News Roundup: Levi, Openings Galore

We’ll kick it off with FIS World Cup news…No real surprises this past weekend in Levi Finland, where reigning overall champions Marcel Hirscher and Mikaela Shiffrin

added another reindeer to their herds. In other news from the White Circus, we’re sorry to say that the popular Italian speedster Johanna Schnarf of Italy sustained a season-ending injury during GS training at Copper Mountain, Colorado last week. Schnarf underwent surgery for a fib/tib fracture…just heard from Southwest Correspondent Gustave Sexauer, reporting from the season opener at Arizona Snowbowl in Flagstaff:

I’m happy to report that Arizona Snowbowl was able to open up on Friday to get the season started in Arizona. They had more open than last year’s first week or two, and have already expanded to two routes under two separate lifts. The reclaimed-water-based snow was skiing well, but did bring out protestors, claiming that using reclaimed water was desecrating a sacred mountain.

In other news, it seems like Elk Ridge will be closed for a second year since the new owners have not “taken out the trash left by the old owners”, according to someone I talked to Saturday who had just visited the Williams ski area.

I’m glad we are back at it in Flagstaff, anyway.

Elk Ridge is a small-but-mighty ski area in Williams, Arizona; we’d love to see them get back on their feet in the future. Thanks for the update, Gustave!…I wonder where the protestors pee when they’re hiking on the San Francisco Peaks…back to skiing…Sam following up on yesterday’s briefing from Cranmore Resort in New Hampshire, turns out that is indeed their earliest opening in history. Considering that they date back to sometime in the 1930s, it’s pretty remarkable…West Virginia ready to join the fun, Snowshoe Resort testing the Ballhooter lift today with a beautiful covering of manmade to complement the natural snow in the woods. They’re set to spin for real tomorrow, which is at least close to a record early if not the earliest…in Vermont, Bolton Valley announced that they will be opening early with a trio of what they’re calling “pre-season bonus days,” Saturday, November 24th, Saturday, December 1st and Sunday, December 2nd. Bolton will fully open for the season as originally planned on Saturday, December 8th…turning to the midwest, Michigan biggie Boyne Mountain opened this past weekend; they’re quiet now but it’s snowing like crazy…down the road at Caberfae Peaks, ropes dropped this past Saturday, they’re saying it was the earliest opening in 23 years and the 2nd earliest opening ever…keep in mind a bunch of these have shut down for the past few days and will be back online this weekend.