Podcast #49 – Mud Season!

Ski season in the northeast is wrapping up, so that means it’s turning into mud season. The bums are back and they’re talking about their mud season preparation plans.

Weekly Flavor

• Mario: Longboard Lager

  Kona Brewing Company, HI

• Brian: Remy Martin 1738 : Accord Royal

  Remy Martin Cognac

Ski News

• Utah Closing Dates

  • Alta Ski Area – April 17 closure – Reopen April 22, 23, 24 with Collins, Sunnyside & Wildcat
  • Beaver Mountain Resort – April 3
  • Brian Head Resort – April 10
  • Brighton Resort – April 17
  • Deer Valley Resort – April 10
  • Park City – April 10
  • Powder Mountain – April 10
  • Snowbasin Resort – April 17
  • Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort – May 30
  • Solitude Mountain Resort – April 17
  • Sundance Mountain Resort – April 3

   

• This Woman Went Snowboarding While Being Chased by a Bear – And She Didn’t Even Know It

  Kelly Murphy was snowboarding in Japan’s Hakuba 47 Winter Sports Park near the city of Nagano when what is believed to have been an Asian black bear jumped out from behind the top of a mountain and began chasing her down the slope.

  Murphy, humming Rihanna’s “Work,” was completely unaware throughout the experience as she filmed herself going down the mountain.

  Many commenters online insisted that the video must be a fake, however bear sighting near the slope have been common in recent years.

   

• Whistler Blackcomb Announces $345 Million Investment Plan

  Just when we thought Vail Resorts’ one-season, $50 million capital improvement in Park City was a lot of money, Whistler Blackcomb has announced a multi-year, $345 million plan to revitalize its mountain facilities. Get ready, because this just might be the biggest ski improvement plan ever.

  Under the catchy name of Renaissance, the plan is the largest and most comprehensive plan in the ski resort’s history and (pending a series of approvals) will be rolled out in three stages. The first stage will invest around $100 million in creating “weather-independent, four-season attractions.” The second phase will invest $105-115 million in a new day lodge and snow school facility on Blackcomb mountain and some real estate development. The final phase will spend $140-150 million to transform the Blackcomb base area.

  So what’s on tap?

  An indoor water-recreation center built at the upper base on Blackcomb Mountain. Named Watershed, plans call for “waterslides and waves, rope swings and caves.” The building will also house a family entertainment center, food and beverage options, an eight-lane bowling alley, and a surf zone.

  New on-mountain summer and winter attractions including a four-season mountain coaster, a ropes course, ATVs and snowmobiles for children, night skiing, a sightseeing suspension bridge connecting the peaks of Whistler Mountain, the expansion of the Whistler Mountain Bike Park at Creekside, and expanded hiking trails.

  Revitalization of Blackcomb’s upper and lower bases, including two high-end real estate developments. One will be called the Blackcomb Terrace Townhomes and will have 55-65 ski-in/ski-out townhomes. The other is called One Blackcomb Place and will house a six-star luxury boutique hotel, residence, and club.

  A new indoor action-sports complex called the Annex.

  New chairlifts, restaurant facilities, terrain improvements, and snowmaking upgrades. Potential improvements include:

  • the Olympic Zone, with state-of-the-art learning facilities, high-speed chairlift, covered Magic Carpets, terrain enhancements, snowmaking and restaurant facility.
  • A revamped Blackcomb Front Side with increased capacity from Blackcomb Base and two, new, high-speed chairlifts. Catskinner Zone will include high-speed chairlift, trail improvements and snowmaking.
  • A new Dave Murray/Franz’s Zone with an additional gondola to link Creekside to the top of Dave Murray Downhill trail.
  • A Children’s Learning Area will be developed at the top of the new gondola and Franz’s Chair will be replaced with a high-speed chairlift.
  • Whistler Westside: Two new high-speed chairlifts servicing Khyber & Bagel Bowl, restaurant and various terrain improvements.

   

• Park City’s Most Controversial Development is Back

  After a 6-year hiatus, Treasure developers want to restart discussions.

  After a six year hiatus, developers of the controversial Treasure project in Park City have formally asked City Hall to restart discussions. According to the Park Record, Pat Sweeney and representatives of the Treasure development sent a letter to City Hall last week requesting that Treasure be brought back to the Park City Planning Commission.

  The move is sure to rustle feathers, as no other development in the ski town has been as polarizing as Treasure. The Sweeney family owns 120 acres along the Town Lift and wants to build over one million square feet of lodging and commercial space on the land. The current proposal calls for 200 hotel rooms, 100 condominiums and a conference space. The family won development rights in the ’80s but have been in protracted talks with the town ever since.

  Debates have surrounded whether or not the surrounding neighborhoods could handle the traffic the Treasure development would bring in with a capacity of 2000 guests, and many have expressed concern that the development would loom over downtown. Some buildings will likely reach 100 feet in height.

   

• The Winners and Losers of This Year’s Super El Nino

  This past El Nino winter certainly paid off for a number of ski resorts, evidenced by the number of extended seasons and postponed closing dates. It wasn’t quite a typical El Nino pattern, however, creating snowfall losers in areas we didn’t expect (Southern California) while also hosing some we did expect (the Northeast). In an effort to see exactly who fared best from this year’s record-breaking El Niño, we break down the winners and losers of the ski season.

  Winner: Tahoe
  It might be a hollow victory – as the state’s drought stubbornly persists – but the resorts around Lake Tahoe really did fare much better than they had in years. According to Tony Crocker’s website, Bestsnow.net, Squaw/Alpine, Northstar and Mt. Rose all saw above average snowfall through March, to name just a few.

  Loser: Southern California
  We didn’t see this coming, but Southern California’s snow year didn’t measure up to expectations during what was supposed to be a weather pattern tailor made for the region. On one hand, Mt. Waterman, the closest ski area to Los Angeles, was able to open for the first time in five years and others extended their seasons, but with snowfall for the season coming in at around 60 percent of normal for the region, resorts like Mountain High were forced to close early.

  Winner: Mammoth
  Despite Southern California overall being a perplexing loss, Mammoth has managed to pull off one of its best seasons in recent years. Spring skiing could drag into summer, with late season storms offering extra helpings of snow.

  Loser: Southwest
  Another region that was supposed to benefit from a strong El Niño, but as the map above shows, the current snowpack is below average for most of the Southwest. Resorts such as Taos Ski Valley and Ski Santa Fe started strong, were able to finish the season, but didn’t benefit from much powder in the end.

  Winner: Pacific Northwest
  Before the season started, it looked like Pacific Northwest resorts were trying to get ahead of the impression that El Nino is bad for the region’s snowfall, but it also turned out to be prescient analysis – at least for this particular pattern. Throughout the winter, the Pacific Northwest has cashed in on big snows.

  Loser: Northeast
  This one was easy to predict, but the strong El Nino was terrible for Northeast ski resorts. Cold temperatures in October allowed Killington and Sunday River to be the first resorts in the country to open, but mild weather took over and both fell far short of their average snowfall. The Northeast resorts that have managed to keep the lifts running have large swaths of their terrain closed already. Some resorts just gave up, while others have been forced to DIY winter by relying on snow guns. For the east coast, this ski season was the winter that wasn’t. Better luck next year.

   

• The hard lessons of getting caught in an avalanche in the Tetons

  THE SKY WAS DARK and the air crisp on the morning of February 4 as we skinned toward the Spoon Couloir in Grand Teton National Park. Moving along in meditative unison, my mind began to wander to the events of the past two weeks. A lifelong friend, Darren Johnson, had died in an avalanche while patrolling at the Yellowstone Club on January 19. This massive loss had ripped a hole in my soul and I was heading into the mountains to repair the damage. I never guessed that I would nearly suffer the same fate as my friend.

  Darren was a huge force in my life and the major reason I was skiing in the Tetons. He moved west from New Hampshire out of high school, eventually finding himself in the Forestry Program at the University of Montana. Years later, he became a ski patroller at the Yellowstone Club, a job he loved. Darren would make numerous trips down to Jackson each winter and we would ski around the Tetons. His last trip down to Jackson, we skied the Apocalypse Couloir in powder. He couldn’t have been happier.

  Based on everything we were seeing, I don’t believe we misjudged or ignored the forecast. The wind had deposited snow on the left side of the couloir. Also, after digging two hand pits on the right side of the bowl, we didn’t see any areas of concern. While the avalanche report is one tool, it is a starting point, and I would trust my field observations more than the report. In hindsight, I could say, based on the report, that there was a chance we could find a wind slab on the right side of the bowl, but we didn’t see that and were most concerned with the left side of the bowl.

  I looked up to my left and saw a mini avalanche coming toward me. I had a moment to see the fracture and guessed it was about 12 inches deep and most likely a dense wind slab. I braced myself for the impact of the small slide, leaning into the 45-degree slope and hoping that it would pass over me. For a moment, it seemed like I would escape with just a scare. But a large piece of debris hit my upper boot and knocked me off my feet. In one instant, I was in an avalanche at the beginning of a 1,400-foot-long couloir that pinches to about 20 feet at its narrowest point. For a few seconds, I was above the avalanche and could see the entire couloir below me. Then, I was violently pulled under the snow. My skis were acting like anchors and I could feel myself going deeper into the avalanche, which had turned into a full-blown slide.

  Around this time, I felt my bindings release.

   

• This $32.5 Million Telluride Estate Literally Has a River Running through It

  “A river runs through it” accurately describes this $32.5 million listing just north of the Telluride Valley, Colo. Among the area’s most prestigious homes in Deep Creek Mesa, the seven-bedroom Sunset Ridge estate accommodates a babbling waterway running between its two wings via a bridge connecting the upstairs master suite to the main building.

  The stream feeds the 11,825-square-foot home’s backyard pond, magnificent for its reflections of the surrounding mountain peaks. Panoramic views from inside the home of the Wilson Range were purposely framed by Aspen-based architect Bill Poss when the home was built in 2014.

  For sale through : Telluride Real Estate Corp, Christie’s International Real Estate

   

Topic: Mud Season

What happens when the beautiful snow melts, that’s right it turns to water and when the sun beats down and mixes that with good ol’ terra firm, it makes mud, one thing we’ve been seeing way too much of, way too soon in these here parts.

But, with every end is a new beginning and that’ the same for ski season. The bums don’t skip a beat and bounce right into their second favorite season – almost ski season.

What are we doing now?

• Beer Festivals
• Biking
• New gym/punching stuff
• Hustlin’ to make money for next season

Around The Horn

• NHL Reveals Top 10 Selling Jerseys of the Season

  1. Jonathan Toews
  2. Patrick Kane
  3. Henrik Lundqvist
  4. Patrice Bergeron
  5. Carey Price
  6. Alex Ovechkin
  7. Zach Parise
  8. Sydney Crosby
  9. Ryan McDonagh
  10. Conner McDavid

   

• Kickstarter’s Biggest Shitshow Somehow Got Even Messier

  A decidedly not chill development for 36,000 Kickstarter backers of the “Coolest Cooler”: Coolest is now considering asking people who haven’t yet received their coolers to pay an additional $97 for “expedited delivery” of the long-past-due all-in-one disaster, a prospect that has allegedly led some backers to threaten Coolest employees.

  If you’re not familiar, at the time it launched, the Coolest Cooler was the most popular Kickstarter of all time, raising $13 million. The 55-quart cooler has a built-in blender, a waterproof Bluetooth speaker, a USB charger, and a bottle opener. You can buy one on Amazon, right now, and have it by the weekend if you pay $399.99.

  That $399.99 price point is important—when Coolest Cooler was launched on Kickstarter, it cost between $165 and $225, a price its creator Ryan Grepper said in an update to backers was far too low. Meanwhile, a blender motor strike in China apparently drove up manufacturing costs of the cooler and pushed back its delivery date.

  Many backers are outraged and this is a huge shit show indeed.

   

• SpaceX shares photos so we can relive the glory of landing a rocket on a boat

  On Friday, the Falcon 9 rocket soared into space and launched its cargo toward the International Space Station. And then for the first time in history, the rocket fired its engines to slow its horizontal velocity and make a guided descent back toward an ocean-based platform where it landed—without toppling over.

  After the autonomous drone ship made its return to Port Canaveral early on Tuesday morning, SpaceX collected images from the on-board cameras and released them. They show the dramatic landing up close and in your face.

  SpaceX founder Elon Musk said this rocket and its nine engines will be tested 10 times to ensure that everything functions properly. And if that’s the case, this rocket could be launched into space as early as June. Luxembourg-based satellite company SES has already indicated that it would be willing to fly on a reused rocket.

  Reusable rockets are the holy grail of cheaper access to space, because propellant is only a small fraction of launch costs. Getting the rockets down safely on land, and at sea, is an important step, but it’s only the first step. Now SpaceX must show that it can turn around the Falcon 9 in a relatively short amount of time, and at a low cost, to close the loop. It would be unwise to bet against them after Friday’s sea-based landing.

   

• Are You a Cheater If You’re Using Smart Drugs to Get Ahead?

  For years, people have dreamed of creating a pill that could solve all your problems—one that could make you smarter, more creative, and give you a competitive edge in life. Although no such magic pill exists, there have been stand-ins. Specifically, a class of brain drugs called nootropics.

  But is it ethical to use them? If you’re popping nootropics to study for an exam, are you cheating?

  “Nootropics are seen as academic steroids, which I think is total bullshit,” said Neyer Guerrero, an amateur nootropic researcher based in Brooklyn. “These aren’t pills that will naturally make you smarter. Nootropics [can] help you to an extent, but you still have to do all the work.” .

  Curiously, the only organizations to actually confront the use of CEDs in a significant way are the major eSports leagues. With hundreds of thousands of dollars up for grabs at their international tournaments, leagues like ESL and the International e-Sports Federation (IeSF) now drug test their competitors for performance-enhancing drugs, including brain drugs.

   

• Why Twitter and the NFL Are Working Together to Livestream Games

  Starting this fall, to watch Thursday night NFL games all you’ll need is Twitter.

  The NFL said Tuesday morning that it had reached a deal with Twitter to livestream Thursday night games on the social network. It’s the first time a major sports league has agreed to livestream full games on a social network.

  Bloomberg reported the news shortly before NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell tweeted the above, immediately sending Twitter’s stock up more than 3 percent in pre-market trading. Goodell, interestingly enough, was not an active Twitter user before tweeting the announcement, having last tweeted in September 2014.

  Several other companies, including Yahoo (which has livestreamed NFL games in the past) and Amazon, had also reportedly bid for the rights.

  The benefits for Twitter, the NFL, and everyday fans are clear. Twitter, which has stopped growing (and has subsequently resorted to product tweaks like a timeline that automatically surfaces tweets it thinks people will find interesting enough to keep visiting), gets to attract a more mainstream audience to its platform.

   

• SpeedX Leopard – the first ever smart aero road bike

  Amazing Kickstarter, great bike, but of $50,000 goal, reaching over 1.7m already and still counting.

  SpeedX Leopard is the only smart aero road bike with the ability to help you train and track your progress in real time. It has controls built in and looks amazing.