Category: Snow

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Home Mountain: Sugar Bowl, CA

I feel my heart beating all the way thru my long underwear and fleece and waterproof jacket. The beat gets louder, blood rushing up my neck, the thumping of my heart louder than tunes already pumping in my ears. I stop to breath in the crisp air of another pristine blue bird day- Latitude, Longitude 39.288476, -120.326235. I have a 360-degree view atop this mountain, it graciously demands respect by just looking at the views. It gives snow to all that love it, my mountain, for it is my home. For some reason, everyone slept in today so I get to ride the palisades with three other damn lucky friends + a handful of other lucky blue birders.

I am shaking with anticipation … our group of four traverses westward high lining to our favorite spines and chutes. We get to the wind shaped breaking “snow waves” and it’s time. My eyes widen like a goggled cartoon character as I take in the pitch. I drop in, and my stomach drops out like I am on the crux of a rollercoaster ride. When my edge hits the snow, prismatic sparkles of each flake spray everywhere catching the light of the sun making it all seem so surreal. The intensity of the rush comes rushing out in a top of the lungs, ”whoooo-hoooo!!!” I am sucking in snow spray as I move fast and blind down my line. Hoots and hollers are heard all around, people dropping in on their own favorite space out here. For the moment, there is enough fresh snow for all partaking.

When we get to the bottom, everyone is wearing a powder moustache smile and it’s high fives all around. The rush fulfilled until the next run. The wonderful ectasy of enjoying a great day on the snow with friends is a feeling like no other. As we look up at the love we just rode, all of us claim best powder day ever…till the next one.
Thank you for all the great days, Sugar Bowl, CA. Sometimes the love is tough I must admit. It is supposed to be summer up here, yet you are still blanketed in so much snow on this day in June. XOXO

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Home Mountain: Big Boulder, PA

It’s simple; my home mountain is my home. It only takes 2 minutes to walk to and this is the only place where it is free to communicate, think, and shred freely. Big Boulder is the place to let your riding speak for its self. There are many friends who come together to do one thing they love, shred. The vibe that the people bring is so positive it lights up the sky for us to ride upon every prime day the sun brings. We have memories that no one will understand unless you were physically there. Many big time skiers developed from Big Boulder and there are more to come. Go inside the couch filled lodge, watch a ski movie, eat some candy, and socialize or rack the goggles on the nose, glove the hands, click in, and slide the snow crystals that await for you. This is my home mountain, Big Boulder PARK, PA, the place I live for, the one mountain I love.

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Home Mountain: Loon Mountain, NH

when i moved here in 86 from milford mass it was because i no longer felt safe and secure there; but my mountain home IS my heart. i ski it, climb it , camp on it , it shields me from the outside world with its cool shadows and icy cold waters that gush from its depths. it is home to many creatures big and small and a part of the national forest. when i look at there ice capped tops in the winter or the clouds scraping there peaks in the summer i am in aw at there breath taking beauty of nature.

Living in the mountains in a world of endless modification and streaming technology, you will find peace. They are widely known for their beauty and serenity.

When life tends to get too complicated, too quick, too sloppy, or too deadline-oriented then the only place which can relieve your soul, a place where you can head for inspiration, a simple peaceful life, where you are in harmony with the innovation of nature that is the lap of nature “Mountains”.

1. Health Benefits
The primary reason for living on a mountain is for health reasons. Your physical and mental health will both improve.

Away from the chaos and pollution of the city. The fresh air of mountains will give you a disease-free healthy life.

Mountains evoke physical activity. This keeps you active and fit and lowers your risk of heart disease.

The aroma of the mountains, combined with the peaceful environment, promotes sleep and improves mental health.

2. Privacy
Living in the mountains is ideal for those who want a peaceful and calm environment, and who want to create their small world away from people’s interference.

Mountains provide privacy and the best environment for finding your soul and living in harmony with nature. Nothing beats a mountain life for those seeking calmness and stillness in life.

3. Weather
Have you ever wanted to spend your summers in a natural air conditioner, away from scratching heat, and want to experience the most pleasant?

However, apart from the summers, have you ever fantasized about spending your winters somewhere where you wake up to snow outside your window glass?

If you answered yes, then the mountains are the place for you to call home. Mountains have the best weather throughout the year.

4. Nature
If you live in the mountains, you live in a place of spectacular natural beauty, I try to live a natural life has so many physical and mental benefits, I also use the THC plant to help with my health with the Exhale’s delta 8 THC and it helps with my daily routine. Plants and animals thrive much more voluntarily on mountains, where population density is lower.

If you love to be far enough away from city life and love to spend time with nature. Living in mountains is all you need if you love nature and all its creation.

Cons Of Living In The Mountains
Despite its benefits, everything in the universe has some drawbacks. Living in the mountains can be a fantastic experience, but there are some weaknesses.

1. Not Easy To Configure
Building on a mountain is a complicated and very tough job.

If you are starting up, you will have to go through a lengthy process for which you will need a large budget.

Constructing a home on a mountain can be expensive because the workers who participate in the process risk their lives and work even in extreme weather. Transporting materials and goods on the construction site can also be difficult.

2. Distance With Access To Amenities
The major drawback you can face while living in the mountains is you will be far away from city life and amenities.

There will be no highways. Sometimes you have to walk. There are no 24-hour services available, no place for parking, shops close slightly earlier, and you have to stock everything you will need. You may also encounter network issues from time to time.

Special Update From SASS Global Travel

For the first time since 1960, the Puyehue Volcano in neighboring Chile experienced an eruption event this past weekend. Luckily, with over six weeks to go until the start of our program, this shouldn’t have an impact on our 2011 operations. But, as with any volcanic event, this has dramatically (but temporarily) affected airport operations in the region. SGT is closely following the impact in Argentina and will be making updates over the next few weeks, take a look and call 800.851.4660 with any questions or concerns:

• The event should have no impact on our Argentina program operations for 2011.
• The city of San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina (where SGT operates) is not threatened by any explosions or lava flow from the volcano. Seriously.
  
• Based on today’s (June 7) reports from Chile’s National Geology and Mines Service, the eruption is presently considered “moderate,” and most activity should end within two weeks.
• The Bariloche airport (BRC), along with other airports in Chile and Argentina, have been temporarily placed on a ground hold because of airborne volcanic ash. The Bariloche airport is expected to re-open June 21 – more than a month before the start of our program. No flights in July are being cancelled.
• The city of Bariloche was affected by a single day of falling ash carried east from Chile, and a clean-up effort is presently underway by city and provincial authorities.
• No earthquakes were reported in Bariloche or the Rio Negro province.
• The clean water supply in Bariloche is unaffected by the ash fall.

SASS Global Travel and our air travel division, SGT Air Corp., are available to answer any questions regarding registrations or flight plans. Again, present reports indicate that there should be no impact on operations for the 2011 season in Argentina. But, if you’d like to talk with us, you can reach SGT at 800.851.4660, and SGT Air Corp. at 800.672.7470. We look forward to a great season in Argentina for 2011!

The SASS Global Travel Management Team

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HOME MOUNTAIN: Cannon Mountain, NH

A Home Mountain is not a home mountain, if you can’t drive there and back faster than taking a run, with lift time included. However, I have managed to find a home mountain, that being Cannon MTN in New Hampshire. What a great season I had there, starting off with early open, great snowmaking, massive dumps, and of course the long lasting spring hiking.  Cannon was the top notch in the area this season, getting almost 300in for the year, which is a lot for the east coast. I work an afternoon job, so getting up early was the best, going out the door to see snow falling on Cannon. I did not measure the distance, but I know it takes me fifteen minutes to leave my house, drive, park, boot up, and get on the lift. This made for a lot of day of being on snow, possibly my second most for a season, first being my season working on Loon Mtn. However, Cannon is a rider’s mountain, putting double pitch fall trails all over, and trails that hang off the mountain. I think my first time riding at Cannon was my first time almost flying into the woods. If you have never been to Cannon, it is by far the place to be. Riders are home here, while yuppies and their thousand dollar jackets go ph-ut ph-ut around Loon.  What a great snowmaking team they have at Cannon, and how great to see that Cannon allows them to ski while doing their gun run. I mean how you can be a good snowmaker if you can’t ski all the time, the love has to be there, and nothing lets you get a good snow feel than being on your skis. But, more still is the amazing feel of Cannons freedom, whale backs from the snow guns are like a play place for any sort of free style. Massive spines, spikes, side hips, and step-up piles that made for a great early season for me. Blasting down the front five into my favorite whale back sliding the crest, and jumping over to the powder that just fell the day before, call it heaven. Sadly that was a short week, as the groomers had to push out the whales.  This season also took off with a rough start as there were two deaths early on. I like to think of Cannon as that business woman you see power walking down the road in the suit. She is one damn good looking lady, but she means business. So, when patrol says trail closed, better listen, because that’s like taking orders from the lady. I think my season was close to five days every week at Cannon, a few weeks of seven days. Wow, I almost forgot the Mittersill area, well perhaps that would be best for another essay, but that area is amazing too. Find the old ski lift, and riding under those towers is amazing.

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HOME MOUNTAIN: Big Boulder Resort, PA

Born in Florida, it was hard to wrap my head around what my dad would talk about as his favorite feeling in the world, on thin little blades, clipping through the snow. Then when I was 8 we moved out of the city and in the Pocono Mountains to live in our summer cabin in the small town of Blakeslee, Pennsylvannia. When we stayed through the winter that year, I experienced snow for the first time and that christmas, my dad bought me a pair of skis. We rode together all the time. My dad was pretty quick but I’m a fast learner. I love the speed of skis, but rails and jumps and boxes always caught my eye. There was no way I was going to start doing splits on them in my skis, so I learned how to snowboard by taking lessons through my school. Then I eventually became an instructor at boulder and built up the nerve to clear a jump and do a 360 and frontside rails. I’ve grown so much through my home mountain. Its not just a great past time, but a center fold in the creation and building of me as a person. Through this mountain, I became closer to nature, family, my sanity through self meditation, and a love I’ve had ever since I first got on a snowboard.

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HOME MOUNTAIN: Sol Vista, CO

Why do I love my mountain? Because I’ve made it my own. I know every inch of slopes, and most of the stuff in between. I can take any trail and ride it blind folded. I love it because it is home to me. It is a place I can go that is familiar, but also new every day. The trails are the same, but what I can do on those trails is up to my imagination. Sometimes I just need to cruise, but there are days where I don’t want to be able to feel my legs after last chair. I love my mountain because it IS mine.

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We love this video – classic Andrew Burns and Bowl-u shredding, 16 mil, and an awesome travel piece on Bariloche.  Our Head Videographer Jon Conway put this one together back in ’08, enjoy and show some love for his new digital studio, Dojo Magic Studio

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HOME MOUNTAINS: Wintergreen Resort, VA; Stratton, VT; Squaw Valley, CA; Park City, UT; Mt. Hood, OR; Cerro Catedral, Argentina

My definition of “Home Mountain” has been in constant flux over the years as I have moved from state to state and coast to coast. I have probably given a different answer every time I am asked in order to represent fairly, usually depending on my mood and how rebellious I am feeling. If I am on the east coast, I will probably answer somewhere west and vice versa. I guess you could argue that this approach has potential ramifications; including split personality disorder… or perhaps that I don’t really have a home mountain and therefore don’t have any true roots. I, however, disagree. Usually, I just give a one-word answer for convenience purposes. Let’s get real, if I were to go on a rant at every competition about how I have more than one home mountain, I would either get a death stare or be completely ignored. Not to mention, no one really cares how different mountains have shaped my experience when they are trying to register hundreds of athletes. So, I have learned to compromise by offering up a different mountain every time. At first, I was distraught about which mountain to choose. But as I continued to move around and call different mountains home, I started to understand it really didn’t matter. It wasn’t about which mountain was home, it was about the fact that there was a home. The amazing thing about the snowboarding world is the “home” that is created at any mountain. No matter how the mountain fosters that “home,” we are able to find a niche where we can build family-like relationships with people who share a common passion and bond. There is an unspoken understand and appreciation that keeps us coming back for more, because we have found a place that is safe – a place where we can express love freely and share that with the people around us. Whether the mountain is 2 miles down the road, or thousands of miles away in Argentina, we are able to find this bond and experience that keeps us constantly coming back for more. So much so, that even when we are far away we can still call that place home, and still know that when we go back, although it might not be the same, we can still find the comfort and passion that brought us there in the first place. This is why I love any mountain that I was lucky enough to call home; they have all instilled a sense of self and place, and inspired me to pursue passion, and given me the comfort that no matter where I go, I can always carry a piece of home with me.

Head SGT Argentina filmer Jon Conway, back at us with some sick Whistler snowboard action

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All we can say is that Burns goes bigger…