Dear Maine, Hey everybody from Bethel to Bangor and from Brunswick to Bar Harbor. It’s “Wrong Way Jay,” your sports writer buddy who visited Saddleback earlier this season with his barbarian friends Twang and Clang. You remember them, I’m sure… Contrary to reports, Clang and Twang are not some dingbat villain’s henchmen on Batman. They are, instead, my...
Another year, another epic photo essay from our European Correspondent Andrew DiGiovanni. Last year, Andrew reported from St. Anton and the Dolomites with some of the most breathtaking photos of the season. He returns triumphantly, this time after a successful sojourn to Schladming, Valluga, and more. Andrew, an American ex-pat teaching English in Austria, publishes...
An Open Letter to Jimmy Chin or How Did the Chicken Get Egg Off Its Face? JAY, VT – Dear Jimmy: Hey, it’s Jay. You remember me: that sports writer at the Masters that time that wrote that the greatest comeback from injury in sports history wasn’t Tiger Woods at Augusta, but Renan Ozturk at Meru. It got the reaction from the golf writers I expected: sometimes I got...
Massive news for all skiers and boarders. And by the way, we recently got news that Mt. Hood and Ashland have indeed renewed. Doug Fish is King! All but Two Indy Pass Resorts Confirmed for the 23/24 Season 102 Alpine partner resorts will be contracted, two are pending, and one will not return Grand County, CO. (March 29, 2023) – The Indy Pass released today an...
New Hampshire’s King Pine Ski Area will host the 7th annual Wild Corn Backcountry Weekend and Festival, Friday March 31 through Sunday April 2, 2023. Produced by the Granite Backcountry Alliance and presented by Fischer, the weekend is a full immersion into backcountry and uphill adventures for all skill levels; all lifts are turned off and human powered travel...
RANGELEY, ME – How does the old saying go? With ski buddies like these… Meet Twang and Clang, my wingmen, and after their performance this weekend in Maine, I’ll be grateful if the next time I go back to Saddleback the resort staff aren’t waiting for me with a big net. Maine’s Saddleback Mountain proved every bit the fierce challenge and magnificent setting pictures...
[Editor’s Note: Jay Peak Week is held over by popular demand. The first article in the series is here, and the second part of the series is here.] JAY PEAK: THE PEOPLE THAT YOU MEET – 601, MICKY, AND CREECH, OH MY… JAY, VT – As any true sports writer will tell you, we don’t just write about skiing, we write about the people who ski...
The mid-west’s best ski and golf resort is getting even better. Both Golf Digest and Golfweek have published their recent top 100 lists and awards, and, once again, Minnesota’s Giant’s Ridge has risen in the rankings. A member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects and its president in the organizations 50th year, 1995-96, Arlington...
—by Jay Flemma Special to the North American Snowsports Journalists Association GILFORD, N.H. – There’s much more to New Hampshire’s Gunstock Resort than a trail system named after firearms. Gunstock’s 1,340-foot vertical drop is formidable, especially with myriad trails cunningly cut into difficult double fall lines and strange cambers...
What a pleasant surprise it was turning a corner at the Snowbound Expo and seeing the HEAD/Tyrolia booth brimming with interested patrons. I ski on HEAD Supershape i.Rallys. They rock like Foo Fighters. Better still was finding out that the bubbly, effervescent, and knowledgeable person chatting me up about the latest updates to their KORE ski collection was Julia...
[Editor’s Note: This is the second of three installments on Jay Peak. Part One, a thumbnail sketch is here. Part Three, the people that you meet, is here. Part Four, a brief summary of recent history and a look at the future will drop soon.] MOUNTAIN GAZETTEER Jay Peak has two main areas – Tramside and Stateside, each with their own base lodge and...
[Editor’s Note: Hooray for winter! Everywhere of note is making snow, and to celebrate the start of the season, our Border War Series is back. One man goes to 20+ places in New Hampshire and 20+ in Vermont and tells you once and for all who wins. This week we’ll be posting stories about Jay Peak! So let’s get right to it. It”s shred-tastic!]...
NORTH CONWAY, N.H. – Cranmore Mountain Resort’s plans for a sparkling new combination base lodge and condominiums proceed apace. The new Fairbanks Lodge – slated to open next fall – features over 30,000 feet of lodge and gathering space in addition to 15 two-story lofted residences on its upper levels. Daily services will also include season...
BOSTON, MA – Now this is how to start winter: a bombogenesis outside and the largest east coast ski and snowboard expo inside. Thank you, Old Man Winter. Thank you, Snowbound Expo. It’s the third week of November, and winter seems to be arriving in a timely fashion. Buffalo, New York was so paralyzed by 80 inches of snow, the NFL took the precaution of...
That roar you hear isn’t thunder; it’s the ovation from skiers and boarders across the country, but especially in the northeast celebrating Pacific Group Resorts’ winning bid to operate Vermont’s Jay Peak, jewel of the Northeast Kingdom and a bucket list destination for any serious skier or boarder who truly wants to test his or her mettle...