Week in Review: April 28
This week's news
Man, what a great season in the East. Now it’s time to look back on it… wait, is that Sugarloaf on Tuesday?? It ain’t over ‘til it’s over, and it ain’t over in the Northeast. Unofficial has the updated skinny on New England closing dates.
Ask The Jaded Local
Readers write in their most pressing questions to the surly vet
Q. Who is the best all-around skier right now?
Jimmy Ryan
Via Twitter
Jimmy, the best skier on the hill is the one having the most fun. Currently, that’s whomever is skiing with 1994 Olympic gold medalist Tommy Moe, because Moe—nicknamed the Labrador for his ceaseless stoke—is widely acknowledged to be the funnest person in the world to ski with. Next question
Junk In The Truck: Eastern Collective Cables
Vermont’s Eastern Collective strikes gold
Matt Benedetto quit his job. Last fall, while hanging with friends in Burlington, Vermont, he was looking at the generic white iPhone cord that comes standard with every Apple device. He thought he could make it better. A few weeks later, he had a multi-colored cable and promptly began selling them on his site as he’d done with countless products in the past. What happened next was unexpected.
Fischer in the Hole
An end-of-season edit from Jackson
“This winter in Jackson Hole was a bit up and down, but when it was good it was great. Although the mountain received 383 inches of snow, which is less than average, we were able to take advantage of it. Jeff Annetts and Tim Swartz , my Fischer teammates, are my main ski partners and are always down to do some filming or shooting. It allows us to collaborate and put out a few fun team style edits a year. This year the snow pack was fairly stable which allowed us to ski some of the bigger exposed lines, that, some years, are too dangerous to ski. Plus, we got plenty of over-the-head storm days.“ – Tyler Horne
All Time: From Blackout to the White Room
Because friends don’t let friends miss powder days
The best day of my season should have never happened. While a storm spilled her guts up at Mount Baker, the clock had struck St. Patrick’s Day in Seattle. I had been watching the weather with my friend Nick, and we decided to make a go of it the following day despite the holiday. He had found a condo to crash at in Glacier and would pick me up in Seatown after finishing his day at Crystal Mountain—I just needed to be ready and packed.
I was fully prepared to forgo celebrating my second favorite holiday, but at two in the afternoon I caved. The sun had come out and another friend urged me to join his group for a celebratory pint. With Nick coming at four, it didn’t seem like I could do much damage in two hours. I met up with the bar-hoppers and sipped a beer while they pounded Irish Car Bombs.
Oskar Enander’s Olympus Pro Photographer Showdown 2013 Slideshow
Including one of POWDER'S photos of the year
On Thursday, Whistler, B.C. hosted the 16th annual Olympus Pro Photographer Showdown, as part of the Whistler Ski and Snowboard Festival. Snowboard photographer Andy Wright won the event, but we’re partial to Oskar Enander’s slideshow.
Week in Review: April 21
Vermont edits, and the right kind of skiing problems
This busy, snowy April has cajoled more than a few ski areas to extend their seasons an extra week or two. Alta, above, is spinning lifts for one more weekend after a 20-inch dump, while Copper, Aspen Highlands, and Breckenridge all announced they’re extending their seasons as well. Back East, temperatures have only recently become spring-like, prompting many to back up their closing dates, too.
Junk In The Trunk: The North Face Ballard Boots
For staying warm and dry. Or just looking good at the bar.
When I needed a pair of boots to travel with this winter, I chose The North Face Ballard. Their Hydro Seal waterproof membrane meant my feet stayed dry while walking through slushy Pacific Northwest ski area parking lots, while 200 grams of Primaloft insulation kept me warm in throes of a cold Montana storm. The light-brown leather makes them look like they aren’t a burly hiking boot, so they look casual at the bar. And the thick Icepick rubber sole make the icy walk home from the bar cas, too.
Turns & Curves Episode 2
Going to La Grave with Giulia Monego
In the second episode of “Turns & Curves” ski mountaineer Giulia Monego realizes why people get addicted to La Grave, France.
Celebrate Good Times, C’mon
The annual ritual of closing day at Sun Valley
It’s mid-April and you have a good goggle tan. Thanks to the armor of skin provided by those dark days in January, your face doesn’t get cold anymore. Your legs go top-to-bottom no problem. You know exactly where the rocks are, what speeds you need for certain jumps, and which runs get clogged by the tourists. Your ski posse is firmly established, and you know which friends have certain obligations—spouse, kid, busted transmission—that make up the rest of their lives.
In This Issue
