Ski Column Rehash
Rain, rain, go away, come again some other day. That verse always runs through my head every time it rains during the winter, and a feeling of gloom comes over me. Yet as I say that I also realize that rainy day skiing is often some great skiing, and rain early in the season (as long as it is falling on a bit of snow pack) can be a good thing.Let's start with why it can be a good thing. If we start the season with a lot of light fluffy snow then the base layer that the rest of the season is built upon is weak, and will melt out easily during those first warm days of late winter. In addition, that weak base layer doesn't bode well for those who enjoy back country skiing, as it do

Nordic Column Rehash Part II
"Want to go skiing?" I ask that question a lot in my house. Usually there is some interest, but often that initial interest is followed by "let me just do this first." But there are times when I don't want to wait, I just want to get out the door and start skiing. When that is the case I find that my two best ski partners are our dogs.They never ask where their boots are. They never wonder where their other mitten is. I've never heard Molly or Jake ask me to find them their ski socks. I've never had to wax their skis or dry their ski pants. The dogs never say, "just a second." They always seem ready to go and usually are waiting for me at the door to go.Once we are o

Ski Column Rehash Part II
When was the last time you treated yourself to a new pair of skis? It had been a couple of years for me, but the other day I couldn't take it any more and pulled the trigger on a new pair of boards for my gravity induced enjoyment. I did this without doing a demo, which I shouldn't have- but I have no patience and tend to have a very impulsive personality, so when I decided it was time for new skis that meant that I needed them right away.I was brought up in a skiing family that stressed that it wasn't the equipment but the operator that makes all the difference, and I still believe this. But if you are in a car race and you have a choice between a Porsche 911 and a Chevy Citati

Nordic Column Rehash
I missed the Atomic Sprints up at Great Glen that took place at the beginning of December, instead I spent the day riding my bike. But while I was riding I began to realize that my mind was ready to switch gears (no pun intended) and begin to glide on snow. As I was thinking of all of this I realized that my hands and feet were pretty much numb and for that matter my face had begun to hurt from the cold. I chalked it up to being such a tough guy and for riding when the temperatures were –0 degrees Fahrenheit. The only issue was that when I got home I looked at the temperature and it was 26 degrees! If I had been out skiing that would have seemed like a fairly warm day, I might

Ski Column Rehash
With ski season fast approaching I thought I'd re-run last winters ski columns. Enjoy.“Boots, skis, poles- everyone got their pass?” that is the conversation as we load up the truck for our first day of skiing as a family. It is always a mad scramble, do we have everything? Do the kids boots fit? Ooops, forgot to put on a summer coat of storage wax, that’s ok we’ll ski off the rust. Where are the poles? Helmets, check- what the heck happened to that pair of goggles? There is one ski sock- that doesn’t really help. Looking at my wife- remember when we just had to keep track of our own gear?That first trip is hectic, and that is just trying to get