snowmatic

Was it a Doppelmayer chairlift crashing in Russia? Well, you know we had several falls of carriages on many Doppelmayer lifts the last Years. (Soelden Austria (gondola), Stubai Austria (gondola) last Season and so on). This doesn't matter. Doppelmayer of Austria is the Worldwide leading manufactor of gondolas and chairlifts. They have very much power! So much power, that they can take influence to the rules and laws of European Community. So they achieve to prohibit other coupling-system-to-the-rope on European minimal technical regulations for cablecars! So operators of that system had to replace that prohibited system (for sure by Doppelmayer chairlifts and gondolas). System Müller screw-on coupling system is now prohibited! There are many gondolas and chairlift with this type of coupling-to-the-rope system working since decades on the World. Even in Canada, Mexico, Great-Britain, Spain, New Zeland, Macau and so on. There are also some other companys using that system in licence around the World (e.g. Japan) The Müller ropeways system was highly reliable - no crashing carriages at all (it isn't Doppelmayer) I have knowledge about! So You see again, to have power like Doppelmayer can be the way to be on the winning horse. They keep others low. The companys with much better ideas turns to be the loosers. +-+-+-+-+ Even lazy Doppelmayer constructions became rusty like you can see here: Below the red line is a good old construction of a 2-seat chairlift from the Year 1970. 55 Years of good working, even with much higher charging since the last 18 Years. Because that masts from the Year 1970 are heavy duty made, the resort owner build up on that old masts a new Doppelmayer highspeed quad in 1997, thats what you see above the red line on picture. The masts from 1970 have no rust at all, since 55 Years now. The upper the red line part from Doppelmayer is now only 18 Years in operation, watch the difference. So believe in Doppelmayer or even not! It's Your live.

50% of Alpine snowboards on Rogla podium had been Kessler's! I don't know what will happen to SG Snowboards, if Kessler take his rights to go to court for fight against violation of his patents. Well, let us switch now to the lies of FIS snowboarding. Read this FIS statement after Rogla PGS race Januray 23. 2015 http://www.fis-ski.com/snowboard/alpine-snowboard/news-multimedia/videos/video=sobolev-ledecka-victorious-rogla-fis-snowboard.html Snowboard European Association (SEA) was holding the first snowboard Worldcup race at Zürs in 1988 and not in 1985!You can confirm this asking the operator of cablecars in Zürs (Ski Arlberg). FIS-ski did copy some wrong informations from anywhere, because of not (never) be in common with true snowboarding anytime. For to be clear: For FIS ski, snowboarding was evil that time!!! - FIS had no idea what snowboarding was than, FIS has no idea what snowboarding is now and FIS will never have any idea what snowboarding is in the future!

Today we had a FIS Worldcup PGS race (and a SBX race too at Feldberg mountain in Germany) Race was hold in Rogla (Slovenia, former Yugoslavia = Eastern Europe ex-socialism state) Streaming live-webcam: www.whatsupcams.com/wgt/si_rogla7/880/500/false/ shows the last 4 gates of blue course and final area. 6 of 16 riders in men finals had been Italiens, they didn't succeed at least. Big final and small final: 7 of 8 riders women and man (4+4) are from Eastern Europe ex-socialism states. (5 riders from Russia, 1 from Bulgaria, 1 from Czech Republik) PGS was hold as single run format. Blue course was in mean a half second faster as the red course! Sky was cloudy, visability was good. Women: 1st CZE Ledecka Ester 2nd AUT Kreiner Marion 3rd RUS Tudegesheva Ekataina 4th RUS Salikhova Elizeveta Man: 1st RUS Sobolev Andrey 2nd BUL Yankov Radoslav 3rd RUS Wild Vic 4th RUS Detkov Stanislav On quarter finals one woman didn't finish. She crashed in a spectacular way, what shows us she didn't have full control to riding her board. She was shiped down by a mountain rescue sledge. See here (35th second): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZHouD4Ze2M The greeting sceene later in video wasn't after that crash. For explaining to people out there on the wide world: Snowboarding and skiing can be sometime a terrible thing if riders came out of control. Most time it's a matter of missing riding skill of tourists, or dangerous ideas, like as it happens recently riding skis and snowboards totaly nacked on a slope (English spoken tourists in this case)(due to the forum rules no picture, remove space between http: and // for to see pictures): http: //f.blick.ch/img/incoming/origs4598580/3190143434-w980-h653/nacktskifahren1.png http: //f.blick.ch/img/incoming/origs4598583/6230144190-w980-h653/nacktskifahren2.png (This was just on the only one resort I know, where Pureboarding and the Extremecarving people from Swoard.com are making videos and/or carve on the same slope, not in common / not same day. You wouldn't find anymore resorts both do carving their own style). In case of terrible crashes / insury while riding snowboards and skis in the Alps, we have rescue helicopters and mountain rescue sledges. Even over the weeks last Christmas to new-Year we had up to 50 heli rescue flights-a-day on a 10'000 square miles area. In normal cases, if insuries are not that strong we use mountain rescue sledges, like on rack here on photo on top of a skiarea: But there we have also outside of skiresorts (like outbound / no lifts 10 miles around) metal boxes containing a mountain rescue sledge. You know, splitboarders and mountaineering skiers can crash also, if downhill an uncontrolled mountain area. There isn't any house around, no trails at all. Only pure mountain adventure and some metal boxes containing a mountain rescue sledge.

Robby raced today a Worldcup PGS (Rogla / Slovenia) and finished as 43th. Yes I confirm. He was last season one t-bar behind me. I had a short smalltalk with him on top of the hill.His equipment last season: Kessler - Allflex - Northwave .950

Carving style on softboots (but hardboots too) seems to be different, very different! The ones take it as a pure sport, the other ones make it to feel comfy on a wide runway-type slope. "INFINITY" means in my opinion infinity of carving, moves and airs. Watch on this video here what we think about carving in Continental Europe / Alps: playfull, radical and on any kind of slope. Carving Europe: (if country restriction use direct-link: vimeo.com/144523041) Crashes for shure. If you don't/never crash, your ride isn't that radical enough!

Today we had one more time a FIS Worldcup PAR race in Gastein / Ski Amade (Austria). Womens ranking/podium: Rank 1 to 4 on Kessler snowboards Men ranking/podium: Rank 1 to 4 on Kessler snowboards ++++++ Slovenian television and Austrain television did broadcast live. Tomorow: team-race at Bad Gastein / 12:00 - 13:10 CET / but no TV-broadcasting

Be carefull, Garmisch-Partenkirchen has not as much snow like it must be to have fun. (thin layer of man-made snow only, except on the peak of the mountain Zugspitze) If You are looking for rental hardbooters stuff ask by a phone-cal or e-mail at Surftools in Starnberg. They sell Kessler snowboards and Deeluxe hardboots. ZIP: D-82319 - city: Starnberg - shop: Surftools - street: Bahnhofplatz 4 - phone +49 8151 5568 680 - http://www.surftools.de The shop is located something on the South of Munich, right some vew miles to the West on the way to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, which You reach by Highway No. 95. In Munich itself there You find: Blue Tomato, Blue Tomato Outlet shop and Water Colors. Keep in mind, they are open only on workdays.

I didn't track all the .950-ies Northwave-sales this autumn, but I felt to this christmas auction: https://www.fr.ricardo.ch/acheter/sport/snowboard/vetements-de-snowboard/autres/snowboard-schuhe-pointe-950/v/an801266492/ It starts at €10.- and stands now at €20.- Size is (French sizing) 45, I think it's an E-shell. The boots seems to be like new. End of auction is December 30, 21:35 UTC

Strike back of Italian riders! Historic triumph, like never before: triple victory for Italian men and 1 woman on podium too. After the disaster of Italian riders in Carezza, they come now with 5 man riders in 6 top rankings. Even on qualification run thy had been on top. Maybe the highness of course does affect. We didn't see for a long time a FIS PAR race at that mid-high altitude of 7350 ft. +++++ Cortina d'Ampezzo results: Women: 1st Kummer Patricia (Switzerland) 2nd Ochner Nadya (Italy) 3rd Loch Cheyenne (Germany) Kummer is back, her first podium after Sochi Olympics. She was dominating before all the races. Last season something was wrong, she was trained by the Swiss team coach. Before on the good time, she had a personal snowboard coach. This season she is coming back again with a personal coach on snow - and she ride fast and strong again. Men: 1st Mick Christoph (Italy) (Black-Pearl Snowboard) 2nd Fischnaller Roland (Italy) 3rd Felicetti Mirko (Italy) Thats the final table. They had inconsistence of data at live-timing, so be carefull! Mick Christoph seems to be local, he comes from Bolzano. So podium was catch back from riders of classic wintersport nations. +++++ There was an US rider on 1/8th final: Aaron Muss (USA) vs. Aaron March (Italy) Aaron Muss was ranked finaly as 11th. +++++ How original FIS single run format for a duel can affect to the race? See here: The blue course was obviously faster then the red one on 1/8th finals. After 3 women did win the heat on blue course, the rotation of choosing course take the way. The rider who was faster than the other one in qualification runs, can choose the course he like to ride of the heat. Even she/he can change the course short time before start. All the man did it too, it was amazing how many time it was blinking/switching riders position on live-timing table before they start.

We will see again an original FIS single-run parallel-slalom Saturday December 19. Qualification runs are at 2pm - 4pm CET Finals are hold on flood light 6pm - 7:15pm CET Livecam showing the slope you can find here: http://cortinacube.it/webcam/precfaloria.jpg And again, the mountains there are dry, no snow at all, like all the mountains of southern part of the Alps. Pure man-made ice particle helps to hold the race. Europacup (EC) at Rogla (Slovenia) same weekend is cancelled too, due the lack of snow. Like weather preview says, the Alps will get no more snow until end of the Year - we are here on Global warming because of to much pollution of 2 Global big players. Well I think this doesn't affect to America, maybe even not to California! So we will see if PSL of Bad Gastein (Austria) Januray 8./9. can be hold or not. There are mountains with snow, e.g. for FIS race 4x Giantslalom at Dizin (Iran) Januray 3./4. Maybe Snowboard-Worldcup should switch to Iran mountains.

Winners are from Bulgary and Czech Republic ! PAR Worldcup Alpine snowboarding becomes a game of Easter Europe riders. I was remind Friday evening by news on our nationwide first radio-chain to the first race on Saturday December 12. at 12:30 CET at Carezza (Italy). They had a race preview and interviews with 2 riders of FIS Alpine Worldcup. Now back to PGS in Carezza: + blue sky, but finals are hold on shadow. - White snow bands on brown and dry mountains. Machine made ice particles for the slope only! - Single run format! Single run format seems to be established now on FIS Par Worldcup, because they get a broather circle of racers on podium, even if on tiny time difference of heats (+0.07 down to +0.01 seconds). This means more random choice of winners on the podium, instead of presenting the best one Alpine snowboarders. + FIS has now installed on webpage a "livetiming" where You can watch every heat from the finals (16 female riders / 16 male riders). So you will be able to see when they start and how many parts of a second the one rider beat the other one. - No more live Television broadcastings, even not in Italy! (if here are Italiens who saw anything live on TV, they are welcome to give informations) - even no FIS-SNOWBOARDING tour main sponsor this season, since many season now. Worldcup tour of snowboarders is full paid by FIS skiers. Even one hour before finals in Carezza there was the first finals on FIS Worldcup SBX too at Schruns (Montafon mountains, Austria). They had all white mountains, but only a thin layer of natural snow beside course. First TV station of Austria (ORF-1) shows it on a live broadcast. +++++ Carezza results: Women: 1st Ester Ledecka (Czech Republic) 2nd Ladina Jenny (Switzerland) 3rd Ektarina Tudegesheva (Russia) Beware: all female riders of Poland / Ukraine / Korea had been faster than any female rider from America (USA, Canada). Men: 1st Radoslav Yankov (Bulgaria) 2nd Andrey Sobolev (Russia) 3rd Nevin Galmarini (Switzerland) +++++ So as I resume, things goes more and more on like it could be prevewed from the Years before. While Alpine snowboarding on classic winter sport nations is no more "en vogue" and totaly out of fashion, upcoming countrys from the East and far East take the lead. Probably on a lower and more poor general snowboard riding skill then we saw ever before (#1). Even they still stay connected by some parts to their board which are intoduced to market back in 1993 !!! (they couldn't buy them that time in their country.) +++++ Next race would be hold coming weekend in Cortina d'Ampezzo (Italy) - Saturday December 19. it's a PSL night event. Due to the lack of snow, FIS Worldcup SBX race of Cortina d'Ampezzo was canceled (first night event SBX ever, see youtube preview of snowboard club Cortina d'Ampezzo / www.snowboardclubcortina.com ). Now they will hold instead of a SBX course the FIS Worldcup PSL race. +++++ (#1): Why I wrote above someting about less riding skill? Yes, it can be nice if there is a rider on WC with a sticker on the nose of the board from your local snowboard-store. Even if there are more riders around (less than 1 hour by car) racing PAR FIS WC. Otherwise I was highly astonished about a rider which I found on the full result-list of that PGS Worldcup of Carezza! That young rider was riding-on same time a slope down like me February this Year. I was dancing/carving beside him on a extra hard icy slope with my old asymetric raceboard (shape outline was as old, like some parts of his bindings). And he wasn't able performing radical turns and to take up my speed and even he couldn't follow me on lower narrow part of that slope, which was to ride like a SBX course. This U-20 rider had not had a realy good general skill for riding/carving a raceboard, but he race now on FIS Worldcup! And more, he didn't strike all the other ones snowboarders and skiers on that slope. This is not to be compared to the Years of ISF racers! Thats exact the reason why people from classic winter sport nations meanwhile didn't take anymore notice to (the lame art of) Alpine snowboarding!

Downhill alpine snowboarding and Super-G alpine snowboarding ???What are you dreaming about. At Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games they cancel even ski downhill race and ski super-G race !!! Thats a lost of the most spectacular wintersports events we know on the Alps! See here: http://en.europeonline-magazine.eu/fis-fears-loss-of-traditional-events-at-olympics_417513.html or here (Norwegian): http://www.msn.com/nb-no/sport/vintersport/fis-presidenten-frykter-tradisjonelle-skiidretter-kan-forsvinne-fra-ol-programmet/ar-AAfovqj So what starts as genuine wintersports at Chamonix 1924, isn't be continued 100 Years later. I mean what for Justin Reiter is fighting is for nothing!

What's up! An online petition asking the IOC to not cancel big-air snowboarding will resume to 15'000'000 signatures! "Reiter will proceed in the Swiss Civil Court in Lausanne" So Justin Reiter has poor chance. IOC handles like a club. His sue has no affects to what IOC do inside the club, they are free to take any decisions. Even in case which kind of sport they support for the Olympics. Meanwhile many international sport associations are located in Switzerland, they know why. ! FIS (Oberhofen), IOC (Lausanne), FIFA (Zurich), UEFA (Nyon), IHF (Basle), IIHF (Zurich), FIH (Lausanne), FIBA (Mies), UCI (Aigle), FINA (Lausanne), LEN (Nyon), AIBA (Lausanne) !

Just a hoax? Knits out of bambus is a lie and swindle to the consumers! They are probably made out of Viscose rayon, not out of bamboo. Viscose is coming out from a chemical process. You can't analyze backward from wich stuff Viscose is. For to produce Viscose you can use bamboo, but as well known since more than a century other natural fibres too. And bamboo as wood itself can be destroyed by fungus and bacteriums verry fast, way faster than many other wood.

UPZ RC8 is a way different shell and boot compared to Head Stratos Pro's! If you are well on Head Stratos Pro's try to get a pair of them again! Take care, UPZ RC8 have many "con's" (like some of them to RC10 too): - hard to entry - hard to take lever for to open buckles with gloves on - lever of buckle is way to short, closing force is not manageable as well - flex of boots strongly varied with closing force of buckles - has an unusual strong heel ramp which tooks you way more forward (even on front foot!), than Head Stratos Pro's do. This affect a lot to your ride. - restricted moving of cuff on walk-mode compared to Head - no rubber soles on toes, what can be slippery if walking - not nice to walk with them on (not functional) Head Stratos Pro's comes with significant softer flex (even on sideflex) than UPZ RC8. Head Stratos Pro's are way more dedicated to Alpine snowboarding than UPZ's ever had been! UPZ's are designed to use as skiboots too (Hybrid boots). You should take a decision! Do you want to go snowboarding with hardboots, or do you like to go skiing with skiboots! Anything between isn't realy helpfull. Good to know: Head hardboots had once been the most popular hardboots after the Raichle's (now Deeluxe) here in continental Europe. People loves them. While UPZ's had been realy niche hardboots only. Head boots (like Raichel/Deeluxe too) fit any plate-bindings, while UPZ's (and even Nortwaves too) have some restrictions. Well things change the last 5-10 Years. While Deeluxe turns to put out more and more low quality, UPZ's became more and more popular as a usefull second source (I would say choice of hardboots is on a low level now). I want to ask you Maxlanaudiere: Which boot size of Head Stratos Pro you need. If big feets (or small) HTM (Head Tyrolia Mares) headquarter has some remaining pairs on stock. They can send them via your country distributor to your local ski-shop which do dealings with HTM. Otherwise there are some shops in Europe which have some pairs of Stratos Pro's left. Retail price of Head Stratos Pro was (and still is!) at € 350.-. On some countrys they can be up to a € 550.- price tag. There would be no reasons for to sell them for less, even if last production lot is from 2010. If price is to high to customers the shops redirect them to some Deeluxe or UPZ's from the season before which are on sale.

and what about the black sole-part on the heel of right boot (see photo). Is it missing?

Just for them who are not able to belive my explanations. I know it's hard for the one or other member (and moderators) here to accept there are riders which can be closer to good vibes than they ever are capable to imagine. According to the stressfull discusion we had here on thread I want to remember there are true mountains for to go true snowboarding. Even the best snowboard riders on the World like to go there as I like it to do similar. Wide and clean artifical made slopes, containing artifical snow can not be compared to true mountains and natural slopes on true mountains. Orginal wintersports, which includes carving an Alpine snowboard too, doesn't need fully man-shaped runs. For to show things can take time maybe Years like I wrote it on postings here on this thread and here on this thread now, since some days there is another Nike video sequence on Youtube. I invite you to compare the scenes from this new (Aug 10, 2015) video: backcounty screen-shot 1:47 which was from this playground, and in detail and this was the board he used (see his Youtube channel) Well, Sage Kotsenburg (USA) is gold medalist of Sochi Olympics on slope-style, so the first winner of an Olympic slope-style snowboard event. Even like many other good riders he like also to go riding on great true mountains, even like shown on my pictures taken 12 days after closing Sochi Olympics.

It's amazing how people get a focus to Edmond Plawczyk after his World record on a raceboard. Even way more people as before he run down his new record (he anounced some great things, taking focus to a FIS-legal record last autumn!) Well, unfortunately his home speed downhill track was closed for ever the season before. This was a speed track which was excellent for carving extreme on a slalom board (the ones call it extremecarving), the days after annual XSpeed event. Not every Year, because Sunday of the race week was a backup day in case of bad weather and lifts are closing season that sunday evening. But there had been Years with one week longer lift operation. Well, track is now down - no more preparation possible. We are on Global warming on the Alps now. Global warming maybe doesn't affect ever to US or other mountains. Glacier there (Edmond Plawczyk local track on the Alps) looses hugh mass of ice. So downhill-track-profile became unusable and dangerous rocks became visible. In case of this April 2015 new World record on snowboard, we should know that speed record on skis was also broken that day. There are no informations to get about weather conditions on Speed Masters against earlier Years, or other races. We had unusual weather conditions that days on the Alps, unusual compared to other Years. I guess they had been lucky to have some supporting wind falling down the mountain.

This is a made-in-China Völkl raceboard! Völkl snowboards made in China became unsaleable on the Alps. Völkl snowboards disappeared totaly from shelf of core snowboard shops. Völkl took back production from China to Bavaria (Straubing) of many skis, as they realized customers like to buy only true skis and good quality skis. I recommend: Look-up for older MADE IN GERMANY Völkl raceboards. Outline of "newer" and "after-CAP" Renntiger / Racetiger shape didn't change since they are orginaly introduced to market out of Straubing (no shape modification over one decade). Orginaly, I mean right shape on right flex pattern, like the shaper want it. Not any flex because of any wood like Chineese did laminate them. And even without any delimination of Titanal stringers as well known from Völkl Selecta snowboards.

As announced this week, rider Galmarini [#1] (silver medalist of Sochi Olympics) switched from SG snowboards [#2] to Oxess snowboards [#3]. Since many Years Nevin Galmarini was very loyal to Sigi Grabner snowboards. For to proceed he choose now a other Alpine snowboard label. Maybe the domination on Worldcup by Jan Kosir (Slovenia) on Oxess snowboards, or his Swiss team coach Ingemar Walder (Austrain, on Oxess snowboards too) gives him the idea for a trial on new boards. We will see what happen and how he can perform upcomming season on Oxess snowboards. [#1] Nevin Galmarini is a younger rider from Switzerland. Except on a team race he miss until yet to be a winner of a WorldCup race. He lives close to Schuls on low Engadine valley, which is on border to Italy and Austria. Schuls has a medium size ski-area with mostly very easy slopes, joined mainly by from far away and less experienced tourists. You can compare Schuls ski-area to many of Austrian non challanging ski areas. Schuls has every Year a serious lack of snow, so they have countless of snowmakers on the mountain for to prepare rideable slopes. [#2] Sigi Grabner snowboards from Austria are made by Elan of Yugoslavia. That part of Yugoslavia became then Slovenia as an independet country and Slovenia is now on the European Community. Elan had a snowboard factory right on the other side of border in Austria, where SG snowboards had been laminated. Elan is a high volume and cheap made children ski factory (mass production of simple skis). Elan get massive subvention from Slovenian state. So they had a serious conflict to the rules of European Community. At first they let gone bancrupt Elan snowboard factory in Furnitz. Capita mfg was overtaking knowledge and crew of Elan Furnitz and builds just now a new factory at Feistritz / Gailtal. Capita mfg will manufacture next Year all the SG snowboards on the brand new factory. There are again massive subventions from Carinthian state and local community for that new factory. So same crew and same production technologie for SigiGrabner snowboards (comming out from mass production of simple and cheap skis). Keep in mind SG snowboards deny any warranty on Titanal boards. While near to all skimakers on the World have one or more Years of warranty on skiers containing Titanal sheets (since more than a half century), that odd technologie of Elan, building snowboards with Titanal sheets seems to be a little more weak. [#3] Oxess snowboards are made by founder and shaper Marcel Brunner and his team. Oxess is located near of Zurich / Switzerland. While on start-up of Oxess they sell mostly boards to locals and suburb riders of Zurich, Oxess supplys now mainly racers from FIS ski snowboarding, like SBX and some of PAR. Near to no suburb riders anymore. Marcel is professional in wood working. He works some Years on Formula-1 racecar maker BMW-Sauber, which is now F1 Sauber. There he learned a lot about construction with carbon fibres. Learning from F1 BMW he meight be the only one snowboard maker around the World using an autoclave oven for building snowboards. This technology spend the Oxess snowboards that outstanding quality and durability (black carbon boards). And recently Oxess get a new sanding machine from Kuendig for to go even way more precise and faster on wood works. It's remarkable: Against Elan manufacturing of cheap mass children skis, Oxess is using and has knowledge of very high technology for boardmaking. And in counterpoint to Elan and now again Capita mfg too, Oxess never get any subventions or money from anywhere of public organisations. Oxess was growing from making snowboards and from their passion. As a con we should know, shaper and board maker of Oxess Marcel Brunner and many of his team missed to have a deep background and practice of snowboarding. Shaping realy excellent to ride snowboards remains the big lack of Oxess. What maybe perform on FIS snowboarding maight not be realy a high demand for true snowboarding. Even abroad many rider buy an Oxess snowboard, just because they have absolute no other choice to get similar good or better boards on their local area. They are bind to online orders. But if they can be able to buy better up to way better performing snowboards (with Carbone and Titanal inside too) on a 30% to 50% less price, like snowboarders around Oxess, they wouldn't buy anymore an Oxess snowboard. That's the reason why Oxess can't sell anymore snowboards to locals and suburb riders around them (or only very vew items).

Hi folks, coming frome here: http://forums.bomberonline.com/index.php?/topic/41744-the-snowboard-parallel-slalom-event-has-been-proposed-to-be-dropped-from-the-olympic-program/ everyone knows allready Caroline Calvé is retiring from active snowboarding? http://www.fis-ski.com/snowboard/alpine-snowboard/news-multimedia/news/article=caroline-calve-answering-those-question-made-miss-snowboarding-already.html

We had some avalange accidents the last days on northern hemisphere.- June 21. in Carinthia (Austria) at mountain of Hohen Burgstall/Glocknergebiet (2800 meters). 3 rescued men, 2 victims and - June 24. on glacier mountains of Switzerland (3500 meters), a huge cornice broke down, 1 victim. Then we had snowboarding for free at Soelden Rettenbach glacier (Austria) on June 17. For foto click this! (HiRes 6Mp / 5MB) www.tourdesuisse.ch/fileadmin/user_upload/Galerien_2015/Impressionen_der_5._Etappe/2015_06_17_TdS_09532.jpg I mean up to 600 m of downhill on empty slopes and perfect snow conditions, even beside slope too, isn't that bad if you had to pay $ zero for it. Unfortunately no-ones will be ready to ship all that snow down-under.

I was suprised at first as IOC took PSL into the Olymics Games. There was no serios reason for a second snowboard PAR event at the Olymics. We should know Russians take it as a good thing to have PSL at Sochi, even because Russian riders won some Worldcup medals on PSL the Years before. Putin had the goal to collect as many medals as possible for his country reputation. Then his athletes wons the most of them at least. Russia had the power and enough money to let the IOC members vote for a PSL race at Sochi Olympic games. Now Sochi is over! So no more demand of less interessting Wintersports at all. ( see my conclusions here ) I don't think some internet-based votes can have the same power like some good Dollars sliding into the pocket of IOC members. We can be still happy about, PGS remains on the Olympic games. Even SBX too. Together with Snowboardcross (SBX) these are wintersports with very vew spectators beside the races. So no realy good choice for big games. In case of SBX we should know Snowboard-cross is substituted fully by Ski-cross now. There over in the Alps, we can find hosters of many Years SBX which denided SBX recently and switched the last vew Years to Skicross only. Same work, same costs, but much more advertising for the hosting resort.

What an "very new" and interessting thing to read, which was comming public after FIS meeting 3rd-6th June at Varna (Bulgaria). snowmatic: Future of PGS/PSL musn't stop at Sochi 02/2014 snowmatic: There is a big change in progress. Snowboarding declines in the West. Sales figures are boken in dramatic. Freeskiing is the future. snowmatic: There will be a change, probably a big change the next Years. FIS is still waiting for sponsors snowmatic: So there is still a massiv decreasing comming out from classic wintersport nations, which help to decrease general riding skill on worldcup races too. We will see, if there are enough subscribers on that petition, even from volks outside of Worldcup racers!

in China, with a partizipation of an amazing high amount of 5 Western European boys and 8 Western European girls from the Alps, right? That's a very interessting question in-deed!Read this and make Your conclusion: As pretty "new" as we know it well from all the snowboards comming out of Artes (Spain), I have to remember what happens with Hot and Hammer snowboards, but O-Sin too. Hot raceboards was once made in France. Hot and Hammer snowboards came out from Les Rousses (near of Geneva / border France-Switzerland) where they had been developed, tested and produced. Les Rousses is a ski resort too. So Hot was able to veryfy every shape on real slope conditions immediatly right beside manufactoring, like e.g. Kessler snowboards is able to do it too. And for exceptional tests Hot snowboards was able to reach Chamonix in 100 minutes by car. But Les Rousses and Chamonix isn't Hintertux, where OES is testing. Hintertux (Austria) is more a full tourist comfort ski resort. Hintertux offers wide open space glacier slopes and all-bulldozer made artifical snow slopes on mountain. This help to feel tourists very comfy on slopes, even if skiers and snowboarders are on poor riding skill. That's the base of the very big success of Hintertux ski area. Hintertux has 0, (I mean ZERO) domestics riders during winter-time, because it's way to boring to ride there. Easyness of slopes and nice and fine groomed powder-snow turns Hintertux to a tourist first choice only resort. Hot carving boards of France runs very hot on any snow and had been long living snowboards. They even perform and consist higher level hardbooting! I mean much higher level! Then they switched after around Millenium the production of Hot and Hammer snowboards to Artes (Catalonia, Spain). There we find big Rossignol factory which do low tech and cheap mass production of ski's and snowboard's. So I have to ask, which Hot carvingboards had been good and which not. The ones "Made-in-France", or the ones whithout the label "Made-in-France". I think there are enough older reviews / discussions here on forum about decreasing fun/quality on/of Hot snowboards. Mainly even if not taking attention/knowledge about Hot was switched production from France to Artes / Catalonia. Vice versa I had to ask, why Hot and Hammer snowboards dissapeared totaly from shelves on shops? (*). Because they increase quality and riding fun, because they are reasonable products? And again I have to ask what happens to Orginal Sin (like 4807) which became later Dynastar? Let give me You a straight example: These OES snowboard riders on video seems to be not able to hold edge during a turn on a very simple and easy "tourists first choice" slope. (thread: Carving in Finland. OnedgeStyle team Russia) So they crash and even more they crash together! On the pictures I was posting here on "Tracks" thread I was carving on a Hot Shine snowboard (Made in France) which I get like new from a fleemarket for some bucks (grind base, sharp the edges, wax before riding). The Hot carving snowboard was not a top-of-the-line board. But as you can see on the pictures Hot was making boards which are capable to be carved hard and they hold edge ever, doesn't matter on which slope condition. Thats not similar to that what softies decisions are riding OES snowboards and loosing edge gripp and crash where ever they are capable to crash. Miss-functional snowboards are realy not ready to hold edge, even not on super easy and grippy slopes. Miss-functional snowboards doesn't let carve on an easy way heavy-weight, but light-weighted snowboarders too on 7th-sky. Well, for sure my carving tracks of picture on that rutted slope wasn't on a 100 % "tourists-first-choice-only" resort like Hintertux is. It was on a 100 % locals and domestics only resort (I mean on places where good riders goes), as like Les Rousses is it too. Even such resorts gives domestics of the Alpes the big advantage of no hundreds of oscillating and out-of-controll (and danger) "Sputniks" or "Progress-M-27M" or anything else on ski-slopes. I hope for taking conclusion, I could give some ideas about what good and high performing carving boards are and out of where good and high performing Alpine snowboards come from. (* I'm writing about shops around the Alps. Domestic riders have there some minimal requirements to what/how snowboards are capable to perform - and for sure on a reasonable price! On other markets (even on upcomming countrys) it's way easier to sell some piece of **** to customers. There customers take more attention to brands, style, internet based recommendations and so on, but less to overall riding performance of a shape on real slopes.)