Beyond the Resort: A Backcountry Snowboarding Night at Ballistyx
Splitboarding, avalanche education, safety gear, mountain guiding, and a night for the backcountry-curious.
Backcountry snowboarding opens the door to a different side of riding. Quieter mountains, earned turns, fresh lines, and a deeper connection to the terrain. But stepping beyond the resort also asks more of you. More knowledge, more preparation, better judgement, and the right equipment.
That’s why we’re hosting Beyond the Resort, a backcountry snowboarding night at Ballistyx.
Join Kyle Boys from Blizzard Academy, Mark Bristow from ARVA Avalanche Equipment, and Andrew “Brownie” Brown, splitboard guide, for a night built around what it really takes to step beyond the resort with more knowledge, better preparation, and more respect for the mountains.
Event Details
Event: Beyond the Resort: A Backcountry Snowboarding Night at Ballistyx
Date: Wednesday 17th June 2026
Time: 7:00pm start
Location: Ballistyx, 227 - 233 Dorset Rd, Boronia 3155
Entry: FREE
Featuring
Kyle Boys – Blizzard Academy
CSGA Guide and Backcountry education professional. Director of Blizzard Academy avalanche awareness, rider training, and mountain decision-making.
Mark Bristow – ARVA Avalanche Equipment
Australian Rep for ARVA Avalanche safety gear, transceivers, probes, shovels, airbags, and the role of practice and preparation.
Andrew “Brownie” Brown
NZMGA Splitboard Guide and experienced alpine professional, joining Kyle for a special conversation about the different paths into professional guiding.
Beers provided by Wolf of the Willows Brewery
A huge thanks to Wolf of the Willows for supporting the evening and helping us bring the backcountry community together in the shop.
What the Night Is About
Backcountry snowboarding is not just resort riding with a longer walk. It is a completely different environment, with different risks, different responsibilities, and a much bigger need for education and decision-making.
This night is about celebrating the pull of the backcountry without pretending it is something to wander into casually.
We’ll be talking about avalanche education, rescue gear, guiding pathways, splitboarding, mountain experience, and the steps riders can take to build their knowledge before heading into uncontrolled terrain.
The goal is simple: get more people inspired, but also better informed.
Running Sheet
7:00pm – Doors Open
Arrive, settle in, check out the shop, have a look at gear, and grab a beer thanks to @wolfofthewillows.
7:20pm – Ballistyx Welcome
A short welcome from Ballistyx to introduce the night, our guests, and why we wanted to host a backcountry-focused event.
7:30pm – Kyle Boys: Blizzard Academy & Backcountry Education
Kyle will speak about Blizzard Academy, what they offer, and why education is such an important part of heading beyond the resort.
Kyle’s certifications and memberships include CAA Ops 2, CAA Professional Member, CSGA Level 3 Guide, and WFA 80 hours.
Kyle is a seasoned backcountry guide with a strong international résumé, including experience in Japan, Austria, Alaska, Canada, New Zealand, and across Australia. He has worked extensively in heli, cat, and touring operations, and has taught avalanche awareness courses for nearly a decade.
He also contributes to avalanche forecasting with the Mountain Safety Collective and is currently working toward his CSGA Level 3 certification in Canada.
8:00pm – Mark Bristow: ARVA Avalanche Equipment
Mark will introduce ARVA Avalanche Equipment, one of the newest avalanche safety brands available in Australia.
He’ll talk through avalanche rescue equipment, including transceivers, probes, shovels, airbags, and the importance of practice, training, and knowing how to use the gear before it matters.
8:30pm – Kyle Boys & Andrew “Brownie” Brown: Different Paths to Guiding
Kyle and Brownie will sit down for a guided in-conversation session about the different pathways that led them into professional guiding.
This conversation will focus on where they each started, the experiences that shaped them, the training and qualification process, the mentors and setbacks along the way, and what it takes to build a life around real mountain work.
Kyle brings a deep avalanche education and international backcountry guiding background. Brownie brings his own pathway through the mountain world as an experienced splitboard guide and alpine professional.
The focus is the contrast between their journeys. Both have built their lives around the mountains, but they have taken different roads to get there.
9:10pm – Audience Q&A
Open questions for Kyle, Brownie, and Mark.
9:25pm – Gear Chat / Community Catch-Up
A relaxed chance to chat one-on-one, ask gear questions, talk splitboards, and connect with the local backcountry community.
10:00pm – Wrap Up
Final chats, thanks, and close.
Why We Care
At Ballistyx, we love snowboarding in all its forms. Resort laps, park days, pow days, splitboard missions, storm riding, spring slush, all of it.
But backcountry snowboarding deserves its own kind of respect.
The gear matters. The board matters. The pack, transceiver, probe, and shovel matter. But none of it replaces education, training, communication, and decision-making.
We care about this night because we want the Ballistyx community to have access to real knowledge from people who have spent years working in the mountains. We want more riders asking better questions before heading beyond the resort. We want people to feel inspired, but also aware of the responsibility that comes with travelling through avalanche terrain.
Backcountry snowboarding can give you some of the best days you’ll ever have on a snowboard. This night is about helping people understand what should come before those days.
Who Should Come?
This event is for:
- Snowboarders curious about splitboarding
- Riders already spending time outside the resort
- People wanting to learn more about avalanche education
- Anyone looking at buying avalanche safety gear
- Snowboarders interested in guiding, training, or mountain work
- Anyone who wants to better understand what sits beyond the resort boundary
You do not need to be an expert to come along. This night is designed to be welcoming, useful, and grounded in real mountain experience.