog page as well!

Now grab that camera and start snapping!

Snowboard Mountaineering 1 with Shasta Mountain Guides

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:47:13 -0700

Our friends at Shasta Mountain Guides are excited to offer this new program for the aspiring snowboard mountaineer. You will learn and apply the skills necessary to ride in the alpine back country, and be challenged with a Shasta summit climb and descent from the Cascade Volcano. They’ll discuss terrain, route planning, climbing skills and equipment; all while enjoying the endless bowls on Shasta's south and west sides. With the elevation of Mt. Shasta being 14,179 feet, it’s annual snowfall totals are always near the top of the food chain for the state. Head on up to extend your season and enjoy the awesome spring and summer corn snow Mt. Shasta is known for.

Prior Snowboards Info

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 17:47:17 -0700

Here’s some random info on Prior Snowboards.

Leeward Cinema - On my own Two Feet

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 13:17:59 -0700

This fall Leeward Cinema presents something new for the snowboard community. Rather than using sleds, helis, and chairlifts to film their project they used good ol’ fashion human power....their own two feet. The film is also unique in that it’s filmed entirely in the Sierras Mountains of California.

Instead of hitting the same jumps in the same locations that are all too common in the snowboard film industry these days, Leeward has thought outside the box. They ventured to new places only accessible on foot to uncover new terrain the viewers have never seen in other snowboard films.

While this is a snowboard film, Leeward Cinema knows that the underlying adventure required to get to these locations are what will make this film unique. Its not just about the riding (or destination), its also about the journey. They also hope to spread the word about conserving these special and amazing locations in the Sierra, a place many snowboarders call home.

Voile Avy Shovels - still made in the USA!

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 11:10:48 -0700

While much of USA manufacturing has gone to Asia, Voile continues to make high quality gear for backcountry skiing and snowboarding right here in Salt Lake City, Utah USA.

Recently after manufacturing over 1 million shovels Voile has retired their old shovel tooling and have precisely machined all new tooling for their shovel production. Shown here are the A and B side of the tool that forms the Voile shovel scoop. It takes a 100 ton punch press to operate this tool and make a cleanly formed Voile scoop.

While these beautiful tools were precisely CNC machined from a solid block of tool steel, the original Voile shovel tool was made in 1981 in a now defunct Salt Lake foundry where molten tool steel was poured into a sand mold. Voile - Made in USA.

Scott Newsome starts guiding service for snowboarders

Mon, 7 Jul 2008 21:57:20 -0700

Professional snowboarder turned certified guide Scott Newsome recently launched his new guiding service and website newsomesnow.com. The service prides itself on being a “Snowboard Only” operation and was created to cater to the specific needs of snowboarders. Many times on guided trips your guide will be on skis and not as tuned in to the goals of the group when it comes to snowboarding. With Scott as your guide, you can be assured he’ll take you to the good and let you ride the way you want, all while keeping you safe as possible. Newsomesnow will be offering trips to Revelstoke, Rogers Pass, Nelson, Selkirk Mtns, Rocky Mtns, Monashee Mtns and Alaska this year with the goal of providing you with the trip of a lifetime. Packages also vary from splitboard tours to snowcat and heli depending on your budget and conditions. Check out newsomesnow.com for more info and to book a trip now!

Scott and any other guide associated with Newsomesnow Quest Inc. will be professionally certified by Canadian Standards in snow safety: Canadian Avalanche Association, first aid and guide organizations; Association of Canadian Mountain Guides and Canadian Ski Guides Association. All guests will be trained in avalanche self/group rescue and avalanche transceivers. Back country snowboarding has inherited risks, from helicopters, snowcats, avalanches and other natural hazards associated with mountain travel.

CONTACT INFORMATION Newsomesnow Quest Inc.
Scott and Kerry Newsome (250) 837-5695 or (250) 814-3311 info@newsomesnow.com
P.O. Box 2731 Revelstoke, BC, Canada V0E 2S0

Spark R&D Ignition II and Mr. Chomps update

Sun, 6 Jul 2008 12:17:33 -0700

Spark R&D may be a young company but that hasn’t stopped owner Will Ritter from continuing to develop and refine the Ignition I binding. Just unveiled in the spring of 2008, the Ignition II binding features some nice improvements over the generation I version such as a single-piece, plastic highback and better hardware.

The Ignition II is built around the Bent Metal Restraint binding.

The Restraint features:

A comfy, single-piece highback
Lower profile, self locking hardware
Tool-less forward-lean cube and plush straps

Spark R&D has also introduced a splitboard crampon to work with the Ignition II binding called Mr. Chomps.
The crampons are designed to work in all the modes splitboarders need: free, elevated -free, fixed, and fixed-elevated...all available on the fly without needing to remove the bindings!

They come in some cool colors and even have their own video.

Spark R&D Ignition I info and video

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 16:25:03 -0800

Check out the world’s first splitboard-specific binding, The Ignition! We’ve been dreaming about it for years and Spark R&D owner Will Ritter finally made that dream a reality by designing a splitboard-specific binding that offers a lighter and more natural ride.

The binding features a special baseplate that works seamlessly with the Voile Splitboard Interface and is built with high quality Bent Metal straps and hardware. The baseplate allows the user to ditch the Voile Slider track altogether and the result is a lightweight, low-profile binding that sits on the board closer which dramatically increases board sensitivity. The binding is also very simple and narrow which mean less pieces to fail in the field and less “binding bang” on the skin track.

The Ignition I binding really is the biggest innovating in splitboarding since the invention of the splitboard itself. Check back soon for the most current information on when the binding will be available.

Thanks and good luck Will!

Venture's Divide splitboard offered in fifteen sizes

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 22:38:57 -0800

Venture Divide splitboard offered in 15 different size combinations for the 07/08 winter season.
Introduced with a bang last winter, the Divide offers up the same quality materials, craftsmanship, and performance that are the hallmarks of the Venture line. A Backcountry Magazine write up confirms this, noting the Divide’s “meticulous, handcrafted construction,” and saying the board is “torsionally tough in both ride and ski modes.”
“Demand for these boards was off the hook last winter, and we had repeated requests for longer sizes,” says Klemens Branner, the company’s founder and design engineer. “We’ve not only added lengths all the way up to 181, but we’ve also doubled our production for 07/08. Even so, if early season inquiries are any indication, they’ll go like hot cakes again this year.”
Developed with input from professional guides and serious backcountry enthusiasts, the key to the Divide’s design is a specially engineered core. Additional ash stringers bolster rigidity along the inner seam, a stiffer midsection and tail lend stability, and a moderately tapered shape and softer nose offer increased float. “It’s a hybrid, with a shape that’s a cross between our Zephyr and Euphoria models,” says Branner. “It can handle sun baked crud just as well as the deep stuff.”
As with all Venture boards, the Divide is available in three different waist widths – narrow (24 cm), medium (26 cm), and wide (28 cm) – to accommodate a broad spectrum of riders. With lengths ranging from 156 to 181 cm, this works out to fifteen different size combinations, offering riders more sizing options in a single model than any other splitboard manufacturer.
The Divide retails for $1,200 (including Voile kit and skins), and can be purchased through authorized Venture dealers. A solid version of the Divide, called the Storm, is also available for $575. Visit the company’s website at www.venturesnowboards.com for more information and a complete dealer list, including authorized online retailers.
Venture Snowboards is a Colorado-based company that has been handcrafting high performance snowboards from scratch since 1999.

Prior introduces Spearhead Splitboard

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 23:17:07 -0700

The Spearhead Splitboard sets a new standard for big mountain performance.

Prior Carbon Khyber Splitboard

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 20:49:21 -0700

WHISTLER, Canada – August 14, 2007 – Whistler-based Prior Snowboards, known throughout the world as manufacturers of premium, handcrafted snowboards, skis and splitboards is excited to announce the world’s first carbon splitboard – the Carbon Khyber Split 165cm. “It’s no mystery that accessing fresh lines in the backcountry requires a certain amount of physical exertion,” says founder Chris Prior. “Given this, we have always had the goal to make our splitboards as light as possible without impacting the quality of ride.   In 2004, we made all our splitboards 8-10% lighter by switching to a quadraxial fiberglass. Now, with our new Carbon construction we have reduced the splitboards total weight by more than 10% from our quad glass splitboards. The best part is the ride has actually improved with the lighter product.”

The secret behind the weight savings is carbon fabric which provides the greatest strength to weight ratio of all composites. To counteract the additional pop of the carbon special dampening has been utilized to create a ride thats stable, forgiving ride is similar to regular fiberglass.   In total, Prior has spent more than two years testing a variety of carbon combinations with several dampening ingredients until a board was developed that met with Prior’s standards.

The Carbon Khyber splitboard is the sixth splitboard style offered from Prior and will only be available in its most popular splitboard size, the 165cm.   As research and development continues through 2008, the Carbon Splitboard will start to become available in other shapes and sizes. As with all Prior splitboards, the Carbon Khyber Splitboard comes complete with the Voile mounting hardware and skins. The Carbon Khyber splitboard is available online at www.priorsnowboards.com or at select Prior specialty dealers.   The cost including kit and skins is C$1399.