OpenSnow Blog  

Wow. If there is ever a perfect combination of storytelling + video of skiing, this is it. The newest episode of Salomon FreeskiTV delights us with heli-skiing in Kashmir:

Some very bad news over the last 24 hours as we find out four total people died in two separate avalanche incidents in Washington State. This article on ESPN provides a first-hand account of the events outside of Stevens Pass:

ESPN Article

Our condolences to the friends and family of the victims.

I went to grad school with Pete Wagner in Boulder from 2004-2006. While most of our class mates were trying to figure out what they wanted to do with their lives, Pete had a simple and focused plan: Build custom skis. After we graduated, he started Wagner Custom Skis, and the rest of the story involves a ton of hard work and some amazing products.

Since OpenSnow is now rivaling The Weather Channel in terms of popularity:-), I thought that nothing would be better than a custom pair of OpenSnow skis. So I called Pete.

The process was simple: I filled out a short online questionnaire and then talked to Pete on the phone about what I liked (and didn’t like) in previous skis, how I skied, and what I wanted in a new ski. In short, I wanted a one-ski quiver: Light enough for a backcountry AT setup, wide enough for powder, and quick enough to rip turns on groomers. And after working with Pete’s graphic designer, this is what we came up with (including a shout to out my alma matter, Penn State):

After skiing these skis for two months, I can say that they’re nothing short of spectacular. They do everything beautifully, and I don’t need to think about “Which ski do I need to take out for today’s conditions?”. Having one ski that does it all is simply incredible.

In another post, I’ll show some short videos of Pete explaining the ski design and what goes into making a beautiful ski that seems to “just work” in all conditions.

Absolutely amazing story and amazing accomplishment!

Very excited that Outside Magazine recognized us as one of the top 10 snow sports sites. Well, they called us a “blog”, but I think the daily forecasts, reports, LiveSnow, Alerts, and Ask the Weatherman might propel us above blog category. Either way, we’re thrilled to be on the list and thanks for your support!