A ski resort in Texas?!?!

by Neil Woodburn on


If God had wanted man to ski in Texas, he wouldn’t have made the place so damn hot. Texans, however, have a long history of doing what they want even if it means monkeying around with the natural order of things.

And so it will come to pass that Texas skiers sporting large belt buckles and cowboy hats will be hooting and hollering their way down the state’s first manmade ski resort just two years from now.

That’s when investors hope to finish building a 250-foot artificial mountain and 650,000 square feet of skiing area. While moving so much earth around to create the perfect slopes is hardly a challenge, circumventing Mother Nature’s 90 degree temperatures is another story altogether.

Unlike other manmade ski resorts, however, the engineers at Bearfire Resort won’t be making snow in the traditional way–Texas seasons are far too harsh for this to be possible. Instead, the creators of Bearfire plan to introduce an entirely different type of snow that is actually made from a patented, lubricated plastic known as Snowflex. I’ll let the creators describe it in their own words…

Snowflex is a polymer composite consisting of a monofilament fibre and impregnated carrier layer. This sits on top of a unique shock layer, giving a responsive and reactive feel. Manufactured in tile form, Snowflex forms an homogeneous surface that can be made into complex features and shapes.

Hmm. I guess if you live in Texas, it’s better than nothing.

Skiing in Vermont started earlier this year

by Jamie Rhein on

The weather this year has been cooperating with Vermont–at least so far. I’ve read that Mount Snow opened last weekend. Other Vermont ski resorts opened this weekend, as well. Apparently, this is the earliest people have been able to hit the slopes in Vermont in almost 10 years. With the Thanksgiving weekend coming up, and the winter holidays close behind, I can imagine the resort owners and the people who work there are feeling gleeful. There are 20 Alpine ski resorts in the state, so if you can’t find a place to ski, you’re not looking that hard. The Web site “Ski Vermont” lists all of them.

Here are a few that are open already:

  1. Mount Snow just made fresh snow. Check out the deals. Kids 5 and under, ski for free and there’s a 10% military discount.
  2. Killington is the largest resort in the eastern United States. There’s a ski package you can buy to cut down costs.
  3. Okemo Mountain was named good for families by Ski Magazine. Here kids 6 and under can ski for free. If you buy a 3-day or more lift ticket, you can ski at two other resorts, Mt. Sunapee in New Hampshire and Stratton Mountain, also in Vermont, during that time frame pn the same ticket. Neat. Mt. Sunapee is not open yet. Stratton is scheduled to open November 21.

With the ski season upon us, expect more Gadling coverage. Here is a link to some past posts. Neil has one later today on a place where skiing is perhaps the last thing you’d think about when planning a trip there.

Best adventure videos on the web

by Neil Woodburn on

When National Geographic Adventure decides to run an article titled, Top Ten Online Adventure Flicks, you just know that your productivity at work will slam to a halt until you’ve watched all ten.

The videos are fortunately short in length and cover a variety of genres such as kayaking, BASE jumping, rock climbing, snow boarding, skiing, surfing, mountain biking, and the art of parkour.

In short, it’s a miniature Banff Film Festival on your computer. And yes, it will make you feel spineless and a bit of a loser watching other people live exciting lives while you’re hiding behind the safety and comfort of your work cubicle.

Go ahead. Click it again and dream a little.

Pair a themed hotel with all skill level slopes for a unique ski weekend

by Jamie Rhein on

I’ve mentioned this place before, but with the holidays coming up and the possibility that you’re looking for an interesting place to stay in conjunction with a ski weekend, The Broadway Hotel in Philipsburg, Montana is not just a place to hang your hat for the night, but it’s a lesson in creativity. This is where the owners have a knack with whipping up themes. Each room is totally different from the others. If you’re feeling elegant and frilly, opt for The Britannia Suite, an ode to Great Britain. If you are feeling like a lumber jack and you’re okay, bed down in The Cross Cut room, decorated with a cross cut saw. There are several twin, double bed or queen size options.

A friend of mine stayed in the Wrangler Room and vowed the next day to become a cowgirl. No, that’s not true, but the room was terrific. She’s an interior designer, so she’s not easily wowed. She was wowed, particularly by the common room where there’s a fireplace, books to read, board games, videos to use in the rooms and a wonderful upscale Western style decor–plus a glass of wine if you want.

Since I was staying with my family in a storage shed on our small bit of property in Philipsburg, I was more than happy to take drink my friend’s complimentary wine since she didn’t want it. Breakfast is also included in the price. I’m telling you, this place is quite the deal and just one of the reasons to head to Philipsburg. For the skiing, Philipsburg is the closest real town to Discovery Basin Ski area which is located 20 miles away at Georgetown Lake.

Discovery Basin has slopes that range from beginner to extreme skiing and has plans to open on November 22.

Get your Ski-Mojo working!

by Abha Malpani on


No, it’s not what you are thinking. Ski-Mojo is gear that will help you ski longer should you not be able to keep that squat while skiing for an extended period of time.

The little mechanism that is strapped to your backside and rods down to your knees and somehow connects into your boots, has been in development for the last 11 years and finally hit the stores last week for a whopping £289 — but then skiing has always been an expensive sport.

Apparently it reduces fatigue and enhances your control and balance on the slopes. I suppose the mojo lets you rest on it in some way; but will you still build the muscle? or will you have to forgo the tight-butt and thigh muscle cuts?

Although I wouldn’t buy it (I’d feel really old), it’s available for skiers of all standards. Want it or not, the website (“this is no hoodoo”) is funny and worth looking at for a giggle.

[Via Guardian]