During these trying days of above freezing temperatures, lack of powder, lack of corn snow, and general lack of good options, one must try not to become discouraged. Bases are deep and spring skiing in April and beyond will be epic (when it finally arrives). But New England weather can be a bitch sometimes. Normally one of the snowiest months, this March has been a horrendous with exception of the first two days, of the month. Times like this call for vicarious living and skiing and there is no better way to do so than ski magazines.

Enter volume two, number two of The Ski Journal. Readers may recall my fond review of the second issue of this new magazine earlier this season. This third issue continues to build on the values and direction that the first two issues have established: stunning design and layout, excellent content in words and images, and a focus on skiing uncompromised by advertisements and fluff. This new issue features a few additional advertisements compared to the first two issues; however, this is a very minimal increase. In keeping with the layout and style of the magazine, the advertisements are only located at the front and back of the magazines and the content is generally uninterrupted.

Although disappointed with the lack of an eastern feature in this issue, the articles and photographs retain a universal flavor and appeal not found in most other magazines. Lines In Skiing, which featured articles and photographs of various “lines” in skiing (lift line, production line, fall line, boundary line, etc.), was particularly interesting. And though I will never travel to Oz, Tony Harrington’s Australia article drew my attention as a New England skier due to the default presumptive nature most skiers have regarding the skiing down under.

The Ski Journal delivers great content yet again with the bar being raised due to some stunning photography. Writing quality seemed to be stepped up as well. The cover price remains steep at $12.95 USD; however, the $39.99 four issue subscription delivered to your door is a reasonable and acceptable price tag for a magazine that uncompromisingly sticks to quality style, layout, presentation and content that is unparalleled in ski industry journalism and periodicals.

Competition for untracked lines has never been higher in New England. The ever elusive top to bottom completely untracked run is a rare thing at most New England resorts and ski areas. Those skiers and riders that often enjoy lots of untracked lines show up early with detailed knowledge of the mountain and its secrets. Fat skis have made powder skiing more accessible to more skiers than ever before. Boundaries are being pushed and novelty comes at a premium. The result is even the tight trees of New England are mostly tracked out by noon time on a powder day.

The lack of adequate untracked powder skiing shows the disconnect between supply and demand. Conditions that are deemed fun are often in high demand as advanced and expert skiers and riders shun the frozen groomed hard pack surfaces available from most lifts. With quickly disappearing untracked on the slopes, expert skiers and riders have taken to the woods in droves. On map glades, thinned out off map glades, and natural skiable trees all hold powder snow much better than on piste slopes. While the off map glades and trees are also lesser known, any powder hound can snuff out all but the most hidden gems after having seen the patterns these glades and tree options follow.

As competition increases, untracked lines have increasingly begun to favor the early bird. One advantage of being a Jay Peak skier is most less dedicated souls from the flatlands can not get out of bed early enough to make first chair. But this is true at any mountain, though Jay’s distance makes the discrepancy between first chair and 10:30 Johnny Come Lately’s all the more prominent. Early birds track up the on piste, followed by the on map glades, and are just starting to move into the off map trees before most metro skiers even arrive at the lodge, much less arrive at the lifts. Early start times and knowledge of the mountains have never been more important for the dedicated powder hound.

Competition will continue to increase as ability, desire, knowledge, and equipment all develop and allow more people more access to great snow conditions. Ten years ago, relatively minor mountain snowfall up to a foot went largely under the radar. But today, internet forums, official web pages, and weather forecasters build up a few inches several days outside the actual event. Upslope snowfall never mentioned on metro television weather forecasts can be accurately predicted days in advanced making weekend powder days a crowded party rather than a solitary epic. The ultimate weapon of the powder hound still remains flexibility of schedule and ability to ski mid-week via what ever means necessary. The lifestyle, career, and family choices skiers and riders make will dictate their relative level of success in scoring big powder days and untracked lines if more proven options such as first chairs, knowledge of the mountain, and mid-week vacation days are not available.

The cost of skiing is rising dramatically lately. Not just the window rate of day tickets but also costs associated with getting to the slopes. Many solo day trippers will pay more for fuel than for a day ticket this season, especially mid-week day trippers. My hypothesis is that costs of fuel will exceed costs of tickets this season for many skiers, myself included. In an on going effort to calculate total season costs, TheSnowWay.com is proud to present our total season cost calculator using OpenOffice’s Spreadsheet program. Results from the first third of the 2007-2008 season have been exported to PDF format and linked to below for your viewing pleasure.

With an advertised 35 MPG for highways, my 1999 Saturn SC2 has provided amazing fuel and money savings compared to less efficient and more expensive vehicles. One trip involving consistent 55 MPH travel pushed MPG to nearly 40. Why pay extra for All Wheel Drive or Four Wheel Drive when a great set of snow tires will get you to the mountain just as fast and safe while paying less at the dealership and at the pump.

Given current environmental issues, we must not only consider the effects skiing has on our wallets, but also effects related to emissions. While reducing number of ski days is not an option, choosing a fuel efficient vehicle and driving at reasonable speeds that reduce gas consumption are paramount to reducing our environmental impact. It is not only the right thing to do, it is the affordable thing to do.

• TheSnowWay.com Total Season Cost 2007-2008

On April 25, 2007, Backcountry Magazine announced that it was merging with Couloir Magazine. These two magazines were the leading “earn your turns” styled magazines along with the revived Telemark Skier Magazine. Backcountry Magazine retained its brand and incorporated photographers, writers, editors, and arguably some edge from Couloir.

As a loyal Couloir subscriber for the past few years, I was somewhat concerned about this merger having never read Backcountry Magazine. Couloir subscriptions were passed onto Backcountry Magazine for which I have received my first two issues including a Gear Guide and a “White” Issues pre-season special. Overall, I am blown away by the combination and have nothing but positive things to say about the merger.

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