Hansen’s Employee and RIPPER Nick - His SKI Picks This Snow Season

Click Here To Checkout Our 12/13 Line Up Of Snow Gear

SKIS: Line Skis Sir Francis Bacon 184cm
"My daily driver for 2 seasons. The ski is at home anywhere on the mountain. Pow, Park, high speed groomers. One Ski To Rule Them All!!!

This is the latest snow report from Mammoth Mountain.  The snow has been falling for the past 4 days.  It is time to go skiing......

Warm Up Then Head Out!

I hit the slopes today at Whistler after not having skied for a couple of years. I was stoked that it was as if I hadn’t missed a year of skiing thanks to the warm up I got at Adventure Ski & Snowboard School just outside of Hansen Surfboards. 

Owner Kent Bry invited me to try out their rolling carpet and take a ski lesson to get ready for my trip. He said that any of my bad habits would be exaggerated on the carpet and his staff could point them out and help me fix them. I gave it a shot and was blown away. Although I’ve been skiing since I was five, the 30-minute lesson left me exhausted, as if I had been on the slopes for an entire day! I learned that I needed to edge more, but otherwise I was ready to go. It was a blast of a leg workout too. I heard a teenage snowboarder talk about what a great core workout he was getting. I decided after my trip, I’d go back just for the workout and fun.

So did it make a difference? Definitely!

Usually on the first day of a ski trip, it takes me a half-day to warm up and get my rhythm, I stay off the moguls, and keep it slow and easy until I’m warmed up. Not this trip. I felt warmed up right away, went as smooth and fast as I usually do by the second day of the trip, and I even hit some  moguls with complete confidence.  I also felt like a better skier, thanks to the instruction I got by Kent and his crew.

Thanks Kent!

Try Before You Buy

This is the first time I’ve been on a ski trip in two decades without my own skis. Mine got sold in a snap last fall at the Hansen Surfboards Ski & Swap Sale.

We just arrived at Whistler, snow is expected, and after getting our lift passes, I headed to the Salomon pro shop to get outfitted with my gear. I was blown away by how many choices in skis I have for the next few days, and already, I was trying to figure out how to test them all out without cutting into my ski time.

How convenient is this? Hassle free flying because I’m not bulked down by my heavy ski bag, I get to demo whatever I want on the mountain, leave the skis here, then I can come back to San Diego and buy my sticks at Hansen Surfboards with the expert advice of Ken. (He knows everything about skis, snowboards and snow gear, and it’s on sale now!). The best part about buying skis this way is that you know for sure that you’re getting skis that are right for you.  I’ve always bought my skis this way, but it’s been because I’ve trashed my skis on the mountain, been forced to demo while on a trip, then I’ve ended up finding something I like and I’ve bought what I’ve tried out.

So check out what I got. Some real chick stix. The Salomon Lady, which Salomon describes as an “All-mountain freeride ski for women who ski equal amounts on and off piste.”

These skis have my name all over them!

Hansen Surfboards Makes Last-Minute Christmas Shopping Easy!

If you’re in a time crunch on your Christmas shopping, here’s a holiday shopping story that’ll make you feel better and let you know there’s a way to get it all done in a couple of hours or less!

Last night, I finally had a moment to set out and tackle my Christmas list. I was feeling pretty guilty about it too, because after all, it was December 21 and I hadn’t bought a single gift for anyone. Between family and work demands, time just slipped away and there it was… four days before Christmas.

Non-Stop Flights to Mammoth from San Diego… Finally a Reality!!

Grab your boards and skis and head to Lindbergh Field because it’s official: non-stop daily flights are finally taking off to Mammoth!

That’s right!

Now you can forget about long, boring road trips for epic snow.  Flights to Mammoth leave at 7:40 a.m. daily by United Express (operated by SkyWest Airlines) and arrive at Mammoth at 9 a.m.

For those not familiar with Mammoth Mountain ski resort, it’s a quick, 15-minute drive from the Mammoth Lakes-Yosemite airport.  The return flight leaves Mammoth at 3:41 p.m. and arrives at Lindbergh shortly after 5 p.m.

Let it rain… let it SNOW!!!

Am I some sort of sicko because the cold, pouring rain at daybreak totally makes my day? I’ve always had a thing for weather like this, and I suspect it started back when I was five and put on my first pair of snow skis. I learned fast that bad weather meant great snow conditions and that awesome, fly-through-the-powder feeling the next day!

And that’s what we have now… so call in sick and grab your sticks or your board and head for the mountains!

We got showcased on KUSI San Diego as a small business in San Diego.

They talk about Hansen's and its 50 years as a small business.  It also shows some of our snow shop and surf shop offerings including snowboards, ski, surfboards, and much more.  Check it out!

Snowboarders and skiers who live in the San Diego area know that the sunny state of California has dozens of mountain resorts to do some major pike carving. Before hitting those slopes for another fun-filled time of half pipe shredding, you need the right snow gear to accessorize. Whether you require outerwear to keep yourself warm and dry on the slope, or snowboards and skis for your feet to glide over the powdery snow, Hansen's has all the snow gear you need to prepare for the winter season.

46 Degrees As I Approached Hansen Surfboards in Encinitas, CA

It is November 8th 2011 and as I pulled up for work at Hansen Surfboards I realized winter is here.