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CultureVermont Resorts Raise Money for Sandy Relief
Vermont Resorts Raise Money for Sandy Relief
Hurricane Sandy makes landfall on the East Coast on October 29, 2012. Photo courtesy of NASAVermont is no stranger to superstorms. Just over a year ago, Irene devastated homes, businesses, and infrastructure in the state. Now, with New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut struggling to recover from Hurricane Sandy, Vermont’s ski resorts are raising money to help. The Operation Mountains of Love fundraiser brings private donors and Ski Vermont resorts together to help the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. Individuals can contribute $10 at redcross.org or by texting “REDCROSS” to 90999. Yesterday, Sugarbush Resort announced it would match…...
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CultureThe Environmental Cowboy
The Environmental Cowboy
Rio (left) and Tai Jacober take a break from ranch work near Carbondale, Colorado. Photo by Dave CoxThe Crystal River Meats local store in Carbondale. Photo by Dave Cox After his grandfather’s death cost his family its southern Colorado property and left Tai Jacober landless, the third-generation rancher faced a dilemma: Work as a migrant cowboy for the big outfits, or launch his own agricultural operation by partnering with the gentleman ranchers that now own most of the land around his Carbondale home. Jacober chose the latter, and now his company, Crystal River Meats, helps preserve open space, saves…...
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EnvironmentGlobal Dusting
Global Dusting
A view from Colorado’s Silverton Mountain. A rust-colored layer of dust is changing how and when snow melts, impacting water supplies across the West. By Heather Hansman | Photo by Re Wikstrom Clean snow is the most reflective naturally occurring surface on earth. When snow covers high peaks like those in the Rocky Mountain West, 90 percent of the sun’s rays are mirrored back into the atmosphere. It’s one of the ways in which a healthy planet regulates its temperature—especially important in an age of global warming. But the Rocky Mountain snowpack is not as brilliant as it once was. A study…...
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CultureMontana Governor Brian Schweitzer, 57
Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer, 57
He wears jeans, a Bolin tie, and takes his dog Jag with him nearly everywhere he goes.
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CultureVeggies for Bros
Veggies for Bros
An architect’s rending of the proposed greenhouse, which would be adjacent to an existing parking garage in Jackson. Courtesy image Tucked in the northwest corner of Wyoming, the town of Jackson sits in an isolated valley circled by the rugged Tetons, Yellowstone National Park, and other protected wild lands. The setting draws climbers, skiers, and outdoor athletes who prefer a mountain-town lifestyle to urban conveniences. But when it’s time to buy new snow tires or find a couch for powder chasers to crash on, Jackson residents often must leave the valley, sometimes making the five-hour trek to Salt Lake City,…...
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CultureTahoe Expo Showcases Local Geotourism
Tahoe Expo Showcases Local Geotourism
A sample of the adventures waiting at the Tahoe Expo. Courtesy photoWhile many take Lake Tahoe’s crystal waters for granted, a local non-profit, Sustainable Tahoe, is working hard to keep it clean. Jacquie Chandler founded Sustainable Tahoe in 2007 with the idea that Tahoe can sustain water clarity as visitation increases. Now, the Tahoe Expo (September 8-9) celebrates the geotourism model—connecting people to the local environment in a fun, sustainable way, reducing car dependence, and providing locally sourced food. Led by regional wildlife and nature experts, a dozen Adventure Tracks offer participants everything from river paddling trips to learn…...
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EnvironmentUpcycle Tip of the Week
Upcycle Tip of the Week
What’s Old:Unfurled sails dotting the blue waters of lakes and coastline herald summer. (U.S. Sailing counts nearly 150,000 boats among its members alone.) As sails convert wind to power, they degrade with exposure to sun, wind, and water. But what happens when a sail is worn out? The fabric gets bundled away in a basement, boathouse, or landfill. Upcycle: Sea Bags began collecting used sails in 1999, upcycling them to create everything from duffel bags and purses to wallets, shaving kits, and throw pillows. At first, founder Hannah Kubiak made 45 items each year. Now Kubiak and business partner Beth…...
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EnvironmentDamNation
DamNation
Do we need dams on our rivers? It’s the thesis for “DamNation,” a film out this fall from Felt Soul Media. The trailer promises a close look at the history of American dams, and why there is a renewed effort to blow them up and take them away. And spectacular footage of dams being blasted, plus wildlife and humans taking to the water. Learn more about the film at damnationfilm.com. For more on recent dam removal, see our story “Down with the Dams.”...
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EnvironmentUpcycle Tip of the Week
Upcycle Tip of the Week
What’s Old: In a single week, one textile factory can send 60,000 pounds of post-industrial waste to the landfill. That’s a lot of fabric scraps. What’s more, nationwide Americans discard roughly 10 million pounds of textiles each year. Upcycle: LooptWorks, based in Portland, Oregon, collects pre-consumer excess materials marked for disposal in Indonesia, Malaysia, and India. The leftovers become limited production run jackets, hoodies, shirts, skirts, bags, laptop sleeves, and wallets. They’ll typically build 500 items in each style. Materials are tested for quality and the designs are developed in weeks. What’s New: The Noll Messenger Bag offers…...
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CultureEcotourism with Blisters
Ecotourism with Blisters
Trail crew at work in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Courtesy photoWant to run a two-person, six-foot crosscut saw to fell trees in the wilderness? Well, now is your chance. The Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation (BMWF) needs volunteers to complete 50 projects this summer. “The Bob is home to one of the largest intact ecosystems in the U.S.,” says Keagan Zoellner, executive director of the foundation. The area encompasses 1.5 million acres of Montana backcountry, straddling the Continental Divide just southeast of Glacier National Park. Within its boundaries you’ll encounter steep mountain passes, fishing and rafting in the Flathead and…...
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CultureBuying Cady Hill
Buying Cady Hill
On the trail in Cady Forest Hill. Courtesy photo UPDATE, 5/29/12: The Stowe Land Trust announces it has secured the necessary funds to permanently protect Cady Hill Forest. Read more here. Eleven miles of trails wind through the 260 acres of Cady Hill Forest in Stowe, Vermont. It’s just a few pedal strokes from the center of town, and one path picks up just across from Skier Shop, a locally owned outfitter that becomes Bike Stowe in summer. Shop owner Bobbie Roehm knows the trails intimately. “We call them the Town Loops,” she says. “Those are the trails we…...
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Culture
Virtual Vistas
Virtual Vistas
Nature Valley Trail View redefines what it means to be an armchair adventurer. The website employs Google street-view technology to offer trail views of National Parks, like the Great Smoky Mountains, Yellowstone, and the Grand Canyon. “We’re bringing the beauty of the parks to the masses, regardless of physical location,” says Nature Valley’s Scott Baldwin. “We hope to inspire others to get outside and enjoy the best that nature has to offer.” A tech firm called InTheMo Interactive brought the technology to Trail View. To produce the 360-degree imagery they used a Dodeca 2360 camera with 11 lenses.…...
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EnvironmentWell, Duh
Well, Duh
Quick eco fixes for mountain resorts. Story and photograph by Berne Broudy One winter Richard Travers sat at his kitchen table in Vermont listening to the buzz of the compressor in his commercial refrigerator. Not only was the white noise ruining the wintry silence, but it also made little sense. Travers thought: Why am I using electricity to generate refrigeration inside when it’s below freezing outside? In short order, Travers cut two holes in the fridge, linking them to the outdoors via a metal duct to circulate cold air in. Then he installed thermostats to measure the inside air temperature so…...
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CultureMissed Connections in Utah
Missed Connections in Utah
Interconnecting Utah ski resorts would offer a new way to move between the seven ski resorts in the Central Wasatch. Photo by Michael Brown / SolitudeSeven ski resorts populate Utah’s Central Wasatch Mountains, so close that dropping a rope can connect neighbors. That simple action already allows skiers and riders to travel between Alta and Snowbird in Little Cottonwood Canyon or Brighton and Solitude in Big Cottonwood Canyon. Now, government support is building for some form of physical infrastructure linking resorts in Park City and near Salt Lake City. Connecting the resorts is a historical talking point. The idea…...
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EnvironmentResort in a Coal Mine
Resort in a Coal Mine
Aspen gets down and dirty in its effort to address climate change. By Paul Tolmé | Photograph by Karl Wolfgang No mountain resort has been more active in addressing climate change than Aspen Skiing Company, which generates its own solar and hydropower, heats buildings with geothermal energy, and employs state-of-the-art lighting and efficiency technologies across its four resorts. So it was startling to hear the news last summer that the greenest of ski resorts was considering investing in a coal mine. Had the recession forced the SkiCo to lay down with odd bedfellows? Not so much: Aspen plans to invest $6…...
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EnvironmentLow Snowfall Uncovers Natural Wonders
Low Snowfall Uncovers Natural Wonders
Unusually low snowfall meant unique opportunities on public lands this early wionter. In California’s Yosemite National Park, January is traditionally a time when snow piles up, blanketing the wilderness and creating obstacles for those in search of casual outdoor recreation (read: non-skiers). But Nancy Upham, public affairs officer for Inyo National Forest on the border of Yosemite, says there’s been a trend towards backcountry—ice skating. As of last weekend, lakes that are typically buried under several feet of snow were frozen and clear. Around the Lower 48, mountain biking and camping remained popular well past their normal seasons. Bizarre natural…...
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CultureLiving in the Danger Zone
Living in the Danger Zone
Growing mountain communities are building on every available inch, even if that land lies in an avalanche path. As the Mountain West grows, developers are slapping up homes and entire neighborhoods in avalanche paths. Here’s what you need to know if you don’t want to be sleeping with an avalanche beacon on. By Kate Siber | Photographs by Mark Rikkers One morning last March, at the end of a freakishly snowy winter, Steven Siig, a Lake Tahoe cinematographer and ski guide, woke up to fresh snow piled against the windows and the faint sound of a bomb going off…...
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CultureUpdate: To Link or Not to Link?
Update: To Link or Not to Link?
The proposed route of SkiLink, running from The Canyons in the northeast to Solitude in the southwest. Click on the map to see a larger image, and visit skilink.com for more information on the project. This story first appeared in the Mountain Logbook, our weekly email newsletter that delivers news, gear reviews, video tips, and more to your inbox. Sign up to receive it here. Many a chairlift conversation in Utah this winter will revolve around SkiLink, the proposed—and suddenly controversial—eight-person gondola connecting The Canyons in Park City to Solitude in Big Cottonwood Canyon. Last week, The Canyons…...
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