Snow on the 5th of July and Condo Update
July 20th, 2010 by ariWe took our annual camp trip to Wyoming and it snowed over an inch on the night of the 5th of July. It was incredibly cold for July, but the good news was the cold almost completely prevented the annual mosquito festival where the kids and I end up with scabs all over from the hundreds of bites we receive.
Spent the better part of a week at Brian Head and have great news on the condo front. We have been working with our lender because the market absolutely tanked in Brian Head. Our condo that we bought for $119,000 and put almost $30,000 in remodel into would be lucky to sell for $90,000 right now. It is worse for the people down the hall from us that bought for $175,000 at the top of the market. They are really hosed.
Fannie Mae slashed our payments by over half and made it reasonable to keep the place. An interest rate reduction combined with recapitalizing the interest and extending the term of the loan.
Brian Head is a victim of the Nevada housing market and employment market that is the worst in the country. Not sure that it will get better any time soon, but now our place is affordable enough we can keep it for the long haul.
I bought the condo as an investment and as a place where we could bond as a family. While it is no longer nearly the investment property we hoped, it has surpassed my expectations as a place where we can spend several weekends a year together with the kids. Summer is almost as nice as winter together.
Whole string of other stuff going on and I have been working a lot lately so lack of posting. Trying to get back in the swing. Love my blog and hate to have it die.
More Info: http://www.ski-blog.com/2010/07/snow_on_the_5th_of_july_and_co.html
Rediscover Winter and Wine at Ski Portillo Wine Weeks
June 20th, 2010 by ari
If summer isn't your favorite season, escape it and hit Ski Portillo in Chile. Not only will you be reunited with snowy slopes, but from July 31 to August 7th, you'll also get to experience the ski resort's annual Wine Week. A different Chilean winemaker is on hand each weekday to present their vineyard's offerings during après-ski, with representations from the San Antonio, Mapio, Colcagua, Apalta and Casablanca Valleys.
If you can't make those dates, you can warm up for the North American ski season during Wine Fest, August 28th to September 4th. There's no additional charge for either wine event, prices for the week (including accommodations, lodging, four meals a day and lift tickets run $990 to $1,590, in US dollars.
Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Wine, Sports
Rediscover Winter and Wine at Ski Portillo Wine Weeks originally appeared on Luxist on Fri, 18 Jun 2010 15:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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More Info: http://www.luxist.com/2010/06/18/rediscover-winter-and-wine-at-ski-portillo-wine-weeks/
Annual Wyoming Trip
June 4th, 2010 by ariI am preparing now for our annual camp trip to the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming. It has been too long since I have gotten out of Phoenix, but this last weekend I went to Crown King in the new Wrangler Rubicon.
Speaking of which, I broke down and replaced my wife's Passat with a Rubicon Unlimited. It is my dream car and while she was not super stoked about having another vehicle I would take out and beat the crap out of, after driving it for a while, she loves it too.
I went to Crown King via Lake Pleasant this last weekend and incurred some minor damage underneath, the first thing being tearing the Evap Canister off on a large rock. I am in the process of adding skid plates, etc., and of course I went off roading before it was build up right.
Anyway, super stoked about camping. Looking forward to ski season. Got out of Phoenix this weekend which was cool.
Sorry to neglect my baby of a blog, but geez I have been busy and it is not ski season. This season will be far better.
More Info: http://www.ski-blog.com/2010/06/annual_wyoming_trip.html
New Boots
May 17th, 2010 by ariAlright, my brief complete break from skiing appears to be over. Yesterday I was at Ski-Pro in Phoenix just to check what they had going on. Five years in my Nordica Beasts has left them packed and left me swimming in them. I didn't notice it at first but slowly I noticed I was really struggling to make turns and using my quads a lot more than before. I felt sore and had trouble with balance in my turns that I never really had, especially in pow.
Liners just get packed over time. I was wearing a pair of 30.5 which translate to size 12 and I have always been a 30.5 and size 12. So I went in to Ski-pro because it was 5:30 PM and I was stuck downtown and didn't want to fight rush hour. What the hell, right? Great time to buy, got time to look, and I am just looking.
Famous last words. They started measuring and checking and I tried on several different brands. Turns out I am not a 30.5 size 12. I changed the kind of socks that I wear the last couple years and usually wear either microfiber ultrathin socks or in a pinch a pair of black knee high panty hose. I bought a new pair of ski socks (in part because I was wearing sandals and didn't want to use their "loaner test sock" program, but also because I want a good pair. When measured in my new socks I was between 29.0 and a 29.5.
Now mind you, I know you are supposed to wear tight boots for performance, but going that small is almost impossible if for some reason you have to wear cotton socks, which is a total no no, but some days you run out or don't have all your gear set up and don't want to buy a $25 pair of socks at the resort for one day of skiing. Get them sized to be ultra tight for thin socks and the damned things won't fit with any other socks.
So here is what sucks. I tell Jake I bought new boots and they are in the garage so check them. I did not specify that I bought me new boots, just that I stopped at Ski-pro. So Jake goes out and assumes "My Dad loves me (mixed on that) and bought me new boots." So he tries them on. They are his size. He was a 28.5 last year and is probably passing me now.
So here is what I bought--a pair of Nordica Hot Rod 105's in a 29.5. I put them on and it was like the pair of jeans that you have had for 7 years that are all worn out on the seams and the pockets and that you wash in hot water because if they shrink just a tiny bit they are perfect. You know that if you wear them a little bit, they break in to be the best jeans you have ever owned.
I tried Salomons and some other Nordicas and a couple other brands and nothing fit like these. Most I have ever spent on boots and it was an impulse buy, but they knocked them down to $450. I am sure I overpaid a little but for them taking an hour to talk skiing, plus fitting me, plus trying on several pairs, plus them being local, I figured I would just buy right there rather than ebay it.
I really noticed the boots were a problem on my last powder day of the year. I could not keep my tips up and had to get so far in the backseat that my quads died by noon. But my Beasts are like those holey ratty jeans that finally your wife throws away and two weeks later you wonder where they are and you consider where to dig the shallow grave.
Looks like Jake may inherit the Beasts because they still have plenty of life left in them for him when he is gigantor in another year or two. Damned kid grows so quick I cannot afford gear for him anymore. I loved the days of a set of skis, boots, poles, bindings, etc., costing $250 for a junior. Perhaps I need to wash Jake in hot water and shrink him back down. No bleach because he is already a Ginger.
Hublot Big Bang Watch For Olympic Skier Bode Miller
May 8th, 2010 by ari
The new overly enthusiastic sports dad of the watch world (Hublot), has just drafted another member to its team of athletic stars and popular sports. The brand is quickly decorating a metaphorical rec room filled with a variety of trophy athletes and teams that aside from being well-known are relatively popular. Each new connection is celebrated with at least one limited edition Big Bang watch. Here is the "Bode Bang," as it is being called. The all black case with a monochromatic black and white dial has a nifty look with Bode's signature of the face. The look of the dial in addition to being trendy and cool, is very legible. As cool as the brand's signature black on black watch are are, the black and white dial is wonderfully clear to read. The standard 44.5mm wide Big Bang watch case is the typical one you are used to. Done in a few materials, with mostly black ceramic, PVD black steel screws, and a rubber strap. Inside the watch is a HUB4100 automatic chronograph movement. The Hublot Bode Bang will be limited to just 250 pieces pieces. A heart-throb of a watch for the most hardcore of skiing (or Bode) fans.
Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.
Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Sports
Hublot Big Bang Watch For Olympic Skier Bode Miller originally appeared on Luxist on Thu, 06 May 2010 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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More Info: http://www.luxist.com/2010/05/06/hublot-big-bang-watch-for-olympic-skier-bode-miller/
Brian Head Resort for Sale – $34.25M
May 8th, 2010 by ariWhen Brian Head's primary owner, Jim Trees, 69, died suddenly of a heart attack in 2008, it was just a matter of time before the Trees family unloaded Dad's amusement. The family had not invested in the resort much since then and the last major improvement was the connecting bridge in 2007.
The long-awaited interconnect lift and ski trail system joined Navajo and Giant Steps mountains to allow skiers and snowboarders to circulate freely between the two areas. Now, it's official. CB Richard Ellis Golf & Resort Properties in Carlsbad, Calif., is listing southern Utah's only ski resort for sale. CB Richard Ellis also lists the bankrupt Tamarack resort in Idaho. They brokered the sale of Wyoming's exclusive Yellowstone Club last year.
The property includes 1,106 acres, eight chairlifts, a tubing hill, snowmaking facilities, lodges, a dozen finished real estate lots on 13 acres, 1,744 acres for the planned community of Alpine Creek, and a golf course. One hundred fifty-six acres at the base of Giant Steps has been zoned for residential and commercial development as part of a future ski resort village.
Not sure anyone would want any part of the investment at that price right now. I want to see some financials and skier visit numbers for this year.
More Info: http://www.ski-blog.com/2010/05/brian_head_resort_for_sale_342.html
Thanks Failblog.com
May 2nd, 2010 by ariSolid stuff here.
More Info: http://www.ski-blog.com/2010/04/thanks_failblogcom.html
Season Winding Down
March 20th, 2010 by ariI looked up and realized how little skiing I did this season. This is the least I have done since probably 2003. Not that I didn't want to get out more, just that the new job has made it a lot more difficult. No vacation time, etc.
There is roughly a month left in the season and plenty of snow, especially in the Southwest due to El Nino. Most resorts close the weekend after Easter so probably three solid weeks left.
I am going to try to close the place down at Brian Head and really want to try pond skimming.
More Info: http://www.ski-blog.com/2010/03/season_winding_down.html
6 in Last Week at Brian Head
March 17th, 2010 by ariTitle kind of says it all. Ginger, Jackson, and my dad are at the condo this week, but sadly I am working in PHX.
Today was epic. First full day of bluebird after a sick three foot storm on Sunday. I need to quit my job.
More Info: http://www.ski-blog.com/2010/03/6_in_last_week_at_brian_head.html
Decent Storm Brewing–Wolf Creek Already Has 16″
February 21st, 2010 by ariNot a lot more to say than that. Waiting to see what materializes at Brian Head and the AZ resorts.
More Info: http://www.ski-blog.com/2010/02/decent_storm_brewingwolf_creek.html