Aksel Lund Svindal joins Oakley team

Norwegian alpine ski champion, Aksel Lund Svindal joined the Oakley family, and visited their headquarters in Oakley World Headquarters in Foothill Ranch, California recently and saw firsthand how the Oakley ski goggles are designed and made, you can read more on Oakley’s site about the visit and interview with Aksel. I think it’s awesome what kind of research goes into all Oakley products and they are designed and tested by the best of the best athletes in each sport.

Aksel Lund Svindal is an inspiration himself. You can find Aksel flying down some the world’s quickest hills at the most insane speeds imaginable. He blows through gates with precision and power, while blazing down the mountain in lightning fast times. Born to a ski family, Svindal quickly refined his craft and rose to the top of the sport. He’s remained there throughout his remarkably successful career, finishing in the top four in World Cup rankings every year since 2006.

Watch this inspiring video with Aksel and how dedicated he is to his sport. Talk about living life to the fullest.

Ultimate Gifts for Snow Bunny

I know Leigh said in her Holiday Gift Guide post that diamonds are girls best friend and in a way it is true.. but there are also girls who wish not to have the Tiffany box under the tree, and who prefer the black diamonds on the mountains instead. I may not be as much into the outdoor sports as Satu, but I do prefer the diamonds in the slopes more than on my fingers. To me nothing you can give in a box compares to what the glittery snowy mountains offer. If you know a woman to whom “luxury” is defined by the quality of snow, the altitude of the mountain and the distance between the slope and the ski lodge, these gift ideas might be on her list for the Holidays. This is what I sent for Santa.

1. Lone Tree Ski Jacket by Marmot ($289.95)
The Lone Tree Ski Jacket by Marmot is one of my favorite new ski jackets for the 2012-13 ski season. It has all of the technical aspects you’d expect from a high tech ski jacket, yet it looks simple and good enough for street use too making it a multi-function jacket for those who don’t get 30 days or more of skiing each season.

2. Völkl Kenja Women’s Skis ($649)
I saw the Völkl Kenja skis in a local ski shop this weekend and my husband had to peel me off from them. Nice fat double tips, perfect for Utah or Colorado powder, yet they are sturdy for packed snow in Finland or Vermot. Ready to take on any mountain, just like she is. This ski gets Ski Magazine Gold Medal and is Skiing Magazine Official Selection for 2013.

3. Airwave Snow Goggles by Oakley ($599.95) (THE MOST POPULAR!)
While at first you might wonder why Oakley Airwave Ski Goggles come with a 600 dollar price tag, but once you get to know these luxury snow goggles a little bit better, you get it. They don’t just give her a perfect visibility on the slopes with crystal clear vision but she will be able to have preloaded maps available for many resorts, abd can find her location and even track others in your group. Additional sensor information includes altitude, speed and vertical descent data. Bluetooth connectivity allows pairing with a compatible smartphone for immediate viewing of incoming calls and text messages, and if your Bluetooth-enabled smartphone has music, playlists can be accessed and controlled. And if this is enough to wow you – the Oakley Airwave goggles allow you to view jump analytics that show distance, height and airtime. I’d say these are a must have for a slope snob who wants to have the latest and the greatest. No wonder that these have been flying off the shelves this Holiday shopping season.

4. Osprey Karve Backpack ($79)
I don’t go on any ski trips without at least one Osprey bag with me. The Osprey Karve 6 Backpack is great for skiing and snowboarding, and comfortable to wear even on the ski lift. She can even strap her skis or snowboard to the Karve for back-country mountain climbing.

5. European Ski vacation: Gstaad, Switzerland
Surprise her with a romantic getaway to Switzerland, but instead of strolling the streets of Venice, you know she will like more holding hands in the ski lift and then racing down the mountain side. Gstaad in Switzerland is like a fairytale ski town with several ski resorts close by. Stay at The Alpina Gstaad, it is the first five-star hotel to be newly built in Gstaad in 100 years. The Alpina Gstaad overlooks the village which is nestled in Saanenland in the heart of the Bernese Alps. The hotel is designed in the style of a luxurious private chalet, and has a luxurious spa as well. Rates from $756.

6. American Ski Vacation: Park City, Utah
For a whole family ski gift idea: book a ski vacation in Park City, Utah. Salt Lake City airport is close by and the town gives you the feel of being in the Alps, and Park City Mountain resort is the perfect resort for skiers of all levels. My favorite place to stay at is Silver Star in Park City. Their ski lodges are right under a ski lift, and come with several fire places, chef-quality kitchens and balcony hot tubs. Relaxed luxury.

7. POC Receptor + Helmet $220
Get your wild snowbunny a helmet that looks cool, but more importantly protects her. The POC Receptor + Helmet fits the bill perfectly. Don’t forget the Communication Neck Roll with powerful Beats by Dre™ speakers and microphone for listening to tunes on the slope.

Read all of the Holiday Gift Guide posts and stay tuned for more from all of our writers.

Winter Wonderland gifts for her under $60

These après-ski style Holiday gifts are perfect for skiers or non-skiers alike. Even if she isn’t the snowboarding queen nor the belle of black diamonds, it’s OK. These après-ski lifestyle gift ideas just say “Winter Wonderland,” and work great for gifts for friends, as stocking stuffers or even for teen girls, or college students. And this snowmama would be happy to have any of these as a present.

1. Jet set coasters by Jonathan Adler ($48)
The Jet Set Part Trois ski resort inspired coasters by Jonathan Adler could also be my “ski travel wish list” with four dreamy ski destinations in the coaster pictures. Great for ski lodge, home or even to protect the office desk.

2. Solstice artisan New Zealand wool socks, two pairs ($48)
The solstice artisan socks from Sundance Catalog are great for ski chalets and beyond to keep her toes warm during cold winter months. These wool socks come in twos and you can even slip them to gift socks for two. Handknit in New Zealand.

3. Snow Village hand lotion set by Philosophy ($20)
Snow Village hand lotion set by Philosophy is a perfect stocking stuffer for any woman. No parabens, no sulfates, no phthalates, just the good stuff and yummy scents to keep her hands soft during the dry winter months. The three scents in the set are Candy Cane, Spiced Cider and Sweetly Fallen Snow.

4. Fairisle Pom Pom Toque hat by Roots ($45)
The Fairisle Pom Pom Toque hat will keep her warm outdoors, but who are we kidding here.. she’d love it because it’s cute! Perfect winter accessory that combined practical and cute. Plus she will really love it for après-ski, it’ll cover her helmet hair after a day of skiing.

5. Shearling Cuff Gloves by Ralph Lauren ($59.99)
Shearling gloves are a classic winter accessory that never goes out of style, and I have owned several pairs of them. They tend to be pricey, and if you love snow as much as I do… they do take some damage when they get wet. I’ve found that Timberland and Ralph Lauren gloves give the best bang for your buck, good quality, but not super expensive. Shearling Cuff Glove by Ralph Lauren would make a perfect gift for any woman who likes classic style.

6. Peppermint bark from Williams-Sonoma ($26.95)
Hot chocolate gift would be a perfect too for a snowbunny gift, but my personal favorite is peppermint bark, it just says winter to me. It’s easy to make at home but my favorite store-bought peppermint bark comes from Williams-Sonoma.

7. Uniqlo Heattech Leggings ($14.90)
If practical is what you are looking for for the skier girl in your life, there is nothing better than Uniqlo heattech leggings. I swear by these, and own these in several colors. They are ultra light (but warm) and pack perfectly in small for ski trips and go from under layer for snow fun to warming leggings under skirts for après-ski fun. That’s why she needs them in every color for each occasion.

Read all of the Holiday Gift Guide posts and stay tuned for more from all of our writers.

Time to Warm Up for Winter

Let’s have a winter warm up today and check out some Après Ski clothing styles.

Let’s warm up with some pictures of fall/winter collections and fashions that keep you warm this fall and upcoming winter. I’m planning our Christmas Holidays to skiing in Norway, and dreaming I could make the long trip to ski at Park City this ski season as well. Good news for you close to Utah: Park City Mountain Resort opens on November 17, although I heard there will be skiing in Lillehammer, Norway already this weekend. Even if you are not the skiing-type, you might still like to stay warm .. in style.

photo: j.crew

The first two pictures are from J.Crew, if you shop TODAY, you can get 25% off & free shipping on your order of $150+ with code OURTREAT, but hurry, ends today, November 9th. I love the first look with the red coat and fair isle hat and scarf, but the solid colored cashmere accessories are a solid pick as well. The green-yellow look is not really my personal style, but looks unbelievably stylish for those who can pull it off.

J.Crew nor GANT, pictured above, may not be your first brands when you think of outdoor wear, but I can’t resist classic looks. Apres-ski hardly has to be high performance, and especially when you want to sport the warm winter look somewhere else than Alps or Rockies, you find the cutest clothes often from non-outdoor brands. I always appreciate a good Ralph Lauren knit sweater for winter too, although they are way too thick to pack for traveling.

Speaking of sweaters.. I love this sportier one from Italian Dolomite. Sorry – I haven’t been able to locate a retailer for Dolomite in the USA, so take these photos from Dolomite’s winter collection as inspirational ideas from Europe. Dolomite is one of the brands I drool for in the stores here in Sweden.

Can’t resists a few more photos from Dolomite..

I’m all stocked with winter boots, and in fact after instagramming my boots, I was asked to dedicate a blog post for my winter boots, which I may do.. I have several favorite winter boot brands, but one of them is Pajar Canada, and we actually found some of their boots from Marshalls on sale last winter, talk about scoring big time.

Remember, this was just a warm up – more winter fashions and Après Ski wear ideas coming this fall and winter.

Fashion Friday

I’m linking up with Blonde Episodes and Jo-Lynne Shane’s Musings of a Housewife for Fashion Friday.

Also linking up at Friday Fancies at Long Distance Loving

Check out what else is trending right now and subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Park City Mountain Resort Is in Risk of Closure

I received an email from Krista Parry, the Director of Marketing & Communications of Director of Marketing & Communications">Park City Mountain Resort about Park City Mountain Resort filing a law suit against the owners of the land the resort is on. The news made my skin crawl and feel sick. I have been working together with Park City Mountain Resort for several years, and Krista is a dear friend of mine, and her team and the rest of the PCMR employees I’ve gotten to know over the years are amazing people. The resort is owned and operated locally and employes over 1,200 people.

The Law Suit

Park City Mountain Resort sued Talisker Land Holdings, LLC today to prevent them from interfering with the continued operation of the Resort and from attempting to shut the Resort down. The suit seeks to resolve a dispute that threatens the future of one of the top ski resorts in North America.

“After extensive and, sadly, unsuccessful negotiations, we reluctantly took the initiative to file this lawsuit,” said Jenni Smith, president and general manager of Park City Mountain Resort. “We need to protect the future of the company and our more than 1,200 employees, who bear a tremendous burden of uncertainty in this matter, and the many local businesses and homeowners in the Greater Park City area. We are seeking relief through the court, the only option left at our disposal.”

At issue is the continuing right to use land occupied by some of Park City Mountain Resort’s chairlifts and runs. On December 27, 2011 Talisker Land Holdings, LLC advised Park City Mountain Resort that it deemed that the Resort’s right to use the land expired, and that Park City Mountain Resort would need to vacate the premises unless the Resort entered in to a new agreement for the use of the land. In the Summer of 2011, Park City Mountain Resort paid its annual fee for the use of the land, which was accepted by Talisker, and invested $7 million in infrastructure upgrades throughout the Resort.

You can find more information, including the complete complaint, FAQs, and other materials, please visit www.SupportPCMR.com.

We Love PCMR – Join Us in Supporting Them

Park City Mountain Resort has been one of my favorite companies to work with and our entire family loves the resort and we have found many friends via the Snowmamas program. Our family has spent Christmas and Easter vacations on the mountain, kids have learned new skills on the slopes, and we’ve made memories of a lifetime. When Krista and the PCMR marketing team were promoting the Snowmamas program in NYC, kids and I were on the Today Show Plaze at 7AM to show our support with signs kids drew the night before. Bottom line – we love Park City Mountain Resort and they have our full support.

Please join us in showing our support to Park City Mountain Resort. Please connect with PCMR on Facebook and follow @PCski on Twitter. Better yet – tweet to them using hashtag #WeLovePCski and show you care about the resort and their destiny.

Hoping for the best.

I’ve already seen a few snowy pictures from Colorado and my friends at Park City Mountain Resort are gearing up for the November 19th opening day. It’s starting to feel like ski season, and it’s definitely time to gear up and get ready if you are a skier like me.

But even if skiing or snowboarding isn’t for you… Please take time to watch these fun videos and get inspiration from these snowboarders how to live life to the fullest and read what we can learn from snowboarders.

Have Fun & Love What You Do Do What You Love

Are you one of those people who love saying TGIF on every single Friday?
Wait for the weekend and for a break?
Or are you one of those people who are excited it’s Monday and your week is starting?
Are you spending more time “working” or “having fun”?

Find your snowboarding. Find what makes you entirely free, what makes you want to unplug from it all, what makes you want to get back up and do it again, and again, even when your hands are freezing and you can’t feel your face anymore and your legs are burning but yet you still feel like you are living life like never before.

Give yourself permit to have fun. I think in our society it’s almost forbidden to have fun unless you are going on a vacation. Read my post from last week and stop scheduling fun and start living fun.

Dream big and don’t be afraid of failure. What I absolutely love about snowboarders they always dream bigger; deeper snow, bigger mountains, higher jumps. They always dream big and they practice until they make it, and they are not afraid of failure. In fact – they know they will probably not make the big jump on the first try, but the practice and the journey is part of the fun and pat of the process. They don’t expect instant gratification, and the snow day isn’t actually perfect or done until you fall down or until your body aches.

GIVIN Koia Montage from Jon Francis on Vimeo.

Never give up. And especially never give up on your dream. They say that nothing worth achieving comes easy, and I believe it. When it comes to our own successes we know we got to the end result with hard work and not giving up, however when we look at other people’s successes we only tend to see the end result, and not the hard journey they went through before getting there. The above snowboarding video is a reminder to never give up and keep working hard to land your success. Only the ones who fall down, and are willing to get up and give it a new try again and again will eventually land the big jump.

What is your big dream today and what are you doing to achieve it?

The first video is a Frends edit that was intended to be in the new Givin “ONE” snowboarding movie. Frends is lifestyle brand and platform that celebrates life through music, sport and fashion. Givin is a new production company whose goal is to show the lifestyle of snowboarding and inspire people via snowboarding movies. The above video didn’t make it to the movie on time, so enjoy it online. The second video is a clip from Givin.

Only boring people get bored. When you have imagination and willingness to open your eyes for new things, you will never be bored.

Full disclosure: I received compensation for posting this but all of my opinions are my own.

My main reason to be able to ski – I need to be able to keep up with this little guy!

Did you know that “skimbaco” loosely means “skiing in Colorado”? The word “skimba” means skis or downhill skiing in Finnish, and “CO” is for Colorado, where we lived when I founded Skimbaco. The brand really isn’t about skiing and it means that everyone should live life to the fullest and enjoy life where ever they are; when you are in Colorado, go skiing, when you are in New York, go to museums and see a Broadway show, enjoy what you have. But while Skimbaco blogs tell you about fashion, trends, interior design, food and travel, the origin of the name comes from passion to snow sports, and our family’s love of skiing.

There are many misconceptions about skiing, and one of them is saying “I have bad knees, they can’t ski”. But I know everything about bad knees, in fact, I’ve had two knee surgeries. While there has been ski trips that my knees look like French loaves because they are so swollen, I have different ways to cope with them. One of the best things you can do for your knees is to keep the muscles around them in good shape. I am not a doctor here and this is by no means medical advice, but the better shape my muscles are, the better my joints can take extreme sports like skiing. I can also rationalize that I need a hot tub in a ski lodge for medical reasons to relieve the pain in my joints and relax my muscles after a day of skiing.

SALONPAS contacted me and asked if I wanted to test their product on my next skiing trip. SALONPAS® Pain Relief and SALONPAS® Arthritis Pain are the first and only over-the-counter pain-relieving patches approved by the FDA. I like how SALONPAS offers pain relief in a form of a patch and a cream, making it easier to attack the pain right in its source. SALONPAS is proven to work on mild to moderate pain and great for muscle and joint pain, back pain and sprains, strains and bruises and the thin and flexible patch makes them easy to wear especially when you want to remain active. I have not tried the product yet, but it will be packed and ready to go for my next skiing trip. If you want to give it a try, SALONPAS® products are available at most major drug stores including Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid and Duane Reade, and most Walmart stores.

SALONPAS® SPONSORED $200 AMEX GIFT CARD GIVEAWAY

 
SALONPAS® is sponsoring a giveaway of a $200 AmEx gift card.

To enter the giveaway, tweet the following, leaving a link to the original tweet in a comment on this post:
Send out a tweet, answering the question:
“What is your favorite winter activity and why?” along with the #Salonpas hashtag.
OR
Winter activities giving you muscle pain? Check out #Salonpas on Facebook for solutions: http://facebook.com/salonpas.

EXTRA ENTRIES:
Like SALONPAS on Facebook at http://facebook.com/salonpas and leave a comment here that you did.
Send a tweet “Enter to win $200 AmEx gift card at @skimbaco http://goo.gl/fb/ykRta #salonpas” and leave a comment here with a link.

DEADLINE: Monday, February 28, 2011, midnight, EST.

GOOD LUCK!

Zeal Optics SPPX Transcend GPS Enabled Snow Goggle with Spherical Polarized and Photochromic Lens ($399) is the world’s first GPS-enabled ski goggle, featuring a small LCD display inside the goggle with Recon HQ software enabling you to track, report, and display stats in real time. Because of course you will want to know GPS metrics such as location, speed, and distance skied, and how steep the slope is. Transcend goggle is also polarized and the photochromic lens automatically adjusts according the light conditions and like in other Zeal goggles, the lens is double-layered and features Zeal’s proprietary, permanent anti-fog treatment, designed to extend the life of the lens. Another ski product I absolutely do not need, but oh, I want.

Here are our Skimbaco Lifestyle’s Top 3 Ski Picks for Tween/ Teen girls, and all of them are also what I consider a great deal. Roxy and Dynastar also have good beginner skis for less, but these three picks are our picks for girls who have been skiing already for a while. It can be a bit tricky to start buying skis for tween and teen girls who are tall, and you’d be tempted to buy women’s skis. I still recommend buying junior skis, they are specifically designed for younger skiers in mind. Note that many manufacturers make the same looking ski as an adult ski and a junior ski, but the better brands’ junior skis are not just a mini version of adult skis, but designed for kids/teens. My oldest daughter is almost 11 years old, and she is starting to ski with 140s this winter, and it was much more difficult to find skis in that size than it used to be when she was younger (shorter).

Salomon Mai Tai Jr. Skis

The Mai Tai Jr. twin tips skis are perfect for Utah powder, and for a girl that has been skiing for a few years and skis both, groomed park and knee high powder snow. Salomon makes this same ski graphic as women’s version, but the women’s ski is more advanced than this one. So even if you are more advanced skier – you can get the matching skis with your daughter. The Salomon Mai Tai Jr. is $199.95 on sale and the women’s Salomon Mai Tai Twin Tips are $449.95 also on sale.

Salomon Jade Jr. Kids Skis with LZ7 SC Bindings ** Top Pick **

Salomon Jade Jr. Kids Ski is another great Salomon ski for tween girls. The Jade Jr. is a real step up from most rental skis, and designed for beginner to advanced intermediate girls, and they make turning easy for those girls who want a forgiving ski. Even though my daughter is fairly advanced skier, we got these for her, because she rather looks cute on the slopes than wants to work very hard on her turns. The Salomon Jade Jr. is a perfect ski for girls who just wanna have fun. Also it’s a great deal – the
Salomon Jade Jr. Kids Skis come with LZ7 SC Bindings, and the entire package is $259.95 (on sale).

Rossignol S1 Pro Jib Skis

Rossignol S1 Pro Jib Ski is another great ski for multi use. Great for both for park or mountain, and also a fairly forgiving ski for a girl who has been skiing for a few years. I found the Rossignol S1 Pro Jib Skis on sale for $199 making them a great deal. We girls also love the frog prince graphics on the Pro Jibs, even though the skis aren’t pink, like my girls require.