Old Time Skiing in Vermont

by Nino Marchetti on

There’s a place in Vermont where you can ski like it was the old
days, according to the
Associated Press (via CNN). Mad River Glen, located in Waitsfield, VT,
has what the AP says is a cult status among local skiers. It is reportedly the only large ski area in the country owned
by the skiers who come there. It also, according to the AP, is like taking a step back in time to an era “where skiers
could enjoy nature and skiing, not a winter theme park designed just to make money.”

Other interesting things of note about Mad River Glen: it gets about 250 inches of powder yearly, no condos are in
sight, snowboarding is banned and the ski area sports one of the last diesel fuel, single chair lifts which runs 1 1/4
miles up the hill.

Snowboarding with the Chickens

by Nino Marchetti on

It isn’t exactly snowboarding with the chickens, but the upcoming Rocky Chicken Jam in Park
City, UT looks to be a lot of fun nonetheless. The event, scheduled for Dec. 17-19, will pit some of the best female
snowboarders against each other (sorry guys, ladies event only) for a $20,000 first place prize. 50
contestants (30 wildcards on day 1, followed by the top five taking on 20 invited pros) will compete in an
elimination style event, with each lady boarder getting half an hour to show their stuff on a progressive slopsetyle
course.

Running concurrently will be the Hit the Stairs Jam, where contestants compete for $3,000 in a winner-takes-all rail
contest.

Portable Party

by Erik Olsen on

I wasn’t real sure about this one,
but once I got to thinking about it, the idea kind of grew on me. A backback with speakers built right in. Now I can
understand if you’re taking this thing to school or around town and you want to pop in your ipod and crank out the
newest itunes download. Fine. But the company is marketing this thing as “wonderful for travelers” and well, I hate to
be the curmudgeon, but isn’t it the slightest bit lame to cart around two big speakers on your backpack so you can
listen to music?

Yes yes, I know. You’d probably do it. I’d probably do it. It’s just that it seems like such an unnecessary
accoutrement. Not to mention how furious you’d be if you were on some overnight train in Italy and some American punk
is blasting Outkast while you’re trying to catch some Zs. Now that said, I guess this could be a good idea, assuming it
was used with some discretion (man, I am a curmudgeon!).

Ode to Burke Mountain

by Erik Olsen on

Skiing Mag gives props to Vermont’s
Burke Mountain here in the East,
promising the best tree skiing in the Northeast. And also that it will be cooooold. It isn’t open yet, but the folks at
Burke say that the winter promises to be a sweet one. Like all the mountains in the Northeast, Burke Mountain is not
large. You might almost say it’s “hill-like”. At 3,267 feet you might just feel like driving oer the top of it in
your Honda Civic. BUT, and many people who ski there have big butts, there is a respectable, albeit somewhat
limiting, 2,000 feet of vertical and some impressive not-so-groomed runs. You can find Burke Mountain in East
Burke, Vermont. Farmer’s country.

Snow Reports by Ear and by Email

by Erik Olsen on

The fluffy white stuff has begun falling, and you’re wondering if there’s enough on the
gournd to make it out this weekend. Am I right? Well, getting snow reports for all your favorite areas just got a lot
easier with this site called
snowreport.com, that has updated audio reports from areas all over the US and
beyond. There’s also an email option so you can sign up and get the news of the latest freshie delivered straight to
your inbox.