Checklist for Opening Day

Boots. Check.

Poles. Check.

Skis. Check

Tuned. In work.

New Gear. Requested from Santa.

We’re fifteen short days away from opening day, November 27^th, at Whistler Blackcomb – the number 1 North American ski resort, as ranked by SKIING Magazine for the twelfth straight year. The anticipation is unreal. The excitement is out of control.

In the last week, thirty two centimeters have dropped in the alpine. It’s not a huge dump, but it’s the beginning of the 33.5 feet of annual snow. And to support Mother Nature, the Whistler Blackcomb artillery have been deployed- 269 total snow guns armed and ready as freezing temperatures approach.

But, we’ll have to wait a little longer to enjoy the unprecedented world-record breaking Peak 2 Peak gondola. This mountain revolution completely changes the experience at Whistler Blackcomb and Dave Brownie, Chief Operating Officer of Whistler Blackcomb, says it best,

Most of our guests choose to ski either Whistler or Blackcomb Mountain each day. The PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola will link 8,171 acres of terrain into one continuous lift system allowing skiers and riders to maximize their day by moving quickly and effortlessly across the valley to the best snow and weather in each alpine area.

We’ll have to wait until December 12^th to experience this engineering marvel. Whistler Blackcomb’s main site is full of details and all sorts of future trivia.

Teton Gravity Research(TGR) dropped a teaser for their 2008 Ski and Snowboard Film, Under the Influence, over at GrindTV. The clip features Shroder Baker, “Shro Mo,” simply floating in chest deep Pow in Jackson Hole’s backcountry.But the film promises more than just human snowplows, as described by TGR here:

This film is about the people, places and moments that define our riding. Follow the exploits of today’s top riders as they traverse the globe in search of the unique terrain and conditions that emerged from one of the deepest winters in recorded history. With UNDER THE INFLUENCE, TGR continues to rule the world of action sports cinematography, capturing the mind-blowing efforts of these athletes as never before seen. The Jackson Hole-based film crew scattered the planet as they filmed virgin spines in Alaska, cowboy park jumps at Grand Targhee, pillow popping deep in the Northwest, relentless powder in the Jackson Hole backcountry and so much more.

Movie Locations:

Jackson Hole, Haines AK, Switzerland, Romania, Eagle Pass Heli-Skiing, Pemberton BC, Utah, Montana, Grand Targhee WY, North Cascade Heli-Skiing

Starring:

Sage Cattabriga-Alosa, Dylan Hood, Seth Morrison, Ian McIntosh, Erik Roner, Sammy Carlson, Jeremy Jones, Jeremy Nobis, Dana Flahr, Kye Petersen, Shroder Baker, Wiley Miller, Chris Collins, Victoria Jealouse, Dash Longe, Gigi RUf and many more…

The TGR Team has taken their movie tour all over the world and will be dropping by Neumos in Seattle, WA this Friday, November 14th. StepOutside will be in attendance for the full dose of Under the Influence. Check back for updates and comments on the movie or take a look at the schedule for a showing near you.

We’re moving rapidly closer to the winter ski/snowboard season. People all around the world are dusting off their gear in preparation for the ensuing winter storms that are bound to drop a beautiful blanket of pow over mountain escapes.

And as they do, there will undoubtedly be the need for some new gear. Whatever the need may be, it’s probably going to be overpriced and expensive. That’s the nature of our beloved industry. But a few websites out there are combating this unfortunate price epidemic by offering steeply discounted prices on outdoor gear and skiing equipment.

It’s a simple concept.

People love great value and easily accessible deals.

Welcome www.steapandcheap.com, offering core outdoor gear, and www.tramdock.com specializing in ski gear and equipment!

Each site offers one deal, one item at a time until it is sold out then it’s just a whole new deal-and repeat. The discounts are real – 50-80% off. And with each site counting down the total quantity left and the sell out rate of the current deal, you will undoubtedly become intimate with your refresh button anxiously anticipating the next steal.

The prices are criminal… but it’s about time people are rewarded for their persistence and patience.  In addition to their ridiculous discounts,  the sites provide  excellent product detail and a multitude of helpful user reviews.

In crevasses of the World Wide Web, women’s rights have been a topic of discussion on a handful of message boards recently. But, what triggered the message board chatter?

ESPN recently announced the X Games and Winter X Games will feature equal prize money for both men and women in 2009. Riders at the Winter X Games in Aspen in January will be the first to benefit.

But, it has stirred a little commotion on whether or not it’s deserved. Also, there are lingering questions whether or not ESPN would support this initiative if it were a league structure opposed to the current annual event.

In one corner, opponents of the announcement believe women are unable to perform to the same level as men. And that only when they are able to hit equally progressive tricks or compete at the same degree of difficulty should women get paid equal amounts.

Some opponents also believe that in reaction to this equal pay movement that the gender categories be eliminated and an open class formed—allowing men and women to compete against one another for one cash purse.

Supporters of the announcement believe X Game athletes are professionals independent of gender. Women work just as hard to prepare for the season as men and they deserve the same retribution to continue the progression of women’s sports.

Other questions loom as well, would ESPN adopt an equal pay structure if it were a league?

It would be easy to assume that ESPN would not since the pay structure of professional athletes normally relates to their drawing power. And statistically, women sports generally draw in smaller crowds and fewer advertisers.

Do you agree with ESPN’s decision to move to equal prize money for both men and women?

Where vertical feet and number of skiable acres rules, ski resorts all around the world are expanding and expanding rapidly. Simply, these aren’t the resorts our grandparents ripped of years past.

These are new mega-monsters with endless accessibility to miles of trails, bowls full of fluff, and glades reaching across a mountainous expanse. All for our personal enjoyment and excitement.

And with thousands of acres to conquer, there is a distinct possibility that you may simply get lost in the powdery goodness, not know which trail to tackle next, or a need to find the closest overpriced cup of hot chocolate.

Well, the team at Useful Networks has developed a new iPhone application, Snocator, which uses interactive GPS trail maps to show users exactly where they are on the mountain and surrounding lifts and trails with degree of difficulty identifiers. It also shows terrain parks and nearby lodges.

The application appears to have a lot of functionality both on and off the slopes. If you’re stuck in the office day-dreaming about your favorite winter spot, at the click of a button you can access snow reports, mountain cams and weather info. All you need is the iPhone and data signal or wifi connection to get started.

The concept seems handy and may offer some value to a day full of skiing or snowboarding. So for all you hipsters and technologically advanced iPhone users, drop a line with what you think of Snocator’s capability.

Check out the following link for participating resorts and additional info at Snocator.

Are you finally ready to add skiing or snowboarding to your repertoire of sports and activities?

Or, have you spent previous winter seasons sliding down a mountain whether it is on your face or bottom and later called it skiing or snowboarding?

Whatever, the case may be, it’s time to hook up some lessons. And what’s better than learning to ski or snowboard? Learning to do it free from a professional instructor.

For a limited time only, Vermont’s Okemo Mountain Resort is welcoming newbies to take part in a complimentary learn-to-ski or learn-to-snowboard program at no cost.

Yes, free.

Okemo’s beginner package includes a free combination lower-mountain lift ticket, a free level 1 or 2 beginner group lesson at 10 a.m. or 1:30 p.m., and free special introductory-level rental equipment (skis, boots, poles, or boots and snowboard). The Learn to Ski or Snowboard for Free program is available for ages 7 and up, at no charge every day, Monday, December 1, 2008 through Friday, December 19, 2008.

Reservations are encouraged and may be made by calling (802) 228-1600. Those without reservations may participate on a space-available basis. Program attendees should plan to arrive at the Okemo Express Rental Shop, located in the Okemo Clock Tower base area, about an hour before lesson time to allow time for program registration and equipment fitting. Although free of charge, a beginner-package ticket is required to participate and a credit card deposit is required for rental equipment.

But if lessons aren’t your thing, hop on one of the express chairs and begin exploring the mountain. There is plenty of terrain and snow for all.

Okemo Mountain Resort is a nationally recognized champion for snow quality, surface conditions and learn-to-ski programs. In its annual Top 50 Reader Resort Survey, SKI magazine named Okemo one of the top ten resorts in the East, and one of the best in North America for grooming. The popular southern Vermont resort also made the top-ten list in eight of the Reader Resort Survey’s categories: snow, grooming, lifts, service, weather, on-mountain food, family programs and terrain parks.

If you’re an adrenaline junkie and need to see some signs painted with double-diamonds and “Use Extreme Caution,” head on over to the South Face Express Quad which will bring you to the top of the Okemo Mountain Peak (elevation 3,344ft). At the top, you’ll have a number of avenues to take which will open the door to a multitude of double diamonds.

And at the end of the day, you’ve realized lessons may be in order…don’t worry, there are additional ski and snowboard instructional programs available for all abilities and ages.

Simply, the speculation that Lance Armstrong is returning to cycling is the best thing for the sport right now. Cycling needs an international icon to bring back the public’s interest in the sport, especially here in the United States.

And based on the response by the press, it is working. People are talking about cycling again; the proposition that he may even return has been a catalyst for excitement and conjecture.

I mean, what if Lance Armstrong comes back and wins his eighth Tour de France? But, what if he doesn’t win?

The questions alone fuel the fire for excitement and open debate.

Simply, cycling was not prepared for Lance Armstrong to retire. There was not someone in queue waiting to take over the spotlight and capture the hearts and minds of the public. We tried with Floyd Landis, who shocked the world in the 2006 Tour de France making one of the most dramatic comebacks on a mountain stage (Stage 17) late on the Tour. He attacked the mountain stage like an absolute madman with nothing to lose. He climbed his way back to third place and back into contention after previously falling to eleventh place.

It was one of the most exciting tours I’d ever watched. Floyd was absolutely heroic, or at least we thought.

Our trust and admiration of one of the strongest performances of in the Tour de France history was quickly marred by a test that revealed Floyd had an abnormal testosterone/epitestosterone ratio. We lost our hero… our possible Lance Armstrong substitute. And, the bad news continued to hit the cycling world as other top riders fell to positive doping rulings and sponsors quickly disappeared.

We need Lance Armstrong. The face of cycling needs to return and regain the trust of the populace, allowing sponsors and fans to believe again in the credibility of cycling. True feats of man can be accomplished without performance enhancing drugs.

Whether Lance Armstrong is coming back or not, he is clearly planning something. He re-enrolled himself in August into the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s out-of-competition testing pool which is required at least six months in advance of regaining eligible status. Certainly, it was in plenty of time to become eligible before the 2009 Tour de France.

He appears that he will not be making the race with Team Astana, based on their recent statement. But, if and when, he secures a spot on a team, we’ll be ready to watch his return to the Tour de France. And, if he doesn’t win, we may have just found our new face of cycling while we all watch in admiration.

The ski season is inching closer… so close… But, as we patiently wait, we embark upon the beginning of the ski movie premiere season—a quick fix as the summer months comes to a close and we wait for the first snow fall.

Pretty soon, we’ll be sitting comfortably at a venue near you watching the next Warren Miller installment just waiting for some powdery goodness to hit the local slopes.

But before then, we are welcomed by Tanner Hall and The Massive crew, who formally begin the ski movie premier season tomorrow at the Fox Theatre in Boulder, CO.

The Massive follows Tanner Hall and the Massive Crew through the super-pipe at Copper Mountain to the deep pow of Retallack, BC. They’ll swing by Pemberton, BC for some slow roasting and bluebird days in Haines, Alaska. And finishing close to home, Tanner and company cap the year off at Mt. Hood, Oregon.

And who is Tanner Hall shredding with this year…

Only the finest in the industry, an all-star cast including:

• Sean “Shred-It” Pettit
• Callum Pettit
• Dana Flahr
• Ian Provo
• Neil Provo
• Ian McIntosh
• Sammy Carlsen
• Sean Field
• Frank Raymond
• Tom Burt

The Massive premiere schedule will be visiting a limited list of venues to include:

• Boulder, CO – September 9^th
• Montreal, Quebec – September 12^th
• Los Angeles, CA – September 18^th – (invitation only)
• Park City, UT – September 19^th

If you’re unable to make the premieres, the video will be released, September 16^th. Check out the trailer here.

After last year’s Believe, I can only imagine what T-Hall puts together this year. Believe, brought in four Powder Magazine Video Award nominations, including “Movie of the Year” for 2008.

Speedgoat.

What comes to mind?

At first glance, you may have little to no idea like me. Perhaps, it is just a typo. But, potentially, it is more than that… something totally new I don’t even know about yet.

Your imagination can run wild. Maybe, you thought of Speedy Gonzales, “the fastest mouse in all of Mexico,” but in goat form dominating a mountainside—wearing more of a backwoods uniform than the white shirt and trousers, red ascot and oversized sombrero made famous by Speedy Gonzales. And if that’s where your mind traveled, you were close… real close.

Meet Karl “Speedgoat” Meltzer, ultra runner phenomenon, who embarked on the “biggest race of his life” on August 5^th of this year. He’s a speedgoat cruising southbound down the Appalachian Trail (AT) —marching over mountains like stepping stones and making a solid attempt at the Appalachian Trail speed record.

The current record for thru-hiking the AT (2175 miles) was set by Andrew “Trail Dog” Thompson in 2005, at 47 days, 13 hours, and 31 minutes. So, Karl is attempting to come in under 47 days, which averages out to be about 47.5 miles per day, every day for a month and a half. As a reference, the typical thru-hiker takes about 5-6 months.

Incredible.

It is clear that these gentlemen contain an unmatched physical and mental prowess with an extraordinary ability to endure a high level of exhaustion. But it’s just as much a battle with nature, as it is against self.

Today marked the 31^st day of “Speedgoat’s” AT assault, reaching approximately 1100 miles. Currently, the record does not appear to be in jeopardy due to an early onset of severe tendinitis, as well as a case of trenchfoot that has thrown him off his original itinerary. But, as a true competitor, he refuses to throw in the towel and continues to hunt the record. Follow his progress at Where’s Karl.com.

On a side note, “Speedgoat” and his support team had the esteemed privilege of running into my good friend “Juicebox”, who is taking a more laid back approach at thru-hiking the AT. Unfortunately, “Speedgoat’s” support team woke “Juicebox” up at 5am as they made their way to a first aid station. However, they cordially invited him in for some snacks and were able to spend some time discussing the trail.

Apparently, there is a little animosity between North bounders (NOBOs) and South Bounders (SOBOs) due to the difference in time spent out on the trail when they cross paths. NOBOS traditionally pass SOBOs closer to their finish and have more of a weathered veteran attitude—assuming the SOBO is a noob and has much to learn before they even reach the halfway point.

Can’t we all get along…

Three friends of mine have embarked on a journey of a lifetime. They walk each and every day trudging along a trail enduring the elements that each day brings. From the end of June until the end of the year, they are thru-hikers on the Appalachian Trail, attempting to complete the trail in its entirety, all 2175 miles. If successful, they’ll join the short list of “2000-milers” recorded by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC).

The Trail stretches from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Katahdin in Baxter State Park in Maine. Typically, thru-hikers travel Northbound, starting in March or April at Springer Mountain and expecting to finish in September. But loving to be different, my friends are traveling Southbound, having started in the end of June at Katahdin and expecting to finish in December at Springer Mountain.

Traveling southbound is less popular and requires the thru-hikers to begin on the most rugged part of the Trail, providing little time to break into the daily routine as well as number of other challenges including:

• swarms of black flies in Maine in June and early July
• small number of other southbound thru-hikers for company
• muddy/deteriorating trail conditions and challenging stream crossings in Maine in June/July

Already, they experienced record rainfall in the month of July—soaking everything they own, including tent, sleeping bag, and any other comfort item. Also, one member of the team was nearly swept away by the Kennebec River, see the story here; it may have been a slip in judgment but I’ll leave that up to the judges.

Keeping in the tradition of the trail and fellow thru-hikers, each has taken on a new name, a new identity as they travel down the green tunnel of the Trail. They are Juicebox, Swing, and Water Baby. To say the least, they are eccentric and hilarious, unlike anyone else I’ve met before. Each has their own reason for being on the Trail, but understood by few. Currently, they are approximately 600 miles into their journey; I’ll continue to drop in and provide an update from time to time.

But, it’s not fair for me to steal their stories. I encourage you to join them on their travels as they continue to make their way down the Trail—creating memories of a lifetime for themselves and the people they meet along the way—by visiting Juicebox’s trail journal.