A little ski math, I typically log 40, maybe 50 if I am lucky, ski days in a season. My husband Greg tracks our vertical with his handy Vertech Ski watch and with the Alpine Replay iPhone app - for comparison. Okay, so we are a bit obsessed, but we enjoy measuring our time on the mountain, typically bagging 10 runs before lunch. It's a game, it keeps us going. Our average ski day, we accumulate about 26,000 vertical feet, so that squeaks us in at just over 1,000,000 vertical feet in a ski season. I have always thought our alpine accumulation was worthy, till I saw Tom Hanson's stats.

Sugarloafer Tom Hansen has us beat, by four times - geez. If this ski season seems like a bummer for many of us in New England, it has been a hummer for Hanson. He has skied 105 days, logged 4,239,462 vertical feet (yes, 4 million) in 2,841 runs, which is the equivalent of 6,346 miles. I don't know how many Bag burgers he has burned in calories, but for a 60 year old guy with arthritic knees and a heart condition, I am impressed. It gets better; Hanson has raised over $2,500 in pledges for the Ski Museum of Maine while tackling the mountain. You can still contribute to Hanson's charitable charge at www.skimuseumofmaine.org and you can track his stats at Sugarloaf's Alpine Replay, but I doubt you can catch up with him.

Sugarloaf Photo by Greg Burke

My season's accumulation of grievances and grudges are not a big deal, but simple ski etiquette could cure these alpine annoyances and mountain mishaps, and probably improve everyone's day on the slopes. So here you go, my top ten skiing pet peeves.
Don't ski while talking on a cell phone, it's like driving while texting. Skiing and riding require your full attention. Cell phones should only be used as a communication device to hook up with people you are skiing with, not for blathering to your buddy at home while booking down the hill. How about pulling safely off to the side of the trail to make or take a call? And please refrain from long, loud extended conversations on the chairlift when in the company of others - surely that conversation can wait.

Don't crank your iTunes so loud and blare over your chairlift companions' conversation. Besides common courtesy, if you are so tuned out while skiing, you may not hear the approaching snowmobile or groomer.

Don't ski way above your ability level. It is okay to challenge yourself but it is not okay to endanger yourself or others by skiing out of control and being unable to stop, turn or avoid others. The trail designations, green circle, blue square and black diamond, are there for your benefit. Work up to each level and remember that trail designations are unique to each ski area, the level of difficulty typically refers to their trails - so a black diamond at Stowe is more difficult than at Bretton Woods.

Don't bomb straight down the trail just to reach the Terrain Park, make the most of your run, and your time in the park. Maybe it is just me, but I find it rude and reckless when park skiers just beeline to the park, cutting skiers off, then skid a big skid stop, producing a huge snow cloud to finally check their speed before the park entrance.

Conversely you should not just bomb through the Terrain Park, even though the best untouched cord lies on the sides. Whether or not you are using the elements; you must respect the other riders' turns and allow for safe intervals. Terrain Park etiquette requires that you be aware of who is hitting what element, who is next, when to call your drop, and quickly clear landing areas for the next jibber.

Racers, the ski area does not exist solely for your run. Cutting liftlines and carving huge trenched arcs on your way to the race course with no regard to other skiers (people who paid full price for their lift privilege) is not very cool, despite your expensive spandex suits and razor sharp skis. Assuming you are god's gift to skiing is ill advised. Very few of you, like .5%, will become the next Bode Miller or Lindsey Vonn, the rest will join the ranks of recreational skiers and hopefully find racer behavior annoying.

On the subject of lift lines, don't enter the lift corrals until you are ready to ride said lift. Standing with your board or skis blocking the entrance jams up the flow. Floundering with your gear, trying to find your group, digging for your ticket to show the liftie, and missing chairs makes you look like a joey (or a punter if you speak Canadian). Causing the lift to stop because you do not slide out in time for the chair will not win you new ski friends.

Don't attach your lift ticket to the main zipper of your jacket. It looks ridiculous, and worse, it whacks you in the face as you ski.

Don't be a gaper, avoid the big gap between your goggles and helmet, or your hat and helmet - it looks amateurish and will subject your forehead to the cold, wind, sun, and ridicule.

Don't assume you can just pick up the sport. Get a lesson, instead of teaching yourself or getting a few pointers from your buddy. The money spent on professional instruction will reduce your risk of injury, improve your long term enjoyment of the sport, and accelerate your proficiency in the sport of skiing or snowboarding. We can all spot a self taught skier by their technique (or lack of). Photos by Greg Burke

Yes, the snow is melting fast, but the events calendars are heating up in ski country. Put your bike and golf clubs down and go ski this weekend. The big action is going down at Sunday River's Dumont Cup.

Some of the biggest names in big air and big ski tricks, Jossi Wells, Gus Kenworthy, PK Hunder, Torin Wallace, Alexis Godbout, Joss Christenson, and Alex Schlopy, are coming to Maine to compete in the 4th Annual Dumont Cup, a pro am slopestyle contest. Their host is X Games Gold medalist and Maine native Simon Dumont, who founded this event after breaking the world record for a quarter pipe jump in the spring of 2008 at Sunday River.

You can be front and center, in Rocking Chair Park at Sunday River, to watch amateurs work their way through elimination rounds on Friday, March 23. 40 skiers will be selected to compete Saturday against the seven top pro skiers for cash prizes of $25,000. You can ski to the venue, or walk up the snowy hill near the base of Barker Mountain. Unfortunately that is how host Simon Dumont will be attending his own signature event, he pulled out of Euro X Games earlier this month when he tore his ACL, then flew to Vail and underwent surgery last week, so he will not be competing on skis as he has done for the past three years. So it goes with big aerials, big consequences.

Ironically, last year's Dumont Cup was cold and windy which caused blustery tailwinds and several big crashes along with the big tricks. Nick Goepper won with a cork 900, switch dub rodeo 9 japan and a dub cork 10 mute (feel free to look that up in your freeskier dictionary or YouTube it). Goepper's ski career has launched since, this pro am event helps amateur freeskiers show their stuff, meet their montors and grab some attention on the East Coast. This year, the Dumont Cup action should be huge, the snow should be soft, and the spectator scene should be amped up on sunshine and Red Bull giveaways - one of the event’s big sponsors, along with Target, Oakley, Nike 6.0, HEAD, Toyota, Giro, Rockwell, Seshn, Empire Attire, and Kicker. The Dumont Cup is televised on NBC Sports, to broadcast April 10.

If you have not seen the Dumont Cup, it is like X Games slopestyle skiing comes to Maine instead of Aspen. And if you have not had your fill of skiing, The River has over 450 acres of skiing still.

3rd Annual Dumont Cup Photos by Greg Burke

So mom was right, again. Everything eventually comes back into style. Take a look at ski fashion, hats with huge pom poms and shiny metallic ski jackets are back. Another huge trend at the annual 2012 Ski Fashion Show in Denver was the return of rainbow colors from the 80s. Of course, ski wear manufacturers are smart enough to change and update ski styles, so you will look dated if you just drag your old bright red parka out of the basement (besides you will smell of moth balls). Here are the top trends in ski fashion from the runway, and at ski shops near you.Top 10 Trends in Ski Fashion

1. Color is back, replacing black as the default for skiers. At Snowsports Industry of America’s annual fashion show, bright colors in stripes, squares, and blocks were big and bold for skiers. Frankly some of the loud colors remind me of my second grade playground jacket, with wide bands of contrasting bright yellow, red, green and blue. But, these candy colors are a cheerier choice than black or white. “Brighter colors are appealing simply because they are happier and represent energy and action,” said Michelle Hollingsworth, Obermeyer's lead designer.

2. Cougars are popping up on the slopes, and we are not just talking about 40+ divorcees in the singles line. Rossignol has wild cougar, tiger and zebra inspired ski outfits from designer JC De Castelbajac, other ski clothiers are pushing animal print too.

3. Silver and gold sound like NASTAR ski medals, but these glamorous shiny fabrics are coming to fall line fashionistas, very 70s disco-tech. Metallic gold, silver and bronze quilted jackets are being offered by Obermeyer and Rossignol, perhaps geared more toward Aspen's clientele than New England skiers at Wachusett.

4. The pattern is for patterns. Next season's ski wear offers big plaids and prints matched with bright colored ski pants (picture lime green, orange, poppy red) or vice versa - crazy graphic pants with an eye-popping solid colored jacket.

5. Snowboarders buck the trend, of course. While skiers are moving to bright and bold colors, inspired by snowboarding, riders are moving to business attire styles for the slopes in black and brown plaids, even gray flannel and tweed. Burton and Bonfire are both producing more subdued city-street style snowboard clothing. I guess at 30-something, snowboard attire is growing up and looking for some respect.

6. Fur is back, but this time it is for everyone - women, men, kids, even snowboarding teen jackets have fur trim. Whether you go for the real deal or faux, fur is being used in ski jacket trim, hoods, glove cuffs, boot toppers, and hat pom-poms for next season. M Miller, a luxury ski wear company based right here in Boston, sports gorgeous furry hoods in their Alpine Heritage collection, all made in the USA.

7. Ski gear keeps getting smarter. Every year, snow sports fabrics improve with new technology - today's outwear and base layers are thinner, softer, stronger, more weather resistant and even odor preventing. So your old jacket from the 80s, while perhaps a re-trending color, is not composed of the latest greatest moisture wicking, wind and water resistant, lightweight material.

8. Phone friendly fingers in gloves are the latest rage. Ski glove companies like Gordini make Smart Gloves with a zip-out lined finger for touch screen operation. So you no longer have to freeze your finger to answer a phone call, text your ski buddy, cue up another song, or take a photo on top of the ski mountain. Cool…or toasty as the case may be.

9. Goggles are going Star Trek, as companies like Zeal and Smith Optics roll out the next generation of genius goggles. The Smith I/O Recon has an LCD screen inside the goggle lens with GPS, vertical tracking, weather stats, you can even video your skiing, record your air time, and check your email when connected to your smart phone. These sophisticated goggles are about $650 so I am not sure what a hot seller they will be. Besides, it sounds like visual overload – you are supposed to be skiing.

10. Stay tuned for more ski fashion trends. Aspen Fashion Week is going on right now, ski designers Obermeyer, Heli Hanson, Killy, Dale of Norway, and SKEA will be featured on Aspen’s Snowstage for those who want to be in the know. Of course, some fashion cycles flop, like the reintroduction of the one-piece ski suit (aka: ski onesie, jumpsuit, fart bag) a few years back.

Now, if we could just stage a few alpine ambush makeovers on the New England slopes, to help out the guy wearing his NASCAR jacket and jeans, and the gal in her flannel pajama pants and a Belichick Patriots hoodie – probably not the best choice for snow sports.

Photos by Greg Burke, and courtesy of Rossignol and M Miller

Sugarloaf is a big mountain, with a big fan base. At 4,237', Sugarloaf Mountain is the tallest ski summit in Maine, rivaling Stowe at 4,395' and Killington at 4,241'. If you have never skied this massive mountain in Carrabasset Valley, well, you can't say you’re a Sugarloaf since___ then, can you?

The Loaf is the closest thing to a ski cult I have ever encountered. There are some rabid Mad River Glen lovers, and some absolute Alta enthusiasts, but their bonds seem more of an old school, anti-snowboard society. Loafers are extremely devoted, even defensive, about their downhill ski resort. They all sport the iconic blue and white Sugarloaf triangle sticker on their cars, their helmets, their boot bags. They travel with extra stickers and plaster them in prominent, even peculiar, places to prove their love. I have seen Sugarloaf stickers at ski areas around the globe. A few fiercely loyal Loafers have what looks like the black diamond Sunday River logo sticker, but upon closer inspection it reads "Someday Bigger."

What spawns this Sugarloaf love? What drives downhillers to drive hours to this remote resort, to endure extreme weather, to ski steep firm terrain off the exposed summit?

Here is my stab at the recipe for this Sugarloaf passion. It is certainly one part history. The Bigelow Boys and Amos Winter were determined to build a ski hill here, and much labor and love made Sugarloaf happen in 1951. The first trail, Winter's Way, remains a testament to their hard work, and events like the Sugarloaf Schuss from 1952, continue. Sugarloafers have a ball, literally, at every milestone, sometime they serve the authentic, intoxicating 1951 Grand Lake Stream punch (the Kool-Aid of Carrabassett?). Most importantly, these crazy ski families haul back (ski trail pun) to Sugarloaf every weekend and school break, a tradition kept for generations. The ski décor repeated in most condos consists of retro Loaf photos and wooden skis mounted to walls. A few flush Loafers paid fortunes for defunct gondolas and Spillway chairs at auction for haute interior design.

The love of the Loaf is also undeniably one part terrain. When the snow is right (like right now) and the snowfields are blanketed in white, Sugarloaf is awesome. When that is not the case, you sharpen your edges and carve (or skid) down Gondi line, a long unforgiving charge down the center of the Loaf’s face where the 1965 gondola passed.

Every racer worth his salt has competed on the headwall of Narrow Gauge (like Bode Miller), and you are no bump skier if you have not skied Bubblecuffer top to bottom – no stopping. Over the years, trails have been widened, Eastern glades in Brackett Basin have been opened, pipes, parks and boardercross courses have been added (with two time Gold medalist, native Seth Wescott’s support), but most of Sugarloaf's terrain and trail names remain - legendary.

The rest of the Loaf’s formula must be the people. Sugarloafers are a community (sorry if I said cult before). They queue up long before the quad starts churning, place their skis in the lift line to mark their spot, then walk around in ski boots socializing with fellow Loafers till opening bell. They ski in predictable patterns, a few warm up laps on the Superquad, then to Spillway (now the new Skyline Quad – but many still call it Spillway), to King Pine and Timberline when it opens. They ride t-bars when the wind puts chairlifts on hold. They wear crazy outfits for White World Week, Easter, and Reggaefest. They have spirit, they are infected with Sugarloaf-ism, which is clearly contagious - even in outdoor quarters. Every time I write about Sugarloaf, my inbox fills with comments, criticisms, and cult-like kudos.

Here is my tip (Sugarloafer since 1993), go now, ski the Loaf in March and April, when the winds calm, the sun comes out, the recent snow has piled up, and the events crank up. This is when Sugarloaf rocks. You may find yourself bragging about bagging The Gauge and Gondi by 9, craving Bag burgers by noon, and slapping Loaf logo triangles on your car. You can still become a Sugarloafer since 2012.

Photos by Greg Burke

A bang board sounds like a terrain park feature you bonk with your skis or board. But no, the original bang board was a solid oak plank located at the top of Gunstock Mountain's 1935 rope tow. The rope tow slipped through a drilled hole in a wooden board just prior to the bullwheel. If skiers had not let go of the fast moving rope in time, or their gloves or coats got caught, they would bang into the board. How's that for an aptly named, primitive but effective safety device?

Skiing was a hearty sport back in 1935 in New Hampshire, according to Carol Lee Anderson, author of "The History of Gunstock." But you did not have to pay for your lift ticket unless you survived the rope tow and made it to the top. "Tickets could only be purchased at the top of the tow, so if any injury occurred on the way up, liability was not an in issue." Already skiing had earned the reputation as a risky sport, put into the same insurance liability category as a roller coaster according to Anderson.

That original rope tow, known as "Gunstock's Ski Hoist," was the country's second following Suicide Six's rope tow in Woodstock, Vermont. Gunstock's rope tow was made of 6,200 feet of rope that traveled at 30mph, carrying only four skiers at a time, according to Anderson. Talk about earning your turns when and if you reached the top, and did not smack the bang board. Even a successful tow ride tended to shred the crude leather ski gloves or woolen mittens if your grip wasn’t super secure.

Skiing at Gunstock has come a long way since rope tows and the first chairlift in the East in 1938, a single chair built by Maine-based Hussey Manufacturing, which was the second chairlift in the country to Sun Valley, Idaho.

Today, skiers ride Gunstock's Panorama high-speed quad to the scenic summit, you can ski or snowboard down, or Zipline the entire descent in three speedy sections. The downside, nowadays you have to pay before you ride. "The History of Gunstock" is a great read, full of anecdotes of Gunstock's evolution, quoting legendary locals, Olympian Penny Pitou, and Torger Tokle - the Norwegian ski jumper.

Tokle is revered for his long-standing record of soaring over 250-feet off Gunstock's Nordic jump in 1941. This February marks the 75th anniversary of Gunstock's 70-meter, dedicated as the Torger Tokle Memorial Ski Jump. Gunstock Mountain's Historic Preservation Society is currently restoring all four Nordic ski jumps, the 10, 20, 40 and 70-meter.

We tend to believe today's young jibbers, jumpers and freeskiers are pushing the sport by going bigger and better than their predecessors, but it’s worth looking back at our alpine ancestors and their ski survival skills and ingenuity that brought us the sport we continue to loved today. Gunstock has been a trend setter in skiing from first lifts and ski jumps to today’s Big Air Bag and the longest Zipline tour in the Continental US. Thankfully, there is no wooden bang board at the base of Gunstock's Zipline, just lots of springy rubber stoppers.
Rope Tow Photos courtesy of Bob Arnold, his grandfather Fritzie Baer was GM at Gunstock 1950-59

Gunstock Photo by Greg Burke

Yesterday at Wildcat, the wind howled and blew the 6-9 inches of fresh snow around in furious whirls as we skied down the un-crowded slopes. The strong winds must have kept most skiers at home on this otherwise sunny and super scenic day at Wildcat, because there were no lift lines on a February vacation week Sunday, even with a fresh coating of snow.

Despite no lines, Greg and I were glad to have a gentleman join us on the Wildcat Express quad, for his companionship of course, but also his help weighing down the chair in the brisk wind at the 4,062' summit. I immediately noticed the 80+ Ski Club patch on his jacket, and struck up a conversation during our lift ascent (it's what I do). Frank Davis, of Madison NH, admitted he gets about 40 days a season, lots of runs too. He was "bummed" that if Wildcat's speedy summit quad went on wind hold, he would not get his usual 26 runs.

I told Davis that was an impressive number of ski runs in a day at any age. He said he had just spent the previous week at Stowe Vermont, and skied 133 runs in five days, tracking a whopping 273,000' vertical. Davis said, "I was skiing with my grandkids (ages 25 and 27 by the way), and I told them there is no time for stopping, we do our talking on the chairlift."

Davis was going to ski Loon the following day, he had all the deals worked out on where to ski, and when. I asked him what was his secret to skiing so vigorously at 80? He replied, as our chair ride ended, "It’s all in the genes." Then he smiled and said, "Just don’t wear ‘em too tight."

What can I say; Davis was my inspiration for the rest of the ski day. The wind would not die down, but we did not either. We skied all of Wildcat’s scenic, well groomed runs (all with clever cat names like Bobcat, Feline, Cheetah, and Catnap), and a few soft snowy glades off Wild Kitten too. After all, it would have seemed wimpy if we had let the wind gusts keep us from getting our 20,000+ Wildcat vertical, if an eighty year old guy can do it.


Photos of Wildcat by Greg Burke Feb 26, 2012

My ski friends ask me how to pack for a ski vacation out west, or even just a two hour drive to the mountains. Apparently the task of ski packing causes serious stress for some skiers. What you pack, and what you leave home, has a big impact on your ski trip. Forget your goggles and you are shelling out serious dough for a replacement pair - no last minute deal for dummies.

Here are some of my ski packing tips and tricks:

Ski resorts are not fancy, so you can get by with one pair of pants and a few après ski shirts, or ski sweaters. Wear boots with good treads for walking around the (hopefully) snowy resort. If you are marginally fashion conscious, make sure everything you pack matches. I recommend a lot of black, its slimming, hide stains and looks slightly dressier than blue jeans. Always pack that swimsuit, there is a reason every ski hotel gift shops sells swimsuit for $80, because everyone forgets this small, easy to pack but easy to omit, hot tub essential.

If you are flying to your ski destination: I recommend carrying your ski boots on the plane (stuffing ski socks or gloves inside). I wear my ski jacket and have my goggles, gloves, the absolutely essentials handy, so that if (or when) the airline loses my luggage - I only have to rent skis. Make sure your ski and boot bag are well labeled with your name and cell number, plus the address and phone of your destination inside and outside your luggage. I have had my gear delivered at 4am to our ski condo because I provided this detail, and therefore did not miss any ski time despite delayed bags.

Check your big heavy ski boot (having moved your ski boots into your carry-on) with your ski stuff, and après ski clothes, but carry on your essential toiletries in the requisite ziplock for TSA inspection. On your trip home you can put your ski boots back in the checked boot bag, as their arrival home is not as imperative as it is for your ski trip.

Look into renting skis and compare the cost difference versus airline bag fees. If you are bringing your skis and poles, use rubber bands or Velcro straps to keep skis together tightly, then stuff extra ski clothes around them as padding – bag theses items in plastic so that the binding grease doesn’t ooze out onto your outfits.

If you are driving to the ski resort: Call ahead to see if your accommodation has a kitchen. Bringing a pre-made dinner, breakfasts, snacks and drinks, saves time and money during your stay. Hauling frozen lasagna only to find you have no oven however is a bummer.

Bring a small packet of clothing detergent, your necessary power cords for phones, etc.

See, that was not so hard. Think of the fun you will have once you are packed and hitting the snow.

Ski Bag Contents:
ski or snowboard boots, ski socks
hat or helmet
mittens/gloves
googles/sunglasses
neck warmer or balaclava
base layer –thermal long undies, and a fleece layer
wind and waterproof ski pants and jacket
season pass or lift ticket coupons
hand/toe warmers, lip balm, sunscreen, energy bar

Photo by Greg Burke

Fate and fall line magic were at play when it comes to my ski love story. You could say it all started when my stepfather rode the Gunstock chairlift with my future father in law back in 1978. During that long double chair ascent, my stepdad bought a ski lodge in Vermont, basically sight unseen. So our family packed and moved to Smugglers Notch Vermont to run the Red Fox Alpine Lodge. It was several years later that I met Greg, the son of the aforementioned chairlift real estate broker.

I will never forget the day at Smugglers Notch when Greg and my eyes met. I was too young at that first brief encounter, 16, still there were stars, that magic feeling. Time passed, I grew up a little, but I did not forget him.

I ski instructed at Smuggs during my college years at UVM. That’s when I saw him skiing, making powerful smooth arcing turns below me as I rode the Madonna chair. Who’s that? I asked, and wouldn’t you know it was Greg again, the man destined to be my forever Valentine.

One of our first dates we skied at Stowe. The sun was high that spring day, the moguls were soft, and my knees were weak (as the saying goes) not just from the many runs we took on the Front Four. It’s all history now, but one thing remains true, skiing is our glue. Even teaching our kids to ski was something we tackled together, the fun, the tears, the stress, the expense, and the joy of seeing them excel and love skiing as we do.

Skiing is such a romantic sport, at least for me. It’s exhilarating facing the winter elements, gliding down a spectacular snowy mountain with that someone special. As I think of our best moments together, many have been on a ski mountain somewhere. It’s not always a perfect sunshine, fresh snow day; we have skied in the rain, the howling wind, we even got lost in Zermatt. Skiing challenges us both, there are lots of ups and downs, just like a marriage.

We both love skiing, and sharing that passion has been a significant part of our romance and the fate that keeps us on track. There are many ski places we have yet to visit, and our mutual bucket list will bring us there together. I hope you find your forever ski mate. I know I am “waxing” too romantic, but Happy Vertical Valentine’s Day.

If you are not first, you are last. This is the mantra around my competitive family. It applies to suppertime, and certainly skiing. On a powder day, or a perfect corduroy morning, there is nothing that compares to being on that first chair, looking down at untouched snow, knowing you are about to beat everyone else to the goods. You will get to leave your signature in the snow before the bed heads and the stragglers hit the slopes.

I am hooked on first tracks at Sunday River; it is like having your private ski mountain. I have experienced first tracks in perfect cord, on squeaky talcum powder snow fresh from the Sunday River guns, and last Friday six inches of dry light fluffy snow. The conditions for first tracks are usually the best of the day, and the camaraderie is high quality too. You are in company with others who prioritize skiing, and you get to meet Sunday River management – perhaps even the GM. Dana Bullen is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet, and a great skier to boot.

Sunday River charges $25 per person for First Tracks on weekend and holidays, you must have a lift ticket or season pass as well. Once you have signed up at least 24 hours in advance, you get to load the Chondola to North Peak at 7:15am for 45 minutes of privileged skiing, typically on Spruce Peak, prior to the lifts opening to the public at 8am. First Tracks skiers and riders also get a cool sticker for bragging rights, and a coupon for hot cocoa in the lodge. When you take a break at 10am, after ten laps, you see the sea of skiers arrive. You can just imagine they are wondering who tracked up the trails already, while you reflect on your early exclusive runs.

Saddleback has Ski with Management at 7:30am on Sundays, no charge, no sign up, just show up with a valid lift ticket or pass, enjoy freshly groomed or freshly fallen snow, followed by coffee and pastries with your new friends.

Sugarbush has first track cat skiing at Lincoln Peak for $75, up to 12 skiers and snowboarders board the Lincoln Limo snow cat at 7am for private skiing prior to the lifts opening.

First Tracks is like the backstage pass of skiing, you should be an expert or advanced skier or rider to keep up with the enthusiastic group. You will be on the mountain with patrol and usually some major players from ski area management. Of course, you have to drive to the ski resort at dawn, but when you board that first chair and the early sunlight is sparkling off the fresh snow awaiting your ski signature, it’s worth every second stolen from your pillow.

Photos by Greg Burke of Sunday River First Tracks

Over a million skiers and snowboarders were glued to their TVs this weekend, and 70,000 fans were on their feet witnessing the four days of live action at Aspen’s Buttermilk Jan 26-29. The Winter X Games are huge, certainly bigger than ski racing in the U.S. Launching huge tricks and flips in a halfpipe, and sliding down frozen staircases and rails, is apparently more entertaining than chasing sticks down a slippery ski slope.

If you missed the party on snow in Aspen, here are highlights. Shaun White made redheads (like me) and snowboarders everywhere proud when he five-peated his Gold medal performance in Snowboard Superpipe with a perfect score. He launched a double cork 1260 with an injured ankle, impressive or insane; this is why people watch these games.

Norwegian Torstein Horgmo who won Snowboard Big Air last year brought an even bigger triple cork 1440 to this year’s event to earn silver, but Canadian Mark McMorris’ backside triple cork mute 1440 earned Gold.

U.S. Tom Wallisch won the Men's Ski Slopestyle, and David Wise won Skiing Superpipe with a switch double flip, the first American to win this showcase event since Tanner Hall in 2008. Wallisch and Wise were referred to as the old men on the podium at age 24 and 21 respectively. Yes, the Winter X Games is a decidedly young fresh venue where skiers and riders launch crazy twisting inverted flips, with the occasional big crash. The snowmobile double backflip crash by Justin Hover (hover - ironic name) was particularly harrowing.

The most somber moment during this Winter X Games came during a Sarah Burke tribute, just a week after her tragic superpipe ski accident in Park City, Utah. Many of the 200 athletes at the X Games dedicated their performances to Sarah, who was favored to win Gold, with purple ribbons and “I ski for Sarah” stickers. Her Canadian teammate and friend, Roz Groenewoud won the Women’s Ski Superpipe event, and said after her emotional victory lap, “I definitely felt like I had Sarah with me.”

This was the 16th Winter X Games, and more gnarly events continue to be added, like street style inspired ski and snowboard events. Winter X Games first started in 1997 at Big Bear in California. The following two years were held at Crested Butte, Colorado. Then Winter X Games moved east to Mount Snow, Vermont for two seasons. Ever since 2002, the Winter X Games have been held at Buttermilk in Aspen, Colorado.

If you missed the mayhem, and death defying tricks in Aspen over the weekend, put the 4th Dumont Cup at Sunday River on your calendar March 23-24, 2012 to see top freeskiers compete.

Photo by Greg Burke

I know everyone has football on the brain for this weekend, but ski season is finally here. Thursday night’s snow in the White Mountains, Maine and northern Vermont dumped almost a foot of snow. Friday morning skiing at Loon was the best of the season, with about 10-inches of soft fluffy snow blanketing the groomed trails for those fortunate skiers.

So the skiing this weekend should be fantastic after groomers have had a chance to smooth out Mother Nature’s gift into perfect corduroy. I predict many people will skip skiing, instead glued to their TVs, or going to the package store to gear up for Sunday’s Pats game. But if you are a core skier, I suggest you can do both, ski and still be ready for Sunday’s kick off against the Ravens at 3pm.

Playoff football is the best possible après ski. With high speed quads, you can have your 10-15 runs, be done by noon and home in time for football. Ordering pizza and putting your Pats jersey on does not take that long. Find a seat on the couch with a beverage in hand and nachos nearby after your own thigh burning work out on the white slopes that morning. Gronkowski and Brady will be taking care of pre-game preparation at Foxboro, so go ski and enjoy the snow, now that fresh powder and the AFC Championships are finally here…

photo by Greg Burke

Turns out the Hollywood moguls love Wyoming just as much as skiers. Celebs like Harrison Ford, Sandra Bullock, Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel like hiding out in Wyoming. Dick Cheney lives here too. The stars are drawn to the same attraction as we are, the postcard-perfect scenery of the Grand Tetons and big mountain skiing, but the cowboy culture of no tolerance for paparazzi has them staying.

We discovered our own heavenly hideaway while skiing Wyoming, it’s called Amangani, and it’s amazing. Arriving at Amangani is like reaching your private hideaway above the spectacular Teton Valley of Jackson. This new west hotel is tucked on a mountainside, perfectly blended into the landscape with low-profile architecture of natural stone and wood. The concierge and management team welcome us by name and whisk us into a grand three-level lobby of soaring redwood, flagstone and glass that frames the beautiful setting. As if on cue, a herd of elk graze outside.

Despite my excitement, I lower my voice in this spa-like atmosphere, as we tour the 40-suite resort. Our spacious suite has all the latest luxuries in an art-deco new meets west motif, plus a private balcony, extravagant bath with slate walk-in shower and soaking tub all framed by floor to ceiling windows to the valley and aforementioned elk.

We put on our fluffy robes and head to the spa for the awesome outdoor heated pool and hot tub with distant views of the ski slopes of Snow King and Jackson Hole.

After a spa soak, it is time for après ski drinks from the Zinc Bar in the expansive lobby with two grand fireplaces. There is also an inviting fireside library stocked with games, DVDs and guidebooks to all the other Aman Resorts. Amangani is one of 19 posh properties spread across 13 countries.

Dinner at Amangani Grill is truly haute cuisine above 6,000’. Native bison, elk, and steelhead trout prepared by a James Beard award-winning chef, served in the dining room with yet another fireplace, fantastic artwork, and more windows on Wyoming.

The next morning, we could take the complimentary shuttle to ski legendary Jackson Hole, just 20-minutes away, where Amangani has an exclusive Ski Lounge for your boots and gear. But after skiing Jackson Hole and Grand Targhee for several days, we decide to ski Snow King Mountain in town. Dating back to 1939, Snow King is Wyoming’s first ski area, and still the steepest ski resort in the country with a real retro feel. A double chair takes you 1,571’ vertical to the summit where you ski 40-degree trails of soft snow, providing sensational views down to the town of Jackson and the Grand Tetons beyond. There are no groomers, blue or green trails, off Snow King’s 7,808’ summit.

Whether you ski, shop the wild west town of Jackson, or roam with the wildlife in the nearby National Parks and Elk Refuge, you know you have Amangani (translation: peaceful home) to retreat to at day’s end.

Wyoming is addictive, it’s hard to leave. I see why so many New Englanders and the Hollywood set have moved here for big mountain skiing, serious snow (it’s snowing heavily as I write this), gorgeous Grand Teton scenery, cowboy culture, no crowds. There are so many reasons you should ski Wyoming.

Photos by Greg Burke

Grand Targhee doesn’t make most skiers’ must-visit list, that’s just one reason this Wyoming ski area is a must. Among others: 500+ inches of snow annually, stunning Grand Teton scenery, a low-key friendly vibe, and one of the best après ski bars I have seen in years.

Grand Targhee is a big small ski resort. Targhee has big mountain skiing on 2,602 acres of wide-open terrain from groomed bowls to powder runs, plus a plethora of steep chutes. But Grand Targhee’s base is a small, humble ski village where you can be one of the lucky few staying in only 100 lodging units. Otherwise the nearest towns of Alta, Wyoming, and Driggs, Idaho, are 12 miles down a curvy access road, where you find more lodging – but we loved the convenient casual atmosphere of staying on mountain.

Grand Targhee is the antithesis of Jackson Hole, just an hour away. Targhee’s three mountain peaks offer everything from long groomed cruisers to moderately pitched bowls, to avalanche chutes. Targhee doesn’t have any fancy hotels, but doesn’t get lines for first lift either, just friendly locals and incredibly soft snow on 2,270’ vertical.

We did laps on the Dreamcatcher high speed quad and the Blackfoot double chair on Fred’s Mountain, admiring the amazing Grand Teton at 13,770’ that dominates the skyline. Next we skied Peaked Mountain’s short but exciting chutes and broad Medicine Bowl served by the Sacajewa Quad. On a powder day at Targhee, a frequency, you can be getting freshies all day. If all that’s not enough, Targhee also has 600 exclusive acres of cat skiing.

Staying on the mountain in the compact village, we could enjoy après ski at Targhee to the fullest. For family activities, there is snow tubing, snow biking on fat tires, snowshoeing, Nordic trails, or just soaking in the outdoor heated salt water pool and hot tub. If your kids are 12 and under, they stay, ski and eat free when you buy an adult ski and stay package for three or more nights. Targhee even organizes game nights and movies for kids during the week, so parents can enjoy The Trap Bar. The Trap is everything you picture in a ski bar, nothing fancy, just fun people dancing in ski boots to live music, a retro setting with a view of the ski slopes.

Dining at Grand Targhee is limited to a few places, but The Branding Iron serves delicious Kobe beef, soups and salads, while the Snorkel makes a serious breakfast burrito. One night, we took Miller’s Sleigh Ride Dinner for an authentic horse drawn sleigh through the snowy forest to a wood fired yurt where cowboy Miller himself served us heaping plates of steak, Wydaho potatoes and homemade scones drizzled with honey butter. For entertainment, Miller tells stories of the rodeo and ranching. I recommend you dress warmly and BYOB, this is no Disney ride - this is the real deal.

After a few days, we felt like family. Grand Targhee is a special place with plentiful snow and super nice people. I should also tell you that you ski free with any North American ski pass when you book three or more nights lodging at Targhee this winter. There are so many reasons why you should ski Grand Targhee. Oh, and it’s snowing there right now…

Photos by Greg Burke

Pfft. Yeah, but what's the vertical?

HT: @ozskier

Taking another page out of the Disney handbook, ski resorts are adding thrill rides to their on-mountain offerings. First it was fuzzy mascots to make the kids feel comfy at otherwise cold, unfamiliar ski camps - like Mickey Mouse in the mountains. Now mountain coasters, ziplines and canopy tours are popping up on trail maps like moguls on Outer Limits in March.

The reality: zip lines and mountain coasters are less expensive than fancy high-speed quads or gondolas, and the fun factor for families is an added amenity to your alpine vacation. Besides, with today's high-speed lifts, you can easily bag enough ski runs by 1 p.m., leaving the afternoon to pursue other sensations with your kids that don't involve further burning of the thighs.

Jiminy Peak, Okemo, Cranmore, and Attitash have added mountain coasters to their alpine operations. These open-concept two-seater cars ride on a metal track, you head straight up the hill on the rail then descend at speeds of 20-plus mph (with your own hand brake) down the twisty, turning steel track. Basically, it's a ski area roller coaster. The ride is short, about 5-7 minutes, but promises to be exciting at $9-$15 a pop. Okemo's "Timber Ripper" is thought to be the fastest, dropping 375 feet vertical, and reaching speeds of 25 mph.

Look for zip lines and canopy tours at Sugarloaf, Sunday River, Loon, Wildcat, Smugglers and Bretton Woods. Cable lines run from tree-to-tree in the ski area forest canopy, and you are harnessed in for your descent from platform to platform. Zip excursion range in price from $25 to $110, and can take one hour to three, depending upon the length of the tour  - Bretton Woods' is the most scenic and longest in New England, descending 1,000 feet.

So, now you can have your amusement park adrenaline rush in ski country. Look for ski and stay packages that bundle these activities, or discounts for pass holders in their inaugural season, and add a little zip to your ski trip.

Photo by Greg Burke For more of Heather's family ski tips go to www.familyskitrips.com

I had a great season skiing in India with Allen Taylor, but despite all the fun we had, something was missing. I've been skiing at Stowe for the last four years, and in that time the mountain has come to feel like home. I was pretty bummed that I'd missed out on skiing at Stowe this year when, out of nowhere, this freak storm swung through and hammered my favorite hill. Suddenly, all the pow I was sorry I'd missed was back in town.

After several phone calls back and forth, we decided on an early start, and prepared ourselves to hike until our legs didn't work. Below is just a sample of what we found, the full trip report, is HERE.

Eric just posted Allen Taylor's video, but there was a lot more to those days than was shown in the movie.

I had recently resigned myself to the fact that it was a low snow year, and had begun to start making plans for more summer-like fun. "Where did I put my mountain bike and do those climbing shoes still fit?" had become pressing questions. Just as I was starting to to accept the hard truth that summer was just around the corner, April decided to get its act together.










I hope you've enjoyed the privilege of skiing the snow that's fallen in the alpine over the last few days. If you haven't though, don't worry, there is a fairly major storm forecasted for the middle of this week!

These, and many more, photos can be found on the Famous Internet Skiers website, or by clicking HERE

The skis have been put away for the summer (OK, they're still in my car). But Allen Taylor's recent video of events on Mount Washington over on Famous Internet Skiers isn't going to aid in the marital bliss that is pledging the yard work will finally get done in lieu of any skiing to be had.

I mean, the grass isn't that high, right?

MTW Spring '10 from Allen Taylor on Vimeo.

By Sam Lozier, Boston.com Correspondent

Ski blogger Sam Lozier has returned to the U.S. after spending a chunk of this winter skiing in India.

For what turned out to be our final ski objective in India, Amit, Allen, and I decided to go for a peak that would get us over 5,000 meters. Amit was a little fixated on the number, and the peak he wanted to hit seemed like it had good skiing as well, so we all got on board.

Shittadar Peak, more boringly known as Friendship Peak, is near the head of the Solang Valley. By Himalayan standards, even Kullu Valley standards, the Solang Valley is quite accessible and small. Within the upper Solang Valley, Shittadar Peak is the smallest and most accessible of the prominent summits ringing the valley, so what we went through to get up it should give you a good idea of the enormity of the peaks in the local area, and the Himalayas at large.

Allen, en-route

A late, 9 a.m. start, got us out the door and up the road past the Solang ski area by 10 a.m.. With our poorly maintained bikes beginning to lose power and overheat, we rolled to a stop at the mud pit that was the end of the road, and began hiking up the Solang Valley towards Beas Kund.

It was getting extremely hot, to the point that I was sweating profusely in light, rolled up, soft-shell ski pants, and a sleeveless shirt. As we skinned in, we observed some large snow rollers, and a massive rock fall across the valley, both sides of dangerous warming of the snowpack.

Allen and Amit breaking trail up towards Beas Kund

Allen in his really cool hat.

Slaving away under a hot sun.

I wasn’t kidding, there we’re some really huge snow rollers. This one was up to my elbow.

Allen, clearly forgetting how much work skinning is.

On the home stretch. This location definitely had the views!

After several hours, and a few thousand feet of pleasant skinning, we arrived at a flat, protected spot near the base of Friendship Peak and began building our campsite. Due to several weeks of warm temperatures and bright sun, there was not enough snow to build a snow-cave, so we resorted to a snow trench and a tarp. As we planned to wake up at 1 a.m. to start hiking the next morning, and weren’t going to get much sleep anyway, our accommodations weren’t much of a priority to us. As we’d gotten into camp early that day, we spent the afternoon eating, melting water, and enjoying the view up and down the valley. After several, lunches, snacks, and dinners we were finally in bed by 9 p.m., dosing off to sleep to the sounds of increasing winds and the tarp snapping in the breeze.

Yurt, Chalet, Condo; call it what you like, but it wasn’t that bad.

We tried to burn this image into our brains in preparation for a pre-dawn start in the morning. Shittadar peak is the tall snowy thing in the middle.

Due to the steepness of the valley, we lost direct sun at 4 p.m., even though the sun doesn’t set until almost 7:30.

Another good view from our Yurt.

Amit, shown here sporting a wonderful goggle tan, really liked our kitchen. We even had granite counters!

Sunset across the valley.

One last pot of water to melt before bed. (photo: Amit Paul)

Two alarms were required to wake us in the morning, but when we finally did wake up the air temperature and wind were both surprisingly mild. We sat in our sleeping bags for almost an hour scarfing down peanut butter and nutella sandwiches before finally getting out the door and starting our hike at 2:15 a.m.

Despite trying to memorize what the route looked like during the previous afternoon, we encountered several route-finding challenges. The slope we intended to start the day on turned out to be too steep and icy to skin, so we abandoned our original plan in favor of a more direct route up a chute. Once at the top of the chute, we were faced with a strange, rolling yet slowly climbing, slope in front of us that, as we hiked along, continually defied all estimations of scale, especially in the total darkness of a moonless Himalayan night.

Me, getting my skis on my backpack in preparation for bootpacking. (Photo: Allen Taylor)

Himalayan sunrises are pretty cool.

Me (to Amit): You know, this trip really surprised me, I would have thought the Himalayas would have been colder
Me (several hours later, pictured above), eating those words with an extra big spoon.

Booting up the steep, icy, slope. We left crampons and axes at home to save weight, which turned out to be a questionable move.

After four-and-a-half hours of climbing by headlamp, just as the first rays of pre-dawn light were brightening the sky and the wind, which had been gaining force all morning, reached the height of it’s strength, we came to the base of slope too icy to skin and even a little sketchy to boot pack up. As we got our gear ready for the hike, I began to get intolerably cold, but Allen graciously lent me his mittens, saving my day. At the top of the steep, icy pitch, we found that we were, in fact, not yet at the ridge, but still about a hundred meters below it. Another fifteen minutes more, and we were finally (FINALLY!) on the ridge, in the sun, and, unfortunately, also the wind. We sat around for a few minutes, trying to warm up before setting off up the ridge forwards the summit.

Not 10 minutes further, we crested a ridge and were shocked to learn that we were still not on the summit ridge, but that we were, in fact, on a lesser ridge that abruptly ended in the middle of a large face that we would have to boot up (too steep/icy for skinning) for at least another thousand feet before gaining the summit ridge.

They say it's better to lead than follow. That’s especially true when you have to follow this walking view ruin-er. (Allen, gaining the false summit ridge.)

Allen, following Amits skintrack towards the final open slope.

Up to this point, we’d been moving pretty quickly, and gaining altitude at a headache inducing clip. By the time we got to the snow slope though, we were at a crawl. Somewhere on the slope, we crossed the 5,000 m mark, and to make it more challenging, the snow we were climbing was extremely crusty, necessitating time-consuming rest-stepping. When we finally reached the real summit ridge, we were all feeling the effects of altitude in the form of fatigue, headaches, and a mild dizziness. After a short rest we pressed on though, to a high point at 5,100 m, where we stopped for lunch. The summit lay another hundred meters higher, but the steep, exposed snow below it would have taken at least another two hours to climb in our condition. We decided that since the snow below us was already starting to warm, it would be smart to eat lunch at our current location and enjoy great skiing, rather than push on to the summit and therby expose our self to the dangers of thin air, and late afternoon snow.

Check out the rest of the trip report over on Famous Internet Skiers.

 

Off the hook.

That sums up our weekend at Sunday River. You see, I was chillin’ with my new freeskier friends Jossi Wells, Peter Olenick and Tom Wallisch (codename: T-crack) at Sunday River’s Second Annual Dumont Cup. Saturday was a beautiful, sunny day at Sunday River for me, my kids and a thousand other frenzied fans. The pro-am event, hosted by Bethel’s own Simon Dumont, was a huge hit – literally, given the slope style venue featuring two monster jumps.

Young kids went crazy as Dumont tossed out giveaways of his trademark Empire gloves along with cans of Red Bull, Salomon swag, and Target gift cards. But the craziest aspect of the event was the monster air and huge tricks the competitors performed as the afternoon, and the spring day, heated up.

The finals included the top 10 qualifying amateurs (narrowed from a field of over 100) competing with Simon’s famous freeskier friends Justin Dorey, Gus Kenworthy, Mike Riddle, Wells, and Wallisch - the winner of the first Dumont Cup last year.

As a parent, I find the inverted air these ski athletes get is plain scary. This is definitely a “don’t try this at home” situation. But it’s truly impressive to see the acrobatics they perform while launching high in the sky.  And they look like they are genuinely having fun (yikes), both the pros hanging out with their fellow X Game guys, and the amateurs savoring the opportunity to perform for, and against, their idols.

The winning trick came from amateur Alex Schlopy, who beat out the pros with a switch double 1440 (I believe that’s a backward double flip with four full rotations on skis in mid air). Dumont did not compete in the finals, leaving the field open for second place finisher Joss Christensen and Wallisch in third. Perhaps he was being gracious, or he was saving energy to sign autographs for the growing number of fans.

Aside from the daring Dumont Cup, there was very good coverage of carve-able corduroy on all eight peaks at Sunday River. Ski season is far from done my friends.

For more family ski articles by Heather Burke, go to www.familyskitrips.com. Photos by Greg Burke

By Sam Lozier, Boston.com Correspondent

Ski blogger Sam Lozier has returned to the U.S. after spending a chunk of this winter skiing in India.

After our two-day traversing tour, we were very eager to ski something challenging, and even more eager to ski without an overnight pack. We set our sights on an awesomely tall chute that we had spotted from across the valley during the traverse.

(note, a few of the photos are smaller than others due to the loss of the originals)

A 2:30 a.m. wakeup got us, after an hour long, pitch-black, motorcycle ride, into position to start hiking up a large chute just to the south of Solang. We left our bikes at the ski area and hiked up into a maze of boulders in our street shoes. Having found a “distinctive looking” boulder, we changed into our ski boots and hiked on. We pressed on at a tediously slow pace through punchy unsupportive snow crossing a fairly major stream several times before finally reaching a point that we could skin. At 7:30, after three challenging hours of hiking, we finally reached the base of the main chute. Due to icy snow, we were forced to transition to crampons.

When viewing the photo I prefaced this trip report with, it’s easy to imagine boot-packing up a thin, steep chute for a couple of thousand feet. It wasn’t until we had switched to crampons that we began to understand the magnitude of our undertaking. Parts of the chute that looked like they might be thirty feet wide from across the valley turned out to be 150 yards wide once we were in them, our proportions were equally far off regarding the height of the chute as well, turning a decent-sized day trip into a monstrous proposition.

At 11:45 a.m., after hiking for seven-and-a-half hours up the chute in increasingly rotten snow, we decided to turn around and head down. Our slow progress was exposing us to the rockfall and avalanche hazard that would further increase as the day went by. We’d made it to 4,222 meters after having hiked for over seven hours and climbed just under 6,000 feet. Looking at a map later, we learned that the peak the chute reached the summit of, was just under 5,000 meters, and that even with our enormous run, we were still nowhere near the top of the almost 8,000 feet of vertical that the chute could offer.

Under a hot sun, we quickly changed over to begin skiing. For a lifetime East Coast skier, the view was amazing. We looked down the valley towards the specks that were buildings near where we’d left our bikes as we prepared ourselves for a lung burning descent of the longest chute of our lives.

Amit, beginning the descent.

Though the hiking was over, the challenges were not. The south-facing start of the chute was characterized by rotten, sticky snow, but as the chute turned abruptly east, it became even worse. Patches remained rotten, but others had developed a nerve-racking crust. A short section of well developed corn in the middle of the chute lulled us into complacency before we hit the worst challenge of the day: several kilometers of blocky, refrozen, and highly irregular avalanche debris clogging the exit of the chute.

Check out the rest of the trip report over on Famous Internet Skiers.

By Sam Lozier, Boston.com Correspondent

Ski blogger Sam Lozier is spending a chunk of this winter skiing in India.

After spending a short time here, we discovered that there isn’t much of significance that can be skied in a single day in the Kullu Valley. The combination of long approaches and high altitude means that by the time you get to the foot of something, it is usually melting away under a midday sun.

 

To remedy this problem, we headed out for an overnight traverse from Gulaba, a military checkpoint along the Rhotang Road, back to our hotel in Vashisht. The plan called for two nights out above 4,000 meters and a significant distance to be covered. We were later told that the same route, a popular one during the summer, takes five days for guided trekking groups to complete.

 

Our tour started with a 7 a.m. taxi ride to snow line near Gulaba. It was so windy when we arrived, and the driver was in such a rush to get back into his warm car that he forgot to ask us for money. We didn’t realize it until a few hours later and got a good chuckle out of his mistake.

 

The first day can be summarized by saying that we had very heavy overnight packs, and that we hiked. A lot. Seriously, like 1,900 meters of vertical with a 50-pound bag. When we finally got to camp, we were at 4,300 meters, and were sucking wind with every step. When we got to the location of our new slope-side lodging at 2 p.m. though, we still couldn’t relax. As a weight, and cost-saving measure before the trip, Allen and I had decided to forgo a tent and rely on our as-of-yet unproven ability to build a snow cave.

 

So, at 4,300 meters, after an exhausting day of hiking, we set out to teach ourselves the fine art of snow camping. Two cold, wet, hours of playing in the snow, and we had completed our slope-side lodging. We had just enough time to eat some dinner (that cooks slooooowly at  4,000-plus meters), watch the sun go down, the stars come out, and finally settle into our cave for the night.

 

Contrary to what is probably popular belief, snow caves aren’t cold; in fact they’re one of the warmest ways to spend a night out in the winter. We had a great time reading and talking for about 20 minutes before our exhaustion caught up with us and forced us to sleep. The warmth of snow caves is both a blessing and a curse. It makes them a delightfully warm refuge from the weather, but it also makes it virtually impossible to get out of one's sleeping bag the following morning.

 

By 9:30 a.m. (a late start for corn snow), we were hiking again, and after 15 minutes of climbing, we began what would become several miles and 1,000 meters of traversing across an entire sub-range. Midway through our day-long traverse we reached what we thought would be our campsite for the second night, but, halfway through digging our second cave, Amit poked his head up and noticed the large black storm clouds rolling in from down the valley.  After a few minutes of hemming and hawing about what we should do, we decided that, based on our experience with thunderstorms in Manali, we should probably take the safe choice and head down .

 

Two more hours of steady traversing, and we reached the tree line somewhere above Vashisht. If I’d known exactly where, this post would probably end here, but instead we got to have hours more fun.

 

What made this next part so interesting (read: horrible) is the fact that above Vashisht lies under an almost interrupted wall of cliffs. At points it’s impassible, at others its confusing and dangerous, but passable. At one poorly marked spot, there is an actual trail that drops from tree-line, far above Vashisht, right down into the town.  Since we had no map, and close to no idea where we were, we relied on the time-tested technique of trial and error to find our way home.

 

After three hours of skiing down promising chutes, getting cliffed out, and climbing back out, we stumbled across a clear-cut patch of forest, and a slightly worn, scarcely-a-goat-path, trail, just as the sun went down.  Thankful for our luck, that had saved us from spending the night out on the steep, unprotected slopes (we had left snow line behind at this point), we blazed down the precipitous 1,000-meter trail, back to our hotel where we promptly fell asleep after over 12 hours of constant motion.

 

For photos from the journey, click here.

 

Read and see more of Sam's work at www.famousinternetskiers.com

 

By Greg Petrics, Famous Internet Skiers

This weekend was the venerable Stowe Derby: A race from near the summit of Mount Mansfield, Vermont all the way down to the town of Stowe. The race takes the competitors from the alpine terrain of Mount Mansfield down nearly 3,000 vertical feet via Stowe Mountain Resort's thrilling Toll Road trail, and then links several of the cross country trails through the valley to the town of Stowe. The best equipment for the job is often cross country skis, but telemark skis have proved to be quite effective as well in recent runnings of The Derby.

Needless to say, each and every one of the Famous Internet Skiers was eager to participate, but unfortunately none of us owned cross country or telemark skis. Since we didn't want to make fools of ourselves in the actual event, we decided that we would instead run our own private race just before the official race. Whoever completed the course the fastest would win a six-pack of Rock Art Vermonsters. We decided we'd do it the old fashioned way too, and ascend the mountain ourselves rather than take the chairlift. The guide book we picked up insisted that route up the Toll Road was gradual and easy to navigate, but we must have gotten off on the wrong foot or something. From the very beginning we found the route treacherous and extremely difficult to navigate. Needless to say, before too long we were lost.

Click here to see a larger version (opens in new tab/window).

The grooming of the Toll Road was simply atrocious! The powder was so deep! How are skinny ski skiers supposed to schuss this safely (say that ten times fast)?


The result of the 75-100 cm of snow from the storm on Wednesday February 24 was astounding to see. Trees that are 3-7 meters high in summer were reduced to bumps in the snowpack.


Despite the beauty however, Christian the Curmudgeonly splitboarder started to get nervous. "I don't think this is Toll Road guys," he said. "This looks more like a blue square, and the I'm pretty sure the Toll Road is a green circle!"


Ben wasn't worried though, and assured everyone that the top of the Toll Road trail was just ahead. Before too long though he started to get nervous too... The terrain was quickly becoming more like a black diamond; maybe even double black diamond :-o !!!!


GULP... I don't know how anyone does this on cross-country skis.


Soon after this point we were all freaking out. The clinometer was showing 48°, and if this was Toll Road, it was far and away the most challenging green circle any of us had ever encountered. Our lucky stars must have been shining exceedingly brightly though: despite the gentle ascent promised in the guide book we had a rope, and we all brought ice tools and crampons. As we pushed up the steep and deep snow, red flags started going off left and right. Then suddenly we all heard that unmistakable and terrifying "WHUMP!" My head shot left in time to catch a glimpse of a shallow slab cracking and propagating several tens of meters across the climb. The hardened sludge from the big snow storm on Wednesday February 24th acted as the bed layer for the ten-or-so wind loaded centimeters. We all took strong stances and dug in as the snow came down just to our left. We were in a strong position, and were prepared for the contingency but there were those below us who may not have been so well positioned. "AVALANCHE!!!" I yelled as the snow thundered down the mountain. As the dust settled, we took count, and were relieved that everyone was healthy and accounted for. A temporarily missing ski was the only casualty. As we clung to our stances no one could believe what had just occurred. The only thing that was certain: If this was Toll Road, the Stowe Ski Patrol needed to do some SERIOUS avalanche control work to get this slope ready before the Stowe Derby could be run safely.

(the crown was approximately 12-16 cm deep, 10-15 m wide)

For several minutes we were forced to hang tight and not trigger any of the hangfire that remained, while below us the missing ski was recovered. In those tense moments we discussed our constantly evolving plan. Should we continue the race or not? Whatever we decided, a significant, but manageable slab remained hanging to the climbers left, and before we could do anything with the slope it needed to be cleared. Ben devised a plan of using ice chunks to trigger the slab, and before long we managed to flush the remainder of the hangfire. With the course clear, we pushed on, and shortly thereafter summited what we assumed was the Toll Road trail. We poked around in earnest, but despite our best efforts we couldn't find any trail signs marking the way of the race. Nevertheless, we decided this must be it, and we all put away our implements of ascent, and were relieved that we could finally don our implements of descent. And, so began the Famous Internet Skiers' version of the Stowe Derby.

Check out the rest of the event on FIS to see what happened during the descent... or click the following picture:

 

By Sam Lozier, Boston.com Correspondent 

Ski blogger Sam Lozier is spending a chunk of this winter in Kashmir, India at Gulmarg.

 

One of my friend's biggest objectives for the trip has been to jump a rather large gap that is directly behind the hotel up on Monkey Hill. The gap consists of a large stump for a takeoff, a storm water collection aqueduct to clear, and a steep landing that leads right up to the back door.

  

Matt Roon skinning up Monkey Hill.

After closely monitoring the snow accumulations during the last storm and manicuring the in-run to the stump several times, Wes was finally ready to hit the jump yesterday morning.  

 

 Wes Roon about to clear the gap jump.

 

A few deep breaths and a three-count later, he dropped straight into the lip, popped hard, and barely cleared the transition to the landing. His brother Matt, watching from above, dropped in right after and carried a bit more speed, allowing him a more generous margin of error and a big more hang time.  

 

 

All told, the jump got hit five spectacular times before we called it a day and went off to go ski powder.

 

Read and see more of Sam's work at www.famousinternetskiers.com

 

By Greg Petrics, Famous Internet Skiers 

 

Every winter in New England there is at least one weather event that truly tests the sanity of The East Coast Skier. Although The East Coast Skier's mountains are quite far north in comparison to resorts in the western United States, they are relatively low elevation, and are close to a warm ocean. Because of this, sometimes there are days in New England when it's going to rain. Monday, January 25 was one of those days. With a brisk wind out of the southeast, temperatures rose into the mid 40's at all elevations, and a soaking rain - heavy at times--doused the heart of The East Coast Skier. In that dark moment the East Coast Skier undoubtedly looked West, and considered a life without soul searching rainy days in January (and delicious real beer) in exchange for a life with reliable, predictable, and great snow (and 3.2 percent beer).

As we have documented before however (see parts one, two or three), VTah is a surprising place. While one day can truly decimate the resolve of even it's hardiest gravity enthusiasts, the next can truly lift them to great heights. On Wednesday, January 27 our own Scott Braaten wrote the following which sums up what occured less than 48 hours after a devastating rain storm slammed the region:

"Its alllllll good. Just got home after what was quite possibly the best powder morning of the season...following what was quite possibly the worst ski day of the season (yesterday).

I definitely under-reported with 6-8 inches this morning... there's a solid foot across the top half of the mountain. Skied everything and it was all blower. Streams and creeks were open and are now filled with 10-12" of snow... as long as you are cautious, its game-on again.

Today was the best of days... un-forecasted powder day with the majority falling after the skiers/riders had left yesterday and even with only 2-3 inches down in the town of Stowe, no one had any idea it would be face-shot heaven up there."

To the East Coast Skier's chagrin, the surprises have continued right up to this very moment. Almost every night since January 27, the Green Mountains have managed to find moisture hidden in the stiff Arctic breeze, and wring it out in the form of pure VTah blower. While the valleys received nearly no snow whatsoever, the mountains became buried by round after round of "nickle and dime" storms--or "magic snow" storms as our own Lionel Hutz likes to say... and of course we decided to go skiing. While other skiers resigned themselves to the groomers for fear of hitting the dangerous ice crust buried beneath the surface, we went out in search of the deepest, softest, and most surprising snow on earth... here's a pictoral record of what we were surprised to find in VTah.

The first day Greg got out with a friend he hadn't skied with in a long time, and both were surprised by the quality and quantity!


After a few tentative turns before the surprise wore off, we decided it was time to rip.


About 28 seconds after the above photo was snapped, Greg sent Ben a text message simply saying: "Waist deep easy." Since the moment of that text message that's been the name of the game. Needless to say, it wasn't long before Ben left the confines of his academic endeavours and joined the party.


On the heels of the first "magic storm (Copyright 2010 Lionel Hutz)", but before the second, a surge of Arctic air blew across VTah and turned its small expanse of alpine terrain into a moonscape.


Although the snow in the alpine had been completely withdrawn by the wind, the sub-alpine had definitely received a few deposits.

The anticipation before Christmas... an untouched snow filled sub alpine gully... the appeal of lingerie...


CHRISTMAS DAY! A TOUCHED SNOW FILLED SUB ALPINE GULLY! A TOUCHED---um... nevermind


A TOUCHED ALPINE GULLY!... oh wait a second! Shoot! We already used that one.


If you want to read some more detail about the events, and see some more pictures click here.

Read and see more of Greg's work at www.famousinternetskiers.com/.

 

There was a time when skiing glades - pockets of trees between trails - was forbidden. In the 80's, ropes went up alongside every trail to keep you out of the stashes of snow between the groomed and bumped boulevards. Trail maps and tickets had disclaimers that skiing off trail would result in the loss of ski privileges.

 

Like everything, skiing is cyclical. The era of restricting skiers to trails has been replaced at some ski areas by a dropping of the ropes and a boundary-to-boundary "ski wherever you like" philosophy. Several New England resorts including Jay Peak, Smugglers' Notch, Sugarbush, Sugarloaf, Saddleback, and Bretton Woods have cut significant glades and now mark them on their trail maps.

 

Glades skiing is a unique treat - off the beaten groomed path, you can often find preserved powder days after a storm, not to mention glades are beautiful. Birch and pine trees stand among sparkling snow, with rays of sunlight streaming in.

 

Glades are good for your skills too, as you must turn and react to the ever-changing terrain. But glades are not necessarily more dangerous than groomed, open trails, even though you must avoid stationary old growth obstacles. Your descent between the trees is decidedly slower (or should be) as you pick your path, navigating the bumps and occasional stumps.

 

Kids love glades for their adventurous nature. Experienced skiers enjoy the undulating inherent terrain and the soft protected powder in the trees.

 

Try a glade. Use the buddy system and ski in groups of three or more. Here's a tip: Focus on the space between the trees, not the trees themselves. Look where you want to go, not where you fear you might end up.

 

Heather Burke is our family ski guru, for more of Heather's ski trips and tips go to: www.familyskitrips.com Photos by Greg Burke

By Sam Lozier, Boston.com Correspondent 

 

Ski blogger Sam Lozier is spending a chunk of this winter in Kashmir, India at Gulmarg.

 

During the control workday, the upper lift at Gulmarg never opened, while I managed to develop a pretty nice fever, which turned into the dreaded GI-tract illness that every traveler dreads. Yesterday I spent the entire day in bed sleeping, napping, or having my patience for India’s eccentricities (non-stop car honking, the smoky wood heater, etc.) exhausted. 

 

I managed to get some good dinner down, but woke up today physically exhausted and still not 100 percent. After getting to the lift late and finally getting to the top of the mountain for the first time in days, I found it tracked out by those who’d arrived before me, and clouded in on the lower mountain. Still weak from the fever, I only managed one lap, and spent the rest of today laying around in bed.

 

It’s frustrating to be in Gulmarg right now, we finally got some much-needed snow, but rather than opening up terrain, it has completely shut down backcountry skiing for at least the next week. At the same time, the storm didn’t reach low enough elevations to enable skiing to Tangmarg, the next town down the mountain, so we’ve been left with skiing the essentially flat terrain under the first stage of the gondola.

 

Travel is always a roll of the dice, and it’s definitely pretty frustrating right now. Having left stable jobs, girlfriends, pets, and all the other elements of a comfortable home life, many of us are left scratching our heads asking "what now?" We’ve traveled half way around the world chasing the legend of bottomless powder and limitless big mountain terrain, and ended up with less than we started with.

 

It feels awkward to complain, but it’s getting hard to justify staying in one small corner of India with no snow when there is a nation so large and complex that it’d be impossible to know it in 10 lifetimes at our fingertips. We, and other groups, have started to raise the prospect of traveling to other parts of Kashmir. After all, it’d be both silly and hard to explain passing up a wonderful chance to explore the rest of this huge country.

 

Read and see more of Sam's work at http://www.famousinternetskiers.com/.

Ski blogger Sam Lozier is spending a chunk of this winter in Kashmir, India at Gulmarg.

 

Two days ago, I witnessed the biggest avalanche I’ve ever seen in my life.

 

After two cloudy storm days, the skies finally cleared and the Gulmarg ski patrol, headed by Brian, a former patroller at Snowbird, could finally get to work making the mountain safe. At a typical Western North American resort, avalanche control is conducted by a large team of ski patrollers using a combination of cannons, hand charges, and a number of other tools. To whatever extent possible, the Gulmarg ski patrol emulates the process, but they are limited significantly by three factors.

 

The first is that, to my knowledge, there are only two Western-trained avalanche experts on the Gulmarg ski patrol, and this means that it isn't possible to have a large team setting off charges in multiple locations at once. That control work takes longer than it normally would.

 

Second, in order to get in place to do the control work, the patrol has to wait on the gondola to open; there isn’t a work road to the top of the mountain, so they can’t take a snowmobile up. The gondola operators are rather conservative about opening the gondola, meaning that a mild amount of wind or fog, much less a full-on storm, will prevent control work from being done during the storm.

 

Finally, also unlike a Western resort, where the patrol can store its own explosives, at Gulmarg, the military has deemed the region is too sensitive to leave the explosives in an area where they could potentially be taken by those who would do harm to India. So the explosives take a rather long path to their final destination in a slide. First, during a storm, Brian will put in an order for   explosives with the military. Then, when the lift (another organization) finally opens, the Indian military carries the explosives by hand by to the top of the gondola, where both the military and Brian build the charges together. Brian can then finally set off with his team to do control work.

 

So, unlike your typical Western ski resort, where control work is done by a large team, at Gulmarg, a lot of stars have to align to get things done. This is bad in the sense that it is highly unlikely that you’ll get on the mountain bright and early after a storm, but good in that you are a lot more likely to witness an amazing show on the first clear day after a storm.

 

I was lucky enough to be on hand during the control work for the last storm and was able to take these pictures of the process.

 

Here is the army delivering the explosives to the bottom of the lift:

 

 

 The slope before control work:

 

 

 During the one big slide of the day (note size of lift for scale):

 

 The aftermath:

 

Read and see more of Sam's work at www.famousinternetskiers.com.

By Sam Lozier, Boston.com Correspondent 

Ski blogger Sam Lozier is spending a chunk of this winter in Kashmir, India with his friend Allen Taylor, who took the following photos.

 

After their adventure to Drang, the rest of the group was rather tired. Allen and I had taken the day off from skiing though, and we were itching to get out for a big day before the snow rolled in and shut the whole place down.

 

Our rough plan entailed riding the lift to the top of Phase Two, then dropping off the backside with the goal of hiking a ridge that the army uses to access one of their lines of control outposts.

 

 

Here is a view of our objective that we got as we were traversing off the back of the resort. Our goal was to hike the ridge above the cliffs to the minor peak, then ski one of the chutes back down to the drainage below. It was going to be a big day, but we hoped it would get us some useful information for future expeditions, and maybe some good turns along the way.

 

After a late start (10:45 a.m.) - thanks to the weird starting times of the Gulmarg gondola - and over 600 vertical meters of skiing and traversing, we arrived at a road running through the bottom of the drainage behind Gulmarg. The road is a single-lane, rough-cut track, presumably used by the military to supply remote bases along the Line of Control in summer months when it isn’t buried under avalanche debris. Our path brought us a hundred meters or so up the road to a point where a footpath cut steeply up and to the left after crossing the stream. The path had been used recently, and the bootpack was fairly well established, not that it made the ascent much easier.

 

Top:

 

Three hundred seventy meters and two-and-a-half hours of steep climbing at over 13,000 feet brought us to the top of the ridge where we were greeted by some stunning views of the Gulmarg backcountry. Some views, like the ones of south facing aspects were disheartening for their utter lack of snow, other views, like the north facing chutes we were about to ski were quite inspirational.

 

After a hearty lunch of Kit Kat bars, and Good Day cookies we traversed north along the ridge to our chosen chute (the first that didn’t end in a large cliff). Along the way we encountered the deep facet layer we expected to find and kicked off some small and expected sloughs. Once we arrived at the top of our line we had our usual quick discussion about the snow and how we’d manage a potential slide, then Allen dropped in for some beautiful first tracks down the chute, and the entire mountain for that matter. A few sloughs ran, but again, nothing unexpected or unmanageable.

 

Me skiing:

 

 Looking back:

 

 

Hiking out, tracks visible on background ridge.

 

Once Allen was at a safe zone, I dropped in an enjoyed three or four really great turns in the sugary snow before some flat light and a bit of hard pack conspired to send me tumbling. Embarrassed, but otherwise unharmed, I skied down to Allen. Two more short pitches of smooth skiing facets brought us to the crux of the chute, the steep and mildly exposed exit. We ended up taking the conservative way out, down through a series of rhododendron bushes, and back to the stream where our day had started in earnest 3 1/2 hours earlier. With the fun part of our day over, it was time to start the long hike 690- meter climb back to the resort. Almost two hours later, we were back at the top of the gondola and ready to begin the 1,050 meter decent back to the hotel in fading light. Despite the poor hiking-to-skiing ratio, I can say that this was unequivocally my best day of skiing here at Gulmarg. Hopefully it won’t hold that superlative for too long though. We’ve got some new snow coming in.

 

Read and see more of Sam's work at www.famousinternetskiers.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Sam Lozier, Boston.com Correspondent 

Ski blogger Sam Lozier is spending a chunk of this winter in Kashmir, India at Gulmarg.

 

Well, the third storm of the season decided to finally show up last night and has left us with a huge - and super dangerous - coating of snow up high. We were thinking of heading up to see about doing some backcountry skiing, but on the way to digging our snow pit, we heard loud womphing sounds as the snowpack collapsed around us. We dug a pit closer in than we’d expected to.

 

While digging the pit we were serenaded by the terrifying roars of massive avalanches ripping down the upper mountain as the storm raged on. After digging our pit and observing some disturbing behavior, we turned tail and ran back to the woods. Even in the woods we had some sketchy cracking in the snow; this is easily the most dangerous, and more importantly, obviously dangerous snowpack I’ve ever seen.

 

On the way down through the trees we saw even more cracking and collapsing as we made our way back to the hotel through knee-deep snow.

 

Since the main mountain was out for skiing, we headed up the steep, 500-foot-tall hill behind my hotel for the first time this season and found it surprisingly filled in. As the base of the hill is literally about 25 feet behind the hotel, and it only takes 15 minutes to hike up, I expect we’ll be up there a lot over the next few weeks as we see how this dangerous snowpack plays out. 

 

 

 Read and see more of Sam's work at http://www.famousinternetskiers.com/.

 

By Sam Lozier, Boston.com Correspondent 

Ski blogger Sam Lozier is spending a chunk of this winter in Kashmir, India at Gulmarg.

Common sense is often more important than protocol.

Two days ago, Allen and I took a rest day while the rest of our friends tried to ski to Drang, a town that’s down the valley from Gulmarg. In high snow years this is an easy and straightforward run off the Apharwat ridge. Currently, however, as our friends found out firsthand, it’s a pretty heinous walk out on icy shepherd paths.

The funniest part of their experience (and not a lot was funny, especially waiting around for four lost skiers to show up well after nightfall) was the point in their story where they crossed through an army checkpoint using their season’s passes as an ID.

Yes, they passed through a checkpoint with a ski resort season pass.

My first reaction was slight disbelief, which was soon tempered by my quasi-jaded traveler mentality (I’ve been in India for two weeks, ya know, I’ve seen it all…). I started thinking about it more though and it was totally logical. What’s the likelihood of a group of four westerners in shiny new ski gear with the money to spend on season passes actually wanting to do harm to a bunch of westerners? Rather than waste everyone’s time hassling them for papers or searching their stuff, they acknowledged the obvious and waved them through.

It was quite the epiphany to realize that unlike almost everything else here, the military, of all organizations, was the most logical and efficient.

Read and see more of Sam's work at www.famousinternetskiers.com.

Simon Dumont (pictured here at his home hill, Sunday River) will look to defend his big air title at the X Games   this week.

It’s not easy bonding with your teen these days. Finding a movie or music which appeals to both generations is a challenge. So, may I present the X Games as a fun family pastime?

This week is the 14^th season of the Winter X Games, televised from Aspen’s Buttermilk Mountain. From Jan. 28-31, you can watch everything from Shaun White flying like a tomato over the halfpipe, to Maine skier Simon Dumont defending his Big Air gold medal. Then there’s roller derby on snow as racers rush over knolls, jumps and banked turns bumping each other during the snowboarder cross (Maine’s Seth Wescott rules this event) and skiercross. The mono skiercross - where amputee or paralyzed skiers compete on the same, crazy course - is inspiring.

Watching the X Games with my teens, I am amazed at how far skiing and snowboarding have evolved, and how far young athletes are willing to huck themselves off super pipes and jumps. For family fun, we try to name each trick according to the trendy vocabulary that has developed along with the tricky terrain. My daughter knows the difference between an alley-oop rodeo five and a 1080 switch McTwist. Of course, we find watching the big wipe outs at the X Games entertaining too, sorry – but it’s human nature.

So grab some popcorn, a spot on the couch, and watch the exciting X Games with your peeps. You will all get amped to go skiing next weekend, and you are watching history in the making as young athletes push the sport to new levels. Then tell your kids “don’t try this at home.” Just because you’re chillin’ with your homies watching halfpipe doesn’t mean you have given up your parenting responsibilities.

 Snowboarder cross is a crazy crash course event featured at Aspen’s X Games.

For more family ski articles from Heather Burke, go to www.familyskitrips.com Photos by Greg Burke.

By Sam Lozier, Boston.com Correspondent

 

Gulmarg is very (VERY) close to the border with Pakistan. As it still hasn’t snowed in weeks, we’ve been pushing out of the resort and exploring the surrounding drainages for ski potential. Today we headed toward the line of control to see what the terrain was like on the Indian side.

 

To those familiar with the area, we were headed past the shark fin to ski a chute that looked like it was holding snow pretty well. Unfortunately, it was also very close to the border fence that is the line of control.

 

It’s a rather curious set of sensations that come over you when you when skiing near the Line of Control between India and Pakistan. We were as awestruck by the beauty of the place as we were the absurdity of recreating near one of the tensest borders in the entire world. Dulling the entire experience thought was the pounding headache I had from hiking at 14k feet to get to the view. 

 

Further compounding the ridiculousness of the situation was a report that we’d received from a skier who’d been here in previous seasons. He said that it only takes a few storms to completely bury the fence. The unassuming backcountry skier could ski right over the border into Pakistan rather easily. With that in mind, we’ve made an effort to document where exactly the border is, so as not to end up like the hikers that accidentally ended up in Iran.

 

Read and see more of Sam's work at www.famousinternetskiers.com.

After sitting out this entire huge New Years storm due to work obligations, I finally got out to Mad River on Monday with two friends, Allen and Greg. While I'm pretty sure it snowed more in Burlington, we managed to find some fun terrain at Mad River despite being a day late to the show.

This storm made me wish I had XC skis. The snow was deeper than my dog is tall.


Allen

This past week, in addition to nursing an injured knee, I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to finish up last minute preparations for my fast approaching trip to Kashmir, India (more on this in another post). I needed to blow off a little steam though, so I called my friend Allen and proposed that we go check out an area I'd been curious about for some time.

This particular spot is highly visible on Google Earth, and, from the comfort of our desk chairs, looked very thinned out, and fun to ski. To top it off, it had a north east aspect, and so would have been sheltered from the stiff winds from earlier in the week.

Well, we spent about 2 hours hiking in, and though we found some beautiful terrain, and had a fun exploring, the day was missing one of the key elements of a perfect ski outing: steep terrain.

Allen, trying to make the most of an essentially flat ski tour.

This is my favorite time of year to ski the woods of Vermont. Most people (understandably) stick to the 40 inch rule, but, if you're light on your feet, it's possible to score some great turns in the trees before the snow-pack is that thick. Here are a few photos I took last week while exploring the woods of Mt. Mansfield with Allen Taylor.

Allen, pondering his level of commitment to this run.

No? Then you must not have been skiing in the Mad River Valley today.

Here's a quick, one photo, update from this recent storm cycle. It's been snowing hard in northern Vermont, and if you've been lucky enough to get out and ski it, you know that it's been soft and quickly filling in lines on leeward aspects.

Here's my good friend Allen Taylor enjoying the woods a little bit early in the year.

As many of you already know, a significant Nor'Easter recently swung through and left a hearty helping of mashed potatoes on the slopes of Northern New England last weekend. As a way of introducing myself, I thought I'd share a few photos from Bolton Valley this past Monday.

The depth of snow left something to be desired, but hiking for turns was still a great way to start off a work day.

You can read (and view) much more from the recent storm on my own site Here.

When's the next flight to Alaska?

HT: @MikeDski

Sunday morning the S.G. arrived early at the Jackson Hole airport. The connector flight from Chicago to Boston was already canceled. That was at noon MST. Now some 20 hours later = still sitting in Chicago.

The frustrating thing is that if they flew the original flight it would have landed before any real snow even started to accumulate in Boston.

a look over at the chutes off the Thunder Chair from the top of the gondola (Cascade trail)

FULL ENTRY

The S.G. and a group of friends have met in Jackson Hole, WY for a destination ski vacation.

Day 1: Skiing was tremendous! Snow fell from the heavens all day and kept filling in the tracks. Still snowing hard outside here at Jackson Hole as this is being typed.

looking down one of the steep chutes

FULL ENTRY

Recently the press release attached below in this entry from Pats Peak hit the inbox. The S.G. has no problem at all promoting a good cause. This one is yet another reason to visit Pats Peak.

Factoid: So far this season the S.G. personally knows 7 people who have visited the area for the first time. I would like to think the decision was based on my strong recommendations. All of them enjoyed the experience. All of them will return as “repeat offenders” for more days on the snow.

FULL ENTRY

Attention: There is a large swath of snow that should drop more than a foot of accumulations on our regions mountains!

The S.G. did not make it to the slopes this past weekend. My cousin got married. That event took up the first half of the weekend. It did not snow enough to lure me away from the Hub for the second half. Here is what I heard from the people that did make it to the slopes.

Last Weekends Reports: The prevailing conditions were hard pack, frozen granular, ice, veggies and minerals aside. Sunday featured piles of madmade snow with all the aformentioned inbetween. The weather was nice! So at least it was not a total loss.

Looking Ahead: Families who took the week and spent it north look to be in a front row seat for some phenomenal powder days.

Best bet looks like Thursday. The weekend has a lot of potential.

radar image form AccuWeather

FULL ENTRY

Where will you find the best skiing this weekend?

It is all going to be very good. Certain areas will pick up snows this week. That little will go a long way, putting them a notch above. The weather has been ideal. It has been that way for a while.

Image from AccuWeather

FULL ENTRY

Early last weekend we had a miss on the storm that was supposed to be the first for 2009. That meant the destination decision for a Saturday trip had to be evaluated with a few things in mind.

Thought Process: Since the snowfall earlier in the week, temperatures have been extremely cold and winds have been up. That means the best skiing and riding would be predominately around the trails that have snowmaking. Ice will be present, but there should also still be a lot of good snow to turn on out there. Just need to keep the eyes downhill and watch yourself at speed.

Anyone know the answer to this riddle?

FULL ENTRY

Do you need a line? One that works at Apres Ski?

I love Freeskier Magazine for stuff like this. They are running the 2009 Lange Boot Gril Competition.

This is what Lange is after (as seen on above link). Stiff competition to model these ski boots...

Lange is looking for girls who are outgoing enough to represent the brand, ripping enough to get around any ski area, and sexy enough to keep the Lange Girl tradition strong. They're not looking for models, they're looking for ripping ski town hotties who can talk the talk and walk the walk.

last years winner = Resi Steigler

FULL ENTRY

With evening plans back in the Hub, a morning/afternoon on the snow was the right move to make for the last day of skiing in 2008.

NYE there was snow in the forecast. The radar loop early on Wednesday morning confirmed what all the weather people were saying. The heaviest bands of accumulation seemed aimed for southern NH. This all added up to the perfect opportunity for a day trip.

Day Trip Rule: I like to tell people that a day trip is worthwhile if you can spend more time at the mountain than in the automobile. Accomplishing this will realistically limit drives from Boston to about 5 hours, round trip.

From the parking lot - looking at the Base Lodge (left) with the peak in the backgroud.

FULL ENTRY