Be aware of NARSID

I've been skiing and snowboarding for just 3-4 years, and before, I have always thought that the only danger that existed in the mountains was an avalanche. But even that , I thought , could happen somewhere in Himalayas or at least on Rainier.

When I started working as a ski instructor, I realized that not all mountain hazards come in the form of avalanches. That's when I first heard about NARSID - Non-Avalanche Related Snow Immersion Death.

Many skiers/snowboarders are aware of inbound avalanches, the danger of getting lost, or hitting a tree. But not many skiers and boarders have heard of tree wells.

A deep snow or tree well accident occurs when a rider or skier falls into an area of deep unconsolidated snow and becomes immobilized. The more the person struggles the more entrapped in the snow they become.

If a partner is not there for immediate rescue, the skier or rider may die very quickly from suffocation - in many cases, they can die as quickly as someone can drown in water.

Even people who are familiar with tree wells under-appreciate the danger of this hazard.

According to the statistics, 90 percent of sliders who fall into tree wells are unable to get out without help. The odds of surviving a deep snow immersion/NARSID accident are low; especially if you are by yourself.

So, remember, next time you are filming one of your friends skiing and he happens to fall into a tree well...just keep filming, cause I couldn't find a single good video online:

Never too young to learn to snowboard ! She's one (!), and she's awesome !

What's the appropriate age for your kid to start learning to snowboard ? 4...6...7...? At the Summit of Snoqualmie they offer group snowboard lessons for kids 7 years old and up.

Many parents feel more comfortable with their kids learning how to ski first, because they can "judge" whats going on and can give some "guidance"...

...but really there is no minimum age to start snowboarding:

How to teach a 4 year old snowboarding

You mean the hard way or the easy way ?

The easiest, hassle free way is to sign him/her up with an 8 consecutive week lesson program at your local ski area. Drop off your kid in the morning, pick him up two hours later, repeat in the afternoon. No stress, no worries, and you can ski/snowboard freely while his is learning.

How do they call the hard way ?
Tough love, every father's nightmare ( or as I like to call it "every kid's nightmare" ), stoic approach...?

But there is another way...

The Yibb, is a training tool that can be mounted on a board so the kids can learn to ride without puts and use the whole body to turn...

Invented by a design agency in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Atomic sells the product under the name “PIQ Training Bar” in US. So chances are, you will not (yet) find the Yibb/ PIQ Training Bar in many retail shops ( or on Amazon ). The suggested retail price was EUR 169...in US $$$ it would be ehhh...

P.S : I think it's a great product, wish I could buy for myself, but browsing Atomic.com web site I couldn't find anything about the Yibb/ PIQ Training Bar.

If you're still looking for ways for you little ones ( or yourself ! ) to learn snowboarding, try Kahuna Snow Paddle Stick !

Check out this post to see how it works !

Beginner snowboarder : How to buy your first snowboarding gear

First , I'd like to say that this is not an "expert advice" post on how to buy your first snowboarding gear. Below, I provide a detailed link and a video from our " authority on all things outdoorsy " -REI. Here, I just want to share some "beginner-to- beginner" tips on how to save money buying your first snowboarding gear.

I've been snowboarding for just 3 years, and still consider myself to be a novice rider. I still use the same gear that I bought when I got started, and I am still quite happy with what I have.

I bought my gear (board, bindings and boots) off of Craigslist for just $50, and the only thing that mattered at that time was the right size and some cool graphics ( actually, it still does).

Your first obvious move would be to rent snowboarding gear from your local ski area. Kids who work at those rental shops know what they are doing, and will gear you up without boring you with too many unnecessary details.

Now that you know your boot size and approximate length of a board, you can shop around.

#Personally, for your first set up ( board, bindings and boots), I wouldn't pay more than $100.

#If possible, try to buy the whole package - board, bindings and boots.

#Make sure that the boots fit into the bindings, and the bindings are not broken.

#For beginners, I wouldn't recommend buying "clicker/step in" boots and bindings. While step in bindings eliminate bending over and sitting on the cold ground, old school step -ins ( that go cheap on eBay and Craigslist) don't have the highback that for some people makes learning process more difficult.

A couple more tips:

You can always " figure out how to snowboard ", but my advice, take at least 1 lesson from an instructor ( not a friend who will take you to the top of "black diamond" and say "see you at the bottom")

Invest in a pair of ski or snowboard pants and a puffy jacket. It will make your experience less painful.

If you decided that snowboarding is not for you, you can always sell your gear ( if not for the same price, at least $10-20 less ).

Of course, if you can afford to spend $300 -500 on brand new gear, and you know that snowboarding is something you'd stick to for a long time, by all means go for it.

If you still need more details on how to choose your first snowboard, check out REI's very detailed ( and very lengthy ) article here.

Skiing In Whistler,BC

Peak to Peak Gondola

Whistler Village

Viewpoint

On top of Whistler Mountain

Whistler Mountain Symbol

Whistler Blckcomb -North America's # 1 ranked ski resort has a lot to offer -alpine bowls, wide-open glaciers,gladed trees and perfectly-groomed cruisers.Whistler is a utopia for the adventurous spirit. Heli-skiing, snowmobiling, ziptrekking, bungee jumping, dog sledding,snowshoeing are just a few of the options to get your blood pumping.

But what most people come here for -is ,of course,skiing. Whistler boasts the largest ski area on the continent with more than 200 marked trails and the two greatest vertical rise ski mountains in North America.The ski season stretches from late November to early June.

For me ,as an avid skier, it wasn't skiing that made me fall in love with this place, it was the scenery.I had to admit, even the great Mt Rainier couldn't compete with that (author's personal opinion).

As for the actual skiing, because of the limited time, I couldn't ( and probably wouldn't have been able ) to cover all the trails.The main ones -Harmony Express,Symphony and the Peak lead to the magnificent viewpoints.

The major drawback- no night skiing, lifts close 2:30 pm.
The advantage of being a Washingtonian--about 10% off on your lift ticket ( I paid $ 78.85 (Canadian) -or $ 68 US )

Snowboarding at Ski Hill in Leavenworth

If you think snowboarding is hard- think again.

This was my first winter when I tried it. It took me about 1 hour ( and 200+ falls) to learn it.

It does not matter how old you are to learn new things, as long as you have the desire to learn and a sense of adventure. I did not have an instructor or some fancy equipment, just the desire to have fun ( at all cost).