Powder Addiction Snow Cat Skiing Video

Posted on February 28, 2011 by Chris

Back Country Cat Skiing Winter Park, Colorado

We here at Winter Park Lodging Company were able to finally get out and take our first, this year, snow cat skiing trip with Powder Addiction. Some very fun skiing and we had great weather and snow conditions. The trip was full with eleven guys and a gal with the cat driver and two powder guides. It was Winter Park local day at Powder Addiction.

It was almost everyones first trip cat skiing and there were some serious rippin’ skiers and boarders for all being newbies. The guides were Greg, Hogo with Mr. Adam Burke taking the control of the snow cat. I didn’t get all the names of the ski crew but I know I was there with, Pam, Nigel, Dave (dt), Paul, Pete birthday boy), Ryan, CW and Jeremy. I think we did about ten runs and we were all pretty worked at the end of the day. As I said it was a great day of skiing.

Tee above video was shot with the Contour HD 1080p helmet cam. The compression that You Tube does doesn’t do the quality of footage justice. Anywho, take a watch of the ski video I hope it gets you psyched to do some skiing. Most of the footage in the video is shot on the lower half of Jones Pass as I think tree skiing come across a little better on video. Artists on the video are Sun 60, X, Jesus and the Mary Chain and The Sugarcubes.

If you have not been Cat Skiing or haven’t been up to Jones Pass with Powder Addiction you are missing out. Just an hour drive from Denver this is some of the best skiing to be found in all of Colorado. As Warren Miller says” if you don’t do it this year, you will just be another year older when you do”.

Mary Jane Powder Skiing – Pine Cliffs

Posted on December 23, 2010 by Chris

Winter Park Resort Powder Skiing Video

Man, have we had the snow up here at Winter Park and Mary Jane. The Pineapple Express moisture pattern has dropped a bunch of snow on us here in the Colorado Rockies. Winter Park Resort’s snow totals for the year are above 125 inches and Santa hasn’t even been around to hand out his presents to the little girls and boys (and where are my new skis, Kringle?) The snow looks like it will be flying pretty much all through the new year. Yeaaaaahhh La Niña!

The above video above was shot over at Mary Jane after ten inches of snow the day before and another seven dropped as we were skiing. It was a spectacular day of skiing with most of the usual suspect locals out trying to find their own little private stash of un-skied powder. As they say – “no friends on a powder day”. Well, that’s not entirely true as it should be - “not many friends on a powder day, they do slow you down.”

The Mary Jane runs were the Pine Cliffs between Golden Spike/Arrowhead and Sleeper. The second part are the cliffs that run to skiers right of the Challenger lift (not sure what they are called).

As you can see by the credits I was following Mr. Ed Raegner of Tabernash, CO until he got a phone call from his mom and had to stop and take the call (is there a rule about calls from mom on a powder day?). That is ZB all dolled up in his Winter Park Lodging Company garb to start out the video. Music is by Mick and the boys on Loving Cup and Davis Allen Coe’s Jack Daniel’s if You Please.

As Mick so perfectly says “What a beautiful buzz”, I don’t think powder skiing Mary Jane could be described any better.

What to Wear on Your Winter Park, CO Ski Trip

Posted on December 8, 2010 by Valarie

Nothing can ruin a great day on the slopes like being as cold as a freeze-pop. Believe me; I’ve learned the importance of dressing properly, as I’m usually hard to keep warm even when I’m not snowboarding. Jeans and cotton clothing are no longer part of the equation; plus, if you caught wearing jeans on the slopes these days, you may fall victim to snickering from the locals. Take a look at some some tips on what to wear on your ski trip to Winter Park.

Brrrrrrr. Stay warm to ski all day long.

HEAD, HANDS & FEET

Keep in mind that the biggest areas of the body that drain heat are the head, the hands and the feet. Keeping these areas warm is your biggest priority. For your head, wear a helmet. Wearing a helmet not only protects you from injury, but it keeps your body’s furnace nice and toasty.

WICKING AWAY FOR WARMTH

Probably the most important tip for staying warm is staying dry. Wicking materials such as wool and synthetic blends (like Under Armour) will keep moisture away from your skin, whereas cotton soaks up moisture that may eventually turn to ice on your body. Wicking materials keep you dryer, and therefore, much warmer. I personally love a great pair of thick wool socks or two thin pair of wool socks.

LOVE THE LAYERS

Rather than wearing your thickest knit sweater under your thickest winter coat, it’s recommended that you wear a couple of thin layers. A waterproof “shell” that goes over a fleece is great instead of a heavy coat. Under the fleece, wear a thin polyester shirt. You can then remove the fleece if you start to burn up and sweat too much. Long underwear made of a synthetic blend material are great under a waterproof pair of ski pants.

DRESS JUST A LITTLE COLD TO STAY WARM

Say hmmm? Think of it this way: if you’re already burning up in your ski attire before you even hit the lift, you’re going to sweat yourself into a shivering frenzy after you make a few runs. You want to be just a teeny bit cool outside before you start turning, so you’ll be perfectly warm after your body heat kicks up from exertion. If the weather is exceptionally cold or windy, you should be at just a comfortable temperature in your ski gear before hitting the slopes.

GLOVES OR MITTENS? THAT IS THE QUESTION…

No matter what, you need to cover your hands. A pair of waterproof gloves is good, but even better are mittens. Mittens keep your fingers together so they collectively keep each other warmer by sharing body heat. One of my biggest challenges in all my years of snowboarding was having cold hands, until I found a great pair of North Face mittens filled with down. I’ve never had cold hands on the slopes since.

FOR WINDY & SNOWY DAYS

Balaclavas. Face Masks. Scarves. Anything to protect your face from the wind and snow is a HUGE help, especially when you’re on the lift. A Balaclava is great because it has a built in face cover connected to a cap that you can tuck back in if you don’t need it anymore.

AHMs (ARTIFICIAL HEAT MAKERS)

You can pick up heat packets at most ski shops around town and the Safeway in Fraser. These little things heat up when you squeeze them and are great to stuff into your mittens or boots. You can even go all out and buy fancy equipment like jackets or pants with built in battery packs that heat up if you want, but be prepared to spend a pretty penny.

MORE TIPS

Consider getting a locker and storing some dry clothes if you get too sweaty and cold. Also be sure to PROTECT yourself from the elements. You need to wear goggles or sunglasses and sunscreen even if it’s not sunny. And water, water, water. We cannot stress the importance of staying hydrated at our high altitude. For tips on how to avoid high altitude sickness, click here.

NEED TO GET NEW STUFF? WHERE?

As you were reading this, you may have come up with a long list of things you need. It can really add up, can’t it? Fortunately, you can rent a ski jacket and ski pants from our partner Epic Mountain Sports. They have tons of stuff, from size 2 toddler to adult 6X. The price is $15 per day to rent a jacket or ski pants alone or $25 per day to rent both a ski jacket and pants. They rent helmets for $5 per day, too.

Epic Mountain Sports also has great deals on ski and snowboard rentals for our guests. Save 20% for ski rentals as low as $18 per day when you book online from our exclusive booking link. Also, as our VIP Partner, our guests get 15% off all regular-priced retail purchases when you present our VIP Guest Discount Card to them at the time of purchase.

Skiing Mary Jane at Winter Park Resort

Posted on November 24, 2010 by Chris

Winter Park Resort Bump Skiing from CHRIS BRADFORD on Vimeo.

The conditions have been amazing so far this year and another storm has been dropping lots of the fluffy white on Winter Park again. The roads up to Winter Park may e a little harry for this time of year but the skiing is absolutely divine. Most of Winter Park is open for the turkey day holiday and a good chunk of Mary Jane will also be available to all the Fraser Valley guests. Ms. little La Niña has been very good to Colorado especially all the resort in the Northern part of the state. It is looking lke this La Niña weather will be sending powdery quick storms through this area quite frequently this year.

Here is what Snowforecast.com is saying about the weather pattren this year:

A La Niña SST pattern (much stronger now) is here for the fall/ winter, through possibly the season following (through 2012). This usually means near to just above average snowfall for northern Colorado resorts and near to just below average snowfall for southern Colorado resorts.

We are way above average so far this year so lets hope the La Nina this year makes up El Nada (El Niño) of early season of last year.

The above video was shot on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving with an unexpected blue sky day and great snow conditions. The weather forcast was calling for more snow but the day was sunny with no wind but a little chilly at about ten degrees.

The runs being skied in the video are Golden Spike to what I call Upper Arrowhead. Great views and some steep rocky outcroppings that always has stashes of un-skied snow even on some of the busiest days shhhhhh…. don’t tell anybody. At the bottom of this run is what we call the “hero bumps”. Usually perfectly formed bumps with a near perfect fall line with a not to steep verticle makes for bumps that lets you ski like a “hero”.

Anywho, hope Y’all like the video and it gets the skiing juices pumping. If anyone can name the artist of the accompanying music there is a prize from Winter Park Lodging Company for you. Leave your answers in the comment section below.

Winter Park Resort Opens for Ski Season

Posted on November 18, 2010 by Chris

Winter Park Ski Area Opening

Winter Park Resort is now open. And what an opening it was. With 6.5 inches of fresh powder and 14 inches of snow in the last 24 hours this was the best snow conditions in Winter Park, Colorado in years. The hill was open from top to bottom at a little after noon. With haze in the morning and some low level clouds dropping the last of their snow the day took a turn and the sun was out for the first chair up the Zephyr lift for some early powder turns. Not to often do you get a powder on first chair of the season. Berthoud Pass was closed at 4PM the day before opening but opened at about 8AM just in time for those coming up from Denver to get their first day of turns.

So ski season is upon us and we are looking for this to be an epic snow year. A La Niña snow pattern is prevalent this year so we should be seeing quick wet storms that move in frequently drop a bunch of snow and move on over the plains. Winter Park and Mary Jane have lots of ski improvements this year and it should make for a great ski season.

The Mary Jane side of WP will open this Saturday for one of the earliest openings for Mary Jane ever. Not too shabby to be skiing Mary Jane before Thanksgiving is even here. Maybe we can call these past couple of storms an early ski present from jolly old St. Nick.

I have to write it again I’m so excited for this year….. WINTER PARK RESORT IS OPEN FOR SKI SEASON.

Winter Park Resort-Colorado’s Best Skiing Deal

Posted on November 11, 2010 by Chris

Winter Park Resort in Top Ten Ski Deals

The word is getting out, for better or worse, that Winter Park/Mary Jane is the best skiing deal in Colorado. Lift-ticket prices are nearing $100 a day at most resorts but WInter Park keeps bringing the goods and offering some of the best skiing in Colorado if not all of North America for a steal.

That is what Budget Travel Magazine is saying about our beloved WInter Park/Mary Jane. Winter Park Resort ranked #2 on the best skiing deals this year list and was the only Colorado Resort on the top ten list.

Here is what Budget Travel had to say about Winter Park, Colorado:

Winter Park, Colorado
The closest major resort to Denver (only 67 miles away), this bump-skiing paradise has added upgrades worth $170 million, including an ice-skating pond. What hasn’t changed? The wallet-friendly lift-ticket prices, such as an $82 two-day child’s pass over spring break. The nearby town of Fraser has the best affordable restaurants and hotels, such as the Rocky Mountain Inn & Hostel, which runs free shuttles to the slopes.

The Rocky Mountain Inn does have some very affordable accommodations and is perfect for the college students coming up for a few days of powder and fun. However, if you are looking for something a little bigger and more family oriented, Winter Park Lodging Company can not be beat. With over 100 rental units from Winter Park ski in and out luxury to a Colorado Mountain Cabin WPLCo can help you out with your mountain vacation needs at a great price. WPLCo also offers the best Winter Park ski discounts & deals that can be Found in the Fraser Valley.

So come on up and get some turns in on Colorado’s best ski deal resort and let Winter Park Lodging Company stretch your dollars a little further.

Winter Park Resort Private Ski Lessons

Posted on November 2, 2010 by Chris

Winter Park, Colorado Private Ski Instruction

Looking to brush up your ski form or get the kids up on the hills with some instruction from someone other than yourself? Well, private ski instruction is the way to go if you are looking for hands on guidance that will result in good skiing technique.

Private ski lessons at Mary Jane and Winter Park are becoming a hot topic this year as the private ski school headquarters is moving to a new, very convenient location. The old Discovery Real Estate Center is now home to Winter Park Resort Private Lesson Headquarters. Service here includes complimentary lockers, boot dryers, customized boot fitting, a concierge service, Wii/TV for the kids and a private lift line at the Zephyr Express chairlift. Doesn’t that sound like luxurious ski school service.

Groups of seven on more skiers travelling to Winter Park in Colorado this winter can get a better deal for a private lesson than they would signing up for regular group classes. This deal is for British skiers and boarders but I think the code will work for anyone booking private ski school lessons at Winter Park and Mary Jane.

With Winter Park’s opening of the new Private Lesson Center this season guests can get a deal and use the special discount code to save $60 per person excess for groups of over three people.

The private lesson base price then works out cheaper for a group of seven than an adult group lesson and you get half an hour longer tuition than in a group lesson too.

To take advantage of the private lessons offer email Winter Park Resort Private Lessons quoting reference code UK1947.

Winter Park Lodging Company has been working with and recommending several private ski school instructors at Winter Park Resort for the last few years. Sandy Schmidt, Nigel Conners, Pam Conners and Bart Smith are all tremendous ski instructors and all around great people. These guys are available for all varieties of private lessons - Family (4 or more people), Regular (1 – 3 people), 1/2 day, full day and multiple days. They can also arrange discounted lessons/lift tickets if you book directly through them and can also assist with equipment needs and boot fitting.

Contact Sandy at sgrifschmidt@hotmail.com. She has been instructing since 1975 and teaches all ages and abilities, from first-timers to beginning moguls.

Contact Bart at bmatt_smith@hotmail.com. The kids will love his Australian accent.

Contact Nigel at nigeski@hotmail.com or on his cell at (970)531-3871. Nigel has taught skiing for 15 seasons in Australia, Canada and USA (this is his 10th at Winter Park). He is a fully certified instructor, race coach and accredited trainer (one of about six on staff at Winter Park).

Contact Pam at wpskigal@msn.com or on her cell at (303)886-0885. Pam has taught skiing at Winter Park since 1985. Pam, Nigel’s wife if you are wondering, is also fully certified. She teaches high energy lessons for all ages and abilities (and loves the bumps).

Get your skiing technique in shape and hire a private ski school instructor.

Escape the I-70 Mess Ski Winter Park Resort

Posted on October 22, 2010 by Chris

Escape I-70 Ski Winter Park, CO

I-70 heading back down to Denver on a Sunday evening. Nothing can be more infuriating. The highway problem is starting to get a lot of attention as this is the lifeblood of the Colorado ski resorts and brings a lot of cash rolling into Colorado.

Here is what Ski Magazine columnist Tom Winter has to say about the state of pesky I-70:

This week, the powers that be will meet to discuss the state of Colorado’s Interstate 70. The highway, according to the “experts” has become too crowded, and they need to “widen it”. As a frequent traveler on the highway, this got my dander up. So in the spirit of democracy, I rattled off a ranting screed to the Colorado Department of Transportation about the utter foolishness of spending billions of dollars to widen a highway that is plenty wide enough with one exception: the road can’t handle Colorado’s skier traffic on the weekends. As I don’t drive on the highway on weekends (because of this very fact) my point was: screw the weekend warrior, let them rot in the traffic of their own making or learn how to carpool.

Living in Winter Park, CO and very rarely needing to travel I-70 during the busy traffic times I agree. The road is plenty wide and adding a little bit here and a little bit there will not solve the traffic problem for more than a few years. Rail, rail, rail is the way to go. With rail service coming shortly from DIA to Union Station this puts Winter Park, only a new version of the ski train away, from being the only North American Ski Resort that is connected to an International Airport. Yes, the old ski train was not the most efficient or effective means of getting up here to Winter Park and Mary Jane but it did move people up here. With some investment the ski train through the old Moffat Tunnel or a new train up the I-70 corridor will continue to make Colorado the premier ski destination in the United States. A new train up the corridor will be a long time and money from being completed especially with all the politics that will get involved. There is a good chance it may never happen considering all the obstacles that it would have to overcome. A new train through the Moffat Tunnel would be a a walk in the park comparatively. This solution would only help WInter Park/Mary Jane Resort, Solvista and maybe Steamboat Spring (with a track extension).

So this brings me to my point of what to do now to deal with the traffic. First of all spend the least amount of time on I-70 and get off at Exit 232 and head over Berthoud Pass and ski Winter Park. Next is stay the night in Winter Park or Fraser, with Winter Park Lodging Company, and drive the roads when the Front Range weekend warriors are back at home getting ready to hit their 8AM jobs on Monday morning. Lastly ski the weekdays if at all possible. The snow is better , the crowds less and of you can rent a place to stay the prices cheaper.

Here is how Ski Magazine columnist Tom Winter end his I-70 rant:

Unfortunately the ideas that the Colorado Department of Transportation is throwing out to solve the weekend congestion are shortsighted and mostly involve more pavement. And we’ve seen how the “solution” of more pavement has worked out for Los Angeles.

My advice to those who ski Colorado and those who run the ski resorts is to settle for nothing less than a long-term solution.

And, for anyone who has landed in Zurich or any other Swiss airport and then seamlessly transferred from the plane to the train to a ski area, the long-term solution is expensively evident. Given that Colorado’s ridiculously cheap season passes aren’t going away soon, the only way to ensure the state continues to be a destination for out of state skiers is to develop rail links from Denver International Airport through the mountains. Yes, it will be expensive. Yes, it will take years. But ultimately, the entire state will benefit. Until then I’ll be doing my skiing on weekdays, and I suggest you to do the same.

I completely agree. More roads are merely a bandaid, what is needed is a long term solution and that solution appears to be high speed rail. Or in the mean time ski Winter Park Resort on a Tuesday.

Cat Skiing with Powder Addiction Winter Park, CO

Posted on October 9, 2010 by Chris

Winter Park Colorado Cat Skiing

Ski season is coming upon soon here in Winter Park, CO and I was reminded today of how much fun the ski season is here in Colorado. First ,we awoke to snow on the hills above Winter Park and Mary Jane. Then I’m reading the Google Winter Park news and there is an article from an Aussie that we skied with last year in one of our times up with Powder Addiction. In fact the photo to the left was taken the day that we skied with the Aussie.

Here is a little bit of what they are reading about Winter Park, CO down-under:

It is early and still cold in the mountains of Winter Park, near Denver, Colorado. The last of the overnight snow is lazily making its way to the ground as a timid sun inches above the peaks.

Today, I am going back-country snowcat skiing at Berthoud Pass with a bunch of hardcore skiers from the area.

Inside, Jamie Wolter’s sun-wizened face is creased into a toothy smile. Our lead guide doesn’t share my nervousness. He lives for days like this.

One by one, my new mountain allies wander in from the cold. They are old skiing buddies and have spent countless hours together on skis. Some have moved away to Denver and other towns but most still live close and ski these hills regularly. They chat happily, discussing gear, conditions, jobs and families.

Skis and packs sorted, we squeeze into the van and head up Berthoud Pass to the Front Range slopes in the Arapaho National Forest.

The Aussie is Ben Doherty who is the travel writer for the Sydney Herald. Ben has a pretty sweet gig as Colorado Ski Country and Winter Park Resort set him up to fly out to Colorado and…… ski. His article about cat skiing with Powder Addiction got me jonesing to make some turns in some nice fluffy powder. Oh well, it shall be here soon.

Check out Ben’s article about Winter Park Cat skiing with Powder Addiction and if you are not getting the ache to get on the skis then you are not powder addicted in the correct way. And if you did not make it up to Jones Pass to make some turns with Powder Addiction last year, make sure to check them out this year.

Warren Miller’s Wintervention in Winter Park, CO

Posted on October 8, 2010 by Chris

Ski Movies in Winter Park, CO

Ski season is on the way. The hills around Winter Park were covered with snow this morning and the annual celebration of skiing is almost here in WP. That celebration is the Warren Miller ski film and this years edition is Wintervention.

Date of Show
10/28/2010

Show Times
Show times: 6pm and 9pm

Location
Silver Screen Cinema in Winter Park, Colorado

970.726.5390

Narrated by skiing icon Jonny Moseley and presented in striking high-definition, Warren Miller films showcase incredible cinematography that will get you craving vertical lines, deep powder and epic adventure. This year’s film takes you on a breathtaking global tour of some of the world’s most impressive terrain, including Canada, Antarctica, California, New Zealand, Utah, Austria, Alaska and more. Warren Miller film premieres are an experience and a phenomenon not to be missed.

Check out the Wintervention trailer . If this doesn’t get you psyched for ski season then you may want to put the boards out on the curb and call it quits.

Wintervention features acute cases of classic snow-diction from across the globe. There are the skiers who sail from Argentina to Antarctica searching for some of the last untouched descents on Earth; there are confessions from a man whose six ski passes simply aren’t enough. There are the skiers and riders who venture deep into the Caucasus Mountains of Georgia, chasing rumors they overheard in a language they don’t speak. And there are the skiers who tour far into the northern reaches of the Arctic Circle… where they won’t just climb peaks — they’ll reach the top of the planet.

Make sure to get your tickets early as the Silver Screen Cinema is very intimate and the Warren Miller show almost always sells out.

Lets go ski season.