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Rumor has it from a reliable online ski shop that K2 is about to release some of their 2010 K2 Skis to a few select online shops for summer sales. The important skis that will be released early are the K2 Hell Bent, Obsethed, Kung Fujas, and many other of the factory team skis including the all new EXT. With new technology coming out every year it will be fun when some of the other companies out there can catch up to what K2, Line and Armada are doing to progress not only the sport, but also the technology being used in skis. We have Eric Pollard to thank for much of what has happened in the rockered/wide ski movement of the past few years. How many people thought 5 years ago that you could be skiing a ski that was 110mm+ in the waist as an everyday East Coast Ski. Most shops 5 years ago even out West had never even seen a ski that was 110mm in the waist. It will be interesting to see where it goes, but for now lets just enjoy the ride as the skis being made today and tomorrow are the most fun and versatile that we have ever seen.

With wind predicted to be around <15mph and temps in the high 50’s on Tuesday it wasn’t a hard decision to make when someone asked if I wanted to head to Tuck’s. We arrived around 10am and reached the bowl by noon. Conditions were epic and the atmosphere was euphoric. After a run we hung out for a bit on lunch rocks in nothing but our t-shirts, snow-pants and socks. Coverage was excellent, though avy dangers are increasing. Sherbourne was closed about 3/4 of the way down.

Last night, as April graced us with its presence, a freak storm dropped around 38 inches of snow on Sugarloaf. No surrounding mountain received snow, as this was a storm system which seemed to form and remain over Sugarloaf. Better get there before it melts!

It’s been warm lately… The skiing has been soft and spring like. It was awesome. But are you ready? We were all enjoying the sun, the atmosphere, the packed deck at the widomaker, but I couldn’t help but think how nice another big storm would be. Who is ready for spring? Who isn’t? Leave some thoughts in the comment field, I’d like to see what others think.

So even though there was more snow projected locally, we figured why not go on a road trip? As it was dumping snow we packed the car and skipped town around 8:30pm. Our goal was to reach Jay Peak, normally a 3.5 hour drive. By the time we were getting close to Sunday River, usually about an hour from where we had started in Farmington, we were debating whether or not to pull in and cut our losses. The streets were barely plowed and the snow was coming down so hard visibility was near 0. But, we kept on going and Ross’s jeep cherokee, with a 6 inch lift and somewhere around 32" tires took it on like a champ. We had packed tents, but when we finally arrived at Jay Peak around 3am no one had the energy to set them up in the howling blizzard. Continue reading “Jay Peak and a 6 hour road trip”

Blue skies and warm temps Sunday left three of us wondering why we hadn’t gone skiing. So around noon we decided to set out for a little fresh air and some good exercise. The plan was to skin up Ira Mountain and poach what we thought was a private ski trail. After loading the van, a brief stop for greasy pizza and some gas, we were on our way..

Continue reading “An afternoon of extreme unpreparedness”

It’s coming down hard outside here in Farmington and tomorrow is shaping up to be an EPIC pow day! I hope you’ve been saving those sick days because tomorrow is definitely the day to come down with the mysterious 24 hour flu! Head up to the mountain tonight and grab first chair in the morning, it’ll be worth it with over 2 feet predicted here in Maine!

On another note, a late update on our Mad River Glen trip the other weekend. If you’re getting bored with the glades at your home mountain, get to Mad River because this place has some of the gnarliest tree skiing I’ve ever seen on the East! Find some locals willing to show you around and you won’t be disappointed. Not to mention, if the snow is right, plenty of cliff drops that will get the heart rate going good.

So I’m chillin down here in Burlington, stoked on a day at Mad River tomorrow and I just have to say, if you want a ski town, Burlington is the place. Wear the beenie out in Portland and you get some funny looks, wear the beenie out here and your’s won’t be the coolest. The art and creativity in this town is off the hook. Get to Burlington, VT and do some skiing/partying! This place is awesome. I’ll let you know how the snow at Mad River is!

Peace