Mad River Glen's New Terrain Parks

by miker92

Browsing Facebook a few weeks ago, I came across a picture posted by Mad River Glen ski area. The picture, of the loading area of the Sunnyside Double chair, bore the caption “Notice anything new?” I didn't. Then I saw the sign: “This lift services terrain park features.”

I admit I was a bit surprised that one of the Northeast’s most prized natural playgrounds would be adding man-made features, considering the old-school atmosphere associated with Mad River. I spoke with Eric Friedman, Director of Marketing and Shareholder Relations, to find out more about the new park setup.

The Mad River Glen Freestyle Team, made up of some of Vermont’s best young rippers, was instrumental in getting the park off the ground. Coaches and team members have had this on their wish lists for years. Ry Young, the head coach, has spearheaded the project, putting in time and effort to make his team’s wish into reality.

Gore Mountain, NY: 12/27/11

Ski Day 6: I'm starting to realize that it almost always makes sense to ski. In the last five seasons, I can't remember a ski day I regret. And I work for my days. I'm 52, married, a dad, with a child in school, from the distant flatlands. Five powder days in a season is good for me.

View towards Headwaters

Planning a ski trip over Christmas holiday is always a crap shoot. But, like a lot of guys, I do it for all the reasons listed above, plus there really is nothing we'd rather be doing that week. It's winter vacation and we want to ski.

Hunter Mountain Holiday: A New Hope

by ml242

All stories have a beginning, but sometimes it's hard to figure out exactly where the beginning is. Like when you're reading Tolkien, do you start with the Hobbit or the Silmarillion? Episode IV or Episode I?

And more personally — was it when I met Amy that I decided to torture her or was it just the other day when I suggested that she come with me on her first day trip to the Catskills? It wasn't easy, but somehow we managed to get out the door before dawn and reap the rewards: Christmas skiing at Hunter good enough to bring her back again.

Coach Z: Ski Vacations with Kids

The holidays are upon us and for many parents that means an extended ski trip with the kids. After years of teaching and skiing with kids, I've learned some things about how to make the most of your child’s lessons and your family vacation.

Take it easy that first day. I often see families who arrived late the previous night show up at the mountain the next day stressed or tired. Instead of trying to jam too much into that first day, you should relax and have fun. If your kids already ski and this is your first time out for the season, consider spending time with them on easy slopes and playing on the snow in the beautiful outdoors. Don’t overdo it your first day or you may be too sore to enjoy the rest of the week.

Consider taking advantage of the other resort activities that first day. In Lake Placid, a great way to spend that first day is a few hours of cross-country skiing or ice skating (both of which transfer really well to alpine skiing skills) followed by a stroll down main street or a visit to the top of the ski jumps.

Avant Forges Adirondack Ski Dealer Network

When we spoke to Ben Callahan and Joel Nashett a year ago, Avant Skis was a small company with big ideas and a line of handmade skis.

Recently, we caught up with Avant's founders about the young company's progress and challenges.

NYSkiBlog: When we spoke a year ago, Avant was making plans to develop a dealer network of both online sellers and local ski shops. How's it coming?

Ben: Breaking into the ski industry is definitely challenging. There are relationships between shops, reps, and ski companies that go back 20 years or more. We’re trying to seek out ski shops that are progressive and willing to represent more than just the top European and Chinese-made skis.

As a designer/manufacturer of American-made premium skis, what obstacles do you face getting your skis in front of skiers?

Joel: Our biggest challenge as a handmade U.S. ski manufacturer is the de-valuation of skis and ski gear across the board. Many ski shops are stuck in a rut – buying inexpensive skis from big companies and marking them up just enough to make a few dollars.

Gore Mountain, NY: 12/18/11

Ski Day 5: After our Thanksgiving ski weekend, Zelda gave me some sobering news — our odds for returning to Adirondacks before Christmas were slim. Indeed, our December weekends were packed with events, but closer scrutiny on my part led to the discovery that it was really only Saturdays that were jammed up. So I pledged to be the man on each Saturday this month in exchange for the freedom to disappear before dawn on Sundays to daytrip the Catskills.

The Nutcracker

As I watched another ugly midweek weather event sweep across the northeast last week, I noted that the coldest air of the season was to be ushered in behind the front. Temps were forecast to be near zero in the Adirondacks, so I considered a novel idea: daytripping Gore.

It wasn't really a day trip. After cheering for an inspiring performance of The Nutcracker, and then celebrating a Taekwondo birthday, I bid goodbye to my girls and drove to the mountains Saturday night. As predicted, a clear night delivered overnight temps close to zero.

Catskill Double Play: Windham and Hunter

by ml242

This season Mother Nature has slowed us all down to some extent. But this week it wasn't really the weather holding me back — I have Gore-tex hard shells, soft shells, and RAIN-X on my windshield. The real issue has been the hesitance of northeastern resorts to commit to all-in snowmaking in the face of a warm, wet forecast.

Don't know 'til you go.

On Tuesday night, a quick surf of the web revealed that Windham was offering the greatest number of open expert trails in the Catskills. I hadn't skied there in a few years, and wanted to get back to the hill.

I skated up to the Whirlwind Quad and said good morning to a welcoming liftie. There weren't any lines and I was so jazzed to be skiing that I didn't buckle my boots until I arrived at the top. Skiers were already making their way down, carving turns, and ripping.

Coach Z: Adjusting to Ski Rocker Technology

Many skiers don't know that ski instructors take clinics themselves. In fact, PSIA instructors are required to take clinics to maintain their certifications. Last week, I had the privilege of participating in a Mini-Academy at Killington, which is offered to Level 3 certified instructors and led by a member of PSIA’s Demonstration Team.

Mike Hafer PSIA Demo Team Member in the bumps at Killington

The demo team is comprised of the top teachers in the country, as established by a week-long competition held at Snowbird once every four years. These try-outs are like an episode of "Survivor." Instructors are run through an endless series of ski drills until only the best remain. In addition, instructors have to complete a series of indoor and on-snow presentations to ensure that only the best teachers and communicators make the team.

I skied with Demo Team member Mike Hafer from Northstar in California. At the outset, Mike asked each instructor in our group what they wanted out of the clinic. Many sought to understand how the new rocker ski technology should change how we teach. Mike believes that rocker will require skiers to adjust what he calls the “DIRT” of their edging, flexion and steering movements.

Hunter Mountain, NY: 12/11/11

Ski Day 4: Catskill starts are early for me, and this morning was no exception. I'd set the alarm for 4:30 with the intention of meeting Xman at our regularly designated spot. The Sheraton in Mahwah is well known by skiers for its spacious parking lot strategically placed at the NY/NJ border. I arrived before day break at 6:15 am.

The Sheraton Mahwah before dawn

X was a few minutes late, but I wasn't the slightest bit concerned. He takes his driving very seriously, and we arrived at Hunter at 8am. As we pulled in, the base was underneath a cloud of manmade snow.

Bode Miller wins the Downhill at Beaver Creek

by miker92

Advertisers spend a lot of time trying to fuse the words “effortless” and “skiing." Flip to an ad for Beaver Creek in Ski Magazine and you’ll probably find a pampered skier making silky turns across a canvas of untracked corduroy. Just like a professional dancer, he or she has probably trained for years to produce a smooth performance.



Enter Bode Miller. He may be popular with the ladies, but his skiing is anything but smooth. Just listen to the yelling in the start house as Miller prepares to throw his body through every turn in the course ahead. The finesse is there, but he’s not afraid to look like he’s trying.

Miller’s win in the World Cup downhill shouldn’t be a surprise. He put together an exceptionally smooth run, betraying his fight against physics only a couple of times. The guy knows what he’s doing and last week at Beaver Creek, he served up a reminder to fans and competitors alike that he’s still got it.

NY Ski Magazine: Loveland and Winter Park, CO

As a skier based in the New York City region with, for better or worse, a "real" job, a mortgage, and a family, my yearly ski totals over the past decade have remained pretty consistent. I always manage to ski 25-30 days per season, with two thirds of those days in the northeast and the other third out west or, on a few lucky occasions, in the Alps.

Winter Park: Johnstone Junction

When I head west two or three times each winter, Salt Lake City receives a fair amount of my visits because it's just too convenient to sidestep. Nonstop flights allow you to ski at least a half day on the arrival and departure days without breaking a sweat, and there are seven very good to great lift-served mountains within a 35-minute drive of its user-friendly airport.

Colorado's I-70 corridor can't quite match the quality/accessibility quotient of the Wasatch, but the two closest major ski areas to the Front Range are pretty damn compelling and deserve far more than just a cursory glance.

Read this issue of NY Ski Magazine:

Loveland and Winter Park: Colorado's I-70 Outliers

Whiteface Mtn, NY: 12/3/11

by miker92

Nothing relieves a student's procrastination-induced stress like skiing. Sure, I have piles of papers and presentations due this week, but what skier can survive in the library when the sun is rising at Whiteface and the mountain is open?

In the winter at St. Lawrence University, we pile into the Outing Club’s signature white van every Saturday morning and bid our studies and troubles farewell. Today was our first excursion of the academic year, and we certainly made the most of it.

I’ll admit to being nervous during the drive to the mountain. There was barely a trace of snow anywhere along the way. But when I rounded the turn by High Falls Gorge on Route 86, I knew I hadn’t sacrificed my studies in vain. There it was in all its glory: the peak, the lifts, the slides. All coated with just enough snow to tease the imagination.

Coach Z: Start Your Ski Season in Balance

You made your first few turns of the season and maybe those turns felt a little shaky. The #1 issue I see in the early season is balance. If you aren't centered, then all the other skills are impacted. I use several balance drills to help my students find their center at the beginning of the season.

The first drill is a called the shuffle. Start this drill on an gentle groomed slope and as you get more comfortable, gradually move to progressively steeper slopes. Move one foot then the other forward and back alternatively while traversing across the hill and making big wide turns. You may find this simple task surprisingly difficult at first.

If you feel like you are getting “stuck” and can’t initiate a turn while shuffling your feet, it means your hips and backside are too far back. Use your hamstrings and glutes to pull your feet back under your torso while keeping your core strong. Once you “get” this drill (which may take a while), gradually diminish the shuffling until it's gone. Ideally, you'll still feel balanced.