After a warm and dry couple of days up here in Summit County, yesterday it clouded over and started to snow and has kept going since. Although the nearby resorts still are only 5-10% open, the weather inspired us to take a few turns at Keystone today.
It was windy and cold, but the snow felt good and the mountain wasn’t too crowded even at 9:30am. We’re still seeing lots of exposed terrain, though, and if you want to ski Keystone, you’ll have a nice selection of green, frontside runs.
After about four runs, we decided to call it a day….err, morning…and packed it in. But it was a good start to the season, and if this weather just holds it will bode well for Christmas skiing.
I wore the Cloudveil RPK Parka and found myself underwhelmed. I have a few specific gripes:
The fabric itself seems to conduct heat readily and consequently feels cold.
The collar is stiff and uncomfortable and too narrow, so rather than protecting your chin, it sits right under it and chaffs.
The pit zips suffer a similar problem—the stiff zipper and heavy fabric together results in arm holes that gather and bind.
The wrist tabs are fat, stiff, and unwieldy, so they are uncomfortable when cinched and stick out when uncinched. The problem is compounded by wimpy velcro.
The neck-cinch, which is hidden on the rear of the collar under a flap, is hopeless to operate with gloves on—even my light-weight spring gloves.
On the plus side I do like the heavy fabric for its durable feel, and the powder skirt was comfortable and stayed put. Even in the medium, the fit is still trim, and it feels light and flexible, but the problems with the collar are enough to put it on the reject pile—for $450-$500 a parka ought to provide uncompromising performance and comfort.
Silverton Mountain opens the ski season Saturday November 29th, 2008 with all natural snow. From their press release:
The snow conditions are better than last year at this time as more than 3 feet of snow has fallen so far this winter.
You can also earn FREE SKIING by helping stomp down the snow in avalanche paths. Skiers and boarders are wanted the weekends of Nov 29,30 and Dec 6,7 to help with early season avalanche reduction work. A FREE unguided ticket for each full day you pack and you can pack all 4 days. No experience needed, no reservations required and it’s a great way to learn the mountain by walking down the runs packing the snow as you go.
Photo from silvertonmountain.com, taken on 11/25/2008
Ouch! Persistent warm, dry weather has prompted The Canyons Resort outside of Park City to delay its ski and snowboard season debut to December 5th, 2008. The ski area was originally scheduled to open this Thursday, Thanksgiving Day.
Yay!Whistler Blackcomb officials have announced that Whistler Mountain will open for this ski season a day ahead of schedule this Wednesday, November 26, 2008.
Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah offers an amazing study abroad alternative: Winter at Westminster.
This winter, make every school day a snow day! Ride 70-plus days on 550 inches of Utah's Greatest Snow on Earth, earn transferable college credits from Westminster College—one of the West's academic powerhouses, enjoy seven world class resorts within 30 minutes of campus, and make your friends insanely jealous!
A surprising turn of events in a state where the ski industry that has for years been eager to increase its share of H-1B workers:
Vancouver, Canada-based Intrawest Corporation plans to lay off a number of employees at its three Colorado ski and snowboard resorts: Winter Park, Copper Mountain, and Steamboat.
Burton Snowboards announces Go Snow Boarding, a collaborative effort with ski resorts designed to introduce people to snowboarding. With the purchase of select Burton snowboards you can obtain a free lesson and lift ticket package at participating resorts.
The boards that qualify for this deal are Blunt, Blunt Wide, Blunt Primo, Stigma, Clash, Chicklet, Bullet, Feather, Operator Smalls, Custom Smalls, Feelgood Smalls, Dom Grom, and Chopper.
Good-looking, waterproof, fleece lined, and slip-on (with nice big loops to grab onto), the Tretorn Scala looks like just the thing for tired feet and cold fingers at the end of a long day skiing. And for about $60, the price is right.
Merry Christmas to DIRECTV customers. The Ski Channel will be making it’s debut on DIRECTV’s video on demand service on December 25th. Thankfully I just got a new satellite receiver, so I’ll be able to see what this new channel is all about.
I’m sure there will be plenty of Warren Miller-esque ski porn, but it looks like they’re going to cover other activities too: Mountain biking, Base jumping, and….snowshoe racing to name a few.
For the last few seasons, I've been skiing with a Dakine Heli-Pro pack to carry my skis on hikes, extra gear (heavy gloves, extra hat, etc), food, and a CamelBak for hypdration. But in keeping with my light, fast, and efficient philosophy, this season I'll be shedding the pack except on days when I know I'll be hiking.
But, it's still essential to stay hydrated on mountain, especially on long days, and switching from water to a sports drink last season yielded noticeable gains in my endurance and performance.
So, here's the question: how to carry hydration without the bulk of a full-size pack?
Here are some of my ideas so far:
Bagged drinks (e.g., Capri Sun) carried in pockets. They're compact, light, durable, and easy to use.
The Cloudveil RPK Parka and RPK Pants arrived last week and right off, I was impressed with the quality of the construction and feel of both items. Which is good because together they have a street value of about $900.
The RPK series uses the Gore-Tex Soft Shell waterproofing system and they seem to be vastly more breathable than Gore-Tex Pro Shell. That said, the fabric itself is not quite a softshell and not quite a hardshell but somewhere in between. These are uninsulated shells but inside they have a nice fuzzy finish as well as fleece "body mapping" which provide a fair bit of warmth.
God is in the details, and though minimalist, these pieces certainly have those.
The Shuksan Jacket with eVent Fabric is REI's hardworking mountaineering shell. I've been chomping at the bit to try an eVent jacket for a couple of years, but the Shuksan is one of the first I'm aware of that is widely available--and at $289.00 it's certainly accessible.
If you haven't heard, eVent is the waterproof, breathable fabric that has been touted for some time as a GoreTex killer. It hasn't been fast to reach the market in consumer products, though, so it's been hard to judge for yourself. But if promo videos like the one below are any measure, Gore will have its work cut out.
A flyer appeared on my door this morning from Cojitney--a company that will be running motor coaches from Boulder to Vail (and back) most weekends this ski season. It sounds interesting and for $35 round trip the cost is definitely in the ballpark. All over Europe and Asia motor coaches are a ubiquitous form of transportation and tend to be clean, comfortable, and pleasant--much better than the Greyhound buses we tend to think of in the U.S.
The coaches are scheduled to leave at 6:30am, arriving in Vail at 8:30am and the return trip is from 5:00pm-7:00pm.
After three seasons skiing the same basic gear, I've decided this is the year to change it up. I've been wearing a TNF 3-in-1 HyVent jacket and pants which, while durable, warm, reasonably well-made, and pretty inexpensive, don't breathe, don't fit especially well, and weigh a lot.
So I'll be checking out a lot of different pieces trying to hone the choices down to a high performance kit that'll serve me for many seasons to come. My criteria are:
Light, fast, and efficient
Comfortable: easy to move in and warm but breathable
Easy to change up in variable conditions
Comfortable under a pack when going backcountry, but with enough pockets and storage to carry food and extras for a full day.
Good visibility
The first item I've been checking out is a light insulating down jacket--the U.L. Down Inner Jacket--from Mont Bell. I like Mont Bell's minimalist esthetic, focus on essentials, high quality construction, and light weight. Almost all their jackets are design to be packed into a stuff sack (which they provide), which means that this Mont Bell insulator can be carried with you without adding much bulk.
The three Intrawest ski and snowboard resorts in Colorado have unveiled the new Patriot Pass and Patriot Pass Plus, one of the first military passes in the state offering a full-season pass at special prices for military members and their immediate families. The Patriot Pass provides unlimited skiing and riding for the 2008/09 winter at Winter Park and Copper Mountain for active and retired military and their immediate family members. For an additional $20, passes can be upgraded to the Patriot Pass Plus, which include six days at Steamboat.
Patriot Pass Prices
Pass
Price
Adult Patriot Pass: Unlimited access to Copper and Winter Park/Mary Jane during the 08/09 ski season.
$199
Child Patriot Pass
$109
Adult Patriot Pass Plus: Unlimited skiing and snowboarding at both Copper and Winter Park/Mary Jane during the 08/09 ski season plus six unrestricted days at Steamboat.
$219
Child Patriot Pass Plus
$129
The Patriot Passes are comparable to the Rocky Mountain Super Pass and Rocky Mountain Super Pass Plus which retail for $409 and $439, respectively.
Visit any of the following Front Range Military locations to purchase your Patriot Pass voucher:
Although Alta will open for two-day sneak preview this weekend -- Saturday and Sunday, November 15th and 16th. Official opening day is still November 21.
At $5.99, Snocator is an "expensive" iPhone app, and it expires at the end of the 2008/09 ski season, so presumably you have to buy it again if you want to use it on subsequent seasons. That's a bit of a bummer, but hey, maybe it's totally worth it. And besides, Snocator's CEO has offered to refund your money if you're unsatisfied, so what have you got to lose?
Startup: The startup is pretty quick, although being told to "chill for a sec" rubs me the wrong way--I dunno, it's kind of overly familiar. Call me uptight, but I don't like uppity software.
Last week I bought a few items from Backcountry.com and, knowing that they might not fit or be what I want, I checked their return policy. Here it is:
Unconditional 100% Guarantee: We guarantee complete satisfaction and an unlimited lifetime warranty. If at any time -- now, next month, in 30 years -- you're not 100% satisfied, send your gear back for a full refund. No questions asked
That's what I call a good return policy: it's simple, brief, and unequivocal. I admire that and it guarantees I'll buy lots more stuff from Backcountry.com.
Late this December and into early January, my wife and I will be taking our honeymoon in Japan and Thailand. Since we were married on a ski trip to Telluride this past March, it seems only appropriate that we would ski on our honeymoon.
But Japan has over 500 ski areas so it goes without saying: we need pointers. Hokkaido? Fukushima? Nagano? Have you skied in Japan or done your homework? Where should we go and what can we expect?
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) is in a very tight position this season because of a $25,000 budget shortage. This kind of shortage will cripple backcountry avalanche forecasts in the future causing CAIC to cease spring forecasts and/or possibly close one of their field operation centers. To help ease the shortage, we are designing and running a fundraising event entitled, “The CAIC Benefit Bash.” The CAIC Benefit Bash will be held at THE RIVERWALK CENTER in Breckenridge, CO on November 8th, 2008 starting at 5pm. Our purpose is to help ease financial impacts of the large loss of funding this year, and help the CAIC in continuing to provide a vital recourse [sic] to backcountry enthusiasts. Avalanches kill an average of six people every year in Colorado which accounts for one-third of all avalanche deaths in the United States. The purpose of the CAIC is to minimize the economic and human impact of snow avalanches on the recreation, tourism, and commerce industries. They succeed in achieving their purpose through a dual mission of forecasting and public education. As more and more people venture into the backcountry, it is imperative that we continue to have this resource available.
Utah tells us it has “The Greatest Snow on Earth.” If their ads are to be believed, their snow is so great that the flakes even have two more points than regular snow flakes. To wit:
Normal snow flakes:
Utah snow flakes:
Here’s one of Utah new ads sporting the eight-sided flakes:
Having recently quaffed the iPhone Kool Aid, I've been on the hunt for apps that will add value to my ski season. I've tested a couple of apps that track workouts (I'll be reporting on them soon), but here's one specifically for skiers:
Snocator gives you all the tools you need as a skier or snowboarder, on or off the mountain.
On the mountain:
See your current location on a map and what trail you're on (note: this will be less accurate for non-GPS iPhones)
Plan your next runs using interactive trail maps
Find the nearest spot to warm up, grab lunch, or get a hot drink
Find your friends - coming soon
Track your runs, speed, and vertical (and show it off on a map, later) - coming soon
Check the latest weather forecasts
Off the mountain:
Get snow reports: search resorts in order of largest snowfall and proximity to you
Check out views of the mountain from real-time mountain cams
Keep a list of your favorite resorts
Find the nearest resorts to you
Track your progress en-route to the slopes and see how far away you are
At $5.99 it's pretty expensive for an iPhone app andit expires at the end of the 2008/2009 season, so that's kind of lame. I'll post my findings.
Crested Butte Mountain and Delta Airlines have teamed up to offer free skiing for anyone flying to Gunnison/Crested Butte via Salt Lake City.
Fly Delta Airlines direct from Salt Lake City, or from any connecting city through Salt Lake, and for every night of lodging booked through Crested Butte Vacations, you'll get free lift tickets for each person in your party.
Loveland and Arapahoe Basic are already open and Wolf Creek is waiting for more snow before they set a date, but here’s the rest of Colorado’s opening dates for 2008
Some interesting choices and I'll have to pick up a copy to see their reasoning. What do you think? Snowbasin cracks the top five ahead of Squaw and Telluride? Really??
After a warm and dry couple of days up here in Summit County, yesterday it clouded over and started to snow and has kept going since. Although the nearby resorts still are only 5-10% open, the weather inspired us to take a few turns at Keystone today.
I wore the Cloudveil RPK Parka and found myself underwhelmed. I have a few specific gripes:
Burton Snowboards announces 
For the last few seasons, I've been skiing with a Dakine Heli-Pro pack to carry my skis on hikes, extra gear (heavy gloves, extra hat, etc), food, and a CamelBak for hypdration. But in keeping with my 
to fill myself and carry in pockets.
that can be worn close to the body.
A flyer appeared on my door this morning from 
Last week I bought a few items from 
Having recently quaffed the 
