Domestic Roundup: Resorts opening, Eldora Oktoberfest, monorails and ski balls

Domestic Roundup: Resorts opening, Eldora Oktoberfest, monorails and ski balls{mosimage}What global warming?

Loveland is no longer alone. Its Colorado sibling Arapahoe Basin opened the lift corrals for the first time on Friday, October 22nd. While it’s the earliest opening on record at A-Basin, the Friday date was only good enough for third in the race to open. California’s Mammoth Mountain took advantage of an absurd five feet of natural snowfall in five days to start the bullwheel turning on October 21st. Top to bottom skiing was also available at Boreal and Heavenly in the Lake Tahoe region. The storm that dumped snow on the California resorts continued through the Wasatch Mountains and has Snowbird reconsidering its November opening. No word on the opening day numbers, but considering Loveland surpassed its previous opening day record by 50 percent, the news should be good for the resorts. If the snow continues to fly at this rate, you may need to replace your rock skis with your powder boards come November.

Eldora’s Oktoberfest not actually in October

On Thursday evening November 4th, Eldora Mountain Ski and Snowboard Club (EMSC) and Single Track Mountain Bike Adventures (SMBA) will hold its 18th Annual Oktoberfest for the benefit of Front Range youth athletes. Along with beer, wine and scotch tasting, attendees will have the opportunity to bid on over $40,000 worth of merchandise, services and exotic experiences donated by local businesses and individuals. (Exotic experiences meaning balloon rides – get your mind out of the gutter.)

The Silent Auction begins at 6:00 p.m. and the live auction shortly after 8 p.m. Highlight auction items include: a week at Martha’s Vineyard, a four-day ski trip to Keystone, balloon rides, custom bike frames and being part of the Warren Miller Film experience. Tickets are $15 in advanced and $20 at the door. They are available at Boulder’s Liquor Mart, Christy Sports, Eldora Mountain Resort (Boulder office), the EMSC/SMBA office 303 447-8014. For more information and a list of the auction items visit the EMSC website .

Perhaps they were inspired by the Simpsons episode.

A study funded by more than $4 million in federal transit grants has concluded that the Rockies could safely be home to a monorail system. The idea is being researched as an alternative to building two more lanes of traffic on the often-congested I-70, which connects Denver to most of the skiing in the state. The proposed monorail would carry six to eight times the amount of people two lanes of traffic could.

The Fixed Guideway Authority, commissioned in 1998, found that new monorail technology using magnets to propel and stop the vehicle would in fact be safe in the rugged terrain along I-70. It would be a bargain too, at $38 million per mile (the lanes on the highway would cost $58 million a mile). The report will be submitted to Colorado’s state legislature in January.

Ski Ball CU style

The Colorado University Ski Team will hold its annual fundraising Ski Ball on November 12. Big names promise to attend, including Bill Marolt, Jimmy Heuga, Billy Kidd, Jeremy Bloom and Tyler Hamilton. Oh, and of course the CU ski team, who guarantee you will enjoy yourself (especially if you make large donations). Call 303-492-5401 for more information.

New Coaching Program in Canada

The CSCF, the Canadian Ski Coach Foundation (but also incidentally the Swiss Center of Fauna Mapping) will implement a new program for its coaches this season. The existing course required to obtain Level 2 status is a five-day program in which coaches are evaluated by peers. The new program identifies three stages of recognition for a coach Trained, Certified, and Certified Advanced. The level of commitment necessary in order to reach each stage is connected to the expected level of coaching. To reach the Certified Advanced stage, a coach must attend a three- to five- day speed camp, perform competition duties, and demonstrate communication skills. For more information call the office at 1-800-811-6428 or click here.

Got an idea or a complaint about the Roundup? E-mail your comments to webeditor@insideinc.com

Previous Ski Racing Roundups:

INTERNATIONAL, September 15, 2004

DOMESTIC, September 28, 2004

NORDIC, September 29, 2004

INTERNATIONAL, September 30, 2004

DOMESTIC, October 5, 2004

NORDIC, October 6, 2004

INTERNATIONAL, October 7, 2004

DOMESTIC, October 12, 2004

NORDIC, October 13, 2004

INTERNATIONAL, October 14, 2004

DOMESTIC, October 19, 2004

NORDIC, October 20, 2004

INTERNATIONAL, October 21, 2004