Out There » snow

Keystone and A Basin now “top to bottom”

Dave Philipps — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:46:26 +0000

Sure, the route is likely crowded, and slightly icy, but hey, not bad considering t’s freaking 70 degrees in C. Springs.

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Storm predictions — short and long

Dave Philipps — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:07:32 +0000

The folks who know are calling for big snow in the next few days. The Pikes Peak region above 11,000 is expected to get 11 to 17 inches. Colorado Springs is calling for 2 to 7 inches by tomorrow morning. Arapahoe Basin is already reporting five new inches. Wolf Creek is calling for 10 to 15 inches.

But what about the rest of the winter? NOAA weather expert Klaus Wolter told the Associated Press last week that El Nino is setting up in the Pacific, which usually means big snow in southern Colorado and sparse conditions in northern Colorado. I.E. Don’t pay for the extra days at Steamboat on your Copper Pass, but start planning a trip to Taos or Wolf Creek now.

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Telluride adding even more terrain

Dave Philipps — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:08:51 +0000

Telluride continues this year on an unprecedented run of terrain expansion, opening Gold Hill Chutes 2-5 for the 2009-10 winter season. The terrain is all serious stuff, as you can see. And it is part of a bigger trend.

The expansion comes on top of last year’s Revelation Bowl, along with Gold Hill 1. Palmyra Peak, Black Iron Bowl and Gold Hill 6-10 opened in 2007-08 . All told, the resort has expanded by more than 400 acres over the past three seasons. That’s a 25% increase. And, the tony resort is looking to expand even more, into Bear Creek.

Assuming the resort doesn’t become mired in the debt of it’s own ambitions, it seems to have its eyes on joining the big guys.

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Poll: Opening day

Andrew Wineke — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:09:27 +0000

When do you think L-Land and A-Basin will fire up the White Ribbon of Death?

My chips are on Oct. 9.

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No 401k, but at least they have helmets

Dave Philipps — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 17:35:51 +0000

Vail Resorts today announced that next year the company will require all employees to wear helmets when skiing on the job, and the protective lids will be part of their standard uniform.

“At Vail Resorts, the safety of our employees and guests is a top priority and we believe the time has come for usto take our commitment to safety to the next level. Our employees will set the example next year for all who enjoy skiing and riding our slopes,” said John Garnsey, co-president of Vail Resorts’ Mountain Division and chief operating officer of Beaver Creek Resort.

May we recommend the Bogner Gold Bricker, er, I mean Gold Rush, helmet (above)? Only $500 at Gorsuch.

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Silverton gets sex specific

Dave Philipps — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:06:12 +0000

Silverton Mountain may be the only ski area that offers gender specific getaways for both women AND men. It’s not that hard to find women-only clinics, retreats, etc. And Silverton is sort of a guy fest anyway, but the super steep mountain also offers “man camp” along side its “Silverton Sisters” retreat (though not at the same time.)

Here are the differences:

Silverton Sisters includes skiing, of course, followed by spa treatments, yoga classes, networking, inspiration, and education for women.

Man Camp, at least when I was there, included a cold tent with a keg in it and grill-your-own steaks while watching the Broncos.

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Ski the Peak?

Dave Philipps — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 14:07:40 +0000

Pikes Peak is finally white, for the first time this winter, and more snow is on the way this weekend. Yesterday in the newsroom, we were talking about if Pikes Peak is skiable now.

I’m thinking no. The snow sensor at Glen Cove says there is about a foot of snow on the Peak’s west side.

With the rocky, windswept character of the peak, several feet are needed for a good run.

Skiing the east face, which is only possible in the very best of snow years, is out of the question.

Skiing at Glen Cove may be possible after these storms, as wind tends to dump snow into the couloirs. If the peak clears today, the Devil’s Playground Cam will offer a look at the ski slopes. I have a feeling, though, that this snow is too little too late.

On the other hand, what is the harm in taking a closer look. The worst that can happen is you take a hike on the peak instead of a ski.

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Breckenridge fights for its soul

Dave Philipps — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:23:22 +0000

As a story in today’s Denver Post notes, “Forty years ago, Breckenridge had 548 residents, one paved road and a single ski slope.” Now it is the busiest ski resort in the country, and locals are battling resort interests to keep it real, or at least as real as a prohibitively expensive town that relies on seasonal workers and unpredictable weather can be.

If the locals really wanted to keep it real they’d start dredge mining the creek again.

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Finally snow in the highcountry

Dave Philipps — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 19:48:47 +0000

Friends in the mountains have been reporting “East Coast conditions” of late, but finally, snow has wallopped the western ski areas. Beaver Creek, Aspen, Silverton and Snowmass are all reporting about a foot. Summit County is getting hit too.

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You never know when you’ll be skiing down a slope and see a moose

Dave Philipps — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:49:49 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

This one crossed skiers paths at Steamboat.

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