Joe Bastardi’s Final Call: Winter 2010-2011

Posted on by NYSkiBlog

Joe Bastardi, Accuweather’s rockstar, hype-meister meteorologist, has revised his winter forecast. His early winter forecast issued in August, wasn’t quite as tantalizing as this, his final update.

His accuracy was uncanny last year, and this year’s forecast is not out of line with what the East could expect from a moderate La Nina. In his forecast video, linked below, he calls for full on winter north of I-90. He does hedge somewhat calling for a big thaw in January.

The full story is here: Accuweather Winter Forecast 2010/2011.

Tagged: Weather3 Comments

Big Tupper: Lift 3 Approved

Posted on by Harvey

On Tuesday, inspectors from the New York State Department of Labor performed required load tests on Big Tupper’s Lift 3. The lift, crucial to Big Tupper’s operation this winter, passed every test performed.

Big Tupper Ski Lift 3

To load test the uphill side, inspectors placed 20 x 20 x 20-inch cardboard boxes on each chair, and fit each box with a plastic liner. The boxes were then filled with water. The volume of water in two boxes weighs approximately 400 pounds to simulate the weight of two people. With each container filled, the lift was operated through a full circuit. Hard stops were used to test cable strength and braking distance.

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Tagged: Adirondacks, Big Tupper6 Comments

Interview with Avant Skis

Posted on by NYSkiBlog

Avant Skis Aviator

We recently had an opportunity to interview Ben Callaghan and Joel Nashett of Avant Skis. Both are avid outdoorsmen from the Northern Adirondacks. Joel, originally from Saranac Lake, is a former ski racer, involved with ski cross, cycling, canoeing, hunting and fishing. Ben, from Tupper Lake, is an artist, a long-distance runner, and loves being in the woods, where he skis, camps, hikes, canoes and kayaks. Both are within a handful of summits of completing the 46 High Peaks.

How did Avant begin?

Ben: Avant began on the slopes of Big Tupper. Both Joel and I are inventors. As kids, instead of playing video games, we were out building two-story camps in the woods, making air pressured potato guns out of bike pumps and constantly testing our knowledge of combustion. After we got some proper education in design and engineering, we began researching how to make skis in 2005, and pressed our first pair in 2006.

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Tagged: Interviews, Ski Gear16 Comments