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

The snow keeps falling here in Whistler. We now have had 29 feet of snow that has fallen so far this year and over 3 months left of the ski season. We are offering training all the way until the end of April for our groups and custom training into May. We are busy planning our 'World Trips' and the NZ Trip for September is up on the web site if you would like to come.

Over the past month we have had loads going on.

We successfully completed our second road trip for the season down to Mt Baker with our 12 week campers and were met with fantastic conditions. It was quite the adventure as I found out that my wife Karen was going into labour just as we were putting in our first powder runs of the day at Mt Baker. The day was a real blast for me. We shredded powder all morning with sunny skies and then rallied back to Vancouver to make it just in time for Baylee to be born - you really can't beat that for a day to remember. Check out www.pro-ride.com/diary.cfm for the pictures of the day.

Instructor Results

We have had excellent results from our Level 2 crew who did their exams and a couple of them who wanted to work have already been hooked up with employment with Whistler Blackcomb for the remainder of the season. A good friend of ours who does the hiring for the school came by the camp house and chatted with the crew about how to gain employment with the mountain and at the end of his session offered work to the people who were interested.

Jump Day

We have a backcountry style jump day planned for Friday which should be a blast. We have snow forecasted all the way to Friday which is going to make for super soft landings. As a bonus, Cooler - European Women's Life Style Magazine will be on hand to document the activities. Jump day just happens to correspond with one of the campers birthdays so it is going to be quite an affair.

Coach Lance Cyr Superman Front Flip

Competition News

Lots of great results this month from the crew. Ryan Rausch has been travelling the globe and is dominating as usual. Crispin Lipscomb was in Italy for the World Cup Half Pipe and took the win for Canada. This is only a week after winning the Showcase Showdown. The boy is on fire!

Next Years Programs

All of next years pricing and dates are up on the web site so now is a great time to secure your place for the long term programs. We have already had quite a few bookings so if you are keen please drop us a line to let us know. You can register at www.pro-ride.com/register0809.cfm - all of this years long term programs sold out and we are again limiting the numbers for next year to guarantee the best training available world wide.

This Seasons Programs

Coach Anthony Leffelaar BS 180

Summer Vacation - 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 will be 12 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 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.

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

Session #1 June 27 - July 4

Session #2 July 4 - 11

Session #3 July 11 - 18

That's it folks. Lots more shredding to be had this winter so if you are keen to come out let us know and we will show you a fantastic time.

Keep an eye on the www.pro-ride.com/diary.cfm page for all the latest pictures from the camp.

If you have any questions for us or feedback please drop us an email at

snowboard@pro-ride.com and registrations can be made on-line at www.pro-ride.com/register.cfm

Have a great month

See you soon!

Availability for Camp
February is now pretty much booked up for long term courses however we do have space for February 12th, 16th and 23rd for one week camps. With all the snow we have it is going to be an awesome spring. We do have space for the 1,2 4, 6 and 8 week programs starting March 1st and the 4 week programs starting the beginning of April. March is traditionally one of the months where we receive a considerable amount of snow fall so it is a great month to come and ride powder before the spring.

Coach News
Neil Connolly has just flown out to Korea with Crispin Lipscomb to compete in the FIS half pipe event and Anthony Leffelaar is in Vegas for the trade snow. Anthony is then off to Salt Lake City to shoot photos for Spy as he is now on their international snowboard team.

New Zealand - 'World Trips'
After years of promising a New Zealand camp it is all coming to fruition. The tentative arrival date into NZ will be September 6th or 8th for the first of two one week camps or you can come for both sessions. If you are keen and the dates work for you please let me know to anthony@pro-ride.com - it will be a multi mountain experience working on freeride and freestyle. Stay tuned to www.pro-ride.com for the link to the NZ camp page.

Summer Camp
The new dates and information is now posted for the summer sessions.

http://www.pro-ride.com/summercamp/index.cfm

That's it folks. We are flat out shredding it up so play safe and we will see you soon.

 

Coach Duncan Mainland slashing some pow