Cape Town - Do you know your “duck-footed” from your “nose-bonk”?
If you do then snowboarder, pro film maker and GoPro Ambassador Chris Rogers is surely one of your heroes.
Chris and his girlfriend, Melissa Brown, spent a week touring through Europe on Contiki's European Discovery after which Chris ended his stay with some serious shredding sessions on the gnarly Austrian slopes.
“I stayed at Contiki's exclusive ski chalet, the Gasthof Schoneck, in Hopfgarten, Austria and the experience was really amazing. It's got such a great vibe and the staff are extremely friendly”, says Chris.
Accommodation with breakfast daily was included and provides a great start to a day on the slopes. Novice snowboarders and skiers can take lessons (with great rates through Contiki) and hire their equipment in the town.
“You'll make friends very quickly and the party scene is pretty great as well”, says Chris of their stay at the Gasthof,” and the food is top quality!”
While in Austria with Contiki Chris filmed some incredible footage of his snowboarding experiences.
Chris reveals his top tips for planning the perfect winter ski and snowboarding holiday.
One of his first tips is all about getting the right gear to make your stay on the snow filled mountain pleasant.
“Make sure you have a good base layer under all your gear, this will help keep your body temperature constant. And find out what the waterproofing of your snowboard pants and jacket as well as your gloves is.
This is very important for a powder day if you don't want to end up getting wet. You shouldn't buy anything less that 10 000mm waterproofing if you want to stay dry on powder days” says Chris.
Safety on the slope is paramount and Chris always recommends wearing a helmet, even if you're an experienced rider someone else on the mountain might not be and you don't want to cut your holiday short if they crash into you and you weren't wearing a helmet.
Chris talks about gear for beginners and is adamant that certain equipment is non-negotiable “if you're a beginner snowboarder, a butt pad and wrist guards are going to be your best friend. I consider myself an experienced rider and I wear a helmet, wrist guards, butt pad, back pad and knee guards!”
Here are some additional tips for shredding the powder on the slopes:
* If you're lucky enough to get a powder day adjust the stance on your snowboard closer to the tail to help get your nose up above the powder otherwise you're going to have a SERIOUS work out on your legs. Consider renting out a bigger size board for the day to give you more surface area and make your powder experience that much better.
* If you're riding in deep powder or off piste always ride with a friend or a small group in case you get stuck so you have someone there to help you.
* Speed is key in getting through powder!
* Be cautious if you go off piste because there can be hidden rocks under the snow that you can't see; on my trip somebody snapped their snowboard clean in half from hitting a rock off piste.
* And lastly keep a GoPro on you for capturing those epic snow days!
Oh yes, want to know what duck-footed and nose-bonk mean? Here it is:
Nose Bonk - To intentionally hit and rebound off of a natural or manmade object with the nose.
Duckfooted - A stance angle in which the toes are pointed outward like a duck.
Source: http://www.the-house.com/portal/snowboarding-terms/
Adapted from a press release for IOL