Boyne Mountain skiers got a cool new toy for Christmas this year — a brand new shiny high speed fixed grip chair lift  on the Meadows — and it's the optional model with the cushy seats!! Hey, didn't we get another "big gift" this year - the new Low-E snow guns? We're clearly a spoiled lot.

But about this chair lift — flush with delight, we tore open the package and did what every red-blooded kid does with a new toy — we hopped on without reading the directions. Thankfully, it's a well-designed toy, and it pretty much worked like we expected. But it is the new model, with new features and performance. It's about time we pull out the owner's manual and learn how to use it right. Disclaimer: so as to avoid tears of boredom the following addresses only the aspects in which this lift is different, and assumes you are experienced with chair lifts in general.

 

MEADOWS CHAIR LIFT OVERVIEW — HOW TO USE FOR MAXIMUM ENJOYMENT AND SAFETY:

 

Getting on: Am I the only one who feels like George Jetson when I hop on this baby? Pretty cool. The only thing you have to know is that you have to enter the little starting gate so the lift knows you are there — oh yeah, it knows . . . and then when the gate opens, simply (and immediately) let yourself slide down onto the conveyor belt. And then . . . just stand there. Don't scooch, don't shuffle — just look back and wait for the chair to scoop you up. The only thing missing is a mechanical arm to swing out and squeegee off your goggles and hand you a hot chocolate.  You're on.

 

Getting off . . . er, offloading — uh whatever, you know what I mean: The nature of this chair lift design is that that the chairs are moving faster at the off-load than any other type of chair lift you have ridden. So the timing of the offload is more critical and provides for a smaller time period in which to stand up and glide away from the chair. This helps explain why even experienced skiers have had some problems  — we are experienced (a tad overconfident?) — but not experienced with this exact setup. Obviously, many of us draw experience from detachable high speed chair lifts, like the Mountain Express — but with those, the chair slows down for the offload, lulling us to sleep a bit.

This chair is different. The higher chair speed means that if you do not stand up and offload promptly, you may reach the point where the ramp drops away — and you will find yourself having to 'hop' down. The same could be said for any chair lift — it's just a little quicker timing with a fixed-grip high speed chair. Just as it took me a few rides to become comfortable with the conveyor belt loading at the bottom, I think we all need to realize that the higher chair speed means that the offload at the top is different than what we know — even though it looks the same.

 

Additional points: We thank Michelle Murphy — who we hereby name 'Customer of the Month' — for bringing to our attention some minor difficulties at the offload. One of her observations has led us to adjust the shape of the ramp. Another leads me to the final advice for departing the chair cleanly: remember that the chair's higher speed makes the transition from sitting to skiing more critical. That means that you do not have as much time to get your poles organized an disentangle yourself from your neighbors when you depart. Start a little earlier with getting yourself organized and ready for your arrival. And then — this is a four-lane off-ramp — make sure you don't engage in creative lane usage, which would create difficulty for those beside you.

 

Even though the new lift is a little different in some respects, I personally like it for at least two reasons. First, it allows me to get in more skiing on the beautiful terrain we have in the Meadows area - especially that medium-pitch shoulder that drops to the south toward Thunder, and then dog-legs to the left down toward the base of the lift. Second, it provides that quicker ride to the top without the ticket-price increase that might have been necessary if a much more expensive detachable high speed lift had been chosen.

Cary Adgate - BOYNE SnowSports Ambassador 

You ever look in the rear-view mirror of life and realize that the old you was a real dope?  I do all the time.

I just had another enlightenment that I want to share.
I used to rally buddies on nasty weather days or out of post-party funks with my trusty line
“Today is one of those days where you decide whether you are a ‘Skier’ or just somebody who skis.”

That macho b.s. was usually just the ticket to shake somebody out of the lazies.  

What’s bad is that I was really proud of this little ditty. It was (in my opinion) American rhetoric at it’s finest. The perfect call to action, it was a double-edged sword. It offered inspiration to define oneself heroically: “I am a SKIER” as well as label someone a dud: “just someone who skis”.

What a croc!  But what do you expect from somebody in a neon Nevica ski coat…with HOT PINK gloves?  Like I said, it hurts to look back.  And just so the hip snowboard types don’t scoff at another glam skier- Burton was cutting their teeth with neon stuff at the time too…really! Ouch. And don’t get me started on Oakley.

But unfortunate wardrobe choices aside, my philosophy was bankrupt.
If you ski once, twice or 75 days per season you are “A Skier”. (And for all my snowboarding friends, please feel free to insert “Rider” where appropriate.)

Nobody winds up on the top of a ski hill by accident. (If you have, I’d love to read your story in the comments section below.) Some days are sunnier than others and some days warmer.  On some days the snow is soft and fresh and others packed and firm. STILL:  Anybody who has made the commitment to get to the top of a hill, point the tips back down and stand the whole way is part of a special club.

That club DOES have an elite group.  All of you who manage the strategy and logistics required to get little ones on the hill- You are the “Mother of all skiers”.(Or father where applicable).

I am lucky to ride among you…even if I’m just a big-mouthed fashion victim.

-JJ

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

When the temps dip a little bit you see who really “wants it” out here.  It’s easy to read the weather report and pack it in straight away, but if you were out on the hills yesterday you would have met a bunch of happy souls who would cheerfully tell you how wrong that would be.  You’d also be looking at conditions that backed them up.

It's not that all of these people are tougher, smarter or more dimwitted than the stay-ins.  They just know the secret password.

Secret, you ask? 

Yup.  But it's not really a secret.  It's as plain as the cloth on their face.  And the word is BALACLAVA.

Wha?

Balaclava!

Sounds like that Greek pastry that looks so good next to my coffee on cold mornings. And this little number is just as sweet.  Basically it is a modernized and renamed version of that classic fashion statement people used to call the “snowmobile mask”.  Remember? It was the "IT Look" with the ninjas and bank robbers everywhere.

Today’s version  is made of micro fleece that breathes well and is thin enough to easily fit under helmets and zipped up collars. Boyne Country Sports has loads of these babies. They are sure to help you stretch a day and get a full lift-tickets worth.  At the end you’ll be sporting a warm smile that people will feel, even if they can’t see it.

-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

Wow - can we have another one of these sooner than the 100th? Like - how about the 65th - or 70th? If this sounds like begging, you are understanding me perfectly.

Saturday night, the Kircher family and the Boyne Mountain staff and management outdid themselves.

Everett Kircher must be proud. And I think Tom Symons is smiling, too.

I can't remember an event when people were so obviously enjoying themselves. And so much going on. Live mannequins in period ski garb. A perfect book documenting the legacy being celebrated. Great food. Awesome music & dancing. Bathing beauties out of the 50's by the poolside and skaters on the rink. A majestic torchlight parade and killer fireworks. And a house full of fun people - old friends of Boyne and new ones - creating a memory that they will still be talking about when the 100th comes around.

Oh, and Warren Miller was hanging around.

Yes, THAT Warren Miller.

 

 

 

 

Yours truly and son/budding filmmaker Sterling getting tips       >>>     from the master.

Cary Adgate - BOYNE SnowSports Ambassador 

Here's a little memory I thought I'd share in response to Cary's request.

Enjoy:

It's not exactly MY memory- other than the fact that I cut me teeth developing with Flash while making this little diddy. After hours of bumbling and fumbling I finally got it to work, but not before I knew every line and every crack of static by heart. You might have heard me doing my little impression of this bit in the Trophy Room...Sorry for that. 

-JJ

 

Holidays are past. Amen. Time for things to really celebrate- like days spent carving impeccable carpets of white and shared fun without the imposition and pretense of social obligations.

Call me anti-social, but I’ll take my goodwill toward men in two minute morsels on the lift ride headed for more.

But before I step into my bindings and do just that, I have a little rant that I need to scrape off of my boots:

One of the things that really exploded this holiday season was the Nintendo Wii.  This is the video game console that is supposed to provide a more “real” and rewarding experience than sitting on a couch manically gyrating your thumbs. As far video games go, it’s pretty cool.  Shawn White’s Snowboarding game is pretty neat when coupled with a balance board and there is a skiing game that is fun too. What kills me is when I hear “It’s almost real.”

Sorry folks.  Nope. Neat? Yes, but they still don’t come close to the real thing. Not by a long shot. And don’t be confused- This isn’t a comparison of Diet Coke to the Original.

But it’s not just Wiis that are killing me.  It’s the entire trend.
As the digital world continues to grow in sophistication it becomes really tempting to replace our real experiences with these new, convenient digital ones.
I get it. In real life time is tight, weather changes and people are complex.

Facebook lets us feel social- without any real personal interaction.  Wii’s give us an illusion of active living without ever leaving a living room. Texting gives us conversation without conversing.
But none of these deliver the real benefits of real life.

You can make more friends riding chairlifts than you ever will online. And better still, these friendships will be based on shared experiences.

So come out and join me in my revolution.
Trade Facebook for Face Time.
Wii for WEEEEEEE!
LOL for lauging out loud.
And, for a breath of fresh air…Real Fresh Air.

It’s all waiting for you right here and it's even better than real life.

-JJ