Things are looking grim in the Wasatch for skiers right now, as we’re nearing the end of the first week of December and the primary color in the mountains is… brown. Sure, most ski resorts in Utah are open, and that’s great if you’re okay with ripping it up on thin ribbons of man-made ice. But for us powder hounds, the dry conditions are equal to being blindfolded in a strip club.
Category: Skiing
Alta opens on Wednesday, November 25
Alta has closed itself to all uphill traffic, which can only mean one thing: they’re preparing the mountain for downhill traffic. In fact, Alta has announced that they will be opening on Wednesday, November 25, thanks to Sunday night’s storm that brought colder temperatures and dropped 10 inches of snow on the Wasatch.
Phillips 66 Frequent Fueler Card gets you 2-for-1 Snowbird passes
Finding ways to ski for less at Utah resorts can be a challenge. There are local discounts out there, such as Utah resident special prices at Deer Valley, or the Cherry Picker Pass at The Canyons. But unfortunately, Utah doesn’t have the kind of love-for-locals that Colorado skiers get. Over there, Coloradoans can get a season pass to three resorts (Arapahoe Basin, Keystone and Breckenridge) for only $399. Those of us living in Utah have to scrounge for deals.
First day photos from Snowbird
Snowbird officially opened today! They’ve started up the chairlifts at 9am and skiers can now start making turns under the Gadzoom and Chikadee lifts. Snowbird officials hope to open even more terrain before Thanksgiving weekend, depending on any storms and colder temperatures in the forecast. Snowbird is currently charging an early-season price of $52 dollars…
Marker Baron Backcountry Ski Bindings review
After 5 years of backcountry skiing on a pair of old Silveretta bindings, I decided it was time to invest in new ones. After some research, I settled on the Marker Baron bindings. Marker is well known for making quality alpine bindings, and last year they entered the backcountry arena with the Marker Dukes, a burly system that featured a DIN setting that went up to 16. Most skiers don’t require a DIN that high, plus the Dukes are heavy for an average backcountry setup, so this year they introduced a lighter binding called the Barons.
From porn to docs: the ski movie revolution
Pre-season skier tradition dictates that watching a new ski movie in a theater is downright mandatory. The imminent arrival of winter buries the needle of anticipation into the red when snow lovers gather to watch the latest powder flick. This ritual usually involves teenage jibbers intermingling with faded, fleece clad free-heelers, sitting hip-to-hip in front…
Solitude to be crowned first Utah ski resort open for 09/10 season
Every winter, ski resorts pray for enough snow to be able to open before their competitors. Whether it’s for promotional purposes, to please hardcore skiers who are chomping at the bit, or just for bragging rights, saying you were able to open for business before any other ski mountain is a feather in a resort’s cap.
Re-educate at Utah Snow and Avalanche Workshop
A good way to re-educate is to attend events that benefit the Utah Avalanche Center, which is the non-profit organization that works hard to save lives in Utah’s backcountry. They analyze the snow pack on a daily basis and report their findings to the masses so we can all make informed decisions before entering avalanche terrain. However, one problem Utah Avalanche Center faces is they are always operating on the financial edge, so fund-raising events are critical. In order to keep their heads above the fiscal snowpack, they have to rely on fundraising events throughout the year.
Utah ski resort improvements for 2009-10 season
All 13 Utah ski resorts will have new upgrades to show off to visitors for the ’09-’10 ski season. SkiUtah.com compiled all of the improvements and changes that have been made during the off-season, that will give skiing tourists and locals alike a memorable experience when they come to enjoy Utah’s world-famous powder. In addition to improvements to Utah’s resorts, there is also a huge improvement for Utah visitors in the form of re-vamped liquor laws, but that’s another story. Below is a list of all the ski resort upgrades, courtesy of Ski Utah.
‘The Edge of Never’ film review
“The Edge of Never” is the story about Kye Petersen. Kye is the son of extreme skier, Trevor Petersen, who died in 1996 while skiing the Exit Couloir on the Aiguille du Midi in Chamonix, France. The idea was take Kye to that place, where the boy would ski the slope that took his father’s life. There is a mythological plot at work here, about a young man who dares to ski the labyrinth of snow and ice that killed his father. “The Edge of Never” is also a story about family, despite that fact that it’s taking place amidst the carnival of big-mountain skiing.