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ResortsRacing the Ridge
Racing the Ridge
A look at the technical terrain of the Crested Butte ski mountaineering venue. Photo by Crested Butte Mountain GuidesThe craggy spine of Crested Butte Mountain Resort’s Guide’s Ridge is an intimidating ascent in the balmy days of summer, but in the winter? “It’s only been done a handful of times in the last 20 years,” says Bryan Wickenhauser, a local ski mountaineer. That’s about to change: On January 28–29, Crested Butte hosts the North American Ski Mountaineering Championships, an event sanctioned by the International Ski Mountaineering Federation. Ski mountaineering races are common in Europe, where liability isn’t as…...
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ResortsSki for Free. Seriously.
Ski for Free. Seriously.
The Tram Face is on at Big Sky. Photo by Chad JonesSnow is a scarce commodity in California and Colorado this early winter, but resorts that have already received a healthy amount wants to gloa… uh, “share.” This January, anyone with an Epic Pass from Vail Resorts skis free at Montana’s Big Sky. “We’ve been really lucky,” says Greer Schott, Big Sky’s public relations coordinator. “Our thinking was, ‘Let’s share this.'” Big Sky has nearly 90 percent of its terrain open, and all chairlifts are operating. A big dump just before Christmas set the resort up for record numbers…...
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ResortsHead South for Winter
Head South for Winter
First tracks at Taos in mid-December. Photo by Nick HeilOminous La Niña forecasts earlier this fall sent shivers through New Mexico snow junkies. We haven’t forgotten last year—another La Niña—with its late, late openings and bony steeps. “Pray for erratic arctic oscillations,” I told friends, borrowing the phrase from some meteorology blogs suggesting that aberrations in the jet stream could send the storm track further south this year (Colorado hogged it last winter). Well, it appears to be happening. A “weak” La Niña has kicked the southern jet stream down over the Southwest, and states like Arizona and…...
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ResortsField Report: 49 Degrees North, WA
Field Report: 49 Degrees North, WA
Courtesy photoThere’s something rare and special about skiing through an empty lift maze, directly onto a chair, lap after lap; the lifty bumping chairs asking about each run. But deep in the Inland Northwest at Washington’s 49 Degrees North, it’s standard operating procedure. As for the widespread panic about the lack of early season snow across much of the U.S. this year? It’s a non-issue here. The mountain has received 67 inches and is 100 percent open, even though it sits under the same high-pressure system plaguing the West. The skiing is good, too; 2,325 acres makes it Washington’s…...
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GearAre You Beeping?
Are You Beeping?
A new backcountry checkpoint in the Tetons. Photo courtesy of Outerlocal.comWhoompf. A slab avalanche breaks underfoot, and you tumble tips over tails down the mountain. Seconds stretch, and finally the slide stops, burying you. You open your eyes and try not to panic—the signal transmitting from your avalanche beacon will bring rescuers in seconds. But what if you forgot to turn the beacon on? A program called “Are You Beeping?” that recently launched in Wyoming’s Tetons aims to prevent this scenario. It’s pretty simple actually: Checkpoints at backcountry trailheads and gates will confirm that a beacon’s transmission signal is…...
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ResortsSquaw Studies Link With Alpine
Squaw Studies Link With Alpine
Squaw’s KT-22. Alpine Meadows is visible from the top of the peak. (Click on the image to enlarge.) Photo by Tom DayThis winter, Squaw Valley and the U.S. Forest Service will conduct a pilot study to evaluate the safety and feasibility of traveling between Squaw and Alpine through backcountry terrain. Historically Squaw has operated under a closed boundary policy, while Alpine Meadows allows backcountry access. Since the Tahoe resorts merged this fall, the question of whether these policies would change has been a subject of speculation. The neighbors are separated by private land owned by Troy Caldwell and public…...
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ResortsShoot Like a Pro
Shoot Like a Pro
Lynsey Dyer skis Solitude in Utah. Photo by Scott MarkewitzTired of producing dark and out of focus ski shots not worthy of your fridge, let alone the digital heckling arena that is Facebook? Famed photographer Scott Markewitz’s powder-drenched photos have graced the covers and pages of more than 400 magazines (including Mountain). In two workshops this winter, he’ll teach others how to capture iconic images. The first chance to learn from Markewitz will be February 9–12 at Snowbird, Utah, where Markewitz has been shooting for more than 30 years. The workshop includes evening sessions to discuss concepts and…...
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CultureTalking With Nancy Greene Raine
Talking With Nancy Greene Raine
Skiing is the story of Nancy Greene Raine’s life. At three years old, she stepped into skis at Red Mountain, a resort in British Columbia where her parents helped to build the first chairlift. She competed at Olympics in Squaw Valley, Innsbruck, and Grenoble—bringing home gold and silver medals in alpine skiing from France. On a trip home to Red in 1968, Greene Raine won her second World Cup championship (she won the inaugural World Cup in 1967). Retirement from ski racing meant a second career in ski resort development, at Whistler Blackcomb until the mid-1990s, and…...
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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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ResortsSki Season Starts Now
Ski Season Starts Now
UPDATE 11/23/11 Storms, halfpipes, and holiday deals—it’s all happening at ski resorts around North America. Mammoth Mountain in California opened its 22-foot halfpipe today, the first super pipe ready for skiing and riding in North America. Need motivation to get off the couch after all the holiday feasting? Vermont’s Killington Resort got 11 inches of snow in the last 24 hours. That’s equal to 30 centimeters across the border, which how much fresh snow fell at Lake Louise, Ski Banff, and Sunshine Village in Alberta. Anyone out in Utah for the holiday will have plenty of options for skiing, too, with…...
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CultureEarly Season Wake Up Call
Early Season Wake Up Call
Kent Scheler digs a pit to assess snowpack layers in The North Face’s “Know Boundaries” web series on avalanche safety. The rising fever of winter anticipation broke abruptly on November 13 with the death of pro skier Jamie Pierre. The father, husband, and new ambassador for Moonlight Basin in Montana triggered a slab avalanche while snowboarding at Utah’s Snowbird Resort. Pierre suffered fatal trauma after being swept 700 feet over rocky terrain. The ski area had not yet opened for the season. Pierre and a friend wereriding in uncontrolled, backcountry conditions. The Utah Avalanche Center reported 17 other avalanches on…...
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BikeAngel Fire Freezes Over
Angel Fire Freezes Over
Snowy conditions added an unpredictable element to the USA Cycling collegiate nationals. Photo by Jonathan DevichEight inches of snow greeted Paul Mayes at the USA Cycling collegiate national championships at Angel Fire Resort in New Mexico on Halloween weekend. Angel Fire typically offers some of the nicest (if largely unknown) mountain biking in the West—even this late in the season. But an early storm made the downhill track look like a vertical cyclo-cross course. The conditions put an unpredictable spin on the event, with slick, snowy courses and frozen ground that thawed to mud. “The downhill course was pretty…...
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CultureA New Plan for the Ski Industry
A New Plan for the Ski Industry
Members of the MRA pick a line on Manitoba Mountain, Alaska. Photo by Tom WinterFounded in 2010, the Mountain Rider’s Alliance is a company focused on building ski areas owned and operated by skiers and riders. That’s not all: Founder Jamie Schectman wants these mountains to produce their own energy, create jobs, and access great terrain. It may sound too good to be true—but Shectman and the MRA are in the process of making it happen at Manitoba Mountain in Alaska. Pick up a copy of Early Winter for more on that project, and keep reading for more from Schectman…...
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ResortsThink Snow, Plan Ahead
Think Snow, Plan Ahead
The scene at Winter Park Wednesday morning after 15 inches of snow fell overnight. The resort opens November 16. Photo by Tana HoffmanWinter might not be on your doorstep quite yet, but now is the best time to plan a ski vacation. Resorts around North America are offering deals that expire by Halloween or Thanksgiving. The bargains can be partly attributed to ripples from a 2010–11 season that saw record snowfall and record skier visits at many resorts. “People want to keep skiing and resorts are responding by offering bargains, deals, and packages that resonate with their guests,” says…...
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CultureTram Talk in the Wasatch
Tram Talk in the Wasatch
Photo by Michael Brown / SolitudeOne day last February, a simple lack of parking denied access to the four resorts in Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons—Alta, Snowbird, Brighton, and Solitude. The two-lane roads closed to uphill traffic, and skiers and snowboards that hit the snooze button missed a day on snow. Every parking space in the canyons was flat out occupied. “That was the first time I can remember that happening,” says Ski Utah president Nathan Rafferty. “The ski areas weren’t too crowded. And that’s an important distinction. There was plenty of room on the hill, but no more parking.”…...
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BikeSki Towns Rebrand, Attract Cyclists
Ski Towns Rebrand, Attract Cyclists
Photo by Aaron H. Bible, click to enlarge. See more at ahbmedia.com.Ski towns historically empty when the lifts stop turning for the season. Crowds leave, hotels go vacant—local restaurants and bars even close their doors in the off-season. But that trend is changing. High country communities like Steamboat, Colorado are welcoming cyclists and a bustling summer season with open arms. It makes sense. Mountain towns stay cool during the summer months, a perfect retreat when temperatures soar. Then there are the numbers to consider: According to the National Ski Areas Association, there are roughly 10 million skiers and snowboarders.…...
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CultureEat, Drink, and Be Merry at Oktoberfest
Eat, Drink, and Be Merry at Oktoberfest
Killington’s 16th Annual Brewfest is this weekend. Photo courtesy of Killington ResortOktoberfest started 201 years ago when a party celebrating the marriage of a Bavarian crown prince expanded into a two-week beer drinking, umm, festival. Attend Oktoberfest in Munich today and you’ll drink at picnic-style tables under brewery-sponsored tents that can hold up to 7,000 people. Traditionally you’d be waited on by girls in low-cut dirndls carrying five steins in each hand. Also, don’t let the name mislead you—Oktoberfest traditionally takes place in September to capitalize on warmer nights (see low cut dirndl). But there’s no need to cross an…...
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BikeClosing Weekend at Trestle and Solvista Bike Park
Closing Weekend at Trestle and Solvista Bike Park
Click on an image below for the image gallery. Trestle Bike Park in Winter Park, Colorado, and Solvista in Granby closed for the season this past weekend. Mountain was on hand. Photography by Gavin Gibson...
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