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Dougy

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About Dougy

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    SJ'er with 10+ posts
  1. I'm Australian and have spent a lot of time in both Australian and New Zealand resorts. NZ is definately the cheaper of the two and offers a far more relaxed atmosphere especially in the Canterbury region with Mt Hutt and club field like Porter Heights and Cragieburn. Queenstown/Wanaka is a little more up-market, for NZ at least, and offers more high tech lifts and Euro-feel ski resorts. Both areas offer excellent terrain but are at the mercy of high winds that come roaring in from the west and due to the lack of trees tend to strip the resorts of loose snow leaving concrete like conditions. I
  2. There is a couple of huge natural quater pipes about an hours hike above the #5 car park. Apparently it's a popular spot for video crews. I don't think the hike would justify the ride unless you were shooting video or something. On the other hand I wouldn't mind taking my up there and boming the trail. That'd be one hell of DH run.
  3. Quote: Originally posted by Toque: As far as I know there is no system for guide certification in Japan. Anybody that wants to can call themselves a guide. That's a crack up. Anyone can call themselves a guide and take other people's lives into their hands but they have to place either first or second at the JP Nationals to even call your self a "pro" snowboarder. Some seriously screwed up ideas in the JP ski/snowboard industry.
  4. It didn't kill Fernie just Currie Bowl. Before the lift you had to hike to get to Currie and the fresh powder lasted longer. It did have advantages like making it easier to get to other places but for me Fernie then and Fernie now are two totally different ski areas. The old Fernie had more charm now it feels just like a mini Whistler or Lake Louise, maybe more like LL as it's owned by the same guy.
  5. 5 years to get certified that's a serious commitment. I don't think the US will ever adopt the EU standards. Avalanche safety is pretty much just a ski resort thing in the US whereas in Europe it's something that effects entire populations not just recreational snow users. Remember the bottom line in the ski industry is $$$ so if it takes 5 years to get certified then those guides are going to want top dollar. If the resorts adopt the highter standards then they will have to hire only those with IFMGA training. That will effectively eat in to their profits which means higher ticket/resort pric
  6. Quote: Originally posted by Fattwins: I was there pre expansion so we had to hike into places like the saddles or currie bowl. Was so perfect back then. Back then they had a rope line to haul your butt up to bomb the staddle start zones. The new lift kinda killed Currie. Still and awesome bowl but it got tracked out so fast with lift access. I was there in 98/99 just after the LL crew bought it out. At the end of that season they bulldozed the daylodge and rebuilt the place. Haven't been there since but have heard it's like a mini Whistler now. Kicking Horse out of Golden was the buzz back
  7. Quote: Originally posted by Fattwins: mongolia / outer mongolia???? That is Vail Mongolia/Outer Mongolia is over the back off the top of Fernie's Timberline Quad. It's got some really nice rock gardens where you can build some nice QPs as well as some sick tree runs. Vail has a place with the same name too ay?
  8. That's one of the things I dread the most about out back. The scariest thing to happen to me was in Fernie. We had hiked over to the far side of "Fishbowl" just outside the Fernie boundry to shoot some turns . We were mid face on a good day when some idiot decided to cut in above us on a steeper face. Alone, no gear, and obiously no friggin idea the kook started a small slide. He quickly bailed off to the side but we wore a fair bit of sluff. We purposly hadn't hit that area because of the pitch but someone elses ignorance could have cost us our lives. He had followed us over but went up from
  9. Quote: Originally posted by merryJim: "Ii tenki desu ne." or, alternatively, depending on the weather: "Samui desu ne". etc It's a power line. So what's the Japanese equivilent of "Duh!"
  10. I met my wife at Mt Hutt in New Zealand. Down there you don't eat the snow just offer ice for their drinks.
  11. I've done my four years and now it's time to bail. Heading back home to the Gold Coast for a year-or-so then down to Jindabyne to set up camp. If anyone's going to be round Ryuoo from Mar 27 - Early April come ride. I'll throw in my BC gear just in case.
  12. Quote: Originally posted by Fattwins: why dont you join toque and i for some spring tateyama riding. then you can see if we are up to snuff? Why didn't this come up sometime in the last four years? " title="" src="graemlins/cry.gif" /> I have no doubt you guys are up to snuff and would love to go hiking with you guys but I'm heading back to Australia in April. My wife and I are going to Ryuoo for the last week of March for our last trip and until then I'm pretty much flat-out. Is there any decent terrain round Ryuoo? My wife isn't up to heading out back yet but if you guys are in t
  13. Quote: Originally posted by rach: Bet you almost look like grungy-gonads wearing one of them too. Yeah, because that's what they are for to make you look good.
  14. I've got a North Peak jersey style set-up that has spine, rib, shoulder, and elbow protection sewn into it. It doesn't offer the levels of the the hardshell jackets but isn't as cumbersome, or as expensive either (About ¥9000 from Murasaki). I wear that and some Burton Protector Pants whenever I ride and you don't even notice it.
  15. If you know what you're doing and have the right gear then no I'm not talking to you. But even experienced people's luck can run out. Anyone who is serious about backcountry will remember Craig Kelly. My post was more aimed at the new crew chomping at the bit to get off the groomers and explore what the backcountry has to offer. Passes get pulled because you either endangered yourself repeatedly, even after being warned, or you endangered someone else. The first, well it's your choice, but the second is downright wrong and includes the danger you put other people in when you f#%k-
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