So much is happening and has happened in ski shape and design in the last 5-10 years that many skiers are confused as to what would make a good purchase when investing in new skis.

First of all, the wider skis work, and they work really well. Last year I bought a pair of K2 Coombas at 174 length. The first day I skied knee-deep to thigh deep powder at Mammoth Mountain. I could not believe the difference the wider skis made! I skied better than I ever had the first day I skied the wider skis.

I had been skiing skis with a 88 centimeter waist. They worked good on firm snow and groomed snow, but were very unpredictable in soft powder and crud. I actually found myself avoiding powder on powder days and here's why.

When I would ski powder, most of my turns were fine. But on maybe the 10th or 20th turn, I would break through the crust making my body overroate in the end of the turn. This was so unpredictable when it would happen that I found myself focusing intensely trying to catch these breakthough/ overrotations, and it spoiled the fun of skiing powder and crud.

With my K2 Coombas (102 centimeter waist), they float better in the powder which provides less resistance in the turns, and is really helpful on traverses in soft snow and powder because you don't sink in as deep.

The other design feature I really like on my new skis is the wide point of the shovel is moved back which makes it ski like a shorter ski, and is much more predictable in my turns.

But the newest feature in modern skis is rocker. I have to admit that rocker in a ski does not make sense to me logically. But that does not mean it does not work. I tried my instructors K2 Hardsides last year which are similar to my Coombas with rocker in the tip.

The day I skied them was an ugly day, and the lifts shut down just after I tested the skis. I found I did not like them, but honestly it could have easily been the conditions.

Now on powder days at Mammoth Mountain most of the locals are out on their rockered powder skis. I can see the advantages of being able to "smear" your turns in powder and crud, but I am looking for skiers with experience skiing rockered skis. What do you like about rockered skis and what do you not like?

Most design "breakthroughs" are taken to an extreme at some point where the design change is no longer an asset, and you certainly don't want to get stuck with one of those sets of skis.

So I'm looking for some guidance from those of you that have experience with rockered skis. Can you tell me your experiences, what you have learned, what model of skis you prefer and why?

I plan to test rockered skis on a powder day at Mammoth Mountain soon. What skis do you suggest for an expert skier, 53 years old, 160 pounds, who skis Mammoth Mountain 80+ days a year? Please give me your advice so I can share it with the visitors to this blog, OK? And I will share what I learn when I demo skis at Mammoth Mountain.

Larry Conn has snow skied since 1968, and loves visiting Mammoth Mountain ski area so much he moved to that area in 2005. He offers daily ski reports and safety information on his blog at http://www.MammothSkiClub.com/blog/ Now Larry is reviving Mammoth Ski Club for active adults who want more fun, activities and involvement with snow skiing and other activities at Mammoth Mountain and Mammoth Lakes resorts. Get your complimentarty gifts, special report, and be entered in a drawing for a free Mammoth Mountain Season Pass ($1675.00 Value) by visiting http://www.MammothSkiClub.com/

Chains are a necessary part of the ski experience if you do not have 4 wheel drive on your ski vehicle. If you do have 4 wheel drive, you can simply get snow tires, and you will have better traction in slippery conditions. I recommend against the "all weather" tires because they are not true snow tires.

Please remember that 4 wheel drive is a traction advantage for acceleration only, NOT BRAKING. A 4 wheel drive vehicle brakes the same as a 2 wheel drive vehicle, so slow down especially when going downhill.

So what type of chains work best when they are required? I have a very strong opinion about this and yours may be different. If so, please add your comments and advice below.

My personal preference is for chain, not cable devices. Chains are bigger, and heavier, but they break the ice under your tires better than the thin cable "chains". When you need chains, you really want them to dig in, break the ice, and work.

Cable and other devices are lower profile and make it possible to drive more quickly than real chains, but you are more likely to lose control because they do not dig into the slippery surface as well.

So where are the "curve balls" in getting, fitting, and installing chains? First of all you want to go to your tire chain supplier and be sure you get chains that fit your exisitng tire size. Most people think this is all there is to do to fitting chains, but there is one more step.

What you want to do is install your chains while you are still home in your driveway. You will need a way to cut some links in your chains like a bolt cutter. You can borrow one from a friend if you don't already have one.

Once you have the chains fitted on your drive wheels tires (front for front wheel drive and back for rear wheel drive), you'll need to cut off the extra links on the INSIDE of the tire. If you have more than one extra link past where the chains connect to the hook, it will hit things and cause problems. Links on the outside of the tire can be managed by clipping a lose end into your chain tensioners, but excess links on the inside need to be cut off. So leave the link the hook attaches to on the inside of the tire and 1 more link for easy fitting when you need them in the snow.

This is not something you want to be doing on the side of the road in the snow. So fit your chains and tensioner on in the driveway to get the right fit so you do not experience delays getting to the slopes. That is too frustrating!

One more tip on installing chains. Drape them over the top of your drive wheels, tuck the chains under the tire, and then drive over them (getting the chain under your tire)so the chain is still draped over your tire. This is alot easier than trying to fight gravity and pull them up over your tires.

I find I can put on 2 chains simultaneously by myself in under 10 minutes. If you don't have a 4 wheel drive, you need to be framiliar with installing and fitting chains so you can get to the fresh powder. Then you can put a 4 wheel drive vehicle on your "wish list". What are your experiences with chains? If you have any insightful or funny stories, please share them with us, OK?

Larry Conn has snow skied since 1968, and loves visiting Mammoth Mountain ski area so much he moved to that area in 2005. He offers daily ski reports and safety information on his blog at http://www.MammothSkiClub.com/blog/ Now Larry is reviving Mammoth Ski Club for active adults who want more fun, activities and involvement with snow skiing and other activities at Mammoth Mountain and Mammoth Lakes resorts. Get your complimentarty gifts, special report, and be entered in a drawing for a free Mammoth Mountain Season Pass ($1675.00 Value) by visiting http://www.MammothSkiClub.com/

This morning is another blissfully wonderful powder day at Mammoth Mountain, my home ski resort. Mammoth Mountain just got more fresh powder over its already generous snow base. Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort now boasts a snow base of 12.5-19 feet.

Most Mammoth Mountain skiers know it gets tons of snow, but they are a little in the dark as to how to avoid crowds on the mountain after a big dump.

I have for you 10 tips, tricks and tactics I use to avoid waiting in really any lift lines when I ski Mammoth Mountain my 80+ days per year:

1) Ski midweek if possible. Mammoth Mountain Ski resort is visited most on weekends by hoards of Mammoth devotees from Southern California that have regular jobs and work during the week. Wednesday is my favorite day because you can most always ski right into any chair.

2) Get to the mountain early on weekends. The first hour is the best hour on weekends. I like to be standing in line when they open the chairs at 8:20-8:30 am. You can easily ski right into the chair for the first hour before the rest of the Mammoth devotees arrive.

3) Avoid the bottom of the mountain once you get there. Usually the biggest lift lines are at the bottom on chairs 2, 10, 8, 16, and the Village Gondola. Stay on chairs 3 and 5, or 22 and 23 to find smaller lift lines. The gondola is more crowded than chairs 22 and 23, which serve similar terrain.

4) Move around to avoid lift lines. My daughter and I ski most every Sunday together. We are able to move around the mountain and avoid all lift lines even on a Sunday. Learn which sequence of chairs works best for you. With the popularity of the Village Gondola, I stick nearer to the Main Lodge where there are less people these days.

5) Be prepared for wind and snow at all times. Mammoth Mountain has a history of underestimating the wind. If the website says it is calm or a "Slight breeze" that means nothing. Several days ago they said the winds were calm when they later closed the mountain due to wind. Check local wind gauges like the one on chair 1 for the accurate wind speed so you can dress appropriately. Wind chill is for real at Mammoth Mountain's high altitudes.

6) Mammoth creates its own microclimate. Two days ago, I left my home 40 miles from Mammoth, and it was clear and sunny. The sun was out until I turned on the turn off to Mammoth Lakes. There I saw a cloud around the town and mountain. I continued to my favorite parking lot, and when I got out of my car and it was snowing. It snowed all day while I was skiing. And when I drove out of town, it became sunny out by Hwy 395 again. When you ski Mammoth Mountain you need to be prepared for any type of weather because you are likely to experience it.

7) Chairs 25 and 12 are perfect for intermediates, and less crowded than most.

Experts will love chairs 22 and 23, which serve the steepest terrain, and rarely have lift lines.

9) Wear a Fleece balaclava, or carry one in your pocket at all times. I can't tell you how many times I thought I did not need face protection, only to do one run and feel like my face was going to freeze. By having a fleece balaclava in my pocket, I can put it on while riding the next chair, and not have to return to my locker or car to have the right gear.

10) Wear a helmet. You can never predict what will happen to you, or when you will need you helmet. It takes only an impact of 11 mph to be fatal when bodies collide with each other or a stationary object.

Do you have any tips, tricks and tactics to avoid crowds at Mammoth Mountain or your favorite resort? I invite you to share them here with your comments.

OK, I have to go sample the powder. Until next post, I'll See You On the Slopes!

Larry Conn has snow skied since 1968, and loves visiting Mammoth Mountain ski area so much he moved to that area in 2005. He offers daily ski reports and safety information on his blog at http://www.MammothSkiClub.com/blog/ Now Larry is reviving Mammoth Ski Club for active adults who want more fun, activities and involvement with snow skiing and other activities at Mammoth Mountain and Mammoth Lakes resorts. Get your complimentarty gifts, special report, and be entered in a drawing for a free Mammoth Mountain Season Pass ($1675.00 Value) by visiting http://www.MammothSkiClub.com/

Let's face it, we all want to be warm, comfortable and stylish on the slopes. Usually this combination comes at a price. If you're like me and need to outfit a family including kids that are always outgrowing clothes from season to season, this can quickly burn a hole in your pocket and leave you with less money in the budget for lift tickets than you'd really like.

I've found that bargain stores like TJ Maxx and Marshalls offer some great discounts on brand-name gear from Spyder, Columbia, Marmot, North Face and Smith Optics (just to name a few). You've got to time it right (normally late fall is when their winter inventory starts to arrive), and you've got to be prepared to look around. The people in my area generally live fairly comfortably, yet these stores still get picked over pretty quickly, leaving nothing but XS and XXL sizes. Typically if I go to some of the same stores a few towns away, there's often plenty of items to choose from. Using this strategy, I'm able to save between 50 and 60 percent off RRP, and those extra dollars in the family piggy bank sure help to offset the costs of our days spent skiing.

While bargains might be hard to come by this late into the season (late enough to see swimwear appearing on the racks as I write this), be sure to mark your calendars for next fall so you can grab some savings before next winter.

I've even heard of people pouring through the racks at these stores, finding the best deals, and then re-selling the items on eBay for a nice profit. Bravo for their ingenuity - I wish I had thought of this sooner ! Anything to save (or generate) a little more cash for lift tickets is always a bonus in these hard economic times.

Women's SNB SP Finals 1. Queralt Castellet 2. Elena Hight 3. Kaitlyn Farrington

Men's SNB SP Finals 1. Louie Vito 2. Matt Ladley 3. Greg Bretz

The snow storm conditions made the pipe pretty slow, so the tricks were difficult to really throw them down. To add to that, the sound system totally broke down for about 10 minutes, so everyone was scrambling around to get things going. With an odd silence, you don't realize how much the music and announcers add to the event, so be greatful for them. The Toyota Yeti took a run down the halfpipe to keep spectators entertained. And Kevin Pearce made a visit to cheer on and congratulate the riders (he was the one that got the severe brain injury just before the Olympics). Last year's champ, Danny Davis, was also out of the game today due to an injury.

Tomorrow brings the Slopestyle Finals, so there's more to come! I'll try to fit another blog in, in between riding all the new powder...

With Loveland being almost always the first ski resort to open, I wanted to check out why it's so popular even though a small area. I found out the three reasons: closest ski area to Denver, cheap lift tickets, and a nice variety of terrain.

I happened to go to Loveland on Thanksgiving day, which, surprisingly, wasn't too crowded, but it was awfully cold throughout Colorado. With the wind chill, it was well below 0. So unless you were covered from head to toe (including all those tiny spaces exposed on your face), you weren't protected from the elements and joined the crowds inside the lodge for a few hours.

Taking the lift up the south side, we rode the bowls (try Lift 1 to 6 to 2). The views were amazing - you'd never think these open spaces would be so close to Denver. It was pretty awesome. The wide areas are good for beginners, but riding in and out of the trees and through a park area made for more advance skills. If you want to get out the wind, take Lift 1 straight up. If you're looking for more of a challenge, when it's open, head over ridge up top.

The terrain is cool, but the people can be a little strange (think old Star Wars bar scene). You've got a little bit of everything at Loveland, including a lot of old school and hippie types. It makes for great people watching in the lodge. Whodathunk there are still people skiing and boarding in jeans? or a leather jacket! The thing is that they really think they're are "IT". So yeah, take it all in as you enjoy the great outdoors!

Because Loveland is first resort open, several ski teams come to practice up here. When I was there, the French Ski Team was rolling in. If you need lessons, there's a great program. And best idea yet is that Loveland has a special rental deal that sets you up with everything you need to wear and ride for one price. Great for visitors who didn't plan on riding.

Because Loveland is a smaller resort, they don't have lodging right by the mountain. If you choose to want to stay as close as possible, you'd be in a nearby town (check out www.SkiLoveland.com for more info), or if you plan on checking out more ski areas in the vicinity, stay centrally in Summit County.

So overall, for the price and location, by all means ride at Loveland! You've got to experience it at least once and soon enough you'll be slapping on their bumper stickers like everyone else! Easy and fast to get to mean more ride time.

Held on February twelfth through the eighteenth, the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver brought in over 2,600 athletes from all over the world. There were 86 different events featuring seven different sports, including:

• Bobsled • Skeleton • Ice Hockey • Luge • Figure Skating • Speed Skating • Short Track Speed Skating • Curling

Featuring summer and winter sports, The Olympic Games are a major international event that draws in millions of viewers. They are held every two years, rotating both summer and winter activities. So respectively, winter games are held every four years, as are summer games.

The games are typically sponsored by large selection of wealthy sponsors like Mcdonalds, Visa, Kodak, GE, and so on and so forth. This year, The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE:DOW) has made the decision to become an official Olympic Sponsor. CEO and Chair Andrew Liveris announced on July 16th, 2010 that the company has become a Worldwide Olympic Partner via The Olympic Partners Program (TOP).

According to a press release by Bob Plishka of Dow, they will be know as the official "Chemistry Company" of the Olympic Movement. Congruently, they'll be partnering with the IOC or International Olympic Committee and National Olympic Committees around the world all the way through 2020.

The International Olympic Committee is composed of a large number of both national and international sporting organizations and federations, media partners, athletes, judges, officials and any other related institution that agrees to follow the rules of the Olympic Charter. They are response for the following duties:

1. Choosing a hosting city 2. General Planning of the games 3. Updating and approving the program at hand 4. Negotiating Sponsors and distribution of rights

In a statement to the press: "With our long-standing commitment to global sustainability, innovation, scientific excellence and addressing world challenges, we believe Dow is perfectly matched to the vision of the Olympic Movement, which is about peace, progress and the world coming together to celebrate our common humanity," said Liveris. He goes on to mention that the partnership will only create new opportunities for both organizations and be a great growth catalyst for Dow and some of its newer ventures. President of the IOC, Dr. Jacques Rogge, welcomed Dow with open arms at the same press conference, stating "We are delighted to welcome Dow to the TOP Program...As a Global leader in the chemical industry and an innovator in sustainability, Dow will provide much more than critical financial support to the Olympic Movement. They will also bring industry-leading expertise and innovation to the Games themselves. Dow will be an important partner in making our vision for sustainability and global cooperation a reality."

This spring I learned a difficult lesson: You can't use your skis to death because they will kill you first.I knew this past winter was the last year I was going to get out of my skis because the lamination was splitting in the back and I had more dings and dents in them than a junkyard Chevy, but I thought I could get this one last year out of them and get a new pair next year. So on my last vacation to Breckenridge on my first day out just before lunch I'm skiing down peak 10 flying smooth as silk when oddly my left boot just came out of my binding... I was like..."what the??" Flying forward I'm thinking."oh this is going to be a good one", and slammed down on my right knee with my leg twisting around, and of course that boot DIDN'T release. I was at the base below the chairlift, and I could hear people above me going, uh oh... Lost my goggles, helmet, headband, and gloves. Scrambling to get myself reassembled I knew my knee was really wrenched, but in total optimism , I got my skis back on , got back on the lift and thought, maybe I would feel better if I had some lunch. When I got off the lift I knew something was very wrong because my adrenalin was through the roof, like I could have lifted a fire engine, so I knew something was very wrong, so I skied to a ski patrol fella on a snowmobile and tried to angle my way into a snowmobile ride down to the bottom. To make a long story short, I didn't get a snow mobile ride, I got a ride in a sled to the ER, where I was told I had a tibial plateau fracture and needed surgery. Upset that this was my first day of vacation , I blew the doctor off and actually drove back to my hotel with my broken leg and then had to call an ambulance to go back to the ER, had surgery and spend 3 months on crutches. The doctor called my accident "pre-release" My bindings were old and just released for no good reason. I was in love with my skis , they were Head Monsters, guess they didn't love me back.

After few months of down time in Park City, Utah and cool weather things are beginning to look a lot like summer. Besides the weather the surest sign that summer is here is when the festivals begin. Today lets focus on Deer Valley, Utah.

Deer Valley has turned into a year round resort with hiking, biking, dining, summer adventure camps for the young ones and many other exciting activities within a small drive. The biggest draws to Deer Valley in the summer is its summer concert series. Here is a list of major events through the 4th of July:

June 23: Motherlode Canyon Band June 30: Las LaRue July 3: Utah Syumphony - Patriotic Celebration July 4: St. Regis Big Stars, Bright Nights Outdoor Concert Series - OneRepublic

Ski Rentals Deer Valley Ski Rentals

Instead of a healthy retirement portfolio, my husband and I have gear. In the back of our minds, the plan must be we'll die of exhaustion before we can succumb to retirement.

We have gear for all seasons, several sports, and varying conditions. But it's the winter sports that really eat up space and finances. Our ski quiver would be truly impressive if it weren't for the fact it really does represents a huge chunk of what should be in retirement accounts. But once past intermediate skiing, you learn quickly that different skis work better in different conditions and are oh-so-much more fun. And isn't fun now much more important the saving money for when we're too old to have Epic Fun?

Since we play in three disciplines, cross country, telemark, and alpine, and in widely varying conditions (hard pack, ice, slush, rain, sub-zero and this year Ullr, the Norse God of Skiing, has even wrought upon us heaps and heaps of powder) we "need" and use it all and then some. (Yes, there's still a list of Wants.)

In deference to our dwindling retirement accounts, this is the year we decided to put our second home, which is in a ski area, into a vacation rental program. Our cabin has served as our winter gear annex. But we needed to reduce the number of personal effects, so we had to make decisions about what to schlep back to house #1 home and what we could leave. It made sense to to bring home the alpine gear which we can use at nearby resorts and leave the real mountain gear back in the mountains. Makes sense, right? Sense to everyone but Murphy.

Murphy's Winter Law has been decreed: You will never have the gear you need, when you need it, or where you need it. We are now looking down the barrel of our second two-foot snowstorm of the season...at our flat land house. And not a snow toy to be had. Deep snow boots? Other house. Gaiters? Other house. Cross country skis? Other house. Snowshoes? Other house. The upside to renting our vacation home is that we ski other places now, but the logistics of that, courtesy of Murphy, seem insurmountable. Since Murphy passed this new law, it never fails that some key equipment is missing. No matter how many times we check the snow reports and forecasts and plan for contingencies, pack and repack, we just can't seem to get it right. My favorite gloves will be stuffed in the pocket of a coat I didn't bring. We'll bring the groomer skis and find beautiful bumps begging for the short skis. My personal favorite is the ice melting off the lift soaking through every layer...on the first two runs of the day.

I was spoiled by not having to suffer the discomforts of day-trippers. Yet one thing this Murphy character can never spoil for me is that any day playing in the snow, no matter the conditions, is far better than anything that can be had under a roof. So bring it, Murphy. You can't wipe the smile off my face, especially when it's frozen by snot.