Press Release: Gnargasm 6.0

After an arduous search for great deals and great slopes, including some budget-minded approaches like Blue Mountain, Ontario, and even Boyne area resorts in Northern Michigan, the results are in:

1. Win: Mont-Tremblant, QC
2. Place: Killington, VT
3. Show: Snowshoe Mountain, WV

This year’s rage-fest will be held at Mont-Tremblant, province of Quebec, Canada, from February 18 to February 22, 2009.

Snowshoe was the shortest drive of the three finalists, but the prices were IMO far too expensive for “Mid-Atlantic” skiing and boarding. Who even knew there was such a thing as “Mid-Atlantic” ski areas? We would’ve had to cram 5 rather large dudes in a single bedroom or possibly even a studio condominium for four nights, just to get a price comparable to the last minute deals offered at Killington or Tremblant, both of which areas are far nicer resorts.

In fairness, Killington had some excellent deals available as well, including an 8-bunk, dormitory-style cottage available for Thursday-Sunday for abuot $850. There were also some very cheap motor lodges/motels. Unfortunately, anything even approaching “slopeside” lodging in Vermont is prohibitively expensive, and since we like to enjoy the occasional “case-of-beer-in-a-hot-tub-for-3-hours-apres-ski”, motor lodges were out of the question. We also like fireplaces, so although it didn’t have a hot-tub, the cabin would’ve been a blast.

We had even considered doing a circuit-tour in Northern Michigan: stringing together both Boyne resorts (Mountain and Highlands), Nub’s Nob, and Crystal Mountain would’ve made for a nice 4- or 5-day ski trip. But we’d have had to stay at a Holiday Inn somewhere and commute 45 minutes each morning to (and back each evening from) the slopes.

In the end, Tremblant’s “Last Minute Deals” edged out Killington and Snowshoe. We were able to score a two bedroom condominium with fireplace, that should comfortably sleep 6 (there are only five of us) for the low low price of $189 CDN per night. The awesome looking forecast (snow Wednesday thru Sunday), coupled with the fact that Tremblant offered us the best and the cheapest lodging opportunities, it was a no brainer. Also a factor in the decision: I’ve been to both Mont Tremblant and Killington (I think both resorts in 1997) and although Killington was awesome, Tremblant had a more “vacationy” feel to it, with the little pedestrian village, plus all the francophones, etc.

Until we tried to logisticize: five of us will be filling a Ford F-150 pickup truck with all our gear in the bed, and all of us in the extended cab, for the 10+ hour trek.

Oh well, you’ve gotta cut corners somewhere.

Shopping for Snowboard Gear

If you are shopping for new gear, Google what you’re looking for and check out the GoogleAds in the sidebar, many of them offer coupon codes. This is what they look like: –>

Gear is expensive, and it doesn’t seem like there’s any end in sight. Some Burton snowboards — just the stick — cost $800 (or more!). That’s fonking absurd, but then again, I suppose that most people buying $800 boards couldn’t tell the difference between a fall line and their own ass-crack.

Unless you are Shaun White, there is no snowboard that is worth $800. Anywhere. Ever. You can get excellent boards for under $500, and you can get pretty good boards for $400. And if you’re a total noob, you can get a good board for $300 or less. You could reasonably spend less than $800 for an entire setup: a $350 board leaves you $450 to spend on boots and bindings. You can get very respectable bindings for under $200. Spend the balance on your boots: if you splurge anywhere, it should be on your feetses.

So, imagine my surprise when I found out about Blank Snowboard. Most brand names in the industry are not OEMs, they buy boards from a handful of factories who slap different artwork on the same layers of wood, laminate, carbon fiber and metal. You can buy a blank snowboard for $200, and reading the product specs, you’d be hard-pressed to tell the difference between these and other, far more expensive boards.

I rode the same 161cm K2 Hardcore from 1995 until 2005, when I gifted it to my friend Jay who moved out to Tahoe. To my knowledge, he is still using it. In 2005, I bought my Neversummer, and it has a lot of life left. It’s a tad too stiff to spend all day in the park, but it slays steeps and powder. Someday, I’d like to get a park-specific board. It’s nice to know that I can get a pretty solid board for two Benjos.

I’ve spent a fair amount of time looking at new gear this winter… The wife decided she wanted to try snowboarding, so I snagged an old rental board off eBay for $60 (free shipping). It’s a few years old, 145 cm Burton Cruzer. Not the greatest graphics for a chic, but I couldn’t resist that price. Hell, it probably cost $30 just to ship it. For valentine’s day, she got a new pair of Burton Casa boots, and some Salomon bindings, which I picked up at Sierra Trading Post using a “first time shopper” coupon for an additional 20% off. Boots & bindings for $108, shipping included.

I also needed to replace a 5 year old pair of Drake Supersports, which have long outlived their useful lives. The buckles routinely come loose when stomping anything bigger than a 15-foot gap. After several hours of browsing comparison sites like Nextag, and Backcountry.com which is my ‘old reliable’, and perusing eBay Sellers for the rare diamond-in-rough, I ended up going through Altrec.com to get a $270 pair of Burton Cartels for only $125 + shipping. (also using a first-time coupon for 20% off) They look sick, so I’ll be looking forward to testing them in Quebec next weekend.

What can I say? I like bargain shopping.