Nate Nadler awoke in the middle of the night this pastĚýOctober 31ĚýłŮ´Ç four inches of snow covering his sleeping bag. Nadler, 41, was camped underneath the bullwheel of the River Run Gondola at Colorado’s Keystone Resort. It wasn’t the cold that interrupted his fitful sleep, but the drunken reveler clad in a motorcycle helmet blasting “Baby Shark” and dancing the night away.

In mid-October, some skiers and snowboarders will drive up to Keystone or nearby Arapahoe Basin in the middle of the night, hoping to snag the very first chair of ski season. Some of these hearty winter enthusiasts come straight from the bars, believingĚýthe booze will keep them warm against the frigid night.

Every year, a few buzzed aspirants are disappointed to find Nate “Dogggg” Nadler, and “Trailer” Tom Miller, 46, already waiting in line. For the last 31 years running they have outfoxed and outmaneuvered any challenger and beaten them to get in line at the base of the chair . On October 29, after Arapahoe Basin announced an early opening, they nabbed the very first chairlift of the season yet again. Two days later they camped out at Keystone to ride that resort’s first chair, too.

“Until I’m riding that first chair, I’m a ball of anxiety,” says Nadler. “Then, it’s nothing but joy. Every year has a great story.”

The ski areas of Summit County are some of the highest in America, and reliably experience early season snowmaking temperatures as well as autumn squalls that blanket the region in snow. Keystone Resort, Arapahoe Basin, Breckenridge, and Loveland Ski Area are usually the first to open their lifts for the season. But the high altitude also means the resorts are prone to terrible weather in the fall. Nadler and Miller have braved horrific conditions in pursuit of the very first turns of winter. “I remember this one year, powerful winds blew and dropped the temperature to 90 below with the windchill,” said Miller.

In addition to the cold, Nadler and Miller occasionally face late-night confrontations with grumpy skiers who had hoped to be first in line. The Baby Shark enthusiast was one—Nadler said the costumed man yelled at him. “I tried arguing with him but he was too wasted and wouldn’t listen to reason,” he said. “The joke’s on him—we’d had the spot staked out for a week.” The man with the shiny metallic helmet was eighth in line when the bullwheel began to spin. Alas, Keystone employees decided he was still too drunk to ride, Nadler said.

How have these two consistently gotten first chair for 31 seasons? Each year, in early October, Nadler and Miller run scouting missions to ski areas across the Front Range. They assess the readiness of the four resorts that are usually in contention to open first. Once they decide which ski area is best prepared to open, they stake out their spot beneath the chair—about a week out from their anticipated opening day.

But resorts don’t want people to camp out for that long while employees ready the mountain for winter. That’s where Nadler and Miller hold another advantage: the resort staff knows who they are. Often, they will arrive early and speak with the general managers, the marketing departments, lift operations, and ski patrol to make sure they’re out of the way.

Nadler and Miller haveĚýbuilt their lives around this annual quest. They both live in Summit County near the ski areas and careers that afford lots of flexibility. Nadler works three jobs: he manages a 34-unit property, drives a hotel shuttle, and operatesĚýhis own hot tub repair service. Miller makes snowboard films and is a professional pinball player. But camping out for days on end requires more than just a malleable schedule; in Nadler’s case, it demands a very patient spouse.

“My wife is a godsend, she’s part of our support staff,” said Nadler. “But when the temperature starts dropping, I’ll take her out to a nice dinner. I try to sweet talk her a bit. Then I’ll sort of drop in, ‘Honey I’m going to go scouting at Keystone tomorrow.’”

Miller isn’t married, and his career as a snowboard videographer and professional pinball player allows him to take the time he needs to stake out a spot beneath the bullwheel. His unorthodox job affords another perk: in past years Miller would bring pinball machines to the base of the ski area and run extension cords from a generator to power them, to help him and Nadler pass the time. “A long time ago at Loveland we’d have a bonfire that would last for three days before lawsuits became a thing,” says Miller.

Miller started targeting first chair in 1992, when he was 15 years old. Back then, snowmaking was rare and expensive, so resorts opened later in the season. Because Keystone was the only resort with night skiing infrastructure, it was usually first. When operations managers at Keystone caught wind that another resort was planning to open the next day, they would open on the spot—often at 3 or 4 A.M. Miller made sure he was there. “It was a wild time, it’d be totally dark,” said Miller. Miller says he’d work all summer to buy snowboarding gear, and by fall he was always champing at the bit for the season to begin.Ěý He’d join a group of friends staking out the lift.

But Miller and his crew never quite got first chair back then. A retired airline pilot named Elmer Mulkins held the unofficial record for scoring the first chair at Loveland for 26 years straight. Mulkins was much older than the teenagers, and Miller says he held a major advantage in the quest for first chair: relationships. Miller says Mulkins would sleep in a heated car the night before opening. Then, resort operators would allow him to slide past the kids to take his spot at the front of the line every year. Miller was outraged.

Nadler moved from Minnesota to Breckenridge in 1995 and joined Miller’s crew. Together, they went to war with Mulkins. Each year they would show up earlier to Loveland, partying harder and louder. They chanted “pass the torch!” at Mulkins.

In 2000 Mulkins died of heart failure. Loveland ran an empty chair that year, with a banner that read “Elmer’s Chair.”

You may have noticed that the timeline of Nadler and Miller’s first-chair accolades is not adding up to 31 years. Nate Dogggg Nadler and Trailer Tom Miller claim 31 years, but some grumbling Colorado skiers argue Miller says he got first chairs in Colorado before NadlerĚýarrived. The duo only started going for first chairs together after 1997.

No matter how the math works out, the duo told me thatĚýsnagging first chair of the year decade after decade requires another strength: a bladder of steel. The pair eschew food and drink for much of the days, fasting to keep their spots in line.

“We’ve been offered money, health care, and sexual favors for our spots in line,” said Nadler. “But it’s not about the money, it’s about the legacy, the fame.” Both Nadler and Miller are sponsored snowboarders, and Miller makes snowboard films, but being the kings of first chair has brought the pair more fame than any athletic achievement. Recently, Colorado Public Radio aired an interview with them. Nadler scored a profile in Colorado Summit Magazine.

In 2019, Nadler and Miller were camping out at Keystone, convinced that the resort would open in the next 24 hours. Suddenly, Arapahoe Basin announced on Instagram that it would open later that afternoon, at 3 P.M., for a single hour of riding. Nadler and MillerĚýpacked up as fast as they could and drove the five-and-a-half miles to A Basin. They arrived before anyone else, but as they were unpacking their camping gear, Nadler realized he left his snowboard sitting under the chair at Keystone. “I drove back in a panic and found my board. It was a miracle that I made it back to A Basin just moments before other people arrived.”

As hard as Nadler and Miller fight for first chair each year, they claim they would never fight dirty. “I wouldn’t pay for a first chair, I would concede,” said Nadler. “But if you had three people in your group, I’m still getting on that chair.”

The duo insists they’ll keep at it as long as they’re still able (the “First Chair Family” as they’re called scored the chair this year despite recovering from a broken leg and a bad back). But if someone ever gets close to their record, you can bet they’ll be back. “I’ll roll my wheelchair up to that chair to keep my record,” said Nadler.

The post Want to Ride First Chair in Colorado? You’ll Have to Beat the Kings. appeared first on şÚÁĎłÔšĎÍř Online.

Another one of Vail Resorts’ projects bites the dust. Word just came down from the U.S. Forest Service that further environmental review will be required on some of the high-alpine areas that are part of the construction zone, and it won’t be finished in time to install the chairlift for the coming season.Ěý

The Bergman Bowl expansion was one of the biggest and most anticipated of Vail Resorts’ lift upgrades for the 2022-’23 season. The 550-acre addition will add 16 runs in two bowls—13 in Bergman and three in Erickson Bowl—as well as a high-speed six-person chair to the 12,282-foot summit. The Epic Upgrade—which originally called for 21 new or upgraded lifts across 14 of Vail’s resorts—is now down to 18 lifts at 12 resorts after two lifts at Park City Resort were shelved in June when that the resort had violated a conditional-use permit.

“I am disappointed to share this news with our guests and community,” said Keystone Vice President and General Manager Chris Sorensen after sharing the news. “I know many were looking forward to this new lift-serviced terrain at the resort, including myself and the Keystone team, but for this winter, we do plan to open Bergman Bowl with hike-to skiing and riding.”

Important updates on the Bergman Bowl Project from our GM, Chris Sorensen.

— Keystone Resort (@KeystoneMtn)

Construction began on the Bergman project after the ski season ended, but when a construction crew mistakenly brought heavy equipment into an area only authorized for light equipment. This required the USFS to reevaluate the affected areas, and the subsequent postponement of the lift installation.

Sorensen said that the USFS has authorized the resort to continue working on other unaffected areas of the construction, including the expansion of The Outpost restaurant as well as adding snowmaking equipment and trail work that will expedite Bergman’s opening once the lift is in, presumably in time for the 2023-’24 season.

“Our priority is preserving and caring for our natural environment,” said Sorensen. “We take our role as stewards of the environment and of National Forest Service Land extremely seriously, and we will operate with that at the heart of the work we execute for the restoration plan and the full Bergman Bowl project.”

The post Keystone’s New Lift Won’t Open Thanks to Construction Flub appeared first on şÚÁĎłÔšĎÍř Online.

Since his first few days on the campaign trail, Joe Biden has held the line that addressing the climate crisis is one of his , “the number one issue facing humanity.” In January, in anticipation of his inauguration, şÚÁĎłÔšĎÍř published an ambitious outline for what we thought BidenĚýshould do to steer the United StatesĚýout of its Trump-era nosediveĚý˛š˛Ôťĺ protect the planet and country from impending fiery doom (or at least to try to slow the burning).

Now, President Biden is 100 days into his term, and we’re not just speculating anymore. “The Biden administration has hit the ground running.ĚýI’m really pleasantly surprised at the speed at which they’re moving,” says Aaron Weiss, deputy director at the nonpartisan conservation group . “When you look at the concrete actions that they’re taking, they’ve gotten an amazing amount of stuff done in a short amount of time.”

So, what has the Biden administration accomplished for the climate and environment since taking office? And where does it have work to do? Here’s our report card on Biden’s first 100 days.Ěý

What He’s Gotten Done

Within hours of taking the oath of office, President Biden signed a slew of environmentally focused executive orders. He (more on that later), canceled the Keystone XL pipeline, and committed to upholding environmental justice. “We always hear about day one objectives, but they literally did it,” says Nat Keohane, senior vice president for climate at the Ěý˛š˛Ôťĺ on energy and environment during the Obama administration. “He had half a day in the White House, and it was on the docket. Right out of the gate, this administration made it clear that they were really putting climate at the center.”

Personnel is politics, and Keohane says the Biden administration has across the board, from Energy Secretary Jennifer GranholmĚýłŮ´Ç National Economic Council director Brian Deese, the former head of sustainable investing at BlackRock, the world’s biggest asset manager.Ěý“Having someone with that depth of understanding advising on the economy is huge,” Keohane says.

For those of us who prize public lands, Deb Haaland’s appointment as secretary of the interior was extremely impactful, and she’s already come out with . The first Ěýthat her team found to be inconsistent with science and public health, including Trump rules that opened up and expedited drilling on federal landsĚý˛š˛Ôťĺ a Trump order that diminished the power of the National Environmental Policy Act, which ensures that environmental impacts are considered in any federal projects. “Those previous orders unfairly tilted the balance of public land and ocean management toward extractive uses without regard for climate change, equity, or community engagement,” Haaland said in a .ĚýĚý

Weiss says that revocation might seem backward-looking, but it’s really a huge step forward. “That order does a lot to wipe the slate clean so the agencies can get back to following the law, consistent with the best science. It’s huge just in terms of the number of bad things that it removes,” Weiss says. Then, looking forward, Haaland established a climate task force within the Department of the Interior, which, among other things, will incorporate the social cost of carbon into the department’s work. “That’s a big change, even just from the sheer scope of what they touch,” Weiss says.

Finally, it’s not just the president and the cabinet working toward emission reductions. Congress used the ĚýłŮ´Ç a Trump EPA rule to limit regulations on , a greenhouse gas more potent than carbon.

What’s Still in Process

One hundred days goes by fast, so many plans and policies are still in the works. The most significant one—which will trickle into many aspects of how we live, move, and grow—is the president’s to 50 percent below 2005 levels by 2030, which he announced at a summit of on Earth Day. “It’s a big deal. It puts us in the top tier of ambition globally, well on target to meet net zero by 2050, which science demands,” Keohane says. “And there’s a huge amount to do to implement that.”

We have the technology to get to those targets.ĚýWe just need the funding, plans, and political will. Those are rolled, in part, into that President Biden proposed in March, which Ěý˛š˛Ôťĺ includes funding for electric vehicles, a revamped power grid, climate research, and much more. It’s ambitious and expensive, but the president is touting it as a way to heal the economy and the climate at the same time. “This is about all the ways that investing in climate means better jobs, healthier communities, and more equity,” Keohane says. A significant amount of money isĚýearmarked for climate resilience, including $450 million for tribesĚý˛š˛Ôťĺ $161 million for agriculture.

Land conservation and designation is another big ball in the air. Secretary Haaland recently visited Bears Ears National Monument, protection for which has bouncedĚýback and forth between the previous two administrations. She’s expected to make a recommendation soon. Zooming out, Biden has committed to preserving , and Weiss says the so-called 30-by-30 plan will have a huge bearing on how land is preservedĚý and how conservation can connect public and private land. He believes it should be a bottom-up process that involves Indigenous, private, state, and city lands to protect landscapes in a collaborative structure.

Weiss says the other big policy change in play on public land is oil and gas leasing, which the Biden administration has paused and is still reevaluating. “It’s a giant ball of yarn to unwind, but they’re taking the right steps in terms of considering greenhouse gas emissionsĚý˛š˛Ôťĺ total cost of carbon,” he says. Weiss has his eye on well bonding and royaltiesĚý˛š˛Ôťĺ how the Interior Department is proposing to fixĚý˛š˛Ôťĺ modernizeĚýthe leasing system. And he’s hopeful that Congress will come together to pass new bipartisan regulations. A bill to modernize royalty rates was , a seven-term Republican senator from IowaĚýwho has historically . That kind of cross-aisle bill could be a sign of turning tides.ĚýĚý

Where He’s Floundering

While Biden has set serious carbon reduction goalsĚý˛š˛Ôťĺ announced impressive future plans, he hasn’t been as decisive on curbing existing pipeline projects, like in northern Minnesota, which Indigenous groups have asked him to stopĚýbecause it threatens their water and ancestral landsĚý˛š˛Ôťĺ will add to the atmosphere each year. If we’re going to hit those science-based targets to cut emissions—and respect tribal sovereignty—the federal government has to move quickly and decisively to stop carbon-based projects like Line 3.Ěý

But the biggest stumbling block to emission reductions is Congress, where Republicans in the lockjawed Senate have said they won’t pass any sort of climate policy. Democrat Joe Manchin, from red-leaning West Virginia, will likely be the deciding vote on infrastructure and about anything involving green energy. Biden’s infrastructure plan , which would require power utilities to generate electricity using entirely carbon-free sources by 2035. On April 26, a group of 150 businesses and environmental groups to Biden and congressional leaders, underlining the fact that it’s broadly popular. But the bill still has to pass through Congress. “We can’t let Congress off the hook. There’s a lot the administration can’t do without 60 votes,” Keohane says. “If we want to meet that 50 percent reduction goal, the most important sector will be the power sector, and that will take policy to set an enforceable limit on .”Ěý

Keohane says his other concern is the administration maintaining momentum and following through on its targets. “This needs to be a four-year effort, not just 100 days,” he says. “I was there in the Obama years, so I know that every term a crisis will come up. The challenge in the face of that is keeping climate at the top of the listĚý˛š˛Ôťĺ central to the agenda.” Time is crucial when it comes to addressing climate change and environmental degradation. Biden and his team have been moving impressively fast so far, but the rest of his term will have to be both a marathon and a sprint.Ěý

The post What Biden’s Done for the Climate in His First 100 Days appeared first on şÚÁĎłÔšĎÍř Online.

AtĚýageĚý65, Bill Gates continues to walk through life with all of the brashnessĚýof an algebra teacher. While his peers among the ultrarich enjoy , , or , the cofounder of Microsoft has devotedĚýhis spare time to book collecting and . With a soft voice and vigorously boringĚýfashion sense, it’s as if he’s trying to politely underplay his immense success as a businessmanĚýor the $36 billion he and his wife, Melinda, have donated to their , which specializes in public health, education, and poverty reduction.Ěý

ThisĚýbrand of blandness isĚýon prominent display in his new bookĚý. Writing with an uncommon level of calm and self-assurance when discussing the perils of a warming planet, Gates presents climate change as simply a technical problem waiting to be debugged, and finding a solution as more of a mechanical question than a human one. “I think more like an engineer than a political scientist,” he writes in the introduction. “And I don’t have a solution to the politics of climate change. Instead, what I hope to do is focus the conversation on what getting to zero [emissions] requires.”Ěý

This approach provoked a range of responses when the book dropped last week, with ample exposure from ĚýłŮ´Ç . While The Wall Street Journal and “can do” spirit, theĚýNew Statesman Ěý“typical of privileged men.” Amid all the takes, it’s been hard to parse whether his points are brilliant and original or oblivious and not worth your timeĚýbecause they come from an overconfident billionaire.

What you can expect from the bookĚýis a readable, broadlyĚýdrawn guide to global warming, its roots in human activity, and the suffering that will surely follow if ourĚýactivities aren’t made carbon-neutral. Writing with an approachable vocabulary and level of detail, Gates introduces inventors and engineers who are developingĚýalternatives. Conveniently, they often work for companies in which he is a direct investor, such as , a firm focused on nuclear-reactor development. Little is said about the need to change consumption habits in rich countries, or about whether people in Chad or Nicaragua should yearn for the same vision of prosperity as those rich countries; instead, Gates focuses on how all countries, rich or poor, can enjoy the same quality of life,Ěýpowered by a green version of activities that would otherwise accelerate the process of global warming.

In many cases, those versions already existĚýbut have built-in expenses—what he calls Green Premiums—that are too great for poorer countries to access. In the case of heavy manufacturing (see the chapter “How We Make Things”), a green alternative to cement can cost 140 percent more. In transportation (“How We Get Around”), the cost of advanced biofuels is 106 percent. For power generation (“How We Plug In”), Gates estimates that the added expenseĚýof a carbon-neutral alternative to our country’s electrical system is in the range of just 15 percent. The main goal, in his opinion, is to bring the specific Green Premium down as low as possible by harnessing technology, so that the cost of a zero-emissions alternative (or one close to it)Ěýis as low or lower than one reliant on fossil fuels.Ěý

It’s telling that in the category of heating and refrigeration (“How We Keep Cool and Stay Warm”), the Green Premium is actually negative—an air-source heat pump, which works like a conventional freezer, would be 26 percent cheaper than using an air conditioner and a natural-gas-powered furnace. Unfortunately, many state and local building codes have made it more cumbersome,Ěýor even illegal, to replace their gas appliances with alternatives powered by carbon-neutral electricity, which is a point that Gates doesn’t dwell on for long. It can be frustrating to read many passages in How to Avoid a Climate Disaster that seem to avert attention from the decisive effect that government intervention can have on a given technology’s commercial success. Only towardĚýthe end of the book does Gates acknowledge that the business of personal computers (including Microsoft’s) would have been inviable without decades of R&D support, made possible byĚýtaxpayers through grants from the National Science Foundation. Similarly, much of the “cheapness” of oil and gas can be traced to subsidies and write-offs, borne out of tireless government lobbying, which distort the market in their favor.

These distortions are stubbornĚý˛š˛Ôťĺ more meaningful than Gates is ready to concede. The word “lobbying” never appears in his book, and he gives a sheepish explanation for the foundation’s own divestment from fossil fuels. (In The Nation, writer Tim Schwab theĚýdivestment decisionĚýmay have had less to do with outright moral principle than with the plummeting of oil and gas business.) Gates also leaves the last election cycle out of the conversation, perhaps because Microsoft donated $81,995 during that time (RAGA), an advocacy group intent on forcing approval for the Keystone XL pipeline. (The company has since withdrawn support for RAGA, citing Ěýthat led to the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.)

Clearly, Gates has some blind spots. He is a nonexpertĚýwho travels frequently on private jets, and he readily calls himself an “imperfect messenger.”ĚýMore importantly, he is not willing to talk frankly about the ways in which a zero-carbon future might conflict with the interests of for-profit business. Without addressing that problem, his only remaining credential is that he’s a well-meaning person who cares.Ěý

There’s nothing shameful in his being well-meaning, of course. Nor is there anything really wrong with endorsing a future based on shared progress and prosperity, in which everyone has a chance to be heard, and, in a sense, everyone wins. It just so happens that the reality is much more adversarial. Gates would do well to admit it.

The post Is Bill Gates’s Climate-Change Book Worth Reading? appeared first on şÚÁĎłÔšĎÍř Online.

OverĚýa span of two days earlier this week, there were three big wins for environmental groups fighting controversial natural gas pipeline projects. On Sunday, Dominion Energy canceledĚýtheĚýAtlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP),Ěýciting delays and rising costs. And on Monday, District Judge James E. Boasberg ordered a shutdown of theĚý (DAPL) on the grounds that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had violated the National Environmental Policy Act by not adequately assessing the risks. The same day, the Supreme Court stayed an order to halt construction on theĚý because it was in violation of the Endangered Species Act.

“It’s a weird time to feel cautiously optimistic,” says Tamara Toles O’Laughlin, North American director of the activist groupĚý350.org. “You look around, the world is going to hell in a handbasket, and we’re winning on these pipelines.”

Opposition to all three pipelines has largely been led by the Indigenous and Black communities that would be hardest hit by the pipelines’ pollution and risk. For six years, the residents of Union Hill, Virginia, a town founded by freed slaves, fought an ACP that would have kicked toxic air pollution into their neighborhoods, filing suit against Dominion for the threat. More than a thousand miles away, at the Standing Rock SiouxĚýReservation, DAPL protestors repeatedly stood their ground as rubber bullets and tear gas flew through the freezing air, physically holding their right to the land, as their lawyers brought suits about thatĚýpipeline’s damages.Ěý

The court decisions are a sign that, even in a political climate where the executive branch is pushing an aggressive, , energy-production agenda, shoddily planned, dangerous, and unnecessary fossil-fuel projects don’t hold up in the courts or at the banks. It’s a confirmation of the power of organizingĚý˛š˛Ôťĺ of staying the course in the intertwined fight for racial and climate justice. “They’re all wins that wouldn’t have happened if people hadn’t gotten out into the streetĚýłŮ´Ç make it public,” says Dallas Goldtooth, KeepĚýIt in the GroundĚýcampaign organizer for the . “It shows you that thisĚýworks. It’s definitely a win for people.”

As the energy industry turns toward renewables, fossil-fuel prices are plummeting. And the courts have leaned into the durability and importance of environmental laws, even if they’re not perfect, even as President Trump has tried to weaken them. “In the back of my mind, I think the judges are finally saying, ‘We’re the last line,’” Goldtooth says. For the ACP, legal battles pushed the cost of an already tenuous, outdated model so high that Dominion had no choice but to give in. All these legal cases slow down the process and, ideally, make sure the voices of constituents are considered.

“It’s death by a thousandĚýcuts to a bad business model run by some folks who want to think it’s the eighties and are trying to make money on shortsighted schemes,” O’Laughlin says. This week is a culmination of decades of work to fight unnecessary pipelines, she says, but the movement hit a significant inflection point in 2016, at theĚýStanding Rock protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline. “It showed that you don’t have to wait for an invitation.ĚýIf you see the harm happening, you can do something,” she says.

Of course, energy companies are fighting back, arguingĚýthat a liberal judge overstepped his boundsĚý˛š˛Ôťĺ thatĚýshutting down the DAPL, which is already running, would cost hundreds of jobs and billions of dollars in lost revenue.Ěý

But the economic reality is that natural gas is becoming less necessary and those jobs could be better filled in a more sustainable industry, one that doesn’t threaten the community that supports it. Last month from the University of California atĚýBerkeleyĚýfound that 90 percent of U.S. electricity could be emission-free by 2035, in part by slashing natural-gas use by 70 percent.

That transition is a big part of why the ACP died on the vine. The country is moving on from natural gas. Patrick Hunter, a senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center, says that Virginia and North Carolina, which were slated to receive the gas, already have a glut, and both states recently signed sweeping carbon-reduction goals, so there was no need and no desire. He says the legal battle made that clear, but most of their legal work was elevating the voices of the communities that would be impacted by the pipeline. “Without people caring about this, nothing happens,” HunterĚýsays. “When Dominion planned it, I think they thought they could steamroll and grease the political wheel, but that didn’t happen. I hope it inspires people to speak up. It shows that sometimes David can beat Goliath.”

Goldtooth says he knows that they have to maintain the pressure on the other two pipelines (he’s nervously awaiting a final ruling on Keystone XL, which was pushed back to the NinthĚýCircuit Court of Appeals for further consideration). So even though he’s celebrating, he’s not relaxing.Ěý

In the hell-bound handbasket that is the first half of 2020,Ěýwe’ve seen aĚýtakeaway about persistence for more than just pipelines. This summer’sĚýralliesĚýagainst police violence and racial inequity are also tangible proof that collective action and a sustained protest movement can make a difference, but it has to come from more than just the people impacted, and they have to keep the pressure on.

“DAPL made people feel like they could run toward the problem,” O’Laughlin says. “In this movement, we’re starting to run in the same direction, but it’s important for people to remember that this is a marathon,Ěýnot a sprint.”

The post This Week’s Pipeline Wins Were Decades in the Making appeared first on şÚÁĎłÔšĎÍř Online.

For nine years, a small army of Nebraska landowners has defended its homeland against TransCanada, the Calgary-based company intent on running its $8 billion Keystone XL oil pipeline through Nebraska so it can deliver oil from northern Alberta to refineries along the Gulf Coast of Texas. At times, KXL has been the national environmental issue; other times, like now, it’s lucky to make the local news, a worry only for those whose land might soon be interrupted by a 36-inch pipeline carrying heavy, viscous tar sands oil (mixed with undisclosed chemical diluents) just beneath the surface and directly atop their primary water source: the Ogallala Aquifer.

Landowners and other opposition groups have quietly gathered in courthouses and prairie churches, protested on capitol grounds and on cable TV. They’ve memorized the fact sheets: the mileage (1,179); the barrels per day (); the likely number of full-time jobs in Nebraska (); the fact that TransCanada has spent more money lobbying for this pipeline than any other utility company in Nebraska’s history (). Some landowners have given up retirement plans to fight the pipeline full-time. More than a few have lost friends along the way.

From a national perspective, President Donald Trump’s pro-industry stance has drastically changed the optics on the pipeline battle. Barack Obama twice rejected the pipeline, while Trump campaigned on a pledge to approve it, along with the similarly controversial Dakota Access pipeline in North Dakota. Opponents nationwide considered both projects a bellwether for the next era of America’s environmental policy: if approved, they would signal a renewed commitment to fossil fuels and a direct threat to one of the world’s largest underground freshwater sources. So when Trump approved the Keystone XL last March, claiming it would be “,” the battle seemed to be over.

But for pipeline opponents in the Cornhusker State, the view from the ground is far from hopeless. Last November, , the Nebraska Public Service Commission (NPSC) rejected TransCanada’s preferred route. Instead the commission okayed the company’s alternate choice, a path that differs from the original 63 miles in northeast Nebraska. Those 63 miles could make all the difference: a new route means new easements and likely a host of pricey new lawsuits.

The decision was such a blow that the company requested the NPSC modify the wording of its decision. But the commission unanimously rejected the motion, a ruling that landowner attorney Brian Jorde called the “worst decision possible for TransCanada.”

What this means is that the Keystone XL—after nine years and two presidents—might finally be felled by legal technicalities and groups of well-organized farmers. To gauge the project’s momentum, I attended landowner meetings hosted by both TransCanada and the Nebraska Easement Action Team, a legal defense nonprofit representing landowners affected by the pipeline. Or rather, I tried to.

Despite the legal ambiguities, TransCanada continues to push forward. In early December, the company announced a slew of landowner meet-and-greets at what it called Landowner Engagement Centers in communities along the new alternate route. One was held in a small conference room at the Cobblestone Hotel in Seward, Nebraska, a county seat of 7,200 people surrounded by the stubble of empty cornfields.

When I arrived at the hotel, hoping to meet some landowners and gauge their feelings on the risks and rewards of the pipeline, the ice machine gurgled and the Weather Channel was playing on mute in an empty lobby. A large welcome sign stood next to the conference room door, which TransCanada spokesperson Robynn Tysver immediately closed when I introduced myself as a journalist.

“Seriously, they deserve privacy,” she said.

Less than a minute later, as I waited in the lobby, jotting a few useless notes about the Weather Channel and the ice machine, Tysver returned.

“You know, I have to tell you, I’m uncomfortable having you even here.”

I turned to the receptionist.

“Do you mind me sitting in your lobby?”

“Nope,” she said.

During the 2.5 hours I sat there, fewer than ten people entered the room, and those who did were hardly willing to talk. Each time I stood from the table to follow them out, another TransCanada representative rose and followed close behind. Tysver had never heard of şÚÁĎłÔšĎÍř, so perhaps I sounded fishy. Tysver had a hunch.

“You’re not here on behalf of ?” Tysver asked, referring to a nonprofit environmental advocacy group that has dogged TransCanada from the start.

I left soon after, but not before catching a pair on their way out who agreed to answer a few questions. Both Sam Ferguson and his mother live in Seward, though they don’t own land in the path of the alternate route. As they talked to me, neither smiled.

“Whether or not I’m a landowner, this does affect me,” Linda said. “A pipeline does affect me and my children and his children.”

“I don’t even have an opinion on this thing yet,” Sam added. “I don’t know shit about the pipeline. My concern was if there’s a danger of it leaking, that trumps anything positive.”

There’s plenty of reason to be concerned about leaks. Just weeks before, the existing Keystone pipeline had spilled more than 210,000 gallons near Amherst, South Dakota, and barely a fifth was recovered. This was TransCanada’s third major spill in the Dakotas since the pipeline began operation in 2010.

The original Keystone was installed just west of Seward, and the newer, larger XL pipeline would also run west of town, though residents here negotiated to steer it away from the local reservoir. Save for this notch around the town, the southern half of the alternate route in Nebraska would run parallel to the existing Keystone pipeline, all the way to its southern terminus in Steele City.

It’s this slight deviation that could ruin the pipeline’s future, because while TransCanada insists that the Keystone XL “remains a viable project with strong commercial support,” some energy analysts say it’s become a risky gamble.

requires mining and separation, a much more complex and costly process than extraction from conventional oil shales, where bitumen can be pumped in its natural state directly from the ground. In other words, the profit margin is inherently lower. But TransCanada first conceptualized the pipeline about a decade ago, when oil prices peaked at nearly $150 per barrel and producers rushed to siphon every last drop. Since then, prices have crashed.

The pipeline faces another problem: oil companies are selling off their Canadian assets, signaling a shift to less expensive and cleaner products. This math gets worse for TransCanada the longer the fight drags out.

In September 2014, after six years in regulatory limbo, TransCanada acknowledged that legal delays had already driven up the cost of the pipeline by nearly half, . Had the NPSC approved the preferred route, TransCanada could have started construction immediately. But now it has two options: build along the alternate route and face what is likely to be an onslaught of new lawsuits from previously unaffected and unnotified landowners, or fight the commission’s decision in the Nebraska Court of Appeals, a process that would likely take years and add millions, if not billions, to the tab.

One night after the Cobblestone event, the (NEAT)—a legal defense nonprofit representing landowners affected by the pipeline—hosted a gathering of its own, the first of several up and down the length of the alternate route. Unlike TransCanada’s Landowner Engagement Centers, the NEAT meetings functioned as de facto public events. This one was held in the Olde Glory Theatre, a repurposed church just a few blocks off the town square, and the seats were filled with about 75 area residents, some of whom, presumably, recently learned that the pipeline’s new path would now cross their land.

NEAT was established by Brian Jorde and Dave Domina, the same attorneys currently fighting TransCanada. Weeks before, Domina had told the NPSC that if it accepted TransCanada’s request to amend its application, it would destroy the commission’s reputation. “That would make a mockery of you,” he’d said. “It would make a mockery of the judiciary.” Though an outgrowth of Bold Nebraska, NEAT emphasizes that it is not an anti-pipeline group, but rather a pro-landowner group, and the landowners were finally enjoying the upper hand.

Landowners who currently welcome the pipeline are lured either by the money—which includes a signing bonus as high as $80,000, NEAT says, in addition to a one-time easement payment—or the politics. In a deeply conservative state, claims of American energy independence have convinced many that supporting the pipeline is an act of patriotism. On the other hand, those who oppose the project see a loss of private property rights and an environmental cancer: not just increased greenhouse gases and a threat to the aquifer, but also soils compacted beneath heavy machinery, reduced crop yields, and negative impacts on surrounding wildlife. Nevertheless, should TransCanada clear the remaining legal hurdles, landowners of every political stripe will share at least one desire: to have the upper hand in negotiating with a multibillion-dollar corporation.

“Imagine if Ted Turner, one landowner, happened to have all the holdings that stretched 280 miles along the length of this pipeline,” Jorde told the crowd in the theater, employing an oft-used analogy. “Do you think one person with all that land would have more leverage than one of you, who might just have a small piece? So how can we empower each of you to be Ted Turner? By grouping together.”

Most landowners at the meeting seemed to oppose the pipeline, asking questions about tar sands oil, the county’s responsibility in the event of a spill, and whether or not TransCanada can sell the easement to a third party. (It can.) One woman, clutching a newspaper clipping with a map of the alternate route, stood and said simply, “I cannot tell exactly where the route is,” to which the majority of the room laughed and nodded in agreement.

At least one man stood to support Keystone XL and said he owned land already crossed by TransCanada’s first pipeline. His name was Roy Cast, and he argued that extracting oil “is in fact cleaning up the environment in Canada” and that opponents should remember that American blood has been spilled “to protect our right to have oil shipped into this country.” He spoke forcefully while those around him shook their heads or stared at the table.

In the foyer after the meeting ended, I spoke with Tad Warm, a farmer who lives ten miles northwest in the small town of Staplehurst. Not long ago, Warm received a letter from TransCanada, but he already knew his land would be crossed. When the alternate route was first published, he dove into the plat maps. The pipeline would pass within 100 yards of the house he lives in with his wife and two kids and would cross farmland that’s been in his family for nearly 70 years. He told me he’d been at the TransCanada meeting in the Cobblestone Hotel the day before and was frustrated with the way TransCanada sidestepped his concern.

“I brought up the South Dakota spill, and they said, ‘Oh, we’ll replace the land,’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, how long? And will you replace it like it used to be?’ They didn’t answer the question.”

I asked him about the money, the signing bonuses.

“It could never be enough.”

After watching the pipeline battle rage on for nearly nine years, those who left the Olde Glory Theatre and shuffled out into the night already held a better hand. The last time TransCanada barreled through, some had been wooed by big checks. But they were wiser this time, their questions were more specific, their rebuttals more pointed, their concerns hardened by what they’d already seen.

This time, they were ready for a fight.

The post Can This Group of Farmers Finally Defeat Keystone XL? appeared first on şÚÁĎłÔšĎÍř Online.

Skiers love dogs so it makes sense that each year ski resorts and mountain town hotels become more dog friendly. Cindy Hirschfeld, Aspen, Colorado, resident and author of , a Colorado travel guidebook for dog owners says, “These days, dogs are certainly considered part of the family. And people want to include the whole family in their vacation.''

Hirschfeld points out that many mountain towns, like Stowe, Vermont, and Jackson, Wyoming, have very liberal leash enforcement, and that many communities like Aspen have cross-country trails with designated “poop loops,” where dogs are allowed to get a workout alongside their owners.

Mount Bachelor and Mount Hood Meadows in Oregon both recently designated off-leash areas adjacent to their parking lots to accommodate owners who can’t stand to leave their pets at home (or are staying in hotels where dogs aren’t allowed to be left unattended). Perhaps the most dog-friendly of all resorts is Snowmass, Colorado, where dogs are allowed access to the entire mountain, even during operational hours, if leashed and accompanied by owners—good news for anyone who wants to earn their turns, and even better news for dogs. Here, Hirschfeld dishes on her favorite dog-friendly ski resorts, plus doles out some pro hacks to make travling with Fido go as smoothly as possible.

Ritz-Carlton at Bachelor Village, Beaver Creek

If you left your dog at home but still crave canine companionship, theĚýĚýin Beaver Creek has a pair of house Saint Bernards—Bachelor and a new Bernese Mountain puppy named Belle. The pair appear in the lobby every day from four to five for visiting, and Belle will be available for guests to take for walks this summer. Guest’s pets are welcome, too, with a $125 cleaning fee for the first three nights and an additional $25 thereafter. They are not allowed to stay in the room unattended.Ěý

Stowe Mountain Lodge

With a deeper snowpack than most western resorts, Stowe is the place for easterners to ski this winter. Dog owners should book the slopeside . The 300-room hotel has welcomed dogs since it opened in 2008. The hotel charges a one-time $125 cleaning fee, but provides a dog bed, food and water bowls, and a bag of treats for each canine guest. For recreation, the community’s most popular dog walk, Smuggler’s Notch road, is just a five-minute stroll from the hotel. Though dogs can’t be left unattended in the rooms, the concierge can arrange dog-sitting at a rate of $15/hour. When accompanying owners, however, dogs have a wide berth at the hotel. Especially popular is the upper lobby, where drinks and a bar menu are served. “You’ll see people with a plate of mussels by the fire, and their dog is lying right next to them,” says hotel spokesperson Leslie Kilgore.

Viceroy Snowmass

Home to the aforementioned liberal uphill and dog policies, Snowmass is ski dog paradise. The best spot for Fido to stay is the , slopeside at the resort. “It’s ridiculously pet friendly,” says Viceroy spokesman Campbell Levy, who brings his own 100-pound Bernese to stay in the hotel frequently. Dogs can stay in the room unattended, though Levy suggests you alert management and leave the do-not-disturb sign out when you do so. There is a one-time (per stay) charge of $150.00. Dogs are provided with a dog bed, leash, doggie bags, Viceroy Bandana, and a five-ounce bag of treats. There are also water and food bowls provided in the rooms. If you can’t make it back in time to let your pup out for a walk, dog-walking is available via the concierge for an additional fee. Come summer, dogs are allowed in the Snowmass gondolas.

Hotel Telluride

Like Stowe, Telluride is a dog town. There are groomed trails throughout the valley where dogs are allowed, and one of Telluride’s most popular dog-friendly winter hiking trails—the Jud Wiebe—starts just a few blocks from the . Dogs are allowed on city busses and even in the complimentary gondola from town to Mountain Village. There is a $50 cleaning feeĚý(or $100 for two or more nights) for dogs, but they can be left unaccompanied in the rooms, and according to spokeswoman Amanda Acosta, if you don’t have a crate, the front desk is happy to keep your pooch with them while your room is being cleaned. “We’re happy to work with owners to make it work with pets,” she says. In addition, , and you can get a $20 rebate on your pet fee.

Inn at Keystone

The charges $25/night for dogs and welcomes them with a bag of treats and a copy of . Pets can be left unattended in the room but must be leashed in the hallways and lobby. Don't miss “Yappy Hour,” which takes place in the lobby bar during afternoons—dogs are welcome to lounge by the fireplace while you graze on appetizers and drink cocktails. There are trails right behind the hotel and dogs are welcome on-mountain for uphill travel on a leash outside of operating hours.

The Little Nell, Aspen

Upon arrival at the posh in Aspen, guests can register their pets and receive a brass identification tag stamped with the hotel's address and phone number. They’re also given a Little Nell leash, sanitary bags, pet wipes, food and water bowls, dog beds, pet menu selections (tenderloin of beef with scrambled eggs and brown rice or grilled salmon with carrots and brown rice is $12), a petiquette handbook of guidelines, recommended pet-friendly hiking trails and gourmet doggie biscuits. That all costs $100 with an additional $25 fee per additional night. Aspen is notably pet friendly, with dogs welcome in most shops, and on Buttermilk Mountain and Snowmass mountains, as well as several of the valley’s , including Labrador Lane at the Snowmass cross-country center and Bernese Boulevard at the Aspen Golf Course.

Limelight Hotel, Aspen

Upon check in at , dogs receive a leash, bone, collapsible dog bowl, bandana and their own Frisbee, available for use in Wagner Park, across the street in downtown Aspen. There is a $25 pet fee per night and dogs must steer clear of the lobby during the hotel’s famous breakfast buffet.Ěý

Heading to the slopes with your pooch? Hirschfeld offers a extra few tips.Ěý

How to Travel Happy with Your Dog

1. Notify the hotel ahead of time to be sure you are booked into a pet-friendly room. If not, upon check-in, your reservation may be voided if all such rooms are already occupied.
2. Bring a travel crate. Some hotels will only allow dogs to be left unattended if in their crate. Crating tends to keep dogs more quiet, and allows housekeeping to straighten up rooms without any fear of altercations.
3. Look for nearby cross-country trails that allow dogs. A 30-minute skate ski is a quick way to tire a dog out before or after your own trip to the slopes.
4. Slopeside lodging is ideal so you can pop in during the day to give the dog some relief.

The post 7 Dog-Friendly Ski Lodges appeared first on şÚÁĎłÔšĎÍř Online.

Summer in the Rockys, particularly at Keystone Resort, might just be better than ski season. For folks who don’t take snow for an answer, Keystone’s customizable, wellness-inspired summer offerings are perfect for a weekend getaway.

The resort is made up of three traditional ski villages (a la Vail or Aspen) and stretches seven miles along the Snake River, crossing three mountains and 3,148 acres of terrain. as a tiny, family-owned place to hang some skis, the resort has expanded to include two world-class golf courses, horse stables, spas, restaurants, and shops. There’s even a mini golf course. With so much to do, it’s easy to lose yourself in the mountain town—a ski town “snowglobe effect” of sorts—but isn’t that what vacation is for?

Keystone’s condos vary in size, but for you and a partner, the one-to-two bedroom suite will do. Because the condos are individual timeshares, each has custom decor, from the bear sign by the door that reads “wipe your paws,” to the VHS and romantic novel collection (our room had one DVD: St. Elmo’s Fire). With ski slope views and rustic—but comfy—furniture, it can be hard to get going in the morning. Stock your fridge with bacon and eggs from one of several grocery stores within walking distance, and you can enjoy a lazy breakfast on the balcony.

Before you tackle any of the 100 miles of singletrack mountain bike trails or try your luck on a stand-up paddleboard on the lake, rejuvenate your body—12,408 feet up the mountain. Take the scenic gondola up the hillside for every Saturday morning, followed by lunch at the Bighorn Bistro. Then, continue the self care with a 50-minute massage complete with a fuzzy bathrobe and apres-rubdown sorbet by the fire.

If going man-powered up the mountain is more your style, sign up for a guided hike from the basin. Ask for Yanna—a former Olympic skier from Prague—if you’re really interested in getting a workout.ĚýShe’ll take you past panoramas of neighboring Dillon Lake and abandoned mining cabins from the 1800s.

Save the two-hour, through the national forest for your last morning; you won’t want to be saddle sore for any of the other activities you’ve planned.Ěý

It’s a good thing there are so many fitness activities available because you will eat well and in great quantities. Two dining experiences in particular are worth your time: the historic Ski Tip Lodge and The Ranch. Both offer gourmet plates and multiple-course meals that will keep you full and happy, but their history is the selling point. When you duck into the hobbit-like front door of the Ski Tip, remember that in the 1860s, the building was a regular stopping point on the Argentine Pass stagecoach route between Georgetown and Montezuma. Notice the vintage ski equipment used for door handles. Order the Lodge’s signature hot chocolate with Bailey’s and fresh whipped cream. At The Ranch, go with the five-course meal and make your reservations for sunset. You’ll want to devour the chocolate mousse plate just after the sun dips behind the mountain.

The details: Rooms from $119 a night.

The post A Fix for Summit-Time Sadness appeared first on şÚÁĎłÔšĎÍř Online.

UP-AND-COMER

The Sundance set will rejoice over the fact that The Canyons, a once unknown Park City resort, now hosts a Waldorf Astoria, complete with a slick new Spruce Restaurant from celeb chef Mark Sullivan. Avoid the glitz by hitting the steep, open glades off the Ninety-Nine 90 Chair.

ENDLESS OPTIONS

Vail‘s wide range of terrain parks and village shopping means the family will stay busy while you make laps. Everyone rushes to the 3,017-acre Back Bowls. You should, too. But when Chair 5 gets constipated, make for Chair 11 and duck over to the trees and cliff drops on the front side.

BEST NIGHTLIFE

World-renowned sushi chefs, an international clientele, and some 200 restaurants and bars make Whistler-Blackcomb the most raucous party scene this side of France. That’s especially true this year, when the Olympics come to town February 12–28. That’s no reason to shy away, though: Olympic host resorts often see a dip in visitation immediately following the Games—meaning hotel rooms (and bar­stools) can be had.

FUNKY TOWN

Despite its A-list residents, Telluride manages to keep things low-key. Credit a hearty civic spirit: Locals recently raised $50 million to prevent a massive development on the one road leading into this box canyon. Sure, the Mountain Village is a little ostentatious, but any place with an in-town “free box” (where you can score discarded ski gear) is all right by us.

SNOWBOARD HEAVEN

Its world-class terrain park might be the main attraction for some, but Mammoth‘s slopes are mostly fall-line, meaning very few traverses or flat spots. And since it’s in the Sierra, the snow comes in fast, thick, and heavy (18 inches in a 12-hour period is normal). So bring your biggest board.

Take a Hike

The lift-served skiing at these five resorts is fantastic. The terrain requiring a bit of extra effort? Icing on the cake.

BEST TESTPIECE

Big Couloir, the 1,450-vertical-foot no-fall zone that sits just inside Big Sky‘s boundaries, requires you to bring avy gear and check in with ski patrol. So don’t start there—narrower but less-punishing lines begin from the knife-edge ridge that separates Big Sky from sister resort Moonlight Basin (above the Challenger Chair).

THE ORIGINAL

Jackson Hole gets credit for beginning the open-boundary trend over the past decade. A 15-minute hike along Pepi’s Bench gets you to the steeps in Sheridan Bowl; longer slogs into the Headwall, Casper Bowl, and the uncontrolled Bridger-Teton National Forest beyond provide more diversity.

HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT

Keystone still has a reputation as a tame Denver family resort. For shame. The new 300-acre Independence Bowl opens 30-to-40-degree lines accessed by an invigorating hike on AT gear. Cat rides ($225 per day) serve the well- and sore-heeled alike.

THE SURPRISE

Unbeknownst to the Brie eaters in Deer Valley‘s exquisite lodges, the resort’s Empire Canyon has hike-to shots that rival any at its bro-ier neighbors. A short traverse gets you to the first of nine Daly Chutes—500-to-800-vertical-foot shots. Hike or sidestep along the ridge for the X Files Glades, wide-open avenues underneath a canopy of pines. Naturally, all runs wind up at the cozy Empire Canyon Lodge.

THE GREAT NORTH

It’s time to ski what you’ve been missing: Fernie‘s five lift-accessed bowls are chock-full of interior B.C.’s abundant (340-plus inches annually) powder—and bereft of people. Traverse skier’s left along Cedar Bowl to the Snake Ridge for rock-lined chutes. Skier’s right from the Timber Chair takes you to Siberia Ridge, where a ten-minute hike accesses 30-degree open bowls leading back to the base.

Classic Mountain Towns

Places where the eating and drinking and hanging out downtown is every bit as great as the skiing at the resort

JEKYLL AND HYDE
When the spring-breakers roll in, Breckenridge temporarily becomes a snowy Cancun. But the 150-year-old village (pop. 3,500) has a more civilized side, too, and remains one of the most family-friendly resorts in Colorado, thanks to its effortless intermediate slopes and stellar ski-school instructors.

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
There’s a reason so many stars flock to Aspen: It’s an unbelievably fun place to ski (especially Aspen Highlands). And party. Downtown Aspen basically a four-by-nine-block rectangle has everything from dark, unpretentious places (Zane’s Tavern) to lounges seemingly airlifted straight out of L.A. (like 39 Degrees at the Sky Hotel, complete with signature martinis, minimalist furniture, and outdoor fire pits).

UNINHIBITED UTAH
Sure, Park City‘s skiing is great (check out the award-winning park, awesome groomers, and surprising amount of big-mountain terrain). But with a pumping main street packed with 54 bars and restaurants, it’s without a doubt home to the state’s best nightlife.

REAL COLORADO
Steamboat‘s tagline is “Ski Town, USA” and town is the operative word. Unlike purpose-built ski villages, Steamboat is the real thing, with stores that still sell stuff like groceries and hardware. Tip: Start your evening at the Tugboat (located in Ski Times Square) before taking advantage of the shuttle system and walking the town.

EASTERN STAR
Not only does Stowe have some of the best terrain (and snowmaking capabilities) back east, but it’s also one of the oldest ski towns in the U.S. Pop into the old-school Vermont Ski Museum (), in the village, then head over to the Rusty Nail (), a bar and grill with some of the state’s best live music.

Winter Retreats

Whether you’re looking for expert backcountry skiing or a romantic weekend that may or may not involve snowshoes, we’ve got you covered

OLD-SCHOOL NORDIC

With 90 miles of trails out the front door, Stokely Creek Lodge, a 25-room Scandinavian-style resort in the Algoma Highlands of Ontario, is all about the skiing. And with no phones or TVs in the rooms, your nightlife options are refreshingly analog: sauna, moonlight ski, or fireplace reverie. From $100;

MONTANA CHILL

The nearby Gallatin and Madison rivers flow swiftly enough to offer fly-fishing all winter long from the ridgetop lodge and 24 cabin Lone Mountain Ranch, and with Yellowstone National Park only minutes away, backcountry skiing and snowshoe tours at the park are always an option. Seven nights from $2,475;

NORTHWEST GLAMPING

Each of the six new one-bedroom cabins at Rolling Huts are simple (cork floor, wood stoves) but decidedly modern (laser-cut topo-map artwork, modular furniture, Wi-Fi) affairs. Even better, they’ve all got perfect views of the North Cascades and are just minutes from some of the Methow Valley’s 110 miles of rolling cross-country trails. From $80;

KING OF SKI CABINS

Because it overlooks some of the province’s choicest big-mountain terrain, the 20-person, helicopter-accessed Bill Putnam Hut (also known as Fairy Meadow), near Golden, B.C., just might be the most sought-after backcounty cabin in all of Canada. From $550 per person per week, not including guide or cook (both of which we recommend);

ROMANTIC WISCO

Almost every room at Northern Wisconsin’s Canoe Bay/Relais Châteaux has a beautiful view of Wahdoon Lake, which makes it even harder to leave your digs. A complimentary continental breakfast is brought to you every morning, and should you want to trade your jacuzzi tub for the frozen trail, snowshoes are provided at the reception desk. From $350;

The post The Chosen Ones appeared first on şÚÁĎłÔšĎÍř Online.

The Early Bird Gets Stuffed

The Olympics end February 28. Good timing: Whistler-Blackcomb got more than seven feet of snow last March. Book a three-day, four-night ski-and-sleep package by November 15 for as little as $88 per person per day.

Killer (British) Columbian

After a warm-up day at Rossland’s Red Resort, you’ll spend two days cat-skiing with Valhalla Powdercats. Day four is a rest day at Ainsworth Hot Springs, then you’ll finish with a bang: three days heli-skiing with Snowwater Heli Skiing. From US$5,000;

Play Hooky

The New England Pass offers access to Loon Mountain, Sunday River, and Sugarloaf all season long, starting at $499 (after October 12) for the nonweekend, nonholiday pass.

Ditch the Guide

During the heart of the season (mid-January–March), only guided skiing is available at Colorado’s super-steep Silverton Mountain. But in December, early January, and all of April, Silverton offers two nights of lodging and two days of unguided skiing starting at $180 perperson.

Find the Best Little Ski House in Utah

Get a deal on a house rental in Park City. Score a ski-and-sleep package at Snowbird for $99 a night. Shred Alta but save cash by staying in Salt Lake City. Troll for these and other last-minute deals at , a continually updated smorgasbord of discounts at the state’s 13 resorts.

Commit to Colorado

Now in its second season, Vail Resorts’ unrestricted Epic pass lets you ski Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Heavenly Valley, and Arapahoe Basin for $599. .

The post Skiing on a Budget appeared first on şÚÁĎłÔšĎÍř Online.