July 4th Skiing at Kirkwood!
Lift access for skiing/riding will be available this Fourth of July Weekend! Skiers/riders will access the snow of Thunder Saddle, the Wall, and Sentinel Bowl by hiking along ridges (over dirt) before descent. Hiking shoes are recommended. Be ready for expert terrain (obstacles will exist; no beginner or intermediate runs available). The ridge hike from the top of Chair 6 to the Wall is about 35 minutes. At snow’s end, click out and walk 10 minutes back to the base of Chair 6. Sentinel Bowl is a 15 minute walk from the top of “6″ with a 10 minute walk at the bottom. Round trip runs: 35 to 60 minutes.

The corn seems to be setting up nicely in the late afternoon the past few days. I think it is actually better now after the rain we received over the past week. Skins were sliding too much so I ended up boot packing up the steeper sections but man, there is nothing like skiing on a warm sunny afternoon with the view of Lake Tahoe in the background.

Squaw Valley and the entire Freeskiing community suffers a devastating loss as news of 29 year old Pro Freeskier Arne Backstrom’s death begins to spread. Early reports state that Arne passed away yesterday after a big mountain skiing accident in the Pisco Peak region of Peru, South America.

Although the Backstrom name has been ingrained in steep and deep lovers minds for many years now thanks to his sister Ingrid; Arne was a relatively unknown name in the ski industry until the past year. With only 1 year on the USFS circuit, Arne seemed to effortlessly dominate the Freeskiing World Tour this past season clinching the overall #1 spot on the tour by edging out veteran Griffin Post by 1 point. He stepped up event after event capturing several wins on the tour this year including Revelstoke, the coveted Sickbird award and the first ever McConkey Cup.

It is always tragic when such a great talent passes away at such a young age and I personally can only take comfort in the thought that his passion and presence will live on in the hearts and minds of those who have shared it. Thoughts and prayers go out to the Backstrom family.

Traditionally, Lake Tahoe and the Eastern Sierras offer some of the best spring skiing in the world with warm days and enough corn to make Orville Redenbacher take notice. This season is no different. In fact even with the rain that the Sierras is receiving presently, several of the resorts – technically closed, still are serving up runs with plenty of coverage from the top of the peak to the valley floor.

If you haven’t started earning your turns, maybe now is the time to start. All you need is a little gear and a fierce attitude for getting out and enjoying life!

Here is the setup I use….

Alpine Trekkers
I have tried nearly every Alpine Touring binding on the market and still keep coming back to the Alpine Trekker. A simple one size fits all device that has not changed in design in over 20 years, it is a bulletproof solution that is stable on steeper grades and minimizes lateral torsion. You can pick up a pair for $100 bucks.

G3 Skins
Skins allow you to go uphill on your skis without sliding backwards. The technology although revised with synthetic fibers and cements is actually centuries old. Your neanderthal cousins probably fashioned them out of woolly mammoth fur and tendons. The G3 skins are more flexible than the Black Diamond counterparts and I like them cause I can fold them down and stuff them in my jacket pocket instead of carrying a pack on short hikes.

Adjustable Flintlock Poles by Black Diamond
The advantage of these poles is the fact that they are quickly and easily adjustable and light even though they utilize about twice as much metal as a traditional ski pole. The grips are also made of a soft rubber material which is great for hiking… They also come with a cool self arrest whipit attachment for scaling the gnar!

Garmont Alpine Touring Boots
Although my AT boots are several years old they are bomber and I can not imagine hiking in anything else. The benifit of AT boots is a lower cut, lighter shell with lock out walking feature that enables the boot to flex far easier than a traditional ski boot. I have replaced nearly every screw on them, the Viabram soles, and burned through two sets of liners, but they still keep on rocking!

The last thing you will need is a bomber pair of rock skis… something you don’t mind banging up a little. I use an old pair of Volkl Gotamas which I love to ski on. They are super durable, wide enough to get into the pow and not too heavy to lug up the hill.

It’s always important to consider safety first, so be sure to carry a beacon, probe and shovel and try and always use the buddy system or let folks know when your headed out into backcountry. Avalanche training is also a good idea. Numerous courses are publicly available for beginners and advanced adventurers alike.

So now you know what you need, be sure and check out my Map of Lake Tahoe and Eastern Sierra Backcountry Destinations. See ya out there!

2010 Results:
Unlimited: Dan Hurley
Women’s Ski: Katherine Lange
Women’s Snowboard: Iris Lazzareschi
Most Creative: Derek Brown
Men’s Snowboard: Spencer Cordovan
Overall Winner and Skinny Ski Winner: Kyle Crezee

via: unofficialsquaw

I took a practical approach and began to analyze how one’s life might be augmented from which route we take to get to work, to where the best deal on bananas is within my daily route, to letting me know that I should leave now to get to the train station because it is about to rain. The thing is, these seem like minor things in our daily lives, but in reality they can make a big difference in ones daily outlook and pocket book for that matter. Like the proverbial butterfly flapping its wings to create a tsunami, the occurrences that typically weigh the heaviest on our psyche are often the most trivial.

By example, I live on the west shore of Lake Tahoe and drove to Reno about a week ago (about 1hr drive) to purchase a motherboard for my computer that I had seen on Best Buy’s website. I needed it right then as I was trying to finish a project. It was on sale and was one of the only places I knew would have these types of computer parts. When I got there, they informed me I had to order it online. Bummer, I thought. On the way home, I stopped to get gas; I filled my tank at $3.40/gallon. The very next exit, a station had a special – $2.80/gallon. On my way home I stopped at the grocery store (Truckee Safeway) and bought a watermelon $5.00/each and some fried chicken (3 pieces $5.02). I actually stopped again in Tahoe City at the Save Mart to grab a six pack of beer and noticed they had an 8 piece fried chicken deal for $4.00 and the same watermelon was only $2.50. I paid over double that. I felt like the world was totally against me that day and most people I know would consider this “bad luck”.

What if a “Sherlock” had been there to look out for me and help me out? …to let me know that Best Buy would not have my mother board and to let me know which stores on my way home had better deals on the products that I needed. Far fetched? I think not!

Data mining has been done for over a decade now, recording buying habits, geographic information, demographic information, etc… and artificial intelligence is making it’s way into your daily lives whether you realize it or not. Combined with user interfaces like the “Neighborhoodie” and the capabilities of mobile applications on today’s market, I have to say traditional marketing as we know it, is about to get shaken up.

If you don’t believe me, all you have to do is take a closer look at companies like AdMob (going the way of Google), Ad ME, and Zynga (recently stated as being worth $400 billion) to understand that there are huge players taking fresh approaches to marketing through online gaming, artificial intelligence and social networking on mobile devices.

Truth be told, marketing and advertising alike has always been about diversity and getting the brand or product in front of peoples faces… those aspects are probably not going to change, but how they go about it just might. I am talking about a more intuitive marketing strategy where you let the customer market to themselves. What do I mean when I say “market to themselves”? Well just that… focusing on the customers needs and presenting them with helpful recommendations that market useful products that will integrate directly into the here and now of their daily lives.

What I am proposing is combining an interface device such as the “Neighborhoodie” with the localized data gathering capabilities of a smart phone service which could automatically log data via GPS routes, SMS messages, social applications and by analyzing data based on your buying habits, make recommendations about likes in fashion, cuisine, activities and more. A user could control the level of their lives they want to share, and even be proactive by setting up searches and keywords such as a particular store they frequent or product they purchase.

So where does the “Neighborhoodie” come in? It’s true almost all the previously mentioned functionality could be done with just the use of a smart phone, but by integrating the proximity and biometric sensors available in smart clothing already and a bluetooth headset into the hoodie, you would effectively have a way of reading everything from your bio-rhythms and emotional responses to environmental variables, personal encounters and can learn through measurable responses to stimuli. You could provide a second level of more personalized and tailored assistance and intuitiveness to your daily life. Weather changes, impulsive sales pitches that you will respond to, and smart interaction with handsets add up to essentially a personalized assistant that is only there when you want or need them.

Just imagine walking through the grocery and not only being alerted that products that you normally purchase are on sale, but also having an virtual assistant to go search for and aggregate the store’s mobile coupons on your phone for the products you are actually purchasing today as well! Recommendations for new recipes based on foods you have purchased such as Chicken Kiev or Chicken Satay might be playing along with side dish recommendations. It is a win/win experience for both the store and it’s customers.

Companies like Cellfire and Mobiqpons are already delivering mobile coupons. – Image courtesy: NYTimes

The way I see it, it is not a matter of if, it is a matter of when… as the issue is not with the technology or human interaction or even artificial intelligence, it is truly with getting the people who market on board to share and update their data. That will come along shortly after analytical data illustrates profit. Issues also exist with educating end-users regarding their concern over privacy. The have to understand that this does not necessarily open them up to be “taken advantage of”. They need to understand quite the contrary in fact, that they are the ones that shall receive the advantage.

The Neighborhoodie

A team of designers formed at the Canadian Film Centre, Interactive Arts and Entertainment Program, Kathleen Climie, Rose Bianchini and David McCallum created the ‘Neighborhoodie’, a hoodie that combines the fun and dynamic of street games like ‘zombie tag’ with the technological experience space young people grow up today of online or computer games.

Integrated into the hoodie is a system of proximity sensors, speakers and lights to augment game play.

The Wii gaming system made a first step to get people out of the couch and become again more physical engaged while playing games. The ‘Neighborhoodie’ has the potential to motivate us to leaving not only the couch but the house by playing hybrid games that partly happen in the real world and partly in our all important virtual world.

Helmets are no new thing in the sport. They were popularized a while back by young halfpipe riders like Abe Teter, made “cool” by Superpipe star Shaun White, and are now even required for entrance into top-tier terrain parks, like Whistler Blackcomb’s “Highest Level” area. Anyone that’s been on the slopes for a few years now will agree that helmet use is on the rise. And this is more than mere observation, as a National Ski Areas Association survey reports 48 percent of all skiers and snowboarders wore helmets during the 2007-08 season; compared to 25 percent during the 2002- 2003 season.

One of the two helmet laws being proposed would make resorts responsible for enforcement. And while only a numbskull would argue that helmets are a bad idea, this stipulation is ruffling some feathers. Confirming that everyone who drops into a terrain park has a helmet on is one thing, but trying to enforce the proposed law across an entire resort is a task that critics say is basically impossible, and one that opens resorts to litigation.

“That is the heart of the issue — we cannot be policemen,” says Bob Roberts, the Executive Director of the California Ski Area Association, who added that the law in question would “open up endless opportunities for litigation.”

Roberts and the CSAA are backing a separate helmet measure, Senate Bill 80, which places the responsibility of enforcement on the parent.

“The statue that we are supporting is the same statute that is in place for skateboard helmets as well as bicycling helmets. It does not mandate enforcement on the part of a private establishment. If there was an injury, it would be the responsibility of the individual, and not the resort.”

Senate Bill 80 is up for Senate hearing on April 7th, and then would be off to the Governator’s desk. The counterpart bill that places helmet enforcement on ski resorts is much further behind in legislative process and likely won’t get to the Senate till next fall.

Roberts’ prediction: Well, Schwarzenegger is an Austrian — where the responsibility of skier safety falls largely on the individual — and an avid skier, so he suspects the Governor will support Senate Bill 80.

via: espn.com

As the wind whistled over the razor-sharp rock spires of Kirkwood’s Cirque, skiers readied their gear and nerves for the fifth stop of the Subaru Freeskiing World Tour. This is one of the most-respected steep skiing contests in the world and the venue at Kirkwood Mountain Resort has become notorious due to its steep, technical slopes and because it is permanently closed to the public.

Athletes scoping their line – photo: Ben Meester-MSI

The Cirque is a 1,500-vertical-foot wall of rock which resembles some of Alaska’s most aesthetic peaks. It has ski lines that get upwards of 60-degrees in slope angle which means that if you could somehow stand still on it, your extended elbow would touch the mountain.

As the competition got going last Thursday, Kirkwood received two feet of powder. Event organizers saved the most challenging section of the Cirque for Sunday’s final which guaranteed perfect conditions.

Men’s Podium: Aaron Schmidt, Dylan Crossman and Marc Welgos – photo: Ben Meester-MSI

Men’s winner, Dylan Crossman from Mad River Glen, Vermont attacked the Cirque with a smooth style and creative line choice. Combining guts with finesse, he threw a 360 spin in the middle of his run.

”After having stormy weather on day 1, I woke up in the morning and it was blue bird,” said Crossman. ”I knew I had to make a impressive and smooth run to make my way up from the third position to the first.”

Behind him, in second, was Aaron Schmidt of Fernie, British columbia, who also skied with the aggression and fluidity that the judges love to see. In third, was Marc Welgos of Aspen, Colorado, who skied an impressive and technical line.

Nick Greener – photo: Ben Meester-MSI

Bad weather moved in during the final heats and women’s winner Janina Kuzma from Treble Cone, New Zealand, considered altering her gameplan.

“I was going to change my line but I stuck with my guns, stayed on my feet and I’m really happy,” said Janina. She did an airplane-turn into a tight choke in one of the steepest sections of the Cirque called the ”Hidden Chute”. Her aggressiveness was further rewarded with the contest’s Backcountry.com Sickbird Award which honors the skier who most represents the sport’s heart and soul while ”going big’’. This is one of the few times a female has won the coveted trophy.

Janina Kuzma – photo: Julie Weinberger

Behind Kuzma, going home with the second place, was Angel Collinson, of Snowbird, Utah, a rookie on the Subaru Freeskiing World Tour and in third place was Crystal-Rose Lee, of Whistler, British Columbia.

Janina Kuzma one of the only women who ever won The Backcountry.com Sickbird Award – photo: Ben Meester-MSI

The Freeskiing World Tour also presents The North Face Young Gun Award to a young competitor who shows promise and performs well. This weekend’s winner was Caleb Brown from Fernie, British Columbia, who qualified in 2nd position and finished 5th in the final.

Hundreds of spectators gathered at the bottom of the natural amphitheater which afforded awesome views of the incredible skiing taking place up above. People arrived on skis or by snowcat and there was an air of festival. Until the weather moved in at the end, it was a massive California sun picnic. Between heats, long time tour competitor Ted Davenport thrilled the crowd by ski-parasailing from the peak and sliding to a stop in the finish area.

Thousands tuned in sunday to watch the final round of The Subaru North American Freeskiing Championships LIVE on www.freeskiingworldtour.com. For a complete results, photos, videos, athlete profiles and more, please visit www.freeskiingworldtour.com.

After the famed Cirque at Kirkwood, California, the Subaru FWT continues to the legendary steeps of Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort. Long known as the premier venue on the Subaru FWT, Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort will host the 2010 Subaru Freeskiing World Championships, with the tour leaders battling for top positions in the final runs of the year down the infamous North Baldy.

The 2010 Subaru Freeskiing World Tour is supported by Subaru of America, The North Face, Sierra Nevada Co., Powder Magazine, Siege Audio, Mountain Sports International, Sportsinsurance.com, Guilt Man, Ski La Parva, Revelstoke Mountain Resort, Telluride Ski Resort, Crested Butte Mountain Resort, Kirkwood Mountain Resort, and Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort.

Kirkwood Day 1

Dylan Crossman – Winning Run

via: dogolition

For one, we always seem to get snowstorms about the same time of year in the late fall. One will come between Oct 1 – 15 and one around Thanksgiving. Then we usually get a big storm around Christmas and New Years, and then a couple in February, March, and April. The first storm I experienced after moving to Tahoe was over Thanksgiving in 2001. It snowed for three days without stopping. I remember I was living in Squaw Valley at the time and shoveled off my entire deck only to see it covered again with a foot of fresh snow in no less than an hour after finishing. I remember feeling seriously concerned that it was not going to stop snowing. That soon passed and I became quite custom to the bountiful precipitation. That year I remember it snowed about 6″ to 12″ every other day in December and late March and April deposited 3 five foot or better storms.

In the short time I have lived here I have also become well acquainted with as they say in Mexico, “El Niño”. The El Niño meaning the boy in spanish, in weather terms is an effect that occurs in the Pacific Ocean where it the water temperature measures .5 degrees Celsius warmer than average, when it’s .5 degrees colder, it’s La Nina. El Niño causes effects all over the world, but here it works to pull the jet stream further to the south drawing cold air and precipitation that would normally be hitting the Canadian coast down to the western United States… and Tahoe!

For years I have had speculation that El Niño occurs roughly every 10 years or so, but nobody has ever been able to offer any scientific proof… at least to me. So I have been speculating that one could theoretically predict what years would be good snow years by looking at three different aspects.

1. previous years with low temps
2. previous years with high precipitation
3. previous El Niño years

I am no Nostradamus, but I do understand one thing, history repeats itself and in my years of experience in the world of technology, the term algorithm has danced off the tip of my tongue more than once or twice. So this is my thought, “If you create an algorithm of the 3 aspects based on weather history and create a data map of likely future occurrences where all three match up, and then cross reference real-time weather patterns, you could effectively create a El Niño alert. So that is what I have set out to do. And I am gonna do it with an App!

Check back each month for updates to this multi-part blog “El Niño – Building Smart Mobile Apps for Your Own Pleasure” where I will cover the different aspects of designing a weather app from data research to design to user experience.

*NOTE – POSTPONED*
I smashed my hand in a mixer and can’t use the computer. I will follow up with this when I get a chance…

It was a beautiful day all in all. I kind of expected to run into a little more snow at the top, but there was only a few small patches that even ran 7″ deep. I took some pinhole pics along with the digital ones below. I will post them once I get the film developed.