Ear to the ground

“Sure, it’s expensive to live these days. But I guess it’s still better than the alternative.”

- A Durango man weighing his options

Gliding into the future?

With ski season just 27 days away (we hope), a new opportunity has dawned for the “terminal intermediates” out there. A Bozeman, Mont., man recently reinvented the downhill ski.

The Anton Glider resembles a compound bow more than a traditional ski. Atop the parabolic board is a large leaf spring where the binding is mounted. Creator Anton Wilson is convinced he has “invented what the shaped ski should have been,” according to a report in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Escaping the land of the blue squares won’t be cheap, however. A pair of the Gliders will retail for $3,390.

In creating his “ultimate” ski, Wilson looked back in time to 3,000 B.C. when he claims the first skis were invented. Grooming equipment was just a daydream is those days and the ancients carved only in powder, he said. Despite the advent of “corduroy” in 1953, the ski stayed the same.

“What happened 50 years ago, instead of saying we need a new piece of equipment, they said, let’s make a new technique,” he told the Daily Chronicle. Wilson’s answer to the brutal grooming is a ski that keeps weight on the tips of the skis. He claims that his invention makes the “troublesome act of carving” much easier. Wilson should know. He was once a “terminal intermediate” himself.

“I was in the break mode all the time,” he told the paper. “I looked around at all the other recreational skiers on the blue run and said, ‘I don’t want to do this. This is no fun.’”

Believe it or not, Wilson could be on target. The “Franken-ski” has enjoyed positive reviews inSKImagazine andMen’s Journal, and a Colorado woman reportedly coughed up $5,000 for a Glider prototype after trying them.

In search of Snowdown

Think you can top Spam carving? Want to be the next Outlaw Josie Pete? Just two days remain for Durangoans to enter the Snowdown Hall of Fame. New Snowdown events are due by 5 p.m. Halloween Day.

This year’s theme is “Snowdown in Da Nile,” a spoof on Ancient Egypt, mummies, archaeologists, grave-diggers, and Egyptian gods and goddesses. Snowdown is a grassroots celebration (translation: each event is coordinated by individuals in the community who want to create a special event as part of the winter celebration). Event forms, along with the Pharaoh’s rules, regulations and other important information, may be found at www.snowdown.org. Those needing a little more Snowdown guidance can call 382-0518. Once again, the deadline is 5 p.m. on Oct. 31. Alcohol tolerance training for this year’s winter fun fest will begin shortly thereafter.