Category Archives: Ski School Tips

Snowbasin’s Pots of Gold

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Get thee to Snowbasin this Saturday. The resort is calling all leprechauns in celebration of Saint Patty’s Day. They’re placing three pots of gold somewhere on the mountain. They could be in the lodges, on the hill, and anywhere in between. Don’t look for the rainbows though, no one’s giving away the location of these babies easily. There are three valuable prizes up for grabs including a 2014/2015 Adult Premier Pass. The Pots O’s Gold Search begins at 9 a.m. and ends when the last one is found or 4 p.m.; whichever comes first. If none of the pots are found by noon look to Facebook and Twitter for clues every half hour.
When you’ve worked up an appetite, scoot over to Earls, Needles or John Paul Lodge for traditional corned beef and cabbage, Shepard’s Pie, and Guinness Beef Stew. Bag Pipers will also be in Earl’s Lodge during the afternoon spreading some Irish cheer. At 3:30 p.m. Earl’s goes off with ‘This Must Be the Band’- Talking Heads tribute band- on stage for a free concert.

Alta hosts recreational racing on Fridays and Saturdays at the top of Sunnyside from 11 a.m.- 3 p.m., conditions permitting. The races are open to anyone who wants to try for a gold, silver or bronze Alta pin but you’ll need to register at any ticket office or at the top of the race course. A single run is $3, while Unlimited Runs is $10. Awards are based on a handicap system similar to NASTAR- by age and gender, determined by a pace setter’s time. If your time does not qualify for a medal, you still get a white Alta pin for participating.

Brighton shares the Bonanza with you every Friday night: Roast marshmallows with the kids or a romantic date at the bonfire on Fridays. The yumminess begins at 6 p.m. on the deck of the Alpine Rose.

Snowbird brings on the spring party at Creekside Day Lodge in Gad Valley. Local reggae-rockers, Uniphi, play live while the giveaways fly. $8.50 gets you a burger and brew. The bash moves over to the Tram Club where all 21+ can clink green beers and Irish car bombs.

The Canyons wants to see St. Patrick’s weekend as a spring-long event. They kick it off with the 2014 Operation Smile Celebrity Ski Challenge at noon. The annual fun race raises money for the more than 200,000 surgeries performed around the world to give children born with cleft palates and lips a brand new smile. Most of the celebs hanging out today are from TV shows like Barrett Foa (“NCIS: Los Angeles”), Missy Peregrym (“Rookie Blue”), Jason Ritter (“Parenthood”), Nicole Sullivan (“Cougar Town”), Michael Trevino (“Vampire Diaries”), Alan Tudyk (“Suburgatory”), Aisha Tyler (“The Talk”), and Jenna Ushkowitz (“Glee”). Stick around the resort all week for concerts, magicians, jugglers, s’mores at the Umbrella Bar firepit (3-4 p.m.). Folk Hogan will perform at the Resort Village stage today from 3 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Park City Mountain Resort is hosting a Ski Beach in the meadow at the PayDay Lift midstation from noon-3 p.m. today. Families can picnic with games, burgers and drinks for all ages. Look for the fenced in area between PayDay and Heckler Runs. The Ugly Valley Boys open the Miller Lite Après Concert Series at 3 p.m.

2015 Season Ski Passes Already?

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Are we really calling the end of the season already? It’s the second week of March and Vail Resorts has just put next year’s Epic Pass on sale while other resorts are rolling out spring pass offerings.

Make a $49 down payment on an Epic Pass before April 13, 2014, and lock in the $729 price for unlimited, unrestricted access to Canyons in Park City, Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Arapahoe Basin in Colorado; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood at Lake Tahoe; Afton Alps in Minnesota, Mt. Brighton in Michigan, and five consecutive free days at Niseko, Japan,
for the 2014-15 winter season. The remainder of the balance won’t be due until mid-September even though you’ll be able to ride the lifts all summer.

Kirsten Lynch, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Vail Resorts said, “There’s a reason we sell the Epic Pass in 80 countries and all 50 states. This is the one pass that lets you chase the powder at the world’s finest resorts, including Japan. This is the pass for true skiers and riders.”

The price has gone up $40 but it’s still a decent deal to ski California, Utah, Colorado and Japan. Noticeably absent from the mix, however, are free ski days in Arlberg, Austria, and Verbier, Switzerland, that were part of the 2013/14 Epic Pass.

Purchasers of an Epic Pass will also receive six Buddy Tickets (that’s $74 each at Canyons) and six Ski With A Friend tickets ($91 at Canyons) that can be used this spring; but that’s nothing to rave about when you consider the straight ticket price after March 31, 2014 is $73. Best to save them for next winter.

Snowbird’s $499 spring tram unlimited pass went on sale March 1, 2014, but drops to just $329 on April 1. Most Utah resorts will close in mid-April but let’s hope we get some late season snow storms to keep Snowbird skiing sweet past May. The other Utah resorts have yet to release their 2015 pass pricing details.

 

UPDATE: 

“We are excited to announce a renewed partnership between Vail Resorts and Les 3 Vallées, France, as well as Verbier, Switzerland, providing ongoing access to truly legendary and world-class resorts in Europe. Epic Pass holders that have taken advantage of these partnerships have been nothing short of blown away by the experience that these resorts provide and we couldn’t be more pleased to be able to extend the opportunity for more of our most loyal skiers and riders to ski the world” said Kirsten Lynch, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Vail Resorts. “Each and every year, we look to further increase the already incredible value of the Epic Pass, and the 2014-2015 season will be no exception, with continued access to the best of Europe, in addition to five free days in Niseko, Japan.”

“We are very happy to continue our partnership with Vail Resorts. Les 3 Vallées is the largest ski area in the world and the premier destination in ski terrain choice, service and gastronomy in Europe” said Vincent Lalanne-Clouté, director of Les 3 Vallées. “It’s no mistake that we are aligned with the preeminent mountain resorts in the world. We look forward to once again having Epic Pass holders experience the special place that is Les 3 Vallées, during the 2014-2015 season.”

Current Utah Ski Conditions

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Cold, snow, hot, melt. It’s a vicious cycle and it just won’t seem to quit. After a week of highs last week a storm rolled in and covered the crusty, rotten snow. I didn’t ski until Friday. I’m not ready for spring skiing just yet. Unfortunately, the Park City side needed a lot more snow than they got so we headed to Big Cottonwood. Brighton skied like butter in most places when I finally went out. There were still scratchy patches on southfacing slopes but overall it was a welcome relief to spring conditions. Another foot fell by Saturday morning bringing totals to about 20 inches in the Cottonwoods and turning everything creamy. The winds buffered the slopes preventing us from experiencing that infamous blower snow. The warmer grapple that fell in the morning created a consistency more like kicking it in a sandbox than surfing whipped cream. Once it was tracked out you had to work for your turns rather than finding that hero experience. Still, it was winter. At Alta on Saturday we found untracked off Supreme in the Catherine’s area as well as in Eagle’s Nest. It was rougher under Collins Lift where winds beat the freshies into submission. Sorry, Folks, I haven’t seen Devils Castle open all season but you can bet I was drooling for it.

Sunday in Park City brought 50-degree temps and spring conditions again at the base. The top was still winter. Snowbird was the ‘it’ resort on Sunday as several areas that were closed due to the heavy snow and avalanche hazard, reopened.  The tram line was ridiculous so it made sense to scoot to Gadzoom to start the day. Snow fell in the evening but it was partly sunny and warm this morning which equates to me staying home to write!

A storm is approaching from the west that’s promising snow showers behind a cold front tonight through tomorrow. Then it clears and warms before another cold front this Thursday. Fingers crossed it brings at least a foot to cover the melting snow. 

Deer Valley Aims For The World(s)

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Photos by Jill Adler


Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah, is making a bid for the FIS Freestyle Skiing World Championships. The posh resort hosted the Championships in 2003 and 2011, and, if they get the 2019 event, they’ll earn the bragging right of being the venue of choice every eight years.

“I think it’d be huge,” Deer Valley president and general manager Bob Wheaton told the Park Record newspaper. “So far we’ve done World Cups every year, the 2002 Olympics, the 2003 and 2011 World Championships – the support is town-wide. It’s the atmosphere that everybody in town brings to the event.”


In the meantime, DV will walk the talk this March 28-30, 2014, by hosting the 2014 U.S. Freestyle Championships, again. Actually, the Championship moguls and dual moguls were at DV in 2008. Aerials took place at the Utah Olympic Park and the superpipe at Park City Mountain Resort. This year’s event was supposed to be at Heavenly Resort for the second year in a row but the dearth of snow in the Tahoe region prompted the move to Utah.

Two-time Olympians Ashley Caldwell (aerials) and Pat Deneen (moguls), and 2014 Olympian Bradley Wilson (moguls) are expected to be among those vying for the U.S. title in the final freestyle event of the season.

Deer Valley will make the bid for the World Championships when the FIS (International Ski Federation) meets in Barcelona, Spain, at the end of May.

Getting Up to Speed With Tuning

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Whether you’re a pro athlete or a recreational day skier, everyone’s sticks can stand a little TLC. Beveling an edge, buffing or waxing; it can make the difference between a good ski day and a bad one so it pays to have a pro take a look.

You know you’re doing something right when people ship their skis to you for a tune. Jeff Butz at Podium Ski Service in Park City has been waxing and sharpening racers’ skis from across the country for 16 years. To say Podium knows a thing or two about what makes the difference between a lifeless ski and one that can move you to the next level is an understatement.

 

With all of the ski shops in Park City, why did you go and open your own?

I definitely tune a lot of skis but part of the benefit is training and working with people who want to work; where they get to do a good job and take pride in their work. There aren’t a lot of places doing what we do. We have a great local reputation. We specialize in ski tuning. It’s our only business so we really focus on that while with the other shops, tuning is just a department of a whole operation.

 

 

Why does it matter where you get your skis tuned?

We do more than what a high-volume shop can do. You know where the skis show up with a ticket on it and they do the same thing to every pair. You want communication and contact with the store. You need to take the time to ask the questions if you want the right tune for your customer. We give a lot more individual attention because a good tune depends on the type of skier you are and the terrain you like to ski. We tailor the tune whether you are an elite athlete or an old guy who likes to ski Deer Valley.

 

If I am an intermediate skier why would I want a high-end tune?

Most people don’t give themselves enough credit. They may not have enough experience with ski tuning so they’ll struggle with a bad tune and blame themselves. We give them the consistency and confidence that the ski will do what it’s supposed to do.

 

How are tunes different depending on a skier’s experience?

A high level athlete will have a more aggressive edge bevel because they want something that’s sharp and more reactive. They aren’t making the mistakes that would warrant a more relaxed, user friendly experience. Someone like Bodie Miller may have a flat or half-degree base bevel but a four-degree side bevel. (A base bevel will affect how a ski pivots on the snow and a side bevel determines how it grips the snow.) A recreational skier will normally ski an all mountain ski with a one-degree base bevel and two-degree side edge bevel.

 

What have you learned from tuning US Ski Team racers?

You really learn what a small difference can make in someone’s skiing even at a recreational level.

 

If you are struggling with your equipment should you blame your tune first?

No matter how perfect your skis are you will struggle if you have ill-fitting boots. Your boots transfer what you are doing to your skis. But if those are dialed in and you are still struggling, then it’s probably your tune.

 

What is your best advice for locals?

For the type of season we normally have, you can go all year without a tune if your skis are in good shape. If you feel your edges and notice they’re rough and jagged, it’s time to get them smoothed out and rewaxed. It’d be great if you waxed your skis every three to five days you ski. It will condition and maintain the base so that you can go longer between full tunes.

Racers wax every time they go out.

 

Advice for visiting skiers?

Bring them in and we can take a look. All they may need is a little wax. Also, if you haven’t skied since last season, they’re probably rusty. If you have major base damage we can reapoxy and make it look like new. Your skis may not be goners. You can choose to do more or less. If you have dated equipment you aren’t doing yourself any favors. If it’s five or six years old consider something more modern.

 

What’s the first thing you do when someone brings you their skis?

I have a conversation with the customer to see what the ski needs. It depends on where they like to ski and what type of ski they have. Then I see how flat the ski is and what its actual condition is. I check the bevel and make a recommendation as to what the ski needs to be right. You might only need an edge sharpening instead of a full tune.

 

What if you want to do it yourself, how do you get started?

Start with skis that are in good shape. Don’t learn to tune on bad skis. Learn how to wax skis and smooth out edges; keeping edges sharper and then go up into more advance tuning. You can always check out those YouTube tuning videos. Some are informative and some I wouldn’t recommend. We host private tuning clinics for people who are setting up their garage. We also sell waxing tools and are happy to show you how to use them.

 

If you are experienced what are some things you might not know about tuning?

Base repair can be tricky. Calculate how thick your ski base is. You can regrind it about six times before you run out of materials but you can sharpen and wax maybe 50 times. So doing a little bit of maintenance all the time will give you better consistency in your skiing and a longer ski life versus letting them get into really bad shape and having to remove all that.

 

 

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