Pro Ride End of Season Newsletter

Pro Ride End of Season Newsletter 2009

 
Pro Ride's toughest season is drawing to a close. On January 20th 2009 Anthony Crute; founder of Pro Ride, coach, friend and inspiration to us all, passed away in St John's hospital, Vancouver. To any of you who ever met Anthony you will know that this has been a tragic loss to family, friends, campers and the snowboarding community worldwide. You will also know that after 11 years of hard work making the camp what it is today Anthony would have wanted Pro Ride to keep on rocking. Let's use his inspiration, guidance and zest for life as motivation to push our limits and live life to the max... through us all, Ants rides on.
 
What we got up to this season…
Under the expert guidance of Karen, lead coach Duncan and the rest of the Pro Ride crew, camp has been packed with new and exciting ventures mixed in with
some of the old classics...
 
So the snow in Whistler came late this year but more than made up for it’s tardiness with epic late season dumps. 30cm pow days in May aren’t just a dream anymore. Peak to Peak gondola has opened up the terrain more than we expected allowing campers to track up both mountains in one day. Campers based in Creekside took full advantage of the new gondola on Blackcomb riding days, being able to cross back over and ride down to Creekside at their leisure. More Dusty’s après was a big plus too.
 
Trampoline Trip to Vancouver:
Campers headed down to Vancouver for some trampoline training to develop a little air awareness and get a feel for spinning and flipping. It was a great chance for campers to try out tricks they wanted to learn, as well as throwing down a few things that were a little outta this world. Landing on a trampoline or into a foam pit will do wonders for your confidence!
 
Mount Seymour Trip:
We were down at Mount Seymour earlier in the season to ride powder on an old school hill which feels like one big natural terrain park. We rode the hits all afternoon and even into the night. Riding under the lights is so much fun and with a view overlooking Vancouver, the only thing which could top the day off was an all you can eat meat buffet on the way home (a big hit with the guys!!).
 
Pro Ride head to Japan 2009:
In February, Pro-Ride headed out to Niseko, Japan for our 2009 world trip. Timed perfectly, we were greeted with sunny skies and good conditions for checking out the mountain. The weather quickly turned and the sun transformed into a big dark cloud which proceeded to dump snow on us for the rest of the trip. After an 80cm day we stopped measuring! Thanks to all the guys who came to Japan. It was a blast. Stay tuned for news on future Pro Ride world trips!
 
X Country Shenanigans
The good old cross country skiing outing around Lost Lake was a hit once again.
Snowboarders always have a great time playing on the darkside. The cross country ski guides didn’t know what was they were letting themselves in for when a group of baggy clothed snowboarders started putting on ski gear.
 
Jump Days:
As usual we had a bunch of “jump days” this year in secret spots around the mountains. Campers and coaches built jumps and even a tree bonk or two to dial new tricks, perfect old ones or even hit their first ever jump. Everyone pushed themselves really hard and were stoked to throw themselves off the jumps into the fluffy snow. There were many back flip and front flip attempts (and successes) as well as every spin, grab, bonk, and tweak you can imagine. There may have even been a one footed backie in there! Watch out 2010, things could get even more inventive!
 
CASI News
A busy season for campers training for Level 1 and 2. Congratulations to David  Torre who passed the challenging Level 3 instructor course and to Bruce Dunbar and Brad Riseborough who successfully completed their Level 2 exams. Also, huge congratulations to Pro Ride lead coach, Duncan Mainland who recently became one of the first people in Canada to obtain the highly coveted Level 4 qualification with a freestyle specialism, making Pro Ride one of the only camps equipped to train Level 4 instructors.
 
Exciting new venture:
This Summer Pro Ride lead coach, Duncan Mainland will be heading up the Pro Ride Bike Camp program during July and August. Come and check out the Whistler Bike Park, and take your riding to the next level at the same time.  We are running progressive, skill based freeride, and downhill camps, as well as instructor training. We will be exploring the whole mountain, jumping into the foam pit, and ripping down from the peak. For more information on the bike camps check out www.proridebikecamps.com
 
We would like to thank everyone in the snowboard community for all their help and support over the past few months. Pro-Ride will be operating as usual during the Olympics. We may even surprise you with some special themed weeks…and prices are not changing! Keep checking the website for details of the 2009-2010 programs. Come be a part of the Olympics and take your riding to the next level.
 
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Check out the footage below of the Niseko Camp