About Powderhounds
Powderhounds are a group of ski and snowboard enthusiasts who have travelled the world in search of the best powder stash. This website originated from our frustrations in trying to research potential ski destinations. Commonly it was difficult to find the right information that wasn’t slightly glorified or embellished by resorts and tour operators. The aim of this website is to share our experiences with you in the hope that it will help your pursuit of the perfect powder stash. The content of this website is compiled by the Powderhounds. We tell it how we experienced it.
Sweetcheeks Doylie aka Greg
Sweetcheeks Doylie is predominantly a skier who grew tired of the not-so-secret stashes at Mt Hotham. He is a legend of the après and an expert at making snowballs. He has been skiing for over 20 years and hopes he has another 40 in him - too many places to explore and not enough time! Greg is the Top Dog of Powderhounds.com.
Favourites:
Skis - Wagner Custom Powder Skis
Accessory - Luscious Lyndell
Mountain - Alta, Utah USA
Resort Powder Run - Peak chair - Niseko Japan
Extreme Run - Shindler Spitze chutes, St Anton, Austria
Groomer - Dave Murray Downhill, Whistler, Canada
Apres Bar - The Anton Bar, St Anton, Austria
Mottos
You're only as old as the women you feel (I mean ski with).
The camera man always gets to go first; just to capture eveyone else skiing down of course!
Luscious aka Pinky aka Lyndell
Lushie is the Leader of the Pack and Chief Editor of Powderhounds.com. Luscious’ ridiculous hallmark is her pink Barbie helmet. She hopes that by wearing a kids’ helmet she’ll retain youthful knees to enable powder skiing into her 70s. She also loves the matching pink powderhound paw prints on her Wagner Custom skis, not to mention the way they ski. Cat skiing is her idea of the purrrrfect powder skiing pursuit, although she’s really not that fussy about how she gets her score of fresh powder.
Favourite ski resort: Alta Utah
Favourite cat skiing: Selkirk Wilderness Skiing
Chris
Age (mental) - 26
Age (physical) - 65 (knees), 55 (liver) and 35 (remainder of body)
Favourites:
Equipment:K2 Work Stinx telemark skis, 22 Designs Hammerheads bindings, Scarpa boots and Black Diamond adjustable poles (plus G3 climbing skins and a BCA Stash backpack for climbing up hills)
Overseas ski hills for powder: Asahidake (Japan), Powder Mountain, Snowbird & Solitude (Utah USA), Vail (Colorado USA).
Groomer: who cares
Beer: anything brewed by ‘Leffe’ and microbrews from the USA. Mmmmmm......beer!
Most frightening ski experience: skiing at Glencoe in Scotland (yep, Scotland) - bulletproof glacial ‘snow’, force 10 Arctic winds, white out conditions , unmarked cliffs……..you get the picture. DON’T expect powder in Scotland.
Mottos:
‘Any day skiing is a good day’ (noting of course that I no longer feel the need to ski in the rain!!)
‘That grinding sound in your knees is perfectly natural’
‘The first sign of fear is turning’.
Loves:
Skiing powder, filming friends skiing powder, hiking/skinning out of remote hills after skiing powder, drinking good beer when finished skiing powder……….
Wendy
Favourites:
Equipment: Rossignol JC skis and Line Celebrity 100 skis, Dimar-Fritschi AT bindings, Scarpa boots, BCA Stash backpack.
Overseas ski hills for powder: Snowbird & Solitude (Utah USA), Asahidake (Japan), Vail (Colorado USA)
Drink: Holgate Winter Ale, Idaho Springs Nut Brown Ale, Murphys Double Chocolate Stout.
Other:
Loves: Skiing powder with like minded people, which is even more satisfying if an effort has been made to get to it; the Stafford's - Sebastian and Saffron.
Disappointing ski moment: When friends finally realised that on powder days my regular offer to 'go first to take photographs of them' was not a selfless act of kindness!
Afflictions – suffers greatly from FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), so will always come along for just one more run even when dog tired.
Kevin Rafferty aka Raff aka The Knuckle Dragging Wet Bum
Raff is a knuckle dragging wet bum. You need to keep your behaviour in check when riding with him, because he's usually sporting his helmet cam and has a habit of catching you at your worst moment.
Favourites:
Equipment - A 162cm Libtech snowboard with Burton bindings, or for getting out and about, a 165 Prior splitboard and Voile climbing skins.
Ski Hills For Powder – Asahidake, Whitewater, Vail
Groomer – The one they forgot to do on a powder day.
Frightening Boarding Experience – Traversing a near vertical hill face with just a toe hole grip and fingertips in snow and looking at a 40m slide into the valley below whilst back country hiking Hakuba, Japan.
Mottos:
There are NO friends on powder day and no repercussions.
He who hesitates ends up second.
You should have been here yesterday, “Best Day Ever” (but he hates it if anyone else gets to say it)
Loves:
Powder, powder, powder and embellished stories about powder.
Nick
Nick has been totally hooked on snowboarding since he took it up 8 years ago. When living in the UK he managed to rip up some of the European resorts including his favourites of Val d’Isere and La Plagne. He now lives in Melbourne, and being able to drive to a ski resort is still something of a pleasant novelty!
Favourites:
Mountain: Anywhere with deep powder!
Powder Run: Roche De Mio, off-piste, La Plagne, France.
Groomer: FIS descent in Schladming, Austria.
Apres Bar: Dicks Tea Bar, Val d'Isere, France.
Simon the likeable
Simon (or Simo as he is better known) has been blessed with over 20 years of ski travel to Europe and countries including Canada, USA, Japan, and New Zealand.
Favourites:
Skis - Head Monster
Accessory - Spicy Bloody Mary
Mountain - Whitewater, Nelson BC
Powder Run - Niseko Peak, Japan after a gut busting walk
Extreme Run - Anything steep at Kicking Horse BC
Groomer - "The Grand" at Jackson Hole USA
Apres Bar - The Mangy Moose (Jackson Hole) and Monks Bar and Grill at Blackcomb on a Saturday during Feb / March
Dena aka The Snow Goddess
Dena has skied more than any of the powderhounds and has been everywhere! She skis the way we all dream of skiing.
Stormy aka Scrumpet
Stormy was a late starter when it comes to snowsports, preferring to spend time surfing at Bells Beach. He has made up for lost time by always being on the first chairlift of the morning, and the last lift of the day. Stormy is also renowned for being able to bounce back after a big night, and constantly having a smile on his face. The smile gets bigger if it's a powder day.
Favourites:
Skis - Salomon Guns
Accessory - Beer Goggles
Mountain - Furano, Japan
Powder Run - Tomamu Back-Bowl, Japan
Extreme Run - Corbets Couloir, Jackson Hole, USA
Groomer - doesn't ski groomers
Apres Bar - GLC Whistler, Canada