Our favorite sports writer, Dan Shaughnessy (aka “Shank”) often writes a column highlighting his favorite miscellaneous items from the sports world. So to steal from his format, here are the items from the skiing world that we have found most interesting recently.

Avalanche Fatalities. We will get the bad news out of the way.  Despite copious amounts of snow in the western US, much of the region has experienced mostly stable avalanche conditions. (A deep snow pack often results in stable conditions – but that is a story for another day). However, the lack of snow early season and extremely cold temperatures have resulted in a dangerously weak snow pack in two western areas – western Canada and Colorado. Low snow/cold temps can create multiple weak faceted layers that can take weeks to become unreactive. Four of the six avalanche related deaths in the US this winter have happened in Colorado. See Avalanche 22/23 Accidents.  There have unfortunately been 7 avalanche deaths in British Columbia thus far. See Canadian Avalanche Information

Frozen Penis Makes a Comeback. In more uplifting news…an Olympic skier who suffered a frozen penis in the Beijing Olympics recently won a gold medal in the 15km freestyle skiing championship. See Penis Makes Comeback

Coronation vs. Skiing. Proving once again how screwed up the British monarchy is, King Charles has cancelled his annual ski trip as a result of his upcoming coronation. See King Cancels Skiing to Officially Become King

Telluride’s New Ski Resort. Well, it’s more like a camp; a fancy camp; but still a camp. Bridal Veil Backcountry Ski Camps opens February 18, 2023 at the breathtaking altitude of 12,500 ft. and features heated tents, sleeping cots and heavy duty down sleeping bags. Weekend trips start at $925 per person for groups of eight and are for experienced backcountry skiers. No word on whether oxygen is going to be provided. See Telluride Ski Camps

Apple Thinks I Am Dead. In perhaps the most annoying example of technology taking over our lives…we can’t even take a digger on the slopes without the world finding out about it. Or at least the nearest emergency call center knowing about it. The phenomenon is so prevalent even the NYT covered the story. It turns out that the crash notification feature on newer model Apple watches and phones can’t distinguish between you crashing your Lamborghini into the local 7/11 and you face planting onto the cat track after a glorious untracked run. See Don’t Fall! Unless You Want Everyone to Know About It!

Ukrainian Skiing? Now? Ukraine probably wasn’t on your ski destination list before the Russians invaded, and we are certain you haven’t added it to your list in the last year. But it turns out that the Carpathian Mountains in western Ukraine have provided relief for Ukrainians looking to escape the war and take a few turns. See Ukrainian Wartime Skiing 

Cannon’s Tram = Cannon Fodder? For all of us there are some ski areas that we haven’t skied in years but still will never leave the memory banks. For us, Cannon Mountain is one. It was close to Boston in those years we were sitting at the desk, but it always felt wild and unique. The weather was usually from another dimension AND it had a tram. While we rarely took the tram, we knew it was always there, and we enjoyed just watching it scale the rocky White Mountains. Sadly, its days may be numbered. The lift is old and needs to be replaced. The ski area is owned by the state and the NH governor is advocating it be replaced with a gondola. See Cannon’s Tram Cannon Fodder?

Be Well; Ski Well

conSKIerge co-founder

Kevin Dennis is a life long ski bum with a 34 year legal career on the side. Now retired, he skis 80+ days a year. While he lives in Alta UT in the winters, he has traveled extensively through skiing and has skied almost every major resort in North America (and many you have never heard of). He continues to hit the road often throughout the western United States and Canada and trips over the last several years have included ventures in British Columbia, Montana and Colorado. Whether you want to know about the behemoths like Aspen or Squaw or are interested in the road less travelled (Lost Trail Powder Mountain in Montana or Whitewater in BC anyone?), Kevin has been there, has an opinion and you will most likely have to tell him to shut up after a half hour!