Westbound Boarder

Well, its official – Drew and I are here in Australia!  We arrived the day before yesterday (which, because of the time difference, was really two days after we left, so as my friends on the East Coast are probably getting ready to pack up their laptops and hit up the nearest happy hour hot spot, Drew and I are just awaking to enjoy our New Year’s Eve day.  Correction – I am up getting ready to enjoy my day, while Drew is still asleep.)

We had a relatively easy and uneventful flight over here, which is a bit abnormal, considering my track record of international flight mishaps.  Super Shuttle picked us up from my Grammy Dot’s house around 7pm (and our driver was awesome – he was a Starbucks International executive who handles their site checks and consumer marketing strategies in the APAC region 6 months out of the year, and he just thought it would be “fun” to be a shuttle driver in OC the other 6 months).  We arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare, so naturally, we visited the one bar in the international terminal and watched basketball while enjoying extremely generous (and expensive) pours of beer and red wine.  Soon enough, we heard the loud speaker announce our flight number, we boarded our Virgin Australia plane, and we were off!  I don’t remember much else past that point, because pretty much as soon as I sat down in my seat I passed out and didn’t wake up again until about 11am (PST) the next morning.  That was 6am Australia time – we only had about 3.5 hours left to go!  Psh, easy flight…

After deboarding and grabbing our luggage, we hopped on the StarBus that we had reserved through our hostel and enjoyed the 30-minute scenic drive to our hostel.  We arrived just before 11am, and since our room wasn’t quite ready (they told us to come back at 1) we left our luggage and went to find a coffee shop.  Our hostel, Claremont Guesthouse (which is quite nice and pleasant) is located in the South Yarra area of Melbourne, just 2 metro stops South East of the City Center.  I really like the area – it kind of reminds me of the more upscale Georgetown of DC, as opposed to the crazy downtown area.  There are many nice restaurants and coffee shops, and, of course, tons of great shopping.

We finally found a restaurant that looked like a nice place to sit and enjoy a latte, so Drew ordered an Americano and I ordered a “regular coffee.”  “Okay, you don’t have that? How about a drip coffee? Not that either?  Hm… I’ll just have what he had.”  We sat outside for about an hour and a half and watched a couple break up a few tables down (it was a long, drawn out, and quite entertaining break up) and finally when we realized no waiter was ever going to bring our check, we asked for it.  A few minutes later, she brought us water.  Hm… ok, totally makes sense?  After waiting a few checkless minutes longer, I finally got up and paid inside (and later we learned that paying inside is the norm in Australia, at least in Melbourne).  We walked around for another hour and finally headed back to our hostel to check into our room.  We did pass by the coffee shop again on our way back, and the couple was still breaking up (or perhaps they were making up, as the girl had now moved from sitting across from her beau to next to him).

After checking into our hotel and getting situated, we walked down to the Royal Botanic Gardens, which were so beautiful and reminded us a bit of New York’s Central Park.  We then went (after trying for a while to figure out how to use public transport – Drew wanted to cab but I was determined to travel like a local) to Victoria Street for dinner upon the recommendation of someone from our hostel – apparently this street has the best authentic Vietnamese food in town.  After walking past several of the restaurants, we selected the one that we thought had the best ambiance and largest crowd (which, coincidentally, we noticed after we had sat down was also the one with all the white people).  The food was delicious, but my favorite part of the meal was the bottle of wine we purchased at the tiny liquor store next door.  Since the place was BYOB, we opted for a mid-range 2001 malbec, cab, shiraz mix, and it was soooo good – definitely one of the best bottles I’ve had in a while.  And after that fabulous meal (and long day), it was time for bed.

The next day, we went wine tasting.  The previous day, after we had arrived to our hostel, we had decided that this day – the 30^th of December – would be our best opportunity to go, since it would likely be tough to go on New Year’s Eve or Day.  However, when we looked into booking a wine tour, the prices were quite high (at least $110 per head for the most basic options).  So, we decided to try and find our way to wine country on our own.  Now, not having a car or any other sort of reliable transport, this proved quite difficult, however we did eventually come across a train that could take us from the Melbourne City Center to Lilysdale, which is very close to Yarra Valley, the heart of wine country in the Melbourne region.  The Yarra Valley website said we could get off at this stop and easily take a bus to many different wineries, all for the price of a $11 round trip metro ticket.  Sold.

Hargreaves Hill Brewery, Yarra Glen

We woke up, bought a couple coffees at this trendy little coffee shop across the street from our hostel, and set out to Lilysdale.  The entire trip took us less than an hour, however, when I had previously envisioned us stepping off the train at Lilysdale, I had imagined a large sign that read “wine country, this way.”  In reality, there was nothing of the sort.  So I walked up to the info. booth and asked, “which way to the wineries?” and he responded, “well, which one you trying to get to?” at which point I responded, “I don’t know, any winery.”  He said he didn’t know the area well, but he recommended I go ask the bus drivers.  So I went and asked the bus drivers, “Excuse me, but which bus goes to wine country?” and after going back and forth a bit, one bus driver piped in, “you can take the 685 to Yarra Glen, he can take you to a winery.”  Okay, perfect!  We waited about 45 minutes for the 685, and after telling the bus driver what we were looking for he said, “I go right by a winery on my route, it’s a really popular one too.  I’ll drop you there.”  Ten minutes later, the bus driver dropped us off at the Yering Station winery. We walked around a bit (the property was beautiful) and then headed to the tasting room to try some of the wines.  That’s when we met Chris.  Chris led our tasting and told us all about the wonderful wines, and he even gave us a long list of things to do in Melbourne and restaurants to try.  We tried all the wines on the tasting menu (my favorite by far was the Shiraz, and Drew’s was the Merlot) and Chris even had us try a few wines that weren’t on the tasting menu, such as the way-out-of-our-price-range Cabernet Reserve (it was delicious).  Chris also recommended a brewery right up the road, which of course piqued Drew’s interest (I think he was over wine at that point and wanted a big, manly brew) so after lunch we attempted to walk to the brewery.  By “just up the road,” I think Chris really meant “just up the road if you have a car and you’re not walking,” but after about a 20-minute walk in the smoldering heat (there were no cabs to be found, either) we finally arrived at the town of Yarra Glen and our sought-after brewery.  Conveniently, the route 685 bus stop was right across the street from the brewery, so after making our way through the tasting menu we stumbled over to the stop and made our way back home.

Its finals week (you can read all about my crazy weekend over at my Financial Times blog here), and there’s only one thing getting me through – the fact that in just 17 days, I will be stepping off a plane in Melbourne, Australia.  That’s right – I’m headed to Australia for 3.5 weeks, and simply put, I can’t wait.  So stay tuned, because there will be plenty of Australian adventures to be shared!

~Andrea

While visiting family in Texas I got an opportunity to snowboard the high, Rocky Mountains of New Mexico, the United States southernmost ski area. After a very long and scenic drive from El-Paso (4 hours) we arrived in the small town of Ruidoso with Ski Apache just a few miles up this long, insanely narrow road.

Ski Apache!

Ski Apace offers 55 runs and 11 lifts along including a gondola. During the couple days we visited, there was only one chance to ride the gondola due to inclement weather conditions, but it was worth the wait. Once at the top (11,500 ft ) there is the most breathtaking view of White Sands in the distance, which is arguably one of the most peaceful places on the planet with miles of blinding white sand dunes making up the world’s largest dunefield.

Windy roads up to Ski Apache

Bluebird day

On our way down from the gondola, a local pointed us in the direction of a tree run which happened to have some feathery light snow stashes. I was ecstatic. Once at the bottom, the gondola had already closed but luckily there was so much more resort to take in. We took chair #4 up and cut over to the bone yard terrain park. With one insane line this park was more progressive then I expected. For example, the first feature had a picnic table set up on top of a jump to either gap or get creative with, followed by some down, flat, up boxes and C rails. They also had a rainbow custom made box with a peace sign graphic, which I thought was cool. We lapped the park a bit that day and with the variety of terrain and over 750 skiable acres that still needed exploring, I looked forward to our next visit.

An ad with Mt. Hood Meadows in the background!

Increase the peace

The next time we rode, met up with some local shred kids. They were kind enough to let us tag along, so we spent the whole day following them around the hill. We got super stoked on how stoked they were on shredding. I informed them of snowboard magazines these kids had no idea existed and year round hill at our home mountain, Hood. They informed me of the Apache culture and where to eat in Ruidoso. After a full day on the hill, I checked out the snowboard shop and posted on the wall was a picture of a girl skiing at Mt Hood Meadows!

The people of Ski Apache were a very diverse and fascinating group, ranging from Mescalero Apache Indian, military personnel (yes, they actually rode in their army attire), to your everyday tourist folk. Understanding the Ski Apache culture is important so it’s a good idea to visit the ski shop and grab one of their pamphlets on the history of the tribe and the details of acceptable social etiquette among their people.  So remember; if you ever visit this place, don’t stare or make direct eye contact. They’re not affectionate people, so be sensitive to the signals they give you. This stems from their hostile history and daily confrontations with desert and mountains, droughts and flash floods, extreme heat or cold, as well as marginal food supply and potential enemy raids. By adapting to these challenges, the early Apache developed a unique culture that permitted maximum mobility with a minimum of personal belongings. So embrace it during your visit to Ski Apache.

Everything from snowboarding with diverse people, to New Mexico powder stashes, to treacherously narrow roads, to the interesting park set up, will makes my lines at ski apache ones I will cherish for life.

While the anticipation builds for my spring visit to Salt Lake City, Utah; Danielle sends me a snowboard video called “I Ride Park City,” a film by Jim Managan from 2008 at Park City Resort. It may be considered old school by now, but we just got our paws on it and it is worth the shout out. The line-up of riders on the cover is impressive. Shaun White, Heikki Sorsa and Aaron Biittner headline while Bode Merrill’s ever improving rail tricks and grabs are displayed.

Predictably, Shuan White opens getting gnarly in the half pipe.

Eero Ettala (my all time favorite rider)and Hekki Sorsa share some rad shots together, Sending it over jumps at the same time, doing front flips, 3s, 7s, high fives, and half pipe spins. With Kool in the Gang fittingly playing, Stevie Bell and Aaron Bittner share scenes with some hot jibs and dope style to enjoy.

The snowballs were flying and so were the Ladies. Erin Compstock & Torah Bright floated huge spins over a wood shed. With some more snowball fights and flips from the whole crew of riders in between.

And have you seen Bode Merrill do flips onto rails? Insane.

Since Torgstien Horgmo threw the first triple cork on film this year, it did not surprise me he had the ending part with some 1200’s, and some sick spins sans grab. This movie was stacked with riders, talent and great music. So happy to add this to my collection of snowboard videos. All and all, I can’t wait for the day I ride park city.

Hard to find this video, but let me know if you want one and we can try and hook it up.

Perfectly poised in South Lake Tahoe, Heavenly Ski Resort deserves the title it boasts. I know it is cliché, but this place is truly heavenly. Sprawled across the California/Nevada border this resort has epic shredding and almost even more epic night life (casinos included) and the view from the top says it all. Overlooking the 22 mile lake and the Casinos of South Lake Tahoe, this place is where the shred scene meets the night life.

With over a foot of fresh and mostly clear skies, our Weekend shred sesh in Tahoe was absolutely perfect. Up early on Saturday to ensure fresh tracks, we met up at the bottom of the Gondola and were on our way. We were lucky enough to have a couple of tour guides to show us the best spots on the hill to ride, which means we have some sweet tracks to tell you about. As Heavenly has over 4,800 acres, sprawled over 3,500 vertical feet, this place is massive and the tour guides were a treat and not to bad to look at, either (just sayin).

We were at the top of the Gondola ready to begin our day at about 9am and the first thing we noticed was how empty the place seemed, there was no one on the lifts or the runs. Apparently with the casino night life and the fact that the bars that don’t close, people generally get a later start at Heavenly, which is fine by me.

You know you are shreddin a rad hill when the theme of the day is, “that was the best run of the day!!!” No joke, after every run we took, we had a new fav and could not imagine it getting any better. But it always did. We spent the first part of our day charging any and every tree run we could find around the Olympic Chair lift, which was a perfect way to warm up. From Olympic we headed over and Conquered Mott and Killebrew Canyon’s, which boast amazing views of the rain shadowed Nevada side at the boundary of the resort. We worked our way over to Sky Express and hiked around to find an unscathed canyon and then moved on to the hands down, best run of the day….

The abundance of sick tree riding covered in cornices didn’t hurt the Heavenly vibe. There were drops around every corner and the trees were perfectly spaced, enabling you to charge through them full force. With that, it is all about the North Bowl at Heavenly. With two old school, slow, triple chair lifts, you won’t find too many people in these parts as they don’t want to put up with the lift; but it is more than worth it. Make your way over to north bowl and find The Burn and Nevada Woods. Talk about unscathed, fresh pow, tree runs, with perfect drops and pitch. These are the runs you dream about and were without a doubt the best run of the day…until we made our way over to Maggie’s Canyon on our way to lunch.

We ate lunch at the only full-service dining experience on the Heavenly Mountain, The Gunbarrel Grill at the Lakeview Lodge. This place features Napa Valley-influenced California cuisine and an array of select meats, cheeses, grilled vegetables and a gourmet salad bar. The Gunbarrel Grill offers wonderful entrée selections at great prices, (for the mountain anyways) as each entrée at about $20.

We wrapped up day one on the hill with a park session at the small park underneath the Groove Chairlift (which is just up the hill from the Gunbarrel Grill).

To my surprise, the more I bragged about Heavenly, the more I heard people talking smack. The complaints were predictable, that this place is so big and I found myself traversing all day. Guess that is what happens when you stick to the groomers all ? I guess with any mountain you don’t know, this can be your first visit experience. However if you make a plan (or stick to our tips from above)…I am sure you won’t be on this bandwagon. This weekend to Heavenly was one of my top five ride sessions for sure. So don’t overlook it if you are planning a trip to Tahoe. Also, the night life is legit, so there is totally something for everyone!

Check back soon for our South Lake Tahoe night life review!

Shredoloutions, goals, traditions, we have all got em. I have a number of snow related goals for myself. I have new tricks to master each season, new resorts to see, new continents to ride on, the list goes on. Some of these will take a life time, others I will conquer tomorrow. One of my fav shredolutions is that I will take a ski trip each and every year which I have done with out fail since 2001!

To share the love and to hopefully motivate some of our fellow shredheads to take a trip or two of their own, we are going to really focus on our Resort Reviews this season, starting with Heavenly this week and sharing a few of our favorite resorts each month throughout this winter.

Just wanted to give a shout out to all of the snow Gods and thank them for starting the season so early. We had opening days all over the place this week and I woke up to three powder alerts in my inbox this morning, a simple sign of the wonderful winter to be had. Resorts including Aspen Snowmass (peep their pics), Park City (my new home front), Mt. Hood Meadows, Alta, Snowbird, and I am sure the list goes on and on…Jackson Hole opens next week and many more to follow. Cheers to the kick off of the 2012 winter snowboard season!!!

There is a cool piece in the Economists’s new Game Theory blog (really cool blog, btw; definitely a must check out) today discussing the new film “Art of Flight.” The article points to the larger macro economic trend that these types of films have the potential to market a unique subset of brands to a hypertargeted audience. The author points out that extreme sports are the only type of sport where athletes’ reputations are based not only on the podium finishes they win, but even more so on the films they’re featured in, which is one of the things that makes snowboarding truly unique. As such, sponsors are jumping all over the opportunity to lend valuable marketing dollars to the filmmakers in efforts to connect with this hypertargeted audience who have money waiting to be spent.

Obviously, contextual advertising in films is part of any smart brand’s marketing strategy, but I’m wondering… does seeing a Red Bull logo portrayed in a snowboard film make you want to go out and immediately drink a Red Bull? I think I know the answer, but I’m curious to hear your thoughts.

Two years in the making, it is finally here! For me anyways as I get to check out the Art of Flight tomorrow night in Salt Lake City.

For those of you who don’t know, Art of Flight is a snowboard film, two years in the making with one hell of a line up; Travis Rice, John Jackson, Mark Landvik, Scotty Lago, Jake Blauvelt, Nicolas Muller, Gigi Ruf, DCP and Pat Moore. Apparently, the boundaries are pushed, redefining what is possible in the mountains. The Art of Flight takes us to the unexplored mountains in the remote corners of the world.

What better way to get stoked on the snowboard season? Hope to see you at the Art of Flight tomorrow. If not, check out the website for the tour line up or download the trailer here.

Finding a good sports bra is a common problem for most women who snowboard, because you want good support, but you also don’t want anything too tight and restrictive while shredding your local slopes. I used to be very loyal to Target-brand sports bras (I think the actual brand was Champion) because they were basic, comfy, and cost-effective, but I have since changed my preference slightly, because they can sometime hurt my shoulders if I wear them too long.

Last year I discovered Old Navy’s sports bras and workout gear. To be quite honest, I don’t really shop at Old Navy, but I popped in one day last summer and really like their new work out line. I bought two of their sports bras and they are fab – they have thin straps so they don’t get in the way, they are cute (and you can buy matching workout shorts), and they are supportive enough to ride in. Best part? They are affordable ($16.50, but you can usually find them on sale). I say, two thumbs up!

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