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This weekend  is the annual football contest between Wyoming and Colorado State.  This hotly contested game of pigskin will take place at the University of Wyoming this year.  The teams play for respect and the coveted Golden Boot.  Legend has it that this is the longest running college rivalry west of the Mississippi.  I can’t believe I am quoting  these facts on the blog.  College Football is one of the things I make it a point to not talk about.

As if the game will not be enough fun, I will be watching the game with several alums of each school.  None of whom care aout organized sports save for this game.  I don’t think they really care if their team wins for any reason other than the bragging rights it will give them over the other for an entire year.

After years of evaluation, testing and public comment I have finally decided on my new ski “kit” or outfit.  The last outerwear I purchased for skiing or snowboarding was in 2001.  After seven years in this Bonfire outfit I think I have finally earned some new threads.  This was not an easy decision to reach.  I finally broke down when I could no longer make the jacket waterproof.  There are so many things to consider when purchasing a new ski kit.  Function, Style, Technology, Materials……  After years of careful consideration this is the garment that I have decided to sport.

This is the Patagonia Powder Bowl Jacket in Fire Red.  There are a lot of reasons I like it.  The three major reasons are: 1. Made for 100% recycled material 2. Functional for the type of skiing I do. 3. Makes the pants I bought look even more killer than they already do.  Here they are.

These beauties are the Rossignol Tribe Shell Pant.  It should be noted that this is a freeride pant and will be used as such.  Mainly inbounds.  I have several other pants that I like to hike and tour in.  Although I am excited to check out the inner thigh vents on the Tribe Shell.  So If you see a 7′ man dressed like a smurf with no pants on coming down the hill.  Look out!  Anyone who likes the look of an outfit like this must be out of control.

Okay, I am officially amped up for winter now.  I woke up this morning to blue skies.  Nothing special expect we haven’t seen the sun in weeks here.  The clouds departed and we caught a glimpse of all the fresh powder that we have received in the past days.  We are up to 63″ for the year with 4″ falling last night.  It is almost enough to get me to the pass for some hot backcountry action, but one of my life goals is to not know an Orthopedist by first name so I am staying away from the pass until we get a little more snow.

The really big news that got me fired up is that the Teton’s greatest repair shop is in full swing.  Next to receiving all the new skis this is the thing that really gets me fired up for the upcoming season.  The repair shop is mounting and engraving our gigantic demo fleet.  It makes me feel like it is really happening.  Unfortunately, I am not allowed to participate in this activity.  Allegedly, I mis-engraved a few skis at one point in time.  I may have misremembered that, but it is neither here nor there really.  The real story is one of legend really.  It happened many years ago now in the original Crystal Springs building.  As some know there is a stocked trout pond behind our shop.  One particularly cold, snowy November day we were in the old building mounting and prepping Salomon Xscreams for the demo fleet and someone walked out on the frozen pond and started to drill a hole.  He pulled a beer out of his cooler and started ice fishing on the pond that had been transformed into a skating rink.  We watched as he pulled out several trout and proceeded to clean them.  He left the fish parts on the ice, threw the fish in his cooler, finished his beer and walked off.  Leaving a hole in the bloodstained ice.  It was an incredible site.

Anyway, it is go time here.  Get online, book one of these ridiculously cheap flights to Jackson and have the best ski vacation ever.

You know you are doing something right when someone puts enough faith in you to review a book.  As a self-proclaimed expert on everything Jackson Hole I have been asked to review a new book on Jackson and the surrounding area.  I received the book today and look forward to diving into it and giving it my honest opinion.  Check back later for a full report.  At first glance it looks great.

Today’s favorite product is a no-brainer in my opinion.

This is the Bogner Fire + Ice Nika pant in white print.  I don’t even need to try to sell this pant to you.  You know you want them.  You know you shouldn’t be caught dead on the slopes without them.  The real question is “Will you buy the matching Amiante jacket?

I awoke to fresh powder on the lawn and more falling.  The Teton’s have received 2″ since 6am this morning and we are off to a great start this year.  According to the Mountain Resort they are at a total of 56″ at the top which bodes well for a great opening!  Maybe that pair of Volant Chubbs we burned in sacrifice on Halloween was the secret after all.

We started this blog one year ago on November 17th with a similar photo (see thumbnail below). Slightly less snow right now but there is one thing that makes these photos much more exciting. The presence of the little red fun box called the tram was captured as it was MOVING up the cables.

I was feeling old today when I looked outside and noticed that there was snow on the ground.  The problem was that I didn’t get that “fresh snow” tingle in my spine.  Could I be sick of powder skiing after last season?  Not Possible.  So my conclusion is that since there isn’t enough snow to actually go skiing I wasn’t into snow this early in the year.  That makes me feel like Ebenezer Scrooge.  I never used to Humbug any kind of snow.

These where the issues I grappled with all morning.  Then on my way back to the office after lunch I saw something that lifted my spirits and made me remember that the off-season in a ski town can be fun.  Not only that, but you see things during the off-seasons in ski towns that you don’t see anywhere else.

“What was it?” you ask

I say three guys sitting on the side of the road in lawn chairs dressed in ski clothes holding a sign that said “You Honk, We Drink!”  And from the looks of it they had been there awhile.

In a way that makes me feel old too since I would never do something like that (anymore).  In the end though I guess it just made me grateful for being about to live in such a unique place and that in turn made me grateful for the snow on the ground.

Keep coming snow.  I have a whole bunch of new gear that needs to get used!

It amazes me that I never get sick of looking at all of the items we sell.  The collection of some of my favorites can be found here .  It fascinates me to think that even though I have been talking about and dealing with ‘08/’09 skis (I’ve even skied most of them already) for eight months I still go straight to the ski wall every time I walk into the shop and start playing with the new skis that have recently arrived.  Which reminds me a a funny story that occurred yesterday.  Apparently, a Jackson Hole celebrity was at the store yesterday while we were receiving our UPS shipment and said to one of the employees “Don’t you love it when the Big Brown Santa Sleigh pulls up with a bunch of boxes.  I love the Big Brown Santa.  He always drops off toys.”  I can’t think of a better way to put it.

Here is what the UPS Santa dropped off at the webquarters the other day.

This is the Skullcandy Skullcrusher.  It is an amazing set of headphones with an adjustable bass booster and volume control.  We carry it in several colors but this one is the best.  For those of you who do not understand the significance of this graphic.  It is the Santa Cruz “Screaming Hand Logo” and it is rad!  I don’t care if you have to recycle bottles for a year to get enough money to buy these.  Do it!

In the spirit of the day I would like to chime in with T.V.S’s projected winners.

We are projecting that Jackson Hole will be a winner this winter.  The new tram and a gigantic snow year last year have really swayed voter opinion.  Exiting polling it trending towards Jackson Hole winning re-election over it’s opponents.