Poor Man's Heli

(thought I posted this the other day but guess I forgot to hit publish)
Not sure if this is a Lib joke or not, but spotted this pic over at Southofthenorth. The lack of inserts makes me think it’s a joke, though maybe that’s a way (albeit an odd way depending on price) of circumventing the Voile patent fee?

Real or hoax?

You may recall that last winter was brutal for avalanche fatalaties across North America, with BC (and Clemina Creek area) having a particularly ugly season. A recently released report(click for full report in pdf format) by the grimly named BC Coroner’s Service Death Review Panel found that their is a gap between education and application in difficult situations, among other things.

The level of expertise required in order to make safe travel choices in complex terrain and under difficult avalanche conditions was beyond that which could be gained through entry-level recreational avalanche courses

While the report is primarily aimed at snowmobilers, and some of their findings are obvious (i.e. new technology makes it easier for sled n00bs to access terrain outside of their level to ride/comprehend risks), it’s still good stuff to read and have in the back of your mind.

Article on findings from The Province

Looks like Jeremy and the crew over at Jones Snowboards launched their site (maybe this isn’t news, but I hadn’t noticed til tonite). Noticed the tasty vittle below when browsing around.

The Solution splitboard
Rocker and camber and magne oh my!
Hybird rockered/cambered splitboard with real deal licensed from somewhere near Canuckistan Magne-traction. Specs say only available in a 158 and a 161, but down below the images it also says 162 and 165 so dunno what lengths it’ll be available in, nor the cost.

A play on 'splitboarding is the answer' me thinks

UPDATE: Just read that someone stole their ONE AND ONLY proto from their SIA booth! If you see someone riding it or trying to sell it on Craigslist punch them in the nose, take it and email chad@jonessnowboards.com

Missed this blurb on the Meadows site talking about the Sunday Wy’east avalanche.

* Slope distance travelled: 14,500 feet, 6,000 meters or about 2.75 miles from start to finish.
* Elevation lost: 5,400 feet from the crown at around the 10,650 foot level to the “toe” at the 5,240 foot level.
* Width of the starting zone: 3/4 mile wide.
* Crown height at the fracture: Ranging from 4 to 10 feet
* Deposition field is in the millions of cubic feet of debris with up to 15 to 30 foot depths.

HUGE is an understatement. Thank God/Allah/Buddah/Joeboo/whomever that didn’t happen while that area was open.

Yup, huge

…and all the verbal pro blogzillas were at the show, checking out the new gear, while us linguistically challenged blogapers stay home and read their prose. A few new gadgets and doohickeys to enhance your mountain douchebaggery are below.

The Ortovox 3+ transceiver
Yes, I’m not kidding, someone in the blogosphere wrote about something that’s NOT the Apple tablet this week. At first glance you’re going to think Pieps Freeride. While your hips may not lie your eyes do.

Ortovox 3+, love child of the Freeride and an iPod?

A few things that stood out to me:
-Single AA battery (this sucker is small, think iPhone-ish size)
-Upgradeable firmware (coming soon open source beacons with their own app store?)
-The beacon senses when you are buried (based on period of rest/inactivity and built in inclinometer) and turns off/on it’s internal antennae as it sees fit to maximize it’s signal acquisition range. Cool stuff, wonder if the sensors only work if you wear it in it’s harness, and hope the software works when you need it…
-Under $350

Enough blog-am commentary. To get the full pro-blogger rundown of the Ortovox 3+ check out Lou Dawson or Steve Romeo’s previews.

Petzl Core rechargable battery
This falls under the category of ‘things I’d probably never drop $40 on but I think it’s cool regardless’. Petzl has released a recharable battery that works with their current products and replaces up to 900 regular ol’ batteries (greenwash marketing? Do the chemicals used in a rechargeable + the power used to charge override the footprint of traditional batteries? *head explodes*) in it’s lifetime and comes with a host of charging options (USB, cigarette lighter, household plug and solar). If you’ve ever arrived at a trailhead and discovered that the batteries in your BD Moonlight are a bit dim and you don’t have enough replacements you’ll appreciate the variety of recharging options.

Petzl Core rechargeable battery

Skiers, there was all sorts of cool new touring boots, skis, etc. for you. Seriously check out the Wildsnow and TetonAT and check out all the goodness. If you’ve ever had the desire to drop half a paycheck on boots Garmont, Black Diamond et. al. are there for you in your time of need.

Splitboarders….well, once again you’ll be left checking the splitboard.com forums for DIY options to enhance your experience (yes, I realize people were climbing mountains in wool and whatnot 100+ years ago. Suck it and let me bitch). Thankfully there are guys like the enginerds at Spark, and I’m hopeful that Jeremy Jones’ street cred will translate into something new as well, but both of those operations lack the funding of the big guys that appear to only support homely gingers and those are firing up insanely hard/technical tricks that ultimately all look the same yet lack any style (c’mon, give me a Jamie Lynn method or an old school Brushie tweak any day) with names that sound like a Starbucks drink.

Saw this article over on discovery.com today. Snippet below, click here to read in it’s entirety.

The use of live animals in scientific research has long been a testy subject (right out the gate with a pun, hm?), but ongoing experiments on lab mice don’t seem to grab too many headlines anymore. No, it takes a particularly controversial or cruel-seeming experiment to get animal rights activists into the papers these days.

Take for instance, the most recent study that’s stirring the ire of animal lovers everywhere: European researchers have planned an experiment in which 29 live pigs are to be buried under snow, and where they will essentially be observed dying. The experiment was set to begin last week, but has been postponed due to a firestorm of protest.

The study was an attempt to determine what factors make it possible for humans to “survive an avalanche in an air pocket until rescued without suffering permanent brain damage,” according to the Canadian Press. The researcher’s goal is to better understand how exactly air pockets are used to aid in survival, and in the long run, be able to present better guidelines on how people can survive avalanches.

While I’m not a scientist, and without knowing exactly what they are hoping to learn, I’ll say their methodology sounds odd – I mean hell, I’m not typically anesthesized/sedated when riding, and I’m guessing they aren’t going to layer the pigs up before burying them. However, if sacrificing pigs leads to saving human lives I’m all for it. Guess that makes me just another heartless bacon lover in the eyes of PETA.

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

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?

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?

Got this in my inbox today. Definitely had a double you tee eff moment. Anybody use these guys before? If not, anybody got $999 and want a TR of their services?

UPDATE:
Thinking deeper, doesn’t Costco warranty everything they sell? If you were unhappy with the trip could you get your money refunded by Costco? Hmmm…..