LATEST NEWS FOR 2012

Updated Wednesday evening 2-1-2012

We will update this page as news develops or we have schedule changes to announce.

                       Be sure to check the Powderpig message line at 425 392 7277 each week before you head up to the mountain for lessons!

This week’s motto: 

I will remember my season pass every week! 

So will my children!!

FIFTH WEEK OF LESSONS THIS COMING WEEKEND!

FRIDAY EVENING, FEB. 3, (4th for Friday night) 

 SATURDAY, FEB. 4, 

SUNDAY FEB. 5.

CHECK THE MESSAGE PHONE

FOR LATEST NEWS ON OPERATIONS.

WINTER HAS ARRIVED!

And brought with him the amazing variety of winter weather conditions we have come to expect when Mother Nature gets her winter "on" up here in  our mountains!  Once again, Mother Nature strutted her stuff with magnificent snow conditions on Friday and Saturday and downright monsoons for Sunday's lesson.  In spite of the soggy conditions on Sunday, we heard more positive comments about good skiing on soggy Sunday, than even when we had cold packed powder snow.  The last skiers to come in on Sunday when lessons were over, came in bragging about how many runs they had managed to get in during the afternoon because there were NO LIFT LINES!   The PIT on Sunday is now empty, with all our youngest skiers fledged up the chair lift.  What a remarkable day! Last week's weather brought us 5 feet of snow in just 6 days up here, or 80 inches of snow in just a week and a half.   With the roads reflecting that amazing adventure compared to the clear roads of this week, it is hard to believe those two conditions were on consecutive weekends.  This last weekend we had totally clear roads, with, on Sunday, only puddles (The DOT calls it "standing water") on them.   But with all the variety of conditions this last weekend, it ended up being a very fine one for lessons.  Congratulations to the kids who came up and got their virtual "merit badges" in rain skiing.  Even the youngest of our Powderpigs did a very fine job up on the slopes in the rain and came in very proud of themselves and very wet!  Especially those who fledged out of the nest of the PIT and up the chair.  Well done!

With all this snow, and now with such a wide variety of snow conditions and temperatures, we would like to remind people of the advantages of getting your skis and those of your children in for a fine old fashioned ski tune up and hot waxing at your favorite ski store.  See bottom of this week's Latest News for the article about ski tune ups from the brochure.

The forecasts for this weekend are for a quiet weekend of weather, where "freezing levels" rather than "snow levels" are consistently mentioned.  This means there is no precipitation of any kind in the recipe - which means a really good forecast for the weekend lessons.  So, at this time,  we are GO for this coming weekend.  Should Mother Nature change any of our plans, we will announce it for the Friday evening lesson by 4:15 on Friday afternoon and for Saturday or Sunday by 8:30 of the morning involved - on the Powderpig message message line (at 425 392 7277).

Again, FRIDAY EVENING CLASSES WERE CANCELLED WEEK BEFORE LAST. So many people were snowed in down in town  and were having difficulties getting to the freeways that we postponed the lesson for the 3rd Friday evening of lessons.  Besides, I -90 was closed for avalanche control purposes, if I remember correctly.   We have tacked the missed lesson on to the end of the season, thus making the last Friday evening lesson MARCH 16.  Saturday  and Sunday went as scheduled. 

h Please be sure your Powderpig has either a ticket or their season pass WITH THEM when they report to class, if your child will be using the chair lift in their lesson. If you are not sure, please check with the instructor. No one is allowed to ride the chair lift without a ticket or season pass - and not having a ticket or pass with them will hold the class up substantially if they come unprepared.  Thanks in advance for your help with this. 

REPORTED LOST.  MOM'S NEW HELMET GOES MISSING!!!

One brand new matt black Giro helmet.  Lost within 24 hours of purchase.  Disappeared from under table by coffee pot in last 15 minutes of lunch time on Sunday.  It didn't have a name in it yet :0 (   Left in the same general location: one matt charcoal gray Giro helmet!  No name in that one either.  If you ski on Sundays and own a matt dark Giro helmet, please check to see if you have yours!  Maybe there was a mix up in all the excitement of Sunday's lunch time. 

ALSO MISSING:

POWDERPIG PARKA WITH SEASON PASS IN PASS POCKET.  It is a Medium youth size (fitting about a 10 year old boy) (name in it, as well) does not seem to be on mountain anymore.  If you have a parka in your family that might be about that size and you ski on Friday evenings, please check your Powderpig's parka to make sure the one you have is yours.  Thanks!

FOUND/LEFT AT PIGPEN THIS LAST WEEKEND:

1 PAIR FLEECE GLOVES (BY COLUMBIA)

1 PAIR CHILDREN'S SKIS (SMALL)

1 PAIR OF SKIS (ADULT)

1 SNOWBOARD

SEVERAL PAIRS OF POLES - LEFT IN SNOW OUT IN FRONT AT END OF WEEKEND.

SEVERAL PAIRS OF GLOVES

ABOUT HAVING SOMEONE ELSE PICK YOUR CHILD UP FROM CLASS:

We need your help!  When you need someone other than you, to pick your child up from their lesson (either for lunch or at the end of the day), please put this in writing, including the name of your child and the name of the person who is picking your child up for you and a number where you can be reached and make sure we have it in advance so we have time to alert the instructor.  Otherwise we will not be releasing your child to this person.  This is very important, as we will not allow anyone besides you to pick your child up without our having either emailed or spoken with you before the fact.   You can let us know by email, or just come to talk to either  Nancy or Annelise.

ABOUT LUNCH TIME CHALLENGES WHEN THE WEATHER IS SNOWY AND BLOWY!

AND THEN THERE ARE THOSE LUNCH TIMES WHEN THE SUN ISN'T OUT and we all have lunch together inside!  When this happens, it is very crowded and, as a result, we have developed a very important Powderpig strategy, based on suggestions from a number of Powderpig parents:

At lunch times when we are all having lunch together in the Pigpen because it is snowing and blowing outside, we have a very important Powderpig rule:  PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT ALL THE CHILDREN HAVE A PLACE TO SIT BEFORE YOU, AS AN ADULT, SIT DOWN.  Parents and other adults have the option of coming in early or coming back in later to sit down and have a rest - the children have only this opportunity to get a good rest, in order to be ready for the second half of their lesson.  Some wise families head back down to their vehicles for a quiet, less intense lunch time. We encourage you, as an adult to come back in and have a good rest after lunch.  Thanks for your help with this.  We have managed this dance before and we can do it again, if we all just dance together.  Crowded?  You bet, but it is a friendly crowd!  Thank you to all the wonderful generous parents who made the lunch times work in the last few weeks.  There was a huge improvement in making sure the kids got a good rest at lunch time.  Hurray for Powderpig parents!  You all rock!!

THERE ARE 3 TABLES IN THE KITCHEN, 2 OF WHICH ARE RESERVED FOR INSTRUCTORS AND THEIR CHILDREN SO THAT THE INSTRUCTORS CAN HAVE LUNCH & FEED THEIR OWN CHILDREN AND GET BACK OUT TO CLASS in time to meet your children.  When the counters are all covered with dripping helmets and mittens, there is no place for instructors to fix their children's lunches (According an amazed report from one of our instructors, a mother of two Powderpigs who works very hard to teach your children to ski) -  and it made getting back out to class on time become impossible.    

NOW, If the rumors we have heard are true, this may be the last year this will be such a challenge!  Rumor has it the Area will be building a new lodge down at the base of Silver Fir.  Hooray! 

If Mother Nature  should decide to mess with our plans for our lessons at any time, that information will be announced on our two main sources of information:

The Powderpig Message Line (425 392 7277) and on

 "Latest News" 

          For the Friday evening Program by 4:15 Friday afternoon.

     For the Saturday or Sunday programs by 8:30 of the morning involved.

For VERY late breaking news on your way up, check the Powderpig Phone Message Line - Especially if conditions seem not to be what you anticipated.  Sometimes Mother Nature provides sudden and at times even dramatic weather shifts after you all have left for the mountain.  At other times we are privy to ”insider" information about temporary road closures for snow removal or avalanche control and even power outages.  Whenever information reaches us, we will get it onto the message line as quickly as we can.  Although we don't often have Late Breaking News to share,  when we do, it is worth hearing about before you get all the way up the mountain.  So just call 425 392 7277 if you begin to wonder. . .

Occasionally we are unable to update this page - usually when the weather is particularly energetic, when there is a sudden power outage or our internet host decides to do a little housekeeping at an inopportune moment.  It is a good idea to check the date and time of the update on lesson days and if you think what you saw on this page does not agree with what you are hearing from other sources or are seeing out your car windows, check the Powderpig Phone Message Line as well.   (425 392 7277). 

Our returning Powderpig families remember how to do Powderpigs, but there are a few reminders we would like to share with you ”oldies" as well as our new Powderpigs. So, here are our most popular

 HELPFUL HINTS FOR HAPPY DAYS ON THE SLOPES:

h  Make sure you have your Season Passes with you before you leave for the mountain!  This year, if you forget your season pass, you must head over to the main lodge to get a “one time only” replacement ticket from guest services. According to the Area we are no longer able to hand these out. 

h Ticket sales at the Pigpen are for cash or check only. 

h PUT YOUR CHILD'S NAME ON ABSOLUTELY ALL THEIR BELONGINGS! Sharpie pens do a wonderful job.

as well as on your own belongings!  See "LOST" above!

h Remember to deliver your child to the instructor and pick your child up from the instructor at the class sign.  Check with the instructor each time to make sure they know you are either delivering your child into their care or taking them out of their care.  This is a very important safety issue.  Never, ever snag your Powderpig as they come in before the whole class and the instructor are stopped at the sign.  Never ever assume the instructor knows you have taken your child home with you.  Make sure you know they know - by letting the instructor know with words exchanged.  We will not allow a child to leave their class to meet you somewhere else.  This is another very important safety issue.  Questions? Objections?  See Nancy.

h PLEASE LET US KNOW WHEN YOUR CHILD IS GOING TO BE ABSENT! This helps us get the classes out on time and makes the makeup program possible.  Thanks in advance for your help with this!  Many parents have already been wonderful about letting us know already this year! 

h  PARKING:  Saturday Powderpigs:  Be sure to be parked in the parking lot no later than 10 AM in order to assure yourself of a parking space in that lot. Additional parking can be found in the Silver Fir parking lot and in the main parking lot.  Not as convenient - but much less expensive than parking on the frontage road south of our parking lot (towards Silver Fir and Hyak) and having your vehicle towed by the Kittitas County Sheriff.  Parking on the road between our parking lot and Hyak (Summit East) is not allowed, and many unsuspecting vehicles have been towed to the Kittitas county seat – inconvenient and expensive! Kittitas County appreciates the donations to their coffers. 

h SECURITY ALERT:  Never, ever leave anything in your vehicle that you don't want stolen.  This is especially true of money and credit cards (no matter how stealth you are in hiding them in your vehicle, you may might not know you have been ripped off until your cc is maxed out and you didn't do it),  as well as computers, and other attractive electronics, Skis & Snowboards and other gear.  Don't take a chance!  These guys are real pros and they are organized. 

The Pigpen and surrounds seem to be a safe haven for all of us and our equipment.  Probably just too many bright eyed children around for anything untoward to take place. The only problems we have with missing equipment is when people mistake someone else's gear for their own because it wasn't clearly marked with its owner's name.  If you have put your name on your gear in big enough letters and in plain sight, it will probably be waiting for you right where you left it.  At least that has been the case for years and years.  We even had an extra pair of adult skis left one year when everyone had gone home at the end of the year.  Good ones.  Nice bindings.   NO NAME ON THEM.  Sigh . . .  :0 (Never did find their owner.  They are still there, by the way.

h Traffic Flow Management will be in place when the forecasts predict lots of lovely new snow on the roads as well as on the slopes. 

h When the Traffic Funnel is in place, we may experience many late arrivals.  If this is the case, we may opt to start (and end) lessons a little later.  When you hear that lots of snow is expected, start for the Pass early and avoid participating in the big slowdowns in the I-90 parking lot ballet.  Give the Ppig Message Line a call and if you have any "late breaking news" from the road to share, leave us a message.  Lest you get frustrated with the Funnel - these slowdowns are just more civilized than back in the wild and woolly old days before we had the Funnel, we had the I-90 Parking Lot Grid Loc.  When it snows, traffic slows - waaay down.  The Funnel just makes it a whole lot safer - at least on the roads.  I won't speculate about the impact all the frustration about this experiment in traffic management has produced, but it sure does reduce the number of collisions and full stop slowdowns that used to last for hours n’ hours!

ESPECIALLY FOR NEW POWDERPIG FAMILIES:

h If you have not taken the opportunity to read through the Powderpig Brochure now would be a really good time to do so.  It is not only our brochure, but your Powderpig Handbook and Survival Guide.  In it you will find important information about daily operations and policies that will impact you and your child.

h If you are a new Powderpig parent and missed the parent meetings in November & December just read through the brochure carefully.  Between that and this page, you will find most of what we covered in those meetings.

h HOW TO FIND US:   Just click here for  DIRECTIONS TO POWDERPIGS

            WE WILL UPDATE "LATEST NEWS" WHENEVER THERE IS FRESH NEWS!

If you have questions, just email us at <thinksnow@powderpigs.com>

SKI TUNE-UPS ARE ESSENTIAL!

N New skis as well as used skis easily become “untuned” because of temperature and humidity changes in

storage. Since having flat bottoms on skis is essential to their performing properly, it is very important that a tune-up is included on the work order when you have your bindings mounted on your new skis OR WHEN YOU TAKE YOUR BINDINGS IN TO BE CHECKED BEFORE THE SKI SEASON BEGINS.  In a tune-up the skis are hot waxed as well as flat-filed or machine ground. Hot waxing conditions the bottoms by filling in the pores of the base material, thus preserving them and producing a surface that makes the skis easier to turn.

AT LEAST ONE SKI TUNE UP AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SEASON AND ONE MID SEASON SKI TUNE UP IS A REALLY GOOD IDEA.  If you notice that your Powderpig’s skiing skills have begun to deteriorate, have their skis checked by an expert.  Most often their skis have just begun to detune, and the problem is easily fixed with a tune up.  Always keep skis well waxed.