2019 - 2020 Far West Skier's Guide - 64-20

The 2019-2020 Ski Season officially opens - very early!
From Summit Daily News / October 11, 2019

Ski season kicked off Friday with early A-Basin opening.
Keystone opens Saturday!
FRISCO - Just as skiers and riders were getting excited for ski
season to kick off Saturday at Keystone Resort, Arapahoe Basin Ski
Area announced at 1:45 p.m. Friday that it would start spinning the
Black Mountain Express lift at 3:30 p.m. The lift will reopen at 8:30
a.m. Saturday, Oct. 12, providing access to the High Noon intermediate
trail. After closing for the 2018-19 season July 4, A-Basin was closed
for only 99 days, the shortest off-season in its history, according to a
news release.

through Memorial Day, the two resorts will offer one of the longest ski seasons in the country ... ," Keystone's new Vice President and General
Manager Jody Churich was quoted as saying in the release. "Our mountain operations team put in a tremendous amount of hard work to get our
new snowmaking system ready for Keystone's early opening," Churich said.
Both ski areas are reporting an 18-inch base on a mix of manmade and natural snow.

Looking Ahead

"We did this because the snow is really good, our people are anxious, and we
After the first major storm of the season dropped as much as 12
are ready to go," A-Basin Chief Operating Officer Alan Henceroth wrote inches in the peaks surrounding Summit County, the weather forecast
in his blog. "We thought it would be fun."
looks warm and dry. "It's kind of like Groundhog Day probably until late
next week," National Weather Service meteorologist Dennis Phillips said
Keystone to open Saturday
about a forecast that calls for highs in the upper 50s to low 60s for
Keystone Resort will open at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 12, its earliest the coming week. "There will be some high passing clouds, but otherwise
opening day in more than 20 years.
we're going to be on a general warming trend through the rest of the weekKeystone will operate the River Run Gondola and Montezuma end." Phillips said high temperatures are expected to be seasonable or
Express lift with access to Schoolmarm, Silver Spoon and Last Chance slightly above normal. There is a possibility of a storm next weekend,
runs. Skiing and riding will be open from the top of Dercum Mountain he said, but it's too soon to say with any certainty.
to the bottom of the Montezuma lift. At the end of the day, skiers and
"If things pan out ... maybe toward next weekend," Phillips said about
riders will download on the River Run Gondola to return to the base the next chance for snow. The good news for ski resorts in the area
area.
is the overnight lows, which are forecast to be in the low 20s and even
In a press release, Keystone credited the early opening to signifi- teens.
cant investments in its snowmaking infrastructure, including an autoOfficials at Loveland Ski Area said the mountain will not open
mated system that allows the resort to operate more efficiently during this weekend but crews are still aiming for mid-October. Breckenridge
the early season.
Ski Resort and Copper Mountain Resort, both of which are in Summit
"With Keystone's early opening, and Breckenridge's plan to operate County, are scheduled to open Nov. 8. ss

Class of 2019 Inductees to be Honored in Park City, Utah
March 25-28, 2020
U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame Snowsport Pioneers Making History
In August, over 250 industry advocates
voted to determine the US Ski and Snowboard
Hall of Fame Class of 2019. The outstanding
individuals listed below were selected from a
pool of over 70 nominees to earn a spot in this
year's class.
Scott Brooksbank, Denver, CO - An inspirational pioneer of freestyle skiing, his competitive career spanned three decades earning
five world titles in over forty podium appearances. He continues to mentor the next generation of ski champions in the "art of the ski
turn".
Kit DesLauriers, Jackson, WY - After
winning consecutive freestyle championships,
Kit DesLauriers accomplished greatness by becoming the first person to climb and ski down
the summits of the highest peaks of all 7 continents. She is one of the greatest female ski

mountaineers in history.
Johnny Spillane, Steamboat Springs, CO
- Johnny Spillane blazed the trail for nordic
combined in America, skiing to the first World
Championship gold in 2003, then leading
Team USA with an unprecedented three silver
medals at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.
Benjamin Finley & Arthur Clay, Marina del Rey, CA & Chicago, IL - Their nearly
50 year vision has created tens of thousands
of snowsports enthusiasts, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue across
the winter sports industry. The NBS' annual
gathering is one of the largest ski events in
America.
James Niehues, Loma, CO - James Niehues, with the utmost care to detail, has meticulously hand painted the overwhelming
majority of the trail maps in North America

that we all know, love and rely on to navigate
the often complicated network of trails and
lifts.
Greg Stump, San Diego, CA - Greg Stump
re-invented the ski movie, creating a body of
work that remains relevant and influential to
this day. Stump stopped making ski movies
when he presciently foresaw the dangers of
the extreme genre he helped create.
Sherman Poppen, Muskegon, MI - Often
called the "Grandfather of Snowboarding" Sherman Poppen invented the Snurfer in 1965,
and eventually sold over 1 million units. The
snurfer was the first mass produced snowboard. Poppen is credited to be the inventor of
the sport of snowboarding. ss

64 - 2O Far West Skier's Guide 2O19 - 2O2O / Digital Edition Insert

From US Ski and Snowboard Hall of
Fame, https://skihall.com/induction/

https://www.skihall.com/induction/

2019 - 2020 Far West Skier's Guide

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