BaseNZ.com - Wanaka/Snow/Life

CARDRONA EXPANDS TERRAIN FOR 2010 SEASON

2010-02-08T12:58:00.000+13:00

SOUTHERN LAKES, New Zealand (xx January 2010) Cardrona Alpine Resort is installing a fourth chairlift this summer in phase one of an expansion project which will increase the resort’s boundaries and the number of intermediate and advanced runs on offer. This means that Cardrona will now have more chairlifts than any other South Island mountain.

The Valley View quad will extend the resort’s terrain from the bottom of the Whitestar lift down to the Speed Straight section of the access road. The former Captains Quad lift’s new position will mean Cardrona’s lift-serviced vertical will increase by 250 metres and the ski area will grow to a total size of 345 hectares. An additional car park will be built for season pass holders for easy and quick access on to the lift, when in operation.

The new Valley View Quad will increase Cardrona’s lift-serviced vertical to a total of 600 metres which will enable the resort to build a FIS homologated downhill course named “Goldrush”. As part of this development a 40 metre tunnel is being installed to allow uninterrupted access from the Captains Express to the bottom of the Whitestar Express.

“It is very rewarding to be able to open up new terrain for Cardrona customers to enjoy” said Cardrona sales and marketing manager, Nadia Ellis. “This development has been in the pipelines for a few years so it’s really great to see phase one underway.”

Phase two will continue next summer with the installation of extensive snowmaking in the Valley View area to ensure top to bottom skiing throughout the season. Further groundwork will also be carried out to develop trails in the area.

For further information visit www.cardrona.com

-ends-

For further information, please contact:
Nadia Ellis
Sales & Marketing Manager

Nadia Ellis
Sales & Marketing Manager
03 443 7341 ext 718

Cardrona Alpine Resort
www.Cardrona.com

NZ Freeskier Amy Sheehan gains Wildcard Invite to Winter X Games 14

2010-01-27T16:48:00.002+13:00

NZ freeskier Amy Sheehan has just received a wildcard invite to compete in the Winter X Games 14 in Aspen Colorado this weekend. Amy will be competing in the womens superpipe competition with prelims starting tomorrow afternoon with 12 invited riders, the top 6 advancing to the finals on Saturday. Amy is 22 years old from Wanaka NZ and skis for Rossignol Skis, this is her first ever invite to ski at Winter X Games.
Amy has been practising in the pipe at Aspen over the last few days and is loving it.
The crew at www.rossignolnz.com wish her all the best, as does the Base Crew!
Check out Amy at Winter X Games 14 on espn on Sky this weekend
Good Luck Amy!!

The Crew@Base

First Members of NZ's Olympic Teams Named for VanOc 2010

2010-01-22T14:04:00.000+13:00

Wellington, NZ (22 January 2010) - The New Zealand Olympic Committee has named the first members of its team to the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games. Ten athletes across five sports have been named with the snowboard team yet to be announced.
Among those named today are first time Olympians Mitchey Greig (21, Freeski), Tim Café (22, Alpine Ski) and Ben Koons (23, Cross-Country Ski). These young athletes will join the team alongside the more experienced Olympian Ben Sandford who finished tenth in Skeleton at Torino 2006.

In addition, Sarah Murphy has been selected as New Zealand’s first Olympic biathlete pending confirmation of a quota spot from the International Federation.

Chef de Mission to Vancouver, Peter Wardell is delighted to have the first members of the squad named. “With just 22 days until the Opening Ceremony, it certainly has been a nerve wracking wait for the athletes. They have maintained intense training and competition schedules and now can focus on what lies ahead. I’m delighted to welcome the athletes to the team. We’ve raised the bar and I know they’ll step up and make us proud. We’re looking forward to additional announcements next week.”

New Zealand Olympic Selector and Secretary General Barry Maister also welcomed the athletes to the team and said that strategies around high performance in Winter Sport are paying off. “There has been an increased focus on Winter Sports in New Zealand and the NZOC has supported this with the distribution of Olympic Solidarity scholarships to the athletes to the value of $330,000, seed funding of the 2009 Winter Games NZ and ongoing financial support for the Winter Performance Programme (WPP). We’re positive that the combined efforts of the NZOC, NZAS, SPARC and the WPP will lead to improved Olympic performances at Vancouver and then on to Sochi 2014. ”

The athletes are currently based in the Northern Hemisphere. They will come into one of two Olympic Villages situated in Whistler and Vancouver ahead of the Opening Ceremony on the 12th of February. The Olympic Winter Games close on the 28th of February.

New Zealand first took part in a Winter Olympic Games in 1952 in Oslo with a team of five athletes. Since then, New Zealand has had 72 winter Olympians and one winter medallist – Annelise Coberger who took silver in the slalom in 1992 at Albertville. New Zealand’s next best results were two fourths in short-track skating (relay team and individual) at Albertville in 1992, 8th in short-track skating in Lillehammer in 1994 and a 10th in the skeleton at Torino.

Of the 1111 named New Zealand Olympians fewer than 7% have earned this coveted title at winter games. New Zealand’s newest Olympians will be numbered on their return to New Zealand from 1112 upwards.

Team List

Cross Country Skiing
Ben Koons (23, Dunedin (lives in Maine, US)
Katie Calder (29, Tauranga (born in Canberra)

Skeleton
Tionette Stoddard (35, Dunedin)
Iain Roberts (30, Edinburgh, Scotland)
Ben Sandford (30, Rotorua, 10th Torino 2006)

Skating
Blake Skjellerup (Short Track, 24, Christchurch)
Shane Dobbin (Speed Skating, 30, Palmerston North – 2 x World Champion in-line skating)

Freeski
Michelle Greig (Mitchey) (21, Queenstown)

Alpine Ski
Tim Cafe (22, Queenstown)
Ben Griffin (23, Ohakune)

Confirmed Pending Quota Spots Being offered by the IF
Sarah Murphy (21, Banff Canada and Cadrona)

Still to be named
Snowboard - pending final competition and confirmation of quota spots by IF.

Article care of Snowsports NZ

Oakley Frogskins Anti Freeze Drops In Store!!

2010-01-19T10:18:00.000+13:00

The Freshest colourway to drop in the Oakley Frogskin s line has dropped in store this morning. The semi transparent acid green Anti Freeze Frogskins with Black Iridium mirrored lenses have so much pop you may injure those around you. The Anti Freeze green is one of the best colourways to come out in the Frogskin range in last 12 months. With a red screen print Oakley logo on the arms contrasting with the crazy see thru green frames it will be hard to be missed in these babies. We've only got 4 pairs in stock so as usual with Frogskins these will be very limited edition.
Give us a call on 0800 BASESHOP to get your pair or get in store Now!

http://www.basenz.com/shop/P1364_Oakley_Frogskins_Sunglasses.html

www.BaseNZ.com

New Nixon Headphones in store

2010-01-15T17:35:00.000+13:00

Hey Crew

Happy New Year to you all it's shaping up to be a good one, with great snowfall's in North America, Europe and Japan I'm hoping the 2010 Southern Hemi Winter follows the north and the snow just keeps on coming.

To the case at hand, we have got a great selection of Nixon Headphone's in store and available online. Being Nixon these headphones are premium with great sound quality and super stylish design. So if you're looking for some fresh headphone's for your new ipod or iphone some Nixon Headphones could be the way to go.

Check them out right here

http://www.basenz.com/shop/C211_Nixon_Headphones.html

We're so proud of Beau & Jackson!

2010-01-13T11:09:00.000+13:00

Press release from Snowsports NZ

Copper Mountain, Colorado (USA) - While older brothers Jossi and Byron Wells are in the final stages of preparations for this month’s Winter X Games, their younger siblings are busy showing they’ll be a force to be reckoned with in the years to come.

Beau-James, 14, and Jackson, 11, swept this weekend’s United States of America Snowboard Association (USASA) event at Copper Mountain, each winning a pair of Gold medals in their age groups. Traditionally devoted to snowboarding, USASA events now include freeski competitions, as well.

Both Wells boys out-classed the competition in Saturday’s ski halfpipe competition, with Beau-James throwing down a stylish 900 as part of a clean run through the pipe. Jackson also proved to be the class in his age group, winning gold in sunny conditions at Copper Mountain.

“I’m really happy with my result,” said Beau-James, who despite his age finished a creditable 30th in a Dew Tour event earlier this season. Amongst his peers, though, he showed his class as an up-and-coming elite competitor.

“Beau has been competing in some open division events this season, so it’s a nice mix to have him come back and compete in his age group and have some success,” said his father, Bruce Wells.

More than 100 skiers competed in the event across all of the age groups. Sunday turned out to be no different as the Wells boys swept the slopestyle competition, each winning Gold. Beau-James’s run featured an un-natural 7 and a switch-900.

“It was good competition for me,” he said, giving credit to superstar brother Jossi, who coached the boys throughout the weekend.

SOUTHBEACH IS HIRING FULL TIME STAFF

2009-12-15T11:53:00.000+13:00

RHOMBUS IN DUB Live- plus MC Antsman and special guest DUB TERMINATOR

2009-12-10T15:31:00.000+13:00

Rhombus Productions, Revolver & Base present
RHOMBUS IN DUB Live- plus MC Antsman and special guest DUB TERMINATOR.
NYE, QUEENSTOWN 31 Dec 2009 and WANAKA 2 Jan 2010

On the back of sell out shows across the North Island, Australia and Japan, Rhombus in Dub touch down for the first time in the South Island, bringing their heavyweight sounds of summer to Queenstown and Wanaka.

Rhombus in Dub are Rhombus founders/members Thomas Voyce, Simon Rycroft and Koa Williams. Live and direct from the studio, they take their unique blend of all things heavyweight and mash it up live to the dance-floor massive, including brand new tunes, some old favourites and the non-stop classics - all with that unique flavour New Zealand has come to love!

Catch them live in Queenstown on New Year's Eve at Memorial Hall 31 Dec 2009 and 2nd of January 2010 at the Lake Wanaka Centre. If you want to celebrate the new year with big bass, there is only one gig in town and a show not to miss!

More info:
www.rhombus.co.nz <http://www.rhombus.co.nz>
www.myspace.com/rhombusmusic <http://www.myspace.com/rhombusmusic>

Book now online, at:
http://www.iticketexpress.co.nz/events/2010/jan/rhombus-in-dub-2010-lake-wanaka-centre/
http://www.iticketexpress.co.nz/events/2009/dec/rhombus-in-dub-nye-queenstown/

Queenstown Memorial Hall, Joe O'Connell Drive, Frankton, Queenstown
Thursday, 31 December 2009, 8:00 p.m. R-18
$35 (+bf) pre-sales (more$ on the door) available now:

Lake Wanaka Centre, 89 Ardmore Street, Wanaka
Saturday, 2 January 2010, 8:00 p.m.
$30 (+bf) pre-sales (more$ on the door) available now:

BASE Lake Wanaka, Corner Helwick + Dunmore St, Wanaka
phone (03) 443 6699
BASE Ultimate Rentals, 39 Helwick St, Wanaka

MEDIA RELEASE: WANAKA FEEDBACK

2009-12-07T14:54:00.000+13:00

Proposed options for two key Wanaka streets will be available for public feedback from next week, Queenstown Lakes District Council infrastructure strategy manager Denis Mander said.

The council recently adopted the Wanaka Town Centre Strategy, which reflects work undertaken in the Wanaka 2020 process.

“The strategy flagged improvements to Ardmore and Brownston Streets. The council is now investigating changes to these streets and is asking the community for feedback,’ Mr Mander said.

Amongst the options being looked at were:
•the installation of a roundabout at the Ardmore Street / Brownston Street intersection;
•changes to parking on Brownston Street and on the lakefront;
•possible changes to the Lakeside Avenue / Ardmore Street intersection;
•some streetscape improvements on upper Ardmore Street.

“We will hold an informal drop-in session at the Lake Wanaka Centre on Thursday, 10 December from 8am to 10am to answer questions, show the options and get feedback,” Mr Mander said.

The information would also be available next week at the council office in Wanaka and on the council website www.qldc.govt.nz

Feedback can be sent to the council (email services@qldc.govt.nz with ‘Streets’ in the subject line) by 5 February 2010.

“I will then report on the feedback at the Wanaka Community Board meeting in March,” Mr Mander said.

ENDS
For further information please contact Denis Mander 03 441 0499

Nixon Watches Join BaseNZ.com

2009-11-26T14:44:00.000+13:00

That's right team I'm stoked to let you know that we now have a huge range of Nixon Watches on www.BaseNZ.com . Nixon make some seriously cool watches, from the super stylish Banks to the high tech Delta down to the nerdy Newton Digital Watch, Nixon Watches have you covered. They haven't forgotten the ladies either with super cool pieces like the Broken Heart Pendant watch and the bold and bright Time Teller PU Watch. My favorite is the classic Player reworked into the Rubber Player with crazy colours, very cool & rubbery.

We have almost the entire range of Nixon Watches available online but if there's a Nixon Watch you want that we don't have up there please email or call us with your request and we should be able to find it for you.

Peace out

Matt

Seb Toutant signs with Ride Snowboards

2009-11-20T12:49:00.001+13:00

Some great news from the boys at Ride Snowboards

Toutant to Ride Ride

Rampant rumors have been confirmed by Ride Snowboards that 17-year-old Quebecois phenom Sebastien Toutant is the newest member of Ride’s International snowboard team.

Sebastien Toutant, affectionately known as Seb Toots, is a Montreal-based shredder that has stomped his way to the top of the current TTR leader board by taming some of the biggest snowboard contests around the world. His latest accomplishments include winning the Freestyle Berlin Big Air, claiming second place at the Freestyle.Ch. Big Air comp and crushing the Burton NZ Open slopestyle event. Last season Seb captured Ride’s attention by winning the Ride Shakedown event in front of 20,000 fans at Mt. Saint Sauvier, Quebec, for the second time.

“What’s this kid going to do next?” said Matt Sickels, Ride’s team manager. “He has the ability to win every event he enters. Whatever he does, we’re glad he’s going to be doing it with a Ride board and bindings. He’s a rising super talent who’s just getting started.”

Ride looks for versatility in its pro riders and which it found in Seb, according to Sickels.

“It wasn’t only Seb’s big air and slopestyle skills that impressed us but his professional approach to his career that is only equaled by the fun he is having. Seb is a super well-rounded snowboarder that shows potential in all disciplines of snowboarding. He’s joining a team that is the most progressive in the industry and his input will play a big role in helping Ride continue to develop state-of-the-art products.”

“Ride is the real deal,” Seb said. “The gear gets it done like no other. I’ve been a fan forever so being on the team is so sick! It’s perfect timing and I want to grow with a team and a brand that keeps bringing snowboarding to the next level.”

Seb Quote-
“I'm so happy to be representing RIDE Snowboard from now on. I am especially thankful to them that they are committed to help me keep progressing and growing the right way into snowboarding. I got some boards and after trying the RIDE KINK, I didn't even have to try the other ones that I felt in love with it. Same for bindings the RIDE EX Binding are the most comfortable binding ever made. With their toe strap net system, it keeps my boots solid and stable in place. I am excited for RIDE Shakedown again this year since I am the only rider to won it twice. Especially that they have 2 stops this year, again in St-Sauveur but also one in Seattle. I am looking forward to work closely with RIDE Snowboard; I know this will be a good fit for me for a long time.”

Seb will be riding the Ride Kink 147, DH 151, and Society 151 boards, and Contraband™, Delta and EX Bindings during the 2009-10 season.

Treblecone Finishes up nicely

2009-11-02T13:05:00.000+13:00

Treblecone still has plenty of snow on it now, a month after the mountain closed for the general public. But as has been the case for the last few years Tim Hudson organised a day on the hill for charity after the mountain closed, now that he's manager of TC that meant the day was very well organized and plenty of people came along. All proceeds went to the local St Johns Ambulnace service, and fair enough too, they do a lot of K's up the TC road taking broken skiers and boarders to hospitals etc. Hopefully we've gone some way to paying for a new ambulance for the area.

the weather and the snow both come to the party as you can see from the pics, and it was easily the busiest charity I've been to over the last few years, the lift was stopped while everyone shared a BBQ and there's plenty of good times on the snow, so all in all a great day. I'm already looking forward to next year.

Potter from Base2 enjoying it

That's me, yes it was choice bro

Stunning day

The snow was soft and fast in the morning

Oh yeah, tweak that shifty

Slashin it!

And I'm done

Turoa Still has some Goodness left

2009-10-22T09:11:00.000+13:00

Hi Matt, just took 2 days off work and headed back to the mt for one more
hit at it. Here's how it panned out.

Well, it looks like winter has come back for one last hit. We set the dates
2 months ago, October 8 and 9th 2009. Who knew what the weather would bring,
what the snow would be like, or even if it would still be holding up. So the
plans went into motion, the leave forms were handed in at work and we set
about making sure we had everything.
The week leading up to our planned overnighter decided to bring back winter
in a big way. The snow set in and roads all around the central plateau were
closed with 50-100cm falling in places. Unfortunately it was blowing a gale
on the mt so a lot of it didn't stick on the slopes, but the gullies and
bowls caught the most of it.
The weather cleared, Thursday came around and we were amped for the 25cm of
freshies that were sitting around on the field, with the expectation of much
more in the back country.
Thursday morning when we arrived it was cold and a bit snowy/rainy. A little
disappointing to say the least. But we set to it, 1 learner on the alpine
meadow, 2 progressive learners helping her out and the 3 more confident of
us headed up to the 'High Noon'. Half way up the Mt we rose above the cloud
to fields of fresh snow and bluebird skies. It was like an entirely
different day from what it was under the cloud.
First run of the day was absolutely epic. I opted for 'Little Bowl', and I
think that was the right move. Freshies ankle deep all through there and
with every turn, blowing the pow into the air. It was epic. So the first
part of the day was made up of runs top to bottom and checking in on the
learners, making sure they were doing all ok, and they were.
Later in the afternoon we decided to head out to the west backcountry area
'Solitude'. A little disappointing as the majority of it is prone to
becoming wind stripped, and that it was. So we rode that out and headed back
to the groomed. Decided to drop into the 'Hamilton's on the eastern side of
the field and the was defiantly the right choice!!! Freshies blown into
every crevasse and to the bottom of every drop. Running around there is
always full of fun, nice high speed straights, steep fall lines and the odd
cliff drop all make for an exciting time.
Later in the arvo we thought 'Solitude' would have released somewhat with
the blue skies above, so we shot back out there for a gamble. It had
released and was in perfect shape, so much so that we rode it down and had
to trek out again (we did that last time and vowed we wouldn't ride that low
again). By the time we made it out and back to the 'Giant' we realized the
time and pushed our luck to try and get on the 'High Noon' for the last run
of the day. Man, I have never been on such a slow lift in my life as we had
to ride the Giant to get back to the Express. But we made it, just. 3 lifts
behind us and they closed it. Once at the top we thought about heading out
to see what the Glacier over the west boundary was like and found a group of
guys trekking up and decided to join onto the line. We climbed for approx
half an hour before dropping into the nicest run of the day. Massive wide
open bowl, filled with powder, now that was nice. By the time we got back to
the piste it was 5.30 and there was not a soul in sight other then the guys
we were running with.
Anyway, I better cut this short now. When we got back to the car we realized
that one of the others with us had not been wearing his goggles and had
gotten quite bad sun burn to his eyeballs!!!!
We got back to Ohakune, found the place we were staying, showered up, lit
the fire, hung out our gears and headed into town for dinner, Italia
Pizzeria!!!! 5 Traditional Italian Pizzas for dinner, and tried to figure
out what was best for the burnt eyes. So we made a few door to door stops
asking for cucumbers (weird I know, but apparently it works to revitalize
the moisture). It turns out that no one in Ohakune has cucumber!!! So he
settled for cold tea bags.
The next day was a short one, we woke up and headed on our way. Turns out
that Turoa was closed due to high winds, so we shot around to Whakapapa for
the first time. The wind was much less, but the viz was pretty shot. But
hey, we gave it a go anyway. A few interesting little lifts there, cute
little chutes and slushy snow down below. Up top it was snowing again, so
that was good. Come 1pm the snow had lowered to the car park and was puking
down so we made the call and gave the rest of the day a miss.
So, we got home, checked the mt site (www.mtruapehu.com) to see if we had
made it onto any of the webcams, which we didn't, but noticed a message in
the email from Ruapehu, SNOWVEMBER REMIX!!! What was this I saw?!!! The
new snow has enticed RAL to extend the season for the second year in a
row!!! Bring it on I say. So the last report was entitled 'Turoa is holding
up, Just'. But now I would like to say, "Turoa is soldiering on and holding
its mighty form"

I surely look forward to a few more epic days this season. Day 13 and 14
over and out!!!

Cheers

~Kingsley~

Base Team Rider Tim Herbert Wins Jr snowboard Nationals

2009-10-09T18:02:00.000+13:00

Base team rider Tim Herbert has taken out the 14 and under Junior Snowboard Nationals for 2009. After a solid season of riding Tim stepped up at nationals to take first place in Giant Slalom, Boarder Cross, Slope Style and Parallel GS and a tidy 2nd place in Half Pipe. Tim even rode his Ride Society pipe board in the GS races and still killed them. All this with a very recently broken collar bone. So a big congratulations to Tim from the whole team at Base. Tim will be off to the states after Xmas to train again this summer, no doubt he'll come back with a big bag full of new tricks to throw down next winter.

It's Rob Dyrdek & Ken Block in Space

2009-10-09T10:31:00.000+13:00

This is absolute gold, Rob Dyrdek, Drama & Ken Block shooting an ad for Rob's new shoe collection on the NASA Zero G Jet, looks so fun. Goes a bit pear shaped for Rob at the end. Would love to try it though.

www.BaseNZ.com

Absinthe Films - Neverland Teaser

2009-09-30T09:50:00.000+13:00

ohh this looks so good, plenty on offer from the latest effort from Absinthe Films - Neverland. These guys are one of my favs, they always have great soundtracks and really creative cinematography. Plenty of pow riding along with a good dose of street action seems to be the order of the day. We should have some copies of Neverland available very soon, have been pestering the supplier almost daily.
Check out the teaser

Neverland by Absinthe Films from Absinthe Films on Vimeo.

Insane Couloir Drop by Skier Cody Townsend

2009-09-28T16:38:00.000+13:00

This is some seriously insane footage of Salomon skier Cody Townsend dropping a 2000 Ft couloir. Filmed with a VIO POV 1 helmet camera, the footage is wicked. He definitely earned these turns.

Flashing Hallways from Cody Townsend on Vimeo.

Triple Comp is back at Treble Cone

2009-09-23T13:09:00.001+12:00

After a rather long hiatus, the Triple Comp at TC is back. After being involved with putting the first couple of these on I know they are super fun and well worth entering even if you're not a pro level rider. See Press release below -

The Treble Cone Triple Comp is back this year and better than ever. The two-day, three part ski and snowboard event taking place on September 26 and 27 at Treble Cone Alpine Resort aims to cover all major disciplines of skiing and snowboarding.

On day one, skiers and snowboarders will be split up to compete in the BASE Banked Slalom and the Harris Mountains Heli-Ski Expression Session. The Banked Slalom will run down the Gun Barrel and finish up around the Day Lodge where competitors will be greeted with the sweet smells of a barbeque and fresh tunes from Wanaka Beats.

The Expression Session will run at the same time through Super-Pipe in the Saddle. The TC Park Crew is shaping up the natural features through the venue and judges will be looking for creativity and skill as the top four competitors from each category will be invited to the finals the following day.

Saturday evening, the Mint After Party will kick off from 8:30 at Mint Bar with Dirty Ol’ Knights providing the beats.

Day two will draw out the finalists of the Expression Session and the location will be announced at the riders briefing on Sunday morning. Three heli-ski-trips are on the line, so the finals will see some heavy competition.

As the finals conclude, the Rossignol Big Air battle will just be heating up. Set in the Main Basin, the Big Air will be Sunday’s main event. With Treble Cone’s iconic background the event will allow for amazing photo opportunities and spectators are encouraged to watch.

The official prize giving and crowning of the Triple Comp King and Queen with Wanaka Waste Busters crowns will take place on Sunday afternoon on Treble Cone’s sunny deck. Miller Genuine Draft will keep competitors palates wet all weekend and the prize giving will be loaded thanks to event sponsors: BASE, Harris Mountains Heliski, Rossignol, MGD, Armada, POW, MINT Bar, Thunderboards, Adventure Outfitters, and Wanaka Waste Busters.

Event details are available on Treblecone.com or Facebook.

Turoa is holding up...Just, here;s the Lowdown

2009-09-16T10:22:00.000+12:00

Turoa update from our Roving North island reporter Kingsley.

Hi again,
A warm welcome from up in the north. And a warm welcome it was on Thursday
10th Sept when we arrived at 9am into the Turoa car park. What I mean by
that is 5 degrees, warming to 12 throughout the day. Excellent spring
riding conditions with the famous Turoa slush around.
So Thursday, well, a good friend of mine from a few years back got in
touch with me and we started talking and found out that each other were
into snowboarding, so we decided we oughta catch up after 3 years and hit
the mt together. Little did I realize his interest in the sport was only 2
and a half days old. So we hit the mt with some mean excitement. i was
stoked to be riding with my old mate from years back. But that soon had a
wee downer when I suggested we hit the High Noon for some sweet runs
before the forecast wind picks up when he humbly mentioned that he knew
how to stop, but not anything else. So oh well, I left him at the winter
garden learners area and I made it onto the High Noon express for 1 run.
The rest of the day was history. I decided I had better get to it and
teach him a thing or two. So we started out abit rusty but as we went on,
he soon began progressing quite nicely.
A few hours later and the wind had picked up at the upper mt and she was
blowing something real strong. But I decided he was doing ok, so we headed
to the Express for his 1st taste of the full Mt. Anyway, with all the
teaching, learning etc behind us for this report, with the wind blowing it
was shifting all the snow off the ridges and entries to the upper runs and
over to the bowels and further down the runs. So once hitting a few meters
down the runs (vertigo, big bowel etc) it was almost like a freshie day!!
How awesome. I ended up ditching and doing a few runs on my own towards
the end of the day and all in all it was sweet.
So with that one down, we watched the forecast for our next day available,
which ended up being Sunday 12th. No new snow had fallen, and knowing the
wind was blowing I wasn't expecting too much. I not much is what we
arrived to. Friday and Sat had been raining so the lower mt is now very
patchy with only just enough snow to cover the Alpine meadow and Clarry's
track (intermediate run between upper and lower learners). Even the upper
learners had suffered. So we moved on through to the Express again and
half expected ice ridges to be glaring at us on the way up. But much to
our surprise it wasn't. The rain had even reached the upper mt which has
softened the ice into that 'Turoa slush' we're so famous for (apparently).
Good thing was that this allowed all the back country areas to be opened
up, so finally we headed out into Solitude, the western backcountry area
in wich we found some sweet wide open runs, headed down to a 8 or so foot
drop in finishing off on a huge steep bowel to ride out through. So we
pretty much hit them all day, shot out to the east into the Hamiltons
dropping into Black and White. It was great. Ended the day rocking out the
park for a while, one of your crew splitting his shin on a rail.
So, overall, with no new snow anywhere on the forecast I think the Mt is
due for a quick melt. With 12 days now under my belt and 16 days being my
goal for this season, I think I will be spending the next 4 days in the
park working on my airs and jibbing etc. Hopefully I will be able to pull
off afew sweet spins and flips with no breaks aye. Hoping to hit the XL
before the season is out!!
Wish me luck :-D

~Kingsley~

New Oakley Frogskins in store next week

2009-09-10T17:54:00.000+12:00

That's right team, the next drop of Oakley Frogskins is due next week, the tasty new colours we've got on the way are- Matte Grey - Violet Iridium(Fourlegged) this comes with a second set of purple arms so you can mix and match, very cool. Polished Black - Grey Polarized so you can have the ultimate eye protection and still rock retro styles. Grenade special edition Matte Dark Olive - Gold Iridium speaks for itself really, Grenade steeze to the max, join the Grenade army in style. We only have very limited numbers of these so if you want to order up a pair give us a call 0800 BASESHOP(227374) with your details.

Oakley Frogskins - Matte Grey/Violet Iridium (Four Legged)

Oakley Frogskins - Polished Black/Grey Polarized

Limited Edition Grenade Oakley Frogskins - Matte Dark Olive/Gold Iridium

Remeber call 0800 BASESHOP to order

www.BaseNZ.com

BaseNZ.com Video Gear Guide - Ski Boot Fitting

2009-09-09T12:57:00.000+12:00

Here we give you the lowdown on what to expect when you go into a store to get some new ski boots. From the foot exam and bio mechanical assessment to the right socks and a proper shell check we've got you covered. http://www.basenz.com/index.html

www.BaseNZ.com

"This Premier Sucks" - 32 Boots Video Premier

2009-09-09T12:29:00.000+12:00

Hey Crew, the new 32 Boots video is coming out and will be premiering in Queenstown Thursday 17th September at Revolver. JP Walker should feature heavily along with Joe Sexton so it should be worth checking out.

BaseNZ.com Video Gear Guides - How to Buy a Snowboard

2009-09-03T12:53:00.000+12:00

BaseNZ.com gives you the heads up on what to look for when buying a new snowboard. Whether you're a first timer or buying your 3rd deck we give the tools to find the right shred stick for you.

Treble Cone approaches 3 metre base

2009-09-03T12:47:00.000+12:00

Treble Cone approaches 3 metre base
September 2, 2009
The Spring buds may be sprouting, but it is a full on winter wonderland up at Treble Cone. Over the past week Treble Cone has boosted its base depths by 25% with the help of a few storms depositing over 75 cm of and light and dry wintry snow. The base depths now sit at 260 cm on the Saddle, making it the deepest in the Southern Lakes.

The recent storms have deposited snow perfectly at Treble Cone. Westerly flows combined with low freezing levels give us dry, light and deep snow, a rare quality for NZ resorts, said Rosco Davies, TC Operations.

Tim Hudson and many of the long-term patrollers have agreed that the 2009 season has been one of the best in recent years. The back to back powder days that continue to hit Treble Cone this year have the locals reaping the benefits.

Now with Spring Pass prices sitting comfortably at $389, Treble Cone has opened their doors to everyone seeking great value at an alpine resort.

Conditions couldn’t be better going into spring and we are stoked to offer our passes at such a reasonable rate. Our facilities are available to anyone seeking an affordable alpine experience, and with four weeks to go this is as good as it gets, said TC Marketing, Antony Hansen.

I was up there yesterday and it was some of the best conditions I've seen at Treble Cone in 10 years. Epic light, dry and deep powder, it doesn't get any better.

Who said winter was over? September is set to be killer.

Matt

BaseNZ.com Video Gear Guides - How To Buy Skis

2009-09-02T18:40:00.000+12:00

Hey Crew, we have another installment of our Video Gear Guide series up for you. This time we look at How To Buy Skis. It's not as easy as you would think there are so many different snow skis out there it can be very hard to work out what you need, so hopefully we have demystified the process for you with this video. Check it out, and of course if you have any feedbcak please let us know, we always love to hear from you.

P.S. look for Jase and Luke's mix up at the end of the vid