USA, SnowJen Qbuck hill, snowboarding, skiing, artificial snow, neveplast, summer6 Comments

Skiing 365 Days A Year - Could This Be The Future?

USA, SnowJen Qbuck hill, snowboarding, skiing, artificial snow, neveplast, summer6 Comments
Skiing 365 Days A Year - Could This Be The Future?

One of the main things that we look at when planning our snowboarding trips is time of year. We'll pick a ski resort to go to, look at historic snowfall reports from previous years and make a guess on the best week (or weeks) to go based on that. And then we cross our fingers, do a snow dance and hope that there are no brown patches or rocks poking out on the runs. 

Does it work? Well, I guess the likelihood for good snow is better but nothing is guaranteed. Meteorology is a complex thing, there are so many factors involved and even then the experts sometimes get it wrong. 

But imagine if you didn't have to worry about that. Imagine if you could snowboard and ski at any time. Ski resort Buck Hill in Minnesota, USA has just made that a reality.

In October 2015, Buck Hill sent a crew of ski racers, coaches and snowboarders to Italy to test out a product called Neveplast®. Neveplast is a synthetic surface which has the same gliding surface as snow without using any water. After loads of research and testing Buck Hill decided to install the surface and have recently opened the ski hill to year round skiing and snowboarding on their artificial ski slope.

Check out how it looks in the video below:

They say that the synthetic mat perfectly simulates real snow conditions. I'd love to test it out one day! Of course it will never be as good as the real thing and most definitely won't give me the powder/off piste fix but I think it would be great to keep up snowboarding fitness and practice new things. Plus there has been talk for some time about climate change and the immense threat to the snow industry, so could this be the future?

What do you think? Have you skied or snowboarded at Buck Hill? Let me know in the comments below?

Jen

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Jen spends most of her time following Mick around the mountain, often unintentionally off jumps and cliff drops. Currently on a mission to prove that you’re never too old to try freestyle. Aside from snowboarding, a little obsessed about tattoos, CrossFit, saving animals, learning to play the guitar and clean eating. Web designer and digital marketing nerd.

SnowJen Qadvice, first time, beginners, skiing, snowboarding, ski lesson, snowboard lesson, start here18 Comments

Skiing And Snowboarding For The First Time - What Nobody Tells You

So, you’re thinking about going skiing or snowboarding for the first time. You don’t really know what to expect. There are some things that people just don't tell you about when you're just starting out. It always helps to be a little prepared so here’s the real truth on what to expect which will have you shredding down the mountain in no time!

SnowJen Qadvice, first time, beginners, skiing, snowboarding, ski lesson, snowboard lesson, start here18 Comments
Skiing And Snowboarding For The First Time - What Nobody Tells You
SnowJen Qsnow, snow types17 Comments

22 Different Types Of Snow On The Mountain

Here’s a guide for you on the different types of snow that you’ll find on a mountain. I promise once you read this, you’ll start to notice the differences when you next go skiing or snowboarding.

SnowJen Qsnow, snow types17 Comments
22 Different Types Of Snow On The Mountain
New Zealand, SnowMick Qsnow, snowboarding, skiing, Queenstown, wanaka, new zealand, treble cone, destinations, NZ ski resort5 Comments

Snowboarding and Skiing at Treble Cone, Wanaka, New Zealand

We recently visited Treble Cone Ski Area for the first time in about 4 years. Biased towards the more experienced rider, the steep and challenging terrain made for an awesome day out on the snow. If you want a "bit more", Treble Cone needs to be on your list for any New Zealand snow holiday!

New Zealand, SnowMick Qsnow, snowboarding, skiing, Queenstown, wanaka, new zealand, treble cone, destinations, NZ ski resort5 Comments
Snowboarding and Skiing at Treble Cone, Wanaka, New Zealand
Snow, New ZealandMick Qskiing, snowboarding, ski patrol, cardrona alpine resort, cardrona, new zealand, otago, snow rescue, avalancheComment

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A behind-the-scenes look at our heroes on the mountain, ski patrol. Keeping the mountain safe so you can go about having epic adventures in the knowledge that if something goes wrong, they have your back.

Snow, New ZealandMick Qskiing, snowboarding, ski patrol, cardrona alpine resort, cardrona, new zealand, otago, snow rescue, avalancheComment
Unsung Heroes – A Day In The Life Of Ski Patrol
SnowJen Qtraining, backcountry, avalanche, safetyComment

The Importance Of Avalanche Awareness & Backcountry Training

Skiing and snowboarding in the backcountry takes an entirely different approach to riding at a ski resort. We knew this in theory, but getting out there and putting what we learnt into practice really put things into perspective for us.  I wanted to share with you some of the things that we learnt so that you can understand the type of things you need to know and just how easy it is to trigger of an avalanche.

SnowJen Qtraining, backcountry, avalanche, safetyComment
The Importance Of Avalanche Awareness & Backcountry Training