RealSurf Surfers' Forum

I thought vans was bought by someone and they got crap?
I may be thinking of Airwalk. And 15 years ago...

I'm good for all the other gear, I saw Brendo's ads.

I am also a fan of merino, and prefer non-Goretex. I remain unconvinced by their breathability specs.
Gore tex Pro 3 layer seems to be the new top of the line for them.

I am only talking the un-insulated shell, and hard wearing.

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I've heard good things about this neoshell stuff.

One of my local gear shops has Rab stuff on sale, 50% off. Apparently it uses the neo stuff and is good but a bit heavy.
I'll be using it for hiking too so that may be good.

They've got Marmot stuff cheap too.

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Yeah, I saw those
Nah, neoshell is just the membrane name Polartec gave it.

You should wash your tech shells, it makes a massive difference.

wouldn't want to need a piss in a blizzard in those onesies lol

boo, new boots are amazing compared to stuff from 10yrs ago. I had some salomons that I loved,
even got to the point where I had polyurethane glue holding the soles on. sad day when they went...
BUT I got a pair of forums. both boots weigh as much as one salomon. put some superfeet
in them and they are really good. got the 2 pull speedzone lacing. very easy to adjust on the fly.
I used to have top of range ride bindings, got new pair 2 yrs ago, and same thing...new toe straps you
don't get the pressure point on top of foot and pulls boot right into the highback, and canted footbeds to
keep ankle/knees/hips in alignment...good for 30yr + worn out snowboarder knees
riding an old camber board? try rocker. especially when you ride round with the kids, you can amuse
yourself buttering. cant beat camber for riding fast or large kickers. but I rode a rocker board last year
and had a lot of fun. good on pow days too.
try snowdealsnow.com for gear. pretty cheap, but freight can be a killer. anyone after electrics or arnettes,
they start from about $35

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brendo wrote:boo, new boots are amazing compared to stuff from 10yrs ago.

You're not wrong!
I went and tried some on last weekend.
Holy crap they are light. Plus they now build shoes for wide feet, I have gone down from a 30 to a 27.
Didn't buy any yet but I liked the K2 mid level range.

Will probably get a board too, mine is an out-and-out powder board, wide with no flex.

boo, try levelninesports.com
they have heaps of cheap gear, so sizes are running low now. they had free del
to aus on the long weekend. I got a semi padded board bag for $24, dakine backcountry
pack for $39, top end lined DC jacket $120. a bunch of helmets nad goggles for 50 each, which ive
since unloaded. got an email today, skis discounted from 750 to 110. they've got a few DC plys
left, and some mid range salomon boots for a bit over 100. all theyre stuff hits your door within
3-4 days of ordering.
as an aside, hows the lows stackin up for the next 10 days. big front Monday, then looks like back to
back systems the last weekend of the month. should be 60+ in that period

Thanks for the tip.
don't really follow the southern hemisphere season, looks like waves to my eyes

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did you decided where you're going yet?

I've lived in Fernie, Whistler and Big White.

Whister is sick because of it's size, but you miss some of the quaint Canadian charm.
Big White is great for kids but if you're advanced you'll be bored after a week there, and there's nothing to do besides ski and drink and resort organised activities as the town is an hour away.
Fernie is an awesome, but quaint town, and awesome mountain. I love it there.

Have you considered Staying in Rossland and riding Red, plus visiting whitewater, and some US mountains are an easy drive away also? Rossland is a really quaint but cool vibe town. The hill, although smallish, has some of the best free riding in BC and good BC access.

As for boots, get whatever fits best (not what brand the goose at the shop says). Stiffer better for hard carves and going fast, softer for jibbing. I hate the wind up steel cable laces, every pair i've tried have had pressure points. Much prefer old school lace up, or another system called speed laces, where you pull them and they lock. The system style ones are way better if you can tighten and loosen at least 2-3 zones independently.

As for boards and bindings - if you havent had a new setup in 10 years you're not going to know yourself. Everything is so much better, more comfortable and user friendly. I recommend Never Summer boards. 3 yr warranty and bullet proof. Handmade in Colorado, unlike some of the other big brands pumped out of China and Taiwan.

oops just re read - back to japan.

Get yourself a rockered board for the pow for sure!

Never Summer Proto or SL would be my pic for a japan all rounder (or an EVO and a dedicated pow board). There's an Aussie company called catalyst that hand make custom boards too with a variety of rocker/camber options.

Going to nozawa, late December.

spent a few weeks in fernie a decade or so ago, i loved the place
also a season between niseko and hakuba, before the hordes descended

definitely getting boots, still undecided on the board and bindings.
appreciate the tips

Boo, heading to Nozawa myself in late Jan. whereabouts you hook up for accomodation? Will be our 1st time in Japan but have heard great things about Nozawa from a mate.

Also plus 1 for L9 sports. Quick delivery, good prices and exceptional service. They stuffed up on a Jacket for my partner describing it has having pit zips and it was ripped (3cm interior) on a seam. Quick as a flash a $50 refund. I ordered just before going to NZ 2 weeks ago and it took less than a week to arrive.

What age can you start putting kids into the ski schools? I've put snow on hold for family lately so keen to restart soon.

channels wrote:What age can you start putting kids into the ski schools? I've put snow on hold for family lately so keen to restart soon.

In Canada at least, my then 4y/o grandson had lessons last winter.

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