As SKI Magazine pushes into the 21st century and enters its 65th season, there is no talk of retirement around our offices in Boulder, Colo. In fact, we expect the 2000-01 winter to be one of our best ever, and we're excited to unveil new programs and fresh stories that will improve and expand our relationship with you. Here's a preview of what's new and what's to come for 2001. n At the top of the list, we're launching our own website, SKImag.com, which debuts in mid-August, just about when this issue hits newsstands and mailboxes. The site will offer additional information and the tools to make customized searches for gear, resorts and instruction-all the extra interactive stuff that you can't fit in a monthly magazine (for more details, see page 56). We're also pleased to welcome one of skiing's finest ambassadors, legendary filmmaker Warren Miller, as a new SKI columnist. SKI's parent company purchased Warren Miller Films last spring; stay tuned for a variety of collaborative projects.
As for this season's editorial lineup, we've pulled together stories and photos that will keep you living and breathing skiing for a full year. We'll explore controversial issues, such as the increase in slope rage and decrease in ski etiquette (see page 45). In future months we'll also examine global warming's effect on skiing; determine who would be the best skiing president for 2001; and probe the reasons behind the failure of many U.S. ski schools.
We'll also take you to intriguing destinations, with major profiles on resorts both well-known and obscure, such as Deer Valley, Utah, and Powder King, B.C., in this issue. During the course of the season our contributors will report from ski capitals such as Stowe, Tremblant, Taos, Snowbasin, Jackson Hole, Steamboat, Purgatory, Snowbird, Alta, St. Anton and Bormio; and from lesser known ski havens such as Turner Mountain, Dartmouth Skiway, Terry Peak and even Turkey.
In our quest to help you ski better, we'll also give you lessons from the Mahre twins, from Olympic gold medalist Donna Weinbrecht, and from Stu Campbell, our sage instruction editor, aka The Prof. We'll show you how to get ski fit, and we'll rank North America's best ski resorts, finest hotels and best ski cities. And we'll even name the world's all-time sexiest skiers-a task we're all looking forward to.
Because you've told us you want information on areas close to home, we're upping the ante on our regional offerings, too. Readers in the East, Midwest and Pacific can look forward to special back-of-the-book regional sections in upcoming issues.
And we kick it all off with this Buyer's Guide, featuring slope test reports on this season's Gold Medal Gear. To produce the finest reviews possible, we tested hundreds of models of skis and boots at Beaver Creek, Colo., and Mt. Bachelor, Ore. Only the strongest performers-a little more than half of the field-made the Gold Medal grade.
We think you deserve the best, and wouldn't have it any other way.
Contributors
You can reach Andy at abigford@SKImag.com > abigford@SKImag.com
