Ski Europe Now

Back at It.

After a week of nuttiness, I can come up for air tonight and tomorrow.  Hopefully I can post some more information on resort openings in Europe.  Things have changed here and gotten quite warm.  I think our coldest day thus far has been only 24 degrees, or around minus 3 celcius.  Not very cold, especially considering our weather patterns for the last couple of years.

I have spent three days refresing my medical certifications, training for lift evacuations, and reviewing our policies, and another three days running around the mountain like a monkey putting up ropes and bamboo.  All this and money too.

Hiatus.

Just a quick note: the blog will be quiet for a few days while I attend my ski patrol refresher Friday through Sunday.  Maybe I'll have time to post here and there but not promising anything.

ISSW 2010 Update.

Here I am sitting the the lobby of the hotel hosting the ISSW 2010 blogging about it and so far it has been insightful.  I last attended this function in 2004 and found it quite boring: lots of heavy-duty science and very tecnical papers presente by folks whose grasp of everyday English was limited.  This ISSW has been much better.  I am not sure if this is a result of greater understanding of the subject matter on my part (doubtful), or if the committee responsible for choosing the papers to be presented have asked the presenting authors to please dumb down the talks.  I think it is the latter. 

The days still go fast, regardless of the scientific density of the papers.  Maybe that's because I am well lubricated.

Photo of the hall:

There are over 900 people registered at the conference; this is almost 100 people more than the last one in Davos in 2009.  Didn't know there were that many snow geeks.

Very nice facility and hotel.  Here is a photo of the main lobby with fantastic views of Squaw Valley:

Great place for an afternoon nap.

Coming Up for Air.

Day off from ISSW for a drive around the lake.  Hope to get some photos uploaded from the drive later today.  Toodles.

Winter is a Coming.

Nice crappy fall weather we're having on the last day of August in Jackson.  Hard, cold rain and cold temps (I think the high will be possibly in the mid forties).  I just signed up for the 2010 International Snow Science Workshop in Squaw Valley, CA in mid-October.  I can't believe I'm thinking about winter and ski patrolling already.

The ISSW is a geekfest to snow lovers; it is basically a bunch of snow geeks presenting esoteric papers on some mundane issue regarding snow and basically justifying their grant budgets.  I attended in 2004 and slept through a large number of the presentations.  It is a week vacation in Squaw Valley and the patrol will pay for it so not bad.  Three of us are going from Snow King so Kev and I will make Galen take extensive notes while Kev and I sneak out and drink and screw off.  Hopefully one or two presentations will be interesting.  The most pressing question: what booze to bring?

Mini Vacation.

Just got back from a bullet run down to Eden Utah for an instructor refresher/recertification for the NSP.  I have also been appointed the avalanche advisor for the northern region of the Intermountain division of the NSP.  Sounds like I need to start thinking about avi stuff already.  Crimeny.