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#SPRINGSHRED
We're all winter freaks, but when the mercury rises a few degrees and we can shed a few layers of wetsuits, we're happy. THE KEY IS TO BE PREPARED. Spring snowboarding is truly the best time of year, but to make sure it's enjoyable, you need to plan ahead. That's why we've put together a simple guide that includes absolutely everything you need to know to enjoy your local mountain for as long as possible! WAX, WAX BABY. Snow is rarely the same temperature. It can vary with humidity levels, air temperature, and many other factors (you're welcome for science minute number 1!). So it's important that you choose the right wax for the right temperature. This way, you'll increase your efficiency (speed) and you won't get stuck on the slope. We know; it's happened to all of us, okay. THE IDEAL TEMPERATURE DOES NOT EXIST We can see where you're going with this: is it a problem if I use a wax outside of its ideal temperature range? No. A wax that's a little outside its ideal temperature always works better than no wax at all. Plus, you can combine two waxes for two specific temperatures to anticipate changing or uncertain temperatures. When in doubt, always use a wax for colder temperatures; it works better on warm snow than the other way around. Shop your shoe polish kit here WHAT TO PUT? Spring snowboarding , we're all a little excited about it. The warming temperature, the wet snow, the longer days, the wet snow, the après-ski on the terrace, the wet snow... We know you're a bit of a speedster and that you've understood that in spring, your equipment needs to be be WATERPROOF. GORE-TEX IS THE ANSWER TO ALL YOUR QUESTIONS So we're talking to you AGAIN about Gore-Tex . (We're just trying to understand why you don't have that in your life yet...) The great thing about this technology is that it will keep you dry and wick away moisture. This way, you can be sure you can play outside all day and make it to après-ski without any problems! HOW TO PROTECT YOUR EYES? In spring, you can afford to put your Googles aside! YOU NEED TO MAKE THE UV INDEX YOUR BEST FRIEND. The most important thing when choosing sunglasses is the percentage of protection against UV rays. Because snow reflects much more UV rays than water (85% for snow and 5 to 10% for water. You're welcome for science minute number 2!). We understand that you're probably not a UV expert. Don't hesitate to ask our staff any questions when you visit the store. Our advisors will be more than happy to help you protect your eyes. Now that you're all set on the protection side, all you have to do is choose the one that will give you the best ski tan. VANS , SPY , ELECTRIC , or DRAGON at this stage, there is no shortage of choice.
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SNOW TEAM EQUIPMENT
We decided to introduce you to some of the members of the Team and their equipment. Fun facts , youth stories and influence in snowboarding: meet and get to know them by reading the article! LOUIF PARADIS His age: 33 Regular or goofy: regular Favorite trick: Backside lipslide on a rail, method in the air. Number of years of experience: I started in 6th grade of primary school, I must have been 10 or 11 years old. So a little over 20 years! Your grass roots? Where you learned to ride: I made my very first turns at Mont-Comi. Then I started riding at Le Relais every weekend. Otherwise, my brother and I had a setup in our backyard, and we often went to a park near our house. Snowboarding Influence: My first movie that I watched 1000 months ago was Decade by Mack Dawg Productions. Fun fact: The first time I reached the summit of Whistler, I realized my bindings were screwed on backwards. Sponsor: Adidas, Dakine, Salomon, Smith, Stance, Boutique Homies Board : Salomon Villain 158, Salomon Assassin 162 Binding: Salomon Highlander Boots: Adidas Tactical ADV NIC ROY His age: 25 Regular or goofy: regular Favorite trick: A good old slash in the pow. They're rare for me. Number of years of experience : About 17 years. I think I started around 8 years old. Your grass roots? Where you learned to ride: I had a chalet in Mont-Édouard during my childhood, so that's entirely where I learned to ride. Snowboarding Influence: In my early days, I was really motivated by any snowboarding film I could get my hands on. When I started filming parts, it was really the Videograss, Nowamean, and Déjà Vu films that inspired me the most. Several guys in those films inspired me a lot: Jake OE, Jonas Michilot, Louif, Jake Kuzyk, etc. Fun fact: I rode goofy for my first two years on a snowboard, only to realize I was reg. Sponsor : Dinosaurs Will Die, Howl, Vans, Fix Bindings, Boutique Homies Board : DWD maet 155cm Binding : Fix binding x Bruners Boots : Vans high standard THOMAS FOLLY His age: 26 Regular or goofy : reg Favorite Trick: Fs 7 4 Ever / Touch All / Face Shot / FS SLASH / Go Fast / Show Must Go On! Number of years of experience : At the age of 3 between my father's legs, since then I've been riding for 23 years and it only gets better with time! Your grass roots? Where you learned to ride: Mont-Lac Vert / Circuit Scolaire / Shake Down / Snowmission / Vali Influence in snowboarding: HERO REGION!! DCP, Phil Lusinchi, FAFF, Claude-David, Victor Lusinchi, Joseph Roby, Nic Tremblay, Jonathan Tremblay, David Thiviège, Alexis Morin, Mon Père JF! Crew: VALYNX, BT-43, Beetle Gang, Mont-Bélu Crew, Un inc, Fun fact: A very, very old urban legend claims that the Garden of Eden is actually hidden in Valinouet. The 12 apostles left 12 km to get there. A small sip, and that's it, and life is forever. Valinouet + Lynx = VALYNX Sponsor: Ripcurl Canada, SPY Optic, Nitro snowboard, Homies, Top Notch Agency. #Fjord Distillery Board: Nitro Beast 155 Binding: Nitro Boots: Nitro PHIL COUTURE His age: 21 Regular or goofy: reg Favorite Trick: Backside blunt 270 out (Blunt Begel 4 dayz!) Number of years of experience: I started at the age of 7, so I have 13 years of experience. Your grass roots? Where you learned to ride: Valinouët and Mont Belu are the mountains where I learned to ride. Influence in snowboarding: Nicolas Tremblay passed on his passion to me and that's no small thing! As for inspiration, there's definitely the Déja Vu crew, Nowamean/Bruners, Videograss and the boys from Saguenay in general. Fun fact: I'm goofy on skateboards, so it's kind of cheating when I do a rail switch. Sponsor: Capita Snowboards, Union Binding, Coal headwear, Vans, Airblaster and Boutique Homie's Board: Capita Doa 152 Binding: Union Force (team) Boots: Vans Hi-Standard Pro ALEX GENS His age: 22 Regular or goofy: reg Favorite trick : a back 3 at the bottom in pow Number of years of experience : I started at 5 years old, so 17 years old Your grass roots? Where you learned to ride: Mont Bélu, Whistler Blackcomb and Valinouet Influence in snowboarding : My inspirations are as much great legends like Jeremy Jones as all the riders with whom I share my passion. Big love to all the riders (L) Fun fact: mixed like a card game Sponsor: jones snowboard, now binding, the north face, Homies boutique Board : jones flagship 158, jones mind expander 154 Binding: now select Boots: Vans Verse XAVIER BOUDREAULT His age: 23 Regular or goofy: regular Favorite trick : A good Fs 360. Number of years of experience : I started at 5 years old, so around 17 years old. Your grass roots? Where you learned to ride: Mont Bélu for the park during the week and Mont Édouard on the weekend! Influence in snowboarding : mainly for riding with friends, the hype of going on trips with your buddies. Also for the personal challenges it brings. Fun fact : I rode for a long time with jeans under my pants without realizing that it wasn't comfortable. Sponsor : bataleon volcom snow, homies boutique Board: bataleon goliath Binding : Rome Targa Boots : Burton Photon PHIL PEDNEAULT His age: 24 Regular or goofy : reg Favorite Trick : Fs3 Indy Number of years of experience : I started around 6 years old Your grass roots? Where you learned to ride : Valinouet aka best place in Quebec ❤ Snowboarding influences : Felix Gauthier, DCP, Faf, Claude-David, Nic Roy, Mark Tremblay, and Charles Reid. The films Follow Me Around and DCP's Part. Fun fact : I started on skis in the Valinouet competition club. After being disqualified from a race where I had the winning time and arguing all season with other kids and the coach, I switched to snowboarding the following season. After that, I never thought about going back to skis. Sponsor : Arbor, Tirthytwo, Dragon Board: Arbor Bryan Iguchi camber Binding : Arbor Cypress Boots : Hirthytwo Team 2 XLT Alexandre Vezina His age: 22 Regular or goofy: reg Favorite Trick : Sw Frontboard Number of years of experience: 9 years (started at 13) your grass roots? Where did you learn to ride!: Influence in snowboarding: Dillon Ojo, Louif Paradis and the films "Encore" and "Deja Vu" which are still as good even after watching them 100 times. Sponsor: Homies Boutique Board: arbor coda Binding : cypress tree Boots: deeluxe boots Your grass roots? Where you learned to ride: Omiski, Dolbeau-Mistassini (Probably the smallest mountain you've seen, but lots of great memories!) David Arsenault His age: 21 years old Regular or goofy: I'm regular, I ride a 157 cm with a stance of about 21.5-22.5 inches. Favorite Trick: Backside 720 melon and switch backside 540 stalefish Years of experience : I started snowboarding at about 4-5 years old, and I've been snowboarding for about 16 years. I started riding in the snow park at 14 when I joined Claude-David Gaudreault's snow sports study program. At that time, Nicolas Tremblay took me under his wing with Philippe Couture. Your grass roots? Where did you learn to ride : I remember riding at Mont Fortin and I was so bad that I did 2 laps in one day... Without forgetting to specify that I took the small pole next to the chalet, but that it took me 3 years to get to the top because I fell all the time. I think I hiked more often than I took the chair ahaha! Influence in snowboarding : What pushed me to snowboard was, among other things, the fact that I met my best friends with whom I knew I was going to ride for the rest of my life. We always rode together and always pushed each other to do new tricks. But I think the two people who helped me realize that I could push myself and improve even more were Nicolas Tremblay and Claude-David Gaudreault. A little while later I joined the Homies snowboard team and even if it's not the biggest Board Shop in the universe, it was the greatest gift for me. Just knowing that Alex Gagnon wanted me to represent his shop as an amateur snowboarder with Philippe Couture was just insane, no joke. We were given stock, we arrived at the shop and everyone knew who we were, in short it was really rewarding and I will never forget all the fun I had when I was in the Am/ies (amateur rider Homies). Now I am in the big league with Nicolas Tremblay, Philippe Couture, Thomas Folly, Jonathan Truchon, Xavier Boudreau and our new kid Alexandre Vézina (snowpark and street guys obviously)! I think that the times when I had the most fun and was the proudest of myself in my life were on snowboard with them. Fun fact: At the 2018 Snowmission, after the finale I did one last jump except I overshot the sweet spot and landed on my face... I got a huge black eye. It was the after party 1h30 later... I looked like a fool. But I was cute anyway. I still managed to have an eventful evening... 2019-2020 Gear: I've always wanted to ride Burton, so right now I'm riding the Free and Deep Thinker (157cm and 163cm) and I have the white Cartels. An all-white setup with SLX boots.
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SPLITBOARD RENTAL
The Homies shop equips you for the backcountry and lets you try out splitboard -style snowboards for your next adventures! SPLITBOARD RENTAL BEFORE PURCHASING? Our mountains are finally open, but that doesn't satisfy your inner explorer? Don't stress: we've got you covered ! We're offering you the opportunity to rent a splitboard to explore and experience the forest. It's the perfect solution for the off-piste enthusiast or the curious soul in you! Because we know, buying a splitboard can be complicated, expensive and you want to be sure you're making the right choice before investing. Because you're a savvy buyer, we're letting you try out a complete splitboard set, bindings, board, skins, EVERYTHING, on rental for a period of 48 hours! (That's two days for the slower ones, it's exactly a weekend). Now, we've piqued your curiosity and you have lots of questions! Well, keep reading and you'll understand how renting a splitboard works... WHAT IS A SPLITBOARD? Splitboard : Basically, the principle of a splitboard is to make your board divisible for the ascent and to make a single piece for your descent. It perfectly meets the needs of all-terrain enthusiasts. Thanks to its raised shape at the nose and tail and the camber under the foot, it is easy to maneuver. Its dynamism will definitely make you happy in the undergrowth. The box construction with a wood core and layers of fiberglass ensures lightness and durability. You can set off with a splitboard from our selection for men and women. HOW SPLITBOARD RENTAL WORKS BOARDS AVAILABLE FOR RENT Salomon Highpath Split 156 with Union Explorer - An ideal board for men or women Salomon Highpath split 158 with Union explorer - An ideal board for men Salomom Bellevue split 152cm with Spark interface - An ideal board for women. Salomon Pillow Talk 151 cm - An ideal board for women RENTAL INCLUDES: The Bindings (duh): We made sure to make your life easy. So we installed bindings that pivot smoothly when it's time to switch from "uphill" to "downhill" mode. You simply slide the binding into the split's washer system, then lower the lever at the back. Backpacks: Homies has you covered with the explorer's kit! Hiking poles, a first aid kit, and a rap whistle . A few backpacks are also available that are suitable for splitboarding and carrying gear in the backcountry . They'll allow you to carry safety gear, water, a few accessories, and a change of clothes. Perfect for long days outdoors and unpredictable weather! Who knows, you might even be heading out overnight too! All sets are rented with a Dakine bag for carrying split gear. These high-quality bags will make swapping gear easier and make your life easier! Climbing skins: These are what you put under your splitboard to make your ascent. They grip when you go up and slide when you go down! It's simple as that! Once at the top of the mountain, or the Côte du Parasol (we don't judge you), you put them in your provided backpack and you're ready for a well-deserved splitboarding ride ! There are several types of skins, some more flexible and lightweight, perfect for days in the refuge and others more robust for hardened snow and climbing trails. Don't worry about this: if you have any questions, the team will be happy to give you a little skins 101 course before your departure. That's all well and good, but we want you to travel SAFELY. Everyone in a group going into the backcountry must be equipped with avalanche safety equipment: an avalanche transceiver (AVD), a probe, and a shovel. TERMS We should also warn you about the small conditions for renting a splitboard. : Any damage will be assessed by our technicians and an amount will be withheld from the deposit. For late days we calculate $64.95 + tax / day You need to make sure you already have snowboard boots and goggles, a helmet, and adequate outerwear to keep you warm. You will pick up the split equipment the day before your first rental day and must return everything before the store closes on your last rental day. Example : Pick up on Friday > Return to store on Sunday Pick up on Sunday > Return to store on Tuesday For everything else, the Homies technician will give you a short course and some tips on how to use it before you leave!
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TRY ME PROGRAM
The snow has arrived and our Try Me program is back again this year. Have you heard of it? We decided to invest in a few boards to delight our customers who were thinking about buying a second board for powder. With Try me we introduce you to quiver boards, you can take a model to try out the feeling directly on the mountain. To rent, go to the Chicoutimi store and an advisor will help you fill out the reservation form.
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LOUIF PARADIS JOINED OUR SNOW TEAM
As if to say we must continue to dream, Homies is proud to add Louif Paradis to its snow team. For us, he represents the best vision of current snowboarding, combining street and mountain and, above all, remaining authentic year after year. Louif is thus joining our already crazy team for 2018. ''I'm now on @boutiquehomies 's snow team. I'm proud to represent this tight knitted rider owned shop that knows and cares about it's local scene, starting with its employees and teams. Also psyched to make connections in Saguenay and go visit the north more often!!" - Louif Paradis
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SEASON CARD OR DAY TICKET?
Every year, around the end of September, we face the same question. Should I buy a season pass for my favorite mountain or go with day tickets? Both options have their pros and cons. Day ticket: It's clear that if you have nomadic consumption habits, by which I mean that you're not loyal to a ski resort and that you wander between Mont-Édouard and Valinouët, day tickets are for you. If you're also the type of person who arrives at 8:30 a.m. and plans their days in advance, day tickets are for you. Finally, if you only ride four or five times a year, go for day tickets. Seasonal menu: On the other hand, if you're loyal to a mountain and you have Valinouët in your blood, a season pass may be an option. If you ride more than fifteen days in the same resort, the season pass will quickly pay for itself. And my best point, without a doubt, is flexibility. What's better than taking Wednesday morning off for a first chair! You get up at 7 a.m., have a coffee on the road, first in front of the chairs, 4 fresh powder runs and you go back down to work. What's better than waking up hungover on Saturday morning and telling yourself, I'm going to arrive at the mountain right around 12:30 p.m. and do a few runs with the bros. This is not something you would do if you had to pay for the $40 day ticket, believe me. We understand that season passes are expensive, but we believe the flexibility they offer is unparalleled. You'll definitely increase the number of days you ride each year. Enjoy!
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BUY NEW OR USED?
Let's not kid ourselves, snowboarding can be expensive. We start with the equipment, say $400 for a beginner board, $170 for bindings, $170 for boots, and another $100 for a helmet. Then comes the clothing, $250 for a jacket, $200 for pants, $100 for accessories, and you don't even have a technical base layer at that price yet. Roughly speaking, you should be prepared to pay close to $1,400 before taxes, and you don't even know what slalom is yet. You might get lucky and find all these items at a good price, say 30% off. So, $980 plus taxes. Now you have to go to Valinouët or Mont Édouard, spend $10 to $15 on gas, buy a $35 lift ticket, have dinner for $15, and of course grab a beer at "L'après." In short, it's not for the "broken," you might say. Last year, in Chicoutimi, a concept that existed in 1995 resurfaced. The flea markets and Echo Sports of this world are back. These places where you can get used snowboarding or ski equipment at a fraction of the price. As a specialist, experienced and passionate snowboarder, I would like to share my opinions and advice if you are considering buying used equipment. And these tips are also good for bazaars, flea markets, Kijiji and also for your cousin Julie's equipment. First, know that the difference between a new $400 board and a new $800 board is not the graphics but the components. New $400 boards are often built for a beginner snowboarder and $800 boards for an experienced snowboarder. Second, also know that it takes several years for an advisor to really understand a brand and its technologies, and specialty shops often have several snowboard brands that all have different technologies. You're wondering where I'm going with this? So here it is: having already been to a few bazaars and flea markets, it is impossible for the seller/advisor to know all the technologies and components of each used board that Mr. Tremblay and Mrs. Bérard came to trade for a bike for their grandson David. So without knowing it, you, Simon, leave the shop with a used board that you paid $100 for when it was worth $850 new. You're thinking: what a deal! What you don't know is that you just bought a board with two carbon "x" rods in the center and TriAxial fiberglass when you, Simon, have never set foot on a board. It will then take you 2 or even 3 times longer to learn how to ride a board because it is built for an experienced snowboarder, which will therefore reduce the FUN factor of the sport by 10 times. Third, the boots. My problem with buying used snowboard boots is that the normal lifespan of a mid-range boot is around fifty days of riding. The used boot you buy at the flea market may have been ridden for 60, 70, 90 days. You might as well go snowboarding in your Sorel boot. On the other hand, I'm in favor of this kind of business because buying used equipment can allow everyone to practice the sport I love so much. In addition, I believe that if your 12-year-old son asks you to go snowboarding, you wouldn't want to spend $1,000, only to have the whole thing sit in the garage all winter like a BMX. At Homies Chicoutimi and Jonquière, we can be part of your used equipment purchasing process. We do this regularly and in the end, you mix used and new items, which will fit well with the type of snowboarder you are. WELCOME TO HOMIES!
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