But what about skiing?

I’ve been in Las Vegas for the last six nights and after staring at a snowy capped mountain visible from the strip all week, I decided to Google “Las Vegas skiing.”

Enter Las Vegas ski & snowboard resort - only 45 minutes away from the strip in Las Vegas, it has 11 runs serviced by two chair lifts – all above 8,500 feet.  The runs aren’t very long – about 800 feet, or about the same length as Blue Mountain in Ontario.  If I would have known about this place, I may have packed my skis along with my golf clubs this week!

What about indoor skiing in Las Vegas?  

Have you heard about Ski Dubai - the indoor ski resort in Dubai boasting 1,300 feet of vertical in the middle of the Middle East? If news that they are building a second even bigger resort isn’t enough of an incentive for you to fly to the Middle East, mark 2011 in your calendar….

Enter Las Vegas Wet - 1 billion dollar indoor ski and water park.

There are few details available – like how much vertical they’re going to build, but if the project is anything like every other project in Las Vegas, it will be impressive.

I’m not about to book a ski trip to Las Vegas Wet over a trip to Whistler - well ok, i would if they build over 5,000 feet of indoor vertical

1. Keep your skis together – a wider stance may be a more stable stance on the groomed runs,  in the race course, or in the park,  but you want a narrow stance for powder snow to keep you feet from going in seperate directions
2. You want to be centered on your skis – and maybe a hair backwards… or as Sasha says, make sure you feel the heels of your boots as you turn and not jut the toes. This will keep your tips up. Lean too far back and you’ll burn out your legs fast and speed control will become an issue. Lean too far forward and you are more likely to make a snow angel with your face
3. Ski with both feet. Unlike when you are ripping down the hill or mountain, you are floating in powder and should have fairly equal weight on each ski and should be turning with both feet all the way through the turn. Turn like you are carving on groomed and you are more likely to sink – and do a snow angel with your face
4. Ski in the fall line. The snow will slow you down – so point your skis down the fall line and trust yourself. Ski across the fall line and you are more likely to catch your skis, sink, and build a crator with your tumble
5. Be patient. Allow your skis to work for you. Rush the turn and you are likely to crash and burn.

Here’s a 22 second video of our friend Amanda who broke a rule or two above on our first day at Whistler.

Let me know if you can guess which ones.

After spending 4 quality days in Collingwood where Sasha rookied her first level 1 course at Blue Mountain and Phil spent 4 days ripping down the hills of Alpine, we’re taking 3 days off the hills to spend quality time with our family before heading to Whistler Blackcomb for a week.

We’re bringing two sets of skis each – one pair to rip and one pair to float.  Thanks to our new wireless card for the laptop, we’re planning on posting updates from Whistler with pictures and maybe a small video or two.

We’ve also discussed video taping a half dozen or so ski “tips” that we can then post on this site throughout the season. Topics such as – best way to ski powder (assuming we get some), bumps, steeps, or carve down a mountain. Any suggestions or ideas? Let us know and we’ll do our best to incorporate it into our filming.

Happy Holidays!

Besides finding good snow and good company, we met Kristen Ulmer who used to star in Warren Miller movies in the mid-nineties and was a pioneer of extreme and big mountain skiing. As it turns out, there are many current and former ski heroes living in and around Park City.  

Big mountain skiing can be very dangerous – and even fatal when you push your boundaries too far or don’t take the necessary pre-cautions. Always check the snow for potential avalanche dangers, always evaluate your escape route or landing zone before hitting a table-top or leaping off a cornice. Having a spotter in the park is a good idea too.

It’s also important that your equipment is properly maintained (like having the right DIN settings on your bindings) and that you have the right gear – like a helmet…or even a snorkle when you have “choke” deep powder

North American resorts have always been known to take their own pre-cautions to ensure their patrons have a safe time…and to limit their insurance liabilities.  Unlike in most of Europe for example, Skiing out-of-bounds is usually taboo and can result in your ticket being pulled at the minimum or a hefty fine and even prosecution at the maximum.

Insurance companies dictate mountain policy

A few years ago some Ontario hills introduced a park policy mandating that skiers & riders watch a safety video and complete a safety quiz before being allowed access to the park. This was meant to reduce liability and increase safety. It also made a lot of sense for places like Blue Mountain whose reputation as a Zoo Mountain is well earned.

This season insurance companies have gone a step further – now they are dictating exactly when your chairlift safety bar must come down and go up. All over Ontario there are signs everywhere telling you when to put up your safety bar.

Having said that, I’ve also heard reports that insurance companies are simply forcing mountains to comply with existing regulations from the Ontario technical standards & safety authority after a record 14 accidents last season from people falling out of chair lifts in Ontario. Please comment on this post if you have additional insight into the origin of this new policy.

Failing to comply will first result in a stern warning and then followed by your ticket lift being revoked. I’ve been warned twice already – on two different hills.  

Has “safety first” gone too far in this case? Going back to my trip to Alta last season, none of the chair lifts even had safety bars! I remember clinging on to the side of the chair as it slowly creeked its way up the mountain.

I’m not advocating that we remove the safety bars in Ontario – but I don’t believe policing when we are allowed to raise the safety bar is the most impactful way to improve on-hill safety and enjoyment.

What’s next – photo radar to catch skiers and riders who are going too fast? Maybe regulating a minimum number of turn policy for each hill? It sounds ridiculous, but it may not be far off where the industry is going.

Going back to Alta is sounding better all the time.