Yay for Snow!
Grand Targhee 10-1-09!!!
Yep as everyone knows there is snow all over the North West. Hell there is even snow up at Bogus Basin here is Boise. Now yes, it will most likely melt away but hey I will take it. Just a little teaser to help promt the tuning of skis. Heck now I fell rushed to get my wifes new skis mounted up. She picked up the Line Pandora and is going to be rocking them with the 22 designs Bombshell.
Now even if the snow is just a tease it still is useful for the industry. Mostly due to the fact that it should have a huge impact on ski sales and tuning services early in the season. I hope it translates into more early season ticket sales as well. In talking with Carrie Gochnour from Boise based Greenwoods Ski Haus they defiantly saw an increase. "It was a busy weekend in the store and a good reminder that it's time to get ready to ride!" Well even if it is just a teaser, I will take it. Time to start the religious monitoring of the Snotel site, looking for a good place to go put down some early season tracks. I wonder if my boss will let me bring back lunch and a ski flick Friday? Never hurts to ask.
Useful Links for the upcoming season: (Focused on the Boise area)
Greenwoods Ski Haus : Best selection, best staff, and voted best tune in the Boise area by me and many others. Oh also the best boot fitters I know.
Snotel : National Water and Climate Center provides massive amounts of data on more than enough areas covering the western United States.
Bogus Basin : The local Boise ski hill. A great mountain with some of the more varied terrain I have seen. Yes there are better but for a hill 45 min away it can't be beat.
Brundage Mountain : Small resort up in McCall Idaho. Don't worry about them they don't get snow and it just sucks to ski there. I promise. I would never lead you astray. Don't even waist your time clicking the link.
Don’t waist your time at work!
So with the snow starting to fly in the rockies, and the on slot of ski films coming out, please make sure that you are not distracted at work. Yes it is very easy to get side tracked and spend way to long looking at all the different web cams out there. Getting all excited about the small skiffs of snow, but show some reserve. Your boss will be able to tell that you are not working, simply based on the drool, glazed over eyes, and lack of movement over the past half hour.
Well there is a simple way to get around this and keep your snow fix going. Just start playing Gnarshmallow. This is in my opinion one of the best ski / snowboard flash based games out there. So go and play, and look like you are hard at work. When in reality you are just trying to beet your high score.
Tight Turns, and Star Wars Wishes
Here is a sweet video of Cody Townsend, that The Goat put up. This is sweet. The question is, who is going to make Rocky's dream come true and do a remix of this with some Star Sars stuff thrown in. Come on, some video editor out there has some free time for that.
Via: The Goat
Sweetgrass productions gives use wonderfull dreams
Sweetgrass productions is releasing their backcountry ski film "Signatures" tomorrow and from a look at the trailer I would highly recommend taking a look and then putting in an order. Actually I would recommend watching this just before you go to bed tonight. That way your dreams will be filled with sweet, sweet Ja-pow. Any one that can make a back flip look as simple as an effortless powder turn get props in my book.
Ski stoke 2009
So with winter right around the corner expect to start seeing a few movie trailers here and there. So here are a few to look at.  I placed something special at the end to help you get back out there and not sit at home waiting for the snow to fly.
Flakes - Powderwhore 2009-2010 Ski Film from vas entertainment on Vimeo.
Eyes Wide Open - Field Productions 2009-2010 Ski Film in HD from vas entertainment on Vimeo.
Everyday Is A Saturday - Poor Boyz 2009-2010 Ski Teaser from vas entertainment on Vimeo.
NWD 10 - New World Disorder 10 : Dust and Bones in HD from vas entertainment on Vimeo.
Remembering a Legend: Shane McConkey
With ski season just around the corner it is hard not to think about the great loss the industry had last year when Shane McConkey pasted away while ski /base jumping. Being someone that I have personally never met and only seen in videos, I am still constantly amazed at how much of an effect that event had on me. A few nights ago while rooting around the internet I found a Powder Mag article that not just other pros, but Shane's peers commented about Shane and the type of person he was.
Check out the Powder article here.
Not only do I hope to be a small percentage of the skier he was, but now I can hope to be as great of a father.
K2 Climbing Skins?
K2 is rumored to be coming out with climbing skins specific to their skis this year with a new tip attachment system. It looks like it might end up pretty cool. We'll let you know more as we hear more.
Gone but not forgotten
As many of us may remember, Shane McConkey passed away this past winter. McConkey was a legend and a pioneer in our sport. He was constantly pushing the limits and taking it way beyond what was ever believed possible.
Several years ago, McConkey designed a ski that fit his skiing style. The Pontoon was big and fast, perfect for Shane's style of skiing. For the 09/10 winter, K2 is releasing a new topsheet for the Pontoon inspired by Shane's life. Only about 500 pairs are being built so if you can, get a pair early and go big often.
From: The Goat