Exploring the Board Spectrum - THREDBO 2014

In the interest of my own personal riding species (boarder bunny), and patriotic love for my home town, I wish to share the epic season I’ve had so far, exploring Thredbo’s board spectrum, from a new skate setup, to awesome gnar, annual charitable events, demo days and celebrity appearances. Thredbo delivered the goods this year, satisfying all of us that prefer to ride sideways, to make sure that 2014 was one of the best seasons yet! 

Obviously, one of the contributing factors to a great winter season is how generous the snow gods decide to be, in regards to the amount of pow that slips from the sky. Needless to say, I had my boots laced and board waxed weeks before the first snowflake had fallen in Thredbo (which had quickly melted, thanks to the warm temps we were experiencing in early June). Nevertheless, my mother always taught me to be patient, and so I was. Good things take time. True Love Waits

And then it happened! We received a 1.2m dump on the 24th of June; a miraculous blessing from above, considering an average Australian snowfall is around 30cm. In a number of days, the evergreen mountain had been transformed into a snowboarding wonderland!!!

Riding conditions have been so rad, that even the manager himself dubbed the weekend of July 26th-27th as ‘the best riding weekend’ of the season, with arguably some of the best conditions he has seen in his career as the head honcho of mountain operations. This comes from the man that has served 24 years (and still counting) as Thredbo’s mountain manager…a person who has undoubtedly seen the good, the bad and the ugly. Can we all just stop to appreciate how much epicness this statement must equate to, and how lucky we’ve been this year. With 20cm of fresh gnar settling itself the night before, the whole mountain terrain was like gliding off a fluffy cloud. It didn’t matter if you were a park rat, speed demon, terrain rider, off-piste puppy or corduroy cruiser, the snow was sensational across the whole mountain.

A new addition to village entertainment this year has established that Thredbo is one step closer to ‘unofficially’ being called Shredbo. Skate Night, every Thursday, guarantees that you can now shred the gnar by day, and the rails by night, thanks to the awesome new setup in the Keller Bar. A quarter pipe and rail arrangement transform the Keller’s dance floor into an indoor skateboarding haven, thanks to the local Thredbonians that constructed the removal structures in summer. Now from 9pm, all of us dedicated boarding elite (well, that’s what we like to call ourselves!) can gather in the midst of drinks, friends and old-school hip hop/rock music to enjoy a great night of skateboarding. If you’re a backflip away from being a pro, or a downright rookie like me, this skate night is guaranteed to make all you boarder boys and snow bunnies jump for joy.

Another successful event (recently taken place on the 2nd -3rd of August) was the Snowboard Demo Day Weekend. This brought about the same excitement to the boarders in town than to 5-year-old children at Christmas time. Many came seeking a new ride, or an addition to the board family, frothing over the latest from brands such as Fyve, GNU, Roxy, Nitro, Stepchild and more. Here in Thredbo, we love our Demo Days; they’re basically a matchmaking market for us snowboarders, making sure that we can spend some serious trial time with our potential new babies, before we seal the deal, and deliver the dosh.  Overall, the weekend was a success, although I didn’t get to find myself a new ride.

With so many awesome things that have already happened, there is still loads to look forward to! After 2 successful years of running Board Against Brain Cancer Day, Thredbo is hosting the charitable event once again in late August. So what’s the deal with Board ABC day? Well, you get the chance to make friends, ride the mountain, as well as score some sweet tips from professional instructors alongside some of Australia’s top snowboarding legends. All for the price of $45, of which is donated to fund Brain Cancer Research, in association with Cure Brain Cancer Foundation. So… an epic day of riding with a bunch of cool people, combined with that warm and fuzzy feeling you get from helping a good cause? DOUBLE WIN.

So why don’t you come down for a visit? You may even catch a glimpse of one of Thredbo’s famous snow ambassadors, such as the one and only Australian olympian, Torah Bright! Yes, being a boarder seems that much more cooler in Thredbo, especially when you’re related (through snow-bred riding species) to a 2013 bronze-medalist from the Winter Olympics. So if Torah’s down, enjoying the crisp blue bird days and all ‘round freshies, why aren’t you here?

As of winter, we’ve had two months, of snowboarding goodness ,with one more to go. The season is slipping through our fingers here in Australia, but won’t completely disappear until the September spring shreds are delivered.  Cheers to a good season thus far, and I hope all of you boarders take advantage of the last wintery moments we have. Take care, and shred hard!

Photography: Kinglsey Krebs ( Kingsley Ty Photography ). Nicola Theile (
Nicola Theile Photography ) & Monika Siegenthaler