Friday, March 2, 2018

Big Air: the Winter Olympics’ Newest Snowboarding Event for 2018


The owner of Tsaina Lodge in Valdez, Alaska, Jeffery Scott Fraser is a seasoned executive with more than two decades of experience sponsoring a broad range of business ventures. Jeffery Fraser enjoys snowboarding in his spare time and follows the sport in the Winter Olympics. The Winter Olympics added a new snowboarding event to its 2018 lineup: Big air. 

Snowboarders who compete in the event slide down a steep, 160-foot ramp that ends with an upward curve designed to launch them high into the air. While airborne, boarders attempt to perform a single outstanding trick. The steepness of the ramp allows boarders to achieve extreme heights, enabling them to perform many of the most challenging and memorable snowboarding maneuvers. PyeongChang owns the largest ramp worldwide with a 40-degree drop at its steepest point. 

Both men and women alike may compete in the event. Judges assess each competitor’s performance according to four major factors: trick difficulty, trick execution, amplitude, and landing stability. They particularly focus on the boarder’s balance and control as they hit the ground. Reverting, stance switching, and dragging a hand on the ground will cost points. Boarders can receive scores between 1 and 100. 

While new to the Olympics, the big air event has been a component of the X Games and snowboarding world championships since 2003. Numerous smaller-scale snowboarding competitions have also included the event far back into the sport’s competitive history and its origins date back to the days of the snurfer, the snowboard’s predecessor.

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Passing and Stopping Etiquette for Snowboarders


Jeffery S. Fraser is the owner of Alaska’s Tsaina Lodge. Prior to taking over lodge operations in 2011, Jeffery Fraser spent nearly two decades as chief executive officer of NIC, Inc., a software company in Kansas. When he is not managing business operations at the lodge, Jeffery Fraser enjoys snowboarding and fishing.

Prior to any snowboarding activity, participants should familiarize themselves with the rules and regulations for the mountain they are on, as well as the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) Responsibility Code. That said, there are also several elements of snowboarding etiquette individuals should observe.

Passing etiquette is of particular importance. Individuals farther down the hill always have the right-of-way, as they cannot monitor and adjust for individuals behind them. With this in mind, snowboarders must make passes as safely as possible. In some cases, this may require snowboarders higher up the hill to slow down or change direction. In other cases, they may not have an opportunity to safely pass, and must simply wait until a better opportunity arises.

That said, there are also several aspects of stopping etiquette that dictate how individuals further down the mountain should behave, to protect the safety of those at their backs. Ideally, riders should never stop in the middle of a trail or in a place where they are obstructed from view. 

Unfortunately, an injured friend or malfunctioning gear may require a sudden stop. In this case, snowboarders should slow their speed and move off to the side of the trail as best they can. Riders who stop should refrain from rejoining the trail until the path is clear of other riders already moving downhill.

Thursday, January 4, 2018

The Unique Natural Environment of Thompson Pass


Jeffery Scott Fraser is an accomplished executive who led the National Information Consortium (NIC) for several years working with internet applications that could connect businesses with government bodies. Jeffery S. Fraser now focuses on owning and running the Tsaina Lodge near Valdez on the Thompson Pass in Alaska. 

Thompson Pass is known for its beauty and for its winter sports, especially skiing. It represents a gap in the Chugach mountain range whose unique climate produces more snow than anywhere else in the world. The average annual snowfall is more than 700 inches, and this past December, the region saw a storm that dumped 15 inches of snow in an hour and a half. The region also holds the highest concentration of Alaska’s glacial ice. 

In addition to its extreme snowfalls, Thompson Pass is often bright and sunny, avoiding a marine effect that can make other snowy mountainous regions too overcast for heli-skiing. The Chugach snow also tends to stick to the steep mountain sides, which is why Thompson Pass is known as a place where extreme skiers practice and show off their skills. Snowboarders also enjoy these slopes, but even individuals who are not into extreme downhill sports can enjoy heli-hiking, glacier trekking, and many other ways of experiencing the unique natural environment of Thompson Pass.

Monday, December 11, 2017

Building a Stable and Maneuverable Snowboarding Posture


An experienced executive and former CEO of NIC, formerly known as the Kansas Information Consortium and the National Information Consortium, Jeffery Scott Fraser guided the company to its initial public offering and brought it back to profitability following the dot-com crash. Now owner of the Tsaina Lodge in Alaska, Jeffery S. Fraser enjoys snowboarding in his free time.

One of the keys to snowboarding is establishing a solid stance. This begins with the feet, which is typically just a bit more than shoulder-width apart. In this position, the legs are spread far enough apart to be stable yet not so wide that they restrict the rider's range of motion.

The weight should also be evenly distributed between the feet. This allows the snowboarder to feel the terrain and respond to it. Boarders who ride with their weight habitually more on one foot than another have trouble responding to the ground and may have a more difficult time maneuvering.

Maneuverability also requires the knees to be slightly bent and over the feet while the hips are relaxed and directly aligned with the knee. Likewise, the weight of the torso should remain over the center of gravity, as any bending from the hips or waist can disturb balance. The arms should hang loosely by the sides, and the head should be pointing in the direction that the board is traveling. However, the trunk should remain stable to allow for additional stability and maneuverability.

Friday, December 1, 2017

Polarized Glasses for Fishing


In addition to being the owner of Tsaina Lodge in Alaska, Jeffery Scott Fraser is an investor in Job Pose, a company that matches job seekers with employers through new and innovative methods. Away from business, Jeffery S. Fraser enjoys fishing. 

One of the biggest problems anglers have while fishing is a lack of visibility due to glare. Sunlight reflects from the water’s surface and makes seeing below the surface nearly impossible. 

Fortunately, polarized sunglasses drastically cut glare by limiting horizontal light rays. This means anglers can visually inspect the water for fish or likely grouping spots, such as a downed log or underwater grass. 

The added visibility greatly cuts down on guesswork. Anglers see the most benefit from polarized lenses when the water is calm and the sun’s altitude is between 30 and 60 degrees. On choppy water, such as the ocean, polarized glasses do not work as well since light reflects from all different angles.

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Snowboarding in the Valdez, Alaska, Region


Jeffery S. Fraser has owned the Tsaina Lodge in Alaska since 2011. He is also an investor with Job Pose, a company that excels in pairing job seekers and employers. Located in Valdez, Alaska, Jeffery Fraser enjoys pursuing a number of outdoors interests, including snowboarding.

One of the world’s finest snowboarding destinations, Valdez includes some of the most challenging and scenic opportunities for heli-skiing and -snowboarding experiences. The surrounding Chugach Range offers expansive, visually stunning helicopter-accessible terrain that consists of 50-degree steeps and glacial powder runs spanning half a mile. The longest runs of the Chugach are comprised of 5,500 vertical feet of clean powder.

Compared to Canadian heli-boarding excursions, Alaskan heli-boarding terrain is significantly larger, thanks in part to a considerably lower timberline. The ample space provided by the range allows operators in the Chugach region to develop long ramps and take advantage of natural elements, such as half pipes and giant bowls.

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Three Innovative Hunting Gadgets Worth Checking Out


A former executive in the technology sector, Jeffery Scott Fraser now manages and owns Alaska's Tsaina Lodge. When not busy maintaining the lodge, Jeffery S. Fraser enjoys hunting. 

Although some hunters argue that improved technology has taken some of the challenge out of their favorite pastime, hundreds of tech-related gadgets have still gained immense popularity among hunters. Here are three helpful hunting gadgets.

1. Firefly wind detector - This camouflage-wrapped hand device can sense the slightest of wind movements, including those undetectable by humans. Within three seconds of pressing the main button, the simple-to-use device presents a report of the wind on its LCD screen.

2. Ozonic device - This nifty device changes the oxygen molecules that carry human scent into ozone molecules, which are undetectable by animals. As a result, animals are more likely to wander into areas they might have otherwise avoided.

3. Halo Xtanium P1000X rangefinder - Developed by Wildgame Innovations, this water-resistant rangefinder offers up to six times magnification as well as a reflective target of 1,000 yards. Ideally used for moving animals, the device’s scan mode allows the user to track multiple targets with ease.