Later Opening Date, Later Closing Time

Since we're in the days when just a few lift-served areas are open, I'm sympathetic to the argument advanced by Scott Willoughby in today's Denver Post.

He notes that most ski areas in Colorado are now closed, despite having record snowfall. For example, "Despite ample remains of the second-snowiest winter of all time in Vail and the deepest ever next door at Beaver Creek, those two areas are shut down until summer, with resort officials citing a lack of staff and interest to keep lifts running even on weekends."

I suppose if you've had the opportunity to ride and ski all winter, and especially if you live within driving distance of the mountains, you're going to say after a while "No, I think I'll go golfing today," no matter how much snow is left on the mountains. For you see, feeble customer demand closes many lifts before lack of snow cover does. For those of us who travel to the mountains for a visit, that is an especially sad state of affairs.

Though he may be--to toss in a summer metaphor--swimming upstream, he suggests that ski areas address their staffing problems by starting their seasons later, and running the lifts later in the spring.

"If," he says, "the large ski resorts are in such a bind to find even a skeleton crew to man the mountains while there still is so much snow on the slopes, they should consider providing what most ski resort employees seek in the first place — more skiing, not less."

The problem, he says, is that the calendar is out of whack.

"Ultimately, it amounts to timing, and a bit more flexibility on the corporate skiing front. As it now stands, the big-league resorts are all about opening days surrounding the Thanksgiving holiday — when snow is unreliable at best. It makes more sense to push the opener back into December — as Mother Nature forced many to do this season — and target a conditions-warranted closing date for at least a few lifts of, say, Cinco de Mayo, that will send employees off to mud season in Mexico with a bona fide fiesta. If the snow arrives early, skiers and staff will only be champing at the bit."

I detect an anti-corporate feel to the article, which highlights the love/hate relationship that is easy for riders and skiers to have: deep pockets such as Intrawest and Vail Resorts install plenty of high-speed lifts to get us to the top of the mountains, but the accounting department rules the roost: not enough profit? Shut down the lifts.

Should there be a calendar shift? I'd like to see it. But unless "the market"--that is, the collective decisions of millions of riders and skiers--expresses an interest and more importantly buys the late-season tickets that are available, it won't happen.

Late Season Riding

Think it's too late in the year to go snowboarding? Not if you know where to look.

As of today, 38 ski areas tracked by the site Snocountry.com are still open.

A good number of those are in Europe, but in North America, riders still have 14 choices for riding, ranging from Sugarloaf in Maine to Whistler in British Columbia.



I haven't checked the anticipated closing dates of each of these areas, but do your homework and you should find somewhere to ride for at least another month. Granted, spring conditions require a different attitude and challenge your skills in ways that, say, late January snow does not. But late-season riding is another way to grow as a snowboarder.

An Incredible Descent

Think you're been on some steep slopes?

Terje Haakonsen, a legendary snowboarder, puts the "extreme" into "extreme sports." Here's a 3-minute clip of him riding down an ultra-steep slope in Alaska. Click and be amazed.

Snowboarding in Japan

With my own riding in the Midwest over, it's time to travel to other places for some snowboarding. And if that doesn't pan out, at least think about snowboarding somewhere else.

That somewhere else lately has been Japan. No, I've never been there, but it offers riders plenty of opportunities. Lots of resorts. Lots of snow. And lots of options.

So where do you start reading about what's out there? One place is Snow Japan. It's a hobby site that has grown a lot over the years, with forums, maps and other features I have yet to explore.

Most Difficult, Least Difficult

One thing I enjoy about visiting different ski areas is seeing how the mountain management does things. Usually they observe the same practices, but sometimes you'll see something different.

I'm used to seeing signs in Aspen/Snowmass that say "Easiest Way Down." That makes sense; you don't want a beginning snowboarder or skier to plunge down a steep blue if he is still working on the basics.

But when I was at Loon Mountain, New Hampshire, I saw something different. Some signs said "More difficult." Some read "Most difficult way."



Maybe it's a way to boost the egos of intermediates? It doesn't matter much, I suppose, and it serves a similar purpose to the "Easiest Way Down" signs. It helps beginners to know where to go, though unlike the case with Aspen, indirectly.

Extended Season!

One thing that's remarkable about this season is that so many different ski areas are getting great snow this season. It's a national phenomenon. For example, Okemo (Vermont), Brundage (Idaho), and Aspen Highlands (Colorado) are all extending their seasons.

The ground may be turning brown or even green where you are, but there is riding to be had, so get out there and enjoy it while you can.

Ski Scotland? Aye!

My favorite places for snowboarding are in the Rockies. But how about ... Scotland? Yes, there's a trade association called Ski Scotland that will tell you all about skiing in the land of kilts, bagpipes and haggis.

Not that I'd expect a Yank traveling across the ocean to hit the slopes go to Scotland rather than the Alps. But if your business needs send you to Glasgow or Aberdeen or if you're fascinated by all things Scottish, why not.

You'll immediately notice some differences from the U.S. For one thing, the trails or slopes are called "pistes," which are colored in terms of easier to more difficult, go in this progression: green, blue, red and black. The bunny slope, as far as I can tell, is called the nursery. Ouch! Talk about wounding your pride!

You may be surprised to learn that the vertical drop is respectable, though not spectacular: 1,900 feet for the Nevis Range, for example.

But there's one fact of these resorts that problem won't appeal to U.S. riders: surface lifts dominate in Scotland.

Mad River Glen and the Burton Problem

Three "ski" areas in the country are still ski-only: Snowboards are not allowed. That's quite a change from the late 1980s.

The three are Alta and Deer Valley, in Utah, and Mad River Glen in Vermont.

Mad River Glen is a co-op, and its members like it just the way it is. That's fine with me, but a certain snowboard company has encouraged riders to take their equipment to the Glen (and the other holdouts) and ride them.

I'm not a great fan of the idea--it just strikes me wrong on so many levels--but the marketing director of Mad River Glen isn't bothered. He belongs to the school of "any publicity is good publicity."

Martin Griff reports.

A Sign that the End of the Season is Near

Here in the flatlands, the season for snowboarding and skiing is coming to an end. It's hard for the areas to stay open until St. Patrick's Day, let alone later.

This morning my driveway was more than half uncovered.



People at ski areas have a hard time convincing the public that even if there's no snow at home, it is on the slopes. They're right, of course, at the beginning of the season, when cold nights and snowmaking equipment combine to make sliding possible.

But towards the end of the season, their job may be even more difficult, as thoughts turn to golf, tennis, cycling, gardening and other outside activities.