Saturday, March 31, 2012

Volcom Peanut Butter and Rail Jam


The final of the Volcom Peanut Butter and Rail Jam contest will be held in Avoriaz on the 1st April 2012.
This is Volcom's amateur contest designed to give something back and ensure everyone can be a part of competing in an amazing competition.The judges will only score landed tricks so there's no need to worry about falling and riders are free to hit off the rails as much as they want during their 20 minute heat.There are four categories in the competition; Under 15, Over 16, Girls and Open so there is something for everyone. The comp has been travelling all over Europe from Finland to Greece and the final in Avoriaz will see the five best riders from each heat battling it out to win the whopping €12,000 prize!
Its a great contest so head up to the Chappelle park at around 11am to see it all kicking off.

Monday, March 26, 2012

McConkey Movie Trailer

"McConkey," a 90-minute documentary to be released in 2013, is a heartfelt examination of the legacy one athlete left to the progression of his sports, and the path he paved to conquer his dreams. Shane McConkey is revered as the pioneer of freeskiing and ski base jumping, and through his talent and unique outlook on life, he inspired countless lives. "McConkey" celebrates the life of one of the world's ultimate innovators.

See trailer...

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Pass'Portes Sold Out!

With the sun shining summer has definitely come onto our radar so thanks to Yodel magazine in morzine for bringing us this up date..


It's THE biggest annual MTB event in the Portes du Soleil and it's a great start to the summer season. This years Pass'Portes event was the fastest ever sell out.

Registrations for the Pass'Portes opened on 15th February 2012 at 10am. Within 24 hours 3500 people had registered, proving that the event is still one of the biggest on the MTB calendar.

The Pass'Portes du Soleil MTB 2012 takes place on Friday 29th June, Saturday 30th June and Sunday 1st July across the Portes du Soleil area, taking in nine resorts across two countries. The event covers 80km including 6000m of downhill and 1000m of uphill riding. Phew...

This year's Pass'Portes is the 9th annual event and it promises to be bigger and better than ever. Starting positions in Avoriaz, Chatel, Les Gets, Montriond and Morzine are now sold out but we've been in touch with the Portes du Soleil and there are still starting places available in other resorts. Here's the details!

Friday: Champery, Morgins, Torgon & Les Crosets

Saturday: Torgon

Sunday: Champery, Morgins, Torgon & Les Crosets

You can register at www.passportesdusoleil.com

Monday, March 19, 2012

Avoriaz Snowcross Slopes- Legal Off Piste!

Legal Off Piste

The Avoriaz snowcross slopes offer skiers and snowboarders the thrill of off-piste powder skiing but without the extra risks involved.

These pistes are not groomed but are surveyed and kept safe by setting off avalanches and fencing off areas that are deemed too unsafe for the public.

The Combe des Marmottes (2,080m long) is a snow playground that is easily accessible by the Fornet chairlift. There is also the neighbouring slope called The Pschott, which is more technical with its successive natural canyons.

Brochaux (1,340m long) is a naturally bumpy wall that is accessible by the Brochaux chairlift.

The FrontaliƩre (1,150m) can be accessed from the top of the Mossettes chairlift and is a long and wide route down to the bottom.

The Crozats (3,122m long) starts from the Hauts Forts and joins up with the world cup downhill run into Prodains and is sometimes referred to as the ‘mythical’ Crozats run due to its wild nature.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

DISCOUNTED SEASONAIRE BASSCAMP FESTIVAL TICKETS!

DISCOUNTED SEASONAIRE BASSCAMP FESTIVAL TICKETS!

With festival tickets selling like hot cakes, the powers that be at Basscamp HQ in Morzine have released a limited number of early bird seasonaire tickets for a limited time period. If you're lucky, you can now buy your 5 day festival wristband for just €90.

It's all VERY straight forward - click here, enter 'ilovebasscamp' as the promo code, get your wristband. Job done.

These wristbands won't be around for ever, when they're gone they're gone so don't waste time!

Monday, March 12, 2012

Powdered Energy

Powdered Energy

Searching for the ever-illusive mountain toilets may be a thing of the past with the new aeroshot caffeine inhaler.

Skiing is a pretty tiring sport and with a well-known lack of bathrooms on the mountain, it can be a bit of a toss up whether you have that extra 'pick-me-up' coffee or not.

Luckily, Aeroshot Energy are here to help by delivering a unique blend of caffeine and B vitamins in a calorie free inhaler shot.

One shot delivers 100mg of caffeine, the equivalent to one large cup of coffee without any of the liquid that slows you down. The pocket size tube is also perfect to slip into your ski jacket practically unnoticed.

yodel can vouch for the fact that Aeroshots definitely have a kick to them! To order yours, simply go to labstoreparis.com


Wednesday, March 7, 2012

The GB Snowboard Cross Team

The GB Snowboard Cross Team

The Great British snowboarder cross team spends their winter season training in Morzine each year.

Snowboarder cross is a race involving 4 people stood abreast and heading down a track competing to cross the finish line first. While heading down the track, competitors have to tackle berms, drops and gap jumps, all of which challenge the riders’ ability to stay in control.

Local Morzine magazine Yodel caught up with Tom Farrow of Team GB to discuss life as a snowboard cross rider.

“It’s my first season in Morzine but the team has been using Morzine as their base for around 6 or 7 years. We train here because of the excellent local tracks, Les Gets’ is amazing and so is the track at Avoriaz.
Morzine is the perfect base to access both easily and it has a really welcoming atmosphere.

There are 10 of us on the team overall and some of us live together which is wicked, it’s actually really fun. We all do seasonal jobs around our training, there’s no pay whatsoever therefore I have a transfer driving job. Some of the team can’t afford to be out here so they commute from the UK just for training camps and competitions. Some people miss competing in the competitions just because they can’t afford it, which is a real shame.

We are doing a minimum of 8 competitions during this season. We will compete in more if our finances allow it though. My mum has adopted the role of my manager, which she is really good at. She badgers people
to get me sponsorship and help me get along with my career.

We have to do fitness training including running and going to the gym and when it comes to eating we all know to eat sensibly and in moderation. The team also knows when they can and can’t go out and get drunk, we have to stay dry around competition time.

People who want to get into boarder cross should just enter as many competitions as they can. Anyone can enter FIS (International Ski Federation) competitions no matter what their ability so they’re a great way to get into it.

I started skiing when I was younger but made the change to snowboarding when I was 12 years old. I competed in competitions while I was at school and took it up again at University after focusing on getting my A-Levels. I got the opportunity to trial for Team GB after I was spotted by some scouts when I was competing.

I studied philosophy at University and if I couldn’t get into Team GB I probably would have become a lawyer. My plan was always to get onto Team GB though, so if there hadn’t been scouts there that day I would have made it to trial for Team GB off my own back.

At the moment we do not have enough race points to enter the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics so our training plan is focused on entering South Korea in 2018. We are hoping to attract more sponsors and funding to help build up our race points.

Ideally that will happen as a result of all the new members – the team has had a complete overhaul for this season. We need to build a bigger track record, it’s just getting us out there and competing for now.”

Good Luck to the team!

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Burying the Truth

A recent spate of avalanche deaths near ski resorts sparked a flurry of media reports, many declaring that so-called sidecountry skiing is becoming an increasingly dangerous pursuit. It's just not that simple.
ON THE AFTERNOON of February 23, a 24-year-old snowboarder named Timothy Robert Baker was killed in an avalanche in Dutch Draw, a lift-accessed drainage just outside The Canyons Resort, in Park City, Utah. Baker’s death was the latest in a grim week for Western skiers seeking fresh sidecountry powder—it was the sixth fatality in 10 days, including two skiers who died in Colorado in separate incidents, and three who perished in a massive slide on Stevens Pass, northeast of Seattle, Washington on February 19.The rash of accidents pushed the season total of skiers, snowboarders, and snowmobilers killed in slides to 22, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, a number that is now likely to exceed the national average of 28.8, (January and February are statistically the deadliest months). Not surprisingly, the incidents prompted a melee of media attention, including prominent coverage from the New York Times, CNN, NPR, and NBC. One would be forgiven for coming away with the impression that the danger, and the number of skiers and snowboarders courting it, are on the rise, and that, as the Times put it, “increasingly those who put themselves in harm’s way seem not to be careless novices but rather experts pushing the limits of safety.”

Partying Hard In Morzine and Avoriaz

  Partying Hard In Morzine and Avoriaz ...