Farewell Winter

Now that the 2011/2012 ski season is over we just wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone that came out and supported Ski West Mountain during this unusual winter season.  Although it never really felt like winter we still enjoyed plenty of great skiing and riding thanks to our incredible snowmaking team who also deserves an enormous thank you!  We hope that mother nature will be kinder to us next season, but until then we'll be enjoying the spring, summer, and fall seasons with lots of exciting events here at the mountain.  Some things to look forward to are volleyball leagues and tournaments, The Quest For West, outdoor BBQ's, outdoor music & arts festivals, and much more!  As always you can check our website and social media pages to keep up to date on our upcoming events and other happenings at the mountain. Season passes for next season are now on sale at a discounted price so call to purchase yours today! And don't forget that the Westside Grille will remain open 5 days a week, Tuesdays through Saturdays at 4pm.  

As for me, this is my last day working as the marketing intern at West and I just wanted to say thanks again to the marketing team and everyone else I met here that made these past few months such an enjoyable and enriching experience.  Now it's back to the grindstone of grad school and internship hunting with the third and hardest term of my MBA education starting this week, so wish me luck!  And again a big thank you to everyone for such a wonderful season and we hope you'll all join us in the off season for many of our exciting new events.

HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!

~Erika

Better Late Than Never!

We hope you were just as happy last week when Winter finally decided to show up with 10 inches of fresh pow! This late season storm has made for some fantastic skiing and will guarantee a great Spring season here at Ski West Mountain. If you haven’t heard, we are now offering FIVE HOUR ANYTIME lift tickets for $17 midweek and $25 on weekends for the rest of the season, so there’s no excuse not to come out and enjoy the sun & snow! There’s also lots of events to look forward to in March starting with Uphill Snowmobile Drag Races on 3/10, Girl Scout Sunday & Footprints Of The Future Cabin Fever benefit on 3/11, & the St. Patrick’s Day Diggin’ For Gold event on 3/17 where participants will dig through a large mound of snow in search of prizes. Please visit our website or social media pages for more information regarding  Spring events & discounts and we hope to see you soon here at Ski West Mountain!

March Madness

West Mountain - circa 1970

It seems that Punxsutawney Phil was correct in his recent shadow venture; winter isn’t over just yet! We received 2 inches of fresh snow from the  recent Northeastern that hit our region and are finally enjoying some   winter-like temperatures. Looking into March, we have many more exciting events planned and tons of end of the season discounts & deals. For starters, beginning Monday 2/27 we’ll be offering a $17 Five Hour       Anytime lift ticket that is good any day, any time! Also starting 2/27 we’ll be selling Elan WaveFlex 82 Xti skis for $850 which will also include a 2013 season pass to Ski West Mountain! If you are interested in a demo of the ski you may contact our rental shop at 518.793.6606 x313. If you’re    looking for a cheaper solution for next year’s gear, our rental shop will be  having a huge blowout sale starting on 2/27 with skis and snowboards for $50- $75, boots for $25, and helmets & poles for $10. As for upcoming events, Mayhem On The Mountain will be this Sunday 3/4 which will  feature live music from local heavy metal bands and a rail contest which contestants can enter into for $5. The following Saturday 3/10 will be our Uphill Snowmobile Drag Races from 7-11pm which riders can enter into for $25, followed by Girl Scout Sunday and Footprints of the Future’s Cabin Fever benefit both on Sunday 3/11. To celebrate 100 Years of Girl Scouting we will offer discounted lift and tubing tickets to Girl Scouts and their families, and will have a cake and friendship circle to commemorate the day at 12:00pm in the main lodge. Later that day from 1pm-9pm Fooprints Of The Future will be hosting a Cabin Fever benefit party to raise awareness against child abuse.  For a $15 donation you will be able to enjoy live music, entertainment, and a chicken buffet and all proceeds from the event will go to help children in need. You can also join us in the tubing park where 50% of tubing ticket sales will be donated to the ChildHelp Organization. You can check our website or social media pages for more information on all events and deals. See you on the slopes!

Presidents' Weekend & Upcoming Events

Ski West Mountain had an extremely fun filled Presidents’ Weekend and we hope you did too! Our annual Fire on the Mountain celebration was a huge success last Friday. The lodge was packed with people dancing the night away to live music from The Audiostars, The Switch, and Rich Ortiz which was accompanied by a beautiful torchlight parade down the mountain. The following night was also a hit with our first snowmobile event of the season. Riders had access to a designated trail and were ecstatic to finally get their sleds on the snow. But no worries, the mountain was groomed immediately afterwards and the snow is in good condition! Our snowmobile series will continue this Saturday 2/25  with our 2nd family friendly Snowmobile Night Under The Lights and on 3/10 with Uphill Drag Races. Looking into March, we will be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with our Diggin’ For Gold event on 3/17 where people will be able to dig through a huge mound of snow in search of prizes such as lift tickets, a helicopter ride, limo ride, restaurant gift certificates, season passes to the Great Escape, & much more! You can always check our website, Facebook, Twitter, and blog for more information on upcoming events. Lastly, don’t forget that our tubing park is open everyday this week for the school break (2/20 - 2/24) from 10am - 9pm. We hope to see you soon!

POV Skiing: How Technology is Revolutionizing The Ski Experience

Remember when the only way to capture your skiing adventures was by taking a mental snapshot and through reliving those legendary moments with friends over a few drinks at the bar?  Telling the same stories year after year, only each time that jump you hit gets 10x bigger and better? Well those days are no longer.  Thanks to technology we can relive those moments not only in our minds, but also scene for scene all with the click of a button.  Whether it's carving up the mountain, catching huge air, finding a secret powder stash, shredding some glades, or one of your pals taking a fall; you can now capture it all on camera.


It first began in the 2000s when digital cameras and camera phones put the power of photography into the hands of the masses and pockets of skiers across the world.  Now a decade later technology has outdone itself once again and brought us tiny, waterproof, windproof, shock proof, mountable cameras that are designed for capturing those moments that once only lived in our memories.  It's become commonplace to see people on the mountain with these cameras strapped to their helmets, boots, skis, poles, and many other creative locations.  Every day thousands of photos and videos are uploaded from skiers and boarders across the globe who want to share their snowy adventures with the rest of world.

GoPro Hero HD 2

As for me, I've been shooting with my new GoPro Hero HD 2 which I received for Christmas...and boy is it fun!  I've had such a blast filming with this bad boy all season long for both personal enjoyment and work.  I was absolutely blown away the first time I hooked it up to my TV at home and watched my day on the slopes in high definition.  The colors, detail, and all around quality amazed me and I knew that this was only the first day of many more days of filming to come.  Of course out of those first few hours of footage I really only captured about 5-10 minutes of really great video because it takes time to figuring out which angles look best and are easiest to actually film...but that's half the fun!


Before taking to the slopes I created my own makeshift ski pole mount and it has worked out absolutely wonderfully!  The pole mount provides a lot of versatility in filming and allows for fluent angle changes and the ability to capture views that would otherwise be hard to capture.  What really surprised me was the stability provided by the pole mount, which I believe was greatly due to the way I attached the mount to my pole.  I found this video pretty helpful for making my ski pole mount How To Make A Pole Mount For Self Filming. If you have a similar type of camera and have only used it as a helmet cam I highly recommend playing with different angles and mounts in order to really capture your mountain experience, and I promise you'll be as happy as I was.

TIPS FOR FILMING

1) EXPERIMENT! Like I said before, it's all about messing with angles, getting to know your camera, and figuring out what works best for you. One angle I really like when using a pole mount is holding the camera out in front of yourself which captures your entire body.

2) If you're filming someone else...GET CLOSE.  Because the GoPro uses a fisheye lens objects appear farther away then they actually are.  I find that having the camera about 4 feet away from the person you're filming looks best but be careful when skiing/boarding because you don't want to crash into the person (this is where I find the pole mount works best).  And if you want to get a head or face shot of someone you really need to stick the camera right in their face in order for their face to fill the screen.


3) Instead of trying to capture an image using the single photo button or burst, it's easier to snag a STILL IMAGE from the video rather than try to push the button at the absolute perfect time.  The quality won't be as great but it was still be pretty darn good and you won't be frustrated when you miss the perfect shot.


4) HAVE FUN.  Don't get too caught up in filming that it takes away from the real reason you're on the slopes.  Remember, you spent at least an hour getting ready for the day, driving to the mountain, and putting on all this ridiculous winter gear for these reasons;  to have fun and enjoy the exhilarating sport of skiing and the beauty of being in nature.


If you have any tips, suggestions, thoughts, pictures, or videos of your own, please feel free to share them in a comment on this page, or on Facebook, or Twitter...we're always listening and love checking out cool media.


For now, here's a small selection of some of the pictures I've taken so far this season.  All of the photos are still shots from video and none have been edited or retouched. Enjoy!


~ Erika Nash 

Bluebird days are the BEST!

Snowmaking. The only thing that got us through this extremely sad Winter

Love my Stocklis, especially when they're in the air

Messing around with the pole mount and having fun of course

Pole Mount Angle...not the best skiing in this shot but it represents the angle I was talking about

An end to a great day...always remember to have fun!

~ Erika Nash 

Mountain Update ~ 2/13

Say Yes to Ski West!

The season may be halfway over but we still have lots of fun planned for the next two months at Ski West Mountain. We’re currently skiing on 13 trails with all 5 lifts in operation and conditions are machine groomed with frozen granular underneath. This Friday, February 17th marks the annual Fire on the Mountain celebration which will feature a torchlight parade, live music from The Audiostars and Rich Ortiz, drink specials, and giveaways all night long. Saturday the 18th will introduce our newest series of events; Snowmobile Nights Under the Lights. For $25 per sled and $10 per passenger, riders will have access to a specially groomed trail that spans across the mountain and will also be able to enjoy an outdoor BBQ and fire. Saturday, February 25th & March 10th snowmobilers can participate in our Uphill Drag Races for a $25 entry fee with cash prizes and trophies for the winners. Don’t forget that our tubing park is open everyday over the school break 2/20 - 2/24 from 10am-9pm. Lastly, the mountain will now close for skiing and boarding at 6pm on Saturdays and 4pm on Sundays for the rest of the season and the tubing park hours will remain unchanged. We apologize for any inconvenience this may create and hope to see you soon here at Ski West Mountain!

Given up on Winter? We Haven't!

We know it's been a rough season but we're still in the wintry spirit and have plenty of snow to share here at Ski West Mountain! No matter what, a day on the slopes still beats a day doing anything else and that's what skiing is all about...getting the adrenaline pumping, putting a smile on your face, and just having fun. Currently we're skiing on 13 trails with all 5 lifts in operation, and conditions are machine groomed packed powder with frozen granular underneath.  We also have a bunch of exciting upcoming events starting with the Rossignol Snowboard Demo Day this Saturday, followed by the St. Valentine’s Feast, and our annual Fire on the Mountain celebration which you definitely won’t want to miss on Friday, February 17. Lastly, don’t forget that our tubing park is open everyday over the school break 2/20 - 2/24 from 10am-9pm. See you on the slopes! 

Upcoming Events

2/11 - ROSSIGNOL SNOWBOARD DEMO DAY

Free snowboard demos from 10am-3pm at the base of the triple. Picture I.D. & valid credit card required.


2/14 - ST. VALENTINE'S FEAST
Bring your sweetheart to The Westside Grille this Valentine's Day for a romantic dinner with carefully selected entrees & hand made desserts.  Seating is booking quickly so please call 518.793.6606 Ext. 308 to reserve your table. 

2/17 - FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN

Annual Torchlight Parade featuring live entertainment from The Audiostars & more. 

Special Olympics 2012

Congratulations to all the athletes who competed in the annual Special Olympics competition yesterday and a big thanks to all the sponsors and supporters who made this event possible!  It's always a pleasure to be part of such a wonderful day and we can't wait until next year!  Here are some of the pictures from the day.

         

Way to go everyone!

Mountain Update 1/23- Fresh Snow and More Trails!

The snow has arrived!  Thanks to the blanket  of fresh snow and cold temperatures we’ve been able to open more terrain.  Last week we opened the Triple Chair and our Family Fun Terrain Park in its new location on the Banister.  The Terrain Park features 9 elements consisting of rails and boxes for both beginners and more advanced skiers and riders.  We currently have 15 trails, 6 tubing lanes, and all of our lifts in operation and will continue to make snow in order to open more trails.  This Saturday, Jan. 28th marks the annual Special Olympics competition so come support the athletes as they compete in alpine, nordic, and snowshoe races.  Keep praying for snow and we hope to see you here soon at Ski West Mountain!      

Mountain Update & Forecast

Although Mother Nature has been keeping the snow all to herself we’ve had another successful week here at West Mountain! Our snowmakers have been making snow whenever possible to keep our skiers and riders happy despite the unseasonable temperatures. It was great to see many familiar faces back on the hill for the start of our weekly lesson program last weekend and we were also happy to host Goldstock’s Demo Day. We currently have 4 trails, 4 lifts, and 4 lanes of our tubing park in operation with machine groomed packed powder surface conditions and a base depth of 16-28 inches. We will continue to make snow weather permitting and hope to open more terrain as soon as possible including the terrain park in its new location on the Banister. There is a chance of snow all weekend long so do a snow dance, wear your pajamas inside out and backwards, or do whatever it is you do to conjure up a good old fashioned snow storm!