If you go to Google and start typing “Obsession with weather”, all-knowing Google will offer up a couple of options for you to select (rather than have you finish typing “weather”), one of which includes “British obsession with weather”.

Being British, having lived there for the first 28 years of my life, and still calling home regularly to talk to my Dad, I can attest that there is indeed a large degree of truth in this. The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported that the British use talking about the weather as a social prop – an icebreaker. Supposedly 70% of British people check the weather forecast at least once a day.

However, the first result in Google, “7 Reasons The British Obsession With Weather is A Myth” – while it doesn’t really do anything to de-bunk this theory – is worth reading because it made me laugh, and we (I) could all do with a lot more of that these days. There’s some strictly British references there you’ll need to understand to get the jokes, but #1 is worth it on its own.

When you’re in an industry which to an extremely large extent is dependent on the weather, talking about snow, the next storm, how much we’ll get, how little we just got, why we haven’t had enough when there was forecast to be so much more……………(you get the snow-drift), really does become an obsession.

Last season, we had an excellent year for snow. Started off strong – 144 inches by December 31, 396 inches by season-end which was 10% over our 10-year average. That was the year of La Nina and – supposedly – we were going to have another La Nina season in 2011-12. So, we all got excited about getting huge portions of snow, and what did we get? Sunny blue sky days, the occasional dusting of light snow (measured in hundredths of an inch such was the paucity of the amounts involved) and a perception that conditions on mountain were dreadful and it wasn’t even worth bothering to come up and see for yourself. Might as well go to Denver and play golf in 67° temperatures.

In some respects, all that was true – although all things considered as far as our mountain was concerned, the groomed trails were holding up very well indeed. It’s the tougher stuff that was closed, which in reality only 10% of the skiing population can ski anyway.

We had a great storm yesterday – I was surprised it only delivered 7½ inches, but on top of the 15½ we’ve had in the last 10 days, things are certainly turning around – rapidly. We’re now at 81” for the season, 91 trails are open and – with it being mid-week – I fully expect we’ll top 100 trails by the weekend at our Winter Park Ski Resort.

So what went wrong with the “La Nina Part Deux” forecasts? Well, apparently it was happening, but much further north than anyone anticipated. I’m sure the Northwest Territories loved it. However, as pointed out by my colleague on our Vacations Inc Facebook page on January 13, as from yesterday, the storm track is substantially further south and – as a consequence – we’re going to see storms we haven’t seen the likes of since – er – last season. Snowforecast.com reckons we’ll get 1 inch Wednesday night, 2-4 Thursday, a trace Friday and 2-4 Saturday. Lovely Jubbly.

With 96 skiing days still left in the season, now is probably a good time to make those Winter Park lodging reservations that have been put on hold pending better conditions, and take advantage of some great (and I mean great) discounts we’ve rolled out for the rest of the season. Buy one, get 50% off the second, and free night deals on stays of 3 nights or more. Go to our specials page for more details on Winter Park CO packages and ski Winter Park!

On July 28, 2011, I received letter from C.A. Lane, Assistant General Manager of Winter Park Resort, informing us that “The Lift” Red & Purple shuttle routes were being discontinued for the 2011-12 ski season. In it, he suggested that a “coalition of those concerned could develop a funding plan that would take advantage of Winter Park Resort’s existing contract with our transportation provider, First Transit”.

News of this actually broke in the Sky Hi Daily News the day before I got the letter and included a couple of quotes from me expressing my (negative) opinion regarding this cancellation. I followed up with a Letter To The Editor voicing my opinion of the decision and the need to find a short-term solution for next season and address a long-term solution for a publicly funded valley-wide transportation system

On August 10, 2011: I went before the Chamber of Commerce Board requesting their commitment and assistance in giving direction and actively participating in the discussion to find short- and long-term solutions. There was quite a time lapse between this Board meeting and “action” to address the issue, but finally on October 3, 2011 at the Fraser Town Hall, there was the first meeting held among what could be deemed a “Working Party” of interested and affected parties, where the cancelled bus service was discussed, a “target” service of a combined Red & Purple day route with continuation of the Purple night route broached, and a potential funding requirement of $145,000 hypothesized. Working within these parameters, Jon de Vos of Allegiant Management and I, “for” the management company-HOA side of things, were to approach our own HOA’s, the property managers of others or – if self-managed – try and contact the Board President – and pitch a commitment level of support which – together with other “hoped for” contributions – would meet the financial target.

Over the next two weeks, a flurry of activity commenced with countless phone calls and e-mails explaining the problem to all property managers and affected HOA’s, the course of action decided on to find a solution, and requests for commitments at a prescribed level. Overall, the responses were overwhelmingly favorable, and the key Associations in the “impact zone” stepped up to the plate and pledge their support.

On October 17, 2011, a Working Party Meeting #2 was held at Fraser Town Hall. The original $145,000 total cost originally floated had been amended to $136,000 based on slight amendments to service deemed necessary. It was revealed that with funding amounts from specific HOA’s, Town of Fraser and Grand County – roughly split 50/50 – sufficient monies had been pledged to provide the “fixed core service” for next season (see below) although there was still a slight shortfall to make up the (deemed necessary) additional bus service during peak time periods, defined as weekends and holidays.

On October 18, 2011, I received confirmation that another HOA had committed and this – together with additional monies pledged from CMC and Allegiant and a “guarantee” from within the coalition to bridge the gap should no further funds be forthcoming, we have 100% of the cost of service covered.

We are still in the process of soliciting HOA’s, on the route, who are currently not contributing, to join the program. While official “The Lift” stops will not be posted outside any of the Winter Park condo complexes, First Transit will not deny their rider’s service but will attempt to educate them of the need to readdress their board’s negative decision – perhaps by way of a flyer or other short letter to pass on to the Board. Similarly, we may investigate a “bus pass” system for residences on the route and that avail themselves of the service, but are not within an HOA.

This has been – out of necessity probably due to time constraints – a relatively unconventional, unorthodox way of trying to solve this problem. It is by no means perfect and there are bound to be detractors. However, the respective financial commitments have been made with the requisite authority at Board or municipal level and the general level of support and participation has been overwhelmingly positive. Attention now turns to the effort in finding a desired the long-term solution by way of public transit system for the valley.

Details of Service:

• Day shuttle will be a “New Purple” line, effectively a combined route of areas previously serviced by both Red & Purple lines in 2010-11.
• Day shuttle, on entering USA Hwy 40 from CR 8, will then take a direct “non-stop” shot to the Winter Park ski area (with the exception of “dropping off” people in Fraser or Winter Park). Night shuttle will replicate service to areas provided by the night Purple line in 2010-11.
• Night shuttle will replicate service to areas provided by the night Purple line in 2010-11.

Days of Operation:

• Buses will operate for the 159 days of the 2011-12 ski season, commencing Wednesday November 16, 2011 through Sunday April 22, 2012.

• Additional bus service to cope with “Peak” demand time periods will on an as required basis to cover most Saturdays and Sundays, except November 19-20 and April 21-22 (42 days) as well as the following Holidays (12 days):

-        Christmas Week: December 26-30, 2011

-        MLK Day: January 16, 2012

-        President’s Day: February 201, 2012

-        Main Spring Break Week: March 12-16, 2012

An approximation of 250 hours of additional “Peak” service (estimated 4-5 hours per day for 54 days) were factored in to the equation.

Hours of Service:

Day:

-        2 buses per hour from (1 bus every half-hour) 7:30AM to 5PM with the exception of 11AM-2PM where there would be 1 bus per hour.

-        This would effectively mean half-hour service 7:30AM – 10:30AM, hourly service 11AM-2PM, then half-hour service again 2PM-5PM.

Night:

-        Bus #1 starting at 5:30PM to 10:00PM (last run), once every half-hour

Route:

Day:

-          Start Winter Park Resort

-          Hwy 40 to Fraser, Right on CR804-MeadowRidge Road.

-          R on CR834-Cranmer

-          L on CR837-Balsh

-          R on CR836-Hughes

-          R on CR8360-Spinner

-          R on CR834-Cranmer

-          R on CR838-East Meadow Mile

-          L on CR840-West Meadow Mile

-          R on Meadow Lane

-          L on CR832-Meadow Mile

-          R on CR8500-Jabberwocky

-          Loop through Silvercrest, L on CR8500-Jabberwocky

-          R on CR832-Meadow Mile

-          R on Cranmer Pl

-          R on Wapiti Drive

-          L on CR8

-          L on US Hwy 40

-          R on Winter Park Drive to Winter Park Resort

Stops:

-          Safeway (on CR804)

-          Needles Eye & Railbender

-          Cabins at Porcupine Ridge

-          Eagle Ridge on the Summit

-          Elk Court Cabins

-          Lookout Village

-          Indian Peaks

-          Winter Park Tennis Club & Acadia

-          Meadowridge Ct #22, #17/18A/Clubhouse, Ct #29, Ct #26, Ct #6

-          The Pines

-          Bavarian Village

-          Silvercrest

-          (flag) Upper & Lower Ptarmigan

-          Twin Rivers

-          Winter Park Resort

Night:

-          Start Safeway Shopping Center

-          R on CR804-MeadowRidge Road.

-          R on CR834-Cranmer

-          L on CR837-Balsh

-          R on CR836-Hughes

-          R on CR8360-Spinner

-          R on CR834-Cranmer

-          R on CR838-East Meadow Mile

-          L on CR840-West Meadow Mile

-          R on Meadow Lane

-          L on CR832-Meadow Mile

-          R on CR8500-Jabberwocky

-          Loop through Silvercrest, L on CR8500-Jabberwocky

-          R on CR832-Meadow Mile

-          R on Cranmer Pl

-          R on Wapiti Drive

-          L on CR8

-          L on US Hwy 40

-          L on CR804-MeadowRidge Road

Stops:

-          Safeway Shopping Center

-          Needles Eye & Railbender

-          Cabins at Porcupine Ridge

-          Eagle Ridge on the Summit

-          Elk Court Cabins

-          Lookout Village

-          Indian Peaks

-          Winter Park Tennis Club & Acadia

-          Meadowridge Ct #22, Ct #17/18A/Clubhouse, Ct #29, Ct #26, Ct #6

-          The Pines

-          Bavarian Village

-          Silvercrest

-          (flag) Upper & Lower Ptarmigan

-          Twin Rivers

-          Safeway

I got a nice compliment the other day, from my ex-employer surprisingly enough, in the form of “don’t you do enough work as it is”? I actually met him at the top-end of the Village at Winter Park Ski Resort in CO, by the Cabriolet, in my capacity as Volunteer Mountain Host – something I have done for the first time this season after having lived in the valley 20 years.

Those of you that ski this Colorado mountain will no doubt have see them (us) dotted around at the base early morning and later in the afternoon, as well as on the mountain during the day, in our dark yellow and black jackets. When riding the chairlifts with our visitors at our Winter Park destination, I’m often asked what the “job” entails, required commitments and benefits, so I thought I might share some insights with you this month for something different to talk about.

I said “job” in parentheses, because it is a volunteer position with no remuneration, other than a season pass in exchange for 10 days of service on the mountain. When I first started thinking about being a host, 10 days didn’t sound a whole lot, but trust me – it is – especially if you have a full-time job, family with kids (one about to graduate from High School, the other about to graduate from day-care), new puppy, and very little free time either to yourself or family.

I completed my 10^th and final day last Saturday, have been “invited” back next year, but have said I will take the summer to re-evaluate based on my experiences this winter. Yes – 10 days was a big commitment, each one starting at around 7:45AM and finishing at 4:45PM. If you want to put it in monetary terms, 90 hours for a $360.00 ski pass equates to $4.00/day. The Resort has itself an absolute bargain in my opinion. For those hosts who ski a bunch more days in addition to their 10 host days, I can see the value. One host was hoping to hit the 100 mark for the season. These individuals usually fit into the retired or don’t need to work (much) category and can therefore rack up their free days at will.

The only other occasions I have been on the mountain this season have been with my daughter on her Wednesday afternoon Learning Center Ski Program, or the occasional Monday (my day off) when she’s at home. Consequently, this season I have sorely missed the likes of Boiler, Cannonball, Coupler and Brakeman, The Chutes, Balch, Reta’s and Outrigger to name but a few of my favorites. Instead I’ve had to be content with endless passes down March Hare, Doormouse, Forget-me-Not (how could I?) and the perennial favorite Dilly-Dally-Alley.

Our day starts with an 8AM briefing from the Lead Host, who tells us what’s happening at the resort that day, expected numbers and things likely to happen, such as the need for “quadding”, a.k.a “line management”, when lift lines get too long and every seat on every chair needs to be maximized. We have radios to report any problems to the Lead Host – injuries we come across, non-injury assists down the mountain, lost children, lost parents, basically anything where a skier or snowboarder needs third party help in some form. With radio usage comes the need to learn a set of codes and correct radio protocol. We carry grooming reports, trail maps, guest guides, ski & ride school brochures – a veritable walking (skiing) brochure rack at times.

The 8:30-10:00AM “welcome at the base” and 3:00-4:45PM “farewell, thanks for coming” duties, where we stand around at designated posts with the big circled “?” at the end of a pole – for me – was torture! I’m very happy to help people find what they need to find, but for many, they think they are the first person to make a wise-crack and say something like “so what’s your question”, or “what do you need to know” or words to that effect. In the morning, I’m itching to get on the mountain. In the afternoon, I’m itching to get home and have a beer!

The two skiing shifts – 10:00AM-12:00 and 1:00PM-2:45PM, usually don’t end up as skiing at all. We have designated zones to roam, and we’re either quadding, or skiing from one “assist” to another. An assist is defined as actual physical help in some form that is not directional or answering a question. The “usuals” are helping someone stand up, knocking snow off the bottom of someone’s ski boot when they can’t get their ski back on, pushing the back binding down – again when they can’t get their ski back on – that sort of thing.

When on-mountain numbers are low – such as right now – or you luck out with a great zone (read the Panoramic lift, or the Pioneer) or you get the Mountain Tour assignment (yes – free tours leaving 10AM and 1PM daily) – the prospects rise dramatically that you’ll be able to cruise more than assist. And cruising is just about all we’re allowed to do – nothing harder than a blue run, because most of the help is needed on the blues and greens. I did 16 assists on March Hare on 1 day alone – March 13 2011 will be forever etched in my memory!

Having skied Winter Park Ski Resort 20 years, there is very little I do not know about the mountain, the trails, and how to navigate around. The big eye-opener was the sheer volume of information you are expected to acquire and recall regarding all on-mountain and base area operations. Literally, the need to know answers to hundreds of questions can be a little overwhelming. We even had to complete a series of quizzes testing our knowledge. They took me 8 hours to complete!

Bottom line, in my opinion, the Volunteer Hosts are a necessary and key ingredient to visitor satisfaction and guest service, and they are worth every penny of their ski pass! Yes, there were elements of my own hosting that I did enjoy – especially the grateful responses to my many assists, and in particular when I could help out a Children’s Ski School Instructor with a struggling 4-year-old who was way behind the rest of the group and, having fallen, was in some distress. It was a bit like returning a duckling to its mother after having been left behind on the pond. But as for standing around with that Question Mark sign………………………

This is wonderful news!

Favorite Family~Friendly Resort…..voted by viewer’s choice with OnTheSnow.com.

Really want to give Kudos to all the Winter Park locals (year-round and seasonal) for helping to promote us with fantastic service to all of our guests: adults AND children!

I have some top reasons:

1. fantasti ski instructors
2. realistic ‘child’ pricing
3. kids welcome everywhere ~ not JUST a party town
4. we promote the love of skiing – and the passion begins

What are some of your TOP reasons you keep bringing your family to Winter Park?

March 1^st is usually highlighted on my calendar for a variety of reasons. Not because it is the anniversary of Yahoo!’s incorporation (1995), or the birthday of The Who’s Roger Daltrey (67 this year) but because it signifies the start of the busiest month of the year for reservations, a month which historically provides the most amount of snow in any one month of the year, the first “sniff” of the end of the season (albeit just under 8 weeks still to go), and if it coincides with sunshine and warmer temperatures, the definite feeling of spring.

Winter Park Ski Resort plays host to two major National competitions at the end of March which should help boost not just occupancy numbers, but media attention as well.

The first is the Nature Valley NASTAR Nationals, from March 24^th to March 27^th, and is actually the second year of two that it is being held at Winter Park Resort. Last year’s event was hugely successful, with an estimated 1,500 competitors and 5,000 incremental visitors staying in the valley at that time, purely for the event. If you want to know what NASTAR is all about, I wrote two blog posts last year on the subject covering 25 facts about the event itself and its history.  Go to our website www.vacationsinc.com, type in NASTAR in the “Search Our Site” box, and it will take you to the appropriate links. Alternatively, try these:

http://www.vacationsinc.com/1891/15-facts-about-nastar/

http://www.vacationsinc.com/1901/10-more-facts-about-the-nastar-nationals-2010/

The second competition is the U.S. Alpine Championships, held over March 31^st through April 3^rd. This is the first time the event has returned to Winter Park since 1992, which was actually my first season in the valley (after arriving on a slow train from Chicago)! And there’s a mildly amusing story to go with it.

It was my first year in the U.S, and I was “traveling” on a 6-month entry visa – back in the days when you could get such a thing without being photographed, finger-printed, body-searched, x-rayed and interrogated, and I had wound up in Winter Park working for a lodging establishment that paid me $2.50/hour with room and board and a half-price season pass which still cost me more than if I had paid 100% of a season pass this year!

Anyway, working an evening job, I was already in excess of 100 days for the season when the US Nationals rolled into town and I even helped out the Chamber on a couple of events in order to get some free swag (I still have my head-band in cold storage to prove it). Being fresh out of England and more intent on honing my mogul skills than following the US race scene, I didn’t really know who was who, only that the top racers came fully clad in body-hugging Spyder spandex race gear and curved poles for extra streamlining!

And it was one such female racer that joined a friend and I as we were going up the Zephyr Express lift for the first or second time that day. The conversation went something like this:

Me:        How are you doing?

Her:       Great, how about you guys?

Me:        Wonderful, thanks. I’m Brian and this is Dave.

Her:       I’m Hilary.

Me:        Nice to meet you. (Pause…….) So – are you having a good season so far?

Her:       Yes, not bad thanks.

And we chatted for the remainder of the 7-minute chairlift ride and she went on her speedy way and we went on ours, although considerably less speedy. We found out later in the day that Hilary was none other than Hilary Lindh, who the previous month had won Silver Medal for the US in the Women’s Downhill at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France.

Anyway, even though we were ignorant, at least we were polite!

If truth be told, not all the Alpine disciplines are featured, because the US downhill championships were held in Aspen, CO on February 16 “in order to ensure solid winter snow conditions and maximize use of the already prepared speed track”. The reason may have more to do with the true lack of vertical on any one mountain at Winter Park than anything else.

Consequently, the three disciplines of giant slalom, super G and slalom will be up for grabs, and without question Lindsey Vonn will be at the center of attention, especially as she has run into some decent form recently, winning the Downhill and then placing second in the Super G in Are, Sweden 2 days ago.

It’s great to have two such high-profile events at the resort this season with the attendant crowds and publicity they should bring. I’m a volunteer Mountain Host this season and two of my days on-mountain coincide with the NASTAR Nationals Saturday, and US Nationals Slalom event on Sunday. Maybe my chairlift ride up with a female downhill superstar might include a little more informed conversation! Ski vacations at Colorado’s Winter Park can be the perfect way to spend time doing what Coloradoans love to do best. Find Colorado vacation rentals in Winter Park here from Vacations Inc.!