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
South Lake Tahoe, CA – Okay, I’ll admit it. Heavenly wasn’t exactly at the top of my list of gnarly places to rip the slopes prior to our family’s recent tour of the Lake Tahoe area. I’d heard the hotshots at our local mountain sneering all the way back to my hometown near Niagara Falls. … Continue reading Just Heavenly
Winter in Texas lasts about two weeks. It starts when people stop running their air conditioners. It ends roughly one week after the hard freeze that catches everyone unprepared, kills all the plants and causes 500 traffic accidents in the first hour of the morning commute. The only other winter ritual to look forward to … Continue reading Voodoo on the Slopes…and Other Winter Rituals
Photos by Marc Guido Kirkwood, CA – California is known for many things – sunny beaches, drive-by shootings, high tech IPOs, thirty million souls clustered between the San Andreas fault and the Pacific Ocean, and an roaring state economy which proudly lays claim to being bigger than that of most Third World countries. Kirkwood, literally … Continue reading Kirkwood: Earning It the Hard Way
Twin Bridges, CA – It seems like every multi-resort ski region possesses one or more areas within its boundaries that, for whatever reason, often doesn’t get the big press, the big buzz, or whatever other dues it’s owed. In Northern California, Sierra-at-Tahoe seemingly fills that role rather too well. Lying only some twelve miles south … Continue reading Sierra-at-Tahoe: Pleasantly Unassuming
l Squaw Valley, CA – Just for fun, let’s pretend for a moment that you’re playing a game of word association opposite some bonehead who possesses only the most rudimentary knowledge of snow sports information. Even so, once you say the words “Squaw Valley”, the quick response is likely to be either “1960 Olympics”, or … Continue reading The Dabolls Do Squaw Valley
Take a trip down memory lane with me for a moment. Think back to that first major ski equipment purchase you ever made. Perhaps you’re tired of an endless stream of dull edge skis and ill-fitting rear entry boots available from your local hill’s rental shop. Or, maybe you’d finally been cut from the ski … Continue reading Boot Up: A Lesson in Bootfitting from MasterFit University