Arapahoe Basin, a.k.a. A-Basin, a.k.a. The Legend, is known for extremes. It offers the highest lift served skiing in North America. The trails and bowls there are steep. And the average season lasts from November to June. Locals work at Summit County’s nearby resorts, but ski A-Basin on their days off.


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LifeTips Skiing Tip of the Day

The first annual Pearl St. Music and Arts Festival is a time for Boulderites to revel in live music with the company of a summer breeze.
CU Independent

Improved lap times, greater distances covered, personal bests, participation in tougher events. Harder, faster, stronger, better. Ask any runner, biker, climber, swimmer, triathlete, yogi etc what their aims are for the year ahead and these are among the answers that you can expect to hear from those who are committed to their chosen sport.

As a skier, my own personal goal over the past couple of years has been to make the transition from piste skier to ski mountaineer. Don’t get me wrong – a resort skiing holiday is still an enormously attractive option. Spending time with friends in the fresh air, relentless consumption of gluhwein and crepes and when time is against you, crepes full of gluhwein can make for a more than entertaining week away. But for me and an increasing number of my peers, a shift is occurring. We want more.

To move outside the boundaries of the artificial world of lift accessed and prescribed pistes is a serious commitment. If you choose to go this way, you are literally venturing under the ropes and into the unknown. Avalanche bulletins, seracs, transceivers, ABS bags, slope angles, and kick turns all constitute part of a new language and culture that will surround you. Suddenly you have a hell of a lot more to worry about than just remembering to put your resort pass in your pocket before turning up at the lifts at the start of the day.

It’s a brutal unforgiving environment with no margin for error as has been brought to our attention most recently with the tragic deaths of two British skiers caught in avalanches in Val d’Isere. It is not so much a case of making sure you don’t get it slightly wrong but rather more, utterly imperative that you get it absolutely right. First time. Every time.

The word of course is how. A whole heap of them in fact. How do you know what lies beneath the surface and how can you make sure you get it right? How do you know what to do if you’re standing at the top of a slope that has slid and you have just 15 minutes to locate your friends before their chances of survival plummet to practically zero. Essentially, how is it possible to explore beyond the boundaries and simultaneously minimize your personal exposure to natural risk?

It was precisely my inability to reconcile these two seemingly opposing goals that led me to sign up for a 3.5 day AIARE Level 1 Avalanche Course in Chamonix last month. That and the crazy weather conditions in the Alps so far this winter – knee deep powder in November and skiing in t-shirts in January would imply to me that there may be a touch of the irregularity in this season’s snowpack.

I found IFMGA/UIAGM mountain guide Jeff Banks’ course one evening, signed up straight away and the following evening I arrived in Chamonix equipped with my weapon of choice – curiosity. I came in search of some kind of rules, answers or guarantees that might help transform the seemingly unpredictable into something rather more understandable. Control issues? Most definitely. But if they mean that my time spent on this earth is lengthened, then I embrace them. As may the pub and vineyard owners of France I might imagine….

The next 3.5 days were full. Fantastically full. A combination of class based and field based learning. We analysed potential avalanche scenarios, learned to identify the different types of snow crystals and to understand their implication within the snow pack. We watched sobering video footage of actual events, went outside to learn and practically apply the all important emergency rescue techniques. We went to the top of the mountain and ventured under the ropes to dig and analyze the different layers in the snowpack. We even planned a tour and spent a day out of bounds putting our skills to the test without the input of our guides.

I’d like to think our survival was down to excellent decision making, authoritative leadership, optimum route selection and coherent group behaviour. Joking aside, I think we did pretty well for novices actually and it was the perfect learning and empowering environment to put into practice what we’d been discussing over the previous days. We really were out there ‘doing it’ safe in the knowledge that the calm and solid guides Jeff and Robbie were ever present should we have made any really ludicrous plans!

As the sun dipped behind Mont Blanc, I drove away from Chamonix with a huge grin on my face and a notepad jam packed with new info. And yes, I even left with several answers to the long list of ‘how’s that I’d rocked up with at the beginning of the weekend. I had learned how to perform a Rutschblock test, how to measure the incline of a slope, how best to shovel snow so as to reach a victim as fast as possible, and even how best to deal with a potentially tricky group member who might be putting the overall safety of the party in jeopardy.

While all of this is obviously incredibly important, by far and away the most valuable bit of information I learned over the course of the weekend was that there is actually not one skill, approach or piece of gear that is going to keep you alive in the mountains should you be dealt a sliding snow card. Contrary to popular belief an expensive Avalung, the fanciest of transceivers, or the latest carbon probe are not going to make the key difference out there. They have their uses of course but are nothing more than unnecessary weight if you do not have one fundamental bit of kit in your backpack.

What I’m talking about right now is knowledge. Nowhere is Sir Francis Bacon’s ‘knowledge is power’ observation more applicable than in the world of avalanche prediction and avoidance. To best ensure your safety out there you need to be constantly asking questions of yourself, your group, and the environment that you’re in. If you continue to inquire, challenge and ask it will follow that you will learn and in so doing amass knowledge that will hopefully prolong your life.

So if like me, you’re finding yourself increasingly drawn towards the pursuit of powder and on the cusp of spanking a grand on an ABS bag because you think it makes you safe beyond bounds, I urge you to think again. Why not equip yourself with something worthwhile and sign up for an Avalanche Course instead? By opting to invest in knowledge you’ll guarantee yourself a decent return and besides, no-one wants to have all the gear and no idea….

Jeff Banks is an American mountain guide who lives in Colorado and Chamonix and runs the course – www.jeffbanksmountainguide.com. Avalanche Courses run by Jeff are official AIARE (American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education) accredited courses. The AIARE website has further details: www.avtraining.org.

Homeboy Ski Blog

Most ski resorts today come complete with spas, restaurants, and bars. There is nothing like taking advantage of these luxuries at the end of a day on the slopes. My favorite way to unwind is in front of the ski resorts fireplace, which your resort undoubtedly has. When you travel with friends or family to ski resorts, unwinding at the end of the day can make for some amazing bonding time. After accomplishing so much individually on the mountain, taking the time to have a nice dinner just steps away from your room at the ski resort, then enjoying a drink at the bar will make even the most special day feel perfect.


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LifeTips Skiing Tip of the Day

If you’re depressed about having to stay inside and work on school stuff during these beautiful, spring Colorado days, you’re not alone.
CU Independent

Ski gloves provide your hands with warmth and dryness unlike your normal pair of winter gloves. They also allow for more dexterity so that you can wrap your hands securely around your ski poles. While your regular gloves may feel very similar, specially designed ski gloves will help you stay warm and dry on the slopes.

Ski gloves are made with a special insulate material to help keep the cold moisture away from your fingertips. Your fingers go numb very easily in the cold and specialized ski gloves can help avoid this. Once you are at the top of the mountain, you will thank yourself for purchasing ski gloves for your memorable trip!

For more Skiing tips, visit http://Skiing.lifetips.com

LifeTips Skiing Tip of the Day

We always view skiing as a “winter” sport, but we also forget that there’s no such thing as a “Spring” or “Fall” Olympics. There aren’t any events for running in the residual mud after a particularly snowy winter, and there aren’t any gold medals doled out for the fastest lawn-raker. But what if you really do want to take a winter sport like skiing and extend it into the spring? Are there ways to do it, and are there things you should know before giving it a try?

Sure there are, and here, you’ve found them. Here are some quick tips for skiing in the spring and making it as enjoyable as skiing all winter long:

-Water, water, water. As always, stay hydrated –

This is true during the winter, but when you’re wearing winter clothing on a Spring day that might see temperatures rise beyond what you’ve been used to over the past few months, then suddenly your need to keep cool and hydrated increases even more. Even though it feels like the air is cold, that doesn’t mean your body is cool enough to not need water – it always needs water, so keep an eye on your hydration, and make sure you prepare beforehand by getting plenty of water in you before even strapping on the skis.

-Have goggles/sunglasses handy. -

During the Spring, the sun is out longer, and many times, it breaks through the clouds on a more frequent basis. This means that you’re going to want to have goggles and sunglasses handy – just in case the sun decides to make its first appearance in what seems like months. Since this isn’t always the case (protecting your eyes from light) during the winter, you might have to give yourself a reminder.

-Keep an eye on the weather forecast.-

Knowing the weather forecast will help you dress appropriately, and it will also help you decide what days are still quite winter-like to make the most ideal days for skiing. The closer an eye you keep on the weather, the better prepared you will be for the outdoors.

-Sunscreen. -

I know: sunscreen to a ski hill? What’s next, a warm wool cap to the beach? Well, you’d be surprised: the less you wear during the warmer spring months, and the more frequent the sun appears, the more you realize that you haven’t been getting much sunlight at all through the winter. You don’t necessarily want to go from 0 to 60 right away in terms of your sunlight, so a couple of applications of sunscreen on the exposed parts of your skin is enough to at least be prepared for all of the Vitamin D that’s headed your way.

Photo Credits: dvs

Originally posted 2009-03-10 05:37:25.

Ski Snowboarder

Continuing to press the boundaries of creative film making—the ISENSEVEN crew has already dropped the trailer for the upcoming 2011 Isenseven feature film. Introducing the 2011 rider line-up.

Riders: Alex Tank, Benny Wetscher, Christian Haller, Christophe Schmidt, Colin Frei, Daniel Rajcsanyi, David Bertschinger Karg, Ethan Morgan, Fips Strauss, Fredrik Evensen, Kevin Bäckström, Ludwig Lejkner, Peter König, Simon Gruber, Tobi Strauss, Tom Klocker, Wojtek Pawlusiak & Special Guests.

Definitely one to look forward to.

Homeboy Ski Blog

Offering a wide variety of services, volunteer opportunities and information, the Women’s Resource Center at CU assists and welcomes anyone who walks in the door.
CU Independent

North America is host to some of the highest quality ski resorts in the world. Most of the best skiing is located in the western United States in the Rocky Mountain chain. Below is a list of five of the best America has to offer.

• Aspen Mountain – Aspen, Colorado is arguably the most well known of all ski resorts in North America, made famous by vacationing celebrities as much as for its incredible ski runs. Considering that the town was a mere afterthought to the mining industry, it has made its mark on the world of snowsports. It is the smallest of the mountains on this list with only 673 acres and 76 runs.
• Heavenly – Sitting high above Lake Tahoe, this mountain offers many snow sports and as a bonus, allows a skier to shush down the run in California or Nevada since the mountain straddles the state line. Heavenly recently added a gondola to speed skiers to the top. The highest lift reaches 10,040 feet and the mountain offers almost one hundred runs.
• Stowe – The only East Coast resort to make this list is Stowe, Vermont which offers almost fifty trails with many for advanced skiers. Novice skiers feel welcome there also. At the base of this mountain is a quaint New England town with inns and places to eat. The highest peak is 4395 feet and it has almost five hundred acres of skiable area.
• Jackson Hole – This resort is a favorite for skiers and snowboarders alike. The terrain here is steep but novices will be as comfortable here as those with experience. Jackson Hole offers more than 4100 vertical feet of skiing and with fifty percent of its runs graded expert, it tops this list for challenging runs. Yellowstone National Park is nearby for more sightseeing opportunities.
• Vail – With more than 300 bluebird days every year, the conditions at Vail are perfect almost all season long. The mountain at Vail is seven miles long and 1500 acres of it are groomed daily. Lines at the lifts are minimal due to the large network of high speed quads and lifts.

When you are skiing in any of the above places, it doesn’t matter if you cheap skis or expensive ones – your experience will be fantastic.

Originally posted 2010-06-12 14:54:40.

Ski Snowboarder