eskimobasecamp 0 Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 alright guys, after about 40 hours of non-stop travelling i finally made it into wananka, new zealand last night - this is quite possibly the most chilled out place on earth - the place is stunning and the people are wicked. met up with my bro and miles from evergreen, great to see them again. got up this morning and hitched it up to cardies with 2 cool guys from engelberg, switzerland - for the first turns of the trip - bluebird, but pretty windy and a little icy, but good fun anyway - cardrona is quite small, terrain is OK, nothing very steep unfortunately (will be heading to treble cone for pow days) - wanna go check out what is over the back of cardies - but today just had a play around, plenty of stuff to jump off, kickers, lots of rails and a pipe, so gonna buy a helmet and get into that. miles is there doing his bit for the team magic carpet lol! well anyway, to the ends of the earth in search of snow and i finally found it and what a great place nz is - the view flying into queenstown of the south alps is epic. probably cant put photos up during the trip, but will do when i return. Link to post Share on other sites
me jane 0 Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 40 hours! That's quite a trek - sounds like it was worth it though. Have a fantastic summer (winter?)! Just been rainy and humid in Yokohama the last few days. You're certainly not missing anything! Link to post Share on other sites
mattlucas 0 Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 Good for you EBC Have a good time I don't want to hear about you travelling half way around the world to ski park though. That shits not cool Let hear about and I really want to see the big terrain Link to post Share on other sites
AK 77 0 Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 I want to hear about you travelling half way around the world to ski park! Oh, and by the way. You have to do what I say. You have no choice. Link to post Share on other sites
AK 77 0 Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 Oh, and have a great time! Link to post Share on other sites
OUfreeski2 0 Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 Yeah, tell us about snowpark and the pros training there! Link to post Share on other sites
BagOfCrisps 24 Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 40 hours sounds like a nightmare. But you are there now, enjoy. Looking forward to hearing much more Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 Have fun EBC. Way to put banana to it. ps - I thought you were a kiwi?? pps - stay outta the park for f sake. Beanie is right. Link to post Share on other sites
Kumapix 0 Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 hey spud, way to use a 'way to...' phrase WITH a 'put the banana to it' Link to post Share on other sites
mattlucas 0 Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 Park skiing is lame You could have hiked up above Hakuba and found some snow to build a jump or driven 2 hours south to Norikura and built a jump on the summer snowfield with all the bumpers. Big terrain Big terrain Big terrain And don't tell me there isn't any because I've seen pictures Link to post Share on other sites
brit-gob 9 Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 Hey toque, you "back home" now? Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 Kuma - I was pretty happy with myself when I came up with the idea. It is the perfect bit of totally un-cool new slang. EBC - toque continues to be right. Link to post Share on other sites
AK 77 0 Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 Don't listen to the old folks EBC! We all know 'back country' is just an escape for geriatrics who can't jump. Link to post Share on other sites
powwwers 0 Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 Quote: Originally posted by eskimobasecamp: , but pretty windy and a little icy, but good fun anyway CARDRONA = Windy Mountain in Maori!! awesome to hear ya had a great time. i had a ball in Wanaka. just remember if you go to the Cardrona Hotel after a hard day on the hill, make sure you put the handbrake on Link to post Share on other sites
OUfreeski2 0 Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 Ahh, I can feel the park vs powder debate arising... Link to post Share on other sites
eskimobasecamp 0 Posted July 26, 2006 Author Share Posted July 26, 2006 lol park vs powder eh?! well i can tell you that park is winning boys - it's all about park and freestyle out here and there's no pow anyway, blue skies all the way - and yeeeeeeeeeeeees cardies is THE ultimate windy mountain. had a wicked day yesterday, hooked up with some of the local boys and some kick ass park rats from switzerland - and i'm just jumping off anything i can - they are throwing down big airs and i'm pulling off 180s (which is pretty stylin for me as anyone who has been through a terrain park with me will know)- if i spend 3 weeks out here learning to jump, then i'll be sorted for a lot of the pow terrain i want to ski next season. need to buy a helmet and the next task is rails. le spud you'll be ever so glad to hear i've picked up some baggy park rat pants to match my nz antics. for those of you throwing up and disowning me after reading that - as soon as it snows, i'll be over to TC to do what i really wanna do - ski some sick terrain, but until that happens just making the most of it and trying to jump jump jump. hopefully going to do some heli skiing while i'm here too, but waiting for the right conditions. yeh anyway back to park - jossy whatever who won the jon olsson invitational - his bro was out in the park yesterday being filmed, he's goin to be big. or is the brother called jossy? i don't know. the burton open starts in snowpark soon, so will be heading up to check that out - they've built the kicker for that and it's BIIIIIIG! AK you would love it here, i mean LOVE it. park a go-go and the scene is so chilled, plenty of people from everywhere and a beautiful location - kiwis are the people, i've never met such friendly amazing people before. Toque, Le Spud - em yeh you'd hate it here. I checked out the backside of cardies yesterday, not particularly amazing terrain and nowhere to hike up to from there anyway. i have met some people who are into it though and if there's pow i'll be heading out with them. Link to post Share on other sites
mattlucas 0 Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 Glad you're enjoying yourself I hope you will at least be able to do more than 180s by the time you get back then. If you're so keen at the park For me it's a debate of Park vs. Mountain You don't need powder to ski the mountains. You just need snow. Link to post Share on other sites
ncorrenti 0 Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 Sounds good EBC. I will be there in a week's time - can't wait! According to the reports Cardrona has the best conditions at the moment. Hopefully we'll have time to do a day up there. Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 EBC - I live in a place flatter than Texas. It is 30 degrees outside. My only salvation is a 35km round-trip bike ride to an indoor ski slope that has a freestyle park. There is no excuse for you to be hitting kickers mid winter in a mountain range that is full of big steep terrain. Get it right: you don't need powder to ride big mountains, in fact if you are serious then the less time spent riding powder the better. (by the way, with weekend trips to my local indoor shredded ice play thing, I am going for 720 by the time winter arrives, but that is something I would never waste winter mountain snow trying to learn) Link to post Share on other sites
eskimobasecamp 0 Posted July 27, 2006 Author Share Posted July 27, 2006 Another bluebird day out riding the park lol - having a great time just jibbing around, hanging out with some wicked riders and listenin to tunes Haven't met a single person yet interested in ski mountaineering or hiking yet, so not heading anywhere alone - everyone here is just partying and hitting kickers, it's all about park - and without a bc partner here, i'm happy jumping and using my seasons pass i paid for. As soon as it snows i'll be heading to TC for some better terrain. At the moment, there's plenty of good snow, if not a little icy in places - it's pretty different from skiing in japan. le spudo - yeah i know i don't need powder to ride big moutains, infact i'd love to get out there and outa the resort (though the park is good fun) - but need to find someone else who wants to do that too. good luck throwing down the 720 eh. i'll post photos on my return of what i can do out here. nicole - you're gonna be in wanaka? let's go for a ski! toque - not overly keen to be a pimpin park master, just wanna be an allrounder - i wanna work on jumping to improve my general stability and balls to do shit... and every day it's gettin better. so if i can cruise through the park with a reasonable amount of style by the end of this trip i'll be happy. apart from that just lovin the scene out here - it's so CHILLLLLLLED, so so so CHILLLLLLLED man lol - there's tons of parties, tomorrow the premier of a kiwi ski movie that is meant to be sick - and next week shapeshifter wicked nz drum n bass peeeps are playin.... so just enjoying it all immensely... though not my bro's dodgy cookin, dodgy student that he is. AK - you passed that damn test yet? did C get the job in Th? Beanie - you back in Canada now? Missin the nihhon? i'm not lol Link to post Share on other sites
ncorrenti 0 Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 We're staying in Queenstown but I'm definitely going to try and fit in a day at Cardrona. How long are you there til? Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 I hate to ask this question, but the word keeps coming up. What does “chilled“ actually mean? Does it mean people are laid back and don’t have a care in the world or does it mean that the environment is full of like minded people that are all happy about the same things at the same time? EBC – I like to hear that touring is not so popular. Although there was a boom in recent seasons, I think that the bulk of people will start reverting back to the park for the following reasons: - showing off and getting a name for yourself is easier in the confined space of the park - touring actually requires a lot of physical effort to get the stuff further afield than the side of the piste (which is always tracked out) - touring requires a lot of equipment - touring requires planning and safety knowledge >> it's all about park - and without a bc partner here, i'm happy jumping and using my seasons pass i paid for. What guff. I just bought a summer seasons pass to my local indoor ski joint. I am happy to use it practicing jumps and using their climbing wall. On the other hand EBC, you are obviously on the wrong mountain. Link to post Share on other sites
dizzy 0 Posted July 28, 2006 Share Posted July 28, 2006 sounds like you're having a blast, chillin' and steezin' and all. good 2 hear! hopefully, u'll find a bc partner and get some snow soon. if it dumps, don't drink Urself into oblivion! Link to post Share on other sites
veronica 2 Posted July 30, 2006 Share Posted July 30, 2006 I thought chilled was just a word meaning really relaxed. Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted July 30, 2006 Share Posted July 30, 2006 Relaxed people meditating around the half pipe, saying ohm? Or relaxed like after a sauna and massage? Link to post Share on other sites
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