Closing Day Pictures

Today saw some of the weirdest closing day conditions ever! It should be some kind of rule that closing days at ski resorts are sunny with highs near 50 and no wind. We saw sun and clouds take turns today and then the day finished off with a snow storm! It looks like everyone had a really good time though. There was lots of neon...lots of wigs...and lots of laughter, just as it should be. Thank you so much for a great season at Powderhorn!

So much neon it should be illegal!


Proof there was sunshine today!


Locals Micah and Heather



One very purple individual and one very pale one



A celebration in the lodge after 3 people skied down on 1 pair of skis (watch out for that light though)



Ok stop me if you've heard this one- A cowboy, a Scottish bagpiper, and William Wallace go skiing...


Mr. William Wallace takes a break from the battle

This Is It!

Last day of the 07-08 season! Get that teal and purple coat out and have fun today! Later this week we'll have pictures and video up from the SlushSprocket and other activities.

The Final Friday Feed

So long, farewell.....
The final Friday Feed of the season :(

Ready for the Weekend

We're getting really excited for this weekend! Not because we're closing and skiing will be over....that's just blasphemy. But because this weekend is going to be so much fun! Many of us employees are just planning on staying up here Saturday night and celebrating all through the weekend. It's a great time of year when the snow is soft, temps are warm, and shenanigans seem to ensue. Shenanigans such as riding bikes on snow...hot pink one piece suits...and congo ski lines.

In case you haven't heard of all the fun stuff planned:

Saturday
Beer Garden on the deck
Hoop Shoot Contest
Live Music
SlushSprocket Bike Race
Final Steak Night at Wildewood Restaurant

Sunday
Throwback Day- wear your favorite old school ski outfit
Get the last chair for the 4:00 final run of the season!

Inspiration

Here's a little inspiration for you for Throwback Day (Sunday).

It Ain't Over

Till the snowman sings...or someone sings....anyway, there's still a full week left of the ski season. Snow conditions are looking really good. No rock dodging or hopping over dirt patches this year! Temps are going to be in the 40s all week so don't bring that thick coat. Oh and make sure you layer on the sunblock.

Thanks to Jody Kliska for sending this picture in! Our midway liftie made an Easter snowman. Interesting mix of materials wouldn't you say?

Friday Feed

Sorry, there will be no Friday Feed this week. Get out there and enjoy some of the best March conditions ever!

Send those pictures of your goggle tan to ski@powderhorn.com

Time is running out to get your season pass at the best price possible. Go here for details.

Guy Time

It's almost Men's Week!

Men's Week March 24th - 30th

Powderhorn is capping off a fantastic season with a great event. Everyone will have fun, but the specials are for the guys. There will be March Madness NCAA on the TV's, great food, drink and entertainment, massage therapists to sooth sore muscles from the slopes, hoop shoots and crazy folks on the slope.

Lift Tix 2 for $66 all week

20% off of lessons all week

20% off of rentals all week

Wear a Grand Mesa Youth Soccer Jersey and receive 25% off a youth full day lift ticket, all week.

Saturday, March 29, 2008
Hoop Shoot, sponsored by Sports Authority
10am registration, $5 per person, a portion to go to the GM Youth Soccer League, each registrant will receive a $5 gift card from Sports Authority and vitamins products from GNC health store. Competition will be single elimination shoot out to win a Spalding Portable Basketball system. Start time will be 11am and will run until a winner is determined by the furthest, most difficult shot.

SlushSprocket Bike Race
Sponsored by the Bike Shop
2pm registration, no cost, participants will be hauled up the mountain by snow mobiles where they will shot gun start to race down the mountain, on the snow for glory and prizes...and fun!

The Sunset Deck will be home for the Bud Lite Beer Garden from 11am to 6pm, the best spot to view all the fun. Flat Top Reed Band will entertain from the Sunset as well with great sounds from 2pm to 6pm.

Freshies

Another round of freshies...get out there and enjoy!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY

3/14 Friday Feed

In this week's podcast we have the snow & event update plus we want to see your goggle tan!

Listen here

New Runs

Grab a copy of the Daily Sentinel today. There's a great story in there about some of the big changes we're making for this summer including new events, another Color Sunday, competitions, wine dinners, the Trader Cafe, and yes...we're looking at cutting new runs!

We would like to cut 2 more runs on the west end of the mountain this summer. One of the new slopes would be a little short while the other would be a longer blue run. Now, there are a few things that we're watching that could keep these runs from getting finished. The main issue is runoff. If it gets warm extremely fast we could have landslide issues that take awhile to fix (depending on their size). That would consume time, manpower, and budget. So let's all pray that doesn't happen. Also, the ground could stay too wet for too long which would prevent us from getting our equipment on the mountain. We have a window of opportunity to work within per our arrangement with the Forest Service. If all the right conditions don't click into place, it would keep us from finishing the project.

We will of course keep you updated on this project here on the blog. I'll post pictures throughout the spring and summer of everything we do. If we get our new runs, I'd like to have some kind of contest to name them...so start brainstorming!

Check Out the View

For those of you that like to spy on Powderhorn throughout your day, check out the new view from the webcam. Hope you like it. It shows much more of the area. And unless a bird decides to perch on the lens, it should always have an unobstructed view.

Woman of the Year

This past Saturday, we awarded our first ever Woman of the Year as part of Women's Week. The award went to Lillian Mertes who skis almost every day of the week here at Powderhorn. Lil turns 90 years old this year. We should all be so lucky to have such a long active life! The fact is, Lil probably gets more days in than 90% of us. She is a wonderful part of Powderhorn and to recognize her we gave her a free season pass for as long as she keeps making those turns.

Congratulations Lil!

Only 21 Days Left

That's right, there's only 3 weeks left in the season. Hurry and get your turns in before it's all over! It looks like we have a chance at more snow Wednesday through Friday. Otherwise, wear your sunblock and drop that extra layer. It's either powder or bluebird days from here on out!

An event you'll want to be here for:
Closing Weekend Party- March 29-30
Saturday
SlushSprocket Bike Race (everyone welcome, must wear helmet!)
Live Music
Drink specials & party on the deck
Sunday
Throwback Day- wear your best Old School outfit for the last day of the season
Throwback Big Air in terrain park- only spread eagles and suitcase grabs allowed!

p.s. If you are going to call in sick to go ski....make sure you layer your sunblock every hour. It's pretty hard to get away with it when you have a goggle tan!

Webcam

If any of you are trying to view the webcam today, we apologize but all you're going to see is part of a Mountain Dew logo. The Vertical Challenge & Sobe Rail Jam are happening today and the deck is covered with event tents. One of the tents is sitting in front of the window where the webcam is located. We finally received our outdoor enclosure for the webcam that can handle the conditions up here. So the the webcam will be moving outside to give you a better view soon.


12:30p UPDATE: While we were expecting blue skies today, we got snow instead! It's snowing pretty heavily right now. If it keeps up we could see a decent amount!

3/7 Friday Feed

In this week's podcast we give you the weekly update and ask, "What's the weirdest thing you've ever seen on the mountain?" Opportunity to win a FREE lift ticket!

Listen here

Email

One of those mysterious internet gremlins messed up our Contact Us email link on the website. Thanks to those of you that let us know. I wondered why I hadn't heard from any guests for a couple days.

It's fixed now so feel free to contact us anytime with questions, comments, stories, etc. We strive to get back to you within 24 hours. If you have pictures or video you'd like to send in for the Shoot Out Contest, send to shoot@powderhorn.com

Mtn Dew Vertical Challenge

It's time once again for the big Mountain Dew Vertical Challenge & Sobe Rail Jam! It's this Saturday, the 8th, and the best part is it's FREE. Signups start at 8:30am on the deck. You can get free samples of all kinds of stuff all day. Prizes will be given away at 4:00pm...you could go home with a new snowboard!

What is it?
The vertical challenge is a race course open to skiers & snowboarders of all ability levels. There are several different age categories. Winners move on to regionals.
The Sobe Rail Jam will be held next to the terrain park and is also open to both skiers & snowboarders of all ability levels.
Registration is free and everyone goes home with goodies!

Myth Busting

A reader asked today if we would stay open into April, snow permitting. I apologize for not addressing this sooner. First off, I want to play mythbuster. For years there has been the rumor that the Forest Service dictates when ski areas close for their season. I've heard this given as the reason in at least 3 different states.

The truth is, we have a year-round permit with the Forest Service. They do not force us to close at a given time. We do however give them both winter and summer operating plans so they know exactly what we will be doing. We communicate with them regularly.

So, the reason we close on March 30? It's purely a business decision. We've found that even if the snow is amazing, people are just ready for summer and have moved on to other activities. By that time it's perfect weather in the Grand Valley so people are hiking, biking, etc. Granted there are many of us who would ski/snowboard year-round if we could, it's just not enough people to make it worth-while to stay open much past April 1st.

The only way for this to change is to convince our friends that mountain biking, hiking, heck..spring cleaning and yard work can all WAIT! Fight the urge to sunbathe! Get a goggle tan instead! Let's face it...summer is longer than winter...so let's all ski as long as we can!

Packing a Punch

That little storm packed a punch yesterday! We ended up with 14" from the storm bringing our base to it's highest point yet this season- 70 inches. That puts us up to 291" for the season, over 24 feet! Here is the breakdown so far:

Preseason: 14"
December: 132"
January: 79"
February: 52"
March: 14"

Looks like another storm is on the way. More powder days in your future!

The Ultimate Apres

What could be better than a day of skiing in perfect conditions followed by a gourmet dinner?

Wednesday, March 12
Wildewood Restaurant
6-8pm

Menu:
Maryland style crab cakes
French Onion Soup
Wilted spinach salad with spicy candied walnuts and bacon dressing
Sorbet
Intermission- fashion show
Beef Wellington with Bordelaise
Chocolate Pecan Raspberry torte

$65.00 per person
Please make reservations by calling 970-268-5170

p.s. March sales have begun at the Alpine Trader!