Revelations

There Will Never Be a Better Time to Buy Boots

As far as I know, October isn’t “National Buy Your Ski Boots Now” Month, but it should be. Carryover stock will never be more abundant, and new models will still have a full range of sizes, which won’t be true forever. Perhaps most importantly, bootfitters are also...

Is Skiing Getting Better or Worse?

As we grow older, events of the misty past take on a warm, pastel glow that suffuses our memories with a charm that...

What My Murky Crystal Ball Reveals

As I pen this piece in the middle of February, 2024, the outlines of the 2025 American ski market are coming into ever...

Are You Ready?

It snowed in Reno last night. There’s nothing like waking to a fresh blanket of snow draped over every inch of the...

Another Brilliant Idea I Don’t Like

Maybe it’s because I’ve spent what feels like several days in the clutches of AT&T customer service, a stretch of...

Readers Respond to Revelation On Fear of High Lifts

Four weeks ago, I posted a Revelation and attendant podcast titled, “Fear of Flying.” In it, I divulged that I have...

On Taking What the Mountain Gives You

Or The Many Shades of Perfect Americans tend to treat all athletic endeavors as metaphors for war. Our most cherished...

The End is Nigh: An Optimist Looks at America’s Skiing’s Future

If you ever experience a snow day like this again, cherish the moment, for they may soon be few and far between. I’m...

The Ski Price Matrix Explained

The snow-clad skis in this rack will one day adorn a similar rack inside a tent at a ski swap. If you can't stomach...

Fear of Flying

What's wrong with this picture of the Peruvian lift at Snowbird, gateway to idyllic terrain? Not a damn thing, unless,...

How to Read Ski Data: Mining Ski Stats for Behavioral Clues

Labor Day marks the beginning of ski season in America. This wall at Bobo's displays a profusion of carryover,...

2023 Ski Market Preview: The Golden Age of Incrementalism