American ultra-runner Mike Foote breaks an obscure record: most vertical height meters on skis in a 24-hour period. Here’s how he battled – excuse us, suffered – through it. Let’s get things straight right away: there is virtually nothing pleasant about busting your legs and lungs up and down a single 1000-foot (about 300m) ski slope for 24 hours, non-stop. There might, however, be a little bit of pleasure in knowing you can do more laps on said slope than anyone in the world – a pleasure, we can assure you, that belongs wholly and solely to Mike Foote, aged 34, of nearby Missoula, M ..read more

If you are one of the thousands of Australian snow skiers and boarders that head to Japan every year, then this is something that should pique your interest! The Epic Australia Pass now gives you five consecutive days in Hakuba Valley, along with access to Whistler and the Best of the U.S. in the 2018/19 ski season! The Epic Australia Pass now connects Perisher with Japan, Canada and the best of the U.S. resorts with 24 mountain resorts in four countries. In celebration of Hakuba Valley joining the Epic Australia Pass, you can lock in current pricing for only $49 upfront, but only throug ..read more

As the northern hemisphere is getting a good dose of snow right now, there are Blackbirds out there lapping it up! Team 'Bird', Arkie Elliss has been ripping up Squaw Valley, leaving no fresh stash untouched and hucking big. While our other young gun, Fletcher Thew has been flying Whistler,  serving up his park skills plus some fresh destruction of his own. And it's not just the team 'birds getting out there, we've had customers getting their share of face shots as well, with a very happy Andrew taking his new Sego Big Horns out in Revelstoke and Whitewater in Canada. Soon to ..read more

MOGULS skier Britt Cox has stamped her Winter Olympics gold medal ambitions with victory in the first World Cup event of the year in Canada. Cox, who wasn’t at her best in the past two events where she finished off the podium, took out the super final in Calgary. She beat Perrine Laffont of France and Canada’s Justine Dafour Lapointe. It was a successful day for the Australian contingent with men’s Games medal hopeful Matt Graham finishing third. “It feels great to start the first World Cup of the year with a gold and I just want to keep the momentum moving and progressing my skiing week-to we ..read more

Perisher today announced it will be replacing Leichhardt T- Bar with a new quad chairlift to be ready for the 2019 winter. The investment includes a significant snowmaking project bringing the total cost to $4.2 million with the work planned for the 2018/2019 summer. “News of the new quad chairlift is very exciting as it services a favourite area for many of Perisher’s loyal guests,” said Peter Brulisauer, chief operating officer of Perisher. “The new lift will access fantastic beginner, intermediate and advanced runs as well as the famous Leichhardt Terrain Park providing something for every ..read more

With over 500 resorts and some of the world's finest powder and scenery, Japan is unquestionably one of the world's premier skiing and snowboarding destinations. Its northernmost and snowiest island of Hokkaido features world-beating resorts like Niseko, Kiroro and Rusutsu, all just a stone's throw away from the city of Sapporo, but other equally fascinating resorts can be found further south as well. The largest island of Honshu hosts the popular Nozawa Onsen, the beginner-friendly Kagura and Tsugaike Kogen, and perhaps Japan's best-kept ski secret, the back-country paradise of Tenjindaira. T ..read more

Two-time Paralympian Mitchell Gourley (alpine skiing) and Para-snowboarder Joany Badenhorst have been announced as Co-captains of the Australian Paralympic Team for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Paralympic Games in March. The announcement was made today in Melbourne by APC Chief Executive Lynne Anderson, who said she is confident that the leadership of Gourley and Badenhorst can take the 2018 Australian Paralympic Team to new heights and create a cohesive culture; similar to the Australian Paralympic Mob culture established by the leadership team prior to the Rio 2016 Paralym ..read more

The Blackbird crew are very proud to welcome aboard our latest member to join the team, Mitchell Breitfuss. Mitchell has lived in Perisher Valley his whole life, skiing the mountains since he was two years old. Cutting his teeth in disciplines including Alpine and Skier Cross, Mitch found a natural affinity with Slopestyle. It wasn't long before he joined the Perisher Development Squad to further push himself during his teen years. After discovering a deep passion within Slopestyle Skiing, Mitchell has continued to improve over the years, spending every possible moment out in the Per ..read more

The Blackbird crew are very proud to welcome aboard our latest member to join the team, Arkie Elliss. Starting her skiing life at 2yo and growing up literally on a pair of skis has seen Arkie become a formidable young skier.  Building on her natural talent with dedicated programs like the Thredbo Mountain Academy and All Mountain Program, Arkie is well on her way to forging her presence in the skiing world. With mentors such as Anna Segal and Michelle Parker, it’s no wonder you will find Arkie slaying deep furrows into fresh snow and getting a little ‘sendy’ when the opportunity presents ..read more

As you may have gathered from earlier posts, the Blackbirds love visiting Japan. And we know we are not the only ones that this mystical place has touched. To get a real sense of the 'wonderment' that you experience there, check out this awesome short film by Mattias Evangelista. It pretty much sums it all up perfectly. This Is Japan from Mattias Evangelista on Vimeo.   Credits to: Mattias Evangelista - I've spent the last two January's skiing and traveling in Japan. This is a place unlike any other. A place where old meets new, where tradition clashes with modernization and where beaut ..read more