The Burton Fish
People say everything works in powder but that definitely is not the case anymore. Now
that there are boards like the Fish and The Malolo available that make riding powder easier
than ever, you should definitely email us ahead of time and get one to demo. If you have never
ridden powder before, go with the Fish. It will change your life. Last year we had people who were
having a terrible time on their own non-powder specific boards and we put them onto a Fish. They
went from the worst day ever to the best day ever in 100 feet. By the end of the day they
were going to Showcase Snowboards as soon as they got out of the van to buy one.
The board is that good. It will change your life.
The Burton Malolo
If you have ridden powder and already have some skills or you already flat out rip, snag
a Malolo, with slightly less taper than the Fish. Ken the owner rides a black 166 cm
prototype with baseless EST bindings straight from JG the head board developer at
Burton. Ken's been riding since 1980 so he has ridden a few powder boards in that time. He
says this about it:
"You can load the board hard powering turns and it won't
let you down. It knows where it wants to go, it doesn't get the 'Indecisive Nose'
feeling some boards have at speed in powder, the feeling where the board can't
decide whether to go straight or start a turn. You can point it with confidence.
The board has awesome pop and you can stomp landings on it and the flex won't
buck you over the nose. You can load the tail hard in slashes and it won't buckle.
It rips everything. Best powder board I've ever had.
4FRNT Skis
4FRNT is a freeride ski brand designed exclusively by their pro team
of accomplished skiers. Their commitment is endured in the biggest of
mountains with a world class quality product. The Powder Mountain
guide team has visited these skis performance and aided in advancing
their development exclusively for the Powder Mountain terrain.
4FRNT's staple is their passion for performance. A common flaw in
most backcountry skiers is their passive back seat posture - which is
provoked by skis that are not designed properly for powder. 4FRNT's
drive is to design skis for powder that enable the skier to ski in
the same position in powder as they do around the resort's packed
snow. This enables the skier greater confidence as well longer
lasting legs which means more runs!
VCT and EHP
A ski that's tried and trued throughout all of Powder Mountain's
landscape is the VCT. Designed by backcountry skier and pro team
rider Vincent Dorion, this versatile and lively ski handles well in
the deep and on the buff. Available in four lengths, all no less than
100mm in width under the boot, make this ski exceptional for just
about any backcountry experience. The 168 and 175 length share a
common radius of 25M, permitting easy round turns on the buff but
effortless turns when in powder. The 82 and 89 length share a 28M
radius, providing a bit of the same but designed for a heavier, more
aggressive skier that enjoys speed and stomping landings.
Native to Western Canada is the EHP's designer Eric Hjorleifson. A
pro team rider that has a unmistakably fluid style. Eric's collection
spans the range of what any backcountry skier may encounter. The 186
length is your all-time powder tree ski. With gradual tip and tail
radius, this 116mm waisted ski maneuvers in powder trees like slalom
skis do around gates. The confidence is shocking as the tips float
through it all allowing a comfortable, forward lean position with
ample floatation. The 190, a bit more conservative with under foot
dimensions of 104mm, has a bit of camber for those in-between days
but with a classic shape and radius that mellows the most challenging
conditions. The 193 is a flag ship big mountain ski. Tested
rigorously by the Powder Mountain guide team, this ski like to go
fast, catch air and stomp landings. Eric's most popular ski amongst
advanced level skiers looking for that stomping platform.
Renting
We recommend Affinity Sport in the Blackcomb Lodge for all your ski rental needs. Just tell them that you are going to Powder Mountain
Catskiing and they will set you up with the perfect ski for the deep powder that
we are famous for.
Ask for the Fischer Watea 101's. Here's the low down from their site.
"At 101mm under the foot there's no doubt this ski will float in the fluff, but the carbon fiber I-Beams ensure they'll also hold on the hard stuff...because sadly, its not waist deep every day. Be prepared for anything the mountain serves up."
Burton makes our guide uniforms.
The coolest thing is their clothing is so great that they don't do anything special for our guides to wear their clothes for 110 days straight. it's straight off the shelf, you can buy the exact same clothing our guides wear.
The AK clothing line really amazes me. In 4 years of rocking AK clothing we haven't had one let us down. We haven't even had a pulled stitch. We've ripped a few but that was the wearers fault, hooking a sharp metal corner when they were wrenching on a cat. The clothes are amazing.
If you are thinking of getting new outerwear, drop the coin on AK, you'll get years and years out of it. You'll be sick of looking at it before it wears out. It will be like the season pass photo on Whistler Blackcomb where they just recycle your photo from the previous year. You won't know what year your photo is from as you will always be wearing the same stuff, looking the same. Just your airs and powder sprays will be bigger.