Episode 61 celebrates an extraordinary 22-year journey to reach the century club. The one and only Erik “The ECloud” Lundquist returns to the podcast to talk about an incredible personal and musical milestone – 100 Phish shows! (And he has the custom Phunky Threads t-shirt to prove it.) Now you may be wondering what the heck Phish the band has to do with skiing in the northeast. Well; stick around, because we’re going to tell you. In typical phish fashion, the episode will have 3 games that will take the form of Set 1, Set 2 and an Encore. Expect a few extended jams along the way. Grab a pint of Phish Food, settle in and bask in the wonder of 100 Phish shows – the people, travel, meals, venues, weather, credit card points, and of course musical improvisation at its finest. Read the f’ing book!

Segment Time

0:00: Punch You in the Eye (12.31.23)

4:20: 100 Phish Shows

26:11: Game 1 – 100s of Skiing

31:39: The Lizards (12.31.23)

34:00: Game 2 - Phish Food for Thought

53:58: Tweezer (12.30.24)

55:37: Game 3 - Final Jeff-Pardy

1:01:40: Tweezer Reprise (12.31.24)

1:02:40: Gag (B-roll)

Notes:

Total Points: 20 pts (Game 1: 3 pts; Game 2: 7 pts; Game 3: 10 pts)

Correction: Oblivion is a trail (blue square) at Waterville Valley, NH; Ovation is a trail (double black diamond-lower and black diamond-headwall and middle) at Killington, VT.

Dank Mix Gamehendge (04.16.92)

Did you know that Pico Mountain – a ski area of firsts as the episode details - is one of the oldest and longest continually operated ski areas in Vermont (#5) and in the United States (at most Top 40)? And that Pico’s vertical drop is ranked #10 in VT; #17 across New England? And did you know you can ski Pico for $62 on weekdays; $80 on weekend (non-holiday)? And that Pico has a unique collection from the Vermont Ski & Snowboard Museum on display?

Point is, don’t sleep on Pico. It’s a legit ski area and worth your time.

As usual, the episode begins with the lightning round featuring longer operating hours, season long reciprocity, a feel good story, lift update and article covering another local investor group trying to buy a corporate-owned ski area. The next segment features Pico’s history and the current day mountain profile, pass affiliations, and lesser known intel. I then share three observations of Pico and three highlights of a recent visit. We wrap with 11 trivia questions highlighting Pico’s “a ski area of firsts history.” Ready for a ‘sunset schuss’? Click in, let’s go!

Segment Times

4:22 - Lightning Round

10:55 - Early History

15:32 - Pico Today

18:11 - Mountain Profile

21:36 – 3 Highlights & 3 Observations

23:26 - Trivia Questions

Ski Patrol the movie celebrates its 35th anniversary in January 12, 2025. If you need a quick reminder about the plot…ski school instructors align with an evil land developer to sabotage the ski patrol and convince the Forest Service to cancel the owner's lease on the ski area. The broader context in ski movie lore, and, as Heather Hansman wrote in Powder Days, “the goofy sex appeal of mainstream ski movies like Ski Patrol, Ski School and Hot Dog, fed into the oversimplified fallacy that ski town lift was all sunny backscratchers, babes in one-pieces, and beating bad guys to the finish line.” A timely chapter to read the other day. The podcast episode starts with the usual plot overview and critical acclaim before a rundown of the characters/actors, followed by 5 rounds of trivia questions! And a surprise [and signature] final Jeff-Pardy question [acknowledging actual Ski Patrol worldwide] awaits at the end. Happy 35th Ski Patrol [the movie]!

Segment Times:

3:35 – Lightning Round; Free Skiing!

9:26 – Introduction Ski Patrol the Movie

11:12 – Critical Acclaim: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

13:16 – Audience Reviews: The Mostly Good, One Bad, No Ugly

16:18 – Characters and Actors Overview

23:50 – Trivia Questions

38:42 – Final 'Jeff-Pardy' Question: A Salute to Actual Ski Patrol

This holiday-inspired episode features the iconic ski train(s) – the past, present and future. Thanks to a love of trains at an early age, this episode was unknowingly decades in the making. While a chunk of the episode focuses on the past, and how the ski train both a} promoted skiing regionally (and ultimately nationally and b} was the foundation of a new winter recreation industry, there is plenty of present day applicability. Trust me, friends! We harness the theme from the story, A Christmas Carol, and run through the ski train story through the three ghosts (of ski trains past, present and future). A quick hitting trivia round - and wonderfully cold 10-day forecast - sends us into the holiday season, with spirits high, for snow, turns and ski train success stories. All aboard Powder Hounds!

Segment Time:

4:50: Ski Area News & Terrain Openings

14:14: Discounted Lift Tickets

18:31: Episode Introduction

20:56: Early Ski Trains

23:21: Ski Trains of the Past

37:55: Ski Trains of the Present

49:39: Ski Trains of the Future

52:55: Trivia Questions

The Race to Open – Northeast edition – returns with a new format; brackets by each northeast state! That’s right, 48 ski areas are included in this year’s Race to Open Northeast Bracket Challenge. It is hard not to get excited about the upcoming season with multiple snow events in October [just don’t look at the early November forecast. Yuck!] Still, ski areas across the northeast are testing snow guns, selling discounted lift tickets and lodging, posting opening dates and of course, two even opened! And I thought the only back-to-back champions are the UConn Huskies?! [Nope says Ski Ward, MA]. I also offer my apologies to the two northeast ski areas that opened pretty darn early last year, but whose bubbles burst on inclusion in this year’s bracket. As a peace offering, a bonus trivia question is meant to highlight them. Okay Pow Hounds, let’s find out which lifts are likely to spin next.

Segment Time

3:51: Lightning Round: Regional Ski News

13:35: Race to Open

15:50: RiMaConn/Southern New England Bracket

18:25: Poconos Bracket

21:54: New York Bracket

24:16: Maine Bracket

26:43: Vermont Bracket

29:14: New Hampshire Bracket

31:33: Top 6

32:07: Trivia Question

The 5th Annual Northeast Ski Season Preview episode covers [hopefully] everything you need to maximize the upcoming winter season. We have opening dates, new lifts, terrain expansions, weather predictions, stoke, discount lift ticket promotions and more! Of course, it wouldn’t be a Powder Hounds Ski Trivia Podcast without some trivia questions. So I give you the Annual 8, for the 8 states that comprise our northeast region. Oh, and did you know it snowed in the northeast on September 8? Find out which ski area has the edge to open first this season! Have fun, Powder Hounds! 

3:46 Introduction

5:27 Last Season

6:55 Stoke

10:12 Season Passes

16:33 Frequency Passes

27:48 Operational Changes of Note

34:59 Weather Predictions

36:41 Early Opening Date Predictions

38:11 Annual 8 Trivia Questions

The 4th Annual Mogul Madness Bracket Challenge episode is a good one – the Toughest Ski Trails of the East! I am joined by Pete Denato, Dave Jagich and Nolan Wheeler, absolute ballers on the slopes. These guys don’t just ski fast, they ski steep, deep, and gnarly terrain, while often logging 20 hour day trips just to find the goods in the woods. We talk favorite terrain, trails and ski areas; we touch on the back-to-back Nattys of our [Nolan and my] beloved UConn Huskies; we warm up with a couple old favorite games to wax up the bases for the Sweet 16 ski trail bracket challenge. This year's bracket challenge may also have coined a new meaning for BYOB [or not!]. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Powder Hounds Ski Trivia bracket challenge without a few surprise twists and turns along the way. The episode charges hard out of the gate, try to keep up! And stick with it, some audio gold awaits you at the end. 

0:40: Welcome

3:50: Sources

4:25: Introductions

13:06: Back-to-Back Nattys – Go UConn!

15:26: Name That Ski Area

18:57: True or False

22:41: Sweet 16 Bracket Challenge: Toughest Trails of the East

51:20: Final Jeff-Pardy

58:09: Last Chair

Catamount Ski Area may be best described as a hidden gem in plain sight. After all, it has been operating since 1939. Its location, among the Taconic Range, perhaps not necessary thought of when planning ski trips. But the ski area delivers with fall lines, headwalls and trails snaking through the trees. It is affordable. Its season pass gives you unlimited access to two other nearby ski areas. The ski school is also 84 years old and the Mountain Cat program may be among the best kept secrets for 3-year-olds learning to ski and snowboard. This episode was inspired by a handful of years skiing Catamount regularly, plus my first born’s inaugural winter on sticks. We begin with regional ski news-passes, weather, terrain updates and spring events, pivot to the history of Catamount, continue to the present day mountain profile. A deep dive of recent changes under Jon Schaefer as well as a potential expansion are explored as well as an unanswered question about ski area trail names (Catamount and Stowe have an unusually large amount of trails named after people). Of course, the episode wraps with nine trivia questions for the nine decades of Catamount’s existence. Go buy a spring equinox pass to Catamount (and Berkshire East) before it's too late!

Segment time:

3:42 – Regional Ski News

7:26 – History of Catamount Ski Area

12:36 – Mountain Profile

15:14 – Recent Changes

18:16 – Episode Inspiration

22:07 – Catamount Trail Names

24:43 – Trivia Questions

While Camelback Resort, celebrating 60-years of operation, may be most well known for its gigantic indoor and outdoor waterparks, it should also get love for being home to the ‘long ski day in PA.’ A compliment! On weekends and holidays, lifts start spinning at 7:30am (First Tracks) and stop – 14 hours later – at 9:00pm. While night skiing is not unique at smaller ski areas, the sheer cluster of ski areas (7) within 88 miles of one another that offer night skiing with 100% of terrain open, makes the Poconos special. Also noteworthy, this is the first winter season that Camelback is a parter on the Ikon Pass (along with nearby Blue), offering 7 days without blackout dates for full Ikon; 5 days with holiday blackouts for Ikon base. The usual topics covered include, ski area history, mountain profile, prices while focusing on the benefits of night skiing. The episode wraps-up with an Elite Eight set of trivia questions. I also bring back an old starter segment, regional ski news, including headlines, weather forecasts, open terrain rankings and a notable event. This episode – and all episodes – have a little something for everyone. Happy February, Powder Hounds! 

Segment time:

3:55 – Regional Ski News

8:55 – Episode Introduction

9:52 – Camelback History

14:12 – Mountain Profile

17:00 – Benefits of Night Skiing

19:56 – Night Skiing in Poconos

23:33 – Trivia Questions

Hot Dog...The Movie celebrates its 40th Anniversary on January 13, 2024. 40 years! Wow. While the cast, crew and fans have reunited every ten years to celebrate the movie’s legacy, I do not know where or when the 40th bash will be. Until those details surface, consider this episode a soft celebration. We kick things off with the briefest of overviews [if you’ve found this podcast, you’ve likely watched Hot Dog...The Movie]. For funsies, I read the Rat Pack’s IMDB for a little insight on what they did before/after this slopeside cult classic. The majority of the episode is trivia questions, with four categories: locations (green circles), competitions (blue squares), behind the scenes (black diamonds), and random (double black diamonds). A final Jeff-Pardy question closes us out. The movie soundtrack was all the music inspiration one would need, so enjoy the unusually long snippets. Happy 40th Hot Dog! Downhill, anyone?!

4:14: About Hot Dog...The Movie

7:38: Rat Pack IMDBs

13:44: Trivia Category: Locations

17:58: Trivia Category: Competitions

20:50: Trivia Category: Behind the Scenes

26:41: Trivia Category: Random

31:22: Final Jeff-Pardy Question