Border War! Vermont vs. New Hampshire Skiing Part 1 – Waterville Valley —by Jay Flemma Special to Slave to the Traffic Light Adventure Magazine— WATERVILLE VALLEY, NH – It all started with a snarky T-shirt worn by a local skier at Waterville Valley in New Hampshire: SKI NEW HAMPSHIRE – WE’RE LIKE VERMONT, JUST NOT AS STUCK UP...
LINCOLN, N.H. – This winter New Hampshire’s Loon Mountain Resort unveiled North America’s fastest eight-person chairlift as well as what is billed as “the most technologically advanced lift in the east.” Called the Kancamagus 8, this state-of-the-art Dopplemayr D-Line system spins at a whopping 1,100 feet per minute, (that’s 18...
It was an innocuous question under ordinary circumstances, but this time the answer could not have been more poignant. “Are you almost ready for the season?” You have no idea. A LONG EXPECTED PARTY It was a gorgeous fall night, and my birthday party was in full swing. I throw a birthday party like a hobbit throws a birthday party, right down to the sign...
Proving once again that a sense of humor is the best weapon in the modern age, Taos Ski Valley has done it again. The “Free Tacos” campaign continues with the renaming of their Pioneer Glade as “Free Tacos” in honor of George Medina, the legendary Taos instructor who helped end the resort’s ban on snowboarding in 2008. “Free...
Doug Fish has sent along this handy video to get everyone stoked to buy an Indy Pass, now featuring 76 venues internationally, more than any other pass. For jet-setters, he just added Japan. For U.S. east coasters, no pass has more coverage or value. Check out the new promo video: Jay Peak, Waterville Valley, and Cannon lead a bumper crop in the east, Powder...
Practice eating with chopsticks, and break out the eel sauce and wasabi, because Indy Pass is saying “Ohayo, Konnichiwa, and Konbanwa” to Japan: “Good morning, good afternoon and good night!” Doug Fish and his Little Pass for the Little Guy just went global, adding four resorts on the skiing-rich Nippon-ese island of Honshu. Indy Pass now...
Sing it loudly, once more with feeling, Indy Pass has done it again. Just a few short days ago they added four more resorts, swelling their portfolio to a whopping 72 across the United States and Canada. The newcomers are: New York’s Titus Mountain, just a few miles from the Canadian border and the northernmost ski area in New York’s Adirondacks;...
Have you felt it? A tectonic shift, a disturbance in the force, a change in the prevailing wind: whatever you call it, a life-long skier just like you or me is doing it. He’s fighting the big guys at their own game, and he’s doing just fine. Go Fish! Doug Fish that is, the founder of the Indy Pass. Are you tired of paying to much for lift tickets? Are...
In perhaps its biggest score yet, founder/owner Doud Fish nailed down Powder Mountain as the latest resort to join the IndyPass revolution. Already celebrated as, perhaps, the most affordable multi-venue pass in skiing/boarding, IndyPass also added two more resorts to bring the total number of facilities to a whopping 66, spanning all across the United States. From...
So both Golf Course Trades and Resort Trades magazines are running a second Loon Mountain story that I wrote after my January trip. (Jay Peak is next, by the way.) It was quite an impressive place, but best of all, it was low impact, fun, and easy in every respect low hanging fruit for anyone planning a trip. Here’s a link to the piece. Golf season has...
A huge thank you again to the National Ski Council Federation for running a portion of and posting a link to my Loon Mountain article. (Click the link above.) As usual, they do a fantastic job; we’re grateful for their support. By the way, join a local ski club or two: it’s a great way to incerase your circle of friends and have some new mates to shred...
(Pic courtesy of Loon Mtn.) Border War! Vermont vs. New Hampshire Skiing Part 9 – Loon Mountain —by Jay Flemma LINCOLN, NH – Day 1 of 2, circa 1:00 pm – It’s not often that one can tiptoe past a sleeping dragon, but occasionally even dragons must doze. And so it was that I caught Ripsaw – Loon Mountain’s ferocious, serpentine...
Don’t look now, but Indypass is eating Vail’s and Alterra’s lunch as the best value in the mega-pass game. Already amassing an impressive lineup of winter sports parks including Jay Peak, Cannon Mountain, and Magic Mountain in the east, and Red Lodge, Brundage, and Tamarack out west, Indypass, just added east coast grande dame Waterville Valley and...
I’m really grateful to both the National Ski Council Federation and the North American Snowsports Journalists Association for running my Greek Peak article and interview with their marketing maven Drew Broderick. Thanks also, of course, to Greek Peak. Happily, I’ll be writing a longer piece later this season about Greek Peak, a recent Indypass inductee...
CORTLAND, NY – Sadly, I’ll never get to say, “I’ll take Mythology for a thousand please, Alex,” (as Jeopardy’s long-time host has now gone to that Great Game Show in the Sky), but I would have run the category. Western Civ is a long suit of mine, and still the best way to educate young minds about philosophy, history, civics, and...