Jet Stix, Powder Cuffs and Whiteface Mountain

December 7, 2008 - A date that lives in "infamy" but today's 12/7 meant the first day of skiing for the year at Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington, NY. The skiing was probably the best I have seen in years for early December. The cold weather that has hung around since Thanksgiving has been an advantage for the the snow makers. They are cranking up the snow guns to the max and opening new trails almost daily. They even opened Mountain Run, a perennial favorite for locals, on Saturday. Due to "Lake Effect" we had constant snow showers all day. It would be nice to see the sun but this time of the year all everyone wants is snow, snow and more snow. The long range forecast bodes well for holiday skiers. There should be plenty of snow and many trails to ski at Whiteface.



The eagerly awaited new addition to Whiteface this year is the much anticipated new Lookout Mountain area and the new chair to service 4 new trails. I can report that the chair is ready to go. They are making snow in the core area and then will focus snow making on Lookout Mountain.. Opening is expected during the holiday or the 1st of January. It looks spectacular.

Thirty-eight years ago, after 3 years of Army life, I was back in Colorado with an old pair of Head GS skis, Marker turntable bindings and some beat up Scott ski poles. The equipment was way out of date including the old black Lange boots. Everyone was into "Avalement", thanks to JC Killy and a guy named Wayne Wong. I hardly had 2 nickels to rub together but I managed to update my gear with a $12.00 investment in a pair of "Jet Stix" and a pair of flowered powder cuffs (to hide the Jet Stix). Who was I fooling? Now I could ski with the big boys, sitback as I sucked in the moguls at Arapahoe Basin. It was the first day of skiing in 3 years. You don't forget.

The excitement of skiing after a long summer and fall never changes. The skiers at Whiteface today were enthusiastic, excited about the snow, the skiing and just darn happy to be able to dust off their skiis and return to the sport they love. It's hard to even think about the economy, auto company bailouts, and your investments going downhill faster than your skis. It proves the point that if it snows and the skiing is good, there will be skiers. For a few hours of fresh mountain air with your best friends, you can concentrate on skiing and forget, for just a moment, life's hassles. Isn't that the reason people love to ski?

The Ski Traveler

It's Official! Snowmaking starts tonight!

When West Mountain starts the snow guns it means only one thing. Skiing is officially here and a long range forecast of cold weather assures piles of man made snow. Typically, this little mountain can cover top to bottom on 4 or 5 trails in about 4 days. The long range cold weather forecast insures that the money spent on snow making will not melt away.

This time of the the year is pretty much at the mercy of cold temps, early snow storms and the vagaries of weather patterns. It is shaping up to be as normal as Eastern, Western and European winters can be.

The Northeast: The biggies have opened around Thanksgiving with mostly man made snow but there have been a couple of early snow storms that left its mark in November. In NY: Whiteface, Gore have opened with limited skiing. In Vermont, Killington, Stowe, Bromeley, Stratton, Mt. Snow are also open but with out the natural snow, skiing will be limited to how fast snow making can cover trails before Christmas and the holidays. If it stays cold expect new trails opened daily.

Out West it's Vail, Aspen, Loveland. Arapahoe, Breckenridge, Copper and Telluride. Vail is hosting the World Cup at Beaver Creek and the downhill race this weekend on the Birds of Prey course. Still not a lot of natural snow yet and no big dumps in the forecast. However, they are getting those daily 4- 6" snowfalls overnight. It's piling up!

Farther west The Sierras and Lake Tahoe are waiting for El Nino and those wet Pacific storms to kick in. Squaw Valley and Heavenly are searching for snow. Sun Valley (my favorite) had to postpone a Thanksgiving opening due to the lack of the white stuff and cold temps to make snow.

Europe seems to getting it's share of early snow in the Alps. Val d'Isere, Zermatt and Cortina D'Ampezzo all getting the white stuff for great skiing around the holidays. Look for more snow in the Northern Alps.

If you live in the Albany,NY area check out West Mountain this weekend. Willard, Bousquets and Royal Mountain will be open too. Oak Mountain is open for tubing and will open after Christmas for skiing. Call Maple Ridge for their opening date.

Get those skis ready. Skiing is here.
See you on the hill.
The Ski Traveler

Universal Sports and FIS World Cup Skiing

Watching televised World Cup Ski events on television for the last couple of years has been virtually impossible and really non-existent. The old OLN cable network carried FIS World Cup races for several years but when it changed to Versus Network, ski racing was dropped. It doesn't attract enough viewers to make it viable. Yes, there were a few celebrity ski races but to view FIS World Cup skiing there just wasn't any way to see it. Finding ski race results is kind of hit or miss for your local news. It is just not high on their priority list. So, any information on my favorite sport was gathered from the Internet.

An Internet website WCSN took up the slack and for a small subscription fee you could watch the races on your computer. Not a very satisfying experience but at least you could stay on top of the sport. Last summer WCSN merged with the new NBC cable channel Universal Sports. In addition to the TV cable channel they have a very good website that carries many of those sports that main stream television does not offer.

By sheer accident my son ,who lives in Arlington VA , told me that his cable system was broadcasting the FIS World Cup ski races . The cable network is called Universal Sports. I am a DirecTV satellite user. DirecTv does not offer this channel. I was bummed. However, I do have a digital TV with an outside UHF antenna and noticed that an Albany, NY station near where I live carried this network. I live at least 40-45 miles from the digital transmitter site. It's pretty much on the fringe for digital in my area.

As we approach the February 2009 cutoff date for analog TV, your local stations are working diligently to improve their digital signals and add content to the many additional digital stations that they can use. I was able to rescan my outside antenna for new channels and sure enough, I can now watch ski racing again. The new channel is listed with the DirecTV viewing guide and works seamlessly with the satellite channels. The signal is strong and I'm ecstatic! We are back to watching FIS World Cup ski racing.

I have watched all the races from Soelden, Austria and last weekend the races at Levi, Finland. Lindsay Vonn had a spectacular 2nd run and won the Women's Slalom and Bode Miller is back with a 2nd place in the Men's slalom. Go USA!

If you live in the Albany, NY area you may be able to see Universal Sports on the Time Warner Cable or directly on your outside UHF antenna from WRGB digital channel 6.2. If you have an outside antenna and an HDTV rescan for new digital channels. You'll be surprised at what might be out there in the digital world.

The Ski Traveler

Support Your Local Ski Area

Ski More and Spend Less

If you have skied as long as I have you can probably easily name 5 or 6 ski areas that have disappeared over the years. Those family friendly and fun little ski areas that didn't cost a small fortune for a lift ticket or a hotdog. They are still around but their numbers are dwindling.

If you are lucky enough to have a small, family-friendly ski area close by, pay them a visit and support them. Yes, the skiing may not be demanding as the big ski resorts but the fun, excitement and atmosphere is still there. Believe me, they work just as hard and in most cases much harder, to make your skiing experience as good as the mega ski -resort. It's just not as fancy or "glitzy". The lift tickets are typically half the price as the BIG mountain resorts but children and beginning adult skiers are not as intimdated as they would be at a large resort with very crowded slopes.

Ski Areas of New York, Inc.

I grew up in the Albany area and in a previous blog I mentioned one area that is no longer around and that was Ski Land at East Berne, NY. I can remember skiing at Fawn Ridge, Scotts Coble and Mt Whitney in Lake Placid , NY. They are all closed and largley forgotten. Alpine Meadows near Saratoga Springs was another place that I liked to ski but, that too has closed. The State of New York at one time and perhaps still does, has more ski areas than any other state. Most of them are very small family ski areas. They are still surviving but with the lack of finances, the lack of snow or cold temps to make snow, they are struggling to stay in business. Your support this winter will keep them open in the future.

There are a few that have survived and have done well because they know who and what they are. To survive they've added snow making, night skiing, concentrated on excellent grooming, added tubing slides, catered to families and children, provide ski and snowboarding instruction and other family friendly amenities.

Check out some of the smaller areas near Albany, NY

Bousuets in Pittsfield, MA

West Mountain in Queenbsury,NY

Willard Mountain in Easton, NY

Oak Mountain in Speculator, NY

Maple Ski Ridge in Schenectady, NY

The price of gas and the state of the economy makes it the perfect time to check out the small ski areas near you this season.

Ski more, save gas and money too!

The Ski Traveler

Ski Helmets: Do You Really Need One?

I don't wear a ski helmet. I don't foresee that I will wear one in the future. If you feel the need to wear a helmet, I wholeheartedly applaud your decision and by all means you should have one. But, don't tell me I need one to ski just because you have a helmet and please, I am not signing a petition to pass a ski helmet law making it mandatory to wear a ski helmet in my state.

As a ski patrolman for the past 17 years I have seen my share accidents. Head injuries and Traumatic Brain injuries (TBI) are lumped together in statistics. It makes it difficult to get the true picture. Head injuries as a total is 5 - 7 %. of injuries reported each year skiing. Of that total, much less is a TBI. Mostly that figure includes the bumps, bruises and mild concussions that need to be examined by emergency room doctors and are usually released. If we apply the same argument to these statistics that you need a helmet to ski than look at car accidents where 420,000s sustain head injuries (That's 28% of all head injuries reported annually). So why aren't you wearing a helmet when you get in your car? How about around the home? A slip in the bathtub? Maybe you should stop taking a shower. All statistically greater than ski related head injuries. Unfortunately, the accurate statistics for skiing are very hard to come by. Anything can be slanted to make your case. I am not advocating one way or the other. I just ask that you look around this winter, see how many skiers/boarders are wearing helmets, what age and ability And then ask them why they wear a helmet. Form your own opinion that is not based on "Madison Avenue" hype or sensational celebrity ski accidents. (It is doubtful that Michael Kennedy or Congressman Sonny Bono would have survived their accidents if they had worn a ski helmet)

I do advocate helmets for the following:

• Ski Racing
• Children

But the rest of us need to be left to our style of skiing and enjoyment of the outdoors. That is, the freedom to make a choice to wear a helmet or not based on the facts and the evidence.

The following excerpt came form NSSA website:

"According to Jasper Shealy, professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, N.Y., who has studied ski related injuries for more than 30 years, recent research has shown that the use of helmet reduces the incidence of any head injury by 30 to 50 percent, but that the decrease in head injuries is generally limited to the less serious injuries such as scalp lacerations, mild concussions (Grade I) and contusions to the head, as opposed to more serious injuries such as concussions greater than Grade II, skull fractures, closed head injuries and the like. There has been no significant reduction in fatalities over the past nine seasons even as the use of helmets overall has increased to more than 33 percent, and to as much as 40 percent within the population at greatest risk—experienced young adult male skiers and snowboarders. The pattern of death seems to be affected by the use of a helmet. Most fatalities are due to multiple causes or injuries. Approximately two-thirds of those who die who do not use a helmet have as the first cause of death some injury to the head. For those who die while wearing a helmet, only about one-third have a head injury as the first cause of death. It seems that while the use of a helmet may shift the distribution of the first cause of death, it is not sufficient to reduce the overall rate of death. In incidents leading to death, it appears that the severity of the incident simply overwhelms the ability of the helmet to prevent death."

If you are really serious about preventing injuries both to your head and body you need to take personal responsibility and do the following:

• Ski in control at all times
• Keep your speed down, ski slower
• Follow the Skiers Responsibility Code
• Keep your ski equipment in top shape, skis tuned
• Do not ski trails or slopes beyond your ability
• Stay in shape
• Lastly, be courteous to others on the slope
  
  Make your decision to buy a helmet based on the facts, your ski ability and temperament.

Be informed and ski safely,

The Ski Traveler

My sources:

Ski Racks and Winter Tires

It's getting close to November and my thoughts turn to getting the snow tires on the car and putting the ski rack on the roof. I want to be ready for the first day of skiing.

My car is a little unusual but given the gas prices these days no one even blinks anymore when I drive into the ski area parking lot in my MINI Cooper. The car will have snows on all 4 wheels and the MINI ski rack in place. Yes, this car does very well in the snow.

Fortunately, skis have become shorter and fit on the car with ease. We use ski bags , although a box is available option for the MINI Cooper. Without protection from the elements (salt, sand, rock, etc.) the skis would be damaged. The investment in a good rack and ski bag is the best insurance.

The car always has a snow shovel, ice scraper, blankets and a fully charged cell phone as standard emergency equipment. My ski boot bag carries all the essentials: ski boots, ski jacket ,extra fleece, gloves and mittens, hats, change of clothes, turtle fur neck gaiter, goggles, sunglasses, chapstick, sun tan lotion, energy bars and my ski pass. Being a visiting patroller, I also carry my radio tuned into the local ski patrol. I do not transmit but listen in to whats going on the mountain. I get first hand information to steer me around problem areas, hear about trails that have opened or closed and where the shortest lift lines are.

The essentials for a vacation trip by air are the same but if you travel light some equipment is best left at home.

What to you pack when you travel for the day? Is it the same when you travel by air?

Opening day is getting closer,

The Ski Traveler

Ski Areas of the Past

When I was very young, I would beg my parents to take me skiing on the weekends to a magical place in the Helderberg Mountains outside of Albany NY. It was called Ski Land at East Berne, NY. It wasn't fancy or equipped with the latest quad lift, lodge or even snow making. It was in fact, a cow pasture with rope tows powered by old trucks and a j-bar. The lodge was just an old barn to get hot chocolate and eat your sack lunch. When you're 10 years old, this was a place that ski dreams were made. It was heaven. It was a place to ski with your friends and enjoy the day. But, as with many small ski areas of this era it's now long gone and overgrown with trees and weeds. If you looked at it today you really couldn't imagine a ski area being there.The ravages of time, big changes in the ski industry or poor management have caused the demise of many small ski areas like East Berne. I'm sure most us can name a few that we skied and are no longer in existence.
Several years ago, our ski patrol invited Jeremy Davis to speak at our annual Ski Patrol Banquet. Jeremy graduated from a small Vermont college and now works as a meteorologist in South Glens Falls, NY providing weather information to large tanker ships all over the globe. But, Jeremy did not come to our banquet to talk about the weather but to tell us about a web project he started in college to collect information about all those ski areas that have been abandoned, closed and are just not around anymore. It's called NELSAP or the The New England Lost Ski Area Project. He has collected information from all over the Northeast, U.S. and the world and put together a fascinating web site. What started out as a personal quest and an interest in ski history has developed into a 2nd career and a direction even Jeremy Davis never envisioned. He has now become the repository of information on "Lost' ski areas. His expertise on this subject has placed him on the board of the New England Ski Museum. He now has some volunteer help to keep this website current and up todate.
Check out his website and look up some of those places you skied so long ago. It will bring back fond memories

Time marches on. The 2008-2009 ski season is knocking on the door. Get youself and your skis in shape soon.

The Ski Traveler

NORDIC WALKING - Get Fit for Skiing

There was a time in my life that I could easliy SKI myself into shape. A little soccer, running or weight lifting was all that was needed to finish off an all ready active lifestyle. Now, as a card carrying, authenthic "Baby Boomer" and sometimes a couch potato, I need to get seroius about conditioning for the upcoming ski season. Things don't come so easily anymore. Let's be honest here.


How important is getting in shape for ski season?

Let me count the ways:

• I want to prevent injuries.
  
• I want to ski at a moderate to aggressive pace.


• I want to ski most of the day without feeling tired.
  
• And most of all, I want to be able to get up the next morning without the aid of a walker or half a dozen Advil!

My ultimate goal is to reach the 70+ Ski Club where I can ski for free. Lofty goals? Maybe, but I have found a way to help my fitness goals this year. It's called Nordic Walking.

You may have seen people out in your town walking with ski poles in their hands in the middle of summer. These people have discovered that, as cross country skiers all ready know, Nordic Walking can give you an UPPER and lower body workout and improve your posture. Nordic Walking can increase your heart rate an average of 10-15% more than normal walking.

Check out the Nordic Walking website for more information.

Get in shape

The Ski Traveler

Snowmaking in progress at Loveland and Arapahoe Basin

Colorado is all ready gearing up for the 2008-2009 ski season. The snow guns are on as the temperatures on the Continental Divide make it possible to blow early season snow. An October snow storm is always possible for early season skiing.


Loveland Ski Area
Making Snow 2008 - 2009
Loveland Ski Area starts the 2008 - 2009 Colorado skiing season early with snow-making at the end of September.

A-Basin

Making Snow Oct. 2008

Snow guns start running at the Arapahoe Basin on Sunday night 10/5

In the Northeast we have a long way to go before that first ski run of the season. The cold temps of last week have given way to more seasonal temperatures.


In Europe: Saas-Fee and Zermatt are skiing at the higher elevations.


Tomorrow starts the pre-season conditioning for skiing. I will be in shape by Thanksgiving Day and looking forward to a fantastic 2008-2009 ski season!

The Ski Traveler

The First Frost

Octoberfest at Whiteface


Tonight looks like a hard frost. Skiing is just around the corner. Octoberfest at Whiteface and Flaming Leaves next weekend. Time to dust off the skis, boots and poles and get ready for the ski season. The first snowflake is not far behind.

Killington reported a 1/2" of snow on Killington Peak last weekend. Opening day will be in a few weeks unless all that talk about Global warming comes true.

Places to ski this year: Whiteface: a new chairlift and the Lookout Mountain ski trails. Gore Mountain has new trails and a new lift. Stratton, Mt. Snow and West Mountain are all looking at a mid November or Thanksgiving Openings.

Out West: We are always interested in Sun Valley and Baldy. We Lived there for 7 years. Will El Nineo line up those fronts and bring the big dumps in the Sierras and the Cascades?



The Ski Traveler