Best Terrain Parks

If you're planning a holiday to a ski resort this season, make sure the resort has a good terrain park.

This time each year, magazines publish their resort guides to help riders make decisions on where to go for vacation.  In recent years, most have added a section for the best terrain parks.  Instead of picking a list from one magazine or online publication, I've compiled a list of resorts from all the lists I could find.  I simply noted which resorts received recognition in the most publications.  Parks mentioned the most are listed first, but #1 isn't necessarily the one with that made the mosts lists.  The first three, for example, all were mentioned the same number of times.  I just chose to list all ties alphabetically.

Most mag's have a top ten list.  I'm not quite that good:  I only have a top nine...  And, here they are:

1.  Breckenridge, CO
2.  Mammoth Mountain, CA
3.  Whistler / Blackcomb, BC
4.  Buttermilk, CO
5.  Copper Mountain, CO
6.  Keystone, CO
7.  Northstar-at-Tahoe, CA
8.  Park City, UT
9.  Vail, CO
 

Swap Meets

Seattle SkiFever & Snowboard Show:  Oct. 15 - 17th
     Washington State Convention Center
     http://www.skifever.org/index.php?CategoryID=3

Mercer Island Ski & Snowboard Swap:  Oct. 23rd
     Islander Middle School, Mercer Island
     http://www.misd.k12.wa.us/schools/ims/imspta/skiswap/

West Seattle Halloween Ski Swap:  Oct. 30th - 31st
     West Seattle VFW - 3601 SW Alaska Street
     http://westseattleblog.com/2010/10/get-ready-to-haunt-west-seattles-first-ever-halloween-ski-swap

Newport High School Ski Swap:  Nov. 12th - 13th
     Newport High School, Bellevue
     http://skiswap.info/

Freestyle: Downtown Throwdown

5th Annual Downtown Throwdown.

Kick off winter this Saturday, October 9th from noon 'till 5:00 at Occidental Park in Seattle.

25 riders, 30 tons of snow and a bunch of rails should make for some smiley times.  And, it's free!

http://www.grindtv.com/blog/20792/the%20downtown%20throwdown%20hits%20seattle/

Season's Pass sale ends Oct. 5th

The Steven's Pass season's pass renewal sale has been extended until October 5th.  If you had a pass last season, now is the best time to renew it.  If you know anyone looking to buy a pass, give them the discount code (below).  These will be the lowest prices of the season.

Click on the link to Stevens Pass:  http://store.stevenspass.com/store/Default.aspx

Then click on "Buy A New Pass".  When checking out, use this discount code:

PRP-2010-11-1015066

Freestyle Skis

Common question:  What are the best skis for freestyle skiing?  Answer:  Depends on what type of freestyle skiing you do.  Typically, the question is about skis best suited for the terrain park.  Skiers all have their own unique style, just like everyone else.  So, certain skis may be better suited for your style.  There are many quality park skis, so I can't recommend a particular manufacturer.  That said, here are a few things to consider:

Twin tips:  Having tips on both ends of the ski is not a requirement, but it is helpful when learning how to ski and land jumps backwards.  You can ski and land switch without twin tips, but if you're going to be buying skis, get some twins.

Width:  Width refers to how wide the ski is underfoot; the most narrow part of the ski.  I would go with mid to upper 80 cm's.  This gives enough width to float you in powder, but isn't too wide for tricks and features in the park.

Length:  Length can be personal preference.  If you are new to the park and just learning tricks, short is better.  Riders talk about "swing weight" on park skis.  Short ski's are easier to "swing" onto boxes and rails.  (as are more narrow skis)  General guide:  Stand the skis up next to you.  The tip should be somewhere between your shoulder and the top of your head.

Bases:  A dedicated park ski will have reinforced bases to protect them from hard features like rails and boxes.  Any time you session a hard feature, you will cause damage to your skis.  These bases will help the ski last longer when put through this abuse.

Binding Mounting:  True park skis have bindings mounted in the middle of ski.  (center mounted)  This allow one to ride forward or backwards (switch) easily.  Conventional skis are mounted more towards to tail of the ski.  If you plan to ride all over the mountain, but occasionally take a lap through the park, a conventional mounting is recommended.

Graphics:  If you like everything about the ski but hate the graphics, get some stickers...

Labor Day sales

This time of year, ski shops try to unload last year's gear.  For as long as I can remember, there have always been big ski and snowboard sales over the Labor Day weekend.

While shops won't have all their 2010-11 gear yet, they will have some.  If you're in the market for new equipment, this is a good time to check out the latest and greatest, and save some money at the same time.

I've attached a link to a site that I think is pretty good at explaining snowboards.  If you don't know what you want, read this before you go.  That said, most snowboard shops have pretty skilled staff and they will generally steer you towards the right equipment.  If the "dude" is too cool to listen to how you ride, find a different "dude" in the shop to help you.

http://www.abc-of-snowboarding.com/buying-guide/buyingsnowboards.asp

I read a great article by Mike Porter about ski design.  I'll try to find it (and get permission) to publish it.

Season Pass sale

Seattle weather graced the last day of August with 56 degrees and rain.  That got us snow hounds thinking about strapping on a board or clicking into our skis again.

While the upcoming ski season still feels a long ways off, it's actually time to start planning.

Stevens Pass is having a sale on their season's passes.  If you had a pass last year, renewing now will save you the most money.  (passes get more expensive closer to winter)  If you didn't have a pass, here's a way to save some money:

Click on the link (below) to Stevens Pass, then click on "Buy A New Pass".  When checking out, use this discount code:

PRP-2010-11-1015066

http://store.stevenspass.com/store/Default.aspx