Ski Girl Says

Warren Miller Entertainment Sues Warren Miller

Warren Miller Entertainment is suing of all people, Warren Miller.  The company believes it owns the rights to the ski movie legend's voice. Miller's voice over in Level 1 Production's "Refresh" led to the  legal battle.

WME's suit is pathetic, and goes against the grain of the man who made their film company great. Warren Miller has shared a lifetime of skiing adventures with people around the world. For decades he has brought us to mountains and terrain, much of which we can only dream of seeing, or explore via his films.

He made his way through major resorts and tiny villages to fresh powder stashes and cliffs often on the basis of handshake or a conversation with the locals. He made ski films what they are, not through corporate contracts and lawyers, but through hard work and a trusting conversation that allowed him to access incredible terrain and footage and share it with the world, accompanied by his unique narration. 

Miller made ski films what they are. Every ski magazine cover this fall is mourning the loss of Shane McConkey. That amazing career might never have happened, if Warren Miller hadn't first made ski films into a genre.

The company Miller allowed to continue his legacy is now threatening him through attorneys; for what? For sharing his fanaticism with skiers outside of their profit-realm? For money to a company who no longer allows him to appear, or speak in the films that bear his name. 

I love going to see Warren Miller films each year. I am conflicted if I should even go this season.

Natural Snow Day Closes Summer

Breckenridge, Colorado also reported snow on the last day of summer -- natural snow. The mountain opens for skiing November 12, just 6 days after lifts start turning at Breck's sister resort, Keystone.

Last Day of Summer is First Snow Day

Mark your calendar.  Snow guns started firing in Colorado September 21, 2009, marking the start of snowmaking.  Loveland Ski Area in Colorado had three guns running on one trail.  Expect other resorts to follow soon. The race is on to see who can open trail first for the new ski season!

Train Now For A Great Winter

Winter is not far away. It is still officially summer on the calendar, but ski areas will start opening around North America in two months. Now is the time to get in shape.

I am not a physician, a personal trainer, or a physical therapist. My comments are purely my opinion and experience. I think as you read, you're likely to agree with me.

How many seasons have you gotten mid way through the winter and found you are skiing longer days and better runs, because you have more stamina and more strength? How many seasons have you walked a little funny after your first couple weekends of skiing, because you ache in muscles you forgot since last winter?  How many times have you said, next year....next year I'll work out in advance of ski season so I start the year in great shape and get the most out of the early snowfalls?

Next year is now.  When I sign up for a fitness program, the staff at the gym usually says it is going to take 6 weeks of regular exercise before you see the results in your muscle tone.  I also know when I sign up for a program it takes me a few weeks to learn to fit it into my schedule and work out on a regular basis. So let's do the math....3 weeks for lazy gym habits plus six weeks of working out seriously before I see results begin...that's 9 weeks....November.

Guess what? I'm planning on skiing in November. How about you? So get moving...in whatever form you choose. Myself I know I want cardio and Pilate's for endurance and a strong core in the moguls, as well as strength training for tethering. There's a lot of work ahead.  Make this your best winter yet, by being ready the first day to enjoy the whole day on the slopes, and to be comfortable the day after.

Night Skiing

Not everyone who skis has been night skiing.  Whenever I am talking to someone on a lift who says they have not night skied, it surprises me. To me it's almost a natural part of skiing. In the Eastern U.S. light trails and taking evening runs after school or work is fairly common.  In the West, runs are long, skiers are tired by mid-afternoon, and the lifts at many resorts stop turning before the sun goes down.

I grew up skiing at night. It was a great way to fit in time for skiing as a family.  The slopes are a little different than  in the morning or afternoon. Weeknights, hills are likely to be uncrowded.   The nights are chillier. The snow surface sets up and often speeds up. Terrain changes may require a different lens to view them clearly, as the trail looks different under floodlights than sunlight.   It is a great way to get more skiing for an often lower ticket price and shorter lines.

Sundance announced this week they will offer night skiing for the first time. The Utah resort will offer lit trails Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturdays.  If you're headed anywhere with lights, give the night shift a try.  You might just like it.

2010 Buyers Guide -Skiing Magazine

Skiing Magazine gets most improved for their gear guide this year.  Last year, I didn't find the fall issue too helpful in selecting my equipment. This year, the magazine has made a pleasant turnaround. There are helpful tips throughout on gear shopping, some meaningful comments and ratings, and still some room for improvement serving the women's market.  Overall, the guide is a great resource and you should pick one up before you go shopping for gear.

Boot shopping is taken seriously this year in Skiing.  Each review gives you overal comments, a plus, a minus, and width. The pros this year aren't aesthetic, they are meaningful. Buying boots requires going to a shop and trying them on for hours, ideally with an experienced boot fitter. But, if you use a magazine to do your homework in advance, you can narrow down your choices and have a more targeted dialog with the ski shop to find your ideal boot.

Skis in this issue are broken down by what type of terrain you tend to ski, rather than how you ski.  Reviews rate skis on several criteria: stability at speed, maneuverability, energy/liveliness, forgiveness, crud performance, hard-snow performance, versatility and overall impression. This will help you  identify the boards that fit the surfaces you ski most. If you're a lightweight, pay extra attention to the icon for skis that require power. They might be too much for you to flex.

Where can the guide improve? In giving women's skis equal quality in reviews to the men's.  Ski reivews are short. There isn't much room for comment, so what's written should really count.   I found the women's reviews on average focused on if you're an intermediate you'll think... or if you're an expert you might find... I noticed the mens' writeups contain none of this conjecturing on your ski style and satisfaction. They talk about the ski and how it performs.

Shouldn't the writeup always be about the ski?  Why tell me if you ski like A,  you might think X, but if you ski like B, you might think Y.  Why not just tell us about the ski's construction and performance and give ski girls credit that we know how that translates to what we're looking for? I felt as I read the Skiing Buyer's guide a bit like I do buying a car-- when the salesman shows me the cupholders and the stereo, and shows my boyfriend the engine.  If I'm buying the car, show me the engine. Give women a little credit.

Overall, the reviews are good. They are much better and much more helpful than last year. It is definitely worth reading this magazine before you shop for gear. Next year, I hope it tells us what's under the hood.

Ski Area Improvements Part V

As we've been counting down the top resorts and the improvements being made at each over the summer, one thing became evident.   There just is not as much development and expansion going on at resorts for this winter as in recent years.

The economy and in some states the weather, were tough on ski areas last season.  Ski resorts tend to have a long-range plan of improvements they intend to make.  When winter revenue is good, it is followed by a summer of reinvesting in the mountain. When revenues are slow, plans go on hold until a better year.

That is exactly what is happening this season. Many resorts has no development on the boards for this summer. What development there is, tends to be more in real estate and lodging than on the mountain. There are some exceptions, but in general reporting trail and chairlift expansion is pretty slow news this year.  Rather than continue the list,  Ski Girl will move on to other stories.

There is a bright spot in this lack of reinvestment. When resorts are challenged for growth, they are going to fight to bring in guests. So expect plenty of deals and lots of customer service focus in 2009-2010.  Ski areas want you back in a big way.  They need plenty of skier visits and a strong season.  If that happens, the reinvestment can pick back up next summer.