I love talking about storm updates because that just means better conditions on the hills. Wisconsin is preparing to see a snow storm blow in this afternoon that is said to be bringing about 5 inches of new snow. This won’t be the typical heavy stuff either. We are experiencing below normal temperatures with an expected high of 15 degrees today (-3 degrees at time of writing this). With that being said, today’s snow should be very light and fluffy. The stuff we typically can only dream about for the Midwest.
It doesn’t stop with this storm either. Another one is following close behind and expected to hit on Thursday with an even larger impact. Predictions as of today are that the second storm will bring possibly up to 10 inches of new snow.
These storms will be a relief to see after this past weekends warmer weather and rain, which removed a substantial amount of existing snow. If you haven’t gotten out yet, this up coming weekend’s priority should be to ski or snowboard. And for those who snowmobile, you’ll have a great weekend too.
Wow, I don’t think I have ever heard of a winter storm watch that lasts for three days in the Midwest but those are the conditions for Upson, WI. Where is Upson you ask? To be honest I hadn’t heard of Upson either despite visiting there several times over the years. Upson is home to The Whitecap Mountains.
In what appears to be an effort to offer a better over all opening experience, Whitecap has changed their resort opening plans. They will now be opening on Wednesday, December 17th. The plans call for 4 lifts to be open, along with 17 of their 43 runs available.
I just checked out The Weather Channel and reviewed the 10 day forecast. The forecast looks about as promising as possible given that 9 out of the 10 days calls for snow. Whitecap should have no problem expanding the number of available runs in a short period of time.
Only when discussing skiing does it seem like a good thing when using the term “dumped on”. In work it’s not good, when dating it’s not good, etc. Enough of digressing.
On YouTube, the Crystal Mountain update for 12/10/08 has outstanding powder shots that look like it’s straight out of Utah, not Michigan. Over the last week they have received over three feet of natural snow. Check out the footage. If that isn’t enough to get you out the door, I don’t know what is.
The openings continue to roll in. I must admit that I somehow over looked this one. This past Friday, Sundown Mountain opened. They apparently opened at about 30%, but have some new snow making equipment that they have been using to improve their conditions. They shut down this week after the past weekend and will re-open again on Friday. This will give them the full week to continue to build upon the already open runs. With the continued forecast to be cold, there is no reason they shouldn’t be able to keep the snow guns running.
Sundown is my former home mountain and where I first learned to ski. I skied it last year for the first time in over 10 years and I quickly was re-introduced to why I enjoyed skiing there. The runs are long for Midwest standards and have a nice vertical as well.
Its nice to see so many hills get an early opening. Choices continue to grow and I expect more to open up in time for this weekend.
Midwest ski conditions can be very tough all season long, not to mention the first initial conditions of winter. Chestnut Mountain in Galena, IL however feels confident in the current conditions and have announced that they will be opening this Friday, November 28th. Tickets will only be $10 each day for the holiday weekend and can then be used as a $10 coupon for your next visit. It doesn’t sound like too bad of a deal if you are looking get your legs re-introduced to skiing. Unfortunately there is no mention of how many runs will be open.
Believe it or not, but Microsoft may help you decide this year where you want to ski for the day. This was launched last year and was so popular that it has been brought back again for the season. Instead of searching around to get snow conditions at your favorite resort, you can simply enter the word “snow” and then the name of your favorite resort into their search. This means that when you are on MSN.com, Live.com, or any other Microsoft powered search page you can quickly find conditions for resorts that you are interested in. This works not only for the major resorts but also the local hills too. I did a quick search and found the results for Afton Alps and got the result shown below.
Keep in mind that this service only works for resorts that are currently open. If a resort or hill is not open, then you will not get the results. There are some good additional links if you are looking for more information. You get a link for access to the full report along with access to the homepage for the hill too. When you are ready to make your decision on where to go, simply click the Map Resort link to get directions.
Good news for Wisconsin skiers, Granite Peak is set to open this weekend. On Saturday Novemeber 22nd, and will be open from 9AM to 9PM. On Sunday they will be open from 9AM to 4PM. As stated by the Wausau Daily Herald, they plan to have five runs open. Those five runs are; Birch, Miracle, Sugar Maple, Stone’s Throw and Mystery. After reviewing the trail map, it appears that these runs are a mix of blues and greens. Not bad for a early season start. This gives everyone the opportuntiy to get their legs re-introduced to skiing.
The weather forcast for the area continues to look good for snow making. With that being said, Granite Peak hopes to have all the runs open for skiing by Christmas time.
The snow has officially started to fly here in central Wisconsin. With that being said, it’s time to start talking about the upcoming season. I have started a Facebook group (Midwest Skiers and Snowboarders) as well so feel free to join and share the latest information with those who are most interested.
Often when thinking about the regional resorts, the image is typically of outdated hills. This actually is not the case. Every year these resorts are making changes to stay competitive with other regional hills, whether the updates are made through new services or equipment. This year is no different and it actually may become more important now than ever before. Given the current economic environment, I’m sure many family’s and individuals will give second thoughts this year to where they ski or board, whether it be for a long weekend or for a full week stay.
The Chicago Tribue recently posted an article with many of the area improvements. The full article can be read here here.
Chestnut Mountain (chestnutmtn.com) in Illinois apparently put together a special snowboard rental program with Burton. They will be offering special boots and boards that they believe will improve boarding in the first day. Devil’s Head (devilsheadresort.com) in Wisconsin has improved their magic carpet service for kids.
Granite Peak (skigranitepeak.com), owned by the same family that also owns Lutsen Mountain in Minnesota, has added a 10,000 sq. ft. chalet. They also improved the outdoor seating with heaters and an outdoor grill.
In the UP of Michigan, Indian Head (indianheadmtn.com), Powderhorn (bigpowderhorn.net) and Black Jack (skiblackjack.com) have merged so that you will be able to ski between all three resorts on the same ticket. Boyne Mountain has added a new quad chairlift and has added a daycare center to what seems to be the hottest trend in resorts, their water park known as Avalanche Bay.
Whether skiing regionally because of today’s economy or out of convenience, your expectations won’t be compromised. You will still get great snow conditions and runs that will meet everyone’s skill levels. And if you need a break, there will still be plenty to keep you occupied while on holiday.
With General Motors stock continuing to fall and the overall economic environoment for Michigan basically falling right along, there is little to envy of Michigan right now. However GM stock wasn’t the only thing falling on Monday, so was snow and lots of it for early November. The snow actually will be a boost for some. The Detroit Free Press reported that 9″ of snow fell in northern Michigan around Gaylord. This apparently has started phones calls to the area seeking informaton on the conditions of the snowmobile trails. This also means that if cool whether continues, along with some snow fall, that the ski season could get a good start to the year too. Let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope that the large snow falls not only continue in Michigan but also across the entire midwest.
For the third straight posting, I am going to have to mention the economy again. However the positive this time around is that it most likely means deals throughout the season. Ski deals are of course meant to lure new skiers or those who are not dedicated skiers to the resort. Though I am not a targeted audience, because I will be skiing no matter what, I like the fact that there are some deals for skiers like myself as well. The CourierNews has a recent article that talks about those savings.
Of course the biggest and most available opportunities for savings are for the new skiers and casual skiers. Buying packages that include ski rentals and lessons are most prevelant and often are a good savings. Limited hill access passes are often great deals too, but limit usually to the bunny hills and maybe one lift.
For those who are looking to get away from the local hill, hotel packages with lift tickets included can offer a savings. Of course nothing beats just staying at a friend’s or family member’s house. Ski Brule offers a unique pricing strategy. They stated that they will have 3 $55 dollar car load days scattered throughout the year. As a side note, while checking out Ski Brules website today, I discovered that they opened for the season already on November 10th!
Other saving opportunities mentioned were visiting local ski shops to see if they have any excursions that will be offered. Because they can get enough participants, they often qualify for group rates. Buy tickets early and also look at buying multiple day tickets. Buy half day tickets to keep the price down. For families, make sure that you also look at kids-ski-free options and see what ages are the cutoff. Lastly, which I couldn’t agree more with, continue to scour the internet and sign up for updates.
I work in the tech industry so I am a gear-head along with being a ski fanatic. I recently saw a new camcorder that has been release by Pure Digital. The original posting was on Ars Technica. I really am intrigued by this product and feel it has a lot of potential. Of course one is for recording your ski adventures.
I have seen the original Flips and apparently the MimoHD is the same size. That means it is essentially the same size as my Blackberry Pearl, which makes it very small and compact. The size is conducive to putting it into your jacket pocket, pack or any other place where you store your ski necessities. And best of all, the video is shot in 720p, which classifies as high-definition footage. Whether poaching some killer back-country or ruling the park, you can now capture it on video in an indisputable clarity. Of course if you are poaching, that is probably an event you don’t want caught on video, which could be used against you later.
The simplicity of the design allows for anybody to use it right out of the box. There are few buttons, which unfortunately are too small to be used with gloves on. The other issue is that the screen is very small as well, measuring an anemic 1.5″. The battery is suppose to last 2 hours, however the memory is only enough to record about 1 hour of video. With that being said, it would be great if they developed some sort of small memory cube that could be used for you to dump your video onto until you are ready to edit later on your computer. That would give you the ability to dump the memory and then continue to record.
Link on over to the Ars Technica post to see the Flip MimoHD in action. This is one gadget that has been added to my Christmas wish list. For a retail price of $229, it’s worth the second look.
Maybe because I’m getting older or maybe it’s just because my kids keep me so busy, or is it because of the on-demand world we’ve formed with options like Hulu? Whatever it is, I hardly watch TV anymore. I can’t tell you a single show time slot. Adding the Ski Channel could make that change however.
The Rocky Mountian News is reporting that a new Ski Channel is being developed by Steve Bellamy, the same person behind the founding of the Tennis Channel. Given that I know nothing about tennis, I can say the same about the channel too. What I can say is that the Ski Channel has a recognizable face that isn’t just the spokesman but also an invester. Apparently Jonny Moseley will being doing both along with being an instructor, analyst and advisory staff member.
The service launches Christmas Day and will have on-demand programming available to over 15 million homes. The carriers include DirectTV (I’m out, I have Dish), Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications and Verizon’s FiOS TV. Some of the content available will include a library of well known Warren Miller films. I sure hope they see the shift in demand and also make programming available online.
It’s hard to find good gifts for those who ski or snowboard. There are the typical gifts of goggles, gloves, and snow-pants. But often, these gifts are not surprises and are standard. I often like to be surprised and don’t mind more “off piste” type gifts. Given that there is still time for shopping, I’ve gone through to find some more unique ideas.
Vintage Snow offers gifts for what appears to be for the older skier or boarder who maybe even own ski property. I say that because they offer gifts, ski art, decor and antiques. Some of the gifts I found that would look good in my office (hint, hint) include a Chair Lift Photo Frame or Vail Trail Map Poster.
You can also fine a variety of gifts on Cafe Press as well. In doing a quick search I found over 2,000 ski related products.
If the budget is tight, check out Microsoft’s Live Search cashback. The cashback program works with all major and smaller retailers and uses your search words to find products that are most appropriate. The retailer pays the user anywhere from 2% to 30+% cashback for buying from them. For example, I recently searched for Avalanche Beacon and found a Backcountry Access Tracker DTS Beacon from Backcountry that would net me back $36.82 for starting first from Live Search cashback.
I’m still enamored with pocket HD video cameras. As I have previously posted, these are a great way to record your vacation memories on the fly in better than normal video. There are several affordable versions available right now including the Flip MinoHD, Kodak Zi6, Creative VandoHD and the Sanyo Xacti series.
Don’t forget that you can always check with your local ski shop as well. A lot of times they carry great niche products too. Have fun with it this year and good luck!
One of my personal midwest favorites, Whitecap Mountain, has sent an email notifying that they plan to open on December 11th., weather permitting of course. Though the vertical is a bit shorter and the runs can be less challenging, they do tend to get a lot of snow. Given their proximity to Lake Michigan, they have the advantage of seeing regular lake effect snow falls. They received a fresh fall of 6 inches yesterday and are already reporting 33 inches for the year. Apparently from December 11th to December 18th, you’ll be able to take advantage of the low season lodging rates. Check it out and maybe I’ll see you there soon.
Posted by theskierblog 
Posted by theskierblog 
Posted by theskierblog 
