I would like to extend my thanks to the Lisa, Mike and Fiona and the whole crew at Urban Rush on Shaw TV. I am lucky enough to get on the show a number of times per year and these guys are so well watched.  This will reach so many people who are looking to get out and  experience the back-country. It was my privilege to be on Tuesday January 24th 2012 talking about avalanche safety. Below is my segment that aired at 5, 7 and 9 pm on Tuesday and noon on Wednesday January 25th. Please pass this on anyone who is new to the back country. I have linked all the important equipment below! All of this gear can be purchased through Comor Sports in their 4 locations in Vancouver, Burnaby, White Rock and Whistler. Or Sledders at Greater Vancouver Powersports. Cheers, Dave

PowerBar

Genuine Guide Gear

Mountain Hardwear

Columbia Sportswear

ABS Avalanche Air Bags

Canadian Avalanche Association

Greater Vancouver Powersports

Ski-Doo

Sled Shot

Joy Digger

Back Country Access Tracker 2 Beacons

Giro

Comor Sports

Oakley

Troy Lee Designs

Black Tusk Snowmobile Club

Totally Awesome Adventures

Cheetah Factory Racing

Grouse Mountain

Cypress Mountain

Norona Life

Great day with friends!

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This year has been amazing and my new 2012 Ski-Doo Freeride is AWESOME!!

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This is one of my favorite places to ride and enjoy the back-country! www.GrizzlyLodge.ca

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I remember when my good friend Dave Howells brought a 29′r mountain bike out to a ride! Dave is an awesome athlete and friend and so of course we took the piss out of him. The thing is though Dave did not back down, he just piped into his speech on how awesome the bike was and how one day we would all be riding them. I always laughed and said, “No Way, I am too short for a 29′r”!

Over the last 4 years I have continued to bug Dave and he has stayed firm in his believes that they are better! This summer I saw more 29′Rs at the BC Bike Race and what seemed like a fad was now seeming more like the new school!

Well today Marin dropped off a wicked 2012 Rift Zone xc7 bike for me to try, it was also a 17.5 29′r! Hmmm, I usually ride a 16.5 as I am 5’7!

Well the first pedal out of my driveway was interesting, man was this bike smooth, the first climb I hit as I edged towards Fromme Mountain was also a bit of a shock, “wow does this bike feel comfy and whoa does it climb well. Oh well it can’t possibly decend, look at this pinner 4 inch Fox Fork.

Again I was totally blown away at how this bike ate up the roots and rocks and I was descending better than on my 26 inch bike with 6 inches of travel, holly crap! Dave Howells I am sorry! Seriously after one ride on Fromme I called up Marin and cancelled my Mount Vision 26 inch bike and replaced it with the Rift Zone, now I just can’t wait till it shows up!

Here is how my day went…

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Each year Kim and I take some time away from the beautiful North Shore Mountains and head to a warmer climate. This allows us to rejuvenate after an awesome year and also get ready for winter. However, there is no secret to our madness; November is a brutal month on the shore with the darker days and endless rain who wouldn’t want to escape it.

For the last two years we have made our way to Maui to Kite Surf and it has been awesome, however, we prefer things a little more off the beaten track and La Ventana Baja Mexico is a place where we spent lots of time in 2007 and 2008. This beautiful small fishing village just 40 minutes south of La Paz is a magical place with warm water and windy days where you can kite from morning to night.

We arrived last Monday to El Norte winds and it was awesome! Six foot swells allowed us to surf all day with out 5 meter kites and surf boards. At night we hit the great local spots with new found friends and enjoy the delicious Mexican food – my favorite!

We stay at Baja Joe’s which is one of the best places to stay due to the friendly staff and proximity to the beach (10 feet) and perfect launch site. Mark and Marie and the gang from Elevation Kite Boarding spend the winters down here teaching and it has got to be the best place to learn other than Nitinaht Lake on Vancouver Island. They use North Kites, the best in the business and have an amazing selection of teachers who will get you up and riding in 2 or 3 days.

Life is pretty easy down here and we have already run into so many amazing friends, including Leni who I did the 2000 and 2003 Eco-Challenge with. Leni is soon opening up a kite school as well which is awesome. Last night as we visited a friend at the campsite we were invited to a house run by some pro windsurfing fellows and they had just been fishing for the day and caught 4 40 pound tunas. The crevesas, tequilla and sushi flowed all night long!

If you want to learn how to kite or get away to a magical place then check out La Ventana!
Dave Norona
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I love winter! I love the snow, the deep days of adventure on my skis and sled! Here is some sled action to get you warmed up for winter!

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People always ask me what am I training for and my answer has always been the same, LIFE! Training is something we do to feel good, feel healthy and stay healthy and that is why it surprises me that 85% of the population train too hard! Yes I said it. Most people think that the way to get fast or fit is to always put the hammer down!

However that is false information. The secret is lots of easy level 1 training to make you more efficient and a smaller amount of interval or hard training as you get into your racing season to get you ready for the hard efforts. If I asked anyone to go out for a run or bike ride or any sport for that matter, their pace would be around 80-85%. This is where you sweat, feel good and feel like you got in a workout and burn off some stress. This level though is called no mans land, it is too hard and does not help you build efficiency and it leaves you to tired to go really hard when you need to.

The only way to train effectively is to use a Heart Rate Monitor. Now this is not an expensive endeavor, all you need is a $80.00-$100.00 HR Monitor that you can set a high and low heart rate alarm and your off.

To get your maximum HR go to a hill that is 3-4 minutes long. Ideally about 5% incline. After warming up for 15 minutes run up the hill for two minutes at 75%, then return to the bottom for equal 2 minute rest and repeat a second time at 85% and then once more at an all out pace. On this third all out effort is where you will find your maximum HR.

During your easy days you should be training at 65-75% or around 140 HR and under. This is where you should do the bulk of your training. The one work out per week during your racing season will be a hard effort at your high level 85-95% over the workout of intervals.

Think of becoming more efficient in your sports than fast as speed comes with efficiency and someone who is more efficient will always win out over time over someone who is just fit. You have to have both to win a race but whatever level you are, you will benefit by becoming more efficient!

It is also important to train for you and not be spurred on by others. They are on a different program and following others will not lead you to your goals. Use running groups to help you not hinder you so moving around and running with the slower group sometimes is perfect and the faster group as well. This will help you learn the different paces and improve you in your sport overall.

Here are some other tips:

Have Fun!

Do Not increase mileage or time by more than 10% per week!

Avoid sickness, getting sick is 1 month off of training so if you can go the whole winter without getting sick you are much further ahead, without doing anything!

Rest Lots, don’t feel guilty. Rest is where you recover and get faster!

On Base workouts you should feel like you did not do anything…more pain more gain is not the answer.

Try new sports

Have fun and mix it up!

Remember if you don’t try new things you will never get a different result. So try some of these things and see what works for you. The answer to life long fitness is Patience!

The best part about having a trials bike is the secret network of trails that awesome trials trail builders build. A few days ago we escaped up and away from Whistler up Rainbow into the high alpine. Going from 600meters to 2032meters was amazing and as you will see I had time for a cool dip! BooYaaa!

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The Grouse Gind is the most famous hike in Vancouver by far. On any given day thousands of people flock to this staircase in the mountains! I can not think of a better way to get out and enjoy a good fitness session and then finish off in a bar with a giant pint of beer and then take the Grouse Mountain Skyride back down! It is the perfect before or after work workout!

Last year Grouse Mountain teamed up with the Vancouver Children’s Hospital and created Grind for Kids. This allowed people to make every Grouse Grind they completed count towards raising money for Children’s Hospital. Last year Grouse Mountain and all people involved raise 172,000 dollars. I was an ambassador last year and helped raise $2800.00 thanks to the awesome donations of my friends and family.

This year I have once again been asked by Grouse Mountain and the Children’s Hospital to be an ambassador and I am honored! So if you can spare any amount small or large please pledge me as I hike the Grouse Grind 20 times by the end of October! You can donate per grind I do or one simple amount it is as easy as clicking on this link!

Donate Here!

Thank you so much for your support and know it is going to help kids lives!

NoronaLife