Sure, we would like to see more snow, but skiing is still good and the weather is so not January- like. It is mostly warm and sunny. The groomed slopes are always perfect. The bumps are soft in the afternoon,  and you just need to be careful in the trees.

The majority of rocks to be avoided are, as every year, on the lower Ristra run.  You can practice your hop-turns there or just do not ski this line for now.

Below you can watch a really cool clip made by Mike Ehle and edited by his wife Margaret. They posted it on You Tube, and it is so much fun to find the movie made by someone you know, at the ski area you know.  Let’s watch:

Hello  all!

We were tempted to post  one of our favorite songs by ABBA “Happy New Year”. Resisting the temptation, we searched “You Tube” for something more snowy and family oriented, but  still exotic. And we found it in Austria. I really enjoyed watching this video for many reasons. I have never skied in Austria and wanted to see how it is. It looks like they like to ski, eat, and sunbathe. And also I am always impressed by their chairs lifts. Check it out yourself.

With this much snow so early in the season, it looks like we could  have a great back-country skiing season as well. We do not have to be this extreme, but it is fun. Watch the clip or skip  it and keep reading and come back to the video later.

Alpine touring (also called randonnée)  has become more and more popular in the last decade because of the following reasons: the need for back-country adventure, the need for solitude, and the wish to cross-train, connecting “skinning” uphill with alpine descent.

However, in the last couple of years, a new trend  has emerged.  AT skiers can seen throughout the day skinning up within the boundaries of  ski resorts.  ”Early birds”, like my friend Ian, get up at the crack of dawn to drive to the ski area and start skinning up maybe to the top of the quad, maybe to the Radio Towers,and take just one, great run, before heading to work.

Others will choose any time to go up . Heading up  for the sunset seems to be a trend as well, as we see more  AT skiers going up Broadway just around 3.30 pm.

The general idea behind alpine touring within bounds  (bit of an oxymoron isn’t it?)  can be summed up  as follows:

” I am not a slave of the chair lift and the hours of operation.  I do not necessarily need a beacon and a shovel because  I ride the terrain I know, the terrain that is maintained by the ski area, and is mostly free of back-country hazards”.

To call yourself  an AT skier you will need a light- weight  and wide pair of skis, with good AT bindings ( you can free your heel while going up), a pair of skins made of special “grabby” fabric that you put on the bottoms of your skis. You can use adjustable ski poles, or regular ski poles will do. A great trail to gain “skinning experience” on is Aspen Vista trail. A long, but not too steep trail will test your stamina and when you get near the top, there are a couple of places where you can drop into the famous Big T.

Little by little, alpine touring equipment is taking up more space at Alpine Sports each year. This year we even have a special section with Volkl and K2 skis, and Marker and Fritchi AT bindings. We offer Black Diamond skins, shovels, and much more. Please come and check what we have. Alpine doesn’t mean only downhill, it also means touring. Remember that!

Some of Alpine Sports' K2 and Volkl "fatties" for back-country or in-bounds skiers

Christmas break has begun!

Families with children and grandchildren streamed into Alpine Sports in need of warm UGGs, underwear of all kinds, hats, and mittens.  Couples in love are shopping for each other and making plans to go skiing and ice skating. We are working here at Alpine Sports, but it is fun to help take care of happy festive people.
Here is an old 1983 video that seems to fit right into this romantic and festive mood. We know it is a little cliché, but we love it anyway. It is so 80-ish and cute. Note the old K2 skis and the guys’ hairdos.

It is still early in the season, and yet, some of us were lucky to ski in deep powder at Wolf Creek or in Taos. Powder can be fun or a lot of work. Here are a couple of tips that can help enhance your deep powder skiing experience.

Hello guys!
If you went to Taos today, like a lot of us did, you would have to bring the powder skis with you.
Volkl Gotama would suit you great. I love these short You Tube clips. They are fun to watch and explain the technical details in an easy to understand way. Enjoy!

Hello Volkl skis fans,

2012 Volkl skis are here at Alpine Sports and available on line. Volkl had produced some “signature” skis over the years. One of them is Mantra, a legend ski in the powder and on the hard stuff.  There are some changes this year to the classic Mantra design. The short clip below explains how different  and even better  Volkl Mantra is this season.

Ladies,

You loved those women K2 skis from previous seasons. And there is more to love this year!  Alpine Sports offers SuperStitious and SuperFree from K2 ladies skis. Come and check them out.

Please watch these short clips below for great descriptions of women 2011/2012 K2 skis.

Hello Alpine Sports skiers,

We will ski this year and we will ski well. Thanks to “rocker” technology skiing is even easier. K2 is not shy with its rocker technology.
We found these great short videos on You Tube that explain the concept of K2 skis: playful and easy to turn yet strong and dependable when snow conditions require. The video starts with a description of the Impact, an all-mountain type of ski. It is a great choice for the recreational skier who wants to experience all types of terrain. This short film not only describes K2 Impact skis, but shows some good skiing too. After this short clip you can choose to watch more. Click on Rictor  and Aftershock, Charger and many more.  Enjoy watching!

Hello, hello,

We just want to remind everybody that Dean Cummings, the pioneer of back country skiing and the founder of H20 Heli Skiing Guides School, will be at Alpine Sports tomorrow, Friday, November 4 at 5 p.m. He grew up  in Los Alamos, before his passion for adventure took him to Alaska and its big mountains.

Please join us and Dean Cummings at Alpine Sports and bring any skiing questions you have with you. We are located at 121 Sandoval Ave, across from Hilton Hotel. Call for more information 505 983- 51-55 or visit our Facebook Page.

Here is another pick from Dean’s adventures.