Shit skier girls say
As the ski season creeps toward an end we’re going to need things to keep us entertained until those first few flakes start to appear in the fall. This video never fails to crack us up. Enjoy:
And if the classic isn’t enough, check out the updated BACKCOUNTRY edition!
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Truckee the avalanche rescue dogs loves sliding down the mountain
That’s Truckee, a super rad:
And super good boy:
Trukee is an avalanche rescue dog at Heavenly Mountain. The video comes from Chris Child, who works ski patrol at Heavenly in the winter and wildfire management in the summer. Truckee, who hits the slopes with Chris to sniff out trapped avalanche victims and missing skiers and boarders apparently also loves getting in on the downhill action at work, when off duty, we assume.
Truckee and some of the other rescue dogs at Heavenly also apparently love getting a ride up the mountain human style, look at those tails go!
Some dogs have it made! And while we’re on the topic of rad animals on the slopes, how do you think Trukee and co would react to running into this bold Lynx who wandered within feet of of skiers at Big White, British Columbia?
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Amazing video of an adult lynx coming within feet of skiers at Big White ski resort in Kelowna, British Columbia has been posted on the mountain’s Facebook account. The gorgeous lynx hesitantly walks onto the run after emerging from the forest and decides to let a few skiers through before sneaking off into the forest on the other side of the run.
While lynx are found in the forests of British Columbia it’s rare for them to be seen in the open among humans.
Neato!
We wonder what Truckee the mountain sledding avalanche rescue dog would thing about our friendly lynx?
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70 mph winds pummel a ski lift, stranding terrified users.
A freak windstorm at Prato Nevoso ski resort in northern Italy battered a two-person chairlift on Monday. Officials were caught off-guard leaving skiers and riders stranded to tough out the gusts.
Gusts of up to 75 mph derailed the tow cable of the Red chairlift, leaving 130 skiers on the lift, according to Yahoo News UK. The gusts sent empty chairs swinging violently as seen in the video footage above.
Mountain rescue teams were dispatched and when conditions calmed down rescuers began lowering the stranded skiers safely to the ground. Thankfully, no one was injured.
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Mammoth Mountain will be open through to the 4th of July
It’s been a phenomenal snow year for Western North America, with multiple mountains having to suspend operations due to too much snow!
Mammoth Mountain of California has no shortage of the white stuff this season thanks to record-breaking snowfall, including more snow in January than any month on record at the resort. Sitting at a 340-inch (8.6 meters!) base at the top of the mountain, and 178 inches (4.5 meters) at Main Lodge, the resort operators have announced that the mountain will be open through the 4th of July!
And with epic conditions right now, Spring skiing and riding at Mammoth is looking to be epic! Mammoth currently holds the largest base depth of any resort in America by 90 inches.
And to sweeten the deal, if you skied or rode the last week in January Mammoth will give you a free lift ticket for July 4th! Woo! MURICA!
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A rundown on everything skis in 2017
My dad is a good skier. He loves skiing, has all his life, and in those 120-odd years of skiing, the tools of the trade have changed quite a bit.
I remember learning how to ski, and it sucked. I started on bulletproof ice in Norway of all places, did a few years in the alps, and then discovered snowboarding and that I was a lot happier on one piece of wood between my feet.
Fast forward 20 years, and the completely straight toothpicks that I learned to ski on have gone the way of the laser disc, replaced with much more forgiving and fun, shaped skis. The rise in the popularity of skiing has pushed ski technology and innovation to where it is today. As a first time buyer of a pair of skis, walking into a ski shop can seem bewildering and expensive. Actually that second part never changes… it’s always going to seem expensive, because it is, it’s a wicked expensive sport. Anyway, here is a simple rundown of what is going on in the world of skis today.
Skis can be broken down into four main categories, race, on piste, all-mountain, and powder. Ski categories can get a lot more in-depth and application specific, but for now, let’s keep is simple.
Race Skis are designed to do just that. Race on hardpacked, groomed terrain and do it as quickly as possible. Race skis are going to be the longest ski in your quiver. They are also going to have less shape to them than a lot of other types of skis and will likely feature a square rear tip. Race skis are not what you want to be starting off on. They’re less forgiving than many other types of skis due to less shape through the middle and generally being longer. Check out Volkl’s awesome Racetiger line of skis. The Racetiger line is a little wider than a lot of other race skis, leading to a smoother, more forgiving ski at high speeds.
On Piest skis are designed for all levels of skiers, from beginner to expert, and are built to work well on smooth groomed terrain through to light powder and harder ice. They are wider at the front and back of the ski and will often feature a rounded square tail. This shape allows the ski to turn easily and hold the edge through a turn. The Natural Instinct from Head combines a 20% rocker, that’s the curve at the tips of the skis and 80% camber, that’s the curve through the middle of the ski. Here’s a good explanation of camber and rocker. Basically the combination of 20% 80% means that the ski will perform well in a variety of snow conditions and turn easily.
All-mountain skis are designed to be workhorses for good-intermediate through expert skiers. If you are going to be shredding groomers, ducking under the ropes for some out of bounds powder, and then hitting the terrain park for a couple laps all in the same day then these are the skis for you. Designed to be a one-ski quiver All Mountain skis are twin tipped, and are generally a wider ski. We recommend the Enforcer from Nordica. It’s 100mm wide to give you some lift in deeper snow, but has a low rocker profile to maintain full contact in icy conditions.
Powder skis are for those days when you’re going to be floating down fresh, amazing, wonderful, nothing better on the planet powder. They’re big, they’re bulky, they’re probably going to be pretty straight from tip to tail. It’s their width which allows them to float up and over deep powder and give you that cushy floating feeling that’s hard to describe if you’ve never experienced it before… we imagine it’s what it’s like to be on heroin, although we’re not sure. We do know it’s addictive though. Realistically, powder skis are restricted to very good intermediates, through expert skiers. They’re going to be round at tip and tail and will kind of look like water skis. The Friend by J Skis is a bit more of a forgiving option by powder ski standards. It features a little bit more shape to it, which gives it less of a ornery beast feel when not in deep powder. They also are limited to 100 units per design, so you know you’re riding what a good friend should be; special.
We know that’s a lot of information. Why can’t I just walk into a ski store and tell a sales person what I want, and have them give me something that is perfect for me? Well the thing is, ski stores can be hit and miss, and even the best employee is guessing at what might work for you, from what they have skied and what they have in stock. There is another option though, you can custom order skis. This used to be a very time consuming and expensive process, enter Parlor Skis. Parlor Skis have developed a simple four-step system to allow any level of skier to get custom skis made. All you have to do is answer a series of online questions that measure your height and weight, skiing ability, and the terrain you typically ski on and the terrain they want to ski on, and presto they build you a 100% custom, just for you ski.
While we haven’t had customs skis made, everything that Parlor stands for makes sense. Be sure to check them out if you’re in the market for a new pair of skis.
And if you’re anywhere near Japan this ski season check out how you can get free ski passes at 22 awesome resorts.
And as always, please take a minute to check out our website if you so desire: GogorillaSafe.com
A compilation of the greatest ski crashes of the last 25 years
The english language is a fickle beast. To the untrained ear, native English speakers use words completely incorrectly on a daily bases. For example, this is the baddest article every written. See, in that instance I’m using bad to mean good, because clearly this article is rad. Rad? Yeah, rad. Anyway Matchstick Productions, who have been in the business of filming the world’s best skiers for 25 years and have thrown together a completion of ski crashes that they consider to be the greatest ever. And by greatest they mean, most bone crushing, head slamming, concussion inducing, make you say owwwww out loud crashes all set to a dope sound track that makes you want to shotgun a beer. Greatest everrrrr! Enjoy:
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Ski or Snowboard all day for free and Mario Kart in the streets of Tokyo at night.
Japan is firmly planted on the international ski and snowboard map, an exotic dream destination for many. Powderhounds the world over start drooling with the mere mention of ski resorts in the Northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido such as Niseko, Tazawako, and Minow, all of which are known for their insane (see below) amounts of high quality, dry powder.
With these resorts being world class destinations, resorts in Fukushima’s lesser known Aizu and Minami Aizu mountain regions are attempting to put their name on the map by offering free lift tickets to anyone with a foreign passport between the ages of 19-24. Simply present your passport at the ticket window and away you go. Now, before you quip about the misleading title of this article, if you hold a foreign passport and you’re over (or under, not sure there 19) 24 you can get lift tickets for roughly USD $17. Not a bad deal any way you look at it. The offer is available through March 31st, 2017, at 22 ski resorts in the Aizu and Minami Aizu mountain region.
The promotion, as reported by local news agency Rocket News 24, is being held by Visit Fukushima, the prefectures’ tourism board. Some of the best looking resorts participating in the promotion are:
Aizu-Kogen (Aizu Highland) SNOWLAND Takatsue
A major benefit of the Aizu and Minami Aizu mountain regions are their proximity to Tokyo, a very comfortable 2 hour bullet train ride away. Two Japan destinations for the price of one.
And if you didn’t know… you can do this in Tokyo:
So yeah. Do it. Now. Right now. Why are you still reading this? Stop. WAIT! CHECK OUT GORILLASAFE FIRST: GoGorillasafe.com
If you’d like to learn more about the promotion, please visit: iplayfukushima.com
