Have you ever claimed an epic line just to be shot down by non-believers? Or wanted to have your own personal filmer but no one’s down to miss out on laps? Well, the new Go Pro Hero is basically the best POV camera money can buy. It records on SD cards, is shockproof and waterproof, so you can take the gnarliest of falls and know you got the footy! The only real disadvantage to this camera seems to be the lithium-based AAA batteries, which it kills quickly, but that aside, this camera is the only way to go for you POV fans out there.
Check out Tom Wallisch absolutely slaying some runs at the Breckenridge Dew Tour stop, entirely shot on GoPro cams mounted on a ski pole and the helmet of the man himself.
As many of you may know, Liam Casey is now a Surface team rider. As he has just gotten the 2010 Surface New Lifes, I got him to tell us what he thought.
Photo - Scott Titterington
First Impressions
My first lap on these bad boys was down Couloir Extreme above Jersey Cream Chair on Blackcomb Mountain. I was pretty nervous at first as I have never skied on rockered skis in my life and this was one of or the steepest run on blackcomb. The conditions were soft which helped and after a few turns I got into the groove and ripped the rest of the bowl. WOOO so much fun! James Anderson and I ripped down to go up Glacier Chair and headed to good ol’ spanky’s ladder. We ripped Ruby Bowl twice and oh boy these skis were just a treat. I did a few 180s off cliffs and airs and was amazed how well riding switch was on these babies. I remember thinking “I should have fallen by now. What’s going on?” but I hadn’t. I have never skied that fast switch in powder before. It was as if I was if I was on a normal groomer… suuper easy.
After this we met up with Andrew Pires, Zavier Vaillancourt, and Yu Sasaki (4frnt freeride slayer). We spent the rest of the day in CBC trees and my skis were allowing me to stomp cliffs, ride pow, hop pillows better than I have ever done. The rocker and the width on these allow you to land upright and not backseat so you are in more control and comfort. just like a groomer.
Anyways that was my first day. I have never skied a better ski in my life and I had a grin from ear to ear all day.
2010 Surface New Life
Groomers
I knew that these were going to be able to slay pow like nothing, but I was worried how riding groomers was going to be like. To my surprise, these actually ripped! I was still able to lay down fast carves all the way to the next pow run. I was very pleased.
Performance Spec
Flex
The flex on these is quite stiff, just the way I like it. Actually, all the Surface skis are on the stiffer side. No noodles here.
Strength
They seem to be stronger than an ox, although I haven’t had many days on these guys, so time will tell I guess. I haven’t heard of any issues yet with them or any other skis in the line as of yet from the Surface Skis boys or anyone else.
Overall
My overall impression on these beasts is simply wow. By far the best ski I’ve ever had the pleasure of riding. They make pow skiing a breeze forwards and switch. The rocker makes for great landings way more often. Really a nice solid, fun, ripping ski.
If you want to check these skis out or any other Surface skis, North Shore Ski and Board on Lonsdale carries the brand. Eliel Hindert (Surface Skis rider and rep) and crew will be in Whistler January 18th at TMC shop for you to demo them out. If you can’t make it on that date, send Eliel a facebook message to demo a pair and I’m sure he can hook it up as he will be in Vancouver and Whistler a lot this season.
So if you didn’t know, this past Friday was the second Oakley Night Jam of the year. Hosted in the Quiksilver Park, there were plenty of features to hit. The jam took place on the Flat Down and the Up Box, providing great fun for all. Congrats to everyone who killed it, I hope you got your prize. The prizes included the Oakley wallets, backpacks, laynards, toques as well as POW spring gloves. The final prize included 10 Boardroom gift cards which were given out to just about anything ‘unique’. The Jam was wrapped up with a raffle for a pair of Oakley Sunglasses and the new Shaun White A-frames. Be sure to come out to the next jam February 5th, 2010.
We put together a montage of less-than-par clips from 2009. Usually big fancy super-corporations like us would hide such footage as this, but the humor got the best of us.
So here it is… kersmashes, ball-boinkers, snaps, crackles and some pops from the film Outdoor Graduation:
At the end of the 2009 season, I was invited to film the Alterna Shoot alongside Charlie Grinnell. This was an amazing experience involving superb riding, course and location. The weather was in our favour, providing the shoot with soft snow and the occasional cloud. As both days came to a close, my P2 cards had been filled and I knew I had something. Here’s the edit of what I came up with, hope you all enjoy it.
So finally 2010 is here to stay, snow is on the slopes, skis and boards on our feet…or at least thats where they should be…and if that’s the case, then there should also be smiles on our faces!
I thought to kick off the 2010 season, I’d share one of my personal favourite 08/09 season edits, thus ending last season with good vibes and starting this one with the same vibes and limitless possiblities for the upcoming year.
Gus Kentworthy broke his collar bone during one of the Dew tour stops recently.. here is the self edit result of his boredom.
Hey Guys, Went up filming Thursday night with Simon and Shayan to test out the Steadicam. The Steadicam was incredibly hard to use and in most cases was shakier then handheld … but I’ll get the hang of it. Anyways it was cloudy up there so I decided to mix up the colors a bit … lemme know what you think.
