Photo by Michal Janek on Unsplash

The days are longer, the sun is brighter, the temperatures are warmer and the snow is softer.  Ah, yes, spring skiing is special, when you can shed layers enjoy such end-of-season silliness as pond skimming contests and leisurely  sun-soaked apres.

Spring skiing also needs some special attention, both to the condition of the snow and the condition of your equipment.  Here is some sensible advice from a trio of ski and snowboard instructors at Whistler Blackcomb –

Understand spring conditions: 
Nights are still cold on the mountain, so the snow can be firm in the mornings. Wait for the sun to soften the snow if you’re looking for that spring slush.  Spring powder conditions can be slower and harder to ride through, depending on how deep it is. This can require making bigger, straighter turns.

Debate beauty sleep vs early bird: 
Spring skiing means relaxed mornings and softer snow in the afternoons, but prime conditions for laps are in the morning.

Adjust your body language:
Make sure your weight is evenly distributed along the downhill ski (or along the inside edge of the snowboard) at the end of the turn. If there is too much weight, too far forward, the back of the downhill ski (or snowboard), can slide out.  Skiers should make sure you don’t have your weight forward at the end of the turn. Instead, what is needed is pressure on all parts of the foot from the toe to the arch, to the heel. This allows the edge to dig in.  Tighten your downhill ankle by rolling inwards to put the ski on more of an edge, and tighten your muscles so you have more control.

In powder and deeper slush, push your feet a bit forward through the end of the turn. In deeper snow, it is common for a skier’s feet to slow down due to the increased friction of the snow. The wetter the snow is, the more likely it is for this to happen. This can result in a skier being thrown forward. To counter this, skiers can push their feet forward through the end of the turn.

It is important to also push their hands forward as well, otherwise, you will be leaning too far back. This puts extra pressure on the quads. When skiing, we always want our shoulders over our knees. Snowboarders can also accomplish this feeling by pushing the front of the board forward if they feel that their board is being slowed down by the deeper, wetter snow.

Get a wax: 
You’ll definitely want your skis or board to be waxed to avoid getting stuck in slush. A good sign that your equipment is running out of wax (besides not gliding properly anymore) is a white cloudy effect on the edges of the base near the metal – this is where the snow is causing friction burn against the p-tex base.

Tree runs and spring conditions don’t mix: 
As the snow melts, obstacles can emerge in forested areas that are hazardous to skiers and riders and damaging to your gear.  Tree wells are also a hazard, so stay away from the trunks of trees, especially if they have low-hanging branches.  And always ski with a buddy.

Dress properly: 
Layer with breathable, quick-drying fabrics, wear sun protection, and pack a small backpack with essentials like water, sunscreen, and extra layers for changing conditions.  The jury is still out on whether goggle tans are considered cool, but there’s no doubt that if you want to avoid a nasty burn, sunscreen is a must. With high altitudes and UV rays reflecting off the snow, it’s easy to get sun damage.  And don’t forget the lip balm with SPF.

Have fun and be safe. See you on the spring slopes!

I started my collection of pins and patches from ski areas about 30 years ago, when I began writing about skiing for the Albany Times Union newspaper in New York. It gave me the opportunity to visit many ski areas, and whenever I went to a new ski area, I would purchase a pin and a patch.

Mike Roth’s pin-filled hat

That created a problem – where to put them.

I started by putting them on my ski coat but that became a pain since I wore more than one ski jacket and moving them would have been a nuisance.  Before helmets were even thought of for skiing, I would ski in the spring wearing my hat, but I never thought of putting the pins on it. Until my pin collection started to become voluminous.

So, the hat became the object of consistency, for spring skiing. Everywhere I went, it always attracted comments and questions from fellow skiers.

In airports, prior to TSA and screening, there were no problems at all. Now, my pin-filled hat has to pass through the x-ray machine to see if there are any sharp objects hidden within, besides the actual tiny pins that pins the pins to the hat.

There have been lots of comments – both from other passengers and from TSA personnel – as I would go through the airport and go through security, but no one at security ever stopped me, just lots of conversations.  A few times, people in the plane would approach me and actually give me pins that had meaning for them, like Olympic pins.  Once, in St. Moritz, I was given a pin from 1920’s of the St. Moritz Ski School.

These pins used to poke me in the head until I found a locking device at a motorcycle rally. Now, all these sharp pins have been ground down to being flat and there are no more scratch marks on my balding head.

Historic Photo of Mike Roth

Currently, there are about 120 pins plus on my hat. The biggest issue today is that my hat weighs more than ten pounds and is no longer comfy to wear skiing or otherwise, so it is semi-retired at this point.  I’m thinking it should be donated to a ski museum somewhere, including because some of those pins are from areas that have since closed.

I am still missing a few pins from way back when I first started to ski, such as Brodie Mountain, Homestead and Rock Candy Mountain. Most recently added Snowbasin, Diamond Peak and Mount Rose to the collection, but there is no room on the hat. So, I think I am going to have to get a bigger 10-gallon hat to make more room.

But it’s a daunting prospect to remove 120 pins and then reload them, and a new hat still would weigh more than ten pounds.

BTW – the photo is from Killington about 40 years ago. I still have that wind breaker shell, which I purchased on Rush Street in Chicago in the late 60’s. It still fits – because I had to take out the seams and add more girth.  

While comparing Alpine and Nordic skiing does not approach the debate about the best basketball player of all time (Michael Jordan or Lebron James), here is some fodder for the analysis on the snowsport discourse.

RB Lohr at Mt. Tom

During a career in the snow sports industry (mostly XC skiing), I have always avoided speaking negatively about Alpine skiing, (which is also referred to as downhill skiing and includes snowboarding) when comparing it to Nordic skiing (also known as XC skiing or cross country skiing). I’ve preferred to view XC skiing in positive terms, yet there are both similarities and differences between the two segments of snow sports. Another related aspect in the dialogue is to consider why Alpine skiers might want to try XC skiing or vice versa. Full disclosure: My annual outings this winter so far are 85% XC skiing and 15% snowboarding.

Both of these sports on snow provide the respective enthusiasts at any age with an experience outdoors in nature which is a good thing in the winter because we tend to stay indoors too much. It is also good to get into nature outdoors because of its impact on our psychological and spiritual well-being. It would seem that the differences in the two disciplines relate to speed. XC skiing through the forest at a slow pace may very well bathe our souls more fully compared to skiing or riding down a slope at even moderate speed. While I prefer the slow immersion of XC skiing for the smell of the forest and sound of the rolling brook, I concede that Alpine skiing can be equally beneficial for getting outdoors.

FITNESS

XC skiing is known as a leading aerobic exercise and using it to attain fitness is clearly advantageous compared to Alpine skiing. I’m not going to quote scientific aerobic studies or government recommendations about the number of minutes or hours per week necessary for a person to become fit, but this issue is obvious. XC skiing impacts all the body muscle groups and can be used as a successful cross training activity in the winter. I am aware as a snowboarder that there are Alpine skiers who get a great workout (particularly when doing bump runs), but on this issue XC skiing is the clear winner.

OPTIONS

The various options for XC skiers are plentiful. They can ski on groomed and marked trails or in the backcountry. They can classic ski or skate ski. XC skiers can go to commercial ski centers, local trails or parks, the snow covered golf course, even in the backyard or anywhere there is snow cover. Alpine skiers usually require lifts at the ski area. Backcountry skiing, split-boarding, alpine touring, and uphill skiing at ski areas are in the Alpine ski category but they may actually fall into the XC ski category, since the skier is moving uphill and across the terrain. Alpine skiers can enjoy groomed and marked trails but also gladed areas and terrain parks. They can float in the deep fresh powder and maintain excellent control on hard packed snow or bouncing down on moguls. Free style skiing is tantamount to gymnastics on the snow and rarely seen ski ballet dancing may be described as poetry on skis particularly when it is synchronistic and performed by couples.

Both Alpine and XC skiers can choose either easier or more challenging outings. With XC, for example skiers can go at their own pace across flat trail terrain or climb uphill to return on a thrilling run downhill on narrow trails. Alpine skiers can choose easier flatter slopes or more difficult steep slopes with moguls. Equipment for both Alpine and XC has been improved substantially providing better control and performance to make the sports much easier than in years past. XC skiers will cover terrain on the flat areas, up hills, and down hills. Their equipment either helps or hinders this form of transportation depending on the characteristics of the equipment and the terrain it is on. Soft wide steel edged skis are wonderful in untracked snow skiing down a hill but they are too slow providing minimal glide when skiing on a groomed flat trail. Narrow XC skis are great on the tracks or groomed trails but are difficult to control in untracked or broken snow going downhill. Alpine skiers and snowboarders are both able to acquire different equipment for different specialty interests.

RBL snowboard at King Pine

INJURY SUSCEPTIBILITY

The injury issue is an area of substantial difference between Alpine and XC skiing. I’ve been injured doing both activities. The speed associated with Alpine skiing is a key component to the potential severity of injury. Falling at high speeds even on soft snow can cause twisting, bouncing, and bruising that has bad consequences for the skier. Another big concern is getting hit by another skier who may be out of control. XC skiers who do not ski regularly often complain of muscle soreness on the day following an outing. Many XC skiers get exhausted if they ski too long or too far, but it is very rare for an XC skier to have a crash with another skier. Snowboarders are susceptible to upper body injury (head, neck, wrist, shoulders, rib bruises, etc.) and Alpine skiers can suffer leg issues such as knee and ACL injuries. The possibility of severe injury is more of an Alpine skiing concern compared to XC skiing. The lighter XC ski gear and not being attached to the ski at the heel perhaps make XC skiing somewhat safer, but let’s face it, if you are going fast down a steep hill, bad things can happen if you fall. Crashing into a tree even at slow speeds is unhealthy, no matter what type of equipment you are using.

SOCIABILITY

Both sports have an exceedingly wonderful social component. Alpine skiers strike up conversation as they meet strangers on almost every ride on the lift. XC skiers come upon others on the trails and always smile and say hello. The crowd factor is a difference among the two snow disciplines. Rarely are there too many people among the XC skiers at one place or on one trail, while the liftlines at Alpine ski areas can be notorious for overcrowding requiring crowd control techniques. It is true that experienced Alpine skiers can adjust to take lesser-used lifts on the mountain while the hordes may not be aware of where and when to find these lifts. Additionally, when there are too many skiers on a given slope at an Alpine ski area, there is increased danger for crashes to occur.

RBL at Jackson XC

COSTS

This brings us to the cost of the ski disciplines. Without getting into specific prices at different locales, it is safe to say that Alpine skiing is substantially more costly. Many skiers are purchasing season passes for skiing at a number of different venues. Daily passes can range from $50 to $300 per day for riding the lifts while XC skiing is either free in the park, or at a commercial XC ski area a trail pass can range from $15 to $30 for a day (or a couple of hours). The season passes are also significantly more costly for Alpine skiing, but we must remember that Alpine skiers can take multiple lift rides up the mountain which is a most incredible value. While the cost of XC ski equipment has increased, it is still substantially lower than Alpine ski gear – a fact which is undeniable and probably includes all categories of quality products and services such as hard goods, clothing, accessories, and services (ski tuning and repair).

THE VERDICT

Taking the above analysis into account, one may think that XC skiing has many advantages and that would be true on many fronts…but the fun factor must also be applied in the comparison. Clearly, the accomplished Alpine skier or snowboarder appears to be having fun (defined as something that provides amusement or joy) and thrills. What’s not to like taking the lift up the mountain and pushing off down the hill to get the rush of wind in your face while maintaining your speed under control…or floating on a snowboard in untracked powder down a narrow path through the trees in a silent glistening forest. Some of the ski areas have great food options in comfortable restaurants situated on top of the world with panoramic views of wintry awe and beauty. Ahhh. But there is something to XC skiing despite the images of Olympic competitors falling at the finish line in complete exhaustion. While it may be difficult to label XC skiers as having fun (most people perceive XC skiing as “too much work”), upon completing an outing on XC skis, one feels a sense of accomplishment. According to scientific evidence there are very positive biological, psychological, and medicinal impacts derived from the activity associated with outdoor activities like XC skiing. The sensory experience of getting outdoors is a kind of eco therapy and a prescription for lowering stress, restoring attention, and boosting mental health and cognitive clarity. Alpine skiing does indeed have similar effects on people, but the slower pace and level of immersion associated with XC skiing may provide an advantage for mental health and associated wellness.

Personally, I love a long glide in the tracks on my XC ski equipment AND a powder run on my snowboard. I call it an even draw.

Photo by Erwan Hesry on Unsplash

AirTags are brilliant little tracking devices a little bigger than a quarter, which integrate easily with Apple’s Find My App. Every piece of luggage you travel with – including your skis – should have one, to tell you exactly where it has been left behind by an airline, tour bus, forgotten by you, or even stolen. 

Recently, I was on a tour bus in Europe when a fellow passenger screamed out, “Stop, stop. There’s luggage falling out of the bus.” By the time the driver could pull off the highway, my fellow traveler advised that, “You just lost my bag and it’s a half-mile behind us!”  

How did she know? There was an Apple AirTag inside it. The driver, who apparently had not properly secured the latch on one of the luggage bays, ran back to retrieve her bag, surely cursed by drivers who nearly hit it.  Score one for AirTags.

On the way home, due to a missed connection, my own bags didn’t make it onto my flight, and were left behind. How did I know?  Yes, AirTags again.

These efficient little devices can track any item for you, including pets, when within range of any Apple device, even if the AirTag and its owner are thousands of miles apart, even internationally, as mine were.

In fact, the same woman whose bag fell out of the bus said she was also tracking her cat back home in the USA. I tracked the two-day trip my bags took home and delivery to my house.

United Airlines recently became the first major carrier to integrate AirTags into their app. Star Alliance partner Lufthansa has joined them. Customers can now securely share the location of an AirTag or Find My network accessory with customer service agents for faster bag recovery and an even better overall travel experience, the airline stated in a press release.  

United says it expects the integration to drive a “much-improved customer service experience for the fewer than 1% of customers whose bags arrive on a later flight.” By sharing AirTag information, United and partner Lufthansa say they will be able to find delayed bags and reunite them with customers more quickly – including because the AirTag owner can track every movement every moment.

Additional domestic and international airlines are expected to join the AirTag program.

AirTag lithium batteries meet the low threshold airlines require for use in baggage, so no worries about putting them in checked luggage. Each AirTag is powered by a CR2032 coin cell battery, commonly found in many auto key fobs, which is user-replaceable and lasts about a year.  

A four-piece set of Apple AirTags can be found on sale for about $70. It’s a very cost-effective way for individuals to benefit from a reliable tracking solution.  Or, get a secure waterproof AirTag stick-on to attach directly to your skis for under $15, far less than the price of replacing lost or stolen skis.

 However, AirTags are not without flaws. Privacy concerns, limited functionality for non-Apple users, and potential misuse are significant drawbacks that warrant consideration.

There are similar products available for Android devices.

What are your experiences with delayed or lost baggage, especially ski equipment?  We welcome your comments.

Photo by Colin Cassidy on Unsplash

Over the past six years, I have been a happy part of a group of friends skiing Powder Mountain the first week of February. This year was different, because Powder Mountain is different.

We loved skiing there, not because the skiing was free for over 75 ( although that was a plus) but more for the laid back feel of the entire area including its uncrowded slopes. I have called it the friendliest place to ski.

However, since an ownership change things are different.

The 75+ crowd, which used to ski free, now is charged a season ticket of around $1,400. And if you don’t have the season ticket of any kind, you can’t ski there on a weekend in February.

Even with a pass, the allowable area to ski has been reduced, saving the rest for the homeowners who have invested upward of $ 2.5 Million for a lot and God knows how much more for a structure to live in. In addition, each homeowner has the privilege to pay an additional $30,000 to $100,000 per year to ski on their private terrain, but they can also ski on the public side if they choose to ski with us common folk.

So, in sort of a protest, I decided that I would purchase a season pass at Snowbasin across the valley from Powder Mountain for $549. Snowbasin has plenty of skiable terrain – 3000 acres of groomed and ungroomed terrain, plenty of high-speed six-packs and gondolas and about 2000 feet of vertical, comparable to Powder Mountain, including for lift-served terrain, and far better for lodges and other facilities.

The only drawback to Snowbasin is that they are on the Ikon pass and I have never seen more people at any ski area than I saw on Saturday and Sunday while I was there.

So the issue at Powder Mountain, which I no longer consider the friendliest place to ski, is it still might be worth spending the few bucks extra for the peace of mind that you won’t be run over by the crowds.

Will my buddies and I return to Powder Mountain next season?  I don’t know.  Stay tuned.

Sue Catana, Ski Hickory manager

Ski season is also ski film season, when any number of movies about the sport are released. This may conjure images of Warren Miller, or films about 20-something free skiers who conquer remote mountains or perform evermore challenging and outrageous stunts.

But I recently attended a film that spoke to the history as well as the present of skiing.

“Reviving the Legend” is a half-hour documentary about efforts to bring lift-served skiing back to Ski Hickory, a small area near the Adirondacks’ Gore Mountain.

The enthusiasts who attended the premier of the movie, at an historic theater in Hudson Falls, N.Y., was filled not just with Boomers but some of their parents and grandkids as well – many of them fans and some stockholders in this small resort.

Hickory 16 months ago had a brief viral moment online that led to production of the movie.

It all started when operators of the ski center, notably Manager Sue Catana, took to Facebook saying they needed to raise $38,000 for insurance in order to open for the 2023-24 ski season.
Without that, state lift inspectors wouldn’t come and certify Hickory’s aged poma-lifts and t-bar for operation.

Hickory had been closed since 2016. Without a snowmaking system, there weren’t enough skiable days to make the place profitable. While it is owned by a group of shareholders whose families helped start the area in the 1940s and 50s, Hickory had become something akin to a club.

The Albany Times Union newspaper and several ski-focused social media sites picked up the call for help. Local devotees began contributing and buying season ski passes. (Full disclosure, I am the retired ski writer for the Times Union who wrote the story and am interviewed briefly in the film).

Most notably, operators of the Unofficial Networks ski site and of the Indy Pass multi-mountain pass chipped in more than $30,000 needed to pay Hickory’s insurance bill.

News that Hickory’s lifts would be spinning elicited cheers from the area’s fans, many of whom were descendants of the area’s founders, who live in and around the Southern Adirondack communities of Warrensburg, Glens Falls and Lake George.

That community spirit caught the eye of Kingston-based cinematographer Ian McGrew who started researching Hickory’s history and decided to produce a short documentary. He interviewed players like Catana and others.

McGrew drew on archival footage of the ski resort in better times when it was bustling with weekend visitors from the surrounding  area. He also weaved in photos  and interviews to portray the area past and present.
Hickory in many ways represents the way skiing in the Adirondacks used to be, before the technological revolutions in snowmaking, high speed chairlifts, along with the corporatization and convenience of skiing that characterizes so much of the sport today.

The place is a proud throwback. In addition to the all-natural snow conditions skiers rely on poma lifts and t-bars for uphill travel. In fact segments of the movie, and testimony from longtime skiers after the viewing, pointed how youngsters could, with the proper combination of technique and intestinal fortitude, get “launched” several feet off the ground when riding the poma.

With a 1,200-foot vertical rise, Hickory can also satisfy hardcore skiers as the upper trails are narrow, steep and twisty providing plenty of challenge. The base lodge is simple but inviting with a 60s-era round fireplace in the middle. The spot’s mom-and-pop nature also comes through in the film, with Catana, now 76,  describing how she did everything from taking lift tickets to answering the phone and making vats of chili hours before the lifts opened.

Her father Hans Winbauer helped build the area after WWII. He served in the 10th Mountain Division U.S. Army ski troopers who battled the Axis forces in the war.

After returning home, some of these veterans went on to build what became mega resorts in the U.S. including Vail.

Hickory, though, stayed true to its small-town club-like roots and McGrew’s film depicts families of skiers, with little kids making their first turns at the resort.

He plans to enter “Reviving the Legend” in several outdoor and film genre competitions next year and plans to find an online outlet for it in the near future.

As for Hickory, they were hoping to open in late February, once state inspectors approve their surface lifts.
When they open tickets are free for those 17 and under, $70 for adults and $45 for those 70 and over. Hickory is located on 43 Hickory Hill Road, Warrensburg, N.Y.

Photo by Karsten Winegeart on Unsplash

There’s still plenty of time left in this season for downhill turns and apres friendships, but that should not distract you from grabbing one or more of the next-season deals which just went on sale.  Buy now and save money then. 

These early-season prices should be in effect until around Memorial Day, when they have increased in past years, with another price increase around Labor Day.  So – again – the sooner you buy, the more you save.

Indy Pass

We are putting this one first, because the number of annual passes is limited, and when they are gone, they are gone.  It’s a great deal – starting at $299 for the Adult Base Pass for renewals and $349 for new buyers – for smaller, independent mountains.

New for next season are five additional mountains including Burke Mountain, Vermont; Tenney Mountain, New Hampshire; Corralco Mountain Resort, Chile; Rauriser-Hochalmbahnen, Austria; and Pila, Italy.

www.indyskipass.com

2025/26 Epic Pass

Prices are up around 6% for all pass types, including the full Epic Pass, which now costs $1,051, up from the current $982.  It still provides unlimited and blackout-free access to more than a dozen resorts, including Beaver Creek, Park City, Hunter Mountain and Okemo.

Next season’s Epic Local Pass is $783, up about $50 from the current season, with unlimited and blackout-free skiing and riding at resorts including Breckenridge, Crested Butte, Mount Snow and Stevens Pass.

Although no new resorts have signed up for next season, Switzerland’s 4 Vallees is adding access to additional pass types.

Visit the Epic Pass website for more information, including new prices for strictly local and senior passes including the Northeast Value pass and Tahoe Local.

https://www.epicpass.com/passes/epic-pass.aspx

Mountain Collective

New for next season is a bonus third day at the member resort of your choice, which includes Alta, A-Basin, Jackson Hole, Snowbasin, Sun Valley, Taos and Valle Nevado (Chile).  The pass costs $639 USD and $849 CAD for ages 18 and up, for 26 resorts around the world.  There also are 25% discounted day tickets for friends and family.

www.mountaincollective.com

Ikon Pass

There are big changes to this pass next season, with new resorts added, one leaving, and the end of the Base Pass Plus, plus price increases.

Pricing for the full Ikon Pass now starts at $1,329 and $909 for the Ikon Base Pass, up $50-$80 over the current season.  The multi—day Session Pass remains the same, at $259.

Base Pass Plus provided access to premier destinations including Jackson Hole, Deer Valley and Snowbasin.  The end of that pass apparently means those upscale destinations move into the full pass.

Windham Mountain Club is leaving the Ikon Pass at the end of this season, but Jiminy Peak and Cranmore in the Northeast and Wild Mountain and Buck Hill in Minnesota have joined as “bonus” mountains, offering two days each.

Also new is Ischgl, a resort in Austria that borders Switzerland.

 www.ikonpass.com

See you on the slopes!