No, I’m not going to start my A-Z with an in-depth article on our struggling ice hockey team – the Colorado Avalanche. In January 2001, during a brief spell in Europe, I wrote a three-part article on Ski Safety in the Alps. Part Two focused on Avalanches, and as this article was never made public at the time (blogging was still in its infancy), I choose today to reproduce it in part. Although the news itself is dated, it acts as a history lesson and the message and relevancy is still very much in the present.

February 1999 saw some of the worst avalanches on record in Europe. 38 people alone were killed at the neighboring resorts of Gaulter and Valzur in Austria which, until the funicular disaster in Kaprun which killed 155 people, was Austria’s worst ever alpine disaster. To the uninitiated, it might seem foolhardy even to contemplate a ski vacation either in areas prone to avalanches, or following these fatalities. However, despite warnings that they may strike again, thousands of Britons continued to hit the slopes on European alpine ski holidays. This may have been due to a reluctance to change venues or cancel outright, or due to a “it wouldn’t happen to me” feeling. Indeed, if all skiers followed a simple set of rules, it probably wouldn’t happen to them. However, it seems that the “invincibility factor” contributes more to ski fatalities than anything else. Let’s examine this. (more…)

There is no debate that snow is the lifeblood of the ski resort industry. Any business that operates within our industry can do everything within their own control to position themselves and maximize earnings from winter vacationers, but a lousy snow year can ruin all the best made plans. Furthermore, a poor snow year can have knock-on implications for the following year and – for some individual resorts if there is a recurring pattern – establish am unenviable reputation for unreliable conditions.

The internet has, and will continue to do so, changed the face of civilization as we know it. A bit dramatic I know, but the immediacy and sheer extent of information on just about everything is at our fingertips, and that includes snow statistics at all the major ski resorts in the world. In the States, aside from perhaps the two highest demand time periods of the ski season of Christmas and Spring Break, snow enthusiasts looking to take a vacation have, over the last few years, made their choice of location much closer to their arrival date. Snow considerations are a big factor. In my article entitled A Ski in The Park, I stated that for most people, “great snow is the be-all and end-all of any skiing vacation”. Who has the best snow? What’s the forecast? What deals are out there? What’s new? What does Peter Hardy say?

In fact, there are a huge number of factors that can be built into the snow equation, and this gave me an idea to produce “My Own A-Z of Snow”. I say “My Own”, because I’m sure many people will have their own ideas for a better word with snow connotations, beginning with a specific letter, than my own choice. If that’s the case, please contribute and share your own suggestions.

So, over the next 26 days starting tomorrow and ending on Christmas Day, I present a personal A-Z of Snow.

Now that the inconvenience of all those delays is finally behind us, one can now marvel at the finished product and say that it is “a good thing”, even though there are the protagonists (like me) that would argue a tunnel would have made more sense. I won’t go into the arguments for and against as this would be futile and extend this monologue unnecessarily. (more…)

Here’s my take on life after the finalization of the Berthoud Pass Project:

1. Speed!
According to State Patrol and CDOT, there is now a greater comfort level for drivers, meaning an increase in speeding. You don’t say? Even Gary DeFrange, VP and GM of Winter Park Resort stated it was a “quicker drive”. Most locals will regale in talk of their “personal best”, which varies according to the starting point in Winter Park, with the finishing point usually earmarked as the Henderson Mine switchback on the east side. Most personal bests, mine included, occurred before the construction work even started, and on a sunny post ski-season day, when the valley’s occupancies are below 1%, and the bulk of the County’s seasonal employees have long since departed for New Orleans, Lake Powell or the Grand Canyon. (more…)

Despite CDOT implementing measures to mitigate the negative impacts on the traveling public – such as maximum allowable delays of 40 minutes and no lane closures from 2PM on Fridays until 10PM on Sundays, the inconvenience factor cannot be overlooked. For those living in Grand County and who made frequent trips to Denver, 8 years of trip delays in the summer got old real fast. (more…)