Winter Fun: 2015-2016 Season

Now that the piles of dirty snow from the massive January D.C. snowstorm have finally melted (it only took a month) and meteorologists have reclassified our winter as just "average" and not the predicted "severe," I thought I'd do my winter recap - even though technically there's still a month left in what I consider the winter season. This recap covers four  winter S's: Skiing, Slopestyle, Sledding, and Silliness.

Skiing

Once again, Mother Nature did not disappoint during her colder months this winter.  Unlike last year where the snow coverage was abysmal in the Pacific Northwest over the Christmas holidays, this year it dumped 8 feet in one week, which perfectly coincided with the time I happened to be out there.  See ya Santa, I'm off to hit the slopes!  Colorado continued to have their early season snow making operations dialed in, allowing some lifts to start operating as early as late October.  Of course, true mountain snow coverage really doesn't start to build until December.  And finally, Sundance Film Festival ski conditions at Park City Mountain Resort were fantastic, with nice groomers and sunny 40 degree weather - a relief since the town festival scene and films the first weekend were not that great this year compared to previous years. It was so dead at Sundance, I couldn't even scrape together enough to make up a separate festival recap post.  Very strange experience!

If you've been a reader since around this time a year ago, late March actually, you may remember that last year's ski season, for me, did not end favorably.  Severing my ACL was definitely not fun, though after hearing other knee injury stories, I feel I got away with a relatively easy fix.  This year, I was a little bit nervous to take the new knee in its brace out for a spin.  Admittedly, I slacked off on the rehab activities after my insurance stopped covering the treatments, and my contributing muscles are remarkably different, mostly weaker, than before the accident.  Residual minor knee stiffness is my new norm too, apparently. Thankfully, my confidence returned quickly after my first few runs of the season and remained, though I stuck to groomers as much as possible and did not test my limits for quantity of runs.  Also, I quickly learned skiing in powder this year was a mental disaster! Fortunately, winter is ending with a relatively injury-free status.  I only had my lovely Christmas morning present to contend with: a sprained ankle that I proceeded to then ski on that day, which has continued to be a big a pain because ankles take forever to heal, but at least it didn't require doctor visits.

Slopestyle

Since its debut in the 2014 Winter Olympics, I am still amazed and intrigued by the increasingly popular freeski slopestyle competitions.  Dew Tour in Breckenridge is the first major event of the year, and I jumped the opportunity to check out both men's freeski slopestyle and super halfpipe events over the weekend!  All of the top level competitors, most of whom were at Sochi, come to Dew Tour because it has not only better prize money but they earn more ranking points for the season at a Platinum level event.  I would suspect only XGames is held in higher esteem by the athletes than Dew Tour - not surprisingly considering it's been around longer and has greater TV coverage and sponsorship exposure.

Slopestyle is a tough event to watch.  I equate it to going to a Formula 1 event, where all you see is the one track corner where you are sitting - or in this case the one jump.  The other option is to stay at the bottom and watch the runs on the projection screens, but what is the difference between that and watching it on your T.V. or computer?  Only the most dedicated hiked up to the top of the course for the rail sections, and I was not one of those.  Everything I shot was on my iPhone, so considering the speed at which these guys come flying down the mountain, I was impressed with some of the photos I captured.  I even did some burst mode photos and later combined them to create a multi-shot image like the one below of Jesper Tjader (pronounced yesper chahtter). And, of course I had to grab a shot of two of the top American competitors: Bobby Brown and Gus Kenworthy!

Later in the day, the Men's Freeski Super Halfpipe finals went down during some light snowfall.  I love watching halfpipe, since in contrast to slopestyle, you see the run from start to finish.  While I did run into snowboarding's Shaun White earlier at lunch, I am 100% interested only in the skiers when it comes to pipe.  Their tricks look (and maybe are) more complicated because there is more to do with two skis rather than a board, and I love that there's always a chance that a run may somehow be timed such that the skier executes one of his hits right in front of you.  The amplitude of these guys coming out of the pipe is incredible too!  Again, all shot on my iPhone.

Sledding (Technically Tubing)

I was trying to think if I have ever been tubing before, and I can't recall that I have!  While out visiting family in Seattle, I took the kids up to Snoqualmie Pass to hit the tubing lanes.  The tubes really got up there in speed, especially on the steeper lanes!  And it was quite a workout hauling everything back to the top if you opted to not wait for the tow rope.  

Silliness

Finally, it wouldn't be winter in Colorado without a bit of the ridiculous.  I happened to be out there the same weekend as the Ullr Festival in Breckenridge.  Your guess is as good as mine as to why a Colorado town is celebrating the Viking god of winter! Also why pirates would be involved in the celebration.  The main events of the weekend are the record breaking shot ski attempt, the parade down main street, and the ex-Christmas tree bonfire.  This year, locals and visitors alike tied or screwed together some shot skis (old skis with circle cutouts to hold a few shot glasses) to create one giant shot ski made out of 277 skis and completed with 831 shots of liquor provided by the Breckenridge Distillery.

The shot ski is immediately followed by a parade, or what I may call a "kitchen sink parade" because there was a little bit of everything thrown in there.  There were some floats, some quasi floats, various questionable sleds being pulled by trucks, a bike being pulled by dogs, and then there was the random port-a-potty disposal truck.  My favorite float was one where, between two consecutive trailers, a ski hill had been made with real snow and two skiers raced from the first trailer to the bottom on the second trailer.  In addition to the pirates and vikings, there was also a solid representation of Star Wars characters, and the finale float recreated the Ferris Bueller parade scene. The best and most disturbing Star Wars float had to be the one with dancing Princess Leias and very creepy Chewbaccas.

And to end a great celebration of a Viking god in the middle of Colorado, of course you need some Viking helmets and a giant pile of fire, with the slopes of Breck in the background.

All in, a pretty weird and fun winter I'd say!

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Creating with Legos: Old Town Brewery

I can't believe the whole month of February flew by so fast, and I didn't get around to writing a single post!  Well, it appears I have a lot to make up for in March.  First off, I'm still running hot on my Lego building projects.  The latest one I completed is a design that is completely my own.  Since I love craft beer, I thought it would be fun to create a Lego microbrew - The Old Town Brewery.

I designed the building to look like a remodeled garage, since a lot of craft breweries seem to be housed in something similar.  I went to a beer place in Denver that had the garage door and picnic table look, which was perfect for summer and winter.  Inside the Old Town Brewery, I have two large tanks and two smaller tanks.  I'm going to be honest, I am not exactly sure what tank would be used for what and what should be hooked up to what, so it's a loose interpretation - artistic license.

While there are some details near the tanks, like tools, crates of empty bottles, and a dolly for transporting kegs, my favorite spot is behind the tasting bar!

The signs above the taps show what's freshly brewed.  There are even awards for beer contests displayed on a shelf.  Each of the taps are round and 1x1 square tiles that have a label I printed to give it an authentic look.  And, speaking of authenticity, my craft brewery would not be complete without a rack of soft pretzels for snacks! Nom! Nom!

And now I'm thirsty!  

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Some of my Latest Favorite Travel Tips

It's been awhile since I last shared some of my favorites when it comes to travel these days.  I've got a few new tricks that I really like, and since I'm trying to build up my mile balance for some (hopefully) upgraded long haul flights in the next year, it shouldn't surprise you that most suggestions are miles related.  To accompany my hints, I've gathered together some aerial photos I took on my iPhone from my airplane seat recently, edited into some nice, contrasty black and whites.  Try to guess the state in the photo, if you can!

1. Global Entry

Five Stars for Convenience!

The U.S. Global Entry program is perfect for the low-risk, U.S. traveler who likes to fly internationally at least once a year.  Not only do you get TSA Pre✓ status on every domestic flight, which is pure traveling bliss, you also get to speed through U.S. customs checkpoints using kiosks.  Granted, you may still end up waiting for your baggage along with the rest of the non-Global Entry passengers, depending on the speed of the airport to get them off the plane and to the terminal, but you have a separate line on exit that may still help you win the race.

Why Global Entry and not just TSA Pre✓?  While it may cost a little more, with a $100 application fee instead of $85, but I think it's worth it for the 5 years it covers.  Of course there are some annoyances associated with the application process.  With its popularity, it may be hard to get an appointment within a reasonable amount of time.  Speaking of appointments, it's a time commitment to go to the Global Entry office, wait, then do the required background interview and fingerprinting. One additional annoyance relevant to my situation is that I am going to have to return to the Global Entry office once I renew my passport - which is bound to happen soon for space issues. Back to the positives: no paperwork (blue customs forms) means no digging around for that pen at the bottom of your bag on the plane, you can try to make crazy faces for the kiosk camera that will print out on your slip to hand to the Border Patrol agent on exit (I know I'm weird), and there's even expedited entry into some other countries. G'day mate!

I encourage reading all of the eligibility requirements in detail before applying for Global Entry because if there is any reason you may be disqualified, your application fee is not returned when denied.

2. Google Map Directions without Wifi

If you are driving internationally, nothing is better than having the convenience of Google Maps.  I'm not a fan of paying tons of money for data plans while I'm abroad, though, so when without a car navigation system, this is a perfect alternative.  

Before leaving the hotel wifi, download your desired map.  Start by opening the Google Maps app.  Find your destination using the search bar.  After it has loaded, go back to the search bar and blank it out, then scroll to the bottom of the menu.  Select the "Download a new offline area" option.  You can find all of your offline maps in your profile menu (the three bars on the search line).  Note, each map has an expiration date one month from download.

3. RocketMiles

Talk about a fast and easy way to earn airline mileage points!  The rates I've been able to get on Rocketmiles are comparable to other hotel aggregator websites, and I still earn thousands of miles. Last year, when I went to the UK, I think I earned enough miles for a one-way saver ticket on my favorite airline!  Sign up is easy and then just link to your favorite airline frequent flyer program.

4. International Charging Needs

Now that a lot of my trips also include my camera kit, I find myself needing more power sources than usual to charge my electronics - phone, tablet, computer, camera batteries, etc.  This is especially true when I travel to cold weather countries, where I may be running through several camera batteries in a day and have to simultaneously charge them fast just in case the Northern Lights decides to pop out in the middle of the night. Enter the Monster Power Strip connected to the Monster Global Adapter with USB.  Lightweight and efficient, this is a easy and safe solution to my electricity needs in foreign countries, especially in rooms with limited outlets.  

5. Winter Ski Travel 

There are still a few more months of ski season, so I have to give you my "go to" website!

There is no better resource for snow forecasts than the gang of forecasters at OpenSnow.com.  I check their predictions frequently whenever I am traveling with my skis to Colorado, Utah, and the Pacific NW.  Snow conditions are always going to have an element of unpredictability, but these guys are detailed and have a good understanding of how storms move and how that impacts total dump amounts and road conditions.  After driving through some treacherous conditions over the Vail Pass in Colorado a few winters ago, I am always looking up snowfall expectations and preparing to make my drive as safe as possible.  Which leads me to my next suggestion....

6. Silvercar

I feel like whenever I make a car rental reservation for winter travel destinations, I'm always playing a game of chance.  Should I select a car/sedan which may be the cheaper option, or spend the extra money on an SUV? Will that SUV selection actually guarantee a 4WD or AWD car?  Who knows. What I do know is that the Audi Quattro traction system is one of the best, and the idea of a rental car company that exclusively deals in Audi A4s is a huge relief for my winter travel planning.  

Silvercar is a new entry to the car rental industry.  And while the daily cost sometimes may be more than an equivalent vehicle type at a more well known rental agency, you're getting the comfort of a luxury car as well as the convenience of knowing it's getting you from the airport to your winter destination as safe as possible (the variable being your ability to drive comfortably in snow).  Reservations are managed online or on a phone app, there is no paperwork, and you are greeted by a concierge via text when you arrive at the airport, in person when the shuttle drops you off, and by text again the day of your return.  Alas, the Silvercar experience is only available at a select number of U.S. airports, but I am hoping that their success continues and inspires expansion to new destinations.  Check out their Facebook page for some first time rental promotional codes.

7. Southwest Companion Pass

For my last tip, I picked a doozie!  Imaging bringing someone (me!) along with you on all your Southwest flights for FREE. Enter the Southwest Companion Pass.

The rules are simple, the journey to earning the pass is challenging...or is it?  

After qualifying for the Companion Pass,  a companion is designated for the pass and Southwest mails the pass to you.  When booking tickets online, there is an option to choose the companion pass to assist with the booking process.  The passholder's fare comes up and the companion is zero.  This companion benefit is good for the year in which you earn it AND the next calendar year.  So, the sooner you get it, the bigger the return!

And now, how to get it.  There are two ways:

1. Fly 100 qualifying one-way flights with Southwest in one calendar year
2. Earn 110,000 Southwest points in one calendar year

Number 1 is tough!  That's flying every 3.65 days!  Number 2, however......well, how is your credit rating? If you don't already have the Southwest Chase credit card, they have 50,000 mile signup offers.  Oh, and by the way, you could qualify for the personal AND business card.  If that's the case, boom, you're at 100,000 points already.  You'll have to spend some money on those cards to earn the initial 50k bonus, likely $2000 minimum, so there's 4,000 more miles.  For the remaining 6,000 miles, check out other Southwest travel and shopping partners (like Rocketmiles!) or simply use the card to shop all your favorite places and fly a little bit (hit the slopes?).  You'll get it no sweat.  Again, the earlier in the calendar year, the better because after this first companion pass is earned, the second will not come as easily since the credit card bonuses are for first time applicants only.  Still, what an offer if you can swing it!  Also, remember you get two checked bags free (a.k.a. ski bag and large duffel for that winter vacation) on Southwest and the option to pay a nominal amount to get hassle-free, early bird check-on.  Oh, and they still give you snacks for free!  Could they cement their status any more firmly as one of the best U.S. domestic airlines??

Happy trails!

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Creating with Legos: Asian Restaurant and Surf/Ski Shop

And now, another peek into how I've been keeping myself occupied these past few months creatively. When I found the coffee shop instructions that inspired my Starbricks and Used Book Store building, I also saw a cute Asian Restaurant/Surf Shop commercial building instruction set.  Of course, I didn't want to be boring and build it exactly to plan, so I modified the interior of the shop somewhat to add some paddleboards and snow sports equipment plus a big beach mural I found on Bricklink, and I removed the skateboards top floor office completely.  For the most part, I kept the Japanese Restaurant the same, maybe taking out and adding in few details in the office.

Here's the original build on Brick City Depot:

And here is my modified version....once again, apologies for the iPhone photo quality issues.

The walls have a rack of skis, snowboards, poles, and goggles on one side, paddles and surfboards on the other.  Then up high are the longer paddleboards.

As I explained earlier, I kept the Asian Restaurant pretty much the same, including the stereotypical in-restaurant fish tank.

I loved the water cooler and shelving upstairs.  In the original, this desk style was in the surf shop office. Also to clean up the space, I put all of the shelves against the wall.  And, of course, the scene would not be complete without a cup of Starbricks coffee!

I'm still working on one more building and one massive project.  I just need to make the time to figure out what parts I am missing, then order them.  Hoping to have the final building done soon because all it needs is a roof!  

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