How much do you snowboard on a typical day? - Snowboarding Forum

06-11-2008, 03:50 PM

Hi everyone, sorry to butt in here. I'm not a regular member but I'm working on a project for snowboarding and winter sports in general. It's a helmet-mounted camera for recording your run. We're trying to make it as small as possible and that means a tiny battery. Thing is, I'd like to make sure it lasts long enough for a typical day.
That's where I was hoping you could give some advice. If you were in my shoes, how long would a camera like this need to last to capture the kind of things you'd want to record while you're on the slopes?

Would it need to be an all-day thing, like a cellphone? Or just a few hours to record certain tricks or particular jumps? Somewhere in between?

Right now we're thinking about using a 2-hour rechargable battery, but I'm afraid that might be too short. I'd appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance!

**killclimbz** · 06-11-2008, 03:56 PM

Man I would not be interested in recording my entire day. A 4 hour battery life is probably more than enough, hell even two hours. In my case I do a lot of human powered backcountry which requires a lot of hiking and a few runs. I would shoot some of the hiking stuff, but for the most part the camera would be on the descents. Which last just a few minutes per rider. We average about 5 runs a day. At the resort you might get a bit more footy. Say a kicker, rail, or some feature. Maybe some pillow case lines. Still, I don't see people shooting every run. That would be some boring stuff. Besides for getting a few hours of film time, the important thing would be how the camera deals with the cold. I have had more than one camera or video recorder die way too quick because the batteries got cold.

06-11-2008, 04:04 PM

Well, I had a helmet cam for about 2 weeks before I lost it in a crash... I'd agree that about 4 would be more than enough. 2 seems like it'd be cutting it too close. That's about as much as I ever recorded with it, but having the battery die and cost me shooting something I wanted to would piss me off. I usually only used it to record a handful of runs and some tricks over the course of the day. The other thing was that the quality was pretty poor. Of the footage I shot with it, I edited out all but one shot from the stuff I put together. I also use a Canon HV20 and a Sony DCR-HC52 to shoot, and the quality difference was just to jarring between the camcorders and the helmet cam. The color and contrast in particular were very poor, and even though it shot at 30 FPS, movement still looked very choppy.

EDIT: oh, this is the one I had, btw. Picked it up on a friend's recommendation, but obviously wasn't all that thrilled with it.

06-11-2008, 04:11 PM

A regular day of riding for me it's 6 to 7 hours altogether, but I am not sure I would like to go through that much video. I saw if the can hold 3 hours of recording that should be fine. Also what do you record in (HD, disk, chip)?

oh I forgot, it would be nice to get at least an extra 2 hours of playback. Persoanlly I like to see what I have taped. But i am not sure if you guys are going to offer a screen o play back or not...

06-11-2008, 04:15 PM

I show up at the mountain at opening (around 8) and snowboard until I'm completely dead. I would say usually about 8 hours or so, but im with the other guys, I couldn't possibly imagine recording 8 hours of riding

SpAcEmAn SpLiFF · 06-11-2008, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoardNbob

I show up at the mountain at opening (around 8) and snowboard until I'm completely dead. I would say usually about 8 hours or so, but im with the other guys, I couldn't possibly imagine recording 8 hours of riding

werd. in a full day, im probably on the slopes 7 or 8 hours, but of all that time, id probably wanna watch no more than an hour of it. watching yourself on the lift, on the lines, carving down some simple groomers...none of that is worth watching

**boarderaholic** · 06-11-2008, 04:44 PM

A battery life lasting 3-4 hours would be more than sufficient. I'd imagine filming 6-7 hours would get quite boring in the long run, because all you see is snow wizzing by someone. That and factoring in lift lines and hiking like the others mentioned as well.

Dcp584 · 06-11-2008, 04:51 PM

Dude if you are trying to record someones whole day 8hrs would be optimum but I think 6 would be an decent amount of time.

06-11-2008, 05:07 PM

Thanks for the replies everyone. It's really helpful.

06-11-2008, 05:17 PM

no problem, glad to help

06-11-2008, 03:50 PM	#1 (permalink)
sfbay Guest Posts: n/a	How much do you snowboard on a typical day? Hi everyone, sorry to butt in here. I'm not a regular member but I'm working on a project for snowboarding and winter sports in general. It's a helmet-mounted camera for recording your run. We're trying to make it as small as possible and that means a tiny battery. Thing is, I'd like to make sure it lasts long enough for a typical day. That's where I was hoping you could give some advice. If you were in my shoes, how long would a camera like this need to last to capture the kind of things you'd want to record while you're on the slopes? Would it need to be an all-day thing, like a cellphone? Or just a few hours to record certain tricks or particular jumps? Somewhere in between? Right now we're thinking about using a 2-hour rechargable battery, but I'm afraid that might be too short. I'd appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance!

06-11-2008, 04:04 PM	#3 (permalink)
geoko Guest Posts: n/a	Well, I had a helmet cam for about 2 weeks before I lost it in a crash... I'd agree that about 4 would be more than enough. 2 seems like it'd be cutting it too close. That's about as much as I ever recorded with it, but having the battery die and cost me shooting something I wanted to would piss me off. I usually only used it to record a handful of runs and some tricks over the course of the day. The other thing was that the quality was pretty poor. Of the footage I shot with it, I edited out all but one shot from the stuff I put together. I also use a Canon HV20 and a Sony DCR-HC52 to shoot, and the quality difference was just to jarring between the camcorders and the helmet cam. The color and contrast in particular were very poor, and even though it shot at 30 FPS, movement still looked very choppy. EDIT: oh, this is the one I had, btw. Picked it up on a friend's recommendation, but obviously wasn't all that thrilled with it. Last edited by geoko; 06-11-2008 at 04:10 PM.

06-11-2008, 04:51 PM	#8 (permalink)
Dcp584 Danimal!!!!!! Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Frederick, MD in other words to far from the big mountains Posts: 1,812	Dude if you are trying to record someones whole day 8hrs would be optimum but I think 6 would be an decent amount of time. __________________ Sweet Tap Dancing Baby Jesus Christ It's Dogzira!!!!!! Eh.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

06-11-2008, 03:56 PM	#2 (permalink)
killclimbz Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Front Range Posts: 9,166	Man I would not be interested in recording my entire day. A 4 hour battery life is probably more than enough, hell even two hours. In my case I do a lot of human powered backcountry which requires a lot of hiking and a few runs. I would shoot some of the hiking stuff, but for the most part the camera would be on the descents. Which last just a few minutes per rider. We average about 5 runs a day. At the resort you might get a bit more footy. Say a kicker, rail, or some feature. Maybe some pillow case lines. Still, I don't see people shooting every run. That would be some boring stuff. Besides for getting a few hours of film time, the important thing would be how the camera deals with the cold. I have had more than one camera or video recorder die way too quick because the batteries got cold.

06-11-2008, 04:11 PM	#4 (permalink)
Simply^Ride Guest Posts: n/a	A regular day of riding for me it's 6 to 7 hours altogether, but I am not sure I would like to go through that much video. I saw if the can hold 3 hours of recording that should be fine. Also what do you record in (HD, disk, chip)? oh I forgot, it would be nice to get at least an extra 2 hours of playback. Persoanlly I like to see what I have taped. But i am not sure if you guys are going to offer a screen o play back or not...

06-11-2008, 04:15 PM	#5 (permalink)
BoardNbob Guest Posts: n/a	I show up at the mountain at opening (around 8) and snowboard until I'm completely dead. I would say usually about 8 hours or so, but im with the other guys, I couldn't possibly imagine recording 8 hours of riding

06-11-2008, 04:44 PM	#7 (permalink)
boarderaholic Moderator Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Edmonton Posts: 2,063	A battery life lasting 3-4 hours would be more than sufficient. I'd imagine filming 6-7 hours would get quite boring in the long run, because all you see is snow wizzing by someone. That and factoring in lift lines and hiking like the others mentioned as well.

06-11-2008, 05:07 PM	#9 (permalink)
sfbay Guest Posts: n/a	Thanks for the replies everyone. It's really helpful.

06-11-2008, 05:17 PM	#10 (permalink)
Simply^Ride Guest Posts: n/a	no problem, glad to help