Random amusing articles

Skiing at Tucks in NH
Why Sun Valley has a 30% diversion rate for direct flights

I'm going to be in California for a week or so (no skiing though) so it'll be a little quiet here.

Plus, here's a goofy old skiing movie poster.

Anti Skiing Terrorists Caught

Finally, the Dept. of Homeland Security has caught the terrorists who've been trying to sabotage Vail. These malcontents held back the expansion into Blue Sky Basin for some time, as I recall. Skiiers worldwide can now breathe easier knowing that these hatemongers will face justice.

The picture above is of the lodge they burned down, causing 12mm of monetary damage, and untold amounts of bad karma.

Anti-Skiing Terrorists To Face Justice of Man and Wrath of Almighty

Adventurer attempting to ski down Mt Everest is Missing

It looks like a Swedish adventure skiier, Tomas Olsson, has gone missing on Everest. Here's the article about it from an Everest news site.

There is a lure to the Himalayas that ensnares so many superb athletes. It seems an unusually hard way to die, with the odds of having your remains recovered low. May they find peace.

They have a cool web site with lots of excellent photographs , worth the click over to. That model of LandRover above (probably a 11o " Defender) has not been imported into the USA for something like 8 years, and they still command a premium.

Update on May 22: Himalayan Times on Recovery of Body

Jackson Hole's tram plans

It looks like Jackson is going to rig up a chairlift to the top of their mountain, where the old big red Tram used to go. Here's what Skiing magazine has to say about it

Later on they will replace that with a modern tram. Here's a mockup of that. I only took the tram once -- the line was pretty long most of the time I was there, and the terrain it serves is quite steep, and beyond my comfort zone.
However, it's a useful tool for bragging rights -- no one else in the US can give you as much vertical in one lift, and all in one run, if you wanted.

Here is a picture of Waldo & Bagel at Jackson Hole

NYT Homage to Doug Coombs

I'm surprised, but the NYT decided to do a front page (at least on their web site) article on Doug Coombs. They have some photos I'd not seen before, including this picture taken from the very day of that ill fated run. (I wonder if this is the chute that took their lives)


Anyways you can read the rest of the article here. It's pretty good, and worth the click over. That must have been a terrible chute to go down afterwards by the remaining survivor, if he did not hike back up.

UPDATE JUNE 15: Memorial Service Details

More Sno-Cat accessible terrain at Keystone ?

More terrain at Keystone?

Impressive ski ride

Pretty Cool review in SkiMag

Interesting feature stories on skiers

This guys sounds pretty crazy: That's what lifts are for!

A nurse on the ski patrol: May I have some Novocaine?

And yes, what we have all been missing, the skiing rabbi: A Goretex Yarmulke

Have a great weekend, I'm heading up north and hoping that it won't be too drizzly.

A rescue on Mt. Hood

This is the story of a pretty amazing rescue of some skiers on Mt. Hood a few days ago. It (and the picture) are from SkiPress, which is a free weekly you can find in lots of ski shops and sporting goods stores. And here's a very similar story on the DoD's web site, since servicemen were involved in the rescue.

I hope none of us ever need the services of something like this, but it's heartwarming to know that there are people willing to risk themselves for those they will never know.

PS: This is pretty cool, a Google study of search trends on skiing

Possibly two new ski areas being developed

If you follow the ski industry, you know how difficult it is to get terrain added to existing mountains, much less open a new mountain. Happily, in the last year Idaho opened up Tamarack which looks like it could be a good one. It has lots of terrain and consistent snow, although like most of Idaho it is hard to get to and not close to metro areas (unless you count Boise as one). Prior to Tamarack the last proper destination resort established was Deer Valley, all the way back in 1980 (I think).

The main reasons it is so hard to open ski resorts are:

Land Ownership - most large parcels, especially in the West/Rockies, are owned by the government. If you can get a license / lease to use it , it typically requires either BLM or Forestry Service approval. It is difficult to have outright ownership and government leases can come with significant operating constraints.

Development - assuming you can surmount the first issue, there is a long path to developing the property. This includes cutting a road, clearing the ski runs, installing the machinery, building a base area, establishing lodging, food service and other amenities. If one is opposed in this process by environmentalists , NIMBYs , or others it can be difficult to impossible for this to happen. Filing and getting approval of an Environmental Impact Statement can be a multi year process. Some states have their own versions of this, additionally, such as Vermont with Act 250 rules.

Negative Macro Trends - the population of skiers / snow sliders has been stable/flat in the US for over 20 years. Over 500 smaller ski areas have closed during this time and a number of other areas, although still operating, have been in & out of the bankruptcy / foreclosure process. In addition, the average lift ticket is being sold to an older person each year ... because the user pool is not renewing itself with new younger consumers. A difficult torts / liability environment has also driven up operating costs, both in insurance premiums and in the safety procedures that resorts have to invest in.


Some of the implications of the above mean that most ski resorts cannot operate profitably without extensive real estate operations / development. The skiing on the hill typically can't support itself without the condo sales at the base. Fortunately (or not so fortunately) some of the negative trends have been counterbalanced by baby boomers' voracious demands for second homes, especially in resort areas. This has tended to prop up the areas that are well suited for development near the base (e.g. Vail, Okemo, Snowmass) while leaving some areas behind which are unable/unwilling to build out locally (e.g. Mt Bachelor, Bromley, Grand Targhee). The Vail Daily News picture on the right is of Battle Mtn in Colorado.

As someone who has a home somewhat near an area which has flitted in/out of bankruptcy (Magic Mountain) I've seen the damage that a stagnant area can inflict upon a local town and their property owners. Condos on mountain are worth maybe 1/3 to 1/2 of what they were when the mountain was operating. Local stores and restaurants are shuttered due the lack of visitors. It's unfortunate, and a warning sign that one needs to look at the health of the local attraction when buying into a resort area.

Anyways, it looks like there may be two new areas that could be built in the next decade or so, which is Good Thing. These take a long time to pan out, but we'll keep our fingers crossed.

Dyer Mountain in California

Battle Mountain in Colorado

Mountain Driving

From the Summit Daily Crime Blotter on May 8.
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The rules of the road really do rule

Police were called to Copper Mountain recently for a driving complaint. The caller reported that he had been driving west on Copper Mountain Road toward the golf course when a car passed him on the right, then made an abrupt left turn in front of him. The slighted driver stopped to talk to the other driver and asked, "Where's the fire?" The man replied that he was driving too slow. The first driver wrote down the second driver's description and told the responding deputy where the man's car was parked. When the deputy asked the registered owner of the car what happened, he replied that the car in front of him had been driving too slow, so he passed him. The deputy informed the man that Copper Road was only one lane and passing is illegal. He replied that as far as he is concerned, it's a private road and it's two lanes because there is no designation that it is only one lane. The deputy reiterated that it is only one lane. "For me, it is two lanes," the driver replied. He landed himself a ticket for careless driving and improper mountain driving.
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What an idiot - these rural mountain roads (especially if they are undivided) are among the most dangerous roads to drive on on a fatality per mile basis. People drive fast, collisions tend to be of the deadly head on variety, and curves/gorges ensnare a fair number of folks too. It sucks to be trapped behind a logging truck, or a sluggish minivan, but its too dangerous to be playing Monaco GP out there.

An Apostate

I can't understand why you would take a job in a place like this if you did not care for the hobby/sport. To wit:

Spurning the Gift

Special Lift Ticket Deals At Aspen for International Guests

Hmmm...I guess if one was going to actually take two weeks off for skiing this might make sense, but I wonder how much a season pass would cost. Or if someone is flying all the way from abroad (and taking two weeks off for skiing) wouldn't they be more likely to do a week in Aspen and a week in Vail?
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Aspen/Snowmass in Colorado has announced an early booking offer for international guests, which offers six or eight days of free skiing and snowboarding on any of the resort’s four mountains: Snowmass, Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk.
The “Buy 8 or more/Get 6 Days Free” offer and the new “Buy 12 or more/Get 8 Days Free” offer are available through any authorized Aspen/Snowmass international tour operator when a vacation package is booked before December 1st, 2006.
The offer is available for holidays after the Christmas/New Year period, from January 4th to April 15th, 2007.
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Also these items

Excellent article on second home owners at Vail
More Delta Flights into Aspen
Snowpack going down
Summer fun at ski resorts

Happy Cinquo de Mayo folks.

Bears on the Loose in Colorado !

Uh, hibernating bears waking up and hungrily roaming around !

Looking for a picnic basket?

Heh.

Shrinking ski hills

CNN story on glaciers at ski resorts

Time to get higher alitude, for the long run.