The man was skiing off piste near Evolène in the Swiss Valais when he was buried by the slide. His parents reported him missing and search operation began. Soon they found the remaining of an avalanche measuring 50 by 150 meters with tracks entering. Unfortunately the rescue team was not able to do anything due to security issues, so they came back next morning with a helicopter.

The man was buried but the top of his helmet was just below the surface of the snow so he was probably able to breath but amazing he didn’t not suffer severe or fatal hypothermia.

“I’ve never heard of such a case before,” said police spokesman Jean-Marie Bornet. “It’s already very difficult to survive more than 45 minutes beneath an avalanche.”

So far unidentified Swiss skier was skiing alone in the avalanche prone backcountry in the Evolene region about 80 kilometers (50 miles) east of Geneva. Last month a series of avalanches at the same spot killed six people in central Switzerland, the country’s worst such disaster in more than a decade. Every year dozens of skiers are killed by avalanches in the Swiss Alps.

The skier has been hospitalized but appears to have suffered no serious injuries, Bornet said.

“He’s a very lucky man,” he said.

In case you didn’t notice our previous article check how massive and avalanche can be.

Source [Le Nouvelliste and TSR]

With exactly these words I was presented the iSki iPhone app. I was asked if Homeboys would like to review the app and write a story of it. Oh yeah, why not, even though iPhone is not  too popular here in Finland (yet). We soon must find an iPhone somewhere in order to review the iSki app during the next couple of weeks. For those of youwho have one it looks pretty promising and best of all it’s free.

Personally I have been a bit skeptic with these iPhone apps for backcountry skiers. May be it’s just because I’m getting older (he he.. 35 is old already), but I won’t let my age disturb our serious iSki test session. Before we get into the actual review I let the manufacturer say couple of more words about the iSki iPhone application.

Once your on the slopes, iSki’s Pace Tracer feature allows you to track your speed and altitude through iPhones GPS technology as you ride above the clouds. Side kick allows you to see where your friends are on Google maps when they can’t keep up with you.

When you decide to take a break from deep powder, iSki’s Cash Stasher can help you find the best deals on food, shops, and hotels. Best part about it is that iSki is FREE at the App Store. You might even save enough money to call in sick tomorrow. More information can be found at iski.apptime.com or for more snow related information visit snowfinder.com.

Here is what others have said about our iSki App.

“iSki allows the user to get updates on current snow conditions for most of the world’s ski resorts. A summary resort page lets you scan conditions by region, while a resort detail page includes weather conditions, webcams, trail maps (some of which are GPS-enabled) and more. When enabled, an alert feature sends a text message to the user in the event three inches or more new snow falls at their favorite hills.

Unlike other snow reporting apps, the iSki’s Pace Tracer feature tracks the user’s speed and altitude using the iPhone’s GPS technology. Sidekick Search uses Google Maps to find your friends who can’t keep up.

Units for snow depth, temperature and GPS data are selectable between English and Metric units. GPS data can be turned on or off by the user.

iSki is free to download thanks to advertising support that appears in the form of a splash screen at launch, as well in the app’s Cash Stasher feature that includes coupon discounts that can hook up the user with places to eat, sleep, and shop.

iSki is now available for free download from the iPhone App Store. More information may be found at iski.apptime.com.”

Have you used iSki or any other iPhone apps for skiers? Please let us know (leave a comment below) about your experiences because we are truly new to these kind of gadgets.

Photo by uwehermann

Please go to Slammer mag website and sign this petition. For those of you who do not read Finnish it is about trying to get a nice little snowy playground here in the city. There is nothing for us snowboarders and skiers, and we are asking the City of Helsinki to support this cause. The more names we have, the more leverage we get. So, if you want to help us out making this happen, please go to address above and sign it, thank you very much.

So, click this link to view the petition Helsinki snowy playground petition.

For those who do not speak Finnish, here are the language essentials in five seconds.

Nimi = name
Ikä = age
Paikkakunta = place of recidence

Lähetä = submit

Thanks heaps for everyone!

Photo by prostophoto

Hangboard is made of aircraft aluminium, and the whole system weights only about 11 kg (snowboard not included). T-shaped bar is 32 cm high and 47 cm wide. It took years for Don Arney to develop the hangboard, but finally his company is going to launch the product.

There are only a limited numbers of hangboards available for sale on 2008, but probably more on the following years. One hangboard costs $1495, which sounds pretty high price, but may be price will come down as soon as hangboard starts selling more.

Hangboarding is part of the future of skiing

Is hangboarding going to be the next big hit? May be it won’t become as popular as traditional skiing, but for a number of dare-devils hangboard will definitely provide lots of fun on snow. I guess hangboard is a bit too technical for the masses, so the product might stay as one kind of “special skiing equipment”. I also guess that many ski resorts will purchase few hangboards, so you don’t necesserily need to buy one in order to try hangboarding. If you think you’re not ready to buy your own hangboard, wait a while and your local ski resort might start renting hangboards.

I am really excited to try hangboarding. I’ve skied since 1980 and I have tried probably all kinds of formats of skiing, but nothing like hangboarding. I think we here at HomeboySki.Com are going to discuss about purchasing one hangboard for homeboys. I can imagine how much fun it would be racing with hangboards..

Source [Hangboard via Inventorspot via Trendhunter]

It has been hard to grow up and understand that I cannot live my life exactly like ten years ago. The point is, I cannot go skiing and mountain biking as much as years ago. Anyhow, it doesn’t mean that I should forget skiing 100%. No, the order is family, job, hobbies. It took some years to actually understand why that is the right order. I am glad that I went through this experience because it opened my eyes. There are other things in life that are actually more important than skiing, even though skiing is cool. No, it’s not mountain biking. It’s family. Skiing with my kids is not comparable to skiing with my buddies in the backcountries of Chamonix, but it is different. I can still go to the backcountries and I do, but not as seriously as some years ago.

If you don’t have responsibilities such as family and work, go skiing +100 days a year. Live your life in Chamonix, Verbier, BC, Valdez, Kamchatka, etc. Enjoy your life. As soon as you have those responsibilities focus on them and go skiing always when it makes sense.

And don’t forget mountain biking!

Dropping off big cliffs gives you a some extra adrenalin. Also jumping or skiing in weird places can be a nice experience. I must say the experience below is not nice at all. I bet that guy really did hurt himself. When I watch this footage, two things come to my head: 1. Do no try this at home, and 2. Make sure your insurance covers all you do with skis.

I hope the guy was lucky and did not hurt himself. In the next video we see how professional alpine race skiing can be very dangerous. This is something I never want to happen, ever. This makes me feel sick. What a speed and what an impact! Oh my God..

Now this one is really sick. Where’s the common sense? What on Earth this guy had in his mind? This whole attempt is doomed. And hey, he is trying to make the good old spread-eagle trick! Oh boy, I hope this young man was lucky and did not hurt himself. Oh no..

Some years ago we had a funny competition in northern Finland. The idea of the jumping competition was simple. The one who jumps farthest is the winner. I took the second place by jumping about 30 meters. Well, it was a little jump, but we had lots of fun. Take a look at the jump in the video. How long is that? 50 meters? 70 meters? 100 meters? I don’t know bu helluva far this guy flies. Oh, and do not try this at home.

Now, let’s take a look at how professional freeskiers jump? The next video shows the biggest drops made by skiers. Imagine yourself to the top of those peaks? These jumps are so big that it is actually very hard for us to understand the difficulty and risks of these jumps. Do you see how the guys land on their back and close to the rocks? I would be dead scared up there. I would ski back to valley and enjoy a cold beer. These kind fo jumps are not for me, even though I love watching great jumps.

Be careful out there, use your helmet and make sure you have a good ski insurance.

This article was written by Marko Pyhajarvi and it’s original location is in HomeboySki.Com skiing blog. For more great skiing articles, please visit HomeboySki.Com!

It was a great morning. The sun was shining bright above the valley of Chamonix and life was so beautiful. We were broke but we didn’t care. We decided to go skiing in Verbier. We lived in Chamonix together with ten other hard core skiers and we had food enough to survive until we get more money. We heard that Jarkko Henttonen, our friend and one of the coolest riders in Finland, was going to join Verbier Extreme snowboarding competition. We wanted to support him and therefore we decided go watching the competition in Verbier. One of us had a credit card but he didn’t want to use it. We negotiated a deal that he will buy the beers and we will find something to eat. We had no idea where to overnight but who cares? We wanted to see Verbier!

Clear goal – Verbier

We decided to hitchhike to Verbier because it is very easy to get a ride in France. While walking on the street in Chamonix, I met Noora Toivonen, a great female skier who lived with few other Finns in Chamonix as well. It was the last time I met her. Later in the spring she disappeared in the Himalayas. I heard the news from my friend Tero and I was shocked because Noora was one of us and our good friend. I remember her smile and positive attitude as we met in the last time. She was so enthusiastic skier and climber and she really loved the mountains and lived her life 110%.

A couple of hours later we were sitting by the road, waiting for someone to give us a ride to Verbier. We didn’t need to wait for long. We divided into two teams and started our journey from Chamonix to Verbier. Few hours later we arrived in Verbier. After climbing the serpentine road up to Verbier, we finally were standing in the middle of the town Verbier. It was already afternoon. We had no place to sleep, we had no money, but we were so happy to be in Verbier.

After walking around the town and meeting other skiers and a couple of photographers we decided to buy some beer and have fun. We created a little “camp” on a sidewalk and enjoyed our lives. We met interesting people and talked a lot about skiing and riding. Finally one Canadian photographer told us that he knew a great place to sleep, a garage. He did draw a map on a matchstick-box and we decided to check the place. We found the place, got in and had a good sleep on floor.

First turns in Verbier

The next morning was awesome. We woke up, got out of the garage and checked the sky. Blue sky with no clouds, a bright sun raising from behind the white peaks the mountains, and four optimistic guys ready to conquer the mountains. Because we had season passes to Chamonix, we got free passes for skiing two days in Verbier. We got ourselves to Col Des Gentianes and did the first turns soon after the ski lifts were opened. We spent the morning skiing in Col Des Gentianes, Mont Fort and La Chaux.

After skiing three hours we headed back to Col des Gentianes in order to watch the freeride contest on the face of Bec des Rosses. The contest was absolutely great. Even though Jarkko Henttonen did not win today, we really enjoyed watching the contest live. Bec des Rosses is a great mountain for freeriding, and we were able to see some very cool riders coming down very difficult lines. It was a great day. Later that night we found a new place to overnight, a roof-top. Sleeping out there with your good friends, watching the starlit sky and the profiles of big mountains, was a moment I will always remember.

More skiing in Verbier

In the next day the freeride contest was about to continue. We headed skiing in Attelas, Chassoure and Tortin. The slopes were in good condition, weather was perfect and we enjoyed 100%. After skiing again three hours we headed to Col des Gentianes to watch the finals. The contest was again spectacular and we did enjoy. After the contest we went skiing the last two hours in Verbier, because later that night we decided to go back home in Chamonix. We did not discover all the slopes in Verbier, nor we did ski the backcountries, but we found out that Verbier is great ski resort for sure. We decided to come back to experience the backcountries. Just before the sunset we got a ride back to Chamonix.

Verbier ski resort in review – the pearl of Switzerland

Because of the diversity, Verbier is a great ski resort for all types of skiers. There are 400 kilometers of slopes and 95 ski lifts, which guarantees that there is something for everyone. Even though many families prefer Verbier, experienced skiers can get the most out of it. Verbier is preferred by many wealthy people, but still there is also a big ski bum community. For me this is a sign that Verbier really can provide something to everyone.

Verbier belongs to a skiing area of four valleys. The highest peak in that area is Mont Fort (3330 meters), from where one can find very challenging off-piste routes. In good conditions one can ski from Mont Fort down to the village of Le Chable, which makes 2500 vertical meters.

It is interesting that in Verbier the easiest slopes are located close to the village. The further you go, the more difficult runs you find. One very nice thing in Verbier is that ski lift queues are short due to modern ski lifts.

If you are interested in discovering the backcountries of Verbier, I warmly recommend you to hire a mountain guide. With a guide you can safely enter the best of-pistes in Verbier. Notice that Verbier is a popular ski resort and therefore you are not the only one hunting powder snow. You have to be quick in the morning in order to find powder.

Verbier nightlife rocks

Verbier is known from the great afterski. Every night in Verbier is a lot of fun, but not a parade. I really enjoy Verbier’s nightlife because it is active but not a circus, as in St. Anton and Les Trois Vallees. In Verbier you can meet a lot of British, Scandinavian and Swiss people. If you prefer fine dining, you can find nice fondue- and raclette-restaurants in Verbier. It is surprising that in Verbier prices of food and drinks are not as high as in many other ski resorts in the Alps.

Verbier cold facts

- 2200 yearly inhabitants, 15.000-20.000 during winters
- altitude 1.500 meters
- slopes: 410 kilometers from which 18 black slopes, 47 red slopes and 28 blue slopes
- number of lifts: 95
- lowest ski lift station: 780 meters, highest 3330 meters
- no freestylepark, no halfpipe
- lifts open 8:45 am – 4:30 pm.
- ski pass prices: 6 days 305 CHF, 13 days: 540 CHF
- number of slope-restaurants: 30
- restaurants in the town: 58, night clubs: 4
- credit cards accepted: Visa, American Express, Euro/Mastercard
- websites: verbier.ch and O’Neill Xtreme by Swatch Freeride (16.03-18.3.2008)

We left from Basel in Switzerland in late afternoon and spent the day by driving to France. As we finally arrived in Chamonix, it was already midnight. It took me a while to find Gîte D’Étape La Tapia because I did not print any maps. I thought I know Chamonix so well that I can find anything in there. I was wrong, but hopefully I finally found La Tapia.

My son was pretty tired and wanted to go to bed immediately. We got a room in upstairs and decided to go to sleep right away. As I opened the door to our room, I figured out that the room was just perfect for us. There was a separated area for me and my son and another area for two more people. I have seen many kinds of hostels and I was afraid that this one is noisy and full of drunken youngsters. I did not want to bring my son into a “wild” hostel, such as Vagabond in Chamonix. No worry, this one was peaceful and quiet, the right place for us to stay.

Gîte D’Étape La Tapia has six rooms for four people and two rooms for couples. There are five showers and five toilets in the hostel. The dining room has seats for 32 people and the kitchen has all the needed equipment. In addition to your stay you can buy a cheap but good breakfast, which is an excellent service for those who do not want to make own breakfast every morning.

Gîte D’Étape La Tapia is cheap. For one night you pay 16 euros which is not bad for a good hostel. Although the breakfast in Gîte D’Étape La Tapia is good, I was surprised with the price, which is 6 euros. A double-room for couples costs 48 euros a night, but I must say it is worth of it. If I was travelling with my wife, I definitely would take the double-room because of the privacy it gives. For sheets you have to pay four euros.

Gîte D’Étape La Tapia is easy to find. See the maps on left side. As shown in the maps, take the main road from Chamonix to Argentiere and drive it until you see “Route de la Frasse” on right side. Take that road and drive hundred meters until you see Gîte D’Étape La Tapia on right side. You can park your car in front of the hostel. If you are going to arrive late, call the owner of Gîte D’Étape La Tapia and where you can find the key to your room. Below you can find the contact information of Gîte D’Étape La Tapia. For more about this hostel I recommend you to check the website of Gîte D’Étape La Tapia.

Sophie Rochet (Gérante)
152, Route de la Frasse
74400 Chamonix
tel : 04 50 53 18 19
port : 06 87 40 11 56
email : contact@latapia.com

Am I over-reacting? Maybe, maybe not. The fact is that our climate is not the same as some 20 years ago. Is it changing in the long run? I don’t know this field of science at all, but so many researchers claim that it is really happening so I believe in it. As you might have seen in this blog the climate here in Finland is not as it used to be (remember how Levi alpine ski cup race was canceled)? Winters are not as cold as they used to be and we get snow later and later every year. It is the middle of January right now and we don’t have snow in Helsinki in Finland. It is not normal and definitely it is not the same as it used to be. Based on this and what researchers claim, the climate is changing globally. It is warming. Skiing industry will die.

Climate IS changing – It is a fact now

Heh.. I am shooting big guns again. I won’t say more about the climate change because I am an amateur. I just don’t know enough about it. What I do know is that warmer climate is not good for most ski resorts, including my local little hill in Helsinki. Many ski resorts here in Finland (and of course in some other countries as well) have not really opened yet because of the lack of snow. Ski resorts may be open for three days and then closed for three weeks. This is not good for their business and one day it may lead them to quitting. If there is no snow, there are no skiers. If there are no skiers, there is no money exchanged. Without money there is no business, and when there is no business there is no skiing. Sad but true.

Let us assume that the temperature on this planet will be 2-3 degrees higher in 20 years. That kind of change would definitely lead to black winters at least here in southern Finland. It would lead to the death of skiing here. Skiing season would be shorter in north but the skiing industry would probably survive.

What would you do if skiing was dead?

What would you do if skiing was dead in your area? I would focus on mountain biking and road bicycling. Our summers would probably be longer and warmer so I would go riding some radical tracks in forests and mountains. Instead of a ski season in the Alps I would have a bike season in the Alps. If skiing was dead, it would not be a catastrophe for me, no way. Certainly I would miss skiing or riding my board in forests and on powder fields but i would of course need to get used to the new situation. I would put my energy into mountain biking even though I have some bad memories from the forests close to Basel in Switzerland. I crashed my bike due to high speed and a bad landing. The result was a broken shoulder.

Skiing is dying, be prepared. What would you do if skiing was dead? Would you go riding a bike as well? Would you go surfing or diving? How about skateboarding? Today me and my friend discussed about what we would do if there was no need to go to work. I said I would play and listen to music all day long. My wife said she is very happy that I must go to work every morning. She would not like my idea of playing and listening to music all day long.. Hey! Why not!

Enjoy skiing as long as it is possible. It looks miserable here in rainy Helsinki..

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I am sitting at my tiny student apartment in Hel(l)sinki, reading Skimbaaja (Finnish skiing magazine) and listening some music. I am surrounded by skis, boots, snowboards, mountain equipment, ropes and various camping equipment. I am reading an article of Jarkko Henttonen, a young Finnish freerider. He had discovered Chamonix in 1995 and was spending his season in this “mecca” of European mountaineering. The year is 1997 and I am preparing my first trip to Chamonix, straight to headquarter of European backcountry skiing. I am becoming a full time skibum. It has been my dream for years and now it is happening. Man, I’m so excited!

Becoming a full time skibum

That was already ten years ago and the article I was reading on that day was about Jarkko Henttonen and his mates spending seasons in Chamonix. Many of those guys are now my friends but on that day I did not know any of them. I remember reading the article with great interest and appreciation. I literately admired those guys. They were living their lives exactly as I had wanted. Being a skibum and skiing big mountains had been somehow my glorious dream. I come from Finland where many of the ski resorts are 5500 cm. high. Yes, you read it correct, 55 meters! Bloody hell! I guess you can understand why the Alps was a kind of heaven for me.

So I got myself to Chamonix in January 1997. I was a newbie and I was so damn excited.. and may be a bit afraid as well, just because it was all so new to me. Anyhow, I quickly found myself skiing fabulous powder and damn steep and icy couloirs with very skillful and experienced skiers. I had found what was looking for. I was at home.

Who is a skibum anyway?

Being a skibum is definitely a lifestyle. It is about great passion, attitude and dedication. As a skibum you are highly motivated in skiing and you are willing to dedicate months for skiing year after year. You spend all your money to skiing and you are not afraid of traveling far from home. You are ready to face new and unexpected situations, even difficult ones. You dedicate your life for skiing for many weeks or months, and you do it 100% every single day. Being a skibum is a lifestyle that can give you huge amounts of joy and experience that you will remember for the rest of your life. Not to forget the long lasting friendships it can give you as well.

Some folks might think that being a skibum is somehow glorious. Well, it is not. Mountaineering and backcountry skiing are of course fabulous sports, and up in the mountains you might feel privileged, but being a skibum has nothing to do with being famous (unless you already happen to be famous). It is just living your life as you want and dedicating your time to skiing. It is about great friendships and fantastic moments up in the mountains and in valleys. It is about living together with your friends in an unbelievable tiny appartment in pretty ascetic way. Every single dollar you make is spent to rents, food, ski passes, insurance, and equipment and of course, beer and red wine. It is not glorious and you won’t become famous, but you can experience something that most of the people will never experience.

A typical day in the life of a skibum

So, what is a typical day schedule of a skibum? There are may different answers, of course, but this one comes from my practical experience.

06:00 early birds go running
07:00 powder alarm! Wake-up, shower (if you got time), breakfast, finding your socks, boots, gloves, goggles.. It can be a nightmare when you share a 24 square meters appartment with 10-12 other skiers. Yes, that is true. It’s the best way to save with appartment costs.
07:30 driving to the ski lifts
08:00 first few turns, skiing down to a glacier, approaching a mountain face
09:00 climbing a mountain face, skiing it down
13:00 lunch on a glacier and then back to skiing, may be some forest powder or a nice steep couloir
18:00 driving back to valley
18:30 to the bar.. You just killed the mountain, now take it relaxed and enjoy some beer!!
20:00 dinner at home with all other pretty weird dudes
21:00 playing games, drinking beer, calculating math, sleeping..

Calculating math?! What the F*¤#$@£%¤! Yes, exactly. Some skiers spend their evenings by preparing for the university entrance exams. There are as many day schedules as there are skibums. My schedule was pretty much like that back in 1999. We went running in the morning because I wanted stay in good condition. Just because climbing mountains doesn’t feel good when you are in lousy condition.

The year 1999 was a dream season. We usually did not wake up if there was not fresh snow. It was a powder season number one. We went skiing the whole day, either in slopes or in backcountries. We climbed a lot and spent time in glaciers.

Would you like to become a skibum? If yes, I have only two words for you. Do it! For me those skibum years were so fantastic that I even see dreams about those days after many years. It was my dream come true and I am very glad I went to Chamonix on 1997. As beginners without a guide we took many high risks and we were in troubles few times, but luckily nothing serious happened. I must point out that risks in the mountains can be high if you are inexperienced and you have no guide. If you have no money to hire a guide (as we never had) you should find experienced skiers who are willing to take you with them. That might not be easy, but it is your cheap life insurance. Don’t ever, never go to mountains alone! Oh, and you need information. Read books like Chamonix backcountry skiing and talk with experienced people.

This was a real story of being a skibum. I hope this article gave you some insights of that kind of lifestyle. Being a skibum is a way of life that can give you experiences you never forget. If you wanna do it, then do it! You won’t be dissapointed.

When my son was two years old, I considered taking him skiing. I was not sure if he was old enough, so I spent some time in the Internet to find out. I came to the conclusion that it is too early to take him skiing with me, and therefore I decided to start later. First of all, it is a fantastic idea to start skiing with your child! Going skiing with the whole family is potentially a great idea, but make sure you know what you need to know.

What do you need when you start skiing with a child?

Let’s start with the equipment. In order to start skiing with your child you need at least:

- quality clothing for your child, such as Gore-Tex to resist water

- skiing equipment (skis for kids, boots, etc,)

- helmet! I would NOT recommend skiing without a helmet. The helmetless days were before 2000, now it is different. Use a helmet!

- time (take your time, you need it)

- patience (yes, sometimes kids prefer doing something else instead of skiing; also learning takes time)

Now what to do? If this is your first time skiing with your child, make sure

- he/she wants to go skiing

- he/she is physically ready (usually 3 years is enough, but I recommend starting at 4 because muscles are stronger)

- he/she gets an instructor, in case you are not able and/or skillful enough to teach

Other things to know when skiing with a child

If it is cold out there, check every 30 minutes your child is not freezing. Wear good clothes but be ready to go inside as often as needed. Make sure your child is wearing a helmet. If you are using borrowed skis, make sure the bindings fit well. If you are afraid that your child is not able to control speed, you can use a leash.

Respect your child’s wishes. Go for lunch if he/she asks for it. Don’t bring him/her into places that are risky an or too difficult for your child, such as moguls tail. Consider bringing your child to a ski-school or lessons: it could help a lot!

Enjoy your time skiing with your child!

Photo: sara_atkins