Mountain Biking: Rubber side down- Time for a TurnaroundWell, my friends, things are finally looking up, and good timing, too, since I’m sure you’re all sick of me bitching. Recent bike build, including wheels… fun! In what feels like a fairly short time, I’ve come from sitting around … Continue reading → […]
- This Raised My PulseHey, baby… wanna ride? I may be injured, but I’m not dead yet. I can still have racy thoughts. Here’s more info. In other news, UBI was an awesome success! I had a blast. I highly recommend it. Overhaul day…. … Continue reading → […]
- Time for a Turnaround
- Edgy Veggie
Bigger mountains worth the drive?
Photo Credit: Breckenridge Ski Resort/Liam Doran
Are you one of the weekend warriors who ritually escapes to the mountains for steep runs and deep powder? Have you ever wondered about your commuting statistics?
I found these numbers for a one-way trip rather interesting. Hope you do too.
So let’s say you’re starting on the corner of 10th and Pearl and heading up to the mountains …
Eldora Mountain Resort
Driving time: 30 minutes
Distance: 17 miles
Gas used: 0.68 gallons
Money spent on gas: $1.90
A Basin Ski Area
Driving time: 1 hour, 41 minutes
Distance: 75 miles
Gas used: 3 gallons
Money spent on gas: $8.38
Winter Park Resort
Driving time: 1 hour, 43 minutes
Distance: 77.5 miles
Gas used: 3.1 gallons
Money spent on gas: $8.65
Copper Mountain
Driving time: 1 hour, 56 minutes
Distance: 89 miles
Gas used: 3.56 gallons
Money spent on gas: $9.94
Breckenridge Ski Resort
Driving time: 2 hours, 3 minutes
Distance: 92 miles
Gas used: 3.69 gallons
Money spent on gas: $10.29
Vail Ski Resort
Driving time: 2 hours, 16 minutes
Distance: 109 miles
Gas used: 4.36 gallons
Money spent on gas: $12.16
A message for skiers and boarders: global warming = less powder
Maybe the message that global warming will cause large-scale displacement of people in Bangladesh doesn’t really resonate with you.
Perhaps the fact that coral atolls in the Pacific — whole countries like Kiribati and Tuvalu — are predicted to be completely consumed by sea level rise doesn’t really concern you.
But maybe this little fact about global warming will hit home with you: climate change = less power, a shorter ski season and fewer resorts.
That’ the hope of a Boulder-based group called Protect Our Winters, or POW, that’s hoping to motivate the winter sports community to do something about global warming.
Check out the video above to get a feel for their message, visit the group’s Web site, or read more about Protect Our Winter’s efforts at DailyCamera.com.
El Nino is Spanish for “fewer powder days”
Courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
It’s an El Nino year, again, which means that this winter could be a little grim for powder hounds in Colorado (unless you live around Telluride and Silverton).
For the Front Range and ski resorts north of Telluride — including Aspen, Vail, Breckenridge, etc. — an El Nino winter means a wet fall and a dry winter.
It doesn’t actually mean that less snow will fall, just that through December, January and February, there will be fewer storms — but those storms could dump more snow.
El Niño may mean fewer snowy days during the winter for most of Colorado’s resorts, according to Klaus Wolter, an atmospheric scientist who works with the University of Colorado and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“You get fewer storms, and once in awhile we’ll get hit and those storms can be healthy storms,” Wolter said. “But you shouldn’t expect a lot of powder skiing.” Read more
