Vermont-- where is the snow?

Boy there’s a lot of snowmaking going on lately! Seems like the ski resorts are opening new terrain every few days or — in some cases — every day!

Stowe Mountain Resort reported that it set a new record: “We had over 130 snowguns running continuously this past weekend.” And I saw the snowguns in action on the petite Cochran’s ski area this weekend.

All the ski resorts are talking up their snowmaking “firepower” and respect for their hard-working snowmaking teams. (A downright chilly job if you ask me! Thank you snowmakers!)Making snow high atop Smugglers' Notch ski resort in Vermont

In addition, with school vacations coming right up, there are three smaller ski areas in Vermont poised to open for the season this week.

Suicide Six plans to open December 22
Cochran's Ski Area plans to open December 23
Magic Mountain plans to open December 24

Meanwhile, Northeast Slopes plans to open January 7 and Mad River Glen, which relies heavily on natural snowfall, will open as soon as conditions allow.

We’re doing a snowdance with hopes that enough natural snow will fall to get some nordic ski areas open around where we live in northern Vermont. I want to get out on my skinny skis!

All the nordic centers in the state hope to open ASAP with the exception of Craftsbury Outdoor Center, which has been open with limited terrain. Craftsbury’s been making snow and they hosted ski racing this past weekend. The nordic centers at Trapp Family Lodge and Mountaintop Inn also have the benefit of making snow, so we hope to see some cross-country trails open there soon, as well.

The wait is over. The battles with rainy weather have been fought, the challenges with warm temps conquered and on the other side, eastern resorts have come out on top.

Thanks to some recent cool-headedness on Mother Nature's behalf, full-bore snowmaking efforts and even some real snow have managed to turn a number of ski areas throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic a more seasonal shade of white. The fresh snow on the ground has prompted a string of new openings for weekend warriors.

While condtions are still in their preseason state and beginner terrain is limited, there are miles of new turns to be carved and countless more smiles to be worn. With cold temps expected to linger, snowmakers will be taking advantage of every opportunity to increase base depth and pump out new layers of white for their daily visitors.

Here's the list of new resorts that will be open and opening this weekend:

Friday, December 9:
Snowshoe Mountain Resort, WV

Saturday, December 10:
Hunter Mountain, NY
Mount Snow, VT
Appalachian, NC
Cataloochee, NC -- TUBING ONLY
Hidden Valley, PA
Mont Blanc, Québec, CA
Le Massif, Québec, CA

Sunday, December 11:
Mount Sunapee, NH
Bromley Mountain, VT

More resorts across the region are expected to open within the week as snowmaking continues in full force. Enjoy.

The Air Up There

Rules, rules, what are the current excess baggage rules? Here are some tips to get you and your skis or snowboard on that next flight.

If you’re traveling with winter sports equipment and have a soft shell bag, chances are the airline you are traveling with will want you to sign a liability agreement that absolves them of any damage done to the contents of your bag. How can you mitigate damage without dropping a wad of cash on a hard shell case? One idea is to wrap your equipment with your ski clothing. Pay particular attention to covering the bindings. Ski poles can also break easily, so strapping them alongside your skis will help get them thru the transport process. Be careful not to exceed 50 lbs, or excess baggage fees may apply, depending on the airline.

As your bulkiest items are now in your equipment bag, you can use a smaller bag or suitcase for the rest of your items. To avoid paying anything extra in weight on that suitcase, take your ski or snowboard boots on the plane with you as carry on, if you haven’t already packed them in your equipment bag. The added benefit to carrying your boots on, if your other luggage doesn’t arrive when you do, at least you have the one item with you that would be the least comfortable to rent.

It would be nearly impossible to go on a ski or snowboard trip with just one bag, unless you were renting equipment at your destination. So keep in mind that if you have two bags to check, you may want to fly with an airline like Southwest, who is currently not charging baggage fees (unlike all the other airlines). Sending your luggage ahead of you is typically pricey, so you may want to compare those prices with the baggage fees ahead of time.

This year the airlines fees for baggage in general have been changing so frequently, even travel agents can’t keep up with them. If the experts can’t, how is anyone else supposed to? If you’re one of the lucky ones flying to a destination with your ski or snowboard gear, your best bet is to check the website of airline you are flying.

Top Tech Gear For Skiers and Snwoboarders

Do you remember when technology on the slopes meant a walkman or a two-channel walkie-talkie? Well times have changed, and with the advent of smart phones, affordable GPS and MP3 players, skiers and riders are enhancing their days on the mountain with all types of gadgetry. Below we detail the latest and greatest to help you get the most out of your day on the hill.

GoProHero2
GoPro HD Hero2
gopro.com
$300

In 2009, GoPro changed the helmet-cam game when they released the original HD Hero. With last month's release of the HD Hero2, GoPro has raised the bar ever higher. This new helmet cam has a two-times-faster processor than the original, shoots 1080p HD video and 11 megapixel photos. The HD Hero2 is also compatible with GoPro's Wi-Fi BacPac, allowing you to instantly stream your footage to your peeps.



skull_candy_aviator_black
2011 Skullcandy Roc Nation Aviator
skullcandy.com
$150

Since the first generation of iPods hit shelves, mp3 players have been in the pockets of skiers and riders around the world. Chances are the wire snaking out of those pockets leads to a set of Skullcandy headphones—the preferred on-mountain headphones because of their sound quality, durability and comfort. While you're more likely to find Jay-Z poppin' bottles at the Little Nell than hiking Highland Bowl, you can now "Roc" his headphones on the mountain. The Roc Nation Aviators feature platinum sound performance, a stashable travel design and slick optics-inspired speaker housings.



Suunto_Core_Extreme_Silver
Suunto Core Extreme Edition
suunto.com
$300

Remember when a watch with a calculator was high tech? At that time, a watch with an altimeter, barometer, compass and depth meter would have had to have come from Q's lab made especially for James Bond. Today, you don't have to be 007 to sport a watch with all of those features. Suunto conceived the Core Extreme Edition to give you a watch that tracks ascent and descent rates up to 29,500 feet with an altimeter, helps predict weather trends with a barometer and has a digital compass that allows you to sight lock and follow a bearing.



Olympus Tough Camera
Olympus Tough TG-810
olympusamerica.com
$400

Olympus made the most-burly "point and shoot" camera on the market explicitly for outdoor enthusiasts. The bomber Tough TG-810 is waterproof to 33 feet, shockproof enough to withstand nearly a seven foot drop, freezeproof to 14 degrees and crushproof enough to withstand 220 pounds of pressure. If that's not enough, it shoots 3D photos and 720p HD movies, has 14 megapixel image quality, a 5x wide angle optical zoom, a three inch LCD screen and built in GPS to landmark exactly where you yard-saled below that 20-foot cliff.



ski report
Ski Report App
apple.com or android.com
FREE

We almost forget the coolest thing you can do on your iPhone 4S (or Android phone)... check out the latest snow conditions from the OnTheSnow Ski Report App (please excuse the shameless plug). Not only does OTS's new app give you useful info like conditions, cams, stats and forecasts from resorts all over the world, it also provides first-hand data from skiers and riders that have skied those mountains. Post a comment from the chair after an epic run, pushing peeps to the other side of the mountain and away from your pow stash.

The Lotus boot

The ideal for this comfortable boot would be to add an additional Boa that tightens the heel area for a better overall fit.

The Lotus boot is stiffer at first but has a really soft, comfortable liner and breaks in easily. The cushion under the heel sort of squishes when you walk, which is great because it absorbs impact. Looks-wise, they are gorgeous. The royal purple with a near-electric turquoise color, combined with a very subtle outside pattern (looks like flower petals) is all very attractive and I got several comments about them.

The boot is not heavy and tightens with a Boa system instead of laces. A single Boa is responsible for tightening the entire boot from a wheel at the calf, rather than a double Boa that allows for tightening the general boot/ upper level and the heel/ lower half. The challenge with these boots is that with only one Boa I am limited in how precise I can be in pressure management, especially around my ankles. Though the boot is very well crafted, provides support through ample cushion in the heels/ liner, and has inner laces, it is hard to get a specific fit around the heels. What this means is that I am fine walking around, but riding hard all day long every day without the heel restraint sometimes makes my toes shove up into the front of the boot more than is normal. However, my suggestion would be to not discredit this boot and to actually try them on and see how they fit to your specific foot. At the expense of not getting a more tailored fit, you do get a really quick on and off boot and in the interest of convenience, I really like how easy it is! It is great to not deal with laces, and it is such a quick tightening process while on the hill.

HELMET LAW in NJ

Back in April, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie signed a law requiring all youths under age 18 to wear a helmet while skiing or riding at the state's ski areas. As of this month the new law has taken effect and those who fail to wear helmets this season could face a $25 fine for the first violation and $100 fines for any subsequent offenses.
New Jersey is the first state in the country to pass the statewide helmet requirement. While enforcement lies in the hands of parents and guardians, officials at Mountain Creek, Campgaw and Hidden Valley Club will undoubtedly be increasing their watch for misbegotten melons.

These days the helmet battle is one that has the majority on its side. They're lighter, more comfortable and just plain cooler than ever before. A recent study by the NSAA (National Ski Areas Association) found that 74 percent of children 17 and younger are wearing helmets and some 60 percent of all skiers and riders are wearing them.

In all reality, the largest complaints will come from those teens whose egos, or hair-dos for that matter, can't find a helmet to fit into. But unless they want to keep forking their allowance over to the state, the law should see little resistance and it likely won't be long before other states follow suit.

ARE YOUR LEGS READY

Most of us skiers and riders are just as active or more in the summer months as we are in the winter months. We feel fall creep in, the temperatures drop, and the excitement of the season makes us yearn for that first day back on the slopes.
Let's not forget we need to get fit in order to feel good on snow. Mountain and road biking, hiking, and trail running may have our conditioning levels high, but when it comes to firing up those ski/ride legs, nothing can do it quite like being on snow. That's why we need to do exercises that will mimic skiing and riding as closely as possible.
Personal trainers are proving we can do just as much or more outside of the gym in order to attain our fitness goals. The natural elements of the outdoors provide an added challenge - and fun -- to workouts. Focus on some of these tips next time you're out hiking, walking, or running errands.
Add lunges to your steps as you hike or walk. Bring your bending leg out far enough so your knee will not pass your toes when you lunge. Lower slowly and controlled to 90 degrees or just above and push off evenly from both feet as you rise forward back to standing. Keep your back straight, your hands on your hips, chest out and shoulders pushing back and downward.
Be extra conscious of the way your quadriceps and hamstrings are engaging as you descend from your hike. Focus on the legs lowering you down against gravity. This is as close to the gravity relationship with skiing/riding as you're going to get. Make sure your feet are landing straight in front of you, your heel striking first followed by your toes. This will activate your ankles, shin, and calf muscles.
Choose to walk or take the stairs on your next urban outing. Parking farther away from the store will save your car doors from dings while engaging your leg muscles. The stairs always will benefit you over the elevator.
Be conscious of your foot placement and muscle engagement with every step you take, just like with lunges,. Make your hamstrings work with your quadriceps while lifting you from stair to stair. Keep the knee behind the foot and the foot pointing straight ahead. Skip a stair for an extra challenge while keeping the same focus in mind.
You train your brain how to engage a group of muscles to work together by being aware of your alignment during daily routines. These simple tips with help prepare your body for the challenge you'll be putting it through the first days back on snow.