ARAPAHOE BASIN, BY TIM GORMLEY

amazing photo

TALON'S CHALLENGE GOES OFF

The Talon's Challenge at Beaver Creek sold out fast to 1500 skiers, but not as fast as these skiers went to get to the post event party at Red Tail camp, it was a rippin time bor a rippin crew...

TOWN OF EAGLE BANS POT SHOPS

And boots out the only pot shop owner in town, so much for opening a restaurant in Eagle in the future, especially if I was going to have warm chocolate chip cookies on the menu.

P.S.-I do not smoke weed, however, I also do not think it is any of my business to tell others whether they should or should not do anything, unless it is building a Mega Mall in my backyard.

 Just sayin.

EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE I STILL GET EXCITED ABOUT SKIING, LIKE THIS WEEKEND.

JUST WHEN YA THINK YA HAVE IT FIGURED....

Ya go and get on a new board in the sweet snow of Vail this year and realize what you have been missing. Christy Sports in the Beaver Creek Lodge hooked me up with these bad boyz, the K2 Obsethed, in a 177, which I though might be a bit short, but shit howdy, this is the ski that was built for skiing the big backside of Vail in powder conditions. Makes this 53 year old feel like he is 25 again, sort of. Helmet cam action to come once the week of uploading is complete.

A VIDEO TRIBUTE TO LEIF. FROM REX LINT, SO WELL DONE,

In celebration of a Legendary Life, Leif Borgeson. from Rex Lint on Vimeo.

I LIKE THIS SONG, AND THIS SKI HILL.....

Warming up for calling the Talon's Challenge....I always like to pre-ride what I announce...

DO NOT WEEP OVER MY GRAVE....

For I am not there.......

from a reading by Leif's son Ian last night.

THIS IS GOING TO BE A TOUGH DAY...

Thursday is going to be a bit different than most days. There is a gathering at the Keystone Conference Center followed by a chance to head up to A-Basin to remember one of the Legend's legends, Leif Borgeson. I'm not sure what my value is to being there tomorrow, but I would not miss it for the world, and hopefully the weather Gods, with consultation from Leif, will keep Vail Pass open tomorrow in this monster of a storm rolling in tonight so I can be there. I've heard some of the very old school have gathered in the mountains of Colorado for the occasion as they surely should. Leif was such a good one, and he lived a great one, and he left early, and tears will be shed, and it will feel good to hug some of my truly old friends tight tomorrow that I have not seen for many years, one in particular who I've heard is in town that I have not seen in ages, another of the best. This day will be full of incredible highs and incredible lows, and we will all leave stronger at the end, for we all knew Leif, and we are lucky for that. I say we all crash the floor at the A-Frame tomorrow eve, then get up Friday morning and go rip a line for Leif, he'd like that, so would I.

WHY EAGLE SUFFERS....MY LAST RANT?

This is a picture of a bike rider racing Cult Cross right here in my current home town of Eagle. Eagle is struggling these days, real estate prices have tanked, like everywhere, EVERY single business that has tried to make it in Eagle Ranch in the business core there has gone out of business over the past eight years or so because there is no money or population to support them, everyone except the bar at the Dusty Boot, and only because the owner has deep enough pockets to keep it rolling. The Eagle Ranch Golf course and fitness center cost roughly $500,000 just to keep them open and operating every year, and the town pays for it. Some moron developer thought it would be a good idea to build a mega mall here to get things rolling, in what is possibly the WORST time in history to open a cookie cutter box store mall, which got voted down by the smart people here. The town manager blew an opportunity to annex the Eagle/Vail airport into the town limits of Eagle many years ago which would have greatly expanded the town's tax base and probably gotten us a nice new fitness Facility which the town of Gypsum now has which I'm sure was at least subsidized with tax dollars generated from the airport. The town of Eagle bitches about not having enough events in town to bring in more revenue. For three years I have attempted to do something about this, alone. I've brought a series of bike races to town to try and support the lifestyle here as well as introduce our town to people who do not ordinarily come here, and some have come, and enjoyed it. I approached the new "chamber" type committee called "One Eagle" which is trying to promote the town and offered to make my bike races part of something bigger, I did not receive one follow up call, from any of them. I founded a trail advocacy group to be stewards of what we have on the outskirts of town here to help promote and improve what is here, and I ended up improving and creating everything alone, until others came in with their own agenda and tried to make this their own political statement. Now there are self proclaimed "locals"whom I have never seen riding here in Eagle in 11 years who are publishing a book about the trail system here......perfect. For these and many other reasons I just simply say no, I'm done, I'm not going to promote this town any more to blind eyes and ears, you guys do it, you create the races, the groups, the events. I'm tired. I gave a lot and I've got no more to give. I tried, I quit. For the few people that enjoyed what I attempted to do here, thanks and I hope you had some fun for that was the bottom line, one of them anyway. I'm turning a page today, no more Squirt Lube (god knows I banged my head against the wall for over four years with that), no more race promotion, and no more work with the lube distributor...good bye to all of it, I'm free.

CULT CROSS 2011 IS CANCELED

I know this happened last year as well before the race went off, but this time it is for good. Thank you to all of you who have supported the event for the first three years, it's been a fun ride.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

And eat a shit ton of chocolate

THE RUDY PROJECT KLONYX GOGGLE REVIEW, TWO THUMBS UP...

The arsenal from Rudy Project 2011. I ski the Klonyx goggle, and Rudy Project

continues to raise the bar like you would not believe.

Personally, I do not like changing lenses, I like two goggles, with my two favorite lenses for either sunny, or overcast and flat light conditions...the Rudy Project exclusive Laser Silver DOUBLE lens knocks out all the glare on sunny days for me and gives me a clear picture of exactly where my line is in the snow, and on the most miserable days on the hill, when it is simply not fit for any human to be out there in blizzard like conditions (incidentally my favorite time to ski), the Kayvon Red DOUBLE lens from Rudy Project helps me dominate the terrain as only a 53 year old in deep powder can. This lens makes everything just JUMP out at you in flat light and keeps it both real and safe, which is critical in low light conditions. Rudy does it again.

The Klonyx sits snug against the helmet which creates a tight package allowing zero wind on the forehead and ears. The removable nose piece is flat out genius for those of us who HATE frostbiting our nose.

PURCHASE YOUR RUDY PROJECT KLONYX GOGGLES AND THE REST OF THEIR TECHNICALLY COOL MUST HAVE GEAR
HERE

I ski A LOT, and demand the best performance from my gear, Rudy Project ALWAYS surpasses expectations, and I do not have to look like a clone clown wearing that "other" stuff....

This small piece of foam lined plastic will make your day 110% more enjoyable to ski on cold days, no need to dig the neck gaiter up on your face any longer

 

The clip in place, takes three seconds to install, and it's snug and functional, and look at that sweet thick foam which guarantees a very snug fit no matter how fat your fat head is.

Prior to placement....

Straight Shot to Chair 5 with Nate Picklo

Vail, February 2011 from Larry Grossman on Vimeo

LEIF BORGESON, RIP

This is Leif Borgeson, Leif was a very good friend of mine for many years. Leif was the Snow Safety Director at Arapahoe Basin and a patroller there for 21 seasons. Today, while hiking the ridgeline to Aspen Highlands Bowl, Leif collapsed and left this earth. I will miss Leif alot, he always made me smile when I visited Arapahoe Basin and hung out at the First Aid building or PHQ. He was one of the first Ski Patrollers to work strictly on Telemark skis and he could rip it, and taught alot of people alot of good stuff about snow safety. Why the fuck do the good ones have to leave us so early, why?

RIP Leif, you are not replaceable, and you will be missed dearly. We shall chat over a cup of Jo again someday in the future, and smile and laugh. Cheers.

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU FINALLY FIGURE OUT HOW TO WORK YOUR VHOLDR HELEMT CAM

Don't tell my mom I've been tree skiing for the past 30 years, she'll get so pissed at me...

EVERYBODY IN THE POOL! UNLESS YOU LIVE IN SOUTH DAKOTA

 In which case, maybe not. And you thought the people in Boston were bitching......

 

 

PUXSUTAWNY PHIL PREDICTS EARLY SPRING!!!

And I predict this little bastard will live longer because of this prediction, he is also going to predict who will win the Super Bowl this weekend, and he says it won't be Brett Farve, maybe.