Prep your Skis for Summer!

They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure - and that’s certainly true when it comes to your ski and snowboard equipment. A little TLC this spring will go far to preventing your gear from degrading over time and keeping it in peak condition for longer.

Here’s a quick guide to end-of-season ski and snowboard care to keep your gear safe in the off-season and allow you to hit the slopes with the first snow in the fall.

1.  Repair

While thoroughly tuning your skis at the end of the season may seem like a waste of time, dealing with issues like core shots right away will help you maintain the integrity of your skis. Get nicks, and scrapes patched and sharpen your edges for good measure.  You won’t regret the extra effort when you hit the slopes with pristine skis at the beginning of next season.

2. Wax

The best thing you can do for your equipment in the off-season is give them a good thick coat of wax. Waxing them prevents the bases from getting nicked in storage and prevents oxidation which can degrade your bases while they’re not in use. Leave the wax on thick, and scrape in the fall when you’re ready to use your equipment again.

3.  Store Carefully

Finally, put your skis or boards in a safe spot to hibernate for the summer. Keep them somewhere out of extreme conditions including heat, cold or sunlight and where their bases don’t scrape or rub against anything. Beware of propping them upright where they can be knocked over or in a pile with other equipment. Consider investing in rack to give your quiver the rest they deserve before next season.

Use your Pass One More Time

Many season passes include discounts on tuning and wax.  The Epic pass, for instance, allows pass holders get free or heavily discounted equipment tuning at multiple locations in California, Colorado, and Utah. The Rocky Mountain Super Pass gets holders 10-30% off tune-ups at Winter Park Resort and Copper Mountain.

Check the details of your pass, and don’t miss this opportunity to use it one last time this season!

Closing Day Events Happening this Weekend (April 8 - 9, 2018)

This first week of April marks the bittersweet time of year when lifts begin the shut down, and skiers begin to emerge from their GoreTex to step into the sun for the warmer summer months. To dull the blow of the looming off-season, resorts across the country are ending their year with bang this weekend.  From live music, to costume competitions - not to mention a fresh layer of snow - this weekend is looking to be one of the most fun, and thoroughly ridiculous weekends of the 2017-2018 season. So grab your brightest onesie, and find your closest pond-skim on the list below!

Saturday April 7, 2018

CO - Aspen Buttermilk's Redbull Homerun
"Sprint for your skis or your snowboard, throw yourself down the marked course and finish at this year's biggest apres ski party."

UT - Deer Valley Closing Weekend Day 1

Sunday April 8, 2018

CO - Aspen Buttermilk's Bacon Day + Uphill
"In celebration of Buttermilk’s closing day, the mountain hosts an annual Bacon Appreciation Day featuring a schedule of all things bacon including bacon waffles at the Cliffhouse starting at 9am, bacon doughnuts from ColoraDough at 10:30am, bacon samplers around the mountain from 11am-it runs out, and more samples in the base area from 2 - 4 PM."

CO - Aspen Highlands Closing Day Party + Highlands Bowl BBQ
"The base area of Aspen Highlands is a natural conduit for all skiers and riders coming off the mountain, and it's also a natural gathering place to close out another successful season. Enjoy a live DJ, hilarious costumes and a festive atmosphere as locals and guests say "until next time" to the slopes of Aspen Highlands."

CO - Crested Butte Closing Day

CO - Keystone Slush Cup + Closing Day
"Grab your sunglasses, camp out in a lawn chair and close out the season in style with the 2018 Keystone Slush Cup! Join the fun for your chance to win prizes or cheer from the sidelines and snap big-splash pics!"

CO - Monarch's 10th Annual Parking Lot Cook-Off & Tailgate Party
"Everyone is invited to celebrate the end of the ski season and the beginning of the whitewater boating season with BBQs and beach chairs in the Monarch parking lot! Decorate your tailgate, prepare your best dish, and wow the judges for a chance to win a season pass for next season."

CO - Telluride Closing Day
"Don't miss the Pond Skim and dance party at Gorrono Ranch! Pond Skim registration is from 10-11am. They only take the first 100 people so get there early if you want to participate! DJ Soul Atomic will start spinning at 12 pm. Last call for alcohol at 2:45 pm.  Once the mountain closes, The Commonheart will be playing a FREE concert at Heritage Plaza."

UT - Deer Valley Closing Weekend Day 2

VT - Mad River Glen End of Season Bash
"Who better to close out the ski season than The Grift, everyone’s favorite apres ski band!  Ain’t nothing better than a hard day of skiing followed up by some amazing music and that famous Mad River Glen conviviality!"

WY - Jackson Hole Final Music Under the Tram of the Season w/ Sneaky Pete and The Secret Weapons

Spring Pass Deals!

The Season Isn't Over 'til It's Over

For many resorts, the last weeks of the season are upon us, which means it's time to savor those last spring turns! The good news is that mother nature is here for us snow lovers. Late season storms are maintaining a healthy base of snow in the west, and snow showers across the country this week mean the possibility of fresh tracks for the weekend.

The Rocky Mountains, from Montana to Utah are expecting about 4-8 inches of snow over the next few days, while Vermont and New Hampshire may get a more modest 2-3".  Meanwhile Kirkwood Mountain Resort in California is anticipating a stunning 15" by the end of the weekend.  For more detailed and up to date snow forecasts, check out the resources over at OpenSnow.com.

Did you know that many resorts offer spring skiing deals and discount passes?

While we will morn the closure of many of our favorite mountains over the next couple of weeks, some North American ski mountains pride themselves on their late closure dates and months of spring skiing. At many of these resorts, you can find great spring deals on lodging and buy specific discount passes just for the spring months. A spring pass at one of these resorts can save you money, and help you soak up every last drop of winter. Check out these spring pass options from resorts that routinely stay open into June.
 

Arapahoe Basin's Spring Pass - from $269
OR double down, and ski the rest of this season and next for $429!

Killington's Nor'Beaster Spring Pass - from $219

Mt Bachelor Springtacular Pass - from $249

Mt. Hood Meadows Spring Pass - from $169

Snowbird Spring Pass - from $579

Squaw Valley Spring Super 4 - from $236

Timberline Lodge Spring Pass - from $139

Winter Park Spring Triple Play Pass - from $159

Powder, Not Power Plants

"I have been skiing to both North and south Poles for over 20 years and I personally have witnessed a deterioration of sea ice on the Arctic Ocean." - Doug Stoup, Artic Explorer and Guide

Doug Stoup, President and Founder, Ice Axe Expeditions

“There is no operation manual for Spaceship Earth. The technology age or new industrial revolution with bio-technology, smartphones, 3-D Printing, Artificial Intelligence and autonomous vehicles will affect the quality of our existence for hundreds of years. I have been skiing to both North and south Poles for over 20 years and I personally have witnessed a deterioration of sea ice on the Arctic Ocean. This is truly an early warning sign that we need to shift to 100 percent renewable energy NOW! We need to move to cleaner energy to have a sustainable vision for our collective future. There is no resupply for Spaceship Earth. There are no passengers, we are all crew and cannot afford to procrastinate. We need to mobilize for immediate action through agile governance, technology and protection for us to survive.”

We don’t want to watch our winters melt away! That’s why Snowriders International is dedicated to fighting for a 100% renewable energy economy.

A 100% Renewable energy economy is essential to cutting global warming pollution and ensuring snowy winters for generations to come!

It's clear that as a society we must take urgent and decisive action to reduce emissions in order to prevent the worst impacts of climate change.  However, currently, good climate policies like the Clean Power Plan, clean car standards, and the Paris Agreement, are under attack in Washington. And the Department of Interior's plans to open up hundreds of miles of protected land and coastline to drilling and fracking operations threatens to reverse our clean energy progress. Fortunately, visionaries on the local, state and national level are stepping up and continuing to lead the transition to a 100% renewable energy future. As part of the Voices for 100% Renewables campaign, we are amplifying the voices of these leaders.

This winter, Snowriders is delighted to welcome polar pioneer Doug Stoup to the Voices for 100% Renewables campaign.

Hundreds of leaders - from mayors of major cities, to scientific authorities - had contributed their voices to this campaign so far, demonstrating the broad effort to transition away from dirty energy towards a renewable future NOW.

With so many visionaries from across the world working on this problem, a 100% Renewable world is not only essential, but it is within our reach.

Ethan Strimling, Mayor, Portland, Maine

“Here in Portland, Maine we’re moving city operations toward a 100% Clean Energy by 2040 goal. Protecting our long term environmental health will take hard work, collaboration, foresight and creativity. It will also mean never taking ‘no’ for an answer because when it comes to ensuring a sustainable future for all of Portland, it’s not a choice, it’s a necessity.”

Bill McKibben, Founder, 350.org

“Aside from the small bonus of not destroying the planet, renewable energy comes with many other benefits as well. Coal, oil, and gas; which we power our world with now, are found in a few places around the world. The people who happen to live on top of these places get enormous power because of the money and political influence they gain. Think about Saudi Arabia, think about the Koch brothers in our country, the biggest oil and gas barons and the biggest political players in our corrupted system. If we are all generating our own power: from the sun that falls on our shingles or the wind that blows through our streets, then we won’t need the Saudis anymore, we won’t need the Koch brothers anymore. We will be able to have not just clean power but a much cleaner democracy.”

Wenonah Hauter, Founder and Executive Director, Food & Water Watch

“We know that we have the renewables technology and together we can organize the political will to create a clean energy future.

Renewables are ready today. We have the technical know how to build out 100% renewable energy systems. Not only is this a critical step forward for cleaning up our environment and protecting our global climate – it will also create jobs and be a boon to the economy. The only thing that has stood in our way is the lack of political will. But, because of the growing movement for a clean energy revolution, the political winds are shifting.

People are taking action to change our energy future in unprecedented numbers. They see that progress has been stunted at the federal level and so they are working at the state and local level to stop dirty energy projects and to support clean energy solutions. Recently, Maryland joined New York and Vermont in banning fracking and Pueblo City, Colorado joined 22 other cities in committing to going 100% renewable.

We are so excited about the tremendous number of people who are fired up to make the changes we need to survive. To help capture the enthusiasm, we are launching a new volunteer-led effort called Off Fossil Fuels to give activists the ability to run local campaigns across the country to keep fossil fuels in the ground, stop pipelines and other risky infrastructure projects, and transition to 100% renewable energy by 2035.”

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Ready for Opening Day?

Snow is falling in Utah, Colorado, California and across the Alps! It’s official, winter is on its way!

We’re counting down the days and making all of our pre-season preparations. Time to get your skis and boards tuned, put snow tires on your car, and to trade the hiking boots in your trunk for skins and avi gear.

Make sure you don’t miss a single day of skiing - mark your calendar with these early-season opening day events! Here’s a list of US ski mountains opening between now and Thanksgiving. (source: OntheSnow)

November 21 - Alpine Valley Resort, WI

November 22 -

• Winter Park Resort, CO
• Sunday River, ME
• Sugarbush, VT
• Stratton Mountain, VT
• Stowe Mountain Resort, VT
• Okemo Mountain Resort, VT
• Northstar California, CA
• Mount Snow, VT
• Loon Mountain, NH
• Heavenly Mountain Resort, CA
• Monarch Mountain, CO
• Beaver Creek, CO
• Alta Ski Area, UT
• Alpine Valley Ski Area, MI

11/23 Thanksgiving Day -

• Telluride, CO
• Taos Ski Valley, NM
• Sun Valley, ID
• Sugarloaf, ME
• Steamboat, CO
• Crested Butte Mountain Resort, CO
• Big Sky Resort, MT
• Whiteface Mountain Resort, NY
• Wachusett Mountain Ski Area, MA
• Sugar Bowl Resort, CA
• Smugglers’ Notch Resort, VT

October:

October 15 - Loveland, CO

October 20 - Arapahoe Basin Ski Area, CO

October 28 - Killington, VT

November:

November 1 -  Wild Mountain Ski and Snowboard Area, MN

November 3 - Wolf Creek Ski Area, CO

November 9 -

• Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, CA
• Boreal Mountain Resort, CA

November 10 - 

• Ski Brule, MN
• Keystone, CO
• Copper Mountain Resort, CO
• Breckenridge, CO
• Arizona Sugarbowl, AZ11/17 Vail, CO

November 17 -

• Vail, CO
• Squaw Valley - Alpine Meadows, CA
• Park City, UT
• Mt. Rose - Ski Tahoe, NV
• Eldora Mountain Resort, CO

November 18 -

• Sipapu Ski Resort, NM
• Purgatory, CO

November 20 -

• Trollhaugen, WI
• Sugar Mountain Resort, NC
• Cataloochee Ski Area, NC
• Bretton Woods, NH

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Join Snowriders!

Interior Secretary Recommends Reducing Protections for Ten National Monuments

Ten national monuments are in danger according to a leaked U.S. Interior Department document. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s recommendations to the Trump Administration include shrinking four national monuments and opening up six others to commercial industry, like mining, drilling and logging. To do this would be not only harmful to these natural treasures and environmentally irresponsible, but it also defies public opinion.  Ninety-eight percent of the 2.8 million public comments received by the Interior Department on national monuments supported maintaining or expanding the protections to the monuments under review. 

Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument would shrink under Zinke's recommendations (Bureau of Land Management)

As skiers and snowboarders we benefit immensely from America’s public lands. Much of the land we ski on - both back- and front-country - is publicly owned and administered. Our public lands help keep our mountain air fresh, and preserve some of the country’s most iconic alpine views.  Our national monuments represent some of our country’s most cherished landscapes, enjoyed by millions of Americans for camping and hiking, skiing and mountain biking and more. Last May, while celebrating Colorado Public Lands Day, we spoke to hundreds of skiers and snowboarders who support America's national monuments and want to see their protections maintained and expanded, not squandered in the name of shortsighted plans. 

It is both unwise and unpopular to revoke any of the protections to these lands. The Trump administration has already backed off cuts to other national monuments following massive public outcry. We need to save these monuments as well. Snowriders International will continue to work with our network of partners across the country to educate the public and mobilize support for these national monuments and all of our public lands.

As Citizens Testify, EPA's Clean Car Standards At Stake

For Immediate Release: September 6, 2017
Contact: Lucie Coleman, Organizer, Snowriders International, lucie@snowridersinternational.org,914.417.1454

NEWS RELEASE: CITIZENS TESTIFY, EPA’S CLEAN CAR STANDARDS AT STAKE
 

Today in Washington DC, concerned citizens, advocates and decision makers are gathering at a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency hearing urging them to strengthen, not weaken their clean car standards. The hearing is a result of the Trump Administration’s announcement that it was reopening the EPA’s midterm evaluation of clean car standards.  This decision withdraws the final emission standards for 2022-2025 that the EPA released in 2012.

Snowriders International is an organization of skiers, snowboarders and mountain recreation enthusiasts dedicated to the promotion of winter sports and the protection of the environment across the globe. Snowriders organizer Lucie Coleman issued the following statement:

“The fact is, the vast majority of us still rely on our personal cars to get us to the slopes, the river or the hiking trail. We believe a trip to the mountains shouldn’t endanger the natural spaces we love, and the EPA’s clean car standards are an essential part of making our vision a reality. We cannot yet depend on public or shared transportation to access our outdoor recreation activities, so in the meantime it’s crucial that conscientious outdoors-people advocate for strong emission standards for vehicles.

“People want cleaner cars, and today the EPA will hear how much. With transportation now the single largest source of carbon emissions in the country, we need to strengthen clean car standards not weaken them.  Curbing carbon emissions from transportation through these common-sense standards is essential if we want to continue to have access to the beautiful places and recreation activities we love while still taking meaningful and responsible action to combat climate change.

“We fear that reopening the evaluation process will lead to weaker standards. With 2016 now the hottest year on record, skiers and boarders well know that we need to get serious about cutting carbon emissions, not roll back the effective tools we already have in place. The current clean car standards would, when fully phased in, reduce America’s oil use by 12 billion barrels, and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 6 billions metric tons.  The clean car standards are the single most important tool now in place on the federal level to avert the worst impacts of climate change; we cannot afford to weaken them.”

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Carbon Pricing in Vermont

To protect Vermont skiing from the worst impacts of climate change, the state must continue its legacy of climate leadership and implement carbon pricing for all carbon emissions.

As skiers and snowboarders, we know that Vermont’s natural beauty is one of the state’s greatest assets, and that snowsports are a vital part of the Vermont way-of-life.

And yet,  Vermont is already feeling the impacts of climate change:

• The average annual temperature in our state has risen 1.3°F since 1960.

• Our annual freezing period has shorted by 4 days every decade.

• By the end of the century, ski resorts like Stratton, Killington and Sugarbush could be facing ‘Tennessee-like’ winters

 

With President Trump's decision to pull the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Agreement, state and regional climate action are more important than ever!

Vermont is already a member of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, the highly successful cap and trade program for carbon emissions from power plants, that has slashed global warming pollution from power plants in half within its nine member-states.

If Vermont extends carbon pricing to include emissions from heating and transportation, it could cut carbon pollution by an additional one-third!

From Vermont? We need your help!

Sign our letter telling Governor Scott to support carbon pricing in Vermont to protect a healthy environment and snowy winters in Vermont for many generations to come.

Still In.

Last week, President Trump took distressing action and abandoned the US's Paris climate promise. Like environmentalists around the world, we were devastated by this news.  In a single day Trump undid everything we worked for in the 'Ascent to Paris' in 2015 and silenced the 193,000+ individuals worldwide, including ski areas, Olympians, elected officials, businesses, and organizations that joined us in calling for strong action in Paris. But we’re not giving up.

Snowriders, like millions of Americans, still believes in the commitment the US made in Paris a year and a half ago.  

We know that carbon emissions must be reduced and reduced quickly.  Snowriders has long held that in order to confront climate change and protect the future of snow sports, transitioning to a 100% renewable energy economy is essential. The good news is that across the country, cities, businesses, educational insitutions and individuals are refusing the take climate change lightly and stepping up to commit to aggressive carbon reductions on their own, even if the federal government won’t.  In fact, cities from Portland to Pittsburg are going beyond the commitments of the Paris agreement to pledge to reach 100% renewable energy in the next 20 or 30 years! The goal is more important and more attainable than ever. Solar and wind energy are both growing rapidly nationwide, and renewable energy now employs more people than oil and coal!  Major cities like San Diego, San Antonio, Denver, Washington, D.C., and Indianapolis are leading the country in expanding their solar capacity and installations.

Join thousands of others in raising your voice for 100% renewable energy!  

Raise your voice!

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Voices for 100% Renewable Energy

Javier Gonzales, Mayor, Sante Fe, New Mexico

“As the head of a city that is committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2040, I’m seeing firsthand the challenges a big promise like that brings with it – but I’m also seeing the opportunities it creates, and they are far, far to the benefit of our people, our economy, and our future…” Read More…

Steve Skadron, Mayor, Aspen, Colorado

“The City of Aspen set a goal to reach 100% renewable by 2015, and we are proud that we achieved this goal. It’s through a lot of hard work, strong leadership, a commitment to a long-term goal, and having a vision that allowed us to get here. In addition to providing clean electricity to our town, we are also able to offer some of the lowest rates for electricity in the state of Colorado.”

Hunter Lovins, President, Natural Capitalism Solutions

“In 1955 the Paley Commission called for an immediate transition to renewable energy, as a matter of urgent national security. Had we listened, we would, today, be 100% renewably powered, have stopped climate chaos short, and be living in a world of secure, abundant, affordable energy. We still have the option of achieving such energy...” Read More...

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Find more Voices for 100% Renewable Energy here.

Tell us why you support a renewable future!

Snowriders for 100% Renewables

Snow and mountain communities know better than most what’s at stake in the face of climate change.  We can see snow and our way of life threatened by irregular weather and freezing patterns, warming winters, and earlier and earlier springs each year.

We don’t want to watch our winters melt away! That’s why Snowriders International is dedicated to fighting for a 100% renewable energy economy.

A 100% renewable energy economy is essential to cutting global warming pollution and ensuring snowy winters for generations to come.

We must take urgent and decisive action to reduce emissions to the levels that science tells us are necessary to prevent the worst impacts of climate change.  Snowriders believes transitioning to 100% renewables is a necessary step in curtailing our carbon emissions and protecting our planet. The 100% renewables goal is both possible and vitally important to protecting the future of snowsports in North America.

Renewable energy is good for mountains and mountain communities.

Renewable energy is also clean energy. Wind and solar power keeps our mountain air clear of pollution and alpine views free of smog.

We need to act now before it’s too late!

The good news is that the goal of 100% renewable energy is closer than ever. Solar and wind energy are both growing rapidly nationwide, and renewable energy now employs more people than oil and coal!

Snowriders International has fought towards this goal for years in our work on the Clean Power Plan, the Paris Climate Agreements and more. Today, we thinks it’s more important ever to reaffirm our goals and redoubling our climate efforts. If we are going to confront change and protect the future of snow sports, transitioning to a 100% renewable energy economy is essential.