Well, at least somewhere someone is riding pow

Tom Burt looks like he’s been getting after it on a fun looking swallowtail

Dear Ullr,

Please deliver us some snow. I mean, yeah, you’ve given us an inch here and an inch there, and that’s cool (well, really it’s not that cool because it’s always followed by rain and wind in mass amounts). I mean, I knew when I moved back to OR it wasn’t going to be epic, but that the proximity of the mountains would more than make up for it. However, I didn’t bank on it being 34+ and raining everytime I check the mountain weather, and the blurry raindrop bokeh on the webcams is getting more than a little old. Really I want a dump, a massive ‘closeyourfuckingcitydowncuzyoudonthaveplowsandwatchcarsdrivedowntheroadsbackwardswithbrakeslocked’ type thing, some real gaper car pinball type shit. You came in like a lion, and having 5 pow days before December was cool and all, but the fact that our snowfall total is still what it was in November is a little alarming. So, if you could just hook it up that’d be great. Kthxbye.

Love always, hugs and kisses and whatnot,

Me

enough of this bool sheet

Deeper (not) Unplugged Ep. 3 – Gervasuti (60 degree?!) Couloir

More teasers for the Deeper flick due out this Fall. One man’s mini golf is another’s lifetime epic.

Jackson Hole patroller caught in avy, revived

Saw this article today, about a JH patroller caught in an avy, swept over a cliff, and buried. Think about it for a minute – it took the pros about 10 minutes to find and dig out their buddy. These are guys that use their tools far more often than you or I. When’s the last time you practiced locating another beacon? Shoveling?

Venture splitboards available online

Just noticed that it looks like the online retailers have gotten their shipment of Venture splits in for the year. Only mentioning it ‘cuz I was looking for them earlier in the year (though if these rains keep up this will be a surf blog soon) and nobody had ‘em locally or online. If you’re not familiar with Venture you should definitely check them out as they are basically doing the Lib thing (ok, a few less breakthroughs) just without the pro team and marketing budget to tell you about it.

It seems only natural that we should strive to protect the wild places that inspire us. That’s why Venture has a dual focus: to improve the quality and performance of our boards while minimizing environmental impact.

We’ve followed this path from day one, building the cores for our very first prototypes with Forest Stewardship Council certified wood, a practice we continue today. Over the years we’ve also initiated a comprehensive recycling program, experimented with low impact materials, and implemented a lean business model. In 2004 we converted our entire operation to wind power. The latest step in our progression is becoming a member of 1% For The Planet, an association of businesses that pledge one percent of sales to the natural environment.

As we break ground on our new production facility here in Silverton, we are incorporating these same principles into the structure. Design plans include passive and active solar features as well as sustainable, recycled, and reclaimed materials throughout.

These are small steps, but they demonstrate our deeply held commitment to conservation. With this ethic guiding our every move, we continue to seek out low impact materials and methods while maintaining our focus on quality and performance.


Venture Euphoria
splitboard

Venture’s pow monster. Flat between the feet and rockered tip/tail, wide, soft nose with tapered shape, and stance set 3″ back. Sounds like good lovin’ on a deep fluff day (and I love the Venture snowflake topsheets).

Venture Euphoria rocker profile

You're only used on pow days, why you so blue Euphoria?


Venture Storm
splitboard

Right off the bat I know that some of the dick board riders hearts stopped when viewing the Storm *looks at a-man* The 2010 version of the Divide and the big line charger (with a shape that says pow day) in the Venture split line up. Rockered with a slight taper (10mm compared to 21mm on the Euphoria), soft nose and stiffer middle and tail.

Venture Storm rocker profile

Why don't you make like a banana and split?

I’ve actually yet to see the other two boards in their lineup (Zephyr, Helix) online yet, so this will have to do for those looking for the Ventures and can’t find them locally.

In other news, this site design is ugly. I’m over it. Anybody have any WordPress templates they recommend?

BCA Float 30 cold testing vid

Was thinking today that the BCA Float 30 pack was supposed to be in retailers hands in December (as was the Tracker 2, though I think that one was originally December 08…) and that I hadn’t seen or heard anything about anybody carrying them in the flesh yet – though I have heard whispers they’ve started shipping. Anyways, found yet another Float inflation vid, testing it’s ability to deploy in temps of -22 below (apparently some Euro standard requirement).

We went into the Sun Microsystems cold lab last week to test the first production Float 30 packs coming off the production line. The temp in this room was -30 degrees C (-22 F). This is the coldest temp at which avalanche airbags must be able to inflate (within five seconds), according to European standards. As you can see, the Float 30 deploys quite effectively at this temp.

It’s not just the air that was -30 C. We let the entire system reach -30 before deploying it. It’s amazing how stiff everything gets when it’s this cold (including BCA technician Jerry Helbak, shown in video). The system has to be very robust to be able to push all this stiff material out through the stiff pack material and Velcro closure. Then, at warm temperatures, you need to make sure it doesn’t make the bag explode. That’s quite a challenge getting the product to work over such a wide temperature range. This has probably been the most challenging part of the project.


If your local shop doesn’t carry the BCA Float pack you can pick them up online here