Pat Donnelly

Free Skiing for Military on Veterans Day Published on November 10, 2011 @ 1:59 pm By First Tracks!! Online Media Salt Lake City, UT - A handful of ski resorts are already open ahead of schedule across North America, and a number of them are offering free skiing for military members in honor of Veterans Day on Friday. Utah’s Brighton Resort, which opened for the season today, will invite members of the military to ski or ride its slopes on Friday for free. Last season the resort made the same offer, and the slopes were studded with military personnel from Hill Air Force Base in nearby Ogden, Utah. In southern California, Mountain High Resort in Wrightwood will offer free skiing to all military, active and retired, on Friday in honor of Veterans Day. This is the second year Mountain High has extended this gesture. “We are very excited about the new season and this is our way of saying ‘thank you’ for your never-ending service, ” says Mountain High president and CEO, Karl Kapuscinski. In New England, Sunday River Resort in Newry, Maine, will offer a free adult lift ticket to all military personnel and their dependents, active and retired, on Friday with proper identification. “Sunday River is honored to offer this free lift ticket as a token of appreciation to our nation’s service men and women,” says resort president and general manager, Dana Bullen. Forms of accepted identification include a U.S. Uniform Services Identification Card, U.S. Uniform Services Retired Identification Card, Current Leave and Earnings Statement (LES), a photograph in uniform, arrival to lift ticket window wearing an authentic uniform, a Veterans Organization Card (American Legion and VFW), or a DD Form 214. Military personnel are defined for this program as active members of the U.S. Navy, Air Force, Army, Marines, Coast Guard, and National Guard. This is only a partial listing of deals honoring the military on the slopes for Veterans Day, so check with your local open ski resort. http://www.firsttracksonline.com/2011/11/10/free-skiing-for-military-on-veterans-day/

Yes, the web site is to be updated within the next few months (prior to Jan 2nd). Purchases prior to Jan 2nd 2012 will NOT qualify. Here are the details from last season (from their Facebook): Founded 2001 About SKI FREE™ is back across multiple states. Look for SKI FREE™ vouchers in participating Shell stations from January 3, 2011 - April 17, 2011. Company Overview Buy 10 gallons of fuel at participating Shell stations and get a SKI FREE® voucher redeemable for 1 free lift ticket with purchase of full price adult lift ticket at participating resorts. Voucher available inside store. *1 free lift ticket with purchase of a full price adult lift ticket SKI FREE® 2011 Disclaimer To SKI FREE®: 1. Purchase 10 gallons or more of Shell fuel. 2. Have Shell station attendant stamp the voucher AND gas receipt. 3. Take voucher and receipt to ski area lift ticket window. 4. Purchase one full-price adult lift ticket and receive a second for free. 5. FREE lift ticket and purchased adult lift ticket must be used same day The SKI FREE® offer is valid Jan. 3 thru April 17, 2011 or earlier if ski area closes for season. Read offers closely for specific resort restrictions. Stamped gas receipt must accompany stamped voucher. Voucher valid only on days and times listed for each resort. Not valid with any other offer. Purchased full-price adult lift ticket and free lift ticket must be used same day. Not redeemable for cash. Not refundable. This voucher and the lift ticket received in exchange for the voucher are not for resale. Offer ends April 17, 2011 or until ski areas close for season. SKI FREE® voucher or promotion may not be used for commercial purposes. Participating SKI FREE® resorts and/or ski associations, OutWest Promotions, Shell Oil Products US and their parent, member, affiliate, subsidiary companies and their retailers and wholesalers and the employees, officers, directors and agents of each of these entitles are not, liable for any claims, demands, actions or causes of action on account of any injury to participants which may occur from any cause in participating in this promotional activity.

http://skifreedeals.com/ We're excited for the upcoming 10th year of SKI FREE®. It begins on January 2nd if you were wondering or planning. Now it's time to share the list of resorts participating in SKI FREE® 2012. We are really excited to have a few new resorts on and a lot of returning ones. The offer from 2010-2011: Buy 10 gallons of fuel at participating Shell stations and get a SKI FREE® voucher redeemable for 1 free lift ticket with purchase of full price adult lift ticket at participating resorts. Voucher available inside store. *1 free lift ticket with purchase of a full price adult lift ticket. Become a fan on their Facebook page which also shows some of the participating resorts. http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/SKI-FREE/229433916407?ref=ts

http://skifreedeals.com/ We're excited for the upcoming 10th year of SKI FREE®. It begins on January 2nd if you were wondering or planning. Now it's time to share the list of resorts participating in SKI FREE® 2012. We are really excited to have a few new resorts on and a lot of returning ones. Here are the Michigan resorts participating in SKI FREE® 2012. SE Michigan - Alpine Valley, Mt. Brighton SW Michigan - Swiss Valley, Timber Ridge Central Michigan - Apple Mountain, Cannonsburg Ski Area, Snow Snake Mt. Upper Peninsula - Big Powderhorn, Blackjack, Marquette Mt., Mount Bohemia, Mt. Zion, Norway Mt., Pine Mountain Northern Lower Peninsula - Boyne Highlands, Boyne Mt., Caberfae Peaks, Cross Country Ski Hq., Crystal Mt., Hanson Hills, The Homestead, Mt. Holiday, Nub's Nob, Shanty Creek and Treetops resort.

Try http://surefoot.com/ and/or http://www.bootfitters.com/oldsite/FIND_SHOP.htm

What is your boot size? You may have to advance your angles to minimize boot drag. Here's a review from Bola's site, but keep in mind your weight is nearly 50% greater than the writer and I would guess you may sport larger feet? You may want to consider a longer and wider board. http://allboardssports.com/kessler-gs-coilernsr-and-virus-tantalus-ii-snowboard-review-by-rys-olsen/

http://www.firsttracksonline.com/2011/11/08/u-s-congressman-proposes-land-swap-to-save-jesus-statue-at-montana-ski-resort/ Published on November 8, 2011 @ 8:00 am By First Tracks!! Online Media Whitefish, MT - For nearly 60 years a statue of Jesus has watched skiers schuss by on Big Mountain, but that may be about to change. The statue sits on U.S. Forest Service Land leased to Whitefish Mountain Resort through a Special Use Permit. It was first erected in 1953 by members of the local Knights of Columbus, a fraternal Roman Catholic organization, including many veterans of World War II who modeled it after statues they saw in the Alps during the war. The Freedom From Religion Foundation, a Wisconsin-based atheist group, has called upon the Forest Service to remove the statue as part of a 10-year renewal on the lease, citing a breach of the separation of church and state. The Forest Service first agreed before rescinding its original order on Oct. 21 and extending the comment period on the new lease to Dec. 8. “When I visited it earlier this year, I saw first-hand that this memorial is an irreplaceable part of our state’s history and a unique and colorful part of the local culture. The Forest Service’s denial of the lease defies common sense,” says U.S. Rep Denny Rehberg (R-MT). ” Using a tiny section of public land for a war memorial with religious themes is not the same as establishing a state religion. That’s true whether it’s a cross or a Star of David on a headstone in the Arlington National Cemetery, an angel on the Montana Vietnam Memorial in Missoula or a statue of Jesus on Big Mountain. The Forest Service is just flat wrong to deny this lease on those grounds, and I’m working hard to get them to do the right thing.” The statue of Jesus at Whitefish Mountain Resort (photo: U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg) Whitefish Mountain Resort officials want the statue to stay, too, and caution that it’s too brittle to move to a new location. Rehberg, however, has proposed that the Forest Service swap the 25 foot by 25 foot spot of land upon which the statute sits with another 625 square-foot parcel owned by Whitefish Mountain Resort. “Fortunately, the public outcry in Montana and around the country bought us some time,” said Rehberg, who thanked the Forest Service for agreeing to his request to delay the decision to forcibly remove the statue. “I certainly hope the Forest Service will respect the wishes of just about everyone in the local community, but if they decide to fold to out-of-state lawyers, it’s important to have an Ace in the Hole. That’s what this bill is about – it’s a common sense solution that we can use if other avenues don’t work.” The Freedom From Religion Foundation, based in Madison, Wisc., counts among its membership 17,000 atheists, agnostics and skeptics, and claims on its website to have “acted on countless violations of the separation of state and church, and has taken and won many significant complaints and important lawsuits to end state/church entanglements.” In a letter dated Oct. 26 to Forest Service chief Tom Tidwell, Annie Laurie Gaylor, Co-President of the organization, wrote, “It is important for the USDA Forest Service to take action now to reinstate its constitutionally sound decision to deny renewal of an illegitimate permit for the Knights of Columbus Shrine. We are writing to you on behalf of our national educational organization representing more than 17,000 nonreligious members across the country, including more than 100 members in Montana. Our purpose is to protect the fundamental constitutional principle of separation between state and church. “Federal property has been misappropriated for 56 years or more for the direct benefit of an exclusionary Roman Catholic men’s club and its sectarian and exclusionary religious message,” Gaylor added. Rehberg credits the idea for the land swap to a radio interview with John Hendricks at KGEZ in Kalispell, Mont. During that interview, Hendricks suggested simply giving the land to the Knights of Columbus. Rehberg took that idea and ran with it, working closely with Whitefish Mountain Resort President Dan Graves. They determined a simple land trade would be the best way to move forward and had legislation drafted. Rehberg has posted his bill online for public comment prior to introduction, as early as next week. “We are honored to be able to help preserve this wonderful piece of history on Big Mountain at Whitefish Mountain Resort in honor of our veterans,” said Graves.

Got a call from the mfg and was told both products are the same; difference is in the packaging. Go to any Wal-Mart and check in their shoe / boot department; could be displayed on an end-cap?

the "original" product worked well in the past for me and is readily available at most shoe repair stores / departments. Checked my tool box and found I still have nearly a full tube left as it takes so little product for a set of gloves. I will stick with what I have. Checking on-line I found the cost to be around $15 for one tube with shipping for the Boot & Glove product. I believe I paid around $4 for the original product from a local merchant a few years ago. I opened what I had on hand and it is still fluid and good to go.

Shoe-Goo works best and looks better if applied before abrasion and wear begins. I just found the mfg offers a version for boots and gloves. I placed a call and should get an answer on how to get; will post up once I get this info. http://eclecticproducts.com/sg_bootsgloves.htm Shoe GOO Boots & Gloves Adhesive — for a protective coating that extends the life of footwear and gloves. Make your footwear and gloves last longer by placing a coating of Boots & Gloves to their outside surface before they begin to wearout. Boots & Gloves can be used to protect shoe toes, glove fingers and more. Advantages Waterproofing: Boots & Gloves is water resistant immediately upon application. Apply Boots & Gloves directly to the surface to be sealed. Use thin coats of Boots & Gloves to build a thick coating on the surface to be sealed, allowing each layer to set 3 to 4 hours. Boots & Gloves hardens by solvent evaporation, so allow time for thorough hardening to ensure proper bonding and wear resistance. Repairing worn soles: If a worn boot has a hole that goes all the way through the sole, tape over the hole inside the boot before applying Boots & Gloves to the outer sole. This will help avoid creating a bump. The tape should be removed from the inside and all bumps smoothed out within 2 hours, before the glue is completely hard. Fishing and foul weather gear: Some fisherman's waders and foul weather gear have a water-repellent coating that must be removed before Boots & Gloves will adhere. Scrub the area with detergent and allow to dry. Roughen surface before applying Boots & Gloves. If the bond still pulls apart, the repair must be done on the inside surface of the item, which is usually reinforced with fabric. Use Boots & Gloves to: Coat and protect any area of your boots or gloves to avoid premature wear. Seals seams, tears, cuts and more on leather, rubber and fabric. Repair damaged soles or heels

Finally tossed my first pair after 5 seasons. I applied Shoe-Goo to the stiched areas to extend the life. Pair #2 going on second season and ordered another pair today for back-up. Look for thin glove liners to wear with these when the temps are colder. Costco had Head liners last season for around $10.

Narrated by Robert Redford and Warren Miller, tells the story of five individuals from all walks of life who faced incredible obstacles, found the inspiration to overcome them and became real everyday heroes. Through skiing, each has ultimately discovered or rediscovered the freedom of movement. http://www.makeahero.org/ It is amazing to witness these folks haulin a$$ down Racer's Edge at Buttermilk.

http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/home/149992 Aspen’s Chris Klug, the three-time Olympian and liver transplant recipient, will be inducted into the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame tonight, where he’ll be honored for his groundbreaking career and inspirational life. “It’s a great honor,” Klug said Thursday. “I’m really excited about it. It’s been fun to reflect on the last 30 years.” The induction ceremony is tonight in Broomfield. The Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club, for its children’s scholarship programs, also will be honored with the Hall’s “Top of the Hill” award. It’s given annually to organizations for achievements in the development of skiing in Colorado. Klug said he’s spent time in recent days reminiscing with his mother, Aspen High counselor Kathy Klug, his father, Aspen Square general manager Warren Klug, and his wife, Melissa, about his life on snow. Some of his fondest memories, he said, are of his days snowboarding in the early ’80s as the sport was emerging, when he duct-taped Moon Boots to a crude Burton board and schlepped to races in his parents’ Wagoneer. Those early days of the sport led Klug into 20 years of World Cup competition, which concluded last year with his 11th U.S. title. He competed in snowboard racing’s first appearance in the Winter Olympics, in Nagano, Japan, in 1998. Two years later, he received a life-saving liver transplant to treat a rare disease with which he’d been diagnosed in the early 1990s. He returned to racing after his recovery and in 2002, became the first organ transplant recipient ever to compete in the Olympics while also winning a bronze medal. He founded the Chris Klug Foundation in 2003 to spread awareness and raise money for organ donation, and continues to devote much of his time to the cause. Klug then chronicled his story in the 2004 memoir, “To the Edge and Back.” Last year, he competed in the Olympics for the third time, in Vancouver. At tonight’s ceremony, Klug will be joined by his family, including his 6-month-old daughter, Bali, along with his longtime coach, Rob Roy, and teammate Ian Price. The family of the teenage gunshot victim who gave Klug his new liver, he said, also will be traveling to Colorado from Idaho for the event. At 38, the freshly-retired Klug is among the youngest athletes the Hall of Fame has inducted. While he said he plans to attend the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia as a commentator, he’s loath to rule out racing. “I truly believe if I put my mind to it I could compete at the highest level in Russia,” he said. “But there are so many other things I want to do right now.” Indeed, though Klug’s not in race training these days he is certainly no slouch. Over the last year, he’s competed in the Aspen area’s toughest endurance and mountaineering events — from the Elk Mountains Grand Traverse, to the summer and winter Power of Four competitions, to the Leadville 100 bike race. “I’m going to keep challenging myself with these mountaineering adventures,” he said. “So I’m not done yet.” Since giving up the itinerant schedule of a competitive racer, Klug also has spent much of the last year working on his real estate business in Aspen. He’s currently planning a new undertaking, through which he wants to raise awareness of organ donation: to summit the highest mountain peaks on each of the world’s seven continents. “It’s a dream I’ve always had,” he said. “I want to be the first transplant [recipient] to do all of the ‘Seven Summits.’” This week included the launch party for the sixth annual Summit For Life, a nighttime race up Aspen Mountain and fundraising event for the Klug Foundation, scheduled for Dec. 10. Last year, the event raised $115,000.

http://www.bomberonline.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=32621&highlight=utah No boarding at Alta or Deer Valley. If snow is plentiful and the sun shines, check out the Strawberry side of Snow Basin. Weekends can be busy and getting away from town may find less locals on the hills. Several other hits to be found using the Search function.

I am 6' & 210 lbs and ride a lot in S.E. Mich. My Coiler VSR XT is 169, Bruce steered me towards this after I explained what I wanted and it is a fun ride and all that Bruce said it would be. If I were to consider another Donek FC it would be a 185. My former FC was a 179, but this was 10 years ago and Sean has improved upon this board since. Suggest contacting Coiler and Donek and get their input.

Mark Fawcett

Free Pine Knob lift ticket + BOGO lift ticket for Boyne Mt or Boyne Highlands Royal Oak Dec 9th & 10th Details http://www.skinet.com/warrenmiller/events/royal-oak-music-theatre

http://www.32degreesmagazine.org/lookinside32degrees/spring2011?pg=14#pg14

Published on October 12, 2011 @ 7:00 am By First Tracks!! Online Media Landgraaf, The Netherlands – The freestyle snowboard World Cup season began over a month ago in New Zealand, and now it’s time for the race boarders to follow suit. On Thursday the season’s sole indoor event, a parallel slalom, will take place at SnowWorld Landgraaf in Holland. About 100 riders are expected to compete at the ninth event to be held in the so-called “World Cup fridge.” They will battle it out for the first World Cup points in the race for the coveted Crystal Globes. Qualifiers are scheduled for 9:30 a.m. local time while the finals will start at 2 p.m. Eurosport 2 and Orange Sports in France will broadcast the head-to-head duels of the finals live. Viewers and fans are likely to see last season’s winners in Landgraaf, Andreas Prommegger of Austria and Russia’s Ekaterina Tudegesheva, in the knock-out duels. In addition, fans will witness the unexpected return of Canada’s Jasey Jay Anderson to competition. The 36-year-old Vancouver Olympic Gold medalist, who had announced his retirement from active competition sports after the 2010 World Cup finals, is getting back to business. Others expected to draw on solid results in Landgraaf from previous seasons include Germany’s Amelie Kober, and Siegfried Grabner and Benjamin Karl, both of Austria. While Grabner and Karl have each won the indoor event twice, Kober has smiled from SnowWorld’s top podium spot three times. The 23-year-old has spent the summer training rigorously after giving birth to her son Lorenz last year. Other women fighting for contention will include Switzerland’s Fränzi Mägert-Kohli, Marion Kreiner and Claudia Riegler of Austria, and Kober’s German counterpart, Isabella Laböck. In addition, reigning Parallel Giant Slalom World Champion Alena Zavarzina of Russia is also back on track after a long break from a torn ACL. On the men’s side, the odds-on favorites for victory are Austrians Karl, who successfully defended his Crystal Globes last season, and Andreas Prommegger. Italy’s Roland Fischnaller and Aaron March are also in the hunt, however, as they finished second and third, respectively, at last year’s competition at SnowWorld

I went with Thermic heaters a few seasons ago after fidl'n with heater packs. I have found thin nylon, liner socks work best for me. One trick I used with the disposable packs was to use two nylon socks on each foot and place the heat pack between the layered socks; usually on top of my toes. This method helped keep the pack in place when inserting into the boots.

PAGOSA SPRINGS — Wolf Creek Ski Area in southwest Colorado says it plans to open for skiing Saturday and Sunday, after a storm left three feet of snow. Resort Vice President Rosanne Pitcher said Thursday that ski area officials will probably decide Saturday whether to keep going for the rest of the season. Pitcher says this is the earliest Wolf Creek has offered skiing. She says resort officials are still deciding exactly what will be open this weekend, but the plan is to offer three lifts and about 600 acres with a lift ticket price of $33. Loveland was the first ski area to start the season in Colorado last year when it opened for daily operations Oct. 24.

Here's a link http://506227.cache1.evolutionhosting.com/wp-content/themes/2011/assets/uploads/gabf11_winners.pdf

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQ7IqIA1Aeo&feature=related