Author Archives: Jill Adler

Summit County Approves Vail’s Interconnect Gondola

One comment


Park City is going to look like a gigantic construction zone if everybody gets their way this summer. First, there’s Deer Valley Resort’s plan to link Main Street to Silver Lake Village either with one gondola or two gondolas (one that would replace Silver Lake Express chairlift, and another that would scoot from Park City’s Old Town Transit Center to the top of Lucky Bill ski run). The gondola’s meant for those staying in DV’s mid-mountain homes and lodges. It would make it easier to dine and play on Main Street during their stay. The proposed transit would take 15 minutes and run 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.


Second, there’re Vail Resort’s multi-million dollar improvement plans for Park City Mountain Resort and Canyons Resort. Summit County has already OK’d the interconnect gondola that would link the two areas into one mega-resort. All VR needs is the green light from Park City municipal and they can go ahead with the eight-passenger bucket. There really isn’t anything legally that could get in the way. At issue now is how it’s going to look.

The gondola cars would be mostly silver-grey with a red stripe to match PCMR’s branding colors and the windows would be made of non-reflective grey glass. VR’s Blaise Carrig promises you would have a hard time seeing it from in town. The 18 lift towers will also be coated with non-reflective neutral paint. The gondola presentation is on the City Planning Commission meeting schedule for February 25 if you want to eaves drop.

You can expect closures of some of PCMR’s and DV’s signature biking and hiking trails this summer when the digging starts. Look to both resorts and Mountain trails Foundation to notify folks about reroutes and closures.

Ask PCSkiGal: Second Thoughts About Skiing Spring Break?

2 comments

Hi Jill,

I know you are a Park City woman and would greatly appreciate your advice if you can spare the time. We are planning a trip from NH out there on February 23rd to March 1 but are rethinking because of the lack of snow and warm weather. We can’t cancel our flights but probably our condo and so we’re thinking of going to Solitude or somewhere else in Little or Big Cottonwood. We have two boys 7 and 13 and I like the Club Solitude approach. I’d love your take or advice, Thanks,

Fanne

Hi Fanne,

Good to hear from you. You really never know what the snow will do a month from now. Yes, it’s very lame around here at present. Today it’s 50 degrees and summerlike. Monday we’re due for rain and snow and lows in the 20s. It’s also supposed to continue snowing through next weekend. And March is known to be extra snowy so we have our fingers crossed.
That said, there is next to nothing to do up Big Cottonwood Canyon (Solitude) if there’s no skiing. You could snowshoe at the Solitude Nordic Center but the snow is so compacted you could walk around in your boots without sinking. You might even be hiking in dirt by then. I’ve seen folks out rockclimbing this week in both LCC and BCC. If you are beginning skiers then you don’t need much to keep you entertained on the slopes but if the boys are advanced and want to rip around they might be bored if the conditions are anything like they are right now.


Photo by Ryan Freitas

Your family will have a much better vacation in Park City when there’s limited snow because there are so many other things to do – fat biking, tubing, ice skating, shopping, dining, bowling, alpine slide, ziplining, you could even be a cowboy for a day at the Blue Sky Ranch. Solitude will of course have BETTER snow than any of the Park City areas but right now that’s not saying much. Our bases are well below 100 inches.

If you have time to cancel I’d just watch the weather. There’s probably going to still be tons of availability in Solitude by the end of February. Park City not so much.

Hope that helps!

/ja

Snowbird Freeride Comp Gets Them Amped

Leave a comment

I’m going to give it to you straight. The skiing out here really doesn’t suck as much as you think it should. I’m not saying this because someone gave me a lift ticket or free hotel stay (and I still wouldn’t sugarcoat our ski conditions; I want your trust). I’m saying this because I had a hard time believing the news myself.

We’ve had record-breaking warm temps all week, zero new snow, and heavy traffic at the resorts. Park City Mountain Resort had half-hour lines on a Friday! In my mind, conditions were hardpack on the groomed and hacked-off bumps everywhere else, crispy/crunchies in the trees. When friends skied Canyons Resort last weekend and announced things were “surprisingly good with creamy, buttery groomers and…light, loose snow in north-facing bowls” I had to ski it for myself to believe it.

After three days of aborted attempts (I dashed to don my ski garb first thing in the morning only to find myself sitting behind my computer making excuses for why I wasn’t heading out), I finally rallied. I used the Subaru Freeskiing comp at Snowbird as my motivator.

Photo courtesy Mountain Sports Int’l

Utah’s Mountain Sports International (MSI) is producing the premiere big mountain comp for the 18th season in both North and South America. This is the first stop on the four-event tour. The next SFS event will be March 4 in Telluride, Colo. The champions in both snowboarding and skiing will be crowned at the finals in Big Sky, Mont., March 25.

I stopped into the Cliff, grabbed my media credential and scooted up the Peruvian Lift. The winds kicked up as I hovered over Anderson’s and it grew increasingly wild. I got off and traversed skiers left past the trees, following the wind blown. Untracked and foamy. Sweet, I thought. It was a mixture of flour and pine cones.

I stopped at the comp arena to snap a couple of photos and was nearly blown into the bystanders by the 60 mph winds. It was raging at 120 mph at the top of Silver Fox where the ladies of skiing and boarding lined up for their run. They braved the line (though many biffed) to emerge with the top 13 women that will move into the finals tomorrow (Sunday). The wind put the kibosh on the mens’ runs so off I went to scout the Gad 2 terrain. It was really the only lift left. The Tram, Peruvian, Little Cloud, Mineral; all done for the day thanks to the wind.

Photo courtesy Mountain Sports Int’l

I followed the snow into the trees to skier’s left of Gadzooks and, voile, it was winter again. The snow was soft and caressing. Not deep but any standards but pliable. Everything I sought northfacing felt the same. A smile crept into my day as the trees protected me and the snow from the whipping wind. I forgot everything but my turns. That’s what skiing does to me. The bumps were smallish and soft too until the shots off Gad Gully. Those moguls were huge and firm. I rode up again for more. Soon it was time to head down. There were some patches of hardpack as I worked my way from Gad 2 to the Tram dock but nothing as rough as I had imagined. I wanted more but threats of stronger winds the next day kept me from making plans. Besides, I needed to pack for Jackson. My Wyoming adventure was near.

Organizers decided to postpone the Saturday SFS finals because of more forecasted wind (that never materialized) and will run them today (Sunday) instead. Tomorrow’s forecast calls for sunny, clear skies and low wind. Competitors will be up above North Baldy to drop in at 10 a.m. You can tune in to watch the event live at www.subarufreerideseries.com.

UPDATE:

LCC local Grant Howard won over the judges and crowd finishing first in men’s ski. In men’s snowboarding semis/finals, it was Snowbird local Harrison Fitch, 19, and Jonathan Penfield who took the show. Fitch did a never-before-in-competition front side rodeo-7 that blew the crowd away.

Since women ski and snowboard competed on Friday, their finals were based on a combined score of the two days. The top three women maintained the points to podium. Ashley Bembenek from Crested Butte, skied a fast, solid line to maintain her first place semi results for the win but it was Freeride Series veteran Crystal Wright who had the “winning run of the day,” with a huge, bold straightline air at the bottom that earned a major Sickbird nomination. 

HOW IT PLAYED OUT

Women’s Snowboard

1. Audrey Hébert, 112.50

2. Erika Vikander, 110.17

3. Robyn Borneman, 109.33

 

Women’s Ski

1. Ashley Bembenek, 131.33

2. Kele Thorsen, 129.00

3. Alaina Huestis, 127.67

 

Men’s Snowboard

1. Jonathan Penfield, 67.33

2. Harrison Fitch, 66.33

3. Cooper Kahlenberg, 62.00

 

Men’s Ski

1. Grant Howard, 75.00

2. Lars Chickering-Ayers, 74.00

3. Andrew Pollard, 72.67

 

SIA15: Big Lids Coming; Helmets in 2016

Leave a comment

It used to be that the toughest hurdle to finding the perfect helmet was fit. You looked for a good lid with a legit safety rating that didn’t sit on top of your head like a Q-Tip; and if it came in a more interesting color than white, black or graphite all the better. Then came adjustable straps, pads, built-in headphones, BOA nobs in back for customizable fit, venting, and the fact that everyone was getting into the helmet game, and soon choosing which helmet to buy became as tough as what toppings to put on your pizza.

helmets in 2016

Salomon’s lightweight backcountry helmet is just at home touring as it is rockclimbing.

Gauging from what’s on display at SIA 2015, tomorrow’s helmets will be getting even more complex as safety awareness in the backcountry and freeride country gets respect. Materials, construction and fine tuning should be enough to make you retire your old brain bucket and pick up one of these shiny, new babies.

Whether companies use the MIPS Brain Protection System developed by a Swedish company to address multi-directional impacts or create their own proprietary protection designs, helmets for 2015/16 are decidedly safer as well as cooler (literally and figuratively). POC’s ultra-light Jeremy Jones Pro Model and Formix Backcountry MIPS with an anti-stink liner are proof that all the rad kids are wearing helmets in the backcountry.

helmets in 2016

In fact helmet use nationwide is at an all-time high as companies find ways to make brain buckets more attractive and smart. The latest technologies focus on separating the outer shell from the inner lining to absorb the acceleration of the force; think bending your knees as you land versus landing with straight legs.

Sweet Protection has taken their whitewater helmets to the snow. The Grimnir Helmet with MIPS is made of carbon-fiber reinforced polymer and “impact shields” on the front and back. It’s also the only helmet on the market certified to work even if you’ve mounted a POV camera on it.

helmets in 2016

The Giro Range not only uses MIPS but a “Conform Fit” system to make a two-piece shell that conforms to your personal head shape for a low-profile, snug fit.

Uvex (pronounced OOO-VEX I just learned) has developed Octo+ for a soft, beanie-like fit no matter what your head shape. It also allows air to circulate more freely. helmets in 2016

There’s no excuse anymore not to protect head. Now all we need to do is figure out how to keep our brains safe at the speeds most of us travel. Currenty, beginners are psyched because these buckets are designed for protection at speeds between 12 and 14 mph. Too bad they falter at the speeds advanced skiers and riders normally attack (25-30mph). Perhaps at SIA2016 we’ll see more helmets that address this statistic.

Now that you’ve picked out your helmet here’s our cub reporter Sage Adler with tips on how to dress it up.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHnGQ1ckTXs&w=420&h=315]

The Show Must Go On; SIA 2015 Starts NOW

2 comments

SIA 2015

It’s not winter in the west. At least it doesn’t feel like it. People in Utah are biking to work and rock climbing outdoors. Then you look at the east and they’re rejoicing in western-like snow conditions (at least in the mountains). The world weather is doing flipflops and snowsports consumers don’t know what to predict for the future.

Regardless, more than 18,000 snow industry professionals will converge on Denver to hype the enthusiasm for winter sports and forecast trends for 2016. Thousands of next season’s products will be on display at the annual Snowsports Industry of America Show this weekend at the Colorado Convention Center.

The massive event is the place for alpine and snowboard buyers, reps and media to get a sneak peak at hardgoods, apparel, and accessories, and to learn about the latest trends in the industry through panel discussions, seminars and face time with those in the know. “All of us at Smith (Optics) look forward to SIA every year,” Cassie Abel told the SIA news team. “It’s a chance for us to reconnect with old friends and partners, see the progression of the snowsports industry, and get plenty of work done.” Josh Roberts, president of Milosport said, “SIA is important to maintain relationships, see complete line offerings from our brands and catch up with old friends.”

The mantra at these events always seems to be about “growing the sport” and this year is no different. The focus for SIA is about engaging backyard (and backcountry) participants- kids that are building jumps in their driveway, sledding in the woods and riding rails in their schoolyard- and selling them goods they can use anywhere.

Considering all the sketchiness attached to playing outside the boundaries it makes sense that we’ll see a lot of innovation and new technology in the accessories and helmet departments while boards and skis themselves will remain relatively the same. One thing we know from last year’s show is that we have pretty much kissed the super fatties goodbye. The popular waist-widths for next season will be between 98-110mm. The demand for alpine touring boots and bindings will continue to climb as both become higher performing without the additional weight.

As for ski design, we last season the way we’ve bid adieu to those epic powder days of the 2010 when we actually needed them. On the snowboarding side, boota and board designs stay simple with relatively little change.

No word yet on colors and styles for 2016 but the fabric technology takes advantage of the backcountry trend by making clothes that can easily morph from in to out of bounds. Helly Hansen has a new FLOW membrane to wick moisture from the skin, Patagonia’s making softshell/hardshell hybrid pants and jackets, and other companies are using four-way stretch in their outerwear for more fluid movement.

We may be hypothesizing but the big question at this year’s Show is going to have to be, “Who’s buying?” Retailers are still trying to sell through product from 2013, and airline baggage fees and $900 pricetags are encouraging those who might have purchased in the past to rent and demo instead. There are even companies like Get Outfitted that will rent you entire head-to-toe outfits for your trip.

The SIA show is a preview of what’s to come as well as an indicator of where we’re going. But no matter what the clime it will continue to spread optimism for the future of the ski industry which, out here in the west, we desperately need.

Follow #SIA15 and @pcskigal on Twitter for next season’s sneakpeak if you can’t make it to the show.

1 … 79 80 81 82 83 … 146