Q&A with Pure Brandz ambassador Amber Wyatt

Lyndell from Powderhounds.com relives a few days of waist deep powder at Madarao: absolutely ideal conditions to wear the Eiger bib and brace pants to keep the snow out!

Who is Toastypress? Where are they from?? And what is their aim as freestyle skiers??? Read on to find out more...

Father and son-in-law pair, Geoff Wilson and Simon Goodburn are currently flying out to take on the expedition of a lifetime. Destination: Greenland. 

The duo are looking to become the first Australians to cross Greenland (South to North) unsupported, and are looking to break a few records along the way. 

There’s nothing a powder hound hates more than getting to the top of a slope only to find that others have put their dirty paw marks all over their powder! At Northern Escape Heli Skiing powder hounds can be rest assured that this will never happen. With a whopping 5,500 square kilometres (about 1.4 million acres) of terrain and 20 to 30 metres of snowfall each season, there are infinite lines of virgin snow that are yours for the taking. 

Simon is an accomplished IKO-qualified, kite-boarding instructor with a crossing of the infamous Torres Strait under his belt. He’s led countless expeditions to the furthest corners of the world. His endurance skills and ability to retain a good sense of humour (even under pressure), make him an ideal expedition leader.

In January last year, Australian adventurer Geoff Wilson became the third – and fastest –person in history to complete a solo and unsupported coast-to-coast crossing of Antarctica. He finished the 3428km journey in 53 days, smashing the previous world mark by 11 days and more than 600kms. Geoff also achieved another world first – becoming the only man in history to drag a pink ‘boobsled’ across the ice continent!

Issue 22 of theSKImag arrived at our office and not only is it a smashing issue we also spotted some skiers in our gear... :) Make sure to pick up a copy of theSKImag at your local newsagent or in the App Store!

The Powderhounds headed out heli skiing on Shiribetsu (near Niseko Japan) with Hokkaido Backcountry Club. The fun factor wasn't a 5/5 - it was off the Richter Scale!! This Japan heli skiing isn't like a few other Japanese helicopter outfits that are rather lame - it's awesome!

Eight Greenpeace teams traveled to well-known remote areas across three continents to collect water and snow samples, and test them for PFCs, the hazardous chemicals used to make outdoor gear waterproof.

Not many people are aware that we, PUREBRANDZ design Thredbo's Snowsports Uniform.... How did this come about we hear you ask???

We recently asked Lyndell to outlines why she loves her Pure shell jacket and pants.

On our recent research trip to Japan, I realised that I had a lot of decisions to make each day before going out out skiing. Depending on where we were going, the level of activity we might be doing, and the weather, I had to decide on important things. Which goggles to wear? Which jacket to wear? Which pants to wear? Do I need the backpack with full avi gear? Skins for hiking? Tough job making all these decisions I know!

Hakkaisan Rocks!

Hakkaisan is so much more than just an award winning sake. The mountain itself is home to the Muikamachi Hakkaisan Ski Resort, which is primarily serviced by the Hakkaisan Ropeway. Muikamachi Hakkaisan is just a small little ski area, but it’s reasonably steep and if you’re into moguls then you’ll be in heaven. Moguls aside, there is also some other fun terrain for powder hounds to explore….. so long as you can be invisible.

As we drove into Myoko (Honshu) we were shocked to see that the village actually grew grass? Normally we would see at least 2 meter walls of snow creating a maze like roadways but with our clinics beginning the following day, we were excited to get out there and ski whatever snow there was. The next day it started snowing and within days we had 50 cm of new snow, WooHoo!!! The clinics ran over the next two weeks were fantastic with many LBM's and very happy clients. 

We managed to sneak a few off-piste runs in the trees. This is a great little ski area with some steep pitches and some nice tree skiing! 

Greg from Powderhounds finds the perils of when the snow cover is rather thin in the trees. One leg went one way and the other went the other way...