go back to Szine Newsletter IndexThe Snowboard Szine
Vol. 1, Issue 3
12/9/03
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In This Issue
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Report from Killington During the (First?) Blizzard of
December ‘03
Gorilla Steez - Do Your Squats!
Equipment Check - My New Toys
Water
Prevent Frostbitten Face
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Report from Killington During the (First?) Blizzard
of December ‘03
Lucky for me, I was at Killington this weekend!
The Eastern Ski Writer’s Assn. of which I am a member, had scheduled a
weekend meeting at Killington, for what turned out to be the days of the
big blizzard! So I was snowed-in at a ski resort. Not bad! Killington went
from 38 trails open on Sat. morning to 60 trails and 6 lifts open on
Sunday.
It was powder too. My first time riding in pow, being that I’m an east
coast rider. Verrry different. It can be bumpy when it’s been ridden
over a lot. It can change speeds, fast, slow. You have to keep your weight
a little further back to keep the nose of your board from just digging
under. We saw plenty of people trying to ride an untracked part of the
trail and just sinking in!
I guess I could have moved my bindings back on the board, but was too
lazy. And the sweet soft powder didn’t seem to cause any wear on my
newly waxed and tuned board.
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Gorilla Steez - Do Your Squats!
This was my first time out on the board since summer camp in Europe (more
on camp). I can tell you, no matter how many squats you are doing to
get in shape, it’s probably not enough! I tried a gorilla steez that I
copied from some boys - riding with knees bent so my front wrist was on my
front knee. It worked great for stability and speed. But you really have
to bend your knees for this one, and my quads were burning by the bottom
of the hill each time. Remember to keep your shoulders over your feet.
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Equipment Check - My New Toys
Water!
Even my trusty insulated Camelback hydration backpack couldn’t withstand
the below zero wind-chill factor at the top of Killington peak. It froze
up pretty fast. I guess you have to wear it INSIDE your coat on days like
these. Mine was outside. Clip the mouthpiece to it’s holder inside the
front of your jacket, or snake the tube down your sleeve. I wore it inside
my jacket on Sunday and it worked fine. I love a cool tasty gulp of water
between runs.
If you want one, I found one similar to mine
discounted online at
http://www.geardirect.com/product_detail.cfm?store_id=1&product_id=1785&dpid=102
It’s the Camelback Mule 100 oz. Just fill it about 1/3 full and refill on
a break, or it can get heavy. It’s a backpack too, designed for mountain
biking. So you can throw your tuning kit, lunch, and extra layers in and
have them handy whenever. I would definitely recommend the Thermal Control
Kit, which is an insulated cover for the water tube, after my freezing
experience this weekend. It’s at
http://www.geardirect.com/product_detail.cfm?store_id=1&product_id=36&&dpid=102
Gear Direct discounts when they can, and you can have this Camelback
delivered right to your door for $3 below the retail price. You can see
other Camelback choices here.
There’s tons of other snowboard gear there - surf
around for the things on your list. And don’t forget to check
“Closeouts”, “The Outlet,”. and “Great Snowboard Gift Ideas
under $50 or $100”, all in the buttons on the left side of the page.
Start surfing here - http://www.geardirect.com/store.cfm.cfm?store_id=2&dpid=102
===
Prevent Frostbitten Face
At Killington, our writer’s group’s race had to be called off because
the racers were getting white spots of frostbite on their unprotected
faces. But not me! I had bought this balaclava (face and head mask) on my
trip to Cabela’s a few months ago, and I finally had a chance to try it
out. It worked great!
What’s different about this one is that it has neoprene over the face,
with a “beak” over the nose and holes over the mouth, which kept
everything pretty dry and warm. I’m sold!
You
can see it here. (This seems to be the world’s longest URL, but it
should take you right to the page. Otherwise just search for “Cabela’s
Combo Clava" at Cabelas.com)
That’s it for now!
Thanks for reading The Snowboard Szine!
Lauren
Editor
