I wonder how many people representing the various sectors of the ski industry are in Copenhagen? Current trends in climate change certainly don’t look good for the ski industry, do they? Yeah, I know, compared to the health insurance industry, or the banking industry, the ski industry is pretty small potatoes, so when its future [...]

Here’s a trend I don’t like. Once resorts discover a new way to cater to the wealthy that increases their profit margin, the cost of skiing for the rest of us goes up too. The wealthy want “better” food choices; soon everyone has to pay $9 for a burger. The wealthy only do private lessons; [...]

Last week I mentioned the  ABS Avalanche Airbag and how impressed I was with the concept of a device that attempts to prevent a victim from being buried when caught in an avalanche, as well as providing protection for the victim’s head.
Via Steve Romeo , today we learn that BCA will be offering a competing [...]

As the Bush Depression deepens and cost cutting pressures mount, the budget ax descended at Grand Targhee and about a dozen employees lost their jobs this week. This was not simply a trimming of  a few food service, housekeeping or parking lot attendant jobs. Some of these were significant year-round management positions such as the [...]

Powder Blog gets a slick new look!
The eagerly anticipated design of this blog is up and on display and it pleases me to no end. I give all the credit to my son Evan Johnson who designed and engineered it and added all kinds of wonderful features to it; many I’ll never take advantage of, but they’re sure cool none-the-less.

As I was riding up a lift today at Grand Targhee (yeah, another Targhee powder day!), I was ruminating to my son Alec about all the changes I’d seen in the sport of skiing over the past few decades.  I started skiing in the early 1960’s and remember that most people then were happy to [...]

New West just put up a guest commentary by Warren Miller which he titled “Economic Stratification and the Yellowstone Club”. As Director of Skiing there he probably felt a need to offer up a sympathetic view of the YC in light of all the embarrassing publicity it has gotten since since the club’s financial [...]

The trivial pursuit of business obligations on the East Coast is now past, so the coast looks clear for lots of good turns in deep snow (soon?) and more regular blog posts.
Driving west on I-80 we saw snowmaking going full tilt in the small ski hills in Ohio and Wisconsin and I was reminded of [...]

Quite a bit of ink has been spilt this week covering and commenting upon the bankruptcy filing of the Yellowstone Club. There is definitely some “rich”  irony at work when some of the world’s richest people watch as their pricey private club falls victim to greed, mismanagement and collateral damage from the bigger financial crisis; [...]

With the September 1st deadline looming for the deepest discount and a son heading off to college in a couple of days, on Friday we all went up to Grand Targhee, had our photo ID pictures taken and paid for our Family Pass. For $1199, (or $400/person) the three of us will be able to [...]