Club members gathered at the home of David and Barbara Mayeda December 15th for the annual club potluck.  A total of 18 people showed up with lots of food and beverages, and everyone filled up and talked about the upcoming ski season, with much discussion about the early season lack of snow at the ski resorts.

     Members brought either a pet toy for the SPCA or a children's toy for Toys for Tots as part of the Christmas giving spirit.  A few members had already checked out the slopes, including Debbie and George at Deer Valley.  The rest of us were waiting it out for the first big storm to give us something other than the machine made stuff offered at a few of the resorts.

     Early in the season, weather people were saying that this winter could be another big one like last year, but as usual it is very difficult to predict the weather.  A few encouraging flakes fell in November, but suddenly the sun came out to stay in December.

     Here in an oddity.  All the Pacific storms were being blocked and going over British Columbia.  Whistler resort recorded its 3rd biggest ever November snowfall and by early December had the entire mountain open for skiers.  Go figure.

 

JACKSON HOLE TRIP APPROACHES 

     Eleven club members are ready to go to Jackson Hole this coming January 28th, returning home after a week of skiing on February 4th.  The resort has 2,500 acres and 4,139 feet of vertical awaiting club members and their cohorts from the Far West Ski Association.   

     While the ski resorts in California are waiting for snow, any snow, the more northern resorts are getting plenty of the white stuff.  The most recent snow report from Jackson Hole on January 6 had a snow base of 36" at the base lodge and 42" at the summit.  Total snowfall for the season is 99" at the base and 120" at the summit.  Everything looks good for a great week of skiing on real snow.

     The next most snow total by any Utah or Colorado resort is Alta with 97".  Jackson Hole's neighbor Grand Targhee has a total of 142" so far.  Jackson reports 11 of 12 lifts operating, with 111 of 116 runs, with 42 runs being groomed.

     The February issue of the newsletter will have a report of the trip.

 

     With one of the driest December snowfall reports on record, after record setting dumps last season, Sierra resorts have had to rely on snowmaking to stay open.  Often the days and evenings have been warm, and it takes freezing temperatures to run the machines.

     After a completely dry December, January also has started out dry with the long range forecast showing no big storms.  Snowmaking becomes even more important.

     If you have ever wondered who invented snowmaking and when it happened, here is the true story as reported in a past issue of Ski Magazine and again presented in my ski book.  Of course, the system has been completely developed since the humble beginnings.

     "In 1950 Arthur Hunt, Wayne Pierce, and Dave Richey were sitting on several thousand pairs of the Alu-60, a failed metal ski they'd been making.  Hunt recalled, 'We were practically out of business.'  But not out of inventiveness.

     "On March 15, Pierce arrived at work with an invention in mind that he'd conceived overnight.  He figured that if you propelled a drop of water through freezing air, it would turn into an ice crystal.  The three engineers quickly set about testing Pierce's hypothesis.  The weather, fortunately, had turned cold.  Outside their defunct ski factory, they connected a 10-horsepower compressor by garden hose to a spray gun they'd been using to paint skis,  They put the apparatus inside a small plywood box, mounted it on a stand and turned on the power.  Eureka!

     "The mist flying out the paint nozzle instantly froze into crystals, just as Pierce had predicted.  By morning the men had produced a 20-inch pile of 'snow' in a 20-foot circle."

 

 

 

     As a member of the FWSA each member is entitled to a copy of the 2011-2012 FWSA Skiers' Guide.  It is a beautiful slick magazine with lots of good articles about the past and future activities of all the councils and clubs.  In the magazine there is a great article on future ski area development and other issues that will affect all of us as skiers.

     Members who attended the potluck were able to pick up copies.  They are also available at Sport Chalet in the winter sports section near the back right hand part of the store.

 

     Last month I teased you with two inventions that didn't work.  Actually here are three from the pages of Ski Magazine.

     From 1972:  Engineer Dan Post had always been aggravated by the pressure of the traditional ski boot put on his instep and lower shin, so he invented the "knee high" boot.  He used a 14 inch-high cuff to more evenly distribute the forces.  It was comfortable and cool-looking, and the factories quickly copied it.  Unfortunately it was difficult to ski effectively with these boots and the fad lasted two winters.

     From 1980:  Fischer Ski introduces a slalom ski with a bulge in the middle, the first asymmetric sidecut.  Since you don't want a ski to change its trajectory midway through a turn, the idea never catches on.  Kastle tries it again in the mid-90s - straight at the ends, super-sidecut in the middle and it bombed.  Another Kastle dead end: slalom sidecut on one edge,GS sidecut on the other.  This design is skiable on the GS edge, but the slalom edge always wants to carve across its mate.  OOPS!

     From 1986:  (The weirdest of all inventions):  The Nava System.  This is a boot-binding system.  It incorporates a warm, comfortable mukluk boot with the release mechanism built into the sole.  Edge control comes from a spring-loaded lever at the back of the calf.  It's comfortable, but it offers no forward support and thus isn't entirely reassuring to ski.  (Plus it stands out because it looks so ridiculous).

 

     A few of us have already sampled the machine made snow produced by the Sierra Resorts in this very dry early winter, and even though limited, the conditions are fairly passable.  Here are current reports from three resorts that you might consider skiing.  Check the web sites of other resorts to find out their conditions.  The resorts are Northstar, China Peak, and Mammoth.

     Northstar:  18" at all locations.  This is the standard depth of their open runs.  14 lifts operating with 26 open runs, all of which are groomed.  The resort had 26" of snow natural snow in November, with the last snowfall on November 21.  NO snow fell in December and so far none in January.

    China Peak:  Season total of 42", with Chairs 2,4, and 6 open daily.  The resort is working to open other lifts and runs.  The base is 12-18".  Open runs include Sundown Ridge, Kaiser, Middle/Lower Tollhouse, Lower Academy, Middle Razorback.

     Mammoth:  18-24" base.  17 lifts open with 5 terrain parks and 46 groomed runs.  Seasonal snowfall is 52", with 20" in October, 30" in November, and 2" in December.  None has fallen so far in January.  The resort has experiences two years in the past when NO snow fell before January:  1976-77 and 1986-87.

 

++++National Ski Areas Association report:  Skiers aged 66 and older are the most frequent visitors, going to the slopes an average of 11 days per season.  Can you say retirement.

++++Vail will celebrate its 50th anniversary next season with a brand new high-capacity gondola, the first of its kind in North America.

++++Mt. Rose 10 year improvement plan involves spending $23.5 million.  There will be 99 new acres, a 3.5 mile beginner trail, ski bridges over Mt. Rose Highway, two new lifts, expansion of base facilities, and snow-making improvements.

++++Mt. Shasta Ski Park has yet to open because of lack of snow.  It has been so warm that the snow made at night often melts during the day.  Less than 100 miles north just across the Oregon border, Mt. Ashland Ski Resort is open with a 32" base.