Well its been a super crazy month here at bargainboards. The summer came and went, and just when you thought the wakeboard season was kicking off, the team here all got dragged away on qa business trip to test next seasons snowboards! hard life really........
Theres going to be some amazing technology coming next season from the likes of Flow, Palmer and Drake so keep an eye out on the website!
Kaunertal was absolutely pumping, with amazing fresh snow most evenings, blazing hot sunshine during the day and the likes of whitelines throwing some fat parties in the evening..... i dont think i ever want to see another dr pepper again!
Whilst at Snowbombing this year, the BargainBoards.co.uk possy had a chance to watch some of the most creative and talented snowboarders in the Industry to date throw down in the Vans Penken Park, Mayrehofen for a unique competition known as the Oakley Jib-Vid.
Each team were given 24 hours to ride, film and edit a 2 minute snowboard movie which was then shown to a room full of boozy riders and a panel of judges.
Check out the action here:
Day 3 of the 2009 Oakley Jib-Vid inlcuding the Tight and Bright Rave Night, the last stages of editing a Jib-Vid, the hand ins, the Flip and Grip best trick session, and of course the Oakley Jib-Vid 2009 Projection Party with an interview from the winning O'Neill / Isenseven team.
Once again here at Bargain Boards.co.uk we are bringing you Live footage from this weeks Oakley Arctic Challenge! This one is going to be massive! Some of the biggest names in the industry are battling it out on the big air from Thursday afternoon!
The World’s finest shredders will be turning up the heat on the gigantic, perfectly sculpted quarterpipe, including Kevin Pearce who has reigned supreme for two years running. Travis Rice, fresh from his somewhat controversial X-Games Big Air gold will be hungry for another big win; Finnish phenomenon Antti Autti will be there upping the ante as usual as will current (at the time of writing) Swatch TTR Tour leader Peetu Piiroinen. And of course we’ll be treated to the incredible talents of local favourite Terje Haakonsen.
So, you ask, what will these snowboarding titans be doing in Norway? Undoubtedly they will be throwing down their greatest moves as high out of a monolithic quarterpipe as their prefrontal cortices will allow, with the dual aims being to grab some of the 1,000 TTR Ranking points on offer and bag a share of the huge $100,000 prize purse. If you think we’re joking about trying to go as big as they can, at the Oakley Arctic Challenge in 2007, Terje Haakonsen went higher out the top of a quarterpipe than anyone else on a snowboard had done before. Soaring a massive 9.8 metres Haakonsen set a world record that hasn’t been broken since. Maybe 2009 is the year for a new one?
This year’s Arctic Challenge is set to be one of the most environmentally green yet. Serving up organic, healthy food, using sustainable energy sources and ensuring that all waste materials are properly recycled, the event is not just trying to score environmental points, it’s setting the standard for how all future snowboard competitions should be run.
Doubtless you’re now beginning to see why the Arctic Challenge is going to be THE snowboarding event of the year and also how you’d be a fool to miss any of the LIVE web cast. See you there.
check out this teaser from last years event:
You can watch all the action here at BargainBoards.co.uk:
Thursday 19 Feb. 12:30 - 14:00 CET Biggest Air Final
Saturday 21 Feb. 12:30 - 14:15 CET Quarterpipe Final
Hello again, I know the crazy snow conditions of the UK have got everyone excited about snowsports, so why not watch some top notch riding this weekend!
You can watch the RIP CURL Championship right here at BargainBoards.co.uk.
Sat 7th Feb from 10.00am – 15.30pm Sunday 8th Feb from 10.00am – 15.30pm.
Thanks to the exceptional snow condition, the Champs Open course looks to be a cracker for both the riders and spectators. The course consists of two huge Big Air jumps, a massive Swatch Spine, the Superpipe and a 12 meter box.
The Crans-Montana Champs Open presented by Rip Curl is back as a 5Star event on the Swatch TTR Tour in 2009. All live from February 7th – 8th, 2009, one of the most historic competitions on the Tour will feature an upgraded Star level, a stacked riders list and a monster 650m Slopestyle course. The riders will be hungry to score part of the 850 TTR Ranking points and $50 000 USD prize purse up for grabs.
You can watch all the action !LIVE! on the video below.
Here at BargainBoards.co.uk we have teamed up with Mpora Tv to bring you footage from this weekends Billabong Air & Style comp......LIVE from Innsbruck, Austria!! Watch all the action on the video below....... the countdown is on!
Freestyle Snowboards or Technical Riding (Jibbing)
Freestyle snowboards like the Flow QUANTUM , Burton BLUNT PRIMO or Palmer BURN are popular among the younger snowboarders because of it similarity to skateboarding. The freestyle attitude comes straight from the skate park with tricks comprised of jumps, spins, grabs, jibbing, rail sliding, riding backwards and generally tearing it up.
Freestyle riding is usually found in the snowpark section of the mountain, or near the halfpipe. Many of today's technical freestyle riders come to snowboarding with experience as a skateboarder. While the snowboards specific to this type of rider excels in park and pipe riding, it can also be very versatile across the whole mountain at less than full-speed.
Remember to always wear your Ski Helmet and Body Armour when in the park or on the pipe, the snow here is less forgiving if you miss your landing.
Freestyle Board Characteristics
Freestyle Snowboards have soft flex characteristics which makes them a good choice for beginners, especially if you anticipate doing a fair amount of freestyle riding once you get more experienced. The downside is that they have limited edge grip and stability so become unstable at high speed or when carving hard turns. The softer flex characteristics also reduce the top end speed and acceleration of the board. True freestyle boards are a pig to ride off-piste because they flex too much and sink and the stance position causes intense rear leg burn. Really specialist freestyle boards may have very soft edges - made from plastic or brass - designed to slip more easily on rails or while grinding trees. They are great for riding fakie (backwards) because the bindings tend to be positioned centrally and the boards are twin tipped i.e. the back of the board is the same as the front of the board. Most freestyle snowboards are "signature" series boards These boards are made to the specifications of the pro rider.
Next time I will talk about Powder Snowboards and Carving/Race/Alpine Snowboards.
Until then be safe on those slopes Thomas……………………………
Hello It is the week before Christmas and as you can imagine it is still crazy here, we are all in the warehouse packing all your deliveries but through all the madness we have managed with a few late nights to finish the riders lounge and more importantly we have stocked the lounge’s fridge with beer.
Also Keep an eye out on the BargainBoards website’s New Products Page ,we will be adding Rome Snowboard Boots to our ever expanding range of products and brand names.
So until next week we are off to empty the Riders lounge fridge.
I do have to apologise for not posting a blog for the last couple of weeks.
It is crazy here at Bargainboards.co.uk packing up all you parcels and gifts so you can get them all for Christmas, I now know how father Christmas at this time of year, all we need are some elves and white beards.
I will post the second part on how to choose the right snowboard focusing on freestyle park boards or better known as jib boards, later in the week if I can.
Until then here is a pic so you can see how our riders lounge is coming along, hope you like it?
Buying the right Snowboard. for you requires a few important questions to be answered, but you'll be amazed to know that you already have the answers. Your weight, height, foot size and riding style are the main factors that will define the appropriate stiffness, height, width and shape of the board you'll buy. However you will need to know: Your riding ability? Beginner- first time, newbie, taking a lesson, snowboarded 1-3 times.
Intermediate- board 3-5 times a year, ride fakie, catch some air, turns no problem.
Advanced- you know who you are !
What type of riding style do you enjoy most? The riding style you prefer will help determine the type of board you should buy.There are many different opinions on how many riding styles there are but we are going to break them down in to three main categories of riding styles. The three most common riding styles are: All Mountain / Freeride , Freestyle or Technical riding and Carve/Alpine style.
This week we are going to look at All mountain/ Free ride boards: All Mountain Freeride snowboards are the most popular choice because, this is the go-anywhere, do-anything board that bridges the gap between freestyle riding and alpine carving. You can use All Mountain snowboards for snowboarding on the piste (groomed slopes), in the powder, in the snowboard park or in the half-pipe. You can enjoy carving smooth turns as well as grabbing some air time and doing a few tricks. They go pretty fast too.
At first glance, the shape of an All Mountain Boards appears to be identical to a freestyle board but there are some subtle differences not visible to the untrained eye. The arc or curve of the sidecut (or waist) is slightly directional i.e. the front and back of the board are not identical. The nose of the board may be slightly wider than the tail and the bindings will usually be set back from the centre point by about an inch or 25mm. These boards perform best going forwards. All Mountain boards are fine for riding ‘fakie’ (backwards) too, only they are not dedicated to the task. The tail rocker (or curvature) may also be a fraction less than that of the nose of the board. The lay-up of the board – i.e. the construction of the wood core with a variety of epoxy, carbon fibre or kevlar laminates – is stiffer than a freestyle board, which promotes greater speed. The tail areas are stiffer than the nose sections so they can both float through powder and carve tight turns on compacted snow, although for dedicated powder or on-piste carving, you would be better off with a specialist board. All Mountain Freeride boards make up 50% of the UK market.
Check out our size guides for your perfect board at our Advice Centre.
Next week we will look at Freestyle or Technical (jib) boards ................. Thomas
Work on the Hemel Hempstead Snow Centre, Britain’s premier indoor ski and snowboarding venue, just north of London is gathering pace with the opening less than five months away. Just off the M1 and less than ten miles north of the M25 is the first in the UK to be built on a natural hill, offering scope for some challenging indoor skiing and snowboarding. With over 8000m2 of real snow the main slope is an impressive 160 metres long with an additional 100 metre nursery slope for lessons.
Fresh snow will be generated by 10 huge snow cannons and managed by an Alpine piste-basher. Skiers and snowboarders will be transported to the top by an efficient dual lift system that promises to maximise time on the slopes.
Snow sports enthusiasts can guarantee priority sessions at the Centre and benefit from some fantastic discounts by becoming Founding Members in advance of the opening date next April. The first members to sign up will receive an additional 25% discount on the membership cost.
Membership sales open on December 1st. Full membership cost is £100 for adults, with concessions for under 18’s, senior citizens and families – the saving of 25% discount on this price is limited to the those that purchase in the first few weeks.
Facilities at The Snow Centre include ‘The Edge’, a stylish bar and cafe with views across the slopes, full equipment hire, private rooms for parties, meetings and conferences and a premier Snow and Rock outlet.
It’s also the first in Britain to have a direct link-up with one of the most popular Alpine regions for winter sports. In September the centre announced it was to be twinned with the Oetztal region of Austria – which contains the popular resorts of Obergurgl, Hochgurgl and Solden -- in a first for a British snowsports centre.
‘We’re looking at a whole package of benefits for Members,’ says Marketing Director Stephen Jordan. 'Priority booking and a 30% discount on recreational sessions will give Members a real price advantage. And we’ll be operating a dedicated members-only session every weekday from 8am-9am, which will be limited to 50 people on the slopes.’
Members will also be entitled to a free recreational session on their birthday.
Meanwhile work on the £23 million centre is gathering pace with the focus on preparing the interior for the moment when the snow cannons start filling the venue with a blanket of snow in February.
You can also buy Gift Vouchers for the Snow Centre to the value of £5, £10, £25 or £50 – could be the ideal Christmas gift!
The Nights are closing in, the weather is getting colder and my Whitelines magazine is laying dog-eared on the coffee table from reading and re-reading it over and over, can only mean one thing, this year’s winter snow season is close enough for us all to touch, woo hoo.
Constantly watching all the ski resort webcams and reading every snow report on line? I can only guess what rituals you lot have? Drop me a line and I will post the best. I thought this week I would let you into our crazy world, especially when you are surrounded by brand new shiny gear, it really is like an Aladdin’s cave of Skiing and Snowboarding.
The sheer amount of ski and snowboard hats is mind boggling, we have to try really hard not to walk around the office all day in goggles and beanies with bobbles, earflaps or French fries ?????
We are really spoilt for choice because we have so many ski and snowboard hats to choose from by such brand as Kask hats , Protest , Demon and Kusan,so there is no excuse for our heads to get cold this winter in the mountains or just popping down to the shops.
Our favourite game at the moment is to climb into a snowboard bag and wait for the postman, when he arrives we very slowly and quietly move away from him so he does not notice us as he collects the all the snowboards to be delivered to you, scoring extra points for the most amount of times he re-loads you on the van without him noticing there is someone in the snowboard bag, it drives the poor postie crazy but it is very funny.
Our record so far is 10 mins before he realised there was someone inside the snowboard bag, I am sure we can better that time sometime soon , we are going to try it with multiple people this week all moving in different directions.
Also in the next few weeks I will start to post our very own weekly snow reports to really get you in the mood for the winter.
First off this week we have some great news. This winter The O2 opens ‘The Slopes’, London’s first ever indoor artificial twin ski slope. Running from late November to January 09, visitors will be able to ski, snowboard or snow tube at The O2, making it THE London winter attraction.
The twin slopes, both 45 meters in length will bring the whole skiing experience even closer to the people of London. Not only will visitors be able to learn to ski or snowboard but The Slopes will be open to experienced skiers to warm up their ski/snowboard legs before heading to the mountains.
Aside from skiing and snowboarding, the more adventurous mountain person will be able to try out the snow tubes. These inflatable sledges are perfect for everyone whether you like spinning, sliding or just sledging.
Also a snow sport coaching school, will offer top level coaching for all levels at The Slopes. Ski and Snowboard manufacturers, K2, will be supplying top of the range Skis and Snowboards
We say ‘The Slopes are a fun and safe way for both experienced skiers and snowboarders to gear themselves up for the real thing or as an introduction for complete beginners. The Slopes are designed for all abilities and the snow tubes are ideal for both small and big kids alike!’
With the whole of the London Piazza themed like a winter wonderland, The Slopes, along with real snow covered trees and chalet will help create the perfect day out this winter. We will be first to try it out, so we can show you some pics and keep you in the loop with news.
Tickets go on sale on Friday 10th October at 9am. Prices start at £15.00 per adult per hour (Ski/board rental £5) and snow tubes £8 per half hour (subject to booking fee).Tickets can be purchased via www.theo2.co.uk or by calling 0844 856 0202.
Hello We have had a very busy week, this week, we have finally moved into our new office and warehouse and I am still loving the blue velvet desks, I don’t think we will ever get bored of them. I will show you more of the new office next week as I have a lot to tell you this week.
Last week I went to the world premiere of British Snowboard Film “Bread & Butter”. I do have to say that I was very impressed and loved the film, it is one of the sickest and funniest Snowboard DVDs I have seen in a long time, it finally proves that British riders can go up against the best riders and still hold their own, I highly recommend that you all jump to see this movie and as luck has it “Bread & Butter” will be the featured DVD given away with this month’s Whitelines Magazine , make sure you seen this film and let me know what you think?
It really was good fun hanging out with the riders and the after show party was crazy; I cannot wait to see what they come up with next year.
Saturday we all went to the FSO4 London Freeze at Battersea PowerStation. I do have to admit that this was my first but defiantly not my last time to a big air comp, the atmosphere was electric and Cypress Hill proved that they can still rock even after all these years. I promised not to mention the Jägermeister, which is all I am saying.
I do have to say well done to the British riders they really did raise their game and a massive well-done to Peetu Piiroinen who claimed first place in Saturdays immense LG FIS Snowboard World Cup. The young lad from Finland was on fire throughout the qualifiers and maintained his impressive form into the finals and onto the top of the podium, it was a master class.
Then on Sunday it was off to the Metro Snowboard & Ski show at Olympia to see what new goodies companies such as Burton Snowboards , Flow Snowboards and Lib-Tech have come up with, it is very exciting time with snowboard development, the companies are coming up with amazing and very different board technologies to improve the riding for all of us, also I will have to ride all these new boards just so I can review them for you, it is hard work but some ones got to do it. A lot of fun and games was had by all on Sunday and you will be glad to know we grabbed all the freebies we could get our grubby hands on.
Thanks for everyone who have already voted on whether we should get a web cam in the office. If you have not voted get to it, make your choice.......... More news next week
So whats new I hear you all ask….. To start off we have not quite moved yet boohoo!!! Because of internet connection issues but that will be sorted out this week, the office is now finished and we are still stroking our blue velvet desks.
We had a busy weekend, this weekend as I went along to the Millennium bridge on the Thames fully kitted out in my Snowboard gear with Boots and all to help promote FS04 London Freeze with the GB Olympic Team , I wish you could have seen the faces of all the passersby who looked at us all in sheer bewilderment, one old lady approached me gingerly and asked if we were all the GB Olympic team, of course I told her we were, all 50 odd of us with our boards and Skis strewn all over the bridge.
I am trying to find out which Papers the photos will appear in and post a couple on here when I get them so you can have a look.
I will be no stop This week as I am off to the Premiere of British snowboard movie “Bread and Butter” on Thursday night, I will post a review of the film next week along with some photos I take at the after show party.
Also I will be at the Metro Ski and snowboard show meeting with friends and having a couple of beers on Saturday, then it is off to the FS04 London Freeze on Sunday I promise to take a few pics for you all to have a gander at.
The big news this week is, we will be moving permanently to the new warehouse and office by the end of this week, most of the existing and new stock have been moved. It was very hard work I can tell you, none of us will need to visit the gym anytime soon.
We also picked up our new retro office desks this week, which have to be seen to be believed, the sheer size and blue velvet iness of them is genius pure 70's, I can not help stroking mine,I know it is wrong but I just can not help it. I promise to put up a pic of them soon, you will love them. We did have a small accident with one desk, it just olied off the back of our trailer doing a 360 before skimming to a stop in the middle of the duel carriage way, I just hope we don't end up on police, camera, action.
Last but not least, we have had another argument here on if a web cam in the office ,so you can watch what we get up to? would it be funny idea or not? So I want your votes on whether we should put a web-cam in the office?
Hello I know it has been more than a week since my last update but in my defence, it has been crazy here at Bargain Boards with the move to the new warehouse in full swing. Not only are we taking all our existing stock to the warehouse, we are getting loads of New Gear delivered everyday.
The first pic: shows our 3 floors jam packed to the ceilings full of everything you need for winter sports, it really is like being in Aladin’s cave of ski and Snowboards. I really do have to stop myself buying everything or at least stop trying jackets on , I have enough all ready!!!
Second Pic: This is going to be the Riders lounge so you can come in have a chat , try on some Boots , have a look at new Bindings and then buy your perfect set up. Please email me thomas@bargainboards.co.uk, share with us what you would like to see in our riders lounge.
Third pic: This is going to be the new office, which we hopefully will be moving into in the next couple of weeks, beats working in the kitchen all day I can tell you!!!! Just keep an eye out on future blogs, on how many snowboarding posters we put up, might be a competition one day? you never know??????
Fourth pic: I thought I would share with you the view from the office window. Yes it is the Hemel Hempstead Snowdome, see how close to us it really is, I will post updates every so often so you can keep up with the changes before it opens in the spring.
OK here is a short entry to this weeks blog, believe it or not we have made a startling discovery this week. We found this home made dry slope in the woods behind our office, I wonder where it all come from? All of us here are itchy to have a go on our old boards, well we don’t want to ruin of new ones waiting for the the season to start, plus a sturdy Helmet and Body Armour is the order of the day
I told you it was short and sweet this week.
Next week I promise to have more if I don’t do myself an injustice in those woods…………………
It has been crazy here for the last few weeks, with us all adding the New Products to the website, finishing all the shelving to take the huge amount of stock we now have, the new warehouse is already bursting at the seams.
Just before I hear you all scream “what all work and no play?” I am going to tell you what we defiantly have not been doing [wink wink] is to test how strong Bern Helmets are by running head first into cardboard boxes, we would never do anything so silly, hence the lack of new blog news & pics this week Sorry.
But I do promise to have more updates next week with some pics of how the new office and warehouse are coming along, also more news on all the new gear coming in, trust me when I say you do not want to miss out.
Last but not least in the next few weeks I am going to start introducing to you the rest of team, so you can get to know who we are and we will share some snowboarding stories and tips with you.
Let me tell you what has been going on here. The big debate on the Roach continues; please make sure you have voted to help us decide.
Also, we have finished putting all the new Protest Boardwear gear on the site, there is tons of new stuff, so make sure you have a look, I am sure you will love it.
So to reward myself for all the hard work I was lucky enough to escape to the Scottish Highlands for a week, Loch Ness to be precise.
I was persuaded to take a couple of our Mountain boards with me. I have never ridden a Mountain boards , so I was up for a new challenge and to see if they really are a substitute for the good old fashioned snowboard.
I have to be honest I have never been interested in Dirt Boards I have always thought of them as just skateboards with big silly wheels, but I was wrong, very wrong.
The action and movement is almost the same as that of a snowboard. I found it easier to start linking turns than I ever did when I first learnt to snowboard all those many moons ago. You have to trust me when I say how much fun Mountain boards are, pretty soon after mastering my turns, I was off looking for anything to jump, be it log , ramp or wild rabbit, I have the bruises to prove it. If you have a hill near you, these are a "must have" to keep you fit and ready for the season ahead. Just make sure you have a good Helmet to protect your noggin.
I was supposed to take some photos of me riding the board or falling off it, for you all to see and have a good giggle at but let just say too much time on the boards having a laugh, messing about, then even more time spent in the whisky distilleries put stop to them. All I managed was this pic of me on top of Ben Nevis. Sorry!!!
Just a quick update on the new warehouse everything is moving a long nicely. The builders are in so we never have any tea bags left in the office, I am sure it’s what powers them?
The first massive delivery of new gear arrived this week so make sure you keep checking the New Products page for updates.
Hello As the New Guy I thought I should introduce myself and give you the inside scoop on what goes on and what I get up to working with the Roach. The First Scoop is that we are moving to a new warehouse, which is just about a mile from the new snow dome in Hemel Hempstead.
We are in the middle of renovating the warehouse to take the huge amount of gear. So it is all hands on deck, so it is fortunate that the Roach has so many arms
Fact is we had to drill the floor to see if it will take the weight of all our snowboards, bindings. luckily it passed with flying colours.
Our new home will have a Rider’s lounge, which I will reveal more details about over the coming weeks.
Also I have been photographing all the new Kask beanies, these are the most original designs I have seen, those crazy Swedes. Just between you and me, I have already taken a couple for next season, don’t tell the Roach shhhhhhh……… I will keep it short and sweet this time Check back next week for more news……………………………
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