Mardi Gras Weekend

My friends and I
all dressed up at Ice Bar

This past weekend was Mardi Gras and Winter Carnival and it is one of my favourite traditions at Holiday Valley. Holiday Valley begins to prepare weeks in advance for the festival with the construction of the infamous ice bar, snow sculpture, and decorating.  The festival kicks of Saturday morning at 10 a.m. Holiday Valley is a family resort and offers all kinds of activities for all ages.  My friends and family like many people who attend go all out and dress up. 

I love this weekend and this year was amazing. The weather was spectacular and perfect for skiing and a BBQ slope-side. As I arrived to Ellicottville late Friday I knew I better rest up because the weekend would be a busy. I woke on Saturday to less then desirable weather, but I wasn't going to let a little snow rain on my parade, and nor would Holiday Valley. We quickly gathered our ski clothes, packed out lunched, and grabbed our beads and were off to she ski hill.

This is a huge weekend for the resort so I recommend to anyone that plans to join us next year, arrive early! Parking fills up quickly and the walk to the lodge can get very long. We arrived early, saved our favourite table on the deck of Yodeler Lodge and went out to make some runs.

My friend Jillian and I

Skiing was fabulous and it's always nice to get out and make some runs with family and friends. By 12:30 we all decide that the hills are getting very busy and its time for a cold beer and a hot  dog. 
We head back to our table and check out the Ice Bar. 
Holiday Valley never ceases to amaze me. They put on an amazing weekend with music, face painting, games, dummy downhill, costume contest and parades down the hill. 

I recommend to all of you, if you're thinking about coming to Ellicottville be sure to check out their weekend events and join us next year for Mardi Gras.

See you on the slopes;
Joanna


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Skiing Withdrawl

Photo from Holiday Valley*

As I return from my reading week vacation in Florida I am left with that feeling that something is missing. Getting of the plane was not only shockingly frigid cold, but it also left me feeling at home. I love the sun, sand, and warm air but nothing beats a cold snowy day where you can hear the crunch of the snow beneath your boots.  This week I thought I'd share some insight into snow, and snowmaking. 
HolidayValley is setting the bar across the eastern ski resorts by investing $10 million in their snow making system.  This snowmaking system is an air/water system that consists of 475 tower guns, 50 ground guns, and 560 hydrants.

So what makes ideal snow making conditions? “According to Steve Crowley, Director of Mountain Operations and former head of Snowmaking, it is 18 degrees wet bulb with about a 10 to 15 mile per hour wind from the west and frozen ground.”* 

Photo from Holiday Valley*

For those of you not in the snowmaking business wet bulb temperature is the measurement of surrounding temperature that includes the cooling effect the humidity in the air allows for. The amount of water in the air affects the degree of evaporation. Dryer air leads to more cooling.

Holiday Valley is continuing to practice sustainable initiatives and this includes their snow making capabilities.  They take the water from their 64 million gallon Spruce Lake as well as their various ponds on their golf course. They also installed in 2013 put in HKD energy saving Tower Impulse guns that allow them to adjust for the weather. 

Now that my tan is starting to fade, I am excited to get back on the slopes this weekend and enjoy the last month of skiing. If you can make it out to your local ski hill don’t forget to consider the snow your skiing on.

Bundle up,
Joanna

Check out the video below of the Holiday Valley Snowmakers hard at work on a cold night.

*cited

•  http://www.holidayvalley.com/explore-our-mountain/snowmaking-at-holiday-valley#.UxXbWoI-PLg  
• http://instagram.com/holidayvalley 

Cooking for a full house

As every weekend approaches I am always faced with the same question. What will I be feeding my friends and family? This task usually includes the lunch I will be bringing to the ski hill on Saturday. Skiing is so much more to me then going down a hill, it's the whole lifestyle that comes with it. I am going to share my favourite and easy lunch recipes with you from one of my favourite blogs Two Peas & Their Pod. I love making their Slow-Cooker Turkey Chili It is easy to prepare and all I need to is bring my crock pot with me and plug it in. When you are out on the hill skiing and breaking a sweat you don't want to come to a lunch of fats and sugars. My goal every week is to make a healthy and enjoyable lunch, and this recipe always is a big success. 

 

There is nothing more satisfying then getting off the hill on a cold day and enjoying a nice big warm bowl of chili. This recipe is easy follow, and the ingredients are easy to come by. In most ski towns the grocery stores are small and don't always have  specialty  items. This recipe has simple and healthy ingredients. I love this chili because its light on the spice so everyone can add more to their individual taste if they like (if I remember to pack extra). 

When making this recipe at home, I love to serve it over brow basmati rice or quinoa.(check out my friends quinoa blog, its sure to inspire you) This makes for a hearty meal that is sure to satisfy all your hungry skiers.

I hope you are inspired to get outside today, try an activity and enjoy a healthy lunch. 

-Joanna

What I ride.

This week called for an equipment review. First things first, know your level of ability.  I am categorized as an intermediate to expert skier, make sure you know your level before you go out an buy equipment. I will be reviewing the 2011 Salomon Lady and my boots are a 2013 Salomon X-Max 110 W. I got this equipment from my local ski shop The City Garage. They take the time to make sure I am well equipped and answer all my questions.
The Salomon Lady skies are categorized as an all over the mountain ski. The skis took turns with ease and their wide base pushed me through all the powder on the mountain. The bright colours definitely drew me in and I was not disappointed. The skis were easy to maneuver across all types of terrain. The twin tips made it easy for park and mogul skiing. I really enjoyed these skis and would give them a 9/10.
The Salomon X-Max 110 W boots fit like a glove. They were a little difficult to get on, but once they were on they were as comfortable as a ski boot could get.  With an adjustable circumference, and heated insoles they boots felt as custom as one could get. These boots also offer a 360 custom shell technology allows the entire lower boot and portions of the cuff and my leg and foot. This was a stiffer boot, which is what an aggressive skier enjoys. I was able to get forward while skiing and still feel full support. I really loved these boots and would give them a 9.5/10. 
Overall I really loved these skis and boots. I recommend checking out your local ski shop for a demo your next ski trip. Can't hurt to try something new.
-Joanna

2014 Olympic Mania

Olympic mania has begun.  The 2014 games have begun in Sochi Russia and I Olympic mania has begun. The 2014 games have begun in Sochi Russia and I couldn’t be more excited. Again life gets in the way of me being able to camp out at home and watch the winter Olympic games. I could spend weeks talking about the Olympics, but I don’t want to get sidetracked from my main event and Canada’s Gold medal event, Freestyle skiing mogul competition. 
Freestyle skiing has been in the Olympics since 1992.  It once included moguls, aerials, and ballet. In 1994 ballet skiing was dropped from the Olympic games and moguls and aerials remained an olympic sport. 

 Canada's freestyle team was said to be the team to beat, and the critics were right.The Canadians placed first and second in both the men and women freestyle mogul event.  The women’s event was first and Canada had two sisters on the podium. Justine Dufour-Lapointe placed first and her sister Chloe Dufour-Lapointe came in right behind her in second.  Over in the men’s mogul event Alex Bilodeau defended his gold medal with fellow Canadian Mikael Kingsbury close behind in second.
I grew up in the moguls and have such a respect for these athletes.  The training they endure is not only intense but can also be very dangerous. Mogul skiing can also take a great toll on your body and these athletes have pushed through the pain to represent Canada in the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics. I couldn't be more proud to be a Canadian and a mogul skier. 

Let the games continue. 

GO CANADA GO

-Joanna

My fun filled weekend

My godmother and myself on Chute Chairlift

I made it to Ellicottville safe and sound on Friday. As I mentioned in my past blog, this weekend my godmother was in town from Chicago. When we arrived we quickly unloaded the car and got our groceries ready to make our dinner. We decided that tonight we'd keep it simple and have a steak, salad and of course some wine. This was the perfect meal to give us energy for tomorrow's adventures on the mountain.

Tomato Bisque & Grilled Cheese Croutons

A rustic tomato basil and Parmesan soup topped with grilled Texas toast and creamy granquesso croutons.

When we woke up Saturday we knew it was going to be a good day on and off the mountain. We made the coffee, got dressed in all our layers and were ready to brave mother nature. The conditions were perfect, the weather not so much. It was a little overcast, but with the right goggles I was ready. My godmother and I skied the whole mountain. At 10 am we went in for our coffee and to meet some of our family friends. After coffee our group grew and we all took off to explore the rest of the mountain. Holiday Valley is not a large mountain like Vail or Aspen but it offers a range of options depending on your ability.  We skied till noon, when we called it quits and went into the lodge for an après ski drink. We finished our drink and decided it was time for lunch. Usually we bring a big lunch to the hill, but since it was just the two of us we figured we'd go out.  We headed into town to the Ellicottville Brewing Company also known as EBC. Where we had tomato soup with grilled cheese. It definitely hit the spot after a cold day on the mountain.  After lunch it was home to relax before dinner. I'd say it was the perfect day, and the weekend wasn't over yet.

Super Bowl Sunday was a blast. My boyfriend had us up to his house to watch the game and enjoy some pizza and chicken wings. While the game was disappointing, the company was not. 

Overall I had a spectacular weekend with some of the people I love.  

Now it's back to the grind.

Hope your week flies by.

-J

Friday, Friday, Friday

Another Friday has arrived and I am itching to get out the door and on the road. 

My trusty Jetta Candy. I think she needs a car wash!

Before I start I should give you some background on where I ski.  My home mountain is in the small town of Ellicottville, NY called HolidayValley, which is, an hour and half from where I live and go to school. So when Friday finally rolls around I can’t wait to get out the door to brave Mother Nature and hit the road.  It is common for me to drive through whiteouts and sometimes I am forced to take the back roads because the main highways are closed due to weather conditions.  I am sure you all know the saying, "rain or shine" well mine has become "snow or shine". If I don't have any homework, group projects, or family chores I am out the door running on Friday afternoons. This week I am free to hit the road early.

The rush isn't to get there to ski Friday night, the rush is to get there to see all of my friends and family. We always cook an amazing dinners, drink some great wine and get to bed early, because tomorrow morning we separate the skiers from the lodgers. Its always a competition to who will be out the door first? Now I won't say I am always out the door first, it all depends on the night before, I won't lie, but I am out the door first 75% of the time.

This week I am not only rushing to get Ellicottville but I am also on my way to the airport to pick up my godmother, who is coming in from Chicago for a weekend of skiing. 
Well I better hit the road. I hope you all make time for the things you love.
-J