What's your mountain theme?

I’ve recently talked a little with different folks about how music relates to skiing and being in a mountain environment. One thing to distinguish is that there is a huge difference from music you listen to on the mountain while you’re skiing, music you go to hear at a local bar or après venue, and music you think about when you picture mountain living. I know this may sound a little odd, but if you could suspend normal thinking for a moment picture you last trip to Telluride or Tahoe or wherever. If there was a soundtrack for the places you ski, what would be on it? I recall watching movies form the 70’s and 80’s that had a lot of country/western in them. I can see this; mountains have that rugged feeling that comes through particularly well in such music. So I pose the question of what musicians and types of music you associate with your favorite ski town. I’m still working on a list for mine, but for any town surrounding Lake Tahoe, it really is country/western all the way; John Denver, in particular. While most people associate him with Aspen – and they should as he lived there a long time – he lived on the South Shore for a while and performed annual events there throughout the 70’s and 80’s. Your turn!

Eastern Spring Skiing Options

While public relations often push ski areas to open as early as possible despite less than wonderful conditions and packed slopes, the race to stay open the latest is far-less heated in the east than in previous decades. After the announcement that Powdr Corp would run Killington, the Park City, UT based company advised that they would not operate the ski resort into May like all previous owners and operators had done. Killington is still scheduled to close in April this season despite extensive snow pack. Two seasons ago, Bretton Woods not only made a play to stay open the latest in the east, they pulled it off by operating a novice trail on the second weekend of May, but the scheduling of “Bodefest” was one determining factor. Under new ownership since last season, BW’s philosophy on late season skiing has changed back to a more traditional model. For skiers and riders looking to make late-season lift serviced turns, there will be at least a few options in the east. The last few years Sugarbush in Vermont has made their faithful happy by having one of the longest seasons in the state – this year should be no different. New Hampshire sliders were able to either hike Tuckerman Ravine or just watch others doing it last season as Wildcat Stayed open into May by making week-to-week operational decisions and offering up over 2000 feet of vertical on their closing day. Finally, in Maine, both Sugarloaf (notice the lack of “USA”) and Sunday River stayed open till the end of April last season with the former having good cover all the way through May for hikers to enjoy. This year promises to be much of the same. Sugarloaf has announced its’ intention to operate into May, conditions permitting. Sunday River announced yesterday that they plan to shoot for April 27th, again conditions permitting. While tough ecomonic times may keep most resorts from runnings lifts past the point of profit, this skier looks forward to a long spring season and is happy to drive to the last open resort. After that I'll strap the skis to my back and head for Tucks!

Bethel Sets Snow-Person World Record Again

It was a little over a decade a go when the good folks of Bethel, Maine set a world record by erecting the world’s largest snowman. His name was Angus, which was the name of our governor at the time. So it came as no surprise when the same good folks of Bethel decided that the world record needed to get broken. Why? Because aside from snowmobiling, skiing, and watching the snow pile up... literally, there isn't much else to do around these parts. Okay, there's hunting, but it's highly seasonal. Now just so people know, Bethel isn't afraid to shy away from a challange and this record re-certification is not because someone else built a bigger snowman - no one tried. Armed with snowmaking machines from Sunday River and owners Boyne USA, Bethel’s newest “Snowwoman” was built and her name is Olympia – pun intended. For the record, Olympia stands at over 122 feet tall and her eye lashes are made of skis. The eyes and buttons are made of 5-foot in diameter rubber tires. I've heard some estimates of the total weight being in the millions, but yikes, that sounds like a lot. Regardless, this is a pretty cool site, especially up close.

Sugarloaf gears up for Alpine Championships

The U.S. National Alpine Championships are set to begin on Wednesday, March 19th at Sugarloaf, Maine. After capturing 5 crystal globes this past week for perhaps its’ best season ever, American skiers will converge on this western Maine resort for the 4th time since 1996 for the annual National Championships. Sugarloaf is home to Carrabassett Valley Academy, which is the alma mater of newly crowned overall World Cup winner, Bode Miller. The event will run through Wednesday, March 26th. As of today, all the stars from the U.S. Ski Team, as well as Bode Miller were expected to attend the races, which were last help at Sugarloaf in 2006.

A Sense of Community at Sunday River!

The second Meet n’ Greet with Sunday River Management was a huge success once again on Saturday. The dedicated and faithful forum members were up early for first tracks and then got together for some food and fun in the afternoon. The sense of community is long been missing at Sunday River, but it’s been building over the last couple of years and I for one, am glad to be a part of it. It’s easy to go skiing or own a condo, but to take part in something special like this takes time and commitment. This is a special group of folks who love the outdoors, love Sunday River, love to bust on each other, and love to have a great time. Thanks to all!

No, I'm not a ski bum. Kinda wish I were, though!

Okay, so the fact of the matter is that I really do love skiing. No kidding, right – the first 15 or so posts on here have been all about skiing, but realistically, it is my passion. I know that others have passions and I am careful to respect them for what they are. That said, I am not a typical ski bum and quite frankly I think it’s silly that some folks choose to make that comparison because I’ve skied so many days this year. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think there is anything wrong with being a ski bum. I couldn’t live the lifestyle that many do, but my life goals are what they are. The truth is that as long as the term has existed, people have considered ski bums to be unmotivated souls that have low paying jobs, ski everyday, and party every night. Sounds like a blast, but it’s not in the real world cards for someone like me. Now the fact that I’ve already skied 70 days this year has had some people actually criticize me and liken me to having this type of unmotivated lifestyle. No, I shouldn’t and don’t really care what these people think, but I’m curious as to why they would act this way. Is it jealousy? Does the fact that I work 50 hours a week and still ski a ton make them feel like they need to lash out? Perhaps. And while it’s only a couple people, I just think it’s a poor vibe to spread around ski country. Bobr for one, would not appreciate it. Okay, so now that is off my chest, no more skiing rants… only skiing!

Vonn & Miller Clinch Over World Cup Globes!

It was March 1983, 25 years ago when Sports Illustrated published a magazine with Phil Mahre and Tamera McKinney on the cover together. Who, you ask? Phil and Tamera had just become the first US skiers to win the overall Alpine World Cup skiing titles in the same year. Given the yearly dominance of the Europeans, it was the first and the last time this had happened until today. It should also be noted that a male and a female form the same country winning in the same year almost never happens, regardless of what countries they represent. Regardless, with strong finished in the giant slalom and slalom respectively, Bode Miller and Lindsay Vonn both clinched the overall titles today. While there will be much more on this later, especially as Miller, who skis for the US, doesn’t ski for the US Ski Team; however, another American clichéd a title today as 2006 Combined Olympic Gold Medalist, Ted Ligety, won the final giant slalom, which was not only his second win in a month, but earned him the giant slalom globe. Ligety’s title makes it four title for the Americans this year. These include the two overalls and Lindsay Vonn’s Downhill title.

Of note, Miller only trailed Didier Cuche of Switzerland by five points prior to Wednesday’s scheduled downhill, which was cancelled due to weather. The cancellation gave Cuche the title. Something tells me Miller isn’t all that upset.

Heavenly to stay open into May!

There are pros and cons in having a large percent of your ski resort be in National Forest Land. Quite frankly, I haven’t found any of the pros as of yet, but I know there are many people out there who have a laundry list of them, so out of respect, I’ll agree that there are pros. I think one of the drawbacks for western resorts in the last few decades is that most have to close in mid-April when the mountain is 100% open, because of agreements with the forest service. Now I understand that there is a unique balance of nature, but as a skier, I doubt I’d make many friends with the environmentalist ‘cause I think people should ski till the snow is gone. Interestingly, Heavenly Mountain Resort is almost entirely on National Forest Land, but for some reason or another, someone gave them the go ahead to break from tradition as Heavenly recently announced that they will not close at the traditional time in April and have extended their season into May due to the large snowfall totals to date. While I think this is fabulous, I also think it should be noted that both the forest service and the mountain have worked well over the past few years and this might be the fruits of the relationship. Perhaps both can have their way!

Sugarloaf's getting back to basics!

Upon completion of the resorts former centerpiece – the PHB base to summit 4-person gondola – Sugarloaf ski resort wanted a way to make sure the skiing public knew they were out to be a major player in eastern skiing. With trails being cut to international racing standards, Sugarloaf added “/usa” to its’ name in 1966.
For many of us, the resort has always been known as Sugarloaf/usa, but times change. The gondola that once stood as symbol for the massive ski resort, is now gone (The last remnant – the decrepit mid-station was removed from the mountain this past summer.) and the resort finally has a financially viable operator in that of Boyne/USA. So while it was still a little under the radar, the mountain made the decision last summer to “get back to basics,” as I’ve been told. Apparently many folks felt that “usa” wasn’t the best representation of the resort that had been developed as just Sugarloaf for 15 years before the initial name change. There are many people that still don’t know the change has happened, but when you go around the resort or see those famous triangles on the bumpers of cars, or indeed on rival mountains’ lift towers; expect a different look. Just don’t expect a different mountain. Sugarloaf still makes the rest of eastern skiing and riding look small.

Will Legend of Ahhhs make it to the silver screen?

It's been almost 20 years since the debut of the ski film that changed the way we as skiers and riders truly viewed "ski porn." From the depths of almost absolute obscurity, Greg Stump has re-emerged and will put out his first film in 10 years, "The Legend of Ahhhs." Unfortunately there will be no new skiing or riding footage, but instead, this will be more of a documentary about the business of revolutionizing the ski movie industry. With the help of old friends, Glen Plake, Scot Schmidt, and Mike Hattrup, Stumpy has stepped up to the plate after several years of part-time work, so to speak.
And after watching "Siberia" a few weeks back, I know why he did this. No. Of course I don't know why, but I have a better idea of why he stopped making ski films. First, I think he thought he'd done all he wanted to do in the ski film industry with the completion of a "Fistful of Moguls," (Some of which was shot in the Blue World, FYI) the passing of Craig Kelley may have been one of the biggest factors. Anyone who has seen Siberia know that there really isn't a lot of ski or snowboard footage, which really hurt Stump financially, but again, if you've seen it, you know why. The mountains they went to ski were for the most part unskiable. Every slope was avalanche prone and Stump feared for the lives of Schmidt and Kelley. There is a one camcorder-shot scene where Schmidt skis out of the slough of an avalanche, barely making it to safety. A few years later, Craig Kelley was lost to an Avalanche in British Columbia.
Not that Stump does have his other share of demons, he surely does and it's evident by the drop off in his work and his "compound" in Idaho known as the Vortex, but there is no doubting the artistic brilliance of this man. It may have taken some of his friends to drag him out of a stupor to make this film, but it sells and is a success, Stump will come full circle and prove that he was a flash in the pan for that one solid decade.

A great weekend for U.S men in Chamonix!

Skiers from the United States swept the top spots at both alpine events this past weekend in Chamonix, France. Now don't get confused; I didn't say that the U.S. Ski Team took both top spots 'cause in the era of Team America and a Bode-less USST, things can get a little wacky, but the fact of the matter is that Marco Sullivan, who has been long overdue, screamed to his first World Cup win in the downhill. On Sunday, Bode Miller won his 29th career race with a 1st in the super-combined. This was the second combined win in a row for Miller and put him back atop the overall WC standings, passing Austrian Benjamin Reich and Swiss downhiller Didier Cuche.

The not-so-calm before the storm!

While most of the northeast prepared for the first major snowfall of the season this past weekend, it was business as usual for vacationers, locals, and the avid skiers and riders at Maine's ski resorts. And while the snow guns were blasting away on terrain at a rate I haven't ever seen, Mother Nature threw a bit of a curve ball our way this past Saturday.
You always know who the hearty souls are out on the mountain. Aside from the telemarkers who are seemingly always the hearty souls, I include anyone who gets out and skis or rides when others shriek at the mere possibility of stepping outside. Granted, this is usually what happens in January as the mercury dips to below freezing and the winds begin to howl, but for a bunch of us, January came a month early and put on an early test of fortitude.
With temps hovering around five degrees and a steady wind of about 20-25 knots, the snow conditions were nothing short of amazing. With less humidity, the man made snow is drier, which makes for ideal grooming conditions and buttery snow on newly coated trails. So I found myself with a handful of friends, ripping down a trail that had just opened and jumping right back on the lift. It seems that not everyone gets excited about these wintry conditions and I understand. The bitter cold can really hurt, but the reward it well worth the extra layers.
And while Sunday brought more seasonable temps to the mountains of New England, it was for good reason as a front moved in and coated resorts like Sunday River with over a foot and a half of Mother Nature's finest. Yes, the storm came in while I headed back to the coast to work, but we can't pick when such storms are going to hit, nor can we pick when the weather is going to be bitter cold. What we can do is decide to make the most of whatever the conditions allow. That's what we did this past weekend and the smiles were all around!

The battle of the new ski boot blues!

It's seemingly every skiers nightmare - the anguish of breaking in or adjusting to new boots. On one hand, were told how much better we'll ski, but on the other hand, the honest boot salesperson admits that our new boot will hurt like hell for a while. These factors - along with the cost of new boots - tend to keep many of us in our comfort zone, which of course can mean that we are skiing in a boot that has been over-skied and over-flexed. Translation: We aren't optimizing the connection between the foot and the ski. And while many of us put this purchase off for any number of reasons, I can attest that while the pain can be intense, the upswing is amazing. Minimize the days of pain after the purchase by hitting the hill as hard as you would on your old boots. If you can get through this, it will be all downhill after day one. And while your front two buckles won't need to be tightened if the boot is properly fitted, you want to tighten your top buckles so that they're super-tight, but not pinching. While some people choose to go tighter and tighter each day, I did it within a few runs. And for an added bonus, you'll get some back stretching in at the bottom and top of each lift as you'll want to be sure to unbuckle before getting on the lift.
Remember to also be prepared for some residual effects on other parts of your body, mainly your knees. Why? Older boots - those with over 150 skier days, will lose much of their stiffness and thus your legs/knees aren't thrust forward like they are with a properly fit boot; so when you get into new boots with a stiffness of say, 90, you'll notice that when you put the boots on, you'll be forced forward. Your body will naturally want to sit back a little to varying degrees depending on how old and soft your old boots are. What this means is that you'll need to adjust your stance and get forward. This is how your stance should be anyway, and you get optimal performance with the proper stance.
Obviously, results will vary from skier to skier. There's a good chance that if you're a more aggressive skier, the time to adjust to new boots will be less, but again, the real x-factor in this is the boot you're leaving behind.
And before I forget, do yourself a huge favor and do two things to make sure you have the best new boot experience possible. First, read up on ski boots. There are a multitude of early season magazines that review the best boots for all abilities. Second and hugely important is that you get fitted by an expert. I chose Greg at Sunday River Sports. Greg's expertise is second to none. My last piece of advice to you is that you get the new boot blues over with and make the most out of your season!

The U.S. Ski Team moves ahead without Bode - looks to youth for the future

One of the biggest stories in ski racing this year leading up to the season has been Bode Miller leaving the U.S. Ski Team to train by himself. While FIS rules state that he must don the US Ski Team attire during races and official training, the break from the team has allowed him to live outside the recent rules, which many feel were geared towards reeling him in and policing his behavior.
Whereas I was a Bode fan for a while, I had certainly strayed from being a loyal supporter except for the fact he has represented the team and garnered many of our Nations Cup points. Whereas he has some great results and legions of followers, I’ll always have much more admiration for the likes of Daron Rahlves, who while shy and always seemingly the underdog, exemplified what representing ones’ country should be about. And while Daron decided to call it a career a couple years back after cementing himself as America’s winningest downhiller, a new generation is ready to step forward and take over.
While last year saw the emergence of Steve Nyman as a threat to the Austrians in the speed events, Marco Sullivan (Seen in above, on the right) captured his first career podium on Saturday at Lake Louise, Canada with a spectacular second place finish. And while Nyman rounded out the points scoring by coming in 15th, Miller, otherwise known as “Team America,” was a distant 20th after some fast training runs. Add those two impressive early season finishes with a constantly improving T.J. Lanning and the more technical oriented Olympic Gold Medalist, Ted Ligety, and The U.S. Ski Team should have a bright future ahead.

Safety First!

To say I don't like to let my skis run and rip some fast turns would be a complete lie, but I never compromise the safety of myself or others in the process. That being said, we are all excited that ski season is here and look forward to long hours skiing or riding our favorite trails, but whether it's early or season of mid-week in the heart of January, we should respect slow skiing and riding zones. They're marked as such for a reason and just because a ski patroller isn't standing around waiting to chase you down doesn't mean it's safe to ignore the simple warning.
Maybe this wouldn't be at the forefront of my mind if I were not hit from behind by someone on Saturday, but that is the case. Thankfully, neither myself or the person who flailed out-of-control before hitting me, were hurt, but especially in early season, when many skiers and riders are packed on to a few trails, we need to be cognizant of our surroundings. When afternoon approaches and shadows begin to cover the trails, we are less likely to see ice and even more less likely to react to it as we would early in the morning. There are plenty of places to let 'em rip, but trail sections with children and merging trails are not those places. For the safety of yourself and those around you, dump some speed so we can all enjoy a long season!

Great Weekend To Start The Season

There was a definite vibe in the air this past weekend at Sunday River. Having walked up the steps along side the Barker Lodge, the changes were evident. With a late spring micro burst reeking havoc on Barker Basin and much of the resort, Sunday Rivers' new owners had their hands full with the challenge of rebuilding trails, roads, foundations, etc.
Boyne rose to the challenge, but it wasn't the newly built base area or deck outside the lodge that got my attention, it was a the sound of snowmaking guns beginning to fire up on multiple trails instead of just enough to get the mountain open.
For my first run of the year, I opted to jump on Lift 1 for a quick shot up the mountain. I was pleased to see a nice coat of white being laid down on Sunday Punch with a newly installed row of tower guns positioned a third of the way into the trail to further extend the reach of the snow - further evidence of improvements. As my chair neared the top of Barker, I heard a distinct screeching sound coming from my right and as I looked down Right Stuff, I saw guns begin to spew the white stuff. Smiling, I knew that these folks meant business.
Spending most of my time lapping the Locke Triple mid-station and alternating between Upper Punch and T2, Cascades offered a fairly congested, but nonetheless, well-covered route to the base. As you can see from the picture of T2 in the photo in the post below, the coverage was great. Quite frankly, it didn't seem like November at all and the skiers and riders were giddy, especially this kid.
Jules and I rounded out the 3-day weekend with about ten runs on Monday, mostly on T2. With our edges sharpened, we each took turns carving the steep upper section and gliding past the park set up on the skiers' left towards the bottom. With a patroller dropping the rope on Sunday Punch, (As seen in above picture) Jules and I were two of the first to make turns on this trail I'd only admired from the quad the past two days. I later found out that Right Stuff came online shortly after we ended our skiing for the weekend. While I was one of the first to ski Right Stuff last year, I certainly couldn't fret as I marked my calender with the first three days of skiing. Looking down to Thanksgiving Day, I smiled - that was my first day last year.

Rime with reason

How many times do we tell ourselves we are going to get in great shape for the next ski season? For me, it's every spring and of course at the end of the first day of the ski season while my muscles ache in places I didn't know I had muscles. Perhaps that's the problem; I didn't get in shape so I don't have the muscles. Well, having concluded day number one of what I hope to be a long and wonderful exploration of all things alpine, I am kicking myself for not doing a better job preparing.
Don't get me wrong, it was great to be back out on the hill and was pleasantly surprised at what awaiting me today, conditions wise, but after that first run I wasn't so sure many would follow, and yet they did.
I'll wait till after the weekend to give a conditions wrap-up as I think a daily report is overkill, but I will say that Sunday River put on quite a show with the annual Tin Mountain Round-up and more snow that we could even think about this time last year. Granted, it's all man made, but it's snow and snow makes me happy. And while I spent last year making turns on the first day by myself, (which I like to do quite a bit) I was fortunate to hook up with a couple of the Sunday River forum folks. While Eric and I shared a couple chairlift rides and fast turns down a well-covered T2, (see picture) I saw Martin at the base and we went to visit Steve in the Barker Pub for a Red Sox celebratory beer... and Diet Pepsi. A good time was had by all and I look forward to tomorrow and a little less pain in the legs.

Sunday River is first to open in the Northeast

Upstaging perennial rival and "family member," Sugarloaf/USA, Sunday River Resort, Maine, officially opened for the 2007-2008 season at 11:30 today.
While Sunday River had opened for one day on Halloween, most don't consider a resort to be open for the season unless they stay continuously open, therefore, the Halloween opening doesn't really count as Sunday River's opening. Why is this important? Quite frankly, it really isn't in the grand scheme of things, but bragging rights are always the banter of forums and bar stools.
After a long period as king of early openings and late closings, Killington, VT - now operated by POWDR Corp, decided to not even attempt an early opening this year, which is the first time in decades. While this opened the door for Sunday River, who had all along intended to open no later than November 9th, it was recently announced that Sugarloaf would also open on the 9th, bumping up their opening by a week. Not to be outdone by its' sister resort, the mountain operations crew at Sunday River resumed snowmaking operations yesterday afternoon and were able to lay down enough snow for today's opening on one trail and one lift.
For the time being, skiing and riding is for advanced only and downloading is required on the Locke triple. So if you're not an expert, please think twice about getting on the lift. No, the terrain is not normally overwhelming, but early season skiing and riding is not easy and a lot of people end up walking down slopes and getting injured. For the full story on this and other alpine news, check out the good folks at Alpine Zone for the lastest updates.

And to help you in a more tangible search...

The Internet has brought us so many wonderful things. Thankfully, it has not ruined our journey down the snow-capped peaks, but in many ways, it has helped. Nope, I'm not talking about surfing the web on your iPhone on the chairlift. Hell, I think if I saw someone doing that, I'd really want to throw them off the chairlift, but I digress. The think I am alluding to has to do with two neat sections of many mountain websites - the interactive trail and conditions maps! I love 'em!
Okay, an http://www.skiheavenly.com/mountain/trail_map/ isn't gonna help all that much while your skiing or riding unless you've got something like that iPhone with you and believe you me, I'm not the only one that would want to give you a heave-ho. It is quite neat to be able to look at one of the maps before heading out on a trip to a new resort and choosing some areas you want to ski or ride. Sure, you may still want to have one of the hand-held - I feel like such a tourist - versions, but only for quick reference. They're such a pain to fold. So go to the website of the mountain you plan to conquer and map out a plan of attack. Most will let you select different sections of the resort and even zoom in and out. Pretty cool! Not only will it give you a better sense of where you want to ski, but it will help you avoid the areas you don't want to ski. Tres important!
As for the interactive conditions; they're not as widely used yet. There are a couple of reasons behind this, IMHO; first, they take more manpower. Someone has to update them to reflect what's going on and second, I would think they probably take a lot of server space. Nevertheless, I like to check out Sunday River's conditions map before each day. I get to see where snow was made (using a variety of time frames), what's been groomed, perhaps more importantly - what hasn't been groomed, where snow is going to be made, what trails are open, and what lifts are open. You combine this with your interactive trail map and you can skip the lodge, customer service, and all those things that are great on vacations, but not necessary when you're just out to rip it up. Have fun!

The search can take you anywhere

I learned a long time ago, that if you're a true skier or rider, you can never pass up an opportunity to slide down snow. Granted, this sometimes means that you don't even slide on that much, or even any snow at all. While living in London for a few years back in the early 90's, I strapped on skis and slid down a surface called Dentex, or "the toothbrush" to the Brits. Nope, it wasn't as good as even the hardest bulletproof, but it was skiing and it was part of my education.
Then there are the times when snow turns to grass or mud. Most call this the end of spring skiing, but others just consider it another element to ride on. Sure, you get a little dirty, but what is "apres ski" really, other than some overused and died out term for people that really never ripped anyway.
And then there is the difference in the terrain we ski and ride here in North America. In BC, you can rip over 5000 feet of vert while some people in the middle part of the continent get excited about 100 feet. Some would say that strapping your sticks on for the latter is a waste of time... those people no little about the search. If 100 feet is what you've got, make the most of that 100 feet. Imagine how you'll rejoice when you get to rip that 5000 some day!
So I challenge all of you to leave your comfort zone. Ski areas you normally wouldn't. If you've never skied at night, give it a shot. If you've never jibbed a rail, let 'em slide at least once. It's hard to have an opinion or claim to have experience if you stick to the same mountains and same runs day in and day out.
Season opens in 5 days... Where will you be?