Review of Oakley Canopy Goggles for Snowboarding

For me the unsung hero of a snowboarding kit bag is the goggles. If you can’t see, you can’t board, and if you can’t board, the rest of your kit is useless.

Oakley Canopy Goggles, Canopy Goggles, Oakley, Snowboarding Gear, Snowboarding Holidays

Conditions on the mountain vary greatly. From bright sunny days with extreme glare, to white outs where you can’t see more than a few meters ahead. Your eyes need to cope with a lot of variation and your eyewear can make a huge difference.

Your eyes also need protecting, and not just from UVA and UVB light.

Here’s a review of the Oakley Canopy goggles, the latest piece of gear in my snowboarding kit bag.

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Pathron Sensei Snowboard Review: Freestyle board at a bargain price

Pathron SenseiOn a recent snowboarding trip I passed a personal milestone: Taking two snowboards away on holiday! In the past one all-mountain conqueror has always sufficed, but this year I have added a smaller, lighter, more flexible board to my arsenal to help with tricks and to progress my riding.

For my new weapon I choose a 154 Pathron Sensei Snowboard, partly because its name reminded me of the classic 80s film Karate Kid.

I am an advanced rider, weigh about 79kg and normally ride a 158. I previously owned (and loved) a Burton Custom. However, last season after my board was stolen I replaced it with a Raven Core. I was very happy with the Raven Core snowboard and the low price meant I could justify (to my wife) getting a freestyle board this season.

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Snowboarding Jacket Review: Trew Cosmic

Trew Cosmic JacketNormally, when I look out the window in the morning and see strong winds and heavy almost horizontal rain, I am disappointed. But for once I was excited as it would be a chance to test my new Trew Cosmic snowboarding jacket.

Testing a snowboarding jacket while walking the South Downs in heavy rain might not seem like the traditional method of reviewing winter sport clothing…. but the Trew Cosmic is a shell jacket (meaning no insulation) aimed at boarders who will be going backcountry and hiking uphill.

With this in mind, the key aspects to test are its protection from the elements, suitability for hiking, and of course how good it looks! I also gave it a week’s worth of snowboarding to be sure it did the job.

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Taking a Toddler on a Snowboarding Holiday: 5 Things to Consider

At first glance, the words ‘toddler’ and ‘snowboarding’ don’t seem to go together… However companies like Esprit Ski offer a variety of childcare options meaning kids are kept warm, fed and entertained.

Toddler, Snowboarding Holiday, Esprit Ski

Toddlers are too young to start learning so will looked after in a crèche meaning parents can hit the slopes.

Here are 5 things to consider before taking your toddler on a snowboarding holiday.

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A selection of snowboarding blogs that we like

Previously a blog was little more than a digital diary. Then along came web 2.0, and with it social media and a revolutionin online publishing. Well, the best travel blogs assimilate all the available tech into what are again the hottest web properties.

Snowboarding blogs now look like websites; there are a billion styles, skins and templates all peppered with apps. Now while this is all very well, the best snowboarding blogs and bloggers are not those who use this technology best – they are those who assimilate the best content and back this up to make a good ‘ole fashioned read.

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Snowboarding in BC: Canada’s Winter Playground

When the continental landforms under Canada shifted all those millions of years ago, a dramatic alpine terrain emerged that now seems as if it were tailor-made for snowboarding in BC (British Columbia).

Snowboarding in Canada

In resorts across the province, natural runs, bowls and gullies are complemented by man-made pipes, boxes and groomed snow. All of which adds up to a veritable theme park for boarders of all inclinations. These resorts all boast professional service, fun apres-ski pursuits and a friendly atmosphere.

The Canadian Rockies, Coast Mountains and Yukon Plateau all fall within BC’s boundaries – how lucky we are.

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Review of Snowboarding in Vialattea, Italy

When planning a short snowboarding break, Italy is perhaps not the first place that springs to mind. However, with abundant cheap flights to Milan and Turin and a drive time to resort of less than two hours, it’s very accessible for a weekend’s riding.

Snowboarding couple on piste

Lots of snow, lots of fun Image: Flickr/ Boggin

I was a little concerned with the quality of resort having never been to Italy before, although Vialattea, or ‘The Milky Way’ in English, is where the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics were held, and if it was good enough for Olympians, I was sure it would be good enough for me!

Vialattea is made up of five Italian towns: Sauze d’Oulx, Sestriere, Claviere, Sansicario and Cesana. These link up with Montgenevre in France to create over 400km of pistes. We were staying in Sauze d’Oulx at the Hotel La Torre, which is a 250m uphill walk to the slopes. There were free shuttle buses from the hotel – but if you can’t walk 250m, you probably shouldn’t be boarding!

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My holiday snowboarding in La Plagne

La Plagne is a ski resort in France that is connected to Les Arcs by the Vanoise Express cable car to create the Paradiski area. Paradiski is one of the largest ski areas in Europe, with 425km of runs linked together by 160 lifts serving 152 green/blue runs, 79 red runs and 22 black runs plus plenty of off-piste action.

Young snowboarder

Fun off-piste Photo: Flickr/Skistar Trysil

I had snowboarded in Les Arcs before but never made it across to La Plagne. Everyone I had spoken to said it was very different to Les Arcs, with lots of open areas offering off-piste. So I booked a week in the Terra Nova hotel in La Plagne Centre with Crystal Ski to find out for myself if snowboarding in La Plagne was all it’s cracked up to be.

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Travelling with a baby on a winter sports holiday

As any skier or snowboarder knows, the time from leaving home to actually getting on the slope is full of excitement and anticipation. But with lots of extra luggage to get safely to the resort, long transfers, more frequent delays and the inevitable first morning scramble to get kit and lift passes, it can also be frustrating and tiring. Now try doing all that with a baby…..

Pre-departure our flat was divided into different packing zones: baby food, baby bottles, baby clothes, baby toys, baby toiletries, baby nappies, baby medicines (just in case), baby sleep stuff, baby outdoor kit, baby day bag and a small corner for everything else (including snowboard and snowboard kit for me, skis and ski gear for my wife).

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Review of the Raven Core snowboard: The best cheap snowboard?

The Raven Core snowboard is one of the cheapest snowboards on the market. At the time of writing you can pick one up with Raven bindings for £170. Even so, the low-end price tag comes with impressive sounding specs, such as a 3-stage rocker/camber profile, true twin-tip shape, tip-to-tail wood core, sandwich constructed sidewall and an IS4400 extruded base.

snowboard

The Raven Core snowboard

My previous experience of buying snowboards is that you get what you pay for. So, does this model from Raven Snowboards live up to its specs or its price tag?

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