Ikon Pass holders get to enjoy more than $1 Billion in new terrain, lifts, dining, skier services and more for the 23/24 season. It’s an impressive collection of improvements, including new destinations added, so let’s start with those. New Destinations Winter 23/24 offers pass holders new destinations – Alyeska in Alaska and Snow Valley in California. Also, two areas in[Read More…]

Who says drinking and “riding” don’t go together? They certainly do!  We just came back from a week’s bike ride through part of the Loire Valley, drinking and riding. We had six days of easy riding, covering about 20 – 25 miles each day. Landing at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, we took the train to Tours, in the[Read More…]

My wife and I also love Montana in the summer, returning year after year to fish for the huge brown trout, rainbows, and cutthroats that fill the streams. This past July was no exception. We spent two weeks fly fishing many of the wonderful rivers that flow down out of the mountains, almost all filled with snowmelt and exceptional fish.[Read More…]

After 31 years of ownership, the Kemmerer family is selling the iconic resort to new owners who promise to keep Jackson Hole independent – one of the last world-class destinations which hasn’t been bought out by a multi-resort corporate operator.   The Kemmerers have always said they wanted to keep JMHR (Jackson Hole Mountain Resort) both locally-owned and independent.  [Read More…]

Like many celebrities, Lindsay Vonn participates in charity fund-raisers, red carpet events, and also paid events that utilize their celebrity. The evening I shared with the gold medal Olympic and World Cup skier was one of those. She was part of a panel on performance – specifically how performance influenced and inspired their lives. The other panelists were Reggie Jackson, the Hall of[Read More…]

Summer is in full swing at our favorite ski/snowboard resorts, with scenic chairlift and gondola rides and a full calendar of events including outdoor concerts and food festivals. ICYMI (in case you missed it) is our monthly round-up of this and that from here and there, including news of new lifts for new seasons. Alyeska Joins Ikon Pass Alaska’s Alyeska[Read More…]

Alterra Mountain Company, the guys behind the Ikon Pass, have added yet another resort to their collection of destinations they own and/or operate, bringing the portfolio to 17 year-round mountain destinations throughout North America. The agreement to purchase Idaho’s Schweitzer, further expands the company’s portfolio in the Pacific Northwest, joining Crystal Mountain in Washington, purchased recently. Schweitzer is the largest ski area[Read More…]

Big Sky celebrates its 50th Anniversary in the 2023/24 season with a brand new Lone Peak Tram and a new pricing policy for riding it. The old tram opened in 1995, big enough – or small enough – for only 15 passengers at a time, making it feel like an elevator with windows. On powder days, it could be a one[Read More…]

To whom it may concern, Vail’s 80+ Northeast Value Pass for $ 45 (+ $4.95 shipping & handling) is a hidden treasure that is NOT on their website, is basically unknown, is VERY hard to get accurate info about, and ONLY is in effect to the “Northeast” Areas which includes Mid-Atlantic and Ohio!! People on the toll free line insist[Read More…]

Back in 1955, it took Squaw Valley co-founder Alex Cushing, just six months to nail down his Northern California ski resort near Lake Tahoe as the site of the 1960 Winter Olympic Games. The building of the museum that will preserve the history of the games along with the broader history of Sierra Nevada winter sports is taking far longer. By the[Read More…]

Even though this amazing snow season is winding down, there’s still some important news for skiers and riders. Here is our monthly ICYMI – in case you missed it – tidbits of this and that, including extended operating days at resorts in the US and Canada. Utah The state has received a record amount of what it markets as The[Read More…]

The definition of a “cohort” is a collection of people who share characteristics or experiences over time. It’s one of many descriptions of us skiers and riders. We seek and revel in the mountain life and its experiences and invite others to share in our reverie. Our life view is expansive, embracing all. Giving back to others is deeply embedded in[Read More…]

Glade skiing is not about speed and power, but about grace under pressure. It is dancing a ballet on snow crystals where a mistake can really hurt.  It is that fine line where fantasy and reality meet, especially when you are knee-deep in a fresh blanket of powder that rests lightly between the trees. When you find that rhythm where[Read More…]

To Heaven’s Heights: An Anthology of Skiing in Literature It’s an eclectic mix of stories celebrating skiing as sport, transportation and more.  It’s for anybody who loves skiing – even reading about skiing. Many of the selections are nostalgic accounts of learning to ski, or descriptions of ski treks of long ago and far away. Others are exciting accounts of accidents,[Read More…]

Herman Smith Johannsen also known as Jackrabbit Johannsen was known for cross country (XC) skiing at 102 years old. He was a man who popularized XC skiing in Quebec and later in America. He lived until he was 111 and was always inquisitive about what was on the other side of the hill. The Jackrabbit kids’ ski program in Canada[Read More…]

The days are longer and warmer, which means more sunlight to enjoy spring skiing and riding, and fewer layers.  Some resorts have extended operating hours and even days, while others are closing despite an abundance of snow. Here’s our monthly ICYMI (in case you missed it) collection of this and that. The fun and games at season’s end includes pond skimming contests. Here’s[Read More…]