Tailgate Alaska, Here We Come!

Car 1 of 2 in the caravan

The drive from Chugiak to Valdez went down today. Breathtaking mountain vistas, half-rushing-half-frozen rivers, giant wolf dogs standing in the road. All in a day's drive in the 49th state. 

The Tailgate lot is just getting finished. It's looking bigger and badder than last year. They're rocking a sun deck on scaffolding and the bbq zone is best described as a trailerpark courtyard. Pictures on the way. Forecast for the week is precipitation. Riding forecast is small ball. File this under something you've never seen before:

The old 'snowmachine in the Suburban' trick

A Snowboarder On the Road

Jet planes are like time travel. Still, I was the last to arrive. A combination of my love for the demo and Utah's lack of measurable snow had my flight touching down in the late AM hours on Monday. Of course that meant that Snowbird got dumped on to the tune of a foot plus. Closed the canyon to anything but 4WD or chains. My ride had neither. An hour wait at the bus stop had me jonesin' (is that a thing people say anymore?). I finally got to the 'bird after noon and met the rest of my crew stopping for lunch. Not me. I'll see you at the lifts. Knee-high fluff on groomers, much deeper drifts. Ben tackled one up to his shoulder. He's 6'2". That deep. And me with only half the day to scrounge for leftovers. After the rest of the group wore out, Ben and I headed back to the Tram. Who should we run into for the eight-minute ride up but my old friend Benny. Sometimes it's just easier than texting. Two laps later and the Tram was closed along with the rest of the mountain. Benny provided guidance and hope for the next ten years of my life. That's how much older he is than I. He still rides harder than anyone at any age I know. Helps to have that Tram in your back yard.

Benny's actual back yard

Speaking of back yards, Benny lives in Aubrey and Josh's back yard, so when the crew crammed their castle, I crashed with Benny. Late-night crab legs and Peddie Files. His lady works at some high-end restaurant and brought home the snacks to refuel the shred legs. We didn't even get to the chicken parm.

Sunny PowMow smoke break

Next morning was a later start. Powder Mountain was the objective with Grand Targhee on the docket for that night. The road trip was taking shape. Bright sun greeted us at PowMow along with an icy wind. The pow started off dry but softened up as the day progressed. Laps through Powder Country. Bus transfer. Then, disaster. Shanna dropped into the line first. A hundred yards, then out of sight into the aspens. Ben turned on his Go Pro to catch all the action. Cassi, Aubrey and Kyle each took their own line before I dropped, fully mobbing. A few trees into the glade came a sight I'll never forget. Shanna, face down, twisted around five trees. Is she joking? Is she... dead? My thoughts were racing. I called out several times before reaching her. She did not respond. As I got to her I heard her panicked breathing. Any breathing is good breathing. Then, she lifted her head and arm. With that, Ben disappeared for the road and ski patrol.

The next half hour was the longest of my life. Shanna wasn't bleeding and she didn't show any signs of broken bones. Her helmet was cracked for six inches with wood embedded in holes on the other side. Her memory was spotty. She asked the same three questions every two minutes. What happened? What did I do wrong? Do I have all my teeth? Occasionally she'd ask about her board. She forgot who Ben was but knew her name and the names of those around her. After a few minutes, I decided to climb up hill and test cell phone service. I was able to get through to 911 and instruct them to my whereabouts. I don't know if Ben got to ski patrol first, but eventually they appeared atop the ridge. They made their way to me and then down to Shanna. To cut this story short, Shanna got a toboggan ride to the road followed by an ambulance ride back to Ogden. She was treated and released with a moderate concussion. She regained most of her memory, but still has a few hours missing. The GoPro footage filled in a little of that. Without her helmet, well, the scene would have been entirely different and grotesquely worse. Pain killers and no more riding for at least 10 days. Shanna's riding this trip was over. Without a helmet, her life may have been over. Maybe I'll put that GoPro footage up sometime.

Aspen-induced helmet break

That didn't stop us from putting rubber to road with Driggs, Idaho on our minds. Shanna finally got the nap she needed. A palatial rental cabin with Teton views and hot tub was just what everyone needed. We took the next day off as Grand Targhee hadn't gotten fresh snow and was alternating from 20s overnight to 40s during the day. A little day-drinking, a little tubbing, some napping and kingly eating pressed the 'reset' button. Shanna remained drowsy and dizzy. That didn't stop her from checking out the Tetons when they finally popped. With a little lift from a friend.

Drunks shouldn't give the concussed piggy-back rides.

Targhee was gaper day. Ben rocks the same one-piece that Renee Renee wore in the DC Mountain Lab movie. Highlighter yellow. Plus a fanny pack, three bandanas and a gold-painted helmet. Good looks. He lent me a pink bandana for some flair. Transitional spring riding. Hard and fast in the morning, soft and slow by 2. Beers and nacho fries. Summary:

Gaper crew

The last stop was Montana. At least the sunny warm days made for easy driving and great scenery. No unscheduled stops for deer or bison on the roadway. Just mountains, sky, trees and that big sky.

The snow at Big Sky Resort was the same roll of the dice as Targhee. For a couple hours the snow was just right to rip. Before that, death's glaze; afterward, quicksand. Cold Smoke beers, Yeti Dogs, back to the condo for hot tubbing, then Thai food and the first birthday of the trip.

Lone Mountain, home of Big Sky and Moonlight Basin

Moonlight Basin replay the next day. Plus some views of the Freeskiing World Tour qualifier. Bombing, hucking, spinning, cheering. Clueless announcers, sunbathing cougars. Everyone loves backflips. Then straight to the Broken Heart smoke shack. I can't tell you where it is, but it was the best view I've ever had whilst taking a leak. That was the ender-ender. No more injuries. Chocolate cake for the second burfday. Cholula does not make cake taste better. Lemonade Mike and Ikes make everything better. Never did get that Graham Slam ice cream. Always a reason to go back. That and the peak tram at Big Sky.

Suave on the road

Long trip back to SLC. Utah is not a lotto state. Idaho is. Border village looked like the carnival was in town so many people at the gas station buying tickets. Little person biker sighted. Wind howling like Ozzy circa 1983. Terrain looking like North Dakota plus volcanic substrate. Giant lake plus salt. Giant air vehicles once brought us together, now bring us home. 

Demo-lition

Sunday's demo day had a huge turnout. The line for paperwork could have easily been confused for the line for some hot band's autograph signing, perhaps Ween. For good reason, too. This was easily the biggest demo day Meadows has hosted. About 10 snowboard companies were on hand (and as many ski brands) with boards and bindings and wait times for all but the hottest boards (GNU Impossible, Never Summer Cobra) were minuscule.

I put the screws to five new boards. Many of them were similar in the all-mountain freestyle category, but all had their pros and cons (that pun will hit you in a second here). I got on the following boards, in chronological order - all 2013 models - Lib Tech's C3 Jamie Lynn (back to camber-dominant, banana-submissive), Salomon's Man Board (camber profile, radial sidecut, how old school), Ride's Berserker (Jake Blauvelt's narrow, directional destroyer), Burton's Con Artist (152cm micro pow shredder) and Never Summer's Proto CT (twin, all-mountain freestyle, rocker-camber). Full write-ups forthwith. 

Meadows Demo Day Sunday

Ever wonder how I ride all the latest snowboards before they're even on store shelves? Seriously!? It's all about demo days at my local resorts. These days you can try out boards as fast as you can switch your bindings. All for free! This Sunday (3/18) the Northwest Demo Tour hits Mt. Hood Meadows. Get there by 9am for first shot at more boards than a lumber yard. Rapid fire you're way through a dozen boards or pick one and give it a good thrashing. Reps will be on hand from K2, Capita, Never Summer, Lib Tech, Gnu, Arbor and maybe some more if you're lucky. Be sure to bring your own boots, though. Full details at Mt. Hood Meadows' site.

Ben Beavon BEN-efit Party

Another story about a local shred who got broke off. Let's help him out. You want to drink on St. Patty's Day anyway, right? I don't even know this guy, but it could easily be me. He broke his leg and needed an heli-lift to safety. Why not drop a couple bucks, buy a raffle ticket or two and get this guy out of his wheelchair and back up on a snowboard. For all the details, check Crack Grease Wax.

Mt. Hood Spring Passes Looking to Offer Good Value

If somehow you were able to wait out the season, through the positively paltry December, January and February snowfall and arrive in March with a couple hundred bucks saved, well, good job. Mt. Hood will reward you now. Meadows is offering a spring pass for $149 and Timberline is running theirs out at just $110. At these prices, two trips is the break-even point either way. I'm a Meadows season pass holder and I might just get a Timberline spring pass for the longer season and better park action. Meadows has the Pond Skim coming up as well as a demo day. Don't forget about the Bonezone Banked Slalom at Timberline. Either way, the season is just getting started, so you can't lose.

Gear Review: 2012 Homeschool Snowboarding Line Up 2.5L Shell Pant Review

Homeschool Snowboarding - check out these legs

First off, his is the same shell material as the With Teeth 2.5L shell jacket I reviewed a little while back, so I'm not going to repeat a bunch of that info here. Check out the first few paragraphs of that review for the goods on the fabric. Synopsis: Cocona Xcelerator technology for xtreme breathability and great water resistance in a supple fabric with a comfortable cut. No insulation, so be sure to layer up. Now, let's get to the pant specifics.

Mmm... kibbles

The first thing I noticed about these pants was that thing on the right leg. They call it the Homeschool accessory holster and you can be skeptical all you want. I was. "I'm never gonna use it and it's gonna snag a tree branch and turn my new pants into basketball-warmup-style tear-aways," I said to no one in particular. Never happened. Turns out I actually use the thing. Every time. My gloves go straight in there whenever I take them off. They're easier to get at there than in a pocket, but still secure enough that they won't fall into the urinal. 

What about the rest of the pockets? Homeschool went with one back pocket on this pant. In reality, 'zero' is the correct number. Maybe some fake pockets back there so it looks normal, but back pockets on snowboard pants are terrible. I never use them. Too much chairlift time (most shocking stat from Alpine Replay). While we're on negatives, the cargo pocket on the left leg is poorly placed. Whatever you put in it falls squarely on your knee. I never use it. Then again, I never need to. The two hip pockets are plenty.

A note on fit, the 'Homeschool Engineered Fit' is neither tight nor baggy. I clock in at a 33-inch waist and 32-inch inseam and went with the medium. It fits as advertised. The waist has an adjustable inner velcro belt to tighten things as needed. Want ball-flattering tightness or gun-smuggling sag? Size up or down, use the belt or a sewing machine. 

Other details include zippered ghetto slits with snap-adjustable boot gaiters, full seam taping, mesh-backed inseam vents and some subtle yet stylish logo hits including a lift ticket 'ring.' The jacket to pant 'interface' is of the 'loop and snap' variety, so they include extra loops below the belt loops for that. Like I said in the jacket review, good but not great.

These pants have given me zero problems this year, but at a retail price of $225, you might want assurance that they'll last a few years before you swipe that MasterCard. Unfortunately, that's something I can't give you. I've only ridden these pants about 15 days at this point. They still look like new. They still perform like new. Their longevity will play out over the coming years. For now, I can only give my recommendation. Give Homeschool a chance. Discover what real breathability feels like on a garment designed by Northwestern snowboarders.

Check back for long-term updates in the "My Gear This Year" series to see how these and other products hold up to Father Time.