50th WorldCup Win!

Congratulations Lyndsey on your 50th World Cup win! The amazing U.S. downhiller grabbed this honor World Cup race at GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany on Feb 4th. Others who have this honor are:  Annemarie Moser-Proell of Austria (62) and Vreni Schneider of Switzerland (55), and of the men: Ingemar Stenmark of Sweden (86), Hermann Maier of Austria (54) and Alberto Tomba of Italy (50) (according to the Winnepeg Free Press, 2/4/12 and the Associated Press.  Boy do I miss Stenmark and Tomba!

We'll miss you, Sarah, and you will always be an inspiration.

I read in the Huffington Post that “Shortly after Burke’s passing, her family opened up a website to accept donations to help defray the substantial medical bills accrued during her hospital stay. According to the Los Angeles Times, the goal is to raise $550,000 to cover the medical costs. Huffington Post, 1/21/2012.”

This website http://www2.giveforward.com/sarahburke.html currently says that “enough money has already been raised and that future donations will go toward post-hospital arrangements such as services and memorial costs and to establish a foundation to honor Sarah’s legacy and promote the ideals she valued and embodied.”

Bode Miller, Risktaker

Bode Miller and Lindsey Vonn had tremendous World Cup wins! Lindsey in Lake Louise and Bode won at Beaver Creek at the Birds of Prey downhill, Friday Dec. 2! Bode took big risks to finish the run in one minute 43.82 seconds. News articles say his poles were flying in all directions in Bode’s classic ski-with-reckless-abandon style. Finding a video of his run is challenging today, but I’m sure we’ll find it soon. Lindsey’s going through tough times and split from her husband and believe me, it’s so hard to focus when personal tragedy hits. Lindsey finished in 1 minute, 53.19 seconds, beating Liechtenstein’s Tina Weirather by 1.95 seconds. This is the largest victory margin in Vonn’s downhill career. Lake Louise is one of Lindsey’s favorite resorts and she described it as “peaceful and amazing.” We’re glad she finds some peace in her turmoil. I love it when our passions serve to keep us whole. Lindsey’s fans are thoroughly behind her. Go girl!

A Skier's Prayer of Thanks

Skiers give thanks for many of the same things others enjoy…..the love of family, the rewards of hard work, health, well-being, and the sun coming up in the morning. But for skiers like us, giving thanks for the joy of snow, the shush our skis make in a carved turn, the coming of a cold winter that makes the snow pack hard and fast, the awesome mountains that challenge us….. these blessings are also salve for the pain of family connections lost, health failing, loss of a job or vocation, or just aging. So we thank the Giver of all that is winter, all that is swift and invigorating and steep. Visit skitales.com/tales.html to read “A Skier’s Prayer of Thanks.”

Our condolences to Jamie’s family and friends.  He’s a legend.

A welcome site for skiers

Despite the inconvenience of the loss of power….now we know why we no longer go camping….the fresh foot of snow for Halloween brought wide smiles to skiers everywhere.  If I could ski off my deck, pictured here, I would have!
According to snocountry.com, Wolf Creek, Colorado seems to have every other resort beat with a 43″-54″ packed powder base already and all 77 trails open. Breckenridge, Copper and Keystone all boast about 18″-22″ bases but with fewer than 10 trails open each.  Then there’s our own east coast marvel, Killington, VT with 4 trails open on a 20″-24″ base.  Amazing!

It’s snowing in Colorado today and I’m thinking….GO WEST. As luck would have it our businesses are keeping us grounded here in the northeast, but that’s ok.  We can plan an early ski trip in the east and hopefully the good snow fortune of the west will travel this way before Thanksgiving.  We’re thinking about a long weekend or mid-week at Okemo.  Any ideas from you slopesters out there?  We’re open to suggestions.  Where are you all skiing this year?