And Then She Just Wins

After a wild week in the media, Lindsay Vonn took first in this weeks Women’s World Cup event in Alberta, Canada like the rock star she is. Vonn absolutely dusted the competition, winning by nearly 2 seconds (1.95), which was the largest victory margin of her career…. safe to say she’s gonna be ok? Maybe, maybe not, but this is a pretty convincing start!
In related news Bode Miller also took gold in the mens downhill event in Beaver Creek.

Mr. Lindsay Vonn Files for Divorce.

“This is an extremely difficult time in my personal life and I hope the media and my fans can respect my need for privacy on this matter,” Lindsey Vonn said in a statement to the AP. http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2011/11/lindsey-vonn-divorce-husband-thomas-olympic-gold-medal/1

You got it Lindsay.

2012 U.S Ski Team – Attractive.

 

Vonn, Mancuso, Miller, and Ligety highlight the promising (and wildly attractive) list of American hopefuls for the 2012 season.

2012 U.S. Alpine Ski Team Roster

Name, Date of Birth, Hometown, Club (Skis, Boots, Bindings, Poles)
* Denotes Olympian

A TEAM
Men
Jimmy Cochran (5/29/81; Keene, NH; Cochran’s/Mount Mansfield Ski & Snowboard Club, Volkl, Fischer, Marker, Swix)*
Tommy Ford (3/20/89; Bend, OR; Mount Bachelor Ski Education Foundation, Fischer, Fischer, Fischer, Swix)*
Nolan Kasper (3/27/89; Warren, VT; Burke Mountain Academy, Rossignol, Lange, Rossignol, Swix)*
TJ Lanning (8/27/84; Park City, UT; Park City Ski Team, Head, Head, Head, Swix)
Ted Ligety (8/31/84; Park City, UT; Park City Ski Team, Head, Head, Head, Komperdell)*
Bode Miller (10/12/77; Franconia, NH; Carrabassett Valley Academy/Franconia Ski Club, Head, Head, Head, Leki)*
Steven Nyman (2/12/82; Provo, UT; Park City Ski Team/Sundance, Fischer, Fischer, Fischer, Komperdell)*
Marco Sullivan (4/27/80; Squaw Valley, CA; Squaw Valley Ski Team, Rossignol, Lange, Rossignol, Swix)*
Andrew Weibrecht (2/10/86; Lake Placid, NY; New York Ski Education Foundation, Rossignol, Rossignol, Rossignol, Swix)*

Women
Stacey Cook (7/3/84; Mammoth, CA; Mammoth Mountain Ski Team, Rossignol, Rossignol, Rossignol, Komperdell)*
Julia Mancuso (9/9/84; Olympic Valley, CA; Squaw Valley Ski Team, Volkl, Lange, Marker, Swix)*
Alice McKennis (8/19/89; Glenwood Springs, CO; Rowmark Ski Academy, Atomic, Atomic, Atomic)*
Laurenne Ross (8/17/88; Klamath Falls, OR; Mount Bachelor Ski Education Foundation, Atomic, Atomic, Atomic, Leki)
Sarah Schleper (2/19/79; Vail, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail, Rossignol, Lange, Rossignol, Leki)*
Leanne Smith (5/28/87; Conway, NH; Mt. Washington Valley Ski Team, Rossignol, Lange, Rossignol, Swix)*
Lindsey Vonn (10/18/84; Vail, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail/Buck Hill Ski Team, Head, Head, Head, Leki)*

 

For full article, check out http://www.firsttracksonline.com/2011/11/06/2012-u-s-alpine-ski-team-introduced-in-vail/

Trick or Treat?

Total treat! This pic comes at you from minutes ago at Killington. Looks good.

Killington’s on the Board!

Great sign early on at Killington today and tonight!! Word of the street is that there was snow spotted in the greater Boston area this evening as well.

“Skiing’s the easy part Karl.”

It should come to no surprise to this readership that we kick off this season’s list of “must see’s” with the timeless classic, Aspen Extreme. With lots more to come this should get the juices flowing for some gear reviews, retro Apres adventures and classic Snow Bunnies of the Week!

Operation West Coast Expansion is a Go

Is this thing on?!?

It’s official, we are now live from the West Coast.  The recession has meant challenges for everyone here at Apres (the most painful of which was undoubtedly the grounding of the Apres jet) and for me it has meant an increase in workload. Seven Dark & Stormies into our first annual “Irene is a little bitch” hurricane party the CEO informed me that I was being relocated to Northern California to run West Coast BD, report live from the mountains, and continue all fashion related duties.  My range will now consist of everything West of the Wasatch and South of the Tetons.  As the season gets closer look for cutting edge reports from Squaw, Alpine Meadows, Heavenly, etc. with the occasional trip to Alta and possibly Whistler in the mix as well.

First order of business: a recon trip to the Western edge of the Sierra Nevada’s to chase wild rainbows and browns on dry flies.  I’m heading out later today and will report on what I find.  I know I know, this schedule is grueling.

Second order of business – I need some new daily drivers for the Tahoe region.  My quiver has a serious right coast bias, and I need to fatten up.  I really like the look of the new Blizzard Bonafides.

135 / 98 / 118 mm, 21m radius @180

These things have the new “flipcore” technology that Blizzard has introduced this year.  Yeah its a little bit of marketing, but these do have the mustache profile that I’m looking for (early rise tip and tail with traditional camber underfoot).  Now before everyone starts chirping about how 98mm underfoot is too skinny for out here keep in mind four things: 1) I’m coming off a season where my hard snow daily drivers were FIS compliant slalom sticks – a whopping 65mm under foot with an 11m turn radius.  I like quick skis and smaller turns.  I also like something that I can wail on without it getting all noodley at speed (Rossi S3′s I’m looking at you here).  2) I’m only about a buck fifty five, so even a mid-waisted ski should still provide plenty of float.  3) Due to my work requirements I will pretty much be a weekend warrior this winter (after back to back winters of 35+ midweek days).  This means that I need a ski that will still be fun on the non new snow days.  4) I love bumps and don’t want a ski that makes them no fun.

The other option I’m considering is sucking it up and pulling the trigger on some DPS Wailer 112RPs.

141 / 112 / 128, 16m radius @ 178

These are true 5-point sidecut skis, which allows them to have a such a tight turn radius with a relatively fatter waist.  I haven’t personally been on these but I hear that they are pretty amazing.  My only issue is that they may just not have the edge to edge quickness that I’m looking for.  Also, I’ve heard that while they make almost every condition fun they can be a handful in the bumps.  Lastly, they are wildly expensive for the full carbon version (and the Apres expense account isn’t exactly what it used to be…).

Decisions decisions.  Obviously get back to me with thoughts on either of these two skis or anything else I should be looking at.  I have sort of sworn off Gotoma’s after they went to the extended tip rise shape of last year (although I do love the stiffness of Volkls in general).  I heard that 2011/12 model is completely different and may even be closer to the goats of 2007/2008 vintage, but that is unsubstantiated.  I do plan on demoing extensively before I pull the trigger on anything, so I’ll fill these out with more informed reviews as the season starts.

The trout await.

C.F.O.

Apres Goes Through Massive Re-Org

After a long off season, the executive team at Apres has decided to make some changes. The hardest of which occurred somewhere between the passed crab cakes, beef wellington and who knows what number dark’n stormy at a party of epic proportions in our very own CFO’s honor. It was at that point that I let him know that his responsibilities were changing and that he was being relocated. Now heading business development as well as the fashion department our CFO was on a plane to the West Coast later that week. In an equally difficult move, we let our chief investment officer J.D know that his assignment in London was scheduled to continue and that crossing the pond privately was no longer in the budget. The consultant to the Snow Bunny community will remain in place (fact is we don’t know where he is so no action there). Overall the changes are positive and upon reflection C.E.brO noted…

“It is very exciting for our organization to have such talent strategically positioned. We believe that these moves make us a leaner organization and one that will be better in touch with our customers.” (just now)

Whats really important here however, is that we are really excited to fire up another ski season. With eyes and ears now on both coasts we are hoping to take Apres to the next level. If you have any ideas or suggestions please let us know!

Vermont Will Rise Again

It seems odd to think that the ski capital of the East took its worst beating in years from a storm in August…
With rainfall in excess of 7-8″ blown in by hurricane Irene, rivers quickly rose. Washing out ski lodges, covered bridges and iconic businesses, within a fraction of the time that countless New England monuments were built by hand many years ago, they were washed away, damaged and devastated.
Had Irene come in December she could have brought the state millions in ski tourism dollars and set the state up for much-needed full ski season. Instead, for some, ski season is now in jeopardy. The K1 lodge at Killington (shown below) was washed out completely, knocking out the mountains’ web site and ability to sell seasons passes as well. Killington will be o.k and so will the rest of Southeastern VT, however I urge people to consider what they have taken from one of the most authentic states in the US over the years… A ski trip with your family, a weekend of leaf peeping and fine wine with friends, a hand crafted piece of furniture, a lazy float trip down (insert river name here), or maybe it’s just the delicious maple syrup your pancakes are swimming in while your reading this post, or Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, Cabot cheese, Longtrail brew you’re enjoying as you consider these words.

No matter what it is that you remember the most, Vermonters are strong and this tragedy will be overcome, but with 45 dead, 10-20 BILLION in estimated damages, and over 13,000 still without power, this was the worst storm in the state’s history!
They can use our help, and in keeping with our fashion backed culture here at Après allow me to suggest a sweet
tee-shirt made by Vermont Clothing Co. as a way to contribute (that is unless your one of the few craftsmen in the world who knows how to splice wood and repair covered bridges). http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/alltherage/2011/08/new-charity-t-shirt-to-benefit-vermont-flood-victims.html

 

 

 

 

Wakeboarding – About As Cool As It Gets

Yes, this picture isn’t me, but I do enjoy carving up the water as often as possible, and on a steamy 100+ degree day I can’t think of anything I’d rather be doing. (Except maybe skiing) This picture is however, newly crowned Apres slickster Adam Esh showing just how easy this sport is… not really, he just makes it look easy!

A rare gathering of Apres executive this past weekend up in Lovell Maine reminded me of how relaxing and ridiculously fun spending extended periods of time on the lake is. A salt water boy myself, we rarely have the opportunity at glass calm conditions such as are common on lakes, but I guess when your soaked in sweat and day dreaming about doing anything involving cool water, I’d take either.

Thanks for the pic Esh.

A-Basin. Of Course it is.

There should be no surprise that A-Basin is the only mountain in CO that is still open. And open it is. With over 70% of its terrain still accessible, you know those guys are having fun. Reports are that the area plans to stay open until June 5th.

Clock goes Tuck…Tuck…Tuck…

At this point it seems like an annual right of passage that we plan a trip to Tuckerman’s and ultimately never end up going, but hopefully this year’s tradition will include actually skiing. Weather reports seem positive after a few dicey days of rain and the radar also seems clean. Although realistically I’m at least a week out from a trip its never too late to start planning and hopefully a few extra days will allow the solar radiation to soften things up a bit more. The Mount Washington Avalanche Center is a great place for information and I especially love the honesty of the information… “Two other things we want you to be aware of today are the waterfall hole and how to best descend from the Bowl. Every year when the waterfall hole opens up, we see people skiing dangerously close to it. Occasionally someone falls in. Historically most people who fall into this hole don’t get rescued, they get “recovered”.” I will keep my eyes on this site and continue to monitor weather reports for a desired trip weekend of April 22nd/23rd. Any further insight into what’s going on up there would be helpful as well.

Dude Park: Big Sky, MT.

This video pretty much sums up the last 7 days. 5 days were ski days at Big Sky, Moonlight Basin and The Yellowstone Club including two powder days with snow fall over 22″ in 12 hours and smaller amounts of fresh snow just about every other day. 1 memorable day was spent floating down the lower Madison under the leadership of guide Robert Boyce from Montana Flyfishing Expeditions. With snow falling all day the river was quiet and all ours.  We had good luck catching rainbows and browns at almost every bend with the two prizes being my 18-19″ brown and Eliot’s brown, which literally took him out of the boat.

Apres reached its high point on Friday when we had the pleasure of meeting and spending time with the voice of skiing himself, Mr. W. M. (Did not ask permission so just connect the dots)

I hope you enjoy this video, it has also been posted on the “Gallery” as it includes all original photos and video.

C.E.brO

Jammin in Jackson

Thanks to Apres mainstay Sparkes for passing this video along. As Sparkes always says, “keep it in the family” and he’s a man of his word. This video is of his cousin.

…if only they had mountains in South Dakota!

I just thought these were too good not to share… from the January Blizzard, much of the northern mid-west was blanketed with multiple feet of snow this year.  Just stunning, huh?!

-D

“Best Looking” Team at Winter Carnival. Way to Go Babson

This is a minor glimpse into the wonderful weekend shared by 16 MBA programs from all over the country. The hosting team up at Tuck did an outstanding job and we than them for their hospitality. Highlights included wins in the overall best dressed female category won by a Babson MALE, unofficially being voted “best looking” team, an all out 80′s bash at a “Big Labowski” themed bowling ally (couldn’t tell you the name if my life depended on it), and some really impressive times turned in by some world-class skiers on the course at Whaleback mt. For my money, this event is only rivaled by the April 1st Beach party at A-Basin, and I can’t say for sure which plays harder. That’s impressive given the competition. Thanks again to all parties involved including Booth MBA, Babson’s new sister program…

C.E.brO

Best of Both Worlds – Big Surf Skiing

This clip was of Chuck Patterson, big wave skiing was passed along to us by Apres Legal counsel Wess T. M. A big time skier himself, it is no surprise that Wess was the one to bring this to our attention. Wess is also an accomplished seaman who I could very easily see ripping turns down a big wave in the future.

Lost Ski Areas Project – Mt. Tom

My first pair of 205′s, white rear-entry boots, neon pink snow pants, alpine slide, T-bar, epic spill, daffy you name it… it all happened here. Mt. Tom in Holyoke, MA. Unfortunately, Mt. Tom joined the forgotten ranks of the “Lost Ski Project” nearly 10 years ago. Coming in at a jaw-dropping 680 vertical feet in its hay day, Mt. Tom killed it. Night skiing, a strong race development program, a few dicey drops, and a huge booter on the lower left hand side of “Big Tom” that, like Mt. Tom for the majority of the 90′s, survived any and every effort for destruction. Mt. Tom is now home to a lonely wind turbine on the back of the mountain and a bunch of un-bothered rattle snakes. I will say that it is an eerie scene these days as the sign is rotted away, the old entrance is blocked off next to the parking lot of an ancient amusement park that provides an interesting backdrop its self, and pedestrians who frequent the nearby reservoir are often completely unaware of the mountains former glory. We’re a huge fan of the New England Lost Ski Area Project and reading about some of these old mountains reminds me of the old wild West. While many of these former stomping grounds are shells of there former selves,  its grounding for sure to remember that former glory and consider that I was even a small part of it.

-C.E.brO

2011 Continues to Produce

Finally it looks like ski country will be getting the snow too! I don’t have a ton of time to update individual expectations, but don’t sleep on Southern Vt getting over 25′. For more in depth reports, check out snow reports on the right side of the page.

vONn Fire

Vonn looking fast in Italy as she looks to finish an epic month with another win!

http://on.fb.me/awkBfA#!/LindseyVonnUSA