If you weren't around this past weekend you missed out on a special offering at Highlands-- free refills from Saturday to Tuesday-- and not the type that come from the soda fountain at the Merry Go Round. Through the entire extended weekend it seemed like every lap in Highland Bowl was stacked with new powder, that each time we clicked into our skis and readied to drop in, all the...
I've seen it before, during extended dry periods of past winters, people can become a little jaded and skeptical of storm predictions. Whether the forecasts are incorrect or simply not calling for any big dumps, after long stretches of winter that lack significant snowfall, some just refuse to believe it's really coming when it finally does. So when I got an email from Christy in regards to Joel Gratz's big...
Hang out at Aspen Highlands enough and you'll eventually overhear conversations rehashing the days exploits up in the Bowl using proper bowling terms, and in a style more commonly reserved for the 10 pin, Budweiser sponsored, indoor "sport." Basically, this type of ski slang/ Bowl-speak works like this-- to ski the Bowl from the top is considered a strike, and to ski any line short of the summit, i.e. any...
Hopefully January 2nd isn't too late to wish everyone a Happy New Year. As our first day out together in 2010, Christy and I found things to be pretty good over at Highlands. We're psyched for 2010 and all that it could bring. The race calendar is filling up, the 14er skiing season is right around the corner, a ski expedition to Greenland (more…)
If you haven't been there yet, Highlands Bowl is skiing great. Joel Gratz from the Colorado Powder Forecast was here to catch the first rope drop on Monday afternoon. He was psyched to get it with a load of new snow from the weekend storm (which he had accurately predicted), and put together a report here. The second rope dropped, on the Northwoods, Tuesday morning. Troy Selby and I hooked...
Saturday might be the official opening of Aspen Highlands but a lucky group of us got a sneak peek yesterday. It looks good. How did we get the preview? Well, the Aspen Highlands Ski Patrol have a somewhat novel approach to manage terrain that can pose significant challenges to keep safe and open to the public. With the arrival of the first snows in late fall, they exhaustively 'boot pack'...
The ski season has definitely arrived. Technically, that may not be news, but a recent exchange with a friend reinforced the fact that it was really here. While the conversation-- which occurs regularly throughout the winter months-- can vary in its specifics, the basic gist is always the same. It goes something like this: Friend #1 "Did you get to out there today?" (there can be a ski area, a...
Another fun opening weekend has come and gone, and with that, another World Cup Event. The giant slalom and slalom races, the only U.S. stops on the Women's World Cup circuit, were on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Crowds of spectators watched from the finish area and grandstand, no doubt contributed in part to the sunny weather and somewhat uninspiring ski options available to the public on the rest of the...
There's snow up high, yet the mountain doesn't open until Thanksgiving and because we don't like waiting-- sometimes we're downright impatient-- four of us decided to go get a sneak peek. Neal Beidleman, Pete Anzalone, Christy and I made up the eager foursome and found things to be pretty good if not downright awesome by pre-opening day standards. One run in particular might be worth a second visit though I...
Once in a while we all have to give something back. So when I saw the email yesterday I knew the right thing to do was go donate my time. It was a worthy cause. Here's how the request for volunteers read: Powder Posse on Friday April 17th (tomorrow) ski up the POWDER. To join this Posse: You must be an expert skier or rider in good physical shape You...
We met in Aspen in 2000 and have been happily stuck in the rockies ever since, getting out in the mountains every day we can, in every season and by all means possible. Read More
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