Hey Ullr

Let's face it, the only color we're interested in now is white. The leaves have fallen and the mountain is ready for snow. So, Mr. Ullr....god of snow...are you still in the Bahamas sipping Mai Thai's? Because it's time to get to work!

It's warm enough to wear short sleeves out today but actually it's no big deal yet. KJCT's meteorologist Brad Sowder pointed out to me that this is exactly how last season started. And things are looking very good for another good snow year. So enjoy some mountain biking while you can, because winter will be here before you know it!

For the webcam watchers...the countdown to opening will be back soon. We just need to do some minor repairs to the sign.

Flip That Lodge

With only 29 work days until we open, it's crunch time. If TLC did a spinoff of Flip That House, we would nominate ourselves for Flip That Lodge.

If you've ever seen the lodge in the summer, it looks quite a bit different than in the winter. Currently we are working to flip the lodge back into winter mode. The rental shop is in the process of becoming a rental shop again (it was the Trader Cafe all summer). They literally have boxes stacked to the ceiling as we purchased all new boots and expanded our ski & snowboard fleet.

The Trader Cafe is moving to the Evergreen Room in the lobby. On those busy Saturdays when you just want a sandwich and don't want to wait in line at the Grille, run into the Cafe. A nice caffeine buzz can't hurt your skiing either. You'll get more laps then ever before!

The Sunset Grille is being cleaned top to bottom in preparation for the season. The bar was painted to rid ourselves of the Super 70s Mauve that we were so famous for. Your heart is breaking I know.

And finally, new lockers are going into the picnic area. The previous lockers had been there for years. We're taking bets on what we'll find when we pull those out...want to get in on it?

King of the Mountain

Just a little heads up on a big contest we're dreaming up. We'll be crowning a King or Queen of the mountain on December 6th.

You'll have the opportunity to qualify December 1-5 by listening to Magic 93.1 or the Vault 92.3

Then we'll draw the winner live at our Winter Kickoff Party at Gene Taylor's on December 6th. The winner will receive a night's stay at the Inn at Wildewood, 2 Plus Cards, and gear! Even if you don't get into the contest, stop by Gene Taylor's for the party. We'll have free stickers and beanies, Pepsi giveaways, season pass photos, Plus Cards for sale, and you can shop the new gear or have your equipment tuned up.

December 6th

Gene Taylor's Sporting Goods

9am-1pm

We'll be adding to the grand prize as this event develops so stay tuned!

Drive Yourself Nuts

Watching ski and snowboard videos in the fall is the perfect way to drive yourself over the edge. Some friends and I watched That's It That's All this weekend. It was the best snowboard video I've seen so far this season. It did the job- made me want to get out there.




You can get this video on iTunes for only $8. Just search the title. Also search Video Action Sports and you'll find tons of ski and snowboard videos for only $2. Enjoy the punishment!

October Winner

Dale Johnson is the winner of the October e-news trivia contest. We has won 2 lift tickets. Congrats!

Correct answer was Sidewinder as the original name of Bill's Run.

Watch for the next e-newsletter coming out next Thursday with a new trivia question plus important Powderhorn updates. Not getting our newsletters? Sign up here. You can remove yourself from the list anytime.

Countdown Begins

Starting tomorrow, whenever you check the webcam you'll have a reminder of just how many days are left until your skis can hit the snow.

Everyone in the office nearly passed out from Sharpie fumes....

Ski Tomorrow

YOU COULD GO SKIING TOMORROW! Sorry for shouting but that's exciting!
Our friends over at A Basin and Loveland are opening for the season TOMORROW. Feel that 24 hour flu coming on?

Best of Boards

As promised, here are the top-ranked snowboards for 08-09. These were collected from Snowboard Magazine and Transworld Snowboarding. It was a little more difficult finding a wide range of editor's picks for various snowboard mags. If you have recommendations for others, leave a comment.

Men’s All Mountain
Rome Mod
Salomon Official
Nitro TeamRossignol Retox

Women’s Specific
Ride Canvas
Burton Stria
Rome DetailSalomon Lily

Park Specific
Forum Grudge
Burton X8
Nitro EeroK2 Darkstar

Burton boards can be found at Gene Taylor's, Traz carries Rome and Nitro, and Sports Authority carries Ride and Salomon.

C-C-Cold

Driving into the resort today, it was only 17 degrees! It's good to be cold again. As soon as daytime temperatures start staying a little lower, we'll begin making snow. Most likely the beginning of November. We purchased some new snowmaking equipment this year that will help us cover the base area more quickly. We will also use the equipment to make more snow in the terrain park.

Time to do some stretching and get those regular snow dances going!

Moon & Mountain

The moon rising yesterday afternoon over Cannonball and Wonderbump (click to enlarge)

Saving the Moola

Maybe you've heard about this little thing going on in our country....something to do with a bailout...and nasty looking red arrows pointing down.

Point is, we all could stand to save a little money right now. Here are some cool sites that will help you save money on outdoor gear that you might need for the season.

MountainGear.com is having a sale through October 14 on all kinds of outdoor gear. Some stuff is up to 78% off. Tons of items from The North Face, Mountain Hardware, and Patagonia.

Steap and Cheap is a cool site that posts a different deal every day. Quantities are limited so you have to buy fast but the deals are always amazing. For example, today's deal was Smith Sunglasses for only $29.99!

The only thing better than a huge deal is a free deal. Freecylce.org has a really cool thing going. You can join the group for your area and trade things for FREE. You just post about whatever it is you need and someone may have it. Then you can reply to people if you have something they need. Check out the Grand Junction group here.

And finally, our very own Alpine Trader has tons of great deals going right now all summer & fall apparel. We need to make room for our winter stock. Check it out Thurs-Sundays, 9am-4pm

Magic Carpet

Our new Magic Carpet is being installed today. This is going to greatly increase the flow and ease of learning to ski or snowboard. In fact, December 15-19 we'll be offering First Timer lessons for half price! So if you or someone you know would like to learn, that will be the perfect time to do it.

The guys are also testing the snowmaking lines. They found one leak and are now sliding around in a mud pit to fix it. We should call that guy from Dirty Jobs.

2008 Color Sunday Open

Last weekend we held the 2008 Disc Golf Color Sunday Open. Our course has a par of 54. Here are the results:

1st Pete Wade 55
2nd Mike Johnson 56
3rd Robert Martinez 63

Good job guys!

The disc golf season has now come to a close here at the mountain and the course is being removed. Next summer we will be installing nice rubber tee pads. We'll see you disc golfers next summer!

To the skiers and riders: 66 days until opening day!

First Snow!

First snowfall of the 2008-09 season!

Let the snow dancing begin.

Plus Cards

Just wanted to take the time to let people know the details on the Plus Card. It's perfect for those that don't want to pay full price on lift tickets but also aren't going to ski so much that they need a season pass.

The Plus Card is $50 and includes:
$7 off every lift ticket all season
5th day always free
Free skiing Feb. 23- March 1st

You card can be used by anyone (but not more than once per day). So let your friends use it when you can't go and that will get you to that 5th day free more frequently.

Order online, by phone, or at one of our town shows by December 31st.

Pick Your Sticks

It's that time of year where you realize you need to ditch your old boards and take the dive into a new pair of skis. The wall-o-skis can be a little overwhelming at your local ski shop. It's best to learn a little about what you're looking for and what's available before you go to the shop. Then you can talk with one of the pros more in-depth to get a perfect fit.

If you're any kind of regular skier, picking out your skis is like entering into a relationship. Choose wisely...otherwise you'll experience pain, frustration, and an expensive divorce when you have to switch to another new pair.

Here is a compilation of the Best of the Best. This list consists of the Editor's Picks from Skiing, Freeskier, and Backcountry Magazines.

All-Mountain
Volkl- Grizzly
Fischer- Watea 78 Railflex
Volkl- Bridge
Scott- Punisher

Big Mountain
Nordica- Blower
Rossignol- S6
Atomic- Pimp
Movement- Goliath

Powder Specific
K2- Pontoon
Line- Sir Francis Bacon

Park Specific
Nordica- Ignition
Volkl- Wall
Salomon- Suspect

Women’s Specific
Volkl- Kiku
Scott- Sheela
Roxy- Shazam
Rossignol- W Scratch BC Team

We'll have the Best of Snowboards soon!