Tag Archive for: indoor skiing

Jon Weisberg

Short Swings!

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“Snow is the cosmetic of the Earth.” That’s one of many memorable lines from Moby Dick, Herman Melville’s masterpiece about one man’s obsession with the destruction of a gigantic white whale.

Riding early morning lifts, especially on a powder day, brings Melville’s observation to life. The smooth, undulating surface conceals what’s below. My skiing dreams and day-dreams invariably show untouched surfaces. There’s a reason we call it virgin snow.

With rare exception, conditions like that don’t last long. Dropping into an untracked slope and leaving your own lines is a joy. By definition, joy is ephemeral — a fleeting moment of intense happiness. Powder snow is ephemeral. Anything that is temporary is ephemeral. We’re about to enter another season, and we’re not getting younger. Relish the anticipation. Experience the joy. Embrace it all.

Bootster Is THE ESSENTIAL Older Skier’s Accessory

Our newest advertiser is Bootster, a compact ski boot shoehorn that makes boot entry effortless — even when they’re cold and stiff. It utilizes a super slick material that eases foot into boot. It is compact and fits into a pocket. Many of you will have your own techniques: talcum powder; various sprays; etc., etc. but Bootster does the job with perfection. No need for contortions. It’s one of those simple solutions for a persistent problem. Having used an earlier version of the design, I fully endorse its effectiveness. And at $25, it’s an ideal gift for any older skier on your list.

 

Documentary Explores Abandoned Colorado Ski Areas

Abandoned is the title of a soon to be released documentary about independent Colorado ski areas that no longer exist. The film explores skiing before the influence of corporate resorts and current effects of climate change. I’ve only seen the trailer. It’s well worth watching.

Tremblant Video Shows Latest Improvements

Last week’s Short Swings! column described Mont-Tremblant’s new high speed quad and the expanded glade areas it serves. This very cool short video shows it with unusual creativity.

Jiminy Peak, Bromley, and Cranmore offer savings through their respective value cards (check websites for details):

  • Jiminy Peak‘s costs $62 and includes two days of skiing followed by savings of lift tickets purchased throughout the season.
  • Bromley‘s costs $81 before December 14 and includes one day ticket and $30 off additional tickets throughout the season.
  • Cranmore‘s is $89 and includes one day ticket and $20 off additional tickets throughout the season. Every seventh ticket is free. Cranmore also allows those purchasing a ticket after 2:00PM to use the same ticket the following day.

Ikon Pass Price Increases Oct. 10

The full adult pass (unlimited access to 14 destinations and 7-days or 7-days combined at 21 destinations; no blackouts) is currently available for $999. Starting Oct. 10, it increases to $1,049. The IKON Base Pass (unlimited access to 12 destinations and 5-days or 5-days combined at 23 destinations; 10 blackouts) is currently available for $699. Starting Oct.10, it increases to $749. More at www.ikonpass.com.

Maine Ski Hall of Fame To Induct 19th Century Adventurer, Others

Norman Libby, the winter adventurer who was the first to ski Pleasant Mountain (Shawnee Peak) in the 1890’s will be inducted (posthumously) to the Maine Ski Hall of Fame, Oct 27 at the Grand Summit Hotel at Sunday River. Also being added to the Hall of Fame are Karen Colburn and Anne Dowling, US Freestyle Champions; Leon Akers, cross country coach and ski shop owner; David Stonebraker, prep school ski coach; Warren Cook, Sugarloaf ski executive, and Kristina Sabasteanski, biathlete. The Maine Ski Hall of Fame is a program of the Ski Museum of Maine.

Skiing the Great Indoors

The world’s largest indoor ski resort will open in Shanghai, China in 2022. It will feature three slopes, numerous other attractions, and four hotels with a total of 1,000 rooms.

 

mikemaginn

Indoor Skiing? Bode Miller?

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Ski In A T-Shirt. In July. In Colorado.

Bode Miller endorses the indoor, endless carpet as a way to practice and learn. Credit: Snobahn

Bode Miller endorses the indoor, endless carpet as a way to practice and learn.
Credit: Snobahn

 

There is a way to keep skiing year round.  As we have seen, the urge to keep skiing has been explored in many different ways.  This time, Snobahn, a “state of the art” indoor ski facility is coming to the US with its first facility in Centennial Colorado.

Hey, if you are learning or yearning, it’s a place to get some vertical done.  Snobahn says 30-minutes on the continuously moving carpet gives you the equivalent of 20,000 vertical feet.  That’s a work out.

Plus, there’s a lounge, and the price is right: $40 per rental and instruction. And Bode Miller is an enthusiast.  Pretty interesting.  Check out the video. And thanks Teton Gravity Research for the story idea.

 

 

mikemaginn

Indoor Skiing Tries Again: Toronto Next

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Experts And Beginners Can Ski All Year On Faux Snow.

Many years ago, we remember when the town of Etobicoke, ONT, a suburb of Toronto, used its municipal trash collection to build a ski hill. That’s a clue to how geographically feature-less the terrain around Toronto is.  While the greater Toronto area has at least 10 ski areas in driving range of the city and reasonable ski ticket prices, the dimensions are modest.

Shredding is possible on "dryslope" faux snow.

Shredding is possible on
“dryslope” faux snow.

Into this mileau comes a bold idea: Indoor Skiing.  We’ve seen how indoor skiing has been tried in other parts of the world, most notably at Tokyo’s Lalaporte Skidome SSWAS.   There’s also one in the Middle East called Ski Dubai which features real snow and penguins.

Now, a company is building a 20,000 square foot indoor facility in Vaughan, ONT, just north of Toronto.  Axis Freestyle Academy is billed as “Canada’s Indoor Ski and Snowboard Progression Park”, a year-round dry snow, aka, dryslope, training facility.  There is also a 4,000 square-foot trampoline area for fitness and fun.  The ski hill is divided between open slope for beginners and terrain filled with rails and jumps for experts or wannabes.

SkiDubai's indoor ski area has real snow, interesting features, and cold temps.

SkiDubai’s indoor ski area has real snow, interesting features, and cold temps.

In any case, Torontonians—especially young ones—will have another option to practice and prepare for winter.  On second thought, we’re curious if some folks find the faux snow appealing enough to stick with the indoor facility all year round.  Oh, no lifts, by the way.  It’s a walk-up; that won’t be too bad because the elevation is 17 feet.

The facility is scheduled for opening in June 2016.

Here’s an artsy two-minute view of what snowboarding can be like on a “dryslope”.