Ski season slow out of the gates
Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) reported this week that total skier visits at its 21 member resorts decreased 11.5 percent during the first period of the 2012-13 ski season, defined as opening day through Dec. 31, compared to the same period last year.

Several factors contributed to the first period totals, most notably poor snow conditions and a few late openings. “First period is largely fueled by in-state visitors, and an unseasonably warm October and November kept many Coloradans from tallying lots of ski days,” said Melanie Mills, president and CEO of CSCUSA. “Snow did not arrive in earnest until mid-December, but when it came, it was in time for ... the holidays at resorts.”

Ski areas saw a strong holiday period with conditions more in line with an average year, and industry experts are optimistic this will carry over to the months ahead. “There is some real buoyancy in the indicators for February and March. Hotel bookings are pacing ahead of last year by 3.5 percent and 8.6 percent  respectively,” said Mills. “Easter is well-timed for ski visitation this year and Colorado’s traditional snowier months lie ahead.”

She also noted that Colorado has one of the longest ski seasons, often stretching late into spring. “We’re optimistic that some of the best skiing of the season is still ahead of us,” she said. “We are encouraged by early January numbers and spring bookings, and our resorts are looking forward to an exciting and busy rest of the season.”

Skier visits are the metric used to track participation in skiing and snowboarding. A skier visit represents a person participating in the sport of skiing or snowboarding for any part of one day at a mountain resort.

Silbert named new head Broad
Great Old Broads for Wilderness, a national wilderness advocacy nonprofit based in Durango, has hired Shelley Silbert as its new Executive Director. Silbert will be taking over for Veronica Egan, who after 10 years of leaderships has taken a step back into semi-retirement.

“I am thrilled that Shelley has taken the reins at Broads,” said Egan. “She has all of the right qualifications, and of course, Broadness. She'll take Broads right into the 21st century in style!"
Silbert assumed the post shortly after the first of the year and has been familiarizing herself with her new role. With more than 20 years in the fields of conservation and sustainability, Silbert most recently served as Associate Director of the San Juan Citizens Alliance. Prior to that, she was the Director of Strategic Environmental Initiatives at Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, where she founded and chaired the Environmental Caucus and advanced environmental and Native American programs. From 1994-03, she directed The Nature Conservancy’s Northern Arizona Program, setting conservation priorities, managing three nature preserves, and working on ecological restoration, conservation easements, regional conservation planning, and public open space campaigns.

“I am honored to take the reins as Executive Director, bringing the voice of elders to advocate for wilderness and wild lands across the country,” she said. “Our members get on the ground to document the values as well as the abuses in wilderness and wilderness study areas, gather support for wilderness designations, and bring passion and humor to wilderness protection.”

Silbert grew up in Tennessee. She has a B.A. in anthropology and health care from the University of Tennessee and an M.A. in watershed management from the University of Arizona. As the Executive Director, Silbert is responsible for administrative duties, setting the wilderness advocacy agenda for the Broads and serving as the organization’s spokeswoman.

“I’m excited to lead Great Old Broads as we expand our impact on wilderness issues, prioritizing lands under greatest threat and focusing on issues that have the most potential to degrade our wild lands,” she said. “Aside from the better-recognized threats of energy development, inappropriate vehicle travel, and poor grazing management on public lands, we need to bring focus to the devastating impact of climate change on wilderness lands and wildlife.”

Great Old Broads for Wilderness is a national organization with more than 4,500 members and supporters. Silbert said she would like to work on expanding that base to include Hispanic, Latino and native elders as well. “Those who have such strong ties to the land, but whose voices tend to be heard less in the environmental community,” she said.

And last but not least, she pledged to keep the Great Old Broads’ irreverent spirit alive. “Of course, we will continue the Broads’ signature humor and playfulness ... with a membership dominated by older women who have seen a thing or two in our lifetimes, we can speak unabashedly to the urgent moral obligation to protect the land, water, air and wildlife,” she said. “In our technologically focused society, it’s too easy to forget that we depend upon the natural world for our very survival each day.”

For more info, go to greatoldbroads.org.

Top freestylers land at Chapman
The best freestyle skiers in the USSA Rocky Mountain Division will converge on Chapman Hill in Jan. 26-27 for the annual BP Bump Off. The competition will feature the top mogul skiers and aerialist in Colorado. Teams from Winter Park, Vail, Summit County, Telluride and Durango are slated to attend.

Last year's winner of the event may very well have been Chapman Hill itself. Tabbed by many competitors as the toughest mogul course they had seen, Chapman's took its toll on many competitors because of the steep upper section and top air. With the new improvements made in the off-season by the City of Durango and the Durango Winter Sports Foundation, the mighty Chapman has been tamed a bit.

“We had extensive dirt work done which included a start platform to move the top air higher and regrading the face for a more consistent pitch,” said Michael McQuinn of the DWSF.  “This has made for a more realistic training center and should prove to be a great run for the competitors.”
The event will feature single run moguls on Saturday with dual moguls and aerials on Sunday. The skiing action will take place 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. each day.

The DWSF is also hosting an after party on Saturday from 6 - 9 p.m.  at the VFW, which is open to the public.

– Missy Votel