03/10/2021
| By Snowsports Journalist Daniel Gibson |
A fun, new, short film I ran across online, the Solomon-produced 12-minute documentary titled “The Chairlift,” got me thinking about these mechanical devices that are so essential to downhill skiing as we know it.
While self-powered backcountry skiing is growing by leaps and bounds, almost every skier or snowboarder first stoked their snow passions by riding chairlifts and skiing within developed areas. It is probably the single greatest invention related to skiing, and did more to popularize the sport than any other development.
James Curran created the first at Sun Valley, Idaho, for the 1936–37 season with financing by Averell Harriman, the former governor of New York. Curran, who never skied, was an engineer with Union Pacific Railroad, which then owned the fledgling ski area. The single-seaters were modified from banana conveyor systems built to load cargo ships in the tropics. The basic design remains in effect tod
03/04/2021
| By Snowsports Journalist Daniel Gibson | See current ski conditions after this story |
This week we take a brief look at another key function of ski areas that largely goes unnoticed by skiers, but plays a huge role in how good or bad the experience on the slopes is. As with snow grooming, making manmade snow is an activity carried on largely at night and thus out of sight. None in New Mexico do it more, and better, than the crew at Taos Ski Valley, led by Tommy Murray, snow surfaces manager. Here’s a brief look at the process, plus details on current conditions.
Snow Trax 14 | Taos Ski Valley Snow Groomer | Current Conditions santafe.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from santafe.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
12/30/2020
| By Snowsports Journalist Daniel Gibson |
Learn why having the right boot for you is essential, then read on for conditions snow current as of Dec. 30, 2020. |
Most experienced skiers and snowboarders know the answer to this question but its response bears repeating: What is your single most important piece of equipment in terms of performance?
If you said high-quality skies or snowboard, or bindings, you’d be wrong. Great execution of turns on all types of snow begins with good boots.
I’ve been on my pair for probably a decade or more, and they’d long outlived their intended lifespan, but I’ve resisted getting a new pair because they are so comfortable, they seem to work quite well still, and new boots are not cheap.
| Read all about Wolf Creek and Pagosa Springs, then get current regional ski conditions. |
By Daniel Gibson |
Count me among the most fortunate of in our corner of the world, as I just returned from a ski outing to Wolf Creek and the charming town of Pagosa Springs, Colorado.
On the drive north, we entered the white realm as we reached the higher elevations near Chama, after climbing out of the stunning orange, yellow, and tan sandstone cliff and mesa country around Abiquiu. The land lay locked under a blanket of white, with frosted trees, rivers slipping silently beneath mantles of ice, and homes burdened with snow piled high on their roofs.