90 Degrees takes to the Stage

DOC POW, SnowSeekers Inc.

It doesn't happen very often but sometimes, just sometimes, even the best of 'em get caught with their pants down.

You'll find her ripping up the slopes of Marmot Basin in Jasper Alberta- deep in the Canadian Rockies.  It was last Saturday when the girl, only known as mountain megs, earned herself a new nickname.

This is the photo blog on just how she was crowned '90 Degrees"...can you unlock the mystery of how?

Just getting off the chairlift she is looking confused....

                                                   really confused...

                                                              hey did someone say oi?

 the aerodynamics with those reno'ed poles was brilliant

 she is just showing off the science before she shreds some gnar

And it didn't take her long to ditch the reno'ed ski poles for a pink one that was 

registering at 90 degrees....

First person to email me the correct response for what happened to 90 Degrees' poles wins a set of Marmot Lift tickets valid right through the 2010/11 season – docpow@snowseekers.ca

For more on Marmot, cause you know you have to go there, get over to here and start planning your escape for next winter.  Who knows ... it might just throw you 90 Degrees.

For full stories and videos on Western Canada's winter destinations, visit www.snowseekers.ca, friend us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Find your snowboard stance with StanceFind™

RICK MACDONNELL, SnowSeekers Inc.

Nine days ago, the SnowSeekers crew was at Marmot Basin shooting video and writing editorials, which you can find here. While we were there we ran into a fantastic fellow by the name of Sean MacCarron, who not only pioneered the non-profit Free Mountain program at Marmot Basin, but has also invented the world's first dynamic snowboarder's stance calibration device.

Dubbed StanceFind™, the device allows a boarder to determine – scientifically – his/her optimal stance given his/her skeletal structure. And it takes less than 15 minutes.

StanceFind™ has been endorsed by BASI and installed by TSA, Europe's largest independent snowboard retailer, in its stores across the UK. More recently, StanceFind™ has been adopted by two resorts a little closer to home: Big White Ski Resort in British Columbia, and Marmot Basin in Alberta.

If you'd like to find out more about the StanceFind™, as well as cre8iv-uk, the team responsible for it, headover to www.cre8iv-uk.com

Until then, though, check out these demo videos to get a better idea of what StanceFind™ is all about.







For full stories and videos on Western Canada's winter destinations, visit www.snowseekers.ca and friend us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

Marmot Basin's Spring Scene is Stellar

DOC POW, SnowSeekers Inc.

Marmot Basin, a ski resort found minutes from Jasper Alberta, has had one of its top season's in many many years.  There were a ton of times where a good friend of mine, Megan Gibson, a Jasper local, called and said "it doesn't get any better then this, another 20cms last night- and a full bowl of pow was waiting for this morning's breakfast!"

It's a classic destination that if you haven't had the chance to visit yet you need to....
For the full report visit us @ SnowSeekers.   You'll find some stories here from last weekend's visit.

You could still squeeze them in over the next 10 days, they are wide open through April 25th.

Here is a shot taken on April 12 of what it looks like.....

If you are a family - perfect, Marmot's got the terrain.  If you are an intermediate group of friends, perfect cause Marmot's got the terrain.  If you are a couple of cats looking to get in some outstanding hikes into some steeps and deeps you'll find this here too.  Just don't forget to take the camera- Marmot, in the heart of the Rockies, never disappoints when it comes to the views.

For full stories and videos on Western Canada's winter destinations, visit www.snowseekers.ca and friend us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

White tails and coyotes

Normally when you head out on an animal wilderness tour, you are taking your chances on actually seeing any wildlife; after all it's not like someone opens the gates and says, "Okay fellas, go do your thing for the tourists." but not 10 minutes out with Jasper Adventure Centre and we had to slow down for a small herd of White Tail deer on the road. If we would have been faster, I would have had pictures to prove it, but these deer are skittish and with a flick of their tails, they were bounding over the ditch and disappearing into the trees.
Less than two minutes later, who's coming up the road? Mr. Coyote himself (or herself). Nonchalantly trotting up the road towards us and ignoring the crows diving over his/her head. Our guide, Dieter Regett brought back the reality of the animal kingdom by suggesting that there must have been a kill that both scavengers were after, thus the dive-bombing crows.
This was just the beginning of our morning adventure here in Jasper National Park, and what a way to start. To find out more, visit snowseekers.ca over the next few days for the follow-up stories and more on Jasper, Marmot Basin and the upcoming Jasper in January Festival.
Cheers, Barb

For full stories on Western Canada's winter destinations, visit snowseekers.ca and friend us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

Snow days are continuing

Alberta hills are getting hit with the good stuff, but British Columbia is getting blasted with snow as well which is causing delirious smiles on resort staff throughout the province. Records are being broken and resorts are continuing to get a jump on the season and open earlier.

Mount Washington Alpine Resort received a memorable November snow lambasting over the last two weeks. With more snow in the forecast for the next few days, the resort announced that it will open for winter operations on Saturday, Nov. 28, two full weeks before the originally scheduled opening day of Dec. 11.

Kicking Horse is getting dumped on as well, and is looking to give everyone a sneak peak on Dec. 5 and 6, with full operations beginning Dec. 11.

Big White was scheduled to open this weekend, but the amazing snow dumbs had the crews flickin' the switches on the lifts last weekend. With an alpine base of over 65 cm, epic turns are being made off the Ridge Rocket Express, Plaza Chair and Lara's Gondola. Sister hill, Silver Star, where Nordic fans have already been enjoying the trails for the last two weeks, is also set to fire up the lifts this weekend with amazing conditions for everyone attending its opening weekend festivities.

Sun Peaks, another hill that opened early thanks to Mother Nature, has eight of its 11 lifts in operation and there is skiing and riding from top to bottom.
With over 362 cms (142.5 inches) of snow so far this month, Whistler Blackcomb has more than doubled its average November snowfall of 148 cm (58 inches) and is well on its way to the possibility of breaking the record of snow in the month of November, 416 cm (164 inches).

Shot at Marmot Basin Wednesday Nov 18th.

Now that's some serious snow.


For full details on the hills in Alberta and British Columbia, head on over to snowseekers.ca You will find news on all the latest developments, plus accounts of our team members who have already been making some epic turns this season.

Giddy UP!!

The snow if flying at Marmot- more on the way!!!

Marmot’s rec’d over 47 cms in the past 24 hours and 35 cms since the blizzard blew in Sunday night….

they are expecting another 20 cms in the next 24 hours with another storm cell hitting this Saturday.

One of Marmot's marketing gurus Meg's Gibson said to me this morning that they physically could not ski all the lines yesterday….you may want to look into booking your flight now.

As she drove up to the mountain this morning she had tears in their eyes from the epic conditions they were witnessing.

giddy up! and get up there!

doc pow

Happy First-Day!!!

There are a few excellent things we can say to a person, one is to wish them a happy birth-day, the other is to wish them a happy first-day with the start of a ski season!

SnowSeekers, Tanya Roth aka "Tweety" and Marmot's Brian Rhode celebrating their happy first-day!

There were a whole lot of those wishes going around yesterday at Marmot Basin in Jasper- and it was with some serious just cause- Mother Nature had all delivered us a serious first-day present!


"This is the best first-day I have ever had," said snowboarder Jaro Malanowski of Edmonton, Alberta. "The snow is fantastic! Man I love this sport and it's wicked to be back out on the board."  The snow was light, fluffy and there's lots of it!  I think Marmot's been thanked by Ullr, the Snow God, for the recent install of their new chairlift and that thanks resulted in a whole lot of hootin' and hollering yesterday on the slopes.

 The snow continued to fall all day at Marmot Basin- over two feet in the past two weeks!

Moving through the Grizzly Glades yesterday morning, found under the Eagle East Quad, my buddy Will Colford and I were met with face shot after face shot.  "This is cat ski quality skiing right now," exclaimed a seriously stoked Colford after our second lap.
It's epic to be getting days like this in so early in the season when traditionally are not meet with this type of euphoria until maybe mid-December....but hey who is complaining?

Marmot's Supreme Poster Child- Meg Gibson and her good friend Nicole celebrate the slopes epic offerings!

With the install of this new chair, the Canadian Rockies Express, any snow seeker can get from the base of Marmot and into the goods so much quicker,  it's now only a smooth seven and a half min ride away.  For more on this impressive system have a look to some of their videos off the Marmot website

Marmot's opening with four lifts turning and 43 runs - the most amount of terrain available currently in Western Canada!  These kind of stats can't help but make it a happy first-day!  For more on all the adventures in Jasper, consult our website at www.snowseekers.ca

While in Jasper getting in these goods you are going to need a place to stay so dial up a night a two with any of Decore Hotel's properties.  We stayed at the Tonquin which is home to some awesome outdoor hot tubs, a pool and Nick's Prime Rib Village, who makes a mean prime rib sandwich.


FYI, Banff's Sunshine Village and Lake Louise, are now open as well and are getting some glowing reports.  It's time to get out there and enjoy the winter.

SnowSeekers first of many go-guides submitted to Apple

Yesterday was a big day in SnowSeekers world.  We made our first of many submissions to our friends at Apple with our SnowSeekers Go-Guides.  Launching Dec 15, 2009 SnowSeekers is stoked to announce a world first- Go-Guides for your iPhone and Blackberry....

Here is the outline we sent into Apple:

Heading into any winter resort can be a daunting experience especially when you consider something the size of Whistler - consistently ranked as the number 1 ski resort in North America (13 years running by Skiing Magazine - October 2009).  Unlock the best of Whistler by having the latest and greatest information from the resort right on your iPhone.  Over 40 years of industry expertise has gone into the construction of these SnowSeekers Go-Guides.

Considering between the two mountains - Whistler and Blackcomb - that there are well over 200 runs and that the village of Whistler includes dozens of bars, restaurants and shopping options, this app will provide you with all the information you need to maximize your winter vacation.  Not knowing where to eat, where to ski and what to do while in town is a challenge for any skier or snowboarder, whether it’s your first or tenth visit to the destination.  Leave Whistler having the best time possible, pick up a the Whistler SnowSeekers Go-Guide today.

This app includes:

      STILL TOP SECRET!!! but things like GPS locator technology, digital trail maps and daily snow reports are all in there, plus lots of other exciting features.

This digital guide book was crafted by the ski and snowboard industry experts at SnowSeekers™ Inc.  Recently recognized by the Canadian Government as one of Canada’s most innovative companies these SnowSeekers™ Go-Guides are part of a cross platform Western Canadian based new media company which brings its audience the best of the best from the winter destinations throughout Alberta and BC via a TV series, a e-newsmagazine website @ www.snowseekers.ca and a series of SnowSeekers™ Go-Guides including Whistler, Fernie, Banff and many others found here in iTunes.

Upon the start of the Whistler SnowSeekers™ Go-Guide you will be welcomed by a short video introducing Whistler and all its potentials.  After this short movie a table of contents allows you to further your areas of interest with chapters on:

-The Mountain

-Dining, Après and Nightlife

-Accommodations

-Off-Hill Attractions/Events

-Transportation

-Shopping

-Deals & Coupons

and within each section you’ll find those tips from the locals to deliver you the “inside edge” to what Whistler has to offer.

13 titles are coming including Mount Washington/Comox, Whistler, Vancouver (Cypress/Grouse/Seymour), Sun Peaks, Big White, SilverStar, Revelstoke, Golden/Kicking Horse, Red Mountain/Rossland, Fernie, Kimberley, Banff (Sunshine/Lake Louise/Norquay) and Jasper/Marmot Basin.  They will retail for only $1.99 per title and will be available soon off the iTunes and BlakcBerry apps stores.

For more info drop us a line at info@snowseekers.ca

Languages:

English

Requirements:

Compatible with iPhone and iPod Touch

Requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later

Data connection

Only 7 more sleeps!

MARMOT BASIN OPENS NOVEMBER 11^th

 EARLIEST OPENING EVER!

Jasper, Alberta

November 3, 2009 –Marmot Basin opens on Wednesday November 11^th, the earliest opening date ever for the ski area located in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. Six lifts will be open on the first day of the season including the Eagle Express Quad Chair, Paradise Triple Chair, School House T-bar, Eagle Ridge Chairlift, the Magic Carpet and the NEW Canadian Rockies Express.

A combination of natural and manmade snow has given the area a solid base with good snow coverage throughout the mountain. Marmot Basin will open with 38 runs on the 11^th with more runs expected to open soon thereafter. The runs will include terrain in the lower area, upper mountain and the Eagle Ridge area.

With above average snow coverage Marmot Basin will open the new Canadian Rockies Express, the longest high speed quad chairlift in the Canadian Rockies.

From the ski area base, the Canadian Rockies Express travels 2.3 km (1.5 miles), whisking skiers and boarders 596 vertical metres (1,955 ft) up to the mountain top in less than eight minutes. The lift is the largest chairlift development in North America this season.

For more information be sure to check out the Jasper section of http://www.snowseekers.ca/story.php?loc=1&dest=6

WOW Catch a whole new lift this season!

MARMOT BASIN:LONGEST HIGH SPEED QUAD CHAIR IN THE ALBERTA CANADIAN ROCKIES

Jasper’s Marmot Basin ski resort is completing the next phase of one of Canada’s most significant ski lift development projects for the winter of 2009/2010 – the in

stallation of 26 towers which will support The Canadian Rockies Express, the longest new high-speed quad chairlift in

the Alberta Canadian Rocky Mountains.

“It’s an incredibly exciting project which is going to take Marmot into the 21^st Century,” said Dave Gibson, President of Marmot Basin. “I am thrilled to be able to work with the very proactive shareholders who purchased Marmot Basin five years ago. This new $8 million dollar expenditure, in addition to the $8 million the shareholders have spent on operational and capital expenditures over the last five years, will certainly enhance the overall experience for our skiers and boarders.”

The new lift has a slope length of approximately 2,300 meters and a vertical rise of 596 meters. The bottom terminal will be at the base of the lower mountain adjacent to the existing Eagle Express quad chair terminal. The lift will whisk 2,400 passengers per hour from the lower base area and unload them adjacent to the top of the Paradise chair. With an 800 horse power, top-drive engine and a design speed of 5.08 meters per second (1,000 ft/min), skiers and riders can sit back and enjoy the 7.5 minute ride plus the magnificent scenery of the surrounding mountains that make up Jasper National Park.

For more information on The Canadian Rockies Express, please contact Brian Rode at 1-866-952-3816 or HYPERLINK "mailto:brrode@skimarmot.com"brrode@skimarmot.com