Update on the recent Blue Mountain fatality from one of our readers, Dave Duma relayed some info that the accident occurred during a jump in a beginner terrain park, rather than a beginner slope as we originally reported…you know those resorts that close during the week to preserve snow and keep expenses down? Gotta hand it to Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort in Oregon, they’ve had 21″ of fresh since Sunday, and it’s all sitting there until today where half price tix are awaiting anyone who can get there. The deep snow prompted ALMR to send out a friendly reminder about the dangers of tree well suffocation. That’s something many easterners, midwesterners, Texans, and most Californians are totally unfamiliar with and often ski much too close to trees to grab the untracked powder. If that’s you, click here and get some learnin’. I’ll admit, I was once in that category…Idaho’s oft-troubled Tamarack Resort looking to make some moves this spring. First up is to finish part of the unfinished base area development, and then put in a new quad to replace the one that was repossessed after the original owners filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2008. New owners Tamarack Resort Holdings, bought the area from the Tamarack Homeowners Association in late 2018 and pledged to turn it around.
Happy Valentine’s Day
Lest you think the ski scene is all about party boys and bad behavior, here are a few examples of how love can blossom on the slopes…
Julia Mancuso and Aksel Lund Svindal — OK so it didn’t last, but there was a time in the early 10s when Super Jules and AL were the hot item on the World Cup circuit. Probably the fastest couple ever to wear skis. The gold medalists went their separate ways in 2013, and Mancuso has since married.
Harti Weirather and Hanni Wenzel — Now we’re talking. Weirather won a world championship and the downhill globe in 1980, while the better known Wenzel won a trio of overall titles and various Olympic gold medals during her legendary career. It was understood that any offspring resulting from this union would be a decent skier, and current World Cup star Tina Weirather hasn’t disappointed. As for our valentines, Harti and Hanni are still going strong.
Spyder Sabich and Claudine Longet — It was a beautiful love story played out among the beautiful people on the US pro ski racing circuit of the mid 1970s, until she shot him.
Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz — America’s favorite redhead loved skiing, and although Desi didn’t share his wife’s passion for the sport, he was more than capable on the slopes. Lucy enjoyed the sport so much that she often used it as a plot line in her various television shows. The pair especially enjoyed visits to Sun Valley.
Steve Nyman and Charlotte Moats — He’s a senior member of the US Ski Team, she’s a retired freeskier who has appeared in various Warren Miller and Teton Gravity films. Before jumping to freeskiing, Moats won Junior Oympic gold in slalom. Together the couple has a baby girl, and if you can get Vegas to lay odds that she will grow up to be a skier, or very good looking, or both, bet with genetics.