The Happen-Ens; #OptOutside

For many years now Black Friday has been considered the official kick off of the holiday shopping season. In the past few years, retailers have become more and more aggressive pushing their openings from Black Friday to Thanksgiving Day. Many of the stores are also keeping their doors open the entire night for consumers. Thanksgiving itself seems to be getting swallowed up by Black Friday.

REI is going the opposite route and deciding, for the third year in a row, to Opt Outside. REI decided in 2015 that they were not only going to stay closed all of Thanksgiving, but Black Friday too. As well as closing down every single location they do not process any online purchases either. REI gives all of its employees Thanksgiving and Black Friday off and also pays them for Friday as a thank you for all of their hard work. CEO Jerry Stritzke realizes how important it is take a beat: “This is going to sound New Agey, but I think it’s a time for people to pause and be intentional about, How do I spend my time? Who am I with? Where am I going? Am I in the places that matter most to me? Or am I just going with the flow?”. Over 700 organizations have joined REI and support #OptOutside in some form. This year Lyft will be offering rides to parks free of charge in 10 major US cities. Millions of people share their stories about how they are spending their Black Friday using the #OptOutside hashtag on social media.

Here at Sportube we are also choosing to Opt Out! Rather than joining in on the hustle and bustle of the retail world we too are going to be using the long weekend for stuffing ourselves silly and relaxing with friends and family. With our local resorts opening as well a dusting of fresh snow yesterday there are plenty of opportunities to get outside and do what we love!

Happy Holidays from the Sportube Team!!

The Happen-Ens; The Art of Snowmaking

Nothing truly beats a run of thick fresh powder. Unfortunately resorts cannot rely on fresh and real snow alone and still be able to give us the long ski seasons that we are used to. Thankfully, we have the tools to cover for Mother Nature’s absence. Snowmaking has been a season-saver for many resorts. There is a lot of science, work, and money that goes into being able to make artificial snow.

The key elements needed when coming to making snow are cold temperatures, low humidity, compressed air, water, snow guns, and snowmakers and groomers. Snow making requires a very large amount of water to be able to cover as much ground needed at any resort. To cover an area of 200 ft x 200 ft with 6 inches of snow you would need 20,000 cubic feet of snow which requires 74,600 gallons of water. Many resorts have the ability to be able to convert over 5000 gallons of water per minute into snow, this ends up being 20 tons of snow per minute!

Snowmaking helps to get winter on its way but there are still certain conditions that need to be met. The relationship between temperature and humidity needs to be just right in order for the snowmaking to work. This is called the wet bulb temperature. The temperature can still be below freezing but if the humidity is too high the snowmaking will not work. At the beginning of the season the snowmakers are programed to make heavy wetter snow to build a nice base off of.

Looking out the office window today there is little to no snow in sight. But thanks to the snowmaking abilities our home mountain Vail is able to be having their opening day on Thanksgiving (fingers crossed) as well as many surrounding resorts already into their 2017-2018 season.

The Happen-Ens; (impatiently) Waiting For Snow

Early Season Riding

The first snow fall of the year can be quite the tease getting skiers and snowboarders eager to ride. Once that first dusting comes around it can make waiting for the good stuff unbearable. You can only check the weather and walk around the house breaking in your new ski boots so many times. Fortunately, some of the best resorts are located at higher elevations allowing for an “early season”. Early ski season is when the mountains are partially open but still working on acquiring enough snow for the season.

Lucky for us cooler temperatures have allowed many resorts to begin their snowmaking process and allowing for early opening dates. Although early season skiing is incomparable to peak season it’s hard to pass up the opportunity to be able to get on the mountain as early as mid-October. Currently there are three resorts open in the United States with many others on track to opening in the next month.

Arapahoe Basin, Colorado

• · Base Elevation: 10,780 ft.
• · Opening Day: October 13th
• · Snow Depth: 18”
• · Runs Open: 2/107
• · Lifts Open: 1/9

Loveland Ski Area, Colorado

• · Base Elevation: 10,800 ft.
• · Opening Day: October 20th
• · Snow Depth: 18”
• · Runs Open: 1/94
• · Lifts Open: 1/10

Timberline Lodge, Oregon

• · Base Elevation: 6,000 ft.
• · Opening Day: October 8th
• · Snow Depth: 11”
• · Runs Open: 1/41
• · Lifts Open: 1/5

Early season riding is a great time to get out on the mountain to brush the dust off and get back into the groove of skiing and snowboarding. One thing to remember with the early season is that everyone is just as excited as you are. With all of the skiers and snowboarders flocking to get their first runs in of the season the limited trail space can become extremely congested. Always be aware of other riders around you and be respectful of beginners.

The Happen-ens-Featured on Wiki's 2016 Top Snowboard Bags 9/9/2016

Ready to hit the slopes this season?

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The Happen-ens- The Perfect Powder Day 1/20/2015

Imagine it being 5pm on a crisp, cool Friday night. The quitting bell rings and it is weekend time. Plans are pre-set to hit the local watering hole for a quick Friday destress with your friends. As you step outside the office you are greeted with a few snowflakes which are a welcoming sign as you are set for a ski day in the morning. Fast forward 3 hours, and you have replenished the tanks with some calorie intake and a couple micro brews to wash down dinner. As you step out of the pub you are greeted with an even more beautiful sight than that lamb Gyro that was just inhaled by seeing a fresh 7.5 cm of light snow on the windshield of your car…. It’s on!

As the evening progresses there are a variety of things one must accomplish to prepare for the day ahead. Pack the boot bags, brush a touch up coat of cold wax on the sticks, monitor the forecast, dessert, night cap (if that’s your thing), check the weather again and hit the sack so you are well rested for the day ahead. Through the night, Mountain OPS completely gives up and bags the grooming operation for the following day. It’s dumping at this point 2.54 cm per hour- Primed for something Epic.

The alarm goes off at 0600 as the sun is rising and you take a quick peak out the window. Madness- greeted with a remarkable 46 cm (18”) of fresh champagne powder which makes you consider getting out the skins so you can absolutely ensure first tracks. Better judgement kicks in however and it’s time for a breakfast that will sustain through the day and some coffee to get the mind moving. All of a sudden your phone buzzes and Christmas just came early. (The pass is closed- Locals Only this morning) There’s no question now; this will be a full day of skiing keeping your secret stashes in your back pocket till the rest of the hill gets tracked out. Time can’t go fast enough at this point, it’s time to SKI!

As you arrive at the base you are greeted with the other powder hounds yipping and yelling in anticipation of getting on the first chair. The temp is right around the -10 C mark which will make for light, fast snow. As if it wasn’t already magical, the perfect storm culminates when you buddy informs you that the snow only has 8% water content... Brilliant! At this point the skies have opened up and we are looking at a blue bird day with a fresh foot and a half of snow. 0830 FINALLY rolls around you load onto the first chair while picking your first line on the way up. As you move up the hill you crank the tunes up, check the phone one last time and prep yourself for a day to remember. As you unload you take are hard right turn, skate as fast as you can and….. Well you should be able to take it from there!

It is that time of year again- Tis the season for family, friends, traditions, Christmas dinners, spiked egg nog, Christmas shopping, crazy Uncle Jerry and stretchy pants…especially stretchy pants. So what are your Christmas traditions? Personally, I always have had fond memories of this winter holiday that is all about giving, skiing, holiday parties and cheer. Mix in some family time, appetizers, libations, prime rib dinners, winter activities, and the occasional cousin that hits Grandpa’s cough syrup a little too hard and you have one memorable holiday. Regardless of your traditions and memories, Christmas gives us as Americans the opportunity to reflect on our past, be thankful for the opportunities and freedoms that we have and look towards the future. Oh, and of course shop… Because what is holiday shopping without battling someone else’s Grandma for the last pair of tube socks listed at 50% off? Hey, it’s a great deal right? Jokes aside- Christmas is a time for family, happiness and over indulgence. A time where elastic pants, online shopping and splurging on that Sportube that you have had your eye on over the past few months are 100% acceptable.

Cheers to a joyful Christmas to all,

~The Sportube Team

How does that Zac Brown band song go again? “I got my toes in the water, ass in the sand, not a worry in the world, a cold beer in my hand, Life is good today. Life is good today.” – Ahh the glorious life of a snowbird. With steady snow in the forecast and one of the largest predicted winters ahead airlines are fueling up the birds to accommodate the old timers as they flock south. Heading to warmer climates for the winter seems to be a fairly common trend as individuals get older. It makes sense to me- why be cold when you could be warm? This especially makes sense if you aren’t partaking in winter activities on a regular basis anymore. The question then in-lies, what do you have to look forward to during winter? Well… Zac hit the nail on the head- Toes in the water? Ass in the sand? Beer in your hand? - Life sure does sound good today.

If you are a snowbird, future snowbird or pondering the idea of whether you want to go down that road or not, then another logical question will pop into your head. What happens when I get board of sitting in the sand with a beer in my hand? Well, luckily the southern communities have done a great job accommodating and providing activities for just about everyone. Perhaps its golf, shopping, sunbathing, swimming, walking, running, hiking, paddle boarding, sipping Mai Tai’s, snorkeling, diving, or who knows- you could even be the next pickle ball phoneme coming straight out of 34 degrees latitude… Whatever you choose, it will surely beat chattering your teeth in 34 degree weather right? Simply put- Tis the season all you snowbirds. Pack the bags, stuff the sportube cases with your snorkels and diving gear, plane, train or motor home automobile, you better get moving because winter is here!