Drive Interstate 70 in the Colorado mountains, and have an iPhone, Blackberry or Android? Then GoI70.com would like to check your beta action. From the GoI70.com blog:
GoI70.com is looking for Jackrabbits – volunteers to help test and give feedback on the GoI70 mobile phone application. The application is the mobile connection to the GoI70 social network, travel alerts and road information. Users will receive mobile phone updates of I-70 road conditions and speeds, and can send and read messages by other users along the highway.
The mobile software is in an early beta stage of development. It will be revised and expanded in response to the testers feedback on ease of use and desired features. The mobile app testers are the first members of the I-70 Jackrabbit Corps which is the core of the I-70 social network.
We are looking for people with advanced smart phones (iPhone, recent model Blackberrys or Android-based phones) who drive the I-70 corridor. Testers will load the application on to their phone and use it when they are traveling I-70. We need volunteers who will participate in our traffic monitoring program and send messages to the I-70 social network about driving conditions encountered in their travels. Because this is software in early development we are looking for volunteers with a healthy curiosity about new technology, a bit of free time and lots of patience.
If you are interested, send an email to info@i70solutions.org Tell us your name, smart phone type and model, phone number, and an email address where we can send you information.
Smart riders in Colorado know to avoid I-70 at peak times (Saturday mornings, Sunday afternoons), but sometimes you just can’t help it. Since the solution to ski traffic on I-70 is still decades and piles of $$$ down the road, here’s hoping that technology can help out.
Or you could move to Leadville, live in a van down by the Arkansas River and hike your butt up to ride down. Sounds like a solid Plan B to me.
Seems like a sweet deal if you’re in the market for a new parka. Via Descente:
This jacket comes with a free lift pass to each of the following North American resorts. Use as many as you would like. Some people use enough of these passes to pay for their jacket many times over. Windham Mountain, NY; Copper Mountain, CO; Winter Park, CO; Arapahoe Basin, CO; Powder Mountain, UT; Big Bear Mountain, CA; Alpine Meadows, CA; Arizona Snow Bowls, AZ; Big Sky, MT; Sundance, UT; The Canyons, UT; Spirit Mountain, MN; Boyne Mountain/Boyne Highlands, MI; Indianhead, MI; Cannonsurg, MI; Shanty Creek, MI; Boston Mills/Brandy Wine, OH; Sunday River/Sugar Loaf, ME; Holiday Valley, NY; Hunter Mountain, NY; Wachusett Mountain, MA; Jay Peak, VT; Bretton Woods, NH; Waterville Valley, NH; Bear Valley, CA; Ski Train, CO; Mission Ridge, WA; Nashoba Valley Ski Resort, MA; Trollhaugen Ski Resort, WI; Appalachian Ski Mountain, NC; Angel Fire Resort, NM; Sunrise Resort, AZ; Rabbit Hill, AB; Big White, BC; Silver Star, BC; Grouse Mountain, BC; Kicking Horse, BC; Mt. Norquay, AB; Canada Olympic Park, AB; Hockley Valley Resort, ON; Mont Saint Sauveur Resorts, PQ; Sun Peaks Resort, BC.
Loveland Ski Area had its earliest opening in 40 years today. And Arapahoe Basin will open on Friday, October 9, 2009. So what are you waiting for? Go ride!
To support your effort to cruise the early season White Ribbon of Life, the good folks at A-Basin have rounded up some sweet lodging deals. The Arapahoe Inn at Keystone is offering rooms for $13.99 a night from October from October 16-23. Yes, you read that right, $13.99 a night. You’ll probably spend more in gas to get to the mountains than it will cost you to stay for the weekend. Seriously, $13.99 a night!
Plus, the Arapahoe Inn is conveniently located directly across the street from Dos Locos. (With Happy Hour from 3-6 daily)
The $13.99 deal details:
Arapahoe Inn is offering skiers and riders the opportunity to stay for only $13.99 (plus tax).
Offer is valid October 16 until October 23, 2009. Must have a valid daily lift ticket for each day you stay or annual season pass. For reservations please call 888-513-9009 or 970-513-9009. Please visit our web-site www.arapahoeinn.com
*Terms and Conditions: Season pass or lift ticket must be presented upon check in. Rates are for single or double occupancy. No black out dates.
Yes, it’s the first day of fall. And for the last day of summer 2009, snow fell from the mountain skies, and Loveland Ski Area fired-up the snowmaking equipment. You can watch Loveland’s snowmaking progress here. From their website:
Cold temperatures and natural snowfall arrived earlier than expected allowing us to officially kick-off snowmaking for the 2009-2010 season. Crews fired up the system at 11:00 am, 3 days earlier than they were able to last season. With a favorable weather forecast for the next few days, conditions look good to get some good, productive hours in.
Loveland starts the guns a' blasting on Monday, September 21, 2009. (Loveland Ski Area)
Keystone had a timely and savvy react to the change in the weather, with a slick video of the storm cut with stock powder footage to get you all excited.
You can almost taste it, that approaching change in the weather each September that surely leads to the first fall snowfall up in the hills.
Here’s a sweet video from Zimtstern that should further fuel your winter stoke. (Warning: This video may cause you to run outside and try riding on any available slidable medium.) And then check how they made it.
Never say never, but I’m finally calling it on my 2008-2009 snowboard season. I was hoping to get in a day in July, but it didn’t come together, and the ocean beckons me until August. So Sunday, June 28, 2009, will go down as day #32, my final run on the slopes until fall.
I’m fully surrendering to summer, with it’s warm backpacking, surfing, camping, river running, stargazing, berry picking, coyote chasing, cruiser riding, ice cream eating, mountain biking, thunderstorm watching, barefoot existence. My solace from the fact that summer saunters quickly away is that the sweet glistening snows of winter get closer with every sunset.
It was a damn fine season of shredding, with good friends, good trips and good snow. From opening day at Loveland Ski Resort, to an epic powder day for the opening of Blue Sky Basin at Vail, to roadtrips to Crested Butte and Wolf Creek, to my first full moon night ride down Loveland Pass, to “short” hikes in Keystone’s back bowls, to riding the snirty snow at Beaver Creek, to an untold number of powder turns and corduroy carves, to pond skimming at A-Basin, to my purchase of a splitboard for even more powder access, its been a sweet one. Oh, and I also started this little ol’ blog, which has been a blast.
I’ll leave you with a little video of my final outing, a solo day with a run down a couloir off the south side of Sawtooth Mountain in the Indian Peaks Wilderness, Colorado. See you next opening day.
9News (Colorado’s News Leader, and don’t you forgets it!) has a heartwarming story of a Parker family who found a money clip at Jackson Hole belonging to some some famoose NBA dude who’s too busy traveling the world with his Victoria Secret model wife to bother getting back his cashola and ID and credit card and all, so they called 9News to gets the word out and return the money to the previously mentioned NBA playa. Like all good honest Colorado folks would do, of course.
From the tale of discovery:
In search of a good bargain, the Rogers family decided to ride the free gondola up to the top of a mountain while on their vacation in Wyoming.
“We do anything that’s free,” Jane Rogers said.
“I was over on a pile of snow… sliding down on my feet and my mom just told me, ‘Quickly, quickly, come over here,’” Dustin Rogers said.
In a melting pile of snow, Jane had found a silver money clip – and it was full.
Yeah, heartwarming and all, but what those 9News peeps didn’t tell you is that there’s millions of dollars worth of cash, cell phones, ski poles, gloves, sunglasses, bags o’ weed, gold chains, goggles, GPS’ssses, flasks, diamond rings, cigarettes, lottery tickets, bongs, ladies unmentionables, lighters, Golden Tickets, full bottles of beer, wine and liquor, and other sundry and skeezy items just waiting to be absconded by you! That’s right, run up to the hills right now and start looking under all the lifts and scouring all the runs, ’cause there’s treasure just a-waiting to be found.
Eric Gaertner of the Muskegon Chronicle has a sweet story on Sherm Poppen, the man who built the first mass-produced snowboard, the Snurfer. Poppen’s invention is headed to the Smithsonian. Props.
“Poppen built the first Snurfer in 1965, a board similar to a water ski, but better suited for the snow for his children. His idea was picked up by the local Brunswick Corp., which manufactured Snurfers for distribution around the country. It would be almost 20 years later before snowboarding really took off, but Poppen’s original idea was never forgotten.
Much love for Sherm. I owe my winter happiness to him.
Here’s some seriously old-school Snurfing action on the Tubes, which looks much like the modern NoBoard. Funny thing, history. What goes down goes around.
