Top Ten Halfpipes

by Erik Olsen on

Mountainzone runs a feature on the
top ten halfpipes in the country. I have
to say it’s cool that Mammoth Mountain gets number one spot. What’s so great is that Mammoth was afraid of snow
boarders until just a couple of years ago. They didn’t want them on the hill and treated them like untouchables. Then
they realized all the dough they were leaving on the table and came back begging. They built some state of the art
facilities for boarders, including the half pipe that gets a mention here. Anyway, next comes
Breckenridge, Colorado (or Breck, as we used to say). Stratton Mountain,
Vermont (don’t know…do they call it Strat?), Park City, Utah and on and on. Check out the site for details.

 

Ski Yosemite

by Erik Olsen on

Few places in the US are as beautiful as Yosemite. Yosemite’s
biggest problem, though, has long been the crowds that descend on the narrow valley during the summer, making the place
smoggy, loud, and filled to the brim with camping tards from all over the world. So the best time to go is during
winter, when the valley is almost empty, and you can strap on some cross-country skis and head into the back country. I
did this several years ago and thought it was one of the best CC trips I’d ever done. You can ski up to the far side of
Half Dome and catch a great view of it from across the valley. Anyway, the
Sac Bee runs a piece
about skiing in Yosemite that describes the Glacier Point Trail, one of the most scenic routes.

 

Here’s to Guru Dave

by Erik Olsen on

Right after college I worked for a winter at
Squaw Valley in Lake Tahoe. Nowadays I drink coffee to get my mind started in the
morning. Back then, a buddy and I were the first ones up the tram and we’d hit the mountain from top to bottom in a
race where the loser was the one who had to make a turn. That was how we got our hearts started.

This little story comes to mind right now not only because I just ordered a double red eye (coffee with a shot), but
also because I was reading about a
guy named Guru Dave at Snowbird, and was reminded of another guy in Tahoe just
like him. I forget the dude’s name. Maybe it WAS Dave. The point, though, is that every resort has their Guru Dave. The
guy who has made being a ski bum an occupation, a philosophy. Guru Dave is the guy who knows a little bit about
everything, enough anyway to hold forth for long soliloquies on the Ottoman Empire or the
virtures of a particular guitar. Guru Dave’s can also be dangerous, because listening to them can often make you doubt
your own chosen path in life…which might very well be a good thing.

Anyway, on this lazy Friday, I thought it might be nice to read about Guru Dave, and all the folks out there like
him.

The Little Snow Gear Guys

by Nino Marchetti on

There’s a great piece in the Denver Post
today talking about how niche ski gear companies are making themselves be noticed amongst the big guys. It
basically talks about how “women, kids and rebels”, segments traditional ski companies like K2 and Salomon perhaps
ignored, are finding their specific needs met through smaller players. Most of the interviews come from the recent
Snowsports Industries America trade
show, which had some 750 ski brands vying for the public eye (who knew there were so many?).  

Backcountry Danger

by Erik Olsen on

More on
the dangers of backcountry skiiing. The
key point being that many North American resorts, from Taos to
Whistler Blackcomb, have been expanding their off-piste
terrain, providing skiers with the right gear with the opportunity to escape lift lines. With a bit of work, that is
climbing with skis on, you can head into the backcountry. The right gear mostly means randonnee skis, the centerpiece
of which involves a strong, lightweight binding that is hinged at the toe…sort of a high-impact, sturdier cross country
ski, where the heel can be secured to the ski for downhilling.

The problem, as I’ve mentioned before, is going back country can escalate the danger of dying. After a fresh snow,
the back country can be a serious avalanche danger, and several people have died lately doiing this.

That said, as someone who has done some (but not much) backcountry skiiing, I can say that the experience is unique
and thrilling. Perhaps it’s something you’re interested in? Well, then consider a course, perhaps as an outfit like
Exum in Grand Teton natioonal Park. That way, you get some of the basics down
before you head and and kill yourself on you rown.