Review of the Raven Core snowboard: The best cheap snowboard?

Luke    snowboardingholidays     snowboard, snowboard gear, Snowboarding, snowboarding gear, snowboarding gear review, snowboarding holidays

The Raven Core snowboard is one of the cheapest snowboards on the market. At the time of writing you can pick one up with Raven bindings for £170. Even so, the low-end price tag comes with impressive sounding specs, such as a 3-stage rocker/camber profile, true twin-tip shape, tip-to-tail wood core, sandwich constructed sidewall and an IS4400 extruded base.

The Raven Core snowboard

My previous experience of buying snowboards is that you get what you pay for. So, does this model from Raven Snowboards live up to its specs or its price tag?

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Winter Festivals 2012: Snowboard Events and Ski Parties

Lucy Grewcock    ash     chamonix, ski fetivals, Skiing, Skiing Holidays, skiing in Austria, skiing in France, Skiing in Serbia, Skiing in the US, Snowboarding, snowboarding holidays, Switzerland, whistler, winter festivals

What could be better than spending a week in the mountains, shuushing down iced-white pistes and bounding through fresh powder? How about adding world-class DJs, all-night parties, arty events and extreme freestyle competitions? Welcome to the world of winter festivals 2012…

Winter festivals are never just about the sports Photo: Will Bremridge

From Austria to North America, ski parties have snowballed in the past few years, and they’re set to get even bigger and better in 2012. Here’s a few that are full-on winter festivals, add these to your calendar: read more

Skiing and Snowboarding Holidays on a budget

Mark Pawlak    snowboardingholidays     Budget holidays, ski deals, Snowboarding, snowboarding holidays

As vacations go, you don’t generally think of skiing or snowboarding as a bargain holiday option. It’s not just the travel and accommodation that you have to fork out for but also the togs and accessories that you will need when you get there.

Snowboarding holidays, where fun comes cheap. Image: Flickr/boolve

However, there are always budget ways to enjoy any break and the snowboarding or ski trip is no exception, if you know where to look. There are still some great last minute ski deals online should you decide that you want to escape the rigmarole of a dull January; you can have a week on the slopes for a surprisingly small sum.

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Ski jobs: is this the best job in the world?

Gabriel    bestskiholidays     heli skiing, ski jobs, Skiing, Skiing Holidays, skiing jobs snowboarding, Snowboarding, snowboarding holidays, snowboarding jobs

What’s the best ski job? Well, others might disagree, but I think it could be the heli-ski guide. When it boils down to doing what you love, heli-ski guides love what they do because to them it is the best job in the world. But I can’t be the judge of this – I’m just a professional tour guide and ski instructor: I know they’ve got one of the coolest jobs around!

Ski Jobs: we think we've found the best job in the world Image:Flickr/ kentgoldman

So, answer the following questions and see how your job matches up. Time for a career change? Or just a skiing holiday to see for yourself? This could be one of the best jobs in the world – if you’re not jealous now, you soon will be!

How big is your office space?

Heli-ski guides’ offices are about 2.2 million acres and have an average annual snowfall of 25 meters. Getting to the copy room might be tough, but then again, we don’t make copies. Heli-ski guides have earned a 360-degree corner office, with mountaintop views. The only time they see a “cube” is when they drop them to the bottom of their tumblers and pour a drink over them.

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Should I book a Package Snowboarding Holiday or Book Independently?

Luke    snowboardingholidays     Snowboarding, snowboarding deals, snowboarding gear, snowboarding holidays

Most people only get one snowboarding holiday a year. Any worries over work want to be forgotten and stress left behind to relax with friends, family and great snow. So you want to get it right.

But enthusiasts and novices alike are overloaded with options and choices, often making the process a daunting one. For many, a package snowboarding holiday is an easy answer to this problem, for others booking their holiday independently delivers the freedom they seek.

For those unsure as to which may suit them best, here is a quick look at both.

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Skiing in Canada and the Banff Big 3

Mark Pawlak    bestskiholidays     Banff, Canada, ski, Skiing, skiing holiday, Skiing Holidays, skiing in Canada, snowboard, Snowboarding, snowboarding holidays

Booking a skiing holiday you want choices – we’re not talking about aisle or window, but real, on the ground, multiple lift pass choices. And one resort stands out for people skiing in Canada, and it’s Banff.

Mt. Norquay - for Olympians and families

Three resorts within Banff National Park is a good start. But what really appeals is the tri-area lift ticket and free transport from the resort to the ski areas. Choice, it’s all about the choice.  Book a skiing holiday, take all that time off work, travel halfway around the world and the last thing you want is to be faffing about with multiple passes and expensive add-ons.

Banff has almost 8,000 acres of ski-able terrain and routes for all standards. If you’re tempted, here are a few tit-bits on what you’ll be signing up for.

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This Winter’s Top 10 Snowboarding Destinations

Ana Sandoiu    snowboardingholidays     austria, California, Canada, Finland Japan, Italy, Skiing, Snowboarding, Snowboarding in Canada, snowboarding in France, Snowboarding resorts, Switzerland

If these were the seventies, by this time in November you’d be putting on your astrakhan hat and getting ready for snurfing.  But it’s 2011 and bell-bottomed trousers are no longer in fashion… Snowboarding still is though, even if we call it differently! Below you have this winter’s top 10 snowboarding resorts and destinations, as picked by a proper snowboard enthusiast who knows how to do her research. So put on your gear and head to the slopes – it’s time to surf some snow!

Mammoth views Image: Flickr/Perfect Zero

1. Mammoth Mountain, California

Mammoth Mountain is a large ski resort located in Eastern California, along the east side of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. It’s known for two things: cheap accommodation and Shaun White. Its world-class parks are exceptionally well maintained, with superpipes, minipipes and one of the few Super-Duper pipes in the world! This is what makes Mammoth Number 1 among the top snowboarding resorts in the world, as well as an excellent location for freestyle riding. And it’s also why top snowboarders such as two-time Winter Olympics gold medalist Shaun White comes to practice here.

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