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.

Spirit Mountain, Minnesota was closed this past Sunday and will remain closed through today due to blizzard warning for the Duluth area.

Due to the dangerously high winds and subzero temperatures, they will not re-open until Tuesday the 16th. At that time they will resume regular hours.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.