Skiers Love Social Media
Of course they do.
The Denver Post is reporting that more and more skiers are relying on social media, with mobile apps, blogs, tweets and video sharing sites offering real-time access to the latest snow conditions. This has proven particularly useful in areas with rapidly changing weather conditions.
I feel like I've heard this somewhere before.
You’ll Never Believe What the Ultra Dry Winter Means for Avalanches
Here in Colorado, the risk of dying in an avalanche is still pretty high.
This has been a very bad winter for avalanches, with slides triggering everywhere from low angle snowfields to in-bounds at ski areas. Even now, in early April, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) is still cautious.
"Overnight air temperatures dropped briefly below freezing if at all in the alpine and not at all below treeline once again," forecasters wrote in the Center's daily report this week. "Surface snow will soften and become wet quickly on Sunday. Wet avalanches remain the primary concern today. Continue to monitor the snow surface. Wet avalanche problems are greatest on very steep terrain which develop more than 6 inches of wet snow as temperatures rise today. Deep persistent weak layers also remain a concern on shady, high elevation steep slopes."
Was 2011-2012 Really Among the Driest Winters Ever?
In a word, yes.
Following excellent snowfall in the west the last few years, winter 2011-2012 is expected to rank among the three driest snow years on record, a fact that hit more than a few ski areas hard.
"When the tide recedes so suddenly you get to see the true nature and character of companies," said Andy Wirth , the second-year chieftain of California's Squaw Valley, which saw a record 800 inches of snow in 2010-11 and barely 170 inches — a record on the opposite end — this season. "I would say this season has been humbling"
I mean, just look at the image the Denver Post ran with the story. Yuck.
Spring Skiing: This Season Is Winding Down
Well, that was short lived. As soon as we started to see some hopeful signs, Colorado's 2011-2012 ski season is starting to wind down, with a handful of the state's westernmost resorts shutting their doors for the summer this past weekend.
Several of New Mexico's resorts, which had a better year than those of us north of the border, ended the season last weekend as well.
Per the CBS story:
"It was the kind of season no one saw coming," said Dave Dekema, director of marketing for Angel Fire resort (in New Mexico). "The predictions from the preseason to the end were completely wrong."
Meanwhile, some resorts in the traditionally snow-rich states of Utah and Colorado will close earlier after a warm season with lackluster snow.
At the moment, it looks like Montana is the only area that has any measurable snow. Hey, it's April. That's what happens. Still, Mt. Rose Lake Tahoe is already gearing up for next winter.
3 Reasons to Believe in the 2012 Season Again
One ...
Taken last month at Monarch
Two ...
Three ...
The Pacific Northwest is getting hit as we speak.
April snow showers?
What a time to start a ski forecasting blog.
Woke up this morning to the news that Ski Cooper and Monarch Mountain are closing up shop early this season due to the warm spring and lack of snow. Both rely entirely on natural snow and are located well off the high country tourist path, but still ... it isn't even April yet. I have a bad feeling that summer is here to stay.
But it's not all bad news. It hit 80 here in Denver today but Joel at OpenSnow is forecasting ... believe it or not ... a bonafide powder day for Summit County on Monday, courtesy of a cold front that's expected to roll in late Sunday afternoon.
"The cold front is now forecasted to be slower than I earlier thought and it won't make it through most areas until 6-9pm Sunday evening. Before the front arrives, Sunday will be partly sunny, warm, maybe some blowing dust, and windy by midday and afternoon with ridge-top winds clocking in at over 30-40mph. Snow will start falling as the cold front."
We shall see...
Ski jump: There’s a first time for everything
I've never tried ski jumping, and at this point in my life there's little chance that I ever will, but I have to hand it to the girl in this video. She may only be six, but she's tougher than I'll ever be.
Tough. As. Nails.
Grilled Pizza: Homemade Pizza That’s Actually Worth Eating
Homemade pizza is never ideal. The crust is soggy, the cheese never melts evenly and it usually ends up too soft and spongy. Grilled pizza is the answer. Unlike the indoor oven, my grill can reach temperatures approaching those of commercial pizza ovens – generally north of 500 degrees – and make it possible to ape the texture and quality of a takeout pizza at home.
But grilling pizza takes some practice. Obviously, it’s all too easy to burn the crust or overcook the pie, especially when dealing with open flames, so grilled pizza isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it solution.
Keep it small
Instead of cooking one large pie as I would in the oven, I generally make 3-4 smaller pizza crusts when I’m working on the grill. This makes them easier to manage and prevents breakage.
Precook the crust
Since the crust takes longer to cook than the rest of the toppings, I precook my crusts for 2-3 minutes per side before adding the rest. I often do this over direct heat to speed up the process, depending on how thick my crusts are, though that does require constant attention.
Indirect heat
Once the pizzas are topped, however, I move them off the flames and cook them with indirect heat and the lid closed. This keeps the crust bottoms from burning (too much) while the cheese melts.
Handle with care
One hazard of grilled pizza is the pie falling apart as it comes off the grill. Instead of relying on a regular spatula, I use an extra wide pizza peel to remove my pizzas carefully.
No Twitter Love for the Journal?
While it isn't too surprising that The New York Times is the number one U.S. newspaper in terms of Twitter followers (2.6 million and counting), it's interesting that the Wall Street Journal has only been able to muster around 464,000. Is News Corp. not taking full advantage of Twitter as a distribution tool or are WSJ readers just not tech savvy enough to get social media?
When it comes to Twitter followers, The New York Times is the top bird with more than 2.6 million followers. To illustrate how impressive this follower number is, The Wall Street Journal only has 464,591 followers in the #2 spot. The New York Times is the ONLY newspaper from the Top 25 with more Twitter followers than print circulation.
Maybe The New York Times has such a huge Twitter following because it was the first of the Top 25 to join Twitter, way back in March 2, 2007. Probably not, since The Contra Costa Times, The Washington Post and The Oregonian all joined later that month.
Oh yeah, and the Times has more Twitter followers than print subs. Ouch.
Turns Out the Internet Isn’t Killing Print After All
Good news. According to a new report published in The Guardian, there "is no clear correlation between a rise in internet traffic and a fall in newspaper circulation. Some papers are growing in both formats, others are succeeding in neither."
At least that's the case in the U.K.
A fascinating new piece of research this week looks in detail at the success of newspaper websites and attempts to find statistical correlations with sliding print copy sales. As one goes up, the other must go down, surely? These are the underpinnings of transition.
But "in the UK at least, there is no such correlation", reports the number-crunching analyst Jim Chisholm. "This is true at both a micro-level in terms of UK newspaper titles and groups and at a macro-level comparing national internet adoption with circulation performance. Indeed, the opposite case could be argued: that newspapers that do well on the web also do better in print… Understandably worried traditional journalists should know that the internet is not a threat."
Hmmm... but if the Internet isn't pulling readers away from print, why are circulation numbers continuing to decline?
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