Late Season in Southern Minnesota

In mid-March I paid a visit to Mount Kato, a small hill in southern Minnesota. It's like most ski and snowboard areas in the state: limited terrain, small vertical drop, and a small area. But during the right time, it also offers a way to spend some time on the snow.



The snow is long gone, I've already started to play golf, and I even paid a visit to the summer cottage. But during that visit I came across some notes I took on the day of my visit to the city of Mankato and Mt. Kato. They're reprinted below.

March 12, 2008
The conditions today were, to borrow from Bart Simpson, craptacular. More then half of the named slopes were closed, including, if I'm reading the trail map correctly, the longest ones. No doubt their relative flatness was a factor in their closure, as was the fact that they face into the setting sun.



Closing that terrain means closing lifts, which in turns means saving money on wages. Wages, in turns are an important consideration given that at this point in the season, traffic is meager and limited (most likely) to season pass holders and not new ticket buyers. There were, I would guess, no more than 20 customers all afternoon. Again, since they were probably season ticket buyers, marginal revenue was almost nil.



For my part, I paid $0 for my pass (part of a pass-sharing arrangement between two ski areas) and drank some bottled water that I brought with me.

Now here's an idea for ski areas: cut the food prices at the end the season. You already cut lift tickets in an attempt to draw in more customers. Why not cut prices on food? Or offer a free refill on fountain drinks? I thought of paying $1.25 for a small Coca-Cola, but then I saw the sign that said "No Free Refills." At this point of the season, why not? The incremental cost to you is meager, but shouldering it would have induced me to pony up.

Of the five chair lifts visible from the base, only two were running today. They led to nine distinct slopes. One lift served two green slopes, which, given the snow condition, were nearly unusable (too flat, too slow).

That left only one lift, requiring that skiers pole and riders skate or walk at the top. On the other hand, it does look like the area is well laid-out for those days with heavy traffic.

As you might expect from an area in the Midwest, the diamond runs had some steepness to them but were very short. In fact, the chair lift required only 5 towers to go from the base to the peak.

A small terrain park had two kickers, a dance floor, a high rail, a box, a c-rail, the remnants of a quarter pipe, and perhaps another feature or two. I slid on the dance floor (a wide sheet of plastic that requires getting zero air) but did not take on any of the other features. Parks rates will probably enjoy the chair (not running today) that is closest to the park. I could have tried the dance floor a few more times, but the effort to get there--some skating up on top, or hiking back up--was more bother than the floor deserved.

The base village is much what you would expect: a building for the office, another for ski patrol, a rental shop, and a chalet with (for legal reason) an adjacent bar.



The chalet has two levels, with an outside balcony that should be (but isn't) standard in day areas. The lower level of the chalet has the ugly concrete floors of its corporate sibling, Afton Alps.



A lower-level lounge has a feature unusual among the 15 or so Midwestern areas I've visited: a small changing room. Much like its counterpart in department stores, it has a mirrow, and the door doesn't reach to the floor. The "old" skis on the wall, meanwhile, were from only the 1970s or so and not really old-school. No old snowboards.

Speaking of snowboards, I saw something unusual on the office building: A sign that reads "Snowboards must have metal edges and leash." I wondered how old that sign is. Snowboards without metal edges re either older than old, or mere playthings.

The end of the season gave employees of the area new tasks, including keeping the melting snow under some measure of control. One employee was smoothing out the snow, far from the lift. When I left, two others were digging a trench in the snow, to channel the melt.

I finished up the day with a dinner and professional meeting in town.

Boycott Burton?

Is Burton good for snowboarding? It's a matter for debate in any number of discussion forums, including one for ski and snowboard instructors. For the last several months I've been toying with the idea of writing a brief article explaining my dislike of the company. In short, it has done some good, but it also promotes an image of riding that is bad for the sport--or at least bad for mature riders.

To quote a member of the Grays on Trays discussion forum,

Snowboarding is a sport, and one to be enjoyed, not to see who can dress more "gangsta."

I try to avoid buying from brands promoting such crap. Burton is the biggest offender, go so far as to put a d*** "spinner" in one of last year's boards.

Yeah, that's one reason to avoid Burton. But friend, I'll see you and raise you one gangsta: Avoid Burton because it encourages riders to violate property rights.

From the Associated Press (December 2007):

Burton lays down a $5,000 snowboard poaching challenge. ... BURLINGTON, Vt. -- Burton Snowboards is challenging snowboarders to go where they're not wanted, offering a $5,000 bounty for the best video of those who take to the slopes at "elitist, fascist" ski resorts that don't allow snowboarding.

"Poaching isn't simply a peaceful form of protest. It's truly your patriotic duty," the snowboard maker says on its Web site.

Complete and utter nonsense, even if it is great marketing. Patriotism means love of country, and the good that it stands for. In the case of the U.S., that includes a respect for private property. Yet here's Burton, calling for people to go where they're not wanted.

Ever hear of live and let live? Apparently not.

Jake Burton is lauded by some for taking a "pure" approach to snowboarding by not selling his company for the multimillions it would fetch. But comments such as those above--echoed by too many riders--are off-base. For one thing, they're incredibly offensive to victims of real fascism, who have been denied life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

There's also a strange sense of justice in the "we're going to ride wherever we want to" campaign. Says Mr. Burton:

"For 25 years we've been working to open resorts and we couldn't have done it without the involvement of local riders. I don't think that our job is done, so you can snowboard everywhere. ... Mountains can be brutally cruel but they're not discriminatory. I don't think any resort is entitled to be discriminatory based on what's on your feet."

Of course "mountains" do not "discriminate," since they're not moral actors. But what of the people who spend millions of dollars to install lifts? Certainly they ought to be able to have some say over what people carry onto those lifts, which are their property.

Think of this: Is is wrong for a movie theater to "discriminate" against patrons who bring floodlights into screening rooms?

Let's continue with the news story.

Like Mad River, Deer Valley said its guests are looking for a ski-only experience.

Snowboarders have options at other resorts, said Coleen Reardon, director of marketing.

"They (skiers) feel that snowboarders ride the mountain differently than skiers ski it, and that they'd feel a little safer," she said.

The few times that snowboarders do poach: "We tell them snowboarders aren't allowed and help them off the mountain," she said.

Here's a business that is attentive to the wants of its customers. For various reasons, some skiers don't like to be around snowboards. You or I may think that's a foolishness, but then again, there's no accounting for taste.

Back to the story:

But that's discriminatory, says Burton.

"Just like you want to be able to walk into any restaurant and eat. You want to go to any resort and ride," he said.

Burton is no stranger to poaching. He and his wife were hele-boarding in Utah a few years ago when they were dropped off at the top of Alta.

"We were screamed at," he said of the ride down.

A few points. One, the restaurant analogy is absurd. A better analogy would be this: You walk into a restaurant with your own food and portable stove and demand a table. The restaurant refuses. Are they being "discriminatory?" Yes, and rightly so.

It's too bad that Mr. Burton and his wife were screamed at. People can be such idiots. But then again, should customers of a business who expect one service be happy when an outsider comes in to disrupt their experience? Say Mr. Burton and his wife are having dinner at a fancy restaurant. Would he be thrilled if a bunch of guys came in, set up a couple of kegs at the next table, and started throwing bones from chicken wings down at the floor?

Such silly thinking may not be unique to Burton, and any company that was the market leader in snowboarding goods would face incentives to spout nonsense about being unjustly discriminated against.

Even so, I try to avoid buying Burton goods whenever I can. Unfortunately, sometimes it's rather hard to find substitutes, especially if you're pressed for time and need to stop in a retail outlet rather than wait for a mail-order product to arrive. So at times I contribute to the fortunes to a company that makes riders look silly and morally confused. But thinking back on this last season has given me more reason to consider planning ahead and finding alternatives.

Riding in May? Try A-Basin

Ever want to go snowboarding in May? You can do it, if you know where to look. You might even get some fresh snow to ride in.

Recently I was able to meet a few Grays on Trays folks in Arapahoe Basin, Colorado. Nearby Breckenridge, Copper, Keystone and even Loveland had shut down the lifts for the season, but A-Basin was going strong.

As you can see from theses photos of the Montezuma Bowl, there was plenty of snow available.

Looking down from the top:



Looking up from about mid-way:



For a more full report with many more photos, go to the GraysOnTrays.com bulletin board. The thread is http://graysontrays.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=764

Isn't Snowboarding a Little Extreme?

Is snowboarding an "extreme sport?"

Think about it this way: Is driving a car a sport, extreme or otherwise? It depends. Are you driving a Honda Accord down a suburban street, or are you driving a Formula 1 car through the streets?

Got the picture? It all depends on what you're doing with the equipment.

If you're cruising down groomed blue trails, that's not extreme. If you're riding off cliffs and dropping 50 feet, that's extreme.

Merriam-Webster dictionary defines "extreme" as "of, relating to, or being an outdoor activity or a form of a sport (as skiing) that involves an unusually high degree of physical risk."

Writing in the Tampa Tribune, Eric E. Coris, M.D., wonders if today's kids are a little too interested in extreme sports. "What," he asks, "is this infatuation with going faster, higher and more dangerously than ever before?"

Participation in traditional sports such as baseball and basketball are down; participation in skateboarding and snowboarding is up. ("Snowboarding now claims 7.2 million participants, up 51 percent from 1999," he says.)

Dr. Coris, who serves on the faculty of the University of South Florida, has stitched up patients after skateboarding accidents, asks if it has all gotten out of hand.

His response? No.

"Extreme sports offer an opportunity to challenge and express yourself. There exists an air of cooperation, without specific winning and losing that may help some children's development of self-esteem. There is little organization into teams or leagues, and no overzealous parents screaming at their kids through the backstop fence."

Another reason: injury rates for most so-called extreme sports are low.

Sensibly enough, the good doctor, who describes himself as "a very bad snowboarder" and "a slightly better downhill skier," advises helmet use.

("Are Extreme Sports a Good Thing?, Tampa Tribune, May 9, 2008)

Shopping Notes: Sierra Snowboard

If you will need or want a new snowboard, bindings, or boots for next season, this might be a good time to go shopping. You can save a lot of money off retail.

One place that may be worthwhile is Sierra Snowboard. I've never bought anything from them, but their site has several features that could be useful. There are user forums, a Wiki, a chat, and helpful videos, to start with.

There are many places where you can buy snowboards, so look around.

3-D Ski Maps

Do you like to study the landscape of a ski area before you visit? Looking at the trail map and reading descriptions (online sites, guidebooks, etc.) can help.

But maps are flat, and sliding on the snow requires, by definition, ground that is not flat.

At least one company, 3D Ski Maps, offers color-coded maps for a a number of mountains in North America. These include Squaw Valley, Aspen Highlands and Ajax; Vail and Beaver Creek; SugarLoaf USA, and Okemo.

You can look at static maps or Java-enabled ones that let you you rotate, scan and pan the map. The Java maps take a bit of work to maneuver, however.

Though the selection is limited, the site is worth a visit.