We finally got > 1" of snow at once so I went XC skiing at the local park. The snow we got was preyy fluffy so when packed down it was still pretty thin.
Brian
The best run on the hill was prepped for an FIS race on Monday, so conditions were perfect, so on Sunday for shits and giggles, on Sunday I skied about on 54 mm wide tele skis that I used to race on a couple of decades back, and then switched over to my present 65 mm wide skis – night v. day, scary v. sweet. Whoever in the industry thought it was a good idea to push skinny tele skis on FIS set back the sport by a decade. It was puking snow on Sunday overnight (a foot of fresh), so Monday night I had a wonderful x-country ski only to return home to a message from the local university’s outdoor ed program inviting me to pop across the border and ski at Lutsen on Friday. Prime season is under way!
My eldest twin has gotten into snowboarding and been about a dozen times now. My youngest twin, who is on the autism spectrum and has more than a few challenges, has had 2 fantastic coaching sessions from Outdoors For All, whose mission is in the name. Fantastic folks who help people that need it with skiing and other outdoor adventures. Since I’m driving my kids up on Saturday morning (only 45 minutes away), I decided to snowboard again.
Saturday was the first time in 20+ years that I got on the slopes. First 2 runs were a bit harsh as I found my snow legs. Then it was pretty fun. Have to admit I am still sore.
Eldest twin and I are gonna face off this Saturday. I’m hoping I can muster one run to beat her down the mountain. Should be fun.
Welcome back to the world of snowfun!
Southern Minnesota is staring 6-20" of snow right in the face for the next 24 hours or so. I took a holiday Tuesday morning just to shred Afton, as the kiddies should be back in school, the weather will be PERFECT, and I haven’t skied in…4 days. Also, fresh snow.
Today was my first day skiing this year where the temps weren’t under 0 for all or part of the day. Pretty good conditions and I spent the whole day chasing my wife on top-to-bottom non-stop runs, building up the legs for our Banff trip next month.
Alas Warren Miller has passed
His films were a standard for group ski trips at the chalet.
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Been keeping an eye out. Tho no dumps, the base is building. This flatlander is getting geeked and still have 2 months to wait! 
And a lesser known skier but one with an impressive resume, Joseph Brooks Dodge Jr passed away this week. For east coast skiers he was a legend, putting up 11 elegant lines in Tuckerman Ravine including his namesake Dodge’s Drop.
Thirty plus years ago, I was fortunate enough to see Warren narrate his film live, the way he had started. It was in a large old theater in DC, a special event promoted by the Ski Chalet, my employer at that time.
A few years later,my landlord in Aspen told me that he was a friend of Warren’s when Warren was starting out. My landlord said that he had skied in several of his early films. It took awhile, but with the advent of the internet, I was able to confirm that.
Warren has not been associated with the company bearing his name for many years. Regardless the new movie is STILL the official start of the ski season for me,
I do cross country skiing. Some of the golf courses around here are open to skiers in the winter. They are nice scenic ski trails.
Thanks for posting that.
Had a nice day down in Minnesota teaching tele to university’s outdoor ed students. I was fun working with folks who were athletic and motivated.
n.m.
We have been getting dumped on locally.
Had 2 skiers set off an inbound avalanche a couple days ago.
The NEXT day ski patrol set off this impressive slide with what they call a
Double Shot.
The 8th and 9th pics in those shots are a lake at the bottom of the slide path.
Ordinarily the lake just looks like an unusually flat featureless spot at the bottom of the bowl. It freezes over and then gets snow covered. If you don’t know what it is, you could miss it. But the avy exploded the ice,shoving it up into the air. Very impressive in person.
Good photo essay.
Got a killer powder day at Jay Peak this past Saturday. Drove up Friday after work (5 hours with traffic and dinner) but it allowed us to get the 10th chair and first tracks in Timbuktu - our favorite tree run. Then back up again. And again. And again. And again. 5 excellent runs still able to find some untracked until the last run, then across the mountain to hit all our other favorite trees. Man, my legs were groaning but it was a great day.
Of course, being New England, on Sunday it rained.
Just three days until Banff.
I trekked up today. Weather man didn’t say shit about 40 mph winds or snow. 
Oh well. Managed to put in 20,600 vertical before I called it a day. Had a great drive up and back in the little sports car. Really cute new girl scanning at the Tram. Her second day. 
World Telemark Day in Thunder Bay. The good: 27,000 vertical feet of screaming power turns on hard-pack down the best GS slope in Ontario. The bad: too exhilarated skiing to hydrate, so evening cramping of quads, toes and calves. The ugly: lower quads bulged to the size of cantaloupes for a few minutes at the worst of the cramping. Moral of the story: tele is terrific! So is hydration/electrolyte.
I couldn’t be out for World Telemark Day, I’m home sick. 
We had an amazing trip to Banff. The first day at Lake Louise with my wife’s ski racer friends was a bit humbling; my skis (powder boards) really weren’t up to the snow conditions and steeps, and frankly neither was I. They skied some killer gullies, I stayed mostly on groomers that day.
Then two days at Kicking Horse, my skiing improved and we spent lots of time in the trees and open bowls. It’s a big steep mountain, with lots to offer especially when you have good visibility. Then a rest day as we drove back to Banff, and I demoed shorter stiffer skis for another day at Louise and did much better. We spend a lot of time on the back side exploring a bunch of runs, although one key section was closed for a freeskiing competition.
Last day at Sunshine Village, which was surprisingly windy. The best skiing there was off Goat’s Eye, where we enjoyed the steeps and even found fresh snow down in the trees far skiers left.
A great trip, but I’m definitely looking for a new all mountain dedicated alpine ski; my backcountry gear just doesn’t cut it for the big steeps out west.