Westbound Boarder

The Olympic halfpipe events, which most participants have spent months, even years, preparing for, have come and gone, and it really was quite a good time.  Shaun White totally stole the show (and for good reason) but with all the hype around White the past few weeks, I think many of the talents of other competitors got lost in the mix.  Lago, Vito, Bleiler, Clark, even some of the international riders, all put on a great show, and were acclaimed in their own, individual ways.

So now, I want to open it up to you all and invite you to share your thoughts post-comps.  Did you watch the Olympic snowboard games?  Who was your favorite competitor?  What were your favorite moments?

Let’s hear it in the comments below!

Pics from our drive up to Mountain High on Saturday… amazing.  Valuable lesson learned – never go up to the SoCal mountains the Saturday after 4 ft. of snow arrives.  But, I suppose the estimated 9,000 people at the resort and the 4 hour drive home (yes, we moved about 1.5 miles in an hour) was well worth it.

Last week, Danielle, Rochelle and I all took an epic trip to Vail, our second annual snowboard trip to Colorado.  But this year, instead of spending the entire time riding Vail, we decided to try something new and shred at several different resorts.  Enter, Breckenridge.

Ever since last year’s Winter Dew Tour, I’ve been dying to ride at Breckenridge, CO.  Several of the biggest names in snowboarding call Breck their part-time home – Shaun White, Chanelle Sladics, JJ Thomas and Bobby Brown, just to name a few.  And the park and super pipe consistently top Transworld’s best list.  The combination of the high elevation, expansive free terrain and variety of terrain parks makes Breckenridge a top-notch resort in my book.  Oh, and parking was free for parties over four the day we went – love that they promote carpooling! (Normally, it’s $5 weekdays and $10 weekends, which is still pretty inexpensive in comparison to Vail).

This would be the medium park

When we arrived to Breckenridge, we thought we might as well start out the day right with a run through the park.  Looking at the trail map, we noticed there were three different types of parks – small, medium, and large.  We decided to settle for the in between and hit the medium park (also because it was the most convenient from where we started out, Peak 7).  Well, apparently the folks at Breckenridge do not quite go by the standard definition of “medium” we had envisioned … Compared to what we’re used to riding at Hood and High/Bear, this “medium” park was HUGE!  After staring awe struck for a moment at the top, glancing down at the tables below, we decided to bypass the park (this time around) and sit on the side, watching some of the local riders pass through.  Well, nearly thirty minutes later, our jaws were open just as wide as they were when we first sat down.  We had never seen so many amazing free skiiers and snowboarders all in the same place!  We sat and watched 720 after 720 whiz by, and then quickly came to the conclusion that everyone who rides at Breck is pro … or all pros ride at Breck.  Either way, it was really cool just watching all the talent built up at the mountain throughout the day.

Come on dude, really?!

After watching the pros in the park, we rode through the pipe for a while (not the smoothest pipe I’ve ever  been in, but I definitely blame it on the conditions – it hadn’t snowed in days – and not the resort itself).  The 18 foot walls were super fun, and the pipe was nicely cut.  One of the things I really liked about Breck was their “progressive” park system.  Their parks are set up in steps, or difficulty levels, so riders can start from the small parks when they’re first learning to jump and work their way up.  There are three small terrain parks and one small pipe, one medium park, and one large park and super pipe.  So riders who start  riding at Breck can go through the park system and take it up a step when they’re ready.  And since I am a person who grew up learning to ride a baby park, then immediately transitioning to a large, comp-style park, I can definitely appreciate this style of “at-your-own-pace” learning.  Also, Breckenridge has a really neat Web site called Breck 1080, where you can actually preview the features, meet the team riders, and watch videos before you head up to the slopes.  But park riding definitely isn’t all there is to Breck, unlike some jib-heavy resorts.  There’s tons of free terrain to ride as well, and several bowls and fun tree runs, really making Breckenridge a well-rounded resort.

Lunch!

Now, Breckenridge boasts a lift with the highest elevation in North America.  It’s called the Imperial Express Super Chair (at the top of Peak Eight) and it sits at a record elevation of 12,840 feet.  To put that in perspective, the highest point reached by a chair lift at Mt. Hood Meadows is 7,300 feet, and the top of Palmer at Timberline, one of the few resorts open for skiing year-round, is 8550 feet.  That’s kind of a big difference.  Even though the dismal Colorado snowfall (or lack thereof) during our stay made for some pretty icy runs near the peak, we finally decided that we couldn’t not take at least one run down.  So after lunch, we headed up the 6 Chair to make it over to Imperial before it closed for the day.  We had to rush because the lift stops operating at 3:15.  We made it over to Imperial by 3:02, but of course with our luck the lift had just closed at 3pm, early due to conditions.  Bummer.  But then again, we now have an excuse to go back to Breck next year!  Insider Tip: If you get a chance to make it to Breckenridge, especially on a powder day, I’d recommend starting out your day on the Imperial Lift before the bowls get chopped out.  And before the lift closes.

After our journey to find the top (which we didn’t) we made our way over to Peaks 9 and 10, the final side of the hill we had yet to experience.  And we finally found the small terrain parks!  The small parks were a lot of fun to ride.  We particularly liked Eldorado, because the jumps had a lot of pop and a nice, solid landing.  The perfect way to end our day.

The lifts at Breckenridge are open 8:30am to 4:30pm, with the gondola operating 8am to 5pm, but one of the cool things about Breck is that if you think that 8 hours on the hill isn’t enough (???) then you can head straight to Keystone, which is one of the only resorts in the area open for night skiing (your ticket is good for both resorts).

Overall, I really enjoyed riding at Breck, and I think it is one of my favorite places I’ve ridden at so far due to the vast versatility of park and free-ski options.  I was really surprised at how big Breckenridge is.  Though it’s only half the size of Vail, it really didn’t seem like it, and we definitely didn’t cover as much ground as we would have liked to in just one day.  We had also heard that Breck was a lot less steep than Vail (our skiier friend, Kevin, said Breck isn’t his favorite for this reason), which is true to some extent, but there are definitely a fair share of steep runs as well, especially if you hit the back bowls above peaks 8 and 7.  Personally, I’m not a huge fan of super steep runs because I like straight-lining it the whole way down, so I thought Breck was perfect, especially since there wasn’t much powder or fresh snow when we rode.  Insider Tip: If you head out to the Vail area during icy conditions and are able to add some flexibility to your resort riding plan, I’d recommend riding Breck over Vail or any of the other resorts, namely because there are more options to ride less iced-out runs than the other nearby resorts.

Also, if you can swing it, I’d recommend staying in Breck for a night or two, at the very least.  Unfortunately, we didn’t get the opportunity this year, as we had prior arrangements in Eagle-Vail, but the town of Breckenridge is so adorable, I wish we could have stayed and checked out the nightlife!  Unlike Vail, which is a bit more family-oriented, IMHO, Breck tends to attract a younger crowd, likely due to its stellar reputation within the snowboard community and younger audiences.

Perfect blue bird day!

Now, I had always thought that Breckenridge (or any Colorado resort, for that matter) was purely a winter resort with not much to do in the summer other than dream of the first snowfall of the following year.  However, in talking with a few Breckenridge locals, I learned that this is not the case.  Not at all.  Breckenridge boasts more than 100 miles of bike trails (yes, I say “more than” because they stopped counting after they reached 100), the Peak 8 Fun Park, which features everything from Alpine slides to Colorado’s largest human maze.  Also, we hear the vibe is a lot more chill and laid-back in the summer, so this might be a good option for a relaxing, laid-back summer vaca.  Like the saying goes, “Perfect Mountain, Perfect Mountain Town.”  I’ll add “year round” to that one.

Photo by Peter Parra

After returning from an amazing week-long vacation in Vail, CO, you’d think I’d want to spend the weekend resting (and doing laundry), right?  Well, that was the plan, but apparently it didn’t last for long. When I received a text Friday night at 8pm from my snowboard friend Matty asking if I wanted to ride Saturday, how could I say no?  My fifth day up in one week?  I’m on a roll!

I haven’t been up to Mt. High yet this season, so I bought a six time pass (pretty sweet deal, btw) and left my house at 6:15 am (ouch) to meet Matty at our little meeting spot on the way up to the mountain, right off the 15 fwy.  A few cups of coffee and one beautiful sunrise later, I knew it was going to be a great day!

Admittedly, after spending four days riding in the Colorado Rockies, the 12 inch base and slushed-out snow at Mt. High seemed a bit unappealing at first (the snow started out very grainy), but once the sun came out and softened it up a bit, it turned out to be an awesome, very fun day.  Riding High is just a lot different than riding at bigger resorts, namely because Mt. High is basically one, huge park, and there’s really not much free terrain to ride.  But I love park riding, so spending eight hours in the terrain park is fine by me.

The jumps and jibs were perfect, and the sunny, spring-like weather was even more perfect.  One really cool thing about Mt. High is that you can check out their interactive park layout before you go (which I did) and see photos/videos of all the jibs.  There was a lot of variety, and a good mix of easy to advanced features (and a lot of them!)  For example, if you start at the top of Chair 4 in the West Resort and head toward Upper Chisolm, you can ride down and hit 11 tables and several rails before you reach the bottom.  We spent most the day riding this run, followed by a nice, long break for BBQ in the parking lot.  The park crew was setting up for the Gatorade Free Flow tour slopestyle event (which takes place today) in the morning, so by the afternoon the course was open and we finished with a few runs through that park before heading home.

All in all, awesome day!  Oh, and it ended with a stop at grandma’s for dinner and laundry, so don’t worry, I did get a few good hours of laundry time in as well.

Now, I’m headed to Newport for an afternoon of skimboarding and sushi … I love living in a state where you can go snowboarding one day and to the beach the next

Wow.  It’s hard to believe that it has been more than a year since we published our first post on Westbound Boarder.  My how time flies!  2009 was an extremely busy, but great year, and we’d like to thank all of you for stopping by our blog.  We hope you’ve enjoyed reading!

In case you’re new to our blog, or simply just want to refresh your memory, here is a list of our most popular posts from 2009:

• Spotlight Female: Kimi Werner, National Spearfishing Champion
• Skimboarding, The ‘Shore’ Kind of Fun
• Windells – The Funnest Place on Earth!
• Get Those Ladies Off Yo’ Board!
• Westbound’s Guide To Sk8board Tricks
• Surfing: Longboard vs. Shortboard
• Resort Review: Vail, CO
• Saturday Shop Review – Val Surf
• Featured Female: Chanel aka CC
• Snowboard Buyer’s Guide: First Things First
• Safety First!
• ‘SUP With Your Board?

We’re excited to bring you more in 2010 and beyond!

(Note: If you would like to be a guest blogger or contributor, we welcome any and all female voices in the action sports industry!  Contact us at westboundboarder@gmail.com)

Last weekend when I was home in Portland for Thanksgiving, Danielle and I packed our bags and hit the hill for the my season opener.  (In fact, I do believe it was both of our first days up).  It was such an amazing day – several inches of new, fresh pow, a perfect blue-bird day, and of course, great company.  Danielle’s hubby is teaching lessons at Timberline this season, so we opted for T-line as opposed to our usual Meadows.  I haven’t been to T-line in years (I think the last time I went was for my high school snowboard team’s state championship meet – yes, that was a long time ago!) so it was a nice change of pace from the crowds and lines that characterize Mt. Hood Meadows.  (Now I’m not saying I don’t love Meadows – it has been and will always be my #1!)

Anyway, after arriving to the mountain (and spending a whopping $59 on lift tickets) we were ready to ride.  We got a lot of riding in for the maybe 5 or 6 hours we were on the slopes, namely because there were very short lift lines.  Most of the time we were able to just hop right on!  We spent most the day on the Mile, because from what I hear a nice day up top is pretty hard to come by.  There was a park with some pretty nice tables and jibs, but after a few first-day-up spills we decided to ditch the park and freeride.

We finished out the day with the Alpine Trail, a “top secret” trail that only locals know about (OK, maybe that’s a bit of stretch) that takes riders along a 2.5 mile trail from Timberline to Government Camp.  We started from the top of Magic Mile and made our way down to (and through) the Alpine Trail – 3.5 miles in all.  Man were we spent!

Thanks, Timberline, for a great first day up, and I’m so looking forward to more just like it!

Danielle and I have been quite the world travelers lately.  Well, US travelers, anyway.  Danielle just spent what I hear was an amazing week in Hawaii, and a day later she took off for a week in Alaska!  Not without a fair share of surfing/snowboarding, I’d imagine.  And me, I’m in Vegas right now for a marketing conference, enjoying my first break of the entire couple of days. (Whoever said you can’t get business done in Vegas… obviously didn’t go to my conference :/ )  And when I found this e-mail in my inbox, I couldn’t help but not share my excitement with you all.

Tomorrow, Heavenly ski resort in Tahoe (Nor Cal) will open for the season with nearly 40 acres of skiable terrain accessed by the Heavenly Gondola, Tamarack Express and Dipper Express Chairlifts.  Heavenly will open at 9:00am and lifts will operate until 4:pm, and will continue to operate from 8:30am – 4:00pm on weekends, and 9:00am to 4:00pm on weekdays throughout the duration of the season (weather permitting, of course).  And, if that’s not good enough news, it is rumored that a big storm is supposed to pass through Lake Tahoe on Friday, bringing long a foot of new snow with it.  So this weekend in Tahoe should be pretty legit.

Love that El Nino is bringing us fantastic skiable terrain a few weeks earlier than usual.  Can’t wait to make my season debut run at Hood next weekend.  I haven’t had the opportunity to make it up to Heavenly or any other Tahoe resort in quite a few years, but I’d like to visit at some point.  In fact, I didn’t buy a season pass this year so I could actually spend some more time traveling to different resorts, instead of limiting myself to just one resort.  Mammoth’s on the list this year, along with Park City, Vail and Breck.

How about you?  Which resort are you excited to ride this season?

If you look back through snowboard history, females have come a long way from where they were even ten years ago to where they are today, constantly pushing the envelope and upping the caliber of competition.  Recently, Stan Evans (Producer) and Jeremy Miller (Director/Editor) released a snowboard film featuring an all girl cast.  The film highlights the progression of female riding, taking the talents of several different women and combining them into a series of segments to create a powerful story; a story they call “Stance.”

Though I downloaded and wrote about the film a few weeks ago, I finally got around to watching Stance in it’s entirety this past weekend.  With an all-star cast that includes the likes of Gretchen Bleiler, Jamie Anderson and Torah Bright, I knew the film would be good, but I was even surprised at how good some of the riding was.

The film opens with Gretchen recanting her tragic experience at the X-games a few years ago, where one minor fall cost her the title but how she learned that snowboarding is more about “being in the moment” than about winning.  Throughout the rest of Stance, the film makers portray just that – a group of pro riders “being in the moment” and living their dreams.

The film is a really nice mix of backcountry riding and jumps and pipe.  Obviously I was impressed by the usual pros who continue to claim title after title, but my favorite sequence was the second with Kimmy Fasani – her smooth style riding really stood out and she did a phenomenal job filming the part.

Aside from the riding presented in the film, I also really enjoyed the cinematography and editing of the film.  The makers did a really nice job keeping the film fun but also serious and motivational.  The music was great, and the technique was truly amazing.

The film’s full cast included Gretchen Bleiler, Hana Beaman, Jamie Anderson, Kimmy Fasani, Lisa Filzmoser, Jenny Jones, Torah Bright, Raewyn Reid, Molly Aguirre, Gabi Viteri and other riders, and more info. can be found at Stance’s Web site.  Props to all involved, and I hope there are more all female films to come!

On Monday we talked about the importance of getting in shape for the upcoming snowboard season and establishing a workout routine, and on Tuesday we laid out a nice beginner’s workout, so continuing with our Getting in Shape series we’re going to give a couple advanced workout tips for those of you who are looking for more of a challenge.  While wall sits, basic squats and lunges are a great way to start working out, if you have been doing them a while you might want to take things up a notch (at the very least, to make your workout less boring).

I’m a big fan of plyometrics, which is a type of training that combines traditional strength exercises with quick jumping movements, so essentially your pushing your body harder in the same amount of time, ultimately achieving faster results.  Plyometrics workouts are strenuous, but fun and a great way to amp up your routine, so below I’m going to highlight a few of my favorite plyometrics workout moves, plus a couple other tougher twists on your basic ab workout:

Plyo Squats: Start by standing in the traditional squat position.  Squat down but instead of standing back  up, jump up and then back down in the squat position.  Do two sets of 20.  Watch out, they burn!

Stair Hop: Stand facing a 1 – 2 foot wall or ledge (a step at the gym will work or a wall at the beach).  Jump up onto the wall and back down to complete one rep.  Do two sets of 12.  Alternatively, find a case of stairs and hop up each until you reach the top.

Plyo Lunges: Start by standing in the lunge position, right foot in front of your left.  Lunge down, but instead of standing straight up, in one swift motion jump into the air and switch the position of your legs mid air so that your left foot is now in front of your right.  When you land, go straight back into the lunge position.  Do two sets of 16 (8 on each side).

And now for some more advanced ab moves…

Reverse Crunch: Sit upright with your knees at a 90 degree angle to the floor, then lean your chest backward so that it is at a 45 degree angle to the floor, engaging your abs along the way, while also lifting your feet as well – your body should be making a V shape.  Then, lower your head and shoulders so that it is about 20 degrees from the floor while simultaneously stretching out your legs (this one’s about balance!)  Return to the starting position to complete one full rep, and do 2 sets of ten.  This will work your lower abs and build those muscles you really need to keep your core strong.

Dip Planks: Planks are one of the best ab and total body workouts you can do… as long as you do them right.  But holding planks for 1 – 2 minutes can be boring and tedious, so switch it up a bit by adding an extra challenge in between.  After holding the standard plank for 10 seconds, drop your knees while in the plank position so they almost touch the floor, then return to the plank position.  Do 10 reps.  Then, in your second plank, try moving stepping out your right foot and then your left so your feet are now double the width apart, then return your right foot then your left foot back to the normal, shoulder-width position.  Do 20 full reps.

As discussed in yesterday’s blog post on establishing a workout routine, we discussed the importance of working out (and starting now) so that your body is prepared for the long snowboard season ahead.  Ideally, you want to be doing at least two days of cardio (running, biking, etc) each week combined with two to three days of legs and abs.  Below are some of our favorite moves:

Squats

Place your feet shoulder-width apart and squat down, keeping your knees in line with your tows.  Return to the starting position to complete one rep.  Complete two sets of 16 squats.

Option: Hold a pair of 5 lb. dumbells in either hand while doing this move.

Inner Thigh Squats

Similar to the normal squats described and pictured above, but instead of standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, double the distance and stand with your feet turned out.  Complete two sets of 20.

Option: Hold a pair of 5 lb. dumbells in either hand between your inner thighs while doing this move.

Lunges

Both a great butt and quad workout, lunges can either be done standing in place or walking.  To do a standing lunge, stand with your right foot in front of your left and bend both knees until your left knee almost touches the ground, keeping your chest centered above your right knee.  Stand back up to complete one rep.  Do 16 reps with your right foot forward, then switch sides and do 16 more.  To do a walking lunge, follow the same general motions as a standing lunge, but instead of standing back up, take a step forward and switch your feet.

Option: Hold a pair of 5 lb. dumbells in each hand and curl your arms up each time you bend your knees to add some additional weight and slight bicep workout.

Wall Sits

Seriously, the name is just as it sounds – sit against a wall and stay put, keeping your legs parallel to the ground as demonstrated in the pictures.  It’s also a lot harder than it sounds, so 3 reps of 2 – 3 minutes should do the trick.  Try and challenge yourself each time and stay leaning just a little bit longer than before.  Can you make it to 10 minutes? (First person to say yes, I’m buying you a beer).

Bend Downs

The Best. Butt Workout. Ever.  (Oh, but a great hamstring workout too.)  Hold a 5 lb. weight in both of your hands and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.  Keeping your legs completely straight, bend down and reach for your toes, keeping the weights in your hands as close to your legs as possible (yes, you will feel like you are almost going to fall backward and onto your butt – totally normal).  Stand back up to complete one rep, and do two sets of 16 reps.

Leg Lifts

Leg Lifts are a killer (no pun intended) outer thigh workout.  Start by laying in a straight line on the ground on your left side, head resting on your left arm or propped up on your elbow, and lift your right leg as high as you can.  Return to the starting position to complete one rep.  Do 16 with your right leg, then switch sides.

Cardio Leg Mix: Stair Climber

If you feel like mixing up your leg workouts with a little bit of cardio, do the stair climber at the gym for 20 mins. or find a nice long set of stairs and jog up and down.

Don’t Forget the Abs!

Many people often neglect the abs in favor of the legs and bootie; however, toning your abs is just as (if not) more important than the rest!

• Basic Crunch: Lay on your back with your knees at a 90 degree angle, feet flat on the floor and arms behind your head.  Lift your head, arms and torso and return to start.  Do two sets of 20.
• Reverse Crunch: Lay flat on your back with your legs straight in the air (L shape), but instead of lifting your torso, lift your butt and legs in the air.  Do two sets of 10.
• Bicycle: Start in the Basic Crunch position, lift your right leg up and bring your left elbow to your right knee, then switch sides and bring your right elbow to your left knee to complete one rep.  Do two sets of 16.
• Plank: Lay flat on the ground on your stomach, and lift up onto your elbows, keeping your body in a straight line.  Hold for one minute and release.

And if you have a partner…

This is an awesome lower ab workout if you have a buddy to do it with (we used to do these all the time in snowboard team group workouts).  Lie in a straight line and have your partner stand above your head.  Grab your partner’s ankles and lift your legs up so that your body is making an L shape.  Have your partner push your feet as hard as they can and try to resist their push and move your legs as little as possible.  Your lower abs will have to work overtime to keep your legs in place.  Option: To work out your obliques with this move as well, have your partner push your legs in different directions – first to the right side, then the other.

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