Monday, December 31, 2007

Pictures for Passes

I'm guessing you could use a free season pass for next year? Or maybe some free lift tickets for this season? I bet you would take almost anything that's free right?

Snap some pictures of you, your friends, and/or your family out having fun at Powderhorn. Email them to shoot@powderhorn.com. Best pics (video is welcome too) will win tickets and other prizes. THE best picture of the whole season will win a season pass for next year. Tell your friends and have everyone vote for your pics.....may the best photo win!

Want the details sent straight to your cell phone? Just text 'SHOOT' to 95495.

Sunday, December 30, 2007

Daily Sentinel Learn To Ski/Ride

Reservations are still open for the best Learn To program of the year!

This series is for first timers, new to the sports of skiing or snowboarding. Attend all 3 sessions and get a season pass FREE for the rest of the season! Participants must be first timers and must attend all 3 sessions to qualify for their season pass.

Intensive Series: January 2, 3, 4
Weekend Series: January 6, 13, 20
Cost: $250, includes lesson, lift & rental
Reservations required! Call 970-268-5700

December to Remember

Friday, December 28, 2007

12/28 Friday Feed

Get the latest on the great snow conditions and other happenings at Powderhorn right here

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Powder To the People

Wow! All this snow is unbelievable! I'm not currently in Colorado so I've been scoping out all the amazing pictures of everyone riding on Christmas day. I received a voicemail from a coworker yesterday that said, "Just wanted to tell you Merry Christmas and that you're missing one of the best days ever!"

I did some checking, and there are only 3 mountains in the entire state that have a better base than Powderhorn. Monarch has us beat by only a few inches and Silverton and Wolf Creek are the other two. If you ever want to see the stats on every mtn in Colorado check out www.coloradoski.com

Go skiing!

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Just Shredding Some Christmas Cheer!!!




Sorry for the dry attempt at some humor but the snow is as dry as the joke and it's still coming down hard.
Posted by Picasa

Monday, December 24, 2007

Merry Christmas from Powderhorn

Posted by Picasa

For the Techies

As you're unwrapping your new iPhones this Christmas, take a test drive on the new Powderhorn mobile site! People much smarter than me have figured out how to make our site ready for your mobile devices. So now you can grab our snow report, updates, and news from your phone.

http://www.powderhorn.com/mobile

Merry Christmas

With more snow expected tonight and tomorrow, it looks like we have a very white Christmas in store for you! Up to 6 more inches possible! What a great present.

On behalf of all the staff at Powderhorn, we'd like to say Merry Christmas and thank you for being our guests. We hope you have a great time with family and friends!

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Dry Powder

It's definitely going to be a white Christmas here at Powderhorn. We've had another foot of snow in the last couple days and it's wonderfully dry powder....of the champagne nature. Cold air and no wind has made for perfectly fluffy conditions. Here are a few pictures shot this morning:






Friday, December 21, 2007

12/21 Friday Feed

Here is the Friday Feed for today.

It's snowing steadily right now and should continue all day. See you on the slopes!

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Caffeine Please!

We're doing everything we can to prepare for the thousands of sugared-up kids that'll be at the mountain this weekend. We can feel the breeze all the way up here from the doors of District 51 bursting open. It's a great time. We love seeing everyone excited to be skiing & riding. We just have to get a little help from Mr. Starbucks in order to keep up. I plan on getting an intravenous line to pump caffeine as needed. I figure it'll be cheaper in the long run verses $5 triple shot lattes.

We look forward to seeing you during the Christmas break and hope you have a great time with your family and friends!

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

From the Lift

You get to see and hear some great things from the chairlift. I guess part of the entertainment of the chair ride is watching others. This is why our terrain park is strategically placed below the main lift. It's purely for entertainment purposes.

The other day some of us were riding up the quad and saw a mono-skier coming down Powderkeg. A kid about 15 years old (too young to remember mono-skis) said, "Whoa what is that?" To which the mono-skier replied, "Hard." What a great answer.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Got a Question?

If you ever have questions about the why and how we do things here at Powderhorn just drop a line to ski@powderhorn.com. If you're happy about something, let us know. If you're angry about something, let us know! We're taking questions right now for this week's Friday Feed. Some of you have already emailed stuff in and though I've responded to you directly, I think others might be wondering the same thing so we'll address it on Friday as well.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Thanks and Giving

This holiday season we are partnering with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital for the Thanks and Giving Campaign. Now through the New Year, you'll have an opportunity to donate $1 to this campaign at any of our checkout locations in the lodge. We are proud to support St. Jude's because they are the only pediatric cancer research center that pays for all treatment not covered by insurance, regardless of a family's ability to pay. Eighty-five cents of every dollar donated goes directly to patient care and research.

We encourage you to Give thanks for the healthy kids in your life, and give to those who are not.

Terrain Park Update

If you've been up here lately you've probably seen our terrain park crew busy digging underneath the lift. They have some exciting ideas for this season and are working hard to get new features put in. The recent snow has certainly helped them and they were able to get quite a few features up for this early in the season. Here are some of the things coming this season:

- C Rail will be back
- Step up box
- More urban rails
- His & Hers kicker
- New section on top of the mountain with rails and a hip
- Rainbow, trapezoid, kinked, and benches are all back this season

If you like to stay a little closer to the ground then you'll want to check out the Tyro Park on EZ. It will have smaller rails and jumps for those wanting to learn to jib and jump.

Keep in mind, the first park event will be here before you know it! New Year's Eve Rail Jam...only $5 to enter!

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Wildewood Restaurant

If you've never checked out Wildewood Restaurant before you'r missing out! Look for our ad in tomorrow's Daily Sentinel for a Wildewood coupon. Chad and Tammy Entwistle have taken over this year and they do an amazing job! Both are great chefs and they take hospitality seriously.

Hours:
Mon-Thurs: 3pm-7pm
Friday: 3pm-9pm
Saturday: 11am-9pm (Steak Night 4-9pm)
Sunday: (Brunch) 10am-2pm (Game Day): 2pm-5pm

New this year at the Wildewood is the Bear's Den. This is the place to catch the game with happy hour food & drink specials.

Monday, December 10, 2007

History of Snowboarding

It Just Keeps Coming

The snow just keeps falling! Hey we're not complaining. It's snowing pretty heavily right now and there's no wind so it could pile up pretty quickly. Almost all of the mountain is open which is almost unheard of this time of year. The glades are skiing especially nice.

This picture was taken in Mad Dog Glade yesterday

Sunday, December 09, 2007

Opening Day Video

Here is a little video of the festivities yesterday. It's not Academy Award quality or anything but we'll get better at this as the season goes on.

Snow Report

Our snow report is published every day by 6:00am. You can check it online at www.powderhorn.com or call our snow phone at 970-268-5300. Please use that snow line and avoid calling our normal phone number for the snow report.

There are two of us that do the snow reporting here at Powderhorn. A lot of people ask me if I actually get up at 4am and drive to the mountain to do the report. No way! We take our sleep seriously so our system allows us to do it from home. The slope maintenance crew is here overnight until about 4:30am. They leave us a voicemail with snow stake readings, weather conditions, and the grooming list. All we have to do is listen to the message then record the snow phone message, update our website, and update the Colorado Ski Country site. When I do the report I get up around 5:30 and start right away. I'm usually sitting at my kitchen table in my PJs. It takes a huge glass of water to get the voice going for the day to record the message. So if we sound like we've been up for hours...we're doing a good job of fooling you.

Saturday, December 08, 2007

Don't Read This

Why are you reading this....don't read this! Go skiing! :)

Welcome back for the 07-08 season! HAVE FUN!

Friday, December 07, 2007

Direct Hit

This storm was a direct hit! I'm typing this at 6:45 am and we've had a FOOT of snow over night and it's expected to continue. I'll get you updates and pictures by 10am.

What could be better than a powder day for opening day?

UPDATE: It's now 11:30am and we have 22" of new snow on top with a 33" base! I just spoke with a meteorologist who said we should get another 18" between today and tonight. There's drifts up here up to 4 feet deep. Everyone is grinning ear to ear right now. It's amazing!

UPDATE: 4:00pm
We will be opening all 3 lifts tomorrow, 90% of the mountain, and tickets will be full price. I got a run in today and it's really really really good!

Digging out the lift area



Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Snow? Yes Please

The forecast has some good news for us. We could get a foot of snow between now and Saturday. That would make for an extra fun opening day!




(click to enlarge)

If you'd like powder alerts and special deals sent straight to your cell phone, just text 'DEALS' to 95495. When it snows like crazy you'll be alerted right away and every so often we send out great deals just for those that are signed up. It's a free service from Powderhorn and we promise you won't be flooded with useless stuff.

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Know the Lingo

This is a recycled post from last year. Readership on the blog has more than doubled since then (that's right I'm spying on you) so I thought some of you may enjoy this one.

BAFL- "Big Air, Flat Landing" which can result in an explosion of equipment and body parts
Boilerplate/Bulletproof- snow that is so hard you might as well trade in for ice skates
Fib- a horrible attempt at covering up a fall by saying "I caught an edge"
Gnar- one of those ambiguous terms that makes you sound intense "I was shredding the gnar" a.k.a I was really just sipping tea in the lodge
Coach- Psycho babble for instructor (Kate please don't yell at me :) )
Vermin- the easily spotted groups of skiers or snowboarders blocking access to a run, usually made up of "bros"
Bros- Fellow skiers and snowboarders living to slide the mountain. Females can be bros
Sick- an adjective used to describe anything whether it makes sense or not. Most often spoken in the terrain park. Various uses of the word also include Sicktastic
Throw Down- can be used in past or present tense. Usually just means you did or are about to do something- "I'm going to go throw down on that rail" a.k.a. I'm just gonna go ride that rail.
Disco Sticks- super short slalom and twin tip skis capable of very short turns
Expert- Someone who is lying about their abilities...usually at the bar...or while talking to a woman
Face Plant- A fall that happens so quick that your face is the first thing to make contact with snow
Trustafarian- a rich but rugged ski bum pretending to be poor
Code Zero- Ski School radio call for lost child (Not at Powderhorn though...we use Code Blue...just kidding)
Toilet Turns- sloppy turns made from a you-know-what kind of position
Snotsicle- frozen discharge of the nose
Ski Bum- someone who has found a great alternative to working
Extreme- should only be taken seriously when used on trail maps (Extreme Terrain) otherwise it's just a silly marketing word
Screaming Starfish- someone yelling for help while cartwheeling down the hill
Poodle Turns- show dog turns made by instructors even when not teaching (Kate is going to kill me)
Manky or Danky- the smell of polyester underwear after a day on the mountain
Kodak Courage- trying something you otherwise would never do just because your buddy has a camera
Minnow in the Net- when a child is caught in the orange fencing

Monday, December 03, 2007

Opening Update

I know many of you are wondering if Thursday is a 'go' or not. The weekend storm brought 8" of new snow to the base and our snow stake on top is reading 25 inches. We could have used the 25" at the base as well but we take what we get of course. Currently our ski patrol and mountain crews are on the slopes assessing the mountain. We'll have a meeting early this afternoon where the decision will be made whether or not we'll open Thursday. As soon as that decision is made you'll hear about it right here on this post, at http://www.powderhorn.com/, and press releases will be going out immediately. Hang in there!

UPDATE: 3:00pm
After careful inspection of the mountain it has been decided that we will move opening day from the 6th to the 8th. Only two days delay, not too bad! There is good coverage on top but the middle of the mountain causes some concern. We'd love just a couple more inches of snow to ensure a safe, quality product. Looks like we do have a chance for snow Wednesday and Thursday. Hope to see you all here on Saturday! First 100 in line receive prizes from Chick-fil-A, Gene Taylor's, the Alpine Trader, and Summit Canyon.

Parade of Lights

I want to commend all of you that came out to the Parade of Lights this weekend! You weathered a little hurricane that threatened the whole parade. Thankfully it only lasted a few minutes. We were all wearing water-proof ski gear so nothing was stopping us! It was a really fun time. We're already cooking up plans for a bigger and better float next year. I see a large flat-bed trailer with a lift chair on it and some trees. We'll have people completely decked out, skis and all, sitting on the chair. Then we need some sort of launcher to shoot t-shirts, coupons, and a few free lift tickets into the crowd. We also learned that we need to buy even more candy.

This little guy definitely stole the show

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Dance Dance

Alright everybody..I'm rallying the troops here! It's time to do a collective Snow Dance. How about 8:00 tonight, dance your little heart out! This storm that's coming in could drop at least 20 inches here on the mesa. Check out this link for the forecast:

Grand Mesa Weather

Only our snowmaking crew will be here this weekend so I plan to call them each day and ask for updates. If I can get updates I'll post about it on the blog so check it out! Happy dancing....

Grand Junction Parade of Lights

The Parade of Lights is this Saturday on Main Street in GJ starting at 5pm. We'll be there! Hope you will too. Powderhorn is the 10th entry so look for us as the parade gets started. We'll be passing out coupons for free hot chocolate and coffee from the Sunset Grille as well as $5 off ski/snowboard tunes from the Rental Shop. There will be a healthy dose of candy going around too.

All week we've been trying to come up with a way to pull skiers behind our Subaru....so far we haven't come up with anything that is reasonably safe or practical. If you have an idea, let us know!

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Snow Update

If you were headed to work anytime around 7:00 this morning, you saw the huge pile of clouds sitting on the mesa. It did indeed bring us some snow. I measured about 3 inches here at the base area through a highly technical system of sticking a ruler in the snow. Up top they actually used the official snow stake which recorded 4 inches of new snow. It would probably be more but the wind was blowing pretty hard last night. Here are some pictures just snapped this morning...







Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Town Tickets

We all just got out of a meeting where we've decided to bring town tickets back to Grand Junction. I know a lot of you have been asking about this. This season you will be able to purchase Adult, Student, and Senior lift tickets in town at Traz, Board & Buckle, Gene Taylor's, Sports Authority, and the Ramada Inn. These won't have a special discount or anything but they will be direct-to-lift tickets so there is a huge convenience factor. No waiting in any ticket lines here at the mountain! Plus you can purchase these as gifts. It will be another week before they are available at these locations so please don't head to the shops just yet.

On a totally different note- have you seen this month's SKI Magazine? There is a great article on the GEMS of Colorado including pictures and a story on Powderhorn. Make sure to check it out!

Monday, November 26, 2007

Snowmaking is Underway

A blog reader asked if snowmaking operations are underway yet.
Yep!



It's really hard to see on our webcam...mainly because it's a piece of junk. We're buying a new fancy webcam that will give higher resolution shots and be much more reliable. All 3 news stations will be at Powderhorn this week with different stories. So look for those as there will be snowmaking updates.

Snow Squall

Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend. Kudos to those of you that braved the malls and department stores!

A little random storm just passed by the mountain this morning. There was nothing forecast however some clouds stopped by and dropped about an inch of big fluffy flakes in a very short amount of time. The forecast this week is calling for snow Tuesday and Wednesday nights.

Just to try and keep the rumors under control, we are still planning to open December 6th. If that changes you'll hear about it straight from us via the website, blog, and press releases. So until then, don't believe anything else you hear :)

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Finally!

We finally received a little love from Mother Nature. Now I haven't seen it myself as I'm not even in Colorado, but I hear we got about 2-3 inches at the base and much more on top. Cold temperatures have helped snowmaking get under way as well. Keep snow dancing...it could really pay off.

And a big Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow from all the folks at Powderhorn!

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

The Bus is Back

Hallelujah! Bus service from Grand Junction to Powderhorn is back for another season. You might be wondering what the 'hallelujah' was all about. We weren't certain until recently that bus service would be offered again this year. Laidlaw was bought out this fall by Students First. With all the changes, they were unsure that they would be able to provide the service this season. But they're making it happen for which we are very grateful. Click here for the schedule and prices.

Now...envision the voice of your stern grandmother for this....Please keep in mind that any shenanagins on the bus will make you unwelcome on the bus and at Powderhorn. We want to keep this service available to everyone so please don't abuse it!

p.s. please don't forget to do your daily snow dance today :)

Monday, November 19, 2007

Flight for Life Training

We prepare for the ski season in every way possible. Our ski patrollers are in training all day today covering various scenarios. Our friends at St. Mary's Hospital are important partners in the pre-season training. The St. Mary's Flight for Life just landed here at the mountain for their annual practice and training with our ski patrol. It's rare that the helicopter needs to visit the mountain, but we make sure we're prepared when they do. It takes about 11 minutes for the helicopter to get from St. Mary's to Powderhorn. When the helicopter arrives, our patrollers have the patient ready and load as soon as possible depending on the patient's condition. If it's extremely critical, the flight crew can touch down and our patrollers will have the patient on the way to the hospital in a matter of seconds.


Skiing & snowboarding are (in our opinions) the best of the outdoor sports but it can be dangerous too. It's good to know that if something should happen, you're in good hands!












They must have gotten a call because the crew just took off after only being here about 15 minutes. Always on call!

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Orientation

The Sunset Grille is packed today as almost all our seasonal employees and managers are on hand for orientation. This is the day where we introduce new employees to the mountain and talk about policies, guest services, start training, etc. It means that ski season is almost here!

Now if Mother Nature would just cooperate we'd be all set. It looks like this Sunday the jet stream is going to sink down into Arizona and New Mexico which is exactly what we want to see. Lows for the Grand Mesa are forecasted to be zero to 10 degrees. Perfect for making snow. I know some of you are getting antsy and worried. We still plan to open December 6th. It's too early to tell if that would need to change. A Thanksgiving storm should help us out a lot. So it's not time to worry yet! Of course I will let you know as it develops here on the mountain. This will be the first place to see snowmaking pictures and both natural/man-made accumulations. Once we figure out how to use the video camera and edit, we'll get video up on the site as well.

Welcome all 2007-08 Powderhorn employees!

Thursday, November 15, 2007

It's Not You, It's Me

If you've been trying to get on our website this morning and have had no luck....it's not your computer, it's our server. We apologize, the site is down for 3 hours while we move it to another server. From what I hear, the server it was living on "freaked out." It should be back up and running by noon today. I realize some of you might be trying to order Plus Cards since today is typically the last day BUT we've pushed back the deadline to December 1st. If you'd like to order one today you can call us at 970-268-5700. Otherwise you can order it online as soon as the site is on the new server.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Sick of the Sun

About this time of year we really don't want the sunny skies as much as you would like in say....July. It's been sunny, warm, and dry all across the state for weeks on end now. Here at the mountain our forecast is calling for upper 40s to even 50 for the next several days. This really puts a damper on ski season stoke. For the record, we are still planning for an on-time opening of December 6th and we still plan to start snowmaking this week.

As you can imagine, we watch the weather pretty closely up here. We have several websites that we watch for current satellite images and other maps to see if we can expect anything in the next few days. It's an interesting science but it can also drive you crazy. It's all worth it though when you see the jet stream drop and a low pressure heading for western Colorado.

Here are some good sites if you want to be a fellow weather tracker.
http://www.accuweather.com/
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/sitemap.html

Thursday, November 08, 2007

Denver Ski & Snowboard Expo

If you live on the front range or happen to be in Denver this weekend, don't miss the Ski & Snowboard Expo! It's at the Colorado Convention Center downtown. Visit the Powderhorn booth for 2 for $49 lift ticket deal. These don't have any blackouts and they're totally transferable.

Open: Friday, Nov. 9: Noon - 10PM
Saturday, Nov. 10: 10AM - 8PM
Sunday, Nov. 11: 10AM - 6PM


**Bring a new or gently used coat to donate to those less fortunate and
receive a $3 off EXPO admission coupon (optional)
Admission: Adults $10; Children under 12 are FREE.

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Mountain Update

Now that we've all gotten settled in our new offices, we can refocus on the push to opening day. We open in exactly 1 month! While it's been a little warmer than normal for this time of year, it looks like a cold front will slide in on Sunday. The low forecast for the mesa Sunday night is only 12 degrees so we should be on schedule to start snowmaking the week of the 12th.

The pace has definitely picked up. The amount of Starbucks cups I see in the trash rises as the number of days to Opening Day decreases. As I've said before, people always ask me what it takes to open for ski season. It's a little more than turning on the lifts. Last week we completed our last round of lift inspections to get the final 'go' to host public for ski season. The rental shop managers have arrived to start sorting out their inventory. They had a little hickup though as they found their computer had gotten fried over the summer do to a lightning strike. Our IT manager is burning roughly 10,000 calories per day right now running around the mountain checking ticketing systems, replacing computers, and (as always) answering our wonderful questions. Did you know a computer technically has to be plugged into an outlet in order to work? In marketing we are wrapping up our travels to various ski shows, setting up sponsor and advertising contracts, planning events, and watching the occasional ski video....for inspiration of course. The ladies of the Alpine Trader are once again buried in merchandise. And the ticket office is consuming large amounts of chocolate to keep them sane as they print pass after pass. If you have a request for our ticket manager right now you have to knock on the door, hand her chocolate, make your request, smile, and bow before you leave.

This post is getting a little long so I'll wrap it up. But start those snow dances! Just make sure you do it in appropriate places, unlike this guy...

Monday, November 05, 2007

Wheelin & Dealin

As the alarm went off at 5:30am on Saturday I laid there wondering why I had to get up at such a rediculous hour on a Saturday. Ah, the ski swap! It's much easier to get out of bed that early when it's skiing related. Many of you showed up bright...or dark...and early this year to snag all the great deals. It's always exciting for us to see familiar faces again and to talk about our hopes of powder for the upcoming season. Thanks to everyone who stopped by the booth to pickup a Plus Card or have their pass photo taken. I saw many of you snag amazing deals as well. By the end of the show, merchandise was marked down to 75% off!

Getting ready for the season at the Powderhorn booth

The family on the left has the right idea- get the kids up high to scout for the best deals.
Eightch Snowboards- locally owned quality snowboards. Look for their tent at Powderhorn this season!

Thursday, November 01, 2007

Want a Job with FREE Skiing?

Who doesn't right? New this year, Powderhorn employees ski/ride free all season at 17 resorts! You can be an official ski bum this season only you won't have to live in a van down by the river.

We are hiring for tons of full and part time winter positions. Everything from dishwashers to ski patrol to snow makers. If you are interested please come to our Job Fair:

Nov. 10
9am-noon
Powderhorn Base Lodge

Bring photo ID and social security card. If we like you, we'll hire you on the spot!

And now the good stuff. You will ski/ride FREE all season at Powderhorn and: Crested Butte, Telluride, Steamboat, Snowmass, Buttermilk, Aspen Highlands, Copper Mountain, Winter Park, Durango Mtn, Monarch, Sunlight, Ski Cooper, Loveland, A Basin, SolVista, and Eldora

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Blog Outlook

As we gear up for the ski season, which can't get here soon enough, we're putting together a lot of interactive ideas. For example, starting this season we will be uploading video as well as picture on the site. We have a Shoot Out contest coming up where you have a chance to win tons of prizes by uploading pictures of you and your friends at PH. Details coming soon.

I'm also laying out some of the major events and things that will be covered on the blog along with the usual behind-the-scenes look at Powderhorn and industry news. I'm sure the occasional goofy video will be thrown in. But what I really want to know is what would you like to see on the blog? Have a question you want answered? Let me know by either leaving a comment or sending an email to ski@powderhorn.com

Special posts you'll see in the blog this season:
- Coverage of all Powderhorn events. We like to showcase our guests having a good time and contest winners.
- 2008 US Open (Copper)
- Winter X Games 11 (Aspen)
- Aspen/Snowmass Open (Aspen)
- 2008 SIA Tradeshow (Las Vegas)- We're supporting 2 of our locals who are national finalists for the DNA rail jam tour. You'll also get to be the first to see all the 2009 ski/snowboard gear.
- Athlete interviews

Let us know what you want to see!

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Let's Make a Deal

Everyone likes a good deal right? Well we have plenty of deal opportunities headed your way in the next two weeks.

Saturday, Nov. 3
Ski Swap- Two Rivers Convention Center
7am-3pm
Deals: ski & snowboard gear, get a Powderhorn Plus Card, season passes are still 10% off, Warren Miller's Playground @ 8:00- FREE lift ticket on every movie ticket stub! Don't forget, the ski swap is also the last place in Junction to get your season pass photo taken.

For the Denver folks...
Nov. 9-11
Ski & Snowboard Expo @ Colorado Convention Center
Deals: Powderhorn will have a great BOGO deal! Get 2 lift tickets for only $49. NO BLACKOUTS, TOTALLY TRANSFERABLE! Check out all the great deals from all the Gems resorts that weekend. There will also be loads of free stickers at our booth and giveaways on the main stage all weekend.

Also, anyone can sign up for our text deals and powder alerts! Sign up at www.powderhorn.com or text Deals to 95495. We'll have a sweet lift ticket deal for the texters at the beginning of the season!

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Moving Day

It's total chaos at the mountain today. We are all playing musical chairs with our offices. In order to make room for more employees and to get everyone in more logical locations, almost all of us are moving. You never realize just how much stuff you've accumulated until you have to move it! So far I've found the stapler I'd been looking for for about a year. Now I feel bad because I had blamed just about everyone for taking it. Hmmm quite similar to Office Space.

One of the biggest reasons we needed to make this shift was because the Alpine Trader has so much stuff they can't even store it all in the original location! You should see some of the stuff they have coming in for winter. It's really good stuff. The store is seriously (no marketing fluff) going to be better than ever. Make sure to check it out this season!

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Season Events Schedule

After much haggling, writing, erasing, and banging our head against the wall...the 07-08 Events Calendar is finally set! It's amazing how many factors come into play when scheduling a season full of different events. I'm posting these events with descriptions on the Events Calendar right now so check it out if you want details. It's at www.powderhorn.com

December 6- Opening Day
December 31- New Year's Eve Rail Jam/ Torchlight Parade & Fireworks
January 12- Guest Appreciation Day ($25 lift tickets!!)
January 19- Slopestyle Competition
January 19- 3rd Annual TeleFest
February 2 & 3- 2nd Annual Thunder Mtn. Freestyle Fest
February 16- American Cancer Society Vertical Rally
February 23- Colorado Discover Ability Ski Challenge
February 23- Terrain Park Challenge
March 5-12- Women's Week
March 8- Mtn Dew Vertical Challenge & Sobe Rail Jam
March 29- March Mad Cap: SlushSprocket Bike Race
March 30- March Mad Cap: Throwback Day/ Closing Day

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Late Report

Sorry for the delay again in blog posts. This time I was in San Diego for a show. We travel to a few key shows around the country to book group travel each season. This year's schedule includes Dallas, San Diego, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, and Denver. If you've seen the news the last couple days, yes, the fires are as bad as it looks. There were too many evacuations to even keep track of but we hope that everyone makes it out in time. Our hearts go out to them.

But while the wind and hot weather was the story in SoCal...it was all about snow here! There's still about 3 inches in the shade around the base area and that's after some melting yesterday.
This was taken on Wednesday last week. First Powderhorn snowman of the season!

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Gold & White

It snowed again last night! The mountain looks beautiful right now. The bottom half is blanketed with gold and orange leaves while the top half is frosty white. Here are a couple pictures from about 8:30 this morning. We've been experiencing all four seasons today. Currently it's snowing but I can hear thunder as well. The third picture was just taken.



If you cannot see the pictures right now I apologize. Blogger is having issues today and there isn't anything I can do about it. Throwing my mouse across the room didn't seem to help.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

ROCKtober

You can easily tell which employees stayed up last night to watch the Rockies game and celebrate. We're the ones with the circles under our eyes. It was well worth it though! This is the first year ever that you can ski and watch the Rockies in the postseason. How great is that? There are 2 Colorado resorts now open- A Basin and Loveland. We won't be too far behind if the temperatures cool off a little more and the storms start rolling in consistently (which it is forecast to do). Start those snow dances!



This Saturday we'll be at Gene Taylor's from 10am-3pm taking pass photos and selling Plus Cards. Make sure to stop by and pick up your Rockies gear along with your season pass.

Monday, October 15, 2007

We Got Snowed

Snowed on that is. And there is a chance for more snow the middle of this week. It's good to see the white stuff again.


Friday, October 12, 2007

Shout Out!

Just wanted to give a quick shout out to the blog reader from New Jersey who will be visiting us this winter. Thanks for your order and for your suggestion. He would like to see total season snow accumulation numbers updated on our snow report regularly. I track this on my own spreadsheet each year but we will do a better job to make this information public durng the season. Let's start those snow dances and look forward to a snowy winter!

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Summit Canyon

Just a reminder...

Summit Canyon Mountaineering
Saturday, Oct. 13
10am-3pm
Season pass photos and plus card sales
Check out their new winter gear from Moutain Hardware, the North Face, and tons of other great brands.

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Are You Kidding?

We thought it was a rumor but A Basin's website confirms it....they are opening tomorrow! They will be the first mountain open in all of North America. So if you've got ski fever really bad, you could ditch work and ski tomorrow.

Going Big

In case you didn't see this clip last season, this is Jamie Pierre jumping off a 245 foot cliff. No he doesn't have a parachute on.



This touched off a huge debate last season. He didn't wear a helmet, he didn't ski away...and was it worth it? Is "pushing the envelope" getting too dangerous? Well the debate is sparked again as a couple people have come out with plans to break his record this year. So what do you think? Is it all just the normal progression of the sport? Or is this out of control?

Monday, October 08, 2007

Snowmaking

It's finally gotten a little cooler around here so it's time to start talking about snowmaking. The guys are gearing up and watching both short and long term forecasts. Temperatures need to be in at least the low 20s for most favorable snowmaking. The lows at night have been around 30 degrees so we're getting there. We're hoping to fire up the guns around the week of November 12.

Approximately 35 acres at Powderhorn are covered by snowmaking. This is focused on our base and beginner areas since they see the most traffic in the winter. Snow made by our snowmaking efforts is very hard and dense making it a good base builder. It even lasts longer in the spring than natural snowfall.

To give you an idea of what we can produce, at 10 degrees using 8 guns, we use 450 gallons of water per minute. Our fan gun alone can add 120-250 GPM (gallons per minute) depending on the temperature. The gallons per minute used increases as the temperature drops. Maximum water use occurs at temperatures below zero. The guns blow the snow into large piles and then our cat crew moves this snow to create even coverage.

Our water comes from a pond on top of the Grand Mesa so our snowmaking system is gravity-fed. No pumps are used. The pond drains in about 6-8 hours at 450 GPM depending on the amount of water coming in and if the water plant is running at the time. We use no additives in our water.

Let's all hope for it to get plenty cold in the next month! A snow dance every now and then can't hurt either.

Thursday, October 04, 2007

Update on Biff

For those of you that are regular blog readers, you've met Biff, the giant man-eating spider that's been living just outside our Sales Manager's office. Well there have been developments. 1) Biff felt that it needed to relocate and build a home just outside my windows 2) Turns out Biff is an inappropriate name. It is in fact a female that has laid eggs.

This is making my workday far more complicated then it needs to be. Each time I see Biff move I have an uncontrollable urge to run. This has created a highly unproductive work day for me. Why this thing has to chosen to live near the ONLY person on staff that is terrified of spiders is just beyond me. The idea that, at some point, a nest of a bajillion spiders is going to hatch 6 feet away from me is almost enough to make me pass out.

On a totally unrelated topic- Go Rockies! Game 2 is at 1:00 today. We've found one TV on the mountain that has the game. Most of us will be working only on commercial breaks (just kidding Steve).

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Shape Up

It's a good time to start training for skiing and snowboarding. Tweaking your exercise routine could pay off on opening day. You don't want your legs turning to jello after 2 runs! Here are some helpful tips. This article can be read in its entirety at http://fitlist.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/10/02/392498.aspx

*Cycling -- This is a great endurance exercise that builds cardiovascular fitness and strengthens the quads, glutes and hamstrings. While the weather is still good, get out your bike and start putting on some miles. At the gym, hit the stationary cycling machines.

*Jumps -- Place a foot-long piece of masking tape on the floor. Then stand on one foot and hop across the tape, back and forth, for 30 seconds. Switch feet and repeat. Finish up with both feet locked together and hop from side to side for 1 minute.

*Skiing, at the gym -- Cardio machines that mimic the moves of cross-country or downhill skiing are great to train on because they move like you do in the snow.

*Isometrics -- For strength and balance, pull up an imaginary chair and sit against the wall. Start by standing with your back to the wall. Then slide down until your knees are in line with your hips. Keep your shoulders back against the wall. Hold for 1 to 3 minutes.

Personally I really recommend the "wall sits." It's something you can do while watching TV. Just remember, the pain means it's working...at least that's what I'm told.

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

There's a New Cat on the Hill

The new snowcat has arrived. The second this thing pulled into the parking lot the guys lit up the radios with excitement. It's their big shiny new red toy. Powderhorn owns 3 snowcats and has at least 2 in operation each night. This new cat will help get more terrain groomed faster and better.


The cat arrives in large pieces and has to be assembled by our Fleet Maintenance crew.

Monday, October 01, 2007

October

How did we get to October already? Let's hope time keeps going by this fast. Only 66 days until opening day!

If you need to get your season pass photo taken, we have several shows in Grand Junction this month where you can get everything wrapped up. You can also purchase your Plus Card if you haven't done this yet. Here's the full schedule-

Oct. 13
Summit Canyon Mountaineering (Main St.)
10am-3pm

Oct. 20
Gene Taylor's
10am-3pm

Oct. 27
Sports Authority
10am-3pm

Nov. 3
Ski Swap- Two Rivers Convention Center
7am-4pm

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Color Sunday (Again)

It's Color Sunday all over again. Due to last weekend's rain, we're doing it all over again so you have a chance to ride the lift and hang out at the mountain. The colors are changing fast now and the forecast is calling for mostly sunny skies and a high of 57. Plan on brining a jacket to ride the lift as it will be a little cooler on top.

Lift rides
Update: Due to mechanical difficulties the lift will not be running.

Wildewood Restaurant brunch 10am-3pm
Live music on the deck 12-4pm
Alpine Trader sales 9am-4pm
Color Sunday Open (disc golf tourney) 10am registration

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Warren Miller Update

Got word on the Warren Miller show Playground.

Grand Junction
Two Rivers Convention Center
Nov. 3
8:00pm (time could change)

Each ticket to the show will be worth a free lift ticket to Powderhorn! Plus we'll bring some swag to giveaway at intermission. It's the same day as the ski swap so come down, save some money on gear, get your pass photo taken, and check out the Warren Miller film. Sounds like a good day to me!

New Gear

Looking for new equipment this year? With all the companies and products out there it can be pretty hard to figure out what to buy. Powder Magazine launched their 2008 Buyer's Guide online this year. It's a dandy little device and makes me wonder why no one has done this before. You can search or browse all the products, read reviews, and make your own comments.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Environmental Announcement

We are excited to announce today that we will be using wind energy to offset the power used to run the Take Four and EZ Rider lifts. We've teamed up with Renewable Choice Energy out of Boulder and contracted for the next 3 years. The ski industry has made great strides in the last few years to help reduce our environmental impact. Powderhorn decided it was time to get serious to do our part. We depend on the enviroment to run our business and to enjoy the sport so we should definitely be doing what we can to preserve it. Following the lead of the Vails and Aspens of the world, Powderhorn is the first of the smaller resorts in Colorado (the Gems) to use renewable energy to offset a large portion of energy. Look for more information and details soon on the website and hear more about this story in the newspaper soon.

Monday, September 24, 2007

First Snow!

While I'm not at the mountain today, I have been informed that the top of the mountain did receive a dusting of snow last night! Sorry that there is no picture to prove it, just trust us :) As we get deeper into the fall we'll keep you updated on accumulations and how the base starts stacking up. We'll even have video coming on the website before season so you can see exactly what's going on.

I stopped in Gene Taylor's today to get some skis ordered and got to see all their new tuning equipment. I have to say it's some seriously fancy stuff! They can tune your skis or board perfectly to whatever snow conditions are the norm at the time. Plus they can now tune your bases so well that even in the middle of the season your ride can get back to the nearly perfect out-of-the-wrapper performance. The shop opens Oct. 1st.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

When It Rains It Pours

I'm sure many of you are waking up right now and looking out the window to see water everywhere. There's really no end in sight....at least until tonight. It's a steady downpour up here at the mountain so we've decided to obviously cancel the lift rides for the day. You can still come up and eat and get your season pass taken care of. The Alpine Trader has amazing sales going on right now too. The Good News- Color Sunday is such a great event that we want to make sure everyone can enjoy it at Powderhorn. So we've decided that we will run the lift next Sunday the 30th. This will probably be the peak of the colors so the lift rides will be nothing short of amazing! Lifts will run from 10am-3pm, $5 adults and $3 kids 12 & under. See you next Sunday! Please help spread the word.

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Color Sunday Open

Well Color Weekend is going strong! Temperatures are perfect today and it's been nice and sunny for those riding the lift. For all you disc golfers, tomorrow is the Color Sunday Open tournament. Registration starts at 10am and the first group goes out at 11am. If you choose, there is a $10 donation for the tournament, otherwise it's free to play. Winner gets a night's stay at the Inn at Wildewood as well as two lift tickets.

Course record is 48 (6 under) by Ben Thatcher. Everyone is gunning for it tomorrow!

Friday, September 21, 2007

See you this weekend

Don't forget its Color Weekend on the mesa! We'll be firing up the lifts tomorrow at 10am so come early to get your ticket and be first in line. The high forecasted for the mesa tomorrow is 71 and its 58 on Sunday. Grab a jacket, we'll see ya here!

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Warren Miller's Playground

Here is the trailer for Warren Miller's new movie. I have an email into them to find out when it will be in Grand Junction. I'll let you know as soon as I know!

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

The Race is On

If you travelled I-70 in the last couple days then chances are you noticed the white stuff above the Eisenhower tunnel. It has also snowed on the peaks of Breckenridge a couple times. Loveland ski area has announced it will fire up its snowmaking operations this week. I'm sure that A-Basin won't take that lying down and will hop to it as well. So the classic race to open is officially beginning! Last season A-Basin beat out Loveland putting a stop to a 7 year streak. We'll see what happens this year. We'll keep you posted and you can always check out www.coloradoski.com to get updates.

Monday, September 17, 2007

Here Come the Colors

Today is the official start of Color Week on the Grand Mesa. And right on schedule, the colors have started to change. I think the colder temperatures and tons of rain in the last couple days gave it the kickstart it needed. For all the details of everything happening this weekend go to http://www.powderhorn.com/content/view/160/
The clouds have parted for a moment...

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Meet Biff

This is one of the biggest spiders I've ever seen although it's hard to tell in this picture. He has made his home outside our Sales Manager's window. Let's just say I had issues even posting this picture. Spiders are disgusting as far as I'm concerned. But the guys love it and have named him Biff.

Traz this Saturday

If you still need to get your season pass or plus card we'll be at Traz this Saturday from 10am to 2pm. It's also a good chance to check out all the new snowboard gear. They've told me that almost everything has come in and it's some great stuff!

And if you have your pass already just stop in and say hi. We always like chattin with everyone. Oh and we like mochas....so if you're feeling nice....I'm just saying, Borders and Starbucks are quite close :)

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Photo Contest

It's time to get excited about the ski season! Here is a cool way you can win a Powderhorn season pass:

Go to the GJ FreePress and post your favorite picture of you tearing up the slopes at Powderhorn. This can be from any season. We'll be the judge of the coolest picture and determine a winner on November 1st. First place gets a season pass, second place gets a sweet Loki jacket.

Here is the first submission...now go get after it!

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

MIA

Sorry that the blog has been MIA for the last week. I was out of town and apparently no one here at the mountain had anything to say! I'm just trying to find out what's going on so I don't really have anything to report. Things are as busy as ever and the temperatures are getting much cooler here at the mountain. All good signs that winter is approaching! I'll have Powderhorn updates for you later today or tomorrow.

Saturday, September 01, 2007

Labor Day Weekend

We're out of here! Have a safe and fun weekend. Hope you all get to go outside and enjoy the last bits of summer. The staff here at Powderhorn hit the doors running for the weekend. Staff plans include camping, hiking 14ers, watching football, rafting, fishing, and hunting. Enjoy!

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Upcoming Events

I think we could say it's officially "pre-season." That wonderful time when it starts to cool off a bit and we try to wait patiently for snow. The staff at Powderhorn knows it's officially "pre-season" when our blood pressure has roughly doubled since this time last month. Oh well, it's all very exciting for us! We have tons of events coming up where you can get your season pass or plus card or just chat with one of our representatives. Here is the full schedule for the next month-

Catch us tonight at the Farmer's Market on Main St. We are helping LiveWell kick off another season of wellness in Mesa County. You can register to win a First Timer ski or snowboard lesson package, pick up a Powderhorn sticker, get season pass/plus card info, and check out some facts about how good skiing snowboarding is for your body!

Sept. 6 & 20
Mesa State College
$250 season pass for students, staff & faculty
MUST have valid MavCard and purchase on those days only to get that price

Sept. 15
Traz
Order your season pass or plus card and check out all the new winter snowboard gear

Sept. 22-23
Color Weekend
Lift rides, season pass photos, live music, Alpine Trader sales, Loki demos/sales, great food at Wildewood Restaurant, BBQ at Sunset Grille, working artist demonstrations, disc golf, mountain biking, hiking, art gallery, and photography demos by 13 Photo & Gallery.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Local Heros

The DNA rail jam at Gene Taylor's last night was amazing! Tons of people came out to watch the locals tear it up. The top 3 riders from last night will move on to the finals in Las Vegas this January. Second and Third place went to two of our favorite Powderhorn riders! Congratulations to Micah and Natasha! Give an extra round of applause to Natasha who is the ONLY girl in the whole country to qualify for finals. Absolutely amazing!


Micah posing with his picture from last season









Waiting to drop in





Natasha gettin it done




Micah and all his smoothness



Thanks to everyone who came out!

Monday, August 27, 2007

Rail Jam Time

There's no snow but that's no big deal. Gene Taylor's is hosting the DNA Evolution Tour rail jam tomorrow night! Practice is from 4-6 and the comp starts at 7. They're having free food and drinks and we'll be there giving away stickers, selling season passes, and hanging out. Call them at 242-8165 for details.

I was in Crested Butte this weekend hiking and happened to catch this event. Here is what you have the opportunity to ride tomorrow night!