Midwest Ski Journal likes to highlight a few pieces of skiing internet worth your time in Linking Turns. Find the best, most important, least important and otherwise links here each week.
This week we hear from a writer working to balance her season stoke with the weight of the world. Then, we analyze a photo outlining every single way to transport a snowmobile illegally before taking a look at a New York Times piece about the expected backcountry surge this winter.
TURN 1: Building Stoke for a Winter Unlike Any Other (Heather Hansman/Outside)
It felt like Heather Hansman weaved together almost everything I’ve felt heading into the 2020/21 ski season in this Outside essay.
Weighing and balancing the importance of this pastime we all love with the enormity of the issues around us has been tough sledding this fall. Hansman strikes the right balance here.
It’s impossible to say what this season will look like. With so many other things to worry about, I don’t know if we’ll all still be watching barometric pressure like it’s news. But skiing has taught me to sit with that preseason itch—the hunger for motion and change, the belief that this winter will be the best one yet—with the resilience to go on if it’s not.
Heather Hansman/Outside
TURN 2: How not to transport your snowmobile in Wisconsin (WisDOT Northwest Region/Twitter)
At the beginning of November, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s Northwest division tweeted this image that should honestly be the Wisconsin state flag.
The only thing better than trying to get your sled on your Corolla is jamming it up there sideways. Incredible stuff.
TURN 3: It’s the Winter of Backcountry. Here’s How to Start Safely (David Goodman and Karen Schwartz/New York Times)
As uncertainty of ski resort operation swirls this fall, the New York Times assessed the incoming surge of backcountry skiing across the continent.
Backcountry ski gear sales have surged, the Times says, which is the only metric with which to gauge backcountry skiing interest.
This Times piece does a pretty good job of directing people toward some form of education before heading into the backcountry, but I’m sure some locals weren’t too excited to see the Times print the locations of their trailheads.
I think this parking issue the Times addresses is really crucial here, too. Resorts are built to absorb thousands of vehicles a day. National Forest trailheads are not.
The backcountry ski boom has been accompanied by a trailhead parking crunch. If you can’t park, you can’t ski. Check local backcountry skiing, state department of transportation and U.S. Forest Service websites to learn about potential area closures and overflow parking for the more popular trailheads, and plan to start your ski day early. Learn about less-traveled destinations from guidebooks and have a backup plan in case parking is unavailable.
David Goodman and Karen Schwartz/The New York Times
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