2020 Ski Season // Alex Norell

This was the first year I got back into skiing after graduating from college, and my wife and I decided to get Mountain Collective passes. We figured this would motivate us to explore and experience a variety of resorts instead of just sticking to our usual routine of driving up to Tahoe. It was an exciting way to jump back into my love for skiing while also turning it into an adventure for both of us.

The plan

Travel to new mountains, exploring different terrains and scenic views.
Demo a variety of skis to find the perfect pair to buy.
Celebrate getting married with a memorable trip to Canada

Ski Trip Log

This is a year of firsts for us, thanks to the Mountain Collective pass encouraging us to travel. Out of the 11 mountains I visited, 9 were completely new experiences for me. This pass really pushed us out of our comfort zone, leading to a season filled with exciting new discoveries and unforgettable trips.

Days	Mountains	Vertical Feet
20	11	N/A

Overnight trip to Tahoe

We did a quick trip up to Tahoe to demo some skis and get some new equipment. We stayed at the Tahoe Vistana Inn in Tahoe Vista.

January 12 - Palisades, CA

First time skiing on new boots. Demoed Volkl Mantras and Head Kore 99s and learned the Kore 99s are a very stiff ski. I really enjoyed the latest generation of Mantras.

Altabird Trip

Our first trip to a new place was to Utah for an extended weekend. We flew into Salt Lake City, rented a car, and stayed at the Hampton Inn in Sandy.

January 16 - Snowbird, UT

First time at the bird and Snowbird instantly became a favorite. Stormy weather. Demoed some Dynastar skis that I wasn't a fan of. Ended up getting some Smith 4D mag goggles here too.

January 17 - Snowbird, UT

Demoed some Dynastar skis again. Also spent a bunch of time with a boot-fitter since I wasn't happy with the fit of my new boots. Ended up buying some Zipfit liners that helped with the fit.

January 18 - Alta, UT

First time at Alta and also became a favorite along with Snowbird. Definitely liked the terrain more at Alta though. Demoed Fisher Ranger 107Tis. Tried to buy them from the shop, but was told no. Demoed some other things too, and learned that I don't like floppy noodles.

January 19 - Alta, UT

Spent most of my time lapping high traverse and ballroom. Demoed Nordica Enforcers and enjoyed them.

Colorado Trip

We planned a trip to Colorado without even checking to see if anything was going on. We happened to go to Aspen during the X Games. We flew into Denver, rented a car, and drove to Aspen. We ended up staying at the Wildwood in Snowmass the first night, and the Viewline Resort the second night. Both of these were slope-side at Snowmass. We left Aspen and had to drive all the way down to Golden for a reasonably priced hotel for night 3. Our forth night, we were able to stay on the correct side of the Eisenhower tunnel at the Super 8 in Dillon. Our last night was at the Westin at the airport to make it easier to make our 6 am flight home.

January 24 - Snowmass, CO

First time at Aspen. Not as steep as I would have liked, but still a fun mountain. I demoed a pair of Volkl Mantra 102s here and really enjoyed them.

January 25 - Snowmass, CO

We stayed slopeside, so didn't have a reason to go to any of the other Aspen mountains. I ended up skiing on Black Crows here and actually got accustomed to skiing them. They were a much more center mounted ski than I had ever skied before.

January 26 - Arapahoe Basin, CO

First time at The Legend. Immediately became my favorite Colorado mountain. Demoed some Blizzard Brahmas. They were a bit stiff for the conditions.

January 27 - Arapahoe Basin, CO

Demoed some Enforcers again. Really enjoyed them and continued to lap Pali Main Street and Zuma bowl.

Overnight trip to pick up skis

I bought some skis from a shop up in Truckee, so I needed to do an overnight trip to pick them up. I stayed at the Donner Lake Village in Truckee.

February 2 - Palisades, CA

I pulled the trigger on getting a set of skis that I really enjoyed skiing and was accustomed to, the Volkl Mantra 102. It skied very similar to the Volkl Mantras that I had been skiing for 10 years at that point, but it was a bit wider allowing for a bit more flotation.

Taos Trip

First time ever to New Mexico and first time ever to the magical mountain that is Taos Ski Valley. We flew into Albuquerque, rented a car, and drove up to Taos. The first two nights we stayed Worldmark Taos. The last night, we ended up at the Super 8 near the Airport in Albuquerque.

February 8 - Taos, NM

Second time on my new skis and really enjoyed exploring all Taos had to offer.

February 9 - Taos, NM

A storm came through the previous day and Kachina peak opened up. We got some amazing fresh powder.

Canada Trip

Part of the reason to get the Mountain Collective pass was to ski in Canada, and to travel to Banff. We flew into Calgary, rented a car and drove straight to Revelstoke to start the trip off. We spent two nights at the Sandman Hotel and then drove back towards Calgary to spend an entire week at the Banff Warm Springs Hotel. We stayed at the Airport Marriott on the way out to make our 6 AM flight back home.

February 23 - Revelstoke, BC

First time skiing in Canada and first time at Revelstoke. This quickly became my favorite mountain of the season due to the amazing snow quality and gladed skiing.

February 24 - Revelstoke, BC

Another amazing day with fresh snow coming down.

February 26 - Lake Lousie, AB 22,165ft

First time at Lake Louise. Very fun mountain with amazing views.

February 27 - Banff Sunshine Village, AB 14,189ft

First time at Sunshine Village and wasn't super impressed. This was mostly due to the really long traverse to go between sections.

February 28 - Mount Norquay, AB 9,869ft

First time at Norquay. Completed the SkiBig3 challenge and picked up my free swag. I actually enjoyed the terrain at Norquay more than what I skied at Sunshine Village.

February 29 - Lake Louise, AB 14,086ft

Fun time at Lake Louise with a bunch of fresh snow the previous day.

Breckenridge Trip

My dad was out in Breckenridge skiing and invited me to join him. It turned out to be my last time skiing in 2020. I flew into Denver, rented a car, and drove up to Breckenridge, where I stayed with family friends.

March 7 - Breckenridge, CO 14,697ft

skied Whale Tale a bunch and some Peak 6.

March 8 - Arapahoe Basin, CO 11,516ft

Brought my Dad to Arapahoe Basin and took him down Pali.

Jackson Hole

We were on the plane to Jackson, WY, when the world shut down. Boarding the plane on Saturday afternoon, everything seemed fine, and COVID-19 wasn’t a major concern. However, by the time we landed in Salt Lake City on March 14th, most mountains had closed, though Jackson Hole remained open. A weather delay caused our flight to Jackson to be postponed by a couple of hours. We eventually took off, flew to Jackson, circled the city for an hour, and then had to return to Salt Lake City due to a storm. Upon landing back in Salt Lake City, Jackson had completely shut down as well. We had Delta put us on a flight back to San Jose instead of attempting to get us to Jackson.

That marked the end of our season. We had additional plans to visit Bozeman, MT, for Big Sky and drive down to Mammoth Lakes for Mammoth, but those trips were canceled as well.

Ski Gear

I ended up replacing almost everything by the end of the season. The pieces that were not replaced: poles, jacket, gloves, socks, base layers.

Skis and Bindings

I demoed over 10 different skis before I settled on buying the Volkl Mantra 102. I paired them with a set of Look Pivot 14s. The things that really stuck out to me about these skis is the power they had when ripping down groomers. We were skiing groomers a majority of the time since that is what Mariah enjoys skiing and these were a blast to ski. They were still wide enough to enjoy the softer stuff with fresh snow.

2020 Volkl Mantra 102

Boots

In November 2019, I got a boot fitting at Evo in Portland and ended up buying the Dalbello Panterra 120. I was looking for a stiff boot and something that felt like my Salomon Ghost 130 boots that I had been skiing on for almost a decade. The Ghost boots were a 2 buckle boot, 2 piece boot with a zip lacing system similar to a snowboard boot that really cinched down on my foot and held me in. The Panterra is a 3 buckle, 3 piece boot. I like the way they felt in the store and the similar design.

After the second day, I wasn’t happy with the fit of the boots and the control I was getting. I went to a boot fitter in Snowbird and got some punch work done and also ended up buying Zipfits to give me a more connected feeling with my boot. I will probably never ski in a boot without my Zipfits again.

Poles

I’ve been skiing with the same pair of Goode G-Max poles since 2008. These things are super durable and have never let me down. They’re made from composite material, so they flex and bend under pressure instead of snapping like aluminum poles. They’re lightweight and easy to handle, which is great for everything from casual runs to more aggressive skiing. Honestly, they’ve held up so well over the years and still perform like champs every season.

Goode G-Max Poles

Helmet and Goggles

I needed a new helmet, since the one I used in high school and early college had taken some decent hits. It was probably aged out by this time too and no longer safe. I wanted something that had adjustable vents as well as MIPS and tried a bunch of helmets on. I ended up going with the Smith Vantage and really enjoyed it all season.

After a the first couple days, it was clear that I also needed new goggle. My previous ones were all scratched up and I couldn’t see much out of them. I picked up a pair of Smith 4DMags in Snowbird and really love them. They give a huge field of view and the replaceable lenses give a ton of flexibility for different light conditions.

Outer Layer

Brown jacket and black pants are my ski look. I didn’t change that this year, but I needed to get a new pair of paints, and also get something with a few more pockets. I picked up a pair of 686 Quantum Thermagraph Insulated Pants before the first day up, and then got a Recco enabled belt in Colorado.

The brown jacket this year was the one I had been skiing in since 2012, a North Face Decagon Jacket.

My gloves were still good and I had no reason to change them up. These were North Face Hyvent gloves.

Base Layers

I’ve been skiing in SmartWool socks since I started skiing. I also used 32° brand long underwear as a base layer for most days. For particularly cold days, I added in my REI Down Jacket.