Shuweeeet! I’ve been bummed at the lack of white on the Winter Park cams lately… Finally, today, we noticed the snow… f’n shuweeeet! I’ve been bouncing around the office since I found out! I’m stoked.

Must.. calm down.. must… do … work …

ACK! Check it out: OVERALL SITUATION TODAY – A low pressure system starts dropping in from the northwest with significant snowfall commencing today, and continuing through tonight. Significant snowfall is expected everywhere (that we cover), with today being the big snow day, not Saturday as moisture decreases some then. Isolated thunderstorms with some hail are expected today also.

Woo hoo! Oh yeah… those wooden structures in the picture. I don’t know what those are, but I’ve been watching them… they seem to be reproducing because it started off as just a few and now there are many. Hmmm….

Anyway… I gotta work. 🙁

While aggregating data for the new Snow Tripping website tonight, I ended up on Heavenly’s website. I was pleased to see in big bold letters, “Second Snow Storm in a Week!”

The news was posted about 5 days ago. You can check out the Heavenly Web cams for an up-to-date view. I must admit, I’m getting a little worried. I’m seeing all of these snow fall reports popping up and the Winter Park Web cams aren’t looking so white. I hope that changes between now and turkey day!

So, about that Snow Tripping site… I don’t think I’m going to have anything to post for a while. I’m not even sure if I’ll be able to reach my goals, but I’m enjoying the task of working on it.

Ski Press World is reporting that NASA Confirms El Niño’s Return. Awesome! El Niño bringeth snow! Woo hoo!

However, a little bit of reading into the article isn’t AS exciting.  Conditions are not as strong as they were in 97/98 and the effect could taper off. Still, the potential for a great snow season is very strong. Everyone do your rain snow dances.

During the next several weeks and months, scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA will continue to closely monitor conditions in the Pacific to determine how the evolution of this El Niño may impact weather patterns this winter.

I wanted to give a shout out to Gavin Hope over at afterbang*. He had some kind things to say about my site, many thanks. And yes, I am still working on the new site. I’ve even tried enlisting some help recently. It’s been more than a year now and I keep getting distracted by other projects. With the season coming on, I’m getting stoked about getting to work on the site.

So, to return the favor, I wanted to say a few words about afterbang. First of all, I had no idea what an afterbang was. If you don’t know, I suggest you read and find out. Gavin is a far more frequent poster than I am, although I am picking up some speed these days. In addition to some interesting posts including such fun things as xrays of his broken shoulder, Gavin also gives us some yummy video links and reviews of stuff including DVDs, equipment, lessons, and accomidations. Good stuff. It’s also fun knowing that Gavin is enjoying this sport way over on the other side of the planet from me. That makes me smile.

While organizing the upcoming Thanksgiving trip, someone asked me how many times I’d been snowboarding. Offhand, I didn’t know. I couldn’t remember all the trips. After digging through blog posts, pictures, and calling friends… I finally got the list together… mostly.

Ski Trip 1
Jan, 98: Red River New Mexico for 3 days
I rode along
4 to 6 other people

Ski Trip 2
Jan, 99: Angelfire New Mexico for 3 days
I rode along
4 to 6 other people

Ski Trip 3
Mar, 00: Angelfire New Mexico for 3 days
I organized
7 people.

Snowboard Trip 1 !!! (with 1 day of skiing)
Mar, 01: Angelfire New Mexico for 3 days
I organized
5 people (+2 not staying with us)

Snowboard Trip 2
Mar, 02: Angelfire New Mexico for 3 days
I organized
5 people

Snowboard Trip 3
Mar, 03: Angelfire New Mexico for 3 days
I organized
9 people (worst trip ever! was still fun)

Snowboard Trip 4 (day trip)
Dec 03 or Jan 04: Tyrole Basin for 1 day
Not much to organize
2 people

Snowboard Trip 5
Jan, 04: Durango/Purgatory for 3 days
I organized – cheapist trip ever!
4 people

Snowboard Trip 6
Nov, 04: Winter Park for 3 days
I organized – a rather romantic trip
2 people

Snowboard Trip 7
Dec 04-Jan 05: Crested Butte for 3 days
I rode along
9 people

Snowboard Trip 8
Nov, 05: Crested Butte for 3 days
I helped organize, overlapped with bigger group
5 for 2 days, then 9(!) for 1 day

Snowboard Trip 9
Dec 05-Jan 06: Winter Park for 3 days
I organized (had a bit of help)
7 people

So, after some quick counting, it looks like I’ve been snowboarding 24 days of my life. That’s almost a month all total. It also seems I’ve gone skiing merely 10 days of my life. I still feel I was a more accomplished skiier than I am a snowboarder. At the time, it just felt like there wasn’t much room for exploration on skis. I suppose skiing has evolved since I started. I’ve heard that snowboarding and the resulting technology has shown up in modern ski design, enabling skiers to do tricks that weren’t really possible before. I know that I’ve definitely seen sicker tricks every year I go out to the resorts. I see people pulling tricks on skis I never would have dreamed of in the 90’s.

Anyway, that’s my log book. I’m thinking that SnowTripping.com should be a website where anyone can keep a log book of their snow trips… organized by date, including pictures and trip reports. I can’t wait to put all my own photos on the site. 😀

So someone was paid to study the effectiveness of a helmet and the Denver Post is proud to announce: “Study: Helmets cut risk of head injuries in skiing“… Who would have thought? I wonder if the study was sponsored by a helmet manufacturer?

Since I started riding, I’ve never – not once – worn a helmet.  The only time I’ve ever hit my head is on that bar that you bring down over your lap while you’re riding the lift. I’ve also avoided head gear while mountain biking – something I’ve taken a lot of criticism for (and probably rightfully so). Unlike snowboarding, I have tried wearing a helmet while biking. I’ve found it to be a horrible distraction. A friend of mine claims that wearing a helmet will increase your chances of having an accident. We’ve also discussed the notion that the sense of security from wearing a helmet will train you not to properly protect your head in the event of a fall.

All that said, I’m starting to take bigger air and I’ve finally seen the inside of a big pipe. One thing about the surface of the pipe – it’s not soft. I’m starting to wonder, is it time I get a helmet? Remember that crack in my board from a tree? I wouldn’t want that kind of crack in my skull. Still, I can’t imagine enjoying having a heavy piece of molded plastic attached to my head.

I looked around at some studies on snowboaridng injuries. I thought it interesting that this one said about 10% of injuries are to the head. That’s actually higher than I expected. If you read further, it sounds like those injuries are from falling backwards on hard pack conditions and not from hitting objects such as trees or pipes. I also read a bit on The ABC’s, but they didn’t give much more than ” Although there’s little doubt about the importance of wearing a Snowboard Helmet”… which was followed by a link to where they sell them.

If I know me, I probably won’t pick one up before the next trip. However, if I wreck my skull, I’ll be eating crow instead of turkey for thanksgiving.