Author Archives: Jill Adler
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Powder Mountain: Largest Ski Resort in the Country
Powder Mountain Resort is just a few weeks away from leapfrogging over Park City to become the largest ski resort in the country. When two new SkyTrac lifts, “Village Lift” and “Mary’s Lift,” turn this December, the sleepy area in Ogden, Utah, will have 8464 total skiable acres including their epic side country terrain.
Of course, with all that mountain you need a village to support the “Largest Ski Resort”. The area’s owners, aka Summit, have plans for a new town in the saddle that intersects the top of three bowls at 8600 feet. Already, there are 6 miles of new roads that will lead to a version of the Swiss town of Wengen where visitors are surrounded by surreal mountain, meadow and Great Salt Lake views.
It’ll be like a Spiritual Alpine Disneyland with a main street of pop-up stores, micro-apartments, farm-to-table restaurants, yoga boot-camps, public art, media labs and educational outlets offering training in everything from transcendental meditation, software development and athletic performance. The environment will embody Summit’s vision of staving off overcrowding and over development while creating a hub for millennial entrepreneurship where ideas spark “positive global change”.
Largest Ski Resort With Small Numbers
As part of the mission of freedom, the owners swear they’ll cap lift ticket sales. This allows for the lowest skier density of any major resort in North America. In other words, you’ll have one skier per acre rather than the average 15-20 skiers/acre. “We strive to maintain the uncrowded, wide open, adventurous experience Pow Mow is known for,” said Mark Schroetel, General Manager of Powder Mountain Resort. “By…capping ticket sales at 2,000 per day and establishing a limit of 1,000 adult season pass holders annually, we aim to keep our skier density of 1 acre per skier.”
Powder Mountain’s New Lift Locations
The new lifts in Lefty’s Canyon and Mary’s Bowl will access terrain previously accessible only by all-day guided cat skiing adventures. The resort has always been a funky place with little grooming; a throwback to the days when skiing and skiers were rugged and real. There is now efficient grooming for novices and intermediates in strategic spots but it’s still a place wild with powder stashes and side country adventure. The Lightning Ridge, Rain Tree and the newly added Lefty’s snow cats will still escort you to out of bounds style action and you can even opt for a full day snowcat expedition to Davenport, an area known for steep canyon descents and deep, untracked powder.
Powder Season Passholders Get Copper Mountain Privileges
Colorado’s Copper Mountain Resort and Powder Mountain have partnered for 2016/17 to give season passholders three free days at each area.
Copper Mountain offers 2,490 acres of terrain and averages 304 inches of snowfall during the winter season, and is also known for their award-winning terrain parks while Powder is at 8,464 total skiable acres.
“We are thrilled to welcome Powder Mountain to the Copper Season Pass,” said Jesse True, Senior Vice President at Copper Mountain Resort.
Put Powder on your 2017 Do-To List!
Winter Traction with Vibram’s Arctic Grip Soles
I knew a man who slipped shoveling his driveway and died. It really sucked. Just walking on a sidewalk he’s walked for decades. We never think a slip and fall is going to lead to anything more than a bruised ego. But it can. Winter traction matters.
Vibram’s Partner in Winter Traction
Outdoor out sole manufacturer Vibram has partnered exclusively with Wolverine Worldwide to ensure winter traction in their footwear brands this season kick butt on ice so it doesn’t kick yours. Their Arctic Grip product is taking the winter ice to task.
If you don’t want to slip in the winter you put chains on your tires and serious lugs on your feet. But up until this season those “lugs” still needed added protection for even everyday walking. Kahtoola Microspikes, Stabilcers, Icebugs, YakTrax. There are all sorts of over-sole devices on the market for winter traction. Vibram’s Arctic Grip technology, however, stands alone.
Several styles from Merrell, Sperry, Saucony, Hush Puppies, CAT, and Wolverine feature this advanced cold-weather gripping system. Vibram has been working on the technology for more than two years and was quite hush about its properties at the Outdoor Retailer Winter Show this year. All they would hint at was that it was a rubber compound with an advanced filler system. Vibram claims they have up to “three times better” winter traction than any other Vibram sole for over 200 miles of use. Your shoes will even warn you if the roads are slick that day because the thermochromatic lugs change color when temps dips below 32 degrees.
Naming The Models For Winter Traction
The shoes from Wolverine Worldwide sporting the new outsole for winter traction include – Merrell Moab FST, Capra Collection and the Aurora 6 CAT Footwear Stiction HI WP Ice+, Hush Puppies Parkview Ice+, Sperry Cold Bay Ice+, Saucony Razor Ice+, Wolverine Crossbuck FX Ice+.
Park City Ski Swap is Ski Goods Central
I’m on a mission. Baby needs new skis. The real kid, Sage, picked up an awesome pair of K2s from Ski n’ See at the end of last season but her momma is a different story. As an instructor, I’m forced to replace my skis every couple of years to stay current; and I must have at least two pairs to cover variable conditions. That can add up to a small fortune over the years when you consider new skis cost between $600-1200 depending on the model. It pays to comb early season deals during blowouts like the Park City Ski Swap.
The most convenient and cheapest solution is a season-long rental offered through several retailers in Park City and the Salt Lake Valley. These programs ask for one nominal annual fee ($80-130) for a skis, boots and poles package. Some places even throw in waxes and tunes. This is great if you’re not concerned about skiing high-performance sticks or you need to outfit three growing kids. Unfortunately, that’s not an option for me. I’ll admit that industry pros have access to wholesale prices on gear but even that gets crazy expensive.
Here’s what pros do when they don’t/can’t pay retail or pro-pricing:
How to Swap For Ski Gear
Your hunt for ski gear starts at the end of the season. Retail ski shops everywhere have blowout sales to clear their floor and make room for next season’s goods. The choice gear is gone in a flash if you wait too long, so your next step is to scour eBay and Craigslist. If you haven’t found what you’re looking for by October you need to position yourself near a ski hub like Salt Lake and get ready for a smorgasbord of deals.
The Black Diamond Parking Lot Swap October 22, 2016, didn’t disappoint. The event is held annually in the climbing company’s parking lot. The place is filled with mountaineering bargains and big mountain gear that sponsored athletes are trying to unload. The asphalt is wall-to-wall cars, people and ‘stuff’. But alas there were no skis my needed length (170-175cm). My friend Nancy, however, picked up a pair of climbing shoes for $10.
The Snowbasin Ski Swap is up next; October 27-29 in the Legacy Events Center in Farmington.
Park City Swap Mack Daddy of Gear
Rowmark Academy stopped having their popular swap a few years back so that basically leaves the mack daddy of all swaps to root for in November – Park City Ski Team’s Annual Ski and Snowboard Swap, Nov 4-6, 2016. It’s been going on for 44 years. Park City’s plethora of ski retail and rental shops all dump what’s left of last year’s wares. The Ski Team also has a rule that all equipment sold will be less than 5 years old. Of course, this will be the place for skis!
The best-priced gear is scooped up on Friday night so get to the Basin Rec Center in Kimball Junction early, dine with the family at Red Rock or Maxwell’s, have a few cocktails to take the night chill off while you wait for the doors to open. The Park City Ski Swap is Black Friday for skiers. People from all over the state stand in line for over an hour just to be trampled by the masses when the doors of the Center fly open.
Park City Ski Swap beta to ease your purchasing panic:
1) Make a list of all the items you would like to find, including the sizes- no time to waste calling home to see if something is going to fit.
2) Set a budget. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the deals but if you drop $2k in a night on two items or 10 it’s still $2k.
3) Get there early. If you miss Friday’s opening make sure you’re ready to go when the doors open Saturday morning.
4) If you really want a deal, volunteer so you get to see everything that comes in and will have first shot at it.
5) Bring a bag and cash. Get in, get out. The madness is dizzying.
6) Wear comfortable shoes and pee before you go.
7) Bring hand sanitizer for after. You’re touching a lot of items other people have also fondled.
8) Unlike regular swap meets, there’s no haggling here. The only drop in price will happen on the last day if things haven’t sold.
Saturday’s patronage is a ton more mellow and the price to enter a bit more reasonable ($10 vs. $5). By Sunday, the good stuff has been picked off and what’s left is marked down. BTW, 30 percent of sales go to the Park City Ski Team so your check can essentially act as a donation.
Most skis sell for around $100; nice winter clothing about $50. Not bad when you consider that brand new these items are eight times that! All of the goods that remain unsold wind up on Craigslist or eBay.
Miss The Park City Ski Swap?
You have two more shots at a great deal- St. Lawrence Thrift Store Ski Swap, November 11-12, and ACE (Alta Community Enrichment) Gear Swap, Dec. 2-3, at Our Lady of the Snows Center in Alta.