It’s December, and it hasn’t really snowed much in the Lower 48.  That’s ok, because you’ve been holding the reins while desk jockeying and no snow doesn’t affect your daily routine.  In fact, it probably makes for a much easier commute.  Well, guess what – It’s going to snow, and when it does you’ll be jonesing to get out and play!

That’s why we at Tecnica/Blizzard designed the “Need to Get Out” contest in conjunction with Teton Gravity Research.  We know you are only slaving away behind a desk so you can earn enough dough to get out and road trip with your buddies.  Well, we want to make it easier for you and that friend to get out West and come slash some turns with the Tec/Blizz pro team.

Head on over to Teton Gravity Research’s website by clicking the photo above, and learn how to enter the contest.  Tell us your best story, include a rad photo, and come choke on some powder with us at Monarch Snowcat Skiing.  Can’t wait to hear what you have to say!

-Tats

Kris & Friends in Chamonix

It’s been a big year for Tecnica/Blizzard with the introduction of alpine touring ski boots and ‘Flipcore’ skis in the Freemountain line.  In the video, Kris shows off the advantages of having Vibram-sole Tecnica AT boots as he and his buddies rope up and scramble down a rock face to find some pristine powder.  Once in the couloir, you can see Kris (in the green outerwear) put his Blizzard Bonafides to work where you can see him schmearing turns down Cunningham Couloir’s finest white gold.  Watch, enjoy, repeat as necessary.

Cunningham Couloir from kris thomas on Vimeo.

Blizzard Bonafide

Tecnica Cochise

2011 has been a big year for Blizzard Skis, and our new FlipCore line of skis are creating big buzz throughout the ski industry.  With a concept drawn from Arne Backstrom’s musings and tinkerings as a team rider, the engineers at Blizzard stepped up to the challenge of designing the ultimate rockered ski.  With all the other companies rushing to produce some sort of bent-up, early-rise, elf-shoe thing-a-ma-jig, there are a multitude of ski shapes with wacky designs yet none of the skis really ski most conditions well.  Not so with the new Blizzard Cochise, the 2011 ISPO ‘Ski of the Year’; this ski has made ninjas out of more than a few lucky skiers who’ve tried them on for size.  And the Bodacious (Arne’s signature ski) skis like no other fat ski; you’d never know there was two sheets of titanal metal in them.

The Blizzard team has been busy shooting video and stills to show what these skis are about, and the buzz is still building.  If you want to check out a pair of Blizzard skis with the new FlipCore technology, check out Granite Chief in Squaw and Hamilton Sports in Aspen for demos.  Or click here to read up on the specs.

Clem Smith Speaks About Flip Core and Arne Backstrom from Frank Shine on Vimeo.

FlipCore Fun from Frank Shine on Vimeo.

Thanks A.B. – You are dearly missed, but your legacy lives on in each of us.

Edit by Frank Shine

Stoke Tour Aspen. from Frank Shine on Vimeo.

Here is a little highlights video from our recent Tecnica/Blizzard Stoke Tour in Aspen. George Blair and Travis Townes, our esteemed Colorado reps, put together a sales contest on Colorado’s Front Range to find the best sales associates and stoke ‘em out with a few days of pow shredding in Aspen on 2011-12 Blizzard skis. Throw in some infamous Kiffor Berg backflips, some Pat Sewell slash turns and a snow cat courtesy of Aspen Mountain Powder Tours, and get stoked!

Video edit and Photos by Frank Shine, Shineline Productions

It stormed all night last night and into today. In fact, it started snowing even harder throughout the day with high winds reducing the visibility up on top of Snowmass’ blustery peak.  Low vis, high winds, dumping snow? Sounds like the Colorado Freeride Champs to me!

It seems that every year Aspen/Snowmass tries to run this competition, it is inevitably put on hold due to weather.  While new snow is never a bad thing, it draws out the pressure of a competition weekend for everyone involved.  While the big guns in competitive freeskiing are currently battling their own weather delay in Kirkwood at the North American Freeskiing Championships, the regional riders and first-time freeskiing competitors here in Aspen are confronting their own set of pressures and concern.

This competition over the years has seen a slew of shredders who have all made the leap from no-name greenhorns to FWT veterans with dozens of comps under their belt.  Many big names in competitive freeskiing earned their chops here at Snowmass first, before taking their skills to the road.  So you can bet there are a number of first time competitors who are losing sleep, two nights in a row now, over their respective line choices and the fears associated with a leap into this new realm.

And for us judges – Kiffor Berg, Buck Erickson, Riley Gessle, and myself – the delay means a juggling of venue choices, line scoring issues, and questions as to how we’re to stay warm during tomorrow’s forecasted blizzard.  Hopefully, we can start the comp tomorrow and avoid having to score the Champs as a one-run comp.  Yeeesh!