Outerwear

The first thing to check is your outerwear. This is where most of your nasty summer surprises can be found. Go through all your pockets and make sure they’re empty. It’s always a bummer to find half a melted snickers bar stuck to the inside of your coat. Then wash them with an outerwear-specific soap like NikWash. This can typically be found at a ski and snowboard shop and is a special soap that cleans technical fabrics thoroughly while also refreshing their waterproof coating. Normal detergent will attack that waterproof coating and take it off, rendering your expensive gear useless, as well as clog the pores on the material, reducing their breathability.

Once your outerwear is clean, restock it with the essentials. It’s a good idea to always carry a small container of lip balm, and another of sunscreen in your jacket. They don’t take up any space, and you never know when you’ll need them. It’s also a good idea to check all the buttons and zippers on your gear and make sure they’re working smoothly before you get to the hill and realize your jacket won’t zip all the way up.

Accessories

Next, go over your accessories. These are the small pieces of gear that make a huge difference. Check your goggle lenses, are they too scratched up, or do they look ok? Is the foam around the edges of your goggles still attached securely?

Try on your facemask. Does it smell? Wash it then check again. Do the same for your gloves, and check the fingers and seams carefully for holes. Often a couple of loose stitches can grow fast over the course of a ski day and leave you with cold fingers.

Go through your ski or snowboard socks. Do you have enough pairs? No, you don’t, none of us ever do! But that’s beside the point. Do a quick check of all their toe and heel wear areas. If they’re starting to look threadbare, replace them. They can wear through and leave you blistered after just a few runs.

A helmet check is very important. Make sure the foam on the inside isn’t cracked or compressed. It’s a good idea to replace your ski helmet every few years, even if you haven’t crashed hard in it. They lose their efficacy over time, so stay current. The recommended timeframe is don’t use a helmet for more than 5 years.

Finally, check your base layers. Do they still fit comfortably? How bad do they smell? Merino is naturally much more odor-resistant than synthetic, so that can play into their longevity. They’re affordable to upgrade and will make a huge difference in your comfort throughout a day skiing.

Boots

Next, go over your ski or snowboard boots. First, just do a quick check to make sure that all the buckles, laces, and BOA systems are still working. Then try them on. Liners pack out over time, so if your boots are feeling too roomy it may be time to get a new liner. A ski or snowboard boot fitting can help you diagnose any pain or issues and fix them. So if your boots feel anything less than perfect, get them checked out by a pro. They have a huge variety of tools to help customize them to your feet.

Your boots have one of the biggest impacts on your skiing or riding experience, but it’s tempting to just let them degrade over time. Stay on top of it over the off-season. Your feet and toenails will thank you.

Skis/Board

Finally, the big obvious ones. If you put summer storage wax on your planks, now is the time to scrape and brush them. It’s also the time to fix any core shots you may have put in them last spring. Check your edges and base. If the edges are dinged up and rough, or if the base is scratched up, you could probably use a snowboard tune up. Get on it early, once the mountains are open there could be longer turnaround times at the shops.

If you’ve been considering upgrading your skis or board, last year’s gear is often on sale in the fall, so it’s a good time to buy new skis. Black Friday ski sales are the go-to for most bargain shoppers, as after that timeframe we’re into the heart of ski season and prices usually go back to normal. If you aren’t sure what you may want for your next pair of skis, a good route to consider is doing some high-end ski rentals to try out new shapes. Experiment early in the season so you have plenty of time to get used to new gear.

Don’t leave it all to the last minute and just drag your gear out of the closet and head to the hill now. We’ve all been there before and no one enjoys the ride home that follows that first day out. Throbbing feet, soaking wet baselayers, or a blown-out edge that could have easily been prevented had you noticed it sooner. Some quick maintenance now will set you up for success and make your return to winter seamless.

By Date

• Wolf Creek: October 28
• Keystone: November 6 (Epic)
• Arapahoe Basin: November 9 (Ikon)
• Loveland: November 11
• Breckenridge: November 13 (Epic)
• Vail: November 20 (Epic)
• Purgatory: November 21
• Eldora: November 23 (Ikon)
• Crested Butte: November 25 (Epic)
• Beaver Creek: November 25 (Epic)
• Aspen Mountain: November 26 (Ikon)
• Monarch: November 26
• Snowmass: November 26 (Ikon)
• Telluride: November 26
• Howelsen Hill: November 28
• Copper Mountain: November 30 (Ikon)
• Steamboat: December 1 (Ikon)
• Powderhorn: December 3
• Winter Park: December 3 (Ikon)
• Cooper: December 9
• Granby Ranch: December 11
• Sunlight: December 11
• Aspen Highlands: December 12 (Ikon)
• Kendall Mountain: December 12
• Buttermilk: December 18
• Silverton: December 26
• Echo Mountain: TBD
• Hesperus: TBD

By Pass

Epic Pass

• Beaver Creek: November 25 (Epic)
• Breckenridge: November 13 (Epic)
• Crested Butte: November 25 (Epic)
• Keystone: November 6 (Epic)
• Vail: November 20 (Epic)

Ikon Pass

• Arapahoe Basin: November 9 (Ikon)
• Aspen Highlands: December 12 (Ikon)
• Aspen Mountain: November 26 (Ikon)
• Copper Mountain: November 30 (Ikon)
• Eldora: November 23 (Ikon)
• Snowmass: November 26 (Ikon)
• Steamboat: December 1 (Ikon)
• Winter Park: December 3 (Ikon)

Alphabetically

• Arapahoe Basin: November 9 (Ikon)
• Aspen Highlands: December 12 (Ikon)
• Aspen Mountain: November 26 (Ikon)
• Beaver Creek: November 25 (Epic)
• Breckenridge: November 13 (Epic)
• Buttermilk: December 18
• Cooper: December 9
• Copper Mountain: November 30 (Ikon)
• Crested Butte: November 25 (Epic)
• Echo Mountain: TBD
• Eldora: November 23 (Ikon)
• Granby Ranch: December 11
• Hesperus: TBD
• Howelsen Hill: November 28
• Kendall Mountain: December 12
• Keystone: November 6 (Epic)
• Loveland: November 11
• Monarch: November 26
• Powderhorn: December 3
• Purgatory: November 21
• Silverton: December 26
• Snowmass: November 26 (Ikon)
• Steamboat: December 1 (Ikon)
• Sunlight: December 11
• Telluride: November 26
• Vail: November 20 (Epic)
• Winter Park: December 3 (Ikon)
• Wolf Creek: October 28

My first day (but not Rachel’s) was the day after New Years Day and I got over to Winter Park early. The main free lot was already full by 8:30 and since it was my first day I treated myself to the paid lot so I could take the cabriolet in.

As it was a weekday after the long winter holiday season had concluded, I had the place largely to myself. Most folks I met on lifts were vacationers from around the country and locals that were having a nice quiet weekday of skiing. I never really waited in a lift line.

It also really helped that it was snowing all day on New Year’s Day, so a lot of trees and terrain was nicely filled in. Moguls were fluffy and groomers were soft. Plus the weather was still a little cloudy and snowy on-and-off throughout the day.

I spent some time playing in Eagle Wind since it had only been open for a week or so and found plenty of fun runs. I ran out of stamina before I ran out of fresh or fun tracks over there. One of my favorite things to do is to finish by popping up over Vasqeuz Ridge and taking a big deep snowy run down to the bottom of Mary Jane and I grabbed a deep track that far around the bowl.

By 10:30 I was ready to take a well-deserved break (well, technically 10:25 so I could make it for happy hour at Lunch Rock) after riding the new Sunnyside six-chair lift. This new lift is a fantastic improvement and really helped keep the line down to nearly nothing all day.

Not bad for a first day. It may have been one of the best I have this entire season…

The trails alliance does a nice job taking snowmobiles through the Fraser River trail and surrounding areas, including into the lower Rendezvous community, to groom and drag nordic tracks. Being up in the area for the first time this season, I took advantage and went on a little walk among the shrubs.

Even though it’s only yards from US-40 it’s down low in the river and marsh beds and perfectly quiet and serene. I never saw another person.

There’s parking right off Rendezvous Road, it’s worth checking out if you’re in the area.

I was lucky enough to have a mid-day visit on Friday to Winter Park after a huge storm on Wednesday.

It was a beautiful sunny day and around 1:00 PM I pulled into Winter Park’s free parking lot and was able to find an open parking spot. After walking past the Moffat Tunnel I was greeted by zero crowds and zero lines. My luck had just begun.

I made my way up the gondola and wandered towards the Vasquez territory. I enjoy the bumps and trees over there and it’s usually pretty quiet so figured I could find some fun stuff to ski in (I did!).

I made my way over towards Mary Jane, knowing all the best fresh stuff had been long gone. But there were still tons of tree runs with powder stashes. In some areas the powder was a foot deeper or more!

Overall I had a nice quick afternoon session with about an hour of actual downhill (according to Slopes), no crowds, and plenty of fresh soft snow everywhere. Don’t worry, there will be some leftover for everyone heading up this weekend…

It’s tough to write but it’s true: for various reasons, we weren’t able to ski at all in February. It had been way too long. That said, we woke up to 8 inches of new snow overnight at Winter Park giving it almost a 90-inch base. Wow!

With our little one too little, we are still working to figure out the way best way for both Rachel and I to ski. We decided I would go up in the morning, come home and watch the kiddo, and let Rachel go out for the afternoon. It’s not perfect, and we don’t get to ski together, but we’re figuring it out…

Anyway, I got on the gondola right at 8:30 AM and was exploring fresh powder and nicely groomed trails all morning. I wandered all over Winter Park first and then headed over to Mary Jane since Eagle Wind was closed.

The runs off Sunnyside were lovely. There was tons of steep and deep in the trees and fluffy turns everywhere else. The Panoramic Express chairlift to the top was closed nearly all morning due to wind but opened around 11 AM.

We both had a great day and ended up getting some decent runs in. It was certainly one of the best Saturdays I can think of in a while…

The first thing that struck me first was TrailFork’s mission, summarized as: “to educate adventurers about their environmental impact, and we aim to make food that sustains not only you and your adventure, but the environment you’re spending time in”.

A mission-based organization making good food and a good product for outdoor adventures is right up my alley. Learn all about TrailFork’s mission, in Lillian’s (the founder) own words on their website: https://mytrailfork.com/

An environmental and responsibly sourced dehydrated meal product

Familiar to many backpackers and campers, this is an excellent, and opinionated, dehydrated meal offering. By design, the pouches are vegan or vegetarian meals weighing in at around 400-700 calories per serving (pouch). They’re made with dehydrated materials that simply need hot water and time to re-hydrate.

TrailFork makes its meal pouches by hand in Boulder, Colorado. Their current offerings range from light, like the cinnamon roll oats, to heavier and more savory, like the deconstructed burrito. I tried both recently and really enjoyed them.

Almost no assembly required

I tried two approaches re-hydrate two of the meals and both worked just fine:

1. Using a bowl and combining the ingredients with hot water, stirring, covering it with foil, and letting it sit

2. Using an insulated 16-ounce travel mug, adding the dry ingredients, pouring in some water, shaking, pouring in more water, and shaking again then letting it sit fully closed and covered

Since the bags/pouches themselves are compostable, not built with foil or plastic like some competitors, rehydrating in the bag itself may work, but with mixed results. Lillian, the founder, herself and the bag’s instructions recommended both of these approaches to re-hydrating and they both worked just fine.

When at home or cooking with more supplies (like a big bowl) the first approach is easy and works great. But when on the go, the mug (or camp stove pot) approach is perfectly adequate and easy to clean.

For skiiers and snowboarders: I would recommend taking a pouch and your mug to a ski resort and assembling just like that for a quick easy meal. When out ice fishing or in the cold, this approach should work great for you, too.

Food is not just fuel

Lillian and the Trail Folk team have clearly put thought into offering some appealing pouches. I’ve had my share of dehydrated meals, both while backpacking, camping, canoeing and I never looked back on any of those fondly. They were a means to an end: getting protein and carbs and other good stuff into my body after a long day.

In the case of TrailFork’s pouches, these all sound (and actually taste) really appealing to me:

• apricot almond couscous
• cinnamon roll oats (taste tested )
• coconut chana masala
• coconut granola with milk
• limey beans with rice
• loaded veggie hummus
• paleoats
• peanut butter banana oats
• unwrapped burrito (taste tested )

And these aren’t all! There are plenty more flavors in development and rolling out all the time.

Our taste test

I liked the unwrapped burrito best. The beans and spices were very flavorful, the rice and peppers had a great texture and the color made it actually look really appealing to eat. This type of pouch costs $11.50 and is very filling for one person (but could be split if you just needed a few hundred calories each).

The cinnamon roll oats tasted just like you might think: a slightly sweet oatmeal with some raisins and chia thrown in which also made for a nice texture. This pouch costs $8.50 with simpler ingredients and is slightly less filling, but a solid breakfast that should keep you full all morning no matter your activity.

For a solid, sustainable, dehydrated meal when skiing, snowmobiling, ice fishing, camping, I would strongly recommend you consider picking up some TrailFork pouches. They’re actually tasty, reasonably priced around $10 and made by hand here in Boulder, Colorado. Check them out at mytrailfork.com and @mytrailfork on Instagram and Twitter.

As always, our reviews are provided as freely as the products and services provided to us.

I started the day a little after 9:30 AM (on a Monday) so I had the whole place to myself. It had been a very crowded weekend with, from what I heard, anywhere from 15,000-17,000 people on Saturday and Sunday.

My first ride up the new gondola was speedy and pleasant, it’s such a solid improvement to the base of Winter Park. From the gondola, I wandered down towards Mary Jane from the top and took my nice starter bump run towards Super Gauge.

At the top of Super Gauge on Mary Jane, while facing the lodge I saw the Panoramic lift wasn’t running so I decided to head right. I kept moving left more and more and saw a group heading along a trail. Suddenly I saw a sign pointing to Eagle Wind and I realized I had never been before!

I dropped down in through some trees and had a blast. The runs had all been touched but the snow was soft! There was plenty of exposed rocks and trees scattered throughout so at the end of the run I headed back up to go a different direction. More of the same: plenty of fun and steep turns, but plenty of junk waiting to chew up my skis.

I’ll need to come back after a storm or later in the season but from my first experience, Eagle Wind is definitely a steep and bumpy playground worth revisiting.

Since I’m only averaging 5-10 runs each time I get out, I’m trying to find ways to get creative and make sure I’m spending my time wisely. Luckily the day before Winter Park got a bunch of snow so I headed over to Mary Jane to find some powder.

It was really cold, though. Single digits all morning while the sun came up and a bit of a breeze with light snow. After my lift selfie I never took my hands out of my gloves again (in fact I started researching getting new mittens because of this day).

At the top of Panoramic Express I decided to head back down to the skier’s left (right if looking up the lift) and just kept cutting across as far as I could. After making it past the wind fences I found about 200 yards of powder before dropping back into the trees. I love heading over here because it seems not very many people do. Oh well, more refills for me!

I don’t know if I’m getting old but after a few awesome powder runs and getting cold I had to pack it in. I had a great time, though!

This morning I decided to make my way over to the Vasquez Ridge Territory and see how much snow it’s received.

I headed up Gemini Express again and worked my way back using Prospector Express and then skiing past Olympia to get to the territory. That’s a nice long lap and with the flats at the end I was pushing hard and gave my arms a bit of a work out.

Once I arrived I had the whole area to myself. I played around on some of the fast blues and tried out some moguls (just to see how out of shape I was). After a few runs in a row I was plenty tired and ready to relax.

I headed back out and up the High Lonesome Express and decided to see how Mary Jane looked. Since the gondola is still not ready (“mid December” said Winter Park) I realized a lot of folks were starting at Mary Jane in the mornings. Things looked good and I took the long road down from the bottom all the way back to Winter Park (it was a nice rest, I got tired).

Overall the snow is looking good for December and I’m starting to get back into the habit.