RealSkiers

My guest on this week’s edition of Realskiers with Jackson Hogen is a member of a couple of ultra-exclusive fraternities, as he was both a world speed record holder and a man so highly regarded that he can still be identified with just two tidy initials, C.B. C.B. Vaughan set a world record in speed skiing in 1963, going 106.89 mph on regular downhill gear, at Portillo, Chile. I talk to CB about setting the record, of course, but there’s another big topic on the table, the creation of a spectacularly successful clothing brand bearing his name, with four factories and hundreds of employees. We chat about what made CB Sports so popular, as well as re-visiting a ski career that culminated in the world record he shared with Dick Dorworth, a ski/climbing legend in his own right.

The ski world is coming apart at the seams. The quality of advice offered by most ski media is rubbish, just when an objective, well-informed ski media is needed most. This is why I fight on, despite the obvious futility of my quest.

Tim Kohl is both a bon vivant who skis over 100 days a year at his home resort of Alta and a long-standing member of the ski hard goods community, going back to the days when he owned and operated RD skis and snowboards. His keen mind and lively wit have been observing our little world at close range for decades. A contrarian by nature, he always has an insight or two you won't hear anywhere else.

This hasn't been a big year for new model introductions as the pace of innovation has definitely slowed, but there are nonetheless significant developments in the ski world that are relatively new, and they aren't good.

This is the final podcast of the 22/23 ski season, in which I underscore the major stories of the season now attempting, unsuccessfully, to draw to a close. The podcast includes a thumbnail of each of this year's 26 Revelations on Realskiers.com. Hope you enjoyed the 40 podcasts I contributed to the cause. I'll be back before you know it...

This week’s Revelation provides a snapshot of where the American Alpine ski market stands at this stage of its evolution. My central premise is that, from a product standpoint, the two seasons will be mostly the same, which is why this week’s Revelation is titled, "Groundhog Year."

Last week I took a pilgrimage to Snowbird. This podcast is a condensed chronology of the trip, garnished with the lessons learned while on the road.

I needed some endorsement ammunition to lubricate access to the mavens of SiriusXM, so I asked a few of the movers and shakers in both the ski and podcast spheres to spin a bit of promotional fluff in my behalf. What you are about to hear are the first fruits of this endeavor.

I thought ski "journalism" couldn't get any worse. I was wrong.

As the topic this week touches on boot reviews, it bears mention that the best boot reviews on the Internet - by a wide margin - are found at bootfitters.com. Accept no substitutes!

The Mammoth Trade Fair will take place next week, just as it would any other year. But this year may well prove to be unlike any that have preceded it.