The highest levels of professional chess have been rocked by insinuations of cheating, both over the board and on line. At the center of the swirling maelstrom stands five-time reigning FIDE world champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway, who has hinted in both words and actions that he may believe that fellow professional player Hans Niemann of the U.S. may have had an...
<iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”; title=”YouTube video player” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture” allowfullscreen></iframe> While I finish the last of this summer’s assignments, we’ll take a...
Take a deep breath before the next plunge. Ski season is coming faster than you can thank me for the reminder. Now is the time to get the gear ready! Now is the time to shop for anything you;re lacking. Now is the time to line it all up to be ready at the drop of a hat. Insert voice of Jay’s friends: “Jay it’s not even September 1st…”...
Super Eight and Counting – Maine’s Sunday River is an American Classic —by Jay Flemma special to JF.com and NASJA— NEWRY, ME – “ You can’t help but love plucky, authentic Sunday River, the winter resort that just keeps getting bigger and better with every passing decade. A little bit rustic, a little bit opulent, Maine’s...
We’ll have a long article on how fantastic JF.com’s weekend at Sunday River was this winter coming imminently. (And yes, we’ll be covering all the LIV developments in golf as well, just as soon as we get the lowdown on Tiger Woods’s confab with the rest of the PGA Tour players.) But for right now, let’s have a little fun with Eddy the...
PORTLAND, OR – Doug Fish isn’t just beaming this time, he’s dancing. Not only as his brain child, the Indy Pass, legged past the 100 resort mark, Fish has added his own home mountain – from boyhood to middle age! – Mt. Hood Meadows. Here’s the downright ebullient (and rightfully so) press release blared joyously: “The Crown...
Bad news out of New Hampshire. “There’s war in them thar hills” as they said back in the old wild west days. Gunstock Mountain, a staple of the New Hampshire repertoire may transfer from public to private hands, and locals, employees, and officials are not happy with the proposal. First, crediting the Laconia Daily Sun for the scoop, the team over...
Is Indy Pass the best deal for dedicated powder hounds with wanderlust? Perhaps even by an order of magnitude? It’s hard to argue with their wild success in just three years of existence. With a whopping 92 resorts and counting on their international roster, skiers anywhere are bound to find several superb options in America, while it seems the sky’s the...
We here at JF.com are thrilled to bring you the magnificent photo essays of Andrew DiGiovanni, a US ex-pat now living in Vienna and teaching school there. Proving you should meet as many people on a ski lift as you can, Andrew and I bonded the first time I ever skied my beloved Magic Mountain in Vermont. We lost touch after I published my Magic article in 2019, but a...
Once a gold standard example of a destination that got both skiing and golf absolutely right, New Hampshire’s fabled, palatial, and refined Balsams Resort is primed for a comeback. Dormant for ten years in bankruptcy, skiing financier and developer Les Otten has announced his intention to reopen the ski area next season (2022-23). A new hotel is anticipated...
Pat’s Peak loving Life on Indy Pass —Special to NASJA and JF.com by Jay Flemma— Quick! What loveable local mountain was described by expert skiers as, “so tough you’ll want an extra hour at lunch for hot chocolate before you go back out for more?” It’s New Hampshire’s Pat’s Peak. Beloved in New Hampshire since it...
Two important news items form the winter sports world today: First, everyone’s favorite pass is back from next season at the same affordable price as this year. Indy Pass announced today they are keeping the same pricing schedule for the 2022-23 season. From the press release: PORTLAND, Ore. (March 2, 2022) – The Indy Pass announced today that there will...
Minnesota’s Giants Ridge is renovating both its winter and summer sports facilities. Already one of the Midwest’s premiere golf destinations with two courses designed by award-winning architect Jeff Brauer, the resort is committed to projects all across their 35-trail, 500-foot vertical mountain and beyond. “We regraded the novice area this past...
2022 Update – Magic for the Win [Editor’s Notes: As we go to press, Magic, like most of the northeast, is just exiting a bad stretch of warm weather. However, hope is on the horizon; a nor’easter is on the way, plus lake effect in some areas. Magic may well be in sterling shape by the weekend. Keep a sharp eye and ear on the weather and stay stoked...
In one of the most ambitious of Alterra’s world-wide, multi-million dollar property upgrade projects, the main base lodge of Utah’s Deer Valley Resort is set for a major expansion and renovation. The resort’s Snow Park Lodge will have all of its facilities significantly improved. The new base area will provide additional accommodations and skier...