BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich., August 25, 2010 — Skis.com, the ultimate online ski resource, has signed Swiss pro-skier Mirjam Jaeger as its ambassador to the freestyle skiing community. In her position as ambassador, Jaeger will contribute short essays to the company’s blog (Skis.com ) and its Facebook and Twitter pages. She will also film several educational videos for the web site on topics including how to slide rails and the beginners guide to using the half pipe.

“We are so excited to have Mirjam represent Skis.com,” said President and CEO Steve Kopitz. “She is mesmerizing to watch both on and off the slope. We are looking forward to hearing what tips she has to offer on freestyle skiing.”

A longtime skier, Jaeger became interested in snowboarding in 1991. She quickly quit skiing, entered into snowboarding competitions, enrolled into a sports school, and booked her first sponsors, all by age 16.

Her love of skiing returned and she began practicing the sport again in 2003. It soon became so important to her that she stopped snowboarding altogether and, in 2005, started to concentrate exclusively on skiing. She keeps a busy schedule, competing all over the world, including at the X-Games, US Open and European Open.

Kinda stoked to learn a little more freestyle stuff and see some decent videos of rail work, etc. Mostly so that I can destroy the edges of my new Nordicas because it sounds like fun.

This makes those extra four reps on the leg press worth doing:

Skiers and snowboarders start your engines! Well not quite - but as you can tell from the photo below, winter is indeed coming. The folks at Crested Butte woke up this morning to a dusting of snow, marking the first real signs of the upcoming winter. So grab those newly printed buyer's guides from your mailbox and start figuring out which planks your going to be riding this year. Judging by the looks of it, snow appears to be on its way sooner than later...

I have been in the gym six days this week which is six more days than I spent all last year. I have my new Nordica Zeros and my even newer Nordica Hot Rod boots to break in. Two months and A-basin and Loveland will be open with WROD.

Salt Lake City, UT - If you're one of those folks who routinely suffer from altitude sickness, a tiny, convenient fingertip pulse oximeter from Brooks-Range Mountaineering may be just the ticket.

This $90 device, which weighs only 30g (1 oz.) without its two AAA batteries, measures pulse rate both digitally and via a bar graph, and more importantly, blood oxygen saturation (SpO2). It does so without drawing any blood by using light and a photodetector. Simply slip your finger into the device, wait a moment, and your pulse and blood oxygen are displayed on the device's LED readout. Power is conserved by shutting down automatically after eight seconds, but an indicator on the display notifies the user when it's time to change the batteries.

Not exactly a revolutionary gadget since doctors have been using these for years, but a hell of an idea for altitude sickness.

Worst skiing experience I have had was when Erich and I got altitude sickness at Wolf Creek after hiking Alberta Peak. The trip down was horrible. When I got to the bottom, I recovered enough to ski again almost immediately, but Erich was done for the day. I was not right the rest of the day, but I was able to see straight unlike him. The headache lasted a couple days.

However, that weekend was also one of the best experiences too and thankfully the altitude sickness happened at around 2PM on the last day there. It would suck to ruin an entire trip over it. This device may help.

But why pay $90 for it? Just steal it from your doctor's office, right?

So here is it, mid August, and we are getting ready for another year. Kept the place at Brian Head which I am seriously stoked about. Property values are hellish right now, but with the economy what it is, our lender wants no part of us giving them the house back and they modified our loan. By the time I retire, the value of it may come back to what we have into it.

I have new boots and skis that I bought last season. All geared up and ready. I just need snow.

Here is hoping for early snow and a great winter. I gotta start blogging more...

Spent the better part of a week at Brian Head and have great news on the condo front. We have been working with our lender because the market absolutely tanked in Brian Head. Our condo that we bought for $119,000 and put almost $30,000 in remodel into would be lucky to sell for $90,000 right now. It is worse for the people down the hall from us that bought for $175,000 at the top of the market. They are really hosed.

Fannie Mae slashed our payments by over half and made it reasonable to keep the place. An interest rate reduction combined with recapitalizing the interest and extending the term of the loan.

Brian Head is a victim of the Nevada housing market and employment market that is the worst in the country. Not sure that it will get better any time soon, but now our place is affordable enough we can keep it for the long haul.

I bought the condo as an investment and as a place where we could bond as a family. While it is no longer nearly the investment property we hoped, it has surpassed my expectations as a place where we can spend several weekends a year together with the kids. Summer is almost as nice as winter together.

Whole string of other stuff going on and I have been working a lot lately so lack of posting. Trying to get back in the swing. Love my blog and hate to have it die.

Speaking of which, I broke down and replaced my wife's Passat with a Rubicon Unlimited. It is my dream car and while she was not super stoked about having another vehicle I would take out and beat the crap out of, after driving it for a while, she loves it too.

I went to Crown King via Lake Pleasant this last weekend and incurred some minor damage underneath, the first thing being tearing the Evap Canister off on a large rock. I am in the process of adding skid plates, etc., and of course I went off roading before it was build up right.

Anyway, super stoked about camping. Looking forward to ski season. Got out of Phoenix this weekend which was cool.

Sorry to neglect my baby of a blog, but geez I have been busy and it is not ski season. This season will be far better.

Liners just get packed over time. I was wearing a pair of 30.5 which translate to size 12 and I have always been a 30.5 and size 12. So I went in to Ski-pro because it was 5:30 PM and I was stuck downtown and didn't want to fight rush hour. What the hell, right? Great time to buy, got time to look, and I am just looking.

Famous last words. They started measuring and checking and I tried on several different brands. Turns out I am not a 30.5 size 12. I changed the kind of socks that I wear the last couple years and usually wear either microfiber ultrathin socks or in a pinch a pair of black knee high panty hose. I bought a new pair of ski socks (in part because I was wearing sandals and didn't want to use their "loaner test sock" program, but also because I want a good pair. When measured in my new socks I was between 29.0 and a 29.5.

Now mind you, I know you are supposed to wear tight boots for performance, but going that small is almost impossible if for some reason you have to wear cotton socks, which is a total no no, but some days you run out or don't have all your gear set up and don't want to buy a $25 pair of socks at the resort for one day of skiing. Get them sized to be ultra tight for thin socks and the damned things won't fit with any other socks.

So here is what sucks. I tell Jake I bought new boots and they are in the garage so check them. I did not specify that I bought me new boots, just that I stopped at Ski-pro. So Jake goes out and assumes "My Dad loves me (mixed on that) and bought me new boots." So he tries them on. They are his size. He was a 28.5 last year and is probably passing me now.

So here is what I bought--a pair of Nordica Hot Rod 105's in a 29.5. I put them on and it was like the pair of jeans that you have had for 7 years that are all worn out on the seams and the pockets and that you wash in hot water because if they shrink just a tiny bit they are perfect. You know that if you wear them a little bit, they break in to be the best jeans you have ever owned.

I tried Salomons and some other Nordicas and a couple other brands and nothing fit like these. Most I have ever spent on boots and it was an impulse buy, but they knocked them down to $450. I am sure I overpaid a little but for them taking an hour to talk skiing, plus fitting me, plus trying on several pairs, plus them being local, I figured I would just buy right there rather than ebay it.

I really noticed the boots were a problem on my last powder day of the year. I could not keep my tips up and had to get so far in the backseat that my quads died by noon. But my Beasts are like those holey ratty jeans that finally your wife throws away and two weeks later you wonder where they are and you consider where to dig the shallow grave.

Looks like Jake may inherit the Beasts because they still have plenty of life left in them for him when he is gigantor in another year or two. Damned kid grows so quick I cannot afford gear for him anymore. I loved the days of a set of skis, boots, poles, bindings, etc., costing $250 for a junior. Perhaps I need to wash Jake in hot water and shrink him back down. No bleach because he is already a Ginger.

There is roughly a month left in the season and plenty of snow, especially in the Southwest due to El Nino. Most resorts close the weekend after Easter so probably three solid weeks left.

I am going to try to close the place down at Brian Head and really want to try pond skimming.

Today was epic. First full day of bluebird after a sick three foot storm on Sunday. I need to quit my job.

Sunrise got 4" or so from the storm last night which is not exactly a powder day, but still is fresh snow. They have gotten a foot and a half in the last 4-5 days so the snow should be fresh and enjoyable.

Will report on the day tomorrow or Saturday.

Recently, a young man was caught by an avalanche while skiing out-of-bounds at Snowbasin Resort in Utah. When found, he was dead and buried under only a foot of snow. The physics are interesting. When an avalanche stops, the snow settles within seconds and sets-up as hard as concrete. The victim's movements are paralyzed, and -- like drowning -- death usually comes within 15 minutes due to suffocation. Though there are historical cases of people surviving after being buried up to 45 minutes. At any rate, it's a hideous way to die...

There are precautions to be taken in avalanche country. Check avalanche conditions online or via local media before a trip. Know the landscape and avoid open, expansive areas without trees. Never cross-country ski, snowmobile, or otherwise travel alone in the backcountry. When accompanied by fellow recreationists, small portable shovels, collapsible steel probe poles, and electronic transmitter beacons all increase the survival odds if one is caught in a snow slide. If caught in a slide, flail your arms and legs around in a swimming motion that might leave limbs exposed when it stops. If there's time, extricate yourself from skis or a backpack to assist range of motion. Even a deep breath before it hits will increase survival time by a few minutes. Keep your mouth shut so it doesn't fill with snow and choke you. After all that, say your prayers.

But avalanches aren't the only hazard found out-of-bounds. Recently, at Grand Targhee Resort in Wyoming, a 46-year-old man from New York skied over the line near day's end and simply got lost. He called the 911 on his cell phone and reported his predicament. When asked to describe his surroundings he noted an open snowy meadow with a creek flowing through it. Unfortunately, that described hundreds of acres in the area. The man had a GPS Unit, but didn't know how to use it. He was dressed well for a day of skiing, but lacked the extra clothes and survival gear needed to survive the night. Local Search and Rescue personnel and the Grand Targhee Ski Patrol searched for part of the night, but due to snowy weather and the avalanche danger, halted the search until daylight. In the morning they found the man dead of hypothermia.

It is all about preparation. First, know your surroundings. If you want to go backcountry skiing, at least know how to use a GPS and beacon. Have the right equipment. Never go alone.

There are hundreds of dangerous activities in life that are extremely fun and rewarding. Backcountry skiing can certainly be one of them, but it is not for the inexperienced. Hence why I do not ski backcountry. But even backcountry is no where near as dangerous as "side-country skiing" where novice skiers venture just over the ropes to try to track some wide open expanse of snow.

Know your limits. Have the right gear. Have SURVIVAL GEAR. Don't do stupid stuff.