Photo:  Tripp Fay/Copper Mountain

7 October 2016 — Yesterday Outside magazine sent shock waves through the ski resort industry with an article on aging chairlift infrastructure. The article gets right into it with a description of the Thunderstruck chair failure earlier this year at Timberline Four Seasons, WV.  It also includes a gripping (no pun intended) narrative of the 2010 Spillway chair failure at Sugarloaf, ME.  If you haven’t seen it, here’s linky…better news, this time from Gore Mountain NY, they’re planning to open a bunch of new cross country trails down at the old North Creek Ski Bowl.  The 4k system may be modest, but it will have grooming and lights, and your Gore ticket will get you on the trails that day.  Talk about your nordie love!  Word is that mountain ops have added a bunch of new snowmaking pipes and stuff all around that weird bridge interconnect thing, which should result in better conditions and more frequent opening of the big mountain to little mountain connection…Vail Daily reports that resort-owned housing is maxed out for the upcoming season in Summit County; recent hires are scrambling for couches, closets, or anywhere else they can bed down through the season…First Tracks Online talking about deeply discounted passes at Ragged Mountain NH this season, says the hill is willing to try just about anything to generate interest.  They’re generally considered a less glamorous resort than their better-known neighbors up the interstate.  Fact is they have the lifts and terrain to rival the big boys, yet none of the crowds and liftlines, so it’s kind of puzzling why this place continues to bump along at a fraction of its skier capacity…For all of our glowing report yesterday, Lindsey Vonn creating a stir on the other side of the good news/bad news fence by dredging up a decade-old attitude toward snowboarding.  I used to feel the same way so I can’t point fingers, but Julia Mancuso did.  Not surprising to those who know Super Jules…I am pleased to report that the Mt. Bachelor Oregon Bike Park may be closed this weekend, buried under almost a foot of fresh SNOW!  Well perhaps we’re getting ahead of ourselves.  It’s set to melt, and assuming it does they’re going to let you pedal for half price on Sunday.  Cheers…back Monday.