by Kevin Gawenus

Aspen, CO - An odd sounding whirrrrr goes past, and I snap my head around to look. I had just repositioned myself on the race course and was still fiddling with my camera, when out of the corner of my eye I see an athlete whip past me on his way down the course. I think to myself that these guys are really flying and taking risks, but then again, what did I expect? These are some of the fastest skiers you'll ever meet. And most of them here at the World Cup Finals in Aspen will soon head to the Olympics.

by Marc Guido

Aspen, CO - Ski and snowboard filmgoers will gather this weekend in Aspen's Wheeler Opera House and at the IF3 International Freeski Film Festival in Montreal to witness Signatures, the sophomore effort from Colorado-based filmmakers Sweetgrass Productions that brings a new artistic flair to the ski film genre.

Story and photos by Marc Guido

Eden, UT - The serenity of an August sunrise is suddenly punctuated by the roar from two 12 million BTU propane burners. The wicker basket rises imperceptibly from the ground, and we're gently flying.

Denver, CO - SnowSports Industries America (SIA) is renaming its 2010 SnowSports Trade Show, scheduled for January 28-31 at the Colorado Convention Center in downtown Denver, to the SIA Snow Show. After 37 years of hosting their annual trade show in Las Vegas, SIA's move to Denver will put the snow back in snow sports.

Liberec, Czech Republic - The USA suffered a blow in the nordic combined team event at the FIS Nordic Ski World Championships Thursday when Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY) was disqualified for not having a starting bib. In a surprise, Japan won the event in a photo finish over Germany, as Norway faded in the final 500 meters.

Aspen, CO - Morning snow gave way to some light rain showers in Aspen Saturday afternoon, making for a slow and slushy Snowboarder X track. Conditions didn't seem to affect Lindsey Jacobellis (Stratton Mountain, VT), however, as she won her second consecutive gold medal in the event at Winter X Games 13.

Copper Mountain, CO - The 2009 U.S. Snowboarding Revolution Tour kicked off Wednesday with the U.S. Snowboarding rookies picking up five of the six podium spots with Matt Ladley (Steamboat Springs, CO) and Lizzy Beerman (Weston, VT) taking the wins.

Story and photos by Marc Guido

Snowbird, UT - Alpenglow bathed the Wasatch Mountains in blended hues of pink and orange outside the floor-to-ceiling picture windows lining the top floor of Snowbird's Cliff Lodge. Inside the meeting room, a couple of dozen attendees listened intently to the words of Zen Master Genpo Roshi as ski diva Kristen Ulmer quietly leaned back in her stiff metal and plastic chair. "So," she whispered, "what do you think?"

I paused for a moment before whispering in reply, "I think that this will be the most difficult piece I've ever had to write."

Gobles, MI - This Saturday marks the Third Annual Kalamazoo Ski & Snowboard Festival, being held this year at Timber Ridge Ski Area in Gobles. This year's Festival highlights include a Big Air exhibition, an open Rail Jam, live music, exhibitor booths, giveaways and the local premiere of Teton Gravity Research's new ski film.

Wanaka, New Zealand - A field of 32 up and coming young freestyle skiers signed up for Armadageddon, the slopestyle extravaganza held today at Snow Park NZ.

Whistler (BC), Canada - Like a global warming-impacted glacier, the mountain has retreated from the cities of Toronto, Montreal and Calgary, but for one lucky winner of the Old Spice Experience contest, the retreat is only temporary, and she’ll soon be in hot pursuit of the big mountain experience.

Ludlow, VT - Jibbers, huckers and groms will gather Saturday, February 10, as Okemo Mountain Resort hosts “The Main Event” East Coast snowboard series. This slopestyle competition welcomes both amateur and professional riders for the third and final series location prior to the finals at Loon Mountain February 25.

Story by Leslie Anthony
Photos courtesy of the Red Bull Communication Centre

Haines, AK - On March 29, 2002, the wan, afternoon light flooding the main intersection of Haines, Alaska, illuminated a Feliniesque diorama of art imitating life, life imitating art, and a cast of international athletes and image-makers imitating … well, themselves.

Story by Franz Keller
Photos by Christine Receniello

Stratton Mountain, VT - I just can’t help but to smile.

Let’s just ignore the fact that I was grunting up the side of a ski slope with two broken vertebrae in my lower back, struggling to hold some form of traction in the snow. Forget that, all the while, an image of me losing my balance and sliding down the hill a la the hapless ‘Agony of Defeat’ skier on Wide World of Sports was playing over and over in my head. Disregard that, long ago, I had lost interest in organized snowboarding competitions, yet here I was at the premier snowboarding event of the year.

I’m grinning like a constipated octogenarian whose prune juice cocktail just kicked in.

Story & photos by Jim Bauman

Jay, VT - Back in 1947, James Thurber’s story about a chap named Walter Mitty was brought to life on the movie screen by the zany and talented Danny Kaye.  Mitty was an ordinary man who got himself into trouble with some extraordinary daydreaming.  Charles Schulz’ Snoopy was loosely based on Mitty, especially the “World War One flying ace” part of Snoopy’s persona.  What enamored audiences about Mitty was that his daydreams actually became a reality, at least to him.  His imagination was so vivid that his reality was his daydream, until his fantasy would often come to a rather embarrassing and abrupt end. 

Skiers often daydream about skiing. While trapped in windowless cubicles or stuck on the cloverleaf headed for houses in the ‘burbs, we often experience the chill of a face shot on our cheek, or the centrifugal compression of a perfectly carved turn in our legs.  Some of us even dream about an alternate reality where we make a living off of our passion.  A few have the courage to follow this route, and those that do often forego some things the rest of take for granted, like 401(k) plans, dental insurance, and a new SUV in the driveway.  Instructors and patrollers make their living on the snow day in and day out, but come April and May they often have to resort to tending lawns, teaching tennis, or waiting tables until November.