News

We are well into the heat of summer in the Northern Hemisphere (I hope the skiing is great South of the Equator!) and warm weather mountain sports are in season. Heading to the mountains is a great way to escape the heat and find other ways of earning your turns. One of my favorites is Mountain Biking, just a whippersnapper compared to skiing, but it has been around since the early 1970's.

Welcome to Summer all you Northern Hemisphereans (is that a word?)! While winter is half way around the sun for many of us, now is a great time of year for all forms of warm-weather outdoor recreation. If you work in the 'fun' world of outdoor recreation you might feel like some people don't take the outdoor industry very seriously. What if you could tell them that the Outdoor Industry employs nearly three times more people than the fossil fuel industry? It turns out that outdoor fun is serious business.

Slowly but surely the Taos Ski Valley 2010 Master Development Plan progresses. The Notice of Availability (NOA) for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Taos Ski Valley's 2010 Master Development Plan - Phase 1 Projects was published in the Federal Register on January 13, 2012. A 45-day comment period began the day after the publication date of the NOA (the Comment Period ends February 27, 2012).

Here at SnowCode Headquarters we love mountains. And looking at snow-covered mountains is even better. I am excited to say that I can now see Mount Everest, all 8,848 meters of it, from my house. No, I didn't move to Tibet. But thanks to the people of Ev-K2-CNR there is a live webcam showing good old Chomolungma.

What: 24th Annual Tony Forrest Telemark Workshop
When: January 29 & 30, 2011 from 10 am - 3pm
Where: Ski Santa Fe, 505-992-5084

Can a ski area grow and be green? Must a ski area expand to remain competitive and attract skiers and boarders? Does proposing a development plan make a ski area less environmentally friendly? These aren't rhetorical questions, they apply to ski areas worldwide. For example, Taos Ski Valley has presented a 10-year Master Development Plan to the Forest Service. As Taos Ski Valley operates on Forest Service land the public is invited to comment on the development plans. So, here are a few of mine.

Mountains are a source of inspiration, recreation, beauty and solitude. Mountains hold the snow that we ski in winter and then melts in Spring and Summer to water our fields and gardens. Swiss researchers have found that mountains may act as bio-diverse refuges for plant and animal species as global warming alters the climate. Here is just one more reason to respect and preserve the mountains we love.

Autumn rainstorms make for a cool and melancholy day. But, rain in town often means snow in the mountains. The ski season may still be weeks away, but seeing snowy peaks can get me in the mood. Ski movies and ski swaps also get me excited for the upcoming season. Read below for the time, date and places for Matchstick Production's newest ski film THE WAY I SEE IT and the Santa Fe Ski Team's Winter Gear Swap.

WHAT: THE WAY I SEE IT by Matchstick Productions
WHEN: Friday, November 5, 6:00 & 8:30pm
WHERE: CinemaCafé, 1616 St. Michael's Drive, Santa Fe, NM

...sitting here on Capitol Hill. The clock is ticking while the American Clean Energy Leadership Act (ACELA) sits in a Senate committee. If you're not a policy wonk (political nerd) the US Senate must vote on this bill before April 16, 2010 or it expires. Apparently, some Senators are willing to let the bill die. If you are concerned about reducing CO2 emissions nationally and growing renewable energy, then it's time to call or write your Senator.