#1: The 2021 SkiEssentials.com Ski Test is Now Live!

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This week, we’re kicking things off with a major announcement: the 2021SkiEssentials.com Ski Test has officially gone live! Now in its fourth year, our annual ski test has become a go-to ski guide for anyone interested in learning about the latest skis, whether or not they’re in the market for a new pair. When we initially conceptualized our ski test, we set out to create something different. Rather than rank skis and effectively force them to compete against each other, we’ve applied our overarching belief that there really aren’t any “bad” skis anymore, but rather that certain skis are more suited to certain skiers. In taking that approach, our ski test aims to share both the macro and micro details about each ski in a way that should help readers understand which ski would be best for them. Instead of utilizing a grading system, we tend to think of our process as more of a personality test, where we share the technologies used on each ski, and how that affects their performance on snow.

In addition to being our fourth iteration of the ski test, there are also a handful of differences in this year’s edition compared to previous versions. For starters, we’ve completely redesigned the layout of the test and added a search feature, both with the intention of making the information you want to know easier to find than ever. We’ve also updated our approach to each ski’s video recap, focusing on sharing valuable information regarding each ski in something akin to an abbreviated version of our full video ski reviews.

And yes, for those of you wondering, the Covid-19 closures did have an impact on our test. In previous years, we’ve gathered with over 40 testers over the course of three days at Stowe Mountain Resort in late March. This year, we were unfortunately unable to do that. The good news however, is that we’ve learned from our first three years of testing that getting a jump start on data collection helps the process go more smoothly when it’s time to bring it all together. As such, we fortuitously made the decision to begin collecting data from employees and testers throughout the winter months, with the overall goal of being able to get more testers on more skis. That move proved more valuable than we ever would’ve imagined as we’ve been able to not only put out another ski test, but one with more brands and skis than ever before. But, you don’t have to take our word for it. Head on over to our 2021 Ski Test and take a look for yourself!

#2: Purgatory Ski Resort, Silverton Mountain, and Others Respond to Call to Revitalize Silverton, CO’s Kendall Mountain:

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So that was a fun way to kick off the week, right? Let’s keep the good vibes going as we discuss highlight #2 from this week’s ski news: in Silverton, CO, town officials are looking to revitalize the community’s local ski center, Kendall Mountain. Being sure to work through this process in a way that aims to create long term growth and stability for the community, town officials have taken a number of preliminary steps in recent years to concoct a plan that balances the many needs of the community with their desire for measured economic growth. In doing so, they’ve worked with a resort planning agency known as SE Group to create a viability study, as well as reached out to numerous representatives from other ski towns to learn what they could about the impacts of creating a more significant ski area in their town. Armed with the viability study, which outlines two potential plans, as well as a wealth of knowledge from representatives from areas such as Jackson, Wyoming’s Snow King resort, which recently undertook a similar development challenge, Silverton, CO officials put out an official request for partnership.

This week, in an article from the Colorado Sun, we learned that that request was met with an incredible response. Amongst the parties that replied with their proposals to revitalize the area was everyone from a landscape design firm and a zipline course developer, to Silverton Mountain and Purgatory Ski Area’s parent company, Mountain Capital Partners (MCP). After reviewing the proposals and reflecting on how they line up with the recommendations from the SE Group, the town’s planning committee elected to pursue further discussions with MCP and Silverton, both of whom expressed great interest in redeveloping the resort as well as fostering the community, albeit with different approaches. For MCP, the revitalization effort would reflect what they’ve done for other small to midsize ski resorts in the Southwest in recent years, meaning they’d look to turn the ski hill into a more significant resort via the implementation of five chairlifts accessing 300 acres of skiing (editor’s note: to learn more about MCP’s recent endeavors, check out this Top Five Friday from April 27, 2018, in which we touch on MCP owner James Coleman’s impressive growth). Silverton on the other hand, in staying true to the technique employed at their own resort, would focus on a singular lift, saying that that’s all that’s required to generate more interest in the ski area, if done correctly. At the moment, it sounds like it’s a bit of a toss up in terms of which group will win the rights to move forward with their vision, but regardless of who gets the green light, good things almost certainly lay ahead for the town of Silverton. For more on this, check out the typically excellent article from the Colorado Sun.

#3: Yet Another Covid Complication: Capacity Reductions on Ski Buses:

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Next up this week, is unfortunately a Covid-19 related topic. While we realize that skiing is a great escape for most of us, we feel compelled to share the news as it happens, which unfortunately means a lot of discussion regarding the uncertain scenarios surrounding the season ahead. This week, we caught an article that looks at the issue through a lens that we have yet to explore: capacity limitations on public transportation, and ski buses in particular. At just about this time last year, we found ourselves discussing Solitude’s plan to introduce paid parking due to unmanageable congestion at the resort’s lots. Shortly after, Northstar resort announced a similar policy, and the themes of traffic and parking issues have reemerged multiple times over the course of the Winter, Spring, and Summer as Crystal Mountain was forced to put a cap on lift ticket sales and the Utah Department of Transportation considers a number of public transportation options to alleviate congestion in Salt Lake’s popular Little Cottonwood Canyon. All of this is to remind you of the growing difficulties surrounding transportation to and from ski resorts, and to set the scene for this week’s news.

In an interesting article published this Wednesday in the Crested Butte News, author Mark Reaman provides something of a play-by-play recap of a recent meeting amongst area transportation decision makers. The format of the article itself is a bit of a novelty as we’re given a recap that nearly resembles a script, providing a different type of insight as we’re able to follow the thought process and momentum of the meeting as it progresses. Aside from the style of the piece, there’s also a lot of interesting information and ideas debated in the article that provide some insight into the difficult decisions being made in regards to handling transportation. For starters, it’s expected that capacity on ski buses will be limited to roughly 20%, meaning between 19 and 24 passengers per bus, depending on specific bus size. One fear that was expressed in the meeting is if restrictions escalated to the “yellow status,” the 19-passenger Mountain Express bus’s capacity would drop to 9. For comparison, last year the bus averaged 23 passengers per trip, while powder days could see capacities of over 60 people. This worst case scenario, a yellow status on a powder day, led those in the conversation to discuss the next logical conclusion: if skiers and riders can’t get on the bus on a powder day, they’ll drive. If 80% of people who would’ve taken the bus on a powder day in the previous season are suddenly driving to the resort, there’s an entirely different problem to worry about in terms of parking as well as an increased amount of drivers navigating hazardous weather conditions (on account of the powder day). Beyond these highlights, there’s a ton of other interesting concerns and perspectives raised in the article, so if you have an interest in understanding complexities surrounding seemingly simple issues, you’ll find yourself gleefully nerding out over this article. If that sounds like your cup of tea, we’d encourage you to give the recap a read.

#4: An Expose on the Subtleties of Racial Discrimination in Winter Sports:

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Finally, we round out this week with a story that takes on a heavy topic, but does so in an exceptionally approachable way. This week, the U.S. Ski Team published an article highlighting the story of Lauren Samuels, a former ski team member and University of Utah collegiate racer, who also happens to be black. Recently, Samuels was invited to speak on a virtual panel on diversity hosted by the U.S. Ski Team. In doing so, her story was brought to light, and many of the nuances associated with the difficulties of being a black athlete in what’s quite unfortunately a white-dominated sport were brought to light. Throughout the course of her career, she encountered seemingly endless assumptions based in stereotypical thought patterns, such as her U.S. Ski Team teammates citing the color of her skin as the reason why she was able to break the vertical jump test record during one of her first sessions at the Center of Excellence when she was 15 years and had just joined the development team. These types of stereotypical perspectives followed her throughout her collegiate career as her peers and coaches alike would often incorrectly assume that she was a member of a more “expected” team, such as soccer, track, or softball.

In addition to bringing to light the reality of the current environment for people of color attempting to enter the overwhelmingly white-world of skiing, the piece also discusses ways in which the ski community can begin to work towards diversifying. These suggestions range from simple marketing decisions, such as actively working to highlight black athletes in marketing materials, so that young people of color are able to imagine themselves as being a part of our world without discrimination, to more concerted efforts, such as actively recruiting people of color to join youth teams. On that subject, Samuels indicates that one of her biggest issues with the current state of things is that brands and industry leaders are currently looking around and thinking, "we don’t have the talent,” in regards to the lack of black representation in ski culture. To that claim, Samuels responds, “Go out and make it happen… Point the finger at yourself and say, ‘Let’s make the talent. And go actively recruit.’” From our perspective, that’s an effort that seems entirely sensible and one that we can get behind. As simple as it may seem, the act of showing representation of more diverse athletes, and recruiting them to our sport, is a great way to begin the long overdue process of widening skiing’s scope of inclusion. Of course, there’s plenty of other information and insight included in this excellent article, and we’d encourage you to give it a read in full. We promise you’ll come away feeling a renewed sense of understanding and commitment to generating diversity in skiing.

#5: And Now, Your Edits of the Week: Tanner Hall's Back, With "Tanner Hall Forever":

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Brody Leven Presents, “Lost,” a Deeply Personal Ski Film:

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Finally, TGR Presents the Trailer for Their Latest Feature Film, "Make Believe":

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Written by Matt McGinnis on 08/14/20