Colorado Snow

2009 Colorado Ski & Snowboard Expo

Devin Reams — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:43:25 +0000

The Colorado Ski & Snowboard Expo is coming back to Denver from Friday, November 13 through Sunday, November 15. Get your tickets soon as the expo is always a great place to get deals, find giveaways and win prizes. Colorado Ski Country has already started posting great prizes on their #Expo Twitter hunt. Tickets: Adults $12; $9 in advance through OnTheSnow.com. There will also be a coupon for $2 off the admission price in the special Expo advertising section of The Denver Post. See you there!

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Keystone (November 7, 2009)

Devin Reams — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:33:08 +0000

Keystone had opened just this Thursday (check the excellent write-up of opening day over at Snowboarder Guide) and so we decided to check out opening weekend. It sounds like it was busy on Thursday and it surely was twice as busy today (Saturday). The drive up is really nice this time of the year and the weather is unbeatable (Fall skiing is basically the same as Spring skiing) so either way it was going to be a great time. The scenery is disappointing in the sense that there’s hardly much snow around yet.

We got up bright and early for first chair (8:30 AM on weekends) and were parked in first row and on Gondola #6 or so… not a bad start to the season.

But, by mid-morning (10:00 or four runs in) it seems everybody turned up at the same time. In fact, the Gondola line at River Run was backed up past the ticket counters, over the bridge, and into the village. Needless to say the time to take a break (bloody mary) quickly presented itself. So we headed over to Inxpot (a favorite bar slash café).

Luckily, Summit Express, the lift parallel to the gondola had opened around 10:15 AM and things thinned out.

Overall, the snow was clearly man-made (slushy in the sun, hard in the shade) with most of the grooming worn by lunch time. The afternoon was a slick, crowded, tired mess of people as expected so you found most folks in the terrain park. Over 20 items had opened which seemed to accommodate everyone from beginners to experts. Needless to say, there were some early-season spills.

Overall, I’m excited for new snow. This season has already proven to be a stronger start than the last and I’m excited for many more days ahead.

Check out more photos below. Also check out others’ photos in our flickr group, and check for daily updates on twitter.

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Colorado 2009-2010 demo days

Devin Reams — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:18:03 +0000

Shay over at Shayborder has compiled a fairly hefty list of the 2009-2010 demo days around Colorado resorts, check it out. The listing includes most resorts like Copper, Echo Mountain, Loveland, Snowmass, Winter Park, Breckenridge and Keystone. Of course, we’ve added the events to the cosnow events calendar.

To stay on top of this season’s events (there are far too many to blog) just import our events calendar using this URL (into Google Calendar, iCal, Outlook, etc.):
http://www.google.com/calendar/ical/devin%40cosnow.com/public/basic.ics

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Shaun White’s new tricks

Devin Reams — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:44:46 +0000

Shaun White’s private half-pipe was built so he could focus on innovating and building new tricks. I don’t know why I’m so fascinated by this but I am. Maybe it’s the exclusive avalance-groomed snow, the custom-built pipe, or the fact he is working to take the sport to another level, I’m not sure..

In any case, Shaun’s new tricks have been posted online today for everyone to see (did you catch those corkscrews in the first video?). Click to go straight to Shaun’s new tricks on the Project X site:

If you’re interested in this stuff just let me know, we’ll keep the updates coming.

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2009 Gatorade Free Flow Tour schedule announced

Devin Reams — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:06:21 +0000

If you’re looking to get noticed this season, then put these dates in your calendar. The Gatorade Free Flow Tour will be stopping by Colorado not once, but twice this season. “Being able to bring amateurs in snowboarding and freeskiing the same stepping stone to the pros we offer skateboarders and BMX riders through the summer Free Flow Tour is something we are really excited about,” said Kenny Mitchell, Gatorade action sports team manager.

January 9-10, 2009: Vail
January 23-24, 2009: Keystone

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Vail Ski and Snowboard Swap today

Devin Reams — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:27:34 +0000

If you’re headed to the mountains (or alreay there) this weekend, stop by Vail’s annual ski and snowboard swap. Located at the Dobson Ice Arena in Lionshead, you’ll find the best deals on gear from different vendors including apline, telemark, nordic skis, snowboards, boots, goggles, poles, gloves, and jackets. The swap is from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Saturday, October 31, 2009. Check the cosnow events calendar for more details.

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Exclusive new video of Shaun White’s halfpipe

Devin Reams — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:13:26 +0000

Check out this video (in all it’s HD glory), Shaun White talks about the Red Bull X project where they built his own halfpipe in Silverton. Awesome shots all around, I’m stoked to follow this site.

I would have loved it if a group of bloggers (yours truly included) were invited to visit this thing. It seems so cool to have it out there in the middle of nowhere… click here to check out the first look video.

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Echo Mountain: more snow = free tickets

Devin Reams — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:20:11 +0000

Echo Mountain has teamed up with Sims Snowboards for the MORE SNOW = FREE LIFT TICKETS contest. It’s easy: buy a season pass to Echo before November 1st and you’re entered to win: free gear from Sims and free tickets for as many inches as this snow storm has dumped (38!). Purchase your pass today to the closest resort to Denver and follow Echo Mountain on twitter for more updates.

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Keystone opens 2009 early due to snow, others will follow?

Devin Reams — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:57:37 +0000

Great snow conditions have prompted Keystone officials to open the slopes a day early. Keystone will now be opening on Thursday, November 5th at 9:00 AM. I’m guessing that the resorts that are slated to open Thanksgiving week (Beaver Creek, Crested Butte, Steamboat, Snowmass) will do the same so that out-of-towners and local vacationers can get more days in (and more money flowing) at the resorts during the break. Of course, that’s only if this snow keeps it up…

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Review: Swany X-Change II gloves

Devin Reams — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:05:38 +0000

The Swany X-Change II ski gloves are an awesome pair from their sports utility crossover collection. I haven’t worn a pair that are so well rounded with little complaint.

Interior

The lining is comfortable and was perfectly snug. As with any gloves (not mittens) you’re a bit limited in mobility but I found I had a decent level of dexterity with these. They are thick, and extremely warm, but tasks like buckling boots and adjusting straps on the slope were no problem.

Exterior and shell

I skiied with this pair a few days last season but none were overly snowy or wet. As far as I was concerned, the gloves were waterproof and kept me dry throughout the day. From sitting and falling in powder, they never retained any moisture (which sometimes leaves gloves heavy and sopping).

Extras

The gloves have a nice exterior waterproof pouch for holding a hand warmer. Frankly, I never needed it (even on single-digit days) but could see how your fingers would get cold (I usually stick my fingers into my fist and that works out). The quick-release wrist guard never allowed snow down into the glove. The leash was handy but I always find keeping gloves on my wrists to be more of a nuisance than anything. Being able to strap the gloves together and hang them off my backpack was certainly handy but is pretty standard for gloves these days.

Overall

I can see how this is one of the best selling pairs of Swany ski gloves. It’s an all-around great pair of gloves for a fairly reasonable price at $85. If I were to buy a new pair now I would definitely recommend these as a every-day glove. For those super cold days, though, I’d likely be looking for some mittens.

Rating: 4/5 flakes

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