Arthur Tateishi Snowboarding

Carve it up!

I've been snowboarding since January 1996 or so and got my first race board for the 97/98 season.

Resort Experiences

You should understand that I'm writing what I think based on the conditions as I experienced them and I don't give big points for cool night clubs.

Sun Peaks, BC (April 2001)
Great place for carving. Very well groomed. Nice village layout with easy walking or ski-in/out. Not too big. Xmas, President's Day, and March Break are busy. Sun Peaks is setup well for families. The main lack is extreme runs. Nothing too wild. The other big problem is their upper-mountain layout. With several runs you get a nice run on great snow and then hit 5-mile which runs out to the bottom. It's then a two-lift trek back up. There are plans to have a new mid-mountain lift so look for it.

There's a photographer there that does a good job with action shots so I bought some ego boosters when I was there. I figured it was the only way to get decent pics of myself.

Lake Louise, AB (February 2000)
It's BIG! Bigger than you'd think because of the expansive back bowls and slopes. I highly recommend the back stuff to avoid the crowds and get the sunshine. There are definitely areas with everything from groomies to technical to drops into deep powder. They were hurting for some snow when we were there. It showed up in some tree stumps and rocks that were visible. Especially on some steeper glades.

Lake Louise will probably rank as one of my favourite places.

Andermatt, Switzerland (March 1999)
Two gondolas to the peak and then it's pretty much wide open! I went there for a few days as part of a trip to Milan to visit a friend. Heaps of powder everywhere and interesting as the fog rolls in. It's not a big place like Zermatt but quite nice and with 5,010ft of vertical and a peak elevation of 9,721ft it's pretty cool.

Whistler, BC (April 1998)
What can I say that hasn't already been said? It's big, and it's got everything. I think everyone should go there at least once to experience it. However, I prefer the smaller, quieter resorts. I really started to carve properly after taking a snowboarding lesson on the weekend. Ski School lift line priority rocks on Easter weekend.

Le Massif, QC (Xmas 1996)
During that same trip a group of us drove up to Le Massif for a day. Bigger hill, view of the St. Lawrence River, more natural snow, and nice grooming. I'd like to go there again.

Mont Saint-Anne, QC (Xmas 1996)
I went with my brother and his wife. Carolyn's dad rented a chalet and housed his many kids and grandkids et al there. I had a great time despite the icy conditions.

Quiver

The board on the left is a 157cm Burton Factory Prime with 18cm waist.
The amazon on the right is my 185cm Prior Custom with 17cm waist bought used. I usually ride the Prior.
Burton Carbon Race Plates on the FP and Cateks bindings on the Prior.

Links

AlpineCarving.com

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