Ski Girl Says

Ski Trip Complete?

My ski bag should be rolling out of the baggage claim airport at any moment.  It will be a little more worn, and has traveled another several hundred miles. 

Who wouldn't love a summer ski trip? The city of Portland, below Mount Hood  has been sweltering in 100 degree temperatures lately. Atop the mountain though, glacier snow presents fantastic skiing, surrounded by volcanic ash. Skiing Timberline in the summer makes me think it would be like skiing on the moon. Lava ledges sandwich snowy trails and offer to fantastic views of the Pacific Northwest.

Sadly, I wasn't on this summer ski trip. I just loaned my ski bag for the journey.

Amazon Sells the Great Outdoors

Amazon, the online mega-seller is now competing with ski shop and outdoor retailers, as well as offering them an outlet for selling gear. Amazon has just launched their Outdoor Recreation Store.

You can shop online at any hour, from companies like Helly Hansen, Prana or Backcountry. For a limited time, a qualifying purchase scores you a National Parks Pass.  The selection of ski gear is fairly decent. Expect the product range and stockpile of customer reviews to grow quickly, as Amazon doesn't step into new markets lightly.

Rossignol Recall

I typically don't post much about the other ski sports, tele-skiing or x-country. Not that there's anything wrong with them. Both are excellent sports. I just do not know as much about them.

However,if you do tend to skinny-ski, you should be aware of a Rossignol recall this week on cross-country boots. Here's the scoop.

Would You Buy into a Ski Resort?

Magic Mountain in Londonderry, VT, announced they are selling shares to skiers. For $3,000 you could own one of 1,000 shares in the mountain. With ski areas closing up around the country, this creative financing could revive the New England resort.

Time will tell if skiers at the mountain will invest in exchange for discounts on passes and services, and a chance to own a piece of where they ski.  Magic is modeling their plan after Mad River Glen, which sold shares starting in the mid 1990s and operates as a co-op.

Mad River, however, has a fanatical customer base. What other resort has skiers who will post stickers of the mountain anywhere in the world?The bumper sticker slogan, "Mad River Glen, Ski it if You Can," has resulted in sightings of the sticker around the world. The area is also a mecca for tele-skiers.  Fans of Mad River, one of the few resorts to still ban snowboarding, are uniquely dedicated to their mountain.

Will Magic be able to entice it's customers to buy into their plan? Will it suffer the fate of so many other mountains?  Let's hope there are 1,000 people who believe in the mountain and have the ability to invest.

2009 Ski Area Improvements Part I

1)      Deer Valley, Utah - Deer Valley will spend $3 million on snowmaking, snowcats and a new deck with heated pavers at Silver Lake Lodge.  In a new twist on investing in the future, Deer Valley named their top focus this year will be investing in their staff.

 

2)      Vail, Colorado - Vail is opening a Four Seasons Hotel and has several other real estate projects in the works, and plans for enhancing spas, services and green-thinking.  Nothing is mentioned in their 2009-2010 press release of improvement or upgrades to the slopes.  Vail had a tough year and has made press for cutting staff and not meeting numbers.

 

3)      Whistler Blackomb, British Columbia - All eyes are on Whistler Blackomb this year as it hosts several venues for the 2010 Olympics. The area had multi-year expansion plan with a $27.6 million price tag, focused on preparing fo the winter games.  Any big changes to skiing came last year, culminating with the Peak2Peak Gondola connecting Whistler and Blackcomb. Snowmaking and Slope Grading continue this summer.  If you have not skied there recently, expect big things from the Canadian giant on your next visit.

 

 

4) Snowmass - Expansion plans here are all about real estate.  A new  base village is in it's second year with plenty of properties opening this season.

 

5)      Park City Mountain Resort, Utah  - Park City is apparently so busy with whatever they are doing this summer, that there has been no time to issue a press release. I've contacted the resort for updates and will let you know when there is news.

 

 

 

Can a Cell Phone Save Your Life When Skiing?

Thanks to a Ski Girl Says reader who sent me a story reported from the UK, where a cell phone saved a skier's life in Switzerland.  How, you ask? Not by letting the skier call for help. The phone was not in a spot where the man in danger could reach his phone. No, apparently the phone in his pocket added just an extra inch or two to his chest, causing the man to become wedged when he fell into a crevasse.

I wonder is this could be true, or if perhaps the cell phone provider is spinning the story for publicity.  How are we to know it was the phone, and not an extra pancake in the morning or a brew the night before that gave the wayward skier a little more girth? 

You can ponder and read the story yourself.

Here Come the Olympians

The 2010 Olympic Winter Games and Paralympic Games descend on Vancouver, British Columbia, this coming winter.  Vancouver is poised to host top skiers from around the world at it's famous slopes and breathtaking backdrops.  As we countdown to the Games, I'll be posting, news, links and information to tell you all about the big event and the venues.

Ski Resort Improvement Across North America in 2009

Every summer, ski areas compete to add new features, new facilities, more snow-making, more trails, more innovation and bells and whistles. They are looking for the additions that will upgrade to keep them current, or to be the best of the best. Ski areas need you to visit to stay in business. They continually make summer improvements to keep you coming back. Over the “2009 Ski Area Improvements” series, we’ll count down the top resorts* and what they are doing to win your business.  Look for the series on the next few Saturdays.

 *Top resorts as ranked in November, 2008, edition of Ski Magazine.

Ski Girl is Back!

What have you missed?

As the ski industry looks back on the past season, some stats are looking bleak:
State by state, ski area associations came out with their reports on how the ski season looked.
Utah and Colorado and Vermont are all down for visits over prior year. Vail resorts are cutting staff.  Some ski areas did not fare well at all. As with every season, a few resorts and hills shut their doors, possibly for the last time at the end of the season.  Blame the economy. Look for deals and promotions to bring you back to skiing his season.

Whistler Blackomb discovered the glacier is shrinking! Well, it has been shrinking in half over the last 100 years. But official scientific reporting allowed us to take notice this summer.  You can't blame the economy on that.  Maybe you could blame politics and Al Gore that we're noticing.

Despite most reports of a slow year, New York skier visits were up.  Plenty of your favorite resorts are expanding operations over the summer and I'll cover the details here in upcoming posts.

If you want to ski now and can afford to travel, there is plenty of snow to be had in the southern hemisphere.  Ski Area Management reported July 1st that 60 ski resorts are open around the world. North America offers glacier skiing in a few areas. I know one reader made me envious with proof they were skiing this past weekend at Mount Hood, OR.

As for this Ski Girl....I took a little time away from the keyboard to focus on a few essentials in my life. While i was gone--I won, I won, I won!  I won a season ski pass to Okemo and Sunapee.  It really does pay to fill out those customer surveys. You really can win. I'm looking forward to a great and long season in 2009-2010 with plenty of New England trips.

I predict plenty of snow, some great gear innovations, and a fantastic showing for great ski girls at the 2010 Olympics and Paralympics in Vancouver.

Summer solstice has passed. The days are getting shorter and the snow is getting closer.  Get ready!