Fortress Mountain Is Back!

A few years ago I had the opportunity to stay at Fortress Mountain in
the Rockies (about an hour/hour and a half outside of Calgary). While I
didn’t get to ski or ride, I was impressed by the accomodations, staff
and general terrain. I always thought I would one day make it back to
Fortress for some riding, but [...]

This Blog & First Turns

Over the past seven days or so the blog has really started to pick up in terms of attention and readership. That’s great news, and I’m happy to welcome everyone stopping by. But it also made me realize something pretty funny: I’ve got nothing on most other blogs when it comes to the terrain discussed on a daily basis.



Most of the readers and links coming to this blog are from serious riders in serious locales; places with real mountains. These are places I get to hit maybe twice a year. The rest of the time I’m in Ontario, hitting hills that are comparatively tiny. Woohoo! 700 foot, 45 second run. And all of a sudden… you’re back in line at the lift again. So this report has nothing on real locales…

Finally… Snow In Ontario

It looks like we’re starting to see some action in Southern Ontario. A
big storm is rolling through, dumping 10 to 30cm on the region.
So far I can locate one resort that is opening. Horseshoe Valley says it has one lift and two runs open, and could have more open tomorrow!

Everyone’s Open, Except In Southern Ontario.

The more I look around, the more I feel like I live next to the only
ski resorts in North America not yet open. Tremblant is open.
Saint-Saveur is open. And Whistler is planning to open more terrain
earlier than ever before this weekend.
And me?
I’m in Southern Ontario, waiting for anything to open.
Southern Ontario is a funny place [...]

Vail: Best Opening in 20 Years

According to this Aspen Times article, Friday’s opening day in Vail was one of the best in, well, a long time.

Snow Returns to Southern Ontario

It’s been snowing a bit in Southern Ontario the past few days, although
not much is sticking to the ground. Our friends in Western New York,
however, are getting a lot - in fact, Buffalo got it’s first real dump
a couple of weeks ago. This means some upstate NY resorts are planning
to open soon. Holiday Valley says [...]

Google Map Ski/Snowboard Mashups

Google Maps Mania has an entry
about a couple of tools that use the Google Maps API to display North
American resorts that are open/how conditions are looking. Kind of
neat, if not slightly limited in how many resorts are listed.

More Whistler Action

Whistler Blackcomb’s front page has a new video of people enjoying the snow on Blackcomb. Lucky jerks.

My Destinations That Aren’t Whistler or Vermont

… there will be many other riding destinations this winter (or that’s
the plan, anyway). Some are good, some are decent, and some don’t
qualify as anything beyond a hill.
They are, in no particular order:
Mount St. Louis Moonstone:
The “Mount” in this name is misleading. The vertical of the hill is 750
feet or so. I did a fair [...]

Bad Lieutenant!

So last night I purchased the Bad Lieutenant snowboard helmet. I have to admit, it’s pretty badass:

“Yes, SIR! Reporting for duty, SIR!”

Getting
the hlemet was step one in picking up some park riding skills. With the
badass camo and removable ear flaps, I think I’m set. Now all I have to
do is, um, learn how to manouver [...]