How Bad Have You Got It?

02.08.05 - This winter sucks, plain and simple. Nearly any Jay bird will have career low ski days this year. I can count my powder days on one hand and my face shots on one finger. December was descent up until the 30th; then the rains came. The east coast rang in 2005 with a month of boilerplate trails leading to injuries and fatalities. However bad it seems here, it's as bad or worse in other places. Whistler is 60% open, which is good for that area of North America. Alyeska, which averages over 600" per year, has 5 of its 10 lifts open, and over 50% of its expert terrain is closed. Over half way through winter 04/05, this is shaping up to be a forgettable one for most skiers and riders.

Dave Bell at White Pass, last year.

No matter how frustrated we are and no matter how much complaining we do, there is still one place that has it even worse than anywhere else: the Pacific Northwest. Alpental/Summit at Snoqualmie - CLOSED. Stevens Pass - CLOSED. White Pass - CLOSED. Crystal - CLOSED. The list goes on and on. Some resorts are just starting to re-open featuring limited terrain and limited coverage. Most, however, have resorted to pleading for powder on their web pages and asking people to do snow dances on their snowphones.

BigAirBell steep and deep at Whites Pass, last year.

In a year when we saw Crystal Mountain earn a #7 Skiing Magazine resort rating, mother nature cannot be found. They have been closed for over 2 weeks now and all mountain events are postponed or canceled. David Bell, a Crystal passholder struggles to stay optimistic despite the odds, "I am finally getting bummed about skiing realizing that I have gone once in three weeks and 4 times in a month. Of those four times I was skinning at Crystal the whole time, the backcountry never opened because of lack of snow on the ridgeline. But like I always say it's gotta come soon."

How bad is it? Worst season ever. "The Department of Ecology is going to issue a drought emergency, it is the driest winter on record," says Bell. But he stays optimistic, "Don't you fear Brian, that means that we are gonna get hammered for the rest of the season." About 20" from re-opening, Crystal cannot afford to go much longer in a closed status. All lessons are canceled, all on mountain bars and restaraunts have no income, and this says nothing about the money losses for area businesses who depend on skier visits for profits.

Mark ripping Whites Pass, last year.

There is a bright side, sort of. Open Washington ski resorts are doing what they can to help each other out. 49 Degrees North is offering 50% off to passholders of closed mountains and 20% off for a pass to any other mountain. Some Canadian resorts are providing free skiing to pass holders from any closed PNW ski area. Maybe this is just a ploy to steal skiers; one mountain kicking another while they're down (I know this is why Jay offers discounts for non-Jay passes from time to time). However, I tend to believe the lucky few open ski resorts are just trying to help each other out. This isn't cut-throat Vermont after all.

Bell skiing off into the King, last year.

The most ironic part of this entire ordeal is the fact that I picked this year to check out Washington's skiing. After 4 years of Bell advertsing the goods and hyping the entire area, I am finally straying from Tahoe, my vacation spot from last year. As of press time, Jr and I leave in 18 days. That gives mother nature 2 weeks to set up my base and a week in a half to pound the PNW with that wet maritime snow. If this snowfall doesn't occur, well, to answer the title question, "I have it the worst, almost as bad as the Washington locals."

~Brian Parnell

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Termas de Chillan Chillan, Chile (August 21-23, 2005)

11.01.05 - It's day nine of a fourteen day excursion to Chile. Its our fifth ski day of a trip designed to accommodate six to seven ski days, and our second day skiing Termas de Chillan, a mountain about 300 miles south of Santiago, offering up approximately 2,300 in vertical and well over 30,000 acres of piste and off piste terrain. It's about 9:20 a.m., and I?m sitting on the El Huemul double, angry. No, El Huemul is not broken. Rather, it is moving as fast as the El Huemul travels. At this stage of the trip, being stranded on a lift was not the source of my anger...

Gratuity Included

02.26.06 - So, I give the Dominos guy 7 bucks on a 23 dollar bill and he looks at me like I'm the one who should be delivering pizzas in a snowstorm. Good thing me and Shmibda are unemployed or else we wouldnta caught the dump that gave way to bluebird solitude today at Mammoth Mountain, Cali. Sure their 12 foot base is the largest in the US and sure my Volkl Karma fatties had no problem pizza wheeling through the fresh half meter left over night, but what's wrong with a seven dollar tip?

The Phantom Menace: Crystal Ship

07.01.05 - Every once in awhile you stumble across a ski you didn't think existed. Gerlt and I were auditioning various websites for a potential First Chair storefront when a generously proportioned, Doors-themed ski jumped off the page at us. Neither of us had ever seen this ride before. Further investigation revealed a small ski company, Phantom, with one ski dedicated precisely to the conditions we worship: East Coast powder filled trees...

Line's New Line: 2005/2006

06.16.05 - Last year Line's catalogue looked like an army recruitment brochure. This year, it resembles a romp through the Playboy mansion; the Line reactor binding spread out on a pimped out velvet background. After 10 years in this business, Line has released their best skis yet. From 3 different Prophets to 2 different Chronics to a couple of women's skis, Line is putting it all on the table this winter...

Igneous Skis, "Don't call it a comeback..."

06.05.05 - When Igneous Skis closed its Jackson Hole doors and shut down operations in March of 2001, Adam Sherman (half owner) thought there was a small chance they'd be back. The company had lasted 5 years but couldn't make ends meet in a market dominated by enormous ski moguls like Atomic and Salomon. Igneous' niche, custom skis, allowed the consumer to choose between multiple options...

Insider's Guide to Tuckerman Ravine, Mt. Washington, NH

05.24.05 - Skiing Tuckerman Ravine is a ritualistic sacrifice for some of the best skiing exeriences imaginable. Mount Washington, the home of the ravine, boasts some of the world's worst weather. Extremely harsh, cold, and snowy winters pound the slopes of the 6000 foot New Hampshire resident every winter. Snow falls, builds, packs, slides, fills, and falls again throughout the season. When this weather cycle dies down in March, Tuckerman Ravine opens for business...

Salomon Releases 2005/2006 Skis

05.15.05 - Salomon has long been a leader in skiing equipment and the 2005/2006 gear continues to help set the standard. Salomon skis will feature 2 types of construction this upcoming winter. The Titanium Monocoque (for power and energy) is used in the Racing and All-Mountain categories while a Composite Monocoque (for lightness and maneuverability) is utilized in the Freestyle/Freeride series...

PNW Part 2: Washington

03.24.05 - After three great days at Whistler/Blackcomb, Reichert, Bell, and I headed back into Washington searching for more powder. We decided on the nation's leading yearly snowfall getter, Mt. Baker, for phase 2 of our trip. Although Dave tried to warn us, nothing could have prepared JR and me for the Blackcomb to Baker culture shock. I realize no ski resort in the country could live up to skiing's Disneyworld, but Mt. Baker, even with its 600+ inches of snow per year, has more similarities to a desert than to North America's ski Mecca.

PNW Part 1: Whistler, BC

03.16.05 - After 4 years of hearing about great skiing in the Pacific Northwest, I finally chose this season to visit Dave Bell and find out what exactly is going on with the often underestimated resorts of Washington state. I got the call from Bell about a week before JR and I were set to leave. "I think you should fly in somewhere else, we just don't have any snow..."

We Platte-killed it!

03.14.05 - Any mountain that has the word "kill" in it is good by me to begin with. Ski Plattekill in Roxbury, NY didn't exactly make me giddy thinking about their 1000' of vertical, two chairs (neither high-speed) and seeming lack of terrain, but I was enthusiastic about not having to sell my stereo for the lift ticket ($40) and I knew the mountain was owned by a husband and wife. There's a somewhat golden glow that radiates from your soul when you're not skiing on the Man's mountain...

10 Signs Jay Peak is Officially Blown Up

02.15.05 - Anyone who was at Jay last weekend noticed one thing was more abundant than the supposed 36" of snow that fell: people. An aggressive marketing scheme and a reputation as the East Coast Powder King has helped to attract skiers and riders from all over New England, Canada, and beyond. For those of us that have been skiing Jay for 5 + years, it is frustrating to see our mountain be taken over by intruders. How do I know Jay is too popular for its own good? Read on...