Happy Hour Map

I actually went through and updated my Happy Hour Map the other day. It’s almost more of an “Interesting Bar Directory” than a happy hour directory right now, but it’s a work in progress. Eventually I would like to drop all of the chains from the list and just have it as a local bar happy hour map, but until then I’ll leave the franchised bars with good happy hours up there. (There is always a link to UTM’s Happy Hour Map on the right side of this page under Beer.)

I sure could use some help with this though since I really don’t have the time, gasoline, money, or liver to just tour around the mountains looking for good bars during happy hour. If you have a favorite Front Range or mountain town happy hour or bar that you really like please send me some details about it and I’ll post it on the map and probably even drop by the bar for a beer sometime. Cheers!

Tahoe: Kirkwood

In January I had an opportunity to check out the Lake Tahoe area for a three day snowboarding excursion. I had never been to the area before so this was all a first for me and I feel like it was a really positive experience overall, but not without it’s adventures and downfalls. After three days I am in no way equipped to write you a guide, but I think I came away with some fairly handy information that you could probably exploit if you were to head that way. I’ll probably have to break this up into several posts.

When I booked my plane tickets at the end of December the snow accumulation at Heavenly was looking pretty bleak. They only had around 50% of the mountain open. I was nervous. I have no interest in spending hundreds of dollars to go out of state and pay for lift tickets to ride groomers all day. Then in the middle of January the skies opened up and the whole region started getting pummeled with snow so we got pretty excited.

Kirkwood

Day one was a Thursday and there was a storm moving through the area. We went to Heavenly but we were stopped short at the ticket window. The ticket fellow warned us that three of the lifts were already shut down due to hight winds and another four would probably be closing as well, making most of the mountain inaccessible. Additionally, they were expecting 130mph winds on top of the mountain so there was also the potential that they would just shut the whole mountain down. “No refunds.” We just weren’t down with paying full price to get kicked off of the mountain so we decided to pick a different mountain. After calling various mountains for snow reports we decided to try out Kirkwood, which is about 45 minutes from Heavenly.

It was snowing and blowing pretty hard at Kirkwood and this turned in to a half day ($56, I think it was $68 for the full day), but Kirkwood isn’t a huge place so I got to see most of the mountain. I started off doing some laps on the Sunrise lift. This area is probably the closest thing Kirkwood has to a “back side”. Visibility was low so I didn’t make it out to an area called The Wave, which looked like it had a ton of potential. I stuck with other runs accessed by taking a right when getting off the lift and cat-tracking over a bit. The upper portion is fairly steep with very few trees and a few rock outcroppings, but once you get into the lower portion everything flattens out and gets a little dull. After 3 laps I had seen everything I wanted to see back there and decided to head back to the main portion of the mountain. To do this, I took Larry’s Lip over to a series of chutes that fall right under the very rocky and dramatic peak of the mountain. I believe the one I took was called Two Man Chute and it offered a really steep shot through some nice, untouched snow. Maybe people stay away because it takes two lifts to lap the area. If you were to shop around you would probably find a half-dozen nice rock drops in this area. I managed to hit a smaller one on my way through. In retrospect, a two-lift lap would have been worth it to hit that area again but I didn’t make it back there again.

I skipped the Wagon Wheel and The Wall area. There are 6 chutes and a lot of double diamond terrain high up and right in the middle of the mountain that looks promising. Next time….

From the Cornice Express lift I traversed across to the Sentinel Bowl area for several laps. This area is a two-lift-lap as well but worth the effort. From what I rode it was my favorite part of this mountain. Sentinel offers some gullies, trees, and small rock outcroppings and drops all through lots of nice snow. I traversed as far to skier’s left as possible to stay in nice powdery snow against the OB rope. Apparently I overlooked a gate that was higher up on the rope and closed the day I was there. It wasn’t until talking to some locals at Heavenly that I found out that a boarder had been buried and rescued in an avalanche in the Palisades area the day before I was there, which was possibly the reason for the closure.

Overall, Kirkwood didn’t seem to bad to me at all. It had a small mountain feel with fun little spots here and there. I could definitely see how the place could grow on a person that rides there a lot. I’m not sure if I would travel all the way from Denver to Lake Tahoe just to exclusive this mountain though. A traveler could probably get everything they would want out of this mountain in one full day, but they could stay entertained for two.

I have lots to tell about Heavenly as well, but I’m going to save it for another day.

A Basin: The Marmot Grind

I invited as many people as I could out to do this with me, but the favorite reply was, “I’m not in shape for that.” In fact, I heard it so many times that I began to believe that I was not in shape for it either. Then I had these visions of 30 minutes after the starting gun, me being the only person in sight, only half way up High Noon and stopping to catch my breath.

I really did think this would be something that would take me 3 - 4 hours to complete. And my fears were further compounded as I started thinking that I was the only boarder entered when I couldn’t find a single other snowboarder with a number bib on. None of this held true though as I finally ran into Ben, another boarder that entered and ended up being the first in our division to cross the finish line. There were a total of 8 snowboarders that entered the Recreational division, and none in the Racer division. It was really no big surprise that no boarders went in the Racer division as The Grind is mostly geared toward telemark skiers. Some of these people are really hardcore too, with their skin-tight body suits and born-to-win attitudes. (Not to say that I caught any attitude from anyone. Everyone was very much there to have a good time.)

The Rec Course: It all basically started right outside of the A-frame (you know, where EVERYTHING happens at A Basin) and went straight up the High Noon run. At the top of the first major slope on High Noon you cut across Sundance to Chisolm Trail then go up to Wrangler. Hang a right on Wrangler, pass the top of the Exhibition lift, and get on the Grizzly Road traverse (it doesn’t look like a traverse on the trail map, but anyone who rides the mountain knows it is a traverse). Take Grizzly Road to the top of the Pallavicini lift, then the West Wall/Cornice Run ridgeline all the way to the top of Norway Lift. From there you cut over to the North Pole Hiking Gate and hike to the top of North Pole Chute. (Then we finally got some downhill.) Ride the North Pole Chute down to the avalauncher (just above the base of the Lenawee Lift), do a very short uphill to jump over to West Gully just above Wrangler, then follow the original course down to the Start/Finish Line. You follow all of that? No? It may help to look at a trail map.

The whole course covered 2000 vertical feet for rec competitors. The Racer course was 4000 vertical. Racers started at the same time and place as Rec, but they split off at the top of Norway and dipped down into Zuma bowl. Once they came back out of Zuma they went through the North Pole hiking gate with everyone else, but when they rode down North Pole they had to stop at the traverse, then turn around and hike up Willie’s Wide, then ride down to the bottom along the rest of the course from there.

Everyone started out on foot with gear on the ground 100 feet up the hill. Snowboarders kinda had the advantage here (although it would be quickly lost on the uphill) because we could all leave our boards strapped to our packs just sitting on the hill, meaning we all just had to run up and put a backpack on and start walking uphill while everyone else wrestled with bindings.

There are a few things I’d change about the way I approach this deal next year, or suggest to those that are going to make an attempt in the future. I opted to go without trekking poles (because I don’t currently own a pair) but I think I’ll have some ready for next year. I think I used a lot of energy keeping my balance and I lost my footing on a few steeper spots. I’m sure you know the feeling of having a foot slip while walking uphill, then taking those three running steps to try to catch yourself and scramble back to where you were, and then feeling like you wasted half-a-day’s energy on what equated to taking one step uphill. Trekking poles would have helped there as well as some type of crampons. I noticed at least one of the boarders had some little plastic, buckle-on crampons that would have really helped me keep footing (I actually fell in behind him and used his footprints on some steeper spots), but I think a full-on spiky metal set of crampons would have been overkill.

Also, I carried 70 oz of water with me but that turned out to be excessive, especially after my Camelback tube froze with 60 oz to go. That basically added up to 4 lbs of water I carried with me for no reason. Camelback makes those little thermal sleeves for the tube but people who use those have told me that it only slows the freezing and doesn’t prevent it. From the top of Palli to the top of North Pole the wind was really howling, so I doubt anything could have been done to prevent freezing. Next year I’ll probably just pre-hydrate and take more like 40 oz so it isn’t such a burden if it freezes again. I thought they may have a water stop along the way but they didn’t, so take water with you unless you can push yourself for 2 hours straight without drinking anything.

I also learned that dressing in proper layers is crucial. It was a chilly morning at the base of the mountain but I still started out in nothing more than a base layer and light fleece hoodie. By the time I was at the top of High Noon I was drenched to the bone with my own sweat. My clothes wicked well but when I got to the ridgeline on Grizzly my sweat-soaked fleece froze solid. This would have been a good spot to add a shell but I just kept going all the way to the North Pole gate before adding a layer as I was trying to dry off a bit the whole way. I’ll also remember to take a neck gator next time. I skipped it thinking that a high collar on my hoodie would be sufficient, but being blasted with that icy wind while pouring with sweat proved to be rough on my neck. In fact, my face was so numb that by the time I reached the top of North Pole I had no sense of the snotsickle that had fanned out from my right nostril all the way across my right jaw line. I’m sure it was entertaining for anyone who watched me pass.

I’m not sure if there was a rule posted about music players, but I assume there wasn’t judging by the number of people I saw wearing headphones. Music was essential for me. It gave me a beat to walk to and kept me from talking to or listening to the other people around me (although the cluster of people from the start line was widely dispersed by the time I got to the top of High Noon).

At the after-party we were all given goody bags with a variety of Clif treats, drink mixes, coupons, a t-shirt, and a copy of Backcountry. There was also a raffle, in which I won nothing, and a casual awards ceremony in which all of the 1st place Rec winners got a Marmot backpack and some other swag. Overall, not a bad deal for the $25 entry fee. Oh yeah, and how could I forget the beer? New Belgium brought some Springboard and Skinny Dip for all of the competitors. I crossed the finish line and pounded 3 of them right away and found myself hoping that I wouldn’t get called in the raffle so I wouldn’t have to stagger up to the front of a room full of people.

As an honorable mention, 59 year old Bill Moody was the only person in the Veteran Snowboarder division. I remember him from walking next to him for a while; he was trucking up the hill. He finished 3rd of all of the snowboarders with a time of 1:55:32. Congratulations, Bill.

Here are the rest of the results. Most of the teles came in under the 2 hour mark, snowboarders averaged around 2 hours. If you are thinking about entering next year (or if you are one of the people that I will pester into going next year) then I would estimate that someone of modest athletic ability and endurance could complete the course in 2:30 if you picked a pace that you can maintain.

If you’ve already told me that you’ll do it next year, (it’s funny how many people will say that within a few days after the event) then I’m holding you to it.

Carbon Negative?

Just as soon as I post the Copenhagen fire starter Backpacker Magazine has to follow it up with a similar reader submission. It was wax-coated sawdust in a muffin cup. Similar deal, probably a really good idea except that the pic they put on the page made it look like it would crush and explode sawdust all over your pack (although I think they were actually trying to make it look like a frosted muffin). Like I said before though, there are probably a hundred variations of that deal so I’m sure a person could alter it for his own needs.

In the past I haven’t been a big reader of Backpacker but this year I have picked up a few copies. It seems like a good publication and I’ve enjoyed most of what I’ve read, but I have a little beef with their article on Backpacker’s Carbon Neutral Project. Their claim is that since they ran a climate change article last Fall (which I did not read) they have been working towards becoming a carbon-neutral publication and according to this article and the “100% carbon neutral” stamp on the cover they seem to have done it in just a few short months. Props to them for putting the effort into this and being an example to other publications.

Now I turn into that guy that nit-picks on shit….

Before I read the article I tore 4 subscription cards out of the magazine. I’m sure this has more to do with the publisher than the publication. But really, has anyone in history ever used all 4 cards, much less one of them? I’d like to know the stat on how many of these cards are returned to them for new or renewed subscriptions. I suspect it is less than 1%, but I really don’t know. The four cards in each copy of Backpacker is the equivalent of one sheet of heavy construction paper, so here is the math I’m coming up with:

Backpacker publishes 30,000 copies per month for 9 months out of the year totaling about 270,000 magazines each year.  But they are expanding to Europe and expect to be publishing 85,000 copies/month by the end of the year so they will be up to 765,000 copies/year. (http://www.travelmedia.ie/press_release/?762)

Each magazine contains one piece of heavy-duty construction paper for the 4 subscription cards.

99% of those subscription cards will go unused, so….

Backpacker, while being carbon-neutral, wastes 267,300 sheets of construction paper per year that they know will go unused, and this number could be as high as 757,350 by year’s end. To me, these little subscription cards are kinda like telemarketers; they are mostly just annoying but they are still there and they still have a job because one of them gets lucky once or twice a day. While they are apparently still profitable (profit gained from new/renewed subscriptions > the cost of the wasted paper to the company, not the environment), blanket advertising techniques like this are wasteful. I’m sure this was addressed during their carbon-neutral project and overruled for economic reasons, but really I just think it looks stupid to toot your own horn about how environmentally conscious you are while wasting anywhere from .25 - .75 million sheets of construction paper per year.

My original plan was to make sure each card was used to subscribe a new person to their magazine. If for each copy of Backpacker they published they had to cancel 4 fake subscriptions then the profit of all of the wasted paper would drop into the negative column thereby forcing the publisher to stop the waste. I’m holding off on this for now because it’s a little malicious and may have some bad karma attached to it.

I really shouldn’t talk though since I’m still buying paper copies of Backpacker when they offer an online version. I didn’t want to spend all of my time bashing Backpacker though. I hate that “green” has become a fad because fads fade away when they are replaced by other fads. Ever since Al Gore did An Inconvenient Truth no one has given a shit about the Adkins Diet. I don’t think the general populous will stay as concerned about the environment as they are now, but hopefully the Green Fad will have a lasting effect on some. Meanwhile, a lot of us have been green for a long time and we are now greener because the fad has made things like recycling, recycled materials, and cleaner fuels much more accessible. I’d like to see more of an improvement in public transportation as well but that’s a pretty big fish to fry so I’ll be patient.

We, being the wilderness-loving folk that we are, have the responsibility to go above and beyond neutrality in many situations in order to offset the damage done by those who aren’t as environmentally conscious. We pick up other peoples’ trash on the trail, right? So why brag about being carbon-neutral? No one says, “I picked up all of my own trash on the trail and didn’t leave a single bit behind,” because it’s something you should be doing. After their last 6 months of work they did so they can say they are carbon-neutral, how hard would it be for them to get rid of 75% of those stupid subscription cards so they could go on to claim that they are actually carbon-negative, offsetting some of the carbon produced by those that aren’t as environmentally sound?

Again, props to Backpacker for doing what they have done so far. They are definitely a step ahead of most publications. Unfortunately, most are just printing “green” articles because it’s a fad and they need to keep readers’ attention, but some like Backpacker, Snowboarder, Surfing, and others are almost forced to go green (goddamnit I really hate the term “green” and other goofy buzz words) since their publications revolve almost entirely around the environment.

Copenhagen Can Firestarter

The other day Yeti posted a little video and instructions on how to make a lightweight, alcohol-fueled backpacking stove out of an aluminum can. According to Yeti’s testing, it is a pretty delicate device but handy nonetheless. More than inspire me to build a stove, this post reminded me that I probably have 101 of these little things that would make great posts through my never-ending search for content.

You will need:
Beeswax
Some cardboard (a flap or two off of a cardboard box will probably be plenty)
Empty Copenhagen tin (can be substituted for a Skoal tin if you live in Oklahoma, or actually any small can or tin like from canned tuna, or dog or cat food.)

Ghetto instructions to make your ghetto firestarter:

1. Get that wax melting. I’ll spare you the details of using a double-broiler to melt wax without scorching it. You’ll need enough wax to fill the tin about 3/4 of the way up, but since you are going to go through the trouble of melting wax for this you might as well make a half-dozen of them.

2. Cut some long strips of cardboard about 1″ thick, assuming that your tin/can is about 1″ deep.
I frequently use Fancy Feast cat food tins which are closer to 1.25″ deep, so my cardboard strips are closer to 1.25″ wide.

3. Roll the cardboard strip into a roll almost as large as the tin. Basically, you will want to be able to place the rolled cardboard down inside of the can or tin. The tighter the squeeze, the better.

4. Fill the cardboard-filled tin with melted wax, almost to the top. You will still want a little exposed cardboard.

5. Let it all dry and cool, put the lid back on (the nice part about using a dipping tobacco tin), and throw it in your pack or glovebox.

I think I learned this in Hunter Safety class. Essentially you have just made a short, fat candle with a giant wick. I’ve also heard that instead of cardboard you can just use a concoction of beeswax and sawdust, which is basically what any store-bought firestarter is anyway. I’ll admit that this version isn’t quite as lightweight as some store-bought versions, but it’s great for the roadside emergency kit that you should be keeping in the back of your vehicle.

One other consideration to make is the waste. Copenhagen tins will burn down to almost-nothing, but still leave behind a few small pieces of aluminum. Dog/cat food cans will often leave behind a whole can. Don’t forget to dig your non-biodegradable trash out of your firepit before you leave your campsite.

Welcome to the 90’s Taos….too bad it’s 2008

Taos Ski Valley in New Mexico is no longer one of the final 4 resorts in the US to shun snowboarders. Here are a few little articles on this development:

First Tracks Online - Taos Ski Valley Lifts Snowboarding Ban

Denver Post - Taos Drops Snowboarding Ban

SnowboardSecrets.com - Taos will Allow Snowboarding starting March 19th, 2008

USA Today - Taos Ski Valley opens for snowboarders in March

I have mixed emotions about this whole deal and it’s tough for me to make a short post with this awkward blend of optimism and cynicism. I think it’s great that some fantastic new terrain has been opened up to snowboarders, but at the same time I’m not willing to act like this is a great gift that Taos has given us.

Their official stance is that they want to remain focused on being a family-oriented mountain, and many families now consist of a mix of skiers and snowboarders. That makes some sense, but it could also be interpreted as saying, “we’re only going to accept the snowboarders’ money because some skiers actually accept snowboarding now.” To me, this attitude parallels saying something like, “blacks only allowed when accompanied by whites.” Of course it isn’t a race issue, but we are talking about a ban that was essentially based on a stereotype that the bad-boyish snowboard community will only cause trouble on the mountain. Any PR department can come up with a flowery reason for lifting the ban, but I see it for what it really is; snowboarders = money. For this reason, I am not willing to give them any of my hard earned dollars….yet. I almost feel like I am asking for an apology.

However, on the completely opposite hand, Taos remains a family owned mountain, and that is something that we should value and respect as Vail, Intrawest, and SkiAmerica continue to profit from turning ski resorts and our National Forests into real estate ventures. Taos has been owned by the Blake family since it was established in the 1950’s. It would be a real shame for us to shun a true American small business success story, even if they did shun us for more than 20 years. When a person admits to a mistake should they be offered forgiveness? Should the same standards be applied to a business? Or is family-owned Taos selling out their core ideals for profitability?

I’ve talked to some boarders who are just so amped that Taos is finally freed that I simply can’t bring myself to taint their enthusiasm with my arguments of moral standings. Half of me wants to say, “no, Taos, it’s too little too late” while the little Buddhist in me just says, “welcome to enlightenment, Taos.” My views on the effects of snowboarding on the ski industry are made clear in my essay “Rebels Become the Establishment” which was posted earlier. If you haven’t already, I invite you to go back and read it whether you are a skier or snowboarder, then decide for yourself how you want to react.

Personally, I think I’m going to hold off for a few years rather than rush right down there, but not everyone will do the same. In fact, if I were to make a prediction, I would say that Taos will see a big bump in profits brought in for the 08-09 season. I doubt that me and a few other similarly-minded people withholding a few thousand dollars would make any difference at all to them, so any statement that we may be trying to make would barely be heard at all. For that reason, I’m not going to cut myself short by holding to a refusal to experience Taos on a snowboard for my entire life. I think 5 years will suffice for me, as long as they aren’t installing “snowboarders only” bathrooms and drinking fountains.

So now there are only three holdouts left; Alta, Deer Valley, and Mad River Glen. If I were to make another prediction, I’m thinking once everyone sees how much more money Taos makes in the 08-09 season, at least one more of these hills will gladly open their lift lines to snowboarders, likely by 2010. If these resorts are true to what they say they are, that they want to cater to a purist ski community that doesn’t want to share the mountain with snowboarders, then a move to allow snowboarding by any of them will be an inarguable example of selling morals for profit. Basically, I’m saying that Alta, Deer Valley, and Mad River Glen are going to have a really tough time getting off of my lifelong ban list.

Anyway, in reading about all of this and looking up facts I did stumble upon a few entertaining bits. If you read any of those articles I linked above, then you may find a reference or two to the Burton campaign to poach the four hold-outs. Here is that video from YouTube:

I found that pretty humorous, especially getting tackled by the ski patrol. The only part that bugged me was the boarders harassing skiers on-hill for no reason. Isn’t this an example of the behavior behind the reasoning for banning boarders in the first place? I’m sure that was just their way of expressing how ridiculous this reasoning is, though. I just can’t figure out how they managed to sneak the boards through the lift line. Split boards, maybe?

Also, the Split Tracks Online Forum in regards to the above article was interesting at times and entertaining at others. There were a lot of decent points made on both sides of the debate, but it would seem as though the pro-ban side is having trouble holding up a logical argument without making stereotypical assumptions. “Preserving the snowpack” is another one they stick to, but it seems invalid to me since the short, quick, choppy turns typical of alpine skiers can turn a power field in to a mogul field within a few hours. No one wants to see a boarder elevatoring down a hill scraping off all of the snowpack, not even another boarder. The anti-ban posters seem to like the “equality” argument, which I also see as invalid since we are talking about equipment, not sex or race. Overall, I think that skiers and boarders should be able to share any terrain. I’ll even share terrain with those boring snow blades and those goofy snow tricycles that they make for lazy people, but if someone shows up at my mountain with a pair of Wile E Coyote’s ACME Rocket Skis I’m probably going to put up a little resistance to letting him on the hill.

Bear Grylls: File Under Fiction

We all knew that he was definitely exaggerating his situations and taking extreme approaches all for the sake of “good TV,” but now I really feel like I was giving the guy way too much credit….

There are a pile of these on YouTube now….

This one is my favorite….

I’ll admit that I didn’t want to believe that Man vs Wild is as fake as it is, but it’s undeniable now. I’m really kicking myself because everyone knows that you can’t use a t-shirt as a gas mask, and the likelihood of using a string, maggot, and a little piece of metal to catch a fish below the ice is too minimal to be able to catch it on camera, but all I ever really thought was, “hmmm, that’s odd.”

We all watch fiction on the television all the time, so knowing that the show is fake (they run a disclaimer now) and watching for entertainment doesn’t bother me so much. But I watched Bear on Jimmy Kimmel and on Oprah* and he lied to both of them and their audience about what he is going out and doing. You can’t lie to Oprah, she will rain down her vengeance upon you. So I’m still waiting for his next appearance on Oprah to apologize to her and her audience like she made that junkie author do.

* I swear to god I never watch Oprah. I only watched the one time because Bear was on.

Got Beacon?

I have an ongoing dilemma; I am the only person I know that owns an avalanche beacon. Since beacons work in pairs, I really haven’t had a chance to test mine out yet, aside from running around the store in which I bought it looking for another beacon I was considering. I finally found a place to practice this weekend though.

Near the base of the Lenawee Mountain Lift at Arapahoe Basin there is a small area roped off area labeled as an avalanche training area. For the longest time I assumed that this was a small area reserved for the avalanche classes that A-Basin offers, but I was also curious as to whether they kept a beacon buried out there somewhere. In fact, I was so curious that I threw my beacon in my pocket while I was getting ready on Sunday morning. I didn’t think too much about it all day until I saw a ski patrol doing something in the course, so I decided to at least run over and ask him some questions.

“My name is Bumpy and this is Bumpy’s Beacon Basin” was pretty much how he introduced himself. He went on to tell me that he has been A-Basin ski patrol for 7 years and he is the one who sets up and maintains the course. He told me that the course is open to the public every day and he explained how it works.

There are 7 beacons buried on the course, each of them wired to a control box right by the entrance. You just need to grab a probe pole and your beacon (gotta supply your own beacon) and start searching. Once you find the hidden beacon and manage to hit it with the probe it will activate an alarm in the control box indicating that you got it. Walk back over and reset the alarm, switch to the next beacon and try again. I didn’t actually look in the control box, but I assume it’s just a dial or some type of switch to go between targets. I thought he said that you have to manually reset the alarm once it is activated, but I think I was wrong on that. He also added that #7 has a weak signal so you will have to work for it.

Bumpy (I think he told me his real name is Brian) is the one that sets up the course every year and maintains it every day. He’s a really nice guy and he is stoked to see anyone show up and practice using a beacon. I think that you can show up and borrow a beacon and get some personal instruction on the weekends at 1pm, but that may only be a few times a month. If you are at A-Basin and you see ski patrol out on the beacon course you should drop by and ask them about it. It’ll probably be Bumpy and he’s a really easy guy to strike up a conversation with. Enjoy.

Rebels Become the Establishment

This is a paper I wrote a few years ago on the effect of snowboarding on the ski industry:

Scott Willoughby from the Denver Post interviewed Rick Sramek, who was the director of the Breckenridge Ski Patrol in 1984. Sramek was patrolling the mountain one day when he got a call stating that there was a rogue snowboarder on the mountain. At the time, snowboarding was not allowed on Breckenridge Mountain. Sramek managed to hunt him down. Upon observing, Sramek remembers “He had equipment that was much more compatible than anything I’d ever seen…he had proper bindings and edges and was a pretty skilled rider. Instead of escorting him off the mountain that day I said, ‘let’s go take a few runs.’” Sramek’s open-mindedness that day would result in a huge step forward for both the skiing and snowboarding industries. Later that day, he reported to the mountain manager that the time had come to allow snowboarding at Breckenridge. This action would make Breckenridge one of the first destination resorts in the United States to allow snowboarding on the mountain (Willoughby D.1). It all came at a time when skier numbers were dropping yearly and the ski industry was beginning to hurt for money. Although the merger was initially rocky, when the struggling yet reluctant ski industry embraced snowboarding as an equally legitimate sport, it would turn out to be the move that would revitalize and change the face of the industry forever.

Without delving into cross-country skiing or the European roots of alpine skiing, we will begin the American alpine skiing boom at the end of World War II. In his book Downward Slide, Hal Clifford explains that the United States Government literally trained tens of thousands of people as skiing soldiers as part of the US Army’s 10th Mountain Division near Vail, Colorado. As the war ended, many of these soldiers continued to ski recreationally with their families and children, the Baby Boomers. The Baby Boomers would be the root of the American ski boom, increasing skier numbers and opening new ski resorts almost yearly for the next 30 years. By 1975, the ski industry reached its peak of 745 ski resorts in the United States (Clifford 12-32).

In the years following 1975, the ski industry began to see a gradual recession in skier numbers fueled by several factors. Statistically, skier participation begins to drop off rapidly as people reach their mid-40s (Clifford 19). For this group it could be said that this is due to a decrease in physical activity and an increase in mid-life money concerns. Combine this with the increasing cost of skiing, and also consider that skiing can be a difficult sport to learn. The offspring of the Baby Boomers, known as the Echo Boom generation, was not showing the interest in alpine skiing that their parent generation had. A focus group of Echo Boomer snowboarders interviewed by the Denver Post describe that their generation no longer seemed to think that skiing is fun, but rather that it was boring (Parker C.1). Additionally, Hal Clifford theorizes that Americans were taking less free time and being given more recreation options than in the past (Clifford 20). To many people, skiing can be a difficult sport to learn so it would seem that fewer people were willing to put the time into it. Simply put, the ski industry was losing participants faster than it was recruiting new ones. The snow seemed to be melting.

When compared with the rapid growth of the ski industry in the United States, the short history of snowboarding seems downright explosive. Many will agree that the first snowboard marketed in America was done so from 1965 to 1975. In her snowboarding history book called (Sick), Susanna Howe tells us about Sherman Poppen. While trying to build a sled that his daughter could ride while standing up, Poppen invented a device his wife named the Snurfer. It was like a short, fat ski with no bindings. It had a pointed, turned up nose with a rope attached to it, so the rider would simply stand on top and hold the rope while riding. This device was barely controllable. Although it was sold for 10 years, it was never considered more than a child’s toy (Howe 6). This child’s toy, however, was enough to plant a seed of inspiration in the minds of some that are now considered the pioneers of the sport of snowboarding like Jake Burton Carpenter, Tom Sims, and Chuck Barfoot. In the documentary film First Descent, pro snowboarder Todd Richards explains, “Jake [Burton] influenced the growth of snowboarding on the East Coast, Tom Sims and Chuck Barfoot influenced the growth of snowboarding on the West Coast, and then a sport was born (First Descent).”

The first snowboards were heavy, directional (could only be ridden on one direction, unlike most of the snowboards of today), and difficult to control. In the following years the general design was adapted to include strap-in bindings and metal edges which would greatly improve the controllability of the boards. Despite the design improvements, snowboarding was still a low-key activity mostly taking place in the backcountry rather than at the ski resorts.

In the mid-1980s the ski industry, and ski resorts in particular, were considering ways to increase revenue and skier numbers on the slopes. Some smaller resorts began letting snowboarders on the mountain followed by some of the country’s larger resorts. Pat O’Donnell, CEO of Aspen Skiing remembers, “The bus was leaving. You’re either going to be on the bus or off the bus financially on this thing. And then you saw the exponential growth of snowboarding with double digit increases every single year, and who wants to miss that from a business point of view (First Descent)?” As more easily accessible terrain opened for snowboarders, more people became interested in snowboarding.

By the early 1990s, snowboarders were turning up everywhere, but traditional skiers were reluctant to share their space resulting in rivalries and on-hill aggression. In an article in The Denver Business Journal, Patrick Sweeney suggests that this was age-motivated. While many skiers were older and more conservative, most snowboarders were young and quite rebellious (Sweeney). In addition to this, skiers and snowboarders used the mountains in different ways. Skiers tend to make short, choppy turns and use hard packed snow, but snowboarders make wider turns and prefer softer snow thereby creating a conflict in downhill rhythm. In an e-mail interview with the author, recreational telemark skier Mark Goldberg elaborates, “While it seemed cool, I noticed the ‘fuck you skiers’ attitude from some…outlaw boarders. I saw a lot [of them] way out of control (more than skiers, in my opinion), and as a telemarker, I hated how boarders planed off the fresh powder leaving a hard icy surface (Goldberg).” This rivalry occasionally resulted in screaming matches and fist fights. Despite this, more and more snowboarders kept coming each year.

If it were not considered so beforehand, snowboarding officially became a sport in 1998 when it became an Olympic event. At this point, much of the skier-snowboarder rivalry was dying out and it seemed that the traditional skiers and the ski industry were realizing that snowboarding was here to stay. Ski resorts that previously shunned snowboarding were opening snowboard-only terrain parks with jumps, half-pipes, and rails. Within a few years of that, the “snowboard only” restrictions of the terrain parks were being dropped as skiers began to show interest in doing what the snowboarders were doing. Ski companies like K2 and Solomon began to manufacture snowboards in addition to skis. New York Times writer Eric Pfanner details that companies also began to offer different types of skis; wide, hourglass shaped skis for floating on powder and twin-tip skis (with a turned up tip on each end) for backwards riding freestyle skiing (Pfanner C.3). The Echo Boomers related to the rebellious attitude of snowboarding (Parker C.1). As explained by Andrew Hood, the ski industry embraced snowboarding and began to use the “extreme” image to market itself to the younger generation (Hood A.1). By the end of the 2005 season, USA Today reports that snowboarders accounted for over 28 percent of nationwide lift ticket sales (“Handful”). Even a generation of aging ex-skiers has taken to snowboarding. In First Descent even Pat O’Donnell admits, “I’ve been snowboarding myself full-time for six years. I’ve never been back on skis. I took it up when I was 60 and just ride with all the young guys around here (First Descent).” To this day, there are only 4 remaining resorts in the United States that restrict snowboarding; Taos in New Mexico, Mad River Glen in Vermont, and Alta and Deer Valley in Utah. It would seem that these resorts stay in business by offering the last remaining snowboard-free skiing to those that hold true to a 15 year old rivalry.

The ski industry is not what it used to be. No one really knows where the ski industry would be without snowboarding, but it seems like terrain parks and freestyle skiing would not be nearly as common if the two had never come together. Would skiers be wearing baggy pants or would they still be stuck in those silly looking, skin tight body suits? Skiers and snowboarders commonly ride together and the line between the two sports has been erased. Finally, snow lovers everywhere are regaining the true sense of what mountain recreation is all about; having fun in the snow.

Works Cited - most of the links in here are either out dated or inaccessible, but I’m working on that.

Clifford, Hal. Downward slide: why the corporate ski industry is bad for skiing, ski
towns, and the environment. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 2002.

First Descent. Dir. Kemp Curly and Kevin Harrison. Universal, 2005.

Goldberg, Mark. E-mail interview. 30 September, 2006.

Handful of U.S. resorts still skiers-only.” USA Today 3 January, 2006. 11
October, 2006 http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2006-01-03- skiers-only_x.htm

Hood, Andrew. “Ski industry takes extreme approach to future growth.” Denver
Post: pg. A.1. 8 March, 1998. 3 October, 2006 http://proquest.umi.com/ pqdweb?did=44810133&sid=3&Fmt=3&clientId=3134&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Howe, Susanna. (Sick) A Cultural History of Snowboarding. New York: St.
Martin’s Griffin, 1998.

Parker, Penny. “Teens reject ‘boring’ skiing; snowboard excitement rules.”
Denver Post: pg. C.1. 6 December, 1996. 3 October, 2006
http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=10929963&sid=3&Fmt=3&clientId=3134&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Pfanner, Eric. “Snowboard is indeed reshaping the ski industry.” New York
Times: pg. C.3. 25 December, 2004. 3 October, 2006 http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=770661331&sid=1&Fmt=3&clientId=3134&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Sweeney, Patrick. “Skier vs. snowboarder animosity lessening.” Denver
Business Journal: 21 December, 2001. October 1, 2006 http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2001/12/24/focus2.html

Willoughby, Scott. “20 years ‘boarding Breck after opening its lifts to riders in ‘84,
ski area stays on cutting edge with premier parks.” Denver Post: pg. D.01. 15 December, 2004. 3 October, 2006 http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb? did=773301001&sid=1&Fmt=3&clientId=3134&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Something….Anything

I feel the need to throw something up here just because I haven’t in a little while.

I talked (via email) to Alan Henceroth, COO of Arapahoe Basin about my bad experience and he totally made good on it, so I no longer hold a grudge against them. I’m waiting to go to Montezuma Bowl once again to I can offer up a thorough review of the area.

I had a few good days at Vail. They have really been getting hammered with snow this year making for some great days at Blue Sky.

I went to Lake Tahoe for the first time in my life. I liked it a lot.

I’m in the middle of writing articles on all of these things so stay tuned….