Half Empty or Half Full?

Can you believe it's the end of January already? That means the ski season is already half over. That fact makes me start to worry. I'm not ready for it to be half over, it feels like it just started! It makes me want to ski more, make sure I get it all in before the temperatures get too warm and the beautiful white stuff leaves us. Powderhorn will be open for exactly 60 more days. Sounds like a lot, yet it all goes so fast. I've had 25 days on the snow so far and hopefully I'll get at least 25 more. There are tons of you that are up here all the time so someone has probably got me beat. Leave a comment and tell us how many days you've put in so far, and how many more you hope to get before the season ends.

And thanks to all you snow dancers....we've had 6 inches of snow so far from this storm and it's still snowing woo hoo!

Snow Dancin Time

If you love powder you'll dance for snow this week! We really like it when the forecast looks like this (click to enlarge):

Let's all work together to increase those chances....so dance my friends! Hmmm you should send us pictures of your snow dance. Keep it clean of course ;)

Unfamiliar Territory for the Tomato

The Winter X Games have officially come to a close with all kinds of stories highlighting the week. Perhaps one of the biggest is the fact that Shaun White, for the first time in years, did not take home a gold medal! Competing in both Slopestyle and Pipe, Shaun took bronze and silver respectively. The fact that he didn't take gold in pipe ended a 6 year run of total domination. Hey it was bound to happen sometime right? And he had a great attitude all day, congratulating all the other riders and just plain "having fun."

So who are the talented fellas that knocked the Flying Tomato off the throne? Andreas Wiig (slopestyle) and Steve Fisher (pipe). Wiig also won gold in the Best Trick competition.

Watch video of the gold medal runs at www.expn.com

X Games

We got to spend the evening last night on top of the pipe at Winter X Games 11 and it was amazing! Though the judging was controversial, the atheltes did not disappoint. Several new tricks were unveiled and everyone was going huge. Here are the final results and some pictures we snagged. Click the pictures to enlarge

Men's Ski Superpipe
1. Tanner Hall
2. Simon Dumont
3. Peter Olenick

Women's Ski Superpipe
1. Sarah Burke
2. Grete Eliassen
3. Jen Hudak

Candide Thovex



Colby West


Peter Olenick- his new "whisky flip," a double backflip

continued


Simon Dumont


Andreas Hatveit


Tanner Hall went down hard on his third run...


but he was able to ski away...


and win the comp!


Men's podium


Sarah Burke- 1st Place


Grete Eliassen- 2nd


Jen Hudak- 3rd

Online Tickets

I'm excited to announce that you can now buy Powderhorn multi-day lift tickets online! Many of you were looking for a way to buy consecutive day tickets. Well now you don't have to come to the ticket window each day. You can purchase multi-day lift tickets online for any age group. It's setup so you can buy 2 day, 3 day, and 4 day tickets all at the WEEKDAY price. So when buying tickets for the weekend, you save money! Keep in mind that these tickets must be used on consecutive days.

Another perk is that you skip the line at the ticket window. When you order the tickets online, print out the receipt and bring it to the Guest Services desk. They'll give you your tickets and get you on the hill fast!

To order go to http://www.powderhorn.com/component/option,com_virtuemart/page,shop.browse/category_id,3/Itemid,3/

Powderhorn Cash Cards are also now available online and season passes will be available soon.

2nd Annual TeleFest

This weekend Powderhorn is freeing our heels and throwing a party! Here are all the details for the 2nd Annual TeleFest-

The weekend includes an uphill/downhill race, clinics, apres party, demos, backcountry clinic, giveaways, ski with a local, and costume contest.

Cost: $85 includes 2-day lift ticket, events, party & goodie bag
$55 includes events, party & goodie bag
$10 uphill/downhill race

Schedule:
Saturday
Registration- 8:30 am @ Ski School Desk
Uphill/Downhill Race- 8:30 am, Wonderbump
Equipment Demos- 9:30am - 3:00pm
Tele Clinic- 10:00am
Ski with a Local- 1:30 pm
Party- 4:00 pm, Wildewood Restaurant

Sunday
Equipment Demos- 9:30am – 3:00pm
Tele Clinic- 10:00 am
Backcountry Awareness Clinic- 1:00 pm
Ski with a Local- 1:30 pm

A big thanks to all our sponsors!
Board & Buckle, Foot Support Group, Gene Taylors Sporting Goods, Rapid Creek Sports, REI, Summit Canyon Mountaineering,

Steph Myers Interview

Coming up February 10-11, Powderhorn will host the first ever Thunder Mt. Freestyle Fest. The Jibij Team will be here to ski & celebrate with us as well as judge the slopestyle competition. Miss Steph Myers, one of the women of freeskiing, so graciously answered a few questions for us.

Name: Steph Myers
Years skiing: 19
Sponsors: Jibij Pro-shop, Aeryx Clothing, Echo Mountain Park, Scott Goggles
Hometown: Columbus, Ohio
What are the perfect conditions to ski? A bluebird sky and either at least 6 inches of new powder or a perfectly groomed park and pipe.
Describe your perfect park feature: Down Rail with stairs or a huge money booter
Favorite ski company? Strickly Skis, crafted in Japan!
Favorite clothing company? Aeryx
Favorite beverage? Hot Chocolate
Describe your best trip so far: The recent Jibij team trip to Jisan Forest Resort in South Korea is easily the best trip of my LIFE!
Favorite activity other than skiing? Karaoke, thinking about skiing....
What do you have planned for the rest of your season? Shredding Colorado with the Jibij crew! Travelling out of state, to Whistler, some spring skiing destinations.....The future is wide open!

Located in Boulder, CO, Jibij Pro Shop is one of the first stores to focus entirely on freeskiing. Jibij carries the top brands supporting the culture and sport of skiing. The Jibij team has been featured in over 75 updates on Newschoolers.com, and currently travels the world in search of fun places to ski, all while documenting it for skiers everywhere to enjoy. To learn more, visit www.jibij.com

Powder Day!

We've had over 12" of snow in the last 24 hours and it's still coming down! I hope you can get up here to get yours soon. Here are some pictures of us delinquent employees "working."

Dan- IT Manager

Leah- Group Sales Coordinator showing off her tele-prowess


Sarah- Sales & Marketing Administrator


One of our Ski Patrollers- tell us who you are!

US Freeskiing Open

I took the day off and went over to Copper to watch the Jeep US Freeskiing Open. We arrived to an amazing sunny day. At our first lift we found ourselves standing in line next to Sammy Carlson and Sarah Burke, both at the top of the game. The men's and women's slopesyle finals were today and everyone was skiing great. Jon Olsson won for the men's and Anna Segal won the women's side of things. Here are the only decent pictures I got before my battery died. Just a tip..bring extra batteries to these things!

Jump 2

Sarah Burke

Anna Segal

Slopestyle Competition & Deals For You

First order of business- the first Slopestyle Competition of the season is this Saturday the 20th. We'll be splitting the groups into these categories- Men's Snowboard Advanced, Men's Snowboard Intermediate, Men's Ski Advanced, Men's Ski Intermediate, Women's Snowboard, Women's Ski. It's $15 to enter and the winners get cash and swag. Everyone must sign a freestyle liability (if you haven't done so already this season). If you are under 18, a parent must sign. Just call us or send an email and we can email you a copy of the liability in case your parents won't be here Saturday.

Next- we've made it even easier now for you to join the text messaging list! There are already over 150 people receiving powder alerts and special deals directly from us. To join, just text the word DEALS to 38714. You can remove yourself from the list at anytime. There is a great promo available to you right now!

Ski News

Here's an update of the latest news floating around the ski industry right now...

Colorado Ski Resorts Have Record Setting First Period
Collectively, Colorado ski resorts hosted 3,285,649 skiers and snowboarders, an increase of 6.74 percent, over last season's record First Period, defined as October 13-December 31.

Powderhorn is also experiencing this increase. The resort is roughly up by 20% over our First Period last year. While this is an amazing number, we have to remember that Powderhorn's 05-06 season had less than average snowfall which did affect skier numbers. But we are extremely excited about this increase and have YOU to thank for it!

Winter X Games Announces Headliners
The Winter X Games in Aspen has announced the headliners for the Apres X parties. Satellite Party, the new project of alternative rocker Perry Farrell will play Friday, Jan. 26. And rapper Common will play Saturday, Jan. 27. These concerts are free to the public and held in Aspen's city park.

Whistler Blackcomb Exceeds All Time Snowfall Record
Snowfall accumulation totals at Whistler Blackcomb have reached record highs. 345 inches of snow has fallen on Whistler so far this season, which is the most the resort has seen by this time in January based on 27 years of snow data anyalysis.


345 inches!! Who else is green with envy right now? It's ok...our snow is still good right now. But who wouldn't take a 2 foot storm anytime soon?

Thank You!

A big thank you to everyone who celebrated our 40th Anniversary with us this week! We hope you had a great time with all the festivities. We're looking forward to another 40 years with all of you!

Animals Ski Better Than Me

Apparently ostriches are quite good at skiing. Who knew?

Trust Me

If you haven't signed up to received the Powderhorn text messages to your cell phone you should do it. Trust me. There is something good on the horizon for text subscribers. I've probably said too much already....I'm risking it all for you!

You also get powder alerts delivered straight to your phone. And I promise we don't flood your cell phone with random messages. You'll only receive a few a month. Remember, you can opt out at any time. Also keep in mind this is a free service but charges may apply depending on your cell carrier and wireless plan. Just go to www.powderhorn.com and click on Signup/Login. It only takes 1 minute.

Oh yeah and you didn't hear this from me.

Avalanche Tips

You don't have to be a skier/snowboarder to get caught in an avalanche. The recent avy on Berthoud Pass proves that. Cross-country skiers, snowmobilers, and snowshoers can be at risk too. It's good to know what you should do in case you ever find yourself in such a scary situation. Here are some tips:

If you are snowmobiling, push yourself away from your sled to avoid being injured by it.
Try to stay on the surface of the avalanche by using a swimming motion.
Work yourself toward the side of the avalanche.
Grab trees, rocks, etc to avoid being swept down the slope.
Keep your mouth closed and your teeth clenched.

If you find yourself going under-
Try to continually push yourself toward the surface.
Make an air pocket in front of your face using one arm or wiggle your head if you can't move your arms.
Push an arm upward to attempt to have a visual marker for rescuers
If trapped, relax your breathing. Shout only when rescuer is near.

If you have any other tips, leave a comment!

Party Time

It's time to celebrate our 40th Anniversary! Starting tomorrow (the 8th) lift tickets are 2 for $66 all week including the weekend (Jan 8-14). The $66 is in honor of our 1966 opening, get it...eh eh? Well if I have to explain it, it's probably not that cool....but you get a deal on tickets so come up! We'll also have a whole room of the history of Powderhorn. I've been working on some of this stuff since the middle of the summer so come browse the pictures, old skis and snowboards, boots, and other memorabilia.

Then on January 13-14 it's a huge party! There will be live music both days, cake from 2pm-4pm in the memorabilia room, jugglers, bump-n-jump, toboggan rides, a treasure hunt on the mountain (win a season pass for next year), obstacle course, food specials, and a chance to win a portable DVD player. Hit the thrift stores and dress up in gear from your favorite decade. I'm partial to the gold one-piece suite myself. All our staff will be dressing up so come and look ridiculous along with us!

Young at Heart

Young at Heart is a program we offer at Powderhorn for those in the 50+ crowd. Trust me, this group knows how to have fun. They meet every Thursday starting January 11 and ski all day with Powderhorn guides in like-ability groups. Then there is an apres party after every ski day! Plus, lift tickets for anyone participating in this group are only $25, the party costs $5. If you are interested in signing up, call the ski school desk at 970-268-5700.

Powder Day!

It's a POWDER DAY! We had 14" of snow overnight, our base is at 37". Another 2-4 inches is expected today. Everyone could definitely smell it in the air as there was a good sized line waiting for first tracks. If you can't make it up today, it should be a great weekend!

The battle for firsts

Share Your Story

Now that you've heard the story of Powderhorn, we would like to hear yours! There are a lot of people around here that have been skiing at Powderhorn for a number of years. Please leave a comment and share anything you'd like. Let's see who has been skiing here the longest...

The History of Skiing on the Grand Mesa (part 3)

On December 5, 1966 the current Powderhorn Ski Area was officially opened and dedicated. Fifteen hundred people attended the ceremony as Colorado Governor John A. Love cut the ribbon with virtually no snow on the ground. The Colorado Grand Mesa Ski Corporation built and operated the area in cooperation with Grand Mesa Winter Sports, Inc. They developed six miles of ski trails along with a double chair and a surface lift. As the area grew, another chairlift was installed on the west side of Powderhorn in 1973 taking skiers to the 9,800 foot level.

Twenty years after its opening, Powderhorn was sold to a Texas cable TV mogul/developer. The double chair was replaced with a fixed grip quad and the surface lift was replaced with a double chair. Powderhorn Ski Area officially became “Powderhorn Resort.” The Day Lodge was expanded and snow making was introduced.

In late 1998 the current owners, High West Group, LLC, purchased Powderhorn. A series of improvements began almost immediately. The west side of the parking lots were paved, 5000 square feet was added to the Day Lodge as well as a 5000 square foot sundeck and bridge. The hotel & restaurant were renovated and renamed “Inn at Wildewood” and “Wildewood Restaurant,” and significant infrastructure improvements were completed.