Podcast appearances and mentions of Bear Mountain

The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast is a reader-supported publication. Whether you sign up for the free or paid tier, I appreciate your support for independent ski journalism.WhoErik Lambert, Co-Founder of Bluebird Backcountry, Colorado and founder of Bonfire CollectiveRecorded onApril 8, 2025About Bluebird BackcountryLocated in: Just east of the junction of US 40 and Colorado 14, 20-ish miles southwest of Steamboat Springs, ColoradoYears active: 2020 to 2023Closest neighboring U.S. ski areas: Steamboat (:39), Howelsen Hill (:45), Base elevation: 8,600 feetSummit elevation: 9,845 feetVertical drop: 1,245 feetSkiable acres: 4,200-plus acres (3,000 acres guided; 1,200-plus acres avalanche-managed and ski-patrolled)Average annual snowfall: 196 inchesLift fleet: None!Why I interviewed himFirst question: why is the ski newsletter that constantly reminds readers that it's concerned always and only with lift-served skiing devoting an entire podcast episode to a closed ski area that had no lifts at all? Didn't I write this when Indy Pass added Bluebird back in 2022?:Wait a minute, what the f**k exactly is going on here? I have to walk to the f*****g top? Like a person from the past? Before they invented this thing like a hundred years ago called a chairlift? No? You actually ski up? Like some kind of weird humanoid platypus Howard the Duck thing? Bro I so did not sign up for this s**t. I am way too lazy and broken.Yup, that was me. But if you've been here long enough, you know that making fun of things that are hard is my way of making fun of myself for being Basic Ski Bro. Really I respected the hell out of Bluebird, its founders, and its skiers, and earnestly believed for a moment that the ski area could offer a new model for ski area development in a nation that had mostly stopped building them:Bluebird has a lot of the trappings of a lift-served ski area, with 28 marked runs and 11 marked skin tracks, making it a really solid place to dial your uphill kit and technique before throwing yourself out into the wilderness.I haven't really talked about this yet, but I think Bluebird may be the blueprint for re-igniting ski-area development in the vast American wilderness. The big Colorado resorts – other than Crested Butte and Telluride – have been at capacity for years. They keep building more and bigger lifts, but skiing needs a relief valve. One exists in the smaller ski areas that populate Colorado and are posting record business results, but in a growing state in a finally-growing sport, Bluebird shows us another way to do skiing.More specifically, I wrote in a post the following year:Bluebird fused the controlled environment and relative safety of a ski area with the grit and exhilaration of the uphill ski experience. The operating model, stripped of expensive chairlifts and resource-intensive snowmaking and grooming equipment, appeared to suit the current moment of reflexive opposition to mechanized development in the wilderness. For a moment, this patrolled, avalanche-controlled, low-infrastructure startup appeared to be a model for future ski area development in the United States. …If Bluebird could establish a beachhead in Colorado, home to a dozen of America's most-developed ski resorts and nearly one in every four of the nation's skier visits, then it could act as proof-of-concept for a new sort of American ski area. One that provided a novel experience in relative safety, sure, but, more important, one that could actually proceed as a concept in a nation allergic to new ski area development: no chairlifts, no snowmaking, no grooming, no permanent buildings.Dozens of American ski markets appeared to have the right ingredients for such a business: ample snow, empty wilderness, and too many skiers jamming too few ski areas that grow incrementally in size but never in number. If indoor ski areas are poised to become the nation's next-generation incubators, then liftless wilderness centers could create capacity on the opposite end of the skill spectrum, redoubts for experts burned out on liftlines but less enthusiastic about the dangers of touring the unmanaged backcountry. Bluebird could also act as a transition area for confident skiers who wanted to enter the wilderness but needed to hone their uphill and avalanche-analysis skills first. …Bluebird was affordable and approachable. Day tickets started at $39. A season pass cost $289. The ski area rented uphill gear and set skin tracks. The vibe was concert-tailgate-meets-#VanLife-minimalism-and-chill, with free bacon famously served at the mid-mountain yurt.That second bit of analysis, unfortunately, was latched to an article announcing Bluebird's permanent closure in 2023. Co-founder Jeff Woodward told me at the time that Bluebird's relative remoteness – past most of mainline Colorado skiing – and a drying-up of investors drove the shutdown decision.Why now was a good time for this interviewBluebird's 2023 closure shocked the ski community. Over already? A ski area offering affordable, uncrowded, safe uphill skiing seemed too wedded to skiing's post-Covid outdoors-hurray moment to crumble so quickly. Weren't Backcountry Bros multiplying as the suburban Abercrombie and Applebee's masses discovered the outside and flooded lift-served ski areas? I offered a possible explanation for Bluebird's untimely shutdown:There is another, less optimistic reading here. Bluebird may have failed because it's remote and small for its neighborhood. Or we are witnessing perception bump up against reality. The popular narrative is that we are in the midst of a backcountry resurgence, quantified by soaring gear sales and perpetually parked-out trailheads. Hundreds of skiers regularly skin up many western ski areas before the lifts open. But the number of skiers willing to haul themselves up a mountain under their own power is miniscule compared to those who prefer the ease and convenience of a chairlift, which, thanks to the megapass, is more affordable than at any point in modern ski history.Ski media glorifies uphilling. Social media amplifies it. But maybe the average skier just isn't that interested. You can, after all, make your own ice cream or soda or bread, often at considerable initial expense and multiples of the effort and time that it would take to simply purchase these items. A small number of people will engage in these activities out of curiosity or because they possess a craftsman's zeal for assembly. But most will not. And that's the challenge for whoever takes the next run at building a liftless ski area.Still, I couldn't stop thinking about my podcast conversation the year prior with Lonie Glieberman, founder of the improbable and remote Mount Bohemia. When he opened the experts-only, no-snowmaking, no-grooming freefall zone in Michigan's Upper Peninsula in 2000, the ski industry collectively scoffed. It will never work, they promised, and for years it didn't. Boho lost money for a long time. But Glieberman persisted and, through a $99-season-pass strategy and an aggressively curated fist-bump image, Boho now sits at the aspirational pinnacle of Midwest skiing, a pilgrimage spot that is so successful it no longer sells Saturday day-time lift tickets.Could Bluebird have ascended to similar cult destination given more time? I don't know. We might never know.But shortly after Bluebird's shuttering, Erik Lambert, who co-founded Bluebird with Woodward, reached out to me. He's since helped with The Storm's digital-marketing efforts and knows the product well. With two years to process the rapid and permanent unraveling of an enterprise that had for a time consumed his life and passion, he felt ready to tell his version of the Bluebird story. And he asked if we could use The Storm to do it.What we talked aboutHow an East Coast kid developed a backcountry obsession; White Grass, West Virginia; the very long starter-kit list for backcountry skiing; Bluebird as backcountry primer; Jackson Hole as backcountry firestarter; why a nation as expansive and wild as the United States has little suitable land for ready ski area development; a 100-page form to secure a four-day Forest Service permit; early Bluebird pilots at Mosquito Pass and Winter Park; a surprising number of beginners, not just to backcountry, but to skiing; why the founders envisioned a network of Bluebirds; why Bluebird moved locations after season one; creating social scaffolding out of what is “inherently an anti-social experience”; free bacon!; 20 inches to begin operating; “we didn't know if people would actually pay to go backcountry skiing in this kind of environment”; “backcountry skiing was wild and out there, and very few people were doing it”; who Bluebird thought would show up and who actually did – “we were absolutely flummoxed by what transpired”; the good and bad of Bluebird's location; why none of the obvious abandoned Colorado ski areas worked for Bluebird; “we did everything the right way … and the right way is expensive”; “it felt like it was working”; why financing finally ran out; comparisons to Bohemia; “what we really needed was that second location”; moving on from failure – “it's been really hard to talk about for a long time”; Bluebird's legacy – “we were able to get thousands of people their best winter day”; “I think about it every day in one way or another”; the alternate universe of our own pasts; “somebody's going to make something like this work because it can and should exist”; and why I don't think this story is necessarily over just yet.What I got wrong* We mentioned a forthcoming trip to Colorado – that trip is now in the past, and I included GoPro footage of Lambert skiing with me in Loveland on a soft May day.* I heard “New Hampshire” and assigned Lambert's first backcountry outing to Mount Washington and Tuckerman Ravine, but the trek took place in Gulf of Slides.Podcast NotesOn White GrassThe Existing facility that most resembles Bluebird Backcountry is White Grass, West Virginia, ostensibly a cross-country ski area that sits on a 1,200-foot vertical drop and attracts plenty of skinners. I hosted founder Chip Chase on the pod last year:On Forest Service permit boundariesThe developed portion of a ski area is often smaller than what's designated as the “permit area” on their Forest Service masterplan. Copper Mountain's 2024 masterplan, for example, shows large parcels included in the permit that currently sit outside of lift service:On Bluebird's shifting locationsBluebird's first season was set on Whiteley Peak:The following winter, Bluebird shifted operations to Bear Mountain, which is depicted in the trailmap at the top of this article. Lambert breaks down the reasons for this move in our conversation.On breaking my leg in-boundsYeah I know, the regulars have heard me tell this story more times than a bear s***s under the bridge water, but for anyone new here, one of the reasons I am Skis Inbounds Bro is that I did my best Civil War re-enactment at Black Mountain of Maine three years ago. It's kind of a miracle that not only did patrol not have to stuff a rag in my mouth while they sawed my leg off, but that I've skied 156 days since the accident. This is a testament both to being alive in the future and skiing within 300 yards of a Patrol hut equipped with evac sleds and radios to make sure a fentanyl drip is waiting in the base area recovery room. Here's the story: On abandoned Colorado ski areasBerthoud Pass feels like the lost Colorado ski area most likely to have have endured and found a niche had it lasted into our indie-is-cool, alt-megapass world of 2025. Dropping off US 40 11 miles south of Winter Park, the ski area delivered around 1,000 feet of vert and a pair of modern fixed-grip chairlifts. The bump ran from 1937 to 2001 - Colorado Ski History houses the full story.Geneva Basin suffered from a more remote location than Berthoud, and struggled through several owners from its 1963 opening to failed early ‘90s attempts at revitalization (the ski area last operated in 1984, according to Colorado Ski History). The mountain ran a couple of double chairs and surface lifts on 1,250 vertical feet:I also mentioned Hidden Valley, more commonly known as Ski Estes Park. This was another long-runner, hanging around from 1955 to 1991. Estes rocked an impressive 2,000-foot vertical drop, but spun just one chairlift and a bunch of surface lifts, likely making it impossible to compete as the Colorado megas modernized in the 1980s (Colorado Ski History doesn't go too deeply into the mountain's shutdown).On U.S. Forest Service permitsAn oft-cited stat is that roughly half of U.S. ski areas operate on Forest Service land. This number isn't quite right: 116 of America's 501 active ski areas are under Forest Service permits. While this is fewer than a quarter of active ski areas, those 116 collectively house 63 percentage of American ski terrain.I broke this down extensively a couple months back:The Storm explores the world of lift-served skiing (and sometimes adjacent things such as Bluebird) all year long. Join us. Get full access to The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast at www.stormskiing.com/subscribe

PRESENTED BY 6D HELMETSOn August 21-24, Big Bear Mountain in Southern California will host the inaugural Big Bear MX Grand Prix at the Bear Valley resort. The event has been years in the making, and our DMs and inboxes have been flooded with questions about the exciting developments, so we asked CMXRS Race Director Aaron Cooke to come in and share every single bit of information about the race with us. Registration opens on August 1st at 12:00 p.m. Mark your calendars!

The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and to support independent ski journalism, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.As of episode 198, you can now watch The Storm Skiing Podcast on YouTube. Please click over to follow the channel. The podcast will continue to stream on all audio platforms. WhoEric Clark, President and Chief Operating Officer of Mammoth and June Mountains, CaliforniaRecorded onJanuary 29, 2025Why I interviewed himMammoth is ridiculous, improbable, outrageous. An impossible combination of unmixable things. SoCal vibes 8,000 feet in the sky and 250 miles north of the megalopolis. Rustic old-California alpine clapboard-and-Yan patina smeared with D-Line speed and Ikon energy. But nothing more implausible than this: 300 days of sunshine and 350 inches of snow in an average year. Some winters more: 715 inches two seasons ago, 618 in the 2016-17 campaign, 669 in 2010-11. Those are base-area totals. Nearly 900 inches stacked onto Mammoth's summit during the 2022-23 ski season. The ski area opened on Nov. 5 and closed on Aug. 6, a 275-day campaign.Below the paid subscriber jump: why Mammoth stands out even among giants, June's J1 lift predates the evolution of plant life, Alterra's investment machine, and more.That's nature, audacious and brash. Clouds tossed off the Pacific smashing into the continental crest. But it took a soul, hardy and ungovernable, to make Mammoth Mountain into a ski area for the masses. Dave McCoy, perhaps the greatest of the great generation of American ski resort founders, strung up and stapled together and tamed this wintertime kingdom over seven decades. Ropetows then T-bars then chairlifts all over. One of the finest lift systems anywhere. Chairs 1 through 25 stitching together a trail network sculpted and bulldozed and blasted from the monolithic mountain. A handcrafted playground animated as something wild, fierce, prehuman in its savage ever-down. McCoy, who lived to 104, is celebrated as a businessman, a visionary, and a human, but he was also, quietly, an artist.Mammoth is not the largest ski area in America (ranking number nine), California (third behind Palisades and Heavenly), Alterra's portfolio (third behind Palisades and Steamboat), or the U.S. Ikon Pass roster (fifth after Palisades, Big Sky, Bachelor, and Steamboat). But it may be America's most beloved big ski resort, frantic and fascinating, an essential big-mountain gateway for 39 million Californians, an Ikon Pass icon and the spiritual home of Alterra Mountain Company. It's impossible to imagine American skiing without Mammoth, just as it's impossible to imagine baseball without the Yankees or Africa without elephants. To our national ski identity, Mammoth is an essential thing, like a heart to a human body, a part without which the whole function falls apart.About MammothClick here for a mountain stats overviewOwned by: Alterra Mountain Company, which also owns:Located in: Mammoth Lakes, CaliforniaYear founded: 1953Pass affiliations:* Ikon Pass: unlimited, no blackouts* Ikon Base Pass: unlimited, holiday blackoutsClosest neighboring ski areas: June Mountain – around half an hour if the roads are clear; to underscore the severity of the Sierra Nevada, China Peak sits just 28 miles southwest of Mammoth, but is a seven-hour, 450-mile drive away – in good weather.Base elevation: 7,953 feetSummit elevation: 11,053 feetVertical drop: 3,100 feetSkiable acres: 3,500Average annual snowfall: 350 inchesTrail count: 178 (13% easiest, 28% slightly difficult, 19% difficult, 25% very difficult, 15% extremely difficult)Lift count: 25 (1 15-passenger gondola, 1 two-stage, eight-passenger gondola, 4 high-speed six-packs, 8 high-speed quads, 1 fixed-grip quad, 6 triples, 3 doubles, 1 Poma – view Lift Blog's inventory of Mammoth's lift fleet) – the ski area also runs some number of non-public carpetsAbout JuneClick here for a mountain stats overviewOwned by: Alterra Mountain Company (see complete roster above)Located in: June Lake, CaliforniaYear founded: 1963Pass affiliations:* Ikon Pass: unlimited, no blackouts* Ikon Base Pass: unlimited, holiday blackoutsClosest neighboring ski areas: Mammoth Mountain – around half an hour if the roads are clearBase elevation: 7,545 feetSummit elevation: 10,090 feetVertical drop: 2,590 feetSkiable acres: 1,500 acresAverage annual snowfall: 250 inchesTrail count: 41Lift count: 6 (2 high-speed quads, 4 doubles – view Lift Blog's inventory of June Mountain's lift fleet)What we talked aboutMammoth's new lift 1; D-Line six-packs; deciding which lift to replace on a mountain with dozens of them; how the new lifts 1 and 16 redistributed skier traffic around Mammoth; adios Yan detachables; the history behind Mammoth's lift numbers; why upgrades to lifts 3 and 6 made more sense than replacements; the best lift system in America, and how to keep this massive fleet from falling apart; how Dave McCoy found and built Mammoth; retaining rowdy West Coast founder's energy when a mountain goes Colorado corporate; old-time Colorado skiing; Mammoth Lakes in the short-term rental era; potential future Mammoth lift upgrades; a potentially transformative future for the Eagle lift and Village gondola; why Mammoth has no public carpets; Mammoth expansion potential; Mammoth's baller parks culture, and what it takes to build and maintain their massive features; the potential of June Mountain; connecting to June's base with snowmaking; why a J1 replacement has taken so long; kids under 12 ski free at June; Ikon Pass access; changes incoming to Ikon Pass blackouts; the new markets that Ikon is driving toward Mammoth; improved flight service for Mammoth skiers; and Mammoth ski patrol.What I got wrong* I guessed that Mammoth likely paid somewhere in the neighborhood of $15 million for “Canyon and Broadway.” I meant that the new six-pack D-line lifts likely cost $15 million each.* I mentioned that Jackson Hole installed a new high-speed quad last year – I was referring to the Sublette chair.* I said that Steamboat's Wild Blue Gondola was “close to three miles long” – the full ride is 3.16 miles. Technically, the first and second stages of the gondola are separate machines, but riders experience them as one.Why now was a good time for this interviewTalk to enough employees of Alterra Mountain Company and a pattern emerges: an outsized number of high-level execs – the people building the mountain portfolio and the Ikon Pass and punching Vail in the face while doing it – came to the mothership, in some way or another, through Mammoth Mountain.Why is that? Such things can be a coincidence, but this didn't feel like it. Rusty Gregory, Alterra's CEO from 2018 to '23, entered that pilot's seat as a Mammoth lifer, and it was possible that he'd simply tagged in his benchmates. But Alterra and the Ikon Pass were functioning too smoothly to be the products of nepotism. This California ski factory seemed to be stamping out effective big-ideas people like an Italian plant cranking out Ferraris.Something about Mammoth just works. And that's remarkable, considering no one but McCoy thought that the place would work at all as a functional enterprise. A series of contemporary dumbasses told him that Mammoth was “too windy, too snowy, too high, too avalanche-prone, and too isolated” to work as a commercial ski area, according to The Snow Mag. That McCoy made Mammoth one of the most successful ski areas anywhere is less proof that the peanut gallery was wrong than that it took extraordinary will and inventiveness to accomplish the feat.And when a guy runs a ski area for 52 years, that ski area becomes a manifestation of his character. The people who succeed in working there absorb these same traits, whether of dysfunction or excellence. And Mammoth has long been defined by excellence.So, how to retain this? How does a ski area stitched so tightly to its founder's swashbuckling character fully transition to corporate-owned megapass headliner without devolving into an over-groomed volume machine for Los Angeles weekenders? How does a mountain that's still spinning 10 Yan fixed-grip chairs – the oldest dating to 1969 – modernize while D-Line sixers are running eight figures per install? And how does a set-footprint mountain lodged in remote wilderness continue to attract enough skiers to stay relevant, while making sure they all have a place to stay and ski once they get there?And then there's June. Like Pico curled up beside Killington, June, lost in Mammoth's podium flex, is a tiger dressed up like a housecat. At 1,500 acres, June is larger than Arapahoe Basin, Aspen Highlands, or Taos. It's 2,590-foot-vertical drop is roughly equal to that of Alta, Alyeska, or Copper (though June's bottom 1,000-ish vertical feet are often closed due to lack of lower-elevation snow). And while the terrain is not fierce, it's respectable, with hundreds of acres of those wide-open California glades to roll through.And yet skiers seem to have forgotten about the place. So, it can appear, has Alterra, which still shuffles skiers out of the base on a 1960 Riblet double chair that is the oldest operating aerial lift in the State of California. The mountain deserves better, and so do Ikon Pass holders, who can fairly expect that the machinery transporting them and their gold-plated pass uphill not predate the founding of the republic. That Alterra has transformed Deer Valley, Steamboat, and Palisades Tahoe with hundreds of millions of dollars of megalifts and terrain expansions over the past five years only makes the lingering presence of June's claptrap workhorse all the more puzzling.So in Mammoth and June we package both sides of the great contradiction of corporate ski area ownership: that whoever ends up with the mountain is simultaneously responsible for both its future and its past. Mammoth, fast and busy and modern, must retain the spirit of its restless founder. June, ornamented in quaint museum-piece machinery while charging $189 for a peak-day lift ticket, must justify its Ikon Pass membership by doing something other than saying “Yeah I'm here with Mammoth.” Has one changed too much, and the other not enough? Or can Alterra hit the Alta Goldilocks of fast lifts and big passes with throwback bonhomie undented?Why you should ski Mammoth and JuneIf you live in Southern California, go ahead and skip this section, because of course you've already skied Mammoth a thousand times, and so has everyone you know, and it will shock you to learn that there is anyone, anywhere, who has never skied this human wildlife park.But for anyone who's not in Southern California, Mammoth is remote and inconvenient. It is among the least-accessible big mountains in the country. It lacks the interstate adjacency of Tahoe, the Wasatch, and Colorado; the modernized airports funneling skiers into Big Sky and Jackson and Sun Valley (though this is changing); the cultural cachet that overcomes backwater addresses for Aspen and Telluride. Going to Mammoth, for anyone who can't point north on 395, just doesn't seem worth the hassle.It is worth the hassle. The raw statistical profile validates this. Big vert, big acreage, big snows, and big lift networks always justify the journey, even if Mammoth's remoteness fails to translate to emptiness in the way it does at, say, Taos or Revelstoke. But there is something to being Not Tahoe, a Sierra Nevada monster throwing off its own gravity rather than orbiting a mother lake with a dozen equals. Lacking the proximity to leave some things to more capable competitors, the way Tahoe resorts cede parks to Boreal or Northstar, or radness to Palisades and Kirkwood, Mammoth is compelled to offer an EveryBro mix of parks and cliffs and groomers and trees and bumps. It's a motley, magnificent scene, singular and electric, the sort of place that makes all realms beyond feel like a mirage.Mammoth does have one satellite, of course, and June Mountain fills the mothership's families-with-kids gap. Unlike Mammoth, June lets you use the carpet without an instructor. Kids 12 and under ski free. June is less crowded, less vodka-Red Bull, less California. And while the dated lifts can puzzle the Ikon tote-bagger who's last seven trips were through the detachable kingdoms of Utah and Colorado, there is a certain thrill to riding a chairlift that tugged its first passengers uphill during the Eisenhower administration.Podcast NotesOn Mammoth's masterplanOn Alterra pumping “a ton of money into its mountains”Tripling the size of Deer Valley. A massive terrain expansion and transformative infill gondola at Steamboat. The fusing of Palisades Tahoe's two sides to create America's second-largest interconnected ski area. New six-packs at Big Bear, Mammoth, Winter Park, and Solitude. Alterra is not messing around, as the Vail-Slayer continues to add mountains, add partners, and transform its portfolio of once-tired giants into dazzling modern megaresorts with billions in investment.On D-Line lifts “floating over the horizon”I mean just look at these things (Loon's Kancamagus eight on opening day, December 10, 2021 – video by Stuart Winchester):On severe accidents on Yan detachablesIn 2023, I wrote about Yan's detachable lift hellstorm:Cohee referenced a conversation he'd had with “Yan Kunczynski,” saying that, “obviously he had his issues.” If it's not obvious to the listener, here's what he was talking about: Kuncyznski founded Yan chairlifts in 1965. They were sound lifts, and the company built hundreds, many of which are still in operation today. However. Yan's high-speed lifts turned out to be death traps. Two people died in a 1985 accident at Keystone. A 9-year-old died in a 1993 accident at Sierra-at-Tahoe (then known as Sierra Ski Ranch). Two more died at Whistler in 1995. This is why all three detachable quads at Sierra-at-Tahoe date to 1996 – the mountain ripped out all three Yan machines following the accident, even though the oldest dated only to 1989.Several Yan high-speed detachables still run, but they have been heavily modified and retrofit. Superstar Express at Killington, for example, was “retrofitted with new Poma grips and sheaves as well as terminal modifications in 1994,” according to Lift Blog. In total, 15 ski areas, including Sun Valley, Schweitzer, Mount Snow, Mammoth, and Palisades Tahoe spent millions upgrading or replacing Yan detachable quads. The company ceased operations in 2001.Since that writing, many of those Yan detachables have met the scrapyard:* Killington will replace Superstar Express with a Doppelmayr six-pack this summer.* Sun Valley removed two of their Yan detachables – Greyhawk and Challenger – in 2023, and replaced them with a single Doppelmayr high-speed six-pack.* Sun Valley then replaced the Seattle Ridge Yan high-speed quad with a Doppelmayr six-pack in 2024.* Mammoth has replaced both of its Yan high-speed quads – Canyon and Broadway – with Doppelmayr D-line six-packs.* Though I didn't mention Sunday River above, it's worth noting that the mountain ripped out its Barker Yan detachable quad in 2023 for a D-Line Doppelmayr bubble sixer.I'm not sure how many of these Yan-detach jalopies remain. Sun Valley still runs four; June, two; and Schweitzer, Mount Snow, and Killington one apiece. There are probably others.On Mammoth's aging lift fleetMammoth's lift system is widely considered one of the best designed anywhere, and I have no doubt that it's well cared for. Still, it is a garage filled with as many classic cars as sparkling-off-the-assembly-line Aston Martins. Seventeen of the mountain's 24 aerial lifts were constructed before the turn of the century; 10 of those are Yan fixed- grips, the oldest dating to 1969. Per Lift Blog:On Rusty's tribute to Dave McCoyFormer Alterra CEO Rusty Gregory delivered an incredible encomium to Mammoth founder Dave McCoy on this podcast four years ago [18:08]:The audio here is jacked up in 45 different ways. I suppose I can admit now that this was because whatever broke-ass microphone I was using at the time sounded as though it had filtered my audio through a dying air-conditioner. So I had to re-record my questions (I could make out the audio well enough to just repeat what I had said during our actual chat), making the conversation sound like something I had created by going on Open AI and typing “create a podcast where it sounds like I interviewed Rusty Gregory.” Now I probably would have just asked to re-record it, but at the time I just felt lucky to get the interview and so I stapled together this bootleg track that sounds like something Eminem would have sold from the trunk of his Chevy Celebrity in 1994.More good McCoy stuff here and in the videos below:On Mammoth buying Bear and Snow SummitRusty also broke down Mammoth's acquisition of Bear Mountain and Snow Summit in that pod, at the 29:18 mark.On Mammoth super parksWhen I was a kid watching the Road Runner dominate Wile E. Coyote in zip-fall-splat canyon hijinks, I assumed it was the fanciful product of some lunatic's imagination. But now I understand that the whole serial was just an animation of Mammoth Superparks:I mean can you tell the difference?I'm admittedly impressed with the coyote's standing turnaround technique with the roller skis.On Pico beside KillingtonThe Pico-Killington dilemma echoes that of June-Mammoth, in which an otherwise good mountain looks like a less-good mountain because it sits next door to a really great mountain. As I wrote in 2023:Pico is funny. If it were anywhere else other than exactly next door to the largest ski area in New England, Pico might be a major ski area. Its 468 acres would make it the largest ski area in New Hampshire. A 2,000-foot vertical drop is impressive anywhere. The mountain has two high-speed lifts. And, by the way, knockout terrain. There is only one place in the Killington complex where you can run 2,000 vertical feet of steep terrain: Pico.On the old funitel at JuneCompounding the weirdness of J1's continued existence is the fact that, from 1986 to '96, a 20-passenger funitels ran on a parallel line:Clark explains why June removed this lift in the podcast.On kids under 12 skiing free at JuneThis is pretty amazing – per June's website:The free June Mountain Kids Season Pass gives your children under 12 unlimited access to June Mountain all season long. This replaces day tickets for kids, which are no longer offered. Everyone in your family must have a season pass or lift ticket. Your child's free season pass must be reserved in advance, and picked up in-person at the June Mountain Ticket Office. If your child has a birthday in our system that states they are older than 12 years of age, we will require proof of age to sell you a 12 and under season pass.I clarified with June officials that adults are not required to buy a season pass or lift ticket in order for their children to qualify for the free season pass.While it is unlikely that I will make it to June this winter, I signed my 8-year-old son up for a free season pass just to see how easy it was. It took about 12 seconds (he was already in Alterra's system, saving some time).On Alterra's whiplash Ikon Pass accessAlterra has consistently adjusted Ikon Pass access to meter volume and appease its partner mountains:On Mammoth's mammoth snowfallsMammoth's annual snowfalls tend to mirror the boom-bust cycles of Tahoe, with big winters burying the Statue of Liberty (715 inches at the base over the 2022-23 winter), and others underperforming the Catskills (94 inches in the winter of 1976-77). Here are the mountain's official year-by-year and month-by-month tallies. Get full access to The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast at www.stormskiing.com/subscribe

On this episode, we visit the idea of a "Hall of Fame" for board games, and some of the games that have already been inducted into a Hall of Fame.We dig into 4 recently played games, and rate them new, old, borrowed or it blew.We hear from you, in regards to what's been hitting your table lately.But first, Greg has some sort of news about Terraforming Mars that he won't even give me a clue about... Social Media Link

In this episode of The Real ResQ Podcast, host Jason Quinn is joined by Danielle Snyder, a U.S. Forest Service Landscape Architect, volunteer firefighter, and member of the Search and Rescue (SAR) Team with the Sitka, Alaska Fire Department. Living in Sitka, Alaska, Snyder is a Coast Guard “Air Station Fan Girl”! She shares her experiences with search and rescue in Sitka, Alaska. She works with the local department, as well as the U.S. Coast Guard.   She recalls her first rescue, searching for an overdue kayaker, and the challenges of searching in the dark. She also discusses a memorable rescue on Bear Mountain, where she rappelled down the steep slope to rescue stranded hunters. The rescue lasted nearly 24 hours and involved navigating through dense vegetation and rappelling into a waterfall.  Next, we discuss a plane crash in downtown Sitka where the plane crashed into a house, but miraculously, the owner of the house had left just half an hour earlier. There is also a second story of a plane crash on a nearby mountain where the Coast Guard flew the SAR team up to the scene.  Snyder also shares the story of a team member who passed away while hiking on Mount Verstovia. She emphasizes the importance of mental health support for rescue teams and recommends resources like the Responder Alliance. She also recommends the book The Culture Code. The conversation ends on a positive note, highlighting the joy of helping others, the camaraderie within the team, and the importance of teamwork. In addition, there is a need for individuals to show up and be willing to do the job, regardless of their perceived weaknesses. Enjoy!   This episode is powered by Vertical HeliCASTS. Thank you for sponsoring this episode of The Real ResQ: Breeze-Eastern, PAG, The Real ResQ Store. Follow The Real ResQ on Facebook and Instagram and listen on Vertical Helicasts. Plus, get your podcast gear at therealresqstore.com.

The homies from Bear Mountain Studios were in town for the Dad Meat Medieval Times Trip and I thought dang we need to kick it with those guys for sure. You know their work from the Stoner Dadz peace pipe set piece. Check out some of their dominant glass work for yourself it's so cool - https://www.instagram.com/th3ydidit/ Also not to keep you in suspense but Evan and Cormac unveiled some gifts for the show over at https://patreon.com/timbutterly Come see me on the road! JUST ADDED Louisville, KY August 23rd https://blurredmindsmedia.com/the-murder-circus-comedy-show-vernon-lanes-august-23rd/ Louisville, KY August 24th (different venue! weird, but cool!) https://blurredmindsmedia.com/the-murder-circus-comedy-show-never-say-die-bar-august-24th/ Columbus, OH August 25th https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/52288700/tim-butterly-columbus-funny-bone-comedy-club-columbus?partner_id=100 Portland, ME September 12th https://www.showclix.com/event/tim-butterly-at-empire-comedy-club Boston, MA September 13th https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hideout-comedy-presents-tim-butterly-tickets-926128734977?aff=ebdsshios Boston - LATE SHOW ADDED September 13 https://www.thecomedystudio.com/event/tim-butterly/ New Britain, CT September 14th https://www.comedycraftbeer.com/events/alv914 Janesville, WI September 20-21st https://www.cabinlaughs.com/events/91709 Tacoma, WA October 25-27th https://www.tacomacomedyclub.com/events/91211  

Jester is out this summer working on completing the Appalachian Trail again for a 2nd time as a section hiker. Jester starts clicking off miles in New York that includes the Lemon Squeezer, Bear Mountain, and finishing the episode off by crossing the Hudson River on that famous bridge!  New York Day 1 (Far Out):  Arden Valley Rd. (1388.4) Tiorati Circle Picnic Area (1393.7) 5.6 Miles  New York Day 2 (Far Out): Tiorati Circle Picnic Area (1393.7) Andrew Wayne Drive (1402.6) 8.9 Miles New York Day 3 (Far Out): Andrew Wayne Drive (1402.6) Bear Mountain Perkins Tower (1408.3) 5.7 Miles New York Day 4 (Far Out):  Bear Mountain Perkins Tower (1408.3) Appalachian Market (1415.1) 6.8 Miles Connect With Jester: Email: jester@jestersectionhiker.com Jester's Gear: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5wx7IWX7G0  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JulieGayheart  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jestersectionhiker/ Watch Safe and Found: https://safe-and-found.com   Music By: Victor Lundberg "Top of The Morning"

Come explore Bear Mountain Butterfly Sanctuary and all it has to offer! This amazing place is located in the Pocono Mountains and immerses the visitor in the world of butterflies, reptiles, education, and fun.  Mari, Owner of this proud establishment, discusses her ethos towards environmental education, establishing her sanctuary in the greater Pocono community, and just how important Butterflies are for nature. 

This week, Bellator MMA Star AJ Mckee stops by to talk about his passion for all things fighting and chasing adrenaline. In this short and fun-packed episode, AJ shares why they call him "the Mercenary". He takes us back to his youth, growing up the son of a professional fighter in Antonio McKee. He remembers being on the mat from an early age, getting into competitive wrestling at the age of 6. AJ talks about how fighting has always just been a part of him, so it was natural that he would sign to Bellator in 2015.  Since joining Bellator MMA, he has not only fought but also broadcasted fights. Will asks McKee if he would consider pursuing broadcasting full time, but he says he needs more adrenaline in his life. He then goes into his passion for action sports like snowboarding. Later, The boys share a few laughs as Brock shares a memory about an encounter with Mike Tyson and make predictions for the upcoming Tyson v. Paul fight in July. This is a great episode for any fans of MMA, any fans of AJ McKee or anyone who loves fighting or adrenaline. Check out AJ: https://www.instagram.com/ajmckee101

It happened! I'm still in awe! Hear about the place that I acquired for retreats! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sheryl-gallagher/support

Beat the Kayfabe Effect at our Patreon: https://patreon.com/cartoonistkayfabe Ed's Links (Order RED ROOM!, Patreon, etc): https://linktr.ee/edpiskor Jim's Links (Patreon, Store, social media): https://linktr.ee/jimrugg ------------------------- E-NEWSLETTER: Keep up with all things Cartoonist Kayfabe through our newsletter! News, appearances, special offers, and more - signup here for free: https://cartoonistkayfabe.substack.com/ --------------------- SNAIL MAIL! Cartoonist Kayfabe, PO Box 3071, Munhall, Pa 15120 --------------------- T-SHIRTS and MERCH: https://shop.spreadshirt.com/cartoonist-kayfabe --------------------- Connect with us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cartoonist.kayfabe/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/CartoonKayfabe Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cartoonist.Kayfabe Ed's Contact info: https://Patreon.com/edpiskor https://www.instagram.com/ed_piskor https://www.twitter.com/edpiskor https://www.amazon.com/Ed-Piskor/e/B00LDURW7A/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1 Jim's contact info: https://www.patreon.com/jimrugg https://www.jimrugg.com/shop https://www.instagram.com/jimruggart https://www.twitter.com/jimruggart https://www.amazon.com/Jim-Rugg/e/B0034Q8PH2/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1543440388&sr=1-2-ent

Tonight's guest, Mike, was featured on Episode 504 and on that show, he told us about an extremely traumatic Dogman encounter he had on Bear Mountain, in Connecticut. We ran out of time before Mike could answer any questions about his encounter, so he'll be back to answer your questions on tonight's, special, livestream episode. We hope you'll join us, in the live chat, and that you'll have plenty of questions ready for Mike.  If you have housing you'd be interested in allowing Mike to rent, please contact him at ChefMichaelMartin74@Yahoo.com and let him know.As soon as we've had time to create Mike's GoFundMe page, I'll post a link to it here and on the Home Page of DogmanEncounters.comPremium memberships are now available! If you'd like to be able to listen to the show without ads and have full access to premium content, please go to https://DogmanEncounters.com/Podcast to find out how to become a premium member.  If you'd like to help support the show, by buying your own Dogman Encounters t-shirt, sweatshirt, tank top, or coffee mug, please visit the Dogman Encounters Show Store, by going to https://Dogman-Encounters.MyShopify.com  If you've had a Dogman encounter and would like to speak with me about it, whether you'd like to keep your encounter confidential or be interviewed on a show, please go to https://DogmanEncounters.com and submit a report.  If you've had a Sasquatch sighting and would like to be a guest on My Bigfoot Sighting, please go to https://MyBigfootSighting.com and submit a report.  I produce 3 other podcasts. Below, you'll find links to them.  My Bigfoot Sighting...  https://spreaker.page.link/xT7zh6zWsnCDaoVa7  Bigfoot Eyewitness Radio...  https://spreaker.page.link/WbtSccQm92TKBskT8  My Paranormal Experience https://www.spreaker.com/show/my-paranormal-experience  Thanks for listening!

After over 100 episodes, we're thrilled to announce a fresh podcast set and this first one featuring Cassandra! The co-owner of BMS. We indulge in hearty conversations about business and life, reflecting on our journey and discussing what's in store for Bear Mountain. We're excited to share our experiences and insights, and hope you are too. Join us as we dive deeper into our story and explore the exciting future of Bear Mountain.

If you're ever in Connecticut and find yourself thinking about taking a trip to Bear Mountain, tonight's guest would recommend going elsewhere. That's because he had a very traumatic experience on Bear Mountain two days ago, with a Dogman, that left him horrified. It's understandable why his encounter frightened him so much. Most people would have been frightened to within an inch of their lives too, if they had experienced what he did. If you listen to tonight's show, you'll understand why, and we hope you'll do that. Premium memberships are now available!If you'd like to be able to listen to the show without ads and have full access to premium content, please go to https://DogmanEncounters.com/Podcast to find out how to become a premium member. If you'd like to help support the show, by buying your own Dogman Encounters t-shirt, sweatshirt, tank top, or coffee mug, please visit the Dogman Encounters Show Store, by going to https://Dogman-Encounters.MyShopify.com If you've had a Dogman encounter and would like to speak with me about it, whether you'd like to keep your encounter confidential or be interviewed on a show, please go to https://DogmanEncounters.com and submit a report. If you've had a Sasquatch sighting and would like to be a guest on My Bigfoot Sighting, please go to https://MyBigfootSighting.com and submit a report.I produce 3 other podcasts. Below, you'll find links to them. My Bigfoot Sighting... https://spreaker.page.link/xT7zh6zWsnCDaoVa7 Bigfoot Eyewitness Radio... https://spreaker.page.link/WbtSccQm92TKBskT8 My Paranormal Experience https://www.spreaker.com/show/my-paranormal-experience Thanks for listening!

Episode 14: Along with his wife Zoey, Casey Mattes is the co-founder of SweaterBear Games. Their first board game is called Bear Mountain Camping Adventure. It was a huge hit on Kickstarter, raising $781,450 by the end of the campaign. In this episode, Casey shares exactly how they did it.

Bear Mountain Bridge sits just north of the oldest section of the entire Appalachian Trail and on today's Iconic Location episode we are what was once the world's longest suspension bridge. 

Beat the Kayfabe Effect at our Patreon: https://patreon.com/cartoonistkayfabe Ed's Links (Order RED ROOM!, Patreon, etc): https://linktr.ee/edpiskor Jim's Links (Patreon, Store, social media): https://linktr.ee/jimrugg ------------------------- E-NEWSLETTER: Keep up with all things Cartoonist Kayfabe through our newsletter! News, appearances, special offers, and more - signup here for free: https://cartoonistkayfabe.substack.com/ --------------------- SNAIL MAIL! Cartoonist Kayfabe, PO Box 3071, Munhall, Pa 15120 --------------------- T-SHIRTS and MERCH: https://shop.spreadshirt.com/cartoonist-kayfabe --------------------- Connect with us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cartoonist.kayfabe/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/CartoonKayfabe Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cartoonist.Kayfabe Ed's Contact info: https://Patreon.com/edpiskor https://www.instagram.com/ed_piskor https://www.twitter.com/edpiskor https://www.amazon.com/Ed-Piskor/e/B00LDURW7A/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1 Jim's contact info: https://www.patreon.com/jimrugg https://www.jimrugg.com/shop https://www.instagram.com/jimruggart https://www.twitter.com/jimruggart https://www.amazon.com/Jim-Rugg/e/B0034Q8PH2/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1543440388&sr=1-2-ent

Santa Claus is coming to town and he's bringing with him a holiday themed episode! The Irredeemable Shag and Paul Kien discuss the classic Christmas issue JSA #55 (2003) by Geoff Johns & Leonard Kirk. Plus, we share some of our own holiday family traditions, and favorite Christmas-themed comic books. Download some holiday cheer in your stocking with this episode! Have a question or comment? Looking for more great content? Leave comments on our website: http://fireandwaterpodcast.com/podcast/jsap-xmas-2023 Email the show at: justicesocietypresents@gmail.com Follow Paul Kein on Batman Family Reunion: http://fireandwaterpodcast.com/show/batman-knightcast/ Follow the JUSTICE SOCIETY PRESENTS Podcast: Follow JSA PRESENTS on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jsapresents Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/justice-society-presents/id1549429702 Don't use Apple Podcasts? Use this link for your podcast catcher: http://feeds.feedburner.com/jsapresents Also available on Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and Google Podcasts This episode brought to you by InStockTrades. This episode's selections: Batman Lil Gotham Calendar Daze TP: https://www.instocktrades.com/products/jun217203/batman-lil-gotham-calendar-daze-tp Walt Disney Donald Duck HC Vol 04 - Christmas on Bear Mountain: https://www.instocktrades.com/products/apr221481/walt-disney-donald-duck-hc-vol-04-xmas-bear-mountain-(new-ptg) This podcast is a proud member of the FIRE AND WATER PODCAST NETWORK: Visit the Fire & Water WEBSITE: http://fireandwaterpodcast.com Follow Fire & Water on TWITTER: @FWPodcasts Follow Fire & Water on BLUESKY: @fwpodcasts.bsky.social Like our Fire & Water FACEBOOK page: https://www.facebook.com/FWPodcastNetwork Support The Fire & Water Podcast Network on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/fwpodcasts Thanks for listening! Join the fight... for Justice!

Santa Claus is coming to town and he's bringing with him a holiday themed episode! The Irredeemable Shag and Paul Kien discuss the classic Christmas issue JSA #55 (2003) by Geoff Johns & Leonard Kirk. Plus, we share some of our own holiday family traditions, and favorite Christmas-themed comic books. Download some holiday cheer in your stocking with this episode! Have a question or comment? Looking for more great content? Leave comments on our website: http://fireandwaterpodcast.com/podcast/jsap-xmas-2023 Email the show at: justicesocietypresents@gmail.com Follow Paul Kein on Batman Family Reunion: http://fireandwaterpodcast.com/show/batman-knightcast/ Follow the JUSTICE SOCIETY PRESENTS Podcast: Follow JSA PRESENTS on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jsapresents Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/justice-society-presents/id1549429702 Don't use Apple Podcasts? Use this link for your podcast catcher: http://feeds.feedburner.com/jsapresents Also available on Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and Google Podcasts This episode brought to you by InStockTrades. This episode's selections: Batman Lil Gotham Calendar Daze TP: https://www.instocktrades.com/products/jun217203/batman-lil-gotham-calendar-daze-tp Walt Disney Donald Duck HC Vol 04 - Christmas on Bear Mountain: https://www.instocktrades.com/products/apr221481/walt-disney-donald-duck-hc-vol-04-xmas-bear-mountain-(new-ptg) This podcast is a proud member of the FIRE AND WATER PODCAST NETWORK: Visit the Fire & Water WEBSITE: http://fireandwaterpodcast.com Follow Fire & Water on TWITTER: @FWPodcasts Follow Fire & Water on BLUESKY: @fwpodcasts.bsky.social Like our Fire & Water FACEBOOK page: https://www.facebook.com/FWPodcastNetwork Support The Fire & Water Podcast Network on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/fwpodcasts Thanks for listening! Join the fight... for Justice!

Episode #505!  After a long break, we are back with more Cool Stuff! This week Scott has a holiday themed story to share. From the "good Duck artist" Scott brings Carl Barks' Christmas on Bear Mountain to the table. DL has the bloody-violent Ax-Wielder Jon by Nick Pitarra. Also on this episode we check out the long out of print Star Trek Concordance! 

Jack and Joe cover Street Fighter and Christmas on Bear Mountain on this episode. Thanks for listening! @in_garlic @IowasJoe @21stcenboys

Heyo!  The duo discusses one of Tumbles' favorite sections of the AT and its historic impact on the Appalachian Trail.  Crank goes into an unknown trail near the Zoo and Tumbles tries to not get sick.  Enjoy and thanks for listening!

This podcast hit paid subscribers' inboxes on Oct. 26. It dropped for free subscribers on Nov. 2. To receive future pods as soon as they're live, and to support independent ski journalism, please consider an upgrade to a paid subscription. You can also subscribe to the free tier below:WhoBen Wilcox, President and General Manager of Cranmore Mountain Resort, New HampshireRecorded onOctober 16, 2023About CranmoreClick here for a mountain stats overviewOwned by: The Fairbank GroupLocated in: North Conway, New HampshireYear founded: 1937Pass affiliations: NoneReciprocal partners: 1 day each at Jiminy Peak and BromleyClosest neighboring ski areas: Attitash (:16), Black Mountain (:18), King Pine (:28), Wildcat (:28), Pleasant Mountain (:33), Bretton Woods (:42)Base elevation: 800 feetSummit elevation: 2,000 feetVertical drop: 1,200 feetSkiable Acres: 170 acresAverage annual snowfall: 80 inchesTrail count: 56 (15 most difficult, 25 intermediate, 16 easier)Lift count: 7 (1 high-speed quad, 1 fixed-grip quad, 2 triples, 1 double, 2 carpets)Why I interviewed himNowhere does a high-speed quad transform the texture and fate of a mountain so much as in New England. Western mountains, geographically dispersed and disposed to sunshine, can still sell you a ride on a 1,700-vertical-foot fixed grip triple, as Montana Snowbowl did with their new Transporter lift last year, and which Mt. Spokane has promised to do should the ski area ever upgrade its Jurassic Riblets. Midwest hills are too short for lift speed to matter as anything other than a novelty.But in the blustery, frenetic East, a single detachable lift can profoundly alter a ski area's reach and rap. Such lifts have proven to be stabilizing mechanisms at Burke, Gunstock, Ragged, Bromley, and Saddleback – mountains without the terrain or marketing heft of their much-larger neighbors. In each case, one high-speed quad (and a sixer at Ragged), cracked the mountain open to the masses, uniting all or most of the terrain with one six-minute lift ride and, often, stabilizing operations that had struggled for decades.Cranmore is one such mountain. Had the Skimobile Express quad not gone up in 1995, Wilcox tells us on the podcast, he's not so sure that the ski area hanging over North Conway would have gotten out of the last century alive. A “dark period” followed the Skimobile's 1990 demolition, Wilcox says, during which Cranmore, tottering along on a double chair strung to the summit, fell behind its high-dollar, high-energy, rapidly consolidating competitors. The Skimobile had been pokey and inefficient, but at least it was freighted with nostalgia. At least it was novel. At least it was cool. An old double chair was just an old double chair, and local skiers had lost interest in those when high-speed lifts started rising up the New England mountainsides in the late 1980s.It's true that a handful of New England ski areas continue to rely on antique doubles: Smugglers' Notch, Magic, Black Mountain in New Hampshire, Mt. Abram. But Smuggs delivers 300 inches of snow per winter and a unique, sprawling terrain network. The rest are improbable survivors. Magic sat idle for half the ‘90s. We nearly lost Black earlier this month. All anybody knows about Mt. Abram is that it's not Sunday River.The Skimobile Express did not, by itself, save Cranmore. If such a lift were such a magic trick, then we'd still be skiing the top of Ascutney today (yes Uphill Bro I know you still are). But the lift helped. A lot.There is a tendency among skiers to conflate history with essence. As though a ski area, absent the trappings of its 1930s or ‘40s or ‘50s origins, loses something. These same skiers, however, do not rip around on 240s clapped to beartrap bindings or ski in top hats and mink shawls. Cranmore could not simply be The Ski Area With The Skimobile forever and ever. Not after every other ski area in New England, including Cranmore, had erected multiple chairlifts. There is a small market for such tricks. Mad River Glen can spin its single chair for 100 more years if the co-op ownership model holds up. But that is a rowdy, rugged hunk of real estate, 2,000 feet of nasty, a place where being uncomfortable is half the point. Cranmore… is not.So Cranmore changed. It is now a nice, modern, mid-sized New England ski area, with a 1,200-foot vertical drop and a hotel at the base. More important, it is an 86-year-old New England ski area, one that began in the era when guys named Harv and Mel and Bob and Jenkins showed up with a hacksaw and a 12-pack and started building a lift-served snowskiing operation, and transitioned into a new identity suited to a new world. Wilcox, with his grasp of the resort's sprawling, mad history, is a capable ambassador to tell us how they did it.What we talked aboutThe new Fairbank base lodge; what Cranmore found when they tore down the old lodge; the future of Zip's Pub; who the lodge is named after; the base lodge redevelopment plan; what happened when the Fairbanks purchased Cranmore; North Conway; traffic; Bretton Woods; Booth Creek; Cranmore pride; “if [the Skimobile Express] hadn't gone in in the mid-90s, I'm not sure if we'd still be here”; the Skimobile Express upgrade and why Cranmore didn't replace it with a new lift; the history of America's Zaniest lift, the original Skimobile; why Cranmore ultimately demolished the structure; potential upgrades for Lookout; the long-rumored but never-built Blackcap expansion; the glory and grind of southern exposure; night skiing; what happened when Vail came to town; competing against discount Epic Passes; why the days of car-counting are over; the history and logic behind the White Mountain Super Pass and the Sun and Snow Pass; Black Mountain; staffing up when your biggest rival raises minimum wage to $20 an hour; and whether Cranmore has considered a Jiminy Peak-esque wind turbine.Why I thought that now was a good time for this interviewThe Fairbank Group did something unsung and brilliant over the past two years. While major resorts across the continent razed and replaced first-generation detachables at a per-project cost approaching or exceeding double-digit millions, Cranmore (which Fairbank owns), and Bromley (which they operate), modernized in a more modest way. Rather than tearing down the high-speed quads that act as base-to-summit people-movers for each ski area, they gut-renovated them. For around $1 million per lift, Bromley's Sun Mountain Express and Cranmore's Skimobile Express got new, modern drives, comms lines, safety systems, and more. The result: two essentially brand-new lifts with three-plus decades of good life ahead of them.Skiers may not see it that way, and most won't even know about the upgrades. The aesthetics, mostly, remain unchanged. But for independent ski area operators knocked into eyes-bulging terror as they see price quotes for a Double Clutch Z-Link Awesomeness 42-passenger Express Lift, the Fairbank model offers an approachable alternative. Knock down the walls, but keep the building intact, a renovation rather than a rebuild.Boyne does this all the time, mostly with lifts the company is relocating: the Kanc quad at Loon becomes the Seven Brothers quad; Big Sky's Swift Current quad becomes Sugarloaf's Bucksaw Express; Sunday River's Jordan quad is, someday, maybe, supposedly going to land at Pleasant Mountain. Sugarloafers may grumble on their message boards about getting a used quad while Sunday River erects its second D-Line bubble lift in two years, but, as Loon President/GM Brian Norton told me about the Seven Brothers upgrade on the podcast last year, the effect of such projects are that skiers get “a new lift… you won't recognize it.” Other than the towers and the chairs, the machine parts of these machines really are brand new.Cranmore and its sister resorts have found a different way to sustainably operate, is my point here. The understated chairlift upgrades are just one expression of this. But both operate, remember, in impossible neighborhoods. Bromley is visible from almost any point on Alterra-owned Stratton, Southern Vermont's Ikon Pass freight train. Cranmore sits just down the road from Vail-owned Attitash and Wildcat, both of which are larger, and both of which share a pass – which, by the way, is less expensive than Cranmore's – with each other and with their 20 or 50 or 60 best friends, depending upon how Epic you want your winter to be. The local lift-served skiing market is so treacherous that Black Mountain, less than 11 miles north of Cranmore and in continuous operation since 1935, was saved from permanent closure last week only when Indy Pass called in the cavalry.Yet, Cranmore thrives. Wilcox says that season pass sales continue to increase every year. Going into year five of Northeast-specific Epic Pass offerings and year six of the Ikon Pass, that's an amazing statistic. Cranmore's pass is not cheap. The early-bird adult price for the 2023-24 ski season came in at $775. It's currently $1,139. For a 1,200-vertical-foot mountain in a state full of 2,000-footers, with just one high-speed lift in a neighborhood where Sunday River runs five, statistical equivalencies quickly fail any attempt to explain this momentum.So what does explain it? Perhaps it's the resort's massive, ongoing base area renovation that landed a new hotel and lodge onsite within the past year. Perhaps it's consumer habit and proximity to North Conway, looming, as the mountain does, over town. Perhaps it's the approachable, just-right size of the mountain or, for families, the fact that all trails funnel back to a single base. Perhaps it's the massive seasonal youth and race programs. It is, most likely, a combination of all of these things, as well as atmospheric intangibles and managerial competence.Whatever it is, Cranmore shows us that a pathway exists for a Very Good Mountain to thrive in the megapass era without being a direct party to it. It's worth noting that Black, which nearly failed, is a fifth-year member of Indy Pass, which Cranmore has declined to join. While this conversation with Wilcox does not exactly explain how the mountain has been so successful even as it sidesteps megatrends, it's easy enough to appreciate, as you listen to his passion for and appreciation of the place, why it does.What I got wrongI noted that the Skimobile Express quad had been upgraded “last year, or maybe the year before.” Cranmore completed the lift overhaul in 2022.I referred to Vail's Northeast Value Epic Pass as the “Northeast Local Pass.”Why you should ski CranmoreThe New England Ski Safari is not quite the social media meme that it is in the big-mountain West, where Campervan Karl and Bearded Bob document their season-long adventures over switchbacking passes with their trusty dog, Labrador Larry. Alta/Snowbird to Jackson to Big Sky to Sun Valley to Tahoe with a sickness Brah. Hella wicked rad. Six weeks and 16 storms, snowshovels in the roof box and Larry pouncing through snow in IG Stories.Distance is not such an obstacle in the East. New England crams 100 ski areas into a six-state region half the size of Montana (which is home to just 17, two of which it shares with Idaho). Between pow runs we can just… go home. But the advent of the megapass in the Northeast over the past decade has enabled this sort of resort-hopping adventure. Options abound:* Epic Pass gives you three of Vermont's largest ski areas (Okemo, Mount Snow, Stowe); one of New England's best ski areas (also Stowe); and four stops in New Hampshire, three of which (Mount Sunapee, Wildcat, and Attitash), are sizeable. Crotched gives you night skiing.* Ikon Pass delivers four of New England's biggest, best, and most complete ski areas: Killington, Sugarbush, Sunday River, and Sugarloaf; as well as two of its best lift systems (Stratton and Loon – yes, I know the gondolas are terrible at both); and a sleepy bomber in Pico.* Indy Pass gives you perhaps New England's best ski area (Jay Peak); three other mountains that stack up favorably with anything on Epic or Ikon (Waterville Valley, Cannon, Saddleback); and a stack of unheralded thumpers where light crowds and great terrain collide (Black Mountain of Maine, Black Mountain NH, Magic, Bolton Valley, Berkshire East); and a bunch of family-friendly bumps (Whaleback, Dartmouth Skiway, Pats Peak, Saskadena Six, Mohawk, Catamount, Bigrock).Hit any of those circuits, and you're bound for a good winter. So why tack on an extra? Cranmore is one of the few large New England independents (along with Bretton Woods, Smugglers' Notch, Mad River Glen, Bromley), to so far decline megapass membership. That makes it a tricker sell to the rambling resort-hopper.But this is not Colorado. You can score a Cranmore lift ticket for as little as $65 on select Sundays, even in mid-winter, (including, as of this writing, the always raucous St. Patrick's Day). If you're skiing Attitash and staying in North Conway, you can roll up to Cranmore starting at 2 p.m. on Wednesday or Saturday for a $69 night-ski and some pre-dinner turns.And it's worth the visit. This is a very good ski mountain. The stats undersell the place. It skis and feels big. The fall lines are sustained and excellent. Glades are more abundant than the trailmap suggests. The grooming is outstanding. It faces south – a not unimportant feature in often-frigid New England.Even if you're megapass Bro (and who among us is not?), this one fits right into the circuit, close to Attitash, Black, Wildcat, Cannon, Loon, Waterville. It's easy to ski multiple New England mountains on a single trip, or even in a single day. The last time I skied Cranmore, I cranked through 17 high-speed laps in three hours and then bumped over to Pleasant Mountain, half an hour down the road.Podcast NotesOn Hans SchneiderHenry Dow Gibson, who New England Ski History refers to as an “international financier” founded Cranmore in 1937, but it was Austrian ski instructor Hannes Schneider who institutionalized the place. Per New England Ski History:Hannes Schneider was born on June 24, 1890 in Stuben, a small town west of Arlberg Pass in Austria. At the age of 8, Schneider started skiing on makeshift skis.While becoming a renowned skier in his teenage years, Schneider developed the Arlberg technique. The Arlberg technique quickly caught on, resulting in Schneider becoming in demand for demonstrations, films, and military training.Following Nazi Germany taking Austria in the Anschluss, Schneider was imprisoned March 12, 1938.In January of 1937, international financier Harvey Gibson purchased land on Cranmore Mountain in Conway with the aim to make North Conway a winter destination. Two years later, after lawyer Karl Rosen managed to transfer Schneider from prison to house arrest, Gibson leveraged his firm's German holdings and negotiated with Heinrich Himmler to get Schneider and his family released from Germany and transported to the United States. Following a massive welcoming party in North Conway in February of 1939, Schneider took over Cranmore and worked quickly to make it one of the best known ski areas in the country.One of Schneider's first big decisions at Cranmore was to expand lift service to the summit, which was accomplished during his first full season when the upper section of the Skimobile was installed. With top to bottom Skimobile coverage, Cranmore was second only to Cannon's tram in terms of continuous lift served vertical drop in New England.With the onset of World War II, Hannes was reportedly involved in the training and providing intelligence for United States and British ski troops. His son Herbert served in the 10th Mountain Division during World War II, earning a Bronze Star for his heroic actions in Italy. Following the war, Herbert returned to North Conway to work for his father.In 1949, Hannes Schneider was hired to oversee construction of the new Blue Hills ski area outside of Boston, Massachusetts. Schneider referred to the ski area was "Little Cranmore."In the spring of 1955, Schneider was actively working to open new terrain at Cranmore, serviced by its first chairlift. Following a day of laying out new terrain in what would become the East Bowl, Schneider died of a heart attack. Schneider's son Herbert assumed control of the Cranmore ski school and, circa 1963 started a two decade run as owner of the ski area.Schneider's name lives on at Cranmore, as a trail (Schneider in the East Bowl) and the annual Hannes Schneider Meister Cup Race.On the Fairbank GroupCranmore is owned by the Fairbank Group, whose chairman and namesake, Brian Fairbank, transformed Jiminy Peak from a Berkshires backwater into the glimmering modern heart of Massachusetts skiing. The company also operates Bromley (which is owned by Joseph O'Donnell), and owns a renewable energy operation (EOS Ventures), a ski industry e-learning platform (Bullwheel Productions), and a snowmaking outfit (Snowgun Technologies). For all this and more, including Jiminy Peak's early embrace of clean energy to power its operation, Brian Fairbank earned a spot in the Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame in 2020. I hosted him on the podcast that autumn to discuss his career and achievements:On Booth Creek Ski HoldingsIn an alternate universe, Booth Creek may stand today on Alterra's throne, Vail's foil in the Skico Wars. For a brief period in the late ‘90s, the company, founded by former Vail and Beaver Creek owner George Gillett Jr., owned eight ski areas across the United States: Cranmore, Loon, Waterville Valley, Grand Targhee, Summit at Snoqualmie, Bear Mountain (now part of Big Bear), Northstar, and Sierra-at-Tahoe. In 1998, the company attempted to purchase Seven Springs, Pennsylvania. But, as this summary chart from New England Ski History shows, Booth Creek began selling off resorts in the early 2000s. Today, it owns only Sierra-at-Tahoe:On the SkimobileHad Cranmore's monolithic Skimobile survived to the present day, most visitors would probably mistake it for a mountain coaster. When it went live, in 1938, skiers likely mistook it for the future. “Well, by gum, a contraption that just takes you right up the mountain while you sit on your heinie. This will change skiing forever!”Instead, the Skimobile, a two-track monster that toted skiers uphill in single-passenger carts, passed five decades as a beloved novelty before Cranmore demolished it in 1990. The New England ski diaspora is still sore about this. But imagine building a Great Wall of China vertically up your mountain. It would kind of make it hard for skiers, Patrol, groomers, etc. to move around the bump. And someone came up with a better idea called a “chairlift.” When the only feasible alternative was the ropetow, the Skimobile probably seemed like the greatest invention since electricity. But once the chairlift proliferated, the shortcomings of a tracked lift became obvious.The Skimobile rose Cranmore's full 1,200 vertical feet in two sections: the lower, built in 1938, and the upper, constructed the following year. Skiers had to disembark the first to take the second. Here's how they laid out in a circa 1951 trailmap:On the potential Black Cap expansionWilcox and I discussed Cranmore's long-proposed Black Cap expansion, which would give Cranmore a several-hundred-acre, several-hundred-vertical-foot boost off the backside. New England Ski History includes the following details in its short write-up of Black Cap:In 1951, Cranmore obtained an easement on 500 acres of land on Black Cap, a ledgy peak located to the east of the ski area. If the ski area were expanded to the top of Black Cap, Cranmore would see an increase of 700 vertical feet to 1,800 feet, making it the second highest in the Mount Washington Valley.Wilcox provides slightly different numbers, but doesn't rule out the possibility of this significant expansion at some future point. The current trailmap shows Black Cap looming in the background:The Storm explores the world of lift-served skiing year-round. Join us.The Storm publishes year-round, and guarantees 100 articles per year. This is article 91/100 in 2023, and number 477 since launching on Oct. 13, 2019. Want to send feedback? Reply to this email and I will answer (unless you sound insane, or, more likely, I just get busy). You can also email skiing@substack.com. Get full access to The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast at www.stormskiing.com/subscribe

This podcast hit paid subscribers' inboxes on Oct. 13. It dropped for free subscribers on Oct. 20. To receive future pods as soon as they're live, and to support independent ski journalism, please consider an upgrade to a paid subscription. You can also subscribe to the free tier below:WhoAmy Ohran, Vice President and General Manager of Northstar, CaliforniaRecorded onOctober 2, 2023About NorthstarClick here for a mountain stats overviewOwned by: EPR Properties, operated by Vail ResortsLocated in: Truckee, CaliforniaYear founded: 1972Pass affiliations:* Epic Pass: unlimited* Epic Local Pass: unlimited with holiday blackouts* Tahoe Local: unlimited with holiday blackouts* Tahoe Value: unlimited with holiday and Saturday blackouts* Epic Day Pass: access with all resorts and 32-resorts tiersClosest neighboring ski areas: Boreal (:21), Tahoe Donner (:22), Palisades Tahoe (:25), Diamond Peak (:25), Soda Springs (:25), Kingvale (:27), Sugar Bowl (:28), Donner Ski Ranch (:29), Mt. Rose (:30), Homewood (:35), Heavenly (:57) - travel times vary considerably pending traffic, weather, and time of year.Base elevation: 6,330 feet (at the village)Summit elevation: 8,610 feet (top of Mt. Pluto)Vertical drop: 2,280 feetSkiable Acres: 3,170 acresAverage annual snowfall: 350 inchesTrail count: 100 (27% advanced, 60% intermediate, 13% beginner)Lift count: 20 (1 six-passenger gondola, 1 pulse gondola, 1 six/eight-passenger chondola, 1 high-speed six pack, 6 high-speed quads, 1 fixed-grip quad, 2 triples, 1 platter, 1 ropetow, 5 carpets – view Lift Blog's inventory of Northstar's lift fleet)Why I interviewed herI am slowly working my way through the continent's great ski regions. Aspen, Vail, Beaver Creek, Ski Cooper, Keystone, Breckenridge, and A-Basin along the I-70 corridor (Copper is coming). Snowbird, Solitude, Deer Valley, Sundance, and Snowbasin in the Wasatch (Park City is next). Jay Peak, Smugglers' Notch, Bolton Valley, Mad River Glen, Sugarbush, and Killington in Northern Vermont.I'm a little behind in Tahoe. Before today, the only entrants into this worthy tome have been with the leaders of Palisades Tahoe and Heavenly. But I'm working my way around the lake. Northstar today. Mount Rose in November. I'll get to the rest as soon as I'm able (you can always access the full podcast archive, and view the upcoming schedule, here or from the stormskiing.com homepage).I don't only cover megaresorts, of course, and the episodes with family-owned ski area operators always resonate deeply with my listeners. Many of you would prefer that I focus my energies solely on these under-covered gems. But corporate megaresorts matter a lot. They are where the vast majority of skier visits occur, and therefore are the backdrop to most skiers' wintertime stories. I personally love skiing them. They tend to be vast and varied, with excellent lift networks and gladed kingdoms mostly ignored by the masses. The “corporate blandness” so abhorred by posturing Brobots is, in practice, a sort of urban myth of the mountains. Vail Mountain and Stowe have as much quirk and character as Alta and Mad River Glen. Anyone who tells you different either hasn't skied them all, or is confusing popularity with soullessness.Every ski area guards terrain virtues that no amount of marketing can beat out of it. Northstar has plenty: expansive glades, big snowfalls, terrific park, long fall-line runs. Unfortunately, the mountain is the LA Clippers of Lake Tahoe, overshadowed, always, by big Palisades, the LA Lakers of big-time Cali skiing.But Northstar is a hella good ski area, as any NoCal shredder who's honest with themselves will admit. It's not KT-22, but it isn't trying to be. Most skier fantasize about lapping the Mothership, just as, I suppose, many playground basketball players fantasize about dunking from the freethrow line. In truth, most are better off lobbing shots from 15 feet out, just as most skiers are going to have a better day off Martis or Backside at Northstar than off the beastly pistes five miles southwest. But that revelation, relatively easy to arrive at, can be hard for progression-minded skiers to admit. And Northstar, because of that, often doesn't get the credit it deserves. But it's worth a deeper look.What we talked aboutTahoe's incredible 2022-23 winter; hey where'd our trail signs go?; comparing last year's big winter to the record 2016-17 season; navigating the Cottonwoods in a VW Bug; old-school Cottonwoods; rock-climbing as leadership academy; Bend in the 1990s; how two of Tahoe's smallest ski areas stay relevant in a land of giants; the importance of parks culture to Northstar; trying to be special in Tahoe's all-star lineup; Northstar's natural wind protection; who really owns Northstar; potential expansions on Sawtooth Ridge, Lookout Mountain, and Sawmill; potential terrain expansion within the current footprint; last year's Comstock lift upgrade; contemplating the future of the Rendezvous lift; which lift upgrade could come next; the proposed Castle Peak transport gondola; paid parking; the Epic Pass; a little-known benefit of the Tahoe Local Pass; the impact of Saturday blackouts; and Tōst.Why I thought that now was a good time for this interviewVail Resorts' 2022 Epic Lift upgrade struck me as a mind-bending exercise. Not just because the company was attempting to build 21 new lifts in a single summer (they managed to complete 18), but because that number represents a fraction of Vail's hundreds of lifts across its 37 North American resorts. Vail Mountain alone houses 18 high-speed chairlifts and two gondolas. Park City owns 16 detachables. Whistler has six or nine gondolas – depending on how you count them – and 13 high-speed chairs. You can keep counting through Heavenly, Breckenridge, Keystone – how do you even maintain such a sprawling network, let alone continue to upgrade it?Northstar managed to snag a piece of Vail's largess, securing a four-to-six replacement for the Comstock Express. It was just the third major lift upgrade since Vail bought the joint in 2010, following the 2011 addition of the Promised Land Express quad and the 2015 replacement of the Big Springs Gondola. So why Comstock? And what's next for a ski area with a trio of high-speed quads (Arrow, Backside, Vista), that are approaching that 30-year expiration date for first-generation detachable lifts?Tahoe is also one of several U.S. ski regions coping with a generational crisis of untenable congestion and cost. The culprits, in no particular order, are an over-reliance on individual automobiles as the primary mechanism of ski resort access, megapasses that enable and empower more frequent skiing, a Covid-driven exodus from cities, a permanent shift to remote work, short-term rentals choking local housing stock, and reflexive opposition to any development of any kind by an array of NIMBYs and leaf defenders.Northstar, an enormous and easy-to-access megaresort owned by the world's largest ski area operator and seated in America's most populous state, sits in the bullseye of several of these megatrends. The resort is responding with a big toolbox, tiering access across a variety of Epic Passes, implementing a partial paid parking plan, and continuing a masterplan that would increase on-mountain beds and decrease automobile congestion. Like every ski area, it's a work in progress, never quite finished and never quite perfect, but tiptoeing maybe a little closer to it every year.What I got wrongAbout the relative size of NorthstarI noted in Ohran's podcast intro that Northstar was America's ninth largest ski area. That's technically still true, but once Steamboat officially opens its Mahogany Ridge expansion this winter, the Alterra-owned resort will shoot up to the number eight spot, kicking Northstar down to number 10. Looking a few years down the road, Deer Valley is set to demote Northstar to number 11, once Mt. Fancypants completes its 3,700-acre expansion (boosting the mountain to 5,726 acres), and takes the fourth-place spot between Big Sky and Vail Mountain.About the coming ski seasonI noted that Northstar was opening, “probably around Thanksgiving.” The resort's scheduled opening date is Nov. 17.About Powdr's Tahoe complexI asked Ohran about her experience running Powdr's “three ski areas” in Tahoe, before correcting that to “two ski areas.” The confusion stemmed from the three distinct brands that Powdr operates in Tahoe: the Soda Springs ski area, the Boreal ski area, and the Woodward terrain park. While these are distinct brands, Woodward's winter facilities are part of Boreal ski area:Why you should ski NorthstarThe Brobots won't do much to surprise or interest you. That's why they're the Brobots. Rote takes, recited like multiplication tables, lacking nuance or context, designed to pledge allegiance to Brobot Nation. The Brobots hate Vail and the Ikon Pass. They despise “corporate” skiing, without ever defining what that is. They rage against ski-town congestion and traffic, while reflexively opposing any solutions that would require change of any kind. They worship dive bars, weed, and beanie caps. They despise tourists, chairlift safety bars, slopeside condos, and paid parking of any kind. They are the Brobots.Lake Tah-Bro is a subspecies of Brobotus Americanus. Lake Tah-Bro wishes you weren't here, but since you are, he wants you to understand his commandments. One of which is this: “Flatstar” is not cool. Like you. Real-ass skiers ski Palisades (steep), Alpine (chill), or Kirkwood (wild). But OK, if you must, go see for yourself. Tah-Bro won't be joining you. He has to go buy a six-pack of craft beer to celebrate his six-month anniversary of moving here from Virginia, while tapping out a Tweet reminding everyone that he's a local.It must be an exhausting way to live, having to constantly remind everyone how ridiculously cool you are. But luckily for you, I don't care about being cool. I'm a dad with two kids. I drive a minivan. I drink Miller Lite and rarely drive past a Taco Bell. My musical tastes are straightforward and mainstream. I track my ski days on an app and take a lot of pictures. I am not 100 percent sure which brand of ski boots I own (I trusted the bootfitter). My primary Brobot trait is that I like to ski mostly off-piste. Otherwise you can call me Sir Basic Bro. Or don't. I won't see it anyway – I stopped reading social media comments a long time ago.Brah do you have a point here? Yes. My point is this: I am supremely qualified to tell you that Northstar is a great ski area. It is huge. It is interesting. It has more glades than you could manage if you spent all winter trying. It is threaded with an excellent high-speed lift network that, during the week, rarely has an over-abundance of skiers to actually ride it. You can cruise the wide-open or sail the empty trees. Park Brahs can park-out on the Vista Park Brah.But if you take my advice and lap the place for an afternoon and find that it's just too flat for your radness, simply ask Ski Patrol if you can borrow a pair of scissors. Then cut the sleeves off your jacket and all under-layers, and descend each run in an arms-up posture of supreme muscle-itude. Everyone will be aware of and in awe of your studliness, and know that you are only skiing Flatstar as a sort of joke, the mountain a prop to your impossibly cool lifestyle. Your Instapost followers will love it.Podcast NotesOn Tahoe's competitive landscapeTahoe hosts one of the densest clusters of ski areas in North America. Here are the 16 currently in operation:On Northstar's masterplan Northstar's 2017 masterplan outlines several potential expansions, each of which we discuss in the podcast:On the “My Epic” appOhran referenced Vail's new My Epic app, which I devoted a section to explaining in the article accompanying my recent Keystone podcast. The Epic Pass website notes that the app will be “launching in October.”On Northstar's original brand campaignI couldn't find any relics from Northstar's 1972 “Everything in the middle of nowhere” ad campaign. I did, however, find this 1978 trailmap noting that all-day adult lift tickets cost $13:That's $64.02 adjusted for inflation, in case you're wondering.The Sierra Sun ran a nice little history of Northstar last year, in honor of the resort's 50-year anniversary:On Dec. 22, 1972, Northstar-at-Tahoe began spinning its original five lifts, operating under the motto “Everything in the middle of nowhere.” The first lifts were given alphabetic names A, B, C, and D. A T-chair provided access to mid-mountain from the village. The cost for an adult to ski for the day in 1972 was $8, gear could be rented for $7.50, and a room for the night at the resort was $30. …The 1980s brought further growth to the resort and in 1988 the first snowboarders took their turns at the resort. That year, George N. Gillett Jr., president of Colorado's Vail Associates purchased Northstar-at-Tahoe. By 1992, Gillett had run into financial troubles and lost Vail Associates. Gillett managed to come away with enough resources to form Booth Creek Ski Holdings, Inc. Gillett's new company focused on real estate development and creating multi-season resorts. In 1996, the company acquired Northstar-at-Tahoe, Sierra-at-Tahoe, and Bear Mountain for $127 million, and began developing the Big Springs area at Northstar. …The new millennium brought with it a joint venture between Booth Creek Ski Holdings and East West Partners with the aim to complete the resort's real estate and mountain development plan. The first phase of the project opened in 2004 and included the foundation for the village along with the completion of Iron Horse North, Iron Horse South, and the Great Bear Lodge buildings. The ice rink and surrounding commercial space were completed during this time. Skiers and riders were also treated to new terrain with the installation of Lookout Lift.From 2005 through 2008 work continued at the base of the mountain to complete the gondola building along with the Catamount and Big Horn buildings in the village. Collaboration between East West Partners and Hyatt Corp also began at this time, leading to the Northstar Lodge Hyatt project. The first building was started in May 2007 and completed in December 2008. Along with these came the Village Swim & Fitness center and the Highlands Gondola from the Northstar Lodge to The Ritz-Carlton Hotel and neighboring building.In 2010, Vail Resorts, Inc., entered the fray and purchased Northstar-at-Tahoe from Booth Creek for $63 million, and later renamed it Northstar California Resort.On Matt JonesOhran mentions Kirkwood GM Matt Jones once or twice during the pod, which we recorded on Oct. 2. This past Tuesday, Oct. 10, Alterra announced that they had hired Jones as the new president and chief operating officer of Stratton, Vermont.On that deep deep winterWhen I was skiing around Northstar in March, I snagged a bunch of hey-where'd-the-world-go shots of stuff buried in snow:The Storm explores the world of lift-served skiing year-round. Join us.The Storm publishes year-round, and guarantees 100 articles per year. This is article 85/100 in 2023, and number 471 since launching on Oct. 13, 2019. Want to send feedback? Reply to this email and I will answer (unless you sound insane, or, more likely, I just get busy). You can also email skiing@substack.com. Get full access to The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast at www.stormskiing.com/subscribe

Rob welcomes back Bobcat Doug LeRose to discuss 1961's "Talkin' Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues.". This Episode is for FM+ Subscribers Only. If you're not yet a subscriber, you'll hear a special preview version of this episode. To hear the full episode, sign up for FM Pods + in Apple Podcasts or at FMPods.com. Have a question or comment? Contact: https://fmpods.com/podcasts/poddylan Follow us on Twitter: @Pod_Dylan POD DYLAN "Jukebox" T-Shirt now available: https://www.etsy.com/shop/RobKellyCreative Complete list of all songs covered so far: Pod Dylan Songs This podcast is part of the FM Podcast Network. Thanks for listening! UgFlUnTxhNRhlTl4PuVo

Let's Play Two With MLB Network's, Brian Kenny and Bear Mountain BBQ's, Levi Strayer Brian Kenny is a studio host for MLB Network and a boxing play-by-play announcer for Fox Sports.  He is the host of the weekday program MLB Now, known as “the show for the thinking fan."  He previously worked for ESPN, where he won three Emmys, and had his own show on ESPN Radio named, The Brian Kenny Show.  He is also the host of the Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies in Cooperstown, New York.  Brian's love of baseball comes through loud and clear. Levi Strayer knows the importance of using quality products when he cooks and he is proud to work for Bear Mountain BBQ, makers of premium wood pellets, wood chips, and wood chunks.  As their website says, "We've spent the past 30 years crafting premium quality wood pellets for those that are passionate about BBQ.  We wanted to add rich, smoky flavor to food without using anything artificial."  Levi explains how their products are made and why Bear Mountain woods make food taste better. Go to https://bearmountainbbq.com/ for more information on their products and to place an order. We conclude the show with the song, Baseball Always Brings You Home from the musician, Dave Dresser and the poet, Shel Krakofsky. We recommend you go to Baseball BBQ, https://baseballbbq.com for special grilling tools and accessories,  Magnechef https://magnechef.com/ for excellent and unique barbecue gloves, Cutting Edge Firewood High Quality Kiln Dried Firewood - Cutting Edge Firewood in Atlanta for high quality firewood and cooking wood, Mantis BBQ, https://mantisbbq.com/ to purchase their outstanding sauces with a portion of the proceeds being donated to the Kidney Project, and for exceptional sauces, Elda's Kitchen https://eldaskitchen.com/ We truly appreciate our listeners and hope that all of you are staying safe. If you would like to contact the show, we would love to hear from you. Call the show:  (516) 855-8214 Email:  baseballandbbq@gmail.com Twitter:  @baseballandbbq Instagram:  baseballandbarbecue YouTube:  baseball and bbq Website:  https//baseballandbbq.weebly.com Facebook:  baseball and bbq

This podcast hit paid subscribers' inboxes on Sept. 7. It dropped for free subscribers on Sept. 14. To receive future pods as soon as they're live, and to support independent ski journalism, please consider an upgrade to a paid subscription. You can also subscribe for free below:WhoMike Solimano, President and General Manager of Killington and Pico Mountains, VermontRecorded onSept. 5, 2023About KillingtonClick here for a mountain stats overviewOwned by: Powdr CorpLocated in: Killington, VermontYear founded: 1958Pass affiliations: Ikon Pass: 5 or 7 combined days with PicoReciprocal partners: Pico access is included on all Killington passesClosest neighboring ski areas: Pico (:12), Saskadena Six (:39), Okemo (:40), Twin Farms (:42), Quechee (:44), Ascutney (:55), Storrs (:59), Harrington Hill (:59), Magic (1:00), Whaleback (1:02), Sugarbush (1:04), Bromley (1:04), Middlebury Snowbowl (1:08), Arrowhead (1:10), Mad River Glen (1:11)Base elevation: 1,156 feet at Skyeship BaseSummit elevation: 4,241 feet at Killington PeakVertical drop: 3,085 feetSkiable Acres: 1,509Average annual snowfall: 250 inchesTrail count: 155 (43% advanced/expert, 40% intermediate, 17% beginner)Lift count: 20 (2 gondolas, 1 six-pack, 5 high-speed quads, 5 fixed-grip quads, 2 triples, 1 double, 1 platter, 3 carpets - view Lift Blog's inventory of Killington's lift fleet)About PicoClick here for a mountain stats overviewOwned by: Powdr CorpLocated in: Mendon, VermontYear founded: 1934Pass affiliations: Ikon Pass: 5 or 7 combined days with KillingtonReciprocal partners: Pico access is included on all Killington passes; four days Killington access included on Pico K.A. PassClosest neighboring ski areas: Killington (:12), Saskadena Six (:38), Okemo (:38), Twin Farms (:38), Quechee (:42), Ascutney (:53), Storrs (:57), Harrington Hill (:55), Magic (:58), Whaleback (1:00), Sugarbush (1:01), Bromley (1:00), Middlebury Snowbowl (1:01), Mad River Glen (1:07), Arrowhead (1:09)Base elevation: 2,000 feetSummit elevation: 3,967 feetVertical drop: 1,967 feetSkiable Acres: 468Average annual snowfall: 250 inchesTrail count: 58 (36% advanced/expert, 46% intermediate, 18% beginner)Lift count: 7 (2 high-speed quads, 2 triples, 2 doubles, 1 carpet - view Lift Blog's inventory of Pico's lift fleet)Why I interviewed himImagine if the statistical bureaus of nations operated like ski areas - the countries just threw around numbers with no basis in measurable reality. China could say it was bigger than Russia, U.S. America could claim more territory than Canada, and North Korea could say it was bigger than all of them combined (hell, it probably does).This is the world one steps into when trying to ascertain the size of New England ski areas. Mt. Abram claims 450 acres. Middlebury Snow Bowl brags on “600-plus acres of woods and glades,” which would make it larger than Sugarbush, the Alterra-owned mega-resort that undersells itself with a 581-acre tally. Here's what the aliens would see if they were to match our internet boasts up to measurable reality:Did Middlebury Snowbowl acquire the air rights over its mountain? Is Mt. Abram built like Istanbul, with several ancient ski areas buried beneath the modern foundation, giving us a vast ski labyrinth to explore?This strategy probably worked better when most skiers' mode of resort comparison was “scanning a bunch of brochures at a rest area.” It's harder to maintain when every human carries a device equipped with a map of planet earth in their pocket at all times. But ski areas keep fibbing anyway.Which is probably why, several years ago, Killington started measuring itself like a Western ski area: draw a border around the property – that's your skiable terrain. Oh, and we'll no longer yell at you for skiing in the woods, which is technically “terrain” even if the underbrush is too thick for anything larger than a chipmunk to navigate.Some of you would like me to challenge statistical inconsistency across the ski industry as a main feature of this newsletter. But I prefer to just make fun of it. If Mt. Abram wants to be the Baghdad Bob of New England skiing, well, what else are you going to do for attention when you're across the street from Sunday River, whose annual lift-upgrade budget exceeds the GDP of Australia?But until the North Conway Treaty of 2038, at which the ski areas of North America will collectively agree upon a universal statistical standard based upon actual measurements, I'm just going to take their word for it (sort of). Here's a list of New England ski areas from largest to smallest, by skiable acreage, according to the ski resort's own claims (I excluded Middlebury Snowbowl and Mt. Abram, which more accurately measure out at 110 and 170 acres, respectively):Anyone who's spent any amount of time skiing New England knows that something feels off with this list. Sugarbush, Stowe, and Jay – three of the dozen or so New England ski areas with reliable glades – ski as big as anything in the East. All three feel substantively larger than Stratton or Mount Snow. And neither Bolton Valley nor Black Mountain of Maine ski on the scale of Cannon or Waterville Valley.But no one is disputing that top line. Killington is the largest ski area in New England. You can quibble about the vertical drop – the gut of Killington is the 1,650-ish-foot K-1 face. To scoop up the full 3,000-plus feet requires a rarely-skied meander down to the Skyeship Base at US 4. Mt. Ellen at Sugarbush (2,600 vertical feet), Madonna at Smuggs (2,150), FourRunner at Stowe (2,046), the single chair at Mad River Glen (1,972 feet), and Sugarloaf's spectacular 2,820-foot face all deliver more sustained steep skiing than The Beast.But there's nothing else in the East on Killington's scale, the massive overlapping network of six peaks rolling in all directions from the frantic hub. It's one of the few ski areas, East or West, where I ever truly feel lost. There's something brilliantly scattershot about it, something feral and boundless and enigmatic, as though 16 small ski areas had been stapled together by someone who's never skied. There are insane traverses and endless flats, riotously steep trees and bumps all over, long groomers that you think lead back to the same lift you just exited, but instead seem to deposit you in New Hampshire. There are trails on the far fringe that feel abandoned on even the busiest days, where you suspect without being able to prove it that you've been transported to an alternate dimension of groomed forever-down, or at least back to a time before the Ikon Pass gave every skier on the eastern seaboard an annual allotment of Killington lift tickets.It all works somehow. This great machine, howling like an armor-plated Mad Max rig, a cobbled-together war machine screaming across the winter plains. It feels like it should fall apart, disintegrate by the combined forces of speed and volume. But it carries on, the growling, supercharged id of New England winter, The Beast a gloss well-earned.What we talked aboutWhat's behind Killington's run of June closings; building the Superstar Glacier; why “The Beast” returned; how Killington pulled off the 2022 World Cup with a wildly warm November; what happened to October openings; early- versus late-season energy; whether social media makes the spring skiing party seem bigger than it is; Pico's massive, multi-year snowmaking evolution; “Pico's probably not worth what one detachable lift costs on its own” – the hard math of lift upgrades; Powdr Corp's long-term commitment to Pico; Pico's private mid-week mountain rentals; the new K-1 lodge; falling in love with skiing on a Magic Mountain powder day; when you start as chief financial officer and the parent company informs you that they may not be able to make payroll the following month; Killington's rowdy transition from American Skiing Company to Powdr Corp to present-day calm; why Powdr Corp had such a tough time adapting to New England, and how the company finally did; online absurdities; the evolution of Powdr Corp; a Killington base village, on the way at last; why the village took so long to permit; “to be a successful village, it can't just be a bunch of condos”; putting pedestrians first; what the village will mean for parking at Ramshead, Snowshed, Vale, and K-1; employee housing; how the village will connect to the resort's lift system; whether we could see a lift from the village up to K-1; why Killington hasn't upgraded Snowshed yet; redesigning Killington Road; fixing Killington's water-quality issues; considering mass transit along Killington Road; priorities for lift upgrades at both ski areas; where Killington could install another six-pack; whether future sixers would have bubbles or D-line tech; why eight-pack lifts are unlikely; the potential for upgrades for the Bear Mountain quad and Snowden triple; what could eventually replace Outpost at Pico; current thinking around the Killington-Pico Interconnect; Fast Tracks two years in; Fast Tracks season passes; the Beast 365 and Ikon Base Pass add-on; and whether Beast 365 passholders are complaining about the dilution of the Ikon Base Pass (spoiler alert: they are).Why I thought that now was a good time for this interviewStorm Skiing Podcast #1: Killington & Pico President & General Manager Mike Solimano, was not the first episode I ever recorded, but it was the first one I released. Because, as I wrote at the time, “if you're going to start something like a podcast about Northeast skiing, you really ought to lead off with the most punch-you-in-your-face prominent part of Northeast skiing.” Starting this series with the head of the largest and baddest ski resort in New England injected The Storm with an instant patina of legitimacy, a forked road into journalism from the speculating, self-assured masses endlessly debating ski areas on social media.There are hazards, of course, to going first, especially for a rapidly evolving brand like The Storm. A lot has changed in four years. The podcast sounds better. The Storm's scope has expanded nationwide, embedding each subject in a national, rather than a regional, context. The article accompanying each episode is far richer, with maps and stats and charts that the reader once had to source on their own. And I hope – I'll let the listener decide – that I've improved as an interviewer and as a host.It was time to reset Killington and Pico. But with purpose. My mission, at The Storm's outset four years ago, was simply to make connections with ski area leaders. The podcast episodes were more general-information sessions than conversations tuned to the moment. But almost every podcast on the current schedule is pegged to some tangible development: Keystone (scheduled for the week of Sept. 11), is opening the Bergman Bowl expansion after a one-year delay; Snowbird (Sept. 18), is a big player in the controversial Little Cottonwood Canyon gondola project; Attitash (Nov. 6), is at long last replacing the Summit Triple with a high-speed quad. Even Great Bear, South Dakota – scheduled for the week of Sept. 25 – is planning a new lift and expansion.Killington just announced what is potentially the most transformative project in New England skiing for at least a generation: the approval to build, at long last, a (hopefully pedestrian) base village in the vast basin between Snowshed and Ramshead, a space currently occupied by parking lots sizeable enough to house the population of Ecuador. The East does not currently have anything like this – at least not at the foot of a ski area, where such things ought to be. But the region desperately needs this sort of human-scaled infrastructure.I live in New York City, which means I am surrounded by acquaintances who have the means and desire to ski, but who do not necessarily ski that often. They will frequently petition me for recommendations that sound something like: where can I take my family/group of friends/brunch club skiing for a long weekend that is within driving distance of the city, has somewhere to stay on the mountain, and has food/drinking options within a short walk? And my answer to them is: there is nothing like that here. Go to Park City/Breckenridge/Aspen/somewhere else out West. New England is so preoccupied with preserving their natural environment that most meaningful development is done a several-mile drive from the major ski hills, which of course compromises the natural environment with sprawl, excessive traffic, and parking lots the size of the Mendenhall Glacier.There are some minor exceptions to this: small villages at Stratton and Stowe. Ample slopeside accommodations at Smugglers' Notch and Okemo. But none of these give the skier that sense of place they'll find in Steamboat or Crested Butte or even Vail Village, with its pedestrian walkways paved over what had been wilderness until the 1960s. But who says a new village is a “fake” village, as they're so often framed? A place for people to gather is a place for people to gather, and if we could build such places 2,000 years ago, we can build them today.New England deserves this. Because great ski areas are better when the community doesn't end at the bottom of the lift queue. Because once we build one, others will follow. Because it's a fairly stupid fact that the region of the United States most known for its quaint small towns is without a single quaint ski town (meaning, one that backs up to the ski resort). Because Built America has sprawled out enough, and its time to back up and fill in all the blank space with something better. Because there is no better way for a state preoccupied with preserving its natural environment to build than in dense clusters of life and activity. And because it would be fabulous and because it would work and because I'm tired of telling New Yorkers to fly to Aspen when Killington ought to be able to give them everything they need.Questions I wish I'd askedI wanted to talk a bit about the Woodward park that Powdr has been dropping at Killington each of the past several winters. I also had a few questions about passes: the Pico K.A.'s odd name, the creeping price of the Killington spring pass, whether the Mountain Collective was in play for Killington.What I got wrongAbout the size of PicoI said Pico was about “the size of Cannon or the size of Waterville Valley.” This is kind of true but was also an on-the-fly guess. As is clear from the skiable acreage discussion above, gauging the size of New England ski areas is a little bit of a party game. I think Pico and Waterville are about the same size, but Pico, mimicking Killington's border-to-border measurement philosophy, claims 468 acres. Waterville, which, according to general manager Tim Smith, only counts trail acreage, sits at 265 acres. But both hit right around 2,000 feet of vert. Cannon is a bit higher, at 2,180. Still, I think it was a fair comparison. Here are New England's tallest ski areas, organized by vertical drop:About resumesI said in the intro that Solimano had joined Killington in 2002. He actually started in December 2001, as he clarifies in the interview.About the Ikon Base PassWhen discussing the erosion of the Ikon Base Pass over time, I said that “Alterra had taken mountains off” the pass. That wasn't exactly right or fair. Former Alterra CEO Rusty Gregory told me on the podcast last year that Alterra resisted creating the Plus tier for Ikon Base. But Jackson Hole and Aspen, facing locals' revolts over the pass' impact, insisted on doing something. The Ikon Base Plus, then, was a compromise. Other ski areas have followed since the Base Plus debuted in 2020: Alta and Deer Valley (the latter of which Alterra does own) in 2022, and Taos in 2023. Snowbasin and Sun Valley opted for Base Plus over Base when they joined the coalition in 2022.Still, however we got here, the fact is this: the Ikon Base Pass excludes seven of the pass' most attractive destinations. Unfortunately, passholders at partner resorts that offer an Ikon Base Pass with their top-tier season passes (Sugarloaf, Sunday River, Loon, Killington, Windham, Aspen, Big Sky, Taos [sold out], Alta, Snowbasin, Snowbird, Brighton, Jackson Hole [sold out], Sun Valley, Mt. Bachelor, Boyne Mountain), are not able to upgrade to an Ikon Base Plus or full Ikon Pass. Several leaders of the above-mentioned mountains have confirmed to The Storm that their passholders find this annoying, like getting a year of free Domino's but being told that you can only order salad and sandwiches. No pizza for you. Alta is the pizza on the Ikon Pass. Jackson Hole is pizza. Aspen is pizza. Blue Mountain is a Chicken Ceasar salad. It's nice. It tastes fine. But really everyone wants the pizza.Here's that chart again tracking Ikon Pass partners by tier over time:Why you should ski Killington and PicoOne reason to ski Killington is easy: often, it's your only option. The mountain closed June 1 this year, more than a month after every other resort in the region other than Jay and Sugarbush, which both ran to May 7. On the other end, The Beast has somewhat ceded its rush to open. After six October openings in the eight seasons beginning in 2011, Killington hasn't spun the lifts before Halloween since 2018 (warm falls and Covid haven't helped). But they're rarely beaten to go-live in New England, and seasons that push or exceed 200 days make sure the mountain's expensive season pass is worth it.Pico is funny. If it were anywhere else other than exactly next door to the largest ski area in New England, Pico might be a major ski area. Its 468 acres would make it the largest ski area in New Hampshire. A 2,000-foot vertical drop is impressive anywhere. The mountain has two high-speed lifts. And, by the way, knockout terrain. There is only one place in the Killington complex where you can run 2,000 vertical feet of steep terrain: Pico.The American norm is that skier visits move east-to-west. But I'll get an occasional email from a Rocky Mountain dweller who's visiting family out east, and they want to know where to ski. There are 100 ski areas in New England – more than in Colorado (34), California (30), Utah (18), and Montana (16) combined. How do you sort through all that? If you want my recommendations of what to do with a week, I'd tell you to start with Killington, then move north through Sugarbush, Mad River Glen, Stowe, Smugglers' Notch, and Jay Peak. Then cross the top of New England to Sugarloaf. That's the best of what we've got. But The Beast, the king of them all, is Killington.Podcast NotesMiscellany on items discussed in the podcast:On Killington's historic opening and closing datesKillington has done a nice job documenting these on its website:On the history of the Women's World Cup at KillingtonSince 2016, Killington has acted as the early-season U.S. stop on the Women's World Cup, drawing enormous, raucous crowds. While I don't cover ski racing or competition, I acknowledge the importance of this event to Killington, as an ancillary business, as a celebration of the sport, as a cultural token, and as a showcase of the resort's singular snowmaking firepower. You can sign up for Killington's World Cup updates here.On North Ridge early-season skiingEarly-season skiing at Killington is a novel, inventive, highly orchestrated event. Typically, only three runs are open, and they are lodged on an area called North Ridge near the top of Killington Peak. Skiers park in the K-1 lot, ride the K-1 gondola over brown slopes to the summit, walk across a catwalk (and its many, many steps), and arrive in winter: typically the Rime, Reasons, and East Fall trails, snowy and frantic with fellow early-season lunatics. The concentration of very good skiers tends to be quite amazing, as the Park Brahs are Parking Out Brah – with whatever little knoll they can turn into a feature (plus, usually, a few built on Reason by Killington's parks crew). You lap North Ridge Quad for as long as you can tolerate, but you can't ski back down – there's no snow below East Fall. So you have to hike back up the catwalk, back to K-1, and ride the gondy back down to the parking lot. Here's a diagram:It's less about the skiing, frankly, than about being a part of something unique and joyful. The skiing, however, is sometimes quite good, especially if it's cold enough to leave the snowguns running, refreshing the surface all day long.On Pico's lift fleetPico has one of the oldest lift fleets in New England – the last new lift install was 35 years ago. Strangely, the mountain also has two high-speed quads, both the (historically) problematic Yan detachables (read more on that in the Podcast Notes section here). But, for reasons Solimano details in the podcast, new lifts are unlikely anytime soon. Pico's current state, per Lift Blog:On Powdr Corp's portfolioKillington is one of 10 North American ski areas owned by Park City-based Powdr Corp:On the lawsuit around lifetime season passesWhen Powdr Corp purchased Killington in 2007, the company inherited the largest ski area in New England – and a gigantic anchor in the form of 1,243 “lifetime” season passes distributed by a former owner. Powdr said, “Yeah we're not doing that,” the passholders sued, and Powdr ultimately won. A 2010 synopsis from Legal Blog Watch:Twenty years ago, Killington, Vt., resident Martin Post and his wife, Jill, paid about $3,500 each for lifetime ski passes at Killington Resort. The Posts are happily still alive but, as of May 17, 2010, their passes are not.The Times Argus reports that in May, U.S. Judge Christina Reiss found that the resort's current owners, SP Land Co. and Powdr Corp., which purchased Killington Resort in 2007, were under no legal obligation to honor the passes that were sold in the early years of the ski area as an incentive to attract investors.The class action litigation before Judge Reiss involved 1,243 pass holders -- 342 yearly transferable passes and 901 passes that could be transferred a single time. The plaintiffs alleged that under the wording of the investor passes, the holder is entitled "to the free use of all ski lifts operated by (Sherburne) Killington Ltd. at (Killington Basin) Killington Ski Area so long as the corporation shall operate in that area under an agreement with the state of Vermont." Plaintiffs claimed that the reference to "the corporation" meant any subsequent operator of the ski area, including the new owners, but the court disagreed.Judge Reiss granted the defendants' motion for summary judgment, finding that "the only reasonable interpretation of that language is that it requires Killington Ltd. to provide the designated passholder free use of all ski lifts operated by Killington Ltd. at the Killington Ski Area so long as it operates in that area ... "The term corporation, she wrote, "clearly refers to the named corporations, Sherburne and Killington Ltd." and "reveals no intention to bind Killington Ltd's successors ... To the contrary, Killington Ltd.'s obligations under the passes clearly terminate with its cessation of operations in the area."The plaintiffs have appealed Reiss' decision to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.I'm assuming the plaintiffs lost the appeal, but I can't find any record of it.On New England's 100 ski areasHere's the inventory - collect them all! (let me know if you have):The Storm explores the world of lift-served skiing year-round. Join us.The Storm publishes year-round, and guarantees 100 articles per year. This is article 74/100 in 2023, and number 460 since launching on Oct. 13, 2019. Want to send feedback? Reply to this email and I will answer (unless you sound insane, or, more likely, I just get busy). You can also email skiing@substack.com. Get full access to The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast at www.stormskiing.com/subscribe

Watch Eagles, Osprey, red wing blackbirds, swans, ducks, owls and even turkey vultures from the shore or from provided kayaks as you paddle Hatzic Lake and the sleepy calm slough teeming with wildlife. Its impossible to stay at this Air B&B on a 33 acre old tree farm with 900 feet of south facing shorefront and not see the spectacle of nature; from the small hummingbird who built her nest beside the laundry room to the big black bear that visits the berry field you'll see it all! Hatzic Lake is 90 min E. of Vancouver, 30 min N. of the US border and strategically placed on huge bird migration paths. Stay here and you are close to the Harrison river for exciting paddles, a 45 min drive to Harrison Hot Springs with a natural public steamy pool, and close to incredible hiking, 5 minutes to Cascade Falls & Trails, 30 min to Bear Mountain for bike trails and Sturgeon sport fishing on the mighty Fraser River which is 850 miles long . Fish Hatzic Lake from the private dock or kayak and you may catch Bullhead, Carp, Chum, Coho, Pink Salmon, Trout, Bass & more. Stay on the tree farm hanging out with the resident friendly donkey & goats watching the Lake Or check out the Old Dewdney Pub (The Church of the Blues), 10 min away for a truly unique experience dancing & listening to Live Music outside in summer. The largest migration of eagles in the world, 35,000 birds, will be visiting between November -Februrary when the local ski hill Sasquatch Mountain Resort 40 min. away in Hemlock Valley will be open so Holleyville is good for winter too. Hatzic Lake is a key spot on the scenic 7 birder tour. EPISODE NOTES: Fish, Birds & Animals at Holleyville, Hatzic Lake, B.C, Canada

In this episode, we hear from thru-hiker founder, and soon to be triple-crowner, Cheer, as she continues her 2023 thru-hike on the Appalachian Trail! This episode covers weeks 15 and 16 on the AT starting in Kent, Connecticut and finishing in Manchester, Vermont. Week 15 begins following a nice overnight in Kent, CT near the New York border. This section included navigating some stream crossings and hitting the 1500 mile marker! Cheer celebrates with a well earned burger in town and beautiful views of the Great Falls along the Housatonic River. Cheer finishes the week with some beautiful mountain peaks including Bear Mountain, Mount Race and Mount Everett with plenty of trail magic to boot and a nice zero in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. (Shoutout SoCo Creamery!) Cheer begins week 16. A week with lots of mosquitoes and mud following several recent storms but finds solace meeting the 'Cookie Lady' and a nice stay in Dalton, Massachusetts in the yard of Tom Levardi, a trail angel offering donation only camping and breakfast in his yard. (hashtag Pub Trivia Night!) In addition to some rough days in the mud, Cheer enjoys beautiful views hiking up Stratton Mountain and finishes the week with a stay at the Green Mountain House Hiker Hostel in Manchester Center, Vermont, where Cheer finds of course, more ice cream! If you want to get the visual on this section, check out ⁠⁠Cheer's YouTube⁠⁠⁠, Week 15 and Week 16. Stay tuned for Cheer's next trail update! If you loved this episode and our thru-hiker spotlights, remember to subscribe, rate & review, and share this podcast! You can also follow Cheer's adventures using the links below: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cheer's YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cheer's Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠ Connect With Us / Join The THRU-r Community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THRU-r Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THRU-r Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THRU-r Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THRU-r Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THRU-r TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Episode Music: "Communicator" by Reed Mathis --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thru-r/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thru-r/support

Flashback poetry from NonBinary Review Issue #6: 1001 Arabian Nights

In this episode, we hear from thru-hiker founder, and soon to be triple-crowner, Cheer, as she continues her 2023 thru-hike on the Appalachian Trail! This episode covers weeks 13 and 14 on the AT starting in Pennsylvania and heading through New Jersey and New York and into Connecticut! Week 13 begins at the Delaware Water Gap in Pennsylvania near the New Jersey border. Cheer enjoys nice terrain and weathers 'the big storm' in the early part of New Jersey enjoying some cooler temps on rainy days and celebrating the 1300 mile marker! The terrain becomes more difficult in the later part of New Jersey but Cheer is rewarded with beautiful views, nice boardwalks through the bogs and lunch and dinner stops at local deli's along this part of the AT. Cheer finishes the week with a bus ride in to New York City to visit her good friend and fellow thru-hiker, Snickers! Snickers joins cheer for a tough couple of days at the beginning of week 14 as they hike into the Bear Mountain area of New York. Due to recent heavy storms most of the usually busy area was closed although passable for thru-hikers. Mud and mosquitoes with some trail magic sprinkled in for good measure marks the end of New York and the beginning of Connecticut! If you want to get the visual on this section, check out ⁠Cheer's YouTube⁠, Week 13 and Week 14. Stay tuned for Cheer's weeks 15 and 16 trail update! If you loved this episode and our thru-hiker spotlights, remember to subscribe, rate & review, and share this podcast! You can also follow Cheer's adventures using the links below: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cheer's YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cheer's Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠ Connect With Us / Join The THRU-r Community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THRU-r Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THRU-r Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THRU-r Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THRU-r Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THRU-r TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Episode Music: "Communicator" by Reed Mathis --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thru-r/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thru-r/support

This podcast hit paid subscribers' inboxes on July 27. It dropped for free subscribers on July 30. To receive future pods as soon as they're live, and to support independent ski journalism, please consider an upgrade to a paid subscription. You can also subscribe for free below:WhoJared Smith, President and CEO of Alterra Mountain CompanyRecorded onJuly 26, 2023About Alterra Mountain CompanyAlterra is owned by a joint venture between KSL Capital and Henry Crown and Company. Alterra owns and operates the following properties:The company's Ikon Pass delivers access to these resorts for the 2023-24 ski season:Why I interviewed himIf I could unleash one artifact of 2023 skiing on the winters of my teens and twenties, it would be these passes. Ikon, Epic, Indy, Mountain Collective. It doesn't matter which. They're all amazing. Punchcards to white-capped horizons. The kind of guidebook I could have spun a winter around, sating those impulses for novelty, variety, constant motion.Not that I mind them now. For anyone, especially families, that lives near skiing and vacations to skiing, they basically saved the sport. Day trips to Windham, weekends at Stratton, a spring break run to the Wasatch: a tough itinerary – perhaps an impossible one – without that plastic ticket secured the previous March.But man I coulda used one of those little Ski Club cards when I was untethered and unmoored and wired at all times on Mountain Dew. And broke, too, by the way. Teenage Stu's ski circuits followed discount days more than snowstorms. Fifteen-dollar lift tickets after one on Sunday at Sugar Loaf? I'm there, rolling three-deep in a red Ford Probe, the driver's-side passenger seat dropped for the skis and poles and boots angled in through the hatchback.I would have preferred a membership. In my 1990s Indy Pass fantasies I roll the Michigan circuit early winter – Nub's and Caberfae and Crystal and Shanty Creek and Treetops. Then 94 to 80, popping into all the snowgun-screaming High Plains bumps along the route west. Chestnut and Sundown and Seven Oaks and Mt. Crescent and Terry Peak. Then the big mountains and the big snows. Red Lodge and Lost Trail and Brundage and Silver and 49 North and White Pass. Or I skip the Midwest and roll Ikon, spend a week circling California. Another in Utah. A third in Colorado on the way home.It's weird how much I think about this. Alternate versions of winters long melted away. I'm not one to dwell or regret. Or pine for the lost or never-was. But that's the power of the multi-mountain ski pass. I never re-imagine my past with an iPhone or the internet or even the modern skis that have amped up the average skier's ability level. But I constantly imagine how much more I could have skied, and how many more places I could have visited, and how much sooner I would have discovered the ski world outside of the destination circuit, had the Ikon and Epic passes arrived 15 to 20 years before they did.These passes are special, is my point here. As a catalyst to adventure and an enabler to the adventurous, they have no equal that I can think of in any other industry. It's as though I could buy some supper club pass and use it at every restaurant in town for an entire year without ever paying again. And among these remarkable products, the Ikon Pass is currently the best of them all. It's hard to dispute this. Look again at the roster above. What they've built in just six years is remarkable. And it keeps getting better.What we talked aboutThe sudden passing and legacy of Aspen managing partner Jim Crown; why Aspen is not part of Alterra; from entry-level salesman to CEO at Ticketmaster; the dramatic evolution of Ticketmaster and its adaptation to the digital age; skiing's digital transition; entering skiing at a high level as an outsider; “we don't make it easy at all for people to come enjoy our sport”; how to better meet consumers on their Pet Rectangles; balancing affordability with crowding and capacity; could lift ticket pricing be more like baseball or concerts?; finally some sensible thoughts on lowering lift ticket prices; $289 lift tickets; filling midweek ghost towns; “we're on the front end of our pricing and product-packaging journey as an industry”; why Alterra bought Snow Valley; rethinking the mountain's lift fleet; chairlift safety bars; Snow Valley expansion potential; housing and bed development at Snow Valley's base; considering a lift connection between Bear Mountain and Snow Summit; whether Alterra could purchase more city-adjacent ski areas; why Alterra bought Schweitzer; expansion potential; how Ikon Pass access may evolve at Schweitzer; the Ikon approach to adding new partners; whether the Ikon Base Pass' value is eroding over time as high-profile partners exit that tier; comparing Epic and Ikon prices; and Alterra's Impact Report.  Why I thought that now was a good time for this interviewSmith pinned his CEO nametag onto his shirt almost exactly one year ago, on Aug. 1, 2022. He's had a busy year. The Ikon Pass has added five new partners (Alyeska, Sun Peaks, Grandvalira, Panorama, and Lotte Arai). Alterra purchased its first two ski areas since Sugarbush in 2019, scooping up Snow Valley, California in January and Schweitzer – the largest ski area in Idaho – last month. And the company acquired gear-rental outfit Ski Butlers and released its first Impact Report. A setback, too: while Ikon has still never lost a partner, Taos jumped off the Ikon Base Pass for next ski season, making it the seventh resort (along with Sun Valley, Snowbasin, Alta, Deer Valley, Aspen, and Jackson Hole) to exit that product.Meanwhile, check out the growing price differential between the Ikon and Epic passes over the past several seasons:After three years of relative parity, Ikon prices blew past Epic when Vail Resorts slashed prices in 2021. So this isn't news. But what's interesting is that Alterra has been able to hold that premium price. Vail lobbed its discount hand grenade three weeks after Alterra had locked in 2021-22 Ikon Pass prices. Rather than follow Vail into the basement, Alterra raised prices again in 2022. And again in 2023. Stunning as those early-bird differentials are, the gap is even more pronounced now: the current sticker price of a 2023-24 Ikon Pass is $1,259, a 36 percent premium over Epic's $929 pricetag. Ikon Base currently runs $929, which is 35 percent more than the $689 Epic Local Pass.So what? A Porsche costs more than a Ford. But when did the Ikon Pass become skiing's luxe label? For years, no one had an answer for Vail. Now it's hard to imagine how the Epic Pass will ever catch up to Ikon. Since 2020, Ikon has added Alyeska, Mt. Bachelor, Windham, Snow Valley, Schweitzer, Panorama, Sun Peaks, Chamonix, Dolomiti Superski, Kitzbühel, Lotte Arai, Sun Valley, and Snowbasin to its roster. Vail has added three ski areas in Pennsylvania and two (really one) in Switzerland, while losing Sun Valley and Snowbasin to Ikon. The Broomfield Bully, which spent the 2010s gobbling up everything from Whistler to Park City to half the Midwest and New England, suddenly looks inert beside its flashy young competitor.For now. Don't expect the dragon to sleep much longer. Vail – or, more accurately, the company's investors – will need to feast again soon (and I'll note that Vail has invested enormous sums into technology, infrastructure, and personnel upgrades over the past 16 months). Which is why Smith's job is so enormous. It won't be enough to simply keep Alterra and the Ikon Pass relevant. They must be transformative. Yes, that means things like terrain expansions and $50 million gondolas and new tickboxes on the Ikon Pass. But it also means the further melding of the physical and the digital, a new-skier experience that does not feel like Alaskan bootcamp, and more creativity in pricing than a $5 season pass purchased seven years in advance and a $4,500 day-of lift ticket.It's 2023. The Pet Rectangle has eaten the world. Any industry that hasn't gotten there already is going to die pretty soon. Skiing is sort of there and it's sort of not. Smith's job is to make sure Alterra makes it all the way in, and to bring us along for the run.Questions I wish I'd askedSo many. The most obvious being about the recent death of 50-year-old Sheldon Johnson, who fell out of a Tremblant gondola after it struck a drilling rig and split open. The photos are insane – it looks as though the car was sliced right in half. My minivan goes apeshit with sensors and auto-brakes if I'm about to back into a fence – why does a gondola, with all the technology we have, keep moving full speed into a gigantic piece of construction equipment?I also wanted to check in on Crystal's decision to jump off the Ikon Pass as its season pass, get an update on the new lifts going in at Alterra's resorts this summer, and ask when Deer Valley was going to get rid of that icky snowboard ban.Podcast NotesOn the sudden passing of Aspen managing partner Jim CrownPer the Aspen Times:Billionaire philanthropist Jim Crown was driving a single-seat, open-top Spec Racer with a 165-horsepower engine on June 25 in Woody Creek when it struck a tire barricade backed by a concrete wall that was surrounding a gravel trap.His son-in-law, Matthew McKinney, drove the Spec Racer a few hours before Crown drove it that day. McKinney remembered the car handled normally, although the brakes “were somewhat stiff, and the brake pedal had to be pressed somewhat firmly.”Aspen Motorsports Park staff told McKinney the brakes were new.These are some of the findings in the Pitkin County sheriff's report, released on Thursday, investigating Crown's death at the 50-acre park last month.A beloved Aspen and Chicago resident, he was not a racetrack rookie. The managing partner of Aspen Skiing Co. and adviser to former President Barack Obama, he enjoyed the Aspen tracks and once owned a Ferrari. He celebrated his June 25 birthday with family at the park.Around 2:20 p.m., deputies were alerted to a crash at the park's eighth corner wall. Dispatchers relayed that the 70-year-old driver was conscious, breathing but bleeding badly from head injuries. And his pulse was weak.McKinney and his wife told the officer in charge, Bruce Benjamin, that they never heard brakes screeching before the crash. (Benjamin noted skid marks near the crash). Crown's car hit the tire barricade “with such force, that it came off the ground a few feet.”Sheriff's deputies, Aspen Ambulance, and Aspen Fire Protection District first responders cared for Crown at the crash site. The report says they took turns giving him CPR chest compressions, but they were unable to save him. Crown was pronounced dead, with daughters Hayley and Victoria nearby.On why Aspen is not part of AlterraSmith and I discussed Aspen's decision to remain independent, rather than become part of Alterra, of which it is part owner. Former Aspen CEO Mike Kaplan told the full story on this podcast two years ago (49:28):On acquisitionsHere are my full write-ups on Alterra's purchase of Snow Valley and Schweitzer.On the evolution of the Ikon Base PassThere's little question that the Ikon Base Pass was underpriced when it hit the market at $599 in 2018. As the pass gained momentum, flooding some of the coalition's biggest names, resorts began excusing themselves from the cheapest version of Ikon. While the coalition has added more partners since inception than it has lost from the Base Pass, losing marquee names like Aspen, Jackson Hole, and Alta contributes to a sense that the pass' value is eroding over time, even as the price continues to climb (the Ikon Base Pass is currently on sale for $929). Here's a look at how Ikon Pass access has evolved since 2018:On Snow Valley's ghost lift fleetSnow Valley may be home to the most abandoned lifts of any operating ski area in the country. A Snow Valley representative confirmed for me earlier this year that lifts 2 and 8 have not run in at least five years, yet they remain on the trailmap today:Even more amazing, when I skied there in March, lifts 4 and 5 are still intact. Lift 5 hasn't been on the trailmap for 20 years!I also referenced a long-cancelled proposal to expand Snow Valley – here's where it sits on old trailmaps (looker's right):On Schweitzer's masterplanSmith alludes to Schweitzer's masterplan. Here's a look:And here, for reference, is the resort today (this map does not include the Creekside lift, which is replacing Musical Chairs this offseason):On Alterra's 2023 lift upgradesAlterra is at work on six new lifts this offseason:* The biggest of those projects is at Steamboat, where phase two of the Wild Blue Gondola will transport skiers from the base area directly to the top of Sunshine Peak. This 3.16-mile-long, 10-passenger gondola will be the longest in North America.* Even more exciting for skiers: the Mahogany Ridge high-speed quad will open an additional 650 acres of terrain looker's left of Pony Express, transforming Steamboat into the second-largest ski area in Colorado:* Mammoth will upgrade Canyon Express (Lift 16) from a high-speed quad to a high-speed six-pack:* Winter Park will upgrade Pioneer from a high-speed quad to a high-speed six-pack with a mid-station:* Solitude will upgrade Eagle Express from a high-speed quad to a high-speed six-pack:* Snowshoe will replace the Powder Monkey triple with a fixed-grip quad:On Smith leaving TicketmasterI referenced a Q&A that Smith did with Pollstar in 2020. You can read that here.On Alterra's Impact ReportSmith and I discuss Alterra's first Impact Report. You can read it here.More Alterra on The Storm Skiing PodcastFormer Alterra CEO Rusty Gregory appeared on the podcast three times, in 2020, 2021, and 2022. I've also hosted the leaders of several of Alterra's ski areas:* Palisades Tahoe President and COO Dee Byrne – May 4, 2023* Deer Valley President & COO Todd Bennett – April 20, 2023* Solitude President & COO Amber Broadaway – March 5, 2022* Steamboat President & COO Rob Perlman – Dec. 9, 2021* Crystal Mountain President & CEO Frank DeBerry – Oct. 22, 2021* Sugarbush President & GM John Hammond – Nov. 2, 2020* Sugarbush President & COO Win Smith – Jan. 30, 2020I've also hosted the leaders of many Ikon Pass partner mountains and related entities, including:* Valle Nevado GM Ricardo Margulis – July 19, 2023* Sun Peaks GM Darcy Alexander – June 13, 2023* SkiBig3 President Pete Woods – May 26, 2023* Snowbasin VP & GM Davy Ratchford – Feb. 1, 2023* Aspenware CEO Rob Clark (Alterra purchased Aspenware in 2022) – Dec. 29, 2023* Loon Mountain President & GM Brian Norton – Nov. 14, 2022* Boyne Resorts CEO Stephen Kircher – Nov. 21, 2022* Sun Valley VP & GM Pete Sonntag – Oct. 20, 2022* The Summit at Snoqualmie GM Guy Lawrence – April 20, 2022* Arapahoe Basin COO Alan Henceroth – April 14, 2022* Big Sky President & COO Taylor Middleton – April 6, 2022* The Highlands President & GM Mike Chumbler – Feb. 18, 2022* Jackson Hole President Mary Kate Buckley – Nov. 17, 2021* Boyne Mountain GM Ed Grice – Oct. 19, 2021* Mt. Buller GM Laurie Blampied – Oct. 12, 2021* Aspen Skiing Company CEO Mike Kaplan – Oct. 1, 2021* Taos CEO David Norden – Sept. 16, 2021* Sunday River GM Brian Heon – Feb. 10, 2021* Windham President Chip Seamans – Jan. 31, 2021* Sugarloaf GM Karl Strand – Part 1, Sept. 25, 2020* Sugarloaf GM Karl Strand – Part 2, Sept. 30, 2020* Boyne Resorts CEO Stephen Kircher – April 1, 2020* Sunday River President & GM Dana Bullen – Feb. 14, 2020* Loon Mountain President & GM Jay Scambio – Feb. 7, 2020 * Boyne Resorts CEO Stephen Kircher – Nov. 21, 2019* Killington & Pico President & GM Mike Solimano – Oct. 13, 2019You can view all archived and scheduled podcasts here.The Storm explores the world of lift-served skiing year-round. Join us.The Storm publishes year-round, and guarantees 100 articles per year. This is article 63/100 in 2023, and number 449 since launching on Oct. 13, 2019. Want to send feedback? Reply to this email and I will answer (unless you sound insane, or, more likely, I just get busy). You can also email skiing@substack.com. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.stormskiing.com/subscribe

Host Austin Meek has a conversation with Ross Harris, owner of The Bear Mountain and Waco Paddle Company. They discuss the childhood affinity Ross had for outdoor life and how he's transferred that into not one, but two businesses that are helping Wacoans make the most of the natural landscape around them. KWBU Waco's NPR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Austin Meek has a conversation with Ross Harris, owner of The Bear Mountain and Waco Paddle Company.

*This episode is a little quieter than usual, you may need to turn up the volume to hear it well. This was recorded on a late spring afternoon in a small stand of Quaking Aspen growing beneath tall Ponderosa Pines beside a seasonally flooded meadow located east of Bear Mountain in Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Siskiyou County, California. I made this recording using the tree ears technique, in which a microphone is placed on either side of the trunk of a tree, in this case a Quaking Aspen. Thunderstorms were in the weather forecast so I made makeshift rain covers for the mics by making small platforms above them using forked sticks and twigs, upon which I placed a couple large handfuls of pine needles to prevent rain from hitting the microphones directly and causing unwanted noise. It worked very well for the rain that did pass over the area. Help this podcast get made by making a donation, becoming a Patreon supporter, or becoming a monthly supporter through Spotify Podcasting. You can do so by visiting the following links- https://soundbynaturepodcast.com/donations/ https://www.patreon.com/soundbynaturepodcast You can become a monthly supporter at Spotify Podcasting by clicking the link at the end of this podcast description. Thank you to my current and past monthly supporters, those of you that have made one-time donations, and my three supporters on Patreon. Every bit of your contributions go directly to the production of this podcast. I truly appreciate your help! You can see pictures of the area this was recorded, as well as pictures from other locations I have gathered recordings, by visiting the Instagram and Facebook pages for the podcast. You can find them by searching @soundbynaturepodcast. Questions or comments? Send me a message on Facebook or Instagram, or email me at soundbynaturepodcast@gmail.com I hope this recording provides you with a bit of solace from the stress of everyday life. Thank you very much for listening. Stay healthy, stay safe, stay sound. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/soundbynature/support

First Drop #4 As the weather warms up and parks and water parks open for the season, we're thrilled to share three (3) exciting new attractions at several parks. Get ready for a wave of thrills with Pipeline: The Surf Coaster at SeaWorld Orlando, Big Bear Mountain at Dollywood, and DarKoaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg! In this episode, our dynamic duo of co-hosts takes the stage. Jessica Gardner sets a new record by chatting with not one (1), not two (2), but three (3) SeaWorld Vice Presidents about Pipeline: The Surf Coaster. Join her in this live audio from the attraction's media day as she talks to Rob McNicholas, VP of Operations; Jeff Hornick, VP of Attractions Design and Development; and Clint Brinker, VP of Design and Engineering.  We also have the pleasure of hearing from ACE Member Calista Ringas, sharing her thoughts and experiences about the epic opening day of Big Bear Mountain. And to wrap it up, co-host John Davidson interviews ACE Member Seth Angelili about the much-anticipated opening of DarKoaster. Timestamps: [00:25] Rob McNicholas [7:33] Jeff Hornick [13:01] Jessica loves the Pipeline merch! [14:09] Clint Brinker [21:00] Calista Ringas on Big Bear Mountain [36:51] John joins the chat with Seth Angelili to discuss DarKoaster Want to make a difference and join our team of ACE volunteers? By volunteering, you can shape the future of ACE, enjoy rewarding experiences, forge friendships in a close-knit group, and develop new skills or share your talents with ACE. Share your ideas and thoughts about this podcast via email: podcast@aceonline.org. Learn more about the American Coaster Enthusiasts, a non-profit organization, at ridewithace.com. Podcast Volunteer Team:  Hosts: Jessica Gardner & John Davidson Producer: Derek Perry Editor: Bob Randolph Show Notes: Liz Tan Project Manager: Corey Wooten

This podcast hit paid subscribers' inboxes on May 23. It dropped for free subscribers on May 26. To receive future pods as soon as they're live, and to support independent ski journalism, please consider an upgrade to a paid subscription. You can also subscribe for free below:WhoRobby Ellingson, General Manager of Mt. Baldy, CaliforniaRecorded onMay 8, 2023About Mt. BaldyClick here for a mountain stats overviewOwned by: Mt. Baldy Ski Lifts, which is majority owned by Ron EllingsonLocated in: Mt. Baldy, CaliforniaYear founded: 1952Pass affiliations: NoneClosest neighboring ski areas: Mountain High (1 hour, 12 minutes), Snow Valley (1 hour, 19 minutes), Snow Summit (1 hour, 52 minutes), Bear Mountain (1 hour, 56 minutes) – travel times vary considerably pending time of day and weather conditionsBase elevation: 6,500 feetSummit elevation: 8,600 feetVertical drop: 2,100 feetSkiable Acres: 800-plusAverage annual snowfall: 170 inchesTrail count: 26 (54% advanced/expert, 31% intermediate, 15% beginner)Lift count: 4 double chairs – view Lift Blog's inventory of Mt. Baldy's lift fleetWhy I interviewed himIf you have children under the age of 15 or so, you have likely seen Zootopia. If not, imagine this: anthropomorphic animals (it's Disney), traumatized by eons of predator-eat-prey brutalism, build a city in which they can all coexist after the lions and wolves are given the equivalent of cartoon Beyond burgers or something. This city is divided into realms: desert, jungle, arctic, water, etc. Which is about as believable as thousands of species of walking, talking animals living in non-murderous harmony until you realize, oh yeah, that's basically Los Angeles.The monster, pulsing city, its various terras stacked skyward like realms in Tolkein: ocean then beach then jungle then mountain then desert beyond. Most American cities sprawl outward in concentric rings of Wal-Marts and Applebee's and Autozones. LA gives you whole different worlds every five freeway exits.It's still incongruous, to drive up into the sky and find Mt. Baldy. Not just to find a ski area, because there are plenty of those perched along the city walls, but to find this ski area, pinched in a deep ravine at the end of a narrow highway switchbacking up from the flats. Foot-loading the lattice-towered double chair is like boarding a slow-motion time machine into the sky. And indeed you may think you have. At the top, cellphone service blinks out. The chairlifts are museum pieces from the pre-digital era of industrial design. The trailmap un-scrolled across the baselodge wall teases the Stockton Flats expansion, which will be new… in 1991 (it's still not there).Los Angeles, with its vast wealth and enormous population, could support almost any kind of ski area. Knit the entirety of the mountains above the city together with high-speed lifts, and you would have no issue filling them with skiers. And yet, the closest ski area to Fancy Town is this throwback. Soaring, glorious, gorgeous, but a relic, as though someone turned the lights on in 1952 and forgot about it. There's some grooming but not a lot. Some snowmaking but not a lot. Some services but just enough. A few other skiers but basically none. Meaning not enough for liftlines, at least once you get up Lift 1. It's just you and endless inventive lines through the trees.If I found Baldy staked out in the remote Sierras, a token of another time, I'd be awestruck and amazed. If I found it tucked off some pass in Idaho or Wyoming, I'd understand its end-of-civilization vibe. But so positioned, directly and conspicuously over America's West Coast glitter, the place is puzzling and fascinating. I had to know more.What we talked aboutThat amazing 2022-23 California ski season; why it's almost impossible to get accurate snow measurements at Baldy; why Baldy isn't reliant on CalTrans like the other SoCal ski areas; avy mitigation in SoCal; why Baldy pushes the season so deep into spring; embracing social media; growing up in the mountains above LA; the Ellingson family legacy on the mountain; why bombing the mountain as a kid doesn't prepare you to run it as an adult; loving the mountain and the rush of it all; who owns Mt. Baldy Ski Lifts; building Baldy above Los Angeles starting in 1952; thoughts on the consolidation of Southern California skiing; competing with the Ikon Pass; what happened when Baldy introduced a $49 season pass, and why that product eventually went away; whether Vail has ever driven up from the 210 with an open checkbook; why Baldy never became the “Disneyland of the mountains”; Baldy's Holy Grail expansion and whether it will ever happen; Baldy's throwback vibe; updating the masterplan (from 1993!); priorities for new lifts, including one that could change the texture of the entire resort; the incredible journey of the used lift that will replace Chair 2; upgrades happening to Chair 3 this summer; Baldy's unique follow-the-sun lift operations; how Mt. Baldy's snowmaking system exists in an area facing chronic water shortages; snowmaking priorities; Club Baldy; whether Baldy could ever join the Indy Pass; and Baldy's parking restrictions and whether they could ever build more parking spots.Why I thought that now was a good time for this interviewI've been aware of Mt. Baldy for decades, in the way that I've been aware of every mid-sized-for-its-region ski area, but I never thought much about the place until April 2020.As we all remember, the entire North American ski industry had shut down over the course of a week that March. As most of us have forgotten, a handful re-opened starting in late April. The first of those was Mt. Baldy. On April 22, operating under a tee-time social-distancing structure that permitted small groups of skiers up the mountain in intervals, Baldy turned the lifts back on for the first time in weeks. I lobbed an email into the ether and, much to my surprise, connected with Ellingson for a short podcast conversation.The clever operating scheme that Ellingson patched together told a far larger story than one ski area hacking the Covid shutdowns. It was that, of course, but it also distilled the rowdy spirit of independent ski areas into one tangible act: a simple, creative, rapidly conceived and executed set of operating procedures that flexed to both the complexities of a global pandemic and the nuances of a single ski area. Vail and Alterra can do a lot of things, but that sort of nimble adaptation is harder for them (though Crystal, Washington was one of the half-dozen or so ski areas to re-open that spring). Baldy's scheme was brash without being reckless - Ellingson did not ask the local or state authorities' permission to re-open the bump, but he did so with 10 percent capacity restrictions that seem conservative in hindsight. The plan showcased the vitality of independent ski areas, and also their necessity. Remember that, in those first weeks after the Covid shutdowns, there was some doubt as to whether the 2020-21 ski season would happen at all (and, indeed, in many European nations, it basically didn't), but Baldy showed, early and decisively, that some version of skiing could co-exist with Covid, and the industry's focus quickly swiveled from “if” to “how.”That sense of quirky, raw independence animates everything about Mt. Baldy. There is nothing else like it in America. And not in the way that there's nothing else like Alta or Vail Mountain or Killington or Whiteface, which each have unique terrain and snowfall patterns and cultures, but similar ways of being. Baldy just feels like a different way of being a ski area, like when you go to Europe and all of the cars and buildings look different and you're like, OK, this is a different way of being a civilization. Or I guess like skiing in Europe, which really feels nothing at all like America.It's hard to understand without experiencing it for yourself. In March, I finally stopped in and skied the place. And I had to ask what in the world I'd just experienced.What I got wrongFor some reason, I'd thought that the Mueller lift company had gone the way of the Riblet (meaning, out of business). I said so during our interview, when Ellingson noted that he had ordered new chairs for Chair 3, a 1978 Mueller double. He pointed out that the company is still in business, in Canada.Why you should ski Mt. BaldyIn the podcast, I ask Ellingson if Vail Resorts has ever brought its big fat checkbook up the access road. He said they haven't, which is both surprising and not surprising. Surprising because Vail has purchased a ski area within the orbit of pretty much every cold-weather or mountain-adjacent city in the United States, with the exception of Los Angeles. Not surprising because Vail tends to buy renovated houses, rather than repair jobs. Not that there's anything broken about Baldy, but four double chairlifts is not exactly Vail's brand.I asked about Vail's interest for this reason: as a fully permitted ski area with secure water rights standing above the nation's second-most-populous city, Baldy is an irreplaceable asset. There are only a handful of ski areas in the National Forests above Los Angeles. Alterra owns three of them: Bear Mountain, Snow Summit, and Snow Valley. Mountain High is itself in acquisition mode, purchasing Dodge Ridge in 2021 and China Peak last year. Mt. Waterman has no snowmaking and has not turned the lifts on for public skiing in more than three years. A few other Forest Service permits remain active, though the ski areas have long closed: Cedar Pass, Green Valley, Kratka Ridge. That makes Baldy the only viable LA-area independent ski area that would make sense as a megapass acquisition.It's unlikely, but not impossible. It would cost tens of millions to upgrade the resort's lift and snowmaking infrastructure to handle Epic Pass volumes. Eventually, however, Vail may conclude that their only way to compete with Alterra for LA is to buy their way in. And, as Ellingson says in the podcast, “everything is for sale” - for the right price.My point here is this: if you want to experience the funky, idiosyncratic Mt. Baldy that I'm describing here, don't wait to do it. This is not Mad River Glen, shielded from over-development by co-op bylaws. This is a locally owned and operated ski area that has done what they could with what they've had for decades. That it's quaint and wild is a function of circumstance rather than destiny. Someone could buy this. Someone could change this. Someone could make this Big Bear 2. I'm not going to tell you whether that would be a good thing or a bad thing, but I will tell you that it would be a different thing. And that different thing could happen tomorrow or it could happen 30 years from now or it could happen never. Don't bet against it. Go ski Baldy the next chance you get.Podcast NotesOn SoCal summit elevationsWe briefly discussed the top altitude of the various SoCal ski areas. Bear Mountain checks in with the highest, topping out at 8,805 feet at the top of Bear Peak. Baldy is right behind, at 8,600 at the tops of both lifts 3 and 4. Baldy is the king of SoCal vert, however – when you can ski all the way to the bottom of Lift 1. Some seasons, this doesn't happen at all, but this year, Ellingson said one of his employees skied to the base more than 50 days.Just for fun, here's an inventory of all California ski areas' headline stats, with SoCal ski areas highlighted in blue:On reading recommendations                          Ellingson mentions a book by Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard: Let My People Surf. Here's a link if you want to check it out.On the bells clanging in the backgroundYou may notice bells clanging in the background during a good portion of the podcast. While you may conclude that I recorded this episode in a Christmas village, this was just our family's eight-week-old kittens batting their cat toys around in the background. Eventually I called in reinforcements to shut this illicit operation down, but in the meantime, chaos reigned.On Mt. Waterman not being a real ski areaMt. Waterman is, technically, still a functioning ski area. Their Forest Service permit is active. Someone regularly updates their Facebook page and website. However. The lifts haven't actually spun for the public since early 2020, pre-Covid shutdowns. There is always some excuse: not enough workers, no power, no snow, the road is closed. The place has no snowmaking, which, in Southern California in 2023, is as absurd as it sounds. But they failed to open even after this year's massive storm, which brought as much as 10 feet to the other ski areas in the region.It's fair to suspect something shady is going on here. I'm not making any accusations, but the Forest Service ought to investigate (if they're even equipped to do that) why the ski area so infrequently opens. I am usually allergic to online mob violence, but the ruthless shaming by disappointed would-be Waterman skiers to the ski area's every Facebook post is consistent, disgusted, and hilarious:The whole “you're just running the lifts for your friends and family” accusation is fairly common. I have no idea if it's true. If so, this place needs to be liberated for the people.On Stockton FlatsSki straight off Chair 4 and angle slightly right, sidestep a few feet up, and you'll see a vast kingdom stretching off into the wilderness. Straight down, marvelous untracked pow. This is Stockton Flats, the long-teased but never actualized expansion off Baldy's backside. This circa 2006 trailmap shows up to six lifts spread over 2,200 vertical feet on the expansion:The potential expansion is so built into Baldy's lore that the large trailmap stretched across the baselodge still teases it:So, why hasn't the expansion happened? Will it ever? We discuss that extensively in the podcast.On the Ski Area Recreational Opportunity Enhancement ActEllingson refers to the “Summertime Enhancement Act” that Congress passed several years ago. This was a 2010 law that allowed ski areas operating on Forest Service land to expand operations into the summer. Thus: all the mountain coasters, ziplines, disc golf, mountain biking, and other stuff you see happening around ski areas in the offseason. In other words, this law allowed ski areas to evolve into year-round businesses, as their non-Forest Service counterparts had been doing for decades. It was, by all accounts, a huge boost to the viability of the nation's ski industry.On our last Mt. Baldy podcastEllingson and I recorded a podcast episode previously, on April 22, 2020. Heads up: the energy here is way different than what you're accustomed to from The Storm. In summary, when Covid hit, no one cared about anything else but Covid for like three months. So I halted my regular podcast series (which at the time consisted of just 14 episodes), and pivoted to a “Covid-19 & Skiing” series. These were short – generally about 30 minutes – and explored the impact of Covid on skiing in the most sober possible terms. There is no music and no sponsors, and barely an introduction. Plus I hope I've gotten better at this. Anyway just setting expectations here.On “Disneyland of the Mountains”I referenced this 1987 Los Angeles Times article that envisioned a future Mt. Baldy that looked a lot like, well, Big Bear. That never happened, obviously, and Ellingson and I discuss why not at length. But it's fascinating to put yourself back in the late ‘80s and see a whole different world than the one that actually happened.On InstapostEllingson talked a bit about his experience as reluctant owner of the Mt. Baldy Instagram account. Frankly I think he does an awesome job. The feed is interesting, raw, quirky, and fun. Give them a follow.On the Mt. Baldy ski experienceIn my recent article recapping the highlights of my 2022-23 ski season, I laid out a day at Mt. Baldy in detail:There is a basic acceptance and understanding among New York City-based skiers that any hill within a three-hour orbit of Manhattan will be maximally oversold and intolerable at all peak times. Unless you go to Plattekill – a family-owned 1,100-footer tucked deep into the Catskills, with a double and a triple and ferocious double-blacks stacked along the frontside. Maybe because it lacks high-speed lifts, maybe because it sits down a tangle of poorly marked backroads, maybe because people just go where the buses go, maybe because parking is limited and that controls liftlines – but the place is never overwhelmed, even during peak season with peak snow.LA's version of Plattekill is Mt. Baldy. The crowds swarm Big Bear and Mountain High. But not Baldy, even though it's right. Freaking. There. Fourteen miles and half an hour off the 210 freeway. An hour from downtown LA. And what a surreal, unbelievable, indescribable experience this place is.The arrival likely puts the masses off. You foot-load a double chair that looks as though it was assembled from repurposed Noah's Ark scrap and ride 20 minutes to where the ski area, essentially, begins (though in deep years you can ski all the way back to the parking lot – this was a deep year).…Here, more double chairs. Your choices, in the morning, are Chair 2 – for beginners, or southeast-facing Chair 4, looker's left. This is all marked as blue terrain, but if the trees are live, it is a mad bazaar of gladed lines, nicely pitched for fast, wild turns through the widely spaced SoCal forest. There are no lift lines, even on a bluebird Saturday.At around 1 or 1:30 – whenever the sun softens the northwest-facing terrain, or whenever they feel like it – Baldy Patrol shuts down Chair 4 and opens Chair 3. Here, vastly more vert, vastly more terrain, and vastly steeper pitch. This is big-mountain stuff, steep, wild, exposed, scary. Again, there are no liftlines. Fastlaps on this caliber of terrain – especially in California – are rare. But here you go. Feast.And at the end of the day, venture onto The Face, the enormous steeps leading back to the bottom of Chair 1.The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast explores the world of lift-served skiing year-round. Join us.The Storm publishes year-round, and guarantees 100 articles per year. This is article 45/100 in 2023, and number 431 since launching on Oct. 13, 2019. Want to send feedback? Reply to this email and I will answer (unless you sound insane, or, more likely, I just get busy). You can also email skiing@substack.com. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.stormskiing.com/subscribe

Good Morning, Yesturday my daughter school trip was to the Bear Mountain Zoo. We had so much fun however, we had the biggest let down ever. The Carousel was closed and the office failed to mention this. All of the children were disappointed. https://orangetourism.org/explore/recreation/bear-mountain-merry-go-round/vailability: Year-round. 42 seat carousel in a stone and timber pavilion. Carved animals represent those native to the region. The carousel also features paintings of the parklands. June-Sept, Wed-Sat 10-5. Weekends and holidays after Labor Day 10-5.https://www.timeshudsonvalley.com/wallkill-valley-times/Have Faith Let it Begin.... any prayer request email: angel@havefaithletitbegin.comWebsite: https://havefaithletitbegin.co...Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channe...Twitter: https://twitter.com/HaveFaithl...Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HFLIB...Mailing address P.O.Box 147 Walden NY 12586

In this week's episode, James and Timmy hold down the fort while Bob deals with work. The two of them discuss the latest news in the industry, including a big retheme at Universal Orlando, another big fight breaking out at a major park, and another wooden coaster receiving titan track. In the second half of the show, James and Timmy discuss their sporadic trip to Dollywood, which includes a review of the all-new Big Bear Mountain! We hope that you all enjoy this episode as much as we had making it! Show Notes: Fire at Kennywood Primanti Bros future site Kentucky Rumbler receiving Titan Track Fight breaks out at Disney World's Magic Kingdom San Diego City Council approves lawsuit against SeaWorld for back rent Universal Studios announces Minion Land Mako reopening after repaint SeaWorld Orlando introduces "new" pass member rewards system  

Ahead of the grand opening on May 12, Dollywood's Wes Ramey joined Phil to preview their BRAND-NEW roller coaster - BIG BEAR MOUNTAIN! Wes tells Phil about the specifics of this world-class coaster, what guests can expect & more! #PhilShowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's been a quarter of mayhem, and as I take a restock of where I stand, I'm excited to share all of the things we have been accomplishing.  First, we did Not a Webinar with Bess Freedman, launching the new program to provide candid insights from executives that are rocking the new economy.  Right after, I was off to Northern Ireland, where I had the privilege of speaking at TedX Downpatrick, at the incredible St. Patrick's Centre.  The speech was focused on Personal Accountability, and how we have an obligation to ourselves to prepare for change, even when we don't know what change is coming. The speech, only 12 minutes in length, gives a framework of reflective questions to help us get along.  More on the podcast, but it goes without saying that some things are crazy right now. It's up to each of us individually to lay down the bed we lie in.  Enjoy the week!    Your Title Goes Here Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings. Click Here for an Unedited Transcript of the Podcast Welcome to Bellwether. Thank you for joining again this week. We are on episode 118. Back at it, it's been a busy quarter, and now that's all behind us and I've got so many updates and so many good things to talk to you about. And, uh,  today I want to talk about two things. One, I just recently did a TED Talk, TEDx down Patrick. Um,  so I'm gonna tell you a little bit about that and the lessons I learned from doing that. 0:31 Um,  and also a little bit on personal accountability, which is kind of what the TED Talk was about, um,  in one aspect, but then was also in in terms of others. So it's been a bit busy. Few weeks if you haven't been following or if you haven't been following, I'll, I'll give a quick recap. We had our first, not a webinar with Best Friedman. 0:51 It was awesome. Um,  she's an absolute rockstar, so if you haven't checked that out, check it out. It's online. We did a live stream. 0:58 We had an in-person audience. The reason I did that, not a webinar, we've got seven more that are gonna be queued up, um,  is that I'm so tired of the webinars being inundated by webinars that, um,  I, I half joke, I say it partly in jest, but they're just not good.  You know,  we're inundated with these webinars. So I wanted to create an event, um,  with just real talk from people who are doing really good things and that's what not a webinar is all about. And so, uh,  Bess really lived up. 1:26 She set a very high standard for the rest of the guests. They're gonna be very cool. They're gonna be announced soon. The week after that, I was on a plane over to Northern Ireland, um,  which was amazing. 1:38 It started in Belfast. And, and the reason I went over there, I was invited to speak at the TEDx event in down Patrick in Northern Ireland, which is a little bit south of Belfast. Um,  had an amazing time at Belfast. Got some nice tours of, of community centers, and we had this great dinner and, and I met some really good people. 1:56 And, um,  amazing. You, if you've heard the podcast before,  you know,  my love affair with Belfast and how much I love Belfast and, and how I think it's one of the coolest cities out there. Um,  I, I'd almost call it like the Brooklyn of Europe . Um,  it's just so cool, uh,  and it's done amazing things and great, amazing things are coming out of it. 2:15 But the TED Talk, if you've ever wanted to do a TED Talk or if you're ever interested in kind of how the sausage is made, um,  Catherine Muran was the, the curator, they call them curators of people who put it on. And it's a series of speeches. Um,  and there are crazy rules on the speeches in terms of what you can speak on and, and how to get approved and, and there's time limits in all kinds of, of stuff. Uh,  it was at an amazing place called the St. Patrick's Center in down Patrick in county down. Um,  it's just below the down cathedral. It's this center where if you go around the back, St. 2:54 Patrick's actually buried there, which is neat. So I gotta see St. Patrick's grave, which is,  you know,  I I, you'd be hard pressed really to find a, a more famous saint. So that's kind of cool. Um,  also in that same grave as, as St. Bridget, who's the other patriot saint of Ireland. Um,  and it was just this cool center just on the history of St. 3:11 Patrick. And you could learn all about St. Patrick and all this good stuff, but they had this nice little theater TEDx events. My understanding is that it's limited to only a hundred people in the audience, which was a perfect size, I think. I think that's a really good, uh,  a really good thing. And, and so eight speakers, I wanna say eight speakers, great topics. Um,  everything from a, a woman who started an Irish dance school to an accountant who teaches people accountancy. 3:38 Uh,  but he, he's also really told his personal story with his family and, and how much he loves his local area is really of a historian. Um,  other coaches spoke a, um,  a disability advocate spoke. She had an incredible kind of perspective in terms of what our assumptions are in terms of what's appropriate for just the way we structure things from, from an architectural standpoint and, and how we think about people with disability. And so the, the talks that are gonna be coming out are meaningful, and I think people will get some really good, really good tangible aspects out of it. What I spoke, the, the title of the speech is Thriving Amid Constant Change, A Personal Accountability Framework. 4:21 And it's just my jam. It's like,  how do you prepare for change when you don't know what change is coming? And macro change requires a focus on the micro individual, and it's what the book Adapting Emotion was all about and incredibly relevant today, especially as we look at AI and the massive amounts of change that are coming through. That's really what I jumped on, is we're so focused on the change externally that we're never really focused on what we can control, what we can, what our responsibility is to ourselves, um,  and the personal accountability of taking care of ourselves so that we're best able to prepare for whatever change comes, like  things like AI or, oh,  I don't know, pandemics and, and whatever else. And so I walked people through the framework that I've done on the podcast before, but I added in a few extra, uh,  quick stories why I quit drinking, and, um, uh,  a good story at the end that people really love. And I'll talk a little bit about how I met my future self, which was a little wild. Um,  and just walking them through the physical aspect of what's so important for,  you know,  as we prepare for change and get ready for whatever change is coming, we have this obligation to ourselves that we never really take the obligation for ourselves. We'll do anything for other people, but we never do anything for ourselves in order to make ourselves in this healthy selfishness type of way. 5:37 And so the focus on the physical, of course, the diet, fitness, sleep, we all know it, we ignore it, but it  it's one of those things that we have to focus on. What are we eating? Are we eating the right things? Um,  how are we active every day? And get some sleep, get that good sleep. 5:53 But beyond the physical, the fun stuff is the, the mental preparation, the self-love. How can anyone be satisfied in life if they're not satisfied with the one person they can never be separated from? Um,  and finding satisfaction with ourselves. And that takes work, a lot of work all the way to self-care. And that's where,  you know,  my story of why I quit drinking and, and the benefit to my family and my business and everything else. 6:17 And then belief system, which you've heard me talk a lot about, is what do you actually believe? And, um,  that's not a simple question, and it's a question that needs to be answered all of the time. And it's a constant discussion with ourselves. Again, obligation to ourselves to answer these questions for us. Uh,  and then finally, the social aspect of, um,  who's our support system. Take the time to think about who your support system is and, and who are the micro interactions to make sure that we're part of a bigger world and, and remind ourselves that there's something bigger than us. 6:48 And, um,  and then the newbies, the new perspectives to challenge our belief systems, to challenge the things that we think. And I mean, that's kind of surface level. Um,  I only had 12 minutes to kind of speak, but surface level, those are the things that I really went into. And giving that framework, this like three by three grid, um,  that's a constant. 7:09 I constantly go back to this when I'm dealing with change or managing change or, or feeling my frustration or overwhelmed something. There is, there's a component in one of those that I can probably reflect on and, and take some tangible action to get myself above whatever the drowning that I feel and, and the difficulty that I feel. And I ended it with not to ruin the TED Talk, cause I want you to watch it should be up, I think it's gonna be published next week. I hope it's published next week, um,  was my, my hike to Bear Mountain, um,  that I do every year. I do it every October on the anniversary of when I quit drinking around that time where I take this hike up to the top. It's the Major Welch Trail. It's all through Bear Mountain, and you get up to the top and you can see Manhattan in the distance. 7:53 And I pack a lunch and I plan my, we my week, my year, my month, whatever it is, and,  you know,  reflect on what's challenging to me,  you know,  what's really present in my mind. And last year when I did it, uh,  I was leaving. I I was just, there was a lot going on right in my head of what I wanted to accomplish, and I couldn't really focus. And so I ate my lunch and there's always a lot of people up there if you don't get up there early enough and everybody's kind of taking their stupid selfies and, and, um,  it's not always the greatest place to, to reflect. And so I wrapped up my lunch and took in the view, and then I was leaving and this guy stopped me. Uh,  and I don't know if I talked about it on this podcast, maybe I did, sorry if I'm repeating a story, but this guy stopped me. He was like,  Hey, can you take a picture of me? 8:34 And he had biked up to the top of Bear Mountain, um,  which is significant, I would say, I'm not much of a cyclist, but he biked up and, uh,  he said he wanted to prove to his wife that he made it to the top. And he was kind of joking and he was real, real, um,  chatty. And, and I wasn't, um,  my head wasn't there, right? I wasn't really open to much discussion, but this guy didn't need any prompting and he just kind of loaded up and it was almost like he was delivering a message to me. 9:02 And he ended it with, well, so he told a story, and this is why I think I met my future self. His name was Jim. He was in his seventies. He had quit drinking a number of years before he realized that he wasn't meeting his obligations. Like  he, he basically told me my life story, which was wild. And he ended it, and he just looked at me like,  dead set, like,  you're an idiot. 9:23 He said, if you wait for somebody to do anything for you, you're gonna be dead in a box before it's done. And that was like,  I, it was hitting me so fast. I almost want, I remember thinking at the moment, I gotta tell this guy like,  this is exactly what I needed and I didn't. I was like,  okay. 9:37 And I just kind of took it and walked away. And, um,  and that's,  you know,  when we think about personal accountability, um,  and this threw me for a loop, the whole, I take a two hour hike back right through the woods. Like  this is a, a whole half day exercise that I do. And, um,  it's a two hour loop behind the mountain back to the car. And, um,  it was all I could think about is what am I waiting for someone else to do for me? 9:59 And as I think about all the work that I want to do, all the things that I wanna accomplish, and this is probably relevant to you as you listen to this, is what are you thinking about wanting to accomplish and do? And we get this frustrated. We talk about purpose at work, we talk about all this stuff, and we're just frustrated. I hear from clients all the time and don't get the feedback that I need. And  you know,  the question is, how do you get the feedback that you need? 10:19 Then? Do you change the questions you're asking? Do you change the people you're asking?  You know,  what are the steps that you can take? 10:25 Because other people aren't thinking about you. Other people aren't going to say, Hey,  you know  what, I'm gonna take the time to make sure that you are set up and the way that you need to be set up. Nobody does that, and it's something I always knew, but we just kind of ignore it. We know it, but we ignore it. And, um,  and , as I was writing the speech and I sent it out for feedback, and one person wrote back, and I didn't say it in Ted Talk, but it shows, when you hear someone, when you hear your future self tell you, it, it hits a little different. 10:56 And with things changing so quickly, AI's changing so quickly and the the workplace changing so quickly, people being laid off and we've gotta restructure the organization and, and how do we get the team motivated and how do we do this? And we're all thinking about all these things that we need to do, but we're so focused externally. We're never thinking about what do I need to do? What do I need to do as a leader to get my people to think differently? 11:20 You can't force 'em to think differently. They have to do this through an exercise. You have to bring them through it. How do you prioritize these things? 11:27 You know,  I just give feedback for an article in terms of wellness, how,  you know,  everybody wants to prioritize wellness. Uh,  we talk about it at work, we talk about wellness at work, we talk about all these things, but it's never a priority, right? We prioritize the things that are really important out of wellness is really important. You have to prioritize it. 11:44 That's your accountability to yourself. How is that the first thing that you do every day? If learning is your priority, how are you learning every day? And I've had had clients who have started every meeting, like,  if you wanna talk about wellness and you wanna prioritize wellness on your team, every team meeting should start with what are you doing to make yourself well? 12:04 And that's the first question, go around. And if it becomes the habit and everybody's thinking about it, everybody knows they've gotta come to that meeting talking about what's making them well or not well, or I need help with something, or whatever it is. Suddenly when it's top of mind and it becomes a priority, that's how the things change. So often we start these initiatives and, and it's always secondary to getting the business done, but when we realize that well employees make good business decisions and we could prioritize this, the first thing, it's a five minute exercise at the beginning of a meeting, or what are you learning today? 12:35 Or, or what is a question that you have that somebody else could be meaningful for? I do the Adam Grant thing, giving and taking. Everyone has to give something and take something.  You know,  what are we teaching our employees and our teams and ourselves? How is this,  you know,  we think about presence, we think about reflecting in the morning, we think about meditation, we think about all these things, but there is an action that has to happen, and it's our responsibility to do that. And so it was a nice exercise to go through, to write the TED talk, to write the whole kind of story of my philosophy on what I need from a wellness perspective that I think could be relevant to other people on that framework that people can use to, to ask these questions of ourselves. 13:13 That's, that's the fun part. And so look out for it. It'll be coming up soon. I hope you enjoy it. I would love your feedback on it. Um,  and that's, yeah, that's just me spitting a little bit. 13:25 And I'm gonna get back into the habit of doing these podcasts. Um,  I've got some just interesting things that I've been reading about how we're misinterpreting empathy and, um,  how do you finish things. And so these are all gonna be topics I'm gonna be talking about in the next few weeks. And, uh,  I look forward to it. And if you want me to cover anything, I'm happy to do it. But there's,  you know,  I, it's funny, I go through these cycles of doing podcasts for a period, and then I go back not doing podcasts because I'm going back learning and thinking about other things, and then I can reinvent and do, uh,  more, more topics to talk about. So if there's anything you want me to cover, I'm happy to do it, um,  because it, it seems to be resonating, which is nice. So, uh,  have a wonderful week. Look out for the TED Talk. 14:04 Remember, what, what can you do to be accountable to yourself and what can you learn for yourself? This was a quick one. And, and, um,  more to come. Lots more to come. There's so much to learn and so much to focus on and so much to do. 14:14 So, uh,  as always, I'm here to help. Feel free reach out. I'm happy to help you in any kind of way that I can. And, uh,  enjoy your week and I will talk to everybody soon. Thanks. Have a good week. Bye.

End of the road for Mindbender, Universal going regional, flat rides getting removed, Tron opening date and more. The post Big Cocaine Bear Mountain appeared first on In the Loop.

End of the road for Mindbender, Universal going regional, flat rides getting removed, Tron opening date and more. The post Big Cocaine Bear Mountain appeared first on In the Loop.

End of the road for Mindbender, Universal going regional, flat rides getting removed, Tron opening date and more. The post Big Cocaine Bear Mountain appeared first on In the Loop.

Medically assisted dying is legal in Canada, where over 10,000 people end their lives through euthanasia each year, and over 80% of applications are approved. Robin Farr, from Calgary, watched as her Dad, Mike, developed a rare lung disease that limited his breathing, massively impacting his quality of life. Then he decided to make use of the MAiD (Medical Assistance in Dying) laws. In this honest, unsparing conversation with Olly, Robin explains how it felt to manage the last couple of days of her father's life - and reveals the flaws in the system that left her and her family unsupported in a time of anticipatory grief.. CONTENT WARNING: detailed discussion of assisted dying and euthanasia. Robin volunteers with Canadian support groups Bridge4You and Bridgec14, and recommends the resources at dyingwithdignity.ca and the Swiss organisations Pegasos and Dignitas. ____________________ Meanwhile, in the Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart sees if he can be the one to break the socks-and-sandals taboo… and tries his hand at becoming a mystic. Is there any scientific basis to astrology? Has technology transformed horoscope delivery? And how did the Covid pandemic inspire millennials to turn to this ancient ‘entertainment'?  With the help of veteran astrologer Sally Kirkman, Ollie attempts to find out - and, based on Olly's date, place and time of birth - delivers our host an unforgettable reading… The Zeitgeist is sponsored by Manscaped, who are now offering their Ultra Smooth Package for sale in Europe. Get 20% Off + Free Shipping, with the code ‘Mann' at Manscaped.com _____________________ Elsewhere, in the Foxhole, Alix Fox ascends Bear Mountain (not a euphemism), and assists a listener who thinks he might have contracted Strep B from giving his partner oral sex. Can this really be possible? What's the difference between Strep A and Strep B? And how should he brave the conversation with his other half? Alix, as always has the answers… If YOU have a relationships question for Alix, or a trends challenge for Ollie, please submit it via the Feedback form on our website, modernmann.co.uk/feedback. You can remain anonymous if you wish. _____________________ Finally, our record of the month is the fist-pumping fun of ‘How Will I Know?' from British four-piece The Amazons: the lead track from their new album, ‘How Will I Know If Heaven Will Find Me', out now.  Discover our Spotify playlist - featuring every song we've ever selected for the podcast - at modernmann.co.uk/music _____________________ This episode is sponsored by: • Stitch Fix, the personal styling site that sends you great clothes to try on at home. Get started today and get 20% off when you keep all five items at at StitchFix.co.uk/mann • Beer52, the UK's No. 1 Craft Beer Club. For a FREE case of their delicious beer, visit beer52.com/modern and just pay for the postage - and they'll chuck in TWO EXTRA BEERS just for you! • LISTENERS LIKE YOU. If you can afford to buy us a beer each month to say thank you for making you a free 1hr+ magazine show each month - please do. We rely on your support: modernmann.co.uk/beer ———————————— … And we'll see you again on October 10th! Host: Olly Mann. Producer: Matt Hill. Contributors: Ollie Peart, Alix Fox, Robin Farr, The Amazons. Theme Music: Django Django. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2022 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To support independent ski journalism, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This podcast hit paid subscribers’ inboxes on July 16. Free subscribers got it on July 19. WhoBone Bayse, General Manager of Gore Mountain, New YorkRecorded onJune 27, 2022About Gore MountainClick here for a mountain stats overviewOwned by: New York State – managed by the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA)Pass affiliations: NY Ski 3 with Whiteface and Belleayre; former member of the now-defunct M.A.X. PassLocated in: North Creek, New YorkClosest neighboring ski areas: Dynamite Hill (25 minutes), Hickory (30 minutes –closed since 2015 but intends to re-open), Newcomb (40 minutes), Oak Mountain (42 minutes), West Mountain (45 minutes)Base elevation: 998 feet (at North Creek Ski Bowl)Summit elevation: 3,600 (at Gore Mountain)Vertical drop: 2,537 feet (lift-served – lifts do not reach the top of Gore Mountain)Skiable Acres: 448Average annual snowfall: 125 inchesTrail count: 108 (11% easy, 48% intermediate, 41% advanced)Lift count: 14 (1 gondola, 2 high-speed quads, 4 fixed-grip quads, 3 triples, 1 J-bar, 1 Poma, 2 carpets - view Lift Blog’s inventory of Gore’s lift fleet)Why I interviewed himIf you told me I could only ski one New York ski area for the rest of my life, I would pick Gore, and I wouldn’t have to even consider it. If you told me I could only ski one ski area in the Northeast outside of Northern Vermont for the rest of my life, then I would still pick Gore. And if you told me I could only ski one Northeast ski area for the rest of my life and you threw in a magic snowcloud that delivered Green Mountain Spine-level snowfalls to eastern New York… well, I’d probably have to go with Jay Peak or Smuggs or Stowe or Sugarbush, but if my commute still had to start in Brooklyn, then Gore would be a strong contender.This is a damn fine chunk of real estate, is my point here. The skiing is just terrific. There’s a reason that New York Ski Blog founder Harvey Road makes Gore, along with Plattekill, his home base. It’s a big, interesting ski area, a state-owned property that somehow feels anti-establishment, a sort of outpost for the gritty, toughguy skier who has little use for the Rockies or, for that matter, Vermont. It’s the sort of place where people rack up 100-day seasons even if it only snows 45 inches (as happened over the 2015-16 ski season, according to Snowpak).  But Gore really needs snow to be Gore. And that’s because the best part about the skiing is the mountain’s massive glade network, which threads its way around, over, and through the ski area’s many peaks. The woods are well-considered and well-maintained, marked and secret, rambling and approachable. None of them, outside a half dozen turns on Chatiemac and a few others, are particularly steep. At low-snow Gore, this is a plus – it doesn’t take a lot of snow to fill in the trees, and the snow tends to hold once it falls.Talk to anyone who has toured the New York ski scene, and you’ll hear familiar – if sometimes unfair – complaints. Hunter is too crowded, Windham too expensive, Whiteface too icy. No one ever has anything bad to say about Gore, even though it can sometimes be some version of all of those things. The one consistent nit about the place is its sprawling setup, but that breadth is precisely what keeps liftlines short to nonexistent, outside of the gondola, nearly every day of the ski season. And locals know how to work around the traverses that drive day-skiers nutso. It’s an elegant machine once you learn how to drive it.I get a lot of requests for podcasts. Gore is one of the most frequent. If it ran for president of New York skiing, I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t need a recount. I’ve been after this one for a long time, and I’m happy we were finally able to deliver it.What we talked aboutThe longest ski season in Gore Mountain history; how the mountain reached May and whether they’ll try to do so again in the future; ORDA’s commitment to the long season; snowmaking; the singular experience of life in the southern Adirondacks; Gore in the 1980s; the story behind the Burnt Ridge and Snow Bowl expansions; the new trail coming to Burnt Ridge for  next winter; don’t worry Barkeater will be OK!; why the new summer attractions have to be built at North Creek; Ski Bowl history; riding trucks up the mountain; the death of the ski train; how much of the historic North Creek ski area Gore was able to incorporate into its expansion; Nordic skiing at Gore; the huge new lift-lodge-zipline project planned for North Creek; the anticipated alignment of the new Hudson chair; a potential timeline for the whole project; how Gore could evolve if it had two fully developed base areas; whether more trails could be inbound for North Creek (or anywhere else at Gore); Gore’s expansive and ever-expanding glades; a wishlist for lift upgrades; which lift could get an extension; details on the new lift type and alignment for Bear Cub; possible replacements for Straight Brook and Topridge; in defense of fixed-grip lifts; whether we could ever see the gondola return to the Gore Mountain summit; why the North Quad terminates below the gondola; the potential for slopeside lodging at Gore; the Ski3 Pass; why Belleayre still has a standalone pass but Gore does not; why ORDA dropped the every-sixth-day-free from the Ski3 frequency card and whether that could return; why Gore didn’t migrate from the M.A.X. Pass to the Ikon Pass; whether Gore could ever join the Ikon or Indy Passes; staffing up in spite of the challenges; how ORDA determines wages; and the World University Games.        Why I thought that now was a good time for this interviewAnytime would be a good time for a Gore interview. There is always something new. In 2020, Gore was one of a handful of ski areas in North America that went ahead with planned lift projects, upgrading High Peaks and Sunway, a pair of unreliable antiques, with new fixed-grip quads. The ski area’s rapid expansion over the past 15 years – with the additions of Burnt Ridge, North Creek Ski Bowl, and countless glades, both mapped and not – is nearly unequaled in the United States. Gore is, and has been for a very long time, a place where big things are happening.Part of the reason for that rapid growth is the 2018 announcement that New York will host the 2023 World University Games. Gore will host a set of freestyle events, and the state seems intent on avoiding a repeat of the 1980 Olympic embarrassment, when a snowless early winter threatened to move several events north to Canada. New York has invested hundreds of millions of dollars into its three ski areas and its Olympic facilities over the past decade, and much of that has gone to Gore.But I do not, as regular readers know, focus much – or, really, any – attention on ski competitions of any kind. Bone and I discuss the games a bit toward the end of the interview, but mostly we talk about the mountain. And it is a hell of a mountain. It’s a personal favorite, and one I’ve been trying to lock a podcast conversation around since Storm Launch Day back in 2019.Questions I wish I’d askedMany of you may be left wondering why my extensive past complaints about ORDA largess did not penetrate my line of questioning for this interview. Gore is about to spend nearly $9 million to replace a 12-year-old triple chair with a high-speed quad. There is no other ski area on the continent that is able to do anything remotely similar. How could I spend an hour talking to the person directing this whole operation without broaching this very obvious subject?Because this is not really a Gore problem. It’s not even an ORDA problem. This is a New York State problem. The state legislature is the one directing hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to three ski areas while the majority of New York’s family-owned mountains pray for snow. I am not opposed to government support of winter sports. I am opposed to using tax dollars from independent ski areas that have to operate at a profit in order to subsidize the operations of government-owned ski areas that do not. There are ways to distribute the wealth more evenly, as I’ve outlined before.But this is not Bayse’s fight. He’s the general manager of a public ski area. What is he supposed to do? Send the $9 million back to the legislature and tell them to give it to Holiday Mountain? His job is to help prioritize projects and then make sure they get done. And he’s really good at that job. So that – and not bureaucratic decisions that he has no control over – was where I took this conversation.Why you should ski GoreThe New York glory goes to Whiteface, Olympic skyscraper, its 3,430-foot vertical drop towering over everything in the Northeast, and big parts of the West too, over Aspen and Breck and Beaver Creek and Mammoth and Palisades Tahoe and Snowbird and Snowbasin. The New York attention goes to the Catskills, seated between Gore and The City – New York City – like a drain trap. Almost all of the northbound skiers that don’t know enough to detour to Belleayre or Plattekill stop at Windham and Hunter and for most that’s as far north as they ever bother to go. Whiteface sits adjacent to Lake Placid, one of North America’s great ski towns. Hunter has slopeside lodging and a woo-hoo sensibility that vibes with metro-area hedonism.Gore sits between these twin outposts. It’s less than four hours north of Manhattan, 30 minutes off the interstate on good roads. It’s overlooked anyway. Skiers headed that far north are more likely to end up at Stratton or Mount Snow or Okemo or Killington, with their big-pass affiliations and on-mountain beds and similar-to-Gore vertical drops and trail networks. Anyone who wants to ski Gore has to wake up and drive every day, even if they’re on vacation.All of that adds up to this: the best ski area in New York is often one of its least crowded. And Gore is the best ski area in New York. The glade network alone grants it that distinction. The place is sprawling, quirky, interesting. It skis like a half dozen mini ski areas stuffed into a sampler pack: get small-town vibes at Ski Bowl, cruise off Bear, go Midwest off gentle and forgotten North Quad, feel high alpine on the summit, or just bounce around all day in the glades.When Gore has snow, it’s glorious, a backwoods vibe with a modern lift fleet – other than an antique J-bar, the oldest lift on the mountain is from 1995. But snow is Gore’s biggest drawback. One hundred twenty-five inches per year is OK, but if only we could hack the whole operation out of the earth and chopper it west into one of New York’s two great snowbelts, off Lakes Ontario or Eerie, where Snow Ridge racks up 230 inches of annual snowfall and Peek’N Peak claims 200. ORDA has invested massively in snowmaking – Gore has at least 829 snowguns. But they don’t make snow in the trees, and without that sprawling glade network in play, Gore is a far less interesting place.It can also be hard to navigate. Anyone who doesn’t luck into the Pipeline Traverse connecting North Quad to Burnt Ridge and Ski Bowl (Little Gore), is looking at an atrocious commute from the main lodge to the Burnt Ridge Quad, an irritating pole on skis, infuriating on a snowboard. That’s just one example – Gore, for the uninitiated, can be an exhaustive tangle of such routes, of lifts that don’t quite go where you thought they would, of deceptive distances squished together for the convenience of a pocket-fold trailmap.Still, Gore is everything that is great about New York skiing: affordable, convenient, unpretentious, unassuming. It is, under the right conditions, a top 10 Northeast mountain. It’s a true skier’s mountain, opening early, closing as late as May 1. This one’s not on any of your megapasses. Go there anyway. It’s worth it.Podcast notesBayse and I discussed the new intermediate trail going in on Burnt Ridge this summer. Gore’s website describes the new trail in this way:This 60’ wide intermediate-rated trail with grooming and snowmaking capabilities will enter near the top of the Burnt Ridge Quad and run alongside the Barkeater Glades, ending just uphill of the Roaring Brook Bridge at the bottom of The Pipeline, making your adventure to Little Gore Mountain and the Ski Bowl more direct and easily accessible!Here’s where it will sit on the trailmap:New York Ski Blog’s Harvey Road visited Gore in June and walked the new trail with Bayse:We also discussed the possibility of eventually bringing the gondola back to the top of Gore Mountain, where the ski area’s original gondola landed, as you can see in this 1994 trailmap:That won’t be happening. When Gore strung the new gondy up in 1999, they dropped the terminal onto Bear Mountain, which opened up a whole new pod of skiing:That, as it turned out, was just the start of Gore’s rabid expansion over the next two decades. In 2008, the ski area developed Burnt Ridge:Two years later, Gore connected Burnt Ridge to Little Gore Mountain, which was the lost North Creek Ski Bowl ski area:We also discussed additional trails that could be developed skier’s left of the current Little Gore summit. Here’s what those looked like in a 2008 rendering:If you really want to get into Gore’s potential and long-term plans, there are zillions of conceptual maps in the ski area’s 541-page Unit Management Plan update from 2018:Finally, Bayse and I discussed the M.A.X. Pass, which was the immediate antecedent of the Ikon Pass. Gore was a part of this eclectic coalition, which included all of the mountains below – imagine if all of these had joined the Ikon Pass:Scanning that roster is a bit like playing Fantasy Ski Pass, but it’s also an acknowledgement that there’s nothing preordained about the current Ikon-Indy-Epic-Mountain Collective alignments that we are all so familiar with. That was M.A.X. Pass’ lineup five years ago. Now, those ski areas are split amongst the four big passes, and some of them have opted for complete independence. Gore, sadly for the multi-mountain pass fans among us, is one of them (though it is part of the SKI3 Pass with sister resorts Belleayre and Whiteface). That trio would make a Northeast crown jewel for Indy Pass, and would be a worthy addition for Ikon. If ORDA were worried about cannibalizing SKI3 sales with an Ikon partnership, they could simply combine the three ski areas into a single “destination” and offer five or seven combined days, much as Ikon has long offered at the four Aspen mountains or Killington-Pico.Gore on New York Ski BlogNo ski writer in America has written more about Gore than Harvey Road, who, as mentioned above, is the founder, editor, and soul behind the fabulous New York Ski Blog, which is one of the longest-running and most consistent online regional ski websites in the country.Harv is a good friend of mine, and I’ve contributed a half dozen posts (on Burke, Stowe, Maple Ski Ridge, Willard, Mount Snow, and Killington) to his site over the years. New York Ski Blog has 222 stories tagged with Gore, which date back to 2006. I asked Harvey to choose his four favorite:1)    I Never Made It To The Top – Feb. 18, 2019There are many reasons to like the North Creek Ski Bowl. The parking, the yurt, the people who ski there, the vibe. Another bonus feature is proximity to Burnt Ridge via the Eagle’s Nest traverse.Burnt Ridge has become the part of Gore that I think about when I’m daydreaming at my desk. It’s unique among the eastern areas I have skied. A beautiful chair lift that serves an epic groomer and four mile-long glades. For the most part they are gently pitched, and I often find I am in my zone.2)    Gore Mountain: Love The One You’re With – March 25, 2019NYSkiBlog was originally designed to be a skier’s decision engine. The Weather Center was created to help road warriors — those who have to travel far and plan ahead — make the best possible decisions to get good snow.It’s certainly not a fool-proof tool. Weather data requires persistent monitoring and educated interpretation to pay dividends. And even with all that, things can go wrong.My idea at the beginning of the week was to ski Plattekill in the warm sunshine that was forecast for Saturday, and then move north to ski Gore on Sunday. But as the week wore on, a spring storm crept into the forecast and affected my plan.3)    That Next Big Step – Feb. 19, 2020Over the last few seasons, our daughter has been generally fearless in the trees, and only intimidated by the steepest steeps at Gore. Two years ago, when 46er opened, we skied right up to the headwall, paused, re-considered, and sidestepped back uphill to ski the Hudson Trail.This past Sunday, we were first at the Yurt and first in line for the Hudson Chair. Don was working the lift, and he always gives me a good tip: “46er was groomed overnight.” The lift started to spin early, and we were on our way up the hill at 8:15.I’ve learned, always listen to Don. Without pushing too hard, I hope, I raised the idea of grabbing it while the cord was perfect. Two points for us, we were on a slow fixed-grip lift, with no one ahead of us, so we had some time to talk it out. By the time we arrived at the top of Little Gore, we were going for it.The cord was firm but grippy and she nailed it. On the next ride up, she asked me “Dad, how does that compare to Lies?” I told her “46er is steeper than Lies, but it’s shorter. And Lies won’t be cord, by the time we get to it.”Apparently some kids at school had been talking about Lies, making it out to be the full-on shizzle. She’d gained confidence on 46er and was looking for some bragging rights to go with it. “To the top Dad, to the top!”4)    Gore Mountain: Good Friday – April 18, 2022When Gore is one of NY’s last men standing — and you have a season pass, and a beautiful day off, and you’re a wannabe ski writer — you’re going to ski it and write about it. That’s how it goes. More Gore.This is also the post in which Harvey describes a confrontation with some moron who “didn’t appreciate the attention [NY Ski Blog has] brought to Gore.” This is an idiotic take, as though a hobby blog, and not the millions of dollars in upgrades and marketing invested by the state, were the reason for Gore’s growing reputation and skier visits. This sort of don’t-talk-about-my-mountain homerism is counterproductive, a sort of domestic xenophobia that’s frustrating and disheartening. It’s also bizarre. An Instagram follower recently hit me with a shoosh emoji after I posted a picture of a super-top-secret ski area called Alta, as though a post to my fewer-than 3,000 followers was going to suddenly transform one of America’s most iconic ski areas into a mosh pit. I hate to blow this secret wide open, but these are public businesses, that anyone is allowed to visit. I visit dozens of ski areas every season – one of them is usually Gore. Other than Mountain Creek – my home mountain – I’m a tourist at every single one of them. Translating the energy of those places into content that helps fuel the ski zeitgeist is part of the point of The Storm, and it’s the whole point of New York Ski Blog. Follow along with Harv’s adventures by subscribing to his free email newsletter:Additional New York-focused Storm Skiing PodcastsPlattekill owners Danielle and Laszlo VajtayCatamount owner Jon SchaeferWindham President Chip SeamansWest Mountain owners Sara and Spencer MontgomerySki Areas of New York President Scott BrandiTitus Mountain co-owner Bruce Monette Jr.Hickory shareholders corporation President David CronheimSnow Ridge co-owner and General Manager Nick MirThe Storm publishes year-round, and guarantees 100 articles per year. This is article 71/100 in 2022, and number 317 since launching on Oct. 13, 2019. Want to send feedback? Reply to this email and I will answer (unless you sound insane). You can also email skiing@substack.com. Get full access to The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast at www.stormskiing.com/subscribe

Evan celebrates episode 100 with the Bear Mountain crew!

Evan hosts our most recent addition to the Bear Mountain team! Join in for a heavy sesh and learn more about Mike and where he started.

Seth Huot is a professional snowboarder who rode for Volcom, Northwave, Drake, Nixon, and Bear Mountain among others. Seth's signature style landed him in three Mack Dawg films, countless magazine shots, and filming for the original X-Games Real Snow.  Seth transitioned to behind the lens and became the Volcom Snow Global Team Manager, where he still works today.Support the show (https://paypal.me/fnradfoundation)