Keystone, CO – A full moon rose above the ramparts of the Continental Divide, as the rental car engine whined up one side of Loveland Pass and down the other. It’s a good thing that I remembered to feed the gerbils that ran on the treadmill used to power the tiny foreign subcompact. When the … Continue reading Night Moves
If you’re new to snowboarding and trying to decide whether to go with traditional strap bindings or a step-in system like the K2-Clicker, Switch, Rossignol or Ride/Device System, what should you consider? Asides from cost, understanding some performance, comfort and ease-of-adjustment issues can help you make your decision. n Traditional (Oxygen) Strap bindings K2 … Continue reading Snowboard Step-in Systems vs. Strap Bindings
My introduction to Japanese skiing took place roughly 27 years ago in front of a television set in Warren, Vermont, my hometown in the United States, and also home to Sugarbush Ski Area. My father, a transplanted Austrian who had emigrated to North America to become a ski instructor, had not yet adopted the American … Continue reading Introduction to Skiing in Japan
Minneapolis, MN – There’s one thing any die-hard skier will notice as he or she gazes out the porthole window of their plane on the final approach into the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport: it’s damned flat out there. My eyes scanned from one horizon to the other for any skiable topographic features, and unfortunately I … Continue reading Bright Lights, Twin Cities
Tahoe City, CA – First light, and the chirping alarm did little more than elicit an anguished groan from my daughter Jacquelin, age 14. It was 6:00 AM and less than nine hours since we had last been on the snow, tubing our hearts out at Squaw Valley. Frankly, the attitudes of son Jonathon, 10, … Continue reading Alpine Meadows: So Laid Back
From powder, crust and corn to mashed potatoes, corduroy and crud, skiers probably have more descriptive terms for snow than anyone except the tundra-dwelling Inuit of northern Alaska and Canada. n But when it comes to the morning snow report you hear on the radio or read in the paper, some of that creativity goes … Continue reading Snow Report Equals Part Art and Science
Yosemite Valley, CA – Sometimes life is tough and duty calls. In February 2000, as part of my official duties at NASA, I attended the “Yosemite 2000” Conference on Comparative Aeronomy in the Solar System, where both the science and the recreation were excellent. Winter in Yosemite is quiet time. I have been there in September and it was … Continue reading Badger Pass: Yosemite in Winter