There’s nothing like cruising down the soft slopes in a short sleeved tee! Spring skiing may have come early this season, but since it’s here we might as well embrace it. Groomers are where it’s at with weather like this, and you should have the skis for it. A good stiff carving ski made for high speeds is key, like the AC Unlimited series or the Rossignol Z3. Stop by your local ski shop and try ‘em out. It’s sunny and warm so if you’re daring head out in a tee shirt and work on that farmers tan!
ep
If you have never heard of it, the Freeskiing nationals are a huge and gnarly event. The event is held at some of the worlds best known locations, places such as Snowbird, UT, Kirkwood, CA, and Crested Butte, CO. The event takes some of the craziest riders and lets them huck some flips and drops allover the mountain. The best run wins, which usually boils down to who throws the biggest. The event is a huge get together at the resorts where all the buy standers come in and take a few runs with their skis and then take a seat to watch the action. The event is great and the skiers don’t mess around going huge all the time. Make sure to head up and watch the next time your in town for the event.
The backcountry has been pretty busy these days. With the warm weather and the snow that seems to intermingle, Salt Lake City, UT has a busy backcountry. Whether it be the weekend warriors coming out to hike or any one else there a lot going on. There is surely a lot of tracks up in the hills and it is definetly not all lift access. Grab your becon, and don’t forget the skis and get out there and start hiking.
After all of the spring like conditions we have been having in the last 2 weeks the forecast is finally calling for some of the white stuff here in the Park City area. It has been a long wait, as the spring conditions were kind of nice. It will be good to get back out and take some shots to the face, with some powder. The amount totals are soon to be posted on the NWS website. Keep the snow rolling in and make the season snow totals keep going up. It is good news for those of you that like to grab the skis and get on the hill.
Often taken for granted, the Telluride Gondola is a vital artery in the Telluride/Mountain Village transportation system. The gondola is most utilized to whisk pedestrians between the Mountain Village and the Town of Telluride via Station St. Sophia at 10,500 ft. Paid for by the Mountain Village Home Owners Association it is the only free transportation system of its kind in North America. In its entirety it consists of 4 stations. The gondola runs from the resort’s parking facility through the Mountain Village, up and over the mountain to its base on the outskirts of historic Telluride. The heart of the resort, the Mountain Village, holds much of the Telluride ski rental shops, hotels and condominiums, and resort offices. The town, historic from its mining past over a hundred years ago is home to Telluride’s bustling night life and retail shops. Connecting the two is essential to visitors Telluride ski resort experience as well as both the towns and villages operation. Its functionality is matched only by the beauty of the view it can provide to passengers as their cabin descends into the majestic town on a clear night.
Something happened in February this year, something that has not happened for a long time: it rained all day long. It was miserable with rain falling all day in the middle of February. However most of the rain was snow on the mountains and managed to accumulate 8 inches. Excited for a powder I headed out only to find the powder to be very heavy, wet and slow. The only good powder was very high up and you had to go through the slow stuff at the end. Powder is not fun when its heavy and wet and near impossible to ride through. I am glad we got the snow but wish it could have been colder.
JS
When using your epic pass you actually have 5 different options. These options include 5 different mountains you are able to ski/snowboard on. These mountains are Keystone, Breckenridge, A-Basin, Vail, and Beaver Creek and each is top notch. If your stay is going to be more than 3 or 4 days I would definitely suggest mixing things up a bit.
Whenever you’re fitting out to a ski boot it is always very difficult to find the right fit. The basics you’ll hear at the rental shop are your toes should be touching the front of the boot. Once they are touching when you lean forward the toe should slide back a bit (this is your skier stance). Some shops will do a shell fit first and check the distance behind your heel when your foot is all the way forward, there should be room for two fingers. All brands of boots will fit differently. Some boots will be good for wide feet others will be good for narrow feet. If you know what brand of boot you like shop around the rental shops to see who carries the right boot for you.
CG
I recently read an article about cheap low fare Heli trips at Silverton in Colorado. The cost is $150 a drop, meaning being picked up and dropped of by the helicopter on top of the mountain. Plus the person also has to purchase a $125 lift ticket. These prices are very cheap when compared to the other Heli place in Colorado. Also with this you can choose to do only one drop at a time instead a full day or half day. DT
Renting skis in Vail or Beaver Creek can be a breeze if you do it with a ski rental delivery shop. Deliveries are on time, and adjustments can be made on the mountain. It is quick and easy. The Vail and Beaver Creek ski shops offer top of the line equipment at affordable prices. Come as soon as you can, while the snow is falling.
JC