Bryan

Looks like we have another La Nina year for 2011/2012.  The snow is already stacking up in the highlands right now as I write this.  The resort web cam shots are racking up "Like"'s on the social networking circuit, and it now seems almost too late to start planning wax-and-edge-tuning parties.  Crazy how quickly the seasons change here in the Pacific Northwest; it was just days ago that I was carving dirt and hucking drops on my mountain bike, and now it looks like the bullwheels could start spinning again within the week.  The shoulder seasons are always a little bitter-sweet for me - not quite ready to put away the skateboard or say goodbye to those long summer evenings of mountain biking and hiking around the Cascades, but at the same time getting more amped up daily for the carving of trenches, setting off of powder grenades, throwing down in the park, and catching up with good friends on the lift.

You never know for sure how solid a winter will be until you're in it, but the forecasts say it will be a good one for being a passholder.  On the other hand, the forecast for board technology is pretty straightforward.  Part of being a test rider is getting a sneak peek at next year's stuff early, so the boards on the market for this year are the ones we had on the slopes at the end of last year.  From what we saw then, the technology explosion for board design that began over the last few seasons will be evident everywhere this season.  There will be a lot of different rocker profiles, edge hold designs, camber shapes, etc.  There was a lot of experimentation going on, and I think from what we saw last year, that experimentation is still going on.  Some of it was right on point - maybe even revolutionary - and some of it just resulted in weird or harder to ride snowboards.  Either way, most of it does have some affect on how you ride.  This season will most likely bury the losers and make standards out of the winners.  I suppose that means the value you can get from following Board Insiders is at an all-time high, since nobody wants to invest in next year's failed experiment.

Aside from planning to test more boards this season, I'm hoping that for me, '11/'12 will be a season for more progression in the park, more snowshoe touring with my board on my back (no $$ for a splitboard yet), more good times riding with the bros, and staying healthy and injury-free.  Maybe I'll see you out there.

As of this last weekend, Crystal Mountain's new Mt. Rainier Gondola is open and in operation.  I'm here to break it down for you.  The gondola runs from the base of the resort, near the main lodge (where the market used to be), all the way to the Summit House, next to where the Rainier Express lift unloads.  The trip is advertised to be about 9 minutes, and although I didn't time it, I'll vouch for it being pretty swift.  It's also super quiet, almost awkwardly so.  Once the cabin leaves the base terminal, you can pretty much hear any of the up to 7 other passengers aboard breathing as you make the ascent.  This is sure to bring small talk to a whole new level.

Here are the highlights in a nutshell: quick bottom-to-top trip, comfortable cabins, seats 8 peeps (but watch out: only any combination of up to 6 skiers and up to 4 boarders), awesome 360-degree views.

As for the practicality of the gondola, it may or may not make sense to a lot of people.  For those looking to get first tracks down any of the terrain accessible from REX - including Northway terrain - it's worth the extra coin (that's right, gondola privilege is NOT included in a regular day lift or season pass, it's $8 more).  Also, for people who want to put a lot of runs in early from "top" to bottom, it's pretty attractive (I put "top" in quotes for a reason, keep reading).  For folks that want to just ride up on foot and eat at the Summit House, then ride back down (and yes, people are doing this during resort operating hours), then I guess it would make sense, but that's a bit hard for me to wrap my head around, so to each their own.

Here's where things might not add up for the potential gondola rider:  First, if the terrain park is what you're after, the gondola isn't going to help you, since you'd ride it up once then blow your vertical traversing over to the bottom of Forest Queen, which you'd then have to ride up anyway.  Second, if you really want to get to the "top" of the mountain, the gondola's not the way, for the same reason; the High Campbell lift - which I'd argue is Crystal's crown jewel - is going to require a ride up Forest Queen to access.  Also, if you're planning to spend the day in the Northway area, it probably doesn't make sense to return to the gondola after the first ride up.

Bottom line: it's a great addition to the resort overall, you don't have to pay (extra) for it if you're not going to use it, but if you are going to use it, it's probably worth the cost.

- Bryan

If there is such a thing as a litmus test for the snow season ahead, it's opening day.  How early does it come, how much snow, how good are the conditions, what was the weather... all these factors are intensely scrutinized and dissected to mathematically compute an analysis of the season to come.  But is that really how it works?  Looking back at last season, things didn't quite add up that way.  It was an early open with awesome snow, but let's be honest... the overall season turned out to be pretty crappy, at least as far as conditions went (credit where credit is due, the spring shredding was in fact off the hook).

So what about this year?  The seasonal forecast is certainly better - a strong La Niña bringing lots of cold, moist air over western Washington.  And the opening day at Crystal didn't disappoint: November 19th and the snow could only be described as light, dry, blower powder.  There wasn't a whole lot by mid-season standards (and bringing a rock board might have been wise), but overall it was a two-thumbs-up day on the slopes.

But the reality is that opening day is far more than a conditions report... it's a much anticipated starting-pistol shot to the air that signals the beginning of a season of awesomeness.  Whether you crave carving endless turns in the deep, white steeps; popping off the lip into silent flight; or jibbing urban warfare against a sick army of coping-clad zombies, the fantasy for most of us can't become a reality until Opening Day.

So here's my take: we've got a good looking winter forecast.  Lifts are coming online already from Baker up north to Crystal down south.  Lots of new toys on the slopes, including Crystal's gondola & Sasquatch Jib Park, and Summit East reopening for downhill with a new backside lift.  Board manufacturers are hitting us with more choices of technology than a Fry's on steroids.  And after a '9/'10 mid-winter letdown, riders are pumped to wring every ounce of gnar out of the six-sided goodness Mother Nature has promised to drop us.  So if you're not stoked already for '10/'11, bag the next opening day you can - maybe Stevens Pass - and come back grinning.