Yesterday's cold, cold and snow, snow has given way to sun, clouds and perfectly packed powder. The temps are still cold, but it feels 30 degrees warmer. Instead of sucking deep within the recesses of hoods and goggles on the lift I find myself eating up the sights and grinning at the blue sky. Ahhhhhh!

Tomorrow promises more of the same.  It's a holiday you know.  It looks like Mother Nature, Government Offices and Banks all agree it will be the perfect Monday to hit the slopes. 

-JJ

HEY! Stop blinking at the weather report looking for additional digits to appear. What you are seeing is the beginning of a little cold snap. Need I remind you that Cold is Good?

It might not be great if you live in the windswept plains or insist on donning a euro-Speedo, but at BOYNE cold means snow.
And snow (particularly this cold, dry fluffy stuff) is good...Really good.

Look at the weather map and you'll see a classic lake effect system in play.

Each day is listed with a chance of snow listed at 70% with at least 1-3 inches accumulation. When the weather turns this way the odds are 70% that it will be snowing at any given moment. Nothing crazy- just a light snow. The kind you see in a kid's snow globe.. But all that little stuff compounds.  Over a couple days it is a significant snow event. And if the wind kicks up things get silly. Accumulation on your knees during the lift ride kind of silly.

So throw on an extra layer and maybe even a balaclava and tell Mother Nature to BRING IT!

-JJ

If you were ever at Boyne Mountain during the winter season, you probably saw Helga Altenberger here or there.  
Even if you didn’t, you did.
And while we’re at it, even if you weren’t here in winter you’ve seen her too - in one way or another.

I know it.

As director of the Snowsports School and an instructor at BOYNE, the cheerful Austrian with the blonde mane seemed to be everywhere.  She focused on the children’s programs and is largely responsible for growing it into one of BOYNE’s proudest traditions and biggest assets. 

Helga was such an esteemed member of the BOYNE team that she held the honor of leading us in a traditional snow dance during our annual season kick-off celebration. This is no small thing in an organization dominated by a "snow farmer" ethos.

We all love teachers.  They introduce worlds of wonder to generations of children.  Helga did that.  She did that with a graciousness and warmth that was all her own.  
It takes a special person to convince a child to ignore their survival instincts and relax in a world gone suddenly slippery.  Helga did that. She did that as well as she eased parent’s paternal instincts to keep their children warm and close.

It takes real empathy (not to mention legs of steel) to hunch down and have conversations with little people who are feeling irrational. Helga did that- all day long. It takes iron resolve to keep an organization laser focused on creating magical moments day-in and day-out.  She did that day after day, season after season. She did it with a generous, easy friendliness.

I was one of many fortunate enough to consider Helga a friend.  I made the mistake of telling her that I had taken two years of German language classes in college.  The teacher in her couldn’t control itself and all email that followed was “auf Deutsch”.  It was a hassle and the lazy part of me didn’t want to bother with translation, but just like all the children who had been blessed by her tutelage, I went along with her despite my objections. “Das ist su viel arbeit!  Aber ich will schreibe auf Deutsche fur Sie…”

I wish that were all of the story, but unfortunately the best part ends there.
A couple summers ago we lost Helga.  While vacationing back home in Austria, she took a break from a bike ride to pick some mountain berries and died of a brain aneurism.  Her loss was as sudden and unexpected as it was tragic. It left an irreparable void. The healthy, vibrant woman who had seemingly been everywhere is now gone.

But strangely, even with her gone, I still see her all over the place. 

Whenever my kids click into skis and duck waddle along without poles, I see her.
Whenever parents drop kids at the ski school and try to covertly sneak a peak at the lesson or return to a breathless, run-on report of the child’s adventure,
When I see heavy November skies requiring a little motivation to drop their payload,
When I see the walkie-talkies of the ski instructors or their super hero-like uniform- 

SHE’S THERE. 

I see her in this picture- even though it's not her.

If you’ve seen a kid who has learned to ski in the 80’s, 90’s, and 00’s you’ve seen Helga. Easily tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of children who learned to ski have been in some way touched by Helga. The self confidence and esteem these youngsters absorbed in her presence has carried over to the other avenues of their lives. You can see it and when you do, she's there.

But she isn’t there when I walk past the Ski School desk even though I constantly catch myself getting ready to wave hello and say something intelligible “auf Deutsch”.

The way I see it, there isn't a better definition of a person as an institution. When you have established such a presence and personality in a place that you are there...even when you aren't.

The BOYNE ski school has a storied history. A stout foundation has been laid by legendary names including Stein Eriksen and Othmar Schneider, but the house as it stands now has has been largely shaped by Helga and she gave it the warmth of a home.

That is why it is fitting and proper that the new children’s ski school, playcare and lesson rental facility constructed this summer at the base of Boyne Mountain has been named in her memory. I hope you get to enjoy this new place and that your time there is as unforgettable as the woman to whom it stands in tribute. If you pay attention, you just might catch a glimpse of her. I know that there won’t be a day that I walk by and don’t expect to see her smiling face.

-JJ
 

There are a few heros remaining in my world.  Firefighters, cops, nurses, teachers and the least heralded of all SNOWMAKERS.

If you have ever taken the time to watch what they do you'll see that it is HARD WORK in uncomfortable conditions.
The gig takes some serious inner steel.  They work round-the-clock just when the weather gets in a bad mood.

Just like the offensive line on a football squad, they load everyone on their back and move the piles into the promised land. 

You know you've done something when grandparents rob a page from your job description to describe their difficult childhood trips to school.
"Uphill. In the Snow. Both Ways."

When I count the things I am thankful for this Thursday, snowmakers will be holding a top spot. 
If you take advantage of their hard work anytime soon I bet you'll be singing their praises too.

-JJ 

Why put off to Friday what you can do today?  Especially when it is free.

Boyne Highlands is ringing the bell. It's Game on starting today Wednesday November 19. From 12pm to 4:30 and it's on us.
Experience Gratisfaction there's nothing like it. Here are the details. 

I can't go today, so I'll quietly loathe all of you that do. 

Fact that may only interest me:
Opening day marks exactly one day shy of 7 months from our last day of skiing (April 20). Five months and one day makes for a pretty sizeable ski season.
And you thought all those season passholders were just good looking?  Turns out they are really smart too.

-JJ

If you aren’t living HD yet you’d better get a move on before you miss the show.
For many, that means weekends of bonding with HD TVs. Football season is in high-gear and that means HDTV at its’ best.
But it doesn’t come close to this.

This is High Definition Living brought to you by BOYNE.  It’s full of life-defining moments and the picture is so crisp and clear, it’s like your right there…because YOU ARE.

Now showing: Fireworks in Slow Mo
It’s that time for our annual spectacle of the spectrum.  Step right up ladies and gentlemen. A colossal collision of color awaits.
The world is turning…orange and gold. Erupting in Reds and yellows.
Boom.
Ahhh!

Kapow.
OOOHHH!

Trade in that trusty recliner for the best seat in the house- a chairlift seat.
How about that 360 degrees of vision and an immersive sound system?

Too “Type A” for slow mo?
Try an early morning run or strap on a helmet and blur all the colors together as you tear down the bike paths and trails.
 
Do I even need to mention the golf?
The turf grass is talking. If you listen, it will gush in cool greens. It's all a little greener, especially when set against a raging inferno of color. And remember, this is HD LIVING.  You can reach down and touch it, but please replace your divots.

Unfortunately, you can’t set TiVo to record this for you while you waste time doing other things.
This season is brief and there are no reruns.  You might want to tune in quick.

-JJ

There’s a conspiracy afoot.
It starts with a little mystery.
What’s missing in this picture?

Skiers and Riders should know the answer. The pic was taken at the bottom of Meadows. (I wonder how they came up with the name?)
Snowsports geeks might be answering “SNOW!” But no.  That’s not the point that I’m driving at today…come on it’s still July.

What?
How could they?
That was my favorite chair!  (It really was my favorite chair.)

Sorry folks.  
It’s gone.
Kaput.
Bye bye.  
Here’s a pic of one of the uprooted and diced up towers to drive the message home.



I think the people in charge of Solace Spa are to blame. Any investigator worth his salt will tell you that the key to figuring something out is to follow the money. Apparently, it really is all about the Benjamins.

Here’s how I see the Spa’s diabolical plan working.
1. Remove old chairlifts.
2. Replace slow chairlifts with NEW FASTER DOPPLMAYR CHAIRS like the one going in at Meadows in the coming weeks.
3. Watch as skiers and riders spend more time riding downhill and less time resting while getting back up hill.
4. Quietly chuckle as they tire in half the time
5. Sell sports massages and foot treatments to the expressly-exhausted masses.
6. Count the money.

If it’s not the spa people, it’s the restaurateurs. Do you think an extra 15-20 runs over the course of a ski day would get you to eat a little more?  

Clearly, somebody wants to get you past the mainstay activities so you can enjoy all the other things there are to do here.

Come to think of it, this vast conspiracy may have infiltrated golf too.  How else do you explain the fastest round of golf world record just set at Boyne Mountain’s Monument golf course?

It definitely is not about providing even more value to skiers and riders further solidifiing your resort's position as the gold standard.  
Nah. That would be too simple an explanation.

I'll keep digging around and will let you know what I find out.

-JJ 

Is your glass half empty of half full? That depends on whether or not you’re watching it evaporate or you’re drinking it up with plans to belly back up for more.

Usually at the high point of summer I put on my golf lid and think about my mid-winter resolutions to play more, better, more, more, more golf.  I’m not quite living up to my pre-season expectations. Yes, the days are gloriously long, but they’re already slipping away two minutes at a time.  It's like the nightmare I used to have that school was starting the next day and I had somehow missed all of summer vacation. That thought puts the urgency back in the equation.  Time to book a tee time, lesson and hit the links. Time keeps on slippin.

On the other hand-
As a skier I know that THE DREAM will arrive soon.  It usually hits me around August.  A dream of skiing a perfect run with a couple great friends. We're weightlessly sailing over cat tracks and carving Super-G arks across snow that the rest of the world is oblivious to. Some dreams are too weird to make much of.  Others are so tangible that you wake up with aching quads and feet relieved to be fresh-out of ski boots.  In this dream the memory of firmly flexing skis is as palpable and indescribable as the “mush” of a golf ball turned jelly by a perfectly smoothed 6 iron.  Chills baby. Chills!

O.k back to reality.
Skiers- there’s more good stuff on tap this season.  Boyne is taking big steps to ensure that your cup runneth over.
Take a look at this pic from the top of Boyne Mountain:

How sweet is that?  I don't want to get too techichal, but from what they tell me More Pipes= More Water= More Snow. 

As you can see, snowmaking means hard work in the summer too.
It sure can't be cheap when you compare this to plumbing, say, your bathroom.

Just a reminder that Uncle BOYNE loves you skiers and isn't afraid to reach into his wallet to keep you smiling-even in the summer.
Put that under your pillow and sleep on it for a month or two and maybe you’ll have THE DREAM too. If you do, look out for the giggling freak airing it out over the cat tracks.

Golfers- don’t let that dream take your eyes off the ball.
Time keeps on slippin, slippin slippin.
Tick tock tick doo doo doo do.

-JJ