A chat with Hooey Wilks, ski artist.
Have you ever been to Hooey Mountain? No, it’s not a mountain owned by Vail or Alterra. Heck, it’s not a real mountain, at all. Instead, it’s the internet home of Hooey Wilks, an avid skier and talented artist from a very real place called Connecticut. Hooey’s passion for skiing is what inspired her to……
Get ready for Halloween: There’s plenty of spooky stuff in ski country.
Halloween is almost here. And though it may seem like nothing could be farther from skiing, that’s not necessarily the case. There are some pretty heart-stopping, knee-knocking lifts out there (see my post about Eleven of the World’s Scariest Ski Lifts). And a lot of skiing can scare the crap out of you. But believe……
Vail announces plans to automate resorts to resolve staffing issues.
(Photo: Prototype of Robot Instructor) In an effort to resolve staffing issues and reduce operating expenses, Vail Resorts today announced an initiative to fully automate its resorts by 2025, effectively eliminating much of the workforce at its 40 resorts. “This is the perfect way to meet our guests needs, minimize our costs, and optimize shareholder……
A Chat with Mon Balon of Plus Snow: The Challenges of Plus-Sized Ski Wear.
(Photo: Mon Balon) Getting gear would be a lot easier if all of us wore the same size. Unfortunately — or fortunately, depending on how you look at it — that’s not the case. For those of us on the larger end of the spectrum — and I’ve heard this time and time again on……
A chat with Heather Hansman, author of Powder Days
Author Heather Hansman (right) and her new book, Powder Days: Ski bums, ski towns, and the future of chasing snow (left). Photo courtesy of Hanover Square Press; photo by Heady Kader. Once upon a time, many, many years ago, back when the earth was new, I thought about being a ski bum. This was when……
A chat with John Emery, CEO of Alpine-X: Can indoor skiing make the sport more accessible to a broader range of people?
(Artist rendering of the soon-to-be-built Fairfax Peak in northern Virginia) The answer: perhaps. John Emery, CEO of Alpine-X, seems to think so. His company is behind Fairfax Peak, a 400,000-square-foot snow dome in the DC suburbs of Virginia, that will anchor the country’s second indoor ski dome. (Big Snow American Dream, in New Jersey is……
Yes, I have something to say.
One of the cool things about doing this blog is that I get to talk to a lot of interesting people. There’ve been interviews with great women skiers like Suzy Chaffee, Lynsey Dyer, Donna Weinbrecht, Kristin Ulmer, and Allison Gannett. I’ve spoken with Christy Mahon, a record-breaking ski mountaineer; Kelly Pawlak, the first female president of the……
On Fast Tracks and spending less for skiing.
There’s been a huge outcry in the ski-osphere lately. Last week, Powdr Corporation introduced its Fast Tracks Pass, and people are NOT HAPPY about it. Well, according to social media, they’re not. Then again, people on social media are rarely happy about anything. So in case you don’t know what Fast Tracks is, let me……
What you need to know to ski at a resort this season.
Last season was one for the books. I don’t think I can overstate the impact that COVID had on the ski world. Reservations, travel restrictions, limited lift capacity, closed lodges, masks — these were just a few of the things we had to contend with. Nonetheless, we still have to consider ourselves lucky. The resorts……
Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows is now Palisades Tahoe. Here’s why it matters.
By now you’ve probably heard the news: Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows has changed its name to Palisades Tahoe. The change has been long in the making. Was it a good move? Yes, without a doubt. The name “Squaw” is a twofer on the offensive scale: it’s both racist and misogynistic, Really, it’s amazing it stuck around……
