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If I were 10 years younger, on December 20 I would have been at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, where the much-hyped launch of the ski area's new aerial tram was taking place. The ambitious construction project was completed on time, and was cause for a community celebration in Jackson, where skiing is a passion shared by many.

Instead, I found myself in a tiny gym in central Wyoming, 15 miles from the Montana border, watching a high school basketball game. Sometimes life changes happen so quickly you feel like they're out of your control and you're just along for the ride. Five months after relocating to a town I'd never imagined living in, these "moments of clarity" take place regularly. [more]

It's Going to be a White Christmas

Apparently all the powder hounds in the West asked Santa for snow, because he’s bringin’ it! Here’s a rundown of the Christmas depths and events at my favorite mountains.

Arapahoe Basin – 8 new inches, 35 inch base. As a special Christmas gift, the Pali Terrain has just opened.

Keystone – 9 new inches, 34 inch base. For $85, take your honey on a horse-drawn sleigh ride to dinner at a Soda Creek Valley cabin.

Breckenridge – 14 new inches, 54 inch base. Peaks 7, 8, 9 and 10 are open and full of pow. [more]

Better be careful here and not run into anyone, because at least half of the guys standing around in this area where the courthouse is, are contingency fee attorneys looking for their next client.

The steepest and maybe the deepest Double Diamond run in the city is a wonderful 23.3 percent out on Queen Anne Hill between Prospect and Highland. It's my favorite ski run in Seattle. It was named 80 years ago after a run down it on a toboggan with the riders all warmed up by prohibition rum sloshing around, right behind their belly button.

My favorite run in Seattle is called Warren avenue. [more]

Cold Enough

A fierce storm blowing in from the Pacific through the Seattle area caused havoc in on the roads in Washington and Oregon -and it also promises to boost some thin early-season snow conditions in the Northern Rockies.

Sun Valley enjoyed a good dump Friday and expects more on Sunday, and much of the mountain is now open, reports SunValleyOnline. . Other ski hills in Southern Idaho are ramping up too and expecting more snow over the next day or two.

Here in Montana, where butt-cold has been the word for the past week or so (about five below out there right now in Missoula), a thin early season is starting to recover, with some snow over the past week and more expected over the next few days. [more]

Be Prepared

It’s been snowing hard in the Western U.S. over the last few days, and a big dump of snow in the mountains over a short period of time is a recipe for avalanches. On Sunday and Monday, three avalanches caught three people in Utah and Colorado. Two victims died. [more]

10 Gifts Under 20 Bucks

Most of my friends and family are snow enthusiasts and I’d like to get all of them something for Christmas. I’m not a very wealthy guy these days (and, I’ll be honest, I’m trying to save up for some AT bindings), so I did some research and found ten great gifts for snow lovers, all under twenty bucks. Some are useful. Some are corny. None will break the bank.

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Winter's here; grab your gear

Bogus Basin Ski Resort, Boise's local ski hill, will open for the 2008-2009 winter season Wednesday, December 17. Recent storms have delivered enough snow for the front of the mountain to open. Chairlifts 1, 2, 4, 7 and Easy Rider will run.

Steve Shake, V.P. of mountain operations, said, “We’ll open more of the mountain, including night skiing and riding, as we receive more snow.”

Since the weather outside is frightful, the potential for full mountain skiing soon looks delightful.

Operating hours for Wednesday thru Friday will be: 10:00am-4:30 pm.

The J.R. Simplot, Pioneer and Frontier Point lodges will be open. Bogus Basin Ski & Snowboard School will offer its full complement of lessons. [more]

snowblog

The Northern Rockies' extended autumn is about to be buried in snow.

The National Weather Service forecasts a strong winter storm and an arctic cold front moving into the region this weekend, potentially dumping up to 20 inches of snow in some spots and driving temperatures well below zero. High winds, too. [more]

Snow News Isn't Good News

While the ski industry in northwest Montana employs many people, there is only one who decides when the ski season begins and she doesn’t answer to anybody: Mother Nature. And while her schedule may not be totally in sync with the executives at Whitefish Mountain Resort, it’s not too far off either. Resort officials delayed their planned Dec. 6 opening date due to lack of snow, but – as of this writing – planned to open Tuesday of this week, with skiing on the north face of Big Mountain, off of Chair 7.

For local skiers and riders, the delay has been unwelcome, but not exactly unexpected after weeks of mild weather. Kalispell Airport reported its first measurable snowfall – a half-inch – on Dec. 2. That’s the latest measurable snowfall on record for Kalispell since 1953, according to Dan Zumpfe, a meteorologist for the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration’s Missoula office. [more]

Loveland's "Ski Hooky Days" Begin on Dec. 11

The day has come to try out Colorado’s oldest locally owned and operated mountain. On Thursday, December 11, play hooky at Loveland.
[more]

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