This month kicked off with some awesome snow and cold winter conditions. We had some excellent fresh powder riding for April fools day thanks to some short hikes into the high alpine. We are currently in the middle of the World Ski and Snowboard Festival here in Whistler which means lots of free bands in the village and world class snowboard competitions.
Local Camp News
At camp things are starting to slow down a little with only onr more week of programs for the winter calendar. That doesn't mean that we are slowing down as we are busy preparing for summer with our new NZ trip (Which is happening in September) as well as summer camp training in June and July. If you are keen to come out to Whistler the you can now book for new winter for our freestyle and freeride snowboard instructor training. If you would like to come to NZ you can check out the information on-line at
Cooler Magazine
Keep an eye out for Cooler Magazine on the shelves at your local news agent. Cherry from http://www.coolermag.com was just out at camp three weeks ago to check us out and write a story about our programs. They are a womens snow, surf and lifestyle magazine out of Europe which is an alternative lifestyle haven for young women.
New Zealand 'World Trip'
If you have ever dreamed about snowboarding in New Zealand and would like to come with our Pro Ride limited numbers adult (18+) improvement camp please let us know - there are now 10 spots available for our 8 and 11 day trip to Wanaka NZ (Middle Earth for those who have watched Lord of the Rings) - the date is set for September 6th. If you are already in NZ or planning to be there you can drop into our 5 of 6 day training only clinic. Drop us an email if you are keen to snowboard@pro-ride.com - you can check out the web page at http://www.pro-ride.com/new-zealand-snowboard-camps.cfm We already have several bookings and lots of expressions of interest. This will be a super fun holiday experience with the flexibility for us to be able to switch up our schedule based on conditions and the groups riding goals. We have 4 star comfortable accommodations with a gym, heated pool and bbq area so when we are off the slopes we will be living in style. We are also going to partake in some jet boating, bungee, snowmobiling and heliskiing for those who are keen as optional extras.
Camper News
Our most recent Level 1 and 2 candidates all dominated their exams with above standard being a common thread for many of the results sheets. We had a huge party at the end of March with many of the long term campers finishing up for the winter. Most of the crew have decided to stay in town and ride until the end of the April and make the most of the excellent snow conditions.
Coach News
A couple of weekends ago the Canadian Nationals half pipe competition was on down in Vancouver at Cypress Mountain. Crispin, Ryan and Neil all went down for the event and came 4th, 6th and 9th. Katie went down to represent the women and came 12th. In other coach news Dylan is still slaving away on the house he is building down in Squamish and is planning on heading east for the summer to build log homes. Duncan was in Toronto with his girlfriend and jsut got back. Lisa and Luke are planning on heading down to Mt Buller in Australia for the summer snow sliding season and Ants L is hanging in Whistler for the summer and playing golf.
Mountain News
As most of the world’s ski resorts close for winter 07-08, Whistler has announced more than two months of its long snowsports season is still ahead. Skiing and riding on Whistler Mountain will continue until April 20th. Spring skiing then continues on Blackcomb Mountain from Monday, April 21 through to Sunday, June 8th. After that the Blackcomb glacier is open for summer snow sports.
The resort currently has a snow base of 265cm and will have 3,000 to 2,500 acres remaining open for May and the first week of June.
Blackcomb Mountain will also debut a new terrain park through to the end of May in the Jersey Cream area. Opening on April 21st, it will feature a mix of small, medium as well as large jibs and jumps built for the Orage Masters.
Next Winters Information
The dates and pricing for next winters programs are up on the web site so you can register for the long term programs now - bookings are already coming in so if you have any questions about the programs or would like some more information you can check out http://www.pro-ride.com/courses.cfm or email us at snowboard@pro-ride.com. If you want to see what your in for you can check out http://www.pro-ride.com/diary.cfm
Summer Camp
The Summer Glacier Camps are on again this year. This is perfect for the junior riders who can't come and train with us during the winter months. If you can't get enough during the winter and you want to come and ride the Blackcomb Glacier and the best halfpipe then check out www.pro-ride.com/summercamp/index.cfm
Summer Camp Dates for 2008
Session #1 June 27 - July 4
Session #2 July 4 - 11
Session #3 July 11 - 18
What's New
This summer the final parts will come together for the new $50 million Peak to Peak gondola. Over the summer they will be stringing up the cable and building the machinery to power the lift which will take you from the top of Whistler to the top of Blackcomb in 12 minutes.
Check out the Pictures
We are constantly updating the diary pages on the web site so if you would like to see what we are getting up to you can check out http://www.pro-ride.com/diary.cfm
Thanks to our Sponsors who supported us this winter - please check them out
Ride Snowboards - www.ridesnowboards.com
Dakine - www.dakine.com
Groovstar Outerwear - www.groovstar.com
Kuu Wax - www.kuu.com
Smith - www.smithoptics.com
Freestyle Max - www.freestylemax.com
Red Bull - www.redbull.com
Snowboard.com - www.snowboard.com
Huge thanks to everyone who came out to ride this winter - it has been awesome!
If you have any questions for us or feedback please drop us an email at
snowboard@pro-ride.com
Have a great month
See you soon!
From Anthony and the Team at Pro Ride
