Turoa Snow Conditions Update 27th July

Hey Crew, we've got another update from our roving North Island reporter Kingsley, sounds like Turoa is going off right now, read on

With another storm out of the way, and an epic bluebird weekend on the
cards, it was a sure thing that we would make a run for the mt on
saturday, until........My wife reminded me we were out all day. Oh man,
the was ripping. Anyway, we decided that we would make it up on Sunday. So
Sunday morning came around, up at 5.30am and we were on our way.
I have a friend who has currently got a Swiss exchange student staying
with them, so we decided to get him up with us this time. So, the drive
was cool, chatting with him about the swiss alps and the snow over there
etc. Turns out he's been boarding for 5 years in the swiss alps in 2m deep
powder!!!! We felt rather sheepish right then taking him to our humble ski
area. As we approached the Mt on theses words came from his mouth 'oh, it
looks very........cute'. WHAT THE!!! What on earth does that mean.
Anyway, we hit the mt with much excitement. The fresh snow was great. The
turoa staff have obviously been working hard cutting new trails for the
season so there was plenty of choice. Once finally up the High noon we
opted for a run out west towards 'The old T' and man was that the right
choice!!! The runs were awesome. Shot down a small trail that had been cut
for access, over a ridge and into a huge plain with freshies galore. Once
riding that out, we joined up with the 'Why nots' which is a natural gully
which catches all the wind blown, so the conditions in there were even
better. After carving that to pieces hooked up with the 'Boneyard' which
was in it's typical boneyard state (choppy and powdery). Through the upper
learners and beginner trails and back on the lifts again (approx 30 min
run)
Swiss boy asked if there was anything different to ride. So I eyed a few
people heading out through the Glacier entrance out east and off to the
back country. So we followed. He was astounded that there was such vast
bowls of smooth, fresh snow on a volcano!! It was ankle deep fresh, some
spots shin deep, and it was niiiiiiiice. So we shredded our way down
through there. Yehaaaing the whole way. But of course!!! Up there you
don't get runs like that for free. At the bottom a mad trek was waiting.
So after making it back to the base lunch time and a bit of a rest was
welcomed with open arms. The afternoon was filled with sticking to the
piste.
Anyhow's all in all, it was a mad day. Awesome conditions, bluebird and
fresh. What more could we really ask for. So, 1.5m base or 5m base, who
cares. We have the cover now for the majority of the mt available and
backcountry looking good. If anyone's up this way, be sure to check it
out. Don't be put off by the fact that it's only 1.5m and not the 5m we
had last year. In fact, I think for the piste, 1.5 is nice, heaps of
gullies to ride and alot of varied terrain, 5m filled them all in and it
was just flat plains.
It's pretty epic at the moment, and with another 3 days of snow on the
forecast, I can't wait till next time.
Check the photo's attached.

~Kingsley~

Snoop Dogg Skullcandy Headphones are finally here

That's right crew, after a long wait the Skullcandy Snoop Dogg Skullcrusher Headphones have landed in NZ and are due for delivery to us early next week. The Snoop Dogg Skullcrusher has the same ear splitting Bass heavy sound that you've come to expect from the Skullcandy Skullcrushers pimped out in Snoop's own style. They are also now at the same price as the regular Skullcandy Skullcrushers at $179.99. These are very limited so get in quick to secure a pair.
Check em out
http://www.basenz.com/shop/P1009_Skullcandy_Skullcrusher_Snoop_Dogg_Signature_Headphones.html

Matt

www.basenz.com

Sledding @ SnowparkNZ!!

What do you get when you combine a few beers, a wooden sled, a chairlift and a mean down hill…..?
CARNAGE that’s what!
Last Saturday night I had the pleasure of a little night time sledging at Snowpark; it was the funniest night of my life! For $25 an hour you can hire the wooden sleds, as seen in the pic below, you hold on tight and ride the chairlift to the summit. Then its all go, jump on, hold tight and pray you make it to the bottom in one piece, which I did with lots of screams, woops, arrrrgggghhhhhhs and all the rest! Its hilarious, you can’t really steer, stopping is only an option if you bail or someone crashes into you and you bail and strange as it sounds, speed is your friend!! Its awesome, yes I have the bruises to prove I went but I would go again at the drop of a hat! Check it out next time your at Snowpark, its awesome!
Daisy

Base Freeride Team Riding Day Out!

Well school holidays has been manic, but it makes for great times for the Freeride Team to get together.

With so many riders and training days, and comps, it can be hard to get the team's schedules to work together.

So I was stoked with the school holidays as it gives us the chance to get out on the hill together.

So Tim, Mack, Beau, Raph, Hayden, Luke and I spent a blue bird day together at Cardrona.

I surprised the team with an honorary member for the day, Travis Parker.

The team and Travis both fizzed at riding together, showing each other a thing or two on the slopes, and having the opportunity to hear from someone that has made a great name for himself in the business, was invaluable, as they are all working so hard to be part of the business.

Great riding, great conditions, and a great crew made for a super fun day!

peace amy

Epic Day Heliskiing with Southern Lakes Heliski

When fortune shines on you it's best not to ignore it. So it was that i found myself madly getting my riding gear together on wednesday night after getting the call late that a days Heli boarding was on the next day with Southern Lakes Heliski. After a very restless night dreaming of fresh powder turns i headed into town to meet the crew before heading to the bottom of the TC road to meet up with our "special" chairlift(that's the helicopter). All the gear on, then a safety briefing from the Southern Lakes Heliski guides and we were airborne. The snow and weather conditions of the last weeks had left us with primo conditions this early in the winter and the mountains looked amazing from our vantage point in the chopper. The SouthernLakes heli crew had picked out Black Peak as our drop off point and they were right on the money.
First run was down thru a wide open powder field that dropped into super fun rollers and gullies giving us untracked turns all the way down to the pick up point. From the chopper the runs didn't look massively long but when the guide pulled up after what seemed like millions of turns and said we weren't even half way down I knew we were in for a wicked day. Another ride up in our "special" chairlift and we were on run two. This time we dropped off the other side of the ridge we had been dropped onto, the snow was about 20 -40cm deep depending on the direction the slope we were on was facing so the turns mostly felt bottomless. Only at the very bottom did we start to break thru the snow cover. After run 2 it was back up to the drop off point for a tasty lunch at the top of Black Peak with views of Wanaka and the lake behind us(see pics). Run 3 was a corka, our guide, the Grey Wolf, aka Ian, picked one of the best lines of the day finding us a huge section of deeper snow with some awsome natural features for the crew to hit. By this stage our perma-grins were starting hurt but we wanted more. So up we go in the chopper, which, by the way is almost as fun as riding freshies. Run 4 turned out to be the best of the day as we scoped more untouched powder down a wide field with a natural gully that dropped away down a perfectly pitched slope into more gullys and fun terrain.
It was high fives allround at the bottom while we waited for our ride back to the cars.
Southern Lakes Heliski were awesome, making sure everyone was safe and taking us to perfect terrain and finding the killer fresh snow. If you've ever thought about going heliskiing, stop thinking about it and get out there and do it. It is the best thing ever. So much so that on the chopper ridde home i was weighing up how much heli time i could get if i sold everything i own bar my snowboarding gear.
If you're curious get onto http://www.southernlakesheliski.co.nz/ and check out what's on offer.

Base crew from left Cuz, me, Brent, Daisy, Chris and Johnny enjoy the view

Matty from Southern Lakes Heliski drops in

Please can we go again???

Luke from Quest dropping a bomb

Hmm, i'm a little stoked here i think...

Matty from Southern Lakes Heliski slashing a turn on some Rossignol S7's

Daisy shredding the Fresh

Me and Daisy riding the "Special" Chairlift

Our Ride for the day

www.basenz.com

BaseNZ.com Gear Guide episode 1 - Trends in Outerwear

Hey so earlier I blogged about us possibly doing some interesting stuff with video - well we have. We're all about sharing and making sure we can get you sussed for the slopes. We usually do this instore, but some of you are way outta Wanaka and we want to show you the real goods, and what things to look out for, share our best tips and just generally be as helpful as possible.

So here it is, BaseNZ.com Gear Guide Episode 1 - Trends in Outerwear for 2009. We hope you enjoy the vid and find it informative.



peace amy

Base 2 Video Tour

Take a video tour thru Base 2, our new Hardware Focused store at 12 Helwick St Wanaka.

Base 2 Grand Opening Party

Last night saw a great bunch of people get down to Base's new Snow Hardware focused store at 12 Helwick st, Base 2, for the Grand opening party. Most of the Base freeride team and parents made it in for drinks and the compulsory finger food. It was great to see so many of our suppliers come along to celebrate with us, along with customers, friends and all the crew that helped build and fitout the store in record time. Also in attendance were some industry luminaries Jossi Wells, Byron Wells and Robett Hollis, thanks boys. Also great to see the guys from Racers Edge and Cheapskates in also. After a couple of hours pilefring the Free Drinks most of the crew headed to Mint Bar for some free PIzza and more drinks. Dj Phillipa kicked off around 10.30 and dropped some solid boeats that kept the crowd jumping late into the night.
Thanks to everyone who came along.
Matt
Chillin by the ski rack, Base alumni Kris Mayen, Hamish from Rossignol and Base's Chris Walsh.

Base Crew - Lee, Trev & Potter



The Crew - Gemma from Icebreaker is in there, Simon Knight from K2 & Charlie from racers Edge are chewing the fat, Pro Ski Photographer Camilla Stoddart in there telling someone what's up.
Base Ladies - Jenna, Daisy, Kelly, Fi, Kim & Prue.

Base freeride team grommets Beau James Wells & Tim Herbert raid the finger food.

Dj Phillipa dropping the beats at Mint Bar

Snow Falling In Wanaka Right Now

Hey Crew, check it out, snow falling in Wanaka right now, looking good for snow for the weekend. Though i don't think the vis will be very good. But at least it's snowing!
Base 2 getting it's first snow ever, check the pics, will try and add some video later today too. Sorry the pics don't show the snow awesomely but it's still falling