Greetings friends. I hope your week is going well. Things are exciting with the Labor Day holiday right around the corner and the kick off of college football. I’m even hearing of a possible snow storm in the high elevations this week. Yea boy!!!!!!!!!!!!! Opening Day will be here before you know it. Ride on my friends.

GET YOUR DUCKS IN ORDER

It’s not to late to make the necessary preparations to have a great season-but you need to start now. I’ll tell you what I think you should do, if you have not yet done so, to have the best winter ski and snowboard season. I recommend going through this list and seeing what you need to complete to have an unbelievable season. Now’s the time peeps…

SEASON PASSES

FLIGHTS

GEAR

SNOW

1. SEASON PASS – Get your season pass now. Do not wait! Prices will just continue to go up. I recommend Vail Resort’s EPIC PASS or Altera Mountain’s IKON PASS. Ikon has already had one price increase and Epic plans one next. Usually after October you can not buy season passes as some mountains have already opened. Yes, some mountains on both passes will be open late October, and by mid-November most resorts will be close to open, or at least, I hope they will. Which pass you getting?
2. TRAVEL – Now is a good time to begin to pick dates of when you want to travel. It’s never to early to decide when you want to travel and go on vacation. It’s good to know when you want to travel and compare those dates to holidays now. You can book your rental car now, with free cancellation. Flight reservations and fares should be compared and booked if the price is right. Next, you want to narrow your lodging options. Again, if you have funds and the price is right, there is no reason not to reserve your lodging now. Places sell out. What’s your plan if you party has to split up or reserve at the third place on your list. Better not be disappointed. Early bird gets the worm. Here are a few other things you can book or wait on (but don’t wait to long): shuttle to and from the mountains to the airport (black Friday sale), gear rentals (book at least 2 weeks in advance online), lessons (book early they can be sold out on heavy weeks), activity reservations (same as the last one, what you want to do may be sold out, ie snowshoe tours, snowmobile rentals, back-country expeditions, helli drops, restaurant reservations (favorite times run out fast and some restaurants, baby sitters, guides and anything else you can think of).
3. GEAR – If the last time you even thought about your gear was the last time you were on the mountain you may want to listen up. It’s not to late for a tune up and summer/fall wax. If the bottoms of your equipment looks like you took a razor to it, it’s time for a tune up. If not, just get a summer wax and I’m not talking Brazilian here. Apply the wax on thick and don’t even think about scrapping until it’s time to ride. Got it? If not, just head on up to your local shop and tell them to set you for the next time you hit the mountain. Capish?
4. SNOW – I’m not a forecaster, prognosticator or weather man. I don’t know when it’s gonna snow. It’s probably the number one question I get asked. Really, people ask me this all the time. What month, what day, at what time? NO IDEA, NONE AT ALL. NOT A CLUE. I watch and read the weather just like you guys. But I do know this, the more days you are on the hill, the more of an opportunity of getting the fresh stuff. More days on the hill equals more opportunities. It’s that simple. Really it is. Now, if you live by the hill that never hurts either. What do ya want me to tell ya? Want to find more powder? Read Meteorologist Sam Collentine’s Open Snow post “Six Tips for Finding the Deepest Powder” here: https://opensnow.com/news/post/six-tips-for-finding-the-deepest-powder?nopop=true&utm_source=internal&utm_medium=email&utm_term=newsletter&utm_campaign=2018-2019 It’s a good read on how to maximize your chances at finding the deep stuff.

While these four things are not the only things you need to care about when planning, it’s a place to start to get your winter dream vacation going. By the way, DID YOU KNOW THRILL OF THE MOUNTAIN CAN HANDLE ALL OF THESE THINGS FOR YOU AND MORE? INQUIRE FOR MORE DETAILS. WE ARE ALWAYS HAPPY TO SHARE OUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE MOUNTAINS AND GIVE YOU WHAT YOU WANT.

READER FEEDBACK, COMMENTS & PICS

READER FEEDBACK

Always appreciate anything we get that faintly resembles feedback. I personally read every single piece we get. Received some great emails, texts and notes this week. Thank you. I noticed many of you are still on summer vacation, your days are numbered. Labor day is just days away. BTW, your boss called, he said to tell you to get your a$$ back to work. I hope you all had a great summer – fall is just around the corner. I can smell the cooler weather and many of you can already feel it.

Received this regarding this website upgrade:

It looks great! Easy to navigate and clean. I like it! Nice job!

Thank you. Credit goes to Florida State University sophomore Meghan Bertig for bringing this re-branding and web site to fruition. Meghan, thank you for all of your help with this project; stickers and shirts included. You are the real deal with a great future ahead of you.

Received this one-liner when I was asking if you were gonna be rocking it this season:

The only thing I rock anymore is a big belly

Your not the only one my friend. Always appreciate a note with a compliment:

Nice post man . . .. love the comments on the stickers and the caricature!

Thanks . .. and I continue to get this regarding the caricature:

Is that cartoon a picture of you

CM MAN aka Jerry? Come on man . . .look like me . . you’ve got to be kidding.

Nope, not even a faint resemblance in my opinion. If you think so . . . you’re crazy. I should be so lucky that they turned my life into a cartoon. Now pay me, haha!

HIKE & MOUNTAIN BIKE CONDITIONS

Resorts are still open. It’s an amazing time to visit. It’s starting to cool off a bit. Cool mornings and nights. Like hiking? Check. Like biking? Check. Now’s the time. Resorts should be open at least on weekends through the end of September.

Hiking, biking, climbing, walking, bird watching, wild flower finding, summit attempting. It’s all here to be had this summer. It’s all great fun and adventure. Conditions are really great this time of the year, especially for those who don’t like the snow and cold weather. Do I even know you?

PICS

Hot off the press. 2019 Gear Guides are out.

Wow. Very cool, reminds me of the rainbow bridge.

Cool tree shot.

Kinda reminds me of a pic I took this year.

Nice one.

Love a sunset

That’s nice.

Right back at ya.

What comes out of the third egg?

The old fire sky.

Where are you going?

Love it. Even better when its your FL neighbors. See ya on the slopes neighbor.

Yea thats them too. You guys rock. Have we even met yet?

Lovely.

What kinda snake is this?

Interesting beer. Cool name though.

3 Birds – Larry, Curley, and Moe. JK they are sandhill cranes not stooges.

Amazing. I never get tired of looking at Mt. Rainier. An amazing sight. Great shot. Thank you for sending it to us.

Thanks again for reading this blog. I hope you all have a great finish to your week and a wonderful holiday weekend. Until next time, love one another and be kind to each other. Get out there, The Thrill of the Mountain awaits you.

CMM

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