Hotel California?

On me, songs and music I love, hold a very strong evocative power. 

A few nights ago, I heard the Eagle’s number one hit that also happen to be among my favorite songs. That’s when I remember hearing “Hotel California” blasting off a tourist bus radio, near Nevers, France where Look ski-bindings were headquartered. 

I must have heard the song released in 1976 many times before, but in that instance, it hit me like a ton of bricks. 

The year was 1977 and I was part of the US sales contingent that had been invited to tour the ski-binding factory and later on that day, we were invited to a reception at the Château de Beaumont, located 22 miles south, near Saint-Pierre-le-Moutier.

This imposing castle was Look’s General Manager modest abode. Philippe Blime and his wife hosted us in grand style inside their impressive residence, and to me and my imaginative mind, this was the perfect physical location for a song like “Hotel California”!

Paris domineering role over France

To many folks France is Paris more than anything else, because of the domineering role its capital, Paris has upon the entire country. 

Unlike Germany influenced by its main cities like Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich, the United States’ Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco, or Italy’s Milan and Rome, France is under the ironclad control of its Paris capital, which means that all other regions and cities can only feel like second-class citizens because all happen first in Paris and Paris always control everything from careers, to business or culture. 

This is not a popular subject and it’s in fact never discussed as it should in France. Most of its citizens accept the situation as an immovable fact of life and live with its constraint the very best they can. 

Yet, I believe that France would be a more successful and affluent country if had let other cities and population centers develop to their own greatness by reducing the blinding power of its capital city. 

At the same time, Parisians believe and are convinced of their superiority in all respects and over all sectors of the nation’s activity and tend to look at the rest of their non-Parisian peers as inferior or underdeveloped. This, at least, is my impression. What is yours?

Skiing’s future seen from both sides of the Atlantic

The views depend on which side of pond on is located. In the Alps, most people are thinking that skiing is on its way out and will soon be a thing of the past, as global warming progresses and there’s a groundswell of interest for developing alternative forms of recreation outside of skiing or snowboarding. In the US, there seems to be little, openly expressed concern about global warming and its dire consequences. 

Next to my home, Mayflower, a new ski resort, adjacent to Deer Valley is in the process of being built, its ski runs have just been cut and it calls for 4,300 skiable acres served by 15 lifts at a fairly low altitude that will require, according to its preliminary projections, some 320 million gallons of water per season for snow-making, which is not what you’d call sustainable! 

Then there’s Wasatch Peaks Ranch, a private ski club and ski area, located 35 minutes north from Salt Lake City, 45 from Park City and 15from Snowbasin Resort. This project is built on 12,740 acres, of which 3,000 will be skiable with 3,500 feet of vertical. 

A private community of up to 750 housing units will begin a multi-phase, 10-15 year build-out, according to reports. Access to the mountain will be restricted to investors and homeowners, who are expected to be among the "one percent of the richest one percent." 

The base of that exclusive resort will also be located at less than 6,000 feet of altitude, which will require much snow-making.

 

So you have it, the Europeans are having “cold feet” about skiing while their North American counterparts are moving full-steam ahead. 

Should there be a middle way? You bet there should, and also a clear and present concern for temperatures to keep on rising, unless Putin is planning a nuclear winter for the northern hemisphere. So just tighten your seat belts and watch!

Tesla re-invents the hubcap

The hubcap, as we used to know it, originated in the early 1930s and served several purposes, one of which to prevent debris from entering and interfering with the inner workings of the wheel. 

Eventually, some car manufacturers wondered if there could be an advantage to expanding the center cap to cover more of the wheel, which is exactly what the Cord Automobile and Hudson Motor Car Company did. 

When pressed steel wheels became commonplace, these were be painted to match the car body and hubcaps were expanded to hide the lug nuts that attached the wheels to the car, including some optional chrome rings and even fake wire spoke wheels. Unfortunately, my first car, a Citroën 2cv, had none! 

These adjuncts would be displaced in recent year by aluminum wheels in all kind of appearance and finish. The hubcap was dead except for some cheap, entry-level plastic versions, that represented some fake aluminum alloy wheels. 

Then came the Tesla 3 and the electric car maker focused on increasing the driving range of its new, more affordable car, with smaller batteries than its predecessors Model S and X, and in the process, re-invented the hubcap. Tesla Model 3 and Y both come with aluminum wheels equipped with Aero covers. 

Car and Driver tested a Model 3 to determine how much savings in energy consumption and increase in range its aero covers provided. Their tests revealed that Model 3's efficiency was more than expected. It averaged an increase of 3.4% in consumption efficiency and added about 10 miles of range. 

At 50 miles per hour the range increased from 312 to 322 miles. At 70 miles per hour range increased from 253 to 260 miles, and at 90 miles per hour the increase of range was 4.7% totaling 199 miles. 

Consumption of kWh/mile, driving at 50 miles per hour decreased by 3.1%, at 50 miles per hour it decreased by 2.5%, and at 90 miles per hour it decreased by 4.5%. 

The video below features a series of road test featuring a Model Y that claim over a 7% improvement! So even if you don’t like them, the Tesla hubcaps do their job well... 

Now you know that the defunct, then glorified and resurrected hubcap might be here to stay! 

Between courage and fear…

Courage has always been a trait that I have admired in other people and wished for myself. I also love to oversimplify, and for a long time I’ve seen in courage just the opposite of fear. No more, no less. 

Over time though, I have realized that it was an incorrect notion that needed to be made right. For too long I’ve seen courage as being just the fuel for risk-taking, without making any room for fear in that equation. Yet, the defining quality of courage is not fearless action, but the willingness of taking a worthwhile risk despite being afraid of its consequences. 

In fact, courage is less of an innate character strength than it is a skill; it’s indeed possible to intentionally develop courage when the right skills are in place. Nelson Mandela as said: “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.” Courage comes generally in three different forms: physical, psychological, and moral.

Physical courage includes a physical act, like climbing a peak or rescuing someone from drowning. 

Psychological courage includes a mental risk, in which one must admit to a mistake or risk making others uncomfortable. 

Moral courage is the ability to doing the right thing and standing up for personal values, even if it comes at a personal cost. 

Further, there are generally four components to courage. First, an uncertain outcome is required; if we’re sure that something is going to work out, there’s no need for courage. Then there has to be the presence of fear caused by a perceived or a real risk. The fourth and final component is that the individual perceiving a risk and feeling fear for an uncertain outcome takes action through courage. 

Courage isn’t a reckless leap into the unknown either. It first require assessing the risks involved, gathering information to reach a final decision, and monitoring the downside consequences. Courage is needed when one takes these above steps and still cannot fully manage or control the outcome. 

So remember it this way: “Having courage is taking action when the stakes are high and the result uncertain.”

Uprooting my strawberry patch

For the many summers we had a strawberry patch in our new home that was the gift that kept on giving, when the birds didn’t help themselves too much. 

Then last summer the harvest fell down to nothing or almost that. I spoke to a number of amateur gardeners like us about the problem. Some said that strawberries don’t produce forever and others said that it was just one bad season and that next year should be better. 

Since I preferred the latter answer and believed it, I hoped for the best in this new summer of 2022, but this was not to be. 

The result was even worse than last year, double zero, which prompted me to do some more research and find out irrevocably that strawberries become less productive over time, so one has to grow more plants from runners every three to four years to ensure continuing good harvests which of course I didn’t do. 

That way each new generation of strawberries should have been grown in a completely fresh bed enriched with compost to avoid the build up of disease and the kind of death that plagued my patch. 

It broke my heart, but I decided to uproot all the unproductive old plants and I will start anew next summer; in the meanwhile use the space to grow more lettuce. Nothing lasts forever. I should have remembered it!

New phones, new headaches!

We just got some new mobile phones and this kind of event always open the door to surprises as technology is never as simple as anticipated, and can create havoc on some well-established elements we’re used to count on. 

Case in point my own phone that was supposed to received the information contained in the previous one. For this, I used a special app that alerted me when the transfer was complete. As I checked to see if all my data was there, I realized that only 1,000 of my 1,300 contact names had made it to the new phone as the app only allowed for the transfer of 1,000 records. 

So, I scrambled, trying to find a solution but I had a very tough time doing it. Thank god, I had by miraculous chance backed-up that particular contact info on the cloud (but forgot I had done it earlier) So, I decided to cut the 300 records that were in excess of the allowable transfer. Problem is, that in my rush, I highlighted the records I wanted out and left the check mark on the ones I wanted to leave. 

I did it wrong, totally in reverse, lost all the Google data I wanted to save that doesn’t just feed my phone, but my wife’s and my computer. 

Bottom line, I had lost everything and felt just like a catastrophe had befallen me. Still, I persisted, looked for other solutions, called support and after the course of the entire day restored everything, thanks for my earlier cloud back-up. If it hadn’t been for it, I’d still be crying over my misfortune...

Another great showing for Park City

In its July 25 issue, Time magazine has been showcasing a list of 50 of the World’s greatest places, as much of the global population is now vaccinated against COVID-19, and world travelers are again hitting the road—and the skies. 

The hospitality industry is reopening and excited to safely welcome them and revitalize local communities. To compile this list of the World’s Greatest Places, the top spots to visit this year, TIME solicited nominations of places from our international network of correspondents and contributors, with an eye toward those offering new and exciting experiences.

The result range from the International Space Station, the Great Barrier Reef, the ultra-high-tech city of Seoul. The Philippines’ Boracay Island, the city of Doha, Qatar, Freemantle in Australia my gateway to that great country 51 years ago. 

Of course, there's Park City, my own hometown where I have lived half of my existence on this planet and longer than at any other place. I feel proud!

A remarkable gesture on the Tour de France

As it has become a part of our daily routine this summer, we were watching the 18th stage of the Tour de France and we really were moved by the heart-stopping moment when Yellow Jersey’s Jonas Vingegaard almost bit the dust and miraculously stayed on his bike, 

This incident was followed by a similar skid and fall by Tadej Pogačar his next competitor, and while he seemed to ride on, Vingegaard showed great sportsmanship as he slowed to allow the Slovenian to catch up, the two-time champion stretched out a hand to thank his rival before reinstating their race.

Then, as if the law of Karma materialized in full force, Vingegaard brilliantly led out by team-mate Wout Van Aert, on the final climb to Hautacam, ended up winning the stage! 

I’d simply wish we’d see many more gestures like that one these days, and would love to see that exceptional kind of behavior extended to our politicians as well. That would herald the dawning of a bright day in our current, somber world!

Managing our carbon footprint…

Like most First World citizens we know that our carbon footprint could be trimmed down quite a bit. It’s not that we haven’t been working on that issue. 

At home, we use water sparingly, we have LED lights everywhere, well-insulated walls and ceiling, we don’t drive when we don’t need to, we’ve had solar panels for a while, we’ve just got an electric auto, electric garden tool and we’re generally quite frugal. 

Yet, we still heat our home with natural gas, eat some meat and fish and, these days, are still occasionally traveling by plane. 

You can see what we mean, we try and. on the one hand, if two out of 8 billion do that, what kind of difference can it make? 

robably not much, but on the other hand, we hope that more and more people will try to follow in that manner and that we’ll continue to make progress, this planet might become a tiny bit less inhabitable and we might give a bigger chance to our descendants. It has to still be worth it!

Our wonderful small local bank...

We’ve been banking at our small Park City bank since July 1985. Quite a long time, by American standards. In those days, the bank was called “Silver King Bank” after the glorious mining era that began placing our little western town on the map. 

After that, and through years of mergers and acquisitions its name successively changed to “Valley Bank”, “Bank One” and today “Chase”. Along the way, service has become far less personal with tellers changing continuously and online banking becoming the new way of transacting, we hardly ever go to our bank except when we need to access our safe deposit box. 

This precisely leads me to the core subject of this blog. A week ago today, we received a letter stating that the safe deposit box we had for 37 years was going to be closed for good. Irate, I tried to call my bank by using the local number, but after spending five minutes going through interminable menus I found myself somewhere at Chase, but definitely not at my local Park City branch and unable to speak to a human capable of helping me. 

That left me with no other choice, but jump in my car and drive to the branch. There, after waiting more time speaking successively with three people, I finally found one willing and able to look at the letter I had received. After trying to make sense of it, she still couldn’t understand why my safe was terminated. Since it was the weekend, she said she’d get the problem resolved the following Monday, which of course, she didn’t. 

On Tuesday I called the bank’s local number and when I heard the employee unmistakable Indian accent, I asked him if this was Park City and he said no, this is Mumbai, India, and I responded that, while I had nothing against India, I would have liked to get the Park City Chase branch on the line. He sounded sorry and he said “This is how our phone system works, when no one answers in Park City, we handle the call overflow” which, I found later wasn’t quite true. 

At my request, he then transferred me to the Park City branch, and since it’s chronically understaffed to save Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase’s CEO, some precious cash, a recording told me to try later... Eventually, during the course of the day I got a voice message on my phone telling me that the letter was just an error, and that I should call the branch back to get a confirmation. I did and after five long minutes of waiting was back… you guessed it, in India!

My second Australian ski season

Fifty years ago, I left the French Alps on June 27 for a short ski instructing season in Australia that would last until the end of the third week in September. 

In these days, the trip meant 27 hours sitting uncomfortably inside many airplanes of various airlines, from Geneva, to Vienna, Bahrain, Colombo, Kuala Lumpur, Sidney and finally Melbourne. I was so beat up and exhausted when I arrived that I never was able recover until about mid-October of that year!

The ski school was the same and so was its director, Alexis Saudan. Once there, I’d also rejoin Gérard Bouvier, Christophe Saudan, Philippe Coutaz and meet the two cousins Leon and Serge Empereur, Monique Boyelle, Nicolas Bauer, the Canadian John Peters and Roland Raphoz who joined us later. 

The season was a good one, snow was pretty decent, but the job had become more of a routine and the process of discovery was over, so in the end it wasn’t nearly as fun. We sure drank our share and left the rest for the thirsty visitors and the French instructors who would follow us into our fun, slaloming path...

The dawning of the battery era!

I remember the first batteries I saw when I was a kid. The first ones were a 4.5 volt battery that my family used to power a small portable lamp, and later our family transistor radio. I remembered as a kid linking the two brass blades with my tongue to feel the miracle of electrical current! 

I also had seen car batteries when an open hood exposed them, but that was about it. Never did I envisioned that I would see a day when watches, radios, telephones, hearing-aids, drills, chain-saws, lawn-mowers or automobiles would all become ubiquitous battery-powered objects. 

This extra source of electric power made of electro-chemical cells have evolved over the years as their use expended into a growing number of applications. From disposable to rechargeable versions, chemical and engineering development have played a huge role in increased performance, size and capacity. 

It all began with the lead-acid batteries still mostly used in vehicles, to today’s lithium-ion batteries used for all kind of portable electronics, tools, phones, computers, drones and now automobiles. Yet, over the last decade that same surge in lithium-ion battery production has led to an 85% decline in prices, making electric vehicles and energy storage commercially viable for the first time in history. 

At this rate, batteries hold the key to transitioning humanity away from fossil fuel dependence as they’re set to play a greater role in the coming decade. Energy storage, in way we don’t yet see or imagine is poised to grow exponentially in the next decades, and this will affect chemical companies, battery cell makers, car companies, solar companies and utility companies. We’ve indeed come a long way from the lone 4.5 volt battery of my youth!

The “Tour de Charm”

This year, we’ve been watching the Tour de France by streaming it each afternoon, as if we lived in France and have had a pleasurable experience so far. 

As usual, camera work and the editing are great, even though NBC, where we get the delayed reporting from, doesn’t care about telling its viewers too much about the scenic beauties of France and focuses much more on the race nuts and bolts, its few “Anglo” racers, and fails to delve into the intricacies of the strategies and tactics this complex sporting event uses.

That’s a part of the “Tour” keep on learning about as we go and will probably never become experts on the subject, but a bit of remaining ignorance will be fine. 

Of course, we also get caught into the spectators’ excitement, frenzy and unruliness at the top of most climbs, as well as the variety of colorful characters that pepper the gallery... We love to recognize a few of the places where we grew up or have traveled to when we were in France, and this part is always the “cherry on the cake”. 

As sport people we respect and admire what these guys are producing on a daily basis, yet don’t envy them one bit. When all is said and done, this is the best advertising piece France could dream of, and we’re proud of seeing our home-country showcased in such a classy way!

Going south to ski?

I mean snow, not water=skiing, of course! 

This weekend is a hot one in Park City as well as in the Alps, so we could all use more cool, winter air. Since I was teaching skiing at Mt. Buller, in Australia, just fifty years ago, I took a quick glance at was going on there yesterday and got scared by how crowded Bourke Street, its main run, was.

This is what a high-speed quad plus a six pack chair will do with too much capacity, create mayhem on what was already crowded when we only had one double-fixed-grip chair and two Pomas running in 1972! 

That when I thought I should check what was going on in South America to find a more suitable alternative. I landed at Cerro Catedral, near San Carlo de Bariloche in Argentina and was nicely surprised by its thin crowds.

Sure, that was during lunch hour, but I’ll put that one on my bucket list for one of these next summers!

Navigating old age well

I have heard that some people call aging a disease as it generally comes with all kinds of ailments and is seen by them as the mother of all ills. I don’t see it that way, and believe that aging is part and parcel our existence on earth. Just like birth and dying, it’s inevitable and part of the circle of life. 

That’s why I try to ride aging as an extra fun and inescapable challenge that is about to test us all and calls for the very best in each one of us, regardless of our personal circumstances. Of course, these can vary a lot based on our socioeconomic status, our culture, education and experiences, our mental and physical state, where we live, how we live and how we cope.

So, that’s not and equal reality for everyone and some of us can be much luckier than others. This leaves us with what we are and the mental disposition and the physical shape we find ourselves into, when we enter old age. 

No matter our specific reality, we have no choice but take good care of ourselves, get timely and effective medical care, keep a healthy weight, eat and sleep well, move around as much as we can, don’t drink too much, do activities to stimulate and occupy our minds, remain socially active, stay positive as much as we can and take good care of our mental health. 

For those of us who love to feel adrenaline flow inside the body, keep the excitement in line with what we’re still capable of doing without hurting ourselves and appreciate every single moment to its utmost. 

I think I’m done with that long and important list and as result I already feel much younger!

Deer Valley got a new boss!

Ever since Deer Valley resort has been sold to Alterra, there has been a succession of leaders that has contrasted with the stability in management that was the hallmark of the Stern’s creation since 1981. 

It would seem to me that the upper management has a tough time adjusting to the stiff, conservative culture of our luxury resort and that it has some toxic effect upon its general managers. 

Yesterday, Todd Bennett was named the new president and chief operating officer, starting August 1st. 

Interestingly, Bennett’s career span from the Walt Disney Company, Vail Resorts and more recently some specialty publishing. 

Will he be able to immerse and meld himself into the “Deer Valley difference,” culture? Time will tell. 

He arrives just at the time locals are irate about the resorts new rules about disallowing outside alcohol brought into the Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater for the free summer concert series including bag search and $14 beer and $15 for a glass of wine. In the past concert-goers were free to “bring their own”, so such a change is hard to accept from an organization that never changes! 

Perhaps Bennett will be masterful in justifying the resort’s policy or reversing it altogether. In the meantime, let’s wish him the very best of luck. He might need it!

Biden’s problems

Joe Biden’s low approval rating are not totally an accident, but are the sum of a number of issues and events, facts and perceptions about our 46th president of the United States boiled down to a lackluster performance. 

First, he got elected because a majority of Americans wanted to get Trump out of office, just like recently, in France, Macron got elected in order to prevent Le Pen from getting the top job. So, it’s fair to say that Biden wasn’t desired, but was the least of two bad options. 

Second, being old affects people differently, and in the case of Joe Biden it clearly shows that 78 years have an impact on his looks, his energy and his alertness and, let’s face it, the majority of voters are not in their seventies or older. So, with this in mind we have a president who tries to awkwardly run in front of the camera and can fall from his bike. Not so good! 

I also suspect that Biden does not listen to his advisers, is stubborn and wants to do things his way. Furthermore, his career as a senator did not give him the leadership experience he needed, and his time as vice president was not sufficiently engaged and he seems to have learned very little from it.  

Worst, though, his communication has been quite bad, especially when he responded to the rise of inflation, failing to bring up Covid as the main reason, albeit exacerbated by the invasion of Ukraine. He wasn’t able to stem the tide of Republican disinformation and stay on a strong and convincing message. 

Then, there’s the US Senate, that Biden thought he had in the back of his hand and didn’t not at all, especially as it relates to the two rogue Democrat Senators, Manchin and Sinema, that should have been his main focus and the thrust of all of his efforts. 

There are many other reasons, like his lack of experience in leadership, his inability to help Obama convince Ruth Bader-Ginsberg to quit while it still was time to replace her with a progressive judge, or fight for the nomination of Garland. 

In few words, Biden wasn’t able to grow into his presidential job and probably didn’t have the potential to do so. He shouldn’t run for a second term.

Pit stop at the Tour de France

Just because we’re older, we often wonder how bike racers relieve themselves on the Tour de France, as we realize that no one is strong enough to “hold it” for more than four or five hours. 

Of course TV never delves into the details of that quintessential natural need, so most of us are left wondering how racers do it. If catching a racer in the act isn’t common, it’s simply because it’s forbidden to do it, willy-nilly, in front of the public.

Those who forget can be fined from 50 to 150 euros and a few of them have had to pay that fine. That said, there are three general techniques available for peeing during the race. 

The first one is the organized pit-stop along the way. This happens when a group of cyclists agree to stop at the same time, in an area free of spectators and offering some privacy (trees, bushes, forest). If they do it, they rely on an implicit rule that no one will break-away during such a pit-stop. 

Then, there's the “peeing-as-you-ride” technique that was quite common in the old day but that is more and more replaced by the collective stop we talked about earlier.. For those well-balanced risk takers that are ready to do it on their bikes, they’ll try direct the spray towards the shoulder of the road, providing there is no one to see them, or no one standing in the way. 

Sometimes a team member can help maintain the balance at the risk of getting sprayed himself. 

Obviously, there remain the option of doing it inside one’s pant remains. By cold weather it will provide a welcome, short lasting warming sensation and otherwise the temporary discomfort should be largely eclipsed by the huge efforts the race demands. 

As for “Number Two”, that’s much trickier. A stop behind a bush may be “de rigueur” even though there are exception to that outdoor-rule: In 2014, French racer Arnaud Démare spotted one of the many RVs standing alongside the road, knocked at the door and successfully borrowed the toilet. 

Earlier in 1986, Greg LeMond being sick did it in his pants and managed to win the Tour in the end. 

So, the morale of that story is “always remain creative and leave no stone unturned!”

The transit battle in Little Cottonwood Canyon

Little Cottonwood Canyon gives access to a pair of prestigious Utah ski resorts, Alta and Snowbird. The problem is that with increased visitations comes traffic gridlock, especially in the middle of winter when road conditions can be terrible, not to mention the ever-present avalanche danger. 

Little Cottonwood Canyon’s narrow road sees 2 million visitors each year and that number keeps on growing. That means 7,000 vehicles going up and down the canyon, producing 70 tons of carbon on the most avalanche-prone highway in North America, with 64 active avalanche paths. 

I’ve already visited that issue a year ago when a fierce debate began between an improved roadway or a 3S-type gondola that would bring skiers from the Salt Lake City valley, up to their favorite resort, making car access to the ski areas a mute point. 

The 3S technology seems to be the most efficient answer to a vexing automobile problem as it would collect cars down-valley in a place where snow is rarely a big problem. The 3S gondolas use a tri-cable system, including two fixed-support cables and one circulating haul cable connected to the cabins.

The main benefits are faster speeds, the potential to increase the tower spacing up to about 9,000 feet, up to 35 passengers per cabin, high capacity to about 5,000 people per hour per direction, and much greater wind stability. Covering a distance of 8 miles, this would be the longest 3S in the world. At 17 mph, the total travel time for the 8-mile trip from the mouth of the canyon to Snowbird would be about 27 minutes. 

As an alternative to the larger 3S gondola traveling to Alta, a second gondola, possibly mono-cable or twin-cable design, could connect Snowbird to Alta. Again, I hope that cool and smart minds will prevail and that the 3S solution will be adopted. 

Whatever project is accepted, UDOT would be in charge of overseeing the project. Either way the more than half-billion dollar cost would be born by the citizens of Utah (the 11 million annual operating cost for the 3S would be user-financed), so don’t expect to have it ready next fall, as on top of a long and acerbic decision-making process; once approved, it will take 3 years for the project to be built…

Marcel Hirscher’s new ski brand

I was a bit surprised when I heard in 2021, that the great champion Hirscher he was launching Van Deer, his own ski brand. He began marketing the skis for the 2021/22 season, offering a full line of alpine skis: From FIS-worthy, to piste, touring and powder. 

The Van Deer skis are developed and manufactured in Stuhlfelden, near Salzburg, Austria, at the Augment “boutique” ski factory. The facility was allegedly chosen for its know-how and equipment. 

Marce Hirscher says: "It became clear from my first visit, that I had found the right partner to build my skis. The ‘Made in Austria’ label is very important to me. Austria’s Augment ski factory with its ski building expertise and their state-of-the-art equipment is perfectly equipped to turn my vision for a new generation of skis a reality” 

Handcrafted in limited quantity the skis are built to the highest quality standards, using some of the best components sourced locally. According to the company’s sales pitch, “Van Deer skis are providing a universal racing access to everyone, from junior racers to World Cup skiers” 

Still, according to the company, "The skis are built the same whether they come in junior or adult lengths, so that junior skiers get a definite head-start. All skis are meticulously hand-finished and tuned, as they are in a typical FIS World Cup Race Room, before they get shipped out, with the very same finishing that hoisted Marcel Hirscher to the pinnacle of ski racing."

Let’s hope that these new skis work miracle for Henrik Kristoffersen, as he is now switching from Rossignol to Van Deer this next winter season. “I’m very happy to be a part of the Van Deer project. It’s a great opportunity to take things to a new level. Ultimately, gear is the most important thing to go fast and win races. With the new Van Deer skis, that will be possible,” said the 27-year-old Norwegian champion who is a dedicated athlete and among the best technical skiers at the moment. 

Both Kristoffersen and Hirscher have been sponsored by Red Bull, and Toni Giger, who has worked for the Austrian ski federation for many years, has recently taken a job with the beverage company and will also oversee the Van Deer ski project. 

This entire story reminds me of an ironic saying that I’ve heard all along my ski industry career: “How do you make a small fortune in the ski business? You start with a big one!”

How should Ukraine negotiate with Russia?

Conventional wisdom and some of my friends think that the only way for Ukraine to get out of the Russian war is to cede Crimea and the Dombas. 

To me that’s pretty cavalier and doesn’t take into consideration the fact that Ukraine was invaded by its aggressor for no good reason at all. 

As a reasonable but fair negotiator, this reality would be my first consideration followed by these other elements: 

• Payment by Russia of full reconstruction costs caused by the war. 
• Payment by Russia of indemnities for all casualties, injuries and disabilities caused by its invasion. 
• Requirement that Russia fully dismantles its nuclear force. 

As far as punishing Putin, Lavrov and others, let the international court tackle that tricky issue. This provide a lot of room for maneuvering and for guarantying that Ukraine doesn’t get fleece by the Russian Bear in the process. 

What about that for a realistic and fair negotiation starting position?

Other losses while skiing

Beside a lot of my precious time, my balance on occasions, and the pole I mentioned in yesterday’s blog, I haven’t lost much while skiing. When I think hard about it, I can only see two other items in my lifetime and 70 ski seasons: 

One knit hat and one 210 cm GS “PRE” branded ski, both irretrievably lost unlike the pole I salvaged yesterday. I lost the ski on Sunday, May 7, 1995 while skiing at Snowbird, following a 14 inch snowfall the night before. 

Snow conditions were still excellent and for some reason, I must have hooked a tip on the top of a pine tree, hidden by the new snow, near the top of the old Little Cloud double-chair. In spite of searching hard, I couldn’t find the ski that day. Perhaps it “submarined” far away, down below, but I had no other choice but rejoin the bottom of the hill standing the best I could on only one ski. 

I subsequently called the Snowbird’s lost and found department a few times to no avail, and then, the following July when the snow was almost all gone, I hiked in the company of Yannick Chauplannaz, a young Frenchman we had invited to stay with us in Park City for the month, but neither one of us could spot the ski. I felt bad, because I loved that pair, and would likes to lose a ski forever? 

The knit hat is an altogether different story that happened in the winter of 2006/2007 at the bottom of Jupiter Peak. It was before my wearing a helmet. 

I was riding the already antique chair, when a wind-burst caught into the hat and must have dropped it in large pine tree near the chairlift line. I couldn’t see it, the wind was blowing hard, it was cold, so I gave up. 

I should have know better; as you can see on the picture, the hat was woefully too small for my over-sized head. That was the second loss of my career as a skier!

The long-lost ski pole

On December 27, 2019 as I was skiing with my daughter and grandson, I dropped my left pole just before tower #6 while riding the Iron Mountain Express lift at Park City. 

For some odd reason this was our last run of the day and we had to catch a gondola to get to the other side of the resort where our car was parked, so we couldn’t go back and retrieve it right away. 

I returned to the spot the following day, but even though the shaft and the handle were red, I could no longer locate it as fresh snow had fallen overnight. I hate dropping a pole or just losing ski gear for that matter, so I remained obsessed with finding that damned pole for the past two ski seasons. 

Towards the end of this past winter as snow was melting fast, I caught a glimpse of my missing in the same spot I remember losing it, but the following day more new snow had hidden it from view. 

This is how this past Wednesday, in order to get some closure, I decided to hike to that spot. About eighteen month later, a 6 mile, 3 hour work-out into some impenetrable brush, I recovered the old pole that had turned from red into pale rose after two summer and fall exposed under the fierce Utah sun. 

My wife thought I was silly to go through that expense of time and energy for a lone ski pole, but for me it was well worth the effort!

Discovering Pacaso...

Okay, we learn something everyday… Yesterday blog about a time-shared home for sale shouldn’t have been news for me, had I known about the company that started it all, Pacaso. You correctly read, “Pacaso”, not “Picasso”. 

This is a totally different art form as it’s in fact just a real estate broker that buys single-family homes and sells them to multiple buyers. The San Francisco–based company claims it reached unicorn status faster than any other USA-based company, meaning that it already boasts a total valuation over $1 billion.

Started in October of 2020 in Silicon Valley, it’s now active in nearly 50 markets in the U.S., Spain, the U.K., and Mexico. 

Its business model works as follows. Pacaso operates by purchasing residential properties and then selling shares of the home to up to eight buyers. The company reports earning a twelve percent service fee on the sale of a share in addition to an ongoing monthly asset-management fee. 

The organization claims that its model differs from the traditional timeshare model because purchases count as real estate acquisitions and are supposed to appreciate in value. If there’s indeed appreciation and if they wish, buyers can sell their share after 12 months of ownership. 

The company’s approach is highly controversial and has been welcome with mixed result in a large number of communities as some fear it will drive up price of existing real estate and increase visitation, crowding and traffic. 

Those are valid points that are also antithetical to the purpose of a mountain resort...

How to sell overpriced homes?

Home prices in Park City have grown to be totally insane and the base unit is now expressed in millions, starting at a couple of millions for basic homes that, 10 years ago, were worth one quarter of that. 

Large homes often fall in the “over 4 million” category and residences in the 10 or 20 millions are not uncommon. Yet, these high-prices points are starting to become harder to sell as the number of buyers is not unlimited. 

As a person who follows real estate prices, at least in the vicinity of our residence, I was struck yesterday to see a home priced at only $727,000 in a subdivision where the average price is well over $5 millions. 

Smelling a huge bargain or a decimal error, I contacted Zillow, the place where I had spotted that unbelievable price. Eventually, they called me and forwarded my inquiry to a local real estate agent, from whom I learned that the relatively low price bought me one-eight of the property. 

Correct, a time-shared private residence, that could have netted $5.8 millions should all the shares sell. I politely responded “No, thank you” and that was it. Houses on a time-share basis might be the next hot thing in Park City, or perhaps not. Time will tell...

Knowing when to stop…

I’ve always been very vocal about being able to let go and not hang onto top jobs that could be better filled by younger people once we reach a certain age, but apparently that message is not universally understood or must have exception. 

In my French hometown, a buddy of my age, has found a way to get elected to a top position at a key regional racing committee. To me 75 years is a very old age, and no longer appropriate to lead effectively, but this guy must have a secret formula to stay young and think young or else, be inhabited by a relentless ego and fully unable to accept himself as he truly is. 

The problem is that kind of “Let me still do it” attitude, prevents younger people from learning, gaining experience and pulling from their vision, audacity and creative spirit, that are part and parcel of youth. 

I feel sorry for that former acquaintance whom I congratulated by the way, but he’s yet to send me a “thank you” note. I guess he still has a few things to learn about handling his emails and refining his communication protocol...

Our crazy Supreme Court

Happy birthday, America! 

Trump’s legacy will include giving us three extra fascists inside the Supreme Court that are ideologically corrupt, and have already destroyed the remaining credibility the once-venerated American institution has.

These folks aren’t just fascist, they’re dumb or idiots and the only thing we can hope for is that Biden or a next, more daring and creative president, adds four more progressive judges to silent the half-dozen crazies we got. 

I can’t wait to use the expression: “As idiot as a Conservative Supreme Court Judge!” 

This said, their decision won’t stop abortion, it will just displace it out of certain States, make it go underground and promote abortion drugs. Likewise, car makers will have to go electric because of sheer demand and Big Oil or Koch Industries will get screwed down the road. 

Progress is hard to stop, unless Putin decides to terminally nuke the entire planet.

Is the Pope getting recharged?

Yesterday, Elon Musk stopped by the Vatican to pay a visit to Pope Francis along with four of his eight kids. 

I don’t know what they discussed, beside salvation issues, but I suspect Elon must have tried to sell him or gift him a new car. 

Possibly a model X with gull-wings doors that would be handy for our Pope, unless the deal also included a ride in the SpaceX capsule to go up into orbit, visit the ISS, and give confession to the astronauts during their current tour of duty. 

At any rate, the meeting must have been quite electric and our beloved Pope must have taken that opportunity to supercharge his batteries. 

Who couldn’t use that?

 

My first day at Look ski bindings…

On Monday, September 2, 1974, I rode the train from Thonon to Nevers, and made it to the brand new Look factory in Nevers, smack in the center of France. 

I remember that I was wearing my brand new, green corduroy suit, with a matching tie. I felt a mixture of excitement and trepidation as I didn’t feel that I was much prepared at all for the job that had been offered to me. 

I can’t recall the exact details, but what I remember is that I first met with Madame Beyl, then was introduced to a bunch of key people inside the organization, like Jacques Vauthier, the accountant and Michel Lamy the export manager. 

Then I was taken through a quick stroll inside the factory before I entered a large office with a bunch of desks disposed in circle, facing each others. There I met a group of young folks like me, albeit a few years older. This would become my shared office space with them. 

That’s when I met Eric Chevasson and Jean-Noël Vacher both accounts executives for international sales. Sitting where they could, where a bunch of promotional agents, Joel Gros, Jacques Thomas and Philippe Sipp that worked in the United States to promote Look products and reported to Eric. 

I was excited to meet this lively group that blended a spirit of adventure with a tinge of cynicism and deprecating humor, particularly on the part of Jean-Noël and Eric. I’ll never forget some material adorning their desks, making fun of a venerable competitor from Switzerland or playing on words with some seat-saver cards from TWA. 

They stood in stark contract with the company’s management that was quite stuffy and perfectly illustrated yesteryear’s France...

From rock-bottom to top-of-the-world

These days, we talk a lot about mental illness, deep depression and even suicide, among our young American population. 

I do not envy them and really believe that they are leading a complicated and hard life in which nothing is easy and where everything becomes tangled up, between the expectations are placed on them, the options they are offered and the pressures they must deal with.

Hearing and seeing all of that forced a comparison with my own youth when living was much simpler and easier, when we had plenty of space to be young and enjoy life without undue influence or pressure. 

I was lucky enough never to hit “rock-bottom” in my mental state, even though I had many long moments during my earlier years when I could have used much more self-confidence and positiveness both in terms of behavior and thoughts. 

Eventually though, a strong belief in everything positive, an almost addictive practice of sports and more recently, daily meditation, have levitated me in the “top-of-the-world zone. 

Today, I always force myself to remember that I’m immensely grateful of having found myself, in the right place, at the right time!