Sochi ski success for US Ski and Snowboard Teams

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The most expensive Olympics ever is over. The Sochi experiment paid off with the motherload of medals for Mother Russia. Vladimir's Russian athletes won 33 medals -13 of them Golds. While the US was tied for a while, we ended up fourth behind Norway and Canada. Of the 28 US medals, 8 of the 9 Golds were earned in skiing and snowboarding. 

Sage Kotsenburg kicked it off for the US winning the first Gold of the Games, in the first Olympic Snowboard Slopestyle, going huge after Shaun White had second thoughts and withdrew.  Jamie Anderson won Sochi's Snowboard Slopestyle first for the females.

The highlight for me was Joss Christensen, Gus Kenworthy and Nick Goepper sweeping the Men's

Slopestyle Skiing for the US in the first ever Olympic ski venue. Devin Logan won Silver on the ladies side. David Wise and Maddie Bowman won Ski Halfpipe for the US, and  Kaitlyn Farrington grabbed Gold in Snowboard Halfpipe. Alex Deibold won Bronze in Snowboard Cross. Mogul Skier Hannah Kearney took Bronze. No US aerial or ski cross medals this time around.

Ted Ligety and Mikaela Shiffrin won Alpine skiing Golds in GS and Slalom. Mikaela filled Lindsey Vonn's fast and fabulous boots with beauty and poise. Andrew Weibrecht took Silver in Super G. Bode Miller got Bronze,gained the the title "oldest Olympic Alpine medalist" at 36, and became the most talked about for his about post race emotions as Christin Cooper probed about his passed brother Chilly. Julia Mancuso brought home Bronze in Combined Slalom.

In my opinion, Ralph Lauren redeemed the US athletes at the Closing Ceremony, the navy pea coat with red stripe was more patriotic and less ugly Christmas sweater party than the Opening outfits. NBC's coverage was trying at times, too many ads - we nicknamed the Games "The Adlympics, and too much talk of Bob Costa's pink eye. To top it off, last night's ludicrous 90-minute rehash of the Tonya Harding Nancy Kerrigan scandal should have been iced, and never aired on Primetime. Really?! to quote Seth Myers.

Russia's $50 billion venues host the Paralympics at Sochi this week. Then the thousands of expensive hotel rooms at Sochi, the ski slopes and gondola cars at Rosa Khutor Ski Resort are wide open. Can you say ski trip to Sochi? Not me... not just yet. More friendly Swiss Alps to ski  first...

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US Ski and Snowboard events at Sochi win most medals

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Freestyle skiing and snowboarding now account for 12 of the 26 Olympic medals at Sochi - putting Americans in the lead for now, with US alpine racing contributing five more to the medal count with Ted Ligety & Mikaela Shiffrin's Gold in GS and Slalom respectively, Andrew Weibrecht's Silver, Bode Miller and Julia Mancuso's Bronze.

 

David Wise and Maddie Bownman won the first ever Olympic Skiing Halfpipe Gold for the US. Joss Christensen, Gus Kenworthy and Nick Goepper swept the podium in Men's Ski Slopestyle, while Devin Logan won Silver - also the first ever Winters Game to allow Ski Slopestyle as an official medal sport. Sage Kotsenberg won Snowboard Slopestyle, while Kaitlyn Farrington won Snowboard Halfpipe, Kelly Clark grabbed Bronze.

 

The ski and snowboard events at Rosa Khutor have been a stage of sunshine an soft snow with 60 degree temps to start the games, then fog and freezing rain which delayed certain alpine and free skiing events. Some athletes criticized the Extreme Park halfpipe and skier cross courses as dangerous. But the overall medal haul has been worthy!

 

Go Team USA. See more on Family Ski Trips and Luxury Ski Trips

 

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Can snowboarders sue Alta Ski Area, seriously?

 
 
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Three ski resorts remain in the US that ban boarding, Mad River Glen, Deer Valley and Alta. Taos New Mexico lifted their snowboard ban in 2009. Now Alta's boarding ban is up for litigation grabs.
Alta is being sued for unlawfully prohibiting snowboarders on US Forest Service land. The January 15 2014 lawsuit filed by Wasatch Equality, a non-profit group formed solely for this purpose, states Alta's snowboard prohibition violates the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution.
Jonathan Schofield Wasatch Equity's Attorney, said “Alta is one of only three ski resorts in the US that does not allow snowboarding, and Alta is the only one that is operated on public land controlled by the Forest Service. Alta’s actions must comply with the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause. Alta’s prohibition against snowboarders excludes a particular class of individuals from use and enjoyment of public land based on irrational discrimination against snowboarders, which denies them equal protection under the law as guaranteed by the 14th Amendment.”
Alta Ski Area has guarded their  Ski Area moniker and snowboarding  ban since the 1980s. Alta is interconnected to Snowbird, which allows both skiers and snowboarders, but signs at the resorts' shared border turn away unwelcome boarders - back to The 'Bird. 
"Are people still snowboarding? I hear that sport is dying," said Mad River Glen marketing director Eric Friedman.  "I don't think they have a leg to stand on with this Alta lawsuit, but I am not a lawyer. What's awesome about our situation at Mad River Glen is we are on private land, and our snowboarding ban is up to the co-op (since 1995). If our owners, the shareholders, wanted to allow snowboarding, they could tomorrow. The attitude was waning at one point, but after Burton did their poach challenge in 2008, that turned everyone off." Vermont's  Mad River Glen first allowed snowboarders in 1986, then banned boards beginning in 1991.
There are 486 snow sports areas in the US that allow snowboarding, 197 are on US Forest Service land. Does the Alta snowboard lawsuit have merit or is it mere frivolity clogging the US court system?  Is it irrational discrimination to prevent them from riding on US Forest slopes? Can snowboarders argue that they are a "protected class" within the meaning of the Constitution? Besides, isn't there enough terrain in Utah for snowboarders that they don't need to sue this last skiers' vertical vestige - a ski area that expressly doesn't welcome or want their presence or their purses? I'm going skiing... maybe Mad River Glen - there slogan "ski it if you can" has a wonderful double entendre.

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Aspen X Games are over, exit to Sochi!

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The Winter XGames from Aspen are wrapped for another year. ESPN has continued the contract to the coveted Ski, Snowboard and Snowmobile Games til 2019! Sweet gig for Aspen's Buttermilk, the smallest of Aspen's four ski mountains including Ajax, Highlands and Snowmass. This season, skiing and snowboarding's best athletes brought big tricks to a boisterous Colorado crowd. For many athletes, this year's XGames were  stepping platform to the performance in the Sochi Olympics February 8 2014. The XGames are like the MTV Awards to winter sports, edgier than the Olympics or the Grammy's -which aired simultaneously with the XGames last night.  We you channel flipping from ESPN in Aspen to ABC's Grammy coverage from Hollywood?

Big winner at Winter X include Kelly Clark, the 30-year old snowboarder from Vermont won her fourth X Games Gold in Snowboard SuperPipe. Clark is going to Sochi to compete in Olympic Halfpipe with teammates Kaitlyn Farrington - who took XGames Silver at Aspen, and Vermont's Hannah Teter.

In Men's Snowboard SuperPipe, Danny Davis won Gold, with Louie Vito earning silver and Greg Bretz bronze. Gold medal winner 6x Shaun White did not ride in the XGames, saving his snowboard strength for Sochi. You will see White compete against his teammates Danny Davis and Greg Betz at Sochi's Rosa Khutor on Feb 11 in Olympic Superpipe. Shaun White will also perform in the first ever Olympic Snowboard Slopestyle on Feb 8.

In Men's Ski Slopestyle, Nick Goepper won his 2nd X Games Gold. He'll compete at Sochi  in the first ever Olympics ski slopestyle, along with teammates Gus Kenworthy, Joss Christensen and Bobby Brown. If you have been to the Dumont Cup at Sunday River, you have seen these guys compete alongside Simon Dumont. Unfortunately, Dumont injured his ACL, sidelining him from both the XGames and Olympics.

In Men's Ski Halfpipe, David Wise won his 3rd XGames Gold, he'll head to Olympic Ski Halfpipe's debut along with Torin Yater-Wallace - the 18 year old super skier from Aspen. In Women's Ski Halfpipe Maddie Bowman won Gold, she is competing in Sochi's first Women's Olympic Ski Halfpipe, along with Andover, Mass. teammate Annalisa Drew.

In Men's Snowboard Cross, Nate Holland won his 6th Gold, beating fellow Olympic bound SBX Alex Diebold and Trevor Jacob. In a surprising twist, Sugarloafer Seth Wescott was eliminated early at Aspen, and unfortunately did not secure a spot on the Olympic Snowboard Cross team to defend his two Gold medals. Nick Baumgartner will go to Sochi as the 4th man instead.

In Women's Snowboard Cross Lindsey Jacobellis won her 8th Winter X Games Gold. Jacobellis is going to Sochi, you may remember she hit a gate and was disqualified at Vancouver 2010 Olympics, and missed Gold at the 2006 Olympics when she led the pack but went for a victory grab on the final jump and fell, grabbing silver instead. Next up Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia...this should be very interesting! I think these USA athletes and the  US Alpine Ski Team should haul some serious medals at Rosa Khutor. Game on Team USA...

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Where is the snow this ski season?

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This winter season started out powdery and plentiful in New England, but a post holiday thaw and several rain events have dramatically reduced trail counts in New England, Much of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont are at 50% open as we enter MLK weekend. Snowmaking resumes when it is cold enough.... but the real snow is out west at a few select northern ski resorts.

Big Sky Resort in Montana has base depths of  up to 67'' and growing - among the best snow conditions in the country right now along with Grand Targhee and Jackson Hole in Wyoming, Alta/Snowbird in Utah, and Steamboat in Colorado. With Big Sky's recent acquisition of neighboring Moonlight Basin and Spanish Peaks ski areas, Big Sky now delivers 5,750-acres of ski terrain - the biggest skiing in America - on one ticket. You should be considering at trip to Big Sky this winter!  Or Grand Targhee...  get out and ski! 

Photos of Big Sky Montana, January 2014 courtesy of Family Ski Trips and Luxury Ski Trips

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Biggest Skiing in America - BOOM!

I have loved skiing at Big Sky Montana since 2004 when I first visited this beautiful part of the world and skied this amazing ski terrain. The Lone Peak Tram takes you to 11,166' of wide open wild bowl skiing - Liberty Bowl, The Dictator Chutes, The Big Couloir, and The North Summit snowfields to Moonlight Basin.  Big Sky rivals all the big boys, Vail, Jackson Hole, Whistler, Alta/Snowbird! But Big Sky isn't all crazy steep high elevation terrain. The Montana ski resort also boasts beautiful groomed runs off the Swift Current and Ram Charger quads, and gentle wonderful slopes in the sun on Southern Comfort - with amazing views of the grand mountain mansions at Yellowstone Club. When the sun is out, Lone Peak resembles the Matterhorn, a tall impressive peak...

Then there's the Moonlight Basin - a 10 year old resort started by Montana ranchers, managed in and out of bankruptcy by Leeman Brothers, and now owned by Big Sky Resorts, thanks to investment by Sam Byrne the CFO of Yellowstone Club. Now Big Sky offers the biggest skiing in America, over 5,700 acres, 33 lifts, and 4,350' vertical.

If you haven't heard of Big Sky yet, you will, and if you haven't skied Big Sky yet...you should!

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Learn to ski & snowboard - January 2014

Friends shouldn't teach friends to ski! It's a recipe for trouble... teaching your friend to ski or snowboard can send your relationship downhill, fast! Haven't you seen the boyfriend teaching his gal to ski and she's crying? How about the snowboarder dude watching his buddy flounder and fall on the bunny slopes without a clue about what to do?

The best-friend thing to do is to get your friend into a proper lesson, therefore reducing the risk of injury, shortening their learning curve, and improving their enjoyment of the snow sport. Side benefit for friends -  keeping your friendship intact. January  2014 is "Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month", now in year 6 thanks to the National Ski Areas Association, the Professional Ski Instructors of America and the National Ski Patrol. Ski resorts across the country are offering great incentives for discounted first time ski and snowboard packages, plus lift ticket deals and rewards for sharing skiing and snowboarding with friends.
Throughout New England ski resorts and the Western Rocky mountains are many Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month ski and snowboard lesson specials. If you introduce a friend to snowsports - or two or three, you can enter to win prizes as the ambassador at Bring a Friend that brings new friends to the sport.

So don't break your friendship with a bad intro to the sport you love, bring a friend to a ski or snowboard lesson in January and you will both win. Meet up for apres ski stories and hot tubs, still friends, after their lesson and your laps on the high speed quad! For more ski resorts with Bring a Friend deals in January, check out www.SkiAndSnowboardMonth.org
For tips on what to pack for skiing and how to dress properly for a day of skiing, see our Family Ski Trips guide to skiing and snowboarding!

Happy Trails in 2014!

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