On Whistler

by Erik Olsen on

It’s always nice to see a place that you love get some
props and attention. As a somewhat hard-core skier, I have a couple of favorite places around the country. Some of them
I’ve mentioned here before. Places like Alta and Snowbird in Utah, Mary Jane and Vail in Colorado, certainly Mammoth in
California…and even Squaw Valley in Tahoe.

But my favorite place around, the one I have dreams about at
night when I’m in the city and have got a very serious ski jones on, is Whistler. So it’s nice to see a short, but
sweet piece like this one at the UK
Guardian that gives Whistler its due.

One of my all-time favorite moments in skiing was hiking up to
the Blackcomb glacier with a buddy after a gnarly snowstorm. We cut fresh tracks on that beat for two full hours,
making the prettiest S turns I’ve ever made, and capping the night off with some cold beers and acoustic guitar playing
in the eve. Ahhh, just thinking about it now give me goosebumps.

Measuring Snow

by Neil Woodburn on

With all the
talk (and posts) about skiing recently, snow enthusiasts are no doubt plowing through local resources to find out the
latest conditions.  Eight inches of new snow in Mammoth Mountain?  Ten feet of base in Telluride? It’s
these daily statistics, this winter equivalent of yelling “Surf’s up!” that whets the chops of skiers and
snowboarders around the world, sending every manner of them scurrying up the nearest mountain in search of white
gold.

There’s only one problem: Eight inches doesn’t always mean eight inches. 

Sadly, conditions reported in the morning snow report that so motivated you to skip work aren’t always the
conditions you find upon reaching the ski resort.  Journalist Jane Engle explores the many reasons why this is often
the case in a recent LA Times article. 

The theme here is that every resort measures snow in a different manner—there is no standardized method which
all resorts adhere to. 

A place like Mammoth Mountain, for example, measures their snowfall at the main lodge.  This is actually a
lower elevation and therefore likely to underreport the conditions on the slopes.  Other, unnamed resorts measure
their snowfall on the snowiest part of the mountain even if there are no runs nearby, thereby over reporting. 
Some mountains report only morning readings, while others update throughout the day as conditions change.  And
then there is the actual method of measurement: old fashioned ruler, or high-tech sonar?

It’s all very confusing.  I always knew that numbers could lie, but I never thought my local ski resort
would do the same.  It really makes me think twice about calling in sick tomorrow. 

 

Northstar Goes More Upscale

by Erik Olsen on

An interesting post from the good folks over at Luxist. Looks like
one of my favorite Tahoe ski areas is getting a wee more ritzy. The Village
at Northstar is opening/has opened a bunch of new apres ski stuff to make coming off the hill after a grueling day
of moguls that much more enjoyable.

A new wine and coffee bar with fie vinos and Starbuck’s espresso drinks
is here. Seems they will also feature tasting sessions … ah, a fine Sidamo, busy,
but not obstreperous … as well as a boot store called Elite Feet, for the discerning snowboarding
aficionado.%uFFFD Also there will be stores planned for the future like Euro Snack which should serve haute cuisine
French baguette style hot dogs and warm cocktails. Thumbs up, I suppose. I’m glad the ambitions here are measured. I’d
hate to see Northstar go the way of Aspen and other too ritzy resorts.

Four Resorts Ski Only

by Erik Olsen on

Following
up on my post…a short essay, really…on how
snowboarding has become mainstream…which is not how it started…I thought it was interesting to note that there are
a mere four resorts in the country have maintained a "no snowboarder" policy.  Top among them is
Deer Valley, whose excessively groomed slopes probably don’t make for the most ripper
snowboarding terrain anyway. Deer Valley, I am sorry to say…and apologize now to the PR people who are sure to
take umbrage at this comment…is largely a resort for old people whose knees, hips and backs have gone out, and
who feel the need to be endlessly pampered like the spoiled rich Americans they are. Ouch. That sounded harsh. Let me
retract part of that…naw, let it ride.

Anyway, the other ski-exclusive resorts are Alta, southeast of
Salt Lake City, New Mexico‘s Taos and Mad River Glen in Vermont. Where the anti-snowboarder ethos comes from is something of a
mystery…or at least I suggest it varies from place to place, and is largely based on exaggerated notions and
fears that there are vast armies of snowboarders made up entirely of pot-smoking, baggily-dressed youth who have little
regard for the long-established protocols of ski area etiquette. Are these fears founded? Probably not. For the most
part I think snowboarding has gone mainstream, which was largely my point in this earlier post. But, yes, there are
most certainly vestiges of the tatterdemalion armies cutting turns on slopes around the country. But should we keep
certain places off-limits to them? I’m not so sure.

Ski and Snowboard Thefts Rising

by Erik Olsen on

Man, this would really drive me nuts. Really, I would go
medieval on someone who ripped off my snowboard while I was in, say, getting lunch at a ski resort. I’ve heard of
this happening before, and you’re always aware there is a possibility that someone’s gonna snake your stuff, but you
always sort of trust that humans are not so bad.

BTW: what we used to do with skis all the time is split
them up. That is, if you’re skiing with a buddy, you trade one of your skis for one of his, and then stick the
mis-matched pairs in the snow apart from one another.

People are unlikely to steal a mismatched pair of
skis. Anyway, I bring all this up because it looks like snowboard and ski thefts are on the rise this year. So this is just a bit
of a heads up: do the split ski thing or maybe invest in a little chain lock for your board. Yes, Veronica, there are
thieves out there.