Should we set off some explosives?

February 21, 2006 SNOWMASS by Chad Abraham

Group sets up shrine to the late writer, Hunter S. Thompson, on Snowmass mountain

The occasional avalanche blast Monday at Snowmass Ski Area was a forceful reminder of a gunshot that shook Woody Creek, Aspen and the Gonzo-journalism world beyond one year before.To mark the anniversary of Hunter S. Thompson's death, a group of fans from around the Roaring Fork Valley decided a shrine to writer was in order.They agreed to let a reporter and photographer tag along Monday, with a couple of conditions: That no real names be used and that the location of the new sanctum be described in circumspect terms.

Why no names?"Why doesn't a bird fly upside down?" retorted Rusty Hematoma, one of the shrine's creators. Also, why Snowmass? Aren't most of the shrines - to Jerry Garcia, Jimi Hendrix and John Denver, for example - on Aspen Mountain?Snowmass actually has a few shrines of its own, including one to Bob Marley and another to Eric Smith, a beloved ski instructor who died a few years back from a rare form of cancer, said Mr. Quick, another organizer.Plus, the Thompson spot is near a trail with the perfect name: Gunner's View, off Elk Camp. It's hidden, but not too concealed, as a good shrine should be.Hooting and hollering, the group descended through a half-foot of fresh snow before ducking into a stand of trees on skier's left, following a short path to a couple of cornices on the right.The terrain is best left to moderate to expert skiers, or those willing to take a chance to see the tribute.

The shrine had the blessing of Anita Thompson, Hunter's widow, and she donated a few items to the effort, Hematoma said."She was all for it. She said, 'I think it'd be great to have a spot to go and smoke a joint, and read something about Hunter, think about him,'" he said.At the prescribed area, two nail guns, a power screwgun and bailing wire emerged from backpacks. Hematoma had with him about 30 photos and articles, laminated to fend off the elements, as well as a plastic arm. The items were passed among the group to install as the members saw fit.A marijuana pipe was also passed around. One man spoke of how he planned to bring a typewriter to the site this summer and use it for target practice, an act Thompson surely would have approved.Then the group got down to the business at hand. Branches were torn and chopped to make way for the adornments. Fastened to towering pines and aspens were the Rolling Stone cover after his suicide, a lizard adorned with multicolored jewels, and the front pages from both Aspen papers the day after his death and after his funeral.A Mountain Gazette cover hung on another tree, and a multitude of pictures of Thompson was fastened all over the site.“Should we set off some explosives?” someone asked. An air horn sufficed for the time being.An American flag was strung between two trunks, as were Tibetan prayer flags. Nearby, a man hooked up a solar panel to power an “eternal blinking light,” he said (an eternal flame in the woods not being a good idea). More marijuana was smoked. The long-term batteries for the light were lost, but the man made do with standard ones that will have to be replaced more often.Some in the group quietly wondered if what they were doing was legal. But the work proceeded. One person lamented the loss of such a character as Hunter.“We need more people with more character, more guts, more individual attitudes,” he said.

Seasonal work winding down

by Shane Macomber/Vail Daily

Foreign workers talk of dates, iPods and American behavior

March 28, 2006 VAIL

This group of Argentineans, who spent the season parking cars at Larkspur, said American nightlife - which ends at a time of night when Argentina's is just starting - took some getting used to.
-Gaston Muschietti will leave Vail with the memory of about a dozen girls he dated this winter. Andreas Lemche is going home to Denmark with 50 days of skiing logged and three pairs of Prada shoes. "Probably I wouldn't have bought them at home, they are too expensive," said Lemche, 21, who came to Vail in October to work at Tommy Bowers Ski shop, an upscale clothing store that carries top European brands.Muschietti, a 21-year-old from Argentina, is leaving Thursday after working for four months doing valet parking in Vail and Beaver Creek for Mountain Valet. His friends and work colleagues call him a 'sex symbol.'"La rompio," his boss, Santiago Benzi, said in Spanish - meaning Muschietti did more than well in the dating department. Muschietti, who also came last season to work, but was only 20, credit his dating success to having turned 21 and being able to hit the local bars.But the stay in ski country wasn't all about dating and buying shoes for these foreign workers, who, like other hundreds, are getting ready to leave town as the ski season winds down. Muschietti got a chance to improve his English, learn to cook and do his laundry, and travel, he said. For Lemche, it was his first time working outside Denmark and a valuable experience learning about another culture."I got a better picture of how Americans live," said Lemche, who styles his hair and wears European jeans. "When I first came I thought Americans were very materialistic. I also thought that people here don't know about other countries. That has changed. In Vail we have met upper class people who are well traveled."

Mads Hansen, a Dane who is working at Tommy Bowers Ski shop this season, said he's learned to do laundry and cook - and appreciate his own country more - while living in the U.S.
This was the third season valet parking for Leonardo Kogan, a 27-year-old computer science student from Mendoza, Argentina.Though he got to ski about 20 days, Kogan said to save more money this season he worked all the shifts he could take, sometimes seven days a week."With the $4,000 I've saved from salary and tips I can live the rest of the year at home," said Kogan, who is leaving April 5. "I came back because I make money and I'm out of school during this time."The downside this season, Kogan said, was that he couldn't improve his English because 10 of 18 workers at the valet parking were Argentineans. One of them, Manuel Garcia Citron, came to Vail this season for the first time.Garcia Citron, 21, a student from Buenos Aires, said his experience in Vail fulfilled his expectations. "We had a good life here, we didn't eat rice to save money, we had always good food," Garcia Citron said. "You can even make more money than what we made. But there's a lot of consumerism here. You don't realize how you spend money all the time."Garcia Citron and Muschietti said a lot of the money was well spent. They even got to travel to San Diego and Las Vegas in February and bought new computers and iPods to take home.One of the hardest things for the Argentineans was getting used to the nightlife schedule. "The fun here ends at the time it starts at home. At home, you go to the club at 2 a.m. and come back home at about 9 a.m.," Muschietti said. "Here, we're back at 2 a.m. The positive side is that at least you get four hours of sleep before going to work."One of the highlights of his stay in the valley, Garcia Citron said, was meeting people from all over the world. "There are so many foreign workers," he said. "You sit down to eat sometimes with a Polish guy, other times with an Australian."Lemche, who arrived with Mads Hansen from Denmark on Oct. 26, said he met a lot of people at the shop or going out in the evenings. "There isn't much to do here but to go out and ski." he said. "Vail is a small town. Europeans are more liberals, Americans party more conservative."Hansen, 21, said he learned a lot from being away and from not living with his parents."You do your laundry and you learn how to cook," said Hansen, who is going back home on April 10 to start a job as a trainee in a shop. "You become more mature. When you're away from your country, you learn to appreciate it. I miss Denmark a lot."Won't miss cold morningsThough he's ready to go back home, Muschietti said he will miss his roommates and his life in the valley."When I went back home last year, I cried the first night because I felt lonely," he said. "I was used to sharing a bedroom with another two or three guys."But I won't miss the cold mornings and getting up early to go to work after going out the previous night," he added.Muschietti also said he's getting ready for a change of lifestyle. He'll be leaving the mountains to go back to Buenos Aires and its population of 12 million."If you have free time here, you go skiing," he said. "At home, you go do some work on the computer or you sleep."Kogan said he probably wouldn't be coming back next season because he's graduating from school. "I'm a little old to do this," he said. "This is something to do when you are in your early 20s - you can go out, have fun and work."One thing he won't miss when he leaves the United States April 5? "The food," he said. "It's too artificial, too spicy. Nothing tastes natural. At home you eat a steak and it tastes like steak."Lemche, who is planning to take one more year off to travel, said he probably won't come back to work in Vail again."It's too small, maybe I'd go to a bigger city," he said. "But I would recommend it for three months."It's been a good experience, but tough sometimes," he added. "Americans are very different from Europeans and Danish people."Brennan Nicks, 22, who works with the Argentineans at Mountain Valet, said he'll miss his co-workers."They are excellent guys, they are honest," he said. "But they speak Spanish all day. And they only taught me bad words in Spanish."

An unbelievable jump at Grand Targhee

If you watch the extreme skiing contests and/or crazy skiing videos, there is this lunatic called Jamie Pierre who is notable for his big jump's, which are also called "hucks". He just hit a 250 ft jump in Targhee, which is a world record. No parachute , no nothing. Jump and pray for soft snow on the landing patch....

Jamie Pierre article

Holly Ireland says the guy lives in Jackson Hole, but she doesn't know him. He's locally famous and this is another article about him

Ski Magazine Article about Jamie

Prevent Dain Bramage

Here's a great deal on a helmet. Leedom's a good manufacturer (I've already owned two Leedoms, some purchased for as much as $90!) and this is a very good price. In addition, if you snoop around the net, you probably can find a free discount shipping code or something. Sierra Trading Post is a good vendor; I've been using them for almost a decade happily.

Helmet Deal at STP

I ordered a bunch -- these are always useful to have around the house. After seeing (and being involved) in so many skiing injury events, these are good insurance that we don't end up up like Ed.

As usual, during this off season I'll try and post deals as I notice them. The best time to stock up on most non-essential ski equipment is between Easter and Labor Day, when stores need to clear out their inventory for summer goods. Very rarely is there a need to buy the cutting edge product of the current season. (Maybe back in the early 90's when side cut skis were coming out did that make a radical difference and recently with the integrated bindings....however those are still not a de rigeur item yet)

Okemo : Conditions March 25 (or How 'bout some Gravy with my Mashed Potatoes?!)

Spring skiing in the East is usually not so great. Spring usually harkens visions of skiing in just a sweater and sunglasses, with sunny days and soft snow. But that's more of a Western thing, with corn snow or spring snow squalls, since in Vermont it's more likely that we'll simply either get slush or frozen over hard crud.

This Saturday was no different. It was too warm near the end of the week so when Saturday rolled around it was a soft and slushy. It's tiring to ski through the stuff, but there were very few people on the mountain (arrived late and still got to park at the top lot!), so at least you could go hurtling around easily. I poked over to the Solitude ridge area, hoping that its shelter from the direct sun might lead to somewhat better conditions, which was true, but it still was pretty weak. I did all the trails there and then a little on the main mountain, but the skiing was very tiring so I decided to quit around 2pm. These are poor conditions for taking lessons, in that one will end up fighting the snow surface rather than learning technique and building confidence.

(here's an old brochure of Okemo, btw)

Afterwards we went to the bike shop (Cyco) to pick up our two wheeled steeds. We had them tuned up for spring and also had new saddles and computers installed. Such is the turn of the seasons, as we exchange various locomotive devices for another.

I guess I might make a lame attempt to go Saturday April 8 for the last weekend of the year, but it will be somewhat pointless (or dangerous), so I might go biking instead. The tally for the year is looking like it will be only 23 ski days, which is somewhat low for me, but that's mostly due to the warm spell we had between New Years and President's Day weekend. If it had been more typical, I'd probably have had another 6-7 good days in Vermont during that time frame. To be fair, the early season (Nov/Dec) were stellar, the best I can recall since the great snow storm of 96 when Mayor Rudy Giuliani shut the city down for a snow emergency.

Still, every day that we get is a blessing and I am grateful.

Russians partying in Courcheval

Russki's Rocking Down

Amazing. Bruha, OD and I had a great ski day back in 97 under sunny skies. Too many poma lifts though.

Nice Article on Sun Valley

Ski Press Article on Sun Valley

Truly one of the greatest places in the world to ski. I will always remember the glorious PiLam expedition there.

Where else can you get 2600 vertical feet on a 5-6 minute ride on the Lookout Express lift ?!

Also here is an insiders blog on the conditions at Sun Valley

http://www.svguide.com/dorworth.html

Plus they just extended their season til April 23 due to all the snow they had, which is somewhat rare for the place.

Press Release

Mardas in Zermatt (more photos)

Also John Mardas, whom some of you may remember from the Sugarloaf trip (he brought his lunatic friend Sammy), sent me these pictures from Zermatt. He's working in Geneva now and appears to be well accessorized.

Mardas in Zermatt



Also here's an article on taking a train to a European ski resort, which was how Waldo and I arrived at Zermatt.


Taking the Train to Ski

New England's $1 Bln Ski Industry Squeezed by Fuel, Warm Winter2006

New England's $1 Bln Ski Industry Squeezed by Fuel, Warm Winter

2006-03-23 00:05 (New York)

By Danielle Kost March 23 (Bloomberg) -- On a February Friday, CannonMountain braced for the three-day President's Day weekend,usually one of the busiest for New England ski resorts. Theweather had other plans. Rain and sleet pelted skiers' faces as they navigated hardsnow, ice and, in some spots, grass at the Franconia, NewHampshire, resort. By 3:30 p.m., there were no skiers left andthe mountain closed early. Warm weather and high fuel costs are squeezing the region's$1 billion ski industry, already a distant second in the U.S. toskiing in such Western states as Colorado and Utah. Visitors arestaying away as resorts struggle to keep snow on the slopes.Maine Governor John Baldacci last week announced plans forreduced-interest-rate loans to businesses that have been hurt. ``Energy costs combined with lower visitation made it atougher season for many,'' says Nolan Rosall, president of RRCAssociates, a Boulder, Colorado, consulting firm. Resorts willprobably report attendance figures at least 10 percent below lastyear, he says. About 13.7 million skiers visited resorts in the Northeast,including New England and New York, last year, according to theNational Ski Areas Association, an industry trade group. That was30 percent fewer than the 19.6 million who favored the RockyMountain slopes, where the season can be five days to two weekslonger than in the Northeast. Resorts in the Rockies also boast the largest amount ofskiable space in the U.S. and the most snow, helping them attractmore overnight visitors, according to the trade group.Inexpensive airline flights have made the slopes accessible toskiers from all over.
Colorado Record
Ski resorts in Colorado may attract the most visitors everthis season, according to Colorado Ski Country USA, a trade groupin Denver. The state is aiming to draw more than 12 millionskiers and snowboarders this year. From Oct. 15 to Feb. 28, 8.29million hit the Colorado slopes. Weather makes attendance more volatile in the Northeast thanin the western states, says Rosall, 60. He expects the RockyMountain region's $2.8 billion ski industry to report an increasein visits, though he declined to be more specific with more thana month left in the season at some resorts. Heading west was the only solution, says mortgage broker RobVeneziano. The 37-year-old snowboarder from Marlborough,Massachusetts, says he visited New England resorts three times,compared with about nine visits last year. ``If I brave the New England lines and prices, I want thesnow to be fresh as possible and not manmade,'' he says.
Higher Than Normal
With temperatures about 20 percent higher than normal,snowfall in parts of New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine was down asmuch as 31 percent from December through February, according tothe Northeast Regional Climate Center at Cornell University inIthaca, New York. There was as much as 39 percent more rain. American Skiing Co., the Park City, Utah, company that runssix resorts in New England, said in a statement last week thatskier visits were down 3 percent from October through the end ofJanuary. Its sites include Sunday River in Newry, Maine; Attitashin Bartlett, New Hampshire; and Killington Resort, theNortheast's biggest ski resort, in Killington, Vermont. Mad River Glen, a Fayston, Vermont, resort owned by a 1,800-person cooperative, expects visits to fall 20 percent this year,the mountain's worst showing in 10 years, says Jamey Wimble, 41,the cooperative's president. Sites, including Pats Peak Ski Area in Henniker, NewHampshire, and Okemo Mountain Resort in Ludlow, Vermont, predictvisits to be unchanged from last year. Stowe Mountain Resort inVermont, owned by American International Group Inc., the world'slargest insurer, is also mirroring last year's attendance.
`Up and Down'
``The ski season was up and down,'' says Lori Cayouette, 31,director of marketing at Pats Peak. The closely held resort hasreceived about 5 feet of natural snow so far this season, half oflast year's 10 feet, Cayouette says. Ski areas have been forced to make more snow using machines,an energy- and water-intensive process, and to groom trails morevigorously. The Vermont Ski Areas Association estimates thestate's resorts spend about $20 million on energy a year, thesecond-largest operating expense behind employee compensation. ``There's no question that higher fuel costs have an impacton mountain operations,'' says Parker Riehle, 39, president ofthe association. That expense will likely rise this year, boosted by the needfor snow and heating oil and gas prices that are up more than 14percent. Mad River Glen will end the season with a deficit, inpart, because of higher than expected fuel costs, Wimble says.
Upgrading Amenities
Ski resorts have been trying to counter weather-relatedvisitor fluctuations by selling more tickets for the seasonbefore it starts, usually at lower prices, Rosall says. They'realso adding and upgrading amenities such as lodging by addingluxury condominiums and hotels. Okemo, which typically has about 600,000 visitors a season,has pumped 450 million gallons of water to generate snow so farthis year, about 100 million more than previous years, saysspokeswoman Bonnie MacPherson, 46. The resort is still producingsnow to try to lure visitors. Many resorts are counting on this month for a last boost tothe season. Although summer is New England's most profitabletourism season, winter is close behind, says Geoff Baekey, 44,manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP's Boston office. ``It was very slushy,'' Betsy Halbert, 48, of Marblehead,Massachusetts, says of a trip this month to Wachusett MountainSki Area in Princeton, Massachusetts. With temperature above 50degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius), Halbert says she skiedwithout a jacket. ``At the bottom of the mountain, we had to go through somepuddles,'' she says.
--Editor: Porter (cfw/scc).

Scamming up the slopes can be risky

Scamming up the slopes can be risky

Vail employees try to cut down on the number of people using someone else's ski pass

Employees at use scanners to ensure skiers and snowboarders aren't using other people's passes.Preston Utley/Vail Daily

J.K. Perry

March 10, 2006VAIL - Jake Parish has slashed the $81 lift tickets at Vail to the low, low price of free numerous times over two recent months - until he got caught clipping someone's day pass.Parish, 20, and buddies came to Vail from California carrying little money in their wallets for gas, food and lodging. They slept on a friend's floor. Their vision was to not get a job, shoot footage for a snowboard video and ride as often as possible."Our main purpose was just to snowboard our asses off," Parish said.But the free-wheeling lifestyle caught up with Parish two days before he returned to California. A Vail employee caught him asking for and receiving a lift ticket from a woman finished skiing for the day, he said. Vail police got involved and Parish - who admits the infraction - got handcuffed and arrested.Vail is watchingVail employees look out for people like Parish and others sneaking onto lifts with someone else's pass. If ticket scanners discover such subterfuge, the cops get called and the offender often gets charged with fraud - or, as the crime is officially called, "deceptive use of a ski facility."

Scan this

Vail implemented electronic ticket scanners to verify the validity of passes, track skier visits and check off days used on the 10 days at Vail, Beaver Creek and Heavenly pass.Scanners display the number of days a skier or snowboarder visited Vail and "information" about the pass holder. Vail Resorts, however, would not say what the information consists of. People using someone else's pass might hide their faces - even on warm spring days - with hats, masks, goggles and hoods so scanners can't compare their face with the photo on the ski pass."Sometimes it's fairly obvious they're trying to hide their face," Vail Resorts spokeswoman Anita Allen said. "That's a first tip maybe they are trying to hide something and it's obvious from the picture they aren't who they say they are."Bounty huntersIf employees sense something wrong , they can use information from the scanner - such as height, weight, date of birth and other facts - to grill the suspect.If it's not their pass, the pass's owner is contacted. If the pass was stolen, theft charges can also be filed. But if the pass was loaned to a friend, the pass holder is asked to press charges against the offender or risk losing the pass for the entire year, Allen said."If it's your friend you're not going to want to bring charges against your friend," Allen said.Rumor holds employees collect a bounty from the ski company for each fraudulent pass they spot. Mulson said he was unsure, but heard in years past the bonus was $35 but it now could be as much as $50. Allen refused to confirm an employee earns a bonus for each pass they confiscate."I can't release that information," Allen said. "We can't give out anything about salaries or bonuses."Caught in the actVail ticket scanners have busted 23 people this year, far less than the 69 instances of fraudulent passes discovered last year, Allen said.The tally usually increases in when spring approaches as spring breakers roll into town and seasonal workers who don't have a pass or who already had theirs taken away, try to get on the hill with other people's passes, Mulson said."Toward the end of the season kids frankly don't care if they get caught because they're going to be leaving," Mulson said.Seasonal workers charged with using phony passes often leave Vail and the charges behind at the end of the ski season, Mulson said."It's kind of a game they play," Mulson said.Overall, though, the number of people trying to sneak a pass by scanners has dropped, Mulson said."Ever since VA went to the scanning system a few years ago it's scary how efficient that thing is," Mulson said. "Overall it's been a little bit less because word got out a few years ago that the system is hard to beat."

Hard to believe, but this guy survived

A lunatic skis right through an avalanche he caused

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=1746451

I thought it might be Ed at first.

Where now: Okemo, Vermont

Where now: Okemo, Vermont
State's fastest-growing resort drops rope on new terrain
By Joe CuttsSki Magazine
(Ski Magazine) -- She'll time her emergence with uncanny accuracy, the bedroom door opening the moment the last drop of coffee splashes into the pot. The kids snuggle under a blanket on the couch, unsure what to make of the fact that nobody's nagging them for watching TV on "such a beautiful day."
The strengthening February sun is already high, and the lifts have been spinning for 90 minutes. So why aren't you frantic to get out there? Because today the ski trails of Okemo, Vermont, lie just outside your door, and they already bear the tracks of your Rossi B2s.
While she slept and the kids watched SpongeBob, you cycled a couple of cruisers in the early light on Chief, bashed a few bumps on Sel's, then poked into the trees on South Face to see if there was any loose snow left from yesterday's mini-dump. Now you stand in the condo's kitchen, boots on, dripping snowmelt, brewing French roast and chatting about your runs with the kids, who regret that they didn't get out of bed to join you.
It's the beauty of slopeside life: to each his own program. No lectures about the importance of beating the Saturday crowd or last-second angst over missing mittens. And when it comes to slopeside living, the undisputed champ of the East is Okemo. Now the champ is poised to take its ski-in/ski-out leadership to a new level with the December opening of Jackson Gore Village, a project that redefines the Okemo experience.
In the old days, "slopeside" meant single-family homes sprouting up in the woods beside the trails, each consuming another acre of open space. But attitudes toward land use have shifted -- away from scattered development, toward dense, vibrant villages -- and Okemo remains on the vanguard. Upon completion, Jackson Gore Village will increase Okemo's number of slopeside units from about 650 to nearly 1,100, but the 443 units it adds will occupy just 115 acres, a fraction of the open space devoured by earlier development.
Untrammeled forest will surround a lively village, where kids can roam while parents dine, shop, spa or simply relax at the condo. There's good news for day-skiers, too: more parking and a new access road that will alleviate the daily 4 p.m. traffic jam at the main base area.
The centerpiece is the 117-unit Jackson Gore Inn, a time-share hotel. It opens in December, along with a new daylodge, cafeteria, full-service restaurant and lounge, all served by a high-speed quad accessing 60 new acres of trails. The terrain won't radically alter Okemo's rap as Cruiser Heaven, but it's a welcome addition. Skiers got a taste last season when the first trails opened. They're exquisite cruisers: wide, steep in sections, but always letting up before the next plunge. This year, they'll descend all the way to the new village, crossing over railroad tracks en route and bumping Okemo's total vertical from 2,150 to 2,200.
Generally speaking, Okemo's trails flow, rather than tumble, from a well-rounded 3,344-foot summit. But the resort energetically makes the most of what it has. Its superb race trail, Chief, is a sustained blend of steeps, bends and flats, on which Okemo's strong youth racing program hosts big regional races. Its terrain parks -- one wired for sound and accessed by its own surface lift and another boasting kickers as big as you'll see anywhere -- keep even older kids engaged.
And the machine-made moguls on Sel's and Ledges are some of the best in the East, uniformly shaped and predictably soft. You get the feeling every detail has been carefully considered -- and it has, thanks to the keen management of owners Tim and Diane Mueller. During a period of time in which skier visits leveled off nationally, the Muellers have pushed Okemo's annual tally from about 70,000 in 1982 to 604,000 in 2003.
Okemo is blessed in another way: by the proximity of downtown Ludlow, a riverside mill town less than a mile from the lifts. No other Eastern ski resort lies so close to such an authentic New England village, or one with so many of its historic buildings intact. Ludlow hasn't fully blossomed yet as a ski town. It's easy to imagine boutique inns, galleries and riverside restaurants someday adding more life. Perhaps town and mountain will even be connected, someday, by gondola. For now, most skiers are content to set up slopeside. And in the interests of familial harmony, why not?
On cue, the sleepy spouse -- rested and radiant -- emerges to find that the kids have already wriggled enthusiastically into clean base layers fresh from the dryer. And soon -- well, soon enough -- you're gliding to the lifts, children leading the way. It's hard not to feel like one of those fake, smiling families in the resort ads. But what the hell. She's happy, you're happy, they're certainly happy. And the whole day, or enough of it, lies ahead.

Where have we seen this before ?!?!

U.K.'s Chamonix Investors Boost Prices, Spark Tension
(Update2)2006-03-15 03:51 (New York)
(Adds details of home sales in 12th paragraph.)
By Simon Packard March 15 (Bloomberg) -- Mickael Colombin says many of hischildhood friends can't afford property in their hometown nearChamonix, a ski resort at the foot of Mont Blanc. They havewealthy investors, particularly from Britain, to blame. ``Young people with good jobs are moving out because it'sno longer possible to stay,'' said Colombin, a 30-year-oldmarketing executive for a local construction firm. Ski towns like Chamonix have become among France's mostexpensive places to live. Real estate prices in the Upper Savoyregion, running from the southern shore of Lake Geneva to MontBlanc, have increased 15 percent a year since 2002. Two-thirdsof foreign buyers come from the U.K., causing resentment amongthe French and prompting regional governments to try to limitpurchases by international investors. It's ``making everyone jealous and developing tensionsbetween locals and foreigners,'' said Bernard Prud'homme, thedirector of Chamonix's tourist board. New apartments in the Tarentaise area of the Savoy regioncan go for an average of 9,300 euros a square meter. Even an old70-square-meter (753 square-feet) apartment in Chamonix sellsfor 279,300 euros ($334,500), according to the latest figuresfrom the Paris-based Notaires de France, the French notaries'federation. That's about 10 times the average salary in Franceand well beyond the reach of Chamonix locals with seasonal jobs. Property closest to Geneva's airport is most in demand aslow-cost airlines such as Luton, England-based EasyJet Plc maketravel more affordable.
Quick Trip to Slopes
Getting to the slopes in less than five hours fromChichester, in southern England, was key for Richard Elwes. Heexpects to spend about 1 million euros for an apartment in achalet in Les Houches, near Chamonix, he said. ``The Chamonix valley has it all,'' said the 55-year-old,who is turning his back on farming to develop his land andinvest in property. ``This allows me to diversify my assets andI get a better income.'' The effects of the property boom on Chamonix are visible tovisitors. In a parking lot on the town's limits stand about 50battered camper vans and mobile homes, where seasonal workersand low-budget skiers prefer to stay, rather than pay the 500euros a month that it costs to rent a studio. Those unable to live in the ski towns settle in the plains,where land is half the price, and commuting up the mountain towork, said Thierry Lejeune, who surveyed property prices in 110Savoy region ski resorts for the notaries' federation.
Local Identity
To prevent Chamonix from losing the very identity thatattracts investors, the town hall is setting aside land andloosening rules to provide affordable housing for locals, saidDeputy Mayor Francoise Devouassoux. ``Yes, we're being protectionist but we're doing it to helplocals stay put,'' she said. The policies aren't always a success. Locals who bought newhomes at a discount under a town hall program have doubled ortripled their investment by selling their homes, she said. Ill feelings in Chamonix have been directed chiefly at theBritish, whose economy will have grown 9.8 percent more thanFrance's between 2000 and the end of this year, according toestimates by Luxembourg-based Eurostat. ``Our prototype customers are professionals in their mid-40s with money to spare and wanting to get some fun out of theirinvestment,'' said Joanna Yellowlees-Bound, managing director ofErna Low Ltd., a London ski-tour operator. The company startedselling real estate two years ago and handles about 75 sales ayear in the French Alps.
Left Out
The French feel left out because English has become thelingua franca of the town's population of 10,000. The Britishare the largest contingent of foreign tourists, who outnumberthe French. Workers in Chamonix's bars, shops and restaurants oftendon't speak French. The success of British entrepreneurs like41-year-old David Kartal, who has built a hotel, chalet andshuttle bus business, has added to the jealousies. Tensions have simmered since newspapers highlighted the``English invasion'' two years ago, alleging that Britons wereknocking on doors offering cash sums to locals to sell, he said. ``If locals really want to keep Chamonix French, they wouldaccept less when they sell their homes,'' said Kartal, who haslived in the valley for 20 years. ``I can understand a certainresentment, but why pick on people who have invested in Chamonixand contribute by bringing in jobs and money?''
Locals Profit, Too
The French Notaries' study showed that foreigners provided41 percent of investment in new apartments built in ski resortsin Upper Savoy in the year ended Sept. 30. Not all locals grouse at the foreign influx. Luxury chalet-builder Grosset-Janin has more than doubled sales to about 20million euros a year since 2000. Some customers demolishexisting structures to build chalets in the traditional timberstyle. ``With land in short supply, it will always be a goodinvestment,'' said Antoine Charignon, a developer who is apartner with Grosset-Janin. Even Colombin recognizes that if the price were right, hetoo might join the exodus. He and his wife, a teacher, joinedforces with three other couples to buy a third of an acre in LesHouches. By July, the couples will move their families into fournew chalets. ``We're lucky to be able to stay,'' he said. ``It won't befor the next 30 years and there will be sales by some or all ofus.''
--Editors: Root (bab)

Gotta love 'em By Nate Peterson

Gotta love 'em

By Nate Peterson
March 9, 2006

March is definitely Gaper Month in the Colorado high country. It's the spring break thing. There are a lot of out-of-towners here during the holiday window in late December and early January, but that's only for two weeks. This month we get a new crowd of obvious, oblivious tourists each week.If you're unfamiliar with what a gaper is, well, odds are you might be one. There are some telltale signs. If you like to make big giant slalom turns down the Buttermilk halfpipe, unaware of the crowd of locals waiting to drop in above, you're a gaper.If you ski in jeans, you're a gaper. If you snowboard in a jester hat, or ski in a neon/pastel combination one-piece, or a Starter jacket with your favorite team's logo on the back, you're a gaper.Headbands. Rear-entry ski boots. Zinc oxide on the nose.They're all red flags.Not that being a gaper is a bad thing. In fact, this place couldn't survive without them. Gapers spend lots of money in local restaurants. They rent skis and snowboards and buy multi-day lift tickets. They order round after round in local bars. They enjoy coming here, and locals help ensure they want to come back.And though locals hate to admit this, they're tourists just the same when they venture to resort locales outside this valley. Go to Hawaii and attempt to surf, and the locals will call you a kook. On the Jersey Shore, if you're not a local, people will refer to you as a shoobie. Most importantly, gapers are always great for a few laughs.The yard-sale crashes. The oblivious, open-mouth expressions while standing in the middle of a crowded run, or atop a huge kicker in the terrain park. The hilarious questions on the chairlift. (Example: "What kind of machine do they use to make all the bumps?")You gotta love them, even if they do get in the way sometimes.(Editor's note: Aspen Times Managing Editor Allyn Harvey, a lifelong local, fits into this category, given that he donned a pair of jeans and a puffy jacket on Aspen Mountain Wednesday.)

Snow report: Snowmass and Aspen Highlands are reporting five inches of new snow over the past 24 hours, according to the Aspen Skiing Co.'s 4 a.m. snow report. Buttermilk and Aspen Mountain each picked up three inches.

Avalanche reportThe backcountry avalanche danger in the Roaring Fork Valley is moderate near and above treeline. Below treeline the danger is low.Keep an eye out for human-triggered sloughs and soft slabs with the new snow. These will generally be shallow but may be easy to trigger on some slopes.Avalanche danger details provided by the Roaring Fork Avalanche Center. For more information, visit http://www.rfavalanche.org/. For conditions around the state, call the Colorado Avalanche Information Center at 920-1664 or visit geosurvey.state.co.us/avalanche.

For Some Die-Hards, Spring Means the Season Is Just Warming Up By MICHELLE HIGGINS

For Some Die-Hards, Spring Means the Season Is Just Warming Up
By MICHELLE HIGGINS
SPRING begins on March 20, but diehard skiers eager to find the best late-season conditions in North America can stretch this year's winter into early July — and at one place probably all the way to Labor Day.
With abundant snowfall in many mountain towns out West, a handful of ski areas — including the Snowbird resort in Utah, and Mammoth Mountain in California — plan to remain open through Memorial Day and, if the snow keeps coming, longer.
Last year, conditions were so good that both resorts stayed open until the Fourth of July. Although the weather is hard to predict, Snowbird said it might already be on track to do the same thing this year, given that 348 inches of snow had fallen by mid-February — about a foot more than last year — and that forecasts are calling for more.
At Mammoth, Dana Vander Houwen, a spokeswoman said, "I wouldn't be surprised if we made it into mid-June this year."
Snow or no snow, most United States ski resorts shut down by mid-April, when bookings slow and seasonal air service stops. Despite record snowfall, Aspen Mountain and Snowmass in Colorado will close on April 16 to make improvements that include installing new lifts. Crested Butte Mountain Resort, also in Colorado, will close on April 10.
Most resorts in the Northeast, where the snow season has generally been disappointing, also plan to close by mid-April.
"The fact of the matter is, it takes a certain amount of volume to drive the business," said Michael Berry, president of the National Ski Areas Association.
"There have been many, many years of great skiing right to the bottom of the mountain" during spring, Mr. Berry said. "But when the destination visitor goes elsewhere and locals decide it's time for a vacation in Mexico, that's when it's over."
Still, savvy skiers know how to stretch the season. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort in Wyoming, for example, officially closes this year on April 2. But when the resort reopens for summer tourists on May 27, it allows experienced skiers to ride the aerial tram to take advantage of backcountry snow.
"With our current snowpack ranking around 150 percent of normal, the snow will be there for a long time in the early summer months," said Anna Olson, a spokeswoman for the resort. "There will be thousands of vertical feet still covered."
A few ski resorts usually stay open into June. Arapahoe Basin in Keystone, Colo., plans to go through the first week of June. Whistler Blackcomb, with two mountains in Whistler, British Columbia, plans to close Blackcomb Mountain's winter operations on April 23, but Whistler Mountain will stay open until June 4. The next day, Blackcomb will reopen for summer glacier skiing until July 30.
In Girdwood, Alaska, about 40 miles south of Anchorage, the Alyeska Resort is usually open through Memorial Day. But for about two weeks in June, Alyeska offers private ski and snowboard camps for intermediate to advanced skiers and riders.
The Timberline Lodge ski area on Mount Hood in Oregon, where there is a permanent snowfield on the upper part of the mountain, is usually open year round, except for two weeks after Labor Day. At the end of May, when the snow typically begins to melt below 6,000 feet, Timberline turns on its upper lifts from Friday to Sunday to carry skiers to the year-round snow.
Last year, the resort had to cut the summer ski season short on Aug. 17 because of a lack of precipitation. But Jon Tullis, the resort's spokesman, said it didn't expect to have that problem this year. In fact, its highest lift was buried in snow this month.
An extended season often means special deals. Snowbird is offering a three-day Late Season Stay package starting April 9 at $95 a night a person, based on double occupancy, including a lift ticket. From April 23 to May 31 at Mammoth, overnight accommodations start as low as $87 a person, double occupancy; guests who stay two or more nights receive two days of lift tickets free.
Some of the best savings can be found in the Northeast, where resorts are using discounts and heavy snowmaking to try to make up for a disappointing season. Hunter and Windham Mountains in upstate New York have teamed to offer a March Mountain Madness discount coupon valid through April 16 that is good for up to 20 percent off lodging (it is found at www.hunterchamber.org/site/mmm/coupon.htm). Another coupon offers discounts on dining, shopping and other services.
From March 26 to April 9, Stratton Mountain Resort in Vermont is offering two nights of lodging for as little as $69 a person, double occupancy, including two free lift tickets.
Canada, which has seen a drop in American tourists because of tighter border security and a less favorable exchange rate, is also offering attractive ski deals to lure travelers across the border. Whistler Blackcomb, for example, has introduced what it calls an Edge Card, which for $69 Canadian (about $61, at 89 Canadian cents to the United States dollar) offers Washington State residents discounted lift tickets and the chance to skip lines at ticket windows.
Of course, no matter how much snow is left, spring skiing usually means spring conditions. The cycle of melting and freezing on warmer days causes fluffy powder to crystallize into granular pellets dubbed "corn snow" because the size and shape resemble kernels of corn.
Some skiers enjoy the crunchy sound and grabby feel of corn snow. Others prefer powder. But to many die-hards, all that matters is that it's snow.
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Above in the Sunday NYT Travel section, also 3-4 good articles about skiing in there too. Worth a peek, despite their biased viewpoints on many things.

Okemo : Conditions March 4/5

Saturday was a little cloudy with some gusts, but pretty good machine groomed snow. Very well buffed and it makes it easy to ski quite fast. I skiied mostly on the Northstar runs since I was kind of a in a hurry to get vertical in quickly. World Cup was in rocking shape. Later on we spent some time skiing the green runs near the base.

Sunday was a bluebird day that started getting overly warm as the day went on; the parking lot was muddy and I measured 34F temps down there. The problem with that is that melting/refreezing cycles are what causes icy slopes. The temperatures are forecast to steadily rise all week in Vermont, which could put a halt to the nice mini revival we've had for this backloaded winter. I can not complain too much -- I've had 5 days in the last 9 out on the slopes. It sort of makes up for January. On a sidenote, the run Defiance was in brilliant shape again, one of the best I can recall in many years. For whatever reasons (it's not a top to bottom run, prior deaths, and it's a shunt off World Cup) it never seems to have people on it. It's not a natural run to ski over and over (mostly its a great access to the Fall Line lift) but on a busy day for the North Star you might as well lap that using the Fall Line lift, especially from in the late morning when the crowds are the worst.

I won't be up there again til the 25th, and historically that has been a weak weekend for surface conditions in Southern Vermont, except for last year which was a notable exception. We'll keep our fingers crossed and think snow. For a variety of reasons, I'm pondering the thought of a post Easter trip out west to get some last runs in this year. Usually Easter is the formal conclusion of my ski season, but this year I just don't feel like I got a full plate of vertical.

Aspen Hasn't Heard U.S. Housing Bubble May Burst: Mark Gilbert

By Mark Gilbert March 2 (Bloomberg) -- A U.S. housing-market slump is ``thesingle largest downside risk to the 2007 economic outlook,'' saysDavid Rosenberg, the chief economist for North America at MerrillLynch & Co. in New York. Paul Ashworth at Capital Economics Ltd. inLondon calls it ``arguably the biggest risk to the U.S. economicoutlook over the next couple of years.'' Figures this week showed the supply of unsold U.S. homes atits highest level since 1998, with 2.91 million houses available inJanuary. Sales of previously owned dwellings fell 2.8 percent to anannual rate of 6.56 million, according to the National Associationof Realtors. If the U.S. real-estate bubble is about to burst, no one hastold Aspen, a former silver-mining town in Colorado. Aspen is luckyenough to have the altitude, climate and slopes to have transformeditself into one of the world's ritziest resorts since the firstskiers were transported up Aspen Mountain in 1947.
On a small plot of land behind Carol Blomquist's nine-unitchalet, builders are nailing planks to a new home that's on themarket for $9 million. Across the street, digging machines aredriving in the foundations for two new townhouses, one of which isbeing marketed at $8 million, the second a relative bargain at $6million. Blomquist, who has just a couple of part-timers helpingher, says the noise is driving her nuts.
Rapids to Real Estate
Every bar, restaurant and hotel lobby in Aspen is litteredwith glossy magazines advertising McMansions for chief executiveofficers, trust-fund kids or lottery winners. ``An estate homesituated on 1.28 acres, old world architecture, stone, summer waterfeature, $12.9 million,'' reads one. ``Dramatic stone, log post-and-beam home, exceptional Colorado mountain style, $14.975million,'' says another. Even self-confessed ski-bums are donning chinos to hawkproperty. Jimbo Stockton, 39, has been a ski instructor for 15years and has lived in Aspen since 1997. During the summer, he useshis 20 years of experience as a river guide to steer white-water rafters down the rapids when the weather allows. ``September,October, November. That's three months when you're not alwaysworking,'' he says. ``April and May are pretty slow, too. And beinga river guide doesn't pay that well anyway.'' So, last year, Stockton took some time out and paid $1,300 totake the classes to secure his state Realtor license. ``I want tobe able to earn more money so I can afford my ski teaching habit,''he says. ``There's always room for one more honest Realtor. You canmake a pretty good living around here.''
Big Payday
Stockton, who pays $375 a month to rent ``a 100-year-old cabinin someone's backyard without a kitchen or bathroom,'' had alreadyclosed his first deal before earning his Realtor registration inAugust. One of his ski pupils bought a $6 million property lastyear, for which Stockton received a referral fee that was ``thebiggest paycheck of my life.'' It may be a bit of a stretch to draw conclusions about theoutlook for the U.S. housing market from what's happening in Aspen,whose famous residents include Ringo Starr and Jack Nicholson. It's not just about location, location, location, though; strictplanning regulations curbing the growth of the housing stock andthe willingness of buyers to load up on debt are equally important,and prevalent in cities that don't share Aspen's quaint charm orcelebrity inhabitants. In three years, Aspen Land & Homes has grown to a six-officebusiness from a single office. ``Aspen broke all records last year,in terms of the value of the deals we closed,'' says RochelleBouchard, one of the partners in the firm, an affiliate of CendantCorp.'s Sotheby's International Realty chain.
Million-Dollar Condos
Bouchard currently has a four-bedroom condo covering 4,300square feet, ``very high end, almost ski in, ski out,'' at the baseof Highlands mountain on her books at $4.9 million; in October, thesame property changed hands for just $3.4 million. She says thatwhen they opened for business, $1,000 per square foot was thebenchmark for pricing apartments. Now, it's $1,500 and rising. Bouchard estimates that a 9,000 square-foot, south-facingcorner plot in downtown Aspen would fetch as much as $5 million from a buyer looking to tear down existing structures to rebuild.And that means Blomquist, who is 72 and whose lodging houseoccupies just such a plot, faces an interesting dilemma. She's owned her business for 30 years and has watched inrecent times as small-hotel owners around her have capitulated inthe face of multimillion-dollar offers for their properties. With five children and seven grandchildren to spend time with, thetemptation to cash in her chips is strong.
``Last summer, there was a real-estate boom in Aspen. I wasgetting so many telephone calls,'' she says, looking around at thedecade-old Jacuzzi tub, the thin pathway shoveled between 4-feet-high snowdrifts, and an ancient chairlift salvaged when Aspen SkiCo. upgraded one of its ski-lifts. ``My grandson said to me,`Grandma, why do you still clean toilets?' But I don't know whatelse I'd do with myself.''