Jan 21, 2009
Author: Roberta Rodger
Boot camp, running drills, push ups, pull ups... Oh no, wait a minute--it’s ThirtyTwo’s Boot Camp and it’s all about riding their new boots and outerwear and snowboarding at Tamarack Resort in Idaho with the ThirtyTwo Crew and pro snowboarder JP Walker for two days. And on top of that, there’s good food, good people, hot tubs and parties, ya I’m liking this Boot Camp better! I went to last year’s Boot Camp in SLC at The Canyons and this year I got to travel to Boise, Idaho and up to Tamarack Resort--a place I’d never been and was excited to check out.
Of course my flight down there was delayed and I worried about missing the shuttle that took us on the 3-hour ride up to Tamarack, but luckily some other flights were delayed so I was all good. I arrived at the airport and the crew this year was huge! It was a mixture of some of the top North American non-endemic magazines and the top Canadian retailers of ThirtyTwo, quite a crazy mix. The party was already started in the airport restaurant and continued on the bus with the French Canadians leading the charge with beers and hooting and hollering the whole way up -- it was going to be an interesting weekend!
When we finally arrived at The Lodge at Osprey meadows, where we were staying we were greeted by ThirtyTwo brand manager Brian Cook and the women behind the planning of the event and getting us all out there, Candice Blackstone. After checking out our deluxe rooms we headed to the two condos where all the product was and got a pleasant surprise: at this years camp they had two chefs and a masseuse! Definitely a deluxe and pampered experience. After a good meal we got the rundown of the weekend and got to grab some boots for the next day. I quickly went up to the boot room and grabbed a pair of the women’s Lashed in bright pink that has their new Fast Track lacing system that I was stoked to try out. As some continued to party I snuck off to bed. It had been snowing and the next day was going to be sunny so I wanted to be all rested up for the pow day!
Tamarack resort only has three lifts but a huge variety of terrain and it seemed like we were the only people there as we quickly headed up to the Summit chair that had been closed the day before. First run we decided to hike up the top ridge which was a great idea for the first half of the run but we didn’t stay high or left enough and ended up having to hike out of one section we were stuck in then riding all the way to the bottom in warm pow and icy sketchy bumps; well it was definitely a boot camp work out! After learning our lesson we found some good runs off the ridge that took us back to the lift; we rode sick pow, had a couple of fun drops, rock ollies, and slashes all in beautiful sunny conditions. It was pretty funny looking around at our crew all rocking the new ThirtyTwo outerwear -- we probably looked like some type of club but the gear definitely looks sick and everyone was stoked. I was loving my boots too, first day and no foot pain and they had great support and flex plus everyone kept commentating on how sick the pink was. After a quick lunch at the Canoe Grill we headed back up for some more pow runs linking up with Brian Cook who had a fun jump run and everyone just charged it. It was cool to see so many different riders just going for it; the guys that work at the non-endemic mags like Kevin Kennedy from Outside and Bradley Carbone from Complex charging it just as hard or even harder than the shop guys! Everyone on this trip was truly passionate about snowboarding!
After a heavy day of snowboarding, most people hit up the huge hot tub for some relaxation and, of course, some beers. That evening we got to check out some of the ThirtyTwo outerwear in depth. A small but tight line with various fits from slim to baggy, more of an athletic/technical look, colour blocking, and recycled fabric used throughout various pieces in the line. We heard directly from JP Walker about his signature colour story and pieces in the line and The Spot logo that runs throughout his signature pieces and Prospect Boot. JP and his friends in Salt Lake, Jeremy Jones and Seth Huot, have their own secret training facility in the mountains full of rails that they built themselves, brought up there, cleared space for, and maintain for early season. JP came up with a logo that represents this spot and they all run the logo throughout their signature pieces. Next, we sat down for a gourmet meal at the hotel’s restaurant, Morels. That night’s main activity was to head in to McCall to hit up the local bar/pool hall. Even though everyone had put in a hard day shredding, they let loose especially the French Canadians and SBC's own Scott Birke, who didn't even make it up the hill the next day after getting in at 4:30am!
Understandably no one was awake first thing the next morning for the deluxe french toast that was prepared by chefs Tegan and Colie, except for me, JP, and XXL’s Big Smiley. The crew started to show up one by one shortly after 9am, some looking a lot rougher than others. I guess the night got pretty wild and the shuttle got them back to the hotel at 4:30am. I headed up Tamarack for our last day of shredding with Justin Tejada from Sports Illustrated, Bradley, Noah Johnson from Men’s Health, Kevin Kennedy from Outside, Smiley our masseuse Nadine and JP Walker. Surprisingly the resort wasn’t that packed even though it was a Saturday. Everyone was pretty tired from the long shred day and late party night so we only did one hike for pow but we still managed to get some good runs and slashers left over from yesterday and did top to bottom runs hitting up the park on the lower lift. A few less runs than the day before but we packed in tons of fun in each run.
For our final presentation we got the run down on all of the latest ThirtyTwo boots for 2010 for both men and women. For those not in the know, Sole Technology is very focused on preserving and protecting the environment, using the latest technology and eco friendly products throughout all their brands including their boots. They start by using locally grown product, creating patterns that use optimal material use and minimal waste, all the boots are 100% vegan and their performance innovation STI Evolution Foam used in midsole/outsole designs eliminates or reduces the need for rubber and the glue used to bond it. On top of their continued focus on eco friendly development, ThirtyTwo is also focused on the technology behind their boots and for this new line they have launched the Fast Track lacing system, which helps to get you in and out of your boots quicker with a lace system that quickly adjusts with side pulleys for your lower and upper lacing systems. Available in different styles for women including the Lashed, which I rode that weekend and loved the system! I was able to get my boots tightened up quickly with a quick pull and the tension was evenly distributed from lower to upper. First day in these boots they were the perfect fit, flex, and a after a solid day hiking and shredding pow, and no foot pain what else could you ask for, well for them to come in solid bright pink! Every time I looked down at my feet it got be hyped to see those pink toes popping out under my pants!
The Women’s Collection looks really tight this year with a boot for every girl from the high end Vela for the hardcore female shred (who wants a stiffer performance boots for the 20 + days they get in a year), to the 86’s for the girl looking for a little less tech and a more softer fitting performance boot. And in each series of boots there are great colours and prints to choose from.
After the boot line overview Tegan and Colie served up some Burritos and we headed to the Gold Rush hot springs for a naturally heated experience to rest and restore our muscles from the two day shred-a-thon. Well I guess not all of us used it for that, some used it as a warm-up for karaoke as they filled up on beer and wine and headed in to McCall for another fun-filled evening with the locals! Either way everyone enjoyed the night and the whole weekend at Boot Camp!
Can’t wait till next year! Thanks to the ThirtyTwo crew for putting on such a fun informative event! Can’t wait to see where we go next year!
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