ChairTalk: New Chairlift!

If Nub's doesn't open for Thanksgiving weekend, a lot of times it might be the Friday after. I have missed skiing those days while teaching elementary computers and library classes. Now that I have retired, I don't have to miss! This year it was extra exciting with the inaugural riding of new green chair! I knew I wouldn't get the first chair (rumor is those guys were there at 6 am!), but I was excited to see it off and follow soon after! 

You can see the announcement of the new chair and why Nub's chose to keep the fixed grip style here.

Signs of the Season: Thanksgiving Weekend

The goal at Nub's is to open Thanksgiving weekend, but mother nature doesn't always cooperate. That is the case this year. A nice tradition that has developed over the years is the lodge opens even if the slopes aren't ready. I think it started with the office and spread to the Guest Services building and General Store. Now you can even get some of your favorites from the kitchen and a drink from the bar the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday after Thanksgiving. Although skiing would be the best thing to do, eating curly fries comes in a close second!

I'm Back!

I took a break from this blog a while back, but now I hope to pick it up again. Last June I retired from teaching library class at Charlevoix Elementary School. After 36 years of instructing on the side at Nub's Nob, I am so excited to have it be my one and only job! I will be working Fridays and Saturdays and one or two other days each week when they need me. Ski ya soon!

Opening Day!

Usually I don't like the opening day of ski season. Mediocre snow and too many people on just a few hills. This year is going to be a bit different! Nub's Nob has received over 30 inches of natural snow so far this winter and will open with over 30 runs on Saturday, November 22! Ski ya' out there!

Advice From the Purple Chair: It's Live! Live!

This morning I watched Olympic skiing live for the first time in my life! Due to time differences and the popularity of skiing, the networks tend to save races for primetime broadcasts. The downhill races earlier in the week were broadcast 19 hours after the race started! This makes it hard to avoid spoilers. Also due to time constraints, they usually only show Americans, medalists, and crashes. These things can take some of the mystery and drama out of watching the sport. Thanks to the Internet, NBC is having all events live on their web page. Today, instead of staying up late to see the Super-Combined, I got up a few minutes early and watched the slalom portion at 6:30 am. It was amazing! I saw every racer and had no idea what would happen. It was great! A lot of races are at 2:00 am, but some second runs are going to be at 5:30 am. I know that is early, but it is worth it! See http://www.nbcolympics.com/results-schedule for times and links to the video. You may have to log in through your TV provider.

Why We Ski: The Picker-Uppers

It is an Olympic year and with it come the commercials. Here is a great one honoring Moms and all they do to pick us up.

We owe a lot to our moms, dads, and teachers for helping us to get up and keep going, especially in our winter sports where there is a lot of falling down! I have always loved the thought that the person who wins gold in the Winter Olympics is the one who doesn't fall. Whether you end up an Olympian or not, and whether your parents teach you or sign you up for a lesson, thanks to them you have the skills for a sport that will last a lifetime! Falling makes us stronger!

Chairtalk: Around the World

Nub's Nob is off to a great, possibly best, start! Most of the front and a few of the back hills are now open!

Today I was able to complete a modified* "Around the World" challenge. Around the World is where you ski every hill. To make it more interesting, you try to never take the same chairlift twice in a row. This screen shot from my Ski Tracks app shows how I got around. Obviously they are using a satellite picture from a different time of year!

*No black diamonds, glades, or race area for me. As Dad would say, I am acting my age!

Signs of the Season: Skunks

There is an old skiers' tale that the whiter the skunks are, the snowier the winter will be. Recently I was driving and saw a skunk so white that at first I thought it was a cat!

My schedule is turned in and the Nub's Nob Winter Sports School can start taking reservations. I will be instructing December 22, 27-28, 30-31, January 3-4, Saturdays through February 22, and then March 22. Ski you out there!

Why We Ski: Milestones

There are many significant birthdays: 16 to get your driver's license, 21 to purchase alcohol, 35 to be able to run for president. Although I am not rushing it, I look forward to turning 70. Skiers 70 and over can get free daily ski passes at Nub's Nob. Just come to the ticket window, show your ID, and away you go! If want to skip the first steps, you can spend $25.00 for an Unlimited Season Pass. While some local resorts raised the age for free passes to 80, I am thankful that Nub's Nob keeps it at 70. Now, I just have to wait 26 years!

By the way, the 70+ ticket is $22.50 and all season tickets are 10% off for one more day. Order now!

Signs of the Season: Last Day

It was a great year, but sure went fast. Here I am on the last day riding the purple chair. Nub's Nob closed with plenty of snow, but it is time to move on to spring and the activities that go along with it. I kind of feel like a super-hero giving up my powers and retiring to my secret identity. All the amazing things I can do as a skier and instructor have to go into hiding. Never fear, though, winter will return before you know it!

I want to thank everyone at Nub's Nob and the Winter Sports School for a great season. It was an honor to work with you. Also, thank you to all of my amazing lessons! I had so much fun and learned so much. I hope you did, too! Ski ya' next year!

ChairTalk: The Ski

It has been a long time since I really wanted a ski based on graphics (think green Rossignol slalom skis), but Scott is bringing back "The Ski." I love it! Bobbie Burns came up with the ski and design in the 70's, and it really took off as a freestyle ski. I didn't remember it's name, but who could forget those awesome graphics! It will come in four different lengths, each length a different color scheme. Decisions, decisions!

Signs of the Season: Mardi Gras

After last year's had to be cancelled due to lack of snow, this year's Mardi Gras was going to be twice as great! I spent most of the day on Big Time helping with the Silly Slalom and Crazy Couples races. It was a lot of fun! Every kid racer received a prize and my friends Eric and Ali won the couples race. Many thanks to J. P. Adams, Chief of Course (of course)! My one suggestion for next year? Less inflatables! I think it took us two hours to pack everything up!

ChairTalk: Shadows

Here is my shadow leading me up Whitefish on the black chair. I love the way it shrinks and grows depending on how high I am in the air. C. S. Lewis wrote about this effect in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, one of my favorite Narnia books.

Back to Nature: Sunsets

This part of Michigan is know for great sunsets. I have certainly seen my share, but my favorites are from the ski hill. I managed to get out to Nub's Friday night, and it was another amazing view!

It may seem like the sun is setting on the season, but Nub's Nob still has four more weeks left. Right now I am only scheduled for Mardi Gras on March 23, but if there is interest I could meet a lesson during Spring Break, March 29 - April 7.

ChairTalk: Off-Hill Jobs

I am constantly amazed at the talent of my fellow instructors. They are all wonderful skiing and snowboarding ambassadors, but they have many other talents, too. This spectacular picture of my goggles and the front hills of Nub's Nob was taken by photographer/winter sports instructor Josh Angel. When you ask an instructor about their off-hill careers, don't make the mistake of saying "What is your real job?" Instructing is a real job and a tough one at that! We just make it look easy :) Instead, try asking if they have another career or what they do in the off-season. You might find out some interesting things.

Why We Ski: Togetherness

Last weekend the Winter Sports School celebrated Bob "Papa Panda" Mogford's 69th birthday. Bob runs the children's Panda program and came up with the idea for the new run PandaLand. The event reminded me of how visitors and employees become a family out at the ski hill celebrating, working, and playing together. For three or four months we see each other on a regular basis and know each other's ups and downs. When the season ends I don't see many of my skiing friends until the lifts start up again. The great thing is it is like we haven't missed a day!

Signs of the Season: Sun on Smokey

Due to the tilt of the earth, the sun is low in the sky when Nub's Nob opens each year. The north facing front hills are in the shade all day, everyday, until the end of January. A sure sign that we are coming out of the dark is when Old Smokey starts to have sun from top to bottom. The sun makes it easier to see changes in the terrain, and checking your shadow is a good way to check your form. Enjoy!

Why We Ski: Snow Days

When I was a kid it seemed like we had Snow Days all the time. On snowy days when school wasn't cancelled, we would complain about how hard it was to get to school: too slippery, too deep, low visibility, etc. When school was cancelled, though, none of that could stop us. Suddenly we were all expert winter drivers. We would head out to the ski hill and make the first chair. These days it seems that school cancelations aren't so much about snow but about rain and ice. When I am not teaching skiing on Saturdays, I am the librarian at Charlevoix Elementary. Before today my school district had four school cancellations, but none of them enticed me to ski. Today was different! I got the call a half hour before my alarm was supposed to go off and was so excited I couldn't fall back asleep. I didn't make the first chair, but I did make the most of the morning. It was a little chilly and there was some wind on the front hills, but I found some fun powder and even made a glade run! Unlike in my youth I did not stay out the whole day, but it sure was fun reliving those times.

Hill Names: Duck Soup

Did you know that a pintail is a type of duck? Pintail Peak at Nub's Nob was named after a boat owned by Walter Fisher. When the land was acquired a lot of names were bandied about. Pintail Peak had a really nice ring to it. When naming the hills, the resort tried to stick to the wildlife theme: Goosebumps, Whitefish, etc. What did they decide upon for the long, flat hill leading back to the area? Duck Soup of course! No one seems to be sure where the saying "easy as duck soup" comes from, but for this hill, it fits!

Advice From the Purple Chair: Nights

Do you ever avoid heading to the ski hill on weekends or holidays because you think it will be too crowded? The answer is night skiing. At night hills are always quieter than during the day, and lift lines almost disappear. Another advantage is the slopes are freshly groomed. On weekends and holidays Nub's Nob shuts the lifts down at 4:30 and sends out the fleet of Pisten Bully snow cats. They groom all of the lit runs before the lifts reopen at 6:00, leaving a smooth, soft carpet of snow to ski on.