My oldest memories come from Mount Washington: 2 years old, skiing the hill beside our cabin while holding onto my friend’s oldest sister’s ski pole. That was 1983, and every year since I’ve made a point of getting at least one day there per year (or in some cases closer to 100, like the season I spent washing dishes at night upstairs from Fat Teddy’s Bar and Grill). This year, with cold temperatures and very light snow, the mountain was able to get the ball rolling for December 19 and my dad and I paid a visit on the 27th.

Despite a few hazards, all but the highest lifts were running for the Christmas season and access to intermediate-advanced terrain was enough to keep me occupied through the morning. With a little bit of finesse, pow turns were also to be had—light, dry snow, more reminiscent of interior powder than coastal conditions. Dodging a couple rocks through snow-plastered evergreens, I got my annual ski day back to where it all started, on the slopes of Vancouver Island’s Mount Washington…and with more snow falling through new years, I can’t wait to get back in 2009 and ride the steeps off the Boomerang Chair and Eagle Express.

SILVERTON, CO, December 16, 2008 – The forecast was right on the money again with 16” of new snow overnight at Silverton Mountain. This brings the total from the last 7 days to 55” of new. It has been snowing so hard they can’t access the upper mountain for a depth reading, but waist deep is a good estimate. If you’re seeking solitude from the holiday grind, the Southern Colorado white room at Silverton is available and booking now—reservations recommended.

MT BAKER, WA, December 15 - For the last couple months I’ve had the same conversation with everyone I run into:

“What have you been doing lately?”

“Oh just working and waiting for the snow.”

What they don’t always tell you is how the mixture of aggravation and anticipation has them doing things that might seem a little insane. For some that means organizing 80gb of music and 40 pairs of socks or flying to Hawaii to return a rock (superstition induced). Maybe waxing every piece of gear you own and spending hours doing it, all while wearing full outerwear and pretending it’s not actually 50 degrees and raining in the mountains. Or drinking way more than you normally would and taking hundreds of photos of your roommate’s cat (she’s very pretty). But really, it’s all just a way of staying busy until the snow falls.

Once that snow finally does find its way into the cracks, crevices and creek-beds at Mt. Baker, the natural flow of our lives can resume. So when it finally got cold and stormy last Friday, it was time to make my way up Highway 542. Since Baker wasn’t going to run lifts until Sunday, my best friend and best dog joined me for a hike on Saturday, all the while scoping out where to go first on opening day. It looked a little bare, but I still had high hopes.

After a sleepless night, we rallied out of Glacier early enough to be some of the first on the new Chair 1. Even though large chunks of our normal riding spots were closed off (and rightfully so), we spent the entire morning grinning through all the snow on our faces…and the rest of the afternoon riding stashes the tourists don’t know about.

With achy feet, tired legs, and feeling too lazy to shower just quite yet, I fell asleep next to the fire feeling fully satisfied. It’s finally winter and, for the next four months, we’ll be playing in the snow.

Whistler-Blackcomb once again got things rolling for Thanksgiving weekend and three of us from The Ski Journal office decided to put off family obligations and drop in on a condo-themed Thanksgiving dinner and our first turns of the season. Opting to ride Blackcomb’s opener on Thursday (Whistler had opened the day before) we uploaded over thin coverage with a few lonely tracks and found a two-foot snow base up high. However, a small terrain park was set up and the upper reaches of Blackcomb held enough snow to bootpack it into some steeper lines if you felt inclined to do so. Choosing to keep it mellow, we made the most out of the ungroomed sections under the Solar Coaster chair and found a couple pow turns and a couple rocks, early season skiing to be sure, but fun times nonetheless. Turkey in a bag tasted that much better after milking a few November face shots.

With a storm system sitting over the coast and more snow in the forecast, the season is ramping up in Whistler—get out there and get your early season fix, and we’ll see you back there December 12 for the opening of the Peak 2 Peak Gondola.

Skier: Mike Douglas Photo: Scott Brammer

Whistler’s Peak 2 Peak Gondola recently came through Bellingham – a hybrid Chevy towing a full-sized gondola cabin and a media team including Michelle Leroux, the head of the Peak to Peak PR program. We had a chance to sit with Michelle and learn more about the forthcoming opening of the Peak to Peak and what it means for skiers at Whistler-Blackcomb.

TSKJ: So how many people can you move on the Peak 2 Peak?

ML: There are 28 cabins that fit 28 people, so it’s moving 4,100 people per hour. But the odds of every cabin having 28 people are pretty slim.

TSKJ: When does it open?

ML: December 12.

TSKJ: And that’s been the goal the entire time?

ML: Yes. We knew in the summer that was what we were aiming for but we wanted to make sure that we had hit enough milestones in the construction process to feel confident about that date. We could conceivably open the lift opening day, but we want to have a bit of extra time to make sure everything is perfect. British Columbia Safety Authority is finishing all of their safety certifications this week and we do our final lift evacuation with ski patrollers next week. Then it’s just training and shining the cabins.

TSKJ: How would you evacuate from 1,300 feet?

ML: Well there are so many redundancies -- there are redundancies for the redundancies for the redundancies, so the likelihood of an evacuation is slim to none. But, if the planets align and we do need to get people out of there we’ve got some rescue cars – the whole process takes eight hours. These rescue cars go out onto the line via generators and winches, which are attached to the last two towers on either mountain. They go out to the first car, attach themselves to the first car and get winched back up. People are then put into harnesses and lowered down from the tower. Once that car is empty the rescue car detaches itself and uses a crane to get onto the other side of the cabin and moves to the next car.

TSKJ: Are they going to have to do that whole 8-hour process during practice?

ML: Yeah, they’ve already done it several times. Everyone has to be fully trained. We have a team of 40 people from lift maintenance to patrollers that are basically on call for rescuing.

TSKJ: How much is it going to cost to ride the gondola?

ML: The lift price has gone up, just like it has at every ski mountain in the world, but the cost is integrated. However, if you are a regional visitor and you buy an Edge Card or a seasons pass you would be able to choose if you want it or not. So there is the option this year, but the cost is actually pretty small. We don’t have our ticket rates published yet and I know it will be a little more than the usual ticket price increase, but it’s not a huge jump. I think people will be pleased.

TSKJ: A couple of the cars will have glass bottoms?

ML: Yes, two of them. Not the whole car though, there will be a railing and the middle will be glass, so you don’t actually stand on it. The glass bottom cabins are silver and the rest are red…we might even have to have a separate line up for it, but we’re not sure yet. It’s funny because we’ve already had three guys contact us because they want to propose to their girlfriends on opening day on the gondola. Plus, we already have a couple getting married as they go across.

TSKJ: Anything else you’d like to add?

ML: It’s going to be a tool for skiers and snowboarders and it will let you work the mountain. You can follow the sun if you know the aspects – think about 8,000 acres of all these varying aspects that you can hit according to the weather. If you know what you’re doing, you’re going to kill it up there. Some people will just be like ‘woo this is fun,’ but the people that know the mountains will be able to work it like nobody’s business. That is the best aspect for core skiers.

November 16, 2008 (Seattle, WA) – Neumo’s night club in Seattle’s Capitol Hill district was the setting for a night of optical awareness courtesy of Oakley last Sunday. Beginning with a tour of their monster trailer pulled by a monster truck – the Oakley O Lab – we were treated to crowd pleasing demos such as the spike test (Oakley sunglasses can take a spike in the eye without blowing up). We then moved inside to build a custom pair of crowbars and take in the show. Fueled by a Hennesey-equipped open bar and live rock show from “Hockey”, shop kids and industry types from all over the Pacific Northwest got down in style well into the night. Meanwhile, the eyewear team sweated tirelessly to make sure everyone walked away smiling. Thanks to Matt Crane, Micah Murray, and the rest of the Oakley crew for a job well done.

Chris, Pep, and Sammy are back at it again traveling, filming and skiing the globe. Enjoy this final Hunting Yeti Webisode installment from Nimbus.